How to set off a roadside bomb (IED) using radio, mobile phones etc Essay

How to set off a roadside bomb (IED) using radio, mobile phones etc - Essay Example Considering the attacks on the troops of U.S. in Iraq with these bombs as well as increasing reports of IED attacks in Afghanistan, have led to the rising need to find counter measures to act against IEDs (Freudenrich 2013). Previously the IEDs were like basic pipe bombs. However with advancements in the field, artillery shells in multiple numbers, explosives and rocket propellants are used for the detonation of the IEDs. The wires that are used in the roadside bombs in the present times are not easy to detect and set off. Uses of cell phones or devices like garage door opener are often used for the purpose of detonation as well. The size of the IEDs used for explosions are varying in sizes where large IEDs are capable of exploding large vehicles and areas. Reports are mostly obtained for the destruction of the U.S. troops and in Afghanistan for the use of these bombs. Since these bombs are mostly detonated in a remote manner, it has been observed that jammers are essential in the bu siness of IEDs. It has also been reported that many times the detonators are used where the wires are connected for the purpose of detonating the bombs. Remote detonation is also possible with the use of roadside bombs (Congress 2006). Setting off such roadside bombs or IEDs also makes use of different ways and devices. This is the way the bombs are triggered. Pressure-switches, trip wires, and devices like photo detectors can be used for setting off the bombs. Heavy military vehicles are generally required to set off bombs through use of pressure switches. Radios, cell phones, walkie-talkies are some of the other devices, the signal transmissions of which are used effectively in the setting off the IEDs. The control of such remote devices is generally placed under the responsibility of some man who stands at a distance to trigger the bombs at the correct time. Use of devices like the radio and mobile phones has been found to be more effective than using wired controls over the bomb s (IED Defeat n.d.). Aim and Objectives of the Study: The aim of the study is to learn about the process of detonating or setting off roadside bombs or IEDs using devices like radio and mobile phones. Considering the above mentioned aim, the following objectives have been set for the study: The study will discuss about the GSM mobile phones that are used and their technical standards. Discuss about the standards of the 3G phones that are available. Discuss about the standards of the 4G LTE phones. Learn about the UHF and VHF modes of communication including cordless phones, DECT, 2.4 GHz WiFi, 5GHz WiFi Have an overview on the commercial devices that can detect and locate these forms of communication. Discuss how roadside bombs or IEDs can be set off using mobile phones and radio like devices. GSM Mobile Phones: Technical Standards: GSM or Global System for Mobile Communications can identify the account of the user using this particular system. It is a wireless network technology ba sed on TDMA (What is â€Å"GSM†? 2013). TDMA refers to the technology Time Division Multiple Access used in mobile devices that allows increasing the amount of data that can be passed and communicated by dividing the channel of communication into different slots (Rouse 2006). The use of GSM has allowed users to easily change their mobile devices by simply taking out the SIM (or Subscriber Identification Module) card from one device and inserting it into

Capitalism versus Socialism Essay Example for Free

Capitalism versus Socialism Essay Budget deficit is just one of the many factors that negatively affect the provision of most of the government projects in the society. Without the sufficient amount of government funds, building of infrastructures and other public goods would be delayed or underprovided. As we can remember, there are some goods and services that can only be provided efficiently if the government is the one who supply it instead of the private firms to protect the rights and welfare of the consumer group. If there exist under provision of these public goods, the societal welfare would negatively be affected. In this regard, there is a question on whether what should prevail in our economy, capitalism or socialism? One may say that this debate between capitalism and socialism is already a cliche, but we cannot set aside the arguments and points of each side which could give us guide us in understanding what is happening in the real world. Let me discuss first capitalism. Capitalism promotes the concentration of the government in the provision of security in the society and not to intervene in the business world. Some capitalists say that, with the intervention of the government, person who wants to establish a business enterprise is being deprived due to the policies that are being implemented by the government. For instance, legal monopoly that was given by the government to some companies hinders other people from starting their own water/electric company. This failure of other people to start their own utility business, as capitalists believe, is a violation to their freedom. Socialism, on the other hand, is extremely the opposite of the capitalists thinking. Here, government intervention is very much welcome and the society is recognizing the ability of the government to efficiently handle companies and to equally distribute whatever the goods or service that they produce to their citizens. One good example to this is the provision of government of medical services and education. Since not all individuals can afford the costs of schooling provided by private firms, what the government does is they establish public schools charging at a minimum amount. As for the medical services, the government establishes public hospitals and clinics that would provide its citizens cheaper medical services and medicines for less capable people. With this, the basic right of human, to have education and access to medical services, is being fulfilled by the government. The reason why government provides efficient goods and services is due to the fact that they are providing the said goods and services at a reasonable price unlike private firms, especially monopolists, that charges above what is socially acceptable price. Now, based from the points of these two ideologies, therefore, it depends on the situation if whether a certain government intervention is good to the society. If the government interferes in the market in order to protect the welfare of its citizens, then, there is no room for capitalists to say that they are being deprived by the government to put their own business. In addition to that, establishing another utility business, like electric company, would be very costly due to the high fixed costs that they must face. This is the reason why it would be efficient if only one would continue ‘monopolize’ the production of electricity in the country. In this regard, if there would be an under provision of public goods like education, electricity, medical services and security due to budget deficit of the government; societal welfare would surely be greatly devastated. More people would be deprived with their basic human rights and might suffer to private firm’s abusing power. Only during instances wherein the private firms abuses their power and charge high to their customer by providing inelastic goods the government initiate actions to regulate the situation. Good Economics versus Good Politics One could say that an act promotes good economics if it aims for the maximization of the satisfaction of the society or market (Sharma, 2007). On the other hand, one could say that an act promotes good politics if it is backed up by a good policy for the welfare of the majority. Most of the analysts say that good economics leads to good politics and vice versa. Others believe that it’s the other way around. The point of the latter is that, making policies that promotes the no personal interest would lead to good economics since promoting the interest of the majority is tantamount to saying that they are maximizing the satisfaction of the society or they are after for the optimal level of societal welfare (Gittins, 2004). In order for each of the said ideals to exists, it must ensure the survival of one another. It seems hard for the politicians to set aside their personal political interest for the public interest but it should be done in order to attain what is really best for the economy and for the country. One way to promote the public interest is to lessen the burdens being imposed to the public like- tax (Gruen, 2007). Minimizing the tax rate would require a long battle and endless debate but the thing is, if all of the politicians would set aside their personal interest everything is possible for the government and they could act efficiently for the betterment of the economy. In this regard, there is no point arguing what is the best for the society- good economics or good politics, since one is needed for the existence of the other. Invisible Hand Principle Advocated by Adam Smith, invisible hand supports capitalist’s view. According to Adam Smith, the government must not intervene in the market and focus only on providing security and justice system to the society. They also believe that government lessens the societal welfare with their imposition of taxes. Taxes just add up to the operational costs of the businesses that in turn being passed to the consumers. In short, the burden of the taxes that are being imposed by the government goes to the end consumers. Adam Smith believes that market systems has its own mechanism to ‘heal’ itself and move back again towards the equilibrium condition even without the intervention of the government. By satisfying the ‘selfish’ motives of producers and consumers, they are unconsciously helping each other. Therefore, increasing the taxes rate collection of the government to cover the budget deficit would be an unwise idea since it would only add up to the burden of the consumers or the public. Government intervention must have the right timing and, as much as possible, impose less burden to the consumers. As what have been cited a while ago, government intervention depends on the situation and the condition between the private firms and the consumer group. Government intervention would only be sufficient if it uplifts the welfare of the consumer group with less negative effects on the private firms. But as for the increasing tax rate scenario, it seems that, although unintentionally, the government negatively affects the welfare of the consumer group while leaving the private firms unharmed since they only pass the taxes to the consumers. In this case, it would be better if the government let the ‘invisible hand’ or the free market system to put back into order the economy. Production Possibilities Curve There are some instances wherein private firms are being restricted in passing the added costs of government intervention to their consumers. Like for instance, the imposition of tariff on importers, tariff is another income generating activities of the government aside from taxation. With the extra expenses of the importers on every unit of goods that they are importing to the country, they can now only afford to buy less of the said imported goods depending on their allotted budget. In this scenario, the business would be producing below its production possibilities curve or PPF. This means that with the existence of higher tariffs on imported goods needed by local industries, the companies could only buy fewer imported raw materials and, therefore, producing fewer number of finished products than with the optimal level of production. This situation is treated to be inefficient, but since tariff is a form of income generation of the government, the only thing that the government could do is to find the efficient level of tariff rate wherein businesses could still produce closely to their PPF. With this, the value of the efficiency that is lost from the private firms would be justified and would return to them in a form of infrastructures in a form of roads and bridges which could alleviate the efficiency of their operation. In reality, it is pretty hard to produce within the PPF due to the existence of various intervening variables and tariff is one of them. The least thing that businesses could do is to produce closer to their PPF or their optimal level of production based on their capacity and capability. Opportunity Costs With the possibility of under provision of important government services, the government cannot afford to make it happen due to the high opportunity costs involved in the case. The government might forego the value of the welfare of its citizens in exchange of the improvement of the welfare of the corporations. If the welfare of the corporations and consumer group is to be calculated, the welfare of the consumer group is surely larger than with the welfare of the corporations in the market; and in the first place, it is the duty of the government to protect and prioritize the safety and welfare of the majority- citizens of their country. Just imagine the number of students that might stop schooling with the cutting of the budget for education; the number of sick and less capable citizens that only relies on the help of the government for cheaper medical services and/or medicines from public hospitals and clinics. To make the situation worst, the government prioritizes the welfare of Iraqis than with its own citizen. It was aired in the news that the government raised the amount of budget for the ‘peace keeping role’ of the government to Iraqi people. It is not bad to help other people, but ‘think first about the welfare of your own people before the others’ since that is the right thing to do. The point here is that, the reason why the government suffers to budget deficit is due to their wrong priorities. The government must not set aside the welfare of its citizen since it would bail them higher opportunity costs.

