Globalization and Cultural Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization and Cultural Change - Essay Example There are many convincing arguments both against and in favor of globalization. Those against globalization have one primary concern; they claim that globalization benefits corporations while harming people. It is feared that globalization reduces human rights, harms the environment, undermines sovereignty, and increases inequality. Below are some important points for and against globalization. Strengths and Opportunities: Productivity grows more quickly when countries produce goods and services in which they have a comparative advantage. Living standards can go up faster. Global competition and cheap imports keep a lid on prices, so inflation is less likely to derail economic growth. An open economy spurs innovation with fresh ideas from abroad. Export jobs often pay more than other jobs. Unfettered capital flows give the U.S. access to foreign investment and keep interest rates low. Weaknesses and Threats: Millions of Americans have lost jobs due to imports or production shifts abroad. Most find new jobs--that pay less. Millions of others fear losing their jobs, especially at those companies operating under competitive pressure. Workers face pay-cut demands from employers, which often threaten to export jobs. Service and white-collar jobs are increasingly vulnerable to operations moving offshore. U.S. employees can lose their comparative advantage when companies build advanced factories in low-wage countries, making them as productive as those at home. Anthropology can be very beneficial in the study of globalization if properly organized. Corporations, firms, NGOs, non-profits, governments, universities, policymakers and a host of other entities comprised of humans interact daily in global networks. They are underpinned, for the most part, by a neo-liberal framework constructed in assumptions about rational choices. Many anthropologists study these networks, frameworks and assumptions, grounding them within particular socio cultural contexts. Anthropology, however, has yet to engage in an exploration of its own assumptions, findings and responses to "globalization" in an attempt to integrate our anthropological understanding of these processes, to evaluate the questions that frame research and advocacy and the methods used in carrying these out, and to communicate our contributions in this area of research to our discipline, policymakers and the public. The implications that globalization has on societies is quite extreme, especially in the developing third world nations. For example, Thousands of farms and homes in east and central India are being swallowed up by coal mines financed by the World Bank. The entire village of Balanda was demolished last year by bulldozers. The local villagers were sent to the "resettlement colony" of Handidhua, which lacked drinkable water, electricity, and small businesses promised as part of the $530 million World Bank loan guarantees. These are just few of many severe implications that globalization brings upon the world (Lukas, 2000: 4). But do the benefits out weigh the costs The world is becoming more and more a mixed environment, and all of these different cultures, different people who have grown up in these particular different cultures are coming up against each

Violence against women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Violence against women - Essay Example ll under include rape, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, forceful marriages, wife inheritance, trafficking as sex slaves among a list of other forms of violence as this tends to differ in terms of nations (Ghanim, 2009). Essentially, some states tend to support violent treatment of women, especially those by strict Islamic laws making it hard for women to survive in these regions, meaning the state to be in support of those that commit violent acts among women. Based on this overview, this essay will delve into the causes and effects of violence committed against women across the states. In some African and Middle East states, violence against women is a dominant factor in which neither the state nor the society can intervene because this is their way of life since they tend to view women as voiceless beings and objects (Ghanim, 2009). In some African states, women tend to experience violence based on the fact that these nations are on a constant path of civil war in which armed rebels rape and commit all manner of atrocities against women without being answerable for it. Therefore, civil war can be one of the causes that can influence violence against women because the women become vulnerable because those that should protect them become their foes. On the other, religious extremism can also be another cause of violence against women because some of them permit the ill treatment of the so-called weaker gender by having stiffer penalties for them. Essentially, the nations that practice sharia law, subject women to punishment if they get pregnant outside marriage or for even dressing indecently, which is as per what they prescribe. In this case, women do not have the freedom to dress as they please and live under a male dominated society (Ghanim, 2009). It becomes difficult for the women to liberate themselves against such forms of violence because their societies do not view this as going against their rights and freedoms. The effects or consequences

English Essays Hitchcock Movie Of Rebecca

English Essays Hitchcock Movie Of Rebecca Analyse the differences between the text and the Hitchcock movie of Rebecca The film Rebecca (1940), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is an adaptation of a book by the same title published in 1938 by author Daphne Demurer. To analyse the differences between these two pieces of work it is perhaps necessary to first point out the obvious; film adaptations of novels are never completely true to the original book. It is often a criticism that when novels are turned into screenplays that the author of the screening play has left chunks of the book out. This usually because their just is not time to cover every single detail on screen could you have sat through more than three hours of Peter Jacksons epic Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, based on J.R.R. Tolkiens novel, for instance? (I dont think any cinemagoers bladder could have coped with more!) Or there are elements of the original story that would distract the viewer from the crux of the plot for too long, hence Fran Walsh cut out the character Tom Bombadil out of The Fellowships script, much to the dismay of some Tolkien purists. However, sometimes a scriptwriter will assert his/her autonomy to the point where the novel that has been turned into a film does not even have the same ending as its original source. In Louis De Bernieres much loved book Captain Corellis Mandolin the main characters, and two lovers Captain Corelli and Pelagia, part for several years and Pelagia believes Corelli is dead until hes in his senior years and directly approaches Pelagia again and their love rekindles. However, in the movie (2001) one of the many contrasts to the original text is that Pelagia and Corelli live happily ever after together in their younger years. With regards Hitchcocks Rebecca and DuMauriers Rebecca the storyline remains largely unchanged, yet the implications of its sexual contexts have been treated differently. Throughout history women have been subjected to the patriarchal order; the model female being chaste and submissive and essentially what Simone De Bouviour calls mans other: [Woman] is defined and differentiated with reference to man and not he with reference to her; she is incidental, the inessential as opposed to the essential. He is the Subject, he is the Absolute -she is the OtherWhereas a sexually confident woman and assertive woman is depicted as impure, bad and on occasions mad. Before World War II, women were particularly vulnerable to the former categorisation. But during the war, women participated in the work force as never before and thus asserting greater independence and autonomy. DuMauriers novel Rebecca, examines female sexuality, and its repercussions, in a society, which condemns its existence. Although both the novel and film reveals societys wish to keep the sexuality of women under control some of DuMauriers message lost in the translation of novel to film. However, the film was produced and directed by men so it was inevitable that their sex would affect the way they choose to interpret DuMauriers work on screen. As Helene Cixous says in her essay, The Laugh of the Medusa, it is impossible to produce a work of art that does not implicate your sex: I write woman: woman must write woman. And man, man. In both the novel and film, Rebecca is dead (she supposedly drowned the previous year) and is depicted as a threat due to her overt sexuality. Mrs. Danvers, Rebeccas devoted housekeeper, says, Ive seen them here, staying in the house, men shed meet in London They made love to her of course (p.245). Regardless of Rebeccas infidelities, her reputation remains intact; she is regarded as pleasant, beautiful and confident. Yet the double life she leads of wife and mistress is comparable to the duality of existence in which only men are allowed to indulge and thus threatens the structure of patriarchy. As Rebeccas housekeeper Mrs Danvers aptly states [Rebecca] ought to have been a boy (p.243). Rebeccas sexuality even threatens to destroy patriarchal dynasty. As Simone de Beauvoir writes in her essay The Second Sex: Marital infidelity where patriarchal traditions survive, still seems much more heinous for the wife than for the husband Womans adultery risks bringing the son of a stranger into the family, and thus defrauding legitimate heirs. Indeed the prospect of an illegitimate heir is the crux of Rebeccas death in both novel and film. In the novel Max, Rebeccas husband kills her when she boasts that she is pregnant by another man, however the coroner rules death by suicide. In the film, Rebeccas death is attributed to an accidental fall after Max has physically struck her after she reveals her unfaithfulness to him. The reason for this important difference is that the censors demanded that Max could not kill his wife without paying the penalty for his crime. Suicide was also frowned upon. However, Rebeccas death suggests that both novel and film are in agreement that patriarchal society views Rebecca actions as immoral and that her death is the only way to keep the structure of patriarchy in tact. Although, in novel and film, Rebecca is highly regarded within society, Demurer understood she needed to justify Maxs crime to make it plausible, so she takes steps to dehumanise Rebecca. Aside from Maxs derogatory words about Rebecca, other characters assist in creating a negative view of Rebeccas character. The village simpleton, Ben, calls her a snake (p.154); the biblical connotations of this image suggest irreparable female sin. Damning language such as this pave the way for Maxs confession and provides justification for Maxs wish to kill her in the film, and his actually doing so in the novel. Prior to Rebeccas death, both novel and film reveal that a doctor had diagnosed her with terminal cancer and that her pregnancy is in fact a malformation of her uterus that would have prevented her from having children. From the perspective of the patriarchal society, Rebeccas cancer, her infertility, and her death are all attributable to her sexually deviant conduct. The message to women is that female sexuality must be confined to their husbands and that any deviation will be punished because it undermines the superiority of men. Lesbianism in the novel also seeks to shake the foundations of patriarchy. The relationship between the spinster/housekeeper Mrs Danvers and Rebecca has homoerotic overtones. Mrs. Danvers tends to speak of Rebecca in sexual terms, especially in the novel. An example of this is when she recalls an incident involving Rebecca at sixteen: I remember her getting up on one of her fathers horses, a big brute of an animal too, that the groom said was too hot for her to ride. She stuck to him all right. I can see her now, with her hair flying out behind her, slashing at him, drawing blood, digging the spurs into his side, and when she got off his back he was trembling all over, full of froth and blood. The film, however, tends to diminish or soften lesbian overtones, because the film industry prohibited sexual perversion or any inference to it; images depicting Mrs Danvers stroking Rebeccas nightgown, as well as references to Rebeccas nude body were cut out of the film. Instead the film chooses to paint Danvers as being obsessed with her dead mistress. This was also arguably because Hitchcock et al did not want their patriarchal authority over Du Mauriers text of screen to be diluted by the presence of masculine women Both novel and film strip Mrs. Danvers of humanity in the same way Rebecca is. She is described in the text as someone tall and gaunt, dressed in deep black, whose prominent cheek-bones and great, hollow eyes gave her a skulls face, parchment-white, set on a skeletons frame (p. 66). Furthermore, Mrs Danvers is also punished by death for moving outside the confines of patriarchy. Yet although novel and film are in agreement concerning societys condemnation of Mrs. Danvers, however, they do not necessarily agree upon her punishment. In the film, Mrs. Danvers defies the patriarchal establishment a final time by burning down Manderley, yet is burnt to death as a result. In the novel, the there is no evidence to suggest that the fire has killed Mrs Danvers; all we know is that she cannot be found. In conclusion both novel and film explore the implications inherent for women who do not follow the doctrines of patriarchy as well as the differences between works of art produced by men and women. DuMauries emphasises the injustice of a man committing murder, by shooting his wife in the heart, and emerging unpunished, unblemished. The dispensability and devaluation of women is illustrated by the fact that Max remains free, and remarries just ten months after committing the murder. Even when he confesses to the murder he manages to horrifyingly convince his unnamed wife that Rebecca deserved to be killed due to his inability to control her sexuality. Whereas Hitchcock preserves the reputation and authority of Max by changing Rebeccas murder to a death by accidental fall, of which Max is innocent. This major alteration serves to dilute DuMauriers progressive thoughts regarding female sexuality and her condemnation of men and patriarchy. Thus it appears that Hitchcock smearing his own artistic authority all over DuMauriers work mirrors the male dominance over womens sexuality within the society of the novel. Bibliography Walder, Dennis, Literature in the Modern World, De Beauvoir, Simone, Woman and the Other, p.307 (Oxford University Press, 1990)

