Sociology And Mental Illness - 2832 Words

Sara Sims Sociology of Health and Health Care Research Paper April 26, 2015 Sociology and the Stigmatization of Mental Illness Although it isn’t something that people in society thinks about daily, mental illness is stigmatized all the time. People may think that they don’t think badly about those with mental illness, but those people may be stigmatizing mental illness more than they realize. Recently, there has been a home put into a neighborhood of mine for people with mental illness. Since the neighborhood found out about this home, there were voiced concerns, many with inaccurate information about those with mental illness. Many of the concerns were that these people would would be dangerous, or loud, or that it would make the neighborhood look bad having â€Å"crazy people† living on the block. Another example is a time I was in Drum Corps. Drum Corps is like professional marching band, and my corps went to church every Sunday. One particular Sunday, we went to a beautiful church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the service went o n, people in my corps noticed a man sitting near us who was talking, rather loudly, to himself about God. It was almost as if he felt he was talking to God. Many of the people around me were making fun of the man, and speaking bad about him, not only during the church service, but throughout the day. They were stigmatizing his mental illness. People fear and shun what they do not know, and therefore stigmatize. What is mental illnessShow MoreRelatedThe Sociology Of Health And Mental Illness3181 Words   |  13 PagesDissertation Supervisor: Professor Paul Higgs Submitted: Tuesday, 13 January 2015 A Tale of Two Asylums: Reviewing the context and influences of two theorists, Michel Foucault and Erving Goffman, on the sociology of health and mental illness. Word count: 3,132 John Goulder! 1 ï ¿ ¼Introduction: Mental Health as Disparate Social Object Antipsychiatry was as much a cultural phenomenon as an academic or institutional one. Whilst the work of Laing (1960) and Szasz (1960) can be rooted in the Fruedo-MarxistRead MoreThe Psychology Of Mental Illness1410 Words   |  6 Pagesusually goes hand in hand with mental illness, as people who are considered mentally ill will then be considered as deviant, since it is contemplated not a norm. Sociologists have paid close attention to different concepts of mental illness and how it fits in with sociology. The focus on women and the idea of mental illness is a fairly new phenomenon and a lot of research and models have taken place by sociologists throughout time to find out why women experience mental illness more than men. Social causesRead MoreThomas J. Dodd Research Study Sample746 Words   |  3 PagesThis study is centered around undergraduate and graduate students between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. The undergraduate and graduate students from psychology and sociology c lasses at the University of Connecticut are recruited to participate in a self-report survey. A random sample of 240 students will be acquired, 120 males and 120 females. These students will range from different races, ethnicities, and socio-economic background. The participants will first be clustered based on gender, thenRead MoreSociology and Healthcare Essays1578 Words   |  7 PagesSociology and Healthcare Health-care is a sociological institution within the American Culture. Health-care has many different aspects that pertain to patients, care givers and governmental approach to supply healthcare to all citizens. Sociology is the â€Å"scientific study of social behavior and human groups.† (Schaefer, 2009) Sociology plays a large role in how Americans look at our health-care systems and approach health and illness in one’s own life. Health-care has many different definitionsRead MoreThe Psychology Of Mental Illness1177 Words   |  5 PagesWhen it comes to mental illness, I have the point of view of someone who is training to be a health care professional. During my past clinical experience as a nursing student at the Alberta Hospital Edmonton, I was immersed in an environment filled with individuals who were acutely mentally ill, and two of these individuals were my patients. While â€Å"The Sociology of Mental Illness† is an excellent source of information about mental illness in the context of sociology, based on my experience at AlbertaRead MoreSocial Stigma And Self Stigma Of Mental Illness1385 Words   |  6 Pagesfor the upcoming integrative project. This topic is the social stigma that is behind seeking-mental help among individuals in North America. Stigmatization can have a severe effect on the likelihood that an individual will seek services. The topic was selected due to an interest as to h ow public stigma and self-stigma may play a role or how they may interfere with one’s decision-making of seeking mental health services. Even though the consequences of not seeking the counselling may be severe. ItRead MoreHealth And Illness Are Terms That Are Commonly Interlinked,1264 Words   |  6 Pages Health and illness are terms that are commonly interlinked, and offer a topic of discussion that involves different definitions and viewpoints. For example, health can refer to physical wellness or mental stability. On the other hand, it can be used in non-medical terms, including referring to the health of a country’s economy, or the health of the education system (Kirby, 1997). Due to the varying uses and complexity of the two words, multiple definitions have been established and criticizedRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 1734 Words   |  7 Pageswhich our modern healthcare system has improved and grown in the last five decades. This inc ludes the following areas of healthcare: the need for a healthcare reform, the lack of healthy doctor-patient relationships, and the murky definition of mental illness. Healthcare Reform Throughout history there has been a veil of mystery surrounding what truly goes on inside of asylums. This idea is illustrated clearly in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest on multiple occasions. One example can be seen whenRead MoreOverview of Suicide Essay1141 Words   |  5 Pagesthose have some sort of mental disorder or substance abuse problem and 15% of those who took their own life were clinically depressed and at one point did reach out for help. As the third leading cause in north america Suicide is most common between 15-24 year old. however any age people can result in taking their own life The three social sciences Anthropology, Sociology, and Psychology all take part in theories and complexes of suicide. Starting off with sociology. Sociology is the scientific studyRead MoreMedicine And Social Control, Barbara And John Ehrenreich918 Words   |  4 Pagesthe 1960s, consumers demonstrated their concerns for obtaining more social services, especially within the health system. In the essay Medicine and Social Control, Barbara and John Ehrenreich draws attention to the sociology of health and medicine. Ehrenreich claims that more mental health services there are, the more social control are given to these agencies (1, Ehrenreich, CC 2015 p. 185). Thus, individuals are giving up their autonomy and decisions to a higher authority. In this case, Ehrenreich

Essay about The Obesity Epidemic Fast-food Companies Are...

Obesity has become an epidemic in today’s society. Today around 50% of America is now considered to be over weight. Fast-food consumption has been a major contributor to the debate of the twenty-first century. Chapter thirteen, titled â€Å"Is Fast-Food the New Tobacco,† in the They Say I Say book, consists of authors discussing the debate of fast-food’s link to obesity. Authors debate the government’s effects on the fast-food industry, along with whether or not the fast-food industry is to blame for the rise in obesity throughout America. While some people blame the fast food industry for the rise in obesity, others believe it is a matter of personal responsibility to watch what someone eats and make sure they get the proper exercise. Best†¦show more content†¦Balko believes that instead of people blaming the fast food companies, people need to be responsible enough to understand that fast food is not healthy for some people to eat regularly. The author explains how the government wants to intervene in the struggle against obesity when there is no need for them to do so. Balko proposes that instead of wasting money trying to fight obesity, the government should simply reward those who have the willpower to stay away from fast food and manage their own health. Balko believes that the government should reward these people through the healthcare system (158). Zinczenko and Balko represent the 2 sides of the argument over fast food. Political activist Yves Engler’s article â€Å"Obesity: Much of the Responsibility Lies with Corporations,† blames corporate capitalism for the obesity of children. Engler urges the government to put tighter limits on fast-food marketing not allowing them to reach the youth of America. Also Engler proposes that availability of junk food in the school system should decrease. Engler writes about how the government could help the obesity rate in children by creating more parks and funding physical education programs in public schools. Engler and Zinczenko both talk about the government’s ability to intervene in the fast-food industry, and both offer valid solutions. Engler talks about theShow MoreRelatedFast Food and Childhood Obesity Essay1335 Words   |  6 PagesAdvertisement and Childhood Obesity ENGL/101-B25 Would you feed your children lard? The answer for most all of us is â€Å"No Way†. Most parents can safely say that they want healthy choices for their children and would never want to give them something that is bad for them. However, with many of the foods on fast food menus this is not far from the truth. We have all heard the statement that childhood obesity is on the rise, and has been for quite some time now. We have seen the heartbreaking storiesRead MoreObesity Epidemic : A Growing Problem Within Our Population861 Words   |  4 Pages The obesity epidemic Americans face today is a growing problem within our population. With serious health issues associated with obesity, it is a problem that needs to be addressed and changed. While fast foods have been around for a long time, many people claim that fast food places are to blame. Each day people turn to fast food for a quick meal, wether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even snacks. As fast foods begin to expand and progress throughout the world, people especially in the UnitedRead MoreFast Food And The Obesity Epidemic933 Words   |  4 PagesFast –food Industries are to be Blame for Obesity Visualize the world somewhere a school-age child can step out of his school and walk into a McDonalds. Fast-food causes an array of problems in your body. The food is often high in sugar, fat, and calories while providing very few nutrients. The obesity epidemic Americans face today is a growing problem that affects more than half of the population with growing body sizes and serious medical problems associated with obesity. It is a problem thatRead MoreChildhood Obesity Analysis1473 Words   |  6 PagesParents Child Caretakers Obesity in America is literally a growing problem, affecting every age group. Children are the most venerable group because they have no control over where they have dinner or how often they have fast food. Parents and guardians make decisions about food and are responsible for the health of children. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the last twenty years. This is concerning because Type Two diabetes is a horrible, crippling disease that is affecting childrenRead MoreEssay on The Obesity Epidemic 1247 Words   |  5 Pagesno one state with an obesity rate lower than 20%? Take this information and compare it to twenty years ago when every state had an obesity rate lower than 15%. Obesity has become not only the number one cause in death, but according to David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men’s Health and author of â€Å"Don’t Blame the Eater†, it is the number one cost in health care with numbers rising well over 100 billion dollars a year (196). There are many people we could blame, such as the food industry or the governmentRead MoreObesity in America909 Words   |  4 Pages When discussing the issue of obesity in America, it seems to be that there is plenty of blame to go around and most of that blame falls on fast food companies. When searching for a concrete answer to the question used as my title, you will find none because there isn’t one. When asked this simple question, it is easy to blame the obesity problem on fast food considering 8 out of 10 Americans consume fast food according to a report done by the Huffington Post. But after doing more research you willRead MoreChildhood Obesity Is Not Just An Issue That American1535 Words   |  7 PagesChildhood obesity is not just an issue that American’s are dealing with—it has become an epidemic. Today, about one in three American kids and teens are overweight or obese. Most Americans blame fast food companies for the rise in childhood obesity w hich has tripled in the past 70 years. American citizens point their fingers at fast food franchises because of the increasing rate of childhood obesity; Americans do not realize that it is most likely the parents who are to blame because parents areRead MoreObesity : Childhood Obesity Epidemic1418 Words   |  6 Pagesarticle â€Å"There is no Childhood Obesity Epidemic† discussed the there is a â€Å"stunning† drop in childhood obesity rate. He claims that obesity rates among two to five year olds have plunged over the past decade, and that the so called â€Å"obesity epidemic† had ended. I strongly disagree with Campos view that there is no childhood obesity epidemic, this is due to the researches that was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which shows that childhood obesity has more than doubled in childrenRead MoreAnalysis Of DonT Blame The Eater By David Zinczenco1057 Words   |  5 PagesThe New York Times has published an article, à ¢â‚¬ËœDont Blame the Eater’, by David Zinczenco, in which the author claims that obese people are not completely at blame for their health implications, but, big corporations and fast food restaurants have a big part in this obesity epidemic. Although Zinczenco does not say so directly, he apparently assumes that the fast food industry is completely at fault for the growing health issues in children, including diabetes. Throughout his article, he makes itRead MoreObesity: A Threat to American Citizens1654 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The issue of obesity has become one of the latest challenges that the USA is struggling with. This struggle cuts across many of the food manufactures, restaurant chains as well as chefs and all the people and organizations related to the food industry. Peoples feeling tend to be really mixed up. Fatness is always a situation that may be loathed and on the other hand a condition to be accepted by some, though it can be a medical contagion, it as well tends to be somebodys choice of

