Introduction Of Healthcare.gov As A Health Insurance...

The Introduction of HealthCare.gov Introduction HealthCare.gov is a health insurance exchange website operated under the United States federal government under the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, often known as Obamacare ), designed to serve the residents of the thirty-six U.S. states that opted not to create their own state exchanges. The exchange facilitates the sale of private health insurance plans to residents of the United States and offers subsidies to those who earn less than four times the federal poverty line. The website also assists those persons who are eligible to sign up for Medicaid, and has a separate marketplace for small businesses. History The federal website HealthCare.gov†¦show more content†¦Additional contractors were hired for security systems, such as Experian for digital identity authentication and Quality Software Services, Inc. (QSSI), a UnitedHealth Group company. According to the GAO, a total of 55 contractors were hired to help build the marketplace. Development Seed started working on the site in March 2013, mainly the home page, over the course of four months until the large contractors stepped in. The firm used Jekyll, a Ruby-based open-source software project that originated at GitHub in 2008 designed to generate static websites. To promote ease of use when publishing content to Jekyll on GitHub, Development Seed created Prose.io, a web-based content editor. Pairing Jekyll and Prose.io enable building simple, flexible, and reliable sites without the overhead of dynamic CMSs. The agency’s work has been commended for using smart underlying technology, a clean responsive design, a developer-friendly API and an open source project. The firm has since removed the HealthCare.gov code from public view on GitHub. After Development Seed created the front end of the health insurance marketplace, they sent their files to CGI Federal, who thenShow MoreRelatedThe Biggest Software Disasters1159 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction This research paper takes a look at two of the biggest software disasters in the past decade, Healthcare.gov website and the DIA Baggage system. In this paper, I analyze the different engineering approaches that were used, assess the success or failure of each to draw conclusions regarding â€Å"best† practices. Healthcare.gov The Affordable Care Act also known as ObamaCare was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010 to overhaul the US healthcare system. HealthCare.govRead MoreThe Importance Of A Conversation On The United States Government And Its Risk Management Involvement1659 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction More software projects have gone awry for lack of calendar time than for all other causes combined (Brooks, 1995). Why is this cause of disaster so common? Statistics show that schedule delays occur in about 70% of software projects, cost overruns are above 90%, and the time scheduled for large-scale development projects is exceeded by an average of between 20% and 50%. Lastly, the larger the project, the more likely it is that its budget will exceed what was originally planned (JunguangRead MoreBest Practices For Software Engineers1241 Words   |  5 PagesBest Practices for Software Engineers: An Analysis and Assessment of the Healthcare.gov and DIA Baggage System Projects (Draft) I. INTRODUCTION â€Å"Software engineering is the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to economically obtain software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machines.†[1]It’s an important discipline that came to light back in the 1960s when many projects regarding software systems’ design and implementation turned out to be disastrous due toRead MoreMedical Insurance and Medicaid 1568 Words   |  6 PagesMedicaid is a social health care program that covers nearly 60 million Americans, including children, pregnant women, seniors, parents and individuals suffering with disabilities. Medicaid is the biggest source of funding for health related services and medical needs for the people with low income in the United States. This program is funded jointly by the state and federal level governments, but it is the state’s responsibility to manage this program. The Medicaid program is not a required programRead MoreThe Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act ( Ppaca ) : Blazing A Trail For Healthier Americans Essay1299 Words   |  6 PagesFOR HEALTHIER AMERICANS Title: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA): Blazing a Trail for Healthier Americans Introduction In the first quarter of 2016 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) legislation has lead to 20 million Americans gaining healthcare coverage, and a record low uninsured rate of 8.6 percent (U. S. Department of Health Human Services [DHHS], 2016). Yet the verdict is out on whether the PPACA has been an improvement or a liability holding backRead MoreThe Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act2043 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has been one of the most controversial laws in the history of The United States. One of the key components of the law is the creation of health insurance exchanges. The states had the option to establish a state managed exchange, partner with the federal government, or let the federal government establish the exchange for them. Several states have opted to let the federal government establish the exchange for them. As of May 28

John Wilkes Booth and his fellow conspirators planned to...

John Wilkes Booth and his fellow conspirators planned to kidnap Abraham Lincoln on March 20, 1865, but on that day the president did not arrive at the location they thought he would. Once Booth figured out that Lincoln was going to Ford’s Theater he and his conspirators planned to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and William H. Seward (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated. As the president could not escape the southern sympathizers the nation was lead through its darkest hour when our 16th president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. At 10:15 Booth slipped into the box and fired his .44 caliber single-shot derringer into the back of Lincolns head (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). Booth†¦show more content†¦He grew up in Springfield, Illinois. Tens of thousands of people stood by the train tracks to pay their respect the the fallen president (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). Lincoln and his son , Willie, who died in the White House of typhoid fever in 1862, were interred on May 4, 1865, at Oak Ridge Cemetery (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). Booth fled south to Maryland (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). Union soldiers were on Booths trail immediately (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). David Herold was one of Booths conspirators and went south with him. Booth stopped at Samuel Mudds house to get his leg treated by this doctor (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). The doctor was sent to prison for life since he treated Booths leg. Before booth and Herold could get across the river, unions soldiers caught them (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). The soldiers set the barn on fire that Booth was in hoping he would come out. Instead the soldiers shot him after Herold came out and surrendered (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). Hours after Booth was shot he looked at his hands and said â€Å"Useless, useless† and died (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). Booth con spirators were hung for their crimes (â€Å"Abraham†/history.com). As the president could not escape the southern sympathizers the nation was lead through its darkest hour when our 16th president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. President Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated. The entire nation mourned at the newsShow MoreRelatedThe Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagescare for him who shall borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphaned child-to do all which may be achieved and cherished a just and a lasting peace among ourselves, and with all other nations†-Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address (Great Documents of America 19). Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States and perhaps one of the most hated presidents that ever served, this hatred for president Lincoln came from his options and actions regarding the nation’s conflictRead MoreThe Most Controversial American Presidents9333 Words   |  38 PagesContents Argument 2 Chapter I. George Washington 4 I.1 Early life 4 I.2 Presidency 5 I.3 Retirement and death 6 Chapter II. Abraham Lincoln 7 II.1 Early life and education 7 II.2 Presidency and the Civil War 8 II.3 Assassination 13 Chapter III. J. F. Kennedy 15 III.1 Early life and education 15 III.2 Presidency 17 III.3 Assassination 19 Chapter IV. Richard Nixon 21 IV.1 Early life and education 21 IV.2 Presidency 22 IV.3 Death and funeral 23 Chapter V. Theodore Roosevelt 24 V.1

