Economics of Baseball: Revenue Sharing

Economics of Baseball: Revenue Sharing Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada. The organization is comprised of a partnership between the National League, founded in 1876, and the American League, founded in 1901. There are currently 30 teams in Major League Baseball, 14 in the American League and 16 in the National League. â€Å"Since 1903, the best of both of these leagues have met in the World Series, with the winner of the best-of-7 series being declared World Champion† (Burnett). When the World Series ends, baseball's business season starts.Receipts are tallied to determine how much the teams that earned the most will have to pay the teams that have earned the least. Large market teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Chicago cubs â€Å"have an overwhelming advantage over smaller market teams which created an uneven playing field† (Alice). Revenue sharing gives small market teams like the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a better chance at success by providing more resources to improve their roster.In 1999, a â€Å"blue ribbon† panel commissioned by MLB found that â€Å"baseball franchises traditionally generate and retain a large majority of their revenue locally† (Jacobson) rather than nationally, causing a large and growing revenue disparity. Vince Gennaro, author of Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning In Baseball, found that 70 to 80 percent of a team's total revenue is contributed to local revenue. Local revenues consist of gate receipts, local television, radio and cable rights fees, ballpark concessions, advertising and publications, parking, suite rentals, postseason, and spring training.Revenues that are retained locally are a problem because all teams participate in the same national labor market. MLB has no salary cap; therefore, it is the teams’ decision how much they spend on payroll. The teams with the largest revenues have higher payrolls and are able to obtain and make offers on players that teams with lower payrolls cannot. As big market teams began setting up their own sports networks on cable, the revenue disparities accelerated. The clubs started profiting directly from subscriber fees and advertising sales. At the same ime, other clubs began to benefit from building new stadiums. According to the Report of the Independent Member of the Commissioner's Blue Ribbon Panel on Baseball Economics, the amount of a club's payroll is determined by the amount of the club's revenue and it has been argued that â€Å"the size of a club's payroll is the most important factor in determining how competitive the club will be† (Elanjin and Pachamanova). It showed in just five years the ratio of local revenues between the top seven clubs and the bottom fourteen clubs more than doubled from 5. :1 in 1995 to 14. 7:1 in 1999, because of fast g rowth rates on already large revenues (8). The ratio of payroll spending between the highest and lowest clubs went from 2:1 in the 1980s to 3. 5:1 in the 1990s (9). From 1995 to 1999, no clubs from the 14 lowest payroll-spending teams won a Division Series game or a League Championship game and no clubs from the bottom 23 clubs won a World Series game (Levin, Mitchell, Volcker, and Will p. 2-9). All of the World Series Championships have been won by one of the top payroll spending teams.The conclusion was drawn that these problems were getting worse and unless the MLB took action, the problems would remain severe. They would have to break more than a century’s worth of tradition, â€Å"to ensure baseball's broad and enduring popularity, and to guarantee it's future growth† (Levin, Mitchell, Volcker, and Will p. 13). The panel recommended that the league should impose revenue sharing, a competitive balance tax, central fund distributions, a competitive balance draft, re forms to the Rule 4 Draft, and should utilize franchise relocation. Revenue sharing money comes from two pools.The first is central funds revenue, which comes from national television and radio deals, MLB Advanced Media, merchandise sales, and the MLB network. The other is net local revenue, which comes from ticket sales, concessions and media deals that each club negotiates individually. â€Å"Against that money, each club is hit with a marginal rate of 31 percent, which is applied across the board to each of the 30 clubs† (Brown). In October 2006, the MLB and the players association reached an agreement that requires all teams to pay 34 percent into a common pool, which is than split evenly among all 30 teams.The Competitive Balance tax, also known as the Luxury Tax, penalizes teams with high payrolls by making them pay a tax rate to the MLB central fund, based on how far they go over their payroll ceiling on opening day. Only four teams have broken the threshold since it w as put in place in 2003, the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and, Tigers. The Yankees have â€Å"exceeded it every year, paying $25,689,173 last year, a high of $33,978,702 in 2005, and a grand total of $174,183,419 over seven years† (Brown). As of 2010, clubs are taxed if they exceed $170 million in total player payroll.Teams who exceed this amount get a further â€Å"repeat offenders† penalty, which raises the percentage they pay to 40 percent. In 2009 alone, $433 million of wealth was transferred from high to low revenue teams (Brown). Major League’s revenue sharing agreement does not dictate what the recipients must do with the money once it is received. Simply stated by Baseball's collective bargaining agreement, all that is required by teams is that they must use their revenue sharing money â€Å"in an effort to improve its performance on the field†.This is so vague; the money can virtually go anywhere, even the club owner's pockets. The main problem is th at the teams receiving payments use them as their primary source of income. This allows them to keep their payrolls low but continue to receive large revenue sharing payments. Two of the biggest offenders of this are the Florida Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2003, the Marilins won the World Series with a team of â€Å"great young players† and â€Å"talented veterans† that included Josh Beckett, Brad Penny, Mike Lowell, and Ivan Rodriguez. That year, the team had a payroll of $49. 5 million (Cohen). Rather than keeping the players that made up that payroll, they traded Penny and Beckett for much cheaper players, and lost Lowell and Rodriguez to free agency. â€Å"By shedding these stars, Florida was able to cut its payroll down to $14. 9 million in 2006, which is less than 20% of the Major League average of $78 million. It was also less than half of the $31 million in revenue sharing dollars the team received that year. † Instead of using the money to buy or retain talented players, the owners used it as part of the teams $43 million profit in 2006 (Ray).The most extreme example of revenue sharing offenders has been the Tampa Bay Rays. From 2002 to 2006, the Rays received an average of $32 million a year in revenue sharing payments (Ray). In 2006, the team had a payroll of $35. 4 million (Cohen), $42 million less than the 2006 league average. â€Å"It won only 38 percent of its games and filled less than 40 percent of its seats for home games†¦ and collected more than $30 million in revenue sharing† (Lewis). Other teams, like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Kansas City Royals, also received significant revenue sharing money but have kept their payrolls low.In Contrast, teams like the Colorado Rockies, have not been so frugal with their money. They received $16 million in 2006 and increased their payroll by around $15 million the following season (Lewis). Since 1999, millions of dollars have been transferred from richer big m arket teams to poorer small market teams in an attempt to create competitive balance and allow all 30 teams to share in the economic advantages associated with playing in big market teams; a large fan base, lots of press coverage, lucrative cable television contracts, and high payrolls and revenues.However, baseball doesn't force revenue sharing recipients to use the money on payroll. All that is required is that the team uses the money to improve the product on the field. The system hasn't restored any true competitive balance for the league since, generally speaking, we see the same teams in the World Series year after year. The stark reality is that lower payroll and smaller market teams can make more money by losing than they can by winning because of revenue sharing.So long as the rules and regulation in Major League Baseball remain lax and enforcement stays nonexistent, teams will continue to take advantage of the system. Work Cited Alice, Lynette. â€Å"Examining why MLB rev enue sharing doesn't work. † Helium. 2002-2010 Helium, Inc. 10 Dec. 2010. Brown, Maury. â€Å"Revenue Sharing Is Making An Impact. † Baseball America. 2 Mar. 2010. Baseball America, Inc. 10 Dec. 2010. Burnett, Dashielle. â€Å"Major League Baseball. † Business Insider. 6 Dec 2010. Business Insider, Inc. 11 Dec. 2010. Cohen, Gary.The Baseball Cube Statistics. 2002. 17 Dec. 2010 Elanjian, Michael, and Dessislava A. Pachamanova. â€Å"Is Revenue Sharing Working for Major League Baseball? A Historical Perspective†. The Sport Journal. Volume 12. Number 2. United States Sports Academy, 2009. 8 Dec. 2010. Gennaro, Vince. Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball. Hingham, Massachusetts: Maple Street Press, 2007. Jacobson, David. â€Å"MLB's Revenue-Sharing Formula. † BNET – The CBS Interactive Business Network. 14 July 2008. CBS Interactive. 8 Dec. 2010.Levin, Richard C. , George J. Mitchell, Paul A. Volcker, and George F. Will. â€Å"T he Report of the Independent Members of the Commissioners Blue Ribbon Panel on Baseball Economics†. The Official Site of Major League Baseball. MLB Advanced Media, L. P. , July 2000. PDF. 11 Dec. 2010. Lewis, Michael. â€Å"Baseball's Losing Formula. † The New York Times. 3 Nov. 2007. 11 Dec. 2010. Ray, James Lincoln. â€Å"Baseball's Revenue Sharing Problem: Major League Baseball Hurt By Teams Who Don't Spend Money On Players. † Suite101. 12 Nov. 2007. 11 Dec. 2010

