Emergency Contraception Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Emergency Contraception There are many myths surrounding the use of emergency contraception. The question of what it is and when to use it is just a fraction of the controversy surrounding this arguably new practice. Emergency contraception is a method of preventing pregnancy after the act of unprotected sexual intercourse. It does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. However, emergency contraception can not be obtained without a prescription. Why does the US government not trust women with the choice of making sure they do not get pregnant after having unprotected sex? If abortion is a choice and abortion terminates a life, why can women not have the choice to make sure they do not need an abortion? What is wrong with preventing an unwanted pregnancy? There are two types of emergency contraception, pills (ECP's) or copper T intrauterine devices (IUD). There are two distinct pill types, the brand name "Preven" and the brand name "Plan B". Preven contains the same hormones as regular birth control, estrogen and progestin. (1) It causes more instances of nausea and vomiting than Plan Bs, and decreases the chances of pregnancy by 75%. However, Preven can be used as an ongoing form of birth control. Plan B only contains the hormone progestin. It is more effective, decreasing chances of pregnancy by 89%, and has less of a chance for side effects. (1) These pills can be taken immediately after the sex, or up to 72 hours later. (2). The other form of emergency contraception, IUD, can be inserted up to five days after the unprotected sex and is more effective than the pills (99% decreased chance of pregnancy). (1) An IUD can be left in for up to 10 years as a form of birth control, but in some cases can lead to pe... ...e. The American government still denies the request for these to be readily available for American women. Why is this so? In a country where abortion is such a moral issue, you would think that an alternative to having to end a life would be widely welcomed by all sides of the issue. WWW Sources 1) emergency contraception at princeton http://ec.princeton.edu/info/eciud.html 2) teen forum on ec, myth/fact based site http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f03/web1/www.cfoc.org/3_teen/3_emergency.cfm 3) publication paper, stand on emergency contraception http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f03/web1/www.amwa-doc.org 4) ec connection, valuable resource http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f03/web1/www.ecconnection.org 5) plannedparenthood, good price list http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f03/web1/www.plannedparenthood.com

Peer Acceptance Essay

As Sentse, Lindenberg, Omvlee, Ormel & Veenstra (2009) stated, the need to belong is one of the most important need of an individual, and during adolescence, the closest group of people that an adolescent could have strong attachments with is his/her family and friends. In a study by Khurshid & Rehman (2006), those who have low self-esteem were reported to have higher peer stressors as compared to others having high self-esteem. Their findings suggested that those who have low self-esteem face more problems with their peers; that because they lack in self-confidence, their peers would see them as inferior, considered them as a boring personality and that they always felt uncomfortable in the company of strangers, even among their friends. According to the study conducted by Parker et al. as cited in Kistner, David & Repper, 2007), the perception of an individual to be accepted by peers would contribute to his/her adjustment in school or in any other areas of his/her life. Rejected individuals who perceived themselves to be accepted by their peers tend to cope with and initiate social interactions better, than those who were rejected having negative perceptions of themselves being accepted (Rabiner & Coie as cited in Kistner, David & Repper, 2007). It was stated by Furman & Robbins (as cited in Kingery, Erdley & Marshall, 2011) that having the companion of peers would provide intimacy, affection and a source of reliance for an individual, thus helping in his/her adjustment and help enhance self-esteem. Behavioral Indicators: Individual feels that she belongs to a certain group; feels that she is not alone in life; accepts criticisms from other people; does not find it difficult to socialize with peers.

