Queen Bee & Wannabees Essay

In every social setup, groupings are inevitable; it is a part of the natural tendency of people to organization. With every formed group, there is, naturally, a person who will lead. This scenario is pretty easy to picture in a world full of adults. But what happens when this scenario is replaced by children, adolescents? What the book Queen Bee & Wannabees and the movie Lord of the Flies portray is the oft-secreted reality that children, when left on their own, can actually be as mean and conniving as adults are when it comes to their desire for power. It is not a welcome fact as it goes against all that parents hold dear when it comes to their children. Often, they could not, would not, believe that their beautiful daughter or son is capable of harming another human being, more so deliberately. But Wiseman puts it bluntly in her book Queenbees & Wannabees: â€Å"†¦[P]arents don’t like to admit to themselves that their daughters could be mean, exclusive, and catty – or, on the other end of the spectrum, isolated and teased. Parents so often see their daughters’ behaviors as a reflection of the success or failure of their parenting that they refuse to look at their daughters for who they really are (Wiseman). What is it that adolescents do when confronted with the opportunity to belong to a group, and to lead it? This paper will deal with that query within the context of the aforementioned book and movie by comparing and contrasting the differences in the social setup between girls and boys. Their differences do not merely lie in the types of games they would like to play, nor in their interests in books, films or hobbies. A deeper form of separation exists between them, but at the same time, the stereotypes also do run parallel with each other. The comparison and contrast will be dealt with in three levels: first, what are the necessary traits needed for a boy or a girl to become the leader; two, what does it take for that power or leadership to be transferred; and three, what happens to the ex-leader and followers if their leadership is usurped? On the first level, it is important to determine which traits are attractive to relegate a teen girl or boy into the top rung of the social ladder. In an ideal world, what we would find attractive would be a person who is smart, rational, just, fair and decisive. These are what we consider proper markers of a true leader, able to withstand pressure and commit him/herself to a choice that would make the best solution for the problem. However, this is not an ideal world and its inhabitants are far from perfect. Children and adolescents are not exempt from this reality. In the Lord of the Flies, we were first introduced to the would-be leader of the group of stranded British boys, survivors of a plane crash, Ralph, by the shore with Piggy. In that scenario, it was obvious who the stronger character was. Ralph was lean and seemed more confident, while Piggy, apart from having a laughable name, was fat and slow, although very inquisitive and forward. And then arrived the choir boys, led by Jack. At the very onset, it was made clear that he is an even stronger character than Ralph and Piggy combined together. He looked confident and strong, and he easily towered Ralph. But at that point of introduction in the film, he did not present himself as the leader of the group yet, and in fact allowed to be subjected in a votation. Gathered round on the beach, the group of the choir boys and Ralph’s group then decided who will be their leader to organize them while they remain stranded in the island. Ralph easily won the seat of power that time, mainly because he seemed the more rational one amidst all the ruckus that their newly-formed group was creating. But even then, there was already a sort of opposition in Jack’s character, appointing himself as the head of the hunter group. This will later create tension and will shake up the foundation of their organization and leadership. Meanwhile, we see on the other end of the spectrum the choosing process of girls in the book Queenbee & Wannabees. Wiseman describes the Queen Bee as such: â€Å"A combination of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland and Barbie, she is a mixture of charisma, force, money, looks, strong will and manipulation. She reigns supreme, can silence other girls and boys with a look, and her popularity is based on fear and control. † Easily, it can be seen that the Queen Bee is far from the ideal leader we pictured, definitely not fair nor just, and most certainly not caring about what’s rational or not. All that is important to the Queen Bee is for her to retain the influence she enjoys over her court, and that can only be done by doing things that will reaffirm her social status among her friends. There is no denying however, that she is smart. Not necessarily in the book-smart kind of way, though (in fact that’s a point against), but more of street smart. She uses her charms to get what she wants, and if the situation does not look as promising as she would have wanted, she uses manipulation to ensure that she will get the deal closed, and that it will be in her favor. But not only that, she must also be good-looking. This seems to be the biggest consideration of it all. Not only must she be cool and hip and in the know about the latest fashion, she should look good in it. It was also found in the book that having cool accessories – ie. boyfriends – is another sure way to get to the top. Unlike the boys in the movie, picking a Queen Bee does not go through the democratic process of voting. Instead, it happens quietly, with no questions asked. The Queen Bee works her way silently among her group, carefully selecting the people whom she would like to surround herself with, filtering out those that do not meet her own high standards of who should deserve to be in her company. It’s a cruel process that ends up alienating others, but that’s exactly the point there, because it is in this practice of alienation and separation that the Queen Bee is able to reinforce her power and leadership over all the other girls. However, not all remains fine and well in the high court of the young leaders. As in any political setup, there will be opposition. Here, we take a look at how power can be revoked in the two settings. In the movie, Ralph started losing control over the group when the bonfire they had created burned out. It was meant to serve as a smoke signal for potential rescue, and originally, it was Jack and his group who were tasked to make sure it doesn’t go out. However, Jack had other plans. He led his group to hunt down a pig and successfully returned to their site expecting praises. Upon returning, what they found instead was an angry Ralph and Piggy because the bonfire did go out, and so they missed an opportunity for rescue when a plane passed overhead. Of course, Ralph had every reason to be angry. It was the first task given to Jack, and already, he showed his tendency to become insubordinate, showing off to their peers that he does not just follow orders from a â€Å"leader† selected on the beach. What became the straw that broke the camel’s back was how Jack successfully made the rest of the hunter group believe that he is a much better leader because unlike Ralph, he appreciates their effort of bringing the pig home, and being physically strong, he can be even more useful to them. Loyalties quickly changed, and Ralph soon found himself to be deposed and stripped of his leadership because of that event. In the book, it is found that there is a lot of cattiness involved among the girls. There is also a tug-of-war into play when talking about group loyalties, same as with the boys in the movie. However, it can be said that the girls can just be as aggressive as boys, and even more. It can be a very snarky environment in the girl clique, with the girls just â€Å"using† each other to get what they want, and after which, dispose of the â€Å"used† girl. That is why it is important that the girls on their own prove themselves useful to the others, especially the Queen Bee, lest she finds herself thrown out of the social circle. Once that she no longer has a juicy benefit to offer to her peers, then she is more likely to be dumped. She may find herself the victim of a vicious rumor spread around by one of her very own â€Å"friends†, and if there is no one to defend or back her up, then she may find herself from hero to zero. As mentioned earlier, having a cool boyfriend is also a must. It has been found in the book that dating a guy beyond par, so to speak, is a grounds for deposition. What happens then to those kicked out of the group and their followers? No doubt they are put in a very humiliating state. Their former group now perceives them as outcasts, while the bystanders, as Wiseman would call it, are afraid to publicly embrace them for fear of backlash from the Queen Bee and her court. For Ralph and his remaining group, being kicked out meant being left alone to fend for themselves in the island, without the help of the hunter group. There was no group to speak of any longer, just factions, and he belonged to the loser side. The effects on the kicked out members, both in the world of the Queen Bee and in the island in the movie, do run parallel. They are now excluded, and have become the subject of ridicule, even violence. Of course, in the non-fiction world of the Queen Bee, the violence can also go to great lengths such as doing physical harm on the Targets (chosen bullied ones), but it does not come any close to the movie’s depiction of violence culminating with the deaths of Simon and Piggy. But the real difference is how this violence is actually carried out. In the movie, it was plainly depicted that the boys will fight it out with their fists. A scuffle here, a cheered-on fight there, and in the unfortunate case of Simon, a mob mentality beating him up because of mistaken identity. But in the Girl World, the rules for violence are different. Yes, they may get into catfights, pulling at each other’s hair at some point in time, but more often than not, the violence is emotional and physical. Wiseman observes that the girls can be very loyal friends, able to share intimate secrets with each other. But at the same time, this intimacy is what will make them their own worst enemies. Because of all the information they have on each other, good or bad, they become all the more potentially powerful because they can use it against each other later on. The bigger the secret, the bigger the damage. Of course, it should be recognized that the setups between the boys’ club and the Girl World are different, particularly in this paper, because one group is fictional and the other is real. However, that delineating mark ends there, because we see that it is absolutely possible to find the same results in real life. Although, for the boys in the island, they can be defended with the reason that they were pushed against the wall, having been pressured not only by an absence of guiding adults, but on top of all that, they were put in a less than enviable situation, left with no shelter, no food, no safety in the forest on a deserted island. The girls, meanwhile, do have within adults in their plane. But even the adults are filtered out so that their clique can go about their business of backstabbing each other and pleasing the Queen Bee so they may be included in her group, or if lucky, maybe even grab the power of the Queen Bee for herself. At the end of the day, what we do find in this paper is that there are certain universal standards in teen groups (ie. filtering who is in or out), but at the same time, there are certain standards that differ from each other (ie. the method by which power is enacted, and how violence is carried out). What remains constant though is the truth that man indeed is a social animal, and it is a matter of survival for him or her to be included in a social group in order to survive the harsh world out there. WORKS CITED: Talbot, Margaret, Girls Just Want to Be Mean, FASLink, Research, Information, Support & Communication, 24 Feb. 2002, http://www. faslink. org/GirlsJustWantToBeMean. htm, (retrieved 20 Nov. 2008). Wiseman, Rosalind, Queen Bees & Wannabees, Crown Publishers, London, 2002. Film: Brook, Peter (dir. ), Lord of the Flies, Continental Distributing, Inc. , Jan. 1963.