FAITH AND REASON DURING THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURY :: Essays Papers

FAITH AND REASON DURING THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURY During the seventeenth and eighteenth century many ideas were placed forth that ended up changing peopleà ­s faith and reason. These new ideas challenged humanà ­s conception of the universe and of oneà ­s place in it. They challenged the view of a person, and they also challenged the belief of the economy. There were many scientists and philosophers during this time period, Francis Bacon, Renà © Descartes, John Locke, Nicolaus Copernicus, Isaac Newton, and Adam Smith to name a few. All of these people contributed to the change in peopleà ­s faith and in their reason. They were given new ideas and a new way to look at life. Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) helped change peoples reason. People believed that most truth had already been discovered. And those who have "applied themselves to the invention of arts have but cast a glance or two upon facts and examples and experienceÃâ€"."1 Bacon believed that these people never really worried about the facts. He believed that these people were afraid that movements and changes in philosophy would end in assaults on religion. They were also afraid that their investigation of truth might be dangerous to them. But he believed "that all knowledge is derived from sense experience, observation, and experimentation"2 and that there was much left to be discovered. Bacon believed that we are servants and interpreters of nature. What we know and what we do is only what we have observed of natureà ­s order in fact or in thought.3 Renà © Descartes helped change the idea of how the person is looked. He also came up with a way of deductive reasoning. He believed that "human beings were endowed by God with the ability to reason and that God served as the guarantor of the correctness of clear ideas."4 Descartes believed in "I think, therefore I am."5 He believed that everybody had the ability to think for themselves. Descartes provided a way of deductive reasoning, a way to arrive at an answer. The first step of this process is not to accept anything to be true unless it was not clearly true. The second step is to divide each of the difficulties into as many parts as possible. The third step is to conduct thoughts in order. And the final step is to make detailed reports to make sure that nothing is omitted.6 This method was influential well into the

On Adam’s Curse Essay

William Butler Yeats is an Irish dramatist, author, and poet whose works are mostly classified as lyric and almost belonging to the age of the English romantics. He was a Nobel Prize awardee and one of the founders of the Irish Literary Revival. His works are the utmost expressions of his emotions and opinions and for such they are renowned. They have made Yeats the most influential English-writing poet of the twentieth century (â€Å"William Butler Yeats†). In his work, â€Å"Adam’s Curse†, which was published in 1902, Yeats exposed to his audience the depths of his mind. He spoke of his beliefs in beauty, how it may truly be seen, and achieved. More importantly it explained how beauty is truly understood and appreciated. Typical with Yeats’ other works, the poem has a consistent rhyme and meter. For every stanza, there is a definitive sound that ties all the lines together and makes the lyric piece progress smoothly to its meaning. The rhymes are external mostly by the end of each line and the point of view utilized is first person. This means that the speaker of the poem is present as the story of the piece unfolds. The speaker is the one who experienced a disturbing occurrence. Also the speaker is the one opining on the given occurrence, the one conveying the writer’s message. The initial clue as given by the speaker of the poem is in the first stanza, where the speaker was seemingly disappointed by people’s perception of true beauty. He said that he, together with the object of his affection is talking about poetry, and how beauty is created in difficulty. The disappointment set in when he stated that there are people who believe that they know beauty and yet they find artists and poets as lazy people. They do not see the labor that is poured into by creators in their works, yet they claim to know how to appreciate real beauty (Yeats). In the second stanza, the object of the speaker’s affection agreed with the speaker in saying that beauty needs to be labored upon. Merely admiration is not the basis for knowing true beauty, nor is merely reciting a beautiful poem. This is supported by the succeeding lines where the speaker further pointed that after Adam’s fall, there had not been anything beautiful that was not a result of hard labor. In the example which was given in the poem, the beautiful feeling of love. The speaker indicated that love is beautiful and it is not easily earned. A man needs to work to achieve the love of a woman. Merely knowing the feeling of love and not taking action upon it is not the true way of appreciating love. Lovers who work for their feelings are the good laborers, while those who keep their emotions are idlers. In the case of artists and poets, which seems to be the trade of the speaker, he who creates beauty by combining words to create an image that can convey a message are the true laborers. The businessmen and merchants who claim that they are lazy have no right to claim that they know the beauty in poetry or in paintings and many other forms of art. They have no right to attest that a work is of beauty because they do not accept the labor that is behind it. They fail to accept that the secret of beauty is that it never looks like it has been labored upon. Its power is to trap life’s wonders and make it appear at an arm’s reach. This is why it is relaxing and comforting. This is the message that the poem tries to convey. The writer is telling that artists and poets are not idlers. In fact, they have what may be considered as the biggest burden of all. They are to contemplate, imagine, and create a work that can console a sorrowing heart, or bring excitement to a bored soul. Their task is difficult as they are to hide hardships in their works. It is even worse than computing for the day’s sale. There is nothing routine in it, for routine can destroy its essence. Adam’s curse that made laboring necessary is a curse that is heaviest on an artist’s shoulder and this is what Yeats conveyed in his poetry. Works Cited â€Å"William Butler Yeats†. 2009. Nobelprize. org. 27 April 2009 < http://nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1923/yeats-bio. html >. Yeats, William Butler. 1902. â€Å"Adam’s Curse† the beckoning. com. 27 April 2009 < http://www. thebeckoning. com/poetry/yeats/yeats4. html >.

China If You Know China

Beijing, China If you know China, you must know the Chinese capital city of Beijing, but what is China like? What is Beijing like? Maybe you don’t know. China is too big for me to tell you about in this essay, but let me tell you about Beijing. Beijing has many famous places, such the Great Wall. Beijing is a beautiful city. It has many ancient buildings, and a lot of modern buildings. Beijing is the biggest city in the world. It has 16,808 square kilometers. Beijing is situated in the northwestern part of north China. To the west, the northwest, and the south, the city is surrounded by mountain ranges. The Great Wall is on the mountain ranges. To the northeast the ocean lies by the city. A long, long time ago the king thought this was a good place to build the capital city, so they built the capital city there. In the years that followed, the many kings still thought this was a good place for them, so this city is an ancient city; from there you can know about ancient China Next, I will tell you about the Great Wall. The Great Wall is really majestic ancient structure. It was built 2000 years ago. The Great Wall is on the mountain ranges. It crosses five provinces, and about 6500 kilometers long. It is the only man-made structure you see it from the moon. We are very proud about it. The ancient people used it for war. One famous person said â€Å"If you can go to the Great Wall, you will be a success. † It means that 2000 years ago, ancient people were able to build the Great Wall, so why can’t you make some great things? Therefore, many, many people travel to the Great Wall. Even if they can’t be successful, they can admire the majestic Great Wall. Now, I think you know some things about Beijing, but I haven’t told about all the beautiful places in Beijing yet. I want to keep something in case you have time to travel the Beijing; you will be surprised. I love Beijing very much. I hope you will like it, too.

