Birth Control Issues free essay sample

In 1873 Congress passed an â€Å"antiobscenity law† that considered birth control as explicit and banned its distribution (London). Margaret Sanger opened America’s first family-planning clinic in Brooklyn in 1916, but was closed after 10 days of opening. In 1921, Margaret Sanger founded the American Birth Control League, which is now known as the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (London). In 1938, a judge lifted the federal obscenity ban on birth control but contraceptives still remained illegal in many states. In 1954, the first human pill trial was held on 50 women in Massachusetts. In 1960, a huge step happened. The FDA approved â€Å"Enovid† as a birth control pill. Nearly half of a million Americans were already using this pill for â€Å"therapeutic purposes† (London). In 1980, the pill really took off. Nearly 10. 5 million of American women were taking the pill. In 2010, a study of 46,000 women over 40 years of being on the Pill showed that they are more likely to live longer and less likely to die prematurely of all causes (London). We will write a custom essay sample on Birth Control Issues or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page According to an article on Gutmacher. com, over 99 percent of women use a contraceptive or a birth control method today (Contraceptive Use in the US). There are many different methods. Barrier methods consist of the contraceptive sponge, cervical cap, female and male condoms. Hormonal methods consist of oral contraceptives (the most common), the patch, shots, and vaginal rings. Implantable devices consist of implantable rods and intrauterine devices. Sterilization implants and surgical sterilization is a form of permanent birth control (Johnson). Lastly, there is emergency contraception, which is the â€Å"morning after pill,† or more well known as Plan B. This pill is used to prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex. According to Planned Parenthood, there have been no reports of serious complications with the Plan B pill. Planned Parenthood also states that the Plan B pill is 85 percent effective (Johnson). The main controversy with the Plan B pill is that it could be considered abortion. The fact that Plan B is offered in stores, it is creating questions on whether birth control should be offered on the shelf. Next are the social aspects of the birth control pill (Granzow). Birth control is extremely popular in America today. Many women view birth control as â€Å"sexual freedom. Men would use condoms and women were always afraid it would result in a pregnancy. Now, women are in the same playing field as men are with not being afraid as often (Gordon). Birth control has gone from being something rarely talking about to a casual subject now. This leads into women speaking freely about their sexual life. Casually, women have changed their social lives into a more intense conversation with adding in sex and birth control (Gordon). Another part of the social aspects of birth control is sex education in schools. Many high schools provide sexual education that educates kids on sex and encourages the use of abstinence until marriage, rather than birth control. Colleges offer many different types of sexual education. Point Park University offers Health Fairs and â€Å"The Condom Carnival,† to educate students and give out free condoms to protect students from pregnancy and STD’s (Lindberg). The only problem with education in high schools is that most high schools are still using the â€Å"old-fashioned† way of educating students of abstinence. A study preformed by the National Survey of Family growth in 2002 stated that nearly 95 percent of people have had premarital sex (Jayson). According to â€Å"Changes in Formal Sex Education: 1995-2002† by Laura Duberstein, 81 percent of males and 87 percent of females received formal education on birth control in 1995 and only around 66 percent of males and 70 percent in 2006. The concerns of this are that many teenagers might receive the information too late, after they are already having sex (Contraceptive Use in the US). This number is surely dropping as students go through high school. Most students are not even being formally educated on birth control or abstinence anymore. Sex Education in high schools must get better in order to keep teenagers safe. For schools to focus on keeping teenagers safe they must education students on contraceptives and birth control methods instead of abstinence (Jayson). Abstinence is almost an ancient term to high school students nowadays since that 95 percent of people preform premarital sex. Instead of raising abstinence on the high horse, the use of these contraceptives and birth control methods must be used in educating teens (Lindberg). One big step on getting the word out of contraceptives is â€Å"World Contraception Day. † This is held on September 26th and raises awareness of contraception. Another huge aspect of birth control is the government views on it. Today, Obama’s administration decided to require health insurers to cover the FDA-approved contraceptives fully. The government is making birth control extremely affordable and sometimes even free for all women. This could be viewed as good and bad to people, depending on their views. Approximately 8 out of 10 democrats support requiring birth control coverage and only 4 out of 10 republicans do (Jayson). Many generic birth controls are now free to women and some have a very low charge per month. This is making birth control extremely available and affordable for teenagers. A recent accommodation that the Obama Administration announced in February stated that religious nonprofits provide health insurance that covers birth control. This new health care law states that most employers must offer health insurance that contains artificial contraception and sterilization as a free preventive. Since this announcement over 40 lawsuits were filed by religious nonprofit organizations that argued it violated their religious beliefs (Johnson). Many churches are against this law because they don’t support sex before marriage. They don’t care whether the sex is safe or if birth control is used, they just don’t support sex before marriage. A huge aspect of social change in