Online Environment Essay Example for Free

Online Environment Essay Normally, customers would have to call an associate from D D and find out when the next trade show, showcase, or large event D D will be featured in attendance so customers can make their way to the venue just to see the merchandise. One main focus that would have to be kept is the same local, hometown business feel. Although D D would be looking to expand out of the greater Indianapolis area, the focus that needs to be kept is the community. An online market would be extremely beneficial to the community and the business because the times are changing and more and more customers each day are transitioning to the online marketplace by shopping in the comfort of their own home. D D is a community based business who believes in taking care of all our customer’s needs whether it is live an in person, or 2:00 AM on a Sunday night. We can only offer this kind of service with an online presence. D D wants to be the company a customer can count on anytime. Being part of an online environment will be a large part in making that a reality. As a business, we must ask ourselves is this a venture that will be successful for us? Given the type of market that our company is tapping into, we have the ability to be very successful. The quality of products that we offer along with our competitive prices will give us the competitive advantage over other similar small companies as even over some larger companies as well. Establishing D D in an online environment against competition in the same type of business will force us to be aware of all that is going on with our competition. This way, we will able to compete with the larger companies like a JCPenny or Sears and the smaller businesses like D D that have been in the online environment for a long time. We will strive to keep the quality of our products high and be able to keep our prices low. The success of our business will lie on our quality, and providing the best quality products will help us in generating income and building a larger customer base. Current Online Competitor Assessment Being that D D is a very small local business; large competitors (Nordstrom. com, Macys. com, Sears. com, etc. ) offer more of a broad selection of merchandise while D D specializes in one specific area of sales at extremely competitive prices and unique craftsmanship quality. Most of these larger companies will hold sales that provide their merchandise at discounted prices in-store and online but customers will not always catch the â€Å"Great Deal† or clearance sale. D D wants to provide quality products that customers feel are always on sale. One competitive advantage that D D will have over these companies is the originality of products. A large portion of the merchandise sold is hand-made, developed from original designs and ideas. Larger companies will most likely buy their products in bulk from over-seas distributors that will mimic merchandise of their competitors while D D will offer quality products made right here in the United States. D D will be able to back all the hand-made merchandise with a ‘Made in The USA’ tag which is something that most of the larger competitors will not be able to do. There are some name brand designers that are sold through D D; however, prices for that particular merchandise will still be competitive. We understand that there are customers with a demand for name brand designers no matter what the item may be and we want to be the provider for that segment of customers as well. Larger companies in the retail industry will often sell merchandise seasonally in regards to the specific time of year or holiday. A huge advantage that D D will have will be the ability to purchase seasonal merchandise year round. For example, if a customer wanted to purchase a Christmas themed hat in July or another customer wanted to purchase a Valentine’s Day gift basket in October, these options would be available to them. A larger company will most likely not offer that option on their site and especially not in their store. D D’s goal is to be able to take care of each and every customer’s needs (and wants) to create customers for life. We know that we are not the only company in this market and we need to be aware of the disadvantages we face while competing against larger companies. One large disadvantage that we will face is the distribution of our products. D D does not have a warehouse where stock is kept in comparison to a Sears or Macy’s. Therefore, in order for us to be successful, we must be able to maintain our stock and make sure that we keep enough on hand at all times. Another disadvantage that we face is the production of our hand-made items. Although our items do not take extremely long to make, we can run into the problem of not having a specific item when it is needed. This could be a major issue in the success of that particular product, but one advantage that we do have is that everyone on the sales team is able to help us create products if we happen to be short on certain items. This gives us a slight advantage over competitors large and small because there is no need for a middle man in our product line. All handmade products are able to be created and ready for sale immediately. We will still be in a similar situation with our competitors when it comes to all of the name brand clothing as far as shipping, ordering, receiving, etc. but being able to have our custom products manufactured and ready to sell within a fraction of time it would take for shipping procedures will keep us ahead and generating income. Online Marketing Suggestions Strategies The strategy for D D will be one with attainable goals. The first objective of our strategy is to know where we are going and what we want to achieve. Our first goal will be to set the amount of cu stomers that we want to reach through our online presence. As long as we have an idea of how many customers we wish to gain through this method, we will stay focused and stay on the correct path to achieve our goal. The next step in our strategy is to dissect the final goal numbers and turn the results into action plans that we can use to repeat success. For instance, if D D sets the target number in a time period for customers gained through our online presence, because the goal was dissected prior and broken down; D D knows exactly what must be done to achieve that goal. The last step that D D will implement in the strategy is to make sure all success is reviewed and evaluated thoroughly. All information that we received must be evaluated so we are making sure we are getting the results that we expected and wanted. One of the major tasks that we plan to accomplish with D D’s online marketing efforts is to attain customers of a younger age group. Typically the D D customer base age ranges from 30 – 60 for women and 29 – 50 for men. With the addition of new products and the expansion to an online environment, the goal could be easily reached. Another marketing strategy that D D will use is advertising the current events and trade shows we will be featured in. By advertising and marketing D D online as well as the different venues, customers will be informed of different things to do around the city in addition to taking some time to shop. Marketing ourselves this way will not only help our business, but it will also help our community which is helping us keep our main two focuses; Service our community and sell quality products to our customers. Search Engine Considerations Optimization Strategies Taking into consideration that there has been a lot of cross-border selling, there is a growth that is happening with search marketers. This growth causes websites to be optimized for visitors from different regions and cultural backgrounds. There are constant attempts to develop techniques that attract visitors through search engines and search ads. One technique that D D will be able to do is use country specific domain names, and possibly change spelling variations (i. e. color v. colour). D D will also use keywords in other languages, which will target search engines such as Google AdWords and give us more search result hits. Expanding our name in search engines will be an excellent way to open the door to us being found by more people who are searching for similar items. Encouraging our customers to post regular reviews of our business on a variety of local search sites will not only let potential customers know we do a good job, but it will increase the number of search hits we receive. The more reviews we receive, the reviews will appear high within search results. The approach also will make it more likely for the next potential customer searching for a store like D D to possibly contact our business based on the information they are receiving in the search results. A strategy such as this will improve the amount of search hits simply by choosing the words we want to be associated with our business and as long as we are doing a great job for our customers, a large portion of those words will be positive. Social Media Integration D D is a small business that could benefit very well from using social media. The majority of D D’s name being spread