Reflection Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection - Case Study Example In addition, the author has explored the roles of managers, CFO’s, and strategists in ensuring that the aspects of competitive advantage and shareholder value coexist well in their companies. The author of this article has also discussed the aspects of short-term and long-term measures of earnings in a company. According to the author, most managers believe in short-term measures and dismiss the long-term. However, the author proves that it is important for a manager to focus on long-term valuations of cash flow. A major reason is that long-term orientation takes into account various important aspects in the market; include the pricing mechanism of the market. This article has a considerable relationship with basic financial management. Overall, the article addresses an aspect that involves planning and directing the use of the financial resources of a company. This includes all cash acquired from lenders and investors, as well as the cash obtained through the operations of the company. The author has tied this role to the Chief Financial Officer and other managers responsible. The responsibility of financial management in a company belongs to senior financial officers and/or owner of the company. Therefore, the author has tied this role to the responsible and relevant parties. The content of this article also to a larger extent addresses the aspect of cash management, which is important in Financial Management. For instance, in the article, the focus on cash flows in a company and how it affects company productivity and competitive advantage sheds light on the important practices that financial managers should adopt in order to ensure increased productivity, competitive advantage, and shareholder value for the company. The content of the article also addresses an important aspect in financial management, planning and forecasting. For instance, in the long-term orientation, the author notes that in order to have an accurate view of market pricing,

Sexual Child Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sexual Child Abuse - Essay Example Recent researches have shown that many times the abuser himself had been a subject to child abuse in his or her past or has been a subject to physical violence. Abusers are usually self-centered lack ability to coping skills and have no understanding of child behavior pattern and treat them devastatingly without feeling for them.Another cause contributing to sexual child abuse is the mental state of abuser. History of abuser often reveals coping up with financial stress and depression in past, psychological illness. Abuser often belongs to a broken family or he has been neglected during his growth period which had affected his behavior and thinking adversely.Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder often co related with neurological disorder in which abuser develops sexual interest for prepubescent child so it is also one of the causes of child sexual abuse. Pedophilia if not treated or repressed leads to severe consequences.it does not have any cure but it do have therapies that help th e abuser to cope up with his state. Pedophilic patients often stop sexual abuse when a child starts to develop secondary characteristics of adulthood. Sexual child abuse might be a single event or it may continue for several years.History of abusers have reveled consumption of excessive alcohol and drug intake, family troubles and poverty which is one of the main causes contributing to prevalence of sexual child abuse. Abuser might continue his harassment for over years which devastatingly damage. the personality and behavior of child. Children born to heavy alcoholic parents are at a greater risk of to suffer from sexual abuse in near future due to lack of interest of parents in the house which provides an opportunity to abuser to take advantage of the situation as such parents cannot provide much protection to their children due to their habit of alcohol. (Hornor, G., 2010) Sometimes abuser involves in sexual harassment of child just for the sake of fun and pleasure without caring for the child. These are some of the factors and causes that lead to sexual child abuse and harassment. Many researches indicated that abusers were a subject to amnesia. Another reason for sexual child abuse is that sometimes abuser does not feel sexual feelings for people belonging to their own age

