Professional Athletes and Illegal Steroid Use

Athletes of the modern sports are pushing their body to the limits, not only through rigid practice and training, new techniques and strategies but also by enhancing or altering the body’s physiological make up.   Admittedly, the use of drugs in today’s sport is widespread.   Statistics show that athletes even the amateur ones as young as 12 years old are already taking steroids or drugs to enhance their performance in their respective fields. In a survey conducted by the NCAA in 2004, it was reported that among 19-22 year-olds, 18.9% of them responded that they knew friends within the same age bracket who are taking steroids and who are playing a sport and 3% of high school seniors are using steroids as performance enhancers, how much more for the professional athletes who have a lot more at stake than just name, reputation, medal and trophy.So what are steroids and why has it raised so many clamors, not only among the field of sports but also among the field of sc ience?   If an athlete takes steroids, would it be tantamount to cheating as he is not utilizing his own body’s capabilities but that of a drug?  Ã‚   Drugs commonly referred to as steroids are classified as anabolic, androgenic, and corticosteroids.   Corticosteroids are used to control inflammation.   Anabolic steroids which have been the object of media attention are the kind of drugs which is used by athletes and body builders to improve and bulk up their profile and body’s physiology. Anabolic is a Greek word which means to â€Å"build up† and these are synthetic hormones that cause the body to produce more muscle at the same time preventing muscle break down.  Ã‚   In the United States, it is illegal to take anabolic steroids without prescription from a doctor.   Androgenics or androstenedione (andros) is a lesser or weaker kind of anabolic steroid.   It primarily works by increasing testosterone and muscle proteins and many of weigh lifters take this steroid.The Benefits of SteroidsThe human body produces steroids naturally.   In the case of anabolic steroids, they resemble the chemical structure of the male sex hormone testosterone.   It facilitates the development of the male secondary sexual characteristics as well as facilitating muscle growth.   [Hobart, Sarah]. But just like any other development in science, steroids were not developed in order to enhance an athlete’s capabilities.   Rather it was developed in the 1930s in order to treat hypogonadism.   People with such disorder do not produce enough testosterone and the use of steroid helps replace the much needed testosterone.   Such success caught up with the athletes.   In 1956 Olympics, Russian athletes who used steroids were observed to be using catheters when urinating.   Ironically, the athletes had trouble urinating because their prostates have enlarged because of the excessive use of the drug.Subsequent observations and studies ha ve manifested the benefits of the use of steroids by professional athletes.   Weight lifters who used steroids were seen to have increased their muscle strength and muscle growth. In comparison to those weight lifters who used steroids, those who took placebo or did not take anything at all showed a very slow increase in muscle growth and strength.   Steroids not only enhance the athletic performance of athletes, it also provide for the development of a physically fit, tighter and toner body not only for men but also for women.The Risks and EffectsJust like any other drug, steroids have also its share of risks and side effects.   One of the particular concerns of health officials over steroid use for a prolonged period is liver damage, increased risk in heart disease.   The side effects of the steroid use are also severe.   For men who use steroids, they tend to develop â€Å"breasts† or gynecomastia, painful prolonged erection (priapism) and edema due to water and sodium retention.   In the case of the Russian athletes in 1956, they had trouble urinating due to the enlargement of their prostates.  Ã‚   Cardiovascular problems also occur due to the increase of â€Å"bad† cholesterol or the low-density lipoprotein levels instead of enhancing the â€Å"good† cholesterol or the high-density lipoprotein levels.   With these harmful physical effects, psychological problems also come up.   There was an indication that man who takes steroids showed behavioral changes like being aggressive.On the other hand, women who use steroids suffer irreversible damages unlike the men who can correct what ever side effect they have after discontinuing the use of such drug.   Women develop facial hair growth, enlarged clitoris, and coarser skin.   They also increase the same cardiovascular problems like the men do.   Women also are at risk of infertility and other reproductive disorders.   Admittedly, professional athletes both men an d women still continue to use illegal steroids disregarding the risks even death because of their desire to win.EthicsThe debate of the use of steroids is not only limited to the health concerns.   Rather, the use of steroids by professional athletes is centered on ethics. One argument over steroid use by professional athletes is that it is a form of cheating.   When using steroids as performance enhancing drugs, they tend to depend on the drugs capability instead of their own.   Athletes using performance-enhancers seek to increase their athletic ability via drugs rather than through the training process, which requires true commitment and effort on the part of the athlete (â€Å"Steroids: Play Safe,† 2004).The athletes who are the center and the heart of the game use steroids to win or better their chances in winning, they gave into the power of the drugs over them instead of wielding and showcasing their strengths.   This is ultimately being unfair to other athlete s and professional players who only depend on their prowess, not of the drugs.   And since professional athletes play to win, as they are paid to do so, those who do not use steroids are extremely pressured to use them too in order to compete with the other athletes who have exceedingly enhanced performance.Another point raised on the ethical perspective of the use of steroid is that such use of a performance-enhancing drug allows professional athletes to tap into their undiscovered potentials. Although as discussed above, the athletes are the hearts of the game and they should be the one controlling it, not some drug, still with the aid of the drug, they are only harnessing their potentials to full use.   The privacy and the rights of the athletes to do to his body whatever he thinks is beneficial to him must be respected. Providing a stricter regulation on the use of steroid among professional athletes will not solve the problem.The decision to use or not to use such drug must be left to the discretion of the athlete.   The use of steroids among professional athletes may ultimately have been the result of â€Å"media hype†, and the ban on the use of such has been based on moral panic. By the making the use of steroids criminal, through drug testing may be even the cause of more health risks for the athletes.   As it is impossible to acquire the drug through a doctor, they instead turn to the underground or black market.   Instead of providing adequate help to the athletes who may limit or control the use of such drugs, banning it is ultimately forcing them to continue using steroids thereby driving them to further health risks in the first place.Athletes especially the professional ones are the role models of society especially the youth.   They have been looked up to by the society as pillars that are looked up to.   While each individual have the rights to do what he thinks is best for his own self, the state or the government can stil l impose regulations among its citizens especially if it concerns the health of many. The question of ethics should not come first but the health concerns.Although there have been reports and studies about the long time effects of the use of steroids, published cases of tumors and cancer-related cases, health experts and researchers do not exactly know the consequences   of steroid abuse   Ã‚  Even with all the data and reports submitted by researchers and users alike, still this are not conclusive and may be inaccurate. And so the federal government has issued a ban on the use of such.   Possession of steroids with the intent of distributing it is considered illegal and punishable by law.   Likewise, the use of steroids in sports is considered to be a violation of sports leagues and councils even the ethics of sportsmanship.But even with all the ban and regulation made by the government for the use of steroids especially in professional sports, many athletes still continue to use it despite warnings of its risks.   As drug testing is one way of determining whether an athlete is using steroids or not, professional athletes have found a way to go about and escape such drug testing. Just like the Ben Johnson who failed to bring home the gold in the 1988 Summer Olympics when he tested positive for steroids.   The catch is, he took 19 drug tests before that before he failed in the Seoul Games which eventually led to the forfeiture of his gold medal.   Ultimately, it is really up to the athlete whether he will use steroids to enhance his athletic performance or not notwithstanding the ban and regulation made by the federal government and the question of ethics as well.Reference:Bahrke, M.S., and C.E. Yesalis.   â€Å"The Future of Performance-Enhancing Substances in Sport.† The Physician and Sports Medicine , 2002, 30(11):1-21.Chuey, Daniel, Introduction to Benefits and Risks     www.biodavidson.edu accessed 1/30/06Chyka, P.A.. â€Å"And rogenic-anabolic steroids.† Clinical Toxicology. Philadelphia.WB Saunders, 2001, 595-601.Hobart, Sarah, â€Å"Athlete Use and Abuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs â€Å"www.biodavidson.edu accessed 1/30/06NCAA. â€Å"NCAA Drug-Testing Results 2002-2003.† Accessed 01/30/06 2003.2004. â€Å"Steroids: Play Safe, Play Fair.† American Academy of Pediatrics. . 1 Oct. 2004.

