Native Americans and Diabetes Essay examples -- Native Americans Healt

Native Americans and Diabetes Since the arrival of Columbus in 1492, American Indians have been in a continuous struggle with diseases. It may not be small pox anymore, but illnesses are still haunting the native population. According to statistics, Native Americans have much higher rates of disease than the overall population. This includes a higher death rate from alcoholism, tuberculosis, and diabetes than any other racial or ethnic group. Recent studies by Indian health experts show that diabetes among Indian youth ages 15-19 has increased 54% since 1996 and 40% of Indian children are overweight. Even though diabetes rates vary considerably among the Native American population, deaths caused from diabetes are 230 percent greater than the United States population as a whole. Diabetes is an increasing crisis among the Native American population. Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (blood sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. Diabetes falls into two main categories: type 1, or juvenile diabetes, which usually occurs during childhood or adolescence, and type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, the most common form of the disease, usually occurring after age 40. Type 1 results from the body’s immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The onset of juvenile diabetes is much higher in the winter than in the summer. This association has been repeatedly confirmed in diabetes research. Type 2 is characterized by â€Å"insulin resistance,† or an inability of the cells to use insulin, sometimes accompanied by a deficiency in insulin production. There is also sometimes a third type of diabetes considered. It is gestational diabetes, which occurs when the body is not able to properly use insulin during pregnancy. Type 2 diabetes encompasses nine out of 10 diabetic cases. Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States, and it has no cure. The total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2002 was estimated to be $132 billion, or one out of every 10 health care dollars spent in the United States. Diabetes risk factors can fall into three major categories: family history, obesity, and impaired glucose tolerance. Minority groups and elderly are at the greatest risk of developing diabetes. Native Americans did not have a p... ....indiancountry.com Ross, Matt. â€Å"Diabetes education with a twist.† Indian Country Today, 22 April 2004; available at http://www.indiancountry.com Reynolds, Jerry. â€Å"Washington in brief.† Indian Country Today, 23 July 2004; available at http://www.indiancountry.com Books and Journals: Jost, Kenneth. â€Å"Diabetes Epidemic: why is this serious disease on the increase?† The CQ Researcher (March 9, 2001): 185-200 IHS National Diabetes Program. Special Diabetes Program for Indians. Available from http://www.ihs.gov/MedicalPrograms/diabetes/resources/congressrprt.pdf, January 200; Internet; accessed 23 November 2004. Sandefur, Gary D., and Ronald R. Rindfuss, and Barney Cohen. Changing Numbers, Changing Needs: American Indian Demography and Public Health. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 1996. Seiffge-Krenke, Inge. Diabetic Adolescents and Their Families: Stress, Coping, and Adaptation. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Internet Sources: American Diabetes Association, â€Å"Native Americans and Diabetes†; available from http://www.diabetes.org/communityprograms-and-localevents/nativeamericans.jsp; Internet; accessed 11 November 2004.

