Into the Wild Essay Example for Free

Into the Wild Essay In writing â€Å"Into the Wild,† Krakauer’s intention was to uncover the facts (or at least get as close to the facts as possible) surrounding Christopher McCandless’ journey â€Å"into the wild. † Krakauer discusses and presents theories and explanations about McCandless’ reasons for going off into a potentially fatal journey, and also presents investigations into how McCandless came to such a state in his life. Krakauer gives us some idea of the direct cause of McCandless’ death, and his reasons for doing what he did. Krakauer aims to give readers with invaluable insight into the mind of McCandless—how McCandless came about the idea of going to the Alaskan wilderness, what his motivations were, how he planned and managed to survive the grueling trek, and most importantly, â€Å"why? † The author seeks to understand what happened to McCandless in the wild, and to explain why someone so full of promise, who seems to have such an ideal life and much of all that he could ask for, could do what McCandless did. However, Krakauer does not presume to be certain about McCandless reasons, but he presents some very good explanations and allows us to understand McCandless’ mind even more. By revealing many things about the reasons behind McCandless’ death, Krakauer shows us that McCandless was far more than a simple and reckless fool who wasted his life. McCandless, who was an intelligent young man, went off into the Alaskan woods to â€Å"find himself† and to reunite with nature. He was heavily influenced by the literature he had read, to such an extent that he became, most of all, a man in search of himself and of a purpose in life. In order to really â€Å"find† himself, he felt it necessary to cut all ties from society, from his family, and reinvent himself as Alexander Supertramp, thus cutting his ties with his old identity. Whether or not he found what he was looking for in the wild is open to speculation, however Krakauer describes McCandless’s psychological terrain by including anecdotes and quotations from people who were in a similar state of mind as McCandless, as well as drawing parallels with his own life as a mountaineer and adventurer. Each chapter presents different tales from others who have been in the same road as McCandless, people who have also sought the solitude of the wild. Krakauer also interviewed people who have come in contact with McCandless during his journey. By the end of â€Å"Into the Wild,† the readers gains significant understanding of McCandless’ personality. Whether McCandless was brave or foolish, his journey of self-discovery is something that almost everyone can relate with and understand on some level. However, while the book is accessible to anyone who could have some interest in the controversial life and death of Christopher McCandless, it is most geared towards those who have sentiments similar to those that McCandless held regarding society, nature, and how to live. â€Å"Into the Wild† helps us understand McCandless’ character, although by the end of the book, it is still up to the reader to decide if McCandless was â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† in having done what he did – whether he was courageoeus or merely foolish.

Zone fitness market research

Zone fitness market research According to Kotler, P. (1988) marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups can obtain what they need and what they want. This can be achieved by creating, offering and exchanging products of value with others. The figure below illustrates the core concepts of marketing like needs, wants and demands, Product, value, cost, satisfaction and other concepts. Needs, wants demands Product Value, cost satisfaction Exchange transactions relationships Markets Marketing marketers Fig: 1.0. Core Concepts of Marketing Zone fitness is the new health and fitness company based in Huddersfield. Due to the continued growth of the health and fitness market in the UK, the company was formed. The company offers a range of health and fitness services on a membership only basis. Zone fitness operates 1 mile away from town centre in a place which was previously furniture warehouse. Few of the companys facilities are, rowing machines, exercise bikes, weights etc. One of the important parts of the services to the members is that there is an initial joining fee and the range changes according to the period of membership taken out for. The company was formed by three friends with now previous managerial or marketing experience or knowledge. The company is three years old and now has employs a total of 15 staff. The company is looking to grow in future both in terms of members and also in terms of health and fitness facilities offered but feel it now need to become more effective at marketing in order to face the competition. As a marketing consultant a report has been produced, to increase and improve the companys marketing activities. The overall review of the report covers areas such as, industry analysis, market segmentation, targeting, position, pricing strategy, etc. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS According to Brassington and Pettitt (2006), the industry analysis aim is to determine and understand the evolving opportunities and threats of the markets as they relate to the strengths and weakness of the health and fitness firm. The analysis covers areas such as size, growth, profits, cost structure, competitors, etc. MACRO ENVIRONMENT Economic environment is the general changes the economic conditions and the changes in pattern of the income distribution of the customers as well as the operation of the economic system are responsible for a variety of economic phenomena. These involve factors such as fluctuations, trade, economic growth rate, inflation and recession. (Peter, 2008) Socio-cultural environment is the attitudes towards the physical fitness and general wellness and individual ways of life of the customers and standards formed by the cultures and changing social values. (Johnson, et al., 2008) Political environment is the government with its political involvement and the legislation as the main components which can change the political as well as influence of the key issues in the companies such as policies, regulations etc. (Peter, 2008) Technological environment is responsible for the innovation and changes of the equipments such as tread mills, bikes, weights machines and also supplements. The development and new equipments can have an effect on the future of the Zone Fitness. The technology can change the emergence of the many substitute products. (Armstrong, et al., 2009) MICRO ENVIRONMENT SUPPLIER: Suppliers form an important link to the companys overall value delivery system. It provides the resources needed by the company to produce its goods and services. The Zone Fitness management must watch supply availability such as supply shortages, delays and other events which can cost sales in the short term and damage customer satisfaction. (Gilligan, et al., 2009) CUSTOMER: The Company needs to study the types of customer markets. Consumer markets consist of individuals or households that need services and health care activities for personal consumption. Business markets where the company can sell the services to the employees and for further processing. Reseller markets where the company can buy the facilities for certain profits. (Gilligan, et al., 2009) COMPETITOR: The marketing concept states that to be successful a company must provide greater customer value and satisfaction than its competitors. The Zone Fitness Management must do more than simply adapting to the needs of the customers. They must gain strategic advantage by positing their offerings strongly against competitors offerings. (Armstrong, et al., 2009) MARKET SUMMARY The UK health fitness clubs can be divided into two sectors: health clubs which are privately owned and leisure centres which are owned by the local authorities. Leisure centres which are defined as public facilities are changing to cope up with shifting consumer priorities and financial measures. UK has