Article Review The List Created By The Runnymede Trust Runs

The list created by the Runnymede Trust runs a stark parallel to the political and social happenings in this country and around the world. Anti-terrorism legislation in the United States, and to an even greater extent in other countries like France and Switzerland, has become a vehicle for Islamophobia and creates even greater hardship for Muslims everywhere. On a social level, the Runnymede Trust’s forewarning of Islamophobia becoming more respectable is actualizing. Intellectual Islamophobia in the ilk of Bill Maher is becoming increasingly popular in American culture, and it runs largely on the views the report points out. An important aspect in the discussion about Islam, and one that ties into why a commentator like Bill†¦show more content†¦This was exemplified by the treatment of comments made by Ben Affleck when he appeared on Bill Maher’s HBO show, and those of Reza Aslan on CNN. While both argued against anti-Muslim prejudice, their opinions were vie wed very differently by the American media. While Ben Affleck’s visceral anger, calling Maher’s ideology â€Å"gross and racist,† was praised and valued, Aslan, a Muslim American academic and professor of religion, was forced into an apologetic stance to elicit a recognition that Muslims are diverse in their outlooks and beliefs before being dismissed anyway. His opinion was later recast as angry and hostile, invalidating his argument completely by basing it in emotion rather than rationality, tactics that we see employed over and over again. Compare Affleck’s obvious annoyance and Aslan’s polite frustration, and it is easily ascertainable that Affleck’s white privilege allows him to express similar sentiments as Aslan in far cruder terms, and not be dismissed entirely for it. Muslims, like many other minorities in the United States, have faced hardship for many years, but their struggle increased exponentially following the attacks on the W orld Trade Center. Increasingly, Muslim Americans have had to prove their worth as humans, as evidenced by the â€Å"Not in my Name† campaign. A statement by Audre Lorde encapsulates well what many Muslim Americans struggle with: â€Å"Black and Third world

Eating Out Free Essays

Eating out is a fun way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion. However, eating out should not be a part of your regular diet. If you are attempting to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is almost impossible to do so if you are eating out on a regular basis. We will write a custom essay sample on Eating Out or any similar topic only for you Order Now Appetizers and rolls are the first reason why eating out is bad for your health. When you cook at home, you usually do not prepare additional appetizers to eat before the main course because it is more work, but waiters at a restaurant push the appetizers, which can easily add an additional 500+ calories to your meal depending on what you order and how much you eat, just so that they can cushion their tip and make the restaurant more money. Restaurants also provide free rolls with butter. Eating two rolls can add another 300 calories to your meal. A seemingly healthy salad is the next disastrous course when eating out. A salad by itself is healthy, but many restaurants will add croutons, bacon bits, cheese, and fatty dressings to the lettuce and a couple other vegetables. The result is enough fat to fulfil your fat content for the entire day. If you’re going to indulge in a salad, avoid the croutons altogether and opt for apple cider or balsamic vinegar or oil and vinaigrette. Between the appetizer, rolls, salad, and first round of drinks most people have already consumed more than they ever would by cooking a meal at home. The problem is that all of these items are pushed by the waiter or their eating companions, making it even more difficult for someone struggling with their diet to say no. The main course finally comes and you thought you ordered something healthy, fish, and steamed veggies, but what they don’t mention on the menu is that vegetables are almost always soaked in butter and the fish is covered with a high calorie sauce to disguise the fact that it has been overcooked. The problem with eating out is that everything is so readily available with no work on your part. If given the choice most people don’t want to spend the time to prepare a five course meal at home, this is reserved for holidays like Thanksgiving, but when presented with the opportunity for that five course meal without having to do any of the work involved it makes it all too easy for people to say yes. You finish your meal and the waiter comes over and makes a point of asking if you’d like dessert. Then the waiter will chatter on about all of the desserts available, you think that if you split the dessert with someone else at the table it will keep you from consuming too many calories. The problem is that you have already consumed too many calories before the dessert menu has even been presented. Also, even if you do split a desert you can easily be consuming another 500 calories. When all is said and done, your one meal out most likely contains more calories than you should be consuming in an entire day. It is best not to test your will power when it comes to your diet. The next time someone suggests eating out; quickly think of a delicious meal that can be cooked at home for a fraction of the calories. This will give you control over how your food is prepared, not to mention that eating at home will also save you hundreds of rupees per month. How to cite Eating Out, Essay examples

Marijuana Prohibition Is A Violation Of First Amen Essay Example For Students

Marijuana Prohibition Is A Violation Of First Amen Essay dment RightsMarijuana Prohibition is a Violation of First Amendment RightsLet me ask you something if you had a choice, what would it be:Marijuana or Martinis?This question appeared in the New York Times on Tuesday, May 12th, 1998.Due to the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 the only legal choice that you and the 18 million other adults who used marijuana last year can make is the martini (Against Drug Prohibition ix).The legal acceptance of alcohol, however, does not exclude it from the category of a drug, even in the eyes of the Food and Drug Administration.The prohibition of marijuana is historically counteractive and a direct defiance of First Amendment rights.This prohibition has denied thousands of critically ill patients a drug that would effectively treat their illness and relieve their pain.The basis upon which marijuana is prohibited has been proven by the very government which has banned the drug to be false. Since 1914, our nation has outwardly protested against the use of any drug, contrary to our past acceptance of the market.Before and during the Civil War, morphine (a derivative of opium) was implemented for its anesthetic qualities and was used as a main ingredient in many medicines.Marijuana was also implemented by the medical community in the treatment of migraine headaches, insomnia and rheumatism and cocaine to treat sinusitis, hay fever, and chronic fatigue.These drugs were not only medicinal, however, and they became popular for recreation, and cocaine, specifically became an ingredient in wines and soft drinks, namely Coca Cola (Encarta, Cocaine). Just following the turn of the century, a new climate of temperance swept the nation and in 1914 Congress passed the Harrison Act, banning opiates and cocaine, and the prohibition of alcohol soon followed in 1918, making the U.S. officially a dry nation.This prohibition led to a rise in a black market trade of narcotics and alcohol.In 1933, the prohibition on alcohol was lifted due to an overwhelming public concern with widespread organized crime, police corruption and violence (Encarta, Prohibition). Much like the money spent on maintaining the prohibition of alcohol, since 1981, $150 million tax dollars have been spent in the attempt to prevent Colombian cocaine, Burmese heroine and Jamaican marijuana from entering U.S. borders.In light of this, evidence shows that for every ton of narcotics seized, hundreds more prevail.Also in relation to alcohol prohibition, those profiting most from Americas War on Drugs are the organized crime barons, who make an estimated $10 to $50 billion dollars a year from drug trade alone (More Reefer Madness, 15-25). Again, in concurrence with the prohibition of alcohol, during the 1920s, bootleggers marketed small bottles of 100+ proof liquors due to their ability to more easily conceal them (Encarta, Prohibition).Drug smugglers tend to carry and sell hard drugs in extremely potent form (i.e. cocaine) for the same reason.The federal government also controls the amount of nicotine and other additives in cigarette and cigar manufacturing, in an effort to lessen their risk to public health.The same tactic could be used on marijuana. The harmful effects of marijuana usage are the number one reason for its restriction.These effects, however, are disputable.As early as 1972, President Nixons National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse concluded that, There is little proven danger of physical or psychological harm from the experimental or intermittent use of natural preparation of cannabis, and recommended then that the personal and medical use of marijuana be decriminalized.Since that time, the NAS (National Academy of Sciences) Institute of Medicine, the Federation of American Sciences, the Australian Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, the American Public Health Association, the British Medical Association, and the New England Journal of Medicine have produced studies showing that marijuana use is not only harmless, but that it is also therapeutic in the treatment of many serious ailments.Moreover, marijuana has been proven to be less toxic and less expensive than conventional medication and in many cases more effective than commercially available drugs (Against Drug Prohibition 13). .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 , .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 .postImageUrl , .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 , .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0:hover , .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0:visited , .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0:active { border:0!important; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0:active , .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0 .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u49ccca29b89c052a4487fad2912834a0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Life Of Arthur Conan Doyle EssayIt is in this that the prohibition of marijuana is most harmful to the American public.Graham Boyd, an attorney representing a group of plaintiffs including eleven prominent cancer and AIDS physicians in San Francisco presented to a federal judge on Friday, April 11, 1997 the following statement:The federal government has issued broad threats against physicians who might recommend marijuana to some of their seriously ill patients.These threats have gagged physicians and have impended the responsible practice of medicine.We assert that doctors have the right to discuss medical marijuana with patients, and we are seeking clear guidelines for p hysicians who wish to do so.The lawsuit was filed January 14, weeks after several advisors of the Clinton Administration made a public response to Proposition 215 (which would, were it to pass, make it legal for doctors to discuss and recommend marijuana to their patients) at a December 30 press conference.That response was that serious penalties.. may befall physicians who discuss marijuana with their patients, including limited Medicare and Medicaid eligibility and even criminal prosecution (New England Journal of Medicine, August 1997). American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation of Northern California co-counsel Ann Brick said, This case focuses directly on basic First Amendment principles, thus the case is not about whether the government should legalize the medical use of marijuana.It is about whether the government may prevent doctors from providing a patient with an honest medical opinion recommending marijuana. (ACLU)Between 1978 and 1996, legislature in 34 states and the District of Columbia passed laws recognizing the medicinal use of marijuana and its obvious therapeutic value.NORML first raised this issue in 1972 in an administrative petition asking that marijuana be moved from schedule I to schedule II of the federal Controlled Substances act, which would make it legal to be prescribed as a medicine.16 years and many court battles and appeals later, in 1988, the Drug Enforcement Agencys own administrative law judge, Judge Francis Young, concluded that, Marijuana has been accepted as capable of reliev ing distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision.It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for the DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence recently revealed.The DEA Administrator, however, overruled Judge Young, and the Court of Appeals allowed that decision to stand, denying the medical use of marijuana to seriously ill patients.Representative Barney Frank (a democrat from Massachusetts) introduced H.R. 1782, a bill which would also attempt to move medicinal marijuana from schedule I to schedule II, eliminating federal restrictions.This bill would not change state laws, allowing individual communities to determine for themselves whether marijuana should be medicinally available (New England Journal of Medicine, August 1997) . It is a criminal act of the U.S. government by its own manifesto, the Constitution, to make a personal behavior a crime.A government that cannot criminalize alcohol or tobacco cannot, for the same reasons, deny the right to use marijuana.In 1857, in his famous essay On Liberty, John Stuart Mill, the British economist and philosopher, said, Over himself, over his own mind and body, the individual is sovereign.Marijuana is the third most popular drug in America, alcohol and cigarettes (nicotine) first and second respectively, with approximately ten million regular marijuana smokers in the United States alone.The right to this personal freedom, and personal autonomy (what Mill called personal sovereignty), in the matters of religion, political opinion, sexuality, and other private, consensual activities are definitively protected under the First Amendment to the constitution.The National Academy of Sciences issued its finding that, Over the last forty years, marijuana has been accused o f causing an array of anti-social effects including provoking crime and violence .. leading to heroin addiction and destroying the American work ethic in young people.These beliefs have not been substantiated by scientific evidence.Common myths, such as Marijuana is much more potent now that it used to be, or Marijuana use causes brain damage, and even that Marijuana is a gateway drug to the use of harder drugs, are now being disputed.In November of 1996, the Lindesmith Center, a drug policy think-tank in New York, published a 55-page book called, Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts.Written by John Morgan, M.D. and sociologist Lynn Zimmer, and truths were given to replace these fables.In reality, the average amount of THC (the active ingredient of marijuana) in government-seized marijuana was 3.32 percent.In 1975, marijuana samples ranged from 2-14 percent.Further, the claim that marijuana causes brain damage is based on a 20 year old study in which two rhesus monkeys were exposed to d oses of THC up to 200 times the psychoactive dose for humans.This test has never been duplicated, and there is currently no evidence available which shows such results.It is true that most users of heroin, cocaine, and LSD have used marijuana (and even more have used tobacco and alcohol), but the majority of marijuana users have never tried any other illegal drug.In fact, as marijuana use increased in the 1960s and 1970s, the use of heroin greatly declined. (New England Journal of Medicine, August 1997)All current studies show that marijuana is a benign drug that isnt addictive nor does it cause any significant harm to even long term users.The myth that the drug is so harmful has actually been a gateway for law enforcement to seize homes, cars and other personal property.It allowed, in 1996, for 641,600 marijuana users to be arrested, 85 percent of whom were caught merely for possession (ACLU).The myth also allows daily for thousands of seriously ill people to suffer more than is ne cessary, from both their ailments and the adverse effects of expensive, toxic and poorly effective medicines.So, if you had to choose between a martini and marijuana, would you choose liberty?

