Global Crimes Rate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Crimes Rate - Research Paper Example B. There seems to be a consistent relationship between the economic indicators and the homicide rates. For instance the nations having the lowest homicide rate also tend to have relatively low unemployment rates with Monaco having an unemployment rate equal to zero (CIA The World Factbook, 2013). In contrast the three nations having the highest homicide rate also tend to have a relatively high unemployment rate, with Jamaica having an unemployment rate of 14.3% (CIA The World Factbook, 2013). There also seems to be a relationship between the Per Capita Income and the rate of homicide in the nations under consideration. The nations having the lowest homicide rate also have a high per capita income as compared to the nations having the highest homicide rates (CIA The World Factbook, 2013). C. The other factor that needs to be mentioned is that the three nations having the lowest homicide rates that are Monaco, Palau and Hong Kong tend to be less populated as compared to the three nations having the highest homicide rates that are Honduras, El Salvador and Jamaica (CIA The World Factbook, 2013). The other thing is that in the nations having the highest homicide rates, the contribution of agriculture to the GDP is much more as compared to the nations having the lowest homicide rates in which a large proportion of the GDP is accrued from the industrial and services sector as compared to the agriculture sector (CIA The World Factbook, 2013). Also the nations having the lowest homicide rates do have high life expectancy as compared to the nations having highest homicide rates (CIA The World Factbook, 2013). D. On the basis of the statistics pertaining to the nations having the highest and lowest homicide rates, it could safely be concluded that the nations with the lowest homicide rates happen to be the well developed economies where the citizens do have a relatively better access to

Analysis On The Movie Inception Film Studies Essay

Analysis On The Movie Inception Film Studies Essay The film Inception (2010) captured the imagination of many spectators as one of the best science fiction and fantasy movies to be produced that year. It was produced and directed by Christopher Nolan who also wrote the script of the movie. The development of this script and the story line were Nolans original ideas back in 2001, nine year before the movie was released when he wrote an eighty-page script on dream stealing. This work was inspired by the concept of dream incubation and lucid dreaming which bore this mystery envisioning a world where technology has been developed to allow entrance into the human mind by means of dream invasion. Inception is based on the basic inspiration that a single idea in an individuals mind can be either the most valuable asset or the most dangerous weapon (George, 2009). The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, who in the movie steals information from the minds of his victims during dreams. The last job which Cobs is given, and which is the ce nter of the movie involves performance of an inception so that Cobbs could regain his previous life and be able to visit his children. The movie in general received outstanding applause as an innovative and smart story and many critics gave it positive reviews. Rotten tomatoes for instance gave this movie an average score of 8/10 based on over two hundred and fifty reviews and reported that up to 87% of critics gave this movie a positive preview. Specifically praised in this movie is the producer/ director/writer, Mr. Nolan who received many positive notices and compliments even from the best critics. For instance, a notable critic, Peter Travers from the Rolling Stone magazine complimented this movie and Mr. Nolan stating that it was like an ingenious chess game. Justing Chang who said that the writer applied the best skill to vividly depict the procedural detail of sub-consciousness, quite a surrealists thriller which gave all the viewers a big challenge to explore the intricate and deep working of the mind, has praised the writers skill. The genre of this movie is widely interpreted. Some view it as mystery and suspense, while other individuals categorize it as Drama, action, or adventure. Just like any other movie, the issue of genre has been subject to diverse interpretation and thus becoming an element of widespread controversy. The movie Inception correctly falls in the history of science fiction. The first element supporting this fact is that it whole idea of the movie deals with imagined technological or scientific innovations. This also do not happen in the worlds contemporary setting, but a futuristic setting where given the current technological development, such innovations might be possible but the world is not there indeed (George, 2009). The idea of stealing ideas has not yet been realized, but there are current studies in neuroscience that are not trying to find out this, but working to understand the complexities and working of the human brain and may be in future, science research would bear such frui ts. Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb is the extractor in this case. He is well known and corporate uses him to infiltrate other peoples minds and extract the information they need. More evidence of science fiction is illustrated at the hotel room in dream world where loss of gravity is experienced. The elevator cannot even move and Arthur needs to use an explosion to push it. This is not scientifically possible but it happens in this movies. Among other incidences, the film fits clearly in the historical context of science fiction. Atmans A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre, (1984) explores in depth some of the ways used to differential movies into certain genres. He clearly and explicitly explains both the semantic and syntactic approaches to film genres giving us the proper understanding on how to analyze movies and give them appropriate genres. Looking at the work of Altman (1984), this renowned writer observed the same controversy criticism and recognized this approach to genre criticism at semantic approach. In semantic approach, the genre of a certain film is allocated based on some superficial aspects which are thought to fit to that genre. According to this approach, a film is examined based on the plot, characters, and types of some aesthetics among other superficial elements of the movie. Notably about this approach, it falls short of analysis and criticism. This approach fails to look into the details of the movie and less emphasis is laid on the timelines, production and assessment of scenes. The syntactic approach is quite different from semantic approach according to Altman, (1984). This approach takes into account finer details of the movie like the relationships between some semantic elements of that particular genre or between aspects of the society at large and those elements. It appreciates how isolated elements combine in any given movie to come up with the true meaning of such movie (George, 2009). This approach seeks not only to understand why some aspects of any given film are so, but also examines the effects of such aspects on the audience, the information which it deems valuable. This type of film examination brings a deeper look into incidences which might look insignificant in one film but holds a lot of water if compared or connected with similar incidences of other films. Altman goes further to bring up two more different approaches to genre criticism; ideological and ritual. The ritual approach in this sense occurs when moviemakers bent from societal pressures to produce films depicting the contemporary society such as Hollywood. He notes that this type of approach expresses audience desires in broader sense and it has its focus on the consumption side. With the ideological approach, the genre any movie falls into is based on simple, but generalized approaches to identifiable structures (Grant, 2003). Looking at Inception on the light of the Altmans approaches to genre criticism, it can be universally agreed that the same phenomenon is evident. This film clearly supports the arguments made by Altman. The film has been interpreted differently by different authors/different authorities and that is why we have the varying classification in terms of genre. Altman argues that genre is given based on uses and users instead of a fixed point of reference (Grant, 2003). The movie genre is diverse and serves diverse group of individuals. When summing up his arguments, Altman notes that it is not possible to adopt certain terminology that is neutral under any challenge. The terms that are in use are usually based on and derived from different ways for different viewers. It is possible that a certain approach to genre allocation is invalidated by fans regardless of the fact that the studio and nay be the producers validate it. Movies genre is therefore a site of either corporation or struggle among different groups of users or multiple users and such an understanding would help appreciate genre and break away from the tyranny of genre criticism. Altmans arguments are well supported by the film Inception. Different authorities and audiences describe this movie differently. As noted earlier, this movies genre has been describe as fantasy (like in Rotten Tomatoes website), adventure and action, drama, science fiction, suspense and mystery. A casual audience would dismiss this movie as action or drama given the type of violence and gunfights it portrays. If an individual did not pay attention to the overall storyline and did not glimpse the interchanges between real world in the movie, the dreams and dreams within the dreams, it would be obvious that the individual would easily appreciate the action scenes and therefore label the movie action. If some viewers of this movie paid attention to this movies visual effects and the music used in the movie, then it would be easy for such an individual to label it suspense and mystery (Altman, 1984). The visual effects are well set and integrated with the music well to bring out a thrill ing effect of a suspense movie. A careful observer or a person really interested in the movie would note the scientific details about the human mind, dreams and the fiction part on how the ideas are being stolen through the dream. Those who do not understand or appreciate science would label this movie fantasy coming into agreement with Altmans argument that genre just depends on uses, users or groups of users (Altman, 1984). Altman has shade much light on the understanding genre of movies, not only Science Fiction, but all movies at large. Someone may be confused if a movie they clearly know as action movie is referred to as science fiction but if it is an exaggeration of scientific facts, not yet supported by evidence and most likely happens in a futuristic world, such a movie may fall in the science fiction genre. Such discrepancies are well tacked by the author who shades much light on the diversity of the audience, uses of the film and the discursivity associated with any account of genre.

Embryonic Stem-cell Research - A True Faustian Bargain :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Embryonic Stem-cell Research - A True Faustian Bargain      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the debate over whether the federal government should fund embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR), our country is being offered a true Faustian bargain. In return for a hoped-for potential - it is no more than that - of deriving desperately desired medical breakthroughs in the treatment of such afflictions as Parkinson's disease, paraplegia, and diabetes, we are being asked to give the nation's imprimatur to reducing human life into a mere natural resource to be exploited and commodified.    Given the stakes, our lawmakers owe it to their country to take the time to thoroughly understand the issue before speaking in public and taking sides. Unfortunately, some senator's statements in favor of embryonic research exhibited stunning ignorance regarding the subject about which they opined. Making matters worse, the press quickly leaped upon the statements of these pro-life senators as proof that embryonic research is moral, ethical, and scientifically justified, when the reverse is actually true.    Senator Hatch's attempt to explain his pro ESCR funding position to Chris Matthews on Hardball on June 20, demonstrated that he doesn't know an embryo from a stem cell. Take the following statements:    * "After a long period of study and prayer, I found that pluripotent cells are not full human beings but can be very, very beneficial as used by science to help with all kinds of maladies...." * "It is appropriate to use pluripotent cells but inappropriate to use totipotent cells because a pluripotent cell cannot be made into a full human being. A totipotent cell can actually be replicated into a human being through even cloning." (Totipotent cells are the first to appear after fertilization and can actually develop into a completely new embryo - as occurs during identical twinning. Pluripotent [stem] cells appear a bit later. They are "undifferentiated cells" that can develop into any body part - which is why researchers wish to study them.) * "Life begins in the mother's womb, not in a refrigerator."(Embryonic)    In stating that the feds should fund the study of pluripotent cells but not totipotent cells, Senator Hatch confused several essential points. First, pluripotent cells and totipotent cells are not the same thing as the embryo itself. Rather, these cells are constituent parts of the embryonic whole just as vital organs are parts of born persons.

Telpresence

Synopsis: Telepresence is key to offering businesses of every size and location to grow globally with low cost expansion. Telepresence offers face to face interaction between individuals, with miles and miles between their monitors. The technology of telepresence offers many avenues of expansion, growth, costs saving and co.uk/memo-the-retreat-and-corporate-team-building/">team building, as an all in one product. Businesses of today need to step on board with the meetings and preferred â€Å"contact† of tomorrow. 1) What kinds of limitations do you see for users of telepresence? Is it really a substitute for face-to-face meetings?Make a list of features of face-to-face meetings. Then consider a range of business situations as an employee, from initial hire, to working with a team, to understanding what your boss wants, and even a termination meeting. How would telepresence work for you in these situations? The limitations presented for users of telepresence are the eye contact , body gestures, actual feeling of the atmosphere present with the other individual(s). There is a lacking of personal warmth. I believe that it has to be the substitute for face to face meetings as the world is changing.If it was my decision, I would not think that it is best for business, I appreciate face to face, smell, touch, and feeling. However in today’s business world, it has to be the substitute. Telepresence would work for satisfactory of the business purpose at hand, in an interview, employers can save time by logging onto their computer screen, instead of taking up time meeting, greeting, seating applicants etc. It would allow the employee the benefit of being in familiar surroundings during the stressful interview, as well as cut costs on time, gas etc.Understanding what a boss wants can be achieved, as if your boss is out of the country, he can still be reached and seen and spoken too about the project at hand. He is always available. That is kind of the same a s working with a team; you can consistently be in contact with your team members, even if your team members live on different continents. This allows for technology to stream together continuously as a whole. A termination meeting would be a lot less stressful if it happened somewhere else other than work in front of coworkers; also, I am the kind of person that is a better speaker when I am in confrontation, via phone, Skype etc.This would benefit me as I would be persistent and persuasive, more so than I would be in person. 2) What are the business benefits of telepresence described in these videos? What is the benefit of a hologram? The benefits are the strategic communications solution, time management, creating stronger relationships with customers and clients, as well as partners and suppliers, decision making is increased, as well as studies (as you can have individuals in another country with separate data speaking and working with you at once).Travel costs are cut, and empl oyee time is better spent actually working on the project and/or tasks at hand. Also, there are no limitations to how far your business can grow and reach, if a computer is at hand. A hologram benefits individuals as it creates the design of the human, not an avatar but actual human. This is a benefit as it creates the more personal, believable online meeting. 3) In the past, work was organized into central buildings located in central locations (like cities) in order to facilitate face-to-face interactions.What impacts might telepresence have on the organization of work? How could you use these tools to organize work on a global scale with actually building physical facilities in remote locations? The impact of telepresence in large and small origination is immense. Large corporations can place headquarters, units, etc in low cost areas, allowing for cost saving and centralizing of the area. Small businesses are impacted as they are able to compete and operate on a global scale, wh ile still saving money and operating in low cost areas, or even homes.Telepresence strengthens the ability of businesses to operate and expand globally, while decreasing costs, and space needed in the previous central buildings in skyscraper cities. 4) Why is it important that the remote locations using teleprescence have the same lighting, seating, and style? I believe it is to create a more realism meeting, distracting the viewer with separate lighting, colors, objects, areas etc, only adds to the distraction that it is a teleprescence meeting at hand.The goal of the teleprescence product is to create transparency among users. 5) What applications of telepresence would be useful for marketing to customers? I believe there are many different aspects of telepresence that would be useful for marketing to customers. Customers could see the product in real time being used. They would be able to ask the instructor questions about the product, just as they could be using or showing the p roduct and defects that they are finding.It would be a product that would gain trust as customers could speak with the supplier company in real time. Also, customers could speak about what they don’t like about the product, as well as helping to design future products. It all depends on the product at hand, if it was a large scale product placing demos in remote locations would add to the products success, no matter where the customer lived. The customer would always be able to see and hear the business, and their questions would not go unanswered.

