Value Based Theory & Competitive Advantage

To remain competitive in the 21st century there are key pillars that an organization needs in order to be a leader in their industry and will enable it to value the needs for their customers globally. These pillars include an effective management style, diversity management and business ethics. These key pillars with a strong organizational culture will enable an organization to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. In order to be successful in the 21st century market, an organization must be able to identify and adapt to these pillars.How these pillars are connected to competitive advantage is what this paper is about. Measuring the values for these pillars will allow an organization to work in different cultural environments and come out strong and successful. They will enable a company to gain a competitive advantage in the global market. These pillars will be represented within a 100 year old corporation that has changed in order to adapt to the 21st century market United Parcel Service, UPS. Introduction: Competitive advantage is something that we hear everyone talking about nowadays.From our CEO’S, teachers, managers, community leaders, small business owners, students, and people who are thinking of embarking in the world of entrepreneurship. The first thing we need to define is what exactly competitive advantage is and why is it so important in today’s world, the 21st century. Competitive advantage is â€Å"the ability of one organization to outperform other organizations because it produces desired goods or services more efficiently and effectively than they do† (Jones & George, 2010 p. 22).Knowing the definition of competitive advantage is not sufficient for managers to be able to apply a market based value driven management strategy. The authors intend to give the readers an overview of the key pillars that are necessary to develop and maintain competitive advantage globally within organizations. The key pillars tha t every organization must incorporate are a successful management style, diversity management, business ethics and a strong organizational culture that will facilitate competitiveness in today’s global environment.Gable and Ellig (1993) introduced a new approach for businesses to coordinate the different decisions and the amounts of information managers are faced with everyday. They called the new approach â€Å"Market Based Management†. Gable and Ellig (1993) believed that in order to understand an organization and have it compete at an advantage in today’s market they have to let it act as a free society and apply the market principals. Otherwise they will â€Å"find themselves distant competitors to firm that do† (Gable & Ellig, 1993, p. ). In order to apply the market based principals every organization needs to evaluate the eight facets of value driven management (Pohlman, 1997). Pohlman (1997) basically summarizes the theory by stating what is value d is what will ultimately drive actions. In the transportation and logistics industry the customers are one of the main direct forces from the ever changing and evolving task environment in which managers are faced with day in and day out.The reason that customers are one of the main forces is because it is the customers that end up influencing the decisions, strategies, missions, purpose and values of the corporations in the 21st century. The authors must first define what customers are because customer satisfaction is the main goal of any organization that is in business. â€Å"Customers are the individuals and groups that buy the goods and services an organization produces. † (Jones & George, 2010, p. 186). Customers in the transportation and logistics industry demand delivery of their products in the fastest and most economical way possible without suffering any damage.We will examine UPS in each of the main pillars (management, diversity, ethics, culture and global inter action). Organizations and managers must analyze forces in the general environment on an ongoing basis. Organizational planning and the decision making that goes into planning are constantly affected by all types of forces in the general environment. Political and legal forces are the results of the changes that occur from new laws and regulations that affect the ways organizations structure their business model (Jones & George, 2011).Laws are an extension of ethical conduct and practices such as workplace safety and discrimination such as Title V11 of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, sex, color. As well, in 1997 the federal government issued guidelines for accommodating individuals’ rights to religious worship in federal buildings in the â€Å"The White House Guidelines on Religious Exercise and Expression in the Federal Workplace† (Jones & George, 2011).UPS has standardized rules and procedu res that are formalized in their Code of Business Conduct which addresses legal and ethical issues and states the company’s values and management philosophies. Since UPS is a global organization, political forces from the general environment such as deregulation and the decline of trade barriers provides the company with increased business opportunities (Jones & George, 2011). These factors also provide challenges for UPS because they must be ever vigilant while operating globally to be sure that their ethical corporate values are being enforced while conducting business outside of the United States.As a global corporation, â€Å"UPS recognizes that it plays a role in acknowledging basic human rights in accordance with our high standards for the treatment of our people† (UPS, 2004). Organizational Culture Organizational culture is defined as â€Å"the shares set of beliefs, expectations, values, norms and work routines that influence the ways in which individuals, gro ups and teams interact with one another and cooperate to achieve organizational goals. † (Jones & George, 2010, p. 684). UPS creates a corporate culture that fosters an environment of innovation. Innovation is crucial for attaining competitive advantage for companies. Innovation versus imitation motivates companies to launch new products and become pioneers on markets† (Jimenez & Sanz-Valle, 2011). The leadership at UPS understands that to use the imitation model of organizational culture can hold back their employee’s creative growth potential. This can affect the company place in the market since they will always be following the market leaders for an opportunity to bring the next great idea to market.In the Market-Based management this principle is under â€Å"Rules that Promote Prosperity† (Gable & Ellig, 1993). There are direct links between an organizational culture and the employee’s attitude towards changes in employees work environment. â₠¬Å"The change within an organization takes place in response to business and economic events and to the processes of managerial perception, choice, and actions† (Pettigrew, 1985). Corporations must be able to adapt to change in regards to their management style.The ability for corporations to adapt to both their internal and external forces will help them remain competitive in the 21st century (Jones & George, 2010) Research conducted in companies in Malaysia, concluded that â€Å"The change process in each organization is unique in each situation, due to the differences in the nature of the organization, the nature of the business, the work culture and values,†¦and also the behavior and attitude of the employees† (Rashid, Sambasivan, & Rahman, June 2008).The study exams the links between an organization’s ability to change in regard to the changing markets and demands of their industries, and how employees and manager attitudes toward rapid changes in marke tplace can affect the success or failure of change. The researchers in this article show that companies that fail to be fluid in implementing change will have a disadvantage compared with companies that adopt changes more quickly. What should be the concept of organizational culture and climate that UPS is to use to operate in the 21st century? In terms of the basic assumptions, values and beliefs, it is the culture of an organization which dictates the expected employee behavior permits to form a compatible work environment, namely, the organizational climate† (Yahyagil, 2006). Management Behavioral management is defined as â€Å"the study of how managers should personally behave to motivate employees and encourage them to perform at high levels and be committed to achieving organizational goals† (Jones & George, 2010, p. 56).Founded by management scholar Mary Parker Follett, â€Å"†¦ was concerned that management theorists of her time were ignoring â€Å"the hu man side of the organization† (Jones & George, 2010, p. 56). â€Å"She pointed out that management often overlooks the multitude of ways in which employees can contribute to the organization when managers allow them to participate and exercise initiative in their everyday work lives† (Jones & George, 2010, p. 56). â€Å"Follett took a horizontal view of power and authority†¦Ã¢â‚¬  verses the traditional vertical chain of command of her contemporaries (Jones & George, 2010, p. 6). By empowering employees UPS managers can give employees the autonomy to make decisions. In this approach managers serve the organization more efficiently because they can spend their time mentoring and guiding employees, and also gaining insight into worker’s knowledge that assists managers with their primary functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Diversity What does valuing diversity have to do with a corporation’s ability to obtaining a competitive a dvantage over its competitors?In order for an organization to create customer and employee values that maximize value over time, the organization first needs to understand employee diversity management (EDM) and how diversity and management will play a role in obtaining a competitive advantage against the competition. â€Å"Treven and Muley (2007) highlight the impact of EDM on competitive advantage and the innovativeness of employees as an outcome to EDM. In other words, by managing diverse employees effectively and efficiently an organization will gain innovation from employees and in turn the corporation will gain a competitive advantage.The findings within their research â€Å"suggests that the organizations that manage employee diversity effectively may gain competitive advantage† (Treven and Mulej, 2007, p 144)† (Olivares , 2011). The positive short term and long term impact that an organization can obtain by effectively managing their diverse workgroups is †Å"Effective EDM can cause lower costs and improved employee attitudes, recruiting efforts, increased sales, market share and corporate profits, increased group problem solving as well as innovation and creativity† (Treven & Mulej ,2007, p. 50). How can EDM lower organizational cost and improve employee attitudes? Treven and Mulej (2007) state that diverse employee feel less inclined to make decisions and are not as satisfied with their careers. This is based on their psychological commitment to the organization they are currently working in because they are different from their co-workers or peers. Based on this alone we can see how a minority employee can suffer a decrease in innovation if not managed properly.Given that most decisions are made by small groups of people working together, Holman, Knippenberg, Kleef and Dreu (2007) it is necessary for organizations to rely on cross-functional work groups in order for them to achieve and stimulate innovation as well as solve pro blems to make the right decisions. Holman et al. (2007) was able to show that work groups with diversity fault lines are still able to effectively use their informational diversity if they believe in the value of diversity. Having a work group with pro-diversity beliefs will in fact provide the organizations with a competitive advantage.This will resonant in the organizations short and long term plans (Olivares, 2011). They were able to â€Å"find a significant main effect of diversity belief’s indicating that groups with pro-diversity belief’s performed better than did groups with pro-similarity beliefs† (Holman et al. , 2007, p. 1193 ) in terms of performance. This demonstrates that we must evaluate the employee’s values to be sure that we manage diversity effectively and take into account the significance the pro-diversity beliefs have on the outcome of our employees.If you have a diverse work group and ineffective EDM that does not value employees you will not be able to create innovative nor will creativity, and that creates a negative attitude among the employees. The lack of EDM would be a value destroyer, â€Å"the major reasons given for value destroyers in organizations were a bad attitude or very poor system† (Pohlman, 1997, p. 9). What are some steps that can be taken in order to make sure that organizations value diversity and therefore maximize value over time? Jones and George (2010) summarize effective diversity management into three steps.The first step is to â€Å"secure top management commitment† (Jones & George, 2010, p. 164). Without the buy-in of the top leaders of the organization incorporating effective diversity management would be unsuccessful. â€Å"Top managers need to develop the correct ethical values and performance- or business-oriented attitudes that allow them to make appropriate use of their human resource† (Jones & George, 2010, p. 164). The second step is â€Å"strive to inc rease the accuracy of perceptions† (Jones & George, 2010, p. 164).Managers need to be open to different views and different perspectives and encourage the same among the entire workgroup (Jones & George, 2010). It is also important for the mangers to not be judgmental of the person and also be willing to change their views about the person, issue or event that is taking place. The last step is to â€Å"increase diversity awareness† (Jones & George, 2010, p. 164). Most people view other people from their own perspective but the organizations should make sure they have some type of â€Å"diversity awareness programs† (Jones & George, 2010, p. 64) in order for the employees to appreciate diversity. A clear example of one way UPS is increasing diversity awareness is through a program called Urban Internship Program. â€Å"The program has been around since the 60’s. The program takes managers in the upper level and some middle level managers out of their usual habitats for a month and sends them to work in communities where they might serve meals to the homeless, help rid communities of ghetto and drugs, help migrant farm workers build temporary houses and schools, or teach teachers to manage a classroom† (Filipczak, 1992).The mangers are drafted and there is no option of saying â€Å"no† to this program. â€Å"The rationale behind it all is simple. Being aware of an issue is not the same as knowing about it, and knowing about it is not the same as doing something about it† (Filipczak, 1992 p. 43) Olivares (2010). That is an example of a program that can be implemented in order to increase diversity awareness, therefore maximize employee value and in turn maximize customer values over time. Business EthicsEthical practices in organizations unquestionably add value and enable corporations to build a competitive advantage. The theory behind Market-Based Management is that the principles of a free and democratic society where people live work and thrive without unnecessary government restriction apply not only to society but to businesses as well (Gable & Ellig, 1993). In successful companies like UPS, strong corporate values and ethics are the underpinning of an effective business model.Scott Davis, chairman and CEO of UPS states, â€Å"UPS’s strong reputation for ethical behavior has enabled us to attract and retain the best people and loyal customers; it has opened doors for us in new and emerging global markets, and allowed us to transform our business to meet changing customer needs. As we continue to seek ways to open doors in new and emerging global markets, our commitment to integrity will allow us to do so† (UPS, 2004). UPS utilizes market based practices in its business model by empowering employees through extensive training and its policies and procedures.UPS develops employee’s careers and promotes from within by emphasizing that employees must continually seek out positions with greater responsibility (UPS, 2004). In addition, UPS creates vested interest in the company by employees since if offers stock ownership. As a business strategy and value adder over time, UPS believes that if it provides excellent employment opportunities and an excellent work environment for its employees, they will in turn provide excellent quality customer service and value to end users.UPS is viewed as an industry leader in ethical business practices, business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Strong corporate ethics have profoundly affected UPS’s ability to compete and excel in the transportation and logistics industry. Value Management theory states that what is valued drives action (Pohlman, 1997). UPS values its employees, which it treats like its customers. This is demonstrated through its ethical corporate structure. One of the business strategies employed by UPS is that they recruit talent with diversity in mind.According to Armstrong, et al. (2010) diversity and equality management systems seek out employees to fill talent deficits with employees that are more similar to customers and who can better communicate and relate to the needs of the customer base. This type of strategic human resource management is associated with higher business performance and added value over time. UPS does not hire simply to fill quotas but because it is the right thing to do, not only from both an ethical and moral imperative, but also a business driver.Market-based management practices dictate that moral decisions are not at odds with profitability rather doing what is right â€Å"enhances profitability over the long term† (Gable & Ellig, 1993). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs have become widely used as strategies for organizations to demonstrate their business ethics. These programs can be costly and it is questionable as to their overall impact on creating competitive advantage for the company. There are three drivers for CSR in most corporations: compliance to prevailing laws to avoid legal problems, ethical convictions and a reduction in waste and increase in profitability.Even though CSR programs can be costly if stakeholders, like the public, feel that they are not being served by the way the organization conducts business sales generally suffer. UPS uses CSR programs such as the previously mentioned Community Internship Program (CIP) where managers spend four weeks with a non-profit agency in rural or urban areas in an effort to improve conditions in those areas, and to gain insight into â€Å"walking a mile in another man’s moccasins†. Market-based management shows that pro-social behavior benefits society as a whole as well as the bottom line of an organization.Trustworthiness is a source for competitive advantage in organizations and its link to wealth creation over time. If the organization’s leaders generate an environment of trust the following occurs; high er employee commitment, better interpersonal relationships between employees and management, a stronger â€Å"social contract† or connection between the employee and the organization and a more positive view of human resource policies and procedures (Caldwell & Hansen, 2010).Consequently, the employee bring â€Å"energy, passion and excitement† to his/her role that affect what the person is willing to contribute to the organization and this becomes an enormous source for competitive advantage and value over time (Caldwell & Hansen, 2010). Market-based management states that â€Å"a culture of genuine humility and honesty must be established in order to achieve organizational learning and profitability (Gable & Ellig, 1993).UPS’s mission statement includes principles that promote honesty and fairness through strong corporate leadership that are driven by honest relationships and ethical decision making. The mission of business in a market based society is profit . The business outcome in a capitalistic society is that both the business and the stakeholder benefit from the system. Because there is a power differential between the organization and the stakeholder there is always a chance for an abuse of power. This is where the importance of ethics comes in.Since the stakeholders (employees, customers, stockholders, the community, etc. ) are directly impacted either beneficially or negatively by the actions of the company, it is crucial that business ethics are in place and operational to reduce harm and maximize business objectives. Robin (2008) states â€Å"that business should treat each stakeholder group as if they were partners in the success of the firm†. In other words, what benefits the stakeholder creates value and benefits the business.This ties into Market-based management because when businesses practice â€Å"adherence to commonly acknowledged business ethics (it) makes us all wealthier by reducing the amount of resources we have to devote to contract negotiation and enforcement† (Gable & Ellig, 1993, p. 21). UPS follows a strict adherence to formalized codes of behavior and procedures to ensure business goal are being met while fair and ethical standard are being practiced. Boesso and Michelon (2010) studied the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial performance of corporations.The research indicates that CSR must be strategic in order to result in the greatest gain for business and generate value over time. Companies which focus on a few core issues rather than hundreds of more generic issues find better success in competitive advantage and better benefit to society as a whole. Furthermore, the research indicates that increased competitive performance and outcome can also be measured by items other than financial performance. Productivity, innovativeness and human capital are also indicators of competitive advantage and value over time.As well, the researchers point out that part of the economic value of CSR and stakeholder management is that it brings companies and society together because of the value generated for all parties. The underpinning of market-based management is that it recognizes that the market system is designed to enable groups of people to achieve superior results when working together that are exponentially greater than could be achieved if they were working separately. Organizations like UPS have a â€Å"big picture† view of CSR as a value-adder and utilize best practices that benefit the organization and ultimately society as a whole.Ethical management alone does not guarantee success for a company. Ethical corporate values and practices are but one element of an entire set of practices that lead to competitive advantage and success. Empowering employees through market-based management techniques and a strong commitment to employee development is a fundamental value driver. Ethics as a whole in business is crucial for long term value creation and sustainability for the organization. Globalization In the competitive environment of global markets, value driven management and adherence to specific requirements must be considered before entering these markets.A business management strategy, such as Value Driven Management, signifies the comprehensive success of a company over time (Pohlman, 1997). In determining long-term results, organizations must also understand the factors and driving components that are crucial to creating these opportunities in global markets (Sherwin, 2010). Through understanding political, economic, demographic, legal, and socio-cultural factors, companies can enter these markets and compete successfully against other companies (Jones & George, 2011).It is important for the companies to know â€Å"the impact of these external factors is processed and greatly affects a firm’s outputs that are the products and/or services produced and the markets targeted and penetr ated that impact the overall performance of the firm† (Sherwin, 2010, p. 66). It has been presented that for companies to create the greatest opportunity of output of good and services requirements, such as, Customer Relationship Marketing, CRM and New Product Development, NPD will be needed.When organizations move from one environment to another, decisive measures must be implemented in order for the consumer within that culture to accept the goods and services offered by the company (Ivanova & Castellano, 2011). By mean of CRM or Customer Relationship Marketing, is one of the strategies used towards incorporating Value Driven Management. This â€Å"is a philosophy that is based upon leadership perspectives regarding differentiating customers and prospects by current and future value and meeting individualized and customer needs† (Sherwin, 2010, p. 9). An example of Customer Relationship Marketing is when UPS expanded into Canada, its first global market in 1975. At fi rst, when entering this market, UPS was not given the license needed in order to drive it trucks on their highways. To meet the needs of the government and still perform deliveries for it customers, UPS decorated taxis with their company logo to transport and deliver packages in order to accommodate government regulations (United Parcel Service, 2007).To satisfy these needs or regulations of the government, it became the responsibility of top-level management or company values to create strategies and procedures in order to allocate their resources effectively (Sherwin, 2010). UPS still continues to do business in Canada today because it had gained the trust of government officials and existing customers by determining their need through their current and future value by using Customer Relationship Marketing strategies. This would not have been realized if top-level management did not comply with overall country values.It is crucial for companies to determine the owner’s valu e, or the overall company’s value and the importance of emphasizing the benefits that maximizing value over time has on an organization. â€Å"It is not to imply that other values are not equally important, but we must understand when we are working in an organization our job there is to maximize the value for the owners. When all is working well, the values of employees, customers, suppliers, third parties, and owners will be in harmony† (Pohlman, 1997, p. 21). Under these conditions, eginning with top-level management, they must strategize or develop a game plan to utilize every resource, asset, or opportunity within the company; to gain a competitive advantage over competitors within the bounds of the global market they are penetrating. For these reasons it is imperative and recommended for companies to use Customer Relationship Marketing with the values of the company to obtain a competitive advantage over time. In order for companies to succeed in the global marke t, innovating new products and services are necessary to obtain sustainable competitive advantage (de Brentani, et al. 2010). â€Å"Product innovation and the trend to globalization are two important dimensions driving business today, and a firm’s global new product development (NPD) strategy is a primary determinant of performance† (de Brentani, et al. , 2010, p. 143). One prime example of this, is in 2004, when UPS designed and introduced Quantum ViewSM Manage, this would allow for consumer who sent the package to effortlessly monitor the transportation of small parcels within the bound of their supply chains and improve services by using technological applications created by UPS (United Parcel Service, 2007).In creating this application, this allows UPS to further globalize itself by introducing innovative services such as the Quantum ViewSM Manage. In the case of UPS, initiating a new product development strategy is a crucial element towards product innovation if c ompanies are to eliminate any barrier to entry (de Brentani, et al. , 2010). To successfully implement a new product development strategy, ideas will originate from organizational culture and senior management (de Brentani, et al. , 2010).It is the environment within the company that shapes the design and direction of innovative ideas and services that will be used and incorporated into global markets. â€Å"Thus, both the strategy factors as well as certain intangibles characterizing the firm’s behavioral environment (BE) have been found to affect global NPD program outcome† (de Brentani, et al. , 2010, p. 144). Without the role of management and culture within the organization, companies will not be able to produce more economically or create value for its customers in the global market in which they are seeking to penetrate (de Brentani, et al. 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, organizations that incorporate strong and functional organizational culture, an effective management style, diversity, and ethics will sustain a competitive advantage in the 21st century only if they value the needs of their employees, customers, owners, countries, and organizations globally. Organizational culture will identify how a company will operate in the market, how they will behave in day to day operations, and how they will be able to adapt to change.Management styles empowering employees will allow them to take more initiative within their work responsibilities which will lead to increased job satisfaction. The authors recommend fro UPS to continue to have an organizational culture that provides an environment which supports the established goals of the organization. For organizations to stay competitive in the 21st century is becoming more and more essential for them to stay on top of their game Second recommendation is to incorporate an effective management style that encourages employees to have more autonomy.This will allow them to take initiatives in deci sions that need to be made within the organization. . Effectively managing employee diversity and making sure that the customer, employee, owners, organization, and external values are all in tune with each other is the mix that is needed in the 21st century in order for an organization to be competitive in today’s global environment.Third recommendation is to continue to manage diversity effectively and that will enable the group to come up with creative and innovative ideas that will put the organization first in their industry Once the key pillars are defined we need a strong business ethics to refrain from questionable practices and set standards that meet or exceed moral and legal measures. Fourth recommendation, it is important for organizational members to be responsible for maintaining a superior level of ethical behavior.Last but not least is to make sure we are valuing and adapting to the customers needs globally in order to maintain a competitive advantage in the g lobal marketplace even it means to change the organizations strategy overseas. If UPS fails to follow these key pillars that are necessary in the 21st century it can impact their global operations in both the short and long term. Our recommendation to UPS is for them to continue what they are doing and also continue to evaluate the needs of their customers, employees, owners, rganization, and countries in which they operate to remain successful in today’s globally expanding market on a quarterly base.

