The Programme Director Essay Example for Free

The Programme Director Essay I would like to apply for the Nursing Programme in your esteemed university. I firmly believe that my interests in the field of nursing, my confidence and my experience hold me in good stead over my colleagues for this programme. I have had a lot of experience in patient care, laboratory work and clinical examination over the years. I was a Medical Assistant at Bryman College in 1996 January, after which I shifted to Phlebotomy Plus (Walnut Creek) in Nov 1999). From Jan 2000 to Jun 2000, I worked as Front and Back Office Medical Assistant at Pacific Coast Internal Medical Group (San Francisco, CA). I was fortunate to gain a lot of experience while on this job, where I was involved in patient scheduling, completing and recalling medical charts of patients. I recorded vital statistics patients for the physician. I administered injections to adult patients and processed urine samples also. I also used to liase with the local pharmacy in helping patients get their prescriptions filled. This position involved a lot of responsibility and I was successful in carrying out what was expected of me. From July 2002 till Dec 2002 I was at the acute triage unit at the San Francisco General Hospital where I performed phlebotomies. I also performed clinical examination of pediatric patients within the triage unit. I maintained the patient charts, and recorded the vital statistics of patients. It was also my responsibility to ensure sending of samples to the laboratory and getting back the reports. Between Jun 2000 to May 2004, I was also at the Labcorp/Quest Diagnostics as the Phlebotomist and Office Manager in San Francisco. The unit was a busy one and I managed a team of 1-2 phlebotomists in carrying phlebotomies in this high volume unit. I also processed specimen samples, and carried out patient registration. I successfully maintained very high lab standards according to California OSHA standards 3. From Jun 2005 to present, I am currently holding the post of Lab Technician at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA. Here, I am a part of a research team conducting a study on growth and development of girls between 6-8 years. I conduct phlebotomies, urine collection, and DNA collection. I do the logging of all samples and ensure shipping to CDC. Data entry of patient information is among some of my other responsibilities. In view of the experience I have gained in laboratory and clinical work, which has included research work, I believe I have the requisite qualifications for this programme. My diligence and meticulousness build up my confidence; I believe I will be an asset to any university I attend. I hope my application gets the best attention it deserves. Â  In anticipation of a favourable response

Market Analysis for Male Condom Product

Market Analysis for Male Condom Product Introduction This report aims to explore the possible business opportunity of condom manufacturing of a Novelty Condom (Lolly), with particular emphasis on the public and private sector markets for the male condom. In considering the market for male condoms in South Africa, it is prudent to separate the discussion into public sector and private sector markets, and within these markets to consider procurement, distribution and sale of the products. Executive Summary Market / Industry/ Description (Makro) South African condom manufacturers are not competitive in the global market. This has led to their reliance on the governments condom procurement contract, which they are awarded on a preferential basis. It is as yet unclear whether government will continue to show preference to local manufacturers. If it does, this may further negatively impact the manufacturers competitiveness, and limit their market to the local public sector. If government decides to award future contracts to the most competitive bidders, some local manufacturers may go out of business. Socio Cultural There is no other product on the market apart from condoms that gives dual protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, as well as protection against unplanned pregnancy. In South Africa, the burden of STIs and HIV is enormous. The Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA), (source: www.actuarialsociety.org.za) has developed a demographic and AIDS model (latest ASSA 2003) that makes use of data from several sources to project the potential course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the demographic impact that it is having. According to the latest version of the model, some 5.4 million South Africans were infected with HIV in mid-2006. The has escalated to 5, 934, 183 in 2007 (source: Quantec Database and ECSSEC Analysis, 2009). The model further indicates that prevalence is higher for women in the 15-34 age groups, while it is higher for men in the older ages. Furthermore, the ASSA model predicts that the number of people infected will continue to rise, to exceed 6 million by 2015. Accumulated AIDS deaths will be close to 5.4 million by the same year. In terms of incidence, i.e. the number of new infections occurring, the 15-24 year age group, and particularly women, contributes the highest numbers of new infections. Biology, gender roles, sexual norms and inequalities in access to resources and decision-making power put women and girls at greater risk of infection. Many women have insufficient information about sexual and reproductive health and do not understand the risks associated with their own or their partners sexual behaviour. Many of those who do recognise their vulnerability are powerless to protect themselves. Other STIs also take their toll. In South Africa, the prevalence of STIs is estimated to range from 5% to over 30% in various population sub-groups and localities depending on the type of STI (source: ASSA and Quantec Database). It is important to note that, in addition to the disease and disability STIs themselves cause, they also increase the risk of acquiring HIV during intercourse as a result of inflammation and ulceration. Male condoms are widely available in South Africa, both through public sector condom distribution programmes as well as for sale through retail outlets. The range of products available in the private sector is broad, catering for various user sizes, as well as other novel user preferences such as taste, colour and texture (Our target market: Novel Condom User). The availability of female condoms is much more limited. And finally, although this is a practice and not a product, male circumcision has recently received a lot of attention as research has shown that the practice can reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Although this method cannot be used on its own to prevent HIV transmission, there are concerns in some quarters that miscommunication about the link between male circumcision and HIV transmission could potentially result in the practice being used as a substitute for condom use. Adapted