Saturday, August 31, 2019

Effective Policies and Procedures Essay

There are a few basic elements for an effective medical office financial policy that should be known. One of the first elements of a good financial policy is that both the patients and the staff members can follow the policy. Another element should be that the policy tell the patient clearly what is expected of them when it comes to them making payments and what they may be responsible for, and how the office handles the payments process. A good policy would tell how to handle the collection of co-payments and other payments the patient is responsible for. It would explain financial arrangements for the unpaid balances. It would explain the sliding fee scale for the patients that are low income. It should explain about the payments for the uncovered services and prepayment for services. It should explain their payment options (cash, credit, check, money order, etc†¦). Medical office procedures support the financial policy by making it clear and making sure that it can be applied consistently by administrative and professional staff members. They also make sure the patient is educated from the start on the billing and reimbursement process. If the office does not support the financial policy this leaves lots of room for error. This could lead to many unpaid accounts or late payments on the accounts. It could lead to large amounts of money having to be paid in lawyer fees to sue the patient for the money that is owed. This leaves room for the patients not being able to understand what is expected of them when it comes to making payments on their accounts. Some strategies the medical office could use would be to make sure to get a signature from the patient showing they truly understand what they are responsible that way they cannot come back later and say they did not know. This would make them understand what they are responsible for as far as deductibles and repayments and the office would have a signature showing they acknowledge their responsibility. They could also use clear and precise printouts so that everyone can read and it would list everything and if it is covered or it if the patient is responsible. The best strategy I could think of would be to follow all policies and procedures exactly so there is no room for any error in someone not knowing what was or was not supposed to be done.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Love is Greater than Hate (Tale of Two Cities)

In Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities, he illustrates the constant battle between love and hate. This battle is never-ending, but in the novel, I believe that love won, and that love is greater than hate. Love is displayed as love for family and friends, while hate is displayed as hate for the aristocrats and revenge. Lucie, a young girl who never met her father, grows into a strong woman and her love for her family is evident. Her love even saved her father from his despair. Miss Pross has love for Lucie, affectionately called Ladybird, and cares for her and her daughter, little Lucie, with her life.However, there is also hate. Madame Defarge hates the aristocrats, mostly the Evremondes, and will go to any length to see them suffer. Sydney Carton hates everyone and hates life in general. Can love overpower these emotions; will love prove it is greater? In Dickens’ novel, it did. Lucie loves her father, from the day they first meet, it is obvious, and the sent iment is soon shared by her father. After living a life of hatred and despair for 18 years, Lucie brings Doctor Manette love.The first glimpse we see of this love that will save Doctor Manette from himself is when Dickens writes, â€Å"His cold white hair mingled with her radiant hair, which warmed and lighted it as though it were the light of Freedom shining on him. † (Dickens, pg. 50). After being with his daughter for awhile, her love freed him from his sufferings and brought him back to the man he used to be. The love that Lucie was able to give him, gave him the strength he needed to overcome the hatred that held him prisoner inside the Bastille for so long.But even then, there were times when he relapsed into his old habits from prison. However, Lucie was the one who could bring him back from that despair and hatred with her love. As Miss Pross remarks, â€Å"In silence they go walking up and down together, walking up and down together, until her love and company have brought him to himself. † (Dickens, pg. 103). This just goes to prove how strong love is and how it is greater than hate. Doctor Manette went through a great ordeal of pain and suffering during his 18 years of imprisonment.He held a hatred for the Evremondes because they are the ones who put him in prison after he tried to condemn them for their unlawful actions towards the peasants. Doctor Manette writes in his letter, â€Å"Them and their descendents, to the very last of their race, I Alexandre Manette, unhappy prisoner, do this very last night of the year 1767, in my unbearable agony, denounce to the times when all these things shall be answered for, I denounce them to Heaven and to earth. † (Dickens, pg. 342).When he is recalled to life by his daughter Lucie, he forgets these troubles and is able to live a happy life. When Lucie falls in love with Charles Darnay, an Evremonde, Doctor Manette’s old pain, hatred, and suffering arises. We see this illustrated wh en Dickens writes, â€Å"In a very curious look at Darnay: an intent look, deepening into a frown of dislike and distrust, not even unmixed with fear. † (Dickens, pg. 86). However, in chapter 10 of Book 2 entitled, Two Promises, Charles Darnay admits to Doctor Manette that he loves his daughter, Lucie.To this, Doctor Manette exhibits that same dark look, but then turns to Darnay and says, â€Å"If she should ever tell me that you are essential to her perfect happiness, I will give her to you. If there were  ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Charles Darnay, if there were (†¦) – any fancies, any reasons, any apprehensions, anything whatsoever, new or old, against the man she really loved – the direct responsibility thereof not lying on his head – they should all be obliterated for her sake. She is everything to me; more to me than suffering, more to me than wrong (†¦)† (Dickens, pg.142).Even with the history of the Evremondes haunting him every time he looks at Darnay, he is willing to put it all aside for Lucie, because he loves her so strongly. This is an excellent example of how love trumps hate. As an example of the battle of love and hate, one could take Miss Pross as being the personification of love and Madame Defarge as being the personification of hate. Miss Pross has been serving Lucie since she was a young girl and has therefore fallen in love with the young woman.She will do anything for her and treats Lucie as if she were her own daughter. When Lucie has a little girl, Miss Pross cares for her the same way, with ample love and compassion. In one of the scenes in the novel, we are given a glimpse of the love Miss Pross has for Lucie. Dickens writes, â€Å"Smoothing her rich hair with as much pride as she could possible have taken in her own hair if she had been the vainest and handsomest of women. † (Dickens, pg. 104). Madame Defarge, on the other hand, shows no compassion to anyone.She hates all the aristocrats, but mos t of all, the Evremondes. This is for the same reason as Doctor Manette, because the peasants that were abused by the family were her family, and they died at the hands of the Evremondes. She has let this blind hatred lead her life and fuel her anger most of her life. We can see her hatred when she is knotting the coins in the cloth at the wine-shop, â€Å"She tied a knot with flashing eyes, as if it throttled a foe (†¦) as if it were another enemy strangled. † (Dickens, pg. 185, 186).On the day of Charles Darnay’s execution, Madame Defarge goes to find Lucie, Doctor Manette and little Lucie to condemn them to death also. Instead, she finds only Miss Pross. Thus begins the largest battle of love and hate in the novel. Madame Defarge is determined, and armed, but Miss Pross is filled with the strength of love and loyalty. As they fight, Dickens describes Miss Pross’ strength by writing, â€Å"Miss Pross, with the vigorous tenacity of love, always so much st ronger than hate (†¦) held her round the waist, and clung to her with more than the hold of a drowning woman.† (Dickens, pg. 379).After they struggle for a while, Madame Defarge tries to pull her gun out, but it works against her and suddenly Miss Pross is struggling with a dead body. Love has triumphed over hate in the truest sense as hate dies and love lives on. Sydney Carton’s character is introduced as a brilliant man who is bitter and depressed. He tells Darnay the first time they meet, â€Å"I am a disappointed drudge, sir. I care for no man on earth and no man on earth cares for me. † (Dickens, pg. 90).He also admits to himself in that same passage that he hates Darnay, because he has all that Carton will never have, he is the man Carton will never be. Later on in the book, Carton tells Lucie that he loves her, but is glad that she will never love him, and then he says, â€Å"If my career were of that better kind and there were an opportunity or capa city of sacrifice in it, I would embrace any sacrifice for you and those dear to you (†¦) think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you! † (Dickens, pg.159).This shows that even though Carton has hate for life, he may still show love, but yet none of the two emotions has surpassed the other, until he fulfils his promise to Lucie. When Darnay is sentenced to death by guillotine, Carton sneaks in and takes his place. He sacrifices his life to give Lucie back her husband, to give her back the man that Carton never liked, even hated. The power of love surpassed that of the emotions of hate that Carton has towards Darnay, his love for a woman who will never love him back led his actions.Even at the guillotine, we see the power of love overcoming hate as Carton helps a young seamstress overcome her fears of dying and gave her love before she died. This love was returned to Carton and gave him strength when he went up to die. His face when he died was, â€Å"The peacefullest man’s face ever beheld there. † (Dickens, pg. 385). This further demonstrates that love can, and will always, be greater than hate. Love is by far greater than hate. Love can save, love can heal, and love can grow.Hate is destructive, and that’s its weakness, it has no grasp on people when love is present because love can rebuild all that hate has torn down. In Dickens novel, he gives plenty of proof to show just how powerful love is, and that even if, like Carton, we feel there is no love present, there is, and eventually we will see it. In his novel, we also see that even if hatred has claimed a person for so long, such as Doctor Manette, they can be saved with love.

