Monday, December 23, 2019

Does Participation Sports Keep Juveniles Out Of Trouble

Does Participation in Sports Keep Juveniles Out of Trouble? Today’s youth is our society’s future, which is why it is important to keep them safe and out of harm’s way. Children and teens who get into trouble are more likely to continue doing so as they reach adulthood. It is important to give children an alternative extra-curricular activity than hanging out with their friends unsupervised with peer pressure all around them. Sports can be a great way to help these children improve their lives. â€Å"Juvenile crime is on the rise, becoming more sophisticated, and Kids are beginning these behaviors at a younger age† (Wickliffe â€Å"Introduction†). Many studies have shown that children who are interested in sports are less likely to commit these crimes. Although having children involved in sports does not guarantee that they will stray away from criminal behavior, it does however, reduce the chances of them becoming involved. The earlier that children are involved in sports the better, because they could fin d that they truly enjoy them and wish to continue through middle and high school. A lifelong love of sports as a deterrent to less desirable behavior is something that society would like to promote. Teens who are involved in an extra-curricular activity like a sport are less likely to get in trouble, get better grades, and even live an overall healthier life (Servers â€Å"Reducing the Juvenile Delinquency Rate through Sports†). The main reason why teens are getting into trouble isShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"an Idle Mind Is the Devil’s Workshop†1736 Words   |  7 Pagesthat can lead to a deal of trouble. Parents are always looking to find ways to better their teen’s chances of avoiding these temptations. After school activities are seen as a way to keep teens out of trouble by consuming their time. Sports are a great way to keep teens from indulging in activities that could be looked down on. Not only do sports teach many life lessons and reduce teen†™s chances of getting into trouble, but they also help reduce health and obesity troubles by keeping them activeRead MoreI Am After School Programs2949 Words   |  12 Pageschildren of the future. The only problem with this statement is that the children of today seem to be getting into more trouble than anybody could imagine. Children are painting graffiti in the neighborhood, misbehaving at home and in some cases, showing no respect for the law. In a recent commentary in the publication of the Harvard Research Project, stated that participation in an after-school program gets children and youth off the streets and under supervision and potentially prevents some riskyRead MoreFuture of the Juvenile Justice System Proposal2603 Words   |  11 PagesFuture of the Juvenile Justice System Proposal Gina Tompkins, Marcus Hall, Terri Washington, Victor Jones CJA 374 November 24, 2013 Bruce Clingan Future of the Juvenile Justice System Proposal The juvenile justice system is designed to correct and change the behavior of juvenile offenders. Change in behavior is an indication the system is working. If there is no change, the system is deemed ineffective and a team of juvenile justice consultants are called in to make corrections. In realityRead MoreThe Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games3383 Words   |  14 Pagesways to solve puzzles and other problems in short bursts o Hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills. In shooting games, the character may be running and shooting at the same time. This requires the real-world player to keep track of the position of the character, where he/she is heading, their speed, where the gun is aiming, if the gunfire is hitting the enemy, and so on. All these factors need to be taken into account, and then the player must then coordinate the brainsRead MoreStudy Guide9234 Words   |  37 PagesChapter 1 - Conley 1. Some people accuse sociologists of observing conditions that are obvious. How does looking at sociology as â€Å"making the familiar strange† help counter this claim? How does sociology differ from simple commonsense reasoning? Sample answer: Sociologists may appear to study conditions that are obvious, but by making the familiar strange, they are able to move beyond commonsense reasoning and use evidence to really understand a topic. For example, students will say that they planRead MoreECONOMIC AND POLITICAL INTEGRATION AS THE MAIN PRINCIPLE OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES5093 Words   |  21 Pagesmake. But what u think? Does it work for them? Absolutely not. moreover, this might lead to juvenile delinquency, with the children ending up in the courts, or it might simply make children self-centered, without any consideration for others. Other parents believe in being strict, but taken to extremes this can produce a too authoritarian atmosphere in the home, with the children being dominated and ruled by their parents. Parents can also be very possessive and try to keep their children dependentRead MoreEpekto Ng Polusyon19213 Words   |  77 PagesStockton Doves; Mal Watson-Dotchin Carol Larkman Suzi Debrah Trish Bridgewater for trusting me to carry out this research, for their enormous support, for providing me with the benefit of their vast experience and knowledge and for the fond memories of my time at Stockton Doves that I shall always value. And a big thank you to Dr Sue Becker for her inspiration, support, motivation and faith in me to carry out this research. And finally, thank you to my wonderful children: Esther Sarah Joshua Rosie for theirRead MoreControl Theory15246 Words   |  61 Pagestheories are stated parsimoniously. This means that his theory’s core propositions are easily understood (e.g., the lack of social bonds or of self-control increases criminal involvement). Second, Hirschi is combative and thus controversial. He stakes out a theoretical position and then argues that alternative perspectives are wrong. Hirschi (1983) has long been antagonistic to attempts to integrate theories. Good theories, he believes, have assumptions and an internal consistency that make them incompatibleRead MoreProvincial Jail10855 Words   |  44 PagesEnvironmental Design 13 2.3 Literature Related to Prison Architecture History and Design 17 2.4 Literature Related to Reformation Program of the Philippines 19 2.4.1 Inmate Work Program 20 2.4.2 Education and Skills Training 20 2.4.3 Recreation and Sports 21 2.4.4 Religious Guidance 21 2.4.5 Therapeutic Community Program 21 2.5 Five components of workable reformation program: 21 2.5.1 Reception and Diagnostics Center 21 2.5.2 Classification System 21 2.5.3 Individualized treatment. 22 2Read More School Shootings in America Essays5717 Words   |  23 PagesOn the next few pages is a watchlist for noticing signs of violence in your child. Watch for Signs... Take Action See also: The Department of Education and the Department of Justice have also produced an early warning guide for spotting trouble in schools Know signs that kids are troubled and know how to get them help. Look for such signs as: ï‚ · Lack of interest in school ï‚ · Absence of age-appropriate anger control skills ï‚ · Seeing self as always the victim ï‚ · Persistent disregard

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Minsk Towns are like people Free Essays

Towns are like people. Some are rich and influential from their conception; others need to acquire such qualities over centuries. Minsk is an example of the latter though founded as a border fortification in the Polatsk Principality, over its millennial history Minsk has managed to be the predominant centre of power in an appanage, capital of a province and at long last the capital of an independent nation counting 10 million people. We will write a custom essay sample on Minsk: Towns are like people or any similar topic only for you Order Now Well, as Minsk is more that 900 years, it is quite enough to speak about its antiquity. But unfortunately almost all traces of old times are lost. There are practically no ancient buildings in Minsk, but the hero-city tries to keep memory about its past. And nowadays numerous names of the streets and squares, churches remind us not about the stormy past of Minsk, but of our country. And the first place that is worth visiting is the Red Church (the church of St. Simeon and Helen). It was built in the early 20th c. under the sponsorship of the Vaynilovich family (a Slutsk judge, landowner Vaynilovich and his wife Olyrnia) who donated all their money to commemorate their children Simon and Helen who died unexpectedly of an unknown disease. Their names are given to 2 small towers, white the big one as the symbol of eternally mourning parents. The church is mainly decorated in Roman style with its majestic forms, balance, quiet strength though some details of Gothic style could also be seen. The sculptural composition of Archangel Michael who kills a winged dragon symbolizes the victory of the divine army over the forces of darkness. Nowadays, the red church building, which has already served as Belarusian SSR’s National Polisk Theatre, a film studio and a cinema, has since 1990 been returned to believers, but it serves not only a religious purpose. Concerts of organ music, religious music concerts of world-famous composers are held here, one-actor theatre performances are staged and sketches are played. The Church of the Holy Trinity and St Roch on Golden Hill is another attraction. Golden Hill is the old name for this region of the town. Maybe for the wonderful golden decoration of trees, maybe for that as the legend says â€Å"the citizens collected the golden coins for the church building, this region was called Golden Hill. The church was dedicated to St. Roch, who was noted pilgrim a healer, invoked for his miraculous powers against the plague and cholera. The church is a monument f neogothic architecture. The interior of the church was of timber painted to resemble marble. On the High Altar stood a wooden statue of the Madonna and Child and a represent of the Holy Trinity. The church was restored in 1983 and given over to the nearly State Philharmonic as a small concert chamber on account of its excellent acoustics. You can’t but visit St Alexander Nevski Ghurch which was built in memory of Belarusian soldiers who perished in the Russian-Turkish conflict of 1877-78 and carries a miraculous story. In June 1941 a bomb managed to pierce the church dome and fall in front of the altar without exploding. Later it was one of only two active churches in Minsk. Both of the nations celebrated poets Y. Kupala and Y. Kolas, as well as various masters of art, culture and science in Belarus, are buried in the Military cemetery alongside the soldiers who laid their lives to free Minsk from the Fascists. Even the name of the next place to see reflects the historic past of the country. That is Victory Square. The obelisk of Victory commemorates the deaths of soldiers, partisans, and all the inhabitants of Belarus killed in the struggle with fascism during WWII. Its height is 38 m. It is covered by grey granite. It is topped by the Order of Victory which is decorated by multi-coloured smelt. The Eternal Flame was inflamed on the 3 d of July in 1961 and bright scarlet flowers seem to bum together with the flame till late autumn. Well, I suppose that nobody can resist the temptation of visiting one of the chief glories of Minsk – Trinity Suburb. It is a tangle of narrow streets lined with a fascinating array of little craft and curio shops. Delightful small houses seem to whisper their secrets to each other across the cobbled way. Here you have a feeling of coming back into the 18th c. Suburb is renowned for its historic buildings. You can enjoy the view of the Holy Spirit Cathedral and the church of St. Paul and Peter also can be seen here. Not far from these sacred places, on a bend in the river Svisloch there is a humpback bridge leading to the Isle of Tears, the monument to the sons of Fatherland who died beyond its borders. The monument is designed in the shape of a temple. It stands on 16 piles which go deep into swampy soil. In the centre of the monument there are figures of mourning mothers, who personify Belarusian women crying over their dead sons. Some of them hold icons in their hands, others – portraits of their sons. Mothers, standing at the front, hold lamps which symbolize the warmth of home health. Inside there are altars with the inscribed names of 771 dead soldiers. In the middle of the monuments there is the sacred Place where the Bells of Memory are ringing. Weeping willows bend over the water. So you see, there are a lot of sights in Minsk that are connected with the history of Belarus. Their beauty and their historical heritage attract thousands of tourists from all over the world and make Minsk and amazing place, which is really worth seeing. How to cite Minsk: Towns are like people, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