Rerajahan Balinese Sacred Drawing Essay Example For Students

Rerajahan: Balinese Sacred Drawing Essay Balinese Sacred Drawing by Sitar Ways Religious symbols, icons, or signs can be found in surprisingly numerous numbers in Bali. Surprisingly? Since they are perfectly interwoven in everyday Balinese life, one hardly realizes their existence. Some religious symbol can easily be recognized, for example Reaching. Reaching is the most obvious and easily recognized Balinese religious symbol. What is reaching? Reaching is a drawing of sacred characters or images on a piece of cloth, metal plate, pottery, leaf, fruit, wood, weapon, basket or skin. The drawing of the reaching can be categorized into 11 groups: 1 Drawing of holy characters (vicars) or short incantation 2. Drawing of sun, star or moon combines with holy characters 3, Drawing of flower, especially lotus flower with holy characters on its petals 4. Drawing of animals such as tiger, crocodile, lion, snake or dragon 5. Drawing of human or part of human body 6. Drawing to distorted human body such as human with animal head, animal with human head, or human without head 7. Drawing of gods and goddesses, with their weapons and vehicles. Drawing of distorted gods or goddesses or in their angry personifications. G, Drawing of gods weapons combines with holy characters. 10. Drawing of demons, spirit or strange creatures; sometimes equipped with their weapons, II, Drawing of sacred buildings Various Purpose Reaching serves various purposes range from inviting the gods to descend to mortal world to harming or killing the enemy. Basically, the functions of reaching can be categorized as follow I _ to get protection and magical power from the god that is drawn in the reaching for example the power to prevent main 2. To purify the body and soul 3. o enhance the spiritual power of someone or something 4. To get a unique talent or power, for example ability to run fast or can not be seen 5. To get sympathy or admiration from other 6. To drive away pestilence, or bad luck 7. To protect the house compound, rice field, village or children 8. To prevent or negate physical or magical attack from the enemy g. To harm or kill the en emy In order to fulfill these various functions the reaching have to be invested with a power. A powerful reaching is made on an auspicious day with specific offerings and of course a qualified reaching maker. After the drawing process is finished the reaching is invested with magical power by its maker by using Upstate mantra (upstate incantation). [pick How to use it How to use a reaching? Reaching is used in many ways, reaching that is used for protecting house compound or rice field are usually buried in the ground in the middle of house compound or rice field, and some protective reaching are also hung or attached on the gate or part of the house Some reaching re inserted in a belt, draw on a t-shirt, or swallowed. Swallowing reaching is considered the most dangerous method since Balinese believe that reaching is alive and sometimes can control or harm the user when he or she is not in a good condition. For Balinese, using With reaching is a dangerous thing to do since it involves strong magical power and also invested with unknown risks. Besides using reaching is just a way to achieve something and Of course, there are many other better to achieve it with much less risks.