from: Outlook, May 2006 Economic Employment potential Condom manufacturing is both capital and labour intensive. In particular, the sampling and testing of batches of condoms, which is a critical component of the manufacturing process, is facilitated by hand. In Thailand, which is one of the worlds leading exporters of condoms, it has been found that young women are best suited to this work as it is repetitive, precise and requires a high degree of speed and dexterity. The incumbent local manufacturers employ an average of 100 people. A new condom manufacturing facility could thus potentially provide employment for up to 100 semi-skilled young women.The following inputs are required to set up a male condom manufacturing facility. Legal In South Africa there are no compulsory regulations governing the manufacturing and testing of condoms. The Department of Health, as the primary purchaser of locally manufactured condoms, acts as an indirect regulator of the industry by requiring that all public sector male condoms be designed and manufactured according to technical specifications set by the World Health Organisation. These specifications include design, performance and packaging requirements, as well as general requirements that specify the safety of constituent materials and other characteristics, such as shelf life. In addition public sector condoms, irrespective of whether they are made locally or imported from overseas, need to be tested to the same quality standards and approved by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). Outside of the public sector, manufacturers may apply to the SABS for a â€Å"standardization mark† to illustrate that their product complies with the SABS requirements. Compliance with the standard is however voluntary and not compulsory. Technological Political Competitor Review The South African condom manufacturing industry is an oligopoly made up of four companies, whose main customer is the Department of Health. The manufacturing facilities operate at or below their total production capacity, and further capacity will be created by the end of 2007. This points to a saturated industry that would not welcome a new entrant. Table 5 below is a summary of the operations of the four manufacturers. Table 3: Local manufacturers of male condoms Company Rrt Medcon Zalatex Karex Wupro Date established 2001 1990 2001 1999 Location Kwazulu-Natal Gauteng Mpumalanga Kwazulu-Natal Products manufactured Male condom Male condom Examination gloves Surgical gloves Male condom Male condom Linen savers Diapers Choice condom (pieces per year) 63,750 000 38,250 000 72,250 000 38,250 000 Own brand condom (pieces per year) Viva (â€Å"small Positions African Skin (â€Å"very small quantities†) Carex (1,200 000) Socially marketed condoms (pieces per year) Lovers Plus Trust (10,000 000) Export (pieces per year) Carex (1,000 000) Ad hoc Total manufacturing capacity (pieces per year) 180,000 000 72,000 000 150,000 000 40,000 000 Employees 106 110 160 60 Competing products: There are currently no other products that have been developed for men to protect against STIs, HIV and pregnancy. The male condom remains the primary prevention tool for men. Newer forms of male condoms include synthetic non-latex condoms made from materials such as polyurethane and styrene ethylene butylene styrene (SEBS), which have a longer shelf life, can be used with oil-based lubricants, and can be used by men who have latex sensitivity/allergy. These products are however not readily available in South Africa. Foreign manufacturers In addition to competition from other local manufacturers, foreign manufacturers of male condoms are also important role-players in the South African market. A review of data from the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) of all the foreign manufactured condoms available in South Africa shows that India, China and Malaysia are the key competing countries. Table 7 below illustrates the share of the total Rand value of imported condoms for the key competing countries. Table 5: Percentage share of imports by country 2006 Country Rand value of imports % of total imports China 21,045 189 35.94 Malaysia 13,948 863 23.82 India 5,192 677 8.87 Source: SA Customs Excise The key competitive advantages of the foreign manufacturers include: * Proximity to raw material (natural rubber latex) * Competitive labour costs * Output typically greater that 450 million pieces per year, so can benefit from economies of scale. Product Price Expected margins: A manufacturer in the industry can expect to realise profit margins between 5% and 20% (General Manager, Karex). Below is an illustration of the estimated revenues for Karex. Table 4: Case study Karex Condom type Number of pieces sold Selling price (R/piece) Revenue Choice 72,250 000 R0.20 R14,659 525 Lovers Plus + Trust 10,000 000 R0.50 R5,000 000 Carex (export) 1,000 000 R0.90 R900 000 Carex (retail) 1,200 000 R1,00 R1,200 000 Total revenue R21,759 525 Given that all male latex condoms are essentially similar in terms of their manufacturing process, it stands to reason that volumes are a major determinant of the margins that a manufacturer can realise. Therefore in the current market, a manufacturer would need to have Government as a client in order for their operation to be viable. Table 2: Average price charged per 3-pack of condoms Condom Brand Average price per 3-pack Lovers Plus R7.20 Trust R5.33 Durex R24.99 Lifestyle R9.95 Distribution Promotion Company Image /Brand Suppliers Management Skills and Resources Larry Davin CEO – PHD in Nothing Khuthele Bovu Director – PHD in business science marketing and Finance ECT ECT Core Competencies SWOT Analysis The above analysis should enable us to determine what variables will have an effect on the success or failure of the business. Potential Internal strengths and weaknesses have been looked at as well as external opportunities and threats. Ansoff Market Matrix Key Issues and New Opportunities. 5 Points to be determined from the Ansoff Matrix MARKETING OBJECTIVES (Must be SMART) PMS objectives Marketing objectives Objectives from new opportunities and key issues. 