9 Reasons You Might Be Failing at Your Careerâ€And How to Fix It

9 Reasons You Might Be Failing at Your Career- And How to Fix It The time has come to talk about the â€Å"F† word. (No, not that â€Å"F† word.) Failure. No matter who you are or what you do, that word usually has the power to strike fear. If you suspect you’re already failing in your life (for example, you’re not where you thought you would be at this point, or you’ve experienced setbacks), that can be incredibly intimidating. It may keep you from shaking off bad habits and picking up new ones that would get you in a better place. This is especially true in your career. It can be super easy to fall into an inertia bubble and then find yourself shrugging helplessly when you know it’s time to get out. Let’s look at some of the reasons you might think you’re failing at your professional life, and what you can do about them.1. You feel helpless to make changes.This is one I struggle with all. the. time. You may not think you’re helpless per se, but maybe you just feel overwhelmed by dail y minutiae, and you feel like staying afloat is all you can accomplish. If you’re managing only what comes your way, you’re troubleshooting rather than improving.What to do about it: Realize that you do have a say in your daily life, even at work where things might seem very regimented or non-negotiable. If you want to take more agency and control in your life, it starts with you. Learn to advocate for yourself, and negotiate what you want. You’d be surprised at what you can get if you learn to ask for it in the right way.2. You’re too busy blaming other people.I’d be much further along if Susan weren’t getting all the attention and good projects at work. I’d be making more money if Frank paid more attention to what I’m doing. I’d have a better job if it weren’t for my cat/my parents/my therapist.What to do about it: You do you. Your career is yours, and yours alone. This means that ultimately, your decisions are your responsibility- not your cat’s, your parents’, or your therapist’s. It’s time to stop blaming, and instead start thinking about what it would take for you to get what you want: that raise, the good projects, the job you want. Blaming others takes up a lot of mental energy, which you should instead be using to do an internal audit of why things aren’t working out the way you want- and what steps you can take to make progress.3. You’re settling for a mediocre status quo.This is an especially insidious kind of failure. You’re comfortable enough, have a job that pays your bills, but you’re not really going anywhere. It’s settling for the good-enough-right-now, at the expense of what is good for you in the future.What to do about it: Do things that scare you a little (within reason). You don’t have to go busting every piece of your status quo right now, but if you start by doing one thing every week that is outsid e your comfort zone, you’ll likely find that â€Å"status quo† expanding around you. Take on a project that is a bit of a stretch. Take a class in a new skill. Apply for that reach job. If you find yourself hesitating, ask yourself why, and what you have to lose if you go for it. And if the answer isn’t â€Å"it’s physically dangerous† or â€Å"this will cause a divorce,† then consider moving forward with it after all.4. You don’t have the resources or education.If you avoid applying for jobs because you don’t have the necessary skills, experience, or education, that feeling of failure may creep in while you’re browsing job openings. It’s hard not to feel like a failure if all you can see are closed doors.What to do about it: Take a class! Going for a new degree (or completing an old one) just may not be feasible for everyone, but there are often ways to get around the traditional â€Å"going back to school† model. For skill-building, sites like Lynda.com offer free or relatively inexpensive courses you can take on your own time. There are also many universities and colleges that offer part-time degree programs, or non-degree courses online. There are so many ways to stay academically active and keep learning, even when time or money is tight.5. You’re avoiding hard truths.Facing reality is hard. That’s why we have 8 million things to distract our attention at any given time. Cat videos, TV, social media- we all have ways of decompressing and avoiding reality for a while. Those are all temporary, though. Ultimately you’ll have to think about new and different ways of doing things, or facts that make you uncomfortable. If you’ve been avoiding thinking about your professional future because it might lead to uncomfortable realizations about the choices you’ve made and the ones you will need to make in the future, then you’re setting yourself up f or failure.What to do about it: Time for a little self-audit. Where are you in your career, what’s keeping you in it, and where do you want to be in five years? This is an exercise just for you- no one else will see or judge, so it’s important to be extremely honest about what you have, and what you want.6. You think you’re too old to make changes.We often pick our career paths pretty early in life, based on what we want to study in college, or what we think we’d be good at doing when we’re 18. And think about it: how well do many of the life decisions you made when you were 18 still hold up? How many of your hobbies and interests are the same? You’re not locked into a career that you chose because it seemed like a good idea at the time. As you change, you’re never too old to change your professional path.What to do about it: If you feel stuck in a path that doesn’t interest you anymore, think about making a change- no matter h ow significant. Think about what it is you want to be doing, and start doing real research into what it would take- like education, certification, or skills. These are all things you can work on in the meantime, before you make any big moves.7. Your fear of failure has you pinned down.Failing because you fear failure? Is that a thing? Yes, yes it is. It’s possible to back right into failure while you’re on guard against it, avoiding risky changes or proactive steps that could result in failing. This kind of failure is sneaky, because it comes right from the place you thought you were watching.What to do about it: Don’t be afraid to be bad at something, or to make a bad decision once in a while. Failure can actually be one of the great learning experiences, painful though it may feel in the meantime. By letting fear of failure paralyze you, it can kill your career progress. Your professional life thrives on both your successes and your failures.8. You’re o verestimating your abilities.Full disclosure: I’m failing at being a ballet dancer. This is because I am the biggest klutz ever, I don’t have the right body type, and†¦oh yeah†¦I have very few ballet skills. So Misty Copeland’s title is probably safe. But if I expected to be a ballet dancer at this point in my career, I’d be making a fatal assumption that I could be one in my current state. It’s one thing to be confident in the abilities you have, but another thing entirely to be confident that you’ll be good at something without the education or skills to back it up. This kind of mindset lets you get comfortable in the idea that you don’t need to learn or do new things, because you’re the best the way you are.What to do about it: Embrace your strengths, work on your weaknesses, and accept the need to be realistic about what you can do.9. You’re not setting realistic goals.If you’re not planning your car eer in a realistic way, of course you’re going to feel like a failure- you set it up that way yourself. Going from entry level to CEO in two years was never going to happen.What to do about it: Time to set up some SMART goals. That’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Based. Setting these career goals both in the short-term (say, for the next year) and the long-term (five years or beyond) will help you make progress that you can quantify. There are lots of apps and tools you can use to help you, but don’t underestimate the power of a good old-fashioned checklist, and the smug, well-earned sense of satisfaction you get as you check something off the list.If you feel like you’re failing, it’s never too late to stop, figure out why, and start taking concrete steps out of the muck. Understanding why you’re failing is the most important first step you can take.

