Utilizing Online Social Networking Sites Paper

Utilizing Online Social Networking Sites Paper Class: BSHS/352 Technology is constantly expanding and making it easier and more convenient to communicate and network with individuals and various organizations that we may not otherwise of had the opportunity to connect with. One area of technology that is growing at a fast rate and offering individuals and businesses, rather it be their professional life or personal the opportunity to make lasting connections is social networking sites. Social networking has become an excellent tool for businesses and individuals to connect and share information that can prove vital to their business.Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are becoming popular and are an effective way to grow your business whether it is through networking with similar organizations and getting beneficial information from them or expanding your cliental by reaching out to those who may need or want your services. LinkedIn has become a vital tool used by the working profession al, assisting them with making connections or linking up with other working professional to share what work and what doesn’t work as well as connecting them with local or online support groups or networking groups.Members of LinkedIn are able to create a profile that gives a detail list of their educational background as well as their work experience. Users are able to browse the social networking site to view the profiles of other individuals, organizations, or companies within their field and follow the organization of choice and their postings. My ultimate dream is to create a nonprofit organization that is geared toward targeting at risk youth and their families.The whole concept is to help the whole family and not just focus your attention on the youth that may be having emotional or behavioral issues but offer mental and emotional support for the entire family, implementing various programs and workshops that will assist the entire family in growing, working, and playin g together. Networking sites like LinkedIn can prove to be vital as I take the steps necessary to make this dream a reality. As I was browsing through the site I came across a few groups in my local area that met up monthly for lunch to discuss the ideas and challenges of those looking to start a nonprofit.I also took the time to search for companies or organizations that were geared toward working with and advocating for children. I was really quite excited to be able to look at their profile, view their web pages and doing so helped me to get some ideas and get my juices flowing. I have considered making connections with the various organizations I have seen on LinkedIn in hope that they could link me to information, people, and training opportunities that could possibly put me one step closer to my dream.I am also interested in going to the next luncheon for nonprofit communicators in Raleigh just to get feedback regarding my idea and you never know someone at one of these lunche ons could either help me get closer to making my dream a reality or can link me to an individual or organization who can. I have found sites such as LinkedIn can prove to be extremely beneficial in making lasting connections within the business community and it gives those with businesses the opportunity to link up with other businesses to get feedback, advice, and possibly connect you with someone who can help you take your organization or company to the next level.This site also enables professionals to come together with the common ground of helping and motivating each other. Within the human service field this site can connect you to so many resources that can only assist in providing your clients with the ultimate experience. Having a site where human service workers from all fields and from all areas can come together online and share their experience, advice, and resources can prove to be helpful to the community as a whole.LinkedIn not only connect likeminded people but it o ffers an opportunity to share information regarding training and workshops that could assist organizations in staying up to date with the latest software and/or regulations. Such training and workshops can keep your organization competitive and allows you to offer your clients the best possible service. The best way to keep any business or organization growing is to continue to gain knowledge in your particular field.Always be willing and open to learning and growing, this is what the training and workshops are there for to assist businesses and organizations in improving their techniques and staying relevant and competitive. Sites such as LinkedIn can offer you the ability to gain knowledge and training from some very successful people. Human service workers who use online social networking sites such as LinkedIn can find being affiliated with professional groups and connections to offer more than just sharing experiences, advice, training, and connections to resources.Another bene fit to being a part of an online community such as LinkedIn is the ability to request referrals from the connections you met online. Users can also request sponsorships or recommendations from other users. Human service workers who are affiliated with sites such as LinkedIn may also be able to connect with local churches that could assist connecting the human service worker to the communities that need their assistance the most. Employers often look at profiles on these online social networking sites to assist them in finding employees as well.Although social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn are excellent tools to stay connected to various resources there are other technical tools that can be used to expand and maintain your connections. Smartphones have proven to be a vital tool to use as well with various applications directed at making the life of professionals easier. The goal of a human service worker is to effectively and efficiently assist the client in improvin g their lives and often times this requires connecting them to other resources.Social networking sites such as LinkedIn can assist human service workers in making numerous connections all at the touch of a mouse to various resources and training opportunities. Having online support that provide advice, training, and encouragement, of the human service worker can assist them in helping their clients meet their goals. Reference: 2012. LinkedIn. com. Retrieved from http//www. linkedin. com/home? trk_tab_home_top

