Mass Incarceration Is Defined As The Imprisonment Of A...

At the simplest level, mass incarceration is defined as the imprisonment of a large amount of people. However, that does not tell the whole story. The majority of people incarcerated are minorities, and although mass incarceration began as a system of unjust racial and social control, today it continues for many political reasons including government grants, swaying voter opinion, and for-profit prison revenue. The United States incarcerates more people, per capita, than any other nation in the entire world. State and local prisons and jails account for about 80% of incarcerations. Although crime rates have decreased since the 1990s, incarceration rates have soared. According to a recent Prison Policy Initiative publication, approximately 2.3 million people are currently â€Å"locked up† in the United States. Of these 2.3 million people, 1 in 5 are locked up for a drug related offense. Statistics show that prisoners and felons imprisoned for drug related crimes are disproportionately Black and Hispanic. The mass incarceration issue in the United States derives from the many arrests associated with these â€Å"offenses† regarding drugs and the war on drugs. Mass incarceration is the inhumane process by which people are cornered into the criminal â€Å"justice† system and recognized as criminals and felons. Criminals in the United States tend to receive longer sentences than those in other countries, even when they commit the same crimes. Furthermore, once these individuals are releasedShow MoreRelatedHow Stratification Creates Inequalities Within The Criminal Justice System2145 Words   |  9 PagesJustice System The population at large in the United Stated is very different than the population of the prison system. Racial inequality in the criminal justice system is often ignored because it does not affect most people. If there is to be a change in racial inequality, this issue is one that must be addressed. According to Inequality and Incarceration, â€Å"497 out of 100,000 Americans are imprisoned.† This means there is â€Å"less than one percent of people† in the United States that are imprisonedRead MoreDeath Of Black And White Penal : Hell Hole, Popular Media, And Mass Incarceration1904 Words   |  8 PagesKids can no longer play outside; people lock their doors at night. People fear daily whether they will make it back to their house at night. Some leave in the morning in a suit and tie off to their nine to five jobs, others go off into the streets, trying to make the best they can with what they have.  America is the leading nation of individuals in prison, represe nting almost a quarter of the worlds imprisoned population. Over the years,  the number of incarcerated individuals  has  increased  as wellRead MoreThe Efficiency Of The Prison System Essay2411 Words   |  10 PagesInstructor Ghent CRTW 201 April 25, 2016 The Efficiency of the Prison System If Johnny Cash described the sad daily life of inmates in his classic  «Ã‚  Folsom Prison Blues  Ã‚ », today it’s all the prison system which is feeling pretty blue. Justice is defined as the administration of law. But within that definition is the implicit understanding that the law must be applied even handedly. The rule of law is meant to apply to all, but currently in America that crucial principle can be questioned. It is blatantlyRead MoreRestorative And Restorative Justice System3870 Words   |  16 Pagesthe outcome of multiple adverse social, economic, cultural and family conditions, and to prevent crime it is critical to have an understanding of its roots. Economic, social and family structures are complex and interrelated topics that have a large amount of impact on offenders that commit crimes. Firstly, economic factors such as poverty and lack of financial resources, most times create a lack of educational opportunities, lack of meaningful employment options, and poor housing. These conditionsRead MoreA Passionate Sermon At Church Essay2141 Words   |  9 Pagesdescriptive statement resonates far from being believable considering we are a nation that promotes itself as being a land of opportunity. However, these opportunities that are glamorized were not established with fairness for all of its people. Accounting for the substantial amount of laws that prompt favor for slavery, dating back to the 1600’s when the first African arrived as cargo on a Dutch ship. Slavery was introduced to the Americans by the Dutch. In the colony of Jamestown Virginia, the demand forRead MoreMass Incarceration Nation : The Failing Of The American Criminal Justice System2691 Words   |  11 Pages Mass Incarceration Nation The Failing of the American Criminal Justice System Sophia Scales Ashford University Criminal Justice 201 Professor Ted Ellis November 17, 2014 American prison systems encompass all three spheres of criminal justice: law enforcement, judiciary, corrections. Within this system, a massive problem exists. America is known as the â€Å"mass incarceration nation† (Hamilton, 2014, p. 1271). Comparatively, the United States encompasses the majority of global prisonersRead MoreThe Issue Of Reoffending Rates1507 Words   |  7 PagesDownes (2001) argues that there is an ideological function of reoffending – to make capitalism look successful. This is because it soaks up a large percentage of the unemployed, therefore making unemployment official statistics look better. Research has identified a correlation between reoffending rates and the length of sentence. One might expect that the people who had originally been given longer sentences would be the more hardened criminals and therefore more likely to be reconvicted. But the highestRead MoreMass Incarceration And Its Effects On Society2911 Words   |  12 Pagesmost prisoners are eventually released, mass incarceration has in turn produced a steep rise in the number of individuals reentering society and undergoing the process of social and economic reintegration. (Travis, 2005). During the period between 1982 and 2007, the number of Americans incarcerated in jails and prisons increased by 274% (Pew Center on the States, 2009). In addition to the increase of the individuals incarcerated, there is an even larger amount of individuals under community supervisionRead MoreIncarceration: Prison and Inmates10532 Words   |  43 Pagesconvicted of crimes. This confinement, whether before or after a cri minal conviction, is called incarceration. Incarceration is one of the main forms of punishment for the commission of illegal offenses. Juveniles and adults alike are subject to incarceration. Incarceration is the detention of a person in a jail or prison. The federal, state, and local governments have facilities to confine people. Individuals awaiting trial, being held pending citations for non-custodial offenses, and thoseRead MoreDiscrimination Based On The Colors Of One s Skin1678 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"thugs† often get the reputations of being dangerous, yet a â€Å"rebellious teen† might get sympathy due to the fact that he or she is young. When in reality everyone should be held equally accountable for their actions and no particular race or group of people should cause this responsibility to be differed. Also, within the job market there is discrimination based on the hues of one’s skin. In an experiment done at Duke University, college students were asked to choose between job candidates who presented

Deadly Unna Review Free Essays

â€Å"Deadly Unna† was the fist book published by the Australian Author â€Å"Phillip Gwynne† in 1998. The book focuses on racial tension, friendship, family conflict and relationships. The story is told in first person by the main character â€Å"Gary Black† more commonly know as â€Å"Blacky†. We will write a custom essay sample on Deadly Unna Review or any similar topic only for you Order Now The story is mostly Blacky’s relationship with Dumby Red, an indigenous Australian, and about how he, as a white Australian, changes throughout the book, by understanding the racial conflict and learning how to stand up for himself. Blacky is more academic than he is sporty; though he plays football for the town. He has a very large family consisting of 8 siblings, and he gets along with all of them, putting aside the occasional conflict. He has a good relationship with his mother; however, he has a terrible relationship with his father due to a past event. Dumby Red has a very enthusiastic, optimistic and self-confident personality. â€Å"Pickles† is Blacky’s best friend, and he disgustingly unhygienic, with gruesome habits. Blacky often goes to talk with his old next-door neighbour †Darcy†, who a maggot farmer and is full of advice to give Blacky. The story is set on a peninsula of Australia, all the whites living in the â€Å"Port† and all of the blacks living in the †Point† about 1hour drive from eachother. I believe the reason the Author made the distinct seperation between the white and black Australians is to emphasise the racial tension in the area. The book consists of two parts, â€Å"Winter† and â€Å"Summer†. Winter being the footy is mainly focused around the footy culture of the town and focuses on Blacky trying to be the hero in his team, and eventually succeeds although by accident. They win the grand final, and by the end of the winter, Blacky becomes very aware of the large racial tension in the book. The â€Å"Summer† part of the book is mainly filled with racial, and family conflict, and during the course of this Dumby is shot dead. Blacky is faced with many decisions he has to make, and he has to follow his heart to do what is right. This book moved too slowly for me, and containing much excess writing that wasn’t at all necessary nor did it relate to the main plot at all. The book never established the friendship between Blacky and Dumby red. After he died, Philip wrote about how they were such good friends, but there was nothing in earlier in the book to support that, so that confuses the readers a lot. Another factor is that it does not relate to many people in the world. It would only relate to people who come from a very Australian culture that knew all of the colloquial Australian language. I do not believe anyone that’s come from another country would understand the book at all. I don’t even think some Australians would understand it, as they might have been blocked off from it. Additionally, I think it loses variety by the style of writing and that isn’t at all a good thing. The worst thing about the book I believe is the way it can’t relate to an adult, or a teenager. It moves way too slowly for a teenager, and doesn’t have nearly enough happening to entertain most readers. However, it also had too many immature themes and thoughts for an adult to read, so it doesn’t really relate to any general age group. What I did like about this book is that it can educate young Australian teenagers about racism to a certain extent. Some people have no knowledge of racism, and I believe that with guidance, this book could educate them about some of the racism in Australia. Overall I rate the book 2 stars, as I do not believe it could do it’s job as a book to entertain the target audience, or at that any audience. Although I do believe that with the right insight, you could learn some things from it. How to cite Deadly Unna Review, Papers