To What Extent do Western Concepts of Ill-Health Limit Policies and Projects Aimed at Improving the Health of Those in the Developing World

Executive Summary Current health policies on malnutrition and HIV infection are focused in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations. Specifically, these goals include reduction of malnutrition incidence since 1990 by 50% and reversal in the trend of HIV epidemic by 2015. This essay aims to critically analyse these two policies in achieving their respective aims and objectives and the factors that contribute to the success of these policies. A brief discussion on the Western concepts of ill-health and how these relate to the concepts of ill-health in developing countries is also made. Results of the analysis show that engaging communities and allowing them to take ownership of strategies to prevent malnutrition is effective in reducing incidence of malnutrition. The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) campaign illustrates how developing countries could positively respond to healthcare policies introduced by developed countries. However, not all developing countries are nearing or have achieved the 50% reduction in malnutrition incidence. Lack of community involvement has been shown to affect the progress of the SUN campaign. The same principle of community-based interventions is also used on the policy for HIV infection. Success rate for HIV policy is high with millions of affected individuals accessing healthcare services compared to only 400,000 in 2004. This would show that policies to increase treatment have succeeded. However, prevention of HIV infection remains challenging. Analysis would show that engaging in risky sexual behaviour is a critical factor in developing HIV infection in Sub-Saharan Africa. Changing the behaviour of a target population is established to be difficult. While community-based interventions and participation have contributed to the success of these policies, analysis would reveal that there is a need to increase the technical competencies of the stakeholders in the communities. This would ensure sustainability of programmes long after external aid has stopped. The differences in the concepts of ill-health also appear to influence the success of policies in developing nations. It is also argued that achieving all the aims and objectives of the policies might not necessarily solve the problem of malnutrition and HIV infection. Both conditions have multiple underlying causes and addressing all these would take considerable time and effort. In conclusion, policies have made great strides in improving nutrition of children and mothers and decreasing the incidence of HIV infection. Concerted effort from various stakeholders is still needed to make changes sustainable. Introduction The main aim of this brief is to critically analyse the policies, ‘Reducing Hunger and Malnutrition in Developing Countries’ (Department for International Development, 2013) and the global policy on HIV/AIDS Epidemic (KFF, 2013). Both healthcare policies are designed to improve the health and well-being of mothers and young children and those suffering from HIV/AIDS in developing countries. The first part describes these two policies while the second part discusses the Western concepts of ill health and how these limit policies and projects aimed at developing countries. The third part provides a theoretical assessment of the policies. A discussion on the underlying assumptions and views of healthcare in terms of belief structures and philosophy will be included. The fourth part presents the practical problems with implementation. Finally, a conclusion will summarise the main points raised in this essay. Recommendations will also be made at the end of this brief. Policies on Malnutrition and HIV/AIDS The ‘Reducing Hunger and Malnutrition in Developing Countries’ (Department for International Development, 2013) aims to help individuals gain access to nutritious diet, ensure that food is distributed fairly across the world and mitigate environmental risks and damages that could influence food production. In line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the policy has set out several objectives that should be achieved by 2015. This includes reducing malnutrition since 1990 by 50%. Meanwhile, the ‘Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic’ policy (KFF, 2013) aims to stop and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. This is consistent with the United Nation’s MDGs that by 2015, the HIV/AID epidemic will be controlled and incidence will decline. It is estimated that a total of 18.9 billion USD have funded HIV/AIDs preventive and treatment programmes in 2012 (KFF/UNAIDS, 2013). Although there is a global decrease in the trend of this epidemic, incidence of HIV/AIDS is still high in middle and low-income countries (UNAIDS, 2013). Most of those suffering from this health condition do not have access to healthcare services, treatment and management (UNAIDS, 2013). Importantly women and young girls are more susceptible of the infection compared to men (British HIV Association, 2012). Of the 35 million individuals believed to be suffering from the condition, 3.3 million of these are children (UNAIDS, 2013). Majority (71%) of persons living with HIV/AIDS reside in Sub-Saharan Africa (Health Protection Agency, 2012). The objectives of this policy include decreasing HIV prevalence amongst the young population aged 15-24 years; increase condom use especially in high-risk sex; increase the proportion of young people with correct knowledge on HIV/AIDs infection; and increase the proportion of individuals with advanced stages of the disease gain access to antiretroviral medications. Western Concept of Ill-Health Western concepts of ill-health could limit the policies on malnutrition and HIV/AIDS when introduced in developing nations. First, definitions of ‘ill-health’ could vary between Western and developing countries. There is variation in how ill-health is perceived even amongst professional, academic and the public (Wikman et al., 2005). Ill-health is also viewed differently across disciplines. For instance, the medical model of health has been accepted for several years in Western healthcare in the past (Wikman et al., 2005). This model states that ill-health is caused by pathogenic microorganisms or underlying pathologies (Dutta, 2008). However, even this concept has changed within healthcare systems. Today, many healthcare professionals have recognised that ill-health is not only caused by pathogenic organisms but social determinants of health such as poor nutrition, unemployment or stress could all influence ill-health (Dutta, 2008). Wikman et al. (2005) acknowledges tha t ill-health could be understood by using a multi-perspective approach. Concepts of ill-health are also considered as historically and culturally specific (Blas and Kurup, 2010). This means that ill-health varies across culture and time. For instance, in Western culture, obesity is considered as ill-health (Blas and Kurup, 2010). In other countries, obesity is viewed as socially acceptable since this is a sign of wealth. In Western culture, findings of scientific publications are used to underpin health policies against HIV (Bogart et al., 2011). Use of condoms to protect against HIV infection is viewed as acceptable. In some African countries, use of condoms is seen to reduce one’s masculinity (Willis, 2003; MacPhail and Campbell, 2001). Importantly, anal sex in some of these countries is practised to avoid pregnancy or viewed as a cleansing method against the virus for HIV/AIDS (Bogart and Bird, 2003). Hence, these differences in the concept of ill-health could influence the uptake of global health policies in developing nations. To illustrate t his argument, the policies on malnutrition and HIV/AIDS will be critiqued. A discussion how western concepts of ill health influence the uptake of these policies in the developing countries would also be done. Analysis and Discussion Attention on acute and chronic malnutrition is unprecedented in recent years (Shoham et al., 2013). The involvement of the UK, through its policy for malnutrition and hunger, with other countries in the scaling up nutrition (SUN) campaign has brought significant changes on the lives of children who are malnourished. The policy on malnutrition is underpinned by the philosophy on health equity and social determinants of health (Ezzati et al., 2003). Western concepts of ill-health focus on the social determinants of ill-health as a factor in promoting malnutrition in developing countries. For example, unemployment of parents, low levels of education, early years, poverty, homelessness are some social determinants of health strongly suggested to promote malnutrition amongst children (Marmot and Wilkinson, 2005). Uptake of policies for malnutrition in developing countries might be limited if these determinants are not properly addressed. Farmer (2003) explains that cultural beliefs on foo d, poor knowledge on the nutritional value of food and food production practices have long contributed to malnutrition in many countries. Policies on malnutrition might no be effective if these do not address the root causes of malnutrition, which are poverty, poor knowledge on food nutrition and poor farming practices (Farmer, 2003). Power structure also plays a role in how policies are implemented. Farmer (2003) stresses that unless the poor are empowered and their rights protected would true development occur. In recent years, there have been improvements in the lives of the poor, specifically on nutrition status. Marmot and Wilkinson (2005) emphasise that presence of poverty and unemployment could all influence health. However, there is evidence that in some developing countries, malnutrition policies have gained success. An analysis would show that involvement of the community plays a crucial role in ensuring success of these policies. For example, Shoham et al. (2013) report that the community based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) approach contributed to its success in some 65 developing countries across the world. Communities are mobilised and they gain ownership of the programme. Individuals help in detecting uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and refer children to established out-patient centres. Complicated cases are referred as in-patients in the health sector staff. While the UNICEF (Nabarro, 2013) reported that 10% of the 20 million suspected cases of SAM have been treated through the scaling up nutrition campaign, other target countries have not kept up with the campaign. Policies that have gained acceptance in developing countries are those that empower communities to take actions for their own health. Empowering women through education has been shown to lead to more positive changes in the health of children ages 5 years old and below (Farmer, 2003). Policies that increase the educational levels of women were shown to reduce erroneous perceptions on the causes of malnutrition (Wikman et al., 2005). Shoham et al. (2013) observe that failure to implement the CMAM approach and educating women on malnutrition limits the success of malnutrition policies in communities. A number of studies (Bhutta, 2013; Black et al., 2013; Pinstrup-Andersen, 2013; Nabarro, 2013; Loevinsohn and Harding, 2005) have shown the effectiveness of engaging communities and empowering them to improve the nutritional status of women and children. While factors such as engaging communities and allowing them to take ownership of programmes have been shown to promote uptake of policies, there are still factors that limit policy uptake. These include failure to address the social determinants of health such as poverty, low levels of education, poor support of the children during early life years and unemployment (Loevinsohn and Harding, 2005). It has been shown that when these factors are present, malnutrition is also high (Pinstrup-Andersen, 2013). There is also a need to understand the perceptions of women and children on food and nutrition to better understand why malnutrition continue to exist in a number of developing countries. Meanwhile, the policy on HIV/AIDS also promote health by engaging communities in implementing projects aimed at preventing HIV transmission (KFF, 2013; British HIV Infection, 2012; Department for International Development, 2013). To date, HIV infection epidemic has stabilised and the number of individuals receiving treatment has increased to 9.7 million in 2012 (UNAIDS, 2013). In contrast, only 400,000 individuals with advanced HIV infection receive treatment in 2004. A closer analysis of the cause of HIV infection would still point to risky behaviours of those engaging in unprotected sex and injecting drug users as