Birth Control Controversy

Contraception is a critical issue for women of all ages and social class because the decision to have a baby impacts a woman’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Contraception is also very costly and is an expense that a woman primarily shoulders. Not every employer’s health insurance plan provides benefits for prescription contraceptives and devices. A personal survey of 50 adults with varying types of insurance plans, asked if their health insurance plans provided coverage for birth control, Viagra, or abortion.Everyone surveyed maintain that his plan provides coverage for Viagra, a sexual enhancement drug, and abortion. The same survey showed that 26% of the insurance plans do not provide benefits for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved prescription contraceptives or devices for the solitary purpose of preventing pregnancy (personal communication, 2010). Not providing coverage for birth control, yet providing coverage for other types of prescription drug s, services, and devices, is discriminatory against women and has a negative impact on an employer’s and the government’s economics.The federal government should mandate that all health care plans provide coverage for FDA approved contraceptives because not providing them is discriminatory against women. Preventive Health Care and Finance Women that plan their pregnancies usually obtain pre-natal care and take better care of themselves and unborn child. Moreover, women who have planned their families put enough distance between each pregnancy so not to put a strain on their physical, mental, and emotional welfare. This is better for both mother and child.Furthermore, to obtain FDA approved prescription birth control, women must first be seen be a licensed physician and have an examination. That examination includes a Pap smear, breast exam, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases. Without the motivation of obtaining contraception, women may not schedule an exam that could detect, and treat, potentially life-threatening diseases. Early detection of disease, such as cervical and breast cancer, is vital to making a full recovery.Family planning devices and prescriptions should be a benefit that all health insurance plans provide because more than half of the pregnancies that occur within this country are not planned. The United States has the highest rate of accidental pregnancies of the entire industrialized world. Of those pregnancies, only half come to term. The other pregnancies end because of spontaneous abortion, also known as miscarriage, or the woman elects to have an abortion (Roan, 2009).With insurance provided birth control these statistics can decrease considerably. Lack of coverage, and the out-of –pocket expense for birth control, is a factor in the high rate of unintended pregnancies because women are going without birth control, or opt for less effective methods for family planning. Women spend approximately two-thirds of their lives in an attempt to avoid pregnancy, but still a majority of women experience an unplanned pregnancy by the time they reach age 45 (Vargas, 2002).Women are primarily responsible for preventing pregnancy and rely on prescribed contraceptives and devices because there is no effective form of over-the-counter birth control available for women’s use. The most effective form of birth control, other than abstinence, is oral contraceptives, which is better known as â€Å"the pill. † With insurance, co-payments for the pill range from $10 to $50 per month (Andrews, 2010). Without insurance coverage, the expense of the pill can range from $20 to $75 per month. Over a 25-year period this could amass from $6,000 to well over $20,000 (Guttmacher, 2010).Therefore, women are paying upwards of 68% higher health care expenditures than their male counterparts (Zolman, 2002). In comparison, the only form of birth control used by men is a condom, and they are available witho ut prescription and not costly. Pictured above are different types of birth control available. All, except condoms, require a prescription and are used by women. Photo courtesy of Dawn Stacey Sexual Discrimination Some health insurance plans exclude contraceptives because it views them as quality of life drug and not medically necessary.If a doctor deems a woman to have a clinical need for contraception, such as recurring headaches, endometriosis, acne, or irregular menstruation, an insurance company may choose to authorize benefits. However, Viagra is one quality of life drug that insurance plans cover without question (Vargas, 2002). Viagra is an oral treatment that a doctor prescribes exclusively to men who suffer from erectile dysfunction. Covering expenses for one quality of life drug, aimed for the improvement of men’s sex lives, and denying benefit of another quality of life drug, intended to prevent pregnancy for women, is undoubtedly discriminatory.The Equal Employme nt Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sustain employers are legally bound to provide a full range of family planning options if other forms of preventive health prescriptions and devices are part of their benefits package. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 says it is unlawful when employers â€Å"fail or refuse to hire or discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin† (Zolman, 2002, p. 8). Health and prescription coverage is part of the compensation and terms of employment as mentioned in Title VII. To provide further clarification, the United States government added an amendment in 1978 called the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), and it reads â€Å"†¦women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions shall be treated the same for all employment related p urposes, including of receipt of benefits under fringe benefit programs† (Vargas, 2002, p. 9).The current regulations for health insurance governance vary and are subject to different protocol. The Employment Retirement Security Act (ERISA) is a federal law that oversees self-funded insurance plans. A self-funded insurance plan, also known as self-insured, is a plan that an employer provides and pays for from a self-established fund. ERISA oversees the compliance of procedure, such as providing insurance information and instructions on how to file grievances, however; it does not require employers to provide specific benefits (Zolman, 2002).Within ERISA is a loophole that self-funded insurance plans have used to avoid following mandates that may be in effect through state legislation. Fully insured health plans contract through insurance brokers, are subject to state insurance mandates, and are not governed by ERISA (Zolman, 2002). The Equity in Prescription Insurance and Cont raceptive Coverage Act (EPICC) is a federal contraceptive prescription and device mandate that has gone before Congress on several occasions but has not been successful in passing into law.Nevertheless, there have been 27 states that have passed there on version of EPICC since 1998 (Andrews, 2010). However, requirements for coverage vary from state to state and self-funded insurance plans are exempt from complying. Throughout the last decade there have been several lawsuits filed against employers unwilling to include prescription contraception benefits. The first such case was Erickson versus Bartell. In 2001, Jennifer Erickson brought a lawsuit of sexual discrimination against Bartell Drug Company for failing to provide birth control in a prescription drug benefit package.Federal Judge Lasnik determined that Bartell Drug Company was in violation of Title VII and the PDA (HRMagazine, 2005). Sadly, the majority of employers who exclude prescription contraceptives choose to wait for legal action before changing policy. In those cases, society loses as precious taxpayer dollars are spent. Employer Expenses Many people have the misconception that it is expensive for an employer to provided prescription contraceptive benefits and that the employer should be able to limit available benefits to help keep health insurance premiums to a minimum.A study conducted by the Washington Business Group on Health concluded that employers experience greater direct and indirect financial losses when an employee becomes pregnant. The indirect expenses include the employee’s absence for doctor’s appointments, fatigue, or illness. Indirect costs can also include reduced productivity, and the need to train another person to fulfill the pregnant employee’s position when absent. Direct costs can reach well above $10,000 for expenses related to pre-natal care, delivery, and one-year of infant pediatrics (HRMagazine, 2005).

How We Market your Products

Our vision is that every business and organization will eventually have a web site to market their company, products, and services. Users will migrate from the off-line yellow pages to the web to find and contact local businesses. Current online search tools do a good job of indexing the web, but finding location-specific businesses is haphazard and inaccurate. We focus on cataloging every business and organization web site into a single commercial database so that users can quickly and easily find local, national, or global businesses online. 1. Become the definitive source for listing & displaying business & organization web site information. Similar to the off-line yellow pages, we want to be the single source of information about every commercial web site and keep it the most current and up-to-date. 2. Instead of becoming a destination site, we deliver our robust database to navigation sites (search engines & directories), media companies, local portals & government sites, and any other web property that want to help their users find a complete source of business web sites in one spot. 3. Help manage the navigation tools at the smaller sites by delivering navigation data and allowing them to outsource their search engine content maintenance to create a network of smaller portals that share navigation content and resources. We have developed technology to spider the web and categorize & database commerical sites. The technology is similar to a search engine spider in that it gathers the URL and description of sites by following links. But we use a process that assigns each link to one of our 15,000 yellow-pages type categories by using specific keywords and comparing where it is categorized in other online databases. Also, our spider gathers business contact information, such as address, phone numbers, and email information. This allows us to follow-up our efforts with a direct contact to each business to ensure their listing information and category is correct. Our active technique ensures we gather 5 times more web sites in each category than the average online directory maintains. By categorizing each listing and recording the contact data, we provide much-needed â€Å"periphery† for the web: our technique allows the user to see all of the particular businesses in a particular geographic location. It is a cross between the yellow pages and an online search engine of web sites. The process of updating our data is one the most robust on the web. First our spider revisits each site at least once every quarter to verify the information. Unlike other services & software that just check if a link is â€Å"live,† we can tell if the site is under contraction, or the domain name is for sale, or other signs that the business is unavailable although the link remains active. More importantly, we e-mail the business at least once a year for changes, and reward companies that respond with a higher ranking. This gives us a good repsonse rate and ensures a proactive interest from each company to keep their data up-to-date. The primary targets are those established portal and navigation sites online that have a need to deliver this content. These include: Web-based directories and search engines, such as yahoo, excite, lycos Business directories and smaller search portals Industry-related sites & portals (apparel.net, lawyers.com, etc.) Media sites (newspapers, television stations, radio) Direct mail services & mailing list providers Content providers & other infomediaries Together I have databased 500,000 web sites so far, and many of them are businesses in these categories. Each listing includes a link, business name, address, phone numbers, and email. For our meeting next week, I will provide an Access database of all the companies I have categorized in these fields. I want to see if there is a need for my product in any of the markets that I†ve described above. My biggest concern is finding a market for the product I†ve developed, and these questions might help answer that. What is their biggest need in terms of their site? Do they maintain a listing of links to web sites relating to their field? How do they add new information and keep existing information current? How much time and money is spent on managing this data? Would they be willing to share this data with us, in return for receiving the information shared by other sites in our network? If we could save them time and money, would they be willing to outsource the management and upkeep of this information? Do they have a need for the type of data we†ve gathered and services we provide? Do they think their users would benefit from being able to find a complete listing of other web sites related to their subject matter? Would they be willing to pay to use our current and complete database at their site? Who else would be willing to use this data? What other types of businesses have I†ve missed? For an example to goal #3 above, it takes a lot of time & energy for a local portal to gather the links of businesses in their area. They only catch the ones that are submitted to them, or the ones they find using their human editors. Likewise, a site focusing on the apparel industry can use a lot of energy & effort to record and display links to clothing & fashion sites in its industry. On the maintenance side, it can be time consuming to categorize their listings, check them to make sure they are current, and modify/delete old & dead links. We want to partner with each site and provide the infomediary to exchange data: since they both share data with Speedy Pete†s database, they have access to not only our spider†s adds, but the other site†s listings, as well. The local portal may have listings related to the clothing industry that the apparel portal does not have and vice versa. We keep the data current and updated using our technology, and deliver a robust database of â€Å"shared† navigation data to each site.

