Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Essay Example for Free

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Essay Bridge to Terabithia is an ambitious, thrilling, and at times heartbreaking story about childhood, friendship, and individuality. Paterson begins the story by introducing Jess Aarons, an eleven ­year ­old boy living in a rural area of the South who loves to run. He dreams of being the fastest boy in the fifth grade when school starts up in the fall, feeling that this will for once give him a chance to stand in the spotlight among his five sisters, and win him the attention of his constantly preoccupied father. Jess is very insecure in his identity. He loves to paint and draw, but he knows that this labels him a sissy in most eyes, particularly his father. As Katherine Paterson said â€Å"Jess drew the way some people drink whiskey.† I enjoyed reading about Jess’s confliction between his masculinity and effeminacy. With his family stretched so tight by poverty he has little chance to really explore his own identity during this crucial period of adolescence. He is determined to win in doing something masculine that will rid the undesired label of â€Å"sissy† or â€Å"Girl† in the eyes of his father and schoolmates which will allow him to shine in his own right. He practices each morning, always dreaming of his upcoming victory. However, when the races come around at recess, a new girl, Leslie Burke, who just moved next door to Jess, boldly crosses to the boys’ side of the playground and beats everyone.

Relationship Between VO2 Max And Gender Physical Education Essay

Relationship Between VO2 Max And Gender Physical Education Essay Within the exercise world the most widely accepted measure of cardiovascular fitness is VO2 max. Also known as maximal oxygen uptake, VO2 max is defined by Albernethy et al (1996) as the maximum amount of oxygen than can be absorbed and transported to working tissues for use within the body. This literature also states that athletes with a high VO2 max are typically know to be endurance athletes whereas athletes with a lower VO2 max are classified as either power or sprint athletes. Whilst relationship between types of exercise and VO2 max are clearly defined, the relationship between VO2 max and gender is still a topic which is widely debated within the exercise world. After reviewing literature from Martin et al (1991), Rowland et al (2000) and Suth (2005) it is evident that males have a higher VO2 max than that of females, regardless of age. Despite this, all articles indicate that body composition and cardiac size are both major determinants of VO2 max. Rowland et al (2000) found that in adolescents, VO2 max is higher in males in both absolute terms and relative to body mass. Interestingly, at the age of 18 males have a 75% greater VO2 max when expressed as an absolute value as opposed to a 25-30% higher VO2 max relative to body mass (Rowland et al, 2000). As we venture into adulthood, females are said to have a body fat content which is 1.7 times greater than males and as a result there is a noteworthy gender difference in VO2 max when looking at absolute values (Suth, 2005). However, when looking at VO2 max relative to lean body mass the differences between genders are reduced by almost 50%. In the study conducted by Martin et al (1991) groups of sedentary and trained men and women were tested for VO2 max. The result yielded from the experiment indicate that males had a greater VO2 max both relative to body mass and when compared to the study groups. The aim of the current study was to conduct a two submaximal cardiovascular fitness tests on a sample of mixed gender university students in order to examine the relationship between VO2 max and gender. Two submaximal fitness tests, namely the Astrand-Ryhming step test and YMCA Protocol test were used in order to obtain the results and perform the analysis between genders. Method Subjects The study consisted of a total 83 participants, who were recruited from the faculty of human movement studies during laboratory sessions, which included 42 males and 41 females. Each of the participants was required to complete two fitness tests which aimed at determining their maximal oxygen uptake or VO2 max. Prior to undertaking the fitness tests each participant recorded their gender, age, height and weight by means of classification and analysis upon the tests completion. This data, represented as mean  ± standard deviation (SD), is as follows. Males (42) mean  ± SD: Age 19.07  ± 3.85 yrs, Height 181.39  ± 6.36 cm, Weight 76.88  ± 8.87 kg. Females (41) mean  ± SD: Age 18.28  ± 1.73 yrs, Height 181.39  ± 6.36 cm, Weight 60.05  ± 6.93 kg. In addition the participants were grouped into groups of 2-3, along with recording their 85% HR max for testing purposes. Testing Protocols Prior to the conduction of the Astrand-Ryhming step test and YMCA Protocol test, various conditions of testing were followed in order to ensure the same standard and validity of testing between groups. It was expressed that participants were to have not participated in heavy exercise nor have had and stimulants or heavy means in the four hours prior to testing. Also it was mentioned that participants were to be well hydrated and wearing clothing and footwear appropriate for physical activity. Finally, it must be noted that in ideal circumstances, temperature and humidity levels should be standardised. Astrand-Ryhming step test: For this test participants were required to set up steps at specific heights of both 40cm (males) and 33cm (females). In order to complete the test correctly the subjects had to step up and down on the platform at a rate of 22.5 complete ascents and descents per minute. This translated to a 4count on a metronome set at 90 beats per minute (bpm). Each participant was required to step for 6 minutes with