Pop Culture Essay

Throughout, history popular culture has been a common factor in everyday life. The identity of popular culture is seen through many elements of art. It was derived from artifacts and styles of human expressions developed from the creativity of ordinary people, and circulate among people according to their interests, preferences, and tastes. For example, music, fashion, people, stereotypes, and social rituals all play a role in the development of what is known today as pop culture society. These elements have shape society to behave and think a certain way, all in which are seen to have a more negative impact to the public rather than promote positive influences. Moreover, we will examine three main elements of popular culture that affect the American culture on a day to day basis. â€Å"Stereotypes, social rituals, and arts are all elements of popular culture that have been adopted and appeals to large masses of people, normally the middle class citizens† . Thus, popular culture comes from people; it is not just given to them. This perspective tears away at distinctions typically made between producers and consumers of cultural material. According to Webster stereotypes are oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment. For example, â€Å"people develop conceptions about certain groups of people because of what we see on television and use these generalizations in everyday life, such as Gender and where the media portrays ones masculinity and femininity† 2. Stereotypes can be seen with real or imaginary people or objects. For example, real icons such as expensive cars can be portrayed as a person being wealthy with luxury. Imaginary icons are things such as Bat mobiles or spaceships that are seen as a â€Å"warp speeding icon expressing in truly magical ways- faster than light travel, to demonstrate power beyond discovery† 3. Other real or imaginary stereotypes are heroes. For instances, Martin Luther King Jr. is a known for leading many Americans to freedom from slavery and racism. On the hand, Superman is an imaginary hero that saves the world from danger. These stereotypes have shaped America’s beliefs to be based on judgments of their own opinions as opposed to the truth. Social Rituals consist of â€Å"highly patterned symbolic events in which we all participate as a way of marking important passages in our individual lives or in society as a whole† 4. For example, holidays such as Christmas which is only celebrated by some who believe in decorating and exchanging gifts for the birth of Jesus Christ. However, others prefer not to engage in certain holidays or activities. Moreover, rituals integrate with heroes and icons that are built from a base structure of hierarchy. For example, voting is a common social ritual that plays a significant role in many American’s life. After voting, many constituency wear clothing to symbolize their heroic effort or support for the candidate they endorsed. Art is one the largest rooms of pop culture with a vast and diverse amount of subdivisions. Art includes; magazines, movies, television, recordings, comic books and others. Art correlates with all forms of pop culture and its affects with society. For example, books discuss heroes, icons, stereotypes, people, myth, beliefs and values. All of these elements interact with one another and result in moving to another room that leads to other possibly subcategories. Thus, arts are group together based upon shared characteristics which are known to both popular artist and the audience. Pop Culture is a trend that many learn about through film, media, music, people, fashion and others. These trends can sometime have a negative effect on the way society may behave or act to certain situations. For instances, many people use stereotypes to judge others or relate their lives to those individuals. In addition, others use heroes whether they are real or imaginary to compare and contrast their way of living. On the other hand, there are other elements of pop culture that make up these special trends. For example, social rituals is another element that allows people to express themselves based on their belief, things such as holidays, voting, and weddings. Lastly, Art is the element of diversity it relates to all subcategories of pop culture, within these categories all elements interact and form other elements.

