I-Function, Pain And Memory :: Biology Essays Research Papers

I-Function, Pain And Memory Pain is capable of leaving a long lasting effect on ones life and in ones memory. It can literally "change" who "you" are. "You" change according to the input that your nervous system receives and reacts to. Permanent changes can be seen in long-term memories with the manufacturing of new proteins stored in the memory that account for the inputs. Pain can be an extremely powerful input to the nervous system with varying effects that could lay dormant for many years, stored in long-term memory. Several questions that could be posed concerning pain and long term memory involve the I-function. Can the I-function be turned off during a painful experience, but still be stored in long-term memory, able to be recalled later such as under hypnosis? Could pain cause a separation of the I-function from the physical self or a loss of ones sense of self? Many examples of pain can be quickly imagined and recalled from long or short-term memory. Certain types of pain reside deep inside the stored memory in the brain and require a special state of consciousness to bring out those memories. Pain memories associated with various actions such as rape and circumcision have been found to exist in long term memory. These painful experiences at different stages in life are separate in the way that they are remembered and recalled, but both involve feelings later of a physical violation and mental trauma due to the lack of consent. Circumcision, the removal of the foreskin over the penis, was long thought to be a painless experience for an infant and was treated accordingly with little or no anesthesia. Most of the times during the surgical procedure, the babies cry very forcefully. This was for a long time thought to be normal and healthy. Other times, they lie still without making a sound from either shock or the act of passing out from the pain (1). This unresponsiveness was always thought to be from undeveloped pain receptors, or Nociceptors in the Somatosensory system (2) . These pain receptors send information to the spinal cord, then to the brain stem, thalamus, and somatosensory cortex. Modulation can occur through these pathways by way of suppression using large mechanosensitive fibers that enter the spinal cord or by endorphine release. This modulation involves changing the information about the pain to lessen the perception of its magnitude. I-Function, Pain And Memory :: Biology Essays Research Papers I-Function, Pain And Memory Pain is capable of leaving a long lasting effect on ones life and in ones memory. It can literally "change" who "you" are. "You" change according to the input that your nervous system receives and reacts to. Permanent changes can be seen in long-term memories with the manufacturing of new proteins stored in the memory that account for the inputs. Pain can be an extremely powerful input to the nervous system with varying effects that could lay dormant for many years, stored in long-term memory. Several questions that could be posed concerning pain and long term memory involve the I-function. Can the I-function be turned off during a painful experience, but still be stored in long-term memory, able to be recalled later such as under hypnosis? Could pain cause a separation of the I-function from the physical self or a loss of ones sense of self? Many examples of pain can be quickly imagined and recalled from long or short-term memory. Certain types of pain reside deep inside the stored memory in the brain and require a special state of consciousness to bring out those memories. Pain memories associated with various actions such as rape and circumcision have been found to exist in long term memory. These painful experiences at different stages in life are separate in the way that they are remembered and recalled, but both involve feelings later of a physical violation and mental trauma due to the lack of consent. Circumcision, the removal of the foreskin over the penis, was long thought to be a painless experience for an infant and was treated accordingly with little or no anesthesia. Most of the times during the surgical procedure, the babies cry very forcefully. This was for a long time thought to be normal and healthy. Other times, they lie still without making a sound from either shock or the act of passing out from the pain (1). This unresponsiveness was always thought to be from undeveloped pain receptors, or Nociceptors in the Somatosensory system (2) . These pain receptors send information to the spinal cord, then to the brain stem, thalamus, and somatosensory cortex. Modulation can occur through these pathways by way of suppression using large mechanosensitive fibers that enter the spinal cord or by endorphine release. This modulation involves changing the information about the pain to lessen the perception of its magnitude.