their heart rate (HR) being recorded at the end of each minute. It was expressed that the test was not to exceed 10 minutes and the test be stopped if the HR exceed 85% HR max. The test was deemed completed when the difference between the final two values was less than 6 bpm. Upon completion of the test the Astrand-Ryhming nomogram was used to estimate the participants VO2 max. YMCA Protocol test: For this particular test, participants were required to cycle for multiple intervals of three minutes according to a modified guide which was based on the participants HR. In order to ensure that the bike was at a comfortable height, students had to adjust the height of the cycle ergometer so that the knee was slightly flexed at the bottom of the downstroke. At the beginning of the test the student was required to pedal at 50 revolutions per minute (rpm) by means of warm up. The first workload on the ergometer was set at 25 watts (W) which the participant cycled for three minutes with their HR being recorded for the last 15 seconds of the 2nd and 3rd minutes. After the first three minutes had been completed the HR from the 2nd and 3rd minutes was analysed to determine the work-rate (WR) category for the remainder of the test, ensuring that the HR for this period differed by no more than 6. The participant then had to continue riding moving to subsequent WR after every three minutes u ntil the successive HR differed by no more than 6 bpm. The test was concluded when the participant had at least two WR with corresponding steady state heart rates between 110 bpm and 85% HR max. Data Collection Procedures The data collection process for the Astrand-Ryhming step test required participants to record their HR at 1 minute intervals until the steady state had been reached and the test completed. This raw data was used in correlation with both the participants weight and Astrand-Ryhming Nomogram to find their Raw VO2 max (L.min). For the YMCA Protocol test a chart was used whereby HR was plotted against WR. Firstly a horizontal line was drawn where the subjects age-predicted HR max lies. Secondly the HR from the last minute of each of the last two WR was plotted against the corresponding WR. Next a straight line is drawn joining these two values as well as intersecting the line of the subjects age-predicted HR max. From this point a vertical line was drawn downwards which intersected the work-rate and VO2 scales below the horizontal axis consequently determining the subjects VO2 levels (L.min). Data Analysis Procedures For the Astrand-Ryhming step test, the subjects age determined VO2 max was predicted by using the age correlation factor table which was located in the age correction factor for determination of predicted VO2 max table and multiplying it by the Raw VO2 max levels. Further analysis was conducted by converting this value from L.min to ml.kg.min in order express VO2 max relative to body mass. Like the analysis procedure for the Astrand-Ryhming step test, the relative body mass VO2 max was also determined for the YMCA Protocol test. This method differed from the Astrand-Ryhming step test as the age correction table was not used; instead age was incorporated into the graph for plotting HR against WR. Results After completion of the two sub-maximal fitness tests it was evident from the tests that males (49.09  ± 11.48) as a whole group recorded a higher VO2 max level in the YMCA Protocol Test as opposed to females (46.42  ± 11.81). Despite this, when analysing results for the Astrand-Ryhming step test it was discovered that as an entire cohort, females (48.26  ± 10.51) recorded an average higher VO2 max than their male (47.66  ± 8.04) counterparts. In addition, it is evident that males (H: 181.39  ± 6.36 cm, W: 76.88  ± 8.87 kg) have a higher average height and weight as opposed to women (H: 164.34  ± 26.94 cm, W: 60.05  ± 6.93 kg). Figure 1 refers to the average group VO2 max between males and females for both sub-maximal fitness tests. Based on this figure it is evident that males have a higher mean value for both tests than women. Conversely, women have a greater spread of data for the Astrand-Ryhming step test as opposed to men, as well as having higher maximum values for the YMCA Protocol Test. Males seem to have a fairly even spread of data for both tests, which correlates to their higher average VO2 max in the YMCA Protocol Test. Table 1: Average ( ± SD) values for males and females age, height (cm), weight (kg) and VO2 max (ml.kg.min) Age Weight (kg) Height (m) YMCA Protocol Test (ml.kg.min) Astrand-Ryhming step test (ml.kg.min) Males 19.07  ± 3.85 76.88  ± 8.87 181.39  ± 6.36 49.09  ± 11.48 47.66  ± 8.04 Females 18.28  ± 1.73 60.05  ± 6.93 164.34  ± 26.94 46.42  ± 11.81 48.26  ± 10.51 Figure 1: Box plot of average VO2 max between males and females for both sub-maximal fitness tests Discussion The gender differences of VO2 max for the study somewhat reflects the observations and results recorded in previous literature. Previous studies on gender research have indicated that males have a higher VO2 max than that of females, in both absolute terms and relative to body mass (Rowland et al, 2000). It was found that after the completion of the current study that this research was only partly confirmed as males were found to have a higher VO2 max in the YMCA Protocol Test, whilst females recorded a higher VO2 max in the Astrand-Ryhming step test. It is believed that differences in body composition are the main contributing factor as to why VO2 max levels differ between genders. When analysing height and weight components between males (H: 181.39  ± 6.36 cm, W: 76.88  ± 8.87 kg) and females (H: 164.34  ± 26.94 cm, W: 60.05  ± 6.93 kg), it was evident that males were on average significantly larger than females. This correlates with research conducted by Rowland et al (2000) which states that