Multiple Determinants of Health in the Workplace

Multiple Determinants of Health in the Workplace Melissa Evans    Introduction Occupational Health is a two-way relationship between health and work. According to Occupation Health (2007), Occupational Health is as much related to the effects of the working environment on the health of workers as to the influence of the workers state of health on their ability to perform the tasks for which they were employed. Its main aim is to prevent, rather than cure, ill health from wherever it arises in the workplace. A persons health can impact on their work and their work can impact on their health. Approaching the impacts on work health holistically, we can look at the determinants of health within the workplace through the use of various models; however we are going to focus on the Dahlgren-Whitehead Rainbow Model. In essence the Dahlgren-Whitehead model highlights a causal relationship between individual lifestyle choices, social networks, working and living conditions and economic, political and environmental factors, globally, nationally and locally. While the configuration of these different layers and factors can have both positive and protective influences on our lives, they can also undermine health and wellbeing, both for individuals and communities. For example, adverse economic conditions have implications for employment and training opportunities, public services such as health, social care, education, the wide range of services provided by local authorities, as well as the funding they provide to support local voluntary sector services. Where adverse conditions persist, they can have a significant and negative impact on social attitudes, social cohesion and social mobility(NHS Education for Scotland). Developed in 1991 by Goran Dahlgren and Margaret Whitehead the Dahlgren Whitehead Rainbow maps the relationship between the individual, their environment and health. The rainbow looks at five main areas. These areas include: Age, Sex and Constitutional Factors This is the core of the Dahlgren-Whitehead model and it focuses on the key areas of age, sex, ethnicity and genetic/biological constitutional factors. A workers age, sex or constitutional factors can reveal if the worker brings with them a pre-existent health status to the workplace such as inheritance and genetic susceptibility. Other factors in the extended layers can also be influenced by this component of the model. Individual Lifestyle Factors This layer focuses on a persons lifestyle choices. Behaviours such as alcohol and other drug misuse, poor diet, smoking, lack of physical activity, the number of jobs they do or if they play a sport can have an impact on a workers health and in turn could affect their ability to complete certain tasks in the workplace. Injuries caused by lifestyle choices such as sport could impact on a workers ability to carry out certain tasks or could put them at a higher risk of aggravation within the workplace which could lead to more serious injuries. Social and Community Networks This layer focuses on family support, friends and wider social circles. In this layer we can look at things like different cultural backgrounds, communication, community support groups and interpretation services. Quality not quantity should be taken into consideration. Living and Working Conditions This layer focuses on access to opportunities such as work, unemployment, training, health care services, housing, public transport and amenities. It also includes items such as water, sanitation and access to essential items such as food, fuel and clothing. When we focus on work we need to focus on the type of work to see if there is a potential for occupational disease or stress. Financial instability and access to health services could be a result of unemployment. General Socio-Economic, Cultural and Environmental Conditions This layer factors that impact on health and wellbeing such as social, economic, cultural and environmental. Items include availability of work, wages and taxation, prices of essential items such as food, clothing, transport and fuel. Cultural factors could include health being affected by traditions and beliefs of the family community. These conditions get reported on through to the government and in turn can influence the priorities of health policy and spending by the government. Whilst there is extensive documentation and evidence prior to the development of the Dahlgren-Whitehead with respect to Occupational Health, the model has been widely used to assist with research of the vast array of factors that can impact our workers from both a health and work level. The development of the model now allows us to look into reviews and research papers, and including qualitative and quantitative evidence in a more in-depth way. When using this information it should be supplemented with local and expert knowledge, policy information, and proposal specific information. According to the Declaration on Occupational Health for All by the World Health Organisation (1994) by affecting the health of the working population, occupational injuries and diseases have profound effects on work productivity and on economic and social well-being of workers, their families and dependants. Depending on the type of occupational injury or disease its effects can be far reaching. Whilst a majority of occupational injuries and diseases are minor there are also those that are more severe that the outcome could be long term, for example, could result in ongoing hospital treatment for an extended period, may need extended rehabilitation, permanent disability or even death. Lets look at the potential outcome of a worker who sustains a permanent disability and is wheelchair bound for the remainder of their life, it is not just the worker who is effected but their family, friends, their wider community, the costs that it generates, the loss of productivity at the workplace and the impact on social security systems. The World Health Organisation (1994) states that health and safety problems at work are, in principle, preventable and should be prevented by using all available tools legislative, technical, research, training and education, information, and economic instruments. In order to achieve this outline a workplace needs to consult Federal, National and State Legislation such as the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 as well as Australian Standards and Codes of Practice to assist with the development of a Safety and Health Policy in the first instance. From the policy a workplace then needs to delve further and design and implement Safety Management Systems, work instructions, job descriptions, job dictionaries, etc. Once the documentation has been researched, designed and implemented they then need to look at training and education. As part of this phase they need to identify hazards, conduct risk assessments and look at controls and interventions for prevention and control. Reference List Aw, T.C., Gardiner, K. and Harrington, J.M. (2007) Occupational Health. NHS Education for Scotland. Retrieves March 20, 2017 from http://www.bridgingthegap.scot.nhs.uk/understanding-health-inequalities/introducing-the-wider-determinants-of-health.aspx Dahlgren, G. and Whitehead, M. (1991). The Dahlgren Whitehead Rainbow. Retrieved March 18, 2017 from http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-us/50-years-of-esrc/50-achievements/the-dahlgren-whitehead-rainbow/ World Health Organisation (1994). Declaration on Health for All.

Reggae Español: Jamaican Music in Spanish-speaking Countries :: Essays Papers

Reggae Espaà ±ol: Jamaican Music in Spanish-speaking Countries With its close geographic proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America, Jamaica has not only received influences from these cultures, but has also been influential on molding and forming an integral part of Spanish-speaking nations. The growing popularity of reggae and Jamaican culture as a whole is apparent all over the world, and is catching on quickly. Although there are reggae groups found in many of the Spanish-speaking countries worldwide, there is not much literature that has focused on their history or followed their progress, just like there is not much published work about reggae and Rastafarianism. This paper intends to focus on the Spanish involvement in Jamaica and also chart the musical influence of reggae in these aforementioned regions. Although there is not much evidence regarding the Spanish involvement of Jamaica, the Spaniards were supposedly the first to arrive on the island, and settle it shortly thereafter. Christopher Columbus veered off his path and came upon the small island in the Caribbean on his second voyage in may of 1494. The island was already inhabited by the indigenous people called the Arawaks, who supposedly came from Venezuela and had already named the island Xaymaca. Not unlike the other Caribbean islands the Spaniards inhabited, their presence decimated the indigenous population. The influx of disease and mistreatment of the indigenous people by the newcomers led to their eventual demise, 70-80 years after the Spanish arrival. (Musgrave). Only a few artifacts remain of what was once the Arawak culture, a people that at one point numbered 60,000. (Barrett, p. 20). 15 years after the Spaniards first encountered the island, they founded a settlement and were quickly establishing dominance in the region. In 1509, the Spaniards built a town named after an existing Spanish town, Sevilla La Nueva, New Seville. It was located near what is now St. Ann’s Bay on Jamaica’s north coast. With the local indigenous population declining due to disease, Spaniards began bring Africans to the island to work as slaves and perform hard labor. When the Spaniards left and the English took over, many of the salve fled, which became known as Maroons, and settled in what is now known as The Cockpit Country, located in the center of the island. The Spanish presence in Jamaica was relatively brief, and never flourished under Spanish rule. They handed it over to Britain in 1655, after engaging in battle with the British.