Quality Management within Toyota Motor Company Essay

Abstract This paper explores multiple published articles discussing Toyota Motor Company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A review of Toyota’s decisions to hide important information prior to recalls leads us to a discussion of where Toyota can go from here. The paper includes recommendations for Toyota Motor Company in order to move forward after their 2010 recalls. In addition, organizational changes will assist Toyota Motor Company in overcoming their recall problems. Quality Management within Toyota Motor Company After a number of discouraging recalls at Toyota Motor Company in 2010, a number of quality management techniques were implemented. Toyota Motor Company’s SWOT Analysis played into the newly implemented quality management techniques. Toyota’s strengths allowed them to fight back quickly against these recalls that could have ultimately led to Toyota’s fall from one of the top motor company’s. Toyota Motor Company’s strengths include dominant position in the marketplace, strong brand recognition, strong focus on research and development, and broad production and distribution network. In addition to Toyota’s strengths, their weaknesses were reviewed in order to find opportunities to capitalize upon. The recalls were obviously a large weakness at Toyota. Opportunities were reviewed which included the growth of the global automotive industry. Last, Toyota’s threats were reviewed. Here it was found that powerful competition is a worry for To yota Motor Company. After the review of Toyota Motor Company’s SWOT Analysis, the issue of the recalls was assessed. Analysis shows the issue within Toyota Motor Company did not appear overnight. However, secretive management styles let the company astray. A diagram was created by functional area to summarize how Toyota has responded to these recall problems. The functional areas reviewed include management, production design and safety, quality, and manufacturing. Last, the analysis of Toyota Motor Company’s recall and quality management issues are discussed from a point of solving the problem. Recommendations are discussed that will help Toyota Motor Company to turn their weaknesses into strengths. Method Discussion SWOT Analysis Internal Factors Strengths Weaknesses Product †¢ Dominant position in the marketplace †¢ Strong brand recognition †¢ Strong focus on Research & Development †¢ Broad production and distribution network †¢ Product recalls have the ability to negatively affect brand image †¢ Declining sales in crucial geographic areas External Factors Opportunities Threats Competition †¢ Growth of the global automotive industry †¢ Potential benefit from partnering with BMW †¢The outlook for the new global car market is strong †¢ Powerful competition †¢ Appreciation of the Japanese Yen †¢ Environmental regulations †¢Natural disasters Strengths. Toyota has a number of internal product strengths as noted in the SWOT Analysis table above. Toyota’s market share in 2011 was 16.5 percent,  its highest market share in 4 years. This strong market share allowed Toyota to hold a competitive advantage against their competition. In addition to holding a dominant position in the marketplace, Toyota possesses strong brand recognition through a number of brands. These brands include Toyota, Lexus, Prius, Corolla, Yaris, Camry, Sequoia, 4Runner, Scion tC, Highlander, Land Cruiser, and a number of other brand names. These brands are some of the most desired premium brands in the world according to the Company Profile report for Toyota Motor Company documented by MarketLine. Another strength of Toyota is their strong attention to research and development. According to the Company Profile report, Toyota’s focus on research and development is pointed towards the creation of new and improved products. Research and development operations are conducted at 14 facilities located around the world. This strength has allowed Toyota to increase the technology included in existing products. One of these products, a Pre-collision System (PCS) helps drivers avoid collisions. Overall, the strong focus on research and development has been a big strength for Toyota. Last, Toyota’s production and distribution network has been a big strength for the company. Toyota produces automobiles, related parts, and other components through more than 50 manufacturing companies throughout 27 countries and regions, not including Japan. As mentioned on the Toyota Motor Company website, major locations include Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Thailand, China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil. As reported by Toyota Motor Company, during fiscal year 2013 the company had consolidated vehicle sales totals of 8.871 million units (TCM, 2013). As reported by Toyota Motor Company, this was an increase of 1.519 million units compared to the previous fiscal year. In addition to the widespread production of Toyota products, the company has a large distribution network. Toyota’s distribution network is one of the largest in Japan encompassing four sales channels (Toyota, Toyopet, Corolla, and Netz). In 2012 the distribution network of these channels was comprised of 283 dealers. In addition to this network, Toyota operates over 170 Lexus sales channels in Japan. As reported by Toyota Motor Company, in fiscal year 2013 these networks accounted for the following vehicle sales: Japan sales totaled 2.279 million units In North America vehicle sales totaled 2.469 million units In Europe vehicle sales totaled 799,085 units Asia came in at total vehicle sales of 1.684 million units Central and South America, Oceania and Africa came in at 1.640 million units As you can see, Toyota’s distribution network