majority of males can produce a higher VO2 max due to the fact they are anatomically bigger. As a result of their larger size it is known that males have larger chest cavities and consequently larger lungs, which equates to them having a larger lung capacity and consequent VO2 max levels. This evidence is closely associated with the results produced from the YMCA Protocol Test as males (49.09  ± 11.48) produced a considerably higher VO2 max than that of females (46.42  ± 11.81). Evidently body composition is not the only determinant of VO2 max as personal fitness levels and training background may also play a major part in VO2 max levels (Suth, 2005). In addition to this, personal motivation could have also contributed to the overall results from the tests. Suth (2005) revealed that there is a high correlation between personal fitness, training background and VO2 max regardless of gender. Consequently, regardless of body composition or gender, a person who participates regularly in moderate to vigorous physical activity will have a higher VO2 max than that of a sedentary individual. With the selected sample being human movement studies students, who all have an interest in sport, it is likely that majority of participants would engage in physical activity resulting in them having above average fitness levels. Whilst training background and prior fitness levels were not extensively measured prior to the test is may be assumed that this concept is a possible e xplanation for the females (48.26  ± 10.51) recording a marginally higher VO2 max than males (47.66  ± 8.04) in the Astrand-Ryhming step test. Key limitations to this study could have had a direct correlation to the results which were recorded from the study. Mainly the fact that the two sub-maximal fitness tests were performed directly after each other could have had a direct bearing on the results. This is because following the first test, depending on how exhausting it was, the subject could have been pre-fatigued and possibly performing below their optimal performance levels consequently producing a lower VO2 max level. Another limitation to the study is the fact that training background and fitness levels were not extensively analysed prior to the studies conduction. This is particularly evident as all of the studies participants, as they are a part of the faculty of human movement studies, would be assumed to have above average VO2 max levels consequently not providing much difference between males and females. Conversely, if participants of this study were compared against a group of sedentary individuals different r esults outlining differences between fitness levels and genders could be expected. Similarly, it would be expected that the VO2 max results for the second test would be lower than the first due to fatigue. Looking forward to the future, ensuring that all participants perform each test in the same order, or possibly on different days, will mean that the results obtained from the tests will project the optimal efforts of the participants. Conversely, a downfall to this would be that it would take more time to obtain results from the two tests. Also, another idea is to groups participants according to body mass and/or height in order to determine whether maximal oxygen uptake is governed by gender or body composition.

Outsourcing :: Globalization, research papers

Outsourcing is the contracting out of a company’s in-house function to a preferred vendor with a high quality level in the particular task area. Outsourcing is one of the fastest growing trends in business. Large- scale organisations such as Telstra (especially for their Internet and Pay-TV divisions) have latched onto outsourcing due to the almost immediate opportunity of savings and quality improvement. Outsourcing can impact many elements of an organisation in a positive or negative manner. Areas such as structure, corporate culture, cost centres and labour have the most tendency to react to outsourcing developments. Employees of organizations don’t benefit from outsourcing as they are at a risk with becoming redundant. This occurs as another group outside the organization who have similar skills and competencies that can perform the same tasks replace existing workers. This treatment of employees can trigger a collapse in confidence and morale from all other employees throughout an organization as they view fellow employees leaving due to job replacements. Therefore in the future lasting employees will feel uncomfortable in an organization that is constantly outsourcing with fears of loosing their job. In order to prevent this morale downgrade management may choose to cross - train redundant employees so they can fit in another suitable position, where it may for expansion or increase labour productivity. Another aspect that may be impacted by outsourcing is the hierarchical structure. If a certain department is run from outside such as Human Resources, i.e. recruitment is controlled by an outside body, this makes the ‘HRM’ division to be removed from the organization and hence its formal structure. Advantages of clearing a structure can give senior management the prospect of re-using and expanding into locations that have been previously outsourced. The departmentalisation of the structure might have to be altered to correspond with the changes caused from outsourcing. The reason why an organisation can reduce costs when going ahead with outsourcing is because it can call upon the outside body to perform a task on a ‘need basis’. This means an organization can call upon a contracted when the need be. Re-visiting the HRM division being outsourced, this division is working away all the time with unnecessary wages being paid. An organization does not need people in charge of obtaining recruitments all the time so by outsourcing recruitment, money can be saved.

