Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Napoleon Betrayed the Revolution Essay - 1320 Words

Napoleon Betrayed the Revolution In order to investigate the claim that ‘Napoleon betrayed the revolution’, it has to be determined what is the French revolution? And what are the revolutionary ideals that Napoleon allegedly betrayed? If Napoleon betrayed the Revolution then he betrayed the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. However if Napoleon did not betray the revolution, he consolidated the revolutionary ideals. The only way of determining whether Napoleon consolidated or betrayed the revolution is to explore his actions such as his military success, Dictatorship and social reforms. The difficulty of this analysis is that Napoleons motives for his actions determine whether he consolidated or betrayed the Revolution. If†¦show more content†¦Napoleon continued in the Revolutionary tradition of liberating and introducing revolutionary ideals to the territories he claimed for France. In the areas he conquered Napoleon granted constitutions, introduced law codes, abolished feudalism, created efficient governments and fostered education, science, literature and the arts. However these reforms always failed as Napoleon was always attempting the politically impossible. This did not stop Napoleon from continuing his conquests. Napoleons battles were fought in order to consolidate his dictatorship. His Military success initially consolidated the revolution, but once he turned France into a military dictatorship he betrayed the revolution. Although Napoleon’s military conquests started off based on the ideals of the French Revolution, Napoleons relentless quest for personal glory lead to a dictatorship. â€Å"In Napoleons hands the state had become the instrument of dictatorship.† The Ultimate betrayal was the institution of a hereditary monarchy. This hereditary monarchy began in Napoleons action of crowing himself Emperor and Culminated in his marriage to an Austrian Hapsburg princess â€Å"the moment his power became hereditary it cut itself offShow MoreRelatedNapoleon Bonaparte Betrayed the Ideas of the French Revolution 622 Words   |  3 PagesNapoleon did not always follow through with his theories and ideas about the well being of France with actions, making him very hypocritical; there are however some contrasting points to suggest that not all his choices were insincere. Therefore his initial claims and theories were not completed, his actions contradicted his preliminary ideas. Consequently, Napoleon betrayed the ideas of the French Revolution: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. We can see how Napoleon Bonaparte repeatedly opposedRead MoreBonaparte Betrayed the Revolution1638 Words   |  7 PagesBonaparte Betrayed the Revolution ‘Bonaparte betrayed the revolution.’ Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer. Napoleon Bonaparte’s attitude towards the French Revolution is one that has often raised questions. That the revolution had an influence on Bonaparte’s regime cannot be denied – but to what extent? When one looks at France after Napoleon’s reign it is clear that he had brought much longed for order and stability. He had also established institutions that embodied theRead MoreNapoleon Bonaparte - Villain or Hero?889 Words   |  4 PagesNapoleon Bonaparte was inarguably an important figure in the history of France and Europe. However, there has been much controversy over the subject in the past. Would history perceive him as a hero or an enemy of France and the world? Many twentieth-century dictators would later model themselves on Napoleon, more than a hundred years after his death. Napoleon was not the first dictator, so why was he such an important figurehead for future dictators? Some historians may consider that Napoleon wasRead MoreEssay Russian Rev olution and Orwell526 Words   |  3 PagesRussian Revolution and Orwell Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution have many similarities and ideas. The characters, settings, and the plots are the same. In addition Animal Farm is a satire and allegory of the Russian Revolution, George Orwell meant for it to be that way. My essay will cover the comparison between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution. Also it will explain why this novel is a satire and allegory to the Revolution. First of all the characters of the farm have a specialRead MoreNapoleon Bonaparte And The French Revolution1133 Words   |  5 PagesThe French Revolution, a revolutionary movement of extensive social and political upheavals triggered by the dissatisfaction of the monarchy. Inspired by the ideals of the Enlightenment, the Third Estate overthrew the monarchy and established many different governments and constitutions. These proved to be unhelpful and useless as anyone who came into power was blinded by it and became unreliable until Napoleon Bonaparte. Born as the fourth child of the Bonaparte, Napoleon grew up desiring to beRead MoreIs Napoleon Bonaparte a Corrupt Leader A leader is not determined by what he does but how he does1000 Words   |  4 PagesIs Napoleon Bonaparte a Corrupt Leader A leader is not determined by what he does but how he does it. Napolà ©on was a great leader no doubt but was he corrupt? He was not only a leader for the French but a hero. He had the gist of being able to inspire others and to undertake tasks that were not very pleasant. Napoleon believed that it is with Baubles men are led. Napoleon believed that wealth often reflected egotism and, in the absence if other qualifications. A rich man is often lazy and withoutRead More Symbolism and Interpretation in Animal Farm Essay808 Words   |  4 Pagescounterparts they appear to represent. Consider how each character could also be interpreted to have a larger, broader meaning. Farmer Jones : The farmer stands for the Russian Czar Nicolas II who was forced to abdicate after the successful February Revolution. In addition, Mr. Jones symbolizes the evils of capitalism, and the moral decline of men under this type of society. Humans: The humans stand for the capitalists, who exploit the weak. The gradual transformation of the pigs into human-likeRead MoreAnimal Farm Essay774 Words   |  4 PagesHave you ever felt influenced by your peers? In the world today, many people are influenced by their peers because they â€Å"don’t fit in†. The book Animal Farm by George Orwell is based on the Russian Revolution. In the book, the animals of Manor Farm are ruled by two pigs named Napoleon and Snowball. The animals follow all the orders that are given to them by the pigs because the pigs are â€Å"superior† and they know what’s right.In the book Animal Farm, many of the animals are influenced by the pigs toRead More Napoleon Essay1992 Words   |  8 Pages In 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte became first consul after overthrowing the Directory and establishing the Consultate. He had many achievements for France under educational, financial, administrative, legal and religious reforms. However, these achievements are often exaggerated. Napoleon was indeed the amp;#8216;heiramp;#8217; of the revolution as he completed much of the work that the revolution had started, such as the creation of a Civil Code and the reforming of the education system. DespiteRead MoreAnimal Farm By George Orwell Essay1430 Words   |  6 PagesAnimal Farm is of course, a satirical allegory, very specifically of the Russian Revolution and of Stalin (Napoleon in the book), but more generally of revolution, the idealism of utopias, and the way in which people take control of societies founded on principles of equality. It is a satirical allegory of Soviet totalitarianism. Orwell based major events in the book on ones from the Soviet Union during the Stalin era. Orwell, a democratic socialist, and a member of the Independent Labour Party

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Whining Nigger and Benjamin Banneker - 1344 Words

It is theorized that the phrase â€Å"angry Black man† is a social construct created during America’s Colonial period. It was supposedly used to negatively describe an African-American men who spoke out against what they considered to be an incongruous and xenophobic society and more specifically the institution of slavery. The phrase’s essence had been intentionally misconstrued. The three words together were said to have been used by whites as a dismissive tool; a method of sabotaging the validity of an outspoken Black man’s claims of an unjust and oppressive system. This was done in an effort to detract from the legitimacy of the outraged Black man’s cries of injustice. Purportedly, Abolitionist and Black male orators of the time were†¦show more content†¦This was an inherited line of work at which he made a modest living. Although, his life was still filled with great achievements. It is held that in 1753, Banneker borrowed a pocket wat ch from a wealthy neighbor. He then unassembled the watch and made a drawing of each component. Next, Banneker reassembled the watch and returned it, fully functioning and keeping the correct time, to its owner. From his illustrations Banneker then proceeded to carve, out of wood, large scale models of each part. He had calculated the appropriate number of teeth for each gear and the necessary connections between the machinery, and then constructed an operating wooden clock that kept accurate time and struck the hours for over 50 years. At the age of 58, in spite of the popular prejudices of his time, Banneker had adopted the mindset that that nothing - not his age nor his race - would stand in the way of his desire for further intellectual development. He began to study astronomy and was soon adept at predicting astrophysical anomalies. Like Banneker, Andrew Ellicott was a mathematician, amateur astronomer, and despised the institution of slavery. In 1788, with tools and books borrowed from Ellicott, Banneker came very close to accurately predicting the timing of an eclipse of the sun. He later discovered that a minor error in his calculations had been due to a discrepancy in his expert sources and not a miscalculation on his behalf. In 1791, because of his long-time