birth control is how people talk about birth control now. In the early 2000’s, it was almost something that people were shy on talking about. You can walk into a classroom today and teens will talk very openly about their birth control and not be afraid of being made fun of. There are many commercials shown daily on the television that get the word out even more. People are so used to hearing about it, that it isn’t a big subject of privacy anymore. One thing that may people wonder about birth control is, is it bad for you? When taking the birth control pill, many good things and some bad side effects could happen (Johnson). There are always side effects with every time of medication you take. The main side effects of birth control pills are nausea, weight gain, cramping, lighter periods and mood changes. None of these effects are normally severe, a doctor may change the type of birth control if the woman is experiencing severe side effects (Johnson). Most importantly, the pill is good for many things. The pill can help reduce acne by decreasing the levels of testosterone. Birth control can also ease hormonal swings and mood swings. This happens because birth control pills normally supply your body with a constant level of estrogen levels and progesterone hormones. Birth control pills normally help to make periods less heavy and painful by reducing cramps and also less endometrial lining. Lastly, studies show that the birth control pill can drastically reduce the lifetime risk of getting ovarian cancer. Harvard Medical School Researchers stated that in a study they found that 10 out of 12 percent of females had a decreased risk in one year and 50 percent after 5 years of use (Johnson). Birth control pills can make a woman’s â€Å"time of the month† a lot easier to deal with. While on birth control, skin is found to be clearer and menstrual cramps are reduced. When thinking about birth control, it makes sense that fewer women are getting pregnant but there is always a risk when they misuse the pill or don’t take it regularly (Johnson). All in all, birth control is viewed as very good for women to have the use of. Whether you look at the social or government aspects of birth control, most views are looking on birth control positively. Within this paper, the history of birth control is discussed, social aspects of birth control are discussed, government aspects are discussed, and the health views are discussed. Birth control methods will continue to grow and more women will use it. Works Cited Contraceptive Use in the US.   Guttmacher Institute. Guttmacher Institute , 01 Jul 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2013. Gordon, Linda. Citizenship And The Right To Birth Control. Dissent (00123846) 59. 4 (2012): 60-64. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Mar. 2013. Granzow, Kara. De-Constructing ‘Choice’: The Social Imperative And Womens Use Of The Birth Control Pill. Culture, Health amp; Sexuality 9. 1 (2007): 43-54. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Mar. 2013. Jayson, Sharon. Most Americans have had premarital sex, study finds.   USA Today. USA Today, 19 Dec 2006. Web. 10 Apr 2013. lt;http://usatoday30. usatoday. com/news/health/2006-12-19-premarital-sex_x. htmgt;. Johnson, Kimball. Birth Control Pills.   WebMD. WebMD, 23 Jun 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2013. lt;http://www. webmd. com/sex/birth-control/birth-control-pills? page=3gt;. Kearney, Melissa, and Phillip Levine. Why is the Teen Birth Rate in th e United States So High and Why Does It Matter?.   Journal of Economic Perspectives. 26. 2 (2012): 141-166. Web. 25 March 2013. lt;http://www. jstor. org/stable/41495308 gt;. Lindberg , Laura. Changes in Formal Education: 1995-2002.   Guttmacher Institute. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 1 Dec 2006. Web. 10 Apr 2013. lt;http://www. guttmacher. org/pubs/journals/3818206. htmlgt;. London, Kathleen. Diss. Yale University, 2003. Web. lt;http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1982/6/82. 06. 03. x. htmlgt;. Poorebrahim Mehdi. â€Å"Comparison Of Complications And Marital Satisfaction In Women Taking Contraceptive Ampoules Of Cyclofem And Id Contraceptive Pills. Healthmed 6. 8 (2012): 2689-2693. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Mar. 2013. ’

A comparison between Karl Marx essays

A comparison between Karl Marx essays Karl Marx and Max Weber are two of the most important figures in the science of sociology. Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in the city of Trier, Germany and was the forefather to the great communist revolution that swept across a large part of the world at the beginning of the 20th Century. Marx is regarded as an economic and political philosopher. However, when compared to one of the founders of sociology Max Weber, Marxs theories still have a clear resonance within this related field. Max Weber was born on April 21st, 1864, in the town of Erfurt, Germany into a wealthy and educated family. Like Marx, Weber was a political economist. However, although there were similarities in some of their theories, there were far more distinct differences. The purpose of this paper is to compare both Marxs Class society and Webers Rational society theories and then to evaluate their relevance in contemporary society. At the core of Karl Marxs socio-economic theory was the theory of class and conflict and it ultimately became very much a capitalist critique. Marx claimed that an individuals class position is determined by his or her relationship to the Forces (means) of production. If a person was in the position of owning the means of production, then they would be categorised as being part of the ruling class or the Bourgeoisie. However, if you did not own the means then you would be in one of the subject classes or the Proletariat. Marx was most concerned with the dominant position of the Bourgeoisie due to them own the means of production. He also stated that with their economic power came political power, and hence the ruling class influenced all spheres of society. In addition, the ideology of the ruling class also subjugated the proletariat into believing that their life was natural and normal. Marx represented this theory by using a Superstructure model of soc...