Philippine Daily Inquirer

â€Å"The Philippine Daily Inquirer† I. Introduction Philippine Daily Inquirer is one of the most prominent newspapers in the Philippines. It is the most widely read newspaper nowadays because of its updated content. The Philippine Daily Inquirer is undeniably the country’s most widely read and circulated newspaper. With over 2. 7 million nationwide readers daily, it enjoys a market share of over 50% and tops the readership surveys. Not only is it the most read among all sectors and ages, it is also the country’s most trusted source of hard-hitting news and countless exposes. Distinguished by award-giving bodies like the Catholic Mass Media Awards, Jaime Ongpin Awards for Investigative Journalism and Anvil Awards, it is the Philippines’ most awarded broadsheet with over 200 awards and citations. Besides being the country’s leading journalistic voice, the Inquirer is also strongly committed to social responsibility and has taken an active role in various socio-civic programs. Its business savvy and social conscience have been recognized with the Agora Award for Outstanding Marketing Company of the Year in 1998, Anvil Award of Merit for its participation in Tabang Mindanaw and Gold Quill Award of Excellence for Economic, Social and Environmental Development in 2003. It is also the most environmentally friendly newspaper in the country, being the first local newspaper to use organic soy-based ink, 100% recycled newsprint and a resizing of the paper saving seven trees a day. It won a special citation from the Catholic Mass Media Awards for its environmental initiatives and a Gold Quill Award of Excellence for its youth readership program. Its meaningful goal of making a difference in the everyday life of Filipinos continues to be the driving force behind its journalistic and corporate initiatives. As the country’s no. 1 newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer will remain steadfast in its commitment to bring â€Å"Balanced news, fearless views† to readers when and where it matters. II. History The Philippine Daily Inquirer was born in the last days of 1985. Like its predecessors, the Mr. and Mrs. Special Edition and the weekly Philippine Inquirer, it was to play an important role in helping bring about chronicling the historic EDSA revolution. The Sandiganbayan on December 2, 1985 acquitted all 25 soldiers and a civilian accused in the Aquino-Galman double murder case. At about the same time, President Ferdinand E. Marcos called for a snap presidential election. Ms. Corazon C. Aquino, widow of Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. , was soon nominated by the opposition to run against Marcos. A strong demand then arose for a credible alternative broadsheet that would compete with the three national dailies controlled by the government. Mrs. Eugenia D. Apostol, Chair of Mr. & Ms. Publishing Co. , and a group of media people organized the INQUIRER to meet the demand for a credible broadsheet. The group headed by Mrs. Apostol wanted to have a newspaper that was truly independent, free from the influence of interest groups. The INQUIRER started publishing with less than P1 million in seed money, its maiden issue, published on December 9, 1985, sold 30,000 copies. The first issue said that the INQUIRER would chronicle the times with candor and courage. The paper later adopted the slogan â€Å"Balanced News, Fearless Views. The new daily was housed in the dilapidated one-story Star Building on 14th and Railroad streets in Port Area, Manila. It was put out by 40 editors, reporters, correspondents, photographers and other editorial employees working in a 100 square meter newsroom. Columnist Louie Beltran was named its Editor-in-Chief. The INQUIRER's circulation increased as Ms. Aquino's campaign picked up. By January 1986 it was selling 100,000 copies and by February 1986, shortly before the election, it was selling more than 250,000 copies and circulation was continuing to climb beyond the 300,000 mark. After the EDSA Revolution, the circulation settled down, but the INQUIRER still ranked second among the top broadsheets with 175,000 paid copies daily. On June 27, 1986, the INQUIRER transferred to the former Madrid Restaurant on EDSA. The new president, Ms. Corazon C. Aquino, was the guest of honor at the inauguration. In its first year of operation, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. ranked 339th on the list of top 1,000 companies of the country. Since then it has been consistently on the list in 1988, 530th; in 1989, 467th; in 1990, 451st in 1991; 451st again; in 1992, 349th ; in 1993, 333rd; in 1994, 315th; and in 1995, 296th. Frederico D. Pascual, former assistant managing editor of the Daily Express, was named executive editor in February 1987, replacing Beltran. Pascual was appointed Editor-in-Chief two years later. On Sept. 22, 1987, two veterans in newspaper management joined the INQUIRER: Mariano B. Quimson, Jr. as president and Ben M. Pangilinan as Vice President for Marketing, it was also at that time that the INQUIRER received an additional capital infusion. In November of that year, the INQUIRER began setting up a modern electronic newsroom Today, the entire editorial and production operation of the INQUIRER is 100 percent computerized. On November 17, 1987 the INQUIRER moved again, this time to the BF Condominium on Aduana Street, Intramuros. It was in 1990 that the INQUIRER overtook the lead of another daily and became the country's biggest circulated broadsheet. This was validated by a circulation audit conducted by Sycip, Gorres and Velayo for the Print Media Audit Council which found that the INQUIRER had an average net paid daily circulation of 200,759 for the period of October 1989 to March 1990. Since that time the INQUIRER has consistently led in the circulation ratings. The BF Condominium building was damaged in the earthquake of July 1990. On January 5, 1991 the INQUIRER transferred to the YIC building on United Nations Avenue and Romualdez Street in Malate. On June 14, 1991, Leticia Jimenez Magsanoc, columnist and associate publisher, was appointed Editor-in-Chief. On January 26, 1994, Ms. Apostol, the INQUIRER founding chair, retired and Ms. Marixi R. Prieto took over her post. A group led by Eduardo Espiritu, former PNB president bought Ms. Apostol's shares in the company. Previously, a group headed by Ms. Prieto had bought into the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. On Feburary 4, 1994, the PDI board of directors appointed Isagani Yambot as publisher. The INQUIRER transferred to its building on Chino Roces Street (formerly Pasong Tamo) corner Yague and Mascardo Streets in Makati City on January 5,1995, its printing press was installed earlier, only about 20 meters away from the office building. The INQUIRER is now the No. 1 newspaper in the country in terms of ciculation and readership. It has a daily average circulation of 250,000 and a Sunday circulation of 270,000. Based upon the Asia Research Organization's (ARO) trimedia survey, it is estimated that more than 2. million readers nationwide are now reading the INQUIRER. Of the INQUIRER'S 416 employees, 192 are with the editorial group and 224 with the business group. In addition to its 56 regular reporters based in Metro Manila, the INQUIRER has 90 provincial correspondents who cover the news throughout the country. It has four news bureaus in Baguio City (Northern Luzon), Legaspi City (South ern Luzon), Cebu City (the Visayas) and Davao City (Mindanao). To date, The Inquirer is the most awarded broadsheet. It's writers have been honored with over 100 awards and citations. It was chosen Newspaper of the Year by the Rotary Club of Manila in 1992 and was lone print media awardee in January 1995, during the visit of Pope John Paul II, when it was cited by the Catholic Mass Media Awards for Best News Reportage. In May 1997, it was again given the CMMA award (now the Lorenzo Ruiz Award) for its â€Å"pork barrel† series. It also received the Webby Award for its website (www. inquirer. net), and Agora award for Marketing Company of the Year, and in 1999, the grand prize of the 1998 Citibank Excellence in Journalism Award (Elena Torrijos) as well as an Anvil Award for Merit for its Tabang Mindanaw campaign in '98. In May 1998, Ben Pangilinan formally retired from the office and was succeeded by Alexandra P. Romualdez as president. The INQUIRER has come a long way from December 1985 when it started on a P1 million budget and enjoyed an initial circulation of 30,000. It is now the daily newspaper with the biggest circulation and readership. It is considered one of the most influential dailies in the country today. III. Mission, Vision, and Values The mission of the Philippine Daily Inquirer is to be the dominant, most respected and influential Philippine media organization for Filipinos here and abroad. Generally speaking, they want to be known having an important role in the society. Not only locally but to be acclaimed internationally. Their vision is focused on becoming a world-class processor of news and information, publishing the country's newspaper of record, informing and influencing our public, providing other excellent services and serving as a catalyst for social progress – all within the framework of a liberal democracy. And lastly, their corporate values which are focused on these things as follows: Excellence We uphold the highest standards in journalism and provide top-quality service to readers, advertisers and clients. We perform our roles to the best of our abilities and continuously seek to improve our expertise and skills. We strive to be reliable, accurate, efficient and effective in the delivery of our services and management of our finances. Integrity We abide by the principles of honesty, fairness and incorruptibility in our journalistic, business and interpersonal conduct. Through these, we establish our credibility and become worthy of the trust of our stakeholders. Editorial Independence We maintain the freedom to take a position regardless of external and internal pressure, ensure that we hear out all sides, decide responsibility without fear or favor, and respect independent thinking and freedom to express views and opinions. Responsibility We work for the betterment of our nation and strive to preserve and conserve resources in all our undertakings. Teamwork We respect and trust each member of the team and work harmoniously to achieve the organization's goals. Dynamism We continuously improve and respond to the changing needs of the environment, the market and the organization. We adopt an open-minded, forward-looking and proactive stance in meeting the challenges of the future. In upholding these values, we seek the guidance of Divine Providence to attain higher levels of development. IV. S. W. O. T. ANALYSIS This is an analysis which enumerates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Philippine Daily Inquirer has fully established a good name in the media industry. It is known as one of the best leading newspapers in the country. We have asked few people with regard to their opinion about the newspaper to determine its strengths and weaknesses. STRENGTHS †¢The main strength of PDI is their news paper Name. No matter where people live, almost everybody knows their news paper Name. †¢The Philippine Daily Inquirer is undeniably the country’s most widely read and circulated newspaper. †¢It is also the most environmentally friendly newspaper in the country, being the first local newspaper to use organic soy-based ink, 100% recycled newsprint and a resizing of the paper saving seven trees a day. †¢Following the principle of honesty, fairness and credibility when giving information. †¢One of the reputed news paper industries today. They have digital edition available to all readers. †¢Good reputation among customers. WEAKNESSES †¢PDI news paper is not readable by a commoner. †¢High cost structure. Not all people can afford the price of the news paper. OPPORTUNITIES †¢Aside from the internet (inquirer. net) and radio (radio inquirer) there is the opportunity for the famous publish er to go on television. †¢ As a medium, it helps to inform the general public to be aware of the latest events in the country in all aspects be it in the politics, showbiz, economy, etc.. Another thing is it emphasized quality news reporting which can bring up the mind of the people to think broader things in life. †¢It also helps the economy in terms of employment, as they hire people who qualify to their requirements. †¢ It plays a good competition in the media industry which can influence other media companies to perform a healthy and balance information to the public. THREATS †¢Because of the many forms of new media, people would not be interested anymore to subscribe to newspaper †¢Because of the majority of the Filipinos are uneducated, they tend to prefer to buy newspaper which are printed in tagalong. In terms of price, small media companies who print newspaper in tagalog are more affordable so they patronize more on them. †¢The computers and in ternet can affect the print media to boom the industry specifically the newspapers because they can also be read through the internet without buying them. †¢ If public would not patronize their newspaper chances would be more unemployment scenario if the company closes if they could not survive anymore. V. Competitors In the world of media, competition is never an outcast. Even television and radio stations are all aiming to be number one, and so as all the newspaper companies throughout the country. Philippine Daily Inquirer is only one of those competing newspaper companies. One of the most famous newspapers in the country is the Manila Bulletin. The Manila Bulletin (also known as the Bulletin and previously known as the Manila Daily Bulletin and the Bulletin Today) is the Philippines' largest broadsheet newspaper by circulation, followed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It bills itself as â€Å"The Nation's Leading Newspaper†, which is its official slogan. Founded in 1900 as a shipping journal, it is the second-oldest Philippine newspaper, second only to The Manila Times. Its name was changed from Bulletin Today on March 12, 1986. It was originally owned by a Swiss expatriate named Hans Menzi. The Manila Bulletin survived the Martial law era of President Ferdinand Marcos for propaganda purposes. The newspaper is owned by Filipino-Chinese business mogul Emilio Yap, who, aside from the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation (the paper's controlling company), also owns the Manila Hotel, Centro Escolar University and Euro-Phil Laboratories. The company has been listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange since 1990, and had revenues of approximately US$45 million in 2004. Besides its flagship it publishes two other daily tabloids, Tempo and Balitia, as well as nine magazines such as thePhilippine Panorama, Bannawag, Liwayway, Bisaya and a host of other journals in English, Tagalog,Cebuano and other Philippine languages. Another newspaper that is reigning in the media organization today is the Philippine Star. The Philippine Star is a daily English-language broadsheet newspaper based in Manila and circulated nationwide in the Philippines. Owned and published by PhilSTAR Daily, Inc, it was founded on July 28, 1986 by veteran journalists Max Soliven, Betty Go-Belmonte and Art Borjal. The Philippine STAR has an established circulation in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. It is among the top three broadsheets in the country, by circulation, along with the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Manila Bulletin, with other Philippine newspapers trailing far behind. Data from the Neilsen Media Index for the first quarter of 2008 show that the Philippine Star is the most read broadsheet in the Philippine capital of Metro Manila, with a Monday-to-Saturday readership of 47. percent. As of the last semester of 2007, the Media Index also showed the Star is the number one broadsheet among the ABC1 socio-economic class, with 47. 3 percent of the market, up from 35. 7 percent the previous year. A separate survey by the Nielsen Media Research – Print Advertising Information Service, which monitors print advertising placements, shows that in 2007, the STAR received the lion's share of advertising expenditure among all other Philippine broadsheets. It reports P2. 97 billion worth of advertising went to the Philippine Star, followed by P2. 8 billion for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and P1. 35 billion for the Manila Bulletin. All of the leading newspapers today already have many similarities today. It only depends on how they market themselves to prove that they are better than anybody. Some of the other newspapers gaining prestige today are Manila Times, Business Mirror, Manila Tribune and many more. VI. Recommendation Philippine Daily Inquirer has already done all the best to establish their good name and image in the media industry. Based on the analysis that we did, I would like to focus more on the suggestions to improve their weaknesses and make it become part of the strength. We have stated in the weaknesses that Philippine Daily Inquirer is not readable by a commoner and it is something that seems to be a high cost structure. We would like to recommend to the company to have a Filipino version of the newspaper written in the native language so it is easier for all types of readers to understand the content and meaning. Make it friendlier to all readers. Because today, not all Filipinos are able to understand the English language and most of them belong to the middle and average classes only. Even those who are really capable of reading in the English language are not becoming interested in newspapers written in English simply because it needs a little more of effort to fully understand. When it comes to the high cost structure, we would like to recommend to the company to lessen the pages. As one of the readers of their newspaper, we find it a little too hard to understand and our interests focus only in one page or two. We don’t really like reading all of the pages of the paper. Another suggestion, make it more attractive. Just like with the advertisements of products, make it pleasing for the eyes of their readers. Also make it more affordable for the Filipino people. Media Management and Marketing Group Members: Montereza A. Veloria Natasha Kate Mendoza Ma. Theresa Cambel Carylle Estrella Charles Aguilar Monday/Thursday 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm Professor Dino Cantal