Aristotle and Aurelius Essay

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics goes to show that he believes that the end goal of all human actions is eudaimonia, or happiness through success and fulfillment. Following this concept Aristotle goes on to explain that through virtuosity a human being can lead a happy life. He defines virtue as a disposition to make the correct decisions that lead to the chief good of happiness. A perfect example is when he describes someone who does an action well as being good, but they are only considered good because of their distinctive activity. The distinctive activity for human beings can be considered our rationale. This is where virtue comes into play in the matter, but this translation could also be deciphered as excellence. Human beings do every single thing they do for a reason and that reason is to help towards an end goal. Although it may seem like the end goal might be something good like eating lunch, it is actually a chain to the ultimate good which is being happy. Happiness in Aristotle’s view is not second-by-second or even minute-by-minute but an entire lifetime. This is because we view happiness as and end goal which we hope to achieve by death and that way you can look back on a person’s life to see if they succeeded in their goal, through virtuous moral character and virtuous intellectual character and through the act of temperance. A life-time of that act can guarantee a happy, fulfilling, and successful life. Being virtuous come through two different ways in our actions as said by Aristotle, â€Å"Excellence being of two sorts, then, the one intellectual and the other of character, the intellectual sort mostly both comes into existence and increases as a result of teaching whereas excellence of character results from habituation†¦ † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1103a15). Intellectual virtue comes from teaching, experience, and time while character virtue is formed through the habit of repeated virtuous actions and constant practice. This allows for every human being to potentially have a virtuous moral character for the fact that it cannot be learned but only practiced, and not one person can be born already virtuous. The only problem with this concept is that there is no exact guideline in which to follow in order to become virtuous and, ultimately, happy. Basically Aristotle explains that you can find virtue in the middle ground of your actions, for xample, he says â€Å"For to arrive at one of the two extremes is more erroneous, to arrive at the other less; so, since it is hard to hit upon intermediate with extreme accuracy, one should take to the oars and sail that way, as they say, grasping what is least bad of what is available†¦ † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1109a35) There is no teaching as to why, for example, courage is preferred over cowardice or rashness but that you need to practice being courageous in order to understand the reasoning for being courageous. This is true for all virtuous traits and merits of the human character and by combining the moral and intellectual teachings and habits can you start on the path of a virtuous disposition. The key to virtue is keeping within a balance between the vices. For an excessive vice there is excessive pleasure but also excessive pain and for the opposite there is no pleasure and no pain. The key is in a state of temperance in order to feel the correct amount of pleasure for a healthy lifestyle and choices. Aristotle’s views show that someone with a virtuous disposition should automatically or naturally choose the best action or behavior in any circumstances without having to rely on reason because the virtuous habit has been already learned. In response to someone arguing against an accidental choice, these views only perceive the deliberate and voluntary choices made by the person of virtue. Also a virtuous moral character will always aim for the good while unjust character will try to aim for what is their perception or the â€Å"apparent† good as said in â€Å"That wish is for the end, we have already said; but to some it seems to be for the good, whereas to others it seems to be for the apparent good. The consequence, for those who say that the object of wish is the good, is that what the person making an incorrect choice wishes for is not wished for.. † (Nicomachean Ethics, 1113a10). A virtuous person will always do the right thing and will never be surprised by their actions, nor will they do it the right thing with an ulterior motive. Though you cannot live a happy life just with a virtuous disposition because you still need to act within accordance to virtue, you absolutely cannot live a happy life without virtue. Having virtue in your actions will lead to the final goal of happiness because it far outweighs the happiness found in pleasure, awards or merits. II. Marcus Aurelius was a philosopher-king and emperor of the Roman Empire and was considered of of the most influential Stoic philosophers of all time. His greatest work Meditations is an honest portrayal of Aurelius’ thoughts as they were found in journal form, never meant to be publicized. He wrote these books for himself as a sort of guideline and thought-provoking inner voice. In his works of Meditations, Marcus Aurelius doesn’t use arguments as a way to get his point across but rather states his words as truths and seems to be very confident in his uses. It seems he is prying at the meaning of life, the why’s and how’s of it all on the idea of living. He is very blunt in his use of understating the human existence in the world and compares them to specks in the grand scheme, but the point of this is to provide a sort of carpe diem lifestyle. By letting yourself let go of the things you cannot control, you begin to gain a better understanding of the things you can control and act accordingly. â€Å"We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are obstructions. † (Meditations, 17). This quote goes to show how you cannot allow yourself to get angry at another person for what they have done, but to continue your existence and recognize what you need to do. He advises in his writings â€Å"To shrug it all off and wipe it clean-every annoyance and distraction-and reach utter stillness. † (Meditations, 54) and once you can do that you can realize what is natural. Stoicism being a very popular philosophy in ancient Rome for it called for a â€Å"cosmic determinism† in relation to â€Å"human freedom† by a parallel will to that of Nature . Aurelius,himself, was a firm believer in the Logos, which can be identified as a principle a guiding force for the universe, human beings and all matter. In fact, it is one of the most important concepts in Stoicism for the ancient Romans of the time. The stark and â€Å"manly† belief that every single citizen had a duty, whether they were a king or a peasant, were expected to follow it to the best of their abilities. The term utter stillness is used to acknowledge the state of no distractions. By achieving this you can focus solely on appropriate actions and how to follow your own road by the way of Nature on an unconscious level. Not by thinking about it but by acting naturally should you continue to help others, work for yourself, never stopping but continuing to reply to Nature’s demands. To do this all under the Logos, in order to find our common sense and avoid the annoying distractions all the while by controlling these actions through your inner unconscious/conscious self. III. The Greek philosopher Aristotle and the Roman philosopher-king Marcus Aurelius can be compared and contrasted in their similar and different ways of thoughts. First you can compare Aristotle’s ideas on eudaimonia and Aurelius’ use of utter stillness to help follow the logos, also the final step of death as the end of one’s journey towards a life of fulfillment. Contrastingly, they have different outlooks on purpose of human life and how to lead to the fulfilling of that said life. Stoicism was developed within the framework of Greek theory and philosophies from Plato and Aristotle so obviously there are bound to be many similarities. Both of these men were truly brilliant and ground-breaking in their respective ways of thought and led centuries of intellectuals to search for more fulfillment and happiness’s in their lives. Some big differences between Aristotle and Aurelius were there views on mortality or death. While Aristotle concludes that our lives are given to us and as valuable as human beings want to make them, the Stoics view on life is that is shaped by death and that the thoughts, choices and actions are just based on the knowledge of death. Eudaimonia is a subject in which Aristotle and Aurelius were familiar with in their writings about philosophical life. Aristotle thought of eudaimonia as an activity done with virtue performed rationally and consciously. Aurelius and the other Stoics insist that the way for eudaimonia is to live a morally virtuous life, in regards to the fact that virtue is good, vices are bad and most everything else is neutral. A popular argument for this where a death in the family would be involved, according to Aristotle, that would rob the most virtuous person of their eudaimonia while the Stoics would consider that neutral. Another interesting fact about Aristotle is how he acknowledges how â€Å"dumb luck† can aid or block the journey for eudaimonia, for example being born beautiful or losing close friends and family. Basically, they agree that eudaimonia is self-sufficient; the chief goal in life and that eudaimonia is the most complete end result. Virtue is very important to both philosophers and their ways of thinking and considers it absolutely crucial for eudaimonia. Aristotle and Aurelius can agree that no one is born just virtuous as it must be an act learned. Virtue is believed to be how one can control their emotions for it helps them to stay stable and in moderation. Overall, living life virtuously is living a life full of dignity. Marcus Aurelius’s view is a much more justified view because it is more modern and more adaptable. As the stoicism wants people to better themselves within reasonable goals and change values into something that will bring upon an unconscious change so that they may make better decisions consciously. Aristotle instead relies too much on a proper upbringing and calls the loss of good and friends as a prevention of eudaimonia. Stoics learn to realize what is out of their control and move on to what they can control. Aristotelian views also say that if a person dies early that it is a tragedy and that they were taken away before they reached their prime which in the Stoics eyes, a virtuous person should never be afraid of death because their life is sufficient when living a virtuous life. The difference continues when viewing the topic of emotions for Aristotelian that emotions are not good nor bad, only bad when expressed inappropriately while the Stoics think the whole point of eudaimonia is to be free from emotion. Finally the stoics don’t see a difference between the rich, poor, slaves or free men, because in their views bodily and external things can no impact on their dignity, whereas Aristotle believes that a life based on virtues along with enough material and external goods like freedom, wellbeing, and close friends lead to a life of dignity. Overall, Aurelius and the Stoics have built upon and modified Aristotle’s view to be more realistic and to try and be more optimistic in leading the best possible life no matter the circumstances.

A close textual analysis of Aristotle BOOK 2 chapter 3 Essay

A close textual analysis of Aristotle BOOK 2 chapter 3 - Essay Example The formal cause is â€Å"the account of what the being would be†, its genera and its parts, e.g. number and ration of two to one are causes of an octave. The efficient cause, â€Å"the primary source of the change or staying unchanged†, is â€Å"that which makes something of that which is made† and â€Å"changes something of that which is changed†, e.g. the sculptor, parents, etc. At last the final cause is the end of a thing, i.e. â€Å"what something is for†, e.g. health is the final cause of walking and purging, drugs and surgical instruments (pp.28-29; 194 b 20 – 35). Here it is necessary to dwell upon the nature of causes. Aristotle himself notes that â€Å"many different things are called† and â€Å"can be causes† of the same thing, as well as the same thing can be a cause for many phenomena. First of all, as we try to understand the notion of â€Å"cause† in terms of cause-and-effect position, it becomes wholly unclear how bronze may cause a statue, or whether a table can be caused by wood it is made of. Then as we remember that we read Aristotle in translation from Greek, you realize that the word could perhaps be interpreted by the means of other words. Indeed, the Greek aition has transformed into the present Italian aita (assistant), aiutare (to assist). Thus we understand the cause as something assisting, making another thing. In this case we may say that material assists the emergence of a form, i.e. a form is made out of the material and is impossible without it. The form assists things in fulfilling their functions. It would be difficult to use a shaky table with a vertical top. A carpenter assists the emergence of the table. Due to carpenter’s knowledge and skills of how to make tables this emergence is possible. Finally, it is the functions or purpose of the table which assist in the emergence of this piece of furniture being produced of definite firm materials and of definite form. Such a