Sunday, December 15, 2019

“Why a College Education Is Important to Me” Free Essays

Ashworth College – Lesson 1 Writing Assignment – EN110 Achieving Academic Excellence â€Å"Why a college education is important to me† Albert Einstein is quoted for saying; â€Å"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"Why a College Education Is Important to Me† or any similar topic only for you Order Now One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity. So, here I am†¦ A forty-three year old â€Å"life educated† woman who was recently unemployed from my beloved field of Horticulture, in the winter and during the Holidays. Great! Just great! It is not something I have ever experienced before, unemployed during the holiday season and I don’t like it one bit. The realization has swiftly set in that my choice to work right out of High School instead of pursuing a college education had just found its way of biting me in the back side. What I am now realizing is that by getting a college education, it will help to open so many more doors and give me opportunities to not only better educate myself and provide me with a more financially successful life, but fill a void that I missed out on over Twenty-five years ago by not going to college right out of High School. In today’s society it is hard to get a good paying job or a financially fulfilling career without first getting a college education. By achieving a college degree I will have greatly improved my chances of acquiring a great paying job in Human Resources, and I will also be better able to contribute to a much better life for my future husband and I. A College Education will give me a deeper sense of confidence and help me to improve myself as a professional in a higher wage earning bracket. This is very important as I need to be a role model for my only son; to be someone he can always look up to, and hopefully inspire him to make the right choices for his education. In a nutshell, my college education is the key to a much brighter financial future and more satisfying career. When I was just out of High School, a College Education was NOT the most important item on my list. I needed a JOB. I had to get out there and work hard to get what I wanted. Honesty, I really had no interest in MORE education as the first Twelve years was quite unpleasant, to say the least. Plus, my parents couldn’t afford to send me to college, anyway. I grew up with all I needed but nothing more. We were not a rich family. It seemed my folks were always struggling financially, so asking them to put me through school with a price tag; well that option was completely out of the question. I would find my education gained from world experience and that was just going to have to be good enough for now†¦ Boy was I naive! What I have learned, I have learned the hard way. My field of choice, to this point in life has been Horticulture. I’ve had my hands in the dirt and playing with plants since I was a small child, besides I am really good at it. Problem is, the older I get, the tougher the job is on my body and living in the Midwest, the bitter cold winter is NOT a Horticulturists friend. I have also learned that the only way out of the dirt and behind a desk is if I made my way back to school to better educate myself and finally get a degree. Allowing myself a college education will teach me so many need new skills for success in a new career setting. College is nothing like high school; I don’t have my folks hollering at me to do my homework or teachers telling me to be sure to study for Friday’s exam. I have only myself to rely on and I don’t maintain the self-discipline needed to get my work done I will lose the chance to pass my classes and graduate. I am truly excited about taking these college classes as I believe it will push me to challenge myself and it will expand my process of thinking and learning to ways I have not experienced before. Job security is a must in this economy. The only way to get that security is to get a college degree. Most jobs require you to have some form of college education before they will even consider you. The more education you have the better chances you have of finding and keeping a good quality job. The higher your education the more selections you will have. The education I receive from Ashworth College will prepare me for a successful career in Human Resources and catapult me into a field that is in high demand and offers terrific financial security and benefits. Making more money isn’t the only reason I have selected to push myself into getting a college education though. With an education come better job opportunities and with that, come better benefits. Benefits such as vacation packages, great health, vision and dental care packages and a great retirement plan. These are things that as a Horticulturist, were not easy to come by in former employment experiences and something that a less educated individual in a lower skilled jobs may not always offer. A college education will help me in so many more ways than my misguided self would have ever thought. I am a recently unemployed, divorced mother of an 18 year old son. Going back to school after you have already lived an entire life in under forty-four years will give you more to strive for. You’re no longer just bettering yourself and your life but you are also reinventing yourself and creating a person that your family can look up to and be very proud of. It is important to me to show my family and my son that no matter what, anyone can change their lives for the better. Being successful in whatever I try is my inspiration for success and just knowing that I will be achieving a more stable life with a better financial future just fuels my drive. I want my family and my son to be just as proud of all I have accomplished as I am. I also want my son to know that there is no limit to education and that he should value it as much as I have learned to. In closing, I guess I have given a few reasons as to why a college education is so important to me. It will give you the valuable skills you will need to survive in our cut throat society, and all the while helping you to become a well-adjusted contributing member of the working class. No longer will I ever have to worry about whether I will be able to keep my job or if I will have to be on unemployment during the holidays. I know I will be able to contribute to a better life with my future husband and I will be the kind of mother my 18 year old son can be proud of. For all of these reasons, this is why my college education is important to ME. Bibliography Google Search – Famous Quotes about Education Quotation #9316 from Classic Quotes of Albert Einstein – US (German-born) physicist (1879 – 1955) Retrieved November 28th, 2012 from The Quotations Page – http://www. quotationspage. com/quote/9316. html Guide line Essay – Studymode – Inspiring Better Grades â€Å"Reason Why College Education Is Important† Reviewed November 28, 2012, from Essays Education: http://www. studymode. com/essays/Why-College-Education-Is-Important-To-1059076. html How to cite â€Å"Why a College Education Is Important to Me†, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Business Society and Planet Sustainability

Question: Discuss about the Business Society and Planet for Sustainability. Answer: Introduction Sustainability helps in leading a healthy life and the business owners should adhere to the sustainable business to help the society as well as carry out the business (Matos Silvestre, 2013). The reflective journal will discuss about the Triple Bottom Line, Six Forms of Capital used by business and six phases of business approaches to sustainability. The organizations that have adhered to sustainable business will also be evaluated. Triple Bottom Line The triple bottom line helps in understanding the areas that the company need to keep in mind while operating in the market. The three main factors that are taken into consideration are- social, financial and environmental aspects (Govindan, Khodaverdi Jafarian, 2013). In other words, three Ps should be kept in mind by an organization while working in the market- People, profits and planet. According to me, the triple bottom line very well explains the factors that an organization should keep in mind while carrying out the business. However, I feel that the company on a long-term basis rather than just acting on a short-term basis should adopt the triple bottom line framework. An organization a keep a check on the people and the planet for one time or for one activity but adhering to it for a long time is the challenge (Boons et al., 2013). Hence, the times should be taken into consideration while thinking of implementing the framework in the organization. Six Forms of Capital used byBusinesses While we talk about the six forms of capital that can be used in the business, I remember the idea of McElroy, (2003) when he described the six types of capital required for proper functioning of the business. The capitals are: Internal economic capital External economic capital Natural capital Human capital Social and relationship capital Constructed capital I feel that even though there are three different capitals but the capitals are inter-dependent on each other. An organization needs to build a strong human capital so that they are able to keep a check on the social and relationship capital. The human capital should be clubbed with the internal economic capital (Bocken et al., 2014). They should keep a track of the natural capital and constructed capital so that do not overuse the resources. Six Phases of Business Approaches to Sustainability When I studied the business approaches by Dunphy, Griffiths and Benn in the phase model, I felt that the model is the best way to explain the six phases that a business will go through while adopting sustainability. The six phases that could be evaluated are- rejection, non-responsiveness, compliance, efficiency, strategic proactivity and sustaining corporation (Benn, Dunphy Griffiths, 2014). When they will talk first talk about sustainability they will face with certain challenges and hence, they can reject the idea. They will become non-responsiveness towards the requirement of sustainability in the business. If they feel something good will happen if will comply to the changes by thinking that they will get something different from the changes. Gradually, they will gain efficiency in the sustainable tasks for the enhancement of the business. They will proactively take part in the sustainable business by setting the proper strategy. Eventually, they will become a sustainable corporation by taking the help of the sustainable activities. Examples of Business using Sustainability PepsiCo believes in keeping its shareholders updated about their behavior and activities. They held an annual shareholder meeting and keeps them updated about climate changes and the action that they have taken into account combat water scarcity and issues with health. Soft drinks are said to be harmful to health but coca cola has taken all the measures so that they are able to give the best possible products to the customers. They have improved the quality of water by 20%. Starbucks keep a close contact with the farmers and local communities while carrying out their business. The CEO of the company Howard Schultz has taken the effort when they thought about carrying out the business ethically. They invest in sustainable business practices and aim at getting the coffee beans ethically. Conclusion After going through aspects of sustainability, I have concluded that the themes of sustainability explain the concept well. Triple bottom line framework reminds the business owners of people, profits and planet. Dunphy, Griffiths and Benn talk about the approaches to sustainability and that are rejection, non-responsiveness, compliance, efficiency, strategic proactivity and sustaining corporation. McElroy explains the capital that will help in sustainable development of the organization. References Benn, S., Dunphy, D., Griffiths, A. (2014).Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Routledge. Bocken, N. M. P., Short, S. W., Rana, P., Evans, S. (2014). A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes.Journal of cleaner production,65, 42-56. Boons, F., Montalvo, C., Quist, J., Wagner, M. (2013). Sustainable innovation, business models and economic performance: an overview.Journal of Cleaner Production,45, 1-8. Govindan, K., Khodaverdi, R., Jafarian, A. (2013). A fuzzy multi criteria approach for measuring sustainability performance of a supplier based on triple bottom line approach.Journal of Cleaner Production,47, 345-354. Matos, S., Silvestre, B. S. (2013). Managing stakeholder relations when developing sustainable business models: the case of the Brazilian energy sector.Journal of Cleaner Production,45, 61-73.. McElroy, M. W. (2003).The new knowledge management: Complexity, learning, and sustainable innovation. Routledge.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Second Treatise Of Government Essays - Rights, Libertarian Theory

Second Treatise Of Government Locke's The Second Treatise of Civil Government: The Significance of Reason The significance of reason is discussed both in John Locke's, The Second Treatise of Civil Government, and in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's, Emile. However, the definitions that both authors give to the word ?reason? vary significantly. I will now attempt to compare the different meanings that each man considered to be the accurate definition of reason. John Locke believed that the state ?all men are naturally in ... is a state of perfect freedom? (122), a state in which they live ?without ... depending upon the will of any other man? (122). It is called the ?the state of nature,? and it is something that is within us at birth. The state of nature is a law made by God, called the Law of Reason. This law gives humankind liberty, freedom, and equality and stresses that no man ?ought to harm another in his life, liberty, or possessions? (123). According to Locke, the law of reason is the basis of man as well as society. It restrains men from infringing on the rights of others. In this state, there is no need for a central authority figure to govern the actions of people, for it is the people, themselves, who impose the ?peace and preservation of mankind? (124). One can have perfect freedom as long as one does not disturb others in their state of nature; in this ?state of perfect equality ... there is no superiority or jurisdiction of one over another? (124). Men, thereby, have the power to ?preserve the innocent and restrain offenders? (124) and punish those who transgress against them and disturb their ?state of nature.? Thus, all men are their own ?executioner[s] in the law of nature,? or the Law of Reason. While all men are in charge of their own will according to the Law of Reason in which they are born, some men do, in fact, break or reject this law, which causes them to enter into a state of war with the others. People reject the law of nature for many reasons, especially when their ideas and opinions differ. When people reject the law, two things can happen; the first is that one could enter into a state of war with someone else, and the other is that one could choose to enter into a state of society. It is reason that ultimately leads a person into the state of society through a social contract. In these societies, it is reason, the law of nature, which governs mankind. Reason is not flexible because it is God's law and it is set in stone. This reason gives you the social contract, leading to life, liberty, and happiness. To Locke, it is crucial for men to enter into the social contract as soon as possible. Since we are born into the state of nature in which the law of reason governs us, it is easy for us to enter into society when we are young. This is because that very society is based on reason, not upon feelings or intuition. When men leave their state of nature and conform to society and the government, they give up their right to punish others, as they see fit. Instead, the social contract exists to protect people from those who transgress by inflicting due punishment to offenders through the force of the government. Since every person mutually agrees to live amongst the rules of the contract, it protects the good of the majority. The government thus works to benefit the good of the people. The best kinds of government, Locke believed, are absolute monarchies, because they don't take their citizens out of the state of nature. Societies, in fact, are in a form of the state of nature, themselves, so people don't have to give up their ?rights? to reason by entering into the social contract. Reason still exists where conformity flourishes. It doesn't diminish but is actually enhanced by the merging of natural law (fundamental law) and positive law (the law of the majority of others). John Locke believed that conformity is what enhances society. His ideal was for everyone to be fully integrated into the social contract.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Propaganda in Foreign Policy essays