Genetically Modified Foods: a Growing Concern Essay

Living in America, we sometimes forget what a huge problem malnutrition and starvation are in other parts of the world. It’s estimated that over 852 million people in the world are severely food deprived. Now, imagine a world where no one goes hungry, a farmer’s crop can survive a long drought or an early frost and still produce a large harvest, and harmful insects and weeds cannot survive in the same field as a crop. Imagine a world where malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies are a thing of the past, because the food we eat is so much more nutritious. Some scientists believe that, through new technology, this world could be a reality in our lifetime. I’m talking about genetically modified foods, or GM foods for short. People have been genetically altering foods for hundreds of years, but due to recent technological advancements, the potential of these foods have changed drastically. Many scientists believe that genetically modifying foods could help end world hunger while others say that it could result in human and environmental catastrophe. Although there are many potential risks there are also many potential benefits. Like the old saying goes, â€Å"with great power comes great responsibility. † Like almost all new technologies, genetically modified food technology needs to be closely monitored and evaluated as it progresses. Ultimately, genetically modified food technology has too much potential to be completely halted. So just what exactly is genetically modified food? In short, genetically modified foods are organisms that have had their DNA artificially changed to give them a new characteristic. Normally, these modifications are made to produce plants that are resistant to herbicides and pesticides, produce more food, have more nutrients, grow faster, or survive in harsher climates than usual. However, there have also been more unusual experiments done. According to American Scientist Magazine, a gene from a jellyfish has been spliced into plants to make them emit light. In another case the Monsanto Corporation (the largest genetically modified food company in the world) is developing grass seed that will produce different colored lawns. These altered organisms are commonly called genetically engineered, genetically modified, transgenic, or â€Å"Franken-foods†. Genetically engineered foods first went on the market in 1994. The product was a tomato engineered by a company called Calgene. The species of the tomato was called the FlavrSavr. Ironically, it was considered to have a mediocre flavor and never sold well. The FlavrSavr was a commercial failure and was off the market by 1997. Despite the early failure of the FlavrSavr, GM foods have flourished in the last ten years. Odds are you’ve eaten many genetically modified foods and not even known it. Currently, The Grocery Manufacturers of America estimate that 75% of processed foods in the U. S. contain at least one genetically modified ingredient. Although, genetically engineered foods have only been in production for the last 15 years, humans have been altering the DNA of plants for ages. For centuries, people have been using artificial selection to cross-breed plants. For example, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage have all derived from the same species of mustard. However, the process of artificial selection is very difficult and time consuming. Artificial selection is also limited to only plants of similar species. Fortunately, recent advancements in technology have made it possible to move DNA from one species to another regardless of their differences. The process behind GM foods is very difficult and complex, so this is a very simplified explanation of how it works. There are two main methods of genetically modifying foods. The first method uses bacteria to modify the DNA. First, the scientist uses enzymes to cut the desired gene out of the DNA. The gene is then coupled by a promoter and a terminator, these act as signposts to show the beginning and the end of the desired gene. Next, the gene is inserted into section of DNA called a plasmid. The plasmid is then inserted into bacteria. Finally, the bacteria are used to infect the plant cells, where they transfer the gene into the plant cell’s chromosome. The second method is more advanced but also more expensive than the first method. Here, the desired gene is cut from the DNA then attached to a tiny particle of gold or tungsten. Next, the particles are shot into the plant cells using a particle gun or â€Å"biolistic† gun. Lastly, the desired gene falls off of the particle and attaches to the chromosome. After insertion is achieved, the cell is allowed to divide so it makes copies of itself. Once the plants start to grow, they are tested to see if the gene was successfully transferred. Along with the original desired gene, a marker gene is also implanted in the cell. This is used as an easily identifiable trait. This way, all the scientist needs to do is look for this trait and if it is there then they know the desired gene was transferred successfully too. Through those two methods, scientists have been able to do amazing things. The potential benefits of genetically modifying foods are incredible. First off, there are many obvious benefits for the farmer. Their crops will be better because of advantages like herbicide tolerance and insect resistance. Another thing is that GM crops are being altered to withstand harsher weather and generate more food. Also, the farmer doesn’t have to spray his field as much, cutting down on the amount of fuel he uses. It’s estimated that GM foods have indirectly allowed farmers to cut back by 475 million gallons of fuel over the past nine years, which cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions. There are even more benefits for the consumer. Because of increased production, there is more food, which in turn means cheaper food. Also, genetic engineering makes it possible for foods to taste better and be more nutritious. In fact, scientists at The University of Pittsburg School of Medicine recently engineered a pig that generates Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3’s are substances that help prevent cardiovascular disease. If this is approved by the FDA we could soon have pork that is actually good for your heart. Another group of scientists have created what they call â€Å"golden rice. † This is rice that contains beta carotene and vitamin A. Many nations rely heavily on rice as their main food source and this will immensely help those people get the nutrients they need. Another crop has been created that ripens much slower after being picked, so it can be shipped longer distances before rotting. Even with all of these benefits, genetically modified foods are still very controversial. Many people think GM foods are very dangerous and could result in human and environmental catastrophe. Some critics think that, much like bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics, insects could become resistant to the pesticides used on GM crops, making them more difficult to deal with in the future. Also, new plants could produce new allergens and toxins that the human body is unfamiliar with. The majority of GM foods being produced are resistant to herbicides. Researchers believe that this will cause farmers to use more herbicides on their crops. In turn, this could result in pollution that could be harmful to humans and the environment. Another concern is that, through cross-pollination, weeds and other plants could pick up the modified gene and become resistant to the very chemicals that are used to kill them. Although there seems to be many concerns over genetically modifying foods, no study has been done that shows any major risk associated with GM foods. The genetically modified food business continues to steadily grow despite public ignorance and uncertainty. Between 1996 and 2003 the amount of land being used to grow GM plants was increased by 40 times over. It is estimated that over 200 million acres of farm land are now devoted to growing GM plants. In 2000, only three countries made up for 98% of the global GM crop. America produces 68%, Argentina accounts for 23%, and Canada is responsible for 7%. Recently European governments and businesses have been pushing to boost their own GM food production. Nevertheless, according to a recent survey by The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, Americans are still very uncomfortable with GM foods. The survey showed that the majority of Americans know little to nothing about genetically engineered plants and animals, but it also showed that American consumers do not support banning the new technology, but rather want regulations put in place to ensure that the new products are safe. Regardless of how the public feels, we can expect to see more genetically modified foods in the future and exponential growth in the biotechnology business. Some ideas that developers have already mentioned are bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases, fish that mature quicker, fruit and nut trees that mature quicker, and plants that produce new plastics that have unique properties. As soon as more long-term research is done we can expect to see an explosion of unique new GM products on the market. Ultimately, genetically modified plant technology has too much potential to be completely halted. Right now, most scientists agree that there is no proof that GM foods pose any threat to people or the environment. With proper evaluation and responsibility, genetically modified foods could help solve world hunger. That is a goal too great to be ignored because of possible threats. There are many potential risks associated with GM foods, but the potential benefits far outweigh them. Works Cited Black, Richard. â€Å"Europe Urged to Embrace GM Foods. † BBC News. 12 Sept. 2004. 15 April 2006 . Chaudry, Arshad. â€Å"Genetically Modified Foods. † BioTeach. 16 April. 2006 . Eat This. † Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. Dir. Mark Wolper. Perf. Pen Jillette and Teller. 2003. DVD. Showtime Entertainment. 2004. Fagan Ph. D. , John B. â€Å"Genetically Engineered Food- a Serious Health Risk. † NetLink. 15 April 2006 . Flynn, Kara. â€Å"Trade War over Biotech Food: Now, Later, or Never. † Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology. 13 Feb. 2003. 16 Apr. 2006 â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. † Wikipedia. 16 Apr. 2006. 17 Apr. 2006 Lemonick, Michael D. â€Å"Eat Pork, Prevent Heart Disease?. † TIME Magazine. 27 Mar. 2006. Marvier, Michelle. â€Å"Ecology of Transgenic Crops. † American Scientist Magazine 89 (Mar. 2001): 160-167. Nash/Zurich, J. Madeleine. â€Å"Grains of Hope. † TIME Magazine. 31 July 2000. Rifkin, Jeremy. â€Å"Biotech Century: Playing Ecological Roulette with Mother Nature’s Designs. † The Presence of Others. Ed. Andrea A Lundsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2004 287-97.

Malaysian Culture Essay

Malaysia has a multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multilingual society. The original culture of the area stemmed from indigenous tribes that inhabited it, along with the Malays who later moved there. Substantial influence exists from Chinese and Indian culture, dating back to when foreign trade began. Other cultural influences include the Persian, Arabic, and British cultures. Due to the structure of the government, coupled with the social contract theory, there has been minimal cultural assimilation of ethnic minorities. Traditional Malaysian art was mainly centred around the areas of carving, weaving, and silversmithing.[181] Traditional art ranges from hand-woven baskets from rural areas to the silverwork of the Malay courts. Common artworks included ornamental kris, beetle nut sets, and woven batik and songket fabrics. Indigenous East Malaysians are known for their wooden masks.[94] Each ethnic group have distinct performing arts, with little overlap between them. However, Malay art does show some North Indian influence due to the historical influence of India. Traditional Malay music and performing arts appear to have originated in the Kelantan-Pattani region with influences from India, China, Thailand and Indonesia. The music is based around percussion instruments, the most important of which is the gendang (drum). There are at least 14 types of traditional drums. Drums and other traditional percussion instruments and are often made from natural materials. Music is traditionally used for storytelling, celebrating life-cycle events, and occasions such as a harvest. It was once used as a form of long-distance communication.[183] In East Malaysia, gong-based musical ensembles such as agung and kulintang are commonly used in ceremonies such as funerals and weddings. These ensembles are also common in neighbouring regions such as in the southern Philippines, Kalimantan in Indonesia, and Brunei. Malaysia’s cuisine reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population.[186] Many cultures from within the country and from surrounding regions have greatly influenced the cuisine. Much of the influence comes from the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Javanese, and Sumatran cultures,[94] largely due to the country being part of the ancient spice route.[187] The cuisine is very similar to that of Singapore and Brunei,[107] and also bears resemblance to Filipino cuisine.[94] The different states have varied dishes,[107] and often the food in Malaysia is different from the original dishes.[142]

The traditional view of the legal supremacy of the UK Parliment Essay

The traditional view of the legal supremacy of the UK Parliment withstood all challenges to it. The UK's membership of the European Union has though finally ki - Essay Example on of the statute by both the Houses of Parliament and the grant of Royal Assent for those statutes, then the courts do not question the validity or legitimacy of the statutes; and only apply them. In Edinburgh & Dalkeith Railway Co. v Wauchope, the plaintiff railway company had obtained a private Act for its purposes. The defendant approached the court and argued that this private Act was detrimental to his interests and that it affected him unfavourably. He beseeched the court to examine the legitimacy of the Act. The court refused to intervene in the matter on the grounds that the Act had been passed in both the Houses of Parliament, and that it had also received the Royal Assent. Consequently, the court rejected the plea of the defendant. Thus, courts comply with statutes that have been properly enacted by Parliament (Edinburgh & Dalkeith Railway Co. v Wauchope). The tendency of courts in dealing with the legitimacy of statutes, enacted by Parliament was clearly exhibited in Ex Parte Canon Sewyn (Ex Parte Canon Sewyn) and Pickin v British Railways Board (Pickin v British Railways Board). The Factortame case challenged this sovereignty and compelled the English courts to suspend legislation that had been enacted by Parliament in due course. As such the Factortame case proved to be a major blow to the constitutional provisions of Parliamentary sovereignty. In R v. Secretary of State for Employment (R v Secretary of State for Employment, ex p. Equal Opportunities Commission); the House of Lords, on the basis of the Factortame decision, adopted a much more liberal approach. The Factortame decision had clearly demarcated the sovereignty of the Parliament; and this made it possible for their Lordships to bring about far reaching changes to the constitution. In this regard, their Lordships, refrained from instructing the Secretary of State and they also did not inform him that the EC law was being breached by him. The House of Lords restricted their intervention to

Retroviridae Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Retroviridae - Essay Example Based on the similarities in amino acid sequences in the reverse transcriptase proteins of retroviruses (Coombs, Medscape, the retroviruses can be classified into: alpharetroviruses, betaretroviruses, gammaretroviruses, deltaretroviruses, epsilonretroviruses, lentiviruses and spuma-viruses (Table-1). The alpharetroviruses, betaretroviruses, and gammaretroviruses are considered simple retroviruses; the deltaretroviruses, epsilonretroviruses, lentiviruses, and spuma-viruses are considered complex (Coombs, Medscape). Avian sarcoma and leukosis viral group, mammalian B-type viral group, murine leukemia-related viral group, human T-cell leukemia–bovine leukemia viral and D-type viral group were formerly known as oncogenic retroviruses (Coffin, NCBI). Retroviruses are further classified into simple and complex categories based on the organization of their genomes. There are 3 major coding domains which are common to all the retroviruses. These domains have information for virion proteins. The domains are known as gag, pol and env. Gag directs the synthesis of internal virion proteins that form the matrix, the capsid, and the nucleoprotein structures. Pol contains the information for the reverse transcriptase and integrase enzymes and env contains information for the synthesis of the surface and transmembrane components of the viral envelope protein. In addition to all these major coding domains, there is one smaller coding domain common to all retroviruses. It is called pro and it codes for the virion protease. Simple retroviruses are those which carry only this elementary information. All oncogenic members except the human T-cell leukemia virus–bovine leukemia virus (HTLV-BLV) genus are simple retroviruses. Complex retrov iruses code for additional regulatory non-virion proteins derived from multiple spliced messages. The additional coding domains include tat, rev, etc.