Fedex vs. Ups

THE BATTLE FOR VALUE, 2004: FEDEX CORP. VS. UNITED PARCEL SERVICE, INC. Executive Summary: As the U. S. package delivery business segment matured, International segment became the battle ground for the two package delivery giants – FedEx and UPS. FedEx is considered to be the innovative, entrepreneurial, inventor of customer logistical management, and an operational leader. UPS, on the other hand, is considered to be big, bureaucratic, and industry follower, although UPS is shedding this negative image with newer innovations. FedEx Corp. started in 1971, by the end of 2003; it had nearly $15. billion in assets, net income of $830 million on revenues of about $22. 5 billion and shipped more than 5. 4 million packages daily. UPS, Inc. founded in 1907, by the end of 2003; it had $28. 9 billion in assets, net income of $2. 9 billion on revenues of $33. 4 billion, and with excellent (AAA) bond rating. The struggle to deliver value and dominate the package delivery market between Fe dEx and UPS has reached titanic proportions and clearly evident from their respective expenditures. Between 1992 and 2003, capital expenditures for FedEx and UPS rose at an annualized rate of 34. 64% and 36. 78%, respectively. Currently both companies are matching each other’s investments in capital almost exactly. Placing ourselves in the center of the battle of giants and using the data provided in the Exhibits 1 through 11, we try to answer the following questions in this case analysis. 1: Who is creating more value and how? 2: Who is destroying the value? FedEx’s growth strategy is â€Å"Produce superior financial returns for shareholders by providing high value added supply chain, transportation, business and related information services through focused operating companies competing collectively, and managed collaboratively under FedEx brand†. UPS’s growth strategy is â€Å"Serve the evaluation distribution, logistics and commerce needs of customers with excellence and value in all services. With strong financials and broad employee ownership provide long-term competitive returns to the shareholders†. FedEx’s financial ratios are improving while UPS has far better ratios in liquidity, leverage, and profitability. UPS has consistently paid and increased dividends while FedEx just started paying dividends in 2003. FedEx’s EPS comp. annual growth rate (CAGR) 1992 -2003 is 27. 54% compared to UPS’s 13. 9%. However, since going public 1999, UPS has better EPS Compounded Annual growth rate (CAGR) compared to FedEx– 34. 30% vs. 6. 98%. UPS has far better Cum. Total market returns than FedEx – 705. 95% vs. 528. 02%. UPS has far better EVA(2003) compared to FedEx – $1,195 million vs. $170 million. MVA(2003) for UPS also far better than FedEx – $11,816 million vs. $69,31 5 million. By looking at the calculations above we can clearly say that both UPS and FedEx created value, but UPS has created more value for shareholders than FedEx. Case Analysis Detail: We start with analyzing both companies using the data provided in the book in the exhibits 1 through 11. We start the Economic profit analysis of both FedEx and UPS by review and analyzing the Return on Net Assets (RONA). A Return on Net Assets Ratio determines whether the institution is financially better off than in previous years by measuring total economic return. A decline in this ratio may be appropriate and even warranted if it reflects a strategy to better fulfill the institution's mission. An improving trend in this ratio indicates that the institution is increasing its net assets and s likely to be able to set aside financial resources [pic] to strengthen its future financial flexibility. Looking at the graph generated from data presented in Exhibits 9 & 10, shows from 1992 to 1994 the ratio for FedEx is improving while it is decreasing for UPS, although it is still well below UPS figures. A quick look at Exhibit 4, we did not find any competitive developments to support th e movement of the ratio for both companies. To get more insight into this movement for FedEx and UPS we check the Activity Analysis specifically the Asset turn over ratios for both companies. Review the Fixed asset turnover and Total asset turnover for FedEx and UPS for the period 1992-1994, it is observed that UPS is utilizing its assets better during this period – see graph below. [pic] Although by itself this ratio number can be misleading, since companies with lower margins can have higher asset turnover rations. In order to understand the real impact of asset turnover ratio we need to combine with margin ratio and then determine if it’s pricing strategy by UPS that is generating this high ratio or in fact UPS is much more efficient in using its assets than FedEx. Looking at the numbers for this period for both companies using Exhibits 2&3, we observed that UPS has far better Net profit margins compared [pic] to FedEx’s, that points to high asset turnover due to its pricing strategy. As we see in the above graph, UPS Asset ratios are declining while FedEx assets ratios are improving and correspondingly FedEx-RONA is also improving though lacking behind UPS’s RONA ratio even though FedEx has greatly improved their asset turnover ratios, the Net Profit margins are still well below UPS (see Net Profit Margin