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Question: Discuss about the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients. Answer: Outline services for implementation COPD patients need to breath in fresh air. The elderly people who have COPD needs more care, as their mobility reduces. According to Voelker (2015), COPD is increasing lung disease of refractory asthma, chronic bronchitis and breathlessness. COPD develops when the patient avoid the symptoms of such diseases. An elderly person of 89 years old age with COPD may use the following services: The service user needs to use inhaler. Inhaler helps a patient to provide medication directly to the breathing system. The health and social care provider needs to teach the family members of the patient about the use of inhaler if the patient is unable to use it (Saxena and Khan, 2016). There are various kinds of inhalers. Short-acting bronchodilator inhaler- most of the service users recommends to use this type of inhaler for primary treatment. Long-acting bronchodilator inhalers- this inhaler is used when a patient suffers from long term COPD. Elderly people with COPD may use this inhaler to get relief. Steroid inhalers: the service user can use steroid inhaler to decrease the inflammation of airways. Medication Service providers can suggest medication to the elderly people if they have problem in using inhalers. However, medication may have some side effects like headache, insomnia, palpitation and fever. As per Henry, Man and Fung, (2013), Service provider can suggest theophylline tablet to relax and open the airways. The patient needs regular blood test for checking the blood medication level. Beneficiary of the outline services Use of inhalers helps to widen the airways system and provide air directly into the lung. Inhaled steroid reduces the oscillation of asthma attacks. Inhaler helps to decrease the beta-agonist bronchodilator uses. Moreover, inhalers improve the function of lungs. It helps to decrease the risk of life threats and visit of hospitals. Systemic steroids help in the treatment of episodic COPD (Rinne et al. 2015). Medication can decrease the problem. It will not only open the airways but also helps to relax the airways and lungs. Medication may be effective e for the allergic asthma also. Medication can be given by injection also. The steroid is injected directly into the blood to control and prevent the allergic agent causing COPD. However, medication can increase the heart rate slightly and rashes may appear on skin surface. The care provider should be careful during injecting the steroid to an elderly patient (Ajmera, Shen, and Sambamoorthi, 2016). Care plan outline for Mrs. Liptons problems As Mrs. Lipton is 90 years old independent lady. She has many health issues like hypertension, myocardial infarction, type 2 diabetes mellitus and pmh. The service user should be more careful during her medication planning. According to Martin et al. (2016), before making a care plan, the service provider needs to inspect the reason of falling and the type of falling. The care provider must examine Mrs. Lipton as she may get serious injuries like break of bones or muscle injury (Potter et al. 2016). The service provider needs to know her medical history and medication process. The provided should contain less amount of calorie, fat and salt. The service provider should check the blood pressure and blood sugar of Mrs. Lipton on daily basis. As she has fallen in garden, she must be injured. The care provider must be careful during her medication as she may develop some serious health issues due to the medication. All the medication, she has to take due to her previous health issues sho uld be provided to her time to time. Care provider should help Mrs. Lipton to use bathroom, dress up and other necessary works. Mrs. Lipton should be observed closely. Care provider needs to be polite and understand her emotional and mental condition. Care provider may consult to a dietitian and psychologist to plan a safe diet for her. The diet chart provided by the dietitian must be followed quickly. In view of Martin et al. (2016), the diet chart must avoid the foods with much calorie, fat and salt. The diet also should avoid allergic substance; otherwise the injury would take time to get hilled. The diet may contain good quantity and quality of protein and complex carbohydrate. With the treatment of injury, her other health issues also should get same priority. The increase of body tissue sensitivity may help her to recover soon. However, medication of type 2 diabetes mellitus helps to develop the body tissue sensitivity (Fox et al. 2013). Importance of early discharge planning and the consideration of issues Mrs. Lipton needs to be discharged early. She is 90 years old and lives independently. She may feel uneasy in the ward as she is habituated to live alone. She may be anxious and the result may be harmful. It can increase her blood glucose and blood pressure level. She may refuse to take medication from the service provider. Delay of taking medication has can be dreadful. The chance of mortality rate increases and morbidity rate decrease (Voelker, 2015). The early discharge planning can improve the outcomes of system level. It can be done after inspecting the index hospital or nursing home discharge. As stated by (Saxena and Khan, 2016), the care provider can apply the findings for the better treatment and plan an early discharge planning. However, the early discharge planning may create problems. The patient may have to get admitted again in the hospital. Early discharge planning may goal to promote care transition back to the society. The care giver should make an early discharge planning after his satisfaction. The care giver must help the patient to return to her normal independent life (Fox et al. 2013). The care giver must assure Mrs. Lipton that she may not have to admit again in the hospital for her injury. Early discharge planning may change the mortality and morbidity rate of patient. The early discharge plan generally depends on two factors, Medicare prospective payment system and increase of managed care (Henry, Man and F ung, 2013). However, the post injury care is also necessary for a patient. If the care giver plans an early discharge plan without satisfaction, it may harm the patient in future. References Ajmera, M., Shen, C. and Sambamoorthi, U., (2016). Concomitant Medication Use and New-Onset Diabetes Among Medicaid Beneficiaries with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.Population Health Management. Link https://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/pop.2016.0047 Fox, M.T., Persaud, M., Maimets, I., Brooks, D., OBrien, K. and Tregunno, D., (2013). Effectiveness of early discharge planning in acutely ill or injured hospitalized older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics,13(1), p.1. Link https://download.springer.com/static/pdf/776/art%253A10.1186%252F1471-2318-13-70.pdf?originUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fbmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com%2Farticle%2F10.1186%2F1471-2318-13-70token2=exp=1480679726~acl=%2Fstatic%2Fpdf%2F776%2Fart%25253A10.1186%25252F1471-2318-13-70.pdf*~hmac=212f6232073c11b7802ee13529b4020e8c9ac6670634a0c3edc440cb398dafea Henry, P.C.L., Man, C.S. and Fung, Y.S., (2013). Effectiveness of nurse?led disease management programs on health outcomes and health service utilization in adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review protocol.JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports,11(1), pp.307-328. Link file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/Effectiveness_of_nurse_led_disease_management.8.pdf Martin, R.S., Hayes, B., Gregorevic, K. and Lim, W.K., (2016). The effects of advance care planning interventions on nursing home residents: A systematic review.Journal of the American Medical Directors Association,17(4), pp.284-293. Link https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(15)00776-8/fulltext Potter, P.A., Perry, A.G., Stockert, P. and Hall, A., (2016).Fundamentals of nursing. London: Elsevier Health Sciences. Link https://content.iospress.com/articles/technology-and-health-care/thc1060 Rinne, S.T., Wong, E.S., Hebert, P.L., Au, D.H., Lindenauer, P.K., Neely, E.L., Sulc, C.A. and Liu, C.F., (2015). Weekend Discharges and Length of Stay Among Veterans Admitted for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.Medical care,53(9), pp.753-757. Link https://journals.lww.com/lww medicalcare/Abstract/2015/09000/Weekend_Discharges_and_Length_of_Stay_Among.3.aspx Saxena, M. and Khan, M.S., (2016). A Comparative Study On Inhaler Use Among Bronchial Asthma And COPD Patients.National Journal of Integrated Research in Medicine,7(2), pp.37-40. Link https://www.scopemed.org/fulltextpdf.php?mno=227366 Voelker, H., Albert, R.K., Bailey, W.C., Casaburi, R., Cooper, J.A.D., Curtis, J.L., Dransfield, M.T., Han, M.K., Criner, G.J., Washko, P.G. and McEvoy, C.E., (2015). Cardiac Events And Relationship To Rates Of Acute Exacerbation In COPD.Am J Respir Crit Care Med,191, p.A6368. Link https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2015.191.1_MeetingAbstracts.A6368