Chronic Disease In St Lucia Health And Social Care Essay

Chronic disease is a disease of a long continuance and by and large slow patterned advance ( WHO, 2010 ) . The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics states that a chronic disease is one enduring 3 months or more. These chronic diseases usually can non be prevented by vaccinums or cured by medicine, nor do they merely disappear. Chronic diseases are chiefly caused by three major hazard factors – baccy usage, hapless eating wonts and physical inaction. Majority of these hazard factors are themselves worsened by hapless socioeconomic determiners, such as deficiency of instruction and poorness. Most frequently these determiners are a indicant of the chief forces driving societal, economic and cultural passage, including globalization, urbanization and an ageing populations. Chronic diseases are impacting population wellness as the epidemiological passage advancements and are the lead cause of mortality worldwide and pose increasing jobs for the load of disease and quality of life in developed and developing states ( WHO, 2003 ) . Non catching diseases include a wide scope of conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, malignant neoplastic diseases, chronic respiratory disease, mental-health jobs and musculo- skeletal upsets. The first four mentioned above history for about 50 % of mortality globally, and portion behavioral hazard factors, such as extra Calorie ingestion, diets high in saturated and transfatty acids, inordinate consumption of intoxicant, physical inaction, and baccy smoke. Approximately 35 million people have died from bosom disease, shot, malignant neoplastic disease and other chronic diseases in the twelvemonth 2005. The loads of these diseases are every bit shared among work forces and adult females, and are more prevailin g in people under the age 70 ( WHO, 2004 ) . 80 % of chronic disease deceases occur in low and in-between income states. Figure 1: Global distribution of entire deceases ( 58 million ) by cause in 2005. The age-specific decease rates between the old ages 2005 – 2015 are projected to fluctuate somewhat, Nevertheless, the ageing populations will ensue in an overall addition in chronic disease decease rates for all ages combined. In 2005, all chronic diseases account for 72 % of the entire planetary load of disease in the population aged 30 old ages and older. The entire lost old ages of healthy life due to chronic diseases, as measured by DALYs, are greater in grownups aged 30-59 old ages than for ages 60 old ages and older. More than 80 % of the load of chronic diseases occurs in people under the age of 70 old ages. Table 1: Projected planetary deceases and load of disease due to chronic disease by age 2005- 2015 Deaths ( Million ) DALYs ( 1000000s ) Deaths per 10000 DALYs per 100000 2005 2015 2005 2015 2005 2015 2005 2015 0-29 old ages 17 15 220 219 48 40 6320 5994 30-59 old ages 7 8 305 349 311 297 13304 13375 60-69 7 8 101 125 1911 1695 27965 26396 a†°?70 20 24 99 116 6467 6469 32457 31614 All ages 35 41 725 808 549 577 11262 11380 World Health Organization undertakings that, globally, NCD deceases will increase by 17 % over the following 10 old ages. The greatest addition of 27 % and 25 % severally will be seen in the African part and the Eastern Mediterranean part ( WHO, )1.2 Types of chronic diseases1.2.1Cardiovascular diseaseCardiovascular disease CVD is the term used by the scientific community to encompass non merely conditions of the bosom [ ischaemic bosom disease ( IHD ) , valvular, muscular, and inborn bosom disease but besides high blood pressure and conditions affecting the cerebral, carotid, and peripheral circulation. The hazard of CVD is related to diet, physical activity, and organic structure ( ) . The forms of nutrient supplies and of nutrient and nutrition that modify the hazard of CVD are besides good known. Whereas CVD was one time mostly confined to high-income states, it is now the figure one cause of decease worldwide every bit good as in low- and middle-income states, where 80 per centum of the universe ‘s 13 million one-year CVD deceases occur. And at least 21 million old ages of disability-adjusted life old ages ( or DALYs, a step of future productive life ) are lost globally because of CVD each twelvemonth. The huge bulk of CVD can be attributed to conventional hazard factors such as baccy usage, high blood force per unit area, high blood glucose, lipid abnormalcies, fleshiness, and physical inaction. Cardiovascular diseases are major cause of chronic disease decease and were accounted for of 17 million deceases in 2002. It is estimated that by the twelvemonth 2030, 24 million will decease of CVD, of which 80 % will happen in low and in-between income states ( 5 ) .1.2.2 CancerCancer is a major and turning disease load worldwide. The figure of new malignant neoplastic disease instances is projected to increase from 10 million in 2000 to 15 million in 2020, 9 million of which would be in developing states. The epidemiology of malignant neoplastic disease in developing states clearly differs from that in developed states in of import respects. While developed states frequently have comparatively high rates of lung, colorectal, chest, and prostate malignant neoplastic disease ( some of which is tied to tobacco usage, occupational carcinogens, and diet and lifestyle ) , up to 25 % of malignant neoplastic diseases in developing states is associated with chronic infections. Seven types of malignant neoplastic diseases account for about 60 per centum of all freshly diagnosed malignant neoplastic disease instances and malignant neoplastic disease deceases in developing states: cervical, liver, tummy, esophageal, lung, colorectal, and chest.1.2.3 Respiratory DiseasesChronic grownup respiratory diseases-such as chronic clogging pneumonic disease ( COPD ) and asthma-are a major and turning load in footings of morbidity and mortality in the underdeveloped universe. COPD ( which includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and clogging air passages disease ) is mostly linked with coffin nail smoke every bit good as exposure to unvented coal-burning cookery ranges ; it accounts for 2 per centum of lost DALYs on a world-wide footing.1.2.4 Diabetes MellitusDiabetes affects people worldwide and is one of the oldest diseases known. There are two common types of this disease: type 1and type 2 diabetes. Type-1 diabetes histories for 5-10 % of all diagnosed diabetes. Type-2 diabetes is the most common signifier of diabetes. It accounts for 90-95 % of diagnosed diabetes. The World Health Organization ( WHO ) estimated the world-wide prevalence of diabetes in grownups to be around 173 million in 2002 and predicted that there will be at least 350 million people with Type 2 diabetes by 2030. At present about two-thirds of individuals with diabetes live in developing states and the bulk of new instances will arise from these countries. The planetary addition in the incidence of diabetes is related to high degrees of fleshiness associated with a alteration from traditional diets, decreasing degrees of physical activity, population ripening and increasing urbanisation. Diabetess Mellitus is the most prevailing signifier of diabetes on the planetary graduated table ( 6 ) . For the past few decennaries, Diabetes Mellitus has reached epidemic proportions in many parts of the universe. The World Health Organization ( WHO ) has predicted the planetary prevalence of all Diabetes will increase from 194 million in 2003 to 330 million in the twelvemonth 2030 ( 7 ) .1.2.5 High blood pressureAnother normally happening chronic disease is high blood pressure. High blood force per unit area increases the hazard of bosom disease and shot. Hypertension is sustained high blood force per unit area ( a†°?140/90mmHg ) . Blood force per unit area itself is the force per unit area exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vass. Each clip the bosom beats ( about 60-70 times a minute at remainder ) , it pumps blood into the arterias. Blood force per unit area is at its highest when the bosom beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic blood force per unit area. When the bosom is at remainder, between beats, blood force per unit area falls. This is diastolic force per unit area. Blood force per unit area itself is non harmful – it is indispensable as it is the force that drives blood through the blood vass to provide O and foods to the organic structure ‘s variety meats and tissues and transport off godforsaken stuffs. However, when blood force per unit area becomes excessively high it has detrimental effects on about every portion of the organic structure and can take to serious unwellness and decease. Hypertension is an of import public wellness challenge worldwide because of its prevalence and its function as a hazard factor for cardiovascular disease. Some of the hazard factors of high blood pressure include fleshiness, intoxicant, household history, and smoke. There are two types of high blood pressure, viz. primary high blood pressure and secondary high blood pressure. Primary high blood pressure is more common, happening in 90-95 % of the high blood pressure population. There is no identifiable cause and it develops bit by bit over many old ages. Secondary high blood pressure occurs in 5-10 % of the high blood pressure population. ( ) In the twelvemonth 2000 it was estimated that the entire figure of grownups with high blood pressure was 972 million. Of these, 333 million were estimated to be in developed states and 639 million in developing states ( 0 ) . Kearney PM et al. , predicted that by the twelvemonth 2025, the figure of people with high blood pressure will increase by about 60 % to a sum of 1.56 billion. ( Kearney PM et al. , 2005 ) the grounds are the go oning population addition and alterations in life style, which includes a diet high in sugar and high-fat processed nutrients and sedentarism.1.3 Impact of chronic disease in the CaribbeanCaribbean states are in epidemiological passage, where non merely nutritionary lacks have well declined but infective diseases have besides been vanishing. However, over the last 30 old ages, nutrition-related chronic non-communicable diseases have easy emerged as the major public wellness jobs. Non-communicable diseases ( NCDs ) have bit by bit displaced catching disea ses in the Caribbean. Ratess of chronic non-communicable disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and malignant neoplastic disease have been increasing in the Caribbean and are the taking cause of mortality and mobility in the part ( Ragoobirsinghet al. , 1995, 2002 ; Wilkset al. , 1998, 1999 ; Figueroaet al. , 1999 ; Rotimi et al. , 1999 ; Cruickshanket al. , 2001, Figueroa, 2001 ; Sargeantet al. , 2001 ; Henniset al. , 2002a, B ; Corbinet al. , 2004 ; Wolfeet al. , 2006 ) . Of concern is the fact that while the prevalence and mortality rates of these diseases are highest in the aged, they are non restricted to any one age group. An estimated 10 % to 20 % of the Caribbean population over 20 old ages of age suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure, severally, with prevalence more than duplicating at older ages ( Hennis et al. , 2002a, B ) . High blood pressure and diabetes rank as the two taking chronic upsets among Caribbean populations and are bes ides major hazard factors for other diseases such as cerebrovascular disease ( shot ) and coronary bosom disease. Prevalence of chronic diseases in the Caribbean part over the base on balls 3 decennaries Another dramatic epidemic among the Caribbean population is the high prevalence of fleshy [ organic structure mass index ( BMI ) & gt ; 25 kilogram ma?’2 ] and fleshiness ( BMI & gt ; 30 kg ma?’2 ) . Approximately half of the grownup Caribbean population is fleshy and 25 % of big Caribbean adult females are corpulent ( Henry, 2004 ) . The intensifying tendency in fleshiness is considered to be a major causative factor in chronic disease prevalence in the part. The increasing fleshiness degrees, chiefly among adult females, possibly associated with the alterations in traditional diets and the acceptance of sedentary life styles. In some the islands more than half of big adult females are reported to be corpulent. Datas from Barbados highlights the importance of fleshiness as a hazard factor in chronic diseases. Based on available grounds, corpulent individuals, ( BMI & gt ; 30 ) of 40-79 old ages had a 2.6 times greater hazard of high blood pressure than individuals with BMI & lt ; 25, and corpulent adult females had 5.2 times the hazard of developing diabetes. It is estimated that cut downing fleshiness in the Barbadian population could cut down high blood pressure and diabetes by 30 % and 33 % severally.1.4 Impact of chronic disease in St. LuciaSt. Lucia has undergone a important demographic passage in the last 3 decennaries ( Wilks, et al. , 1998 ) . Some characteristics of this passage include the rise in the average age of the population from 20 old ages to 15 old ages between 1970 and 2010, the doubling of the proportion of individuals older than 60 old ages old from 5000 to over 17,000 and the addition in life anticipation at birth from less than 50 old ages in 1950 to greater than 73 old ages in 2010 ( World population prospectus, 2008 ) . As a consequence, the chief causes of unwellness and decease in St. Lucia and many other Caribbean islands and parts at a similar province of development are the chronic non-communicable diseases ( Sargea nt et al. , 2001 ) . There is an increased prevalence of diet-related chronic non-communicable diseases, such as cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes and fleshiness. ( Wilks et al. , 1998 ) . Between 1992-1999 in St. Lucia, preventable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and circulative systems accounted for 20.8 % of deceases, with the major causes being cerebrovascular disease, ischaemic bosom disease, and hypertensive disease. Other major causes of decease were malignant neoplastic diseases ( 14.5 % ) , disease of the digestive system ( 8.7 % ) , and diabetes ( 7.2 % ) ( 8 ) . Approximately 1,304 deceases were due to diseases of the circulatory system and was accounted for 33 % of all reported deceases, decease due to cerebrovascular was ( 35.9 % ) , hypertensive disease ( 14.8 % ) , and ischaemic bosom disease ( 13.6 % ) ( Health in America, 1998 ) . There were 731 deceases due to cardiovascular disease from 1996 to 1999, accounting for 19 % of all deceases and 53 % of deceases ratio of 5.8:1. Most ( 21 or 62 % ) occurred in the 15-44 old ages age group, and had a male-female ratio of 9.5:1. Cardiac apprehension caused 268 cardiovascular deceases ( 37 % ) , ischaemic bosom disease 174 ( 24 % ) , pneumonic circulation and other signifiers of bosom disease 134 ( 18 % ) , and bosom failure 153 ( 21 % ) . Females accounted for 359 ( 49 % ) of deceases due to cardiovascular disease, and individuals 60 old ages of age or older accounted for 588 deceases ( 80 % ) . ( WHO statistics ) . Based on PAHO statistic St. Lucia is the 10th taking island in the Caribbean with high rates of non- catching chronic disease, accounting for about 63 % . Over the old ages prevalence of non catching diseases have been increasing, in a study done by the Kairi advisers limited in association with the national appraisal squad of St. Lucia concluded the undermentioned findings for the twelvemonth 2005 to 2006 for the distribution of chronic disease in St. Lucia. Irrespective of per capita ingestion quintile, high blood force per unit area was the most prevailing lifestyle disease impacting individuals with diseases in St. Lucia. In every quintile group, it besides shows that the prevalence of diabetes ranks second to high blood force per unit area as a life clip disease impacting individuals with diseases in St. Lucia. In each of the quintile groups, more than three fifths of the individuals with diseases reported enduring from high blood force per unit area while more than one one-fourth reported enduring from diabetes. In the twelvemonth 2007 diabetes and Hypertension were the two the most permeant and declining wellness jobs confronting the island of St Lucia. The diseases afflict a wide swath of people, immature and old. St. Lucia has a population of about 160,000 thousand people, and of this 28.1 % of the population have abnormal blood glucose or high blood sugar and 8.1 % have diabetes ( Graven et al. , 2007 ) . 