Child Sexual Abuse and Introduction Prostitution

SCOURGE OF CHILD PROSTITUTION IN THE PHILIPPINES A Research Paper Presented To Dr. Antonio R. Yango College of Arts and Sciences University of Perpetual Help System Laguna In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course Communication Arts 2 By MARIA MAYBELLE F. GALANG March 2012 Introduction Prostitution is a performance of sexual acts solely for the purpose of material gain. Persons prostitute themselves when they grant sexual favors to others in exchange for money, gifts, or other payment and in so doing use their bodies as commodities.In legal terms, the word prostitute refers only to those who engage overtly in such sexual-economic transactions, usually for a specified sum of money. Prostitutes may be of either sex, but throughout history the majority have been women, who have usually entered prostitution through coercion or under economic stress. (http://www. free-researchpapers. com/dbs/b3/peh277. shtml) â€Å"Prostitution† to pay for school fees is just one of the many guises of children in the Philippine flesh trade.Nobody really knows how many Filipino children are in the sex trade, but they could number up to 100,000, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO). Many are recruited from the provinces, their appeal is the â€Å"freshness† factor. These children are exposed to the AIDS virus and sexually transmitted diseases, while many risk physical violence and failing health from long and unholy work hours.They suffer from harmful psychological stresses, development of distorted values, economic exploitation, lack of love and affection, breakdown of family ties, loss of self-worth and endangered lives if they decide to quit. Shocking it may be but there is more to child prostitution than meets the eye. It is just one facet of the horrors daily served to children working in what the ILO calls the worst form of labor, be it on the street or in the sea. (http://unionssaynotochildlabor. om/inthenews/the-world-of-rp%E2%8 0%99s-4-million-child-workers/) The Optional protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in the Convention on the Rights of the child states that the prostitution of children or child prostitution is the practice whereby a child is used by others for sexual activities in return for remuneration or any other form of consideration (Article 2(b)). The remuneration or other consideration could be provided to the child or to another person.Most generally, the prostitution of children means that a party other than the child benefits from a commercial transaction in which the child is made available for sexual purposes – either an exploiter intermediary who controls or oversees the child's activities for profit, or any other person who negotiates an exchange directly with a child in order to receive sexual gratification. (http://allafrica. com/stories/200711051563. html) According to Dela Pena, et al. 2004) these are the causes why prostitution is happ ening, there are the reasons, desire to earn big sum of money, there is a demand, Connivance of police and other law enforcement agencies/authorities, poor education, runaways/homeless, and the victims of rape and other violence. If there are reasons there is also a consequence, First their families are not respected in their neighborhood, they are the center of gossip, they are treated with no morals or respect, suffering violence from the hands of the police and their clients and considered trash, suffering physical and psychological consequences and last they are considered as sinful.Every day we watch more and more news concerning child prostitution, one of the worst forms of child labour. It has unfortunately become a common phenomenon in today’s society but people are not yet fully aware of what it really means, how many people are indirectly affected, and what the main consequences are. Millions of children from poor families are the main victims of this phenomenon, be cause there is a proportional relationship between economical problems and the spread of child prostitution: The poorer the country is, the more prevalent the problem is.A worldwide net of criminals, seeking economic benefits, works to entrap children and young people (mainly girls), to make a profit by selling them like goods and using their bodies for sexual purposes. Their targets are young people under 18, who live in rural areas, where the educational conditions are insufficient. Although the prevention against child prostitution has increased, it is very difficult to eliminate this â€Å"black hole†. (http://www. albstudent. albstudent. net/punime/K_Topi2. df) The Paper talks about how these innocent and clueless children engaged in such immoral business. Violence is the direct impact to the children suffering from this kind of situation. These children has different reasons why they chose this kind of profession. Poverty is the majority reason why they get into it, now adays it is in demand, they are an orphan and homeless, in immoral nature, and the other one is jobless. Time after time, child exploitation getting worse to worst.To be left homeless and abandoned at 13 years old with a younger brother to provide for was too much for Angelina. Hungry and hopeless, begging food in a public park and nowhere to go, she found hope and happiness in the offer of two women job recruiters in Angeles City, Pampanga. Angelina arrived with the pimps in Angeles two years ago. It was teeming with fat foreigners walking the gaudy neon lit streets with beer bellies as big as a barrel dragging a young girl by the hand and heading to a cheap motel. Angelina was now being trained to provide ‘anything they wanted. Having been told that she would be serving drinks, she was put on the bar top with a dozen other young girls to dance in a bikini for the gawking lusting customers. The ‘Mamasan', her handler, saw that she got paid a small percentage for the dri nks sold when a customer called her down to sit on his lap and press her again his fat stomach and kiss her with an unshaved face smelling of beer and whiskey. It repelled Angelina but for this she would earn more than what she got for just gyrating around a pole to the throbbing rock music and flickering purple strobe lights.It was more money than she ever had in her entire life. Then she was offered an increase if she would go ‘bar-hopping' with a customer. She was promised that, that was the entire customer wanted, be seen with his trophy girl. (http://web. archive. org/web/20070927192510/http:/www. preda. org/archives/2005/ r05030201. html) In research conducted in  Cebu  in 2004, all the taxi drivers surveyed responded that they had had an encounter with a foreign tourist accompanied by a Filipino minor.Interviews conducted in a drop-in centre for victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) showed that 70 per cent of the girls assisted were aged between 11 and 17 years. Cebu  is a prime tourist destination in the Philippines, and is advertised on websites providing information on where sex services are available. Two years ago, an American national was arrested as he tried to leave the US for the Philippines for making arrangements to have sex with two Filipino girls aged 9 and 12. There are indications that this kind of pre-arranged child sex tourism takes place in the country, and is highly facilitated by the Internet.Nationals from Austria, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands and the United States have been arrested in the Philippines for sexual offences against children. (http://gvnet. com/childprostitution/Philippines. htm) In Batangas City, a Fifteen year old girl names Ana talks and dresses the way girls her age do. She wears trendy clothes imitated from models she sees in magazines and television shows. She also loves to have fun, and to sing. Beneath her smiles and bubbly personal ity, however, is a child in pain.A female recruiter, who promised Ana a job as a storekeeper in Cavite, flew her from her home province of Bukidnon to Manila in January 2006. From there, she was brought to Cavite and forced to work as a guest relations officer (GRO) in a bar and, eventually, as a prostitute. With three other girls? All minors? Ana was made to work from 4 p. m. till past midnight. If the girls refused to cooperate? Steve? A nephew of the bar owner, would beat them or douse them with water. Ana’s first customers were Coast Guard members who forced her to have sex with them for a fee.She took the experience with a grain of salt. It’s OK. I was raped by my father when I was 7 years old? Ana said, further revealing a darker part of her life. For 10 months, Ana’s life was controlled by the bar owners, who offered her like a merchandise to patrons. (Querubin, 2007) A Filipino Girl at the tender age of three  was forced to perform oral sex on  stran gers. What's worse is that her pimp is her own mother, a drug addict. The girl's plight is shocking but not unique, said Dr Jean D'Cunha from the United  Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem).Children of increasingly young ages are being forced into prostitution to fuel the  billion-dollar tourism trade in child sex, said international experts on prostitution and human  trafficking at a conference here. Add the growing number of similarly victimised young women, and the experts  believe that ‘millions' are being trafficked worldwide for the sex trade. They are convinced the pool is  swelling, but could not offer definitive figures due to the clandestine nature of the trade. (http://web. archive. org/web/20080614060120/http:/www. childexploitation. org/prostitution6. tml) The researcher conducted this research and covered this research topic is they wanted to prioritize by the law-makers this kind of illegal business, to let the government officials realized tha t the country we belong is included at the ranking of this child flesh trade activity. To do an action to prevent this kind of illegal as well as socially proscribed. Make an organization in the community which includes rules and regulations that can avoid prostitution and especially the Laws will be tightened specially the penalties for those responsible, promoters and beneficiaries of child prostitution were increase drastically.Body Causes of Child Prostitution As mentioned by Jarapa, et al. (2000), poverty in a land laid waste by recurring typhoon which sends families running to their cities; Poverty of education and the lack of relevant training which brings humiliating unemployment to the poorest of the poor; Poverty of esteem and opportunity which prevents parents from being able to defend their youngster; Poverty of the Spirit which destroys the will of the family to stay together; Poverty of the mind which in the name of tourism and the mighty dollar forces children into pr ostitution. Ages range engage in Child ProstitutionStreet children are children who either live or work on the streets, spending a significant amount of time engaged in different occupations, with or without the care and protection of responsible adults. With ages ranging from 5 to 18 years old, these children ply the sidewalks in a desperate attempt to eke out whatever meager amount they can earn for their survival. An estimated 25% live on the streets. (http//www. childhope. com. ages of child prostitution. 2003) The  Philippines  is highly affected by all forms of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), which seem to be closely linked and greatly impact on one another.While tourism has been used to promote economic growth, it has also resulted in child sex tourism in the Philippines. In research conducted in  Cebu  in 2004, all the taxi drivers surveyed responded that they had had an encounter with a foreign tourist accompanied by a Filipino minor. Interviews c onducted in a drop-in centre for victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) showed that 70 per cent of the girls assisted were aged between 11 and 17 years. Cebu  is a prime tourist destination in the Philippines, and is advertised on websites providing information on where sex services are available.Two years ago, an American national was arrested as he tried to leave the US for the Philippines for making arrangements to have sex with two Filipino girls aged 9 and 12. There are indications that this kind of pre-arranged child sex tourism takes place in the country, and is highly facilitated by the Internet. Nationals from Austria, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands and the United States have been arrested in the Philippines for sexual offences against children. (http//www. ecpat. net. ages of child prostitution. ECPAT International. 006) No. of Child in Prostitution Filipinos mostly used women for Prostitution. The Philippi nes was ranked no. 4 in child Prostitution. Estimatedly 3,366 children still forced in this activity every year. Prostitution is not a business in the Philippines but an industry. (http//www. scribd. com. Prostitution. 2011) The  Virlanie  Foundation, a local child protection NGO, estimated that there were at least 20 thousand child prostitutes in the country, most in the Metro Manila area. Other NGOs estimated that as many as 100 thousand children were involved in the commercial sex industry.Most of these children were girls, and nearly all had dropped out of school. These children come from very poor families with unemployed or irregularly employed parents. The  Virlanie  Foundation offered housing, training, and counseling services to child prostitutes. An ILO program resulted in more than six thousand children being removed or prevented from engaging in the worst forms of child labor, including the commercial sex industry. (http//www. state. gov. com. no. of child in pro stitution. 2006) Prostitution in the Three Sociological PerspectivesAs discussed by Garcia, et al. (1986) Prostitution has Three Sociological Perspectives. Prostitution According to the Functionalists. Prostitution has certain functions in society. It meets the need of husbands who are not fully satisfied by their wives as well as the needs of single and widowed persons who have no available sex partners. The customers are sexually gratified without any responsibility or commitment; the prostitutes earn something for their everyday subsistence. It virtually becomes a matter of give-and-take relationship.Prostitution According to the Conflict Theorists. Prostitution is the offshoot of an unjust society in which the dominant group would always impress on the subordinate groups of their superiority not only in material possession but also in morality. They deliberately want the poor to remain poor or to become poorer so they will not be a threat to the top position they hold on in the social ladder. Prostitution According to the Interactionists. In the first place, the interactionists see a ganut of relationships that exist between prostitutes and their respective clients.If there are 1,001 encounters between them, expect different kinds of interactions and impressions. These are the different interpretations from four parties, namely: The married man himself: â€Å"I prefer staying with her than with my wife. She knows my needs and she is an expert in satisfying them. † The Prostitute: â€Å"Well, this is what we call luck. I might as well learn to love the old man. † The wife: â€Å"I cannot figure out why my husband goes for this whore. She is nothing compared to me. † A friend of the old man: â€Å"There’s nothing wrong with it. Anyway we live in a double-standard society. Usual places where Prostitution occurs As explained by Perez, et al. (2000) Child prostitution exists not only in Metro Manila (M. H. del Pilar, Mabini, Sta. Mo nica, and Flores streets in the tourists belt), but also in the provinces with the youngsters servicing both local and foreign clients of both sexes. The provincial areas are: Puerto Galera, Mindoro; Poro Point in San Fernando, La Union; Bacolod City, Buhi, Camarines Sur; Bulacan; Mactan International Airport, Cebu; Pagsanjan, Laguna; Boracay Island, Aklan; Angeles City; Bulusan Sorsogon; Cavite; Olongapo City; Legaspi City.Pedophiles and their sickness called â€Å"Pedophilia† Dr. Anthony Siracusa, a psychologist specializing in treating sexually abused children from Williamstown, Massachusetts, states that adults who have a thing for children are often stressed and anxious about relationships with other adults. According to Siracusa these people are called regressed offenders, because they are not dealing on the level of an adult but are going back to a former period in their life. Sometimes these people bounce back and forth form a relationship with another adult to crimin al relationships with children. Dr.Hord also agrees that insecurity is at the heart of the pedophile’s inability to relate to an adult intimate relationship. Pedophiles are not capable of having a normal healthy relationship sexually and often socially with other adults. The adult relationship is difficult or even daunting for them and therefore it easier to be attracted to a child. Insecurity translates to the need to control the sexual experience and of course it is very easy to do with a child. It is not so easy to do in a healthy adult relationship. (http://mental-personality-disorders. factoidz. com. pedophilia. roach. 2009) Diseases that can be acquired by ProstitutesVeneral disease has been recognize as a health hazard for centuries. Despite the supposedly new sexual awareness, a great number of people continue to catch and transmit it. It is an infection transmitted from person to person by intimate body contact, or other forms of skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. Syphilis and gonorrhoea are two venereal disease which have reached alarming proportions. Syphilis is caused by a corkscrew-shaped micro-organism called spirochete which enters the body mucous membranes or breaks in the skin. Gonorrhoea is caused by the bacterium gonococcus. Upon