Sense And Sensibility Essays - Sense And Sensibility,

Sense and Sensibility Sense and Sensibility In Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility the title is a metaphor for the two main characters. Marianne who represents Sensibility, and Elinor who represents Sense. We find out early on that Elinor does not share her feelings. When Edward comes into the story there is an immediate attraction. Elinor tells no one of her feelings. It is just assumed that they are meant for each other. When Edward has to leave Elinor does not say anything. Edward does promise he will come down to there cottage and deliver an atlas for Margaret. When the atlas comes and not Edward, the only one who ends up crying is Margaret and not Elinor. We do learn however that Elinor can get emotional. While Marianne was playing the piano after they had moved to the cottage, Elinor starts to cry as she listens. She said the song was her late fathers favorite. Later on in the story when Elinor and Marianne are in London, Marianne continually gets on to Elinor for not sharing her feelings. Elinor finally shows her emotions when she tells Marianne she did have a broken heart, after she found out Edward had a fianc. When Elinor did find out about Lucy Steele she did not even tell lucy of her feelings to try to break them up. That is what I would have done. Elinor would definitely represent sense. She keeps things to herself. I think because she thinks if she does she will not end up getting hurt to bad, like Marianne ends up doing. Marianne on the other hand is Sensibility. She follows her heart. She does not let anything come in her way of showing her emotions. When she first meet Colonel Brandon, you could tell the Colonel was in love at first sight. Marianne showed very easily that she was not interested. However, when Marianne meets Willoughby it was like a hero rescuing his princess. They fall in love with each other. Marianne does not hide her emotions to anyone about Willoughby. However in the society that they were in Willoughby did not think he could marry Marianne because of the society class. In the end this almost kills Marianne. As Marianne realizes that the Colonel has always been there she falls in love with him. The story ends with Elinor marring Edward, and Marianne marring The Colonel. I do not think there is anything wrong with there personalities. Some people hide there feelings, and so make it easy to know how they feel. I do not fault either character for there personality, both are unique.

