Principles of Data Privacy & Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Principles of Data Privacy & Protection - Essay Example Although genetic profiling has its origins in the healthcare establishment, other establishments are warming up to the benefits of genetic profiling, for instance, education and insurance. This interest has stirred up a debate as insurance laws for example, do permit the use of medical data, which could be interpreted as genetic data for underwriting. This has led to concerns among the general public and other organisation of the use and development of genetic profiling by organisations that do not understand the concept of informed consent, and the issues surrounding the use and retention of very personal information. This paper will argue both sides of the argument, as there is a case for and against genetic profiling in each case study, however it soon becomes apparent that the same issues keep arising - namely, discrimination and informed consent. What this means for data privacy and protection is that more clarity is required, as well as a structured approach to amending the cur rent legislation, and it also means that non-medical organisations interested in genetic profiling, may need to provide the solutions to the issues raised in the argument. Data privacy and protection started becoming an issue, after the dawn of the information age. It was now very easy and simple to transfer personal data and information, without going through all the mandatory security checks. The digital age also brought with it the realities of digital crime. Privacy can be defined as "the interest that individuals have in sustaining a 'personal space', free from interference by other people and organisations (Clarke)." For example, banks operate privacy conditions, where it is not possible to access another individual's bank account as this infringes on their personal space and confidentiality. The medical establishment also practices privacy in the form of confidentiality, where a doctor cannot disclose any information to anyone else even if they are related to the patient. This disclosure is often left to the patient.Privacy has several dimensions as knowledge of personal information can be classed under four different areas (Clarke). The first a spect is the personal privacy which is concerned with the individual's body and includes compulsory immunisation, blood transfusion, and compulsory provision of samples of body fluids and tissue and even compulsory sterilisation. This deals specifically with medical notes and medical history. The second aspect deals with the privacy of personal behaviour. This involves what are considered to be sensitive matters such as sexual preferences and habits, political activities and religious practices whether or not they occur in public places. This is particularly important as these matters can subject the individual to unnecessary discrimination and/or unprovoked attacks in the form of homophobic attacks or even intimidation. One example of this in the UK is with the animal testing laboratories, where those involved in animal testing are frequently targeted by groups opposed to testing animals. The third aspect deals with personal communications where the individual can claim the right t o be able to communicate to others, using various media, without routine monitoring of their communications by other persons or organisations. This mainly applies to the wider aspect of