Propaganda in Foreign Policy essays Propaganda is a major political tool used by the United States, especially in its foreign policy. Politics on a global scale can be defined as the competition, which occurs among nations, due to the scarcity of the worlds resources. The political agenda of a nations foreign policy governs which resources for which it will compete through various political means. Propaganda, as a tool to advance ones political agenda, is the filtering and manipulation of information to guide a populaces decision making ability towards the propogandizers proposed end. The people are not exposed to all the information and therefore are not choosing one or the other but between one and one. If a political tool is any means used to gain leverage in a competition, then propaganda as a political tool would create an arena in which a person could only be in support of the propogandizers agenda because they are unaware of the political agenda of the competitor. Immediately after WWII ended, Germany became a potential global resource politically and economically for the allied forces of Germanys occupation, especially the United States and the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). For the United States, Germany presented as a potential political ally in Europe as well as a now desperate market for a variety of products, but victory would mean little if political and economic conditions which had spawned the totalitarian of the 1930s remained in existence (Gaddis 2). The U.S. occupation of Germany and foreign policy towards Germany during this time was motivated by both creating a democratic ally in Europe and opening up a new market for its products. US foreign policy also leads to the first Cold-War confrontation between US and the USSR over the resource of Germany (Hartenian). In addition, the US occupation put the US in the perfect position to utilize propaganda as its main political tool to ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Mediation process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mediation process - Essay Example Mediation, however, has evolved from its North American origins as an organizational development instrument to international use as an alternative dispute resolution method as it offers a less-costly alternative to court proceedings. The increasing complexity of the mediation process is compounded by the fact that parties involved even the mediator can come from different cultures. Avruch and Black (1993) notes that most cases of mediation processes has the mediator failing in considering cultural differences as they are inclined to adhere to the supposed notion that there are universally acceptable models of mediation. The pervading view among mediator scholars is that there is a tendency to adapt a superficial view of culture as behavioral stereotype wherein different ethnic groups can be managed with proper etiquette and tolerance. Nonetheless, there is an increasing literature that shows that multiculturalist perspectives have great impact on the mediation process. This paper aims at looking into the incorporation of multiculturalism in the mediation process. I will be looking at how culture can affect the conflict resolution process and identify how multiculturalism can be used in the mediation process.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Controls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Controls - Essay Example There are certain risks, threats and challenges that a company may be faced with and becomes very difficult to evade or run away from( Wilsonart, 2008). This company not being exceptional, there are certain risks or threats that they few may arise if the weight of the boxes are not analyzed and proper results given or tabled. The key threat of this company, which is pegged on the weight of the boxes and a report, is therefore given below. The Weight of the boxes cannot be controlled, as reduction would lead to the production or poor quality products. The set weight of the cereal boxes cannot be controlled even by through packaging as the weight lies within the main commodities and not the boxes. The only reductions can be made is in the weight of the boxes but not the commodity (Munteanu, 2010). This clearly shows that no solution to the company’s threat as the solution lies with them. Actually, it is the duty of the company to increase its sales performance. This will help in bridging the gap that brought about by the weight of the boxes. As it can be seen from the chart or graph, is becomes very difficult to control the weight of the boxes as they run in a set range of units that cannot be altered with and if altered, then the company can experience poor quality goods hence leading to the drastic fall in the company’s performance. The only ways deal with this is to increase the rate of profitability and supplies. With high rate accumulation of profits, the company can fix the problem as a certain amount of profits received will go

Monday, November 18, 2019

Revenue Recognition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Revenue Recognition - Essay Example The proposed standard will definitely be an effective approach for the companies in the post-modern era. The standards would eradicate discrepancies and drawbacks of the current practices of revenue recognition. Revenue is the essential aspect of companies and if the standards are not appropriate and acceptable, then smooth operations of the accounting departments of the companies might get hampered. Through the proposed standard for revenue recognition, a stronger framework aimed at tackling the process of revenue recognition will be developed. The strong framework would assist the companies in effectively handling the various issues related to revenue which will add value towards the accounting measures of the companies in turn. Another advantage that the proposed standard would provide is concerned with the improvement of the factor of comparability of the various practices of revenue recognition throughout the existing several numbers of industries, entities, capital markets and jurisdictions. Finally, the proposed standard will be of extreme help towards the simplification of organizing the financial statements of the companies as this would decrease the enormous amount of requirements like that of the present (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2010). The anticipated reaction from the companies in the United States (US) as against the proposed changes in the standards for revenue recognition will be wide and varied. This is because, on one hand, the ease of the US companies dealing with international trading business would increase, while on the other hand, the companies would have to alter their existing methods of accounting operations involving a huge amount of costs.  Ã‚  

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Strategic Analysis Of Ryanair Competitive Advantage Management Essay