To Kill a Mocking Bird Literary Analysis Essay

Neolithic Revolution Food: seeds, nuts, fruits, plants (gatherers) Eventually: small to large game (hunters) Hunting = working together, tools, and communication Hunting = migration, move from Africa to Asia Homo sapiens – 100,000 to 400,000 years ago first appear What is the Neolithic Revolution? Neolithic Revolution: agricultural revolution. The switch from hunting and gathering to farming. Agriculture and life style change Men = hunters Women – take care of children, gather plants and fruit for food.Knowledge that seeds = food = BREAKTHROUGH!!!!! Raise wheat, rice, barely, millet Domestication of animals Leads to plow and fertilizers. From hunter gatherers to food producing = Neolithic Agricultural Revolution Causes of the Neolithic Revolution Change in Climate Rising Temperature Drier land for farming Population Boom What does farming provide that hunting doesn’t? Early Farming Methods Slash-and-burn farming Ashes fertilize the soil After a year or two move t o another area of land.Farming Develops in Many Places Africa: Nile River Valley India: Indus Valley China: The Huang He River Valley Mesopotamia: Fertile Crescent Ch 1 Sec 2: Where were these ancient civilizations? Economic Changes Surplus of food meant people had more free time Artisans (crafts people) created valuable new items (cloth, pottery) Traders profited from a wider variety of goods to trade Social Changes People worked together to solve problems build irrigation systems farm land create cities (urbanization)Creation of cities leads to government Some consider: calendar, tools, and writing/reading (education) Social classes emerge 1. Concept of private property Division of labor (specialized jobs) Religion becomes more organized Worshiping gods & goddesses, not forces of nature Neolithic Villages Discovered in the late 1950’s. Famous due to the large size, dense population, spectacular walls, & paintings of the Neolithic life. Catal Huyuk Mud brick Entrance from ab ove Burials under floor Reed mats for beddingPeriodically destroyed and rebuilt above Review Humans initially hunter and gatherers and lived in relative equality. Neolithic Revolution is a food revolution. More food = more people. More people = creation of civilizations. Civilizations = cities, religion, reading/writing, government, division of labor, division of social classes, tool making (tech), concept of time (calendar), free time, education This all leads to civilizations being established in: India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China.

HIPPA Tutorial Summary Essay

HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA privacy rule was passed by congress in August of 2002. According to Understanding Health Information Privacy (2014), â€Å"The HIPAA Privacy Rule provides federal protections for individually identifiable health information held by covered entities and their business associates and gives patients an array of rights with respect to that information. At the same time, the Privacy Rule is balanced so that it permits the disclosure of health information needed for patient care and other important purposes.† The Security Rule specifies a sequence of administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for covered entities and their business associates to use to assure the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of electronic protected health information (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). The HIPAA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, tutorials are a memento that there is c ontinuous need for progress on the part of health care professionals and individuals. There is a strong need among health care professionals to know the guidelines, rules and regulations to stay within the laws set onward by the federal government. What did you learn from the HIPAA tutorial? The HIPAA tutorial was very educational and informative. I learned many things from this tutorial; however, I found the online information the most fascinating. Personally, I started in healthcare soon before we had EMR’s (electronic medical records) or as HIPPA calls them, EHR’s (electronic health records). A majority of us feel that our health information is personal as well as private and should be protected. The federal government put in position the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to ensure you have rights over your own personal  health information, no matter what form it is in (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). The government also created the HIPAA Security Rule to require specific protections to safeguard your electronic health information (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). A few possible procedures that can be built in to EHR/EMR systems may include: â€Å"Access control† tools like PIN numbers and passwords, to help limit access to your information to authorized individuals (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). â€Å"Encrypting† your stored information. That means your health information cannot be understood or read except by those using a system that can â€Å"decrypt† it with a â€Å"key† (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). An â€Å"audit trail† characteristic, which records who accessed your information, when and what changes were made (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). There is so much new technology and more modern advances in technology to come. With just about everything being based on computers comes with a whole new set of procedures and policies to keep individuals personal health information private. Federal law requires hospitals, doctor offices, doctors, and other health care providers/professionals to notify you of a â€Å"breach† (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). The law also requires the health care providers/professionals to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). The Understanding Health Information Privacy (2014) â€Å"If a breach affects more than 500 residents of a state or jurisdiction, the health care provider must also notify prominent media outlets serving the state or jurisdiction.† This requirement helps patients know if something has gone erroneous with the protection of their information and helps keep providers accountable for HER/EMR protection (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). Also, I did not know before the tutorial explained it that there are several layers of protection each computer system has. The different types of  protection systems have are fire wall, virus detection, cryptography, and intrusion detection systems (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). Firewalls get rid and/or locate viruses (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). Virus detection blocks distrustful traffic from entering the computer system (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). Cryptography preserves confidentiality (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). Intrusion detection systems look for patterns of misuse (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). The tutorial provided imperative information on integrity, confidentiality, and availability of all e-PHI’s created. Integrity is based on an individual’s values and trust (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). Confidentiality is shielding information from unofficial disclosure (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). Availability is appropriate authorized people having access to individuals personal health (medical) information that is required (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). All of the knowledge I have learned from the HIPPA tutorial I will be able to use not only in my future health care career but also as a patient myself. Why is this information important? Privacy allows us to make our own decisions free from compulsion (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). Privacy is valuable because it facilitates and/or promotes other essential values including ideals of personhood such as (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014): †¢ Personal autonomy (the ability to make personal decisions) (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). †¢ Individuality (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). †¢ Respect and †¢ Dignity and worth as human beings (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2014). †Informational privacy is seen as enhancing individual autonomy by allowing individuals control over whom may access different parts of their personal information† (Pritts, 2010). It also allows people to maintain their dignity, to keep some characteristic of their life or behavior to themselves (merely because it would be embarrassing for other people to know about it) (Pritts, 2010). Pritts (2010), †Privacy also allows people to protect their assets or to avoid sharing information with others who would use it against them, such as discrimination by employers, educators, or insurers.† An individual’s health/medical records can include some of the most intimate details about a person’s life. They document a patient’s physical and mental health, and can include information on social behaviors, personal relationships and financial status (Pritts, 2010). I learned a huge amount of important information from the HIPAA tutorial. Case in point: the HIPAA law was passed in August of 2002 and it requires a covered entity to secure patient records containing individually identifiable health information so that the confidentiality of the information is protected (HIPAA Security Basics: Health Care Workforce, 2004-2010) (Hippa Health, 2010). Another item I learned was the six steps to comply and document each process (Hippa Health, 2010). Throughout the tutorial it discussed an assortment of information about risk assessments, viruses, and denial of services, hackers, and breaches and consequences of HIPAA Security policy (Hippa Health, 2010). How will you use this information in the future? The information I learned from the HIPAA tutorial will help not only me but other health care professionals to understand how important complying with the rules and regulations has to be in order to provide the best protection for patient information. Understanding the regulations implemented in HIPAA will help health care professionals make the right decisions when releasing, sharing and discussing patients health care information. Every person is entitled to privacy in their lives and it is no different when it comes to health care. Conclusion Understanding and having the general knowledge of the rules and regulations implemented in HIPAA will further assist health care professionals to make the correct decisions when releasing, sharing, and discussing patient’s personal health care information. The privacy of health information as well as personal information continues to be a challenging issue. As a majority of health information is computerized, individuals communicate concern about their privacy over their personal health information. To help alleviate public concerns, According to Understanding Health Information Privacy (2014) â€Å"Federal rules governing the use and disclosure of health information were promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule).† References Understanding Health Information Privacy. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/index.html Pritts, J. L. (2010). The Importance and Value of Protecting the Privacy of Health Information: The Roles of the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the Common Rule in Health Research . Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Research/HIPAAandResearch/PrittsPrivacyFinalDraftweb.ashx HIPPA HEALTH. (2010). Retrieved from https://www.courses.learnsomething.com/scripts2/content.asp?a=9F7B983E559541A692699E4D6709D56D&ph=0A2241E0A9004D7EB6AD1293A5A86346&r=BeginFlashCourse&screenw=1280&screenh=800