Musculoskeletal, nervous, respiratory, and circulatory systems in Essay

Musculoskeletal, nervous, respiratory, and circulatory systems in ergonomics - Essay Example The human skeleton has 206 bones. The bones’ mobility is dependent on muscle contraction. Every muscle is attached by a connective tissue to two or more bones. First, the spine enables bending, twisting, and holding the body in an upright position, along with providing an avenue through the spinal cord for the brain to communicate with the whole body. Fixed postures and prolonged seating causes low back pain. This is as a result of a shift in position of the spine discs. Second, muscles contain thousands of tiny aligned fibers. Muscles are responsible for the movement in the human body. Muscles function to produce motion and force. It generates force by contraction. Muscles use a lot of nutrients and oxygen. The muscle activity results in the production of metabolic wastes, such as, lactic acid and CO2. In this perspective, prolonged muscle contraction increases muscle fatigue and risk of injury (Kahn & Line, 2008). Third, tendons are tough and flexible band of fibrous connective tissue which joins muscles to bones. They transfer forces and movements from the muscles. Most of them run through guiding sheaths and do not stretch. Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendon that causes point swelling. Next, ligaments are groups of dense, white, fibrous elastic tissue. A ligament connects bones to bones in order to form a joint. Majority of the ligaments limit dislocation. They stabilize and support the joints by holding the joints together. A sprain causes the fibrous elastic tissues to stretch or get torn from the bone (Pheasant & Haslegrave, 2011). Fifth, fascia is a thin, gelatinous membrane that surrounds and is fused with the blood vessels, muscles, bones, tendons, nerves, and organs throughout your body. It supports, connects, and compartmentalizes various body parts. Strain stretches the fascia leading to pain. Lastly, bursa is fluid-filled sac located at bone joints and it is lined with a synovial membrane. It

Parents Should not be Punished for Their Childrens Crimes Essay - 7

Parents Should not be Punished for Their Childrens Crimes - Essay Example They believe that the behavior that children have comes from many sources such as school, friends, media and neighborhood (Rude 1). These groups of people argue that parents are not to blame, children learn from each other and they tend to have more influence on each other compared to the influence that parents may have on them (Rude 2). For instance, my 8 year old nephew had a problem in school. He broke a glass in the school’s restroom and when 8-year-old kid him ‘why did you do that?’ he said, ‘my friend told me to do that!’ Therefore, he acted according to what his friend told him and not what his parents might have taught him. This is an indication that children may not always follow what their parents teach them, they have a lot of influence from other sources (Rude 2). Although Children do not have sufficient knowledge on what is good or harmful for them, it is the responsibility of the parents to adequately guide them. For example, most of the time, children will say what they hear, regardless of whether it is good or bad. However, older people know what is good or bad and should offer guidance. If a child knows that they are likely to be punished for saying or doing certain things, they will not do them. Although it may be hard for them to know the difference between right and wrong, parents are old enough to evaluate everything and they should guide them. Thus, parents should not be totally blamed for their children’s mistakes, even though they remain the most influential people in a child’s life (Rude 1).

Stem cell treatment for parkinsons disease to produce dopaminergic Annotated Bibliography

Stem cell treatment for parkinsons disease to produce dopaminergic neurons - Annotated Bibliography Example Specifically, scientists have established that PD affects specific neurons that produce dopamine in the brain. Since the disease kills these dopamine producing neurons, stem cells provide a potential solution for replacing the dopamine producing neurons. Scientists can use specific stem cells to produce dopamine-producing neurons in vitro. Kriks et al., (2011) stated that engaftable DA neurons can survive in vitro for months. Through previous stem cell studies, researchers have established the embryonic and fetal neurons can be used to reverse the effects of PD on the dopamine producing neurons in the brain. This enables them to study the disease in depth. Moreover, the laboratory produced cells can them be introduced into the affected PD patients such that they replace the damaged ones and cause a reversal of the Parkinson’s disease. These studies are yet to be conducted on humans because of the uncertainties and side effects realized. However, their findings provide hope tha t stem cells can provide the much needed treatment for Parkinson’s disease. This paper presented an annotated bibliography of 10 research papers on the subject of stem cell treatment for Parkinson’s disease to produce dopaminergic neurons.The research studies present various findings that support the potential of stem cell treatment for PD to produce dopaminergic neurons, which are killed by the disease. However, the studies also present other findings related to the potential and efficiency of stem cell treatment for PD. Cova, L., Armentero, M., Zennaro, E., Calzarossa, C., Bossolasco, P. et al. 2010.‘Multiple neurogenic and neurorescue effects of human mesenchymal stem cell after transplantation in an experimental model of Parkinson’s disease.’Brain Research, vol. 1311, pp. 12-27. The purpose of this study was to explore the neurogenic as well as

Patient Information Sheet and consent form Essay

Patient Information Sheet and consent form - Essay Example The results of this test will give us more specific data regarding your fitness and cardiac health that will be used to further customise your pulmonary rehabilitation program. In 2014, all the patients, who participate in pulmonary rehabilitation at the Repatriation General Hospital, will be asked to do this maximal exercise cycle test as part of the standard pre pulmonary rehabilitation assessment. Data of this test will be used to further adjust your pulmonary rehabilitation exercises. If you participate in this research project, there is a 50% chance that you will and a 50% chance that you will not get this maximal exercise cycle test (we will decide this with the help of a computer program). If you will not be asked to do the maximal exercise cycle test, you will be offered the same pulmonary rehabilitation program that has been offered in the Repatriation General Hospital until the end of 2013. Instead of the maximal exercise cycle test, data of the walk test will be used to fit the pulmonary rehabilitation program. Programs without maximal exercise cycle test are offered in most of the centers around Australia. At the end of 2014, we will evaluate, whether the use of the extra maximal cycle test leads to further increase of the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation. If this is the case, the standard use of the maximal exercise cycle test will be continued. If not, we most probably decide to go back to the previously used pulmonary rehabilitation approach. If you agree to particiate, we will use the measurements that will be done as part of your pulmonary rehabilitation measurements (at the start, by the 8th week, and end of the program). So, you will be asked to do three sets of measurements: before the start of the program, after 8 weeks, and at the end of the program. All measurements include: completing a set of questionaires, a walking test, and breathing test. You will

Small and Medium Enterprises Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Small and Medium Enterprises Master - Essay Example SME also receives integrated solutions which are tailored to their particular requirements, to the right connections, to the secure accesses, also to the professional services and to the intelligent networks. SMEs are the enterprises which are working in order to make the Swiss economy the world's best economy. Small and medium-sized enterprises are also considered as the backbone of the Swiss economy. Along with this Credit Suisse also considers it as an important in order to support the Swiss SMEs by operating a consistent as well as reliable lending policy and also by offering them various advices on various topics such as the succession planning. In the previous year 2008, the Credit Suisse also increased its particular credit volume to SMEs by 5%, figure which is much higher than the annual growth rate of the country's gross domestic product and services. The bank has also its business relationship with around 100,000 Swiss companies; it means that almost every third SME is a client of the Credit Suisse. Along with this the general banking services, which they provide SMEs with various alternative forms of financing that also allow their clients in order to obtain various products to meet their individual needs and demands. In addition to all this system, they also make available thei r international know how, that how their business actually works. All of this, combined with their other services which are offered throughout the bank, means that they are also able in order to give the competent advice to all the Swiss companies. They are also always on hand in order to support their clients planning so that they can easily invest or can also launch different kinds of the business activities in the growth markets like China. Clients can also count on their extensive, on also their global network and their many years of experience. Their aim is to be able to use their products and also their respective expertise in order to assist all the companies and also all the entrepreneurs, particularly in those time when there is an economic difficulty, and to be one of the reliable partner in the long term goal and planning. (Haathi, Hall and Donckels, 185) Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are one of the principal and also the driving forces in the economic development. They basically stimulate the private ownership and also the entrepreneurial skills, they are also flexible and can therefore adapt quickly to all the changing market supply and demand situations, they also generate employment, try to help the diversify economic activity and tend to make a significant contribution to trade and also to exports. Different transition economies have also acknowledged that SMEs are very much crucial for the industrial restructuring and have also formulated the national SME policies, all the different kinds of programmes and the enterprise development policies. In order to improve their economic situation and also to achieve their goals related to their development, different macroeconomic policies must also translate into a certain on the ground in order to help the business turn opportunities which are the outcomes from the globaliza tion of the overall world economy into an actual export

Government Spying Essay Example for Free

Government Spying Essay Austin Bryan Period-1 http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/news/2006/intell-060101-voa01.htm In some instances, governments believe that it is okay to spy on their citizens in order to preserve their freedom. I personally find this concept to be absurd. Living in a country that’s history is founded upon freedom of its citizens, and escaping oppression of tyrant governments, leaves me very skeptical on this concept. I believe that if the government is spying on its citizens it is actually taking away their freedom rather than preserving it. Living in an era of increasing technology has made it much easier for a government to spy on its citizens. Because of this, it has become a problem in many places around the world. Think about back in elementary school when you had pen pals from other countries. How would you feel if the government was able to intrude on your personal life just because you made contact abroad? For us in America, a government spying on its citizens sounds pretty crazy right? In 2006 president Bush did just that by enabling a â€Å"Government Phone Tap†. President Bush thought in order to preserve citizen’s freedoms that is was justified to tap into people’s phones and emails. The only people that were supposed to be the recipients of phone tapings where those who were making calls abroad, particularly to suspected al-Qaida connections. Not only is this a complete violation of peoples constitutional rights and privacy, but Bush also neglected the need for a warrant in this instance. To this day many immigrants from other countries come to America seeking asylum from oppressive governments. America is supposed to be a safe haven where people’s rights and privacy are protected under the constitution. Acts of government espionage upon its own citizens like this are completely unacceptable. I believe that the only way from a government to protect its citizen’s freedom is to respect everyone’s freedom regardless of circumstances.