The Determinants For Demand In Tourism In Greece Essay Example

The Determinants For Demand In Tourism In Greece Essay Example The Determinants For Demand In Tourism In Greece Essay The Determinants For Demand In Tourism In Greece Essay The relative and absolute importance of tourism in peoples expenditure budgets has risen dramatically, with consequences not only for the welfare of tourists themselves but also for the residents of the areas they visit. The large numbers of tourists and the scale of their expenditures has considerable effects on the income, employment, government revenue, balance of payments, environments and culture of destination areas. A fall in demand can bring about decreases in living standards and rises in unemployment, while increased demand can result in higher employment, income, output and/or inflation and may threaten environmental quality and sustainability (Sinclair M, Stabler M, 2002). Even though the demand for tourism in a very important sector in tourism economics, no so much attention were given to explore this area and to conduct a throughout research on it. This paper reviews and analyzes key factors that affect the demand for tourism in Greece from both positive and negative prospective. Investigating the demand for tourism is the background for the successful strategy planning in companies with tourism-related activities whereas better knowledge of demand in tourism can also be of assistance to policymakers in planning strategies for this industry. The demand of tourism can be determined either by the number of tourists coming from their countries to a destination country or by their expenditures in the destination country. It is difficult to model tourism demand because tourism involves a broad range of activities. According to OHagan and Harrison (1984) tourism demand has a special nature for a number of reasons. First of all it is a demand for a number of goods and services, and no production sector tourism actually exists, which cases doubt for some on the existence of tourism as a concrete economic entity (OHagan, J.W. Harrison, M.J., 1984). Secondly, the demand for tourism can be of two types: tourism as private consumption or as part of production (business trips). In most cases personal and pleasure travel used to be a dominant, however, business travelers usually consume services similar to those who travel for personal reasons. And finally, tourism goods and services are not transported to their users, but rather the consumers are transported to the goods and services (OHagan, J and Harrison M.,1984). As a result of this tourism flows become more sensitive to a number non-economic factors such as political stability, transportation costs and facilities, technological forces, socio-cultural issues, etc. in a country of destination. The determinants of tourism demand were investigated in a number of studies and several researchers suggest that the demand for tourism is primarily determined by income of the purchaser, prices of commodities (accommodations, food, local transportation, amusement) in a destination country compared with other destination, exchange rate, the cost of international travel (Sinclair M., Stabler M., 2002; Garin-Munoz T., Amaral T., 2000; Walsh M.,1996). Also the demand for travel can be positively affected either by random events such as Olympic Games, for instance, that attract extra tourists, or can be influenced negatively by major external factors like, for example, terrorism, SARS, or political instability within the country. The latest factors resulted in tourist arrivals drop worldwide during the last two years, aroused travelers fears for safety and made tourists avoid air transportation. According to the World Tourism Organization Greece held the 16th place internationally on the list of tourist destinations in 2002, while 90% of arrivals were from Europe, which is considered to be Greeces primary tourist market. According to Economist Intelligence Unit statistics the total number of arrivals in 2002 was closer to 12,7 mln tourists. Tourism represents about 10% of the domestic income of Greece (2003). Two-thirds of tourists are from the European Union (around 9 million), the majority of whom come from the U.K., Germany, Italy, France and Austria. Tourists from outside EU mainly are coming from the USA, Japan, Canada, Australia (WTO, 2003). The approach of the Athens 2004 Olympics has brought increased optimism regarding the future of the Greek tourism industry. It is estimated that approximately 145,000 visitors per day will visit the Games and be accommodated in hotels, cruise ships, campsites and residential houses. Apart from the fact that in the immediate future, tourists will probably be attracted to potentially safer destinations, the staging of the Olympic Games will have a determining effect on the future image of Greece and its potential in tourism. Income and price factors play an important role in determining the demand for international tourism. Growth in real income provides consumers with increased spending power. The larger the countrys purchasing power the more likely its citizens can afford to purchase a good or service from abroad (Walsh M., 1996). According to Garin-Minoz and Amaral the level of income in the country of origin is measured by the Gross National Product GNP (2000). Walsh Mary (1996) analyzed different studies regarding the relationship between income and tourism demand. The income variable is represented differently, however, in her studies she suggested to use data representing discretionary income per capita, i.e. personal disposable income per capita in each country. After having the GNP of other countries expressed in US dollars, we divide them by the population of each country and obtain their values in per capita terms. As was mentioned before, main countries that are generating tourism flows for Greece are Germany, Austria, Great Britain, USA, Italy and France. Real income growth in those countries can be assumed to relate positively to real per capita demand for Greek tourism. Another important variable here is the price of tourist services in Greece compared to relative prices in other Mediterranean destinations. The tourism sector meets an increasing competition in the face of other Mediterranean destinations like Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, as well as Spain and Portugal. Meanwhile the newly developed destinations like Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria also registered the increase of tourists compared with the previous years. This factor can affect the demand for tourism in Greece in terms of decreasing the number of international visitors who would choose the comparable sun and sea holidays at cheaper prices. At the same time, the increase in domestic prices, especially after euro was introduced in Greece, may also influence negatively the tourism demand. People are usually concerned about the price for good or service in terms of their own countrys currency. That price depends not only on the price of the good in the origin country but also on exchange rate. However, the exchange rate can influence the price of goods or services. Compared to last year euro had increased its exchange rate towards almost all major currencies. For travelers outside it becomes more expensive to visit tourist destinations that are in euro area. At the same time citizens of euro zone are stimulated to travel to European destinations outside it. Greece is isolated geographically from other European Union countries (where the majority if tourists comes from), therefore, the most popular transportation is airplane. The cost of transportation is one of the components of the final price the consumers have to pay for the tourism product. An increase in transportation costs can result in decline of demand, all other things being equal (Garin-Munoz T., Amaral T., 2000). The high transportation costs can be the decisive variable in choosing whether to visit country or not and even may lead to substitution of a near or far destination. Another factor that can influence demand is also the choice between domestic and foreign holidays which also comes up from the cost of transportation. In the past two years international tourism has, first and foremost, been reigned by the combination of an overall weak economy and a high level on uncertainty because of the struggle against terrorism and the looming Iraq conflict (WTO, 2003). The Iraq conflict and terrorist attacks caused and probably will continue to influence negatively a demand of air transportation, interregional travel and travel to destinations that are geographically close to the zone of conflict. The emergence of SARS also deceased the demand for tourism worldwide. Despite these events, Greece still managed a slight increase in total 2001-2002 traffic (GNTO Newsletter, 2003). Nevertheless, it is expected that demand for travel and tourism will continue to grow and Greece will continue to be a preferred tourist destination because of its safe, crime-free and tourist friendly environment. The distinctive feature of Greek tourism is that it has a seasonal attribute. Greek tourism had been based for more than five decades on the product of sea and sun and the majority of tourists arrive to Greece between mid-June and mid-September respectfully. Therefore, during the wintertime the demand for tourism significantly decreases. Official policy is to try to diversify to spread arrivals throughout the year by developing conference tourism, yachting, golf, skiing in the mountainous area, spa and medical tourism. Walsh in her studies also mentions such factors as weather and habit/presence (1996). The weather is unlikely factor for Greece, nevertheless the bad weather during vacations can influence negatively ones decision to come to Greece again next year. As for the habit the possibility occurs that once people visited Greece and liked it there can be a tendency that this visit will be repeated. Also a person can recommend to visit this country to people who dont have any first-hand knowledge about a particular resort in Greece. This paper analyzed the main determinants of demand in tourism in the case of Greece and showed that income, price, exchange rate, transportation costs and geopolitical factors can affect the demand for tourism in this country. However, the further econometric analysis in needed to investigate in details the above-mentioned variables and to evaluate more precisely the demand for tourism in Greece. Despite some negative influences of the above-mentioned factors tourism will continue to be the most dynamic sector of Greeces economy contributing most to its gross national product and economic growth since prospects of Greeces tourist industry are highly promising.

Philosophical Quotes on Food

Philosophical Quotes on Food Philosophy of food is an emerging branch in philosophy. Here is a list of quotes that are pertinent to it; if you happen to have additional suggestions, please do send them along! Quotes on Food Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin: Tell me what you eat, and I shall tell you what you are.Ludwig Feuerbach: Man is what he eats.Immanuel Kant: As regards the agreeable, every one concedes that his judgment, which he bases on a private feeling, and in which he declares that an object pleases him, is restricted merely to himself personally. Thus he does not take it amiss if, when he says that Canary-wine is agreeable, another corrects the expression and reminds him that he ought to say: ‘It is agreeable to me’ [ †¦ ] With the agreeable, therefore, the axiom holds true: Everyone has his own taste (that of sense). The beautiful stands on a quite different footing.Plato: Socrates: Do you think that the philosopher ought to care about the pleasures – if they are to be called pleasures – of eating and drinking? – Certainly not, answered Simmias. – And what do you say of the pleasures of love – should he care about them? – By no means. – And will he think much of the other ways of indulging the body – for example, the acquisition of costly raiment, or sandals, or other adornments of the body? [†¦] What do you say? – I should say the true philosopher would despise them. Ludwig Feuerbach: This work, though it deals only with eating and drinking, which are regarded in the eyes of our supernaturalistic mock-culture as the lowest acts, is of the greatest philosophic significance and importance†¦ How former philosophers have broken their heads over the question of the bond between body and soul! Now we know, on scientific grounds, what the masses know from long experience, that eating and drinking hold together body and soul, that the searched-for bond is nutrition.Emmanuel Levinas: Of course we do not live in order to eat, but it is not really true to say that we eat in order to live; we eat because we are hungry. Desire has no further intentions behind it†¦ it is a good will.Hegel: Consequently, the sensuous aspect of art is related only to the two theoretical senses of sight and hearing, while smell, taste, and touch remain excluded.Virginia Woolf: One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.Mahatma Gandhi: There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread. George Bernard Shaw: There is no love sincerer than the love of food.Wendell Berry: Eating with the fullest pleasure – pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance – is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living in a mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.Alain de Botton: Forcing people to eat together is an effective way to promote tolerance. Further Online Sources The Philosophy of Food Project website, collecting a list of useful online sources on the topic.The entry on Philosophy of Art at the Britannica Online Encyclopedia.The entry on the definition of art at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.The American Society for Aesthetics website, containing news and information on the topic.The British Society of Aesthetics website, which aims to promote study, research and discussion of the fine arts and related types of experience from a philosophical, psychological, sociological, historical, critical and educational standpoint.The British Journal of Aesthetics, one of the leading journals in the field.The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, one of the leading journals in the field.A collection of philosophers’ perspectives on the philosophy of art.