over 5,750 indoor facilities for keeping fit. The health club is still fairly fragmented, but there are now 10 large chains including David Lloyd leisure, Fitness First, Virgin Active and LA Fitness. (The Leisure Database, 2007) MARKET DEMOGRAPHICS Population of UK: 62,348,447 as of July 2010. Age Structure: 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 5,233,756/female 4,986,131) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 20,774,192/female 20,246,519) 65 and over: 16.2% (male 4,259,654/female 5,612,953) Median Age: Total: 39.8 years Male: 38.6 years Female: 40.9 years (Mouseprice, 2010) MARKET SIZE GROWTH The UK health fitness industry has a revenue estimated almost  £3.6 billion and 11.9% of the UK population are registered as members in the health and fitness or publicly-owned fitness facilities. The membership has been growing up by 3% since 2006 and now there are over 230 new public and private facilities that have been added to the health and fitness industry portfolio. Almost 90% of the UK population lives within 2 miles of a private health or publicly-owned fitness facilities. UK market for health and fitness club has increased by a moderate of 1% in nominal terms, by 2010. (Research and Markets, 2010) On contrary to this, annual growth rates have been declined from 7% in 2006 to just 1% by 2010. Both of which, exerted a downward pressure on disposable income and consumer confidence, reducing demand for health and fitness centres as the money is spent on necessities rather than luxuries. Moreover, annual growth is also believed to have slowed due to increased saturation and competition in the market, which has led to a reduction in membership fees in the private sector. (The Leisure Database, 2007) The membership penetration is 33% higher in London than the UK average and also obesity risk rates are 65% lower in London. The Southwest region is another area in UK to have lower risk in obesity by 34%, but the membership penetration level is higher by 3% the UK average. The regions of North East and South West have largest membership growth in private club memberships whilst the East Midlands topped the impressive growth rates in the public sector. (Corporate Fitness, 2010) 3.0. PORTERS FIVE FORCES A Porters five forces analyses explore five different principal factors, which determine the attractiveness of a health fitness market. Bargaining power of buyers Zone Fitness Threat of new entrants Bargaining power of suppliers Competitive rivalry within an industry Threat of substitute products Fig.2.0. Porters five forces for Zone Fitness Threat of new entrants: The barriers to the new entrants are very high. The main development of private gymnasium and leisure centres on the country which take years and capital required have put smaller companies out of the picture. Some of the health clubs are combined and franchised, but all existing major big companies have sufficient back up support to make themselves unattractive for acquisitions. The domination of some of the big health and fitness companies insure that they can manage a threshold level of profitability. (Euromonitor International, 2010) Bargaining power of suppliers: Suppliers have low bargaining poor over health and fitness centres due to strong brand power and distribution capabilities of the companies and due to fragmented supplying industry. The need for facilities and equipments is to explore and re-conceive their business models, like by playing on the customers experience issue and to try to arrive at a more profitable but risky mode. These kinds of initiatives might also help moderate the stance of health and fitness companies. (Market and Business Development, 2010) Bargaining power of buyers: Buyers have a strong bargaining power over health and fitness companies because of the range of choices the buyers have. All major companies sell same facilities and at nearly same price so buyer can switch to another company without any doubt. Nearly 94% of customers today have choice of three or more health and fitness companies which can be available to them within 5 minutes of range and many other leisure centres as well. Numerous companies are competing for their business with facilities of varying size and formats. Power of buyers is high and companies that raise prices are likely to lose customers. (Research and Markets, 2010) Threat of substitute products: Health and fitness centres in the available sector are an available alternative for customers, but there has been some convergence between these two sectors as the companies extend their formats. (Euromonitor International, 2010) Competitive rivalry within an industry: The rivalry is intense even though the market is concentrated, especially among the top companies. At a micro level the industry rivalry is centred and a limitation strategy that the major companies resort to if one initiative is successful. The rivalry among major companies is intense and this has led to a price war between companies. This is because the companies sustain the declining profitability without exiting the market and there is no incentive for major companies to rush into extreme and profit eroding price war. (Aaker and McLaughlin 2010) 3.1. COMPETITION Zone Fitness has a highly competitive market in Huddersfield, but the following four will be direct competitors due to their establishment in and around Huddersfield. Bodyzone Fitness Centre Unit 11f/Nortonthorpe Mills/Nortonthorpe Industrial Estate Wakefield R Scissett Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9LA Website: www.bodyzonefitnesscentre.co.uk Services offered: gymnasium, beauty centre, health club, aerobics, swimming, and sauna and cardio theatre. (The Fitmap, 2008) Fitness First Lockwood Park Brewery Drive Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD4 6EN 01484 429000 Website: http://www.fitnessfirst.com Services offered: gym, cardio theatre, spinning room, x-press workout, crà ¨che, squash, studio, lounge, juice bar, personal trainers, sauna, and steam room, aroma and sun bed. (The Fitmap, 2008) University of Huddersfield Gym Sports Hall Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH 01484 472093 Website: http://www.hud.ac.uk/uni/about/campus_facilities/06_sports_hall/1_html/the_gym Services offered: cardiovascular training, step n tones, boxercise, groove n move, hula hoops, kettlebell, boot camp, pilates, abdominal blast, sports team camp, yoga, kung fu, spinning, tae kwon do and swimming. (Bizplan Cover, 2009) MARKET SEGMENTATION, TARGETING AND POSITIONING Market segmentation can be defined as the process of dividing the total market into segments or target market of consumers with common needs or characteristics and selecting one or more segments to target with a marketing mix. Zone Fitness company needs to know the needs and wants of their customers to better enable them to provide facilities and services that will satisfy the customer needs and wants. This may be problematic as there are numerous health and fitness facilities in the consumer market which the company can satisfy. Therefore, Zone Fitness must divide its market into various needs and wants. This is the process of the segmentation. (Cant, et al., 2009) The company must next decide which market segments needs it can best satisfy. The company should develop its marketing offers such as facilities and membership discounts and the process of deciding which segment to pursue is referred to as targeting market. Therefore, targeting deals with the process whereby a marketing mix is tailored to fit some specific customers. (Aaker and McLaughlin 2010) Positioning refers to the creation of a specific image or perception of the facilities and services by consumers in a selected target market. It is therefore the way in which consumers view competitive brands or types of products. For new products it means how the company wants to compare the new item in terms of its predecessors. The company will need attempt to establish a favourable position for its product by means of marketing communication such as advertising, however as it is believed that the product positioning is