The Walt Disney Company Case Study Essays

The Walt Disney Company Case Study Essays The Walt Disney Company Case Study Paper The Walt Disney Company Case Study Paper BUSMRH 4490 Strategic Management Case 2 The Walt Disney Company: The Entertainment King Kaitlyn Kisiday Alex Maicks Chelsea Parker Jonathan Russ Ryan Terek 1. ) Why has Disney been successful for so long? Disney has sustained prolonged success for a variety of reasons. One source of success was the way Walt and Roy Disney decided to manage the company internally when the organization was founded in 1923. Disney emphasized teamwork, communication, and cooperation in the workplace to make employees feel valued and strengthen their commitment to the company. These values remain at the core of Disney’s corporate culture, and have been formally incorporated into their new-hire training program at the company’s corporate university. With the use of animation, Disney can control an entire entertainment experience, unlike actors, because cartoon characters and their environment can be created and controlled by imagination. Disney’s most distinct corporate skill, according to former CEO Michael Eisner, is the ability to manage that creativity. Eisner encouraged innovative ideas and was protective of the company’s creative efforts even at their earliest development. Emphasis on this development allowed Disney to take advantage of opportunities in the market and often become the first mover. Disney has proved successful at determining which advantages would be sustainable and which should only be temporary. The main contributors to prolonged success have been the results of the key strategic decisions made by the organization regarding diversification. Disney has used diversification to create additional sources of revenue beyond cartoon shorts and feature films by expanding vertically into television, theatre, retail, and the internet. Creating divisions outside production, such as Disney Music Company, Disneyland, Disney Cruises, and DisneyQuest, created cross-promotional opportunities among Disney’s products, services, and strengthened the brand itself. Disney’s ability to effectively manage both vertical and horizontal integration into a wide array of business activities and projects continues to drive the company’s progress and profit. 2. ) What did Michael Eisner do to rejuvenate Disney? Specifically, how did he increase net income in his first four years? Michael Eisner entered Disney as CEO in 1984, and committed his efforts to producing annual revenue growth and return on stockholder equity in excess of 20%. He also pledged to strengthen the Disney brand and protect corporate values of quality, creativity, entrepreneurship, and teamwork. Believing that â€Å"managing creativity† was Disney’s most unique corporate capability, Eisner was to able harness Disney’s creative and innovative capabilities to maximize profits from new and existing operations. Rebuilding the strength of their television programming and films was an important part of this strategy. Disney increased its presence on network television to re-establish Disney as a producer of quality programs, and increase demand for Disney’s other entertainment ventures. The Disney Sunday Movie, debuted on ABC in 1986, and was followed by the popular Golden Girls on NBC, and production of syndicated non-network shows. Disney also increased their screen presence and generated revenue by selling older programs to other networks through a newly created syndication operation. A struggling movie division produced two films, held only 4% of box office share, and generated a profit of only a $1 million 1984 [Exhibit A, page 6]. To increase film output, Eisner used the Touchstone label to compete in new segments of the film industry, predominantly comedies, without diminishing Disney’s core audience. These films were produced on moderate and closely managed budgets with intent to be profitable rather than to become the next box-office juggernaut. Disney also increased the output of their animated films though investment in new technology and human capital and the decision to release these films every 12 to 18 months, versus every 4 to 5 years. After four years, the Disney film division reached an averaged output of 15 to 18 films per year, produced the highest earning film in 1988, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and became the market leader with 19% box office share. Most impressively, income from the movie division grew from $1 million in 1984, to $34 million, $54 million, $131 million, and $186 million in each corresponding year. Income from Disney theme parks increased more than 200% during Michael Eisner’s first years, from $186 million in 1984 to $565 million in 1988 [Exhibit A, page 6]. New national advertising, increased park capacity, expanded hours of operation, and increased ticket prices contributed to the short term increase, while investments in new attractions, event spaces, and hotel development would help sustain steady profits into the future. In 1984, income from consumer products totaled $54 million [Exhibit A, page 6]. The new leadership and direction of the company under Michael Eisner from that time renewed the strength of Disney’s brand equity. A stronger brand supported development in the consumer products division of the â€Å"retail as entertainment† concept. The Disney Store, launched in 1987, achieved twice the average rate of sales per square foot in the retail industry. By 1988, income from consumer products totaled $134 million, increasing by more than 140% during Eisner’s first years as CEO. Successful leadership by Michael Eisner at Disney’s top resulted in financial success at Disney’s bottom line. Disney’s net income increased from $242 million in 1984 to $885 million by 1988. Over the same period of time, income growth averaged 40% each year, and Return on Equity reached 24% and 25% in 1987 and 1989, respectively. 3. Does Disney pursue vertical integration? Apply transaction cost economics to understand Disney’s vertical expansion decisions. Disney pursued vertical integration in a variety of ways. Aside from cartoon shorts and animation films, Disney expanded to enter the television, internet, and theme park markets with creations such as Disneyland, DisneyQuest, and the Disney Channel. Disney saw the internet as a possible distribution channel for its film library and its sports and news programming. Disney believed that the internet would soon be where entertainment in the home consolidates. Disney also pursued forward vertical integration. Disney ended their relationship with distribution partner RKO in 1953 and created Buena Vista to save distribution costs for their animated films. Disney was able to save ? of their gross revenues due to this decision to distribution their movies themselves. Disney also further improved the bottom line by avoiding exorbitant salaries by developing the studios own pool of talent. Disney also employed forward integration through the initiation of Disney Stores. This provided Disney with a wholly owned retail outlet to distribute product through that generated sales per square foot at twice the average rate of traditional retail. Disney Stores allowed Disney total control of customer experience and brand management in that space. The EuroDisney project is an example of Disney’s use of vertical disintegration. Although responsible for the design, development, and operation of the park, Disney did not have a majority ownership. Investment from outside parties limited their initial investment and share of risk. Disney chose to give up sole claim to the profits of EuroDisney in exchange for a fixed percentage of ticket sales and revenues. In many its operations, Disney employs a vertical integration strategy because it eliminates much of the transaction costs that come from working with the market, such as the possibility that the markets may fail. Creating contracts is another cost, as contracts take time and are difficult to form in a way that satisfies both parties involved, in an attempt to cover all possible contingencies. In addition, companies have their own, unique motives. When working in the market, there is always risk these other companies will work in their own favor as they come across opportunities that only benefit them. Also, Disney is very committed to holding to their values. This may create another cost in the form of conflict because they may come across differing views and cultures with other companies that do not run their business the same way. 4. ) What corporate strategy does Walt Disney employ? Identify and explain all types of diversification/integration within Disney’s overall corporate strategy. Disney employs both vertical and horizontal integration as part of their corporate strategy. The Walt Disney Company pursues a highly differentiated strategy, operating primarily in five distinct segments: Theme Parks and Resorts, Consumer Products, Media Networks, Studio Entertainment, and Internet and Direct Marketing. Theme Parks and Resorts is Disney’s second highest grossing segment. Included under this segment are all Disney Theme Parks, with the exclusion of EuroDisney, and all other resorts and resort activities. Sports teams, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the Anaheim Angels, as well as regional entertainment facilities like ESPNZone and DisneyQuest, are within this business line. Media networks, Disney’s highest grossing business line, can be broken down into two subcategories: Broadcasting and Cable Networks ; International. Broadcasting consists of ABC Television and Radio Network along with associated TV and Radio stations. Cable Networks and International includes ESPN, Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and SoapNet. Various newspapers and periodicals acquired through the ABC merger also fall into this business line. Studio Entertainment is a very diverse segment including: Television, Film, Home Video, theatrical, and music production, as well as, distribution and syndicated TV. Disney has created or acquired multiple movie production companies including Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone, and Miramax, each company producing a very distinct product with a separate target audience. A similar pattern is identifiable with Disney’s various music production companies; each produces a distinct product with a distinct target market. Television production includes program development in the form of live-action, animation, and pay television services. Consumer Products consists primarily of licensing arrangements with various retailers, promoters, and publishers, where Disney allows third parties to use â€Å"Walt Disney†, Disney characters, and other intangible properties for specific purposes. Consumer Products also includes Disney Stores, Disney’s direct retail outlet. Finally, Disney also produces books, magazines, and audio and computer software for entertainment and educational purposes. Internet and Direct Marketing includes all of Disney’s’ online activities as well as the Disney catalogue. This includes entities such as the Disney catalogue, ESPN. om, Disney. com, GO. com, Etc. Aside from all the aforementioned business activities, Disney is or has been involved in many more projects and lines of business. Disney started an in-house travel company to work with travel agents and airlines to draw customers to Disney Parks and Resorts. Disney created the Disney Development Company to find the best way to utilize Disney’s unused acreage. Disney also has been involved in timeshares, night clubs, theatre operations, Disney On-Ice, and the Disney Parade. 5. ) Evaluate the benefits and costs of each type of diversification. From this analysis state and justify (through quantitative analysis) whether Disney is creating or destroying value via diversification? After analysis, Disney has an obvious benefit of diversification, mainly because it allows them to expand their initial business idea into several different markets. Disney was able to take a relatable set of characters and ideas in the film industry, and not only maximize the profits from those characters in the form of amusement parks, resorts, and other entertainment facilities, but also expand their business into other markets which may seem nrelated. While the initial start-up cost and recurring operating costs of theme parks, studios, and media networks are high, they have proven to be one of Disney’s highest grossing business ventures. For example, in 2000 theme parks generated $6. 803 billion in revenue and operating income of $1. 62 billion [Exhibit A, page 6]. These theme parks help create and support much of the Disney brand that p eople think of today, which is one of their strongest sources of value. In the media networks, Disney earned $9. 615 billion revenue in 2000 and produced an operating income of $2. 98 billion. The benefit of this venture is that Disney is able to spread their brand across the country by reaching cable audiences with the Disney Channel and ESPN stations, as well as local viewers, after their purchase of ABC. Once again, the costs and risk of creating a channel and buying a major television channel comes with high cost, yet Disney is still able to make a profit from this segment of their business. While the film industry had revenues of $5. 994 billion, expenses for the segment are high as they only saw an operating income of $110 million. This is one of Disney’s original lines of business, but it appears Disney has peaked in this segment. Even though profits aren’t as high as other segments of their business, the benefits of this segment still outweigh their costs. Additionally, due to the relatively cheap cost of consumer products line, in 2000 Disney was able to record an operating income of $455 million and with revenues of $2. 622 billion. Disney benefits by selling products related to their highly desired brand, and for a relatively low cost. Unfortunately for Disney, their internet and direct marketing line saw an operating loss of ($402) during 2000, the fourth consecutive loss for this segment. Disney once again tried to carry success over from their well established brand into a new segment. However, the costs and demands of owning and running an internet and direct marketing line appear to be outside of Disney’s core competencies. Even though they may have foresight to predict the importance of e-commerce in retail, Disney has yet to make a profit of this segment. Further supporting the benefits of Disney’s diversification is Disney’s Index on the S;P 500, having reached over 1,000 for the last three years of data provided (1998-2000. ) These marks were the highest Disney has ever reached in this Index, according to the data provided, and achieved at the height of Disney’s diversification. This upholds the position that Disney does produce value through its diversification into many different business ventures. 6. ) Which expansion modes have Disney utilized to implement its corporate strategy? Use facts from the case to identify the benefits and costs of each expansion mode. Disney has pursued three primary forms of expansion: Vertical expansion, Horizontal expansion, and Geographic expansion. Vertical and Horizontal expansion refer to Disney’s various product and business lines, and geographic expansion refers to Disney’s physical presence. Disney owns or has licensed parks on three different continents. By expanding geographically, Disney has become one of the most recognized brands in the world, in large part due to their physical presence. By having operations in multiple counties in several parts of the world, Disney is able to gain expertise and knowledge that can help it more closely connect it to its target market. Creating new parks, resorts, or other entertainment facilities carries huge initial start-up costs and recurring fixed costs. It also adds numerous employees and operations that can become difficult to manage efficiently. Expanding horizontally allows firms to take advantage of economies of scale by lowering the average cost per unit by spreading fixed costs over greater production. Another key advantage is the potential to gain new distribution channels. Following the ABC merger, Disney gained over 20 radio stations and many print media outlets. Seemingly, the primary motivation for Disney to integrate horizontally appears to be for economies of scope. Economies of scope is the utilization of a wider array of available resources to new create synergies. After Disney merged with ABC, they were able to utilize economies of scope through cross-promotion. They could advertise and tie-in Disney products on the acquired ABC media outlets and vice versa. Another advantage of vertical integration, made obvious through the merger with ABC, is the gain in market share. Though not stated explicitly, it’s not difficult to image that Disney may have gained substantial power in negotiations with cable and satellite television providers after merging with ABC. A major cost of horizontal integration comes from a new, bloated company. Departments become redundant across the organization, and the company becomes inefficient. Acquisitions like this also are accompanied by months and months of paperwork that ultimately distracts from the company’s primary operations. Disney and ABC were forced to mesh together two distinct corporate cultures. This can irritate and de-motivate employees, ultimately causing further inefficiency. Vertical expansion can create better coordination within the supply chain. When Disney created its own distribution company, Buena Vista, they were able to directly control all operations involved in the distribution of their media, eliminating the potential costs of negotiations and hold-ups. Another benefit captured by creating Buena Vista was the ability to capture downstream profit margin. Vertical expansion could eventually lead to Disney gaining more core competencies. Achieving lower unit cost, better coordination, and increase in core competencies create higher entry barriers for potential competitors. Vertical integration can also cause a firm to become too large and complex to efficiently manage. Owning and operating completely different business’ under the same corporation requires expertise in many different areas be successful, which can be a substantial cost. Exhibit AThe Walt Disney Company Financial Data, 1983 – 2000 ($ millions)