 The State of the World Today Essay Example

  The State of the World Today Essay I will introduce this project by attempting to answer the question: What is wrong with the world today? If were to ask this question to an ancient Greek the answer that you would be given would be something of the lines of Pandora. If you were to then ask them why they might reply that she was the person who opened the box and released envy, anger, intolerance, greed, racism, discrimination, drug addiction and lust into the world amongst other problems into the world which can harm the rest of mankind. Since Pandora herself was a mortal human, all of the problems that affect us in the world today are caused by here and hence the human race. This is still a true belief today and is the one that I take. For example there were a total of 1, 059, 913 offences of violence against the person recorded by UK police in 2005/2006. All of these crimes have been committed by humans and so humanity can be blamed for all of the violence which takes part in the world. Most fraud and deception is caused by humans as is theft. The following lyrics are from where is the Love? by the Black Eyed Peas and I believe that it demonstrates how badly the world is messed up as a result of humanity. We will write a custom essay sample on   The State of the World Today specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on   The State of the World Today specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on   The State of the World Today specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer But if you only have love for your own race Then you only leave space to discriminate And to discriminate only generates hate And when you hate then youre bound to get irate, yeah Madness is what you demonstrate And thats exactly how anger works and operates Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight Take control of your mind and meditate Let your soul gravitate to the love, yall, yall It just aint the same, always unchanged New days are strange, is the world insane If love and peace is so strong Why are there pieces of love that dont belong Nations droppin bombs Chemical gasses fillin lungs of little ones With ongoin sufferin as the youth die young So ask yourself is the lovin really gone So I could ask myself really what is goin wrong In this world that we livin in people keep on givin in Makin wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends Not respectin each other, deny thy brother A war is goin on but the reasons undercover The truth is kept secret, its swept under the rug If you never know truth then you never know love However, there are those people who would consider the role of man on natural suffering e.g. poverty as a result of drought in Africa. I acquiesce that whilst humanity can not be blamed for this suffering, most of us (humanity) arent doing anything to alleviate this poverty and hence are just as bad. Yo, whatever happened to the values of humanity Whatever happened to the fairness in equality Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity People killin, people dyin Children hurt and you hear them cryin Can you practice what you preach And would you turn the other cheek Father, Father, Father help us Send us some guidance from above Cause people got me, got me questionin Where is the love Section A: The Environment Q1) Why do religious believers think that they should care for the environment and promote its conservation? A1) In the Judeo-Christian account of creation [Genesis] we are told that whilst Man has dominion over all other plants and animals we also have stewardship of the earth and thus we must look after it. As the Earth is believed to have been created by God, it is therefore sacred. Hence by harming the Earth (by not looking after it) we are effectively harming God. The Nicene Creed also takes a similar line to the message concealed within Genesis as it starts with the words God, Father, Almighty is the maker of heaven and Earth More recently, the World Council of Churches declared that The dignity of nature as a creation has to be bound up with our responsibility for the preservation of it. This shows Christians that because like you and me, nature itself is a created entity it too like you and me should be respected and it is hence our responsibility to care and conserve it. Christians also apply the 10 commandments to their reasoning for the conservation of the environment. One of the commandments given to Man by God was Thou shalt not kill Christians realise that if they do not care for the environment they will not be preventing the unnecessary deaths of animals and plant life and hence going against the commandment given to them by God and hence going against his will which is bad thing. Hinduism also teaches the importance of the preservation of the Earth. If there is but one tree of fruit and flowers within a village, that place is worthy of your respect [Mahabharata]. The above quotation demonstrates that trees are most important form of plant life and hence should be treated with respect. Hindus also believe that trees possess atman (soul) and hence they should not be killed as this will generate negative karma. The concept of karma also often persuades Hindus to care for and preserve the environment. Hindus believe in samsara (a cycle of birth, death and the rebirth). For this reason doing good things in their current life will build up positive karma and hence will increase their chances of being reborn as something pleasant (assuming that they dont reach nirvana). However, doing something bad e.g. murder or theft will build up negative karma and will hence decrease your chances of being reborn as something pleasant. The Bhagavad Gita also teaches the importance of environmental conservation. For, so sustained by sacrifice, the gods will give you the food of your desire. Whoso enjoys their gift, yet gives nothing, is a thief, no more no less As all food originally comes from the earth, we can be said to be enjoying the gift of our desires. However, whilst it is difficult to give something back to the Earth (except through agriculture), the least we can do is protect it. If we fail to do that, Hindus believe, then we may be called thieves and that will build up negative karma. In the Assisi Declaration of 2002, The Hindu statement on the Environment was The human role isnt separate from nature. All objects in the universe are governed by the same spiritual force Unlike in Christianity, Hindus are told that we have no dominance over the Earth and hence must respect it like others respect us. Q2) What conflicts can arise for religious believers between uses of land and water (including the destruction of natural habitats)? A2) In India, the governments plans to build large scale reservoirs have had to be put on hold many times in the past due to opposition from Hindus. The problem is that in order to build these reservoirs, the surrounding countryside including trees and animals will have to be destroyed. This is disagreeable to Hindus because it goes against the principle of Ahimsa (non violence) and against some of the teachings mentioned in the Mahabharata. However, Water is an essential for life and so the confusion arises. Christians would also have problems with the building of dams. As wildlife and trees would have to be destroyed it would go against one of the 10 commandment and the message about stewardship conveyed to Christians in Genesis. However, they can not deny that water is necessary to sustain life and so they have a dilemma. Q3) What are the religious responses to animal rights and the means of protecting those rights? A3) For Christians the viewpoint on this topic is very clear and simple. One of the 10 commandments given to them by God is thou shalt not kill. This can be expanded and combined with the idea of the sanctity of life (also believed in by Christians) it can be expanded to thou shalt not harm other creatures. Furthermore as according to the Genesis account of creation [Bible], all creatures were created by God and so are special to him in one way or another and so by haring animals, Christians may feel as though they are harming and insulting God. In terms of the methods for conserving animal rights, Christians prefer the method of Non-violent protest. They would not usually opt for violence because it goes against agape (unconditional love for your brethren), the 2nd great commandment given by Jesus (love your neighbour as you would yourself). Furthermore if the violent protests resulted in death then Christians would be seen to be going against the thou shalt not kill commandment. Non-violent protest avoids all of the aforementioned problems but still allows for the message to be portrayed powerfully. Hinduism also takes a clear stance on this issue. Hinduism condemns any form of violence to any sentient being (including animals) and through that preaches ahimsa. Furthermore by hurting animals Hindus believe that they are only building negative karma for themselves which will in turn affect their chances of a good rebirth in the cycle of samsara. A final reason is the idea of vahanas. Hindus believe that every god and goddess has their own vahana. A vahana is an animal that the deity uses to travel around the universe (e.g. the vahana of Lord Ganesh is a rat) and hence these animals are regarded as being sacred. Therefore, by harming these animals (there are many of them as there are many deities in Hinduism); Hindus may say that you are harming God which would build up negative karma and affect the cycle of samsara. Like Christianity, Hinduism believes that the best way to conserve the rights of animals is through non-violent protests. As I have already mentioned, Hinduism preaches Ahimsa (non-violence) because violence generates negative karma. Through non-violent protests these problems can be solved because the message of the important of the conservation of animal rights can still be portrayed powerfully. Q4) What are the differing religious responses to vegetarianism? A4) Christians are not 100% sure on the issue of vegetarianism as through religious scriptures and teachings, two different views can be established. According to the Judaeo-Christian account of creation [Genesis, Bible], Man has dominion over all other creatures on Earth. Hence some Christians would argue that since the human race is superior, we should be allowed to eat the flesh of whatever animal we wish. However, the 10 commandments seem to portray a different message. One of these commandments is Thou shalt not kill. Usually you will only eat meat once the animal is dead and usually the animal has to be slaughtered by man. Therefore, it goes against the Commandment and hence Gods divine will. However, unlike in Christianity, there is no dilemma which arises from this issue. To kill animals in Hinduism you will not be practicing ahimsa. Secondly as most animals are sacred to certain deities (vahanas), killing them may be viewed as an attempt at attacking God. This will build up negative karma which in turn will affect the chances of a person being reborn as something prosperous. Section B: World Poverty Q1) What reasons do religious believers give for caring for the poor? A1) Christians use 4 teachings to justify their reasons for caring for the poor. The first of these is the second of the great commandments taught by Jesus. Love your neighbour as you would yourself This shows Christians that ball people are equal and should be treated the same and hence should in an ideal world be of equal wealth. The second principle is agape. This is Greek word which symbolises unconditional love for fellow brethren. Hence by helping the poor Christians feel that they are showing love and hence are upholding the principle of agape which is a good thing and also links in with the third of the teachings, the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are found at the beginning portion of the Sermon of the Mount. In the Beatitudes, Christians are told that when we help people that are less fortunate than themselves, they will be praised by God, store riches up for themselves in heaven and hence go to heaven. The final teaching can be found in the Bible as well, It is impossible to serve both God and Money Therefore, by helping the poor you would by obeying Gods will and hence obeying him you would instead be building up riches for yourself. This in turn would increase your chances of going to heaven after you died. Buddhists also preach the importance of helping the poor. Karuna is one of the values for which Buddhism is widely admired for. It means Compassion. Hence Buddhists feel that through helping the poor they are showing compassion and hence building up positive karma for themselves. Buddhists accept that the only way to end all suffering (4 Noble Truths) is through the Noble Eightfold Path. 2 of the 8 folds are Right Action and Right Livelihood. Helping the poor can be seen as fulfilling both of these folds and hence it will help be rid of all of their suffering and help them reach Nirvana which can be described as a sense of total peace. Q2) How do religious believers care for those in need? A2) There are many ways in which religious believers can care for the poor although most of these methods arent too different from those which would be used by non-religious believers. Some people will give money, food or other material objects to the poor in the belief that they can use it to help increase their quality of life. However, the danger with this materialistic approach is that those who are in poverty may remain dependant on other peoples donations and will not seek their own way at attempting to improve their lives. A better approach to helping the poor would be through providing services e.g. free education to the poor. This is better because the poor are being taught the skills that they will need in order to find a job with a decent wage and help lift themselves out of poverty. Some people who are unable to help provide services or materialistic possessions can still provide and share their love simply by praying and fundraising. Q3) Explain the work of a religious organisation which alleviates world poverty A3) The Karuna Trust is a Buddhist Organisation in India which assists dalits (previously known as untouchables under Indias age-old caste system). The charity has had to split its resources into four main areas such is the poorness of the quality of life of these people. The main branches of the organisations assistance are: Education, Healthcare, Culture and Self-dependence. The Karuna Trust believes that the best way for people to regain control of their lives and climb up the social ladder as it is through education that people can gain the necessary skills to get new jobs and hence earn more money. As a result of this belief, the Karuna Trust is currently supporting 72 kindergartens, literacy classes for women, hostels for the poorest of the poor to complete their education and a wide range of after school extracurricular activities. Currently over 150 million people still die a year due to a lack of access to free healthcare In response to this problem, one of the most important projects supported by the Karuna trust is the Pune Project which brings primary health care to some of Punes 700,000 slum-dwellers. Health workers concentrate on vaccination, family planning and prevention of malnutrition using low-cost and simple methods. On top of the Pune project, the Karuna Trust is also currently supporting the Nagpur healthcare project and a clinic in Indias Dapodi district. One of the Trusts aims is to help people live happier more fully human lives [Patron: Dame Judi Dench]. According to the Karuna culture is the best way to achieve this aim. Consequently Karuna is supporting a performing arts project called the Asvagosha Project. Teams of project workers visit villages demonstrating the arts of story-telling, play-making and song-writing. Their performances address the most pressing social issues facing dalit communities such as dowry weddings, and the benefits of education for girls and women. They also train the teachers in the hostels and kindergartens to run story telling and music classes. As well as the Asvagosha project, Karuna is also currently supporting a wide range of after school sport and craft activities. Karuna also aims to enable people to become self sufficient. Instead of giving material help, which might give rise to an attitude of dependency, they try to create situations where people can come together to find common solutions to their own difficulties. As a solution to this the Karuna trust is currently supporting 14 sewing classes, 3 shops, 2 horticultural and agricultural products and many other social work training schemes. Conclusion To conclude this project I shall attempt to answer the question: Is there anything really wrong with the world today? I believe that the answer to this question is both yes and no. I believe that it is yes in the sense that there are still thousands of people needlessly dying each day, beautiful countryside views are being destroyed by office blocks and we are slowly killing the earth with our CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. However, I also believe that the answer is no as there are many charitable organizations that attempt to alleviate suffering in the world. I have already talked about the Karuna trust which is tackling the plight of the dalits in India. The United Nations has on many occasions stopped wars and promoted peace. Charities such as Oxfam are trying to supply the people of the drought stricken parts of Africa with basic needs such as clean drinking water. All in all I believe that the world is almost perfect and what goes around comes around. The perfectionisms of the world arent always apparent but when love is present they are always visible.