Social Psychology Essay Example for Free

Social Psychology Essay I think that Social Psychology can only explain some of why football hooliganism happens; I don’t think it is the only reason. I think another main cause of football hooliganism is â€Å"over-excitedness†, and the fans just become immersed in the moment. This, when mixed with passion for the game, I think, is another vital cause for football hooliganism. To summarise I thinkâ€Å"concoction† of passion and â€Å"over-excitedness†, and Social Identity Theory are the reasons football hooliganism occurs. Social Identity Theory has a real world validity which is shown at football games as football hooliganism is common in some countries, such as Poland, and can be applicable to a lot of cases of football hooliganism. Social Identity Theory can be used to find out why there is violence at football games. Furthermore, A range of studies have shown support of the idea that people are willing to see their group as better in some way than other groups. Tajfel, for example, replicated his experiment with a variation to prove that his findings were reliable. There is also a practical application, in that the theory helps to explain a wide range of social phenomena, such as football hooliganism. Social identity theory doesn’t take into account other factors which might be influencing behaviour, for example Dobbs and Crano in 2011 showed that under some circumstances there is much less in-group favouritism than suggested by Tajfel. The theory also doesn’t explain why there are individual differences in the level of prejudices shown. There are also other possible explanations of prejudice which might offer a fuller account of prejudice, for example the Realistic Conflict Theory which sees Social Identity Theory as only part of the explanation. It suggests that it is not just the creation of two groups that leads to prejudice, but that they need to have a goal in sight for conflict/prejudice to develop. Secondly, there is a theory that when humans have their sense of humanity taken away from them, and they are in turn treated as if they are animalistic. This can be used to prove football hooliganism because they are in conflicting goals and therefore they are fighting like animals in order to receive the prize of a football victory. In conclusion, I think that the use of Social Psychology can be used to understand and, more importantly, prevent football hooliganism. This is because the Police could use Social Identity Theory to understand what they needed to do in terms of policing the stadium, keeping peace and where to â€Å"shepard† the fans. This could possibly reduce the amount of prejudice and discrimination at a football match, and therefore, using Social Identity Theory, reduce the amount of football hooliganism. However, I believe that football hooliganism isn’t a result of just Social Identity Theory; I think passion for the game, as well as â€Å"over-excitedness† has a part to play too.

A Look At Spirituality And Health

A Look At Spirituality And Health Spirituality and health are two fields that are closely related but peoples in a way such that ones spirituality in some ways will tend to affect their healths welfare. Some medical facts have shown that holy or spiritual people show fewer human destructive behaviors such as taking of alcohol, committing suicide or drug abuse. They suffer less stress and always live comfortably. Most of the religious practices actually make one feel relaxed and cheerful. This may entail singing and sharing spiritual ideas with others. This subsequently reduces the chances of one acquiring stress related ailments hence an improved health (Mieler, 2005). Majoring on a clinical context, particular psychologists pioneered some work in the area of psychology and spirituality. One of them who goes by the name Alfred Adler formerly studied medicine and supported the allegations that a religious belief system normally supports a healthy life style that may result to healthy outcomes referring to the clinical context. Adlers Psychology strives for the holistic outcomes. Consequently this develops a kind of life-style that tends to reinforce a healthy relationship. These given relationships will then promote a good health referring to the clinical context for both the care giver and the patient. To most people spirituality is believed to be powerful and an important source of strength. This is because when they are faced with tough situations in their life such as health problems, their beliefs in God and practices assist them to overcome spirit of helplessness. This will eventually leads to achieving a sense of control. Spirituality can improves the medical state of human being.   Some patients in hospital from religious background mostly recover faster from their mental disorder compared to those who are not religious. Religious people are always hopeful hence are good in dealing with various challenges they face in life no matter how stressing they are. Unspiritual people most of the times give up very fast hence they may end up committing suicide. Most spiritual families are good in bringing up children healthier ways compared to unspiritual families. Most parents who are unspiritual engage their children in irresponsible behaviors such as taking alcohol. Taking of alcohol affect peoples health since it causes some liver disorders for instance liver cirrhosis that may end up costing them their lives. Many people who are unspiritual are fond of taking toxic substances such cigarette which contains chemical called nicotine. Spiritual people avoid taking of substances such as alcohol and cigarette hence they have a healthier life. Once spiritual people are role models of young people in the society they will copy them and therefore stay free from diseases brought about by of toxic substances.   Also young religious people dont involve themselves in irresponsible sexual behaviors such as fornication hence they cant get some sexual associated diseases such HIV/AIDS that may affect their health negatively. Staying healthy is very important all human beings.   Good health helps in staying fit and avoid some diseases and sicknesses. Healthy people are usually active and are able to carry out their daily activities. Health does not only increase youth body performance but still increases confidence.   Healthy people increase their mental activities and are able to grasp things very fast since they develop a good wit. Staying healthy makes people to complete their duties in place of work and their goals in life. Maintaining good health keeps one away from psychological problems such as stress. It also reduces chances of being depressed by small things in life. Good healthy increases self-esteems. Taking alcohol and cigarette can cause ill healthy which can expose one to some psychological torture, but quitting this can promote your healthy. Healthier people live longer since all their organs are functioning properly. Spirituality and health are related in various way, as mentioned above those people who are spiritual are likely to cope with various situations in their life that can pose a threat to their health. Spiritual people share various things in common such as positive beliefs; strength and comfort gained from their religion, prayers and meditation play a great role in healing and sense of well being. Spiritual health mighty not cure illness, but it may help one feel better, prevent various health problems and help one to cope with sickness and stress hence improve human health.   Religious practices reduce cases of blood pressure, improve mood, reduces the healing period and improved blood circulation are various benefits that one is exposed to due to religious practices. Staying healthy requires one to be committed in taking good food and doing various exercises so as to stay fit. Taking balance diet is one way of keeping your body healthy. Exercise for instance running and jogging help in burning excess fat that can cause blockage of arteries and cause heart failure and stroke. It is also recommendable to consult a physician for proper dietary recommendations. Staying free from various drugs such as bhang and nicotine can still improve healthy.   One chief purpose of Christian in life is to promote and grow spiritually each day so as to reflect love and righteousness of God in their life and that of the whole community. There are various methods that can be used to promote spirituality for instance praying. Concern for others is a vital part of Christian life; one should keep on praying for them. Some prayer items should include praying for good health, marital problems and other challenges that face them in life.   Another method of promoting spirituality is by reading scripture. This can be achieved through exercising topical bible study in which one write down topics to study within a particular week.   While prayer and bible study are essential exercise, one should not forget to attend services in the church and fellowship with other Christians. Sharing witnesses or testimonies, encouraging each other and preaching to one another can also be used to promote spirituality.   Furthermore it is important to find opportunities to serve others and influence them with Gods love and holiness. These include visiting orphans or mentally handicapped people. Charity walks and doing volunteer work can also be used to promote spirituality among Christians. Most Christians promote their spirituality through repenting daily of their sinful ways and make a change for better. They should always focus to be surrounded by positivity and abandon negativity in their life. Reading inspirational books, meditation of Gods word, obeying Christ by doing as he commands and allowing their spirit grows through learning more of his truth can also be methods of promoting spirituality  (Orchard, 2001). Many medical schools have included spiritual teaching in their curricula. However, the role that a doctor should play in guiding and assisting patients in spiritual matter remains a controversial. Although there appear to be growing belief in connection between spirituality and health, scientists in this field feels that a research should be carried out to determine this connection, a better understanding where there is this connection, and how it works.

Sports - For Men ONLY Essay -- Research Essays

Sports - For Men ONLY Many people have the stereotype that males are more aggressive than females. How a person develops this belief is one aspect of the research that I will study. It may be because it is only politically correct to be so. Since this is true, it is also believed that men prefer to enjoy aggressive athletics more than women do. I am a huge fan of almost any type of team sport. You name it, I probably enjoy it. I am not sure why this is true. It could simply be because I’m a guy, or because I was raised watching sports or because I played high school athletics for a year. This is why I decided to choose this interesting topic. I wanted to know if it is true that men enjoy watching physical team sports than women enjoy them. Furthermore, if this is true, I wanted to find out why it is that way. Physical team sports include football, basketball and hockey. Despite this claim, there may be some people who do not find this true. Many females enjoy sports. I am a friend with many women who enjoy football, especially. There are even guys who do not even know that sports may exist. They have more important things to worry about in life. I find this hard to believe, because I was raised following and loving sports. This is why I will prove that men enjoy sports even more than popular belief. Many methods were used in an attempt to prove or disprove my hypothesis. I performed a survey on ten college students, I observed a group of people watching athletic events and I also observed television commercials to determine if advertisers are more biased toward men for athletics. Later, in order to establish further proof to my conclusions, a final interview was used on four college students. For th... ... successfully prove my hypothesis. Surely, more men enjoy watching and participating in physical athletics such as football, basketball and hockey than women do. I was able to prove this through the survey, case study and interviews administered. I also used commercials and advertisements to further assist the research. One can certainly see that through all four methods sports pertain to men a lot more than they do to women. This is believed to be so since there are more professional athletics available to men and also it is only proper for a man to watch sports due to what is ‘politically correct’. Women are ‘supposed to’ tend to the house and believe that there are more important things to life than just sports. I believe that society hopes eventually these stereotypes can be eliminated and sports will not be considered gender specific aimed toward men.