Benefits of a Healthy Workforce Essay Example for Free

Benefits of a Healthy Workforce Essay Organisational health programmes are essential to the survival of companies. Undoubtedly, a healthy workforce would work wonders for any business by reducing absenteeism and turnover, and increasing employee motivation, productivity and revenues. Lowe (2004) writes that hundreds of studies have already documented the direct as well as indirect advantages of â€Å"healthy work environments† to employees in addition to their organisations (p. 7). Indeed, healthy workplaces as well as jobs contribute to the well-being of employees. These benefits may be realized by the whole organisation through lower absenteeism, lower turnover, higher job satisfaction, improved performance on the job, lower rates of accident, in addition to â€Å"reduced health benefit and worker compensation costs (Lowe, p. 7). † Moreover, research has revealed that the largest gains in productivity may be realized by the organisation that changes the entire work environment to make it healthier for all employees (Lowe). Research has also revealed that the impact of poor health is keenly felt in the work environment, so therefore managers require an improved understanding of the dangers of allowing minor symptoms to escalate. Four in ten managers who participated in a recently conducted survey related to workplace health complained that they often become angry with others and feel humorless due to pressure. More than fifty percent of the managers complained of physical pain, at the same time as forty four percent reported experiencing frequent headaches. Moreover, fifty five percent complained of constant tiredness, fifty seven percent complained of insomnia, while twenty percent simply stated that they found it difficult to make decisions because of ill health (Poor Health 2006). Unsurprisingly, these results demand organisations to put effective health programmes in place for all employees. Sick employees are not likely to be highly productive in any case. In the United States, businesses are known to spend at least U. S. $450 billion every year on direct health care. Poor health costs around U. S. $225. 8 billion to American businesses each year through absenteeism as well as productivity losses that are related to the health problems of employees and their families. Hence, insurers as well as employers have started to create a large number of health promotion and prevention programmes that have already started to pay handsome dividends. According to a study, American employers may â€Å"reap the average of [U. S. ] $3. 48 in reduced health care costs and [U. S. ] $5. 82 in lower absenteeism costs for every dollar invested in employee wellness (Toomey 2006, p. 13). † Of course, these benefits can be realized anywhere in the world. In the United Kingdom, three quarters of a million workers are known to take time off work each year due to work-related illnesses (Firman 2006). These illnesses are further known to cost businesses as much as ten percent of their total payroll costs. Indeed, by promoting health in the workplace and preventing illnesses through effective health programmes in the organisation, absenteeism and costs related to the same may be drastically lowered. The money that is saved thus may be used by the organisation to update its equipment; on marketing; as well for the provision of training to employees. Organisations may also be able to increase the number of employees with the cost savings realized through effective health programmes (Jim 2006). Indeed, the benefits of health management programmes in the organisation are aplenty. Healthy employees add value to the organisation. The care shown by employers can boost the morale of the workers. The entire organisation benefits from this, as it becomes more efficient with a healthy and therefore productive workforce. REFERENCES Firman, C. 16. 11. 2006 â€Å"Health Matters. † Motor Transport available at EBSCO Host database. Jim, N. 9. 6. 2006 â€Å"Health and Safety Assessments Cut Costs and Boost Productivity. † Electronics Weekly 2256 available at EBSCO Host database. Lowe, G. S. 2004 â€Å"Healthy Workplace Strategies: Creating Change and Achieving Results. † The Graham Lowe Group available at http://www. grahamlowe. ca/documents/93/Hlthy%20wkpl%20strategies%20report. pdf. Poor Health 2006: â€Å"Poor Health Leads to a Humorless, Angrier Workforce† article in Occupational Health (Jun 2006), 58(6) available at EBSCO Host database. Toomey, D. 18. 12. 2006 â€Å"Wellness and Prevention Programs Generate Healthy Outcomes. † Executive Health & Wellness Guide available at EBSCO Host database. Benefits of a Healthy Workforce. (2016, Jul 29). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Ilich Ramirez Sanchez aka Carlos the jackal Essay

Ilich Ramirez Sanchez aka Carlos the jackal - Essay Example While in Cuba, he was trained in urban guerilla tactics, usage of automatic weapons, explosives and sabotage (Pons, 2001)?. In 1970, Sanchez traveled to a guerilla training camp run by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Amman, Jordan. This would form the basis of much of Sanchez's activities and terrorist ideology, which was rooted in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. While training, he was given the pseudonym â€Å"Carlos† by PFLP spokesman Bassam Abu-Sharif. The Guardian newspaper in Britain gave him the moniker â€Å"The Jackal† after police found a copy of Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal in his abandoned apartment following his assassination of French intelligence agents (Hamm, 2007)?. Carlos the Jackal has freelanced for Saddam Hussein, Moammar Qaddafi, Marshal Tito, the Italian Red Brigade, the Spanish Basque ETA and the secret services of several Soviet bloc nations. Carlos the Jackal was arrested by an American and French coaliti on effort in Khartoum, Sudan, following an operation on his groin. He is now serving a life sentence in Le Sante maximum security prison in Paris, France. Stated purposes In a 1999 interview with New York Press, Sanchez made two main statements regarding his personal beliefs ?(Haden-Guest, 1999)?. The first is with reference to mainly secular terrorist attacks; that revolutionary development is a barometer of social injustice, and is a permanent cycle. The second one is that the political effects from the growing disparity between rich and poor inevitably results in violently increasing revolutionary backlash. He made the second statement specifically with the then-dominant United States in mind. Carlos the Jackal also stated that the majority of his terrorist attacks were done â€Å"in the name of Palestinian liberation and revolution† (Cody, 2010)?. In 1998, a will he wrote entitled En Cas de Mon Deces was released to the media. In that will, he stated that for every day th at he spends in jail, one American or Zionist should be killed (Haden-Guest, 1999)?. Current terrorist and other political/social operations Since Carlos the Jackal is currently incarcerated and serving a life sentence, the focus of this section is on his and his affiliates' actions prior to his capture in 1994. Sanchez is most well known for the 1975 kidnapping of over 60 hostages, eleven of which were OPEC oil ministers at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria (Cody, 2010; Haden-Guest, 1999; â€Å"What's up with the notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal?,† 2002)?. In this instance, the Jackal and his PFLP cohorts were responsible for three deaths: an Austrian police officer, and two low-ranking members of the ministers' delegations. The OPEC kidnapping was done under the orders of PFLP faction leader Dr. Wadih Haddad. The order was to ransom most of the ministers for money that the PFLP needed. However, the oil ministers for Saudi Arabia and Iran, Ahmed Zaki al-Yamani an d Jamshid Amouzegar, were to be killed, as the two countries at the time did not support the proposal to raise oil prices. Besides that, Saudi Arabia and Iran were deemed by the PFLP as not supportive enough of the Palestinian cause (â€Å"What's up with the notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal?,† 2002)?. In Sanchez's own words, Saudi Arabia was not paying their â€Å"revolutionary tax† (Haden-Guest, 1999). Upon the successful kidnapping of the OPEC ministers, Sanchez and the PFLP terrorists flew to Algeria with the hostages. All of the hostages were released upon payment of ransom.

Roche Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Roche - Coursework Example 56). The method is essential for the implementation of innovative approaches, branding strategies, and synchronistic strategies. On the other hand, businesses engage on innovative approaches to evaluate market viability, dynamics of the clients, and the appropriate technology to implement in achieving successful outcomes (OrtuÃŒ n Rubio and GarciÃŒ a-Fontes, 2011, p. 33). The following is a critical discussion seeking to implement the process of marketing and innovation in Roche Pharmaceuticals inclined to appropriate recommendations to decipher its success and probable opportunities in the market. Roche Pharmaceuticals operates in the healthcare industry seeking to deliver astound resolutions in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics market segments. The healthcare industry is composite of many dynamics and business finding the idea of evaluation an inevitable course. Roche’s marketing and innovation programs exist amidst an ever-changing environment for the industry is broadly affected by internal and external environmental forces. Arguably, the healthcare industry exposes the available business entities to uncertainties due to a process of continued degree of competition (Moffat, Bohmert, and Hulme, 2008, p. 107). This also serves to barricade new businesses from entering the market. Roche is a globally renowned producer of medical equipment, taking the divisions of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics respectively (Tinguely, 2013, p. 32). The former field is tasked with applied sciences, and Roche Molecular Diagnostics. Further, the field draws the company into professional and tissue diagnostics, and diabetes care. The latter is tasked to the Roche Pharma, Genentech, and Chugai that serves to enhance its relevance in the industry. However, these facts do not serve as potential solutions to the challenging market situations (Mohr, Sengupta, and Slater, 2010, p. 142).

Angel in the house essay Essay Example for Free

Angel in the house essay Essay Do you agree with the view that during the second half of the nineteenth century the concept of the â€Å"angel in the house† lost its relevance? I believe that by the end of the second half the nineteenth century the concept of the â€Å"angel in the house† had not lost its relevance. Many laws were in place to protect women legally but socially women were still seen as inferior to men and the ideology of the separate spheres was still the ideal way for men and women to act by society. Women were viewed as â€Å"Angels† which was seen the most accepted path for women to take and were still greatly wanted as well as being expected by the others, especially the middle class. On the law front courts still favoured men with an example being the Jacksons case in 1891 where Mr Jackson imprisoned his wife in their home for refusing to have sex at his choosing. This was effectively breaking the Matrimonial Causes Act 1884 designed to prevent this from occurring in the marriage. However due to the bias which was shown towards men at that current time the courts initially sides with Mr Jackson because, they and he argued, a Victorian home was a taboo and the act was carried out in his own home. Eventually after much protesting form Mrs Jackson’s friends the case was turned around forcing Mr Jackson to release his wife. This shows the complete lack of support and empathy women received from anyone apart from their own and also how disregarded their opinions were when it came to the law, and that it was more down those in the court and what their feelings were towards women’s rights. On the other hand there is evidence to suggest the â€Å"Angel in the house† had lost its relevance due mainly incessant campaigning from women forcing government reforms. Up until 1870 women had no financial control over their earnings putting them at a major disadvantage when it came to men and controlling their own lives. However this all changed with the Married Women’s Property Act (MWPA) passed in 1870 that now entitled women to have control over their earnings and thus their lives. Furthermore in 1882 the MWPA allowed women to attain what they owned at the time of the marriage such as the right to own, sell and buy property as well as sue which inevitably lead to an increase in divorces. A problem before these acts was passed was that women were very much under the control of their partner as he held the key to money and this prevented many women form leaving abusive and unwanted relationships, the act now changed that  and it could be said reduced the â€Å"angel in the house’s† relevance because women now had more freedom and could support themselves rather than being financially tied to their partner and having to be the â€Å"Angel in the house†. The unfairness of the sexual double standard is highlighted here as women were only able divorce their husbands if the committed incest or long dissertation where as men could divorce their wife for both the reasons as well as adultery which women could not, allowing men to have other relationships within their marriage and be unfaithful with women unable to do anything about it. In conclusion that although there was significant progress towards eliminating the concept of the â€Å"Angel of the house† such as the MWPA which were substantial achievements but there is more evidence to suggest that during the nineteenth century the concept of the â€Å"Angel of the house† had not lost its relevance as women still viewed as inferior to men. This was mainly because although many laws had been changed the views of society had not and this was the key factor as most still did not value women or their rights. A major example was the Jackson case with the husband breaking the law but the court siding with him because he was a man and she a woman, they were blatantly bias and only changed this when forced by the might of Mrs Jackson’s friends and supporters. Society controlled whether or not the â€Å"Angel the house† concept still applied and it still did in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Flexible Staffing Arrangements Essay examples -- Work Working Workforc