3.3.1 Male condom manufacturing A new entrant into the male condom manufacturing industry in South Africa would face a saturated industry in which a handful of companies operate. Furthermore a new entrant would need to compete with foreign manufacturers who are able to achieve cost-competitiveness through scale, cheaper labour and ready access to raw material. As government is the most significant customer in the market, failure to secure a contract with the DoH would jeopardise the viability of any operation. In addition, the requirement for a manufacturer to demonstrate existing capacity would mean setting up a facility at risk, with no certainty of securing the major customer. In the retail environment, the manufacturer would need to compete with well established brands such as Durex and Lifestyle. South Africa is a net importer of male and female condoms. Import s from the three primary source countries of latex condoms are shown in the table below. South Africa also imports from other countries such as the UK, Thailand, Germany and Korea. Table 9: Imports to South Africa of rubber sheath contraceptives (Rand value) Import source 2004 2005 2006 Total imports 79,023,113 59,044,723 58,556,392 China 43,002,818 29,602,084 21,045,189 Malaysia 16,101,512 12,468,383 13,948,863 India 2,606,106 6,604,586 5,192,677 Source: SA Customs Excise The Rand value of exports of condoms from South Africa is very small in comparison. Local manufacturers export primarily to other African countries. Table 10: South African exports of rubber sheath contraceptives (Rand value) Export market 2004 2005 2006 Total exports 1,826,715 2,789,604 3,111,135 Mozambique 1,456,616 1,379,926 1,646,028 Malawi 0 666 940,000 Angola 12,085 995,291 360,514 Congo 0 104,244 145,826 Source: SA Customs Excise It is important to note that these s do not only reflect the value of South African manufactured condom exports, but also those foreign manufactured condoms that are packaged in South Africa and then exported. Possible reasons for the poor export performance of South African manufacturers are discussed earlier in this report. It remains to be seen whether local manufacturers will become more competitive in the future, or whether the proposed preferential procurement of local condoms by the DoH and the degree of protection that provides to local manufacturers will further jeopardise the success of local condom products in the global market. Table 9: Inputs required – male condom factory Input required Components Infrastructure Land Construction and civil works Machinery Automatic dipping line High voltage dry electronic testing machine Condom foil sealing machine Automatic burst tester Electrolyte water test machine Tensile tester Length measuring gauge Miscellaneous condom testing laboratory equipment Other equipment and accessories Motor vehicles Generator Office equipment and accessories Materials Rubber latex Lubricant Packaging material Human resources Factory labour Management team: must have financial, production and marketing know-how. Target Market Identification Segmentation South African Market for Condoms In South Africa public sector condoms constitute the bulk of the condoms available. In 2006 approximately 428 million male condoms were distributed through public sector channels, against 36 million units sold in retail outlets. Source: Society for Family Health, 2007 With a crippled economy forcing millions of cash-strapped Americans to entertain themselves at home, its not surprising that one particular product is seeing a sales increase — condoms. (Source: www.usatoday.com). While car purchases plummeted and designer clothes mostly stayed on the racks, sales of condoms in the U.S. rose 5% in the fourth quarter of 2008, and 6% in January vs. the same time periods the previous year. (Source: The Nielsen Co). South Africans could not be outdone by their American counterparts. According to the research conducted by the IOL (www.iol.co.za), it has also been a boom time for South Africas leading condom manufacturers, with sales up 55 percent on last year. â€Å"There has been a 50-percent increase in sales, which is probably a combination of marketing activities together with the Aids message finally filtering through to consumers, said Dave Glass, general manager of Adcock, which distributes the Lifestyles and up-market Contempo brand condoms. Competitor Durex SA reported a 35-percent growth in its condom sales in the same period, according to its spokesperson J Giles. While a three-pack of Contempo condoms will cost anywhere from about R20 to R27, Glass said increased sales in the lower-priced Lifestyles brand (about R10 for 3) may have been a sign that people were willing to pay for protection in the wake of last years recall of government condoms. Government, through the Department of Health, is the key role-player in the public sector. Private sector condoms are those that are available at commercial prices from retail outlets as well as those sold at subsidized prices through social marketing programmes. The dominance of the public sector market is likely to continue into the future, given the priority and resources that government has made available towards the fight against HIV/AIDS, and also considering that the targeted end-user (mainly Black youth) generally cannot afford to pay retail prices for condoms. If a new manufacturer is to enter the South African condom market, five segments of the market will need to be assessed to determine which hold the greatest potential for future sales. Positioning and strategy Key ingredients for success The most critical ingredient for the success of a new condom manufacturer is securing the Department of Health contract. Without this, none of the other potential market segments would be sufficient to render the operation viable. innovation is important (novelty), so that a good quality product is developed which can be sold at a reasonable price. In addition, generating demand for the product is important, so substantial effort will need to be devoted to creating and promoting the appropriate marketing message for the product. Other factors that will contribute to a successful operation are: A project management team to ensure sound operations, marketing and financial control. Close co-operation with national and international organisations working in the area of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention. Furthermore, a manufacturer who is bidding for a portion of the government contract needs to show existing production capacity. This will require considerable set-up costs to be incurred, without the certainty of securing the major client. POSITIONING STRATEGY Government HIV prevention is the backbone of governments National HIV AIDS and STI Strategic Plan for South Africa 2007-2011. The primary aims of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) are to: Reduce the rate of new infections by 50% by 2011. Reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS by expanding treatment, care and support to 80% of all HIV positive people and their families by 2011. An important intervention to reduce the rate of new infections is the distribution of male and female condoms. The Department of Health (DoH) is responsible for the management of quality control and related logistics for public sector condoms. Male and female condoms are distributed free of charge to various sites. The distribution of male condoms includes hospitals and clinics as primary distribution sites, with secondary distribution extending to non-governmental organisations, workplaces, and other locations. Female condoms are distributed to selected sites and require one-on-one counselling on their use. Governments male condom distribution pattern and the projected future distribution are illustrated in the table below. The DoH procures condoms