Animal Rights Issue Research question

Topic: Animal Rights Issue Research question: Has animal rights issue gone too far? Working thesis statement: Do animal rights organization take it too far, when it actively encourages a vegetarian diet as a way of life? Yes it’s taking it too far by ignoring the value of nutrients that meat can offer our bodies. Research plan: I plan to conduct my research on the issue if animal rights organizations have gone too far in promoting a vegetarian diet. But also on those who do not encourage this and the importance that meat has.Some of the sites I will be using are http://www. prairie. org/, http://digitalcommons. csbsju. edu, and other resources. Timetable for Research Project Assignments| Assignment related to the research paper| Description of and points for the assignment:| Due date as indicated in course syllabus:| Exact Date and time in MST:| Research Proposal and Outline| Four part proposal and six part outline (60 pts. ). | Week 4 in Dropbox| 8/9/2012 at 3:00pm| Annotated Bibliography| List and summary of at least five sources (100 pts). Week 5 in Dropbox| 8/16/2012 at 3:00pm| First Draft of Research Paper| Draft of first three sections of final paper, including introduction, thesis statement, and problem section (60 pts). | Week 6 in Dropbox| 8/22/2012 at 3:00pm| Second Draft of Research Paper| Draft of final three sections of final paper, including solution and call to action sections | Week Discussion topic 2 | 8/27/2012 at 5:00pm| Research Paper Presentation| The format presentation of the entire paper (50 pts). Week 7 in Dropbox| 8/29/2012 at 6:00pm| Final Research Paper| Entire paper addressing feedback on first two drafts. It must have all six sections and include a References page (150 pts). | Week 8 in Dropbox| 9/4/2012 at 3:00pm| Research Outline I. I plan to conduct my research on and if animal rights organizations have gone too far in promoting a vegetarian diet? And those who do not encourage this and the importance that meat has. Is an imal rights organization taking it too far, when it actively encourages a vegetarian diet as a way of life?Of course it’s taking it too far by ignoring the value of nutrients that meat can offer our bodies. II. Of course it’s taking it too far by promoting a diet that should have nothing to do with animal abuse. III. Secondly, they ignore the value of nutrients that meat can offer our bodies that can lead to healthier muscle growth. IV. A solution to this would be to find a different method that is least painful for the animals we kill to eat. V. A second solution would be to let others eat what they want, and focus more on stricter laws.To actually putting a stop those who are abusing these animals. VI. I agree that everything on earth is for the utility of humanity. But that doesn’t give any one the right to abuse, or be cruel towards an animal. We should focus more on stricter policies, and stopping does who make these animals suffer pain. Just because an ani mal is killed to provide meat, is no reason to turn vegetarian. Humans have a right to eat meat. The abuse has to stop, so that we are provided with a healthier meat.

“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth Essay

People can be very imaginative and picture the wildest scenes in their heads. A poem that supports this is â€Å"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,† by William Wordsworth. This poem is written from the first person view of the person lying on a couch in the house, using a pleasant and calming tone. The person pictures two main scenes: (1) nature with trees, daffodils, and hills, and (2) space with stars and the Milky Way. William Wordsworth uses figurative language such as personification through out the whole poem to bring the nouns to life. â€Å"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud† shows how people can doze off easily have no limits to how far their imagination can go. The poet starts off with â€Å"I wandered lonely as a cloud,† showing that the narrator is dozing off. This shows how easily one’s mind can become off track and dream about something else that is more interesting to the person. Then the poet writes that the cloud â€Å"floats on high o’er vales and hills† giving the narrator a view of nature from above. The narrator sees many things such as â€Å"†¦a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils, beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze.† The first stanza itself shows that there are no limits to imagination and how easily one can doze off into dreamland. To add on to the imagination, the poet uses figurative language to help the poem to be more exciting and to give the poem life. For example, â€Å"golden daffodils† or â€Å"sprightly dance† are some figurative language that is in the poem. One very good example of a personification that is used in the poem is â€Å"And then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils,† which tells the reader that the joyous heart of the narrator is dancing with the daffodils. These are just a few figurative speeches that William Wordsworth used to make the poem livelier and pleasant. The poem â€Å"I wandered lonely as a cloud† is a poem that describes the imagination of people and that there are no limits to imagination. In this poem, the narrator first starts off in earth’s nature, then zooms out to the Milky Way in the universe. All of this imagination occurs on the couch of the narrator’s house. To add on to the imagination, William Wordsworth used figurative language to spice up or make the poem livelier. In conclusion,  people can picture the wildest pictures in their heads, with no limits to imagination.