Behavioral And Social Learning Approaches Personality Assessment

Personality can be defined as a hypothetical concept that constitute those relatively stable and enduring aspects of an individual which distinguishes them from other people making them unique, but which at the same time permit a comparison between individual. There are various approaches that conceptualize personality. These are; the psychoanalytic perspective, the trait theory, behaviorist (learning) theory, humanistic theories cognitive and biological approaches. This paper however will explore the behavioral and social learning theory approaches to personality.The focus will be in comparing and contrasting them and relating them to a personal personality disorder. The social learning theory is an approach that argues that we learn through imitation, modeling, and observation of other people behavior. If we observe a good behavior from other people, we are likely to behave well but if we observe bad behavior from them we behave badly. Albert Bandura is considered a major proponent of this theory. This approach also considers the environmental factors claiming they reinforce modeling.An individual can be reinforced directly by a model for example; a student can dress like other to fit in their group. A third person can also reinforce modeling. for example; a teacher may praise a certain student making the others to model him. It is also possible to imitate the behavior itself. For example; a student may play football during his leisure time influencing another to model the behavior. Social learning theory argues that reinforcement and punishment are necessary in learning. They influence the level at which a person demonstrates a learnt behavior. They argue that moral judgment concerning the right or wrong is modeled.Bandura outlined from major condition for modeling to occur; paying attention, remembering, ability to replicate, and motivation. Modeling leads to acquisition of new behavior, affects the frequency of embarking a learner behavior, encourages a fo rbidden behavior and increases the frequency of a similar behavior. They emphasize of self regulation in personality development. For example; setting own goals, self observation, self judgment and self reaction (Ormrod, J. E1999) The behavioral approach in personality assessment argues that personality can be acquired through observation.It put the environment accountable to personality difference among people. It assumes that we can understand other people by observing how they behave. It also argues that a response to certain stimuli molds behavior. Learning can occur though conditioning in both human and non human animals. It also assumes that all human are equal at birth. We are born a tabula rasa – empty slit – as we grow, the environmental factors molds our personality. Proponents of this approach include Skinners’ (1957) operant condition theory, Pavlov (1936) conditioning theory and Watson (1958). (Axialis Team 2008)Both the social learning and behavior al theories emphasize on observation learning to personality acquisition. They consider environmental factors that influence our personality. They also consider reinforcement and punishment an important factor in learning. However, social learning theory argues that learning is possible without necessarily changing the behavior. This contrast the behavioral approach that argues that learning must be represented by a permanent change in behavior. Social learning assumes people can learn through observation alone and which might not affect their performance thus may not or may impact behavior change.This contrasts the behavioral approach which assumes learning must involve a permanent change in behavior as well conditioning necessity in learning. Modeling, imitation and observation cannot be assumed in behavioral acquisition. Environmental factors too are very important in personality assessment. These two approaches consider this. They both make a step to explain broader personality to include the animals. On the other hand, we cannot assume the thought processes, unobservable activities, biological and genetic factors in personality assessment and which they assume.Conditioning approach can be useful in explaining how we develop a habit how we model it, who influence us towards the habit and how we can stop the habit. In my early stages of life, I used to like toys very much. My parent would make sure that they bought me. Initially, my elder brother used to like them too. My parents would buy him every time he performed better in school. He would spend time with them on his free time. He motivated my love for toys. When I started going to school, my parents adopted a similar strategy in buying me toys.It was not after I destroyed one like before, but after I performed better in school. I remember I had a hard time to adapt to this. Previously I mishandled them; after all they would buy me if damaged. This time round, it was based on performance. I wasn’ t a good performer but I had to work hard to get some new toys. If I didn’t perform well, the punishment was ‘no toy’. As time went by, my performance deteriorated. My parents withdrew their reinforcement. At the long run, there were no more new toys. The old ones were not pleasant at all. I hated them. My performance currently is better but I hate toys.In the behavioral view, I observed the habit from my brother and learnt it, the environmental factors, my parent, influenced me to possess the habit of destroying them in order to be bought some new. I was reinforced to work harder to get new toys. The negative stimulus, the punishment, was not to be bought new toys. The aversive stimulus was my parent’s withdrawal of new toys when my performance decreased. I later stopped liking toys a result of the negative reinforcement. In the social learning view, I learnt the habit from observing my brother; he used his free time well. My brother was my role model.I p aid attention to his habit, I rehearsed and was able to replicate the way he handled and treated the toys. However, my parent motivated me by realizing my habit and therefore bought me some more toys. I did not permanently adapt the behavior implying that learning does not necessarily change behavior. Social learning approach best describes my personality I was able to observe, pay attention, rehearse and replicate my brother’s behavior thus influencing my personality. I was able to regulate myself in settling my goals, observe and make my own judgment and choose my reaction from my parent’s move towards my habit.These theories explore the complexity of human nature. Whichever dimension they take as long as it explain personality assessment, is worth credential. However, if these approaches are merged they would have a better explanation to personality assessment. References Ormrod, J. E. (1999). Human learning. Social learning theory: Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice- Hall. Retrieved on Friday, October 31, 2008 from http://teachnet. edb. utexas. edu/~lynda_abbott/Social. html Axialis team (2008) Psychologist World. Behavioral approach. Retrieved on Friday, October 31, 2008 from http://www. psychologistworld. com/issues/behavioralapproach. php