How to Think like a Hiring Manager and Get the Job

How to Think like a Hiring Manager and Get the Job When you’re interviewing for a new job, the odds are in your favor if you can rely on a referral from a mutual friend or a big-name former employer. If that’s not the case, you’re going in to a situation where you’ll need to sell yourself. Hiring managers are often misled by their personal biases- and learning to stack the deck in your favor can pay off when it comes time to get hired!Keep the following in mind if you’re gearing up for an important interview:We tend to think positively about people who we think are like us.What can you find out about the company culture or even the hiring manager in particular to help you demonstrate interests they may share?We tend to view those different from us negatively, even if we need someone with very different skills.While it’s good to be yourself in an interview, it’s only common sense to downplay any fringe interests or edgy personal style features- for example, hide visible tattoos or pierc ings until you’re sure the office culture is receptive to them.First impressions count.â€Å"The halo effect† and its opposite (â€Å"the pitchfork effect,† maybe?) is what happens when we find one quality we like in a person and assume that the rest of their unknown qualities are probably just as good (or as a bad, if we focus on a quality we don’t like).If you make a great impression with one area of experience or personality trait, the interviewer may give you the benefit of the doubt in areas where they know less about you! (The flip side is of course that one bad impression may color their whole perception of you just as easily.)People  make subconscious assumptions.Try as you might, you won’t know what traits will ping a hiring manager’s radar. It could be your college, your  last company, your hometown, the teams you  support, or the stores you visit. Keep an eye out for what you might mention, but always always  be genuine. E veryone can spot a fake.Living and working in New York, I have had to become as cautious about disclosing sports affiliations as most people are about politics, religion, and money! But when I’m lucky enough to encounter a fellow Mets fan or a member of my alumni association, I play that up like nobody’s business- don’t be shy about school/team/town name-dropping, just avoid coming across like The Office‘s  Andy Bernard and trying to mirror everyone’s experience with your own!

Developing and Managing Performance (Organisation Essay - 1

Developing and Managing Performance (Organisation - Essay Example Over the years, there has been a lot of attention given on performance management and development with the demand for thorough information being actually intensified with the economic downfall. Human resources specialists have toiled to make sure that they keenly evaluate performance between relevant and fair measures putting most of their focus and efforts on essential aspects of any business. Essentially, the different efforts have circled around making sure that the processes are similar in temperament with the requirements of a changing breed of line manager, stream line the systems that are paper based and facilitate admittance through media. Nonetheless, most of the human resource strategies that have more experience are also focused in ensuring that managing the performance conveys in an environment where the evolution of numbers and effect on organizational brand and innovation is based on the ways of the business success. Concurrently, the report focuses on evaluating the challenges an organization may incur in putting it into place a performance and reward strategy using knowledge of the results past case studies and theories from different specialists on the field but mostly on human resources. Currently, the nature of work is altering with diverse organizations and corporations operating in more of a specialized network that is also flexible and natural; basically, the frequency of strategic partnering arrangements between organizations increasing the need for management relationships to be managed beyond the organization and hence further work is required. On the other hand, reward systems are also a critical part of any organizations design and how well they are compatible with the rest of the systems has an equal effect on to what extent they will be effectual and also on the quality of life that people will experience in the organization. There have been new reward systems practices

Complete short story in 2.500 words and 750 word commentary Essay

Complete short story in 2.500 words and 750 word commentary - Essay Example That there had to be people telling him what to do, what not to do. It had been close to nine months. He thought if he could avoid it then it wouldn’t have to be real. He could still feel the warmth of Naysa as she hugs him on his leg, the highest that she could reach. He could never get the smell of baby powder that wafts on her pink room and the butterflies hanging from the ceiling. The sleepless nights he and Amy had to bear because she wakes up at night hungry for a bottle. The laughs he had potty training her to no success. He had kept the house while Amy got an apartment. He couldn’t bear moving one furniture or toy. Amy couldn’t bear staying in the house for an hour. There was a pounding on his chest. A physical pain he could never get over. He feels too old to start over again. The glimmer of the life that he had suddenly flickered into the abyss that could never be his again. This was not fair. He did everything accordingly. He never cheated to get ahead. He worked hard to get where he is with his career. He helped where it is needed and to the extent he can provide. He wasn’t religious, but he was faithful. He loved the same woman for over a decade. But there was no one to blame, no one but himself. Greg and Amy had been in the same high school. They had the same set of friends but never really saw each other for more than acquaintances. Greg had always been too serious. He was the captain of the debate team, constant honor student and officer of the class. But he had a certain charm. A quiet charisma attracts people to him. Amy, on the other hand, has this certain flair. She wasn’t the most popular but there is always someone following her around, willing to carry her bag and walk her to her next class. But through all those years there was not one person that had been her consistent boyfriend. To be more accurate, no one could really claim to be her boyfriend. They met again on the engagement party of Bill and

Gucci Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gucci - Essay Example This essay analyzes one of the leading luxury product brands. And the name of it is Gucci. The brand is associated with symbol, name, design etc of a firm that helps a company to distinguish itself from others. The brand name or image is used by the companies for marketing and advertising its products. The positive image of the brand is an important asset of the firm. It helps the company in creating good impression in the mind of targeted customers. A brand is often represented by logo (Batey, 2012). It is protected by secure trademark. A company makes people aware of its products and services by marketing its products through various channels. In the competitive market of fashion industry, Gucci always maintains its strong brand image. This brand is so popular that in spite of its high price, the company has several customers in different parts of the world (Blackburn, 2012). The concerns of the company about its customers and its high quality of products contribute in developing p ositive brand image of Gucci. Gucci is highly conscious about its resonance. The company tries to satisfy its customers and increase their engagement with the brand by providing them complementary gifts with every purchase. The firm provides the facility of same day deliver in New York. The response of the customers to the brand is highlighted in this step. The company got to know the buying behaviour of the customers by understanding their judgement and feelings towards products. Gucci aims to deliver best goods of high quality. The brand position of Gucci is highlighted in this essay.

Self Esteem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Self Esteem - Essay Example erefore, it plays an important role in motivation, work-related attitudes and behaviors of employees that due to such experience can consider themselves experts in certain area. There is also an organization-based self-esteem, which is related to the extent of employees to be satisfied with one’s job, commitment to the organization and in-role performance. While at workplace self-esteem is associated with the self-efficacy of a specific task, its main principle is that individuals are more likely to do and succeed in those activities for which they have higher self-efficacy than others  (Lunenberg, 2011). People are more successful in accomplishment of those tasks which align with their initial beliefs, thus, self-esteem aims to work as the self-fulfillment. Besides, in such a fast-paced and technologically oriented society, there is a considerable positive impact of self-esteem that enables careerists to compete (Andersen & Vandehey, 2011). As the employee makes a statement that one is the best Java programmer at certain company, that means that an individual possesses specialized expertise that is unknown to that extent to other employees and to the boss. In that case, the self-esteem of all the members of the work culture would perceive the best Java programmer as another unit that has special set of abilities and experiences. Hi gh levels of self-esteem that is needed to all employees create more beneficial economical predispositions for the company, while the defensive reactions of employees of low self-esteem can damage as own careers as negatively impact company’s performance. Underestimating own abilities create professional and personal envy toward others; employees with low self-esteem criticize others as they feel certain threat that come from the new ideas and more contributions of the confident co-worker. On the contrary, those with high self-esteem employees are able to promote honest feedback for workers regarding areas that need improvement and

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

Advanced Marketing - Essay Example McDonalds’ is an exemplary example of expertly exploiting the changing demands of the public and now includes healthy food with salads, fruits and energy drinks in its menu. This helps the organizations to effectively meet the needs of the individual segments of the masses and thereby develop more lasting relationship with its customers. Tesco extensively use the database to customize their service and win trust of their customers. The database of customer also promotes in identifying the products that have niche market position and thereby helps to promote brand creation to maintain its position. Levi’s, L’Oreal, Gucci etc. are major brands whose major strength is value positioning. It helps to gauge the flow of customers at different times of the day and helps in sales forecast. They can ensure inventory of products that are more in demand. Samsung extensively uses the customer database to manufacture its products as per the sales demand so that they can come up with new value added products without incurring loss on huge unsold

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Philosophy - Essay Example Aristotle asserts that all human endeavor is directed towards the achievement of the â€Å"chief good† (Aristotle, 32). This good, towards which mans’ knowledge and activity is directed, is difficult to define precisely, as it has different connotations for different people. However, based on the criteria of the chief good being â€Å"that which is always desirable in itself and never for the sake of something else† (35), we reach the conclusion that it is only happiness which is â€Å"final and self-sufficient† (35) and is therefore the ultimate objective of man. Aristotle concedes that happiness requires external instruments, such as good birth and prosperity. Man’s function is to perform any activity to the best extent possible and in accordance with virtue. Aristotle defines happiness as â€Å"an activity of the soul in accordance with perfect virtue† (37). Virtue has both moral and intellectual components - the former, such as temperance , is a result of good habits, while the latter, such as wisdom, can be learned. Virtue is the perfect intermediate or mean, which avoids both excess and deficiency. Aristotle equates good with truth: â€Å"The good state is truth in agreement with right desire† (44). Choice is inherent in the practice of virtue. Aristotle affirms that the most self-sufficient and superior kind of life, which will lead to â€Å"the complete happiness of man† (44) and enable man to reach for the divine, is the life devoted to the philosophical contemplation of the truth based on reason. Unlike most other philosophies, which lay down rigid rules (Hobbes), or advocate highly idealistic, intellectual tenets (Kant), Aristotle’s moral principle, which identifies the pursuit of happiness as mans’ objective in life and links this objective to virtue and activity, is particularly pertinent to everyday life.