The nature of pension plans with focus on defined contribution pension Research Paper

The nature of pension plans with focus on defined contribution pension plans and defined benefit pension plans - Research Paper Example â€Å"Actually, an individual who periodically invests in stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit (CDs), or other investments for the purpose of saving for retirement is establishing a personal pension fund. Often, such individual plans take the form of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) to take advantage of tax breaks offered by that arrangement† (Part A: The nature of Pension Plans n.d. p. 1010). Pension funds must be controlled. They have managerial responsibilities? create decisions on the subject of benefits and entitlements and, in some cases, guarantee that long-term duties are met in the circumstance of uncertainty and risk. As such, it is debatable that pension funds are like other financial organizations, which have objectives and goals in addition to procedures that help attain these objectives and goals are realized. Pension plans often increase productivity, decrease turnover, gratify union demands and permit employers to fight in the labor market. Corporations set up pension plans for various reasons. Sponsorship of such plans provides workers with an amount of security during the time of retirement and accomplishes a moral duty felt by many employers. This security also encourages the level of job satisfaction and possibly loyalty that might increase productivity and decrease turnover. Defined Contribution Plans: A defined-contribution plan is a kind of plan in which workers’ benefit for the period of retirement depends on the contributions made as well as the performance of the investment of the assets in his or her account, rather than on the workers’ years of service or history of earnings. Like a classic savings account, a defined-contribution account includes a particular balance at any given time, which is up to the market value of the assets gathered in the account. Unlike in the case of a defined-benefit plan, workers have significant control over how the donations and contributions to their plan are invested and ma y normally prefer an assortment of stocks (frequently including company stock), mutual funds, bonds, and other investment vehicles. These pension plans assure fixed yearly contributions to the pension fund (say, 5% of the workers pay). Employees prefer (from designated alternatives) where funds are invested generally? that is? in fixed-income or stocks securities. Retirement disburse depends on the volume of the fund available during retirement. In a defined contribution plan, investment rewards and investment risks are assumed by every worker or retiree and not by the employer or sponsor. This risk could be considerable. Based on simulations from safety returns over the 20th century across 16 states, there can be seen substantial variation in pension fund ratios across both the country as well as different time periods in the same country. â€Å"There are several types of defined contribution plans, including money purchase plans, profit-sharing plans, 401(k) arrangements, savings plans, and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). These are described briefly below† (Defined Benefits and Defined Contribution Plans: Understanding the Differences, n.d. p. 2). Advantages: Observe money and develop

Enzymes activity Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Enzymes activity - Lab Report Example The three sets of reactions were prepared by adding varying amounts of 0.25M sucrose and distilled water. In one set, 0.2 ml of 75mM of magnesium chloride was added, and in another set, an equal amount of 4M Urea was added as inhibitors to the reaction. Reactions in living organisms are slow, enzymes speed up the reactions so as to maintain life. The enzymes control the reactions by ensuring that every reaction is catalyzed by a specific enzyme and at a particular point in a cell. They have a tertiary structure and are folded in a conformation that many intramolecular interactions of amino acids that make up the molecule. They are not used up in the reactions therefore can be used in several reactions. They are substrate specific that is they fold in a shape assisted by chaperone proteins that will determine which substrate the enzyme will act upon. Coenzymes and cofactors aid enzymes in their functions. Enzymes can be denatured by extremes in temperature and pH. Competitive inhibitors, noncompetitive inhibitors and allosteric inhibitors regulate enzyme activity. The enzymes do not change the reactions’ equilibrium since the free energies of the reactants or products are not changed. Enzymes are catalysts that are protein in nature that increase the rate of a chemical reaction by providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower free energy of activation. The reaction is usually expressed as In enzyme kinetics, the Michaelis Menten reaction relates the reaction rate (ÃŽ ½) to [S] which is the concentration of a substrate. The Km and the Vmax of an enzyme can be determined from determination of the initial rates of the enzyme catalyzed reactions over the concentration of the substrate. The maximum rate achieved is Vmax while Km is the Michaelis constant, is the substrate concentration at which the reaction rate is half of Vmax. Km varies from one enzyme to another but is

Sap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sap - Essay Example These posting keys are also crucial in controlling entries to be made in the line items. A statistical key figure is utilized in allocating internal costs between different cost centers that utilize services related to other cost centers (Padhi, 168). In this case, statistical key figures can be machine hour or the head count of any cost center. During the processing of a sales order, SAP R/3 utilizes a system of allocating prices to materials and products known as the condition technique. In allocating costs, there are three distinct methods utilized under SAP. The assessment method transfers primary and secondary costs from the dispatching cost center to the receiving control object. During utilization of this method, various business processes and cost centers can take the place of the sender, whereas a cost object, internal order or a cost center are the receivers of the assessment. The user can restrict the number of receiver categories through customization, where both the prim ary and secondary postings are allocated at the end of each period through utilization of user defined keys (Padhi, 175). With the distribution method, primary costs are transferred to receiving controlling objects form the sender cost center. In this method, the sender is restricted to cost centers and business processes only. The receiver can be an internal order, cost center or a business process. Primary postings are collected an each cost center and allocated through use of the user defined key at the end of each period. Under this method, distribution is restricted to primary costs, whereas the original cost elements remain unchanged. However, reversal of distributions is possible (Padhi, 180). Qn.2 CO documents are those controlling documents available to the company and are generated by the SAP system. These documents are mostly used for control purposes by the management. These documents include invoices and memos for utilization by customers and vendors. Included in this l ist are vendor and customer payment as well as general document whose transactions are posted in the general ledger account (Periodic Reposting). Financial accounting (FI) deals with analyzing finances available to the business and presenting the analysis in a balance sheet and income statement among other financial statements. In financial accounting, memos and invoices are classified as source documents. These source documents are utilized in preparation of income statements and balance sheet at the end of a financial year (Principles of accounting.com). CO documents are not the original documents but are utilized a source documents since they display a complete original document so long as proper accounting entries are made. These documents can be relied on since in case of a defective line item, the use can trigger corrective postings from the report or document generated. Source documents are mostly utilized by those businesses that do not maintain complete records for their tr ansactions. In preparation of financial statements of a business that maintains incomplete records, the accountant starts by making adjusting entries on trail balance and journal entries in the general ledger. There is need for the user to make adjusting entries before

Discuss the extent to which rape is central to heroic mythical Research Paper

Discuss the extent to which rape is central to heroic mythical narratives of the Greeks and Romans. What is the effect of associ - Research Paper Example Narratives based on the theme of love often depicted rapes of mortal women by male gods. Such interactions led to the conception and subsequent birth of heroic offspring. When analyzing rape in heroic narratives from its references in art, it is seen that rape was used to develop and project social normality or otherwise. Moorti observes that rape is a central theme in Greek mythology (203). The degree of importance given to rape shows the elements of patriarchy and male supremacy as well as the normality of violent acts with women. The narratives that have been written after 5 BC show that rape was increasingly used as a means of blurring and comfortably transgressing the boundaries between the divine and the mortals. It was also used as a way of expressing identity and personal limits. It served a heuristic purpose, trying to provide solutions for questions relating to existence, religion and politics. Moorti contends that the metaphorical use of rape for taking into consideration major issues should not be regarded as an atavistic practice or linked to a recurrence due to genetics (203). On the contrary, its use shows how legal and illegal issues related to sexuality are addressed. The liberal use of rape in Greek and Roman mythology raises questions regarding the intention behind it. It is observed that one of the reasons why rape was used commonly was that it depicted power and rank. The tales of narratives were in fact representations of the lifestyle and ways of living of the Greeks and the Romans. The social and cultural norms of the civilizations were such that men had the authority to rape women to punish them or simply to assert their control and authority over them. Rape was also carried out by gods for the same reasons. Gods used rape as a tool for asserting the connections and importance of familial relations between them. Despite the fact that the Romans and the Greeks were cultured people, rape was inflicted by men on women on a common scale and the same element was portrayed in heroic narratives. When studying Greek mythology, one can conclude that most of them are largely patriarchal and served to facilitate the image and position of the males in the society (Harris and Platzner 850). By showing that gods also raped, the males were able to justify their actions and prove that they cannot be wrong if they were carried out by gods too (Xanders). Rape in heroic narratives did not have any stigma or negative consequences associated with it. A similar claim is asserted by Smith (12). Smith is of the point of view that drinking and sexual abuse were rampant in the ancient times. Men used to carry out such acts without any remorse or fear because they were characteristic of religious elements and did not embody the disgrace of any misconduct. One such behavioral analogy representing alcohol-induced rape in Greek mythology can be found in the conduct and character of Satyr. Satyr was a forest being which was related to the god o f wine, Dionysus. Satyr indulged itself in excessive wine consumption and rapes of women (Smith 12). Other instances of rape in Greek mythology are seen in Helen’s kidnapping from Sparta, the rape of Alcippe and the rape of Protogeneia by Zeus to name a few (Simon 4). Woodard is of the perspective that when looking at the study of causes, there is an apparent pattern of seeing the human status as that of a victim (366). This is manifested in the supremacy of the gods over the mortals. The early narratives of

Financial Motivation in University Students Research Proposal

Financial Motivation in University Students - Research Proposal Example One major factor that can be considered as the potential main motivation behind a student’s work rate is the goals that they wish to achieve in the future. For many youths, the concept of education making an individual a better and well-rounded person is not enough to keep their noses in the books when they have the chance to go out and do something that they find more entertaining and no-one to stop them. Therefore, when talking with regard to the future, material possessions and status can be considered more effective drives to make an individual study harder. However, other sources of motivation that do not relate to financial success should also be taken into consideration as the wealth is not the only factor to motivate individuals. For example, an individual who has been raised in a wealthy family with the assurance of financial security whether he succeeds in his quest for higher learning or not will be motivated by the thought of financial success as this is already av ailable to them. Other sources of motivation will be studied in such cases such as respect from their peers as well as pride; one may be motivated to excel in their education to prove that they are not dependent upon their family’s financial cushion and are able to make it in life without such assistance (Lara & Norton, 2009).The temptations that are present in the life of a university are many and the need for a strong motivation is a necessity should one want to succeed in overcoming them and going on to excel.