Social Networking in the Business Settings-Samples for Students

Question: Identify the advantages and the disadvantages of the use of social networking in the Business. Answer: Introduction Social media was once considered only a medium of connecting people. It was basically a kids tool and no business can use it to gain profit out of it. Soon these sceptics proved to be wrong and now it is considered as a useful tool for every business in various grounds primarily in their promotion. It is useful in gaining customers valuable insights, increase brand awareness and loyalty, run targeted ads with real time results, generate higher converting leads, provide rich customer experiences, increase website traffic and search ranking, identify competitors activity, share content faster and easily, geo-target content, build customer relationship and many more. As there are advantages, there must be some disadvantages that come along with it. The report will be flowing in a direction to identify these advantages and disadvantages of using social networking in the business organizations (Whiting and Deshpande 2014). A thorough literature review has been carried out in the following . Project objectives and scopes are also identified in the following research proposal. Project Objective To critically analyse the applications of social networking in Business Organizations. To identify the advantages and disadvantages of using social networking in the business. To critically evaluate the promotional activities of business organization through social networking. Project Scope The scope of the projects lies within the history of development of social networking and the point of views of business organizations towards it. The change in the viewpoint and the impact will also be considered. Literature Review Social networking and its use in Businesses Social networking can be represent as a structure in the internet that joins people with common interest. Its sole purpose is to connect people. Facebook, Pinterest, twiter are the msot common social networking sites that are used by people around the world. It has become an integral part of almost every business around the world. It has considerably modified the thinking of the entrepreneurs. It not only contributes in providing information to identify new opportunities, but also helps to in the process of implementation. The social networks help in triggering the enactment of opportunities of the international businesses by bringing modification in the way business organizations see the feasibility and desirable opportunities. The evaluation of opportunities by experienced international businesses inclined to be linked with their strong network ties. The new companies gain benefits from these experienced well-established organization for setting up their business. Marketing and pro motions are the two important grounds where the social networking comes into action for the international organizations. It is considered as the fastest means of getting public attention and recommendations (Nowi?ski and Rialp 2016). Business transformation Social network is playing vital role in changing way of communication, creation, collaboration and consumption. It is one of the important transformative approaches taken by the business organizations in information technology, within and outside the organization. It directly influences in promoting the products and services and transformed the way. Popular social networking sites like facebook, twitter, instagram and many more are used in the process. Business organizations are using these social networking sites not only for promoting their products but also to build customer relationship by allowing them to place their opinion asking their feedback. It helps organizations in their social and economic value creation. They are placing ads with the help of e-business management team that is often found in the social networks that directly links to the business page of the company. It completely reframed the business models of the companies. It has also impact on the CSR policy of the companies (Aral, Dellarocas and Godes 2013). It also has advantages on Customer Relationship Management. CRM is influenced by both social network marketing and customer-centric management, which believed to have interactive effect in formation of firm level capabilities (Trainor et al. 2014). The application of social media helps the organization to implement innovative form of communication and co-create content with the customers. Transformation in the society is currently forcing the business organizations to make their presence in the social network platform. The social network can be integrated in the business organization is several ways depending on the desired benefits and the usage. The relationship-based interaction model with the customers is improving the social value of the organization (Tiago and Verssimo 2014). Advantages Various advantages can be identified of using the social network as a valuable tool for the business organization. The following part of the proposal will be conducting research based on existing literatures that are available in the market. This part of the literature review will be identifying the advantages and a critical analysis will be done based on that. Customer Insight Social networking provides a huge amount of valuable data on the customers that can provide an insight of their likings and dislike which will in turn help the business to focus on the customer satisfaction. These relevant data help to take smarter business decisions. The business that did not include social networking in their business model needs to conduct survey, which needs greater capital investment. Moreover, question of reliability remains in the data acquired from the survey (Roy, Maxwell and Carson 2014). Amazon adopted this advantage and used it for serving their customers in an efficient way. Brand awareness and loyalty Presence in social network will increase the brand recognition as the business will be engaged in a global audience of customers. It provides a greater exposure of the company, which in turn will create a strong customer base. It can also show potential improvement in brand loyalty. Customer satisfaction and brand loyalty are two sides of a coin which cannot be separated from one another. For gaining high brand loyalty, it is important to get the customer insight from the social networking sites. This process brings benefit to the company. It takes more time and money to spread brand awareness to the customers outside social network in the age of technology (Kim, Lim and Brymer 2015). Australia based digital marketing company WME has come a long way since their opening in 2007 with the help of various social networking sites as the promotional platform. Inbound Traffic The number of customers is restricted to the usual customers for the companies who did not make their presence in the social networking sites. Hence, it can be said that, social networking is a gateway for the business to develop the number of customers. It will reduce the difficulties in reaching anyone other than the loyal customers. More the number of profile one make for their business in social media, more the chances are to get customers attention (Leung et al. 2013). Making different pages for different target population will increase the brand awareness among the customers. It will also supplement in increasing conversion rate. The higher conversion comes with increased visibility. Increased interaction like frequent commenting, sharing content, and posting status will in turn increase the visibility of the business which will increase the conversion rate (Nord, Paliszkiewicz and Koohang 2014). Macys is a international clothing store who actively uses the social networking si tes like facebook, instagram in the process. Reduced marketing Cost Potential advantages can be identified in making marketing budget of the business organizations. It is also the most cost-efficient advertising strategy that is available today. It is also gaining importance in destination marketing organizations. The popularity of the strategy is due to the low cost and wide range of accessibility. The businesses can access the global market with ease. Almost everyone in developing and developed countries is accustomed with the social network and uses them in their daily life. Hence, it is a golden opportunity for the companies to promote their products and services (Fan and Gordon 2014). It also cut down the marketing budget of the company. They can access global market with such low price using the social networks. The impact of this on the customers also shows higher potential than other marketing strategies for the same reason. With low investment in marketing, business can utilize their capital in other fields which will gain benefit to the org anization (Hays, Page and Buhalis 2013). Customer Satisfaction The use of social networking sites as an integrated tool of business management has considerably changed the seller and buyer interaction. The use of social media by the salesperson has indicated improvement in information communication behaviour, which simultaneously enhances customer satisfaction and salespersons responsiveness. Customers are enabled to provide opinion about the company on their social networking websites which can supplement in creating value of the company by bringing modification to satisfy customers needs. The salespersons better responses in social network proved to show positive impact in customer satisfaction. It is a promising medium business can use to communicate information to customers. For the purpose, the salesperson needs to enhance their behavioural skills to increase customer satisfaction. Goals with relation to social media need careful assessment from the manager to make proper use of their sales force. Hence, using social networking made it easi er for the company to provide customer satisfaction which out facing major challenges like collecting data on the customers opinion (Agnihotri et al. 2016; Hudson and Thal 2013). Dan Murphys, a Australian liquor company using facebook as a platform to interact with the customers to gain better insight for look after the customer satisfaction issue. Thought Leadership Creating a good profile by making well written and insightful content on the social media can brush up the leadership skills in the particular field. There is no single way of becoming thought leader; it demands work that can be supported by online networking tool. To become an expert in the field, social media is a good medium to establish ones presence (Jeske and Shultz 2016). Disadvantages As there are advantages in using social network in the business strategy, there are disadvantages too. Different approaches are required for making profitable use of the social network, failing of which can also have negative impact on the business. Proper planning is necessary for avoiding these unwanted circumstances. Some of the major disadvantages are identified in this report. Promotion Management via Social Networks Promoting through social networks requires active management of the presence, lack of which can bring no real time benefits. Moreover, mismanagement can also create negative impression of the business to the potential customers, which requires utmost avoidance. Potential risk lies on unwanted or inappropriate behaviour on the social network page (Ngai, Tao and Moon 2015). Moreover, exposure needs to be managed in appropriate manner. The low exposure will fail to establish the brand value to the customers. Likewise, high exposure also has its effect on the social networks. Extra exposure will attract the risks like negative feedback, information leaks or even hacking. These risk factors need to be eliminated with utmost priority (Sharda, Delen and Turban 2013). Burger King is one of the companies whose social networking promotion backfired on them due to their inconvenient tag line. Maintenance effort As the social network needs daily update, it requires daily monitoring on regular basis. Failing in monitoring the pages on a daily basis can potentially reduce the brand value of the organization. One needs to implement additional resources for the above reasons. It will help maintaining the online presence of the business. Hence, it is important for appointing extra force that will again require extra investment in the business (Laroche, Habibi and Richard 2013). On the other hand, it will become easier for the owner to handle the situation much easier. The handler must have experience of marketing and also social network strategy as these are required to maintain and increase the benefits of the business. The manager with low expertise will surely fail in preparing clear marketing strategy based on social networking will in term reduce the benefits of the business (Zeng and Gerritsen 2014). Company like Amazon spends a huge amount of money in maintaining their social network pages for their promotion which consumes a noticeable portion of their profit. They need to decrease their investment in social networking pages to increase their profit margin. Policies and procedures These risk factors regarding the social networking can be managed by preparing policy and following proper procedures carefully beforehand. Claiming something about one business, that is not true or misleading on the social network page can reduce customer base. Business can also be fined judging on the severity of the crime. Misleading information about the competitors or the rank of the business in the market or customer testimonials and fan posts are such things that can make business pay for the crime (Dijkmans, Kerkhof and Beukeboom 2015). EBay is currently facing challenges due to their poor policies in customers feedback channel in their social networking pages. It resulted in a continuous downfall in customers satisfaction of the company. Literature Gap The scholarly works that are available in the internet have focused more on the advantages of using social networks by various businesses. The literatures on the disadvantages or the cons of using social networking as an integral part of the business strategy are comparatively few in number. Moreover, only a few literatures provide insight on the necessary procedure required in earning these advantages and fewer talks about the procedure of overcoming the disadvantages. This is a wide range of vacuum in the research work which can be studied. Nonetheless, there are hardly any study is engaged in the analysing scopes for the small businesses firms in using social network marketing. The procedure and advantages mentioned in the articles are for the big international firms. Hence, it is necessary to conduct a study on the ground level and identify the small businesses that are using social networking for their promotional activity and the advantages they are enjoying out of it. Conclusion Conclusion can be drawn from the above discussion that there are potential advantages of social networking in business organizations. It has various applications in the business, apart from only marketing. Social and economic value can be increased using social networking websites and also the customer value can be hiked. Advantages of using social network are identified from the studies that have been conducted earlier. They are brand awareness and loyalty, customer insights, inbound traffic, business transformation, reduction advertising cost and many more are identified and discussed thoroughly in the report. Different disadvantages are also identified and analysed. Suggestion is also provided in overcoming the cons of using the social networking in business. The final part of the business proposal is the literature gap, where the required areas of study have been identified with valid reasons. Reference List Agnihotri, R., Dingus, R., Hu, M.Y. and Krush, M.T., 2016. Social media: Influencing customer satisfaction in B2B sales.Industrial Marketing Management,53, pp.172-180. Aral, S., Dellarocas, C. and Godes, D., 2013. Introduction to the special issuesocial media and business transformation: a framework for research.Information Systems Research,24(1), pp.3-13. Dijkmans, C., Kerkhof, P. and Beukeboom, C.J., 2015. A stage to engage: Social media use and corporate reputation.Tourism Management,47, pp.58-67. Hays, S., Page, S.J. and Buhalis, D., 2013. Social media as a destination marketing tool: its use by national tourism organisations.Current issues in Tourism,16(3), pp.211-239. Hudson, S. and Thal, K., 2013. The impact of social media on the consumer decision process: Implications for tourism marketing.Journal of Travel Tourism Marketing,30(1-2), pp.156-160. Jeske, D. and Shultz, K.S., 2016. Using social media content for screening in recruitment and selection: pros and cons.Work, employment and society,30(3), pp.535-546. Kim, W.G., Lim, H. and Brymer, R.A., 2015. The effectiveness of managing social media on hotel performance.International Journal of Hospitality Management,44, pp.165-171. Laroche, M., Habibi, M.R. and Richard, M.O., 2013. To be or not to be in social media: How brand loyalty is affected by social media?.International Journal of Information Management,33(1), pp.76-82. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268401212000916%20%C3%8F%E2%80%9E%C3%8E%C2%BF%C3%8F%E2%80%A6%202013 Leung, D., Law, R., Van Hoof, H. and Buhalis, D., 2013. Social media in tourism and hospitality: A literature review.Journal of Travel Tourism Marketing,30(1-2), pp.3-22. Ngai, E.W., Tao, S.S. and Moon, K.K., 2015. Social media research: Theories, constructs, and conceptual frameworks.International Journal of Information Management,35(1), pp.33-44. Nord, J.H., Paliszkiewicz, J. and Koohang, A., 2014. Using social technologies for competitive advantage: Impact on organizations and higher education.Journal of computer information systems,55(1), pp.92-104. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08874417.2014.11645744 Nowi?ski, W. and Rialp, A., 2016. The impact of social networks on perceptions of international opportunities.Journal of Small Business Management,54(2), pp.445-461. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsbm.12149/full Roy, A., Maxwell, L. and Carson, M., 2014. How is social media being used by small and medium-sized enterprises?.Journal of Business and Behavior Sciences,26(2), p.127. Sharda, R., Delen, D. and Turban, E., 2013.Business Intelligence: A Managerial Perspective on Analytics. Prentice Hall Press. Tiago, M.T.P.M.B. and Verssimo, J.M.C., 2014. Digital marketing and social media: Why bother?.Business Horizons,57(6), pp.703-708. Trainor, K.J., Andzulis, J.M., Rapp, A. and Agnihotri, R., 2014. Social media technology usage and customer relationship performance: A capabilities-based examination of social CRM.Journal of Business Research,67(6), pp.1201-1208. Whiting, A. and Deshpande, A., 2014. Social media marketing: A myth or a necessity.The Journal of Applied Business and Economics,16(5), p.74. Zeng, B. and Gerritsen, R., 2014. What do we know about social media in tourism? A review.Tourism Management Perspectives,10, pp.27-36. Fan, W. and Gordon, M.D., 2014. The power of social media analytics.Communications of the ACM,57(6), pp.74-81.