Strategic Analysis Of Ryanair Competitive Advantage Management Essay Since its inception in 1985, Ryanair has grown to become the market leading European low-cost airline. This paper is an analysis of the Ryanair case study (OHiggins, 2007) and seeks to evaluate the sustainability of the strategy employed by Ryanair. It also seeks to identify areas for improvement and make recommendations given the available information. It will do this by first discussing the current strategy and performance. An analysis of the environment will then be carried out through a PESTEL analysis to identify the salient influences likely to impact on future strategy and a contextualisation of the aviation industry through the application of Porters five forces. This will be applied to the Ryanair case to see how this might have informed their current business and competitive strategy and their position in the market given the opportunities and threats revealed. The paper will then proceed with an evaluation of stakeholder management as a start point to the evaluation of the sustainability of the current strategy and recommendations on the direction and future strategy the airline might adopt. The conclusion summarises the whole piece. Ryanairs Strategic Posture From the case, it can be seen that Ryanairs corporate strategy is one of growth and expansion and its business strategy through which it seeks to gain competitive advantage is cost leadership. This is reflected in its consideration of the markets it chooses to operate in and its service offering. From the case, it is evident that the targeted market segment consists of European price sensitive customers and Ryanair positioned itself as the cheapest short haul airline. To achieve this, the airline adopted a low-price strategy which is contingent upon maintaining a low cost operation whilst achieving operating efficiency in order to satisfy customers. Ever decreasing costs was Ryanairs mantra (Johnson et al, 2008:699) showing that much focus was given to keeping costs and thus prices low and not necessarily on achieving operational efficiency, a fact confirmed by the results of the poll by TripAdvisor. It is for this reason that Ryanair constantly examined every area of its operations seeking areas to implement cost reductions or eliminations. These initiatives include: the rationalising of its fleet to minimise staff training, aircraft maintenance and fuel costs introducing a web-based self service for passengers for ticketing, check-in and priority boarding purposes to reduce the need for client facing staff and printing costs charging passengers for checked in luggage to encourage travel with fewer bags and improve on speed sticking to point to point (P2P) routes so as to eliminate passenger transfer costs servicing only short-haul routes to reduce the need for value added services to passengers. utilising secondary and regional airports to reduce airport charges. The CEO Michael O Leary also quite frequently vocalised his criticism of airport authorities and other systems especially in areas that would have a negative impact on costs. The airline was also particularly focused on generating ancillary revenues hence its constant seeking of areas to charge its passengers for any value added service like baggage, onboard meals and even for the use of a wheelchair. The policies adopted in this regard are those which had the most impact on their customer service. The underlying premise being that they positioned themselves as offering transportation and customers must bear the cost of any other service they require. The airlines strategic direction includes a mix of market penetration through which it seeks to increase its market share in its existing markets using its low fare offerings and market development by moving into other viable European markets sticking to its policy on P2P routes. Current Performance The evidence of the success of this strategy in its basic form can be seen in the financial results and in the fact that the airline has the highest market share of European low-cost carriers in terms of passenger numbers. (exhibit 2 of the case study) and in their reputation of having the best fares (OHiggins, 2007). Financially, the strategy is clearly working for them. Not only have they increased their revenue, they have also succeeded in reducing their costs thus giving them a higher profit margin year on year. Table 1 in the appendix shows that there was a 28% increase in total operating revenues from Apr 2005 to Mar 2006, however by September 2006 (half of the next fiscal year) the airline had already generated 74% of the full year revenue of the previous year. Table 3 (in the appendix) also shows that their expenses in comparison to total operating revenues also reduced thus resulting in a higher operating profit margin. This is a confirmation that not only were they carrying more passengers, their cost reducing policies were also working for them to improve their profit margin. Exhibit 1c in the case shows that some of these areas include marketing costs/scheduled revenue down by 15%, airport costs for passengers down by 7% and average staff costs down by 5% and from 2005 to 2006. In the same period, passenger numbers had increased by 26%. Ancillary revenues account for approximately 15 to 17% of revenue generated. The profitability ratios for Ryanair (table 2 in the appendix) shows a gradual increase in net operating margin. However, return on total assets and return on shareholders equity (ROE) remained constant. MACRO ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES PESTEL ANALYSIS The following PESTEL analysis identifies the key drivers for change in the macro environmental (external to the industry) factors identified in the case. Each of these macro environmental factors can influence Ryanairs strategy by being either an opportunity (O), a Threat (T) or both (B) and thus the level of success they attain. Political Government support for national carriers (T) Increasing need for security (T) Government policies and regulations e.g. The EU regulation on compensation of inconvenienced customers (T) Economic Market growth especially with expansion of the EU by addition of more countries (O) The volatility of fuel prices and currency exchange rates (B) Socio-Cultural Changes in passenger expectations and attitudes e.g. rising passenger expectations of some form of value added service even with the lowest prices (T) Long security checks and luggage restriction due security concerns leading customers to choose alternate travel methods like trains (T) Technological Technological advancements e.g. more fuel efficient engines with reduced carbon emissions.(B) Environmental Pollution issues e.g. concerns on greenhouse gases and carbon emissions and their impact on the environment (B) Energy consumption concerns (B) Legal Labour laws in differing countries affecting things like uniformity of employee contracts (T) Specific country legislations e.g. preferential airport rights for some carriers like Air France and the French airports.(T) Stringent health and safety regulations (T) MICRO ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES (INDUSTRY ANALYSIS) PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS This analysis will look at the overall competitiveness of the industry citing examples from the case for clarity. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Fuel: There are quite a number of aviation fuel suppliers however given the volatility in fuel prices, strong relationships need to be built in order to maximise the value of hedging contracts thus making supplier power high. Ryanairs fuel cost was 37% of its operating costs in 2006, 8% more than in 2005 (OHiggins, 2007). The airline will have to hedge their fuel costs. This requires experience and knowledge (OHiggins, 2007). Aircraft: Power is also high here due to high switching costs there being only 2 dominant players Boeing and Airbus. The capital requirements are also high in aircraft acquisition. Ryanairs fleet commonality policy to use only Boeing 737 planes might give them a cost advantage but it gives Boeing high power over Ryanair. Since pilots and cabin crew are all trained based on Boeing aircraft, switching costs for Ryanair to use Airbus or any other aircraft manufacturer are very high as staff would have to be trained again. Bargaining Power of Buyers This is relatively high due to low switching costs as price is the major driver and customers can easily switch to another low-fare airline. Threat of New Entrants Large initial capital investment in aircrafts is the main barrier in this industry. Unit costs for new entrants will be higher than for established airlines because of experience curve effects (Johnson et al, 2008), not only in terms of investment in non-current assets, but also the services provided by aircrafts suppliers. Other threats to new entrants include plans to tax aviation fuel within the EU by 2010, the proposed emissions trading scheme and legislation on customer compensation with a delay or cancellation of a flight. Experience curve effects give Ryanair cost advantage over any new entrants due to established relationships and existing contracts e.g. Ryanair and Boeing. Threat of Substitute Products Trains are an alternative means of transportation. This is especially critical to the short-haul and low fare airlines because evolutionary train technology is continually making train travel faster and more comfortable, and its price/performance ratio (Johnson et al, 2008) are perceived to be higher. Competitive Rivalry The case posits that the budget or low- cost airline segment is attractive based on the large number of entrants and rivals. However, of note is that as many as 50 went bankrupt indicating that getting in is easier than staying in. This indicates that competitive rivalry is extremely high and survival and profitability is based on establishing competitive advantage over rivals (MBA SAB Course Outline). The strategic groups map below illustrates Ryanairs positioning in the market based on competitive strategy. Low cost/No frills Mid Market/ Hybrid Full Service Within the strategic group, airlines which do low-cost and no frills are competing with each other. Mobility for airlines to move between groups is low. Therefore, competitive rivalry should be considered within this context. Large number of new entrants and rivals in this industry, with Ryanair and EasyJet having 55.8% market share. Competition among the other low-fare airlines could be intense due to similar size (OHiggins, 2007), but there is difficulty challenging these big two. Lack of significant differentiation between low-fare airlines, and business mode can be learnt and copied easily resulting in high pressure on price competition, which in turn constrains profitability (Johnson et al, 2008). Negotiations to maximise the benefits of the fuel price hedging will require lots of experience. The airline which is better able to hedge its fuel price will gain competitive advantage over the others in this regard. STAKEHOLDER EXPERIENCE WITH RYANAIR Consumers The results of the 2004 poll by Trip Advisor showed Ryanair was voted the worlds least favourite airline by customers. The lowest votes were in service quality specifically,, complains against Ryanair ranys in flight time and poor leg roomlegrom, Johnson et al, 2008. Otherm consumers about the airlude:wcurity, poor luggageowever scored well onRyanair was scored as the best fares. airline. Shareholders Generally, Ryanair has a lower price to earnings ratio than its peers like Easyjet. This can be seen in the fact that ROE remained fairly constant. There is however no information in the case on if Ryanair kept to its promise to remedy the situation of failing to distribute a huge cash pile to investors.own Employees They had several unsettled industrial disputes with their employees. Their employees were not allowed to have unions to represent their interest. There were complaints of staff been bullied to sign contracts against their will and there were legal actions against Ryanair for employee contract misconducts. There were complaints of poor pay and working conditions from employees. All this despite the airlines claim that their average pay was higher than any other major European airline. Media The press criticized the airline for excessive insurance charges, poor treatment of customers whose flights were cancelled, obsessive focus on price and profit with disregard to customer service. Chief of these was on, itstreatment of physically challenged passengers and charges instituted for facilities (wheelchairs) taken on board by them.for p Governments and Regulatory Bodies Ryanair had ongoing verbal battles and pending litigations with regulatory authorities. The Norwegian Consumer Protection authority had fined Ryanair sixty four thousand Euros for charging customers excessive administration fees for handling ticket cancellations. The CEO Michael OLeary had certainly put himself in the bad books of several EU commissioners who thought him arrogant, abrasive and irritating. EVALUATION: THE SUSTAINABILITY OF RYANAIRS STRATEGY team we think that the stra the short and long term and long term areis quite re will always be that segment of customers that will seek the lowest priced offerings. However, there is nd it also has a much scopeforof flexibility and agility to rious areas of the macrond micro environmentmicroenvironment especially in light of the cnstantly cons of customers. The implication of the current strategyies is quite evident in the case study, which reflect that even though thacro factors were least favourable for the company, it still however company performed performed beyond the expectations of the sharer profits. One of the key strengths of the company was in the appointment of CEO Michael OLeary as CEO., whplayed a vital role not only in understanding the dynamics of of the lines industrybut also ensured implementation of the strategy and ensuing ed key stra the company efectively. However, even though there was an indication that he was prepared to leave in 2008, there is no evidence in the case to suggest the grooming o an equally capable successor to take Ryanair to the next level.Indis should be an area of serious consideration. The sustainability of the strategy in terms of low prices is quite obvious. However, innovation and agility is very important for the rom fe as other firms may try to capture the market by adopting the same low price strategy but adding with some degree of dentiation to improve on customer satisfaction. It can be seen in the case study that the Ryanair approach is not customer centric., This is a potential thret in the future given that customers are becoming more demanding in their expectations from service providers.which can be considered as the public image of the company. Due to this over period company may lose the image in public. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations are based on the key opportunities and threats identified in the macro environment and the issues identified with its stakeholder management and the suggestions on enhancing the sustainability of its strategy. Ryanair should continue with its growth and expansion strategy due to the market growth. The 30 aircrafts to be delivered from September 2006 is a great start to this. It should also continue with its market expansion as EU member states increase and stick to its point-to-point strategy. If fuel prices continue to rise, Ryanair should adopt charging a reasonable surcharge in order to offset some of the expense especially is all the other airlines are doing this. Fuel surcharges are becoming widely accepted by customers who are aware of the volatility of its prices and how it affects airlines. The term reasonable is used as they need to do this whilst still offering the lowest prices available for passengers. They could also carry out Public enlightenment campaigns to inform stakeholders of their challenges with airport, fuel and other charges to gain sympathy. Continue with the acquisition of new fuel efficient and environmental friendly aircrafts which will in the long run reduce their liability on the soon to be proposed emissions bill. It will also improve on their public image with regards to CSR issues. Continue to challenge unreasonable taxes levied by Governments but in a more consultative manner. Reduce its focus on generating ancillary revenue but instead focus on costless or low cost initiatives to improve customer perceptions and thus satisfaction. In this regard the airline should also segment the identified opportunities to generate ancillary revenues and assess the long term impact on the company e.g. not charging wheelchair passengers for the use of their wheelchairs could have been used to improve the image of the company in terms of customer care Improve their relationship with employees and employment conditions (pay, benefits and cut down restrictions) to reduce staff turnover which will further reduce staff costs in the long run. Assign resources to improve their public and brand image, this can be outsourced to professionals. Engage in cheap advertisement like providing promotional tickets for Journalists and regulatory bodies to see the improvement in their operations. This will improve both their brand and public image. Perhaps the biggest recommendation is in the grooming of and eventual appointment of a new CEO with a more charismatic personality than Michael OLeary whose first priority would be the settlement of outstanding litigation and improving the airlines relationship with stakeholders. One whose outlook is that outright confrontation is not the only way to manage expected or required change. Conclusion According to Grant (2010), on performance diagnosis: if profit performance is unsatisfactory then there is a need to identify the sources of poor performance in order to take corrective action. However, with the Ryanair case, it is obvious that there is satisfactory profit performance and this may lead to a form of inertia with regards to addressing other issues which in the long run could lead to losses. Ryanair will have to look into the future identifying factors that would threaten its performance or could even create opportunities for increased profit. According to Grant (2010:49), there is a need to look into the ultimate drivers of profitability and to ask pertinent questions: What will be happening in the industry in terms of competition and customer demand? Which companies will possess the capabilities needed to establish competitive advantage in tomorrows markets? Grant (2010:65) also posits that the prerequisite for profit is the creation of value for the customer. We have been limited in the case due to a lack of information on whether or not Ryanair uses a balanced scorecard to set and evaluate performance targets as the 4 elements of the balanced scorecard will ensure that they have a well rounded implementation of their strategy in every area of their business and would also establish targets and provide a mode of evaluation consistent with their strategy. This would tie in current policies and all recommendations made into one cohesive document for the company. Appendix Table : Revenue comparison for Ryanair 2005 to 2006 Currency is Euros Half-year to 30 Sept. 2006 Proportion of Half year to Full year Full year to 31 Mar 2006 Growth or Decline vly Full year to 31 Mar 2005 Operating revenues Scheduled revenues 1,092,102 76% 1,433,377 27% 1,128,116 Ancillary revenues 164,321 63% 259,153 36% 190,921 Total operating revenues 1,256,423 74% 1,692,530 28% 1,319,037 Source: Johnson et al, 2008 p. 696 Table : Profitability Ratios for Ryanair Column1 Half-year to 30 Sep. 2006 Full year to 31 Mar 2006 Full year to 31 Mar 2005 Profitability Ratios Net Operating Margin 26% 18% 21% Return on Total Assets 7% 7% 7% Return on Equity 14% 15% 16% Formulae Used: Proportion of half year to full year (%) = x 100 Growth or Decline vly = x 100 Net Operating Margin(%) = x 100 Return on Total Assets (%) = x 100 Return on Equity (%) = x 100 Table : Common-size statement analysis for Ryanair expenses 2005 2006 Currency is Euros Half-year to 30 Sep. 06 Expense as % of Revenue Full year to 31 Mar.06 Expense as % of Revenue Full year to 31 Mar.05 Expense as % of Revenue Total operating revenues 1,256,423 1,692,530 1,319,037 Operating expenses Staff costs 113,844 9% 171,412 10% 141,673 11% Depreciation 71,622 6% 124,405 7% 110,357 8% Fuel and oil 337,042 27% 462,466 27% 265,276 20% Maintenance, materials and repairs 21,313 2% 37,417 2% 26,280 2% Marketing and distribution costs 11,608 1% 13,912 1% 19,622 1% Aircraft rentals 25,394 2% 47,376 3% 21,546 2% Route charges 98,384 8% 164,577 10% 135,672 10% Airport and handling charges 139,097 11% 216,301 13% 178,384 14% Other 52,312 4% 79,618 5% 79,489 6% Total operating expenses 870,616 69% 1,317,484 78% 978,299 74% Operating profit -continuing operations 385,807 31% 375,046 22% 340,738 26% Source: Johnson et al, 2008 p.696

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Infinity Mirror :: The Infinity Mirror