Is Consumerism needed to make the US economy healthy? Essay

When we define consumerism, we see that it is the protection or promotion of the interest of consumers. In other words it is the preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consuming goods,Í ¾ however the theory that an increasing consumption is beneficial. The United states face a colossal challenge, an economic affliction of great proportions. For decades wehave piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children’s future for the temporary convenience of the present. To continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, culture, political, and economic upheavals. The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, week, or months, but they will go away. How does the situation appear today? A 2009 report of the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development state: â€Å"increasing numbers of people are vulnerable to overburdened infrastructure, inadequate housing, and outmoded health system. In fact the United Nations agency UN ­HABITAT projects that within three decades, one of the three people will live in near total despair lacking sanitation and clean water, exposed to the imminent effects of diseases and possible pandemics. The U.S economy is still not good unemployment at 7.5%, wages for man who do have jobs are stagnating, but the economy is gradually getting better consumer confidence is at a five ­year high and new claims for jobless benefits at a five year low in fact in the past six months, employers have added 200,000 jobs a month. Stock ­market indexes are up more than 15% so far this year.

Happiness can be achieved by anyone through improvement of character, Essay

Happiness can be achieved by anyone through improvement of character, meditation, and increasing generosity and kindness - Essay Example True happiness is beyond meaning and description. In his article â€Å"Happy Like God,† Critchley emphasizes the idea of happiness as something that even the French philosopher Rousseau could hardly define. This is because the beauty of the moment of happiness is something that is only likened to â€Å"a state where the soul can find a resting-place secure enough to establish itself and concentrate its entire being there† (Critchley 449). This is actually a time where â€Å"the present runs on indefinitely† and where the past and the future do not matter yet it is something that no one can define as just the present (449). It is therefore true that â€Å"happiness is not quantitative or measurable and it is not the object of any science, old or new† (450). This means that, for Critchley, happiness is something that can never be gauged for not only does happiness depend on the person who is feeling it but also it depends on the value of the present moment a nd how each person defines that moment for him. The experience and the feeling one has naturally cannot be quantified and cannot even be expressed in words. Nevertheless, it is closest to the term â€Å"feeling of existence,† or the time when someone feels the moment that he exists and he experiences such happiness (450). Moreover, although unquantifiable, this moment of happiness is very much sufficient. In fact, Rousseau defines such a state of happiness as a God-like state: â€Å"as long as this state lasts we are self sufficient like God† (450). This is therefore the highest state of things, or the state where one does not want anything else but to be in such a feeling or such a state. Nevertheless, happiness in any form defies measurement. Happiness is also an experience of appreciation and reflection of things and people in one’s life. While Critchley and Rousseau would equate this appreciation and reflection with being alone in the experience of stillness , there were once people like the Greek philosopher Epictetus, who thought that happiness is also one’s experience of stillness but this stillness is wisdom, and such wisdom is not about being alone but being aware of how to deal with others. For Epictetus, the lack of wisdom and reason makes one either a sheep or a wild beast, which is what most people are. A sheep will naturally simply â€Å"act gluttonously†¦lewdly†¦rashly, filthily [and] inconsiderately,† while a wild beast would normally act â€Å"harmfully, passionately [and] violently† (Epictetus). The wisdom that Epictetus means must be similar to the wisdom that Rousseau realized when he thought of a God-like state of existence, only that Epictetus’ wisdom is directed towards one’s fellowman. Moreover, according to Epictetus, if people lack wisdom, they tend to worry about and change things that are beyond their control, such as â€Å"What would others think?† or â€Å"Wh at would others say if I did this?† and they then cease being happy. They do not anymore experience that blissful God-like state that Rousseau described earlier. The point of Epictetus is that no matter how intelligent or good someone is, if he does not possess wisdom, he will always be swayed by other people’s influence as well as by his opinions of the things over which he has no control. Therefore, if one lacks wisdom, one lacks contentment and happiness, and

Communication in Health & Social Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication in Health & Social Care - Essay Example This paper will look at communication in the health and social care area and the factor that affect communication in this sector. Factors that affect communication in health and social care area include beliefs and values. Service providers should embrace cultural diversity in order to be able to offer services. If the care giver is not aware of cultural diversity, it is impossible to communicate effectively. Care givers should be competent in the knowledge of culture. This is because people in every culture have their beliefs and values. In a place where there is multiculturalism it may be difficult to communicate (Dickson, Hargie & Morrow, 1996). This calls for care givers to be well informed when it comes to the culture of people they are serving. People perception and understanding of heath and heath care process is developed through their culture and social values. Peoples’ thinking on health and social care is based on their beliefs and values. In the United States health and social care providers are socialized into the culture of their profession. They are trained in the western scientific or bi omedical global view (Argyle, 1994). This teaches the professionals to hold and accept beliefs, norms, and values. This is good because the care givers who know their culture can also appreciate other people’s culture. The more a care giver knows of their culture the more they can accept the patients’ world view. Beliefs of people can affect their compliance with treatment, thus a health care giver should always be able to understand the beliefs of a patient for the service provided to be useful. The care giver should respect the patients’ beliefs and not dismiss their traditional practices. Some beliefs can make a patient lose trust on the care provider thus losing cooperation needed for successful healing and therapeutic relationship. For example, beliefs on herbal medicine may make a

Is there a role for Trade Unions in the new employee relations Essay

Is there a role for Trade Unions in the new employee relations - Essay Example Current paper focuses on the examination of the role of trade unions in the new employee relations developed in businesses across Britain. The studies published on the above issue will be critically analysed; the studies will be identified using the following two criteria: a) studies published in Britain will be preferred by those published in other countries and b) recent studies - of the last 3 years - will be preferred - aiming to represent the actual interaction between the trade unions and new employee relations in firms across Britain. It is proved that the value of trade unions in supporting the rights of employees in Britain is quite high; however, in certain cases trade unions in Britain fail to respond to their role-mistakes in their strategies and their management style seem to be the main reason for this failure. On the other hand, the support of the state towards the unions has been limited - a fact that led to the further limitation of the importance of trade unions in representing employees in Britain. ... In fact, these unions have helped towards the improvement of the terms of employment in Britain - even under difficult political and social conditions. The development of trade unions in Britain has been extensively examined in the literature. Different approaches have been used in order to evaluate the role of trade unions in the specific country; all these approaches seem to have a common point of reference: the importance of trade unions for the improvement of employment in Britain is not doubted; however, it is assumed that the policies used by trade unions should be updated in order to meet the needs of current employee relations. 2.1 History of trade unions The history of trade unions is an issue that is often given less attention than required. In fact, most commonly, trade unions are related with their role - as intervening bodies in the resolution of employment disputes; the specific view is supported by Howell (2007, 5) who notes that 'trade unions often appear to exist only in order to solve collective action problems for employers having little independence existence or history'. Through a different approach is stated by Upchurch et al. (2009, 26) that 'trade unions in Britain have been less integrated into the post war body politik than in more corporatist countries like Germany'. The above view focuses on the relationship between trade unions and politics rather than on the importance of the history for the evaluation of the role of trade unions in British employment relations - like in the study of Howell (2007) mentioned above. In their first appearance trade unions were considered to be in opposition with law; for this reason, the participation of a person into these unions was punished. In accordance with the Combination Acts