The Chocolate Market Industry Economics Essay

The Chocolate Market Industry Economics Essay The chocolate market industry has been around in the UK since the 19th century. Since then, many different firms have developed and established themselves in the market, resulting in a competitive market. Therefore, this project will focus on how the UK chocolate market structure has changed and evolved over the years and the causes of this. Our project will be mainly based on analysing the chocolate company Cadbury and their trend in sales, along with other factors which has caused the takeover of Cadbury by Kraft Foods. From this, we will be able to determine the factors which caused the change of market shares original Cadbury has. Outline the trend in sales by the major chocolate manufacturers in the UK over the last 10 years, and analyse the structure of the UK chocolate industry. Western Europe is the largest chocolate market in the world (Haymarket Network Ltd. June 2012) and Britain has the biggest confectionary market among the European Union(Barnett 2006). Moreover the UK has the seventh highest consumption of chocolate in the world. The average Brit consumes 17.49lbs of chocolate per year (The World Atlas of Chocolate 2000). Since the last ten years the chocolate confectionary sells has grown significantly. During the period of 2000-2005 the compound annual growth rate for chocolate sales in percent was approximately 2.5% Euro. The estimated value of the sales for 2005 was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6,214m (Euromonitor International 2005). Additionally, according to Mintel UK market research firm, the chocolate market in the country reached  £3,976 billion in 2011, a 21% increase over a five-year period and 7.5% growth since 2010. As the people seem to continue purchasing chocolate, even more than before, this is certain premise for involving huge chocolate players in strive for bigger market share in the country. In the last ten years the chocolate market in United Kingdom was dominated by several companies. Since 2010, when Kraft took over Cadbury, three companies dominated the market with control over 83 percent in 2011 Nestlà ©, Mars and Cadbury/Kraft. Figure 1. Percentage of market share in the UK chocolate industry (Trading Visions 2011) Other big companies involved in the UK market are Hershey, Thorntons, Ferrero, Lindt, Divine chocolate and others. The Mintel released table in 2012th explains more detail the changes in the market chocolate share during the last couple of years. 2009 2010 2011 (est) % change  £m %  £m %  £m % 2009-11 Kraft Foods (Cadbury) 1,187 33 1,252 33 1,297 33 9.3 Mars 953 27 1,005 27 1,073 27 12.6 Nestlà © 585 16 606 16 646 16 10.4 Ferrero 130 4 126 3 129 3 -0.8 Thorntons 68 2 75 2 74 2 8.8 LindtSprà ¼ngli 49 1 60 2 63 2 28.6 Total of the above 2,972 83 3,124 83 3,282 83 10.4 Others 375 10 404 11 423 10 12.8 Own-label 228 6 244 6 271 7 18.9 Total 3,575 100 3,772 100 3,976 100 11.2 Figure 2. Percentage change in market shares in the UK chocolate market, by value, 2009-11 (Mintel 2012) The fragmentation between few large companies in the chocolate confectionary industry is a sign for oligopolistic structure of the market. During last 10 years, the situation changed several times. Brand owned by Cadbury, Daily Milk, grew 11,7% from  £374m to  £418m in 2010 while Kraft brandsMilkà Ã‚ ° sales increased from  £8,7m to  £21,3m according to Miggiano (category vice-president for chocolate in the UK). Normally an oligopoly exists when the top five or less firms in the market account for more than 60% of total market demand/sales (Econ 100 n.d.). Therefore it can be concluded that the situation of the market structure is certainly an oligopoly. A typical characteristic for oligopolistic competition is the big amounts spent for advertising. The leading company Cadbury spends millions for advertising every year, for example for their new chocolate bar Crispello they have prepared 7 million £ from their budget (Mail online 2012). In the UK chocolate industry there are known to be several barriers to entry, contributing to the structure of the market. The huge capital needed for starting business in the market is the main obstacle for new firms. Advertising and marketing could also be classed as a major barrier to entry, where concerning the oligopolistic confectionary firms. This is because some companies may have the financial power to win over consumer loyalty with their expensive branding. Therefore, the contestability of the market can be questioned as market firms with well- established, branded products make it rather difficult and more expensive for new firms to enter into the market successfully. However there are a lot of chocolate firms in the industry, with small profits and share. An example is the Divine Chocolate company, which is well known for its fair trade policy. Explain why Kraft Foods wanted to take over Cadbury. To what extent do you think the arguments against this takeover were valid? Cadbury is known to be one of the largest confectionary companies in the world. The British owned company was founded in 1824 and has been in existence since. However, in February 2010, Kraft Foods Group a reputable company within their own rights took over the multi-billion pound business, which caused significant outrage. The unprecedented event meant that Cadbury did not expect other firms to bid for the company, especially when it was not for sale. However, Kraft Foods had other intentions stating that The British confectioner offers Kraft greater access to sharp growth in emerging markets as well as some of the worlds leading chocolate (Ruddick 2010). It is therefore, evident that Kraft wanted to takeover Cadbury purely for economic gain, and to raise the companys profile and reputation amongst other respectable markets. Kraft Foods felt this was the perfect opportunity to do so and as a result, forcefully imposed a deal on Cadbury which they felt was sufficient enough for Cadbu ry to transfer/ give up their assets (company). This is also evident in this statement which mentions that Not only was Cadbury not for sale, but it actively resisted the Kraft takeover (Moeller 2012). Additionally, recent information suggests it is also debatable whether arguments in opposition of the takeover were valid, particularly due to Cadburys profits increasing in recent years. Telegraph staff and agencies (The Telegraph 2012)indicates that the purchase of Cadbury by Kraft allowed for Cadbury to be reinstated into the global market where consumerism remains at large. Kraft has reported strong sales and profit increases in the first full quarter since it took over Cadbury. Sales rose 25% to $12.3bn ( £7.75bn) in the three months to 30 June, and Cadbury accounted for 90% of the gains. Net profits were up 13.3% to $937m ( £590.1m), compared with $827m ( £521m) in 2009 (Barker 2010). Thus, allowing for Cadbury to expand and increase its profitability. It can therefore be said, that although some felt apprehensive towards the move of Cadburys ownership, it seems to have been for the better. With MP Steve McCabe even stating I think the investment is whats crucial to the l ong term future, and pointed out that Kraft had also expanded the research and development section. On the other hand, Now, nearly two years on since the hostile takeover in February 2010, the firm has announced a further 200 job cuts, the company has given no specific assurances over the future of 4,500 UK jobs (BBC 2011). Therefore, suggesting that those against the transfer of the company did undoubtedly have reasons to be concerned. An additional article even goes further to suggest Kraft already has a track record of cutting production and moving production abroad. Theres no guarantee that theyll keep production in the UK in the long run (BBC 2010). This indicates that there were implications of giving permission to Kraft to handle the company. Yet, this risk was still taken instilling fear in workers who were already apprehensive of this transition. This suggests arguments against the takeover were indeed valid. Overall, it can be argued in this section that although Kraft, being a well-established company with a strong portfolio to build upon, it caused much controversy in its takeover of Cadbury. The addition of Cadbury to the firm means that Kraft is able to emerge in markets successfully that they were restricted from before. Many argued that the takeover allowed for Cadbury to develop further into global markets rather than remaining in the UK. The company became increasingly profitable and as a result, a popular one in which many are interested in investing. However, with the good comes the bad and in a situation as such, it meant that the UK staff of Cadbury were at risk of losing their jobs. This would occur if Kraft moved the Cadbury business abroad, which has partially occurred since. Kraft has produced good results for Cadbury but not without causing implications in the UK (where Cadbury originates from). It can be stated from the research evidence that the intentions behind Kraft s takeover of Cadbury are quite clear and the opposition arguments of the UK Cadbury staff and the UK government are most certainly valid as displayed throughout this section. On a chart show what has happened to the UK pound (sterling) against the dollar between December 2007 and September 2012 Source: Bank of England Using a supply and demand diagram, explain this change in the sterling exchange rate against the US dollar. The exchange rate is the rate at which one currency trades for another on the foreign exchange market. On the open market prices of goods, commodities and value of nations currency (under a floating exchange rate) are subordinated to the control of two forces- supply and demand (Sloman:360). Generally, the exchange rate is determined by the fundamental law of the market forming an equilibrium rate (price) by equating demand and supply of the currency. One of the primary laws of supply and demand indicates that high supply causes low prices and high demand results in high prices. This fact implies that when there is a rich supply of a particular good then the price should fall and vice versa. The price increases when there is a scarcity of the product. Consequently, an increase in the demand of a commodity would cause it to appreciate in value, whereas an increase in supply would cause it to depreciate (Capital Market Services 2012). The change in the exchange rate of UK pound sterlin g to US dollar can be explained using a basic supply and demand diagram.1.jpg Figure 1 Figure 1 shows a normal downward slopping demand curve. A decrease in the price of the pound in relation to dollars from $2 to $1 will cause British exports in the USA to become much cheaper than the domestic product. The demand for British export will rise in the USA, and in a result, the demand for British currency to buy these goods will increase, as the Americans will have to exchange their money for British pounds. Thus, at lower prices (lower exchange rate) more pounds will be demanded, and vice versa. Movements up the vertical axis represent an increase in price of the pound, which is equivalent to a fall in the price of the dollar. Similarly, movements down the vertical axis represent a decrease in the price of the pound (Capital Market Services 2012). 2.jpg Figure 2 Figure 2 describes the supply side of the determination of the exchange rate. When UK importers wish to buy goods from USA, they will supply pounds on the foreign exchange market in order to obtain dollars. The higher the exchange rate, the more dollars they will get for their pounds (Sloman 2009:360). If the price of pound in relation to dollar rises from $1.50 to $2, price of imports from the USA will fall. Assuming the price elasticity of demand for the American imports is greater than one, the amount of pounds that UK consumers will need to supply in order to obtain the dollars to buy the goods- will rise. The supply curve slopes up because British firms and consumers are willing to buy a greater quantity of American goods as the dollar becomes cheaper (i.e. they receive more dollars per pound). Thus, the higher the exchange rate, the more pounds will be supplied (Sloman 2009:360). 3.jpg Figure 3 Based on Sloman 2008:162 Suppliers and consumers meet at a particular quantity and price at which they are both satisfied, known as the equilibrium price pictured by Figure 3. At any higher price there would be an excess supply of British pounds that would drive price down. A lower price would cause a shortage of pounds driving the price up. In practice, the process of reaching equilibrium is instantaneous. The foreign exchange dealers working for the banks are incessantly adjusting the rate as new customers make new demands for currencies (Sloman 2009:361). 4.jpg Figure 4 Based on Sloman 2008: 161 A change in the exchange rate is caused by any shift in the supply and demand curves. When the demand and supply curves shift from D1 and S1to D2 and S2 respectively the exchange rate will fall from $1.60 to $1.40. A decrease in the free-market exchange rate is called depreciation, an increase is an appreciation. Explain the impact of this change in the value of sterling against the US dollar on a UK chocolate manufacturer who buys cocoa beans which are priced in dollars Appreciation of pound against dollar is most beneficial for importers, like given UK chocolate manufacturer who buys cocoa beans priced in dollars. They are advantages as they need to find fewer pounds to buy their imported goods. Depreciation of home currency makes foreign buyers disadvantages as they need to find more money to pay for their imports (tutor2u). Therefore, in this example the best time for foreign investments was between December 2007 and June 2008 when the pound exchange rate was the highest. Outline the causes of the current recession in the UK. Using relevant economic theory show how recession affected the UK economy. Economist and experts still disagree on the definition of recession. However, technically speaking, the economy of a country would slide into recession when it experiences two continual quarters of negative economic growth. This happens when the GDP would have to contract on a quarter by quarter basis for a total period of six months. GDP (gross domestic product) is the total amount of goods and services produced by a country in a given period of time. The credit crunch that began in August 2007 brought recession in Britain and other countries across the world. Soon everything worsened dramatically and turned into global financial crisis in the autumn of 2008. The recession started in America where mortgage companies got into massive debt by giving out many subprime mortgages. They then bundled this debt on to other countries such as the UK by borrowing from abroad to finance this risky lending.The central problem of UK was Britains banks, which had invested their reserves in those bundles or effects that turned out to be unsafe, illiquid or even worthless. As UK banks began to struggle, the government allowed them to lend to each other to promote liquidity. They did not know that this would result in even more debt and tension between the banks. Consumer confidence dropped dramatically down. Along with the overvalued housing market finally failing, consumption began to fall.The British economy was officially declared to be in a re cession in January 2009, when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that the estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) showed a fall of 1.5 per cent in the last three months of 2008 after a 0.6 per cent drop in the previous quarter. This was the biggest quarter-on-quarter decline since 1980 and the first time the economy had been in recession since 1991. ONS figures show that GDP fell by 2.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2009 compared with the last quarter of 2008. GDP fell by a further 0.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2009, leaving the level of GDP 5.5 per cent lower than in the second quarter of 2008, the largest annual fall on record (ONS 2009). It was the deepest recession since the war. The Manufacturing output was down 7% by end 2008. It has affected many sectors including banks and investment firms. Many well-known and established businesses went bankrupt. Britain has struggled to come out of the latest recession, with much speculation of a double dip recession during the 2010s. Output fell by 0.5% in the 4th quarter of 2010. The unemployment rate rose to 8.1% (2.57m people) in August 2011, the highest level since 1994. As of January 2012[update], after 15 quarters, GDP is still 4% down from peak at start of recession. And now end of 2012 there are also speculation of a triple dip recession. Explain the statement about cocoa, referring to the relevant types of elasticity. Supply conditions play a big role in terming the price of chocolates. Since Cocoa is a farm product it is subject to fast-developing changes in growing conditions. Ivory Coast is the biggest and Ghana the second biggest producer of cacao therefore if any viruses, like the stunted shoot disease, or any bad weather conditions affect their harvest will have consequences on the chocolate prices. On the other side good weather conditions will boost supply and drop the prices. Unpredictability of prices is increase by the fact that chocolate demand is very inelastic. In the US, short-term elasticity of demand has been estimated at about -0.2, and is even lower in some big European consumer countries (Henri Jason 1994). When demand is inelastic, even a small shift in the supply curve can produce a big change in the market price. IEoD = (% Change in Quantity Demanded)/(% Change in Income) Another factor that determines the prices of chocolate is the strong income elasticity of demand. For example in the United States, a 10% increase in income has been estimated to increase per capita chocolate consumption by 9.2% (Henri Jason 1994). Income elasticity is not lot different in other countries. The recession makes people believe they should spend less and most of the cases people do earn less money or they have recently lost their job because of the financial crisis. Therefore they have less to spend. This will affect their choice between normal goods and luxury goods. If chocolate becomes too expensive they might become luxury good for some people, at the moment it is a normal good for most people. undefined Source: tutor2u As a part of your conclusion, assess the future of the major chocolate companies inthe UK. Do you foresee future growth, stagnation or decline? Overall, it is evident that many factors influence the chocolate market in todays world. In recent years the best market decision by various chocolate companies was offering a variety of products to the consumer market. This strategy led to big profits for the biggest players in the industry, as they could afford the expensive advertising for their products. However, the trend for chocolate purchases has not slowed down regardless of the economic situation. In fact opposite to logic, people seem to have taken advantage from chocolate products in the recession, as they have spent more time staying home during the hard times of the British economic stagnation. On holidays such as Easter and Christmas, purchases for some specific products has doubled, tripled or even more compared to the rest of the year. According to professional investigators of the chocolate trends, like Mintel, the future of the chocolate market in UK will face a growth in the next several years. However, as a group we believe based on the evidence from this project, that the UK chocolate industry could potentially be dominated by foreign companies, resulting in stagnation for British chocolate companies.

Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates in AFrican Americans Essay

Cancer Incidence and Mortality of African Americans in Texas Cancer is a large classification of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Undetected and uncontrolled, it can ultimately result in death. Causes of cancer can be categorized into three factors: external (chemicals, tobacco smoke, radiation, viruses), internal (hormones, immune conditions, genetics) and lifestyle (tobacco and alcohol use, unprotected sun exposure, poor nutrition, physical inactivity). Many cancers can be cured if detected and treated promptly, and many others prevented by lifestyle changes. In 2004, it was estimated that more than 1.3 million people in the United States would be diagnosed with cancer. In Texas alone, it was estimated that approximately 85,000 individuals will be diagnosed with cancer in 2004, and another 37,000 will die from the disease (Table 1). Four cancer sites account for more than half of the cancer that affect Texans, lining up with the national incidences and mortality sites. These include lung and bronchus, colorectal, breast (female), and prostate cancer. Together these four sites account for approximately 41,900 new cases of cancer diagnosed and 16,900 cancer deaths in Texans. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and is expected to become the leading cause of death within the next decade. Cancer also is the second leading cause of death in Texas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While cancer affects all people, studies have shown that this disease does not subscribe to â€Å"equal opportunity† mandates; varied distributions appear when cases are tallied by gender, age, race and economic groups, usually to the disadvantage of the minority in each instance. In Texas, African American men are diagnosed with cancer in higher numbers in comparison to their Non-Hispanic White and Hispanic counterparts. The mortality rates are 1.5 times greater than Non-Hispanic Whites and 2.0 times more than Hispanic males in Texas for the top five sites (larynx, prostate, stomach, myeloma and oral cavity.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many factors that contribute to the increased cancer risk that African American men and women sustain. Three to be discussed further will be economic, social, and cultural. All three on their own are significant enough to separate the African American population by percenta... ...Pla has treated individuals for eating disorders and has noted that her white patients were more concerned with thinness, where her black patients were more eating and binging to feel better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While health organizations are focusing their campaigns on the convenience and importance of cancer screening procedures, the African American population is still disproportionately suffering from cancer incidence and mortality. Not until early detection is common place will the numbers change, especially with the African American elderly population expected to increase by 160% over the next quarter of a century. Works Sited Texas: Cancer Facts & Figures 2004- American Cancer Society, Texas Division, 2004 Texas Department of Health, Cancer Registry Division. Average Annual Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates, Age-Adjusted (2000 U.S. population). 26 March 2005 National Cancer Institute. Cancer Health Disparities: Fact Sheet. April 21, 2002. 21 March 2005. http://www.nci.nih.gov/newscenter/healthdisparities United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast. Senior Reference Guide:Older African-Americans . 26 March 2005. http://www.unitedwayhouston.org/looking/sr_17b.html

Deforestation in Costa Rica Essay

Costa Rica is famous for it’s rainforests and vast biodiversity and ecosystems, including 12,000 species of plants, 1,239 species of butterflies, 838 species of birds, 440 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 232 species of mammals (Wikipedia), which overtime have become under threat due to deforestation. Since the end of World War II, 80 percent of Costa Rican forests have disappeared (Wikipedia). Various companies are cutting down forests, to provide land for there fruit plantations and cattle ranches. During the 1990s, Costa Rica had one of the worst deforestation rates in the world. Clearing out forests is causing flooding, desertification, sedimentation in rivers, loss of wildlife diversity, and is the number one contributor to global warming. The country has laws protecting certain areas of the forests, but only 25 percent of Costa Rican forests are completely protected from companies due to lenient laws (Viva Costa Rica). Businesses that are clearing out Costa Rican forests are contributing to the destruction of the earth’s environment. Beef production is the largest cause of deforestation in Costa Rica. Approximately 60 percent of Costa Rica has been cleared out to make room for cattle ranching (Algee, â€Å"Cattle Ranching†). During the 1960s, problems worsened when the United States offered Costa Rican cattle ranchers millions of dollars in loans to produce beef (Viva Costa Rica), so all the ranchers had the forests cleared for space for more cattle. After Costa Rica stopped shipping cattle to the U. S. , the country was left with bare spots, where trees were cleared out, and most of the cattle was moved to the Pacific Northwest side of Costa Rica. Fruit plantations are the second largest cause of deforestation in Costa Rica, specifically banana plantations. Banana plantations now cover 130,000 acres of previously forested land in Costa Rica (Guadua Bamboo). Bananas are Costa Rica’s main moneymaking industry. While certain conservation laws have been passed to protect areas from banana farming in Costa Rica, the government lacks the resources to enforce them. The banana industry is known for its dangerously high use of pesticides, which in the 1970s, caused thousands of plantation workers to become sterile (Guadua Bamboo). These pesticides used to maintain fruits, may enter the water systems and contaminate the water. Nutrient balance in the soil is also disrupted by the removal of the rainforests to make way for fruit plantations, by exhausting the soils and leaving them weak. Weak soil makes it challenging to maintain the land for agriculture. When a ground surface is stripped of vegetation, the upper soils becomes helpless to water erosion. Costa Rica loses about 860 million tons of valuable topsoil every year (Mongabay). Forests have a natural ability to absorb water when it rains, and release it slowly into rivers. Without the vast amounts of vegetation, flash floods are caused, the water rushes into the rivers, taking the sediment with it. Once the sediment builds up, the water no longer flows, and it floods the areas. The increased sediment load of rivers suffocates fish eggs, causing lower hatch rates, reducing the fishing industry. Erosion also destroys roads and highways that cross through the forest. The government does not shut down the roads, but must rebuild them repeatedly, using money that could be used more productively elsewhere. Deforestation is the number one cause of global warming. In his article â€Å"Deforestation: The Hidden Cause of Global Warming†, Daniel Howden explains â€Å"Carbon emissions from deforestation far outstrip damage caused by planes and automobiles and factories †¦ deforestation accounts for up to 25 percent of global emissions of heat-trapping gases, while transport and industry account for 14 percent each; and aviation makes up only 3 percent of the total† Deforestation results in the immediate release of carbon stored in trees as carbon-dioxide emissions. Trees are 50 percent carbon. When they are felled or burned, the carbon dioxide they store escapes back into the air. Carbon dioxide helps absorb heat; therefore too much carbon dioxide results in global warming. Costa Rica has an amazing conservation program that protects more than 10 percent of the country (Mongabay). One protected strip of forest runs for 40 miles, through nine ecological zones. The country presented a plan in 1995; to protect 18 percent of the country in national parks and another 13 percent in privately owned preserves. The country is targeting to protect the areas with the most biodiversity. The government funds the project by issuing landowners forest protection certificates, which will annually pay landowners about $50 for every 2. 5 acres of forest, with the agreement that the forest will be protected. In 2005, another program added Costa Rica to which wealthy nations were called to compensate poor nations for rainforest conservation. The amount of Costa Rican land deforested annually has declined since 1977, by 118,158 acres (Wikipedia). Around two-thirds of Costa Rica’s remaining rainforests are now protected. Companies that are felling trees in Costa Rican forests are destroying the earth’s environment. These companies that contribute to deforestation are killing various species, and are ultimately harming the earth itself through greenhouse gas emissions. Costa Rica is doing a great job repairing their forests, and making sure that certain areas will remain untouched. Last year, the country passed a law that will decentralize their decision-making. The efforts the country is making to stop deforestation, is causing Costa Rica to stand out and show their commitment toward environmental and natural resources issues.

Challenges in the Business Environment Essay

There has been no change to Apple Code of Conduct policy since 2014 when Apple started taking previous audit scores into consideration and conduct detailed risk assessments with suppliers who had not been audited in the past before awarding the new business. In 2014, we reviewed 459 suppliers, and factored their responsibility performance into our decisions. This engagement has allowed Apple to address over 700 findings related to labor standards, worker safety, permits, environmental hazards, and chemical management before production began (Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct). Apple has made significant progress, gaps still exist, and there is more work to do. Apple knows that workers are counting on them and they will not stop until every person in their supply chain is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve (Apple – Supplier Responsibility 2015 Progress Report). Apple believes that it is not enough to just set high standards they must work every day to make sure they’re upheld. Apple Supplier Code of Conduct is among the toughest in the industry. To track working conditions at suppliers’ facilities, we conduct regular, in-person audits deep into the supply chain. Audits remain essential to Apple work, but they’re only the beginning. Apple reports monthly on working hours for over one million workers with hopes that their openness will inspire other companies. But more important, Apple believe the feedback that transparency invites makes us even better (Apple – Supplier Responsibility 2015 Progress Report). Apple’s suppliers are required to provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, act fairly and ethically, and use environmentally responsible practices wherever they make products or perform services for Apple. Apple requires its suppliers to operate in accordance with the principles in this Apple Supplier Code of  Conduct (â€Å"Code†) and in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. This Code goes beyond mere compliance with the law by drawing upon internationally recognized standards to advance social and environmental responsibility. This Code outlines Apple’s expectations for Supplier conduct regarding labor and human rights, health and safety, environmental protection, ethics, and management practices. Apple assesses its suppliers’ compliance with this Code, and any violations of this Code may jeopardize the supplier’s business relationship with Apple, up to and including termination. This Code applies to Apple suppliers and their subsidiaries, affiliates, and subcontractors (each a â€Å"Supplier†) providing goods or services to Apple, or for use in or with Apple products (Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct). To show that Apple believes that it is not enough to just set high standards and that they must work every day to make sure they’re upheld. In 2014, over 2.3 million workers were trained on Apple’s Co de and their rights. Apple invested millions of dollars to expand our Supplier Employee Education and Development (SEED) program since it began. SEED now totals 48 classrooms in 23 facilities equipped with iMac computers, iPad devices, education software, video conferencing systems, and more. To make sure the standards were upheld Apple performed 633 audits covering over 1.6 million workers in 2014. Apple also audited suppliers in 19 countries and calls were made to 30,000 workers to make sure their rights were being upheld (Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct). Apple Suppliers Understanding of Their Standards, Responsibilities, and Company Relationship Apple is proud of the strong relationships they have built with their suppliers, many of whom have been working with them for years. Apple periodically reviews their relationships and adds new suppliers as needed. Apple requires each of its suppliers to meet the highest standards for all goods and services. Our requirements include a commitment to rigorous quality assurance. In addition, suppliers must be committed, as we are, to ensuring the highest standards of soci al responsibility. The ideal suppliers are those who understand our culture and expectations. We value suppliers who take the time to learn about and understand our business and who look for ways to add value. These suppliers know the importance of making and meeting commitments and delivering the highest quality goods and services (Apple – Apple and Procurement). Apple business environment is  competitive and fast-paced. Apple suppliers must understand this dynamic and be agile and flexible in responding to changing business conditions. All over the world, people are building Apple products and Apple has a responsibility to make sure that each person is treated with dignity and respect. It’s a massive challenge where Apple work is never done, but each year they implement meaningful, lasting changes across their supply chain. Because of this around the globe, Apple employees are united in bringing equality, human rights, and respect for the environment to the deepest layers of their supply chain. Apple goes deep into their supply chain to enforce their social and environmental standards by empowering workers through education, demanding that suppliers treat workers fairly and ethically at all times, having safe and healthy facilities, and hold their products and processes to the highest environmental standards (Apple – Supplier Responsibility 2015 Progress Report). Apple believes that in order to make impactful changes across their supply chain, it’s important to understand firsthand what’s happening inside their suppliers’ facilities. That’s why they don’t simply employ and review audits from behind a desk in Cupertino. Instead, they directly gauge how their supplier facilities are doing by regularly visiting and partnering with their suppliers around the world, so when they discover a problem, they can work together to get it fixed (Apple – Accountability). To make sure the standards are understood and upheld Apple performed 633 audits covering over 1.6 million workers. Apple also audited suppliers in 19 countries and calls 30,000 workers to make sure their rights are being upheld. Every audit is led by an Apple auditor and supported by local third-party auditors. These third parties are experts in their fields and all have been trained to use our detailed auditing protocols. During each audit, Apple grade suppliers on more than 100 data points corresponding to each category of our Supplier Code of Conduct (Apple – Accountability). Apple auditors are highly skilled at identifying when suppliers are covering up information. Apple audits are proven to improve supplier compliance. Each year we review and raise our already strict requirements, and suppliers continue to meet our increasingly stringent standards. In 2014, facilities audited two times scored 25 percent higher than those facilities with first-time audits. Facilities audited three times or more scored 31 percent higher than facilities audited  for the first time (Apple – Accountability). In addition to these regular, prescheduled audits, Apple randomly select facilities to audit unannoun ced. These surprise audits help ensure that our suppliers continue to meet our standards at all times not just during scheduled visits. Apple conducted 40 surprise audits in 2014, where their team visited suppliers on the spot and inspected the facility within hours. After the audit Apple conducts physical inspections, reviews documents, and interviews workers in their native languages, without their managers present. Afterward, workers are given a phone number, so they have the opportunity to securely and confidentially provide additional feedback about a facility to our team, including anything they consider to be unethical behavior. Apple encourages workers to report any retaliation to us, and we follow up with all suppliers to address each reported issue (Apple – Accountability). Inclusion these audits, code of conduct, and standards give Apple suppliers the understanding of what it means to be part of the company. Reference Apple – Accountability. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/accountability/ Apple – Apple and Procurement. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.apple.com/procurement/ Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct. (2014, January). Retrieved March 3, 2015 from https://www.apple.com/ca/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_Supplier_Code_of_Conduct.pdf Apple – Supplier Responsibility Progress Report. (2015, January). Retrieved March 3, 2015 from https://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_Progress_Report_2015.pdf