graph above). Does this mean UPS is creating more value than FedEx as shown by RONA graph? We need more concrete data to answer this question. Although RONA has a strong virtue of usage, as compared to traditional methods for measuring company success, is that it also considers the assets a company uses to achieve its output. However, RONA can’t alone be used to determine who is creating value to destroying value, because managers might bypass value-creating activities because they would reduce RONA (a risk if RONA is greater than WACC), or they might undertake value-destroying activities because they would increase RONA (if RONA is less than WACC). Moreover, since RONA does not explicitly measures capital charges, we need to analyze Economic Value Added to determine who is creating or destroying value. Ultimately maximizing EVA should rather be seen as the key financial success than maximizing RONA. [pic] Above graph shows from 1992 to 1994 both companies were destroying Economic value, UPS less than FedEx. 1995 UPS created $217 million value while FedEx was still in the negative territory. This is when UPS launched â€Å"guaranteed 8 A. M. overnight delivery† (Exhibit 4 – Timeline of Competitive Developments). This was frontal attack on FedEx who has â€Å"offers 10 A. M. delivery† (Exhibit 4 – Timeline of Competitive Developments). UPS EVA dropped to negative $138 million due to the strike by its union workers which cost UPS $700 million revenues. Interesting to see from the graph is that FedEx could not capitalize on this opportunity as its EVA was down by $215 million. In fact the graph shows, FedEx destroyed EVA from 1992 till 2002 and the only year it was able to create EVA was in 2003 by the amount of $170 million compared to UPS of $1,195 million. In year 2003, UPS EVA was whopping 703% more than FedEx. Reviewing numbers and graph, in the tech bubble of 2000-2002, UPS still maintain positive EVA while FedEx delivered negative EVA. Looking at the above graph and correlating it against the Exhibit 4, the positive EVA of FedEx can be lined up with Kinko’s Purchase in year 2003. [pic] Analyzing the cumulative Economic Value Added (EVA-Cum) graph, from year 1992 to 2003, FedEx destroyed $2. 2 billion ($2,252 Million) economic value while UPS has created $4. billion ($4,328 million) in economic value. This answers the questions put forward in the executive summary. But we will go further and analyze the Market Value Added (MVA) for each company to support our argument that UPS created more value than FedEx. [pic] Since going public in 1999, UPS has created close to $70 billion in Market Value Added (MVA) as compared FedEx’s $11 billion MVA. This shows UPS has created substantial values for the shareholders far better t han FedEx. Since FedEx’s MVA is not negative, it shows they did not destroyed value for the shareholders but UPS created more value for the shareholders. This is amazing achievement for UPS that is considered big and bureaucratic while FedEx is considered the innovative. What is the key to UPS’s success even being heavily unionized? The Key is efficiency. Business week wrote â€Å"Every route is timed down to the traffic light. Each Vehicle was engineered to exacting specifications. And the drivers endure a daily routine calibrated down to the minute. We can analyze UPS’s efficiency by analyzing the ratios and comparing them against FedEx’s financial and analytical ratios. Using exhibits 2 and 3, graphing the data, comparison shows UPS activity ratios are weakening and FedEx is doing great job in improving. [pic] The Average days outstanding for UPS have increased from approximately 25 in 1992 to over 50 in 2003. FedEx on the other hand, has done better job to manag e the average days outstanding. Average Days outstanding by itself doesn’t mean much and it must be analyzed with other activity ratios to conclude result. pic] The working capital turnover comparison shows except for 1993 FedEx has done better compared to UPS. The WC_Turnover for FedEx was 41. 25 in 2003 compared to 7. 72 for UPS, indicated FedEx is generated far more sales compared to cash it uses to fund these sales as compared to UPS. [pic] FedEx’s fixed and total asset turnover ratio is better than UPS. This indicates FedEx is using its asset better than UPS to generate sales. Although by itself this ratio number can be misleading, since companies with lower margins can have higher asset turnover rations. In order to understand the real impact of asset turnover ratio we need to combine with margin ratio and then determine if it’s pricing strategy by FedEx that is generating this high ratio or in fact FedEx is much more efficient in using its assets than UPS. Looking at the numbers for 2003 for both companies, FedEx with 3. 69% Net profit margins compared to UPS’s 8. 