Comparisons of Early Greek and Early Roman Cultures

Abstract Early Greek and Rome had high contribution to western civilization. The early Greek and Roman cultures were passed down and still influence the modern way of life. While Ancient Greek consisted of isolated city states (poleis), early city of Rome expanded to an empire. Agriculture was the main economic activity for both ancient Greek and ancient Rome. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparisons of Early Greek and Early Roman Cultures specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ancient Greek will be remembered for its contribution to philosophy, modern education and democracy. On the other hand, ancient Rome will be remembered for its contribution to rule of law and western civilization. Early Greek and Roman and Cultures Element Greek Roman Geography Ancient Greek started as city states (poleis) at around 800 BCE. The geography was characterized by mountainous terrain and irregular coastline. The city state s were along the coastline and were separated from one another by hilly landscape. The poleis included Athens, Thebes, Delphi, Sicyon, Olympia, Argos, Corinth, and Mycenae (Burckhardt, 2002). Greek’s colonization of the Mediterranean region was in the form of extension of the isolated city states. Early Rome was situated in a plain. On the west, ancient Rome was bordered by the sea and mountain on the east. The city of Rome was prone to invasions and migrations from Sicily and Po River (Selincourt, Ogilvie Oakley, 2002). This threat motivated early Rome to expand to the legendary Roman empire. Art Early Greek had magnificent works of art. Ancient Greek art included architecture, sculpture, literature, music, and drama. Most of the works of art in ancient Greek were original (Goldhill Osborne, 1994). Ancient Greek orders such as Doric and Ionic were not only functional but also elegant. In addition, Early Greek sculptors were good at showing human perfection. The art most associated with ancient Greek is the Venus de Milo. Early Roman art were mainly imitative. Roman artists aimed mainly at producing realistic portraits chiefly for decoration (Green, 1996). The Romans considered their business as that of managing governments rather than of producing works of art. The art most associated with ancient Greek is mosaic. Economy Early Greek economy was based mainly on agriculture (Burckhardt, 2002). Wheat was the staple food and was produced in small farms. Big estates mainly for wine and olive oil also existed. Early Roman economy was also based chiefly on agriculture. Wine and olive oil were produced for export. Wheat, the staple food for early Roman was imported from neighboring nations. In addition to farming, the Romans engaged in trade and manufacturing. Social Classes Social classes in early Greek changed over time. The main divisions however included citizens, freedmen, slaves, metics and women. Social classes in early Rome also changed over time. The unique divisions included patricians, plebeians, slaves and freedmen. Women With exception of Sparta, women in early Greek had limited freedom. The women were valued for the way they managed their household, for producing legitimate children and for not gossiping (Goldhill Osborne, 1994). Though women could not be citizens, they were allowed to own property but could not sell them. Even after marriage, women remained under their fathers’ authority. Women in early Rome were subject to male figure in their household: Paterfamilias. Roman women had much freedom as compared to early Greek women (Selincourt, Ogilvie Oakley, 2002). They could own and sell property and could become roman citizens. Fathers Fathers in ancient Greek were dominant in their families. The fathers could even decide whether to keep a newborn or not. Grown up sons however could challenges their fathers. Paterfamilias was the head of early Roman family. The paterfamilias had authority even on their married sons. Government The city states in ancient Greek were mainly governed independently. The forms of governments changed from monarchy to oligarchy and then to democracy. Kings initially governed early Rome. The monarchy form of government gave way to republican government and later to emperors. Literature and Philosophy Early Greek literature and philosophy has great influence to the modern western culture. Influential early Greek literature includes Odyssey, Iliad and the Humor (Burckhardt, 2002). Early Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle’s had great contribution to western thought. Early roman literature borrowed much from early Greek literature. The literature included epigram, drama and prose. Unlike early Greek literature, Roman literature tended to be satirical (Selincourt, Ogilvie Oakley, 2002). In fact, satire is originally Roman. In philosophy, early Rome brought about Stoicism. Stoicism represented the world view of the early Roman. Religion Early Greek was polytheist. The Greeks believed in gods and goddesses that included Zeus, Artemis, Poseidon, Dionysus, Hestia, Hermes and Ares. Greeks believed that worshipping the gods and goddesses would better their lives while offending the gods could bring misfortune. Ancient Rome was also polytheistic. Ancient Romans accepted many of Greek gods and gods from other nations that were part of the Roman empire (Green, 1996). Because of the many gods and ways of worship, the ancient Romans founded a college of pontiffs whose role was to regulate worship. References List Burckhardt, J. (2002). History of Greek Culture. New York: Courier Dover Publications. Goldhill, S. Osborne, R. (1994). Art and text in ancient Greek culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Green, P. (1996). Hellenistic History and Culture. Ewing: University of California Press. Selincourt, L., Ogilvie, R. Oakley, S. (2002). The early history of Rome: books I-V of The history of Rome fr om its foundations. New York: Penguin. This essay on Comparisons of Early Greek and Early Roman Cultures was written and submitted by user Mariano Herman to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Souls of Black Folk essays

The Souls of Black Folk essays Author: William Edward Burghardt Du Bois Date of Publication: original publication 1903. Bantam Classic publication July 1989 W.E.B. Du Bois, born in 1868 in Massachusetts, was one of Americas loudest social activists, scholars, and writers. He went to school at Harvard and taught at Wilberforce University as well as Atlanta University for many years. He helped publish many extreme periodicals and eventually converted to communism. He died in Accra on August 27 1963. The Souls of Black Folk, a collection of fourteen self contained stories by the extremist African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois written over 100 years ago, is a bleak and thought-invoking look at the lives of the former slaves following Emancipation. It addresses nearly all aspects of life, from religion to poverty to race relations, and how they were changed by the removal of slavery. Some papers take a more historical view while others are nearly in the form of short stories. What makes The Souls of Black Folk one-of-a-kind is Du Bois' overt unobjectivity and blatant socialist writing. He was African American and that gives him quite a different view from white historians of the time. He is sympathetic to the troubles of the slaves and understands with much greater lucidity their daily effort to rise above the slight manipulations of those pitiless enough to take advantage of their weak, somewhat raw position. Du Bois also takes mammoth delight in his race and doesn't waver to allocate all of its undertakings and assistance to American humanity with his readers. Given the popular approach of either apathy or hostility towards African Americans at that time in history, The Souls of Black Folk tries to take some significant steps toward earning deference for black America or at least making others conscious of its optim ...

Financial Economy and Royal Bank Of Scotland Essay

Financial Economy and Royal Bank Of Scotland - Essay Example RBS is engaged in international banking and financial services business and thus confronts with the challenges posed by any changes taking place in financial economic conditions only in the United Kingdom but throughout the world. This paper provides an insightful study on the effects of financial economic factors on the activities, operations, profits and reported earnings of the Royal Bank of Scotland. The paper starts from discussing the prime banking and financial services activities of the bank and its international operations. It then moves towards the company's debt/ gearing level and analyzes the impact of changes in interest rates, inflation and exchange rates in the activities and earnings of the company. The paper also sheds light on the extent of the RBS' involvement with the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The Royal Bank of Scotland is one of the largest companies in the UK as well as the world. The company is ranked as the greatest company in Scotland, second largest in the United Kingdom and sixth largest in the world. The company is involved with provision of financial services to a variety of customers ranging from large corporations to small businesses and individuals (Scotland PLC: The financial industry in Edinburgh, 13.04.07). RBS has its banking operations in various parts of the world. Being a banking and financial services company, the Royal Bank of Scotland is greatly influenced by changes in financial economic conditions. RBS- Operations The Royal Bank of Scotland has a wide range of operations in various areas of banking i.e. corporate markets (investment and risk management services in both the UK and global large businesses and financial institutions), retail markets (including retail operations and wealth management), Ulser bank providing products and services to retail and corporate customers in Ireland, Citizens commercial banking organisation, RBS insurance and manufacturing (RBS annual report, 2006). The major business segments of RBS are personal banking, private banking, business banking and corporate banking (Royal Bank of Scotland, 13.04.07). Overseas Operations The Royal Bank of Scotland has its operations in different parts of the world including UK the home market, the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. The company's operations in UK include dealing in the areas of corporate markets, retail markets, insurance and manufacturing. In the United States, RBS has its operations in the areas of corporate and retail banking. The company is engaged in the same operations as in UK all over the Europe, whereas in Asia Pacific the RBS is involved with corporate market, retail market and manufacturing operations (RBS Annual Report, 2006). Retail Operations The company operates in a vast range of financial services including retail operations. The Royal Bank of Scotland's retail banking operations includes services to personal and small business customers. In this regard, the company provides its services in the areas of consumer banking, business banking, cards and direct finance in the United Kingdom. The Royal Bank of Scotland's has its international wealth management operations in continental Europe and Asia Pacific region, as well as in the UK home market. RBS- Debt/Gearing: The Royal Bank o

