Better Weight-Loss Tool: Dieting Vs Exercising

A major factor leading to obesity in developed countries is the ready availability of inexpensive and tasty food. In addition to it a sedentary lifestyle, including desk jobs and time spent watching TV, using a computer, and other â€Å"activities† that require little or no physical effort are some other reasons. People are showing more interest in eating foods in restaurants and fast food out lets than the home made foods. Excess body fat has been linked to such health problems as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis and certain forms of cancer.There are different ways of loosing weight. One of them is by dieting and another is by exercising. But many people diet simply to reduce their weight to look better and slim. They think that the best way to achieve it is â€Å"Eat less, weigh less†. There's nothing wrong with looking good and losing weight but they should realize how healthy and strong they are. To be successful, the we ight loss should be gradual. The best way to shed body fat and reduce the weight is by dieting or temporarily changing eating habits. Sticking to a sensible eating program can also involve some discipline and sacrifice.A successful weight loss diet must include adequate amounts of all essential nutrients that the body needs to maintain health. The diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and a few processed foods is the best diet for people who want to loose weight in long term. Plan your diet carefully, avoiding fast foods and any other high-fat, high-sugar foods, foods such as fish, tofu, and the leanest cuts of meats with major protein source are advised instead of burgers and pizzas. An adult woman who is moderately active needs about 2,000 calories per day to meet all her nutrient requirements and maintain a healthy weight.She must therefore choose her diet carefully which in the long-term should not have any health problems such as kidney problems, bone minera l loss, and other unknown long-term risk factors (Eisenstein, et al. , 2002). People soon become tired or give themselves a vacation from dieting and gain the lost weight back, plus some more. A person’s effective approach to stay slim depends on whether ones weight goal is short- or long-term. If one strictly wants to become slim, they should be strong and determined towards the diet they eat.If your objective is to reduce body fat and keep your weight at a healthy, comfortable level, research has confirmed that regular exercise is the most important factor for long-term success . Exercising regularly will avoid depositing excess body fat. This is the most important component of your weight loss plan. Exercise will enhance what you're doing with your diet, but exercise alone will never take the place of changing your diet. Exercise can change the way you look, feel, and perform, as well as have a tremendously positive impact on your health and almost every aspect of your lif e.Setting up a simple, economical home gym will also help overcome some of the time limitations by cutting out travel to and from the gym. With a small initial investment and a few square feet of floor space, you can add convenience to the list of why an exercise program can be so effective. A proper diet coupled with regular exercise is the staple to a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes, we don't commit to dieting until we are sure we can commit to exercise. Or we focus on exercising to the exclusion of our diet. You can exercise every single day for a whole year and I loose t only five pounds because you didn't correct your diet.Even to lose weight, one need energy. The best way is avoiding the high-calorie foods. That enables you to pack a tremendous amount of calories into a short amount of time. But it is better to avoid eating too many calories in the first place. An hour's worth of exercise will not undo the damage of eating 5,000 calories a day. In fact, if you don't exercise at a ll, yet you clean up your diet, you'll lose weight. If you only exercise and don't clean up your diet, will you lose weight? Maybe, but not much, if your uncorrected diet is anything like mine was.Research has proven that the only long-term way to reduce body fat (and not body protein and water, which can be quick but ineffective) is to reduce the intake of high-fat and sugary foods and to exercise regularly. Ross et al. , (2000) reported that men in both the diet and the exercise–weight loss programs lost an average of about 16 pounds. Weight did not change in the control group or in the group assigned to exercise without weight loss. Body fat decreased in both weight loss groups, but men in the exercise–weight loss program lost more body fat than men in the diet–weight loss program.Men assigned to exercise without weight loss lost some abdominal fat. Physical fitness improved in both exercise groups. The tests for early signs of diabetes improved in both weigh t loss groups. In any weight loss attempt the goal is to lose the excess fat that has been accumulated in the body, rather than to lose weight. Food prepared at home offers the easiest way to make healthy choices about fat, sugar, salt, and so forth, but in today's world, convenience often wins out over a home cooked meal. A healthy diet along with exercise improves the quality of health and life expectancy.Health is wealth, what else one need rather than a good health. Being healthy will make a profound difference on anyone's life, and that should be motivation enough to start your diet and get going on that exercise program—and to keep it up indefinitely. For the best of both worlds, don’t choose between diet and exercise, take the comprehensive approach and allow the two to support one another. Reference: Eisenstein, J. ; Roberts, S. ; Dallal, G. ; and Saltzman, E. (2002).â€Å"High-Protein Weight-Loss Diets: Are They Safe and Do They Work? A Review of the Experime ntal and Epidemiological Data.† Nutrition Review 60:189–197. Lejeune, M. P. G. M. , van Aggel-Leijssen, D. P. C. , van Baak, M. A. and Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S. (2003).Effects of dietary restraint vs exercise during weight maintenance in obese men. Volume 57, Number 10, Pages 1338-1344 R. Ross, D. Dagnone, P. J. H. Jones, H. Smith, A. Paddags, R. Hudson, and I. Janssen. (2000).â€Å"Reduction in Obesity and Related Comorbid Conditions after Diet-Induced Weight Loss or Exercise-Induced Weight Loss in Men. A Randomized, Controlled Trial. † It is in the 18 July 2000 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 133, pages 92-103).

Abuse in Nursing Homes – Essay

Unit 3 IP Leigh Ratliff There are reports of abuse in nursing homes every year. There are many types of abuse reported as well. Even though there are many reports there are also many cases that are not reported. Elderly being abused puts them in an even more vulnerable position that what they were in. They now have to fear for their lives from the people who should be taking care of them. With reported cases and non-reported cases the abuser is rarely punished which makes the situation much worse. Elder abuse in nursing homes has grown at an alarming rate and not being reported and I firmly believe that the punishment should be increased for these abusers such as licenses being pulled and state stepping in more to investigate. There are many different types of abuse towards elders. Types of abuse are neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and many more. There are more than an estimated 2. 1 million reports of abuse each year as found in the studies of American Psychological Association, 2011. Elderly abuse is often times overlooked especially when there is bruising of the skin. The elderly are frail and the bruises are often mistaken for normal care on a frail individual which can happen. M. Lachs and K. Pillemer, also studied the same abuse issues and reported that many physicians were un-familiar with the mandatory reporting of abuse. In fact many physicians could not identify a case of elder abuse (1995-2006). Neglect is one of the most common reports of abuse in nursing homes. Neglect occurs when a caregiver fails to take care of a patient the way they should. In example, a caregiver does not change an elderly person every two hours. Instead the elder is only changed every 4 hours. This can cause bed sores. Bed sores break down the skin and when urine and feces enter the wound the patient can become ill and even die. Another type of abuse is physical abuse. Physical abuse occurs when a care giver hits a patient. Physical abuse towards the elderly can have grave consequences as well. The elder are very fragile and when hit can easily cause broken bones and even death. It is very hard for the elderly to recover because they are so fragile. Many physicians do not recognize the signs of abuse. The injuries are often mistaken for common issues with fragile elder patients. This means most cases of abuse are not reported and the abuser continues the acts. For cases that are reported the abuse usually is not punished in a meaningful way. Usually the abuser gets a slap on the wrist and in worst case scenario fired from the job just to go to another job and do the same thing. If the state would come in to the nursing homes more often or even a regular weekly basis to inspect. The state has a larger impact than expected and could put the situation under control. The abusers should have their certifications and licenses revoked and should not be able to continue their work. Doing this would leave the patients with care givers who actually care and want to do the job correctly. There are many, many reports every year on abuse in nursing homes. The reports to not even come close to the actual number of cases since not all are reported. Abuse in nursing homes is a very serious matter and should be treated as such. The elderly deserve respect and great care. They have lived a long life and should not have to end it in tragedy.

What is Wisdom?

