The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Two

Meredith held the tire gauge firmly against the valve of her left back tire while she checked it. The pressure was fine. The pressure on al four tires was fine. The antifreeze, oil, and transmission fluids were al topped off, the car battery was new, and the jack and spare tire were in perfect shape. She should have known. Her parents weren't the kind to stay home from work to see her off to col ege. They knew she didn't need coddling, but they'd show their love by making sure al the preparations were made, that she was safe and perfectly ready for anything that might happen. Of course, they wouldn't tell her that they had checked everything, either; they'd want her to continue protecting herself. There wasn't anything she had to do now except leave. Which was the one thing she didn't want to do. â€Å"Come with me,† she said without looking up, despising the faint quaver she heard in her own voice. â€Å"Just for a couple of weeks.† â€Å"You know I can't,† Alaric said as he brushed his hand lightly over her back. â€Å"I wouldn't want to leave if I came with you. It'l be better this way. You'l get to enjoy the first weeks of col ege like al the other new students, without anyone holding you back. Then I'l come up and visit soon.† Meredith turned to face him and found Alaric gazing back at her. His mouth tensed, just the tiniest tightening, and she could see that parting again, after only a few weeks together, was just as hard for him as it was for her. She leaned in and kissed him softly. â€Å"Better than if I'd gone to Harvard,† she murmured. â€Å"Much closer.† As the summer had ended, she and Matt had realized they couldn't leave their friends and head off to out-of-state col eges as they'd planned. They'd al been through so much together, and they wanted to stay together, to protect one another, more than they wanted to go anywhere else. Their home had been nearly destroyed more than once, and only Elena's blackmail of the Celestial Court had restored it and saved their families. They couldn't leave. Not while they were the only ones standing against the darkness out there, the darkness that would be drawn forever to the Power of the magical ley lines that crossed the area around Fel ‘s Church. Dalcrest was close enough that they'd be able to come back if danger threatened again. They needed to protect their home. So Stefan had gone down to the administrative offices at Dalcrest and used his vampire mojo. Suddenly Matt had the footbal scholarship to Dalcrest he'd turned down in favor of Kent State back in the spring, and Meredith was not only expected as an incoming freshman but was housed in a triple in the best dorm on campus with Bonnie and Elena. The supernatural had worked for them, for a change. Stil , she'd had to give up a couple of dreams to get here. Harvard. Alaric by her side. Meredith shook her head. Those dreams were incompatible, anyway. Alaric couldn't have come to Harvard with her. Alaric was staying here in Fel ‘s Church to research the origins of al the supernatural things that had happened over the town's history. Luckily, Duke was letting him count this toward his dissertation on the paranormal. And he'd be able to monitor the town for danger at the same time. They'd have to be apart for now, no matter where Meredith chose to go, but at least Dalcrest was a manageable drive away. Alaric's skin had a soft tan, and a scattering of golden freckles crossed his cheekbones. Their faces were so close she could feel the warmth of his breath. â€Å"What're you thinking?† His voice was a low murmur. â€Å"Your freckles,† she said. â€Å"They're gorgeous.† Then she took a breath and pul ed away. â€Å"I love you,† Meredith said, and then rushed on before a wave of longing could overwhelm her, â€Å"I have to go.† She picked up one of the suitcases sitting by the car and swung it into the trunk. â€Å"I love you, too,† Alaric said, and caught her hand and held it tightly for a moment, looking into her eyes. Then he let go and put the last suitcase into the trunk and slammed the lid. Meredith kissed him, quick and hard, and hurried herself into the driver's seat. Once she was safely seated, belted in, the engine running, she let herself look at him again. â€Å"Bye,† she said through the open window. â€Å"I'l cal you tonight. Every night.† Alaric nodded. His eyes were sad, but he smiled and held up a hand in fareWell. Meredith backed out of the driveway careful y. Her hands were at ten and two, and she kept her eyes on the road and her breathing steady. Without even looking, she knew Alaric was standing in the driveway, watching her car drive out of sight. She pressed her lips together firmly. She was a Sulez. She was a vampire hunter, a star student, and completely levelheaded in al situations. She didn't need to cry; after al , she would see Alaric again. Soon. In the meantime, she would be a true Sulez: ready for anything. Dalcrest was beautiful, Elena thought. She'd been here before, of course. She, Bonnie, and Meredith had driven al the way up for a frat party junior year, when Meredith had been dating a col ege boy. And she dimly remembered her parents bringing her for an alumni family event, back when she was little. But now that she was part of the school, now that it would be her home for the next four years, everything looked different. â€Å"Pretty swanky,† Damon commented as the car swept between the great gilded gates at the school's entrance and drove on past buildings of faux Georgian brick and neoclassical marble. â€Å"For America, that is.† â€Å"Well, we can't al grow up in Italian palaces,† Elena answered absently, very conscious of the light pressure of his thigh alongside hers. She was sitting in the front of the truck between Stefan and Damon, and there wasn't a lot of room. Having both of them so close was awful y distracting. Damon rol ed his eyes and drawled to Stefan, â€Å"Well, if you have to play human and attend school again, little brother, at least you didn't choose too hideous a spot. And, of course, the company wil make up for every inconvenience,† he added gal antly with a glance at Elena. â€Å"But I stil think that it's a waste of time.† â€Å"And yet, here you are,† Elena said. â€Å"I'm only here to keep you out of trouble,† Damon retorted. â€Å"You'l have to excuse Damon,† Stefan said to Elena lightly. â€Å"He doesn't understand. He was thrown out of university back in the old days.† Damon laughed. â€Å"But I had great fun while I was there,† he said. â€Å"There were al kinds of pleasures a man of means could have at university. I imagine things have changed a bit, though.† They were needling each other, Elena knew, but there wasn't that hard, bitter edge to their sparring that used to be there. Damon was smiling over her head at Stefan with a wry affection, and Stefan's fingers were loose and relaxed on the steering wheel. She put a hand on Stefan's knee and squeezed. Damon tensed next to her, but when she glanced over at him, he was gazing ahead through the windshield, his face neutral. Elena took her hand off Stefan's knee. The last thing she wanted to do was disturb the delicate balance between the three of them. â€Å"Here we are,† Stefan said, pul ing up to an ivy-covered building. â€Å"Pruitt House.† The dorm loomed above them, a tal brick building with a turret on one side, windows glittering in the afternoon sun. â€Å"It's supposed to be the nicest dorm on campus,† Elena said. Damon opened his door and hopped out, then turned to give Stefan a long look. â€Å"The best dorm on campus, is it? Have you been using your powers of persuasion for personal gain, young Stefan?† He shook his head. â€Å"Your morals are disintegrating.† Stefan got out on his own side and turned to give Elena a courteous hand down. â€Å"It's possible you're final y rubbing off on me,† he said to Damon, his lips twitching slightly with amusement. â€Å"I'm in the turret in a single. There's a balcony.† â€Å"How nice for you,† Damon said, his eyes moving quickly between them. â€Å"This is a dormitory for both boys and girls, then? The sins of the modern world.† His face was thoughtful for a moment; then he gave a bril iant smile and began to pul luggage out of the back. He had seemed almost lonely to Elena for that second – which was ridiculous, Damon was never lonely – but that fleeting impression was enough to make her say impetuously, â€Å"You could come to school with us, Damon. It's not too late, not if you used your Power to enrol . You could live on campus with us.† She felt Stefan freeze. Then he took a slow breath and slid up next to Damon, reaching for a stack of boxes. â€Å"You could,† he said casual y. â€Å"It might be more fun than you think to try school again, Damon.† Damon shook his head, scoffing, â€Å"No, thank you. I parted ways with academia several centuries ago. I'l be much happier in my new apartment in town, where I can keep an eye on you without having to slum with students.† He and Stefan smiled at each other with what looked like perfect understanding. Right, Elena thought, with a curious mixture of relief and disappointment. She hadn't seen the new apartment yet, but Stefan had assured her that Damon would be, as usual, living in the lap of luxury, at least so far as the closest town could offer. â€Å"Come along, kiddies,† Damon said, picking up several suitcases effortlessly and heading into the dorm. Stefan hoisted his tower of boxes and fol owed him. Elena grabbed a box of her own and came after them, admiring their natural grace, their elegant strength. As they passed a few open doors, she heard a girl mock wolf-whistle, then giggle breathlessly with her roommate. A box tipped from Stefan's enormous pile as he started up the staircase, and Damon caught it easily despite the suitcases. Stefan gave him a casual nod of thanks. They'd spent centuries as enemies. They'd killed each other, once. Hundreds of years of hating each other, bound together by misery, jealousy, and sorrow. Katherine had done that to them, trying to have them both when they each wanted only her. Everything was different now. They'd come so far. Since Damon had died and come back, since they had battled and defeated the jealousy phantom, they'd come to be partners. There was an unspoken acknowledgment that they would work together to protect a little group of humans. More than that, there was a cautious, but very real, affection between them. They relied on each other; they'd be sorry to lose each other again. They didn't talk about it, but she knew it was true. Elena squeezed her eyes shut for just a second. She knew they both loved her. They both knew that she loved them. Even though, her mind corrected conscientiously, Stefan is my true love. But something else in her, that imaginary panther, stretched and smiled. But Damon, my Damon†¦ She shook her head. She couldn't break them apart, couldn't let them fight over her. She wouldn't do what Katherine had done. If the time came for her to choose, she would choose Stefan. Of course. Would you? the panther purred lazily, and Elena tried to push the thought away. Everything could fal apart so easily. And it was up to her to make sure that never happened again.

Budgeting Management

My process of writing these three essays on budgeting management was most helpful to me, I believe, in the sense that it actually helped clarify the various processes about which I wrote, providing me greater conceptual awareness of budget management planning, processes, and content. Of the essays I completed, I must admit that I like various parts of all of them, but feel that my third essay was the best. By then I was more confident about what I was writing. Overall, what I learned from writing all three essays, an insight that will, I believe, remain with me long after this course, is that one learns a great deal more about a subject from writing about it. My third essay was the best-focused of the three, and most detailed and specific. It was the end result of much thinking I had done. My best sentence, within that essay was (I feel): â€Å"The top management, working with the financial department, will need to establish which projects bring highest added-value to the company and to spend the company's budget on those alone†. Writing that sentence helped me write the remainder of the essay, and then to rewrite everything before and after it. I also felt a special connection to the type of essay that this third essay was (â€Å"persuasion†), since, while learning and writing about this material, I was persuading and being persuaded (i.e., educated) about â€Å"the importance of the planning function in the overall budgeting activity and will be arguing for the many ways the budgeting planning function is coordinating with the company's strategic planning†. However, another good sentence I wrote was the first sentence of my first essay: â€Å"Budgeting is one of the fundamental concepts in managing a business and it is often up to the budgeting policies that the managers decides upon that will conclude if the company is going to make it in the industry or not.† This sentence also helped me to clarify, in my own mind, the importance of the topic I was writing about, and guided the rest of my thinking, through it and the other two essays. With these essays as background, I feel that I was able to write a good research paper, especially since I had learned, from previous writing processes, about not only structure, but key functions of a research paper: to present a thesis statement based on careful thought and inquiry, and then to defend that thesis statement with facts and research. Most writing concepts introduced in the course were not new to me, although applying those concepts, within the particular context of materials at hand, was new. One important writing concept I was able to apply within these essays was synthesis. In my third essay, the final two sentences, I believe, synthesize my argument: â€Å"You cannot have a successful planning or organizing within a company without correlating these with the budgeting function, in order to obtain the realistic backup of any project. Budgeting and planning go, in this sense, hand in hand, and you cannot really have one without the other in the company.† One other process that helped me a great deal (although at the time, I did not particularly care for it), was writing and rewriting multiple drafts, a process I do not often experience in other courses. Not only did writing multiple drafts help make my papers better mechanically, grammatically, and in terms of â€Å"hard thinking†, but it also gave me more confidence that I could really write well. I think, though, that my grammar still needs a little improvement, and in places, my punctuation does too. Overall, though, I sincerely feel that I have given my writing for the course my best effort. I suppose one can always try a little harder, but in my case, one could not try too much harder than I have tried this term. I gave the course, and my writing, my best efforts, not so much for the grade (although grades are important to me), but rather, because I really wanted to learn the material. Writing was integral to my learning. Moreover, my family knows I have given this course, and my writing, my best effort, because they have witnessed first-hand all the time and effort I have put in, and all the thought (often aloud) that I have given the subject matter for this course. In all of those respects, then, I am very proud of the work I have done in this course during the term. I focused on it; I endeavored to learn all I could; and I aimed to do work of a quality I could both be proud of and learn from in the future.