around the community is by word of mouth; however being well known in a small community can only take you so far. Integrating a social media site like Facebook would be a wonderful opportunity to promote the business and inform potential customers about the site as well as allowing current customers to refer a friend to the page and even comment. Integrating Facebook with the site will allow customers in a matter of seconds to â€Å"like† the D D Facebook page and there will also be a link to click to directly go to the D D web site. The potential comments left on the page could end up helping D D by possibly providing suggestions that D D could use to improve the overall customer experience. Along with Facebook, Twitter can also be utilized in the social media are by â€Å"tweeting† pictures of merchandise as well as updating customers with current information regarding products and shows. For customers who are always on the go, D D will also reach customers by the use of Instagram. By using Instagram, customers who are following D D will be able to see recently received merchandise that will be uploaded onto the mobile page by the D D staff. With use of these sites, D D will able to keep the current customer base updated with information about the products as well as allowing potential customers to gain a little bit of knowledge about D D’s products and services by utilizing the online environment that is used in day-to-day life. Using these sites will also provide another medium of communication from customers so we can listen to their suggestions, wants, and needs. By listening to customers, we are able to receive first-hand feedback and a better understanding of how we can improve our service. In addition to using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, D D will also incorporate a small blogging section on the company website. This will give customers additional medium to converse and blog about their experiences with our company. Online Customer Relationship Management When a customer makes the decision to do business with any company, the customer expects that they will receive a very high standard of customer service. As a company, D D will also hold a very high standard in providing customer service. A key component of customer service in any business is building a relationship with the customer. Communication between the customer and seller will have to be maintained in order to build that relationship. The best way to keep this channel of communication open with the customers would be through the exchange of email for any situation, problem, or question that may arise. Email would allow our customers to ask questions regarding our products, address a problem, or even inquire about making an order. Specific email templates, for whether there is a problem or a general question, will be made for any possible topic a customer may have and this will be integrated in the site. If there is any issue, a customer will be able to be as specific as they need to in asking their question. To be as efficient as we can with offering the email option to our customers, we will offer with all emails a ‘Within 24 hr. Guarantee Response Time. ’ Putting a guarantee on a service such as this will ensure to the customer that they will receive the most efficient and effective service available. We understand that all questions and issues may not be answered through email, so all escalated issues will be followed up with a phone call from a sales associate to help solve any issue that cannot be resolved in a timely manner. Within the website there will also be a FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page provided to possibly help with several general questions. Our FAQs page will be updated accordingly if we seem to receive a large volume of questions for a topic that is not currently on our FAQs page. Updating this page will be very valuable to our customers’ time and it will show that we are very thorough in our process. E-Commerce Solutions E-Commerce for D D will be an extremely user-friendly process. Our plan is to utilize all E-commerce transactions through the Volusion software program. This program is very efficient and very effective on both sides of the E-commerce transaction from seller to customer. Volusion will provide multiple payment options to potential customers such as credit or debit card, using a checking account, E-check, and even PayPal. By giving our customers multiple ways to pay, we give ourselves more opportunity to make a sale. A â€Å"checkout† and â€Å"my cart† feature will also be integrated within the site so at any time customers can quickly add an item to their cart and check out or add a few items and then edit the cart if they are not satisfied with their selection or have selected too many of one item. A link to the â€Å"my cart† section will be available on every page so a customer will be able to easily navigate there. Volusion also offers customizable tax and shipping options which will be presented for each product depending on size and time frame for customers’ desired delivery time. Customers will also be given automatic email confirmations after all purchases to give reviews of purchases. The automatic email confirmations will also be followed up by a separate email that contains an additional e-receipt and shipping information. Customers also have the option to enroll in the D D newsletter that will be created to update customers with information regarding current and future events as well as updates for newly created merchandise. This option will be available upon checkout so customers will be able to click yes or no. Security will be a major concern with E-commerce in any company you are associating with. The Volusion software offers state-of-the art E-commerce security which is PCI/CISP (Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council /Cardholder Information Security Program) certified. Other security features include the â€Å"CAPTCHA† type image validation for all forms of submissions to prevent unauthorized use, as well as an integrated IP blocking security feature, and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Encryption for encrypting customer information for additional security. International Considerations International business for D D would be an excellent addition to the business. What better way would there be to grow the business than to expand globally? The retail market for fashion and apparel is a market that is not just popular in just one geographic location. Fashion retail is an area where with the right merchandise and approach, a company like D D could go from servicing local customers to multi-national in a matter of months. Social media will play a large role in the international expansion of D D just as it will locally. All considerations must be viewed before the international ventures can take flight. One major concern would be how the currency from other countries would be handled. Our payment system will be an incredible asset to how our transactions are completed. Exchange rates are automatically calculated and shipping calculations are also included. Transactions will not be simple for every country. Certain payment options that D D accepts will not be available in all countries (i. e. Romania does not have PayPal), so all employees must be aware of situations like this if they were to arise. We will also have to make sure that we are complying with all government export regulations within each country. Using the Volusion software will also help with the language barrier of different countries. The Volusion software will make sure the website is friendly and ready for non-domestic and non-English-speaking visitors. All content on our website will be internationalized to cater to different areas of the globe. We believe that if we can customize our offering, service, and payment types to different areas, the business will enjoy huge success. Web Development Maintenance Cost The actual development for D D’s website would be fairly inexpensive compared to the amount of return the website would help generate. Base costs to start the development of the website would begin with the purchase of the domain name (i. e. www. DandDdesigns. com) that would range from $10 $30. Annual fees to keep the website up and running would range from $100 $150 in renewal fees. Most sites with under 2000 pages generally do not go over that threshold amount. There are a number of extra features that can be added to the site that could possibly increase the costs for running the webpage such as enabling Java for allowing motion images and small videos on the site (about $4. 5/month) and Restore Services that offer information recovery of any information deleted accidentally by any of the company’s associates (about $1. 50/month). Web hosting sites such as Lunarpages Hostgator offer all of these great services with no additional maintenance costs. These sites also offer 24/7 server monitoring and customer support so if anything were to go wrong, there is always someone to call on at anytime. This will also remove the expense of hiring a web developer because any and all problems with the site can be fixed by employees at anytime.