Budgeting For a Family Vacation to Disney World

Disney World is a magical and interesting place for the family of four people. A passionate voice infiltrated the air, the children flew and waited for Disney to start the day. But as we know, going to Disney is not that simple. You need to travel to Disneyland on a budget. Savings and planning is your top priority. How do you get there, when you go to Florida, where do you go. Most importantly, it is good for children, Disneyland and anyone. Over the years, when we went to Disney World, our family learned and we stayed at Disney World. Disney World Hotel has more than 25 unique resorts, each with a vacation destination from place of budget to facility. The question remains Why is our family not staying outside the hotel, but staying at the Disney World Resort? When you go to Disney, you want to be a Disney ... forever and ever! This means staying at the Disney World Resort. Just because you left the park at the end of the day does not mean that the magic ended when you stayed in a r esort owned by Disney. I do not know you, but I never went to Disney as I thought, so I wanted 24/7 Disney when I was there. From unique theme to hidden Mickey, Disney Resort does its best to keep the magic of traveling. As of last week, my husband and son have never been to Disneyland. On the other hand, I repeat - a combination of family vacation and school trip. Whenever I asked my husband to plan a trip to Disney, his answer ranged from Meh to No, thanks, Absolutely No. But, if you've ever been to Disneyland before, you will know that it is worth it (and I really dislike excitement). According to the story of animation, it is not attractive for my husband to roam around the imitative country and sit on a musical or intensive version of the movie. Perhaps one day ... when we have children, he always told me before his son was born. As you can see, Disney World Resort Villas can save your family's Disney World holidays. You will never feel connected to the 'hotel container'. In ad dition to this container, please imagine. And at Disney World, please reserve a cheap villa to save time and money. When you go to Disney F1, they are a wonderful way to save lots of money.

Resort Management - Economic Impact on Resorts Assignment

Resort Management - Economic Impact on Resorts - Assignment Example A slow economy in the region implies that business trips increase tremendously, thus positively affecting profits. Cost containment has been another hiccup facing the Grand Floridian and thus reducing the productivity (Miller 55). The resort management has come up with ways to lower the cost without negatively affecting the quality standards. As a result of cost containment, the management has cut down cost of products and services leading to low revenues. According to a research study by Choi, taxes, and deductions play a vital role in the hospitality industry. Higher taxes and lower tax deductions in Florida have negatively affected the Grand Floridian’s revenues. For instance, high energy taxes will lead to fewer trips while high corporate taxes result in less net profit after tax. On the other hand, increased guest sophistication has also posed a significant challenge to the Grand Floridian Resort. As a result of increased consumer preferences, the resort has been forced to undertake renovation of recreational facilities, business hubs, and guests’ rooms in order to match customers’ expectations. Lack of adequate number of employees working in the resort has led to reduced productivity. Labor shortage is triggered by the increased services offered at the Grand Floridian resort (Choi 68). Therefore, the resort management needs to handle the aforementioned hiccups in order to improve on the number of guests, and increase efficiency. There are also favorable economic factors that have facilitated the growth and expansion of the Grand Floridian resort. For instance, the organization has received benefits from the federal government through subsidies and reduced taxes resulting in higher profits and revenues. Therefore, the government has enhanced the organization’s operations by offering tax breaks, and incentives to the entire hospitality and tourism industry. On the other hand, rising competition in the industry has led to increased creativity

Applying SWOT analysis to Vauxhall as a firm bases in EU Essay

Applying SWOT analysis to Vauxhall as a firm bases in EU - Essay Example The foremost impact of political policies and regulations is seen on the socially responsible conduct of businesses in the region. Due to the increasing pressure of environmental activists and consumer groups, car manufacturing businesses in the region are forced by the political administration to manufacturer automobiles that are safer with minimum harm the ecological environment (European Monitoring Centre on Change, 2004). Additionally, the Political administration of the region also works together towards providing relief to automobile manufacturing businesses in the form of levies on taxes, easing recruitment regulations and providing incentives for incorporating social responsibility framework in business practices. The economic outlook of EU region is somehow unstable. There are countries in the continental alliance that are experiencing an economic downturn and are forced to provide bail-out plans to businesses in their respective countries. Spain and UK are the biggest example of financially unstable countries in the region. As a result, the purchasing power and spending trends of consumers in financially unstable countries of the region is reflecting a unfavorable trend. On the contrary, the car manufacturers in EU region are considered as a vital economic stimulator. This is because, in the manufacturing of automobiles, the manufacturers utilize other complimenting products such as textile output, aluminum, copper, steel, computer chips, iron, lead, plastic, vinyl and rubber. Considering this assertion, it can be said the car manufacturing is an important driver of the region’s economy (European Commission, 2009). The society in EU region perceives their vehicles to be reflecting their social status. Majority of the societies in EU region prefer vehicles that are environment friendly and designed keeping in view the

HR Scorecard Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HR Scorecard - Assignment Example As noted by Becker, Huselid and Ulrich (2001), a company has competitive advantage if it has what it takes to make customers select its products and services over what other competitors offer. Meanwhile, through the use of the HR scorecard to determine the best working outcomes for employees, it is possible to be guaranteed that the employees will show an attitude towards work that is directly responsive to customer request, expectations and needs, making customers select them over other competitors. In the implementation of the HR scorecard however, there are some challenges that may be encountered. The first of this has to do with the assignment of assessment metrics to work outcomes that are considered more qualitative. Typical example of such work outcome is customer satisfaction. The second challenge has to do with cooperation from employees in the implementation of the outcomes with the HR scorecard (Lawler, Jamrog & Boudreau, 2011). The challenges can be minimized by having a communication system that fully involves employees and clearly explains the modalities of the HR scorecard to

Describing the box fight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Describing the box fight - Essay Example Describing the box fight These are a few of the reasons why sometimes, watching at home is better than being there myself. The replays definitely ensured that my need for visual gratification will be satisfied with their well-chosen replays of the highlights of the game. I did not even need to guess which punch hit what place. The media gave all of that to me. I want to relay the commentators’ views verbatim, but I am at a loss. No matter how I probe my brain to remember how they said things, all I can remember were the feelings those words had on me. Still, in this narrative, I will try to relay the details by interpreting and paraphrasing what was retained in my memory. Additionally, in this account, I will also try as much as possible to refer to scenes as I have personally experienced and seen them, to provide the most detailed account of the event I want to narrate. In reference to the title I chose, I am not saying that people are asking for blood, but boxing, as we know it, sort of makes one expect that the more bloody the event is, the more exhilarating the winning is. This was what I felt during the hours of watching a spectacular boxing match a couple of months ago. I was at home cozily sitting on the plush brown sofa I chose to sit on for the event.the mahogany center table, I placed a large bowl of yellow buttered popcorn that I just got out from the microwave. The flavorful scent that permeated the air made me smile as I placed a tall glass of iced tea beside the glass bowl. I was preparing myself to be as excited as the crowd because it is a very much talked about match. Curious to see what this titleholder has to offer, I began to immerse myself in the game. I was trying to listen to what the commentators were saying, and the crowd’s piercing screams caused me a frown or two occasionally. By the middle part of the match, my hand s were already clammy with cold sweat. I did not realize I was so much taken by the events inside the ring. I clutched my white handkerchief, gripping it