factors that promote HIV infection (KFF/UNAIDS, 2013). This is a cause of concern since there is still the prevailing cultural belief in a number of African countries that use of condom is unmanly (Willis, 2003; MacPhail and Campbell, 2001). Connolly et al. (2004) argue that changing behaviour of the target population is most difficult. Consequences of HIV infection extend to unborn children of mother infected with HIV (UNAIDS, 2013). To date, there have been various interventions to prevent HIV infection. These include behaviour changes, increase in HIV screening, male circumcision, use of condoms, harm reduction amongst in injecting drug users and blood supply safety (UNAIDS, 2013). Amongst these strategies, changing behaviour remains to be an important intervention that could prevent further spread of the virus. Experts suggest that risky sexual behaviour could only be changed through the use of different health models. For example, the health belief model could be used to inform the target population on the risk of HIV (Health Protection Agency, 2012). In addition, facilitators to behaviour change, such as decreasing stigma on HIV infection, increasing access to healthcare services could help individuals adopt less r isky sexual behaviour (Greeff et al., 2008). Patients with HIV often perceive stigma from their own healthcare workers (Kohi et al., 2006; Holzemer and Uys, 2004). This could impact not only the quality of care received by those with HIV infection but might also limit them from gaining further medical treatment. On the other hand, reducing malnutrition by 50% since 1990 has not been achieved in most countries yet (UNICEF, 2014). This is important since the United Nations aims to achieve this target by next year. Food production is continuously affected by stronger typhoons and turbulent weather patterns (KFF, 2013). Droughts appear to be longer, affecting agriculture and livestock production (KFF, 2013). Specifically, the UNICEF (2014) acknowledges that the most vulnerable groups to increasing weather disturbance brought by climate change are the poor people. This is especially challenging in the light of the MDGs since decreases in food production in developing countries could further have an impact on the nutritional status of the women and children (Bryce et al., 2008; Taylor et al., 2013). Climate change has important implications on policies for malnutrition. Even if community-based initiatives are strongly in place and individuals have learned to produce their own food, changes in weat her patterns could impact agriculture activities. The UNICEF (2014) has highlighted this issue and using current experiences, community rehabilitation after a typhoon or drought would mean increased challenges in addressing malnutrition amongst the poorest of the poor. Even if all objective are achieved, there is no full guarantee that malnutrition will be completely eradicated in developing nations. To date, there are best practices (SUN, 2013) showing that community involvement and partnership with government and non-government organisations could arrest severe acute and chronic malnutrition. A number of developing countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa are still struggling with malnutrition despite external aid. The same observation is also made in this region on HIV infection where the poorest amongst the poor remain to be most vulnerable to the infection (SUN, 2013). Hence, it would be necessary to investigate the real cause of malnutrition and HIV infection in developing countries. There are multiple underlying causes of malnutrition and all interact to increase the risk of children for malnutrition. First, poverty has been highlighted earlier in this essay as an important factor for development of malnutrition (Horton and Lo, 2013). This essay also argues that maternal level of education is a significant factor in the nutrition of children (Black et al., 2013). The World Health Organization (2011) acknowledges that children born to mothers with at least a high school education enjoy better health compared to children with mothers who have lower educational levels. This observation is consistent across literature (UNICEF, 2014; Black et al, 2013) and illustrates the importance of increasing the education level of mothers. In Sub-Saharan countries that often experience conflicts, malnutrition is often caused by displacement of families and children from their homes and livelihood to evacuation centres with minimal food support (UNICEF, 2014). Apart from conflicts, recent effects of climate change have also changed the way developed countries respond to problems of food security (Taylor et al., 2013). As shown in the UK policy for hunger and malnutrition, funds are also directed to innovations and research on how to respond to environmental damages caused by climate change (UNICEF, 2014). It should be noted that changes in weather patterns, flooding and drought could have a great impact on food security and sustainability (Department for International Development, 2013). In comparison with the policy on HIV infection, the policy on hunger and malnutrition would have a greater impact on the health of the nation. It has been shown that improving nutrition during the first 1000 days of a child’s life could lead to better health outcomes, higher educational attainment and productivity later in adult life (Bhutta, 2013). Malnutrition during a child’s first two years of life could have irreversible effects on the child’s health (Bhutta, 2013). This could lead to stunting, cognitive impairment, early death and if the child reaches adulthood, difficulty in finding a job (Nabarro, 2013). The number of children and mothers suffering from malnutrition is also higher compared to individuals suffering from HIV infection. However, HIV infection could also have an impact on maternal and child health since infected mothers could transmit the virus to their unborn child (KFF, 2013). Women with HIV also suffer more stigma compared to their male co unterparts (Sandelowski et al., 2004). Recommendations and Conclusion In conclusion, the two policies discussed in this brief reveal strategies in preventing and treating malnutrition and HIV infection. Responses of developing countries to these strategies differ. Countries where communities are involved in the implementation of strategies are generally more successful in addressing these health problems. This would show that community involvement play a crucial role in the uptake of Western policies in developing countries. However, the lack of success in some countries might be attributed to the differences in the concept of ill-health between affluent and developing countries, socio-economic context of poor countries and difficulty in changing one’s health behaviour. Finally, this essay suggests that a more holistic approach should be taken in addressing the social determinants of health to ensure that children have access to nutritious food and HIV infection is prevented. References Bhutta, Z. (2013). ‘Early nutrition and adult outcomes: pieces of the puzzle [Online]. The Lancet, 382(9891), pp. 486-487. Black, R., Alderman, H., Bhutta, S., Gillespie, S., Haddad, L., Horton, S., Lartey, S., Mannar, V., Ruel, M., Victoria, C., Walker, S. & Webb, P. (2013). ‘Maternal and child nutrition: building momentum for impact’. The Lancet, 382(9890), pp. 372-375. Blas, E. & Kurup, A. (2010). Equity, social determinants and public health programmes. Switzerland: World Health Organization. Bogart, L., Skinner, D., Weinhardt, L., Glasman, L., Sitzler, C., Toefy, Y. & Kalichman, S. (2011) ‘HIV misconceptions associated with condom use among black South Africans: an exploratory study’, African Journal of AIDS Research, 10(2), pp. 181-187. Bogart, L. & Bird, S. (2003) ‘Exploring the relationship of conspiracy beliefs about HIV/AIDS to sexual behaviours and attitudes among Afrian-American adults’, Journal of the National Medical Association, 95(11), pp. 1057-1065. British HIV Association (2012) Standards of care for people living with HIV in 2012, London: British HIV Association. Bryce, J., Coitinho, D., Darnton-Hill, I., Pelletier, D. & Pinstrup-Andersen, P. (2008). ‘Maternal and child undernutrition: effective action at national level’. The Lancet, 371(9611), pp. 510-526. Connolly, C., Colvin, M., Shishana, O. & Stoker, D. (2004) ‘Epidemiology of HIV in South Africa- results of a national, community-based survey’, South African Medical Journal, 94(9), pp. 776-781. Department for International Development (2013). Policy: Reducing Hunger and malnutrition in developing countries, London: UK Legislation [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reducing-hunger-and-malnutrition-in-developing-countries (Accessed: 25th March, 2014). Dutta, M. (2008) Communicating health: A culture-centred approach, London: Polity Press. Ezzati, M., Vander, H., Rodgers, A., Lopez, A., Mathers, C. & Murray, C. (2003) ‘The comparative risk collaborating group. Estimates of global and regional potential health gains from reducing multiple major risk factors’, Lancet, 362, pp. 271-280. Farmer, P. (2003) Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the new war on the poor, Berkeley and Long Angeles: University of California Press. Greeff, M., Uys, L., Holzemer, W., Makoae, L., Dlamini, P., Kohi, T., Chirwa, M., Naidoo, J. & Phetlhu, R. (2008) ‘Experiences of HIV/AIDS Stigma of persons living with HIV/AIDS and nurses involved in their care from five African countries’, African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 10(1), pp. 78-108. Health Protection Agency (2012) HIV in the United Kingdom: 2012 Report. London: Health Protection Services, Colindale. Holzemer, W. & Uys, L. (2004) ‘Managing AIDS stigma’, Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, 1(3), pp. 165-174. Horton, R. & Lo, S. (2013). ‘Nutrition: a quintessential sustainable development goal’, The Lancet, 382(9890), pp. 371-372. KFF/UNAIDS (2013). Financing the response to AIDS in low- and middle-income countries: International Assistance from Donor Governments in 2012. Washington: KFF/UNAIDS. KFF (2013). The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic [Online]. Available at: http://kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-global-hivaids-epidemic/#footnote-KFFUNAIDS (Accessed: 25th March, 2014). Kohi, T., Makoae, L., Chirwa, M., Hozemer, W., Phetlhu, D., Uys, L., Naidoo, J., Dlamini, P. & Greeff, M. (2006) ‘HIV and AIDS violates human rights in five African countries’, Nursing Ethics, 13(4), pp. 404-415. Loevinsohn, B. & Harding, A. (2005). ‘Buying resultsContracting for health service delivery in developing countries’. Lancet, 366(9486), pp. 676-681. MacPhail, C. & Campbell, C. (2001) ‘I think condoms are good but, aai, I hate those things’, Social Science & Medicine, 52(11), pp. 1613-1627. Marmot, M. & Wilkinson, R. (2005). Social Determinants of Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nabarro, D. (2013). ‘Global child and maternal nutrition- the SUN rises’. The Lancet, 382(9893), pp. 666-667. Pinstrup-Andersen, P. (2013). ‘Nutrition-sensitive food systems: from rhetoric to action’. The Lancet, 382(9890), pp. 375-376. Sandelowski, ., Lambe, C., Barroso, J. (2004) ‘Stigma in HIV-positive women’, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 36(2), pp. 122-128. Shoham, J., Dolan, C. & Vostelow, L. ENN (2013). The management of acute malnutrition at scale: A review of donor and government financing arrangements. Summary Report [Online]. Available at: http://scalingupnutrition.org/ (Accessed: 24th March, 2014). SUN (2013). Scaling up nutrition in practice: Effectively enjoying multiple stakeholders [Online]. Available at: http://scalingupnutrition.org/ (Accessed: 24th March, 2014). Taylor, A., Dangour, A. & Reddy, K. (2013). ‘Only collective action will end undernutrition’. The Lancet, 382(9891), pp. 490-491. UNAIDS (2013). Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic 2013. Washington: UNAIDS. UNICEF (2014). The State of the World’s Children 2014 In Numbers: Every child counts [Online]. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/sowc/ (Accessed: 25th March, 2014). Wikman, A., Marklund, S. & Alexanderson, K. (2005) ‘Illness, disease, and sickness absence: an empirical test of differences between concepts of ill health’, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 59, pp. 450-454. Willis, J. (2003) ‘Condoms are for whitefellas: barriers to Pitjzntjztjzrz men’s use of safe sex technologies’, Culture, Health & Sexuality: An international Journal for Research, Intervention and Care’, 5(3), pp. 203-217. World Health Organization (2011). Global Health Observatory (GHO): Underweight in Children [Online]. Available at: http://www.who.int/gho/mdg/poverty_hunger/underweight_text/en/ (Accessed: 25th March, 2014).