20 % of people over 40 old ages of age suffer with the disease ( the ministry of wellness 2007 ) . At least 35 % of those with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus do non cognize that they have the status ( The Ministry of Health, 2008 ) . In rural country of St. Lucia the proportion with undiagnosed diabetes is well higher ( St. Lucia Diabetic Society, 2008 ) . At the clip of diagnosing, every ten percent individual with diabetes has already developed one or more micro- or macro-vascular complications ( Ministry of Health, 2008 ) . Diabetess is among the taking cause of decease. If inadequately treated, diabetes can do sightlessness, kidney disease, nervus disease, amputations, bosom disease, and shot. Even painstaking and well-treated diabetics often suffer from these complications and have above-average medical costs. If observed, the Native St. Lucian has many barriers to wellness instruction, which fundamentally involves their civilization, life style, handiness and socio-economic position. For case, St. Lucian is presently sing a crisis of poorness. Peoples from lower socioeconomic position have poorer wellness than those in higher socioeconomic places. Assorted surveies have reported the relationship between low socioeconomic position and the development of chronic disease ( ( Lynch et al, 2000 ; Stelmach et Al, 2009 ; Supriya et Al, 2009 ) . Recent poorness appraisals in St. Lucia estimation that 18.7 % of families and 25 % of the population live in poorness. Income inequality is high, with 26 % of the population characterized as inveterate hapless ( MPDEH, 2003 ) . That same study estimated that a decennary subsequently in 2005/06 the poorness rate had increased to 28.8 % of the population ( Government of St. Lucia ( GOVST ) , The appraisal of Poverty volume1, 2006 ) .The highest poorness rates in2005/06 were in the territories of Anse La Raye/Canaries ( 44.9 % ) , Micoud ( 43.6 % ) , Soufriere ( 42.5 % ) and Laborie ( 42.1 % ) . The poorness spread and poorness badness besides occurred in these same territories ( GOVST, 2006 ) Furthermore, because of poorness and life in rural countries, most people consume less expensive and frequently high fat nutrients, and less fruits and veggies ( Henchy et al, 2000 ) . Brown et Al, ( 2005 ) described how socioeconomic place influences wellness among individuals with diabetes. Diabetes is twice more prevailing in low income populations compared to wealthy populations ( Stelmach W et Al ; 2009 ) . Some accounts for this increased hazard among people of low-income or resource-poor countries include increased emphasis, low entree to medical and preventative attention, and hapless environment.1.5 Diet, nutrition and chronic diseasesThere are clear associations between the assorted biomedical and behavioral chronic disease hazard factors, and it is good established that diet quality and healthy feeding patterns play an of import function in both preventing and pull offing chronic diseases and the factors that increase their hazard ( Kant A.K, 2004 ) . The links with nutrie nt and nutritionary position are particularly strong in the instance of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and their hazard factors ( metabolic syndrome, fleshiness, high blood pressure and lipemia ) . The nutrient we eat, in all cultural choice, defines one ‘s wellness, growing and development. Hazard behaviors, peculiarly smoke and sedentarism, alter the consequence ( ) . All this takes topographic point in a societal, cultural, political and economic environment that can worsen the wellness of populations. Diet is a cardinal constituent in predisposing to chronic disease, chiefly where diet is energy dense doing positive energy balance and fleshiness. Adoption of western diet which are high in fats, aminal protein, refined saccharides and low in fiber, fruits and vegetable can farther increase one hazard of developing no of more chronic disease ( ) . Several surveies have demonstrated a prudent diet rich in fruits, veggies, fish and wholegrain to be associated with a diminution in chronic disease hazard such as diabetes ( Van Dam et al. , 2002 ; Anne-Helen Harding et al. , 2004 )CarbohydratesCarbohydrates nutrient beginning are the most of import beginning of Calories for the universe ‘s population chiefly because of their low cost and broad handiness ( ) . Although Carbohydrates is easy accessible and widely eaten saccharide is a cardinal dietetic constituent impacting insulin secernment and postprandial glycemia and is implicated in the etiology of many chronic diseases ( Brand -Miller JC et al. , 2004 ) . Both the measure and type of saccharide eaten have effects on insulin secernment and postprandial glycemia. Foods with a rich glycemic index ( or glycemic burden ) produce high rates in blood glucose.A Diets including big measures of high GL nutrients increase the hazard of diabetes, chest malignant neoplastic disease, colorectal malignant neoplastic disease, endometrial malignant neoplastic disease, and overall chronic disease ( Barclay AW et al. , 2008 ) .Dietary fibersEpidemiologic grounds has shown that nutrients rich in fiber aid glycaemic control in diseases such as type 2 diabetic patients ( ) . A diet high in fiber helps in control blood sugar degrees in those with type 2 diabetes. It besides helps with colon wellness as the high fiber diet with smoothing the stool and facilitates to burden loss ( ) . Fats Dietary fat is one of the most influential foods in wellness. Fats has many maps in the human organic structure, Equally good as to supplying more than twice the energy supplied by saccharides and proteins and providing indispensable fatty acids, fats slows digestion of saccharides in order to fuel the encephalon he fats serve as bearers for fat soluble vitamins ( A, D, E and K ) and as parts of cell membranes ( ) . The overconsumption of fat, chiefly saturated fat, has been linked to six of the 10 prima causes of decease worldwide ( ) .Coronary bosom disease and malignant neoplastic disease ( ) .There is a strong nexus between dietetic fat ingestion and hazard of chronic diseases such as malignant neoplastic disease, such as colon, chest, prostate, and ovary malignant neoplastic disease ( ) . Several surveies over the past 30 old ages have verified the relationship of high dietetic fat intake with higher mortality due to assorted malignant neoplastic diseases ( ) . Some saturated fatty acids raise blood cholesterin degrees and, therefore, increase the hazard of coronary artery disease ( ) . High fat, consumption is a chief cause of fleshiness, high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and gall bladder disease ( ) . Surveies have show that states with higher per capita consumptions of fat, particularly carnal fat, have higher incidence rates of certain malignant neoplastic diseases, including chest, colon, prostate, and pancreas. [ 41 ] Migrational surveies show that when persons move from a state of low fat consumption to one of high fat consumption, the hazard of some malignant neoplastic diseases increases [ 42 ] .AVitamins Vitamins are indispensable foods hey are required in little sums, but have of import and specific maps such as advancing growing, reproduction and the care of wellness. Nutritionally, they form a cohesive group of organic compounds that are required in the diet in little sums ( mcgs or mgs per twenty-four hours ) for the care of normal wellness and metabolic unity. They are therefore differentiated from the indispensable minerals and hint elements ( which are inorganic ) and from indispensable amino and fatty acids, which are required in larger sums. Vitamin lack nevertheless, may increase the hazard of chronic diseases ( ) . Suboptimal folic acid degrees, along with suboptimal degrees of vitamins B ( 6 ) and B ( 12 ) , are a hazard factor for cardiovascular disease, nervous tubing defects, and colon and chest malignant neoplastic disease ( ) and low degrees of the antioxidant vitamins ( vitamins A, E, and C ) may increase hazard for several chronic diseases. . Nutritional Passage There are now about 350 million corpulent and more than 1 billion fleshy people in the universe, populating in both developed and developing states. Previously, developing states grappled with undernutrition. Now many of these states like St. Lucia are in a transitional province and are covering with the twin immoralities of under- and over nutrition. In the Caribbean states between the 1970s and 1990s, the prevalence of overweight/obesity increased from 7 % in work forces and 20 % in adult females in the 1970s to 22 % in work forces and 58 % in adult females ( Ragoobirsingh D et al. , 2004 ) . The planetary prevalence of fleshy amongst preschool kids is estimated at 3.3 % . Within the Caribbean part and St. Lucia has one of the highest incidences for this age group with St. Lucia holding 2.5 % of the 0-5 yr. population ( De Onis M et al. , October 2000 ) .Obesity in kids and striplings is known to hold important impact on both physical and psychosocial wellness, these surging rates of fleshiness leads to an addition in lipemia, high blood pressure, insulin opposition and unnatural glucose tolerance subsequently in life ( Reilly et al. , 2003 ; Weiss et al. , 2004 ) . Urbanization, industrialisation and transmutation procedures have been the chief cause of this public wellness achievement. In modern civilizations, demographic factors interact with societal and economic factors and lead to alterations in the forms of wellness and diseases as hypothesized by Omran ‘s epidemiological passage theory in the early 1970s ( Orman et al. , 1971 ) . Omran ‘s theory describes the altering form of mortality from the predominant catching diseases to the emerging non-communicable diseases. In his survey, Omran defined three phases of epidemiological passage, i.e. ‘the age of plague and dearth ‘ , ‘the age of withdrawing pandemics ‘ , and ‘the age of degenerative and semisynthetic diseases ‘ ( Orman et al. , 1971 ) .1.6 Dietary wonts of St. LuciansFood wonts reflect the plantation past: the typical diet contains a batch of starches, carnal protein content that varies by location, and until late, small in the manner of green veggies. Starches include assorted sorts of yams, taro, taro, bananas and plantains, Sweet murphies, manioc and Artocarpus communis. Most of these are boiled, served with some sort of boiled fish or meat, and accompanied by a sauce. Pepper ( pepper ) sauce is ever present at the tabular array, as most dishes are non prepared spicy hot. Animal protein beginnings reflect the historical scarceness of this component: porc Rhine wines, hog tail ( fresh and salted ) , chicken back, and saltfish, ( pod ) salted beef, fish ( tuna, winging fishing, ruddy center, barracuda, sharke, pilchards, doodly-squat fish ) . Most of the dishes are prepared with fats such as ; coconut oil, lards, xanthous butter. Equally much as St. Lucia has a broad assortment of fruit they are merely eaten Fruits such as ; Mangifera indicas, aureate apple, papaia, Citrus paradisi, oranges, cherries, Anacardium occidentale, sugar apple ( love apple ) .Main dishes are accompanied by veggies such as, alligator p ear, calaloo, Spinacia oleracea, tomatoes, okras, carrots, pigeon peas and lentils, Imported processed nutrients have been available for decennaries, but more late account for larger parts of many repasts. Foods such as pasta, rice,1.7 Cause for chronic non-communicable diseases in St. LuciaChronic diseases have legion hazard factors, which function at different degrees, from the most proximal ( i.e. biological ) , to the most distal ( i.e. structural ) . These hazard factors can be classified as ‘modifiable ‘ and ‘non-modifiable hazard factors ‘ . Modifiable determiners include factors that can be altered, such as single and community influences, life and on the job conditions and socio-cultural factors, non-modifiable determiners include those factors that are beyond the control of the person, such as age, sex and familial factors.1.7.1 Biological factorsSome populations are susceptible to chronic disease because of familial cistrons. In a south Africa a tribal group â€Å" Afrikanders † have been found to hold familial hypercholeste remia, a rare familial upset, characterised by really high low-density lipoprotein, cholesterin and early cardiovascular disease. ( Steyn K et al.,1996 ) . Familial and lifestyle factors are considered to be the chief subscribers in doing type 2 diabetes ( O'Rahilly et al ; 2005 ) . The familial make-up of a individual is every bit indispensable to the development of the disease but a individual life style and environmental factors can lend significantly. Some of the major lending factors include fleshy, abdominal fleshiness and physical inaction and to lesser extent intrauterine and early childhood factors ( Alberti et al, 2007 )1.7.2 Early life beginningThe clip between intrauterine growing and the development is the most vulnerable