The Infinity Mirror    "Tularecito" is a myth about truth. Tularicito, just a character of that myth, is the focus for this glossed over fable. Steinbeck draws on this form of genre to present the idea that we are all a part of what happens to others, based upon our nature.    The image presented of Tularecito is that of a demon, an idiot savant, a boy with a gift from God, and that gift's cost. He is a freak, a dangerous misfit, an innocent who does not need the constraints of reality. Tularecito is a test. The test is one of moral caliber. It is a test of the souls of the characters who overshadaow Tularecito.    Pancho is a man that is both holy and sinful. His purfunctory act of church going becomes true belief as alcohol demons induce him to halucinate a deformed boy into an outcast from hell. He looks into his mirror and sees himself, becomes shaken, reforms.    From Pancho's employer, Franklin Gomez, we get a cold hard look into society. We see a mother, knowing her son is to be hated and feared, and perhaps possibly killed, cannot face killing her son with her bare hands. She leaves the killing to exposure to the elements, enying herself a look into Tularecito.    Franklin adopts Pancho's demon, and Tularecito transforms into a disadvantaged who has been gifted with talent. Tularecito becomes a man at the age of six, "The boy grew rapidly, but after the fifth year his brain did not grow any more," To Franklin, Tularecito is grace, and graceless. He is talented in all things of any physical strength, and well proficient in the creation of beauty, and an artist in the care for life of nature. The touch of Tularecito brings beauty, and life, and love to the world, until he becomes enraged, (should anyone endanger what came from the touch of his hand). Franklin looked into   Tularecito's mirror and saw what Tularecito was.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Unfair Public School Funding

Eryka English 102 Research Paper Public School Funding: Closing the Education Gap In America we have spent billions of dollars on public school funding in hopes of educating the youth that will one day run the country. Without a solid foundation for the next generation to succeed, America will not be able to continue to improve and move forward. But if the education of our children is such an importance; why are we not giving every public school the right amount of funding to succeed? Just as there is an unequal opportunity in the work force; it also happens in the public school system.Schools that perform better are given more funding than schools that are not. Public school funding in America should not be determined by the academic achievement of a school, but should all receive the same amount of funding. Although many Americans would agree that the education of their children is a top priority, not many of them would know how funding is distributed throughout the country. It is the general idea that students do better in a well-funded school and that the public schools should all provide the same opportunity for every student to succeed.But if the belief is all public schools are the same then why are there private schools? And why do many parents decided to move and live in an area that as a great school system. There is no secret that some schools are better than others; it’s the point in which how the schools are able to become â€Å"better† than other public schools that’s the problem. Nearly half of the funding for public schools is provided from local taxes in the community the school is located in. Which means that funding for public schools varies across the country between the wealthy and poorer communities in America.At both the state and federal level there have been efforts to change the deficit the schools lack compared to others, but the idea has been taken negatively by the wealthy and powerful to choose how their school community functions. Others would argue that more money given to the schools will not improve the education of students; that individual success depends on the student and not the resources that are available to them. Such as Eric Hanushek, an academic reviewer wrote: â€Å"Detailed research spanning two decades and performance in many different educational settings provides strong onsistent evidence that expenditures are not systematically related to student achievement† (Hanushek 49) This claim has been a factor to the driving force that money can only go so far in a student’s educational life. But it has also been contradicted by academic researchers of public school funding by Rob Greenwald, Larry Hedges, and Richard Laine wrote: â€Å"school resources are systematically related to student achievement and that those relations are large [and] educationally important. (Greenwald et al. 384) With such a controversial topic, which one should we believe?How can we pos sible know for sure more money given to schools is the best option to improve the education our students receive from the government? And why should we change the way wealthy community schools are run when they are already successful in their academic achievements? How large is the difference in the amount of funding that each public school receives? Public school funding comes from federal state, and local sources, which nearly half of those funds are from local property taxes(National Center for Education Statistics).Because of the local property taxes from the community this is where the uneven funding for public schools start that makes a difference from the wealthy and impoverished communities. For example in 1998, New Jersey had an annual funding rate per student of $8,801, while Utah had a yearly rate of $3,804 per student(National Center for Education Statistics). Just from these numbers it shows that students from New Jersey where given twice the level of education than tho se students in Utah. While America funds its schools by the local wealth of the communities, we are the only country that does that.This type of funding system makes a huge difference in the quality of school building, faculty, equipment, class sizes, and technology resources for a student’s education. In other countries public schools are funded through state taxes and the communities. But what makes other countries educational system different than our own is each school gets the same amount of funding needed to run the school. As Robert Slavin a psychologist focusing on community and education said: â€Å"the U. S. is the only nation to fund elementary and secondary education based on local wealth.Other developed countries either equalize funding or provide extra funding for individuals or groups felt to need it. In the Netherlands, for example, national funding is provided to all schools based on the number of pupils enrolled, but for every guilder allocated to a middle- class Dutch child, 1. 25 guilders are allocated for a lower-class child and 1. 9 guilders for a minority child, exactly the opposite of the situation in the U. S. where lower-class and minority children typically receive less than middle-class white children. Slavin 520)† Poorer and minority students face more difficulties in their life as they are more prone to experience more difficulties in the family. But also these students are also forced to go to school at poorly funded schools. There is often commonly a language boundary that keeps many of the children from having a proper education in a school system. Teachers that are starting out in their educational career are sent to schools that are having a hard time developing their students into academic achievers.Schools in poorer communities are in need of more experienced teachers, but there is not enough money to recruit a quality teacher that has not already been recruited to teach at a higher paying and more academically achieving job and environment. Teachers are a learning tool that helps the students get to where they can be successful in life. The quality of materials that students have available to them impact the way they learn and also the pace they learn. With little funding students are left to work without dated technology and second hand books.The effect of outdated technology can be an intimidation for a student to not continue onto college. Many students feel as though schools did not prepare them for an institution that has technology far beyond than what they know how to use. On the other side of the argument, students are given their own choice to either achieve or fail in their education. In other words, success and failure results from individual effort and not a group interaction of the student by the community the student lives in. Even if less funded schools are given more money; more than half of adults say that poverty is a personal problem (Smith).The community that the scho ol was built into has already set the standard of the school. Depending on the community influences the child is more likely to follow into the footsteps of their parents. If the parents are mechanics and the child follows in their footsteps, does that make them a failure if the student does not go on to be a doctor or an over achiever? The effects of the community on a child can change the way education is viewed in the family and home. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, politician and sociologist, argues that minorities are disadvantaged because of the â€Å"social traditions† of the minority communities().Which means that students have the ability to learn but the social culture in their communities hinder them to take their education seriously unless their family does. This belief that students come from impoverished homes lack the support system to benefit from a quality education drives the idea that there is no need for more funding. Even though there are outrageous numbers that can be easily equaled out for all students. America has focused on the idea to invest in the students that have a more promising future in the long run. Why would we waste money that will become a gamble, and we will not know if the outcome will be positive or not.The wealthy communities have been able to produce those students that have continued to succeed. The states believe that if they reward those schools that are producing results then it will give the other schools incentive to achieve to retrieve more money for the state. But how can a school be able to climb its way to the top if it’s stuck in the bottom, working with the resources that it already has. The biggest survey done on the relationship of the amount of funding and the impact of students’ education was called The Coleman Report.The report was a study that randomly selected thousands of students from all over the nation and tried to connect the issue of money and education. From the report it was lin ked that students’ home background and peer groups were a major part of achievement, but the quality of the school had little to no impact on their education. Which researchers wrote: â€Å"Schools bring little influence to near on a child’s achievement that is independent of his background and general social context† (Cain 325). Schools that are also well funded are able to get familiarized with the current technology that is popular in today’s life.From the advantage of having the practice with technology has already put themselves ahead of others who have not gotten the chance to learn that kind of technology. Students who are not able to access technology are behind to those who have and will lack in their technology skills in college. Being updated with the latest technology helps students want to continue in into college to learn more new things. The quality of materials that students have available to them impact the way they learn and also the pac e they learn. With little funding students are left to work without dated technology and second hand books.The effect of outdated technology can be an intimidation for a student to not continue onto college. Many students feel as though schools did not prepare them for an institution that has technology far beyond than what they know how to use. Without confidence in the education that they have received, students are hesitant to ask for help and get the help that they need to succeed into a higher education level. If the materials the schools are using are outdated and not taken care of, then the students will also return the same respect to the books in the condition that they are in.Schools no longer become a place for opportunity, but a place where students are required to attend with old material, that will not get any better as the years go on. The quality of the materials the students are given the more respect and effort they will give to the course material. If American is able to provide the entire students with the equal opportunity to succeed then there would be more achievements in the nation, but also a higher achievement in the country. There needs to be more awareness of the effect that funding in public schools has on the students.Statistics in the nation vary from state to state, but with the same amount of material for each student. Most Americans say they support equal funding for public schools, but they are not willing to take the necessary steps to improve and provide equal funding for all the schools across the country. Some reasons why wealthy people and communities do not to anything about unequal funding is because of: not even admitting that there is a funding difference, to keep personal taxes low, and the thought that poverty is brought onto the person instead of trying to better themselves through their education.It is better to keep the money going to the schools that continue to have academic success with their students. Studie s indicate that the level of student advantage within the home or community matters a lot to the outcome of the student’s education. But also that funding will help the student be more educated and motivated to go onto college. Greater one on one time with a teacher will help the student learn more material. Two main aspects that have been tied to higher levels of student achievement: stronger teacher qualifications, and smaller class sizes in the early grades.Getting the bases of an early education but also a quality education helps the student in the long run to adapt to the education system in a positive environment. The achievements of disadvantaged students in poorer communities are more likely to suffer America’s public school system because of two main reasons: those students are more likely to attend poorly funded schools, and they are more likely to be hurt by lack of academic resources when there is not enough funding that the school needs.Legal and political efforts to improve funding have not been very successful at the federal level, but a lot of activity has been present in the state courts and there is a realization to increase school funding. The future effects have increased in state funds for poorly-funded districts while leaving funding for rich, suburban districts up to the communities to continue with their educational support. We have concluded that well-funded schools are able to obtain higher educated teachers that continue to increase the school progression.In addition to better funded schools, schools are able to reduce the class sizes which will improve the students learning to be more focused and engaged in the classroom. Which is a huge advantage because a main problem in low funded schools, is that there is so many students in one room that a single teacher is not able to guarantee that that material is being understood from every student. Resources Cain, G. G. & Watts, H. W. (1970). Problems in making policy inferen ces from the Coleman Report. American Sociological Review, 35(2), 228-242.Hanushek, E. A. (1989). The impact of differential expenditures on school performance. Educational Researcher, 18(4), 45-65. Kluegel, J. R. & Smith, E. R. (1986). Beliefs about inequality: Americans' view of what is and what ought to be. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. Greenwald, R. , Hedges, L. V. , ; Laine, R. D. (1996). The effect of school resources on school achievement. Review of Educational Research, 66(3), 361-396. Moynihan, D. P. (Ed. ). (1969). On understanding poverty: Perspectives from the social sciences.New York: Basic Books. National Center for Education Statistics (2000a). Common core of data for school years 1993/94 through 1997/98 (a compact disk). Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U. S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics (2000b). The condition of education 2000. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U. S. Dep artment of Education. Slavin, R. E. (1999). How can funding equity ensure enhanced achievement? Journal of Education