is widespread allowing for diversification and a wide reach of clientele, ultimately boosting revenues and sales. Weaknesses. A large focus of the case study focuses on the weakness of Toyota’s product recalls. As many are aware, Toyota has encountered a number of recalls in the recent past. It is a concern that these recalls could negatively affect Toyota’s brand imagine ultimately leading to decreased sales for the company. When searching for Toyota recalls it was easy to find a few recent recalls. The most recent is a recall of 700,000 Toyota Prius models which were recalled over electronic issues in the United States (csmonitor.com, 2014). Another very recent recall includes certain versions of the Lexus RX crossover. In this case, more than 261,000 vehicles are being recalled due to a brake issue (csmonitor.com, 2014). In addition to the many recalls, Toyota has been involved in a number of lawsuits. In December 2012, Toyota settled a suit by paying $17.4 million to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to settle claims related to the June 2012 recall of potential accelerator pedal entrapment issues. This bad press will ultimately result in a negative effect on consumer’s confidence in Toyota’s brand. In addition, the settlement of suits ultimately decreases Toyota’s profits. As a result of this bad press Toyota saw a decline in 2012 sales in important geographic areas. Declining sales in fiscal year 2012 were seen across North America, Asia, and Europe. Opportunities. As reported by the article, Global automotive industry to experience modest growth in 2012, a number of opportunities exist in the global automotive industry (2012). The Japanese auto industry responded from natural disasters which had caused reduced inventories and production. It is forecasted that the industry will continue to grow increasing Toyota revenues. In June of 2012, BMW and Toyota signed a long-term partnership. The two companies are partnering on the developments that will help to increase market share and sales. This relationship is expected to increase technology between the two companies as  well as result in new product development. In addition to these opportunities, the new car market is experiencing moderate growth which will assist in increased sales and profits. Threats. Intense competition in the worldwide car market has become very competitive. This competition will likely increase in the upcoming years as competitors add more technology and increase developments. In addition to the intense competition, the appreciating Japanese Yen has become a big concern for Toyota. Last, environment regulations have the potential to increase production costs. Emissions regulations that are updated periodically could cause issues in new car production. Evolvement of Quality Management Issues At first glance, it seems that Toyota’s gas pedal issue appeared overnight. However, upon further research, evidence was found to prove the opposite. As reported in the article Secretive Culture Let Toyota Astray, evidence that Toyota cars could suddenly speed up had been piling up for years (2010). At the time of the recalls, Toyota had known about this gas pedal problem for more than a year. The problem was stated to be Toyota’s secretive corporate culture in Japan which ultimately conflicted with United States requirements that auto makers disclose safety threats. New initiatives brought to the table by Toyota have attempted to correct the previous secretive culture of Toyota. Total quality management initiatives have been put in place to assist in better customer service and safety and repair issues. According to Jacobs and Chase, total quality management can be defined as managing the entire organization so that it excels on all dimensions of products and services that are important to the customer (Chase and Jacobs, 2014, p. 296). The table following this discussion addresses the steps Toyota has taken in response to its recent quality recall problems. Functional Area Quality Management Steps Management †¢ Managing Director names to oversee any safety-related issues †¢ Top down management approach Product Design & Safety †¢ Troubleshooting teams known as Swift Market Analysis Response Teams work to  find any safety issues that need to be reported Quality †¢ TAQIC – Toyota Advanced Quality Information Center staffed by a group of employees who compile repair reports from dealerships worldwide †¢ 1000 engineers hired to spot-check quality Manufacturing †¢ No drastic changes to assembly lines Results/Discussion Problem Solution As discussed in the diagram above, there were many opportunities for Toyota after their encounter with the recall situation. Akio Toyoda, the head of the company, acted quickly by implementing a top down management approach instead of the more popular Japanese â€Å"bottom up† approach that slows down the decision making. In addition, Akio cut board of directors by fifty percent and cut out management layers. Akio also began meeting with his top five advisers on a weekly basis. In these meetings decisions were made quickly. Akio pushed his team to make â€Å"always better cars.