period in the life rhythm and topographic points major physiological, metabolic and psychological demand on the female parent to back up the growing and the development of the foetus ( Allen, 2001 ) . Good growing and development is dependent on a suff icient supply of energy and foods. Under nutriment during gestation is linked with hapless gestation and neonatal results which can hold negative long term deductions for the baby such as a decrease in intelligence, growing upset, low unsusceptibility, increased morbidity, mortality and the development of a scope of diseases during maturity ( Rasmussen, 2001 ) It is proposed that type 2 diabetes consequences from comparative intrauterine malnutrition and the latter leads to lifelong scheduling ( Baker et al ; 1986 ) . Children with low birth weight are most likely to see growing restraint, whether due to intrauterine nutritionary limitation or familial sensitivity to low birth weight ; similar associations of low birth weight have been made for the development of diabetes ( Lindsay et al ; 2001 ) . Babies who are born low birth weight tend to turn fast after birth ‘catch-up growing ‘ , frequently become fleshy as immature kids. They are most likely to develop high blood force per unit area and unnatural blood glucose degree early in life, which future increase their hazard of developing chronic diseases, such as bosom disease and diabetes ( Barkeret al. , 1997 ) . The prevalence of Low Birth Weight ( LBW ) is about 6 and 9 % in the Caribbean. The association between low birth weight and grownup disease makes pressing the concer n of these high LBW prevalence rates in the Caribbean ( Henry ; 2000 ) . An under-nourishes kid is usually a smaller and shorter kid ( 0 ) Acrobatics is an indicant of long standing mal and under-nutrition and is frequently accompanied by fat deposition, peculiarly around the abdominal subdivision when faced with nutrient in copiousness. Predisposing persons to fleshiness in maturity. ( ) Similarly kids who are born to big female parent and are big for their gestational age are most likely to bring on insulin opposition and type 2 diabetes subsequently in life ( Bennett et al ; 2002 ) . In Jamaica kids shortness at birth and increased current weight are independent forecasters of insulin opposition ( Bennett et al ; 2002 ) . There is important sum of grounds, chiefly from developed states, that states intrauterine growing deceleration is connected with an increased hazard of coronary bosom disease, shot, diabetes and elevated blood force per unit area ( WHO, 2002 ; Godfrey et al. , 2000 ; Forse et al. , 2000 ) . It may be the form of growing, i.e. restricted foetal growing followed by really fast postpartum catch-up growing that is critical in the implicit in disease tracts. Likewise, big size at birth is besides associated with an increased hazard of diabetes and cardiovascular disease ( McCance DR et al. , 1996 ; Leon DA et al. , 1998 ) .Behavioural hazard factors ( lifestyle factors )Lifestyles play an of import function in finding chronic diseases and lifestyle alterations are likely to be responsible for a important proportion of their addition over clip.1.7.3 Poor dietNutrition is a major modifiable determiner of chronic diseases, with scientific grounds back uping the position that alterations in diet have effects on wellness result of a individual. Non-communicable diseases are linked to high ingestion of energy dense nutrients, made of carnal beginning and of nutrients processed or prepared with added fat, sugar and salt. ( ) St. Lucia is undergoing rapid nutritionary passage ( Boyne, 2008 ) . There has been an addition of fast-food eating houses, and an increased in the ingestion of repasts high in fat, sugar, and salt and a decrease in the ingestion of cereals, grains, fruits, veggies, tubers, and leguminous plants ( Jacoby et al.,2008 ) . The increased ingestion of imported nutrients high in fat and Na has led to a diminution of the wellness position of people throughout the part, with an addition in wellness jobs such as fleshiness and diabetes ( Report from WHO, 2003 ) .1.7.4 Physical inactionPhysical inaction and sedentary life style is linked with increased degrees of fleshiness, chest malignant neoplastic disease, colon malignant neoplastic disease, osteoporosis, emphasis, anxiousness and depression ( Hardman et al. , 2001 ; Warburton et al. , 2001 ) , and one of the chief implicit in causes of mortality in the universe.1.7.5 SmokeSmoke of baccy is one of the most modifiable hazard factors and pre ventable causes of decease in the universe. The World Health Organization ( WHO ) attributes to about 4 million deceases a twelvemonth to tobacco usage. It has been responsible for 22 % of cardiovascular diseases in industrialised states, and for the huge bulk of some malignant neoplastic diseases and chronic respiratory diseases ( WHO, 2002 ) . It is projected by the 2030 smoke will kill one in six people globally, if the present tendencies persist. ( WHO, 2002 ) . This anticipation of decease will include about 7 million people in developing states ( Mackay, WHO ; 2002 ) Smoke has been linked with premature mortality amongst users, with cardiovascular disease ( i.e. shot and bosom onslaught ) doing most deceases and is closely followed by chronic lung diseases, such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung malignant neoplastic disease. ( Bjartveit et al. , 2005 ) . Alcohol maltreatment is deemed to be the beginning of 8 % -18 % of the entire load of disease in work forces and 2 % -4 % in adult females. The Rate of smoking in among work forces in St. Lucia is at its highest therefore addition the hazard of chronic diseases.1.8 Social determiners of wellnessThe societal determiners of wellness incorporate implicit in causes of wellness jobs which includes environmental factors, working position and lodging and life conditions and socio-cultural factors that have an consequence on the wellness of a population. These factors besides increase the hazard of an single developing non-communicable disease.1.8.1 Urbanization and globalizationUrbanization is a cardinal hazard factor in the development of non-communicable diseases epidemic, as the economic system grows and develops into a more ‘modernised ‘ society and the populations easy migrate from rural to urban countries. In St. Lucia, the per centum of people populating in urban countries has increased from 43.3 % in 1996 to 47.5 % in 2001, ( ) . Surveies have shown that urbanization leads to dietetic alterations towards acceptance of the alleged ‘western diet ‘ , which is high in carnal proteins, fat and sugar. ( 20 ) This is frequently accompanied by lifestyle alterations including intoxicant ingestion, coffin nail smoke and physical inaction increasing the population ‘s hazard for non-communicable diseases. ( 34 )1.8.2Environmental factors1..8.3 Obesogenic environmentThe function of the media plays a really important function in advertisement, selling and advancing the ingestion of high energy dense nutrients and fast nutrients mercantile establishments with big part sizes. In a survey to place major beginnings of nutritionary information among urban Black South African adult females, found that telecasting was the most extremely believable beginning of information. This influenc ed nutrient picks based on gustatory sensation, household penchants and price.35 Other factors associated to hapless eating patterns include, easy entree to cheap unhealthy nutrients compared to the high monetary values of healthy nutrients.1.8.4 Structural environmental factorsStructural environmental factors include environmental factors that might move as an obstruction to take parting in physical activity, such as a deficiency of playing Fieldss, Parkss, proper pavements and exercising installations, every bit good as the being of offense and force on the streets.1.8.5 Socio-cultural factorsBeliefs and attitudes about organic structure image of some persons have been found to increase the hazard for developing non catching diseases. The belief that tenuity is associated with personal jobs and illness, particularly HIV and AIDS, seems to be a barrier to keeping normal organic structure weight in some persons ( ) . Attach toing beliefs about organic structure weight are socio-cultural factors related to nutrient consumption, which partially contributes to flesh iness in some persons. ( )1.9 The economic impact of chronic diseases in ST. LuciaChronic diseases have had and continue to hold a major economic impact on persons, households, and the wellness system in St.Lucia ( ) . Since chronic diseases affect the immature and people in their productive old ages, they cut down productive labor and gaining capacity at a family degree. Treatment of chronic diseases puts much strain on the already overburdened wellness system, because of the extra resources required. The load is non merely on the wellness attention system but besides but besides indirectly causes loss of productiveness from the disable, absenteeism and early decease.RationaleChronic diseases such as bosom disease, malignant neoplastic disease and diabetes negatively affect the general wellness position and quality of life of persons, and there is an absence in the literature of surveies looking at the wellness position of individuals in St. Lucia with chronic non-communicable dise ases. It is against this background that this survey was undertaken. This survey is designed to research and reexamine the association between diet, lifestyle and chronic non-communicable disease in St. Lucia. This comprehensive systematic reappraisal seeks to analyze the association between diet, lifestyle and hazard of chronic disease among St. Lucians. Aims To analyse the form of chronic disease hazard factor distribution in a well defined population in St. Lucia To analyse or critically measure the 30 most normally nutrient eaten in St. Lucian To analyze dietetic forms, nutrient picks and wonts of St. Lucian To synthesise qualitative findings diet, lifestyle and chronic diseases Research Question The Prevalence and incidence of chronic diseases is really high in St. Lucia and is the chief cause of decease in the island. Does St. Lucian diet and lifestyle contribute to additions figure of chronic diseases in the state? Hypothesiss Null hypothesis: St. Lucian diet and life style has no direct impact on the prevalence of chronic diseases in St. Lucia Alternate hypothesis: St. Lucia diet and life style has an impact on the prevalence of chronic diseaseChapter 22.0 Methodology.This research will be b? °N†¢ed on N†¢ecnd? °ry informations collected from assorted reliable beginnings and used to bring forth new informations as a footing for analysing the life style and 30 most normally eaten nutrients in St. Lucia in relation to chronic diseases. This type of research will non affect human topic. The literature hunt scheme is described in a drumhead in Figure.The information was taken from journal articles and published bkN†¢ . By definition, secondary research describes information gathered through literature, publication, broadcast media, and other non-human beginnings.Literature hunt schemeFigure 1 Literature hunt scheme and survey design The hunt, covered publications between the old ages 1985 to 2009. The undermentioned beginnings were included in the hunt procedure.Electronic library databasesTo increase the fullness of the research and cut down the ambiguity, cardinal words were used merely when mapped capable headers and the Thesaurus were non available for a peculiar hunt database. Chronic disease was used as the chief hunt term and combined with extra footings deemed relevant to the cardinal inquiries. These extra footings were identified, nutrition, diet, lifestyle. Databases searched included the followers: MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, CINAHL ( Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature ) , CDSR ( Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews ) , ACP Journal Club ( American College of Physicians Evidence Based Medicine ) , CCTR ( Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials ) Health Star, PAIS ( Public Affairs Information Service ) , Proceedings First, Population Index, Proquest Digital Dissertations, Science direct, Pub Med.Hand huntsA manus hunt of the International Journal of Chronic disease for the old ages 1985 to July 2009 was conducted. Mention lists from studies were manus searched for other eligible studies.InternetThe cyberspace hunt. foremost, involved utilizing the hunt engine, Google, with the footings ‘Chronic disease ‘ and ‘diet ‘ and either ‘lifestyle ‘ , ‘prevalence ‘.To eliminate irrelevant sites, the research was limited to hunts utilizing predefined standards based on several ushers for happening dependable information from trusty beginnings on the Internet. Sites were eliminated if ( I ) they were clearly merely commercial ; ( two ) they did non look to be trusty or dependable beginnings ( i.e. personal home pages ) ; a nd/or ( three ) had small to no relevant information.Inclusion/exclusion standardsThe hunt was limited to English studies, which included columns, and theoretical reappraisals, PhD thesis and other grade plants, sum-ups of conferences, historical documents and book reappraisals. Letterss to the editor, columns were excluded. Documents selected for retrieval were assessed in a two-stage procedure. In the first phase, documents were selected based on reading of rubric and abstract. The 2nd phase involved reading of the full text of the articles selected, to set up the grade to which the paper satisfies inclusion/exclusion standards.Critical Appraisal:The research worker used the QARI ( Qualitative Appraisal and Review Instrument ) critical assessment instrument from the Joanna Briggs Institute System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review of Information bundle ( SUMARI ) ( see Appendix 1 for difficult transcript ) .Data extraction:Data was extracted from documents utilizing the QARI informations extraction procedure which aggregated findings and seeked to classs and synthesis. Data was extracted manually utilizing the standardized informations extraction tool in QARI ( see Appendix 1 for difficult transcript of extraction tool ) and contained within the Joanna Briggs Institute System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review the Information bundle ( SUMARI ) . Where meta-synthesis was possible, qualitative research findings were pooled utilizing the Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument ( QARI ) . This procedure involved the collection of findings and categorized to bring forth a set of synthesized statements that represent such collection.

