Ife, Efe, and Space Matrix of Coca-Cola Essay

INTRODUCTION Coca-Cola, the product that has given the world its best known taste was born in Atlanta, Georgia on May 8, 1886. Coca-Cola Company is the world’s leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, used to produce nearly 400 beverage brands. They have a strong management and marketing team, and they produce products that people want and in some cases need. Examples of well-known brands they own include Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Vitamin Water, Minute Maid, Bonaqua and Powerade. Although, even a successful company can come tumbling down, and in order to stay ahead of the competition and to continue revenue growth, we would advise the company to seek out additional business strategies in which will explain in depth in the following sections (our company, 2014). CURRENT MISSION, GOALS AND STRATGIES: Coke’s mission is to, â€Å"refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and to create value and make a difference.† Coca-Cola believe that they main responsibility is providing customers with refreshing beverages including soft drinks, water, energy drinks, juice and tea to fit any occasion in their daily lives. Coca-Cola signature product, Coke, is a favorite around the world and a wide variety of products are sold in over 200 countries. They use the only the most sophisticated equipment to process and make the products to ensure each glass of coke product it as good as always. Besides, employees are fairly compensated and we practice fair trade in all markets we compete. Coca-Cola values their responsibility to all communities to serve and support many educational programs. Furthermore, The Company’s goals include maximizing growth and profitability to increase shareholders’ wealth and to be globally known as a business that conducts business responsibility and ethically and to accelerate sustainable growth to operate in tomorrow’s world. The strategies that The Coca-Cola Company is currently pursuing to achieve these goals include: product innovation; creating well planned packaging and pricing schemes; and increasing operating efficiencies. The Company often reviews and evaluates their business plans and performance to improve their earnings and analyze their  competitive positioning the market. They make decisions in realigning their business models to match the objectives of the Company by using strategies and tactics in the analysis of their performance (our company, 2014). INTERNAL ANALYSIS: (See attached IFEM) The Coca-Cola Company has an IFEM score of 2.82, which is an indication of a strong internal position. It can also be observed that there are much more internal strengths than the weakness which is why also the company has a strong internal position. FINANCE: Coca-Cola has consistent financial operating results and compared to their competition, they are much better financial shape. For the year ending 2013, the company generated a whopping $48 billion in revenue, an increase over the past two years. According to the company’s 2013 Income Statement, net income, operating income, and gross profit resulted in a positive year-over-year percent change. Coca-Cola has a Quick Ratio of 0.92% and a Current Ratio of 1.03%, thus having a low projected risk of delinquency and a low risk of failure. Coca-Cola has the total debt to asset ratio of 41.17 and profit margin of 18.22%. The company meets its goal of maximizing shareholders’ wealth as the company’s stock (KO) price plus reinvested dividends continue to trend upwards. MANAGEMENT: There are a lot to say for a company that is been in business for 127 years and it’s evident that the management structure is strong, the company also has a global employee workforce of 150,900 that contributes to the overall success of the organization. The company strives to make a positive impact in the world and intends for their core values to display not only inward but also outward toward the customer. Some of those core values are: diversity, collaboration, passion, accountability, and integrity. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: With the proper qualitative research, the company can gauge what type of beverage the consumers want and whether or not their products taste good to the consumer. The company offers over 91 products worldwide, but in order to stay ahead of competition, the development of new products, product packaging, and product diversification is essential. MARKETING: Coca-Cola is a marketing giant, which proves to be an internal strength for the organization. Through effective marketing strategies, 98% of the world’s population recognizes the famous white and red Coca-Cola logo. Over the years, Coca-Cola has had many creative slogans such as â€Å"Open Happiness† and  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It’s the real thing†. Consumers also enjoy the yearly Coca-Cola Super Bowl commercials that often promote happiness with the Clydesdale horses or Polar Bears. In addition, Coca-Cola is taking advantage of social media sites to communicate with their customers. In summary, The Coca-Cola Company yielded a positive internal analysis. The company is in good financial shape and continues to improve and produce positive year-over-year profits. As long as the company can keep its debt under control, they will continue to be in good financial health. The management team and global workforce at Coca-Cola are strong and their core values reflect positively though their commitment to social responsibility. The company should continue to research what type of beverages best suit consumer’s needs in order to stay ahead of the competition. Lastly, the company excels with their marketing campaigns and should continue with aggressive and creative marketing to maintain market share. EXTERNAL ANALYSIS (See attached EFEM) Company Coca-Cola appears to be competing in a hostile environment as indicated by the EFEM score of 2.39. It can be seen in the External Factor Evaluation matrix that the industry is facing more threats than the opportunities and the priority of the threats are also more than the opportunities. This means that the industry is more vulnerable to the effects of threats than opportunities. DEMOGRAPHIC: Coca-Cola is the most well-known product throughout the world. The demographics used to segment those users of Coca-Cola located in the United States are as follows: age, race, income, education, employment, household size, gender and lifestyle. Coca-Cola was originally created as syrup to be sold to soda fountains, where it would be mixed with soda water and served to patrons, typically teenagers and young adults. And just as it was created for the younger generation, that’s where it’s popularity has remained, with the 18-24 year-old age demographic. However, Coca-Cola’s volume potential is highest for 25-34 year-olds. In the adult population, Coca-Cola is most popular among men, and more specifically, single men. However, there is significant volume potential for married persons, and Coca-Cola could therefore prospectively increase their sales volume by marketing more towards married persons ages 25-34. COMPETITION: Existing Rivalry in the soft drinks  industry is between Coca Cola PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple. However, Coca Col a remains to be the market leader and has maintained the leadership through its intensive marketing campaigns, innovation in introducing brands which captures the evolving customer needs and the wider presence of its brands in many countries across the world. This combined by the significant market experience for the many years the business has been in the industry gives the Coca Cola a competitive edge over competitors. New entrant’s new entrants: Coca cola as the leading soft drink sel ler in the industry has a large network which gives it economies of scale and wide presence all over the world. The economies of scale makes Coca Cola’s average cost to be too low for new entrants to be able to enter the market since they cannot afford to produce at such low cost hence the market has low entrant. The cost of entering the soft drinks industry is also high due to the much research needed for the brands development, equipment and expertise involved which also keeps away many potential entrants in the market. This gives Coca Cola a competitive edge against any potential entrants. ECONOMIC: Inflation rate rise which is the general rise of the price level reduces the consumer’s purchasing power reducing demand for the business’s products while its reduction increases purchasing power increasing demand. Next, Emerging markets are increasing business operations in international market l. This can be demonstrated by the significant performance of the company with the earnings before interest in markets outside US representing 80% of the company earnings. Interest r ate determines the cost of borrowing for investors in the market. Thus a rise of the rate increases the cost of investment which reduces competition in the market while a fall of the rate reduces the cost of capital increasing competition in the market. Unemployment rise affects the amount of disposable income available to the consumers with its rise reducing the income hence reducing demand. On the contrary, an increase in employment increases the disposable income increasing demand for goods boosting the business performance. Economic growth rate and performance determines the level of income in the economy which determines the aggregate demand in the market. Thus a positive economic growth increases demand in the market while a negative growth reduces demand. SOCIAL: Lifestyle change in the market changes demand for products, calling for the business to introduce products that meet the new  demand while phasing out the old products with no demand; this has promoted innovation of the company in introducing relevant products like the diet brands and low or Zero calories brands. Aging population and population composition change and diversified products preference in the market as different age groups have different tastes and preferences, with the elderly becoming more concerned with their health hence having their demand change to healthy products reducing demand for some of the businesses products. The consumers health concern and age preferences has resulted to Carbonated drinks being much preferred by and commanding a large youthful market segment who care less about carbon health effect which has been the concern. There has also been a significant growth of healthier soft drinks due to their branding image that they are natural but the carbonated brands consumption among the children and the adults has reduced. STRATEGIC OPTION ANALYSIS: See the I/E, SPACE, TOWS and QSPM I/E MATRIX: The I&E Matrix plot depicts a strategy area of 2.56 which indicates that the company should â€Å"hold and maintain. Suggested strategies for this position on the I&E Matrix are market penetration, market development, and product development. This is not a large problem for the company as they are in a very strong financial position to hold and maintain the current market position. Elimination of the major problems of Coca-Cola in term of production and marketing will strengthen the company internally and facilitate the adoption of a broader range of strategies. Coca-Cola must also consider to creating products for market niches in order to make it less vulnerable to competition (Product Development).One of the threat in the market is customer are changing health-consciousness attitude, the company have to develop products that can satisfy the need of customer and that are perceived as being clearly superior to the competition. SPACE MATRIX: The SPACE matrix shows a borderline plot in the AGGRESSIVE quadrant, which correlates with the result from the IE matrix as well. The plot ensure the company’s strong financial position (FS+5) with a great competitive advantage (CA-1.50). The industry itself is strong (IP+5.2) but the Coca-Cola finds itself in an unfavourable environment (CP-1.80). Due to  these factors, it is best that Coca-Cola be aggressive and cautious at the same time. The plot suggests that Coca-Cola needs to use their internal strengths to develop a market penetration and market development strategies to stay ahead of the competition. Some of the factors that afforded Coca-Cola with a competitive rating are their large percentage of market share, consumer loyalty to the brand, and their high-quality product offerings. TOWS MATRIX: The TOWS Matrix Yielded Ten Strategies. Two of the strategies were functional strategies and the remaining eight were Business/Corporate strategies. These functional strategies deal with the organization structure and sales force of Coca-Cola. Ten distinct B/C strategies were identified to include product development, concentric diversification, market penetration, horizontal integration, management, market development and joint venture. The QSPM and the QSPM score Summary Sheet: The eight distinct B/C strategies were evaluated by the QSPM. The tentative priorities established in the analysis of the BMS matrix were somewhat revised based on QSPM scores. All scores were at least moderate-above 50% of Max Possible Score (MPS) overall. Strategy #2 had a high overall score- 80% with an extremely high external argument score of 79%. It appears that the strategic thrust inferred in the I/E and BMS analyses and their supporting strategies are generally sustained by the QSPM analysis. RECOMMENDED STRATEGIC THRUST AND SUPPORTING STRATEGIES Coca-Cola should adopt a strategic thrust, which is aimed at positioning the company as a company that owns the innovative products. Aside from that, Coca-Cola should become a creative and memorable leader in the food and beverage industry. Coca-Cola should seek to at least maintain, but preferably increase its market share. Major emphasis should be placed on further penetrating foreign markets, with emphases on our marketing which able to tap into the psyche of the public, especially the teenagers (Hoistein, 2014). It should, as soon as possible, enter the teenagers market  by bringing the wonderful products that could catch the teenager’s mind. Coca-Cola must make its products more attractive and tasty to fulfill the customer’s expectation. FUNCTIONAL STRATEGIES The following functional strategies should be carried out in the time frames indicated. F/MG: Create new department to research and develop nutrition products. Product life cycles are shortening because of the people’s preference and trends are changing rapidly. Develop a â€Å"Market need† products for consumers in order to compete with other competitor. For instance, Coca-Cola must develop the right pricing and packaging, with small packs, large packs, or take-home packs (Hoistein, 2011). This need is pressing and paramount. SHORT RANGE, but will be an ongoing need. F/MG: Develop talent human capital in sales team. The organization’s structure must be redesigned to be more responsive to the field and unpredictable nature of the competitive environment. A talented sale leaded is needed to lead their team in order to provide the best in town services for the customers. SHORT-MID-LONG RANGES. B/C (BUSINESS/CORPORATE STRATEGIES) SHORT RANGE-INITIATE IMMEDIATELY AND IN PRIORITY: Strategy #2 and #3 – Research and development to create innovative products that appeal to the health conscious consumers and Capitalize on their strong brand name and expand operations to include food (SO) and (WO): Coca-Cola should employ more creative and innovative worker and gain several new attractions for the products Hire more creative and innovative worker able to generate more new ideas for Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola could increase the level of satisfaction of customers. For instance, Coca-Cola must understand the culture of every country before enter into the international market in order to increase the competitive advantage. For example, Coca-Cola has announced plans to launch a new version of its best-selling soft drink with a third less sugar and a third fewer calories in the market (Smithers, 2014). New green cans and bottle labels will feature alongside its range of drinks from the iconic 330ml red tins with 139 calories to Coke Light and Zero with no calories (Sayid, 2014). It can help Coca-Cola increase the  market share. Both strategies have the highest priority. Strategy #4 – Increase marketing efforts for bottled drinks (WO): Coca-Cola should do research on the bottled drinks. Coca-Cola has to make the bottled drinks that the customer feels attractive and purchase us. According to Fox (2014) Coca-Cola will personalize its bottled drinks with 250 of the nation’s most popular names among teens and millennial. Nowadays, most of the people likes fresh and new the products, which able to grab their attention. This trend had brought an opportunity for Coca-Cola to generate more customers. MID RANGE – BEGIN PLANNING IMMEDIATELY FOR IMPLEMENTATYION IN 2 TO 3 YEARS Strategy #1 – Improve environment awareness with community involvement (SO): To achieve environmental awareness Coca-Cola should organize seminars for the public in order to share the information and knowledge of the company. Aside from that, every bottled drink should print the information about environmental awareness to remind the customer regards the crucial of it. LONG RANGE-BEGIN PLANNING NOW FOR IMPLEMENTATION IN 4 TO 5 YEARS. Strategy #5 Increase advertising to maintain competitive edge (ST): Concentrate on every single advertisement able to maintain a competitive edge. Coca-Cola should target all audiences when advertise for its products. If the advertisement able to grab the attentions of consumer it means the advertisement was a good advertisement. Zmuda (2014) said increase the effectiveness of our marketing investment by transforming our marketing and commercial model to redeploy resources into more consumer facing marketing investments to accelerate growth. It proves that a good marketing will plan a good advertisement and it could maintain the competitive advantage. Strategy #6 – Acquire Golden Enterprises (GLDC) to help diversify the product line (ST): Coca-Cola should diversify its product line for market development and GLDC is required for this strategy. Coca-Cola must do research and development to achieve this goal. NOT RECOMMENDED: Strategy #8 – Advertising on encourages consumers to lead a healthy lifestyle (WT): Coca-Cola should not advertise a healthy lifestyle advertisement, products of Coca-Cola not a drink that can drink for healthy purpose. It  seems to increase the risk of failure if advertise healthy lifestyle advertisement. References (2014), Our Company. Retrieved from http://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/ David, F. (2013). Strategic Management A Competitive Advantage Approach. 14th ed Pearson Education, Inc. Fox. (2014). Why you may see your name on a bottle of Coca-Cola. Retrieved from http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/25742524/why-you-may-see-your-name-on-a-bottle-of-coca-cola Hoistein, W. J. (2011). How Coca-Cola Manages 90 Emerging Markets. Retrieved from http://www.strategy-business.com/article/00093?pg=all Ruddick, G. (2014). Coca-Cola to launch new stevia-flavored drink. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10890702/Coca-Cola-to-launch-new-stevia-flavoured-drink.html Sayid, R. (2014). Coca-Cola Life to launch in UK as new low calorie alternative to classic brand. Retrieved from http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coca-cola-life-launch-uk-3672697 Smithers, R. (2014). Coca-Cola Life: Coke with fewer calories and less sugar to tackle obesity. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/11/coca-cola-fewer-calories-less-sugar Zmuda, N. (2014). Coca-Cola Boosts Media Spending as Demand Slows, CEO Muhtar Kent Defends the Importance of Marketing. Retrieved from http://adage.com/article/news/coca-cola-boosts-marketing-spend-demand-slows/291747/