The Crucible - Write two diary extracts Essay Example for Free

The Crucible Write two diary extracts Essay The other night the other girls and I went out to the woods with Tituba. We were dancing to Titubas song. I should not really be telling you this but I drank a blood charm and Mercy was dancing naked also. Parris saw us in the woods. When we saw him, we all ran away. We forgot about the kettle in the grass. He didnt know that I had drunk blood and I made sure that the girls would not say anything more than that we danced. The charm was to kill Proctors wife, Elizabeth. Shes a lying, cold, snivelling woman. Proctor is the love of my life. He could have so much better than her-he could have me! I heard that Betty was lying still and she would not wake up, I was worried at first but when I went to see her I realised it was just an act to get her out of trouble for dancing. Shes young and very worried. I shook her and frightened her and then she woke up. I told her that her Papa knew about the dancing- that I had told him. She mentioned the charm, I was worried. I still am worried that somebody might find out. I threatened the girls. I know they wont disobey ME. Theyre young and feeble. If anyone spills, Ill get them in the black of the night! Uncle was interrogating me about it all day. He was accusing me of witchcraft. He asked me if I had cast spells. I blamed it all on Tituba. Tituba cast all the spells-we couldnt have cast spells without her! Its all her fault, but deep down I know it isnt her fault. I couldve stopped it. I didnt have to cast spells but I wanted to. I swore blind and told him I did nothing but dance. I didnt want to lie, but if anyone found out that I had cast spells Id be in serious trouble. The only punishment for dancing is whipping! I spoke with John earlier. I know that he desires me but he just can not bring himself to say it. I get so angry when I think about that evil woman at home waiting for him. How come she can have him but I cant? Shes even blackening my name in the village now! Im just waiting and waiting until he realises what is best for him-until he comes for me! I was scared of Hale-hes a powerful man. I had to lie to him over and over again. Uncle told Hale that he saw a kettle in the grass, so then all I got was questions and questions. I thought I was in trouble when I mentioned the frog, but I saved myself by blaming Tituba! I told them that she made me drink blood and cast the spells. Tituba tried to save herself but, of course, they believed ME! The conversation became too complicated so I decided to confess. I opened myself, I told them I wanted the light of God, to leave the Devil and to go back to Jesus! I cried out, I saw Sarah Good with the devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! Betty woke up and joined in with me. I blamed only the old at first, but Ive yet to call out Elizabeths name! I dont mean to harm the old but theres no way that Im getting in trouble for it, and if that means them being hanged-so be it! It was perfect, it was hard proof, hard as rock! PROCTOR Dear diary, I came in from planting very late today. I had to finish right to the forest edge, and it was very tiring. I was glad to come home and see Elizabeth had cooked me dinner. It was rabbit. I slipped some salt in the pot while she was with the children- so it was very tasty and well seasoned! Elizabeth seemed upset, she thought Id been to Salem because I was so late back. I had thought about going there, but I had thought better of it since. I suddenly became very angry because Elizabeth told me that Mary Warren had been to Salem during the day and it sounds like she was too feeble to stop her. Apparently the court have power to hang those accused so Elizabeth wants me to go to Salem to save them from being hanged. She wants me to fight against Abigail; to tell the court that Abigail said it was naught to do with witchcraft that its all a fraud. I dont understand why they believe her anyway, but they do and thats what matters. No- one else can stop this whole fraud! I have no evidence so how can I prove that Abigails lying? Elizabeth believes I hesitate because it will hurt Abigail. All I can do is try. I realised what I had said to Elizabeth about Abigail- She told it to me in a room alone. Elizabeth is very suspicious about it and questions me, but she doesnt believe me. I feel like Im being judged by her, like Im in court. I have gone tiptoe since Abigail and I will not keep being judged. Shes lost all faith in me now. I cant believe what is going on here. There have been thirty-nine women arrested and Goody Osburn is to be hung! Sarah Good confessed that she had dealt with the Devil so she survives! Am I the only one that can see that this whole thing is a fraud? I just cannot believe that a Christian girl like Mary could allow old woman to be hanged. Elizabeth is very worried. She found out that she had been accused. It was dismissed, but she thinks that Abigail will cry out her name every day until she gets taken in. I tried to reassure her but it was no use because she wouldnt listen. Hale appeared from no-where, it startled me. He mentioned church; asked why I am so often absent. I tried to explain myself but I knew it was no use as he continued to question me. I could not believe it when Cheever came with a warrant for Elizabeth, good and pure as she is. She stands accused by Abigail. Abigail made sure that the poppet was placed in my house then acted a part testifying it was Elizabeth who pushed the needle in. No one can see that the accuser may not be holy. Those crazy children are deciding our fates! When I heard the clank of the chain I cried. I could not breathe. No one sees the truth. Even Hale is a coward! What do I do now? I must confess the truth in court and show that Abigail is a liar, but I cannot ruin my good name in the village. If I do have the courage to Abigail will charge me with lechery but I cannot let Elizabeth die for me- she is too full of goodness. I will go to court tomorrow and I hope I will be strong enough to see justice is done!

Transitions Essay Example for Free

Transitions Essay Transitions are changes that take place in our life; changes that move us from one stage to another, for example from being single to being married, or from being unemployed to being in work. Children go through lots of transitions from 0-19years birth itselffrom milk to solidsfrom crawling to walkingfrom being fed to feeding ourselvesfrom nappies to being trainedbecoming self awareable to be cared for by othersgoing to nurserygoing to school developing new skills. nd college or work home to early childcare when the child is getting ready for going to a childminder or nursery then the John Bowlby Attachment theory helps as it can be difficult for children to separate from there parents so it its important to let them know that everything is fine and that they are loved moving on to primary school this is a big transition because they are moving into full time school so its a good to introduce them to the teacher a few times before starting as this get the use to a new face and classr oom some schools let the children have a morning with the teacher before they that start the class. Moving on to secondary school each school is different some schools let the the children have a have a full day at the new school other schools let them have a week of moving around the school its important that the children are told what is happening at that a familiar face is there to help with the transition. Moving on to college,employment or training there are many different agencies there is connections for teenagers where they can get support and advice for careers that they want or at college there is a student service that will help. any children can deal with a particular change unaffected but for some children find the divorce or a death a life changing experience. children need to have a positive relationship during periods of transition as they need to feel secure in other areas of their lives. Each child is different some children may want to talk about the transition so its important to make the time for them. If there is enough time to prepare the child or children for the transition then it will help them when the time comes. Some children’s behaviour may change for example the child may become quiet and withdrawn may show signs of uncharacteristic behaviour or become attention seeking The child’s development may also become affected lack of motivation avoiding social contact or regressing All of these transitions present the child with challenges. Of course, the child doesn’t usually have to go through the transitions on his own, he will be supported by those around him at home or in day care, or in education. However, the experience of going through the transition will depend on the kind of response and support he gets from those around him. We must also keep in mind the fact that a child’s early experiences of transitions will have a big effect on how he handles transitions at later stages of his life.