limited to advertising is no longer appropriate. (Ouwersloot and Duncan 2008) 4. SWOT ANALYSIS Many companies evaluate opportunities utilizing an analysis framework referred to as SWOT. It is an acronym for strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats that can be investigated and can be used in early stages like market planning and decision making for zone fitness. On one hand it operates the matching of vital strengths with major environment opportunities and on the other hand it provides for improvising weaknesses and possibilities of risk in the zone fitness marketing. (Cant, et al., 2009) STRENGHTS: Zone Fitness is more committed towards a result orientated approach to maintain its customers in a highly competitive market. Facilities and health programmes are well taught according to the need of Zone Fitness. Reduction in fees and discount in membership service in entire market of UK. Also Zone Fitness has well trained and qualified staff. Personal services, individual programmes and advice are seen as being a key part of competitive success. (About Health Clubs, 2009) WEAKNESS: Personal training and individual programmes can be expensive. There are no swimming facilities which can be a problem in providing services to a large pool of members. Marketing budget is very short to attract business clients. (NetMBA, 2009) OOPURTUNITIES: Health and fitness clubs are rapidly growing in UK. Increasing health conditions and diseases such a obesity are causing people to join and pay more importance to exercise and health care activities. Health clubs and gym have become a routine of life in the peoples daily schedule. A low income area can be of special focus for zone fitness which is mostly ignored by rival competitors. (NetMBA, 2009) THREATS: One of the main threats could be because of recession and economic downturn, which can slowdown the growth of health and fitness industry. Low cost equipments are also available in the markets for home exercise. Although market is rapidly growing a small level threat can be of low cost offers from well established competitors. (About Health Clubs, 2009) MARKETING MIX Zone Fitness companys marketing mix is based on the factors of product, cost, distribution and advertising. PRODUCT: Health and fitness services: Rowing machines Exercise bikes Weights Aerobics Yoga Steam room Sauna, tanning rooms Massage services and Jacuzzis PRICE: Zone Fitness will be facing a challenge with highly competitive markets such as David Lloyd, Fitness First, etc. Therefore company is offering services at cost less than existing market standards with reduced fees for the under 18s and over 55s and discounts for the family memberships, etc. A new member for yearly membership would pay an initial joining fee of  £100 and a yearly membership of  £500. This would give members an unlimited access of the services and facilities of the company. PLACE: Zone Fitness company is located within the 1 mile radius of the town centre of Huddersfield. The company has a direct supply of their facilities and will not be involving in any kind of franchise or network. PROMOTION: Zone Fitness can use newspapers, magazines, internet, television and radio as the medium of advertising. In addition they could also print brochures for creating awareness in the market about their health and fitness services. (Cant, et al., 2009) INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS (IMC) STRATEGY Integrated Marketing Communications is a cross-functional process of creating and nourishing profitable relationships with customers and other stake holders strategically controlling or influencing all messages sent to these groups and encouraging them. The marketing mix of an organisation for tangible products compress of four elements, these are; marketing communications, price, promotions and distribution. The marketing communication element influences the other three elements; therefore it is important for Zone Fitness to be aware of their relationship between these four elements, while designing and planning the marketing strategy. (Ouwersloot and Duncan 2008) The responsibility of Zone Fitness management is to compile a programme that establishes a framework for the development, implementation, coordination and control of companys marketing communications. The aim of such a programme is to develop an effectiveness IMC programme that targets the customers in an attempt to influence their attitudes and behaviour. STRATEGIES OBJECTIVES Setting the IMC objectives and compiling it with the budget are crucial activities in the marketing communications department. IMC objectives and the budget constitute two basic guidelines and constraint in the formulation of an IMC strategy and for the various elements. The period within which the IMC objectives and strategies must be achieved covers the same period which all activities of the various marketing communication elements are implemented. (Hutt and Speh 2009) IMC objectives and strategies the Zone Fitness can follow are: The objectives must be formulated and once they have been, a provisional marketing communication budget must be prepared on the basis of the formulated goal. Marketing communications development and different strategies for each element are usually the most comprehensive of all phases. Each marketing communications element plays a unique role in achieving the integrated marketing communications objectives. The IMC decisions must be co-ordinated to prevent element being singled out. The decision taken must be synchronised by the company so that the ultimate objective can be reached without any form of duplication and resultant additional cost. After that there should be the development of an action plan for each IMC strategy. This is the operational programme, which is very detailed and contains activities, responsibilities and time frames. The penultimate is the measurement of the IMC effectiveness. It is important to ascertain whether the IMC programme has achieved its objective. The continual feedback on the effectiveness of the IMC strategy and programme so that deviations from the formulated objectives can be evaluated with a view to taking corrective measures. In the overall summary the IMC objectives and strategies must be derives from the marketing strategies and elements such as advertising, personal selling, promotions, publicity, public relations and e-communications must be derived from the marketing communications strategies for Zone Fitness company. (Ouwersloot and Duncan 2008)

Hector Tobars The Tattooed Soldier Essay -- The Tattooed Soldier Essa

  Ã‚     Ã‚  Downtown Los Angeles is one of the busiest commercial centers in the United States. However, the city holds two groups of people in different economic level-the homeless and the working class. Hector Tobar frequently includes the landscape of the setting in downtown Los Angeles in The Tattooed Soldier. The novel is about two immigrants from Guatemala who have moved to Los Angeles. The protagonist, Antonio, takes a revenge on the antagonist, Longoria because he murdered Antonio's wife and son when he was a Guatemalan soldier. Tobar applies a number of metaphors to connect the buildings and freeways in downtown to Antonio's position in the city. Buildings, freeways, and shadows are metaphors for Antonio's economic and social status.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tobar uses description of buildings to reinforce Antonio's economic and social position in life. He informs the reader about the squat apartment buildings when the protagonist is on the way to a homeless camp, which have a significant contrast with the skyscrapers where Antonio observes later. Everyone can see the skyscrapers, but not many people know the existence of the short apartments. Tobar uses the invisibility of these apartments to reflect the inferiority of the protagonist in Los Angeles. Antonio's existence is the least significant as an illegal immigrant. He is seen as a parasite that is not accepted by the city. The apartment owner, Hwang, even forces him to leave with a call to the police (9). On the other hand, the auth...