India is a country of festivals Essay

India: A Land Of Festivals INDIA, the world’s second largest country, has over 1 billion inhabitants, who speak 18 major languages and more than 1,000 minor languages and dialects. It features an infinite variety of landscapes and unsurpassed cultural richness. With so much diversity embedded within one culture, it is easy to understand why India is called â€Å"a land of festival and fairs.† Every day of the year there is a festival celebrated in some part of the country. As in any old civilization, most of these festivals have religious ties. Because India is still a predominantly rural nation, many of its festivals also welcome the coming of natural phenomena like the seasons of the year, the harvest, the rains, or the full moon. Thus, festivals often commemorate the sacred bond felt by the Indian villagers to their land. Nevertheless, there are those festivals, such as karwa chauth, practiced with great austerity by women of the Hindu faith in devotion to their husbands, which are not festivals as such, though there may be something of a festive air attached to these occasions. English: Diwali Chakra in Displaly English: Radha celebrating Holi, c1788. (digitally†¦ Holi Some festivals are observed throughout the country, or in a greater part of it; others, such as the famed snake race of Kerala, have peculiarly regional associations. Yet others, most notably Diwali and Holi, have been instrumental in bringing the diaspora of Indian communities back together. In remote places like Fiji, Mauritius, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Guyana, these festivals are celebrated with a pomp and vigor not always witnessed in India itself, indicating the intensity of India culture even after it travels away from the subcontinent. Among the most popular of all festivals, Dussehra symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. It takes place sometime between late September and early October. Every region observes this ten-day festival in a special way.