How the iPhona Changed Modern Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How the iPhona Changed Modern Economics - Essay Example According to the company, an estimated 200,000 iPhones were pre ordered the very day that the phone went on sale in the country and another 400,000 were sold on that day. The company was able to attract so many buyers because of the popularity that the phone had gained over the Chinese market because of the sale of its previous model, which had further excited a wider consumer base. Even though the phones are more expensive, they offer better features as well as data services which have attracted.In economic terms, it is clear and evident that this particular phone has appealed a great deal to at least half of the Chinese market because more and more people have bought it at the price at which it was launched. The iPad was also released in China and went on sale at a fast pace as well. However, the crux of the matter remained that the iPhone’s demand exceeded the supply that the company was able to give to the people. This goes to show that there was an extension of demand in the particular commodity at the same or even higher price. Since the iPhone 4 was costlier than the previous version, an extension (and not just an increase) in demand can be noticed here in economic terms which means that there is movement along the demand curve.As per the article, â€Å"As of the second quarter, Apple was the fifth-largest smart phone vendor in China with 7.1% of shipments, according to Beijing research firm Analysys International. Nokia Corp. had the largest share with 26.7%.†Ã‚  

Rene Descartes in Philosophy - the Distinction between Mind and Body Essay

Rene Descartes in Philosophy - the Distinction between Mind and Body - Essay Example The book contains six different meditations and opens with Descartes discarding away all information and knowledge he had ever known before. This laid ground for him to begin a new search for knowledge and wisdom. The distinction between mind and body and the existence of other material things is the last piece of meditation in the book (Rozemond, 2006). The sixth meditation deals with the existence of material things and the difference between mind and body. This meditation has two main arguments that Descartes uses to prove that the mind and the body are two distinct realities. The first argument states that since it is possible to conceive the mind and the body as two different things, God can cause them to exist independently. This argument fulfils the traditional criteria for metaphysical real distinctions. The second argument states that while the body is divisible, infinite and extended into space, the mind is unitary, indivisible and un-extended into space. These two distinct natures of mind and body distinguish the two elements as distinct and independent realities. In this meditation, Descartes attempts to find proof about whether material things can exist out of self and God. He then proceeds to prove that the mind is distinct from the body. With regard to the latter, Descartes begins his proof by asserting that God is capable of creating anything that Descartes himself can clearly and distinctly perceive. He follows this argument by stating that if God is capable of creating things that are independent of the other, then such things are distinct and different from each other.

Mustang Ford Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mustang Ford - Assignment Example egies that enable them to retain and also attract more customers, for instance, by lowering their costs, improving quality of their products, and producing vehicles with attractive features. Ford is forced to adopt the same strategies to compete with these industries and stay competitive in the ever changing market. A strategic group in the automobile industry consists of industries which face the same factors of competition and carry out the same strategies in similar strategic dimensions. According to Mahoney (2005), strategic groups in the automobile industry usually begin with the choice of dimensions of strategies. Different dimensions will be employed in defining strategic groups: quality of products, cost position, identification of brand, services, financial leverage, and specialization. Reluctance of banks to give car loans. Unavailability of credits from banks puts much strain on Ford’s capital. Ford has to ensure that its sales are stabilized, or it may be forced to seek monetary assistance from the government. More customers are now opting for environmentally friendly vehicles. Ford has taken advantage of this opportunity by developing an ‘Eco Boost’ technology, which the industry is using to manufacture cars that have 20% greater efficiency in fuel use and also have reduced carbon dioxide emissions (Hitt et. al, 2012). Due to the increased environmental awareness, manufactures make environmentally friendly vehicles that are more marketable because of the need to conserve one’s environment. There are few manufacturing automobile industries compared to the number of consumers. New technology is available in this industry, and this has made it possible to manufacture cars according to what consumers prefer. Mobility barriers will prevent the industry from moving to a different strategic group. These mobility barriers will ensure that the industry does not face increased rivalry and that it still is able to make sufficient economic profits

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3

Strategic management - Essay Example It is ranked among the top 100 ethical and sustainable companies globally (L’Oreal, 2011). The company has about 23 global brands in around 130 companies with 66, 600 employees. The brands annual sales turn up to be more than 50 million Euros. Some of the consumer products of L’Oreal are L’Oreal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New York, soft sheen Carson to name a few. The brand has its presence felt globally and has been well accepted by the people. 2. Company background L’Oreal is the largest cosmetic company across the world and was established in 1909 by Eugene Schueller, who was a French chemist. By the year 2003, the company had entered 130 countries through 290 subsidiaries and agents. The main heart of L’Oreal strategy is the dermatologist and cosmetic department. The L’Oreal group had thus marketed about 500 brands and provides services for all sectors of business such as body care, skin care, fragrances, hair colour and other products. L ’Oreal owns various brands such as Garnier, Armani, Maybelline, and others. According o L’Oreal innovation and diversification were the critical success factors for the brand and invested highly on research and development but recovered the investment made by launching the products globally. L’Oreal markets its product under its name and also other family brand names. L’Oreal strategy was to drop down technology over the time from high end outlets and markets to the mass population. The brand Plenitude was the market leader in France but in US it was not that promising but with its innovation and diversification strategy the company was able to overcome it (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2007, p. 158-159). 3. Competitive advantage Focusing on fundamentals of strategy does not always lead to formulation...Base on the analysis from various tools it can be concluded that L’Oreal in order to remain competitive in the market place has adopted various strate gy and with needs and demands have also altered the strategies from time to time. L’Oreal has primarily adopted the premium price differentiation strategy in order to stay ahead but as stated above the company also make use of the cost leadership strategy. L’Oreal is the most popular and well known cosmetic brad and in order to maintain its position the company invest heavily in its R&D to innovate and create new products to suit the demands and need of its target market. With the female segment the many has also targeted the male segment and as per reports huge opportunity tends to exists as the male have started to take care about grooming themselves.

Today's and Tomorrows Travel Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Today's and Tomorrows Travel - Assignment Example Tourism destinations across the world have been in competition to attract clients to their spaces to enjoy beautiful sceneries that abound. Those destinations that have simple systems for advancing information to potential clients receive better advantages. People all over the world are in need of crucial information that matches their preferences, systems that are able to advance this information provides great businesses as people easily get them in search engines and other databases. For this reason, it is important that tourism destinations establish their information systems in a manner that enhances access from people that are interested. In addition there is need to have other important factors well catered for in the destinations which can appeal to different people from all corners of the world. People will always prefer to move to those destinations that fulfill their curiosity to the maximum, giving them utility for their money. Important things that people look for are the kind of reception offered, special features that people are bound to have like discounts, staff attendance, the kind of space that exists, popularity of the destination among other important personal preferences that enhance the same. This papers looks at these and other important aspects of tourism and travel factors that drive modern tourism sector in different parts of the world, having the Kenyan tourism destination as the case study. The east African region has been known to have numerous tourism destinations in Africa and the world at large. Countries in East Africa boost of the best tourism destinations that attract visitors from all parts of the world. The East African region enjoys favorable climate all year round, something that gives it an added advantage compared to countries that are found to the extreme North and South of the equator. During winter, tourist destinations especially in Kenya and Tanzania are a host to

Romantic Composers' Enthusiasm for Writing Orchestral Program Music Essay

Romantic Composers' Enthusiasm for Writing Orchestral Program Music - Essay Example Being a representative of Early Romanticism, Hector Berlioz was one of the true founders of Romantic era in music. Writing in the grand romantic tradition, Berlioz is famous for his large operas and symphonies. He brought the true Romantic spirit into program music and can be considered as not less significant and even revolutionary figure than Beethoven with his passion and emotional depth of expressions. Berlioz is mostly famous for his Symphonie fantastique and Grande Messe des morts; both appeared as true progress in program music organizing. Written in 1830, Symphonie fantastique is divided into five thematic parts or movements. This Berlioz's composition can be surely referred to as program music since it is subtitled as An Episode in the Life of an Artist and has its own narration. During the time of writing this symphony, Berlioz has extremely fallen in love with the Irish actress, Harriet Smithson, and this fact is the background of the Symphonie fantastique plot. As for the technical content and using new approaches in the composition, Symphonie fantastique is filled with the intensively dramatic music and unusual timbres and textures. Being a professional conductor and highly talented composer, Hector Berlioz used a large orchestra with prominent role of brass and percussion p to four timpani players. On the other hand, it occurs that Berlioz was also highly impressive and sensitive person, and, therefore, composition was always an extremely creative process for him. As it is said in introduction of Symphonie fantastique text: "In this condition his sensations, feelings and memories find utterance in his sick brain in the form of musical imagery. Even the beloved one takes the form of melody in his mind, like a fixed idea that is ever-returning, that he hears

Culture Walk Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Culture Walk - Assignment Example Faustian the term implies a situation where the person is very ambitious in his life and wants to achieve success in life. However, improvements in technology has made people to be in a rat race as they are always in a hurry to gain more power and position and achieve success in life as early as possible. Therefore, to meet with the growing competition and culture people sometime give up their moral integrity just to win the race of life. With concern to the cultural walk regarding the different phases of life it is observed that since the beginning of life individuals always wants to know the purpose of their existence. The realities of life that is birth, death are not known to anybody and therefore people search for the reason behind their life. People often find themselves in a situation where they may think that what will happen and where will they go after life ends. This made the people thing that whether they will return to earth if they die. As we are moving with the improve ment in technology, people from all the walks of life following different cultures are more willing to know about their future existence on this planet. People are always with the problem of identifying their purpose of life. The universe, the life on earth and mankind all are the gift of god and nature and so are to be judged equally as believed by individual. Moreover, people from different cultural background have varied views towards life and the perception of individuals has also changed due to technology. People are no more close to the nature hence affecting their walk of life. With regard to this aspect of life it can be depicted that life has become more materialistic and happiness are no more grounded with nature. Kirkpatrick Sale mainly focuses on the technology and the various challenges people are facing due to the improvements in the technology. The Rebel against future takes us back to the period of 1811 when people were feared of Luddite rebellion. The

Goals for Creating the New City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Goals for Creating the New City - Essay Example Since it is a new city, it has not yet had universities constructed. Since it is aimed to be a center for academic achievement, it has plans for the construction of institutions of higher learning. Many people have been attracted to the city. This is due to its fame of having a high rate of civic involvement. There is a lively democratic process within the city. This makes it attract people from different parts of California and from other parts of the globe. Residents are not only involved in politics, but issues including crime prevention, disaster readiness, and lack teamwork remain to its main challenges. Nonetheless, the city has remained the attractive place for people from all over the globe. The city is less good as Berkeley. This is because we have several colleges in Berkeley. The Vista Community College and the University of California are built in Berkeley. This makes Berkeley a better place for higher education than in the city (Wilson et al. 23). Nonetheless, the city i s similar to Berkeley; the only difference is the college and the university. However, there is no big difference of Berkeley from the city; education is highly valued in both cities. Democracy and security are considered basic for the residents. People within the cities are committed to the establishment of one economic center with the justified distribution of resources. The two cities are looking forward to working together to build their economy by becoming economic partners. Since the two cities are neighbors, they can be good business partners. Transportation of commodities from one city to the other would be efficient. Since the two cities have greatly invested in security, the establishment of security within the border would be ensured. Both the cities would work together to achieve improved security in their borders and within the cities.  