through a tender process. The current two year contract, which started in October 2005, has been extended and will expire in February 2008. The Department currently procures male condoms from all four of the local manufacturers as well as from foreign manufacturers. Table 1: Government male condom suppliers Contractor % allocated Type Unit price per 200 pieces (R) Maximum contract quantities ( ‘000 p/a) Karex 17% Local 40.58 72 250 Wupro 9% Local 43.03 38 250 rrtMedcon 15% Local 47.31 63 750 Zalatex 9% Local 41.01 38 250 Equity Distributor 17% Imported (China) 39.58 72 250 Khusela 17% Imported (Malaysia) 39.58 72 250 Supex International 16% Imported (China) 40.00 68 000 Source: Department of Health, July 2007 In the current contract, all four local manufacturers were allocated a portion of the contract, despite a wide variation between the lowest and highest prices, and despite the fact that all the locally manufactured condoms were more expensive than the imported product. Discussions with National Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) give conflicting views of how future tenders will be adjudicated. In Treasurys view, future tenders should be more stringently governed by cost-competitiveness, where the price per unit is limited to a specified range which is benchmarked against international prices. The DTI however believes that preference should be given to local manufacturers, in particular small and medium sized companies (value of assets less than R200 million). Discussions are on-going between the DoH, Treasury and the DTI. It is unlikely, though, that an agreement will be finalised before the awarding of the government condom tender in the first quarter of 2008, a nd the current preferential treatment of South African manufacturers will remain. A new manufacturer will need to show existing manufacturing capability, although there will be no minimum level of capacity that be required. The South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector is not a significant segment in the condom market, as many of the organisations active in the HIV/AIDS and reproductive health space form part of governments condom distribution channel and do not themselves procure condoms directly from suppliers. An important exception to this rule is the Society for Family Health (SFH), the South African affiliate of the international NGO network, Population Services International (PSI). PSI was founded in 1970 in Washington DC, with the intention to improve reproductive health using commercial marketing strategies. With programs in malaria, reproductive health, child survival and HIV, PSI promotes products, services and healthy behaviour that enable low-income and vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. PSI has a presence in over 60 countries around the world. In South Africa, PSI concentrates on issues related to HIV/AIDS. The organisation, through SFH, uses social marketing to motivate behaviour change with respect to consistent condom use, HIV testing, and other safer behaviours. SFH promotes consistent condom use through its own two male condom brands, Lovers Plus and Trust. The organisation procures 24 million male condoms per year from local and foreign suppliers. In addition, SFH obtains free female condoms from the DoH, which are then marketed under the Care brand and sold at retail outlets. SFH sells approximately 6000 female condoms per month. SFH also assists the DoH with the distribution of its free condoms. The organisation distributes approximately 8 million public sector male condoms per month in Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and the Western Cape. Retail The retail sector accounts for 7.8% of the male condom market in South Africa. Male condoms are widely available for sale in retail outlets. The most widely available condoms are the socially marketed brands, Lovers Plus and Trust. A study carried out by PSI in November 2006 looking at coverage of Lovers Plus and Trust condoms in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg found that most areas of the three cities met the minimum standards for coverage, where coverage was defined as the number of geographically defined areas where at least 30% of outlets stock Lovers Plus and Trust. These outlets included traditional outlets such as pharmacies, top-end retailers and general dealers, as well as non-traditional outlets such as garage forecourts, hair salons and shebeens. Approximately 36 million male condoms are sold in South Africa per year, with approximately 70% of those sales being of Lovers Plus and Trust condoms. (Senior Marketing Manager, SFH). The balance of the sales is made up by Durex, Lifestyle, Contempo, and various other locally manufactured and imported condoms. Corporate The corporate sector in South Africa has woken up to the reality of the HIV epidemic. Many companies have HIV awareness and management programmes for their employees. However, although corporate HIV programmes include condom distribution as a key element, the majority of companies distribute free government condoms to their employees. A snap survey of 10 corporate members of the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA) found that all but one company, Chevron South Africa, distribute free Government male condoms to their employees. The companies indicated that they saw no need to buy condoms directly from suppliers when free public sector condoms were easily available. The companies do not normally distribute female condoms. Some have bought female condoms in the past for training purposes. Export South Africas export of male condoms to date has been erratic, and local manufacturers have found it difficult to find a market for their products. The global condom market is dominated by low-cost manufacturers from Thailand, Malaysia, India and China, who are located in close proximity to natural rubber latex plantations. Local manufacturers have not been able to compete. Although all four of the local manufacturers have at some point exported their product, particularly to Mozambique, Malawi, Angola and Congo Brazzaville, at present only Karex exports condoms, about 1 million pieces per year, to Congo Brazzaville. Market Mix Strategy Target Market Strategies Global market for condoms The global condom market is estimated to be worth $3 billion, (source: www.marketresearch.com). The public sector is an important market segment globally, with between 6 and 9 billion male condom units consumed by that segment annually Though the prevention of pregnancy is still an important function of condoms, the driving force for growth is the prevention of STIs, in particular HIV/AIDS. Given the rapid spread of HIV in China, India and recently South Africa (in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa), and the large sizes of their respective populations, it is expected that annual public sector demand for condoms, both male and female, will reach 19 billion units by 2015. (Source: Female Health Company, 2007).