Othello Tragedy Essay Example For Students

Othello Tragedy Essay Dustin MillsEnglish 102Dr. Elisabeth SachsOthello EssayHonest IagoOne of the most interesting and exotic characters in the tragic play Othello, by William Shakespeare, is honest Iago. At first Iago seems to be motiveless. However, the motivation behind his actions lie more in Iagos quest for personal gain, as opposed to just being evil for evils sake. Iagos greediness can be validated by examining his manipulation of Roderigo, Cassio, and most importantly, Othello. Iagos main interest is the destruction of Othello. The reason being that Othello has chosen another man, Cassio, as his second-in-command, preferring him to Iago. This resentment, accompanied by Iagos accusations of adultery and his blatant racism, cause Iago to despise the kindly moor. Because Iago is much too smart to immediately kill Othello, he proceeds with the arduous process of dismantling him emotionally. Iago also knows he must distance himself from any part of this, so he cleverly gets someone to do his dirty work. The first to fall victim to Iagos manipulation is half-witted Roderigo. Iago knows Roderigo is consumed by lust for Desdemona, and would do what it takes to make her his own. Iago tells Roderigo that the only way to win Desdemonas love is to make money to procure gifts for her. Put money in thy purse(act I scene 3 line 339). However Iago is just taking those gifts intended for Desdemona and keeping them for himself, and making a profit. Roderigo eventually starts to question Iagos honesty. When faced with the accusations, Iago simply offers that the killing of Cassio will aid in his cause and Roderigo falls for it. In doing this, Iago keeps Roderigo in the dark and continues to profit from him monetarily. Roderigo is also used as a device in both Cassio and Othellos downfall. Iagos actions demonstrate his monetary and power based motivations, invalidating the claim that Iago is evil for evils sake. Cassio like Roderigo follows Iago blindly, thinking the whole time that Iago is trying to aid him, when in fact Iago, motivated by his lust for power, is attempting to remove Cassio of his position as lieutenant. With Roderigos help Iago causes Cassio to forfeit his position as Othellos second-in-command. Cassio is also used to bring out the monster inside of Othello. In Iagos exploitation of Cassio, it is clear to see that, although evil in his deeds, Iago is strictly motivated by his hunger for power. As mentioned earlier, Iagos main intention lies in the degradation of Othello. Iago feels that he was best suited to hold the position of lieutenant, as opposed to Michael Cassio. From this Iago manufactures accusations of adultery, claiming that Othello has slept with his wife, Emilia. Twixt my sheets/ hes done my office.(Act I scene 3 line 380) These accusations are merely excuses to validate his own pleasant acts and greed, and should be seen as nothing more. Again its plain to see that, in Iagos deception of Othello he is motivated by his jealousy and subsequent bitterness. In conclusion, its evident that Iago is evil for greeds sake, as opposed to evil for evils sake. His craving can be seen in his clever manipulation of Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello. He uses Roderigo for his own financial benefit, as well as support his master plan; the destruction of Othello. Cassio was unfortunate enough to be chosen ahead of Iago as Othellos second-in-command, and was reduced to a deteriorat ed state by Iago because of it. Lastly, driven by his bitterness towards Othello for choosing Cassio over him, Iago takes it upon himself to ensure Othellos demise. Iago is an extremely complex character, and far from ordinary. His complexity and uniqueness makes him one of Shakespeares greatest villains.

Launching a Mass Media Campaign free essay sample

This seemed very attractive to revolving prime customers. Low interest rates are always attractive to revolvers than transactors. Previously subprime customers were ignored and Capital One is offering products to them which were not available earlier. Further Capital One didn’t rely on reward programs or partner in Canada. Reward programs are generally desired by super prime costumers. What do they think about the brand now? Up until now, Canadians primarily knew Capital One as a price player. But because of U. S. dvertising spillover few of them are aware of it as â€Å"great value without the hassle. † What should they think after seeing the ad? The target audience should feel that Capital One offers a great value and hassle free transactions. Subprime customers should be able to feel that they are no longer ignored and new offers have come for them and that they can also have credit cards now. We will write a custom essay sample on Launching a Mass Media Campaign or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Prime revolvers should be able to think of replacing their primary card with Capital One because of its low cost or other rewards. Others should feel Capital One is more convenient and it offers better service than other banks. Proposition/ USP? * Offering the lowest rates in the country, much below its competitors * Constantly provide new products to perfectly align to the needs of select customers Substantiation In print ads, substantiation can be done by comparing different credit card services as shown in Exhibit 10. This will help customers in evaluating different offers. In mass media they can say that they are offering the lowest rates in the country. Tone of Voice: The tone should be humorous, creative and musical. In the test scores of their ads it was found than branding, enjoyment, unique/interesting are the top three features required. â€Å"Hands in Pocket† campaign was very effective for Canadian market. At that time top5 Canadian banks charged high rates of around 20% and Capital One offered lowest rate in the country. This ad shows that the Big 5 Canadian banks constantly have their ‘hands in the consumer’s pocket’. It made lot of sense to the customers. Also to appeal to their love for music the tuned were composed by a Toronto composer. The tune became viral soon after its release. Campaign Requirements: * Create brand image for long term goals of influencing customer satisfaction and behavior * Since there is similarity in products offered, brand personality is particularly important for long term success * Needs to be creative and include power idea, inherent drama and music(use of jingles) * Should be visually arresting, reward the customers, unexpected and with clarity

Free Essays on Sex In Advertising

SEX IN ADVERTISING Sex sells. A truth known in advertising, this famous clichà © has become the core of most American advertising tactics. In everyday life, the average buyer is subjected to thousands of ads each day, many of which contain sexual imagery. Flipping through a 200-page Abercrombie and Fitch clothes catalogue and searching on their internet site, you notice something odd–the models are not wearing any clothes. Not only are they buff, and naive looking, men and women nude, but they are posed in numerous sexual poses. The issue includes a shot of a girl at the seashore arching her back, putting her fingers through her hair, naked from the waist up, and a hot guy wearing a wet T-shirt and nothing else ...grabbing his crotch; other shots contain group kisses. Also when I first entered the site the first picture that came up were 4 guys laughing together with no clothes on. Near the end of the catalog that comes out every quarter, finally, there are clothes showed, modeless. I believe t he creators of their advertisement needed a way to show their non-sexual clothing in a sexual way to get the buyer to be intrigued about wearing it. Abercrombie obviously is doing well if they have been around since 1892. Eventually, sex sell ads will seem like they are getting old so I think that in order to avoid this occurrence, balancing appropriate influential tactics with promotional advertising would be the best thing to do.... Free Essays on Sex In Advertising Free Essays on Sex In Advertising SEX IN ADVERTISING Sex sells. A truth known in advertising, this famous clichà © has become the core of most American advertising tactics. In everyday life, the average buyer is subjected to thousands of ads each day, many of which contain sexual imagery. Flipping through a 200-page Abercrombie and Fitch clothes catalogue and searching on their internet site, you notice something odd–the models are not wearing any clothes. Not only are they buff, and naive looking, men and women nude, but they are posed in numerous sexual poses. The issue includes a shot of a girl at the seashore arching her back, putting her fingers through her hair, naked from the waist up, and a hot guy wearing a wet T-shirt and nothing else ...grabbing his crotch; other shots contain group kisses. Also when I first entered the site the first picture that came up were 4 guys laughing together with no clothes on. Near the end of the catalog that comes out every quarter, finally, there are clothes showed, modeless. I believe t he creators of their advertisement needed a way to show their non-sexual clothing in a sexual way to get the buyer to be intrigued about wearing it. Abercrombie obviously is doing well if they have been around since 1892. Eventually, sex sell ads will seem like they are getting old so I think that in order to avoid this occurrence, balancing appropriate influential tactics with promotional advertising would be the best thing to do.... Free Essays on Sex In Advertising Using sexually provocative material makes advertising more effective. Many people have different opinions on this controversial issue. Sex is appealing and sex in ads often makes the ads appealing also. Although some companies say they never use sex to help any of their products sales. Could it be found through research of sexual ads, magazines, movies, and interviews that using sexually provocative advertising is or isn’t effective? Using sex in advertisement has its double standards, because what is considered to be sexy to a man may be trash to a woman. In some cases the product is overshadowed by sex anyway, that’s all that most males will remember, the sexual content. (www.wsu.edu:8080/~taflinge/sex.html, Richard F. Taflinge, 5/28/96) Sex in ads is seen by some of society as unnecessary and vulgar. On the other hand though, there is a percentage that thinks it’s acceptable and effective. A random number of students were interviewed at Northern Kentucky University, and were asked questions like, â€Å"Is it ok to use sex in advertising?† And, â€Å"Does it motivate you to buy the product?† (www.nku.edu/~issues/sexinadvertising/interviewnonapp.html, Kara McElwee, 3/31/04) Jennifer Drews, a student at Northern Kentucky University says she thought it was ok to use sex and she admitted it does motivate her to buy the product. Another student, Aaron Nieporte said that it’s ok for cologne ads but as for underwear it has to be sexy on him not the model. Jennifer Super said, â€Å"It’s alright to a certain extent. They tend to go overboard sometimes. It does not motivate me to buy a product.† (www.nku.edu/~issues/sexinadvertising/interviewnonapp.html, Kara McElwee, 3/31/04). Lewis Prabell said sex in advertising is ok, but it didn’t influence him to buy a product either, and Christy Doerhofer didn’t have a problem with it as long as it was tasteful and depending upon the model she might be persuaded to buy the pro...