Ethical Dilemmas Facing Non-Profit Hospital Ceo Compensation

Ethical Dilemmas Facing Non-Profit Hospital CEO Compensation Ethical Dilemmas Facing Non-Profit Hospital CEO Compensation Executive Summary This essay deals with the unethical prevalence of excessive compensation packages granted to nonprofit hospital executives. Nonprofits are highly complex organizations and are vital to the community’s in which they serves. Therefore, it is essential for these organizations to appoint highly motivated individuals knowledgeable of the healthcare industry and capable of managing and leading a hospital during a national recession while health reform is changing the culture of the US healthcare system.However, many nonprofit organization’s tax-exempt statuses should be rescinded for allocating leftover resources to hospital executives in the form of exorbitant salaries, benefits, and other incentives. It is these hefty salaries and benefits that are restricting hospitals from carrying out their priority mission as public charities. These CEO’s exorbitant compensation packages are further straining the hospital’s ability to provide a social benefit, suggestion that these tax-exempt organizations are acting unethically, in that financial gain is taking precedents over social responsibilities.Ethical Dilemmas Facing Non-Profit Hospital CEO Compensation Communities across the nation have seen the coarse effects of the delicate financial status of our country and the effects it has on healthcare organization within their community. In a time difficult for nonprofit healthcare organizations to operate at a profit, many organizations are left with no choice but to cut essential departments, programs, and employees, leaving many patients that have relied on these organizations, out in the cold.Recently, because of these financial issues, the ethical principles of nonprofits regarding CEO compensation have been under heavy scrutiny by both the public, and the Internal Revenue Service for excessive salaries and benefits. Nonprofit hospitals are organization that are exempt from paying income, sales, and property taxes, and receive charitable donations and massive government subsidies with the understanding that these subsidies are issued in order for these hospitals to fulfill their duty as a community service and benefit.Excessively high compensation for hospital executives is an unethical epidemic facing many organizations, particularly large and urban hospitals, that is restricting hospitals from carrying out its duties because of additional financial constraint. Salaries for nonprofit hospital executives should be capped as they limit and often restrict hospitals to better fulfill their charitable, social missions. Healthcare is beginning to mirror corporate businesses with many hospital CEO salaries competitively rivaling those of corporate executives.However, organizational goals and missions are nearly completely diametrical. Healthcare organizations are unlike other corporations i n that corporations are in existence with the ultimate goal of financial gain. Nonprofit hospitals carry missions such as to provide high-quality, cost-effective healthcare services to all patients regardless of ability to pay,  to offer training, to conduct clinical research, to serve the community as a public health advocate, and to provide support and services which respond to the area's health care needs through health education, health promotion, and access to care.Hospitals have the ethical responsibility to pursue a social mission, including providing uncompensated care and community outreach, but when their executives boast salaries with staggering seven figure salaries, the charitable work of the organization becomes obnubilated by an unmistakable pursuit of financial gain. The IRS reported that the average hospital CEO received $490,000 in total compensation in 2006, and top executives at twenty of the larger hospitals in the nation raked in an average of $1. 4 million a year, whereas uncompensated and free care expenditures as a percentage of hospital revenues averaged about 7 percent (Terry, K. 009). There is a large margin in executive compensation that is dependent on features such as geographical location and size. According to the â€Å"Charity Navigator,† in 2008, the median CEO salary in the Northeast was $351,000 for large hospitals, and $120,000 for small hospitals. In the Mountain West region of the US, the median salaries for a large hospital was $194,374, and only $80,790 for small hospitals (Charity Navigator 2010) Seven figure salaries are not a normal occurrence among hospital and health system executives.However, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, which does an annual national survey of nonprofit salaries, found that the five top-paid nonprofit chief executives in 2003 all worked for hospitals. On top of these exaggerated salaries are the attractive benefits such as bonuses, deferred income, retirement plans, countr y club memberships, and countless other perks that are attracting the wrong kind of leaders to these organizations. Hospitals must provide their social responsibility to the community before spending outrageous salaries for chief executives.It is an unethical practice to pay executive teams more than the total spending on the necessitous care of the community. For example, the survey identified 17 hospitals in California where the total compensation to CEO’s alone exceeded the total cost of charity care of their respective organizations. These excessive salaries could have easily paid hospital bills for uninsured individuals, or could have been used to fund educational programs for the community, provide free immunizations to the public, and or many other beneficial alternatives that could have had a big impact on the community’s health (Mahar, M. 011). It is unjustified for executives to be compensated in amounts greater than $1 million. By capping executive salary at this figure, funds can be reprioritized into community programs such as parenting support programs, screening programs, women, children and infant development clinics, which can be implemented to provide nutrition and educational information for new mothers, and social work programs that could assist individuals and families that face medical related problems, and those who need emotional support.Instead, greed has played a big factor in CEO initiatives. It has not been of rare occurrence for Chief executives to siphon off millions of tax dollars that should be going towards access and quality care. It is unethical for executives at nonprofit organizations to exploit their federally granted nontaxable status to enrich themselves (Swiatek, J. , 2005) Attorney General Michael A. Delaney of New Hampshire announced in May of 2010 that he would review the compensation of CEO’s at more than twenty nonprofit hospitals throughout the state.In a report that reviewed the proposed merg er of two health systems, Mr. Delaney expressed his concern about the pay for Alyson Pitman Giles, President ; CEO of Catholic Medical Center, who earned $1. 4 million in 2009. He stated, â€Å"Nonprofit leaders must be aware that they are the stewards of the charitable assets they oversee, and those assets are held in trust for charitable purposes, not individual gain,† (Gose, B. , 2010)Non-profit hospitals must provide a minimum of charity care in order to receive its tax-free title and its federal grants. However, many hospitals, although they meet the minimum, make no effort to go above and beyond this threshold, instead rewarding these left over funds to be dispersed to the organization’s high-end executives in the form of company cars and country club memberships (Mahar, M. , 2011). These lavish executive benefits in no way benefit the organization. They are unethical and borderline unlawful.Federal law states that non-profit, tax-exempt organizations cannot oper ate to the financial benefit of any individual. In the mid-1990s, Congress passed intermediate sanctions laws that have given the IRS authority to require individuals who make excessive compensation from a non-profit to pay the money back, plus a 25% fin. (Appleby, J. , 2004). It is a common suggestion to compensate executives to match their performance at the organization in which they lead. However there are different ways to measure hospital performance.There is a measure of how well a CEO does in leading his or her hospital in providing beneficial programs to the community; for example, uncompensated care for the poor. Another way to measure or his or her success is by how well CEO’s implement new programs and services that will in hopes attract private pay customers like specialized surgery centers, imaging centers, and cardiac centers. Many healthcare organizations across the nation are expanding and adding unique services that are attracting private pay customers, givi ng hospitals the opportunity to increase profits.This practice has its benefits in both providing a wider range of care for those who can pay, and offering the hospital more means of financial gain, however, in many organizations, this has established precedence over the social missions of nonprofit organizations. In a study conducted by Jeffrey Kramer, PHD, and Rexford E. Santerre, PhD, 30 hospitals in Connecticut were examined on how various measures of performance affect the compensation of CEO’s, which throughout the state, range from a modest $136,000 to an exorbitant $2 million plus salary.The study shows that CEO compensation is directly related to organizational size, stating, â€Å"A 10 percent increase in the number of beds results in an 8 percent increase in CEO pay. † Another 8% increase in pay is attributed to the CEO if the occupancy rate rises by 10%. â€Å"In contrast, providing more uncompensated care and admitting an additional public-pay patient low ers the compensation of hospital CEOs. The results of the study reveal that hospital CEO’s (certainly in the state of Connecticut) have financial incentive to increase the occupancy of privately insured patients rather than uncompensated care and public paid insurance patients, also suggesting that economic performance takes priority over charitable performance (Kramer, J. , ; Santerre, R. E). Notwithstanding, A non-distribution constraint on nonprofit organizations means that excessive profits cannot be distributed among those who make decisions within the organization; this includes employees, managers, and board members.Hence, the nonprofit distinction ought to mean hospital executives are paid based upon their attainment at fulfilling the charitable and social mission of the organization. Nonprofit hospitals have ethical responsibilities and obligations to serve the community, even in times of financial struggle. It is important for these organizations to recruit professi onals that demonstrate the same ideals and values of the organization. Healthcare leaders whose goal is to produce a healthier population through increased public programs and access to care is the type of leader that hospitals and health systems should strive to obtain.Accomplished leaders can be found and appointed as a nonprofit CEO for a more reasonable (6 figure) salary if he or she is in the healthcare industry not for riches, but for offering a greater good. The American Red Cross for example, took in $3. 