Free Essays on Speech

Candidate Speech Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing! By saying this I don’t mean winning the playoff basketball game or even receiving the gold medal in the Olympics, instead I am speaking about winning in life. We are all faced with our own challenges, whether they are big or small, as an individual or in a group. It is important that we face these challenges with open minds and pure hearts. Today, members of Business Professionals of America, you are presented with a challenge, a challenge of electing your new state officers. This decision is not to be taken lightly. Our organization needs someone who will stand up for what is right and lead Texas on to success. As a candidate for state officer I am also running in one of life’s races. Although everyone in this race runs, only few receive the prize. As an athlete undergoes discipline and strict training for his race, I have also strictly trained and disciplined myself for this position I am running fo r. I run straight toward the goal with purpose and strength in each step, hoping to win the race. If you elect me as your state officer, then I would be presented with a new race, one which requires hard work and dedication, which I am fully capable of. I want to focus on forgetting the past, which is now behind us, and instead look forward to what lies ahead for our organization. I am ready to step up as your leader, but the future of Business Professionals of America lies in your hands and it is now up to you to choose a winning group of leaders for the upcoming year. When you are making your decision remember: â€Å"You’ll win with me, vote Allison Lee.†... Free Essays on Speech Free Essays on Speech Self-Critique Informative Speech Going into my speech I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I felt good about the amount of research I did on my topic. On the other hand, I didn’t feel confident about the amount of time I had spent actually practicing my speech. I spent so much time finding sources and putting together a well-developed outline, that I left myself little time to practice performing my speech. This lack of preparation made me slightly nervous. I felt okay though, giving my first formal speech because we had some practice when we did the expert speeches. When I sat down after my speech, I felt disappointed in my performance. I was fairly certain I didn’t do too great, and I could have done better. My speech sounded well organized for the most part. The introduction was pretty good. One element my introduction lacked, however, was a strong attention-getting device. Other than that, I feel it covered most of what a decent introduction should. My thesis was fairly easy to pick out. I tried to pause briefly before and after my thesis. In attempt to establish credibility, I revealed that I was a fan of the music group, Nirvana, which was the topic of my speech. However, I could have stated the fact that I had conducted thorough research on the topic instead of assuming the audience already knew. In my introduction, I stated the main ideas I intended to address during the speech. These three main topics were clear, and in the body of my speech I distinguished between the ideas as I moved from one to another. In my conclusion, I didn’t necessarily refer back to the introduction or restate my thesis exactly. Instead I made a few statements that I felt summed up the m ain message of my speech. While my conclusion didn’t follow specific guidelines, I think it provided a sense of closure. Overall I think the speech was easy to follow as a listener. After watching the video of my speech, I see that the... Free Essays on Speech Candidate Speech Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing! By saying this I don’t mean winning the playoff basketball game or even receiving the gold medal in the Olympics, instead I am speaking about winning in life. We are all faced with our own challenges, whether they are big or small, as an individual or in a group. It is important that we face these challenges with open minds and pure hearts. Today, members of Business Professionals of America, you are presented with a challenge, a challenge of electing your new state officers. This decision is not to be taken lightly. Our organization needs someone who will stand up for what is right and lead Texas on to success. As a candidate for state officer I am also running in one of life’s races. Although everyone in this race runs, only few receive the prize. As an athlete undergoes discipline and strict training for his race, I have also strictly trained and disciplined myself for this position I am running fo r. I run straight toward the goal with purpose and strength in each step, hoping to win the race. If you elect me as your state officer, then I would be presented with a new race, one which requires hard work and dedication, which I am fully capable of. I want to focus on forgetting the past, which is now behind us, and instead look forward to what lies ahead for our organization. I am ready to step up as your leader, but the future of Business Professionals of America lies in your hands and it is now up to you to choose a winning group of leaders for the upcoming year. When you are making your decision remember: â€Å"You’ll win with me, vote Allison Lee.†...

Unintended Effects of History essays

Unintended Effects of History essays In the corse of the worlds history, there have been defining moments that have shaped history. These events had a intended effect that were meant for the people of its time. The most defining events have lasted and have had unintended effects, positive and negative, on past eras and generations. A few defining moments in history have been the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, Martin Luthers posting of the 95 Thesis in 1517, and the Russian Revolution in 1917. All had unintended effects that changed history. To no one will we sell, to know one will we refuse or delay the right of justice. That is a expert from the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was a document that had a huge influence on England and helped form the governments of other great civilizations. The Magna Carta has said to have been the greatest document every made and signed. Its intent worked by giving the barons of England rights, but it also had great, positive unintended effects on the rest of the world. The Magna Carta was signed by King John of England in 1215. King John signed the Magna Carta because of a deal he had with the people of England. He need money from his nobles and barons and they would only give it to him if he signed the Magna Carta giving them their rights. The Magna Carta was written by the English barons. The people of England were annoyed with Kind John. He abused his power, increased taxes, used too many soldiers for his military campaigns. He also was excommunicated from the Church which made the people of England unhappy with him. The Magna Carta stated that king had to respect the law and obey. The Magna Carta is a law greater than king and can not be broken by anyone. It is a document that set a standard of justice and liberty and is still a part of history today. The Magna Carta helped shape other governments and was used as a guide line for other governments su ...

