PUBLIC RELATIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PUBLIC RELATIONS - Essay Example It has five branches, namely IWM London, IWM Duxford, IWM North, HNS Belfest and Churchhill War Rooms (IWM 2012 p.1). The organization’s target is to elaborate factors and consequences of war and conflict in an attempt to influence positive change in the world. Four main principles guide the organization. Courage enables them to challenge the current knowledge in the world. It allows them to champion discussions concerning war and conflict. Authoritativeness allows them to question certain fields and establish standards of operations. Relevance ensures the content they portray targets the right persons. The fourth principle is empathy that enables the organization to document experiences and historical facts accurately while respecting opinions and views of participants (IWM 2012 p.1). The ultimate goal of IWP is to become the overall authority in conflicts. Imperial War Museum relies on several sources of funding that include government funding, donations, sponsorship and com mercial ventures. Admissions for audience are free in London and Manchester branch. However the other branches have limited capacity. Therefore, they charge tickets for visitors (IWM 2012 p.1) Analysis of the Museum strategy PESTLE analysis Political evaluation The political environment favors the activities and targets of Imperial War Museum. The museum originated in UK following the First World War that instigated this war. The UK government is on the frontline campaigning alongside IWM. It funds the Museum and supports its activities. There is minimal negative political influence in the Museum because the government supports the museum and participates actively in its plans. However, the museum’s schedule for the 2014 centenary coincides with general elections. In this period, grants are expected to reduce. IWM will feel the impact through 2014-2015(IWM 2012 p.1) Economic influence The Museum requires many funds to run and implement its plans. However, this is not a concer n because the government constantly funds the institution. IMP has projects due for completion in 2014 that require ?35 million. Funds for these projects come from a Heritage Lottery Grant, donations and its commercial operations. In addition, the government offers ? 5 Million for these projects and another ? 50 million for hundred years commemorations since First World War that is due next year, 2014. The government further allocates ? 5.3 million to be distributed among schools to enable students visit the museums and attend the commemorations. Lastly, the museum generates income to fund its activities from its commercial entities. Reports in 2011-2012 indicate that it generates at least 50 per cent of the total funds it needs for operating. According to IWM (2013) however, on the part of visitors, the increasingly difficult economic times will influence household financial decisions eventually undermining attendance to the museum events and commemorations. Social influence Social factors can strengthen an organization or weaken it (Northumbria University, 2008). IWM has sparked interest in the global society. Currently, it records 700 member organizations for the 2014 World War I centenary. According to the museums past records, it has had 1.9 million guests visit their five branches. Upon interviewing the guests, most said they would come attend certain events if

Death in the stranger and night Essay Example for Free

Death in the stranger and night Essay Before Meursault dies, he talks about his philosophy, and how he thinks the universe works. In this philosophical rant that he trails on, he says that nothing really matters in his life, or in anyones life. He begins to understand the actions of his mother towards the end of her life, and says that he understands the actions of the universe, and actually says the universe is like a brother. As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself-so like a brother, really-I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. (122-123). Meursaults indifference to his own death once again represents Camus philosophy that death is simply an action that needs to be carried out at the end of life. This especially represents Camus philosophy since Meursault had been representing the philosophy of Camus in the pages beforehand, which means that Camus most likely holds this attitude towards death, which is what is being broadcast through this book. In Night, the most important death that occurs in the book, among the many that are referenced, is the death of Elies father. Both before and after his fathers death, Elie is extremely attached to his father, emotionally. He takes his relationship with his father so seriously that he says I had to stay at Buchenwald until April eleventh. I have nothing to say of my life during this period. It no longer mattered. After my fathers death, nothing could touch me any more. (107) This shows that Elie is extremely attached to his father, since his fathers death drives him to apathy towards his life. He takes the death of his father extremely seriously. The importance of his fathers life to him is shown through his continued attempts to keep him alive. In example, the head of Elies block tells him Here, there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone. Instead of heeding the mans advice, Elie decides he will keep on trying to save his father by feeding him his rations of soup and bread. This shows that Elies view on death is a personal one. He views death as a loss to the living. He very much cares about the fate of the dead, and would very much have them stay alive than die. The representation of death in the two novels represents the attitude towards death held by the two cultures that the books represent. The Stranger, or Letranger, in the original French, represents French culture, since Albert Camus, who is really an Algerian, was greatly influenced by the French. Since Algeria was a French colony at the time that The Stranger written, French and Algerian culture in the sense of their philosophy on death is really the same. Night represents Eastern-European Jewish culture, seeing as Elie Wiesel, a Jew born and raised in Eastern Europe, wrote the novel and portrayed other Eastern-European Jews in it. Albert Camus novel The Stranger, and Elie Wiesels memoir Night both represented death in two very different ways. Albert Camus, through The Stranger portrayed death as a natural action that had to happen to every person at some time in his or her life, and should not be taken as seriously as it is. Elie Wiesel, through Night, argued that death should be taken seriously, as should the dying.