Cause & Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cause & Effect - Essay Example In as much the Arab Spring has brought some impact into the governance system of many Islamic nations, it has failed in many ways to liberate the nations from authoritarianism and bad governance. According to The Economist (2014) Arab Spring has failed to liberate North African and Middle East states from totalitarianism, as many of the newly elected leaders follow the exact footsteps of their predecessors. It has led to the narrowing of the democratic state of the Islamic nations because the Islamic fundamentalists cannot tolerate dissenting opinions. Additionally, corruption and infringement of the rights of the citizens have since increased, especially in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Contrary to its intended mission of bringing peace and uniting all Muslims living in the Islamic States, the Arab Spring has ignited fresh conflicts and terrorism in such states. The effect of this is that more than 300,000 people have dies in Syria since 2011 when the war erupted. Sectarian interests have been the cornerstone behind numerous conflicts that have wreaked havoc in the Middle East with the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) gaining the impetus to fight the Jihad war in Iraq (The Economist, 2014). In conclusion, the Arab Spring has had many adverse effects in North African states and the Middle East States. The Arab revolution has had many spill-over effects with many terrorist groups gaining momentum from the conflicts. For example, Al Qaeda has expanded its territory to many parts of the Middle East with Iraq being the hot spot. In addition, the Arab Spring has brought more divisions and deaths due to civil wars and continuous terrorist attacks (The Economist, 2014). The Economist (2014). Tethered by history: The failures of the Arab spring were a long time in the making. Retrieved from

Junk food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Junk food - Essay Example Most of the food in this category is oily food which is the easy way to suffer cholesterol. It is the most dangerous diseases even caused to a heart attack. Most of the junk foods are reached the market as ready to eat and it has an attractive smell and taste. Advertisement is the most important factor; children are attracted to this kind of food. â€Å"This term was coined in 1972 by advocates at the Centre for Science in the Public Interest who wanted to raise public attention about the issue of foods with a high caloric value and a low nutritional value. For manufacturers, producing such foods has great appeal, as they tend to be cheap to make and easy to handle. They also have an extended shelf life, making them easy for stores to stock and sell† (Affect of Junk Food, 2013). In present life the youngsters, especially even a small child very fond of food that we named as junk food. They never think about the consequences coming after this. In the name of balanced diet, peop le used this kind of food like potato chips, burger ect. As a result of these lifestyle people are very difficult to overcome the ill effects caused by it. Parents are playing a most important role in spoil the health of their growing child. Ones addicted for the junk food or fast food, people can’t show interest to eat nutritional food like fruits and vegetables. Junk food contains saturated fat which is not good for health. When trouble started, only then people began to stop eating junk food. Study about the junk food shoes that the bad facts are replaced the healthy fats in the brain. It is the most common condition of the conception of the junk food. Hydrogenated oils in fried foods are main cause of obesity. It increases the triglyceride levels in the body. In this condition it is very difficult to the flow of blood and leads to heart attack. A study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention revealed that consuming too much of fast foods that are high

Audience Analysis and Adaptation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Audience Analysis and Adaptation - Assignment Example However, Mrs Bush shares her experience of coming to Wellesley 10 years back. She identifies with the students by describing how she was struck by the natural beauty of the campus and then tells a story about Wellesley students where she stresses on the spirit of the college. This way she relates with the students. She very wisely talks about human connections and their importance in our lives. She addresses the concerns of the audience by speaking about the success of a family and loving children. Mrs Bush says that she wishes the winner of the annual hoop race to realize her own dreams – not society’s dream – and not just be the first to get married or the first to become a CEO. By speaking in their interest and addressing the issues related to their lives, she defuses the hostility they held against her. If Mrs Bush would have been delivering the speech at some other higher education institute, she would have probably not have stressed too much about her personal life. She would have interacted more with the students so as to relate with them. Infact, she would have highlighted the achievements of the institute and spoken about how she would have loved to be a part of the institute. She would have spoken more about the issues related to nation and society so as to draw their

Pre-testing Essay Example for Free

Pre-testing Essay Pre-testing is a method that attempts to improve ideas and prototypes for submitting them to the relevant group representatives and obtaining their results before the final stage (Varkevisser, Pathmanathan Brownlee, 2003). It may also involve checking whether the material produced is appropriate for the group. It is conducted to determine which the best method to use (Kumar, 2005). Pre-testing is commonly used for methods of collecting data since other methods such as questionnaires, interviewer instructions and observation are frequently prone to subjective interpretation and may distort the results. Need for pre-testing messages and materials in communication strategy Pretest helps ensure that materials convey a clear and effective message to a program’s target audience (Paliwoda Ryan’s, 2008). It is valuable at several stages of message and material development. Some methods can be used used in early stages to test concepts while other methods are more useful when materials are close to final form. It is important to pretest the communication content that is to be produced before finalizing them(Kumar, 2005). By doing so it will give room to gauge reactions, revise the concept and communication materials or may be amend our strategy if its likely to produce undesired results. It is important to make drafts, samples or outlines of materials we intend to produce (Poscente, Rothstein Irvine, 2002). For pre-testing purposes, one can make drafts, outlines or samples of the materials we intend to develop. Subgroups of population with which pre-testing is done Subgroup analyses in addition to the total study population are common in clinical trials. It is well recognized that findings from subgroup analyses do not provide confirmatory evidence for subgroup treatment (Kumar, 2005). PRETESTING METHODS According to Kumar (2005), the most widely used pre-testing tool is the cognitive interview. The other method is central location intercept concept which purpose is to obtain many individual reactions. There is also focus group, which purpose is to obtain insights about audience concerns, beliefs, reactions, and vocabulary. Theartre testing is another method which purpose is to obtain many respondents at once, measure and recall under conditions that simulate actual viewing. There is also self-administered questionnaire, which can be mailed or personally delivered (Paliwoda Ryan’s, 2008). Omnibus survey is also used where data on a wide variety of subjects is collected during the same interview. Interpreting results from pre-testing and refining the messages Refine the most promising concepts and develop messages using your own creative briefs using your creative briefs, results from your concept testing, and a review of relevant communication and behavioral theories. Ensure that you revise the existing materials if necessary. Information messages should communicate some crucial characteristics such as accuracy, completeness, and relevancy (Paliwoda Ryan’s, 2008). REFERENCES Kumar, R, (2005). Research Methodology: a step by step guide for beginners. Vancouver: VC Sage publications Paliwoda S. J. and Ryan’s J. K. (2008). Business and economics. Massachusetts: MA, Edward Elgar, Poscente, N. , Rothstein, M. , Irvine, M. J. (2002). Using marketing research methods to evaluate a stage-specific intervention. American Journal of Health Behavior, 26, 243-251. Varkevisser C. M. , Pathmanathan I. and Brownlee A. T. (2003) Designing and conducting health systems research projects: Proposal development and fieldwork, Volume 1 Washington DC, IDRC.