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Finance simulation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Finance simulation - Research Paper Example Time and resources will be used meritoriously. Tapering the agency staff reduces cost and saves on premiums paid to the workers. Option 2 was originally used to repay the loan. The interest rate of the option is low (9.0%) and will thus allow EHC to have more funds. However, it was not the preeminent alternative since interests accrued and added onto the principal amount, and everything was to be recompensed after 6 months. Later option 1 was realized to be better since it resolved the cash flow problem and its compensation period was not limited. The US machine, X-ray, and CT scanner, all needed to be replaced. The organization decided to purchase a refurbished CT scanner since its productive life is high and can be upgraded upon its expiry. The X-ray machine was purchased through a capital lease since the machines productive life is 15 years that is comparatively high. The US machine was acquired through an operating lease since the option offers low installments payment, upgrading option, and lower upfront payment. Productivity of the assets was perceived to be more important than ownership. The HUD 242 proved to be better than all the other strategies and was, therefore, chosen. It offered a greater NPV. The simulation indicates that despite the higher insurance cost of HUD 242, the uncertainties associated with the investment are minimal and suitable for the project. A cost-benefit analysis further proved that HUD 242 was indeed appropriate. Tax-exempt bonds were incongruous since the funds were to be used within three years while the planned completion period of the expansion was four years. It could have left a big chunk of WIP (work in progress) (Aiken et al., 2002). All choices were potentially fatal. Management relies on the current available information and the knowledge, exposure, and experience of the

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Management Appreciation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Appreciation - Essay Example The individual and team workers making up the functional departments get instructions from the supervisors heading a given task. The supervisors obtain detailed instructions from the department manager concerning the actions to be taken. A Matrix Structure PRESIDENT MANUFACTURING MARKETING PROCUREMENT FINANCE PRODUCT A PRODUCT B PRODUCT C One of a limited public company is Radient Pharmaceuticals Corporation, pharmaceuticals, and Biotechnology Company in the United States. This company operates with a matrix organizational structure. Matrix structure is the commonly used because of its advantages over other structures as argued by Baltes (2004 p.142). This structure works well for those companies operating in a dynamic business environment, like drugs and technological organization. Within Radient Corporation has categorized its personnel into both functional and product departments. A president, who is also the organization’s chief executive officer, heads the company. The ne xt rank of its management structure comprises of functional categories. These include the manufacturing department, finance department, human resource, procurement, research, development, and the marketing department. The next category comprises of product departments. This category is in the same rank with the functional departments. ... The different departments will coordinate their processes together in an effort to accomplish any goal. Within the team, each individual is assigned a distinctive role together with the expected results. Each team ought to complete their task within the given timeframe, after which the team leader will present the report to the relevant department manager. Based on this style of functioning, it is clear that Radient Corporation practices the task culture. The style of operation conforms to the Handy’s task culture, which defines it as a team-based result oriented culture. Matrix structure ensures effective integration of all the human resources of any given institution. It allows all the personnel to share ideas, hence improving performance and service delivery within a company. In matrix structure, the chain of command and lines of communication allows information to flow in a formal manner. This facilitates efficient sharing of information throughout the company. In addition , the task-teams result oriented culture facilitates motivation among the workers. Within a task team, each worker is assigned a role to play. The individual is expected to perform as per the set standards. This culture increases the aspect of accountability, hence increasing motivation and attitude among employees. Giunipero et al (2008) asserts that, business performance associated with Radient Corporation can be attributed to its management structure and work culture. The culture and the structure enhance a flexible working environment, hence improving the process of research and development within the company. One of the major factors that might affect Radient involves restrictions from authorities. This may affect the smooth management of the company, hence

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Response Analysis About Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Response Analysis About Girl - Essay Example However, some of these words of wisdom did not make any sense and sounded useless. In my society, a mother’s advice is very important especially to her daughters. The girls in my society rely on maternal guidance and this continues even after they marry. If a girl doesn’t behave properly, people will attribute the misconduct to her mother by saying that she wasn’t taught well. This eventually results to a tarnished family reputation that other members of the family must equally endure. In my opinion, I believe that everybody needs to be guided one way or another. Therefore, I will respond to this text and analyze it based on my own experiences and in contemplation of my cultural and social background. When I was a kid, we ate using our hands without any utensils such as spoons and knives. This never occurred to me as peculiar as it was to me, simply, the Arabian way to eat many types of food. Human nature predisposes me to follow my family’s adopted culture in many different things. As shown in the text, the mother told her daughter to â€Å"always eat your food in such a way that it won’t turn someone else’s stomach† (Kincaid, p. 200). I think that her mother overreacted in her warning. I believe that this advice is useless because it’s natural for us to follow our family habits when we eat because it was the way we were raised. In addition, it’s a bad way to impose on someone by telling her to consume her food in a way that it doesn’t upset somebody else’s appetite. This advice might affect someone negatively to an extent that she will be ashamed of eating in front of people. This personal response is based on a social fra mework in relation to people’s habits. The mother in this sentence shocked me by her rude language. I don’t think that any mother should call her daughter a "slut." â€Å"On Sunday, try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming† (p. 200). In my cultural

Monday, August 26, 2019

Economic development in Aboriginal communities Research Paper

Economic development in Aboriginal communities - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to study the Aboriginal community in Canada. In addition, it attempts to assess how they have developed their fiscal situations in the face of changing lifestyles (James, 2005). The Canadian establishment distinguishes three sectors of Aboriginal community. These three are communities that possess distinctive histories, dialects, societal activities, and religious viewpoints. In excess of one million individuals in Canada categorize themselves as Aboriginals. Aboriginal societies resided in towns, the countryside, and remote regions in Canada. They include: Gradually, the outlook of the Aboriginal population in Canada is currently changing to an urban one. From the 2006 Census, up to 60 % of Indians now live in towns. However, this radical demographic alteration has not resulted to a fiscal improvement. The Aboriginal communities residing in urban areas have still not managed to partake in the larger financial system (Duane, 2005). Whilst the metropolitan Aboriginal populace is socio-fiscally slightly richer than their countryside brethren are, they are still lacking notably in comparison to the other citizens (http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100033501). These approaches refer to the suggestions that the Aboriginal society brought to the government’s attention. They refer to sensible actions that could potentially help them pull out of their miserable fiscal quandary. This solution comprises of providing an assortment of monetary functions from a single vital position. The main notion behind this is that each undertaking will advantage from being in propinquity to another. This will lead to the reduction in overhead charges, increase admission to services, and exposure to customers. Whilst an Aborigine association would control the main structure, the ventures would be privately operated (Duane, 2005). The Aborigine venture would

