The Ashley Treatment Essay -- Medical Research

Parents, no matter their profession, are eternally in the business of raising their children. From their earliest ages, kids are told who they can play with, what they can eat, where they can go, and even when they have to go to bed. But is there a point where parents go too far? In other words, is there a time when in raising a child, a parent interjects in a child’s life so much that those actions become detrimental to the child’s development? This is the physically moral dilemma that comes out of the Ashley Treatment. The procedure that has opened up society’s view on human development brings with it an incredible amount of controversy. Turning to a more theological approach, this procedure raises so many questions regarding the human condition. For instance, how do humans accommodate those with severe disabilities without stripping them of certain natural human rights that every individual is afforded? To take it to a more fundamental level, what ought we to do as humans to help people with disabilities, while at the same time making sure we are treating them as equal beings? Once questions like these can be addressed, the more pointed question can be reflected upon: is the Ashley Treatment ethical? When answering this, it is important to remember that all people deserve a voice in the goings on in the world, particularly when those issues pertain to themselves. Additionally ponder the fact that there are unique cases in which someone else may need to speak on behalf of an individual for that person to be heard. Such is the case for many with profound disabilities like Ashley. The Ashley Treatment is a pretty novel and groundbreaking procedure with incredible ethical discord. This treatment was devised by the doctors of ... ... over their child, in particular regards to profound disability and the â€Å"Ashley Treatment.† Liao, S., Julian Savulescu, and Mark Sheehan. â€Å"The Ashley Treatment: Best Interests, Convenience, and Parental Decision-Making.† Hastings Center Report. 37.2 (2012): 16- 20. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. This essay weighs the benefits and consequences of the â€Å"Ashley Treatment† procedure. It looks at how it was created, why it was used, and ethical justification to validate its use. Ryan, Christine. â€Å"Revisiting the Legal Standards that Govern Requests to Sterilize Profoundly Incompetent Children: In Light of the Ashley Treatment, Is a New Standard Appropriate.† Fordham Law Review. 77.1 (2008): 287-325. Print. This article talks about the controversial â€Å"Ashley Treatment† from a legal and ethical standpoint. It uses the court decisions on this matter to create the author’s argument.

Banking Service in Developing Economies Essay -- Business, Marketing

Whilst the relationship marketing literature is expanding at a rather exponential rate, rapport between customers and front line employees did not get its due attention especially in the context of banking service in traditional, developing economies. This has delimited the efficacy of the established relationship theories in explaining the antecedent effect of trust, commitment, service quality and involvement for developing rapport leading to overall client (customer) satisfaction. The focus of this research, thus, is rapport. This chapter acts as a preamble that sets the ball rolling by presenting the research background; explaining the research problem and scope; and discussing the research questions. A brief note explaining the overall organisation of the thesis is also incorporated at the end of this chapter. In today’s highly competitive business environment, many organizations all over the world have been forced to put more emphasis on retaining their existing customers rather than acquiring new ones. Since conventional transactional approaches to marketing does not seem to be adequate in attaining this and other related marketing goals, many organizations seem to have been moving away from product or brand orientation to relationship marketing orientation which has been viewed as a bridge through which both customers and companies can share each other’s needs and values and can meet their potential expectations by creating two-way exchanges (Bateman and Snell, 2007). In this backdrop, rapport holds a crucial position in the customer-employee relationship arena particularly in marketing of services because it possess characteristics such as interpersonal focus, simultaneous production-consumption and the lack of standa... ...the conceptual model used in the investigation. It also includes a section to discuss four models found in the extant literature which have been replicated in this study to test if the relationships portrayed in them were valid in the Bangladesh context. This was necessary to ensure the validity of the relationships proposed in the conceptual model. Chapter 4: Research Design – Presents details of methodology, sampling procedure, data collection process and discussions on the development of the survey instrument. Chapter 5: Data Analysis – Explains data analysis and research results. Chapter 6: Hypothesis Testing – Presents a detailed discussion on the hypotheses testing procedures and test results. Chapter 7: Conclusion – Explains research contributions of this study for both academics as well as practitioners. Also presents the limitations of the study.