Supercuts’ Market Segmentation

All of our target market segments are either of American, Canadian, British, or Puerto Rican nationality and come from lower to middle social classes. Segment 1: 18-50 years old men Supercuts have identified several target market segments that will be pursued. The largest market segment (65%1) are male customers aged between 18 and 50 years old who want to have a current look at an affordable price in a convenient location. These mostly urban area citizens are usually in hurry and aren't too picky with the design of their hair cut. These customers come to the salon on average every two weeks to let their hair cut.They hardly ever buy hair products from the company. Estimate of market size: 42. 3 million (32 million for US only) Support requirements: Supercuts have reasonable prices and have a lot of salons which are located in strip malls to maximize visibility and convenience. With the company, no appointments are necessary so a customer can get his hair done whenever he has few min utes of free time. Positioning statement: â€Å"Quick and fashionable haircut will move you faster on your way to success. † How to reach the segment: * Promotion via email, newsletters * Billboards on freeways, in malls Articles or advertisements in newspapers, magazines * Free haircut events in the malls * Reference rewards Price sensitivity: Because they are coming from lower or middle income category, the customers could be sensitive if the prices rise. However, if the company is loyal to them and they become long-time customers, they will most likely remain with Supercuts because to find a new good salon would take too much effort and time which these men don’t have. Segment 2: Parents of 3-13 years old children Another segment of their target market would be parents of usually younger children, between 3-13 years old.These parents want to get a cute haircut for their children. They require fast service for good price. They expect to bring their kids, get the hair cut done in 5 minutes, and leave. Children don’t like waiting. They require action or entertainment otherwise they will get bored and they will start crying or misbehave. What the parents are looking for is a nice hairdresser who will talk to the child, or who will give them a toy to play while she/he will be working on the child’s haircut. By this both the hairdresser and the parent will avoid stress from having to make the child calmer when he/she doesn’t want to get haircut.Going to hairdresser with a child should be from now a pleasant situation where a parent can relax with a cup of coffee and magazine in the hands, and doesn’t have to feel any negative feelings, inconvenience, or stress. Regarding necessity of getting a haircut, little boys usually need it once in a month or two, girl from two months to a year depending on the haircut. Estimate of market size: 33. 5 million (25 million for US only) Support requirements: Company’s priorities a re to be fast and convenient for an affordable price which will catch the attention of many parents.Hairdressers are very talkative and nice so children will not feel afraid of getting a haircut with them. Supercuts’ staff is trying to build loyalty with their little customers so when they grow up they continue using their services. Positioning Statement: â€Å"With us you can tranquilly drink your cup of coffee while we will be taking care of your child. † How to reach the segment: * TV commercials, advertisements in magazines * Billboards on freeways, in malls * Advertisements directly to mail box Free haircut events for children at elementary and middle schools, sporting ; extracurricular events while having parents present * Reference rewards Price sensitivity: Parents appreciate the convenience of having a stress-free salon visit with their child more than possibly higher prices. On the other hand, Supercuts still must consider the families’ lower or middle class background. Segment 3: Busy parents Third segment would be mothers or fathers with children requiring a lot of attention, especially employed parents for who time is money and who have to take care of their children at the same time, no matter if it is the man or oman taking care. They need to find few minutes in their busy schedule and get a new haircut for themselves. More than for complicated designs, they are looking for an easy haircut. At the same time, they still want to look chic. Estimate of market size: 29 million (23. 5 million for US only) Support requirements: Supercuts’ benefits are an easy access, parking, and the salon’s proximity to other big stores or supermarkets like Wal-Mart and Target. Customers can get their fast haircuts and do household shopping at once.From another point of view, Supercuts are known for staying on top of hairstyle trends, therefore the popularity of these salons increased by the interest of customers who would like to l ook fashionable. Keeping up with the changing trends is essential to the company. â€Å"We added ‘Supercolor’ quick color services since so many customers are now interested in getting highlights† says Alan Storry, the vice president of  Franchise  Development for Regis Corp. 2 At Supercuts, the staff often offer free samples of hair products which especially a lot of women appreciates. Positioning Statement: â€Å"Look chic in less than 20 minutes. How to reach the segment: * Promotion via email, SMS * Advertisements and discount cards in magazines, newspapers * Billboards on freeways, in malls * Reference rewards Price sensitivity: Lower prices are expected for this segment, but it might differ from family to family. Some families have a lot of children therefore they cannot afford getting expensive haircuts, some families have just one child, so even though the parents can still be really busy, they could pay for their haircut a bit more. Sources: 1 http: //www. wikinvest. com/stock/Regis_(RGS)/Supercuts 2 http://www. bison. com/profile_Supercuts_06012007

The future of virtual reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The future of virtual reality - Essay Example The virtual reality has provided a better way of detecting design problems at an early stage of development, which allows for correction before it is too late (Lu, 2007). The future for virtual reality is currently getting bigger. Plans are underway to establish virtual offices to carry out business transaction. Starting a business will not be limited to processing physical locations to carrying out business. The whole business environment would be virtual making it cost effective and very efficient (Lu, 2007). The virtual reality has generated to the establishment of virtual worlds. There are companies that favor virtual world and use it to hold their meetings. The virtual world brings people based in various locations into a single virtual place. It has provided a minimum cost solution to the alternative physical movements from one place to another. Virtual reality will take over the business environment according to its way of development currently. According to the current, to the innovations on going, it would be difficult to carry out business out side the virtual reality. In conclusion, the virtual reality is the future of conducting business (Lu,

The Role of Operation Management in the Hospitality Industry Case Study

The Role of Operation Management in the Hospitality Industry - Case Study Example The competitive priorities of the hotel, as well as the analytical techniques used by the company, have been analyzed. Using the required information, major challenges existing in the operation management process in the hotel has pointed out. Finally, some feasible solutions to mitigate the problems have been suggested. Information has also given regarding the possible hurdles to be faced by the hotel while implementing the required changes in the operation management practices.  Ã‚   The project has chosen the Hotel Novotel in order to provide an in-depth analysis of the operations management in the company. It has around 400 hotels and resorts which are located at 58 locations all across the world. The company chooses the city centers of the important business destinations, tourist spots, and business districts in the world. The hotel structures are based on modern and simple designs. The hotel provides the leisure travelers and businesses spacious and modifiable rooms for working and relaxing in standardized offers. Moreover, the company’s restaurant meals and food services are offered throughout the day. Apart from these, it provides meeting rooms, an attentive group of staff and relaxation and fitness centers for the children. The company reflects an immense sense of responsibility through its involvement in Accor’s Earth Guest program to achieve sustainable development. It has also committed to all its hotels to acquire the â€Å"Green Globe certification for environmentally responsible traveling and tourism by 2010† (Novotel-a, â€Å"Nearly 400 hotels throughout the world†). The most outstanding hotel in the group is the Novotel World Trade Centre based in Dubai. The company provides the best location to conduct business from or to explore Dubai. The company is located very near the leisure and business hub of Dubai. This makes it the most preferred and attractive option for professional travelers and holidaymakers. Staying at the hotel one finds oneself very near the most attractive and popular tourist attractions, famous shopping malls and the best night spots in Dubai.  