Conformity and anarchy and through unusual language Essay

â€Å"Fight Club† by Chuck Palahniuk explores the theme of masculinity through clever characterisation, exploration of conformity and anarchy and through unusual language.  The traditional role of man was as the head of the family unit. Looking after and providing for his wife and children in the hunter-gatherer role. What if a man has no wife and children? What is his role? What if the man comes from a broken family where he had no father? How is he supposed to live a good male life if he has no good example to follow? These are some of the issues that Chuck Palahniuk confronts on the theme of masculinity in â€Å"Fight Club†. In this essay I will explore the author’s use of characterisation, conformity, anarchy and interesting and unusual language in support of this main theme. The characterisation of the main figure is executed particularly well. The characters of Joe and Tyler are cleverly interwoven throughout the novel until the reader’s realisation that they are both actually the same person. There are a lot of hints in the novel, which suggest this up until it is actually revealed. Several times the narrator, Joe, says,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I know this because Tyler knows this.†Ã‚  This could be taken as meaning that they are very close friends and tell each other everything or that they are both the same person. The author also refers to the idea of multiple personalities in, â€Å"If I could wake up in a different place, at a different time, could I wake up as a different person?†Ã‚  I think that this illustrates the concept that Joe is a chronic insomniac and changes personality in his sleep.  There are many similarities between Joe and Tyler up until we discover they are the same person. They both love Marla but only Tyler sleeps with her. This provides comic moments when we realise that all through the book Marla has been talking to Joe as her lover but Joe has been talking to her as his friend’s girlfriend. Both Joe and Tyler end up looking like each other, â€Å"Tyler and I were looking more and more like Identical Twins. Both of us had punched-out cheekbones, and our skin had lost its memory, and forgot where to slide back after we were hit.† Tyler starts off looking beautiful, an idyllic version of Joe, he is what Joe wishes he could be. This is indicated in  Ã¢â‚¬Å"perfectly handsome and an angel in his everything-blond way.† He is smart, funny, and knows all of the interesting facts that Joe wishes he knew, like how to break security locks and make C4 explosives. Joe, after discovering how boring his life is asks,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Deliver me Tyler from being perfect and complete†,  In my opinion Tyler starts as an angelic, saviour figure and turns into an evil alter ego once Joe finds out the truth. The key â€Å"Fight Club† theme of masculinity is explored by examining the notions of, conformity and Anarchy. The theme of conformity and non-conformity is examined by the contrast between Joe’s boss and Tyler. Joe’s boss who wears a different tie for each day of the week plays the stereotypical male role. He contrasts directly with Tyler who squats in a house in the warehouse district, urinates in tomato soup at a hotel and splices single frames of pornography into family movies. He is the ultimate non-conformist. This is the exact opposite of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mister Boss with his midlife spread and family photo on his desk and his dreams about early retirement and winters spent at a trailer-park hookup in some Arizona desert.† I believe this represents the American Dream and conformity contrasted against Tyler’s vision of anarchy and chaos in a non-conformist nightmare. The language choice in this seems dismissive of the boss’ dream. â€Å"Some† suggests that the dream is irrelevant. The boss also represents Joe’s idea of his father. Joe believes that  Ã¢â‚¬Å"If you’re male, and you’re Christian and living in America, your father is your model for god. And sometimes you find your father in your career.†

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 22

Research - Essay Example A facts and circumstances test aimed at establishing whether a worker is subject to the control of the recipient of the service is the most appropriate test used to distinguish between an employee and an independent a contractor. This control is not only based on the nature of work, but also the circumstances the service is undertaken. Although this distinction is sometimes set out by statute the most effective method of testing control is using the 20 factor test developed by the IRS. The level and significance of each factor in the test differs depending on the job and the context in which the services are rendered. The 20 factor test takes into consideration factors which include training provided, work instructions, delegation of responsibility, nature of relationship, mode of payment, working time and the termination of the relationship. The underlying principle of the 20 factors covered by the test is the determination of the level of control. Where control is established throu gh the use of these factors, then the relationship is an employer/employee relationship and lack of control signifies an independent contractor relationship (Wears, and Sandra 164). A civil servant, for instance, is required by the employer to adhere to instructions regarding where, when and how the work is to be done. The training, especially job related training, is provided by the employer and the service provided by the civil servant is integrated into the employers operations. A civil servant is also required to render his services personally and where assistants are employed these are controlled by the employer and not the civil servant. The worker also enjoys a continued relationship with the employer and the employer sets out the times the worker is required to work. Civil servants are also required to be full time employees who work from the employer’s premises and follow an order of work provided by the employer. Civil servants are often paid on a

Literature course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature course - Essay Example Why are we joking about this? It is taking away from everything we are striving for. Why is it that the media, especially television, still picture women as cooks, cleaners, housekeepers and filling gender-specific roles. This disturbs me no end. I thought all along that we were trying to be a more open-minded society where women are known to be strong, able to occupy powerful positions and at times be even superior to men. (example of irony) We must never underestimate women. Remember Joan of Arc and how she led the French army in the war against the English and winning? Wasn’t it a woman- Cleopatra and not a pharaoh who ruled Egypt successfully for a time until the snake was her undoing? And today, we have women invading areas of human endeavor where men heretofore held sway. Most modern families have mothers who are both housekeepers and breadwinners at the same time. We now have women astronauts, company CEO’s, doctors, professors, etc. In American politics, Nancy Pelosi heads the House of Representatives, Condoleeza Rice is the U.S, roving ambassador and doing a wonderful job of mediating with the leaders of countries all over the world. And Hillary Clinton is running for the Presidency. Is America breeding a race of super-women? In the field of entertainment, both screen and stage, American actresses take the lead. In Religion, there are more nuns than priests; however, we still have to see the fairer sex wearing the Fisherman’s ring. (This is a metaphor wherein there is reference to St. Peter, the first Pope, the first one to wear the Fisherman’s ring.) There are still things which women can do better than the men and other things which only women can do and no man can. God meant for women to conceive, carry babies in their wombs and give birth. Then they create a loving and nurturing environment for the children and teach them proper

Amre Inc Case (Ethics Case) - Principles of Auditing Essay - 1

Amre Inc Case (Ethics Case) - Principles of Auditing - Essay Example r her performance, based on credentials like average sales in dollars for every appointment the salesperson had with a customer and the number of schedules with clients. In the long run, this AMRE was involved in an accounting fraud and the top officials we also unethical in performing their duties. This is a critically analysed and summarised below. Following AMRE’s spectacular financial performance, especially in 1987, financial analysts tracking the companies were given, by the AMRE’s top officers, huge estimations of expected revenue and profit projections that would be achieved throughout the fiscal year. However, these projections, for the first quarter of the fiscal year, were not met and as a result, Robert Levin, an executive stakeholder instructed Dennie Brown, a chief accounting officer to inflate the net income for the first quarter of the fiscal year. Robert Levin in turn instructed the data processing vice president, Walter to alter the computerized records that stored records of sales. This was repeated for the second fiscal year and final culmination on the third and fourth year correspondingly (Hoffman, 2006). It can be clearly seen that firm violated the GAAP time period assumption accounting principle. According to this principal (Ken, 2006), the financial position of a given firm can be reported over a give short but defined interval period of time. It continues to advocate that, in case there is such an assessment, there should be a clear record of cash flow. This was not the case with AMRE’s auditing. In each of the quarter of the fiscal year, they would manipulated the financial records and no report of cash flow was seen (John, 2006). Secondly, they violated the full disclosure principle. The principle demands that any vital information that affects investor, stakeholders using financial statements, the information should be correctly relayed. The firm fulfilled a part of the principle of relaying the information however, it was not

Taking municipal vehicles home Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Taking municipal vehicles home - Research Paper Example According to Plaisance, it was recommended that city employees should be paying a weekly fee in order to enjoy the privilege of driving home in a municipal vehicle (Plaisance par. 5). The strict measure was proposed in order to discourage the habit since there was huge wastage of public resources. Taking municipality vehicle’s home is a major concern since it acts as an indirect fining to city residents. Municipality officials drive home on their official work cars, thus, consuming much fuel that translates into millions of dollars. Consequently, there is huge wastage of public funds since driving home is a personal issue that is of no benefit to the citizens who are heavily taxed (McDonald, par. 2). Moreover, workers should be given a framework of guidelines that ensures that such loopholes of public funds wastage are mended. Various theories, as well as views, depict people view the issue. There are those that view the issue as a normal one whereas others deem it as a critical concern. City officials deem it as a practice that encourages excessive use of the limited municipality resources. Therefore, employees who do not work on â€Å"regular and current† basis should not be allowed to take vehicles home. Many cities have enacted laws that regulate the number of take-home vehicles. The policy of take-home vehicles puts a city’s constrained resources under financial pressure. Therefore, proper policy measures that control the situation need to be put in place. Nonetheless, there are various legal requirements that limit the level of taking the municipal vehicles’ home. Municipal employees who are not in a â€Å"call around the clock† duty cannot use vehicles same to those who work intermittently. However, there are other groups of workers who have remained proof of these legal steps. These groups entail workers who can be called required to be during any moment. Otherwise, the law constrains municipal workers from using such city vehicles except when