Details Of Hiv And Aids Health And Social Care Essay

The intent of composing this paper was to farther educate myself, and any other readers, on the inside informations of HIV and AIDS. As a kid turning up in the 1980s, I vividly remember the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic here in the United States. The media was saturated with information ; so much so that even at a comparatively immature age I remember being reasonably good informed about ( and terrified of ) the disease. The positive was that that fright, and the sum of information that I had accumulated, stuck with me through life. I practiced safe sex ( every bit much as possible ) non merely to forestall gestation, but largely to avoid catching HIV or any other STI. Recently something occurred to me. I can non remember the last clip I ‘ve heard reference of HIV or AIDS in the media. While it ‘s non surprising the topic is n't the hot subject it was about 30 old ages ago, this deficiency of attending may be a hurt to younger coevals ‘s cognition of the disease. I ca n't talk about the Public School system, but in my ain ( private, spiritual school ) instruction from K – 12th class, I can mensurate the sum of sexual instruction I received in mere hours. It ‘s difficult to be concerned about a subject you may cognize following to nil approximately. My ain cognition of these diseases has non grown since high school. This was the inspiration to take this subject to compose on. I feel this subject is particularly relevant to college age pupils. At this clip in their lives, they may happen many chances to prosecute in hazardous behaviours that may take to exposure to HIV/AIDS. Without proper cognition, it may be easy to disregard the disease as non being unsafe any longer. After all, why worry about it if no 1 talks about it any longer? It must non be that large of a trade, right? Students this age demand to cognize that the disease is still prevailing, still incurable, and still really lifelessly. Being informed agencies they have the tools to protect themselves and do better picks to remain safe. HIV ( Human Immunodeficiency Virus ) and AIDS ( Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ) are classified as a retrovirus, intending that it replicates by occupying a normal organic structure cell, destructing the cell ‘s Deoxyribonucleic acid and so copies its ain Deoxyribonucleic acid into the cell ‘s chromosomes. By reiterating this procedure over and over the virus spreads through the host. Infections begin by geting HIV. As the virus spreads, it begins to assail and destruct the organic structure ‘s immune system cells, specifically CD4+ T-cells. Once a individual ‘s measured CD4+ falls below half of the normal sum and they have developed one or more timeserving infections, they are diagnosed as holding AIDS. ( Johnson, 2008 ) ( The effects of the virus on the organic structure will be detailed in a ulterior subdivision ) To convey the HIV virus, bodily fluids such as seeds, vaginal fluids or blood of an septic individual must come in the blood stream of another. As such, some of the most common paths of infection include unprotected sex and sharing acerate leafs used for endovenous drug usage, tattooing or organic structure piercing. Other methods include blood transfusions ( though current testing techniques have reduced this to virtually nil ) or mother-to-infant transmittals through blood during gestation or bringing, or through breast milk while nursing. ( Hunter, 2005 ) The first instance of HIV/AIDS was non discovered until around 1981, in the United States. Within one twelvemonth, 1500 new instances of what would finally go known as AIDS were diagnosed. ( Patton, 2002 ) Since that clip the figure of people known to be populating with HIV/AIDS worldwide has skyrocketed. Harmonizing to statistics from the World Health Organization, as of 2008 about 33.4 million people across the Earth are presently populating with HIV. ( World Health Organization [ WHO ] , 2008 )How common is the problem/issue in the United States?For the first several old ages of the epidemic the reported instances of AIDS in the United States continued to lift, hitting a high point of 79,752 new instances being reported in the twelvemonth 1993. From the beginning of the epidemic in 1981 through the twelvemonth 2000, and estimated sum of 733,374 people had been diagnosed with AIDS. ( McElrath, 2002 ) Since so the figure of new instances has decreased and become reasonably changeles s, with the new estimation being about 37,991 new instances reported and a cumulative sum of 1,106,391 people diagnosed with the disease since the start. The figure of people populating with HIV in the United States has continued to lift over the old ages, and it is estimated that as of 2006 over 1 million people are infected with the disease, with 42,439 new instances reported in 2008. ( Center for Disease Control and Prevention [ CDC ] , 2010 ) The disease seem to be more prevailing among work forces. 73 % of all new HIV/AIDS instances diagnosed in 2006 were work forces. ( Hock, 2007 ) Certain cultural groups are disproportionately affected by the disease every bit good. African Americans make up about 12 % of the U.S. population, but history for about half of the entire population life with the disease every bit good as half of the new infections reported per twelvemonth. Likewise, Hispanics/Latinos comprise 17 % of the state ‘s population but history for for 17 % of those populating with the disease and the same per centum of new infections per twelvemonth. ( CDC, 2010 ) The rate of new infections among both sexes of these minorities is several times that of Caucasians. HIV/AIDS is besides more prevailing amongst the immature, specifically striplings and immature grownups. Of the sum reported instances of AIDS through 2008, merely about 9,349 were diagnosed in kids under the age of 13. The age scope of 20 – 40 seems to be the hardest hit, and comprises about 2/3 of the entire figure of instances reported in the U.S. through 2006. ( CDC, 2008 )How common is this problem/issue in other states?Sub-saharan African states have been hit the hardest by HIV/AIDS. Of the 33.4 million people in the universe life with the disease, over two tierces of them ( 22.4 million ) reside in this country of the universe. It is estimated that in 2008 entirely, 1.9 million new people were infected with the disease. South Africa itself is place to an estimated 5.7 million people infected with HIV/AIDS. ( Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS [ UNAIDS ] , 2009 ) Prevalence rates of the disease vary from state to state, but about all are above 10 % . The state with the highest degree of prevalence is Swaziland, with 26 % of its grownup population infected with