A Study Of Lyme Disease In New

Jersey Essay, Research Paper Introduction Merely by populating in the universe, human existences are susceptible to disease. Many diseases # 8212 ; for illustration, grippe and TB # 8212 ; are spread when bacteriums or viruses pass from one individual to another. Other diseases are acquired genetically from one? s parents, such as cystic fibrosis. Some diseases, such as bosom disease and osteoporosis, develop as worlds age. Others worlds get from the environment ; illustrations are lead toxic condition and tegument malignant neoplastic disease due to exposure to the Sun. Finally, there are diseases that can be transmitted from animate beings to worlds. Lyme disease is one such disease. Cases of Lyme disease, which is transmitted to worlds and pets by the bite of a tick, are steadily increasing in countries such as the Northeast part of the United States. At present, there is no vaccinum for worlds ; the best manner to forestall Lyme disease is to take safeguards against being bitten by a tick and leting the tick to stay af filiated to the tegument long plenty for the infection to be transmitted. History The narrative of Lyme disease in the United States began in 1975, when two female parents, Polly Murray and Judith Mensch, alarmed by the great figure of instances of joint redness in the their communities of Lyme and Ease Haddam, Connecticut, contacted public wellness governments ( 7:5 ) . The wellness section contacted Allen Steere and his co-workers at Yale University, in New Haven. Steere believed the eruption may supply a hint about the infective agent or environmental toxin that was responsible for arthritis ( 2:26 ) . One early observation made by Steere was an association between the arthritis and a anterior tegument roseola. A connexion was so made between this roseola and a similar 1 called erythema migrans, which comes from the bite of the sheep tick, Ixodes Ricinus and is often found in northern Europe ( 7:5 ) . After field surveies and patient studies were carried out the research workers released three indispensable findings which subsequently led to the find of the infective agent. First, the disease was seasonal, happening most normally in the summer and much less so in the center of the winter. In geographic countries such as Connecticut, these findings suggest that the virus was either a summer virus or an infection carried by and insect or a tick ( 7:35 ) . Second, the disease did non distribute from one individual in a household to another. Summer viruses were normally spread from individual to individual, particularly those populating in the same family. When a summer virus was eliminated, the focal point shifted to the engagement of arthropods ( 7:37 ) . Third, the disease was much more prevalent on one side of the Connecticut River than the other. Since the Connecticut River bisects the province, this became an of import factor in happening the cause of the disease. The research workers found a good correlativity with the frequence of a certain tick now named Ixodes scapularis. When furthered questioned, the affected people remembered being old bitten by a tick ( 2:27 ) . At foremost, the infective agent bring forthing Lyme disease was thought to hold been either a virus, protozoon, Fungis, or bacteriums. Among the possible agents, bacterium was the highest on the list. European doctors had been handling patients with medical specialties that were effectual against bacteriums. However, these findings were non originally accepted in the United States. It was merely after some of the patients in Steere? s survey were successfully treated with antibiotics, which are effectual against bacteriums, but non against viruses, protozoon, or Fungis, that bacterium was determined to be the infective agent ( 14:1015 ) . The specific bacterium was found by Willy Burgdorfer, an expert on a assortment of tick-borne diseases. While working at Montana? s Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Burgdorfer received a cargo of ticks from New York. After looking at the contents of the ticks through a microscope, Burgdorfer found a wavy signifier of a spirochaete that had neer been seen in the Ixodes group of ticks before. After finding that the same spirochaetes were present in ticks taken from Long Island and New Jersey, the freshly named Borrelia burgdorferi was confirmed as the bacterium that caused Lyme disease ( 1:47 ) . THE VECTOR The tick that transmits Lyme disease is called Ixodes scapularis. In the northeasterly and north-central United States it is frequently called the? cervid tick? because it is found so often on cervid. The southern signifier of I. scapularis is normally called the? black legged tick. ? The southern signifier of the species poses less of a menace of infection. Fewer of the southern ticks are infected and they tend to feed on other carnal hosts instead than worlds ( 2:43 ) . The ticks that transmit Lyme disease by and large live about two old ages. I. scapularis larvae, which are non much larger than the period at the terminal of this sentence, hatch in the summer from eggs laid by the grownup female that spring. They normally feed on a field mouse or other gnawer host that summer and into the early autumn. The larvae so alteration into nymphs the first twelvemonth ; these nymphs base on balls through the winter without feeding. the undermentioned spring and summer the nymphs provender on a gnawer or other little animate being. At least three out of four Lyme disease instances in the United States are from the bite of a nymphal tick that occurs sometime between May and August. Most of the bites go unnoticed because the nymphs are so little # 8211 ; about the size of a poppy seed ( 2:45 ) . In the 2nd twelvemonth, the nymph alterations to an grownup after feeding. The larger ticks, particularly the females, are more likely to be noticed by people. I. scapularis grownups bite cervid and other big mammals, such as worlds. The grownups feed subsequently in the twelvemonth than the nymphs and larvae and may stay active even as temperature bead to merely above nothing in the late autumn. Lyme disease infection happening in the autumn, particularly in the nor-east, can normally be attributed to the bite of an grownup ( 2:45-46 ) . Reservoir The Lyme disease spirochaetes can stay active and even multiply inside a tick? s organic structure, but rarely are they passed from an grownup female to her offspring. In order for the spirochaetes to distribute in nature, an septic tick must feed on another animate being, thereby go throughing the spirochaete from that animate being to other feeding ticks. Many types of mammals and birds are capable of hosting the bacterium and of go throughing it on to other ticks, therefore finishing the vector-reservoir-vector rhythm. Because about 99 per centum of the larvae of I. scapularis do non transport the bacteriums even if their grownup female parent of male parent did, the larvae must get the bacteriums by feeding on an septic host. In the instance of cervid ticks this host is normally a wild field mouse, called Peromyscus leucopus. In some parts more than half the mice are infected with Lyme disease bacteriums, therefore supplying a uninterrupted reservoir of the spirochaetes for many ticks. In bad countries for Lyme disease, such as New Jersey, the opportunities that a larva will go septic is as least one in four ( 13:36 ) . Symptom The first mark of the disease in 60 to 80 per centum of the instances is a roseola # 8211 ; a ruddy splodge or bull? s oculus form, frequently no more than 2 1/2 inches across. If left untreated it may, in two hebdomads to a month, expand to four times that size. The roseola does non ever occur at the site of the bite ( 11:9 ) . Often it is found at the axilla, inguen, or the dorsum of the articulatio genus. However, in many instances of Lyme disease no roseola occurs ; therefore it may be necessary to look at other factors before doing a diagnosing ( 16:41 ) . Other common symptoms include icinesss, febrility, weariness, and other flu-like symptoms ( 1:47 ) . If left untreated, the disease spreads to other P humanistic disciplines of the organic structure, and frequently consequences in more joint, tendon and musculus hurting, partial facial palsy, and bosom palpitations ( 8:11 ) . Chronic symptoms can develop if the disease goes untreated for months or old ages, and leads to severe arthritis and neurological jobs ( 5:29 ) . Diagnosis The best manner to get at or except a diagnosing of Lyme disease is to analyze three facets of the patient. The first is to find if the patient exhibits any of the above symptoms. The 2nd is discover whether or non the patient is at a high hazard of undertaking the disease. This factor takes into history the environment in which the patient lives, works, or enjoys his recreational activities. It may besides include whether or non the patient has a pet that may hold brought the ticks into the house ( 16:41 ) . The 3rd factor to see before naming Lyme disease is to execute research lab trials. The Second National Conference on Serologic Diagnosis of Lyme Disease recommends a two-test attack to find an active disease or a old infection. A doctor should execute a sensitive enzyme immunochemical assay ( EIA ) or immunofluorescent check ( IFA ) . If a patient trials positive on an EIA or IFA so the doctor should follow up with a standardised Western immunoblot ( 15:937 ) . Treatment In its early phases Lyme disease can easy be treated. Clinical surveies have shown that a 10 twenty-four hours to three hebdomad class of antibiotics is about 95 percent effectual in extinguishing the disease ( 14:1015 ) . Amoxicillin and Vibramycin are the two most prescribed antibiotics. They replaced the earlier interventions of penicillin and Achromycin because they are more easy absorbed by the enteric piece of land and require less frequent dosing ( 9:1 ) . Erythromycin, which is less effectual than penicillin or Achromycin, is now merely used in the intervention of immature kids, pregnant or nursing adult females, and those people allergic to penicillins ( 2:166 ) . If left untreated and allowed to come on to a ulterior phase, Lyme disease may necessitate to be treated with endovenous antibiotics. The success rate at this phase drops significantly and frequently patients will go on to see chronic symptoms ( 2:167 ) . Prevention It is of import to be cognizant if you live in or are going to a high hazard country. Ticks thrive in wooded, shaggy, grassy home grounds, and peculiarly in shady and damp countries. Measures to forestall Lyme disease include have oning long arms and bloomerss when out-of-doorss, inserting bloomerss into socks, and utilizing repellants # 8211 ; permethrin ( sold as Permanoe ) on vesture, and diethyltoluamide ( DEET ) on exposed countries of tegument. The most of import agencies of bar is a complete review of the organic structure at the terminal of every twenty-four hours spent out-of-doorss. A tick must be attached to the organic structure for a lower limit of 24 hours in order to convey the disease ; hence if a tick is found upon review it is non excessively late to forestall the disease from being transmitted. If a tick is discovered embedded in the tegument it should be removed instantly by hold oning the organic structure with a brace of all right tipped pincers and drawing gen tly until the tick comes out ( 4:31 ) . Statistical ASPECTS In 1995 ( the last complete twelvemonth for which figures are available ) , there 11,603 instances of Lyme disease reported in the United States by 43 provinces and the District of Columbia. The overall incidence of the disease was 4.4 per 100,000 people. This was the 2nd highest one-year figure reported since the disease was first tracked in 1982, nevertheless it was an 11 % lessening from the 13, 043 instances reported in 1994 ( 10:274 ) . Despite the national lessening, the incidence of Lyme disease in New Jersey has increased steadily since 1992, from 688 instances to 1,704 in 1995 ( 6: T-3 ) . An overall incidence of 21.1 per 100,000 people was reported ( 10:274 ) . Hunterdon County leads the province and is 2nd among the 3,300 counties in the state in the figure of instances per 100,000 occupants. In 1995, Hunterdon reported 565 instances. Morris County was 2nd in the province coverage 232 instances ( 6: T-3 ) . FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE HIGH INCIDENCE OF LYME DISEASE IN NEW JERSEY The three chief factors lending to the incidence in New Jersey are the sum of cervid nowadays in the province, an increased interaction between people and cervid, and an addition in the figure of doctors naming and describing Lyme disease. The figure of cervid in New Jersey continues to turn every twelvemonth ( 17:41 ) . This population detonation means that there are more cervid for the ticks to feed on and infect. This straight relates to the addition in interaction between people and cervid. As people move into more wooded countries, they are more likely to come in contact with cervid and their home grounds. This provides an chance for the ticks to attach themselves to dress or be found in families ( 13:37 ) . The 3rd factor can be attributed to an addition in consciousness among physicians to name Lyme disease. After a significant sum of media attending given to Lyme disease in the late 1980? s and early 1990? s, physicians all of a sudden began naming the disease in more patients. As an consciousness of the symptoms and hazard factors of Lyme disease increased, doctors were better able to do a more accurate diagnosing. They were now naming Lyme disease in patients that had antecedently been untreated ( 3 ) . Decision It is inevitable that the instances of Lyme disease will go on to increase in New Jersey until more people become cognizant of the earnestness of the disease. In recent old ages, the media has been instrumental in supplying the public with pertinent information refering the symptoms and hazard factors involved in the disease. At present, there is no vaccinum protecting worlds against Lyme disease. The best manner to protect oneself against undertaking Lyme disease is to forestall a tick from holding the chance to convey the infection. 1. Accerrano, Anthony. ? Tick, tick. ? Sports Afield. Aug. 1996. 44-47. 2. Barbour, Alan G. , M.D. Lyme Disease. Baltimore: John? s Hopkins University Press, 1996. 3. Fernandez, Bob. ? New Jersey County Suffering from 2nd Highest Rate of Lyme Disease. ? Tribune News Service. 28 Aug. 1994. 4. Gubler, Diane J. , et Al. ? A Field Guide to Animal-borne Infections. ? Patient Care. 15 Oct. 1994. 23-37. 5. Hearn, Wayne. ? Lyme Disease Back With a Few New Ticks, Er, Tricks. ? American Medical News. 22 Jul. 1996. 29-30. 6. ? It? s Tick Time. ? The Record. 23 Jun. 1996. T-3. 7. Lang, Denise, and Derrick DeSilva, Jr. , M.D. Coping With Lyme Disease. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1993. 8. ? Lingering Lyme Disease. ? Science News. 7 Jan. 1995. 11. 9. ? Lyme Disease: Treatment Controversies Continue. ? Health Facts. Jul. 1995. 1-2. 10. ? Lyme Disease # 8212 ; United States, 1995. ? The Journal of the American Medial Association. 24 Jul. 1996. 274. 11. Miller, Sue. ? Lyme Disease Update. ? Country Journal. Jul.-Aug. 1994. 8. 12. Murray, Polly. The Widening Circle. New York: St. Martin? s Press, 1996. 13. Nelson, Peter. ? Deer Watch. ? National Wildlife. Oct.-Nov. 1994. 34-42. 14. Pfister, Hans- Walter, et Al. ? Lyme Borreliosis: Basic Science and Clinical Aspects. ? The Lancet. 23 Apr. 1994. 1013-1017. 15. ? Recommendations for trial public presentation and reading from the Second National Conference on Serologic Diagnosis of Lyme Disease. ? The Journal of the American Medical Association. 27 Sept. 1995. 937. 16. Stewart, Kay B. ? A Quick Expression at Lyme Disease. ? Nursing. Aug. 1994. 41. 17. Sudo, Phil. ? The Bambi Boom. ? Scholastic Update. 16 Apr. 1993. 18.

Management (the evolution of management) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management (the evolution of management) - Essay Example The Changes that has been made to these management practices are discussed. According to Weber, Bureaucracies are governed by a set of impersonal rules and procedures that are applied universally, without regard to the personal characteristics of particular individuals, and rationally designed to serve some broader purpose. For Weber, the use of expert specialists, impersonal norms, written document, and the discipline of a command hierarchy give bureaucratic organizations a reliability, regularity, and precision in the execution of tasks that no other form of authority equals. In a bureaucracy, each member repeatedly executes a particular function according to pre specified standards in the service of a larger collective goal. Fayol contributed to the technical understanding of organizational structure in several ways. He recommended that no subordinate receive orders from more than one superior, as this will lead to confusion, disorder, and ill will when the directives of different supervisors conflict. Fayol made the first strong arguments for the use of organization charts to clarify lines of authority and communication and to demarcate areas of responsibility. Taylor recognized an important fact about all organizations: If one works alone, the problem of work discipline is only one of self-discipline; but in a cooperative or collective work process, there is a problem of control or how to ensure that other people will do what you want them to do, sometimes known as the principal-agency problem. Taylor was determined to eliminate restriction of output and break all worker resistance to management control of work methods and pace. Taylor saw his mission as recapturing knowledge and control of the production process from the workers for management by using the scientific method. He interviewed and observed workers, conducted controlled experiments to determine the most efficient techniques and maximum output levels, and devised detailed work rules and wage incentives to enforce those methods and production targets. In order to gather the necessary information, Taylor had workers perform their jobs using different methods, and he observed and timed their every movement in detail, a procedure known as time and motion study. In this fashion, Taylor determined what he thought was the one best way a job should be performed. Until this time, engineers had standardized only physical inputs; now they would standardize the human inputs. Workers would work in rigid conformity to the prescribed method and would be expected to meet the output quotas that were determined to be feasible under this system. To use a contemporary phrase, Taylor believed that people worked "smarter not harder" when they used the best methods devised by scientific management. - (Handel, pp 14) Establishing a division of labor and hierarchy of authority Weber's Bureaucracies employ technically qualified, full-time experts assigned to unique areas of responsibility in a logical division of labor. There is a hierarchy of superiors and subordinates, and access to positions is based on