Gender Stereotypes in Young Children

Gender Stereotypes in Young Children à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Sugar and Spice and everything nice, thats what little girls are made of. Society today has made a clear cut line about what is appropriate for a little boy and what is appropriate for a little girl. Society has made that distinction through gender stereotyping. If you walk into a preschool class room today, little girls will be playing dress-up with fairy and princess costumes while the boys will be tackling each other or playing with dump trucks. Even though many people believe that gender is not learned, but instinctual instead, there may be outside influences on gender roles that children fall victim to, for example parents influence gender roles by the language they use and media and toys reinforce gender stereotypes in children by character portrayal and advertisements. There are many different parenting styles that are seen today. Psychologist Diana Baumrind discovered four basic styles of parenting; authoritarian, permissive-indifferent, permissive-indulgent, and authoritative (Morris, 310). Regardless of the parenting style that one family opts for, there seems to be a common thread; the majority of parents will dress little boys in blue and little girls in pink. The thought process behind this is so that their gender can be identified properly by an outside source. No parent wants to be walking through a store with their little boy and have a stranger ask, How old is she? Interestingly enough however, according to the article Whats Wrong with Cinderella? author Peggy Orenstein points out when colors were first introduced to the nursery in the early part of the twentieth century, pink was considered the more masculine hue, a pastel version of red. Blue, with its intimations of the Virgin Mary, constancy and faithfulness, was thought to be dainty. Somewhere along the line, the reverse was thought true; pink was more feminine and blue was more masculine, and is so enforced by todays standards. Another example of how strongly parents influence gender was learned when an experiment was performed at Harvard University. Male babies were dressed in pink outfits and were then given to adults to handle under the impression that they were girls. The language used with the boy babies dressed in pink fell into the female stereotype, while the girl babies dressed in blue fell into the male stereotype, being called handsome and tough (Pruett). Language is a big influence on gender interpretation. Often we tell boys not to cry and explain things with different tones for boys versus girls. If a little girl hits a friend, parents/caregivers might use a gentler phrase like, gentle hands on your friends please. If a little boy hits a friend, parents/caregivers might just shrug the action off as Boys will be boys as the common saying goes or raise their voices to get the point across more strongly, We DO NOT hit our friends! Even the compliments that adults bestow upon children can be gender stereotyping. When you tell a little a girl how pretty she looks in her dress is an illustration of that. Parents lead by example. Their children learn behavior from what they see their parents doing, even if unintentional. If a child sees their mother as the one who always does the laundry and cooks the meals and the father as the one who always takes the trash out, then chances are that the child will follow the same roles when as they grow up. Media also plays a large part in where children learn about what their gender role is. Disney movies are a prime example of this. In these movies, the leading female character, usually a princess, is sweet, romantic, daydreams about Prince Charming, and almost always wears a dress in a pastel color. On the other hand, the same Disney movie can represent the male population watching with a prince, who is usually strong, willing to fight, and always gets the girl at the end. These characters often lead to a misconception of what is feminine and what is masculine. On the spectrum of gender identity, Disney may represent the extremes of what the appropriate gender role is. Advertisements are often seen using gender as a marketing strategy for toys or games. If you look at a commercial for Tonka Trucks, there wont be a little girl to be seen in these ads. However, if you see a commercial for Easy-Bake oven, the opposite will be true. There will be no boys in those commercials. Seeing these on television demonstrates to children what should be an appropriate toy for a little boy and what should be appropriate for a little girl. Even the behaviors of children portrayed in television advertisements are stereotypic. Boys are often seen as active and domineering while the girls are portrayed as shy or overly silly. These advertisements usually lead to the purchase of the toys shown for the sex it was targeted to. Parents often wonder if you give a baby doll to a little boy or a dump truck to a little girl, will they be gender confused. Even the most new-age parents might find it bizarre to see their little boys walking around preschool with a purse and in dress shoes. Boys have a harder time crossing the gender line, whereas some parents of females might think that its alright for their daughters to play with dump trucks or Legos. This does not mean that the son will be more feminine and the daughter will be a tom-boy, but a majority of parents do not want to risk that. Not everyone believes, however, that gender is strictly a learned behavior. In 2009, Texas AM University used eye tracking software to measure infants interest in either male or female toys (Shaffer). According to an article published in 2010, the author M. Fox, found the results to be extremely informative: Hormone levels in the saliva, as well as finger dimensions that indicate prenatal testosterone exposure were measured to see if these things could explain why the infants visually preferred certain toys over others. The results revealed that while the girls preferences werent affected by hormone levels at all, the boys preferences were affected by both current and prenatal hormone levels. It appears that the higher the presence of testosterone at the time of the test, the greater the preference for groups of figures over individual figures, and those who indicated a higher exposure to prenatal testosterone had a stronger preference for the ball over the doll. This means that the boys showed an optical penchant for gender specific toys. In an article in New Scientist, Linda Geddes states that research has been done to show that the introduction of changing levels of testosterone and estrogen while babies are in utero may also have some sway in which toys boys and girls pick. There are other theorists that believe that there is a cognitive connection to gender development. Carol Lynn Martin and Diane Ruble are two such theorists. They discuss Kohlbergs theory of gender development is and what the impact is of knowing your gender does not change. This is an important fact for children to learn, generally setting the