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

Advanced Marketing - Essay Example McDonalds’ is an exemplary example of expertly exploiting the changing demands of the public and now includes healthy food with salads, fruits and energy drinks in its menu. This helps the organizations to effectively meet the needs of the individual segments of the masses and thereby develop more lasting relationship with its customers. Tesco extensively use the database to customize their service and win trust of their customers. The database of customer also promotes in identifying the products that have niche market position and thereby helps to promote brand creation to maintain its position. Levi’s, L’Oreal, Gucci etc. are major brands whose major strength is value positioning. It helps to gauge the flow of customers at different times of the day and helps in sales forecast. They can ensure inventory of products that are more in demand. Samsung extensively uses the customer database to manufacture its products as per the sales demand so that they can come up with new value added products without incurring loss on huge unsold

Investigation of red bull Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Investigation of red bull - Research Paper Example In contrast, the consumption of coca-cola and hot chocolate per day was found to be much lower, with an average consumption of –cups of coca-cola and –cups of hot chocolate per day. From the experiments conducted, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) for all participants at baseline (i.e. time=0 min) was found to be 92.09 Â ± 0.45 mmHg after consuming water, while the average heart rate was found to be 74.72 Â ± 1.75. Similarly, the readings for MAP and heart rate at baseline after the consumption of glucose drink were comparable, i.e. 92.09 Â ± 1.25 mmHg and 73.71 Â ± 2.65. However, as the time progressed, it was observed that while the readings for MAP and heart rate after consumption of water did not vary much, there was an observed increase in the MAP and heart rate after consumption of the glucose drink, peaking at 90 minutes post-consumption i.e. HR=79.01 and MAP= 94.75 mmHg and then declining to 73.76 and 92.73 mmHg, respectively, at 120 minutes. These findings a re depicted in the graph (Figure 1) below. Figure 1: Variation of MAP and Pulse Pressure with time: A comparison of Glucose vs. Control A similar trend, i.e. an initial increase in the heart rate and MAP followed by a decline, was observed in the after the consumption of the energy drink, i.e. Red Bull, but with certain differences. Although, as observed in the case of glucose drink, the heart rate and MAP increased after the consumption of Red Bull too, but the observed increase was much greater than that observed in the case of the glucose drink (i.e. Heart Rate: 81.71 post Red Bull consumption vs. 79.01 post-glucose consumption and MAP 100.1 mmHg post Red Bull consumption vs. 94.75 mmHg post glucose consumption respectively). Moreover, another important difference that was seen was that in the case of Red Bull consumption, the peak MAP and heart rate were achieved earlier, i.e. at 60 minutes post-consumption after which they started declining. Figure 2 below is a graphical repres entation of these findings. Figure 2: Variation of MAP and Pulse Pressure with time: A comparison of Red Bull vs. Control Another aspect of this experiment was to compare the differences, if any, in the variation of MAP and pulse between Red Bull and Red Bull without sugar. When the students were asked to consume Red Bull without sugar, an interesting observation was noted. It was seen that the results for the consumption of Red Bull without sugar were comparable to those obtained after the consumption of Glucose drink. After the consumption of Red Bull without sugar, the MAP and heart rate were observed to rise, reaching a peak at 90 minutes, when the MAP rose to 97.74 mmHg from a baseline MAP of 92.98 Â ± 1.70 mmHg and the heart rate rose to 80.83 from a baseline heart rate of 72.71Â ± 2.99. After 90 min, both the heart rate and the MAP were observed to decline. This is illustrated in the figure 3 below. Figure 3: Variation of MAP and Pulse Pressure with time: A comparison of Re d Bull without sugar vs. Control It is also important to note that the magnitude of the effect of Red Bull with no sugar on the heart rate and MAP was higher as compared to glucose drink while it was lower than the magnitude of effect of conventional Red Bull, i.e. with the sugar component. This study also aimed at elucidating the impact of the different beverages, i.e. water (control), glucose drink, Red Bull and Red Bull without sugar on the reaction times of the subjects. When the reaction tim

Fair Value Reporting Advantages and Disadvantages

Fair Value Reporting Advantages and Disadvantages Discuss the pros and cons of fair value reporting for investors? Why has this trend emerged, and how does asset value volatility seen during and since the Global Financial Crisis effect your views on this? There have been many debates in previous decades amongst the investors, users of the financial statements, on whether fair value accounting is worth being used. According to IFRS 13, fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (ACCA, 2016). Usage of fair value has advantages, however, it has disadvantages as well. This essay will discuss how fair value is more advantageous than disadvantageous and how it is carried out. It will also examine how fair value led Lehman Brothers, an American investment bank, into bankruptcy during the global financial crisis and why the trend of fair value has emerged in the recent decades. As historical cost loses relevance with the passing of time, it is more appropriate to use fair value reporting as it considers current market prices and conditions. This provides investors with the most relevant estimates of the value of business (Gjorgieva-Trajkovska et al., 2016), and timely information which is important for making investing decisions (McEnally, 2007). Penman (2007) states that fair value accounting reports assets and liabilities through an economists view and therefore reports economic income the change in fair value of net assets on the balance sheet. This is of interest to investors as they can make predictions of future earnings based on current information (Marra, 2016). On the other hand, Sundgren (2013) claims that there will also be fluctuations in fair values, leading to uncertainty of future inflows. Although this poses a disadvantage towards certain stakeholders, it is helpful to investors as high fluctuations could indicate high risk, which may rewar d them with high returns. Another advantage of fair value reporting is the reliability and transparency of the method. More transparency means that the investors are able to get an insight into the real value of the company. This allows investors to make more informed decisions that will benefit the business (Bigelow, n.d.). Fair value reporting is reliable as it can be checked in hindsight from available information about current and past market prices (Betakova et al., 2014). This is beneficial for the investors as it means that they can be confident that their decisions are correct and that the finances of the business will not suddenly change. Bubble prices can be an issue for investors as it may mislead them into making poor investing decisions. There is plenty of empirical evidence to show that bubble prices exist (Ryan, 2008). These price bubbles, according to Penman (2007), are introduced into financial statements through the usage of fair value accounting. He goes on to say that this causes bubble gains to reflect on the income statement, and these may, falsely, show the company as being healthy which could lull investors into a false sense of security. These bubbles also result in the investor receiving ineffective financial statements which will impair their decision making. An example of this would be where investors pay prices that far exceed their own valuation (Scheinkman and Xiong, 2003). This would make it tough for investors to earn a reasonable return on their investments. However, the research fails to consider the difficulties locating price bubbles or how investors can prevent themselves from being misled . It also fails to consider that bubble prices show the current trading price, albeit inflated, and therefore show the true value of the investment according to current prices. When there is illiquidity in a market, fair value is called mark to model accounting. Ball (2006) explains that when this occurs, market prices are not accurate as firms try to find an approximate value for the assets. He continues by stating that this can let managers easily manipulate values according to their own preferences affecting the reliability of financial statements. Betakova et al. (2014), argues that measurement procedures of fair value create loopholes and this means that prices can be written as vastly different from what they really are, which again allows manipulation. The fair value of assets and liabilities is derived from the 3 level hierarchy of inputs. According to IFRS 13, the highest priority is given to level 1 inputs the quoted price of assets and liabilities that are traded in the active market. Laux et al. (2010) state that assets or liabilities should be marked to market, which means that the quoted price has to be used to determine its fair value as it is the best approximation of how much an asset would be sold for (Magnan, 2009). IFRS also emphasises that the price to be used has to be those of an orderly transaction to ensure that it is not a forced transaction in order to maintain its representability. An example of level 1 valuation would be listed stocks or bonds. In cases where an asset does not have an active market, level 2 fair value measurement should be used. This is when the valuation inputs are directly or indirectly observable but do not fall under Level 1 (Magnan, 2009). Level 2 inputs, the net replacement cost, includ e quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active or non-active markets, and other relevant market data like the yield curves (Sundgren, 2013). For example, Petrobras issued a bond which is not traded. However, if there is an active market for a Valero Energy bond that is similar, the price of the Valero Energy bond can be used as level 2 input to value the Petrobras bond. Finally, the least priority is given to level 3 inputs, which are unobservable inputs. It is the least accurate as it is based on model assumptions. An example of level 3 measurement is when there is no observable input to value the Petrobras bond, then the value of the bond can be estimated by discounting its future cash flows. As a result, the reliability is reduced due to the subjectivity of the discount rate. Fair value is argued to be more appropriate, compared to historical cost, when level 1 valuation is used as it only allows minimal manipulation. However, during 2008, many companies overvalued t heir assets by using the level 3 measurement, contributing to the global financial crisis. Furthermore, there is an advantage in valuing certain assets using historical cost over fair value, like property, plant and equipment. This is because historical cost results in a more consistent calculation of depreciation. Moreover, under fair value, assets would need to be revalued frequently due to changing market conditions and this would impose additional costs to the organisation (Christensen and Nikolaev, 2013). Fair value was a dominant force in the financial crisis and exacerbated its severity (Cai-xia and Chi, 2010). Huizinga and Laeven (2009) note that fair value is procyclical and therefore intensifies the phases in the economic cycle. They expressed that banks were materially impacted due to the contrast between market and book values. Lehman Brothers was an American investment bank, founded in 1850, and was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States. Its bankruptcy in 2008 was a prominent event in magnifying the repercussion of the financial crisis (Acharya and Richardson, 2009). One of the pivotal reasons for this collapse was due to the high leveraging (Lehner, 2016). Lehman disguised this from stakeholders by utilising fair value accounting and creative accountancy. The incentive behind such manipulations would be the benefit pressurised managers derive by camouflaging vulnerabilities in the organisation. This is proved by the movement of the leveraging ratio from 23.7 :1 in 2003 to 30.7:1 in 2007 (SEC Info, 2007) which signifies a high level of risk to investors. In addition, Azadinamin (2012) mentions that accounting standards, due to their defects, enable management to misrepresent financial information for momentary monetary rewards. He states further that Lehman window dressed the financial statements, using fair value, to present healthy looking balance sheets which assisted in concealing a major complication negative cash flows. Magnan (2009) states that As of November 30, 2007, 75.1% of assets measured at fair value were measured according to level 2 or level 3 inputs. This indicates that Lehman generally did not use the more reliable level 1 values. In addition, the proportion of assets valued using level 2 or 3 increased to 81.7% the following year. This shows the speed at which reliability in the accounting method was reduced. It is backed up by the empirical evidence provided by Magnan which shows that the movement from level 1 to lev els 2 and 3 was done intentionally so that they were able to report assets too highly and hide losses. He goes on to explain that fair value provides beneficial information to investors when assets trade in deep and efficient markets but are less useful when the markets are less liquid. One of the key reasons for the fall was the lack of liquidity caused by banks securing themselves, due to the financial crisis, by asking Lehman to pay off their debts. In addition, even though Lehman had a huge asset base, they lacked assets which could quickly be sold for cash (Brunnermeier, 2009). Apart from the ongoing financial crisis, another aspect that increased the speed of the collapse was the unrealised gains and losses brought about by the usage of fair value accounting (Magnan, 2009). For example, Hughes (2008) mentions that Lehman Brothers showed a $400m gain from fair-valuing its own liabilities. As no other firm wished to buy Lehman, in its state at the time, they declared bankruptcy on the 15th of September 2008 and this was quoted as the largest bankruptcy in the history of the United States (Mamudi, 2008). Therefore, fair value accounting without adequate additional disclosure is neither fair nor a good reflection of the value that is at risk (Magnan, 2009). To summarise, whilst relevance and reliability are the primary qualities of the usefulness of a financial report, there is a constant debate on the trade-off between these qualities when fair value measurement is adopted. Fair value is known to be relevant as it uses the current market price, however, it sacrifices its reliability as level 2 and level 3 inputs are used. The value of relevance and reliability is equally important because relevant information that has no reliability would mean nothing to the investors (Sing and Meng, 2005). In contrast, Hitz (2007) notes that fair value would be reliable if there was an actively traded market but the problem arises when there is not. He also remarks that usage of historical cost is falling whereas fair value accounting is on the rise. The reason for this is because fair value provides more timely and comparable information than amounts that would be reported under other alternative accounting approaches (Laux and Leuz, 2009). Furthermo re, they add to this by saying that fair value accounting recognises losses earlier than other methods of accounting and this makes it much more difficult to hide problems in the corporation which, if left to grow, would make crises more severe. However, we have seen that even through the use of fair value accounting, as in the case of Lehman Brothers, fair value accounting was a significant player behind the crisis of 2008. Wallison (2008) argues that fair value causes instability among financial institutions, although the title of the journal suggests that he would be taking a biased stance towards the topic. Moreover, the usage of fair value accounting causes volatility due to constantly changing prices. This concerned banks during the financial crisis due to the enormous write-downs caused by falling asset prices. However, Enria et al. (2004) argue that volatility provides information to investors regarding the risks of their investment. We believe that solely utilising fair val ue has pitfalls and therefore companies should adopt an integration between historical cost and fair value to eliminate the weaknesses of each. Nonetheless, we conclude that investors still prefer fair value accounting despite the disadvantages and the trade-off because it represents the true economic condition of assets and liabilities. References: ACCA, 2016. A framework for determining fair value? [Online]. Available from: http://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/student/exam-support-resources/professional-exams-study-resources/p2/technical-articles/ifrs13.html [Accessed 08/03/17] Acharya, V.V. and Richardson, M., 2009. Causes of the financial crisis. Critical Review, 21(2-3), pp.195-210. Azadinamin, A., 2012. The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers: Causes of Failure recommendations going forward. Swiss Management Center. Ball, R., 2006. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS): pros and cons for investors. Accounting and business research, 36(sup1), pp.5-27. Betakova, J., Hrazdilova-Bockova, K. and Skoda, M., 2014. Fair value usefulness in financial statements. DAAAM International Scientific Book, pp.433-448. Bigelow, L. The Advantages Of Fair Value Vs. The Equity Method. The Finance Base. Available from: http://thefinancebase.com/advantages-fair-value-vs-equity-method-3255.html [Accesses 02/03/2017] Brunnermeier, M.K., 2009. Deciphering the liquidity and credit crunch 2007-2008. The Journal of economic perspectives, 23(1), pp.77-100. Cai-xia, H.E. and Chi, Z.H.A.N.G., 2010. Fair value accounting under financial crisis. Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing, 6(6), p.59. Christensen, H.B. and Nikolaev, V.V., 2013. Does fair value accounting for non-financial assets pass the market test?. Review of Accounting Studies, 18(3), pp.734-775. Enria, A., Cappiello, L., Dierick, F., Grittini, S., Haralambous, A., Maddaloni, A., Molitor, P.A., Pires, F. and Poloni, P., 2004. Fair value accounting and financial stability. Hitz, J.M., 2007. The decision usefulness of fair value accounting-a theoretical perspective. European Accounting Review, 16(2), pp.323-362. Hughes, J., 2008. Fair value can flatter to deceive on your own debt. Financial Times, 24(07), p.2008. Huizinga, H. and Laeven, L., 2009. Accounting discretion of banks during a financial crisis. Laux, C. and Leuz, C., 2010. Did fair-value accounting contribute to the financial crisis?. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 24(1), pp.93-118. Lehner, O.M. ed., 2016. Routledge Handbook of Social and Sustainable Finance. Routledge. Magnan, M.L., 2009. Fair value accounting and the financial crisis: messenger or contributor?. Accounting Perspectives, 8(3), pp.189-213.. Mamudi, S. 2008. Lehman folds with record $613 billion debt [Online]. New York: Market Watch. Available from: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lehman-folds-with-record-613-billion-debt [Accessed 08/03/2017]. Marra, A., 2016. The Pros and Cons of Fair Value Accounting in a Globalized Economy: A Never Ending Debate. Journal of Accounting, Auditing Finance, 31(4), pp.582-591. McEnally, R., 2007. Fair Value Financial Reporting. CFA Magazine, 18(1), pp.25-26. Penman, S.H., 2007. Financial reporting quality: is fair value a plus or a minus?. Accounting and business research, 37(sup1), pp.33-44. Ryan, S.G., 2008. Fair value accounting: Understanding the issues raised by the credit crunch. Council of Institutional Investors, (July, 2008), pp.1-24. Scheinkman, J.A. and Xiong, W., 2003. Overconfidence and speculative bubbles. Journal of political Economy, 111(6), pp.1183-1220. Sing, T.Y. and Meng, S.C., 2005. Fair value accounting-relevance, reliability and progress in Malaysia. University College Sedeya International. Sundgren, S., 2013. Is fair value accounting really fair? A discussion of pros and cons with fair value measurement. The Finnish Journal of Business Economics, 62(3-4), pp.242-250. Trajkovska, O.G., Temjanovski, R. and Koleva, B., 2016. FAIR VALUE ACCOUNTING-PROS AND CONS. Journal of Economics, 1(2). Wallison, P.J., 2008. Fair value accounting: A critique. Financial Services Outlook. LEARNING LOG SUMMARY (maximum 1 page using Aerial 12-point with at least 1cm margins) Suggested content: What did you learn from the assignment both technically and in terms of working together as a group? We learnt about what caused the global financial crisis to occur and the impact it had on various financial institutions We gained a deeper understanding on the faults in fair value accounting which also shows why historical cost was so prevalent We learnt how to allocate work between the members of the group as well as set realistic deadlines What strategy as a group did you follow in tackling the assignment task? Making sure everyone was involved in writing each paragraph so that we received various different viewpoints Having frequent meetings and discussions in order to compare our research and decide on which points we should include within our paragraphs What problems did you face and how did you overcome them? Understanding what was required of the question. We overcame this ask question to the lecturer and finding out, through research, about other topics that could be included in each paragraph What went well? Coordination was good since we kept in touch with each other frequently Everyone kept to their deadlines and provided what was required of them when needed What, in retrospect, would you have done differently, why and how? In the beginning we took time to assign research topics and research took a while as we were all new to it. However, later on we were able to increase the pace as we became more proficient. If, however, we had been able to start off at this pace, the work would have been more evenly distributed over the weeks rather than being skewed towards the deadline Where did you locate most of your sources? Google University of Bath library Google Scholar LOG OF GROUP MEETINGS (complete a maximum of 1 page for each meeting) Meeting 1 Date of Meeting 23 Feb 2017 (Thursday) Attendees Ben Maitland Kylie Siow Gavriella Kafkalia Sidharth Ranjith Name of Absentees Agenda and tasks completed Decide on days of meeting every week (Tentatively Tuesday 1-2pm Friday 12.30-2pm) Talked about the structure of the essay Agreed items Structure of Essay Introduction Pros and Cons of FV 3rd of March How its carried out 10th March Example of FV during Financial Crisis 10th March Conclusion Tasks to be completed by next meeting Find points for pros and cons of fair value Date of next meeting 28 Feb 2017 (Tuesday) Meeting 2 Date of Meeting 28 Feb 2017 (Tuesday) Attendees Ben Maitland Kylie Siow Gavriella Kafkalia Sidharth Ranjith Name of Absentees Agenda, items agreed on and tasks completed Allocation of points for the first paragraph pros and cons of fair value accounting to investors Tasks to be completed by next meeting Full paragraph of pros and cons of fair value Date of next meeting 3 March 2017 (Friday) Meeting 3 Date of Meeting 3 March 2017 (Friday) Attendees Ben Maitland Kylie Siow Gavriella Kafkalia Sidharth Ranjith Name of Absentees Agenda and tasks completed Compiled the first paragraph Talk about the next 2 points Global financial crisis How fair value is carried out Allocate points to each person Tasks to be completed by next meeting Find points for the financial crisis and how fair value is carried out Date of next meeting 7 March 2017 (Tuesday) Meeting 4 Date of Meeting 7 March 2017 (Tuesday) Attendees Ben Maitland Kylie Siow Gavriella Kafkalia Sidharth Ranjith Name of Absentees Agenda and tasks completed Choose which points to write about and discuss how to evaluate it. Tasks to be completed by next meeting Finish the paragraphs how FV is carried out and the example during financial crisis Date of next meeting 10 March 2017 (Friday) Meeting 5 Date of Meeting 9 March 2017 (Thursday) Attendees Ben Maitland Kylie Siow Gavriella Kafkalia Sidharth Ranjith Name of Absentees Agenda and tasks completed Completed all body paragraphs Tasks to be completed by next meeting Introduction and Conclusion Date of next meeting 14 March 2017 (Tuesday) Meeting 6 Date of Meeting 15 March 2017 (Wednesday) Attendees Kylie Siow Gavriella Kafkalia Sidharth Ranjith Name of Absentees Ben Maitland (However did send his share of the work by e-mail) Agenda and tasks completed Completed introduction and draft for conclusion Tasks to be completed by next meeting Complete full paragraph for conclusion and make some changes for body paragraphs Date of next meeting 16 March 2017 (Thursday) Meeting 7 Date of Meeting 16 March 2017 (Thursday) Attendees Kylie Siow Gavriella Kafkalia Sidharth Ranjith Name of Absentees Ben Maitland (However did send his share of the work by e-mail) Agenda and tasks completed Worked on conclusion Date of next meeting 18 March 2017 (Saturday) Meeting 8 Date of Meeting 18 March 2017 (Saturday) Attendees Ben Maitland Kylie Siow Gavriella Kafkalia Sidharth Ranjith Name of Absentees Agenda and tasks completed Made some changes to body paragraphs Finalised the whole essay