Major General John Stark in the American Revolution

Major General John Stark in the American Revolution The son of Scottish immigrant Archibald Stark, John Stark was born at Nutfield (Londonderry), New Hampshire on August 28, 1728. The second of four sons, he moved with his family to Derryfield (Manchester) at age eight. Educated locally, Stark learned frontier skills such as lumbering, farming, trapping, and hunting from his father. He first came to prominence in April 1752 when he, his brother William, David Stinson, and Amos Eastman embarked on a hunting trip along the Baker River. Abenaki Captive During the course of the trip, the party was attacked by a group of Abenaki warriors. While Stinson was killed, Stark fought the Native Americans allowing William to escape. When the dust settled, Stark and Eastman were taken prisoner and forced to return with the Abenaki. While there, Stark was made to run a gauntlet of warriors armed with sticks. In the course of this trial, he grabbed a stick from an Abenaki warrior and commenced attacking him. This spirited action impressed the chief and after demonstrating his wilderness skills, Stark was adopted into the tribe.   Remaining with the Abenaki for part of the year, Stark studied their customs and ways. Eastman and Stark were later ransomed by a party sent from Fort No. 4 in Charlestown, NH. The cost of their release was $103 Spanish dollars for Stark and $60 for Eastman. After returning home, Stark planned a trip to explore the headwaters of the Androscoggin River the following year in an attempt to raise money to offset the cost of his release. Successfully completing this endeavor, he was selected by the General Court of New Hampshire to lead an expedition to explore the frontier. This moved forward in 1754 after word was received that the French were building a fort in northwest New Hampshire. Directed to protest this invasion, Stark and thirty men departed for the wilderness. Though they did find any French forces, they did explore the upper reaches of the Connecticut River. French Indian War With the beginning of the French Indian War in 1754, Stark began to contemplate military service. Two years later he joined Rogers Rangers as a lieutenant. An elite light infantry force, the Rangers performed scouting and special missions in support of British operations on the northern frontier. In January 1757, Stark played a key role at the Battle on Snowshoes near Fort Carillon. Having been ambushed, his men established a defensive line on a rise and provided cover while the rest of Rogers command retreated and joined their position. With the battle going against the rangers, Stark was sent south through heavy snow to bring reinforcements from Fort William Henry. The following year, the rangers took part in the opening stages of the Battle of Carillon. Briefly returning home in 1758 following his fathers death, Stark began courting Elizabeth Molly Page. The two were married on August 20, 1758 and ultimately had eleven children. The following year, Major General Jeffery Amherst ordered the rangers to mount a raid against the Abenaki settlement of St. Francis which had long been a base for raids against the frontier. As Stark had adopted family from his captivity in the village he excused himself from the attack. Leaving the unit in 1760, he returned to New Hampshire with the rank of captain. Peacetime Settling in Derryfield with Molly, Stark returned to peacetime pursuits. This saw him acquire a substantial estate in New Hampshire. His business efforts were soon hampered by a variety of new taxes, such as the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts, which quickly brought the colonies and London into conflict. With the passage of the Intolerable Acts in 1774 and occupation of Boston, the situation reached a critical level. The American Revolution Begins Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 and the start of the American Revolution, Stark returned to military service. Accepting the colonelcy of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment on April 23, he quickly mustered his men and marched south to join the Siege of Boston. Establishing his headquarters in Medford, MA, his men joined thousands of other militiamen from around New England in blockading the city. On the night of June 16, American troops, fearing a British thrust against Cambridge, moved onto the Charlestown Peninsula and fortified Breeds Hill. This force, led by Colonel William Prescott, came under attack the next morning during the Battle of Bunker Hill. With British forces, led by Major General William Howe, preparing to attack, Prescott called for reinforcements. Responding to this call, Stark and Colonel James Reed rushed to the scene with their regiments. Arriving, a thankful Prescott gave Stark the latitude to deploy his men as he saw fit. Assessing the terrain, Stark formed his men behind a rail fence to the north of Prescotts redoubt on top of the hill. From this position, they repulsed several British attacks and inflicted heavy losses on Howes men. As Prescotts position faltered as his men ran out of ammunition, Starks regiment provided cover as they withdrew from the peninsula. When General George Washington arrived a few weeks later, he was quickly impressed with Stark. Continental Army In early 1776, Stark and his regiment were accepted into the Continental Army as the 5th Continental Regiment. Following the fall of Boston that March, it moved south with Washingtons army to New York. After aiding in bolstering the citys defenses, Stark received orders to take his regiment north to reinforce the American army that was retreating from Canada. Remaining in northern New York for much of the year, he returned south in December and rejoined Washington along the Delaware. Reinforcing Washingtons battered army, Stark took part in the morale-boosting victories at Trenton and Princeton later that month and in early January 1777. At the former, his men, serving in Major General John Sullivans division, launched a bayonet charge at the Knyphausen regiment and broke their resistance. With the conclusion of the campaign, the army moved into winter quarters at Morristown, NJ and much of Starks regiment departed as their enlistments were expiring. Controversy To replace the departed men, Washington asked Stark to return to New Hampshire to recruit additional forces. Agreeing, he left for home and began enlisting fresh troops. During this time, Stark learned that a fellow New Hampshire colonel, Enoch Poor, had been promoted to brigadier general. Having been passed over for promotion in the past, he was incensed as he believed Poor was a weak commander and lacked a successful record on the battlefield. In the wake of Poors promotion, Stark immediately resigned from the Continental Army though he indicated that he would serve again if New Hampshire was threatened. That summer, he accepted a commission as a brigadier general in the New Hampshire militia, but stated that he would only take the position if he was not answerable to the Continental Army. As the year progressed, a new British threat appeared in the north as Major General John Burgoyne prepared to invade south from Canada via the Lake Champlain corridor. Bennington After assembling a force of around 1,500 men at Manchester, Stark received orders from Major General Benjamin Lincoln to move to Charlestown, NH before joining the main American army along the Hudson River. Refusing to obey the Continental officer, Stark instead began operating against the rear of Burgoynes invading British army. In August, Stark learned that a detachment of Hessians intended to raid Bennington, VT. Moving to intercept, he was reinforced by 350 men under Colonel Seth Warner. Attacking the enemy at the Battle of Bennington on August 16, Stark badly mauled the Hessians and inflicted over fifty percent casualties on the enemy. The victory at Bennington boosted American morale in the region and contributed to key triumph at Saratoga later that fall. Promotion At Last For his efforts at Bennington, Stark accepted reinstatement into the Continental Army with the rank of brigadier general on October 4, 1777. In this role, he served intermittently as commander of the Northern Department as well as with Washingtons army around New York. In June 1780, Stark took part in the Battle of Springfield which saw Major General Nathanael Greene hold off a large British attack in New Jersey. Later that year, he sat on Greenes board of inquiry which investigated the betrayal of Major General Benedict Arnold and convicted British spy Major John Andre. With the end of the war in 1783, Stark was called to Washingtons headquarters where he was personally thanked for his service and given a brevet promotion to major general. Returning to New Hampshire, Stark retired from public life and pursued farming and business interests. In 1809, he declined an invitation to attend a reunion of Bennington veterans due to ill health. Though unable to travel, he sent a toast to be read at the event which stated, Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils. The first part, Live Free or Die, was later adopted as the state motto of New Hampshire. Living to the age of 94, Stark died on May 8, 1822 and was buried in Manchester.

A Tragic Hero Things Fall Apart English Literature Essay

A Tragic Hero Things Fall Apart English Literature Essay Things Fall Apart is an intriguing story of how an Indian tribe is cultivated and one man’s pride brings him down. Okonkwo is flawed but has a desire to do good for his clan. As the protagonist the clan’s conflict is sought out by Okonkwo and his excessive pride. Building his compound from nothing, Okonkwo demands authority and power amongst his fellow clansmen. By the end of the story Okonkwo is unwilling to compromise due to his pride and is brought down by it even though he has a good clan stature and power. Okonkwo is a tragic hero and fulfils all the qualifications to be considered one. There are four criteria of a tragic hero, which shape the character’s fate. The character must be flawed but have the potential or want to do good, and have a lot of pride. Conflict is attempted to be resolved by the hero because they are often the protagonist. A protagonist is a leading character that is used to influence the direction of the plot. The tragic hero has oppor tunity, wealth, or power. In the end the tragic hero’s quality of excessive pride will bring him down and the opposite of what the reader thinks will happen does indeed occur. Okonkwo is the son of Unoka, who was a very lazy and worthless man who held no tribe titles and did not look after his family. Many people knew Unoka as this and his name was soiled. He borrowed lots of money from friends and deceived them by not so much as attempting to repay them. Having been born at this disadvantage Okonkwo had to work extra hard to have a normal lifestyle or even to rise above that as a leader in the Umuofia clan. â€Å"Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit†(Achebe, 19). This quote exploits Okonkwo’s father as a failure and defines Okonkwo as a tragic hero not because of his low birth status but because of the internal hatred it creates in him. He becomes cold he arted to anything weak or lazy and can not easily be pleased with anything. Later his son Nwoye leaves him because of his harsh treatment, even though Okonkwo had good intentions. Nwoye attended the Christian church and was brutally beaten when asked where he had been. A neighboring tribe committed a crime against the Umuofia clan and Okonkwo was sent as a messenger to lay out options. â€Å"And such was the deep fear that their enemies had for Umuofia that they treated Okonkwo like a king and brought him a virgin who was given to Udo as wife, and the lad Ikemefuna† (Achebe, 59). Okonkwo is very strong and his chi agrees with him making him more powerful. He is aggressive and respected due to his pride and confidence that he carries about himself. This leads him to be uncompromising and violent, but he uses these qualities for what he thinks is good.

Final project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Final project - Assignment Example I have developed interpersonal skills and got acquainted with the practical working environment. I have learnt to use the data handling tools and techniques. My researching and problem solving abilities are also developed in the course of resolving issues and data gaps that arose. Moreover, I have developed time management skills along with gaining the experience of working in teams. The company used the services of juniors and carried out the work. The objective helped them in understanding the training needs of new recruits and identified the potentially weak areas of new candidates who join them. They are able to test new candidate on the potentially risky areas to find the suitable candidate for future job positions on offer. The data gaps and errors made during the internship helped them in finding the areas that need further attention and changes needed in the software for users’ ease. The activation of SAP PCP functionality was achieved by the step by step collection of data and data entry in the software. I played a major role in data collection and assembled it for the forecasting exercise. The forecasts were produced as an approximation of the collected data adjusted for any changes in employee related costs in the current period. The budgets were prepared with careful attention given to any changes in the employment level, labor rates and amount of extra work provided by the employees. I kept the record of the progress as per the plans and updated the employees higher in the chain of command regarding any gaps. I developed progress management and plan reviewing skills in order to successfully accomplish the goals. Any discrepancy in the plans is properly accounted for by revising the plans. I also understood the techniques to identify and account for the data readiness gap during this phase. I demonstrated strong teamwork activities and management skills while achieving this objective. The

The marketing information system (MIS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The marketing information system (MIS) - Essay Example Above all, marketing is a tool that fulfills the needs of the people via a substituting process and creating enduring partnerships. Marketing Information System is created to provide back up when the need to come up with significant marketing decisions (Kotler, Keller, & Lane, 2006, p. 34). This can be explained as a structure where information regarding marketing is officially examine collected, recorded, examined and sent to administrators in reference with their information requirements regularly. According to Kotler, et al. (2006) marketing information system represents individuals, tools and processes that collect, classify, analyze, examine and dispense required, suitable and right information to the marketing administrators. p.42. This paper narrows down the topic to MIS methods and consumer behavior stimuli. It also outlines the link between MIS methods and consumer behavior stimuli. This paper is systematically structured whereby the main methods to develop marketing informa tion are first introduced. Later on in the paper, these three main methods are linked to consumer behavior stimuli, where appropriate MIS methods to address each buyer behavior stimulus (in B2C and B2B), is established. Finally, the paper discusses each Stimulus in relation to the nature and pros& cons of MIS tool. A large number of firms construct wide internal data bases, electrical compilations of data collected from data resources in the firm. Marketing managers have the ability to retrieve and manage the data and information presented in the data base to establish marketing chances and intricacies (Kotler, 1988, p 102). They can outline action plans and analyze the firms functioning from these internal databases. Above all, the information present in the internal data base can originate from a wide range of resources. For instance, the accounts division can come up with financial accounts and maintains

Globalization Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Globalization Strategies - Essay Example The simplest and easiest globalization strategy to implement is exporting. There are two types of exporting: indirect and direct export. When a company begins to use exporting to achieve globalization they implement indirect exporting. Indirect exporting involves the use of intermediaries to introduce a product into a foreign market. One of the disadvantages of indirect exporting is that the profits have to be shared with the intermediary. The second type of exporting strategy is direct exporting. Direct exporting can be implemented in several ways. Four ways to implement direct exporting are: Domestic based export department or division Overseas sales branch or subsidiary Traveling export sales representative Foreign based distributors or agents (Kotler, 2003). A second market entry strategy is licensing. Licensing is also considered a relatively easy way to achieve market penetration into a foreign marketplace. In a licensing agreement the licensor licenses a foreign company to use a manufacturing process, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other item of value for a fee or a royalty (Kotler, 2003). Due to the fact that a second party is involved in the process the profitability of this market entry strategy is lower than other options.