Federal Trade Comission

In the given case, the Federal Trade Commission claimed that Texas Surgeons Independent Practice Association(IPA) of 26 general surgeons in the Austin, Texas and six competing medical practice groups who are the members of this association (the respondents), Texas Surgeons P. A. (â€Å"Texas Surgeons†), Austin Surgeons, P. L. L. C. (â€Å"AS†), Austin Surgical Clinic Association, P. A. (â€Å"ASCA†), Bruce McDonald & Associates, P. L. L. C. (â€Å"BM&A†), Capital Surgeons Group, P. L. L. C. (â€Å"CSG†), Central Texas Surgical Associates, P. A. (â€Å"CTSA†), and Surgical Associates of Austin, P.A. (â€Å"SAA†), violated Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U. S. C.  § 45 by engaging in unlawful act of price fixing. FTC alleged complaint that the IPA organized collective refused to deal with two health plans, Blue cross Blue Shield and United Health Care of Texas, terminated the contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield and t hreatened to terminate contracts with the United Health Care of Texas if the payer refuse to agree with their demand of raising reimbursement rate. As per demand, both plans increased their rates.Blue Cross accepted a rate agreement with the respondents in early 1998 after facing problems getting an emergency room patient treated by a general surgeon. The respondents collectively secured rate agreement resulted nearly 30% above the April 1997 level. In this case, the practices of the respondents went against the welfare of the public, constitute unfair methods of competition and antitrust actions. This anti competitive action cost health plan, employers and patients, more than $1,000,000 for surgical services in 1998 and 1999 in the Austin, Texas area.In the mid-1970, the FTC formed a section within the Bureau of Competition to investigate potential anti trust violations involving healthcare. In the health care area, as in the case of any other field, the antitrust laws are enforced so check not only possible competitive harm but also the potential for pro competitive increase in efficiency, lower health care cost, provide better quality care to the consumers, enhance innovative strategy to provide improved quality care at low cost. Federal antitrust guidelines allow independent physicians to appoint a representative messenger to communicate with payers about fees and contract terms, but annot represent the competing physicians collectively. However, in this case, the Texas Surgeons IPA served as a vehicle for the six respondent medical practice groups to engage in actual refusals to deal, and to negotiate collectively, in order to receive higher prices from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and United Healthcare of Texas. The six respondent medical practice groups furthered the unlawful act through their collective control of the Texas Surgeons IPA board of directors, and through their direct participation in collective fee negotiations between United and the T exas Surgeons IPA.The commission proposed a consent order as a remedy to prevent the respondent from getting indulge in future unlawful act that is alleged in the complaint while allowing respondents to engage in legitimate joint conduct. The proposed order prohibits the IPA from a) negotiating on behalf of any physician with health plans b) refusing to deal with health plan or threatening health plans to agree on their demand c) exchanging information among Austin area physicians regarding negotiations with any health plan regarding reimbursement terms d) determining the terms on which its members deal with health plans.The order contains three provisos that permit the respondents to 1. Negotiate for physicians limited to the same medical practice group; 2. Engage in conduct approved and supervised by the state of Texas; and 3. Engage in conduct that is reasonably necessary to operate ‘qualified risk- sharing joint arrangements- so long as they give adequate pre- notification . The commission’s proposal allows the IPA to avoid such claims of price- fixing and antitrust if it acts in one of two ways: ) Financial Risk Sharing: As a qualified managed care plan which allows competing providers to negotiate prices jointly without being charged with price fixing act by the Federal antitrust agencies if they share substantial financial risk on contracts . It means that participating providers share responsibility for staying within a defined budget. The antitrust agencies believe that the competing providers should work together to achieve common, procompetitive goals of reducing cost and improving quality. Share incentives could also focus on â€Å"quality† or Health outcome† factors.Both the way of risk sharing has potential of providing high quality care to the patient at low cost. 2) Messenger Model: The fifth provision (Section II. A. 5 of the proposed order) ensures that a neutral third party who is not a physician with an active pract ice in the Austin area, be the communicator between any respondent and any payer to deal with any terms. Under this arrangement, the network organization does not negotiate agreement with the payer about any term or price; it allows the individual providers to make an individual decision, based on proposal from payer.Physician individually, through third party, conveys and receives information, offers, and responses from the payers or providers. However, the individual providers can give â€Å"sign off† authority to network organization within specified range. In addition, the commission order ensures that any respondent who are intending to use messenger model arrangement should provide prior notification to the commission. Price- fixing agreements among the competitors are not accepted by law. It is considered serious act because the consumers, plans and employers pay heavy price for it such as, †¢ Consumers loss the benefits of competition Increases the health care co st; Blue Cross, United, their individual subscribers, and employers paid more than one million dollars were paid for the services of surgeons. Therefore, review of such cases is crucial to encourage the competitor to work together as a team to improve quality of services, while reducing cost. References http://www. crowell. com/documents/DOCASSOCFKTYPE_PRESENTATIONS_705. pdf http://www. accessmylibrary. com/article-1G1-77013366/texas-surgeons-settle-price. html http://www. ftc. gov/os/2000/05/texascmp. htm Federal Trade Comission In the given case, the Federal Trade Commission claimed that Texas Surgeons Independent Practice Association(IPA) of 26 general surgeons in the Austin, Texas and six competing medical practice groups who are the members of this association (the respondents), Texas Surgeons P. A. (â€Å"Texas Surgeons†), Austin Surgeons, P. L. L. C. (â€Å"AS†), Austin Surgical Clinic Association, P. A. (â€Å"ASCA†), Bruce McDonald & Associates, P. L. L. C. (â€Å"BM&A†), Capital Surgeons Group, P. L. L. C. (â€Å"CSG†), Central Texas Surgical Associates, P. A. (â€Å"CTSA†), and Surgical Associates of Austin, P.A. (â€Å"SAA†), violated Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U. S. C.  § 45 by engaging in unlawful act of price fixing. FTC alleged complaint that the IPA organized collective refused to deal with two health plans, Blue cross Blue Shield and United Health Care of Texas, terminated the contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield and t hreatened to terminate contracts with the United Health Care of Texas if the payer refuse to agree with their demand of raising reimbursement rate. As per demand, both plans increased their rates.Blue Cross accepted a rate agreement with the respondents in early 1998 after facing problems getting an emergency room patient treated by a general surgeon. The respondents collectively secured rate agreement resulted nearly 30% above the April 1997 level. In this case, the practices of the respondents went against the welfare of the public, constitute unfair methods of competition and antitrust actions. This anti competitive action cost health plan, employers and patients, more than $1,000,000 for surgical services in 1998 and 1999 in the Austin, Texas area.In the mid-1970, the FTC formed a section within the Bureau of Competition to investigate potential anti trust violations involving healthcare. In the health care area, as in the case of any other field, the antitrust laws are enforced so check not only possible competitive harm but also the potential for pro competitive increase in efficiency, lower health care cost, provide better quality care to the consumers, enhance innovative strategy to provide improved quality care at low cost. Federal antitrust guidelines allow independent physicians to appoint a representative messenger to communicate with payers about fees and contract terms, but annot represent the competing physicians collectively. However, in this case, the Texas Surgeons IPA served as a vehicle for the six respondent medical practice groups to engage in actual refusals to deal, and to negotiate collectively, in order to receive higher prices from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and United Healthcare of Texas. The six respondent medical practice groups furthered the unlawful act through their collective control of the Texas Surgeons IPA board of directors, and through their direct participation in collective fee negotiations between United and the T exas Surgeons IPA.The commission proposed a consent order as a remedy to prevent the respondent from getting indulge in future unlawful act that is alleged in the complaint while allowing respondents to engage in legitimate joint conduct. The proposed order prohibits the IPA from a) negotiating on behalf of any physician with health plans b) refusing to deal with health plan or threatening health plans to agree on their demand c) exchanging information among Austin area physicians regarding negotiations with any health plan regarding reimbursement terms d) determining the terms on which its members deal with health plans.The order contains three provisos that permit the respondents to 1. Negotiate for physicians limited to the same medical practice group; 2. Engage in conduct approved and supervised by the state of Texas; and 3. Engage in conduct that is reasonably necessary to operate ‘qualified risk- sharing joint arrangements- so long as they give adequate pre- notification . The commission’s proposal allows the IPA to avoid such claims of price- fixing and antitrust if it acts in one of two ways: ) Financial Risk Sharing: As a qualified managed care plan which allows competing providers to negotiate prices jointly without being charged with price fixing act by the Federal antitrust agencies if they share substantial financial risk on contracts . It means that participating providers share responsibility for staying within a defined budget. The antitrust agencies believe that the competing providers should work together to achieve common, procompetitive goals of reducing cost and improving quality. Share incentives could also focus on â€Å"quality† or Health outcome† factors.Both the way of risk sharing has potential of providing high quality care to the patient at low cost. 2) Messenger Model: The fifth provision (Section II. A. 5 of the proposed order) ensures that a neutral third party who is not a physician with an active pract ice in the Austin area, be the communicator between any respondent and any payer to deal with any terms. Under this arrangement, the network organization does not negotiate agreement with the payer about any term or price; it allows the individual providers to make an individual decision, based on proposal from payer.Physician individually, through third party, conveys and receives information, offers, and responses from the payers or providers. However, the individual providers can give â€Å"sign off† authority to network organization within specified range. In addition, the commission order ensures that any respondent who are intending to use messenger model arrangement should provide prior notification to the commission. Price- fixing agreements among the competitors are not accepted by law. It is considered serious act because the consumers, plans and employers pay heavy price for it such as, †¢ Consumers loss the benefits of competition Increases the health care co st; Blue Cross, United, their individual subscribers, and employers paid more than one million dollars were paid for the services of surgeons. Therefore, review of such cases is crucial to encourage the competitor to work together as a team to improve quality of services, while reducing cost. References http://www. crowell. com/documents/DOCASSOCFKTYPE_PRESENTATIONS_705. pdf http://www. accessmylibrary. com/article-1G1-77013366/texas-surgeons-settle-price. html http://www. ftc. gov/os/2000/05/texascmp. htm

Song of Myself (A poem by Walt Whitman) I found this poem in The Research Paper

Song of Myself (A poem by Walt Whitman) I found this poem in The Norton Anthology American Literature vol C - Research Paper Example ibilities for poetry in America and he did this largely through his most famous poem â€Å"Song of Myself.† This extraordinary poem has had a lingering influence on American letters. It is a fascinating and extraordinary work. In the late nineteenth century, when Whitman came into the full flower of his poetic powers, America was a changing country. Its economy was growing at a massive rate, its population was expanding. The country had once and for all thrown off many of the vestiges of its colonial past. For example, there was very little class system. America was a land of opportunity, of rugged individualism. The motto of the country was that if you worked hard, you would be able to do anything you wanted to. The cities were growing, industry was booming, and in New York City, Walt Whitman was finally becoming the poet to tell the story. But America was not developing in a vacuum. European ideas had great influence in America. In particular, the early 19th century had left a legacy of romanticism which was still waiting to be transformed into something more, to be transitioned to the next stage. As one critic has written: Politically the time was ripe. The 18th century left a heritage of optimism about mans possibilities and perfectability. The lofty ideals of democracy asserted the value of individuals, regardless of class, and education. Of course, these values primarily applied to white males. In fact, tensions were building which cried out for creative release. Inequality, not equality was the rule for many, especially women and slaves. The clash of these realities with the idealistic rhetoric led writers to take extremes, championing individualism yet also seeing the darker sides of a fragmenting society (Woodlief). Whitman was ready to take these discrete elements and make something new of them. He was a nobody, a dreamer, a watcher, but he also had a powerful gift for speech and poetry which would make him famous all over the world. He self-published

To prepare a business plan based on opening a pub in Canterbury Essay

To prepare a business plan based on opening a pub in Canterbury - Essay Example Looking into the characteristics and thought processes of the people still holds as the most significant factor to be looked into by the individuals in the field of sales and marketing. The large scope of market can pose a hindrance to a successful marketing strategy in terms of over generalized definition of the target or niche market. The Bigskymind is a full service pub/bar located at the heart of Eastern Kent, Canterbury. The pub/bar has a full menu of middle and reasonable price "comfort" food, drinks and spirits but based upon time honoured recipes and mixes from around the world. The pub also features performances from local bands from Canterbury. This business plan is created in order to provide comprehensive information to the future investors from prestigious financial institutions that would want to invest in the business. This plan will present the company's vision and strategic plans in order to achieve profitability in the chosen location. The Bigskymind will offer easily reached and reasonably priced high quality food, drinks and spirits, and entertainment to the thousands of residents and customers in Canterbury. In time, The Bigkymind will institute itself as a "target" of choice to the many clients of the greater city area of Canterbury, as well as numerous tourists. The pub will offer a "total, high-quality" evening experience for those looking for fun and relaxation after a hard day work. Not only will customers be able to drink on the pub's high spirits and comforting drinks, they will enjoy the performance of the bands every night. The pub's mission is simple; it will offer a complete stylish, fab and relaxing drinks to the regular customers. The price of the products will be very affordable that will motivate the customers to return on many occasions. The main market of the pub will be young professionals who have worked for very long hours. The Key to Success Factors Product quality The foods are o high quality based on the recipes around the world such as appetizers, side dishes and main dishes. The drinks are beers from 100 cities globally (there will be a 100 beers from 100 cities bar), wines, and spirits drinks mixes. The house specialty drink will be bigskymindmix that will have five alcohol based drinks like vodka, tequila gold, brandy, lambanog (a drink from the Philippines) and lime. Service Quality Since the pub business is under the service industry and also can be considered to be in the tourism industry, service quality should be provided by the management and employees. The satisfaction of the customer will be the top priority of the company. The importance of quality in customer service should be recognized by Bigskymind. The company will prioritize quality in customer services, resulting to positive business outcome. Customer satisfaction, loyalty, employee satisfaction and profit growth are