Discuss the onset and clinical picture of PTSD in young people with Essay

Discuss the onset and clinical picture of PTSD in young people with reference to the literature and using case examples - Essay Example This critical review is being undertaken in the hope of establishing a clear and comprehensive understanding of PTSD and its impact on young people’s lives. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is usually seen after a major disaster or traumatic experience. Several studies assessing emotional responses were carried out in the wake of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. In a paper by Adams and Boscarino (2006, p. 485), the authors set out to identity the factors associated with PTSD following the World Trade Center Disaster (WTCD) and the changes in PTSD status which were seen over time. This study was a prospective cohort study of New York City adults living in the city on September 11, 2001 and was conducted a year after the attacks and another year after that for follow-up. About 2000 individuals were covered in the first survey and 1600 on the second survey (Adams & Boscarino, 2006, p. 485). The study revealed that in the year immediately following the WTCD, younger females who experienced previous trauma and negative life events, and who had low self-esteem had a greater possibility of developing PTSD (Adams & Boscarino, 20 06, p. 485). In the second year following the September 11 attacks, those who were middle-aged, Latinos, who experienced previous trauma and negative life events, and those who had low self-esteem were more likely to develop PTSD (Adams & Boscarino, 2004, p. 485). The study was able to point out crucial qualities in individuals which made them vulnerable to PTSD after a significant trauma like the September 11 attacks. This study is a peer-reviewed research conducted by reputable experts in the field of psychology and psychiatry. The study presented in detail the different characteristics present among respondents which make them vulnerable to PTSD. The authors were able to draw an analysis based on reliable statistical results. These results were also related and founded on

An analyss of The Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou Essay

An analyss of The Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou - Essay Example The Pearl River city is China’s economic pillar because it performs better economically in China. Ideally, this hotel’s location is a breathtaking cite as it offers a perfect view of the Pearl River Delta. The hotel also occupies the seventy-fourth to the ninety-eight floors totaling to almost thirty floors. Remarkably, the hotel boasts of having a twenty-four hour operational centre with executive club lounge facilities. With all these attributes in mind, the objective of this paper will be to analyze and evaluate the Strategic decision making for the Four Seasons Hotel. It will illustrate the design of the strategy, the implementation of the proposed strategy by factoring in the implications of the intended management change. Finally, it will evaluate the risks of the strategically choice and its performance. Various analysis models to ascertain the company’s current position 1. The PEST analysis The PEST analysis in business is the entails the Political, the E conomic, the Social, and the Technological factors that influence the external components of strategic management and market research (Griffin, 2010, p. 127). It helps a business to understand its market growth and potential in order for it to make advancements in its finances (Kayne, 2005, p. 227). Therefore, this part of the report will give explanations on the entire four components concerning Guangzhou Hotel. a) Political factor Essentially, the political factors refer to the level of government participation in its economy. These factors include taxes, labor laws, and trade regulations. In this case, China’s greatest political factor is being among the few remaining communist states in the world. China is a single party state in that property ownership is public. This is the fundamental rule in the communist form of leadership. This serves an advantage to the hotel since the chances of the hotel running bankrupt are relatively low. For instance, the government has the ri ght s to intervene in all financial aspects of the hotel enabling it to continue being the best performer in the hospitality market. Secondly, the Guangzhou Four Seasons hotel enjoys the government policy on taxation for foreign companies where they were to pay twenty-five percent income taxes (Brown, 2010, p. 16). The foreign company policy mentioned that they had to pay a twenty-five percent income. The fact that this tax implementation plan was gradual meant that Four Seasons hotel had adequate time to administer the government policy. b) Economic factors This is the second factor, which encompasses economic development, currency rates, and interest rates (Kayne, 2005, p. 231). The basic aspect of this factor is the ability to influence business functions and decision-making. As per this hotel’s setting, the economic factors crucially make them inevitable. In this regard, China’s economic growth dwindled in a scope of three years making the rates of investments bein g substantially low. This meant that the hospitality industry felt the strain, as there was little access to hotel facilities by both foreigners and locals. The business cycle dropped to a low of almost eight percent (BBC, 2012). The demands by the consumers decreased drastically as the main target for the Hotel were the foreign business guests who frequented the hotel. In addition, the exchange rate policy imposed by the government translated

The Theory of Music Universality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Theory of Music Universality - Essay Example Its ability to communicate has been as revered as it has been suspect, and its rich social and ritualistic associations have added layers of meanings that can only be expressed in musical terms, and not in terms of words or images. Aaron Copland in his "How We Listen" says that music can be listened to and enjoyed in three different planes: the sensual, the expressive and the solely musical. The listening experience for a particular piece of music is evaluated on all these planes simultaneously, but to understand the effects of music it is necessary that we at least outline these levels separately. The sensual plane is the absorption of the sheer pleasure that music affords, the elevated mood it evokes, and the escape from the mundanities of life it makes possible. The expressive plane, on the other hand, talks to the listener, but does not have a concrete message to convey, it conveys broad senses of emotion: "..... serenity or exuberance, regret or triumph, fury or delight. It expresses each of these moods, and many others, in a numberless variety of subtle shadings and differences. It may even express a state of meaning for which there exists no adequate word in any language".The third plane is where the listener is aware of the musical form, where the harmony, the melody, the rhythm, and the tonal color are consciously appreciated: the listener knows about the notes and the structure of the written music, the composer's style and thought process and can evaluate the rendition of all this by the performers. All theories of music through time have talked about the sensual, expressive or the solely musical planes in one way or the other. To understand how the perceptions on music have changed down the years, we need to examine the various thought processes of philosophers, and the conclusions they arrived at, tracing a historical outline from the Greek times, to the Baroque era and down to the present. Not much factual evidence of Greek music has survived, but an understanding of the ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and his student Aristotle, Pythagoras and Plotinus go a long way in answering a lot of queries on the views held about music in those times. Of note is the fact that music then was more of a part of people's lives than it is today, and hence the comments made by the thinkers of those times have to be understood in the appropriate context. For all our musical and philosophical sophistication, it seems that the Greeks 'lived' their music far more deeply than we do ours. Difficult though it may be for us to think of music as the kind of thing capable of revealing important fundamental truths about the world, for the ancient Greeks there seems to have been little doubt. And for good reason: their world was, after all, a fundamentally musical one. (Bowman, 1998)

Background and Motivation Essay Example for Free

Background and Motivation Essay The terms â€Å"corporate blog† or â€Å"business blog† have appeared very often in both of newspapers and academic journals. Increasing attention has been paid in understanding this new phenomenon. According to the Investor Business Daily, â€Å"there are 45% USA’s largest public companies have corporate blogs. † (where is your citation – is this also Klosek? ) Business Week has proposed the following: â€Å"Corporate blog is a blog used by the company to reach some goals. It helps businesses communicate internally more cheaply and effectively than workflow management software and e-mails. † A corporate blog can be one of the more successful popular communication tools after the E-mail, ICQ and MSN. In 2006, Business Week Online issued that A Weblog (or blog) can be a powerful marketing tool, but it can also expose a business to a legal minefield. As reported by Jacqueline Klosek, â€Å"Blogs can be used to market a companys products and services, facilitate communications with clients, and even counter negative publicity† (Klosek, 2006). Several studies have pointed out the advantages of employing corporate blogging, citing that corporate blogging may be a tool for search engine marketing; a means of building good relationships with the customer; building of a company’s reputation; helping to put human voice to a company; serving as a way for employees and customers to communicate; and a tool for directly and immediately getting the customer’s feedback. There are still many threats that may hinder the adoption of the corporate blog, such as legal impediments with regards to violation of intellectual property rights and mismanagement leading to an eventual downfall of the organization; the disclosure of trade secrets can jeopardize the blogger’s career since this problem may cause his termination from the position, and also â€Å"Careless statements posted on a company-sanctioned blog can come back to haunt the company through litigation and other avenues† Klosek (2006) stresses. Since the study and research in corporate blogging phenomenon is still in its early days, scholars who have conducted empirical studies only focus on the benefits and risks when adopting the corporate blog, or the motivation behind creating corporate blog. It’s lack of analyzing the existing utilization and the effects of corporate blog from a systematic theoretical perspective. the DOI theory (Rogers, 1995, 2003) becomes mature, it can be applied in explaining how and why an innovation can be widely adopted and diffused. In order to find out the reasons indicate why corporate blog as a new innovation has been widely adopted and successful diffused, the DOI theory can be an effective framework for analyzing corporate blogging phenomenon. Thus, this paper aims to determine why the corporate blog as a new innovation is being widely adopted and used by the both the individual blogger and various IT organizations; the motivation in adopting blogging; the benefits of the corporate blog to organizations; and the reasons for its success. The research also tries to explain how and why the corporate blog is welcomed and has become a popular and successful new innovation, and the compatibility of its utilization with the existing values of its users. Thus, the author has conducted an empirical study in order to answer these problems from the Diffusion of Innovation theory (DOI) perspective. IT industry companies have been selected as samples for this study.