Parks and recreation Essay Example for Free

Parks and recreation Essay Chicago is a major medical and dental center supported by high-class hospitals and research services offering to its dwellers. Chicago offers life science and biotech entrepreneurs with a balance of capital, community. The local companies are experienced vanguarding the diagnostics, therapeutics, medical equipment, food and environmental biotechnologies, and research and development related activities (World business Chicago, 2005). Transportation Chicagos boasts a major inland port and the railroad hub of the US, while the OHare International Airport is the worlds busiest airports. The city has 1,084,127 number of passenger cars and 55,585 trucks (B plates) and 17,807 Trucks (RV) and Busses with total CTA passenger figure of 450,530,411 as per 2000. There are 3 airports, which handled 1,663,784 metric tons of cargo in 2000. The detail is shown in the table 1. 4 (Chicago Public Library, 2005). Lagos is connected by rail and road to all the major cities of Nigeria, while the city main Airport is Murtala Muhammad International Airport situated in city center. Ferries and highways form the transportation link for the city, but transport links within Lagos are crowded due to chaotic and unplanned geography of the city. Its volatile population, broken roads and reckless drivers, worsens the situation (Simmie, 2001) Table 1. 4 Chicago has total 791 parks, which includes baseball, basketball, bathing beaches, field houses, playgrounds, football, golf courses, driving ranges and gymnasiums with total area of 7,337 acres. There are also 5,327 harbor facilities and swimming pools, and zoos. (Chicago Public Library, 2005) In Lagos near the lagoon, Ebute Metta, multitude of wooden homes and shops are built over the frail silt which offer cheap living and food. The people sit in the middle and enjoy meals in the middle of stink, naked kids and beggars. The shops are made by these people to have a living, as government doesn’t seem to bother about their miseries. A council of elders resolves the issues inside the slums as government has little concern for these poor people (Smith, 2000). Water, sewerage and sanitation system The Chicago city has elaborate and well-developed water and sewerage, sanitation and recycling system. The city daily water pumpage is 969,225,00 gallons, while the water tunnels and lake covers an area of 63 miles. The city residential waste was about 1. 1 million ton as per 2000, while the total amount of recycling reached about 296,425 tons. The total length of sewers is about 4300 miles with 148000 main holes. Lagos is built on poorly drained marshlands. The city suffers flooding not only in the rainy season, but sewage blockage floods the city slums regularly. Just like other third world cities, Lagos is riddled with garbage and waste disposal littered everywhere. The explosive population has led the boom in construction industry, but without any planning as a result the building constructed with cheap material collapse giving rise to series of accidents frequently. The city is infamous for its traffic jams, as some times a 10 km distance can take up to three hours. Lagos has the reputation of the most dangerous city in the Africa. As the few bridge connects 3,500 square km of islands, swamp and the mainland, the highways run through mountains of garbage and wastelands with dirt and dust in the air passing through its 200 slums eternally drenched in sewage, garbage and industrial waste (Hall, 2001). The city haphazard planning has given rise to chaotic development, causing shortage of houses, roads, power, water and constant traffic jams. About 90 percent of the Nigerian people have access to electricity with Lagos consuming 45 percent of the energy (Octchet, 2005).

Traditional Classical Theory Verses Positivist Theory

Traditional Classical Theory Verses Positivist Theory The reason for choosing Classical versus Positivist Theory is that these two theories were the basis of argument before the Twentieth Century, and, if studied, one could understand the discrepancies of crime theories and debates when dealing with the law, psychiatrists and deterrence(Padhy, 2006).Crime theories emerge from the study of criminology(Padhy, 2006). Criminology is a sociological branch of study utilising crime statistics, psychology and law and the scientific study of human bodies to research criminal behaviour(Padhy, 2006). To understand the implications of criminal behaviour, we need to understand crime, defined when a human being breaks the law realising this varies between countries due to different cultures and values(Padhy, 2006). The law is defined by what the legislature says, thus crime is determined by what these law agencies decide(Fletcher, 1985). Historically, Beccaria and Benthan in the Eighteenth Century emerged with the Classical Tradition of Crime, focuss ing on punishment and the crime committed(Padhy, 2006). In the Nineteenth Century with scientific enlightenment, Lombroso brought a new theory to discussion focussing on the criminal(Padhy, 2006). Positivism was based on determinism contrasting with Classical Tradition based on rationality. This forgoes individual choice and holds biological and psychological predisposition responsible, giving a new consideration for judges because of a new understanding on criminal behaviour(Padhy, 2006). In discussing the nature of human beings, Classical Theorists say that individuals possess the ability to make choices(Beccaria, 1778). Human beings are able to participate in any activity not contrary to legislation, giving free choice(Beccaria, 1778). It is when humans take this right of choice and cause damage to lives and autonomy of citizens that crime is committed(Beccaria, 1778). Both theories view crime as a breach of security causing an interruption to a peaceful society(Beccaria, 1778). Classical Theorists focus on the dependant variables of crime looking at the crime itself, compared to Positivism which focuses primarily on the independent variables of the individual and what caused this act(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). The Classical School of Crime was developed for the purpose of defining criminals as rationale human beings acting to gain benefits, where legislation was aimed to increase peace and maximise welfare(Carnis, 2004). Discussing the nature of human beings within Positivism says that human behaviour is governed by laws of nature, thus crime is predetermined(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990a). It emerged during the enlightenment period in response to specific theory testing by correlations and relationships between measured variables(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). Positivist Theory encompasses the idea that human behaviour is the product of causal forces over which individuals or collectivities have little control(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990 p.418). Rejecting Classical Theories, Biological Positivism focuses on empirical evidence from the study of twins, families and genetics to emphasise the biological determinants of criminology(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). Eysenck forms both Biological and Psychological Positivism, where upbringing is a form of conditioning to crime to gain a conscience of what is bad or good(Eysneck, 2006). There are two kinds of character types, introvert or extrovert. Introverts are mo re set in characteristics and difficult to condition or de-condition, whereas extroverts are easily conditioned(Eysneck, 1977). Eysenck suggests that a failure of conditioning to develop a good conscience is the cause of criminal behaviour (Eysneck, 1977). Eysenck suggests that punishment followed soon after crime can re-condition these individuals away from criminal behaviours similar to Classical Theory(Eysneck, 1977). In explaining the cause of criminal behaviour, Classical Theory explains that humans pursue happiness and pleasure and want to avoid pain(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). With free will and choice comes the influence of that individuals environment where it may limit or promote criminal behaviour(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). For an individual to commit a crime they must use force and fraud to achieve self-happiness or advantage(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). In Classical Theories motivation comes from the human and is the cause of crime. Motivation is the key in defining why the perpetrator carried out the crime, and focuses on how the target made this crime accessible(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). After the development of Positivism, thoughts of rational decisions and preconceptions of Classical Theory had to be re-evaluated(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). Scientists had a new outlook based on experimental methods to question previous rational schemes that dominated criminal theories before the Nineteenth Century(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). In the view of Positivism the cause of criminal behaviour lies in measured variables(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). Juxtaposed to Classical Theory, for an individual to commit a crime in the eyes of Positivist Theory they must have an inherited trait(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). With Positivism, there is no acceptance of rational behaviour but crime is explained by biological and social phenomenon. This theory emphasises there is a social reason for each specific criminal act, found through research and correlations(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). Characteristics or tendencies that an individual inherits can increase their susceptibility for crimi nal behaviour, thus Positivist criminologists sustain criminals are caused to behave this way(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). Lombroso also described that the cause of criminal behaviours were imbedded in physical characteristics and genetic makeup(Hamlin, n.d) In explaining crime, Traditional Classical Theories claim crime is caused by human beings acting on incentives(Ehrlich, 1996). Humans follow wilful participation of criminal and unlawful acts, explained by their own choices following self-interests(Ehrlich, 1996). Consistent with Classical Theory, Rational Choice Theory which is an extension based centrally in Classical Theory explains that human actions are based on rational choice, weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of the criminal act(Akers, 1990). Criminal activity is committed even with the informed notion of the consequences if one gets caught(Akers, 1990). Disadvantages may outweigh advantages with legal punishment thus the individual will decide not to commit the crime(Akers, 1990). This is where deterrence plays a major role in Classical Theory. The threat of legal and capital punishment aims to offset the advantages and reduce the motivation for crime(Akers, 1990). Deterrence for Classical Theories is aimed at pos itive punishment meaning reduced crime rates due to harsh consequences(Akers, 1990). Cesare Lombroso, the founder of Biological Positivism, used scientific methods to explain crime, forming the theory known as Lombrosian Atavism(Rafter, 2005). His theory is imbedded in atavism, explaining that criminals are evolutionary throwbacks to a primitive human advancement(Rafter, 2005). This earlier stage was focussed on savage behaviours because these had a greater advantage than personal and community skills(Rafter, 2005). He claimed that these socially unacceptable behaviours were inherited, thus individuals were doomed by their physical makeup to break the law'(Rafter, 2005, p.33). Using scientific principles to study the human body and mind, Lombroso said individuals are born as criminals(Rafter, 2005). Their genetic makeup is the explanation for crime; they have a predisposition and have been caused to act this way(Rafter, 2005). The irregularities Lombroso studied, lead him to find relationships between the criminal man and criminal tendencies(Rafter, 2005). Eysenck, s till within Positivism, suggested crime was caused by a lack of conditioning, where behaviour is misguided and guilt is not felt towards criminal behaviours(Eysenck, 1977). Comparing deterrence between the two theories, Classical Theory follows that punishment is measured by the injury that criminal inflicted on society(Beccaria, 1778). Beccaria condemned torture as punishment because it has been falsified in gaining truth, especially about accomplices(Beccaria, 1778). Beccaria believed that punishment should be explained to the criminal and the quicker the punishment after the inflicted crime, the more just and appropriate it will be because of a greater association between crime and punishment(Beccaria, 1778). The point of deterrence in Classical Criminology is to prevent offenders committing further crimes, thus they must realise the extent of their heinous activity, previously hidden behind the advantages of committing the crime(Beccaria, 1778). Within Classical Theory for persecutors or potential offenders deterrence is best given through restraint, physical or situational punishment(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). Historically, punishments were in fi nancial dues to the Prince thus if convicted guilty you were in debt to the Crown(Beccaria, 1778). As Positivism is focussed on the pre-requisite explanation of crime, deterrence or correction in Positivist Theory must aim to identify those people with criminal tendencies, record what caused their behaviour and look at ways to adjust or prevent this behaviour(Lyons, 1977). Eysenck, suggested that if offenders were caught at a young age, they could be re-conditioned, and possibly taught about good behaviours and given a conscience against criminal acts(Eysneck, 1977). In Positivism, persecution is difficult because if the judge accepts genetic inheritance, where is the line drawn as to how much you are accountable for your criminal behaviours. Husted, Myers and Lui(2008) questioned the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans in a court case as to how much these can be accredited to understand the level to which the defendant can blame their genetic makeup. Classical and Positivist Theory cause practical implications when dealing with court orders. Judges in court must use their intuition with evidence to determine guilt(Padhy, 2006). Judges have often been said to move towards a more Classical approach insisting that humans choose to commit the crime because we are free willed and make our own decisions(Padhy, 2006). Courts must issue a sentence in the hope of preventing further criminal behaviour(Padhy, 2006). Classical Criminology emphasised to judges and juries that offenders must be deterred thus preventing further acts of criminality(AIC, 2009). Based on this deterrence, the sentence must be given equally with no regard to race, socioeconomic status and age(AIC, 2009). There is no excuse for genetic determinism if embracing Classical Criminology in the courts so procedures and sentences must be based on what the individual committed(AIC, 2009). This contrasts with Positivism where an individual can blame their genetic makeup. Posi tivism is embraced when dealing with psychologists or psychiatrists where they focus on the deterministic features(Padhy, 2006). They highlight the external environment and internal predispositions under involuntary control, thus blaming criminal behaviour on the lack of choices or free will that individual had(Padhy, 2006). In the late Twentieth Century, classical tradition re-emerged because it was used to explain deviant behaviour in adolescence(Padhy, 2006). There was a rise in juvenile crime and instead of focussing on Positivism the courts had reverted back to Classical and Rational Choice Theory where juvenile offenders were accountable for their crime(Padhy, 2006). After a crime the state had to promptly implement punishment in the hope of stopping this increase in juvenile deviance(Padhy, 2006). Both Classical and Positivist theories have their flaws. Deterrence theories are at the heart of Classical Theories. Sherman, Smith, Schmidt and Rogan(1992) conducted an experiment measuring the effect of punishment on subsequent offenders. They found that punishment and arrest did not reduce subsequent crime in domestic violence, and that in fact arrest increased undesirable behaviour especially in those who were single, unemployed and had low conformity levels(Sherman, Smith, Schmidt Rogan, 1992). This goes against the theory of deterrence in reducing further criminal activities. Positivism denied the main idea of Classical Theorists where the principles of crime causation werent based on free will and choice but focussed that there was a specific cause to that certain crime(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). Positivism is based on empirical evidence thus the new emerging ideas including critical theory, poststructuralism and post modernism are offered as extensions or critiques of Positivism suggesting a way to understand societies of the modern world(Agger, 1991). Within Positivism, it must be understood that criminal acts are consistent with their level of predisposition to crime(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). However Hirschi Gottfredson(1990) report no evidence of this relationship but positive criminologists just conclude the type of crime committed from the empirical evidence that best explains it(Hirschi Gottfredson, 1990). Lombrosian Atavism was critiqued where teachers and textbooks showed vague appreciation of what he contributed to crime theories(Rafter, 2005). Lombrosos work was often ridiculed, being the first to study the characteristics of a born criminal(Rafter, 2005). Lombroso was critiqued for his lack of statistics, and there was speculation he didnt always use control groups(Vedder, Koenig and Clark, 1953; cited by Rafter, 2005). Lombroso was however credited as being the father of introducing scientific method and research into criminology(Rafter, 2005). Briefly commenting on practical and social implications of what has been discussed, Classical Theories allow for no blame on genetics, thus punishment is given in relation to damage caused(Beccaria, 1778). Correction rehabilitation is enforced to stop reoffending(AIC, 1999). Socially, these individuals may be excluded from society with home confinement, correctional centres and psychiatrist treatment and rejected from society because of their criminal stigma(LeBel, 2008). Practically, in Classical Tradition the State has a right to impose punishment to the perpetrator if they caused social harm(Padhy, 2006). Practical implications within Positivism, involves criminologists catching and persecuting criminals, recording their genetic characteristics ascertaining why they are different from non criminals and therefore developing the atavistic criminal(Lyons, 1977). Rehabilitation must focus on how to correct these imbedded criminal behaviours, whilst identifying future individuals with criminal tendencies and placing preventive measures into action. When a law of the state is broken, whether we approve or disapprove of it, is classified as a criminal act(Hart, 1958). Concluding, we have witnessed that Classical Theories hold no presuppositions that cause criminal behaviour, their decision is controlled and not influenced by pre events. Motivation for crime comes from the perpetrator and will show in the nature of criminal acts. Beccaria was the founder of Classical Tradition in the Eighteenth Century, but when the scientific revolution emerged, Positivism was a result of utilising scientific methods. Lombroso used biological explanations for crime, describing the characteristics or stigma of an atavistic criminal. Eysenck focused on both biological determinants for characteristic types and behaviour determinants as an explanation for crime where a lack of developed morals and conscience cause a criminal to not feel guilty. Both theories emphasise deterrence and correction to prevent further criminal behaviours.