Brand Identity and Content Quality

Brand Identity and Content Quality Brand Identity and Content Quality Brand Identity and Content Quality By Mark Nichol Every company is in the business of communication, and now that our society is well into the digital age, and businesses deliver their messages across multiple forms of media, it behooves them to do so with high professional standards. Two significant factors are brand identity and content quality, which are discussed in this post. The importance of brand identity is nothing new. Companies that market products have long been aware that having a consistent presentation strengthens consumer association with those products. Just as a companys line of tangible products, whether automobile or cleaning products, is consistent in terms of specifications such as appearance and labeling, so, too, should the presentation of various forms of media from a business be. Websites, YouTube channels, online and real-world slide shows, and all other forms of familiarizing current and prospective customers and clients with products and services, should present a consistent look in terms of logos, typefaces, color schemes, and so on. Many businesses, especially large, complex corporations, employ a style guide as a resource that enables employees to produce marketing materials and other information that supports brand identity. This guide is similar to (and generally incorporates) the traditional editorial style guide, which will be described below, but it includes more than that. An effective style guide includes a brand-identity section. Here, employees (and contractors who provide support services such as graphic design and copywriting) will find practical and technical information about logos and trademarks, fonts and other design specifications, and brand and product names. This resource includes everything from the appropriate size for logos (whether in English or metric units or in pixels) to the exact wording of names of products and services. This information detail specifications about various types of content: the company website, internal and external blogs, videos and slide shows, commercials (television, radio, and online), print advertising (not just in publications, but also on billboards and at mass-transit facilities and stops and on mass-transit vehicles), and so on. Also included should be specifications about conference and convention materials, including the look and feel of booths and their components (banners, panels, tabletop or countertop marketing collateral, and so on), and any other forms of presentation The level of detail should extend to how one invites recipients of an email message to reply. Sample guide text might read, â€Å"Always include the following text in an email message: ‘For more information, contact John Smith at john.smith@worldwidewickets.com, or call him at 123.456.7890.’ Always include one’s name as well as one’s email address in the sentence, write the email address in all lowercase letters, and set the parts of the phone number off with periods, not parentheses and hyphens.† The style guide will also include a discussion of voice and tone. Here, the company dictates how employees should express themselves- what degree of formality or informality is appropriate when communicating in any media. Does the company wish to convey a traditional gravitas, or a hip, conversational sensibility? Should written (or spoken) advertising content be straightforward, or is a lighter approach, perhaps one that allows for sarcasm or self-deprecation, appropriate? The style guide should make it clear how employees should communicate to customers or clients. Terminology is also an important part of the company’s style guide. Besides trademarks, brand names, and taglines, what is the vocabulary of the business? What is the jargon? Words and phrases (and acronyms and initialisms) likely to be employed in marketing efforts should be listed and defined. Those in the company who offer or exchange information, whether on the phone or in email messages, or whether in print advertising or on the home page of the company’s website, should know how they are expected to do so to most effectively reach their audience. Finally, the section should contain an editorial style guide that provides guidance on grammar, usage, and style. The branding and terminology sections will inform employees and contractors about capitalization of branding terms and industry-specific vocabulary, but the style guide will serve to remind people about whether text should include serial commas, inform them of the few exceptions when prefixes are hyphenated, admonish them to avoid scare quotes and clichà ©s, and so on. In addition, the style guide should emphasize the importance of meticulous attention to quality of content. In my experience, websites and other media produced by large corporations often are often superior in this respect to books and journalistic content in general, which is as it should be: In commerce, as in publishing, high content standards are integral in maintaining an authoritative reputation. You don’t have to be a corporate marketing director or communications manager to appreciate the importance of compiling and employing a style guide that details brand identity and champions content quality. People who operate a home business, and even bloggers and vloggers (video bloggers) can at a scaled-down level benefit from having such a resource at hand to encourage them to maintain consistency in the presentation of materials they offer to consumers and followers. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterDeck the Halls20 Criminal Terms You Should Know

Hamlet Speech Essays

Hamlet Speech Essays Hamlet Speech Essay Hamlet Speech Essay The tragedy of Hamlet follows the story of Hamlet of Denmark and the path he takes to revenging of his murdered father. The play was first performed as early 1607 and is still performed widely today. The fact that it is still performed today can be put down to the universality of the themes and issues of the plot. For my production, I have chosen to keep a traditional setting in order to emphasise the universality of the play. By leaving the setting unchanged, it allows a modern audience to fully appreciate the relevance of issues from and Elizabethan era, and the way in which they relate to the current day. The universality of Hamlet is emphasised by Kenneth Brannagh who, in an introduction to Hamlet, discusses the fact that ‘many of the lines from Hamlet are in our everyday speech’ and have become second nature to be used. The start of the play is one of the most pivotal scenes for my production. In this scene I chose to explore the rapid movement from Old King Hamlet’s funeral to the wedding as well as Hamlet’s separation from the rest of the characters as this allows for a good background to the events to follow in the play. Similarly to Zefferelli’s version of Hamlet, I chose to have the play start with the funeral of Old King Hamlet. In my production I start with Gertrude lamenting most extravagantly, wailing and throwing herself upon the grave of her late husband in a pale white dress. This scene would be instantly followed by Gertrude, in the same white dress, marrying Claudius. By keeping Gertrude in the same costume, the rapid change can be observed by the audience, and allows them to understand Hamlet’s anger towards his mother’s hasty decision to forget her husband and marry his brother. : In this scene the separation Hamlet creates for himself from the rest of the characters is important. â€Å"A little more than kin, and less than kind† displays Hamlet’s obvious desire to be disassociated. To stage this, I plan to have Hamlet physically separated from the rest of the characters on stage: symbolising his mental and moral separation. Similarly to Brannagh’s production, Hamlet should be wearing black, while the rest of the court, including Claudius and Gertrude are wearing colourful costumes. This also creates an obvious visual point of difference and separation between Hamlet and the rest of the characters on stage. Hamlet sees the people of the court as pretentious so this wedding scene would be performed in an exaggerated, melodramatic way by the members of the court, contrasting with a subdued, introspective style adopted by Hamlet. One of the main thematic concerns of this play is verisimilitude. Many of the characters develop a two-faced nature, creating a conflict between appearances versus reality. This is seen primarily in the character of Hamlet. He chooses to assume ‘an antic disposition’ in order hide is true self from others. In doing this, Canadian university lecturer Ian Johnson says that Hamlet â€Å"uses his famous â€Å"wit† to erect a defensive barrier between himself and others and at times to lash out cruelly at them†. This is often seen in the text when Hamlet puns and makes comments that are not understood by the people he is conversing with. For example, in Act 2 Scene 2, Hamlet has a conversation with Polonius in which he states ‘Then I would you a so honest a man. ’ making reference to the duplicitous nature of Polonius’ character, without his knowledge. It is argued amongst many that Hamlet truly is mad. However, the idea that madness is a cover behind which Hamlet hides, is more convincing. For example, in Act2 scene 2 we see the shift between Hamlet pretending to be mad and the reasoned persona he reveals when he removes his mask. In their conversation Polonius believes Hamlet to be mad, but as Polonius is leaving Hamlet remarks about â€Å"these tedious old fools†, revealing himself to be a sane. Also in that scene Hamlet warns Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, although they fail to understand, that he is not as mad as they think he is when he states â€Å"I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw†. In my production, Hamlet’s pretence of madness can be portrayed through Hamlet adopting a different, more fluid physical characterisation, a different vocal characterisation such as a change of pitch, or an affectation such as a laugh. The characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern also create a conflict between appearances versus reality, as they do the bidding of Claudius whilst holding up the pretence of being Hamlet’s trusted friends. In my production, to visually show this, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern would be equipped with masks that they would wear when talking to Hamlet, and take off when talking to Claudius. This ‘changing of faces’ highlights to the audience the verisimilitude of the characters. Another major thematic concern of Hamlet is Mortality. Death is a fundamental element in Elizabethan tragedy, notions of mortality, punishment, salvation and fate echoing through the play. Hamlet muses over death most famously in the ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy. He focuses on intellectually evaluating the very nature of death itself, to philosophically ponder the connections between sleep and death, which reflected the religious beliefs prevalent at the time, as death was considered a sleep before God’s restoration to life. ‘To sleep: perchance to dream:- ay there’s the rub.. For in that sleep of death what dreams may come. ’ Francesa Bugliani describes this soliloquy as ‘a deliberation on the conflict between reason and passion. ’ as Hamlet struggles with whether it is nobler to live in misery or to take steps to put an end to such sorrows. In the Kenneth Brannagh production of Hamlet, Brannagh discusses the use of the hall mirrors in order to create a sense of paranoia and allowing the characters to reflect about themselves, looking at themselves. The ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy was presented in front of such a mirror, allowing hamlet to literally talk to himself and reflect on his intentions. In my production, I chose to have this pivotal scene to be set similarly to that of Kenneth Brannagh’s, with Hamlet soliloquising to a mirror, allowing the audience to see two Hamlets, displaying the moral dilemma Hamlet is experiencing, and how he is torn between two decisions. This also furthers the idea of verisimilitude as even though the refection in the mirror shows an identical replica of Hamlet, what is within the person cannot be seen. In conclusion, the tragedy of Hamlet’s universal appeal is evident through the thematic concerns it displays. Through my traditional production of it, I believe the modern audience will be able to make clear connections with the issues presented and create meaning for themselves in doing so.