Going to Disney World Essay Example for Free

Going to Disney World Essay I had been planning our trip for three months for me and my five children to go to Disney World. I had gone and got book and done research on the computer, I wonted everything to be perfect and organized. We were going to go the week before Christmas and be there for a week. Has it got closer to the day before we would be leaving the excitement been building in all of us. Four days before we were going to leave I got the dreaded stomach flu. All I could think about was I had to get better before we would be leaving. Has the days went on I was feeling better and started packing and getting everything together for my first family trip since my divorce. I packed the car up the night before we were going to leave and it took hours, first the suitcase, then car seats and then checked the list so we would not forget anything that we might need for our adventure. The next morning woke the kids up at four am, with sleep still in their eyes, got all situated in the car and we were off to Disney World. The kids were so excited, they all was talking at one time about what they wanted to see and what the wonted to do. About lunch time they all settled down enough where I could understand what they were saying. I decided that we would take our nine hour drive and make a two day drive out of it so we were not in the car all day, so our first stop would be Birmingham, Alabama. I told the kids to look out the windows and the first hotel that they see that they would like to stay yell and we would go check it out. My oldest two at this time was tired of sitting in the car so it did not take long for them to really start looking for something nice and that would maybe have an indoor pool so they could get out of the car for at least for a while. We had passed two exits by now and I was thinking I hope one of them would yell soon, because I was getting tired of driving for the moment. Then out of Jackson’s mouth he yelled â€Å"There is one and it looks really nice Mom†, so off the next exit I went to check it out. Has we pulled up to the Hilton I knew this was going to cost me, but not saying a word I went through the front doors and ask if I could get a room for a night. Has we went to our rooms they kids was trying to get in the bags to get their bathing suit to go to the pool. That night we swam, played game in the arcade and ordered pizza for dinner. Knowing we had to get up early I started trying to settle the kids down for bed a nine o’clock, but they were so full of excitement and anticipation to get to Disney World none of them wonted to sleep. Midnight came and I looked around they all had fell asleep, Jackson on the floor where he had been watching television, Briar in the chair were he had been coloring , Summer had curled up in a ball in the bed, and the babies was safe in their travel cribs. At that moment I knew we were going to have a great and amazing time when we got to Disney World. Has the sun come up in the morning it was shining through the window right in my eyes and I could hear the kids already up and ready to leave. We loaded back into the car, four hours to go to we got to Florida. Has we arrived in Florida we had to find the house that my mother and rented us for the week, that was our entire Christmas gift. Finally, we found it and when I drove up it looked like a castle. Has the kids could not wait to jump out and check out the house I was overwhelmed that my mother would have rented us this house for a week, that was so gorgeous. Has we walked in the house it was like a house you would see in the movies, seven bedrooms, five baths and it had its own pool that was shaped like Nemo. The kids was running and yelling saying â€Å"This room is mine and I claim this one†. As we got all unpacked and settled in, we started making a plan for the morning, it would be our first day a Disney World. We got out our book of How To Do Everything You Wont To Do At Disney World In A Week. We had made reservations for breakfast with Mickey for in the morning; to start our first day and then we would be going to Magic Kingdom the rest of the day. The morning had arrived for us and we were all smiles and full of excitement. Has we rode through the gate at Disney World all the kids yelled â€Å"We made it†. I wanted to cry, because I knew I could never replace this memory. We could see the parks and some of the rides has we pulled close to where we would be eating breakfast. I had set it up where I could valet park, because I did have five kids by myself and I knew that it would not be easy trying to get everybody settled in strollers by myself. Breakfast was very hectic, feeding the babies, taking pictures and trying to eat all at the same time. The kids really enjoyed the waffles shaped like Mickey Mouse and loved to see all the charterers has they were eating. People was looking at me like I was crazy, but I did not care I was with the five most important people in my life and I was enjoying every minute of it. Jackson pulled out our map and planning book, he was our event planner for the day; he said it was time to go if we wanted to stay on a schedule for the day. Tickets were our first stop, and then here was the moment we had been waiting and planning for. It was a warm day in December, there was a feeling of mist in the air as the sun was coming up and we could already smell cotton candy in the air. Our first stop was going to be the Dumbo ride, they say that is the most popular ride for little kids, and our goal was to do all the baby rides first and when they took a nap for the day the big kids would be able to ride space mountain and many more big roller coasters that we have read about. We stood just 45 minutes in line to ride the Dumbo ride, It is flying elephants and they go up and down, the babies giggled the whole time we were on the ride and their eyes was shining like diamonds was in them. After hours of line waiting and ride the teacups, it is a small world and see all the princess, the babies had fell asleep in their stroller. Has we made our way to the big kids rides there was a parade and Jackson could not resist his self to get right in the middle of it, I could not get to my camera fast enough. He danced and sang as we stood on the side of the path of the parade and cheered him on. I could not how planned this most memorable moment if I would have tried. As the sun was setting, the park was lite up with a million Christmas lights and it was a beautiful sight. We were trying to make it to the fireworks, which are shot off Cinderella’s castle. As we were walking we went down a street that looked like a small town. Stores on both sides, vendors selling popcorn, and then we started to see it snow. They were blowing fake snow on the street. It was a feeling of Christmas, without it being cold and stressed. At the end of the street you could see the castle lite up and it changed colors with every firework that was shot off. As we are standing there watching fireworks my three oldest children put their arms around me and said â€Å"love you mom and thank you for being the best mom ever†. It was at that moment I knew Disney World was the place were dreams come true. As we got back in the car that night to go back to the house the kids ask† we are coming back tomorrow aren’t we mom.† I replied â€Å"Yes, and I cannot wait to see what memories we can make then.†