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Human factors in the Space industry Essay

Abstract The world is in transition from Information Age to Space Age. This can be assumed by observing trends particularly those initiated by developed countries such as the US, Russia, China, Japan and the members of the European Union. The robots are programmed to be more precise in its actions compared to humans but with the humans’ capability to judge and make decisions according to unexpected circumstances, the latter are still considered a better option for space explorations. This necessitates the study for Human Factors. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the Human Factors that are associated with the Space Industry. such knowledge would give the reader an idea on the Human limitations that must be considered and which could be very critical in space explorations. Without proper consideration, space explorations would be unsuccessful and the transition to Space Age would never ascend from the state of being imaginary, to reality. Consideration of Human Factors Towards the Space Age Humanity is now in the so-called Information age when time is fast-paced and access to information can be as fast, easy and unlimited as the trend for telecommunication and global integration continue to show prospects of expansion. The prospects of expansion, however, is not limited to the â€Å"global†. Current research shows that the trend is gradually opening its way to the rudiments of transition from the Information age to the Space age. Developed countries such as the US, Russia, Japan, China, India, the members of the EU and its industries are starting to involve themselves with the space and satellite industry, spending significant amounts of their budgets to further research, interest and opportunities for the said industry (Partners in Space, 2005). According to the Sacknoff in the 2005 Report on the State of the Space Industry by the International Space Business Council, there had been a total of $103 billion turnover from commercial and government services and programs in 2004. This turnover is expected to increase to at least $158 billion in 2010. Meanwhile, the US Defense has increased its spending for Space-related investments from $15 billion in 2000 to $22 billion in 2005. It is expected to further increase to at least $28 billion in 2010. There has also been a continuous increase in the market for satellite service particularly that of GPS positioning and tracking which could lead to the development of space tourism. According to NASDAQ, the space industry is currently one of the most innovative growth sectors in the world today (Sacknoff, 2005). At present, the US President, George W. Bush has made a proclamation about his â€Å"New Space† vision that could be a challenging turning point for the space industry. The aim of this vision is to be able to return to the moon by the end of the decade and to be able to fly to Mars immediately in the following decade (President Bush Announces New Vision for Space Exploration Program, 2004). Robots vs. Humans However, in order to become successful in such endeavors, the departments in charge of the development must recognize and consider certain factors that are critical to the future of the industry. There is a huge debate on whether there is a need to send humans in space, when there would always be robots to take their place. Those for robots argue that it would limit the risks of â€Å"needless human sacrifices† in case unexpected circumstances arise. However, the NASA argues that while in fact, robots are very useful in space explorations and gathering research data, the needed knowledge about space would never be near complete without human’s ingenuity and physical experience (The Human Advantage, 2003). Applied to the current objective of the â€Å"New Space† vision as well as the objectives of the previous explorations, there are still a lot of things that even robots, and only humans, with their minds, can do. Robots, for example cannot deal with unexpected things while humans can think of creative ways to solve unexpected problems such as equipment breakdown (The Human Advantage, 2003). Installations, upgrades and detailed work in space can only be done with the finesse of human operators. While it can be tested by robots, prospects such as possible life in other planets can only be guaranteed by human exploration.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

A trip through panama. A travel description.

A trip through panama. A travel description. Day 1:We arrived at Omar Torrijos airport via American Airlines early in the afternoon. We purchased our required tourist cards (3 balboas, as US dollars are called in Panama) at the airport, then caught a taxi for the 18 mile ride to our downtown hotel. The ride in the battered, un-airconditioned car was rather expensive (30 balboas), but the driver spoke English and was very friendly. We arrived at the hotel and checked in. While my dad was checking in I bought a guidebook in the hotel lobby and read up on the history of Panama City. The original city was founded in 1519 by Pedro Arias Davila, known as Pedrarias the Cruel, because of his eradication of all but three of the local Indian tribes during his tenure in Panama. Davila used the city as a place to store Incan gold before it was shipped to Spain.Omar Torrijos Mausoleum in Amador, Panama City, in...The original city was sacked and burned in 1671 by a group of buccaneers led by Henry Morgan. The city was rebuilt within a year, this time on a peninsula 18 miles away and surrounded by a strong wall. This old Spanish city is now the in the middle downtown Panama City.Panama City is an international melting pot and its eating choices range from American fast food to excellent internationall cuisine. Eager to begin our sightseeing, we grabbed lunch at a nearby McDonald's after checking in then caught a bus. The buses in Panama are a tourist attraction in themselves. They are brightly painted, hung with fringe, and have constantly blaring Salsa and Caracas music playing. They are cheap (50 cents a ride). but are very crowded. After asking several drivers "Donde va este autobus?" we finally found one going to the Plaza Independencia. This plaza is the...

Monday, November 4, 2019

English assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English assessment - Essay Example cording to Garrison and Ehringhaus, relying on one of the two procedures more may lead to students’ needs becoming unclear since one form of assessment cannot provide a full picture of the situation. Summative assessment is used to evaluate certain students’ needs, and usually has a form of tests, semester exams, end of unit or end of chapter tests, etc. (Gao, 2002). Bloom, Hastings and Madhaus (1971) define summative assessment as evaluation conducted at the ends of certain periods of time in order to judge the sufficiency of students’ knowledge. Such an assessment is to define the final grade of the students, as well as help educators to make corrections and adjustment in the current curriculum, where needed, in order for the learning needs to be met in future. At the same time a summative assessment cannot reflect the efficiency of teaching in its process because assessment is carried out only after the instruction – so any curriculum or methodological improvements can be implemented in future practice only. Therefore, formative assessment is the one to evaluate the process of learning in its process, and, consequently, is a part of the teaching process. Incorporated into the educational process, it is to discover gaps and adjust both teaching and learning processes to the students’ needs immediately in the process of learning. Besides, such an approach enables educators to raise the learning standards (Black & Wiliam, 1998) right in the process of teaching: having evaluated the current needs of each individual student, including those with lower abilities, a teacher can address them immediately. The information provided by formative assessment is to be used for modifying the teaching and learning activities in the classroom in order to get the best possible learning results (Black & William, 1998). This idea is also supported by Fennell & Maccoll (1983), who point out that formative assessment is important and useful for getting feedback on

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Educational infosystems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Educational infosystems - Research Paper Example However, my school district is not ready to meet its responsibilities to comply with the new data reporting demands from both the state and No Child Behind Legislation. It is essential for adult educators to examine the course developments of secondary or high education, in order to identify problems or qualities that are typical of young adults and people. The establishment of adult and youth education can do this by looking at possibilities like, situations, process, and experiences. The software publishers that supply educational systems in the district claim that their products are compliant with SIF (OR SIS), the district has already established that it is not ready to meet its responsibilities to abide by new data reporting demands from NO Child Left Behind legislation. The information student system that exists need replacement and therefore, there is need to evaluate the market software publishers who claims that their products comply with SIF (SIF stands for Schools Interoperability Framework). It is an industry that is concerned with developing an open specification in order to ensure that administrative and instructional applications sof tware works effectively and together. It is not a product but an industry that is supported by K-12 blueprint supported technical software which enables a diverse application to share and interact with data effortlessly, every day and in the future (U. S. Department of Education, 2007). Therefore, in order to determine if the software publishers that supplies educational systems are compliant with SIF, their softwares should be able to define and determine common data formats, as well as high-level rules of architecture and interaction, and not linked with a particular platform or operating system. According to Infed (2007), when educational systems are compliant with SIF, then the information will be transferred, stored, accessed, and updated, thus reducing

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Inflation - Essay Example increasing reliability on the use of technology to estimate future plans, widespread awareness of the economic decision making processes, readily available literature on risk management in business and much advanced, organized and computerized methodologies to ensure solid business-monitoring, projects today are incurring heavy financial losses. And the situation is same throughout the world. If we draw an analysis of the trends of the past and present, it would apparently seem that the modern-world businessmen are far immature and less educated in business as compared to so called â€Å"experts† of the past. It appears that development in the science and technology has generated an awareness that has adversely affected the practical world. Things are happening in an unexpected way. This proves that something bigger, not much considered / studied, is controlling business in the international scenario, and that is â€Å"inflation†. Inflation is majorly responsible for th e jammed projects, lessened GDPs, suppressed business, increased loans and this has resulted in aggravating poverty, famine and various other evils in the educationally rich and knowledgeable societies of the modern world. It is the byproduct of inflation that we see people possessing bigger sums than what their forefathers had possessed in their times, still modern-age people are poorer than their forefathers. Inflation as the name suggests, means to expand in volume and decrease in density / value, just like a balloon would expand when air is pumped in it. Apparently it seems bigger when inflated than the size it had been originally, but it becomes light enough to float in the air as compared to the uninflated balloon-material. Likewise, money has increased in amount manifolds, yet it has lost its worth. In other words, the â€Å"purchasing power† of money is lost. According to Park (2007), p-544, inflation means a rise in the price of an object with the passage of time or in other words the amount

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Discuss with reference to two other poems Essay Example for Free