How to Answer “Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years”

How to Answer â€Å"Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years† When you’re sitting in an interview, there’s a good chance that most of your mental real estate lately has been going toward this day. So when the interviewer asks you where you see yourself in five years, it can be a bit of a jolt to suddenly think about the long term. Knowing the reasoning behind it and doing some prep ahead of time, you can be ready to handle this one like a pro on interview day. 1. DO understand why you’re being asked.Five years is a long time away from now. We’ll have a different president, and maybe hoverboards will finally be a reality. (A gal can hope, right?) The interviewer isn’t asking you to predict fashion trends or whatever social media scene will replace Instagramming your food. Rather, he or she is trying to do two things: 1) gauge your commitment to this job; and/or 2) see what kind of ambitions you hold dear to your heart. So while thinking about society’s future might be fun, focus your thoughts on your pro fessional development.2. DON’T exaggerate, even to yourself.â€Å"Running this place† is not an answer that will get you in the door. Think about where you realistically see yourself. Are you mid-management now, and see yourself higher up that ladder? Are you just starting out, but you’d like to be managing others in five years? Those are realistic goals. Assuming you’ll be the next CEO is, well, not. (Unless you’re interviewing right now to be the CEO, in which case this is a totally valid response.) Well before interview day, think about what you want out of this job, and what it would mean for your future.3. DO emphasize the experience angle over the job title.In my experience, job titles are too much of a moving target, even within a company. Positions are created, changed, and reimagined all the time. Rather than strain to figure out what your business cards will say, talk about what you hope to have achieved in the meantime. â€Å"I see myse lf as having deep expertise in this field, and this position is the way to do that.† Or â€Å"I would like to be taking the lead on projects, and become a great manager like the ones I’ve had along the way.†4. DON’T be brutally candid.If you’re interviewing for a receptionist position with a financial company when you’re really hoping to become an assistant at a music company, this is not the time to come clean and advertise that fact. The interviewer is spending a lot of time and energy on this hiring process, and him or her knowing that you’re only doing this as a Plan B is not going to get you any bonus points. So while you should never lie to answer this question, and say that all you’ve ever wanted is to be answering phones at BankCorp in five years, you can talk around that. Emphasize the skills you’d like to gain in this position, and talk about how you’re looking forward to growing roots and developing as a professional.5. DO emphasize your commitment for the long haul.Again, the interviewer is looking to confirm that you’re not a flight risk or someone who will give half-hearted effort to this job. While you talk about your goals for the next five years, make sure you emphasize how this position and this company will help you achieve that- and perhaps more importantly, emphasize what you bring that will help the company move forward in that time as well.You don’t need a crystal ball to answer this question- just some forward-looking talking points that show you’re the right person for this company, for the right reasons.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Monsters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advantages & Disadvantages of Monsters - Essay Example According to Shaw, in Where Monsters Hide, of all the monsters that are said to exist, demons are factual. Demons refer to spirits, which were previously angels inside paradise, though were à ©migrà © to the under-earth as God’s castigation for their defiant nature. This paper will assess the different beliefs regarding the presence of demons like a class of monsters. Therefore, the thesis statement would be: demons are actual monsters mainly attributed to evil deeds and lies. For many years, the question of the presence of demons as monsters has been posted. Werber in his piece titled Experimental Studies on the Origin of Monsters I. An Etiology and an Analysis of the Morphogenesis of Monsters studies what relates to demonic possession to prove that demons really exits and that the only thing they do is causing humans to suffer. Also, an excerpt by Hillix, A Choice of Monsters, tries to clarify the presence of demons and angels. He explores whether or not demons still possess humans today. In an attempt to clarify his assertions, Werber states that demons do exist and that they possess human beings. In many instances, if demons possess an individual, they pass on their monstrous/evil conducts and appearance to the person. He observed that even throughout the time when Jesus was on earth, he dispossessed demons from individuals. The writer explains that when this kind of monsters known as demons possesses an individual thy torment and torture the body. As such, he offers the case of a female that was possessed by dark spirits. Also, the writer shows that when this kind of spiritual monsters possess an individual, the demerit is that they result in much suffering and agony to their casualties. He provides the instance of a male whose entire body distorted in pain while he was going through the demonic possession.  

Applying Balanced Scorecard Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Applying Balanced Scorecard - Assignment Example Businesses were faced by unclear situations of distinguishing an important aspect from what is not. Kaplan and Norton stated that the important aspects of a business should be presented in a balanced way. A balanced scorecard has three basic components that are important. They include strategic management framework, measurement system and communication tools (Blokdijk, 2008). The banking industry, greatly benefits from the balanced scorecard and management system. The BSC system helps managers in the banking sector accomplish the institution’s objectives. The major scorecard perspectives that can be implemented by managers are better-quality customer service and efficiency in the internal business processes (Blokdijk, 2008 p 113). Banks strategies are always based on the customer and therefore with improved customer service, the bank will end up improving on its profits, sales and turnovers. Banking industries are also able to improve by ensuring that they have efficient business processes. Blokdijk (114) states that with efficiency in the internal business processes, a banking industry will be able to retain its customers. With retained customers, the financial returns go up and the thus improvement in the

Articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Articles - Essay Example As good as, he was in advertising, Jack truly hated the business, which manifested itself when he retired, and sought to concentrate on art, which gave him satisfaction until his demise. That was then. One hundred years down the line, a new age group of advertising agencies has cropped up with new clients and new needs. I doubt if Jack would be pleased by the present advertising industry much more than the industry he ultimately left behind to concentrate on art. This does not mean that advertising has become any significant than it had previously been. The most important thing to remember is that the glimmer of creativeness holds the future of business. The year could be 2025 or perhaps 2035. You could be sleeping in iPyjamas and driving a driverless car. What is apparent at that time which resembles thirty or forty years ago is your e-mail, which you can log into while dressing probably because you can access it through your shirt pocket. Such are the changes that had been predicted by clairvoyants some twenty or thirty years ago. Media changes and advancements were not left out either by the seers. Technology and digital media will undoubtedly step up. Mobile devices, which are already the ideal internet and media platforms, will keep on growing (Khan, 2014). Globalization of the media will force the western world to step up its game due to competition from Latin America, Asia and even Africa. Evidently, the revolution of the media will take various routes hence be manifested by diversity. Probably the future has already encroached into our society with all the features that define the future media already manifesting themselves. The full impact is what is yet to be seen and we can only deduce the face of digital media in the future by the pace it is

Multicurrency decision Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Multicurrency decision - Speech or Presentation Example I would suggest that it is more prudent and viable to reject the offer, because there is a 71% probability to earn the amount of profit rather than the bank's offer.Question6HSBC'S offer for payment of $2,150,000 in return of revenue in local currency is a good offer because it gives Corvette an average return. In addition Corvette would directly change the types of liabilities and assets it holds, to enter into financial contracts and shift some of the IRR they have to other Companies or investors who are better capable to manage themQuestion7The Corvette's the sales manager is more risk averse because he is more opposing the risk because the future is uncertain and unpredictable with random occurrence therefore the known should be accepted. And if fluctuation happens further in exchange rates and the Company may loose a lot. Question8Management dead-lock: Like in the case of disagreement on whether to accept the HSBC offer, this may causes the Company to loose business.The bank des cribes its value at risk as the loss that happens at the 5th percentile of the unsure inflow. Regulatory bodies repeatedly make use of a slightly more complex adaptation of gap analysis to approximation the level of IRR banking institutions and for the whole banking industry.Question 9 The idea that money available at the three months' time is more   worthier than the same amount due   in the future to its potential earning capacity. This chief principle of finance maintains that the sooner money is received.

ICT in ELT (English Language Teaching) Research Paper

ICT in ELT (English Language Teaching) - Research Paper Example s therefore become expedient to note that the effective teaching and learning of English has gone beyond the stereotypical to regimented/tradition of mere classroom teaching because of the emergence of various gadgets in information and communication technology (Viatonu, Kayode 2000:1). In the 21st century, majority of people, be they students, researchers or teachers, are making use of the computer and internet to search for information, to chat or to play games. Teachers are becoming the greatest beneficiaries of digital media as far as bringing the world into the classroom is concerned and using authentic resource materials. ICT is being used to provide curriculum tasks and activities that challenge students; this extends to gifted and talented students. It helps them work to a higher level than they otherwise might, for instance, they can access not only the school library books but also academic treatises (Galloway, 2007:26). Galloway also established that ICT is beneficial to students in several ways. There is the potential to present information in multiple formats, speech and image, with software such as ‘Writing with Symbols’. With ICT, activities can be repeated endlessly and identically as students learn the practical nuances of English pronunciation (Galloway, 2007:26). ICT in ELT has also achieved its status as far as translation is concerned. Web-based instant translations are available to and from English and at least nine other languages. Because of the multimedia presentational possibilities and the activities now available, the curriculum is becoming deeper and more enriched by new technology, creating engaging and motivating learning experiences for all students regardless of their needs and abilities (Galloway, 2007:26). There are invaluable pedagogical gains in the use of ICT. This has also contributed to the status of ICT. Teachers are able to develop an effective learning platform. With such a platform, teachers are able to create

Public speaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public speaking - Essay Example The two goals contradicted each other, as Vietnams had threatened to attack US if their troops were not to be withdrawn from South Vietnams. For that reason, Nixon addressed the issue with a two sided mind. Paradoxically, Nixon imparts a withdrawal mode to his audience, a strategy that makes them feel like he cares so much for the Americans, and especially the American men in Vietnam. He acknowledges that American troops stand a higher risk in the attacked zones but concludes the sentence by mentioning that withdrawing implies a greater risk to the natives of the attached zones. Nixon considers it wise to analyse the situation in two ways to make the audience understand that withdrawal, as the solution suggested earlier, is a controversial action that worsens the situation. As matter of fact, the Nixon understands that his audience are Americans, who would want their men protected but keeps in mind that the outside world is also watching his action. Therefore, the speech is planned n ot only to please the immediate audience but ensure that the problem is effectively addressed. Nixon confidently convinces the audience that his speech is well advised, by mentioning that the decision being presented wasn’t his own opinion but an informed discussion with national Security Council, other crucial personnel as well as the president’s advisers. To ensure this confidence, the speech creates some sense of inductive reasoning, by first defining the problem, analysing the available solutions and drawing a generalised conclusion later on. Nixon explains the problem by describing the actions and motives of the enemy. According to Nixon, America has no enmity whatsoever with North Vietnam, in the past there had been no troops moving to attack Vietnam, neither had the south Vietnams attacked their opponents before . He at the same time mentions the existence of alliance with South Vietnams. These create some sense of reasoning to the audience that