† This change in the way the organization is managed helped Toyota to stay on top even through the recalls. Recommendations Many recommendations have been made to assist Toyota Motor Company in improving the recall situation they encountered in 2011. Some recommendations Toyota should follow include as recommended by the North American Quality Advisory Panel include the following: Give North American operations more independence in making recall decisions Strengthen quality control processes Extend development time of new products to include more safety tests Create a role of Chief Safety Technology Officer Create and launch a Safety Research Center focused on protecting the most important clientele (children, teens, and seniors) These ideas follow the concept of total quality management which focuses on two fundamental goals: Careful design of the product (in the case of Toyota Motor Company, the vehicle) Ensure that Toyota Motor Company systems can produce this design  in a consistent manner Quality at the source seems to be a great way for Toyota Motor Company to proceed. Quality at the source means that the person who is doing the work is taking the responsibility for making sure the work meets specifications. As previously discussed, safety control will be a huge initiative for Toyota Motor Company going forward. If implemented, these recommendations can do a lot to help Toyota Motor Company increase their organizational effectiveness. As previously discussed, many organizational steps were taken by Akio Toyoda after these recalls. It seems that Toyota could greatly benefit from organizational learning. As stated by Operations and Supply Chain Management, â€Å"it has been argued that organizational learning is critical to sustaining a competitive advantage† (Chase and Jacobs, 2014, p. 138). Organizational realignment was important to Toyota Motor Company after the 2010 and 2011 recalls. According to a Toyota news release in December of 2008 organizational changes include the establishment of the below: A Government and Public Affairs Group which was focused on quick response to inquiries from around the world while also unifying public affairs functions. An Accounting Group aimed at strengthening the business management and financial management system of Toyota Motor Company. A Europe and Africa Operations Group intended to assist with business planning in African and Central Asia. The group was also established to conduct business promotion events in both Europe and Africa. A Production Engineering Group aimed at increasing the strength of the quality control system for semiconductors for hybrid vehicles. The recommendations made are important to Toyota’s future. Reorganization and creation of new groups within the organization will help Toyota to overcome these recalls. References Ingram, A. (2014, Feb 12). Toyota recall: 1.9 million Prius vehicles recalled to fix software glitch. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2014/0212/Toyota-recall-1.9-million-Prius-vehicles-recalled-to-fix-software-glitch Jacobs, F. R., & Chase, R. (2014). Operations and supply chain management. (14 ed.). New York, NY:

Jacques Bertrand’s ‘Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Indonesia’

The book to be analyzed is Jacques Bertrand's ‘Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Indonesia', published by Cambridge University Press in 2004. This book is seen as one of the most recent writings on the subject of ethnic conflicts as they are, and through the prism of the situation in Indonesia.Jacques Bertrand is known for the deep scientific research in the area of Asian studies; Bertrand is the authors of numerous works related to Indonesian conflicts and ethnic backgrounds, so the book may be seen as either a continuation of this research, or as the means of concluding all previous knowledge and making it more systematic, thus eliminating unnecessary information and creating a clear picture of what the situation is and what the roots of this situation are.A question may appear (as well as serious doubts) as for how a Professor and a scientists of Toronto University, which is not even close to Indonesia could perform such deep research and whether the ideas given in the book can be trusted and can be relevant, but Bertrand was able to view the situation from inside, visiting Indonesia and conducting the research there. These ‘research trips' as the author calls them, transformed the initial idea and image of the book, and the resulting work is the one we read now.Speaking about the situation when a foreign author writes about ethnic conflicts of some other country, it has both its advantages and drawbacks. Taking into account that the author states ‘many people from various non-governmental organizations across Indonesia provided me with assistance, contacts and resources' (Bertrand 2004, p. xv), it may be assumed that the conclusions made in the book are relevant and reliable. 2.The author's purpose of writing this book was systematization of the information which had already been at disposal and needed deeper analysis and application in the theories described in the book; however, probably the principal aim of writing this book was to fin d possible solutions of the conflict situation. ‘I only hope that my work, in its very small way, can help to elucidate some aspects of the conflict and perhaps contribute to the reconciliation process'. (Bertrand 2004, p. xv) 3. One of the principal benefits of the book is that Bertrand was able to make huge systematization of the already existing material.This is clearly seen through the strict structure of the book, with each part addressing the separate aspect of the conflict without tearing it off the general line of discussion. Thus, step by step, the reader fills the image of the situation which he has given through the beginning of the book, with additional aspects and details, making it multidimensional. ‘The argument of this book consequently differs from other studies that have addressed various aspects of the ethnic violence of the late 1990s'. (Bertrand 2004, p.6) The principal difference and one of the main advantages of this classification is that it is do ne through three lines – the first one described what role elites play in raising ethnic conflict; here Bertrand was brave enough to deny the strength of certain arguments and evidences (for example, the role of outside forces) and to re-direct discussion into understanding, what forces linked local groups to elites, and why so many people joined the riots. The whole structure of the book is made as leading the reader to the possible conclusions step by step.From the very beginning the author gives basic theoretical approaches as for the possibilities of escalating ethnic violence. The advantages of making this chapter the first is in giving serious background for the reader to understand what roots of violence and ethnic conflicts exist at present, which helps to make personal conclusions as for which of the theories is applicable to the situation in Indonesia. Bernard tries to explain the core of ethnic violence through the conjunction and interrelation of nationalism, inst itutions and relations between ethnic groups.It has been emphasized through the book that all previous studies had focused on national ethnic identities as well as various socio-economic factors; not a single theory had made any stress on the assumption that ethnic violence becomes relevant through the periods of institutional reconstruction of the state. (Bertrand 2004, p. 10) These theoretic approaches are also seen through the light of the nationalism/ ethnic conflict connection, in which Bernard sees the essential aspect – nationalism is what links nations to the states (Bertrand 2004, p.15), and while it is often seen as a very negative aspect, in its moderate forms nationalism is what defines the ‘face' of nation. Having once paid attention to the assumption that religion is the core of the ethnic conflict in Indonesia, Bernard follows this line across the several more sections, coming to the point that the discussion of how religious issues are managed in the cou ntry and how islamization influenced the ethnic structure and relation of people in Indonesia will finally become the correct choice giving the ideas as for how this conflict should be solved.Making logical structure, Bernard leads the reader to the issue of religion as leading in Indonesian ethnic conflicts, gradually; starting the section of religious conflicts with the description of their essence, the reader goes through the explanation of connections between riots and religion, as well as the fall of Sukarto's regime which is seen one of the pushing forces for the escalation of ethnic violence. ‘Though the violence was directed most clearly at the ethnic Chinese, religious undertones were nevertheless present'. (Bertrand 2004, p. 102) – this quotation shows the objectivity of analysis.Bernard tries to avoid categorical statements and assumes that the analysis of the Indonesian ethnic conflicts should be done very carefully; the author is rather cautious in many sta tements which make the reader understand the striving for being objective. In explaining the reasons for religious riots, for example, Bernard was rather critical of the previous analyses made by other authors, but even in that case it has not been done in denying way, but through the prism of the knowledge which the author possessed and wanted to deliver to the public.(Bertrand 2004, p. 111) Making autonomy or federalism the best resolution of the ethnic conflict, Bernard explains this position stating that ‘autonomy could redistribute political power, representation, and control over the state's resources to provincial or district levels. As such, it gave political elites in these territorial units more power to direct resources to their specific needs' (Bertrand 2004, p.185) Thus, having started the book with the discussion of the political local elites as one of the major participants of ethnic violence, having gone through historical and religious aspects, Bernard still c omes back to these elites in the solution, seeing it as the most beneficial. As it has become clear, the structure is absolutely strict, vivid, logical and correct. The book can be viewed as the basis for deep analysis and understanding the misconceptions which existed in the previous studies on the same subject. These misconceptions have also partially been mentioned here.4. The assumptions which underlie the author's argument mainly touch the aspect of religion; the basic assumption is that religious conflicts become the moving forces for the ethnic conflict, as well as that local elites need self-identification, which also leads them to riots and ethnic violence. One more useful assumption is that though many riots had no religious tint on the surface, the conflict between Islam and Christianity is the ground on which ethnic conflicts grew; with assuming that local elites play not the last role in creating these riots.It is also possible to assume that ethnic violence is used as cover for elimination of the undesired religious layers; this assumption can be seen through the whole book, though it is not expressed openly, but is rather implied. 