I. Has your view of wisdom changed since the beginning of the course? Explain how and why. Since the beginning of the course, my view of wisdom remained the same. However, I was able to enrich my knowledge because of the definitions and discussion on the subject by the different philosophers whose ideas of wisdom greatly shaped the word. After taking the course I was able to come up with the conclusion that wisdom can be defined differently according to observations of a person towards how wisdom is being used or misused. Interestingly, even scholars and the learned have their respective sets of definition for wisdom. However, it will still be evident that in the bottom line, wisdom will still be one thing and this is how a person uses the capability of his mind to create or make decisions. There are things in my preliminary essay which I questioned throughout the course. One example is the thought that wisdom is the use of intellect. There were times in the course of study where wisdom is discussed in terms of emotion, or the heart. This made me wonder whether wisdom is purely the mind’s work, and assessing the different definitions I came into the conclusion that my preliminary thoughts were true. Still, there are parts in my former definition of wisdom that changed. I pointed out early on that wisdom amongst children and the younger adults may be lacking due to being inexperienced which I now proved otherwise. As Thoreau points out, the older a wise person becomes the less his wisdom becomes significant because of new things and developments that occur everyday. Thus, there are certain aspects where a child or a young adult may know more while an older, more experienced person know less or nothing about. In the same way, old knowledge may be more familiar to an older person when compared to a younger one. Yet I still remain faithful to the fact that the definitions pertinent to wisdom are numerous, as I pointed out in my preliminary essay. Wisdom can be identified with the current pre-occupation of the person defining it—whereas a scientist may define wisdom in a scientific way, a teacher may define it in an instructive way, and a student may define it in a learner’s way. The possibilities in which wisdom may be defined are endless. II. Whose view (Socrates, Thoreau, Huxley, Piper, or Frankl) seems to be most reasonable? Why? Of the views discussed in class, Thoreau’s is the most significant. He stated that a man’s wisdom and ignorance are results of his time, citing the yield of people to superstition of their time as an example. (Creating Minds, 2007) This is especially true even to this day and age. A person may be wise for his age, but new studies, inventions, and scholarly developments can tend to outdate his wisdom and in the process introduce other people who can seem wiser an fuller because their knowledge is far more updated that the wise people ahead of them. In hindsight, this is why a person would never cease learning, because once he does his wisdom will definitely deteriorate. Mencken states that the older he grows he realized that wisdom does not come of age. This is ratified by Van Buren, who likened wisdom coming from age with wine saying it a person will only be wise with age like wine if the grapes are good enough to begin with. (Moncur, 2007) True enough, knowledge does not come of age. Wisdom is brought about by a never-ending free-flow of knowledge despite age. Children and young adults can get a deep well of wisdom if they are motivated to learn, and adults will also improve on their wisdom if they do not stop learning. Continuous learning is an important aspect of sustaining wisdom, whereby new information consistently is being added up to one’s well of knowledge which he can process and use to make sound and wise decisions. To be wholly wise, it is important that a person gets out of his somfort zone and try things that are not normally done by someone his age, or someone whose occupation is similar to him. When a person is not open to learn new things, even if he has the age capability to learn them, he will be outdated with information and his well of wisdom gets short of this additional information. III. Whose view (Socrates, Thoreau, Huxley, Piper, or Frankl) seems to be the least reasonable? Why? Of the views discussed in class, Frankl’s is the least reasonable. To begin with, he insists that wisdom comes from the heart and that this can make wisdom more sensible than the wisdom wrought from the mind. Given that this is factual in its deepest sense, wisdom still goes back to being a function of the mind. Questioning everything, Lichtenberg said, is the first step to wisdom—and altogether accepting that everything is the last step to wisdom. (Moncur, 2007) Therefore, it is difficult to accept that wisdom from the heart, though claimed more sensible, is the real essence of wisdom. It is true that wisdom can be affected by what the heart feels, but the capability to be wise is exclusively spawned by the mind. There may be contentions to this. A charity worker, for example, may prove it wise to day that true wisdom comes from the heart because the nature of the work he is in touches more in emotion. On the other hand, a scholar whose preoccupation is more on knowledge and improving this knowledge will prove this otherwise. Again, definitions will vary according to who is defining the word. Yet it is still improbable to say that this is reasonable as compared to wisdom’s other definitions by other scholars and philosophers, especially those whose ideas were discussed in class. This sums up how the work of the mind breeds wisdom. It is not the heart which is wise. Emotions bred by the heart are also not acceptable, as scientifically it has been noted that it is the hypothalamus and not the heart that is capable of telling a person how to respond through emotions. In summation, this says that Frankl’s definition of wisdom can be misinterpreted in a lot of ways, and thus it is the least reasonable as compared to the definitions by other philosophers whose definitions were discussed in class.

RELATIONAL DATA MODEL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

RELATIONAL DATA MODEL - Essay Example I use a Windows 7 operating system; therefore I used the Oracle developer client Program to connect to connect to the database. However, I experienced some challenges while using the command prompt to type the required commands. Additionally, I was not sure at which step am I supposed to create my user name and password that will allow me to connect to the database. After a few trials the connection was set and I was able to test the connection successfully. According to the connection steps and instructions this allowed me to connect to the database as a developer. Hence, I was logged in to the Sql developer environment. Viewing data and properties of any table involves selection of the table and selecting data to be able to view the records that are stored in the table. The properties such as constraints can also be viewed by selecting the constraints tab in the connections frame. Other properties can be viewed by selecting the appropriate tabs in the connections frame. Selection of data from a table in Oracle database is achieved by using queries. The SELECT statement is used to select data and records from a table or views. By using additional commands, selection can be narrowed down to specific criteria. The SELECT statement is simple to use but requires mastery of the syntax to be used , it has both the select list such as columns from a particular table and a source list that specifies the table from which the records and data are to be sourced. SELECT statement helped me to select all the columns from the Employee table. Selection of specific columns required mentioning the column names in the SELECT statement command. These data could also be narrowed down to specific items matching specific criteria. The process is simple but requires mastery of the syntax to be included in the SELECT statement. Data can be selected from several tables from the same database. The data can then be used for reporting purposes. The

Interventions Heart Disease- Malaysia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interventions Heart Disease- Malaysia - Essay Example According to the Malaysian National Census data, the demographic pattern of Malaysia was found to be rapidly changing, with the rural population speedily decreasing. Thus, the data indicated that the distribution of the Malaysian population by the year 2000 was 40.4 % as rural population and 59.6% comprising of the urban population (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2009). In this respect, there has been a drastic change in the health state of Malaysia, where the non-communicable diseases have rapidly increased as the major causes of death compared to the communicable diseases (Anand, et al. 2008). Thus, the rapid change in the social geographical setting from the rural-based population to a more urban-based population serves as one of the major factors influencing the rate and geographical distribution of heart disease in Malaysia (Chia & Srinivas, 2009). The social demographic patterns have indicated that there has been a rapid change of lifestyle in this country courtesy of urbanization, resulting to the increase of the heart disease risk factors, such as obesity. Statistics have indicated that the rate of obesity in Malaysia has tripled within the decade closing the 20th century, with the obesity rate registered in the country increasing from 4.4% in 1996 to 14% in 206 (Department of Statistics Malaysia 2009). Further, the health data statistics have also indicated that the rate of hypertension has increased from 33% to 43% in the same period, while the rate of diabetes mellitus has been found to have doubled for the same period. Another aspect of the lifestyle change is the rise in the rate of tobacco use in the urban areas of Malaysia, where hypertension has also been observed to have the highest rate of prevalence (Chia & Srinivas, 2009). Thus, following this geographical and social lifestyle transformation, the ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular

Marketing Environment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Environment - Case Study Example (netMBA.com,n.d.) My company Sainsbury is a "UK based food retailer with vested interest in financial services. The company comprises Sainsbury supermarkets, convenience stores,an internet based home delivery shopping service and Sainsbury Bank. The group is headquartered in Holborn, London and it recorded revenues worth pounds 17151 million during the fiscal year 2006-2007, an increase of 6.8% over 2006." (Data monitor plc.,2007) This essentially implies that the factors impacting any one of it's strengths such as it's internet based home delivery shopping facility, changes in demand/supply or organic foods that form the most profitable component. Even factors that impact it's banking service i.e. Sainsbury Bank may impact Sainsbury plc on the whole. There are several internal as well as external factors. The internal factors help the internal analysis part of the equation since they focus to provide a detailed evaluation of the internal analysis part of the equation since they focus to provide a detailed evaluation of the internal environment's strengths/weaknesses. These factors include several such as "company culture, market share, brand awareness,financial resources.." (netMBA,n.d.).These will be internal to the organization; whilst external factors include competitors, in this case ASDA and TESCO that are leading supermarkets in the UK as well. However, the last four mentioned factors are mainly the macro environmental factors and maybe employed in a PEST analysis. PEST stands for political, economic, social and technological factors that have an impact on the economy. In Sainsbury's case these may be sanctions on the import of a certain kind of fertilizer used for growing organic foods that ends up affecting it's organic food sales and hence, it's profitability. Interest rate fluctuations due to an over all economic downturn may lead to lower profits as well. Apart from this, several other macro environmental variables that have an impact include: "pricing regulations. industrial safety regulations,labor costs,inflation rates, interest rates,education, culture, technology's impact on product offerings, like Internet selling etc."(netMBA, n.d.) Three Opportunities The three main opportunities that are basically the outcome of the environmental factors that impact it and that Sainsbury can make use of in the future and convert into it's strengths are the following: Increasing demand for it's organic based products According to the Data monitor, "increasing consumer awareness of health and environmental issues along with an increasing resistance towards genetically modified (gm) food products and GM farming, has led to the rapid increase in the demand for organic food."(Data monitor plc, 2007). According to the UK Telegraph, "Sainsbury's sales have risen once again thanks to the growing popularity of it's organic and premium food ranges. The company which had come under pressure from investors to sell off its property assets is pushing ahead to recovery and it's strong quality food offer has helped it take customers away from rivals such as TESCO and ASDA"(UK Telegraph,2007) This clearly indicates that organic foods have become a Sainsbury trademark with more and more of the supermarket outlets being revamped to include the greens section equipped with quality based organic food supplies. Online market Nowadays, more and more

The Effect of low pH on Enzyme Activity Lab Report

The Effect of low pH on Enzyme Activity - Lab Report Example They are responsible for all the important reactions taking place in the body of animals and plants. They regulate the very complex systems. The kinetics of reaction is so much influenced by the pH of the system as pH can change the mode of binding for substrate to the enzyme. If the reaction is occurring through ionic mechanism, then pH is obviously a deciding factor for the rate of the reaction. (Park, 2000) Catalase is present in aerobic organism where an organism needs to breakdown molecules of oxygen environment. Catalase is also one of the enzymes that have maximum efficient, that is, it can break down million of molecules in seconds (McDowall, 2014). Hydrogen peroxide is so much oxidative that it can cause rusting. Catalyse is responsible for its breakdown. The reaction of catalase with hydrogen peroxide occurs as Hydrogen Peroxide+Catalase →Water and Oxygen (Matt,2012). Cut potatoes into small cubes. Blend the potatoes with one cup of water into mixer until a thick solution of potatoes is obtained. Filtered the solution to have homogenous liquid. For this purpose, 20 mL of it was filtered by using filter paper and funnel. Took round filter paper and made several holes in it with the use of sharp needle. In another 100 mL took 10 mL of hydrogen peroxide and diluted it with the help of 10 mL of water. Soaked the round filter paper with holes in filtered potato solution for 15 seconds. Placed the same filter paper in hydrogen peroxide and noted the time until the reaction completes. Repeat the experiment twice to get accuracy. A few drops of hydrochloric acid were mixed in the beaker that was containing 50% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Took another piece of porous filter paper and repeated the same procedure. Catalase is a basic catalyst. I was expecting the same results because a basic catalyst can work better in basic conditions as compared to the acidic conditions. The addition of acid lowers the pH of the