65% seems to have high asset turnover due to its pricing strategy. The above graph shows that activity financial ratios of FedEx are improving while they are weakening for UPS. Next we analyze Liquidity Ratios of both companies to see which company has the ability to pay its obligations in timely manner with minimal cost. [pic] The Current Ratio of UPS is better and improving than FedEx. The anomaly in 1999 for UPS was due to the public offering of its securities. The graph shows both companies can service their short-term debt, its UPS that has more efficient operating cycle than FedEx. The graph shows FedEx’s CR is improving but still behind its top competitor UPS. [pic] UPS has better cash ratio and thus can service its short term debt more comfortably than FedEx. This also indicates that UPS has less debt than FedEx too. The anomaly in 1999 is due to public offering of UPS securities. The graph shows UPS Cash ratio offer better safety of margin than FedEx when it needs to service its debt. Although FedEx’s Cash Ratio is improving but it is still behind UPS. Reviewing the Cash flow from operations ratio and Defensive interval shows that UPS has better liquidity ratios than FedEx and can handle short term cash requirement more efficiently, though FedEx’s ratios are improving. The above graphs show UPS has better liquidity ratios than FedEx. Now we review the Long-Term Debt and Solvency analysis of both companies. The below graph shows FedEx is more leveraged than UPS, though FedEx’s leverage position is improving. Graph shows UPS’s leverage was high in 2001 and 2002, we can find the answer in Exhibit 4 – Timeline of Competitive Development – UPS acquired all-cargo air service in Latin America 2000 and acquired Mail Boxes Etc. retail franchise in 2001. While in 2003 FedEx acquired Kinko’s which could explained higher leverage compared to UPS. pic] The Capital Expenditure Ratio shows, both companies actually almost matching each other’s Capital expense. Exhibit 4 –Timeline of Competitive Developments shows the details of the major Capital expenses by both companies in competition to gain competitive advantage. Both companies made acquisitions to grow in different fields. [pic] The above graphs shows UPS is co nsistently leveraged low while FedEx is improving. Next we analyze the profitability analysis for both companies. Data from Exhibit 2 & 3 shows, FedEx’s profitability is worse UPS. PS beat FedEx in almost all profitability ratios by handsome margin. It is evident from 2003 numbers for Net Profit Margins 3. 69% and 8. 65% for FedEx and UPS respectively. The following graph shows the comparison of profitability of both companies. [pic] Finally, we review the growth analysis of both companies. Exhibit 2 & 3, provides the picture that shows FedEx growth is higher than UPS. [pic] The below graphs summarizes and compares both companies EPS, Dividend payout, Stock price, and PE ratios. [pic] UPS’s stock price shows since going public, it has delivered better value to its shareholders than FedEx. [pic] The above graph shows, UPS has consistently paid and increased dividends to its shareholders, while FedEx started dividend payout in 2003. [pic] UPS has a higher EPS growth than FedEx implies that FedEx has been unable to translate net income growth into high EPS growth. Hence, our analysis conclude that both UPS and FedEx created value for their shareholders, but UPS created more value than FedEx in the long run.

Apple’s Mission Statement

Company Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation founded in 1976 with 361 retail stores worldwide as of January 2012. The current CEO of Apple is Tim Cook and the current Chairman is Arthur Levinson. Its headquarters is situated at: 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 United States Apple’s mission statement is: â€Å"Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store.Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad. † [ (Apple Inc. – Frequently Asked Questions, 2012) ] Products and Distribution Apple’s prime function is the design and marketing of products such as consumer electronics, computers, and computer software, including: * iPhone * iPad * Mac * iPod * iOS * Apple TV * iCloud * Mac OS X Apple also offers various third-party accessories, digital content and applications compatible with its own products.Apple sells these and its own products through various distribution channels including: * retail stores * online stores * direct sales force * third-party cellular network carriers * wholesalers * retailers * value-added resellers Apple’s products and services are sold to a wide variety of customers including: * consumers * small and mid-sized businesses * education * enterprise * government customers Customers and Market Expansion Apple has a loyal customer base, with regular customers accounting for a large percentage of sales.However, Apple is always looking to expand into new market areas through the creation of new products and marketing techniques. For instance, Apple is considering the creation of an Apple Bank, with a recent survey showing that 43% of the current Apple customers would switch from their current banks to Apple. Apple also recently delve d into the electronic book industry, over which it now faces a lawsuit for colluding with other companies to raise the price of electronic books. Shares 1,748 institutions currently hold Apple shares. Due to its recent success, reflected in its no. position in BrandZ’s 2011 list of the 100 most valuable brands in the world, Apple has amassed US$98 billion, and has therefore decided to pay a quarterly dividend of US$2. 65 a share to investors starting from July 1, implying a 1. 