Muslim views on wealth and poverty Essay

The topic wealth and poverty is very important in Islam. Humans naturally love wealth and possessions, but Muslims believe that all wealth is created and given to us by Allah and so it belongs to him. Humans can only work hard but any wealth that is given to them is from Allah. Because of this, Muslims believe wealth should be spent on family and also on those who are in need. What is poverty in Islam Muslims believe life is a test from Allah, and we can either choose to follow him or follow the path of Shaytan (Satan). Muslims believe nothing can happen to them that is outside the plans of Allah. Suffering and pain are part of his plans to test the faith of people. There are two different types of evil according to Hindus: Natural evil which is a result of natural processes. Death comes as a result of committing natural evil. And moral evil. Hindus believe that Hindus just need to commit moral evils such as incest, theft, adultery, lying and murder. They believe this comes from the law of karma. If a person suffers in this world, it is because of bad karma in a previous life. Muslims believe life is a test of obedience to Allah; therefore poverty is a test of patience from Allah. They belief that they are in a wining position because if they don’t have wealth, they are being rewarded for their patience. Non believers do bad things yet they live luxuriously, but Muslims do good and still are poor. This is because they believe that the aim in life is to obey Allah, and their patience will be rewarded, where as non believers, believe that the aim in life is to get as much wealth as possible, which takes them away from the path of Allah, as it says in the Qur’an verse â€Å"To Allah we belong and to Him is our return† (2:156). What is Wealth in Islam and how does Islam deal with it? The Muslim ummah is very important in Islam, as we should treat every Muslim as our brothers and sisters so everyone is responsible for one and other, helping the neighbors and being kind to each other. â€Å"O mankind! We made you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that you may despise each other) Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)† (49:13) Life is a test for the rich and he poor. The rich will usually have nice lives as Allah has blessed them, but they must not let greed take over their soul. â€Å"Riches are sweet and a source of blessing to those who acquire them in a way: but those who seek them out of greed are like people who eat but are never full†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (The Prophet S.A.W hadith). They must use their wealth in the right way and Allah is testing them. The wealthy should give charity and zakah and earn Halal money. The poor are tested in Islam by their patience. Muslims believe if you are patient then Allah will reward you. They also know that nothing in this life belongs to them; it all belongs to Allah so they should focus on their faith rather than their wealth. â€Å"and know that your possessions and your children are but a trail and that surely Allah is a mighty reward† (8:28) Allah has given us wealth and Muslims know that it doesn’t belong to them. The wealth is not ours; therefore, we should share Allah’s possessions with the poor. Muslims do this by giving charity, such as zakah, sadaqah, sadaqah jariyah etc. What is Zakah? Zakah is one of the pillars of Islam, in which we must give at least 2.5% of our income to the poor. It is compulsory to all Muslims who have enough money to pay zakah, they must have had the money for year, they cant be in debt, they cant be mental and they must be past the age of maturity. â€Å"And (in the daytime and at night) establish the prayer and pay Zakah and [for the cause of your religion and state] lend to Allah a befitting loan, and remember whatever good you send forth for yourselves you shall find it with Allah better than before and greater in reward.† (73:20) The Qur’an demands that individuals take material responsibility for poverty and suffering in the Muslim community (ummah). That is why the Qur’anic revelation above demands that each person give up a certain amount of material wealth to support the poor. We must give zakah to the poor, the indigent, the sick the blind, orphans, the suffering etc. The following table shows the rates of zakah: Wealth Amount Rate Cash in hand or bank Our value of 595g silver 2.5% Gold and silver 85g gold, 595 g silver 2.5% Trading goods Value of 595g sliver 2.5% Cows and buffaloes 30 1 Goats and sheep 40 1 Mining produce any 20% agricultural Per harvest 10% from rain watered land 5% from irrigated land camels Per 5 1 sheep or goat Zakah al Fitr? Zakat al fitr is given at the end of Ramadan, before the eid prayer. It is necessary for who ever is capable to give it. It is to purify your soul, make up for the errors committed during Ramadan and it is also to help the poor on the holy eid day. It is estimated that approximately 3 pounds should be given from each member of your family. Aqiqah? Seven days after the birth of the child comes the aqiqah . it is a celebration where friends and relatives to come and eat and the baby is named. During this celebration the babies’ hair is shaved and by tradition, the same weight of hair in gold or silver is given to the poor, other Muslims offer a sacrifice. The meat is often shared with the family, the visitors and the poor. Sadaqah? Not every one is rich so how can the poor give charity? Charity comes in many forms weather it is giving money to the poor, building a mosque or even smiling at someone. To clean the streets of hurtful things is also a charity. Every one in the world is capable of doing charity as Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (S.A.W) said â€Å"there is no person who does not have the obligation of (doing) a charity every day that the sun rises.