The Federal Reserve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Federal Reserve - Essay Example History, Structure, and Function The Federal Reserve was created in 1913 by Woodrow Wilson (Wells 2010). In the late 19th and early 20th centuries credit was controlled entirely by private banks. Farmers in the mid-western regions grew increasingly upset by this fact, as they complained that oftentimes the banks would alter their credit options at times when the farmers were vulnerable. The Federal Reserve was created as a compromise, with the banks still controlling credit, but the government determining the supply of funds (Wells 2010). While the intervening years have seen significant reforms in the way the Federal Reserve operates, its underlining function has remained the same. Private banks are able to borrow from the reserve at a discounted rate, they then loan this money to borrowers at the federal funds rate, or interest rate. As the Federal Reserve raises rates, so must the banks raise the rates of loans. This system is designed to ensure fair and equitable lending througho ut the country. The current chairman of the Federal Reserve, who was recently reappointed in January of 2010, and Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker preceded him (Johnson, Web). Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) The Federal Open Markets Committee is a branch of the Federal Reserve that has the responsibility of regulating the United States’ open market operations. While there are a great variety of committees and functions with the Federal Reserve, this committee perhaps is the most notable as it functions to make essential decisions about interest rates and the general growth of the supply of money within the country (Chandler 1971). These are factors that directly and significantly affect major aspects of the nation’s economy. In these regards, the FOMC is the primary monetary branch of the Unites States. The committee functions in a variety of complex, but well structured ways. In these regards, the committee meets and sets short-term objectives for long-term objec ts within a long-term structure of economic understanding. The short-term objectives work to ensure that the federal funds rate remains constant. In addition to regulating the federal funds rate, the Federal Open Markets Committee oversees operations that the Federal Reserve has overtaken abroad. They accomplish this task in close collaboration with the United States Treasury department. In terms of meeting structure, the FOMC is required by law to meet at least four-times per year, but generally they convene eight times annually (Chandler 1971). During the meetings, open reports are presented by committee members. The committee then works toward reaching a consensus in regards to policy decisions. During this entire process the Manager of the System Open Market Account oversees the policy presentations. What I Learned & My Point of View In research the Federal Reserve there was a great amount of structural and historical information I gained, but perhaps the greatest insights I gai ned were in regards to how the Federal Reserve functioned during the recent economic recession. When the recession hit the Federal Reserve began the process of lowering interests rates to increase consumer spending. At this point, the Fed has virtually lowered the interest rate to 0%. In addition to

What is Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is Biology - Essay Example Later, I learned that although this definition is sound, it is not detailed or acceptable. After joining the biology class, I realized that there have been numerous debates and definitions of the subject biology. Indeed, scientists especially biologists have conducted various studies on the subject with an aim of coming up with a universal, acceptable, detailed, and scientific definition and meaning of biology. As a result, scientific research has derived the acceptable definition of biology. The definition entails all aspects of living things. Scientists derived the word biology from Greek words bios, which means life, and the word logos that means study (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2015). As such, research defines biology as the study of the science of life and living organisms that relates to the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of living organisms (Bagley, 2014). Indeed, research establishes various fields of biology that include biochemistry, cellular biology, botany, ecology, genetics, evolutionary biology, molecul ar biology, zoology, and physiology (Bagley, 2014). The history of biology dates back to the ancient times when human beings had to study the animals they hunted and plants they gathered (Bagley, 2014). Aristotle is the first person to practice zoology where he performed detailed investigations of marine life and plants (Bagley, 2014). Theophrastus derived the first botanical terms in 300 B.C with respect to the nature and life cycle of plants. Moreover, German botanist Leonhard Fuchs wrote the first biology book in 1542 while Carolus Linnaeus inaugurated the initial Binomial classification in 1735 (Bagley, 2014). The discovery of microscopes allowed Robert Hooke to examine plant tissue in 1665 and derived the term cells. In the 19th century, botanists and entomologists discovered and described various species (Bagley, 2014). Indeed, Charles

Compare the beginning of the novel and Sinises film version Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Compare the beginning of the novel and Sinises film version Of Mice and Men Essay The opening of the novel and the film differ from each other in many ways. The film has a tense and dramatic start where as the novel is set in a quiet and peaceful woodland area as Steinbeck sets the scene in clear detail. The film opens with a haunting, chilling melody lingering in the background of a black screen with white credits appearing for several minutes. Sinise puts the credits at the beginning rather than at the end so that he adds to the drama at the beginning and doesnt ruin the ending with them. As the music fades the black background remains with the occasional, faint beam of moonlight, streaming through the open cracks in the wagon of a train. The camera shot focuses on a lonely figure, crouched in the corner, looking by the expression on his face as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, as the frequent train whistles drown out his thoughts. This makes the audience curious about who the man is, which makes them want to watch on to find out the identity of this mysterious character. Suddenly the film explodes into colour in a dramatic style as a panic-stricken woman, with her dress ripped, runs towards a group of men working on a ranch. The next clip is of the group of men, carrying guns on horseback, all laden in denim chasing two apparently un-armed men. These two men are Lennie and George, who are racing through the grassy shrubs of the plains. A sense of danger and menace is created as George is continually looking over his shoulder and dragging Lennie along as the men on horseback continue to hunt the two men. We later realise that this is symbolic of the two mens relationship, as George always has to look over his shoulder in real life. It symbolises a mother always looking over her shoulder to see if her baby is all right. Both of the men fall into a stream and hide under the overgrown reeds and grass from the prairie. The men pass by the stream and this causes a sense of excitement and tension within the audience. The first close up on Lennie shows us his big, frightened eyes, worried like a child, with his dilated pupils reflecting the sunlight. The heavy breathing stops but both men remain silent, and as time goes by the crickets begin to chirp and the audience get a chance to get their breath back. It then goes back to a train noise and by this time night has fallen. Both men jump onto a train, Lennie goes first and is hoisted up by George; this is symbolic of a mother picking up her child after it has fallen down, or is struggling to get up. Lennie tells George that he is tired, so George tells him to lie down and go to sleep. Lennies jacket is wet so George helps him to take it off. This action is symbolic of the mother/child relationship that the two men have. George takes Lennies jacket off like a mother undressing a child. The beginning of the novel is very different as Steinbeck sets the scene in clear detail. He creates a very quiet and peaceful atmosphere by using phrases such as fresh and green with every spring and the leaves lie so deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them. Unlike this, the film shows an exciting chase in a tense and dangerous atmosphere. The first time you see Lennie and George in the novel they are calmly walking through the trees and peacefully drinking from the pool. His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down as he drank from the surface of the green pool. This is another symbol of Lennie behaving like a child. On the other hand when we first see Lennie and George in the film they are running away from a gang of rampant ranchers, seething for their blood. In the film they are both wearing different clothes. George is wearing denim and Lennie is wearing dungarees to make him look like a big kid. This differs from the novel as Steinbeck has the two men in identical dress. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Also they both wore black shapeless hats. The end of the novel is also very different to the end of the film. At the end of the novel Lennie hides in the bush where George said it was safe. While he waits he hallucinates and sees an enormous rabbit appear and speaks to him, telling him that he has done wrong and has let George down for all that he has done for him. Then his Aunt Clara appears and starts scolding him for his behaviour. This does not happen in the film as the audience may loose attention and it takes the edge off the seriousness of the atmosphere, that Sinise tries to create. At the end of the film George is looking for Lennie, trying to reach him before the angry mob do and painfully kill him. George runs to find Lennie, running as at the beginning of the film, but this time running by himself, running and falling, which is symbolic of his prediciment with Lennie. George finally finds Lennie wandering at a cut by the stream. Lennie runs to George and falls over in the water by Georges feet. Lennie persists to cuddle George like a child cuddling its mother. There is a long focussed camera shot of George and Lennie in the water. This is the first time we see George taller than Lennie and this is symbolic of the parent/child relationship they have with each other. The camera focuses on them for several seconds to emphasise this aspect of their relationship and to show how close the two men are. In the novel the two men are not in the water when they cuddle and there is no indication that George is bigger than Lennie. They are both on the banks near to the water. Sinise just adds this part in to the film to make it look as if Lennie has just fallen over emphasising his helplessness. In the novel Lennie asks George to tell him the story of how it is gonna be, and after several attempts George shoots him in the head and helps him die painlessly and with a certain amount of dignity. At the sound of the shot the men appear and surround George. They think there has been a struggle and George has shot Lennie in self-defence, only Slim realises what has really happened. Although George is left all alone there is the possibility that Slim and he will develop a closer friendship. Many changes were made from this original ending in the film version. When George was telling Lennie the story of how it was gonna be he shoots him first time after Lennie says and I get to tend the rabbits. Lennie, who was crouched on his knees, is curled up like a baby or an embryo with George standing over him after he had been shot. Once again this is symbolic of the mother child relationship between them and also symbolises Lennie being like a child. The final camera shot on them both expands on a large shot of the pool where George told Lennie it was supposed to be safe. The audience visualises the trust Lennie had in George and this is emphasised in this scene. The next shot goes back to the beginning where it is George who was on the train sitting in the corner lonely and isolated. He has a flashback and remembers the good times that he and Lennie had. In this flashback they both walk side by side, smiling and laughing, Lennie puts his arm around George like a child wanting affection from his mother. This caption is in slow motion to make the audience remember how good the friendship was between the two and to make the audience feel sorry for the lonely George. It then goes silent, the picture fades to a black screen and it ends. Another major difference between the novel and the film is the way in which Curleys wife is portrayed. In the novel she is pictured as a flirtatious tart, where as in the film she is depicted as pretty and only gently flirts. In the novel she is seen as being a tart. She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers. This extract clearly shows that she is unsuitably dressed for her surroundings. She wore backless shoes (mules) with ostrich feathers on the instep, with a red dress. This was not the clothing you would expect to be worn on a ranch. She only dresses this way so the men pay attention to her because she is bitterly lonely. In the film Curleys wife is seen as very different to this as she has a very pretty face and is only slightly flirtatious, whereas in the novel she blatantly flirts with Lennie. When she asked Lennie what had happened to Curleys hand, Lennie immediately looks at Candy for help and with no reply, he turns his gaze downwards towards his lap. This shows the reader a side of Lennie that is trying to reach out for help like a young child. Needing guidance he vaguely replies, Curley got his hand caught in a machine. Curleys wife laughed Ok machine. Ill talk to you later. I like machines. She picks out Lennie as he is the weakest and probably the most likely to fall for her charm due to his mental immaturity. Again she persists to flirt with Lennie when the four are talking about George. Lennie says Thats the guy, and hes gonna let me tend the rabbits, to which Curleys wife adds Well if thats all you want, I might get a couple rabbits myself. She comes across as very manipulative in this pa rt of the novel. In the film, she seems very lonely, and director Sinise adds a scene, which is not in the novel. In this scene Curleys wife tells George and Lennie of how Curley broke all of her records, which are her only company. This makes the audience feel sorry for her, as she is very lonely as if she has lost all of her friends. In the novel the reader sees Curleys wife as being lonely, but they do not feel sorry for her as she has a very nasty nature. An example of this is when she is in Crooks room and continually calls the men bindle stiffs and bindle bums. She says, they left all the weak ones here. She repeats this vicious nature when saying, Standin here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs a nigger an a dum-dum an a lousy ol sheep an likin it because they aint nobody else. Crooks tells her to get out of his room and she bombards him with a vicious racial assault saying, Listen Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny. This inner personality is only released when she is most lonely, as she believes that Curley cannot satisfy her emotionally or physically, in a marriage she is in to escape a spiral of her self-loneliness. This results in her need to lust for the other men on the ranch, as this may be her only chance to find the happiness she secretly yearns for. This tone that she speaks to people in is exempt from many parts of the film as the director tries to make the audience feel sorry for her, whilst in the novel you are made to think that she deserved to be killed due to the way she threatened Crooks. I feel Sinise did this to make you feel sorry for her when she dies and to bring Georges killing of Lennie into a deeper prospective. The age of Curleys wife also differs in both the novel and the film. In the novel Curleys wife is merely the tender age of fifteen/sixteen, whilst in the film she is portrayed as a much older and more mature age. My personal favourite between the novel and the film, is the novel as it is an epic and thrilling read. I think that the film version is very emotional, and the director Sinise portrays the novel in a different way, although the detail and description of the film can never compare with the original novel. You will find that in most cases the film cannot reproduce the same empathy and imagination used when the author first creates their masterpiece.