LifeSong by Casting Crowns free essay sample

Within the lines of Does Anybody Hear Her is a message of defining yourself and setting a direction and path in life. With everything of this world tugging at her in every possible direction, judgement piercing her no matter which way she chooses to go. The woman in the song faces the everyday struggles of life that some may deal with but others live with. It seems that in the beginning the ways and temptations in life are beginning to control her life. She tries and tries to be her and to catch up to reality but she gives in to the world, she gives herself away. The further she strays the further she is behind and more difficult it will be to catch up to the path she wants to be on. Nobody listens to her feelings and thoughts, acknowledging her not, causing her to stray in this direction. Those who should care the most are the least she gets the comfort and encouragement she so desperately needs. The mistakes she has made and has to live with for the rest of her life gets lofty glances, stares, and banishment from the people she once knew, she seems as if she has been ostracized from the world. This young girl is lost and confused about life and which direction she should go in. She is running, a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction, (lines 1-2). I believe she is struggling through her walk in life. Things may not be going the way she hoped or planned. It seems as if everything is going against her and the things of importance are floating away. The things of bad are becoming her life, they are taking over her life she once had. But the struggle keeps getting worse and worse and more complicated. In lines 4-8 it tells how bad the situation is: But the canyons ever widening, in the depths of her cold heart, so she sets out on another misadventure just to find, shes another two years older and shes three more steps behind. She is trying with everything she has to change but the canyon or troubles widen and get worse making it even more challenging to change and go in the right direction in which she so desperately wants to return to. And because she feels unable to c hange she continues on her path making it that much more behind. What is our world coming to, and the place that should be counting the most, our churches. We need to be there not only for each other but also for the lost and lonely people who need to hear the truth, encouragement, and support they dont get anywhere else. But thats the one place where they may get the brunt of it all. In lines 9-14 it states, Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Or does anybody even know shes going down today. We need to be the ones who give them the love and support the world never gives them. We need to look deeper into the hearts of the people not for their outer appearance but for their inner beauty. To dig a deeper tunnel to understand and see their troubles and difficulties they are dealing with. Under the shadow of our steeple, with all the lost and lonely people. Searching for the hope thats tucked away in you and me. Our actions in the church should match our actions in public, there should be no difference. Our churches should not be transforming int o the way the world is acting and what the world believes is right and thats what seems to be occurring. We as a church body need to stand our ground and do what a church should. (lead those who need Him into the right direction and not push them away). We need not be the stumbling block and reason those who come to receive the Word turn and run the other way. We have to be that person who isnt different in different settings, theres so many out there who are looking for the hope thats tucked away in us. But how many people stray from us because of our actions, how many have we truly let fall. We need to be that one she (or anyone) can run to when theyre in that certain time of trouble. We never know what is truly going on in someones personal life, which is why we need to be that person they can run to for support and comfort. She is yearning, for shelter and affection, that she never found at home. She is searching for a hero to ride in-to ride in and save the day, (lines 15-20). But if we turn the other way she will yearn for something else to meet and accomplish her needs. And in walks her prince charming, and he knows just what to say, momentary lapse of reason, and she gives herself away, (lines 21-24). Because of the ignorance and selfishness of the people she needed most, she desperately went to a different source to receive it. Men have a way of sweet-talking a girl and making them feel absolutely amazing. Because of his smooth moves and delicate way of making a woman feel good, he got what he wanted and she now has the comfort and support that was empty, she so desperately needed. Being as desperately as some and not having the attention she needed the most she may have chosen a man who may not have even been the one she really wanted in life but she turns to him for the comfort and support he will give her. Seeing this happen on a daily bases is so disappointing, the church and others as well need to be there for the friends, family, neighbors, and strangers around them. Along with the complications occurring in her life comes the dreadful situation of having sex out of wed-lock and becoming pregnant. As a church body, most look down on that when really we need to be looking deeper into their heart and feelings. In the last few lines, lines 25-28, saying If judgment looms under every steeple, If lofty glances from lofty people, Cant see past her scarlet letter, and we never even met her. Most of us know the story behind the meaning of the scarlet letter but some of us including me hadnt heard of that at all and never knew what it meant. In the year of 1642, in a Puritan village a young woman was sent to prison. She was being punished for adultery. In the summer of that year she left the prison with a baby in her arms and a scarlet cloth with the letter A printed on it pinned to the breast of her clothing. The scarlet A was a label meaning adulterer and a sin patch so to speak for all to see. She took on all the guilt and shame upon herself, the fath er of the baby was not known due to protect himself from humiliation and reputation. We havent even met those who come into the church but yet we continue to give them unreasonable glances judging them for what we have no idea what is going on in their life. We need to step out of the youre not good enough for us state of mind in get a wider grasp on what truly is going on in someones life. We need to help them and not push them further away. For if we dont we are making those who dont know Him and need help, stray in the other direction. Were pushing them further into their troubled life they were trying to get away from and get help for. Now really think..how many have you let fall?

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Joseph Kosuth on Conceptual Art free essay sample

This report analyzes the heuristic influence of Joseph Kosuth on Conceptual art , which is a remarkable topic in contemporary art history with a historic study , comparing many important characteristics and art work to explain their similarities. This report is divided into four parts: Kosuth’s life and his work , the background and significance of conceptual art inside the text ,Kosuth’s exploratory impact on conceptual movement , and the conclusion. Joseph Kosuth was born in 1945,from Ohio, very considerable artist in that period , he led contemporary art history to shift from visual form to art with the conceptual significance of philosophic thinking, trying to break the barriers of traditional art forms ,especially the formalism (Whistler, 2012). Conceptual Art appeared as one of the art movement in1960s.At that time period ,there are a lot of different art movement influences others ,for example : Dadaism , Surrealism , Pop art , Land Art ,Installation Art. (Wood, 2002) In order to avoid to be the mainstream of formalist. We will write a custom essay sample on Joseph Kosuth on Conceptual Art or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Kosuth reject the use of painting and sculpture as a form of expression ,through questioning the nature of art , considered ideas or intention to be more essential than art object. He used the word â€Å"Mornphology†(Kosuth, 1969). Aesthetic, this mainly refers to the sense of beauty ,we should not use decorations as the function to measure the visual beauty of art or use that connected to â€Å"taste,† (Greenberg, 1983) which brought him to Clement Greenberg, described as â€Å"the critic of taste.†Kosuth wrote â€Å"Aesthetics is about subjective opinions on perception†¦we can deal aesthetically with anything that is in the world that our senses can respond to.†(Kosuth, 1969) Art and aesthetics must be separated. But When the sensory part is removed , what makes a work to be considered as art ? He mentioned Ad Reinhardt’s â€Å"Art as Art† (Cioffoletti, 2010) inside the text to oppose formalism and purified the form of aesthetic. To make his concept not misleading, Kosuth has find a way to show his work. Art and Language become a common strategy in his works. â€Å"Glass ,Word Material , Described†(Contemporary art daily, 2008) completed in 1965 by four large square o f glass on the wall, each piece of glass have a word printed on it. With Glass , Words ,Material , Described . From different sense to represents the objects itself. The purpose is to discard the conventional aesthetic rule. The use of glass because the glass has no colour ,the glass against the wall shows neither a painting hanging on the wall nor as a sculpture on  the ground. Also â€Å"One and Three Chairs†(MoMA, [n.d.]), this piece contains a â€Å"real† chair, a photo of the chair and the definition of the chair. By looking at this piece, it emerged the idea for the concept of the chair, it leads the viewer to think further about what is meant by the concept . This piece has become a significant icon for Kosuth because it stimulate the audience to intellectual thinking directly. Just like the Fountain (1917) form marcel Duchamp (Stafford, 2008) is the most famous readymade artwork influenced Kosuth. Regardless of the chair is replaced with boxes or other things, or even in different places to display. The work remains the same, because the work that convey through an object the concept rather than object itself. â€Å"Art as idea† is the core of Kosuth thinking and work, this is the most important element of the need for development of conceptual art. Kosuth thinks artists must go to question the nature of art, and give it a new â€Å"proposition†(MoMA, [n.d.]).He wrote â€Å"Works of art are analytic propositions. That is, if viewed within their context-as art- they provide no information what-so-ever about any matter of fact. A work of art is a tautology in that it is a presentation of the artist’s intention, that is, he is saying that a particular work of art is art, which means, is a definition of art. Thus that it is art is true a priori.†(Kosuth, 2009) Which means the works of art is an analytical proposition, that is placed in the context ,they do not provide any information about the fact. He says in a piece of art is art, it gives definition through their presence. To conclude , perhaps to use one point to view and judge the art is not comprehensive, after all I still rely on the language for logical thinking. Kosuth quoted Wittgenstein’s famous phrase â€Å"Meaning is in the use†(Kosuth, 2009) Anything created by art can make the art culture added new elements. Kosuth said â€Å"Art lives through influencing other art, not by existing as the physical residue of an artist’s ideas.†(Wood, 2002) Nowadays, a variety of art forms continue to increase to fill up our culture content, No matter Kosuth or other artists in his time period ‘s work are successful or not, his whole creation is indeed a profound impact on artist and confirmed his argument and position in the history of art. (Wood, 2002)