† He also said â€Å"smiling in the face of your brother is a charity†¦ and pouring out from your bucket into your brother’s bucket is a charity.† Sadaqah jariyah Sadaqah is on going charity. The reward for this type of charity benefits the donor even after they have passed away for as long as people receive the benefit from the donor’s charity. Forms of charity can be many things such as providing a well for clean water or even building a hospital. The prophet (S.A.W) said â€Å"when a man dies his action comes to an end except for three: an ongoing charity, knowledge that benefits others and pious offspring who pray for him† Riba/Interest Riba is the Arabic term used for usury. In Islamic terminology interest means effortless profit or that profit which comes free from compensation or that extra earning that is free of exchange. Riba is haram in Islam. The reason for this is because it is concerned a form of injustice, and exploitation. The economy today is debt based, and only does risk transfer, where as the Islamic economy is asset-based and doe risk sharing, it is all about fairness to all parties. The prophet (S.A.W) said † a dirham of usury a man devours with knowledge is greater than thirty six fornications† and it is also reported that he said â€Å"cursed the devourer of usury, its payer, its scribe and its two witnesses, and he said that they are equal (in sins).† Conclusion In conclusion wealth and poverty are very important matters in Islam. As Muslims we should know that life is given to us by Allah, therefore every thing in or possession belongs to Him so we must share our wealth. It is our duty as Muslims to help the ummah, and giving zakah and sadaqah will pure us from our greed and help our ummah. Also everyday friendly gestures such as smiling, helping can be a form of charity so you don’t ever need wealth to give charity.

Use of the Website and Social Media of Woolworths

USE OF WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA OF WOOLWORTHS LTD Woolworths Ltd is retailer so main goal is to sell. Scale of online shopping increased manifold in last two decades. In present time in developed countries, such as Australia customers can buy online almost everything. On this base arose the need to create a new field of marketing – internet marketing and e-commerce. THE BASIC UTILITY AND USER-FRIENDLINESS OF THE FIRM’S WEBSITES From all 32 divisions of Woolworths Ltd, 16 have websites. Also there is one website which belongs to Woolworths Limited and describes enterprise as a whole.All websites fulfil different roles. DIVISIONS| CHARACTERISTICS| Woolworths Limited| Customers can find reports, media releases, announcements, board of directors and management, information for investors, characteristics of strategies and actions adopted by company. http://www. woolworthslimited. com. au/phoenix. zhtml? c=144044&p=homepage| AUSTRALIA| Woolworths | Woolworths is main division of Woolworths Ltd. Now, there are over 700 stores in Australia which serve over 13mln customers every week. Its website is the most developed from all divisions.Customers can buy online goods via site, get information about performances, use interactive options, store locator or leave feedback. http://www. woolworths. com. au/wps/wcm/connect/website/woolworths| Thomas Dux Grocery| Website provides only information about new coming products, promotions, recipes and store locator. http://www. thomasdux. com. au/| BWS Beer Wine Spirits| Via this website customers might only find information about types of alcohol sold in stores, current offers in stores. Except from wines and beers in this sores there is possibility to buy hard liquor. ttp://www. beerwinespirits. com. au/| Dan Murphy’s| This is online shop where customers can buy all types of alcohol. Additionally, customers get knowledge about offers and events. http://danmurphys. com. au/dm/home. jsp| Cellarmasters| Online sh op – selling wines only (white, red and sparkling). Also provides information about hot deals and gifts. http://www. cellarmasters. com. au/| ALH Group| Website of Woolworths’ hotels. Customers may find information about company, media releases, venues, social responsibilities. http://www. alhgroup. com. u/| Caltex Woolworths/ Safeway Petrol | Website has information about products, offers, rewards, gift cards, safety issues, petrol station locator. http://www. woolworthspetrol. com. au/home| Big W| Online shop (home & garden, beauty & health, baby, electronics, entertainment, toys, sports & leisure) store locator, online catalogue, and big sale in stores. Has link to Facebook account. http://www. bigw. com. au/bigw/home. jsp| Dick Smith| Electronics online shop – TV & Video, Audio & Mp3, photography, computers, printers and office, mobiles & wireless, car & GPS, gaming, home & security, kids technology.Customers can take advantages of online deals, store locato r and links to social media websites (Facebook Twitter, YouTube). http://dicksmith. com. au/dsau/home. jsp| Masters Home Improvements| Website provides only information about new coming products, promotions, store locator and tips about decoration – Ideas & Inspirations. http://masters. com. au/| NEW ZEALAND| Countdown| Countdown fulfils the same role