Identify Various Approaches To Workload Planning Management Essay

Identify Various Approaches To Workload Planning Management Essay Workload planning and work allocation is described within London University of Art Estate as a way to ensure an equitable and transparent approach to allocate work activities across estate staff. Approach to work planning and decision are solely on the senior management within the UAL which require a number of critical decisions in relation to the model design and parameters. These decisions include: Scenario planning- How unit of activities be achieved, recorded and measured. Demand forecasting- the type of future activities and level of detail skills required to achieve these unit within SLAs. Action planning activities to measure inputs and plans to achieve these activities such as training, promotion and recruitment. There are numerous benefits from the principles use in successful workload planning and allocation for any organization. Whether a senior manager, a planner or a member of the finance team, workload planning will help you to: understand what you want to achieve with workload planning identify the best approach for your institution get the most out of your workload planning data implement workload planning effectively across the organisation The success of any workload planning is essential for any organization. This can be done by considering certain factors during planning and allocating work for staff. These factors are: The availability of resources in terms of staff skills and if necessary recruit using head hunt, agency and advertisement. Also tools like spreadsheets, software and common sense. Understand the business priorities, goal and future development. Workload planning; using the resources available to achieve the business goals. Continual regular review to meet the changing environment On the other hand, any organization where workload planning is not a priority finds it business operation not meeting the business goals and even if it does, there are factors that slow the business operation. These factors may include: Staff not sure what they are working on day by day and may or may not succeed Wasting time on a single project hence missing dead lines Wasting resources on a single structure Organisation which becomes affected by such factor loses it business client and customer relationships and in a long run will be out of business. 1.2 Evaluate their effectiveness within the context of an organisations overall strategy London University of the Arts (UAL) Estates Departments mission is to deliver high quality facilities services which are fit for purpose and cost effective and fully meet the Universitys present and future needs. To achieve these goals, the estate has a set system in delivering, measuring and monitoring service delivery which meets stakeholders satisfaction. The IT platform is a system constantly in used for work planning, allocation and training and development. This system has a time limit for job to be completed. Measurement is by the time the job is responded; log off the system, monthly group meeting and debriefing. Where target are not met and our customers lodge complain (which is used in measuring performance and time wastage) the issues are assess and the reasons are corrected. Non-productive are the time we not working on projects that led us closer to our goals. Example time spent chatting with two friends, reading emails not related to work, and reading internet marketing news not crucial to the business. To calculate non-productivity in percentage form; is time not working divided by the total time available to complete the job. The training and development plays a key role in updating skills that are mandatory for services delivery, improve wasted time, job satisfaction and also personal development using both internal and external professional. The system has made job completion promptly and effectively within the facilities team across the UAL campuses in London. 2.1 Evaluate the extent to which an organisations process enables the Facilities Manager to recruit the right people with the right skills, experience and approach for the role in question Recruitment is the process of identifying and attracting a group of potential candidates from within and outside the organization to evaluate for employment. This means collecting, measuring, and evaluating information about candidates qualifications for specified positions. Organizations use these practices to increase the likelihood of hiring individuals who have the right skills and abilities to be successful in the target job. Recruitment in the UAL Estate department takes a longer time due to the involvement of professionals within the estate and agency consultants. Detail job creation specifications involve the site manager (AFM), senior manager (SFM), head of the estate (HFM) and the Human Resources (HR). The need for a staff is raise by the college FM then is discuss with SFM and HFM. Depending on the position and skills the college FM/SFM is/are looking for; staffs are normally source from outside. The key person needs to have hands on experience, be ready to learn, contribute to the team and able to understand the culture of both estate and the university. The Job is then advertised on the university website, Facilities Management worldwide, total jobs and the agency website. Potential candidates are short listed followed by sites visits then interviews. Although this system of advertisement maybe expensive, it attracts people with different experiences from the diverse and also serves as equal opportunity of employment for all. 2.2 Analyse and develop selection criteria to ensure the right people are recruited within facilities management Selection is the process of collecting and evaluating information about an individual in order to extend an offer of employment. Such employment could be either a first time position for employee or a different position for a current employee. The selection process is performed under legal and environmental constraints and addresses the future interests of the organization and the individual. Once candidates are identified the process of selecting appropriate employee(s) for employment begins. There is a choice to be made between the selection methods but the process used should be fair to all. Poor selection can lead to significant cost for the organisation in terms of financial cost of rehiring, indirect cost in poor performance, additional training, de-motivation and absenteeism and also legal cost if it goes to industrial tribunal for unfair treatment. It is therefore important to make sure that proper procedures are followed, the person specification meets both job and business requirement in terms of: Relevant qualifications: example BIFM, Degree, NEBOSH Relevant experience: years of experience and what they will bring to the position Skills: technology, innovation Attribute Essential role requirement: basic knowledge and understanding of the job Beneficial role requirement Required approach to work. Within the UAL facilities department, selections of the right candidate for job involve the following process; application forms, interviews and reference. After the consultant has advertised the job and has received enough candidates for the position and short listed. The short listed are invited for initial interview with the consultants in charge of that recruitment to select the best among the candidate. They are then pass on to the estate professional team including the site FM, SFM and HFM or director of estate management for final recruitment process and job offer for the right person(s). 2.3 Analyse the strengths and weaknesses in the recruitment process and make recommendations for change The strengths and weaknesses of the recruitment process can have a direct bearing on the employers ability to achieve its business goals. The analysis should cover the reputation of the organization, pay, employee benefits, working conditions, security of employment, training and development. (Micheal Amstrong, 2003). Although people will do anything to earn ends meats, they do have preference and do a lot of consideration during job application. Employers should therefore consider what will attract or prevent the right candidate in very cost effective way. The strength in the recruitment processes could include: The pay structure Employee benefits Working condition Security of the job Opportunity to develop Systems in place Style Skills Professionals within the UAL and consultants from agency are use when the best candidates are selected for staff. A larger interview panels are convene because  there are number of parties interested in the selection decision. The only advantage of selection board is that  they enable a number of different people to have a look at the applicants and compare notes  on the spot. The disadvantages are that the questions tend to be unplanned and delivered at  random, the prejudices of a dominating member of the board can overwhelm the judgements  of the other members, and the candidates are unable to do justice to them-selves because they  are seldom allowed to expand. It is always advisable to clearly define the terms and conditions of the jobs in terms of pay and benefit and think about the job, to attract good candidates so that the most can be made in the advertisement. Consider also what might put them off, example the location of the job, in other that objections can be anticipated. Analyse previous successes and failures to establish what does or does not work. Last but not the least ensure induction process is planned and appropriate and given enough attention. 3.1 Analyse appropriate theories, principles and practices for motivating and retaining staff. One of the most important factors affecting human behaviour and performance is motivation. Different writers have defined motivation in different ways these include: Rensis Likert- motivation is the core of management Stephen R. Covey motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly Dwight D. Eisenhower- Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it. From the sample definitions above, the term Motivation is a broad concept used to explain the inner psychological forces and processes in an individual which arouse and give them the desire to act or not to act in a particular way. It is now generally accepted that, an increase in global competitiveness within different organisation no longer lies in the products and technology they use but the willingness of the employees to render their services to the organisation. It is only through the employees that creativity, diversity and energy that bring the company to it best. For all these to be done, the people need to be empowered, appreciated and acknowledge for their good work done. Arnold et al (1991) determined that there are three components of motivation namely: Direction Effort Persistence The theory of motivation involves the processes that describe why and how human behaviour is activated and directed. There are different categories of motivation theories but the question is; What motivates people in an organization most? Findings from different researchers argued that the theories are affected by country, time and circumstance. But all these theories base their attention on the basics of human needs, which differ considerably. Among major theories propose by writers includes: Taylor: Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1917) proposes a theory with an idea that employees are motivated mainly by pay. Taylor developed his theory of scientific management as he worked his way up from a labourer to a works manager in a US steelworks. From his observations, Taylor made three key assumptions about human behaviour at work: Man is a rational economic animal concerned with maximising his economic gain; People respond as individuals, not as groups People can be treated in a standardised fashion, like machines Mayo Elton Mayo (1880-1949) believes workers are not just concern about money but also their social needs met when at work place. Based on his well-known Hawthorne experiments conducted in Western Electric Company in Chicago, Mayos management theories grew from his observations of  employee productivity  levels under varying environmental conditions. Mayo management theory states that employees are motivated far more by relational factors such as attention and camaraderie than by monetary rewards or environmental factors such as lighting, humidity, better communication, team work and management involvement. Maslow Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) along with Frederick Herzberg (1923-) introduced the Neo-Human Relations School in the 1950s which focus on the psychology needs of employees. According to Maslow, various needs of human beings are put in hierarchy determine the most pressing needs. The hierarchy of needs means the order to satisfy the needs with the basic needs have to be attained before the others can be reached. In the pyramid hierarchy it can be seen that the lower four layers of the pyramid refers to deficiency need. The order of the pyramid from Maslow is as below: Physiological à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Safetyà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Socialà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Esteemà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Self actualization Principles of Motivation and Practices: Motivation can be put into two groups. These are the: 1. Pull- bonuses and sharing vision, 2 Push- threats and fear. Every one of us is motivated by different things and a majority of these factors are not money related but rather incentive that offer personal recognition and achievement. In this case management should determine what motivate individual at work place. Examples of motivation strategies that can be put in practice include: Pay Managing Induction Performance management process Family and friendly HR practice Job design Training and development Fundamental practices that can be use in motivating Staff include: Give incentive Regular feed backs Training and development Share company goal with staff and making sure they understand 3.2 Apply appropriate theories, principles and practice to motivating and retaining staff and review their effectiveness Every employee is unique in their own way hence what will motivate one worker will not be the same for the other. It is therefore the responsibility of the employer and manager to find out what works well with individual in the team and must be equitable and transparent. From 3.1 we can conclude the following are some examples that will motivate and keep staffs in employment. Pay: this should be structured, equitable, transparent and understandable. Induction: this should be put in place during recruitment to prevent lower retention or early exit. Training and development: although many employers see training and developing as equipping their staff to leave the organisation for more challenging roll elsewhere, it can also be a strong support for a worker to commit to the organisation as they self develop. Job design: this should be practical to motivate individual satisfaction and also the company perspectives, not an opportunity for individual to redesign a job but to vary skill and task. Performance management: regular appraisal is put in place to monitor performance management process between line manager and employee Management in the UAL use these methods to motivate employees for better job satisfaction. Job enlargement- this involves doing more work of a similar but difference in operations at the same time to what employee already does. Empowerment- give the employee the opportunity by delegating reasonable work to them to make their own decision in solving problem. Job Enrichment- giving responsibility of higher order this will lead to higher morale. The following can be use to review the effectiveness of management processes in a work place. Using job performance statistics Client feed back Improved morale Staff feedback Reduced turn over 3.3 Evaluate the application of the dynamics of reward and recognition within facilities management function Internal and external motivations are both important components in motivating employee in the workplace. Most often people get confuse with reward and recognition. Reward are mostly financial or physical benefit when behaviour has been demonstrated whiles Recognition is a psychological benefit after a specific behaviour has occurred. Programmes that reward employees for upholding the organisation values and goals within facilities department of Universities of the Arts, London are generally focus on recognition. The PACE Awards Good Performance exist in the UAL. However rewards and recognition may have some advantage and disadvantages which includes Benefit: Different people are motivated by different things, e.g a young health person will prefer gym membership than private medical hence blend of both should be considered. Pension: this tend to attract some employees at some stages of their career hence positive for others and not so for others. Education and training: this appeal to a lot of employee especially those beginning their career in facilities but unfortunately the university training are tailored to suit the job you are employed for. This has effect on good workers who also want personal development hence they turn living for where their personal development will be met. Genuine appreciation: human in general feel sense of belonging when they are appreciated for a good job done. The university do well in recognising good and extra-effort from employee saying thank you the magic word. Time/flexible time: this helps in time of family issues, studies With all the different forms of motivations in the organisation, the essential component is maintaining it to all staff both part time and full time. Motivation increases as people aim for and achieve recognition and for that matter incentive that focus on team work should be encourage, equitable and transparent. These factors will help staff work hard and will enjoy coming to work. 3.4 Evaluate the extent to which they are successful Many organizations have recognized the competitive edge achieved by more effective recognition and reward to employees. Recent studies by the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement, have found a direct link between engaged workers and satisfied customers, and between satisfied customers and profitability. Any one who shows the ability to self develop within UAL receives the support. An attempt to achieve knowledge and personal growth using the available resources example the internal training for managers like project management will be supported, example while this program is directed to managers, junior member that show interest are allowed to take part in the course. This helps staff by taking regular extra responsibility (e.g co-ordinating projects and managing contractors) aside main duties. While receiving tangible rewards for my commitment, the recognition received helps to perform duties and the extra responsibilities.   The success of reward and recognition in any organisation is the ability of the employer or organisation to willingly encourage the processes that will not only motivate the employees but also the employer. Frustration sets in when the employees realise they have no value even if they are trying harder in the company hence seek employment somewhere. Other incentives include addition holiday for all staff and free vouchers for team achievement. 3.5 Analyse ways to develop staff Development can be defined as the learning opportunities within organisation designed specifically to help the employee grow while Training is required to cover essential work-related skills, techniques and knowledge. Development is not necessarily skill oriented but rather it provides general knowledge and attitudes which will be helpful to employees in higher position. A survey carried out for Investors in People UK in 1996 showed that todays young generation appreciate training and development opportunities over pay and incentives. Efforts towards development often depend on personal drive and ambition. Some examples of development and it benefits include: Coaching: This is first step to  improve employee performance. Coaching is part of the day-to-day interaction between a supervisor and an employee daily operation. This often provides positive feedback for employee contributions but also, regular coaching brings performance issues to an employees attention when they are minor. Mentoring: This is a formal or informal relationship between experienced, knowledgeable employee and inexperienced or new employee either selected by the employee or appointed by the company. The purpose is to help the employee to quickly absorb the organization cultural and to personal develop. A possible limitation is that the individual depends on one person for support which will cause alienation from other source of expertise. Internal and external training: using external trainers to develop course specifically for the organisation or using the internal expertise to train in specific topics which is more cost effective than the external e.g BIFM and PM although they are costly. Self development groups: these are group of like mind people acting in their own interest. They may appoint a facilitator who will guild them till are well established. Topics of their interest work related issues. There is little or no financial cost but when the meeting are held during work time it indirectly the cost of the organisation. Project management and work experiences: employees should be giving a task to self manage and the opportunity to try new things in the organisation without altering their responsibilities. This will increase their sense of motivation and reduce boredom from the same job 3.6 Analyse ways to promote a learning culture within an organisation The objective is to see the value and encourage learning and understand its importance in developing individual, team and the whole organisation. Creating a learning culture environment in an organisation is a step ahead of obtaining the skills that you need to deliver product and services. Being a learning organisation is the sacrifice any employer has to make in accepting the attitude, values and practices that support continuous learning in the organisation. It empowers the staff to achieve results and targets as it helps them to: Easily adapt to changes Actually anticipate change Be more responsible Grow by innovation and inspiration Learning culture is not only considered to be great motivator for staff but also way a company can maintain increase advantage in the ever changing environment. This can not happen in a sudden way hence the following key point need to be considered. Commitment by senior management and Directors Learning should fit and be line with business goals and strategies Regular employee feed back to determine progress of the culture Clear objectives implementation should be set Learning should be in appropriate environment that can flourish and where self learning is encouraged and knowledge shared. Measurements that help develop and improve a learning culture in UAL estate include; Reward learning via promotion and acknowledgement through news letters Offer training and opportunity to transfer skills Encourage feedback from those opportunities Appraisals which include personal development plans Coaching and mentoring programme 4.1 Analyse the reasons why staff leave and review implications. In recent years there has been a mismatch about staff leaving and reality hence there is nothing like job for life. There has been a debate why staff leaves for other employment and some common reason include following: Poor management: uncaring and unprofessional managers; overworking staff; no respect, putting people in wrong jobs; poor manager selection processes. Lack of career growth and advancement  opportunities: no perceivable career paths; not posting job openings or filling from within; unfair promotions. Pay: paid under-market or less than contributions warrant, pay inequities, slow raises and favouritism for bonuses. Lack of recognition: that says it all. Poor leadership at strategic apex of the organisation: not listening, not  investing  in employees; unresponsiveness and mixed messages. Lack of training: superficial training, nothing for new staff to move up. Excessive workload: doing more with less; sacrificing quality and customer service for numbers. Since employees has eye on better opportunities it is important for any organisation to provide system to find out what really makes staff leave for other employer. In view of this, exit interview will be ideal for staff leaving. This can be formal or informal with standard questionnaire. Although there is no entire honesty from the employee, it will serve as a guide for future. The following can be included during exit interview could: What is the main reason for leaving? What are the other reasons for leaving? What do you feel about the organisation? What has been your difficult moment in time us? What can you say about our motivation, appraisal and your development with us? Are you happy to say where you are going? What particular about them that makes you want to join them? If possible could you be persuaded stay and possibility of staying? Although some employee departure is more welcome than others, employers should adopt methods to address employee turnover problem. Staff turnover rate varies from one organisation to the other but the following rules can help reduced the rate. These rules are: Employers should ensure equitable and transparent pay structure if possible use bands Job design should maximise variety of skills, opportunity to learn and develop Ensure selection and promoting procedures are appropriate for all Induction should be well planed and implemented during and after recruitment process Remove unpleasant working condition including bullying and harassment and monitor stress The above systems of approach can be enhancing further by developing a learning culture in the organisation. Hence the practices can assist to improve retention through: Regular performance review Personal development plans Open recruitment policy Mentoring Shadowing Development and training 4.2 Investigate the application of succession planning including its benefits. Succession planning is planning the future of the business or organisation in terms of finding someone within the organisation to replace the key people. Through succession planning process, you recruit superior employees, develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities and prepare them for ever more challenging roles. It is a long term thing that a company need to see into before action is taken. CIPD defined Succession planning as a process for identifying and developing potential future leaders or senior managers, as well as individuals to fill other business-critical positions either in short-term or long-term. Beside the training and development activities, succession planning should include the provision of practical tailored work experience that will be relevant for future key role. Having this process in place help in the success of the organization because the individuals identified in the plan will eventually be responsible for ensuring the company is able to tackle future challenges. These high potential candidates must be carefully selected and then provided training and development that gives them skills and competencies needed for tomorrows business environment. It is best practice to grow ones own that is developing internal staff for the position. It also important to consider certain fundament point before the person(s) is/are selected. A formal succession planning process is used together vital data regarding the potential candidates from different source. Point to be considered should include: Are there enough potential successors- individuals who are experience and that has shown potential leadership Are these people with sufficient quality in terms of must and desirable characteristics Do they have the right attitude, skills and competencies for the business future The benefits of a succession planning process include: Staff motivation- everyone can see there is a progress in their career as they are giving the chance to develop and also appreciated for their contribution. Work load planning- shadowing successors to assist their development which in turn give them more insight of the business or organisation goals and future plans Continuity- identified candidate can be part of the management team for the business future in the changing environments 4.3 Investigate skill transference within the working environment including its benefits Skill transference is the ability for an employee to use an acquire knowledge in another position. In other words it is where competencies in performing a specific job can be used in another job. It is a valuable asset particularly in a tight economy such as now. Example of skill transference: Interpersonal skills- e.g team work Planning-time management, being organised, able to research and think ahead Communication- it should be two way, giving and receiving instruction Self awareness- appreciate your strength and weakness Commitment and motivation Decision making In the current economy people with more transferable skills are luckier to be kept on job or hired than those with one or no skills. These multi-skills individual are able to carry out different jobs especially the small businesses. The benefits of skills transference include: Staff training and development- Gains new knowledge and skills by performing a different job that requires new skills and provides different responsibilities. Staff relations: learn and understand new group of co-workers and managers. Succession planning- the organisation will have a pool of potent