Oil Blends Against Aedes Aegypti (Linn.) and Anopheles Dirus

Oil Blends Against Aedes Aegypti (Linn.) and Anopheles Dirus An in vitro study of the bioefficacy of essential oil blends against Aedes aegypti (Linn.)  and Anopheles dirus (Peyton and Harrison) by using membrane feeding apparatus Nutthanun Auysawasdi1, Sawitri Chuntranuluck1, Vichien Keeratinijakal2,  Siriporn Phasomkusolsil3 and Silas A Davidson3 Abstract This study was performed to determine the bioefficacy of plant essential oils on Aedes aegypti and Anopheles dirus. Repellency was determined by measuring reduction in feeding and mortality. A novel in vitro bioassay apparatus was developed that had a sausage-casing membrane feeding system. Mixtures of three essential oils were evaluated: turmeric (Curcuma longa), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), and orange (Citrus aurantium). The oils were mixed in pairs or all together at equal volume for a total of 10% volume and then formulated with 90% virgin coconut oil. Complete formulations were evaluated with and without an additional 5% vanillin. The formulations were applied to the sausage casing membranes and female mosquitoes provided (expose) blood meals (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 h) to assess the percentage repellency over time. The results showed that the strongest repellency was at shorter exposure periods. For Ae. aegypti, the strongest feeding reduction was with the turmer ic and eucalyptus combination and with the addition of vanillin (97.6-99.6%). For An. dirus, the strongest repellency was when all three oils were combined (98.4-99.6%). Vanillin increased the effects of repellency and mortality for all formulations and demonstrated an increased potential to enhance the bioefficacy of essential oil repellents. This study also demonstrated an in vitro membrane feeding system that can be used to screen essential oils. Keywords: Aedes aegypti, Anopheles dirus, Essential oil, Repellent, Membrane feeding system Introduction Mosquito-borne infectious diseases, such as dengue fever and malaria, are increasing each year, which may be due to the effects of global warming and climate change (Aguiar 2011). Dengue virus is primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes and is the primary vector throughout the global distribution of dengue (Guzman et al. 2010). Malaria is transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes and the primary vectors are unique to different geographical locations. Anopheles dirus (Peyton and Harrison) is considered one of the most important vectors in Thailand and Southeast Asia (Sinka et al. 2011). Both of these diseases are difficult to manage because there are no available vaccines, and in the case of dengue, there are no therapeutic drugs (Halstead 2014). Efforts to control these diseases often focus on vector control and preventive strategies to minimize mosquito bites. The use of topical insect repellents applied to the skin is a proven method to reduce mosquito bites. There is a long history of using plant derived extracts to reduce mosquito bites. However, since the development of modern synthetic repellents in the 1940s, natural repellents have been largely replaced by synthetic chemicals (Debboun et al. 2006). Currently there is a renewed interest in using plant-based insect repellents due to concerns about safety and the preference for products that are considered more natural (Gerberg et al. 2007). Several essential oils and volatile compounds from a multitude of plants have been found to possess repellent properties against arthropods (Curtis et al. 1990). These plant derived chemicals often repel mosquitoes, but there is a wide variability between mosquito species (Kumar et al. 2011). Compounds that repel mosquitoes have been found in the following plant families: Graminae (Pushpanathan et al. 2006), Labiateae (Odalo et al. 2005), Lamiaceae (Ansari et al. 2000), Myrtaceae (Phukerd Soonwera 2014), Poaceae and Rutaceae (Trongtokit et al. 2005), Umbelliferae (Erler et al. 2006), and Zingiberaceae (Tawatsin et al. 2001). This study evaluated essential oils from the plants turmeric (Curcuma longa L., Family:Zingiberaceae), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus Labill, Family: Rutaceae) and orange (Citrus aurantium L. Family: Myrtaceae). It is known that turmeric contains the chemical ar-turmerone that is repellent to arthropods (Su et al. 1982). The eucalyptus plant contains important active ingredient such as 1-8, cineole, ÃŽÂ ±- and ÃŽÂ ²-pinene that can repel various mosquito species (Yang et al. 2004). Mosquito repellents are often tested by using the arm in cage technique (World Health Organization 2009). This method allows mosquitoes to feed directly on human volunteers and has several disadvantages, such as the pain and discomfort associated with mosquito feeding, the requirement for Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, the limited number of candidate repellents that can be screened at one time (Deng et al. 2014). Even though the direct evaluation of repellents on human skin remains essential for evaluating repellents, artificial membrane feeding systems can serve as a useful alternative when pre-selecting candidate repellents (Luo 2014). The use of artificial membrane feeding systems is largely dependent on the types of membranes, including animal tissues, Parafilm-M ® films, and collagen membranes (Friend Smith 1987; Pothikasikorn et al. 2010). This paper evaluated the efficacy of essential oils from turmeric rhizomes (TU), eucalyptus leaves (EU) and orange peels (OR). These oils were evaluated individually in a previous study using the arm in cage method compared to the synthetic repellent DEET (N,N-diethyl 1-3 methylbenzamide 25% w/w; KOR YOR 15) (Auysawasdi et al. 2016). This study looked at the same three chemicals but combined them in mixtures to determine if there was a synergistic effect. Also each mixture was evaluated with or without 5% vanillin extract. Vanillin was added because other studies have found that it extends the amount of time that certain natural products are effective against mosquitoes (Tawatsin et al. 2001). Materials and Methods Mosquitoes rearing Ae. aegypti and An. dirus were reared in the insectary of the Entomology Department, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), Bangkok, Thailand. The photoperiod was maintained at 12 h light/12 h dark with a temperature of 25 ±2 °C and a relative humidity of 60-80%.Filter papers containing eggs of Ae. aegypti were placed in plastic trays (30ÃÆ'-35ÃÆ'-5 cm) with 2,500 ml of distilled water and larvae were provided fish food tablets (HIPPO ®). After one day, newly hatched larvae were diluted to about 500 larvae per tray for density and population. For An. dirus, approximately 150 eggs were added to a plastic tray and larvae provided fresh powdered fish food until pupation. The pupae of both species were collected and placed in holding cages until adult emergence. Freshly emerged adults were allowed to feed on soaked cotton pads containing a 5% multivitamin solution ad libitum. All testing was performed using five to seven day old post-emergent females that w ere denied sugar and only provided water for eight hours before testing. Preparation of plant essential oils Extracts from many of the plants are available commercially. Eucalyptus leaf oil (New Directions Aromatics Inc.,USA), Orange peel oil (New Directions Aromatics Inc., USA) and Vanillin (Borregaard Industries Ltd. Company, Norway) were purchased from Chanjao Longevity Co., Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand. Extracts from the turmeric plant were not available commercially. Therefore, turmeric rhizomes were collected from Suwan Farm, Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. Essential oils were extracted by water distillation (Charles Simon 1990). The different essential oils were blended at equal ratios for a total volume of 10% and then mixed with virgin coconut oil (Agrilife Co., Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand) using a vortex mixer (Vortex-Genie ®2, Scientific Industries, Inc., USA) (Table 1). The coconut oil was chosen because it created a formulation similar to what would be applied to human skin. All formulations were kept at room temperature before testing. Repellency assay by feeding membrane apparatus Repellency of essential oil blends was examined for Ae. aegypti and An. dirus under laboratory conditions using a membrane feeding system.Fifty 5-7 day old female mosquitoes were selected and placed in plastic cups (8 cm dia. ÃÆ'- 8 cm high) covered with netting. A membrane feeding system was used with a sausage membrane stretched over a standard membrane feeder with a surface area of 3.14 cm2 (r=1) and secured with a rubber band. Before feeding, either 10  µl of each mixture or 10  µl of coconut oil (negative control) was pipetted onto the sausage-casing membrane and spread evenly with the tip of the pipette. The treated membranes were allowed to dry and mosquitoes provided blood meals (exposed) at eight different time intervals (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 hours) after application. A water feeding jacket was used to maintain the temperature of the feeding system at 37 °C. Approximately 1.5 mL of refrigerated (25 °C) human blood (Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thail and) was added to the glass feeder and allowed to warm to 37 °C. Then screened plastic cups of 50 female mosquitoes were allowed to feed for five minutes undisturbed. After the 5-min interval the membrane feeder was removed and unengorged mosquitoes were removed. Fully engorged mosquitoes and provided a sugar source and maintained in their containers in the insectary at 25 ±2 °C for 24 hours and then the number of dead mosquitoes counted. Data analysis Each mixture of essential oils was replicated five times (n=5) andresults presented as the mean  ± standard deviation (SD). To assess the significance of differences among groups, data were analyzed as a complete randomized design (CRD) with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncans multiple range test (DMRT). A p-value of For comparison, percentage repellency was calculated for each test using the following formula: % Repellency = ÃÆ'- 100(1) Where A is the number of mosquitoes that did not feed on the treated membrane and B is the total number of mosquitoes exposed. Feeding was calculated as: % Feeding = ÃÆ'- 100 (2) Mortality was calculated as: % Mortality = ÃÆ'- 100(3) Mortality per hour = (4) Where D is the number of dead mosquitoes 24 hours after blood feeding, F is the total number of mosquitoes which fed on treated membranes, and h is the period of time that the extracts was left on the membrane. The number of mosquitoes which not feed on the membrane of each formulation was used to calculate the repellency per hour after application by the following formula: Repellency per hour = (5) Where A is the number of mosquitoes that did not feed on the membrane and h is the period of time that the extracts was on membrane. Results The efficacy of various formulations of selected essential oils (10% Total volume) with and without 5% vanillin, are presented in Figure 1. Shorter exposure times consistently resulted in lower feeding rates of both Ae. aegypti and An. dirus to all formulations. Feeding rates increased over time after application of formulations to the membranes. The addition of vanillin decreased feeding rates for all formulations. The greatest reduction in Ae. aegypti feeding was with the turmeric and eucalyptus mixture (TU:EU, Figure 1c). The greatest reduction in An. dirus feeding was with turmeric, eucalyptus, and orange mixed together (TU:EU:OR, Figure 1f). Mortality rates are also shown in Figure 1. Mortality rates were decreased based on time after application of formulations to the membranes. The greatest and most consistent mortalities for Ae. aegypti were the mixtures of TU:OR with and without vanillin (Figure 1a) and the mixture of EU:OR with vanillin (Figure 1d). The greatest mortality for An. dirus females was with the mixture of EU:OR with vanillin (Figure 1h). The percentage of repellency of all formulations against Ae. aegypti decreased with increasing exposure times (Table 2). The strongest percentage of repellency without vanillin was observed with the mixture of TU:EU (90.8-98.4%), followed by EU:OR (89.6-98.8%), and TU:OR (84.8-98.8%). The lowest percentage of repellency was observed for the mixture of all three plant extracts (TU:EU:OR, 81.2-94.8%). The percentage of repellency for all essential oil combinations with vanillin was not statistically different between any of the formulations without vanillin. The mixture of TU:EU provided the most repellency at 3.5 and 4 hours with and without vanillin. There were no statistical differences between the repellency of any formulations against An. dirus with or without vanillin, except for EU:OR+vanillin after 3 hours (Table 3). The highest percentage of overall repellency was observed for the combination of all three plant extracts (TU:EU:OR) and with the mixture of TU:OR. Overall, there were a positive correlation for formulations that produced the most repellency and increased mortality (Figure 2). For both Ae. aegypti (Figure 2a) and An. dirus (Figure 2b), the ratio of mortality per hour of formulations with vanillin was greater than without vanillin. Similarly, the repellency per hour of the four formulations with vanillin was stronger than without vanillin. Discussion Essential oils can have a significant effect on mosquito feeding rates (repellency) and mortality. For all formulations, exposure at 0.5 h after application of plant extracts to the artificial membrane resulted in greater repellency and higher mortality. Whereas, at 4 h after application there was increased feeding (decreased repellency) and lower mortality. These are consistent with many other studies demonstrating that plant extracts are volatile and lose their efficacy over time after application (Reifenrath Rutledge 1983; Rutledge Gupta 1999). The different mixtures led to different outcomes. The combination of TU:EU resulted in the highest repellency for Ae. aegypti, whilethe combination of all three essential oils (TU:EU:OR) gave the least repellency. Currently, the combination of all three extracts (TU:EU:OR) provided the greatest repellency against An. dirus. These results showed that the two mosquito species have different responses to the three plant-derived essential oils tested. It also demonstrated that the efficacy of each formulation is based on the compatibility of active ingredients and these compounds produce different effects when combined together. There are other reports showing that essential oils from plants are synergistic. Nerio et al. (2010) reported synergistic actions many plant essential oils used in this study that increased the repellency of formulations that would be expected from individual essential oils. Liu et al. (2006) found that the repellent activity of mixing essential oils from Japanes e mugwort (Artemisia princeps) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum camphora) was greateragainst Sitophillus oryzae and Bruchus rugimanus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) than that elicited by individual oils. The results also showed that the addition of 5% vanillin significantly decreased feeding rates and increased mortality. Studies have shown that vanillin reduces the evaporation rate of active ingredients and therefore extends the protection time (repellency) (Tawatsin et al. 2001). It is believed that vanillin changes the volatile composition of essential oils and also has an effect on the gustatory processes of mosquitoes (Lee et al. 2010; Ali et al. 2012). In this study the effect of vanillin was often more evident at increased time after application. It is recommended that vanillin be considered included as an ingredient for future natural product repellents. Finally this study presented a unique method to evaluate repellent formulations using a sausage membrane casing as part of a membrane feeding system. The arm in cage method has been used to evaluate many essential oil formulations (Choochote et al. 2007). While the arm in cage method is the gold standard for evaluating repellents, a membrane feeding system offers several advantages in that it can be quickly performed, standardly replicated, and does not require human volunteers. (Huang et al. 2015; Cockcroft et al. 1998). This method could be developed to rapidly screen, evaluate, and select the most promising formulations before they are tested on human volunteers. Acknowledgments This study is a research collaboration between the Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand and the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), Bangkok, Thailand. The authors are deeply grateful to the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Science (AFRIMS) for facilitating and supporting the research. Finally, the authors thank the insectary staff; Kanchana Pantuwattana, Jaruwan Tawong, Nantaporn Monkanna, Yossasin Kertmanee, Weeraphan Khongtak and Sakon Khaosanorh for teaching and supporting this work. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. References   Aguiar M (2011) The effect of global warming on vector-borne diseases: Comment on Modeling the impact of global warming on vector-borne infections by E. Massad et al. Phys Life Rev, 8, 202-203. Ali A, Cantrell CL, Bernier UR, Duke SO, Schneider JC, Agramonte NM, et al. (2012) Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) biting deterrence: structure-activity relationship of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Journal of Medical Entomology, 49, 1370-1378. Ansari M, Vasudevan P, Tandon M Razdan R (2000) Larvicidal and mosquito repellent action of peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil. Bioresource Technology, 71, 267-271. Auysawasdi N, Chuntranuluck S, Phasomkusolsil S Keeratinijakal V (2016) Improving the effectiveness of three essential oils against Aedes aegypti (Linn.) and Anopheles dirus (Peyton and Harrison). Parasitology Research, 115, 99-106. Charles DJ Simon JE (1990) Comparison of extraction methods for the rapid determination of essential oil content and composition of basil. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 115, 458-462. Choochote W, Chaithong U, Kamsuk K, Jitpakdi A, Tippawangkosol P, Tuetun B, et al. (2007) Repellent activity of selected essential oils against Aedes aegypti. Fitoterapia, 78, 359-364. Cockcroft A, Cosgrove J Wood R (1998) Comparative repellency of commercial formulations of deet, permethrin and citronellal against the mosquito Aedes aegypti, using a collagen membrane technique compared with human arm tests. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 12, 289-294. Curtis C, Lines J, Lu B Renz A (1990) Natural and synthetic repellents. Appropriate Technology in Vector Control, 75-92[Elz Ã‚ ¤1]. Debboun M, Frances SP Strickman D (2006) Insect repellents: principles, methods, and uses, CRC Press. Deng W, Zhu N Mo J (2014) In vitro bioassay methods for laboratory screening of novel mosquito repellents. Entomological Science, 17, 365-370. Erler F, Ulug I Yalcinkaya B (2006) Repellent activity of five essential oils against Culex pipiens. Fitoterapia, 77, 491-494. Friend W Smith J (1987) The study of insect blood-feeding behaviour: 1. Feeding equipment, physical and endogenous factors, dose effect analysis, and diet destination. Memà ³rias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 82, 11-17. Gerberg EJ, Novak RJ, Debboun M, Frances S Strickman D (2007) Considerations on the use of botanically-derived repellent products. In: Gerberg EJ Novak RJ (Eds.) Insect Repellents: Principles, Methods and Uses. Guzman MG, Halstead SB, Artsob H, Buchy P, Farrar J, Gubler DJ, et al. (2010) Dengue: a continuing global threat. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 8, S7-S16. Halstead SB (2014) Stumbles on the path to dengue control. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 14, 661-662. Huang TH, Tien NY Luo YP (2015) An in vitro bioassay for the quantitative evaluation of mosquito repellents against Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) mosquitoes using a novel cocktail meal. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 29, 238-244. Kumar S, Wahab N Warikoo R (2011) Bioefficacy of Mentha piperita essential oil against dengue fever mosquito Aedes aegypti L. 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Phukerd U Soonwera M (2014) Repellency of essential oils extracted from Thai native plants against Aedes aegypti (Linn.) and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say). Parasitology Research, 113, 3333-40. Pothikasikorn J, Boonplueang R, Suebsaeng C, Khaengraeng R Chareonviriyaphap T (2010) Feeding response of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles dirus (Diptera: Culicidae) using out of date human blood in a membrane feeding apparatus. Journal of Vector Ecology, 35, 149-155. Pushpanathan T, Jebanesan AGovindarajan M (2006) Larvicidal, ovicidal and repellent activities of Cymbopogan citratus Stapf (Graminae) essential oil against the filarial mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae). Tropical Biomedicine, 23, 208-212. Reifenrath WG Rutledge LC (1983) Evaluation of mosquito repellend formulations. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 72, 169-173. Rutledge L Gupta R (1999) Variation in the protection periods of repellents on individual human subjects: an analytical review. 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World Health Organization (2009) Guidelines for efficacy testing of mosquito repellents for human skins. WHO, Geneva, 4 Yang YC, Choi HY, Choi WS, Clark JM Ahn YJ (2004) Ovicidal and adulticidal activity of Eucalyptus globulus leaf oil terpenoids against Pediculus humanus capitis (Anoplura: Pediculidae). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52, 2507-11. [Elz Ã‚ ¤1]It has no volume