Pharmacist Role In Developing Countries Health And Social Care Essay

Pharmacist Role In Developing Countries Health And Social Care Essay Introduction: Since last decades despite tremendous advancements in medical technology, the global health status needs to be revamped. The commitment of the majority of World Health Organization (WHO) member countries to the Declaration of Alma-Ata in 1978 advocates the concept of health for all. Unfortunately the fundamental doctrine of the declaration is failed to be reaffirmed by some of the developing countries.1 The developing nations harbor 80% of the worlds population and it been estimated that 2.7 billion people living in this part of the world thrive on less than US$2 a day.2,3,4 This, in turn, contributed to lack of access to efficient healthcare services among these populations. Moreover, in most of these developing countries, the deliveries of effective healthcare services are compromised due to incompetent and non-qualified healthcare providers. Apart from the need to understand the pathophysiology of disease and their treatment modalities, healthcare providers necessitate to comprehend the local environment or/and culture in order to achieve the desired therapeutic outcomes. Therefore, the reorientation and reconstruction of healthcare professionals education and training to generate socially motivated healthcare providers is the need of time. Pharmacist role in developing countries: In the beginning of the 6th century BC, humans started a several-centuries-process of compiling pharmacological knowledge that contributed towards public health.5 The scope of pharmacy practice encompasses areas of compounding and dispensing medications, services related to patient care including clinical services, reviewing medications for safety and efficacy, and providing drug information. Generally, the existing medical education system produces professionals which have a tendency towards clinical practice or either specialization. Preference is more towards treatment rather than prophylaxis. Moreover, professional training emphasized on subject-centered curriculum linked with high technology and therefore, trainees come in contact with patients usually at the end of the training. As a result, the role of pharmacists in healthcare system is generally bleak, but perhaps more so in developing and transitional economies. Still in some places pharmacists are increasingly assuming their role as health care workers. Their services include more patient-oriented, administrative and public health functions. This successful transition in pharmacy practice is the result of the implementation of educational programs aimed at making them responsive to the needs of the majority of the population6. In the context of developing countries, pharmacy profession only captured the imagination of only a small segment of the population as a vibrant healthcare profession. For instance, although HIV/AIDS is rampantly prevalent in many developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America, still pharmacist in these countries is underutilized as healthcare workforce in prophylactic campaigns. Furthermore, issues of public health dimensions that need collective action via intensive efforts of pharmacists and other healthcare team members are nearly non-existent in developing countries. This might be due to the fact that both public and other healthcare practitioners perceived that pharmacists are not well positioned to take such an active role in public health initiatives that are generally considered to be the domains of doctors and nurses preferably7. Lately, with the tremendous evolution of pharmacy practice in developed nations such as the UK, Australia and US, it thus becomes evident that pharmacists can contribute more towards Health for All agenda. Furthermore, there has been a great move by health policy makers and educators in developing skills and attitudes which are necessary to meet the healthcare needs of the majority of the people. This change has also influenced many developing countries to follow the trend. Therefore, within the last two decades extensive transitions had been observed in pharmacy curricula globally, mainly with the incorporation of social and behavioral sciences at many pharmacy schools Although a complete discussion linking social sciences with pharmacy is not possible in a single document, we try to provide a brief historical background on social pharmacy and pharmacy practice as well as the importance of social sciences in health. In the current document the authors discuss few case studies from developed countries which establish the relevant link of social and behavioral sciences to pharmacy curricula and, therefore, the importance of social sciences in pharmacy curriculum can thus be ascertained. The authors will also enumerate the achievements of the Universiti Sains Malaysia in incorporating social pharmacy subjects in undergraduate pharmacy education. Recent history of social sciences and pharmacy education: Since the early 1980s, efforts were undertaken to find out which areas of pharmacy practice can greatly contribute in pharmacy training. Among many recommendations, an independent committee of inquiry established under the aegis of the Nuffield Foundation advocated that social and behavioral science should be incorporated into the pharmacy undergraduate curriculum. Defined as the scientific study of human behavior, behavioral science is often associated with disciplines which deal with people and society including psychology, sociology and anthropology. Sociology studies an individuals actions as a social phenomenon, whereas behavior is explained and shaped by the society in which we evolve; reason for which, sociologists prefer to use the term social action in place of behavior. Behavioral science also includes social psychology and interpersonal communication. According to Morrall,8 the discipline of sociology demystifies the nature of health and illness, determines the social causes of disease and death, exposes power-factors and ethical dilemmas in the production of health care, and either directly or indirectly helps to create a discerning practitioner capable of more focused and competent decision making. Such a sociologically informed approach to health care is basically needed by all health workers including pharmacists. Due to this importance, institutions such as the schools of pharmacy and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain suggested that aspects of sociology should be incorporated into the pharmacy undergr aduate curriculum for adequately preparing pharmacy students for their future practice. In a related opinion, the Royal Pharmaceutical Societys Education Committee advocated that all schools of pharmacy in their undergraduate programs should include teaching on the social science aspects of pharmacy.9 Why sociology for pharmacists? : Inadequacies and disparities in health care systems are still a major threat to global public health. In response to this, the last decades had witnessed an increasing number of changes in the activities of pharmacists. In primary care activities compounding and formulation of medicines are not practiced anymore. As technological progresses have made the dispensing of medicines a more routine task, how much time pharmacists spend on this activity is questioned. In addition, the number of highly effective proprietary medicines available for sale from a pharmacy, which were previously only available on prescription, has increased and thus expected to increase still further. As such, it is predicted that in near future pharmacists will be able to prescribe medicines as supplementary prescribers in developing countries. These facts have led pharmacists to re-evaluate their roles, and to promote themselves as health professionals as they must consider them selves as experts in medicines capable to take the lead of patients health status and the outcomes of different therapeutic regimen. In secondary care, clinical and ward pharmacy have become important concepts, with pharmacists increasingly being integrated into the health care teams alongside acquiring specializations i.e. in drug information, oncology, paediatrics and radiopharmacy. The contribution of social science to pharmacy practice: Pharmacy services in developing countries could make a greater contribution to health care. Steps to ensure that pharmacy education provides students with the knowledge and skills to contribute to public health priorities of their local populations are increasingly seen as an important goal of pharmacy education. Clearly, in developing their professional skills in social and clinical pharmacy, students need to appreciate that patients will have their own beliefs, views, and perspectives about their health and use of medicines which might be important determinants of the success of any health promotion activities. These activities include development effective counseling and communication skills, enhancing medication compliance, improving the understanding of ones disease, encouraging patients to seek professional care, assisting patients in making informed decision, and enhancing pharmacy professionalism and leadership qualitie s. Global Case Studies Developed Countries In 1975, the study commission on pharmacy identified the need to incorporate the behavioral and social sciences in pharmacy alongside clinical practice. In the same year, the Council on Pharmaceutical Education included pharmacy administration, social and behavioral sciences in their indicative curriculum. As per 2004, the American Association of College of pharmacy10 incorporates many social and behavioral topics as required outcomes of pharmacy programs in the USA. In UK, the Nuffield Committee of inquiry into pharmacy decided behavioral sciences to be incorporated into undergraduate pharmacy curriculum in 1986. To date, social pharmacy is now taught in all schools of pharmacy and forms part of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society ¢s indicative curriculum. A number of Northern and Eastern European countries introduced social pharmacy into their curricula in the mid-1970 ¢s11. In Sweden, courses were taught since 1957, dealing with social pharmacy and low/regulations in pharmacy which in 1970 transformed to social pharmacy. In Denmark, the first social pharmacy course was introduced in 1972-73 and by 1980 the course appeared in the course catalogue as social pharmacy with social science. In 1992, a chair in social pharmacy was established at Royal Danish School of Pharmacy. In Belgium, the concept of communication skills was introduced into the pharmacy fourth year students. A variety of methods that are used to assess pharmacy practice students , including a 6-month pharmacy internship, in which students are assessed by a preceptors report; a week-long workshop on communication and pharmacotherapy; a multiple choice exam on pharmacotherapy; and an open book oral exam. In the academic year 2000-01, the strongest correlations were between internship and oral exam performance. This trend continued in 2001-02, in addition to multiple choice exam correlating with both oral and internship performance. Developing Countries In the scenario of developing countries the contribution of pharmacy education in Malaysia is worth mentioning. The Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is the first public university to offer a Bachelors degree in Pharmacy in Malaysia since 1972. To date, it has produced more than 2,000 pharmacy graduates which serve as local pharmacy workforce. The School of Pharmaceutical Sciences has a multi-disciplinary pharmacy curriculum designed to provide holistic training to  prepare students for life-long learning, and to equip them with broad scientific knowledge and essential skills. The integrated pharmacy program consists of basic science and pharmaceutical science subjects in the first two years of study, and progresses towards patient care and clinical pharmacy. In the third and fourth years, the students professional skills are linked to an advanced clinical and pharmacy practice. Hence the curriculum inculcates a high standard of pharmacy training in practical knowledge and profession al skills. The 4-year program covers 6 disciplines of study, namely Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Physiology, Pharmaceutical Technology, Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacy and Social and Administrative Pharmacy. Social and Administrative Pharmacy subjects were first incorporated in the curriculum in 1992-93 academic sessions and has been designed to prepare students for responsible leadership positions in academia, industry or public service.12 Hence this course equips the students for careers in governmental agencies, pharmaceutical firms, community pharmacies, universities, professional bodies and health insurance companies, all of which have a direct and indirect impact on the social fabric of the country. Students learn to give optimum services to the patients, as well as to make them aware about the prevention and cure of diseases. The Discipline of Social and Administrative Pharmacy (DSAP) at USM is committed to promote research in drug use problems in developing countries.13 At present more than fifty postgraduate students from more than ten developing countries are being guided by the faculty members in carrying out drug-related research in their countries as well as in Malaysia. The priority areas of research of DSAP are multidisciplinary and include pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology/ pharmacovigilance, socio-behavioral aspects of health and pharmacy, pharmaceutical care, outcomes research, quality of life assessment, decision analysis, and pharmaceutical management and marketing. Additional domains of research include pharmaceutical public policy, pharmaceutical education, pharmacoinformatics and pharmaceutical anthropology. Another striking example is the case of Ghana, where pharmacists are often the most easily accessible health professionals to give consultation on health problems14. The incorporation of a landmark health promotional module in pharmacy course in Kumasi, Ghana comprises of both classroom activity as well as outdoor field work. This field work component enables the student to prepare health promotional materials by visiting and observing their local population and thus identify and explore their local compromised resources. This module thus serves to prepare Challenges for social pharmacy: A good example of how social pharmacy faces challenges can be gained from the recent review by Puspitasari et al 15 , which focused on counseling given to patients who purchase prescription medicines from community pharmacies. Their data showed that the nature of researchers relationships with the profession, measures to improve community pharmacy practices, the importance of learning from other disciplines, and the need to internationalize our discipline challenge social pharmacy research works. In addressing the role of a pharmacy, some authors16, 17 have previously suggested that pharmacists should have an increasing role in patient care and that patient counseling is one of the cornerstones of this new role. The very wide variation in counseling rates found by Puspitasari and the colleagues (8 to 80% of patients received verbal counseling) suggests that this new role is carried out more in some settings than others. Social pharmacy research had pla yed and still continues to play an important role in documenting this practice variation. Based on these reports, one of the major challenges is how to improve the practice of those settings and practitioners who are currently lagging behind. Clearly, researchers dealing with social pharmacy and pharmacy practice tread a delicate line. In order to accomplish the research findings of social pharmacy into practice the relationship of the social pharmacist with the practitioners must be close and positive enough that practitioners must listen to and involve themselves in the implementation of findings in the hope of improvements in pharmacy practice. In addition, researchers need to be independent enough so that they can identify the need for improvement, and advocate in the interest of public health. Non-pharmacists social pharmacy researchers face an additional set of challenges and pressures which mainly include their own recognition within social pharmacy.18 As pointed out by Puspitasari et al,15 studies on improvements in community pharmacy practice are urgently needed. Previous studies highlighted that motivated, innovative pharmacists can provide effective secondary services, which are undoubtedly important; 19, 20 however, interventional research studies in order to assess or improve the performance of the present pharmacist or pharmacy assistants are the need of time. Substantial information on how to improve present pharmacy practice exists in other professions also, and this can be instrumental in bringing changes in social pharmacy. For instance, the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care Review Group have a long-term experience in dealing with practice improvement.21,22 Overall, the major outcome of these works is the passive dissemination of information, i.e. written materials and lectures are not effective in changing practice. However, reminders and interactive educational meetings are effective strategies as they promote discussion and educational outreach. Multifaceted interventions tend to be more effective than single ones. Reviews of evidence on specific issues, such as interventions aimed at improving the use of antimicrobials have produced similar findings.23 Strategies for improving practice are a key concern in most health professions such as pharmacy, medicine, nursing, but are dealt with separately in each profession. Although differences may exist between professions and countries, practice researchers in each discipline can learn considerably by interacting with each other. Social pharmacy research is done in few developed countries: USA, UK, the Netherlands, Finland, Australia, and Canada. According to Ryan et al,11 social pharmacy is taught in seventeen countries those above plus four more Scandinavian countries, more European countries, New Zealand, and very few countries in the developing world. Thus the dissemination of social pharmacy research still remains a major challenge, especially in developing countries where there are documented problems in the purchase, distribution, and use of medicines. To overcome these problems, one possibility would be to establish strategic alliances with countries already working in these areas or with organizations such as the World Health Organization and Management Sciences for Health (www.msh.org) that have expertise, experience, and commitment to improve access to and use of medicines in developing countries. Conclusion: Social pharmacy program can be approached globally through various course types and formats. These courses make the students expose and explore societal concerns and health inequalities in their respective resource-deficient settings. Practical application of some components makes the student aware of the impact of sociodemographic on health and illness and inculcates sound understanding of the culture as well as social and moral obligations towards society in general and individual in particular. With regard to Universiti Sains Malaysia, constructive discussion to incorporate social-behavioral concepts and principles into other courses throughout the pharmacy curriculum can make the future prospects bright for social pharmacy. Students should be taught social pharmacy concepts and principles in every subject as pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology, socio-behavioral aspects of health and ethical issues could and should be discussed during lectures and prior to clinical rotations. This shift in pharmacy practice from a product- to an information- and patient-based orientation affects patient knowledge, and increases liability and health care costs, which continue to place pharmacists in a position of great responsibility.