Feminist Theory

Feminism refers to political, cultural, and economic movements aimed at establishing greater rights, legal protection for women, and or women's liberation. It includes some of the sociological theories and philosophies concerned with issues of gender difference. Nancy Cott defines feminism as the belief in the importance of gender equality, invalidating the idea of gender hierarchy as a socially constructed concept. Feminism has earned itself a bad reputation, but it never undermined gender differences that exist between males and females. A man can never be as good a mother as a female can.Similarly, a woman can never be as good a father as a male can. While accepting these anatomical and physiological differences between the two genders, feminism seeks for both genders to be equally respected. They are both human and as a species, humans cannot progress without either one of them. Maggie Humm and Rebecca Walker divide the history of feminism into three waves. The first wave transpi red in the nineteenth and early twentieth century’s, the second occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, and the third extends from the 1990s to the present.In each wave of the movement, though men have taken part in significant responses to feminism, the relationship between men and feminism has been complex. Historically, a number of men have engaged with feminism. Philosopher Jeremy Bentham demanded equal rights for women in the eighteenth century. In 1866, philosopher John Stuart Mill presented a women's petition to the British Parliament and supported an amendment to the 1867 Reform Bill.An extension of feminism into theoretical or philosophical fields such as anthropology, sociology, economics, women's studies, literary criticism, art history, and psychoanalysis is called feminist theory. Feminist theory aims to understand gender inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations, and sexuality. While providing a critique of these social and political relations, much of feminist theory focuses on the promotion of women's rights and interests. Themes explored in feminist theory include discrimination, stereotyping, objectification (especially sexual objectification), oppression, and patriarchy.Today, feminist theory has manifested in a variety of disciplines such as feminist geography, feminist history, feminist theology, and feminist literary criticism and has changed traditional perspectives on a wide range of areas in human life, from culture to law. Feminist activists have campaigned for women's legal rights such as rights of contract, property rights, and voting rights while also promoting women's rights to bodily integrity and autonomy, abortion rights, and reproductive rights.They have struggled to protect women and girls from domestic violence, sexual harassment, and rape. On economic matters, feminists have advocated for workplace rights, including maternity leave and equal pay, and against other forms of gender-specific discrimination aga inst women. During much of its history, feminist movements and theories were led predominantly by middle-class white women from Western Europe and North America. However, at least since Sojourner Truth's 1851 speech to American feminists, women of other races have proposed alternative feminisms.This trend accelerated in the 1960s with the civil rights movement in the United States and the collapse of European colonialism in Africa, the Caribbean, parts of Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Since that time, women in former European colonies and the Third World have proposed postcolonial and Third World feminisms. Postcolonial feminists argue that oppression relating to the colonial experience, particularly racial, class, and ethnic oppression, has marginalized women in postcolonial societies.They challenge the assumption that gender oppression is the primary force of patriarchy. They object to portrayals of women of non-Western societies as passive and voiceless victims and the portr ayal of Western women as modern, educated, and empowered. Today, they struggle to fight gender oppression within their own cultural models of society rather than through those imposed by the Western colonizers. They, thus, react against both universalizing tendencies in Western feminist thought and a lack of attention to gender issues in mainstream postcolonial thought.Some postcolonial feminists, such as Chandra Talpade Mohanty and Black feminists, such as Angela Davis and Alice Walker, are critical of Western feminism for being ethnocentric. Chandra Talpade Mohanty criticizes Western feminism on the ground that it does not take into account the unique experiences of women from third-world countries or the existence of feminisms indigenous to third-world countries. This discourse is strongly related to African feminism and is also associated with concepts such as black feminism, womanism, Africana womanism, motherism, Stiwanism, negofeminism, chicana feminism, and femalism.Pro-femi nism is the support of feminism without implying that the supporter is a member of the feminist movement. The term is most often used in reference to men who are actively supportive of feminism and of their efforts to bring about gender equality. The activities of pro- feminist men's groups include anti-violence work with boys and young men in schools, offering sexual harassment workshops in workplaces, running community education campaigns, and counseling male perpetrators of violence.Pro-feminist men also are involved in men's health, activism against pornography including anti-pornography legislation, men's studies, and the development of gender equity curricula in schools. This work is sometimes in collaboration with feminists and women's services, such as domestic violence and rape crisis centers. Some activists of both genders refer to all pro-feminist men as ‘pro-feminists' and not as ‘feminists'. There have been positive and negative reactions and responses to fe minism, depending on the individual man and the social context of the time.These responses have varied from pro-feminism to masculism to anti-feminism. In the twenty-first century, new reactions to feminist ideologies have emerged, including a generation of male scholars involved in gender studies and men's rights activists who promote male equality including equal treatment in family, divorce, and anti ­discrimination law. Today, academics like Michael Flood, Michael Messner, and Michael Kimmel are involved with men's studies and pro- feminism.The United Nations Human Development Report 2004 estimated that, when both paid employment and unpaid household tasks are accounted for, on average women work more than men. In rural areas of selected developing countries women performed an average of 20 per cent more work than men, or an additional 102 minutes per day. In the OECD countries surveyed, on average women performed 5 per cent more work than men, or 20 minutes per day. On 3 Sept ember 1981. The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), described as an international bill of rights for women, came into force.While Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Qatar, Nauru, Palau, and Tonga have not ratified CEDAW, several countries have ratified the Convention subject to certain declarations, reservations, and objections. A number of feminist writers maintain that identifying as a feminist is the strongest stand men can take in the struggle against sexism. They have argued that men should be allowed, or even be encouraged, to participate in the feminist movement. Other female feminists counter- argue that men cannot be feminists simply because they are not women.They maintain that men are granted inherent privileges that prevent them from identifying with feminist struggles, thus making it impossible for them to identify with feminists. Irrespective of what the feminist writers maintain, the feminist movement has effected change in Wester n society, including women's suffrage, greater access to education, more nearly equitable pay with men, the right to initiate divorce proceedings and ‘no fault' divorce, and the right of women to make individual decisions regarding pregnancy (including access to contraceptives and abortion), as well as the right to own property.