How does Shakespeare Present the outsider in 'Othello; the moor of Essay

How does Shakespeare Present the outsider in 'Othello; the moor of Venice' - Essay Example Often one faces clash of values with serious implications. The conflict between Shylock and Antonio, in Shakespeares Merchant of Venice is similar. The verbal duels between them indicate how their personalities are contradictory. For example, Shylock thinks that a man of Antonios upbringing can neither lend nor borrow for advantage, whereas for Shylock it is a way of life. This is the confirmation of difference between a Christian and a Jew. The approach to money, of the Christians and Jews in the 16th century Venice, was entirely different. To Christians, earning interest by lending, was a sin. So the presence of the Jews(outsiders) was considered necessary to save Christians from the sin of lending to earn interest. The Jews in Venice at that time were held in contempt but their economic utility was appreciated. Jews were necessary like bakers, for the overall welfare of the community. The religious beliefs of Shylock and Antonio show up strongly in their secular activities. Shakespeare cleverly understands and weaves the dialogues indicating the differences between the Jewish and Christian perspectives on the Bible. In Judaism great emphasis is laid on free will, which means human endeavor, incentive and motivations are prominent part of the action-oriented life. Christians see divine intervention in the day to day happenings and have a greater tendency to rely upon the divine forces. The diversity between Antonio and Shylock is on account of the scriptures they revere. Having been considered as an outsider, Shylock suffered Christian oppression. Notwithstanding this fact, he is steadfast in his fealty to Judaism. In this spirit, Yaffe believes that Shakespeare deliberately set out to â€Å"correct what he sees as the theologically unwarranted and politically deleterious abuse of Jews in the name of Christian teaching.† (Yaffe, 1997, p. 47) Shylock merely retaliates the abusive behavior of Christians against him. The social

Close-Reading Xala Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Close-Reading Xala - Essay Example Close-Reading Xala Sembene has used his life to reveal the period of transition in Africa shedding light upon the corruption and greed that persisted in the African society. The story commences from the success of El Hadji and ends at the note where he is humiliated owing to his own acts and wrongdoings. El Hadji lived a life of pride and attained financial successes even through wrong means to fulfill his greed. He lived a lavish life and had two wives named Adja Awa Astou and Oumi N’Doye respectively. But he decided to marry a third woman, N'Gone and this was a matter of pride for him as he believed this symbolized his manhood and his capability of fulfilling the demands of three wives both physically and financially. His first two wives are not very happy with this decision but to uphold the African traditions of submissiveness for women, they obey his command and attend his wedding ceremony. El Hadji is very happy with his marriage but his marriage proves to be the commencement of his downfa ll. He is unable to consummate his marriage owing to the loss of potency on the first of his marriage. On the path of attaining the cure for his problem, he loses his wealth and he is deserted by his wives as well except for Awa. He is looked down upon by his colleagues who also leave him and continue with their financial projects. It is later that El Hadji finds out that he lost his potency owing to â€Å"xala† which was a curse of impotency that was spelled on him by a beggar as he had been unfair and had unjustly taken over the piece of land of the beggar. The only way that remained for him to regain his manhood was by taking off his clothes and by being spit by all the beggars. The author has interwoven the happenings in the life of El Hadji to reflect upon the wrongdoings in the African society. El Hadjis first wife is a traditional African woman who sticks by him till the end. She is submissive and follows the commands of her husband. Her character reveals the strength of an African woman who is patient and loyal. She converses with her husband in Wolof revealing that she wills to uphold the tradition of the African society. Their daughter Rama is used by the writer to portray the new generation of Africa who knew that they had fought their way out of colonialism and had to work towards upholding their culture and traditions. She was a strong character who argued with his father against his wrongdoings and atrocities. She also talked with her father in Wolof and did not wish to utilize the French traditions and products until and unless needed. It is seen that despite of her disapproval for her father’s acts, she still loved her father which is revealed when she stands by him and converses with the police officer when the beggars at their house for the ritual of spitting El Hadji for regaining his manhood. She also cries on seeing her father being disgraced. Africa was in a transitional phase and Oumi who is El Hadji’s second wife sy mbolizes as a character that is stuck between the French and the African traditions. Oumi is not patient and devoted like Awa. She highly disapproves of El Hadji’s third marriage. She was not completely over the French period of colonialism and preferred using their language and dressing. She adopted a more western style and her character denoted the existence of the French remnants in the African society. Oumi is materialistic and leaves El Hadji during his period of downfall and