The Government of The Roman Empire

The Government of The Roman Empire Free Online Research Papers The Romans did not have a complex vision of government. Their philosophy and implementation of rule was quite simple. They believed that government should cover two broad categories of control: settling disputes between communities or individuals, and assembling men, goods, or money – jurisdiction and exaction. This philosophy would allow for the little bureaucratic involvement by the empire in the daily affairs of Romans and that of Rome’s conquered peoples. The Romans ruled conquered nations by the Polis, the same standards that they ruled themselves by. Aristotle claimed that the best model for the Polis was the very nature of a good friendship. The Polis precedes the individual; that it is the family, the original polis, and the social group from which our natures as individuals, as mother, father, friend, teacher, arise. He claimed that virtue is the middle ground between excesses, a balance point. What must be practiced in order to be virtuous is anger at the right objects: anger at injustice, for instance, is proper. Rage is not virtuous because it is excessive and uncontrolled. Courage is virtue at the balance point between heedlessness and cowardice, which are both excessive forms of the same thing. The developed Polis depends on friendly relations among members, and lasting friendly relations depend on virtue. The Roman Empire recognized three distinct forms of rule and order: magistrate, a roman government official; soldier, highly respected for their rigorous training, long amounts of marching, fighting in precise formations, and ability to kill their opponent; master of the household, the head male figure of the household. All activity in the empire can be linked with one of these roles. This again relates to the natural order that the Polis teaches both in political and philosophical practice. Rome has also been accused of bureaucracy on the grounds that they took excellent written records of events as they occurred. From taking the minutes of a court hearing or government meetings to the accumulation of archives Romans understood the importance of keeping accurate records. However, virtuosity in the public service should not be confused with professionalism. Research Papers on The Government of The Roman EmpireBringing Democracy to AfricaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoQuebec and CanadaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andStandardized TestingIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalCapital Punishment