Children And Poverty Children And Young People Essay

Children And Poverty Children And Young People Essay Imagine every night when your children go to bed, sitting at the kitchen table crying, because of bills piling up. You have so many questions going through you head. How am I going to put food on the table? How will I be able to pay the bills this month? If I skip this bill what will happen? These are just a few questions that families who are faced with economic hardships ask themselves. Some families experience it for a brief period however a portion experience chronic poverty throughout their lifetime. In many cases the greatest challenge is the lack of financial resources, but whatever the case may be the stakes get higher when it come to the effects on children. How does poverty and poor healthcare affect children mentally, emotionally, and physically Poverty can be defined in various ways. Primarily poverty is broken down into four categories: Absolute and relative poverty, and, generational and situational poverty (NPC). The number of people living below a certain income level unable to afford basic goods and services are defined as absolute poverty while, relative poverty are people placed in poverty because they do not meet the standards. These people have the necessities of living a healthy lifestyle; however, they still nonetheless classified as living in poverty because they live below the federal poverty level. On the other hand, poverty can be generational or situational. Generational poverty is defined as being in poverty for two or more generations. Situational poverty is due to different circumstances such as death in family, loss of job and is usually for a shorter period. So what does it mean to experience poverty? According to the national center for children in poverty, 37 million children are living in poverty in the United States. Todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s necessities has changed significantly from the past, having access to electricity, indoor plumbing, telephone service, a car, heating and air, and etc are essential to live in the world today. More than 10 million children are deprived of one or more of their rights, which include the right of nutrition, water, sanitation, access to basic health care, shelter, education, and protection (Aratani). 6 million children under six years old are homeless, never has received medical care and suffer from malnutrition. Children who live in poverty are 48 percent more likely so suffer from depression, domestic violence and substance abuse (Payne). The causes of poverty are very broad. Generally, you cannot identify one problem as the cause of poverty for families. Some of the leading causes of poverty are imprisonment, divorce, natural disasters, substance abuse, overpopulation, lack of education, health, housing, geographic factors, economy, disease, and mental illness. There are many more causes of poverty and there will always be considering the constant changes in the world. Single parents are two to three times higher to be affected by poverty, about 40 percent of instanced parents contribute nothing to their children up keeping those who do are paying an average of 2,100 a year which everyone know that amount will not supply the child with everything they need(Payne). Economic stress can be a factor for breaking families up. The struggling economy has been the cause of the individuals who once had secure jobs, to now being among the poor. 2.6 million Jobs were lost alone this year. Job loss is at an all time high, losing more than 500,000 job a month (Caroline and Bernstwin). Death in the family along with job lose in these economic times are inevitable. The fact that many families cannot afford nor save enough money to be able to have life insurance. Which causes families to makes there life a waiting game, hoping that nothing happens since they canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t afford life insurance. So ultimately when a death in the family occurs, the expenses along with the instant change in income makes a household fall apart; following the depression and lack of will power, many are in a fog on how to recover and rise there families to the standards they were accustom to. Families dealing with poverty worry about so many things, they try to continue to pay all there bills on time, stretch their money tying to camouflage the issue so their children will not know how bad it is (Meltzer). Nevertheless, poverty brought on by d eath changes everything, situations that are already hard to deal with when you combine that with being put on a fast track to poverty makes things more unbearable. The government programs such as food stamps, free or reduced lunch, medicad, government checks are the safety net for children living in poverty. These programs help children cope with the changes by giving them a way where they can still maintain some normal see to their lives. School breakfasts and lunches are the only meals some children get and over a million children according to Joan Flores do not receive the adequate breakfast needed because the school does not offer the program (children advocate). Eighty percent of children in the United States qualify for either free or reduced lunch (Joliffe and Filiak), In Richmond County, NC seventy-five percent of the children in the county qualify for this program (Barbee, Personal interview). Government supplementary checks are a way for the parents to get the items needed for the child however supplementary payments usually only allow for eight to fourteen benefits payments leaving the family to fend for themselves when that time per iod runs out . Medicad and food stamps give children the opportunity to have the two vital things they need for their existence. Although food stamps help at need children, food stamps are not easy for some families to obtain. Obstacles such as language barriers, thirteen-page application, interview process, etc prevent eligible families from receiving the benefits (Meltzer). Along with these obstacles, countless others stand in the way of children benefiting from the system. In certain counties or certain states, if you are homeless or cannot provide an address you are automatically be denied for government assistance; not to mention if the government finds out you are homeless your children you are running a risk of them taking your children. In addition, some families that are receiving these benefits should not, where as some families cheat the system taking viable resources that could be life or death for a child in need. Even though these programs are intended to help these ch ildren and families at need, tying to obtain this help is not only stressful for the family but also the child or children involved (Burnett, Personal Interview). Children in poverty are affected mentally, emotionally, and physically not to mention these children are prone to a shorter life span. Poverty affects children before they are even born, parents already in poverty do not receive the adequate prenatal care need for the child to develop properly. In addition, the child is at risk of being born prematurely and often they will suffer from birth defects and developmental delays (Meltzer). The stressful situations these children encounter on a daily bases can led the child to have low self-esteem and difficulties forming relationships with other even before they enter school. Not only are the children education impacted by poverty their choice of schooling is also impacted. Many underprivileged children are forced to attend under funded schools; statistics show that these children will ultimately drop out of high school and give birth during the teenage years. These children will often fall behind when entering school. A child who attends a under funded school or fall behind could be the start of the child not learning to read and write proficiently, they are also likely to continue to struggle as a high school student. Having poor grades in high school, his/her future for attending college is seriously limited. Since most careers are often tied to higher education. The lack of a high school or even a college degree sets the poor child up for a lifetime of struggle never making it out of the struggle they already know (Payne). Emotionally these children are traumatized, even from birth the emotional problem are clear/ children that experience poverty are more likely to experience depression, posttraumatic stress disorders, they are also more likely to become a victim of the court system. Suicide rates are high among children living in poverty. Approximately, thirty thousand children living in poverty take there lives each year. Although traumatic for all children, the NPC conducted a research showing how children react to poverty. When some children grow up in it they learn to slowly over come the situation they are in and turn out better, while other are constantly in a downward spiral . If you look out into your community, you would see numerous cases of emotional behavior based on poverty (Joliffe and Filiak). Ruby Payne identified the behavior related to children in poverty which included: physically fighting, easily angered, unaffected when being disciplined, cheating, stealing, argue loudly (Payne). Emotionally attachment and a sense of security are hard to achieve thus making the child hierarchy of need for children incomplete, leaving one of more of the following out: esteem, belonging, physiological, safety, or self-actualization (Ettinger, R.H P.437.) . Countless children in poverty go on day in and day out hungry not having the proper nutrition to function nor keep a healthy body. Five million children are deprived of appropriate nutrition and housing conditions of those five million, One point five million children under the age of five suffer from health in food deprivations which stunt there bodies from growing properly (Nicely). Low birth weights and increased risks of infant mortality are high even before the child is born. Poverty affects every organ and every aspect of a child existence. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people living in extreme poverty tend to have more chronic illnesses, more frequent and severe diseases and more complications also. Obesity, heart disease and asthma are also big in children living in poverty; these illnesses can continue to affect them later in adulthood. Along with the items listed above there are countless other health issues these children suffer at the hands of pov erty. Think about your children would you want them to experience these things because of poverty. How can we end this epidemic that takes over numerous lives. Todays children that are in poverty are all too often tomorrows parent raising a child in poverty. Poverty is often generational passing from one generation to the next generation affecting the long-term health, wellbeing and productivity of families, which affects the society as a whole. Therefore, I challenge you, as well as myself, to extend a helping hand to help the ones who cannot help themselves and break the revolving door of poverty.