Whole Foods Market Essay Example for Free

Whole Foods Market Essay Summary Whole food market is the world’s leading retailer of natural and organic food industry. A firm believer in the virtuous circle entwining food chain, human being and mother earth, they conduct their business true and consistent to their business mission and vision by producing the highest quality of products for its customers and high profits for its investors. Being a philanthropist and supporter of animal rights, Whole food market has established strong reputation with customers and suppliers. There are rivals in the industry and new entrants are seen penetrating the industry. At the time of the case (2005), Whole foods market is experiencing scarce resources in the organic produces and prime locations for their next business expansion. Questions 1 What are the best strategies to tackle the growing demand for organic food? 2 How can Whole Foods Market expand their business further? 3 Will Whole Foods Market survive into the 10-15 years? Analysis General Environment Global Societies are more health conscious and better educated in many parts of the world. The major market for Whole Foods Market is United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Europe is a potential market growth. Socio-cultural A growing percentage of women working have led to an increase in singlehood and ready-to-eat meal. As more people becomes health conscious, demand for organic food increases as well. Demographic Ageing baby boomer expands the senior population which in turn would increase consumption spending. In Europe, population is increasing and there are significant suppliers of organic foods with build in acceptance amongst the people there. Conclusion Europe is the next breakthrough market to capitalise with growing number of buyers and suppliers of organic products. Industry analysis Overview The natural and organic food retail industry is a fast moving consumer goods industry which requires players to either be a price leader and providing extra conveniences to customers for their pleasant experiences. However, players should never sacrifice quality for quantity as more customers are health conscious and financially capable to switch retailers without hesitation. Bargaining powers of suppliers The limited farmlands of organic foods in United States may not meet with the increasing demand in the future which may lead to price war. However, natural food supplies pose no threat. A moderate threat. Bargaining powers of buyers Consumers have a strong buying power as they are the main buyers in this industry. With increasing ageing baby boomers, singlehood and health conscious adults, demands for better quality of natural and organic foods are likely to increase. A high threat. Rivalry amongst existing competitors Rivalry in the industry is intense as firms continuously try to promote their presence and products. A high threat. Threat of substitute product The only substitute for natural food is organic produce. There is also an increasing demand for ready-to-eat meals over prepared meals. A low threat. Is this an attractive industry? With the increasing population of ageing baby boomers, singlehood and health conscious adults, a growing demand for organic foods and ready-to-eat meals will increase over the years. While the competition is intense amongst firms coupled with high bargaining powers of buyers, the industry is deeming as attractive. Competitor analysis †¢ Trader Joe’s adopts price leadership strategy without sacrificing its product quality. It has 215 stores located primarily in the west and east coast of the United States. They offer upscale grocery fare and employs low cost structures. The second biggest retailer in the industry. †¢ Wild Oats Market has 100 stores located in 24 states and Canada. Relying on employees to learn the industry, Wild Oats is committed to strengthen and streamline its operation to expand its business. The third biggest retailer. Internal analysis Tangible Resources †¢ Natural and organic products †¢ Stringent food quality control †¢ Good financial health †¢ Good access to resources from different geographical regions. †¢ Employ the â€Å"code of conduct† Intangible Resources †¢ Voted â€Å"100 Best companies to work in America† †¢ Promoted in several health magazine †¢ Recognition for charity contributions and awareness to animal rights †¢ Good relationship with its supplier †¢ Good organisation routines †¢ Good reputation with its customers for its highest quality product †¢ Recognised private labelled product Capabilities Production of high quality natural and organic productV, I Careful research setup and productsV, I, N The ability to sell consumer on the entire experiences fromR, V, I, N product to service. The ability to maintain excellent relationship with their supplierR, V, I, N Excellent team-based environmentV, I, N Strictest quality standardsV, N The ability to maintain positive relationship withR, V, I, N investors and employees Excellent staff trainingV Core competencies Whole Foods Market has three core competencies; the ability to go out of its way to appeal to their customers by taking every advantage of the customer expectation exceeding their reputations. Secondly, the mutual but beneficial relationship between Whole Foods and its suppliers that allows for deep discounts and favourable terms. Lastly, to have a strong and committed mission and vision that allows Whole Foods to be perceived by public as a trustworthy firm that values relationships over materials. This in turn has lead to an increase in investors and voted as some of the best companies to work in. The above mentioned are a sacred treasures to Whole Foods Market that separates them from their rivals. Careful research setup and products and excellent team-based environment are probably the secondary competencies they possess. However, these qualities are not rare as most other companies would employ this strategies to gain a competitive advantage. SWOT analysis |S | | | | | |Links with investor and public community |Inability to find location with 40% college | |Links with supplier | | | |degree holder for expansion | | | |Excellent team-based environment | | | | | | | | | | | |well as its acceptance | | |Organic produce may not meet with growing | | | | | |demand | | | | | | | | | | |Limited prime location | | | | Answer 1 What are the best strategies to tackle the growing demand for organic food? As the ageing baby boomer expands the senior population, more adults are becoming health conscious. According to National Nutritional Food Association, demands for organic foods are seen increasing as consumers perceived it to be healthier. It is known that Europe may provide an enormous potential growth because of the large population and holds more organic foods market in terms of supplies and buyers. Since Whole Foods Market is committed to sustainable agriculture without sacrificing quality, it is highly recommended that they established a relationship with the European suppliers to meet the organic demands in United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market can then draw investors in expanding its business in Europe to further their income. 2 How can Whole Foods Market expand their business further? As the number one retailer in the natural and organic food industry, Whole Foods Market should expand its business to Europe where potential economic growth awaits. Building a positive relationship with the suppliers in Europe can help to meet with the organic demands in United States, Canada and United Kingdom. However, they should never neglect the European consumers because of its large population and acceptance of organic produce. Having built a reputation as a retailer that provides high quality foods, a philanthropist, anti-animal cruelty and firm that provides the best working environment, Whole Foods Market can build a strong and positive relationship with Europe and help to enhance the economic growth. Also by creating job opportunities, Whole Foods Market can help with the level of employment therefore strengthening ties with the Europe. This will be important to gain supports and acceptances from European to help with their sales. 3 Will Whole Foods Market survive into the 10-15 years? Whole Foods Market has an excellent long history for its marvellous reputation and contributions to societies. Despite being a volatile industry, the stock prices have mostly been an upward trend with currently at US$136 per shares. This will continue in the next 10-15 years as FMCG are always in demand. Having a nation that is facing ageing baby boomers, increasing singlehood and working women, Whole Foods Market can expect rapid demands for organic and ready-to-eat meals. Unless they manage to tap into the European suppliers for organic food, customers might switch to other possible retailers if they failed to meet with the demands which are the worst case scenario. As more people are aware of the potential health risks for poor dieting, more consumers will not mind to spend an extra bucks. However, they should not neglect the lower income families by providing them alternatives of budget healthier eating and products. In the next 10-15 years, the probability of new entrants moving into organic food industry might increase once entrepreneurs realises the eating trend of consumers. Price war may take place.