Business Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Writing - Essay Example I have been able to first address the problem of a complaining customer by stating the commitment of the company to satisfy his needs and preventing such incidents from happening in the near future. The memo has also developed to include messages aimed at repairing the confidence of the customer. This has been achieved by assurance the customer that the company was making commitments to fix the problem in the shortest time possible. I have also been able to reduce the number of words by focusing on making the memo precise and straight to the point.I gained a number of insights with regards to business writing. For instance, I was able to address a complaint letter by addressing the claim of the customer and later on repairing his confidence. I promised the customer that our organization was going to provide assistance and that we valued his concerns. The assignment also helped me identify and appreciate the need to have my peers and tutor go through my writing so as to ensure that er rors are identified and corrected at an early stage. My peers and tutor read over my work and made comments on the mistakes they had identified in my writings. The teacher played a very significant role in improving my writing skills by identifying mistakes and suggesting ways of correcting them. I will be considering what the reader wants to hear before writing any business letter or proposal. This will involve a complete focus on the relevant information that will satisfy the needs of the reader rather than addressing my personal needs. (Kuiper 140). 2. Samples of your work (â€Å"before and after†) with reflections: Persuasive Message Memo To: Roger Lee roger.lee@rotstein.com From: Mike Jones mike.jones@educatesolution.ca Subject: Re: Training Session Appointment—YourUni We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the training session appointment with our trainer Angela Flight on August 20th. We received your email and immediately contacted Ms. Flight regarding the issue. However, we discovered that there was a mismatch with the dates of appointment with our trainer. Company records indicated that your appointment was scheduled for 27th instead of 21st of August. However, we sincerely apologize for all the inconvenience we have caused your institution. We have made arrangements with our trainer that we

Communicable Diseases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communicable Diseases - Essay Example â€Å"Infectious diseases† have affected man at every stage of his evolution, but it is only recently that he has begun to understand that these diseases are not the result of â€Å"invisible† enemies, but rather microscopic ones. Communicable diseases are a group of infectious diseases â€Å"that are capable of being spread directly (through contact with bodily secretions) or indirectly (through contact with inanimate objects) transmitted from person to person† (Ilyas, p. 520, 2007). Common diseases such as influenza, measles, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and AIDS come under this heading. Their prevalence in a community however depends on the degree of defensive power of the body against that infectious agent. Communicable diseases can be termed epidemic â€Å"if the number of susceptible individuals is very large in a community and the disease is likely to spread rapidly, or if it occurs for the first time in an area where it was not previously present† (Ilyas, p520, 2007). However, â€Å"if the immune and susceptible individuals are equal in a community, the disease continues to smolder and is always present in that community, it is said to prevail in an endemic formâ⠂¬  (Ilyas, p520, 2007). A pandemic form is one in which â€Å"the susceptibility of the whole world or a country is increased for a particular organism† (Ilyas, p520, 2007). Some communicable diseases have been known for centuries. For example, Tuberculosis has been mentioned in literature by the name of â€Å"phthisis† or â€Å"dried up† by Hippocrates around 460 B.C. (Hippocrates, n.d.). Some diseases however, have only recently surfaced, but in short time have led to major global health problems. For example, the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was first discovered in 1981 in the US, when five homosexual men with a special type of pneumonia were tested

The letter of Galileo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The letter of Galileo - Essay Example What Galileo is up to and what is he trying to say? In the letter Galileo states that his discovery regarding the solar system was unique. People who went against him doubted that his discoveries would upset nature and jeopardize science. Galileo in the letter tried to emphasize that discoveries based on truth helps in the growth in knowledge. With the passage of time his discoveries were considered to be correct by other eminent scientist. Galileo suggests that his book must be destroyed if any disparity is found between his views regarding Copernican system and the Church. (Galilei) A war began between science and Christianity. Europeans discovered they were residing in a world and era of ever growing opportunities. The Church no longer held its power over the truth owing to the reformation. The knowledge gained from university courses was no longer considered sufficient and it was time for natural philosophers to get their worth (Ede and Cormack, 103). In modern world scientists t hroughout the globe possesses variety of belief with respect to different religions. Some scientists claim that both religion and science are different entities and both are equally important in one’s life. ... Both are independent by their own nature and discover separate realms. The methods of both science and religion are similar and they both can help in enhancing each other. Religion offers a philosophical structure required to do science. Galileo always believed that science and religion is constantly in war with each other. Galileo’s discovery that earth orbits the sun was strongly denied by Church because they were ignorant about science. The Church was against the ideas of Galileo because they could never relate religion with science. Galileo along with his discoveries wrote that his discoveries never contradicted with Bible. Christians argue that according to Bible, science is younger than Earth. They believe that science or religion either of the one must be wrong or deny the fact that these two entities can ever reconcile with each other. If science is unable to find any natural mechanism for any particular event or phenomena then many people believe that behind the cause of the event is some supernatural force and that is God. But after few years when scientist discovers a natural mechanism which clarify the event, then the existence of god becomes questionable. (Stewart, 107-110) Difference between Science and Religion Religious belief was a hindrance to the progress of science during the Galileo’s period of time. A heated disparity aroused regarding the understandings of some of the verses in the Bible especially from lyrical sections of the Psalms. If it was imagined that these scriptures should be read as science rather than poetry then it could have be easily interpreted that Earth was centrally located in the universe. Galileo agreed with the theories of Copernicus that this ideology was

Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Marketing Plan - Essay Example Because of this low-key marketing concept with both competing beer products, Drifter can outperform both using innovation with localized and broad niche marketing both in the Oregon region and across the surrounding states. Neither Blue Moon or Sierra Nevada have a solid positioning strategy among other low-cost and higher-cost competing beer products, therefore in terms of positioning, options are virtually endless. For the sake of perceptual mapping and to monitor marketing activities, especially in areas of promotion, Drifter Beer will be positioned in terms of flavor and benefit to the customer, with less focus on pricing structure. Consumer attitudes, on the perceptual map, are noted for each competing brand in relation to pricing and quality. Drifter Beer is working amid a highly competitive environment where lower-cost beer products and the main competition (Blue Moon and Sierra Nevada) saturated the convenience and grocery markets. It works among competing brands where ongoing promotional activities bring higher brand exposure, such as with brands like Coors Light that hosts different sporting events such as the Urban Flats Classic Kickoff Celebration in Orlando, Florida (Marketing Weekly News, 2009). Contests and sweepstakes are often part of their strategies for building better brand equity. Even though Drifter’s two main competitors are higher priced, more luxury-minded beer brands, sales will definitely be impacted by the buying behaviors of consumers in relation to their response to lower-cost beer brand selection marketing. Because of the current economic environment in the U.S. markets, major brands such as Miller, Pabst and Busch (also known as the economy brews) are experiencing higher sales volumes as people defect to lower-cost brands (Kesmodel, 2009). In order to drive any type of brand equity for Drifter, marketing must make the consumer believe that he needs to defect to this upscale brand simply for the sake of

Information communication Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Information communication Technology - Essay Example Precisely, flying to Barcelona is the cheapest of the four destinations. The costs of airport transfers also vary from destination to destination and are cheaper in Europe than in the US. For this case, it requires  £ 34.17 in Miami, Florida,  £ 40.30 in New York,  £ 25.13 in Barcelona and  £ 33.67 in Rome. Considering that the elder members of the family can both drive, there is a need that they hire a car upon their arrival in their destinations. For this case, it will cost the family  £ 250.17 to hire a car for the entire period of stay in Miami, about 250.24 in New York, 339.62 and 268.94. The most expensive element of the trip will be the expenditure on the hotel because of the ten-day stay will cost about  £ 2612.85 in Miami, Florida. The same services cost 2224.97 in New York City,  £ 1885.15 in Barcelona and  £ 10 193 in Rome, Italy. The cheapest rates of travel insurance for British Airline are an assumed flat rate of  £ 28.24 for a period of 31 days. The presented values represent the cheapest rates of travel for the first-class coaches and five-star hotels. However, the prices do not include entry charges for venues that the family may wish to tour. It is therefore comparatively cheaper to tour Barcelona from London the remaining places. For this case, the total for all the expenses up to the return journey are  £3786.99 for Barcelona against higher charges for the rest of the preferred destinations. The most expensive place to visit is Rome, for which case the family will pay  £11176.90. The quoted figures are all combined for the entire family based on the age category. The figures also represent the lowest in the market, for which the family has the choice of choosing otherwise. If they chose otherwise, the costs would rise depending on the airline that they will use. In the spreadsheet, the entered figures and their summation occur for each column enabling a comparative analysis of the costs of the travel. As it emerges from the

GAP Analysis Essay Example for Free

GAP Analysis Essay My profession of interest is: _Energy Analyst_ Please visit the O*NET Web site, and research the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are required for your desired profession. Complete the chart below to identify which of the KSAs you already have and which KSAs you need to acquire. KSA required in your desired job or profession Description of how you meet this requirement If you do not meet this requirement, how can you acquire it? Building and Construction Knowledege Past Work with Mario Sinicola Construction and Certified Electrician Customer Service and Personal Service Experience with Customers with CountryWide lending General Studies of Math, Physics, Design, and English Aquiring my Associates degree in general business and working on bachelors in Energy Deductive Reasoning Have basic understanding to apply general rules to help the answer make sense Near Vision I have two eyes with both of them having 18/20 vision System Analysis To obtain knowledge through work experience and also studies through school to gain the information needed. Part 2: Goal Setting Using your gap analysis and what you have learned in this phase, set 3 short-term goals to fill the gaps that you have in your KSAs and qualifications. Please make sure your goals are SMART: Specific Measurable Action-oriented (What action will you take?) Realistic Timed Gap in your KSA qualifications Short-term goal to fill the gap Time frame to be completed No degree in analysis or basic business Find a business and become an apprentice 1.5 years Obtain Business degree in data and Energy Analysis Use exiting work and also find others already working in the field and gain knowledge from there 2 years General Studies Continue education through college 6 months Part 3: Revised Elevator Speech My name is Gabriel Cheney; currently I am a student at Colorado Technical University. I have been in the U.S. Army and also sales man for multiple types of businesses. I am currently working on my associates degree in general business and looking to work towards a bachelor degree in Data Analysis. I currently am working at a small software company that develops and produces point of sale systems for salons across the world. I am looking to find a position in the company the will allow me to grow in this field that I wish to work in the future.