Philosophical Foundation of Ecological Ethics :: Ecology Ecological Philosophy Papers

Philosophical Foundation of Ecological Ethics ABSTRACT: Principles of Buddhist philosophy central to the formation of an ecological paradigm of mentality include a dynamic vision of the world, a system of relative truth apart from dogmas, a moral foundation for scientific knowledge, an emphasis on nonviolence and the absence of repressive scientific methods, and the progressive movement of the intellect to Universal Consciousness which postulates the unity of microcosm and macrocosm. The comparative analysis of laws and principles of modern ecological science and basic Buddhist thought points to their common intentional direction. Buddhist philosophy declares the creative participation of humankind in the united world synergistic process and forms to be the foundation of an altruistically marked ecological ethics. Entirety and interdependence of onthological reality Global scales of crisis which destroyed our planet requires the united measures and efforts of East and West in formation of ecological ethics. " East and West — two parts of mankind’s consciousness. If a man realizes it he can become a perfect human being. And only after that he can solve those global problems of surviving, which mankind is facing now. (A. Govinda) The fundamental idea of all Buddhist philosophy is the inseparable unity of subject and object, man and nature, substance and mind. The Buddhists consider world and man as a dynamic psychophysical entirety. It’s character and direction which is called stream (santana) that makes a principle of absolute change (anytyata). Anityata is of a deep ecological importance. It raises a problem of uneternity of psychocosm’s spheres and admage of its being destroyed. According to Buddhist religious doctrine the category " anitya " must occupy a certain position in each analysis. Speaking of a statement it is important to take into consideration its change and movable character. Only stable and permanent efforts of all living beings make this world better and without this direction for making kindness our world can become worse and suffering permanent characteristics of sansara can acquire rude and vulgar forms. Besides simple constatation of change anityata says about non-reversibility of former conditions. It’s impossible to reverse one’s life. It’s impossible to return of the history of a country back as well as impossible to make the planet evolution come to beginning. The principle of emptyness ( shunyata ). Buddhism denyes the inherent existence of things and phenomena. If you take away the reasons and conditions of existense of something then it will disappear itself because it doesn’t have inherent existence. Philosophical Foundation of Ecological Ethics :: Ecology Ecological Philosophy Papers Philosophical Foundation of Ecological Ethics ABSTRACT: Principles of Buddhist philosophy central to the formation of an ecological paradigm of mentality include a dynamic vision of the world, a system of relative truth apart from dogmas, a moral foundation for scientific knowledge, an emphasis on nonviolence and the absence of repressive scientific methods, and the progressive movement of the intellect to Universal Consciousness which postulates the unity of microcosm and macrocosm. The comparative analysis of laws and principles of modern ecological science and basic Buddhist thought points to their common intentional direction. Buddhist philosophy declares the creative participation of humankind in the united world synergistic process and forms to be the foundation of an altruistically marked ecological ethics. Entirety and interdependence of onthological reality Global scales of crisis which destroyed our planet requires the united measures and efforts of East and West in formation of ecological ethics. " East and West — two parts of mankind’s consciousness. If a man realizes it he can become a perfect human being. And only after that he can solve those global problems of surviving, which mankind is facing now. (A. Govinda) The fundamental idea of all Buddhist philosophy is the inseparable unity of subject and object, man and nature, substance and mind. The Buddhists consider world and man as a dynamic psychophysical entirety. It’s character and direction which is called stream (santana) that makes a principle of absolute change (anytyata). Anityata is of a deep ecological importance. It raises a problem of uneternity of psychocosm’s spheres and admage of its being destroyed. According to Buddhist religious doctrine the category " anitya " must occupy a certain position in each analysis. Speaking of a statement it is important to take into consideration its change and movable character. Only stable and permanent efforts of all living beings make this world better and without this direction for making kindness our world can become worse and suffering permanent characteristics of sansara can acquire rude and vulgar forms. Besides simple constatation of change anityata says about non-reversibility of former conditions. It’s impossible to reverse one’s life. It’s impossible to return of the history of a country back as well as impossible to make the planet evolution come to beginning. The principle of emptyness ( shunyata ). Buddhism denyes the inherent existence of things and phenomena. If you take away the reasons and conditions of existense of something then it will disappear itself because it doesn’t have inherent existence.