HR Challenges In Companies International Expansion

HR Challenges In Companies International Expansion Nowadays with the companies increase pace to expand internationally, seeking new markets and chances, HR managers face different problems and challenges in human resources department. Knowing that it is more difficult to manage employees abroad, than if employees were in the home base. The growth of companies internationally determines new assignment and tasks and there is a need to successfully manage this for the benefit of both the firm and the individuals. This research study observes the change from domestic to international HR management, which examines issues of culture, contracts, agreements, recruitment process, and remuneration in companys expansion to other countries. All the same, the paper discusses suggestions for HR managers, which involve cultural research, and the functions of selection, training, performance management and remuneration. In this new era of globalisation, international human resource management is becoming a vital concept for human resource managers to be able to practice human resources functions, starting to mention, recruitment selection, performance appraisal, compensation benefits, training development and finally employees relations. This is important for human resource managers in multinational corporations and also in domestic based human resource managers who import employees from overseas. To stay updated with the changing world, human resource managers will have to have an international vision of how to manage their individuals successfully both at home and abroad. Managing international human resources allows companies to participate more effectively in the market place, and is a developing tool for its employees. Part 1: Introduction Human Resources Definition These last decades, humanity is witnessing the growth of globalization. Nowadays Human resources is no longer a traditional personnel, and administration, however Human resources role is more strategic that deals with strategic aspect, to make sure that employees contribute effectively and works in parallel with the company direction to achieve the firms goals and objectives. In other words, Human Resources is no longer only involved in paperwork, paying the employees their salaries and providing them with the benefits; yet it plays one of the organizations important role that is through hiring, training developing and most importantly retaining employees for the benefits of both parties. (McNamara, 1999) Gilley define human resources as The people employed by an organization (Gilley, Eggland, Gilley, 2002, p. 5). They define human resource management as the recruitment, selection, retention, development, and utilization of and accommodation to human resources by organizations (Gilley, et al., p. 9). Human Resources refer as well to the policies, systems and employment practices that are common to most firms, which are used first to attract talented people by recruiting and selection, secondly retaining talented people by salary, benefits and employees relations, and finally developing the people by training, development and performance appraisal. Thus, human resources is considered as an organization function, that focus on recruitment, providing career path for the people who work in the firm, and deals with personnel issues such as hiring, compensation benefits, performance appraisal, safety, employees motivation and finally training development. Knowing that Human Resources are no longer a business partner, but a strategic partner more related to the firm strategic goals. I will focus on the challenges that HR managers face while international expansion. How HR manager role differs around the world, and the need of the HR professions to be more familiar with culture awareness, language barriers, social differences and diversity promotion. (Halcrow A, 1998). Nearly every company say it People are our most important assets Human Resources importance and Need in International Companies The Human Resources department is important in all multinational and international companies. Recruiting and selecting is one function completed by HR, and their main responsibility is hiring and retaining companys most important asset that is our PEOPLE. Failure to do so, and lack of strong, motivated and satisfied employees, working in the right place in a firm will leads to hiring the wrong people, high turnover, employees will not do their best in their jobs and having some candidates demotivated. Thus, without good employees, the best business plan and ideas will be unsuccessful. Moreover Human resources take care of all the employees concerns, make sure to solve employees issues immediately and to play the fair judge between the employee and the organization, for both sides advantage. Nevertheless, Human resources guarantee smooth functioning of the operation, good and safe working conditions and ensure that all staff is performing their jobs efficiently and toward the organization goals and objectives. Accordingly, Human Resources Manager evaluates all the employees, reward, takes disciplinary actions or dismissal. Another important role under the human resources umbrella is training and development, and creating career path for all employees, to retain and develop the existing employees, and attract new talented people, in this way the HR will improve the organization reputation and commitment from staff, thus become an employer of choice and reduce turnover. Why Human Resources are important and needed for international expansion? In this world of globalization, and companys expansion to other countries, Human resources are important to be able to adopt new cultures, and take care of all legal requirements as per the new country rules and regulations, as well as managing payroll, and other presented benefits. These new skills create a new role for HR managers, requiring them to be strategic business partner.(Bharti Venkatesh). What could be the HR Challenges in companies International Expansion? Part 2: Analysis of the Organization Through the research study, I am discussing out the HR challenges that companies face while international expansion, and the study that companies have to accomplish from an HR perspective before opening in new markets. I am also investigating on the importance of HR functions in companys international expansion. For this aim to see how HR functions operates in the real life I took the example of Wooden Bakery expansion to KSA. Thanks to my manager, and due to my personal experience in Wooden Bakery human resources department, I had the chance to know in details the challenges the HR department face, while international expansion. Additionally I read lot of articles, books and blogs that I will mention in the end of my research. I will start by a small presentation of Wooden Bakery and then i will go deeper into the challenges of international expansion to KSA. 2.1- Wooden Bakery History Wooden Bakery was founded in Jal El Dib Lebanon in 1969 by Mr. Edward Bou Habib. It was a simple Bakery providing the market with freshly baked quality Bread. In the last decade Wooden Bakery literally revolutionized the bakery industry in Lebanon by setting new standards and upgrading its products and services. Edwards two sons Assaad and Ghassan Bou Habib planned and designed the new concept on paper in 1996. With immense vision and an innovative spirit, Wooden Bakery developed a unique concept gathering Bread (of all kinds), Pastries, Sweets, Sandwiches, Salads and Deli. The first Wooden Bakery Outlet opened at Zalka highway in October 1999. Wooden Bakery launched the first franchised operation in 2002 and expanded to 26 franchised outlets in Lebanon by the end of the year 2012. Wooden Bakery opened the first Master Franchise Operation in Saudi Arabia in July 2009, and currently negotiating the scale of the Master Franchise with a number of companies from the GCC countries. (www.woodenbakery.com) The Concept of Wooden Bakery Factory Wooden Bakery system revolves around a state of the art industrial baking facility. It includes the latest and most advanced machinery and equipment in the baking industry. Human Resources department make sure to hires top Master Bakers, Pastry Chefs, and highly qualified Managers and Quality Controllers to assure the freshest and most consistent products for our markets. The Wooden Bakery factory produces from 100 to 150 tons of flours per day depending on the market need and factory size. Wooden Bakery is the leading supplier of high quality Freshly Baked Arabic Bread in the Lebanese market. The Concept of Wooden Bakery Outlet Wooden Bakery Outlets are designed to service all classes of people in any market around the globe. All Wooden Bakery Outlets are located on Main Road Arteries in Strategic Areas, and considered as a One-Stop-Shop where one can buy Fresh Hot French and Arabic Bread, French, Arabic and American Sweets. The Wooden Bakery Outlets offers all mentioned products at Competitive Prices and offer a warm ambiance through its Unique Design, Clean Safe Environment and Excellent Service for its customers. 2.2- Mission and Vision Mission Statement: Our mission is to push our presence and create a brand in the Bakery Industry by Offering MORE and Delivering BETTER Vision Statement Our vision is to dominate the market by building stores on all main road arteries and major cities and towns in Lebanon and beyond, Our products would be available at ALL grocery stores, supermarkets, catering companies and therefore in every single home in Lebanon. 