Men in Bowler Hats and Women in Great Dresses Essay examples -- Volunt

Men in Bowler Hats and Women in Great Dresses The day was grey and heavy; snow, in great drifts, lined the brick way. The brick and concrete halls loomed in the horizon; the years of the past century seemed to descend upon me as a curtain. Men in bowler hats and women in great dresses seemed more appropriate than my khaki cargo pants or leather jacket. The brick became concrete; and, I walked the path down the hill, past the great elms, and into the Sackett building. Wandering up the stairs, down halls, and finally finding the appropriate room, I entered and greeted the ruckus of the Best Buddies’ organizational meeting. For those unfamiliar with Best Buddies, it is an organization of committed students who champion the interests of men and women with intellectual disabilities. However, Best Buddies is a humble organization; the organization emphasizes personal relationships and bonds of friendship over great initiatives of policy or mass demonstrations. The students who serve recognize the significance of such efforts but wish to participate in a more direct long term response. Working in several volunteer organizations, Best Buddies and the challenges confronted by both buddies and students most clearly underscore, for me, the growing need to recognize the role of volunteer organizations. To affect lasting change, students who work with disadvantaged children and people with disability must create lasting bonds, perennial bonds. Big Brother and Big Sister, Best Buddies, and the United Way all recognize this need and ask volunteers to commit to the cause for at least a year. For children in broken homes and people with disabilities, you need to establish trust. Only from a basis of trust, can a volunteer understand,... ...ry contributions the problems of society. Allowing children and adults from broken homes or with disabilities the opportunity to live fruitful lives, in part, must result from committed organizations of citizens, dedicated to weathering the inevitable heartbreaks of hard lives. So to my classmates and fellow volunteers, I urge you to remain committed and increase the awareness of the need for long term service. We Americans must recognize the need for civil society and restore a place for it; otherwise, we sanction the continuance of the great sorrows of society. We abandon what hearts, time, and hands can do and relegate our responsibility to the limits of foundations and money. As I walked away in the snow and wind, a sense of continuity filled me. My classmates and I joined a long tradition, reaching back beyond men in bowler hats and women in great dresses.

THE SINFUL NATURE OF MEN IN WILLIAM GOLDINGS LORD OF THE FLIES :: essays research papers fc

When anyone thinks of the word â€Å"evil† they do not think it is within themselves. In reality, without a structured and well-followed society, people are apt to follow their own corrupt desires and neglect the thought of consequence. In the allegory, Lord of the Flies, William Golding reveals that man’s selfishness and sinful nature will be unmasked when the structure of a society deteriorates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the story opens, the boys are stranded on the island without any type of authority and must fend for themselves. A meeting is held and the chief, Ralph, is quickly named. A reader at once can notice there is already a power struggle between Jack and Ralph but this is overlooked when Jack says rational and sensible remarks about what should be done. The stability of civilization is still apparent when Jack says, â€Å"I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things,† (Golding 42). The boys are still influenced by the restraints they learned from a controlled society. Joseph Conrad asserts that â€Å"there exists a certain ‘darkness of man’s heart’ that is suppressed by the light of civilization† (Introduction to Lord of the Flies 2). â€Å"Although Golding suggests the h armony of an ideal society, he does not indicate any faith in its creation† (Kennard 234). The more meetings that are held the more futile they become. â€Å" ’We have lots of assemblies. Everybody enjoys speaking and being together. We decide things. But they don’t get done,’ † (Golding 79). The boys realize that there are no punishments for what they do and disregard their priorities. â€Å"The idea that the absence of the restraints of civilization can lead to a subversion towards savagery† (Introduction to Lord of the Flies 2). The makeshift society that the boys have created is already starting to weaken.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  More and more time passes, the tension growing between the boys heightens and their hibernating savageness starts to peer out. Now, the boys start to completely ignore the rules and neglect the thought of getting rescued and start to fulfill their own wishes of hunting and playing. â€Å" ‘The rules!’ shouted Ralph. ‘You’re breaking the rules!’ ‘Who cares?’ [Jack retorted]†¦ ‘Because the rules are the only thing we’ve got!’ [Ralph replied]. ‘Bullocks to the rules! We’re strong – we hunt!.