Kate Chopin Essay -- Essays Papers

Kate Chopin Kate Chopin is an American writer of the late nineteenth century. She is known for her depictions of southern culture and of women's struggles for freedom. At this time in American history, women did not have a voice of their own and according to custom, they were to obey their father and husband. Generally, many women agreed to accept this customary way of life. Kate Chopin thought quite differently. The boldness Kate Chopin takes in portraying women in the late nineteenth century can be seen throughout The Awakening and other short stories. The following is an overview of her dramatic writing style. Elaine Showalter states, "Chopin went boldly beyond the work of her precursors in writing about women's longing for sexual and personal emancipation." (170). Chopin said that she was not a feminist of a suffragist. She was not an activist and she never joined the women's suffrage movement or belonged to a female literary community. Chopin saw freedom as a matter of your won spirit or soul without constraints. She did not try to encourage the women's movement in her writing; rather, she wrote what she felt. In writing what she felt, Chopin came to believe that " a true artist defied tradition and rejected respectable morality and the conventions and formulas to literary success." (Showalter 171). It could be said Chopin had a "literary awakening." In the early stages of Chopin's career, she tried to follow the literary advice and examples of others of her time. These efforts proved to be worthless. Chopin translated "Solitude", a story by Guy de Maupassant, in which Maupassant "escaped from tradition and authority†¦had entered into himself and looked out upon life though his own being and with his own eyes." (Seyested 701). Chopin did not want to imitate Maupassant; she just wanted to express herself in her writing the way he had done so in his. In The Awakening Chopin seems to tell her story through the main character Edna Pontellier. Her breaking away from the conventions of literary domesticity is shown through Edna breaking away from the conventional feminine roles of wife and mother (Showalter 170). Kate Chopin shows boldness by taking the main characters and having them completely change their views on life. Edna is a young woman who discovers that her pampered married life is not what she wants. ... ...ory in such a way that Edna has come to know herself, her true self, and does not need to continue living and searching. Kate Chopin's success as a writer plummeted after the release of The Awakening. It has been noted that contemporary critics were shocked at the way Chopin portrayed Edna Pontellier. Edna's character violated the codes of the behavior of nineteenth-century American women. The criticism became so bad the The Awakening was banned and dropped out of sight for many generations. It was not until the 1960's that Kate Chopin was recognized as a writer with her own views. Elaine Showalter states "Kate Chopin's literary evolution took her progressively through the three phases of the nineteenth-century American women's culture and women's writing." (176). Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York: Dover, 1993. Night in Acadie. The American Short Story Series. Vol. 8. New York: Garrett, 1968. Seysrsted, Per, ed. Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography. New York: Octagon, 1980. Showalter, Elaine. "Tradition and the Female Talent: The Awakening and a Solitary Book." The Awakening. Ed. Nancy A. Walker. Boston: Bedford, 1993. 169-89.

Managers and the Process of Change Essay -- Business Management

Managers and the Process of Change The desperate call-to-arms, "Change or Die"— which can be heard echoing down the corridors of businesses everywhere — is evidence that leaders have recognised the need to change. Managers know that companies must be fast, flexible, responsive, resilient, and creative to survive. Most also know that current mind-sets, techniques, and tools are ineffective for creating such an organisation. These people are displaying the talents required to successfully negotiate change. They are aware of the limitations around or within themselves and are willing to learn the necessary skills required to succeed as change managers. Change is the process of moving from one state to another. Just as moving house requires the massive packing of furniture and other items, change requires just as much preparations to be successful. Most people do not like change, they like things to remain the same. Changes require more effort to adapt. It threatens stability and security and people fear that they will not be able to cope. Resistance is the natural defence to such perceived threats. A good manager has to be able to work with and overcome resistance he/she must be able to control the whole process of change. With this in mind, I have considered the role of the manager, what his/her function is and what skills are required to enable him/her to be a successful change manager. Function of Managers Fayol (1908) identified the functions of the manager as: 1. Setting objectives 2. Organisation 3. Motivation 4. Control or measurement 5. Co-ordination These functions are as true today as they were then, but I consider communication as the key to them. It is the essential function in successful change management. Drucke... ... Herts. Prentice Hall. Clegg et al. Palmer, G. ed. 1996. The Politics of Management Knoelwdge London. Sage Publications. Dawson, P. (1994). Organisational Change – A Processual Approach Newcastle upon Tyne. Athenaeum Press Ltd. Dove, R. Essay #051.3/99 in Automotive Manufacturing & Production, Gardner Publications, Revised 5/99. Dove, R. Essay #058. Paradigm Shift International - Originally Published 10/99 @ www.parshift.com Fayol, H. (1949). General and Industrial Management, London. Pitman. Hitler and His Henchmen 1999, The History Channel. Kotter, J.P. & Heskett, J.L. 1992. Corporate Culture and Performance. London. Pitman. Schneider, B. Leadership at the Edge of Chaos. Strategy & Leadership Magazine, Sept. 1997. Stewart, R. 1986. The Reality of Management. London. Pan Books. Vaill, P. The Quantum Organisation. Business Week online. Accessed 03/04/2000

Examination of the factors that contribute to depression among young women aged 15 to 25 of age in the UK