Nestlé industry

Nestlà © industry Executive Summary Nestlà © is the largest food and beverage industry in the world. Its revenue in million in 2008 were 89,630.00, they employ over 276000 people around the world. (Global 500) Their goals are to produce good, healthy, and tasty foods which are consisted of important nutrients. (Nestlà © South Africa) These features make Nestlà © a unique business which profits by offering products which gives satisfactions to all customers. After we skimmed through the Fortune 500 list of the companies, there were a lot of choices of well known companies, however, we picked up Nestlà © Corporation. Since we grow up with Nestlà ©s products which are nutritional and healthy products, and at the same time very tasty, it seemed interesting for us to do the project about this well known Corporation. The most important issue facing our company today is to maintain the quality of our products and continue to maintain our strong brand name known for its healthy products. Business Mission Vision According to the founder of Nestlà ©, Henri Nestlà ©, Nestlà ©s mission is to: positively influence the social environment in which we operate as responsible corporate citizens, with due regard for those environmental standards and societal aspirations which improve quality of life. Furthermore, the vision and values of Nestlà © are to make Nestlà © a leading, competitive, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company delivering improved shareholder value by being a preferred corporate citizen, preferred employer, preferred supplier selling preferred products. (Nestlà © South Africa) Description of the Business The address of corporate headquarters is: Ave, Nestle 55 Vevey 1800, Switzerland. Nestlà © operates in 83 countries, in five continents. It has more than 509 factories out of which 220 are located in Europe, 153 in America, 136 in Africa Oceania (MARKETING PROCESS OF NESTLE CORPORATION) According to the official website of the Company, Nestlà © was formed by Henry Nestlà © in 1867. He was a pharmacist. In the beginning he started to produce milk food for newborn babies, which was the first milk cereal for children. The company was located in Switzerland, where the actual largest headquarter is located even today. Then, in short period the company started to grow and expand, and also offering a large variety of products. Nowadays, the company is a corporation which has multiple stockholders. Throughout its existence, Nestlà © has merged with some international companies. For example, in 1905 merged with a Anglo-Swiss milk company. (MARKETING PROCESS OF NESTLE CORPORATION) In 1998 Nestlà © purchased the UK largest chocolate factory, then it made some other agreements with some other companies. In 2002, Nestlà © made a partnership with Coca-Cola, then with General Mills, LOreal. These mergers helped Nestlà © expand their market shares on the global international market. (Nestlà ©.) The brand name of Nestlà © comes from Henries surname. It is a short name which can be easily remembered. It is a well known and everyone can identify its logo. The quality of Nestlà ©s products made the brand easily identified, including the slogan of the brand, Good Food, Good Life. Since Nestlà © is a company which operates in the global market, it means that its products are spread worldwide and they are available whenever consumers need them. Nestlà © over the time has developed and continues to maintain a strong reputation on the Food Industry. We consider that Nestlà © is on the stage of brand insistency. This means that costumers insist on getting Nestlà ©s products, and this is considered to be a big advantage for the company. (Nestlà ©) The legal status of Nestlà © is a corporation, which is a business that includes stockholders. The main headquarter of Nestlà © is in Switzerland; Peter Brabeck-Letmathe is the CEO. According to the Global 500, the stockholders equity is 46,006.2 million dollars. (Global 500) The board of directors represents the stockholder on managing the corporation. Nestlà © deals with manufacturing of products, thus, its type of business is manufacturing. Nestlà © produces a fairly similar group of individual products. Its products are produced on similar ways, they have fairly similar prices, which make up a great product line. They produce milk and chocolate products, water, baby food, coffee, and so on. Since Nestlà © is a huge corporate, they produce on large amounts. We know that when a product is being produced in large amount, its production costs are lower, comparing to products produced on small amounts, thus these lower production costs leads Nestlà © to bring its products on the market with reasonable prices, from which the consumers benefit directly. Furthermore, they use a production program which includes green technology (environmental friendly technology) that saves electricity, does not pollute the air which leads to consumers benefits. They sell different types of chocolates, ice creams, coffees, natural water, baby food, flavored milks, etc. Some of the products offered from Nestlà © are NESCAFÉ, NESQUIK, Hot Chocolate, Cocoa, Chocolates, AERO BAR ONE Chocolate Assortments CHOCOLATE LOG CLASSIC Slabs CRISP CRUNCH Baking Chocolate KIT KAT TEX MILKY BAR MILO Nestlà © GOLD ROLO SMARTIES SUCROSE FREE Powdered Milk, Nutren Shakes Convalescing Malnourishment Diabetes Supplements Critical Care Nestlà © Baby Foods, CERELAC Gold CERELAC NESTUM Infant Formula Nestlà © Waters, Still Sparkling Flavoured Water Dispensers Imports Ice Cream, Impulse Take Home Out of Home Nestlà © Cereals, and so on. Consumers may benefit in different ways from buying Nestlà ©s products. From the consumers point of view, when we decide to buy something to eat or drink, we want to get the most satisfaction from it. Thus, we look at its price first, then its ingredients, if it is nutritious, if it is tasty, and healthy. Since Nestlà ©s company objective is to produce healthy, tasty, nutritious food, and they offer them at reasonable prices, we conclude that consumers benefit by buying Nestlà © products. Nestlà ©s products are considered as high quality products. Furthermore the raw material for example for chocolate, milk is purchased only from the milk producers who grow and give food to their cows in natural ways. All Nestlà © products are demanded, because Nestlà © first makes research and market analysis then starts to produce its products. But still chocolate products are the most demanded products from Nestlà ©. In order for Nestlà © to grow and expand its market share is to follow up and to adapt to the current trends that are affecting the food industry. For example, the trend of customers demanding low and no fat products is increasing, and if Nestlà © develops a strategy to adapt and expand production of low and no fat products, this would be a growth opportunity. Franchising is perceived as a way for companies to expand on other markets. In our case, this also would be a growth opportunity, however, they should supervise and control and see if the franchisee is maintaining the quality standards that the Nestlà © Company sets to them. Also Nestlà © officials should make sure that the franchisees are maintaining the prestige and the reputation of the brand. The corporate goals and objectives are to maximize their profits. They tend to achieve this by meeting consumers demand, by offering nutritional products which taste good, coping up with trends. There are many resources for producing products related to food industry. Nestlà ©s success is reliant on fresh milk, cocoa, sugar, water, power supply, materials related packaging, technology, transportation modes. Suppliers define success when there is a huge demand for their products, while the stakeholders define success if they achieve to increase the market shares, having enough resources to meet the demand, and maximizing profits by increasing sales. Market Analysis Nestlà ©s primary target is considered to be people of all ages. In this range there are included infants, children, teenagers, adults, and elderly people. If we take age into consideration, we conclude that it is a factor that distinguishes the consumers, since Nestlà ©s has products made especially for infants, while on the other hand we have other products which are targeted to athletes, or to adults, such as coffee. Despite of the age, gender, income, and education level are not factors to be included in targeting Nestlà © consumers. There is not a special product of Nestlà © which is dedicated to males or females, or to people with different levels of education, while when it comes to income, since our products are not expensive, we dont consider income a factor to target Nestlà ©s products. From the consumers point of view, we define Nestlà © as a successful company if they meet our demands, they always supply us with new products, we find Nestlà ©s products easily and with a fair price. Also, a factor of Nestlà ©s success would be seen if they are aware of social responsibility meaning that they should care more for the benefits of the society as a whole and not only for companies profits. In general, the food industry is in the level of steady market that does not necessarily grow since people always use food products because they are necessity goods which no one can substitute them with something else. Furthermore, even if Nestlà © is always bringing new products on the market, since the population is still growing, we cannot say that it is being placed on the growing level. SWOT analysis Strengths Nestlà © has a very organized structure, it manages to lead in an effective way more than 276 000 employees and that requires great organizational skills. Thus, one of the strengths of the company is considered to be the organizational structure, Nestlà © is divided in sectors and each sector has their CEOs, then it has the executive board and in the top is the CEO. The hierarchy on Nestlà © works perfectly. Efficient chain of supply, it delivers its products in a good condition in a fast way. Furthermore, it is a Socially Responsibility and innovative company. It has skilled and educated employees. Weaknesses Since Nestlà © develops many products, it is impossible to promote each of them. Another weakness is that Nestlà ©s products are dependable on milk, any global disease on cows may impact directly on Nestlà ©s production. Opportunities Nestlà © has many growth opportunities which are considered to be current trends that allow the company to extend its market. If Nestlà © catches up with some of the trends that are affecting food industry then it may be an opportunity to increase their profits. Threats As a threat that intimidates the company may be the current global economic crises. Nestlà © has to react fast with a strategy in order to pass the world recession without many losses. It may overturn into a disaster for the company if they ignore what is happening in the global economy. Another threat is competitions operations. PEST analysis Political The government plays a role on Nestle in terms of the rules that the government makes related to the food industry in general. For example failing to meet any standard of quality, hygiene or other set by the government may result in some sanction or fee for the company. Economic When it is about economics, companies always fear any recession that may occur. So if any recession occurs Nestle will be affected, and result in possible losses. Another way of economic involvement is the tax rises which also interrelated to the Political (government regulations). However if the economy is doing well it means that also Nestle expectations are to do well on the market too, because it has the necessary conditions. Social Change of life styles, income level, place of residence, education level are some social factors, which might have an influence in a company. But when it comes to food industry they doesnt make a huge difference, because food is a necessity and whether you live in urban or rural areas, or whether you are educated or not, you need to eat unless it is a luxury, and most of the Nestle products are for everyday use or necessity. Technological Technological advancements always shape the industries; change the way they are produced, and makes industries much more productive, but also the need for employees is lower. With the new technologies productivity has increased, the delivery of products is easier; products are being safer with the new packaging. Another segment related to technology is that the advertisement of Nestle products is much easier with internet, other media channels. Nestlà © uses market segmentation in order to develop a suitable market mixes for different consumers. For example, they segment market for only water consumers or products which are dedicated only for athletes. First step of market segmentation is to name broad product markets, for example, in the case of Nestlà © would be beverage and then as stated earlier segment this market on only a relatively homogeneous group of consumers, such as athletes. According to Fortune 500 the five most influential competitors of Nestlà © are considered to be Unilever, PepsiCo, Sara Lee, Groupe Danone, ConAgra Foods. However, Nestlà © has advantages over these particular competitors since it is a larger company and can produce with lower cost, thus the products can be offered with lower price, this can be seen as a weakness of these companies over Nestlà ©. They, offer fairly similar products as Nestlà © does. They also use many advertisement tools such as, TV, radio, news paper and so forth, some of them also use direct advertisement against Nestlà ©, for example PepsiCo. According to the research that we have done Nestlà © maintains to be ahead of these companies, so they are not taking market shares from Nestlà ©. In order to increase its market shares, Nestlà © Corporation must continue to develop new products, to spread even more on the countries that do not have factories. It must cope up with trends and forces that are affecting food industry today. The promotional budget of Nestlà © is set every year. Nestlà © for its products uses all known promotional tools. Nestlà ©s logo placed in a product makes Nestlà © responsible for the quality of the product. Advertising plan has an important role on promoting Nestlà ©s products therefore, advertising a product in an effective way increases chances for that product to be successful. They use many advertisement techniques to promote their