Biography of Douglas MacArthur, 5-Star American General

Biography of Douglas MacArthur, 5-Star American General Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880–April 5, 1964) was a soldier in World War I, the senior commander in the Pacific theater during World War II, and the Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command during the Korean War. He retired as a highly-decorated five-star general, although fairly ignominiously relieved of his duty by President Harry S. Truman on April 11, 1951. Fast Facts: Douglas MacArthur Known For: American 5-Star General, United States military leader in World War II and Korean WarBorn: January 26, 1880 in Little Rock, ArkansasParents: Captain Arthur MacArthur, Jr. and Mary Pinkney HardyDied: April 5, 1964 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MarylandEducation: West Texas Military Academy, West Point.Published Works: Reminiscences, Duty, Honor, CountryAwards and Honors: Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Service Cross, many othersSpouse(s): Louise Cromwell Brooks (1922–1929); Jean Faircloth (1937–1962)Children: Arthur MacArthur IVNotable Quote: Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. Early Life The youngest of three sons, Douglas MacArthur was born at Little Rock, Arkansas, on January 26, 1880. His parents were then-Captain Arthur MacArthur, Jr. (who had served in the Civil War on the Union side) and his wife Mary Pinkney Hardy. Douglas spent much of his early life moving around the American West as his fathers postings changed. Learning to ride and shoot at an early age, MacArthur received his early education at the Force Public School in Washington, D.C. and later at the West Texas Military Academy. Eager to follow in his father into the military, MacArthur began seeking an appointment to West Point. After two attempts by his father and grandfather to secure a presidential appointment failed, he passed an appointment examine offered by Representative Theobald Otjen. West Point Entering West Point in 1899, MacArthur and Ulysses Grant III became the subjects of intense hazing as the sons of high-ranking officers and for the fact that their mothers were lodging at the nearby Cranys Hotel. Though called before a Congressional committee on hazing, MacArthur downplayed his own experiences rather than implicate other cadets. The hearing resulted in Congress banning hazing of any sort in 1901. An outstanding student, he held several leadership positions within the Corps of Cadets including First Captain in his final year at the academy. Graduating in 1903, MacArthur ranked first in his 93-man class. Upon leaving West Point, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Early Career Ordered to the Philippines, MacArthur supervised several construction projects in the islands. After brief service as Chief Engineer for the Division of the Pacific in 1905, he accompanied his father, now a major general, on a tour of the Far East and India. Attending the Engineer School in 1906, he moved through several domestic engineering posts before being promoted to captain in 1911. Following the sudden death of his father in 1912, MacArthur requested a transfer to Washington, D.C. to aid in caring for his ailing mother. This was granted and he was posted to the Office of the Chief of Staff. In early 1914, following heightened tensions with Mexico, President Woodrow Wilson directed U.S. forces to occupy Veracruz. Dispatched south as part of a headquarters staff, MacArthur arrived on May 1. Finding that an advance from the city would require the use of a railroad, he set out with a small party to locate locomotives. Finding several in Alvarado, MacArthur and his men were forced to fight their way back to the American lines. Successfully delivering the locomotives, his name was put forward by Chief of Staff Major General Leonard Wood for the Medal of Honor. Though the commander in Veracruz, Brigadier General Frederick Funston, recommended the award, the board tasked with making the determination declined to issue the medal citing that the operation had occurred without the knowledge of the commanding general. They also cited concerns that making the award would encourage staff officers in the future to conduct operations without alerting their superiors. World War I Returning to Washington, MacArthur received a promotion to major on December 11, 1915, and the following year was assigned to the Office of Information. With the U.S. entry into World War I in April 1917, MacArthur helped form the 42nd Rainbow Division from existing National Guard units. Intended to build morale, the units of the 42nd were intentionally drawn from as many states as possible. In discussing the concept, MacArthur commented that the membership in the division will stretch over the whole country like a rainbow. With the formation of the 42nd Division, MacArthur was promoted to colonel and made its chief of staff. Sailing for France with the division in October 1917, he earned his first Silver Star when he accompanied a French trench raid the following February. On March 9, MacArthur joined a trench raid conducted by the 42nd. Moving forward with the 168th Infantry Regiment, his leadership earned him a Distinguished Service Cross. On June 26, 1918, MacArthur was promoted to brigadier general becoming the youngest general in the American Expeditionary Force. During the Second Battle of the Marne that July and August, he earned three more Silver Stars and was given command of the 84th Infantry Brigade. Taking part in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in September, MacArthur was awarded two additional Silver Stars for his leadership during the battle and subsequent operations. Shifted north, the 42nd Division joined the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in mid-October. Attacking near Chà ¢tillon, MacArthur was wounded while scouting a gap in the German barbed wire. Though again nominated for the Medal of Honor for his part in the action, he was denied a second time and instead awarded a second Distinguished Service Cross. Quickly recovering, MacArthur led his brigade through the final campaigns of the war. After briefly commanding the 42nd Division, he saw occupation duty in the Rhineland before returning to the United States in April 1919. West Point While the majority of U.S. Army officers were returned to their peacetime ranks, MacArthur was able to retain his wartime rank of brigadier general by accepting an appointment as Superintendent of West Point. Directed to reform the schools aging academic program, he took over in June 1919. Remaining in the position until 1922, he made great strides in modernizing the academic course, reducing hazing, formalizing the honor code, and increasing the athletic program. Though many of his changes were resisted, they ultimately were accepted. Marriage and Family Douglas MacArthur married twice. His first wife was Henriette Louise Cromwell Brooks, a divorcee and flapper who liked gin, jazz, and the stock market, none of which suited MacArthur. They were married on February 14, 1922, separated in 1925, and divorced on June 18, 1929. He met Jean Marie Faircloth in 1935, and despite that Douglas was 19 years older than she was, they married on April 30, 1937. They had one son, Arthur MacArthur IV, born in Manila in 1938. Peacetime Assignments Leaving the academy in October 1922, MacArthur took command of the Military District of Manila. During his time in the Philippines, he befriended several influential Filipinos, such as Manuel L. Quezon, and sought to reform the military establishment in the islands. On January 17, 1925, he was promoted to major general. After brief service in Atlanta, he moved north in 1925 to take command of III Corps Area with his headquarters at Baltimore, Maryland. While overseeing III Corps, he was compelled to serve on the court-martial of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. The youngest on the panel, he claimed to have voted to acquit the aviation pioneer and called the requirement to serve one of the most distasteful orders I ever received. Chief of Staff After another two-year assignment in the Philippines, MacArthur returned to the United States in 1930 and briefly commanded IX Corps Area in San Francisco. Despite his relatively young age, his name was put forward for the position of Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. Approved, he was sworn in that November. As the Great Depression worsened, MacArthur fought to prevent crippling cuts in the Armys manpower- although he was ultimately forced to close more than 50 bases. In addition to working to modernize and update the Armys war plans, he concluded the MacArthur-Pratt agreement with the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral William V. Pratt, which helped define each services responsibilities in regard to aviation. One of the best-known generals in the U.S. Army, MacArthurs reputation suffered in 1932 when President Herbert Hoover ordered him to clear the Bonus Army from an encampment at Anacostia Flats. Veterans from World War I, the Bonus Army marchers were seeking early payment of their military bonuses. Against the advice of his aide, Major Dwight D. Eisenhower, MacArthur accompanied the troops as they drove off the marchers and burned their camp. Though political opposites, MacArthur had his term as Chief of Staff extended by the newly-elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Under MacArthurs leadership, the U.S. Army played a key role in overseeing the Civilian Conservation Corps. Back to the Philippines Completing his time as Chief of Staff in late 1935, MacArthur was invited by now-President of the Philippines Manuel Quezon to oversee the formation of the Philippine Army. Made a field marshal of the Commonwealth of the Philippines he remained in the U.S. Army as the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines. Arriving, MacArthur and Eisenhower were forced to essentially start from scratch while using cast off and obsolete American equipment. Relentlessly lobbying for more money and equipment, his calls were largely ignored in Washington. In 1937, MacArthur retired from the U.S. Army but remained in place as an advisor to Quezon. Two years later, Eisenhower returned to the United States and was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Richard Sutherland as MacArthurs chief of staff. World War II Begins With tensions with Japan growing, Roosevelt recalled MacArthur to active duty as commander, U.S. Army Forces in the Far East in July 1941 and federalized the Philippine Army. In an attempt to bolster the Philippines defenses, additional troops and material were dispatched later that year. At 3:30 a.m. on December 8, MacArthur learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Around 12:30 p.m., much of MacArthurs air force was destroyed when the Japanese struck Clark and Iba Fields outside Manila. When the Japanese landed at Lingayen Gulf on December 21, MacArthurs forces attempted to slow their advance but to no avail. Implementing prewar plans, Allied forces withdrew from Manila and formed a defensive line on the Bataan Peninsula. As fighting raged on Bataan, MacArthur established his headquarters on the fortress island of Corregidor in Manila Bay. Directing the fighting from an underground tunnel on Corregidor, he was derisively nicknamed Dugout Doug. As the situation on Bataan deteriorated, MacArthur received orders from Roosevelt to leave the Philippines and escape to Australia. Initially refusing, he was convinced by Sutherland to go. Departing Corregidor on the night of March 12, 1942, MacArthur and his family traveled by PT boat and B-17 before reaching Darwin, Australia five days later. Traveling south, he famously broadcast to the people of the Philippines that I shall return. For his defense of the Philippines, Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall had MacArthur awarded the Medal of Honor. New Guinea Appointed Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area on April 18, MacArthur established his headquarters first at Melbourne and then at Brisbane, Australia. Largely served by his staff from the Philippines, dubbed the Bataan Gang, MacArthur began planning operations against the Japanese on New Guinea. Initially commanding largely Australian forces, MacArthur oversaw successful operations at Milne Bay, Buna-Gona, and Wau in 1942 and early 1943. Following a victory at the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March 1943, MacArthur planned a major offensive against the Japanese bases at Salamaua and Lae. This attack was to be part of Operation Cartwheel, an Allied strategy for isolating the Japanese base at Rabaul. Moving forward in April 1943, Allied forces captured both towns by mid-September. Later operations saw MacArthurs troops land at Hollandia and Aitape in April 1944. While fighting continued on New Guinea for the rest of the war, it became a secondary theater as MacArthur and SWPA shifted its attention to planning the invasion of the Philippines. Return to the Philippines Meeting with President Roosevelt and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, in mid-1944, MacArthur outlined his ideas for liberating the Philippines. Operations in the Philippines commenced on October 20, 1944, when MacArthur oversaw Allied landings on the island of Leyte. Coming ashore, he announced, People of the Philippines: I have returned. While Admiral William Bull Halsey and Allied naval forces fought the Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 23-26), MacArthur found the campaign ashore slow going. Battling heavy monsoons, Allied troops fought on Leyte until the end of the year. In early December, MacArthur directed the invasion of Mindoro, which was quickly occupied by Allied forces. On December 18, 1944, MacArthur was promoted to General of the Army. This occurred one day before Nimitz was raised to Fleet Admiral, making MacArthur the senior commander in the Pacific. Pressing forward, he opened the invasion of Luzon on January 9, 1945, by landing elements of the Sixth Army at Lingayen Gulf. Driving southeast toward Manila, MacArthur supported the Sixth Army with landings by the Eighth Army to the south. Reaching the capital, the Battle for Manila began in early February and lasted until March 3. For his part in liberating Manila, MacArthur was awarded a third Distinguished Service Cross. Though fighting continued on Luzon, MacArthur began operations to liberate the southern Philippines in February. Between February and July, 52 landings took place as Eighth Army forces moved through the archipelago. To the southwest, MacArthur commenced a campaign in May that saw his Australian forces attack Japanese positions in Borneo. Occupation of Japan As planning commenced for the invasion of Japan, MacArthurs name was informally discussed as for the role of overall commander of the operation. This proved moot when Japan surrendered in August 1945 following the dropping of the atomic bombs and the Soviet Unions declaration of war. Following this action, MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) in Japan on August 29 and charged with directing the occupation of the country. On September 2, 1945, MacArthur oversaw the signing of the instrument of surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Over the next four years, MacArthur and his staff worked to rebuild the country, reform its government, and implement large-scale business and land reforms. Handing over power to the new Japanese government in 1949, MacArthur remained in place in his military role. The Korean War On June 25, 1950, North Korea attacked South Korea beginning the Korean War. Immediately condemning the North Korean aggression, the new United Nations authorized a military force to be formed to aid South Korea. It also directed the U.S. government to select the forces commander-in-chief. Meeting, the Joint Chiefs of Staff unanimously chose to appoint MacArthur as Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command. Commanding from the Dai Ichi Life Insurance Building in Tokyo, he immediately began directing aid to South Korea and ordered Lieutenant General Walton Walkers Eighth Army to Korea. Pushed back by the North Koreans, the South Koreans and the lead elements of the Eighth Army were forced into a tight defensive position dubbed the Pusan Perimeter. As Walker was steadily reinforced, the crisis began to lessen and MacArthur began planning offensive operations against the North Koreans. With the bulk of the North Korean Army engaged around Pusan, MacArthur advocated for a daring amphibious strike on the peninsulas west coast at Inchon. This, he argued, would catch the enemy off guard, while landing UN troops close to the capital at Seoul and placing them in a position to cut the North Koreans supply lines. Many were initially skeptical of MacArthurs plan as Inchons harbor possessed a narrow approach channel, strong current, and wildly fluctuating tides. Moving forward on September 15, the landings at Inchon were a great success. Driving toward Seoul, UN troops captured the city on September 25. The landings, in conjunction with an offensive by Walker, sent the North Koreans reeling back over the 38th Parallel. As UN forces entered into North Korea, the Peoples Republic of China issued a warning that it would enter the war if MacArthurs troops reached the Yalu River. Meeting with President Harry S. Truman on Wake Island in October, MacArthur dismissed the Chinese threat and stated he hoped to have U.S. forces home by Christmas. In late October, Chinese forces flooded across the border and began driving UN troops south. Unable to halt the Chinese, UN troops were not able to stabilize the front until they had retreated south of Seoul. With his reputation tarnished, MacArthur directed a counter-offensive in early 1951 which saw Seoul liberated in March and UN troops again cross the 38th Parallel. Having publicly clashed with Truman over war policy earlier, MacArthur demanded that China admit defeat on March 24, preempting a White House ceasefire proposal. This was followed on April 5 by Representative Joseph Martin, Jr. revealing a letter from MacArthur that was highly critical of Trumans limited war approach to Korea. Meeting with his advisors, Truman relieved MacArthur on April 11 and replaced him with General Matthew Ridgway. Death and Legacy MacArthurs firing was met with a firestorm of controversy in the United States. Returning home, he was hailed as a hero and given ticker tape parades in San Francisco and New York. Between these events, he addressed Congress on April 19 and famously stated that old soldiers never die; they just fade away. Though a favorite for the 1952 Republican presidential nomination, MacArthur had no political aspirations. His popularity also fell slightly when a Congressional investigation backed Truman for firing him making him less a less attractive candidate. Retiring to New York City with his wife Jean, MacArthur worked in business and wrote his memoirs. Consulted by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, he warned against a military buildup in Vietnam. MacArthur died in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on April 5, 1964, and, following a state funeral, was buried at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia.