Abstract This dissertation identifies the factors that contribute to a mental health problem (depression) among young women 15 to 25 of age in the UK. The literature review revealed that the young women aged 15 to 25 are exposed to the risk of being depressed as a result of the interplay between biological and environmental factors. Furthermore, the rates of depression were found to be higher in the women population compared to men. The study also reveals that depression in the young women of this age bracket has negative effects on their family and friends. Although the family members and friends are always willing to help their loved ones recover from mental health problems they are prevented from doing so because of their lack of knowledge and skills in handling depression. As a result, depression ends up disrupting the relationship between the patients and their loved ones who equally end up being distressed as well. The findings reveal that the government should increase the funding on i ts programs and consistently review the performance of the policies in order to correct any mistakes in time. Introduction The main purpose of this study is to review literature on the factors that contribute to depression among young women aged 15 to 25 in the UK. The study will explore the impact of the patient’s condition on the family members and friends, and evaluate the effectiveness of the different initiatives to support young women with depression. The study carries out an extensive review of academic articles and will access all available data to discuss the research objectives. Additionally, it will perform an appraisal of the findings and results obtained from related literatures. Thereafter, a conclusion will be provided on all issues deliberated in the study, and then a recommendation will be given for the public education and possibly for future mental health research project among young women in the United Kingdom. Background and Rationale for the study The World Health Organization (WHO) defined mental health as a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community, whilst, mental problems or illness refers to conditions that affect cognition, emotion, and behaviour for example, schizophrenia, depression, and autism (Manderscheid et al, 2010). Women are more likely to suffer from depression compared to men. Brady (2013) confirmed that the investigation of national mental health surveys have shown that psychological disorders are 20% to 40% likely to occur in women than men. Walsh (2009) claims that this disparity is due to many elements, as studies have given a number of factors have been responsible for the cause of mental health problems among women in the UK; some of the influences include the increasing responsibility of women performing multiple roles in the society, such as care ers, homemakers and breadwinners. Seeman (2006) stated that the care giving role of women, which sometimes extends to spouses, children and the elderly, may induce increased stress and possibly cause mental health problems. Likewise, the associated issues of pregnancy and child-bearing are an additional consideration responsible for a high rate of mental health problems among women (Kidd et al, 2013). Ussher (2010) notes that the issue of domestic violence is also a contributing factor because women have depression or mental health problems because they have been subjected to domestic violence. These women sometimes find it hard to go for counseling as a confidential and safe means by which they can outlet their feelings. There are very few studies that have identified the relationship between mental health problems among young women and depression; this supports studies that have linked stress as a catalyst responsible for mental health problems amongst young women (Pratt et al 201 2). Weich (2004) confirmed that some UK based studies have reported an excess in the prevalence of the most common mental disorders of anxiety and depression. The cost of treating depression and other mental problems is a big financial burden to the government. The Centre for Mental Health (2010) concluded that mental problems have not only a human and social cost, but also an economic one, with wider costs in England amounting to ?105 billion a year. Rosenfeld (2009) asserts that very few studies have focused on the causes of depression among young women in the age group of 15-25. Most studies focus on depression on women, men, or adolescents without necessarily narrowing down to young women (Rosenfeld, 2009). The rationale for this study is to identify the causes of depression among the young women aged 15-25, evaluate the effects of depression on the family members and friends, explore the government policy and interventions and then offer recommendations on how to protect the yo ung women from depression. The study of depression in young women is important because the depression suffered at this age group has a direct effect on the future lives of these women (Thomas et al 2008). It is therefore important to look into ways of protecting them against depression because this will not only save the government money that is currently being used on treatment but also ensure that the young women enter the early adulthood stage with a strong mental ability. To the healthcare profession, this study will be helpful in the treatment of depression through making maximum use of preventive measures and formulating a basis for further research on ways of reducing the rates of depression among women aged 15-25. Aims and Objectives The primary aim of this project is to review literature on the factors that contribute to depression among young women aged 15 to 25 in the United Kingdom. The objectives of the study are as follows: To identify and understand the risk factors responsible for depression as a mental health problem among young women aged 15 to 25 in the UK. To examine the impact of depression on the family and friends of the depressed persons To investigate ggovernment initiatives that support young women with depressionEthicsThis study addressed ethical and anti- oppressive issues that relate to research and practice. It adhered to all the ethical principles that guide the use of secondary data. The review was conducted with an interest of finding ways of improving the lives of young people with depression through evaluating ways of reducing the causative agents and providing care for the already depressed population. The findings are meant to benefit both the depressed young people and form a basis f or future research. Literature ReviewMethodsThis review followed an inclusion and exclusion criteria in determining which articles and books to review and which ones to ignore based on the relevance of their content to this dissertation. The journal articles were chosen from EbSCOhost, BNI, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINHAL, government published documents and policy. Simple electronic database search was then done using the key words as a guiding criterion. All the journals and books were screened by reading the titles, abstract and in some cases full text in deciding which ones were suitable for this research. The key words for the search were â€Å"mental illness, young women, depression, and government policies to address depression†. The database search depended on wildcards and keywords in looking for information in the abstracts, title, subject heading, and full text. The words were used separately and then in combination to ensure that as many relevant articles are reviewed. The criteria for inclusi on and exclusion of articles and books The method for selecting articles made use of the inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure that the search generated the best possible articles and books. The inclusion criteria targeted the articles that cover prevalence of depression among women, early adulthood, policy intervention in the United Kingdom, peer reviewed and possible methods of dealing with depression. The exclusion criteria on the other hand included the articles and books published prior to 2001, generalized the youth without separating young women from women, only included children under the age of 15, focused on bipolar mood disorder, studies with small sample sizes (less than 50), and those involving non representative samples like the ethnic minorities.ResultsA total of 100 citations were considered for the research, out of which 30 duplicate citations were filtered out. The remaining 70 citations were then screened using the inclusion and exclusion criteria outlined above. 50 articles were retained for inclu sion and the other 20 were excluded from the study. Therefore, this review is based on a sample of 50 citations. The details of the review are availed in the subsequent sections of this literature review. The articles were then grouped into those that cover the general correlates of and prevalence of depression, those that cover young women below the age of 30, and finally those that cover young women still under the care of their parents. Among the 50 citations considered for review, only a small percentage was longitudinal by design. The samples had different sample sizes with the least having 50 and the most having 20,000 participants. General correlates and prevalence of depression The findings of this review reveal that in the cases where the articles made comparisons between the males and females, women were more likely to be affected by depression compared to the males. Out of the 10 articles that compared the two sexes only three posted a different result. The three articles did not find any significant differences in the prevalence rates between young men and young women. The other seven articles all concluded that women are more vulnerable to depression than men. The prevalence rates ranged from as low as 4.3% to a high of 49%. Factors that contribute to depression among young women 15 to 25 of age in the UK Lundt (2004, p. 67) claims that in addition to women having higher rates of depression than men, many features of depression differ for women when compared to men. These differences include factors like the likelihood of occurrence, risk factors and the symptoms of depression. This literature review reveals an overwhelming support for a multidimensional model of the risk factors for depression in women with a complex relationship being exhibited between life stress, social, biological, sex role socialization and developmental factors. Hales (2008, p. 33) asserts that currently, the exact neurophysiological mechanisms surrounding depression have not yet been identified although stress appears to play a crucial role in the onset of depressive episodes particular at the initial stages. While the conventional perception of depression supports biopsychosocial model of risk factors, more contemporary conceptualizations and research emphasize on the impact of the sex role socialization (Tho mas, et al 2008, p. 41). The societal gender expectations have a direct influence on how to deal with depression. The women who are forced to adopt female roles that are more stereotyped often experience more depression compared to the ones that are not exposed to such hostile environments. Ussher (2010, p. 13) also adds that women are also more likely to make complex inferences and engage in more ruminative self-focus and this may maintain or even aggravate depression. Walsh (2009, p. 66) notes that there is no single theory explaining the gender differences in depression. In fact the different rates of depression are as a result of multidimensional and interactive issues that are functions of idiographic factors. Rosenfeld (2009, p. 76) supports this further by asserting that integrative biopsychosocial theories of depression have been espoused by many different theories. They note that there are five major categories of risk factors which are: Biological, Life stress, Sex role so cialization, Societal/Social and Developmental The interactive model of risk factors is an expansion of the Worrel and Remmer (1992) model (White, & Groh, 2007, p. 65). All the five factors are discussed in discrete sections below for purposes of clarity although in reality most of these factors are interrelated and involve more than one factor at a time. It is for this reason then that some factors will appear in more than one section. Biological Factors In the past, most scholars held the assumption that there were two subtypes of depressions, neurotic and endogenous (Stahl et al. 2003, p. 56). The endogenous depressions were believed to be driven by purely biological factors whereas the neurotic depressions were thought to be functions of interpersonal and intrapersonal factors. However, more recent research shows that very few depressions are purely biological and there is a general consensus that most depressions have a biopsychosocial basis (Savoie et al 2004, p. 29) Although genetics play a significant role in unipolar depression, heredity is not an important factor as it is in bipolar depression. Depression affects women throughout their lives and it is caused by a combination of different factors that range from hormonal, pregnancy, postnatal to biological factors (Paxton, & Robinson, 2008, p. 16). At a later stage in life women may also suffer from depression caused by menopause. These are the factors that make women more vu lnerable to depression than men. Additionally, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression in their early lives than men. Nimrod (2012, p. 43) found that females start experiencing depression in their early adolescence. The study highlights that depression can occur in the young women and puberty increases the risk. This assertion was supported by Greenblatt (2011, p. 45) who claims that the depression in women mostly starts at puberty. The hormonal levels at puberty are a major cause of depression in young women. The changes in oestrogen and androgen are more responsible for the depression than puberty itself. Hales (2009, p. 77) asserts that this view is consistent with the fact that depression can be as a result of hormonal changes that are related to the reproductive system of women. This is particularly evident in the young women who often complain of both emotional and physical premenstrual symptoms. The young women may also suffer depression during pregnancy. Erland sson and Eklund (2006, p. 32) claim that while pregnancy does not necessarily cause depression, pregnant women who have a history of depression are more likely to suffer relapses because of their reluctance to use antidepressant medication. This thought is supported by Castle et al (2006, p. 61) as they highlight the implications of managing and treating depression in women. Their research revealed that although many women are often reluctant to take medication during pregnancy, the effectiveness of using antidepressants outweighs the consequences of untreated depression on both the child and the woman. As such, their research outlines the importance of the role of nurses, health visitors, general practitioners, mental health practitioners and the other health professionals in educating the young pregnant women and their families. Additionally, the research also highlights the importance of taking the risks of managing and treating depression during pregnancy into consideration as w ell as empowering the young women to make decisions based on the best guidelines and available evidence. However, every pregnant woman must be considered differently and individually because there are many factors that influence their decisions on whether to use the antidepressants or not. Sleath et al (2005, p. 47) say that additional information is required by both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and that all medical practitioners must always weigh up the different treatment options available as well as the wishes of the patient before making any decisions. In fact this is the reason why Pestello & Davis-Berman (2008, p. 15) asserts that current advice must be provided based on evidence based practice and practice guidelines. Mirowsky and Ross (2003, p. 55) claim that there is often an increased risk of depression after childbirth because of the hormonal changes in the postnatal period. During this time, there is often an influx of other factors like breast feed ing that may influence a young woman not to use antidepressants. Although infertility does not lead to depression, the young women struggling with infertility may be susceptible to depression. In fact Demyttenaere, De Fruyt, & Stahl (2005, p. 37) claim that depression may play a role in infertility. Some studies indicate a positive correlation between depression symptoms prior to attempting to conceive and infertility. However, the inability to conceive may lead to depression which may in turn affect the probability of being able to conceive (Ravindran, et al 2002, p. 99). Several other medical conditions like anemia, AIDS, Addison’s disease, cancer, diabetes, infectious hepatitis, influenza, systemic lupus, hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism, mononucleosis, and Cushing’s disease can cause symptoms of depression in young women (Pratt, et al. 2012, p. 21). Furthermore, other medical conditions like heart disease , asthma and hypoglycemia can equally cause anxiety like symptoms. Lazear et al (2008, p. 30) claims that there is a positive correlation between depression and coronary heart disease. Depression occurs with a high rate mostly after coronary heart disease. In fact recent research indicates that depression is a risk factor for coronary heart disease and a predictor of poor outcome (Eklund, Erlandsson, & Persson, 2003, p. 48). Life stress factors Hales (2012, p.50) claims that certain types of stressful life events eventually lead to depression in most young women. One of the possible reasons for the intermittent nature of depression is explained by the kindling hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, the strength of the association between stressful life events and depressive onsets decrease with an increase in the number of episodes (Eklund et al 2010, p. 82). It is the unspecified changes that take place during the repressive episodes either through learning or brain changes rather than the stressful life events that kindle future episodes. Erlandsson and Eklund (2003, p. 