Identify and discuss two nutrition problems facing america and 2 Essay

Identify and discuss two nutrition problems facing america and 2 recommendations to lwer the risk and health coasts associated with these issues - Essay Example Eating a balanced diet is a nutritional value that the Americans have ignored or do not follow, thus the rising economic and individual costs on healthcare. Past researches portrays that restaurants have increased due to the increase in demand for food and drinks from the Americans who do not like cooking and not observing the need for balanced diet. These poor nutritional habits are the cause of many deadly diseases that are expensive to maintain thus the need for the essay to discuss some of them. Obesity and diabetes are the major illnesses caused by poor nutrition habits that affect most of the American citizens and they facilitate the emergence of other chronic diseases (Duggan, Watkins, & Walker, 2008). Obesity is a body mass index (BMI) that is greater than 30 kg/m2 and it is caused by overeating and consumption of food rich in fats. Obesity and over weight is increasing at an alarming rate in the U.S. and this disease has led to the government increasing its resources on this disease to $150 billion. In the past 30 years, obesity and overweight have increased and currently more than 60% of the adults are either obese or overweight. The individual expenses have increased due to the increase of people paying to reduce weight. The increment in obesity is identical to the increment of restaurants in the U.S. since most people have adopted the consumption of fast food and Trans fats. The rate of children obesity is also in the rise since in 1974 only 5.1% of children were obese. The reports released in 2008 reveal that more than 14.6% of children were obese (Pan American Health Organization. 2010). The issue of obesity has become a global crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed it in its top ten-health crisis, and it is undertaking measures to enlighten the world on the issue of healthy nutrition. The BMI used by the WHO has been changed and

Theories of Constructivism and Rational Choice Essay

Theories of Constructivism and Rational Choice - Essay Example This essay stresses that in both constructivism and rationalism, a lot of attention is paid to the interaction between the individual and the social structure but the notion is viewed from different lenses by the school of the thoughts. Constructivism has also tended to give more attention to the traditions and mutual understandings of legitimate behavior. On the other hand, this comes into clash with the perceptions propagated by rationalists who believe that the actors try to do the right thing rather instead of working for and reaping the most benefits from their given set of preferences. Constructivists do not give preference to structure over an agency or vice versa. However, this theory does not accept the notion of individualism which is widely accepted by rationalizing theorists. Constructivists have presented arguments against the individualistic ontology of rationalizing theorists; instead, constructivism has placed stress on social ontology. As the report highlights the aim of positivist theories is to imitate and reproduce in a similar form the procedures undertaken by natural sciences. This is done by reflecting upon and evaluating the effect of material sciences. Positivist theories are characterized by their capacity to take into account various features of international relations like the nature of interactions amongst states, the size of the army put into order by governments, the clash and balance of the authorities and the control of the states. On the same hand, the role of post-positivist epistemology comes into limelight. This epistemology refutes the notion that the social world can be investigated and studies upon for the purpose of gaining more insight into the dynamics of international relations by taking an  unbiased and value-free  approach. The concepts of neo-liberalism and neo-realism, as promoted by a number of theorists, are not granted credibility and substance for study of the social world. Th is follows that the rational choice theory and other theories that fall under the category of neo-liberalism and neo-realism are not a viable approach for knowing more about the social world in an academic way. Post-positivist epistemology  regards that these theories are not applicable for this purpose because the scientific method cannot be used for analyzing the interactions being carried out in social setups, and therefore a science relating to the international relations can never be established. One of the main differences between the two sets of theories is that while positivist theories, like neo-realism, present simple explanations, e.g. the rationales as for why and how power is to be used; post-positivist theories instead center on constitutive questions, like what exactly is meant by power, what builds it up, how it is experienced and reproduced. The rational choice theory   Evolution of Rational Choice Theory The rational choice theory is based on the views and conc epts of a man named Cesare Beccaria from the 1700s. Cruelty and harsh punishments were common in the period of the nineteenth century but Beccaria’s dedication to the field aided in eliminating such unjust practices. He believed

Globalization Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Globalization Strategies - Essay Example The simplest and easiest globalization strategy to implement is exporting. There are two types of exporting: indirect and direct export. When a company begins to use exporting to achieve globalization they implement indirect exporting. Indirect exporting involves the use of intermediaries to introduce a product into a foreign market. One of the disadvantages of indirect exporting is that the profits have to be shared with the intermediary. The second type of exporting strategy is direct exporting. Direct exporting can be implemented in several ways. Four ways to implement direct exporting are: Domestic based export department or division Overseas sales branch or subsidiary Traveling export sales representative Foreign based distributors or agents (Kotler, 2003). A second market entry strategy is licensing. Licensing is also considered a relatively easy way to achieve market penetration into a foreign marketplace. In a licensing agreement the licensor licenses a foreign company to use a manufacturing process, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other item of value for a fee or a royalty (Kotler, 2003). Due to the fact that a second party is involved in the process the profitability of this market entry strategy is lower than other options.

Theories of Constructivism and Rational Choice Essay

Theories of Constructivism and Rational Choice - Essay Example This essay stresses that in both constructivism and rationalism, a lot of attention is paid to the interaction between the individual and the social structure but the notion is viewed from different lenses by the school of the thoughts. Constructivism has also tended to give more attention to the traditions and mutual understandings of legitimate behavior. On the other hand, this comes into clash with the perceptions propagated by rationalists who believe that the actors try to do the right thing rather instead of working for and reaping the most benefits from their given set of preferences. Constructivists do not give preference to structure over an agency or vice versa. However, this theory does not accept the notion of individualism which is widely accepted by rationalizing theorists. Constructivists have presented arguments against the individualistic ontology of rationalizing theorists; instead, constructivism has placed stress on social ontology. As the report highlights the aim of positivist theories is to imitate and reproduce in a similar form the procedures undertaken by natural sciences. This is done by reflecting upon and evaluating the effect of material sciences. Positivist theories are characterized by their capacity to take into account various features of international relations like the nature of interactions amongst states, the size of the army put into order by governments, the clash and balance of the authorities and the control of the states. On the same hand, the role of post-positivist epistemology comes into limelight. This epistemology refutes the notion that the social world can be investigated and studies upon for the purpose of gaining more insight into the dynamics of international relations by taking an  unbiased and value-free  approach. The concepts of neo-liberalism and neo-realism, as promoted by a number of theorists, are not granted credibility and substance for study of the social world. Th is follows that the rational choice theory and other theories that fall under the category of neo-liberalism and neo-realism are not a viable approach for knowing more about the social world in an academic way. Post-positivist epistemology  regards that these theories are not applicable for this purpose because the scientific method cannot be used for analyzing the interactions being carried out in social setups, and therefore a science relating to the international relations can never be established. One of the main differences between the two sets of theories is that while positivist theories, like neo-realism, present simple explanations, e.g. the rationales as for why and how power is to be used; post-positivist theories instead center on constitutive questions, like what exactly is meant by power, what builds it up, how it is experienced and reproduced. The rational choice theory   Evolution of Rational Choice Theory The rational choice theory is based on the views and conc epts of a man named Cesare Beccaria from the 1700s. Cruelty and harsh punishments were common in the period of the nineteenth century but Beccaria’s dedication to the field aided in eliminating such unjust practices. He believed