Challenge Of The Millennium Development Goals

Challenge Of The Millennium Development Goals Introduction This essay addresses four main research questions, namely: what are the challenges of the Millennium Development Goal Two as an education development concept; how has the concept of the Millennium Development Goal Two improved the existing education system; what strategies are being used to achieve the Millennium Development Goal Two and how effective are these strategies in achieving the objective; and is 2015 a realistic objective for achieving the Millennium Development Goal Two, in terms of what means are being used to determine the achievement of the goal and how reliable/effective these tools are. Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals are to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; to achieve universal primary education; to promote gender equality and to empower women; to reduce child mortality; to improve maternal health; to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; to ensure environmental sustainability; and to develop a global partnershi p for development. Each goal is composed of a series of targets that have associated indicators for monitoring progress. The Millennium Development Goal Two, for example, aims to achieve universal primary education, with the main target being to ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls like, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling, with three main indicators for monitoring progress, namely the net enrolment ratio in primary education; the proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach the last grade of primary school; and the literacy rate of 15-24 year olds, both women and men. Some of the aims of the Millennium Development Goal Two overlap with those of Millennium Development Goal Three, which aims to promote gender equality, aiming to eliminate gender disparity in primary (and secondary) education in terms of the ratios of girls to boys in primary (and later) education. In Africa, the Millennium Development Goals are overseen by the MDG Afric a Steering Group, which brings together the leaders of development organisations working in Africa, the UN Secretary General and the heads of various organisations, such as the IMF, the Islamic Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group, in to order to identify the steps that are needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Africa (MDG Africa Steering Group, 2009). The objectives of the MDG Africa Steering Group are to strengthen international mechanisms for implementation of development plans in health, education, agriculture, food security and infrastructure, to improve aid predictability and efficacy and to enhance coordination of aid at the level of individual countries (MDG Africa Steering Group, 2009). The Millennium Development Goals were developed as a fundamental part of the Millennium Declaration, which was signed by 189 countries in September 2000 (UN, 2000), supported by further countries at the 2005 World Summit via Resolution A/RES/60/1 of the UN General Assembly (UN, 2005). The Millennium Development Goals were conceptualised as a set of inter-related goals and targets that represent a way to encourage a viable partnership between developed and developing countries, in order to develop an environment – both global and national – that is conducive to development and to the elimination of the causes, and consequences, of poverty (UNDP, 2009). As of the date of signing of the Millennium Declaration, many hundreds of millions of people in the developing world lived below the poverty line, with a large proportion of these people failing to receive enough food to be able to survive. The Millennium Development Goals were, thus, developed as a concerted effort to identify where improvements were necessary and how these improvements could be made, via a series of targets and indicators, which would allow progress to be measured over the various goals. The Millennium Declaration focused on several main areas of improvement, inc luding the achievement of peace and security, poverty eradication, protecting the environment, ensuring human rights are upheld and protecting the most vulnerable members of the worldwide community, with this framework providing the conceptual basis of the Declaration and providing the holistic framework for the development of the specific goals, targets and indicators for monitoring progress.

Enlightenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Enlightenment - Essay Example Neoclassical style had a significant impact on the Western culture. The style is typified in most of the Empire furniture made in Western cities such Paris, London, and New York. For example, Zimmerbild furniture was made in Berlin. Apart from this, the Neoclassicism style became a major force in academic art in Western countries. For instance, several European cities such as Munich as St. Petersburg were converted into true museums of Neoclassical architecture. Neoclassicism architectural style also has a very significant impact on the construction of buildings in Western countries. For instance, some public buildings in the United States are built in the neoclassical architectural style. A recent example of a building built in this style is the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in the U.S. The use of the neoclassical architectural design is also apparent in Britain. Examples of the works of the style include Quinlan Terry’s Maitland Robinson Library located at Downing College as well as Robert Adam Architects’ Sackler Library. Additionally, the majority of the private houses in Britain are also constructed in the neoclassical

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 7

Assignment Example 2 At any time during the tax year, was any partner in the partnership a disregarded entity, a partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership), a trust, an S corporation, an estate (other than an estate of a deceased partner), or a nominee or similar person? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . a Did any foreign or domestic corporation, partnership (including any entity treated as a partnership), trust, or taxexempt organization, or any foreign government own, directly or indirectly, an interest of 50% or more in the profit, loss, or capital of the partnership? For rules of constructive ownership, see instructions. If â€Å"Yes,† attach Schedule b Did any individual or estate own, directly or indirectly, an interest of 50% or more in the profit, loss, or capital of the partnership? For rules of constructive ownership, see instructions. If â€Å"Yes,† attach Schedule B-1, Information on Partners Owning 50% or More of the Partnership NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a Own directly 20% or more, or own, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the total voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote of any foreign or domestic corporation? For rules of constructive ownership, see instructions. If â€Å"Yes,† complete (i) through (iv) below . . . . . . . NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . b Own directly an interest of 20% or more, or own, directly or indirectly, an interest of 50% or more in the profit, loss, or capital in any foreign or domestic partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership) or in the beneficial interest of a trust? For rules of constructive ownership, see instructions. If â€Å"Yes,† complete (i) through (v) below . .NO 5 Did the partnership file Form 8893, Election of Partnership Level Tax Treatment, or an election statement under section 6231(a)(1)(B)(ii) for partnership-level tax treatment, that is in effect for this tax

The Political Economy of Chinas Development Model Essay

The Political Economy of Chinas Development Model - Essay Example oom is a great of pride from a Chinese perspective, the rapidly growing economic crisis that has besieged world economics calls for a fresh reconsideration of this phenomenal growth. 1While some commentators argue that greedy Wall Street financial firms are to blame, others point fingers much higher at the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board Alan Greenspan. Other scholars with socialist orientations see in the entire crisis as the inherent weaknesses of the capitalist system imploding as it inevitably would. It is some of these views that are sampled in this paper. Certain economic analysts in China are angry. They point out that the cause of this crisis is the irresponsibility of the rich Chinese who have thrown good money after bad with crazy speculative investments of foreign reserves on failed foreign financial organizations. Despite these criticisms China has joined hands with the US, Europe and other countries to spur recovery. The measures it has taken include a rescue package of 4 trillion Yuan and increased investment in American treasury bonds. The International reserve currency, usually measured against American dollars, helps to regulate international trade. All countries involved in international trade reserve some foreign currency for the sake of trade with one another. When supply exceeds demand however, a crisis of international proportions arises as is happening today. The strength of international trade relies on stability in the bigger economies such as the US, the EU and lately China. Most money in these economies is kept in the stock market and banking systems. However, when these very systems of currency storage are hit by a depression, the entire world economy is affected, Jacques Rueff, 1971. The factors playing out in China may therefore be too complex for some of its domestic critics to conjecture. But in very simple terms, their country is now a major player in the world economy and crises of this nature come with the

Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Immigration - Essay Example 1). â€Å"Immigration is driving America's demographic change, demographers and others who work with immigrants and refugees reported at the APA Expert Summit on Immigration held in San Antonio in early February† (Farberman, 2006). Immigration does not provide the immigrants with a high standard of living until many years after settlement in the host country. Most of the immigrant families fall below the poverty line in terms of living and their children are disadvantaged in terms of poor educational opportunities. This can be estimated from the fact that 30% of the children belonging to the Mexican immigrant families, 29% children of the Dominican Republic immigrants, 34% children of the Cambodian immigrants, and 29% children of the Afghan immigrants in the USA live below the poverty line (Farberman, 2006). While the initial few years are tough for the immigrants, they yield many economic benefits for the nationals of the host country. ... Nevertheless, â€Å"the total gains accruing to some U.S.-born workers are larger than the total losses suffered by others† (Peri, 2010). According to Hirschman (n.d., p. 1), the social perceptions towards immigration are shaped by its economic outcomes as well as an emotional dimension that a vast majority of the Americans feel more comfortable socializing with people they know than with strangers. There is an inherent fear that the immigrants would show reluctance to give up their original values and culture for the sake of integrating in the American society and culture. This fear might be a potential hurdle in the way of native Americans extending the hand of help to the new immigrants to help them overcome the obstacles of assimilation in the new culture. â€Å"This trend in immigration has and will continue to have a significant impact on all U.S. institutions, from schools to the labor force, to media and politics, to health care† (de las Fuentes cited in Farberm an, 2006). To date, most of the research discussing the factors affecting the immigrants or the natives of the host countries is either about old immigrants or their children or the immigrants in general. There is gap in literature about the effects of immigration on the life of new immigrants and the factors affecting the new immigrants’ integration in the host country. This research will particularly focus the population of new immigrants to study these factors. Knowledge of the factors affecting the new immigrants is fundamental to the development and implementation of strategies to remove the hurdles in their way so that they can settle as quickly as possible and start

3 QUESTIONS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE and deviance Coursework - 2

3 QUESTIONS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE and deviance - Coursework Example In the United States, which supposedly has a better set of laws than states such as Colombia or Iran, there still are reprehensible violations and deviant behaviour. For example, Abu Ghraib, a former Iraqi prison, became a stellar example of the US military’s capacity for elite deviance. . There had been blatant violations of the rights of the prisoners as the photographs that leaked out of Abu Ghraib confirm. The report filed by Major General Taguba on his inspection of the institution was a graphic representation of how the prison was run (Hersh, 2004). The pictures which started the whole controversy were proof enough of the culpability of the participants. A justification given is that â€Å"it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish insurgents from citizens within the population† (Lane: 2009, 3), however it still cannot justify the level of atrocities. To the extent that US support for such regimes is based on arms rather than development, U.S. policy becomes a factor in exacerbating these wretched conditions. By 1993, yearly U.S. weapons sales to foreign nations had reached $33billion. In 1983, the United States was the primary supplier to at least twenty of the world’s nations engaged in war at that time. Also, it would appear that elite deviance in the United States is motivated by money, whilst elite deviance elsewhere, or global elite deviance can be motivated by other things, such as religion or nationalism. There are impacts on the well-being of a person who have unjustified stigmatization and these impacts are deep and profound. For example, the stigma against obese women. According to Thio, et. al., â€Å"the obese typically accept the denigration thin society dishes out to them because they feel for the most part that they deserve it. And they do not defend other fat people who are being criticized because they are a mirror of themselves; they mirror