Plato and The Renaissance Essay -- Philosophy

Plato (428-347 B.C.E.) is considered to be one of the greatest philosophers the world has ever known. Though concerned with specific problems of his own era, Plato's ideas transcend all time. Throughout the ages his works have been translated into many languages and studied by great thinkers of every region of the world. A revival of Platonic thought occurred during the Renaissance. Though Plato's ideas have survived in their original forms, translators and commentators during Renaissance times often understood them in a very different way than intended. Plato's ideas were ahead of their time, but he was nevertheless clearly a product of Classical Greek culture. Many of his dialogues question beliefs of and praise the Greek gods. Political concerns revolved around political systems common in his day, and the distaste for democracy present in his Republic focuses specifically on the form of democracy present in Athens during that time.1 For his time, Plato's work depicts women in a very positive light, but it is still evident that the opinion of women as second class citizens in ancient Greece influenced his opinion. Plato's Republic allows for and expects woman to participate in his ideal ruling class of philosopher kings, but the language used to describe women's roles is nevertheless demeaning.2 In Plato's Socratic dialogues, a plethora of examples representative of the age are used to explain and defend claims, referencing recent wars, politicians in recent history, and Homeric poetry. Plato may have never become the world renowned philosopher that he is considered to be today if it had not been for Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.). Plato was Socrates' most famous pupil, and Socrates was such an inspiration to him that... ...): 406- 439. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1353/ren.2008.0331 Kellermann, Frederick. "Montaigne, Reader of Plato." Comparative Literature, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Autumn, 1956): 307-322. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1768763 Lee, Desmond, trans. The Republic, 2nd ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1987. Oliver, Revilo P.. "Plato and Salutati." Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 71, (1940): 315-334. http://www.jstor.org/stable/283132 Schachter, Marc. "Louis Le Roy’s Sympose de Platon and Three Other Renaissance Adaptions of Platonic Eros." Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 59, No. 2 (Summer 2006): 406-439. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1353/ren.2008.0331 Somfai, Anna. "The Eleventh-Century Shift in the Reception of Plato's "Timaeus" and Calcidius's "Commentary"." Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 65, (2002): 1-21

Case Study of Market for Tuna Company :: Business Analysis

PRICING To be able to understand how the four types of market affect pricing decisions we must first look at the factors considered when setting prices. As per discussion in class, competitors; consumer perception of price and values; market and demand all together contribute to the pricing decisions. According to the study of Economics these factors are present in the four types of market: Monopoly, Oligopoly, Perfect competition and Monopolistic competition. In monopoly, where there is only one provider of a product or service, the company controls the pricing decision. Seeing that there is none, if not limited, existing competition in the market proves that the company is not dependent on the pricing decision of other electricity service suppliers. A common local example would be Meralco, although there are other electricity providers outside Mega Manila, Meralco is still considered the largest and the most income generating electricity supplier in the country. Being the largest assumes a big bulk of the population demanding and relying on the services it provides, there is not much choice left for the consumers but to patronize Meralco, in effect the charges that the company asserts (under the government’s approval) will always be assimilated by the consumers. The unavailability of other options gave them the position to take control of the pricing of charges. In oligopoly the market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers. Since it is dominated by a small number of sellers, each one is mindful on the act of the other and decisions of each other firms influence one another. There is a concern on the reactions or responses of the other sellers in the markets thus the pricing decision is thought of carefully against the competitor’s pricing decisions, it now becomes dependent on the other participants in the market. The local examples are the prominent landline telecommunication service suppliers such as PLDT, Bayantel, Digitel and Globelines. Based from observations on ads and promotions every time one seller initiates a call charge reduction the other sellers automatically follows the trend. The whole idea in this kind of market is that firms are actually after price decrease, with the hope of gaining a bigger share of the market. Either pricing decision indicates a decrease or increase all actions will create a price wa r response with other sellers. A perfect competition market describes a market setting wherein the buyers and sellers are so numerous that the market price of commodity is no longer in control of either the buyers or the sellers.

Bright Light Therapy

Bright Light Therapy, also known as light therapy or phototherapy, is a relatively new treatment method that is still being researched to define its usage and effectiveness. Light therapy is the treatment of certain psychological disorders via exposure to bright fluorescent lights for up to four hours a day or as little as fifteen minutes a day. Light exposure is thought to regulate melatonin levels in the blood and, as such, has been most effective in treating seasonally affective disorder or SAD (Columbia 2).However, the method has been researched to treat other common disorders as well. Sleep insomnia, dementia and some forms of skin cancer are a few of the examples. Just like with any other alternative medical treatment to pharmacological methods, light therapy has come under strong critical review and its implementation has been low compared to drug therapies. History Historically, humans were not thought to be affected by seasonal changes in day length (Rohan et al 491).Because of this, currently accepted seasonal disorders such as SAD were not known in the medical field. It was not until doctors researched specific causes of