In Construction Final Report

Through this search we are able to identify & analyze the factors through which small construction companies can gain competitive advantage over their close competitors. Also studied various Project Management techniques that can foster growth of small and developing companies in this sector. This report also identifies the upcoming opportunities that the small and budding companies have in the construction industry. Lastly, it also talks about the key hindrances faced by Indian construction companies in running their operations with suggestions to overcome them. Introduction The Construction industry of India is an important indicator of the placement as it creates investment opportune ties across various related sectors. The construction industry contributed an estimated RSI. 7,807 billion to the national GAP in 2013-14 which amounted to around 9%. The industry is fragmented, with a handful of major companies involved in the construction activities across all segments. Besides, the re are medium sized companies specializing in niche activities and small and medium contractors who work on the subcontractor basis and carry out the work in the field.In 2011 there were slightly over 500 construction equipment manufacturing companies in al of India The sector is labor intensive and provides employment, including indirect jobs, to more than 3. 5 core people. The period from 1950 to mid 1 ass's witnessed the government playing an active role in the development of these services and most of construction activities during this period were carried out by State owned enterprises and supported by government departments. In the first five-year plan, construction of civil works was allotted nearly 50 % of the total capital outlay.The first professional consultancy company, National Industrial Development Corporation (MIND), was set up in the public sector in 1954. Subsequently, many architectural, design engineering and construction companies were set up in the public secto r such as Indian Railways Construction Limited (RECON), National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBC), Rail India Transportation and Engineering Services (RITES), Engineers India Limited (ELL) etc. As well as the private sector such as M N ADSTAR and Co. , Hindustan Construction Company (HOC), Nasals etc.In India Construction has accounted for around 40 per cent of the development investment during the past 50 years. Around 16 per cent of the nation's working population depends on construction for its livelihood and rates assets worth over 200 billion per annum. Total capital expenditure of state and central government was approximately RSI. 8,021 billion in 2011-12 which rose from RSI. L ,436 billion in 1999-2000. The share of the Indian construction sector in total gross capital formation (GIF) came down from 60 per cent in 1970-71 to 34 per cent in 1990-91.Thereafter, it increased to 48 per cent in 1993-94 and stood at 44 per cent in 1999-2000. In the 21st century, there has been an increase in the share of the construction sector in GAP and capital formation. The main reason for this is the increasing emphasis on involving the private sector infrastructure development through public private partnerships (Peps) and mechanisms like build-operate-transfer (BOOT). LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction to the Indian Construction Industry The Construction Industry in India is the second largest employer of the country after agriculture, accounting for 1 1 % of Indian's GAP.It employs more than 3. 5 scores people & its total market size is estimated at RSI. scores. The level Of a country's development is reflected by its infrastructure & the desperate need for infrastructure development has increased the demand of the construction industry in India. The Indian Construction industry can be divided into three broad segments: Residential, Industrial, Commercial & other buildings. Sewer, Roads, Highways, Bridges, Tunnels & other projects. Specialized activity such as ca rpentry, painting, plumbing & electrical work.Characteristics of the Indian Construction Industry Construction industry is a major job creator: The construction industry accounts for 1 1 % of Indian's gross domestic product (GAP). The industry also generates huge employment opportunities, due to its constant requirement for skilled and unskilled laborers. Moreover, the overall growth of this industry is also positive for sectors such as steel and cement, which are key raw materials. Low entry barriers keep industry fragmented: The construction industry is highly fragmented as low fixed capital requirements for construction contracts remove entry barriers.Capital expenditure is only required for procuring necessary equipments unlike a manufacturing businesses, which require a setup of plants and machinery for production. Possibility of payment delays heightens working capital intensity: Construction projects are mainly funded and managed by the owner. Apart from the initial advance, contractors receive payments after each project lessons is completed. However, timely payments also depend on the owner's credit profile and the nature of the project.Most projects, especially infrastructure, have a gestation period of more than a year. Any delay in payments can push up receivables. Such a scenario makes the construction industry working capital intensive. Projects awarded to lowest bidders, but execution skills crucial too: All governmental construction projects are awarded through a competitive bidding process as more domestic and international contractors have forayed into various infrastructure segments. The project is finally awarded to the sweets bidder.However, besides bidding qualifications, contractors also need to have strong project execution and technical skills to avoid cost and time overruns. To make these imperative, institutions such as National Highways Authority of India (NOAH) penalizes delayed execution of national highway projects, while awardin g timely completion of the same. Input-related risks: Access to inputs is crucial for ensuring timely and cost- effective execution of projects. The major inputs for a construction include: 1 . Labor: Construction work involves both skilled and unskilled labor.Currently, instruction players are struggling with wage increases, which can be attributed to labor shortages and rising inflation. Local job opportunities from government welfare schemes, growth in the overall rural economy and migration of laborers to Gulf countries for better prospects are some reasons that have led to a shortage of construction laborers. To solve labor issues, improve quality and cut wage costs, construction companies are now increasing the extent of mechanization, particularly in huge infrastructure projects such as highway projects. . Raw material: The construction industry is raw material-intensive. Any change in prices of raw materials like steel, cement, bitumen etc. Impacts players' profitability. Ho wever, the impact is limited to the extent of the proportion of fixed price contracts in a company's order book. Some construction companies also own quarries so as to ensure constant raw material supply. 3. Land acquisition and government clearances: Land and the related government clearances are the other important inputs for construction work.Delays in these may increase the gestation period of projects, which can impact the profitability of the project. Recent developments in the Indian Construction Industry The Indian government has recently initiated some policy changes in some sectors of the industry and order inflows have improved in some others. Though, the strained financial position Of companies will continue to impact the industry's execution pace in 2014-15. It is therefore expected that the industry's revenues will grow at a tepid pace of 6% to 8% during the year.The poor financial position of construction companies is reflected in their poorly profitable and highly le veraged balance sheets. Operating margins of construction companies fell by about in 2012-13, as input costs rose ND lower margin segments such as road projects gained share in the order book. Competitive pressures have also been impacting margins. Slow execution and its impact on fixed cost of companies shaved off 5% to on an average, from the operating margins of companies in 2013-14.In order to protect their margins, players are now exercising more caution in bidding and competition in the industry has moderated. Yet, the hangover of aggressive bidding of the past and the current execution delays continue to weigh on profitability in 2014-15 also. Further, the gearing (Debt-Equity ratio) f construction companies has been rising over the past two years, impacting the financial flexibility of companies. Gearing of major construction companies rose to 3. 3 times in 2012-13, from 2. 1 times in 2008-09.Net margins, which had been sliding since 2010-11, fell further by 7% in 2012-13 ow ing to higher interest outgo. The industry (with the only exception of L&T) reported net losses from April 2013 to October 2013. According to the twelfth five year plan, more than 40% of the total government spends have been allocated to construction per SE explicitly, along with various construction projects that will be undertaken for other areas of expenditure. The table below illustrates the sector wise investments for the twelfth five year plan.Five Forces Analysis of the Indian Construction Industry Us mammary: The construction and engineering industry is characterized by large incumbents operating alongside smaller companies. Rivalry is eased somewhat by companies diversifying operations into other sectors. There are a small numbers of buyers in this industry, and typically large in size. Similarly suppliers have a great deal of power over market players as their raw materials are essential for players' businesses. However suppliers have also offered the effects of the global economic crisis, seeing the prices of many raw materials rise.There are few, if any, substitutes available in this industry. Bargaining power of Buyers: Buyers in this industry tend to be large and few in number. Typically the main buyers are government agencies or large private-sector customers, usually corporate rather than individuals. Generally, in this industry, customers invite market players to tender for contracts which are on the customers' terms. This means the buyer is in a more powerful position as they specifically define the parameters of the project.