8% dividend yield based on a current share price of around US$600. Apple is also planning to repurchase US$10 billion in shares over a three year period starting from September 30. The total cost of these planned operations amounts to roughly US$45 billion. Employees Apple has over 60,000 employees, and this number is increasing rapidly due to the company’s high employment rate.The research and development department is relatively small, with most staff employed in general and administrative role s – approximately 60% of Apple’s employees work in Apple Stores, compared to other companies in the same industry of similar size. Most Apple employees have more than 5-10 years of work experience, but the level of education is not a crucial deciding factor in employment – the amount of graduates hired without masters or doctoral degrees is significant. Environmental Impact Apple has long been the subject of criticism over its environmental impact.In 2007, Steve Jobs penned an open letter promising to remove toxic materials from Apple’s products, and that promise has been fulfilled since then, with toxic substances being removed from Apple’s whole array of products. However, Apple is still criticised often over its impact on the environment. In a list released in April 2011 by Greenpeace, Apple was deemed the least green technology company due to its high reliance on coal power. Apple published a breakdown of its carbon footprint in 2011, estimatin g that it was responsible for 23. 1 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions during the year.Chinese environmental groups have also published two reports detailing the pollution and health hazards present in Apple’s supply chain in China. In these reports, Apple is criticised for ignoring the unhealthy conditions in its factories in China. In response to these reports, Apple’s pledge to ensure safe working conditions for its suppliers was restated. Apple was again criticised when several of its manufacturers in China were accused of releasing harmful pollutants. In response, Apple met with Chinese environmental groups, promising to assess its environmental impact and ensure its partners would follow environmental regulations.Apple’s own supplier responsibility report detailed that waste was being improperly discharged from some of its suppliers and some facilities did not have adequate systems or records in place required to deal with hazardous materials. Economic Conditions Apple has always had to cope with changing economic conditions. However, Apple’s response to these conditions has varied. For instance, in the Global Financial Crisis, rumours spread that Apple would develop new, more affordable products across its Mac and iPhone families. However, when questioned over this, Steve Jobs replied: â€Å"There are some customers which we choose not to serve.We don’t know how to make a $500 computer that’s not a piece of junk, and our DNA will not let us ship that. But we can continue to deliver greater and greater value to those customers that we choose to serve and there’s a lot of them. And we’ve seen great success by focusing on certain segments of the market and not trying to be everything to everybody. † Apple continued to develop its product lines in the same style and price range. In the fourth fiscal quarter of the 2011 financial year, economic conditions threatened iPhone sales, and in response, Apple chose to reduce orders for handset parts and components.By the end of the quarter it had been revealed that it had been Apple’s biggest September quarter ever, but due to Apple’s even greater success in the third quarter, the company’s revenue had not lived up to the Wall Street estimates. Competition Apple uses several strategies to stay ahead of the competition: * It is constantly developing new products. * It is continuously upgrading its existing products. * It continues to sell successful products and keeps successful designs. * It tries to cover all price ranges when it can.For instance, since the release of the iPhone 4S, Apple decided to keep selling the iPhone 3GS in order to provide a more affordable iPhone for potential customers. Apple has also initiated several lawsuits against Samsung and vice versa, with patent breaches being disputed in at least 10 countries. Most notably, Apple claimed Samsung had copied its iPhone and iPad. Business Life Cycle Despite being over 30 years old, Apple is still in the growth stage of the business life cycle. This is due to several reasons: * Growth is accelerating. Regular clients make up a large percentage of their customer base, but at the same time substantial effort is being put into tapping into new markets. * New products are being created and developed in order to fill market niches. * Mass marketing techniques are used to increase market share. * Profits are rising. * Production costs are decreasing. Company Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd is an Australian public company founded in1982 which operates primarily as a franchisor. Gerry Harvey is the current Chairman of the company, and his wife, Katie Page, is the CEO. Its headquarters is based in Homebush West, NSW, Australia.The company owns three leading brand names: * Harvey Norman * Domayne * Joyce Mayne Harvey Norman also owns several other Australian retail chains such as Space Furniture and Ariston Appliances. Unde