Balkanize

Balkanize Balkanize Balkanize By Maeve Maddox A word one hears and sees a lot these days is the verb to balkanize. Especially common are impassioned warnings about something described as â€Å"the balkanization of America.† Note: the Merriam-Webster entry for balkanize is lowercase, with the notation, â€Å"often capitalized.† Balkanize was coined about 1918 as a geopolitical term to describe the political fragmentation of a specific area of the world: the Balkan Peninsula. Located in Southeast Europe between the Adriatic Sea on the northwest and the Black Sea on the east, the Balkan Peninsula is also called â€Å"the Balkans.† The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains. It’s a very large area257,400 square miles (about the size of Texas)occupied by numerous ethnic and religious groups. Following World War I the old powers that once ruled the peninsula were replaced by numerous new states. Because of ethnic and religious differences among their populations, these new â€Å"Balkanized† states were often hostile to one another. The verb coined to described the situation in the Balkans is still used to describe actual political conditions in other regions of the world: Experts Warn of Balkanization of Libya ArabSaga: Iran-Iraq pushing for Syrias balkanization Hydropolitics Propel Balkanization in Africa A Balkanized Middle East Set To Blow In addition to political connotations, balkanize and its noun balkanization have acquired an extended meaning of fragmentation that can apply to just about anything: Balkanization Of America Accelerating We Can’t Let the Internet Become Balkanized The Balkanization of English Language and Literature Signs of Balkanization in L.A. Unified [schools] Pat Buchanan Warns against â€Å"Balkanization and Disintegration† A Warning Against Rights Balkanization Ex-KGB Analyst Predicts Balkanization of US The idea of hostility implied in the term makes balkanize a popular rhetorical choice to express negativity. The allusions to the balkanization of America focus on what seems to be a growing reluctance among legislators and various segments of the population to compromise on issues that affect the country as a whole. Note: the Balkan States are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, and three states that have emerged from what used to be known as Yugoslavia: Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. A small part of Turkey also lies on the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan States in Southeast Europe are not to be confused with the Baltic States in Northern Europe. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are the countries usually meant by â€Å"the Baltic States,† but Finland and Poland also lie along the Baltic Sea. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Wether, Weather, WhetherWriting the CenturyHonorary vs. Honourary

Forensic Science 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Forensic Science 2 - Essay Example Due to his contribution in forensic science, sometimes he is referred to as the â€Å"Father of Forensic Toxicology† The police and other law enforcing agencies benefit most in forensic science as they use it as a tool for investigation and gathering the necessary evidence to close a given criminal case. As such, forensic science enables these investigating officers to analyze scientifically every piece of evidence that they come across at a crime scene and piece them together to come up with a conclusive motive, purpose, as well as evidence for the crime. For instance, they use forensic science to check on the fingerprints that they collect at a crime scene, and then use this evidence to point to possible suspects of a crime. Forensic science refers to the laboratory examination of evidence, using scientific procedures such as prototyping and anatomy. This matching of evidence from a crime scene enables the investigating officers to find important leads to the crime or case under investigating. For instance, the police can find a dead mutilated body at the crime scene and do not know whom it belongs to, and what happened in the moments leading to the person’s death. The police then apply forensic science to identify the body of the deceased, such as using fingerprints and running the results through a police database to find a matching record of the person. The scientific method shapes the prescription of forensic science because they all apply solely for the resolution of a crime or to find evidence related to a given crime. The application of science in law provides unrepuatble evidence in court for a crime because science does not lie. This helps in the fast resolution of legal hurdles and cases. For instance, a difficult case of conflicting paternity can be solved easily through application of forensic science under the examination of DNA composition of the child in question and

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Case Study

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business - Case Study Example The cruise issued receipts to passengers that had a clause stating that any claim made by either the employees or the passengers must be made under the country in which the cruise flag. For this case, the cruise flag a Liberia flag hence any claim to be made must be under the Liberia law.  For a ship to operate international, it should have a country of registry for it to operate in the international water. Cruise vessels of countries such as United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Panama, Norway, Bahamas, Netherlands, and Liberia are provided with the flag registry. These countries are members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as they provide the vessel owners with the registry services and maritime expertise. In a competitive international shipping industry, flag registration requirement must be met. The first requirement is that the flag state should be a member of International Maritime Organization (IMO) that adopt the IMO's maritime safety Resolutions and C onventions and secondly is that a flag state must have an established maritime organization that is capable of enforcing all international and national regulations.  Since the DWI cruise ship flies Liberian "flag of convenient", they are normally are under a regulatory agency of maritime experts that ensure shipping companies are compliant with the laws of commercial vessels registered in that country in areas of operation procedures and practices. (International Council of Cruise Lines, 2006) DWI issued tickets to Mr. and Mrs. Lowell stating that any claim made by both the passengers and the employees against the shipping company should be made under the law of the country in which the cruise flag. The DWI cruise Minnow happened to fly Liberian flag, therefore, any claim made against the shipping company should be made under the Liberian law.  Under the Liberian law, any property of the wife belongs to the husband and she has no capacity claim for them or even claims for his in juries. When Mrs. Lowell returned to Miami, her attorney faxes a letter to DWI shipping company requesting them to send to the $10 million within 10 business day in regards to Mr. and Mrs. Lowell incident. Indeed the Lowell suffered during the robbery incident in their cabin and they lost valuable items like jewelry. But according to the Liberian law, the wife has no capacity to sue for his husband injuries and even if the jewelry belonged to her, she has no capacity to sue for them since they belong to the husband. However, Mrs. Lowell was also battered and suffered emotional distress during the robbery incident. For this case, her attorney can sue the shipping company for negligence under the law of tort. Her attorney needs to argue that Mrs. Lowell suffered after the robbery incident, therefore, sues the company for damages for breach of contract; infliction of emotional distress; assault and battery. She is entitled to remedies for damages due to negligence on the side of the sh ipping company for there was no clause on the ticket on this and they owed her a duty of care during while on their ship as a passenger. Under the Liberian law, the law of tort protects the individuals' interest in their bodily security and its objective of the remedy is to reinstate a person's initial position.

International Trade & Finance Speech Essay Example for Free

International Trade Finance Speech Essay International trade is essentially when two or more countries exchange goods and services. Many countries export their goods and services to other countries and in turn, they can also import goods and services from other countries to into their own. Advancements with technology have made it a lot easier for international trade to take place. Communication between countries is a good example. Communicating has vastly improved and helped to simplify the trading process. Some technologically advanced countries, like Japan and China have bountiful natural resources and that has a heavy impact on us. The United States is one of the largest contributors to international trade. Our GDP (Gross Domestic Product), is greatly impacted due to being huge import consumers. The United States relies heavily on products from other countries and we import much more than we export. Not only does this impact our GDP by lowering it as we import more than export, is also has an impact on our domestic markets because we are buying more from other countries. In regard to Foreign Exchange Rates, it is very important to know how they are determined. Considering economic growth within a country is important, governments can make certain that fiscal and monetary policies are in place to ensure that growth continues. Due to the goods and services that are traded between different countries around the world, there are foreign exchange rate payments that are required to be paid. You will see the foreign exchange rate differ from country to country. What happens when there is a surplus of imports brought into the U.S.? Cite a specific example of a product with an import surplus and the impact that it has on the U.S. Businesses and Consumers involved. First, it is important to try and keep imports and exports balanced. However, when one exceeds the other, it is called a surplus. Having a surplus of imports can create a lower price for the consumer, and have a positive effect on the employment rate of the country where the product was obtained. Seafood is a good example of a product with surplus. There are several states, mainly coastal states that have fishing boats out at sea for many months catching lobster, fish, crabs, etc. The seafood that is collected is used for both domestic sales and international export. This allows for several options when selecting fish, etc at the grocery store. It also increases your selection when out dining at a restaurant. A downfall could be that a surplus of seafood, fish, etc could result in a declining need for domestic fisherman to work and this could cause layoffs and cutbacks. What are the effects of International Trade to GDP, Domestic markets and University Students? GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product and international trade. GDP is the market value of all final goods and services produced in an economy in a one year period. (Colander, 2010) International trade is the exchange of goods and services between two or more countries. International trade greatly affects the GDP due to the fact that is we are able to have goods produced outside of the United States and the imported for sale at a cheaper cost than if we were to produce here, the consumer demands will increase and therefore help the GDP. Domestic markets are also affected by international trade as they have the ability to have products manufactured outside the United States at cheaper rates. This takes away from domestic manufactured product sales and could increase unemployment. On the reverse, it could affect domestic markets positively, as domestic retailers could mark up the products to consumers and keep the additional profit. International trade affects University students in a much different way. Suppose there was an increased demand for innovative ideas and qualified individuals to help keep our domestic markets alive? A University student could be a huge asset there. Also, the higher the GDP, more jobs will be available. If the GDP crashes, graduates should probably look for a job in another country. How do Government choices in regards to tariffs and quotas affect international relations and trade? Both International relations and trade are greatly affected by government decisions that are made about tariffs and quotas. Tariffs are the most familiar and most commonly used type of trade restriction. Tariffs are most often recognized as taxes here in the United States. Quotas are quantity limits that are placed on imports. These limits are decided by the government. The choices made by the government as it relates to additional fees for imports and limitations placed on the amount of imports directly affects international relations and trade. The positive side to this is that the government has the ability to control trade between themselves and other countries. This allows the United States to be picky. The ability to raise or lower tariff amounts gives us the power to possibly do business with underprivileged countries simply by lowering the tariffs as an incentive. They can also raise the tariff as a means to end relations with a country. What are foreign exchange rates? How are they determined? In regard to Foreign Exchange Rates, it is very important to know how they are determined. Considering economic growth within a country is important, governments can make certain that fiscal and monetary policies are in place to ensure that growth continues. Due to the goods and services that are traded between different countries around the world, there are foreign exchange rate payments that are required to be paid. You will see the foreign exchange rate differ from country to country. Why doesn’t the U.S. simply restrict all goods coming in from China? Why can’t the U.S. just minimize the amounts of imports coming in from all other countries? To put it simply, it is not possible for the U.S. to restrict all goods from China. This is mainly because there is an enormous trade deficit between us and China. China currently holds a very large portion of our nation’s debt and it would be a bad business decision to try and end relations when we still have a large debt owed to them. Not only do we have a large debt owed to China, the U.S. consumer has a very large demand for products that are made in China. China is one of the largest manufacturers of electronics and other luxury items, like the Iphone, Ipad, Ipod that we have come to rely upon. If we were to restrict all goods, we would not only destroy our economy, but also China’s economy. References: Colander, D.C. (2010). Macroeconomics. (8th ed). Boston, MA: Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin Trading Economics. (2012) United States Consumer Confidence. Retrieved from http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/consumer-confidence.