as Woolworths in Australia – main supermarket in New Zealand. Online shop, offers, stores, community, overview of company. http://www. countdown. co. z/| Super Value| Website provides information about current promotions, new releases, overview of company, tips about food and nutrition. http://www. supervalue. co. nz/| Fresh Choice| Website has the same layout as Super Value site – only colours are different. Store differs from Super Value by wider range of products (SV – convenience store, FC – full-service store). http://freshchoice. co. nz/| Dick Smith Electronics| Its website has the same layout a nd content as Australian Dick Smith’ website. Online shop. http://www. dicksmith. co. nz/dsnz/home. jsp| INDIA|Croma| Website provides information about electronics products available in stores, special offers and news and media. http://www. cromaretail. com/| Table shows there are two main purposes of running website in case of Woolworth’s divisions. One of them is to provide information about products, current special offers, and overview of company, media releases and news, recipes and tips which can be useful to customers. It is used so the client can get the information he needs before leaving home. Customers focus on saving time and money and comparing offers to choose the best one which would fit their needs.Companies realise that they must become competitive in its sector to ensure marketing success. Seven divisions have online retailers. It is a very dynamically developing branch in retailer world. Online shopping statistics give full view on this subject. * 8 8% internet users undertake one or more e-commerce activity * 69% have purchased one good or service in last six months * 1 in 5 Australians do most of their shopping online * Australian traffic to online retail sites: * eBay – 5,576,000 unique visitors * Amazon – 2,191,000 unique visitors Woolworths – 1,488,000 unique visitors * Average 15% growth of internet shopping every year since 2005 * Market share of internet shopping of 7% of all retail sales (14% growth from last year) * Australian-based ecommerce sales – A$16. 9bln in 2009, A$33. 3bln in 2015 These facts bring about that online shopping has dormant potential which most companies need to utilise to acquire new customers. To be successful a company must develop its website so that it will be attractive to customers. This attractiveness is defined as user-friendliness of the website.There are some common characteristics features which determine user-friendliness: access to site map, logical naviga tion structure, low frequency of errors occurrence, consistent design and layout, access site search tool, access to contact details, easy language, search engine friendly, easy access to main navigational links in the page heading and footer and access to links to social media. There are also many more criteria which makes websites user-friendliness. Following table shows application of these elements on companies’ websites. – has feature and is user-friendlyX/+ – has feature but is not user-friendly X – doesn’t have feature | Site map| Navigational structure| Low errors occurrence| Design and layout| Site search tool| Woolworths| X| +| +| +The best design| +| Thomas Dux Grocery| +/XBad visibility| X/+| +| X/+Poor design| +| BWS Beer Wine Spirits| +| +| +| X/+Poor design| X| Dan Murphy’s| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| X/+Only for products| Cellarmasters| X| +| +| +| +| ALH Group| X/+Bad visible| +| +| X/+Old fashion style| X| Caltex Woolworths/ Safeway Petrol| X/+Bad visible| +| +| X/+Old fashion style| +| Big W| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| +|Dick Smith (AUS and NZ division)| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| +| Masters Home Improvements| X| +| +| +| +| Countdown| X| +| +| +| X/+Not on home page| Super Value| X| +| +| +| X| Croma| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| +| | Contact details| Easy language| Search engine friendliness| Navigational links| Social media links| Woolworths| +| +| +| +| +Facebook| Thomas Dux Grocery| +| +| +| +| X| BWS Beer Wine Spirits| +| +| +| +| X| Dan Murphy’s| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| X| Cellarmasters| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| X| ALH Group| +| +| +| +| X|Caltex Woolworths/ Safeway Petrol| +prominent| +| +| +| X| Big W| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| +Facebook| Dick Smith| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| +Facebook, Twitter, YouTube| Masters Home Improvements| +| +| +| +| +Facebook, Twitter, YouTube| Countdown| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| +Facebook, YouTube| Super Value| +| +| +| +| X| Croma| X/+Bad visible| +| +| +| X| The tab le shows that generally websites are user-friendly. Weak points are repeated in some sites. The most common weakness is placing site map and contact details in bad visible location – usually in page footer.Second thing is poor and old fashion design – computer graphic is well developed and websites should adapt new solution to increase attractiveness and relevance of website. Smaller retailers do not engage in internet marketing and e-commerce. They use only information function in relation to their customers. Other elements work out smoothly and internet users should not have problems with navigation on the websites. Simplification for young people is the use of social media links. User-friendliness of the websites should be assessed positively. WEBSITES AND THE CUSTOMERSInternet sources announce