r these brand names, the company grants franchises to independent business operators. As of the 2011 Financial Year, there were 195 franchised outlets in Australia, and 96 company owned stores. Products and Distribution Harvey Norman’s franchisees sell a wide range of products in various categories including: * electrical goods * furniture * computerised communications * bedding and manchester * small appliances * carpets and flooringThe company recently planned to conduct 5% of its trade online, but these plans proved too optimistic, and they were scaled back. Customers and Market Expansion As an icon in the Australian retail industry, consumers make up most of Harvey Norman’s customers. The company acquired retail chain Joyce Mayne in July 1998 and further expanded when it launched its Domayne retail chain in May 1999. It acquired a controlling interest in Rebel Sport Limited in July 2001 but sold it in March 2007. Harvey Norman opened Harvey Norman Direct Import in December 2011, an online store based in Ireland which sells video games to Australia free of GST.Shares Harvey Norman’s shares have recently experienced a drop of over 6% due to uncertain retail conditions and a drop in sales. Employees Harvey Norman currently has approximately 10,000 employees. The ratio of employees in general and administrative sectors to those in sales and marketing is less than in companies of similar size in the same industry. Most employees have over 5-10 years of work experience, and have bachelor’s degrees rather than masters or doctoral degrees. Environmental Impact In 2011, Harvey Norman was the subject of criticism over the destruction of Australian native forests for use in the furniture industry.A group called Markets for Change launched a campaign against Harvey Norman after they claimed to have conducted a year-long investigation into the company’s timber usage. To this, Gerry Harvey responded on ABC Radio: â€Å"I'm an environm entalist† â€Å"I'm doing my best to use recycled timber or timber from plantations †¦ but every now and then [timber from native forests] will slip through. â€Å"[Often it's] timber the government has told sawmills they can take. â€Å"We are trying really hard to change and also to keep an industry going in Australia †¦ it's difficult for [the sawmills] to survive, and without us they just wouldn't. Economic Conditions It was recently revealed that Harvey Norman’s first half yearly profits were down 2. 1%. The company released a statement explaining the situation: â€Å"The combination of intense competitive pressures and price deflation in certain key product categories, accentuated by the high Australian dollar, deteriorating economic confidence and a prudent consumer, has seen many retailers struggle to maintain margins in the fight for market share. † Competition Harvey Norman has several competitors in the market and therefore utilises severa l strategies in order to compete effectively.Actions taken by the company in response to competition include: * The purchase of the Clive Peeters and Rick Hart brands, which resulted in a loss of AUD$41 million, whose stores will now either convert to Harvey Norman or Joyce Mayne brands or close. * The launching of Harvey Norman Direct Import in response to JB Hi-Fi’s addition of a direct importation section to its website. Some predict that Harvey Norman is the only Australian listed company that would be interested in purchasing Dick Smith Electronics from Woolworths and that if Harvey Norman was to pay AUD$150 million for the business, it could boost earnings by 7%.Business Life Cycle Harvey Norman is in the post-maturity stage of the business life cycle. This is due to several reasons: * Recently, it has been experiencing a small period of decline, but over the long term it has been in a state of renewal. * New strategies taken involve some degree of risk. * New markets a re being exploited, with ventures into overseas markets. * Anticipated sales are not always eventuating. Comparing the two businesses: * Apple is a larger business than Harvey Norman, being a multinational corporation. * Apple operates in many more countries and has significantly more employees. Apple has had great recent success whereas Harvey Norman’s profits have dropped. * Apple has expanded into many more areas in recent times than Harvey Norman. * Apple’s share price is also much higher compared to Harvey Norman’s, reflecting Apple’s recent profits. * Both businesses have been the subject of criticism over their environmental impact, but Apple has received more due to its operations in more areas and countries. * Both businesses employ various strategies in order to stay ahead of competition, but Apple has had greater success, with Harvey Norman experiencing losses due to unsuccessful strategies. Despite the fact that Apple was founded before Harvey Norman, Apple is still in the growth stage of the business life cycle due primarily to the fact that its sales and profits are rapidly increasing, with demand for its products high and customer base growing. Apple would be more resilient to influences in the business environment due to the fact that it is a larger business, with more resources and a massive amount of money currently with which it can respond to changing conditions.