Sexuality in Mainstream Hindi Cinema

Sexuality in Mainstream Hindi Cinema Himakshi Ratti Introduction Films as medium of Mass Communication Film communication may be considered as a social process whereby a transmitted signal is received primarily through visual receptors (and, often, sound receptors) and is then treated as a message from which content or meaning is inferred. Film, as a symbolic form, is a process of communication that employs film, the medium, with its technology of optics, emulsions, and cameras, to produce a piece of celluloid with a variable-density silver nitrate surface. It is man who creates film communication. This definition suggests that a piece of film, in and of itself, is meaningless-that meaning exists only in a special social and cognitive relationship between a filmmaker and a viewer. This relationship occurs when a viewer chooses to treat a film not as mere signals triggering perceptual awareness and biological responses, but as message units that have been put together intentionally and from which meaning may be inferred. Cinema is perhaps the mainstream of all art forms, most popular and most accessible, especially in India, a country which produces most number of films in a year compared to any other country (barring Hollywood, perhaps), and a country where we have a large base of cinema-going public. Cinema, more than any other art, has the power to influence people. Therefore, it is very important to understand how the country, its people and its aspirations are represented in the cinema produced in the country. Cinema as a medium of mass communication can be seen at different levels, serving different purposes. It can be an art form, an entertainment, a social document or a social critique. Cinema can be all of these and at the same time be a means to something else – a mirror unto our lives, showing us exactly how we function as society. Mainstream Vs Alternative Cinema Mainstream films can best be defined as commercial films that are made by major entertainment studios or companies that are owned by international media conglomerates. Because of better financing, these films can afford more expensive actors, wide releases or limited releases, and are sold at popular retail stores. This has become known as the studio system. Films made by major studios or companies that are not owned by a media conglomerate but are distributed by a company owned by a media conglomerate are also considered to be mainstream and are often referred to as mainstream independent films. As a mainstream medi um (cinema needs money to be produced. Therefore, it must appeal to the mainstream audience, who will pay at the box office) cinema must, first and foremost, appeal to the mainstream audience. The definition of mainstream varies from society to society, from culture to culture. Broadly, it means representing the prevalent attitudes, values, and practices of a society or group, for example, mainstream morality. A cultural construct, when applied to art, mainstream may mean something that is available to the general public, or something that has ties to corporate or commercial entities. Sexuality in Hindi mainstream films refers to the presentation in motion pictures of sexuality or eroticism and sex acts, including love scenes. Erotic scenes have been presented in films since the silent era of cinematography. Many actors and actresses have exposed at least parts of their bodies or dressed and behaved in ways considered sexually provocative by contemporary standards at some point in their careers. Some films containing sex scenes have been criticized by religious groups or banned by Govt. or both. Sexuality in cinema has been presented in many genres of film; while in some genres sexuality is rarely depicted. Sex in films can be distinguished to a pornographic film and also from nudity in film, nudity can be presented in a sexualized context, for example nudity in naturalism would normally be regarded as non-sexual. In India, the entertainment industry is an important part of modern India and is expressive of Indian society in general. Historically Indian films have lacked the frank depiction of sex; until recently, even kissing scenes were considered taboo. On the other hand rape scenes or showing sexual assault were depicted openly. Currently some Indian states show soft core sexual scenes and nudity in films, while other areas don’t. Mainstream films are still largely catered for the masses of India, however foreign films containing sexuality are watched by Indians because of the same process of glamorization of film entertainment that occurred in Hollywood, Indian cinema, mainly Hindi-speaking Bollywood industry is also beginning to add sexual overtones. A Brief History of Bollywood Sex and Romance Bollywood classics cannot be beaten for their overt romantic tension, where intimate touching was replaced with the poetic, polite innuendo of hot rain and wet clothing. Indians are so reserved about what happens between consenting adults, considering India is the second most populous country in the world. In some ways, however, Hindi film makers have become more relaxed in their attitudes, as younger, Western-influenced generations come of age and make waves in an industry built on tradition. Previously unseen â€Å"taboos† like pre-marital sex, onscreen nudity and even wife-swapping have curiously been passed by the Central Board of Film Certification, the strict watchdog equivalent of the MPAA that has served as a censor since the early ’50s. Gathered below is a look at the landmark moments and trends that have raised eyebrows through Bollywood history. Bollywood in the 70’s and 80’s was becoming westernized. Back then the appearance of a plain white brassiere represented the forbidden nature of onscreen toplessness. An actress wearing just her over-the-shoulder boulder holder who turned out the lights, for instance, would be implying that she would soon be showing her breasts to her lover. If anyone realized the power of such clothed titillation, it was Raj Kapoor, whose films began to push the envelope late in his directorial career. His unparalleled 1973 teen romance â€Å"Bobby† made an overnight pin-up sensation of Dimple Kapadia when she appeared in a bikini, and 1978†²s â€Å"Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram† (which faced an uphill battle with the censor board, and was criticized by some as being exploitative) saw Zeenat Aman in a barely-there sari that defied physics by staying on. His final film, 1985†²s â€Å"Ram Teri Ganga Mali† caused further controversy when 16-year-old star Mandakin i appeared bathing in a waterfall, wearing only a sheer white. Today, bikini babes are far more prevalent in Bollywood culture, and 2000†²s â€Å"Hera Pheri† even depicted male sunbathers in bikinis, mistaken as girls from a distance by the film’s protagonist. Up until the ’50s, if Bollywood stars wanted to express love or even lust onscreen, clasping each other’s hands and staring longingly was about as risquà © as it got. Hugging and light face caressing became the next leap over the following three decades, but it wasn’t until the ’90s that kissing was really acknowledged, let alone done. A woman might lean in for lip service, but would shyly run away before the deal was sealed, or else the actual act would be covered by a veil in the moment before. While this, too, is changing today (superstar actor Aamir Khan even has a kissing clause put in his co-stars’ contracts; if they won’t kiss him, they can’t act opposite him), puckering up can still be contentious. Padmini Kolhapure made headlines when she merely gave Prince Charles a peck on the cheek, and after Aishwarya Rai got intimate with Hrithik Roshan in 2006†²s â€Å"Dhoom 2,† obscenity cases were filed. â€Å"Item numbers,† or highly sexualized, upbeat Bollywood songs with suggestive lyrics and choreography, began popping up in the late ’80s and especially in the ’90s. Designed to arouse, interest in the commercial films they appear in, item numbers are stand-alone showstoppers with no relevance to their movies’ plots, featuring either cameo appearances from famous stars — or more typically, â€Å"item girls.