5. How to categorize the author's approach to the problem? I would state that it is a combination of sociological and political approaches. It is suggested that sociological approach is viewed through the analysis of the connections between the elites of various level (national, local).Political approach is seen through the suggestion that autonomy will be the best resolution of the conflict. The question is here what other views and perspectives could be used here and how they could change the whole book. Let's think – the two approaches used by the author are beneficial because they make it possible to come to the relevant conclusions and to make real suggestions as for the possible solutions. If this approach was philosophical – it would be absolutely different and probably deeper, but it would not be possible to create basic resolutions for the conflict.6. Methodology which was used by the author is mostly interviewing – Bernard spent rather long time speaking to native people and living among them to gather all information possible for the book. As it is stated in the very first section of the book, ‘colleagues provided useful comments on parts of the manuscript or related papers, some influenced my ideas in discussions at various venues where I presented my work, or forced me to revise my analysis significantly in light of their constructive criticism'. (Bertrand 2004, p. xiv) 7.It may seem difficult to define what audience Bernard addresses in this book. Looking closer at the language in which the book is written, and thinking of what audience should be the best for reading the theoretical and practical material, it may be assumed that this book will be the most suitable for the researchers who now only work in he area of Asian conflicts and would be interested i n information about Indonesia – the theoretical background is so strong that it can be used in any related sociological and political studies in the area of the ethnic conflicts, violence and their reasons and sources.Moreover, the line which the author makes through the book (the logical line) can also be used by professionals in analyzing other regions of the world in the similar manner. Though the references made by Bernard to other works and authors, are all noted in the book, it is still easier to be read for those who have an idea about these works and what these works are about. 8. Any author can be criticized and it is always possible to find weak sides in any work, no matter how professional it can be.There of course can be other views on the problem, and Bernard was wise enough as to show these viewpoints in this work and to critically analyze them on the basis of the knowledge available from her life in Indonesia, though it is also possible to look at the problem n ot through religious prism, but through the prism of political reasons of striving for autonomy, for example, and in this case the research would take a different form.For example, Bowen (1996) speaks about ethnic conflicts viewing them through social conflict and the importance of political choices, without any relation to religion. In his article he writes that emerging of the political systems is the crucial element for avoiding violence in any form, and though Bernard relates to institutional changes in the political structure, the arguments are still directed towards religion. 9.Though it may be suggested that while the book was published in 2004, three years might have created serious effect on the Indonesian regime and much could have changed after that. One of the recent articles in Washington Times about Indonesia (Anonymous 2005 p. A22) and its violence on the ethnic background has given assurance that Bernard was right – the arguments given about the Sukarno regime and its impact on raising ethnic conflict are only supported and are not denied and even neutralized.Though the tendency towards democratization of the Indonesian society was noted as an important political factor for eliminating violence and destroying the grounds for the conflict; when population has received the right to elect and to vote, it has become clear that the Sukarno regime's supporters would not have many chances to win the elections. While Bertrand states at the end of the book that ‘the end of regime opened up opportunities for renegotiating new terms of inclusion, or secession, for ethnonationalist groups', (Bertrand 2004, p. 217) this assumption is supported by the abovementioned article.Thus, it is not possible to say that the arguments given by Bernard were weakened with time; the perspective drawn by the author was developed as predicted, and the absence of any recent articles on violence in Indonesia is the best support for the prediction that renegotiati ng of ethnic groups has taken place. 10. The significance of the writing analyzed here is not under any doubts; it has become clear that the analysis made by Bertrand is so deep that it cannot be stated any other author has been able to conduct the research of such large scale over the recent years.The significance of this writing is more increased through the two following factors: first of all, it has been done ‘from inside' of the situation with Bertrand undertaking multiple research trips to the country; and second, seeing the serious conclusions touching the need of autonomy, to which the author was able to come. References Anonymous 2005, ‘Democratizing Indonesia', The Washington Times, September 23, p. A22 Bertrand, Jacques 2004, Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Indonesia, Cambridge University Press. Bowen, JR 1996, ‘The myth of global ethnic conflict', Journal of Democracy, vol. 7, no. 4, p. 3-14

Alcohol Advertisement in Australia Essay

Alcohol advertising in Australia ignores the long-term and short-term health risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption; these are detrimental to the Australian population of all ages, therefore they should be banned. Alcohol advertising is the promotion of alcoholic beverages by alcohol companies through a range of different media. Alcohol advertising is one of the most closely regulated forms of advertising, along with tobacco. The self-regulation system in Australia is not effective at protecting children and youth from exposure to alcohol advertising, a great deal of which contains material appealing to these groups (Fielder, Donovan & Ouschan 2009). The Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Code was introduced to guarantee that alcohol advertising will be conducted in a way that encourages responsibility and moderation in liquor merchandising and consumption, and does not promote the consumption of alcoholic beverages by underage persons. The Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Code first introduced in 1998 is the regulatory system for alcohol advertisement in Australia. For advertisement to comply with this code it is assessed to whom the advertisement is directed, and whom the advertisement may possibly be communicated. Australians’ consumption of alcohol is large on a global scale, with consumption estimated at 9. 