HIV. ( WHO, 2008 ) The chief method of transmittal of the disease in this part is via heterosexual sexual contact, although the â€Å" usual † hazard groups are besides represented. In blunt contrast to the United States in respect to prevalence rates between sexes, Sub-saharan adult females are the bulk of the septic. As of 2008, 60 % of the entire HIV infections in the part were female. This is thought to be largely due to the sex trade in the part ; nine states have reported that over 30 % sex trade workers are confirmed HIV positive. ( UNAIDS, 2009 ) There is good intelligence sing the epidemic in the part. Many states have been sing diminutions in prevalence rates and new infections over the past old ages. For illustration, Zimbabwe, which in 1997 reported an grownup prevalence rate of merely under 30 % has seen a steady diminution since so. It ‘s current rate of 15 % , while still high, shows unbelievable advancement in decelerating the spread of the disease. The figure of entire people populating with the disease is really high, but portion of the figure is due to the fact that septic people of the part are get downing to populate longer thanks to better intervention options. ( WHO, 2008 ) This, coupled with better consciousness and instruction of the disease and a general displacement towards better sexual patterns is get downing to convey a step of control of the epidemic Tho the part, but much more work demands to be done to truly acquire a grip on the job.What are the negative effects of this job on the person, house hold, and society?The most obvious consequence of the disease on the person is, to be blunt, decease. As HIV continues to destruct a individual ‘s immune system, they become susceptible to timeserving infections. This means that sicknesses that a normal immune system could contend off with easiness become serious jobs in those with the disease. It is these infections that cause decease due to AIDS ; the organic structure becomes more and more worn down by invariably combating the disease and its infections until it merely can non go on to contend. ( Hunter, 2005 ) There are other effects non limited in range to the septic individual ‘s organic structure. In the earlier old ages of the epidemic when cognition of the causes and transmittal methods of HIV/AIDS was ill-defined, there was a definite fright of those populating with the disease. This increased as it was made clear that the disease was non entirely limited to homosexual work forces or injection drug users, the two groups who comprised the bulk of initial diagnosings. Some provinces enacted Torahs to divide septic individuals from the remainder of the population. ( Siplon, 2002 ) People populating with the disease lost their occupations and medical insurance due to their septic position. They besides found themselves alienated by friends and household who merely did n't cognize how to get by. ( Patton, 2002 ) There was a definite feeling of a divide in society between those with the disease and those without. A illustration of such a divide could be seen in the instance of Ryan White in 1985. Ryan was 13 old ages old at the clip he was diagnosed with AIDS received via a blood transfusion. When his infected was discovered he was barred by school functionaries from returning to category. After taking the affair to tribunal and winning he was allowed to return to category merely to confront more favoritism. Even though wellness governments assured the populace that the disease could non be transmitted casually, people did non like the thought of a kid infected with a fatal disease around their kids. Protests occurred outside the school daily, and the full household was capable to menaces and other signifiers of torment until they were finally forced to relocate to a more accepting community. ( Siplon, 2002 ) Today, with better apprehension of the disease and its transmittal methods there is far less fright of those infected with the disease. However, there still seems to be a spot of a stigma attached to being infected with the disease, possibly likely due to the fact that is still at this clip incurable. ( McElrath, 2002 )Describe how another civilization or state view this job.One interesting instance to analyze is that of Kenya. While other states acted to seek to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, Kenya did non. Alternatively, Kenya continued to deny the significance of the disease, both politically and and socially. A strong stigma was attached to what the state viewed as â€Å" a disease of homophiles and aliens † . No Torahs exist to protect septic people from favoritism. HIV trials are platitude in the employment procedure, and negative consequences are required to measure up for most life and wellness insurance policies. ( McElrath, 2002 ) There has even been talk of impleme nting a policy of compulsory presentment of sexual spouses by people infected with HIV. ( Patton, 2002 ) The community as a whole seems loath to face the possibility that they may be infected. As such, the sum of people who choose to voluntarily be tested for the disease is really low. Peoples are besides really loath to uncover their HIV positive position to others due to the ostracization that may happen. Kenya has been slow in its attempts to battle the disease. Attempts have been made but seem to ever hit opposition, or merely a dreamy attitude toward the job. Plans to include information about generative wellness and HIV/AIDS into the school course of study were met with heavy resistance from parents and the spiritual elements of the authorities, and were finally abandoned. In 1997 Parliament passed a sessional paper detailing the state ‘s program to stem the disease, but it did non hold the power of jurisprudence. Since so few of the commissariats that were set Forth in the paper have come to fruition ; the authorities still seems to be dragging its pess to turn to the issue caput on. A National Aids Control Program was established, but placed really low in political importance and has been mostly uneffective. ( McElrath, 2002 )Describe at least two ways how 1 might get by with this sexual job or issue.It is true that there still is no remedy for HIV/AIDS, but medical interv entions of the disease have improved greatly over the old ages. In the early old ages, there was merely one drug known to battle the HIV virus: AZT ( azidothymidine ) . Before that drug existed, physicians were limited to handling the timeserving infections that developed in their patients ( Patton, 2002 ) Nowadays there are upwards of 30 different drugs. The most common drug intervention therapy is called HAART ( Highly Active AntiRetroviral Therapy ) , more normally known as the â€Å" AIDS cocktail † . In this therapy a patient will take a combination