Discuss with reference to two other poems Essay Crossing the Bar’ contains the most powerful presentation of death in the anthology. To what extent do you agree? Discuss with reference to two other poems in the collection – Tennyson question Tennyson presents death in different ways in ‘Crossing the Bar’, ‘Break break break’ and ‘Morte D’Arthur’. Each presentation is powerful however; it is difficult to decide whether ‘Crossing the Bar’ contains the most powerful presentation because it depends on what type of death the reader finds the most significant. If it is the death of one’s own life, then ‘Crossing the Bar’ might seem more powerful because it is a representation of Tennyson’s complacency with his own death. But, if the death of a friend relates more to the reader’s personal experience, death in ‘Morte D’Arthur’ could be more meaningful and powerful. To some extent I do not agree that ‘Crossing the Bar’ contains the most powerful presentation of death in the anthology. Both ‘Crossing the Bar’ and ‘Break break break’ use imagery of the sea to convey different meanings. In ‘Crossing the Bar’, the sea represents the world the speaker will transgress into after death. ‘And may there be no moaning of the bar, when I put out to sea’. Tennyson uses the metaphor of the sandbar to describe the barrier between life and death. One side of the sandbar is life and the sea on the other side is death. This is a powerful representation because Tennyson sets out a distinction between the two worlds clearly, suggesting that death should be embraced because it’s now peaceful and natural. ‘And may there be no sadness of farewell, when I embark’. This is in contrast to the normal response of death, which is indicated in ‘Break break break’. In ‘Break break break’ the speaker displays feelings of anguish and pain, this is shown in the title. The repetition of the word ‘break’ emphasises the onomatopoeic sound of a heart breaking. It could also be interpreted as waves breaking on the rocks. ‘Break break break at the foot of thy crags, O sea! ’ This quote describes how life progresses in an endless cycle even in the event of the death. The effect of the ‘O’ and exclamation mark at the end punctuates the speaker’s frustration that life still continues to go on. The speaker takes on a tone of bitterness that the world is not morning with him. ‘O, well for the sailor lad, that he sings in his boat on the bay! ’ In contrast, the use of an exclamation mark in ‘Crossing the bar’ demonstrates the speaker’s excitement of death instead of feelings of enragement. ‘Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! ’ This shows how the speaker is compliant of death because it is their own life and they are ready, however in ‘Break break break’ the speaker is demoralised because death has taken their friend without warning. ‘Crossing the Bar’ and ‘Break break break’ both present death powerfully, however ‘Break break break’ may appear more powerful because it uses an expression of grief caused by loss and uses intense emotions, like anguish. Then again, to some extent I do agree that ‘Crossing the Bar’ contains the most powerful presentation of death in the anthology, especially in comparison with ‘Morte D’Arthur’. A similarity between ‘Crossing the Bar’ and ‘Morte D’Arthur’ is that they both discuss religion and relate them to death. King Arthur’s death in ‘Morte D’Arthur’ can be seen as an allegory for the loss of honour and chivalry in an increasingly materialistic age. ‘And the days darken around me, and the years, among new men, strange faces, other minds’. Arthur and his knights at the round table can be interpreted as Jesus and his disciples. ‘But now the whole round table has dissolved, which was an image of a mighty world. ’ The presentation of death here appears powerful because it is the removal of a higher authority, which has followers and believers just like religion. If a God is removed, then the religion will fall apart because it no longer has a leader. This makes the death of Arthur seem even more significant because it represents the collapse of civilisation. ‘Ah! My Lord Arthur, whither shall I go? ’ However, ‘Crossing the Bar’ uses religious connotations such as ‘crossing’ to describe the speaker’s journey into the next world or crossing into faith and devotion. Tennyson complements this metaphorical link with a spiritual one as he hopes he will see his ‘Pilot face to face’. This can also be interpreted as Tennyson hopes to see Hallam in the Pilot, however it is more likely that Tennyson is discussing a Christian God. This is because seeing God face to face is a biblical theme and the transition from life to death in Christianity allows people to join God in heaven, which is beyond ‘Time and Place’. The presentation of death in ‘Crossing the Bar’ may appear the most powerful because unlike ‘Morte D’Arthur’, death becomes an end that is not confusing. In ‘Morte D’Arthur’ Arthur goes to Avilion, which could be a metaphor for heaven. However, he leaves behind a disorientated world with a lack of guidance. In comparison, the bar in ‘Crossing the Bar’ is also a metaphor for heaven, but the crossing is far more peaceful and conclusive. To conclude, I believe that ‘Crossing the Bar’ contains the most powerful presentation of death because in contrast to ‘Break break break’ Tennyson is conclusive – he is being valiant about his own deaf or has come to terms with the grief of his friend and is ready to be reunited with him. ‘And may there be no moaning of the bar’. Even the structure of the poem can represent the shortness of life. By having fewer words, they can hold more control and capture the attention of the reader. In contrast, ‘Morte D’Arthur’ is longer and this makes the presentation of death less powerful because the meaning may be lost as the poem is read.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Is Sugar Addiction a Substance Use Disorder?