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article Analysis - Essay Example However, the restrictions have provoked a major reaction from a number of lawmakers and cruise industry players. They argue that the new measure will increase costs for vacationers and the Alaska people who rely on sea vessels for their livelihood (Eliperin, 2012). For many years, huge ships have combusted heavy fuels ( fuels which contain 2,000 times or more sulfur as the diesel utilized by locomotives, trucks, small marine vessels, and construction equipment). The new regulation dictates that large ships reduce the sulfur content of their fuel to 1 percent in August 2012 from the present 2.7%. They arealsorequired to reduce they sullphure content in their fuel to 0.1% by 2015 (Eliperin, 2012; Walker, 2012). The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) indicates that the new regulation will prevent between 12,000 every year and at least 31,000 deaths by 2030, with the benefits offsetting the costs by 95 to 1. In other words, the new standards will reduce emissions from ships and assist in safeguarding the cities and port communities hundreds of miles away from the coast (Eliperin, 2012). The vehicle and the container shipping industries have agreed to meet the new standards but several firms have indicated that the fuel costs may rise by 25 percent. It is important to note that the playersin these industries do not spend as much time as the cruise industry players within the 200-mile zone. It is hard to estimate how much the cleaner fuel will cost because its availability is not certain. It is estimated by EPA that when fully implemented, the program will come with additional costs to shipping (about $18 for every 20-foot container) and passenger cruise tickets (an additional $7 per day). On the other hand, cruise analysts suggest that it can add as much as $19.46 per day to the passenger cruise ticket. The costs of goods in Alaska are set to increase and thuswill affect the economy Alaska.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Management Accounting Control System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Accounting Control System - Essay Example The needs of it vary for a different organization in accordance to business areas of their concerns. Its needs include: As stated, preparing management account periodically is recommended but not mandatory. But, for the sake of business, it is needed to maintain once in a month or quarterly in a year depending on company profile and size. It is very hard to run a business efficiently without them. In this era of information, an information system is not getting utilized as it was expected. In management account information needs to be applied properly and adequately. The best way is to break down so that the performance of different elements of the business can be measured. For example, for one integrated Circuit manufacturing company, different flows can be broken up and later on aggregated. Flows may include mask design, photolithography, oxidation and etching etc. Or, if a manufacturing industry has various processes such as moulding, embossing or welding then they can be segmented as per their sequence and finally need to be mapped together. If any financial institution is taken into consideration then, it might have more than one sales outlet and for this case, the separate report for each outlet is required. Management account specifically analyzes performances and includes sales, cash-flow and profit forecast which are treated as forward-looking elements. The analysis generally is carried out against forecast and budget that has been brought down during an initial period of the year.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Final Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Final Paper - Essay Example There are statement releases by several autonomous scientific organizations concerning the same around the world. It is true that not every scientist agree in every component of the problem in climate change. It is why the article clearly states that not all engineers and scientists agree on the taking drastic measures against global warming. However, there is extensive agreement that climate change exists, primarily due to release of greenhouse gases from humans (NRC). Evidence of global warming is incontrovertible. It is why scientists are constantly researching various important questions concerning the matter. Questions such as precisely how much will the earth warm, how fast will it warm and the consequences it will cause to various regions. Scientists record an increase in global temperature by over 1.4Â °F throughout the previous century (NRC). According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2000 to 2010 happened to be the warmest decade on record. This fact contradicts the mention of global warming not existing over ten years by the article. Changes in climate and weather are what follow the increasing global temperatures (NRC). So many facts and information show several places experiencing rainfall changes resulting in additional intense rain. There is also evidence of more intense and frequent heat waves. It is hard to deny that oceans are becoming acidic and warmer while ice caps at the North Pole are melting. All these observations prove that there is an increase of warmth in the world. We have scientists who continue to research the questions of global warming to inform society better on how to prepare for climate change. However, sufficient certainty is real concerning basic causes and impacts of climate change to validate taking actions that decrease future risks. Claiming that global warming is not a crucial matter to deal with because the evidence is smaller than predicted does not mean society should stop paying

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Do Socially-Responsible Mutual Funds Perform Better Than Conventional Research Paper

Do Socially-Responsible Mutual Funds Perform Better Than Conventional Mutual Funds - Research Paper Example Center of discussion in this paper mutual fund as a business which puts in funds in a branched out assortment of securities. The individuals purchasing a share or portion of the fund are considered to be the shareholders or owners. The investments made by these numerous individuals help the mutual fund company to acquire securities like bonds as well as stocks. The means of making money by a particular mutual fund from the securities that it invested in could be in two dissimilar approaches. Firstly, the mutual fund company could collect the interest or dividends paid on the security or secondly, the particular security could also increase in value. There also exist probabilities of losing money or experience a dip in value by a fund. Mutual funds could be classified into three usual kinds and they are the stock or equity, money and bond market. The stock funds refer to those which put in its funds principally in stocks that are issued by foreign or U.S. companies. The bond funds ref er to those funds which principally invest in bonds. And the money market funds are the ones that chiefly make their investments in securities for the short-term. These securities are those that are made available in the market by the government and even its own agencies in the US, local as well as state governments and US corporations. It needs to be mentioned in this context that there exists two different kinds of mutual funds and they are the socially-responsible ones and the other is the conventional or the traditional one. The socially-responsible funds involve certain decisive factors while making investments in companies. However, the traditional ones just take into concern the prospects and financial performance of the companies along with other relevant factors while investing (Statman, 2000). The process of selecting the right kind of investments takes a lot of expertise even in perfect market conditions. Along with choosing the appropriate investment there comes the nece ssity of keeping an eye on those investments made. Mutual funds

Puritan Ideals of Work and Play in Our World Today Essay Example for Free

Puritan Ideals of Work and Play in Our World Today Essay When Columbus landed in the New World in 1492, he changed the world forever. When the Puritans landed in the same New World, they changed the tides of America’s future everlastingly as well. They brought with them many ideas that are still being used today. The Puritan work ethic was a huge portion of the beliefs carried by the community; it was the idea that all members should strive to do as much as they could for the community, and all should work to gain God’s favor. The Puritans’ idea of duty before self-fulfillment was another evident notion every Puritan held. They believed that everyone should do their obligations first and foremost before anything else. The life of a puritan was full of hard work which was done willingly to gain the favor of God and of the community, and contained the concept of fulfilling each person’s individual responsibilities and then only partaking in activities which where self-fulfilling; in our modern society we volunteer and each member of the family is given duties to complete, similarly to the jobs the Puritans held 100’s of years ago. In the Puritan world everything revolved around God. He was the cornerstone for every action they took. For them, one way to get redemption from the sins that they had committed was to work and toil for God and the people around them. In the Puritan era people helped one another, not for the chance to gain a reward, but a chance to gain favor amongst themselves, strangers and God. As William Bradford states, â€Å"But when he grew weak, they had compassion on him and helped him,† this refers to the time when the new colonists helped the sick sailors who had brought them there (Bradford 21). They did this just for the sake of helping others and in doing so gained more of God’s favor. This work ethic inspired the generations of people who followed, and created the standards for American work ethic, which are still being used today. In modern day America, people volunteer at a variety of places to help the poor, needy or injured. My parents when they had just got married spent quite a while at an orphanage in India to help the poor kids there, and I actively volunteer at Mercy Medical to help the sick and injured. Neither my parents nor I had to do so, but it gave us a sense that we were benefiting our communities. Like us, many people in America and the world help others, making the world a better place with every helpful hand. Just as the puritans strived to do work, they also strived to do work which was necessary, even if they did not relish it. For instance when given the choice between trimming tree to make it look better, or helping the neighbor sow his crops, most Puritan’s would choose the later. They had the notion to do your duty first, and all else came afterwards. The Puritan’s believed that the woman of the household should be a good mother and wife first and all else came second. In the same household a man should be a good husband for his wife and a supportive father of his children. In the community, there is not one person who does not have some sort of duty. In Anne Bradstreet’s poem To My Dear and Loving Husband, she describes her love for her husband as his wife, â€Å"I prize thy love more than mines of gold or all the riches the East doth hold (Bradstreet 35). Bradstreet made it quite clear that she was a wife before anything else, being a poet came afterwards. Many of her other poems are about family and hers sense of duty toward them. Puritan’s strove to make their children’s lives better, and by being responsible they entailed their kid to do so as well. In modern day America, every member of the household has a specific task that they must do. An example of this is my family, where my parents both maintain their jobs, while tending to the household chores of cooking, cleaning, etc. while my brother and I both do our jobs of doing well in school, while helping our parents where we can. Whether Puritan or modern day American, or Indian in my case, the idea is the same, everyone has tasks they need to do to maintain a functioning household. The Puritan work ethic simply entails that, only after all the work that is needed to be finished is done, should a person partake in other activities or chores. In the Puritan lifestyle family was important; to maintain a good family all the members of it needed to be diligent of their du ties. When someone volunteers in today’s world they are doing more work to make their society better, when the Puritans did extra hard work they tried to make their community better, and to have a better standing with God. The Puritan’s also did their duty to the best of their ability, and each member of the family functioned together to get their work finished. Both the Puritans and Modern day Americans were partook in hard work and were consistent with their duties to improve their community, and make it a better place for all to live in. All we have to do is maintain these standards in the future, do you think we can?

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Social Factual Norms By Durkheim Sociology Essay