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. Class study looking at what the teacher directs the students learning towards

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. Class study looking at what the teacher directs the students learning towards INTRODUCTION:'The Outsiders' by S. E Hinton is an early novel based on two waring juvenile gangs, divided by economical and socialbackground, the lower East side Greasers and the upper West side Socs. The novel is set in 1966 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is anovel written in first person by a 14 year old Greaser, Ponyboy Curtis who allows us an insight into the lifestyles of thesedistinct worlds.I chose the novel 'The Outsiders' as a text for year 10 for the following reasons:It is a novel which draws the reader in and allows the reader to understand a lifestyle alien to them. Even though the novel is setin 1966, it is a novel that's theme can be found in any society and time period. The student can relate to this novel as thenarrator of the story is of their own age group and reflects many issues that they themselves may face.English: Francis Ford Coppola at the Cannes film f...The language of the text is easily understood as are the themes in the story. It contains themes that would inte rest a young mind,showing many students the seedier side of life. What it would be like to live under such circumstances in constant fear of theirlives. It deals with gang warfare, alcohol, drugs, child abuse, murder, survival and growing up. These are areas that a pubescentteenager can easily lose themselves in. It forces the reader to realise that in many cases teenagers have no choice in whatlifestyles that are born into in this case either becoming the rich kid or the kid from the wrong side of the tracks.The novel has been incorporated into a Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 movie adaptation, starring many popular young actors ofour time. The use of both...