“Thy eternal summer shall not fade”: Flower of all Seasons in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 :: Literary Analysis, Shakespeare

Shakespeare intertwines two characteristics of beauty, while at the same time subtly showing their differences, showing that inner transcends outer beauty. Beauty is rare and true beauty even more so; true beauty is beauty that’s on the inside, and is lacking in many, yet Shakespeare was able to find a woman who is beautiful from the inside out. Shakespeare, in sonnet eighteen, uses descriptions of nature, and imagery to imply, and directly compare them to a girl with true inner beauty, one which surpasses even her own outer beauty. The poet compares the imperfections of summer to contradict the iridescent outer beauty of the girl he loves. Even though the summer seems like the best season, it is always undesirably â€Å"too short† (4) and nature always has its faults but the girl does not. Sometimes it’s â€Å"too hot† (5) and sometimes on a beautiful day its gold complexion is even dimmed, the clouds overcast which is believed, by some, to foreshadow bad luck. But her beauty is never overcast by something else nor her â€Å"gold complexion dimmed† (6). However, all these imperfections are not natural for her. She, he praises, is â€Å"more lovely† and â€Å"more temperate† than a summer’s day (2). In praising her beauty he even emphasizes the word â€Å"more†. Both lovely and temperate are words that show effective use of diction. While he does choose words that accurately express his feelings they also have strong connotations lovely could imply high at tractiveness and exquisite beauty and temperate could imply that she is by nature a very strong, yet mild and self controlled person. Shakespeare also shows all of summer’s imperfections through the imagery of flowers. Another instance where summer’s beauty is cut short by nature and therefore is incomparable to the girls’ beauty is when the â€Å"Rough winds...Shake the darling buds of May† (3), May is a time in the year when the weather starts to warm up and flowers are in full bloom, beautiful at the very beginning of summer. But sadly nature comes and snatches the beauty away, the image of the winds of May coming and blowing petals off the beautiful flowers shows the â€Å"Rough† behaviors, and shortcomings that nature has to offer. At the same time the wind is also a metaphor for adversities or problems in life and how he praises the one he loves because she is not affected by obstacles. The poet also expresses and emphasizes that even though the buds and the flowers may wither with the rough winds, her beauty still holds intact; especially her inner beauty, her temperate n ature that ever endures adversity.

Fashion Evolution :: essays research papers

Fashion evolution through the years Who didn’t have been heard something about the most representative eras of the fashion, like 50s, hippie’s age, disco fever, or grunge? All these ideologies had been make an important change through the time. There exists a great evolution through the fashion of the 40s to the 90s, and it involves different ideologies, dress trends, shoes and hairstyles. I’m going to mention only the most representative eras of the fashion that marks a significant change in our culture, and that made history. The 40s were the era of feminine glamour in fashion. Women used to use long elegant dresses and hats of every shape and size. All that things were fashionable. The most popular colors were the dark conservative ones. The 50s were the shirtwaist era, when the rock and roll causes a change in the fashion. This era was represented perfectly at Grease movie, when we can see the different fashions between the social groups. The women used crinolines and shirtwaists. Men used jackets and blue jeans, with grease in their hair. And women used the hair over the shoulders. The 60s were the time of a revolution. The hippie clothes, psychedelic ones, and groovy elements were fashionable. The hippies used a natural or ethnic style, love-ins, flowers, and free-flowing hairstyles. The 70s era involves different styles of fashion. By one side the hippies continued such at as 60s. And by other side, the disco fever and platforms got to occupy an important place in the fashion. The flared line of bellbottoms was common. Platform shoes experienced its most playful and colorful look, and Afro’s hairstyle was fashionable. The 80s and 90s don’t have a representative trend. The old fashion, combined with the costumes of others cultures, make the fashion that we use now. The use of hippie or grunge clothes is common in some places, or Japanese influenced ones too. The hair with different colors, platforms, metallic color clothes, and colorful makeup are fashionable now.

A Separate Peace: Three Symbols :: essays research papers

A Separate Peace: Three Symbols The three dichotomous symbols in A Separate Peace by John Knowles reinforce the innocence and evil of the main characters, Finny and Gene. Beside the Devon School flow two rivers on opposite sides of the school, the Naguamsett and the Devon. The Devon provides entertainment and happiness for Gene and Finny as they jump from the tree into the river and hold initiations into the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session. Finny, Gene, and their friends use the Devon's warm water to play in during the carefree summer session. The Devon brings out Finny's carefree character and personality when he jumps from the limbs of the tree. Not one Upper Middler in Devon has ever jumped from the tree; Finny becomes the first. After surfacing, Finny says that jumping from the tree causes the most fun he has had in weeks. However, the Naguamsett and the Devon completely contrast. When Gene and Finny emerge from the Devon, they feel clean and refreshed. However, Gene describes the Naguamsett as "ugly, saline, fringed with marsh, mud and seaweed" (68). When Gene starts a fight with Quackenbush and falls into the Naguamsett because Quackenbush calls Gene "a maimed son-of-a-bitch," Gene surfaces from the Naguamsett feeling grimy, dirty and in desperate need of a bath (71). Much like the clean, refreshing water of the Devon and the ugly saline water of the Naguamsett, Gene's carefree attitude of the summer session vastly differs from the angry, confused attitude of the winter session. Likewise, the two sessions, the summer and winter, give a different sense of feeling toward school and life at Devon School. The summer session allows Finny to use his creativity. Finny invents blitzball and founds the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session. The students let their carefree attitudes flow during the summer. Finny and Gene willingly break the rules to have fun during the summer by skipping class and going to the beach. Finny also wears the school tie as a belt to the traditional term tea. Gene feels that Finny cannot leave the room without being disciplined, but Finny manages to talk his way out of the mess. However, the winter session causes a sense of strictness. The sermons now exhort the thought of "what we owe Devon," but in the summer the students think of "what Devon owes us" (65). The masters and class leaders try to enforce continuity, but Gene realizes that resurrecting the summer session becomes impossible. Finny is not in school, no longer shall the students have their carefree attitudes, and the class officials and masters now