depression that were known to become onset in late fall and remitted in the spring, was a connection made between time of sun exposure and depression (SLBTR. org). A new disorder, SAD had been defined and continues to be hotly debated today. Although light treatment can be dated all the way back to Aristotle, who suggested treatment for certain diseases by lying in the sun, modern methods began in the 1950’s (slbtr.org) Originally, light was used as a device for the removal of skin acne until research on the subject of light therapy was conducted by Dr Lewy in the 1980’s, the founder of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (slbtr. org). The first documented treatment of a person with SAD was an engineer complaining of depression that came at the same times each year. Two hours of artificial sunlight in both the morning and in the evening were administered at the first onset of depression.The treatment was deemed successful, and since then over 2,500 people have been treated for SAD as well as numerous other conditions with light therapy. Implementation and Use Light therapy is mostly thought to affect the levels of the light-sensitive hormone melatonin in the blood (Columbia. edu). It is this hormone that is responsible for day-night cycles of the body. When subjected to high levels of light the body is stimulated negatively to produce less melatonin or to â€Å"skip ahead† in its cycle. Thus, the effects of depression caused by SAD are avoided.Some of the long term effects of increased melatonin levels have also been studied with mixed results coming from treatment with light therapy. The exact implementation of the treatment varies greatly for different people. Some research has shown the most effective time of treatment to be in the waking hours or just before waking wh ile still others believe the best time to be in the evening hours just before bed. The length of time patients are exposed to the light also changes depending on how much the patient is affected or the severity of the issue.Still again, the intensity of the light can be changed according to personal comfort or need (Skjerve et al 518). The number of variables in the method of light therapy has prevented the successful study of the treatment in many instances. It is difficult to determine the correct level of treatment for conditions that in themselves have not yet been thoroughly documented. While potentially negative side effects in the use of light therapy are minimal they do still exist. Some patients experience nausea, headaches, or eyestrain/irritation. These are generally mild, though, and dissipate after just a few days (Columbia).Another, much more infrequent, effect of light therapy is a state of hyperactivity, called mania. This is typically observed in the late spring or summer months (Cancer. org). It is most easily prevented through constant supervision from the physician and proper light therapy usage. Retinal discomfort has also been reported among some patients. This can be solved through the use of special glare-reducing glasses made exclusively for the purpose of light therapy, but often times those with retinal pathologies, such as glaucoma or cataracts are excluded from studies and are therefore usually excluded from treatment as well (Columbia).Otherwise, with proper medically accepted light therapy devices the side effects are minimal. The acceptance of light therapy has been met with strong opposition. Several factors have affected the widespread use of light therapy as a method for controlling any number of disorders. The cultural stigma attached with any alternative to Western medicine has prevented many people from accepting the treatment as opposed to conventional medicine.Evidence directly linking the method to treating certain cond itions has also been spotty due to the difficulty of finding patients to research and building an experiment that would irrefutably confirm light therapy as a treatment for whatever illness was tested. Finally, the actual treatment itself has kept many people from following through with the recommended dosages. Numerous patients have been reported as quitting treatment because of the length of time commitment necessary or discomfort reported by sitting in front of a bright box for hours on end (Rohan et al, 492).Newer light therapy technologies have been developed that reduce the time required to approximately 15 minutes a day and that have various light spectra that don’t produce glare for the user, but until proper research has been conducted on all of these new methods acceptance of the treatment will remain relatively when compared to modern pharmacological medicines. Applications Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of light therapy in treating different disorders. Dementia is a condition that has received the attention of many researchers attempting to discover its root cause and resulting treatment.The irregular sleep patterns observed among patients with dementia has been hypothesized to be corrected with bright light therapy. As explained before, the exact dosage and type of light are yet to be determined but a study by Ancoli-Israel et al measured continuous sleep activity in elderly patients in nursing homes before and after treatments of morning, evening and both morning and evening bright light therapies. A significant change in sleep patterns was exhibited by the morning/evening treatments with no statistically significant changes shown by the singular morning or evening treatments.It was suggested by the authors to increase the ambient levels of light in common areas of the nursing home in order to easily treat the symptoms of sleep disturbance exhibited in patients with mild to severe dementia. Insomnia has also been shown to be treatable with light therapy. It has been documented in treating several types of sleep disorders in patients not afflicted with dementia including delayed sleep phase type patients, advanced sleep phase syndrome and nonentrained sleep and wake disorders (Atwood 53-55).Trials have been more effective in studying the effectiveness of light therapy in patients not suffering from other psychological disorders but the same problems that exist in other studies also exist when studying general sleep disorders. The evidence presented by Ancoli-Israel et al is promising, however a meta-analysis conducted by Skjerve et al has pointed out many of the flaws in the light therapy treated dementia studies and by association many of the other studies conducted by researchers concerning light therapy. First, few of the trials were controlled, inasmuch they can be