Cults Essay -- essays research papers

Cults have become a phenomenon in our world today. Each year "hundreds of Canadians join some of the 3,000 unorthodox religions of one type or another" (Fernell, Branswell, 189) all across North America. Like every organization, club or even in the common work place there is usually a person who is a figure of authority or other wise know as a "leader" and with every leader there are always rules and objectives that each and every member has to do and follow. The common psychological profile and objective of a cult leader is usually based upon power, control, domination and subjugation. Many cult leaders use forms of mind control such as thought-reform, brainwashing and hypnosis. The effects of these mind controlling techniques often mentally scar people and it is very hard to re-gain control of what use to be their â€Å"normal† personality, way of thinking and life. Unselfishness, kindness, gentleness and compassion should be a basic living principle, not just an ideal. When individuals claim to be â€Å"spiritually developed and put themselves in the role of a master or prophet† (Hassen, 01) cult members â€Å"become so subservient to their leader that they even tolerate murder† (Fennel, 185). Destructive cults want to have control and power over people and want to expand their temporal power and usually do it to make money. Leaders exist to serve totalistic dictators, not to serve the people and desire to rule through power, not with the power of love. Charismatic leaders often stray into temptation to exploit their power over others in many dangerous ways. The cult leader often relies almost entirely on rules, procedures, aggression, denial and mimicry to hide their lack of people skills. Cult leaders are able to exert a hold over people for a variety of reasons. The members sometimes feel they belong to a group or "family& quot; because they feel secure and have a new way of thinking and believing the "real" way the world is or should be and as â€Å"the leader’s actions become more bizarre, so do the cult’s members† (Fennel, 186). Many people are thought to believe that the only type of people to become influenced or brain washed into joining a cult are those that are insecure, lonely and nieve. However, the people cult leaders actually strive for are the bright, intelligent people whom usually have 2-3 years of college or university... ... at a party or on a bus ride can be supportive. Supporting is listening and empathizing with the ex-member with out the offering of unsolicited options. Simply being there is one of the best ways anyone can help. The hunger for spiritual guidance and religious truth is usually what drives people into exploring many of the different existing religions all over North America and in other parts of the world. Many problems tend to arise when the leaders of these cultic groups proclaim themselves to be living embodiments of this truth. The many great dangers of cults lie in the leap one must take from embracing religious truth, to worshipping a person claiming to be this so called â€Å"truth†. The danger of these cults increase rapidly when the person promises salvation, redemption or perfection in exchange for money, goods and services. Once a person begins giving in to the leader and the rest of the cult members, the stronger their grasp becomes upon the person and the harder it becomes to leave the group. Victims (ex-cult members) â€Å"can and should be helped with both the induced and pre-existing aspects of their problem, at the appropriate points in treatment† (Clifford, Gold berg p 03).

Outline H&M’s product strategy Essay

Nobody immediately considers Sweden as a country well known for its fashion, but its Hennes & Mauritz retailer has profitably dominated the globe, with almost 1,000 stores in 20 countries. It is now Europe’s foremost clothing merchant, and at present appears resistant from the anguish confronting other sellers. Even though Europe is the chain’s domination, H&M is one of the few fashion retailers to have created a flourishing hold in the US market, with additional outlets by the end of the year, and more planned thereafter. A large deal of H&M’s accomplishment can be accredited to the aptitude of its internal designers, examples of piggy-backer style, swiftly acknowledging trends then acting on it, and being able to turn out patterns that look very much like what other expensive designers are creating. This might appear a little immoral from a fashion standpoint, but H&M supporters don’t care. In fact, they some what are pleased in thinking they got one up on the head honchos of fashion. Another important draw of H&M’s retail strategy is the stores get new merchandise daily. Much of the new stock comes through a rotation system between stores experiencing runs on certain lines. Sources report that H&M â€Å"turns over its entire inventory a whopping eight times a year.† Furthermore, they are recognized to have one of the best rotation cycles in the business, turning â€Å"merchandise from drawing board to store shelves in as little as three weeks.† As mentioned before, H&M’s success is its ability to quickly recognize fashion trends and get them into its product line. Its merchandise is designed by an in-house staff of more than 60 designers and is sold under more than 20 H&M labels. However, H&M doesn’t own any real estate. Instead, the company believes it should concentrate all its resources on retailing. This could be problematic if the owner of the property finds a higher bidder; this could force the retailer to move its business outside of a ‘prime’ area. Another concern is that the company does not have any manufacturing facilities of its own; the clothes are made in Bangladesh, China, and Turkey. Some European countries that have been known in the past  to have sweatshops filled with children laboring for hours. Once this company drives full force into the United States, it only takes one environmentalist to get wind of the manufacturing plants to begin detrimental allegations. The company wo uld most likely deny such an accusation and might be innocent, but often â€Å"corporations involved are unaware because they buy from suppliers or brokers.† Aside from these possible threats, H&M persists to make the journey across the Atlantic. However, the United States in general, and New York City specifically, can be harsh terrain for European merchants, as viewed by the 1994 departure of Galeries Layfayette , the French department store chain. It is not like jumping across the line into a different European country, where the merchant can depend on its previously developed stock network and its reputation with patrons; in the states, H&M is gripping to a tiny association and is far from home. H&M will need to splurge millions of dollars to make its name identification, particularly if it anticipates competing in a city by now overflowing with discounted fashion. H&M will discover itself contending with many American retailers. To compete productively, the company will have to start by importing large amounts of inventory to create an impression on the consumers. In the long run, considerable development will be necessary. They will want to attain some pretty serious scale. Other challenges exclusive to the U.S. retail market include customers’ obsession to marked-down merchandise; H&M may discover it has to open stores in factory outlet centers to move unsold products at low prices. Any of these are possibly opportunities or threats for H&M and none of it will be a small task in itself for the company as it makes its voyage across the ocean. The U.S. financial decline is certain to suppress H&M’s numbers for the immediate future, although, as a discount chain, it should progress better than many, as well as its competitors. In reality, reduction in spending practices may create the exact sort of client H&M aspires to allure; those looking to look as good as they looked in the boom years without the boom. www.heraldonline.com â€Å"H&M Marketing Strategy.† â€Å"Best Managers†; Business Week; Stefan Persson, Hennes & Mauritz; New York; Jan. 13 2003, pg. 63 www.rachel.org Rachel’s Environmental Health News. â€Å"Assessing Business Impacts.† July 1994 www.hoover.com â€Å"Companies that couldn’t make the voyage.†

John Venn (1834 â€1923) Essay

John Venn was born in 1834, to a highly religious Christian family at Hull, England. His mother died when he was very young and father was engaged with rendering his services to the church. He graduated from the Cambridge University and in 1857 was elected as a fellow of the college. He remained a fellow for the rest of his life. From 1858 he lived at different locations and finally returned to Cambridge in 1862. For the next thirty years, Venn dedicated himself to ‘Logic’. He wrote three books on this subject. The first one was ‘the logic of chance’ in 1866, the second, ‘ symbolic logic’ in 1881, and the third, ‘ The principles of Empirical logic’, in 1889. ( Brinley Lisa ) John Venn is famous for his conception of Venn diagrams, a visual representation of mathematical logic. He introduced the concept for the first time in 1880, in a paper titled, ‘ On the diagrammatic and mechanical representation of propositions and reasonings’, which appeared in the philosophical magazine and the journal of Science, July 1980. ( Brinley Lisa ). Venn Diagrams If three discs R, S ,T are subsets of U , then the intersections of these discs and their complements divide U into 8 regions, which do not overlap. The unions give 256 combinations of the three disks R, S , T. Proper working of Venn diagrams require an order of precedence and operators to follow. This order is, AND, NOT, OR, XOR ( Or and XOR equal ). This implies that if both the operations AND and OR are included in a query, AND operation will be taken up first. This does not happen ONLY IF parenthesis are used, as Expressions in parenthesis are processed first. Venn Diagram ( Brinley Lisa ) Venn continuously kept on improving his theory of visual representation through his diagrams. He never interpreted them as an attempt to clarify, what he thought were the inconsistencies and ambiguities of Boole’s logic. Venn realized that his diagrams were not sufficiently general. So he proposed a method by which a series of circles divide a plane into many compartments so that each successive circle would intersect all the compartments. This idea was to later develop as a concept of a ‘universal set ‘. At a later stage of his life, Venn became more interested in history and made some important contribution by documenting the history of Cambridge. John Venn will always be remembered for his contribution to extension of Boole’s logic, in a visual, diagrammatic way. Venn digrams are very useful in variety of applications including set theory, probability, logic, statistics and computer science. In a recent BBC poll, John Venn emerged as the third most greatest mathematician of recent times, next only to Newton and Euler. ( John Venn ) Works – cited page 1. Brinley Lisa, Gregory Emy, Biography of John Venn 1998, Retrieved on 22 March 07 from: < http://www. andrews. edu/~ calkins/math/biograph/biovenn. htm > 1. John Venn, wikipedia the free encyclopedia, 25 February 2007, Retrieved on 22 March 2007 from: < http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/John_Venn>.

Mouse Trap: Woodstream Corporation

Mouse Trap: Woodstream Corporation The company that has been chosen for this case study is Woodstream Corporation. This company was founded in 1832 and was formerly known as Animal Trap Company of America. It manufactures and markets a variety of pest control products including rodent control, caring control for pets and different types of mouse traps. It has been around for more than 150 years and marketed over 2500 unique products. Woodstream works to bring innovation to consumers by combining category leading products with technology and it services to solve the business needs of the retailer.The business strategy of Woodstream Corporation, in its own words is: â€Å"Our ‘go to market’ strategies are structured to help you optimize inventory levels, maximize sales and grow profitability† (1). The company is striving to give its retailers the maximum sell through innovative products and grow profitably. The president of the company, Harry Whaley, came up with a new and innovative plastic mouse trap also known as live mouse trap, which is more effective and easy to use than the traditional wood mouse trap.However, sales haven’t increased and in this case study we are going to look at the marketing strategy used for two different mouse traps and how it affects the buyer decision process. In order to design a customer-driven marketing strategy, a company must first understand the marketplace as well as the customer’s needs and wants. Seeing a mouse inside the house triggers an individual the need to look for a solution to take care of the problem. That individual is now going to look for a solution that they want in order to satisfy their need.In this case they probably want to get rid of the mouse permanently. In the market place there are two mouse traps available for them with Woodstream Corporation. The traditional wooden mouse trap and the innovative plastic mouse trap which are made by the same company. The traditional woo den mouse trap is known to work fifty percent of the time and it costs 15 cents for a pack of two. The new plastic mouse trap on the other hand is known to be forty percent more effective than the traditional wooden trap but costs a little more with the price of 25 cents per mouse trap.Despite the great effectiveness of the new innovative plastic mouse traps, people still tend to buy more of the wooden traps. It could be because the customer-perceived value of the traditional wooden trap is very high that people still choose to buy the old snap trap. It could also be that the company’s president Harry Whaley was too, focused on innovation and maximizing sales and profitability when creating the new mouse trap that he lost sight of the underlying customer need and value. This is when marketing myopia comes into play.The traditional wooden mouse trap is cheap, good quality and effective in getting rid of the mouse problem permanently. The way it works is the snap bar comes down violently on the head or neck of a mouse killing them instantly. The problem is being solved right then and there because the mouse died. The old traditional wooden trap satisfies the customer need by doing the entire job on its own. The new and innovative plastic mouse trap on the other hand does not complete the job entirely. It is effective in capturing the mouse; in fact it is more effective than the traditional wooden trap however, it only captures the mouse.It doesn’t get rid of the mouse by killing it. Now the consumers are left in a serious dilemma with a live mouse in their trap. Most of them do not want to kill the mouse on their own and they also don’t want to release it near their homes because they are afraid that it will come straight back into the home. In this case the customers are left with a product that solved half of their problem and don’t know what to do afterward. They are not willing to pay a higher price for a product like that despite its effectiveness and innovation.They are more willing to pay less for a traditional wooden mouse trap that satisfies their needs to its entirety. Woodstream might have failed to understand what the customers really want when building this new mouse trap. The company also does not have a well constructed marketing program that promotes the new plastic mousetrap. The more innovative product design does have a little advantage over the old one however; the pricing doesn’t create a real value for the customers. The distribution channel is great because it is being distributed from the same company.Promotion on the other hand needs a lot of improvement. The old traditional mouse trap has been around for many years. A great deal of promotion and advertising was done for this product. The wooden mouse trap also gained a lot of exposure through cartoon television shows for kids like Tom and Jerry, and other media advertising. The new plastic mouse trap on the other hand has not bee n promoted well in today’s media. Not a lot of consumers know about it and for those who haven’t had a mouse problem in the past, the new plastic mousetrap is nonexistent to them. They are unaware of the new and innovated mouse trap.