LION KING film analysis of the leadership issues in the film Essay

LION KING film analysis of the leadership issues in the film - Essay Example The question is, what are those qualities that make a strong leader? Why is it that some leaders are loved and respected by their followers forever while others fail to maintain the faith from their followers? The answer lies in their leadership styles. The movie â€Å"The Lion King†, is an excellent example of different leadership styles (1994). Through the characters of Mufasa, Scar and Simba, the movie has clearly and distinctly described the qualities that make a strong and a weak leader. Leadership can be defined as â€Å"an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purpose.† (Rost 1991). This definition shows that a relationship is developed between a leader and the followers only when they have a common goal to achieve (Rost 104). A relationship cannot be developed if the goals of the leader and the followers differ. In the movie ‘The lion king’, Mufasa is able to gain respect and love from his followers because he is able to understand their needs and works towards the fulfillment of those needs harmoniously. Mufasa displays a transformational leadership style through the quality of the relationship that he develops with his followers. A strong leader is the one who is able to form a relationship with his followers not on the basis of expectations but on the basis of trust and understanding. Transformational leaders take effort in nurturing the sense of self worth in the followers and boosting their self-esteem (Bass 1998). When the followers realise that their individual qualities are being recognised and nurtured by their leader, they feel that their individual needs are being taken care of. They feel enthusiastic and energetic under the guidance of such leader and hence, commit themselves to the achievement of goal in a genuine way. They are willing to give their best in an effort to reach their purpose (Bass 1998). In the movie ‘The lion king’, Mufasa

Clandestine labs and the dangers it poses to law enforcement and Essay

Clandestine labs and the dangers it poses to law enforcement and emergency personnel - Essay Example One of the most important growing issues that are provided a particular attention by the US government and US departments on law enforcement is the continuous increase of number of clandestine laboratories in the country. So far, although the government has tried hard to practically create massive definitions on how the law enforcers should actually be involved in handling the situation properly through training and increased competence in the process, it could be seen how the increase of rate in connection with the number of clandestine laboratories in the country today provides a rather different picture on the part of the efforts placed by the national officials on the matter in concern. In this paper, a practical presentation on the issues and particular dangers that both law enforcers and emergency personnel face every time they risk their lives in attacking clandestine laboratories for the sake of protecting the security of the greater population making up the nation. Clandestine laboratories are well known local factories of drug production particularly that of Methamphetamines. These laboratories are noted to be located in hidden areas that are usually kept from the human naked eye due to its being illegal especially in the United States. Many operators of Clan Labs hide their laboratories in places where no one would actually suspect such as garage areas, and other home areas that are not likely much visited by outsiders. However, although placed in such areas, the recognition of these laboratories becomes easy due to the smell of chemicals coming out from the said sources of drug production. Usually, the smell of urine [due to the existence of ammonia] could be recognised from the area of production. An alarming cue that a clan lab may exist in an area should actually give one the right push to tell about the matter to law enforcers who are appointed to oversee the concerned place under the case of a possible clan lab existence. Why is this a must It has been researched and well studied through experience based cases that clan labs are highly dangerous especially for those living within its vicinities. Considerably, the imposed position of the people living around the area is endangered due to the existence of the chemicals that are used for the production of the illegal drugs. These substances are noted to be highly flammable and are also considered dangerous to the health of those who are living around the area where they are used for mass production of drug substances. For this reason, it is highly recommended that community security law enforcers closely see to it that nothing is unnoticeably passed through especially when the issue comes to unknown areas of clan labs hidden within populated communities. Along with that, the aim of protecting the values of the law enforcers appointed for the areas concerned is

The Issue Of Designer Babies

The Issue Of Designer Babies This research paper discusses designer babies and the science of creating a designer baby. It talks about in-vitro fertilization, SNPs, a success story of crating a designer baby and shows where designer babies stand in todays society. This paper also contains some evidence of ethnic beliefs on designer babies and truly how far some parents will go to get a child that they want. It emphasizes how close we are to successfully creating a one hundred percent designer baby as well as what hinders us from advancing forward. It also goes into how and why designer babies are a very controversial subject and how many parents do not want to manipulate any psychological aspect of their child, yet more are likely to manipulate physical traits. This paper talks about where society stands today about the topic of designer babies and give insight to what society will think of designer babies and if it will be the newest fashion statement in the future. Designer Babies; the Latest Fashion Accessory Science has advanced greatly over the last twenty years. In the past twenty years science has expanded our knowledge drastically in the medical and biological field. A great breakthrough in science is designer babies. A designer baby is when parents are able to choose the traits that their child will inherit. This includes many disease related genes as well as some characteristics, such as; sex, eye color and skin color, a child may inherit. Creating a designer baby is a simple idea but a precise and complicated process. A designer baby is created when an embryo is created through in-vitro fertilization, which is the process of taking an unfertilized egg and injecting the egg with sperm, thus fertilizing the egg outside of the body. Once this is done, the cell begins to multiply into several embryos within the first five days, and then each embryo is removed and tested for a certain trait, such as sex. Once the desired traits are chosen the rest of the embryos that do not carry the g ene or may give the desired trait less probability of showing are terminated and the remaining embryo is placed inside the mothers womb. This process is not always guaranteed but only gives ones child a higher percentage for that trait. Also, this process may need to be repeated incase there are complications with the embryo staying in the mothers womb. (Seibel, 2008) This is a very controversial issue because of its goals of creating a child with pre-selected genes. Since they have a choice of discarding the new embryo there are many controversial issues to this process. Pro-choice activists, people who are against abortion, are against creating designer babies because the embryo is living and by their definition they would be killing a child. (Tuhus-Dubrow, 2007) Many say that they want to have their child the way they are supposed to be and that no one should be able to play as God because curiosity fuels science and science fuels greed for knowledge and cycling back into curiosity. Is it right for one to choose the traits that their child will inherit? What would happen to our society if everyone chose to create designer babies? The process behind creating a designer baby has opened up new doors to the future of our society. If everyone chose to have this treatment done to create a designer baby to prevent disease then our future society would have no health defects. According to Meisenberg, we are very close to finding the genes capable for stroke, coronary heart disease, asthma, Alzheimers disease, and psychosis, as well as other common diseases. (Meisenberg, 2008) This would eliminate disease from society; our immune systems would be super human in a sense and would change dramatically. Would this be the only gain from creating designer babies? Why stop only at disease related traits? Why not chose a child that was tall, had a high IQ, and has freckles. If everyone chose their ideal traits for their child eventually there will be a split in the genome between unaltered humans and genetically altered humans. A theory that an interesting journal article, Genetics and the Definition of Human, states their th oughts on designer babies, Human beings in the future will practice cloning and will manipulate the genomes of their offspring to the point where they will, in effect, produce a new stratum of society. These will be the Genrich people, as opposed to the rest of us who are content (or stuck) with the genes we inherited by normal meansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The Genrich might eventually evolve into a new species: able to mate successfully with each other but not with the [genetically] unmanipulated. (Genetics and the Definition of Human', 2010) This would have a drastic affect on those who are not designer babies. The average normal person would be at a disadvantage in society and would not be as successful in the working world. Everyone would choose the characteristics that they wanted but then the next generation would be limited to the characteristics that they would have. Eventually, everyone in our society and even the world would have the same characteristics and no one would be unique. Yes, this is bound to happen eventually but in-vitro fertilization for creating designer babies would amplify and speed up the process dramatically so that possibly our grandchildrens grandchildren will all be the same if everyone went through with creating only designer babies. Currently, scientists can not provide these options, such as eye color, hair color, IQ etc, because there are different nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs that codes or mark for different traits in different races. Naik finds that the only nucleotide polymorphisms that have been coded for are people of European Caucasian descent, because other ethnicities SNPs have not been recognized yet. (Naik, 2009) Each SNP is a mark for a specific trait. There are thousands of SNPs embedded within the human genome. During in-vitro fertilization the embryo is testes for these exact markers for the desired trait, such as specific diseases. This is done in the early stages of the embryo so that when the cells continue to replicate the desired trait is present or removed depending on if the traits goal was to be removed or not. Many parents wish to have designer babies to help with another child who has a threatening disease. Others wish to make their child deaf because both parents are deaf and they want to share the experience. Sanghavi quotes a woman who thinks differently about defects. A hearing baby would be a blessing, Ms. Duchesneau was quoted as saying. A deaf baby would be a special blessing.'(Sanghavi, 2006) This event has been followed through with. The child is mostly deaf and his parents do not allow hearing aids. One may say that that is not fair to the child and it is the childs life but then that opens up another issue of parenting and ethics. Some would only choose things like eye color, hair color, possible even the sex of the child because they want the child to look like them. Any kind of manipulation of genes requires going again ones ethics to some extent, some more than others. There are many different attitudes toward creating designer babies. There was a study at Ross University, Medical School on the Caribbean island of Dominica taken by Meisenberg that expressed different first year students attitudes towards designer babies. This study was taken to see what the educated decisions of the medical students were on designer babies. Meisenberg created a survey determining different attributes that could be changed and it asked the students on a scale of zero to four, zero being the lowest priority four being the highest, to rank each attribute of priority and/or wants for their own child. Each questions pertained to one product and/or subject. Product 1: A DNA chip that tests for 5000 recessive disease-causing mutations. Product 2: A DNA chip that tests for 5000 genetic risk factors for common diseases. Product 3: A DNA chip that tests for 5000 genetic variants causing normal variation in physical traits. Product 4: A DNA chip that tests for 5000 genetic variants causing normal variation in psychological traits. Product 5: A human artificial chromosome with extra copies of tumor suppressor genes to reduce the cancer risk, and genes that extends the life span and delay age-related degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers. The chromosome cannot be used in adults but can be injected in the fertilized egg. It can be transmitted to ones children. Product 6: The same chromosome as product 5, but for use in adults. This product cannot enter the germ line and is not transmitted to ones children. (Meisenberg, 2008) Meisenbergs results showed that Products 1 and 2 (prevention of single-gene disorders and polygenic diseases) were most acceptable with scores of 2.88 and 2.83 Products 3 and 4 got low scores of 1.41 and 1.66. Respectively; products 5 and 6, got somewhat lower scores of 2.27 and 2.35. Also, the respondents seemed no more opposed to the introduction of heritable genetic modifications (product 5) than to embryo screening (products 1 to 4) and somatic cell genetic engineering in adults (product 6). Principal components analysis showed that 56.8 percent of the total variance was due to the unrotated first principal component, which represents a single factor of general acceptance. (Meisenberg, 2008) Meisenberg is stating results from a poll that he has given. It seems the results lean toward mainly health related enhancements rather than physical and psychological enhancements, many of the students made decisions in hopes that their child would be widely accepted rather than genetically superior. Our views and feelings toward manipulation of specific genes are interfered by ones ethics, thus interfering with further experimentation. Some may have chosen not to change the childs physical or psychological appearance because they do not wish to play God, but in any sense when you manipulate any gene you are playing God even if it is to eliminate disease. This then snowballs into ones personal beliefs and limits. Every parent wants what is best for their child but is manipulating their childs genetics really whats best for them? Or is it just what the parents want. These very thoughts influence scientists to testing their limits and beliefs. Im not going to do designer babiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I wont sell my soul for a dollar.' (Naik, 2009) Some scientists, as Naik has quoted, take a stand on where they will draw the line due to their beliefs of what is too far. Trait selection in babies is a service, says Dr. Steinberg. We intend to offer it soon.' (Naik, 2009) Others see it as a sc ientific gain and it is the parents choice to do what they want to as long as they pay the money needed. This is still a controversial issue even between scientists. Currently, we do not have the knowledge to single out specific traits such as eye color due to the fact that eye color is determined by multiple genes not just being dominant or recessive. The process however is fully understood and the only thing that could go wrong in the process is if there are complications with the embryo and the mother. Our knowledge of designer babies was thought to take at least twenty to fifty years to gain the knowledge we have now. It has only taken ten years into the significant progress to understand what was supposed to take twenty to fifty years; whos to say that we can not have these traits such as eye color, IQ, and personality traits within the next twenty years? The knowledge we currently have is not vast enough to single out specific traits in all ethnicities. Of the traits that are known for specific diseases, it is not guaranteed for success, there is only a high percentage that the chosen trait will be present and/or eliminated if that is the o bjective. There is also still a strong barrier between creating designer babies and playing God that keeps science from breaking through into full understanding of designer babies. The price for just screening an embryo for determining its sex was $12,400 in 2006. (Snow, 2006) The price for choosing specific traits would be drastically higher because there are so many other variables and markers to identify. In designer babies current state it is more widely accepted for parents to want their child to be healthy and to live without any kind of disease that may run in the family but to find someone who is going through the process is extremely rare. In the future, it will be more widely accepted and more popular that parents go through in-vitro fertilization to eliminate disease but highly frowned upon for choosing luxury traits such as psychological and physical appearance unlike today where either of the two are hard to come by. If an average family had the choice of customizing their child with todays knowledge, there would be no need to do so. The procedure would be expensive and, as some people may think of it, the child may not be who they are meant to be. This is a great variable to the success of designer babies because every parent wants their child to be who they are meant to be and to grow into their own person. Also, not many countries may allow this procedure to take place due to the advancement in technology and how it may hinder society. There will probably be more designer babies in the future but not enough to drastically hinder society due to the cost, personal beliefs and the accessibility of creating designer babies. To make this thought from science fiction into reality we would need more advanced technology to advance our knowledge in the realm of designer babies because the technology that we have now can only take us so far. We have already done as much as we can with the technology we have today to understand and experiment with designer babies. This would mean more experiments are required to fuel the research needed to achieve the new technology and new ways of understanding the designer baby. There is no doubt that as technology advances designer babies will become the newest fashion accessories in the future. But is this what our society will allow, is this really what our society wants? There is no way to predict how the future will turn out. One can only hope that ethics with always overcome science because without ethics science would destroy society and life as we know it.