3 billion in revenue in 2009, however Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern took in only $456,000, according to the organization's IRS filing (Hancock, J. , 2011). McGovern is an example of a leader who recognizes the ethical financial dilemmas of her organization, and will willingly take a more appropriate salary in order to accomplish the organization’s goals.There is no mention of executive compensation in the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act besides the suggestion t hat compensation should be â€Å"reasonable†. Hospital executives should be paid based on their production within the organization and their contribution to their community. As a nonprofit organization, pursuing the charitable mission should take greatest importance in determining final executive compensation. This aspect of an organization’s mission should never be overshadowed by hospital expansion, financial well-being, or increased services and technology.Although these elements are incredibly important for the organization, the insured population, and the advancement of medicine, it is unethical for charitable organizations to use government subsidies for anything other than charity care and social benefit. Budget cuts, along with a feeble economy has resulted in hospitals engaging in mass layoffs to conserve resources. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the month of August (2011) consisted of thirteen mass layoffs in hospitals, totaling in over 1,000 jobs lost. The month before consisted of ten mass layoffs with over 600 lost jobs.This puts hospitals on pace for nearly 130 mass layoffs and over 8,000 jobs lost in 2011. To make matters seem worse, in an article posted by FierceHealthcare, a leading source of healthcare management news for healthcare industry executives, AMA data claims that a 2 percent cut in the Medicare program would lead to the loss of 195,000 jobs by 2021 (Caramenico, A. , 2011). These layoffs would be decreased immensely if hospital executives received more appropriate salaries. Excessive salaries are not only draining resources from the hospital, but are also threatening the jobs of nurses, administrators, and other hospital employees.These staff members, who are on an opposite spectrum in terms of salary, face the possibility of layoffs at any time of financial vulnerability. The decision to cut jobs in non-profit hospitals while executives are still receiving Wall Street salaries is unethical of the boar d of trustees. In financially difficult times, executives have the ethical responsibility to take pay cuts in order to maintain the organization’s social reputation. Hospitals are extremely complex organizations that more often than not are the single largest employers in communities across the country.Hospital executives are responsible for making important decisions that will ultimately affect thousands of people. Many CEO’s and members of boards of trustees argue that executive roles are far too important to not have competitive compensation packages. It is argued that million dollar salaries, added bonuses, hefty retirement plans, and other attractive perks are the only way to attract highly effective leaders capable of running a hospital in a time of economic struggle and health reform. Many hospitals have net revenues exceeding the billion-dollar mark, making it easier of Board members to justify seven-figure salaries for CEO’s.President and CEO of New Yor k-Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Herbert Pardes inherited a $9. 8 million package in 2008 that included $6. 8 million of previously awarded retirement benefits, which he'll receive when he retires at the end of 2011. If Dr. Pardes worked at a public company of about the same size, his salary would be outrageously low. In 2009, Nasdaq CEO Robert Griefeld's total compensation exceeded $13 million while his company's revenues were only $3. 4 billion. New York-Presbyterian has 2,353 beds and pulled in $3 billion in revenue in 2008, up 3% from 2007. A The Greater New York Hospital Association spokesman defended Dr.Pardes’ salary, stating, â€Å"Dr. Pardes' pay reflects his extraordinary success leading this large and complex organization, and exceeding objectives to enhance patient care, strengthen financial stability and promote community health in a very challenging environment. † (Benson, B. , 2010) The Greater New York Hospital Association stated that â€Å"CEO salaries re flect not only a national demand for their services, but also the skills and leadership necessary to operate large, extremely complex medical centers that are open 24/7, generate millions and sometimes billions in revenue, and are often the largest employer in the community. (Benson 2010) Leading one of these charities requires an individual that possesses an understanding of the issues that are unique to the charity’s mission as well as a high level of fundraising and management expertise. Attracting and retaining that type of talent requires a competitive level of compensation as dictated by the marketplace. It is important for donors to understand that since the average charity CEO earns roughly $150,000, a six-figure salary is not necessarily a sign of excessive pay for a mid to large sized charity. Charity Navigator 2010) Today, executives are being paid to keep their organizations afloat amid closings of many hospitals nationwide due to persistently poor financial perfo rmances. CEO’s face constant pressure to hire more staff, increase nurses’ salaries, implement more community programs, and invest in expensive technologies, while at the same time they are aware that insurers want to pay as little as possible. The CEO undoubtedly faces many challenges, and the responsibilities are incredibly complex.Even with a nonprofit status, many oppose executive compensation cuts, arguing that these organizational leaders deserve salaries competitive to corporate pay. Trustees pay executives based on total revenues, as well as how effective they are in providing patient safety, clinical quality, attentive service, and cost effectiveness. Hospital executive compensation should be based on a number of elements, such as total revenue, the size of the organization, as well as the amount and effectiveness of community benefit.Instead of offering company cars and extravagant country club memberships, executives should be entitled to financial incentive s to implement more community benefit programs. Peter Baristone, President & CEO of Mission Hospital located in Laguna Beach, CA referred to his own compensation strategy stating: Collaborating with the community to identify, understand, and respond to community needs that have an impact on health and quality of life is a major goal for all CEO’s. We establish specific quantifiable targets for each goal.One-seventh of my bonus depends on reaching the targets for community health and benefit. (Bogue, R, 1999). I recommend that all nonprofit Boards assemble an independent compensation committee, responsible for reviewing the CEO’s performance and ensuring that the CEO’s pay is appropriate. At its highest, CEO compensation should be capped at $1 million, thus allowing these large, urban hospitals to recycle resources back into the hospital and community programs, while at the same time offering executives a market competitive salary, fit for a CEO.At a time where n early 20% of adults are uninsured and community residents are in need of help in the form of various programs, it is more important than ever for nonprofit hospitals to perform its duty of being a â€Å"non-profit† organization and be of greater service to the community in which it serves. Nonprofits not only have the legal responsibility to implement such benefits, but also have the moral and ethical duty to carry out their social missions to the best of their ability, and as far as their recourses let them.By capping executive compensation, these resources can be better allocated to provide more charity care, to implement more community programs and benefits to produce a healthier community, and ensure fairness among staff salaries. â€Å"Hospitals are unquestionably complex institutions that require skilled managers, but there's no place for Wall Street-level salaries if we want an affordable health care system. † –Mark Scherzer (Benson, B. , 2010) Works Cite d: Terry, K. (2009, February 13). IRS Report Puts Tax-Exempt Hospitals Under Microscope – CBS News.Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News – CBS News. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-505123_162- 43840159/irs-report-puts-tax-exempt-hospitals-under-microscope/? tag=bnetdoma in Charity Navigator. (n. d. ). 2010 Compensation Study. Retrieved October 15, 2011, from www. charitynavigator. org/__asset__/st Mahar, M. (2011, March 24). Health Beat: High CEO Salaries at Nonprofit Hospitals Under Scrutiny†¦Once Again. Health Beat. Retrieved November 5, 2011, from http://www. healthbeatblog. om/2011/03/high-ceo-salaries-at- Swiatek, J. (2005, February 6). Pay is healthy for hospitals' executives Corporate-like salaries seen at nonprofits' top jobs. The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from www2. indystar. com/articles/6/220029-4276-P. html Gose, B. (2010). Nonprofit CEO Pay Under Scrutiny. Chronicle Of Phila nthropy, 22(16), 8. Appleby, J. , & TODAY, U. (2004, September 30). USATODAY. com – IRS looking closely at what non-profits pay. News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U. S. & World – USATODAY. com.Retrieved November 5, 2011, from http://www. usatoday. com/money/companies/management/2004-09-30-salary- Kramer, J. , & Santerre, R. E. (2010). Not-for-Profit Hospital CEO Performance and Pay: Some Evidence from Connecticut. Inquiry, 47(3), 242-251 Hancock, J. (2011, August 28). For hospitals, ‘nonprofit' stops with CEO's paycheck – Baltimore Sun. Featured Articles From The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 4, 2011, from http://articles. baltimoresun. com/2010-08-29/health/bs-bz-hancock-hospital-pay-20100829_1_hospitals-executive-compensation-ceos Caramenico, A. 2011, October 4). More mass layoffs as hospitals face payment cuts – FierceHealthcare. Healthcare News, Hospital News, Healthcare Companies — Fierce Healthcare. Retrieved October 26, 2011, from http://www. fiercehealthcare. com/story/more-mass-layoffs- hospitals-face-payment-cuts/2011-10-04 Benson, B. (2010). Hospital execs enjoy healthy paydays. (cover story). Crain's New York Business, 26(12), 1-15. Bogue, R. (1999). An incentive for community health. Linking CEO compensation to community goals. Trustee: The Journal For Hospital Governing Boards, 52(5), 15-19.