The Social Factual Norms By Durkheim Sociology Essay Over the past years the headlines of newspapers have read everything from Neighbour says Nia chucked on line (NZHerald: 2008) to just this month very violent brain injury killed baby (NZHerald: 2011). In New Zealand on average one child is killed every 5 weeks due to Child Abuse. This figure should not come as a surprise; as over the past decade stories of fatal child abuse cases have been frequently covered in the news (Child matters: 2011). Norms are a social fact (Durkheim: 1982). These are the words from the famous French sociologist Emile Durkheim. He went on to explain that we are born into a pre-existing order, with rules and norms that have already been premade and set. And that if we want to live in this society we are born into, we must learn to abide by these pre-determined sanctions (Durkheim: 1982/1895, p56-57). These already set norms include those associated with the issue of child abuse. We dont have to think twice when reading horrendous articles in the newspaper of children being put in clothes dryers and severely beaten. We already know that it is morally wrong. Although in different cultures around the world different types of abuse may be seen as a form of, what they see as normal punishment. These social facts still exist around us. They were there before we were born and will still remain weather we choose to agree or disagree with them; most of which have consequences if you do chose to stray from them. This brings us Sharyn Roach Anleus 5 key questions surrounding norms; 1) whose norms? , in the case of child abuse it is our society/country of New Zealands norms. The norm is that it is not right to abuse children, or anyone. It is seen as a bad thing and as a country I am sure that there will not be many people who would say that it is ok to abuse. 2) How do some norms become official or legal? Harming a child is wrong and when hearing about these inhumane acts of violence against children we may be urged to do something about it, but if we are being real with ourselves, on our own; without economic or political power it would be difficult to put forth and solidify our beliefs into laws. Although with this issue there are many people with power who share the beliefs of our society. Such as Green MP Sue Bradfords; the anti smacking law was passed in 2007(NZ Herald: 2007). Since she had political power, with the support of the community the bill was passed. Three years have passed an d a new law will be passed that will see those people who turn a blind eye to child abuse prosecuted (DominionPost: 2011). This will be a positive thing as many cases of child abuse drag on for months as the people involved; who could have very well saved the Childs life have been to afraid or not bothered to report the abuse happening. Why are some norms more important than others? Does visibility make a difference? And can there be deviance without breaking social norms? As said in the book straying from these social norms can lead to deviance over a period of time. The example given is that of a soft drug user over time leads to hard drug use. This approach can be put into context with child abuse. Child abuse may be as obvious as bruises or as subtle as a parent neglecting their child. There can never be a good reason for child abuse to occur; but there definitely is a reason behind it .The straying could be the perpetrator; an adult being a parent, relative or friend showing their anger, due to various causes (e.g. stress in the home, work etc) through minor outburst such as yelling at the child or accidentally slapping them over time letting it get out of control and making it a regular occurrence of more severe abuse. Interactionist theory of deviance argues that deviant behaviour is learned. As is other behaviours. Just as deviance is socially constructed; Child abuse is considered as sociological fact as it is not an innate behavioral pattern for human beings to follow. It is mostly a learned behavior usually from interactions with the parents of the abusers. Sociology is the study of society, or to be more precise it is about group interactions within society. We are all part of groups such as school, cultural ethnic groups. One of the first groups that we interact with is with our families. This is where we learn much of what influences us as adults, and if abuse is what is learned as a child, it is most likely to be performed when the abused children grow up.The oxford dictionary of Sociology defines Child abuse as referring to: The maltreatment or injury of a child by an adult or adults. Such abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, or a combination of all three. It might be perpetrated by one person or by several, within a family or outside it, and in public or in private. (Oxford: 2011) Over the years what may have been seen as an act of firm punishment is now; being discovered as a form of deviance. In the chapter Straying: Deviance in Being Sociological, Michael Lloyd makes it clear that norms are a key attribute when defining Deviance. The deviant is one to whom that label has successfully been applied; deviant behavior is behavior that people so label (Becker, 1963, p9).Behaviors that are considered deviant are highly biased.Crime/deviance is defined by those in power. In context in the Kahui child abuse case where the father of the twins was wrongly accused for months over the killing of his twin babies. A stigma was formed which led people to think badly of him. And because of this label it seemed to the public that he was the abuser and that he had done it. Instead of him fighting for his right, because so many people were already against him due to this label, there was nothing he could do about it as a majority of people would not believe him. Until it was found that it was actually the babys mother who was the abuser then was this stigma lifted, and peoples view towards him changed. The damage would have still been there today and will take a while for him to socially construct himself again. Another form of social construction can be seen in Georges Canguilhems analysis of normality. Ian Hackings looping effect links on to the labelling theory as stated in his example person A does not want to be person H. if others think of a person as someone they are not(false accusation, stereotyping) That person will change their behaviours because they are aware of what others are saying about them. For example the deviant; the person doing the child abuse. Or the abuser that becomes out of the child that has been abused, may because of the stereotype of there being previous abuse in their household they may or may not want to live up to that labelling .But because of what others are saying they will get treated like the deviant whether they like it or not creating a looping effect. Harold Garfinkels documentary of identification method revealed that the jury he was studying the jurors came up with the outcome then filled in the reasons. These theories show that deviants are socially constructed through social interactions; the way people are treated influence how they act . And without deviance there would be no social change (Lloyd: 2007) The authors main purpose to introduce the complexity of the relationship between straying and how over time can lead to deviance was supported by including the viewpoints, theories and ideas of different people. Lloyd did not make many assumptions apart from assuming that the reader knew the meaning of straying; saying that it is a term used in everyday talk so we can do without a definition'(Lloyd,2007,p317-318). Through this text Michael Lloyd could be seen as being biased towards deviance being a social fact in society. He addresses the five questions surrounding norms which Sharyn Roach Anleu summarised following Emile Durkheims theory of norms being a social fact. These questions prove that deviance is an area of sociology that is full of debate and competing theories (Lloyd, 2007, p319). By including this and a commentator Colin Sumners claim that, the field reached a dead -end by the late 1970s Lloyd has saved himself from being completely biased by taking into account differe nt viewpoints of the topic. The sociological theories; Beckers labelling theory, Ian Hackings looping effect theory of human kind Harold Garfinkels identification of the documentary method of interpretation and ideas from this chapter help to understand and explain what is happening in the very serious social issue of child abuse in New Zealand.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Advantages of Supply chain management

Advantages of Supply chain management Explain the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a Supply Chain Management (SCM) system. The advantages and disadvantages of Nike implementing a supply chain management system include cost of buying and handling inventory, processing orders, and information systems support. Advantages of implementing a (SCM) by Nike By implementing the process of supply chain management, Nike will be able to set up networks and facilities that transforms raw material into products that will be delivered to customers. This will give Nike a huge advantage over their competitors by helping them use information more efficiently along the entire chain which can result in significant cost savings, it also helps regulate the movement of inventory coming in and going out of the organization, orders will be process much faster than formal times, and predictable delivery with updated information system. The networks in each level must handshake or interact to help connect suppliers to the Manufacturer, to the retailer then the finished product is delivery to the customer in just-in-time (JIT). Implementing supply chain management will enable Nike to be more effective and efficiency also transportation costs will be reduced, cost of inventories will be fair and inexpensive, increase number of capable suppliers, it maximizes the means of transmitting messages and information effectively within the organization and it will help Nike adapt to technology changes more quickly than before. SCM will also help Nike gain the buy-in of all key markets, increase supply chain speed and the bullwhip effect. Disadvantages Implementing Supply chains management in Nike had proven to be very difficult in the past, this is due to the problem cause by the I2 software which required significant customization to make compatible with Nikes legacy systems. Other downfalls of implementing supply chain management system is that it can become highly complex and dynamic in the short-run, switching cost are relatively high, increasing uncertainty, high competitive pressure urges, increase implementation costs. Developing a planning system that effectively coordinates information technology and people is a considerable challenge, changing market conditions, negotiating terms and conditions required huge amount of risk and forecasting. Describe the options for acquiring a SCM system with the advantages and disadvantages of each option. The first option for acquiring a SCM system is implementing an ERP Enterprise Recourse Planning System using the SAP software; ERP system can facilitate SCM Needed production planning and purchasing systems already in place. ERP integrates sales, order, inventory, manufacturer, and customer service activities. One advantage is that it allows sharing production plans along the supply chain to occur in real time and helps them determine whether to buy regionally, establish a collaborative team or appoint a global lead buyer. Other advantages of ERP include efficient business processes, inventory reduction, lead-time reduction, improved customer service, improved decision making, real-time insight into organization and higher profitability. The disadvantages are the combination of the people, procedure, hardware, software and data in the organization or problem in the operational, managerial, and strategic level of the organization. Inadequate or inconsistent data, mistakes in customer ID numbers, and bad customer service. The second option is implementing a Customer Relationship Management Systems. CRM supports the business process of attracting, selling, managing, delivering, and supporting customers. CRM addresses all activities and events related to customers in a single repository data about all customer interaction. CRM also stores all customer data in one place and make it possible to access all data about the customer. CRM will allow Nike to be more flexible, productive and efficient in handling customers private information. Flexibility ensures them to recognize manufacturing issues, to response to design changes requested by the marketplace. Nike will also be able to response to unexpected or uncertainty the company has and will provides the means to adjust to the consequences of inevitable risks, and reduce total costs. However, flexibility is costly, uncertain environments companies with highly flexible supply chains perform better than companies with less flexible supply chains while in ce rtain environments the opposite holds. The disadvantages or implementing CRM include system overload, turnover, inconsistence data, people and hardware and software. Outline the raw material inventory purchasing process from the identification of the need for an item to the supplier payment. To optimizing and regain control over control over production planning Nike must utilize the approach of raw material inventory purchasing process to help increase efficiency, increase lead times and to help increase the rate in which product is being delivered to the customer. When a customer demands for a product or item, the primary retailers sends an order for the product to the major raw material supplier which sends the raw material needed for the production of the product to the manufacturer, then the manufacturer outs all the components of the product together and sends it the distributor. The distributor in turn purchase the require items from the manufacturers, and then distributes the products to the retailer which then delivers the product to the end consumer. From the distributor point all the way back up the supply chain to the raw material suppliers there is no further injection of cash. The money you spend on the product or equipment is passed back up to the supply ch ain as payments for gods or raw material. Customer is the only source of revenue. By reducing numbers of suppliers and increasing efficiencies in the entire distribution chain, manufacturers are able to reduce raw materials inventory. Bennett,R..(2009). Trade Usage and Disclaiming Consequential Damages: The Implications for Just-in-Time Purchasing.American Business Law Journal,46(1),179. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID:1665640451). Describe the potential pitfalls that may be encountered in implementing a SCM system. Along with the great advantages that come with switching to a supply chain management system there are some potential pitfalls that can cause money loss or confusion within the system. The system will be set up with a great deal of rigidity but must also leave room for some exceptions because things do not always run as smooth as they were planned out. The supply chain may not have the same information systems so incorporating the different systems and getting them to work together without confusion may be a hard thing to set up and cause orders to be messed up. The companies within the supply chain may also have different goals which could cause the companies ideals to clash causing different tasks to be taken with more urgency then others. The delivery dates may also not match from the supplier to the retailers causing wrong delivery dates being told to the customer. Customer service expectations may be different from company to company along the chain as well, causing different go als in quality and customer support for the product. Some companies will not have a sufficient information system to receive the information and relay back, which can cause more confusion in the system. Making sure that everyone along the way in the system is trained well enough to deal with any problems that may arise is a big help. Assuming a SCM system is purchased and customized; explain the major tasks that need to be completed in order to implement this system. The tasks should be presented in chronological order. If Nike were to introduce the SCM system they would need to start out with setting up a strategy that the companies can agree with to keep the system working smooth. Getting all the companies on the same page is the crucial first step to setting up a SCM system and will help the companies work together easily. Configuring the system to work with all the companies is the next step, getting compatible information systems or a way to enter the information into each information system is a key in keeping the companies joined in the system. Making sure the constraints of the systems and requirements are right for the use each company needs them for. Figuring out the locations for all the pieces of the system is the next step making sure they will work together to benefit the company and not cause more costs to the companies. Planning the source of resources and the resource requirements to set up and make the system functional is the next step in the process of setting up. Also making sur e that sufficient man power to make the system work properly is in place is very important to having a strong SCM system. Setting up the supply chain controls is the next step, and this consists of deciding which information to keep a watch on and the measurements needed to control the system. The performance of the system needs to be maintained and watched over so these evaluations of the system are important to keeping the system beneficial. The last step would be developing the internal and external relationships, keeping them working together. Identifying the systems needed to keep the information passed to each company is very important so the information doesnt get misinterpreted and orders get messed up. The key to smooth running SCM is communication between the different sectors of the system, if they all receive the right info and can reply back easily then everyone is kept up to date on the time periods. References He,Y.,andJ.Zhang.Random yield supply chain with a yield dependent secondary market.European Journal of Operational Research 206.1(2010):221.ABI/INFORM Global,ProQuest. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. http://proquest.umi.com.libdbauth.nait.ab.ca/pqdweb?did=2004689781sid=1Fmt=2clientId=58918RQT=309VName=PQD Frisk,M.,M.GÃ ¶the-Lundgren,K.JÃ ¶rnsten,andM.RÃ ¶nnqvist.Cost allocation in collaborative forest transportation.European Journal of Operational Research 205.2(2010):448.ABI/INFORM Global,ProQuest. Web. 22 Apr. 2010 http://proquest.umi.com.libdbauth.nait.ab.ca/pqdweb?did=1973809221sid=2Fmt=2clientId=58918RQT=309VName=PQD Su,Y.,andC.Yang.Why are enterprise resource planning systems indispensable to supply chain management?European Journal of Operational Research 203.1(2010):81.ABI/INFORM Global,ProQuest. Web. 22 Apr. 2010.http://proquest.umi.com.libdbauth.nait.ab.ca/pqdweb?did=1897588531sid=7Fmt=2clientId=58918RQT=309VName=PQD Suresh Subramoniam,Mohamed Tounsi,andK V Krishnankutty.The role of BPR in the implementation of ERP systems.Business Process Management Journal 15.5(2009):653.ABI/INFORM Global,ProQuest. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. http://proquest.umi.com.libdbauth.nait.ab.ca/pqdweb?did=1964591951sid=1Fmt=2clientId=58918RQT=309VName=PQD Bennett,R..(2009). Trade Usage and Disclaiming Consequential Damages: The Implications for Just-in-Time Purchasing.American Business Law Journal,46(1),179. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID:1665640451). http://proquest.umi.com.libdbauth.nait.ab.ca/pqdweb?did=1665640451sid=12Fmt=2clientId=58918RQT=309VName=PQD