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Auditing - Essay Example The employee had been steeling for years and covering her tracks by dividing the amount into very small amounts in the various accounts. Risks are more prevalent at the end of the year when there is a incase of an unusual transactions, when the companies performance is declining for no apparent reason, frequent change in business councillors and auditors, where there is a complex corporate structure and inadequate balancing of financial accounts. Audit risks include inherent risks, control risks and analytical procedure risks. Inherent risk is associated with auditor's assessment of material misstatement, it is associated with wrong information given on financial status of the various accounts. Accounts with low inherent risks include fixed assets accounts which are easy to observe and securities traded in the stock market whose price level is easily observed. Control risks are the risk that which misstatement is not easily observed and cannot be prevented or detected. The internal control system cannot detect these frauds. The assessment of control risks detects the effectiveness of the internal control to prevent and detect such misstatement. Analytical procedure risks is the risk associated with the auditor, it is a measure of the willingness of an auditor to accept the misstatement of financial statements. This risk will cause unqualified opinions on the current status of a company. The auditor can lower these risks by making sure that financial statements are not materially misstated. Both the inherent and the control risks are referred to as the risk of material misstatement. (http://www.aicpa.org/pubs/jofa/sep2000/prac_aud.htm) The analysis of Railway PLC Financial statements. According to the audited financial statements of Railway PLC the risks can be analyzed as follows: The profit and loss account for Railway PLC has two parts, the Railway and the River financial statements. This combination is not appropriate and the two sectors should be analyzed separately. In my previous discussion on the possible of the occurrence of frauds and errors, when an organization has a complex corporate structure then the risks of fraud are high. Therefore the two should be analyzed separately to reduce the occurrence of frauds and to determine their individual contribution to profits. The direct costs, depreciation and other expenses in the profit and loss account should be split into individual expenses so as to enable proper auditing in detection of any frauds. These accounts individual accounts should also be audited. Direct costs should contain fuel expenses and other accounts associated with cost of providing services. Depreciation should also be analyzed according to individual assets and this accounts forwarded for auditing. Another risk factor is the indication of revenues and expenses in thousand pounds. Each single cent should be accounted for and this is evident in the above case where an employee committed frauds through the division of a large sum of money

The Goal Behind the Integration of European Criminal Systems Essay - 1

The Goal Behind the Integration of European Criminal Systems - Essay Example As the study outlines relatively unrestricted movement of people has in turn resulted in rising instances of cross-border crime. This is apparently the second most important goal in integration. Another major area of concern is terrorism. Even though such acts can be classified under crime, Klip has specifically stated this aspect as one of the goals that need a unified criminal law. The inflow of foreign nationals and subsequent European citizenship has resulted in a relatively undisturbed movement between member states for them. Those people intent on committing crime have the option to travel freely to another member state. If apprehended, the question as to which country’s law takes precedence will be an issue. This is especially true if the culprit is apprehended in their own host country for a crime committed in another member state. This study highlights that to a layperson, there is no apparent difference between the two terms. But in legal parlance, these two terms are different in their evolution and practice. It should be noted that both civil and common law systems are based on justice, but have some fundamental differences. One of the primary differences in the country or region of origin of both these systems. Civil law is said to have originated in Rome while common law is based on English court judgments. Civil is based on codified or specific parameters that govern judicial decisions. In other words, countries that follow civil law depend mostly on these codified predefined laws to enforce judgments. Civil laws have their basis in the constitution and the laws passed by the parliaments of a nation-state. Common law, on the other hand, is a system where judicial precedence is given importance.

Please see the order instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Please see the order instruction - Essay Example Both China and Russia changed themselves from centrally planned economies to market-directed and China’s reforms started in the late 1970s whereas Russia saw such reforms only during the early 1990s. The pace and situation of the reforms were different in both the countries. Russia’s reforms were brought into effect comparatively at full tilt after the end of Communism. In China, market-oriented reforms took form gradually and were controlled by Communist government. Political constraints play a critical role in the development of economic reforms. For Chinese leaders, the reform strategies were a medium through which they could make changes and adjustments to their own political interests. However, if the interests are not protected, the parties would disagree with such reforms. According to political scientist Susan Shirk, political constraints lead to a compromise in decision making process among political parties. In order to solve the political constraint problem, China had started modest reform strategies in some areas and sectors where investment opportunities were huge and estimated profit from the pre-reform system was small. Soft budget constraint was introduced by Kornai. It is a main source of inefficiency. These inefficiencies, in order, tend to lead to inefficient resource allocation, over investment, shortages and macro economic imbalances. The SBC exists and creates problems in other financial systems. Kornai states that there are two kinds of explanations of SBC. They are exogenous and endogenous. â€Å"Explanations of the first type attribute the existence of the SBC to various exogenous reasons, including the paternalism of a socialist state and the governments aims for job creation or for gaining political support† (Lin & Tan 1999). The second type of explanation views the SBC as an endogenous phenomenon, which is

The Importance of Creating a Learning Environment in which Diversity Essay

The Importance of Creating a Learning Environment in which Diversity is Respected - Essay Example In order to ensure respect for diversity in learning, teachers must focus and be interested in all students equally. They should employ flexibility in the teaching process for consideration of all students. Additionally, to avoid biased learning outcomes, instructors must utilize curriculum and other resources in which there is a representation of both male and female genders (Standard 52). When there is respect of diversity in the learning environment, a student will be informed and have a better understanding of the dynamics in life, careers, and relationships in the modern world. Students who are exposed to a learning environment where there is respect for diversity are more likely to become good citizens and leaders in the new emerging global community. Therefore, the student develops both academically and socially. Additionally, such an environment boosts the confidence levels of students, raises their expectations about the future, and makes them discover their potential and talents. Similarly, this raises the educational outcomes of students and presents them with an enriched learning experience. Students therefore become productive and culturally literate citizens of their country and the

Blue Brain Essay Example for Free

Blue Brain Essay Today scientists are in research to create an arti? cial brain that can think,respond, take decision, and keep anything in memory. The main aim is to uploadhuman brain into machine. So that man can think, take decision without any effort. After the death of the body, the virtual brain will act as the man. So, even after thedeath of a person we will not loose the knowledge, intelligence, personalities, feelingsand memories of that man, that can be used for the development of the human society. Technology is growing faster than every thing. IBM is now in research to create avirtual brain, called â€Å"Blue brain†. If possible, this would be the ? rst virtual brainof the world. IBM, in partnership with scientists at Switzerland’s Ecole Polytech-nique Federale de Lausanne’s (EPFL) Brain and Mind Institute will begin simulatingthe brain’s biological systems and output the data as a working 3-dimensional modelthat will recreate the high-speed electro-chemical interactions that take place withinthe brain’s interior. These include cognitive functions such as language, learning,perception and memory in addition to brain malfunction such as psychiatric disorderslike depression and autism. From there, the modeling will expand to other regions of the brain and, if successful, shed light on the relationships between genetic, molecularand cognitive functions of the brain. The human brain has 100 billion neurons, nerve cells that enable us to adapt quickly to an immense array of stimuli. We use them to understand and respond to bright sunlight, a honking horn, the smell of chicken frying and anything else our sensors detect. To better understand some of those responses, researchers in Lausanne, Switzerland, recently launched an ambitious project called Blue Brain, which uses IBMs eServer Blue Gene, a supercomputer capable of processing 22. 8 trillion floating point operations per second (TFLOPS). Blue Brain is modeling the behavior of 10,000 highly complex neurons in rats neocortical columns (NCC), which are very similar to the NCCs in a human brain. The NCCs run throughout the brains gray matter and perform advanced computing. They are 0. 5mm in diameter and 2mm to 5mm in height and are arranged like the cells of a honeycomb. The first objective of Blue Brain is to build an accurate software replica, or template, of an NCC within two to three years, says Henry Markram, the principal researcher on Blue Brain and a professor at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL). That first template will be modified for NCCs found in different brain regions and species, and then all the NCCs will be replicated to build a model of the neocortices of different species, he says. Such models will shed light on how memories are stored and retrieved, Markram says. This could reveal many exciting aspects of the [brain] circuits, such as the form of memories, memory capacity and how memories are lost. The modeling can help find vulnerabilities in the neocortex, which is useful because thats where brain disorders often originate. We may also be able to work out the best way to compensate and repair circuit errors, Markram says. The model could be used to develop and test treatment strategies for neurological and psychiatric diseases, such as autism, schizophrenia and depression, he adds. Having an accurate computer-based model of the brain would mean that some major brain experiments could be done in silicon rather than in a wet lab. A simulation that might take seconds on the supercomputer could replace a full days worth of lab research, Markram estimates. Ultimately, simulated results of brain activity could be matched with recorded brain activity in a person with a disease in order to reverse-engineer the circuit changes in diseases, he says. The real value of a simulation is that researchers can have access to data for every single neuron, adds IBMs Charles Peck, head of the Blue Brain project for IBM Research.