Huckleberry Finn Essay

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, takes place during the antebellum era, and revolves around a young boy, named Huck. The antebellum era was the years right before the Civil War, so Huck was living in a dark and murky time in American History. Huck starts off by living with The Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson, who is trying to â€Å"civilize† him or make him to be what the perfect child should look like and make him act how a perfect child should act. Huck does not want that. He just wants to live how he wants, just like most youth want. In the novel, Huckleberry Finn befriends a runaway slave, Jim, and his adventures begin. According to Dennis Puopard, Mark Twain exposed many of the dark problems of antebellum United States. Some say Mark Twain wrote this episodic novel as a boys’ adventure story and that Huck is a character that children should look up to. (422) Modern readers do not see Huckleberry Finn as a children’s book because the book is racist, there a themes of lying, and characters object and criticize authority. Because, modern readers see the book as improper for children The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is on the banned books list on many school in the United States. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn there are racial slurs, lies, and profanity. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a children’s book in today’s society because of the prominent theme of race. The topic of race and racism is strong in today’s society. If a modern American citizen uses racial slurs against another race in a hurtful way that citizen would be convicted with a criminal offense. A racial slur such as the word â€Å"nigger† is not tolerable today’s society. The word â€Å"nigger† was used to belittle and dehumanize African American slaves, such as Jim, in antebellum United States. Through out the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, author Mark Twain includes racial slurs such as the word, â€Å"nigger† toward African American characters, such as Jim and other slaves. â€Å"‘Good gracious! anybody hurt? ‘ ‘No’m. Killed a nigger. ‘ ‘Well, it’s lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt. ‘†( Twain 109). This quote shows how the white society views Jim different then themselves. They view Jim as property rather than a human with a living breathing heart. This dialoged between two white characters just shows how hurtful and cruelly someone can sound just by taking. Barbra L. Jackson professor at Fordham University in New York City says, â€Å"It is hard to teach The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in a diverse class because of its racial views. † (63). If a college professor has a hard time teaching the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, to her class, how can it be easy for high school students who are studding the novel, or even young boys whom pick up the book and start reading it? Also, Barbra L. Jackson says, â€Å"I always see a lack in participation, when studying the book, †¦ the students do not want to read out loud,† (64). The students do not feel right saying â€Å"nigger† out loud because they do not want to offend any of their classmates. The students know that the word, â€Å"nigger† is a taboo in modern society. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be taught or read to children because of the racial slurs. The type of racial language that Mark Twain uses in the book is offensive and crude. The exposure of the racial slurs to young children would be harmful. The young children will think it is okay to say the new words they discover from reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which would get them into trouble in the future.

Lets Fire All the Managers

Already title is caching our attention : â€Å"First, Let's Fire All the Managers†. Intriguing start changes in the list of charges against the modern management system. The author is showing his critic for complicated system, where we have hundreds of managers in various level. He lists three main problems. As first is the costs of management which is very expensive. At second he shows that typical management hierarchy increases the risk of â€Å"calamitous† decisions with bad judgment. And as third multitiered management structure systematically disempowers lower-level employees. For all this three he is giving examples to make sure that readers will understand the problem. After that there is a lot of information about how this system is working and how the place of work is organized. So now we have question. Wouldn’t it be great if we could achieve high levels of coordination without a supervisory superstructure? To confirm theory author is giving very strong arguments by describing new management model called self-management which is in use at American company Morning Star. There are no employees, there are only â€Å"colleagues† which are taking personal responsibility for what they have done. And each person is at the same level. So if there is any problem other colleagues going to help to resolve it. There are no managers all the decision are made in the group of employees : â€Å"Around here, nobody’s your boss and everybody’s your boss. † To be sure that each employee now what he is doing and what kind of opportunities standing in front of him there are management courses , seminars which provide necessary information. As author is showing company have got only great achievement and there is only few small disadvantages. He is giving very strong arguments about almost â€Å"utopia† organization where everybody are happy. Everything sounds perfect but is it real? Using the Google’s I found Morning Star company. â€Å"One of the best, world’s leading tomato ingredient processor†. And as author shows, they have got self-management system in use. As a founders of the new system they create website â€Å"Self-management Institute† which provide all necessary information about new system . Self-Management is an organizational model where functions of a manager (planning, coordinating, controlling, staffing and directing) are pushed out to all participants in the organization as opposed to a select few. From that website we can read the main issue of new system, which is: self-directed work teams, employee empowerment, distributed decision making, â€Å"flattening† the organization, elimination of bureaucratic red tape . All of that is already successfully working in Morning Star company. To be sure author of article Gary Hamel , decide to check on his own that system. What he saw was very fast developing company where without even one manager, people working very efficiently. And the most important is that they know what they doing and feel responsible for that. They are more loyal and are better judgment because they are not lack of context and understand the facts from the ground. System, called pancake-flat, is not complicated, because there are no bosses. But who is making the big decisions? Giving power to everybody is scary, danger, for sure there must be someone responsible more than others. Summary. How can a big company survive without structure? For company like Morning Star where from the beginning the main system was self-management and all the structure was already prepared system was easy to absorb. In my opinion it would be difficult to put that system in mega companies with 100,000 employees. It would look like a loud school class with pupils, when teacher left for a moment and everybody doing what they want even when they were said to read book . That is why in big companies there always must be someone who is going to manage a group. It is almost impossible that 100,000 employees will work efficiently without manager. Self-Management gives a great deal of freedom to colleagues; isn't that dangerous? Freedom must be balanced with responsibility in any organization. Ofcourse employees need to feel free when they working no one like big pressure and stress on top of work. But if we going to say â€Å"Feel free†, probably their going to put their own targets first. If we gonna left them on their own, we will never be sure if they doing what they where asked for and don’t waste our time and money. The company creates an environment where people can manage themselves by making the main mission the boss and truly empowering people. Where everybody are on the same level, and every one are bosses. It is sounds like â€Å"One for all and all for one†. For sure one thing is good in system like that. It is much cheaper without managers which have to be paid bigger salary. Reading this article I started to thing that that was the main problem. And thet is why new system was invented. To save the money. In my point of viewself-management system is very intresting and very innovative. By the example of Morning Star company I can assume that it can work. Author is sure that is possible to improve this system in much bigger companies. And with that I can not agree. It can not work everywhere and with every person. It always depends on the place (where company is), kind of company, (it worked in a simple agricultural organization doesn’t mean it is gonna work at New York) and employees characters (there is always leading person and someone who only want to do his job) . References: Books: 1. Nic Peeling, Brilliant Manager, (2010), What the best managers know, do and say, 3rd edition, Great Britain, Harlow: Pearson 2. Richard Templar, (2011), The rules of Management, second edition, Great Britain: Pearson 3. Scott Adams, (1996), Dogbert’s Top secret Management Handbook, New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc. Websides: 1. Self management Institute, http://self-managementinstitute. org 2. Morning Star, http://www. morningstarco. com, (accessed on 11/12/11) Article which I used: Gary Hamel, (2011) First, Let's Fire All the Managers, http://hbr. org/2011/12/first-lets-fire-all-the-managers/ar/1, (accessed on 06/12/11)