Using Via E-commerce to Increase Success for Wingate Systems Working Research Paper

Using Via E-commerce to Increase Success for Wingate Systems Working - Research Paper Example For traditional relationship marketing to work as it should in any organization, all other business parameters also need to be in place. Recently, this has been identified in a forward-looking model as a "holistic, dynamic and dialectical" model. (Chang, 2004) Not surprisingly, this model was developed in an Asian developing economy context. The author noted that local firms in developing countries need to be creative in developing e-business strategies because they are operating in under-developed e-business environments. It that is true for relationship marketing success in developing countries, it should, therefore, be even more valuable to mature organizations operating in mature business environments. Despite the dot-com failures of the recent past, few would doubt that e-business is a main driver of the new and future economy globally. It is also safe to assume that relationship marketing began its development when bricks-and-mortar businesses were able to operate without a substantial Internet presence. Then, it was 'relationship' marketing, and depended on such things as 'personal bankers,' and 'personal shoppers,' and arguably, within each organization that had added the relationship marketing function, it was viewed as a 'must have' but with little relative impact on the bottom line. However, three things entered the business arena that made it paramount for relationship marketing to become both continuous (CRM) and integrated into the business structures. Those three things were the development of digital technologies, the importance of intellectual property, and "customer supremacy," defined as customization of product/service and reduced cycle time. (Chang, 2004)

Assignment in law (Legal Issues Relevant to the Quality of the Website Essay

Assignment in law (Legal Issues Relevant to the Quality of the Website and Indecent Images of Children, Invention Law, Expert Witness) - Essay Example Synergy Ltd, the company in which I am a systems manager does not want to be left out of the internet technology and its benefits. Therefore, the company has sought to develop a website in order to attract clients in the wake of the economic downturn. The website will provide relevant contact information, technical information, and a discussion group allowing registered users to discuss problems, and allow them to estimate the charge for recovering information. The company has sought the services of a developer to develop its website. There are legal issues that are relevant to the quality of website delivered by the developer and to protecting the company from problems. These issues include the following: private and security issue and legal liability issue. According to Baumer, Lyengar, & Moffie, (2003, p. 23), the issue of privacy and security is one of the main issues that surround creation of websites. Websites are crucial for storing and selling of information that benefits both the businesses and the consumers. However, there is a concern among businesses and consumers regarding their personal safety and privacy of their personal and other sensitive information. This concern is compounded by the ease with which information may be cross processed and collected from websites. In the United Kingdom, the issue of website security and privacy is covered under the Data Protection Act 1998 and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (Defago and Bockanic, 2006, p. 205). These Acts requires that cookies should be signposted on the websites. In addition, they require that visitors of the websites should be allowed to refuse or accept their personal details to be collected and used in the websites. Also, the Acts requires that personal information that is collected concerning individual visitors should be used or processed in accordance to the principles and provisions set out in the Privacy Regulations and the Data Protection Acts. More importantly, these Acts seek to protect businesses in an event that commercial relationships become ruined, as was demonstrated in the case of Ashton Investments v OSJC (2006). In this case, OSJC (a Russian company) employed spyware to the computer system of its former business partner, Ashton Investments, to hack illegally private information relating to the litigation between them. In the light of these two Acts and the need to protect the business in an event of ruined relationship between the company and its business partners, the developer of the website should ensure that the website has a high level of privacy and security. In regard to the issue of legal liability, it is important to point out that the utilization of Wide Web has prompted businesses to venture in unexplored business frontiers. As such, they are more likely to be exposed to legal risks. This issue has been exacerbating by the fact that most laws relating to cyberspace in both criminal and civil dimensions are still in comparative legal infancy. The legal liability issues relating to websites are copyrights, infringement of copyrights, website development contracts, appropriation of names, and defamation (Baumer, Lyengar, & Moffie, 2003, p. 24). In addition to under the Data Protection Act 1998 and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, Digital Economy Act 2010 makes legal provisions for website and internet. The Act has provisions that seek

Marketing communication plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing communication plan - Essay Example personal selection in the premium brand market (Pride and Ferrell, 2006) and this has been affecting the external, internal and competitor business contexts. Fuel price continues to increase and it always tends to impact the business opportunities of car manufacturers. However, it opens up new marketing opportunities for BMW hybrid and hydrogen cars since consumers tend to increasingly shift towards cheaper fuel types. Annual Report (2013) states that the hybrid technology, along with its focus on increasing electrification, helps the company take a leading role in lowering of carbon emissions and fuel consumption. An effective marketing communication will certainly help BMW to attract millions of customers worldwide to its cars. There is growing interest towards ‘green’ products that cause no harm or relatively less harm to human health and his nature. People are becoming more concerned about green products (Soni, 2013). As consumers are more aware about negative impacts of air pollution caused by vehicles, they show interest towards green vehicles. It seems to be an opportunity for BMW cars for its hybrid and hydrogen cars. In 2013, the number of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles sold globally has been increased by 5.1 percent to reach to 76.5 million units, mainly driven by increased demands in USA and China (Annual Report, 2013). In UK, the car market has remained in good shape, being boosted by a surprisingly strong economic recovery. The UK car market grew by 10.8 percent to reach 2.3 million units of cars and light vehicles. This showed greater opportunity for BMW mainly for its highly differentiated cars. In order to exploit this emerging market opportunities, the marketing team of BMW will need to communicate regarding its product variants and unique value propositions it offers to its targeted audiences. It is undeniably accepted that BMW is a strong brand as its appeal has created a sense of uniqueness among marketing channel members

Diet Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diet Analysis - Essay Example On the other hand, the carbohydrate backbone of DNA deoxyribose is an example of unequal numbers of carbon and water, as shown by the formula C5H10O4. Carbohydrates perform a wide variety of functions in the human body. These macronutrients may function as storage for energy in the form of starch and glycogen. They can also function like cellulose and chitin as structurally significant molecules. As mentioned earlier, carbohydrates like deoxyribose and ribose play key roles in heredity as the backbone of the genetic molecule DNA and RNA. Physiologically, ribose is also an important component in coenzymes like flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Secondly, proteins are another class of organic compounds which fall under the macronutrient category. Structurally, proteins are typically one or more polypeptide chains linked together that fold into different forms depending on their biological function. A polypeptide, for example, is an amino acid polymer chain linked together by peptide bonds. Depending on their function, proteins may fold into one of two configurations, globular or fibrous, and in this folding they add on non-peptide groups called cofactors or prosthetic groups depending on their biological function (i.e. the Heme group in Hemoglobin). Humans tend to require a great amount of proteins, because like carbohydrates, the macronutrient plays different roles in almost all cellular processes. The most common notion people have of proteins is their role in mechanical and structural support. This involves the actin and myosin found in the muscles as well as the proteins which build the cytoskeleton, the structure that supports and shapes the cells. Some proteins also function as catalytic enzymes which facilitate physiological reactions, specifically in metabolism. As mentioned earlier proteins,

Facilitating Group Interaction6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Facilitating Group Interaction6 - Essay Example My main weakness would be my desire for perfection. In a group, it is difficult for each team member to produce equal results and even more difficult to make sure that each team member completes tasks on time. Since, I strive to achieve excellent results in a timely fashion the pressure can be overwhelming and unintentionally hinder relationships with other team members. The main conflict resolution skill utilized by this group is integration, which is a result of shared responsibility and having each group member openly express their concerns over existing problems. Each individual team member does not try to dominate another but listens to suggested changes carefully and finds methods in which these ideas can used to benefit the group, "Collaborative listening takes those attending and discerning skills one-step further. It recognizes that in listening each person has a job that supports the work of the other" (Lynch, 2004). One idea is not perceived as superior over another but is examined for is qualities to benefit the group and produce better quality results. In order to prevent conflict before it occurs the team ensures that each member is clear on their responsibilities so there is no confusion over duties. Each team member acknowledged that each task carries equal responsibility and worth thus each member shares credit for each successful task. By ensuring that each group member is aware of their value and assigning them tasks which they are able to complete and produce results that they are proud of, the whole group benefits. The group does try to change each member but respects each member's unique, individual skills that strengthen the whole team. This group is composed of many different personalities that bring their own strengths and weakness to the table. The best method of conflict management is being open to others ideas rather than dominating. The group worked best when each member was free the express their own ideas and see that these ideas were somehow integrated into the project rather than dismissed. Decision making within a group is a very challenging but rewarding task. When tackling a large problem a consensus was reached before putting a plan into action. Whenever a problem arose, the team leader notified group members. The leader of the group set up a group meeting time and encouraged team members to think of ideas before the meeting so it would produce more effective results rather than being time consuming, "Proper brainstorming should involve first an individual, then a group, followed by an individual brainstorming session" (Meade, 2007). Each team member was expected to contribute in these meetings, no exceptions. Group meetings, which involved creative brainstorming sessions, were held as a method of solving problems. Each team member shared his or her ideas on how a particular problem could be solved. The group believes that a creative approach to problem solving is effective because it generate many ideas and inspires each group member to think of better solutions to existing problems. Each idea was taken into consideration and assessed for its feasibility. Group members were free to voice their feelings towards a particular solution and were not judged if they did not agree with another

Elemental Cost Plan for Commercial Office Development Research Paper

Elemental Cost Plan for Commercial Office Development - Research Paper Example Total steel/ metal required is approximated to be around 300 kgs .This done taking into consideration that CPA is 951.6 sq.mtr .Labor cost is assumed to be 16 pounds/ sq.mtr for entire work. Equipment charges are assumed to be around 3000 pounds Material cost = 400 x 30=12000 pounds Labor charges = 16 x 951.6=15225.6 pounds Total cost = 12000 + 15225.6 +3000=30225.6 pounds Total masonry and concrete required per sq.mtr is assumed to be 0.6 kgs per sq.mtr. Labour charges for entire work are assumed to be around twice the material required. Material cost = 0.6 x 951.6 x (64 +5) =39,396 pounds Labor charges = 2 x 39396 = 78792 pounds Total cost = 39396 + 78792 =118188 pounds Total area to be insulated is approximately around 1000 sq m. This includes all external walls .The area is calculated from the available drawings. The rate of insulating material is taken 8 pounds /sq.mtr from the above table. Labor charges are taken to be around 4000 pounds for above project. Total cost = 8 x 1000 +4000=12000 pounds Total number of doors of ground floor = 32 No of doors on first floor =25 ... Insulation :- Total area to be insulated is approximately around 1000 sq m. This includes all external walls .The area is calculated from the available drawings. The rate of insulating material is taken 8 pounds /sq.mtr from the above table. Labor charges are taken to be around 4000 pounds for above project. Total cost = 8 x 1000 +4000=12000 pounds Doors and windows:- Total number of doors of ground floor = 32 No of doors on first floor =25 Number of windows = 53 Wood work rate is 114 pounds / sq mtr. Assuming 100 pounds are required to make one door and 100 pounds to make one window. These include material and labor charges. Total cost = 55 x 100 + 53 x 100 = 10,800 pounds. Exterior trim and finish:- Total exterior area is approximately 480 sq. mtr. Material rate is assumed to be 50 pounds/sq.mtr Labor rate is taken as 27 pounds / sq.mtr. Material cost = 480 x 50=24000 pounds Labor charges = 480x 27=12960 pounds Total cost = 24000 + 12960 =36960 pounds Gable roof rafters, Gable roof trusses, Gable roofing:-Total roof area is calculated and comes out to be 415 sq.mtr approximately. The rate is from the table is 37 pounds /per sq.mtr. pounds for gable roof rafters, roof trusses and roofing.