Latin American Woman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Latin American Woman - Essay Example Generally the cases represented in this scenario are the low class, middle class or the upper class and the variety of the classes of people has a completely direct effect between the people, their relative powers and status in the society (Ninenth, 2002). In the actual life situations, the members of the upper class always have more political power and influence on the decisions made within the society compared to all the other classes of people. This people include the politicians and the wealthy and stable business individuals in the society and issues to do with major decisions in the society. This population is small and comprises of about 1 or 2 percent of the communities mostly born within this social class. The middle class individuals fall in a category of the society which clearly faces the most of contention in relation to the societal perception because it falls within the periphery of the high class and the middle class and can either ascend to the high class or descend to the low class members of the society. They form the people of white collar jobs and either is working or the individuals with stabilizing businesses with good capital able to sustain almost their entire capital needs and demands. It is generally believed especially in Latin America that the low class individuals and families are living in crime ridden areas with poor infrastructure. The areas are perceived to be having decaying environment with almost zero civil services and the poor characterisation of basic amenities. The low class members of the society are characterised by the homelessness and the rampant and wide spread characterisation of unemployment of the individuals within the society. (Galeano, 1999) The social classes of the individuals has a completely great repercussion on the lives of the individuals plus the lives of their children for example the individuals social class will probably determine the kind of school an individual attends or the kind of facilities he is to use especially for learning and recreation and this will have either a negative addition to his learning or general development especially of the young individuals. The variety of the classes also has effect on the health of an individual in relation to the attention he obtains from the medical personnel and the ability to pay for better and more efficient health services. The jobs also vary according to the classes, those individuals in the middle or upper classes are always enjoying greater freedom in their jobs whereas the individuals in the low classes face job opportunities with great constraints hence don’t have enough freedom of issues herein. The courts and policing are also biased in relation to the social classes in the society favouring mostly the middle and high classes in relation to the low class. The women in Latin America face a number of issues especially of socio economic aspects like the deprivation of their human rights to education and their genera l empowerment to ensure that they fully achieve the ultimate goal of life. In Latin America women make up to 50 % of the HIV/AIDS patients while globally the percentage of the affected males is higher than the females and the examination of the prevalence in the Latin America is showing that the prevalence and rations of the infection of women to men affected in Latin America is significantly narrowing down (Hillary, Karen, &

Saleh's english Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Saleh's english - Essay Example Phenomenon happened in the Millennium Bridge was rather serious. Norman Foster as the designer made the bridge strongly designed and estimated to be able to cope with degree of movements. As a matter of fact, serious trouble occurred on its deck when it swayed just like a drunken sailor. People who experienced that phenomenon told that it felt like a seasick. The worst thing was the elderly walkers clung on the side of the bridge. In a view, the phenomenon was like swaying bridge as a fairground ride. As it had been observed, the movements occurred on the Millennium Bridge were caused by Synchronous Lateral Excitation. In this case, small sideways oscillations happened because of natural sway motion of people walking; it was in turn to cause people who passed the bridge to sway in step, in which it made the amplitude of the bridge oscillations increased and reinforced the effect continuously. When it occurred, the worst movement was on the central span where the deck moved by up to 7 0mm. What a dramatic swaying that had made people who passed shocked. The solutions that had been done to analysed the phenomenon were mostly used tests. Crowd tests were implemented on the bridge deck. In July 2000, 100 people were used in the first test.

Information systems security incident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Information systems security incident - Essay Example This paper defines CONOP for ‘B Concepts’. The mission of B-Concepts CIRT is: â€Å"To protect communications and promote standards that give us a unique advantage†. To fulfill this mission the operational framework for security of the software, hardware and data associated with information systems is defined based on ISO 17799. CONOP outlines the key players, their roles and responsibilities in the event of information security incident. The CONOP is defined to control the information & financial loss, for business continuity, security policy review and security awareness program.The CIRT organization structure is detailed; roles and responsibilities of the team members are defined. CIRT acts on information & security logs to anticipate security threats and to resolve the security incidents. This paper describes the types of logs that are maintained at B-Concepts, the log management system and discusses the advantages of security logs.Three types of security logs are maintained at B-Concepts: Security process logs are records of the security procedure and security policy application. These logs are recorded in the normal condition. Security faul t logs are recorded in absence of security policy and risk management strategy. Security breach logs are the records of security policy breach. The CONcept of OPerations on information security incident is based on the severity and impact of the incident

Budget and financial analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Budget and financial analysis - Essay Example It is common knowledge that obesity especially among the children has immediate as well as long-term impact on the lives and health of the affected population (Gollust, etal, 2013). For instance, there is high risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes as well as joint problems. The organization will require exactly $15,000 as a startup capital for the obesity eradication program. This money ($15, 000) will come from the three administrators of the organization (Nurse, Dietitian and Social worker) inform of donation. Healthy Neighbors Center was lucky to get sponsorship in form of donations not exceeding $4000 per month from a local based organization called Kick Out Obesity. Since the organization has limited financial sources as at its start up the organization will look for various avenues of increase its revenue stream. The company will begin by incorporating an online payment option to allow individuals subscribe to the programs, make donations, and buy articles as well as videos concerning healthy behaviors that can reduce or prevent childhood obesity. The income received from the administrators as well as the donations will be used to acquire office equipment, furniture, computer, telephone, stationary, personal digital assistance (PDA), website design, staff expenses, administrative supplies, office space, and training materials. In order to operate obesity suppression programs online the organization will contract a company to design a website where users can make donations and subscribe to the diverse obesity eradication programs online. Considering that, the organization is not for profit the administrators will not claim refund of their investment apart from salaries, which will be reviewed upwards after the first 2 years operation. For the first year of operation, the administrators accepted to earn bonuses rather than salaries