Beowulf Papers -- English Literature Heroes Essays

Beowulf Papers A hero is a man of courage and ability who is admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. A hero is a person who does not come along very often in any time period. He is a special person, who is a step above the average person in the way that he handles any situation that may arise. This statement is very true for the time of Anglo-Saxon culture and literature. A hero was like a god and was put on a pedestal far above the others. A hero brought peace to situations that were deemed impossible and brought joy to many people. In the poem Beowulf, there is a great example of what a hero is about in this time. Beowulf is the great warrior of the Geats and he will do anything necessary to keep peace and to make a better life for his people. That is why he is described as, "The mildest of men and the gentlest, kindest to his people, and most eager for fame" (Norton, 68). Beowulf leads the Geats for fifty years of happiness and prosperity and in turn, made a name for himself that will be remembered for centuries to come. A hero always fights to win but it not unfair in battle. For example, Beowulf could have fought Grendel with a sword and made the battle much easier for himself because Grendel, "In his recklessness cares not for weapons" (Norton, 32). Beowulf would rather have a fair battle so he uses his special strength, courage and ability and he wins, like a hero does. A hero also performs tasks that are deemed impossible for others. If an average warrior gets caught in a monsters' grip, it is all over for him. Beowulf, on the other hand, has dealt with this before, and he deals with it in the battle against Grendel's mother. For example, "She groped toward him, took the warrior in her aw... ... when used properly, they can help turn a literary work from ordinary to extraordinary. Bibliography *Abrams, M.H., ed., et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition. Vol.I. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. *Blakelock, Jane. Online. Internet. 03/16/99. "Geoffrey Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath". Available http://www.media.wright.edu/studorgs/english20403/chaucer.html. *Geoffrey Chaucer. Online. Internet. 03/16/99. Available http://csc.calpoly.edu/~ercarlso/essays/Geoffrey Chaucer.html. *Jokinen, Anniina. Online. Internet. 03/16/99. "Geoffrey Chaucer (Ca. 1343-1400)". http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/chaucer.html. *Jones, Sam. Online. Internet. 03/16/99. "The Litrix Reading Room". Available http://www.litrix.com. *Skill, Elaine Strong. Cliffs Notes on Beowulf. Lincoln: Cliffs Notes Incorporated, 1990.

Developing Regionalism

Developing Regionalism 1790 * South produces 3,135 bales of cotton * Scarcely 100,000 white settlers lives in Trans-Appalachia * Great cities such as Chicago and Pittsburgh are still small villages * Land companies start hawking vast areas of New York, Ohio, and Kentucky to prospective settlers * Huge increase in national population start 1793 * Eli Whitney develops cotton gin, designed to strip fibers from the seeds. Speed up laborers’ work and raised value of southern land, opened economic opportunities 1800 Average farm at this time is no more than 100 to 150 acres, due to division of farms* Nearly 20 percent of male taxpayers in southeastern Pennsylvania are single (evidence that young men delayed marriage until they could establish themselves financially. ) * Southern agriculture is in disarray†¦ low prices, land exhausted for its fertility, and the loss of laves during the revolutionary war left Chesapeake economy in shambles * Absentee landlords have engrossed much of present-day West Virginia, Tennessee, and western Carolinas. 1803 * Georgia and South Carolina alone import 20,000 new slaves 1805 Cotton accounts for 30 percent of the nation’s agricultural exports * Human tide appears to grow in trans-Appalachia. 1808 * Slave trade ends 1810* Number of people living in trans-Appalachians grows to 1 million 1820 * South’s cotton output mushrooms to 334,378 bales 1830 * As Northeast’s population and demands grow, the region’s once heavily forested landscape depletes. * Dramatic changes in port cities of Northeast: region contains four cities of more than 50,000 * Cities in trans-Appalachia like Chicago and Pittsburgh hold 30 percent of nation’s population. New York finally establishes safe and adequate water supply with the construction of the Croton Aqueduct. * Indian-White Relations 1790 * Vast areas of trans-Appalachians still controlled by Native American tribes * Federal govt. starts to establish policies that would govern Indian-White relations* Non-intercourse act of 1790: declares that public treaties that were ratified by Congress would be the only legal means of obtaining Indian land. 1793 * Congress appropriates $20,000 to promote literacy, agriculture, and vocational instruction among Indians. 794 * President Washington sends General Anthony Wayne to smash Indian resistance in Northwest. White settlers won against Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Treaty of Grenville is passed, opening the heart of the Old Northwest to white control. 1799 * Iroquois prophet, Handsome Lake begins preaching combination of Indian and white ways: temperance, peace, land retention, and a new religion combining elements of Christianity and traditional Iroquois belief. 1808 * Cherokee National Council adopts a written legal code combining elements of U.S. and Indian Law 1809 * Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa start to warn regional tribes about the dangers that would come. They form al liances and established headquarters and Kithtippecanoe. Tecumseh carries his message south to the Creek and Cherokee, seeming very bitter. 1811 * Even though southern tribes refuse to join, more than 1,000 fighting men gather at Kithitippecanoe. 1813 * Red Sticks (fighting Creeks) carries out series of devastating raids and assaulted Fort Mims on the Alabama river, killing 500 men, women, and children. 1814 Climax of Creek War: While American cannon fire rakes the Red Stick’s town of Tohopeka, Cherokee warriors cut off all hope of retreat. More than 800 Native Americans dies afterwards as Andrew Jackson finishes his victory with destroying the rest of the Red Stick towns. 1820 * More than 1,300 black slaves in the Cherokee nation. 1822 * Congress abolishes factory system where Indians would go for fairer treatment 1824 * Tribal law forbids intermarriage with blacks in Cherokee nation. 1827 * Cherokee National Council devises written constitution similar to those of nearby st ates.Council also issues bold declaration that Cherokee were an independent nation with full sovereignty over their lands. 1829 * Cherokee government makes it an offense punishable by death for any member of the tribe to transfer land to white ownership without the consent of tribal authorities. Perfecting a democratic society 1790 * Second Great Awakening starts to sweep across nation. Americans by the tens of thousands sought personal salvation and social belonging in the shared experience of religious revivalism. * Charitable institutions in the nation are only at around 50. Establishment of female academies starts.* 20% of Methodist church members are black 1794 * Bethel African American Methodist Church in Philadelphia is organized by Richard Allen and small group of black Methodists. 1800 * 20 year old slave Gabriel devised a plan to arm 1,000 slaves for an assault on Richmond, VA. 1805 * New York’s Mayor DeWitt Clinton asks state legislature for help 10,000 impoverishe d New Yorkers/ 1814 * Relief agencies assist nearly 1/5 of the city’s population. 1816 * Women and children suffers disproportionately from poverty, outnumbering men. American Colonization Society found: supported colonizing free blacks in western Africa enjoyed widespread support among northern white men and women. 1819* Depression of economy: triggered by financial panic caused by the unsound practices of hundreds of newly chartered state banks 1820 * Depression was lifting, but left behind broken fortunes and shattered dreams * Most blacks in northern cities lived in autonomous households * In New Orleans, free blacks accounted for 46 percent of the black population. 1823 Proslavery mob in Illinois torches state capital and threatens Governor Edward Coles for his efforts to end de facto slavery in the sate 1829 * One of every 10 residents in Cincinnati was black, city leaders announces that they would begin enforcing Ohio’s black laws by requiring black residents to carry certificates certifying their free status. 1830* Rich cultural ad institutional life takes root in the black neighborhoods of American cities. War of 1812 1810 * Election of 1810 brings Congress new members, firmly Jeffersonian in party loyalty but impatient with administration’s foreign policy and demanding tougher measures 1812 Madison declares war against Britain: due to general British arrogance and America’s continuing humiliation * Emotions ran high among Federalist critics and Jeffersonian Republican supporters of the war. Bloody riots emerge in Baltimore. Several people were badly beaten in the streets. 1813 * Oliver Hazard Perry- defeats British fleet on Lake Erie. Marked an impressive American victory in war of 1812 and ends any threat of British invasion from Canada and weakens British-Indian alliance that menaces American interests in the region. 1814 August- British troops torch Capitol in Washington DC* December- Hartford Convention: 5 New England states meet to debate proposals for secession. * Christmas Eve- Treaty of Ghent ends war, British agreed to evacuate western posts, but ignores other outstanding issues. 1815 * Andrew Jackson’s smashing victory against British and New Orleans- Most dramatic American triumph but had little to do with the war’s outcome. * Nation starts to focus energies around internal development- occupying more land, building economy, and reforming American Society Politics in Transition 816 * Madison signs bill creating second Bank of the United States to help stimulate economic expansion and regulate the loose currency-issuing practices of countless state-chartered banks 1820* Henry Clay with National Republicans proposed more tariffs and internal improvements in the American System 1824 * Election of 1824: Adams wins, marks the fall of the Federalist-Jeffersonian party system * Louisa Catherine Adams: launched strong campaign for Adams in the election of 1824, showing women’s increase role in politics.