products such as TV, Radio, Internet, Newspapers, and Magazines. (MARKETING PROCESS OF NESTLE CORPORATION) Beside advertisement, Nestlà © pays a lot of attention on the Public Relations field. They have a 24 hours media helpline so that journalists can contact them and inquire information whenever they want. Also, Nestlà © has developed a reputation and maintains that reputation through a variety of public relations strategy. The department of PR in Nestlà © tends to maintain a good relationship among employees and develop goodwill. They have developed or branded their CEO in a very professional matter and made him well known also developed its reputation worldwide. Because of their reputation when they can easily contact media to make announcements or Press Releases. According to Nestlà © pricing strategy, Nestlà © has its own set of techniques for setting the prices of the product. It does not primarily focus on the competitors pricing strategies. It emphasizes on the market demand of the product. Nowadays market is going through tough recession, so they set their prices keeping in view the purchasing power of the customers. Moreover the prices of the products are also subjected to the type of consumer product. If the product is a daily use then it can have a minimum price to attract the customer towards your product. Thus the company cannot influence much on the prices. (MARKETING PROCESS OF NESTLE CORPORATION) Trend 1: Step 1: State the focal issue or decision facing the enterprise. When a customer want to buy a product he goes through a decision process in order to choose between so many offers from different producers for the same product. Now when it comes to the food industry products, there are so many indicators that affect a persons decision. If it is farm friendly than it is an important factor that affects the decision of the buyers. Buyers will always choose the products that are consistent of organic and natural ingredients. In our case Nestlà ©s most important materials that purchases are milk and cocoa. And it is very important that Nestlà © purchases organic and natural milk and cocoa for the production of its products. Step 2: List the key factors that influence this decision. Certainly success will be considered that all of our raw materials (milk and cocoa) to be purchased from the farm-friendly sources. When we sell our products we also put the farm-friendly sign on it than customers will differentiate our products not only with our brand name, Nestlà ©, but also with its farm-friendly sign. Whereas failure would be considered if we fail to purchase organic and natural milk and cocoa. Whether it is because we cannot afford to buy them or nobody produces organic and natural milk, it still would be considered failure to us. In order to purchase the organic and natural sources, we need to know our suppliers. Where are their farms located, are there sufficient hygiene sources, check for possible diseases that cows may have and also some other issues that would affect the milk quality. Step 3: List the driving forces that influence these key factors Predictable: People will shift to the products that are farm-friendly (natural organic). Nestlà © will increase the profit. Nestlà ©s brand name will become stronger. Increase in the number of farmers who offer farm-friendly products Less predictable: Other food industries will use the same strategy. Higher competition. Highly uncertain: Customers will reject the farm-friendly products. The number of farm-friendly farmers will decrease. Step 4: Rank the key factors and driving forces by importance and by uncertainty. Step 5: Compose plots for alternate futures that could impact the decision. Best Case Scenario: The best case scenario would be if our customers like the products that produce by the organic and natural ingredients. And if this happens, customers shift their demand to these kinds of products, and certainly we will have to shift all of our sources in the production of these products. Furthermore we will grow our market because our brand name will be stronger and we expect a market growth for Nestlà ©. Worst Case Scenario: The worst case scenario would be if customers reject the farm-friendly products. And all of our production will be a loss for our company. Therefore we will lose our market shares not only for these kinds of products but also for other products produced by Nestlà ©. And this will lead to the weakening of our brand name. In-between case Scenario: The in-between case scenario would be if people will buy the organic and natural products but there wouldnt be any raise in the market shares or any change in the demand for Nestlà © products. Step 6: Evaluate the decision in each of the postulated scenarios. Best Case Scenario: We have to make the decision of producing our products with organic and natural ingredients because customers always tend to buy products that are natural and organic. And also products with natural and organic ingredients are much healthier and tastier too, so we will provide healthier and tastier products. By using this farm-friendly strategy of production we will affect also in the raise of the number of farmers in the rural areas. Worst Case Scenario: If the worst case scenario occurs than Nestlà © will for sure face losses in the market shares and in other sectors of the company too. In-between case Scenario: With the in-between case scenario occurrence Nestlà © will probably face some losses in some of its sectors, but it will be easier to rehab in a near future. Step 7: Select indicators and signposts for each scenario. Best Case Scenario: There will a huge demand for the products with organic and natural ingredients. Increase the market shares. Increase in profit. Worst Case Scenario: Rejection of farm-friendly products by customers. High production costs. Loose the market shares. In-between case Scenario: Competition. The market shares status: steady. Trend 2: Recently Nestlà © has merged with the Krafts Food Company so they will start to offer frozen pizzas. Since it is easy for people to prepare frozen products, it is considered that this trend will have positive effects on Nestlà ©s profits. Step 1. State the focal issue or decision facing the enterprise. A lot of consumers are interested on frozen products because it is easy to prepare them. If a person can prepare a Pizza for 5 minutes by putting it on Microwave, then they will buy it. The focused target for this products will be people who work and do not have enough time for preparing food. Also, the fact that Nestlà ©s slogan is Good Food, Good Health, it is obvious that the frozen pizzas will be healthy, nutritious and they tasty, therefore, there will be a demand for them. Step 2. List the key factors that influence this decision. In order to achieve this goal, which is to be successful in frozen food industry, we must get information from other food industries which deal with frozen products. We will obtain information which we will analyze, and according to them we will come up with our products. An important factor that influences us to this decision is the name of our company (Nestlà ©), which is a powerful name on the food and beverage industry. People will buy our products more when they realize that Nestlà © is the producer, thus they will increase the demand for the frozen pizzas o There will be a success if with this trend we increase the production and the profit to Nestlà ©. o There will be a failure if the target market will not accept our new products. If they do so, we have to start developing a new trend. Conditions/Events determining the success/failure: o Success  § If the trend increases the profit and bring success of Nestlà ©  § If consumers accept our products and get satisfaction from it  § If the demand of our frozen products will be higher than the demand for our competitors products. o Failure  § If this trend will bring losses to our company  § If frozen products will not be demanded by our target market Critical assumptions defining the logic of these responses o The competition on the food and drink industries nowadays is very large. In order to keep our clients and gain new ones, we must develop the frozen products on the market. Therefore, Nestlà © will be differentiated from other companies and will gain success by this trend. Step 3. List the driving forces that influence these key factors. Highly Predetermined/Predictable o An increase of people who consume frozen products o Increase companies profit o New production technology Less Predictable o A decrease of unemployment rate on rural areas o Market Size o Increase of employees income o Competitive advantage of Nestlà © o Higher production costs Step 4. Rank the key factors and driving forces by importance and by uncertainty. Step 5. Compose plots for alternate futures that could impact the decision. Best Case Scenario If we will be concentrated on frozen products, the demand for our frozen products and the profit of Nestlà © will be higher. In-Between Outcomes The trend of frozen products will keep things going almost on the same direction, but with a lower profit and production. Worst Case Scenario If we will not go through the strategy of our trend, our market size would be decreased and we will no more have competitive advantage. No one would buy frozen products with a high price if they find almost the same product with a lower price. Step 6. Evaluate the decision in each of the postulated scenarios. Best Case Scenario We should make this decision because it is a reasonable decision. First of all, the demand for frozen products is higher. Nowadays, most of the people are working and they need products which they can prepare quickly. By informing people about our trend which is Nestlà ©s Frozen Products, we will change the peoples behavior so the demand for our frozen products will increase even more. In Between On this case, the things will diverge a little from the best case, but we are sure that they will not get very bad. This is not a decision which brings us high profits, but it will help us to avoid failure. Worst Case Scenario If we take this scenario, we will face loses for sure. This is obvious that by having a high production cost, the price will increase, which would keep us away from clients. Step 7. Select indicators and signposts for each scenario. Best Case Scenario Demand for our products Number of clients is high Profit is high In Between The demand for frozen pizzas only (not necessarily other frozen products) Worst Case Scenario High production costs Small number of clients Many competitors Summary During the completion of the project we have done a lot of research to find proper information for each sector of the project assigned to us. We tried to work together on each sector in order to make the project more cohesive. We found very interesting information about Nestlà © and how a big company should operate. We used the terminology and concepts learned through the quarter in the Global Forces and Trends course. During the completion of the project we found out that Nestlà © is a very serious company, each department of Nestlà © has its own responsibilities and it is very well organized. It is important for Nestlà © to observe forces and trends that are affecting the food industry nowadays. It is essential for the company to maintain its market shares and its position in the global market through following the current trends such as: low and no fat products, use of green technology, farm friendly (use of organic and natural sources), healthy and tasty drinks, frozen produc ts and so on. We could expand our knowledge if continue to do more research and explore the company even in more details. Bibliography Global 500. CNN Money. CNN, 01 Jan. 2009. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. . MARKETING PROCESS OF NESTLE CORPORATION. Http://www.scribd.com. Nestle Corporation, 29 May 2009. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. . Nestlà ©. Nestlà © Corporation, n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. . Nestlà © South Africa. Nestlà © Corporation, n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. . Scenarios from Homework Arianit Bllaca: Trend: Low and no-fat products Step1: Trend The food industry is a very competitive market and companies are trying to adapt to changes of customer tastes, attitudes, beliefs in order to grab as much market shares as they can. Nestle is one of the most important brand on food industry that deals mainly with producing products such as chocolate, ice creams, beverage and so forth. Although, it is a leading company on this industry it has a very strong competitors. Nowadays many people are concentrating on buying products that have very low or no fat at all. Until now Nestle products had on average amount also included fat. The key issue is whether we as a company should shift our production on products with low and no fat? Or, perhaps give no importance to this trend and focus on other potential trends with higher importance? Step2: Key Factors that influence the decision In order to have clearer picture of the problem and construct a strategy on this issue, we need to have more information on the impact and importance of this trend on our company. We should do primary market research in order to create alternatives for solving the problem. If the results show that there is enough evidence that the trend will impact the market in wide range then we should go on with the decision. o If the companys decision to increase the production of the products that have low or no fat increases market shares, this would be considered as a success. It is also important that the shift of production in this direction will not impact on the cost of producing these types of products; the cost is lower or approximately the same as previous. o Failure is, if the decision for making more products with low or no fat essentially depreciates our customers base. The customers do not respond positively and do not appreciate the change. Conditions/Events determining the success/failure: o Success:  § The decision increases profit.  § The changes made by the company lead to more market shares.  § The actual customers like our new products.  § We are perceived as shapers of the market.  § We wider our customers base. o Failure:  § If our market shares drop significantly.  § The products do not taste as delicious as previous ones.  § The actual customers perceive it as an unnecessary move.  § We cannot attract new customers.