controlled according to generally accepted standards.All of the studies suffered from a small number of patients in whi ch to research and because of that experienced problems with numerous external variables affecting the results. Practicability of the treatment was not studied in any of the trials. The implementation of light therapy depends largely on the ease of use of the product and a solid body of knowledge associated with it. Proper research, with the exception of the Arconi-Israel et al trial has yet to be conducted on a large scale. Thusly, no conclusive treatment methods can be developed.Before treating for seasonal affective depression and other psychological conditions, light therapy was thought to be effective in treating skin conditions such as psoriasis or skin acne. The treatment is still used to treat patients with psoriasis with limited success but is not as widely used for patients with skin acne. The feasibility of asking people to sit in front of a light box for several hours at a time for a relatively benign issue as skin acne is pointed to as the biggest cause of the ineffecti veness of the treatment. Light therapy is, however, an accepted from of treatment for psoriasis (Psoriasis. org).The type of light in this case involves the use of ultraviolet B rays which can cause skin irritation. Treatment has to be more closely monitored than during light therapy used for SAD. Despite this, UVB rays have been shown to penetrate the skin and affect underlying skin cells, thereby slowing their growth and slowing the process of psoriasis. Light therapy is used more often for the treatment of seasonal affective depression, by far. Research for this type of use far exceeds any other method of treatment. The Society for Light Treatment and Biological Systems advocates the use of light therapy as an effective treatment for the disorder.People suffering from SAD report greatly increased amounts of daily sleep, general state of chronic depression and avoidance of social situations. While many people experience â€Å"the winter blues†, reported to be as much as thr ee times as many people as those with clinical SAD, actual SAD is an extreme level of depression that affects the daily life of those suffering from it (slbtr. org). With the first use of light therapy to treat an engineer suffering from chronic depression on an annual basis to today, light therapy has been used as a significant treatment of the psychological disorder.Unfortunately, despite the use of light therapy for the widespread treatment of SAD, concrete evidence linking it to the effective treatment of the disorder is rare. The same problems afflicting the dementia studies exist in the SAD studies. Development of an acceptable experiment, acquiring suitable patients and the relative difficulty of recording immediate results have all held back the proliferation of the treatment for treating SAD. Conclusion Light therapy, just like most other alternative medical treatments, has had difficulty in developing a solid body of evidence in support of the hypotheses that have been att ached to it.Effective treatment of SAD, some skin disorders and several types of sleep disorders have been shown to be treatable by light therapy. Dementia, other forms of depression and even cancer have been shown to be inconclusively treatable by light therapy. That does not mean, however, that light therapy is not effective in solving issues with anything other than seasonal affective disorder or sleep disorders. Problems of proper experimental method, small amounts of people tested and efficacy of the treatment have impeded light therapy clinical trials.Unfortunately, cultural roadblocks lie in the way of the widespread use of light therapy. Further research of light therapy is necessary in several fields of the subject. First, conclusive evidence of the link between light therapy and its leading treatable syndrome, SAD, is necessary. A proper, supervised and controlled clinical trial must be developed that can be accepted by the peers of those experimenting. Once that is create d, a large number of subjects must be tested in order to prevent external variables from affecting the statistical outcomes of the experiment.Once conclusive evidence is determined on the efficacy of treating SAD with light therapy, further research can be conducted in other treatments such as certain types of skin cancers. As difficult as this may seem by itself, funding is limited for most alternative medical treatments. Funding of the treatment must be acquired in order for light therapy to be proven as a compelling method of treatment. In the meantime, light therapy will continue to be used as a method of treating seasonal affective depression and several types of sleep disorders. References â€Å"ACS :: Light Therapy.† American Cancer Society :: Information and Resources for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Prostate, Lung and Other Forms. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. . Ancoli-Israel S, Gehrman P, Martin JL, et al. 2003a. Increased light exposure consolidated sleep and strengthe ns circadian rhythms in sever Alzheimer’s disease patients. Behav. Sleep Med 1. 22-36. â€Å"Light therapy – MayoClinic. com. † Mayo Clinic medical information and tools for healthy living – MayoClinic. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. .â€Å"National Psoriasis Foundation – Phototherapy. † National Psoriasis Foundation – National Psoriasis Foundation: Dedicated to finding a cure. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. . Physicians, American College of Chest. ACCP Sleep Medicine Board Review 2008:Course Syllabus. 1 ed. Basel: S. Karger Publishing, 2008. Print. â€Å"Q&A on Bright Light Therapy. † Columbia University in the City of New York. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. . Rohan, Kelly J. , Kathryn A. Roecklein, Kathryn Tierney Lindsey, Leigh G. Johnson, Robert D.Lippy, Timothy J. Lacy, and Franca B. Barton. â€Å"A Randomized Control Trial of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Light Therapy and Their Combination for Seasonal Affectiv e Disorder. † Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 75. 3 (2007): 489-500. Print. Skjerve , Arvid , Bjorn Bjorvatn, and Fred Holsten. â€Å"Light Therapy for Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of of Dementia. † International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 19 (2004): 516-522. Print. â€Å"Society for Light Treatment & Biological Rhythms. † Society for Light Treatment & Biological Rhythms. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 May 2010. .