Monday, November 25, 2019

The eNotes Blog Violent Delights A New Romeo and Juliet Film ComingSoon

Violent Delights A New Romeo and Juliet Film ComingSoon Me, an hour ago on Tumblr:   Scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll,  scroll, scroll Wait.   Whats this? Yep.   Its time for a new cinematic interpretation of the Ultimate Forbidden Love.   Its been seventeen years, believe it or not, when the then 17-year-old Claire Danes starred as Juliet, opposite 22-year-old Leonardo di Caprio  as Romeo. This time, the play is returned to Shakespeares   intended era and setting, the early 14th century in Verona (the Danes-di Caprio version was a hip and modern take, set in a suburb of Verona). Visually, this new film looks lush and beautiful (at least from the trailer).   Its young stars, 17-year-old Hailee Steinfeld as Juliet and 21-year-old Douglas Booth could be described as lush and beautiful as well. Paul Giamatti will star as Friar Laurence, reason enough to see the film, in my opinion. Damian Lewis plays Lord Capulet (Six Degrees game, anyone? A:   Lewis now plays opposite Claire Danes as Nicholas Brody in  Homeland).    Adding to the appeal is that the film is directed by Julian Fellowes, of  Downton Abbey  fame. The film opens in limited release in the United States on October 11, 2013.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Adoption Essays - Family Law, Family, Human Development, Free Essays

Adoption Adopting a child is an experience that promises to bring great joy as it changes a couple or individual?s life forever. But what happens if the mother of that child wants to endorse their child? Those are the issues that many adopting parents and birth-right mothers are facing today. Many biological mothers want their child back. There are many concerns for adopting parents to know- that there is the possibly that the birth mother may file for the child. As a birth mother or the adopting parent one must realize consequences that could lay ahead. The legal and social transfer of all parental right, responsibilities, and roles from one parent or parents, usually biological, to a nonbiological parent or parents is the definition of adoption. In such a transfer, adoptive parents accept the same rights and responsibilities as the child?s birth parents would have had, while the child becomes a member of a family that provides the social, emotional, and physical nurturing that children needs to grow up to be healthy, functioning adults. But there are some legal issues or opinions that can lead to a halting backfire in the adoption process. But, as the biological parent(s) and adopting parent(s), they must be ready for the quickly, approaching pros and cons. Throughout the adoption journey, the gardein must be prepared and know what is best for them and their child. There are many positive feedbacks to adoption. Children are in need of adoption because some birth parents are unable or unavailable to provide adequately for the needs of their child. Birth parents may feel they cannot take on the responsibility of an unplanned child because they are too young or because they are financially or emotionally unable to provide proper care. They do not feel ready or able to be good parents. Most adopting parents, although, feel confident that most birth-right mothers will not seize their child back. Chris Intagliata, a mother of two adopted children advises that ? It [is] important to ask yourself what you can handle. If you feel you can handle everything, that?s a good attitude.? Those are important notions adopting parents must do. Most of the time adopting parents can handle the task but some times it backfires when the biological mother or c ouple want the baby back. Statistics show that the vast majority of independent adoptions in California are completed without a hitch; less that 2 percent are even contested. But when an adoption is contested, the anguish felt by both the adoptive and birth parents is unimaginable. Linda Ribordy, a family specialist who represented a birth mother in a legal case says that ?if a birth mother changes her mind, it?s automatic that they get the baby back.? But the adopting parents feel furiously and emotionally different. ?We have no legal status, no legal rights, none,? says Inger Bischofberger. ?But he calls me Mama. The only thing that keeps me going is that I can?t turn my back on him, I can?t just walk away from him because all the grownups in his life have messed up.? Birth mothers shouldn?t gain their child back if they are not financially ready. Usually greed and emotions will stand in there way and they will want their child back. But many children as they grow older question, asking - ?Why me or ?Why did my mom put me up for adoption Sometimes the biological mother might fell that her child will hate her as he/she grows older and never visit her. The birth mother should really think about adoption seriously before putting the child up or before trying to regain their child back. The process is both financially and emotionally critical. The lesson learned in the issue of adoption is not to have a child. Whether it is premarital sex, age, or financial or emotional problems- one must be prepared for the consequences ahead.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Biological effects of the use of dirty bombs Essay

Biological effects of the use of dirty bombs - Essay Example The purpose of this report is to comprehensively examine these effects by assessing relevant scientific studies, researches and literature. Introduction As stated in the preceding section of the report, the focus of this assessment is directed towards conducting an analysis of the biological effects of the use of dirty bombs that are a type of a radiological dispersal device (RDD) which also incorporates the detonation of conventional explosives. The discussion topics that have been identified as primary and key considerations of this report include 1) an introduction to dirty bombs as a type of RDD 2) examination of the use of dirty bombs by military armies 3) identification of the determinants that govern the extent or degree of biological impact of dirty bomb detonation 4) assessment of an organism’s biological response to the detonation of dirty bombs and 5) the biological effects of the use of dirty bombs. ... he quantity and kinds of physical damage linked with the detonation of a dirty bomb would be comparable to that of an attack which is conducted by devices or bombs that are not radioactive in nature (Horoho 224). While, this statement postulates that the impact or effects of a dirty bomb are similar to that of a conventional bomb, the fundamental distinction in this case is that the detonation of a dirty bomb, as a radiological dispersal device (RDD) would result in the likelihood of victims and rescuers coming into contact with radioactive materials by the means of inhalation or through the embedment of radioactive materials in the injured party (Horoho 224). Thus, Lifshitz understands that the adverse effects of dirty bombs can be categorized on the basis of the direct impact of the explosion and the consequences that the victims may experience as a result of being exposed to radiation (710). The military application of dirty bombs involves their utilization as bunker busters in or der to break through fortified targets or targets that are present in underground compounds. Even though, the detonation of dirty bombs has proven to be effective in this regard the key issue of concern is linked with the harmful dispersal of radiation that is caused by the explosion which has the ability to adversely impact indigenous peoples. According to Lifshitz, the extent of the impact of a dirty bomb explosion on the victims can be viewed on a scale which constitutes of high-level radiation and low-level radiation (710). The impact of high-level radiation comprises of the onset of severe illness and radiation sickness, which emerge in a brief period ranging from days to weeks and can be identified as the cause of victim’s death, in most cases (Lifshitz 710). On the contrary, low

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Why Failure is on the Path to Success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why Failure is on the Path to Success - Essay Example But, what value is education if students are not fully prepared to go out into the world and discover a career that they can be successful at? The truth is that the option to fail students is an important part of a quality education system. Mary Sherry, in â€Å"In Praise of the F Word,† argues for the idea that students must be flunked if they are not up to standard. There are three reasons why the choice to fail a student must be present: the fear of failure, and competition, lead to a better quality student, education is worthless if a student does not develop sufficient career skills, and failure can sometimes be inevitable in order for a student to achieve success. The choice to fail students must be an option because the fear of failure, and competition, lead to a better quality student. The majority of students do not possess the ability to motivate themselves from within. There are of course the rare few who have the natural ability to always excel at any task that the y perform. If students are not given clear boundaries and expectations, then they are likely to meander without a goal or vision. If a student is not permitted to fail, then there is no incentive to excel. It is then good enough just to survive through school while not learning anything to a high degree. Almost every student would not voluntarily choose to fail, so if the option is presented to them, then they will certainly do everything to avoid it. Learning to compete and strive for excellence at all times is actually beneficial to a student because with enough guidance, they can motivate themselves enough to actually succeed. Just like in Communist countries, where everyone receives the same pay no matter the profession, there is no incentive to actually improve because it is possible to get by with just doing the bare minimum. Another reason why failure must be considered an option is because education is worthless if a student does not develop sufficient career skills. A few h undred years ago, the education institutions that are in place today were not yet founded. The majority of the population was uneducated, and thus could not rise in the economic ladder. When education began, the whole purpose was to equip people with skills that they could use to uplift themselves. If students do not possess the knowledge required after receiving an education, then their teachers, and the education system as a whole, have ultimately failed them. Not only that letting students pass who have not truly earned their qualifications not only deceives the student, but any employer that is considering hiring them. As Mary Sherry says in â€Å"In Praise of the F Word,† â€Å"passing students who have not mastered the work cheats them and the employers who expect graduates to have basic skills.† Finally, failure must be on the table because failure can sometimes be inevitable in order for a student to achieve success. There are some students who are naturally gi fted, and education is a breeze to them. That is all fine and good, and those students should be encouraged to go as far as they can. However, the vast majority of students do not know how to succeed because they are not naturally gifted. These students often fail simply because they are unsure of how to succeed. But, failing makes up a significant part of their education process because only once they fail do they realize what it takes to succeed. If failure is not an option, then they may appear to succeed, but will their appeared success help them at all? As Thomas Edison once said, failing is only finding one way that does not succeed. Once failures are eliminated, then success can be reached. Most people are afraid of failure, and rightly so, but

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Different Cultures Learning Styles Essay Example for Free