The Concept Of Identity Politics

The Concept Of Identity Politics Identity is about belonging, about what you have in common with some people and what differentiates you from others. At its most basic it gives you a sense of personal location, the stable core to your individuality. But it is also about your social relationships, your complex involvement with others, and in the modern world these have become ever more complex and confusing. Each of us live with a variety of potentially contradictory identities, which battle within us for allegiance: as men or women, black or white, straight or gay, able-bodied or disabled, British or European The list is potentially infinite, and so therefore are our possible belongings. Which of them we focus on, bring to the fore, identify with, depends on a host of factors. At the centre, however, are the values we share or wish to share with others. Identity politics was initially defined by and for the new social movements that came to public consciousness from the late 1960s: the black movement, feminism, lesbian and gay liberation and so on. The question of integrating these creative but diffuse and potentially divisive forces into the political mainstream has been part of the agony of the Left during the last decade. Issues of identity are now, however, at the centre of modern politics. When Mrs Thatcher utters anathemas against Brussels and all its works, or interfers in the details of the history curriculum, she is engaged in an exercise in delineating a cultural and political identity, in this case of Britishness, which she wants us to share. When President Gorbachev discourses on our common European home he is striving to re-form our perception of the Soviet identity, and to re-fashion our idea of Europe. When the Bradford mullahs organize simultaneously affirming and fashioning an identity as Muslims, but also as a bla ck British community entitled to the protection of the blasphemy laws like Anglicans and Catholics and evangelicals. When we mourn with students in Beijing, or express solidarity with black South Africans, or run (or sing, or joke) for the world, we are striving to realise our identities as members of the global village, as citizens of the world. Identities are not neutral. Behind the quest for identity are different, and often conflicting values. By saying who we are, we are also striving to express what we are, what we believe and what we desire. The problem is that these beliefs, needs and desires are often patently in conflict, not only between different communities but within individuals themselves. All this makes debates over values particularly fraught and delicate: they are not simply speculations about the world and our place in it; they touch on fundamental, and deeply felt, issues about who we are and what we want to be and become. They also pose major political questions: how to achieve a reconciliation between our collective needs as human beings and our specific needs as individuals and members of diverse communities, how to balance the universal and the particular. These are not new questions, but they are likely, nevertheless, to loom ever-larger as we engage with the certainty of uncertainty that characterise s new times. The Return of Values This is the background to a new concern with values in mainstream politics. Most notoriously, Mrs Thatcher has invoked Victorian values and has pronounced about everything from soccer hooliganism, to religion, to litter. Even the Labour Party, in an uncharacteristic burst of philosophising, has produced a statement on Democratic Socialist Aims and Values. And these are but the tips of an iceberg. Such flurries have not been entirely absent in the past from British political and cultural history. But on the whole, from the Second World War until recently, the political class eschewed too searching a discussion of values, preferring, in Harold Macmillans world-weary remark, to leave that to the bishops. During the years of the social-democratic consensus, welfarism, with its commitment to altruism and caring, provided a framework for social policy, but offered little guidance on the purposes of the good society. Similarly, in the sphere of private life, the most coherent framework of moral regulation, that enshrined in the permissive reforms in the 1960s of the laws relating to homosexuality, abortion, censorship etc, is based on a deliberate suspension of any querying of what is right or wrong. It relies instead on subtle distinctions between what the law may accept for public behaviour in upholding public decency, and what can be tolerated in private when the curtains are closed. Most of us are probably quietly grateful for such small mercies. As the postwar consensus has crumbled, however, the search for more or less coherent value-systems has become rather more fevered. On a personal level some people have moved promiscuously through drugs and alternative lifestyles to health fads and religion; a number seek to be born again. Perhaps most of us just share a vague feeling that things are not quite right. On the level of politics, various fundamentalisms, on Left and Right, have burst fort h, each articulating their own truth, whether it be about the perils of pornography, the wrongs done to animals, the rights and wrongs of this or that religion, or the marvels of the market economy.   There is a new climate where values matter, and politicians, willy-nilly, are being drawn into the debate. Speaking of values, as the philosopher Paul Feyerabend has said, is a roundabout way of describing the kind of life one wants to lead or thinks one wants to lead. 1 Mrs Thatcher has been clearer about the sort of life she wants us to lead than any other recent political leader. She does not trust her bishops, so the values of the corner-shop and the cautious housewife have expanded inexorably into the culture of enterprise and the spiritual significance of capitalism. From her paean to Victorian values in the run-up to the 1983 General Election to her address to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May 1988, Mrs Thatchers moral outlook has had, in Jonathan Rabans phrase, a peculiar integrity. 2 Questions of value have traditionally been more central to socialist debates than to conservatism but during the 1970s and early 1980s the nervous collapse of the Left allowed little room for such niceties. Recently, there have been welcome signs of a revival of concern with basic values. The Labour Partys 1988 statement, Democratic Socialist Aims and Values, intended to frame the partys policy review, may have been too bland for many peoples taste (The true purpose of democratic socialism is the creation of a genuinely free society) but it was the first time since 1917 that the Party had attempted to define its purposes, and in a recognizable philosophical tradition (essentially the rights based liberalism of the American philosopher, John Rawls). At the same time the Party seems to be attempting to resurrect the half-buried collectivist traditions of the British population. The lyrical Kinnock election broadcast in 1987 subliminally told us of the importance of rootedness and be longing as the basis for political advance. The Labour Partys poster campaign early in 1989 The Labour Party. Our party similarly articulated a sense of shared values, of communal spirit, lying latent in the collective unconscious. In part, of course, these Labour Party innovations illustrate the wizardry of ad-agency skills, but it is not too fanciful to see them as a reflection of broader tendencies towards reasserting universal humanistic values, which transcend conventional political divisions. In their different ways, President Gorbachev and green politics have made an impact because of their expression of a human solidarity underlying the divisions of the world. Gorbachevs address to the United Nations in 1988 turned on a call to respect universal human values, and looked forward to an ending of the arbitrary divisions between peoples. Green philosophy calls on the same sense of our common destiny and interdependence, as human beings and as fellow inhabitants of spaceship ea rth, and in doing so claims to displace traditional divisions between Left and Right. It is impossible to underestimate the power of these various (and perhaps sometimes contradictory) appeals to human solidarity after a decade dominated by an ethic of human selfishness. We are reminded that what we have in common as human beings is more important than what divides us as individuals or members of other collectivities. Difference Nevertheless there are difficulties for the Left in an all-embracing humanism. As a philosophical position it may be a good starting point, but it does not readily tell us how to deal with difference. As President Gorbachev could bitterly affirm, it is difference economic, national, linguistic, ethnic, religious and the conflicting identities and demands that diversity gives rise to, that poses a major threat to perestroika, and to human solidarity. If ever-growing social complexity, cultural diversity and a proliferation of identities are indeed a mark of the postmodern world, then all the appeals to our common interest as humans will be as naught unless we can at the same time learn to live with difference. This should be the crux of modern debates over values. In confronting the challenge of social and moral diversity, the responses of Left and Right are significantly different. The Right has a coherent, if in the long run untenable, view of the moral economy. At its most extrem e, expressed in Mrs Thatchers dictum that there is no such thing as society, only individuals and their families, difference becomes merely a matter of individual quirks or pathologies. Social goods are products of individual wills or desires, mediated by family responsibilities. In the economic sphere, this leads to a privileging of individual choice, the essence as Mrs Thatcher put it during the 1987 election campaign of morality. Rut moral choice, in turn, particularly with regard to issues such as sexuality, is limited by the commitment to a traditional concept of domestic obligation, in and through the family. The Left, on the other hand, is heir to a strong sense of collective identities, of powerful inherited solidarities derived from class and work communities, and of different social constituencies, however inadequately in the past it has been able to deal with them. Multi-culturalism, as it was articulated from the 1960s in the legislation on racial equality, embodied a notion of different communities evolving gradually into a harmonious society where difference was both acknowledged and irrelevant. In rather less hopeful times, the commitment to the co-existence of different value-systems is implied in the statement on Democratic Socialist Aims and Values: Socialists rejoice in human diversity. But the Left has been less confident and sure-footed when faced by the reality of difference. When the Livingstone-led Greater London Council attempted to let a hundred flowers bloom at County Hall in pursuit of a new majority of minorities, the response of the Labour Party establishment varied from the sceptical to the horrified. Nor should we be entirely surprised at that: despite its political daring, and commendable commitment to those hitherto excluded from the political mainstream, it was difficult to detect behind the GLC policy anything more coherent than the belief that grass-roots activity and difference in itself were prime goods. Empowerment, yes; but whom should the Left empower? The Salman Rushdie crisis has dramatised the absence of any clear-cut philosophy on the Left. The Rushdie affair is important for socialists not simply because it concerns the fate of an individual (and an individual of the Left at that) but because it underscores in the most painful way the dil emmas of diversity. At its simplest we have an apparent conflict of absolutes: the right of an author to freedom of speech, to challenge whomsoever he wishes in a democratic society, set against the claims of a distinctive moral community not to have its fundamental religious beliefs attacked and undermined. Rut of course the real divisions are more complex and profound. The Left has not on the whole been willing to endorse an absolute right of free speech. On the contrary it has supported campaigns against racist and sexist literature, whilst a strong minority has supported the banning of pornography.   On the other side, the Muslim communities at the centre of the crisis are themselves not monolithic, bisected as they inevitably are by antagonisms of class and gender, and by political conflicts. At the same time the issues raised do not exist only in a meta-realm of principle: they work their way through the murky world of politics, in this case the complexities of international politics as well as the ward by ward, constituency by constituency problems of Labour politicians. Nevertheless, there is a central question at the heart of the Rushdie affair, and it concerns the possibilities and limits of pluralism in a complex society. Lets take as an example the question of religious education in schools: the government by insisting under the 1988 Education Reform Act that there should be a daily act of Christian worship in maintained schools is in effect asserting the centrality of the Christian tradition to, in Mrs Thatchers words, our national heritage For centuries it has been our very life-blood. People with other faiths and cultures are always, of course, welcome in our land, but their beliefs can only, by implication, ever hope to have a secondary position in relation to ours. Labour, however, accepts a less monolithic view of our religious past and present. As a result it seems prepared to support the principle of state-funding of separate fundamentalist Muslim schools. There is a certain multi-cultural rationale in this: if Anglican, Jewish and Roman Catholic schools are supported by the state, there seems no logic in not supporting the schools of other faiths as well. But schools transmit cultural values, some of which in the case of fundamentalists run counter to oft-declared values of the Left. In this case, the schools will be based on a principle of sex-segregation which elsewhere Labour opposes. As a letter to the Guardian from Southall Black Sisters put it, the Labour Party is prepared to abandon the principle of equality where black women are concerned. Instead, they deliver us into the hands of male, conservative and religious forces within our communities, who deny us our right to live as we please.5 This underlines the danger of seeing communi ties as unified wholes, rather than as the locus of debate and divisions. Not surprisingly, the multi-culturalist values of the Labour Party seem as likely to cause confusion, conflict and distrust as the explicitly mono-culturalist views of the Right. It is ironically appropriate that these dilemmas should have been brought to the surface by the publication of, and reaction to, Rushdies The Satanic Verses. Not only was the book written by an immigrant and about immigrants, but the book itself, as Malise Ruthven argued on its publication, is about changing identities, about the transformations of identities that affect migrants who leave the familiar reference points of their homeland and find themselves in a place where the rules are different, and all the markers have been changed. This is not simply the experience of the migrant: the sense of dislocation and disorientation, of the rules of the game subtly changing, of the co-existence within us of conflicting needs, desires and i dentities, is becoming a major cultural experience for us all. Choice The basic issue can be stated quite simply: by what criteria can we choose between the conflicting claims of different loyalties? To ask the question immediately underlines the poverty of our thinking about this. Can the rights of a group obliterate the rights of an individual? Should the morality of one sector of the population be allowed to limit the freedom of other citizens. To what extent should one particular definition of the good and the just prevail over others? These are ancient questions, but the alarming fact is that the Left lacks a common language for addressing them, let alone resolving them. There have been two characteristic approaches on the Left in confronting these dilemmas. Firstly, there is the discourse of rights, probably still the most potent mobilising force in the worlds of politics and morality. In the United States the protection of individual rights is enshrined in the constitution, and the claim to group rights has become the basis of many of the transf orming currents of recent American politics, from the civil rights and black power movements to the womens movement and lesbian and gay liberation. Elsewhere in the West, a rights-based politics is similarly enshrined in written constitutions, bills of rights, constitutional courts, and so on. In Britain, the tradition is enfeebled. Individual rights, though much bandied around in the political rough and tumble, are not entrenched in a constitutional settlement, and the concept of group rights barely exists. Rights are, however, clearly back on the agenda of the Left: the response to the launch of Charter 88, with its appeal for a new constitutional settlement, with government subordinate to the law and basic rights guaranteed, suggests there is a strongly felt need for a codification and protection of fundamental rights. Unfortunately, the claim to right, however well established at a constitutional level, does not help when rights are seen to be in conflict. To take the issue of a bortion (yet again the focus of moral debate in America and Britain), here the conflict is between two violently conflicting claims to right: the rights of the unborn child against the rights of a woman to control her own body. In these stark terms the conflict is unresolvable, because two value-systems tug in quite different directions. The problem is that rights do not spring fully armed from nature. They cannot find a justification simply because they are claimed. Rights are products of human association, social organisation, traditions of struggle, and historical definitions of needs and obligations: whatever their claims to universality, they are limited by the philosophical system to which they belong, and the social and political context in which they are asserted. This is not to deny the importance of rights-based arguments. But if we are to take rights seriously we must begin to articulate the sort of rights and the type of political culture we want. This is the starting point for the second major approach to the dilemma of choice, the politics of emancipation. In his essay On the Jewish Question in the 1840s Marx counterposed to the morality of Rights a morality of emancipation, and even more powerfully than the claim to rights this has proved a potent mobilising force.8 It offers a vision of a totally free society, where everyones potentiality is fully realised, and a powerful analysis of the constraints on the realisation of human emancipation. At its heart is a denial that want, division, selfishness and conflict are essential parts of human nature. True human nature, it claims, can flourish in a truly emancipated society. Most of us who are socialist must have been inspired by this vision. As a politics of liberation it shaped the rhetoric of the social movements that emerged in the 1960s. It is still latent in the hungerfor utopia and for the transcendence of difference that shades our politics. The difficulty is that the p ractice has rarely kept up with the vision, particularly in the history of Marxism. The Marxist tradition has been reluctant to define the nature of the emancipated society, and has been noticeably blind to questions of nationalism, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. Nor do the experiences of the soi disant socialist countries offer much confidence in the attainability of emancipation in the terms offered by the tradition so far. We must not confuse a noble goal with the sordid practices of particular regimes, but we need to ponder whether the very project of human emancipation as conventionally set forth is not itself the fundamental problem. The glorious goal has all too often justified dubious means, whilst the absence of any detailed exposition of the meaning of emancipation has left us floundering when faced by the reality of conflicting claims to right and justice.