various rankings and list of top online retailers. On the list of 60 most popular listing retailers there are 3 retailers belong to Woolworths Ltd: #7 – Dick Smiths El ectronics, #8 – Dan Murphy’s and #18 – Woolworths. List of Australia’s top 10 online retailers from February 2011 contains 2 retailers: again Dick Smiths and Big W. Dick Smiths were on the list three years in the row so it shows how well running is the website. Design, updates and layout of website encourage customers to shopping online. Success of Big W is spectacular because it started its activity on the Internet at 10th May 2010.The easiest way to check what costumers think about company is to follow forums where they express their opinions. There are massive numbers of people who buy online and most of them do not complain about the quality of shopping on the Internet via its websites but complain about time they have to wait for delivery. Is it website fault? Delivery is next stage of internet purchase so probably people who organise work in warehouses bear responsibility for delay time. References Communications report 2010–11 series Report 1 – E-commerce marketplace in Australia: Online shopping [Online] Available from http://www. cma. gov. au/webwr/_assets/main/lib410148/CR_comp_report1-E-commerce_Marketplace_in_Australia. pdf [Accessed on 01st January 2012] Most Popular Listings [Online] Available from http://www. aussie-shopping. com/directory/popular-listing. html? limitstart=20 [Accessed on 01st January 2012] Walsh, J. , 50 Tips to a User Friendly Website [Online] Available from http://www. designinginteractive. com/design/50-tips-to-a-user-friendly-website/ [Accessed on 01st January 2012] Online shopping: Woolies or Coles? [Online]

Porters Forces Cruise Industry Essay

Porter’s Six Forces I. Threat of New Entrants: Low * Barriers to entry: High * High Capital Requirements: The capital required to start up a cruise line is one of the key factors contributing to this industry’s high barriers to entry. With the average cost of building a cruise ship rising, the amount of capital needed to start up a cruise line is estimated at one billion dollars. Therefore discouraging any new entrants into the industry. * High Brand Equity: A cruise line’s brand awareness and reputation are significant factors to the industry’s high barriers to entry. Cruising is a risk-averse activity, which influences consumers to trust and purchase from established cruise lines. That being said it would be difficult for any new entrants with low brand equity to successfully compete with this oligopolistic industry. (Dowling, 2010) * High Economies of Scale: The cruise line industry has a major cost advantage over any new rival based on two types of economies of scale. These cost savings contribute positively to the liners profitability. * Economies of Destiny: These â€Å"mega-ships† are built with a large number of cabins and lower berths aiding in the spread of substantial fixed costs over many passengers. Therefore, resulting in lower unit costs and making the product much more appealing and affordable to more parts of the population by achieving a break-even point at lower prices. Cruise liners also have a strong incentive to reach high utilization ratios in order to achieve such economics, which result to such discounting. (Dowling, 2010) * Economies of Fleet Size: This is where fixed costs that require a substantial financial capital such as research, design, construction, training, sales, administration, marketing and advertising are spread over a large number of ships. (Dowling, 2010) II. Rivalry Among Existing Firms: High * High Concentration Ratio: The cruise line market is characterized by high concentration, as there are a few but strong market players that make up 90% of market share. The two leading players, Carnival and Royal  Caribbean, account for 75% of the market with each owning a portfolio of lines catering to a specific market. A high concentration ratio allows existing firms to work together in the market and reduces the likelihood of intense price competition between the leading players. This allows them to achieve mass-market penetration. (Cruise Watch) * High rate of industry growth: The cruise industry has had a steady growth over the last five years with a 7.8% increase. The growth increase and high concentration intensify the competition among the leading players to seek ways of gaining a competitive advantage. â€Å"New ships, global destinations, itineraries, and innovative shipboard facilities have driven constant growth in cruise passengers. â€Å" (CLIA) * High competitor diversity: Cruising is characterized by high heterogeneity and this offers the chance for diversification both vertically (quality) and horizontally (variety). (Dowling, 2010) Because of this there is an intensive and ongoing commitment to provide a superior product by offering distinct services, activities, and appealing itineraries that reflect the interests of today’s traveler. Therefore, although the market is oligopolistic which keep competitive pricing low, competitors must make there cruise the most appealing to gain a competitive advantage. * High exit barriers: Cruise companies have high exit barriers due to the difficulty the company may have selling their assets. Cruise lines require large capital requirements that strap the company from leaving the industry and face difficulty when trying to find any potential buyers. III. Threat of substitutes: Medium * Types of available substitutes: In the leisure-industry substitutes