Cause of World War I Essay -- essays research papers

WWI Causes World War I, a war that started out locally in Europe between Austria-Hungary and Serbia that later ended up including thirty two different nations. This war has been around for almost a century and yet the causes of it are still being debated. There are many different scenarios that have been considered. Some of the key reasons that were believed to have instigated WWI were nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and an arrangement of treaties. Also the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was believed to be one of the immediate causes. Nationalism is the doctrine that your national culture and interests are superior to any other. From just reading the meaning of nationalism it is quit obvious to see that this idea will oppose some kind of conflict sooner or later, and as proved later on it did. At the settlement of Vienna in 1815, the idea of nationalism was ignored mainly because nations wanted to preserve the peace. Germany and Italy were left as divided states, but strong nationalist movements and revolutions led to the unification of Italy in 1861 and Germany also in 1871. Another result of the Franco-Prussian War, which took place 1870-1871, was that France wasn’t happy with the outcome of Alsace-Lorraine losing, and regaining what they lost from that was a major goal for the French. Nationalism was a problem for Austria-Hungary and the Balkans. Those areas had many conflicting national groups. The strong faith Serbia had for the movement advocating th...

The Salem Witch Trials :: American America History

The Salem Witch Trials Why do you hurt these children? I do not hurt them. I scorn it. Have you made no contract with the devil? No! Mr. John Hathorn, a Judge involved in the witchcraft case of Sarah Good, then asked all of the afflicted children to look upon her and see if this was the person that had hurt them so. They all gazed at Goody Good and said that this was the person that tormented them-presently they were all tormented. Puritanical beliefs had all of Salem truly believing that witches rode on broomsticks across the sky every night alongside the devil himself. They believed that these mere humans could send their "specter" out and haunt the children of their town. Proof of their belief follows, in an excerpt from Cotton Mather's Memorable Providences: Go tell Mankind, that there are Devils and Witches; and that tho those night-birds least appear where the Day-light of the Gospel comes, yet New-Engl. has had Exemples of their Existence and Operation; and that no only the Wigwams of Indians, where the pagan Powaws often raise their masters, in the shapes of Bears and Snakes and Fires, but the House of Christians, where our God has had his constant Worship, have undergone the Annoyance of Evil spirits. Go tell the world, What Prays can do beyond all Devils and Witches, and What it is that these Monsters love to do; and through the Demons in the Audience of several standers-by threatned much disgrace to thy Author, if he let thee come abroad, yet venture That, and in this way seek a just Revenge on Them for the Disturbance they have given to such as have called on the Name of God. Rebecca Nurse Goody Nurse was a highly regarded, pious pillar of the community who unfortunately could not withstand the power of hysteria. There were many reasons that Rebecca was accused, but it was mostly the hatred exhibited towards her by the Putnam family. She was against Samuel Parris as Reverend of the Salem Town Church, while the Putnam family was his friend, and her husband was at war with the Putnam family estate over some land. Rebecca exuded a saint-like presence over the dark days of the witch-hunt. After her accusation, thirty-nine of the most prominent leaders of the community signed a petition attesting to Rebecca's goodness of heart. Even one of her original accusers, Jonathan Putnam, put his name to the appeal.

Mercantilism vs. Laissez-faire Essay

Mercantilism suggested that a country’s goverment should play an active role in the economy by urging more exports than imports, especially through the use of tariffs. A nations wealth, when it comes to mercantilism lays in its gold and silver amounts. Many physiocrats of the time opposed mercantilism because they saw it as exploition of business. The government collected substantial fees from guilds, and other groups. Therefore using them for their own profit. The government also restricted economic innovation, and regulated which goods would be made and what regions are to be traded with. This brought out many critics in the aristocratic classes. One of mercantilisms greatest critics was Adam Smith. Adam Smith wrote: † The man who buys, does not always mean to sell again, but frequently to use or to consume; whereas he who sells, always means to buy again.† (Adam Smith, An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations) This basically means that in order to sell, you must regain what you’ve sold, and will sell again, but those who buy will use what they’ve bought. Adam Smith had â€Å"laissez-faire† ideology which meant that an individuals self-interest is the motor of economic progress. He believed each individual should be free to pursue their economic interests freely, without restriction by the government, which he believed should not concern itself with economic affairs. High tariffs, guild restrictions, and mercantilist restraints just obstructed economic activity. Physiocrats who advocated Laissez-faire ideology also believed that agriculture is the sole productive economic activity and encouraged the improvement of cultivation. Because they considered land to be the sole source of wealth, they urged the adoption of a tax on land as the only economically justifiable tax. So essentially â€Å"Laissez-faire† and mercantilist are completely opposite in the sense that mercantilism is for the government, for restriction and monarchial control, and Laissez-faire is for the individual, the consumer, the masses, the good of the country.