Flexible Staffing Arrangements Options for flexible work schedules--once nonexistent--have become a reality, with benefits for workers and employees alike. Job sharing, compressed work weeks, reduced hours, work at home, and flextime have provided employees with the means to realize a better balance between work and family and an opportunity to engage simultaneously in more than one endeavor, e.g., school and work, two careers, and work and leisure. They can also lead to economic and emotional stress and to limited opportunities for professional growth. This Digest examines flexible work options, including the characteristics of workers who select them, the organizations that offer them, and the influence they have on worker satisfaction, performance, productivity, and career progression. Flexible Staffing Arrangements Over the years, employers have established employment arrangements with workers that include working in shifts, on "temporary" assignments, in a part-time capacity, and through independent contract work. The impetus for these arrangements is the organizations desire to realize its short-term service and production goals and to reap the low-cost benefits of a contingent work force. Today, with businesses facing increasingly competitive markets and unprecedented customer demands for services, the employment of workers in shifts to cover a 24-hour day is increasing. In fact, one in five workers is hired to work outside the typical 9-to-5 time slot ("No More Nine-to-Five" 1998). Manufacturing companies have traditionally operated day and night, often to capitalize on equipment usage. However, many other types of companies are now offering their services around the clock, e.g., financial services, 24-hou... ... to Growth in Use of Part-Time Faculty." Chronicle of Higher Education 44, no. 15 (December 5, 1997): A18. Lief, L. "An End to the Dead-End Job?" U.S. News & World Report 123, no. 16 (October 27, 1997): 86-87. McShulskis, E. "Retirees Returning to Work Threaten Some Full-Time Workers." HRMagazine 42, no. 3 (March 1997):26-28. McShulskis, E. "Part-Time Plans Have a Positive Impact." HRMagazine 43, no. 1 (January 1998): 26. "No More Nine-to-Five." The Economist 346, no. 8050 (January 1998): 53-55. "No Part-Time Job Explosion." The Economist 344, no. 8030 (August 16, 1997): 23. "Part-Time Professionals Push Positive Image." CQ Researcher 7, no. 40 (October 24, 1997): 944. Tolliver, C. "The Payback from Part Time." HR Focus 74, no. 12 (December 1997): 1, 3-4. "Using Part-Time Workers." IRS Employment Review no. 629 (April 1997): E13-E16.