Urban Cultures :: essays research papers

Abstract For those of us located within the United States, we often take or granted the nornal day to day business operations. Though the United States has a mix of several distict cultures, most companies operate in the same manner. In fact, Americans often make the mistake of assuming that standard business models are the norm in other countries as well. For the corporate executive charged with creating an overseas operation, lack of local culture understanding and its influence on business methods will most likely result in greater start-up dificulties if not complete faliure. This paper hopes to develop a better awareness of various cultures and their influence on business methods and models. It will focus on the challenges in dealing with people from two different countries, Moroco and Pakistan, and offer some insight as to developing solutions to cultural differences. Literature Review Several sources of information were used in drafting this report. Due to the internet I was able to obtain current articles on both countries. Also, I even went so far as to log onto chat rooms specifically created for and attended by Pakistanis and Moroccans. There I asked questions regarding the motovations, beliefs, and values of the people from both countries. The repose was postive in that Moroccans and Pakistanis were more tham happy to answer my questions. Both parties seemed to be very nationalistic and pround of their countries. It is interesting to note that most of the people I was chating with were expatriots, most of whom are located on the United States. Though I found the chat rooms an interesting place to speak with Pakistanis and Moroccans, the information I gathered was limited. I attribute this to chat room formats that only allow a person to respond with short sentences. I later found a Pakistani chat room that allowed real time voice data transmission (www.pakiso n.com) which functioned like a two way radio. There people were able to express their thought and opinions regarding their home countries in more detail. The next couple of sections will detail the main differences between the cultures of Morocco and Pakistan. As I was conducting my reasearch on the two nations I quickly came to the conclusion that Morocco and Pakistan are more similar to each other than they are different. Though they have many commonalities, this does not mean that the challenges are any less for the international manager.

Candle Making Essay -- essays research papers

How to Make a Candle Candles can add that special touch to any house. They can add to a romantic night. They can brighten a house up. They can also add personality into any home. Whatever the case may be, candles are great for everyday use. So why not make your own? Candles can get to be quite costly, but by making your own you are cutting down the price to a bare minimum. You may even find that you have most of the supplies that you need right at home. By making your own candle you can also create your own style making it more meaningful to you. Before you begin, it’s a good idea to cover your workspace with newspaper. This should prevent wax hardening on the surface that you are working on. Make sure that you have all your materials. You will need one pound of paraffin which can be found at most craft stores, vegetable oil, a medium sized cooking pot, an empty coffee can, an old spoon, a clean sturdy container, and store-bought pre-dipped wicks. To add personality to your candle you may also want to include crayons, glitter, fragrant oils, etc. To begin you must prepare a mold. I’ve found that many materials around the house serve as excellent molds such as empty orange juice containers, paper cups, toilet paper rolls, and drink containers. Always make sure that the mouth is the same size if not wider that the base, allowing your candle to slide out easily. You don’t want your mold to have any ridges such as in a soup can. Oil the inside of your mold for easier removal ...

Foodborne Illnesses :: essays research papers

Foodborne Illness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is Foodborne Illness? According to a medical dictionary, foodborne illness is an acute gastrointestinal infection caused by consuming food contaminated with pathogenic, bacteria, toxins, viruses, prions or parasites. Such contamination was caused by improper food handling, preparation or storage of food. Contacts between food and pests, especially flies, cockroaches and rodents are a further cause of contamination of food. Foodborne illness can also be caused by adding pesticides or medicine to food or consuming or by accidentally consuming naturally poisonous substances. That is why foodborne illness can also be called food poisoning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Health Canada estimates that about two million Canadian suffers foodborne illness per year and CDC (Center for Disease Control) estimates approximately 76 million foodborne illness cases occur in the United States per year. However, many foodborne illness cases are unreported. Some of the most common bacteria and viruses that cause foodborne illness are Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Hepatitis. In the following report, you will read some of the major foodborne illness outbreaks in Canada and United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Health Canada, the number of Canadians who has foodborne illness is estimated to be approximately two million per year. As mentioned in the introduction, many foodborne illness cases are not reported. In Canada, it is estimated that for every one case of foodborne illness that is reported, there are 350 cases that are not reported. The ones that are reported are usually major problems. Canada had some major outbreak of foodborne illness through these many years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One major outbreak was on March and April 1998. The major outbreak was Salmonella Enteritidis associated with the contamination of cheese in a commercial product. This happened in Newfoundland. Nearly 700 cases were reported, most of which were children that got the illness. It was found that the source of the outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis was the cheese in a prepackaged processed lunch packs. The cheese was contaminated when it was being packaged into the lunch packs. It was never found how the cheese got contaminated, but they discover that the cheese was contaminated before it arrived to the place where the products were processed and packaged. They suspect that something must have happen in Parmalat ¡Ã‚ ¦s plant, the company that provides the cheeses for the lunch pack, because it was only the cheese that got contaminated. However, they will not release any information, so the real explanation of how the cheese got contaminated will never be known.