Different Cultures Learning Styles Essay The word culture has been derived from the Latin word â€Å"cultura† which means to cultivate (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2009). Generally it refers to the manners, norms, values, knowledge, attitudes, art, habits and behavioral practices that are preferred and chosen as ideal by majority of the people of the society. With the encroachment and progress in the hi-tech world of today, different cultures across the globe have rapidly undergone the process of acculturation. Thus, learning of diverse cultures around the globe is not a big issue. There are various styles by which one can easily get versed with the multitude of cultures. Some of the styles are as follows. Worldly classroom set up If we have a look at different traditional classrooms of different countries, as well as different classrooms in various cities within one country; we will witness that a number of similarities and differences exist. There are some common factors like discipline, teaching atmosphere, syllabus, curriculum, learning, traditional teaching tools and classroom sitting style; that are common to all classrooms in any part of the world. The difference comes in the degree of effectiveness in teaching, learning, resource input, extra facilities like heating and cooling system, comfortable sitting arrangements and provision of latest technology etc. These factors definitely contribute to creating differences in the scale of learning among the students. Traditional Classrooms around the world Another very popular and effective style of learning culture is the traditional classrooms around the world. Traditional classroom tends to favor cultural learning to its fullest. It is one of the best places where students can interact for a long duration and learn different regional cultural aspects with the passage of time. Interaction of young students with their fellow age group students and teacher with the students definitely promotes broadening of cultural patterns. These written and unwritten rules, which we call culture, consciously or unconsciously, affect people around us. Students at an early young age being quick observers and imitators are swift in picking, absorbing and following various cultural traits and values. Thus, classroom either at primary, secondary or higher level plays a vital role in learning one’s own as well as other cultures prevailing around us. Today’s American culture verses others If we look into different cultures prevailing across the globe, we see impressions of American culture on rest of the world; reason being advanced technological development. America has played a vital role in diffusing its cultural traits to other cultures. Whether it is progressivism, technology, living patterns, habits, music, entertainment and even mind sets of the people; American influence is clearly visible. Nevertheless, many of the traditional and deeply embedded cultures like Islamic, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Greek cultures still are maintaining their identity, and have truly preserved their norms and values to a great extent. CUSTOMS AND COURTEOUS Taboo of learning in world cultures Every culture in every society observes certain taboos and manners. There are certain issues and topics that are considered forbidden in some cultures like restrictions on sexual activities and relationships, restriction on various diets, incest taboos, exposure of body parts, social-economic class, medical disorders and diseases, alcoholism, depression and divorce. Taboos vary from culture to culture; a taboo in one culture might not be a taboo in another. These taboos are learnt via culture and transmitted to generations. Adapting in different societies Adaptation level of culture and manners varies from society to society. There are various factors like education, technological advancements, public awareness, and values among the old generation that play their role in the adaptation of the culture. Researches have shown that technological advance societies have greater tendency to accept change and modifications as compared to the traditional backward societies (Whitehead, 2005). Learning styles in different communities Learning styles also vary from society to society. For example some societies are seen under great influence of electronic media like TV, radio, and internet. Where as some get inspiration from print material, poetry, literature, newspapers, and classrooms. In illiterate societies people have their leaders, teachers, religious scholars, parents and grandparents as a source of learning. TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASS ROOM The progress of classroom learning Importance of the traditional classroom learning can never be ignored in any society, thus with the advancement in technology, teaching as well as learning has now become a trouble-free chore. Gone are the days when teachers just used to use simple black board for communication. Progress in the classroom learning can easily witnessed with the use of tools like multimedia, overhead projector, computer, audio and video tapes etc (Integrated Publishing). Many Audio Visual aids are available to teachers so they can perform their job quite comfortably. Making use of virtual class rooms has facilitated the teachers in loads. It saves a lot resources and time when the instructor and learner communicate from their locations. It further promotes distant learning, and makes the learning process enjoyable and reasonably priced (Integrated Publishing). Degrees pertaining to technology A lot of degrees that are related to technology are being offered these days. Computer science, instructional technology degree, technology in distance education, diplomas in virtual education, teleconferencing courses etc are definitely rewarding degrees in today’s modern day. Well advanced students with technologies today The amalgamation of Internet with the latest technological aids has played a vital role in enhancing the learning process among the students. Utilization of technology has no doubt drastically brought several changes in the learning of the individuals. Teleconferencing, virtual universities, online degrees and distance learning have very well equipped the students with latest tools and techniques (Conner, 2006). Moreover it provided the students with an opportunity to interact with a number of qualified teachers and students from within their homes. Several chat rooms, discussion forums are available in order to facilitate the students in broadening their views and thinking. We can safely say that well advanced students are equipped with latest technology today (Conner, 2006). POST SECONDARY LEARNING AROUND THE GLOBE Education in America Generally it is believed that education in America provides chances and corridors to achievement. Post secondary educational learning in American society carries great value and importance, as it contributes to the social, economic, cultural, political, mental and visual development of the nation. It therefore focuses on the expansion of critical thinking, promotion of exploration and research, problem solving, developing insight, adopting skills and proficiency among the youth. So that nation could be gifted with highly professional, mobile, innovative and productive individuals at higher levels. Education in Japan If we look into the post secondary educational learning in Japan, we observe that the aims and objectives prevailing are not much different from those prevailing in America. Both being highly advanced and developed countries, more or less focus on similar learning methods. Impacts of European methods of learning are also visible. However, along with similarities, Japanese educational learning system does have some uniqueness as well, like the Special course schools are similar to non-university education in US. Education in Australia An influx of migrants from more than 100 countries, Australia is basically a British-European society. In earlier times post secondary education meant university education. Main aim behind the post secondary education is the development of mental power (intellect), university should be the center of professional training of students. Along with this, in order to cope with the latest trends it is indispensable to inculcate in students such abilities that will help them to become experts in a specific field of study, put out their best and add to the relevant work in their field. It too has influences of British and American educational learning on it. Conclusion In today’s society, there are a multitude of different cultures. In this paper you will learn about the different types of learning styles around the world. You will also be able to understand the different how technology has greatly improved learning and how different regions of the world have different technologies used for learning. References Conner, M. L. (2006). Introduction to a e-Learning Culture. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Ageless Learner: http://agelesslearner. com/intros/elc. html Integrated Publishing. (n. d. ). THE SELECTION AND USE OF AUDIOVISUAL (AV) AIDS. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Integrated Publishing: http://www. tpub. com/content/religion/14229/css/14229_324. htm National Governors Association. (2007). Innovation America. A compact for Postsecondary Education . National Governors Association. Online Etymology Dictionary. (2009). Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Online Etymology Dictionary: http://www. etymonline. com/index. php? search=culturesearchmode=none Whitehead, B. (2005, Oct 24). Educational technology allows for flexibility in learning and teaching. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from web-conferencing-zone. com: http://www. web-conferencing-zone. com/4030-educational-technology. htm

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Toys R Us and Subsidiaries Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Toys R Us and Subsidiaries Running Head: Toys "R" Us Financial Analysis Note: Consistent with the financial report, all amounts are expressed in millions except per share data. Ernst & Young, LLP, independent auditors for Toys "R" Us Inc. and Subsidiaries issued an unqualified opinion on the company’s financial statements as of February 1, 1997 and on the consolidated results of operations and cash flows for the three years ending February 1, 1997, February 3, 1996 and January 28, 1995. The report by the independent auditors and their issuance of an unqualified opinion serves to provide reasonable assurance to stockholders, management, regulatory agencies and the public, that the financial statements are materially correct. Materiality is interpreted to mean that there are no unrecorded adjustments which would impact the decisions or opinions of the readers of these financial statements. The inclusion of the auditors’ report in the year-end financial report lends credibility to the presentation and allows the users including investors and potential investors to rely on the information as presented. Common Stock & Treasury Stock The company does not have preferred stock and has not declared or paid dividends on its common stock. As of February 1, 1997, Toys "R" Us, Inc. and subsidiaries had authorized 650 shares of par value $.10 common stock, of which 300.4 shares were issued. 12.6 shares were held in treasury stock leaving 287.8 shares issued and outstanding. The book value of the common stock issued and outstanding was $14.56 which is down from February 3, 1996 at which time the book value was $18.8. The total paid-in capital for common stock was $ 518.8 as of February 1, 1997 and $572.8 as of February 3, 1996. The average price per share received by the company for all common stock issued since inception of the corporation as of February 1, 1997 was $ 1.73. Ratio Analysis "There’s a saying that the nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from." (Maciag, 1998) It is important to choose carefully the ratios to be analyzed to be sure that there is relevance between the data and the conclusions drawn from it. When choosing industry standards, it is important to select like industries with commonalties that support comparison of results. It would not be appropriate to compare the financial statement of t... ... beating the industry averages for inventory turns. In addition their receivables consistently exceed industry standard by a significant amount. References Enhanced Analytics. (May 16, 1999). S&P Personal Wealth. Available: http://www.personalwealth.com. Industry Info. (May 16, 1999). S&P Personal Wealth. Available: http://www.personalwealth.com. Maciag, Gregory, A. (April 13, 1998). A wake-up cal for industry standards. National Underwriter. P29. Meigs, Robert F.; Williams, Jan R.; Haka, Susan F.; Bettner, Mark S., (1999) Accounting. p 619. Mills, John R.; Yamamura, Jeanne H. (October 1998). The power of cash flow ratios. Journal of Accountancy. V186 n4 p53(7). Stocksheet: Media General Quick Source Data-One Wev Page—Toys R Us INC. (5/16/99) Available: http://www.stocksheet.com. Thomson Investors Network Company Report: Toys "R" Us Inc. (5/15/99). Available: http://www.thomson.com. Vital Stats. (May 16, 1999). S&P Personal Wealth. Available: http://www.personalwealth.com. Wallstreet Research Net Report: Toys R Us Inc. (May 7, 1999). Available: http://www.wsrn.com. Berry, Donna Gorski. (Mid-Oct 1998). Mouths of the millennium. Dairy Foods. 73.74.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Managing Regulative Community Relationships