Lehigh University offers MBA program for new students Essays

Lehigh University offers MBA program for new students Essays Lehigh University offers MBA program for new students Essay Lehigh University offers MBA program for new students Essay The application process for registering at the private school, Lehigh University, and its business program is open and rolling. Students who enroll for this online MBA program are employed. Lehigh University records and archives the classes. Applicants should know that the business graduate program at Lehigh has been accredited with the standard of accreditations for business schools. The academic year in which this online MBA program was founded is 1993-1994. There are around 267 participants enrolled in the course. As we mentioned, the deadline is rolling and the information applicants need can be found on the admission web-site www.lehigh.edu and the e-mail which you can find on the university’s web page. The US rankings for this MBA online program are: score 73 and rank 128, rank 146 and score 36 for the students’ service and the technology service, rank 17 and score 89 for engagement of each student, rank 25 and score 75 for selectivity of admissions and the whole score for peer assessment is 2.8 from 5. The applying process is open and rolling for both US residents and students who come from other countries as well. Admissions director is Jennifer Giordano, the admissions web page is: http://lehigh.edu/mba Lehigh University gives MBAs. There are 15 instructors who come from the faculty and teach full-time on the online business graduate programs and 8 part-time faculty instructors also teaching the online MBA programs. The online classes allow for students from the campus to follow them as well. The total number of enrolled students is 267 and the average age of the entrants is 32 years. There are more male than female participants, 68.9% of the participants enrolled in the course are male and 31.1% are female. The Internet speed for theMBA course at the University is recommended to be DSL but there is no 24/7 tech live support. The response from an instructor should be expected in 24 hours. Tuition for part-time US students and the rest of the students is $1 050 per credit. The admission notifications start coming from January 15th. The admissions standards are the same for all of the different online MBA programs. There hasn’t been a case that a well-qualified student being denied. People who live abroad can also apply for the online program but the program does not offer DANTES courses. The last numbers reported showed that from 87 applicants, 77 were accepted. There were 69 new entrants and the acceptance rate is 89%. The average GPA of the undergraduates is 3.33 and 83%of the applicants provide their GPA. The average score from the GMAT is 620 and 65% of the entrants provide the GMAT results. 100% of all the applicants are with previous working experience.

Free Essays on Consumer Marketing

I am a 23 year-old white male from rural West Virginia. I can be categorized in the family life cycle in â€Å"young singles,† for I am not married nor do I have any children. I am an adaptable person, highly motivated, with a great need for achievement. I have some traits of defensiveness and a need for stability that is less than average. I perceive myself as a person of above average intelligence, whom is active, athletic and also somewhat successful. I like to believe that I am not an aesthete person, yet I am concerned with my physical appearance and health, and workout regularly for these reasons. I am an optimist, and strive to be a complacent person. I have an active lifestyle, a love for sports and competition, and have several varying interests. Among my most frequent activities are lifting weights, snowboarding, playing football, racquetball, chess and I also have a green thumb. The ideal vehicle for my personality is a sport utility vehicle. An SUV appeals to my youthful and active personality traits. Although this vehicle class may fulfill desires of meeting my self perception of being rugged person, for myself, an SUV would also be a feasible automobile. I snowboard, therefore 4x4 would prove useful on snowboarding trips. Also, being from a rural area, the â€Å"opportunity† to venture off-road in my vehicle my present itself. Another use for an SUV would be when my girlfriend and I take her boat or jet-ski to a lake, with an SUV I wouldn’t need to borrow her parents vehicle. I feel like an SUV is more of a want than a need. I do need the an SUV for the stated reasons but these needs have been met in the past by other means and could continue to be met without purchasing a new sport utility vehicle. Also, the basic need of transportation has already been met by my mid-size car. By conducting an internal information search I recall that a close friend has a SUV, which I have driven several time... Free Essays on Consumer Marketing Free Essays on Consumer Marketing I am a 23 year-old white male from rural West Virginia. I can be categorized in the family life cycle in â€Å"young singles,† for I am not married nor do I have any children. I am an adaptable person, highly motivated, with a great need for achievement. I have some traits of defensiveness and a need for stability that is less than average. I perceive myself as a person of above average intelligence, whom is active, athletic and also somewhat successful. I like to believe that I am not an aesthete person, yet I am concerned with my physical appearance and health, and workout regularly for these reasons. I am an optimist, and strive to be a complacent person. I have an active lifestyle, a love for sports and competition, and have several varying interests. Among my most frequent activities are lifting weights, snowboarding, playing football, racquetball, chess and I also have a green thumb. The ideal vehicle for my personality is a sport utility vehicle. An SUV appeals to my youthful and active personality traits. Although this vehicle class may fulfill desires of meeting my self perception of being rugged person, for myself, an SUV would also be a feasible automobile. I snowboard, therefore 4x4 would prove useful on snowboarding trips. Also, being from a rural area, the â€Å"opportunity† to venture off-road in my vehicle my present itself. Another use for an SUV would be when my girlfriend and I take her boat or jet-ski to a lake, with an SUV I wouldn’t need to borrow her parents vehicle. I feel like an SUV is more of a want than a need. I do need the an SUV for the stated reasons but these needs have been met in the past by other means and could continue to be met without purchasing a new sport utility vehicle. Also, the basic need of transportation has already been met by my mid-size car. By conducting an internal information search I recall that a close friend has a SUV, which I have driven several time...