Project Report on Coffee Behaviour

Westminster International University in Tashkent BSc in Economics with Finance 2012 – 2013 CW 1 (Element 2): Group Final Report CW 1 (Element 2): Group Final Report To be completed by the student Student’s ID number | 00001477, 00001568, 00002099, 00001506| Module name| Research Methods| Module code| 2UZB503| Tutor| Lobar Mukhamedova| Individual assignment| | Group assignment| | Submission deadline| 04. 04. 2013| For Academic Registrar use only| Contents Abstract3 Introduction3 Literature Review3 Coffee and Smoking4 Coffee and Smoking cessation5 Coffee and alcohol5Coffee and physical activity6 Coffee and Income6 Conclusion6 Research question7 Research objectives7 Methodology7 Research approach and design7 Research setting8 Study population and sample8 Data Collection9 Data collection instrument9 Data collection procedure9 Reliability and validity10 Reliability10 Validity10 Ethical considerations10 Conclusion10 Data11 Estimation and Results14 Conclusion and Recommendatio ns16 Bibliography17 Appendix 119 Questionnaire instructions. 19 Instructions on how to complete the questionnaire19 Coffee questionnaire20 Personal information:20 AbstractThe following paper discusses the main determinants of coffee consumption at Westminster International University in Tashkent. Determinants such as income of respondent, ethnicity, religion, smoking habits and other factors are investigated. Data was collected using online methods of surveying and self-administrated questionnaires. Results proved to be significant and revealed a negative correlation between coffee consumption, active lifestyle and marital status. In contrast, positive correlation between coffee consumption income and age was found. Other factors as smoking, religion, education years proved to be insignificant.Introduction Being the third most consumed beverage in the world after water and tea, coffee is valued for its distinct aroma, flavor and energizing effect. Found in Ethiopia in the 9th centur y, coffee first became popular in the Arab world, was then promoted in Europe and consequently developed into one of the most traded commodities in the world(John K. Francis, 2007). World annual per capita consumption was equal to 1. 3 kg/person in 2011. America and Europe are the largest coffee consumers on per capita basis, accounting for 3. 9 and 3. 7 kg/person respectively, in comparison to Asian countries where the average constituted 0. kg/person (World Resources Institute, 2011). Nevertheless, the western coffee consumption habits are slowly starting to spread in Asia, especially in Uzbekistan, where coffee is considered as a fashionable hot drink rather than an everyday necessity. The consumption of both instant and insoluble coffeein Uzbekistan is limited to urban areas and is generally increasing alongside with the rising living standards (Euromonitor, 2011). Furthermore, the rising number of coffee shops and the popularity of coffee houses such as Cafe Jum, Julius Meinl, Book Cafe, KafeKafe and Coffee Clubare good indicators of the growing popularity of coffee.Literature Review Evidence from various studies identify that living standards are not the only determinant of coffee consumption behavior. Smoking, smoking cessation, alcohol, age, gender, level of physical activity and income also play a sufficient role in one’s consumption patterns. In their comprehensive research on coffee and associated lifestyle factors published in 2010 Hewlett and Wadsworth discovered a link between caffeinated drink consumption, smoking and alcohol. The findings revealed that those drinking coffee were more likely to be smokers aged between 30 and 70.Another review on coffee consumption behavior in Karnataka, India published in 2008 by Varun indicated a positive correlation between education, family size and income on coffee demand in urban areas, whereas in the rural areas, the price was the main determinant influencing consumption. The rationale for the linka ge of the determinants and coffee consumption is reviewedand discussed belowbased on a wide range of researches and surveys. The studies concerning coffee consumption behaviorwere obtained from EBSCO, JStor, Emerald and Google Scholar databases.Those researches included in the literature review are published in English, report coffee consumption behavior; show correlation with at least some of the lifestyle factors and provide a detailed review of the applied methodology and statistical analysis. Coffee and Smoking Seven studies concluded that higher cigarette consumption among persistent smokers is linked to highercoffee consumption. The investigation on coffee consumption patterns among army personnel byZavela et al. (1990) revealed a positive correlation between female cigarette and alcohol consumption and male cigarette and coffee consumption.Furthermore, the researchers identified that non-smokers tend to be abstemious to coffee and alcohol consumption. In contrast, Koksal et a l. (2011) in their pseudo-panel analysis of US household data came to the conclusion that that coffee consumption and consumption of cigarettes and alcohol are not correlated due to the statistical insignificance of the cross price elasticities of coffee. However,even though there is no serial complementary relation in the observed population, the authors do not exclude the possibility that coffee and cigarettes are complements for some individuals. Studies by Salazar et al. and Garcia et al. hat analyzed the responses from about 120’000 participants both, stated that more than 50% of female smokers drank at least 6 cups of coffeeper day, whereas only 30% of smoking men consumed at least 6 cups of coffee on a daily basis. Digging even further into the research of the relation of smoking and coffee, Klesges et al. conducted a large epidemiologic study with more than 7500 respondents. The researchers labeled those consuming from one to four cigarettes per day as light smokers, those smoking from five to twenty cigarettes as moderate smokers and those smoking at least twenty one cigarettes per day as heavy smokers.Further analysis revealed that light and moderate smokers where 2. 34 and 2. 84 times more likely to drink coffee than non-smokers, whereas heavy smokers where 4. 23 times more likely to be coffee consumers. The comparison of the student sample with the general public sample by Brice et al. illustrated that smokers in both samples were likely to drink more coffee in comparison to non-smokers. In the student sample (121 respondent) smokers on average consumed 76 mg more caffeine than their fellow non-smokers. In the general public sample (122 respondent) smokers consumed 92 mg more than non-smokers.The majority of the academic papers revealed a positive correlation between smoking and coffee consumption (except the Koksal et al. study). However, some of the mentioned above studies might be a subject to bias as most of the respondents were asked to self-report coffee consumption and smoking habits. Furthermore, studies by Zavela et al. and Brice et al. had small samples that did not completely represent the whole population and may therefore also be addressed as biased at some point. Nevertheless, despite the presented results, none of the researches, except for Benowitz et al. 2003) addressed the actual reason for the coffee/smoking relation. According to the researchers smokers prefer coffee due to the fact that smoking increases caffeine metabolism and coffee contains the highest its highest dose among all other beverages. In order to confirm the positive correlation between the amount of cigarettes smoked and coffee consumed it is important to research the reverse side of the relation. Do those people that quit smoking consume less coffee? Coffee and Smoking cessation Several studies review the relation between smoking cessation and coffee consumption andall of them reveal a positive correlation.A cross-sectional study by Fernandez et al. described a total sample of 2621 respondents and found that lower coffee consumption was associated with quitting smoking. However, the results might be effect-modified as the health reasons for quitting where not taken into consideration during data collection. The research on smoking relapse conducted by Krall et al. revealed that people who quit smoking but where drinking at least 6 cups of coffee daily where 2. 33 times more likely to start smoking again. A similar study of 116 men by Kauffman et al. eviewed that those who don’t drink a lot of coffee where 12 times more likely to quit smoking successfully. Furthermore, education and age where identified as the factors positively affecting smoking cessation and where adjusted in order to make the effect of coffee consumption clearer. Coffee and alcohol Correlations between coffee consumption and alcohol consumption are mostly explained by ones attitude towards health. Therefore, usually alcohol drinkers a re less concerned by their health and on average consume more coffee than non-drinkers.Researches by Talcott et al. and Stevenson et al. prove this statement as according to their findings, alcohol drinkers were 1. 52 times more likely to drink coffee. Schwarz et al. investigated even further and researched the relation between different alcohol drinks with coffee and tea consumption in a sample of 2400 respondents aged from twenty five to sixty four. The findings of the authors revealed that among beer, wine and other beverages only wine had a positive correlation with coffee consumption. Again the above studies have some limitations as some of them o not reveal the health conditions of the respondents. As mentioned above health is a serious determinant that can affect both alcohol intake and coffee consumption. Furthermore, self-administered means of collecting information were used. Therefore, the collected data might be prone to bias. Coffee and physical activity The majority of the reviewed surveys associated high coffee consumption with low physical activity. According to the research by Hewlett et al. less coffee consumption was associated with being younger and a less than healthy lifestyle. Thune et al. onducted a survey with more than 10000 respondents that indicated that both males and females with sedentary jobs consumed more coffee than those that were physically more active. Therefore, coffee consumption may be associated with less leisure time activities and a sedentary job. It is important to mention the work of Mosdol et al. that researched how the changes in coffee consumption affected ones physical activity. The respondents were placed in three groups by coffee consumption. The first group didn’t drink coffee at all, the second consumed 1 to 3 cups per day and the third group drank at least 4 cups.Furthermore, 3 physical activity level groups were established. The results revealed that those participants that increased the amount of c ups consumed per day were less likely to do physical exercise. Therefore, the higher is the coffee intake, the less physically active an individual is. From the methodological point of view, the limitations of the mentioned above surveys where again connected to the fact that mostly the participants were asked to self-report their levels of physical activity and coffee consumption. Furthermore, the studies researched the relation between the two variables at a single point of time.All of the limitations combined make it hard to identify the real connection between coffee consumption and physical activity. Coffee and Income It is evident that the relation between coffee consumption and income varies from region to region. Therefore, coffee consumption in some states comprises a significantly lower proportion of total consumption in comparison with other countries. Hewlett et al. (1990) identified that the income elasticity is positive and less than one for all of the goods investigat ed (coffee, tea, alcohol). Interestingly, the study by Varun et al. evealed that urban households purchase a larger amount of coffee and tea in contrast to rural households. Furthermore, total family income plays a more significant role in consumer decisions in urban areas, whereas family size was the major factor in rural areas. Conclusion Based on the reviewed literature most important coffee consumption determinants were identified. Therefore, a significant correlation between smoking and coffee consumption was found. Additional research revealed that smokers on average consume more than non-smokers and those who quit smoking.Furthermore, the probability of smoking relapse was higher for those ex-smokers that consumed a higher amount of caffeine. The biological relation between coffee metabolism and smoking was recognized as one of the factors to explain the correlation. Coffee consumption and alcohol intake were linked to an individual’s personal healthcare choices. There fore, high consumption of alcohol was correlated with an unhealthy lifestyle and consequently, with a higher consumption of coffee. Unhealthy lifestyle was also proved to be the factor relating coffee intake with lower physical activity.Income and coffee consumption were proven to change from region to region, with people in urban areas with higher incomes drinking more coffee in comparison with the people in rural areas. Most importantly, a research gap was found. As can be seen from the above review, none of the researchers investigated coffee consumption patterns in Uzbekistan and almost none of them investigated university student’s coffee consumption behavior. Therefore, it is important to fulfill this gap and conduct a survey of coffee consumption patterns among students in Uzbekistan.However, due to the scarcity of resources this research will focus on the coffee consumption determinants in Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT). Research question What are the main coffee consumption determinants for the students of the Westminster International University in Tashkent? Research objectives * To identify the main factors affecting coffee consumption behavior of WIUT students * To discover whether the findings about the positive relation between smoking and coffee consumption are applicable to WIUT tudents * To interpret the discovered relations between key determinants and coffee consumption Methodology Research approach and design During the research a quantitative approach was implemented. Given (2008) describes a quantitative research as an empirical investigation of a social phenomenon by the use of statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. Usually a quantitative approach is applied when it is necessary to statistically describe and test relations between certain variables and examine cause effect relations.A descriptive (correlational) survey was used to collect primary data to describe the population. The descrip tive survey interprets the relationships among a set of variables to develop trends and patterns in the data. Variables in this kind of a survey are not manipulated and are studied as they occur. The survey obtains data from a population sample by means of self-report, when participants respond to a number of questions identified by the researcher. In the current research, information was gathered by the use of self-administered questionnaires distributed online and individually for each participant.A descriptive quantitative approach was applied because it helps to identify the causes of the interrelations in the variables. The main advantage of the employed approach is precision that is achieved through reliable quantitative measurement, when the collected data is not manipulated. However, there are some limitations due to the objectivity of self-reports, as respondents may provide the researcher with unauthentic information that is not accurate. Research settingThe study was cond ucted at the Westminster International University in Tashkent that is located in the highly dense urban area in the center of the capital of Uzbekistan. Approximately 1700 students and 90 teachers attend the university. The majority of the students are locals aged from 17 to 25, most of which are a registered in the Facebook social network. Study population and sample A population is a set of all the elements that come within the study sample criteria. The sampling frame consisted of young adults aged 17 to 23 that are full-time bachelor’s degree students who study on levels 3, 4, 5 or 6 of the university.Master’s degree students and teachers were not included in the frame as they represent an older age group that does not fit into the aim of the research to study consumption patterns among students. Due to the lack of time, resources and the impossibility of implementation, the census approach, when data is collected from everyone in the population,was excluded from t he research. Instead, the simple random sampling approach was applied. Under this approach the sample is collected by randomly choosing the respondents from the sampling frame.The simple random sampling approach was used because the research sample size was equal to 300, the sample frame was easily accessible via the computer database, and interactions with the respondents were not an issue. The sample size decisions were based on a 95% confidence level that the data represents the characteristics of the whole population and the 3-5% acceptable margin of error that expresses the amount of random sampling error in the results. According to the optimal sample size calculations and the table adapted from Saunders et al. (2003, p. 56) and assuming a 100% response rate the optimal sample size was identified to be equal to 300. The collected sample was compared with the student statistics from the university and was provento represent the characteristics of the university population. Data Collection Data collection instrument A self-administered questionnaire was chosen as the data collection instrument for the research. A typical questionnaire is usually a mean of collecting primary data and consists of a series of questions that are aimed at gathering information from the respondents.The decision to apply questionnaires as a data gathering tool was made largely due to the following factors: * High response rates as the questionnaires were distributed online via social networks and distributed to the respondents to complete and were consequently collected personally by the researcher * Less time and resources to administer, as all of the online replies where automatically monitored and both online and manual responses wereprocessed by computer software * Anonymity, as the respondents personal identification details (e. g. ame, student ID, etc) were not required * Less prone to bias as they were presented in a consistent manner * Most of the questions were closed, w hich made further statistical analysis easier However, the main disadvantage from the self-administered questionnaire is that it might not reflect the true state of the respondent and valuable information might be lost as the answers are usually brief. The questionnaire was conducted in English and consisted of two sections. Section 1 was aimed at getting demographic data such as age, gender, education years, religion, etc.Section 2 mostly consisted