Sending Children by Parcel Post

Sending Children by Parcel Post Its never easy traveling with children and often it can be expensive. In the early 1900s, some people decided cut costs by mailing their children via parcel post. Sending packages via the U.S. Parcel Post Service began on January 1, 1913. Regulations stated that packages could not weigh more than 50 pounds but did not necessarily preclude the sending of children. On February 19, 1914, the parents of four-year-old May Pierstorff mailed her from Grangeville, Idaho to her grandparents in Lewiston, Idaho. Mailing May apparently was cheaper than buying her a train ticket. The little girl wore her 53-cents worth of postal stamps on her jacket as she traveled in the trains mail compartment. After hearing of examples such as May, the Postmaster General issued a regulation against sending children by mail. This picture was meant as a humorous image to the end of such practice. (Picture courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute.)

BUDD EXAM QUESTION 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BUDD EXAM QUESTION 3 - Essay Example Collective bargaining agreement denotes a legal contract that is enforceable for a particular period between the management of a specified entity and its employees and represented by a trade union, which is independent. Union connotes a group of workers in a given organization with the intention of promoting their common interest, as well as improving their working conditions. Probationary period is a trial moment, which gives the manager the chance to assess the conduct and performance of the employee. Dismissal of Jim Norbuck was legitimate, and all due procedures were followed. It is in the policy of our company not to hire college educated. During the job application process, Norbuck provided falsifying details about him. He actively took part in the union’s strike and wrote several pamphlets, which he distributed to the striking workers and urged them to maintain solidarity. It was during this period that I noticed these pamphlets and heard rumors that Norbuck was college educated. I did a thorough investigation into Norbucks background, his previous education, and his employment. After the strike had ended on March 8th, Norbuck was called back to his job position as labor pool person in the foundry department. On April 17th, I together with the local 55’s grievance committee and Norbuck, sat down and discussed all the issues concerning Norbuck. This then led to the dismissal of Norbuck due his misrepresentation of his personal information during his application process. The dismissal of Norbuck clearly violated the collective bargaining agreement. Leech industries clearly breached The Potentially Relevant Contracts Provisions. Article VIII explicitly states "Procedures, Suspensions, Discharges and disciplinary actions shall first be discussed with the shop steward before being put in effect. Failure to address will

Marketing case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing case study - Essay Example The report will also touch upon the company’s use of digital marketing and will discuss in detail the marketing mix of the company. 2.0 Environmental Factors: One of the most effective manners of discovering the environmental factors that impact a business is to run a PEST analysis for the company. The PEST analysis details four important external factors that impact a business (Jobber, 2009). These include the political, economical, social and technological factors (Kotler, Kotler on Marketing: How to Create, Win, and Dominate Markets , 1999). Analysing these factors provide a chance to gain a clear idea of the various external factors impacting the strategies and marketing of the business. 2.1 Burberry’s PEST In terms of the political factors, it is seen that Burberry is faced with issues in terms of the overall competition and also in terms of the various industry specific rules and regulations as well as the inter country attitudes and relationships. The competitive regulations that the company faces is also high. Considering the economical factors, it is clear that the company is a luxury brand for people across the world. With the high levels of recession being faced by economies across the world, it is clear that the company’s marketing attempts are also impacted. Firstly, the company’s products like a Burberry Prorsum cropped leather aviator jacket costs anywhere between GBP 800 to GBP 2000. It is evident that the company is more of luxury fashion. With the recession being faced in the current times, the company has clearly recorded a number of losses in various countries. This clearly has a major impact on the amount that the company can invest into the marketing efforts in the markets (Kotler P. , Keller, Koshy, & Jha, 2009). In terms of the social factors, it is evident that the prices have had a major impact on the overall spending of the customers on the designer clothing. It is clear that the company has made a major im pact on several people and the customer loyalty leads people to save money and sacrifice on holidays to buy the designer clothing. This clearly provides the company with a strong chance to spend on their marketing efforts to target these customers in particular (Jobber, 2009). Finally, the technological factors have had a major role in the overall success of the company’s marketing efforts. With the newer technology and better tools for marketing the company has been able to effectively utilise these tools and to target the markets more effectively. On the whole the company’s marketing is affected greatly by the economical, social and technological factors to a great extent. It is clear that the company clearly has a strong marketing strategy currently which takes into account all of these factors. 3.0 Market Segmentation: Market segmentation is a crucial part of all marketing strategies and to a great extent impacts the overall business to a great extent (Evans, Foxal l, & Jamal, 2009). Market segmentation allows the company to group customers into different groups with similar needs and also groups to determine how to serve each group (Jobber, 2009). Here the main aim is to identify the needs of the customers and to effectively