of several different anti-HIV drugs. This slows the patterned advance of the disease into full blown AIDS ( by several old ages, in some instances more than 20 ) , evidently increasing the endurance rate of the patient. Even after the oncoming of AIDS, HAART intervention can assist forestall timeserving infections from developing. This comes at a monetary value ; long term usage of this therapy could take to other serious wel lness hazards such as coronary bosom disease. A patient may besides construct an unsusceptibility to a type of drug over clip. ( Hock, 2007 ) Many policies sing HIV/AIDS have besides been instituted. One of the biggest is the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency ( CARE ) act enacted in 1990. This provided federal support to plans that provide attention and other support for people infected with the disease. There are plans aimed at bar of the disease, such as ( voluntary ) HIV/AIDS instruction in schools, doing AIDS information available to the general public every bit good as aiming specific high hazard demographics, to controversial plans such as needle exchange plans for endovenous drug users and doing rubbers readily available in high schools. The Americans with Disabilities Act included people populating with HIV/AIDS, protecting them by jurisprudence from favoritism. ( Siplon, 2002 ) All of these techniques have helped to increase the quality and length of life for septic people.Choose the attack you feel best addressed and/or solves the problem/issue and depict why this method is better.While I believe research to forestall and perchance bring around the disease is a worthy outgo of resources, modern medical specialty is still a long manner from happening a remedy. To truly extinguish the disease, the first measure should be to seek to extinguish the causes of it. Therefore, it is my sentiment that the better header method would be to concentrate on policies and plans to battle HIV/AIDS, specifically plans on bar. There is grounds that such plans work. In one survey done in New York between 1990 – 2001, after needle exchange plans were implemented HIV prevalence dropped from a high of 54 % to a depression of 13 % . ( Patton, 2002 ) An Australian study stated that during 1990 – 2000, an estimated 25,000 HIV infections had been averted due to needle exchange plans. ( McElrath, 2002 ) Although these plans are controversial, they produce consequences. Possibly the strongest instance point is Uganda, located in Sub-Saharan Africa. The authorities responded caput on to the disease when the range of the epidemic became clear. It implemented policies for attention of the septic, plans to distribute instruction and consciousness of the disease and its methods of transmittal, and better sex instruction for the population. It besides better educated people of the methods for safer sex, and made rubbers widely available and provided direction on proper usage. ( McElrath, 2002 ) The consequence of these policies is amazing ; prevalence of HIV in Uganda has dropped from a high of 15 % to an unbelievable 5 % . ( UNAIDS, 2008 ) This shows that decently funded and executed plans and policies can hold a profound affect on the prevalence of the disease. While it ‘s non a remedy, decelerating and possibly halting the spread of HIV/AIDS is the best class of action to prosecute while scientific discipline continues to seek for a lasting remed y.Describe at least one get bying technique or method utilized by another civilization or state.The state of Brazil ‘s National AIDS plan ( PN-DST/AIDS ) has instituted legion policies for intervention of those with HIV/AIDS every bit good as instruction and awareness plans aimed to stem the spread of the disease since its origin in 1985. Possibly the most extremist policy is that of supplying free drug intervention therapy ( including HAART ) to anyone necessitating it. Numerous ( but still non all ) infirmaries are equipped and able to supply equal attention for septic people. Surveies of the epidemic in the state are performed on a regular basis every two old ages to track incident rates and roll up other statistics. Millions of dollars have been spent on telecasting and wireless runs to assist educate and distribute consciousness of the disease in the population. Educational stuffs were made widely available to the people ( with specific stuffs distributed to the high haza rd public ) and a monthly paper detailing the disease and bar techniques is distributed to rate school pupils. Programs advancing rubber usage and distribution were besides created. Several hundred nongovernmental organisations formed with partial support from PN-DST/AIDS and have been priceless helping in the executing of these plans. ( Okie, 2006 ) While an project of this magnitude is a baronial attack to contending the disease, it comes at a steep monetary value. Funding for PN-DST/AIDS came about entirely from an tremendous loan granted by the World Bank ( about $ 650 million ) Obviously this debt entirely is a monolithic hurdle for the state to get the better of in the coming old ages. It must besides non merely acquire out from under the debt, but continue to fund the plans without incurring heavier debt. The drugs provided free to patients are highly expensive to purchase, and at that place have been jobs maintaining the supply filled adequately ( this is frequently made the duty of province or other municipal services ) . ( McElrath, 2002 ) Even with these jobs the state has made definite headroom in contending the disease.DecisionHIV/AIDS is still as lifelessly today as it was when it was foremost discovered. However, much advancement has been made in contending the disease. We now have drug interventions that greatly i ncrease the length of life of septic people, and are more educated world-wide on the inside informations of the disease and how to avoid it. I believe these are the grounds why at that place seems to be less attending paid to the disease in current times. With better cognition and interventions, the fright that the disease one time spread has dramatically decreased. Many new infections occur every twelvemonth, but the Numberss are far less than they used to be. There is besides less of a stigma placed on persons populating with the disease. While this surely is a good thing, we ( talking globally ) can non go lazy in our attempts. Education and bar plans must go on to see that future coevalss are able to properly protect themselves. HIV/AIDS is non a disease that is typically acquired through sheer opportunity ; certain behaviours open us up to changing degrees of hazard. Until the clip comes ( if it of all time does ) that we find a complete remedy, forestalling new incidents of the disease is where our attempts need to be focused.