Genetic Screening :: Science Technology Religion Papers

Genetic Screening The door opens and your doctor steps into the room. The doctor is wearing a frown on his face. He tells you that they just got your tests back from the lab and wants to refer you to a genetic counselor. Given the current trend in our society man y of us may fare this situation in our future. But what does this mean to our lives, what can these tests really tell us? In this document I will address what type of tests are considered genetic screening and what they can tell us, the ethical argument s floating around in the media today, and how you should embrace this new technology. What is Genetic screening Many of the tests we call genetic screening are for pregnant women. Pregnant women are given many tests to screen for possible fetal developmental problems. Some of the tests done are blood tests to tell if the women has a higher predisposition t o have a baby with spina bifida, or fetal Down syndrome. (Blatt 1997) These tests are safer than the invasive tests and many people are hoping that someday all of the genetic screening done will be done on the mothers blood, this te chnique is called fetal cell sorting. But today many of the tests that can be done on the fetus require invasive techniques, like a needle for amniocentesis and precutaneous umbilical blood sampling where a needle is inserted into an umbilical vein in ue tero. These tests can actually screen the genes of the fetuses. And in some situations women choose to terminate pregnancies because of the results. One test done on newborns has been in practice since the sixties. Phenylketonuria is a disease that can cause retardation if not caught early enough in a child's development. The government has mandated the testing of newborn for this metabolic i mbalance that can be treated by proper diet. (Blatt 1997) Many other diseases can be diagnosed at birth with relatively no danger to the infant as compared to the invasive procedure describe earlier. But many of these diseases that can be diagnosed have no known treatment for them like Phenylketonuria. From newborns on up to adulthood many new diseases can be diagnosed. Many tests have been developed, and more are developed everyday thanks to the Human Genome Project. The sheer enormity of data scientists are being presented with virtually ensure that almost everyone will have some genetic disorder that could be identified.

Julius Caesar Essay: Mark Antony as the Genius of Julius Caesar

Mark Antony as the Genius of Julius Caesar Mark Antony - the guy is a genius.   He gives the most powerful and emotional speech ever conjured up by a human mind.   He gets this powerful emotion from the pain of the loss of his friend, Julius Caesar.   In Shakespeare's play about the ill-fated Roman ruler, a band of conspirators plot to kill Julius Caesar.   They succeed in doing so, and Caesar's best friend Antony is infuriated.   However, he manages to keep his cool, until he is allowed to speak at Caesar's funeral.   Brutus, the leader of the conspiracy, attempts to win the popularity and support of the crowd, and he does so with a speech full of glittering generalities.   His speech sounded good, but really meant nothing.   The people favor Brutus until Antony takes the stand and delivers the cold hard facts, turning the mob of people into an angry stampede.   The persuasive techniques that were used by Antony helped him to gain the crowd's support.   If he did not use these techniques, Antony would sim ply be carried off the stage and thrown into the mob.   The techniques that he used (to make his speech persuade the mob to help him) were: the fact that he acknowledged the opposing argument, his slowly rising emotional expression, and the use of a simple refrain that gets more and more sarcastic each time around.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antony must acknowledge the opposing argument, because it helps him to show the crowd that he does not have a selfish or one-tracked mind.   "The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious.   If it were so, it would be a grievous fault." (Act III, Scene ii, 79-81)   Although the crowd knows it, Antony says that Brutus said that Caesar was ambitious.   Why?   Antony restates what Brutus said to make a very p... ... Antony has just made a complete fool of Brutus.   Again, only one small detail changed in the refrain to produce the sarcasm - the "and sure."   It is hard to believe that only changing a few little words can cause that much of an impact on a speech.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through the use of these three persuasive techniques, Mark Antony succeeds in winning the support of the entire mob.   By acknowledging the opposing argument, slowly letting his emotions take over, and using a "simple" refrain, Antony delivers the perfect crowd-manipulating oration.   Antony knows the psychology of persuasion, and he shows it when he gives the speech.   The qualities of a persuasive speech, to speak of Antony's methods, are not obvious at all.   They come slowly, and that is the way to get a crowd in your hands. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. New York: Simon, 1975. Julius Caesar Essay: Mark Antony as the Genius of Julius Caesar Mark Antony as the Genius of Julius Caesar Mark Antony - the guy is a genius.   He gives the most powerful and emotional speech ever conjured up by a human mind.   He gets this powerful emotion from the pain of the loss of his friend, Julius Caesar.   In Shakespeare's play about the ill-fated Roman ruler, a band of conspirators plot to kill Julius Caesar.   They succeed in doing so, and Caesar's best friend Antony is infuriated.   However, he manages to keep his cool, until he is allowed to speak at Caesar's funeral.   Brutus, the leader of the conspiracy, attempts to win the popularity and support of the crowd, and he does so with a speech full of glittering generalities.   His speech sounded good, but really meant nothing.   The people favor Brutus until Antony takes the stand and delivers the cold hard facts, turning the mob of people into an angry stampede.   The persuasive techniques that were used by Antony helped him to gain the crowd's support.   If he did not use these techniques, Antony would sim ply be carried off the stage and thrown into the mob.   The techniques that he used (to make his speech persuade the mob to help him) were: the fact that he acknowledged the opposing argument, his slowly rising emotional expression, and the use of a simple refrain that gets more and more sarcastic each time around.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Antony must acknowledge the opposing argument, because it helps him to show the crowd that he does not have a selfish or one-tracked mind.   "The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious.   If it were so, it would be a grievous fault." (Act III, Scene ii, 79-81)   Although the crowd knows it, Antony says that Brutus said that Caesar was ambitious.   Why?   Antony restates what Brutus said to make a very p... ... Antony has just made a complete fool of Brutus.   Again, only one small detail changed in the refrain to produce the sarcasm - the "and sure."   It is hard to believe that only changing a few little words can cause that much of an impact on a speech.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through the use of these three persuasive techniques, Mark Antony succeeds in winning the support of the entire mob.   By acknowledging the opposing argument, slowly letting his emotions take over, and using a "simple" refrain, Antony delivers the perfect crowd-manipulating oration.   Antony knows the psychology of persuasion, and he shows it when he gives the speech.   The qualities of a persuasive speech, to speak of Antony's methods, are not obvious at all.   They come slowly, and that is the way to get a crowd in your hands. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. New York: Simon, 1975.

Gays and Homosexuality: Personal Choice or Act of God? Essay -- Explor

Homosexuality: Personal Choice or Act of God? "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, not thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) Homosexuality has been around as long for as there is recorded history. Through the years, however, the opinions towards homosexuality have changed. Now, homosexuality is being labeled as a genetic trait rather than as a psychological problem. Not everyone believes this to be true, however. I have always believed that homosexuality is genetic and I decided to search the web for some evidence. I first checked out a site written by a supporter of the "gay gene." http://voyager.dvc.edu/~bmckinney/www.pilot.infi.net/~susanf/aolgay.htm is written by Don Robertson. Don Robertson is a gay teacher of biochemistry and molecular biology. In his article, he states that many experiments have proved the genetic connection to homosexuality. He names some of the experiment's methods but he doesn't include who ran the experiments, where they were done, why or why not they would be reliable or whether they would have the same results if the experiments were repeated. He comes up with figures like if one identical twin is gay there is a sixty- percent chance that the other identical twins will also be gay. This is included to prove that since identical twins share identical genes, they must have had the "gay gene" passed down to both of them. This claim brings up a few problems. First, there is nowhere in the article that cites where this information was collected or if the informat... ...all the aspects of the experiments while Robertson didn't question anything he read about; the author from the second article questioned them based on outdated beliefs. Altogether, I didn't feel that I was convinced on either side. Were there any more experiments? Were any of the ones listed proven to be true? Are there any alternatives to the cause of homosexuality other than genetics and environment? Is religion the true way to look at the matter? "That is why God gave them up to disgraceful sexual appetites, for both their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary nature and likewise even the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error." (Romans 1:26-27)