Scholarly Writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scholarly Writing - Assignment Example Through critical reading (Douglas, 2000) and analysis of the author’s reasoning using one’s purpose, information presented and conclusion (Paul & Elder, 2003, Spring), it can be deduced that the increase in use of personal computers does not reflect the current status of â€Å"digital divide†. The issue of â€Å"digital divide† or its non-existence has been over-generalized by the author. There are governments that restrict the use of computers in their countries or censor certain information. With the current technology, access to digital information from the computer or internet can be connected other gadgets. Thus, the divide can be perpetrated by the government according to its internal policies, such as the ban imposed by UAE (access of internet and sending of messages) and Saudi Arabia (on sending of instant messages) on some Blackberry functions because the government cannot monitor them (Walls, 2010, August 2). The author has also cited the 2001 Bu siness Week release that more than 80 percent of secondary students are â€Å"plugged in†, meaning, that they are constantly using the computer and the internet. Being â€Å"plugged in† may refer not only to personal computer use at home since there are public places and internet cafes that allow computer use for a certain fee.

Positive and Negative Impacts on International Business Assignment

Positive and Negative Impacts on International Business - Assignment Example These forces include economics, religion and politics. Globalization can corrode and globalize the characteristics and individualities of a local cluster. Globalization is the scheme of interface among the economies and countries in order to develop and grow the global economy. The term globalization has been increased since the mid of 1980s. In the year 200, the IMF have identified four fundamental aspects of globalization, such as dissemination of Knowledge, Trade and Transactions, migration and movement of human beings and capital and investment movements. Moreover, several environment challenges like, cross-boundary air and water pollution, climate change, and over fishing is directly and indirectly linked with globalization. Globalization has able to influence and strengthen the power of several intuitions, such as World Bank, International Monetary fund and World Trade Organization. The global business outsourcing has significantly increased due to the globalization. Several co untries face challenges as they tend to maximize positive outcomes from globalization. They did not bother about the minimization of necessary elements. Due to globalization, the control of consumers over the suppliers from other foreign countries gets weaker. Multinational A multinational corporation is a corporation, which is registered in more than the host country. The multinational corporations both manufacture and sell products and services in various countries (Gitman and McDanniel, 2008, p.52). Moreover, the multinational corporations have business operations in more than one country. The first ever multinational corporation was the East India Company. These multinational corporations play an important role in globalization. Business practices of multinational corporations in several countries can overcome the unemployment problem of the nation. Moreover, it helps to increase the GDP growth rate of a country. Multinational corporations can have exerted controversial politica l and economic power in some countries. As a result, critics have viewed these multinational corporations distrustfully and sometimes seek to have host countries inflict restrictions on them. Accountability is also a challenge for Multinational Corporation. These organizations’ annual revenue over and over again exceeds the Gross Domestic Product of several developing countries. It will affect the financial and economic structure of a country. Glocalization Glocalization is a combination of both the terms globalization and localization. It is a business terminology for the adoption of goods and services to each culture and locality in which it used to sell. This term and process is very much similar to internationalization. This term was first introduced in late 1980 in global market. The increasing restaurant chains in global market is an example of globalization, but the change of menus in several countries in order to attract the people of particular countries is an exampl e of Glocalization (Hesselbach, J., 2011, p.2). Organizations, individuals and households are trying to maintain the social networks that used to combine the long-distance and local interactions. The declaration of particular locality, such as a state or a city or a town is used to consider as a world territory, with rights and responsibilities on a global scale. Before