Re-viewing Summer: the Way to Highland Park, A Selection From A Walker In the City :: Kazin Summer Highland Park

Kazin's Summer: The Way to Highland Park Sitting on the marble steps of the old, traditional American church, I began to feel cold. Two oriental lions, carved out of old white marble, surrounded me. Their faces were mean, and they seemed to be staring at something. As the beasts remained perfectly still, tiny creatures – black ants and brown bugs –very busily walked on their backs. As I looked around from my cold spot on the step, I could see an old, brick house. This house was like none other on the block. With a large American flag hanging on the door, this house – a symbol of the American dream – stood taller than all the other houses. My attention then shifted to two great big evergreen trees on each facade, and the beautiful bed of flowers, of all shapes, sizes, and colors, wrapped tightly around the base of the house – the tracings of an American summer. There was a light through the upstairs’ window of the house. I could see a mother sitting with her baby son. Although all I could hear were the many crickets singing softly in the night, I knew that the loving mother was telling a bedtime story to her sweet and sleepy child. My America is a very beautiful place, not only because of the big cities, tall buildings, stone statues, and pretty flowers, but also because of the people who make America what it is today. Knowing within every blue, black, brown, green, and gray eye you see on the streets of America – and like me, every window you look through – there are stories, hopes and even dreams, this thought brings me the greatest pleasure, as it did Alfred Kazin. Kazin’s greatest pleasure came looking at the many historical landmarks that New York had to offer and thinking of the many people who struggled to make those astonishing contributions. In â€Å"Summer: The Way to Highland Park† (1951), Kazin takes us into his childhood in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, describing his America with such tactile distinction that we too can â€Å"taste the damp sweetness of Italian cheese† and â€Å"see the clumps of red and brown meat dripping off [the] sausage rings† (Kazin 332). â€Å"You cannot grow up in that kind of environment, without absorbing and re-expressing a fantastically physical world,† states Kazin in an National Public Radio news recording.

A Firearms Violence on Teens

Despite nationwide gun-free school laws that prohibit possession of a firearm on or near the property of a public or private school, students are bringing guns to school and using them against their fellow students and teachers with increasing frequency. What possesses these students to gun down their classmates? How are these students getting access to firearms? Who is ultimately responsible for these tragedies? What stresses contribute to these shootings? And how are parents and educators missing the warning signs that these children have reached the breaking point? Over the past few years, there have been an astronomical number of school shootings across the country, sending policy makers, parents, teachers, and other concerned citizens into a tailspin. These events are becoming more frequent and have shattered the sense of safety that children should have when they are in school. Shootings by students, some as young as 10, have occurred at sickeningly regular intervals in urban towns like Pearl, Mississippi, Jonesboro, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Tennessee and most recently Littleton, Colorado, where 12 students and 1 teacher lost their lives at the hand of two teen shooters who took their own lives. Firearm violence falls second only to automobile-related deaths, as the leading cause of injury-related death, in the United States. By the year 2003, firearm fatalities are projected to become the United States leading cause of injury-related death, unless the violence is curbed. In 1991, Texas and Louisiana saw firearm fatalities surpass automobile fatalities, and Virginia and Nevada also have continued this trend. In fact, the firearm death rate is increasing faster than any other cause of death except AIDS related fatalities. Recent public attention has focused on the problem of gun violence in the nation†s schools. A 1994 Gallup poll of Americans, for the first time, fighting, violence, and gangs have moved to the top of the list to tie with lack of discipline as the biggest problem facing schools. It is difficult to determine what effect the threat of violence has upon the learning of each student, but clearly education takes a back seat to one†s own sense of security and well being. According to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, one in 20 high school students carry a gun and one in five students would tell a teacher if he or she knew of another student carrying weapons to school. Theories differ about where young people get their guns. School security experts and law enforcement officials estimate that 80% of the firearms students bring to school come from home, while students estimate that 40% of their peers who bring guns to school buy them on the street. The United States has weaker firearm regulations and higher numbers of deaths involving firearms than all other industrialized nations. The greatest tragedy of gun violence is the tremendous numbers of children and youth killed or injured each year by firearms. These numbers continue to increase at alarming rates. According to Gunfree.Org, in 1985, the number of firearm homicides for youth 19 years and younger was 1,339, in 1995, it was 2, 574. In 1995, guns accounted for 84% of homicides of persons 13 to 19 years of age. Averages of 14 youth each day are killed by gunshots. A group studying juvenile violence in Multhomah County, Oregon identified the inadequate response of the juvenile justice system to students expelled for possessing weapons in schools, the need for additional efforts to detect weapons, and anti-violence education in schools as primary concerns. We must, as a society, recognize that there is a cycle of violence and that violence breeds more violence. There is no single answer to the problem of violence. A multi-faceted approach is needed. Prevention must be a priority. According to a ‘Public Health† Approach, recognition of three levels of prevention activities is essential: Primary prevention: These are interventions directed at people who have no obvious risk factors for development of violence. An example would be teaching grade school children to deal constructively with anger and conflict. Secondary prevention: These activities are directed to those who show clear-cut risk factors for violence. An example would be training in anger management for people who have a history of arguments or fighting. Tertiary prevention: These activities are directed toward minimizing the danger caused by those who have displayed violent behavior. Examples include interventions to allow gang-established patterns of serious or repeated violence. Any approach to violence must include education carried out in various ways and settings including collaboration among community groups, businesses, the schools, and government. Most of all, the parents must get involved. Schools offer the opportunity to reach a substantial percentage of the youth population and teach them skills aimed at the reduction of violence. Teachers are able to identify early on problem youth and families. Schools represent an important site to convey the message of society against weapons and violence. An important part of the anti-violence prevention strategy aimed at all youth is increasing the efforts to detect weapons in schools. While schools are already vigilant about responding to individuals when specific knowledge is available about weapons possession, this approach has not addressed concerns and perceptions that a number of weapons are present in schools undetected. Expanding the commitment to zero tolerance for weapons in schools would also better communicate to youth community standards, assuming that adequate consequences are in place. Most weapons are found through reporting by a concerned student. Such reporting should be praised. The National School Safety Center offers a checklist derived from tracking school-associated deaths in the United States from July 1992 to the present. Through studying common characteristics of youth who have caused such deaths, the following behaviors are a sampling of indicators of a youth†s potential for harming him/herself or others: History of tantrums and uncontrollable angry outbursts. Habitually makes violent threats when angry. Has previously brought a weapon to school. Has a background of drug, alcohol or other substance abuse or dependency Preoccupied with weapons, explosives, or other incendiary devices. Little or no supervision and support from parents or a caring adult. Reflects anger, frustration, and the dark side of life writing projects. Often depressed or has significant mood swings. Following the horrific shooting in Littleton, President of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, Michael Beard, remarked, â€Å"As a country, we must do a better job of protecting young people. We must turn of the flow of guns into our communities. This is an adult problem that deserves an adult response. It is our responsibility.† If we, as adults, do not step forward and take action to prevent even one more senseless act of violence, the youth of today will never have a tomorrow.

Soccer Symbol

Anas Salem Professor Michele Jelley 9/21/10 English Comp 101 Hidden Effects of Soccer Eduardo Galeano reflects upon one of, if not the most popular sport in â€Å"Soccer Is Everything. † He calls soccer â€Å"a powerful symbol, a great mystery. † The message that Galeano is trying to convey is that soccer is not just a sport anymore, it is much more than that. The reason is that soccer has affected individuals, groups, countries, cultures, and religion by unification because of its popularity and the diversity of its fans. First, Galeano says that soccer can affect individuals and groups.He explains how many who felt they have no place in the world found shelter through playing soccer, this happening at a time where suicide among the youth was at its highest rate in the world. Second, today it is obvious to see and notice how soccer affects countries. It does not matter how powerful or weak a country may be, Galeano says that when it comes to soccer, the rarest of event s does happen, for example an Arab team to become the Israeli champion, or a country in war, Iraq, to make it to the semi finals.Thirdly, soccer has affected culture and religion. Galeano says soccer re-established bonds of solidarity broken by the culture of alienation dominant in today’s world. Also, while some saw women’s team as a source of pride for their country, it had an effect on people practicing the religion Islam, because Muslim men were against the idea of women playing soccer. Many did not allow or want it because the outfits the women wore revealed parts of the body that as a Muslim woman should be covered.And some Muslim men just accepted it to save their families from poverty. In conclusion, the message that Galeano is trying to convey when he calls soccer â€Å"a powerful, a great mystery,† is that soccer, which was just a sport, now has and continues to unify, shelter, surprise, and affect a majority of the population. Who would of thought a p hysical sport, can affect your life in ways you couldn’t imagine and become such a powerful symbol.

Compare characterisation in the Age of Innocence and Poor Things

Compare characterisation in the Age of Innocence and Poor Things I shall be looking at Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, published in 1920, and Poor Things by Alasdair Gray, published in 1992. Below is a brief synopsis of Age of Innocence; Newland Archer is engaged to May Welland, but when Countess Ellen Olenska comes back from a disastrous marriage, Archer and Olenska are attracted to one another, and by the code of conduct of New York society Archer decides to end this love affair with Ellen and goes back to May.A brief outline of Poor Things is about Godwin Baxter giving life to a woman (Bella) with a child's brain, after she committed suicide while she is pregnant. Bella is then introduced to Archie McCandless, whom she is later engaged to. McCandles is a student along side Godwin at school. Bella then runs away with Duncan Wedderburn, a lawyer. Then Bella returns and marries McCandless, however her family previous to her attepmpt at suicide try to claim, but she denies knowing them.Innocence & Wasp FlybyHowever, at the end we find this story to be false when the wife of McCandles reveals the true life that he had him.In this essay I plan to illustrate the differences and similarities of characterisation between both books, by way of class and how they act to the values within the novel, and how the characters interact with on another.In Age of Innocence, the characters are set in a historical period compared to when the novel was written. The characters represent the close community of New York, and how they abide by the firm yet unwritten rules that regulate the code of conduct of society.Whereas Poor Things shows the expansion of boundaries, and is set in a fictional world, where there are no limitations to what one can do.Therefore, both characterisations in Age of Innocence and Poor Things do highlight the limitations in both environments even though they are both set in different time periods. In Age of Innocence the society in which the Archer Newland lives prevent him from doing as he pleases without being perse cuted and being an outcast. In Poor Things the limitation is not so much science, but others perception of what Baxter has done that is morally wrong, and his limitation is his physical attributes. So generally the characterization is similar in that they are moulded by society's thinking, illustrating the same constraints.