Why Do We Need Laws

Why do we need laws? The law controls social relations and behavior To satisfy our basic needs and to exploit the full potential of human existence, people have always sought to live in company or society with others, the basis of this existence, by its very nature, must involve social interaction. To ensure the society functions effectively and survives it is necessary to establish norms of acceptable behavior. The state may impose sanctions or punishments on those who fail to comply with these rules.Although these norms are generally accepted by members of the society and are included in the legal order, social interaction will inevitably lead to disputes because of conflicting interests of individuals and groups. It is difficult for groups of individuals to live in perfect harmony. The objective of any legal system will be providing answers to everyday problems that arise. The solutions to such problems must accord with the objectives that are judged by the community to be sociall y desirable. The law tells people what they must do or refrain from doing.Without laws, there would be no code of what is acceptable behavior, without laws, anarchy and chaos would occur society. The law protects individuals and their rights The main focus of the law is to protect the rights of individuals in society. In order to feel safe and secure whether at home or in wider community laws are needed to protect our rights. If a crime is committed against a person, the police will investigate and the offender will be prosecuted through the courts and receive a punishment.Under civil law, if an individual’s rights have been infringed the courts may provide compensation to the individual for the damage they have suffered. The law reflects community values Each society has a set of values and beliefs that are important to the individuals of that society. Laws are needed to protect the values of the community and to reflect the society’s beliefs of what is acceptable and unacceptable. To most societies, an important value is the importance of human life; as a result any actions that harm of interfere with the quality of human life would be against the law.As society changes, it is important that the law also changes to reflect changing values and attitudes in the community. However, there are areas of the law where there are conflicting values within the community some examples include voluntary euthanasia, human cloning and same sex marriages. There has been recent controversial discussions concerning the banning of smoking in private residences due to the impact of smoking on children and pets who share a house with smokers. The law protects society Laws are needed to protect society as a whole from the prospect of danger, harm and fear.Laws ensure society’s safety. The provision of imprisonment under the criminal law protects society by removing the offender from the community for a designated period of time. Penalties imposed by the cour ts can act as a deterrent to the wider community in that the consequences of committing a criminal offence are widely known and people will refrain from committing offences in the future, resulting in the protection of society. Homework: Revise the reasons we read laws Read the media clip p12 and answer questions 1,2,3,4,5

All Day Kindergarten Essay

After critically analyzing the current kindergarten scheduling trends, there is a shift in many schools from half-day kindergarten programs towards full day kindergarten programs. A full day kindergarten or all day kindergarten program is a program in which pupils attend school each weekday for approximately six hours. The growing number of all day kindergarten programs can be attributed to a change in the American society and education in general. To be specific the growing number can be attributed to the increase in single parents and dual employment households and finally a general belief that all day programs better prepare children for school. There has been a looming legislation, which is going to give powers to the local, state and federal governments to control standards of education. Kindergarten education is targeted by this piece of legislation because it promotes all day kindergarten programs at the expense of half-day programs. I fully support this piece of legislation that promotes all day kindergarten programs because of the benefits that are inherent with the program. It’s my prayers that the legislation is approved so that our schools can start churning out very competitive graduates. I believe all day kindergarten programs are the best because of the following: †¢ A research conducted in 1990s reported a consistent positive academic outcome for all children enrolled in all day kindergarten programs. A subsequent research also showed that children who attended all day kindergarten programs scored higher points on standardized tests than their half day counter parts. Hough and Bryde found out that there is more individualized instruction in all day programs when compared to half-day programs. Individualized training makes it possible for the teacher to understand each and every need of the pupil and therefore attend to them accordingly. A research carried out by Cryan and his friends found out that there was a positive relationship between participation in full day kindergarten program and later academic success. After comparing similar half day and full day programs in a nationwide study, Cryan found out that full day kindergarteners exhibited more independent learning, classroom involvement, and productivity in work with peers and reflectivity than half-day kindergarteners. †¢ Other researches pointed out that there is a clear relationship between the kind of kindergarten program and the children’s behavior. Teachers rated children in all day kindergarten higher. (Cryan et al, 1992). Other researchers who have studied social and behavioral outcomes found out those children in all day kindergarten programs were engaged in child-to-child interactions and this had a positive effect in building their learning, communication and social skills. (Elicker & Mathur, 1997). The full day kindergarteners were more likely to approach the teacher; they expressed less anger, shyness, withdrawal and blaming behavior than half-day kindergarteners. †¢ Both teachers and parents whose children were enrolled in all day kindergarten proved that all day programs better prepared children for their first grade. They also indicated preference for all day kindergarten because of the more relaxed atmosphere, more time for creative activities and more opportunity for students to develop their own interests. The teachers also concluded they had more time to know the children and their families thus enabling them to better meet the children’s specific needs. (Elicker & Mathur, 1997) It’s definite that there are more positives in all day kindergarten programs but it’s important to remember that what the children are doing during the day is more important than the length of the day. Experts are warning administrators and parents against full day kindergarten programs that are academically rather than intellectually engaging in tone. Some of the intellectually engaging activities that should be incorporated in all day kindergarten programs include the following: 1. Programs that emphasize language development. 2. Programs that offer balance of small group, big group and individual activities. 3. Programs that asses pupils’ progress through close teacher observation and examination of pupils’ work. 4. Programs that develop children’s social and interpersonal skills including conflict resolution strategies. 5. Programs that involve children in first hand experience and informal interaction with objects, other children and adults. (Rothenberg, 1995) To successfully implement this project, the government should commence creating space and teacher capacity. It should also set aside enough funds to make sure the schools can afford equipment necessary for all day kindergarten programs. References Cryan, J. R. , Sheehan, R. , Wiechel, J. , & Bandy-Hedden, I. G. (1992). Success outcomes of full-day kindergarten: More positive behavior and increased achievement in the years after. Early childhood research quarterly, 7(2), 187-203. EJ 450 525 Elicker, J. , & Mathur, S. (1997). What do they do all day? Comprehensive evaluation of a full-day kindergarten. Early childhood research quarterly, 12(4), 459-480. EJ 563 073. Hough, D. , & Bryde, S. (1996, April). THE EFFECTS OF FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND AFFECT. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, New York: ED 395 691.

Anchoring-Annual Day Essay

These virtual characters then do things that people in the real world do, such as having sex. Depending on your preferences, you can have sex with someone who is older or younger than you – perhaps much older or younger. In fact, if your virtual character is an adult, you can have sex with a virtual character who is a child. If you did that in the real world, most of us would agree that you did something seriously wrong. But is it seriously wrong to have virtual sex with a virtual child? Some Second Life players say that it is, and have vowed to expose those who do it. Meanwhile, the manufacturers, Linden Labs, have said they will modify the game to prevent virtual children from having sex. German prosecutors have also become involved, although their concern appears to be the use of the game to spread child pornography, rather than whether people have virtual sex with virtual children. Laws against child pornography in other countries may also have the effect of prohibiting games that permit virtual sex with virtual children. In Australia, Connor O’Brien, chair of the criminal law section of the Law Institute of Victoria, recently told the Melbourne newspaper The Age that he thought the manufacturer of Second Life could be prosecuted for publishing images of children in a sexual context. The law is on solid ground when it protects children from being exploited for sexual purposes. It becomes much more dubious when it interferes with sexual acts between consenting adults. What adults choose to do in the bedroom, many thoughtful people believe, is their own business, and the state ought not to pry into it. If you get aroused by having your adult partner dress up as a schoolchild before you have sex, and he or she is happy to enter into that fantasy, your behavior may be abhorrent to most people, but as long as it is done in private, few would think that it makes you a criminal. Nor should it make any difference if you invite a few adult friends over, and in the privacy of your own home they all choose to take part in a larger-scale sexual fantasy of the same kind. Are computers linked via the Internet – again, assuming that only consenting adults are involved – so different from a group fantasy of this kind? When someone proposes making something a criminal offense, we should always ask: who is harmed? If it can be shown that the opportunity to act out a fantasy by having virtual sex with a virtual child makes people more likely to engage in real pedophilia, then real children will be harmed, and the case for prohibiting virtual pedophilia becomes stronger. But looking at the question in this way raises another, and perhaps more significant, issue about virtual activities: video game violence. Those who play violent video games are often at an impressionable age. Doom, a popular violent videogame, was a favorite of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the teenage Columbine High School murderers. In a chilling videotape they made before the massacre, Harris says â€Å"It’s going to be like fucking Doom†¦. That fucking shotgun [he kisses his gun] is straight out of Doom! There are other cases in which aficionados of violent videogames have become killers, but they do not prove cause and effect. More weight, however, should be given to the growing number of scientific studies, both in the laboratory and in the field, of the effect of such games. In Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adults, Craig Anderson, Douglas Gentile, and Katherine Buckley, of the Department of Psychology at Iowa State University, draw these studies tog ether to argue that violent video games increase aggressive behavior. If criminal prosecution is too blunt an instrument to use against violent video games, there is a case for awarding damages to the victims, or families of the victims, of violent crimes committed by people who play violent video games. To date, such lawsuits have been dismissed, at least in part on the grounds that the manufacturers could not foresee that their products would cause people to commit crimes. But the evidence that Anderson, Gentile, and Buckley provide has weakened that defense. Andre Peschke, editor-in-chief of Krawall. e , one of Germany’s leading online computer and video game magazines, informs me that in ten years in the video game industry, he has never seen any serious debate within the industry on the ethics of producing violent games. The manufacturers fall back on the simplistic assertion that there is no scientific proof that violent video games lead to violent acts. But sometimes we cannot wait for proof. This seems to be one of those cases: the risks are great, and outweigh whatever benefits violent video games may have. The evidence may not be conclusive, but it is too strong to be ignored any longer. The burst of publicity about virtual pedophilia in Second Life may have focused on the wrong target. Video games are properly subject to legal controls, not when they enable people to do things that, if real, would be crimes, but when there is evidence on the basis of which we can reasonably conclude that they are likely to increase serious crime in the real world. At present, the evidence for that is stronger for games involving violence than it is for virtual realities that permit pedophilia.