The Political Economy of Chinas Development Model Essay

The Political Economy of Chinas Development Model - Essay Example oom is a great of pride from a Chinese perspective, the rapidly growing economic crisis that has besieged world economics calls for a fresh reconsideration of this phenomenal growth. 1While some commentators argue that greedy Wall Street financial firms are to blame, others point fingers much higher at the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board Alan Greenspan. Other scholars with socialist orientations see in the entire crisis as the inherent weaknesses of the capitalist system imploding as it inevitably would. It is some of these views that are sampled in this paper. Certain economic analysts in China are angry. They point out that the cause of this crisis is the irresponsibility of the rich Chinese who have thrown good money after bad with crazy speculative investments of foreign reserves on failed foreign financial organizations. Despite these criticisms China has joined hands with the US, Europe and other countries to spur recovery. The measures it has taken include a rescue package of 4 trillion Yuan and increased investment in American treasury bonds. The International reserve currency, usually measured against American dollars, helps to regulate international trade. All countries involved in international trade reserve some foreign currency for the sake of trade with one another. When supply exceeds demand however, a crisis of international proportions arises as is happening today. The strength of international trade relies on stability in the bigger economies such as the US, the EU and lately China. Most money in these economies is kept in the stock market and banking systems. However, when these very systems of currency storage are hit by a depression, the entire world economy is affected, Jacques Rueff, 1971. The factors playing out in China may therefore be too complex for some of its domestic critics to conjecture. But in very simple terms, their country is now a major player in the world economy and crises of this nature come with the

3 QUESTIONS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE and deviance Coursework - 2

3 QUESTIONS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE and deviance - Coursework Example In the United States, which supposedly has a better set of laws than states such as Colombia or Iran, there still are reprehensible violations and deviant behaviour. For example, Abu Ghraib, a former Iraqi prison, became a stellar example of the US military’s capacity for elite deviance. . There had been blatant violations of the rights of the prisoners as the photographs that leaked out of Abu Ghraib confirm. The report filed by Major General Taguba on his inspection of the institution was a graphic representation of how the prison was run (Hersh, 2004). The pictures which started the whole controversy were proof enough of the culpability of the participants. A justification given is that â€Å"it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish insurgents from citizens within the population† (Lane: 2009, 3), however it still cannot justify the level of atrocities. To the extent that US support for such regimes is based on arms rather than development, U.S. policy becomes a factor in exacerbating these wretched conditions. By 1993, yearly U.S. weapons sales to foreign nations had reached $33billion. In 1983, the United States was the primary supplier to at least twenty of the world’s nations engaged in war at that time. Also, it would appear that elite deviance in the United States is motivated by money, whilst elite deviance elsewhere, or global elite deviance can be motivated by other things, such as religion or nationalism. There are impacts on the well-being of a person who have unjustified stigmatization and these impacts are deep and profound. For example, the stigma against obese women. According to Thio, et. al., â€Å"the obese typically accept the denigration thin society dishes out to them because they feel for the most part that they deserve it. And they do not defend other fat people who are being criticized because they are a mirror of themselves; they mirror

C. Inflation Factor Essay Example for Free

C. Inflation Factor Essay Global growth remains noticeably above the historical trend, while inflation and long-run interest rates are unusually low. Global headline inflation has picked up in response to higher oil prices, but core inflation has been little affected and inflationary expectations remain well grounded. This has raised questions as to whether low inflation reflects deflationary. pressures from other sources, notably globalization, or whether there is a danger that the inflationary impact has simply been postponed. The global inflation rate has declined from an annual average of close to 15 per cent in 1980-84 to 3. 8 per cent in 2005. The average inflation rate in the industrial economies fell from almost 9. 5 per cent between 1975 and 1979, and nearly 9 per cent in the early 1980s, to 2. 3 per cent in 2005 and is projected to decline further. In developing countries, the decline has been even steeper and more rapid. In the early 1990s, the average inflation rate in developing countries was around 80 per cent; that had declined to 5. 4 per cent by 2005. The IMF forecasts currently project a further drop, to below 5 percent by 2007 (Kruegar). Over the past two years, inflation in advanced and many emerging market economies has remained remarkably subdued despite a significant rise in commodity prices, strong growth, and a broadly accommodating monetary policy stance in the major currency areas. Some analysts have argued that low and stable inflation reflects more intense global competition, which prevents firms from raising prices and puts downward pressures on wages in many sectors. If so, and given that lower-cost producers in emerging markets and developing countries will continue to integrate into the global trading system, these forces are likely to ensure low inflation in the foreseeable future (World Economic Outlook, â€Å"inflation† 97). This dramatic fall in inflation rates in the recent years owes a great deal to significantly improved macroeconomic management. Monetary policy has become much more effective, helped by the spread of central bank independence and, in many cases, by inflation targeting. And as inflation has declined, and more countries have adopted fiscally prudent policies, growth has become more rapid and, equally important, more durable. In addition, the rapidly expanding role of Asia and, to a lesser extent, the countries of the former Soviet bloc as low-cost manufacturing centers have served to dampen price inflation in high-income countries, where many of these products are consumed (World Bank).