Business Plan Marketing Essay Example for Free

Business Plan Marketing Essay Starting a new/ successful business can be one of the hardest things that a person can do in their life. The business can come second to nothing in life , not even your family. This is often where people make the mistake and get in to deep. Planning is just the beginning but is the most important aspect of the whole process. According to Uggla and Filipsson developing a company brand is one of the most important aspects of starting a business also. They used examples like Adidas, HM and Microsoft as good companies to look at as examples. A strong foundation to a business will be a huge help in making the business successful and profitable as quickly as possible. This being said the business that I would love to open is a garden center or nursery. Marshalls is going to be a leader in indoor tropical houseplants and foliage. We will not only sell the plants but offer landscaping  services and free classes to customers on how to maintain the plants that they do have. I have worked in this field my entire life and have seen many businesses of this type come and go for many reasons. I feel that after working in the field for 12 years I have a good grasp on the reasons why people were successful and unsuccessful. This alone will help me dramatically in the formation of the business because I will not make many of the same mistakes that other companies I have worked for made in the past. The vision that I have for Marshall’s nursery is to have broken even within the first two years of operation and be not only profitable but also the largest nursery in southeastern Michigan. I also want to introduce hundreds of uncommon types of plants to this region for in home growing. Being the biggest importer of tropical orchids and foliage is also very important to the successes of Marshalls. Anyone can sell the basic impatient and marigolds, I would love to go one step above this and show people it is possible to grow tropical and unique plants indoors. At Marshalls nursery our mission statement for this is simple: We want to sell unique tropical plants to our consumers at fair prices. Our consumer will not only gain the plant when they come into Marshalls but they will also gain knowledge. We will have only people that have experience in the field working hands on with the customers. Marshalls offers â€Å"how to† clinics on the weekends and for a small fee will also come out and help you plant whatever is bought at the store. The company will also sell only organic pesticides and fertilizers to consumers to ensure the safety of the environment and families. We will be leaders in the community by not only donating plants but also donating our time to serve the community. The management style will have to evolve as the company gets bigger over the first 5 years or so. In the first couple years while I build my staff the management style will most likely be autocratic. I personally will be in charge and tell everyone what to do. I believe that you shouldn’t give employees to much say in things till after they have shown not only competency but also built trust with the people they are working with. I believe this is also fair considering that I have sunk all of my self  emotionally and financially into the business and I want it ran this way until I at least start profiting. After I have started profiting and have built a good core of employees it will without a doubt turn more in the way of being run permissively. Employees should have the ability to make adjustments and choices in certain situations that may take place within the business. I will also work side by side with my employees. I have a strong belief that you should never tell some one to do something that you wouldn’t want to do yourself. The company will have a structure that starts with the CEO at the top and then down to two assistant managers. The assistant managers will be the ones that are responsible for all of the handling of cash in the mornings and at night and dealing with serious issues throughout any given day. The next level will be three yard managers. Yard managers are responsible for ensuring that everything is completed in the yard and that all of the plants are looking healthy. The will have the ability to delegate to any of the 10 employees working under them. The basic employee will be hourly and do all of the daily task such as helping customers to their cars and watering all of the plants. I believe that by setting up Marshalls nursery in this type of management structure it will greatly benefit the company. Everyone will know what the hierarchy is in the company and know who they can go to for help. Many people would say that this is almost a form of micromanagement but it is needed when you have a company with so many different variables. This structure will also utilize all of the employees’ strengths and eliminate tasks that they may be weak in. Overall, this is just a brief description of the company that I would like to start and how I plan on going about starting it. In weeks to fallow I will slowly build on these values that I have set forth to make for a much stronger company. This is just beginning of the planning. Planning is often the make or break in a company of any type or size. When you own and operate your own business your code of conduct is going to be one of the most important things that you will ever create. This is going to set an  ethical standard for how your business will be run and how the employees should act well at work. This all starts with a core set of values. The Values that Marshalls will use include Honesty, fairness, integrity and using all of these traits to reach the company goals in the near future. All of these things are going to be considered highly, not only in hiring but also keeping a safe and friendly atmosphere for everything. We will not tolerate any unethical behavior in our business by an level of employee. All documents will be checked by our third party accountant that will ensure that all paperwork is done properly and accurately. Marshalls will have zero tolerance for unethical behavior and will be punished by job termination and involvement with the law if the situation dictates. Marshalls will be able to work this code of ethics into everyday practice and will not affect how things are run. This is something that we will need to have in order to be a successful business. A marketing plan is interracial to the success of any business. Regardless of size or what you’re trying to sell it’s going to the back bone of profitability. There are many different aspects that go into making a market plan including: market research, SWOT analysis and the 4 P’s of marketing. All of these things are going to add up to a small portion of what is in a thorough marketing plan but all are important in ensuring a successful business. Market research like I explained in the previous paper is going to explain market trends, competitors and environmental factors. All of these can have huge impacts on how well your company is going to do. You should know your market extremely well. You wouldn’t want to put A steak house in the middle of a vegan community and expect it to succeed. Sometimes however stepping outside the box can be extremely profitable if you can find a niche market that has not been tapped. This is where Marshalls is going to be since were selling tropical plants in a cold climate. A lot of people would say this makes little sense but people in general want what is different for their households and businesses and we can provided that. The first thing that needs to be done when creating a market plan is the 4 p’s of marketing.  This is going to include everything that is going to be involved including product, price, place and promotion. All of these things make up what is called the marketing mixes. The marketing mix is the basics of the business without these you would not even have a business. To be successful Marshalls Nursery is going to have to fallow all of these very to be successful. The product that Marshall’s Nursery is going to be offering is an exotic plant nursery. The plants are going to be from around the world and from many different growers and all have very specific needs. Marshalls will be able to not only sell the plants to the customer but also help them place them in the home where they will flourish. This service will be at an extra charge but to ensure that the plants will do well and produces blooms it will be very helpful. If we can try and get every customer to use our in home care service than it will take the company to a new level of profitability. Price is going to be the most difficult thing for Marshalls. It’s very expensive to ship plants in a heated truck during the winter, but it’s crucial to the success of the business to do so. This will drive the price up a lot. With a lot of the connections with vendors I have made in south Florida I should be able to keep shipping lower. Also teaming up with other stores that are not in close proximity to my store would be another way to order more plants to eliminate s hipping costs. The fact that the plants are rare and people will not be able to get them anywhere else is going to make it easier to keep prices a little bit higher. I strategically picked the location for Marshalls. The area outside of Metro-Detroit is loaded with wealth and the home to over 50 major companies which are potential clients. Also by keeping it in a cold climate we eliminate a lot of competition. The majority of these plants can be bought in warm climates but are nearly impossible to find in Michigan. I have also looked at the growth potential and have found that because of cheap real estate people have been moving to this area quickly. The cheap real-estate also helps because I can afford a better location and building for Marshalls. Promotion is going to be vital to the success of the business. This is going to start with advertising and led directly into the customer service that we give our clients. We are going to do many different types of advertising. This will start with using yellow pages and direct mail. With the yellow pages site we can also hit the internet  marketing with a pay per click campaign. This means that we o nly pay when people click on the ad. Often its five cents per click and you pay depending on how many people click. We have also been working with a lot of local gardening magazines to advertise to our local customers and let them know we are now in town. We will do a free orchid campaign to the first 500 customers at the store to draw people in. This may cost us a lot at the start but in the long run will get the word out that were open and have a quality location. As a company we will also be performing a SWOT analysis on the business before we start. The advantage to this is that it really shows you where your business is and what needs to be improved on. SWOT consists of four things your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Marshalls Nursery has many strength’s. The first thing that is very evident is that I have worked in this type of business for over 12 years and have seen where other companies have succeeded and failed. With this knowledge I should be able to be proactive and not reactive as much. Stopping a problem from the start is huge advantage. I also have made a lot of connections in this type of business that will help me with prices and shipping. Majority of the potential weaknesses that I see are things that will be able to be stopped with proper planning. The first thing that I see as a problem is the lack of working capital that has to start the business. I need to have more capital on hand in order for the business to run to its full potential and for me not to put my own lively hood at risk. Also the lack of reliable workers is another thing that will be difficult. When dealing with exotic plants it will be important that my staff is well trained and knows a lot about the plants and how to care for them. Since we will have mostly tropical plants it will be hard to find adequate candidates. Opportunities that Marshalls may have are being the first business in the area to sell this product and offer in home services to go along with it. Also Michigan State University is the United States leading agriculture and hortic ulture school. This will help because I can use interns that are studying the field and even get potential job applicants straight out of college. We can also open many different locations down the line if the initial location does well. The biggest threat to the company is going to be the climate in Michigan. If we have an extremely cold winter which has happened several times in the past it’s  going to make quality shipping very difficult. Most tropical plants can’t tolerate temperatures under 40 degrees for longer than a couple minutes before getting damaged. Also, if we start doing well it will be very tempting for our competition to start replicating what we are doing. This will be a potential long term threat for the company. This marketing plan is just the beginning of success for the company. It may be the most important part of the process however, this is going to make or break your company. If we realize not only our successes but also our failures and act on them before they happen than we will be a much better company. Daily operations for a business are going to be the bread and butter of your business. A company is often made profitable on how they are run. This can be anything from giving serving customers to obtaining product from vendors half way across the country. The more streamline, efficient and friendly you are will increase margin and in the long run profitability. Often the company that is around in five years is the ones that have figured out how to have the best daily operations. Marshall’s nursery is retail and a services business. Making Marshalls not only a retail but service business will make the operations more difficult but also a lot more profitable. Being able to not only offer to sell items to people but also maintain and pot the exotic plants. I will list how general operations will go for the retail side of the business and the service side. The operations for the store aspect of the business are pretty simple and just like most other retailers. The most important aspect of the business is going to be a good shipping method. We will use heated/cooling trucks that will be able to keep the plants at an exact 75 degrees for the entire tripe to ensure maximum freshness and quality for the customers. Shipping will be very important can have a huge impact on inventory levels and the amount of plants we can carry. We have decided to go a different route than most other nurseries in the area and do all of our own shipping in house. The reason for this is the ability to not only ensure quality but be able to pick select plants and stay in face to face contact with our growers. Our Growers are going to consist of four different companies. We have selected these companies because they have a great reputation and I also have contacts with them that will get us a lot better deal than going elsewhere. The first company that we are going to use is Costa Nursery. Costa is a large scale nursery selling anything from rare plants to the common marigold. I have dealt with them for over 6 years and love their product. They will provide us with mainly orchids and bromeliads. The second is going to be Florida tree farm, they have a large selection of indoor palms that you cannot buy anywhere else in the country. Dewar’s nursery is going to be our primary rose and citurs fruit dealer. Windmill farms will give us the basic everyday 6 packs that people will buy for their outside landscaping. We will only use windmill farms for the summer months to gain a little bit of extra business to sell outdoor plants. Now that we have gone over how and where we will get our product the next aspect is how the actual store is going to be set up. The approximate size of the store will be 1500 square feet inside and 1000 square foot outside area for summer plants. The store will be organized by type of plant on both the inside and the outside. Our staff on any given day will include me and one other manager and at least three other employees to help out the majority of the customers. The store hours will be from 9-7 Mon-Saturday and 10-6 on Sundays. The managers will be the ones that run the registers the majority of the time well the associates help customers find and load what they need into the car. One other responsibility that everyone will have is making sure all of the plants get watered every single day. Watering is the number one reason the nursery’s have shrink so it will be everyone’s job to do this At the end of every day the managers that close will be responsible for counting down all of the registers and making sure the store is clean and ready for business the following day. These roles can be modified if need be due to call offs or any other issues that may come up. We will also have at least two traveling care takers for homeowners and business owners that will go from place to place and take care of people’s plants. These will also be the