of closed questions and was aimed at determining ones coffee consumption habits and related information. The examples of the questionnaire with instructions on how to complete it areprovided in Appendix 1. Data collection procedure The questionnaires were distributed in two ways: * Via social networks such as Facebook and Odnoklassniki * Personally to respondents at the university In order to avoid resemblance in the online and manual responses, the sample was divided into two groups by study level.Therefore, the first group, consisting of level 5 and level 6 students was questioned online, whereas the level 3 and 4 students were asked to fill manual questionnaires. The data was collected in a one month period. Reliability and validity Reliability Reliability is a measure of consistency with which an instrument, in the case of the current research a questionnaire measures the attributes it was designed to measure. Therefore, a questionnaire may be assumed to be reliable if it will give the same results when applied to the same group of people.The questionnaire was firstly pretested on a group of 50 people that answered the questionnaire twice in different environments, the results revealed consistency in responses. The two sets of responses can were compared statistically using weighted Kappa  for categorical data and Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient for continuous data. However, it is important to minimize measurement errors related to reliability. Hence, data collector bias was reduced by allocati ng two researchers to be the only ones to manage the questionnaire.The environment where data was gathered was made comfortable by ensuring silence, privacy and confidentiality for the respondents. Validity In contrast to reliability validity is a measure of how a questionnaire is employed and refers the extent to which the questionnaire represents studied variables. In order to ensure validity, the questionnaire was based on the review of literature. In addition, all questionnaires distributed manually were delivered by the appointed administering researchers.Furthermore, the questions were formulated in a simple language to assure clarity, guidelines were provided in order to ensure the ease of understanding the questions. The manual questionnaires were completed in the presence of the researchers to make sure that the questionnaires were not filled by third parties. However, it was hard to administer this aspect of the online questionnaire as the researchers were unable to monito r the process of filling. Ethical considerations In order to protect the human rights of the respondents, ethical aspects of the research were taken into consideration.Therefore, before handling in the questionnaire the researchers informed the participants about the aims of the study. Anonymity and confidentiality were maintained, as the personal information of the respondents was not disclosed, and the collected information was kept confidential. Self-determination was sustained by providing the respondents with a choice on whether to participate in the research or not. Scientific honesty, being an important ethical part of the research was also maintained as the researchers and analysts did not manipulate, change or alter the collected data.Conclusion The research implemented a descriptive, quantitative approach. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information from 300 respondents on the territory of the Westminster International University in Tashkent. The sample included young adults aged 17 to 23 studying on the levels 3,4,5 and 6 of the university. Reliability, validity and ethical considerations were taken into account while administering the research. Data Descriptive statistics and results are shown in Figure 1. Variable| Observations| Mean| Std. Dev. | Min| Max| | | | | | | ID| 297| 149| 85. 8073| 1| 297| age| 297| 20. 60269| 3. 388732| 16| 40| gender| 297| . 5454545| . 49877| 0| 1| marital| 297| . 0909091| . 287965| 0| 1| ethnicity| 297| . 8855219| . 3189284| 0| 1| | | | | | | religion| 296| . 9054054| . 2931498| 0| 1| city| 296| . 7668919| . 4235265| 0| 1| educyears| 296| 13. 93581| 2. 639838| 4| 45| Montly Income| 195| 575451. 3| 1027561| 0| 1. 00e+07| Work| 294| . 452381| . 4985759| 0| 1| | | | | | | Smoke| 297| . 2255892| . 4186752| 0| 1| Sport| 296| . 7466216| . 4356823| 0| 1| Drinking Coffee| 297| . 8114478| . 3918127| 0| 1| Coffee consumption| 283| 27. 9929| 34. 79035| 0| 225| Price Coffee| 266| 3449. 286| 4854. 957| 0| 18000 | | | | | | | Weather| 296| . 5067568| . 500801| 0| 1| Morning| 296| . 5236486| . 5002862| 0| 1| Food| 296| . 5101351| . 5007438| 0| 1| Winter| 294| . 5816327| . 4941322| 0| 1| Company| 296| . 5236486| . 5002862| 0| 1| | | | | | | ln Income| 131| 13. 26666| . 8222373| 11. 51293| 16. 1181| LN Coffee| 259| 2. 844612| 1. 142757| 0| 5. 416101| LN Price| 242| 7. 805468| . 9738078| 2. 302585| 11. 0021| Figure 1 The sample collected was used with the help of the STATA statistical and econometrical tool.Qualitative data representing dummy variables as religion, ethnicity, employment status, smoking habits, sport, marital status and all other vectors of dummy variables were transformed to quantitative data. The list of dummy variables and their quantitative meaning is represented in Figure 2. Variable| Observations| Represented as 1| Represented as 0|   |   |   |   | gender| 297| Male| Female| marital| 297| Married| Single/Widow| ethnicity| 297| Asian| Other| |   |   |   | reli gion| 296| Muslim| Other| city| 296| Tashkent| Other| Work| 294| Employed| Unemployed| |   |   |   | Smoke| 297| Smoker| Non-smoker|Sport| 296| Sport| Non-sport| Drinking Coffee| 297| Coffee Drinker| Non-coffee drinker|   |   |   |   | Weather| 296| Weather Influence| Weather doesn't influence| Morning| 296| Morning hours preffered| No preference over time| Food| 296| Coffee consumed with food| No preference regarding food| Winter| 294| Winter time preffered| No preferene over time|   |   |   |   | Figure 2 As descriptive statistics show, the sample number was decreased to 297 due to the exclusion of some answers with irrelevant and unreal results, i. e. , those surveys that were spoiled by giving extraordinary high levels of coffee consumption or income.Mean income of a WIUT students was estimated to be 575’451 UZS with the standard deviation of 1’072’000 UZS to both sides. Again, such a big dispersion indicates low reliability of the data that will be discussed further. The composition of the sample regarding gender, as well as with respect to age grouping and ethnicity is shown in Figures 3 to 8. Figure 4. Employment Status Figure 4. Employment Status Figure 3. Gender Distribution Figure 3. Gender Distribution Figure 6. Religion Figure 6. Religion Figure 5. Smoking habits Figure 5. Smoking habits Figure 8. Age distribution Figure 8. Age distribution Figure 7. Active Lifestyle Figure 7.Active Lifestyle Estimation and Results Estimations were found using the method of weighted least squares and finding corresponding coefficients for respective variables. In order to avoid the problem of heteroscedascity, robust method of weighted least squares instead ordinary least squares method was applied. Nevertheless, in order to show the difference between ordinary least squares and weighted least squares methods both models were used in the results section. In Regression 1 Ordinary Least Squares Method was employed, while Reg ression 2 used the Weighted Least Squares Robust method to avoid the problem of heteroscedascity.Furthermore, due to the existence of zero-expenditures problem in some cases and not giving accurate information regarding income of students all income information was respectively changed to logarithmic scale. Moreover, since coffee consumption is discrete, it was also changed to logarithmic scale in order to avoid zero expenditure problems during estimation. Therefore, the final model of weighted least squares model can be shown by the following function. lncoffee= ? +? logincome+jik+? where k is the j number of dummy variables such as city, ethnicity, education, gender, employment status, smokers and other variables described before.As it was said usage of the logarithmic scale helps to avoid the issues associated with zero expenditure. Results. The following table shows estimates for both models using Weighted Least Squares and Ordinary Least Squares (Robust) methods. The difference between two model is not cardinal. The most obvious difference is in the estimations of standard error, since usage of the robust method gives smaller standard errors. Results found a vivid relationship between active lifestyle (sport) and drinking coffee. People who do sports tend to consume less coffee than those leading a less active lifestyle.Furthermore, estimations revealed an interesting correlation for those individuals that are single. In this case, as it was said earlier dummy variable 1 represents a married person. Negative coefficient for marital status indicates that on average married people consume less coffee than singles or widows. In this case the reference group was singles and both coefficients were significant at 99% confidence level, rejecting null hypothesis that marital status and sport activities do not relate to coffee consumption among students of WIUT. | Regression 1| Regression 2| | coef| se| coef| se|Age| 0,039| 0,027| 0,039*| 0,022| Gender(1/0)| -0,10 2| 0,205| -0,102| 0,218| Marital status (1/0)| -0,894***| 0,319| -0,894***| 0,269| Ethnicity| 0,163| 0,294| 0,163| 0,252| Religion| 0,117| 0,336| 0,117| 0,253| City where you were born:| -0,263| 0,219| -0,263| 0,209| Education years (school+ lyceum +university):| -0,007| 0,042| -0,007| 0,047| Do you have a part-time or full-time work? | 0,263| 0,190| 0,263| 0,224| Do you smoke? | 0,158| 0,244| 0,158| 0,238| Do you do sport? | -0,611***| 0,207| -0,611***| 0,198| Does weather influence your decision to drink coffee? 0,170| 0,186| 0,170| 0,203| Do you prefer to drink coffee in morning hours (7:00 to 11:00) or in any other t| 0,159| 0,198| 0,159| 0,234| Do you usually drink coffee with food/snack? | 0,212| 0,175| 0,212| 0,180| Do you drink more coffee during winter or any other period? | -0,239| 0,207| -0,239| 0,234| logincome| 0,230*| 0,121| 0,230*| 0,122| _cons| -0,730| 1,539| -0,730| 1,551| Number of observations| 119| 119| Adjusted R2| 0,136| 0,136| note: *** p;0. 01, ** p;0. 05, * p;0. 1|   |   |   | With a smaller confidence level, the importance of income was proved.In this case, positive coefficient of logincome with respect to logcoffee indicates that increase in income tend to result in an increase in coffee consumption. Furthermore, application of logarithmic scale as it was mentioned earlier, helped to avoid zero-expenditure problems, however shrank the available size of the sample down from 297 to 119. This occurred due to the responses of the participants who didn’t give correct responses on the income questions. Interestingly enough, results for age were important at 90% confidence interval while applying the robust method of standard error calculation.All other dummy variables including weather, consumption of coffee with snack, employment status, city, religion are concluded to be insignificant. Conclusion and Recommendations As estimations have indicated some significant results were obtained particularly concerning the research prop osal in determination of coffee consumption behavior at WIUT. Mainly, the importance of income and marital status, with sedentary lifestyle proved that WIUT student’s coffee consumption pattern and addictions were quite similar to those revealed in the study by Zavela.The difference and usefulness of the results nevertheless might not be as good as it might have been in the case of a broader and better collected sample. First of all, collection of data not via survey, but corresponding actual spending on coffee and finding out total monthly expenditure would have been much more appropriate for the analysis. In that case, reliability of the data would be guaranteed and more precise results might be obtained. Also, quite limited and more or less similar population of WIUT population can’t be interpreted as proxy for any Uzbekistan university students, or even for Tashkent city students.In order for the sample to be more representative data from each university should be collected using not a self-administered survey, but more fundamental methods. However, considering high cost and the lack of time, sufficient data collection might be a hard problem. Bibliography ————————————————- Brice C. F. and Smith A. P. (2002). Factors associated with caffeine consumption. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 53, 55-64. Current Worldwide Annual Coffee Consumption per capita. (n. d. ). ChartsBin. com – Visualize your data. Retrieved March 11, 2013, from http://chartsbin. om/view/581 Fernandez E. , Vecchia C. L. , Avanzo B. D. , Braga C. , Negri E. and Franceschi S. (1997). Quitting smoking in Northern Italy: A cross-sectional analysis of 2621 subjects. European Journal of Epidemiology, 13, 267-273. Given, L. M. (2008). The Sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. Los Angeles, Calif. : Sage Publications. — Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Hewlett, P. , & Wadsworth, E. (2013). Tea, coffee and associated lifestyle factors. British Food Journal,  114(3), 416-427. ————————————————- John K. Francis. â€Å"Coffeaarabica L. RUBIACEAE†.Factsheet of U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Retrieved 2007-07-27. ————————————————- Kauffman R. M. , Ferketich A. K. , Wee A. G. , Shultz J. M. , Kuun P. and Wewers M. E. (2008). Factors associated with smokeless tobacco cessation in an Appalachian population. Addictive Behaviors, 33, 821-830. ————————————————- Klesges R. C. , Ray J. W. and Klesges L. M. (1994). Caffeinated coffee and tea intake and its relationship to cigarette smoking: An analysis of the second national health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES II).Journal of Substance Abuse, 6, 407-418. Koksal, A. , ;Wohlgenant, M. (2011). RATIONALLY ADDICTED TO CIGARETTES, ALCOHOL AND COFFEE? A PSEUDO PANEL APPROACH . Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, North Carolina State University  ,  1, 1-21. Krall E. A. , Garvey A. J. and Garcia R. I. (2002). Smoking relapse after 2 years of abstinence: findings from the VA normative aging study. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 4, 95-100. Krall E. A. , Garvey A. J. and Garcia R. I. (2002). Smoking relapse after 2 years of abstinence: findings from the VA normative aging study.Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 4, 95-100. ————————————————- Matter, S. (n. d. ). Coffee in Uzbekistan . Global Market Research and Analysis for Industries, Countries, and Consumers. Retrieved March 11, 2013, from http://www. euromonitor. com/coffee-in-uzbekistan/report Mosdol A. , Christenseen B. , Retterstol L. and Thelle D. S. (2002). Induced changes in the consumption of coffee alter ad libitum dietary intake and physical activity level. British Journal of Nutrition, 87, 261-266. Salazar-Martinez E. , Willett W. C. , Ascherio A. Manson J. E. , Leitzmann M. F. , Stampfer M. J. and Hu F. B. (2004). Coffee consumption and risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Annals of Internal Medicine, 140, 1-8. Saunders, M. (2003). Research methods for business students. Harlow, England New York: Prentice Hall. Schwarz B. , Bischof H. P. and Kunze M. (1994). Coffee, Tea and Lifestyle. Preventive Medicine, 23, 377-384 Stevenson J. S. and Masters J. A. (2005). Predictors misuse and abuse in older women. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 37(4), 329-335. Talcott G. W. , Poston W. S. C. II and Haddock C. K . (1998).Co-occurrent use of cigarettes, alcohol, and caffeine in a retired military population. Military Medicine, 163, 133-138. Thune I. , Njolstad I. , Lochen M. L. and Forde O. H. (1998). Physical activity improves the metabolic risk profiles in men and women. Archives of Internal Medicine, 158, 1633-1640. ————————————————- VARUN, T. (2008). CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOUR OF COFFEE AND TEA IN KARNATAKA. Thesis submitted to the University of Agricultural Sciences,  1, 1-95. Appendix 1 Questionnaire instructions. For the researchers when introducing the survey to the respondents Dear Mr/Ms __________As a part of our coursework on Research Methods, we were assigned to conduct a research on coffee consumption among students in WIUT. As part of the research we composed a questionnaire in order to identify your coffee consumption patterns. The questionnaire is anonymous and confide ntial. No personal information is required. Could you please take your time and answer the questions 1 to 16? Instructions on how to complete the questionnaire The questionnaire is confidential. No name or ID is required. Please fill in the personal information box first. Pay attention to the guidelines in the brackets after the questions.In the education years line please fill in the years you spent at school, lyceum or university either combined or separately. Yes/No questions have an additional field for commentaries. Fill in the comments section only if you have any additional information to share. Coffee questionnaire The questionnaire is confidential. No name or ID is required. Please fill in the personal information box first. Pay attention to the guidelines in the brackets after the questions. In the education years line please fill in the years you spent at school, lyceum or university either combined or separately.Yes/No questions have an additional field for commentaries. Fill in the comments section only if you have any additional information to share. | Personal information: Age:| | Gender (Male/Female):| | Marital status (Married/Single):| | Ethnicity: | | Religion:| | City where you were born:| | Education years (school+ lyceum +university):| | Monthly income (in UZS):| | | Criteria| Yes/No| Comments| 1| Do you have a part-time or full-time work? | Yes No| | 2| Do you smoke? | Yes No| | 3| Do you do sport? | Yes No| | 4| Do you drink coffee? YesNo| | 5| How much coffee do you consume per month? (in cups)| | 6| How much do you usually pay for a cup of coffee? (UZS per cup)| | 7| How much are you willing to pay for a cup of coffee? (UZS per cup)| | 8| Does weather influence your decision to drink coffee? | Yes No| | 9| Do you prefer to drink coffee in morning hours (7:00 to 11:00) or in any other time? ( Yes for morning hours, No for any other)| Yes No| | 10| Other than coffee, which hot/cold beverages do you regularly purchase? | | 1 1| How much do you usually pay for a cup of tea? UZS per cup)| | 12| How much are you willing to pay for a cup of tea? (UZS per cup)| | 13| Do you usually drink coffee with food/snack? (Yes if you do, No if you don’t)| Yes No| | 14| Do you drink coffee during winter or any other period? (Yes for Winter, No for other)| Yes No| | 15| Do you usually drink coffee while you are with friends/company or alone? (Yes with friends/company, No alone)| Yes No| | 16| Do you prefer university coffee or any other coffee outside? ( Yes for university, No for outside)| Yes No| | Any other comments: | |