Top Dollar Enterprises Essay Example for Free

Top Dollar Enterprises Essay Business Development through the Next Decade of Gaming Transition Cycles I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been. Wayne Gretzky (www.timelessquotes.com 4/10/06) This quote identifies the most critical strategic consideration for Top Dollar Enterprises’ expansion into the eCommerce marketplace. By producing the most comprehensive on-line presence in the business, an eCommerce solution will propel this company profitably through the next transition of the gaming industry and beyond. While the plan for design, development, implementation and marketing of a high-end web site might seem difficult or even unrealistic at the outset; proper planning, project management and a graduated implementation scale will produce a result which will meet the ongoing goals and objectives of this organization. Unrelenting support from all company assets will secure the competitive edge Top Dollar Enterprises will require to be a peer among industry leaders. There are several well established models we can compare in assessing the requirements of this project: On-line giant Amazon, discount outlets such as Target and WalMart as well as specialty sites including GameSpot. Niche competitors like GameSpot have some (but not all) of the features in common that we will discuss. Popular examples include: Forums, where users discuss games, play, design and other subjects of interest; Blogs, (an internet exclusive term) where industry professionals discuss current topics between themselves and the users; Cheats, special codes or tokens imbedded in the game program which give the avatar, etc. added abilities, advance the play beyond the current level or may allow the user access to formerly unknown and unadvertised levels of play; Links, to other areas and websites of interest, in addition to the various gaming consoles and software.   These extra features are not found at Amazon, WalMart or Target Stores on-line. The proposal set before you is unique in its scope. Five major objectives are outlined. Advanced Products Pro Active Liability Minimization Security Scalability Broader Functionality Advanced Products In the effort to keep up with the vast array of changes in the technology sector we must be ready to deliver the product that our customers will need. These are predictions which take into account current trends in the Gaming Industry from one of the leading sources: Overall hardware unit sales are predicted to grow 30% from 2006 to 2011. Most of that growth will be in handheld hardware, which has been tipped to grow 45% over the next cycle. Software growth is predicted to go from $7.0 billion in 2005 to $10.0 billion in 2008. The analysts say that the sector as a whole should outperform broader market indices. The introduction of PS3 and Revolution in the U.S. is pegged to be late 2006 with Sony introducing the rumored HD equipped PSP (presumably to tap into the iPod market)  in mid-2006.   (Piper Jaffray; http://www.next-gen.biz 09/30/05) The next consumer product in software for gaming consoles will be downloads. Advancements in technology, micro memory storage and hard drive units, as well as the widespread use of broadband by consumers have overcome the obstacles to â€Å"on demand† software publishing. Existing sites selling cartridges or disks cannot easily expand to include this class of functionality. In addition to downloading the programs, there will be a need for either an eBook or separate document download with instructions for each program. As is usual with this sort of product, there will also be a need for broader Technical Support services. Pro Active Liability Minimization There are two problems facing the Video Game industry that should be examined here: The first is unauthorized copy and distribution of proprietary software. Copy Right infringement is a serious problem for all media concerns worldwide. Top Dollar Enterprises should be informed and ready to implement any new technology that becomes available. In the interim, Registration Keys are common software theft deterrent devices. Use of a Registration Key is not foolproof, but is used industry wide and should be adequate for this purpose. A â€Å"timed† Registration Key is also available for subscription based services in addition to the other products we are able to make available to the consumer. The second problem relates to the availability of mature and adult rated content to underage users. Several states and private litigants have, thus far, unsuccessfully tried to hold the game makers liable in these cases, but a new proposal has been put before the United States Senate: Family Entertainment and Protection Act (FEPA) Under the terms of FEPA, the federal government would enforce penalties of up to $5,000 against retailers convicted of selling Mature or Adults Only-rated games to minors; it also calls for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) to find out whether they’ve been properly rating games. What’s alarming about this, in the eyes of video game activists and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) itself, is that this isn’t a state bill. This is a federal bill that’s being considered in