Questioning Techniques Essay

A number of researches conducted recently within the local setting on teaching skills of teachers show that there is a decline of the quality of classroom teaching of many teachers. The prime reason for this decline, as concluded by many researchers, lies in the problems of the training they receive at pre-service training institutions. For example; Lim, Cock, Lock et.al. (2009) state that though there is a practical element of pre-service teacher training, it does not provide enough knowledge and skills for the teachers to handle the challenges they encounter in the classroom brought by globalization and the development of modern technology. Because it is the National Colleges of Education that produce the pre-training to majority of teachers their syllabi were analyzed to understand that heavy theoretical knowledge given through the syllabi deprives the prospective teachers of opportunity of having enough practical teaching experience during their on campus training. On the other h and, no specific attention is paid on developing important teaching skills even though some practical teaching opportunities are given to them. Karaseva (2013) also highlights the importance of giving teachers assistance in getting their problems solved in relation to particular teaching skills of which they show weaknesses in. Among those important teaching skills, questioning techniques are one of the skills to which less attention is paid during pre- service teacher education. Cotton (1989) says that virtually no attention is paid on developing questioning techniques of teachers during their pre-service training period. Further, Aggarwal (2013) highlights the importance of questioning techniques because psychologically and philosophically asked questions help teachers achieving lesson objectives to expected level. Therefore, this research broadly aims at developing the questioning techniques of prospective teachers using a widely recognized technique and evaluating the efficacy of the used technique in developing teaching skills  of prospective teachers. Objectives of the Study; To review the theoretical background of questioning techniques in teaching. To investigate the development of questioning techniques of prospective teachers through the current programme of instruction. To find out innovative techniques that can be used in improving questioning techniques. Methodology/Design; Theoretical background of questioning techniques was reviewed through literature and a check list was used to determine the current states of questioning techniques employed by prospective teachers in their lessons. It was further expected to use the checklist to determine how far the existing methodology of instruction is capable of developing questioning techniques. The check list focused broadly on general aspects of questioning such as tone and accuracy of questions and specific skills such as eliciting, probing and Socratic questions. Lessons were videotaped for further analysis and at the same time descriptive field notes were kept by the researcher for recording and analyzing the questioning techniques employed by prospective teachers. Peer group members too observed the lessons and used an observation schedule to record and comment on the questioning techniques used by their colleagues. An available convenience sample of 30 prospective teachers of English was selected for the research and two lessons of each member were observed using the check list. From the 30 teachers observed, 12 were selected to conduct lessons in the classroom for the peer group. Half the peer group acted as students while the rest was observing the lesson using the observation schedule. Therefore, the data gathering instruments of the research include a checklist, field notes, an observation schedule, videotaping and lesson plans prepared by prospective teachers. Results/Findings; When the theories related to questioning techniques were analyzed it was understood that Bloom’s Taxonomy provides proper guidance for teachers in selecting, grading and using questions to develop the cognitive domain of students(Bloom et.al. cited in Huitt, 2011). Doff, (1988); Alexis,( 2009); and Hyman, (1982) add the importance of wait time to classification of  questions according to Bloom’s Taxonomy. They prove that longer wait time encourages critical thinking. When literature is further analyzed it was understood that probing questions are very important for the subject taught by prospective teachers, i.e. English language as probing questions demand authentic language production (Stepien, 2012). With the light of the theories related to questioning techniques, results of check lists were analyzed with comparisons to the field notes of observed lessons. The results of check list show that prospective teachers use tone appropriately in asking questions which is further verified by the field notes. Though high marks were noticed for the accuracy of questions in the checklist field notes and observation schedules record inaccurate questions especially in complex structures such as, â€Å"Can you tell me what is this colour?† There were five sections of the check list out of which probing questions recorded the least marks for a greater majority of the prospective teachers. This was further noticed in field notes and observation schedules because only a few such questions had been recorded. Teachers seemed to be happy with the received questions or directly corrected the inappropriate answers without attempting to probe into the answer. When research conducted to develop teaching skills were studied it was found out that â€Å"Micro Teaching† has provided effective results in international setting in developing skills such as class control and classroom management Conclusions; Prospective teachers should be encouraged to preplan their questions whenever possible to increase the accuracy of them because inaccurate questions lead to misconceptualization. New strategies must be employed to give more training to prospective teachers to develop aspects such as wait time, using probing questions because the existing method has not been able to develop those aspects of questioning. â€Å"Micro Teaching† is suggested to be used in developing questioning techniques since it has been successful in many other situations in developing several other teaching skills such as class control and classroom management. Reference; 1. Aggarwal, J. C. 2013. Essentials of Educational Technology. Innovations in Teaching – Learning. Dlhi, Vikas Publishing house Pvt. Ltd. 2. Alexis, 2009. A Questioning Strategy, Power of Wait Time/Think Time. Retrieved from http://schoolvisitexperts.com/?p=563 on 10.02.2014. 3. Asking Questions to Improve Listening. The Teaching Center. Washington University.(2009)Retrieved fromhttp://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/strategies/Pages/asking-questions.aspx on 12.02.2014 4. Beare, K. (N.D.) Speaking Skills – Asking Questions. About.com English as 2nd Language. (Retrieved on 13.02.2014) 5. Cotton, K. 1989. Classroom Questioning. School Improvement Research Series. NorthwestRegionalEducationalLaboratory.http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/3/cu5. html. 6. Doff,A. 1988. Teach English: A Training Course for Teachers. Trainer’s Hand Book. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 7. Fries-Geither, J. 2008; Why Ask Questions? The Ohio State University. Ohio 8. Hyman, 1982. Teaching Methods. Questioning in the Classroom. How to Ask Questions. Retrieved from,http:/ /www.teaching.iub.edu/finder/wrapper.php%3Finc_id%3Ds2_1_lect_04_quest.shtml on 14.02.2014 9. Innovations and Initiatives in Teacher Education in Asia and the Pacific Region. (1990).(Vol-II).Bangkok, UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific 10. Marzano, R. Pickering, D. and Pollock, J. 2001. Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 11. Professional Development among Academic Staff at Selected Malaysian Public Universities: Preliminary Findings of the Impact of the Basic Teaching Methodology Courses, International Journal of Business and Social Science 2(3) 2011.p.125 12. Research Scholar. An Experimental Study to Find Out the Effectiveness of Some Micro Teaching Skills in Teaching Geography at the Secondary Level. West Bengal, Rabindra Bharati University. 