Psychology Essay example -- Health, Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be a time of elation and excitement in a woman’s life, but few individuals will experience a pregnancy completely devoid of side effects. Many women experience universal physical symptoms such as nausea, weight gain and increased fatigue during pregnancy (Flaxman & Sherman, 2008). The processes associated with pregnancy and birth involves complex physiological and psychological changes in a woman’s brain chemistry (Draganski & May, 2008). According to Kim et al. (2010), a woman may experience various physiological effects based on a combination of hormonal and mechanical transformations during pregnancy (Kim, Leckman, Mayes, Feldman, Wang & Swain, 2010). Many pregnant women are informed to be wary of short-term memory loss, also known as ‘baby brain’. But studies performed by Christensen et al. (2010) provide scientific results that common belief of ‘baby brain’ in pregnant women is a myth (Christensen, Leach & Mackinnon, 2010). I n fact, several women display cognitive modifications during pregnancy, such as an increase in ability to correctly perform reference memory tasks and complex spatial tasks (Kim, Leckman, Mayes, Feldman, Wang & Swain, 2010). Data presented by Kim et al. (2010) suggests that the brain of an expectant mother undergoes hormonal and structural neurological changes in order to prepare itself for the physiological and psychological demands and responsibilities of motherhood (Kim, Leckman, Mayes, Feldman, Wang & Swain, 2010). Reference Memory Reference memory refers to an individual’s ability to recall previously learned facts and information through interactions within their environment (Draganski & May, 2008). A study composed by Draganski et al. (2008) to test reference memory in pregnant ... ...ggests that pregnancy not only has a positive effect on aspects of cognition, but also provides influences on learning, decision making, motivation, and resource utilization (Pawluski & Galea, 2006). Due to various ethical restrictions, the data compiled on experiments performed on pregnant female, human-brain specimens is limited. Despite the restrictions on availability of human data, findings from experiments on animals are still beneficial in relation to humans. Although some pregnant females may suffer from some form of temporary loss in proper cognitive functioning, this loss does not have any permanent effects on brain functioning. Perceptions of cognitive impairment in pregnant women may reflect other factors such as stress, an increase in mental focus on the pregnancy, or even sleep-loss, none of which fall into the category of being a cognitive deficit.