Summary of the film The lives of others Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of the film The lives of others - Essay Example The film elicited criticism despite receiving widespread acclaim. Roger Ebert described the film as quiet while Wolf Biermann criticized it for lacking originality in its political details (The Guardian). However, the impeccable production of The Lives of Others attracted awards and nominations. The film was nominated for Australian Film Critics Association in the category the Best Overseas Film, BBC Four, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and European Film Academy. The movie also won awards in German Film Critics Association, Sarasota Film Festival, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Deutsche Film, and European film Academy (Nytimes.com). The purpose of this analysis is to highlight concerns of political power, cruelties, a vindictive administration, trust, love and mistrust that result into a tragic end in the film. The film deals with oppressive powerful regimes, but on a small scale level (Gritten, The Telegraph).The beginning of the film affirms the prevailing powerful regimes in East Berlin in 1984. The detention center of Stasi houses political informants to known details of all citizens and intervene in all possible controversies. Spying on Georg Dreyman affirms that the tension between the population and the government. The political power elicits trust and sacrifice concerns. A suffocating society has little room for expression and happiness (French, The Guardian). For example, the East Berlin bureaucrats do not disclose the real reasons for the surveillance of Dreyman. Wiesler sacrifices his position in the Stasi team after learning that Minister Bruno Hempf is coveting with her girlfriend, Christa. Wiesler uses mistrust to avoid the brutal administration. Donnersmarck’s production is an eye-opener to state assassinations and cruelties carried out under the guise of socialism (Gritten, The Telegraph). The dominant mood of a tragedy engulfs the film that shows a man,

Shea's One of a Kind Boutique Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Shea's One of a Kind Boutique - Term Paper Example For the success of an organization, it is highly important that the organization is structured efficiently. If the overall structure of an organization is effective, there would be a good flow of communication throughout the organization and the overall efficiency of the management would increase. In this organization, supervisory managers are responsible for the operations of their respective departments and they present the performance reports to the directors. The team of advisors helps the organization carry out risk assessment properly and to operate safely without any legal issues. The team for quality control ensures that all the processes in the organization are operating effectively. This is done by assessing different processes for their effectiveness. The accountants keep the records of the business of the organization. The record keeping system is completely automated and the accountants ensure that the system is operating effectively and in compliance with the financial reporting standards. Section 3: Business Teams The management of the organization understands the concept of synergy therefore formation of teams for different tasks is highly encouraged in the organization (Robbins & Judge, 2010). The concept of teams is very frequently applied in the organization. Since the business is of such a nature that it requires so much brainstorming, working in teams is the optimum way to carry out the task. In order to come up with innovative marketing techniques or new ideas for the clothes, teams are formed by the management and they are given the tasks. The group dynamics bring out synergy and the members of a group remain motivated towards completing the task efficiently. The strengths of business teams include; motivation, efficient completion of the tasks and origination of innovative ideas. The weaknesses may be; the team members may divert from the actual purpose of the formation of the team and there may be negative dynamic of the group if there is lack of congeniality among the group members. Section 4: Management Philosophy regarding Communication and Organizational Culture The management philosophy regarding

Critical Analysis on the Prevention of Tissue Breakdown on Grade 2 Essay

Critical Analysis on the Prevention of Tissue Breakdown on Grade 2 Pressure Ulcer at Sacral Area of Patient with Public Rami - Essay Example As a senior nurse, this incident was significant because it provided efficient cues on the management of pressure ulcers, including preventing infection, preventing its progression to higher pressure ulcer grades, as well as promoting efficient and speedy patient recovery. The main clinical issues which arose from the incident included the following: prevention of tissue breakdown of pressure ulcer, promoting mobility, and preventing infection. This study sought to establish how the author could make a difference or improve the care for the patient as a senior nurse in her department. Main Body The management for this patient included several nursing interventions. These interventions included the following: regular assessment of pressure ulcer and of other pressure points in the body, promoting early mobility at least every two hours, keeping the patient’s sacrum and back clean and dry at all times, regular cleaning of pressure ulcer, placing pressure-reducing overlays on mat tresses, chairs, and other surfaces used by patient (Bluestein and Javaheri, 2008). These interventions help promote wound healing as well as help prevent the progression of the pressure ulcer to higher grades (Bluestein and Javaheri, 2008). Pressure ulcers are one of the most difficult wounds to manage and heal. Once they manifest, they are often not responsive to antibiotic therapy (Paquay, et.al., 2010). Moreover, complete healing is not always possible. For those under long-term care, the degree of healing often depends on the primary stages of the pressure ulcer (Paquay, et.al., 2010). Where the initial stages are managed well, the healing rate is high, however, as the grade level of the pressure ulcer progresses, the rate of healing is also reduced (Paquay, et.al., 2010). Prevention and early management of pressure ulcers is therefore an important consideration in the management of chronic care patients. Patient Assessment The assessment process in pressure ulcers is one of th e initial and important elements in the management of pressure ulcers. There are various assessment scales which have been recommended for use by experts. In the UK, the European Pressure Ulcer (EUPAP) Grading System has been recommended for use (NHS, 2012). Based on patient assessment, the patient manifests with a Grade 2 pressure ulcer with some of the outer surface of the skin damaged. The ulcer manifests as an open wound or blister (NHS, 2012). The goal for this patient now is to promote the healing of such ulceration, to prevent its progression (higher grade levels), as well as its infection. Assessment of a pressure ulcer also involved the complete medical assessment of the patient, including the onset as well as the duration of the pressure ulcer, including his history of pressure ulcers (Bluestein and Javaheri, 2008). This was the patient’s first time to have a pressure ulcer and the pressure ulcer started to manifest about two weeks following his injury. His wound ca re mostly involved standard dressings which were changed daily. He had difficulty changing positions on the bed and mostly stayed in one position all day. He was of regular body build, with a BMI within the normal levels. He was alert and socially responsive, especially with his family and with the hospital staff. He had limited assistance when discharged as it was only him and his wife in their house. They needed support services at home. There was one grade 2 pressure ul

Report about Cedar Breaks Park Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Report about Cedar Breaks Park - Term Paper Example It feels as which you are touching the sky as this park is 10,000 feet above a cliff edge with a spectacular view of forests, meadows, deserts and rocky spires. This breath-taking scenery was completely a treat for me as I had never seen such an amazing, well-kept park which was an amazing source of recreation for all of us. Cedar Breaks Park got the name ‘Cedar’ because of abundance of cedar in the forests surrounding this mesmerizing piece of land. This park is open all year and we visited during the same peak timings in between 6am-10pm. basically, this park is operated by the very efficient US Army Corps and they are remarkably performing their duties and maintaining the park well. History: This heaven on earth-Cedar Breaks Park could not have been constructed if this beautiful place could have been declared as National Monument by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 12th, 1992. People have been actually visiting this place 9000 years before and these were call ed as the first visitors of Cedar Break who came to this place for many things and activities (Laine and Laine 521). After the creation of Cedar Break Lodges, Cedar Break Park Company lodges were also constructed. Park tour buses used to stop for dinners at these lodges seating around 120 people at one time. In this way, people started to visit this place and got to know about this amazing place. As now, Cedar Break was in sight of many people, many groups of people started to utilizing this beautiful scenic beauty into some useful project. After Franklin’s Deceleration, this place was now ready to be considered as national monument. Once this was done, the idea of constructing Cedar Break Park clouded in the minds of many people and with time, these thoughts became reality which now we can clearly see in front of us. Cedar Break’s Climate, animals and plants-making it an unforgettable place! Cedar Break Park is one of those places which do not offer a great time to re lax in the lush green meadows, recreation due to numerous fun activities but also the animal and bird lovers can have a great time as this park can also be seen as a mini zoo. When I visited this place, i was so amazed to see the wide range of animals and birds being exhibited in this well-maintained park. Animals including different birds, insects, spiders, millipedes, mammals etc. are found in this park. Various varieties of birds like grouse, juncos, kinglets, finches, thrushes, warblers and many others were caged, providing a great source to amuse children and many adults who adore birds. The rhythmic chirping of the birds produced a beautiful background music which relaxed every bone of my body. I was not able to stop looking at these beautiful, small, colorful birds who sat behind the wires of the cages. When it comes to talking about insects and creepy crawlies found in the park, one will always encounter spruce bark beetle in this park. This is a beetle which lay its eggs in Spruce trees which acts like a renewal in the old forests. As I walked along the park, I saw great numbers of dead spruce trees. After enquiring from one of the staff members of the park, I got to know that the same beetle is actually responsible for the death of these trees as it cuts off the flow of water and nutrients to the tops of the trees. Moreover, our recreation continued when we visited the cages of the extensive

Superpower Machine Essay Example for Free

Superpower Machine Essay Every once in a while I cant help but think about what it would be like if I have powers. If I can build a machine that can do anything, I want a machine that can transform me into any hero I want with any superpower there is. It would be an amazing thing to have the ability to do something noble and help people while having fun at the same time. In case of an emergency, I can turn into someone with superman or batman powers or any other hero depending on the situation. For example,if there was any trouble at sea, I can turn into Aqua man or if speed is needed I can easily become Flash. Another power that I am curious enough to try is the power of invisibility. I think it would be exciting to observe people when they do not know that anybody is around. I would also love to have the power to read somebody elses mind. Although somethings are better left unsaid, still, it would be brilliant to know what people are thinking. The bottom line is that these heroes make a big impact in the lives of people they do not even know and I want to be a part of it. Hackneyed as this may sound, Uncle Ben was right in saying that with great powers have great responsibilities. Saving the say is not all about the glamor and the excitement like what televisions and movies are portraying. Everyday we have regular unsung heroes like policemen and fireman who are willing to go to inside a burning building at the verge of collapse with just saving the trapped victim inside. In our everyday lives we encounter heroism that we do not even notice because we have our own notion about what a hero is and what it would be like to be saved. A man giving up his seat in the subway or a young lad helping an old lady cross the street; this is a typical picture of the modern day hero. They are no batman or superman but they end up saving the day. I guess I do not need any machine to make a difference in the world after all but it would still be great to have it as an option.