ICT in ELT (English Language Teaching) Research Paper

ICT in ELT (English Language Teaching) - Research Paper Example s therefore become expedient to note that the effective teaching and learning of English has gone beyond the stereotypical to regimented/tradition of mere classroom teaching because of the emergence of various gadgets in information and communication technology (Viatonu, Kayode 2000:1). In the 21st century, majority of people, be they students, researchers or teachers, are making use of the computer and internet to search for information, to chat or to play games. Teachers are becoming the greatest beneficiaries of digital media as far as bringing the world into the classroom is concerned and using authentic resource materials. ICT is being used to provide curriculum tasks and activities that challenge students; this extends to gifted and talented students. It helps them work to a higher level than they otherwise might, for instance, they can access not only the school library books but also academic treatises (Galloway, 2007:26). Galloway also established that ICT is beneficial to students in several ways. There is the potential to present information in multiple formats, speech and image, with software such as ‘Writing with Symbols’. With ICT, activities can be repeated endlessly and identically as students learn the practical nuances of English pronunciation (Galloway, 2007:26). ICT in ELT has also achieved its status as far as translation is concerned. Web-based instant translations are available to and from English and at least nine other languages. Because of the multimedia presentational possibilities and the activities now available, the curriculum is becoming deeper and more enriched by new technology, creating engaging and motivating learning experiences for all students regardless of their needs and abilities (Galloway, 2007:26). There are invaluable pedagogical gains in the use of ICT. This has also contributed to the status of ICT. Teachers are able to develop an effective learning platform. With such a platform, teachers are able to create

Tourism in Bhutan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tourism in Bhutan - Case Study Example This research aims to evaluate and present tourism in Bhutan that has been experiencing a constant increase ever since 1974, when the Government of Bhutan all started issuing travel licenses to foreign visitors into the isolated country. The Bhutan Tourism Corporation or the BTC was solely responsible for handing tourism related matters of the country until 1991. The country’s government however, decided in 1991 to privatize and corporation in an attempt to boost up the tourism as well as facilitate private sector investment into the tourism into the industry. With the help of the efforts put in by the government, the country now has more then seventy five fully licensed tour operating companies. As mentioned above, it is the Bhutanese government that is responsible for tourism planning inside the country. The government however is reluctant to issue a great number of visit visas to tourists as it thinks of the acute impact increased tourism could have on the environment and c ulture of the country. However, if tourism is properly planned and managed by the government, alongside providing appropriate input required to boost tourist activity, then the local travel industry can easily outshine the expected growth plans without having any negative or acute impact on the environment of the country. There are already several initiatives taken by the country to boost up its tourism. The government is busy in looking for resources to finance the expansion costs. A very smart measure taken by the government is to bring all tourism related stake holders on board while drafting a new tourism related policy. This will make sure that the new tourism policy does not only represent the wishes of the State but also takes into account the views of stake holders like travel managers and tour operators who play an essential part in promoting the tourism of the country (Cooper, 2001). Objectives of the Tourism Industry The main objective of Bhutan’