An Analysis of Improvisation of Internal Control and the use of Quantitative Methodology

An Analysis of Improvisation of Internal Control and the use of Quantitative Methodology Research Methodology Quantitative Study Kothari (2004) defined primary research as the first-hand collection of data by a person investigating something. One of the main merit of primary research is that the data collected having specific to the research since the researcher full control over the methods used. This research will use the employees of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Ltd. Borouge as the primary research subjects. The study will seek the views of the employees concerning improvisation of internal control. This study will utilize the quantitative methodology in investigating the analysis of improvisation of internal control. Kothari (2004) questionnaires are considered to be a cheap and effective way of collecting information from a big number of respondents. They can be prepared and administered in short periods of time since different respondents in different places can fill them at the same time. As the commonly used tools of data collection, there is an amount of reasons to study a topic with a questionnaire survey. First, questionnaires are anonymous, and researchers can more easily collect precise data with carefully drafted questions. Secondly the data collected can be quantified easily, hence making comparisons becomes easy. In addition, questions from questionnaires are designed for theoretical reasons, and the author can easily control what should be included. Questionnaires usually start from a known theoretical position and proceed to test the unknown position (Kumar, 2010). The questions are designed to conform to an existing research question and are hence fixed. The structure of a questionnaire is such that the researcher does not need to construct new questions. Consequently, a well-designed questionnaire can help the author gather information effectively not only on the overall performance of the test organization, but also to collect data for specific reasons in related enterprises. Pathak (2008) added that the Questionnaire is applied in the study in order to obtain information from the employees in Borouge. It consists of three main sections with the first section intended to address the idea of improvisation of internal control in business organizations. Given the wideness of the topic, it is intended that most respondents have an idea of how improvisation of internal control can be used as a business strategy in the current global market. The first part is, therefore, considered to be the identified aspect of the idea of improvisation of internal control. In the second portion, the opinions of the respondents concerning improvisation of internal control is evaluated. This section also attempts to determine the ability of Borouge to perform effectively. The last section is intended to collect biometric data from the respondents. The collected data will be the main tool for analyzing the test sample to see whether it is a representative of the larger Borouge i n the UAE and world population. The questionnaire uses closed-ended questions. Pathak (2008) explains that closed questions are advantageous since the results can be quantified easily. The data collected will be analyzed through data summary methods through percentage calculation. Background about Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Ltd. – Borouge Borouge has a high production capacity. In 2010, the company through its management team management tripled their products in the main manufacturing plant in Abu Dhabi to 2 million tones product. The 2014 production projection is expected to rise to 4.5 million tones. Borouge and Borealis are expected to increase their annual production to 8 million tons of polymers. The company is engaged on expansion plans across the Middle East and Asia market. Apart from the production process, the company in devising ways of addressing the water and sanitation problems affecting the people on a global perspective. The company engages in various corporate social responsibilities. According to Abdulaziz Alhajri, the CEO, Abu Dhabi Polymers Co. Ltd (Borouge), the company embarks on measures does not only cater to their customers, but also extends their care to the community and other stakeholders. For sustainability, the company ensures that they carry out activities that are environmentally friend ly and that promote the wellbeing of the natural environment (The National, 2013). Improvisation of internal control of Borouge will require understanding of the number of employees the organization has in the workforce. The Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Ltd has a total of more than 500 employees who work in the manufacturing plant for the petroleum products in the company. The research will collect information on the improvisation of the internal control of the organization. The population in the organization is comprised of majority male employees who take a population of approximately 87% of the sum of employees in the organization with women comprising of 13%. This population is crucial in the running of the study in the organization. The respondents will represent a sample of the entire population. Understanding the Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Limited internal control will enhance recommendation internal organization improvements. Borouge has tried to ensure equity in the workforce (Michael Adewale, 2010). Borouge has maintained an attractive positive image in the entire UAE region. With a high number of applications, the recruitment has been slow taking up to six months due to poor technical and contact with the candidates. This has been the case even after a massive expansion program taking place in all the branches. Such problems discourage many of the applicants who may have expansive experience in their fields of work, leaving the company lacking the best team to work with. It affected the company greatly by making some gaps in the workforce that reduced the output of the company. This reduced the production potential of the company and left the other employees exhausted due to overwork. This influenced the morale of the employees in such a situation negatively. Workforce planning refers to a well-organized move that involves the determination of the total number of employees required by the organization and critical understanding of their talents and abilities that are important for the company to realize its set objectives. It also involves preparing for action plan schedule to ensure that the objectives of the company are met as expected within the required duration of time. Sample Size and Selection Selection of the sample size is crucial in the research study due to enhanced ability to collect non-biased data from the respondent. The sample size selected for the study of the improvisation of internal control of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Ltd is 100 questionnaire. The questionnaire will be used as the method of collection primary data in the study due to its easy application and design. In addition, the data analysis using the questionnaire is simpler in the quantitative research. The sample selection will be determined by probability sampling technique will be applied for this study due to its ability to incorporate non-biased data gathering and processing. This is effective due to easiness in calculating the required sample from a population. The selection process is also improved to ensure that the data collected is diverse and encourages the generalization of the sample size to represent the population (Wayne Stuart, 2004). Weng Ding (2013) argued that probability sampling is important due to its inclusive nature that provides a sample that is a representation of the total population. With a high population of employees at Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Ltd, the probability sampling method would facilitate representation of the entire population of over 1200 in the operation plant. The sampling process comprises of a number of steps to reach the desired sample size. The first step comprises of the definition of the population. In this research, the population type is considered to be the entire workforce at Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Ltd. This comprises of all employees who work in the organization. The second step comprises of the specification of the sampling frame that consist of a set of items or events that are possible to measure in the research. In this case, the objective of this research is to determine the improvisation of internal control of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Ltd. The analysis comprises the study on the internal control in the organization that analyzes on its strength, weaknesses and opportunities for development to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the operation. Following the definition of the item being studied, Weng Ding (2013) added that the sampling process then involves the specification of the right method of sampling. In this cases, random sampling is selected where the population has equal chances of being selected as a sample for this study. This ensures uniformity and identifies the ground for analyzing that the sample used is a representation of the whole population. Having identified all the sampling concerns for the sample, the researcher may decide to determine the appropriate sample size for the research where in Borouge the sample size selected was 100 respondents. In addition, the determination of the sample plan is set for the selection of the sample in the workforce that will ensure the universality of the data collected for this research. Finally, the sampling method requires sampling integration in the research and data collection. The sampling method used is also reviewed to ensure that any possibility of bias is seale d. Data Collecting Tools The research on improvisation of internal control of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Ltd will be dependent on two types of data that is crucial to this research. The primary and secondary data are important in research to ensure that there is verification of primary research results with secondary findings. The two types of data are important to the research since they reduce the possibilities of producing biased data thus presenting false evidence in the research findings. The primary data will be collected through a well-designed questionnaire that will gather all the primary data essential for the research. This paper will use some theories such as management and systems science, human resource management, core competency, and comparative advantage for analyses risks and development improvisation of internal control at Borouge, which is a manufacturing industry. The main methods used in the literature review in the relevant fields of manufacturing firms are quantitative, and qualitativ e empirical data from previous research (Herbert et al., 2006). This project intends to identify current and future trends in the improvisation of the internal control in an organization in the manufacturing industry through examining the past research, investigating ongoing trends and drawing conclusions on the possible future of improvisation in Borouge manufacturing company. The literature review in this research will give an overview of research done by the previous researchers and then compare those findings from the questionnaires used to present day academic work. The second section identifies the several large scale, and current, research findings analyzed to enhance understanding of the current state of internal control improvisation and its impact on the manufacturing industry. From these explorations, there is a discussion on the trends and movement in the global economy, especially in the manufacturing industry in United Arab Emirates. According to Adà ¨r Mellenbergh (2008), an exploratory study is used to clarify the understanding of a problem, to find out, what is happening; find a new insight; ask questions and evaluate phenomena in a new way‟. There are three principal ways to do exploratory research. Conduct a literature research; Conduct interview with experts in the subject or through questionnaires; conduct interviews to focus groups. As mentioned earlier, it will focus on the topic of risk assessment in HR outsourcing in the Chinese manufacturing industry. The research will conduct exploratory research in order to investigate the research questions. The research will be concentrated on both literature review and questionnaires, and combine them with the theory in order to provide an in-depth understanding of our research questions. At the same time, the research will use an explanatory study in order to answer our research questions more clearly. Firstly, after reading a numbers of literature about improvisation of internal control in an organization in the manufacturing industry in UAE, it is important to understand and analyze the question of (What is current risks of improvisation of internal control of the manufacturing industry?) And another question (What is the current trends in the development of the internal control improvisation in Borouge manufacturing industry?). This will help in collecting data and carrying an effective data analysis in subsequent sections.