13. Rowe, M.B. (n.d.) Wait Time: Slowing Down May Be A Way of Speeding Up. Journal of T eacher Education. 1986; 37; 43 Retrieved from, http://jte.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/37/1/43 on 13.02.2014 14. Shomoossi, N(2004),.The effect of teacher’s questioning behavior on EFL classroom interaction: A classroom research study, The Reading Matrix, 4 pp. 96–104 15. Yang, C.C.R. (2010)Teacher questions in second language classrooms: An investigation of three case studies, Asian EFL Journal, 12 (1) (2010), pp. 181–201 Declaration Form for Corresponding Author Title of the abstract: Asking Questions the Right way; an analysis of the questioning techniques employed by prospective teachers. (Current state of an ongoing action research to develop the questioning techniques of prospective teachers) Name of authors: R.M.D. Rohan Address of institution where the work was carried out: Pasdunrata National College of Education Kalutara Name of the supervisor: Prof. Manjula Vithanapathirana I declare that the above abstract reports the results of original research work and that the work reported in the abstract has not been published or presented elsewhere. Name & Signature of the Corresponding Author: R.M.D. Rohan Address: Pasdunrata National College of Education – Kalutara Date: Supervisor’s signature:

Odysseus- Everett Comparison

The poem â€Å"The Odyssey† details the story of a man named Odysseus who went through many trials and tribulations while trying to get home to his family. In the past, many stories, movies, and other works of literature have based its plot around the story: â€Å"The Odyssey†. However, there is one movie that stands out as unique and its title is â€Å"O Brother Where Art Thou†. The producers, Joel and Ethan Coen, did a wonderful job in making actor Ulysses Everett McGill represent Odysseus.Everett from â€Å"O Brother Where Art Thou† and Odysseus from Homer’s â€Å"The Odyssey† are very similar in many ways, but contrast in multiple qualities and characteristics as well. In â€Å"O Brother Where Art Thou†, the main character, Everett is on a voyage trying to return home to his family. Everett tries to escape Parchman Farm after he hears that his wife was about to remarry a suitor named Vernon T. Waldrip in two days. He tricks his â⠂¬Å"Chain Gang† into believing that they were going after treasure; clearly demonstrating the love, loyalty, and courage that he has for his wife.As a result of this event, he caused the authorities to go on a Louisiana wide man hunt for Everett while creating a new relationship between himself and two other members of the â€Å"Chain Gang†. Like Everett, Odysseus â€Å"has been wandering for ten years on the sea, to find his family;† however, little did he know his absence allowed suitors to besiege his wife with proposals. For this reason, Odysseus laid siege on the suitors on his island. In this example, the situation that Everett and Odysseus were in is very similar.They both have to make a long journey to get back to their families and return to their original life style. Through the actions that Everett performs, one can see the similarities between himself and Odysseus. In â€Å"O Brother Where Art Thou? †, Everett bombards a Ku Klux Klan meeting to save his friend Tommy from being lynched due to his skin color showing Everett’s willingness to sacrifice his own life, as well as Pete’s and Delmar’s, to save Tommy’s. In addition, they end up incinerating some of the Klansmen (including Bid Dan) with a large burning cross by snipping the wires that supported it.In â€Å"The Odyssey† Odysseus is in a similar situation like Everett but the person he is trying to save is his wife, Penelope by â€Å"[drawing] his fist [in the shape of] the cruel head of an arrow†¦ Odysseus hit him under the chin†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which shows the courage that Odysseus had to shoot the arrow that saved his wife (xxii 7-14). Analyzing the two examples, one can see that Odysseus and Everett were willing to perform courageous acts to protect the people whom they love.Even though there are many similarities between Everett and Odysseus, there is a major difference between the two; their view on faith. In â€Å"O Brothe r Where Art Thou† Tommy informs the â€Å"Chain Gang† that he sold his soul to the devil to learn how to play guitar better. Further, Everett tells Tommy that Pete and Delmar had just been baptized and he’s the only one who is unaffiliated with any type of religious figure. This shows that Everett believes in no religion, no God, and no miracles.In contrast to Everett, Odysseus believes in the Gods by saying â€Å"Now watch me hit a target that no man has hit before, if I can make this shot. Help me Apollo† showing his strong belief that he had, had in the God Apollo (xxii 4-6). For this reason Apollo granted him a straight shot on the suitor. In any case, their faith sets the two men apart from one another. In many ways the two men’s bravery brought them to victory and also proves the similarities between the two; however, certain beliefs such as religion causes the men to differ.Everett is a good representation of Odysseus, but there are fatal fla ws between the two which cause them to be starkly different. Whether or not, one analyzes the similarities which show common strengths, or the conflict of differing religions, which make each man respectively stronger, one can analyze that all men are created different. No one man is the same as his neighbor and that makes the world to accept all races, genders, and ideology.

Project Cash Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Cash Flow - Essay Example Therefore to have the money later you will certainly want a reasonable compensation for the delayed consumption, the risk or uncertainty and the inflation. All these factors: delayed consumption, uncertainty and inflation determine the interest rate over a certain amount of money which is due at present but the acquisition of which is put off till a future date. In any situation when a person or group becomes or become indifferent to these three factors then the value of time to that person or group in that particular situation ceases to matter. The situation can be caused by internal factors as well as external factors or both. We can imagine few such situations, for example if in a hospital the anaesthesia machine goes bust in the mid of an operation and the standby machine is at some other OT then irrespective of rational comparisons a new machine has to be ordered because the situation demands it, or for example if there is fire in a factory and machines become unavailable for completing the order at hand worth millions of dollars then new machinery has to be arranged for as soon as possible without going into much details of profitability etc. The example that we have taken are extreme cases. In real life, situations generally lie mid way between conditions of very high emergencies to conditions of no pressure at all. There is usually existence of some pressures which limits the time that can be infinitely spent on arriving at the best analysis. In real life decision making is often done amidst many known and many unknown variables.1 Situations of absolute unpredictability Situations of absolute predictability Reliance on the available and Reliance on complex decision making tools easy to operate decision making tools II) Time value of Money-estimating the discount rate The predictability of a situation depends on a host of internal and external factors. Internal factors can include the knowledge and experience of the organization the management information and coordination systems, the resources and time available to the organization etc. The external factors can include the market forces and the business environment. In the case of applying time value analysis in project decisions the uncertain factor is the cost of capital 2.The estimation of cost of capital or the discounting rate is a complex process and its accuracy depends on many factors. Estimating the cost of capit