Medical Card System Data Warehouse

Medical Card System Data Warehouse Muhammad Nadeem   S.No Title P.No 1 Introduction (What project is about) 3-4 2 System Overview, Data architecture and storage, 5-6 3 ER-Diagram, OLTP-Architecture,Master / Slave Medical Card System 6-10 4 MCS OLTP, MCS data, storage,MCS Business Module or Services process: 11-14 5 Request Flow, Data repository, MySQL 15-19 6 Data warehousing 19-27 7 Service improvement 28 8 Statistical Analysis 29-30 9 Summary, conclusion, Learned 31-35 10 Appendix 36 Introduction: A Medical Card is a plastic card, about the span of a Visa, issued by the HSE. Individuals who hold a Medical Card are qualified for a scope of Health Services for nothing out of pocket. Sometime recently, 2009. Therapeutic card framework was a decentralized and comprising littler wellbeing sheets. Since, they are isolated to each others, It was making taking after oddities. Duplicate Medical cards. GHOST Medical cards System deficiency Increasing Complexity Budget deficit in health budget Lack of staffing and System expertise To determine these issues the HSE, choose to incorporated Medical card framework. They gather master from every wellbeing board and accumulate in Dublin. On framework level, it was a major perplexity mass before centralization. The reason was every wellbeing board has their own medicinal card framework on a few innovations like prophet, SQL server and so forth. A Single Medical card framework was running on ORACLE, SQL, MYSQL and MUMS thus on rely on upon the decision of wellbeing board. There were loads of reports and Hauge paper works was included and it was night horse to handle it. To, determine this issue The HSE made a system to gap information into three databases, for example, ORACLE, MongoDB. Each of the database has there on noteworthiness. The HSE additionally choose to making and dealing with their own information distribution center. There was an alternative accessible for cloud benefits but since of the way of information. The HSE fabricate their own information product house. The HSE utilized Mongo DB since it is a record situated database and what it does, it is intended for even versatility. Because this, if your database develops, you can basically include more equipment or more assets from the cloud. 2.1 MCS System Overview: The Medical card system data were divided into following: The data from new medical card forms was divided in 3 parts. First data was Manual filled application which was later typed in the system. The data come from Legacy system and loaded into new system. That sort of data required big ETL. Third was supporting documents. The size of data was 2 tetra bytes per month 2.2 MCS Data Storage: The data was storing in following technologies: MongoDB Neo4j ORACLE MYSQL hybrid system (HyPer) MongoDB MySQL Oracle Neo4j Document-oriented Cross-platform support Reliable database OLTP Supports JSON format. Stored procedures Advanced Index Compression JSON and XLS format No DBA SQL/PSM Approximate Count Distinct Indexes by using Apache Lucence Flexible replication for shading across nodes. Triggers. Attribute Clustering supports full ACID Multi-version concurrency Cursors Automatic Big Table Caching UI for CQL consistency in complex transactions Updatable views FDA Support for CDBs Native GPE(Graph Processing Engine). Dynamic queries and powerful aggregates. Online DDL Full Database Caching (CRUD) operation Index support and ap/reduce functions Information schema In-Memory Aggregation Access by Java, Spring, Scala 3.1 MCS Database Architecture 3.2 MCS OLTP Architecture   Ã‚   Master / Slave Medical Card System One index per city Growth by shredding into 2 and 3 Master build index every 10 minutes Use indexes and pearl code for to generate XML Build versioning and rollback segment Slave pull the indexes via resync and reload Use pre-forking config Hardware was dual proc, dual core AMD opterons with 32 GB RAM 3.3 MCS OLTP: Medical card OLTP systems are used for order new application, Medical card transactions, customer relationship management (CRM) etc. Such systems have many users who conduct short transactions. Database queries are usually simple, require sub-second response times and return relatively few records. An important attribute of medical card OLTP system is its ability to maintain concurrency. To avoid single points of failure, MCS OLTP systems is decentralized. MCS data-model-self-governing and planned to professionally handle accidental, ad hoc queries in an analytical system environment. We are using Mango DB, Neo4j, Oracle, MySQL along with legacy System like MUMS. The Size of the data per week is 1 tetra byte. We have Online replication. HSE have hot backup and full disaster recovery model implemented. HSE have one cold server run in Waterford region which they used as cold backup. HSE policy to store data in multi places so in case of disaster recovery will be easy. 3.4 MCS Data: It consists on the following: Client personnel and Medical History such as Client name, address, ppsno and GP information GP registered within certain county Hospital information such as OPD, ANE etc. CWO in each area Pharmacies and registered Pharmacies HSE Local offices 3.5 MCS Data storage: MCS data store on different devices and system as following: Quantum StorNext scale-out file system. NetBackup product. NetBackup is integrated with copy data management, Veritas Resiliency Platform and Veritas Information Map. MySQL MangoDB Neo4j Oracle 4.1 MCS Business Module or Services process: FOR NEW APPLICATION FOR RENEWAL APPLICATION 4.2 MCS Request Flow 4.3 MCS Flow 4.4 MCS Data Repositories 4.5 MCS My SQL 5.1 MCS Data Warehousing: Relationships between DSS/BI, database, data management DSS/BI: transforming data into info to support decision making MCS (Medical Card System) operational data and DSS/BI data differ What a data MCS (Medical Card System) warehouse is, how data for it are prepared, and how it is implemented Multidimensional database Database technology for BI: OLAP, OLTP Examples of applications in healthcare 5.2 MCS BI: Extraction of Knowledge from Data 5.3 MCS DSS/BI Architecture: Learning and Predicting 5.4 MCS DSS/BI DSS/BI are technologies designed to extract information from data and to use such information as a basis for decision making Decision support system (DSS) Arrangement of computerized tools used to assist managerial decision making within business Usually requires extensive data massaging to produce information Used at all levels within organization Often tailored to focus on specific business areas Provides ad hoc query tools to retrieve data and to display data in different formats 5.5 MCS DSS/BI Components Data store component Basically, a DSS database Data extraction and data filtering component Used to extract and validate data taken from operational database and external data sources End-user query tool Used to create queries that access database End-user presentation tool Used to organize and present data 5.6 MCS Main Components of A DSS/BI 5.7 MCS DSS/BI: Needs a different type of database A specialized DBMS tailored to provide fast answers to complex queries. Database schema Must support complex data representations Must contain aggregated and summarized data Queries must be able to extract multidimensional time slices Database size: DBMS must support very large databases (VLDBs), Wal-Mart data warehouses is measured in petabyte (1,000 terabyte) Technology: Data warehouse and OLAP emphasize speed, security, flexibility, reduce redundancy and abnormalities. 5.8 MCS Operational vs DSS Data 6.1 MCS Data Warehouse The Data Warehouse is an integrated, subject-oriented, time-variant, non-volatile database that provides support for decision making. Usually a read-only database optimized for data analysis and query processing centralized, consolidated database periodically updated, never removed Requires time, money, and considerable managerial effort to create 6.2 MCS OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) Advanced data analysis environment that supports decision making, business modeling, and operations research engine or platform for DSS or Data Warehouse OLAP systems share four main characteristics: Use multidimensional data analysis techniques Provide advanced database support Provide easy-to-use end-user interfaces Support client/server architecture 6.3 MCS OLAP vs OLTP: Online Transactional Processing (OLTP) emphasize speed, security, flexibility, reduce redundancy and abnormalities. Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) multi-dimensional data analysis advanced database support easy-to-use user interface support client/server architecture 6.4 MCS Multidimensional Data Analysis Goal: analyze data from different dimensions and different levels of aggregation 6.7 MCS Multidimensional Data Analysis Techniques Data are processed and viewed as part of a multidimensional structure Particularly attractive to business decision makers Augmented by following functions: Advanced data presentation functions Advanced data aggregation, consolidation and classification functions Advanced computational functions Advanced data modeling functions 6.8 MCS integration OLAP with Spreadsheet 6.9 MCS easy-to-Use End-User Interface Many of interface features are borrowed from previous generations of data analysis tools that are already familiar to end users Makes OLAP easily accepted and readily used 6.10 MCS Client/Server Architecture Provides framework within which new systems can be designed, developed, and implemented Enables OLAP system to be divided into several components that define its architecture OLAP is designed to meet ease-of-use as well as system flexibility requirements 6.11 MCS OLAP Architecture Designed to use both operational and data warehouse data Defined as an advanced data analysis environment that supports decision making, business modeling, and an operations research activities In most implementations, data warehouse and OLAP are interrelated and complementary environments 6.12 MCS Facts Numeric measurements (values) that represent specific business aspect or activity Normally stored in fact table that is center of star schema Fact table contains facts that are linked through their dimensions Metrics are facts computed or derived at run time 6.13 MCS Dimensions: simple star schema 6.14 MCS Attribute Hierarchies in multidimensional analysis 6.15 MCS Star Schema Representation 6.17 MCS Multi-dimensional database 6.18 MCS Star Schema 6.19 Snowflake schema 7.1 Service improvement MCS Outcome Database Center for Medical Service More than fifty community health centers contributed to this database. 547,719 transactions 13 Outcome indicators, 72,541 episodes of treatment, 17,205 patients, 108 therapists, 48 institution 8.1 Statistical Analysis MCS Difference in Clinical Services Improvement: Young and Old patients 8.2 Compare Cancer Incidence of Dublin County to Carlow County from 1996-2000 9.1 Conclusion: A Medical Card is a plastic card, about the size of a credit card, issued by the HSE. People who hold a Medical Card are entitled to a range of Health Services free of charge. In this project, we have seen a change of centralized medical card system with the help of NOSQL and RDBMS changed the service outcome. HSE have Mongo DB which make it suitable for this kind of project is it is Schema-less. A document can have any number of key/value pairs. Instead of using a schema, documents of the same time (for example, documents representing blog posts) all have a similar set of key/value pairs. Second, a database which HSE have here is Neo4j graph database. The reason why they have used Neo4j because it provides OLTP and supports Jason and XLS format. Another reason to use Neo4j is it is Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) operations working on a graph data model. MCS data-model-self-governing and planned to professionally handle accidental, ad hoc queries in an analytical system environment. We are using Mango DB, Neo4j, Oracle, MySQL along with legacy System like MUMS. The Size of the data per week is 1 tetra byte. We have Online replication. HSE have hot backup and full disaster recovery model implemented. HSE have one cold server run in Waterford region which they used as cold backup. HSE policy to store data in multi places so in case of disaster recovery will be easy. The MCS Data Warehouse is an integrated, subject-oriented, time-variant, non-volatile database that provides support for decision making. Usually a read-only database optimized for data analysis and query processing. centralized, consolidated database, periodically updated, never removed. It is Requires time, money, and considerable managerial effort to create. Relationships between DSS/BI was studied in detail along with, database, data management. We have explored the DSS/BI: transforming data into info to support decision making. The MCS (Medical Card System) operational data and DSS/BI data differ from which we have used to test the system. We have explored what data MCS (Medical Card System) warehouse is, how data for it are prepared, and how it is implemented Multidimensional database. The Database technology for BI: OLAP, OLTP. Examples of applications in healthcare. During this project, we were Combining Data Warehouse (OLAP) and GIS.OLAP: handles large data, fast retrieval multidimensional, multilevel aggregation, analyses/data mining on huge complex databases. IS: visualization and spatial analyses. Visualization and Analysis: Charts and Maps + Statistical Analysis. The outcome we have from the MCS Database is we have center for Medical Service More than fifty community health centers contributed to this database. The transaction span to 547,719 transactions. WE have 13 Outcome indicators, 72,541 episodes of treatment, 17,205 patients, 108 therapists, 48 institutions. 9.2 Learned: During completing this project, I have learned following: NOSQL MongoDB, Neo4j Installation and deployment OLTP in detail I have studied Data Warehouse comprehensively I have Learned about Data Analysis such as Statistical Analysis NoSQL and SQL have both their significance depend on what you want to do. It was a great learning curve and extend my horizon about technology There is a lot to learn the especially field in IT things a rapidly changing. RDBMS are good to work but they will not answer for all your IT needs. MongoDB and Neo4j are emerging technologies and best fit for the system like the medical card. During, my lab I have come across the term like horizontal scalability It is the capability of a system, network, or process to cover a rising sum of work, or it is potential to be magnified in rank to accommodate that increase. For object lesson, it can refer to the capability of a system to increase its total output under an increased load when resources (typically hardware) are added. Another, an inserting term I have discovered is a document database. Although it was covered in a lecture but not so clear. Hereafter working and installing it make quite a sense. 9.3 Problems/Issues For MongoDB, it is hard to work on command prompt Download inteleJ IDEA and configured and that will make the job easier. Available online: https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/#section=windows I have tried to install Oracle NOSQL and there were no windows version All process required extra expertise in Linux and Unix and one point I gave up Installing/configuring process in case of MongoDB and Neo4j is very simple and straight forward. Neo4j is quite straight forward to install and work. Once installed the Neo4j you need to look around how to run Neo4j. it is almost hard to run Neo4j on http://127.0.0.1 instead if you run it on http://localhost:7474/browser/ on your browser window. Command structure not so great, as long your system gets complex, the query process of Neo4j is getting complex as well. IT required previous Knowledge of Jason. If there is a problem in query design, Neo4j prompt for the mistake, but if you have query structure problem or logical error there is no error message. Like all technology, you need to memories a lot. There is no toll-like workbench for help. If you have previously worked with RDBMS like oracle or MySQL it will take a while to get a hand on Neo4j. 10.1 Appendix: http://www2.seas.gwu.edu/~bell/csci243/lectures/data_warehousing.pdf http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/schemes/mc/ http://www.hse.ie/eng/ http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/data-analysis.html https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140728161327-51272350-what-is-collection-in-nosql-databases-specifically-in-mongodb https://Neo4j .com/why-graph-databases/ http://www.w3resource.com/mongodb/nosql.php http://www.tutorialspoint.com/Neo4j /Neo4j _features_advantages.htm http://www.itbusinessedge.com/slideshows/top-five-nosql-databases-and-when-to-use-them.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uFY60CESlMlist=PL6gx4Cwl9DGDQ5DrbIl20Zu9hx1IjeVhO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE6G5BX8GG0list=PL1zjgLKnHOtga1W4cdyjxRbliw4-n84hR http://dist.Neo4j .org/Neo4j -manual-1.4.M03.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE6G5BX8GG0list=PL1zjgLKnHOtga1W4cdyjxRbliw4-n84hR

Drama - I wanted to present a convincing portrayal of a wealthy, educated :: Drama

Drama - I wanted to present a convincing portrayal of a wealthy, educated woman who, faced with a extremely distressing, seemingly insurmountable personal problem, sees what looks like a perfect solution, but which ends up driving her to madness. Why Were the Nazis Able to Attempt the Genocide of the Jewish People in the Years1939 to 1945? ==================================================================== How Has the Human Rights Position of the Jews Improved Since 1945? ================================================================== The power of the Nazi State made it difficult to resist and rebel against the Nazis. By 1939 the Nazis had built up an enormous empire and army. The SS were responsible for security of Hitler and leading Nazis. Rudolf Hoess said that, '...the thought of refusing an order just didn't enter one's head, regardless of what kind of order it was.' The SS were completely loyal to Hitler and strictly disciplined. The SS also did work such as manning the concentration camps. The concentration camps were created in 1933 and they were prisons for opposition to the Nazis and people who did not fit in with the Nazis, including the Jews. A special, secret police force was devised in 1936 called the Gestapo. They would catch people if they thought they had said anything wrong about the Nazis, or they were Jewish. Ordinary people were scared of being reported by the SS or Gestapo, so most did nothing to prevent the Holocaust. Many people may have ignored Anti-Semitism because, they agreed with the Nazis on other issues, however some people were actively Anti-Semitic themselves. This tells us that the Nazis had built up a state so powerful and secretive that it was possible to get away with genocide. The wartime emergency made it possible to keep the extermination of the Jews secret, from the majority of the population. A map of Poland and Germany (Source U) shows that all the extermination camps were situated in Poland, away from the German population. Therefore, the Germans may not have known, as they would not be able to see the camps. Also the SS were forced to keep the genocide a secret, in a speech by Himmler he said, '...we will never speak about it in public.' and also 'à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦he would do it again if it were an order and if it were necessary.' The German people were also subjected to Nazi propaganda and control. They would also be worried about food, water and being bombed on, as it was wartime. They were probably worried about themselves. Also Stephen Lee tells that extermination would be kept secret by terms such as, 'resettled', 'evacuated' or 'deported'.