2.3- Local and Multinational Expansion Wooden Bakery first Outlet opened at Zalka highway in October 1999. The first Wooden Bakery franchised operation launched in 2002 and expanded to 26 franchised outlets in Lebanon by the end of the year 2012. Baabda-Hazmie Mansourieh Bauchrieh Elyssar Awkar Zouk Mikael Zouk Mosbeh Jounieh Jbeil Kfarhbab Amioun Tripoli Zahleh Zalka Jal El Dib Fanar Dekwaneh Chtaura Roumieh Burj Hamoud Sour Zgharta (Soon) Achrafieh (Soon) Chiah (Soon) Naccach (Soon) Bayada(Soon) Wooden Bakery opened the first Master Franchise Operation in Saudi Arabia in July 2009, and currently negotiating the sale of the Master Franchise with a number of companies from the GCC countries. Wooden Bakery KSA Wooden Bakery plan was centred on the key concept that customer satisfaction all over the world is the main goal. It has established and developed its first Master Franchise in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on July 2009. Its successful set up can be measured by how our products and services that we supply meet however surpass the Saudi customers expectations. The Bread Factory Outlet was built on a 10,000 m2 space to house all the production equipment that will supply Bread and Pastry products and Central Kitchen Food Production to a number of outlets along with the wholesale distribution of Wooden Bakery Products. The Store is spread over two levels that house a main showroom with an eating area and a restaurant. Wooden Bakery has received the award for the Fastest Growing Lebanese Company at the prestigious Social Economic Award 2011, instituted by the global communications agency First Protocol to recognize outstanding achievements by organizations in the social and economic sphere. Today, the name of Wooden Bakery not only spells trust and quality, however, it has become a marked proof that a brand can be born, even in the Lebanese bakery industry. Wooden Bakerys expansion in the Lebanese territory has facilitated the achievement of the owners mission, proving that Wooden Bakery is worthy of the award that comes as a natural translation of its ever-expanding drive to Offer More and Deliver Better. 2.4- Wooden Bakery SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Serves all classes of people Big Variety of products (produced and non-produced by WB items) One Stop Shop Mushrooming Franchise (outlets are located on main roads in strategic areas) All outlets have the same image Product differentiation in the PRESTO section sandwiches. Ex. Rustic Bread Customers loyalty Quality (Shelf life limited) Freshness products (core value) Diversity of products (Arabic, French Pastries Viennoiserie charcuterie Arabic Bread) Rank among the top 25 companies in Lebanon Hold high level of market share in Leb. Balance menu (variety, quality, and price) Quality Control Management during process, on final product and in outlets Franchise Support Weaknesses Outlets are rented premises which leads to increase the operating expenses Franchise operated outlets might not have same level of loyalty as the outlets owned by Wooden Bakery Increase in raw materials and labour costs Not every franchised store owner get involved in the PL statement No direct authority High start-up cost Delivery Service Advertising plan to increase sales through brand awareness Family Business Opportunities Market trend turning bakeries into a wider shopping outlets Healthy eating trend Opening new and international markets New inventions for competition Threats Increase in Labour costs put pressure on button line margins Increase in raw materials costs put pressure on gross profit margins Quality of service focus with the presence of competitors in the market Many competitors (bakerys, supermarkets, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Recommended Strategies to decrease the weaknesses and threats Part 3: Methodology and Results 3.1- Describing Human Resources at Wooden Bakery At Wooden Bakery, the human resources department used to work the traditional personnel management tasks, generating payroll and registering employees in NSSF. With the new era of globalisation, Wooden Bakery had to create a new concept and expand more to be able to compete with the market, with this new idea that exceeds only serving the market with bread, Wooden Bakery needed people to make the concept a reality. With more than 500 employees, the company needed a human resources department implanting all human resources functions to be able to succeed with the plan and become more a strategic partner. The Main human resources achievement was shifting from personnel management to human resources management, implementing all human resources functions, and be more involved in Wooden Bakery strategic plan. Human Resources department today mainly concentrates on recruitment, management, and providing directions and guidance for the people who work in Wooden Bakery, and off course hiring the right people in the right places. Human Resources department deals with employees concerns such as compensation, hiring, performance appraisal, employee motivation, safety, benefits, employees relations, and training development. Knowing that no one can evaluate employees better than the direct managers with the help of the HR department, The HR department main goal was to promote a positive atmosphere to be able to expand internationally with an encouraging environment. However, Wooden Bakery HR department make sure that all the employees are effectively contributing to the overall company direction and to accomplish the organization goals and objectives. The administration roles usually played by the Human Resources department are becoming increasingly aligned with the company strategic plan, which in turn is evolving the HR into becoming: Human Resources Management. 3.2- HR Functions in Wooden Bakery 3.2.1- Recruitment and Selection The ability of Wooden Bakery to achieve its objectives of profitable and sustainable growth and high-quality product and service standards depends on the quality of its Human Capital. The recruiting function, which directly affects the quality of Wooden Bakerys human resources, will represent a critical function in the companys development. It is therefore important that a clear recruiting mechanism is established in order to optimize applicant selection, while supporting Wooden Bakerys strategic orientation and values. Proper and professional recruiting is necessary in order to avoid undesirable effects, including: Negative publicity or damage to the companys image Wasted time and effort to interview applicants who do not meet Wooden Bakerys needs Cost incurred in training recruits who should not have passed the recruiting interviews High turnover rates The hiring process in Wooden Bakery includes Recruiting, Processing, Eliminating, Selecting, Rejecting, File Building, Placing, and Orienting. The recruiting process is divided into three phases: Pre-recruiting, Recruiting, and Post-Recruiting. It involves: Posting a job advertisement in appropriate places Evaluating the information provided on each application Screening candidates to determine which ones to interview Verifying references and information Conducting personal interviews Deciding who will be offered the job Orienting the new employee about the organization 3.2.2- Performance appraisal Wooden Bakery faced a problem in its environment, having a negative atmosphere among its employees, almost a good number of its employees have the impact that they are not fairly treated, and based to my research employees have to be motivated to be able to give the best to their job. Wooden Bakery had to promote a positive environment to be able to expand internationally with employees with high morals. Accordingly, Wooden Bakery created a new assessment concept for evaluating employees, 365 Evaluation, that is created to monitor and evaluate the productivity of Wooden Bakery administration and management staff throughout the year. The concept covers three different aspects and tackles employees productivity by looking at: Missions accomplished (Monthly Evaluation) Key performance indicators (KPI) (Quarterly Evaluation) Yearly competency evaluation The purpose of the 365 Evaluation is to: Monitor the productivity of Wooden Bakery administration and management staff throughout the year. Compensate and reward exceptional achievements, and where applicable take disciplinary actions against under-achievers. The benefits to be gained from conducting performance appraisals include: Recognizing accomplishments and reflecting the results through monetary terms (Salary increase, Promotion, Bonus, etc.) Identifying newly acquired competencies Preparing employee development plans Planning improvement where deficiencies are found Goal-setting Communication between supervisors and employees Monthly Evaluation Mission Based Mission based evaluation is a tracking system that records and rates the mission undertaken by Wooden Bakery administration and management staff on Monthly Basis. Title Subtitle Illustration 1-Mission Details Title Missions name Date Duration Date of registering the idea and expected mission duration Owner The employee who created the idea and who is the custodian for its implementation Department Self-explanatory Mission Scope Objectives Scopeis the sum total of all products, services and outcomes needed to make sure that the mission is successfully done. Objectivesare