Global Marketing And Expansion Into The US

Global Marketing And Expansion Into The US Introduction Roustam Tariko, founder of the Roust Holdings planned to establish a brand that will set up new standards of world class quality for new breed of global Russian brands. Traiko focused on setting up the standards by a product which is distinctive because of its Russian Heritage so that Russians can take pride in it, and to fulfill this requirement vodka was the obvious option as it is developed in Russia and strongly associated with the country. Tariko launched the vodka and by 2002, Russian Standard was outselling all other brands achieving the top position in the vodka market. This success of the Russian brand was attributed because of its consistent product quality, packaging, and merchandising and of course because of its strong depiction of Russian heritage. Encouraged by its success, Tarikos management launched the Russian Standard in the European countries aiming to make it the best vodka globally. Russian Standard vodka was making business in around 10 European countries, the company wishes to enlarge the business by further crossing the boundaries by entering into the US Market. Vodka is very famous in the US; it has a huge market, largest around the globe and there are many best selling companies which offer premium quality vodka. Launching Russian Standard vodka in US would mean high competition with the already existing brands that are quite popular among customers. The Russian Standards also expanded the list as Tariko decided to launch a new type of bank which will serve foreign trade companies, small business and individual customers. The challenge faced by the Russian Brands team was to make the two diverse businesses compatible with each other while maintaining the standards of the Russian Brand. The report presents a brief overview of the brand equity concept of the Russian Standards and the reasons behind its success story, discusses the horizontal brand diffusion in terms, and also debates over the possibility of launching Russian Standard in US and whether it needs to change its strategies to attract the customers. Brand equity is considered to be a crucial source for profitability. A firm with strong brand equity can have a significant edge in the market as compared to its competitor. It can be able to charge higher prices with its brand image backing it up. The firm can also enjoy a larger market share, a possibility of further product extensions and even draw more investment into the existing business. This is the reason why in the present world, branding or brand image has become a very important strategic issue for businesses. Businesses such as Pepsi, Coca Cola, Ralph Lauren, Nestle etc have very strong brand equities, because of which they are able to enjoy huge market shares as well as the ability to price their products higher than what they would have if they did not have their respective brand names. Brand equity is the value of a company which is only because of its name. As observed by Dr. Ramachandran (2010) brand equity is the outcome which is attributed to the products brand name as compared to the same product without a brand name. Due to the benefits strong brand equity can provide, every corporate entity works their utmost to excel others in the retail sector. However the question arises that what makes a brands equity stronger than it is? According to Kellers (2003) brand equity pyramid, there are mainly four steps and six building blocks which establish a consumer based brand equity for a firm, namely; Salience (identity), Performance and Imagery (meaning), Judgments and Feelings (Response) and finally Resonance (relationship) (Appendix 1). These are the steps at which the consumer asks respective questions related to the firm, and each step leads onto the next until the consumer places complete confidence in the firm, and thus the firm is able to acquire strong brand equity. This model by Keller (2003) can be used to explain how the Russian Standard brand was able to establish strong brand equity and how this brand equity helped the company to gain commendable success in Russia. Brand Salience The very first step in the pyramid is that of Salience, or identity. This is the step where the consumers ask the firm or product, who are you. This means that when a firm is introduced in the market, the firm establishes distinct identity. It establishes its association to a particular product class, i.e. consumers consider the firm/product according to this distinct identity. Brand salience can be defined as to how often and easily the brand is evoked under various situations and circumstances? (Keller, 2001) The beginning of the Russian Standard brand was with a mindset that its products were to be established in such a way which would be able to gain long lasting consumer association. The objective was to establish an exclusive product, which focused on Russian traditions. The brand identity established by Tariko was such that the Russian Standard brand was identified as the standard for Russians. The aim was to reach for the emotional aspect of consumers while they can relate themselves to the brand and claim pride in owning it. As the case study points out that the Russian Standard Vodka is identified as a traditional Russian souvenir, like matryoshka wooden dolls, Red Army captain watches, and lacquer boxes from Palekh (Grigorian, 2000). The intricate details taken into account in establishing the brand salience for the Russian Standard Vodka can be largely attributed to the brand equity that it enjoys today. Keeping the brand equity in order to build and protect the equity a brand positioned as a premium brand has to keep up with the expectancy by the consumers. For a premium brand the customer expectancy is not only from the quality of the product but it starts from the manufacturing to the pricing to packaging to delivering as well as to promotion (NetMBA). In all these levels a premium level of quality is expected. Russian standard has been careful in keeping quality at the utmost level while carrying out the four Ps. The product was produced with quality ingredients. The packaging was outlining quality in every aspect including meticulous details like design, labels, bottle caps and cases. The pricing was done to put the product in the premium to super premium category and the distribution was carefully laid out to acquire shelf spaces in fancy restaurants and night clubs and even in the highly perceived supermarkets. Brand Meaning Moving onto the next step of the Kellers pyramid, Performance and Imagery are what gives a brand its meaning in the minds of the consumers. The performance block includes all the principal characteristics of the brand, i.e. how well is the brand able to conform to the consumers psychological and functional requirements. This portion of the pyramid basically includes the basic features of the product, pricing, design, durability etc. Whereas, the brand imagery portion of the pyramid includes all the characteristics that are connected to the product, i.e. the products user profile, the values and history that the product reflect along with the distributional structure of the product(Keller, 2003). The Russian Standard brand was known for its quality, packaging and strong distribution channels. It was designed to be the first domestic brand to create a rich mosaic of imagery. It focused not only on quality but also on the price, packaging, merchandizing and communication. The Russian brand emphasized on depicting the Russian heritage to connect to the Russian customer and also achieve and ensure product quality that will attract the customers and make them loyal to the brand. The Russian major scientific institute which specialized on food research, in 1990s, along with Mendleev formulated a formula for vodka, this was patented to be exclusively Russian, it was considered a symbol of quality. The quality based on Mendeleevs recommendations of the vodka was of utmost importance to Tariko, which was then communicated to the people through extensive advertisement promotion, the designed bottle of vodka showed Mendeleves signature so that the customer will felt secure about the qua lity of the product. By establishing this strong connection of vodka with the Russian heritage, Traiko developed a certain sense of meaning and understanding among his customers that they were attracted emotionally and physiologically towards the Russian Brand vodka, and this sense of owning and connecting to the product not only attracted as many locals but also ensured their loyalty towards the product. Other than this, the Russian Brand also priced the product in a very appropriate way; the price was in support of its image as an exclusive brand. The vodka was priced more than other local brands, while still it was less expensive than the imported brands. This helped the Russian Standard Vodka to be recognized as an elite brand, in league with the imported brands; whilst at the same time it helped in gaining profits for the firm as well (Appendix 3) (Anselmsson, 2007). It mainly targeted the connoisseurs and strivers who preferred high quality products and prestigious brands. Moreover, the packaging of the Russian Standard Vodka was unique and fashionable. The exclusivity of the product and its other brand values was reflected by its packing. Attention was paid to every little detail of packaging of the vodka bottle; from bottle case to its cap and more importantly the shape of the bottle all were designed to emphasize on Tarikos objective of depiction of the Russian heritage and also ensure class and quality to the customers requirement and satisfaction. The packaging was designed by one of the top most design house, so that it would reflect the brands quality. The act of focusing on the packaging of a product was in itself something new for a business in Russia. Quality used to be the sole source of focus for a product, leaving the focus from pricing, packaging or the distribution channel, whereas, in modern marketing techniques, product, price, place, packaging and promotion make up the marketing mix for any product. Therefore, packaging was another on e of the major reasons for the Russian Standard vodka to acquire its brand meaning in the eyes of the consumers. Furthermore, the nostalgic touch to the packaging which reflected the value of the brand increased the brand meaning. The shape of the bottle resembled that of the traditional Russian orthodox churches, and there was a historical signature on the packaging as well.. This helped the consumers in establishing distinct brand imagery for the Russian Standard brand and relate to it. On the other hand, the strong distribution channel of the Russian Standard Brand also helped to setup its brand imagery. The Tarikos import business before the Russian Standard brand helped the new vodka to acquire advantaged shelf space as opposed to what it would have had in case Tariko had no prior reputation. Therefore, the beginning for the Russian Standard Vodkas placement in the market was privileged with supermarket promotions, access to prominent restaurants, clubs and bars. Brand Response The judgment and feelings of the consumers are the next building block. . This is basically the feelings and perceptions of the consumers about the brand (Keller, 2008). The brand judgment includes the brand quality, credibility, and differentiation. The quality includes the value or satisfaction the brand provides the consumers. The Russian Standard Vodka was trusted by the consumers for its quality. The advertised quality was supported by the actual quality of the product. The appropriate marketing mix helped the consumers to relate to the product. The idea of the campaign was to show a transformation from the previous Russian standards and the new ones. It was meant to create a modernized image in the minds of the consumers. However, this was not perceived as desired by many consumers. Most of the people thought of it as disrespectful to degrade Russian traditions no matter which era they belonged to and the message could not transfer to most people as well. So the campaign failed to communicate the intended premium image. It was designed for the international market but the response from the Russian market stopped it from being used abroad. It was not portraying the embracing the past and inspiring progress mantra the company was following. The feeling that was called upon by the advertisement within the consumers was such that they preferred using the Russian Standard Vodka as opposed to the imported brands. The brand acquired more appeal through its unique packaging and quality. The on-premise promotion on the other hand worked better for the company. It was promoted as a prestigious brand in restaurants and night clubs. The off-premise promotion was also carefully planned to portray its elegance by acquiring quality displays and shelves in the supermarkets. Brand Resonance The consumers in the modern times demand much more than just the functional benefits from a product. They demand intangible benefits such as image, status, personality, lifestyle, success and other factors that they can strongly relate to (Aziz and Yasin, 2010). The Russian Standard brand was one of the very first brands in Russia which used all these aspects into account when introducing its products in the market. Prior to this, quality and the product was the only consideration for the businesses. They believed in the supply making its own demand style of selling as opposed to the making a product in accordance to the demand of the people. However, the Russian Standard brand changed the traditional style of marketing and therefore was able to hugely benefit from rapid success in Russia. The Russian Standard brand used all the five Ps of the marketing mix to powerfully introduce itself in the market. From there onwards, it maintained its quality and built a solid name for itself by being consistent and innovative in promotion. The Russian Standard brand was able to establish a reputation which appealed to the consumers nationalistic sense. The idea was to create a strong consumer-brand relationship. Brand resonance can only be healthy if the consumers feel that they are in synchronization with the brands identity and values. Because of its patriotic look the brand was able to delve into the Russian market well. It was in complete harmony with the traditions of the Russian people. Therefore, from the analysis above, it can be said that the rapid success of the Russian Standard brand was not only because of the strong product quality they offered but also due to its right choice of marketing mix and most importantly its uphold with the Russian Identity. As the Roust Organization has already developed strong merchandizing and communication skills and relationships with the both kind of trades that is on-trade and off-trade, it was easy for the Russian Standards to be introduced to the consumers, but it was the Russian Standards strong conviction towards the brand equity that they become increasingly popular with the people and establish a