Fordist And Taylorist Production Systems Cultural Studies Essay

Fordist And Taylorist Production Systems Cultural Studies Essay Fordism, named after the Henry Ford from US, who refers to a variety of communal theories about production, assembling and related socio-economic phenomena  [1]  . Although Henry Ford was not the inventor of the automobile but he developed extraordinary methods of production and marketing that allowed the automobile to become reachable to the American working class. Ford always wanted to make cars that his team workers could afford easily. So, the mass production began in Detroit in 1914, when Ford discovered that a moving assembly line using interchangeable parts which could completely reduce the cost of making motor cars. After that he created the Ford Motor Company, which was one of a dozen small automobile manufacturers that emerged in the early 20th century. Mass production was really an unpleasant work, with high turnover because new production system must be oriented towards multi-skilling and rapid re-skilling workers; in order to hold the search for shifting a newly form ing market in a post mass production (cf. Piore, M. and Sabel, C., 1984). Just to retain his unskilled workforce, Ford doubled their wages to $5 per day justified by higher productivity  [2]  . After three years of production, he introduced the Model T, which was simple and light yet sturdy enough to drive on the countrys very elementary road system. He sold 18m Model T Fords, transforming to America into the first car-owning democracy, at a low price that dropped from $600 to $250 over 15 years. Henry Fords success and revolutionary techniques of production were then termed Fordism  [3]  . The scale of mass production is hard to understand. Fords River Rouge plant in Detroit, completed in 1928, he extended for a mile along a tributary of the Detroit River and employed 100,000 men workers. Raw materials like iron ore and rubber were unloaded at one end, and finished cars emerged from the other end, 72 hours later. But Fords system proved less efficient than GM  [4]  , which produced a range of models for different pocketbooks. Labour relations were troubled, sit-down strike, at the big automakers in the 1930s with layoffs and speed-ups, the end of organized capitalism has a tendency to become dis-organized in that the labour-employer relationships are fracturing (cf. Lash, S. and Urry, J. 1987) . GM was the first company forced to recognize the UAW  [5]  union after a sit-down strike closed its plants in Flint, Michigan in 1937. After more battles, the workers won higher wages and benefits, sharing in the American Dream. Unions also negotiated rigid work rules to protect workers from exploitation by foremen. Ford was even more determined to oppose unions than GM, and Henry Ford employed 3,000 service department personnel to prevent them taking hold. In 1937 they beat up key UAW union organizers attempting to hand out leaflets near the River Rouge factory. But in 1941, even Ford was forced to yield to union power, to ensure industrial peace during wartime. But the legacy of bitter industrial relations e ndured. The decline of mass production is due to Post Fordism; small scale batch production in small medium plants not mass production in large plant, only customized not standardized products, using multi-skilled workers with flexible work roles not fixed job descriptions, robots and computerized work teams instead of moving assembly lines (cf. Murray, R. 1989). Car manufacture ceased with the outbreak of World War II, but the auto manufacturers made good profits helping with the war effort, producing everything from jeeps to aircraft engines. The mass production helped the Allies win the war, and led to further consolidation in the industry. The war also brought new social groups, like women and black people, into the auto industry, but also increased social tensions in Detroit. Unemployment disappeared, and the UAWs power grew. The end of the war released an enormous surge of pent-up demand, especially for cars and houses, and Detroit boomed as never before. Car workers wages soared and many became homeowners. The Big three car companies dominated production as never before. In 1955 GM became the first company to make $1bn profit. Big cars predominated, promoted by sexy adverts  [6]  . The first signs that all was not well with Detroit was the 1973 oil crisis, when Middle East producers declared a boycott. Queues formed at petrol stations, and consumers for the first time switched in large numbers to smaller, more economical cars-often made by the Japanese; which they found more reliable. The Detroit-made cars had more defects, and Detroits attempts to build a successful small car failed. The auto industry now is much better prepared to withstand the effects of an oil crisis and meet consumer demand for highly fuel-efficient vehicles than it was during the Middle East oil crisis of the 1970s, Ford Motor Company Chairman Harold A. Poling said  [7]  . Imports of Japanese cars soared in the 1980s as consumers gradually grew to prefer the smaller, more reliable cars. The unions and the US companies reacted to the threat by trying to get the US government to block imports, and by the mid-1980s had succeeded in getting Japan to agree intended export chains (cf. Womack, J., P., Jones, J.T., Roos, D., 1990). But the move backfired as Japanese firms became more profitable and moved up market, launching cars like the Lexus. The US companies determined that they could make more money by selling sports utility vehicles, built on a truck chassis. In the 1990s sales of SUVs  [8]  and minivans soared. Imported SUVs attracted a higher tariff rate, blocking Japanese rivals. They were not very fuel-efficient, but with oil prices at $18 a barrel, no one seemed to mind. As imports flooded in, the car market became increasingly dominated by foreign producers, who imported millions of cars from overseas factories. Companies also increasingly relo cated production to Canada and Mexico after the Nafta free trade agreement. GM, Ford and Chrysler thought that the Japanese had an unfair advantage due to an undervalued (low) currency. They also believed that oil prices would return to lower levels. Lean production, Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Nissan were also building more factories within the US to escape import controls, threat from Japan,(cf. Womack, J., P., Jones, J.T., Roos, D., 1990) in the response to eliminate waste by introducing this method. These factories were based on a new and more efficient production system, and they also allowed the transplants to develop new models more quickly. They also developed closer relationships with suppliers, using just-in-time methods. Soon they were competing across the whole range of vehicles, from trucks to compact cars. Green cars, in the last year many Americans have accepted the reality of global warming, and the demand for green vehicles has grown. Toyota sells 100,000 Prius hybrids a year and is rolling the hybrid technology out across its entire range. Both Ford and GM exposed electric-powered concept cars at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show, but they may be years away from mass production. Taylorism, a system of production devised by F. W. Taylor (1911), and characterized by the division of factory work into the smallest and simplest jobs while closely co-ordinating the sequence of tasks in order to achieve maximum efficiency, as, for example, on a production line. As a result, skilled managers and technicians oversee semi-skilled or unskilled workers who are engaged in simple, repetitive chores. This system of production has had profound spatial implications, as large firms often allocate skilled and unskilled jobs to different locations, creating a division of labour  [9]  . Taylorism is often mentioned along with Fordism, because it was closely associated with mass production methods in manufacturing factories. Taylors own name for his approach was scientific management  [10]  . Applications of scientific management sometimes fail to account for two inherent difficulties: Individuals are different from each other: the most efficient way of working for one person may be inefficient for another. The economic interests of workers and management are rarely identical, so that both the measurement processes and the retraining required by Taylors methods are frequently resented and sometimes sabotaged by the workforce. Both difficulties were recognized by Taylor, but are generally not fully addressed by managers who only see the potential improvements to efficiency. Taylor believed that scientific management cannot work unless the worker benefits. In his view management should arrange the work in such a way that one is able to produce more and get paid more, by teaching and implementing more efficient procedures for producing a product. Although Taylor did not compare workers with machines, some of his critics use this image to explain how his approach makes work more efficient by removing unnecessary or wasted effort (cf. Parker M. and Slaughter, J., 1988). However, some would say that this approach ignores the complications introduced because workers are necessarily human: personal needs, interpersonal difficulties and the very real difficulties introduced by making jobs so efficient that workers have no time to relax. As a result, workers worked harder, but became dissatisfied with the work environment. Some have argued that this discounting of worker personalities led to the rise of labour unions. It can also be said that the rise in labor unions is leading to a push on the part of industry to accelerate the process of automation, a process that is undergoing a renaissance with the invention of a host of new technologies starting with the computer and the Internet. This shift in production to machines was clearly one of the goals of Taylorism (cf. Berggren, C., 1989), and represents a victory for his theories. It may not be adaptive to changing scenarios; it overemphasizes routine procedures, i.e. strictly following a given set of rules and regulations, work procedures, production centeredness etc. However, tactfully choosing to ignore the still controversial process of automating human work is also politically expedient, so many still say that practical problems caused by Taylorism led to its replacement by the human relations school of management in 1930. Others (cf. Braverman, H., 1974) insisted that human relations did not replace Taylorism but that both approaches are rather opposite: Taylorism determining the actual organization of the work process and human relations helping to adapt the workers to the new procedures. However, Taylors theories were clearly at the roots of a global revival in theories of scientific management in the last two decades of the 20th century, under the moniker of corporate reengineering or business process re-engineering (cf. Milkman, R., 1997). As such, Taylors ideas can be seen as the root of a very influential series of developments in the workplace, with the goal being the eventual elimination of industrys need for unskilled, and later perhaps, even most skilled labor in any form, directly following Taylors recipe for deconstructing a process. This has come to be known as commoditization, and no skilled profession, even medicine, has proven to be immune from the efforts of Taylors followers, the re-engineers, who are often called derogatory names such as bean counters. A complex division of labour  [11]  and the expansion of economic interdependence accompanied the emergence of industrial capitalism. The division of labour reached its logical conclusion in the emergence of Taylorism and its mass production partner, Fordism. These had their weaknesses including high start-up costs and a relatively rigid production process. Such low-trust systems can be contrasted with high-trust systems, where workers operate with greater autonomy and cooperation. A whole series of techniques and initiatives are described by the term post-Fordism including group production and mass customization. These are epitomized by the Quality Circle, a concept alien to Taylorist assumptions that workers need to be stripped of opportunities for creative input. Such systems tend to be marked by high skill levels and rapid turnover of product designs. The decline of manufacturing industry as an employer can be explained both by competition from the Far East and the increasing rate of technological change. Global production systems have also contributed to the movement of industry around the world. These processes have led to a steady decline in trade union membership since the 1970s. The separation of home and work contributed to the marginalization of women from paid employment, a pattern gradually reversed during the twentieth century. Within the economy women remain concentrated in poorly paid routine occupations  [12]  . Either work becomes recreated as womens work, or heartlands of female employment slowly have their status eroded over time. Labour-force participation is higher among childless women, though many more females now return to their full-time jobs after childbirth than they did a decade ago. Women dominate part-time employment, though their reasons for remaining in such jobs remain the source of controversy  [13]  . The most notable change in working life in developed countries has been the expansion of female participation in the paid labour market and resulting erosion of the male breadwinner model within families. Among men, the trend has been away from manual work and currently also away from routine non-manual labour. These trends have levelled off in recent years, with women remaining over-represented in routine white-collar jobs and men over-represented in skilled manual work. Despite womens advances across the economy, the top posts remain the preserve of men. Women in the most recent generation have benefited from the legislation passed in the 1970s, but the pay divide remains substantial over a lifetime. Debates on skills in the workplace have tended to become polarized between those, (cf. Braverman, H., 1974), who see capitalism as continually deskilling the workforce as new machines and technologies replace crafts and creativity; who argue that it is not technology but the way this i s used that is most important  [14]  . Unemployment has a long history and has ebbed and flowed throughout the twentieth century. There are significant effects for individuals, communities and the wider society. These are disproportionately borne by the young and ethnic minorities. A key task for individuals will be to find ways of forging long-term life plans in a society that privileges the short-term. In 1990s the the new industrial relations associated with the introduction of HRM, also seeks to create an atmosphere and a framework for union-management collaboration (cf. Guest, D., 1989, Storey, J., 1992). From the above it is possible to deduce some conclusions. First of all, there are changes in the way by which work is done and controlled. The Fordism model is dictatorial, with rigid discipline, technical and specific personnel training, taking man as a simple addition of the machine and separating the intellectual from the manual work. Classical management control is performed by rigid supervision procedures. The number of problem with general post-Fordist paradigm has implication for the potential embedding (cf. Kelly, J., 1998) The post-Fordist model presents flexible authority and control systems by which conformism and passivity open spaces for dynamism and creativity (according to the management model established earlier). However, when this analysis is centred on the objects and ideology that guide the productive process, one can conclude that no evolution has occurred. Management, yesterday and today, aims toward maximum rationalization of the production system, greater increase in productivity, profitability and competition, maintaining together the older way of production (cf. Sparrow, P. and Marchington, M., 1998). When that concentration is measured in employment terms, aggregate data for the mid-70s to the mid-80s show that larger firms in all three societies have been shedding labour, even though disproportionately. This fact must be analysed also by the quality of employment, the quality of life and the security of economic recovery, and not just from the point of view of job creation in terms of head-counts. The de-centralization of decision-making and flattening of managerial hierarchies in post-Fordist has led to a de-centralization of managerial control, or whether Fordist centralized management control is being maintained, even in spatially decentralized units, through the development of new control technologies (cf. Lane, C., 1995). In fact, there is not, in either model, a proposal that guarantee the autonomy of the worker. In both, Taylor and Ford, task obligations are reached through rigid control and supervision concerning the worker. In the post-Fordism model, task obligations occur by way of a rigid management scheme. Direct supervisory control is inhibited, assuming either the form of auto-control or control by complex technological procedures; nevertheless, it continues to exist. Beyond the work strengthening and capital concentration, the post-Fordism model maintains the division of work, although on more ample bases. If in Taylorism-Fordism the tasks were broken down into simple and routine movements, in post-Fordism the division into fractions of work happens with the attribution of responsibility to the groups that fulfil a set of specific tasks (activities). There is widespread agreement in the literature that due to the need for more flexible and speedier reaction to changing market demands, de-centralization of decision-making and flattening of managerial hierarchies has occurred (cf. Lane, C., 1995). However, there is little systematic evidence as to what form that de-centralization has taken and which hierarchical levels have been affected. To the post-Fordism is like Fordism as well as post-modernism is like modernism. Postmodernism is another version of that historical amnesia characteristic of American culture the tyranny of the new. According to the Green (cf. Green, A., 1997), postmodernism should be seen not as a development beyond modernism but rather as a continuation of a certain idealist current within it. One can make the same statement about Fordism and post-Fordism. Finally, it seems opportune to repeat the words of Ford from back in the 40s (cf. Ford, H., 1991): We are not living in a machine age; we are living in the power age. This power age of ours has great possibilities, depending upon how we use it. Of course it can be mistreated. But, it can also be used greatly to benefit mankind. If this sentence were true during that period of time, today it seems even more adequate. References