The introduction of the new technology has created a massive change in the global educational system. As of the present time, the proprietary educational industry is the trend in the academic arena. As clearly mentioned, the Internet is most commonly utilized for this reason. Academic companies who opt to provide educational services and gain amiable profit at the same time take advantage of this opportunity that is provided by technological revolution. In fact, â€Å"proprietary colleges are considered a cost efficient mode of course delivery† (NEA, Internet). To be able to have a fine share in the educational industry, which brings the proprietary educational companies with the profit that they ought to have, the regulations for the said system are strongly imposed by the government and some organizations that control them. This is to be able to ensure that the education provided by such companies is considerably of high level, amidst the profit-centered motives that they have towards the services that they provide the students who are enrolled in their curriculum offerings. In this regard, it could be noted that the regulations created for this type or proprietary companies tend to allow the developmental measures that could be taken into consideration. By being able to further develop their systems of employment as well as their class offerings that are open to the public, they are allowed to balance both their services and their profit share in the market. In comparison with the less stringently regulated industries such as the ones found in the internet (e.g. Amazon.com), proprietary education industry is able to attract an ample amount of market share in the educational industry which in a way, helps them attain the profitable goal that they have aimed upon creating the virtual educational institutions. Among the regulations that controls the proprietary educational companies’ activities is the corporate citizenship. This is a regulation that indicates that companies that provide public service, such as education, should have â€Å"a shift from a paradigm of doing no harm as one of adopting a role for a positive good (Tuck, Internet). This means that an educational company found in the virtual world must not only see to it that they are doing no harm to their clients but they are also able to provide their ‘stakeholders’ with the ample service that they give, which refers to the positive good of the corporate missions. As a result, many students are further attracted to the system of education that virtual universities or colleges offer. Certainly, the convenience that it brings the students is highly motivational for young students or even professionals who would like to learn more to take advantage of the course offerings provided by the said type of educational provisions. However, the profit-oriented goals of the company at times redefine the service that these educational companies are providing their clients. Wanting to actually earn an amiably high amount of returns from the effort that the administrations put forward for organizing such types of institutions over the net, they are usually grabbed away from the excellent educational service that they are expected to provide their students. Hence, as a result, the financial stability that could ensure the company’s future existence in the proprietary educational industry is dimmed and less given attention. As known to many, the risks in any kind of industry changes over the years. This is why Lucy Benholz has pointed out in one of her articles that â€Å"foundations from different regions and sizes have found that building strong relationship with the policy makers when times are good will afford them some access to the resources that are further stretched on all sides†(Internet). This mainly points out the fact that as the policies and regulatory systems of the industry changes over time, it would be helpful for the companies to develop close relationships with the policy makers. This way they are able to earn for themselves an access to the provisions and resources given by the regulatory board creators to help them readjust their systems and still be able to attain the profit-centered missions of the company. If this is not considered by the administration, it could be well expected that the company would have a hard time dealing with the adjustments that has to be done and in later times, it would not be impossible for the virtual company to loose its track and be eliminated in the proprietary educational industry. BIBLIOGRAPHY Tuck, Jackie. (2005). Managing community relationships, reputation and sustaining competitive advantage. School of Business University of Ballarat. http://www.latrobe.edu.au/csrc/fact2/refereed/tuck_lowe_mccrae.pdf. (January 3, 2007). NEA Research Update. (2004). Proprietary Education: Threat, or Not? http://www2.nea.org/he/heupdate/images/vol10no4.pdf.   (January 3, 2007). Bernholz, Lucy. Managing up in down times. http://www.blueprintrd.com/text/managingup.pdf. (January 3, 2007).      

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Miller delivers tension Essay

Act two opens with a scene of great contrast to the climax at the end of Act one where the curtain falls on â€Å"their ecstatic cries†. In Act two, we begin to learn the relationship between John and Elizabeth in more detail. Miller creates a sense of tension and conflict between John and Elizabeth by using detailed stage directions to communicate to the audience how the actors are feeling and their thought tracks through their movement on stage and their facial expressions. The tension during Act two is made even more dramatic by contrasting with the coldness and quietness at the start of Act two. At the beginning of Act two, Miller has purposely included very detailed stage directions about how Proctor’s house should appear on stage. Firstly, Proctor’s common room is â€Å"low, dark and rather long† which although is common for a Puritan living room, it suggest an unpleasant atmosphere within the household. â€Å"As the curtain rises, the room is empty† is also included within the opening set of stage directions. The room is empty and still which again creates a contrast to the hysteria of Betty and Abigail’s accusations of witchcraft and the heated argument between John and Elizabeth. One reason for Miller to create this contrast could be that he wanted to make the peaceful start to Act two make the ending of Act one and the argument between John and Elizabeth seem more dramatic and to make parts of Act two with John and Elizabeth seem more controversial. As John enters the living room, he â€Å"halts† as he hears Elizabeth singing. Miller may have added this â€Å"halts† because John is not knowing what to expect Elizabeth to be like with him because of the unsaid words that still lie between them about John’s affair with Abigail, or because he is enjoying listening to Elizabeth’s singing. John could also be worried that Elizabeth may question his whereabouts of that afternoon because he is late returning home. Elizabeth’s first words are, â€Å"What keeps you so late? † which suggests to the audience that Elizabeth has a lack of trust in John because of John’s affair. John gives a credible explanation, â€Å"I were planting far out to the forest edge. † and then tries to start a conversation. However, Elizabeth’s responses are laconic, â€Å"Aye. â€Å", â€Å"That’s well. † and â€Å"Aye, it would. † which suggests that Elizabeth does not want to talk to John. This could be because Elizabeth is still hurt because of the relations between John and Abigail or because Elizabeth’s mind is elsewhere because of all the accusations of witchcraft circulating through out Salem at this time.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Western Influence is destroying Indian Culture essays

Western Influence is destroying Indian Culture essays The word CULTURE has been derived from a French word CULTURA which means to cultivate, to till, to grow. Therefore culture is a process of growth through the means of education, discipline, training etc.. Western and Indian cultures are diametrically opposed. The reason for this is that western culture is based on the principles of MATERIALISM, whereas Indian culture is based on the tenets and principles of SPIRITUALISM. Materialism stands for worldly possessions, wealth, canons of economics, material gains etc., whereas spiritualism stands for moral values, ethics, scruples, virtues and the power to distinguish between right and wrong, between good and evil, between correct and incorrect etc. It is essential to have material possessions in this world. It is a source of sustenance. It is a must to have economic advancement and liberalisation alongwith globalisation. Scientific advancement is another sphere where India as a country needs to develop. Technological development is essential for India today. With the advent of cable TV and the Internet, urban India is very well connected with the rest of the world and is abreast with the latest happenings and goings on. We need wealth to make our lives comfortable and to improve our quality of living, but at the same time we must remember that in the process of acquiring the above, we must never lose our power of distinguishing right from wrong, good from evil, and must allow the ecclesiastical to rule over the material. The attainment of worldly possessions overriding morals, scruples, ethics and virtues will bring about the ruination of man. The cradle of culture in India is the family system. This is where the growth, rearing up and breeding of individuals in this country develops. The western influence of materialism seems to have infiltrated into our family system, specially in the urban areas. Love and affection for youngsters and respect for elders seems to have become the e ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Strange Heaven by Lynn Coady Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strange Heaven by Lynn Coady - Coursework Example And here adds to the hilarious, complicated life of the Joan his husband, Robert. Joan tries to keep the lid on, but she's no match for Robert's wild profanity. Facing all these dilemmas, anyone would wonder how she is trying to handle her dysfunctional family. Uncle Albert arrives to whisk her back to the bedlam of home and the booze-soaked social life that got Bridget into trouble in the first place. Uncle Albert, a kind man who saves his eloquent wrath for outsiders, springs Bridget from the hospital for Christmas. He was the only person who thought of Bridget and has concerns about her depression or maybe the only person who feels how tough was Bridget’s experience was. He’s the only person who sees the problem while everybody is working on their own dysfunctions. He was the only person who observed that she was changed. Byron, an acne-ridden geek with bizarre delusions of grandeur. As described by Coady, life on the ward is both a nightmare and laugh-out-loud funny experience. Byron seems to be annoying and arrogant, continues his desperate bids for Bridget’s attention. He explodes and have to be put in the quiet room where he'd sit cross-legged and howl like a hound.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Analysing and responding to the two articles ( comparing bth articles) Essay