the United States Senate. If it’s passed, it would impose regulations across all 50 states. (Peter Cohen; Macworld Game Room Weblog; http://www.macworld.com; March 15, 2006) We can and must address this issue from the outset! The model proposed is one used successfully by both on-line casinos and adult pay sites. Adult pay sites require a validated credit card number, 3 digit code, expiration date and email address before they will send a password to access the site. Casinos use a similar, but more advanced system which is recommended here. In partnership with on-line banking establishments such as NeTeller and FirePay, the user sets up an online account which can be used at hundreds of merchant sites all over the world. A unique feature of on-line banking security measures is a timed verification questionnaire which is practically impossible to answer correctly unless you are the account holder. In addition, a verbal verification with the account holder is conducted by phone (phone number and records matched), thus virtually eliminating the issues associated with stolen Credit Cards as well as under age use. This function will also allow concerned parents to set up a sub-account with funds and ratings limits, giving younger users a safe and appropriate gaming experience without direct parental supervision. Using these functions, the site can be designed from the outset with a â€Å"teen and under† section as well as password protected sectors for both â€Å"mature† and â€Å"adult† users. Security In addition to the models listed in the earlier segment there are additional security measures available such as Authenticity Certificates, SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology and 128 bit encryption. These once obscure protocols have enjoyed such success that eCommerce has been â€Å"branded† as a â€Å"safe† way to do business. Absolutely the best platforms and solutions will be used to insure a secure customer and product database as well as appropriate infrastructure and firewall protection. Scalability   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ability to implement this plan in stages as well as flexibility in an ever changing technology sector make the scalability of this venture crucial to it’s success. More detail will be discussed under the Implementation heading of this report. Broader Functionality In summation, this web site would be better described as a â€Å"mega† site! Purchases of both cassette or disk software and downloads will be available with a click of the mouse. A separate download section for mobile devices can exponentially increase the available products to be purchased. The latest news, features and commentary will be available in the â€Å"Blog† section; users with questions or comments will be able to freely participate in the moderated Forum; an easy to use â€Å"Cheats† and â€Å"Codes† database will allow users to experience their game to it’s fullest value and a subscription service will be available for those who do not wish to purchase a permanent copy of the game. Other sections of the website will be devoted to â€Å"free trials† of available software; interactive story lines; promotions and other marketing collateral. There are currently no eCommerce Gaming or Video distribution sites using the available solutions to eliminate underage users’ access to mature and adult content.   This function alone would make Top Dollar Enterprises the preferred supplier of games and content among concerned parents, educators and special interest groups. As the industry changes, the product will too. Instead of having to rebuild or redesign to accommodate the market, Top Dollar Enterprises will simply apply the latest technology and user products to it’s existing portal, preserving time, money and most importantly: Market Share. Design   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Top Dollar Enterprises’ game design and marketing teams should be used extensively for this project. The website must incorporate a design which makes using most aspects of the site feel like playing their favorite game. Use of story boards will facilitate the communication process between designers and developers. Development There are several outstanding web development companies available. The consultation, proposal and bid process should be undertaken immediately. Globalization Expansion of the existing market and distribution network and facilities is highly recommended. Two examples which express the need as well as the challenges of expansion follow. Video game maker EA announced the opening of a game localization center in Singapore for serving the Asian market. This was not a huge surprise as the company announced in its 2005 annual report: We believe that in order to increase our sales in Asia, we will need to devote significant resources to hire local development talent and expand our infrastructure, most notably, the expansion and creation of studio facilities to develop content locally for each market. In addition, we may establish online game marketing, publishing and distribution functions in China. EA generated 47% of revenues from outside the US and I expect well see that number surpass 50% by 2007, depending on the success of this center. Game localization is not as simple as localizing a Web site. Many of the violent products that sell well in the US wont make it past the censors in Asian and European markets. Which means the product itself must be