Food and Nutritional Requirements for Dogs

Food and Nutritional Requirements for Dogs INTRODUCTION Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are the most popular pet species in Britain, excluding fish (PFMA, 2014), and as such there are a wide variety of stakeholders in dog welfare, ranging from the owner and veterinarian to insurance companies and animal welfare charities (Buckland et al., 2013). The pet food business is a multi-million pound industry which aims to produce adequate foodstuffs for pets in terms of nutritional content, but also aims to turn a profit as in any other trade (Thompson, 2008; FEDIAF, 2012). As such, the nutritional quality of pet food varies between brands and the usage of non-meat sources of protein has been questioned (Hilton, 1987). This paper aims to highlight the carnivorous origins of domestic dogs, review their major protein, vitamin and mineral requirements including some of the issues pertaining to inadequate pet food nutrition and develop a conclusion to the hypothesis: dogs can survive on a ‘vegetarian’ diet. TAXONOMY AND EVOLUTION All dogs, Family Canidae, are members of the Order Carnivora and possess the enlarged carnassial teeth associated with the carnivorous diet characteristic of this taxon (Wang et al., 2004). Carnivora is split into two suborders: Feliformia, which includes felids, and Caniformia which includes canids. The Suborder Caniformia is then further divided into two sister subfamilies: Cynoidea, which includes Canidae, and Arctoidea which includes the Mustelidae, Procyonidae, Ursidae and Pinnepedia. Canidae is reported to be the earliest diverging family of the Caniformia, approximately nine million years ago (Wayne O’Brien, 1987) and currently hosts 34 extant species of wolf, dog and fox. Domestication of dogs has been traced back approximately 15,000 years, with the earliest known C. familiaris fossil dating back 14,000 years (Sablin Khlopachev, 2002). The grey wolf (Canis lupus) was almost certainly the precursor species of the domestic dog, based on mitochondrial DNA sequencing (Garcia-Moreno et al., 1996). Studies on grey wolf diet have shown it to be a primary carnivore which is highly adaptable to variations in prey, whereas domestic dogs have a much wider tolerance of different food types, facilitated by the adaptation of three genes involved in starch metabolism (Axelsson et al., 2013). Distinctive breeds appear to have diverged approximately 3000-4000 years ago (Harcourt, 1974; Clutton-Brock, 1984), with the greyhound being one of the most ancient breeds, however modern domestic dogs are known to exhibit similar foraging behaviours to their wild ancestors (Bradshaw, 2006). The variation in size and therefore energy requirements of breeds within dogs is the largest of any mammalian species (Lauten, 2006). Therefore pet food must accommodate not only differences in breed and size, but also other factors such as age, activity, reproductive status, environment and health (FEDIAF, 2013). PHYSIOLOGY Cats are described as obligate carnivores because protein is metabolised for energy as well as functioning in structural and synthetic processes (Zoran, 2002). In contrast, dogs can survive on an omnivorous diet by adjusting the catabolism of protein within the body when fed a low-protein diet, and can metabolise glucose from higher concentrations of carbohydrate thereby reducing the need for proteinaceous energy (Zoran, 2002). Dogs are unable to synthesise ten essential amino acids which are required for the synthesis of protein within the body for structural and metabolic processes (Lotspeich, 1949). Therefore protein is in essential component of the diet, providing a vital source of essential amino acids. NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS For adult dogs, the minimum recommended level of protein within dry matter food is 18g/100gDM. For pregnancy and early growth stages, i.e. puppies under 14 weeks old, this requirement is increased to 25g/100gDM. Above 14 weeks old, but still before adulthood, a minimum of 20g/100gDM is recommended (FEDIAF, 2013). With every 1%DM increase in protein, an extra 0.01g of arginine is recommended (NRC, 2006). Pet food manufacturers are required to meet these minimum recommended amounts of dietary nutrition for the target consumer animal they are producing for (FEDIAF, 2013); this means that owners have peace of mind when choosing a diet for their dog, knowing that it is nutritionally balanced. However, constituents of pet food must meet optimal criteria for nutrition, palatability, digestibility and be economical (Thompson, 2008). If a food is too expensive, owners are likely to resort to a lower cost food or feed their dog upon scraps which increases the risk of an unbalanced diet and imp roper nutrition (Coffee et al., 1980). Table 1: Popular and premium dog food constituent comparisons. Prices with a sourced from Tesco (2015) or b from Petplanet (2015), dashes indicate no data. Dog Food Brand Dry/Wet Crude Protein (%) Fat (%) Crude Ash (%) Fibre (%) Moisture (%) Cost ( £/kg) Source Bakers Complete Tasty Beef Dry 21.0 10.0 8.0 2.5 2.66a Bakers (2015) Ceser Can with Chicken and Turkey Wet 9.0 5.0 0.3 83.0 3.73a Tesco (2015) Hi Life Feed Me with Turkey and Chicken Dry 21.0 7.0 3.0 21.0 2.50a Tesco (2015) Iams ProActive Health Adult Small Medium Breed Dry 26.0 15.0 7.4 3.0 8.0 2.50a Iams (2015) James Wellbeloved Adult Fish and Rice Dry 21.5 10.5 7.3 3.1 2.79b James Wellbeloved (2015) James Wellbeloved Adult Turkey and Rice Wet 6.5 4.0 1.5 0.5 81.0 4.66b Pedigree Complete Adult with Chicken Dry 21.0 13.0 3.0 12.0 2.50a Pedigree (2015) Pedigree Complete Puppy Nutrition Chicken and Rice Dry 28.0 16.0 2.5 12.0 2.33a Pedigree with Beef In Gravy Wet 7.0 5.5 0.5 81.0 1.50a Royal Canin Giant Adult Dry 28.0 20.0 5.2 1.8 8.0 2.93b Royal Canin (2014) Royal Canin Medium Adult Dry 25.0 14.0 5.9 1.2 9.5 2.93b Royal Canin X-Small Adult Dry 24.0 18.0 5.7 1.7 9.5 5.66b Tesco Everyday Value Beef Chunks in Gravy Wet 6.5 4.0 2.0 0.5 81.5 0.81a Tesco (2015) Tesco Everyday Value Complete Dog Food Dry 21.0 8.5 3.0 0.59a Wafcol Vegetarian Dog Food Dry 20.0 5.0 7.0 6.0 1.73b Petplanet (2015) DOG FOOD CONSTITUENTS Complete dog foods are those which are nutritionally balanced and suitable to be fed daily (FEDIAF, 2013). They meet the minimum FEDIAF standards and do not exceed maximal recommendations where stated (e.g. lysine during growth), although differences in protein, fat and carbohydrate ratios are seen among brands with cost typically increasing with protein content (Thompson, 2008), as described in table 1. Traditional dog foods use meat protein sourced from cuts of meat, viscera or meat meal and may be packaged in cans or within cereal based dry kibble which is treated with meat flavours to improve palatability (McGrane, 2006). Extrusion is a technique used in the production of about 95% of dry pet foods in order to improve the palatability and utilisation of protein through heat treatment (Bednar et al., 2000; Tran et al., 2008). Processing of soybeans is carried out to remove toxins such as lectin and protease inhibitors but also destroys the naturally high concentrations of B vitamins such a thiamine (Gregory, 1985; Hilton, 1987; LebiedziÅ„ska Szefer, 2006). Dietary protein may come from either animal or vegetable sources (NRC, 2006), with a huge increase in the usage of soybean products (ground soybeans, soy flour, soy hulls, soybean oil and concentrate) reducing production costs of pet food and facilitating the anthropomorphic ‘vegetarian’ diet which some owners are feeding their pets (McGrane, 2006). However, Kienzle Engelhard (2001) found that only two of the twelve commercially available foods investigated in their European study provided adequate nutrition according to recommendations set out by AAFCO, mainly on the basis of protein concentration. As shown in table 1, the vegetarian food had the lowest percentage of protein, and it has been suggested that the vegetable products those diets are made up of may not contain the correct balance of amino acids neccessary for a healthy dog (Coffee et al., 1980; Hilton, 1987). For example, arginine, which is required for optimal growth in young dogs and plays an intermediate role in the urea cycle (Burns et al., 1981; FEDIAF, 2013), cystine and methionine, both implemental in coat condition, are all naturally abundant in animal tissue (Wu Morris, 1998). The levels and source of dietary protein and the form it is delivered in can have significant effects on the health of a dog. For example, diets low in protein can cause hypoproteinemia (a low concentration of albumin and total protein in the blood) leading to edema (Weech et al., 1935) or pancreatitis in high-fat, low-protein diets (Lindsay et al., 1948). Zhao et al. (1997) demonstrated that assimilation of protein into the gut is limited by digestibility, which in turn is affected by the form of protein with a food. If the source of protein available within the food is intact, around 40% remains undigested but available within the ileum four hours after a meal. In comparison, hydrolysed proteins (those which have been broken down into constituent amino acids) have an absorption rate of over 70% within an hour in humans (Chung et al., 1979). EFFECTS OF A VEGETARIAN DIET Diets reduced in meat and fish are most often fed to dogs due to owner preference as opposed to health reasons; in studies recruiting pets fed vegetarian diets all owners report being vegetarian themselves (Kienzle Engelhard, 2001; Michel, 2006; Rothgerber, 2014). The reported effects of a vegetable-based diet for dogs are variable due to the low incidence of vegetarian dogs in the population and the lack of long term studies (Kienzle Engelhard, 2001). Some diets are strictly vegan and supplemented with vitamins and minerals, whereas others are more lenient and treated with meat-based products in order to increase palatability (Michel, 2006). In a study carried out across Germany, Switzerland and Belgium (Kienzle Engelhard, 2001), nutrient intake of 86 dogs fed a vegetarian diet was investigated through owner interviews and blood samples. The study found that protein intake was not sufficient in over half of those dogs tested, 62% showed sub-optimal calcium levels, 73% showed insufficient sodium intake and deficiencies in zinc, iron and vitamin D were also common. In a separate study, zinc deficiency caused by phytate, a zinc-binding molecule present in soybean meal, led to the development of skin conditions in puppies fed on a soy based diet (Sanecki et al., 1982). The high fibre content associated with vegetable and cereal foods can cause bowel irritation by affecting gastrointestinal motility and absorption of nutrients (Bueno et al., 1981; Earle et al., 1998). Proteins play a vital role in the condition of a dog’s coat, particularly those high in methionine and cystine amino acids because they synthesise keratin (Dethioux, 2008). Complete dog food diets contain these amino acids in suitable concentrations through meat protein, however vegetarian diets show a marked deficiency in these amino acids, and soy protein has a proven negative effect on serum lipids (Anderson et al., 1995); therefore the dog may suffer from alopecia and depleted coat condition when on a plant-protein diet (Dethioux, 2008). Thiamine is a vital part of carbohydrate metabolism and deficiency can severely affect parts of the body which have high energy requirements, such as the brain (Markovich et al., 2013). Clinical signs of thiamine deficiency may take weeks to develop, but will be characterised by a progressive loss of normal motor function such as a head tilt, falling and lack of coordination, ultimately ending in seizures and death if untreated (Markovich et al., 2013). Furthermore, soy has been identified in controlled studies as an important allergen, although incidences of soy allergies were significantly lower than those relating to beef and dairy (4.7% and 34.2% respectively) (Wills Harvey, 1994). Treatment for amino acid, vitamin and mineral deficiencies involve feeding a balanced nutritional diet appropriate for the dog’s size, age, activity level and health, which in a vegetarian diet is possible through the addition of supplements (Michel, 2006). CONCLUSION Proteins from non-meat sources are harder for dogs to digest and therefore are of less nutritional value than meat. While dogs can survive on this diet, the lack of sufficient protein and other dietary constituents such as vitamins and minerals will lead to improper nutritional value which can ultimately affect the health of the animal. From a manufacturer’s perspective, it is possible to create a vegetarian pet food which complies to AAFCO standards of nutritional content, however the economic savings of not using meat are offset by the need to add supplements and highly refined components to improve palatability and digestibility. For the owner, although they may feel less guilt by feeding their pet a vegetarian diet, they must feed a greater quantity to achieve similar levels of protein and nutrients within the animal (Rothberger, 2014) and the general healthy appearance of their pet is often diminished (Dethioux, 2008). Although dogs can survive on a diet of vegetarian-bas ed protein, the natural instincts of a hunting animal still exist from the ancestral wolf and given the opportunity a dog will forage for alternative sources of food (Bradshaw, 2006). The general literary consensus remains that dogs are opportunistic feeders within the Carnivora, and their physiology shows a preference for ingesting and digesting meat protein (Hilton, 1987).

Commentary on poem After The Flood :: English Literature

Commentary on poem After The Flood The poem â€Å"After The Flood† has a slow and steady tempo. The poet created it by not mentioning too many events at once, but slowly, and gives time for the observer to recall – â€Å"I remembered...† and gives his own opinion on the events – â€Å"It had not been a bad rise†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These give the readers a better understanding and a clearer picture on what is happening. As we read through the poem, we have an image of the observer, standing at the ruins of the park, observing carefully what is going on around and describing them in words what he sees and comparing them with the past condition – which was before the flood. The pace of the observer in observing is somewhat unified with the tempo of the poem, so the reader is like ‘following’ the observer and listening to him. After reading the poem, a calm and tense less image of the observer is created in our mind. Phrases like â€Å"The morning it was over†, shows that the observer is feeling calm and believes that everything is over and there is nothing more to worry about. â€Å"I walked†¦Ã¢â‚¬  shows the observer is worried of nothing and walked calmly to the Jersey side. â€Å"It had not been a bad rise† also shows that the observer doesn’t exaggerate on what he sees, but judges it fairly according to his own thoughts. â€Å"I felt I must surely†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ so familiar†, this sort of tell us that the poet is so unworried and have time to recall the past and being a little nostalgic. Line 17-24 shows us the observer comparing the condition of the river presently and during the flood, he is calm and carefully observing the situation and even the sounds around him. The river in this poem is described through comparisons or figures of speech. The observer thinks the river is amazing as its intensity has decreased considerably. The water is described as ‘swollen’; this gives us the image of the water flowing along the river in a rough motion and is forming little waves. It is disordered and dirty. Line 19-20 is a simile where the flowing river is compared to a beast that is sneaking around. It is referred as ‘beast’ as it had created a massive destruction to the place and has ruined everybody’s mood. Now, it is as if the ‘beast’ is tired and retreats slowly, so it is said to be sneaking around. Another role of the river in this poem is to show continuity of life. Though the place had been devastated and the