Monday, August 19, 2019

Analysis of Emily Dickinsons Because I Could Not Stop for Death Essay

Analysis of Emily Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" In regard to Emily Dickinson’s poem, â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death,† Critic Eunice Glenn says: â€Å"In the first two lines Death, personified as a carriage driver, stops for one who could not stop for him. The word ‘kindly’ is particularly meaningful, for it instantly characterizes Death. This comes with surprise, too, since death is more often considered grim and terrible† (Glenn). Critic Charles R. Anderson says, â€Å"Death, usually rude, sudden, and impersonal, has been transformed into a kindly and leisurely gentleman† (Anderson). Both critics seem to agree on the significance of the word â€Å"kindly† in the first two lines of the poem. â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death— / He kindly stopped for me—† (1-2). They take the word â€Å"kindly† for its most common definitions—agreeable, pleasant, benevolent, etc. With further research, however, alternative, as well as more enlightening, definitions become available. The Oxford English Dictionary defines kindly as: â€Å"In accordance with nature; naturally; by natural disposition; characteristically† and â€Å"In the way suitable or appropriate to the nature of the thing; properly, fittingly† (â€Å"Kindly†). These definitions add new insight to the poem. In the superficial sense, Death seemingly performed a charitable act by stopping for the speaker; in application of these less common definitions, however, Death stopping for the speaker was necessary and proper. It was following a fter the natural course of things. Rather than merely suggesting the Death was a charming, courteous carriage driver, the speaker implies that Death was obligated to stop for her; she is unable to stop for him. It is inter... ...s of conducting mortals into eternity. —JAIME SORENSEN, Brigham Young University, Idaho Works Cited Anderson, Charles R. Modern American Poetry. 1 Jan 2002. University of Illinois. 13 Sept. 2005 uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/dickinson/712.htm>. Dickinson, Emily. â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death.† The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Ed. Thomas H. Johnson. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard UP, 1960. Engle, Patricia. â€Å"Dickinson’s ‘Because I Could Not Stop For Death.’† The Explicator 60(2002): 72-75. Glenn, Eunice. Modern American Poetry. 1 Jan 2002. University of Illinois. 13 Sept. 2005 /poets/a_f/dickinson/712.htm>. Kennedy, X.J., Dana Gioia, and Mark Bauerlein. Handbook of Literary Terms. Chelmsford: Courier Corp.,2005.â€Å"Kindly.† Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Evil Iago of Shakespeares Othello Essay -- GCSE English Literatur

"How shall I murder him, Iago?" This one line, spoken by Othello, in Shakespeare's play of the same name speaks volumes of the evil and deceitful nature of the character being spoken to, Iago. The ability to turn a noble, self controlled, respected man such as Othello into a raving, murderous lunatic can only be had by an evil man such as Iago. Iago is conniving, vengeful, vain, ruinous, dishonest, egotistical and paranoid. This makes him one of the most evil men in all of literature. The first of many examples of Iago's villainy occurs in scene one of act one. His vain ego has been hurt. Othello has chosen a "bookish theoric" to be his lieutenant instead of Iago. Iago has this to say of Othello's choice: Forsooth, a great arithmetician, One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost dammed in a fair wife, That never set a squadron in the field Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster--unless the bookish theoric, Wherein the togaed consuls can propose As masterly as he. Mere prattle without practice Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had th' election; And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof At Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on other grounds Christianed and heathen, must be beleed and calmed By debitor and creditor. This countercaster, He, in good time, must his lieutenant be, And I--God bless the mark!--his Moorship's ancient. This position is one Iago expected, not only because of his seniority in battle, but also because of his seniority with Othello himself. Iago clearly shows his vengefulness when he tells Roderigo: â€Å"Call up her father.Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight...†&n... ...bolical plan. He has traded "wife for wife" as Othello has smothered, albeit regretfully, Desdemona. When discovered by Emilia, Othello confesses, saying it was Iago that persuaded him to murder her. Emilia tells Othello too late of the lies told by her husband and she dies at the hands of Iago for her confession. Iago's lies have come to a crescendo and Othello realizes he has been deceived. Othello then commits suicide and we find, in this case, in order for love to conquer all, evil must triumph. As is the case oftentimes in real life, there is no happy ending. Iago is, for the literary world, evil incarnate. He lies and deceives with half-truths, to achieve his revenge, causing distrust and ultimately murder and suicide. This makes Iago one of the most evil, but most memorable characters, if not in all of literature, at least in all of Shakespeare.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Overweight Children Essay