Water clarity in lakes and reservoirs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Water clarity in lakes and reservoirs - Essay Example The National Resources Defense Council asserts that an increasing number of Americans are open to the elements of tap water contamination at levels over those set by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards. According to a survey conducted in 1999 by the Water Quality Association, around sixty percent of adults consider that the quality of water they are drinking affects their health, and about three-quarters have distresses regarding the quality of their household water supply.Contrary to popular belief, crystal clear water is not necessarily the true measure to which all lakes should be compared. It is also not entirely true that lakes with low levels of visibility and transparency are due to pollution or degradation in water. Another common belief is that clearer water is safer to swim in or to drink which is also not entirely true. On the contrary, clear water may likely be just as filled with pathogens, bacteria and other contaminants that could be harmful to human health as cloudy water is generally perceived to be.The water treatment experts at Amway Corporation laid down suggestions regarding the following tests and resources for beneficiaries who would want to know if their drinking water is safe: 1) Look at it. Water should look clear and have no floating particles. 2) Smell it. Water should be free of unpleasant odors. 3) Taste it. Water that tastes unusual should be tested. 4) Contact the local health department to have the water tested if it looks, smells, or tastes unusual. 5) Request a copy of the Consumer Confidence Report from the community water supplier. (Journal of Environmental Health, 2000) This paper covers issues related to water clarity, what it is, how it is measured, what causes clarity problems and how to tackle such problems Literature Review Water clarity can be defined as a measure of the amount of sunlight that passes into the water and reaches the leaves of underwater grasses. Water clarity can be termed as dependant on three factors; proper water chemistry, sufficient and effective filtration, and good circulation. (Pool Chlor, 2006) Water chemistry relates to the alkalinity levels within water. In case these levels are out of balance, the result can be in the form of turbidity. Turbidity is the cloudiness caused in water because of suspended or dissolved material. It can also be said that insufficient chlorine in the water, small, perched algae and bacteria can result in turbid water. (Pool Chlor, 2006) How to Measure Water Clarity Measurement of water clarity is quite helpful in monitoring any changes in water componential balances and enables communication for these changes to concerned persons. One common method to measure water clarity is by the use of a disk, more commonly known as the Secchi disk. A Secchi disk is by far the simplest, standardized instrument used to determine water clarity. "It is an 8-inch (20 centimeter) diameter, black and white disk attached to a dowel rod, PVC pipe, rope or chain. Inch or centimeter intervals are marked on the rod, pipe, rope or chain with permanent ink, paint or clamps. Ideal clarity for aquatic plant production is generally greater than 36-inch visibility" (Porter, 2002) The measurements taken by the use of Secchi disk are likely to be quicker through the use of rod or pipe as against a rope of chain, except when water is very clear, in which case, an extremely long rod or pipe may be required. When measuring water clarity, the date of measurement, the measurement itself and the source of turbidity, usually sediment (brownish muddy color), phytoplankton (greenish color), humic stain (tea color from decaying leaves or plants) or some combination of these, should be recorded for reference purposes. Secchi disk measurements are mainly precise when taken on comparatively still, sunny days, preferably during the middle of the day from a dock or some sort of floating mechanism such as a boat, float tube, air mattress or life preserver. (Porter, 2002)

Business Organization And Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Organization And Policy - Essay Example This essya stresses that as the implementation is going on, the performance should be measured and evaluated to ensure no deviations from the plan. If there are any deviations, the plans are modified to ensure the right path is taken. Due to continuous changes in the environment SWOT analysis is conducted so as to respond to the changes. This involves analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization as well as opportunities available in external environment and potential threats. This leads to the start of the planning process. This paper makes a conclusion that rapidly changing business environment forces organizations to engage in continuous planning process. Analysing the internal and external environment is essential as it enables the organization to change its structures and strategies to enable quick response to the changes. The business planning process enables the firm to set a roadmap to follow by determining the nature of the business, the product offerings, nature of competition, legal requirements and location of the business. Policies are formulated to enable the business to accomplish its objectives hence the overall business mission but control and evaluation is required to ensure activities are going according to the plan. Locating an organization in a concentrated area allows it to enjoy external economies such as; skilled labour, improved distribution channels, services and amenities, specialization, use of by-products, support from larger companies and shared technology.

Ethcis of Stem Cell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ethcis of Stem Cell - Research Paper Example Anderson looks at the ethics and religious points of view on the subject. He describes how different religions have different views as to when life begins. Some Hindus for instance take the stance that life begins at 3 months after conception. Other individuals would differentiate between an embryo concieved in a human relationship and this laboratory act of creation. Ideas have altered over time. Thomas Aquinus for instance held the view, put forward earlier by Aristotle, that life began 40 days after conception.. Anderson goes on to point out that there are a number of different ideas involved. First , purely biological life which begins at conception. Secondly animation, i.e the point at which an embryo begins to move independently. Thirdly what he describes as ‘ensoulment’ i.e. the theological point at which an embryo can considered to have a soul. He also discusses such things as value - does an adult invalid have more ‘value’ than a few cells in a pert rie dish? Anderson points out the Roman Catholic Church’s stance which is that government’s have an obligation to protect the vulnerable. Surely this obligation should extend to the severely ill as well as those groups of laboratory bred cells? Duffy, D., ( 2002) Background and Legal Issues Related to Stem Cell Research, Congressional Research Service, Almanac of Policy Issues, Duffy claims that human embryonic stem cells (HESC) from embryos in their earliest stage of development are believed to be capable to transform themselves into differing body cell types than any adult stem cells. Research has therefore centered upon the potential that these cells have for the treatment to treat or mitigate the effects of various diseases as well as generating tissues which could be used to replace faulty cells or even organs. Duffy describes various sources for such cells. These are one week old blastocysts created via in vitrio fertilization; embryos of from 5 to 9 weeks obtained through elective abortion processes; embryos created in vitro purely for research purposes; embryos created by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) i.e. cloning; and finally adult stem cells such as those from bone marrow ore the umbilical cord.. Because the harvesting of such ‘master ‘cells involves the destruction of human embryos it has met much opposition by those who feel i t is unjustified slaughter of potential human beings. It must however be pointed out that these are embryos bred in a laboratory and which whould never have come into existance otherwise, so this is very different from an abortion done perhaps only for reasons of social convenience. In 2002 , according to Duffy, the American Government announced that, with a number of restrictions, federal funds would be made available for stem cell research, but this would be with established strains.

Drawing on what you have learned about Essay Example for Free

Drawing on what you have learned about Essay Drawing on what you have learned about City Road, outline some of the inequalities on a street that you know. The purpose of this assignment is to outline some of the inequalities on a street that I know, namely Balham High Road, in order to draw comparisons to that on City Road. Balham High Road forms part of the A24 which runs from Clapham to Tooting, south west London. It appears a typical high street serving a local population of 21,000 and provides a variety of retail options, banks and numerous coffee shops. It is well served by public transport with both the Northern Line tube and overground rail into Victoria via Clapham Junction. Balham is served by at least four bus routes providing links to a wide range of destinations. In addition, there is one night bus route that runs through the town centre. The street has witnessed a significant change in recent years with private sector investment assisting in ‘upgrading’ the area. There are an abundance of restaurants and bars which provides evening entertainment in a buzzy atmosphere. Despite the higher than average proportion of affluent residents, there is an unequal division of wealth and this will form part of my discussion, particularly in relation to shopping and housing. I will then move on to discuss the inequalities that exist in the Polish immigrant community. One of the first things that struck me when comparing the subject street to City Road was the inequality relating to the type of shops i.e. the number of branded retailers in comparison to independent traders. ‘The Street’ DVD showed several examples of prosperous independents such as the Sari Shop and Xquisite Africa whereas Balham High Road appears a clone of most other London high streets accommodating the usual suspects – WH Smiths, Boots, Carphone Warehouse along with Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. A few independent shops exist but many have shut down over recent years due to unfair competitive pressure from the multiples and more recently the banks who are adding further pressure by not lending to smaller businesses. Learning Companion 1 asks that we bear in mind a question asked by Simon Bromley, How are inequalities produced? The obvious inequality between the busy, wealthy high street retailers that occupy prime retail space and that of the poorly stocked independents who are being pushed out of the high street is a trend seen across the high streets in the country and came about from 1996 when the town centre first policy redirecting retail developments from out of town back into the town centres emerged. In addition, demand on time means its easier for consumers to buy everything they need in a supermarket, rather than the time consuming exercise of buying meat from the local butcher, potatoes from the market and so on. Another inequality relates to housing. Balham High Road contains a mix of social and private housing. The obvious inequality here is between those that can afford to purchase their own property or rent privately and pay the associated costs (utilities, council tax etc) and those on little or no income who cannot and require subsidised living. Further inequalities exist such as the environment and quality of these dwellings. Damp is much more common in low income homes as is overcrowding which leads to health problems and antisocial behaviour. The private dwellings on Balham High Road tend to be high spec new apartments or large detached buildings and are all well maintained with double glazing, private parking and some with alternative energy solutions. Despite the above, it must be noted that in terms of condition of buildings, the Labour government introduced the Decent Homes Standard in 2000 and this assisted in improving the condition of public housing. This agenda is still active. It could be perceived that the inequality tends towards the private sector who are obliged to pay for the upgrade and maintenance of their properties whilst also incurring taxes etc. The final inequality I noticed is in the Polish community. There are two Polish shops, along with a community centre and a church. The Polish population in Balham has hugely increased since 2006, though Balham has been one of the centres of the community in London since World War II. In order for such a presence to exist, the Polish population here at one time must  have felt isolated and their needs not catered for as did the proprietor of Xquisite Africa. The purpose of this paper was to highlight some of the inequalities on a street I know and compare where possible to that of City Road using the study materials provided. Balham High Road, like City Road was similar in terms of diversity but perhaps not in terms of housing which I hope I have gone some way to expand upon. References Blakely, G., Clarke, J., Raghuram, P., Silva, E., and Taylor, S., (2009) Learning Companion 1, Introducing the social sciences: part one, Milton Keynes, The Open University. ‘The Street’ (2009) Making Social Lives (DVD), Milton Keynes, The Open University. Self Reflection Having not studied in many years, the most difficult part of this assignment was determining how to approach it. I overcame this by watching the DVD and reading the associated material, then I studied my subject street from the vantage point of a coffee shop and wrote down a plan for the structure and content. I struggled most with keeping to the point and providing a focussed piece of writing.