Internet Critique Essay Example for Free

Internet Critique Essay Internet is an incredible and enormous source of information and, thereby, information searched on Internet must be evaluated for credibility to effectively serve the variety of users. This paper provides a critique of the website â€Å"Healthline†, according to the criteria of Thede and Sewell (2010). Healthline is one of the popular website among Internet users, that offers users to search for health topic and medical advise online (http://www.healthline.com). The users can find different treatment options available for a diagnosis as well as information about the drugs. It also allows the users to search for a specialist depending on their residential area. The criteria illustrated by Thede and Sewell (2010) is important in guiding users to differentiate between reliable and unreliable information. By using this criteria users become knowledgeable about evaluating the credibility of a website. The questions posed in the checklist prompt critical thinking process, and leads us to find the underlying intent of the website. The criteria assist users to check the validity of information by finding if the information is peer-reviewed or verified by qualified editor. Only if the found health information were from a valid scholarly source then it would be trusted. If the user’s intent is to validate the information then this criteria should be applied to any other website regardless of the underlying intent. For instance, commercial website’s sole intent is to sale their products. The Internet users now can search on the web for other websites that offer peer reviews on that product. Source Healthline runs by a company Healthline Networks Inc. Originally founded in 1999 but re-launched in 2005 with current name. Detailed description is given about the company’s motto, board of directors and management team in company-info section. A search for a specific disease results in a choice to go to different websites or choose the articles that are listed. If the editorial team does the article then no author name is specified, but it’s reviewed by a qualified MD with or without their credentials specified. But if the article is from an encyclopedia or another publisher, there is only author name is given with their affiliation and article’s published date but no author’s credentials. The last review date of an article is shown at the bottom of the page. The publisher name is shown as well with the copyright information. If author name is displayed, there is no link to contact the author. The link is available if the article is licensed from another publisher. There is no link available to contact the article reviewer. Funding Healthline is found to be a commercial site, generating its revenue mainly from the advertisement. It’s a free website for users. The home page is attractive and shows the advertisement at top and bottom of the page. There is also video advertisement with no audio, resulting in less distraction. The advertisements are clearly labeled and don’t spoil the user experience, therefore making the navigation easier. Validity and Quality The home page of Healthline shows the accessed date on top of the page and copyright information at the bottom. The last reviewed date is displayed at the bottom of each individual article. New articles are shown at the home page with the name of the editorial team member on top. But if user is looking for something specific then some of the articles searched are almost two years old. User has to thoroughly search for up to date information. There are appeared to be no content and typing errors. Information appears to be non-bias. The language used is comprehensible to a general user and lacks the jargon terms. If user navigates to the company info, the purpose of the website is clearly stated. Some of the articles are written by the editorial team and reviewed by an MD with published date but no credentials, while other articles are sourced from a third party publisher with some links functioning. The website claims that articles that are done by Healthline editorial teams are reviewed by the board of certified physicians and medical editors. Detailed information about Healthline medical advisory board and their editorial team is also available on the website, including the name of each member with brief summary of their credentials. Healthline acknowledges licensing the medical and health content from third parties for publication, with clear depiction of their name and a valid link. Some of their third party publisher reference partner include A.D.A.M., GALE Cengage Learning, Gold Standard, NBC Universal, StayWell, Harvard Health Publications, Reed Elsevier and more. Privacy Healthline privacy policy is well outlined in the company-info section. They clearly state what information they are collecting from users and with whom they share this information with. They gave a detailed overview of what type of anonymous information they are collecting. Anonymous information includes the type of queries done on the website by a user, but doesn’t include any personal information such as, name email-address or phone number. User can choose not to pass-on this anonymous information by disabling the cookies. Healthline pledges not to share any personal information of registered users to the third parties. In comparison to the recognized privacy policy statement of HON (Health on The Net Foundation, 2011) website, the personal information collected is also not shared with any third party. However, HON also gathers â€Å"non-personal† information using their web-server. HON’s privacy statement is short and lacks the details about the non-personal information. On the other hand, Healthline company-info section not only clarifies in detail to the users what are the â€Å"Cookies† and â€Å"Web Beacons†, but also specifies the privacy policy for the children under thirteen. Summary To summarize, the criteria by Thede and Sewell helps user develop a sense to evaluate the sources and credibility of information, based on author’s qualifications and credentials, source of publication, website’s purpose, and website’s privacy policy. All of the criteria are found to be of most importance in helping user to evaluate a website for credibility, especially if user is searching information about their health. The healthline doesn’t meet some of those criteria. The criterion of source is not met because of the lack of consistency in providing author’s name and credentials. Healthline needs to develop a consistency in displaying author’s name, credentials, affiliation, link to contact the author, article’s last reviewed date, and link to contact the article reviewer. The validity and quality criterion is also partially met. The third party publisher’s validity is verifiable in some case where links are functioning. Healthline needs to specify credentials of the article reviewers as well as the name of their editorial team’s member who wrote the article. Also the health information needs to be up to date. Healthline meets the criteria of funding and privacy policy. It clearly expresses its purpose, and acknowledges generating revenues form advertisement. Its privacy policy gives user a detailed view about the anonymous and personal information and how it is used, gaining user’s trust.