Essay --

When John Browne set in motion the strategy that put BP on its course to become a â€Å"green† oil company, his plans seemed ripe with promise. Despite criticisms of â€Å"green-washing,† the company enjoyed recognition and admiration from the media and non-government organizations, and rose in the public esteem as an advocate for investments in renewable energy technology and responsible energy use. For years, the move looked to be good strategy: the benefits of the decision seemed to offset the costs incurred to implement it, some of which included: †¢ Risk of minimal benefits if policies or requirements do not change †¢ Foreclosing on future non-green opportunities †¢ Impacting the company’s portfolio of non-green products †¢ Committing to future green investments †¢ Creating a â€Å"higher bar† for ongoing business practices †¢ Increasing the cost of blunders or accidents on the company’s credibility and public standing BP might have understood the price it was paying for its green personality, but the company seems to have underestimated the latter two cost descriptors. Its newfound environmental acclaim and the public awareness that came with it brought closer scrutiny to the company’s ongoing activities and much higher expectations for how it would conduct its business moving forward. The Texas City tragedy in 2005 and the Prudhoe Bay spill of 2006 should have been lessons to the company: unless it can get the basics of corporate responsibility right, drawing public attention to its business is inviting trouble. Disaster at the Macondo Well On April 20, 2010, a BP exploratory well at Macondo exploded, causing 11 deaths, sinking Deepwater Horizon and starting a massive oil leak, that persisted for weeks. The event highlighted BP’s inability t... ... the industry and the multitude of spills occurring since the Deepwater Horizon events point to a much lesser impact on the industry’s performance. Alas, large-scale environmental abuses such as the repeated spills in the Niger Delta, where spills are responsible for degradation equivalent to the Exxon Valdez disaster yearly, are not widely discussed, and much information is still obscured from the public. As non-market pressures increase for corporations around the globe, the hope is that companies will learn from the longer-term de-valuation effect suffered by BP and take its economic value into account. There is hope for responsible behavior; bright will be the day when instead of being more than marketing campaigns, environmental and social responsibility outreach by major companies will exist to maximize social objectives, subject to profitability constraints.

“Cathedral” written by Raymond Carver Essay

In the story â€Å"Cathedral† written by Raymond Carver, it seems that stereotypes of the blind form barriers between the blind and the sighted. The man in the story has always had misconceptions of the blind which â€Å"came from the movies† (Carver 1). The title, â€Å"Cathedral†, is significant because it helps the man envision the life of Robert. As Robert, the blind man, entered his life, it was hard for the man to form any bond with Robert due to his visual impairment. The man even created a picture in his mind of what Robert would look like, and how he would act. This is because the man has never had any interaction with a blind person, making him have preconceived ideas about Robert. Having Robert stay at the man’s house left the man feeling quite uneasy. Not only was Robert a threat to his wife, he also thought that Robert may be a hassle to deal with. The man stated, â€Å"I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me† (Carver 1). Because the man had such strong images in his mind about Robert, the first time he saw Robert caught him by surprise. Robert’s appearance was not unordinary, and did not look like a blind person. † He wore brown slacks, brown shoes, a light brown shirt, a tie, a sports coat. Spiffy† (Carver 32). At this point, the man’s ideas about the blind people’s appearance had been contradicted. When the man realized that his assumptions about Robert were false, and that they actually shared some things in common, he began to feel more comfortable with Robert, even being, â€Å"glad for the company† (Carver 84). This is the first time the man was being polite and friendly to Robert. Soon after, a bond between Robert and the man had begun after a program about cathedrals came on the television. The man becomes aware that, â€Å"There were times when the Englishman who was telling the thing would shut up, would simply let the camera move around over the cathedrals† (Carver 92). The silence in the room became awkward for him because he realized that Robert did not know what was happening when the narrator stopped speaking. Since the man’s stereotypes were beginning to shed during the cathedral conversation, the man came more open with Robert, and realized that Robert is not much different from the rest of society. The two of them began to  compare how well each of them envisioned the cathedrals. Robert gave facts that were heard tight off the television, demonstrating his limited knowledge. The man also attempted to describe this cathedrals, â€Å"they’re really big,†(Carver 100) he explains, â€Å"they’re massive†(Carver 100). At this point, he understood just how little he actually knew about the cathedrals, even with a picture right in front of him. Now the man is awakened to his newly, humbled, equal position along side Robert, with the help of the cathedral. With the man’s stereotypes diminishing, he became to trust Robert and is giving him a chance to build a relationship. When Robert brought up the idea for the man to draw the cathedral out as Robert follows, the man was able to appreciate what blind people go through. When he finished the drawing, Robert said, â€Å"Well are you looking?†(Carver 125) The man replied, â€Å"It’s really something†(Carver 126). The man had allowed himself to experience, even if for just a few minutes, what Robert experiences every second of his life. This was the same man, who only a few hours ago did not want Robert to be in his house. Overcoming prejudices, fears, and misconceptions are only possible when you allow yourself to get close to a person who these feelings are directed towards. By the man becoming close with Robert, he was capable to see what was necessary to gain an understanding of what life is like for a blind man, with the help of the vision of the cathedral. The man began to draw the cathedral to try and help Robert visualize what one looked like. What he did not realize is that Robert was actually helping him visualize what blindness felt like.