Interpersonal relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interpersonal relationship - Essay Example he parents may subsist on the toils of children or they may force their aspirations and compensate for their disappointments through direct or sinister manipulation of the life system of their children. A particular extent of antagonism between my parents and me, as I believe it to be, is natural and strong. My wanting for freedom and the natural but uncaringly emotional inclination of my parents to protect me and extend the period of my infancy are what I detest the most, being independent-minded as I am. Indeed, the development of varied interests results in to a normal weakening of the parent-child interpersonal relationship. It is perhaps not inappropriate in this kind of relationship that I have with my parents to call attention to the fact that, despite of the common outlook that it must be otherwise; anyway, I personally believe that the members of the family are somehow hardly ever friends. Count Keyserling, who wrote a book about marriage, which I have read a dozen times, is perhaps accurate when he regarded family relationship as an antagonistic teamwork. My brothers and sisters are very rarely best friends that the exemptions draw in widespread remark; my friends and trusted acquaintances are not my sisters. And I have noticed that my elder siblings are most of the time on more confidential and compassionate relations with other grown ups than with our own parents. Were it not for the strength of other ties, to a certain extent physical and financial but primarily those of practice and social pressure, our family would undoubtedly disintegrate as I and my brothers reach adulthood. Antagonisms between parents and their children in several instances generate dilemmas whose apparent and only explanation is an untimely family disbanding. The source of unending antagonisms on top of other unfortunate psychic influences is probably to be located in the persistent closeness so almost inevitable in the small family band. The trivial but unrelenting

Political science as the discipline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Political science as the discipline - Essay Example The present research has identified that in the inaugural term, the structure of governance in the United States is examined by exploring the Constitution and the fundamental idea of the separation of powers. Once this foundation is laid, students learn about the importance of elections particularly focusing on the Congressional elections, Presidential elections, the role of the Electoral College and the gerrymandering of Congressional districts. The class undertakes to provide an in-depth exploration of the interactions between Congress and the President specifically on issues around gridlock, public opinion, and the media. This essay discusses that having examined how laws are made in the first semester; the second semester begins by exploring how laws are carried out by the bureaucracy as well as how such laws may bring the federal government into conflict with state governments. The researcher states that attention is switched to the role of the judiciary, where the students exam ine the influence of the Supreme Court on the American political process with special attention devoted to issues surrounding civil liberties and civil rights. This paper illustrates that during this duration, the student’s time is mostly devoted to investigating foreign policy in the context of the current challenges confronting the United States, as well as long-term debates surrounding exceptionalism and declinism.

Comparing Shinto and Zoroastrian Religions Research Paper

Comparing Shinto and Zoroastrian Religions - Research Paper Example They aim at ensuring a person’s life is positioned within the religious organization. The family structure is considered the core of the Shinto religion. The organization defers with Zoroastrian religion. Zoroastrian religion organizes itself along religious pillars. The pillar defines the way of life and the nature in which believers interact with nature. Honesty, righteousness, and friendship are pillars uniting the religion. The pillars unite believers and decision-making is made in ways that are in line with the pillars. At the hierarchy of the organization is a supernatural being. The structure is similar to the Shinto religion. The Supreme Being in the religion is called Ahura Mazda. All creatures and living beings are expected to follow a defined path that identifies Ahura Mazda as the Supreme Being. The family structure completes the organizational components within the religion. Roles are assigned based on gender, age, and religious supremacy. Theirs exist teachers of the law who target at informing follower on the pillars and religious expectation. The organizational components give rise to the religious beliefs and practices. Religious beliefs Beliefs define a common component among religious believers the two religions differ in terms of beliefs. The war between evil and good is an essential element within the Zoroastrians religion. The religious belief focuses on the supreme nature of the good forces and it is the human to make informed decision to ensure a balance within the human spaces.

How do the differences between profit and non-profit organisations Essay

How do the differences between profit and non-profit organisations affect the way in which they should employ budgetary controls - Essay Example Budgetary controls involve regulating the operations of an organization by establishing targets and standards with regard to expenditure and income. This regulation is done to ensure performance of a business institution. It incorporates various methods of applying financial values to financial forecasts in the management of a business organization. These values are usually compared to actual estimates. Irrespective of whether business is profit or non-profit oriented, having budgetary control is essential since it makes sure that the organization realizes success. However, non- profit organizations usually use budgetary control methods that are different from those used by profit oriented business establishments (Kaplan, 2001). Budgetary control methods used by business establishments usually involve management accounting (Lanskroner, 2002). Management accounting refers to the process whereby the management of a business establishment uses accounting information that is provided to them in order to make decisions concerning the future of the company. For companies whose main intention is to realize profits, the accounting information is fundamentally future oriented and not past oriented. The information is also model based and not case based. The information is also intended for managers and not the company’s stakeholders. This type of accounting is done on request by managers, and it is usually treated with a lot of confidentiality. In profitable organizations, the objectives of budgetary control are: 1) to ensure that an organization studies themselves are carefully applied in all of its aspects; 2) to ensure that the whole management system comes together and formulates how the business organization should be run in order for the company to realize maximum profits; 3) to promote planning in order for everyone in the establishment to have a sense of direction; 4) to ensure that a business establishment’s policies are clearly defined and that t heir main aim is to realize profits; 5) to maximize the effect on how both capital and staff are employed; 6) to reveal areas in the company that can be improved in order for the company to realize maximum profits; 7) to facilitate the comparison of the business establishment with external environments with the view of increasing its revenue; 8) to coordinate and direct activities in the business to ensure that they lead to achievement of the company’s goal which is maximum profits; 9) finally, allowing and supporting the control function of management by analyzing actual results with the expected results (Jiambalvo, 2009). This information about the performance of their staff is provided to the managers. Managerial accounting is basically designed for companies whose main aim is profit maximization. However, the use of some managerial accounting concepts is beneficial to non-profit business organizations because by adopting such techniques managers of non-profit organization s are able to set benchmarks or measurements that are appropriate for controlling, planning, and decision making. There are various techniques used when it comes to managerial accounting in a non-profit business establishment. One technique used is where the cost of raw material, labour and total overheads will determine the health of the business e

Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Obesity - Essay Example The carbohydrate limitations in the diet programme stimulate early loss of weight through reductions in the amount of body fluid and micronutrients. The loss of micronutrients (e.g. calcium), as well as essential antioxidants, is possibly the most risky aspect of the New Atkins Diet. Dr. Atkins himself identified this risk and prescribed mega-supplements, particularly those he produced (Westman et al. 2010, 66). This essay analyses the various aspects of the New Atkins Diet, specifically, (1) the plan, (2) calorific intake, (3) reasons why this plan may be successful or unsuccessful, and (4) whether the plan is safe, nutritionally balanced suitable for steady long-term weight loss. The Plan The New Atkins Diet has four stages, namely, (1) induction, (2) ongoing weight loss, (3) pre-maintenance, and (4) lifetime maintenance (Murray, Pizzorno, & Pizzorno 2006, 10). The first stage is the initial, and most prohibitive. Intake of carbohydrate is restricted to 20 net grams daily, and a hi gh portion of it should be obtained from vegetables (Westman, Phinney, & Volek 2010, 82). The prescribed foods are vegetable oils and butter, low-carb vegetables, hard cheese, eggs, poultry, seafood (e.g. shellfish), and meats. Alcoholic drinks are prohibited throughout this stage. It is advised to take daily multivitamin minerals (Murray et al. 2006, 10-11). Nevertheless, merely monitoring a dieter’s weight is effective. Loss of weight will differ by individual. The second stage, the Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL), involves additional intake of carbohydrate, but only at quantities where loss of weight takes place. The target in OWL is to hit upon the ‘critical carbohydrate level for losing’ (Bowden 2004, 70) and to accurately identify in a regulated manner how high-carb foods influence a dieter’s control over craving. At the early phase of OWL, one should increase daily consumption of induction recommended vegetables. At the later phase of OWL, one should stic k to the carbohydrate structure Dr. Atkins formulated for this stage and include fresh dairy. The structure has nine levels and must be followed sequentially. The levels are like this (MobileReference 2007, 6): Induction acceptable vegetables. Fresh dairy Nuts Berries Alcohol Legumes Other fruits Starchy vegetables Grains In the pre-maintenance stage the intake of carbohydrate is raised once more, and the primary objective in this stage is to uncover the ‘critical carbohydrate level for maintenance, (Atkins 2002, 170)’ which is the highest amount of carbohydrates a dieter can consume daily without adding pounds. The lifetime maintenance stage, which is the last one, is designed to continue the routines attained in the earlier stages, and put off the usual habit of going back to earlier routines and earlier weight (Atkins 2002, 170). Organic, unrefined food consumptions are stressed, with the opportunity to return to a previous stage if one starts to gain weight. Calorif ic Intake Dissimilar from the conventional food pyramid, the New Atkins Diet focuses on foods rich in protein rather than unprocessed grain foods (Insel, Turner, & Ross 2009, 298). Furthermore, this new diet programme does not restrict the quantity of food a dieter consumes. It merely restricts the kind of food a dieter consumes. Moreover, this diet plan is distinct from many other diets in the sense that a dieter does not have to monitor his/her calorific intake. Actually, numerous individuals on Atkins get much