Voting Rates of the American Poor :: Politics

In The Working Poor, David Shipler reports that in the 2000 presidential election only 38 percent of Americans with incomes less than $10,000 voted compared to 75 percent of those with incomes over $75,000. (278) These sorts of statistics are not limited to 2000. In the six elections from 1980 to 2000, the average voter turnout of people in the bottom fifth of the income quintiles was 53 percent, while the top fifth averaged over 80 percent (â€Å"Election Results†). For the bottom fifth, the average household income was under $11,500 during each election year. The top fifth averaged an income close to $118,000 (DeNavas-Walt, et al.). The 2004 election was no different with 55 percent of the votes cast by people with incomes of $50,000 and up. That means over half of the votes cast were by a group that controls 70 percent of the nation’s wealth. In every election since 1964, when these statistics were first recorded, the South has had a lower voter turnout than the other three major regions. The South has also consistently had the highest poverty rate of the four regions. On average, there is a twenty-five to thirty percentage-point gap between the turnouts of the lowest and highest income quintiles in the United States (Cevrantes and Gluckman). Though it is clear the poor generally don’t vote, the reasons for this are not so clear. Education seems to be biggest factor. Less than 40 percent of citizens without a high school degree voted in the 2000 election, compared with an 80 percent turnout for those with an advanced degree. The percentages rise with more education. A connection to poverty can be drawn when considering that over 13 percent of workers without a high school degree are in poverty, compared with only about 1 percent of workers with a college degree. It should be noted these statistics concern only workers, and not the unemployed. As a United States census report noted, â€Å"Those with a high school education or less were more likely than those with more education to respond that they were not interested in the election or felt their vote would not make a difference.† Even more significant among the poor than the feeling that their vote will not make a difference is the feeling their vote may not be counted. Claims of voting irregularities, true or not, often keep the poor away from the polls. A large bloc of poor Americans disenfranchise themselves out of the fear of being disenfranchised. With a mindset that their vote will just be erased after leaving, the poor avoid Voting Rates of the American Poor :: Politics In The Working Poor, David Shipler reports that in the 2000 presidential election only 38 percent of Americans with incomes less than $10,000 voted compared to 75 percent of those with incomes over $75,000. (278) These sorts of statistics are not limited to 2000. In the six elections from 1980 to 2000, the average voter turnout of people in the bottom fifth of the income quintiles was 53 percent, while the top fifth averaged over 80 percent (â€Å"Election Results†). For the bottom fifth, the average household income was under $11,500 during each election year. The top fifth averaged an income close to $118,000 (DeNavas-Walt, et al.). The 2004 election was no different with 55 percent of the votes cast by people with incomes of $50,000 and up. That means over half of the votes cast were by a group that controls 70 percent of the nation’s wealth. In every election since 1964, when these statistics were first recorded, the South has had a lower voter turnout than the other three major regions. The South has also consistently had the highest poverty rate of the four regions. On average, there is a twenty-five to thirty percentage-point gap between the turnouts of the lowest and highest income quintiles in the United States (Cevrantes and Gluckman). Though it is clear the poor generally don’t vote, the reasons for this are not so clear. Education seems to be biggest factor. Less than 40 percent of citizens without a high school degree voted in the 2000 election, compared with an 80 percent turnout for those with an advanced degree. The percentages rise with more education. A connection to poverty can be drawn when considering that over 13 percent of workers without a high school degree are in poverty, compared with only about 1 percent of workers with a college degree. It should be noted these statistics concern only workers, and not the unemployed. As a United States census report noted, â€Å"Those with a high school education or less were more likely than those with more education to respond that they were not interested in the election or felt their vote would not make a difference.† Even more significant among the poor than the feeling that their vote will not make a difference is the feeling their vote may not be counted. Claims of voting irregularities, true or not, often keep the poor away from the polls. A large bloc of poor Americans disenfranchise themselves out of the fear of being disenfranchised. With a mindset that their vote will just be erased after leaving, the poor avoid

Anne Fausto-Sterling’s “The Five Sexes”

Exploring the Social Standards of Sex and Gender There are several sources that tell a person how to be a man or woman. Science tells us by recognizing the X or Y chromosomes. The media shows us through the physically ideal celebrities that grace the covers of magazines and flaunt their bodies in commercials. Sports, wrestling, cars, and blue for the boys. Dresses, make-up, painted nails, and pink for the girls. All of these sources, as well as others, have evolved into an expectation that has become institutionalized within society.This expectation, is placement and belonging into the binary system of person: the man or the woman. In Anne Fausot-Sterling's acrticles â€Å"The Five Sexes† and the â€Å"The Five Sexes, Revisited†, the binary system is exposed as being faulted. The author explores the harsh physical and psychological costs that come with the conforming to social standards. In order to understand this phenomena, an explanation of the â€Å"ideal† bo dy, and how that is determined is needed. Also, an explanation of any deviation to what is â€Å"ideal†, and how those people are treated, are important in understanding society's standards of sex and gender.Fausto-Sterling explains the ideal make-up of a man and a woman. â€Å"Males have an X and a Y chromosome, testes, a penis and all of the appropriate internal plumbing for delivering urine and semen to the outside world. They also have well-known secondary sexual characteristics, including a muscular build and facial hair. Women have two X chromosomes, ovaries, all of the internal plumbing to transport urine and ova to the outside world, a system to support pregnancy and fetal development†¦ †. (â€Å"The Five Sexes, Revisited†2). In the idealized world, Fausto-Sterling points out how human beings are a â€Å"dimorphic species†, that is, two kinds. Science takes into account the biological DNA sequence of chromosomes to determine male or female. T he genitalia of a person, his/her biological parts, are the visible factors. This is reinforced by the celebrities whose ideal bodies' are worshiped by society. But what about people who fall in between? Besides the genders male and female, there is also intersexed. Within that group of intersexed, there are subgroups.Fausto-Sterling explains this in her â€Å"The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female are Not Enough†: Firstly, the term â€Å"intersex† is used in medical literature to describe the â€Å"so-called true hermaphrodite† (possesses one testis and one ovary), â€Å"the male pseudohermaphrodite† (possess testes and some aspects of the female genitalia, but no ovaries), and â€Å"female pseudohermaphadites† (possess ovaries and some aspects of the male genitalia but lack testes). I had no idea that there were subgroups to the â€Å"intersexed†.Due to social conformity, along with the advancement of technology and surgical procedure interse xed persons are aimed to be â€Å"fixed† at birth. Although otherwise healthy, there is a need to perform surgery on the baby in order to remove certain sexual organs that don't fit with the perfect idea of what a girl or boy should look like. This often leaves scars, and the psychological and emotional confusion along with it. â€Å"The Five Sexes Revisited† focused on the importance of therapy over surgery. Medical ethicist Laurence B.McCullough of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor Collefe of Medicine in Houston, Texas â€Å"contend[ed] that in the process of assigning gender, physicians should minimize what he calls irreversible assignments: taking steps such as the surgical removal or modification of gonads or genitalia that the patient may one day want to have reversed†. (4) It is a dangerous gamble to perform â€Å"corrective† surgery and assign a sex shortly after birth because although that child may grow to accept his/her gender identity, there is no guarantee.The consequences of that gamble can cost the patient a lifetime of psychological trauma. The debate on the dangers/benefits of â€Å"corrective† surgery is strong no both sides. To argue in favor of it, one must remember how it was growing up. Children, more-so than adults, want to fit it. There really is, however, a yearning to fit in as a child growing up. As an intersexed child, fitting in would be nearly impossible because of his/her confusion of self.Sterling's insights on what pushed people to surgically alter themselves in order to comply to what society has determined to be â€Å"ideal†. The media constantly reinforces what a man should look like and what a woman should look like, and these, sometimes unrealistic, notions of ideal bodies, distorts people. It reflects how society forces people into a box, and judges anyone who do not fit into that box. These dilemmas stem from a society flawed sense of standard genders, and why a five sex system is a refreshing suggestion.Anne Fausto-Sterling's notion of a five sex system stems from the culture in which we live. There is a cultural idea that mandates that there are only two standards, man and woman, and everything in between is a deviation that needs to be fixed. In â€Å"The Five Sexes, Revisited†, Fausto-Sterling makes an analogy to the placement of intersexed and transgendered people. She says that â€Å"masculine and feminine, cannot be parsed as some kind of continuum. Rather, sex and gender are best conceptualized as points in a multidimensional space†.5) This is a fitting way to look at gender variation, unfortunately however, that is not the way society sees as the standard. This standard has been institutionalized within modern culture, and begins immediately at birth, and continues throughout life. Newborns are given a blue blanket if a boy, and a pink one if a girl. Bathrooms are either for men, or for women, with a cartoon fi gure to represent each. Passports, birth certificates, driver licenses, and other official documents, all require a declaration of male or female. There are no in-betweens.While the introduction of five sexes is certainly a noble idea, its practicality is limited. In Fausto-Sterling's â€Å"The Five Sexes Revisited†, the author postulated that 1. 7% of the general population is intersexed. That being said, introducing five sexes would call for a revamping of the infrastructures and institutions that were built on the binary system of sex and gender. The process would be costly and timely. Introducing the five sexes institutionally may seem out of reach, at least within the foreseeable future, however, its recognition certainly is not.Accepting the five sexes is progress. It can be comparable to the institutionalization of segregation in the United States. Segregation, the separation of black and white, was so embedded into the culture and laws of the United States that nobody ever imagined it would be done with. But through the determination of civil rights movements, segregation became illegal. Through the same determination, LGBQT would be able to achieve the same sense of acceptance, but it won't happen overnight, and probably not even in our lifetime.