Being overweight is one of the major health problems among the youth of today. In the United States, the number of children becoming overweight is steadily increasing as they allot more time watching TV, playing video games, and surfing or chatting on the Internet (Nemours Foundation, n.d.). According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, from the latter half of 1970s to 2004, the pervasiveness of excessive weight among children 2 to 5 years of age rose to 13.9 percent from 5 percent.   Among children 6 to 11 years of age, it escalated to 18.8 percent from 6.5 percent, while it increased to 17.4 percent from 5 percent among those who are 12 to 19 years of age (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]), 2008). Thus, certain efforts were made by health and education experts to help parents encourage their children to engage in sports, exercise, and eat a healthy, balanced meal. After all, prevention is better than cure. If not taken care of, the excessive weight can make children vulnerable to certain diseases like high blood, diabetes, and other health illnesses (CDC, 2008; Boyse, 2007). Many experts suggest that one of the ways to help these children to lose weight without sacrificing the food that they want to eat is to encourage them to engage in sports and other group activities (Weintraub et al., 2008; Nemours, n.d.; Boyse, 2007). By engaging in physical activities, it will not only help the individual shed body fat, it would also promote self-esteem (Weintraub et al., 2008). Definition, Detection and Causes of Overweight   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being overweight is a result of imbalance between the food intake and the activities needed to spend the energies taken (Daniels, 1997). It is characterized by an exceptionally large volume of body fat with respect to lean body mass (Stopka, 2005). To know if an individual is obese or overweight, his or her body mass index or BMI is computed (Stopka, 2005; Daniels, 1997). This method considers the proportionality of the individual’s weight to his or her height child (Stopka, 2005; Daniels, 1997). The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) states that individuals with BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered as â€Å"overweight,† while those with a BMI of 30 and above is considered as â€Å"obese† (Stopka, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A number of studies have discovered that that breastfeeding is associated with overweight children (Hediger, et al., 2001). Once a mother fails to nurture her child with the practice of breastfeeding, chances are that the child will become overweight in the future. Breastfeeding helps to lower the risk of obesity during the stage of childhood and adolescence (Hediger, et al., 2001). Most cases of overweight among children occur during the adolescence stage when the transition from child to adult happens (Hediger, et al., 2001). The food intake is later on built up as fats if not properly burned out of the body (Hediger, et al., 2001).   Fat distribution is also changed during this stage which also incorporates hormonal influences. The condition also varies according to gender. According to Heidger and his associates (2001), girls are more likely to be overweight than boys.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most individuals on the adolescence stage are busy with their studies and participate in activities that will help them be informed and entertained. Many of them play video games and watch television after school as their own way of overcoming stress and pressures from school. While in the midst of these activities, they also munch junk food and drink sodas. As there are high amounts of calories in unhealthy food and drinks, they make children overweight (Collins, 2007). The incessant rise of fast food chains, consumption of calorie-dense foods and taking too much soft drink bring out more energy intake (Collins, 2007). However, this would not be a problem if the child regularly exercises and participates in activities. Lack of necessary exercise and physical activities also causes children to be overweight. When children eat more calories, they also need to burn more calories (Collins, 2007). Eating food that is detrimental to one’s health without enough physical activities to burn it will guarantee a child to be overweight (Collins, 2007). This is also said to be an environmental cause of obesity due to the technological means of entertainment available for children today. Collins (2007) calls this phenomenon as modern obesity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another cause of being overweight is the genetic roots of the child. The genes of the parents are inherited by children upon birth. Babies who are born to mothers who are overweight are more likely to gain more weight and are less active in actions (Collins, 2007). The metabolism of a child is also inherited from his or her parents. Thus, an obese parent whose metabolism is slow would have children with slow metabolism as well (Collins, 2007). The family eating habits also play a great influence as to why a child becomes overweight. Preparing and laying too much food on the table causes a child to eat more. Shopping and buying unhealthy foods and calorie-rich items will also cause the weight of children to increase (Collins, 2007). Effects of Obesity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Risks are always present once a child is overweight. Chances are that the child will accumulate certain diseases most of which are related to too much calorie, cholesterol and sugar intake. Bone problems are also expected for overweight and obese individuals. The social development of a child is also affected because of being overweight. The overweight children may find it difficult to breathe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Obese children are often inactive and lazy to do physical activities. This causes their hearts to weaken. With their relatively weak heart, it will pump harder than the normal sized individual. This condition is commonly known as cardiovascular abnormalities (Daniels, et al., 1997). Another cardiovascular abnormality that occurs in overweight or obese individuals is the escalation of blood pressure. When a child is obese, the blood pressure is more likely to increase. These cardiovascular abnormalities usually lead to a disease known as left ventricular hypertrophy which is a prevailing condition among obese and overweight children (Daniels, et al., 1997). This disease is characterized by an â€Å"increased left ventricular mass,† along with â€Å"lean body mass, fat mass and abnormalities in the systolic blood pressure† which predicts the accumulation of diseases such as â€Å"coronary heart disease, stroke and sudden death† (p. 804). Hypertension is also common for children with too much weight (Daniels, et al., 1997; Nemours Foundation, n.d.; CDC, 2008; Boyse, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The disease Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is also common among overweight children with a BMI of >30 kg/m2, which, according to adult standard, is counted as â€Å"obese.† According to the National Cholesterol Education Program, acquiring this disease also makes them vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases such as a coronary artery disease (Daniels, et al., 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being overweight also causes a child to mature early. In general, an overweight child’s body develops faster than those who have normal body sizes. Overweight female children also reach the pubertal stage earlier. This may be due to the fact that most overweight female children do not have strenuous activity that can help them lessen their weights. Since most foods taken by obese children are rich in oils and other fatty acids, they are also prone of having pimples, acnes and skin problems (Nemours Foundation, n.d.; CDC, 2008; Boyse, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychological and social problems are also present when a child is overweight. One of the most common issues on this is depression. When a child grows bigger than his or her peers, he or she is more likely to be humiliated and teased in school for having a different body shape. This is a delicate issue which the child may find hard to overcome. It also results in the child’s low self esteem and negative self image (Strauss & Pollack, 2003; Nemours Foundation, n.d.). The normal interaction towards other children is also limited because of this. More often than not, overweight children have fewer friends and their social life is limited to those who accept them as they are. Obese children are more likely to stay at home rather than go out and play with other people. They are isolated which makes them feel depressed, lonely, and stressed out. Teasing overweight children is also said to be associated with increased suicidal tendencies out of frustration and depression. Their condition causes them so many complications physically, emotionally and developmentally (Strauss & Pollack, 2003; Nemours Foundation, n.d.). Prevention of Obesity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is better to prevent being overweight rather than regret it once a child becomes obese. This is not easy to do but it needs to begin as early as childhood days. This should be considered especially for those who are born to overweight parents. Behavior is also one good way of handling childhood obesity. Diminishing unhealthy eating habits and getting right exercise result in a healthier body and lifestyle. In addition, reducing stagnant physical activities like watching television and video games will also lower the chances of being overweight.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Limiting the intake of calories will also stop one from being overweight. Instead of drinking sodas and other carbonated drinks, a child may switch to drinking fresh fruit juices. Fresh juices are healthier instead of artificially made juices. Drinking the recommended number of glasses of water a day (8 to10 glasses) will also help in replenishing lost water in the body and digesting food easily, and therefore, prevent all those fatty food and huge amount of calories from getting stuck in the body. The children should also be advised to avoid eating meals in fast food restaurants, where the meals served contain preservatives and too much food extenders that have more calories (Matheson et. al., 2004). Parents should also encourage their child to eat home cooked meals and convince him or her that these meals are more delicious than those that can be bought outside. (Matheson et. al., 2004). This will also guarantee parents that the food eaten by their child is clean and well-prepared. The parents should also stop preparing large servings for their child, as this entices a child to eat more and makes him or her always expect the same size of serving every meal time (Matheson et. al., 2004). They should also limit the inactivity of children by giving them scheduled time for television and playing computer games (Matheson et. al., 2004). It will also help if a child is encouraged not to eat and watch at the same time. Too much focus on the television program makes a child unaware to the amount of food already consumed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For difficult cases like gene-related obesity, it is important to counter this by doing physical activities. Regular exercise helps to achieve good digestion and good metabolism. Physical activities such as â€Å"biking, walking, and swimming† can also be done with the whole family. These activities also help brings the heart in good condition. Playing ball games also prevents being overweight and helps children become more sociable towards their peers (Campbell et al., 2001). Basketball and soccer are some examples of sports which can help overweight children lose and maintain their weight. At the same time, by engaging in these kinds of group activities, they will enjoy themselves with their peers (Campbell et al., 2001). Indoor physically activities like dancing will also help children lose weight (Campbell et al., 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a recent six-month experiment conducted by Weintraub (2008) and her colleagues among fourth and fifth graders, they divided the 21 participants into two groups. The first group received a health education program after school, while the other was subjected to a soccer program. Midway through the study until the end, a significant decline in BMI was found among participants in the soccer group as compared to those who were in the health education group. In three months, there was also a considerable increase in the everyday average and strenuous physical activities among children in the soccer group. The authors concluded that making overweight and obese children participate in an â€Å"after-school soccer program† is a practical, agreeable, and effective method to control the weight of these children. Excessive weight increases the likelihood of children to acquire fatal diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Being overweight also negatively affects their self-esteem and self-image, leaving them depressed as a result. Encouraging them to eat a balanced diet and do physical activities such as family and school sports can aid overweight children in losing and maintaining a standard weight. This is a great opportunity not only for the children but for the whole family to stay fit and active. References: Boyse, K. (2007, February). Obesity and overweight. University of Michigan Health System. Retrieved April 15, 2008 from http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/obesity.htm Campbell K, Waters E, O’Meara S, & Summerbell C. (2001). Interventions for preventing obesity in childhood: a systematic review. Obesity Review, 2, 149–157. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008, March 4). Overweight and obesity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved April 15, 2008 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/ Collins, Anne (2007). Causes of obesity. Anne Collins. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.annecollins.com/obesity/causes-of-obesity.htm Daniels S.R., Khoury P.R., & Morrison J.A. (1997, June). The utility of body mass index as a measure of body fatness in children and adolescents: differences by race and gender. Pediatrics, 99 (6), 804–807. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from Pediatrics Database. Matheson D.M., Killen J.D., Wang Y., Varady A, & Robinson T.N. (2004). Children’s food   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   consumption during television viewing. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79 (6), 1088–1094. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from the AJCN Database. Nemours Foundation (n.d.). Overweight and obesity. KidsHealth. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/overweight_obesity.html Hediger M.L., Overpeck M.D., Kuczmarski R.J., & Ruan W.J. (2001). Association between infant breastfeeding and overweight in young children. The Journal of American Medical Association, 285 (19), 2453–2460. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from JAMA Database. Stopka, C. B. (2005) Chapter 18: Students with temporary disabilities and other special conditions. In J. Winnick (Ed.),   Instructors Manual, Adapted Physical Education and Sport, 4th Edition (pp. 323-340). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Strauss R.S. & Pollack H.A. (2003). Social marginalization of overweight children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 157, 746–752. Retrieved April 15, 2008 from Archpredriatics Database. Weintraub, D.L., Tirumalai, E.C., Haydel, F., Fujimoto, M., Fulton, J.E., & Robinson, T.S. (2008). Team sports for overweight children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 162 (3), 232-237. Retrieved April 15, 2008 from Archpredriatics Database.