includes resorts, theme parks, traveling by air or land, and various other vacation destinations. Research shows that in 2011 only 3% of Americans have vacationed on a cruise, leaving a vast percentage of the population choosing alternative vacations. * Distinctiveness of cruise experience: Cruising is perceived as a more expensive vacation alternative compared to land-based trips, however there is a strong belief among consumers that cruising offers high value for the price consumers pay. Cruising is looked at a full package by offering bundles of travel packages including airfare, dining, itineraries, resort stay, and multiple other amenities. Therefore, a cruise  offers a distinctive type of experience that most consumers would choose over various other traveling substitutes. (UCLIA) IV. Bargaining power of buyers: Medium * Travel agencies: Travel agencies have strong relationships with the cruise industry as they book around two thirds of their cruise. Although this percentage is declining due to the growth of consumer knowledge and technology the percentage of cruisers using travel agents is relatively strong. (UCLIA) * Low price sensitivity: As cruising may be categorized as a luxurious leisure-activity, its target market on average have high annual income of $82,000 – $97,000 with the average age of a cruiser being in their late forty’s. Therefore, they are not as sensitive to pricing, as the price of a cruise vacation is relatively low to the average income of the target market. * Peak seasons: During peak seasons when demand exceeds capacity buyers have lower bargaining power as opposed to when ships offer last minute discounts in order to avoid any empty berths. Therefore making the bargaining power of the buyer medium as competition is relatively high during these seasons, and extreme discounts are offered when demand decreases. * Low threat of backward integration: The huge amounts of capital required to purchase a cruise ship along with the various amenities included make it extremely difficult for any consumers to provide themselves with the cruising experience. Therefore, lowering the bargaining power of the buyer. V. Bargaining power of suppliers: Medium * Fuel and Ships: The bargaining powers of fuel and ship suppliers are relatively high. An increase in the price of fuel not affect the fuel cost of the ship but will cause an increase in the ticket price in order to make up for increased cost. As there are a limited amount of ship building lots and ship builders cruise lines must accept the number given to them. If they do decide to switch builders switching costs are very high because the ship builder owns the design of the ship he builds and therefore the company must raise a large amount of capital in order to go back to the drawing board. * Food and other suppliers: However on the other end most all other suppliers in the hospitality leisure-industry have low buying power. This is because there are many different substitutes available and multiple  suppliers to choose from ranging from food, drink, and alcohol to many others. This makes the bargaining power of suppliers on the other end very low. VI. Relative power of the stakeholders/ Complimentors : High * Rapid Growth: The rapid growth in the cruise industry has resulted in spiked environmental stress and awareness. The cruising destinations offered are frequently those in threatened environments such as the Mediterranean and Caribbean. There are many ways cruise lines can team up with other stakeholders in order to reduce the environmental impact of this growing market. They can work together with local governments and communities to develop management plans for sustainable growth, create standards, and increase their passenger and crew awareness of environmental issues. Companies may also directly contribute to sustainability by investing in local community projects and organizing on-board fundraising. (Mittermeier) * Governments: â€Å"Governments are responsible for enacting policies that protect natural and cultural resources, and providing a supportive enabling environment, for example, by offering financial or business incentives to cruise lines and local businesses for responsible management and operational practices.† (Mittermeier) Therefore, companies must maintain a positive and trusting relationship between governments and other stakeholders in protecting the environment. This will ensure the passengers on board will enjoy a safe vacation and the destinations remain healthy and attractive to the passengers who will visit in the future. Work Cited: Cruise market watch . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/market-share/ CLIA. (n.d.). Profile of the u.s. cruise industry. Retrieved from http://cruising.org/pressroom-research/cruise-industry-source-book/profile-us-cruise-industry Cruise lines international association, inc.. (2012, February). Retrieved from http://www.cruising.org/sites/default/files/pressroom/2012CruiseIndustryUpdat eFinal.pdf Dowling, R. K. (2010). Cruise ship tourism. CABI. Mittermeier, R. (n.d.). Sustainable stewardship. Retrieved from http://www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com/feature_articles/WCR017/Sustainable.pdf Rodrigue, J., & Notteboom, T. (1998). The geography of transport systems. Routledge. Retrieved from http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch7en/appl7en/ch7a4en.html Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2012). Strategic management and business policy. (13 ed., pp. 159-161). New Jersey: Pearson.