New Advertising Tools and Their Advantages

Introduction Technology is carrying new advertising tools a step forward from traditional advertising tools. With the improvements in technology and telecommunication, new advertising tools become the most effective way to find and reach target consumers. Brands become more Interactive and transparent. Like any tool, new advertising used correctly, it lowers investments and responds investments with quick increase in sales. Customization and advertisement-tailoring are another trend in today's society, therefore making new advertising tools more personal for target customers has great effect on sales.According to today's advertising and marketing conditions, it is a necessity to provide. Communication management is one of the most crucial requirements in today's marketing field. If the communication management process does not apply accurately, brand image is influenced negatively. Nowadays, besides the fact that target consumers are exposed to advertising communication, they are bec oming a part of the process as well. Another advantage which is brought by new advertising tools is measurement. Measuring the effects of their advertisements is every company's greatest desire.With online technology and new advertising tools, agreement becomes easier and unbiased. Moreover, measurable advertisements which are provided by new advertising tools enable the observation of return of investment in advertising. Social media channels and e-mail services provide customers easy and interactive communication with companies. Interaction between companies and customers improves quality of products and/or services. In addition to interaction, companies have opportunity to consider customer needs, wants and demands at first hand and answer them in real time.Even usage of social media and the internet advertisements are increasing dramatically; TV commercials and printed ads still reach more people than ever. In this regard, classic TV commercials and printed ads are still more us eful and effective for increasing brand recognition. Another consideration about advertising tools is memorabilia of advertisements. Generally some excellent examples of viral videos stick in customer's mind and the rest is forgotten quickly. II. New Advertising Tools a.Social Media Social media refers to interaction among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Andrea Kaplan and Michael Heinlein define social media as â€Å"a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2. 0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content†. Furthermore, social media depend on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content.They introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communit ies, and individuals. Diffusion of innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures such as social media. Everett Rogers, a professor of communication studies, popularized the theory in his book â€Å"Diffusion of Innovations† (2003). The book says that diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. The origins of the diffusion of innovations theory are varied and span multiple disciplines.The book explains the theory that there are four main elements that influence the spread of a new idea: the innovation, communication channels, time, and a social system. This process relies heavily on human capital. The innovation must be widely adopted in order to self-sustain. Mass. The categories of adopters are: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards (Rogers 1962, p. 150). Diffusion of Innovat ions manifests itself in different ways in various cultures and fields and is highly subject to the type of adopters and innovation-decision process.According to diffusion of innovations, social media research has three different viewpoints. First, from the perspective of methodology, they design a grand new framework comprehensively considering the components of user preference, social influence, and propagation tendency to covers users with strong diffusion power. Second, from the empirical perspective, they use microbiology as the data source rather than traditional web sites. Third, from the perspective of application context, they apply this recommendation mechanism to online social advertising so as to deliver advertisements effectively.Nowadays, social media is used for sharing personal information, and giving ability of affecting millions of people with advertisements. Now, 87% of companies are using social media effectively to gather customer data, even they can access to c onsumers directly in real time. Advertising campaigns are established based on personal databases and relationships between individuals in social media. Consumers are good advisors on the social platforms which increases brand recognition and trust. For example, on the Twitter, customers are tweeting and firms reply their customers immediately.Also, companies can measure the effectiveness of these tweets. Social media is related with business traffic rise and business exposure. Social media marketing has different effects on individual's social life. While social media sector is improving rapidly, more and more social media companies are being established and that is lawful for the future business partnerships. B. ID Advertising A ID, 3-D (three-dimensional) film or SAD (stereoscopic ID) film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception. ID technology is one of the most popular entertainment technologies in digital age.Glasses-on and non-glasses are the types o f ID technology. ID technology is also a new development for advertisement sector. Nowadays, popularity of ID advertisements is increasing, because it is more effective than normal ID advertisements. ID advertisements allow customers to explore products in every aspect. A higher sense of presence will result n greater enjoyment and an increase in level of product knowledge. Rising in perceived product knowledge and greater enjoyment will result in more favorable attitudes toward advertising.The effect of SAD advertising in creating presence will be moderated by the novelty of the advertising content and design. To sum up, ID and SAD advertising is a new tool and it increases the effectiveness of advertising. C. Online Advertisement Nowadays, advertisements are in consumers' mobile devices, on computers, in online games, etc. On the other hand, even if online platforms are popular, they are not used really effectively. Customers are trying to keep away from online advertisements and positive reactions to online advertisements are decreasing.To prevent these decreasing, billions of online advertisements can be developed differently from traditional ones, because many of them include too much visual and audio property which cannot be ignored and will be an advantage compared to traditional ones. The other way is non-search display advertisements like â€Å"Deceased† by Google. Ads can be given on the convenient sites which are appropriate for the company's content. Some campaigns, called obtrusive (visibility) campaigns, with videos or pop- as are differentiated with their contents.While visible online advertising and context-based online advertising are working so well separately, they are not successful when they are used as a combination. Consumers accepted context-based online advertisements, because they think they can learn something, but they do not like obtrusive online advertising. Also, context-based advertising can help to show the unexpected ac hievement of products like â€Å"Deceased† by Google. To conclude, there are some regulations directed by government about privacy of customers and constraints about gathering information from customers. D.Online Advertisement Tools Pop-Up: Opens a new window above current one. Pop-under: Opens a new window under current one. In-Stream Video & Audio: Part of videos on internet. Takeover: This kind of ad resizes the screen. Nonuser-Initiated Video & Audio: Videos and audios are played themselves as advertisements. Interstitial: When an individual visits a web-site, it appears by itself, while web page is loading. Nonuser-Initiated Background Music: Background music is played automatically. Full-Page Banner Ad: The advertisements appear in size of the computer screen. Interactive: Mutual communication is requested by the ad from its seers.Floating Ad: The users do not run this ad, they exist anywhere on the page for a while (generally 5-30 seconds). E. E-mail Advertisement Emai l advertisement is also an online advertisement tool which has been used for a long time by marketers to reach customers. When used effectively, e-mails are a good way to reach customers. Emails with catchy information are successful. However, considering the fact that consumers are facing so many mails, they can ignore advertisement e-mails from a single company, which comes daily. In this case, company should measure its e-mail effects and it should provide choices between Kelly and daily e-mails.There are disadvantages in e-mail advertising. Spam e- mails and e- mails without subscribe or non-subscribe options. For example, if a company sends e-mails to an unsatisfying customer and the customer cannot non- subscribe it, it will create a bad impact. In conclusion, companies should use e-mail advertisements effectively and they should make e-mails more personal and informative to be successful. F. Billboards Billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typi cally found in high-traffic areas. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians ND drivers.Typically showing large, ostensibly witty slogans, and distinctive visuals, billboards are highly visible in the top designated market areas. Billboards are highly popular in outdoor advertising. There are three types of displays for outdoor advertising; posters, bulletins, and permanent bulletins. Billboards are changing very fast in recent years. Marketers are creating unique outdoor ads including ID advertisements, unique billboard advertisements apart from searching for efficient outdoor areas to reach their target market. It is claimed that billboards are causing visual pollution.In order to calculate the market value of billboards, marketers must regulation and zoning, traffic and visibility, and market demand. To conclude, valuation of the billboard has three different methods; the cost approach, the sale comparison approach and income capitalization approach. G. CRY C odes CRY code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barded (or two-dimensional barded) first designed for the automotive industry in Japan. A barded is an optically machine-readable label that is attached to an item and that records information related to that item.The information encoded by a CRY code may be made up of four standardized types of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte / binary, kanji) or, through supported extensions, virtually any type of data. CRY code can be read by cameras of mobile phones or other devices which have an application and can access to internet. CRY code delivers related URL to users and provides more advertisement. It reduces cost of advertising and is actually more effective than traditional ones. Some brands use CRY code in their printed advertisements.For example, people access to Coca-Cola's music website by its CRY code for free. For making successful CRY code advertisement and promotion, arresters create a h armless URL and code, so that customers find it safe. CRY codes are examined by marketers in three principal variables; privacy concerns and trust risk. H. Product Placement Product placement, or embedded marketing, is according to the European Union â€Å"any form of audiovisual commercial communication consisting of the inclusion of or reference to a product, a service or the trade mark thereof so that it is featured within a program†.Product placement stands out as a marketing strategy because it is imperative to attach the utmost importance to â€Å"the context and environment within which the product is displayed or used†. This technique of advertising was made to create reality and awareness for the customers. Nowadays, firms invest large amounts for product placements. Visual-only, audio-only and audio-visual combined are three main strategies which are used for product placement. Visual-only strategy consists of product's image, motto, logo or other visual bran d without any sound.At the audio-only product placement, products cannot be seen in the video but brand names are mentioned in dialogues. The final type of product placement is made by combination of visual and audio. This combination must be made carefully in order to to interrupt the normal flow of the media. Product placement provides positive customer reactions, if they do not have negative ideas about products, for instance alcohol or cigarettes in movies. In conclusion, while exposing to media, consumers are positively affected by product placement, if they enjoy experiencing the media.Ill. Company Research a. Y ¶Rasa Y ¶Rasa is the first company which implemented pastured milk cheese production, also known as cultured cheese production, as industrial investment in Turkey. Varieties of cheese, yoghurt, milk, buttermilk, butter and fruit nectar are produced by Y ¶Rasa in factory which is located in Surplus, Balkiest. It has the largest market share among manufacturers of cheese product in Turkey. Y ¶Aras's factory in Surplus the traditional cheese at hygienic and modern facilities, ensuring its continuity have become policy and mission of company.Y ¶Rasa states its motto as â€Å"the haunting flavor†. It has been continuing to produce in European standards and is on the way of being a world brand, since 1908. When they first started, the percentage reserved for new advertising tools from Research & Development budget was 1%. However, they eave increased it to 5% and they aim to increase more within the years ahead. Y ¶Rasa uses 7% of their total sales for advertising budget and 15% of this advertising budget is reserved for online advertising. Faceable, Twitter and Youth accounts and their own web page are used for online advertising.They prefer to use outsourcing for advertising and work with several advertising agencies. They provide to their customer the real-time returns on social media accounts. This is an implementation which make s dissolve customer's doubts away and increase the existing customers' commitment. With efficient usage of social media, they have an advantage in terms of marketing among their competitor. Therefore brand recognition of Y ¶Rasa and their sales increase by time. They also use television, newspapers and magazines to reach their potential customer mass and they assert these are the most powerful channels they use.As it is mentioned before, they prefer to use a lot of advertising tools, several of which have combination of informative, persuasive and reminder characteristics. They aim to inform people about their product and production techniques, persuade and stick in exist and potential customers' mind by their Jingles and motto. They prefer the ads to be minder and persuasive while they are introduce new products to customer. They also want to ensure that the ads are completely honest and suitable brand's mission and principles.Y ¶Rasa uses five approaches. They use â€Å"music al† approach to make advertisements more reminder than traditional advertisements. They use â€Å"slice of life† approach to make their existing and potential customers feel themselves closer to the company. â€Å"Lifestyle† approach is supplementary to the slice of life approach. They are trying to