Body Images and Popular Culture in China Essay

Chen clams that Chinese girls have stronger preferences for a thin ideal predict body dissatisfaction because it has been rooted in Chinese history for centuries as their traditional idea. However, I believe that this is not the case, because the mass media and western ideas have a strong impact on today’s China. Young Chinese women have often said like a habit, â€Å"I want to be skinny. † Why do Chinese do they desperately wish to be slim or prefer to be thinner? There are many popular and famous celebrities who are typically skinny in China. The mass media pervades the everyday lives of people living in Chinese society. It plays an important role in influencing their attitudes on how they view themselves in term of body image. Not only influencing them on styles, fashions, and makeups but body images dealing with society’s standard what is beautiful and cute. They are powerful conveyors of the sociocultural ideals, so they can illustrate people’s mind about body images. Especially Chinese women are engaged in a rational struggle to understand the significance of pubertal weight and shape changes in a culture and full of confusing messages about female sexuality and female desires. The mass media and interpersonal influences on body image affect many young Chinese women. They create the body images as a message to the society, and the message spread among young Chinese women. Appearance pressure associates with body dissatisfaction. The message spread through typically TV, magazines, advertising, and films. In Dong’s â€Å"Who Is Afraid of Chinese Modern Girl,† she describes high class of modern Chinese girl’s qualities are appeared in the mass media. The figures are considered as good and respectable women figures in China. She states, â€Å"The magazine juxtaposed photos of real women with advertising images and fashion sketches and created a space for imaging the modern by blending reality, desire, and fantasy† (Dong 196). According to magazines’ surveys, majority of magazine readers are women and girls. For instant, there are many articles in fashion magazines how to dress and how to lose weight, which are targeted on young girls. Models in fashion magazines are pretty and beautiful in their eyes, and they believe that the models are considered what is beautiful in the society. The models are like a dream for many young girls. In Cash Pruzinsky’s book Body image, they discuss an important relationship between young girls and mass media. They explains, â€Å"In early adolescence, girls consider magazine articles and advertisements to be an important source of information for defining and obtaining the perfect body are more likely to be dissatisfied with their body. Many girls compare themselves to the slender, glamorous women in magazines and on TV† (Cash and Pruzinsky 79). In addition, girls are more likely than boys to feel pressure from the mass media and close interpersonal networks such as family and friends about their appearance because they generally have conversations about their appearance in more infrequency. Frequent appearance comparisons and discussions are important influences on body dissatisfaction. Cash and Pruzinsky argue that socializing and associating with others would send the media-based messages to others. They explain, â€Å"Socialization about the meaning of one’s body involves more than cultural and media-based messages. Expectations, opinions, and verbal and nonverbal communications are conveyed in interactions with family members, friends, other peers, and even strangers† (Cash and Pruzinsky 40). The female images represented by the mass media restrict women, and they are giving them a wrong message. This culture further prescribes the myriad body altering means of attaining societal expectations by dieting, exercising, using beauty and fashion products. For more advantages of Chinese companies, they would use mass media as a technique of advertising skills to sell their diet and cosmetic products effectively. Body image, the multifaceted psychological experience of embodiment, profoundly influences the quality of human life. The mass media shapes the idealized images and acceptable appearance. The body images what is called the perfect woman figures are created and presented by the mass media, and they can affect on the attitudes and behaviors of young Chinese women. China is a densely populated and rapidly developing country where has been absorbed various different cultures. In Louie’s book Modern Chinese Culture, she discusses that mass media serves as an interface between the self-identities of youth, consumer culture, global fashions and cultural trends. She states, â€Å"A distinct urban youth culture is taking shape, nurtured largely by an electronically based consumer culture. As such, this youth culture is the embodiment of globalization: it draws its icons, styles, images and values mainly from the ‘global’ consumer culture and entertainment culture†(Louie 331). Without a doubt, China has been strongly westernized, so it is most apparent that body image problems are increasing. The mass media expresses feminine standards of attractiveness such as ultra-thinness. It can encourage awareness of expected standards for appearance and behavior and willingness to adapt other’s preference in the service if international harmony. The mass media set standard images of attractive women, and they have affected to women’s life. This belief of sociocultural perspective is that cultural values influence individual values and behavior. Attractive women based on mass media’s influences have better life in general than women who are not attractive. They are the recipients of all manner of positive behaviors, and they appear to develop positive characteristics as a consequence. They are often treated more favorably than their less attractive counterparts. They receive more attention, positive interactions, and help from others. They experience greater occupational success and popularity, and they also have more dating and sexual experience. They have higher social self-esteem, better social skills, and better health both physically and mentally. The perspective addresses the source of Chinese cultural values regarding attractiveness, and there appears to be cross-cultural agreement in what constitutes physical attractiveness. The mass media’s idealized depiction of thin female figures may influence Chinese women’s body image in a several of ways. The body images have caused young Chinese women some problems such as emotional depression, lowering self-esteem, and eating disorders. The current societal standards for female beauty enormously emphasize the extreme thinness, and the level of thinness is almost impossible for most women to achieve by healthy means. The potentially negative consequences of the thin ideal, elaborated elsewhere in this volume, include negative body image, low self-esteem, and psychological and physical disorders of life threatening proportions. They have a powerful impact on them for their welling and self-esteem. â€Å"Because negative body images are likely to induce negative mood states such as anxiety and depression, the activation of a negative mood can activate the body self-schema, resulting in the exacerbation of body image disturbances†(Cash and Pruzinsky 50). Many young Chinese women feel public self-consciousness and appearance based social pressure. Public self-consciousness is a cognitive development correlated with body dissatisfaction among young girls as their brains region that process social information mature. Their brains focus on perception to one’s appearance and behaviors. They tend to adapt as media’s perspective as a positive image, and they decrease self-esteem and oppositely increase their body image concerns. The social pressure to look like perfect woman figures is associated with women’s happiness and success. They feel more pressure linked directly with shape, weight, and weight loss. â€Å"Thinness is a feminine and attractiveness ideal in China† (Chen 4). Girls who are perceived more pressure from the mass media are predicted more likely to have eating disorders. Rates have been increasing in China. Dissatisfaction with weight and shape is a moderately strong correlate and predictor of the perceived need to be thinner and the actions of dieting and purging. In conclusion, the social pressures of body images communicate through exposure to mass media portrayals of physical attractiveness contribute to body dissatisfaction for Chinese women. There are some historical and Chinese traditional aspects of body images as Chen argues. However, I argued that the mass media presentation of thin images as the ideal is a major contributor to current levels of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in China. There is a significant relationship between Chinese women’s body image and the mass. The commonness of the mass media confirms that nearly all girls and women are exposed to a substantial and idealized images of thinness and beauty. Most are vulnerable to adverse effects when they are exposed to media images. The mass media may be over influenced to promote the ideal attractiveness standards. The evidences show that media images contributes to negative body image, The most obvious strategy would be to reduce exposure to idealized images of thinness by encouraging the media to present a wider and more realistic range of female body shapes as acceptable and even beautiful. Even though the images narrow range of female body images, it is hard for them to resist being influenced by the mass media. It sets the standards of beauty, which has been greatly influenced by western countries; therefore, Chinese women have been losing their traditional features. It limits and controls their attitudes and behaviors.