concepts of what is correct behavior for your gender type. Martin and Ruble think that there are important cognitive themes for gender development, rather than the influence of a specific outside source. The first important theme discussed is The Emergence of Gender Identity and Its Consequences. In this stage, it is allegedly general knowledge that children understand that there are two different types of genders, and they have the realization that they fall into one of those two categorizing sexes. This first theme is then broken down into two sub-categories, Evaluative Consequences and Motivational and Informational Consequences. The former meaning that the child understands and identifies one group as their own and sees this group as a positive. The latter sub-category means that one the child picks a gender to identify with and while the want to understand the opposite sex dwindles, the individual seems only interested it their own gender identity. The second theme that is thought to be a cognitive gender identity link is Active, Self-Initiated View of Gender Development and the final theme is Developmental Patterns. In these two themes, the thought is that the main focus is learning about the social gender group that they most identify with, and forming and developing the characteristics that are most familiar with the identified gender. While exploring the cognitive connection to gender, many place a strong association to motivational significances and developmental configurations of the gender identity theory. Even though many theorists believe that gender is not a learned behavior, but you are born knowing the difference between appropriate male behaviors and toys and appropriate female behaviors and toys, others disagree. Those people state that there are many possible outside influences on children when they are learning their gender roles in society. Some also believe that being aware of specific gender stereotypes has a connection to how one behaves. The media and toys that children do see and use play an intricate part in the concept of gender roles and parents influence gender identity by using specific language and actions. Whether or not gender is identity is solely obtained by influence or is pre-determined by some cognitive connection, it is an intriguing issue. Should boys and girls be able to make the choice of the toy that they want to play with or what their favorite color is going to be regardless of what society claims is normal? With the role that parents or caregivers pl ay in gender role identification, they should learn different methods for breaking stereotypes. Adults could make sure that they use the same language for both sexes or become involved in activities such as cuddling with boys or wrestling with girls. Connecting children of both sexes in such a manner is a good way to encourage the cycles of gender stereotyping to end.

Schwa :: essays research papers

Schwa Schwa's past is slightly blurred, but it is generally held that the religion has its roots in ancient Egypt. A small breakaway group are believed to have gathered regularly to exchange news and, on occasion, personal accounts of landings by what they called `star-creatures'. These beings were identical to the Egyptian gods, and their belief was that these beings came to their land, from their home amongst the stars, disguised as animals with which they were familiar (the jackal, the cat etc). Some hieroglyphics have been uncovered by archaeologists which, according to Schwa followers, are the original inscriptions of members of the ancient religion, but have been wrongly interpreted by `UFO fanatics' as proof that aliens built the pyramids. This leads non-believers to give little weight to what was "actually a true and proper religion". Since those primitive days the religion has developed enormously, but the biggest and most important advancements have only come in the past decade. Previously, followers had only gathered in what could be described as `sects' in many different countries, with the highest concentration being in North America. It wasn't until 1986 that Jeff Krantz, a 19 year old art student at the University of Michigan, started came to be known as `The Union', a wave of change that would sweep across the world over a period of two years, and would result in united international Schwa religion. "I had just been transferred from (the University of) Wisconsin in the earlier part of that year," Krantz says. "I had attended regular meetings with about half a dozen other believers. We met one night each week to talk about stuff related to our belief - that the Earth, and everything on it, was created by extraterrestrial beings. I guess you could say they're on the same level as the gods of other religions, but we believe that our creators are actual living, breathing beings, not spirits; an analogy would be our superiority over creatures which we created through gene technology, DNA splicing or whatever. "At one of these meetings we decided that we should have some sort of symbol that we could make into stickers. Each of us could then stick them on books or wherever, just to get people thinking about what they could mean, and also to bring the group together under an identifiable symbol - kind of like a flag." The task fell to Adrian Blackwell, another art student whom Krantz saw often outside of these meetings. "The idea for the sticker kind of came to me when I was on acid," Blackwell recalls, smiling.

Comparing the Mothers in The Glass Menagerie and A Raisin in the Sun Es

Comparing the Mothers in The Glass Menagerie and A Raisin in the Sun   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plays, The Glass Menagerie and A Raisin in the Sun, deal with the love, honor, and respect of family. In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda, the caring but overbearing and over protective mother, wants to be taken care of, but in A Raisin in the Sun, Mama, as she is known, is the overseer of the family. The prospective of the plays identify that we have family members, like Amanda, as overprotective, or like Mama, as overseers. I am going to give a contrast of the mothers in the plays.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, we embark on the task of seeing a family living in the post WWII era. The mother is Amanda, living in her own world and wanting only the best for her son, Tom. Tom, a dreamer, tired of Amanda’s overbearing and constant pursuit of him taking care of the family, wants to pursue his own goals of becoming a poet. He is constantly criticized and bombarded by his mother for being unsuccessful. This drives him to drinking and lying about his whereabouts, and eventually at the end of the play, he ends up leaving. An example of Amanda and Tom’s quarrel I when he quotes, â€Å"I haven’t enjoyed one bit of this dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it. It’s you that makes me rush through meals with your hawklike attention to every bit I take.†(302) Laura, on the other hand, is shy and out of touch with reality because of a slight disability, in which she is comfort...