The Ethical Issues Coca Cola Needs to Consider

P1 – Describe the ethical issues Coca Cola needs to consider in its operational activities. Your manager has asked you to prepare briefing papers to explain the ethical issues the client organisation needs to consider in its operational activities (P1) Understanding Business Ethics| Understanding business ethics| Business Ethics plays an important role in business today and it can be defined as an examination of how people & institutions should behave in the world of commerce and it Ethics – is the study of the moral obligations and the difference between right and wrong.Ethical values – the standards that are held and are set by a business or individuals that control their behavior. Business Ethics . Every activity and every profession requires that employees work with the responsibility and must respect not only general, but also the special requirements of professional morality. Since ancient times it comes to professional morality or professional ethics, emph asizing such things as professional conscience and responsibility, self-esteem and dignity. Source http://www. ibe. org. uk/index. asp? upid=71&msid=12Individuals and professionals within Coca-Cola must be ethical in the decisions they make this include: Respect other workers and managers, Using appropriate behavior Perform job competently Act loyally Act honestly Coca-Cola ethical activities Coca-cola always focuses on making a positive contribution to the community. Coca-cola support a lot of charities, aims to be the beverage industry leader in energy efficiency and climate protection. Also they keep trying to improve bottling plants to safely return to nature and communities an amount of water equivalent to what they use in their beverages and production.Operational activities Operational activities are day-to-day actions taken by a firm to achieve its primary purpose to simplify that it is what a business actually does. Coca-cola makes soft drinks and beverage products, factori es contain machinery and have people running them, it makes and receives deliveries, people travel to and from the factory. Operational management is very important and that includes controlling how a business works, so that it achieves the aims and objectives which is set by strategic management. Aims and objectives An aim is where the business wants to go in the future, its goals.Objectives give the business a clearly defined target. Plans can then be made to achieve these targets. Without aims and objectives there is no meaning to business, it's the aim and objectives that give meaning to subsequent activities of planning, directing, staffing, organising and controlling. Coca-cola’s aims and objectives are to: To refresh the world – in mind, body and spirit by providing the best product that they can to the public in order to create customer satisfaction and ensure that all employees are working to their highest standards.Coca-Cola also wants to be the best beverage sales and customer service Company and make sure to never let their high standards of quality fail. To create a value and make a difference – everywhere they engage. To inspire moments of optimism – through their brands and actions Live Our Values Coca-Cola’s values serves as a compass for their actions and describe how they behave in the world. Values include: Leadership: The courage to shape a better future Collaboration: Leverage collective genius Integrity: Be real Accountability: If it is to be, it's up to me Passion: Committed in heart and mindDiversity: As inclusive as our brands Quality: What we do, we do well http://www. thecocacolacompany. com/ourcompany/mission_vision_values. html Corporate Responsibility Coca-Cola manages their corporate responsibility through the Public Policy and Corporate reputation council. Coca-cola also have to review Company policies and practices relating to significant public issues of concern to the shareholders. After res earching Coca-cola’s Code of Conduct I found that Coca-cola said: Corporate responsibility is not just good for Coca-Cola, but for the whole world too.Protecting resources, saving energy and encouraging recycling are serious challenges. If we all play our part in meeting them, everybody will benefit. http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/ourcompany/pdf/COBC_English. pdf Corporate Governance The Coca-Cola Company is committed to sound principles of corporate governance. The Board is elected by the shareowners to oversee their interest in the long-term health and the overall success of the business and its financial strength. The Board serves as the ultimate decision making body of the Company, except for those matters reserved to or shared with the shareowners.The Board selects and oversees the members of senior management, who are charged by the Board with conducting the business of the Company. After researching Coca-cola’s Code of Conduct I found that the responsibili ty for administering the Code rests with the Ethics & Compliance Committee, with oversight by the Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. The Ethics & Compliance Committee is comprised of senior leaders representing corporate governance functions as well as operations. http://www. thecoca-colacompany. om/ourcompany/pdf/COBC_English. pdf Environment Environment is very important as it’s the natural world either as a whole or in a particular geographical area. When it comes to Coca-Cola they keep trying to improve themselves and be environmentally friendly. Coca-Cola designed water programs to support healthy watersheds and sustainable programs to balance the water used throughout their production process. Also they use sustainable packaging, energy saving and climate protection. There are many bad stories how Coca-Cola had a bad impact on the environment. Negative stories – EnvironmentIn 2004 Coca-Cola opened bottling oper ations in India – Kala Dera village and after factory was opened the community started to notice a rapid decline in groundwater levels and people was thirsting because of Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has more than 50 bottling plants and six are reported that they are draining water too much, because each bottling plant extracts up to 1. 5m litres of water everyday from the ground and it takes about 9L of clean water to manufacture a 1L of Coke. Sustainability Sustainability can be defined as maintaining the world’s resources rather than depleting or destroying them.This will ensure business can support human activity now and in the future. Coca-Cola is always trying to reduce and optimize the amount of materials and energy used for their packaging, also 85% of their products is delivered in recyclable bottles and cans. Coca-Cola are also trying to reduce their impact and minimize their use of water and their goal is to improve their water efficiency by 20% by 2012. So all in a ll Coca-Cola is keep trying to stay sustainable as possible, although they have bad stories about depleting water in India. In 2000 Coca-Cola opened a new plant at Plachimada in India and it produced 1. m litres of coke everyday which is almost 11m litres of clean water from the ground everyday. Human rights are the rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. Coca-Cola is constantly improving their human rights by respecting their employees and customers and protecting