† Here, objectification should not to be confused with the sexy dancers in increasingly revealing clothing have become a little less stigmatized today, as some have used the showcase as a springboard into leading roles. Among the validated thespians, then, comes the notion of â€Å"skin show,† what India ambiguously calls any notion of actresses and even actors now, who are willing to flaunt more than what the conservative standards dictate. Dare-bare performers like Bipasha Basu in ‘Jism’ and the controversially outs poken Mallika Sherawat in ‘Murder’ have achieved notoriety for their scantily clad boundary-pushing alone. Alternative Lifestyles Bollywood plots have certainly progressed, less centered on arranged marriages and more on young urbanites dating and clubbing. But these are still baby steps compared to what has been accustomed to in Western society. India still remains closeted in changing sexual preferences. In 2003 â€Å"Kal No Naa Ho† treated homosexuality with slapstick, and the recent â€Å"Dostana† concerns two fakers in the same vein, but small strides have been made to bring sincerity and open-mindedness to the cinema. In 2005 â€Å"My Brother†¦ Nikhil† subtly brought awareness to the AIDS crisis, but it never could have existed without the hugely controversial 1996 release of Deepa Mehta’s â€Å"Fire,† the first Bollywood film to depict homosexuality. When the latter film opened, there were angry protests and widespread vandalism — movie theaters showing the film were violently stormed, with windows smashed and posters burned. While it’s hard to believ e such intolerance over so little could exist in the modern era. This too needs to be taken into consideration that â€Å"Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna† (which made waves for its dealings in adultery and divorce) and â€Å"Mixed Doubles† (about wife-swapping) were only made in 2006. REVIEW OF LITERATURE SEXUALITY IN HINDI FILMS Kaiser Family Foundation found that Bollywood films such as ‘The Dirty Picture’, ‘Murder 2’ are ahead of all in portraying sexual content on screen. The biggest worry is that the ‘Bollywood’ is considered as the mainstream Indian cinema and one of the best in the world. And when these films despite of having bold content and vulgar story make massive amount of box office collection cause more and more audience to turn towards cinema hall. Today’s film critics are also somehow responsible for this as they acclaim such new way of making Indian films representing bold topics. They appreciate the filmmakers work a lot and boost their confidence for again getting involved into such kind of projects, which the filmmakers think that they are versatile in handling those sensibly. Even the name of the film ‘The Dirty Picture’ sounds very strange and suggests that the film is on adult subject. It is really disastrous when such films ar e broadcasted on television after 2-3 months from its release so that the film gets noticeable to everyone in different classes of the society. Rise of Item songs in movies performed by leading actresses is another example of public display of sexuality.   AUDIENCE PERCEPTION ON SEXUAL CONTENT IN INDIAN CINEMA A journal of the Association for Psychological Science found that, sensation seeking did not entirely explain these effects; the researchers also speculate that adolescents learn specific behaviours from the sexual messages in movies. Many adolescents turn to movies to acquire sexual scripts that offer examples of how to behave when confronted with complicated emotional situations. Mainstream hindi cinema is most widely distributed cinema in India. Representation of sex in mainstream hindi films has veered between the sarcasm, comic and the criminal. Mainstream cinema now has adopted representation of sexuality in more realistic manner and is successful in raising, expressing and suggesting possible solutions to any problems in an effective manner. Sex in stories should be infused in such a way that the society starts accepting it. The authencity and genuinity of sex in real life should be accepted the same way in the films too. The society has grown in so many ways. Indians have embraced the western culture with open arms, but a hesitation still persists among the Indian audience such western trends i.e. sexuality in mainstream cinema. The reality quotient establishes an emotional connect with the audience. Movies containing sexual content create a negative impact on the viewers and on mass media. Still in Indian society, such obscene visuals have many ill effects on people. REASONS FOR INTRODUCTION OF SEXUALITY IN HINDI FILMS OHara said, These movies appear to fundamentally influence their personality through changes in sensation-seeking, which has far-reaching implications for all of their risk-taking behaviours, Movies get publicity out of pornographic content by showing it on screen. The media executives simply use their power to increase their ratings, popularity and to promote their movies. Portrayal of sexuality is used by film makers as a tool in order to appeal or attract maximum audience. Sexual content in films invite controversies which fetch a lot of free publicity for the film. Modern day film makers want the society to be open, frank and practical in their approach. The issues such as rapes, sexual assaults, etc. need to be addressed through mass media and create awareness amongst people. In order to give solutions and address such problems, the society needs to be comfortable with openly discussing and viewing such content. INFLUENCE OF SEXUALITY IN MAINSTREAM CINEMA Rajmeet Ghai points out that, Movies are harming our society .Gone the times when parents and elders were ready to watch the movie with their children! With the more western perspective, it is becoming seamlessly difficult for our culture to accept Hindi movies. Keeping aside the action and drama, the vulgarity depicted knows no bounds. India has always been known for its culture. However it’s rare to find movies based on any culture. Thanks to the media and the hype created of the celebrities personal lives, youngsters get influenced in the wrong way. The movies that depict extreme violence, murder cause mental harm to children. Teenagers become easy fashion victim of the skimpy dresses worn. Most of the movies show extreme drama which may hurt sentiments of people. The comedy movies, most of the times over do the humor by making a mockery of reality. Even though a majority of the movies are extremely entertaining, focus should be on culture, religion, etc. without hurting the sentiments of any community. Against Hindi movies can possibly be the best medium of entertainment. If made well, they can be easily used to educate the society on several issues. India being one of the largest movie producing country and due its wide acceptance, Hindi movies can be easily used to portray India’s art and culture. Most of the country’s population watches Hindi movies; hence it generates revenues rather than harming the society. They can be an excellent source of refreshment for stress. The movies should not always be taken seriously. It is not necessary that each Hindi movie needs to pass some message to society. Violence has existed for years now. Hence blaming the Hindi movies for depicting and encouraging violence is not fair. As a matter of fact, the movies depict that good always wins over evil. METHODOLOGY This chapter describes the methodology adopted for the study of Sexuality in mainstream Hindi Films. In the present day scenario movies and sexuality are inter-related concepts. Movies with sexual content are generally rated higher than those with no sexual content. The current study will make an effort to examine the sexual content shown in hindi films and its effects on its audience and their behavior. The two methods used are: CONTENT ANALYSIS: In this research, both a quantitative and qualitative content analysis has been done to determine the frequency of sexuality being portrayed in mainstream hindi films in the year 2013. All the hit films of 2013 have been calculated quantitatively determining the frequency and nature of instances of showing sexuality in a film. Here, unit of Analysis is any sexual gestures made in the movie. Frequency of portrayal of sex has been measured. This includes the sexual content in only mainstream hit Bollywood films. The qualitative content analysis is to do with the kind of sexual portrayal i.e. is it either to address a serious issue or is it just to titillate the audience n make money. SURVEY: This study explores the use of sexual content in mainstream movies as a communicative strategy among the audience of these movies by employing the cross-sectional survey. Sample- A non-probability sample of 100 people from the city was selected for the purpose of collecting information. Tool of Data Collection- The instrument used for data-collection in survey is a questionnaire. The questionnaire comprises of 12 questions and is designed in order to analyze the respondent’s demographics, their views on present day scenario of films carrying sexual content, their perception of the prevalence of the existing trends.