Evaluating Employees with Ease Essay

Performance evaluations are a critical component of human resource management in any organization. In â€Å"Evaluating Employees with Ease† Sharon LaBuke gives useful tips designed to help nursing employers conduct evaluations that translate into a positive experience for their employees. In LaDuke’s view, the first priority is to strategize the process. A good place to start is the examination of the evaluation document that forms â€Å"a common frame of reference for both manager and employee† (LaDuke, n.d., p. 49). It is noteworthy that the author places cultural issues at the top of the list of priorities, suggesting that employers thoroughly evaluate the culture of their facility to see whether the process is consistent with the culture. Relationships with the people evaluated and finding the right language are also at the top of the list, since these issues help set the right kind of atmosphere for the evaluation process, suggesting that people will feel better if they know the employer has the right kind of attitude. The second set of suggestions involves more organizational aspects. For example, LaDuke suggests that people will feel the evaluation is more objective when they know that they are being evaluated on an ongoing basis, with feedback offered throughout the year. To help make assessments more detailed and grounded in facts, employers can log important events and try to address them in a timely fashion. The creation of a personal plan for improvement is also a useful idea. Created with staff input, this plan can serve as a roadmap for individual development, helping the person to focus on the right areas. Constantly following up on the progress with the plan, the manager can create an ongoing dialogue with the employee concerning personal needs. The author effectively captures the most important points in the evaluation process. It is helpful that the focus is on the personal development of the employee, not on evaluation per se. the nurturing nature of such evaluation clearly has the potential to contribute to the employees’ development and foster adequate atmosphere in the organization. Reference LaDuke, S. (n.d.). Evaluating Employees with Ease.

Eating the Right Food

â€Å"You are what you eat† said for the first time Anthelme Brillat-Savarin back in 1826 and since then this phrase is being used a lot by nutritionists. If this is really true, then a lot of Americans would appear to be unhealthy, treated with chemicals and, commercially raised animal flesh. While this does not sound very nice, it is nonetheless a description of the typical Americans who survive on the consumption of big macs and greasy French fries. â€Å"Unfortunately, studies show that over eighty five percent of Americans no longer eat even one meal at home together every day† (Bond, 4). It is true, and what should the average Americans do about this problem? They should better choose what they eat. Eating the right food is like getting an A at school. If you eat right food you will most likely be healthy. If you are getting A’s at school, you will most likely be successful. Eating the right food will contribute to your healthy living. By making the right choices, you will help yourself avoid some very serious problems. Making poor choices like eating too much wrong food, increases your chances of developing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, digestive disorders and aging related loss of vision. An example for that is the obesity, which is a major health concern in the United States. â€Å"Obesity can be linked to some 300,000 deaths and $117 billion in health care costs a year† (Espejo, 11). This statistics is very scary and it shows us how serious can be the wrong choice of our food. If we want to live healthy, we have to eat right. Eating the right food is not a hard thing to do. We just have to know some basic rules. One way to choose the right food is to follow the Food Guide Pyramid, developed by The Ivanova 2 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). More than one hundred years ago in 1894, the USDA published its first food guide, where the author, a nutritionist, introduced the idea of food groups. The five food groups defined in the food guide were milk and meat, cereals, fruits and vegetables, fats and fatty foods, and sugars and sugary foods. The guide made recommendations about eating food from each food group to remain healthy. MyPyramid is the most recent food guide, designed to provide Americans with a wide variety of food recommendations that will promote their health. MyPyramid was a major revision of the Food Guide Pyramid. It was designed to illustrate recommendations found in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 released by the USDA in January 2005. MyPyramid is intended to help Americans choose the right food to eat. It is designed to help people learn how to eat a healthy diet and live an active lifestyle. The latest food pyramid makes recommendations in seven categories: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and beans, oils, discretionary calories, and Ivanova 3 physical activity. Each food category is a different color in the pyramid with different recommendations. The highest recommendation according to the pyramid is for grains, milk and vegetables. The lowest recommendation is for oils and meat. MyPyramid assumes that people will eat from all food categories. I have found that following MyPyramid is the simplest way of balancing my meals. It separates foods into groups and graphs the amount of each group needed in an average person’s diet. The second way to choose the right food is to eat local and seasonal food. Eating local food has a lot of advantages. The shorter the distance that food travels from farm to table, the better. The long-distance transport of food requires more preservatives, packaging, refrigeration and fuel. By purchasing local foods in-season, you eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles, your money spent on food goes directly to the farmer, and your family will be able to enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Eating locally does not mean to give up products like coffee and tea, which are grown only in certain regions. But it does mean to make choices when possible in favor of those foods that are produces near you. â€Å"Get out of the supermarket whenever you can† (Pollan, 33) is one of the Michael Pollan’s food rules. This rule implies the importance of going to the local farmer’s market. In the farmer’s market you will find fresh whole foods picked at the peak of nutritional quality. You will find food that â€Å"your great-great-grandmother would have recognized as food† (Pollan, 7). There are a lot of programs that try to promote growing fresh produce. South Central Los Angeles’ â€Å"Food from the Hood† program has brought