individuals that make long distance runs to the nursery’s to pick up  product. Monday will be a very crucial day for the business. The managers will do inventory and decided what we are going to need for the next couple weeks. They will then call it in to the different vendors and set up a Thursday or Friday pick up time. Monday and Tuesday will also be the days that our traveling plant specialists will go to appointments to take care of people’s plants. This will all be going on behind scenes well the store is operating its daily business. Wednesday the plant specialists will leave in two boxes trucks and travel to Florida where they will load up the two trucks and return home before Saturday so that the store can be replenished with merchandise. Upon returning on Saturday the associates will unload the truck and the managers will do a second check to make sure everything has arrived not only in good shape but also the proper quantities. This seems like a lot of work but it is very important to only have the freshest product for our customers and will also make it so that we can keep prices lower. This will be a typical week at Marshalls. I have found that over my years of managing similar businesses nothing is every set in stone and adjustments will have to be made as we go. This is just a general blueprint for what a week will look like. We have been looking at the idea of getting several of our products from the Caribbean islands. There are many pros and cons of doing this. The first thing that we noticed was that we were able to get products a lot cheaper per plant but will have to pay almost three times the shipping to get them back to the U.S. The reason that they are so much cheaper is because the labor to grow them is less than half what we pay people in the United States. Countries like Haiti pay people only dollars a day. Many of the growers also do not fallow the laws of the U.S and use pesticides and fertilizers that have been banned. This is especially relevant when trying to ship fruit trees that are going to potentially be consumed by people. Dealing with the government of some of these other countries is also very difficult because they want to control what is being shipped and often times will confiscate things at the border that they feel is odd. When this happens there is no guarantee that we will ever get what we ordered and can  often times result in huge losses. A typical order can range anywhere from 2000 dollars up to 20,000. One lost order can ruin a half of month’s sales. Like any business networking is key in success so by gaining overseas contacts it can greatly increase sales and even potential locations to expand to. We have even looked at opening our own greenhouse and fields in some foreign countries to produce our own plants. This is just a basic overview of what the operations for Marshalls will look like. Many things will come up that may change how the company will be run. Many factors such as weather and war may dictate what will happen. If we are able to stick to this plan as close as possible we should be profitable within the first two years of being open. A cash flow analysis is an important part of any business that is planning on succeeding and growing in the future. Marshalls is no different than any other business in that it needs to have an accurate cash flow statement. This will give us a better idea of how the business is doing and where the cash is flowing in the business. It is important as a small business to prepare these documents as frequently as possible. This can be done anywhere from monthly to annually. In this paper we will look at what goes into a cash flow analysis and what some of the benefits are for keeping an accurate cash flow analysis. The first part of the cash flow statement that you will need to know is the net income. The net income is the total amount of money that will be brought in. This will be a base number with nothing taken out for liabilities or money that was spent. Marshalls had a net income of 545,000 in the first year of doing business. Operating activities is the first thing that needs to be analyzed for a cash flow analysis. This will include anything that will produce direct revenue or any of the costs that may come up when producing a good or a service. When looking at what might cause cash inflow, you would consider thing like customer sales from primary products. For Marshalls this would be anything that we would sell to the public. The main out flows that we will have to  consider for operating activities would be paying suppliers and employee payrolls. The money that will go out to our suppliers will be around 100,000 and our payroll for the year will be around 300,000 all together for our employees. Investing activities is the next area of that we will look at when making a cash flow analysis. This will be higher for the first year because of the property that we will be buying. This is a noncurrent asset that will generate a lot of money for us over time. The property is we bought is 200,000 and will only have to be deducted for the first year of the cash flow statement. Equipment for the company is also in this category because over time we will make money from this. The total cost of this is going to be 20,000. Financing activates is the final area on the cash flow analysis that Marshalls will have to take into consideration. This area will be anything from having to barrow money for new equipment to using cash to pay off a property loan. Marshalls will have to be making payments on equipment and also on the cost of the mortgage for the building that they will be located in. There are many benefits to preforming a cash flow analysis and is necessary for any size business. The first thing that we need to consider is that this is the final report that is prepared. This means that it takes into account everything that was in the other financial statements. This statement will show accountability and validity of all the other kinds of statements. This is a great way to analyze how healthy a business is when you are considering doing business with them or investing with them. This report will also make the company a lot more credible when trying to entice investors and other financing. Many problems will arise if this report is not done properly and in a timely manner. Cash flow statements are the overall performance of your business and by not knowing where you’re sitting it can have terrible future implications. Including, overspending and not being credible to potential  investors. Information technology can be a make or break of a business. It can not only save the company a lot of money but also at the same time protect valuable information. This information can include anything from business account numbers, customer information, vendor lists and product margins. All of this is going to be information that you would not want to lose or get stolen by potential competitors. The first thing that we are going to look at is going to be types of hardware that we will be using at Marshalls to make it as safe and user friendly as possible. The hardware that we are going to be using for this business is going to be pretty simple because of the nature of the business. We will have two computers that will be for ordering information and managing the website online. These computers will also field all email questions by customers from the website. We will also have a laptop for the delivery guys to use to make sure that all of the products they are picking up are correct and for lite personal use on two and three day trips. In the office there is a multipurpose printer that has the ability to copy, fax and print. To stay up with the times we have decided to also integrate two I-pads into our company to take credit card sales on the spot and make answering questions easier for the customer. Software is going to be an area where we will not need to spend a lot of money to start out. I figure that we will get QuickBooks to do our accounting and the Microsoft office suite to do the majority of the other features. In office suite there is a program that is called accesses and will build a database of customers and we will use that heavily for direct mail and contacting potential customers over time. The one area that we will not skimp in is anti-virus protection the reason that I say this is because it is going to be important to protect all of our information. Marshalls is going to use email very heavily for their business not only to stay in touch with customers but also to order product and keep in contact with the delivery people that are on the road 3 days a week. Marshalls  Email is [emailprotected], the reason that we decided on this email is because people will easily be able to distinguish us when looking through their emails. We also used Google as our home for our email because it is not only free but can hold the most amount of emails. We will have a basic network that will link all of our electronic devices to the main desktop PC in the manager’s office. All important documents will then be stored in external hard drives as well as on the device that it was transferred from. This will ensure that we will never have an issue where we lose paper work or information that we will need at a later time. For the laptop and I-pads we will have wireless internet at the store and the ability to have ATT 3g for the laptop on the road. Our website is going to be very simple in design with a basic landing page that will search engine optimized to increase relevance and raise our spot on search engine pages. The page will have a spot where customers can get basic information and see approximate in store quantities. The main concern for www.Marshallstropical.com is going to be that due to the ability to order, schedule appointments and get plant information on our site it will have high volume of people at the site at any time making it slow if not shutting it down. This concern for heavy usage on the website has made Marshalls staff decided to implement cloud technology. Cloud technology is a somewhat new technology that eliminates the need for multiple servers. This alone is going to save you a ton of money in basic server costs. Normally a server is going to have to have a host and you will be charged no matter how much you actually use it. You also will have to buy more servers as the site gains popularity or it will slow down dramatically. Customers hate not being able to streamline across a site and will often not even consider a site that is not in fast working order. What cloud technology will do for us is not only eliminate the need for servers but also increase our scalability. Meaning the site will be able to handle more people when needed and scale back down when traffic is slower. This makes it very convenient because you never have to worry about your site being slow due to high traffic and potentially  losing sales. Cloud technology is also a performance based asset. The reason I say this is because you are only really paying for it when people are using it. This being said when people are looking at your website that is creating leads and the potential for customers so you are really only paying when it’s being used. This can all be done from one computer and is a very simple. With the little bit of time I will have on my hands running the business simple is better. This is just the start to what we can do with information technology in our business. Since we are so small we will be able to run lite in this area for a while. When we start to get bigger and open up new locations the need for information technology expansion will be needed. The most important thing overall is our security and the ability to protect our information yet stay streamlined for the customer’s needs. Management in any business is going to be an important factor. A business that is not ran properly will often times not be around for more than a couple years. Poor management will affect customer satisfaction as well as employee satisfaction. It is often a trickledown effect with an end result of customers not wanting to shop at that place of business and the business not being able to hire potential qualified candidates. At Marshall’s nursery we will have four managers that will run the business. One of the managers is going to be the owner and will have the final say in any issues that may arise. This is going to be somewhat of an autocratic management style but since the owner has the final say. I feel that I should have the final say on this because it I am solely taking the entire financial risk in the business. Not only am I taking the entire risk but I also have more experience running the business than any of the other managers that are fresh out of college. Marshalls will also have an offsite accountant that will be responsible for the weekly reports and making sure all the books are kept up to date and correct. We also have the ability to bring in outside consultants that will help train our employees about the different types of plants and plant care. All of the employees at Marshalls will have to be team players, when you are running a large business with a staff of 12. Employees will have to learn how to work together in order to get everything accomplished that needs to be done. I stated that it was going to be an autocratic work place for the first couple years but I hope to move more to a democratic type of management style when we get established. I want all of the managers to have a say in how the business is run and implement things that they feel is going to help the business out over time. Only fallowing ones persons ideas and direction will eventually hinder its ability to grow into a unique business. Communication at Marshalls is going to be very important because of the nature of the business. We will be running three different shifts that will only overlap by a couple of hours. Since the overlap is so little, we will have to utilize emails, texts and interpersonal communication in order to get our daily business done. Information that is business sensitive will only be available to the managers and accountant. Many things over the course of any given day will have to communicate. Some of these things will be watering logs, work lists and schedule changes. All of this information will be emailed to each employee. Organizational culture is how the employees interact with each other with in an organization. An organization can be defined as anything that a group may partake in. Organizational culture can be how people interact with each other and their beliefs, habits, values, visions, norms and many others. Since it is very hard to match people up that have the exact same traits we will have to ensure that here at Marshalls we will have to do the best we can in the interview process to get a good mesh of people. No business can handle people bickering and fighting every single day. In the event that a labor strike were to happen in the middle of my peak season it would very difficult to keep my plants supplies up. The first thing that I would need to do is find out what I have exactly on hand and figure out how long mu current inventory would last. After figuring out my current inventory I would then have to start shopping around for the next  best suppliers that have similar prices and adjust my prices accordingly. I would probably have to bring on a couple seasonal drivers so that I could utilize several different vendors for the season and keep the orders coming. Competition in this business is already fierce and I have found a niche market. If more of the same types of businesses pop up around me. The first thing I will have to do is get a hold of my suppliers and let them know that if they want me to keep ordering than they will not supply to any of the surrounding areas. This may seem harsh but they will understand since I have done business with them longer and most likely am ordering bigger quantities. After doing that I would have to scope out the competition and see if they are similarly priced to me. Slight adjustment in prices may be needed to ensure that we are the best priced place in town. This will also have to be monitored closely over time to make sure that we stay the cheapest. Laying off employees is never an easy thing to do especially when you have built a tight group like we have at Marshalls. The lingering affect can be the worst part of a large scale layoff. The most important thing that you have to do is ensure the people that do still work for you that their jobs are safe and they don’t have to worry every day about losing their jobs. After you have reassured them of that I would then offer them the ability to have a couple extra days off when needed to cut payroll and let them know that you will be able to work around their schedules better. This may seem crazy considering you just laid employees off but it’s an easy way to shed parole and give a small morale booster to the current employees. Managing a small business is not an easy thing to do. Often times it can be stressful, sad, fun and overwhelming. The monetary payouts and the feeling of success within the business can often times make the job very desirable. 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