Is Sugar Addiction a Substance Use Disorder? An Examination of Sugar Addiction as a Substance Use Disorder Abstract In the last decade, many studies have supported the addictive nature of sugar. In this examination of sugar addiction, we explore the parallels with substance abuse disorder and highlight the effects on the brain and body as well as the psychological and biological risk factors that may make an individual vulnerable to sugar addiction. We theorize that defining sugar addiction as a substance abuse disorder in a future version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) will change policy to improve public health, and minimize the costs of metabolic disorders like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease on the economy. Keywords: sugar addiction, substance use disorder, dopamine, impulsivity, obesity Worldwide obesity rates are rapidly rising. In 2016, an estimated 30% of Americans over the age of 18, and almost 20% of young adults were overweight or obese, as defined by a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016); and they are projected to increase to 80% by 2023 (Wang, Beydoun, Liang, Caballero, & Kumanyika, 2008). Between 29% and 47% of obese individuals meet the criteria for binge eating disorders (BED) (McCuen-Wurst, Ruggieri, & Allison, 2017). However, we suggest in this review of the literature that the food addiction model is a more appropriate mechanism when looking at correlates and causes of the development of eating disorders and metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity. The DSM-5 criteria for BED is limited in that it focuses largely on behavior, distress and shame caused by the eating disorder, and lacks acknowledgment of the neurobiological vulnerabilities and effects (American Psychiatric Association, 2013a). Alternatively, the food addiction model proposes that food, especially highly palatable, processed foods that are high in sugar, fat and/or salt are addictive (Davis & Carter, 2014), and therefore may be the underlying cause of BED and metabolic disorders, including obesity. For this examination, we mainly focus on the addictive nature of sugar, as the majority of food addiction studies have shown that sugar intake is more addictive than fat or salt, and highlight the numerous biological and psychological parallels to substance (Avena, Bocarsly, Rada, Kim, & Hoebel, 2008; Avena, Rada, & Hoebel, 2008; Davis, Loxton, Levitan, Kaplan, Carter, & Kennedy, 2013; Hoebel, Avena, Bocarsly, & Rada, 2009; Hone-Blanchet & Fecteau, 2014; Ifland, Preuss, Marcus, Rourke, Taylor, Burau, Jacobs, Kadish, & Manso, 2009; Page & Melrose, 2016; Tran & Westbrook, 2017; Wong, Dogra, & Reichelt, 2017). It is well known that addictive drugs activate the dopaminergic reward pathway. The mesocorticolimbic pathway, which includes the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the frontal cortex, is especially implicated in the reinforcement of the use of these substances. These areas release high levels of dopamine, which produce a euphoric state, and help form â€Å"liking† motivations and positive associations toward the addictive substances. However, as the drug is repeatedly consumed, tolerance builds in the body, and â€Å"liking† becomes â€Å"wanting,† resulting in reduced pleasure, and physiological dependence that necessitates increased consumption (Reeve, 2015). Food addiction studies have shown that while a variety of foods lead to the release of dopamine, sugar activates the dopaminergic pathway in a way that mirrors addictive substances, and leads to bingeing, tolerance, cravings, dependence, and subsequent withdrawal symptoms when deprived (American Psychiatric Association, 2013b; Avena et al., 2008; Davis & Carter, 2014; Davis et al., 2013). As sugar is over-consumed, tolerance grows and bingeing with increased amounts of sugar are needed to obtain the same pleasurable effect. This is suggested to be due to the down-regulation of dopamine receptors (Avena et al., 2008; Davis, Patte, Levitan, Reid, Tweed, & Curtis, 2007; Hoebel et al., 2009; Ifland et al., 2009, Loxton & Tipman, 2017). Thereafter, â€Å"wanting† or cravings are suggested to be due to the imbalance of hormone signals that results in high anticipation and high sensitivity to sugar when it is consumed. In a study conducted by Lindqvist, Baelemans, and Erlanson-Albertsson (2008), rats that were given a sugar solution showed a 40% increase in ghrelin, the hormone that triggers appetite; in contrast to a significant decrease in leptin and peptide YY, two hunger-suppressing hormones; and a significant down-regulation in mRNA expression of additional hunger-suppressing peptides. This imbalance of appetite hormones and gene expression were hypothesized to have resulted in bingeing and tolerance, as demonstrated by a doubling of the drink consumption compared to control-group rats given water. Lastly, animal studies on sugar addiction have shown that sugar withdrawal mimics opioid withdrawal, and presents with depression and anxiety when deprivation of sugar occurs (Avena et al., 2008; Avena, Rada, & Hoebel, 2008; Hoebel et al., 2009; Hone-Blanchet & Fecteau, 2014; Ifland et al., 2009). The numerous studies in sugar addiction that overlap with the different stages of substance use disorders provide strong biological support for sugar addiction to be classified as a substance use disorder. Further adding to the biological susceptibility of sugar addiction, Davis et al. (2013) found enhanced dopamine transmission was due to six genetic mutations linked to the dopamine reward pathway; and that association between increased dopamine signaling and multilocus genetic profile scores was significantly higher in participants with high reward sensitivity and high risk for food addiction. These neurological changes and genetic vulnerabilities support tolerance and dependence that may result from a frequent flooding of dopamine and a reduction of receptors as seen in substance use disorders. Likewise, psychological traits like impulsivity and poor emotional regulation, have been found in both substance use disorders and sugar addiction. Impulsivity, as it relates to immediate gratification and deficits in behavioral inhibition, was positively correlated with sugar addiction. However, sensation-seeking, as an impulsive personality trait, was negatively associated with sugar addiction, and theorized to be due to the lack of arousal and stimulation from eating food; â€Å"those who are risk seeking and reward-driven might seek out experiences involving greater levels of arousal and stimulation (Pivarunas & Connor, 2015; VanderBroek-Stice, Stojek, Beach, vanDellen, & MacKillop, 2017). Poor emotional regulation and low distress tolerance were also positively associated with sugar addiction, and the consumption of sugar was hypothesized to activate the pleasure center countering the negative emotional state and further reinforcing the reward of sugar intake behavior (Kozak & Fought, 2011; Pivarunas & Connor, 2015). Equally important in the comparison between sugar addiction and substance use disorders are the detrimental effects on the brain and body’s functions, such as cognitive impairment and metabolic disorders. Reversible cognitive impairments in decision-making, motivation, spatial or place-recognition memory were recently identified in studies with rats (Tran & Westbrook, 2017; Wong, Dogra, & Reichelt, 2017). However, in a study conducted by Page and Melrose (2016), high levels of circulating sugar and insulin levels dulled food cues, reducing hypothalamic activity, and negatively affecting neural food processing, which over time increased the risk for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. A separate study found that the overconsumption of sugar increased levels of free fatty acids, triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood (Lindqvist, Baelemans, & Erlanson-Albertsson, 2008), which are confirmed risk factors for developing in heart disease and strokes in humans (National Institute of Health, 2005; American Heart Association, 2017). The relationship between sugar addiction’s detrimental effects and long-term illness are apparent in the literature, and is analogous to the relationship between substance use and disease. Current treatment options for food or sugar addiction are limited to exercise, which addresses biological pathways; and mindfulness, which emphasizes psychological processes. Exercise serves as a protective treatment against metabolic disorders and food addiction via increases in brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), a neurotransmitter that plays a major role in neuroplasticity, and in the regulation of food intake, physical activity, and glucose metabolism (Codella, Terruzzi, & Luzi, 2017). Whereas, mindfulness addresses the dual process model of health behavior, which states that there are interactive automatic (implicit) and controlled (explicit) psychological processes that result in addictive behavior. Implicit, automatic processes include intentions, approach and avoidance tendencies, and emotions, meanwhile explicit, controlled processes include reflective action (Hagger, Trost, Keech, Chan, & Hamilton, 2017; Tang, Posner, Rothbart, & Volkow, 2015). In 2017, Kakoschke, Kemps, & Tiggemann showed that a two-pronged approach-modification protocol successfully retrained participants to avoid unhealthy food by 1) reducing the approach bias toward unhealthy food, and 2) increasing the approach bias toward healthy food. Another study showed a high approach tendency for healthy food buffered against the stress of hunger and wanting for unhealthy food (Cheval, Audrin, Sarrazin, & Pelletier, 2017). Mindfulness was also found to regulate emotional reactivity to internal and external cues (Fisher, Mead, Lattimore, Malinowski, 2017). Unfortunately, available treatment options have low generalizable, replicable success as they fail to provide a streamlined approach to sugar addiction and/or address neurobiological vulnerabilities and negative effects. Neither sugar nor food addiction is currently defined in the DSM-5. The only consistent measure of food addiction is the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), a survey developed in 2009, and it is used in studies reliably as its questions are based on DSM-IV addiction criteria (Gearhardt, Corbin, Brownell, 2009; Gearhardt, Corbin, Brownell, 2016). As mentioned earlier, food addiction and BED are not reciprocal disorders, therefore acknowledging sugar addiction as a substance use disorder in a future DSM may increase evidence-based research that strongly implicates genetic and brain pathways, which may lead to early prevention, reduced stigmatization and diverse treatment options that address the psychological as well as neurobiological vulnerabilities through medication, and even gene therapy. Further research and government regulation can also limit the pseudo-science funded by sugar and packaged goods companies. For example, in reviewing the literature, two studies were found that denied sugar and its addictive properties (Benton, 2010; Markus, Rogers, Brouns, & Schepers, 2017); they were funded by Coca-Cola and the World Sugar Research Organization. Similar to the studies conducted by the tobacco industry, the information countering sugar addiction can be confusing and deceptive to consumers. Government regulation of the sugar industry, like the tobacco industry can result in a decrease of sugar addiction and its harmful health effects. Lastly, there is also a large benefit to public health and the economic costs in treating sugar addiction like a substance use disorder. The costs to treat diabetes, a disease directly related to increased blood sugar levels and insulin resistance was $245 billion in 2012 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). These costs do not include comorbid diseases like obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Obesity alone is projected to cost upwards of $957 billion by 2030 (Wang et al., 2008). Therefore, prevention of these life-long metabolic disorders by addressing the addictive properties of sugar can potentially reduce the burden on global health and economic systems in a great way. References American Heart Association. (2017). Prevention and Treatment of High Cholesterol (Hyperlipidemia). Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/PreventionTreatmentofHighCholesterol/Prevention-and-Treatment-of-High-Cholesterol-Hyperlipidemia_UCM_001215_Article.jsp#.WhoJdNy1uUl American Psychiatric Association. (2013a). Feeding and Eating Disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm10 American Psychiatric Association. (2013b). Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm16 Avena, N. M., Bocarsly, M. E., Rada, P., Kim, A., & Hoebel, B. G. (2008). After daily bingeing on a sucrose solution, food deprivation induces anxiety and accumbens dopamine/acetylcholine imbalance. Physiology & Behavior, 94, 309-315. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.01.008 Avena, N. M., Rada, P., & Hoebel, B. G. (2008). Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 32, 20-39. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.04.019 Benton, D. (2010). The plausibility of sugar addiction and its role in obesity and eating disorders. Clinical Nutrition, 29, 288-303. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2009.12.001 Cheval, B., Audrin, C., Sarrazin, P., & Pelletier, L. (2017). When hunger does (or doesn’t) increase unhealthy and healthy food consumption through food wanting: The distinctive role of impulsive approach tendencies toward healthy food. Appetite, 116, 99-107. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.04.028 Codella, R., Terruzzi, I., & Luzi, L. (2017). Sugars, exercise and health. Journal of Affective Disorders, 224, 76-86. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.10.035 Davis, C., & Carter, J. C. (2014). If certain foods are addictive, how might this change the treatment of compulsive overeating and obesity? Current Addiction Reports, 1, 89-95. doi:10.1007/s40429-014-0013-z Davis, C., Loxton, N. J., Levitan, R. D., Kaplan, A. S., Carter, J. C., & Kennedy, J. L. (2013). ‘Food addiction’ and its association with a dopaminergic multilocus genetic profile. Physiology & Behavior, 118, 63-69. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.05.014 Fisher, N. R., Mead, B. R., Lattimore, P., & Malinowski, P. (2017). Dispositional mindfulness and reward motivated eating: The role of emotion regulation and mental habit. Appetite, 118, 41-48. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.07.019 Gearhardt, A. N., Corbin, W. R., & Brownell, K. D. (2009). Preliminary validation of the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Appetite, 52, 430-436. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2008.12.003 Gearhardt, A. N., Corbin, W. R., & Brownell, K. D. (2016). Development of the Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2.0. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30, 113-121. doi:10.1037/adb0000136 Hagger, M. S., Trost, N., Keech, J. J., Chan, D. K. C., & Hamilton, K. (2017). Predicting sugar consumption: Application of an integrated dual-process, dual-phase model. Appetite, 116, 147-156. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.04.032 Hoebel, B. G., Avena, N. M., Bocarsly, M. E., & Rada, P. (2009). A behavioral and circuit model based on sugar addiction in rats. Journal of Addiction Medicine, (3)1, 33-41. doi:10.1097/ADM.0b013e31819aa621 Hone-Blanchet, A., & Fecteau, S. (2014). Overlap of food addiction and substance use disorders definitions: Analysis of animal and human studies. Neuropharmacology, 85, 81-90. doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.05.019 Ifland, J. R., Preuss, H. G., Marcus, M. T., Rourke, K. M., Taylor, W. C., Burau, K., Jacobs, W. S., Kadish, W., & Manso, G. (2008). Refined food addiction: A classic substance use disorder. Medical Hypotheses, 72, 518-526. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2008.11.035 Kakoschke, N., Kemps, N., & Tiggemann, M. (2017). Impulsivity moderates the effect of approach bias modification on healthy food consumption. Appetite, 117, 117-125. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.06.019 Kozak, A. T., & Fought, A. (2011). Beyond alcohol and drug addiction. Does the negative trait of low distress tolerance have an association with overeating? Appetite, 57, 578-581. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2011.07.008 Lindqvist, A., Baelemans, A., & Erlanson-Albertsson, C. (2008). Effects of sucrose, glucose and fructose on peripheral and central appetite signals. Regulatory Peptides, 150, 26-32. doi:10.1016/j.regpep.2008.06.008 Markus, C. R., Rogers, P. J., Brouns, F., & Schepers, R. (2017). Eating dependence and weight gain; no human evidence for a ‘sugar-addiction’ model of overweight. Appetite, 114, 64-72. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.03.024 McCuen-Wurst, C., Ruggieri, M., & Allison, K. C. (2017). Disordered eating and obesity: Associations between binge-eating disorder, night-eating syndrome, and weight-related comorbities. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1-10. doi:10.1111/nyas.13467 Page, K. A., & Melrose, A. J. (2016). Brain, hormone and appetite responses to glucose versus fructose. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 9, 111-117. doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.03.002 Pivarunas, B., & Conner, B. T. (2015). Impulsivity and emotion dysregulation as predictors of food addiction. Eating Behaviors, 19, 9-14. doi:10.1016.j.eatbeh.2015.06.007 Reeve, J. M. (2015). The Motivated and Emotional Brain. In Understanding Motivation and Emotion (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Tang, Y., Posner, M. I., Rothbart, M. K., & Volkow, N. D. (2015). Circuitry of self-control and its role in reduction addiction. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19(8), 439-444. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2015.06.007 Tran, D. M. D., & Westbrook, R. F. (2017). A high-fat high-sugar diet-induced impairment in place-recognition memory is reversible and training dependent. Appetite, 110, 61-71. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2016.12.010 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2017: Estimates of Diabetes and its Burden in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System: Percent of adults aged 18 and older who have obesity. Retrieved from https://chronicdata.cdc.gov/Nutrition-Physical-Activity-and-Obesity/Percent-of-adults-aged-18-and-older-who-have-obesi/cwdv-83mi U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2005). High blood cholesterol: What you need to know. (NIH Publication No. 05-3290). Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/resources/heart/heart-cholesterol-hbc-what-html VanderBroek-Stice, L., Stojek, M. K., Beach, S. R. H., vanDellen, M. R., & MacKillop, J. (2017). Multidimensional assessment of impulsivity in relation to obesity and food addiction. Appetite, 112, 59-68. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.01.009 Wang, Y., Beydoun, M. A., Liang, L., Caballero, B., & Kumanyika, S. K. (2008). Will all Americans become overweight or obese? Estimating the progression and cost of the U.S. obesity epidemic. Obesity, 15(10), 2323-2330. doi:10.1038/oby.2008.351 Wong, A., Dogra, V. R., & Reichelt, A. C. (2017). High-sucrose diets in male rats disrupt aspects of decision-making tasks, motivation and spatial memory, but not impulsivity measured by operant delay-discounting. Behavioural Brain Research, 327, 144-154. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2017.03.029