ttention to the potential of its embattled Crenshaw district, while providing with Ivanova 4 college funds for the high school students who maintain organic gardens. San Francisco’s Fresh Start Farms employs homeless families to grow produce forthe city’s many restaurants. And U. S. prisons have taken to garden ing projects in a big way, like San Francisco County Jail’s Garden Project, which has prisoners growing food for local soup kitchens† (Motavalli, 17). These programs are great examples of promoting growing fresh and organic food. But that should embrace a larger number of people engaged with growing fresh produce. Not only homeless people, prisoners and students. Different programs should be developed in larger areas, where people can join and help grow fresh and organic food. Try to eat most foods only when they are in season, or can seasonal food in order to eat and enjoy it all year round. Buying seasonal produce also provides an opportunity to try new foods and to experiment with seasonal recipes. And it simply tastes better! Every region of the world has its harvest seasons. In order to eat locally, we have to be familiar with what is local and seasonal in the area we live. For example, in my country Bulgaria in winter time there is not a big variety of local foods that you can buy, because of the severe weather conditions. So we usually buy bananas and oranges, that are imported. But in spring, where everything comes to life, we start buying strawberries and cherries. I was not used to eat strawberries all over the year before, because in my country we grow strawberries only in spring and this is the only time of the year that you can buy and eat strawberries. Here you can buy strawberries any time of the year, but I do not do that, because they do not taste good. In summer time in Bulgaria we buy peaches, apricots, tomatoes, corn and a lot more. In California on the other hand, in winter we can enjoy grapefruits, lemons, oranges, lettuce, mushrooms, and potatoes. An important part of buying local is making an effort to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season in your area. Although today's global marketplace allows us to buy foods grown virtually anywhere in the world all year round, these options are not the most sustainable. Even if you do not want to change any of your eating habits, you can at least make sure to buy local produce when it's available, rather than purchase the same type of food from three thousand miles away! The third way to choose the right food is to eat fresh food and a lot of fruits and vegetables. Fresh food comes out of the ground and comes to your plate with as little interference as possible. The freshest produce is what you grow yourself and pick just before you eat it. Eating fresh food is as simple as it sounds. It does not mean avoiding frozen or canned food, but it rather means to eat food as close to its natural state as possible. Frozen foods and vegetables are nearly as good as fresh ones and they may even be more nutritious than fresh fruits and vegetables that have been stored for weeks or months under conditions that prevent ripening. Canned fruits and vegetables are usually fine, though many come loaded with salt and added sugar. (Willet, 126). â€Å"Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables† (Willet, 114). As child you hated to hear it. As a teenager, you promised yourself you would never say it to your children. This wisdom however is passed from generation to generation. This is a timeless advice, simple and easy to remember. The National Cancer Institute recommends that each of us eats at least five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day, since they play a very beneficial role in protecting against cancer, heart disease and other health problems. But what exactly are fruits and vegetables? â€Å"To a botanist, a fruit is any plant part that contains seeds, any by process of elimination, a vegetable is everything else: leaves, stems, flowers, roots and bulbs† (Willet, 115). The reason experts recommend so many servings of fruits and vegetables is that they offer the best way to prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer. We should simply â€Å"Eat food† (Pollan, 5). It is easy to say, but hard to do, especially with all the new food products that are introduced annually to the market. Most of these items do not even deserve to be call food. They consist mostly of ingredients derived from corn and soy that no normal person keeps in their pantry. Lastly, the right food to eat will be anything, but fast food. Most people choose fast food because it is convenient, fast, and cheap. Fast restaurants are everywhere, on every corner. They always have the best deals for food. Everything seems so delicious and in most of the times it is really delicious. But the problem is that is not healthy and this is absolutely the worse choice of food that we can make. â€Å"It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car† (Pollan, 43). Fast food cannot be called food. We should avoid fast food restaurants if we care at least a little bit about ourselves. There is almost always a healthier choice. It may not be the cheapest or the fastest route, but I think that overall nutrition is more important than the thickness of our wallet. Cost, convenience, and lack of time all contribute to the bad eating habits most people have. Not everyone can afford to eat well in America, which is shameful, but most of us can. â€Å"Americans spend, on average, less than 10 percent of their income on food, down from 24 percent in 1947, and less than the citizens of any other nation†(The New York Times, January, 28, 2007). And those of us who can afford to eat well should. Paying more for the right food will contribute not only to your health also to the health of others who might not themselves be able to afford that sort of food: the people who grow it in the farms. Planning what to eat can eliminate impulse and over eating. In conclusion, choosing the right food to eat is not always easy. These are different ways to choose better our food. Choosing the right food to eat is choosing a better life. When we choose better our food we contribute actively to our health and to our life. MyPyramide is one way to choose the right food to eat. It gives us an idea how to balance the food we eat and what food to eat more and what to eat less. Another way to make a better food choice is eating a local and seasonal food. This is also not a very hard thing to do. We just have to make a little research on the local farmer’s markets and what kind of produce is grown seasonally in the area we live. The third way is to eat fresh produce and as many fruits and vegetables as possible. The last and maybe the most important thing to eat right is to avoid fast food. These are easy steps to living a happy, healthy and right life.