changed. (http://goingglobal.corante.com/archives/; Video Game Globalization; John Yunker; 12/06/05) For Microsofts video game Halo 2 to become a global success story, the game needed to be localized for the world. Easier said than done. JBL Localization issued a press release announcing their role in creating a Latin American Spanish version of Halo 2. The release sheds light on just how complex video game localization can be. Heres an excerpt: According to JBI Localization President Eliane Barth, the Halo 2 project involved more than 80,000 words of script, including a promotional trailer, and the recording of more than 30 actors reading the lines of the various characters. In one instance, Barth said, a last minute script change required that 14 actors be rounded up for a next-day recording session. The actors arrived at the studio on schedule and the work was completed that day. Altogether, JBI delivered more than 16,000 audio files, including processing. (JohnYunker; Video Game Globalization; http://goingglobal.corante.com/archives/; 12/06/05)   Consultation with a field expert commensurate with the first phase of eCommerce development should be a priority. The time allotted for development and implementation of the website should be used to â€Å"ramp up† production of localized deliverables, warehousing and shipping to ensure fast, efficient service once the site is launched. Implementation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Initial implementation should be undertaken by the same company which designs and develops the site. Once the site has been launched, another independent service provider would likely be better suited to take over day-to-day operations. Some â€Å"crossover† activities such as technical support will be needed during this phase. It is recommended that operations be outsourced for a period of at least one year, giving Top Dollar Enterprises time to plan, execute and staff a corporate division to support all aspects of eCommerce operations. Technical expertise, hardware and hosting are aspects of this enterprise which should also be outsourced. Eventually, Top Dollar Enterprises may find it cost effective to physically manage and house the technical aspects of the operation; however, taking into consideration hardware obsolescence and product improvements in this area of technology, permanent outsourcing is recommended. Many implementation issues will arise as all of the separate aspects of the project come together. Marketing Marketing opportunities abound. Traditional strategies will be implemented in all available media as a complement to the ongoing strategy. In the interest of brevity, we will examine non-traditional and industry specific marketing opportunities. In Game Advertising and Partnerships One of the newer and more controversial revenue streams is from in game advertising. The following is an excerpt from a trade journal publication: †¦ Top video game maker Electronic Arts announced that the online version of its mega-hit The Sims will allow players to open McDonalds franchises and sell burgers to earn points in the game. The Sims Online, which is set to debut on the World Wide Web later this year, will also prominently feature Intel products. Both deals are reportedly worth millions of dollars. Real life product brands have been featured in video games increasingly since Pole Position, but this is being hailed as the first time a company has paid to have its products placed in a game. Its also being hailed as the latest step the video game market has made towards the lucrative product-placement schemes that are common in the Hollywood film industry. For McDonalds and Intel, they couldnt have chosen a better time to make the leap into the digital world. The Sims computer game – where players control every aspect in the daily life of their character, from careers to relationships to taking a leak – was the best-selling of all time, and the online version is one of the most anticipated in history. Its also one of the few video games to ever appeal to women in large numbers – Electronic Arts says as many as half its players are women, an unprecedented figure. (Tom Babin; Meet the McSim family; http://www.ffwdweekly.com/Issues/2002/1003/; TECHNOLOGY) Other non-typical avenues for advertising are movies, music and PDA/mobile devices. PDA and Mobile devices are the next generation of interactive hardware, which also makes them the next generation platform for advertising. Partnerships with mobile telephone and PDA application developers could allow us to place â€Å"demo† games on their devices. Similar games could be downloaded from our site for a fee. Music from our top selling games can be downloaded as â€Å"ringtones† and the list is only limited by our imaginations. Marketing of proprietary images, music and game clips can be promoted from a â€Å"Happy Meal† box, an answering machine, a television commercial, a soda can, a â€Å"Slurpee† cup, ad nausium. The sky and the budget are our limits! In summation: Top Dollar Enterprises must make a crucial decision about the direction of the company for the next decade. If we wish to remain a mid-sized company vying for a piece of market share revenue, we can simply continue on our present course. However, if this company has the vision and the backing to not only take the next step, but take the next leap, Top Dollar Enterprises can become a viable competitor at the top levels if the industry.