Levis Business Report

REPORT FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LEVIS STRAUSS LADIES’ JEANS FOR EDGARS RETAIL STORES To Directors of Edgars, This report serves to provide information about Levis Strauss Jeans which we wish to sell through your retail stores, Edgars. Levis Strauss is a clothing line which has the potential to become very popular, especially once our new line of ladies’ jeans is introduced into the market. Target Market Although the target market for our Jeans is limited to women, the popularity and demand for Jeans is increasing by the day.The consumers would be able to wear Jeans in a casual manner with a shirt for their every day errands, and they would also be able to wear them slightly more dressed up with a blazer for work. Jeans are a piece of clothing that are worn by every class of people for almost every occasion and this would put us at an advantage in the current market. Previously, Jeans were thought to be only for workers, cowboys, etc. However, the consumer demand has shift ed from the durability of jeans to the fashion of jeans. Materials UsedThe materials needed to make the jeans would be denim, cotton, zips buttons, rivets and thread for embroidery of the brand name. These can be obtained with ease around South Africa which will lower our cost price as we will not need to import materials in order to produce the jeans. This will allow us to provide the jeans at a lower and more competitive price, therefore attracting more consumers to your stores. Possible Challenges and Strategies One of the challenges that we, as the manufacturers of the jeans, face is the threat of new entrants into the market and the threat of substitutes.Our generation consists of many young, innovative and enthusiastic designers who could possible introduce a new brand of denim jeans into the market. This could also tie in with the threat of substitutes as there are literally hundreds of lines that offer jeans as one of their products such as Guess, Sissy Boy, Free 2 b U, and RT to name but a few. In order to overcome this challenge we would need to ensure that our product has a high level of differentiation, meaning that it would need to stand out against the other brands of denim jeans.We could do this by using edgy advertisements. For example, women wearing nothing but the jeans themselves but with shadows covering the necessities such as breasts etc. This will attract women to the jeans as it implies that the jeans will give them sex appeal. We would also need to emphasise what makes our jeans different by showing their authenticity, originality, variety, quality, and their unique fit. Our jeans are also offered at a premium price and would be easily accessible to consumers as many people shop at Edgars stores.It could also be emphasised that our jeans are classic yet still modern and they can be worn for comfort as well as style. Table showing substitutes chosen if Levis Jeans were not available (Calculated on 120 respondents) Brand| Percentage of R espondents| Sissy Boy| 61%| Guess| 15%| Free 2 b u| 17%| RT| 7%| Levis Jeans can be considered as a style instead of just a fashion or a trend. A fashion and a trend grow slowly in the market but eventually the sales begin to decline.It is considered a style as, although jeans may not always be the most popular choice of clothing, they will always come back into fashion and have the potential to make a come-back in the market of the fashion industry. Another possible challenge would be that our brand could struggle internationally and this could affect its popularity locally. However, we have adopted the motto â€Å"think local and act global†. This ensures the potential consumer that the product is of good quality yet it can still be sold at a competitive and reasonable price.There have been some complaints of our jeans tearing in some places on Hello Peter, however, we have made an effort to strengthen our product physically by improving our production process and testing t he strength of certain garments in a batch to ensure that the products provided are of the highest quality possible Conclusion After careful market segmentation, efforts in improving the product and in-depth analysis of the market, we believe that our product would be a valuable addition to your range of products sold at your retail stores.With careful marketing strategies, innovative thinking and continuous attention given to the consumer needs, Levis Strauss could add to your store’s success. Please consider our proposal favourably. Regards, Kirsty Smit – Levis Strauss CEO References: * http://www. scribd. com/doc/31538621/Project-report-on-starting-a-new-business-Comfort-Jeans * http://www. madehow. com/Volume-1/Blue-Jeans. html * http://www. uvm. edu/~shali/Levi. pdf * http://www. cleanclothes. org/betterbargain/946-case-file-levi-strauss-a-co * http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Levi_Strauss All of the above websites were visited on the 4th of October 2012.

Reflective analysis of my leadership approach Essay

â€Å"†¦..beyond the horizon of time is a changed world, very different from today’s world. Some people see beyond that horizon and into the future. They believe that dreams can become reality. They open our eyes and lift our spirits. They build trust and strengthen our relationships. They stand firm against the wind of resistance and give us the courage to continue the quest; we call these people leaders† (Kouzes and Posner, 1995). For a number of us leadership can be described as quality – even though we know it when we see it but it is quiet difficult to define or describe. In this respect, Kouzes and Posner (1995) aptly capture what I think about when I was asked to describe a leader and leadership. In the course of my education and career, I have come across some touch points that shaped my opinions and influenced my general perspectives regarding the roles of leaders and leadership. Fundamentally, I have been able to experience my various roles as a le ader who articulates and puts into words into action to develop vision for a future that inspires others to join. It is within this context that my perspectives on leadership have been developed. My thoughts on concepts of leadership are an amalgam of what I have was taught in Leadership in Healthcare Module, what I have read, what I have experienced as an individual, and the lessons that I have picked up along the way. Due to complex nature of leadership especially regarding the number of theories that have been suggested by scholars, it is important that not only leaders, but also people who aspire be leaders develop their own personal philosophy leadership. This could be achievable by engaging in reflective exercise. I have come to realise that some fundamental principles have sharpened my opinions and also driven my beliefs and perception about leadership as an ongoing process, rather than a destination or an achievement. Frequently, I also know that additional learning, unlearning and relearning (through books read on the subject of inquiry, or book read out of mere curiosity) have supplemented the theorizing process of leadership, and fall short of being consistent with grounded theory methodology in which a review of academic literature often occurs following initial data and prior to formation of theory (McGhee et al., 2007). Therefore, this essay will adopt the model of ground theory, starting from the scratch, a collection of my personal  observations, beliefs and experience regarding the concept of leadership approach. Reflective analysis of my leadership approach is based on three principles: (1) Maintaining a steady focus on mission and vision; (2) risk taking and (3) empowering peopl e. Starting with maintaining a steady focus on mission and vision, I have been able to learn that one of the greatest challenges that a leader can face is staying on mission of the organization. People, the led, need to know the direction they are heading to, and to know the expectation of the leader regarding the organizational vision and mission. Maintaining a consistent focus on the organization’s vision and mission is a key attribute required for leadership and it is a critical task for a leader. The leader starts its task by clearly defining the vision of the organization then keeping it alive. The leader is also responsible for achieving such vision; the buck stops at his table and must therefore communicate such both within and outside of the organization. In this regard, the leader serves as a bridge between the organization and its environment. Beyond just communicating the organization’s vision, the leader must be a source of inspiration in order to the vision and to develop a positive mental attitude and belief that it can be achieved. Covey (2012) refers to this attitude as principle-centred leadership. This is a key attribute, especially, in light of the dynamic environment in operation today. This is an attitude I have adopted over and over again in the course of my leadership role. Risk taking; this is an embodiment of 2nd principle of my personal philosophy of leadership. Like my first principle of maintenance focus on vision and mission of the organization, I consider this as another critical factor that distinguishes leaders from their followers. The rar e courage of risk-taking, to step out in front, to test water, to be a pathfinder has been long considered as an attribute that sets the leader apart from the followers and rest of the organization. According to Kouzes and Posner (1995), leaders must take a role of â€Å"pioneers.† They should develop courage to venture the horizon’s edge and report back about what is seen. Leaders take calculated risks for the sake of the vision and mission of the organization. I have done this in a couple of times and I have succeeded. I agree that some leaders are more comfortable in taking risk than others; and it is noteworthy to realise that there are different degrees of risk associated with the decisions to be taken by leaders. Over  the years, I have learnt that it is better to take a calculated risk. And I agree with school of thoughts that believe that people who are â€Å"risk averse† are not fit to be leaders. Empowerment of others: The third principle of my leadership philosophy, the final portion of my analysis, relates to the role of leaders in empowering others. Empowerment entails conveying the mission and vision in such a way that other people in the organization can make use of their initiative to make decisions on their own. This also involves some amount of boldness, confidence and risk-taking. While I was Senior Carer in a Care Home, I always encourage my colleagues to come up with, at least, two initiatives to move the association forward at each meeting day. According to Senge (2012), a certain limit of error in an organization is acceptable as long as such error provides an opportunity for people to learn and also lends credence to empowering others while carrying out the organiza tion’s mission and goals. I agree with Senge, 110%. In conclusion, I have been able to present reflective analysis of my role as a leader in various capacities I have served before. I draw my experience from past and ongoing learning processes and experience, and I have developed a set of personal leadership philosophy which are maintaining a steady focus on mission and vision, risk-taking and empowering people. I hope I will be able to develop myself further in preparation of leadership role I will engage in the future. References Covey, S. (2012). Principle-centered leadership. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Kouzes, J. M. and Posner, B. Z. (1995). The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Senge, P. M. (2012). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York, NY: Doubleday/Currency