88 litres per capita in 2007 (National Preventative Health Taskforce 2009). Scientific research has revealed, over decades, that there is a correlation between alcohol advertising and the consumption of alcohol. However, it has not yet been proven that alcohol advertising causes higher consumption (Hanson, 2011). It is the Alcohol Companies aim to demonstrate that the alcohol campaigns effectively increase their potential market share and brand loyalty, and not higher alcohol consumption. Adolescences are exposed to alcohol advertisements through many different forms of media, and can result in the consumption of alcoholic beverages. A study has shown that alcoholic beverages are the most advertised product inside a 250 metre radius of primary schools and children are exposed up to 25 advertisements for alcohol per square kilometre (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2008). The alcohol industry lack credibility in the argument about banning alcohol advertising, given their dire attempts at enforcing their own self-regulatory code (the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code). Children’s exposure to alcohol advertisement is on a daily basis. The advertisement of alcohol and alcohol products is not adequately regulated to restrict youths viewing alcohol-related images and messages. Research has shows that underage children are frequently shown alcohol advertising (Fielder, Donovan & Ouschan 2009). Mounting evidence has revealed, for youths, the increasing pressure of alcohol marketing creates negative attitudes towards alcohol consumption, and significantly impacts their decision to drink, as well as how they drink (National Preventative Health Taskforce 2009). Underage drinking can cause youth’s brains to be extremely damaged from alcohol. Large alcohol exposure to the developing youth’s brain can be very dangerous. Adolescents are shown to be more susceptible to the learning and memory difficulties that can arise from alcohol consumption. Sections of the brain that are affected by alcohol are directly correlated with memory and emotions, and binge drinking could produce memory problems, problems with verbal skills, incapacity to learn and depression. The existing regulatory system does not effectively regulate these exposures, and does not attempt to decrease or abolish the appeal of the advertising content. The 30 highest viewed alcohol advertisements to the underage population included at least one component identified to appeal to children and underage youth, with 23 found to contain two or more such material. It was also found that 15 of the 30 advertisements contained an animal (Fielder, Donovan & Ouschan 2009). The self-regulation system in Australia fails to safe-guard children and youth from exposure to alcohol advertising, with a good majority containing elements appealing to youths. The advertising companies’ target audience of their advertising campaigns have changed, with various brands being targeted towards a particular population. Some drinks are typically seen as a masculine drink, predominantly beers and dark spirits, whilst wines and cocktails are seen as feminine. Brands have said to be specifically produced to appeal to a population that would not generally drink that kind of alcoholic beverage. The alcohol industry has come under criticism and restricted legislation in their alleged targeting of young people, with the creation of alcoholic beverages that are sweet-tasting and bright coloured which appeal to the younger population. However, there is no solid evidence that supports this alleged targeting of youths. There have been wide spread debate on whether alcohol advertisements are targeting the teenage population, although alcohol advertisement makes consumption look extremely exciting and enjoyable with a majority of which involve parties. Exposure to alcohol advertisements is a daily occasion; they are on television, radio, billboards, concerts, magazines and sporting events. If alcohol advertising was to be banned there would be a certain objection from alcohol companies, outlets, sporting bodies and association. Alcohol is a major sponsor within Australian sports and is estimated to be worth $1. 25 billion a year. Large quantities of alcohol consumption are linked to severe public and social health problems involving violence, crime, road accidents and disease. With the taxing of premixed drinks there is intent to address the problem, however this has not made much of a difference, with adolescence moving onto different forms of alcohol. With the alcohol advertisement nearly everywhere and binge drinking within the teenage population still prevalent, the self-regulatory systems set up at present are not adequate. Heavy alcohol consumption has become a part of Australian culture; advertisement is encouraging these trends, and should be banned. Reference List: * Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity, 2008 * Fielder, L. , Donovan, R. J. & Ouschan, R. (2009) ‘Exposure of children and adolescents to alcohol advertising on Australian metropolitan free-to-air television’, Addiction, 104: 1157-1165 * Hanson, David, 2011; Alcohol Advertising * National Preventative Health Taskforce (2009) Australia: The healthiest country by 2020, Technical Report No 3.