The History Of The European Union Politics Essay

The History Of The European Union Politics Essay The European Community was an institutional framework for the construction of a united Europe. The European Community is commonly called the (EU) and later officially became known as the European Union (EU). It was created after World War II to unite the nations of Europe economically and politically by uniting their resources into a single economy. By doing so, another war would be less likely among neighboring countries. A number of European leaders became convinced that the only way to secure a lasting peace between their countries was to unite them economically and politically. This was the framework for the building of the early European Community which expanded into the European Union. The EU was set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between its neighbors, which culminated in the World War II. In 1950, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) began to unite European countries economically and politically in order to secure lasting peace The organization oversees cooperation among its members in diverse areas, including trade, the environment, transport and employment. (BBC) The six founding countries were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Based on the Schuman plan, these six countries signed a treaty to run their heavy industries of coal and steel. Thus under a common management no country could, on its own, make weapons of war to turn against the other as in the past. The founding fathers of the European Union, and regarded by many as the principal architects of European integration following the end of the World War II were: Konrad Adenauer Sir Winston Churchill Alcide de Gasperi Walter Hallstein Jean Monnet Robert Schuman Paul Henri Spaak Altiero Spinelli In 1957, the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC), or Common Market. Building on the success of the Coal and Steel Treaty, those six countries expanded cooperation to other economic sectors. They signed the Treaty of Rome, creating the EEC determined to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe. (Goldberg, 2003) The idea was for people, goods and services to move freely across borders. In the 1960s, the early European Community continued to progress. The EU started its common agricultural policy in 1962, giving their countries joint control over food production. All farmers were paid the same price for their produce. The EU grew enough food for its needs and farmers earned well. There were unwanted side-effects, such as overproduction with mountains of surplus produce. Later in 1963, the EU signed its first big international agreement, a deal to help 18 former colonies in Africa. To date, this has expanded to 78 countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) regions. In 1968, the original six countries removed customs duties on goods imported from each other, allowing free cross-border trade for the first time. They also applied the same duties on their imports from outside countries. The worlds biggest trading group was born. Trade among these six countries and of the EU and the rest of the world grew rapidly. In the beginning of the 1970s pollution was starting to become a problem especially in Scandinavia and Germany because of acid rain which was destroying forests. The EU eventually adopted laws to protect the environment, introducing the notion of the polluter pays for the first time, and since then Institutions such as the EU with its countries like the Netherlands and Germany have made it a cornerstone of their environment. (Bruyninckx, 2009) This led to the founding of pressure groups such as Greenpeace. In 1973, the original six countries expanded to nine when Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom formally enter the EU. As a result, in 1974 to show their solidarity the EU leaders set up the European Regional Development Fund. Its purpose was to transfer money from rich to poor regions to improve roads, communications, attract investments, and create jobs. This came to account for one third of all EU spending. In 1979, EU citizens directly elected the members of the European Parl iament for the first time. Previously they were delegated by national parliaments. Members sat in pan-European political groups (Socialist, Conservative, Liberal, Greens, etc.) and not in national delegations. The influence of the Parliament was constantly increasing. Figure . European Summit at work.The EU continued its economic growth, political expansion, and industrial modernization. Membership of the EU reached double figures when Greece joined. They had been eligible to join since its military regime was overthrown and democracy restored in 1974. In the industrial sector, computers and automation were changing the way people lived and worked. To stay in the forefront of innovation The EU organized ESPRIT, the European Strategic Program for Information Technology in 1984. (Grande, Hanson, Lackman, 1994) That was the first of many research and development programs. Automated robots soon joined car factory production lines in the 1980s as well. In 1986, Spain and Portugal entered the EU, bringing total membership to 12. However, trade was not flowing freely across EU borders because of certain obstacles and differences in national regulations. european summit.jpg The Single European Act of 1986 launched a vast six year program to sort out those trade problems. The Act also gave the European Parliament more input and strengthened EU powers on environmental protection. Next in 1987, The EU launched the Erasmus program to fund university students that wanted to study in another European country for up to one year. Since then, more than 2 million students have benefited from this and similar EU plans. The collapse of communism across Central and Eastern Europe which began in Poland and Hungary, symbolized the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Faced by a mass exodus of its citizens to West, the East German government opened the gates. Germany was united after more than 40 years, and its Eastern part joined the EU in1990. The fall of the Berlin Wall led to some economic issues At the same time, consumers suddenly had access to goods and services that hadnt been available behind the Iron Curtain, and, for the first time in decades, entrepreneurs were able to start their own companies. (Tucker, 2009) More major expansions took place in the 1990s for the EU, and later the European Community was officially recognized as the European Union. In 1992, the Treaty on European Union (TEU) was signed in Maastricht. The Treaty established Community policies in six new areas: trans-European networks, industrial policy, consumer protection, education and vocational training, youth, and culture. (EU Legislation, 2007) It was a major EU milestone setting clear rules for the future single currency, foreign policy, security policy, and closer cooperation in justice and homeland affairs. Under the treaty, the name European Union officially replaced European Community. With old barriers gone, people, goods, services, and money moved around Europe as freely as within one country. In 1993, the single market and its four freedoms were established: the free movement of goods, services, people, and money had become reality. As the EU has expanded, more than 200 laws have been agreed on since 1986 covering tax policy, business regulations, professional qualifications and other barriers to try and open more frontiers. Unfortunately, free movements of some services were still delayed. In 1995, Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the EU which increased membership to 15 countries which covered almost all of Western Europe. In the late 1990s, the Schengen Agreement took effect in seven countries: Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal. Travelers of any nationality could travel between all of those countries without any passport control at the borders. Other countries have since joined the passport-free Schengen area. In 1997, there was the signature of the Treaty of Amsterdam. It built on the achievements of the treaty from Maastricht by laying down plans to reform EU institutions, to give Europe a stronger voice in the world, and to concentrate more resources on employment and the rights of its citizens. Later that year, EU leaders agreed to start the process of membership negotiations with 10 countries of Central and Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Malta were also included in negotiations. In 1999, the Euro (European Currency) was introduced in 11 countries for commercial and financial transactions only, notes and coins would come later. The Euro countries were Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland (Greece later incorporated the Euro in 2001). However, a countrys old currency must have had a stable exchange rate for two years and because of that Denmark, Sweden, and the United Kingdom decided to stay out of the Euro area for the time being. There were other conditions as well, such as interest rates, budget deficits, inflation rates, and the level of government debt. Moving into 2000, changes to the Treaty of Nice agreed to open the way for enlargement by reforming EU voting rules. In 2001, the EU stood firmly alongside the United States in the fight against international terrorism after the terrorists attacked the World Trade Center killing over three thousand people. Moving into 2002, Euro notes and coins were introduced. Printing, minting, and distributing them in 12 countries was a major logistical operation. More than 80 billion coins were involved, and notes were the same for all countries. Coins had one common face, giving the value, while the other carried a national emblemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦all currency circulated freely. Figure . EU PeacekeepersIn 2003, as part of its foreign and security policy, the EU took on peace-keeping operations in the Balkans. Their main concern was in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and then in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In both cases, EU-led forces replaced the NATO units. Internally, the EU agreed to create an area of freedom, security, and justice for all citizens by 2010. EU Peacekeepers.jpg In 2004, the EU finally finished the process of membership with eight countries (Bulgaria and Romania still remained candidate countries) of Central and Eastern Europe: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia joined the EU. This finally ended the division of Europe which had been decided by the Great Powers 60 years earlier at Yalta. Next, twenty-five EU countries signed a Treaty to establish a European Constitution in 2004. It was designed to streamline democratic decision-making and management in an EU of twenty five or more countries. It also created the post of a European Foreign Minister. The Constitution had to be ratified by all 25 countries before it could go into force. When citizens in both France and the Netherlands voted No to the Constitution in referendums in 2005, EU leaders declared a period of reflection. (EurActiv, 2007) The constitutional treaty signed in 2004 was meant to make the EU more efficient. In 2007, two more countries from Eastern Europe, Bulgaria and Romania, joined the EU. This brought the total number of member states to twenty-seven. Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey were candidates for future membership, but have not yet been accepted. Later that year, the twenty seven EU countries signed the Treaty of Lisbon, which amended the previous Treaties. It was designed to make the EU more democratic, efficient and transparent, and thereby able to tackle global challenges such as climate change, security, and sustainable development. The Treaty of Lisbon aimed to make the EU primarily act more efficiently in security matters. Also in 2007, a Council decision was made determining the order in which the office of President of the Council should be held. The position is held for six months by each Member State on a rotational basis. The Council is the main decision-making body of the European Union. The ministers of the Member States meet within the Council of the European Union. Depending on the issues on the agenda, each country is represented by the minister responsible for that subject (foreign affairs, finance, social affairs, transport, agriculture, etc.). Council responsibilities included: The Council passes laws, usually legislating jointly with the European Parliament. The Council coordinates the broad economic policies of the Member States. The Council defines and implements the EUs common foreign and security policy, based on guide lines set by the European Council. The Council concludes, on behalf of the Community and the Union, international agreements between the EU and one or more states or international organizations. The Council coordinates the actions of Member States and adopts measures in the area of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. The Council and the European Parliament constitute the budgetary authority that adopts the Communitys budget. In 2008, Cyprus and Malta incorporated the Euro, increasing the size of the Eurozone to 15 Member States. The value of the Euro reached an all time high on July 18th at 1.5843 to the U.S. dollar. However, later in the year, the worldwide recession began to take its toll on the currency and European economies. Also in 2008, Sweden ratified the Lisbon Treaty. Slovakia incorporated the Euro in 2009, and the Eurozone now included 16 Member States. In December, the worlds three main credit ratings agencies downgraded Greeces debt, sending financial markets tumbling and raising concerns about other weak European economies like Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Italy. Concerns started to show as The leaders of the European Union gathered in Brussels in an emergency summit meeting that seemed to highlight the very worries it was designed to calm: that the world economic crisis has unleashed forces threatening to split Europe into rival camps. (Castle Erlange, 2009) Later that year, the previously signed Lisbon Treaty entered into force. As the EU struggled in 2010 to contain the debt crisis, Standard Poors in April downgraded Greeces sovereign debt to junk status, and cut Portugal and Spains credit ratings. The Eurozone finance ministers met in May to approve a à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬110 billion ($146 billion) loan package to Greece. That June, the Euro reached a four year low, falling below à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬0.862017 ($1.19). Eventually the Euro began to comeback the EU recovered from the global financial crisis faster than expected, with business investments growing by an estimated 2% in 2010, but with public investment and housing development lagging. Strong corporate profits should enable this recovery to continue in 2011. (The World Factbook) To date, the EU continues to progress and move forward amid untimely setbacks. In closing, the European Community formed as a result of WWII with the intent of preventing European countries from another war, devastating destruction, and the loss of lives within its soon to be member States. The European Community gradually evolved into the European Union with the purpose of increasing economic integration, citizen socialization among its member States, modernizing industrialization, and to centralize a monetary currency among its member States. European citizens now have the freedom to live, work, and study in any part of the EU. Since the European Community began over half a century ago, the EU has taken great strides in achieving a greater sense of unity among its members States and throughout Europe. The future of the European Union rests in its ability to balance supranational (social) and intergovernmental (monetary) issues. While the EU decision-making process might become bogged down as the number of member States around the table increases, the EU has a solid foundation to evolve and prosper with the right unified leadership from within its member States.