Common Agricultural Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Common Agricultural Policy - Essay Example Since then, the CAP has now changed dramatically after three successive reforms, the last one taking place in 2003 and being progressively implemented. According to the Common Agricultural Policy, with regard to developing countries the EU is committed to the principle of special and differential treatment. It appeals to all developed and the wealthiest developing countries to provide significant trade preferences to developing countries and it pleads for making these trade preferences more stable and more predictable. On domestic support, the EU is prepared to accommodate concerns of developing countries on food security, rural development and rural poverty by adjusting the "green box"(Harrison et al, 1995). In this paper, we would be discussing the effect of Common Agricultural Policy on developing countries to arrive at a conclusion whether CAP helps or harms the developing countries. When the EU was formed in 1958, two important conditions already existed. Firstly, all the countries that established the EU or joined it before 2004 had already been protecting their farmers. Secondly, these countries had signed the GATT that asked to combine agricultural protection with supply management (Polaski, 2006). The EU simply harmonized and integrated the existing farm policies of its member countries, so that one common policy was created instead of a patchwork of national policies. In doing so, it adopted a number of guiding principles. The first one was that of a unified market. Within the EU, the borders were opened. Farm products could freely move from one country to another. It was only at the outer border that import tariffs were imposed to protect EU farmers against cheap imports from the world market. The second principle was that of communitarian preference. This closely resembles the principle of food sovereignty that ECOWAS farmers and policy makers are discussing today. It meant that farm products that were consumed in the EU and that could reasonably efficiently be produced in the EU itself should come from the EU rather than from the world market. The external tariffs should be sufficiently high to ensure this. The third principle was that of parity and productivity. Parity meant that farm incomes should be equal to those in other sectors. This should partly be achieved by price support, but prices should not be too high, for affordable food prices for consumers were also important. Therefore, the produ ctivity of agriculture should be stimulated so that farmers would be able to produce at lower cost. The fourth principle was that of financial solidarity. All costs of the common agricultural policy were financed out of a communal treasury, which in turn was filled with funds originating from import tariffs and some other government revenues. From a developing country point of view, the impact of the reformed CAP on agricultural markets has become more complex. Even though the "new CAP" still has some unwanted effects, they are less direct and more difficult to assess (Herok & Lotze, 2000). The traditional image of a "fortress Europe" that is closed to developing countries' exports, while the EU dumps considerable

Advanced business analytic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Advanced business analytic - Essay Example This paper is an executive summary of the case study on Project planning and project success by Dov Dvir et al.The increase in the management of business through projects and the increase in the complexity of project management The fact that planning is integral to project management is being analysed in this paper. The authors through an empirical analysis present the benefits of project planning for success in projects. The paper also presents an analysis on various aspects of project planning and project success from various perspectives.Project Planning: Project in itself is considered as a unique endeavour to accomplish a specific or a set of goals Richard Newton (2005). He further states that the project being the integration of a set of complex tasks makes it clear that planning is an essential element for success. Furthermore, it is also agreed that the planning is a complex process and not always achievable in case of projects as the outcome of a project tend to change with the end user requirements.Although it is widespread that the project planning is a complex process not able to accomplish in its entirety for a project, the process of not creating a plan would probably lead to failure as argued by Dov Dvir et al (2002). The authors also state that a milestone based planning of the projects is a more successful and reliable method of planning as opposed to the planning in its entirety. The fact project planning provides a scope for the project and through the setting of the milestone the members of the project team gain an idea on what is to accomplish which provides a perspective on the sequence of tasks to be performed. It is imperative that the project captures the end-user requirements comprehensively in order to successfully complete the project to the expected specifications. The Richard Newton (2005) further argues that a successful project manager should give importance to every detail in capturing the end-user requirement more than planning as planning is an integral part of the project whilst the former is the cause for the mere existence of the project itself. Alongside, the planning using milestone is also approved to be a far easier approach to project planning as the details to how the milestone is achieved is up to the individual performing the project task rather than the project team as such. Success Measures: Success in projects is measured under four dimensions argued by the writers as mentioned below 1. Meeting Design Goals: The design goals attribute to the actual purpose of the project and the reason for the inception of the project itself. This is argued as a critical success factor to all stakeholders in the projects irrespective of the scope of the project. 2. Benefit to Customer: This is the most critical success measure for the project as the end-user is the one who endorses the success of the project. 3. Commercial success 4. Future Potential The last two success dimensions are not always measurable as in the case of the case study on hand where the research is conducted on the data collected from Israeli Defence Forces. Research methodology and data A quantitative research analysis using statistical methods was conducted by the writers to analyse the importance of project planning and success criteria in Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). The primary research data was collected through questionnaires with weighing the answers in a scale of 1 to 7 where 7 is the extremely positive answer and vice versa. The research on the data was collected from the personnel and the end-users of the project to identify the success measures and the effects of project planning. With the case research focusing upon the R&D projects in specific, the questionnaire also captured project specific issues in order to identify the role of project

Meeting the Challenge of Educating English Language Learners Scholarship Essay

Meeting the Challenge of Educating English Language Learners - Scholarship Essay Example BIBLIOGRAPHY noted that these foreign students are the fastest growing group entering our schools, especially in urban settings. Although there are millions of immigrants in this country and endless resources geared towards their education, the educational performance of our new community members is one of the lowest in the country ( BIBLIOGRAPHY). As an educator for over seventeen years, the author of this paper believes that the challenge of educating English as Second Language learners is without a question a task which has been adequately explored by only a few districts. These districts are the ones that are truly prepared to see the value of language and culture as an opportunity to educate learners and to effectively integrate them into our schools and community at large. Hence, it is imperative for all districts to understand the magnitude of the challenge of teaching language and content to English as Second Language learners within the same hours of a day and in the same nu mber of days per year as English learners. The Challenge Despite the efforts of educational leaders to educate all students it is interesting to analyze the impact of this education on newcomers. Firstly, although school districts continuously develop new initiatives and interventions the end result is usually the same - the initiatives essentially create a lack of access to meaningful education to the newcomer. Thus, one can conclude that school districts are still in the dark about how to specifically and effectively educate newcomers since most of the interventions become new failing attempts to successfully educate these students from foreign countries. A second rationale for the lack of effectiveness of these new initiatives is the fact that former immigrant students were intimately connected to members with the same cultural and language background. The author of this paper believes that it is this network of support which provided a source of strength and acculturation for th e continued success of a given group. However, it is evident that the United States is now experiencing a tremendously large increase of students who are new immigrants who are isolated from mainstream society due to the lack of connections, resources and networking experienced by the former immigrants. At an alarmingly rapid rate more and more immigrants from oppressed nations are entering our cities, usually, as refugees. As such the challenges of these immigrant students are more severe than any of the previous groups. Consequently, it is has become critical to bridge the cultural and linguistic gaps of these immigrant students. Educational institutions within the school districts are not prepared or equipped to assimilate the multiple academic and socio emotional needs of these new students and their families. Accordingly, the institutions are faced with the daunting task of educating individuals who not only have diverse language and cultural backgrounds in English but also ind ividuals who have limited exposure to formal education. Moreover, many of these students have experienced trauma in their home land and are now facing the acculturation shock of trying to fit in to our communities. The assimilation process which incorporates student engagement, parent engagement, discipline problems and eventually student exclusion has a significant impact in the culture of the school. Exclusion, the foremost by-product of

Vodafone Group Management of Market Risks

Vodafone Group Management of Market Risks What is the role played by options, futures and forward contracts in managing market risks? The research critically analyzes this through the case study of Vodafone Group Plc. It first identifies the various factors that determine these risks since market risk includes different types of risks like commodity price risks, interest rate fluctuations risks and currency risks. Through the case study, it further aims to evaluate the effectiveness of using above derivatives, in managing market risks. By considering the portfolio of company designed to hedge a particular amount of risk; the research also aims to critically evaluate the individual contributions of each of the above in risk management and also of the portfolio as whole. Introduction: Oxford dictionary defines risk as a situation involving exposure to danger or expose (someone or something valued) to danger, harm, or loss (Oxford Dictionary). For a business entity Risks are connected to possible uncertainties that can result in negative effect on the entity. With the emergence of World Markets and various types of risks, risk management has become an integrated part of firms today. Different types of risks require different methods to handle, prevent or sometimes to absorb and benefit from risks. The downfall of risks has always been highlighted however they do have some arbitrage that results in potential gains. The Basel Committee that was formed in 1974 laid the regulatory framework for Financial Risk Management. (McNeil, Frey and Embrechts, 2005). Basel II (2001) defines Financial Risk Management to be formed of 4 steps: identification of risks into market, credit, operational and other risks; assessment of risks using data and risk model; monitoring and reporting of risk assessments on a timely basis and controlling these identified risks by senior management.'(Alexander, 2005). It thus determines the probability of a negative event taking place and its effects on the entity. Once identified risk can be treated in following manners: Eliminated altogether by simple business practices. These are the risks that are detrimental to the business entity. Transferred to other participants. Actively managed at firm level. (Alexander, 1996). The risks basically depend on the time value of assets. Moreover with the increased level of multinational functioning of business entities and the highly volatile nature of markets, risk management has now become a critical part of running the business. It therefore becomes essential to understand as well as analyze the various factors that determine risks and the preventive measures implemented against them. Also the hedging techniques being considered do not always ensure profits. The research would thereby include a detail study of the effectiveness of the methods implemented. One more important factor is the cost incurred. Risk management incurs certain costs and the process would therefore prove to be futile if the costs incurred don’t offer proportionally benefits. Literature Review: Market Risk constitutes of commodity risk, interest risk and currency risks. Commodity price risk includes the potential change in the price of a commodity. The rising or falling commodity prices affect the producers, traders and the end-users of the various commodities. Moreover if they are traded in foreign currency, there arises the risk of currency exchange rate. These are normally hedged by offering forward or future contracts at fixed rates. This is especially important for commodities like oil, natural gas, gold, electricity etc whose prices are highly volatile in nature. (Berk and Demarzo, 2010) Interest Risk relates to the change in interest rates of bonds, stocks or loans. A rising rate of interest would effectively reduce the price of a bond. Increased interest rates result in increasing the borrowing costs of the firm and thereby reduce its profitability. It is hedged by swaps or by investing in short term securities. Currency risks arise from the exceedingly volatile exchange rates between the currencies of different countries. For e.g. Airbus, an aircraft manufacturing company based in France requires oil for its production. Oil being traded in US dollars and the company doing trading in Euros, has a foreign exchange risk. It would be therefore beneficial for Airbus to enter a forward contract with its oil suppliers. Options are another way of hedging against currency risks. (Berk and Demarzo, 2010). Forward contracts, Futures and Options are called the Financial Derivatives and are used largely to reduce market risks. Walsh David (1995) explains that if two securities have same payoffs in future, they must have same price today. Thus the value of a derivative moves in the same way as that of underlying asset. This is called arbitrage. Hedging of risks is nothing but the holder of an asset has two positions in opposite directions. One is of the derivative and opposite position is on the under-lying asset respectively. As such if the value if the asset decreases then value of the derivative will also decrease. But the change in value is off-set by the opposite positions to each other. Thus risk is reduced. This is called hedging. Long Hedge refers when an investor anticipates increase in market price and therefore buys future contracts. Short Hedge is when an investor already has a futures contract and expects the value of asset to fall and therefore sells it beforehand. (Dubofsky and Miller, 2003) Long Hedge Short Hedge Change in value of position Change in price Change in value of position Change in price Fig.1 Hedging (Dubofsky, D and Miller, T. Jr. 2003) Forward Contracts- These involve buying or selling specific asset at a specific price at a specified time. It is basically a contract between two parties to trade a particular commodity or asset at a particular rate on a specified time. The buyer is said to be in ‘long position’ while the seller hols the ‘short position’. These are Over the Counter (OTC) Derivatives. These are used for locking-in the price and require no cash transfers in the beginning, thereby involve credit risks. Their main feature is the flexibility as forward contracts can be tailored as per the requirements of the traders. They are typically used to hedge the exchange rate risks. (Claessens, 1993) Futures- These are more standardized than the Forward contracts. They are traded at Foreign Exchanges. The standardized contract specifying the asset, price and delivery time is either bought or sold through broker. The delivery price depends on market and determined by the exchange. The default risk in futures is minimized due to clearinghouse. It acts as centred party and does the ‘marking to market’ of traders’ account; by doing profit-loss calculations daily. Initial margin amount is required and futures hence involve margin calls. Minimum credit risk is involved; but being standardized contracts, these cannot be tailored to individual demands. (Hinkelmann and  Swidler, 2004). Futures could be contracts on real assets for e.g. gold, oil, corn etc. or they could also be contracts of financial nature for e.g. currency, interest rates etc. (Tamiso and Freedman, 1995). Fig.2: Hedging through Futures. (Walsh, D. 1995) Options- The holder can buy from or sell to, the asset at a strike rate at a future maturity date. However the holder of the option has no moral obligation to do so. The cost of buying the option involves a premium which is to be paid up front. The option that enables the holder to buy an asset is called Call option while in Put option the holder is able to sell the asset. (Claessens, 1993) These can be bought Over the Counter (OTC) at a bank or can be exchange traded options. An American option could be exercised at any time before it expires. On the contrary, a European option has to be exercised on maturity. Option is normally executed when its strike price is less than price of the stock. However, is the price of the stock is less than the strike price; the holder will not execute the option. Black and Scholes (1973) gave the formula to determine the price of a European option. According to the formula, the value of Call option is given by: where The value of Put option is given by: P = Ke-r (T-t) – S + C = N(-d2) Ke-r (T-t) – N(-d1) S. Where N (.) is a cumulative normal distribution function s- standard deviation of the share price, rf- risk-free interest rate per annum and t- time to expiry (in years). The above formula, also known as the Black-Scholes option pricing model; is based on the assumptions that the stock doesn’t pay any dividends, it is possible to buy or sell even a single share, there are no costs incurred in these transactions and that arbitrage opportunity doesn’t exist. According to Black and Scholes (1973), the option value as a function of the stock price is independent of the expected return of the stock. The expected return of the option, however, will depend upon the expected return of the stock. Hence as the price of underlying asset increases, the price of option will also increase owing to their linear relationship. Black and Scholes (1972) further carried on various empirical tests to validity of the formula. They observed that price paid by the buyers of the option was higher than that shown by the formula. This was mainly because the transaction costs that are incurred are always paid by the buyers of the options. These costs were found to be high for options of high risks and vice-versa. The sellers of options thus got the price that was predicted by the formula. The case study would make use of this formula to determine the value of options held by the company. Walsh David (1995) explains that options have a non-linear relation with payoff. Its payoff increases with the price of the asset if it is in-the-money and has a constant payoff which is the option premium if it is out-of-the-money. On the contrary, futures and forward contracts have a linear relation with the payoffs in both, profit as well as loss. Therefore options might be preferred over futures and forwards for hedging. He further highlights the difference between hedging through futures and forward contracts. While in forward contracts, the company merely sets up a rate for future trading, it doesn’t involve any monetary transfer. Futures however make use of margin account and marking to market is done daily. Hence the results of futures over their time span vary greatly with those of forward contracts. Hence the individual contributions of each to risk management would be calculated during the research. The case study would also include a study the similarities and diff erences in futures, forward contracts and options and their individual effects on risk management. Data and Methodology: Objectives: The research aims to: Increase the understanding of the factors that determine market risks. Understand the haven provided by financial derivatives against these risks. Have a clear understanding of the methods or risk management techniques. Understand the process of risk management. Understand the intricacies of derivative markets. Data and Methodology: The Research is essentially a case study of Vodafone Group Plc. Primary data would include the information of the forward contracts with service providers, options and futures of the company in the market. Secondary data would be Qualitative in nature, comprising online journals, relative case studies and books. The research would be carried out in the following steps: Depending upon the nature of company, determine that factors that would affect the risk faced by the company. Evaluate the percentage of risk faced by the company. Determine the amount of this risk, which the company would want to hedge. The data would then be utilised to determine the amount of risk hedged by each of the above and then determine the total risk hedged by portfolio as whole. Calculate the cost of hedging the risk. Compare and contrast the findings with the defined ‘Effective Risk Management.’ Critically analyze the results. Suggest improvements if any, in the portfolio. Calculate the risk hedged with the suggested changes. Proposed Timetable: Date Activity 6th May, 2011 Submission of final proposal (By) 20th June, 2011 Collection of data as required by case study and start working on calculations. 1st July, 2011 Define the parameters for ‘effective risk management’ and complete calculations. Complete the initial declaration pages of report. 15th July, 2011 Complete the literature review pertaining to case study. Finish report writing till that part. (up to 5000 words) 1st August, 2011 Compare and contrast the findings to the established parameters. Evaluate results. Some more relative literature review. 15th August, 2011 Finish writing the calculations, explaining results. Complete up to 10,000 words of report. 1st September, 2011 Complete the report and submit the first draft for feedback. 15th September, 2011 Redraft using the suggested changes. Final draft for submission 19th September, 2011 Final submission of the report. REFERENCES Alexander, C. (1996). The Handbook of Risk Management and Analysis. West Sussex: John Wiley Sons. Alexander, C. (2005). ‘The Present and Future of Financial Risk Management.’ Journal of Financial Econometrics, 3 (1), pp. 3-25. JSTOR (Online). Available at http://jfec.oxfordjournals.org/ (Accessed: 8th March, 2011). Berk, J and Demarzo, P. (2010). Corporate Finance. 2nd edn. Boston: Pearson. Black, F. and Scholes, M. (May Jun., 1973). ‘The Pricing of Options and Corporate Liabilities.’ The Journal of Political Economy.81 (3) pp. 637-654. JSTOR (Online). Available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1831029.pdf?acceptTC=true (Accessed: 5th May, 2011). Black, F. and Scholes, M. (May 1972). ‘The Valuation of Option Contracts and a Test of Market Efficiency.’ The Journal of Finance.27 (2) pp 399-417. JSTOR (Online). Available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/2978484 (Accessed: 5th May, 2011). Claessens, S (1993). World Bank Technical Paper no 235.Washington DC: The World Bank. Dubofsky, D and Miller, T. Jr. (2003). Derivatives: Valuation and Risk Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hinkelmann, C  Ã‚  Swidler, S.  (2004). ‘Using futures contracts to hedge macroeconomic risk in the public sector.’ Derivatives Use, Trading Regulation.  10(1),  pp. 54-69. ABI/INFORM Global (Online) available at http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0did=679304171SrchMode=2sid=1Fmt=6VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1304643921clientId=18060 (Accessed: 21st March, 2011). McNeil, A.J., Frey, R., Embrechts, P. (2005) Quantitative Risk Management. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press. Oxford Dictionary (Online) available at http://oxforddictionaries.com/?attempted=true (Accessed: 21st March, 2011). Tamiso, R. Freedman, R. (1995). ‘Confronting Uncertainty: Intelligent Risk Management with Futures.’ Artificial Intelligence in the Capital Markets: State-of-the-Art Applications for Institutional Investors, Bankers and Traders, Probus Publishing, Chicago. pp. 209-222. Available at http://www.inductive.com/RMR-FUT.pdf . (Accessed: 4th May, 2011). Walsh, David.   (1995). ‘Risk management using derivative securities.’  Managerial Finance.  21(1),  pp. 43. ABI/INFORM Global (Online).  Available at http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=6did=4708471SrchMode=2sid=3Fmt=6VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1301258415clientId=18060 (Accessed: 27th March, 2011).