Analysing and responding to the two articles ( comparing bth articles) - Essay Example Texts communicated over the pagers were finally given the form of SMS during the 90s with a restricted length of 20 characters only. Not until 2001 texting rocketed as GSM companies finally made their way out on charging for these SMS and then arriving at lowest SMS package rates. Texting has been given an affirmative agreement that it helps and improves literacy rather than hindering literacy and shattering the roots of English language that has been previously regarded as the penmanship for the illiterates by John Sutherland, University College London in his research paper back in 2002. As the critics to the use of texting John Humphry has been blaming SMS for savaging the English language and destroying the vocabulary, there are others as David Crystal that recognizes the fact the Texting has added a new dimension and it’s not at all a disaster to English language. Moreover the short abbreviated words such as â€Å"xlnt† for â€Å"excellent† and â€Å"gd† for â€Å"good† were seen before in a dictionary of abbreviations by Eric Partridge back in 1949, there were no text messages there. Many texters really don’t disrupt the words and vocabulary in fact as the length of the text increases the standard orthography and information also increases and that is dealt with intelligence. T9 dictionary is also reserving the standard orthography and the new texters (particularly older and conservative people) go in line with this while texting. They find it quick, simple and easy that way. Moreover the use of institutional messages is all around us that adhere to the traditional orthography standards and refuse to depart from them at all. They forbid the use of abbreviations and even the templates stored in the cellular phones use for quick messages are in complete proper English. According to American and Norwegian studies the use of abbreviations is relatively low that is 20% and 6% respectively. The point arises how it is rui ning the roots of English language. So for those who say SMS has been raping our vocabulary is so much mistaken as they have been nurturing the misconceptions and they are just not ready to give technology an edge. The critics realize the fact that a text is farther cheaper and saves time as it costs relatively far less than that of a voice message. The voice messages may last for ten minutes but you can easily go through a text message in less than a minute. That is time saving! A text definitely has distinctiveness associated to them. None of the texts are linguistically novel. This practice has been in there for centuries when the early computers used the informal texts centuries ago and also the same texts used in chartrooms before the onset of GSM texting services. The critics regard the missing of punctuation mark between words as a very destructive phenomenon to English language and they frequently associate it with the arrival of texting. That is hoax. Many of the texts incl ude alpha numeric for their completion. For instance, â€Å"2† for â€Å"to† and â€Å"4† for â€Å"for†, â€Å"C† for â€Å"see† and â€Å"u† for â€Å"you†. These rebuses are not a new thing. Some people take this as disrupting the communications but they forgot that while solving Christmas puzzles and even short hand used same abbreviations at various times so why associating all this to texting failures only? Many words such as â€Å"

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Why people marry, and what follows marriages or more interesting WHY Research Paper

Why people marry, and what follows marriages or more interesting WHY PEOPLE CHEAT - Research Paper Example This however, has seemed to diminish in recent years. The high rates of divorce and empty shell marriages leave a person wondering just how important this institution is nowadays. Cohabitation, single parent families, separated spouses or even divorced couples are now common to find. This report aims to focus on both the causes and effects and the situations and circumstances that lead to the spouses cheating in marriage. However, there are various causes as to why this trend is increasing and how these affect us. The way these broken families affect the individuals, the family, and the community as a whole is farfetched and the effects are not just for the time being. The stress in our lives today is a major cause for everyone going into their own shell and becoming isolated to a certain level, which results in marriages breaking down and people subjecting to cheating on their spouse. The number of people found with having extra marital affairs has increased in the last decade. The reasons for this may be numerous (Chappel, pp. 170). Often either of the spouses either is unhappy with the marriage or feels suffocated and frustrated. In the fast-paced world today, people have become more self-absorbed and the time to bond and spend a healthy time together has greatly diminished. When one of the spouses is feeling lonely, suffocated, or feels that the relationship is not giving a positive outcome, it results as one of the spouses feeling the need to cheat or seek that attention from an outer source (Chappel, pp. 170). There are times when the person vents out to a friend either of the opposite sex or a colleague or someone who has gone through a similar incident and the bond develops and sometimes leads to an extra marital affair. In some instances, after the couple has a child, the woman’s time is absorbed in the care taking of the baby, which causes the couple to start spending lesser and lesser time together. The man may result in feeling that he is not getting any attention and feels neglected. In such cases, he may start seeking that love and attention from an outer source. Sometimes, the reason may just be to gain the attention of the spouse, or it may actually be that the spouse gets involved in someone else, which gradually leads to problems, fights and may end up in separation or divorce (Meyer, 2001). Another reason why people may cheat in marriages is the â€Å"lack of intimacy† (Meyer, 2001). If one of the spouses does not show interest in sex or withholds it, the other might get frustrated and seek for the fulfillment of that pleasure elsewhere. It is therefore essential that both of them take care of each other’s needs and fulfill them in order to provide that level of satisfaction that they would be compelled to find elsewhere as a result if they do not get it within the marriage. In some cases, one of the spouses may stop giving attention to their physical appearance and that attractive instinct (Swartz, pp. 145). The person dealing with the stresses of life or business or any other aspect might become involved in tension, exhaustion or depression and stops giving the attention to the looks or the qualities that attract the spouse. When this need lacks at home, it results in the person starting to find other people attractive and start taking interest towards them because that quality begins to lack in their own partner. This also leads to cheating and the marriage becoming a problematic arena. Sometimes, this problem might arise due to natural problems and might not be the intentional or deliberate act of one person. The pressures and strains of the marriage relationship sometimes cause fights and

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Journal 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Journal 6 - Essay Example The book suggests that the schools of Haiti needs revival as the government need to stop inequality practiced in school in the past. So we can see that Haiti had been having a bad social and economical status which was expected to change after earthquake related humanitarian work. The author states that being a under developed nation, Haiti’s medical infrastructure has been highly damaged and the refugee camps were only temporary relief which had many risks. The misery, causality, lack of proper medical facilities all were matter of concern in Haiti after the earthquake occurrence. He in his book does point out to the impartiality and discrimination in the country and how media and foreign agents restricted Haitian life during the disaster. He argues that the political and military should not interfere with humanitarian work as seen in Haiti. So we can see from the readings that Haiti as a disaster struck nation needs a more comprehensive strategy from their government and

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Case Study Of Toyotas Vehicle Recall Management Essay