the benefits, outcomes, or performance improvements that are expected to be accomplished by the mission. Authority Structure List of personnel involved and needed for the completion of the mission and the designed authority distribution 2-Mission Program Task Breakdown Breakdown of tasks and assigning a start and a duration for each task Start Duration 3-Mission Kick-off Registration Owner Signature The mission owner has to register the mission with the HR department after it has been noted by the direct supervisor and approved by the concerned VP Direct Supervisor VP (Concerned) Human Resources Manager 4-Mission Evaluation Score for Innovative At the completion of the mission, the owner has to get the formal evaluation of the concerned VP. 3 criteria will be used to evaluate the mission (Innovative, Importance, Impact) Score for Importance Score for Impact 5- Approvals 3 parties and the checking of the Internal Audit department Once rated by the concerned VP, the mission score is registered by the HR in the Mission Tracking System. The internal Audit team is entitled to monitor the proper implementation of the system. Quarterly Evaluation (Productivity Based) The Quarterly Evaluation is a system that measures the productivity of Wooden Bakery administration and management staff by looking at five (5) aspects: Attendance Mission Accomplishment Policy and Procedure Development (creation and implementation of new procedure) Introduction of Improving Ideas (Cost saving ideas Process improving ideas) Productivity Measurement (Vary from one department to another each department will be evaluated by using five indicators) Yearly Evaluation (Competency Based) The Yearly Evaluation is a systematic way of measuring, reviewing and analysing employee performance on a yearly basis and using the information gathered to plan for the employees future with Wooden Bakery. The feedback is used to judge employee effectiveness as well as provide necessary Training and development to improve the employees contributions to the Wooden Bakerys goals. The purpose of the Yearly Evaluation at Wooden Bakery is for the manager or the direct supervisor and the concerned employee to have an open discussion about performance expectations and actual performance. The employees actual level of performance is compared to the estimated level of performance using standards that were developed by the supervisor. This expected level of performance is to be derived from competencies needed to perform the job in the highest level of professionalism. The comparison of actual performance with expectations and standards serves as a basis for recognizing accomplishments and planning for improvement where insufficiencies are found. Performance appraisals may also be utilized in a progressive disciplinary process to resolve continuing poor performance. 3.2.3- Training and development Wooden Bakery encourage growth and career development of its employees by coaching, and helping them to achieve their personal goals, through providing adequate training, encouragement of staff development, and chances for growth. Wooden Bakery training methods include: Orientation training, Orientation training is the process Wooden Bakery use for welcoming a new employee into Wooden Bakery family. New employee orientation, often organized by a meeting with the Human Resources department, that generally contains information about the new job description, the work environment, company culture, company history, the organization chart, tour of department, introduction to colleagues, Wooden Bakery rules and regulations, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ On-the-job-training, on the job training is used in both our branches and factory to teach new employees how to perform job duties. Sometimes training sessions take place in the headquarters and some other times on site. For example, customer service, food safety and hygiene, menu implementation. Conferences and Seminars, Wooden Bakery works on developing its employees skills by sending them to international conferences, Seminars and Workshops. Some of the trainings attended by Wooden Bakery administration employees: RD Technician and RD Manager were sent in 2010 to Las Vegas to attend Baking Industry Trade Fair Production Manager and RD Manager were sent in 2012 to Bulguim to attend Professional training session held by PURATOS Quality Controller Supervisor and RD Supervisor were sent in 2012 to Paris to attend training with Chopin Technologies Maintenance Manager was sent in 2012 to Vienna to attend a conference in ROSENDAHL Company. 3.2.4- Compensation and benefits The term compensation in Wooden Bakery refers to the wages used to reward employees. As for benefits, Wooden Bakery offers paid vacations to its employees. Wooden Bakery wishes to maintain a sense of fairness and equity within the pay structure Grading System. For each position at Wooden Bakery the following will be defined: The Minimum, the Middle, and the Maximum fixed salary range The minimum and maximum of each fixed salary range is selected in line with market realities, and based on external salary surveys of comparable organizations. The parameters used to determine the weight of each job and thus giving an accurate grade based on numerical study: Know How Technical Knowledge Management Extent Human Relations Highest Education Level Problem Solving Reasoning Decision Making Communication Influence on Others Accountability Freedom to Act Magnitude of Action Impact of Decisions Working Conditions Long Working Hours Working during Holidays Extensive Traveling Hazardous Environment and Critical Encounters The grading system at Wooden Bakery offers a clear career path for employees who show potentials to advance within the company hierarchy. Moving horizontally within the same grade is governed by different factors including: Seniority (1.5 years spent in each level) Performance Appraisal Recommendations Acquiring Additional Skills (Experience and Education) Top Management Discression Moving vertically is governed by different factors including: Performance Appraisal Recommendations Acquiring Additional Skills (Experience and Education) Availability of the vacancy 3.2.5- Employees Relations Wooden Bakery promotes a positive atmosphere, and encourages positive relations between employees, to be able to reach the organization goals and objectives. Employees Relations is concerned to prevent and resolve problems involved by employees which arise out of or might affect Wooden Bakery work atmosphere. Wooden Bakery employees relation involves the relation between the employees with each other or their relation with their supervisors. Wooden Bakery concerned supervisors provide advises on how to correct poor performance and employee misconduct. The Company Disciplinary Action is to help and encourage employees to improve, achieve and maintain standards of conduct, attendance and job performance. It also enables management to deal effectively with those employees who do not comply with Wooden Bakery standards of conduct, attendance and performance in the workplace. Employee relations are designed in a manner which is non-discriminatory and which is Fair consistent and effective. It must also be applied in a timely manner and without undue delay. 3.3- What are the differences between Local HR functions and Global HR functions? The below mentioned HR functions will be the same for the HR management operating locally and globally; Recruiting and staffing Training and development Compensation and benefits Employees relations Performance appraisal But when the company operates globally it has to take into consideration additional aspects. (Jayant R Row, 2010) Globalizing the HR functions: After taking into consideration all the above HR functions and the additional global aspects, the HR department have to make sure that the HR policies fit with the new organization country, the HR department have to modify the policies to fit local requirements. 3.4- Human Resources Planning for Global expansion Global expansion is a growth strategy for the future. It is at the heart of Wooden Bakerys development strategy. The owners are constantly striving to raise market share through expansion primarily in the Middle east and subsequently worldwide, in order to win over increasing numbers of customers. Wooden Bakery began seeking out growth and expansion, looking to reach out into new markets through Master Franchising and/or Partnership/Joint Venture. Wooden Bakery planned to expand worldwide after going through a number of challenges and risks that need to be taken into consideration along with is the Human Resources. The human recourse factor refers to the hiring of employees in the foreign markets, and the challenges and risks that come with doing so. Wooden Bakery will always take into consideration the foreign country laws, rules and regulations, which might be far different from our country of origin and which may seem difficult to manage with. One of the differences is the employees contracts in other foreign countries, which define the parameters of an employees job benefits, including vacation time, working hours, salaries, compensation, severance pay, etc. The differences stated earlier will mandate that the total packages offered abroad are tangibly higher than those offered within the Lebanese region. Thus, the existence of all the above variances means that any organization looking to expand internationally will need to do unlimited researches in regards to the foreign markets, since it might affect its operation. Implementing a global business strategy requires having the right people in the right places; it requires specialized leadership skills-managing the work of people with different backgrounds and customs. 3.5- How to prepare from an HR perspective, for international expansion When a company seeks new opportunities and decide to target new markets, and ex

Impact of Chronic Pain on Suicidal Thoughts

Impact of Chronic Pain on Suicidal Thoughts Abstract This research paper discusses the impact of chronic pain on the suicide attempts. It includes the prevalence and risk of suicidal ideation associated with chronic pain. The paper implicated the selection of work which identifies the psychological processes which are implicated in both the suicide literature and pain in relation to increased rate of suicidality. Although, this paper investigates impact of chronic pain on suicide[H1]; there is an immense need of programmatic research for the investigation of both pain and general specific factors of risk for examining the processes of psychology associated with it, and for the development of enhancing intervention to facilitate the patients in pain. How Does Chronic Pain Impact Suicide Victims Introduction The paper is intended to research the impact of chronic pain on suicide attempt. Throughout the world, suicide is endemic with varying methods and rates. The World Health Organization estimated the recorded suicide deaths in all over the world which represents 1.8% of all the deaths and is approximately 873000 per annum[1]. Rates of prevalence for suicidal ideation and fatal suicide attempts are very high. In a survey conducted in USA, the population indicated that 13.5 percent of respondents have had some kind of suicidal ideation experience in past, and 4.6 percent attempted suicide. These statistics give both the indication of the major issue of management and the index of distress. It signifies the increased consumption of health care, the economic costs related to the lives which are lost, and the immense personal suffering. The risk factors of suicide associated with pain and the behavior of suicide are remained difficult to differentiate as which one is most vulnerable. It is due to the fact that individuals completing and attempting suicide are represented by heterogeneous group which encompass to those with some disorders related to psychiatry like schizophrenia or depression, those with personality disorder or substance abuse issues, and those depilating and experiencing physical and chronic illness[2]. For maximizing the potential identification of the impact of chronic pain on suicide and preventing the deaths which could be avoidable, it is required to study not only the commonalities but also the risk factors which contribute to the suicidal ideation development across suicidal individuals. Chronic pain One out of every five adults, who attend basic medical care during any stage of a year, has been found suspected of having chronic non-malignant pain and it has been a common health related problem[3]. This problem is associated with lack of physical fitness, lower health conditions and poor quality of life. This problem has also been linked with the risks of increasing depression. After negative results of all medical treatments, the impact of chronic pain affect patients’ lives drastically, therefore, the patients of chronic pain convince themselves for committing a suicide attempt as they feel limited or no other choice. The suicide attempt concerning with these patients has been one out of seven solutions to their problem that are conceivable. Unluckily these facts have some truth. Some suggestions have been reviewed in the existing literature and these suggestions have proposed that the ideation of suicide is common in people who suffered from chronic pain. The occurrence of suicidal ideation has been found three times higher in chronic pain patients as compared to those who did not suffer from chronic pain[4]. There are a number of studies that avoid collective explanation of the findings due to the varied samples and suicide assessment methods. But some studies have indicated the existence of suicidal ideation at the rate of 7% in individuals having chronic pain, who were observed during a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation program in a hospital[5]. The researchers also observed the out-patients of hospital and recorded between 5 to 24 percent rate among chronic pain patients. The lifetime existence of suicidal ideation has been observed in 20 percent of patients, which shows no major difference between a community sample and treatment seeking individuals’ results. Another study revealed more significance and observed a group of members of a chronic pain self-help organization. The study resulted that around 50% individuals of that group had serious consideration of suicidality. Four different studies have recorded the existence of suicidality among chronic pain patients. These existing inadequate and limited data related to suicidality in chronic pain patients reveals that contribution of pain has been 4% of all the deliberate self-harm patients in UK’s general hospitals. The data also reveals that 60% of the patients were those who had been suffering from pain for the last six months or more[6]. The lifetime existence of suicidality has been observed from 5% in patients with musculoskeletal disorder, up to 14% in patients with chronic abdominal pain. The rate of suicidality has been recorded as high as double in patients with chronic pain, as compared to those who did not have chronic pain. According to a pain centre in the United States, the prevalence of suicidality was calculated and recorded with a rate of 23 patients out of every one hundred thousand people every year[7]. This rate does not seem to be as high as has been in psychiatric patients, but it is 2 to 3 times higher the rate found in general public. Two different studies related to suicidality have related the pain with the existence of high risks of suicidality in patients who had pain. The first study that was based on a ten year longitudinal observation of farmers revealed that patients of back pain had nine times higher risk of committing suicide as compared to those who did not have back pain. The results remain unchanged even after controlled usage of smoking, social status and getting older[8]. The second study that was based on an eight year longitudinal observation, revealed that patients with wide spread body pain or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) had twice the risk of suicidality, violence and accident. Impact of Chronic Pain in Suicide Attempts Family History of Suicide A number of studies related to suicidality have recognized a strong relationship between the existence of suicidality and family history in patients[9]. Another study revealed that the there was 7 to 8 times high risk of occurrence of suicidal ideation in patients with chronic pain who had a family history of existence of suicidality as compared to those chronic pain patients who did not have a family history of suicidality and this remained unchanged even after significant adjustments in other covariates such as depression. Despite this relationship, the suicidality has not been significantly evaluated in other studies, in connection with the affects of family history[10]. The available data about suicidality has been unsuccessful towards the assessment of family history of suicidality which is another risk element for completed and attempted suicidality in patients with chronic pain. Previous Suicide Attempt A number of studies have confirmed that previous attempts of suicidality have played a major role in the development of consequent risk of suicidal attempts in chronic pain patients, in addition to depression’s effects or other covariates. The results observed converse results in depressed patients who did not have chronic pain. The studies established the outcome by stating that depressed patients who had chronic pain were twice as likely to have attempted suicide at least once in the past[11]. Different available studies related to suicidality have confirmed that previous suicidality attempts might be the cause of motivation towards further suicidality attempts and completed suicidality. However the available data has not been successful in assessing the patients with chronic patients. Being Female According to two different studies, female chronic pain patients have been more risks of suicidal ideation than male chronic pain patients[12]. These findings have been surprising because of the fact that ratio of suicidal attempts have been more found in men than women in the western world. However two different studies with comparatively smaller data samples have presented no significant statistical difference in data during the observation of suicidality in both genders[13]. Another possibility of higher occurrence of suicidality in females might be because of the fact that these data samples of population had overrepresentation of female with pain or rheumatoid arthritis disorder. Presence of Co-Morbid Depression According to four different studies, depression has played a major role in developing the risk of suicidal ideation in patients who had chronic pain[14]. In fact, the high co-morbidity between depression and pain; and between depression and suicide has not been a surprising finding because the depression has not always been helpful in predicting the suicidality in chronic pain patients[15]. Studies have also revealed that some of the patients with chronic pain, who also had depression, did not have suicidal ideation. Pain Specific Risk Factors Location and type of pain Location and type of pain might increase the risk of suicidality in patients. Several studies have confirmed that location of pain such as presence of back pain or widespread body pain have been among several causes of higher risk of suicidality as compared to those who did not have pain. Different types of pain with diverse characteristics and level of severity have been recognized as convincing in predicting the suicidal ideation. Patients who had migraine with aura have been found to be twice at risk of having suicidal ideation as compared to those who had migraine without aura, regardless of the existence of co-morbid depression[16]. Patients with abdominal pain have more risk of having suicidal ideation while patients with neuropathic pain were less vulnerable in terms of suicidal ideation. A study based on a mixed group of chronic pain patients revealed higher suicidal risk when compared with controls. But the data presented no difference between fibromyalgia patients and contr ols when each one of the group was separately examined[17]. The available data confirm the vitality of the studies in relation to the effects of different subtypes of pain on suicidality of patients. High Pain Intensity There has been a reasonable assumption that the high intensity of pain has a relationship with the degree of suicidality. Two different studies have observed the pain intensity in relation with suicidality. The first one revealed a significant relationship in both of them, while the other study found no relationship between pain severity and suicidal ideation[18]. Therefore, this shows the need of more clearer and helpful research so that the relationship between pain intensity and suicidality could better be understood. Long Pain Duration Long pain duration in a patient is likely to increase the risk of suicidal ideation. Patients with longer than three months duration of pain were examined against another group of patients with less than three months duration of pain on a range of psychological variables such as patients’ likelihood of suicidal ideation[19]. The study revealed that the risk of suicidality was higher in patients who had prolonged rheumatoid arthritis whereas those with less than three months of rheumatoid arthritis were comparatively at lesser risk of suicidality. Presence of Co-Morbid Insomnia Insomnia has been one the significant factors towards existence and absence of suicidality in patient with chronic pain[20]. The study also confirmed that patients with severe insomnia along with associated daytime dysfunction and greater pain intensity were more vulnerable to suicidal ideation. The severity of sleep-out insomnia has been found with 67% of the variance. The studies have been consistent in confirming the earlier researches that presented higher existence of insomnia and sleep disorders towards suicidality and give extra weight to the significance of the study of interaction present between the non pain specific and pain specific factors of risk while suicidality is investigated among patients of chronic pain[21]. Conclusion Patients who have suicidal ideation generally utilize primary health care services at a higher rate than those who have psychosocial health problems without suicidal ideation. Some health problems specific to patients with suicidal ideation are sleep disorder, bad smoking habits and more psychiatric symptoms than those who have not suicidal ideation but have psychosocial stressors. All of these associated problems and habits tend to contribute towards more discomfort in patients and more repeated visits. This research paper has given an overview of the features and the prevalence of the inter relationships existed between mental ill health and physical ill health along with suicide. It is clear that the chronic pain has a significant impact of suicide attempts therefore greater attention of policy is required and the provision of service is needed for the improvement of condition. Chronic pain has been identified as a major risk factor for patients towards suicidality, causing 13% of patients to have suicidal ideation. Around 19% of patients were those who reported non-suicidal morbid ideation. There is an urgent necessity of programmatic research to investigate both the pain and general specific factors of risk for examining the processes of psychology associated with it, and for the development of enhancing intervention to facilitate the patients in pain. Result In relation to controls, the risk of reaching to death by suicide is found to be doubled at least in the cases of chronic pain. There was life time prevalence of suicidal attempts between 5 percent and 14 percent of individuals which have experienced chronic pain, and suicidal ideation prevalence is about 20 percent. There are eight factors of risk for suicidalty in the chronic pain, inclusive of duration, intensity and type of pain and the sleep on set insomnia associated with pain, hence it is pain specific. References Courtenay E. Cavanaugh, Jill Theresa Messing, Melissa Del-Colle, Chris O’Sullivan and Jacquelyn C. Campbell. Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Behavior among Adult Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 2011. 372-383. Igor Elman , David Borsook, and Nora D. Volkow. Pain and Suicidality: Insights from Reward and Addiction Neuroscience. Progress in Neurobiology, 2013. 1-27. Afton L. Hassett, Jordan K. Aquino, Mark A. Ilgen. The Risk of Suicide Mortality in Chronic Pain Patients. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 2014. 1-7. Johannes Krause. Tim,Bogerts. Bernhard, andGenz. Axel. Risk Factors for Suicide–An Alternative View. CNS Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets-CNS Neurological Disorders), 2013. 936-940. Kowal. John, Wilson Keith G., Henderson. Peter R., McWilliams Lachlan A. Change in Suicidal Ideation After Interdisciplinary Treatment of Chronic Pain. Clinical Journal of Pain, 2014. 463-471. Amy R. Murrell, Rawya Al-Jabari, Danielle Moyer, Eliina Novamo, Melissa L. Connall. An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach to Adolescent Suicide. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL CONSULTATION AND THERAPY, 2014. Emilie Olià ©, Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla, Philippe CourtetTop of Form Bottom of Form . Pain in Suicidal Ideations and Behaviors. In Mental Health and Pain. Springer Paris, 2014. 183-190. Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. Lancet, 2012. 2318-2319. [1] Emilie Olià ©, Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla, Philippe Courtet. Pain in Suicidal Ideations and Behaviors. [2] Afton L. Hassett, Jordan K. Aquino, Mark A. Ilgen. The Risk of Suicide Mortality in Chronic Pain Patients. [3] Kowal. John, Wilson Keith G., Henderson. Peter R., McWilliams Lachlan A. Change in Suicidal Ideation After Interdisciplinary Treatment of Chronic Pain. [4] Igor Elman , David Borsook, and Nora D. Volkow. Pain and Suicidality: Insights from Reward and Addiction Neuroscience. [5] Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. [6] Amy R. Murrell, Rawya Al-Jabari, Danielle Moyer, Eliina Novamo, Melissa L. Connall. An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach to Adolescent Suicide. [7] Courtenay E. Cavanaugh, Jill Theresa Messing, Melissa Del-Colle, Chris O’Sullivan and Jacquelyn C. Campbell. Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Behavior among Adult Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. [8] Johannes Krause. Tim,Bogerts. Bernhard, andGenz. Axel. Risk Factors for Suicide–An Alternative View. [9] Afton L. Hassett, Jordan K. Aquino, Mark A. Ilgen. The Risk of Suicide Mortality in Chronic Pain Patients. [10] Igor Elman , David Borsook, and Nora D. Volkow. Pain and Suicidality: Insights from Reward and Addiction Neuroscience. [11] Courtenay E. Cavanaugh, Jill Theresa Messing, Melissa Del-Colle, Chris O’Sullivan and Jacquelyn C. Campbell. Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Behavior among Adult Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. [12] Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. [13] Emilie Olià ©, Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla, Philippe CourtetTop of Form Bottom of Form . Pain in Suicidal Ideations and Behaviors. In Mental Health and Pain. [14] Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. [15] Amy R. Murrell, Rawya Al-Jabari, Danielle Moyer, Eliina Novamo, Melissa L. Connall. An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach to Adolescent Suicide. [16] Johannes Krause. Tim,Bogerts. Bernhard, andGenz. Axel. Risk Factors for Suicide–An Alternative View. [17] Afton L. Hassett, Jordan K. Aquino, Mark A. Ilgen. The Risk of Suicide Mortality in Chronic Pain Patients. [18] Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. [19] Johannes Krause. Tim,Bogerts. Bernhard, andGenz. Axel. Risk Factors for Suicide–An Alternative View. [20] Kowal. John, Wilson Keith G., Henderson. Peter R., McWilliams Lachlan A. Change in Suicidal Ideation After Interdisciplinary Treatment of Chronic Pain. [21] Emilie Olià ©, Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla, Philippe Courtet. Pain in Suicidal Ideations and Behaviors. [H1]How the heck does pain struck suicide?

Energy Bars: Glycemia and Insulemia Essay -- Health Nutrition Diet Ex

Energy Bars: Glycemia and Insulemia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today many people are substituting normal meals with energy bars in hopes of losing weight. These energy bars seem to be an easy way to diet without having to hunt down the proper nutritional meals; the meal is already prepared for you in the bar. There are a few questions being raised about this method of dieting however. The issue addressed in this paper is the use of energy bars that either have low carbohydrate levels or that use lower glycemic index carbohydrates. The idea behind using an energy bar of this type for dieting is to lower the levels of insulin in the blood, reduce cholesterol levels, and prevent the drop in blood glucose that is thought to be associated with feeling hungry. Insulin is a hormone that is produced by specialized cells on the surface of the pancreas called pancreatic islets or Islets of Langerhans. It causes changes to occur in the plasma membrane of the cell that cause the cell to pull in glucose from the blood stream. The hormonal counterpart of insulin is glycogon, which serves to promote the rele...

Conflict is a Major Issue in Othello Essays -- shakespeare, Literary An

Conflict is a major issue in Othello, the source for all the problems in the story all lead back to love and jealousy. Love can be an extremely powerful thing in life. It can easily draw two people closer together or simply destroy something that could have been great. Ironically similar, jealousy can tear something apart just as fast as love can. This timeless tragedy starts out in Venice, with a plot to attain revenge on Othello. Iago and Roderigo are simply jealous with the fact that Othello has promoted Cassio to his lieutenant instead of Iago, along with the bitterness they both shared towards Othello to begin with (Shakespeare for Students, Othello). Together, Iago and Roderigo have come up with a plan to ultimately push Othello over the edge. For starters, Cassio unwillingly has told Iago that he is capable to be easily intoxicated and well obviously Iago uses this information against Cassio. Long story short, Cassio has stirred up a brawl to which in the long run costs him his new status as lieutenant. After all of this goes down Iago, trying to seem like the concerning friend, convinces Cassio to speak with Desdemona, Othello’s new bride, about the situation. Luckily, so Cassio thinks, Desdemona does such and tries to talk with Othello to have his dear friend reinstated. It is possible for people to make mistake. Once again Iago uses Cassio’s ignorance against him. All through the story almost every little detail and event all leads back to the scheme of Iago. Iago is thinking this could not work out better for me, so his next thought of process is that this conversation between Othello and his dear wife Desdemona will make Othello’s mind play tricks on him. Soon there after Othello is advised to keep closer watch of hi... ...or example when she asked him to tell her how much he loved her, â€Å"If it be love indeed, tell me how much†. Her maids add a little to Cleopatra’s characteristics. Also she had a messenger go to Antony saying she was dead, which she was not.Cleopatra’s character is so exotic and proud to be able to manipulate men but Desdemona is a complete opposite. Betrayal is the other ultimate theme of both of these tragedies. In Othello, he betrays Desdemona by believing the evil Iago and not communicating with his wife. He instead assumes Iago’s statements are of truth. We see Iago’s slyness and cleverness grow and a vapid rate, Desdemona’s innoncence becomes more apparent and Othello’s character galls from a noble warrior into a jealous fool. Iago is the source of the problems in Othello. He has motivation to ruin dear Othello because of the promotion Cassio gets instead of Iago.

Audio Production

For my paper I chose the audio production and engineering relating to the Music field. Music is not only beats and rhymes; it is a statement of life, and now days a way to make a fortune. It relaxes, motivates and is a great hobby for the idol one. In addition to this Music has been around for more than a thousand years and has a very colossal impact on every existing culture while still developing with new innovative sounds, techniques and not to mention jobs. Today there are over 2 million jobs in the audio production and engineer field. People use music to relax and express one’s self as well as their culture. Take the Native Americans as well as Africans Americans for example. They are infamous in using drums to beat for entertainment at gatherings. Denying that music is not a form of popular culture in my opinion is asinine. Over the broad plans of the scorching hot plantations which the field workers in the 1600’s worked; under these extreme inhumane living conditions the slaves were subjected to, they would hum tunes that would get them through their times of atrocity and calamity. With over a billion songs in existence today, it is hard to imagine that anyone has never heard a song before and for most people inspired by at least one of them. There is a big controversy stating that rap music has, and is still influencing our younger generation and to certain amplitude I agree. The jails across America are being filled to capacity over violent confrontations in our streets. Many killings are occurring after bar and nightclub shootings from local gang members using drugs and playing rap music. Some of the music being listened to is introducing children to drugs sex and jail could this be all bad? Surly not! Studying the lyrics to some of your most hated rap songs my just provide you with some of the problems our society faces and the solutions that will help us surmount them.

Bud, Not Buddy

Bud, Not Buddy is a children's novel written by Christopher Paul Curtis set during the time of the Great Depression in the United States. The novel tells the story of an African American boy named Bud Caldwell who becomes orphaned when his mother dies. He is later adopted and sent to a foster home but leaves due to abuses that he experiences. He searches for the person the thinks is his father. The significance of the title is shown early on in the novel.When a caseworker asks him if he is Buddy Caldwell, he corrects her by saying that it is â€Å"Bud, not Buddy. † Bud gives this correction in order to remind not only the caseworker but the people around him that he is already an adult and not a boy anymore. Bud later shows just what he means by telling another kid, Jerry, in the orphanage that the kid will have a better life compared to what he will be facing. This small gesture immediately makes an impression on Jerry who is now not afraid of being adopted anymore.As the sto ry progresses, we are shown just how much of a kid Bud is. However despite having fear, as most kids have, like vampires, Bud continues on his journey. While he does not find what he is looking for, he does find people that he can call his own and discovers the beauty of jazz at the same time. While still a ten-year old kid, Bud shows the readers just how much of an adult he is. Despite the hardships that he has undergone, he continually reveals just how much of a survivor he is.He not only manages to practice the good manners taught to him by his mother, but is also resourceful and even innovative. By giving the correction to how what his real name is, Bud, not Buddy, the main protagonist shows us how he wants to be an adult and be responsible. The book works well not only on adults but on kids as well. While the book has some serious themes like segregation during the 1930s, it also has themes that children can relate to like helping people or the concept of fate.