What Cause These Soldiers To Suicide Philosophy Essay

What Cause These Soldiers To Suicide Philosophy Essay Suicide is now the leading cause of death among military. Suicide occurs when a person chooses to end their life as he or she view suicide as the only way out of the problem. The causes of suicide are different and unique for each person. The stressor caused by war is one of the reasons these soldiers to choose to suicide. Some of them could not cope with what they had been through during the war. Kelly (2004) discussed about a former Army sergeant, Matt La Branche, who shared the memories when he was in Iraq War. He constantly struggles with the image of the Iraqi woman who died in his arms after he had shot her (Kelly, 2004). According to Buncombe Duff (2006), When you go to bed at night you wonder will you be sent home in a flag-draped coffin because a mortar round went off on your sleeping area. another army also shared his experience after the war. These examples showered how the soldier experienced severe anxiety, suffered from a serious depression, and become dependent on alcohol. They keep toughing themselves with negative thought and cannot stand the memories that they are murdered, seeing children killed, families wipe out and even the loss of comrades. Killing and brutality of the war have led to many sold iers feel shame, embarrassment, and guilt. The untreated depression, frequent deployments, financial stress, substance abuse, borderline personality disorder, often brutal choices and the family separation have been linked to suicide rate among soldiers. Some soldiers appear to be at particularly high risk for suicide after break up of a relationship. Some of the soldier sees depression as a sign of weakness and it might bring an end to their career. Thus, most of them will choose to deny the existence of their depression. However, as one constantly choose not to acknowledgement that one is suffering from depression, things will become worst and possibly ended with a mental break down. From the studies, Michael and Ian were highly valued, integrity, well-educated officers with families and with bright future chooses to commit suicide. Michael had been depressed for roughly 7 years and the final years of his life. He sought help, but took it frivolously and did not take it seriously. In addition, the commander did not order him to seek help as it did not sound like an army issue to him. He sees depression as a sign of weakness and he was afraid it will ruin his career. The stress came from the family especially when his oldest son was diagnosed with leukemia and possibly a relationship break down as well. In his last email, he noted that he regretted his failure as a husband, as a father. We can see the stress of being a husband and father; he felt that he was useless and could not do the best for his family. As a man like him, he could not stand the stigma somehow and did not acknowledge about his depression. However, as a commander, he needs to understand the situation objectively and should not be saying those irresponsible words à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦this doesnt sound like an Army issue to me (Thompson Gibbs, 2012). It does not mean someone who is doing well at work would not be affected by depression. The problem can come in many other ways that are not visible. Ian Morrison, on the other hand, struggled with his anger, anxiety, restless, and sleeplessness. He had the perseverance to figure out how to stop his anxiety and sought for help. He sought help from the army and military 6 times and three days before he died. Sadly, he was always told to be on hold, and the responses give to him was you come to the wrong place, or stay on the line, we cant help you right now. Although he managed to reach the doctor, it was upsetting because the doctor had not treated his anxiety and only gave him sleeping pills in order for him to improve on his sleeping habits. He also tried to enrol in an Army sleep study but was told that he could not join it. In my own perception, the incident of him almost hit by a rocket in one mission and the reassignment is the cause his anxiety and sleeplessness. Ian tried his very best to seek help from the professionals but no one could help him to look into the issues.(Thompson Gibbs, 2012). This is an issue for us to reflect on. There is no response from mental health professionals as they work is overloaded or there is a shortage of staff. The phone lines are always busy as there are too many people calling in seeking for help. I hope the military will really take actions to help other soldiers, and concern about those who need help. QUESTION 2 What is PTSD and how PTSD affects these soldiers? PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder. According to Longe Wells (2007) and Farlex, Inc. (2012), Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating psychological condition triggered by a major traumatic event, such as rape, war, a terrorist act, death of loved one, a natural disaster, or a catastrophic accident. It is marked by exposure to stressor, unhappy memories of the unpleasant experience, increased arousal, avoidance, numbing and severe personality changes. People with PTSD sometimes have frozen eye movement such as shell-shocked soldiers. Thus, moving the eyes might accelerate the integration of traumatic memory with adaptive cognitions that are stored elsewhere in the brain. It is possible that the gentle processing biochemically alters the brain so that it becomes desensitized. (Schiraldi,2009). Most of the symptoms are resemble to traumatic brain injury. The common symptoms of PTSD are hyper alertness, feeling of isolation, guilt, nightmares, depression, fear and anxiety, increased substance abuse, flashbacks, gastrointestinal complaints, negative world view and others. According to Fredericks (2010) and WebMD (2012), People with PTSD have symptoms for longer than one month. For a person with PTSD, these feelings continue and even increase, becoming so strong that they keep themselves from living a normal life. The statistics show that PTSD increased dramatically among soldiers from World War II, War in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. According to Hazelden Foundation (2011), PTSD often leaves ones feeling out of control, vulnerable, and as if one is in constant danger. These feelings are persistent, strong, and do not disappear over time on their own. Fredericks (2010) notes that soldiers who struggled with the PTSD can significantly disrupt their daily routine, work and relationship. PTSD will affect their performance of work such as absenteeism, fatigue, poor concentration, restless and so on. Communication will also be affected by anger, aggressive, detachment, avoiding people and others. According to Fredericks (2010), people with PTSD will always be restless, unable to sleep, and always have the feeling of anxiety. PTSD also affects these soldiers perceived extent of threat, upset, fear, panic, terror which are uncontrollable. It may turn a person from an amazing father to a person who is always hard to family members. The number of people suffering from PTSD among the military and veterans are alarming and needs to be solved. QUESTION 4 The statement it was not the war that turned out to be hard, it was the peace. Interpret the meaning of the statement? In one study, The War on Suicide (Thompson Gibbs, 2012), It was not the war that turned out to be hard, it was the peace. This statement clearly expresses a feeling from a soldier who was returning home from a military life. The daily routine for an army is to get up at the exact time, to eat, and to work out. Everyone is obliged to strict rules and schedules. Some experienced troubles while trying to cope with the normal routine and social skill when they returned home. A lot of the soldiers are always alert for their personal safety. Some are easily frighten with a deafeningly loud bang and easily get panicked and could not walk down the street without worrying. Sleep may be scarce, and theres no real down time. This is a result of an improvised explosive or artillery going off in a combat zone. Some soldiers look normal when they returned home alive. It is very hard for them to readjust after the torment that they had been through the war or mission. It is because, some soldiers returned with missing parts of their bodies, permanent scars, torment loss of comrades and confront with killing and death daily. Some of them come home for nothing; families have abandoned them (e.g. divorced, parents death and so on) or losing their jobs. Buncombe Duff, (2006) describe a life from a former army reservist, Douglas Barber, he said We come home from war trying to put our lives back together but some cannot stand the memories and decide that death is better. We kill ourselves because we are so haunted by seeing children killed and whole families wiped out. The path they had gone through was unthinkable for anyone to imagine. Most of them do not know how to cope with returning to a society from a military. QUESTION 5 The comment made by General Dana Pittard was indeed arrogant and ignorant but I believe it is the truth. What is your opinion? It is okay if you think differently than me. According to Thompson Gibbs (2012), the comments made by General Dana Pittard complaining that he was personally fed up with absolutely selfish troops who kill themselves, leaving him and others to clean up their mess. Be an adult, act like an adult, and deal with your real-life problems. To a certain extent, I believed that it is correct. Everyone goes through pain and pleasures in their life. I strongly believed that there is an unknown story behind every hardship. Each experience and pain will change ones perspective about life, especially regarding matters related to surviving. Those who could not control their state of mind after being often suffers from depression, anxiety and low self-esteem as they could no longer cope with the daily routine of a normal life. It is always a saddening moment to see people ending their precious life. I believed everyone knows the phrase of life is precious. However, we tend to forget the existence and meaning of this phrase when adversities strike and often could not view the matter from a more optimistic perspective. In the end, the fragile life was simply put to an end when one could not handle the amount of pressure and stress, leaving their loving parents, caring friends and relatives to mourn for their death. Everyone has a responsibility to their own life. There are always solutions to any problems, and one shall not give up as help will always be given. However, we could not always fully understand the reasons why certain people choose to end their life as we did not went through nor experience their journey of life. There might be other contributing factors that lead to this decision. We could not judge from the surface and view the matter one-sidedly as it involves complicated issues and sometimes beyond ones control. Are they anyone who is willing the help when they are depressed? Are there any close friends, relatives or families who notice the changes in their emotions and feelings? Are there any listeners or counselors present when they need to express their feelings or seek advice? These are some of the questions we should acknowledge before drawing the conclusion. In my personal opinion, a comment made by General Dana Pittard was utterly disrespectful towards the troops. These soldiers were not selfish; it was just that they could not find the right person to help them when they needed one. There seems to be no light at the end of their tunnel, whether the light could come from someone, or through self-reflection. However, I do not agree that these soldiers should end their life when they could not find any help. What matters now is to focus on those who are desperately in need of help. We should not give up hope on these soldiers and should always care for them, especially those who are near and close to us. Tragedies like this should be prevented in the future to avoid innocent soldiers from ending their precious life. Respect and honor shall be given to these soldiers as they sacrifice their lives for the safety of the nation. I believed that through consistent support and motivation, these soldiers would not feel alone anymore as there wil l always be someone who is willing to help them during their darkest days.

Qualified Employees In Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay

Qualified Employees In Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay The need of qualified employees in hospitality industry, their commitment to service quality and to what extent it impacts customer satisfaction is not any more a matter of question; it is an important issue that concerns not only hospitality management education in Bulgaria but it is recognized all over the world. The industry suffers from high turnover (Mehra, 2006) which directly reflects to the product and service quality offered (Pizam and Thornburg, 2000) and respectively to low revenues and profits (Tracey and Hinkin, 2008).Furthermore, problems occur in graduates perception of future career in hospitality industry due to disappointment of the work experience they gain during their mandatory practices in this industry which decrease their willingness for further professional development in this field (Waryszak, 1999; Jenkins, 2001).The gabs in hospitality management education system is an important issue of serious concern and represents a huge interest among researchers and a cademics. According Mr. Ilian Ilchev a manager of Vocational Training Center (VTC) Bourgas who is responsible of the training of cadres in hospitality industry, Bulgarian tourism sector faces serious problems finding qualified employees in this field. Most of the students in Bulgarian universities and colleges offer low quality of education. There is no interaction between the practice in tourism sector and the higher education offered in Bulgarian schools. Moreover, after graduation students are not attracted from the low payment in this sector, and the inability to start career on managerial level is from great disappointment for them. As far as the education of hospitality management is concerned, there is a need to classify the supply side of the Bulgarian education. The institutions that provide tertiary education in Bulgaria are separated into two types: universities with duration of study from four to six year, depending on the object of study which offer bachelor and master degree, and colleges with duration of study three years offering professional bachelor degree. There is existence of Private Professional Colleges (PPC) with duration of study two years offering certificate for professional qualification which are 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree (National Statistic Institute) and so called Vocational Training Centers (VTC) which are working at the same principle as PPC and offer the same levels of professional qualification. The difference between them is that PPC give opportunity for the student to continue their education for professional bachelor/bachelor degree in its partner Bulgarian university or colle ge but VTC on the other hand is considered to be not only for students but for everyone that wants to acquire craft knowledge in particular field. There is small percentage of private colleges which are part from any statistic that offer courses based on educational programmes similar to foreign colleges that suits the students needs in particular industry. The period of study in these colleges is from two to three years and after completing the course, student can continue their education in university abroad. Most of the courses are franchised and validated by the foreign college or university and the majority of them are based in Nederland, Great Britain, Norway etc. However, the degree awarded by their Bulgarian college or university partner is not acknowledged by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education. Here comes the question how effective is the education offered from these institutions connected with hospitality industry and how many of them produce qualified employees and leade rs that could suits the needs of this industry? According to Jenner, 1992 and Sneed Heiman, 1995 the concern for a good quality of education in tourism sector should be equally high for both government and hospitality and tourism industry. Bulgarian government does not subsidize the colleges that offer higher education in hospitality management and very few hotels do have clear structured training system. The limitation of Master and doctoral programs in this field in Bulgarian universities with specialization in hospitality is an obstacle for development of further academic resources and researches which could be in favor for the progress of these programs. Furthermore, courses such as Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, Marketing Management, Corporate Finance etc. which are essential for the hospitality education do not exist in Bulgarian State universities. Such courses are recognized in the Bulgarian colleges which are affiliated by foreign universities but from financial p oint of view, not every student can afford it. Unfortunately, such gaps in the hospitality education are not rare phenomena in other countries such as India that faces the same problems (Jauhari V.2006). A serious issue of concern in Bulgaria is connected with the jobs opportunities that the Bulgarian students have after graduation. It is generally known that the aim of the higher education is to prepare qualified cadres which are able to find a realization on the labor market. The quality of education is a leading factor that influences students opportunities of finding the most suitable job placement according to the acquired qualification (Georgieva Y., Kalinov K. 2005).Unfortunately, in Bulgaria it is a well known fact that the students find difficulties to find job in the sphere of their higher education and most of them start working something which is totally different or similar to what they have studied in the university, mostly at minimum wage rates.Moreover,the number of graduates in hospitality industry exceed the number of available managerial positions on the labor market, something that happens in India as well and that leads to : à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦mismatch of supply and demand of certain skills in hospitality industry (Jauhari V.2006). According to Zhang and Wu (2004), China faces the same difficulties in hospitality industry, namely: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦lack of qualified staff at both operational and managerial level, high staff turnover rates, unwillingness of university graduates to enter industry, gap between what is taught in school and college and realities of the industry itself In most cases, it leads to job dissatisfaction, low productivity and respectively to low quality of service. Researchers have found that there is absence of positive and strong interaction between job satisfaction and education (Gordon, 1975; Weaver, 1978). One of the assumptions is that the students with higher education expect their work during the years to be rewarded and when their expectations are not met it easily leads to dissatisfaction of the job position (Wright and Hamilton, 1979).However, a recent statistic shows that the number of people who mostly leave the country are young people between 25-29 years old (NSI). This means that higher educated or not, young people in Bulgaria prefer to work and to look for a better career opportunities abroad instead of develop their skills at home which directly reflects on the different branches of the Bulgarian economy, namely to operate with young and qualified cadres. It is a reasonable explanation why Bulgarian hospitality industr y desperately has a need of qualified employees and managers who can offer good quality of service and ability to compete with other popular hospitality industries such as Turkey, Greece, Malta etc. The good quality of higher education in hospitality management plays crucial role of providing the tourism market with well trained, skilled and educated managers, but on the other side, frontline employees are those who has direct contact with the customers, and the quality of service provided by them is essential for the success of any organization within the hospitality industry (Chang, 2006).Customer service is viewed as customer perception of what he/she had experienced and remembered (Beaujean, Davidson, and Madge, 2006; Bymes,(2005). Most of the time, when a customer leaves a hotel or a restaurant dissatisfied from the received service, it forms immediately a negative perception (Bymes, 2005).Thats why, it is essential and not fully recognized in Bulgarian hospitality industry that the successful organizations are those that perceive customer service as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the starting point and ending point for any effective account relationship in which the key to success is clear thinking about what it feels like to walk in the customers shoes (Bymes, J., 2005). Employees commitment to service quality is also an important factor that contributes for a strong organizational performance. Organizations with high commitment among subordinates could only benefit from it with lower turnover and comparatively higher motivated employees. It is important for every company to know how to motivate its employees and to create better relation between customers and frontline employees. It is considered as a step ahead of creating a sustainable customer service (Cadwallader, S., Jarvis, C, Bitner, M., and Ostrom, A., 2009; Spector and McCarthy, 1996). It is also assumed that committed employees are more likely to provide customers with better quality of service (Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry, 1990).According to Kini and Hobson (2002) the good quality of service entirely depends on: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦employees commitment, satisfaction, involvement, and morale. In hospitality industry in Bulgaria is very difficult to be found such employees. Frontline employees are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦typically underpaid, undertrained, overworked and highly stressed (Hartline and Ferrell, 1993), a statement which apply pretty much to the Bulgarian hospitality employees working environment. It concerns mostly the seasonal workforce in Bulgarian winter and summer resorts where people work almost at minimum wage, in most cases relying on tips or small percentage of their daily profit. Hotel and restaurant employees are occupied ten-twelve hours per day, sometimes even more, depends on how busy is within the organization. Furthermore, a common practice is working without days off which easily contribute for stressful working environment, a topical issue that contributes to low quality of service (Ross F. G 1995).All these factors reflect negatively on employee satisfaction, productivity and loyalty to the organization and respectively to customer satisfaction and pr ofitability. The link between frontline employees satisfaction, loyalty, productivity, customer satisfaction and companys profitability is well depicted in so called Service profit chain (Heskett, Sasser Schlesinger, 1997); illustrated in Figure.1.According to Crowford, A. and Hubbard, S. (2007), in the Service profit chain: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦there is a link between employee satisfaction and the service concept, directly impacting customer satisfaction. This impact affects customer loyalty, which in turn influences revenue growth. Lastly, revenue growth extends back to the beginning influencing the internal service of the organization. Understanding an employees level of satisfaction, commitment, involvement, and self-esteem gives managers and strategists means to create a favorable environment where the links in the service profit chain work to the advantage of the service provider. Employees satisfaction and commitment as a starting point in Service profit chain, impacting the delivery of good quality of service and companys profitability, are major components that absence in many Bulgarian hospitality organizations. The results are higher turnover among frontline employees and managers due to the lack of quality of work life (QWL), a topical issue of great interest among researchers and academics. The delivery of good service highly depends on QWL provided by the hospitality organization, mainly when employees needs and expectations are met, so that they are motivated to work in companys favor (Kanungo, 1982 and Efraty Sirgy, 1990) or in other words through better QWL there is a significant improvement of employees productivity, performance and service quality (Havlovic, 1991).A recent research made to investigate employees expectations of QWL (Kandasamy,I, I. Sreekumar, A., 2009) indicates that during a conversation with the employees from three different h otels, they show willingness to participate, when provided, in companys service training programs which could be a good chance for them to enhance their skills. According to Rousseau (1995), in most cases, employees even expect their company to provide training programs as an opportunity for further career development: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in exchange for the employees time, effort, and skill Tourism industry in Bulgaria supported by the government and orientated in the mainstream of mass tourism, entirely depends on its seasonal workforce. Practices such as service training almost do not exist in Bulgarian winter and summer resorts because of its seasonality, where the percentage of five and four stars hotels grow dramatically in the last couple of years. As Mr.Lubomir Popiordanov, Chair of the Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism (BAAT) pointed out Bulgarian mass tourism is mainly connected with quantity instead of quality and it lacks in added value (Sofia News Agency).Most of the hotel owners are mainly focused finding ways to be fully booked during the whole season instead of improving the quality of service through training programs. It is not yet recognized that through such programs frontline employees could work much more effectively when dealing with customers complaints which on the other side makes feel them satisfied with their job (Babakus et al., 2 003; Schneider Bowen, 1995; Tax Brown, 1998).Some other research papers support the thesis that organizations that invest money in service training programs are more capable to keep its employees within the company, makes them feel happy at the workplace and committed to the firms values(Babakus et al., 2003; Lee, Park, Yoo, 1999; Sweetman,2001; Tsui, Pearce, Porter, Tripoli, 1997). Other approach of keeping frontline employees committed to the organization, providing better quality of service is through companys reward system. George and Gronroos (1989) also suggest that rewarding service employees periodically ensure their commitment to service quality. Similar to the training programs, reward systems and policies are very important for motivating employees when dealing with customers complaints. The fact that companys reward structure contributes for employees satisfaction at the workplace and impacts their organizational commitment is so far supported by many service literature studies (Bowen, Gilliland, Folger, 1999; Brown Peterson, 1993; Farrell Rusbult, 1981; Heskett, Jones, Loveman, Sasser, Schlesinger, 1994; Lawler, 2000).For the Bulgarian hospitality industry a clear structured reward system could be in favor of reducing employees turnover and to encourage more qualified cadres to enter this sector. Most industry researchers agreed that employees commitment to service quality is highly influenced by managers commitment to service quality and the way they demonstrate it (Bowen and Schneider 1985; Hartline and Ferrell 1996; Mohr-Jackson 1993; Babakus et al. 2003). As it was mentioned before the higher education is from significant importance in hospitality industry in order to generate leaders capable to show their subordinates motivation, skills, confidence and flexibility which could positively affect employees behavior towards the delivering of a better quality of service. Managerial coaching is considered as an appropriate tool of providing employees with support mainly connected with their knowledge, skills and performance within the organization. This method embrace approximately the same goals concerning employees further skill development at the workplace as training ,but coaching is presented in more informal way. It represents the ability of the managers to create sustai nable correlation between employees and supervisors so that their everyday activities and experiences are synchronized and able to became an object of learning (Phillips 1994).Coaches is design to demonstrate employees the best way of doing their job when dealing with customers. It gives employees an idea of their opportunities, and how to perform better using new and different approaches.Furthermore, through coaches employees are provided with regular feedback which aims to get the best of its employees and to show them that their work is appreciated. Bulgarian hospitality industry has a lot to learn concerning the education provided, aiming to attract qualified cadres to work in this field and their ability to be committed to service quality. It is so far recognized internationally that qualified employees who are satisfied with their job are more committed to the service quality which directly affect customer satisfaction of the received service attitude. Having in mind that todays world economy is 70 percent service based, more and more academics and people working in this sphere are looking for a way to design companies that are able to provide the best service to its clients (Schneider White, 2004). The importance of improving the quality of service is the main driver for companys successful retention of customers (Gustafsson, A., Johnson, M., Roos, I., 2005).At operational level service employees are those who creates the connection between the customers and the organization and most importantly through them and their perso nal contribution to deliver proper service, managers are aiming to attract and impress customers (Chase, 1981; Heskett et al., 1994; Oliva and Sterman, 2001), and respectively to satisfy them. Thus, managers commitment to service quality has indirect impact on customers satisfaction (Subroto, B. Natalisa, D., 2003).Even that managers also contributes for the delivering of excellent service, frontline employees are from great importance when the target is better productivity performance and gratifying customers needs (Yee,R., Yeung,A., Cheng,T.C,2008). Service quality in the modern hospitality industry is a crucial factor in creating long-term relationship between organizations and customers and to make them feel satisfied (Martin, 1986; Croby et al., 1990; Tornow and Wiley, 1991; Tsa, 1994).Many researchers have argued that there is significant correlation between customer satisfaction and service quality (Roth and Van Der Velde, 1991; Roth and Jackson, 1995).Other studies in service marketing have suggested that customer satisfaction is in emotional reply of a particular experience connected with provided service( Westbrook and Reilly (1983).According to Yoon and Suh (2003), the excellent service highly depends on employees because when they are satisfied with their job and motivated, it is more likely to deliver better services and to give more from themselves. Other research papers prove that loyalty among employees contributes for higher levels of service delivering (Loveman, 1998; Silvestro and Cross, 2000).Employees which ar e able to provide service quality are considered much more capable to solve problems easily and in proper manner which positively affects customers perception of the provided service. Bulgarian hospitality industry needs serious improvements connected with the service attitude toward customers and radical changes in employees working environment, in order to work in full capacity. Successful tourism or hospitality business could not operate without satisfied guests and subordinates (Gursoy and Swanger, 2007). As pointed out in The Service Profit Chain: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦providing employees with a superior internal working environment is likely to lead to satisfied employees who are both loyal to the organization and able to provide the customer with an excellent service experience. Customers will recognize and value the outstanding service offered to them. (Heskett et al., 1994, 1997). However, several studies indicate that employees satisfaction plays crucial role in achieving companys financial aims (Koys, 2003), which means that when a company make an affords to take care for its employees, they will do the same in return for companys customers. This care could be express through better payment, reward practiced, training and managerial coaching and not at the end, through companys ability to make feel its employees secure (Gursoy and Swanger, 2007; Koys, 2003; Schneider, 1991). Customers loyalty and satisfaction are supposed to be contributory factor for customer profitability. The relationship between customer satisfaction and profitability is considered as fundamental marketing concept which means that the companys goal is to pursue customers needs, wants and wishes (Helgesen.O, 2006).When all this consumers factors are met, customers are satisfied from what they receive, the company is pleased having a long-term financial returns on business. Customers who are highly satisfied are considered to use one and the same products and services more frequently and respectively to stay loyal to the company that provides them (Anderson et al., 1994; Gronholdt et al., 2000).Customers loyalty is an important factor in hospitality industry that contributes for consumer reuse of a certain product or service which positively increase companys profitability. Moreover, satisfied customers are much less price sensitive and they are willing to pay even at high price (Ander son et al., 1994) which directly affects companys economic performance. Satisfaction among customers reflects in positive way on organizations overall reputation which on the other side could be a premise of creating strong relationship with important distributors and suppliers. From what was mentioned so far it becomes obvious that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦customer satisfaction generates more future sales, reduces price elasticity, and increases the reputation of the firm. (Yee, R., Yeung, A., Cheng, T.C, 2008). All of the mentioned sources and publications speak of the aspects that Bulgarian hospitality needs to focus in order to function successfully, to develop and to be competitive on the market.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Essay -- Ebenezer Scrooge

A pill bug is an insect that forms a hard shell around its soft flesh whenever startled or scared. Just like this pill bug, humans guard themselves from anything that hurts them without realizing that they are shutting out the most precious moments of their lives. Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, is a cold man. He finds what he defines as true happiness in the form of money and wealth. At first he only seems to be a machine living in a human form, but as Scrooge's true journey and hardships are revealed, it becomes difficult to blame only Scrooge for his independence. It is inevitable that Scrooge's rudeness and impudent ferocity towards people led to the mistreatment of his dead body, but Scrooge's walls were not built for nothing. As the story progresses, and his true story from start to finish is revealed. There is no one person to blame, for it was the wrong of everyone. As Blaise Pascal once said, â€Å"All of humanity's problems ste m from a man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.† At first glance, Ebenezer Scrooge is a strange man. In his old age, he lives alone in a manor that was once owned by his deceased business partner, the only person he ever interacted with. His thoughts are always cruel and thoughtless as it is displayed when Scrooge says, â€Å" 'If they would rather die,' said Scrooge, 'they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population' †(10). At the story's start, Scrooge is an antisocial person who avoids interactions with people claiming that they are useless. He is viewed by others as a demeaning figure who is to be shunned because of his uninviting manner. People who were content with their lives were surrounded by their peers and neighbors and never encour... ...p to humanity. He once dared to venture to the depths of darkness, where all hope of ever returning would be lost, but he was saved by the the Spirits who helped him realize that he was terrorizing himself. In the end, Scrooge lived with a bigger smile, louder laugh, and jollier step than anybody else; it was a happy ending. Had Scrooge not changed, it would have ended on a dark note with many forgotten deaths and unfortunate stories of dead bodies. Everyone has a choice. Which path of Scrooge will you take? There is no way to limit what society gives us and what problems we are presented in the beginning, but they way we handle and solve these problems become the basis of our everyday lives all the way to our last breath. Every moment in between will cherished as if the last and no person will ever go unfullfilled. Works Cited A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

America Must Provide Foreign Aid to Poor Countries Essay examples --

America Must Provide Aid to Poor Countries         Ã‚  Ã‚  Eliam Diamond lives on the shores of Lake Malawi.   Diamond is a weaver, making mats out of dried palm leaves.   A six-foot sleeping mat takes him four days to make and sells for as little as four cents, not enough to buy what little food there is in Malawi.   So he relies on handouts.   A few days ago, Diamond picked up his monthly ration of donated U.S. corn from the World Food Programme (WFP) at the Ngodzi distribution center near his village, carrying home the 110-pound bags tied to his bicycle (Harman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Malawi is one of six southern African countries - along with Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Swaziland - in which 14.5 million people face severe food shortages.   The spread of famine on the entire African continent now threatens well over 30 million people and is overwhelming the capacity of relief agencies to address the problem.   Floods last year followed by poor rains across the region caused two successive years of poor harvests.   Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Jacques Diouf expresses the tragedy that this situation could be reversible: "Wed on not have the excuse that we cannot grow enough or that we do not know enough about how to eliminate hunger."   He notes that a public investment of $24 billion a year - less than ten percents of what developed economies spend on agricultural subsides per year - would be sufficient to "jump start" a campaign against hunger (Caso n).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The increasing rates of poverty in Africa, south Asia, and Eastern Europe, and the fact that we could indeed give more to the poor "without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral significance... ... as Southern Africa seeks food."   Christian Science Monitor.   13 Nov. 2002: 12-13.   <http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1113/p12s01-woaf.html> * "Income Distribution and Poverty."   <http://www.finance.gov.pk/survey/pover.pdf> * "The effects of poverty on early childhood."   UNICEF's State of the World's Children Report. http://www.unicef.org/sowc01/short_version/poverty.htm * "The Singer Solution to World Poverty."   5 Sept. 1999.   The New York Times.   <http://www.fordham.edu/economics/combs/savechild.pdf>   * Singer, Peter.   Practical Ethics: Second Edition.   New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. * World Bank.   World Development Report 2002. <http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/wdrpoverty/report/overview.pdf> * "World Aid Trends: never richer, never meaner."   <http://www.devinit.org/ktrends.pdf>   

Legal Process

Discrimination is rampant.   In the workplace, employment discrimination can take various forms.   According to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2004.), â€Å"it is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment†.   Employment discrimination can be based on sex, race, color, religion, disability or sexual orientation.   â€Å"federal and state employment discrimination laws prohibit employers from engaging in unfair employment practices† (Justia.com, n.d.). Most of the employment discrimination cases are handled first by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before a case may be filed in court. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (n.d.), the Equal Employment Opportunity or EEO complaint process â€Å"is a legal process designed to resolve allegations of employment discrimination and retaliation†. The legal process sis composed of three parts.   First is the â€Å"pre complaint counseling process.   Second, the â€Å"formal complaint process.   Lastly, â€Å"the appeal process†Ã‚   (U.S.   Office of Personnel Management, n.d.). At the counseling process, John will be referred to an officer so that he may be apprised of his rights and the remedies made available for him under the various equal employment opportunity laws.   This is where John can be advised of the best course of action to take and the corresponding costs and benefits of the relief.   The formal complaint process shall commence after John filed a charge and the investigation proper.   At this stage, the complainant, John, and the respondent, and his employer, are already entitled to the right to appeal.   Should they feel that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission erred in its resolution or investigation, they may file an appeal according to the provisions of law. If a person feels that his employment rights as regards equal employment opportunity have been violated, he can start the legal battle by filing a discrimination complaint at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.   However, it should be noted that another person may also file a complaint in behalf of another person who has been discriminated against (The U.S.   Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2007. In John’s case, he can start his complaint by filling out an â€Å"intake questionnaire† which shall be submitted to the nearest Equal Employment Opportunity Commission office either personally or by mail.   According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2007), â€Å"an intake questionnaire or other correspondence can constitute a charge under the statutes if it contains all the information required by EEOC regulations governing the contents of a charge and constitutes a clear request for the agency to act†. In order to complete the charge, relevant information should be provided including the names, addresses and contact numbers of the complainant and the respondent employer.   A short description of the acts complained of or of the acts constituting the violation.   After which, John should see the Federal Sector Equal Employment Opportunity Complaint Processing (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2007). After the complaint has been filed, the Commission will inform the respondent of the nature of the complaint.   Then, the Commission will act on the complaint either by referring it to a priority investigation if it appears that there is a convincing proof that a violation indeed happened; or request for a follow up investigation should the complaint need additional evidence.   However, settlement efforts can be resorted to at any stage of the investigation. In this case, should John’s employer be willing to negotiation or submit into alternative disputer resolution like mediation.   However, should these efforts prove unsuccessful, the investigation shall continue.  Ã‚  Ã‚   After investigation, the EEOC will issue recommendation and judgment as to the charges.   After which, should the EEOC decide in favor of John, a â€Å"right to sue† can be issued in his favor so that eh can file a formal complaint in the courts of law. The suit should be filed within 90 days following the issuance of the â€Å"right to sue† (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2003).   Pursuant to Title 28, U.S. Code, Section 1914, John is required to pay a filing fee, which can be given back to him should judgment be rendered in his favor together with all other costs of litigation.   John should know that under the law, he is entitled to a number of remedies. He shall be entitled to back wages, reinstatement, hiring, promotion or reasonable accommodation; including the payment of attorney’s fees and other costs of the suit.   Compensatory damages can also be awarded should intentional discrimination be found (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2003). Once a complaint is filed in court, it shall undergo the usual proceedings in court until a judgment is rendered and the judge in order for the decision to be adhered to, either in favor of John or his employer issues a Writ of Execution. References The Federal Judiciary. (n.d.).   Frequently Asked Questions.   Retrieved January 12, 2008 Justia.com. (n.d.).   Employment Discrimination.   Retrieved January 12, 2008, from http://www.justia.com/employment/employment-discrimination/ The U.S.   Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2003). EEOC’s Charge Processing Procedures.   Retrieved January 12, 2008, from http://www.eeoc.gov/charge/overview_charge_processing.html The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2004).   Discriminatory Practices.   Retrieved January 12, 2008, from http://www.eeoc.gov/abouteeo/overview_practices.html The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2007).   Filing a Charge of Employment Discrimination.   Retrieved January 12, 2008 U.S.   Office of Personnel Management.   (n.d.).   Laws and Executive Orders.   Retrieved January 12, 2008, from http://www.opm.gov/disability/appempl_5-01.asp

Beyond the printed page

Technology is rapidly changing the nature of the global media. For example, Daniel Czitrom, in his book entitled ‘Media and the American Mind: From Morse to McLuhan’, states that one of three major traditions or persuasions in American thought with regard to the impact of modern mass media, views changes in communications technology as the driving force in the historical changes in such media impacts on society. This is the school of thought of the â€Å"radical media† theorists Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, who are said to have highlighted the thesis in different ways in their works (Czitrom 1982, p. xii).Not only is the change with regard to the changes in the impacts of mass media on society, it is also in with regard to ownership of mass media, as both technology and economics are credited with driving a convergence of the different forms of media, and implicitly, a convergence on ownership of the different forms of media (Compaine and Gornery 2000, p. xv i). The online books have major advantages compared with print versions.It benefits greatly from the evolution of technology, with the new emerging technologies endowing online books with the ability to dynamically update, hyperlink, provide efficient searching, real-time interactivity and multimedia. All these instruments help the online books deliver materials to readers more efficiently and more diversely, than its print version. Moreover, the online books attract more non-local readers and many younger readers, while the print version mainly focuses on the local or national market. 2. What devices and technologies exist or will soon exist for reading digital books?There are no several devices being manufactured that will soon make the move from printed to digital books. In fact, the move to replace printed books with electronic versions has the stamp of approval of earnest researchers, experts and scientists such that readers are now able to access thousands of books in one port able, mobile and accessible case. For instance, the Sony Reader is a new electronic book device that makes use of the display technology called the electronic ink. It was developed by the E-link in Massachusetts where the display gives a most natural reading experience for the reader, using no backlight.It uses a form of electronic ink including displays on credit cards that do not break when bent. The food labels are able to change prices throughout the day too. How this is done is by plastic films with transparent microscopic liquid-filled spheres, the size of a hair’s diameters where there floats even smaller black and white particles. The black particles are negatively charged while the white particles are positively charged. These now forms ink patterns of black and white depending on how the electric charge is applied to the film.The Sony Reader need not be turned off and just like a printed book, it can just be set aside and the current page remains on the screen witho ut draining any battery power. Studies have even proven that users report increased readability and a minimal eyestrain compared to other electronic book technology. (Scientists develop E-link to Replace Books and Newspapers). 3. How are publishers adapting to digital books? Apart from the interest from readers, on the business side the idea of moving pictures in a newspaper attracts more attention and brings greater business opportunity.More and more advertisers are interested in using online video advertisements and are shifting some of their advertisements from television to the web. New kinds of video ads are becoming popular pre-rolls and post-rolls, video ads that run before or after the news video clip. Meanwhile, web news forecasts give the opportunity for TV-style commercials. In each three-minute News Journal Newscast two fifteen second ad fragments and one thirty second fragment are inserted. This idea was only proposed two months ago, and already more than eighty-five pe rcent of the airtime slices have been sold. (Oxfeld, 2004).Currently, publishers are looking into the digital rights. These issues are inevitable due to the large number of people involved in it. It is also complicated by the fact that these people come from different places. Laws which govern them are different. Yet publishers are quite discouraged. More so, there are not much available treaties or conventions from which rules and guidelines regarding digital rights can be seen. One of main problems with regard to digital rights is the problem on unauthorized copying and transmission of printed books and digital information. This is a problem about rights to intellectual property.Tran (2001) says there are many interlinked communities in the web. As such, sharing different materials can be very convenient. According to him, file types frequently used are MP3s, MPEGs, JPEGs, and PDFs. There is a proliferation of many copies of these kinds of files which are transmitted from two diff erent points. He further elaborates that the problem lies in putting a stop or even delaying the process of the undisturbed exchange rate of copyrighted digital materials. There are a lot of factors that cannot be easily prevented such as the increasing sophistication of technology and the speed of transmission (Tran).The problem is not as easy as it seems but publishers are still keen on the fact that there are still people who would want to have books instead of electronic devices as reading materials. WORKS CITED Compaine, Benjamin M. and Douglas Gomery (2000), ‘Who Owns the Media? : Competition and Concentration in the Mass Media Industry’, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,Mahwah, NJ, p xvi Czitrom, Daniel J. ‘Media and the American Mind: From Morse to McLuhan’, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC, p. xii (1982), Guard and Nurture your Intellectual Property Rights.Retrieved May 20, 2007 at: http://archives. obs-us. com/obs/german/books/paperl /chap091. htm Oxfeld, Jesse ‘Watching the Newspaper, 2004. Retrieved May 20, 2007 at: http://www. editorandpublisher. com/eandp/columns/newspaper_2point0_display. jsp? vnu_content_id=1000739225 Scientists develop E-link to Replace Books and Newspapers. http://www. aip. org/dbis/HFES/stories/17027. html Tran, N. 2001. â€Å"Digital Right Management†, www. cas. master. ca. Retrieved May 20, 2007 at http://www. cas. mcmaster. ca/~wmfarmer/SE-4C03-01/papers/Tran-DRM-aux. html