The War on Drugs is a Failure. So What Can Be Done About it Research Paper

The War on Drugs is a Failure. So What Can Be Done About it - Research Paper Example In addition, 60% of the total violence in the United States is related to drug prohibition which means that the prohibition of drugs only induces violence (Maginnis) The violence that resulted in the prohibition of drug is not new. It is usually the case when something is banned. The same was the case when alcohol was still prohibited. It was only lifted during the Great Depression when the government adopted a pragmatist approach to the problem due to the escalating violence associated with its prohibition and instead opted to make money out of it to help lift the country out of the depression by taxing it. As a result, violence associated with alcohol became almost non-existent. The same is also the case in gambling. Violence becomes the norm when it becomes illegal and so is with prostitution when it is outlawed. Violence becomes a natural consequence of a prohibitive policy because it creates black markets where the law cannot supervise but would become otherwise if the industry is legalized. The problem of violence in prohibiting drugs is compounded by the fact that a prohibitive policy corrupts institutions. Since a prohibitive policy threatens the industry of illegal drugs, it is inevitable that bribery, extortion, threat and other undesirable practices will sprout for the industry to survive. It is worsen by the fact that the enforcement of banning drugs comes with a price that drains public purse. â€Å"Federal, state and local governments spend roughly $44 billion per year to enforce drug prohibition. These same governments forego roughly $33 billion per year in tax revenue they could collect from legalized drugs, assuming these were taxed at rates similar to those on alcohol and tobacco† (Miron). ... The prohibitive policy against drugs does not only forgo the government income from taxing it but instead make it spend to enforce a policy that is futile. The strange thing about rabidly banning drugs with draconian measure is that countries which prohibits it such as United States has the highest rates of cocaine and marijuana abuse compared to countries which has a liberal drug laws such as E.U. and Portugal which has the lowest. In a study conducted by Cato Institute early April this year, it reported that policies that prohibit the use of drug is usually â€Å"based on speculation and fear mongering rather than empirical evidence on the effects of more lenient drug policies† (Szalavitz). The fear that legalizing illicit drugs will only exacerbate the drug problem did not actually happen. It showed that the legalization of drugs in Portugal has neutralized its ill effects which used to be its problem that is now pervasive in countries that ban illicit drugs. Consider the r esults of the Portugal’s policy of decriminalizing drugs. What was feared that the country will become a nation of drug addicts did not actually happen but in fact, helped solved the drug problem. Just when it was anticipated that drug use will rise, Portugal in fact â€Å"had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U†. The use of the former illegal drugs among seventh through ninth graders also fell from 14.1% to 10.6% and the drug use in older teens also declined. Lifetime heroin use among 16-to-18-year-olds also fell from 2.5% to 1.8%. This development had a positive side effect on the curbing new HIV infection because it fell 17% because needles do not need to be shared anymore with legalizing the drugs (Szalavitz). Also,

CRM and Sales Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CRM and Sales Management - Assignment Example Secondly, the changes in the business environment may require adjustments in the approaches to the application of the 4Ps, which would mean that it is not the overhaul of the marketing mix that forms the solution to the ever changing business environment, but the approach in its application. Lastly, the continued application of the marketing mix limits the development of further market controllable factors, which are more plausible to suit the current marketing environment. In the light of this, it becomes essential to distinguish what informs the current business environment, and creates the prospective of fulfilling the marketing need; consumer satisfaction (Belohlavek, 2008 p23). In arguing out this case, this discussion supports the proposition that the marketing mix is inadequate in the changing marketing environment, and thus needs revision to incorporate the presently developed, yet vital controllable factors that are influencing the survival and suitability of a commodity in the market. The marketing mix is composed of four business environmental components, namely price, product, place and promotion. These components can be controlled in order to enhance consumer satisfaction, through a product offering that meets customers’ expectation in terms of its affordability, ability to satisfy the existing consumer needs, accessibility of the product to the consumers and the efficient channels through which the consumer is made aware of the product (Bowman & Gatignon, p12). The traditional proposition is that, if the product fulfills all the four aspects mentioned above, then it was suitably placed in the market, and thus would survive the tides of ever changing business environment. However, it has become apparent that the marketing mix is no longer sufficient to enable a product or any brand overcome the waves of the ever-changing business environment, since the customers’ needs, preferences and priorities are also constantly changing (Prenzel, 2010 p56). According to Professor Koichi Shimizu's 7Cs Compass Model, the concept of place is no longer the most relevant aspect of modern day marketing, but rather convenience (Luudicke, 2006 p72). As opposed to ensuring that the supply chain is most appropriate to connect the producer and the consumer, the emphasis is now making the purchasing experience for the consumers more convenient. For example, Amazon.com is one of the organizations that deal in offering its products over the internet, which has placed more emphasis on convenience than on place (Wenderoth, 2009 p87). This is because, such an organization does not rely on a physical distribution channel, but on the internet, which requires complete customer understanding, before a purchase is made from their site. While it would be most beneficial for the organizations offering physical tangible products to improve the supply and distribution chain, it would be more beneficial for the online organizations offering their pro duct over the internet to improve convenience and the purchasing experience of the customers (Burgers, 2008 p11). Therefore, while the distribution channels formed the basis of place as the component of the traditional marketing mix, convenience informs the basis of the digital and online marketing organizations. Therefore, there is a need to include convenience among the component of the marketing mix, to cater for the current growth in digital

The Eruption of Mount Saint Helens Essay Example for Free

The Eruption of Mount Saint Helens Essay â€Å"The Eruption of Mount St. Helens† On May 18th, 1980, in Washington State, the volcano, Mount St. Helens erupted. This eruption caused widespread terror throughout the towns surrounding the mountain. The magma from the volcano burned up the forest and killed most of the animals in the area. It affected the wildlife greatly because, after the eruption, the ecosystem was burned and smoldered thus killing thousands of animals in the region. This eruption was the deadliest of all the volcanic activity in the United States, and the people who live near the mountain are still affected by what the eruption did to this day. There were many warning signs that preceded the nine-hour eruption of Mount St. Helens. After being dormant for 123 years, the volcano showed her first sign of life on Thursday, March 20th. There was a 4. 1 magnitude earthquake that centered directly underneath of the volcano. A week later, the snow on the mountain smudged because of the ash. On March 30th, 79 earthquakes were recorded on the mountain! A few days later, on April 3rd, tremors were recorded signaling movement of magma deep within the volcano. By that time, ash, rocks, and ice chunks were daily occurrences and the slopes were ash-covered. A few days before the eruption, it all stopped. But on May 18th, it all went wrong †¦ On May 18th, 1980, the worse volcanic eruption in United States history occurred. Mount St. Helens, in Washington States, violently erupted. At 8:32 A. M. a 5. 1 magnitude earthquake struck about one mile below the mountain, causing the largest landslide in history. The snow and ice moved at speeds of more than 175 miles per hour and removed over 1300 feet from the summit, sweeping away almost the entire North side of the mountain. The landslide raised temperatures about 60 degrees higher than usual. There was a lot of ash that came out of the volcano when it erupted as well. The ash caused a major problem to the townspeople because it contaminated the oil systems, clogged air filters, and scratched any moving surfaces, like cars and other vehicles. Particularly small, finer ash particles caused electrical shorts in transformers. This caused town wide blackouts. Also, the elevation of the mountain dropped from 9677 feet to 8363 feet. It decreased more than 1300 feet! This famous eruption had many affects on the wildlife and the people in the region. Thousands of small game, fish, insects and birds were killed along with black-tailed deer, elk, bears, and goats. All life in Spirit Lake was slain as well. The residents and visiting tourist of the area were affected too. There were a lot of architectural damages. For example, about 250 houses were obliterated. Roads and railways were destroyed. Also, 27 bridges were demolished. 57 people died and 36 more were rescued from being trapped underneath of debris or in their cars. There was significant crop loss in the area, about $100 million. The logging industry was hit hardest. About 25% of the forest had been wiped out, enough to build 300,000 two-bedroom homes! This eruption did not take it easy on the area. Despite how much damage it did, people still came together to try to help out. Their efforts have really paid off. Most of the houses have been rebuilt. But some still suffer from the flood damage. A significant number of trees have grown back, too. However, the timber industry isn’t back to the rate it was before the eruption, but it is still recovering steadily. It has been a pretty long time since this occurrence, but Spirit Lake still is inhabitable for fish. Only small creatures and bacteria can survive. Many people wonder â€Å"When can we expect it erupt again? † No one can really tell for sure. The eruption of 1980 wasn’t predicted, and future eruptions will probably also be unpredictable. But before the eruption of 1980, the volcano had been dormant for well over 100 years. The volcano can erupt whenever it wishes, whether it be tomorrow or another hundred years from now! Well then when will it erupt? Only time will tell.

Influence of Advertising on Children

Influence of Advertising on Children CHAPTER 1 Introduction This chapter provides general information on the influence of advertising to children by looking at different researches and surveys on media influence and implications on the behaviour of children. This research attempts to study the implications of advertising on the behaviour of children in the UK. The research aims and objectives are also provided in this chapter. 1.1 Influence of Advertising on Child Behaviour Technology has created more choices for people to gain an access to information. The development of modern technology enables all ages to access various types of information with unlimited access. Also, major advances in the media technology have created different and unique ways of providing products and services to several audiences. For instance, animation are used in various numbers of advertising to children, and the messages from these television advertisements affect children in gender role stereotype learning (Hogg Garrow 2003). These days, people cannot watch television, go shopping, or browse the internet without being flooded with advertisements (Dotson Hyatt 2005). Not only adults are exposed to these advertisements, but young children are also targeted by many advertisements with an attempt to sell these products and services to them, such as movies and food (Flew 2002). A research indicated that children under eight years old are more likely to accept advertising messages as been truthful and unbiased (Cohen et al. 2002). Therefore, it is difficult for children to see and examine the hidden agenda in thousands of advertisements they watch every year (Cohen et al. 2002). A study showed that many advertisements for toys, snack food, video games, and cereal are often targeted towards children. However, it is also crucial for parents to watch out for other advertisements. An example is beer and cigarette advertisements that are usually directed towards adults also have messages that can influence children (Shin Cameron 2003). According to Dotson Hyatt (2005), beer advertisements are shown very often during sport events. Beer advertisements are also seen by millions of young children. Research finding showed that these advertisements attempt to create both brand familiarity and positive attitudes towards drinking in children aged between 9 and 10 years old (Shin Cameron 2003). In addition, a research finding revealed that young children can be persuaded very easily by the messages of advertisements (Dotson Hyatt 2005). Young children believe that the messages in the adverts are truthful and unbiased, and this can cause unhealthy behaviours in children, including: Poor eating habits: This is a factor in todays youth obesity epidemic (Dotson Hyatt 2005). The most common advertisements directed towards young children include sweets, fizzy drinks, and other snack foods (Dotson Hyatt 2005). An increase in the likelihood of aggressive behaviour and less sensitivity to violence: Aggressive behaviour in young children is more likely to appear if a child is exposed to the advertisements for violent video games, movies, and television programs (Dotson Hyatt 2005). The research result also indicated that advertisements can be the cause of conflict between parents and children (Meech 1999). The research showed that commercials often get young children to want the advertised products and then pressurising their parents to buy it for them. As a result, the conflict between them takes place when the parents say ‘no (Meech 1999). 1.2 Advertising Implications and Health and Obesity Issues In 2003, the BBC revealed that corporate giants such as McDonalds, Cadbury Schweppes, PepsiCo UK, and Kelloggs faced a tough time from the committee of the Members of Parliament who had been holding a long running investigation into the state of the nations health (BBC UK 2003). McDonalds, Cadbury Schweppes, PepsiCo UK, and Kelloggs were accused of marketing high calories meals aimed at children, while neglecting the health implications of a fast food diet (BBC UK 2003). It was revealed by the Chairman of the Health Committee that some food commercials from these accused corporate giants failed to carry health warnings on the packages in similar manner to the tobacco (BBC UK 2003). Chairman of the Health Committee stated that a certain branded cheeseburger with fries and a milkshake would take nine miles to walk off, and this level is too high for young children (BBC UK 2003). It was reported that calorie content does not mean a great deal to people. However, the messages in the advertising are not sufficiently honest to their audiences (BBC UK 2003). An article in reputed medical journal called ‘The Lancet studied and suggested that celebrity endorsement of ‘junk food should be banned. Also, the scale of health and obesity problems have been highlighted in a report of the Food Standards Agency, claiming that some 15 per cent of 15 year-old children are now obese. This figure is three times as many as ten years ago (BBC UK 2003). In addition, the UK government admitted a serious concern about the growing incidence of obesity in the UK by putting new regulations on food and drink manufacturers who must follow the strict code of practice when producing adverts aimed at children (BBC UK 2003). Plans to improve school students diet have also been welcomed by the UK government. A research titled ‘Food Marketing and Advertising Directed at Children and Adolescents: Implications for Overweight (Apha Food and Nutrition 2004) indicates that there is a growing outbreak of overweight children. The unhealthy eating habits of young kids has brought attention to the possible role that food and beverage advertising and marketing play in influencing eating behaviours in young children. In recent years, youth consumers have become potential target market for the food and beverage industry because of their spending power, purchasing influence, and as future adult consumers. Therefore, young children are now the target market of the intense and aggressive food marketing and advertising campaigns. Marketers and advertisers have been employing multiple techniques and channels to reach youth consumers, beginning when they are still toddlers in order to develop and build brands and also encourage the product use when they are in their youth phase. These food marketing channels comprise of effectively and carefully developed marketing communications strategies. Examples include television advertising, in-school marketing, product placements, kids clubs, internet, products with branded logos, and youth-targeted marketing promotions like cross-selling and tie-ins marketing campaigns. It was also reported that foods targeted at children contain high fat, salt, and sugar contents which are the main causes of being overweight. In addition, television advertising and in-school marketing techniques are two of the most prevalent forms of marketing to young children. Television is reported as the largest source of media messages about food to children, particularly younger children. Moreover, a qualitative survey by the Office of Communication (2004) indicates that the average child or adolescent watches an average of three hours of television per day. It showed that young children may view as many as 40,000 commercials each year and food appears to be the most frequently advertised product category on childrens television, accounting for over 50 percent of all advertisements. The survey also disclosed that children view an average of one food commercial every five minutes of television viewing time, and they may see as many as three hours of food commercials each week. Several studies have documented that the foods targeted at young childrens television are mainly high in sugar and fat, with almost no references to fruits or vegetables. Young children and adolescents are currently being exposed to an increasing and unprecedented amount of food advertising and marketing through a wide range of places. It is revealed that young children have few defences against persuasive advertisements and misleading messages. 1.3 Restrictions on Messages of Advertising to Children In recent years, several studies were conducted to highlight and understand the implications of advertising on the behaviour of young children. These studies focus on different aspect. For example, Maher (et al. 2006) carried a research to investigate the changes in types of advertised food products and the use of nutrition versus consumer appeals in childrens advertising from 2000 to 2005. The results revealed that obesity is a serious and expanding concern especially the health of young children. The research further indicated that messages on food advertising have a major impact on eating behaviour. Children tend to ask for food advertised on television when they are eating out with families (Maher et al. 2006). Also, the research disclosed that food processors and restaurants have not changed their advertising messages to young children in response to the multitude of pressure the industry is experiencing (Maher et al. 2006). A recent study by the Office of Communication (OFCOM) revealed that restrictions were launched to eliminate misleading advertising to children. OFCOM published the results of its extended consultation on the television content and scheduling restrictions for food advertising at children. The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) has included the new restrictions in its Television Code and CAP (CAP News 2007). The new changes to the television restrictions are now known to all organizations involved in food and soft drink advertising (CAP News 2007). Recently, the BCAP and the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) conducted training sessions for the industry and explained the new restrictions and implications of radio advertisements directed at children (CAP News 2007). The launch of new rules on advertising messages to children were based on the agreement of the committee members. The television content restrictions were put into place on 1st of July 2007, while the CAP code changes were published by 1 April 2008 (CAP News 2007). 1.4 Research Aims To examine the effect of advertising on children for the purposes of marketing To know the effect of advertising on a childs eating habit. To understand the opinion of parents on the role of marketers and advertisers. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Defining Implications of Advertising on Children According to Terry Flew (2002), advertising influence is referred to â€Å"The way in which the mass media in all of their forms affect the way the audiences act and behave in their daily lives. The forms of media include television, films, songs and other similar forms.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Flew 2002) Jostein Gripsrud (2002) revealed in a book titled ‘Understanding Media Culture that the rapid development of technology has had an impact over the growth of media and advertising over the past few years. He stated that the new forms of media such as the internet changes the way people consume media or advertise products and services. The fast development of media has raised questions on the issue of how media influences attitudes and beliefs of customers. Flew (2002) also disclosed that one of a popular passive audience theories is the inoculation model. This is a long-term affect model. This model explained that upon being exposed to advertisings messages, the viewers will become instantaneously immune to them (2002). Karen Hartman (2000) applied the concept of this model to conduct a research titled ‘Studies of negative political advertising: an annotated bibliography. Gripsrud (2002) argued against the concept of the inoculation model that there was no evidence that the inoculation effect can lead to negative perception, attitude and behaviour. In fact, Gripsrud (2002) said that there was only basic finding to suggest that people had even seen the information which would lead to negative perception. As a result, this concept is commonly discredited by media theorists (Gripsrud 2002). 2.2 Media and Advertising Implication on Children 2.2.1 Television Influence on Human Development Margaret Hogg and Jade Garrow (2003) highlighted in their research called ‘Gender, identity and the consumption of advertising that television advertising has the most influential impact in shaping ideas of appropriate gender role. They concluded that television had a significant impact on the lives of children, influencing attitudes about race and gender (Hogg Garrow 2003). Hogg and Garrow (2003) also claimed in their research that young children are exposed to around 20,000 advertisements a year. By the time they finished or graduated from secondary schools, they would have watched and witnessed many violent deaths on television which could lead to aggressive copycat behaviours (Hogg Garrow 2003). In addition, Michael Dotson and Eva Hyatt (2005) carried out a research to examine the major factors influencing childrens consumer socialization. The research findings showed that that pro-social and antisocial behaviour was influenced by television programs (Dotson Hyatt 2005). In a research entitled ‘Childrens television programming (Cohen et al. 2002), it was revealed that young children spend an average of thirty hours a week watching television programs. The study also indicated that children spend more time watching television than the time they spend on anything else with sleeping as an exception (Cohen et al. 2002). Furthermore, Kara Chan and James McNeal (2006) examined the effect of advertising on children in China. The main aim of their research was to examine how advertising ownership, media usage, and attention to advertising vary among urban and rural children in Mainland China (Chan McNeal 2006). The study also collected information regarding the context of media usage and time spent on various activities. A survey of 1,977 urban rural children age group of 6 to 13 year-old in four Chinese cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Shanghai, and in the rural areas of four provinces Heilongjian, Hubei, Hunan and Yunnan was carried out in March 2003 to May 2004 (Chan McNeal 2006). The questionnaires were distributed through sixteen elementary schools and local researchers were selected and trained to administer the data collection (Chan McNeal 2006). The research result indicated that media ownership and media exposure were high for television, childrens books, cassette players, VCD players and radios among both urban and rural samples (Chan McNeal 2006). In general, media ownership, exposure and usage were far higher among urban children than among rural children. However, the results revealed that television ownership and television exposure were slightly higher among rural children than among urban children. Chan and McNeal (2006) also claimed in their study that the urban-rural gap between media ownership and media exposure was more well-known for new media forms such as internet. Chinese children had low to medium attention to advertising. Rural children were reported to have a higher attention to television commercial than urban children, whilst urban children reported a higher attention to other forms of advertising than rural children (Chan McNeal 2006). 2.2.2 Advertising Influence on Child Behaviour Jobber (1974) conducted a research examining the implications television advertising had on consumers behaviour. His research presented and analyzed consumer reaction to television advertising. It assessed consumer attitude by the use of three criteria, including consumer feeling exaggerated and annoying advertising, the consumers subjective assessment of creative advertising and their assessment of their ideal type of advertisement (Jobber 1974). The research finding showed that consumer reactions were disturbing, indicating the uncomplimentary result which could reduce advertising effectiveness (Jobber 1974). In addition, Noor Ghani (2004) disclosed in a research ‘Television viewing and consumer behaviour that the effect of television programs on childrens development as consumers begins with consumer socialization. Ghani (2004) stated that television is an influential model for childrens expressions of nonverbal behaviour and emotion. A survey of Malaysian schoolchildren was studied, focusing on demographic variables, such as gender and family income. Ghani (2004) also considered personal trait, in relation to television viewing habits and consumer behaviours propensity to buy, time spent watching television, preferred type of programme etc. The research results indicated that the importance of family income is a predictor of the differences in socialization, while gender is less influential (Ghani 2004).The study also looked at six personality traits and revealed that an aggressive-passive personality is the most influential on socialization (Ghani 2004). 2.2.4 Media and Advertising Influence on Food Choice Preference A study examined the implications television advertisements on food and eating behaviour was conducted by Roger Dickson (2000). He described the background to and main findings from a three-year funded research project on the role of television in the food choices of young people. The research project investigated the nature and extent of televisions portrayal of food and eating of young peoples interpretation (Dickson 2000). The research finding indicated that food and eating habits were portrayed very frequently on the television advertisements in the UK, but the ‘message in television programmes contrasts with the ‘message in the advertising in the terms of nutritional content of the food depicted (Dickson 2000). Dickson stated that this disorder eating behaviours and contradiction reflected in young viewers accounts of their own eating habits. In addition, a serious public concern on ‘size zero boy size is another good example of television advertising and media implications on unhealthy eating habit of young generations. In an article titled ‘Primetime television impact on adolescents impression of bodyweight, sex appeal and food and beverage consumption (Hamp et al. 2004) investigated the issue. The research presented a content analysis of ten television programmes frequently viewed by twelve to seventeen year-olds consumers in the US. The research finding indicated that television viewing is ever-present in adolescent culture, but the influence of television characters on adolescent behaviours and social norms is not well understood among young audients (Hamp et al. 2004). Another survey conducted by posting questionnaires online to investigate the same issue with students aged between 12 to 19 year-olds from across the state of Arizona participated to complete the survey electronically. The data were assessed by tabulation, principal axis factor analysis and liner regression analysis (Hamp et al. 2004) The research results indicated that 12 per cent of the subjects had a body mass index for age over the 95th percentile, 50 per cent of them reported watching television two hours of each day, and 59 per cent reported accruing 60 minutes of exercise and physical each day (Hamp et al. 2004). The results also discovered that over 35 per cent of respondents reported eating pizza and pasta frequently (Hamp et al. 2004). In the drink category, beer and wine were seen as the most frequently consumed beverages on television, while 63.9 per cent of sample members reported soda as their personal beverage of choice preference (Hamp et al. 2004). The factors extraction from this survey revealed three-factor solutions: television viewers and perceivers, television viewers and doers. Significant predictors of body mass index for age included urbanity and survey questions related to bodyweight perceptions (Hamp et al. 2004). It can be concluded that television programs with the focuses on sex appeal, thinness, and alcohol may have a powerful effect on young people self-esteem, body satisfaction, and eating habits (Hamp et al. 2004). 2.3 The Survey Child Obesity Food Advertising in Context by Ofcom This section presents the executive summary from a survey findings investigated by the Office of Communication (Ofcom), focusing on childrens food choice, parents understanding and influence, and the role of food promotions. The full research results are available on Ofcoms official website http://www.ofcom.org.uk. A survey was carried out by Ofcom in 2004 to present the followings: Background data on national lifestyle changes Re-analysis of market data on family food purchase and consumption An analysis of The Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) An analysis of data from Neilsen Media Research on the advertising market The content analysis of food advertising on ITV1 The summary of bespoke qualitative and quantitative research commissioned by Ofcom to identify implications on childrens food preferences, purchase behaviour and consumption, and the role of television advertising 2.3.1 Changing Lifestyle Effect British Food Culture The lifestyle trends in the UK include the rising incomes, longer working hours, increasing numbers of working mothers, time-poor/cash-rich parents support a ‘convenience food culture and the increased consumption of High Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) foods. The demand for ready-meals in the UK grew by 44 per cent between 1990 and 2002. People in the UK are now consuming double the amount of ready-meals consumed in France, and six times the number in Spain. 80 per cent of households in the UK have a microwave, compared with 27 per cent in Italy (Ofcom 2004). The findings in qualitative research by Ofcom indicate that many mothers talked of having no time to cook meals. There was a feeling that real cooking is hard work. The abundance of processed products that do not need forward planning and require little effort, making it easy to produce food for children quickly and conveniently (Ofcom 2004). Also, the lack of preparation is important to older children who are likely to be preparing their own snacks. Ofcoms qualitative research found that breakfast and packed lunches for school are prepared in the morning rush, when mothers are particularly busy. The food industry has developed products, and many of which are high fat, salt, and sugar contents, targeting these eating occasions and markets them heavily to mothers and children (Ofcom 2004). The research results are also somewhat contradictory. There is some evidence that demand for take-away meals and affordable eating options outside the home are on an increase. The food industry has met such needs by the expansion of fast food outlets, and many of which sell high fat, salt, and sugar products (Ofcom 2004). The pre-prepared, convenience foods, take-away meals and eating-out, reduce parents control over what goes into food, making it more difficult to monitor high fat, salt, and sugar contents (Ofcom 2004). In addition, the convenient and pre-prepared meals are less likely to be eaten with fresh fruits and vegetables (Ofcom 2004). There is a continuously growing snacking culture amongst children who favours high fat, salt, and sugar foods consumption (Ofcom 2004).There is a decline on the number of occasions that a family eats together (Ofcom 2004). The food and grocery market has developed a range of chilled, frozen, and pre-prepared meals targeting children who eat without adults (Ofcom 2004). These ready-to-cook meals can be prepared without affecting dining patterns of the rest of the household (Ofcom 2004). There is an increasing of less controlling parents and child relationships. Children have more spending power and they are increasingly control their own eating patterns (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.2 What Children Are Eating? According to the research conducted by Ofcom (2004), it was reported that British children are reported to enjoy foods high in fats, sugars and salt, such as sweets, soft drinks, crisps and savoury snacks, fast food and pre-sugared breakfast cereals, which are well-known as ‘the Big Five (Ofcom 2004). Also, families are consuming more pre-prepared and convenience foods, which are high in fats, salt and sugar. This trend makes ‘a Big 6 of foods, urging dieticians and health professionals to have serious concerns (Ofcom 2004). Children consume well below the recommended amount of fresh fruits and vegetables (Ofcom 2004). The World Health Organization recommends at least five portions of fruits and vegetables per day (Ofcom 2004). Fresh fruit consumption in household has risen for much of the last twenty-five years, while fresh green vegetables consumption was 27 per cent lower in 2000 than in 1975 (Ofcom 2004). Furthermore, most kids do know that fruits and vegetables are good for them, but they prefer the taste of high fat, salt, and sugar food (Ofcom 2004). If young children do not want to get fat, it is because they perceive it to be unattractive (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.3 Factors Influencing Child Food Choices Psychosocial factors food preferences, meanings of food, and food knowledge Biological factors, such as hunger and gender Behavioural factors, including time and convenience and dieting patterns Family income, working status of mother, family eating patterns etc. Friends conformity, norms, and peers Schools school meals, sponsorship, and vending machines Commercial sites, such as fast food restaurants and stores Youth market and pester power Media factors, such as television advertising 2.3.4 The Role of Parents in Child Obesity According to the survey of the Gfk NOP investigated opinion on the role of parents in child obesity indicated that 79 per cent of parents have a great responsibility for the situation outlined in a recent publicity about child diet, while other groups are seen as having an important part to play, such as schools with 52 per cent and food manufacturers with 43 per cent (Ofcom 2004). About Just one third think the government (33 per cent) and the media (32 per cent) as for having great responsibility on the issue, followed by the supermarkets (28 per cent) and broadcasters (23 per cent) (Ofcom 2004). When the subjects were asked which one of the same groups could do most to ensure that children eat healthily, the research finding indicated that parents and family are named by 55 per cent of the respondents, followed by food manufacturers, schools, media, the government, supermarkets, and broadcasters (Ofcom 2004). The qualitative research conducted by the Ofcom suggested that the majority of parents often put off their child food preferences (Ofcom 2004). They also tended to serve their kids with high fat, salt, and sugar foods. These parents were more often to be found in the lower socio-economic groups in which money is tighter, and food choices in the area are more restricted (Ofcom 2004). The research results also showed only a minority of parents who seemed to exercise effective control over their child food choices. These parents were usually better off in the term of income, and they more often found in the higher socio-economic groups (Ofcom 2004). In addition, the qualitative research by Ofcome suggested that many mothers thought they know what a healthy diet is. However, these mothers were at a loss as to how to make the healthy diet attractive to their kids (Ofcom 2004). These mothers expressed that they would have to reject the whole categories of foods, such as dairy products, sugar, and carbohydrates. Such mothers believed the outcomes of healthy eating outlined in the media, lessening the risk of obesity and better dental health (Ofcom 2004). Moreover, the minority of more confident, better-informed, and middle-class, mothers were more proactive (Ofcom 2004). These mothers were aware of the long-term risks involved with unhealthy eating habits which could cause heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Such mothers do not exclude whole categories of food, but they were more likely to limit the use of high fat, salt, and sugar foods and exclude those with artificial additives (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.5 The Role of Schools in Child Obesity Ofcoms qualitative research in schools revealed that there was a formal coverage of diet and nutrition in classrooms, where teachers educate students about healthy food choices (Ofcom 2004). In addition, there was evidence that some schools were making successful attempts to provide healthy food choices and influence students to have health diets (Ofcom 2004). However, there was a little active supervision of what children actually choose to eat at schools during the lunchtimes. Moreover, most school provision appeared to be driven by what children wanted and could be seen as giving a seal of approval to eating high fat, salt, and sugar products which were popular among stents in both primary and secondary schools (Ofcom 2004). Regarding the barriers to healthier diet in schools in the qualitative research reported that finance is a key barrier to healthier provision in schools (Ofcom 2004). To make food provision cost-effective, schools to sell high fat, salt, and sugar foods because these products are what children like, want and will buy (Ofcom 2004). Thus, the vending machines bring in much needed income for the schools. Another key barrier to healthier provision in schools is that schools may lack of control over the food provision if contracted catering companies have power in terms of what food is provided (Ofcom 2004). These firms can be very resistant to moves towards healthier food which may be less popular among students and has an impact on the financial performance of their business operation (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.6 The Role of Television Advertising An academic research confirmed that numbers of hours spent in watching television correlate with the measures of poor diet, poor health, and obesity among both children and adults (Ofcom 2004). There are three explanations for this finding: Television viewing is an inactive activity that reduces metabolic rates and displaces physical exercise (Ofcom 2004). Television viewing is associated with frequent snacking, pre-prepared meals and fast food consumption (Ofcom 2004). Television viewing includes exposure to advertisements for HFSS food products (Ofcom 2004). 2.3.7 The Direct Effects of Television Advertising Academic research showed the modest direct effects of television advertising on child food preference, consumption, and behaviour (Ofcom 2004). It revealed that there was insufficient evidence to determine the relative size of the effect of television advertising on child food choice by comparison with other relevant factors (Ofcom 2004). In the context of the multiplicity of psychosocial, biological, behavioural, family, friends, schools, commercial sites youth market and pester power, and media factors were not surprising that they direct contribution of television advertising had been found to be modest (Ofcom 2004). According to the Gfk NOP survey results, when television advertising is put in the context of other influencing factors, the subjects believed that it does not have an impact on food choice preferences among parents and children (Ofcom 2004). However, it is rather small when compared to

Essay --

Nicole Ivgui Criminology Ms. Kovat December 13th, 2013 Is Solitary Confinement Unconstitutional? Solitary Confinement is the isolation of a prisoner in a separate cell as a punishment. Aside from the death penalty, confinement is the most extreme punishment that a prisoner can be sentenced to. Prisoners deserve to maintain their human rights while incarcerated just as much as any ordinary citizen in the United States. Solitary confinement is unconstitutional because it violates the fundamental rights of inmates by physically and socially isolating them, which potentially inflicts severe long-term damage on adolescents. The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) has deemed solitary confinement as an unconstitutional form of punishment. It expresses that solitary confinement should be classified as torture because it inflicts potential physical and mental damage on inmates. Being confined to a cell for over 22 hours a day with absolutely no human contact is an inhumane practice and cannot be beneficial enough to overcome the consequences that an inmate must face upon release. Solitary confinement clearly violates the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment.† Solitary confinement is the epitome of torture. Inmates often recall not being able to distinguish the time they spend in confinement; hours feel like days, and days feel like months. Certain prisons use solitary confinement differently than others. The Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit (SHU) is known as the â€Å"most restrictive prison in California.† It is one of the harshest â€Å"super-maximumâ €  prisons in the country, meaning that inmates may be subjected to solitary confinement for a set amount of time or an indefinite duration. This is known as the ‘supe... ...t in solitary confinement because they cannot handle the isolation. When a human being is confined to a small, windowless room in complete isolation from other human beings, the results can only be negative. Communication is key to survival, people feed off of each other to survive. Furthermore, when a human being is deprived of communication and is forced to be alone, it is an unknown experience to them. Nothing in life can prepare someone for this sick excuse of a punishment- the degree of isolation that one is expected to endure in solitary confinement is inhumane. Young people are a lot more vulnerable than adults; therefore the physical and mental effects of isolation take a greater toll on adolescents than on adults. It is not only unlawful but also implacable to place any human being, much less an adolescent, through such a ruthless form of ‘discipline’.

Graduation Speech: May You Have Enough -- Graduation Speech, Commencem

Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968. Mother Theresa 1910-1997. Albert Einstein 1879-1955. All of these people are not remembered for their birth or death dates, but rather what they did with their dash. The dash that goes between their birth and death dates on their headstones. The dash that says what a person has accomplished in their life. The dash that takes up so little space, but holds so much meaning. What will you do with your dash? Will your dash be one of accomplishment, of success, of compassion, of love, of happiness? I wish you more than enough of all of these things to make up your dash. I heard a short story recently that I think seems appropriate to share. At an airport a father and daughter were saying good-bye to one another. "I love you, I wish you enough." The father said. She said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. I wish you enough, too." They kissed good-bye and she left. Walking over toward the window where another young lady was seated, he asked her, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" ..

Famous Sociologists Essay

1. Emile Durkheim Emile Durkheim is knows as the â€Å"father of sociology† and is a founding figure in the field of sociology. He is credited with making sociology a science. One of his most famous pieces of work includes Suicide: A Study In Sociology. 2. Robert K. Merton Robert K. Merton is considered one of America’s most influential social scientists. He is famous for his theories of deviance as well as for developing the concepts of â€Å"self-fulfilling prophecy† and â€Å"role model.† 3. Max Weber Max Weber was a founding figure of the field of sociology and is considered one of the most famous sociologists in history. He is known for his thesis of the â€Å"Protestant Ethic† as well as his ideas on bureaucracy. 4. Karl Marx Karl Marx is one of the most famous figures in the founding of sociology. He is known for his socio-political theory of Marxism, which contain theories about society, economics and politics that argue that all society progresses through the dialectic of class struggle. He wrote about these issues in his most famous piece or work, The Communist Manifesto. Marx has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history, and in a 1999 BBC poll was voted the â€Å"thinker of the millennium† by people from around the world. 5. Charles Horton Cooley Charles Horton Cooley is best known for his theories of The Looking Glass Self in which he declared that our self-concepts and identities are a reflection of how other people perceive us. He is also famous for developing the concepts of primary and secondary relationships. He was a founding member and eighth president of the American Sociological Association. 6. George Herbert Mead George Herbert Mead is well-know for his theory of the social self, which is based on the central argument that the self is a social emergent. He pioneered the development of symbolic interaction perspective and developed the concept of the â€Å"I† and â€Å"Me.† He is also one of the founders of social psychology. 7. C. Wright Mills C. Wright Mills is known for his controversial critiques of both contemporary society and sociological practice, particularly in his book The Sociological Imagination (1959). He also studied power and class in the United States, as displayed in his book The Power Elite (1956). 8. Erving Goffman Erving Goffman is a significant thinker in the field of sociology and in particular the symbolic interaction perspective. He is known for his writings on the dramaturgical perspective and pioneered the study of face-to-face interaction. He served as the 73rd President of the American Sociological Association and is listed as the 6th most-cited intellectual in the humanities and social sciences by The Times Higher Education Guide. 9. Pierre Bourdieu Pierre Bourdieu was a French sociologist and philosopher who contributed a great deal in the areas of general sociological theory and the link between education and culture. He pioneering terminologies such as habitus and symbolic violence and is known for his work titled Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. 10. Auguste Comte August Comte is known as the founder of positivism and is credited with coininging the term sociology. Comte helped shape and expand the field of sociology and placed a great deal of emphasis in his work on systematic observation and social order.