Oil, War and U.S. Foreign Policy. Essay Example for Free

Oil, War and U.S. Foreign Policy. Essay The war against Iran by the Anglo-American powers has been in planning since 1990s as part of their Greater Middle East strategy. A number of sources have recently reported plans by the Iranian government to institute a Tehran oil bourse and this might be the hidden agenda behind the evident march to war by the Anglo-American powers on Iran. The oil bourse argument is a red herring which diverts the attention of people from the real geopolitical grounds which is behind the real motive for the march to the war which is a high risk game on the nuclear weapon. In 1996, two neo-conservatives, Douglas Feith and Richard Perle who later played an important role in the formulation of the Pentagon policy in the Middle East under the Bush administration authored a paper which was presented to the elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The advisory paper, â€Å"A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm†, had the intention of making Netanyahu to make â€Å"a clean break from the peace process†. Feith and Perle also demanded Netanyahu to strengthen the defense of Israel against Syria and Iraq and to attack Iran as the prop for Syria. More than a year before the declaration of the former US president George W Bush of his â€Å"shock and awe† operations against Iraq, he made his January 2002 State of the Union address which is now infamous to the Congress in which he Iran, together with North Korea and Iraq as members of the â€Å"axis of evil† trio. This occurred before anybody in Tehran had even considered establishing an oil bourse in trading oil in various currencies. According to Engdahl, the US believed that the Tehran oil bourse would be the casus belli, which would trigger the pushing of Washington down the road to the potentiality of annihilation of Iran, which seems to be based on the notion that trading on oil openly to other nations in other currencies would make Tehran set in to motion a chain of events in which buyer after buyer, nation after nation, would come to buy oil no longer in US dollars but in euros. This in turn according to an argument, would lead to a panic in selling of the US dollars on the world foreign exchange markets and also lead to the collapse of the role of the US dollar as the reserve currency, which is one of the pillars of the â€Å"US Empire†. According to Engdahl in his book, A Century of War, the creation of â€Å"petrodollar recycling† in 1974, which is a process where the by then US secretary of state Henry Kissinger was deeply involved, led to oil price hike of 400% and this was orchestrated by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Engdahl puts it that US dollar did not manage to become a â€Å"petrodollar† even though Kissinger emphasized the process of â€Å"recycling petrodollar†. According to the author, what Kissinger was referring to was the initiation of a new phase of global hegemony of US in which the export earnings from the petrodollar of OPEC oils lands would be recycled back to the hands of the major London and New York banks and later re-lent in the form of US dollars to other nations which are deficient in oil such as Argentina and Brazil and this led to the creation of what was soon to be known as the Latin America debt crisis. By this time, the US dollar had been a fiat issue since August 1971 following the abrogation of the Bretton Woods Treaty and refusal by the then US president Richard Nixon to redeem US dollars which were held in foreign central banks for gold. Due to the 400% increase in oil prices, nations such as Germany, France, and Japan suddenly had the reason to buy oil in their own currencies with the aim of lessening the pressure on their reserves of trade dollars which was rapidly declining. This led to the coming up of the Pentagon and US treaty partly with their secret diplomacy by Kissinger through bullying threats According to Engdahl, the US military were sent to Afghanistan for two main reasons; the first reason was to restore and control the world’s largest supplier of opium in the world while at the same time use the drugs as a geopolitical weapon against their opponents especially Russia. The control of the drug market is an essential ingredient for the liquidity of the corrupt and bankrupt Wall Street financial market. U. S. Military and CIA Interventions in the Middle-East. Blom traces the origin of the current conflict from the brutal 1980-88 war which was between Iran and Iraq. At the time of the war, Kuwait was busy stealing oil from the Iraqi territory which was worth more than $2. 4 billion of oil. Soon after the battle, United Emirates and Kuwait started to exceed the production quotas that had been established by OPEC and this led to flooding in the oil market leading to a reduction on oil prices. This led Iraq to become deeply in debt and the then president Saddam Hussein declared this policy a threat to hi country by pointing out that Iraq was loosing billions of dollars each year due to the drop in oil prices. In an attempt to offset these loses, Saddam decided to gain possession of the two Gulf islands which were blocking Iraq from ownership of Rumaila oilfield. Kuwait continued to ignore Iraq’s territorial and financial demands and the OPEC’s request to follow the quota system and this led to Iraq to form large number of troops who were posted along the Kuwait border. This led to the intervention of the US who viewed themselves as the world’s supper power. After Iraq attacked Kuwait, US came to the defense of Kuwait by declaring that their interest was in protecting nations with whom they had longstanding and deep ties while at the same time, The White House declared their concern about the buildup of troops by Iraq. According to the author, United States had an official position on the Kuwait-Iraq border dispute. This is evident from the official statement that were found by the Iraqis in some of the Kuwait intelligence files which was a memorandum concerning a meeting between the CIA Director William Webster and Kuwait state security in November 1989. in the document, there was an agreement between the Americans and Kuwait that it was of great importance to take advantage of the deteriorating economic situation in Iraq with the aim of putting pressure on Iraq’ government so as to delineate their common borders. It is evident that US was involved from the beginning and advised Kuwait to apply pressure on Iraq so as destabilize the country economically. The CIA later denied these allegations saying that it was a fabrication. Blum puts it that the US has been behind the Kurdish’ slaughter of many innocent citizens and also encouraged the Shiite Muslims in Iraq to rebel. All these were done in an attempt to incite Saddam so that he could incite a coup which would result in to the intervention of the United States. The killings in the Persian Gulf by the American soldiers have been due to a voice command from George Herbert Walker Bush according Blum. The United States started supporting Afghan Islamic fundamentalists in 1979 in their bid to fight the Soviet Union. The US continued with their support despite the kidnapping of American ambassador in the capital city of Kabul in February 1979. American intervention according to Blom had some hidden agenda. The US was using lies and tricks to gain influence of Iraq so as to control the oil prices. In both cases, the authors recognize the use the use of tricks by the US government to make the Middle East unstable. Both the authors share a common view on the idea behind the control of Middle East affairs. In both cases, the authors acknowledge the use of military force in the wars in the Middle East and in both cases, it appears that US is the main cause of all these wars. The aim of the United States according to the two authors is to take control of the rich oil nations and make sure that they continue to price and sell oil in US dollars. They both acknowledge the pretence of the US to send their military force in these countries with the aim of restoring peace while in the real sense; the US is after establishing permanent military base in places such as Iraq so that they can control the resources of these countries. Under the Bush administration, there was a severe military attack in Iraq with the aim of removing Saddam from power with the pretence that he was behind manufacturing of nuclear weapons. After the attack, it became apparently clear that such a thing never existed in Iraq. Bush was only accomplishing a war that was started by his father against Saddam who had refused to consent to the demands of the United States. The Use of Torture in Iraq and Afghanistan. A lot has been said regarding what lies behind the shocking images of torture at Abu Ghraib which were released in 2004. many American were shocked by such images and novel with the exception of one American; Alfred McCoy who had been following the operations of the Central Intelligence Agency since the early 1970s, when the agency tried unsuccessfully to stop the publication of his book, The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade. McCoy had long been conducting study on the pioneering research by the CIA in to the methods of psychological torture. He writes that the CIA had started this project in the early 1950s with their initial study on the Chinese and Soviet methods of breaking and interrogating prisoners. The author has a negative image regarding the torture policies that America has used in the last decades. The CIA’s discovery of Psychological torture had its breakthrough in the 17th century. This was in contrast to the physical approach which they saw most of the times produced unreliable information or heightened resistance. Under the new psychological paradigm introduced by the CIA, the interrogators used two essential techniques; self-inflicted pain or disorientation so as to make the victims feel responsibility of their own suffering. The first stage of psychological torture involves the use of non-violent methods to by the interrogator to disorientate the subject. After disorientating the subject, the second stage involves simple self inflicted discomforts which may be in form of standing for many hours with the arms in extended position. Although psychological torture is less brutal due to the fact that there is no touch, the torture leaves both the interrogator and the victim with deep psychological scars. Victims normally require long-term treatment in order to recover from the trauma far much more than the physical pain. On the part of the interrogator, they may suffer from dangerous expansion of ego which may eventually lead to escalating cruelty and lasting emotional problems. According to McCoy, torture was conducted by the CIA directly and also indirectly through outsourcing. The use of torture is against humanity since it involves forcing the subject to confess in criminal cases with the assumption that they are guilty prior to trail. The CIA also used this method to serve as a deterrent to other potential offenders. According to the author, torture did less in bringing any trustworthy information or truthful confession neither did it prevent other people from breaking the law in any significant way. Following the September 11 bombing of the Twin Towers in the US, the administration of the former President George W. Bush allowed US intelligence service and the military to use torture as the only means to â€Å"quickly obtain information†. They did this by creating a category of prisoners who they claimed fall outside the protection by any treaty or law obligations and are deemed to be tortured. According to the CIA, they argue that this policy which considered the most abusive approach to interrogation is the most efficient and effective quick way to get information that is accurate and useful. From McCoy’s book, he clearly puts it that torture is always not a good way of producing reliable information. The experience from Colonel John Rothrock, who was heading a combat interrogation team in Vietnam, reported that â€Å"he doesn’t know any professional intelligence officers of my generation who would think this [torture] is a good idea,† but the US under the Bush administration failed to listen and this led to death of many innocent people in the name of state security. These torture cases were concealed from the general public and the Congress when CIA was busy for the past half of the century developing and applying a sophisticated form of psychological torture which were meant to go against investigation, prohibition or prosecution and this made it very successful. Americans have found themselves have found themselves in six separate accounts of this same moral quagmire in the last 50 years period. The first was the exposure of the CIA sponsored torture which took place in South Vietnam in 1970, Iran in 1978, Brazil in 1974, Honduras in 1988, and the cases in Iran and Iraq. Each of these cases was exposed at different times and as each case fades, the agency resumes with their lethal work in the shadows. The role of torture in the geopolitics of the Middle East is to divert attention on the real issue. While the CIA was busy torturing prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq, they were at the same time busy exporting opium to other countries. The use of torture was also a means of making sure that no information was leaked to the public. Another role that torture play is to make the subject confess to what the interrogator expects them to do. Also the use of torture by the CIA was to make people from Middle East to desist from any corporation with those who could get in to their secret conducts in these countries. An example is when McCoy was doing a research for his book in the mountains of Laos; a group of CIA machineries attempted to kill him and even threatened his translator to stop working for him. While these were happening, the CIA was secretly transporting opium using Air America helicopters to South Vietnam. Use of torture helped the American’s to exert great influence in the Middle East as those who experienced the tortures gave their experiences once they were out of the prison. The psychological damage was so much that the victims could not become normal again. This coupled with the killings of many people during the war led to weakening of these nations such that American control of oil and drugs like opium could be easy. All these acts were conducted with the aim of building an â€Å"American Empire†. Works Cited. Alfred McCoy. A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation, from the Cold War to the War on Terror (American Empire Project).