Changing Behavior Case Study Analysis Essay

A client approached me because he has a serious problem with procrastination. My client has procrastinated most activities that were not comfortable or enjoyable for as far back as he can remember. Procrastinated activities include but are not limited to paying bills, doing homework assignments, making progress on assigned projects in the office, buying presents for birthdays or holidays and scheduling just about anything. Due to this undesirable behavior my client has lost a few jobs, failed out of school and is behind on his mortgage. Of all of these activities my client would like assistance with procrastination as it relates to paying bills since that seems to be the most pressing issue. It should be noted that the procrastination has increased in frequency since childhood. My client blames this behavior for the extraordinary amount of stress in his life. Classical Conditioning: Classical Conditioning could be a source of my client’s procrastination. In classical conditioning an unconditioned stimulus is observed to create an unconditioned response. If a conditioned stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus then eventually the conditioned stimulus will also evoke the same response as the unconditioned stimulus. The response to a conditioned stimulus is called a conditioned response. (Morris, C., & Maisto, 2013) In my client’s case the unconditioned stimulus was paying bills with the family as a child. Money was tight in his family and the lack of money caused many arguments. The arguments resulted in very stressful situations that my client wanted to avoid. To put this in terms of classical conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus was the lack of money. The unconditioned response was an argument that caused stress that my client tried to avoid. Since the arguments over money happened primarily when it was time to pay bills the condition ed stimulus became paying off bills. The conditioned response was to avoid the stress caused by paying bills by procrastinating. The repeated pairing of the stress from arguing while paying bills strengthened the desire to avoid the situation resulting in the  habitual behavior problem of procrastination. Had the stress from arguing occurred only occasionally over bills, also known as intermittent pairing (Morris, C., & Maisto, 2013), then it may have been less likely that my client would procrastinate his bill paying. In this scenario you could compare my client’s procrastination with the results from Pavlov’s experiment with his dogs. Pavlov’s experiment measured how much his dogs would salivate when food was introduced. The food and salivation were the unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response respectively. Pavlov also rang a bell each time he fed the dogs. After some time Pavlov noticed that his dogs would salivate when the bell rang even if there was no food present. In this way the bell became the conditioned stimulus that elicited the conditioned response of the dogs saliv ating. (Morris, C., & Maisto, 2013) Operant Conditioning: If we look at my client’s behavior from the perspective of operant conditioning then we have to determine if there were reinforcers or punishers that affected the desired, or undesired, behavior. To explain how operant conditioning could cause procrastination we first need to define reinforcers and punishers. In Operant conditioning a reinforcer is some sort of stimulus that is introduced after the desired behavior that encourages the behavior. A punisher on the other hand is a stimulus that is introduced after the behavior in order to discourage the behavior. Thorndike’s Law of Effect states that behavior that is rewarded often will be â€Å"stamped in† and that behavior that causes some sort of discomfort will be â€Å"stamped out†. (Morris, C., & Maisto, 2013) Using the same example we used for classical conditioning, we will discuss my client’s undesired behavior of procrastinating bill payments using an operant conditioning scenario. In this case paying bills was the behavior. The punisher was the yelling and arguing that caused the feeling of stress. Due to continued exposure to the â€Å"stress of paying bills† my client developed an aversion to paying them. Thus his procrastination could be considered an operant behavior. This is backed up by Thorndike’s Law of Effect as stated above. (Morris, C., & Maisto, 2013) Cognitive and Social Learning Theories: The social learning theories can be applied to my client’s undesired behavior of procrastination and in my opinion may make more sense than the other two theories of operant and classical conditioning. As a child my client was exposed to the stress caused by lack of money that my client related to bills. My client learned the behavior that bills were not fun to pay and should be avoided at an early age. This is a blend of cognitive and social learning. My client did not realize that he had learned to avoid paying bills. This is an example of latent learning since the behavior was learned but had not been demonstrated yet. Edward Chace Tolman was a pioneer in cognitive learning theories who theorized that learning does not have to be observable in order for it to have occurred. (Morris, C., & Maisto, 2013). The effect of the unpleasant bill paying experiences was observed from the actions of the parents. My client was not actually paying bills as a child so the behavior was obs erver, or learned vicariously, from the parents as they paid