workplace rights. Coca-Cola had a lot of bad stories about human rights. To date, there have been a total of 179 major human rights violations of Coca- Cola's workers, including 9 murders. In 2001 Coca-Colas bottling companies had been linked to many controversies.These included the murder of eight union leaders. Violence, abductions and torturing of the union members were common practice in Colombia. In Code of Conduct Coca-Cola have said â€Å"We are continually advancing our understanding of human rights by engaging with experts in the field and with our peer companies. In 2007, The Coca-Cola Company joined the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR), a network of 11 multinational companies focused on identifying practical ways of applying human rights principles within the business context. † http://www. thecoca-colacompany. om/ourcompany/pdf/COBC_English. pdf Corruption is to be guilty of dishonest practices and impairment of integrity. Corrupt means getting something by unfair means. It’s a major concern for every business and Coca-Cola do have a policy on corruption, although they were involved in corruption in past such as they â€Å"underhand dealing† and getting contracts not ethically and fairly. Anti-Corruption Partnership As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, Coca-Cola are actively engaged with other companies and nongovernmental organizations in the fight against corruption.In December 2007, Coca-Cola became a signatory to t he World Economic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI), making The Coca-Cola Company the first food and beverage company to join approximately 140 other multinational companies in the private sector fight against corruption http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/ourcompany/pdf/COBC_English. pdf Trading fairly – is market-based approach to empowering fair trade where: * Business is carried on in an open manner * Consumers can feel secure that the goods and services that they paying for are going to be of satisfactory quality * Competition is open and fair 005 Pepsi Co had filed a case in the US accusing Coca-Cola of monopolizing the market of fountain dispensed soft drinks in the US. 2005 Coca-Cola agreed to end all its deals with shops and bars in Europe to stock only Coca-Cola. 2005 Coca-Cola were accused of poor trade practices in Mexico, because Mexicans were buying â€Å"Big Cola† rather then products from â€Å"Coca-Cola† because it was cheap er therefore Coca-Cola changed pricing strategies in Mexico and therefore started threatening the small business owners to stop selling â€Å"Big Cola†.Coca-Cola had few bad stories for not trading fairly in past these includes not letting shops to sell other soft drinks. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Fair_trade Legal and regulatory compliance Legal Compliance is more important than regulatory compliance. The most important statutory areas are; * Freedom of Information Acts (2000 and 2002) * Data Protection (1998) * Health and Safety * Employment Law * Human Rights (2000) * Animal Welfare Acts And Regulation * Contractual Relationships * Environmental Information regulations 009 Lawsuit was filed in regards to company flavours, of Vitamin Water. Claims say that there is 33 grams of sugar in each bottle of Coca-Cola that is more harmful than the vitamins and other additives. 2008 Coca-Cola were accused in Philippines for an unfair competition case because investigation raided three of cokes warehouses for illegally possessing imported bottles. 2008 Coca-Cola had to pay $137. 5 million to settle a shareholder lawsuit as they were channel stuffing or artificial inflation. Coca-Cola was charged in a U. S.District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, with â€Å"forcing some bottlers to purchase hundreds of millions of dollars of unnecessary beverage concentrate to make its sales seem higher. † Regulatory compliance is almost as important as legislative compliance. This is an important element in both good management and institutional efficiency. Elements include: * Funding * Teaching Quality Assessment * Research Quality * Financial Audit * Risk Management * Disaster Planning and Business Recovery http://www. lilesparker. com/areas-of-practice/regulatory-compliance http://www. thecoca-colacompany. om/ourcompany/pdf/COBC_English. pdf Coca-cola negative stories Working conditions Working conditions can be defined as the conditions in which staff works this can include stress and noise levels, degree of safety or danger or physical environment. Coca-cola has strict working conditions to ensure that their staff is always safe. Working conditions are really important and it includes health and safety standards. Coca-cola has bad stories for its working conditions. To investigate Coca-cola’s working conditions few undercover students’ was sent to Coca-cola’s factory for temporary job during summer.One of the student’s was beaten by staff members at the agency and student said that he was beaten by staffers at the agency after he demanded pay for his work at Coca-Cola. Coca-cola had even more bad stories relating to summer jobs these can be found in link bellow: http://www. chinadaily. com. cn/china/2009-08/20/content_8591019. htm Business Practices Business practices are a method, procedure, process, or rule employed or followed by a company in the pursuit of its objectives. Coca-cola has a lot of b usiness practices and some of them was not been followed in the past.In 2003 Indian NGO, Centre for Science and Environment has announced that they found cancer causing chemicals in Coca-Cola. 2007 Coca Cola's products that were produced and distributed in the Indian market contained pesticides such as DDT, lindane, malathion and chlorpyrifos which all contribute to cancer and a weakened immune system of the human body. Individual Ethical responsibilities Every single worker in Coca-cola’s company must act in accordance with the law it does not matter is it staff member or is it manager all individuals should follow their own ethical principals at all time and be ethical.Conclusion Therefore to conclude this report on ethical business culture and trade practices of Coca Cola, some basic elements that can be adopted by Coca Cola are like Develop worldwide code of ethics, by these we mean that the statement given by the company's business culture is not true and the company sho uld come up with a proper solution to this problems and should not tolerate any human rights infractions in any of its plants, or by any of its subsidiaries.Consider ethical issues in strategic development, while making the strategic the company should consider ethical issue and develop its strategy according to it. Develop periodical â€Å"ethical impact statements†, when they are promoting any of its product they should make an ethical statement with it as it will help them to improve the company's image in the minds of consumer. RecommendationsCoca-Cola Company must ensure that they keep their company always ethical and don’t have any bad stories. Although they are doing good job and not getting and bad stories about them lately, but still they should try to make their company even more ethical for people to think that it is a good company that has a good corporate image. Source: Coca-cola bad stories – http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola