Cabinet Belayachi Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Cabinet Belayachi Company - Essay Example It is evident from the study that sometimes organizations engage in fraudulent activities like tax evasion and account fudging. Most of the fudging is done in minute level and thus it becomes hard to be detected by someone who does not have knowledge and as well as experience to perform auditing and verification of the accounts. In order to perform account verification a small, family-owned organization is hired in order to verify the clients’ accounts’ reliability and transparency. The firm also it also tries to establish taxation strategies for its clients in order to reduce the taxes’ amount to be paid. The financial statements contain vital information pertaining to aspects like financial soundness and stability. Sometimes the companies and organizations are not aware of the unnecessary costs that bear down heavily on the revenue. Application of specific techniques like ratio analysis and balance sheet analysis help the companies in developing specific strate gies to increase the revenue and at same time decrease the costs. Financial diagnoses are performed by the firm by identifying the less productive functions of a given company. Based on the specific findings obtained from the analysis of the financial diagnosis specific strategies are formulated and integrated to optimize the company’s resources. It is active since 1997and has a client base of more than 250, from various economic sectors. Its capital stock is of 100 000 Euros. Years of high quality service and hard work has helped the firm develop long standing relationships with various firms. This long standing relationship in turn has helped the firm to ease the process of account verification and auditing. The firm does not have a huge workforce. Its workforce comprises of 15 employees only. Although the total client base is more than 250, so for this reason sometimes it becomes necessary to work at the client’s premises. Another reason for which the employees had to work at the clients office premises is to keep the confidentiality of the sensitive information. The direct access to the sensitive information can be misused by perpetrators and this will give rise to cases of non compliance and subsequent legal proceedings in the court of law. So for this reason it becomes necessary to allow the employees, have a full and transparent access to all the documents needed to achieve the assigned mission. Cabinet Belayachi also looks at the tax problems of the companies. Taxation is a vast domain, with innumerable clauses and rules. Thus it becomes impossible for small and medium companies to keep dedicated in house tax consultants who will guide the companies to file for the taxes and returns. These companies most of the time approach 3rd party companies on an one-off basis or on demand basis particularly on those times of the year when the tax filing and return deadline approaches (Betty 604). Cabinet Belayachi, acts as a tax consultant offering e xpert advices on taxation. Sometimes Cabinet Belayachi is frequently asked to work closely with taxes inspector in case of clients’ tax adjustments. For that matter, the practice has built a long-term relationship with tax officials in order to ease the process during the mentioned situation. 2. Presentation of department

Extended Family Cover Essay Example for Free

Extended Family Cover Essay Survey respondents believe that women are not as â€Å"internationally mobile† as men, yet 80 percent of female expatriates have never turned down a relocation, compared to 71 percent of men. A second powerful assumption is that women encounter more work-life conflict while managing a global schedule. However, nearly half of both women and men report that they find work-life balance difficult. Finally, survey respondents believe clients outside the United States are not as comfortable doing business with women as they are with men. In fact, 76 percent of women expatriates said being a woman had a positive or neutral impact on their effectiveness overseas. Both women and men, managers and human resources executives, hold the preconceptions that emerged in this study about womens ability in the international arena. Yet paradoxically, 90 percent of female expatriates, 91 percent of women with global responsibility who havent relocated, and 93 percent of men married to expatriates said they would accept their current assignments again. In fact, current expatriates (85 percent) and former expatriates (86 percent) believe global experience makes them more marketable to other companies. Compared in the past, companies at present become more open in having women as part of the workforce and consider them in equal footing as their male employees. Working Woman magazine cited Philip Morris as a company where 31 percent of all managers are women. With respect to international assignments, Philip Morris makes sure that women are tapped for those assignments. Another company, Hewlett-Packard, has a woman leading the company. The chair, president, and CEO of Hewlett-Packard is Carly Fiorina. She makes Hewlett-Packard one of only two companies in the Fortune 500 with a woman as chair, president, and CEO. Hewlett-Packard, which has a strong international presence, has a long history of supporting and promoting women (Palagano Lee, October 2005). The next items are the list of favorable companies that provide as much benefits to working mothers in their organization: Microsoft, Bacardi and Computer Associates all offer family healthcare benefits packages for partners and their children. It helps to maintain high worker performance and establishing a caring reputation are the important motivating factors, as employers believe satisfied employees will spread the word about a companys practices (Extended Family Cover, 2004). While BMW Plant Oxford, manufacturer of the Mini Cooper, presents different options of flexible, voluntary family benefits, that include insurance products, dental coverage and healthcare cash plans; workers have an option to devise their own benefits packages tailored to individual family needs. BMW also offers family social events, it is one of their strategies to improve worker morale and performance, intensifying job engagement and encouraging better relationships among employees (Extended Family Cover, 2004). IBM provides its employees with schedule flexibility, extended personal leaves and dependent care referral services. Also, IBM has recognized the need to conduct training programs that sensitize its managers to the problems that employees may encounter as they try to balance family and job demands. (Extended Family Cover, 2004). A pioneer in lactation support benefits, Procter and Gamble (PG) has such programs at all its major worksites and in most of its production plants. This kind of strategy has helped maintain high morale and retention rates. It is also enhanced productivity and reduced absenteeism among female workers. Mothers schedule their own breaks in lactation rooms that have hospital-grade pumps, refrigerators for storing milk, curtained-off nursing stations for privacy and a supply of educational materials along with a registered nurse for onsite support (Callahan, 2005). Aetna Inc. s Mothers at Work program, which received a 100% satisfaction rating from participating nursing mothers, has lactation rooms in its 50 locations and an in-house Web site with information for breastfeeding mothers returning to work. Nursing mothers receive an individual pump and professional lactation consultation. In 2004, 62% of Aetna employees nursed for six months, as compared with the 27% national average of nursing mothers (Callahan, 2005).

Wedding Toasts †Bride to Groom :: Wedding Roasts Speeches

Wedding Toasts – Bride to Groom My Husband What shall I say about my husband? My utterly impractical, never predictable, Something irascible, quite inexplicable, husband. Strange blend of shyness, pride and conceit And stubborn refusal to bow in defeat. He's spoiling and ready to argue and fight, Yet the smile of a child fills his soul with delight. His eyes are the quickest to well up in tears, Yet his strength is the strongest to banish my fears. His faith is as fierce as his devotion is grand And there's no middle ground on which he will stand. He's wild and he's gentle, he's good and he's bad, He's proud and he's humble, he's happy and sad. He's in love with the ocean, the earth and the skies, He's enamored with beauty wherever it lies. He's victor and victim, a star and a clod, But mostly he's my husband and in love with his God. May We Live in Peace As the green hills of home are drenched with raindrops Like a mother's tears of joy when her child comes home from the sea, So does my heart weep when we are sometimes parted, you from me. Therefore let us make this pact, to let love bind us, one to another, To always return, 'ere the green hills' grasses turn brown. May we live in peace without weeping. May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing. And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating. Wedding Toasts - To the groom from someone other than the

300 †a Gender Analysis Essay

Gender The film industry has created the conventional gender roles of society into their movies; A majority of films have supported some of the male and female stereotypes. In the history of the film industry, the role of men is primarilythat of the stereotypical working class man or hero, while the roles of women are primarily portrayed as being somewhat inferior to men. In the 1930s through the 1970s, men held the leading roles in films while women played smaller roles. Men were typically employed, successful gentlemen, while the woman’s only job was a housewife. The film industry was mostly dominated by men. In terms of jobs, women were given mostly family roles and rarely were shown outside of their homes, while men had successful careers and did many activities outside of home. â€Å"Women were shown doing housework and men were the beneficiaries of their work† (â€Å"Women’s roles in the film industry† Women in film). As women were given a more active role in society, the gender roles in movies changed. However, many types of gender stereotypes in films still exist. Action genre movies in particular account for many of the gender stereotypes in the film industry today. Men are typically portrayed to be the hero, while women are often portrayed as sexual objects. In the movie 300, the Spartan men served and protected the city of Sparta, while the Spartan women did domestic chores and bred more warriors. Because this movie was set back in 480 BC society portrayed men to be superior to women. Some of the main characters in 300 are prime examples for the different gender roles. King Leonidas is the proud, triumphant King of Sparta. In the film, the character Leonidas possesed as a couple different male stereotypes. King Leonidas is portrayed as the hero throughout the different action sequences. Throughout the movie Leonidas takes charge of his troops and leads them into battle. Leonidas is hero not only because he is the King of Sparta, but also because he is the commander of the troops. Before King Leonidas leaves for battle with his three-hundred Spartans, he confronts his wife and refrains from saying â€Å"My queen, my life, my love,† because he, like all other Spartans, is not soft and does not want to show emotion to his queen (Zack Snyder. 00). The narrator speaks of how Spartan men are raised like brutes and are â€Å"hard warriors† (Zack Snyder. 300). This particular phrase is important to the story because it reflects the gender role of men during that time period. King Leonidas can also be classified as the family man stereotype. Throughout the film he trains his young son for battle. He plays the role of protector not only for his individual family, but also for Spart a. In the movie 300, King Leonidas represents many male stereotypes. In contrast, the character Queen Gorgo stands for many female stereotypes in the movie. The queen portrays the domestic female stereotype. In the film Queen Gorgo cares for her young son and stays at home while her husband, King Leonidas, is fighting for their country. Like many of the women in the film, Queen Gorgo performs many domestic tasks such as retrieving food and water for her family, as well as looking after her child. Queen Gorgo is also a sex object. She is easily seduced by her King. She bribesone of the councilmen with sex. At times in the film the Queen, among many other women, wear little clothing. The 300 Spartans also wear little clothing in the film. Due to the lack of clothing, the Spartans show their ripped and brute physique to reinforce the male stereotype of being brawny and strong. Lastly, the queen represents the female stereotype of beauty. The queen is an attractive woman with a small frame, much like how the media portrays what a woman should look like. Her attractive looks and sexual qualities are a large part of Queen Gorgo’s character. Queen Gorgo represents an abundance of the female stereotypes in society. The captain of the Spartan troops also shows male stereotypes. The captain is a close ally of King Leonidas. Throughout the film, the captain portrays the male stereotype of being a family man. The captain’s son, Astinos, is barely old enough to be in battle with the Persians. The captain is skeptical of allowing his son to enter battle, but decides to encourage him to serve their country. Throughout the different battles with the Persians, the captain protects his son from harm. When Astinos is killed by Persians, the captain goes on an extremely violent tirade and kills every Persian in sight due to his overpowering vengeance. After the death of his son, the captain proclaims to the king that his heart is filled with hate, and King Leonidas replies â€Å"Good. † King Leonidas feels that it is necessary for a soldier to feel hatred toward his enemies. This particular scene portrays another male characteristic of not showing emotion towards a certain subject. The captain is another character that shows the male stereotype present in this film. Although many of the characters in the movie portray the prevalent male and female stereotypes in society, there are a few characters that stray away from these social formalities. Councilman Theron is an example of one of the characters that does not abide to the brute and warrior stereotypes in the film 300. Theron is no older than the Spartan men who fight for their city, but he lacks the physical strength that the Spartan warriors possess. Because Theron is not a typical man in Sparta, he wears a gown that is similar to the gowns worn by Spartan women. Along with Councilman Theron, there are other men that are on the council of Sparta. These men are far less in physical size than the Spartan warrior and are given duties that are similar to women. The men in the council are unique to the majority of men in Sparta that serve their city. Since the men wear â€Å"woman-like† clothing, it labels women’s apparel to be very revealing. These men reinforce some of the women stereotypes prevalent in the film. There are also some specific scenes in the movie that break some of the male and female stereotypes. Directly after Astinos is killed in battle, the Captain begins to break down and cry. The captain immediately showed his emotion for the loss of his son. This scene in the movie shows how even the most masculine man has to show some emotion at some point in time. In the end of the battle against the Persians, after King Leonidas has been shot by many arrows, he stands up and shouts, â€Å"My queen, my life, my love† (Zack Snyder. 300). This phrase is contradictory to the general actions of Spartans, and men in general, because it shows emotion. Both of these sequences in the film show how every man must show emotion, regardless of who they are. 300 demonstrated the many male and female stereotypes in society. Although most of the men were relatively similar, there were a few men in Sparta who went against the normal gender role. Like many other action movies, 300 showed various roles that supported some of the gender roles in the film industry. The main characters primarily demonstrated the conventional gender roles, but they also expressed some contradictory qualities. The film industry provides arious different types of gender roles through movies. â€Å"advertising. † Home | Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN. 20 Apr. 2009 ;lt; http://www. diigo. com/05lfx â€Å"Women in Film. † Yahoo! GeoCities: Get a free web site with easy-to-use site building tools. 20 Apr. 2009 ;lt; http://www. diigo. com/05lfw â€Å"300 Movie – Spartans. † Mens Movie Guide. 20 Apr. 2009 ;lt; http://www. diigo. c om/05lfv 300 (Widescreen Single Disc Edition). Dir. Zack Snyder. Perf. Gerard Butler, Lena Headey. DVD. Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures International, 2006.

Economic Theory and Application Essay

1. The following graph: (not able to recreate, but in the text), shows a firm with a kinked demand curve a. What assumption lies behind the shape of this demand curve? The kinked demand curve assumes that other firms will follow price decreases and will not follow price increases. For instance, in an oligopoly model, based on two demand curves that assumes that other firms will not match a firm’s price increases, but will match its price increases. The kinked demand curve model of oligopoly implies that oligopoly prices tend to be â€Å"sticky† and do not change as much as they would in other market structures given the assumptions that a firm is making about the behavior of its rival firms. Kinked demand was an initial attempt to explain sticky prices. It is an economic theory regarding oligopoly and monopolistic competition. b. Identify the firm’s profit-maximizing output and price. In Figure 9.1 in the textbook, the firm’s profit-maximizing output and price is when there is an increase in price over the average marginal cost (the difference between p1 and the point vertically down from there that cuts the MC curve) Profit maximization is the process by which a firm determines the price and output level that returns the greatest profit. There are several approaches to this definition. The total revenue total cost method relies on the fact that profit equals revenue minus cost, and the marginal revenue – marginal cost method is based on the fact that total profit in a perfectly competitive market reaches its maximum point where marginal revenue equals marginal cost. c. Use the graph to explain why the firm’s price is likely to remain the same, even if marginal costs change. If marginal costs increase or decrease within the discontinuous range of the marginal revenue curve, the point at which marginal revenue equals marginal cost will remain the same. Thus, price and output do not change, even though costs (and profits) are different. Marginal cost is the additional cost of producing an additional unit of output. Marginal cost shows the changes in costs as output changes. Total variable costs change as the level of output varies but total fixed costs are constant regardless the level of output. Therefore, total fixed costs do not influence the marginal costs of production and actually average fixed costs decreases continuously as more output is produced. Because total fixed cost is constant, average fixed cost must decline as output increases ad spreads the total fixed cost is constant over a larger number of units of output. Both average variable cost and average cost first decrease and then increase. 2. Some games of strategy are cooperative. One example is deciding which side of the road to drive on. It doesn’t matter which side it is, as long as everyone chooses the same side. Otherwise, everyone may get hurt.

Social Control Essays - Political Philosophy, Michel Foucault

Social Control Essays - Political Philosophy, Michel Foucault Social Control Both Michel Foucault and Truffaut's depiction of a disciplinary society are nearly identical. But Truffaut's interpretation sees more room for freedom within the disciplinary society. The difference stems from Foucault's belief that the social control in disciplinary pervades all elements of life and there is no escape from this type of control. Foucault's work deals mostly with "power" and his conception of it. Like Nietzsche, Foucault sees power not as a fixed quantity of physical force, but instead as a stream of energy flowing through all aspects of society, its power harnesses itself in regulating the behavior of individuals, the systems of knowledge, a societies institutions, and every interaction between people. Foucault in "Discipline and Punish", applies this notion of power in tracing the rise of the prison system in France and the rise of other coercive institutions such as monasteries, the army, mental asylums, and other technologies. In his work Foucault exposes how seemingly benign or even reformist institutions such as the modern prison system (versus the stocks, and scaffolds) are technologies that are typical of the modern, painless, friendly, and impersonal coercive tools of the modern world. In fact the success of these technologies stems from their ability to appear unobtrusive and humane. These prisons Foucault goes on to explain like many institutions in post 1700th century society isolate those that society deems abnormal. This isolation seeks to attack the souls of people in order to dominate them similar to how the torture and brutality of pre-1700th century society sought to dominate the physical bodies of prisoners. In Foucault's interpretation freedom from the pervasive influence of "power" is impossible. Because his conception of "power" exists not just in individual institutions of society like prisons but instead exists in the structure of society and more importantly in peoples thought systems, escape from social control is impossible. Foucault in the last chapter talks about how even the reforms in the system have been co-opted to further the goals of the state. Instead of a lessening of social control Foucault sees that the technologies change from the wheels and gallows of the 17th century to the disciplinary society of the 19th century to the emerging carceral city of the future. In this carceral city the dispersion of power will be complete. The technologies of control will emanate from all parts of society, "walls, space, institution, rules, and discourse." Truffaut's interpretation of society and its future is much more upbeat. Although like Foucault he sees the technologies of the disciplinary society as insidious social control mechanisms. Truffault depicts the schooling, prison, and family systems as technologies that seeks to inculcate children, criminals, and subversives in the proper behavior of society. Trauffaut's film exposes how these mechanisms work. The school seeks to isolate punish and ostracize children into forming a pliant populace. The family seeks to enforce the discipline of societies larger moral codes on children. Notice how in the movie the mother in a seemingly kindly attempt to bond with her child is in fact teaching him the moral codes of society: running away from home is wrong, school is good, respect your elders, follow rules, and don't lie. The prison system in the movie seeks to isolate the deviant members of society classifying them as perverts, neurotic, madmen and in need of reprogramming and evaluation. These technologies in Truffaut's film are the seat of power in a society. Unlike Foucault Truffaut sees power as emanating from these fixed points; Foucault sees "power" and "control" and flowing through all the vessels of the body of society. In Truffaut's disciplinary society their is escape from such a world on the streets of Paris, in interacts with friends, and by running away to the sea or the movie theater. Truffaut sees escape from power as possible in anarchist like state free of adults and laws. Truffaut's ideas are similar in this aspect to Sartre who sees the society can be freed from the grip of cruel power in a socialist utopia. This is in stark contrast to Foucault who sees escape as impossible. And more importantly Foucault sees escape as growing more and more difficult as society moves from a disciplinary society to a society of control.

6 Tips for Becoming a Great Administrative Assistant

6 Tips for Becoming a Great Administrative Assistant Working as an administrative assistant can be an exciting job with many different duties. Employers seeking an administrative assistant look for certain talents and attributes to pick the right individual for the job. Learning a few tips to become a great administrative assistant makes your work easier and puts you in the spotlight for potential raises and a higher standing with your company.Fine Tune Your Skills With AppsThe ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook is a given when working as an administrative assistant. However, increasing those skills adds to your professional abilities. For example, by learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation and having the ability to use other apps that are useful to the company, you increase your skills and your worth as an administrative assistant.Heighten Your Communication SkillsExcellent communication skills within the office environment is necessary to be a successful administrative assistant since this individual is often the first one approached with questions. Frequently, the administrative assistant writes letters, memos and handles correspondence. The use of proper grammar and punctuation can benefit from taking courses to improve writing skills. In addition, an administrative assistant deals with the public and is often the first contact with a client. The ability to handle communication needs and service to the public is a measure of an administrative assistants ability to do a superlative job.Work on Your Organizational SkillsThe organizational skills of an administrative assistant are important because you have to lay your hand on a document or file quickly. Finding an organization system that works well for both executives and staff is important. Ensure that calendars and work are kept up to date and proceed on schedule. The additional ability to foresee what needs attention next helps ensure that work gets done in a timely manner and helps your boss free more time for other concerns.Learn How to Oversee the Office EquipmentIt is important to an office that computers, copiers, fax machines and other equipment are operational and in good working order. The administrative assistant can have the duty to ensure that equipment is repaired. In addition, supplies needed to run the office, from copy paper and ink cartridges to writing paper and pens, are the responsibility of the administrative assistant. Keeping a close eye on inventory and reordering when necessary ensures that the office will continue to run smoothly.Display Your Leadership AbilitiesBesides the qualifications on your resume, having experience outside the office shows that you have an interest in learning and are a team player. Professional organizations and work as a volunteer looks good on a resume and shows your commitment to professionalism.Act in a Professional MannerAlthough you probably have a friendly relationship with your co-workers, it is important to remember that you are in the office to do your jo b and a serious attitude toward work is expected. Maintaining a professional demeanor, avoiding gossip and keeping quiet about company business is a vital quality for an administrative assistant.If you are looking for administrative assistant jobs, turning to TheJobNetwork is a great first step toward getting a job as an administrative assistant. This platform lets you enter your qualifications and the job you want. Working 24/7, TheJobNetwork searches all applicable positions, ranking them as to your preferences. An email is sent to your mailbox when a job is located and lets you apply in a timely fashion.

Tips for Homeschooling Teens

Tips for Homeschooling Teens Homeschooling teens is different than homeschooling younger students. They are becoming adults and crave more control and independence, yet they still need accountability.   I have graduated one student and Im currently schooling two high school students. Following are some tips for homeschooling teens that have worked well in my home. 1. Give them control of their environment. When my kids were younger, they  used to do the majority of their schoolwork at the dining room table. Now that they’re teens, I have only one who still chooses to work there. My son likes to do all of his written work and math at the table, but he prefers to read in his bedroom where he can sprawl across the bed or kick back in his comfy desk chair. My daughter, on the other hand, prefers to do all of her work in her bedroom. It doesn’t matter to me where they work, as long as the work gets done. My daughter also likes to listen to music while she works. Her brother, like me, needs quiet to concentrate. Let your teen have some control over their learning  environment. The couch, the dining room, their bedroom, or the porch swing – let them work wherever they’re comfortable as long as the work is completed and acceptable. (Sometimes a table is more conducive to neat written work.) If they like to listen to music while they work, let them as long as it isn’t a distraction. I do draw the line at watching TV while doing schoolwork. I contend that no one can really concentrate on school and watch TV at the same time. 2. Give them a voice in their curriculum. If you haven’t already been doing it, the teen years are an excellent time to begin handing the curriculum choices over to your students. Take them with you to the curriculum fairs. Let them ask questions of the vendors. Have them read the reviews. Allow them to choose their topics of study. Sure, you may need to have some guidelines in place, particularly if you don’t have an especially motivated student or one who has a certain college with specific requirements in mind, but there is usually some wiggle room even within those guidelines. For example, my youngest wanted to study astronomy for science this year instead of the typical biology. Colleges often like to see subject diversity and student passion as much as they like to see specific courses and stellar standardized test scores. And college may not even be in your student’s future. 3. Allow them to manage their time. Whether your teens will be entering college, the military, or the workforce after graduation, good time management is a skill they will need throughout life. High school is an excellent opportunity to learn those skills without such high stakes as might be encountered after graduation. Because they prefer it, I give my kids an assignment sheet each week. However, they know that, for the most part, the order in which the assignments arranged are just a suggestion. As long as all of their work is completed by the end of the week, I don’t particularly care how they choose to complete it. My daughter often transfers the assignments from the sheet I provide to her planner, shuffling them around based on her preferences. For example, sometimes she might choose to double up on assignments one day of the week to clear the following day for more free time or she may choose to work in blocks, doing a few days’ science lessons in one day and a few days in history another. 4. Don’t expect them to start school at 8 a.m. Studies have shown that a teenager’s circadian rhythm is different than a younger kid’s. Their bodies shift from needing to go to sleep around 8 or 9 p.m. to needing to go to sleep around 10 or 11 p.m. instead. This also means that their wake times need to shift. One of the best benefits of homeschooling is being able to adjust our schedules to meet our families’ needs. That’s why we don’t start school at 8 a.m. As a matter of fact, starting at 11 a.m. is a really good day for us. My teens typically don’t begin the bulk of their schoolwork until after lunch. Its not unusual for them to work on school at 11 or 12 at night, after the house is quiet and distractions are few. 5. Don’t expect them to go it alone all of the time. From the time theyre young, we’re working toward developing our students ability to work independently. That doesn’t mean, however, that we should expect them to go it alone all the time as soon as they reach middle or high school. Most teens  need the accountability of daily or weekly meetings to ensure that their work is being completed  and that they’re understanding it. Teens can also benefit from having you read ahead in their books  so that you’re prepared to help if they run into difficulty. It’s frustrating for you and your teen when you have to spend half the day trying to catch up on an unfamiliar topic in order to help them with a difficult concept. You may need to fill the role of tutor or editor. I plan time each afternoon for helping my teens with their arch nemesis, math. I have also served as editor for writing assignments, marking misspelled words or grammar errors for corrections or making suggestions on how to improve their papers. It’s all part of the learning process. 6. Embrace their passions. I am a huge fan of using the high school years to allow teens to explore their passions and give them elective credit for doing so. As much as time and finances will allow, provide your teen with opportunities to explore their interests. Look for opportunities in the form of local  sports and  classes, homeschool groups and co-ops, online courses, dual enrollment, and non-credit continuing education classes. Your kids may try an activity for a while and decide it’s not for them. In other cases, it could turn into a lifelong hobby or career. Either way, each experience  allows for growth opportunity and a better self-awareness for your teen. 7. Help them find opportunities to serve in their community. Help your teen discover volunteer opportunities that mesh with their interests and abilities. The teen years are a prime time for young people to begin becoming activity involved in their local community in meaningful ways. Consider: Volunteering at a nursing home, kids’ program, homeless shelter, or animal shelterInterning or volunteering opportunities at local businessBecoming involved in local or state politicsUsing their talents to serve others (such as painting sets for a community theater, playing an instrument at your place of worship, or taking back-to-school photos for your homeschool group) Teens may grumble about service opportunities at first, but most of the kids I know find that they enjoy helping others more than they thought they would. They enjoy giving back to their community. These tips can help you prepare your teens for life after high school and help them discover who they are as individuals.

Business Enterprise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Enterprise - Essay Example â€Å"A business model describes the rational of how an organization creates, delivers and captures value† (Osterwalder & Pignuer, 2009). A business model canvas is a visual chart. The elements in the chart will describe the firm’s value proposition, infrastructure, customers and finances. It describes its elements through the building blocks. Key partners as well as key suppliers have to be included in this part of the model. For the success of the site Spotify needs a good deal with the related parties like the recording company. Another key partner is Facebook. All the account holders of Facebook have an opportunity to deal with Spotify. Key resources are required to offer the value proposition to the customers; or deliver what the customers want. Key resources can be â€Å"physical, intellectual, human and financial resources† (Osterwalder & Pignuer, 2010). The key resource for this company is music. Since, it has to make available all music to the entire world, so the music license has to be obtained. A server is also required to reach the customer. Value proposition is something which the company is giving to its customers. In other words, the factors which are forcing the customer to buy the products of the company are termed as the value proposition of the company. Here, the value proposition is between the listeners and the advertisers. The value proposition for the listeners is that, it offers a large amount of music for least cost. And the site is legally registered. The songs can be listened through a smartphone and can be listened offline too. Another offer is that we can share songs. For the advertisers, the site is making a platform to advertise their products and services. In the current context, customer is considered as a king. Companies are required to give what the customers want. In service industries also, the company have to keep in

Human Resources Staffing Plan with Three Year Forecast by Quarter Essay

Human Resources Staffing Plan with Three Year Forecast by Quarter - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the management has discovered that restaurant profits are growing at a very low rate of about three percent annually and the trend is worrying. The first section of the plan shall deal with the essential matter of task identification. An effective human resources management team will be judged based on its competencies. The appropriate behaviors that employees ought to have to work are competencies. A competent framework entails a structure that defines and lays down the employee competency. The human resources must operate within a specified framework in order to view employees and restaurant s as being synonymous. The human resource team must develop a better working environment and terms for the employees to be effective at work. The aim of the company as Miss Cutter put it is business. However, people conduct the business. In other words, human resources must have what will make the employees do their work effectively. This begins wi th appreciating that employees are human and not just tools. The team should then proceed to put the right structures. Following these basics will determine the competence of the human resource framework. Most companies reduce the human resources department to handling payments and being involved in the recruitment exercise while at the same time handling salary omission complains that arise from the staff. The reason is that the human resource has limited its scope of operations by neglecting other roles. The most significant remains ensuring employees is in a perfect psychological state to increase efficiency at work. The human resources ought to carry out an evaluation of the staff based on their efficiency. By doing this, the human resources department will assume a new but rightful passion within restaurants.

Integration paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Integration paper - Assignment Example The first tool used to formulate an investment strategy is the feasibility of making concentrated purchases (Fabozzi, F., Focardi, S. & Kolm, P. 2010, 22). Concentrated purchases simply entail the buying of shares or stocks at times when the industry that a firm is operating in has been hit by economic meltdowns. Often, investors or firms cogitate on this tool before formulating an investment strategy. This is because equity markets are believed to yield good returns in the long run. Thus, making concentrated purchases can give a high probability that an investor or firm will earn good returns in the long run when the economy stabilizes (Russell, C. 2006, 34). The second tool is value investment, which involves stock purchases at a cheaper price that is lower than its intrinsic value (Götze, U., Northcott, D. & Schuster, P. 2008, 56). The purchase of stocks at such rates reflects the future value of the stocks to rise as opposed to the present value. The last tool is risk assessm ent, which generally engrosses the evaluation of the possible risks associated with an investment venture. Before the formulation of a strategy, a firm must always recognize the financial perils exposing themselves to so that they can avert potential risks (Russell, C. 2006, 56). The link between investment strategies of a firm and its environments cannot be dismissed. To begin with, a firm highly depends on the financial markets for profitability when it has invested, say, in shares (Herbst, A. 2002, 29). The dynamics of a financial market within which a firm operates, determine the profit margin that it gets. When the financial markets are selling shares at reasonable prices, a firm can quickly buy them. However, when a market needs to sell its shares and the market price is low, it will end up making losses (Russell, C.2006, 61). Thus, the financial market within which a firm operates is a key determinant of its profitability. This implies that

ALL AMERICAN LUNCH, SUPPER, & TOUCH SCREEN MENUS Essay

ALL AMERICAN LUNCH, SUPPER, & TOUCH SCREEN MENUS - Essay Example First, this will be possible because it has set realistic goals that will be feasible within the specified time frame. By delivering high quality, efficient and faster services, it will be much possible for it to appeal to its clients and satisfy their needs whenever they require any service. The use of a touch screen to order for meals will be a new innovation that has never been experienced in the hospitality industry. It demonstrates that the management has taken all the necessary measures to ensure that all the goals are achieved. Meanwhile, the cafà © has acted right by having a well-structured human resources to run its day to day operations. With the hiring of a highly qualified and experienced team of professionals, it will surely offer the right level of satisfactory services to its clients. After all, they are highly motivated through the use attractive remuneration packages, promotions, teamwork; welfare services along side other monetary and non-monetary rewards. These have created a conducive working environment for each of these workers on whom the cafà © will heavily rely on to accomplish its objectives. The other important thing about the cafà © is that it has managed to come up with one of the best organizational cultures worth emulating. Its commitments to a strict observance of business ethics will help it a great deal. A part from creating a good and healthy working environment, it will help in building its reputation in the eyes of the general public. This will be achieved through an active participation in the Corporate Social Services exclusively such as food donations to the local populations who might not be able to afford what to eat. It will really make it win their confidence. However, despite this impressive performance, the management of Touch Taste Cafà © still has to do a lot to improve on its weak areas. First, it needs to extend its market coverage. Rather than narrowing down to the aging

Information Sytems - Article Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information Sytems - Article - Research Paper Example Quite a few studies and reports have been published on this topic and the rationale of the study is due to lack of financial support, remoteness, education, and trained manpower in the Indigenous community. There are various recommendations from researchers and practitioners to address these shortcomings including community access centres, social inclusion, improving social capital and software packages that can provide custom solutions. However, unless more and more members of the Indigenous community have access to and use the Internet and ICT, the fundamental objective of the government’s information systems implementation on communities will be lost. In order to bridge this gap the proposed framework attempts to enact as the integrated platform for the government organisations and other partners such as NGOs or public/private business sections to implement a dynamic business process model for social or community information development in the Indigenous community. The paper begins with the discussion of the importance of ICT in governance and its impact on the Indigenous community of Australia. It focuses on the gaps that exist with regard to its impact on the nonnative population in the country and its Indigenous population. A Dynamic Business Process Development Framework (DBPDF) is proposed to form the backbone of a system where effective implementation of ICT can benefit the Indigenous population of the nation. The paper concludes with a detailed delineation and the rationale behind the implementation of the DBPDF and recommendations for some future research directions. Availability of data, and the resulting information and knowledge are essential components for any organisation to be effective. This is true for any organisation regardless of its form for profit or service. The 21st Century information systems through the cutting edge Information and

ALL AMERICAN LUNCH, SUPPER, & TOUCH SCREEN MENUS Essay

ALL AMERICAN LUNCH, SUPPER, & TOUCH SCREEN MENUS - Essay Example First, this will be possible because it has set realistic goals that will be feasible within the specified time frame. By delivering high quality, efficient and faster services, it will be much possible for it to appeal to its clients and satisfy their needs whenever they require any service. The use of a touch screen to order for meals will be a new innovation that has never been experienced in the hospitality industry. It demonstrates that the management has taken all the necessary measures to ensure that all the goals are achieved. Meanwhile, the cafà © has acted right by having a well-structured human resources to run its day to day operations. With the hiring of a highly qualified and experienced team of professionals, it will surely offer the right level of satisfactory services to its clients. After all, they are highly motivated through the use attractive remuneration packages, promotions, teamwork; welfare services along side other monetary and non-monetary rewards. These have created a conducive working environment for each of these workers on whom the cafà © will heavily rely on to accomplish its objectives. The other important thing about the cafà © is that it has managed to come up with one of the best organizational cultures worth emulating. Its commitments to a strict observance of business ethics will help it a great deal. A part from creating a good and healthy working environment, it will help in building its reputation in the eyes of the general public. This will be achieved through an active participation in the Corporate Social Services exclusively such as food donations to the local populations who might not be able to afford what to eat. It will really make it win their confidence. However, despite this impressive performance, the management of Touch Taste Cafà © still has to do a lot to improve on its weak areas. First, it needs to extend its market coverage. Rather than narrowing down to the aging

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysis - Essay Example People who work in this type of industry are often linked with issues that deal with deception and public manipulation. The release of information is so quick that it tends to become viral affecting people of all ages. Whatever medium that may be whether it is radio, television or print, finding a market is not at all hard since people are always intrigued with what is happening around the world. Media Companies Media Companies earn money basically through the widespread of information. Almost in every household there is a presence of mass media through its mediums like the television, newspapers, magazines, computers or even cellular phones. Clearly this shows the attachment of the following mediums to the people’s everyday lives. The thing that is common between the media companies and other types of businesses is that they spend money to create or buy products that will eventually let them earn profit. Many people will gain benefit from it including those who are seeking jo bs and hoping to work in media companies. A lot of risks are present when a media company releases something new to the public. There is for example rejection, people’s lack of interests to the advertised product or services, the spreading of the wrong information that may lead to law suits or the issues that might be thrown by the competitors to try to damage the leading companies’ reputation. A lot of controversies are thrown to the media industry, despite of this it continues to prosper. This is certainly because of its main asset which is information. There may be some negative issues but that does not mean that all media companies are up for no good and are just eager to earn. Some companies are committed to give what is due to the public. Top Media Companies in the US and Canada The following are among the top media companies in the United States and Canada, offering products and services such as pay television channels, online and print publications, websites, a dvertisements, and radio programs through its radio stations. There is no question why after all the struggles they have undergone through the years, these companies are now tougher to face new challenges that may come their way. American Media, Inc. American Media Inc. (AMI) is a leading magazine and tabloid newspaper publisher in the US with its Chairman and CEO David Pecker. It reaches up to 54 million of America’s men and woman a month having an over-all circulation of 6.8 million and about 10 million visitors on its online publication with a hundred views per month (â€Å"About Us†). The topics covered by their publications are those that the Americans are obsessed with, mostly on gossips and good health. It also offers sales and marketing services that enable them to have an even distribution of their periodicals on different supermarkets in areas of the US and Canada (â€Å"American Media Inc. Company Profile†). Last November 17, 2010 the company filed fo r Chapter 11 Bankruptcy which according to the United States Court is allowable only to corporations and partnerships who at time of debt, cannot actually pay the creditor due to the small amount of assets that the company owns (â€Å"Reorganization Under the Bankruptcy Code†

Mary Schapiro and Leadership Essay Example for Free

Mary Schapiro and Leadership Essay In her role at the SEC, Mary Schapiro was known as one of the worlds most powerful female regulators. She was named chair in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. As chairman, she helped strengthen and revitalize the agency by overseeing a more rigorous enforcement program and shaping new rules for Wall Street. During her tenure, the agencys work force brought about a record number of enforcement actions and achieved significant regulatory reform to protect investors. Schapiro leaves behind an agency that has regained its footing, stature, and morale following desultory leadership under its previous two chairmen and its embarrassing lack of action preceding the financial crisis. Under Schapiro, the SEC, which is usually thought to be the most prominent and important financial regulatory body in the country, brought a huge number of enforcement actions against financial institutions. Her job was to assess what went wrong and to ensure it didn’t happen again. During four years as SEC chairman, Schapiro presided over one of the busiest rule-making agendas in the SECs history, during which the agency also brought a record number of enforcement actions, and executed a comprehensive restructuring program to improve protections for investors. Upon her departure, President Obama praised her leadership, saying the SEC became stronger and the financial system safer and better able to serve the American people-thanks in large part to Schapiros hard w ork. Change Management Change management is designed to ensure the effective transition of an organisation and its people from the current to future states, and in so doing support the realisation of business benefits. In the context of strategy, it is the realisation of the strategic plan. Change management is about effectively leading and managing individuals, teams, and the organisation to successfully adopt the changes needed to achieve required or desired business results. Success in Organisational Change Follows Recognisable Patterns – Kotter’s 8 Steps Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter is well known for identifying a pattern for leading successful organizational change. Yet, we cannot be sure that the President, members of Congress, and key Federal Reserve, Department  of the Treasury, and SEC personnel (including Chairman Schapiro) are familiar with this work and with other similar guidance from change leadership literature. And even if some or all of the change agents impacting a restructuring of the SEC are familiar with this work, it is unclear whether any of those change agents are consciously using this learning and incorporating useful elements from Kotters books into the SEC reorganization process. Studies of organizational change have shed significant light on the elements of a successful reform effort. Leaders effectuating reform at the SEC do not have to reinvent the wheel as they initiate, manage, and institutionalize organizational change. Kotters model is organized into eight stages designed to address e ight observed mistakes made in efforts for organizational change: establishing a sense of urgency; creating the guiding coalition; developing a vision and strategy; communicating the change vision; empowering broad-based action; generating short-term wins; consolidating gains and producing more change; and anchoring new approaches in the culture. Each stage has identifiable characteristics. 1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency Visible crises can be enormously helpful in catching peoples attention and pushing up urgency levels. To be sure, the SEC has experienced visible crises over the past few years. Admissions of significant failures at the SEC extend back over more than two years time and cover multiple areas of SEC operations. The natural superiority of the U.S. model for securities regulation is no longer an article of faith, and the credibility of the SEC as a financial regulator has never been lower. although the SEC has long been the crown jewel of the financial regulatory infrastructure, recent developments have called that characterization into question. The SEC has been the target of relentless criticism ranging from claims that it mishandled derivatives regulation, oversight of securities firms, and market risk, to assertions of delays and blunders and possible industry capture at the Division of Enforcement. These criticisms followed the Treasury Departments Blueprint of Financial Regulation-r eleased in March 2008-that criticized the SECs approach to regulation as obsolete and proposed a plan of regulatory consolidation that would effectively lead to the agencys demise. Most recently, the revelation that the SEC failed to discover a $50 billion Ponzi scheme at Madoff Investment Securities, despite having received allegations of wrongdoing for over a decade, suggests fundamental weaknesses in its core enforcement operations. To be successful at organizational change, however, a change leader must use the crisis to shake up the organization. This requires that the change leader remove sources of complacency or minimize their impact and take actions that are bold or even risky. Kotter uses the concept of fire in a building as a proxy for crisis in an organization, writing that conducting business as usual is very difficult if the building seems to be on fire.Interestingly, Chairman Schapiro invoked fire imagery in comments to reporters as she made changes to SEC operations shortly after taking office. Moreover, in a recent speech, Chairman Schapiro noted the rapid pace of change at the SEC over the preceding year: I know that change is hard because within our agency we have been engaged in some of the most significant change in decades. When I arrived at the agency last January, we began a process of assessing our operations and determined we could do better. We determined that we needed to change. And tha t is the path we have chosen. The personnel changes instituted at the SEC may be seen as examples of sweeping change. The discomfort and discontent of the SEC staff in response to the personnel changes may be evidence of the brash nature of these personnel changes. Kotters work predicts this kind of reaction. He notes that bold moves that reduce complacency tend to increase conflict and to create anxiety, at least at first. 2. Creating the Guiding Coalition Leading change is not a solitary task. Because major change is so difficult to accomplish, a powerful force is required to sustain the process. No one individual, not even a monarch-like CEO, is ever able to develop the right vision, communicate it to large numbers of people, eliminate all the key obstacles, generate short-term wins, lead and manage dozens of change projects, and anchor new approaches deep in the organizations culture. Instead, what is required is a strong leadership team-a team with the right composition and sufficient trust among members. In terms of composition,  four key characteristics are important: position power- the entire group who will be charged with making progress in areas of needed change, expertise, credibility, and leadership. Trust is borne of activities that create . . . mutual understanding, respect, and caring. Trust is important because it can lead to the effective creation of a common goal or shared objective. Chairman Schapiro has changed th e leadership team at the SEC. We must question, however, whether the team has the right characteristics and the requisite trust. Certainly, the credentials of the SEC Commissioners are quite impressive in terms of expertise, credibility, and leadership skills. Chairman Schapiro has put a premium on attracting to the SEC people with an expansive set of experiences and skills. Moreover, the published remarks of new leaders in the Division of Enforcement-people with position power-are impressive in their indication of a collective change momentum. New leaders continue to emerge, making the membership of the guiding coalition unsettled and unclear. The executives who ignited the transformations from good to great did not first figure out where to drive the bus and then get people to take it there. No, they first got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it. In general, public information sources are not detailed enough to enable a comprehensive assessment of the suitability of the composition of Chairman Schapiros guiding coalition. For example, according to Kotter, you need both management and leadership skills on the guiding coalition, and they must work in tandem, teamwork style.He offers matrices that illustrate optimal compositions. Publicly available information does not enable us to determine whether or not the SEC guiding coalition has the optimal balance of management and leadership skills. Only as the exact identity of the leadership team emerges and the tea m takes concerted and coordinated action will we be able to evaluate its composition. As difficult as it is for us to appraise the teams composition, it is more difficult for us to assess whether the guiding coalition has the required trust. Although I have not found evidence that ostensible members of the SEC guiding coalition have engaged in team-building exercises or attended a retreat at which intra-group trust may have been engendered, the SECs recent self-assessment may be a sign that mutual trust is being promoted throughout the agency. As new people are identified for inclusion on the change leadership team, they will need to be effectively brought into the circle of trust. 3. Developing a Vision and Strategy To achieve successful organizational change, a leader needs to have both vision and a strategy to implement that vision. Vision refers to a picture of the future with some implicit or explicit commentary on why people should strive to create that future. Vision serves to channel change in a particular direction and incentivizes and coordinates change in that direction. Chairman Schapiro seems to understand this aspect of change leadership, and she also seems to be incorporating it into the SECs operations. Her vision for a reformed SEC refocuses the SECs activities on one of the key policy underpinnings of the federal securities laws: investor protection Another lesson I have learned is to have a vision about where you want to take your organization and stick to your principles in getting there. Principles are not ideologies. They are different. Maybe its a question of degree. Maybe to some its semantics. But as I see it, unlike ideologies, principles dont seem to demand a particular answer to every problem that emerges. Weve seen how strict adherence to ideology played out over the last decade in the financial arena. Free market ideology together with rapidly changing technology, globalization and many other accidental causes led too many of us to forget hard-learned lessons from past crises and abandon basic common sense. Principles, on the other hand, help frame a question, an issue or a problem. Having a principle might highlight tensions and trade-offs of particular choices, but rarely do they force you to choose between a good solution and a worldview. For me at the SEC, my main principle is putting investors first. And, I try to stay focused on that every day. And the goal is to build an SEC that is deeply expert, nimble, and aggressive-that gives investors confidence. In fact, as Bob Glauber can attest, I have a sign posted on my door that says How does it help investors? Its a simple question, but it guides all that I do at the SEC. And, all those who enter my office understand that is the p rism through which we will consider all issues. It doesnt necessarily dictate the outcome of every issue that lands  on my desk-because there are many solutions to any problem that could aid investors. But, the principle helps to shape our thinking and steers us in the right path. Vision is implemented through strategy. Without vision, strategy making can be a much more contentious activity. Even more so, without good vision, a clever strategy or a logical plan can rarely inspire the kind of action needed to produce major change. Chairman Schapiros vision has guided structural and operational change at the SEC as well as substantive rulemaking. Some credit her clearly conceived vision and the related rapidly employed strategy for saving the SEC from more significant structural or operational change. 4. Communicating the Change Vision According to Kotter, the larger the audience for the change vision, the more powerful it may be. A great vision can serve a useful purpose even if it is understood by just a few key people. But the real power of a vision is unleashed only when most of those involved in an enterprise or activity have a common understanding of its goals and direction. That shared sense of a desirable future can help motivate and coordinate the kinds of actions that create transformations. A leader must be careful to communicate the change vision broadly, frequently (repeatedly), and consistently. The message conveying the vision must be direct, clear, simple, and geared to its targeted audiences. Metaphors, analogies, examples, and florid prose may be helpful in this regard. The means of conveying the message should be varied: oral and written, large forum and small group, and through words and actions. Finally, to ensure understanding, the communication of the vision should be a two-way street, involv ing both give and take as well as conveying and listening. Chairman Schapiro has engaged in significant public speaking in which she has regularly and repeatedly informed and reminded the SEC staff and various elements of the public about the SECs recommitment to investor protection and the linkage of that vision to structural and operational changes at the SEC. Chairman Schapiro regularly appeared before congressional committees and subcommittees, and she has communicated her vision in these arenas as well. She used memorable analogies, examples, and words to convey the SECs organizational change message. Evidencing an appreciation for two-way communication, soon after  her appointment, Chairman Schapiro took action in response to staff suggestions that enforcement efforts against corporate violators of the securities laws were too difficult. Moreover, the self-assessment process and related ongoing staff communications are evidence of two-way communication about the structural a nd operational changes that have been taking place at the SEC. And Chairman Schapiro has continued to express belief in capturing a variety of viewpoints in decision-making. 5. Empowering Employees for Broad-Based Action To implement the leaders vision, employees need to be able to take action. This may mean clearing away structural barriers, skill deficiencies, systemic obstacles, and supervisory impediments that may forestall effective employee participation in change efforts. Many of the structural and operational reforms implemented by Chairman Schapiro appear to be designed to empower SEC staff members for action that carries forward the change vision of the SEC. The efforts of Chairman Schapiro to listen and respond to staff concerns about unnecessary enforcement hurdles are examples of initiatives to streamline structure. In addition, the restructuring of the Division of Enforcement is geared to clear structural barricades to effective enforcement efforts. The decision to retain staff with non-traditional skills and the implementation of new staff training are examples of efforts to remedy skill deficits. Human resources and information systems have been or are being improved in response to de ficiencies identified in the SECs self-assessment and the OIGs investigation, report, and recommendations. In the Division of Enforcement, supervisory positions are being eliminated, supervisory personnel are being replaced, supervisory responsibilities are being realigned, and supervisory attitudes that may have impeded investigations are being corrected. 6. Generating Short-Term Wins Because the organizational change process is slow and constituents can be impatient, it is important for a change leader to accomplish certain limited objectives in the short term. Major change takes time, sometimes lots of time. Zealous believers will often stay the course no matter what happens. Most of the rest of us expect to see convincing evidence that all the effort  is paying off. Nonbelievers have even higher standards of proof. They want to see clear data indicating that the changes are working and that the change process isnt absorbing so many resources in the short term as to endanger the organization. To be effective in sustaining organizational change efforts, short-term wins must be both visible and unambiguous. They also must be clearly related to the change effort. And in an effective change effort, they are planned, not accidental. SEC Chairman Schapiro accomplished some highly publicized early wins after her appointment was confirmed. In particular, she swiftly m oved to remove perceived barriers to enforcement of the securities laws against public companies. She publicly promoted these changes, and they were picked up by the news media. These efforts generated support in and outside the SEC. The achievement of these short-term wins on a staggered but consistent basis has kept the SECs structural and operational reforms in front of the SECs staff and the public, building consensus around and momentum for the SECs self-initiated reform efforts and distracting attention from more substantial externally generated suggestions for change. 7. Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change The long-term time horizon for organizational change not only makes short-term wins advisable, but also may make early declarations of victory problematic. It is important that the sense of urgency created by the change leaders is sustained for the long haul. Short-term wins are essential to keep momentum going, but the celebration of the wins can be lethal if urgency is lost. With complacency up, the forces of tradition can sweep back in with remarkable force and speed. Although a rapid, consistent pace of change at the SEC was sustained over the first fifteen months of reform, Chairman Schapiro as well as other SEC change leaders, needed to maintain the change momentum by continuing to introduce reforms on a regular basis. Having gone so far, the SEC could have lost all of the gains it had made in organizational change merely by relaxing into complacency. Until changed practices attain a new equilibrium and have been driven into the culture, they can be very fragile. To reach that equilibrium, in addition to engaging in more and continuous change, the SEC should bring in additional change agents, continue to foster leadership from its senior managers, recruit and nurture project management and leadership from lower ranks in the hierarchy, and identify and decrease or eliminate unnecessary internal structural and operational interconnections that often make change efforts more complex. These types of efforts in change management are difficult and pervasive. 8. Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture Finally, to prevent regression, change leaders must address and resolve any incompatibilities between the changes that have been made and the organizations culture-friction in the groups system of behavioural norms and shared values. This is not as easy as it may sound. These norms and values may apply to the organization as a whole or only to certain parts of the organization, and it is important to achieve compatibility on both levels. Moreover, culture is change-resistant and nearly invisible. Yet, the failure to address inconsistencies between a change effort and the prevailing culture can undo years of reform. Accordingly, it was important that Chairman Schapiro understood the applicable behavioural norms and shared values of the SEC and the Enforcement Division and their respective relevant cultural sub-groups as they continue to reform the SEC and the Enforcement Division. Because the core vision of investor protection should not be entirely inconsistent with the SECs culture (in whole or in pertinent part), these and other change leaders at the SEC should be able to graft the new practices onto the old roots while killing off the inconsistent pieces. The important thing will be for the SECs change leaders to continue to remember the organizations heritage and link it to the organizations new and ongoing operations and objectives.

Co-Occurring Disorders and Behavioral Health Services

Co-Occurring Disorders and Behavioral Health Services Jasmina Vuksanovic Co-Occurring Disorders and Behavioral Health Services Co-occurring disorders exist â€Å"when at least one disorder of each type can be established independent of the other and is not simply a cluster of symptoms resulting from a single disorder.†1 It has also been defined as the co-occurrence of â€Å"two or more psychiatric disorders.†2 Depending on the disorders involved, comorbidity may be homotypic, which involves disorders from the same diagnostic group, such as alcohol use and drug use, or heterotypic, which involves disorders from different diagnostic groups, such as alcohol use and depression.2 Prevalence and Demographic Factors Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent mental disorders in the United States, affecting approximately 6.7% of U.S adults each year.3 Alcohol use disorder (AUD), defined as both alcoholism and harmful drinking, is also prevalent in the United States and often co-occurs with MDD. AUD affects approximately 17 million Americans each year.4 Although research has not established a definitive etiological risk factor for both MDD and AUD, there are several proposed theories as to the association between these two disorders. Studies have shown that depressive symptoms may emerge during periods of heavy drinking and withdrawal.5 Continued heavy alcohol use may be a precursor to stressful life events, which in turn increases the risk of depression.5 Conversely, individuals battling depression are likely to drink heavily in order to cope with the depression, which in turn increases the risk of developing AUD.5 Among those with AUD, women have higher depression than men, as do Whites, compared to racial and/or ethnic minorities.5 In the general population, alcohol dependent men have a 24.3% lifetime prevalence of major depression, whereas alcohol dependent women have a 48.5% lifetime prevalence of major depression.5 In clinical samples, the lifetime rates of co-occurrence for women range from 50% to 70%.5 Co-occurrence of AUD a nd MDD is also associated with increased morbidity, mortality, functional impairment, and risk of suicide.6 Another co-occurring disorder of interest is schizophrenia and substance use disorder. Schizophrenia is a chronic illness associated with hallucinations and disorganized behavior, while the most common substances of abuse are alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine.1 Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of Americans, and approximately 50% of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia also suffer from a co-occurring substance use disorder.7 When compared to individuals who suffer from schizophrenia only, dually diagnosed individuals have lower adherence to treatment, increased risk of HIV, higher hospitalization rates, are more prone to violent behavior, and are more likely to commit suicide.7 Schizophrenia runs in the family. If one parent has schizophrenia, the risk of a child developing the disorder is 13%; if both parents have schizophrenia, the risk increases to 46%.8 Schizophrenia does not discriminate and affects men and women equally. Symptoms often begin between the ages of 16 and 30 and does not commonly occur in children or adults older than 45 years.8 Additionally, individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and a substance use disorder often experience onset earlier in their life than do those who suffer from schizophrenia only.8 Service Delivery Barriers and Strategies to Overcome These Barriers The fragmented health care system poses a huge barrier for individuals seeking care for co-occurring disorders. Due to this fragmentation, patients are not able to receive comprehensive and coordinated care for addiction services and mental health care. Of those struggling with co-occurring disorders, â€Å"8.5 % of individuals receive treatment for both disorders; 38.4 % receive treatment for one or the other disorder; and 53 % receive no treatment at all.†1 One strategy for overcoming this barrier is by integrating mental and physical health care delivery. Combining mental and physical health funds to pay for services would not only increase access to coordinated care, but it would streamline the coding and billing process through the use of common codes. It would also create a network of mental and physical health providers, who would all be responsible for well-being of each patient, thus encouraging coordinated care. A second barrier is the stigma associated with mental illness, which impedes help seeking. This barrier can be combated by educating patients about the resources available for treatment and the overall importance of a healthy mind and body. Businesses should do more to educate employees about mental health benefits, as many may not be familiar with them. Establishing behavioral health clinics, such as the WestBridge Clinic, would provide the compassionate care many individuals with co-occurring disorders are in need of and would likely encourage these individuals to seek treatment. A third barrier is one that is faced by Medicare patients as same day separate billing for mental health and medical care is not covered under Medicare.†1 With the oncoming demographic shift, this segment of the population cannot be ignored. Though this is a more difficult barrier to overcome, policy changes should be made to ensure the elderly have access to mental health services in the primary care setting. Increasing the scope of practice for clinical staff may be a feasible strategy for overcoming this barrier. Implications for Behavioral Health Throughout this course we have learned that organizational leaders and clinical staff must exhibit a certain level of commitment to providing quality care in order to effectively treat dually diagnosed individuals. As we see look at Accountable Care Organizations, the benefits of coordinated care become even more apparent. The ACA shifts the focus to evidence-based practices, which will become integral for more effective treatment and improvement in service delivery of co-occurring disorders. Adequate screening methods and health assessments by primary care providers are the first step in the treatment and recovery process1 and will undoubtedly lead to improved detection rates and treatment of dually diagnosed individuals. It is essential for clinicians to understand the epidemiology of all disorders a person is suffering from to ensure correct and effective treatment is received. Service delivery can be expected to improve with an increase in more knowledgeable clinical staff. Clini cians must be knowledgeable about possible interaction of the two disorders and how both can be treated, rather than just one. However, as long as stigma continues to surround the topic of mental health, there will continue to be hesitation by mentally ill individuals to seek treatment. As a society, we must take the necessary steps and encourage help seeking by those suffering from a mental illness.   References Levin BL, Hennessy KD, Petrila J (Eds.).Mental Health Services: A Public Health  Perspective, Third Edition.New York: Oxford University Press; 2010. Falk D, Yi H, Hiller-Sturmhofel S. An epidemiologic analysis of co-occurring alcohol and  drug use and disorders. Alcohol Research Health. 2008; 31(2): 100-110. National Institute of Mental Health. Available online at  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml. Accessed February 19 2014. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Available online at  http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics. Accessed February 19 2014. Conner KR, Pinquart M, Gamble SA. Meta analysis of depression and substance use among  individuals with alcohol use disorders. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2009; 37: 127-137. Riper H, Andersson G, Hunter SB, et al. Treatment of comorbid alcohol use disorders and  depression with cognitive-behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing: a meta-analysis. Addiction. 2013; 109: 394–406. Green AI, Noordsy DL, Brunette MF, et al. Substance abuse and schizophrenia:  Pharmacotherapeutic intervention. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2008; 34: 61– 71. National Institute of Mental Health. Available online at  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml. Accessed February 19 2014. QUESTION #3 Is Mental Health a Public Health Issue? Among U.S. adults age 18 years and older, an estimated 26 percent suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder each year, and for young adults, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability.1 Mental illness also bears a heavy burned on the global economy. The WHO estimates that 14% of the global disease burden is attributable to mental illness.2 Among the twenty most significant causes of disease burden worldwide are depression (3rd), alcohol use disorder (7th), bipolar disorder (12th), schizophrenia (14th), and substance abuse disorders (20th).2 Compared to all health expenditures, mental health and substance abuse expenditures have been decreasing since 1986, and are estimated to account for 6.9% of the nation’s health care expenditures in 2014.3 Mental illness increases the risk of developing a physical illness, communicable and non-communicable disease, and intentional and unintentional injury.2 To decrease prevalence of mental illness and its adverse effects on overall health of individuals, it is necessary to integrate mental health service delivery into the nation’s public health system. The public health system encompasses a broad array of topics, which creates opportunities for integration of mental health services through community education, epidemiologic surveys, health screening and assessment, ensuring adequate access to care, identifying risk factors and determinants of health, focusing on prevention and early intervention, and promoting sharing of information among health care providers.3 Traditionally, mental and physical health have been treated in two separate service delivery systems. However, majority of adults diagnosed with a mental disorder to not seek treatment, and those who do, seek treatment within the primary care sector, rather than a specialty behavioral health care sector.3 Integration of the mental and physical service delivery systems leads to better health outcomes in primary care, home health care, and long-term care setting, as well as increased mental health care access, rates of treatment, improved treatment adherence, enhanced clinical and functional outcomes, and greater cost-effectiveness.3 Among older adults suffering from depression, integration of physical and mental health services has shown a decrease in health care dollars spent on care, improved survival, and improved quality of life.1Among individuals suffering from substance abuse disorders, integrated care leads to lower â€Å"hospitalization rates, inpatient days, emergency room u se, and medical costs.†3 One example of an integrated health care delivery system is the Veterans Health Administration, the nation’s largest integrated health care system. Zeiss identified five key reasons for this integration. First, patients prefer to receive mental health care in the same setting as primary care, as they are most familiar and comfortable with their primary care provider.4 Second, primary care providers often fail to diagnose or misdiagnose a mental illness, especially in older patients who may have other health conditions.4 Integrating care can increase detection and accuracy of diagnosis. Third, patients are more likely to seek treatment for a mental illness when a diagnosis is determined in primary care and when care is available in the primary care setting.4 Of importance is the difficulty of primary care referral to mental health providers.4 Studies have shown an astounding 75% of patients fail to follow through with the referral and therefore do not get the mental health trea tment, whereas 90% receive treatment when it is provided by the primary care provider.4 Fourth, integrated care allows for information sharing among providers. Of highest importance is information relating to the patient’s diagnosis and treatment options. It allows both health providers to provide ongoing care and treatment to the patient, without overlap of information, or exchange of misinformation among the providers. Fifth, screening for mental illness in the primary care setting may lead to reduction in the stigmatization of mental illness as it will be viewed as one of many steps of a health assessment provided to all primary care patients.4 These findings have been echoed through other studies, as we have learned throughout the course of the semester. Implications for Behavioral Health Mental illness affects a significant proportion of the U.S. population and the importance of efficient treatment cannot be understated. Integrating mental health services into the traditional public health delivery system and increasing collaboration and information sharing among providers of different disciplines is a key aspect of delivering holistic care. Through course lectures, reading assignments, and videos, we have learned that populations at higher risk of developing a mental illness are more likely to delay treatment, or not seek treatment at all, receive lower quality care, and have higher rates of co-occurring illness and morbidity. The traditional health care model emphasizes preventive care and early treatment, which must be a primary focus for mental health services as well, in order to keep the population healthy, lower the prevalence of mental illness, and maintain an affordable health care system. The number of mental health facilities and organizations providing me ntal health services and treatment has decreased from 3,942 in 1990 to 3,130 in 2008,1 thus the need for integration is essential. In order to create a holistic healthcare system, we must break down the existing barriers between the mental and physical health care delivery sectors. References Levin BL. Week #3 Lecture: Mental Health Systems.2014. 1-11. Levin BL. Week #2 Lecture: Epidemiologic, Historical, Legislative Perspectives.2014: 4-  15. Levin BL, Hennessy KD, Petrila J (Eds.).Mental Health Services: A Public Health  Perspective, Third Edition.New York: Oxford University Press; 2010. Zeiss AM, Karlin BE. Integrating mental health and primary care services in the Department of  Veterans Affairs health care system. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 2008; 15:73–78.

Urban and the Council of Clermont :: European Europe History

Urban and the Council of Clermont There are many accounts of that day in November, 1095. Some were written by monks, others by bishops, and even a few by warriors themselves. Historians are constantly asking, "What exactly did Pope Urban II say at the council of Clermont to persuade Christians to set forth on such a difficult venture as the Crusades?" One man, an early 12th century cleric named Fulcher of Chartres wrote perhaps the best historical chronicle of the events at Clermont and the speech of Urban II. Fulcher begins his account with a prologue that states how blessed the journeymen of the Crusades were to take up such a conquest. He follows this by speaking on the Council of Clermont. Fulcher describes Pope Urban II and what he heard was happening to the Christians in the east. What comes next in Flucher's writing is a long speech, allegedly quoted from Urban II himself. In the speech, Urban first lectures his fellow clergymen regarding problems in the church, saying that they should "set [themselves] right before [they] do others"1 Fulcher, 51. Urban II next, as according to Fulcher, declares the doctrine of the church and re-instates the idea of the "Truce"2 McGinty, 52. He also discussed various crimes for which the criminal would be excommunicated from the Church. In Fulcher's third section, Urban speaks of the "evils" in the east. He says, "there is work to do, you must help your brothers living in the Orient, who need your aid for which they have cried out many times"3 Fulcher, 52. He gives word that these "brothers" (Christians) are being threatened by the Turks who must be pushed back to Persia. Urban will grant remission of sins for their services. In closing, Fulcher tells how Urban II presses on to say, " Let no delay postpone the journey"4 Fulcher, 53. Fulcher of Chartres' account of what happened at the Council of Clermont is a great piece, full of detail. Fulcher obviously held Pope Urban II in high regard. Throughout his chronicle, he douses him with compliments saying that he is " a man distinguished in life and character."5 Fulcher, 49. It might not seem like much now to put the Church's interests before all others; however, in the Middle Ages people were extremely religious. The better Christian one was, the better man he was. Urban II speaks to his clergy about the problems in the Church and as Fulcher tells the story he seems he seems rightly bestowed with the compliments Fulcher gives him.

Products and services of the organization Essay

Talent Acquisition & Integrated Project Solutions Upon winning a tender our recruitment team in the region is given a list of requirements from the client which they then have to fill within a given time frame. It is also done through recruitment campaigns is one specific nationality is needed for a project. Global Mobility This is a service that we provide for all placed candidates who are travelling abroad for an assignment which involved on and off boarding support, visa, flights and housing arrangements Identification of Main Customers There are two types of customers that the company serves, those who are looking for workforce (the companies) and those who are looking for employment (the individuals). It is not possible to distinguish the percentage of who the company is more focused on as it varies on the region. What differentiates them is that the Clients that looking for workforce either request our company to be used as the resource through a recommendation or through a tendering process. On the other hand the individuals that approach our business while looking for new opportunities mostly use the website as a platform for searching and applying for employment which is then saved on our data base for future reference and use. 3. The companies’ mission and vision is as follows: The above describe the companies’ overall goal that all its branches are working towards on an annual basis. Those vary depending on the region due to different obstacles, structures or legislation surrounding it. Within the Middle East the main short to medium term objectives is to ensure that the existing relationships that have been established over the years remain undisturbed by this such as low quality of work and untimely delivery of work gained through tenders. This is achieved by employing the right people on the right positions to ensure that what has been built overtime won’t be damaged through wrong communication channels. Moreover the company needs to explore possibly needed adjustments in its operations to be able to work  with companies that work on smaller projects besides those which are government driven or large privately run entities. Finally, the company needs to explore and establish whether it is worth expanding into different. Industries within the region due to the growth within Rail and Construction sectors, considering a lot of competition from abroad this needs extensive analysis and research. 4. An analysis of minimum 4 external factors and their impact on the business activities of the organization. Political This factor within the ME Region is very influential. Due to ongoing conflicts in Iraq our consultants have to go through extensive training in case of emergencies such as wars which not only includes very high rotational/ demobilization costs but also involves a number of measures that the company had to incorporate and take into account while setting up the entity in high risk location which are: a separate emergency phone line, a 24/7 emergency contact, amendments to existing employee contacts which do not consider political conflicts; safe transportation, security guards and special camp accommodation which comes at a very high price The economy in the middle east is very good, however it is only accessible to those who have the right contacts and relationships. Also it is very strongly affected by politics. Western Companies have to go through a very lengthy process of registration which requires wasta not only at the beginning but also for certain regular activities which slows down a lot of processes which in h West wouldn’t be an issue. Arab culture is very strong and rules the legislation and all processes and procedures within workplaces in the Region. Introducing the process of nationalisation has had a great influence on all companies operating in the region as a quota on nationals has to be employed by every company which meant that current employees had to be replaced with locals who unfortunately often aren’t keen to work, which creates a lot of issues in the workplace. While expanding in the ME Region the company had tapped into the Caspian Region a few years ago and set up 3 offices in Kazakhstan. However business development and tenders were a struggle due to very common bribery and corruption methods in doing business in this region. AS this is against the companies’ Code of Business Conduct the Board is now considering to sell the business within that region, as it is impossible to develop without breaking the company codes. 5. Structure of the organization The company structure within the ME region is Functional due to the business need. Each of the departments and all employees have a specific role and function that contributes towards the entire region functioning properly Activity B 1&2 Organizational Strategy The companies’ overall Regional Strategy is focused on growth and development in existing and new locations. This means that all delivery managers are focused on bringing in numbers and new business to ensure high profits which equals meeting their KPIs. This relays to all other departments which like recruiters are pressured to provide the highest level of service and ensure the business’s regular growth. The HR department is there to: Ensure that all incoming business which requires new staff or increased workload for existing staff is worth the effort – preparing P&L Reports Ensuring that all departments are equally rewarded, not just the recruiters that are given regular bonuses for placements made. Initiatives for the finance and GM department have been developed. Policies and procedures have been developed to ensure that all employees who join or are currently working for the company adhere to the same standards and are treated equally. All of the above mentioned directly or indirectly ensure staff retention. Supporting manager and staff & contribution to the overall success of the business Conflict and Dispute solving -When a conflict arises HR is there to be the mediator and the person that is objective towards both sides. The HR helps to solve the problem without involvement of personal opinions of either of the sides. Conflicts often grow to an extent where other departments get involved and it becomes a personal issue rather than a small work issues that absorbs everyone. This is very unhealthy as it absorbs time and energy of the entire team or within an office where it could be used for positive actions and development. HR is there to ensure that misunderstandings do not grow on such scale and help the teams refocus on their goals as well s the common aim of the office or the region that every employee is working towards. This is crucial to the business because a team that doesn’t work well together will never produce results which will mirro their full potential. Performance Management – HR Provides the platform, tools and expertise to ensure that each employee is assessed on a regular basis and has a chance to express and discuss any problems or issues that they might be facing. It also provides written proof for the managers when it comes to promotions and pay rises at the end of the year. It also provides a source of analysis for training needs and employee development plans which are used during budget setting time. Appraisals, even though for many managers seem like a chore are a very important part of the businesses success. Even when a team doesn’t meet on a regular basis to discuss any issues, the assessment time is when real performers and those who clearly underperform are identified. Having detailed written reviews help to distinguish whether a staff member is worth investing in and having his employment continued or whether he should be let go of at early stages – within the first 3 months when the probation period is over. Without the HR department prompting the managers to complete those above described assessments, the managers often do not realize the lack of someone’s potential until crucial, often costly mistakes are made. Guidance in terms of employee legislation As the legislation in the region changes on a regular basis, it is important that HR has the information and relays it to all employees, and also acts as  the person that is informed of any immigration or legal changes. It is crucial to the business that all laws are followed to avoid any issues not only with employees in case of disputes but also with governmental bodies such as immigration or the Municipality. Following those rules in any country can be a deciding factor during an internal or external audit and ensure that the business can continue trading rather than being fined or even closed down for not adhering to the rules and regulations. Fair treatment of employees To ensure fair treatment of employees and to avoid favouritism, policies procedures and guidelines are developed. All employees are bound by the same rules which create guidelines for their day to day behaviours and actions which if broken and referred to during disciplinary or performance assessment meetings. Having rules in place is crucial to the business as it avoids unnecessary conflicts and issues as well as helps employees to understand and follow the company culture which is reflected within its rules.

Prostitution of Children and Child Prostitutes

PROSTITUTION Prostitution is defined as the act, practice or profession of offering the body for sexual relations for money. (New Webster’s Dictionary 1995:802). The Encyclopedia Americana (1997) defined prostitution as â€Å"the performance of sexual acts with another person in return for the payment of a fee. † Child prostitution is therefore, prostitution embarked upon by children who are below the age of 18 and are supposed to be catered for by their parents.It is commonly acknowledged that acts of prostitution are performed by women for men nevertheless occasions arise when the acts are done by men for men. The context of this work deals particularly with female child prostitution. UNICEF considers child prostitutes as young girls in sex trade, who are between the age bracket of 8 and 16. (Jubilee Action Report 1995). In the Nigerian milieu, prostitutes below the age of 18 are regarded as child prostitutes, since only persons above 18 years of age are statutorily r egarded as adults.Child prostitution is the â€Å"sexual exploitation of girls and teenagers† (Awake February 8, 2003:6). Available data show that approximately 1. 5million children in India, 1 million in Asia, 100,00 children in United States and 500 children in Latin America are engaged in prostitution (Healy, 1995:35). Awake (February 8,2003:2) reported,â€Å"there were about 300,000 child prostitutes on the streets, in another land where drug trafficking flourishes†. According to Jubilee Action report (1995:10), up to 1 million female children join prostitution each year around the globe.However, the clandestine nature of child prostitution makes it impossible to calculate the exact number of working prostitutes, nonetheless the International Labour Organization (ILO) analysis (1993-1994), estimates that between 0. 25% and 1. 5% of the total female population are engaged in this trade. Globally, child prostitution is illegal and it is also regarded as a barbarous c rime, yet it persists. Why? Child prostitution does not just happen. It is caused by a variety of factors some are perpetrated by the prostitutes themselves, while other factors are external to the prostitutes themselves.This is really a growing problem in developed world and developing world like Nigeria (Quintanilla, 1997:20). CAUSES OF CHILD PROSTITUTION IN Owerri Municipal Council 1. Misery and POVERTY: Poverty is the most common reason why most families sell the services of their female children to augment their income in order to buy food or clothes and other necessities of life. (Janssen, 2001:10). The case of child labour is a typical factor that exposes children to prostitution. The hired female children are sent out to hawk food items on the streets, motor parks, and mechanic garages thereby exposing them to rapes as well as sexual harassment s.Barnes H. C. (1959:95) observed that some females take to prostitution due to sheer destitution. Awake (February 8,2003:5) reporte d that some street children resort to prostitution because they see it as their only means of survival. The Awake further related an experience of a mother of 14-year-old girl who lured her daughter into this ignominious trade. The woman said about her daughter, â€Å"she was beautiful and that men would like her very much. Besides, she would earn a lot of money. † In the evenings, the woman takes her daughter to a motel where they make contacts.The mother stays nearby to receive the payments. Each night, this girl has sex with three or four men. 2. UNEMPLOYMENT: Unemployment of either the parents or the child results in unreliable source of income thereby forcing children into prostitution as an alternative means of income to support the family. Ironically, the International Labour Organization observes that a child’s ability to earn money is limited. It is estimated that the money earned by the child only contributes to approximately 10% of the family’s overal l income and therefore has minimal effect on the family’s monetary gain (Dimenstein, 1994:12).Due to high degree of unemployment, the brothels employ some female children who serve in their drinking spots to promote their business. 3. HUMANS TRAFFICKING: Human trafficking is another evil leading to child prostitution. Human trafficking which represent the world’s third largest criminal activity following only after drug and weapons trafficking is sometimes purported to send teenagers to other countries to work. These would-be workers who sometimes end up prostitutes actually â€Å"work† and repatriate money to their respective home countries (Awake, February 8, 2003: 5).Many times, hard times hit these fellows as they are deported to come and continue this profession at home. Some of the female prostitutes come home to take some younger females to their places either to help them or to make them their servants and at the long run they get converted to prostituti on, which is their boss’ profession. 4. DECEPTION ENCOURAGES PROSTITUTION: Pimps or brothel owners deceive some parents by paying them money and assuring to enlist their children in their â€Å"domestic services†, which later turns to be prostitution.These brothel owners who are termed the girl’s â€Å"owners† take control of the child’s’ activities. Moreover, these owners do everything possible to retain these girls who earn money for them to maintain their lavish lifestyle (Robinson, 2001:50) and (Dimenstein 1994:10). Apart from the pimps, other intermediaries who benefit from child prostitution do anything possible to see the act continued. Most females are led into this act of prostitution by their masters.Some of them could be anaesthetized by their masters in order to have fun with them and when eventually the woman of the house gets to know about the act she will be thrown out side to continue the act with other men including the mast er. 5. DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY ENVIRONMENT PROMOTES PROSTITUTION: Children of broken homes sleep wherever they see space to do so in the day, and go to the disco and nightclubs in the night. Ekejiuba I. K. (1996:13) discovered that ill treatment of children at home might make them to take to the street in order to find solace.Then the end result may be the hawking of their body to support themselves. 6 POOR EDUCATION: Some children cannot support themselves materially in view of low educational training they received, so they resort to prostitution as their only profession (Rodriguez- Garcia, 1999:55). Girl-child Education Initiative In Africa (January 2003:20) highlights the effect of poor education in the whole of Africa. In connection with poor education, peer pressure, bad association The causes and effects of child prostitution in Owerri Municipal Council and street ganging contribute to child prostitution.Identifiably, a girl may end up as a prostitute by her association, peer pr essure and by running with a street gang (Okebugwu, 1989:25); Adetore, (1974:60); Oti (1984:15); and Daily Times ( May 15,1999:12). 7. AIDS SCARE PROMOTES CHILD PROSTITUTION: The high incidence of sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS make customers of prostitutes to look for children who are considered to be of low risk, and most probably virgins (Robinson, 2001:13). Patrons of child prostitutes are willing to pay a great deal of money to be a girl’s first client.In the streets, brothels and drinking spots these days a lot of female children are being employed to help lure more male customers to their spots. Places like Amaram by Tetlow Road and some places in Onyeche Street in Owerri have a high number of female child prostitutes who are employed only to facilitate their business. This is because there is the fear that other older female prostitutes in the same profession could have various STDs. 8. DRUG ABUSE AND ADDICTION ARE PRO-CHILD PROSTITUTIONThe influence of drugs can subject a child to prostitution and to certain indignifying acts of prostitution which she may otherwise never agree to given her sound mind (Lewis 1980:70); and Udechi (1987:15). 9. REBELLION AND FEELING OF INDEPENDENCE This is another factor promoting child prostitutions. Some girls are shamelessly bold. What is more, they feel that the body is theirs thus they should decide what to do with their body. (Bennet, G and Robert, P. 1985:207). 10. PORNOGRAPHY AGGRAVATES CHILD PROSTITUTION: Pornography also puts viewers at increased risk for developing sexually deviant tendencies. Awake July 22, 2003:7). Pornography is identified as promoting â€Å"the rape myth† which is a belief that women cause and enjoy rape. Additionally, the repeated use of pornography interferes with the ability to enjoy and participate in normal marital intimacy. Dr. Victor Cline, who specializes in treating sex addiction claims that â€Å"deviant sexual acts results† when a viewer tries to ac t out the pornography-based fantasies. 11. Incestuous violation and rape in homes as a factor: Some youths were raped in their own homes, which act changed their outlook in life.Some of such ones give vent to prostitution. Two other closely related causes of prostitution are glamor associated with it and insatiable sexual urges in some females. Blag(1976:68) observed that some prostitutes take to this lifestyle because of their innate desire for glamour or that they want to maintain a standard of life, which is impossible by ordinary means of earning, a life reminiscent of Greek aether. On the other hand, Ekejiuba(1996:14) identified other females, nymphomaniacs, who engage in prostitution for the sake of â€Å"fun† or pleasure they derive from it. 2 SUDDEN EXPOSURE: Furthermore, illicit love affairs in the presence of children may subject them to early prostitution. Some parents perform extra marital affairs in the presence of their wards. This exposes the children to early sex life. The premature death of one or both of the parents has also been discovered as one of the causes of child prostitution. Because of the chasm created by such loss, a teenage girl may be fraught with the onerous task of catering for herself and other family members. More importantly, no one may exist to give stern guideline on her.One Owerri girl who returned from Kumasi Ghana claimed that her father died when she was eight years. This demise of his father left her with the responsibility of catering for her younger siblings and her mother who hails from Kumasi, Ghana. These challenges make her to dabble into prostitution. Child prostitution is not without its consequences, some of which are seemingly pardonable, whereas others are taboo at mere mention of them. High patronage of child prostitutes by wealthy men is another factor that has caused and sustained child prostitution ( Ekejiuba 1996: 13).Some teenage girls find it difficult to resist the temptation of prostitution because of huge sum of money they receive there-from. This accounts for why some IMSU, Alvan and FUTO ladies readily avail themselves for this business. Marxist oriented scholars see prostitution as an outgrowth of capitalism. Many of these see the gradual removal of subsidy from petroleum, which is the main balance of Nigerian economy as exposing many persons to difficulty and leading to sexual promiscuity.