Business Communication 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Communication 4 - Assignment Example 7 2.5 TEAM WORK 2.5.1 Team work and synergy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 2.5.2 Relationship of team members †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 2.5.3 Conflict/problems in teams†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 3.2 Informal communication networks †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.8 3.3 ACTIVE LISTENING †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 3.4 INTERVIEWING †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 3.5 TEAM WORK †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 1.1 Terms of reference This report was requested to gauge individual and team understanding on how communication affects organizational performance. It is also meant to determine how interpersonal communication skills can be applied in business situations. This will be done in consideration of the circumstances presented by the Hall Furniture study. The understanding and consequent reporting will be done as part of a group project to be submitted on Frida y 31 May, 2013 by 4 pm. 1.2 Procedure The information to be employed in completion of this report will be gathered from: The provided Hall Furniture case study Journals on organization communication and interpersonal communication Past case studies, evaluations and manuals on interpersonal communication 2.2 Informal communication networks 2.2.1 An informal communication pattern/networks An example of an informal communication pattern is one adopted by the accounting department in Hall furniture. The informal communication pattern was adopted as a result of the frustrating formal structure through which formal requests took a long time to process (Krizan, 2006). This translated to frustrated employees as they could not get things done fast enough. As a way to ensure fast responses they established a random means of communication. They would arbitrarily tell one person who would get the message to another party and this way the information would travel faster ensuring easier and faste r feedback thus improved productivity. This form of informal communication, also called â€Å"Grapevine† allows for rumor dispersion and it is often a risky approach once it is the preferred means of communication as objectivity is lost (Krizan, 2006). 2.2.2 Problems with informal communication networks Informal communication networks have a great potential to cause problems within an organization such as Furniture Hall. These problems result because informal communication allows for information distortion. Distortion is most common as this means of communication does not follow any defined rules or channels (Guffey & Loewy, 2013). This means that they can be a means of transmitting any form of information and to any person irrespective of whom without respect or fear. This method also lacks confidentiality; this is because everyone can freely interrelate as there are no restrictions (Krizan, 2006). Any secret is likely to come to the fore with little thought or hesitation. A nother major

The Authors Descriptions Essay Example for Free

The Authors Descriptions Essay Making a decision is a talent. Not everyone can make the right decision in such a short time. Therefore, the two main characters Marco and Danny in the two stories First Crossing (by Pam Munoz Ryan) and The Swede (by Alden R. Carter) have faced problems in making adult decisions. These decisions changed Marco’s and Danny’s lives. Additionally, Marco has successfully reached his ambition by crossing to the United States. On the other hand, Danny’s decision puts him in lots of troubles, specifically got him arrested. In the first story, First Crossing, Marco is the main character. Marco is a poor 14-year-old boy. He lived in Mexico with his family. However, he decided to enter the US illegally. Marco’s father paid a woman to help them. Marco has made a huge decision by leaving Mexico with his father. Even though Marco made an adult decision to face death, he ended happily entering the US and being with his father. However, as the narrator said, â€Å"He looked out the window at the people in the cars on the freeway. They were all headed somewhere in the United States of America. Marco wondered how many were headed to a new world.† He knew that he is going to a new world, but he was wondering, how many of those people are like him. In the other story The Swede. Danny is the main character. Danny is a teenager. He is a student. Luke is a friend of Danny. After Per-Erik family moved from Switzerland, Per-Erik met Luke and Danny. Therefore, Danny liked Per-Erik, but Luke did not because Per-Erik’s father works in the United States. And then, after Per-Erik father discharged 200 workers from the company that he leads. Luke asked Danny obligatory to choose between Pre-Erik or him, â€Å"Well, you’d better start. Because before long everybody’s gonna have to take a side and that includes you, your dad, and Mindy Shultz, too. Get it?† Danny decided to take Luke’s side. And then, Danny and Luke start to bully Per-Erik and his family in many ways. For example, they used trash, dirt, and a dead deer. At last, Per-Erik family got irritated from what people did to them, they moved back to Switzerland. Additionally, the police know that Danny has a hand in all what happened, so he ends up arrested. To conclude, the two writers have described the two boys Marco and Danny well. On one hand, Marco’s decision leads him to get a better life and a nice job. On the other hand, Danny’s decision leads him to jail and shamed from his family. Therefore, making a decision has a powerful effect on anyone life, so everyone need to have decision making talent that will help everyone to avoid these mistakes.

Perceptions of ESL Teachers in Taiwan

Perceptions of ESL Teachers in Taiwan SYNOPSIS This study investigates ESL program teachers experiences, perceptions, attitudes and use of classroom assessment in Taiwan. It is aimed to explore teachers understanding of classroom assessment and their assessment strategies; moreover, to examine whether there are any relationships between teachers experiences, perceptions and use of classroom assessment in private ESL schools in Taiwan. Thirty teachers across three private ESL schools were surveyed using a questionnaire. Among 30 teachers, 4 teachers volunteered to participate in the semi-structured interviews. Data collected from questionnaire and interview provides the researcher with an insight into teachers perceptions, attitudes and use of assessment methods in their classroom. The results show that ESL program teachers were positive about the effectiveness of classroom assessment and formative assessment strategies and had a tendency to use positive feedback to encourage learners to improve their language ability. Most teachers had more than 3 years of teaching experience in teaching English and placed focus on formative assessment in order to meet schools policy, learners needs, and parents demands. There is a need to do further research in such unique educational context, so-called ESL schools in Taiwan, to explore teachers difficulties and needs; moreover, to provide support, such as teachers in-service training, which may lead to benefiting learners. Aim This mixed methods research is designed to investigate ESL private school teachers perceptions, attitude and use of classroom assessment in Taiwan. Two instruments are used in this research, including a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, to explore teachers experiences, attitudes, and perceptions of classroom assessment and their own assessment strategies. Rationale and context This study has been motivated by two factors: first, in 2010, Dr. Rea-Dickins introduced the central characteristics of classroom assessment in Language Testing and Assessment (LTA) course, such as providing learning opportunities for learning or language awareness and nurturing language, which helped me to gain new knowledge about the concept of assessment for learning, in terms of formative assessment. After reading several research studies in relation to classroom-based assessment, I recognize the benefits of assessment, particular with formative assessment, and how teachers can monitor learner progress, inform teaching and support learning through using multiple assessment methods in the classroom. I have the desire to understand whether English teachers use various formative assessment methods, such as teacher and peer feedback, scaffolding and assessment to help learners enhance learning or they mainly focus on grading and recording learning progress. The second factor is related to the fact that we have relatively little knowledge at ESL private school teachers classroom assessment practice and their understanding and attitude toward assessment in Taiwan; moreover, this is an area in which it appears that may have an impact on young learners in learning English. Assessment plays a central and important role both in teaching and learning. Teachers use their own assessment practices, which may have the potential influence on their learners learning, to assess and improve learners language ability. In addition, assessment is synonymous to exams and tests for most teachers, pupils, and parents In Taiwan where traditional paper-and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"pencil assessment remained as the main source informing learners learning (Yip, 2005). Edelenbos and Kubanek-German (2004) also point out the assumption that formal testing is generally referred to the only assessment methods a teacher uses. McNamara (2000) noted that traditional paper-and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"pencil language assessment and performance assessment are two major forms of assessment. In other words, English teachers tend to use the latter to know how their learners use their existing language knowledge related in a given context and to measure learners language ability at the end of a certain period of teaching and learning through the former. As can be seen, the notion of assessment is generally associated with testing and it seems to be under-developed in fields of applied linguistics and general education. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate how English teachers perceive the concept of classroom assessment and what assessment methods they use in their classroom in Taiwan. 1.2.1 English learning environment in Taiwan In 1997, the Ministry of Education (MOE) implemented educational reform and introduced the Nine-Year Integrated Curriculum (NYIC) which has greatly influenced the syllabus and materials design of elementary and high schools in Taiwan. One of the major changes is that pupils, who used to begin learning English in junior high schools (age 11), start to learn English as a Foreign Language in grade 3 (age 9) in elementary schools. English instructions were officially incorporated into elementary school education which brought more business opportunities on English learning and teaching due to the increasing demand for English learning. Such changing situation has also impact the age of learning English in Taiwan, where children now start to learn English at an early age. In addition, according to The Guidelines of English Learning Area in Grade 1-9 Curriculum, the new English syllabus reflects a more communicative orientation and places focus on teacher-learners interactions. It also aims to create an enjoyable learning environment to motivate learners to speak English in English classroom. This appears to suggest that teachers should use more formative assessment methods, in terms of encouraging learners to improve learning and providing more language learning opportunities to them. Furthermore, learners are expected to achieve three goals in Grade 1-9 Curriculum: To equip with basic communicative competence and apply it into real-life situations. To develop learning strategies and be able to learn language effectively and autonomously. To gain knowledge about foreign cultures and be able to respect different cultures. The adjustment in English curriculum is consistent with the current trend in research studies of English as an Additional Language (EAL). Teachers are acting as supporters to scaffold and motivate learners to enhance learning during the whole learning process. In addition, Taiwanese government empowers local schools and teachers to choose teaching materials, such as textbooks, to meet learners needs; moreover, it begins to value pupils individual differences. By doing so, teachers may be able to choose appropriate tasks and activities for their learners and focus on individual learning. As can be seen, teachers are now generally increasing the use of formative assessment strategies to assist learners learning in the classroom in Taiwan 1.2.2 Formative Assessment in language classrooms in Taiwan Generally, English teachers in Taiwan are required to correct all the errors in all students work, including worksheets, textbooks and practice books, due to the pressure from the schools and parents. Such demand from schools and parents is one of major sources of pressure for teachers in Taiwan. As can be seen, teacher feedback, particularly with written feedback, appears to be seen as one major part of teachers routine work. Huang (2006) reports that in Taiwan most English teachers use teacher feedback, as a formative assessment method, on learners grammatical errors in writing. In addition, portfolio assessment is a common assessment tool used by English teachers in Taiwan. Tsai (2004) and Wang (2002) both indicate that teachers use portfolio assessment as an instrument to assess learners achievement rather than improving learning; moreover, Wu (2007) points out that instead of using portfolios assessment in a formative way most teachers use it for summative purposes, in terms of recording each learners achievement. Furthermore, Yip (2005) reports that traditional standardized tests remain the main source of informing and measuring learners learning for most English teachers in Taiwan. As can be seen, the potential of classroom assessment may not have been identified in the language assessment literature and assessment has not reached its full potential in English classrooms in Taiwan. Organization of this research In the next chapter, literature on relevant issues involves definition and functions of classroom assessment and assessment of young learners are reviewed. Methodology of data collection and analysis and a discussion of ethical, validity and reliability issues are introduced in Chapter 3, followed by the presentation of the findings and discussion derived from the results of both questionnaire and interview data. Chapter 5 summaries the research findings and provides limitations and future research. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Introduction This research has explored teachers attitudes, perceptions, and use of assessment in classrooms. In this chapter, limitations of the study will first be discussed, followed by Implications for pedagogy and this study. 5.2 Limitations of the study There are several limitations and problematic aspects in the methodology. First, one limitation in this research is the small size sample (N=30) which may influence the reliability of the result in relation to the correlationship between teachers years of teaching experience and their assessment methods. Size of the sample is vital  for an accurate estimate of the relationship between variables. In addition, without classroom observation, it is difficult to examine teachers day-to-day assessment practice and the whole process of assessment. Observation plays a significant role in confirming teachers interview responses with their actual assessment practice in the classroom. Follow-up interviews are also important in gaining some insight into the behavioural patterns and assessment practice of teachers during the assessment process by providing explanations of their instructional and diagnostic behavior and assessment strategies. The involvement of a larger questionnaire sample size, classroom observation and follow-up interviews may lead to increase reliability of the data and a better and completed understanding of teachers assessment practice in classrooms. 5.3 Implications for pedagogy and teacher training All 5 interviewed teachers indicate that they gain new information about assessment through meeting with teachers from the same grade, for instance, all grade 1 teachers have a meeting to discuss teaching ideas and lesson plans once a week. However, there seems to be an insufficiency level of in-service training activities for meeting the needs of ESL program teachers. Teachers recognize the importance of developing knowledge, competence, capacities and classroom assessment strategies in order to improve teaching and learners learning. This may suggest that there is a need to provide continuing professional development (CPD) and training courses to update new knowledge and information, in relation to planning for teaching, practical approaches and assessment, and more importantly to reflect on their own teaching. 5.3 Implications for further research There is a critical need for more studies to investigate ESL program teachers difficulty in implementing classroom assessment strategies in schools and their diagnostic competence, in terms of their observational and interpretative ability, during classroom teaching. Due to teachers decision-making, assessment cognition network (Yin 2005) and teacher diagnostic competence (Edelenbos and Kubanek-German 2004) are key elements in supporting and assessing learners in classrooms. Moreover, their capacities, knowledge and beliefs may have an impact on how they assess learner performance during the teaching and their diagnostic competence, including the skills they use to guess what learners want to say and the abilities to provide language samples of learners language growth, may influence the amount of language learning opportunities they provide for individual learner during the teaching and learning. Furthermore, further research is needed in exploring teachers representation and implementation of classroom assessment to reveal factors which influence teachers perceptions and interpretation of assessment. In addition, ESL program teachers use of the materials, which involve standardized and teacher made tests and a set of assessment instruments, should also be examined, in terms of the reliability and validity of teacher assessment. Finally, the scope of so-called ESL school teachers classroom assessment perceptions and strategies research should be expanded to include other Asia countries, such as Korea and China. 5.4 Conclusion The focus of this research is to investigate so-called ESL school teachers perceptions, attitudes and use of classroom assessment in Taiwan, an EFL context. A mixed methods approach is used to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data, including questionnaire and interview data. This study provides a window to reveal how teachers , who aim to enhance Taiwanese learners English ability through adopting ESL curriculum and teaching materials to teach learners in an EFL context, perceive the construct of classroom assessment, their attitudes toward assessment and use of assessment methods. The results show a strong emphasis on formative, as opposed to summative, assessment practice among 30 teachers across 3 private ESL schools; moreover, the data suggests a need for CPD courses to improve teaching and learning and to prevent teachers from suffering burnout and emotional exhaustion.

The International Tourist Destination Tourism Essay

The International Tourist Destination Tourism Essay Tourism can be traced back to centuries but because the elements of the product and conditions of the market place have changed so enormously in the last few decades there has been a corresponding requirement for a change in the business methods. This has led to the use of tourism marketing. Tourism industry over the last few years has had an accelerated growth. Destinations come in all shapes and sizes and can be found in variety of geographical settings such as in urban, rural and coastal environment. Destinations can be a collection of countries or a district state, county or coastline. They can often be viewed in both a supply or demand context. Destinations are subject to artificial divides that ignore the needs of the consumer and the expectations of the tourist.The supply sided definition of destination is a well-defined geographical area which is understood by its visitor as a unique entity with a political and legislative framework for tourism marketing and planning. (Buhalis, 2000) whereas the demand sided definition is a place towards which people travel and where they choose to stay for a while in order to experience certain features or characteristics. (Buhalis, 2000) This paper presents a theoretical framework of disaster management in a destination with the marketing strategies in tourism. The first part of the essay would discuss on general views on destinations, marketing strategies and disasters. The second part concentrates on marketing strategies of Kerala as a destination and how marketing strategies can be used to mitigate negative impacts of disasters in a destination. Introduction All destinations have similar characteristics. The success of a tourist destination depends on the quality of the basic essentials they offer to tourists namely attractions, amenities and accessibility (Holloway and Taylor 2006).Each and every organization has to operate within a market environment. This environment is made up of different levels of influence that will affect the opportunities and the marketing decisions that need to be made. The conditions affecting competition and rivalry in company markets, the values of stakeholder groups, the political, social, economic, social and technological changes of the wider environment. For a destination to be successful and stay ahead in the industry, the officials and stakeholders must develop and implement new strategies. As per Johnsons and Scholes (1993) strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term; ideally which matches its resources to its changing environment and in different markets, customers or clients so as to meet the stakeholders expectations. Different travel companies have similar marketing strategies for a destination. Any company in-order to form a marketing strategy has to first understand the particular destinations strengths, weakness, opportunities available and threats. When talking about managing and marketing a tourist destination it is very important to keep in mind the 15 Cs framework namely; Complexity, Control, Change, Crisis, Communication, Complacency, Customers, Culture, Competition, Commodification, Creativity, Channels, Cyberspace, Consolidation, Collaboration (Fyall et all). Marketing Mix To make a successful marketing strategy one has to understand the 4 Ps of marketing mix namely product, price, promotion and place. Kotler and Armstrong (2005) indicate that marketing mix is one of the key concepts in modern marketing theory. They defined marketing mix as the step of controllable, tactical marketing tools that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. Firstly we would have a look at the 4 Ps of marketing mix. Product The effectiveness of planning the marketing mix depends as much on the ability to select the right target market as on the skill in devising a product offer. It is really difficult to talk about a product (destination) as one complete entity hence to understand a product in a better way McCarthy (1978) divided it into four different levels namely the core product, the facilitating product, supporting product and the augmented product. Along with it comes, services offered and the quality of the product which differs according to the product and customer/guests expectation. It is very important for an organisation to decide on the range of products to be offered to a particular target market. Brand name also plays a major role in the marketing of a product, a customer/guest travelling to a place may differ in terms of preference, necessities. Apart from the customers point of view for a destination for which customers are willing to pay high amounts it is very important to maintain th e standards of services and fulfil customers basic necessities. People often purchase a familiar brand as they are comfortable with familiar things. There are assumptions made by customers that a familiar brand would be reliable and of reasonable quality. An unknown brand often has limited chances. (Aaker, 1991: 19) Price The pricing policy selected for a product (destination) is often directly related to the performance of its future demand. Pricing decisions is often considered the hardest part of the marketing mix strategy. Promotion It is a very important activity that tourists organisations or tourists board perform in order to influence potential customers. It is also important to influence trade contacts such as retail agents, suppliers and opinion formers such as journalists and travel critics. Advertising plays a major role in terms of promotion as it helps is changing attitudes and builds an image in the customers mind. Sales promotion is another method which adds value to the product. Another method of promotion is personal selling where in a direct contact with the customer is established. However there is a growing use of sponsorship and direct marketing which many organisations are using. Place/Distribution Tourism is an intangible product hence no transfer of ownership takes place only services are rented or consumed. A distribution system is the mix of channels used to gain access, or means by which a tourism service is made available to the potential consumers of the product. There has been a constant growth in the central reservation system and the global distribution system which has shrunk the world and has got the customer closer to the product. However later on Booms and Bitner (1981) argued that the marketing mix of four Ps is not comprehensive enough for the tourism and hospitality industry, so they addedthree more clauses which are people, physical evidence and process. Tourism as an industry is not only affected by disasters but also is a cause for disasters which in turn affect the tourists flow. Impacts of Tourism Economic Impact of Tourism Tourism has been traditionally viewed as a great force in promoting understanding among nations and within the national boundaries facilitating emotional integration. However, its economic importance is less commonly understood. It is only in the recent years, in particular the latter half of the 20th century that tourism has been accepted as an important catalyst for economic development. It is in terms of its contribution to employment generation, foreign exchange earnings, income generation and output growth that tourism has significant impact on the economy. [ Indira Gandhi National Open University] (IGNOU 2002) Environmental Impact of Tourism Different kinds of tourism activities affect the natural and built environment. There is a complex interaction between tourism and the environment. Many studies have shown that tourism has an immense impact on the physical environment, and that little has been done to remedy or control the assault on the ecology. This is especially distressing in view of the fact that a major part of tourism depends on nature: mountains, beaches, deserts, forests, wildlife, water bodies and the like. [ Indira Gandhi National Open University] (IGNOU 2002) Socio-cultural Impact of Tourism Among the most debated issues pertaining to tourism are those related to the effects that tourists and the industry have on societies and cultures of local communities. A general argument is that tourism contributes to international understanding and harmony. On the contrary, it has severely affected indigenous customs and ways of life in certain cases. Tourists are seldom well prepared for an international encounter which is vastly different from their own. Their knowledge, in most cases, is cursory, that is glamorised images from glossy travel brochures, movies and similar material. [ Indira Gandhi National Open University] (IGNOU 2002) Disaster Disaster is a calamitous event which often leads to great damages which can be physical (affecting the nature and life) or can affect the business environment. (Oxford dictionary). Disasters are of two types namely Natural and Man-made disasters. Tourism has frequently been subjected to natural disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes for example Hurricane Katrina on the north central Gulf Coast of the USA in 2005, the tsunami in 2004 off the coast of Indonesia and earthquakes in Taiwan in 1999 and San Francisco in 1989. The immediate effect leads to destruction of the tourist infrastructure and fall in customer demands. In addition to direct effect, destinations may suffer long term damage by perceptions in travel-risk. The earths climate has drastically changed in recent times and is predicted to change in the future. Directly and indirectly tourism is influencing the climate by about 80% (Gossling et al., 2005). Tourism is not only susceptible to natural disasters it is also affected by man-made disasters, such as outbreak of war, political unrest, terrorism for example political unrest in Libya, Terrorism attacks in Mumbai, India in 2007. Tourists generally perceive acts of terrorism to be higher risk than natural disasters when travelling. The perception of travel related risks have has changed during recent times as a result of change in the magnitude and frequency of the attacks. Kerala a major tourist destination in India Kerala, Gods own country is one of the favourite destinations for tourists in the world. It is situated on the south-western part of India with a coastline of 580km. It is famous for eco-tourism initiatives and growing at a rate of 13.31%. In the year 2008, 23.57% of total tourists were from United Kingdom, France and Germany. USA accounted for 8.72% of total tourists visiting Kerala in the year 2008. Kerala became 50 must see places in the lifetime to visit (National Geographic Travel, 2004) and also awarded in super brand award for 101 strongest brands in India by super brands India in the Year 2007. Tourism has emerged as the major revenue generating business to government of Kerala which has contributed almost 8% of the total employment directly and indirectly. The most important turning point in the state of Kerala was the private-public partnership to promote tourism in Kerala. Marketing of Kerala as a destination Backwater is the major tourist attraction of Kerala, however enjoying beaches with Ayurvedha is also one of the major attractions for tourists today. The government of Kerala is now trying to brand the medical tourism initiative which is turning out to be a great success as loads of people from many different countries are travelling to Kerala for better health care. There is also an emphasis on traditional art forms like Kathakali, Theyyam, etc which are pulling interests of travellers interested in arts. Kerala tourism is focussed more towards mass media advertisements and PR activities which help in attracting many tourists. Kerala also in terms of pricing is considered in a few of the cheap places for tourists in India. Hence it is very clear that the 4 Ps of marketing mix Place, Product, Price, Promotions. Kerala as a destination is influenced by natural and man-made disasters both. It has been observed that over the past three decades the predominant style of tourism in the region has been based almost exclusively on the attraction of the climate and of beaches. International visitors simply like visiting the beach and visit the back waters, the government has had an economic commitment to make to satisfying international demand by providing a coastal tourism product (UNECLAC, 2003). However the coastal range is prone to direct and immediate risk as when we look back from the year 2000 there has been a lot of natural disasters such as Hurricanes, storms, Tsunami, Floods, etc. Similarly when we look at the man-made disasters the Indian Sub continent is very prone to it from the Kargil war in 1999 to different terrorism attacks in Parliament building (New delhi) in 2001 and the Taj Hotel bombing (Mumbai) in 2008 or be it the global recession. All these affect the tourist flow in a particular destination. Strengths and Weakness There are a few weakness and many strengths of the above mentioned marketing strategy done by the government of Kerala. Firstly we would discuss weaknesses of the strategy followed by the strengths. Weaknesses There is an inadequate infrastructure to match the expectations of the tourist who travel to Kerala which means limited number of hotels, restaurants and limited space. The government has tough airline policies such as keeping in mind Kerala does not have an international airport as one of the major generator of tourist revenue. There is no proper waste management system which can become cause for many natural disasters. There is a shortage of funds available for growth of tourism which can often lead to exploitation of tourists and can lead to many other man-made disasters which is very common in Goa now-a-days. Strengths One good thing about the government of Kerala is that they are smooth operators of law and order which helps in confronting any man-made disaster to happen. The people of Kerala are involved by the government in the tourism industry which leads to broader thinking and leads to development of knowledge of disaster management in the people. The quality of life also improves of the local people, it is also noted that Kerala is the only society in the world which has 100% literacy rate. The current marketing strategy promotes Kerala as a destination and has made such an image even if there is a miss happening in the country, tourists would still flow in considering Keralas law and order being so rigid. In case of any natural disaster it is very obvious that it is a destination that can recover in one single days time. Even during the Tsunami, Kerala recovered itself very easily whereas other destinations adjoining Kerala took time to recover from the shock. Conclusion Kerala tourism is one of the super brand in the world of tourism. But the government is currently focussing on mass media tools although it is being properly put together but the government should focus more on direct marketing as the major revenue generator is the domestic market. Direct marketing can be considered to be more effective for brand building and very cost efficient as compared to mass media promotions. Word of mouth is being considered one of the most important tool of marketing now-a-days. Apart from these strategies the government also can conduct events based campaigns keeping in mind the various festivals in the state itself like Pongal, famous boat race. Furthermore it can also be recommended that encouraging local people to participate in decision-making process, training the guides and the local people, appreciate people of different profession and allocate special areas for the peaceful co-existence, maintaining the control on the prices of goods and quality of services. The government should take extra steps and encourage private investors to invest and promote tourism in a destination which would in turn lead to improvements in the infrastructure of the destination which is one of the most important thing for a destination in order to attract more tourists.

Anne Moodys Coming of Age in Mississippi :: Anne Moody Coming Age Mississippi

In this autobiography of Anne Moody a.k.a. Essie Mae as she is often called in the book, is the struggles for rights that poor black Americans had in Mississippi. Things in her life lead her to be such an activist in the fight for black equality during this time. She had to go through a lot of adversity growing up like being beat, house being burned down, moving to different school, and being abuse by her mom's boyfriend. One incident that would make Anne Moody curious about racism in the south was the incident in the Movie Theater with the first white friends she had made. The other was the death of Emmett Tillman and other racial incidents that would involve harsh and deadly circumstances. These this would make Miss Moody realize that this should not be tolerated in a free world. First time she ever accounts racism was at the Movie Theater, before she had even realized what it was. This incident made her start questioning what racism was and what made blacks and whites different. In Centreville, Mississippi where she lived with her mother and a sister (Adline) and brother (Junior). In Centreville they meet two other kids that just had happened to be white. Essie Mae had never been a friend with white kids. The two white children Katie and Bill would always ride their bikes and skates in front of Essie Mae yard. So they got their attention on one afternoon by making Indian noises to draw them to play with the others. Katie and Bill would let Essie ride their bikes and skates all the time, the others where too young to let them try. So they would grow a close relationship not knowing what others might think of these two groups playing. Every Saturday Essie's mother would always take them to the movies, where the blacks would have to seat in the balcony and whites could seat in the bottom level. But they saw Katie and Bill there so Essie and her bother and sister followed them to the bottom level. While mother was not noticing what was going on, when mother noticed she began to start yelling and pulling them out the door. The children begun to cry this would make mom just leave the Movie Theater.

Public Policy Topic: Health Care :: Healthcare, Politics

Through the decades there have been many public policy topics in our society that have a very large impact on the county as whole. They are reasons why American have either prospered and have been set back into recessions. Health is one of the most talked about public policy topics. Health care is topic that affects local and state governments for many reasons. First of all, health care is insurance for people that are injured or ill. Each county has their own type of health care. There are many different types of health care organizations that are offered to people all over the world. Some of these organizations include: the health maintenance group, provider group, and a proposal that combines aspects from both the health maintenance group and the provider group. The most important type of health care insurance is a universal health plan. Universal health care is what will eventually save Americans a large amount of money and it will also guarantee that every American is insured. The number of uninsured citizens has grown to be above 40 million people. Health care is becoming unaffordable and we can eliminate wasteful inadequacies. A centralized national database can be established to make life easier for doctors, and medical professionals will only have to worry about the patience and not who’s paying for the medication for people . There are many people today who do not like the idea of universal health care and refuse to get it. America is known for having the best medical physicians and people are afraid that it will change drastically if we all share one universal health care plan. Also, if the insurance were to decrease in the universal health plan then taxes should skyrocket and therefore the money that is being saved will end up being used for taxes. According to â€Å"Should the Government Provide Free Universal Healthcare for All Americans?† Joe Messerli says that â€Å"The government must pay for this somehow† (Messerli). I agree with this because the government will need the money to fund for this universal health care plan. In a Universal health the patient can be responsible for some cost at the time of the consumption but the majority of the cost is covered by compulsory insurance and tax revenues. To provide health care services for the entire country requires a lot of funding tha t other governments acquire by taxation and also maybe from premiums for some of compulsory health insurance required of all citizens.

Multinational organizations

Culture refers to the way of life that is defined by the behaviour, knowledge, and beliefs throughout the lives of people. It includes the way we think, our behaviour, and life which are shaped by the political, economic, and historical conditions prevailing in a particular geographical region. . A case study of Intel Corporation Expansion into China Intel Corporation is an establishment of the United States of America. It has a subsidiary in China. The set up of the plant in China wasn’t without challenges.Part of the problem included the Chinese educational system which wasn't up to par with the American university system, the home of parent company. Therefore, students hired by Intel in China lacked the high level expertise required. Language barriers were another challenge since people of China speak Chinese language and their form writing is different from that in America. Other cultural barriers included social inequalities and jealous, gender insensitivities, style of d ress, mode of communication, national pride, religious belief and local customs. Traditionally, filial piety and families are priorities.Thus outside organizations have great difficulty cultivating loyalty. Chinese are known to undermine others of lower class. To synchronise the level of expertise between the American employees and the Chinese employees, Intel Corporation sent the Chinese employees to America for further training. It also developed a policy that encouraged constructive confrontation, where employees would criticize their colleagues' and managers' ideas. The purpose of the policy was to allow constructive resolution rather than employees undermining each other during disagreements.Thus, employees had to prepare sufficient data to oppose a given decision before a scheduled date of implementation. Since confrontation alone cannot resolve all matters, a supplementing mechanism was put in place to implementing decisions in case disagreement persisted. Intel also promotes one-on-one consultations between managers and employees, where employees air their views to their seniors confidentially. These practices go well with the Chinese culture since Chinese by and large are more comfortable opening up on a one-on-one basis.Apart from encouraging employees to contribute ideas, Intel also allows them to error without fear of penalty. Why people may not appreciate the cultural point of view of others Attitude plays an important role in appreciating diverse cultural orientation. The mindset of people may cause one to disregard others people’s cultural standings. Lack of education, may lead to the perception that others cultures are inferior due to their norms, beliefs and values. Moreover characters in a person can contribute to rigidity in accepting contribution of people from societies with a different cultural setting.Past engagement may evoke feelings of rejection especially if the relation was unhealthy. Effect of appreciating cultural diversity on ability of people to communicate effectively in an international organization Cultural diversity is the multiplicity of cultures or human societies in a certain region. Appreciating cultural diversity is vital in an organization. The cultural limitations of employees are addresses. For instance, difference in education systems means the level of expertise is different. Through training programs, effective communication may be achieved.This would in return enhance human relation among employees and between management and employees. By recognizing the cultural variation, employees respect each others values and beliefs. Recommendation on steps to take and suggestion of appropriate policies that would ensure successful expansion of Sealwrap into Asia and Europe Introduction Culture refers to the way of life that is influenced by the behaviour, knowledge, and beliefs throughout the lives of people. Multiplicity of cultures in a certain region or organization is referred to as cultur al diversity.Multinational organizations have experienced cultural challenges while expanding their business to regions that differ culturally from the country of origin. The cultural challenges include different education system of the beneficiary country. The system of education may fail to produce experts to much the job specifications. However foreign government often give incentives to multinational organization that hire local expertise. Moreover, an organization is by far acceptable if it involve local employees. Organizations often find it challenging to penetrate and operate in a foreign market due to language barrier.The difference between the organization’s official language and that of the country in which it is operating may require translators. Elsewhere, employees and managers may have to be trained. Other cultural barriers may included social inequalities and jealous, gender insensitivities, style of dress, mode of communication, national pride, religious beli ef and local customs. Organizations setting up their business across borders should appreciate cultural diversity both at the management and subordinate levels. Realizing and understanding cultures differences enhances human relation in an organization.The differences are addressed through an effective communication system. Managers understand their employees and apply the best strategy to resolve employees’ issues. As a suggestion, Sealwrap should consider involving more personnel of Asian and European when expanding their business in Asia and Europe respectively. It is advisable to involve these personnel at both the management levels and the subordinate levels. However, they must be trained accordingly. Elsewhere, in setting up the multinational in Asia, it is important to be flexible.The organization should consider allowing cultural norms that contribute positively to the organization to prevail. However these should be supplemented with professional management strategie s. Suggested policies It would be important for Sealwrap executives, especially the human resources executives, to take on policies that curtail negative elements of the Asian and European culture while maintaining the positive ones. This would help in progression of the corporate culture in the Asians and European business operations.The policies should neither allow the corporate culture in the parent company to be adopted in the subsidiary nor should the Asian culture dominate in the operation of Sealwrap. A policy to maintain a higher percentage of the local employees would improve the outlook of Sealwrap as a local company. Employees should be encouraged to contribute ideas through a policy that reward them. Besides boost the employee’s morale, the company would improve its outlook. The company could promote its business through a policy on corporate social responsibility.In conclusion, one important thing that Sealwrap could do is to set up a fair, open, and caring huma n resource system that would cater for the Asian and European cultures in their business at Asia and Europe. References: Almond, P. and Ferner, A. (2006): American Multinationals in Europe: Managing Employment Relations across National Borders, 1st edition, Oxford University Press Shapiro, D. L. and Von, M. A. (2005): Managing Multinational Teams: Global Perspectives (Advances in International Management), Vol 18, Jai Press