implement â€Å"scientific evidence† approach and the â€Å"technical expertise† approach to advertisements as a combination. When implementing the combination, they take into consideration all certificates, company principles.One of the most important questions which asked by most of the companies is possibility of calculating return of social media investment. So many studies are being done about this topic but it is not very easy to value a â€Å"like† or a â€Å"follower† exactly. But it can be said that Y ¶Rasa is not only achieved their targets about usage of social media but also their recognition of brand has increased with usage of social media. They decide how long ads will stay on TV or any other advertising channels by taking into inconsideration watching frequency and researches about ads effectiveness.Generally advertisements display for month on TV but there is no time limit for social media ads. According to Y ¶Rasa, range of their advertisements is set by customer; frequency of advertisements is set by Y ¶Rasa and agency by taken into consideration research results and advertising budget. They prefer minimization of positive impact of advertisements. B. Coca-Cola As one of the most highly recognized soft drink brands in the world today, many people love Coca-Cola because of its sweet fine taste and refreshingly nice flavor. Today, it comes in different enticing varieties including Coca-Cola Vanilla, Coca-Cola Zero and Diet Coke.In order to know more about this great product, it is good to learn its history including information on the person who invented Coca-Cola. The consumer world is changing . Consumers do not want brands to communicate one- way. A story should be told. Coca-Cola is one of corporations have brand story. If it is a good story, it is spreading spontaneous. In all of their campaigns, it is wanted to create such stories because they believe and tell each other so that their communication occurs in this way. Otherwise, they do not want to be limited to certain periods of the messages.So, if it is said â€Å"Coca-Cola yammerer iii giddier. † (Coca-Cola goes well with food. ), they do not want to say only three months. After television ad, later on, all year in stores and digital area they continue same communication. For such communication, the necessary approach is used. Generally, musical and lifestyle, more music, are come to the fore. Music makes people happy and â€Å"mutual kappa as (open happiness) is their slogan. Coca-Cola is one of the best example of â€Å"Think global act local† motto. Coca Cola is a global firm but it acts as local company.Especially, Coca-Cola Ramadan ads are examples of this strategy. If the firm is perceived as member of an idea, it can lose some of target group and sales can decrease. Ramadan ad strategy transformed the threat into an opportunity. So, is it developed different strategies for different locations. Sometimes the ad can be informative, sometimes persuasive. Generally, the ad includes the mix of those. Decision depends on target group and products will be introduced. After interviews with the advertisement agency, the advertising tool which they should use is planned.Most of time, music helps advertisements to become informative, persuasive or reminder. Therefore, they care about the music festivals to reach people. The most known of the festivals are â€Å"Rock Coke† and â€Å"Fantasy Genii Festivals† (Fantasy Youth Festivals) in Turkey. The messages can be changed by the time. For example, during Ramadan, the ads are related in family themes, especially big fam ilies. On the other hand, in festive times, the messages are sending to young people, ads are about youth, entertainment and dance. In recent days, the new post is about Christmas.However, generally, it can be said the message must include happiness. As it is seen end of most ads, it is concluded with â€Å"mutual kappa as (open happiness) sentence. The ad time depends on the ad kind. This situation is changeable. Sometimes outdoor advertising need to people, area and legal permits, and it may take a week, maybe one day. When it is used billboards, the ad can be presented during one month. On the other hand, television ads are standardized. According to the ad, it has different time. Christmas ads are on view one or two weeks. The situation is more stable for the internet ads.In the process of advertising using the method, Cola products in general, young, care about healthy vying and vivacious people who have adopted as the main theme discussed are used of advertisements. On the ot her hand, when the main competitor Pepsi is investigated, it is observed its ad strategies generally are interested in famous stars have a reputation across the globe. Finally, Pepsi has been forced to change its strategy because most of time, Pepsi products are perceived as if for rich people. So, Coca-Cola is more effective in the field of traditional advertising.As mentioned above, Pepsi preferred famous people and it brought millions of dollars cost. This strategy did not work, because famous people do not convince as before. Coca-Cola is affecting simple but effective people ads. It interests the culture of societies and accordingly, it acts. In recent times, as a new advertising tool, new product placement system is emerged, popular TV series are used and feedback shows that it is successful tool to reach customers. The other new ad tool is digital media. Digital media supplies to understand what consumer think say and do.Clicks such as like clicks, comment clicks or dislike o nes are not a certain feedback. Click feedbacks cannot be measured as outcome of ad investments. But, absolutely they bring to rise o sales and revenues. At least, digital media helps to take the right steps. Ads contribute the company to recognize, traditional or digital. In the carbonated beverage industry, there should always be ad. Although digital media supplies less cost, it is Just focus of consumers who use more tech. Target group of Coca-Cola is wider, it covers online customers. So, the target group includes people of variety generations.The company uses mix advertising tools such as traditional, digital and outdoor advertising. All of them bring about different benefits. Digital media brings about some benefits to ad world. Every day, evolving network model and social networks help to make users happy. Thanks to profit at zero cost, competition and productivity are rising between businesses. New products and services are tested by online consumers with zero cost, it is di rectly seen problems, suggestions and requests of customers, increasing of brand awareness. These benefits make digital media become attractive.Nevertheless, traditional media is more used to get more consumers. Thanks to traditional media, Coca-Cola Company is leader and it has prestige in its industry when compared to its rivals. Digital area is interesting for the sat two years, for Coca-Cola. After the ideal agencies are determined, they have established a strong infrastructure. For example, this year they invited to official Faceable page for announcing the list of Rock Coke. Then, they announced that the list is not declared until gathering 10 thousand members of camping. It Just took a week to collect 10 thousand members.And then, the list is declared. World revenue of Coca Cola is $95 million. 8% of this revenue is used for advertisement and marketing expenditures. For thirty years, as an outsourcing, Coca-Cola & Pars McCann Erickson have worked together. For expenditures, t hey spend production costs of print, radio, internet and television advertisements as of the first date the advertisements take place. The following amounts reflect the total worldwide amounts spent on print, radio, internet, and television advertising. While choosing outsourcing agency for the ads, success of the agency is important for the first step.Then, the agency must understand what they aim. Innovative and forward-looking characteristics are more significant, because Coca-Cola is leader firm in the carbonated beverage industry. In Turkey, Coca-Cola Company is in a good relation tit McCann Erickson for 33 years. The advertisement's reach, frequency, impact and the other details are arranged by Pars McCann Erickson Agency. The internet ads have shorter time, the other ads on television are more often presented and they usually take time between half a minute and a minute. In accordance with the given instructions, the ad is emerged for the planned aim. . Move Turkey. It produc es fresh dairy products. Whether their employees or their customers, their priority is always â€Å"human†. Big or small, near or far, every one of their clients has the same meaning and same value for the company. Their understanding of quality and performance that constitute their group philosophy leads them to work hard, develop continuously and sustain their preciseness in production and services. Nova's motto and mission are suitable to the â€Å"innocent milk† principle and they are providing completely honest advertisements for their consumers and customers.In this regard, they are trying to be extremely careful. EX. and ITS approved certificates and awards can be seen all of their products to state Nova's principles. Moreover, they are trying to show their products' quality which is top quality, even by EX. standards. It is also named as the highest â€Å"premium quality'. Approximately 10% of their total sales are allocated for the advertising budget. About 2 5% of the advertising budget is allocated for the online advertising budget. When they first started, it was 1. 5%. However, they have increased it to 3% and they aim to make it 5% within the next five years.They prefer to use outsourcing for advertising. The outsourcing company is Refiner Advertising Agency. In the field of advertising characteristics, they are trying to inform consumers about their products and production techniques. Also, they are trying to convince consumers with the artifices and awards they have uniquely in the industry. With their â€Å"mottos and jingles†, they are trying to take a place in their existing and potential customers' minds. These techniques created serious positive impacts on company's sales.When introducing new products to the customers, they prefer to make advertisements more persuasive and reminder than previous advertisements. Move uses five approaches. They use â€Å"musical† approach to make advertisements more reminder than traditional advertisements. They apply â€Å"slice of life† approach to make their existing and potential customers feel themselves closer to the company and products. Lifestyle† approach is complementary to the previous approach. They are trying to apply â€Å"scientific evidence† approach and the â€Å"technical expertise† approach to advertisements as a combination.When applying this combination, they consider all certificates, company policies and customers to choose optimum advertising arrangements. Move is using a website, three main social media tools, including Faceable, Twitter and Youth, and also newspapers, magazines and television advertising. According to Move, they are using their website and social media really effectively than their rivals. For example, Move Faceable page has â€Å"Marimba† (Hello) application. This application provides Move to reassure customers that has doubts and to increase the loyalty of existing customers. It i ncreases Nova's brand recognition.Furthermore, every comment made on social media, every question asked by customers and every tweet is responded by company experts in real-time. They are also developing small add-ones and applications for social media. As a result of these application and developments, sales increased dramatically. In this way, it is an important advantage in terms of marketing. Move generally prepares advertisements in the form of video and presents them to their customers with TV ND social media. Even if their TV commercials remain nearly one month on-the-air, there is no time limit for their social media advertisements.This comparison is the asked by each company is return on social media investment is whether it is possible or impossible to calculate. Too many attempts are made in this regard, but the value of a â€Å"like† or the value of a â€Å"follower† is not possible to calculate. In fact, social media is a marketing tool for the vast majori ty. Moreover, return on advertising investment is the most important criterion. If the targets, which they set before the advertising, re exceeded after advertising and advertising investment pays for itself, they succeed in advertising investment.However they do not use Just this method, they have also other criteria. (Other criteria are classified. ) Also, the return of the low cost digital media is appropriate for their budget and the main feature of digital media is it can be presented to their existing and potential customers in a short time. They try to measure the benefits with advertising investment return and brand value change. Currently, they are not planning to enter to international markets within five years. However, Move has serious plans to enter European markets. While establishing and certifying their company, they prioritize that aim.Therefore, the quality of products which Move produce is at the highest level, the â€Å"premium level† according to ITS and also EX. standards. Like every modern company, Nova's main goal is to attain new generation customers with the help of developing digital media and ensuring the long term sustainability. However, in doing so, they are very careful about two points. First, they try not to disrupt the media channels which are necessary to reach their existing customer base. Second, while maintaining their existing customer base without compromising quality and understanding, they try to impress potential customers.Move sets the new target customer base firstly. While determining new base, they try to preserve their existing customer base. Then, they are doing marketing research. They select random samples to test their demo advertisements. Finally they publish their advertisements depending on the positive results which they obtain at tests. The target customer base determines their range. According to the results of their advertising research and their advertising budget, they decide the frequency wi th their advertising agency. They prefer minimization of positive effects, while setting the impact of their advertisements. . Ã'Å¡liker International Ã'Å¡liker, whose history goes back to 1944, is one of the best loved brand names in Turkey. Founded and built in the 20th century, the Ã'Å¡liker brand, riding on its phenomenal momentum, was carried into the 21st century, seemingly unlimited by time and space. With its roots in tradition but reaching toward the future, Ã'Å¡liker is a name that continues to focus on the sociological and economic wellbeing of the community, but in parallel with that side of its existence, the organization is gaining new meaning. For the timeless Ã'Å¡liker brand, there seems to be no end in sight.The name Ã'Å¡liker became synonymous with happy memories and the intrinsic values of trust, honesty and affinity. Ã'Å¡liker became part of the daily lives of many Turkish families and slowly but surely became entwined in the lives of consumers. Since 1944, the c ompany's industrial, managerial, marketing and sales; advertising and customer relations activities have been based on the corporate culture established by the Ã'Å¡liker name. This is what makes Ã'Å¡liker more than Just a brand name. Ã'Å¡liker International uses 10% of their advertising budget for online advertising. For these