bills. Specifically my client observed a vicarious punishment for the act of paying bills which resulted in a desire to avoid the stress involved in paying bills. This latent behavior manifested later in life as procrastination. Recommendation: While there are options available with each theory discussed above I would recommend an operant conditioning solution for my client. A reinforcer could be added to the bill paying process in order to make the behavior of paying bills on time more pleasant. The reward would need to be practical but significant enough to overcome the anticipated stress that my client associates with paying bills. Over time the act of paying bills will be associated with pleasant results rather than the stress of his childhood. Thorndike would probably say this behavior is â€Å"Stamped In† to my client once we are finished with the conditioning. References Morris, C., & Maisto, A. (2013). Understanding psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Peace Like a River

You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. ‘ This is verse 14 from Psalm 77 in the Bible. This verse shows that God is constantly working in people's lives. It also shows us that He wants their faith to grow in Him. The miracles of Reuben continuing to live in spite of hardship, Jeremiah walking on air, and Jeremiah surrendering his life for Reuben are Important In the novel because they help him build his relationship with God. The first miracle Reuben witnesses is during his birth.After not breathing for twelve minutes, his father revives him. This miracle is significant for Reuben because he realizes that God is capable of doing anything. Also, He has something planned for Reuben because he lived and did not die. The miracle of Reuben's birth starts off with an understanding of how God works in mysterious ways. The second miracle Reuben witnesses is when he sees his father actually walk on the air. While he was walking, he was deep in pr ayer. This is Important because Reuben sees his father â€Å"walk on the hand of God†. This miracle shows Reuben that with God, all things are possible.It also pulls him Into a relationship with God. The third and final miracle that Reuben witnesses is the death of his father in a valiant effort to save his life. The miracle is important because Reuben realizes how blessed he is to have a humble, self- sacrificing father who loves him and would do anything for his children. Jeremiah's death symbolizes Christ's death on the cross for us. His love for Reuben represents Jesus' love for everyone. This miracle shows Reuben that even through tragedy; God will always be there and will never leave nor forsake him.Thus, allowing him to grow a close relationship with the Lord. ultimately, miracles are only miracles If they are witnessed. Reuben, the witness, develops an Inseparable relationship with God through the miracles of his birth, his father walking on air, and his father sacrif icing his life for him. Reuben knows that God is always with him because of the many hardships he has been through. This contributes to the meaning of Peace Like a River which Is: there Is more to life than the bad things. Life Is about witnessing to the good things that are more important than the bad things. Peace Like a River You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. ‘ This is verse 14 from Psalm 77 in the Bible. This verse shows that God is constantly working in people's lives. It also shows us that He wants their faith to grow in Him. The miracles of Reuben continuing to live in spite of hardship, Jeremiah walking on air, and Jeremiah surrendering his life for Reuben are Important In the novel because they help him build his relationship with God. The first miracle Reuben witnesses is during his birth.After not breathing for twelve minutes, his father revives him. This miracle is significant for Reuben because he realizes that God is capable of doing anything. Also, He has something planned for Reuben because he lived and did not die. The miracle of Reuben's birth starts off with an understanding of how God works in mysterious ways. The second miracle Reuben witnesses is when he sees his father actually walk on the air. While he was walking, he was deep in pr ayer. This is Important because Reuben sees his father â€Å"walk on the hand of God†. This miracle shows Reuben that with God, all things are possible.It also pulls him Into a relationship with God. The third and final miracle that Reuben witnesses is the death of his father in a valiant effort to save his life. The miracle is important because Reuben realizes how blessed he is to have a humble, self- sacrificing father who loves him and would do anything for his children. Jeremiah's death symbolizes Christ's death on the cross for us. His love for Reuben represents Jesus' love for everyone. This miracle shows Reuben that even through tragedy; God will always be there and will never leave nor forsake him.Thus, allowing him to grow a close relationship with the Lord. ultimately, miracles are only miracles If they are witnessed. Reuben, the witness, develops an Inseparable relationship with God through the miracles of his birth, his father walking on air, and his father sacrif icing his life for him. Reuben knows that God is always with him because of the many hardships he has been through. This contributes to the meaning of Peace Like a River which Is: there Is more to life than the bad things. Life Is about witnessing to the good things that are more important than the bad things.