Criticism Essay -- essays research papers

Criticism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Criticism can be negative or positive; the way it is said may be good or bad. Why do most of us want to avoid giving or receiving criticism? The purpose of criticism is to encourage positive outcomes (what the giver wants). Ideally, it brings balance into our lives, provides us with a basis of comparison, and brings truth, honesty, and intimacy. Hopefully, it gives us honest feedback—a balance of praise and criticism. Do most of us want to know how we are doing?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why do successful business people actually seek out criticism from people they respect? Why do people feel they are unfairly criticized? Are tone of voice, choice of words important? What communication skills does one need to criticize well? Why do those who are criticized act defensively? Can one be defensive and actually hear what is being said?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  RECEIVING CRITICISM:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is this a great source of stress? Have the past criticisms from parents, teachers, and other made us into the person we are today? The receiver must try must try to personalize the criticism and view it as information worthy of examination (either to accept or reject). Often we associate the one criticizing us with hostile bosses or other in the past.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is the criticism valid? What is the intention? What action is needed to be taken?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is the worst part of receiving criticism? (Loss of control, emotional involvement, etc.). How do we normally react? (Defensive, stop listening, cry argue, blame others, feel rejected) How can we reduce the stress? (Perhaps see criticism as just information). Do we normally ask several questions: is it â€Å"legitimate†? Does the person have a right to criticize us (neighbor, parent, and spouse, boss)? What is the intention—blame me, embarrass me, destroy me? What words set us off in anger—name used, should have, must have, always, never, but†¦   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Does the criticism tell you what is wrong and what is expected in the future? Is the information correct?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.† Need to deal with criticism correctly: ask question to understand exactly what the person means, find out the intention of the person means, how one rectifies th... ...make you feel inferior without your consent.† We often carry on an internal dialogue with ourselves in which we criticize ourselves. Self-criticism is the most popular form of criticism. We focus on negative aspects of behavior, instead of evaluating ourselves both positively and negatively. One needs touse self-criticism to inspire oneself to new heights, not to lows. Often we defeat ourselves by focusing on criticism rather than a remedy. We are usually too general: â€Å" I made a mess of everything.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make Criticism into a Positive Force   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Criticism is a vital part of our lives. If used well, it can empower us; if used badly, it can destroy careers, relationships, and destroy self-confidence. Key questions to ask: Is the person giving criticism off limits? Does it have value? Does it call for a specific action? It is worse to get no criticism than to receive it. When criticizing others, remind the person you are not personally criticizing others him/her but a specific action. Avoid criticizing in front of others. Maintain the other person’s self-esteem—don’t destroy them. Criticism is a commutation tool to bring about change.

Benzodiazepine as a pain medication in emergency settings

Emergency departments frequently come across a wide range of patient with multiple types of presentations. The most common feature among them is pain, which may be acute or chronic. Acute pain can be due to appendicitis, or a gun shot wound, or acute exacerbation of a chronic pain. Chronic pain is usually in the cases of rheumatic arthritis, or cancer patients. Regardless of the type of the pain, the medical personnel are always needed to decide which pain medication is needed for a particular patient.Understanding of individual drugs, their mode of action, their potency, and their possible interactions with the person’s condition or with other drugs is necessary to prevent any adverse consequences of prescribing. There are many pain killer drugs now available in the market. With the rapid progression in the pharmaceutical industry, there is a larger pool for the health care workers to prescribe from, and specification for all types of conditions. The UK government has since t hen put up many guidelines to help practitioners prescribe the right drug.Since many of the drugs are given based on the intensity of the pain described by the patient, the use of pain scales is one of the key instruments in the measurement of pain. The efficacy of these pain measurement scales have been brought into question from time to time. However, up till now, very few if any alternatives have been as useful as this one. Apart from the administration of the pain killer drugs, there are many legal aspects that need to be considered as well. Many patients, when given a certain kind of pain killer drugs, may develop tolerance and addiction to the drugs.Again, there may be patients who may be addicts, and present themselves deliberately to get their â€Å"dose† of the drugs. The recognition of patients who may be developing addiction, or are using hospital as a source of addiction is very important which may require certain corrective and legal measures. Therefore, the admi nistration of painkiller drugs also holds a certain amount of legal perspective as well. Apart from the use of such painkillers, there are many studies and researches that point to the role of various psychotropic drugs in the management of pain.While the association may seem sparse on the up front, patients with pain are frequently agitated and worried, and may require some â€Å"calming of the nerves†. In such patients the use of psychotropic and anti anxiety drugs is considered a good option. There are many researches that now support this theory, and claim that an emergency setting can respond better with appropriate use of these drugs. It is however important to take into consideration the type of pain for which the patient presents with.While acute pain patients may not have a large chance of developing a dependence on the drugs, it is the chronically ill patients that are of more concern. Patients of cancer and arthritis etc. are prescribed with chronic pain medication in accordance with the severity of the pain. Most of these patients are given prescriptions, which may not be maintained or fully monitored. While in the hospital admitted cases, the identification of addiction and dependence patterns can be easily diagnosed and dealt with, the same is not true for patients who are living in homes and receiving their medications their.To address this problem the government again introduced various measures to help control the dispensing of such drugs, and periodic evaluation of such patients at outpatient settings. The administration of pain killer drugs is a measure as well as responsibility of the health care provider. IS PAIN ADEQUATELY MANAGED? Pain is defined as â€Å"an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual and potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage† (Zempsky and Schenchter, 2003) Many physicians feel that pain in the emergency rooms is not treated very well.Studies have shown that pai n is the most common presenting complaint in the emergency department, yet is not so commonly handled or managed. (Sorelle, 2002) Researchers in studies have shown that many times the patients are given the pain medication very late or not at all. However, there are many factors that complicate the situation as simply patient comes, patient receives, and patient leaves. The time it may take for various preliminaries, the history taking and the final decision about whether the patient does need medication are among the various factors that can affect prompt medicine giving.The studies have pointed out the lack of information and lack of management of pain in the systematic manner. These studies therefore point out to the need of a good method of understanding and relieving pain. (Sorelle, 2002) Current pain management strategies recommended include the following: †¢ Introduction of low doses of drugs initially and gradually increase to reach the optimum effect for the patientâ⠂¬â„¢s pain relief. †¢ Combined drug therapy. This helps in reducing the doses of the drugs, and thereby prevents side effects of one drug†¢ Continuous analgesia, which is now being used widely in emergency settings. †¢ Use of behavioral methods along side pharmacological interventions to increase response. (Feinberg, 2004) OPIOID ANALGESICS IN THE MANGEMENT OF PAIN: Centrally acting opioids analgesics are used widely for the remedy of pain in the clinical settings. Tramadol is among the new line of opioids narcotic agents that are used for moderate to severe pain. It acts both as a weak opioids agonist and as an inhibitor of monoamine neurotransmitter reuptake.Both oral and parenteral forms have shown good results in the management of pain. (Scott and Perry, 2000) The advantage of this drug is that there is less dependence to this drug than other opioids. It does not affect the respiratory rate, and has lesser irritation effect on the GIT than other drugs. It also ha s a lesser risk of seizure than other drugs. (Feinberg, 2004) NSAIDS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN: The second most common line of drugs used in this group of medication is the COX 2 inhibitor drugs.These drugs have shown at least similar efficacy in the management of pain when compared to COX non specific drugs. Parecoxib sodium for example, has similar effects to non specific nsaids in the injectable form. These drugs have shown a superior activity to morphine for most measures of analgesic efficacy, and have a prolonged duration of action. (Scott et al,2002) USE OF PAIN SCALES FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF PAIN SEVERITY Many researches are now questioning the value of the visual analog scales used widely to monitor the level of pain.Bodian et al, (2001) carried out a research to identify the relation between the changes of analgesic intravenous doses with the documentation on the VAS charts by the patients. The study also aimed to find out if watching previous VAS scores by the same patient h ad any influence on the later scoring of the pain. Bodian was able to conclude that â€Å"when pain is an outcome measure in research studies, grouping final VAS scores into a small number of categories provides greater clinical relevance for comparisons than using a full spectrum of measured values or changes in value.Seeing an earlier VAS form has no apparent influence on the later values. † (Bodian et al, 2001) PAIN MANAGEMNET IN CHILDREN: Pain management in children especially neonatal kids was not much debated until in the recent years. However, there are many recent methods that are used to alleviate pain in the recent pediatric settings. These include prevention of pain, where the pain is treated prophylactically. The identification and proper assessment of the pain is another crucial element in the pain management in children.The treatment of pain while initially considered to be limited to only providing analgesics, has recently evolved to include physical methods su ch as massages, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and behavioral methods such as hypnosis, distraction, preparation and rehearsal. (Zempsky and Schechter, 2003) Current child pain management heavily relies on the information received from the parents, and uses them during the pain procedures as a source of comfort to the child.The introduction of painless analgesia technique is another method of inducing cooperation from the patient. And reduction of anxiety, a very important feature in a child is another very important area in the management of pain. (Zempsky and Schechter, 2003) Benzodiazepines are used very widely as sedatives in children with successful results. However, the only problem associated with it is the development of tolerance to it. In such children withdrawal symptoms cause severe distress and the child may express irritability, ataxia, aggression, hallucinations, and twitching.Other symptoms include inconsolable crying, agitation, vomiting, anxiety, hype ractivity, convulsions, tremors, jitterness, poor feeding gagging. The form used in children is midazolam, and is used for a variety of purposes. Their indications include sedation, amnesia, anticonvulsant, and anesthesia. (Bennett, 2001) If benzodiazepines are given to such children for more than 3 days, then these should be weaned off slowly. If the child exhibits withdrawal symptoms, then diazepam, a less intensive benzodiazepine can be given until the effect wears off.(Bennett, 2001) The pain scales used in children include the Oucher Scale, Faces Scale, Poker Chip Tool, Colored Analogue Scale, the Pain Thermometer, Visual Analogue Scale, and the McGill Pain Questionnaire respectively. The most common drugs used in pediatrics include opioids and NSAIDS. Included in the pain management techniques are behavioral approaches such as distraction etc. The current evaluation scales have improved considerably since the last two years, and have improved the outcomes of the pediatric pain management as well.(Zempsky and Schechter, 2003) THE USE OF ADJUVANT ANALGESICS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN. With increased understanding about the various modalities of pain, there are now novel and newer methods introduced in medicine to reduce pain in patients. The use of adjuvant drugs is used to enhance the efficacy of the analgesia and to improve the tolerance to pain. Drugs such as antidepressants, antihypertensives, local anesthetics, and CNS stimulants are widely used as adjuvants to control analgesia and to improve patients’ experience of pain.