Dietary Diversity And Nutrition Status Health And Social Care Essay

Dietary Diversity And Nutrition Status Health And Social Care Essay Low birthweight (LBW) is defined as a body weight at birth less than 2500grams. Its main causes include prematurity (born before 37 weeks gestation) in developed countries and Intrauterine Growth Retardation IUGR (restrained foetal growth) in developing countries (ACN/SCN, 2000). Relationship between health of mother and child has also been established, maternal nutritional and health status is an important determinant of childs health and nutritional outcome. LBW infants end up undernourished and stunted children, adolescents and finally women of childbearing age. The main indicators of LBW infants include maternal stunting, low pre-pregnancy weight and low pregnancy weight gain. Thus generational stunting continues (Victoria et al, 2008). Households vary in definition and composition, especially in Africa. Households here in Africa mostly includes the extended family members both in definition and composition. This serves as social support network here and so adds income into the household if the members are economically active or if economically inactive, increases dependency ratio in the household. Mother and child pair nutritional status reflects household dynamics, availability of food, care of mother and child. It can also reflect gender segregation in household food allocation etc. The state of food insecurity 2001 defines Food security [as] a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (SOFI, 2002). Its three building pillars include availability, accessibility and stability of food. Availability entails physical presence of food in the household or area concerned; accessibility is concerned with the ability to acquire adequate amount of food and stability means constancy of food access which can be chronic or transitory. Chronic food insecurity exists when food supplies are persistently insufficient to supply adequate nutrients for all individuals. Transitory food insecurity occurs in the presence of temporary decline in access to adequate food because of instability in food production, food prices or income shortfalls. It is also necessary that available food meet the nutritional needs o f the household members, bringing in the component of food utilization. Resource poor subsistence farmers, landless households, pastoral household, female-headed household and urban poor are more vulnerable to food crisis (UN millennium project, 2005; FEWSNET, 2011). During the study period, coastal state of the Bayelsa, delta, Rivers and some portions of Jigawa in Northeast will experience moderate food insecurity. The coastal states will be affected by Niger-Delta crisis and potential pre-election tension. Pipeline vandalization, will continue to contribute to local water pollution, creating fish shortages among others. Flooding in the Northeast state of Jigawa will reduce household stock (Millet) causing food insecurity, with low cereal prices, above-average increase in tuber production. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines biodiversity as the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. In other words, it is the variety of life on earth at all levels, from genes to worldwide populations of the same species. The different Levels of biodiversity include ecosystem containing rich biodiversity, species and communities of species and different genotypes, and this includes agricultural biodiversity. All components of agricultural biodiversity relevant to food and agriculture and support the ecosystem that agriculture occurs is important (FAO, 2008). Thus, dietary diversity becomes important as a means of protecting the ecosystem. Dietary diversity can be defined as the number of different foods or food groups consumed over a given reference period, usually 1-2 week. Dietary diversity has been shown to improve nutritional status (Kant et al, 2000; Kiokia and Golden, 2004; Gibson et al, 2000). Thus, it also can aid in combating hidden hunger, and thus double burden. Dietary diversity is a reflection of household food security because depicts accessibility, availability of foods and to some extent stability. Hoddinott and Yohannes analysis of evidence from 10 countries links dietary diversity to household access of calorie and by extension food security (2002). Traditional food systems abound, and are currently going extinct because they are underutilized. The diet is shifting more towards an energy-dense based diet categorized by westernized and processed food, bringing with it the advent of non-communicable diseases like diabetes, coronary heart disease etc. Nutrition education aims to persuade individuals to make meaningful changes in their dietary behaviour. Studies have noted the importance and role in nutrition status and adequacy (Favin and Griffiths, 1999; Tarvinder et al, 2007; Mansour et al, 1994). In view of that, importance of nutrition education cannot be overemphasized in this scope, especially as traditional foods are available in its varieties but less consumed/sought-after. It becomes imperative that nutritional content and thus importance of these foods are once again extolled so that they can be consumed for optimum health. Biologically active substances have been found in traditional foods and functional foods include flavonoids etc. Information technology has opened lots of doors for education and knowledge in the world, which can be harnessed for promotion of nutrition education. Information technology used in education includes access devices, networking and communicating technologies, storage devices and e-learning platform (India policy brief, 2010). They pose great potential for acquiring knowledge especially at the subjects comfort. Phones have been used for teacher training with positive results among other things, MMS examples of teaching, audio lectures, SMS for reminders, motivational messages and short assessment questions etc. were used (ADB/Pouezevara and Khan, 2007). STATEMENT OF PROBLEM There is a dearth of information on the relationship between dietary diversity and nutrition status in Nigeria. There is also little information on shift of food consumption from traditional to processed western foods together with a gap in the quantification of the effect of nutrition education in enhancing dietary diversity. OBJECTIVES GOAL Optimize nutrition status of mother and child through dietary diversity and nutrition education SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES To identify the available foods in the surrounding/environment/locality and determine the neglected and underutilized local foods/species To identify the prevalence of malnutrition of mother and child To assess the dietary diversity in the food consumed by the mother-child and factors affecting it. To Investigate association between dietary diversity and nutritional status To ascertain the influence of nutrition education on nutritional status of mother and child. JUSTIFICATION Prevalence of malnutrition in Nigeria is currently high, especially in Under-Five. Currently, 41% of under-fives are stunted, 23% underweight and 14% wasted (NDHS, 2008). High Under-Five Mortality Rate propels continuous childbearing and with is accompanied maternal mortality due to nutrient depletion (El-Ghannam, 2005). Improved maternal health importantly pre-pregnancy status is vital for adequate growth and development of new foetus and to break intergenerational disease and poverty that can arise from poor health status during the first 1000 days (ACC/SCN, 1992). Lack of adequate nutrition education has led to improper feeding techniques of growing child, especially the under-fives. Traditional food systems are gradually becoming extinct and non-existent. The bulk of foods consumed are shifting base to western-influenced and processed foods (Bioversity International, 2006). High incidence of NCDS in developing countries and increase of double burden has been linked to monopoly in consumption of food and lack of dietary diversity. At the beginning of the 1960s, about 40% of the developing countries were chronically undernourished. Many developing countries have achieved 2700kcals. This high energy combined with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle has led to an increase in obesity and NCDS. The composition of the diet change to mainly high energy and fat etc. (Josef and Prakash, 2004). METHODOLOGY ANALYSIS OF OBJECTIVES Objective Variable Type of analysis To identify the available foods in the surrounding/environment/locality and determine the neglected and underutilized local foods/species Foods from Market survey, FGD and KII vs foods from DD Questionnaire To identify the prevalence of malnutrition of mother and child BMI, stunting, wasting and underweight To assess the dietary diversity of mother and child DDS of mother and child Computation To Investigate association between dietary diversity and nutritional status DDS and BMI/nutritional status indices Cross-tabulation To determine factors affecting dietary diversity DDS and socio-demographic, economic and household factors Cross-tabulation To ascertain the influence of nutrition education on dietary diversity DDS before and after nutrition education Paired T-test STUDY DESIGN The study will be a cross-sectional and descriptive study. STUDY LOCATION The study will be conducted in Anambra state. Anambra state is located in the south-east zone of Nigeria, with its state capital being Awka. On a longitude of 6 20 00N and latitude of 7 00 00E, the state has 21 Local Government areas. It has a land area of 4,416km2 and a population of 4,177,848, made of 2,117,984 males and 2,059,844 females (NPC, 2006). With a population of 473,248, Children Under -five account for about 11.35% of the Anambra state population. Onitsha North and South, Awka North and South and Nnewi North and South are all urban area in the state. Idemili, Oyi, Anaocha, Ogabru and Dunkofia are peri-urban, while the remaining Local governments are rural. With a population size of 369,972 (NPC, 2006), Aguata LGA is the 2nd largest LGA in terms of size and the largest LGA in terms of number of constituting communities 15 communities. The local government has the presence of a prison in Ekwulobia and the renowned Igbo-ukwu museum that houses artefacts and monuments from pre-colonial era. Like all other LGA in Anambra state, Aguata has its own share of ecological disasters, the most prominent being the Ekwulobia Oko erosion site. Other small-sized erosion sites abound in different communities in the LGA. The Staple food consumed here is mostly cassava and yam, eaten as fufu, garri, abacha etc. green leafy vegetables and fruits are also abundantly found. The planting season, marks the beginning of the annual year (Igu aro), and peaks during the harvest season. Map of Anambra State The study will be conducted in Uga, a town in Aguata LGA of Anambra state, in South East Nigeria. With a landmass of about 3790km2, it also has about 100,000 inhabitants. Uga shares its borders with Akokwa, Nkpologwu, Amesi, Umuchu and Ezinifite. The town is made of 4 villages namely Oka, Umueze, Umuoru and Awalasi. These villages have different clan, an average of 6 clans per villages. They include Oka, made up of Okwuowerre, Umuikpa, Umueziama, Amaeke, Okohia and Umucheke. Umueze is made of Umucheke, Ezihe, Umu-umeonye, Umudim and Umuonyike. Umoru village is made of Imishii, Umudieleke, Umuezekpoko and Umori. Awalasi village is made of Umunocha, Umuchiaku, Umuakabo, Umudim, Umuosu, Okwu, Agbako and Umuoweri. The community Uga, has 2 streams/waterbodies, namely, Obizi and Agwazi. While the former is potable and serves as a tourist site, its a taboo to fetch from the latter or visit. The population is predominantly Igbos with few settlers from other tribes. Almost every household has some form of garden or subsistence/small-scale farming; most of the food/fruits available in the market come from subsistence farming. Land tenure is mainly through inheritance and few by purchase. STUDY POPULATION Mothers with under-5 children in the study community. SAMPLE SIZE For the main study, all mothers with their youngest under-5 children in the town will be used. For the Key Informant Interview, The oldest individual in each clan will be used. A total of 24 subjects will be interviewed For the focus Group discussions, each group will have a minimum of 6 and maximum of 8 members in each of the 4 villages, comprising of both sexes. SAMPLING PROCEDURE A three-stage sampling technique will be used to select respondents/mother-child pair for the questionnaire survey. Firstly, Anambra state, will be purposively selected because food systems are eroded with language, an indicator of culture. The Igbo culture is the fastest eroding culture among all the 3 major tribes in Nigeria. Legend also has Anambra State as the origin of Igbo people in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria. Secondly, Aguata LGA with its headquarters at Ekwulobia will be purposively selected because in the local government, urban and rural communities are found. Its headquarters, Ekwulobia, serves as the entry point to numerous communities and Local Government. Its proximity to Federal Polytechnic, Oko and Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze, makes it a key point and central access area. While the headquarters remains urban, the surrounding communities, the study area- Uga included are still rural. It will be strategic to study the effects of the spills of urban development in the dietary practice of these rural communities. Thirdly using a table of random numbers, Uga was chosen as the study area and all villages in Uga town will be used for the study. SAMPLE SELECTION SELECTION OF QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONDENTS All the women living in the community with a child under-five years of age who consent to participate will be included in the study. Already participating women will also be asked for referrals of other mother-child pair. SELECTION OF FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION Using the help of research assistants, through non-probability sampling, 6-8 males and females aged 60 and above will be selected from each village and used for the focus group discussion. SELECTION OF KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEW the oldest person in each clan/village irrespective of gender will be used in Key Informant Interview. The individuals must be mentally acute despite disabilities/ infamy. MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT Food/Market Survey Questionnaire Focus Group discussion guide Key informant interview guide FAOs 16-item Individual Dietary Diversity Questionnaire for mothers and children aged 36-59 months Demographic Health Surveys 21-item Dietary Diversity Questionnaire for children Under 36 months Socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire for the mother. USIAD/FAOs 3-item Household Hunger Scale Food Frequency Questionnaire VARIABLES Socio-demographic characteristics Mothers DDS before the intervention Childs DDS before the intervention Mothers DDS after the intervention Childs DDS after the intervention HFIAS Score Nutritional status of child Nutritional status of mother Family dynamics and household characteristics Food Variety Score (FVS) Pattern of consumption COMMUNITY ENTRY Entry will be done through the different religious bodies (Christianity and traditional) and the community leaders. The community leaders include Uga Town Union, the Igwe and his council and also the individual village unions. They will be acquainted with the different objectives of the study and its advantages for the community members. They will also be requested to disseminate the information to the community members to get their cooperation. DATA COLLECTION Quantitative questionnaires will be used to collect baseline information from the communities. The questionnaires will be administered by twenty four (24) fieldworkers (research assistants). The research assistants will be selected one from each clan with at least a secondary school education. All of them will speak English and the local Igbo dialect of the community fluently. The research assistants will be carefully trained by the researcher. The study objectives, methods and questionnaires will be discussed with special emphasis on interpretation of result, Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) and nutritional status. Proficiency of the research assistants will be verified through role play and pre-testing. The research assistant will be supervised by the lead researcher through field monitoring to check quality. The Key Informant Interview (KII) and Focus Group Discussions will be conducted by the lead researcher and a note taker using the KII and FGD guides. The interview will be recorded, with the permission of the subjects. BASELINE As a means of assessing the current situation, baseline information of the study communities will be conducted. For this phase of the study a short food identification questionnaire, Appendix A will be used to document all foods encountered in the native nearby Igbo markets. Any new food and fruit type (species) or variety will be photographed with a digital camera and information about it will be gathered. Information to be gathered include trade name, local name, name of market sold, source of food/fruit, type of buyers, season when available and (recipe). Scientific and family name will be added following correct identification through books, internet and knowledgeable people in relevant departments of the University of Ibadan. All food items encountered will be classified into food groups. Since dietary diversity involves biodiversity food of plant and animal origin, aquatic and forest resources also found will be documented. MARKET SURVEY The market survey will be conducted on the 4 native Igbo market days Eke, Orie, Afor and Nkwo. Each communitys market operates on a given market day, example, Orie for Uga community, Nkwo for Umuchu community etc. A market survey of proximal markets to the study area will also be conducted. They include Orie-Uga, Nkwo-Uchu and Eke-Ekwulobia. These 3 markets fall on different Igbo market days (Orie, Nkwo, Eke), leaving out only one market day, Afor. Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and key-informant interviews (KII) will be carried out for foods not sold in the market, but consumed in the community. FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION Focus groups discussions will be facilitated in (different churches) each village to be used in the study by the lead researcher with a note-taker present. The use of FGD guide Appendix B will be employed and also a camcorder for recording and camera for photographs. Each FGD will have a minimum of 6 members and a maximum of 8 members. The purpose of the FGD is to learn about foods that are underutilised in the environment. The discussion will be conducted in native Igbo language dialect of the community. KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS The KII guide Appendix C will be used to conduct the KII. Respondents will be asked foods, farming systems and varieties of foods that are currently underutilised. They will also be asked about the source, harvest season, recipe of those foods and use. The interview will be conducted in the native Igbo language dialect. ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS Baseline anthropometric measurements will be taken of the mother (BMI) and child (Stunting, Wasting and Underweight). For the weights, electronic scales will be used. CHILDREN For children 0 to 23 months, their weights will be taken using the children weighing scale. Children 24 to 59 months and all mothers will be weighed using the electronic scale, after they have emptied their bladder. All weights will be measured to the nearest 0.1kg. For all weight measurements, the balance will be placed on a level hard surface and adjusted to zero balance before measurement. The subject will stand in the centre of the scale and looking straight. Light clothing will be advised in the absence of nudity. For the heights, children and infants less than 85cm will have recumbent length measured using a wooden measuring board (WHO, 1995). The infants heels will touch against the footboard, shoulders touching the baseboard and the crown of head touching headboard. Stadiometer will be used for children longer than 85cm. The subject will stand straight, looking ahead with the head, shoulder blades, buttocks and heels touching the plane. For weight-for-age and height-for-age, exact date of birth will be used. WHO Anthro v3.2.2 will be used to calculate weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height. The WHO standard Z-scores will be used. MOTHERS Body Mass Index (BMI) also called Quetelets Index calculated as weight (kg)/height (m2) will be used to assess the nutritional status of the mothers. The weights will be measured using the electronic scale, after they have emptied their bladder with the scale on a hard surface and adjusted to zero balance. The mothers heights will be measured with a Stadiometer. The subject will stand straight, looking ahead with the head, shoulder blades, buttocks and heels touching the plane. The classification of mothers BMI will be according to WHOs recommendation (2000) as shown below Classification BMI (kg/m2) Underweight Normal range 18.50 24.99 Overweight >= 25.00 Pre-obese 25.00 29.99 Obese I 30.00 34.99 Obese II 35.00 39.99 Obese III >= 40.00 HOUSEHOLD HUNGER SCALE (HHS) Food Insecurity Score (FIS) will be found using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), Appendix G. The HFIAS is 9-item access and frequency-of-occurrence instrument developed by USAID and FAO, with a recall of 4 weeks/30 days/1 month. The general occurrence questions cover domains that include anxiety about household food supply, variety and preferences of type of food and insufficient food intake and physical consequences. If the access question occurs, then the frequency of the domain question is asked and coded as often, sometimes and rarely. The maximum HFIAS for a household is 27, i.e., a situation where frequency of occurrence of all questions is often (3) and the least HFIAS is (0). The higher the HFIAS, the higher the food insecurity; the lesser the HFIAS, the lesser the food insecurity. DIETARY DIVERSITY Dietary diversity of mother and child will be assessed. The interview will be conducted on an Eke day, which is not preceded by a weekend. This is necessary as Eke day precedes an Orie day, which is the market day and dietary habits are synonymous with festive day. Also, Eke day is the only day without a proximal market to the community. MOTHER The 16-item FAOs Dietary Diversity Questionnaire, Appendix D will be used from which Individual Dietary Diversity Score (IDDS) for the mothers will be calculated. The food groups include cereals, vitamin A rich vegetables and tubers, white tubers and roots, dark green vegetables, other vegetable, vitamin A rich fruits, other fruits, organ meat(iron-rich), flesh meats, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds, milk and milk products, oils and fat, sweets and coffee/tea. To calculate Individual dietary diversity score (IDDS), the last two items sweets and coffee/tea are left out, while the others items each has a point. The mean IDDS, percentage consuming each food group and terciles as a measure of distribution of scores will be calculated. The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), Appendix H, will be used to calculate the Food Variety Score (FVS) and the consumption patterns of the mothers. Different varieties of food will be listed and scored. Their consumption will be noted as never, once a month, more than once a month, once a week, more than once a week, everyday and more than once everyday. CHILDREN For children more than 3 years, as with the mothers, FAOs 16-item individual dietary diversity questionnaire, Appendix D will be used, for foods eaten in the last 24 hour. The food groups include cereals, vitamin A rich vegetables and tubers, white tubers and roots, dark green vegetables, other vegetable, vitamin A rich fruits, other fruits, organ meat(iron-rich), flesh meats, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds, milk and milk products, oils and fat, sweets and coffee/tea. To calculate Individual dietary diversity score (IDDS), the last two items sweets and coffee/tea are left out, while the others items each has a point. The 21-item dietary diversity questionnaire, Appendix E, used in Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) will be used for children less than 3 years. The items on the questionnaire range from water, breastmilk, infant formula, green leafy vegetables, organ meats, fish etc. The IDDS will be calculated over 21 items. The mean IDDS, percentage consuming each food group and terciles as a measure of distribution of scores will be calculated. SOCIO DEMOGRAPHY Socio-demographic characteristics of the household will be collected, using Appendix F. Demographic characteristics of the mother will include Education, Age at marriage, current age, Childs date of birth, marital status, parity, religion. Economic information will include job, monthly earning, Access to farm, livestock ownership, food access market or farm production. Household details will also be collected, and they include type of household nuclear or extended, number of dependents in the family, number of household members, source of income and total household income. CLASSIFICATION OF UNDERUTILIZED SPECIES Underutilized and neglected food species and groups will be identified from the Dietary Diversity Questionnaire in comparison with the market research earlier carried out. MAPPING The map of the town Uga, will be digitized, using the nutritional status and dietary diversity. This will help monitor trends in nutritional status and DDS. DATA PROCESSING Data entry, computation and analysis will be done with SPSS v 17. Quality will be ensured through quality checks associated with data entry processes, double entry and further data cleaning through generation of descriptive analysis after data entry. DATA ANALYSIS Characteristics of the sample average mothers age, average childs age, mothers education, parity, occupation of mother, average household income, average DDS. Prevalence of malnutrition will also be assessed, stunting, wasting and underweight of the children and BMI of the mother. This will be done through Frequency distributions for qualitative variables and descriptive analysis for quantitative variable. DDS and nutritional status of mother (BMI) through cross-tabulation DDS and nutritional status of child (Stunting, wasting and underweight) through cross-tabulation with each indices. HFIAS and nutritional status of mother HFIAS and nutritional status of child Nutritional status of mother and nutritional status of child through cross-tabulation of mothers status with each individual nutritional index. Effect of socio-demographic, household characteristics and economic differentials on DDS and anthropometric measurements. A model for interactions of quantitative will be generated linear and logistic regression, the MIXED procedure for quantitative response variables (BMI and DDS) and the GLIMMIX procedure for dichotomous response variables. INTERVENTION Nutrition Education will be conducted in different ways to enhance the consumption of underutilised foods. Underutilized food/fruits/species that has been thus categorised will be promoted through nutrition education. A food/fruit/specie will be said to be underutilized if it is readily available in the environment but its consumption is low. Firstly, food and nutrient information of underutilized foods will be sent to the phones of mothers as a daily SMS in the native Igbo dialect for 30 days. A single food/fruit will be highlighted each day, including the different ways in which it can be consumed. Recipes will also be included, to enable the mothers attempt otherwise new foods. Using mass media e.g. posters, handbills and stickers, general awareness will be created on the underutilised foods in the town. The posters and stickers will be distributed on the towns market day Oye-Uga and at the different religious places in the town. Copies will also be made available to the participating women. Face -to -face nutrition discussion will be held for mothers in the clan with the lowest Dietary Diversity Score that correlates with low nutritional status of the Mother-Child pair. It will be held in the village hall, assessable to everybody. The discussion will seek to bring to the fore the underutilized food in the community, and the different recipes for preparation of the foods. ENDLINE/EVALUATION The IDDS of both mother child pair will be assessed again to calculate the post-intervention practise. This will help ascertain if the intervention impacted knowledge to the mother as evidenced by the post-intervention IDDS. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION Ethical clearance will be sort from the Health Ethical Review Committee (HREC) of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan. EXPECTED OUTCOME It is expected that at the end of the study, adequate knowledge on importance of dietary diversity will be garnered by the mothers and visible in their feeding practice, of both themselves and their children. TIMELINE FOR THE STUDY Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Activity/Month Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Community Entry Recruitment of Research Assistants and Training Market Survey Key Informant Interview Focus Group Discussion Administration of Questionnaire Analysis of Baseline Data Intervention Collection of Endline Data Analysis of Endline Data BUDGET