The Species At Risk Act Environmental Sciences Essay

The Speciess at Risk Act ( SARA ) was proclaimed in June 2003, and is one portion of a three portion Government of Canada scheme for the protection of wildlife species at hazard. This three portion scheme besides includes committednesss under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk and activities under the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. In add-on, it complements bing Torahs and understandings to supply for the legal protection of wildlife species and preservation of biological diverseness. The Act aims to forestall wildlife species from going nonextant, and to procure the necessary actions for their recovery. The Act recognises that the protection of wildlife species is a joint duty and that all Canadians have a function to play in the protection of wildlife. It applies to all federal lands in Canada ; all wildlife species listed as being at hazard ; and their critical home ground. Please view the followers for a more elaborate sum-up of the Act ‘s: Aim The intents of the Act are to forestall Canadian autochthonal species, races, and distinguishable populations from going extirpated or nonextant, to supply for the recovery of endangered or threatened species, and promote the direction of other species to forestall them from going at hazard. More specifically, the Act will: set up the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada ( COSEWIC ) as an independent organic structure of experts responsible for measuring and placing species at hazard ; require that the best available cognition be used to specify long and short-run aims in a recovery scheme and action program ; create prohibitions to protect listed threatened and endangered species and their critical home ground ; acknowledge that compensation may be needed to guarantee equity following the infliction of the critical home ground prohibitions ; make a public register to help in doing paperss under the Act more accessible to the populace ; and be consistent with Aboriginal and pact rights and respect the authorization of other federal curates and provincial authoritiess. SARA is a consequence of the execution of the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy, which is in response to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The Act provides federal statute law to forestall wildlife species from going nonextant and to supply for their recovery. Process Chart 1. Monitoring starts with an stock list of wildlife species to acquire an thought of the population position and tendency, its ecological map, and a manner of tracking information. As a consequence, the Minister publishes the study on the general position of wildlife species, every 5 old ages. 2. The species assessment procedure is conducted by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada ( COSEWIC ) . Based on the position study, they use a commission of experts to carry on a species appraisal and delegate the position of a wildlife species believed to be at some grade of hazard nationally. 3. In response to an appraisal and position appellation, the Minister issues a response statement. This papers reflects the jurisdictional committedness to action and acts as a start to the national recovery procedure. 4. A recovery scheme outlines what is scientifically required for the successful recovery of a species at hazard. This includes an designation of its critical home ground and what demands should be addressed. An action program so identifies those specific actions needed to assist in the species recovery as identified in the recovery scheme. This includes the assorted undertakings and activities with associated timelines. 5. Evaluation plans are carried out against the ends and aims of the recovery scheme and action program, where they are most effectual. As a consequence, the Minister must bring forth an one-year study on the disposal and execution of the Act. Monitoring, appraisal, response, recovery, and rating are ongoing procedures that are taken to better the species position and ecosystem. Responsible Governments This subdivision provides information on the functions and duties of the cardinal sections, commissions, and councils tasked with transporting out activities under the Act. In general, the Minister of Environment is responsible for the overall disposal, except when the Act gives duty to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Department of Environment Department of Fisheries and Oceans Parks Canada Agency Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada National Aboriginal Council on Species at Risk Department of Environment The Minister of Environment is responsible for the overall coordination of the federal species at hazard scheme, including the execution of federal activities in support of the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada ( the Accord ) , the disposal of the Habitat Stewardship Program for species at hazard, and the Interdepartmental Recovery Fund. The Minister of Environment is besides responsible for the protection and recovery of migratory birds and species at hazard on federal lands other than those under the duty of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans or those persons under the duty of Parks Canada Agency. Under the Accord, it is understood that the states and districts will set about actions and enforce prohibitions for the preservation of species at hazard under their legal power. In add-on, the Minister of the Environment is responsible for the induction and facilitation of multi-jurisdictional recovery squads, and for organizing the development of recovery schemes for species necessitating the engagement of more than one legal power. The Minister of the Environment will try to come in into understandings with states and districts for them to develop recovery schemes for species under their direction duty. Visit the Environment Canada website & A ; gt ; Department of Fisheries and Oceans The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is responsible for the protection and recovery of aquatic species at hazard under federal legal power, other than persons under the duty of the Minister of the Environment in the instance of persons found on National Wildlife Areas, and Parks Canada Agency. The Minister is responsible for implementing the necessary preservation and protection steps under the Species at Risk Act for aquatic species on the legal protection list. Aquatic species to be protected includes fish or Marine works species defined as such under the federal Fisheries Act, and those which have been assessed against COSEWIC ‘s categorization standards. The Minister will work closely with both the Minister of Environment and Parks Canada Agency, to guarantee common and consistent attacks within the federal authorities to protecting species at hazard. Visit the Department of Fisheries and Oceans website & amp ; gt ; Parks Canada Agency Parks Canada Agency is responsible for the development of recovery schemes for those species that occur in Canada chiefly in national Parkss, national historic sites and other federal protected heritage countries under the authorization of the Minister. The Minister is besides responsible for the direction and recovery of species found in national Parkss and lands administered by the Minister. Visit the Parks Canada Agency website & A ; gt ; Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council The Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council ( CESCC ) consists of the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Curates of the provincial / territorial authoritiess who are responsible for the preservation and direction of a wildlife species in that state or district. The function of CESCC is to supply general way on the activities of COSEWIC ; organize the activities of the assorted authoritiess represented on the Council relating to the protection of species at hazard ; and seek and see advice and recommendations from the National Aboriginal Council on species at hazard. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada ( COSEWIC ) provides advice to authorities on the position of wildlife species and was established for the first clip as a legal entity under the Species at Risk Act. COSEWIC is composed of qualified wildlife experts drawn from the federal, provincial, and territorial authoritiess, wildlife direction boards, Aboriginal groups, universities, museums, national non-governmental organisations and others with expertness in the preservation of wildlife species in Canada. Members are appointed by the Minister of Environment after audience with the Council ( CESCC ) and appropriate experts. COSEWIC operates at arm ‘s length from authorities in an unfastened and crystalline procedure, keeping impartial scientific and adept opinion in its appraisal of wildlife species. The function of COSEWIC is to measure and sort the position of wildlife species utilizing the best available information on the biological position of a species, including scientific cognition, community cognition, and Aboriginal traditional cognition. COSEWIC classifies wildlife species and studies to the CESCC. Visit the COSEWIC website & A ; gt ; National Aboriginal Council on Species at Risk The National Aboriginal Council on Species at Risk ( NACOSAR ) is an consultative council comprised of six representatives of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada selected by the Minister of Environment based upon recommendations from Aboriginal organisations that the Minister considers appropriate. The function of the Council is to rede the Minister on the Administration of the Act and supply advice and recommendations to the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council ( CESCC ) under subdivision 8.1 and 8.2 of the Speciess at Risk Act ( SARA ) . 2 ) infusion from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, 2008 March Status Report of the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development, Chapter 5 Ecosystems – Protection of Speciess at Risk ( viewed Feb. 11, 2009 ) hypertext transfer protocol: //www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_cesd_200803_05_e_30131.html Main Points What we examined As of June 2007, there were 389 species in Canada listed as at hazard on Schedule 1 of the 2002 Speciess at Risk Act. Under the Act, the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans are responsible for fixing recovery schemes, action programs, and direction programs for species at hazard for which they are the competent curate. In 2001, we found that there was a demand for better baseline information to enable the authorities to efficaciously pull off species at hazard. We recommended that Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Parks Canada develop a comprehensive stock list of species at hazard under their legal power and guarantee that recovery schemes for these species be developed and implemented. The three organisations agreed with our recommendations. Although our 2001 audit focused on activities in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin, the three organisations manage their activities on a national footing and hence, for this Status Report we examined advancement made on our recommendation by the responsible sections from a national position. We besides examined conformity with subdivisions of the 2002 Speciess at Risk Act, which came into force after our last audit but which relate to our recommendations. These subdivisions of the Act have specific and normative demands sing recovery schemes. Why it ‘s of import Apart from its intrinsic value as portion of Canada ‘s natural heritage, Canada ‘s biodiversity, including wild species of workss and animate beings, represents a huge depot of biological resources. The workss, mammals, and aquatic species found in ecosystems are mutualist and hence keeping ecological diverseness is of import to keeping the wellness and unity of the environment. Although it may travel unnoticed by most people, the loss of one or two cardinal species can hold ripple effects across an ecosystem with potentially important effects on our quality of life. Harmonizing to assorted scientific beginnings, human activities in the 21st century have greatly increased the rate at which species are vanishing. What we found Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have made unsatisfactory advancement in reacting to our 2001 recommendation associating to the development of a comprehensive stock list of species at hazard, while Parks Canada has made satisfactory advancement on this recommendation. The three organisations have made unsatisfactory advancement in reacting to our 2001 recommendation associating to the development of recovery schemes and have non complied with specific deadline demands established by the Speciess at Risk Act. As of June 2007, recovery schemes should hold been completed for 228 species at hazard, but recovery schemes completed at that day of the month reference merely 55 of those species. Departments and organisations are besides required under the Act to place to the extent possible, critical home ground necessary for the endurance or recovery of species at hazard. As of June 2007, critical home ground had been identified for 16 of the 228 species at hazard for which recovery schemes were due. Despite the advancement noted at Parks Canada, the federal authorities as a whole has made unsatisfactory advancement in reacting to our 2001 recommendations associating to the development of a comprehensive stock list of species at hazard and of recovery schemes. While work is under manner to develop appropriate informations sharing understandings with 3rd parties, such as provincial and territorial authoritiess, and non-governmental organisations such as Nature Serve, stock list informations aggregations vary across Canada. Ongoing betterments to informations quality and information consistence are needed.