The Congressional Medal of Honour

The Medal of Honour is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is given to a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself â€Å"conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States†. Because of the nature of its criteria, the medal is often awarded posthumously. Members of all branches of the U. S. military are eligible to receive the medal, and each service has a unique design with the exception of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, which both use the Navy's medal. The Medal of Honour is often presented personally to the recipient or, in the case of posthumous awards, to next of kin, by the President of the United States. Due to its high status, the medal has special protection under U. S. law. The Medal of Honour is one of two military neck order awards issued by the United States Armed Forces, but is the sole neck order awarded to its members. The other is the Commander's Degree of the Legion of Merit and is only authorized for issue to foreign dignitaries comparable to a US military chief of staff. While American service members are eligible for the Legion of Merit, they are awarded the lowest degree, â€Å"Legionnaire†, which is a standard suspended medal. The medal is frequently, albeit incorrectly, called the Congressional Medal of Honour, stemming from its award by the Department of Defence in the name of Congress. The first formal system for rewarding acts of individual gallantry by American soldiers was established by George Washington on August 7, 1782, when he created the Badge of Military Merit, designed to recognize any singularly meritorious action. This decoration is America's first combat award and the second oldest American military decoration of any type, after the Fidelity Medallion. Although the Badge of Military Merit fell into disuse after the American Revolutionary War, the concept of a military award for individual gallantry by members of the U. S. armed forces had been established. In 1847, after the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, a Certificate of Merit was established for soldiers who distinguished themselves in action. The certificate was later granted medal status as the Certificate of Merit Medal. Early in the Civil War, a medal for individual valour was proposed by Iowa Senator James W. Grimes to Winfield Scott, the Commanding General of the United States Army. Scott did not approve the proposal, but the medal did come into use in the Navy. Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valour, was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on December 21, 1861. The medal was â€Å"to be bestowed upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen, and Marines as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry and other seamanlike qualities during the present war. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles directed the Philadelphia Mint to design the new decoration. Shortly afterward, a resolution of similar wording was introduced on behalf of the Army and was signed into law on July 12, 1862. This measure provided for awarding a Medal of Honour, as the Navy version also came to be called to such non-commissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like qualities, during the present insurrection. The Medal of Honour has evolved in appearance since its creation in 1862. The present Army medal consists of a gold star surrounded by a wreath, topped by an eagle on a bar inscribed with the word â€Å"Valour. † The medal is attached by a hook to a light blue moire. There is a version of the medal for each branch of the U. S. armed forces: the Army, Navy and Air Force. Since the U. S. Marine Corps is administratively a part of the Department of the Navy, Marines receive the Navy medal. Before 1965, when the U. S. Air Force design was adopted, members of the U. S. Army Air Corps, U. S. Army Air Forces, and Air Force received the Army version of the medal. The Coast Guard Medal of Honour, which was distinguished from the Navy medal in 1963, has never been awarded, partly because the U. S. Coast Guard is subsumed into the U. S. Navy in time of declared war. No design yet exists for it. Only one member of the Coast Guard has received a Medal of Honour, Signalman 1st Class Douglas Munro, who was awarded the Navy version for action during the Battle of Guadalcanal. In the rare cases, 19 so far, where a service member has been awarded more than one Medal of Honour, current regulations specify that an appropriate award device be cantered on the Medal of Honour ribbon and neck medal. To indicate multiple presentations of the Medal of Honour, the U. S. Army and Air Force bestow oak leaf clusters, while the Navy Medal of Honour is worn with gold award stars. A ribbon which is the same shade of light blue as the neckband, and includes five white stars, pointed upwards, in the shape of an â€Å"M† is worn for situations other than full dress uniform. When the ribbon is worn, it is placed alone above the centre of the other ribbons. For wear with civilian clothing, a rosette is issued instead of a miniature lapel pin (which usually shows the ribbon bar). The rosette is the same shade of blue as the neck ribbon and includes white stars. The ribbon and rosette are presented at the same time as the medal. On October 23, 2003 a Medal of Honour flag was to be presented to recipients of the decoration. The flag was based on a concept by retired Army Special Forces 1SG. Bill Kendall of Jefferson, Iowa, who designed a flag to honour Medal of Honour recipient Captain Darrell Lindsey. Kendall's design of a light blue field emblazoned with thirteen white five-pointed stars was nearly identical to that of Sarah LeClerc's of the Institute of Heraldry. LeClerc's design, ultimately accepted as the official flag, does not include the words â€Å"Medal of Honour† and is fringed in gold. The colour of the field and the 13 white stars, arranged in the form of a three bar chevron, consisting of two chevrons of 5 stars and one chevron of 3 stars, replicate the Medal of Honour ribbon. The flag has no set proportions. The first Medal of Honour recipient to receive the official flag was Paul R. Smith. The flag was cased and presented to his family along with his medal. A special ceremony presenting this flag to 60 Medal of Honour recipients was held onboard the USS Constitution Template:WP Ships USS instances on September 30, 2006. There are two distinct protocols for awarding the Medal of Honour. The first and most common is nomination by a service member in the chain of command, followed by approval at each level of command. The other method is nomination by a member of Congress and approval by a special act of Congress. In either case, the Medal of Honour is presented by the President on behalf of the Congress. Several months after President Abraham Lincoln signed Public Resolution 82 into law on December 21, 1861, a similar resolution for the Army was passed. Six Union soldiers who hijacked the General, a Confederate locomotive were the first recipients. Raid leader James J. Andrews, a civilian hanged as a Union spy, did not receive the medal. Many Medals of Honour awarded in the 19th century were associated with saving the flag, not just for patriotic reasons, but because the flag was a primary means of battlefield communication. During the time of the Civil War, no other military award was authorized, and to many this explains why some seemingly less notable actions were recognized by the Medal of Honour during that war. The criteria for the award tightened after World War I. In the post-World War II era, many eligible recipients might instead have been awarded a Silver Star, Navy Cross or similar award. During the Civil War, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton promised a Medal of Honour to every man in the 27th Regiment, Maine Infantry who extended his enlistment beyond the agreed upon date. Many stayed four days extra, and then were discharged. Due to confusion, Stanton awarded a Medal of Honour to all 864 men in the regiment. In 1916, a board of five Army generals convened by law to review every Army Medal of Honour awarded. The commission, led by Nelson Miles, recommended that the Army rescind 911 medals. This included the 864 medals awarded to members of the 27th Maine, 29 who served as Abraham Lincoln's funeral guard, six civilians (including Dr Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to have been awarded the medal), Buffalo Bill Cody, and 12 others whose awards were judged frivolous. Dr. Walker's medal was restored posthumously by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Cody's award was restored in 1989. Early in the 20th century, the Navy awarded many Medals of Honour for peacetime bravery. For instance, seven sailors aboard the USS Iowa received the medal when a boiler exploded on January 25, 1904. Aboard the USS Chicago in 1901, John Henry Helms received the medal for saving Ishi Tomizi, the ship's cook, from drowning. Even after World War I, Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett received the medal for exploration of the North Pole. Thomas J. Ryan received it for saving a woman from the burning Grand Hotel in Yokohama, Japan following the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. Between 1919 and 1942, the Navy issued two separate versions of the Medal of Honour, one for non-combat bravery and the other for combat-related acts. Official accounts vary, but generally the non-combat Medal of Honour was known as the Tiffany Cross, after the company that manufactured the medal. The Tiffany Cross was first issued in 1919 but was rare and unpopular, partly because it was presented both for combat and non-combat events. As a result, in 1942, the United States Navy reverted to a single Medal of Honour, awarded only for heroism. Since the beginning of World War II, the medal has been awarded for extreme bravery beyond the call of duty while engaged in action against an enemy. Arising from these criteria, approximately 60% of the medals earned during and after World War II have been awarded posthumously. Capt. William McGonagle is an exception to the enemy action rule, earning his medal during the USS Liberty incident. A 1993 study commissioned by the Army described systematic racial and religious discrimination in the criteria for awarding medals during World War II. At the time, no Medals of Honour had been awarded to black soldiers who served in World War II. After an exhaustive review of files, the study recommended that several black Distinguished Service Cross recipients be upgraded to the Medal of Honour. On January 13, 1997, President Bill Clinton awarded the medal to seven African American World War II veterans. Of these, only Vernon Baker was still alive. A similar study of Asian Americans in 1998 resulted in President Bill Clinton awarding 21 new Medals of Honour in 2000, including 20 to Japanese American members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, among them Senator Daniel Inouye. In 2005, President George W. Bush awarded the Medal of Honour to Jewish veteran and Holocaust survivor Tibor Rubin, whom many believed to have been overlooked because of his religion. This medal’s history stretches back into our bloody war history, it has seen its own trials and tribulations and like America is has grown and melded itself into the prestigious award that it is today. I believe the medal has been properly issued to service members and at the same time given away freely, but that does not take away from the honour and respect each recipient deserves. These recipients are text book example of perfect military stature and then some. All of them go above and beyond anyone’s expectations that even they themselves had. The most surprising thing is that all of them did these marvellous and mind blowing deeds of service at such a young military age, the same and even younger age of my own. It not only blows my mind at how they accomplish or even began to go through with what they did but they did it without an order or a self doubt, to me they got in the perfect mindset of selfless service and their one goal was to help other and complete the mission. My first pick of recipients is Private First Class Willy F. James, U. S. Army, Company G, 413th Infantry near Lippoldsberg, Germany, 7 April 1945. Private First Class Willy F. James, Jr. distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism at the risk of his own life on 7 April 1945 in the Weser River Valley, in the vicinity of Lippoldsberg, Germany. On 7 April 1945, Company G, 413th Infantry, fought its way across the Weser River in order to establish a crucial bridgehead. The company then launched a fierce attack against the town of Lippoldsberg, possession of which was vital to securing and expanding the important bridgehead. Private First Class James was first scout of the lead squad in the assault platoon. The mission of the unit was to seize and secure a group of houses on the edge of town, a foothold from which the unit could launch an attack on the rest of the town. Far out in the front, Private First Class James was the first to draw enemy fire. His platoon leader came forward to investigate, but poor visibility made it difficult for Private First Class James to point out enemy positions with any accuracy. Private First Class James volunteered to go forward to fully reconnoiter the enemy situation. Furious crossfire from enemy snipers and machine guns finally pinned down Private First Class James after he had made his way forward approximately 200 yards across open terrain. Lying in an exposed position for more than an hour, Private First Class James intrepidly observed the enemy’s positions, which were given away by the fire he was daringly drawing upon himself. Then, with utter indifference to his personal safety, in a storm of enemy small arms fire, Private First Class James made his way back more than 300 yards across open terrain under enemy observation to his platoon positions, and gave a full detailed report on the enemy disposition. The unit worked out a new plan of maneuver based on Private First Class James’s information. The gallant soldier volunteered to lead a squad in an assault on the key house in the group that formed the platoon objective. He made his way forward, leading his squad in an assault on the strongly-held enemy positions in the building and designating targets accurately and continuously as he moved along. While doing so, Private First Class James saw his platoon leader shot down by enemy snipers. Hastily designating and coolly orienting a leader in his place, Private First Class James instantly went to the aid of his platoon leader, exposing himself recklessly to the incessant enemy fire. As he was making his way across open ground, Private First Class James was killed by a burst from an enemy machine gun. Private First Class James’s extraordinarily heroic action in the face of withering enemy fire provided the disposition of enemy troops to his platoon. Inspired to the utmost by Private First Class James’s self sacrifice, the platoon sustained the momentum of the assault and successfully accomplished its mission with a minimum of casualties. Private First Class James contributed very definitely to the success of his battalion in the vitally important combat operation of establishing and expanding a bridgehead over the Weser River. His fearless, self-assigned actions far above and beyond the normal call of duty exemplify the finest traditions of the American combat soldier and reflect the highest credit upon Private First Class James and the Armed Forces of the United States. Private First Class James is a prime example of what a man should be. He ran through enemy fire, and then while in the midst of the fire still had the discipline and the bravery to observe fire positions and any other useful information that he could see from his position. On top of that he still was able to fall back to his platoon 300 meters behind him.