Armour :: Essays Papers

Armour Armour in chivalric ages was truly one of the most important aspects of life. A family could spend all the money that they had arming one of their boys. The modern day equivalent to a fully armoured knight would be a tank for the United States Army. A knight's armour was important for a number of reasons. He needed it to be good looking, protective, and well maintained. Armour could take on several forms not just the typical metal suit. It came in the form of hardened leather, chain mail and hanging metal. Chivalry could not be upheld if it were not for Armour. Armour was a key tool of the chivalric period because a knight could not uphold the code of chivalry without it. A knight was judged by the armour that he wore and how he appeared in it. There were strict rules as to how the armour was to be applied to the knight and what the squire was supposed to bring to the field of battle. This is clearly evident in the following passage taken from the SCA web site (http://www.sca.org/chivarts.html ) entitled To Arm A Man GRAFICAS First you must set the sabatons and tie them to the shoe with small points that will not break. And then the greaves and cuisses over the breeches of mail. Then place the taces upon his hips. And then the breast and back plates, the vambraces and rerebraces {the arm defenses}. And then the gauntlets. Hang the dagger on his right side, his short sword upon his left side in a round ring that it may be lightly drawn. And then put his cote upon his back. The bascinet follows, laced to the cuirass in front and back that it sits just so. And then his long sword in his hand, a small pennant bearing the figure of Saint George or Our Lady in his left hand. Now he is ready to take to the field. What an Appellant shall bring to the field:

Claudius Is Me :: essays research papers

O wretched state! O bosom black as death! O limed soul, that, struggling to be free, Art more engaged! Help, angles! Make assay. Claudius, What have you done? I regretted all of this. It is a big mistake, and I wish I could go back in time. I was so mad for power, wealth, love and money, that I killed my own brother, King Hamlet by pouring a small bottle of poison into his ear. I don ¡Ã‚ ¦t know how did his son, my nephew, Hamlet knows about my sin. I did it so superstitious, and carefully at night when no one was around. Hamlet sent a play for us to see. It was a trap, which he called a "mouse traps". He knew it all along. The play was just a test, to see how I will react. But I can ¡Ã‚ ¦t let anyone knows about me killing the King. I have to do something. Sending Hamlet to England doesn ¡Ã‚ ¦t work, instead I got a letter from him that he is held by the pirates, it is time for plan 2. Laertes will found out that Hamlet had killed Polonius, and will go for revenge. H amlet will lose for sure, because Claudius is an expert in swords fight. I can ¡Ã‚ ¦t stop now or I will be killed instead. O Gertrude, it is my entire fault that you got involved. I always loved you. You will always be protected by me, no matter what happened. Ophelia has gone mad, Hamlet seeing things, Polonius ¡Ã‚ ¦s death, Rosencrantz ¡Ã‚ ¦s and Guildenstern ¡Ã‚ ¦s deaths. One problem linking to another, and it is all started since I killed King Hamlet. When Hamlet get back to Denmark, the first thing that I am going to do is to set Laertes and Hamlet up to fight together. Laertes will avenge for his father ¡Ã‚ ¦s death, Polonius and his sister ¡Ã‚ ¦s madness, ophelia. I will put a poison pearl into the drink that Hamlet will drink after me. That way, he will be killed. Laertes ¡Ã‚ ¦s sword will be dipped with deadly poisons that will kill anybody instantly. It is

IKEA Global Sourcing Essay

1. How should Marianne Barner respond to the invitation for IKEA to have a representative appear on the upcoming broadcast of the German video program? a. Marianne Barner, business manager for IKEA’s carpets, should respond with a firm â€Å"no† to the invitation. Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006) stated that the German video program would only bring detriment to the company, rather than relief or support for the issue at hand. In comparison to the Swedish program, which did not target a specific company, this German-produced program planned to take a confrontational and aggressive approach targeted directly at IKEA and one of its suppliers (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). Moreover, Germany currently brings in the most sales for IKEA with $10.4 and 29.7% (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). Since Marianne Barner’s goal was to stop the issue, accepting this invitation would only bring fuel to the fire. 2. What actions should she take regarding the IKEA supply contract with Rangan Exports? a. Marianne Barner knew that IKEA must take on this issue and sign up to an industry-wide response to growing concerns about child labor in the Indian Carpet industry (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). It would be in IKEA’s best interest to force Rangan Exports to comply with the addendum which explicitly forbade the use of child labor on pain of termination (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). Rangan Exports is one of IKEA’s major suppliers, so cutting them off would cost them millions of dollars and hurt sales. Because IKEA began addressing this issue in 1994, there should be policies set in place for termination of suppliers that decide they don’t want to comply with said addendum. Marianne’s ideal solution would entail IKEA figuring out a way to keep its contract with Rangan Exports while making sure children were no longer working at the looms. 3. What long-term strategy would you suggest she take regarding IKEA’s continued operation in India? Should the company stay or should it exit? (Be prepared to describe the impact of such a decision and how you would manage it.) a. Marianne Barner knew that the long-term strategies for IKEA would need to make differences in the lives of the children and taking a very proactive stand (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). Many others within the company felt that this proactive stance would put IKEA at a significant cost disadvantage to its competitors (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). Getting involved with Rugmark or Save the Children would be the  great long-term strategies for Barner and IKEA. Also, continuing to stay active and semi-micro-managing its manufacturing plants in India would provide IKEA with results and knowledge. Visiting the plants often, unannounced, might scare away some manufacturers, but that is the cost that must be paid if IKEA wants to avoid child labor issues. The company should stay and source from India because the people need jobs and money. Additionally, since India is the biggest purchasing source for carpets and rugs, exiting from the country would result in major losses (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). 4. For those recommending that IKEA continue to source carpets in India, would you suggest that she: a. Continue IKEA’s own monitoring and control processes or sign-up to Rugmark? i. Although maintaining a monitoring and control process is imperative for IKEA, the sign-up to Rugmark would results in more sales. Rugmark, a recently initiated industry response to the child labor problem in the Indian carpet industry, certifies whether a carpet was made with or without the use of child labor (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). IKEA was invited to sign up with Rugmark as a way of dealing with its ongoing potential problem for child labor problems on products from India (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). This would be the better solution because this creates a level of transparency for the consumers and IKEA. Seeing the Rugmark label on a carpet or rug would communicate that IKEA was not dealing with child labor anymore and that these products wouldn’t conflict with their consumers’ morals and beliefs. Thus, the consumers would become aware and make more purchases based upon this new visible label. b. Continue to focus only on eliminating the use of child labor in IKEA’s supply chain or engage in broader action to address the root causes of child labor as Save the Children is urging? i. Eliminating the use of child labor in IKEA’s supply chain is necessary for the company’s success, but only focusing on this matter will be wasteful of time and money. There are many other issues that arise whilst focusing on the issue of child labor. Engaging in a broader action addressing the root causes of child labor and teaming with Save the Children would expand IKEA’s public interests and fix more issues. Doing what’s best for the children will include the issue of child labor, so broadening its actions will also broaden its efforts and results. However, Barner realized that the more she learned about the issue, the more complex  the situation became (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). Therefore, engaging in efforts to do what’s ultimately best for the child would simplify the issues. Barner also stated that the Swedish Save the Children’s expert taught IKEA much about the issue and emphasized that they must do what’s in the best interests of the child (Barlett, Dessain, & Sjà ¶man (2006). Since the Save the Children is such a large organization, getting to the root of the problems IKEA face on a daily basis will be slightly easier than doing it on its own. References Barlett, C., Dessain, V. & Sjà ¶man, A. (2006). Ikea’s global sourcing challenge: Indian rugs and child labor. Harvard Business School. Retrieved from https://learn.unt.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-338330-dt-content-rid-1517326_1/courses/MDSE_4660_001_11235W2/IKEA%27s%20Global%20Sourcing%20Challenge%20-%20Indian%20Rugs%20and%20Child%20Labor.pdf

Cells: The Building Blocks of Life Essay

Cells are the basic building blocks of life. For cells to survive and function normally, fluids and electrolytes must keep a harmonious balance. The human body is composed of approximately 60% electrolyte-containing water, in which it is the kidneys’ job to regulate. Any loss of water should be matched with a consumption of water on a daily basis to ensure cells receive a constant balance of fluids. Water from our bodies comes from foods and liquids. Water loss is mostly through urine and is also lost in sweat, respiratory tract and feces. The kidneys produce large amounts of urine when water intake is high to maintain a balance. When our bodies lose water the kidneys will retain water which produce small amounts of concentrated urine. Life cannot exist without electrolytes. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153188.php All higher forms of life cannot exist without electrolytes Charged particles in bodily fluids and blood known as electrolytes transmit electrical impulses for the functioning of the muscles, nerves and heart. Positively and negatively charged particles should be equal. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002350.htm Electrolytes are minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge. Electrolytes are charged particles in body fluids that help transmit electrical impulses for the proper functioning of the heart, nerves and muscles. The number of positively charged particles and negatively charged particles is supposed to be equal. An upset of this balance can result in life-threatening conditions Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/274601-how-the-body-maintains-fluid-electrolyte-balance/#ixzz21lBz0L7E

Report Writing, Household Waste Management Essay

Acknowledgements The team would like to convey its sincere gratitude to the youth members of Shimultala who participated as interviewers in the survey. Thanks are also extended to the Councilor Mr. A.K. Azad, members of the Local Project Management Committee and the people of Shimultala for their hospitality and support. Executive Summary: Being one of the third world developing countries, Bangladesh is still in the process of development of a sustainable and effective waste management system throughout the country. Though the scale of consumption of food, energy and other resources & products in Bangladesh is much less than any developed countries, waste management here is still poor due to lack of adequate knowledge amongst the people about how negatively this wastes can impact on peoples’ health, environment and aesthetic. The generation of waste here is increasing parallel with the growth of the country’s economy and infrastructure since waste generation is closely linked to population, urbanization and affluence. Human beings produce a variety of waste, which can be classified into two broad groups: organic and inorganic. Organic waste is biodegradable and generally decomposes fairly rapidly, while inorganic waste decomposes much more slowly. In Bangladesh like other developing countries with increasing population, prosperity and urbanization, it remains a major challenge for municipalities to collect, recycle, treat and dispose of increasing quantities of both organic and inorganic wastes. To determine how this report could assist in the management of waste, the team decided to carry out a survey in the Shimultola area to figure out what types of waste are being produced and how they are handled. A survey questionnaire was formulated for this purpose and a survey was carried out by the members of the team along with a small group of young people of Shimultola. The survey was carried out on a sample size of 159 household in the area out of which only 143 participated in the survey. Some heads of households were reluctant to take part in the survey for the following reasons: disagreement with the involvement of the youth as survey interviewers, refusal to disclose information about how they handle their waste, and the belief that waste management with the project is unnecessary because the people already  know what to do but are simply unorganized and irresponsible. Based on the evaluation of available data, the report recommends establishing a suitable location for every little area, which will serve as the communal dumpsite for non-recyclable inorganic waste. A feasible waste collection and disposal system should be established immediately. Waste separation should be encouraged and each waste type should be disposed of in an appropriate manner. The sale of recyclable material should be organized. Composting of organic waste should be encouraged. Existing waste management regulations and their enforcement should be reviewed and amended. A variety of awareness activities — targeting different age, gender and interest groups within the village — should be carried out to encourage proper and responsible disposal of waste. The general poor state of cleanliness and the continued use of open areas for dumping wastes are clear indications that the majority of the people are not convinced about the negative health and environmental impacts of improper waste disposal. In addition, although local regulations relating to waste disposal exist, they are simply not being enforced. In order to improve the situation, the people must make an effort to dispose of various types of waste in a responsible manner. The existing regulations should be reviewed and amended to improve monitoring and enforcement. A common dumpsite needs to be established, accompanied by a feasible collection and disposal system.