Beer Advertising Values Essay

Stephan Dahl Cultural Values in Beer Advertising in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany Presented at the Research Day, Intercultural Discourse Group, University of Luton , UK– July 2000 Available Online: http://dahl. at/ Introduction Is it possible to persuade consumers in different markets with the same advertising message? Will they respond favourably? Or should the advertising message be customised to reflect local culture? This question is one of the most fundamental decisions when planning an advertising campaign in different cultural areas, and, not surprisingly, one of the most frequently discussed issues in advertising today. One fraction in this debate emphasises that the world is growing ever closer, and that the world can be treated as one large market, with only superficial differences in values (Levitt, 1983). In their view, advertising and marketing can be standardised across cultures, and the same values can be used to persuade customers to buy or consume the product. Another fraction is content with the fact that the basic needs may well be the same around the world, however the way in which these needs are met and satisfied differs from culture to culture. Any marketing (and advertising) campaign should, in their view, reflect the local habits, lifestyles and economical conditions in order to be effective. In 1985, Woods et al. concluded in a study of consumer purpose in purchase in the US, Quebec and Korea, that â€Å"important differences are found in the reasons why they [the consumers] purchase products familiar to all three countries†. Central to this debate, are two issues: The product position and usage within the culture of the market, and the decoding of the advertising message. Both are, obviously, linked to some extend. An advertising message encoded in one culture has to be decoded in another culture in the case of standardised marketing. This process may be subject to severe distortions, as the receiver will decode the message in his/her own cultural context. A standardised approach could hence run into the danger, that the message will be unconvincing, as it does not meet the psychological â€Å"triggers† required to evoke a purchase decision with the consumer. Given Woods et al. research , this appears to be a problem that marketers should be clearly aware of. In order to understand the decoding process in the target market, it will be essential to study the product perceptions and reasons for purchase, as well as the product’s place in the target culture. An example of this would include wine, perceived as a relative â€Å"special occasion† drink in most northern European countries, however understood as an every day drink in most Southern European countries, where it is seen similar to the beer’s perception in Northern Europe. To market a table wine as † add a touch of luxury to every day† (German advertising) would undoubtedly appear strange and possibly confusing to Southern European consumers. Conversly, when advertising washing powder, consumers in both northern as well as southern European markets may expect information on the effectiveness of the product to dominate the commercial. As an increasing number of researchers has pointed out (Caillat & Mueller, 1996), that it is important not only to study advertising in general, but to concentrate on differences in product categories in order to find prevailing differences in advertising style and values. Caillat & Mueller (1996) themselves published a comparison for beer advertising in the UK and the US, concluding that the â€Å"differences between British and American advertising were significant, indicating that consumers of the two countries are currently exposed to distinct styles of commercial messages based on different cultural values†. Equally, Cheng & Schweitzer (1996), after examining Chinese and US television commercials, concluded: â€Å"We also found that cultural values depicted in Chinese television commercials have much to do with product categories†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This paper focuses, like the Caillat & Mueller study, on the values portrayed in beer advertising. The countries studied are the UK, the Netherlands and Germany, all of which posses a long tradition in brewing and the consumption of beer. Equally, in all three countries, beer is similar in market positioning, i. e. it is viewed as an every-day drink, consumed dominantly by males. No assumptions were made which values were to be expected in any one country to be dominantly displayed in beer commercials, but all commercials were studied a priori empirically to identify dominant themes. Additionally, the use of humour and the occasion for product usage were recorded in all three countries. The Market for Beer Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in all three countries, and the per capita consumption is higher than the European average of around 70 l /p. a. p. c.. In 1998, the per capita beer consumption was the highest in Germany, with 127. 4 l, followed by the UK, with 99. 4 l and the Netherlands, with 84. 2 l (World Drink Trends, 1999). The beer consumption in all three countries has declined steadily over the last years. This development has put additional pressure for effective marketing communications on the breweries. Table 1: Evolution of beer consumption per capita in selected countries Rank Country 1995 1996 1997 1998 1 Czech Republic 156. 9 157. 3 161. 4 161. 8 2 Republic of Ireland 138. 6 145. 4 152. 0 150. 5 3 Germany 135. 9 131. 9 131. 2 127. 4 7 United Kingdom 100. 9 101. 9 103. 6 99. 4 12 Netherlands 85. 8 85. 5 86. 3 84. 2 13 US 83. 6 83. 5 83. 2 82. 0 39 Italy 25. 4 24. 0 25. 4 26. 9 Litres p. c. / Source: World Drink Trends, 1999 Advertising regulation Advertising for alcoholic beverages is heavily regulated in all three markets. In the UK, advertising of alcoholic beverages is regulated by a self-imposed code of conduct of the Advertising Association, as well as the regulations of the Independent Television Commission (for television). In Germany, the Zentralverband der deutschen Werbewirstchaft and the Deutscher Werberat have published similar rules governing the advertising on television. In the Netherlands, the Stichting Stuurgroep Reclame and the Vereniging van Communicatieadviesbureaus has also published appropriate guidelines. An overview of the legal environment, and the restrictions imposed by these guidelines, is given in the table below. Methodology The primary objective of this study is to determine weather or not the same advertising themes and appeals are used in all three countries to persuade customers to buy (or consume) beer, and to identify the dominant appeals used. In order to achieve that objective, television commercials for beer have been collected in all three countries. In order to minimise distortion, only advertising for beers originating from the country have been selected. The commercials were recorded during March/April 2000 from the following television channels: 2 Table 3: Channels used for collection of television commercials Country UK Netherlands Germany Channels ITV-Carlton Channel 4 Channel 5 Sky One Granada Plus Nederland 1/2/3 RTL 4 RTL 5 Veronica SBS 6 Net 5 ARD ZDF RTL Plus Sat 1 Pro 7 Kabel 1 During this time, a total of 25 unique television commercials were recorded: 9 for the UK, 6 for the Netherlands and 10 for Germany. Although the population in this study is fairly small, it is hoped that the results are sufficient to establish an exploratory overview of advertising appeals used. The commercials were then qualitatively content analysed to establish the dominant appeal used in each commercial. In order to be as open minded as possible, no list of expected appeals or themes were identified prior to the analysis. Once the dominant appeal used in each commercial had been identified, these appeals were combined to form five categories of dominant appeals: friendship, sex, sport, tradition and relaxation. The category friendship included all commercials that focused around drinking beer in a group of friends, or with a friend, where the consumption of beer was depicted overwhelmingly as a social activity, or implied as such. A commercial was judged to use â€Å"sex appeal†, if it depicted members of the opposite sex making advances towards the main character, if they spoke seductively or were dressed in a manner that may be interpreted as erotic. Sport includes all commercials that make a clear reference to sports of all forms, show main characters involved in sporting activities or after sports. Commercials focusing on the tradition of the brewery or the product, showed historic buildings or images or were set in a historical background were judged to have â€Å"tradition† as the dominant appeal. Finally, commercials showing the main character in a clearly relaxing situation, where the main character consumed beer primarily as a way to unwind and relax ( mostly alone), were judged to use â€Å"relaxation† as the dominant appeal. Mueller (1996) reported a large number of British commercials used humour to advertise beer. In order to see if this was equally true for Dutch and German commercials the use of humour was equally coded as present or not present. Alcohol commercials, particularly in Britain, have often been criticised that they imply that the consumption of alcoholic beverages may enhance sexual attractiveness. In order to establish if this appeal is used, special attention was given to the role of characters of the opposite sex to the main character(s) in the commercials. This appeal is especially 3 complicated to establish, particularly as the UK-code of conduct rules this appeal out, and an open display of this appeal would lead to the suspension of the commercial. However, as anecdotal evidence of this theme was evident, it was included in the study. If these characters appeared to display any form of erotic symbol or gesture to the main character after or during consumption of beer, or if their dress was found to be explicitly erotic in nature, the appeal was judged to be present. This was particularly upheld if these characters were shown full screen. If they appeared merely as present, alongside other secondary characters, this appeal was judged not to be present. The occasion for product usage was also recorded. As Mueller (1996) described a significant difference between the usage of beer in US- and British commercials, the product usage was coded using Mueller’s coding procedure. This involved to scan the commercials for either regular (or every-day type) usage, special occasion usage or usage not shown in the commercial. Each commercial was analysed by a resident native of the country, and by the researcher, who is fluent in all three languages. Each coder coded the respective commercials independently, and later conferred with the researcher. All differences in coding were discussed, and finally resolved. Results Humour Humour was analysed by trying to identify a joke or some funny twist in the commercials, and was classified as either present, or absent. Typical examples of humorous advertising include where the commercial tells a funny story, uses irony or makes fun of typical situations. Humour dominated British commercials, whereas it was more sparingly used in German or Dutch commercials. Table 4: The use of humour UK NL D Used 88% 33% 10% Not Used 12% 66% 90% Occasion for Product Usage The occasion for drinking beer was analysed by either being an everyday event, a special occasion or not shown/inconclusive. An everyday-event included drinking beer in a pub, in a bar, while being with friends or while watching television. A special occasion included drinking as a special reward or celebration. A commercial was coded as â€Å"Not shown/inconclusive† if none of the characters consumed (or was about to consume) beer, or no characters were shown at all. Everyday-usage dominated the British commercials to a large extend, and also was dominant in Dutch advertising, whereas it was relatively infrequently used in German advertising. Table 5: Occasion for product usage UK NL D Everyday 77% 50% 20% Special Event 11% 33% 40% Not shown 11% 16% 40% Dominant Themes Each commercial was coded for one dominant theme, and those themes were then grouped into a list of 5possible themes: friendship, sex, sport, tradition and relaxation. Friendship and affiliation were the most dominant themes in both German and Dutch beer commercials. Whereas 55% of British commercials were found to have some sexual appeal, none of the Dutch or German commercials were found to use this appeal for the promotion of beer. 4 The link between sport and beer was highlighted only in the Netherlands and in the UK, it was however not used in any German commercial. A trend of advertising beer using the history and tradition of the beer or brewery was observed exclusively in Germany, whereas beer was presented as a drink for relaxation in both the UK and the Netherlands. Table 6: Dominant Themes UK NL D Friendship – 50% 60% Sex 55% – Sport 22% 16% Tradition – – 40% Relaxation 22% 33% Discussion The results clearly support the argument, that different values are used to promote the same product in the three markets, and that different associations and techniques are used to convey the advertising message. In the UK, the use of humour in advertising is a long standing tradition, and is also dominant in beer advertising, with 88% using this feature. This result supports Mueller’s claim, that the majority of British beer advertising uses humour to sell its product. In Germany, beer is not directly associated with humorous advertising, and only 10% of the sample used humour. In the Netherlands humour was more frequent, however it was less dominant (33%). Equally in support of Mueller’s study is the result for the occasion for product usage. The every-day drink, as beer is portrayed in British advertising, is clearly dominant, however it is less frequent in the Netherlands (50%), and even in the minority in Germany. Although the portrayed product usage has little in common with the real-life product usage, it demonstrates a desire to position the product differently in the various markets. In the German market, beer consumption is depicted as a social phenomena. It goes hand in hand with meeting friends, going out for the day or having a picnic, a day at the sea etc. , where the reunification of the friends is celebrated with a beer. Alternatively, beer is positioned to be a high quality product with a long tradition. This appeal is unique to the German market, and can not be found in either Dutch or British advertising. There may, however, be some explanation in the abolition of the Reinheitsgebot, an antique law ensuring the purity of the beer, by the EU in the late 1980s. Although this is certainly not the only possible explanation for the use of this particular appeal, consumers will understand, that the beer in question is brewed in line with the regulation of the Reinheitsgebot. This theory is supported by the fact that 3 out of the 4 commercials using this type of appeal state that they brew according to the Reinheitsgebot. In the Netherlands, the friendship appeal equally dominates the beer advertising. Beer is consumed with friends – however much more in an everyday situation than in Germany. Equally, beer can be consumed at home, even alone to relax – a depiction that is not at all used in German advertising. Another link found in the Netherlands, and not used in Germany, is the link between beer and sport events, where beer is consumed accompanying the activity of watching a game of football. This appeal is however somewhat different from the sports-appeal used in the UK, where beer is positively connected with either achievement in sports or as a â€Å"creator† of sport. Another appeal used in both the UK and the Netherlands is display of beer consumption as a relaxing activity. However most dominant in the UK is the use of female characters in beer commercials. A majority of beer commercials has at least one female â€Å"main supporting character† (i. e. not actually the main, beer consuming, character – however someone with a key role). Whereas there are virtually no female characters to be found in Dutch or German beer advertising, or if so, they are depicted as just another person with no major impact on the 5 advertising as a whole, the female characters play a relatively dominant role in a majority of British commercials. Nearly all female characters are lightly dressed or are depicted wearing tight dresses, and a majority of them seems to be(come) attracted to the main character. The results of this study have very clear limitations, particularly as the amount of data is extremely small. Equally, only one dominant appeal per commercial was coded – whereas many commercials display a number of appeals. Although some more clarification of the appeals is given above, the variety and different flavour of certain appeals used should not be underestimated. However, the results suggest, that anecdotal difference in advertising strategies is not merely a myth, and clearly demonstrates that different values are used to promote the same product in three geographically close countries. Clearly, such a clear difference may not be observed in all commercials for all product categories, as beer is a culture bound product. However, differences in persuasion techniques and advertising appeals are to be expected in a variety of product categories, whereas in others, there may be little or no variation in appeals used. Further research is required to identify these categories, and more clearly establish the appeals used. References: Albers-Miller, N. D. (1996). â€Å"Designing cross-cultural advertising research: a closer look at paired comparisons. † International Marketing Review 13(5): 59-75. Alden, D. L. , W. D. Hoyer, et al. (1993). â€Å"Identifying Global and Culture-Specific Dimensions in Humor in Advertising: A Multinational Analysis. † Journal of Marketing 57(2): 64-75. Caillat, Z. and B. Mueller (1996). â€Å"The Influence of Culture on American and British Advertising. † Journal of Advertising Reserach(May/June): 79-88. Levitt, T. (1983). â€Å"The Globalization of Markets. † Harvard Business Review 61(May/June): 92-102.