certain kind of bond with them. It can be rightfully said that the success story of Russian Brand vodka emphasizes on all the aspects of the brand equity i.e. to establish brand salience and keep themselves intact with brand meaning to strengthen the bond with the customers keep counter check on the brand response and improve i ncase of any negativity and maintain the high standards, and last but not the least to provide brand resonance to the customers so they can feel pride in using the Russian Brand vodka. Thus it enjoyed rapid success and managed to maintain its position at the top, with these brand equity concepts followed it is today thought as to be one of the traditional Russian Souvenirs. Diversification Horizontal brand extension is one of the diversification strategies for the businesses. As can be seen in the Ansoffs matrix in appendix 2, when a firm increases its business into new products and markets, it is said to be diversifying its business. The benefits from diversification include, profitability, growth, reaping economies of scale if the diversification is within the same product range, avoiding dependence on a single product etc. Capitalizing on the equity of existing brands can produce many benefits for the company (Strach and Everret, 2006) even enhance the perception for the core brand (Aaker, 1991). There are two types of diversification strategies; concentric diversification or conglomerate diversification. Concentric diversification is the one where the product class remains the same. This strategy is to add related products or markets from that of the current line of business. On the other hand, conglomerate diversification is where the firm diversifies into areas that are unrelated to the current product range. Synergy Synergy is the ability of two or more instruments to work together to create something more than what they would have created separately. In a firms case, a synergy would be the extra benefit acquired by two different organizations working together, as opposed to what they would have acquired if they worked separately (Ellwood, 2002). In the Russian Standard brands case, the banking industry and the vodka industry are two unrelated industries. However, the Russian Standard brands aim to establish both these businesses under a single brand name could have been to benefit from synergies. This is possible if the bank and the vodka business together can give a stronger brand equity or profitability as opposed to their working as separate businesses under two different brand names (Aaker, 1991). Conglomerate Diversification: Benefits and Problems The possible motivations for conglomerate diversification include profitability, reducing firm specific risk, and limited growth in the current business along with other benefits of diversification in general. As observed by Martin and Sayrak (2001), the diversified organization may benefit from a larger tax liability than the initial business. Moreover, there may be other benefits from diversification such as risk from suppliers can be reduced, overhead costs can be distributed amongst a larger business (economies of scales), and the debt capacity may increase as well (Lewellen, 1971 as cited in Martin and Sayrak, 2001). Furthermore, the additional business can become a source of internal financing for the combined brand, which can considerably reduce the firms financing costs. This can be done by the management of the combined organization, by redistributing resources within the organization, where a larger amount of funds can be placed in the areas where there is potential of a hi gher gain than some other department (Stein, 1997 as cited in Martin and Sayrak, 2001). On the other hand, conglomerate diversification may create a number of problems for the existing firm. There are chances of administrative problems arising with an increase in the scale of operations (VanAuken, 2011). There can be managerial issues, i.e. an intensification of the principle-agent problem in an organization. Along with this, there can be an inadequate level of experience for the existing firm in the new industry. There may be requirements of the new industry that the current management is completely unaware of. New marketing mix, technical equipment, personnel and a lot more will be required for the new business which the current management may not be able to obtain. Support for and against Conglomerate Diversification In conglomerate diversification there are cases where the diversification has been extremely successful as well as cases where diversification was a source of loss in shareholders value in the initial business (Martin and Sayrak, 2001). Maksimovic and Philips (2002) in their research found out that conglomerate diversification reduces shareholder value, whereas in Martin and Sayraks (2001) work they have given a wide range of supporting as well as opposing arguments, without a significant conclusion as to whether conglomerate diversification is beneficial for the initial firm or it actually dilutes its initial shareholder value. However, it has to be noted that most of this literature is on merging or acquiring conglomerate businesses and not establishing a new business like the Russian Standard brand did. In case of the Russian Standard brand, (Grigorian, 2000) the bank was met with immediate success. Therefore, the success of the bank could be attributed to the existing brand name of the Russian Standard Vodka, but even if it was not because of that then there was definitely no dilution of the brand because of the conglomerate diversification. However, it may be difficult to measure in the Russian Standard brands case whether the success of the bank was because of the credibility of the brand or the right marketing mix for the bank itself. It can be the case that the bank may still have had the same success without the Russian Standard brands name associated to it, because the strategies to establish the bank were appropriate and the marketing mix was correct for the respective environment. This may be very much possible considering the fact that most of the people did not associate the Vodka and the Bank even with the same brand name; few customers made a clear link between the two businesses (Grigorian, 2000). Another aspect in this situation could also be the fact that the owner of the company, Roustam Tariko, had established much credibility for himself as well by being successful very early. His sense of strategic business thinking made him successful in creating a brand image of Russian Standard. The aim to meet international quality standards and improve the image of his country reflected well in his branding strategies. The Russian standard vodka and bank, though both were quite different in terms of relativity but as both were being run by Roust their relativity was somehow subsided by the credibility of the parent company (Ellwood, 2002). Both the brands were leveraging on the Russian Standards image. So the brand could very well diversify instead of considering to be diluted. Therefore, it can be said that even when the banking and vodka businesses are not compatible and few modern businesses actually go for conglomerate diversification, the Russian Standard brand was able to handle the two businesses well. As reputation (Ali, 2008) is one of the main factors that can affect the results of brand extension, the Russian Standard brand had a strong brand equity because of its vodka business which could very well afford to withstand any brand extension. Market Extension Another diversification strategy is to extend ones existing business into new markets. As can be seen in the Ansoff matrix (appendix 2), the market extension (Jewell, 2000) is when the existing product is introduced in some new market. This is another extension strategy that the Russian Standard brand was taking into consideration, i.e. extending its vodka into the US market. The benefits of market extension include profitability, an opportunity to reap economies of scale as the basic product will remain the same and growth of business and operations (VanAuken, 2011). Whereas, the market extension process may cause difficulties for the existing firm, because the new market may be completely different from what the firm has been working in initially. An in depth analysis of the potential market, information of the competitors and consumers, legal regulations, economic and social environment, all are required before the extension may be made. An entirely new marketing mix is required f or the same product for it to be introduced in a new market. If the product is launched in the new market with the same marketing mix, then the probability of its success may be reduced considerably. This is because, consumers in each market have distinct requirements and the social, economic and legal situation is also different from the existing market. Moreover, the potential market may already be saturated with competition, as is the case with the US market for Vodka (Sahani, 2008). The US market already has a number of well positioned, distinct local and foreign brands. Each of the brands available in the market is distinct in its own way, i.e. each has a specific segment of the market that it is very well catering to. Therefore, it can be said that introducing the Russian Standard Vodka in the US market is a difficult task, however with the quality product that it has, it may as well be successful to grasp a section of the market. In order to do this, a new marketing mix will be required for the Russian Standard Vodka to be successful in the US. The Russian Standard Vodka in the US market The Russian Standard Vodka was hugely successful in Russia not just because of its quality, but also its appeal to the nationalist sense in Russia along with its privileged distributional channels. These are the attributes of the Russian Standard Vodka that may not be present when the vodka is introduced in the US market. The US market which is todays largest consumer of vodka, is already very saturated in terms of premium vodka brands. The consumers will not be attracted to the brand merely because of its Russian origin, nor will the brand be able to acquire advantaged distribution channels (Sahani, 2008). Also considering the fact that the relationship between the two countries have always been on a verge of disagreements (Graham, 2008), this can act as creating a certain biasness for the origin of the brand. Based on the market analysis the super premium to premium segment already includes a lot of imported brands. For Russian Standard to create its space the super premium segment will have a benefit in terms of no competition from local brands, since the super premium segment only includes the imported variety. So if Russian Standard vodka changes its market strategy they can be noticeable in the US market. Change in the strategy will have to be emphasized in new and creative ideas of marketing and advertising, for this purpose it is very essential for the Russian Standard management to carefully study the US market, understand what the customers need and want, and what does the other vodka brands offer them, whether is there any loopholes or any gap between the customer requirement and brands offers and if Russian Standard vodka can overcome that gap. The American market is completely different from the Russian market, therefore Russian standard faces a great challenge in first capturing the attention of the American and consumers and then providing them with a better vodka than its competitors. The Russian Standard vodka can be launched in US market, but for a successful launching a lot of literature review and planning is required. From the discussion above it can be said easily that the Russian Standard will have to adapt to the US market to make their space. Many aspects of the Russian Standard vodka advertising and management campaign will plays vital role, among which pricing is the most crucial of all. The price should be appropriate enough to capture the attention of the Americans and maintain class as well. The quality of the Russian Brand vodka will ensure brand loyalty from the customers, but the real challenge is faced in actually making space in already so brand crowded market of the vodka in the US. The Russian Standard Vodka marketing mix for the US market will have to have a significant media campaign as well. This is because, all other competing brands in US have noteworthy amounts of money spent on advertisement, and are using user profiling (associating celebrities to add value to the brand) to their advantage. This is one place, where the Russian Standard Vodka will have to focus to establish a brand image that will appeal to the respective consumers. With the current scenario going pretty well for Russian Standard at home a global impact will add to the equity of the brand. As far as the image and global inconsistency is concerned in order to venture into a foreign market the characteristics must be understood. Since the US is a big market and the people are very accustomed to freedom and rationality Russian Standard will have to adapt to the culture in order to create the brand image (Deresky, 2006). This might impact global consistency of the brand but in order for it t o be associated exclusively to Russia the Russian Standard brand has to be put up as a brand for the elite. One the brand recognition will be spontaneous and second it will enjoy cost effective global positioning (Sahani, 2008). As the current situation of the brand is leading in the Russian Market the intervention in the US market will not be a wrong decision. Another aspect in consideration with the adaptation to the US market involves the brand name Russian standard itself (Deresky, 2006). This can have a positive as well as a negative impact while branding in US. The word Russian associates the Russian traditions with the brand. This can impact in the unique positioning in imported vodkas market. The name will give the product a Russian trait and the market does consist of people inspired more by brands with foreign attribute associated to them. However, the market also consists of people who can be biased in terms of foreign associations. Since Russia has been on major disagreement terms with US in history, some sort of biasness or stereotyping might result in the undermining of the brand (Graham, 2008). Launching Russian Standard Brand vodka in the United State would be challenging but not entirely an impossible job. With change in strategies and with new concepts of brand equity that will be according to the US markets, the Russian Standard Brand may be able to make their space in the strong world of vodka in the United States. Conclusion Therefore keeping these aspects in mind the venture into the US market can be risky at some points since it is the largest vodka market in the world. On the other hand it can also provide Russian Standard the global position it is looking for. It will add to the equity at home and in other markets it plans to venture into. The loyalty will increase and so will the company reap economies of scale by pricing it in the super premium market.