Tyler Cowen’s Creative Destruction: How Globalization is Changing the World

Trade and commerce carry a crucial role in creating and changing cultures of races and tribes. In Tyler Cowen’s book entitled ‘Creative Destruction: How Globalization is Changing the World’, trade is depicted as a living entity that builds, grows, and transforms, depending on the elements that influence trade. Cultural homogenization and heterogenization have the ability to work together, with some traits or phenotypes of the two cultures becoming more alike, while others become more different over the process. However, Cowen has failed to realize that, given a specific environment, trade does not always lead to wealth or cultural diversity within a certain environment. With trade and commerce influencing the formation, transformation, and reformation of cultural diversity, there are significant roles that the individuals living in the society must carry. Tyler Cowen’s Creative Destruction: How Globalization is Changing the World: On the Issue of Choice and Positive Liberty in the Cultural Marketing Industry Trade is one of the oldest trends, which has continued to change the world and the course of human history. It changed culture, language, the state of art and heritage, and thanks to trade, the alphabet of the Phoenicians and the numerals of the Arabs were both preserved even to this very day. Businesses and immigrants carry a crucial role in creating and changing cultures of races and tribes. Reflecting the Darwinian Theory, which says that individuals or groups of individuals compete so as â€Å"to achieve their goals of fitness and reproduction† (Saint-Paul, 2002, p. ), internationalization is being born. This pertains to â€Å"the geographic spread of economic activities across national boundaries† (Gereffi & Memedovic, 2003, p. 2). The world economy started to form and be active; with trade and business spreading across boundaries†¦ forming cultures that affect the way people live. In Tyler Cowen’s book entitled ‘Creative Destruction: How Globalization is Changing the World’, it is stated that â€Å"Trade†¦ shapes our sense of cultural self† (Cowen, 2002, p. ). This book proves how trade invasion both creates and destroys culture—that while one culture is being destroyed, another is being created. Trade here is being depicted as a living entity that builds, grows, and transforms, depending on the elements that influence trade itself. Globalization is a creative destruction because it multiplies diversity within a specific individual or race, as it decreases diversity outside the specific individual or race. This paper revolves around Cowen’s book and his manifestation that creative products—those that pertain to music, literature, cinema, cuisine, or the visual arts—are at allies with trade and commerce. Nevertheless, we shall prove how Cowen (2002) failed to realize that, given a specific environment of a town or country, trade do not always lead to wealth and diversity within a certain environment. Groups and individuals carry the most significant roles on whether trade would transform them†¦ or if they would transform trade. Main Body The version of Cowen According to Cowen (2002), â€Å"To varying degrees, Western cultures draw their philosophical heritage from the Greeks, their religions from the Middle East, their scientific base from the Chinese and Islamic worlds, and their core populations and languages from Europe† (p. 6). He says that internationalization intensified starting in the 19th century, when the means of travel developed with the inventing of cars, railroads, and steamships, while promoting cultural diversity and creativity (p. 6). In contrast, the era of cultural decline during the Dark Ages (422 A. D. – 1100 A. D. ) also reflected â€Å"a radical shrinking of trade frontiers† (p. 6). Through literature, music, art and cinema, and even sports, the tide of cross-cultural exchange of trade has influenced the exchange of creative production as well. However, as Cowen (2002) stated, â€Å"Just as trade typically makes countries richer in material terms, it tends to make them culturally richer as well† (p. 13). Cross-cultural trade and exchange have made way for greater opportunities in wealth, technology, and what he called as ‘cultural blossomings’ (p. 3). As diversity across societies forms or transforms (with the help of trade), diversity inside and outside the society moves in opposite directions: When one society trades a new artwork to another society, diversity within society goes up, but diversity across the two societies goes down. The question is not about more less diversity per se, but rather what kind of diversity globalization will bring. Cross-cultural exchange tends to favor diversity within society, but to disfavor diversity across societies. (p. 15) In the broader prospect of the topic of globalization, Cowen’s version fit within the paradigm that says that, diversity over time is greatly influenced by trade and commerce between societies. Being the best manifestations of culture, creative products influence internationalization that, sequentially, influences the formation of these creative products. The paradigm of Cowen Cowen’s paradigm in his book ‘Creative Destruction: How Globalization is Changing the World’ creates the thought that cultural diversity is being formed, transformed, or reformed out of a society’s trade and commerce industry. Through cross-cultural trade, there is an exchange of creative production through the intention of gaining wealth, technology, knowledge, and what Cowen (2002) defined as ‘cultural blossomings’. This, however, is just another way of reusing or reinterpreting Darwin’s theory of natural selection, which states that â€Å"the proportion of organisms in a species with characteristics that are adaptive to a given environment increases with each generation† (American Heritage Science Dictionary, 2002). It is like saying that, in a world where cross-cultural interaction takes place frequently—especially under internationalization—the favorable characteristics of a cultural society are transmitted for adaptation to another trading society; while the unfavorable ones of that cultural society tend to diminish against adaptation within the spectrum of the two societies. What Darwin calls the ‘phenotype’ (i. e. observable characteristics of organisms) reaches the cultural society though trade and commerce, and according to Cowen (2002), this is being transmitted in the form of creative production by means of music, literature, cinema, cuisine, or visual arts. Not only wealth and goods are shared but also the ideas, the art forms, and the basic culture that is most prevalent within the society. As they reach places that are beyond the border of that society, people tend to choose and adapt the favorable phenotypes, rather than the unfavorable ones. It is like saying that cultural human evolution revolves around the sharing and reproduction of creative, cultural phenotypes; and those that are being categorized as ‘favorable’ increase in frequency and power, as when compared over to the ‘unfavorable’ ones. As a result, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Mickey Mouse became as global as the number of countries that the government of the United States has reached and occupied. International capitalism serves as both the cause and effect of cultural diversity. The gap filled by Cowen â€Å"The question is not about more less diversity per se, but rather what kind of diversity globalization will bring. –Cowen, 2002, p. 15 Trade and commerce influence the formation, transformation, and reformation of cultural diversity. Reinterpreting diversity-over-time as a value, Cowen (2002) has come up with the term operative diversity or â€Å"how effectively we can enjoy the diversity of the world† (p. 16 ). Stating how the world was much diverse during the 15th century than how it is today, he reinterpreted human evolution by stating the following lines: â€Å"Markets have subsequently disseminated the diverse products of the world very effectively, even when those same cross-cultural contacts have damaged indigenous creative environments† (Cowen, 2002, p. 6). Cultural homogenization and heterogenization, according to Cowen (2002), have the tendency to go together, with some phenotypes of the two cultures becoming more alike, while others becoming more different over the process. This is the gap filled up by Cowen (2002) when he wrote ‘Creative Destruction’. Although there is some truth over the natural selection theory, it does not clearly state how the organisms (or societies) react to one another, especially regarding culture. It just summarizes that the strong, favorable phenotypes survive, while the weak and unfavorable ones tend to diminish. Unlike the theory of the natural selection, which interprets adaptations and human evolution by defining traits (e. g. , cultural, environmental) as strong or weak, or as favorable or unfavorable, Cowen’s theory clearly points out that, in a certain cultural environment, there is a specific kind or manner of diversity, which sprouts out of the interaction. Cultural diversity does not just strengthen or weaken, they do not just live or die, but have the tendency to form, transform, or be reformed through homogenization and heterogenization of traits and cultures. It is not merely ‘destruction’ but a creative destruction because of the many ways that may bud or develop out of a specific cultural interaction. The gap left by Cowen Cowen’s book states that, as trade and commerce intensify, internationalization and globalization also intensify†¦ and, with this, the promotion of cultural diversity and creativity. Cultural decline happens with the weakening of trade and commerce, and this brings lesser diversity to culture and creative production. Trade and commerce should bring more wealth, technology, and cultural blossomings, in the same way that all these bring more numbers to trade and commerce. It is a two-way process that is resilient and ongoing†¦ changing culture and diversity inside and outside the society. However, it would be utterly wrong to explain cultural evolution in such a plain, simple picture between trade and culture inside and outside the society. Given a specific environment, Cowen (2002) has failed to recognize that trade does not always lead to the intensification of internationalization or globalization. It does not always bring more wealth, or technology, or cultural blossomings; and a fall in trade does not always mean a fall in terms of diversity. One good proof is the Asian crisis that transpired in the year 1997. In a changing era of globalization, East Asia received much criticism when what was called the ‘engine of the world’ financially collapsed because of some unregulated flows of the global capital. In the same way that Mexico experienced financial collapse in 1994, East Asia’s version was much worse, since it reached many countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Korea. This is an economic collapse, and the crisis was brought about through the globalization of the financial markets, where local banks and finance companies subjected more on foreign loans that, by 1996, were much loaded with non-performing loans. This gives the conclusion that, despite successful trade and commerce industry, an exchange of goods does not always lead to the intensification of internationalization or globalization. It does not always bring more wealth, and although it can intensify technology, diversity, and cultural blossomings, it can degrade wealth at the same time. The lens used by Cowen Cowen’s paradigm sets the thought that cultural diversity is being formed, transformed, and reformed out of a society’s trade and commerce industry. His lens is better than that used by the Darwinians, which is a way of saying that the strong and favorable characteristics of a cultural society are transmitted for adaptation to another trading society; while the weak and unfavorable characteristics of that cultural society tend to diminish against adaptation within the spectrum of the other society. Cowen’s lens appear to be more concrete and detailed—like a microscopic device that takes into account how individuals react, what are the changes, or which characteristics are maintained. More flexibly, he takes into account the true complexity of the environment—with individuals or societies that have the ability to choose which ones are to be accepted or left behind. It shapes the cultural self by making a decision on which kind of diversity globalization should be allowed to bring. Thus, cultural diversity do not just strengthen or weaken but forms, transforms, and reforms itself. Homogenization and heterogenization can blend together, and the type of diversity that springs forth out of the interaction is influenced by the members of the trading societies. Cowen’s lens are, in a way, similar to the lens used by Harvard philosopher Robert Nozick, when he stated in his book entitled Anarchy, State, and Utopia that the â€Å"market society offered a cultural utopia based on freedom of choice† (Cowen, 2002, p. 2). He portrayed in his paper about a ‘libertarian’ world, where individuals have the freedom to choose their own lifestyles, mores, and their culture (p. 2). Cowen has criticized this, as he raised the question on â€Å"how much choice actually is available in the market† (p. 2). True, there are not many choices left for a society that has done almost everything in coming up with the best type of environment (not precisely cultural environment) that would be best for the society. Yet for those that have much more left to do, there are a thousand choices that can be used in improving the state of their environment. The market, still, has its own liberty. Conclusion â€Å"[T]he market does in fact expand our positive liberties and increase the menu of choice. If not, the freedom to engage in marketplace exchange will stand in conflict with other notions of freedom†¦ More generally, the question at stake is what kinds of freedom are possible in the modern world. † –Cowen, 2002, p. 4 The lens used by Cowen (2002) is far better than that used by the Darwinians. Despite the fact that Cowen (2002) supports the Darwinian Theory that everything utterly revolves around ‘natural selection’ in the society, he supports the idea that there are meaningful ways on how trading societies influence one another’s culture and traits. His views, however, has failed to acknowledge the following statements: first, that trade and commerce do not always lead to wealth, technology, or cultural blossomings; second, that trade and commerce do not always lead to an intensified state of internationalization; third, that trade and commerce do not always lead to an intensified state of globalization; fourth, that a failing finance, due to failure in trade and commerce, does not precisely mean failure in terms of diversity or creative production; fifth and final, that liberty is exceedingly available, especially to societies that have much more to improve. Cowen’s lens is more focused on the surrounding environment of the West. Despite being more concrete and detailed, it has failed to take into account the meaningful ways that people can approach the state of liberty, which people can have, especially concerning trade, commerce, and even culture. Cowen’s book has given enough evidence to prove that trade and culture undergoes a two-way process that is resilient and ongoing, as it changes the environment inside and outside the society. It is not a simple interaction, however, and we can say that failure in terms of trade and commerce could be the effect of a failure in terms of wise and proper execution of choice and liberty. As citizens carry the most significant roles in a society, the choice on whether culture will be formed, transformed, or reformed lies on their bare hands.

Hemingway’s fiction is not his suicide note Essay

Earnest Hemingway, the literary genius of the late 1800s produced volumes upon volumes of both poetry and fiction. After a short and very fruitful life Hemingway committed suicide but failed to succeed in initial attempts. Later, he finally succumbed to the great equalizer – death. Some people have surmised that Hemingway left clues to his unlikely demise in his fiction, however, â€Å"suicide cut the strings before they were painfully drawn out; Hemingway attempted to suck life dry of anything and everything he could fathom† (Gunsberg, 1995) This basically means that Hemingway believed that it was necessary to experience everything, even death, to enrich his art and craft. Although Hemingway committed suicide, and although many of his work focuses on death and suicide, it would be grossly unfair to conclude that he foretold his suicide in his fiction because this would be underestimating the power of the writer and his genius. A brilliant writer like Hemingway used his fiction as a form of exploration of the human condition and not as a reflection of his own condition. It would be very presumptuous to suppose that Hemingway used his fiction to foretell his suicide as many writers and literaturists would agree that although literature is a means of exposing internal emotions, it is also a means of release; hence, Hemingway’s fiction is more of an illustration of his literary genius than they are, as most would suppose, cries of help of a man in pain. Therefore, Hemingway’s fiction could not be considered his suicide notes. For instance, in the story ‘Indian Camp’ (Hemingway), the author does narrate an instance where the Indian Father commits suicide, (Hemingway) but this is simply used as a platform for the issue of emancipation from pain as illustrated by the contrasting incident of the Indian Mother who is professionally attended to by Dr. Adams who stops her pain and successfully delivers her baby. (Hemingway) In this particular story, it is not so much the suicide that is the issue but the prospect of hope and new beginnings that takes center stage. Another story where suicide is tackled is ‘A Clean and Well Lighted Place’ (Hemingway) where Hemingway portrays the pain of old age suffered by a deaf old man (Hemingway). In this particular story, there is an incident where the old man attempts to commit suicide by hanging himself, but the noose is cut by his niece and foils his attempt. (Hemingway) The story, albeit tackling suicide in one of its details does not necessary give much value to this issue, it even illustrates how one cannot escape the pains that accompanies life; that not even death can release us humans from what we have to deal with in life. So, if carefully considered, this particular story does not actually vindicate Hemingway’s own suicide, in fact it even serves to sissify his own attempt by indirectly implying that if the author believed that suicide was not a means of ending the suffering of existence as shown in his fiction, then he would have been a great coward to commit what he was writing against. Hemingway did not use his stories as a platform for the justification of his own suicide; he had his own reason’s for his suicide, and those reasons are not in any way connected to his stories. Finally, in ‘Hills like White Elephants’ (Hemingway) the author tackles the issue of abortion with a couple arguing over whether to have it (the baby) or not; the man insisting of having an abortion and the woman, subtlely indicating that she would like to have the baby. (Hemingway) Although there is no reference to suicide in this particular Hemingway story, what is obvious is the argument between two people regarding the issue of ending a life, which, by the way, is not really an argument that you would normally hear from ordinary chat. In this story, Hemingway, again, although, very discreetly, makes references to why life should be valued and why it should be considered with utmost respect, even going to the extent of contrasting childbirth with happiness. (Hemingway) Easily, from this story it is immediately evident that the author was against any form of taking away life intentionally, and so totally debunks the assumption that his fiction was an indirect indication of his consequent suicide. If such is the case, then it can be easily concluded that Hemingway committed suicide for a higher reason; this being related to the progress of his art and craft. Like many other writers who had grappled with the peculiarities of life, Hemingway was no different; and like many other creative writers then and now, it has to be considered that art, in any form, is already a means of airing out recluse emotions; it is a release that is even perhaps more effective than death itself. Hemingway, like many other artists during his time, had peculiarities of his own, and what most of these writers had in common was the ability to use the human condition as a platform in their work. While many of Hemingway’s stories talked about suicide, it has first to be understood that the author is not necessarily the ‘I’ in any of his/her work, and so it would be terribly unfair to affine subject matters in Hemingway’s stories to his actual existence. The relationship of the author to his story ends with his by-line; all the other things in the written work should be set apart from the author. It is very elementary to assume that the author only writes about his/her own personal life because, then, creativity would not have as big a role in literature as it is supposed to have. What could be more accurate, however, is the fact that the literary genius of Hemingway was enough for people who read his work to assume that he was foretelling his own suicide. While this assumption is blatantly misdirected, it simply shows how a writer is able to twist and distort the minds of his readers to think that there is much more to his fiction than meets the eye (or mind). If such is the case, then every reader might as well apply for a position at the Vatican interpreting the ancient Dead Sea scrolls. Works Cited Gunsberg, Ben. â€Å"Earnest Hemingway: Would Be King. † Earnest Hemingway. 18 Dec. 1995. 16 Apr. 2009 . Hemingway, Earnest . â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place. † Earnest Hemingway. 1999. 16 Apr. 2009. Hemingway, Earnest . â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants. † Earnest Hemingway. 1999. 16 Apr. 2009 . Hemingway, Earnest . â€Å"Indian Camp. † Earnest Hemingway. 1999. 16 Apr. 2009 .