Angelas Ashes :: essays research papers

The McCourt family leaves their apartment in Brooklyn to set sail for Ireland, leaving behind an apartment with indoor plumbing and the memory of a dead sister in hopes of finding a better life amongst â€Å"the poverty, the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father, the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire, pompous priests, and bullying schoolmasters† of Ireland. This tragic story is told from the point of view of a child, Frank McCourt, whose father is a driftless alcoholic and whose mother does moan by the fire. McCourt is able to use humor, irony, and point of view to make the tale of Angela’s Ashes one which will never be forgotten. The humor used throughout the novel breaks the tension of what would otherwise be a very depressing story. When confronted with fleas in the mattress of the bed, the father is instructed to by a man on the street to â€Å"confuse the little buggers† by turning the mattress upside down. Obviously, this is not going to rid the mattress of fleas, nor will it confuse them. The reader is aware of this, and the incident is humorous. Another example of humor that can be found in the novel occurs on the day of Frank’s first communion. He becomes sick and his communion wafer finds its way into his grandmother’s back yard. She then sends him to confession and instructs him to ask the priest what can be done to fix the problem. The big deal she makes about having â€Å"God in my back yard† is humorous to the reader, who knows that the communion wafer is not really God. Irony also plays a large role in keeping the story interesting. There is a poem that Mam recites to a neighbor about Ireland that states: â€Å"And Limerick town has no happier hearth than mine has been with my man from the North.† Pap is from the north and is of no use to the family. He does nothing to make them happy or to make life easier on them, so this poem does not work with the situation Mam is in. Another situation that may not be considered to be fortunate in these days is the wake. Wakes are considered to be good because there is food and warm shelter while one is mourning the dead. It is once commented that, â€Å"there is nothing like a wake for having a good time. Angelas Ashes :: essays research papers The McCourt family leaves their apartment in Brooklyn to set sail for Ireland, leaving behind an apartment with indoor plumbing and the memory of a dead sister in hopes of finding a better life amongst â€Å"the poverty, the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father, the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire, pompous priests, and bullying schoolmasters† of Ireland. This tragic story is told from the point of view of a child, Frank McCourt, whose father is a driftless alcoholic and whose mother does moan by the fire. McCourt is able to use humor, irony, and point of view to make the tale of Angela’s Ashes one which will never be forgotten. The humor used throughout the novel breaks the tension of what would otherwise be a very depressing story. When confronted with fleas in the mattress of the bed, the father is instructed to by a man on the street to â€Å"confuse the little buggers† by turning the mattress upside down. Obviously, this is not going to rid the mattress of fleas, nor will it confuse them. The reader is aware of this, and the incident is humorous. Another example of humor that can be found in the novel occurs on the day of Frank’s first communion. He becomes sick and his communion wafer finds its way into his grandmother’s back yard. She then sends him to confession and instructs him to ask the priest what can be done to fix the problem. The big deal she makes about having â€Å"God in my back yard† is humorous to the reader, who knows that the communion wafer is not really God. Irony also plays a large role in keeping the story interesting. There is a poem that Mam recites to a neighbor about Ireland that states: â€Å"And Limerick town has no happier hearth than mine has been with my man from the North.† Pap is from the north and is of no use to the family. He does nothing to make them happy or to make life easier on them, so this poem does not work with the situation Mam is in. Another situation that may not be considered to be fortunate in these days is the wake. Wakes are considered to be good because there is food and warm shelter while one is mourning the dead. It is once commented that, â€Å"there is nothing like a wake for having a good time.