The Long Walk Home Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Long Walk Home - Movie Review Example Odessa makes a very courageous decision to go public with her desire and hope for a more just society and equality for her people. On the other hand, in the beginning of the movie, Miriam is not really even aware of racism. Miriam has lived her private white life not really understanding or even caring about what is happening around her in the public area. She is so blind to the fact that racism could invade her private life that she sends her daughter with the black maid to the "white" park, resulting in Odessa's expulsion from that park. Before the bus boycott starts, Miriam is worry about whether Odessa will come to her house to clean the house. When Odessa is unable to be on time for work or not to come to her house, Miriam starts to feel some personal consequences of racism because her house cleaning expectations were not being met. After she starts driving into Odessa's world, and sees how different life is beyond her community, she starts to change from a very private person who just wants her house cleaned to a person with moral spirit. As a result, Miriam makes the brave decision to break out of her very private "white" community and become a public figure in order to stand up against racism. She against her husband and drives into Odessa's neighborhood to pick her up and eventually begins a carpool to drive Odessa's neighbors as well. By her actions, she displays her hope in a racially equal world with more justice for the black people. This story stands as an example how small gestures can have a great impact on society. Much can be accomplished when the people, white and black both, work together to effect change. This was the basis of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. As a matter of fact, it is possible for us to replicate their success stories in our present world in order to make it more just and humane. At first, we need to overcome the hold of prevailing negative ideologies, prejudices and stereotyping. People often tend to think that there exist a strict dichotomy between personal and public life. However, in reality, both are not only intertwined but also interrelated. Psychologically speaking, what happens in our personal life could have certain effects in our public life as well and vice versa. When we look at history, there are ample of examples that prove that when somebody crosses the boundaries of his/her personal world in order to make changes in the very world in which s/he lives, nothing could prevent the triumph that desire. Remember, when Copernicus told that the sun rounds the earth and not the other way, nobody else was there to stand for the truth. But, the truth is that truth could stand for itself. The lives of great leaders such as Luther King, Mandela, and Gandhi are the concrete exemplification of this fact. When they faced challenges in their personal life, t hey did not quietly withdraw from the scene, but, approached the world in order to make it a better place. When we see injustice of any sort around us, it is our duty to say 'Enough is Enough'. A big 'NO' can change the world a lot. "The Long Walk Home' which too presents the picture of the

Media Assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media Assigment - Essay Example This paper stresses that as per Alberta Human Resources and Employment, for such a dynamic profile of the job, editors may exhibit the following characteristics: and ambition, excellent writing and research skills, the ability to criticize effectively, organization and time management skills, decision-making and leadership skills, the ability to work well under time pressure. As the report declares the editors are required to plan, coordinate work with other, analyze information, solve problems and negotiate with writers and others. The job is multidisciplinary in nature with persons from a variety of backgrounds qualifying as editors. Citing the case of newspapers, there are written statements to define ethical standards. The job of journalists is to gather information, to validate it, and also to sort facts out of a mass of information, not only voluminous but often unintelligible. This process of selection and synthesis implies choices which will alter reality. People often blame the media for over-simplification and lack of nuances. But efforts at simplification are part of the job. Almost by definition, to inform is also to deform. News describes information that is new. The concept has a deep meaning because it implies that what is not new, or different, or significant is not news. By definition, news is a breach of continuity and a breach of normal ity as may be describable by events such as crises, fights and changes that are not part of normal daily life.

Forced Drug Testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Forced Drug Testing - Essay Example Thu the philosophy of testing pretrial arrestees for drug tests was introduced. However, the drawbacks to drug testing are far beyond its merits. The biggest problem is the difficulty with which they are implemented and the costs these tests produce (Visher). Tax-payers need to know that their hard-earned money is going into an investment that will reap suitable rewards. If the justice system enforces these tests, they have little or no proof that the ideology behind them is proving to be effective. These tests and their costs will only gain full approval when they show statistics lowering crime which should show the success of these drug tests. There is also the belief that those who were tested for drugs the first time were actually better fits in society than repeated offenders who always tested negative for drugs (Belenko , Mara-Drita , and McElroy 1992). This idea provides proof that no individual can be fully judged on the basis of his drug use. The theory is vital also because most criminals who enter the pretrial drug tests are users and their behavior very rarely if never reflects their crimes The defenders of the drug tests feel it to be a vital solution in improving the justice system.