Environmental Degradation Essay

The deterioration of the environment by natural or human forces is known as environmental degradation. Natural happenings like heavy rain, floods, storms, earthquakes, volcanoes etc. are not under human control and they play havoc with environment time to time by making the land unfit lor cultivation. Here man is helpless. He can do nothing except to see the havoc. But when man himself plays a vital role in degrading the environment in which he lives, and then the problem becomes more serious. Needless to say that environmental degradation is one of the major global issues. The overuse of resources is it land or water and the industrialisation process are the major causes of this phenomenon. Man has been felling the tress for his various purposes. He never minds if this process goes on without check it will lead to soil erosion, floods, silting of irrigation canals and cultivated lands, which finally degrade our environment. Our population is increasing fast, which has also degraded the environment to a great extent. Man’s insatiable needs and distress have disturbed the whole environmental equilibrium. The race of armament among countries is no less responsible for this global issue. Apart from these our industries emit smoke and discharge liquids including polluted water. The smoke contains many undesirable gases such as carbon monoxide and sulpher dioxide. All borne particles in solid, liquids and gaseous form. The pollution in atmosphere has tendency to form their layers and sinks in atmosphere. The chlorofluorocarbons which come from aerosol sprays nuclear weapons, refrigerators etc., have caused a hole in the ozone layer of atmosphere. This hole is allowing increased amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching our earth. The above mentioned factors have really degraded the environment and if ways to check it are not applied we will have face serious consequences. We must put an end to our ir satiable needs and desires. There must not be indiscriminate cutting of trees because it will lead to ecological imbalances. Instead, we should know the value of tree plantation and should plant trees as many as we can in our surrounding area. Next, our ever growing population must be checked because it puts an extra burden .on our natural resources. Last but not the least, factories should not be allowed to emit large quantities of harmful effluents into air through their chimneys. They should discharge them into the rivers aid other water bodies because this dirty water can be treated aid recycled to be used again. Our environment must be protected by all means. We must realise the fact that so long environment is there, our life is there. The day, when there is no environment, there will be a complete doom.

Information Systems in Healthcare Essay

Nurses face new situations and challenges with today’s rapid growing information technology and telecommunication systems. Telehealth is a progressively advancing system that incorporates the use of technology to enhance patient care in the most effective and efficient way possible at a distance (Epidirippulige, 2010). Telenursing is a part of telehealth that is gaining significant growth as a subspecialty. â€Å"The use of remote patient monitoring, often referred to as telehealth, has been widely adopted by health care providers, particularly home care agencies† (Suter et al., 2011). Patients with chronic health diseases such as congestive heart failure (CHF) benefit from telehealth services. The use of Telenursing services can improve health outcomes, promote self-care through guidance and education, as well as decrease readmissions to the hospital and their related medical cost. Telenursing is emerging rather quickly due to the ongoing shortage of nurses globally. à ¢â‚¬Å"New ways to manage chronic illness are imperative, especially as the population ages, chronic illness increases and the nursing shortage continues† (Bowles et al., 2009, p. 344). The purpose of my research is to provide information on the role of nursing in telehealth practices, the advantages and disadvantages for patients, as well as legal factors to consider when providing nursing care to patients with chronic illnesses within home health agencies. Telenursing is defined by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) as â€Å"the practice of nursing over distance using telecommunications technology† (American Telemedicine Association (ATA), 2008). A few examples of terms commonly used to refer to telehealth are: telenursing, telecare, telemonitoring, telehomecare and telemedicine (Artinian, 2007). All of which are â€Å"the provision of clinical care at a distance through the use of electronic communication and information technologies† (Artinian, 2007, p. 25). Telehealth services can be offered at doctor’s offices, hospitals, and within the patient’s home. Through the use of telephones, video, computers, and other monitoring equipment patients have the capability of receiving expert quality medical care. It allows patients the ability to feel comfortable knowing a health professional is monitoring their illness regularly and not only between doctor visits. The role of a Telenurse is a unique approach to nursing care and component of the telehealth system. â€Å"The nurse engages in the practice of nursing by interacting with a client at a remote site to electronically receive the client’s health status data, initiate and transmit therapeutic interventions and regimens, and monitor and record the client’s response and nursing care outcomes† (NCSBN Position Paper on Telenursing: A Challenge to Regulation, 1997). Telehealth nursing (THN) allows nurses to see more patients on a daily basis, while decreasing the over-all work load of the nurses on a unit due to understaffing issues. The nurse can accomplish this without leaving the hospital or doctor’s office, saving considerable amounts of time by using interactive telehealth equipment, allowing other health care professionals to focus on patients admitted with emergencies. Nurses have access to the patient’s health issues and provide education as well as counseling regarding their disease processes and management as they progress. Effective communication between the nurse, family and patient is a vital role for successful management of the disease process and for the encouragement of patient involvement with self-care. The availability of telehealth nursing offers numerous advantages to patients with chronic health diseases. More and more home care agencies are beginning to offer telehealth services due to the advantages in improvements in health care outcomes, decreased re-hospitalizations and medical costs, as well as promoting patients to become more proactive with their disease management. Depending on the severity of the patient’s medical condition, these benefits can be accomplished with the proper devotion to treatments and telehealth monitoring systems in place. Patients with chronic diseases tend to make more visits to the hospital and develop more health care expenses than patients without chronic health diseases (Suter et al., 2011). Within the comforts of their home, patients are able to obtain their vital signs and report symptoms using medical technology (blood pressure machine,  glucometer, weight scale or pulse oximetry) and reported to the THN via the telephone, in-person through home visits, or by telemonitoring (Bowels et al., 2009). The information provided by the patient allows the nurse to make decisions based on the patient’s symptoms and vital signs. A perfect example, as reported by Edirippulige (2010), is through wound care management, here studies have shown to prove that THN care can be quick and effective with the ability to take digital images of the wound during an at home visit. Both the THN and wound care specialist were able to collaborate and make necessary treatment plans, resulting in fewer at home visits, a reduction in healing time, and the prevention of hospitalization (Edirippulige, 2010). A second advantage to THN is the promotion of self-care management. According to Shea & Chomoff (2012), â€Å"patients who are active in self-care communicate with healthcare providers and develop partnerships as collaborators† (p. 111). This allows patients to develop the knowledge and skills needed to gain the confidence with the management of their medical problems including â€Å"regular assessment of progress and problems, goal setting, and problem-solving support† (Suter et al., 2011, p. 111). Therefore, decreasing the possibility of their disease process from becoming worse and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations. A third advantage is the ability of telehealth services to offer frequent follow-up care to patient’s that can lead to fewer complications with their disease management (Artinian, 2007). While there are great advantages to THN disadvantages have also been seen that can lead to unsuccessful implementation of telehealth services. One disadvantage to THN is the patient’s lack of motivation, which can interfere with the patient’s ability to collect data appropriately necessary to provide quality nursing care. Therefore, it is important to assess the patient’s readiness to learn for appropriate disease management. Another disadvantage is lack of communication. Shea & Chamoff (2012), stated that â€Å"Patients who do not talk to the nurse as often may rely on the telemonitored data more, but because of lack of communication, the THN does not know that the information is being used for self-care† (p. 114). Maintaining effective communication by offering detailed information regarding the plan of care and goals between the patient and nurse can prevent misunderstandings that may implicate the patients’ health condition. Lastly, age can be a factor. In a study conducted by Bowles (2010),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"patients who refused to use the technology were significantly older than those who accepted it† (p. 3). Conclusion and Recommendations My research has shown that telehealth can improve the overall quality of patient care at a distance by reducing readmissions to the hospital and its related medical cost, promote self-care, and improve health outcomes. A telehealth nurse can play a vital role with the success of home health agencies providing telehealth services. Before recommending that you apply for the position of THN, there are certain aspects to keep in mind when it comes to guidelines and legalities. It is important to understand your role at adhering to â€Å"the standards of quality, patient privacy and confidentiality as established in traditional nursing practice and governed law† (ATA, 2008, p. 2). Artinian 2007, (as cited by ANA, 1999), reported that â€Å"in 1999 the American Nursing Association published Core Principles on Telehealth describing professional standards in telehealth† (p. 29). These guidelines provide information to assist nurses with protecting a client’s privacy when services are rendered. Be cautious of licensure issues. There may come a time when you may receive directions from a provider on behalf of a patient who is located in another state. It’s important to practice within your state jurisdiction. Legal issues on behalf of negligence may arise. It is the responsibility of the nurse to understand and know how equipment is used. To avoid negligence, â€Å"staff and patients must be educated about the proper use and care of any telehealth devices† (Artinian, 2007, p. 29). I wish you luck and hope that I was able to provide you with enough information to support your decision. References American Telemedicine Association. (2008). Telehealth nursing: A white paper developed and accepted by the telehealth nursing special interest group. Artinian, N. (2007). Telehealth as a tool for enhancing care for patients with cardiovascular disease. Journal Of Cardiovascular Nursing, 22(1), 25-31. Bowles, K. H. (2010). Achieving meaningful use with information technology: telehealth research. Online Journal Of Nursing Informatics, 14(3). Bowles, K. H., Holland, D. E., & Horowitz, D. A. (2009). A comparison of in-person home care, home care with telephone contact and home care with telemonitoring for disease management. Journal of telemedicine and telecare, 15(7), 344-350. Edirippulige, S. (2010). Readiness of nurses for practicing telehealth. Studies In Health Technology & Informatics, 16149-56. National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). (1997). Position Paper on Telenursing: A Challenge to Regulation. https://www.ncsbn.org/TelenursingPaper.pdf Shea, K., & Chamoff, B. (2012). Telehomecare Communication and Self-Care in Chronic Conditions: Moving Toward a Shared Understanding. Worldviews On Evidence-Based Nursing, 9(2), 109-116. doi:10.1111/j.1741-6787.2012.00242.x Suter, P., Suter, W., & Johnston, D. (2011). Theory-Based Telehealth and Patient Empowerment. Population Health Management, 14(2), 87-92. doi:10.1089/pop.2010.0013