Functionalism A Viable Materialist Philosophy Essay

Functionalism A Viable Materialist Philosophy Essay In evaluating the validity of Functionalism as a theory of mind, one must first understand the philosophy of Functionalism itself, and its roots. Functionalism has divided philosophers, and presented below are three of the main arguments against the validity of Functionalism, and these will demonstrate that as a theory of mind, although compelling and thought provoking, Functionalism is ultimately not viable. Functionalist theory has evolved from other philosophical theories of the mind, including Identity Theory of Mind, which in its simplest form states that mental states can be said to be exactly identical to brain states, and some forms of Behaviourist Theory, which suggested, amongst other things, that behaviour can be explained or justified without putting any emphasis on the mind as an instigator, and so behaviour can be rationalised by saying that the sources are not internal, but external. Functionalism can be said to be both and extension and a criticism to these theories. It is something of a middle ground between them. Similar to Behaviourist theory, Functionalism classifies mental states using a behavioural structure, but differs from this theory by suggesting that mental states originate internally. In terms of similarity to the Identity Theory of Mind, both agree that the process of producing a mental begins internally, but Functionalism differs in that it differentiates between the definitions of mental states and brain states. In its basic form, Functionalism can be defined as suggesting that mental states are characterised by their causal properties. In other words, instead of defining a mental state by its features, Functionalism suggests that it should be defined by what it does, or by its function. Expanding on this, Functionalism suggests that two thoughts can be considered identical if all relevant inputs, both those garnered internally and externally, can achieve the same eventual output. One of the first forms of Functionalism was created by Hilary Putnam, who, using the Turing Test, demonstrated his theory of Machine State Functionalism. The Turing Test was a proposal by Alan Turing to discover whether machines can imitate human behaviour in a manner satisfactorily enough that they appear to be able to think, and furthermore, Turing suggested that his test might, with more technological advancement, be able to determine if a machine is in fact able to think. Using the Turing Test, Putnam suggesting that any being possessing a mind could be said to be a Turing machine, and could be controlled using a set of instructions for its operation. Furthermore, early Functionalist theories suggested that a person or machine could be controlled by the input of instructions based on the probability of an outcome, and thus the behaviour would be modified according to the most likely outcome. From this, Putnam created his idea of Functionalism which suggested that sentient beings differ from non sentient beings not because of their physical make up, but because of the way that the internal mental states relate to one another causally to form outputs. However, Putnam later rejected his earlier proposals for Functionalism, citing his Twin Earth thought experiment as justification, and, being that he was instrumental in the formation of Functionalist theory, this gives weight to the argument that Functionalism as a philosophy of mind is not viable. The Twin Earth experiment is based around the idea of two identical worlds, except for one thing, that water is has a different name on the twinned earth. As Yemina Ben-Menahem writes in Hilary Putnam, the two people involved, Oscar and Toscar refer to the liquid water as what is familiar to them in their respective environments. Yet the liquidsare in fact very different. (p.236, ll.23-24). What this thought experiment is suggesting therefore, is that Oscar and Toscars thoughts about water are based on their knowledge of it. By extension, this suggests that for a person to have thoughts about water, they must have experienced it, since the brain itself has no such knowledge of water. Thus , some form of external stimulus must have created the knowledge of water in order for the brain to process it. This refutes the idea in Functionalism that mental states are created internally. A criticism of Functionalism, and indeed of all materialist theories, is that it does not account for the complexities of human emotion and feeling. For example, what is missing in the theory of Functionalism is the allowance for subjective, conscious emotion, or qualia. The argument for the existence of qualia is rooted in the idea that some emotions, namely pleasure and pain, cannot be analysed in an objective manner. If the example of pain is taken from a Functionalist standpoint, its only property is that it creates the appropriate output, such as flinching. However, it is difficult to imagine that this is the only component of pain. From the point of view of a Functionalist, pain is not defined in terms of how it makes a person feel, or what it is made of, but rather only in terms of what is input to create the relevant mental state, and what the output of that is. The problem with using qualia as an argument against the validity of Functionalism as theory of mind is that not all philosophers believe that qualia exists. However, if one agrees to the possibility of the existence of qualia, then this argument is valuable. As Edmund Leo Wright argues in The Case for Qualia, human experience can support the existence of qualiaqualia realism should be our default position. (p.286, ll.11-13). Using this standpoint as a basis, two arguments can be levelled against Functionalism and its validity. The first argument builds on Putnams own objection to his theory of Functionalism, and the relationship between cognitive function and experience. The example of colours can be used to illustrate this point. If a person sees red and calls it red, and another person sees it as green but calls it red, the function is identical, but the personal experience is not. Jaegwon Kim demonstrates this in his book, Physicalism or Something Near Enough, where he writes tha t what a colour looks like to a person should make no difference to the primary cognitive function of [their] visual system, (p173, ll. 2-4). In other words, Kim is arguing that the Functionalist approach does not allow for the variety of subjective experience. He goes on to qualify this: Intrinsic qualities of qualia are not functionalisable and therefore are irreducible, and hence causally impotent. (p.173, ll.9-10) If the existence of qualia cannot be reconciled with the theory of Functionalism, as Kim suggests, then the two must be mutually exclusive. If one assumes that qualia exists, as suggested by Wright, then Functionalism is not a viable theory of mind. Clearly, for this argument to be valid, one must first accept the existence of qualia. As such the argument from a qualia standpoint is not sufficient by itself to invalidate Functionalism if the existence of qualia is not proven. Indeed, the theory of Functionalism can be used as an argument against the existence of qualia , and no explanation for either theory has been issued which does not rely upon unknown factors and speculation. Arguing the case for Functionalisms shortfalls in terms of consciousness, Ned Block proposed a thought experiment in which a functioning mind could be created out of an entire Chinese nation. The point of this thought experiment was to illustrate that the theory of Functionalism fails to directly address the issue of consciousness as a condition of a mental state or functioning mind. As explained by Eric S. Chelstrom in Social Phenomenology: Husserl, Intersubjectivity and Collective Intentionality, If consciousness could be defined in only strictly functional terms, it would be possible for the population of China as a whole to realise the functionality of consciousness. (p.55, ll.17-19). If one were to take the Functionalist view on this matter, then this thought experiment should seem entirely plausible, since in keeping with Functionalist views, it does not matter what the mind is made up of, it matters only that functional roles are realised by different parts, as would occur in the Chinese nation scenario. There should be no need, Functionalism would argue, for the mind to be made up of anything specific. Indeed, providing the roles were carried out, it could be made of anything imaginable. As Ned Block points out, the idea of the Chinese nation as a whole having a collective consciousness, and by extension, the suggestion that a conscious mind could be made up of number of functioning parts of any description, although not necessarily impossible, seems absurd to most people, and as such demonstrates a flaw in the argument for Functionalism as a viable theory of mind. As established previously, there are a number of arguments against Functionalism as a viable theory of mind, and these must be taken into account when weighing up whether one agrees or disagrees with them. However, the basis of the theory of Functionalism, that mental states are only defined by their function, is one that is not easily reconcilable with the wealth of human experience. In fact, the idea that human experience is secondary to functioning mental states is somewhat abhorrent, since it is in human nature to want to believe that consciousness is a meaningful phenomenon and not an illusion created by causal functions. Furthermore, in accepting Functionalism in its entirety, one must also accept that that the machine function model suggested by Putnam could also be viable, and furthermore, that conscious beings are not unique and extraordinary, but can be created with any components, provide the equation of input and output is valid. This is a somewhat undesirable situation, and seems ridiculous as it is based in speculation of unknown factors. Ultimately, it can be said that Functionalism is not a viable theory of mind since it requires a suspension of ones experience of behaviour the knowledge of ones own consciousness, and is based almost completely on conjecture. Matravers, D (2011) Mind (A222 Book 5), Milton Keynes, The Open University Ben-Menahem, Y (2005) Hilary Putnam, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press Wright, E (2008) The Case for Qualia, Massachusetts, MIT Press Chelstrom, E (2012) Social Phenomenology: Husserl, Intersubjectivity and Collective Intentionality, Maryland, Lexington Books