68) note that in people with recurrent depressions, the relationship between stress and depression declines progressively through approximately nine episodes and then stabilises through the future episodes. The stress diathesis theories of depression indicate that depression results from the way an individual interprets the life stressful events (Castle , Kulkarni, & Abel, 2006, p. 51). Hopelessness depression is a stress diathesis theory whereby an attributional style interacts with the negative style events to generate specific subtype of depression with symptoms of sadness, loss of motivation and suicidal ideation. In the context of this model, the internal factors (an attributional style) interact with the external factors (negative life events) to produce depression in the young women. Therefore, stress in womens’ lives has a direct impact on the levels of depressions. Caretaking and parenting demands on women often confer an increased risk for depression. Young women with children are particularly vulnerable especially for those that do not work outside the home (Duncan, 2004, p. 58). In fact, the more children in the house the more depression are reported. The responsibility of caring for the aging parents is often left to the adult daughters, which in turn increases their vulnerability to depression. Women seem to be more vulnerable to the negative effects of interpersonal relationships (McLeod & McLeod, 2009, p. 28). Women in unhappy marriages are three times more likely to be depressed than the single ones or men (McLeod & McLeod, 2009, p. 28). Women are more vulnerable to interpersonal violence than men are, and depression is a function of interpersonal violence (Beck, & Alford, 2009, p. 77). Depression can occur because of psychological and neurological changes caused by the interpersonal traumas. Smith & Elliott (2010, p. 44) claim there is a positive correlation between women with histories of childhood sexual and physical abuse and reversed neurovegatative depressive symptoms such as weight gain, increased appetite and hypersomnia, which suggests unique biological processes in trauma related depressions. Depression may also occur because of the effects of brain injuries suffered by battered women (Thomas, et al. 2008, p. 49). Sex Role socialisation Factors Certain types of stereotypical female personality traits as well as the gender role socialisation often contribute to the vulnerability of young women to depression. Weiten (2010, p. 37) claims that women with stereotypical beliefs on the gender roles of women and higher scores of measures of femininity are more vulnerable to depression. Furthermore, gender related personality traits like instrumentality are positively correlated to depression. The same is also true for socially influenced stereotypical female personality traits like dependency and passivity, which are conceptualised as mild manifestations of depression (Gotlib & Hammen, 2010, p. 22). Societal / Social factors Women are more likely to face lowered social status in work roles, family roles and community roles. Despite the gains, women have made both economically and socially, inequality between the sexes continues to persist in the society (Kittleson & Denkmire, 2005, p. 09). The reinforcement deficit theory postulated by Worrell and Remer (1992) indicates that depression is related to an unfavourable ratio between positive and negative person environment outcomes (Pettit & Joiner, 2005, p. 64). The low rate of positive outcomes is assumed to be caused by the increase in passive behaviour and dysphoric mood as the young women feel incapable of attaining personal goals leading to eventual withdrawal and despair. The inequity in family decision-making and access to family finance can cause women to feel powerless and unimportant, precursors to depression. Kantor (2007, p. 18) asserts that poverty is a pathway to depression. The majority of the people living in poverty in the United Kingdom ar e women and children. Dobson and Dozois (2008, p. 13) note that 10% of new cases of major depression are caused by poverty. The same is supported by Diamond (2005, p. 73) who hypothesises that depression is a function of financial hardships and poverty. Although gender differences in rates of depression do not differ by culture, the ethnic minority women and lesbians are at a higher risk because of the complexity and number of risks that they face on daily basis (Friedman, & Anderson, 2010, p. 63). The ethnic minority young women are more likely to be subjected to different socioeconomic factors for depression like ethnic/ racial discrimination, segregation into low status and high-risk jobs, lower educational and income levels, unemployment, single parenthood, poor health, marital dissolution and larger family sizes. Greenblatt (2011, p. 31) adds that being a member of a non-dominant group can also lead to experiences of discrimination and oppression, which are risk factors. Additi onally, intragroup and intergroup racism are also stressors that lead to poor health and psychological distress. Cultural role prescriptions for some ethnic minority women may at times lead to depression. For instance, for the Asian and British Indian women, the cultural norms of deference, passivity and courtesy may result in difficulties in self-assertion especially regarding issues of power consequently resulting in depression. Experiences of migration for any ethnic minority group may result in lack of social support, cultural conflicts, identity confusion, cultural adjustments, and feelings of powerlessness and diminished social status. Developmental Factors Gerrity et al (2001, p. 48) point out that prior developmental experience have a direct influence on the adult susceptibility to depression. This is particularly true for the individuals who have a history of neglect, abuse and parental loss as well as those that were brought up by depressed mothers. Additionally, the subsequent developmental transitions and the accompanying stressors increase the vulnerability of young women to depression. The developmental pathway of women often contain five major key points that begin when they start showing increased rates of depression in adolescence, continuing to the transitions on young adulthood, midlife and old age. Ussher (2010, p. 77) asserts that each of these transitions is accompanied by challenges and stresses. The intensity of these factors varies depending on the unique personality of an individual, social contexts, familial and social support, and life circumstances. One such interactive model indicates that girls arrive at the ado lescence stage with more pre-existing factors than boys do and these factors interact with social and biological changes of adolescence, which then extend into adulthood (Peacock & Casey 2000, p. 74). The young women in the age bracket of 15 to 25 are in the period of young adulthood. This period is a time of potential stress and strain for them because it is a time when they must make important interpersonal and vocational life choices that include decisions related to marriage and motherhood (White & Groh, 2007, p. 17). The young mothers with children at home face higher risks of depression. Epidemiological data indicates that the mid to late 20’s is the age at which women start experiencing depression because of the many decisions that they have to make (Stahl, et al 2003, p. 94). In the period of transition to adulthood, the women that were exposed to childhood adversities are more likely to be depressed compared to the ones that did not go through such terrible childhood s. The mid 20’s is the first time a woman must face the harsh realities of life in the context of the dreams and visions mapped out in the adolescence period. The discovery that adulthood is not as she expected often thrusts most women into despair and confusion. The fact that the young women are facing the challenges and stresses of adulthood for the first time in their lives makes them feel unprepared as the demands of adult life are at times very overwhelming (Ferentinos, et al. 2011,p. 63). These stresses make the young adult women vulnerable to psychological distress, particularly depression. Effects of depression on family and friends of the patients Weiten (2010) says that when a young woman gets depression, it does not affect her alone as it also has gross effects on their parents, siblings, friends and the whole family. All the people close to the individuals suffering from depression often get extremely worried about the patients. Beck and Alford (2009) claim that the worst part of it is that in most cases these people do not have the knowledge and skills to help the patients. This worsens the situation for the patients, as they feel helpless and in so doing adding more misery to the parents, siblings and close friends. Dobson and Dozois (2008) assert that the family members and friends get worried on the possibility of the young depressed women contemplating suicide because of their unstable conditions. In as much as they are always willing to help these young depressed women get back to the normal swing of things, the ways of doing it makes the whole thought a mirage. Therefore, they end up being very focused on them, alway s worrying for them and having difficult time connecting with the depressed young women because depression inhibits their ability to interact with other people. Depression hurts the young women both mentally and physically inhibiting their ability to work and function. The people who have affection for the young girls are often hurt by the experiences of their loved ones (Thomas et al 2008). Unlike the other physical illnesses, depression is not easily visible to people without prior experience. In fact, many people have no idea of its causes or treatment (Sleath et al 2005). The intangibility of the illness makes it very hard for the family and friends who are not able to feel or see the intensity of the suffering. Some family members and friends even deny the existence of depression because of the confusing nature of the illness. Castle, Kulkarni, & Abel (2006) claim that some family members and friends consider depression as a sign of personal weakness, while others often end up fighting alongside their depressed friends and family members. These too cases are both extreme and cause grief especially because the depressed young girls feel frustrated, misunderstood or overstretched to recover quickly. Demyttenaere, De Fruyt, and Stahl (2005) say that the symptoms of depression are very difficult to interpret. The young girls often get withdrawn and have little energy to perform ordinary daily tasks. Unfortunately, this is at times misinterpreted by the other family members as a lack of effort in helping in the daily house chores. Evaluation of initiatives for tackling the mental health problems among young women in the UK The purpose of this part of the dissertation is threefold: Make reference to some policies that touch on mental health of young women in the United Kingdom; Highlight some of the progress made by the government in helping the young people suffering from mental health problems; Identify the weaknesses and gaps in the policy and support and what should be done to improve their effectiveness. Owing to the large number of government policies on the young people, this dissertation will be highly selective in approach. INITIATIVES The National Service Framework for children, young people and maternity services policy contains the 11 standards that contribute to the mental well being of the young people. In 2007, the government developed the National Indicator Set to enable the central government manage the performance of the local government. These indicators were as follows: NI50, which monitors the emotional health of the children and young people; NI51 to monitor the effectiveness of government policy. The Children and Young People in Mind (CAMHS) made recommendations that highlight the role of all universal services like the police and midwives in promoting the mental health of children and young people. The government implemented two of its recommendations through the creation of National Advisory Council (NAC) and National CAMHS Support Service (NCSS). The role of the NAC is to hold the government accountable in ensuring that all the recommendations are met. The NCSS, on the other hand, was charged with the role of continually improving and sustaining service delivery. The New Horizons (2009) made mental health the responsibility of everyone. It required all the government departments to work as a team in the prevention of mental health problems and develop resilience in the households. It paid special attention to the need of improving transition from adolescence to adulthood and emphasised the importance of prevention of mental illnesses. In 2010, the Keeping Children and Young People in Mind applauded the need for the government to invest in the mental health and emotional well-being of the children and young people. The Progress Made The investment in CAMHS led to increased advocacy in building resilience, early intervention, general well being and the called for support from families. As a result, there was an increase in the number of professional staff to offer services to the young people (Ferentinos et al 2011). However, the progress was slower for the 16 and 17 year olds as evidenced by the increased number of young people of this age spending time in psychiatric hospitals. This implies that comprehensive implementation of CAMHS is not easy and will require more time and commitment from all the stakeholders. The Mental Health Promotion Driving Policy in the New Horizons is performing well although it is mainly adult focused which places the young women at an increased risk of being lost in the bigger agenda. The Challenges and Recommendations Most of the government policies on young people are properly aspirational although turning them into reality on the ground remains the biggest challenge. The process of implementation is very critical as it underlines the efficiency of the policies. It will be impossible to realise the vision of these policies without total commitment and consistent long term funding. This is why it is advisable for the government to look into ways of ensuring better management and leadership to ensure that these services reach the people as envisaged in the policies. Presently, there is still a gap in the logic on the empowerment of people, families and communities on taking care of mental health (Castle, Kulkarni, & Abel, 2006). Many people have gone through the process of intervention but the real solution lies on empowering individuals with the skills, knowledge and resources to deal with mental health challenges on their own. Helping the young women with self-awareness, social and emotional skil ls, and foster knowledge will help them take the responsibility for their mental health and emotional well-being. Conclusion This dissertation has identified the factors that contribute to a mental health problem (depression) among young women 15 to 25 of age in the UK. The secondary research also assessed the effects of the condition on the family and friends of the patients and then evaluated the policy and support for tackling the mental health problems among young women in the UK. The extensive review of academic articles and books revealed that the young women aged 15 to 25 are exposed to the risk of being depressed as a result of the interplay between biological and environmental factors. Furthermore, the rates of depression were found to be higher in the women population compared to men. The study also revealed that depression in the young women of this age bracket has negative effects on their family and friends. The worst part of it is that the family and friends are always willing to help their loved ones recover from mental health problems but are prevented from doing so because of their lack of knowledge and skills in handling depression. As a result, depression ends up disrupting the relationship between the patients and their loved ones who equally end up being distressed as well. The government has enacted many policies to contain mental health problems in the country, however there are still challenges as highlighted in the discussion. These policies although aspirational, still need more commitment in terms of funding, leadership and management for them to have their intended impact in the country. Recommendations The policies for helping the young girls aged 15 to 25 have already been identified and enacted by the government. The only challenge remaining is the implementation process, which is proving to be difficult as evidenced by the high number of young girls spending their time in the psychiatric hospitals. This can be addressed through increasing the amount of funds allocated to the project. This increase will enable the government to reach more people and empower them with the knowledge and skills on how to handle mental illnesses. As already outlined, the family members and friends are always willing to help the depressed young women but then they lack the necessary knowledge and skills. Equipping these people with the knowledge and skills will be helpful in reducing the rates of depression among young women aged 15 to 25 because they have a close contact and better understanding of their loved ones. Additionally, consistent evaluation and assessment of the policies will also be helpf ul to the government in terms of identifying new ways of helping the young girls. Limitations of the study The study was only reliant on secondary data as the researcher was not able to interact directly with the respondents. This implies that the errors that may have been made by the secondary data could have been replicated in the outcomes of this study. Secondly, very few policies are tailored for this particular age group so the policies used were those overlapping between late adolescence and early adulthood. This may have in some way affected the results although the impact may not be that big given that the age group of 15 to 25 lie in the same period of late adolescence and early adulthood. Bibliography Beck, A. T., & Alford, B. A. (2009). Depression: Causes and treatment. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Brady,. T. 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