The Manufacturing Practices of the Footwear Industry: Nike vs. the Competition

The Manufacturing Practices of the Footwear Industry: Nike vs. the Competition Steven Van Dusen The current manufacturing practices of the sneaker industry, in particular companies such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Converse, and New Balance, takes place throughout the globe. With the industry experiencing severe competition, and the product requiring intensive labor, firms are facing extreme pressure to increase their profit margins through their sourcing practices. The following paper will analyze the sneaker industry, while examining the multitude of viable manufacturing options, and critiquing their current manufacturing structure. Footwear Industry – Players, Revenues, Market Share To properly review the manufacturing in the footwear industry, it is necessary to first gain an understanding of the dominant leaders in the marketplace. The industry is currently experiencing hypercompetition, led by six main firms – Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Fila, Converse, and New Balance (see exhibit 1), with nearly $7 billion in revenues domestically. Nike is the industry leader, with a 47% market share, followed by Reebok, a distant second at 16%, and Adidas at 6% (see exhibit 2). This category is facing decreasing demand and the rising popularity of alternative footwear, resulting in more pressure than ever before to achieve high gross margins through effective global sourcing practices. Manufacturing options Footwear companies have two basic options in the manufacturing of their products, they can both own and operate the factories that produce their products, or subcontract their products out to secondary manufacturers. These facilities can be located either domestically or internationally, and both present a myriad of positives and negatives. Firms that produce domestically benefit from ease of monitoring, skilled workforce, government stability, job creation, and well understood labor rules, while suffering from the relatively high wages required in the U. S. as compared to developing countries. By manufacturing products overseas, in particular in third world economies, tremendous efficiencies are gained in the form of reduced wages, but are countered by the increased difficulty of monitoring the quality of their products and the actual working conditions in the factories. Companies that are vertically integrated, who own and operate the factories where their products are manufactured, are faced with large capital expenditure requirements and the management of the factories themselves, resulting in lower profit margins. Strategic Outsourcing In analyzing the sneaker industry, we are faced with the question, â€Å"What are these firms core competencies? † If manufacturing falls under this umbrella, then firms should look to produce internally. However, the core skills that set these companies apart from the competition, are their marketing, distribution, and technological expertise. Applying the dominant sneaker companies areas of expertise, let’s review the following questions: Is internalization a source of competitive advantage? Is manufacturing a skill our firm does better than anybody else? Will firms be able to leverage their manufacturing expertise in the future? Are we releasing any of the firm’s proprietary skills/information by outsourcing? With all of the above questions posed to any of the big four sneaker companies, they would respond with a resounding â€Å"no†. Therefore, in today’s global environment, the most strategically viable manufacturing strategy is the outsourcing of their products. The efficiencies that are gained, in the form of shifting of risk, reduced capital requirements, lower wages, and ability to focus on their core competencies, strongly outweigh all other manufacturing options. The Evolution of Manufacturing in Third World Countries As the economies of countries around world expand, so does their ability and skill level in all facets of manufacturing. Beginning in London in the early 1900’s, and followed through to the present day, manufacturing in its simplest form consists of light manufacturing, which uses unskilled labor to produce items such as shirts, shorts, and jeans. As the economy develops along with the skill of manufacturing, countries begin moderately technical light manufacturing, which includes footwear, outerwear and, performance sportswear. The next step in this growth involves the production of technical consumer products such as radios, calculators, and wristwatches. With the most developed economies gaining high levels of technical expertise, manufacturing grows to include technical durables, which includes automobiles and computers. This progression represents the advancement of economies throughout the world today, and provides the reasoning behind sneaker companies manufacturing beginning in the United States and Germany, and passing through Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, to its present day central areas of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. As these three countries progress over the next decade, and large amounts of new capital is pumped into their economies, their standard of living will rise along with their manufacturing expertise. Companies will be forced to relocate their manufacturing in countries such as Cambodia, Pakistan, and underdeveloped regions of Africa in search of lower wages. Nike Nike currently enjoys a 47% market share of the domestic footwear industry, with sales of $3. 77 billion. Nike has been manufacturing throughout the Asian region for over twenty-five years, and there are over 500,000 people today directly engaged in the production of their products. They utilize an outsourcing strategy, using only subcontractors throughout the globe. Their majority of their output today is produced in factories in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, but they also have factories in Italy, the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea. These factories are 100% owned by subcontractors, with the majority of their output consisting solely of Nike products. However, Nike does employ teams of four expatriates per each of the big three countries (China, Indonesia, Vietnam), that focus on both quality of product and quality of working conditions, visiting the factories weekly. They also developed their code of conduct in 1992 and have implemented it across the globe, as its goal is to set the standard for subcontractors to follow if they wish to do business with Nike. However, due to a manufacturing network of this magnitude, they have faced numerous violations involving factory conditions and human rights issues, which have been widely publicized. They have responded to these issues through the Andrew Young report, the Dartmouth Study, and Ernst & Young’s continual monitoring, but are still approximately two years away from completely addressing these problems throughout the globe. Reebok Reebok, as the second leading manufacturer of footwear, has domestic revenues of $1. 28 billion and a market share of 16%. Similar to Nike, they also utilize a 100% outsourcing strategy and manufacture their products throughout Asia. They have created and implemented their own code of conduct for manufactures to follow, but have less infrastructure than Nike across the globe to enforce it. They are facing scrutiny in regards to wage, overtime, and air quality issues, and like Nike, are working to address these issues. However, their strength, the creation and distribution of a global brand, is allowed to foster under this manufacturing strategy, as they focus on their core competencies, and outsource their production. Adidas Adidas is currently enjoying the fastest growth of any brand domestically, with a market share of 6% and revenues of $500 million. They have been shielded from bad publicity by the two Goliath’s of the industry, Nike and Reebok, and are reaping the rewards substantially. They have adjusted their manufacturing strategy, from a vertical operation in Germany in the 60’s and 70’s, to an outsourcing focus today throughout Asia. Unlike the big two, they do not have a code of conduct, and their factories are considered to be the worst in the industry. It is just a matter of time before they are exposed, with an underground swelling of negativity already occurring today. In order to avoid the negative effects and lost revenues that Nike and Reebok have received, they need to immediately begin to take a proactive stance in regards to the working conditions of their factories. Converse With a market share of 3% and revenues of $280 million, Converse manufactures their products both domestically and internationally. It is important to note that the only product they continue to manufacture in the U. S. oday, is the Chuck Taylor All Star, with plants in Lumberton, NC and Mission, TX. This is a product where the â€Å"Made in the USA† label is crucial to its success, and internalization is a source of competitive advantage. These two factors serving as the sole reason why the production remains within the U. S. All other shoe models are outsourced in Asia, with the explanation of reduced wages driving this strategy. Converse, lik e Adidas, must also generate a higher degree of internal monitoring of their subcontractors, or they will soon face increased scrutiny New Balance New Balance is the one company that has kept a substantial amount of manufacturing in the United States, and has a 3% market share with sales of $260 million. They currently operate five plants in New England, employing over 1400 workers, that produces 50% of their output. With this mixed strategy, of vertical integration and outsourcing, they are very unique, with their strategic reasoning based on the advantages gained through higher levels of quality domestically, and the â€Å"Made in the USA† label. They are in a highly specialized, niche business, running shoes, and closeness of factories is more essential to their customer base than the other companies because of special orders. For their most technical products they employ outsourcing, following the strategy of their competitors. Although there is something to be said for manufacturing domestically, they are straying away from the skills that they do better than anybody else – the design and marketing of the premier running shoe in the industry. Their long-term strategy should shift to a 100% outsourcing model, allowing them to control this niche for the future. Summary Manufacturing in the footwear industry has evolved dramatically over the course of the last century. As economies grow and skills are enhanced, production has been forced to spread to less developed regions around the world. While Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Converse, and New Balance each have their own manufacturing structure, the reason behind their rise to dominance in this industry is their ability to focus on the core skills that they perform better than anybody else. The outsourcing trend that dominates the industry today will only increase in the future. The major issues facing these firms today, working conditions and human rights, must be addressed in the short-term. Through either one firm’s leadership, or all footwear companies strategically aligning, these issues will be addressed; the question is â€Å"Just how long will it take before the footwear companies say Just Do It? † Copyright, 1998 Van Dusen, INTS 092 UNC – Chapel Hill