British and Chinese Contemporary Media

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and China Central Television (CATV) are the two popular media owning millions of audiences in the world. For years, they have been making efforts to adopt new technology, new techniques and new means for developing high standard programmer. However, mainly due to different social structures and different cultural background between China and the I-J, the BBC and CATV also have several differences in governors, funding resources and channel designs. In this essay, the background of the BBC and CATV will be briefly introduced, allowed by an analysis of their similarities and differences.The BBC is the main public service broadcaster in the ASK. It was formed in October 1922 by a group of leading wireless manufacturers (History of the BBC, 2005). Currently, the Corporation comprises 9 1-J-wide Television Channels (See Appendix 1) and 10 1-J-wide Radio Stations. With its vision as to be the most creative, trusted organization in the world, the B BC provides a wide range of distinctive programmer and services for its viewers and listeners (Purpose and Values, 2005). CATV which was established in 1958, is the national TV network of the People'sRepublic of China. Presently, CATV has 16 channels broadcasting various programmer (See Appendix 2). The coverage of CATV-I reaches over 94. 4% of the total population of China, with the number of viewers exceeding 1. 15 billion (Profile CATV, 2005). The corporation has been serving as a window for Chinese people to understand the world better and for the world to get a better understanding of China. As the two authoritative media in the world, the BBC and CATV have made enormous contribution to people's life and cultures. There are some similarities in them.Firstly, tooth of them provide a comprehensive rage of programmer analogously or digitally in order to satisfy the needs of their users. Besides, with the development of modern technology, they are trying to use internet to propagan dist their programmer. Both of them have their own websites containing various contents such as programmer schedules, news, and contact methods. In addition, they also respect their users. Both of them are glad to listen to public comments and regularly consult users in order to improve their work. However, the two media also have some differences.First of all, CATV is run by the central government of the People's Republic of China. On the other hand, the Bib's activities are currently governed by a Royal Charter – a document that shapes the BBC, defining its objectives and functions. It is supported by the Agreement between the BBC and the Government, which sets out how the BBC will meet its general obligations, the services it will provide, and the standards it will meet (Your BBC Your Say, 2005). Whereas CATV serves its political role first, the BBC tends to represent the public interest and be free of political bias.Furthermore, CATV is mainly funded by advertisements, wh ereas the BBC is funded by public subscription in the form of a License fee. CATV viewers do not need to pay for its programmer, but they need to watch a lot of advertisements during programmer. Advertisements during golden time such as the time after the CATV News help CATV generate huge amounts of revenues. According to the latest data, CATV gained 8. 5 billion ARM from advertisements in 2005 (Profile CATV, 2005). The BBC, on the other hand, obtains its revenues mainly from license payers.It received EH,940 million in science fees in the latest audited financial year 2004/2005 (Annual report 2004/05, 2005). The license fee guarantees that a wide range of high quality programs can be made available unrestricted to everyone and helps support production skills, training, and local or minority programmer (Plans, Policies and Reports, 2005). Besides, the absence of commercial pressures allows programmer planners to be in direct contact with the needs and expectations of the general pub lic (Christopher 1999, p. 106).A majority of the BBC users prefer paying license fees rather than itching advertisements, and over 52% of users surveyed held the opinion that the BBC would lose its independence if it relied on advertising or sponsorship (Review of the Bib's Royal Charter: A strong BBC, independent of government, 2005). Because of this distinguishing characteristic, compared with CATV, BBC may care more about license payers when deciding its future, and could be more independent of commercial interests. Although both the BBC and CATV are providing a wide rage of programmer for audiences, they still differ in the TV channel designs.It seems that CATV focuses such on the status of the audiences. For instance, it launches three international channels in four languages for foreigners and oversea Chinese. In contrast, the BBC lays stress on viewers' life cycle. It designs channels according to different age groups: Scabbiest is for children under the six, CAB is for child ren from six to twelve, BBC 3 is for youth from 16 to 34, and News 24 focuses on audiences above 55 (Yang, 2004). The difference in channel designs shows the different strategies in their market segmentations, which may be resulted by different roles they play and efferent users they face.