Email vs. Snail Mail

Throughout history people have communicated with each other in various ways. For instance, some used birds to transfer their messages while others used the smoke of fire to signal their friend who were far from them. Lately postal mail was used as a mean for correspondence, which was referred to as snail mail afterword. And with the invention of telegraph and development of civilization a new tool came in known as e-mail. There are significant discrepancies between snail mail and e-mail along with some common points.First of all, both tools are uses for communication in society, and they are both under risk in terms of confidentiality, but for different reasons. For instance, you cannot be secure that all post offices are safe enough to send your messages that are too personal or contain secret information about your work†¦ etc. E-mails suffer from the same problem but for different reasons. For example your computer can become a victim of hacking and a hacker can get your whole archive in a few seconds. Finally, once they are delivered to the wanted place there is no way going back.Although they share some common points, snail mail and e-mail are tremendously different in many ways. Firstly, e-mail is way a lot faster than snail mail, it enables you to delivers your message in the blink of an eye, whereas it might take days for a snail mail to receive the place you want. Secondly, for sending an e-mail all you need is an internet connection and you can send it to hundreds of people at once, nonetheless, you can send a snail mail once at a time and you have to pay for it respectively.Moreover, there are many options for editing an e-mail and sending different types of media files along with it, in contrast to snail mail with which you can only send text messages. In addition, nowadays people are very busy to memorize the address of all of their acquaintance, e-mail solves this too, you can save all of those confusing addresses in your account without any e ffort, for snail mail this option is not present.The last and most important difference is that using snail mail we actually use up our natural resources like paper and ink, yet e-mail is a tool the encourages sustainability because you neither use resources nor throw it away after using it. As a conclusion, we can say that although both e-mail and snail are similar to each other to some extent it’s clear that all ways lead to using e-mail and regarding snail mail as an obsolete way for communication.

Toulmin Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Toulmin Analysis - Essay Example The backing is also reinforced by the claim that the Web is godsend to the narrator as a writer. The backing is also emphasized by not only the assertion that research that used to be carried out in days is now done in minutes, but also the assertion that the author when not working spends a lot of time in the Web’s info-thickets’ reading (Carr 2). Additionally, the backing is emphasized by the assertion that the more time spent on the web makes a person to straggle stay focused on lengthy pieces of writing. There qualifier for the argument is that the Net has become a universal medium that provides most information which flows not only through eyes and ears, but also the mind (Carr 4). A direct rebuttal to the claim that the Internet is affecting the way we think appears in this article. The narrator claims that the advantage of accessing such an incredible of information are diverse and many. In support of the rebuttal, the narrator claims that media supply the stuff of thought as well as shape the process of

Culture Serves as Informal Structure in Organizations - Organisational Research Paper

Culture Serves as Informal Structure in Organizations - Organisational Behavior - Research Paper Example Organizations both small and large multinational conglomerates can achieve high profits in their business by matching their needs with the structure they employ in operation. There are various forms of organizational structures and they include function, matrix and division structures. In a functional structure, an organization is set up in order to group every portion of the organization according to its purpose and this structure works well for small businesses where each department relies on the talent and knowledge of workers and support. Nevertheless, the main drawback for the structure is that coordination and communication-linking departments are restricted by organizational boundaries that have various departments working separately. Divisional structure is employed in large organizations that work in large geographic location or in organizations that have different small organizations in the same company to take care of different forms of products or even market areas. The s tructure is beneficial in that it enables needs to be met rapidly although communication is inhibited since employees are in various divisions thus not working together; besides, the structure is costly owing to its size and scope. The matrix structure is a hybrid of both functional and divisional structures and is often employed by multinational companies since it allows the benefits of functional and divisional structures to exist in a single organization. Nevertheless, the structures create a potential for power struggles since many areas of the organization have dual management like a functional manager as well as a product or divisional manager working in the same stage and covering same managerial territory (Singh, 2010).