Women and Food Security

There is a strong link between food security, good nutrition and gender. A gender approach to food security can enable shifts in gender power relations and assure that all people, re-gardless of gender, benefit from, and are em-powered by development policies and practices to improve food security and nutrition. This brief gives an overview on why and how to consider gender aspects in both short-term humanitarian assistance and long-term development coopera-tion that address food security. Every woman, man and child has the right to ade-quate food. In far too many cases, women and girls are overrepresented among those who are food-insecure, partly because women often are denied basic human rights such as the right to own property, to find decent work, and to have an education and good health. People's overall access to food relies to a great extent on the work of rural women. Women comprise, in average, 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries.1 Hence, securing women's human rights is a key strategy in assuring food security for all. Women are involved in a variety of agricultural operations such as crops, livestock and fish farming. They produce food and cash crops at subsistence and commercial levels. At community level women undertake a range of activities that support natural resource management and agricultur-al development, such as soil and water conservation, afforestation and crop domestication. Women often have 1 FAO 2011 (see references under â€Å"Further reading†). unique perspectives on, as well as understanding of local biodiversity importance for the development of adapted and improved varieties. Also for dietary diversity women have a decisive role. Poor households headed by women often succeed in providing more nutritional food for their children than those headed by men. There is a strong correlation between a higher level of gender equality and lower level of child mortality. Cultural traditions and social structures often mean that women are more affect-ed by hunger and poverty than men even though women, and in particular expectant and nursing mothers, often need special or increased intake of food. And too often, child hunger is inherited: a mother who is stunted or underweight due to an inadequate diet often give birth to low birth weight children. The critical link between women's social status and nutrition The wide differences in women's nutrition among coun-tries that have similar income levels indicate that some-thing other than income affects women's nutrition. Re-search indicates that cultural norms about eating and women's low social status often affect women's diets. In 2003, India and Bolivia had similar gross national in-comes, but 36 percent of Indian women were under-weight, compared with only 1 percent of Bolivian women.3 2 ADB 2013. 3 Ransom, E. ; Elder, L. (2003) Nutrition of Women and Adolescent Girls: Why It Matters. Population Reference Bureau. [ BRIEF ] Women and Food Security Women face numerous obstacles to access productive inputs, assets to land and services required for rural livelihoods. These include access to fertilizers, livestock, mechanical equipment, improved seed varieties, exten-sion services, agricultural education and credit. Women receive for example only 5 percent of agricultural exten-sion services worldwide. As rural women often spend a large amount of their time on additional household obli-gations they have less time to spend on food production or other income opportunities. Women also have less access to markets than men which hamper their opportu-nities to earn an income even further, and thus their pos-sibilities to be able to buy food. With fewer assets and heavier burdens, women are more vulnerable to shocks and less well positioned to respond to e.g. the effects of climate change or other rapid changes in the environ-ment. Social and economic inequalities between men and women result in less food being produced, less income being earned, and higher levels of poverty and food inse-curity. If women farmers had the same access to re-sources as men, the agricultural yield could increase by 20 to 30 percent. This could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5 percent, which could re-duce the number of hungry people in the world by 12 to 17 percent. Another emerging challenge in food security and nutri-tion that needs to be addressed is to enhance women and men's resilience to climate change; e.g. by diversified production as well as strengthened capacity to respond to challenges related to climate change, building on the different needs and coping mechanisms of women, men, boys and girls. Disasters, especially droughts, and emergency situa-tions are the most common causes of food shortages in the world (WFP). In humanitarian contexts discrimina-tion of women and girls may be reinforced, and the oc-currence of domestic violence increase during times of food scarcity. Because of women's specific roles and experiences in food production and preparation, it is crucial to include them in emergency-related food securi-ty planning and decision making as potential change agents and decision makers, rather than as the â€Å"victims† they often are portrayed to be. Gender dynamics within households must be taken into account in situations of displacement when food aid and other relief items are distributed. This includes men's and 4 UNDP 2012. 5 FAO 2012. women's ability to access and equitably distribute relief items within households. Humanitarian interventions that radically alter gender roles, for example by giving women greater control over water and food distribution, may impact power dynamics negatively and can also lead to increased gender-based violence. The four dimension of food security from a gender perspective Availability. Inequalities in ownership of, access to and control of livelihoods assets negatively affect women's food production and food security. Tenure insecurity for women results in lower investment and potential envi-ronmental degradation. It compromises future production potential and increases food insecurity and reduces women ´s income and the availability of food. Stability. Differences in risk and vulnerability between men and women can affect the stability of their food security in different ways. During times of crisis, women and girls are often forced to reduce their intake in (fa-vour?) of other household members. In cases of crop failure or natural disasters, cultural traditions make it easier for men to leave their farm in search for employ-ment elsewhere, leaving women behind to struggle for feeding their families and making ends meet. Utilization. Women ´s role in food utilization for food security is perhaps the most critical and outweighs the importance of their role in food production and how they spend the income they earn. Women are typically re-sponsible for food preparation and thus are crucial to the dietary diversity of their households. Access. Access to food within the household is deter-mined by cultural practices and power relationships within the family. Although food may be available, adequate amounts to maintain nutritional intake may not necessari-ly be as accessible to women compared to men. Source: FAO (2013): Gender and climate change research in agriculture and food security for rural development. Food security and agricultural programmes can strength-en human rights and be more effective if they also tackle the constraints around women's access to resources. This is done through addressing the issue of unequal gender roles, responsibilities and workloads. To acknowledge women's role in food security, contributions are needed at all levels in a variety of result areas. Entry points for Sida can be identified within the following areas: Women's right to food ? Assure women's human rights including the rights to education, knowledge and employment and women's equal rights to land, water and other resources that are necessary for raising the productivity of their agricul-tural activity, food and nutrition security. Promote women's productive activities by providing trainings, credit and access to improved and appropriate technology to reduce their work load. ? Ensure that women are empowered and trained to exercise their rights and take active participation in decision-making bodies. ? Mother-and-child health and nutrition programmes can break gender barriers in childcare by including men and boys in nutrition and health education activities. Women's access to land? Contribute to the reforming of laws on tenure, land distribution, land reform and family law, including marital and inheritance laws, to become gender equal. ? Support education and capacity building for govern-ment officials, legislators, and local land officials on gender equality in access to land and property rights. ? Advocate the creation of mechanisms to monitor the enforcement of policies, targets and laws on women's access and rights to land. ? Promote women's access and rights to land in custom-ary law e.g. by supporting women's participation in bodies responsible for interpreting customary law. ? Support awareness-raising and access to information among women regarding land rights, including infor-mation about complaints mechanisms. Women's equal participation in labour markets ? Support government legislation that guarantees equita-ble employment conditions that protect workers in both formal and informal employment. ? Extend the coverage of social protection to all catego-ries of rural workers and ensure that they incorporate women's special needs. ? Support policies and investments in labour-saving technologies and support public investments that make it easier for women to participate in the labour market. ? Intensify the provision of better-quality education and vocational training for women. Policy processes and frameworks ? â€Å"The right to adequate food†: 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ? Women's specific role for rural development: 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), (Article 14) ? Special attention to the gender gap in nutrition: 1992 The Global Plan of Action on Nutrition of the In-ternational Conference on Nutrition ? Highlight the close interlinkages between gender equality and women's empowerment: 1992 the Mil-lennium Development Goals (MDGs) ? Emphasize the specific role that women play in food security: 2004 The Voluntary Guidelines to sup-port Member States' efforts to achieve the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security ? Highlights full and equal participation of men and women for achieving sustainable food security: 2006 World Summit on Food Security and The World Food Summit Plan of Action (e.g. 16, 1.3) ? Gender issues in food security and nutrition: 2012 The First Version of the Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition GSF ? Women's empowerment & equality of opportunity: 2012 UN Secretary General â€Å"Zero hunger Challenge† ? The importance of empowering rural women as critical agents: 2012 Rio +20 Outcome Document ? Food insecurity indicator allowing disparities in food access based on e.g. gender: 2013 FAO's Voices of the Hungry ? Support women's engagement in producer organisa-tions, cooperatives, labour unions, outgrow schemes etc. to strengthen women's voice and decision-making power. ? Support women's groups and other forms of collective action that builds relations and networks addressing gender gaps by reducing transaction costs, pooling risks, developing skills and building confidence. Women's access to financial services ? Improve financial systems and services, e.g. loans and insurances, to respond to the needs and constraints of women producers and entrepreneurs. ? Ensure that women are being consulted and included in discussions, decision-making, planning and provi-sion of financial services. Support financial institutions, governments and NGOs to offer financial literacy training to ensure that wom-en can make informed financial decisions. ? Promote technological innovations, such as prepaid cards and mobile phone plans for making loan pay-ments and transfer cash, to facilitate for women to gain access to capital. Women's access to technology ? Promote productivity enhancing agricultural tech-niques, including machines and tools, improved plant varieties and animal breeds, fertilizers, pest control measures and management techniques that address women ´s needs. ? Invest in labour-saving and productivity enhancing technologies and infrastructure, e.g. water sources in villages, fuel efficient stoves, and roads, to free wom-en ´s time for more productive activities. Promote women's training on farming adaptation techniques such as rainwater harvesting and agrofor-estry, and on agricultural diversification to increase their resilience. ? Promote extension services that are more gender-responsive, i.e. considering all the roles of women and are closely linked to women's activities. Support participatory gender-inclusive research and technology development programmes. Example of indicators ? Share of population (women/men) in targeted areas suffering from starvation (impact level indicator, measures effect on target group) ? Proportion of population (women/men/girls/boys) below minimum level of dietary energy consump-tion (impact level indicator, measures effect on target group) ? A monitoring system providing food-security data disaggregated by sex, geographic location (or oth-er as relevant in the specific context) in use (out-come level indicator, measures capacity development) ? Share of women and men using agricultural exten-sion services (output level indicator, measures ca-pacity development) Gender mainstreaming in humanitarian assis-tance ? Collect sex-disaggregated data for planning, imple-mentation and evaluation of food aid. Ensure that women and men take part equally in deci-sion-making, planning, implementation and manage-ment of food aid programmes. ? Design services to reduce women ´s and children's time spent getting to, and from food distribution points. ? Ensure that women's access to services is routinely monitored through observations and discussions with affected communities. Asian Development Bank (2013) & FAO (2013): Gen-der Equality and Food Security – Women's empower-ment as a tool against hunger, FAO (2013): Training Guide: Gender and climate change research in agriculture and food security FAO (2012): Global Strategic Framework for Food Se-curity and Nutrition FAO (2011): The state of Food and Agriculture – Wom-en in agriculture Gender in agriculture: Platform for knowledge sharing Global Gender ; Climate Alliance and UNDP (2012): Gender, agriculture and food security IFAD, FAO ; WB (2009): Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook IFPRI, 2012 Global Food Policy Report, chapter 4: Closing the Gender Gap IASC (2006): Gender Handbook in Humanitarian Action World Bank (2012): World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development World Food Program: Causes to hunger ; the Zero Hunger Challenge UN Human Rights Council (2010): HRC's Advisory Committee on discrimination in the context of the right to food