Case Study Of Toyotas Vehicle Recall Management Essay This study focuses on the risk of reputational damage from a crisis situation and uses the Toyota recall crisis as a case study. The study examines Toyotas actions as relates to preserving its reputation as more than 8 million of its motor vehicles are recalled from 2009-2010. In order to do this, Toyotas actions are benchmarked against critical risk factors identified in the Roads to Ruin report conducted by Cass Business School for Association of Insurance and Risk Managers in Industry and Commerce (AIRMIC). The findings from the case revealed that a serious breakdown in Toyotas culture and a violation of its clearly stated principles of quality and customer-focus were the root causes of its reputational decline. Upon closer examination of the Toyota case, we find that the Toyota crisis escalated majorly because the company seemed to have no plan whatsoever to prepare for a crisis of the magnitude it faced and hence failed to protect its reputation. The case goes on to highlight various risk management that can be incorporated by businesses, managers and CEOs to preserve their reputation in crisis situations and avoid common pitfalls that lead to reputational decline. Table of Figures Executive summary This paper explores the subject of corporate reputation and the risk a crisis situation poses to a companys reputation. The main objective of this study is to extract risk management lessons from a crisis situation that can be used by managers and CEOs to avoid reputational decline in similar circumstances. The paper is structured as a case study that focuses on Toyota Motor Corporation as it faced the greatest threat to its reputation the recall of its vehicles in 2009. It explores key factors that made Toyota vulnerable during the recall and explores the effects of the recall on Toyotas reputation. In order to determine the underlying risk factors that exacerbated the crisis, Toyota is benchmarked against critical risk factors identified in the Roads to Ruin report a research report on risk management by Cass Business School for AIRMIC. The report was chosen because it provides a rich source of lessons about risk, risk analysis and risk management by detailing over one hundred specific lessons about risk from different case studies of companies in reputation-damaging crisis situations. Upon closer examination of the details of the Toyota case, we find that Toyotas reputation was damaged because the company seemed to have no plan whatsoever to prepare for a crisis of the magnitude it faced and hence failed to protect its reputation. Amongst other reasons for Toyotas reputational decline were these factors: management were not communicating effectively with stakeholders during the crisis; decision making was centred in Japan where the company was head-quartered making the crisis response very slow. We also find that Toyota shelved its corporate values which made it a symbol for quality in its quest for growth. In order to understand the Toyota crisis, the paper starts off with a brief introduction of Toyota Motor Corporation, highlighting its businesses and its reputation before the recall crisis. A timeline of the recall is also included to provide an overview of the flow of events during the period under review. Literature on corporate reputation, its importance and ownership is reviewed in the second part of this study whilst chapter three sets out the methodology employed in this study. Chapter four and five represent the crux of this work examining Toyotas actions in more detail. The research work ends with important recommendations for managers for preserving reputation in a crisis situation. Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: Introduction Glass, China, and reputation are easily cracked, and never well mended. -Benjamin Franklin. A few years ago, if we talked about companies with good reputations, the Japanese carmaker Toyota might have been mentioned. 2008 in particular was a good year for Toyota; Toyota was arguably one of the top brands worldwide, scoring high points for reliability and product quality on various reputational studies. It was the 6th top brand in the world according to interbrands Top 100 brands in the world list and was highly reputed for its reliability, customer-focus, and world-class quality. By the 27th of February, 2009, Toyota had moved up to third place on the Worlds Most Admired list, behind only Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. The company had the coveted AAA rating from Fitch and customers and car-enthusiasts alike had come to equate Toyota with quality. Even the companys philosophies, visions and advertising campaigns were unequivocal in stressing its commitment to quality However as Toyota recalled vehicle after vehicle in 2009, its pristine reputation for quality was badly damaged. Toyota literally drove into a reputational crisis like it had never seen before; the crisis was exceptionally damaging to the companys reputation as it struck its perceived core competence safety and quality. Company Background TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION is a Japan-based company mainly engaged in the automobile and financial business. The Company operates through three business divisions. The Automobile segment is engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of car products including passenger cars, minivans and trucks, as well as the related parts and accessories. The Finance segment is involved in the provision of financial services related to the sale of the Companys products, as well as the leasing of vehicles and equipment. The Others segment is involved in the design, manufacture and sale of housings, as well as information and communication business. For its automotive operations which is the focus of this study- Toyota produces and sells passenger cars, minivans and commercial vehicles, such as trucks. Toyotas vehicles can be classified into two categories: conventional engine vehicles and hybrid vehicles. Toyotas product line-up includes subcompact and compact cars, mini-vehicles, mid-size, luxury, sports and specialty cars, recreational sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks, minivans, trucks and buses. The Companys subcompact and compact cars include the four-door Corolla sedan and the Yaris. In North America, Europe and Japan, Toyotas luxury line-up consists primarily of vehicles and other luxury sport-utility vehicles sold under the Lexus brand name. Toyota sport-utility vehicles available in North America also include the Sequoia, the 4Runner, the RAV4, the Highlander, the FJ Cruiser and the Land Cruiser, and pickup trucks available are the Tacoma and Tundra. Toyota also sells the Century limousine in Japan. Toyotas product line-up includes trucks (including vans) up to a gross vehicle weight of five tons and micro-buses, which are sold in Japan and in overseas markets. Trucks and buses are also manufactured and sold by Hino, a subsidiary of Toyota. Hinos product line-up includes large trucks with a gross vehicle weight of over 11 tons, medium trucks with a gross vehicle weight of between five and 11 tons, and small trucks with a gross vehicle weight of up to five tons. More than its cars, Toyota is well known for its TOYOTA WAY a set of principles and behaviours that underlie the Toyota Motor Corporations managerial approach and production system. These principles have been taught in various business schools and adapted in various organisations. The principles are summarised in the figure below: Figure : The Toyota way (Source: Hispage TONOway) 1.2 The Recall Crisis Toyotas recall fiasco took a disastrous turn on the 28th of August 2009 in San Diego, California. According to news reports, Mark Saylor and his wife, daughter and brother-in-law (Chris Lastrella) were killed when their Lexus, on loan from a dealer, careened out of control at more than 100mph, collided with another vehicle, and crashed into a ravine, setting the car ablaze. Figure : Inset is a picture of the vehicle after the accident (Source: PowayPatch) The familys high-speed tragedy was captured via a 911 call; the fear in the caller Chris Lastrellas voice was apparent as he said there are no brakesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ we need to pray and finally, their high-pitched screams as the car crashed. Over the next six months following this incident, Toyota would issue three separate recalls related to vehicle speed control for over 8 million vehicles; costing the company hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and immeasurable reputational damage. As the crisis intensified, Toyota became the target of adverse media attention with criticisms coming from various stakeholders for its actions during this period, and for its delay in identifying the fault and recalling the affected vehicles. 1.3 Timeline This section provides a chronological flow of the events leading up to and surrounding the recall crisis 2000 A cost cutting exercise called Construction of Cost Competitiveness for the 21st Century is launched by Toyota with the aim of reducing the cost of 180 car parts by 30% and saving $10 billion by 2005. 31-12-04 Toyotas vehicles accounted for about 20% of all unintended acceleration complaints filed with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), up from 4 percent in 2000. 26-09-07 First floor mat recall in US of 55,000 vehicles to correct possible drivers floor mat causing accelerator pedal entrapment. 28-08-09 Off-duty California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor is traveling on Highway 125 in Santee, California (northeast of San Diego), with three family members, when the 2009 Lexus ES350 he is driving suddenly accelerates out of control, hits another car, tumbles down an embankment and catches fire. While the car is careening down the highway at speeds estimated to exceed 100 mph, his brother-in-law calls 911 and reports that the car has no brakes. All four are killed in the ensuing crash. 14-09-09 Preliminary reports from Toyota and local authorities indicate that the Lexus, which had been on loan from Bob Baker Lexus of San Diego, where Saylors personal Lexus vehicle was being serviced, may have had the wrong floor mats installed, interfering with the gas pedal. 29-09-09 Toyota announces it is recalling the floor mats on 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles. 2-10-09 Newly installed Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda publically apologizes to the Saylor family members killed in the accident and to every customer affected by the recall. 30-10-09 Toyota begins sending letters to owners notifying them of an unspecified upcoming recall to fix the unintended acceleration issue. In the letters Toyota says no defect exists. 2-11-09 NHTSA takes the highly unusual step of publicly rebuking Toyota, calling a company press release re-iterating the statements made in the 30 October letter to owners inaccurate and misleading, noting that the floor mat recall was an interim measure and that it does not correct the underlying defect. Toyota publicly apologizes. 02-11-09 Second floor mat recall in US of 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to correct possible drivers floor mat causing accelerator pedal entrapment. 25-11-09 Second recall of 3.8 million vehicles amended to additionally reconfigure accelerator pedal. 26-12-09 A Toyota Avalon crashes into a lake in Texas after accelerating out of control. All four occupants die. Floor mats are ruled out as a cause because they are found in the trunk of the car. 21-01-10 Toyota recalls another 2.3 million Toyota-brand vehicles because of a problem with the gas pedal. Toyota says a rare set of conditions which may cause the accelerator pedal to become harder to depress, slower to return or, in the worst case, stuck in a partially depressed position. The company says the new recall is unrelated to the floor mat recall, but also announces 1.7 million Toyota vehicles would be affected by both recalls. 26-Jan-10 Toyota stops selling eight models in the US after being sanctioned by the NHTSA to halt selling vehicles with acknowledged defects. Toyota does not say why it has waited five days to stop sales after announcing the recall. 29-Jan-10 Recall extended to 1.8 million Toyotas in Europe and China. 02-Feb-10 U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sharply criticizes Toyotas response to the accelerator pedal concerns, telling the Associated press that Toyota may be a little safety deaf and that while Toyota is taking responsible action now, it unfortunately took an enormous effort to get to this point. 09-Feb-10 Recall of 437,000 Prius vehicles and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to correct possible faulty hybrid anti-lock brake software 23-Feb-10 Public hearings of various committees of the U.S. House of Representative regarding the Toyota safety issue. At the hearing, Toyoda publicly apologizes before Congress and pledges renewed commitment to quality and safety from Toyota. 24-Feb-10 Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota, issues the following statement at the congressional hearing: Toyota has, for the past few years, been expanding its business rapidly. Quite frankly, I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick. I would like to point out here that Toyotas priority has traditionally been the following: First; Safety, Second; Quality, and Third; Volume. These priorities became confused, and we were not able to stop, think, and make improvements as much as we were able to before, and our basic stance to listen to customers voices to make better products has weakened somewhat. We pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and our organization, and we should sincerely be mindful of that. I regret that this has resulted in the safety issues described in the recalls we face today, and I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced. Especially, I would like to extend my condolences to the members of the Saylor family, for the accident in San Diego. I would like to send my prayers again, and I w ill do everything in my power to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. 