Answers to lectures 5, 7, 8

Answer to Lecture 5 – Health Plan OperationsIn the article released by Healthcare Price, Cost and Utilization Benchmarks entitled ‘Study Reveals Best Practice In Plan Administrations’, it was stated how Sherlock Company conducted a very innovative study on more than 1,700 statistical data of finance and operations (Study reveals best practice in plan administration, 2006, p.214).   From the given article, if I were to pick only three operating metrics, which I would use in monitoring a health care plan, I would choose the following metrics:Membership growth rate – This is very important, since it reveals the highest rate of membership growth, which is directly connected to the total marketing and commission costs.   Going over the advertising & promotion, the average group size, the total marketing, and the commissions would make way for lower advertising costs, which would deliver greater privileges of producing higher profits and income.Total Costs of Market – This is also very important, since it reveals the overall cost of marketing, from advertising costs to product development and marketing research.   It would reveal the customer satisfaction rate, and would be linked to membership growth rate and group growth rate.   Higher costs mean growth for the product.Local Market Share – This cannot be abandoned as well, especially that it shows the rates of marketing and members, wherein greater rates mean fewer opportunities for brokers.   Market share would reveal the approximate number of employees, as revealed in the study (Study reveals best practice, 2006, p.214).   This influences the total cost of marketing, which would directly influence savings and profit.The membership growth rate, the total costs of market, and the local market share are three of the most important metrics that can be used in monitoring health care plans.   They are directly linked to one another, and producing one without the ot her would be almost useless.   The whole picture is drawn by comparing the three most basic metrics as a whole.Answer to Lecture 7 – Public Sector Managed Care  In the article released by Managed Healthcare Executive, and written by Jill Wechsler (2007), it revealed how the Congress pushed through its legislation to entail the Health and Human Services or HHS to â€Å"negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies on prices for medications covered by the Medicare drug benefit† (Wechsler, 2007).   The ‘non-interference’ act of the Medicare Modernization Act or MMA was replaced with the HR 4, with a requirement for the government to negotiate prices of drug manufacturers on prescription drug plans and the Medicare Advantage drug plans.From what it appears, the federal government’s act of negotiating drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries is a good and sensible act.   Medicare is a government health care project.   It concerns medi cal privileges that are to be scattered among its legal citizens, and would, therefore, need proper execution of prices, products, and the market.   A failure in this aspect would not only affect the citizens of the present era but also those that would avail it in the future.   As spoken by Sen. Baucus, the act would also produce â€Å"better prices for seniors† (Wechsler, 2007), so that it reflects a good and sensible act, so long as there is a rightful cause and target for each of the projects and legislations involved.Certain monopoly drugs need greater attention and supervision by the government, which Wechsler proposes as the â€Å"certain unique drugs where the market fails to provide seniors with affordable medicines† (2007).   A targeted legislation will do no harm—even to the ongoing market competition—if the pharmaceutical companies are treated evenly and fairly, not as an interference to the marketing environment, but as a way to manage the environment more effectively without the use of tricks.   However, this would also mean that what Wechsler (2007) indicated as a ‘limited clout’ would have to be improved for greater liberty on the side of the pharmaceutical companies.   Limiting their capacity should give rise to other opportunities that can be made available, other than their freedom to negotiate prices.Answer to Lecture 8 – Trends and Current IssuesIn the article released by the HealthLeaders Magazine entitled ‘5 Intersections’, Jim Molpus revealed that â€Å"Healthcare is approaching a hopeful turning point in 2006†¦ the intersection of extreme cost pressures with improving technology† (2006).   He described the ‘high cost and poor quality’ of the healthcare industry, saying that ‘optimism’ would make way for future influences and development that build some ‘propitious intersections’ and what Molpus called â€Å"a nav igable healthcare system† (2006).There are five trends that would most probably arise in terms of healthcare management: first is the explosion of P4P or pay for performance, which is improving nowadays, as stated by the CMS; second is the improvement of quality of healthcare service, especially since only 55% of the total amount of patients in U.S.A. receives recommended care service (Molpus, 2006); third is the decline of what he called the ‘mess-information era’, where the dispense of healthcare information will center more on consumer needs; fourth is the growing force of the uninsured, wherein the middle class is also being swept down among the list of the uninsured; fifth and final trend is that the stakeholders will start in becoming more self-interested, together with the growth of the P4P programs (Molpus, 2006).If I were to choose mainly one of the five trends that appear to be the most important for the country at the present era, it would definitely be the fourth trend, which speaks of the growing force and number of the uninsured.   This appears to be the most significant among the five listed under trend because it is the most powerful evidence that is available, which would prove that the healthcare industry is in critical need for some quality improvement, some redesigning and reinvention.   It is the most powerful force that would influence the explosion of P4P, the improvement of quality, the decline of the mess-information, as well as the booming of more self-interested stakeholders.   There are 45.8 Americans that are without adequate health insurances (Molpus, 2006), and this should trigger forces among its citizens.ReferencesMolpus, J. (2006, December). 5 Intersections. Retrieved March 30, 2008, from the HealthLeaders Media database: http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/81594/topic/WS_HLM2_MAG/5-Intersections.html.Study reveals best practice in plan administrations. (2006). Healthcare Price, Cost and Utilizat ion Benchmarks, 4, 214-215.Wechsler, J. (2007, February). Congress moves to curb Medicare drug spending. Retrieved March 30, 2008, from the Managed Healthcare Executive database: http://managedhealthcareexecutive.modernmedicine.com/mhe/Politics+and+Policy/Congress-moves-to-curb-Medicare-drug-spending/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/401866.