Case study Human Social Behavior

Case study Human Social Behavior Introduction- This article is about the human behavior and the various factors which affects the human behavior. One of the factors that have a great impact on the behavior of human is the social environment and here all types of sociological effects are discussed. Various individual environmental factors and their impact on behavior are also discussed here. Inheritances also affects the human behavior and in this article two types of inheritances are discussed and that are cultural and the genetic inheritances. Nature and nurture both has impacts on the development of humans and nurture has some of the effects on behavior of humans. In the end of the article there is a detail discussion about the evolutionary thinking and the factors like psychological and the biological which changes the human behavior Body 1-7 – Behavior of the human being decides the overall personality and this behavior of human are influenced by many factors like cultural, economic, and sociological. Hu man behavior is influenced by the most discussed effect that is the sociological effect. The most complex society of any creature on earth is of humans and it means self-preservation beyond the level of persona; physical survival is extended by us. Humans live in a very typical society in which there is bonding between the groups for the purpose of mutual and protection. Families, friendships, associations etc are included in these groups. Due to the formation of society and humans social links increases the bond between different people which is a human behavior. One of the bad behavior that every human being have is of greed and this behavior of human finishes them completely but due to society and links with different families and groups decreases the human greed of money or anything else. Due to increase of population and the urbanization, the people have started neglecting the social relationship and everyone is giving importance to the money rather than social relationship and behavior. Because of this, the rate of crime and deviant behavior of humans are found in cities. All these sociological effects have impacts on the behavior of the human beings and the social environment plays an important role in the development of the child which includes the attainment of full genetic and human potential. (Conklin, 2004) The biological and the psychological changes occurring in the human beings are basically during time period from birth and the end of adolescence. Genetic factors are the factors which are related to the genes of the child and also refer to the changes that occur at every point in growth. Social environment plays a very important role in the development of child and a new born baby do not experience any fear to contact with any specific people but after the time period of 8-12 months there is a change in them and they start to prefer the people who are familiar and also start showing the feelings like anxiety and distress when they are separated from their family members. Social environment helps the child to understand the social rules in the period of preschool and adulthood. The time period of middle childhood have the characteristics of friendship with age mates and also the beginning of romantic love. Another social effect on the child development is of bonding between the different groups of people and the idea of maintaining social relations develops in the child which helps him/her lifelong. There are various processes which are controlled genetically and they are known as maturation. Maturation is related to the mental and the physical development of the child and a child is said to be matured when he/she becomes capable of taking their own decisions and are well aware of the things which are good or bad for them. According to the some doctors and live examples it is seen that usually maturity comes at the age of 18 and the main thing to consider here is that is maturity comes from the social environment. All the social factors like relationship in society, working in society etc, helps in the attainment of complete genetic and the potential of human. But along with social environment there are factors which are known as individual environmental that affect the social behavior of human.

Firm€™s operations, management structure, corporate Essay

Firmâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s operations, management structure, corporate governance industry, competitors, business particulars and its motivation to operate as a MNC - Essay Example s been positive for the years 2004 up to 2008 – see Figures 2 & 3 in the Appendix sector; this increase of the firm’s profitability for the specific years is also proved by its financial ratios for the years 2004 to 2008 (see Figure 4, Appendix). The success of the firm has been related with its structure; furthermore, the style of its governance supports the firm’s continuous expansion. Another factor that led to the growth of the company in the global market is the firm’s motivation to operate as an MNC. The effects of the recession on the firm’s performance can be identified in Shell’s financial reports for the previous years – also to the performance of its share. It seems that the effects of the global crisis on the firm’s performance have been limited. As noted above, Royal Dutch Shell Plc operates in the energy and petrochemical sectors; however, initiatives have been taken regarding the expansion of the firm’s operations in new areas – and the development of its existing areas of operations: more specifically, through the firm’s new facility in China it is expected that the firm will further improve its performance in the lubricants market; at a next level, the firm has established new processing units in Singapore (Royal Dutch Shell Plc, corporate website, 2010); Among the firm’s key policies for the expansion of its operations has been ‘association with Iogen and Codexis to develop better enzymes and processes for the production of biofuels from straw’ (Royal Dutch Shell Plc, corporate website, 2010). All the above activities are considered as particularly important for the development of the firm’s operations and the further improvement of its position against its competitors. The management structure of the firm is quite simple; in fact the firms is based on ‘a single-tier Board of Directors chaired by a Non-executive Chairman, Jorma Ollila; the executive management is led by Chief Executive Officer, Peter Voser’

Supply chain management - Co op Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Supply chain management - Co op - Essay Example Recently, a food miles calculator has been developed in order to measure the distance traveled by the food products between production and consumption points (Food miles calculator). While discussing the food miles concept on the ground of a co-op supply chain management, it is necessary to understand the basic goal of such organisations. A co-op organisation aims to offer maximum benefits to its customers by emphasising on its pre-designed environmental and ethical notions. Hence, it is essential to examine whether the application of food miles would beneficial for the co-op organisations or not. This paper will critically analyse the pros and corns of incorporating the idea of food miles into the corporate strategy. It will also explore the most appropriate stance the co-op can adopt in order to improve its business operation. Benefits of adopting food miles Through the application of food miles in its corporate strategy, the co-op supermarket can offer improved levels of services to its customer as well as to different segments of the society. Globalisation has eliminated international trade barriers in order to maximise cross-border trade for international expansion. Hence, the world has been facilitated with effective circulation of ideas, languages, and cultural ideologies. Naturally, this trade liberalisation process has also intensified import and export of goods which are the central aspects of food miles. Globalisation has largely increased the scope of agricultural sector. It is obvious that large scale agricultural productions cannot be fully distributed in the domestic market; hence, it is crucial to export the food products to foreign markets where they have higher demands. This process would greatly assist the farmers to get improved prices for their products from outside markets. When farmers get better prices for their food products, more and more people would be attracted towards agriculture field and it would in turn mitigate the issues assoc iated with global food crisis. Similarly, higher rate of agricultural production would aid the economies to minimize unemployment rate which is a central factor in determining their economic growth rate. The increased export trade would also generate revenue for the governments. As discussed earlier, the main objective of a co-operative supermarket is to provide improved services to its customers. Since it is impossible to produce every type of vegetable, fruit, or other food product in a region, every co-op supermarket is forced to depend on import trade in order to offer every type of food product to its customers. In the words of Lovejoy (2001), the supply chain principles suggest to extend the firm’s services beyond the immediate supplier and customer. The concept of food miles assists the co-op supermarket to deliver varieties of fruits and vegetables to its consumers by getting access to a large group of potential suppliers. If the co-op supermarket stops the practice o f food miles, then consumers may search for other stores that would meet their requirements. Demerits of adopting food miles The environmental concern of food miles reflects the idea that when a food product travels larger distance from the production point to consumption, it involves greater consumption of energy and thereby increased emission of greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide absorb and emit infrared radiations which cause dreadful environmental issues such as green