1.4 Aims and Objectives The Toyota case study is an insightful one as it involves the review of management response in a crisis situation that involved major loss of lives and regulatory action. By focusing on Toyotas management response, the aim of this study is to provide useful recommendations for preserving corporate reputation in a crisis situation. The work will focus on Toyotas response, its crisis management and the effect of the crisis on the companys reputation. In so doing, the author aims to extract essential risk management lessons from the case. The objectives of this study are to: Trace the underlying cause of the crisis using the risk factors identified in the Roads to Ruin Report by Cass Business School for AIRMIC. Evaluate the impact of the incident on the ratings, profitability and reputation of the company. Evaluate the actions of the CEO, highlighting what he did well and what he did not do so well. Outline the main consequences of the crisis for shareholders and other stakeholders Outline the key risk management lessons to be learnt. Every reputational crisis is different and there is no panacea for a reputational crisis but this research work seeks to provide a valuable tool for protecting and managing reputational risk when a crisis occurs. In order to fulfil the objectives listed above, the following research questions will be answered: What made Toyota particularly vulnerable during the recall crisis? How did the recall crisis and its ensuing consequences affect the financial position and reputation of the company? How was the recall handled? How could it have been better handled? What lessons can be learnt such that a future crisis is managed better? What was the impact of failing to meet its stakeholders expectations on Toyotas reputation? CHAPTER 2: Literature Review O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us! It wad frae monie a blunder free us, An foolish notion Robert Burns Every individual, every company, every organisation be it a large multi-national or a small food kiosk by the corner- have one thing in common; a reputation. Over time, every contact, every media mention, every rumour, every leak, every piece of gossip (whether true or not) will play its part in forming an overall impression of an organisations standing. This built up reputation not only has a significant impact on share price; but also influences the strength of the brand and determines its competitive advantage amongst its peers. As Bill Margaritis puts it: a strong corporate reputation is a life preserver in a crisis and a tailwind when you have an opportunity 2.1 Corporate Reputation: An Overview In recent years, the idea of reputation as a strong business asset has received increased recognition in management literature. Series of publications have appeared dealing with the benefits of positive corporate reputations, risks to reputation, and reputational risk management. This increased interest grew out of a realization that an organizations reputation is a major determinant for its short run and long run success and differential advantage in any business environment. Furthermore, the last decade has seen many of the worlds most admired companies descend from their once lofty positions. In light of all these, it is not a surprise that corporate reputation has started to feature prominently on Swiss Res and Aons study of the top ten risks identified by corporate executives. This emphasises the point that management and other stakeholders have started to see the importance of corporate reputation and the various factors that make up the reputation of their firm. Fomburn (1996) defines reputation as the overall estimation in which a company is held by its constituents which can be formed based on the net perception of a companys ability to meet the expectation of all its stakeholders. This perception will usually be based on both the organisations actions and inactions such that everything an organisation does, and does not do, has a direct impact on their reputation Dolphin (2004). Other authors, such as Bromley (2001) emphasize the differing nature of reputation and describe reputation as the distribution of opinions about a person or organisation A more balanced view of corporate reputation according to (Warwick, 1992) is the view that corporate reputation is in itself an aggregate evaluation made by stakeholders of how well a company is meeting stakeholders expectations based on its past behaviour. (Atkins, et al., 2006), also address corporate reputation and reputational risk from this perspective and define reputational risk as the threat to a companys reputation resulting from a failure to meet stakeholders reasonable expectations of an organisations performance or behaviour. Corporate reputation should (also) be considered in terms of its historical context, i.e. a corporations track record. A companys standing in the community and in the marketplace all help shape its reputation Fomburn (1996). A reputation is much more than brand image, and includes factors such as trust in the organisations integrity and how it will conduct itself in the future, both at the corporate level and through the actions of its management and staff. . (Atkins, et al., 2006). It is also an important form of corporate capital that determines to a large extent the companys worth, quite simply, it is an index of a companys worth or value (Bromley, 2000). In determining corporate value, most authors have come to agree that a reputation is an indicator of a companys future performance. A favourable reputation is powerful enough to convince the undecided to choose a certain product or service and dissuade existing customers from moving to a competitor; whereas a damaged reputation can be irreparable and in extreme cases, lead to a companys down fall (ORourke, 2004). In order to build a favourable reputation, four attributes need to be developed: credibility, trustworthiness, reliability and responsibili ty. Reputation is in itself intangible, untouchable and most times immeasurable. Reputation often cant be quantified, compared against hard benchmarks or analysed in the same way as financial or other numerical data. Its management requires softer skills such as sound judgement, an ability to anticipate future trends and requirements, understand stakeholder concerns, listen carefully, consider dispassionately and respond constructively. (Rayner, 2003). A good corporate reputation can take many long years to build; it can be destroyed in an instant through an ill-considered off-the-record remark, a lapse in personal behaviour, an ethical blunder in the supply chain or an inadequate response to a crisis. In the words of Warren Buffet who is considered the most successful investor of the 20th century it takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to destroy it. An area where authors share different views is as regards ownership of reputational risk. The first school of thought argues that one person or a group of people be appointed with the sole responsibility of preserving the companys reputation. It is probably due to the inefficiencies of some CEOs over the years in safeguarding reputation that some authors argue that a reputation officer or a reputation department be charged with the responsibility of handling and sustaining the corporate reputation. Others have criticised this view for various reasons, the main one been that, appointing a chief reputational office tends to remove the awareness of the importance of safeguarding corporate reputation from the Board of Directors and other top executives. Another school of thought is the one which states that every member of the organisation is responsible/accountable for the corporate reputation. As good as this argument might sound (it does make some sense for everyone in the organisation to be aware of maintaining the organisations good name), the loophole is in the danger that this leaves the accountability for corporate reputation as everyones task which in most times equals no ones task. The third school of thought argues that the responsibility for corporate reputation should rest on the CEO. According to this school, various studies have shown that CEOs understand the importance of a good reputation and hence should safeguard it. However, studies have also shown that few CEOs put any structure in place to safeguard the reputational asset of the organisation. It is disappointing to note that many CEOs who are supposed to be the custodians of the companys reputation have actually been the villains responsible for tarnishing the companys reputation. (This was certainly the case with AIGs Hank Greenberg). One important reason why CEOs should be responsible for reputational risk rests on the fact that when people think of a company, they are usually thinking of the CEO, with his actions/inactions invariably contributing to the reputation of the organisation. As Dr Leslie Gaines-Row pointed out in an interview, failure to maintain a good reputation should rest squarely on the shoulders of the CEO because in her own words: CEOs increasingly find themselves in the spotlight during crises and are without question a strategic player in reputation recovery. Their success in managing reputational difficulties is one of the determining factors in whether stakeholders retain confidence in the company and believe that reputation will eventually be restored. For this reason, failure to maintain a good reputation rests squarely on the CEOs shoulders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Studies show) that nearly 60 percent of the blame is attributed to the CEO when crisis strikes. As the companys public face during times of crisis, and the companys chief reputation officer, the CEO should remain visible, and communicate honestly, transparently and proactively. CEOs must also present themselves to stakeholders, whether it is customers, financial analysts or employees, consistently with the companys vision, code of conduct and values. By taking responsibility, acting quickly and compassionately, listening carefully, and establishing clear priorities, the CEO can set an example for reputation recovery for the entire organization. Reputation is the most important asset entrusted to a CEO (Schreiber, 2011). Not all CEOs recognize that, but a growing number do. In a 2009 global study, AON Insurance asked 551 CEOs to rank the relative importance of 31 risk factors. Reputation was ranked No. 6. In past AON studies before the current financial crisis, reputation was the top-ranked CEO risk factor. But, what is troubling is that two-thirds of the respondents had no formal reputation risk plan in place, and that figure has not changed substantially. 2.2 Effects of a Favourable Corporate Reputation Strong reputations act as cushions in case of a crisis and have the ability to protect a company from harm caused by a crisis. A favourable prior reputation protects the organisations reputation during a crisis in two aspects: it gives the organisation the benefit of doubt, which means that if a consumer holds a general favourable view of the company, the consumer might assign the company less crisis responsibility which in turn result in less reputational damage from the crisis; secondly, it acts as a shield, which serves as a part of the larger psychological phenomenon of expectancy confirmation, emphasizing that stakeholders will focus on the positive aspects of the organisation and ignore the recent negative information created by the crisis (Coombs and Holladay). In these ways, a good prior reputation perceived by consumers has the potential to reduce attributed crisis responsibility and dismiss the impact of the crisis. Strong, trustworthy reputations will usually always mean g reater resilience in crisis situations. The occasional lapse of a reputationally strong company is likely to be regarded as a one-off aberration, because it has a solid track record and its values and business ethos are clearly understood the reaction will most probably be a shrug and a thats not like them rather than a there they go again (Rayner, 2003). A typical case is that of oil companies who were ranked rather low in public opinion. In cases where oil companies have faced major crisis, consumers have been less sympathetic with these corporate group. The BP case and the Exxon Vladez case are typical examples. A study in the late 1990s of the performance of US companies during the 1987 stock market crash found out that the shares of the ten most admired companies dropped less and recovered faster, while the shares of the ten least admired companies plunged three times as far a very strong indication that having a good corporate reputation can pay real dividends. Various authors have identified several benefits of a good corporate reputation: (Atkins, et al., 2006) state that a good reputation is highly valuable and can benefit a company enormously. Potentially, it can result in: Banks being willing to supply loans on more favourable rates and terms: Good employees being attracted to work for the organisation, and their services being retained Investors being more likely to place their capital in the firm; Improvement in sales Maintenance and enhancement of market share Public perception of the organisation as an asset to the society in which it operates (John Croft, 2003), identify similar benefits: Securing profits and future cash flows Attracting new business partners Securing investment Attracting new customers word-of-mouth In ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uencing political and legal affairs Human capital: retaining good staff and attracting the best employees Allowing easier entry to new markets and brand extensions Enabling successful mergers and acquisitions Helping to reinforce relationships with suppliers and distributors and other direct stakeholders Enhancing relationships with NGOs or corporate activists that potentially could be aligned against you 2.3 Area of Further Research One area of interest for future research work identified while carrying out this research work is on handling reputation risks from social networking sites and other online media sources the so called web 2.0. Web 2.0 allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue and the mediums include social media sites like Facebook, blogs, twitter and other mediums which allow people to freely air their opinions. This area is important because in recent times, a lot of companies have had their reputation damaged through web 2.0 mediums. What makes web 2.0 dangerous is that response time is very limited; the most time an organisation has to squelch rumours or avoid a reputational disaster is 24 hours. It would be immensely helpful if further research is done into helping companies and various organisations cope with the risks from these mediums. CHAPTER 3: Data Collection and Research Methodology 3.1 Data Collection Data has been collected from a wide range of secondary sources; newspaper articles, academic journals and online resources. This study was also based on documents from five categories of media: (i) print newspapers, (ii) online editions of print newspapers, (iii) the Associated Press newswire, (iv) Blogs, and (v) Internet forums. 3.2 Methodology The research is tailored as a case study. This method gives a multi-perspective approach, incorporating the views of direct stakeholders, indirect stakeholders and the interactions between these two groups. This case study will be based mainly on secondary data. The paper will comprise the collection of secondary data from a broad variety of sources such as business academic journals, books, reports, newspapers and internet articles on the Toyota vehicle recall crisis. All information will be taken from the public domain and the author has put into consideration the possibility of errors in press reports and other sources. The research will use various underlying risk classifications identified in the Roads to Ruin report by Cass Business School for AIRMIC to trace the underlying cause of the crisis. The Roads to Ruin report is a highly valuable guide for this research as it investigates the origins and impacts of over twenty major corporate crises of the last decade. The report was chosen because it provides a rich source of lessons about risk, risk analysis and risk management detailing over one hundred specific lessons about risk. This will be particularly helpful as I develop my recommendations on this subject. A crisis communication framework developed by (Lukaszewski, January/February 1999) would also be used to analyse Toyotas crisis response. CHAPTER 4 Review of the Recall Crisis In this chapter, the author shall in line with the research objectives, test the effectiveness of Toyotas reputational risk response to seven key risk areas identified in the Roads to Ruin report and in so doing trace the deeper cause of the crisis. According to the report, these key risks areas include: Board skill and Non-Executive Directors (NED) control risks -risks ar