Electronic Performance Monitoring Essay -- Business Management

Companies (organizations) are adopting the use of various forms of modern technologies to improve their performance. Most of these technologies are implemented to check on performance and management of these organizations. The technologies are computer based and are mostly used to check employees’ performance (Ludwig & Goomas, 2010, p. 393). The technologies also help these organizations to evaluate employees based on their performance. One of such technologies is the electronic performance monitoring, which is the latest advancement (Lliopis, Gonzalez, & Gasco, 2005, p. 215). The electronic performance monitoring (EPM) advancement refers to application of technology to check what employees do while at work. In other words, this technology monitors workers’ productivity output, which includes how effectively the employees utilize their work time (Lliopis, Gonzalez, & Gasco, 2005, p. 218). The organizations, which have installed EPM in their premises, have an easy task of monitoring the interruptive activities their employees get involved in. Such activities include making and receiving phone calls and receiving and sending personal mails among others (Ludwig & Goomas, 2010, p. 394). EPM has advantages as well as disadvantages. However, the advantages are more pronounced than the disadvantages. For instance, the electronic device helps to save time in an organization. The device has the ability to gather metric data annually and is able to use the human resource formulas, as well as evaluate and grade employees based on their performance. EPM also ensures that appraisals are only viewed by the individuals who they are intended for (Lliopis, Gonzalez, & Gasco, 2005, p. 222). This has a positive effect on the company since it enh... ...al decision to implement electronic surveillance at work: A research framework. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 13(3), 244-268. Lliopis, J., Gonzalez, R. M., & Gasco, J. L. (2005). Transforming the firm for the digital era: An organizational effort towards an E-culture. Human System Management, 23(4), 213-225. Ludwig, T. D., & Goomas, D. T. (2010). Real-time performance monitoring, goal-setting, and feedback for forklift drivers in a distribution center. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82(2), 391-403. McNall, L. A., & Roch, S. G. (2009). A social exchange of employee reactions to electronic performance monitoring. Human Performance, 22(3), 204-224. Smith, W. P., & Tabak, F. (2009). Monitoring employees e-mails: Is there any room for privacy? The Academy of management Perspectives Archives, 23(4), 33-48.