Analisis Of The Poem Dreamers :: essays research papers

Dreamers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dreamers is a WWI poem that is about the soldiers rather than the war itself, the message of the poem is that soldiers although viewed as hated killers that kill innocent victims the poem expresses the fact that the soldiers are just like the â€Å"normal† person, the poem also consists of many thoughts and doesn’t single out one side or another this shows that is was probably written by a observer of the war or someone that was directly involved in the war itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first two lines of the poem sign is a great display of what people make soldiers out the be and what a normal citizen pictures them as â€Å"Citizens of Deaths gray land† a typical view of a solider that is fighting in a war is a bringer of death and some one who does not think twice about killing someone, but it is quickly countered buy telling the reader that although they are deaths soldiers they are not free from deaths fatal grasp them selves and gain nothing from the fighting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second two lines are a dramatic turn stating that as soldiers the stand starring destiny in the face to face, but is again turned as the thought of the solider is that he isn’t think ing about death but is thinking about feuds, jealousies ,and sorrows, not exactly like a normal person but shows that they are like â€Å"normal† people in the sense that they care about what they have done.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Third two lines are like the first talking about what a soldiers is supposed to do followed but a dramatic line that shows that they as people are not invisible, the first line states the soldiers are supposed to win giving them a heavy burden that rest dead on there shoulders, but is yet again turned around by the fact the writer lets us know that some come out in body bags and some come out with the â€Å"fatal climax† which is that they have to go fight a war that they don’t wish to be a part of.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The fourth two lines are the second most powerful in the poem, it shows that the soldiers who are fighting are dreamers when the guns begin to fire, and the dream of the things that most people take for grantit like a warm home, clean beds and there beautiful wives which are left at there homes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next four lines tell of the horrors that the soldiers induer such as trenches that are plagued with rats and that are flooded with rain and are

‘The First World War increased rather than narrowed Germany’s political divisions’?

In 1914, as the First World War began, many would argue that the conflict had narrowed political divisions in Germany as all political parties were united, with the common aim of winning the Great War. However, despite this initial unification, as the war progressed, it proceeded to politically polarise Germany as different political perspectives emerged, desiring many contrasting things, the major contrast being between left wing groups that wanted the war to end, and right wing groups which wanted to continue with the war until Germany had won.Therefore, by 1918, the First World War had very much increased rather than narrowed political division in Germany. Initially, the war narrowed political divisions because as the war had begun, Germany went into a system of Burgfrieden, summoned by Kaiser Wilhelm II. This was a political truce, agreed to by all of the major German political parties, to put their politics aside and unite to support the war effort. As part of this truce, all po wer was transferred from the Reichstag and given to the Bundesrat.Eventually this would develop into the ‘silent dictatorship’ of Hindenburg and Ludendorff who effectively became the most powerful men in Germany as all political and military decisions came from them. Although there were slight constraints on their powers, from August 1916, they decided on the strategy of the war and how Germany should proceed and their views superseded the contrasting ideas of Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg.It is clear that this system of Burgfrieden, where political standpoints had been thrown aside, would have narrowed political divisions as it seriously reduced the amount of opposition to the war that might have been expected from different groups such as the SPD. It could also be argued that this semi-dictatorship of Hindenburg and Ludendorff would also have narrowed political division as these two people would have all political control and stop diverse political debate, allowing for decisions to be made quickly.However, as all resources were put into ensuring territorial gain and military measures, this did attract some opposition. The conformity of the SPD and workers unions was key to the limited opposition that the war faced in German politics. The SPD believed it was their patriotic duty to support the government in war and also feared the repression that they may face if they openly opposed the war. A small number of party members did speak out against the war. In August 1914, fourteen of the 110 socialists in the Reichstag argued against the war but they were lone voices that did not provoke widespread opposition.A small number of thinkers (such as Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg) also argued that revolution was the only way to achieve peace. However this belief had limited impact, as these thinkers spent most of the war in prison. This limited opposition voice was fundamental to the narrowing of political division at the start of the war. However, as the w ar progressed, opposition grew and this would go on to dramatically widen political divisions. When political divisions were beginning to widen in 1917, there was potential for political reform which could have once more unified different political opinions.People had begun to lose confidence in the war effort and in reform and consequently, opposition looked likely to grow. Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg persuaded the Kaiser to give hope of reform. In the Easter Offer, the Kaiser promised an end to Prussia’s three class voting system and to reform the Bundesrat once the war was over. This promise of more democratic reform could have potentially quelled any opposition feeling that was emerging amongst the German people. Unfortunately for the Kaiser, it did little to convince those in and outside the Reichstag who felt that it was time to negotiate peace without victory.The Kaiser’s failed attempt to quell opposition highlights how political divisions were widening as peop le no longer accepted a definitive answer from the Kaiser. German politics had undergone such polarisation that uniformity no longer seemed a possibility. However, despite Burgfrieden’s initial success in narrowing political divisions at the start of the war, as the war progressed, greater political divisions emerged, even amongst different political parties. For example, divisions emerged within the SPD.Although leaders of the party continued to support the war, a breakaway party, the USPD, wanted the war to come to an end, they were one of a number of parties who began to feel that the best solution would be to negotiate ‘peace without victory’ as it was becoming apparent that victory was not a likely possibility. The USPD was a breakaway party formed by a number of party members that had been dismissed for disagreeing with party decisions on war credits. However, despite this, by 1918, the USPD had the substantial support of 100,000 members.Additionally, peace groups in the Reichstag voted in favour of a peace resolution that promoted peace without annexing any land or triumphing in the war as the majority of the Reichstag seemed to agree that after the failure of Ludendorff’s final major offensive, a time had come to initiate peace without victory rather than wait for victorious peace. Especially as the Allies had superiority in men and materials and had not yet utilised America’s full potential. It became clear that with such a strong opposition, it would be very difficult to emerge from the war victorious.This feeling that ‘peace without victory’ should be negotiated was supported by peace groups such as the Peace League for Freedom created by Pope Benedict XV. This left wing group aimed to promote peace and bring about the end of the war. Despite the creation of such groups, new political groups had also emerged in favour of the war. The right wing pressure group, The German Fatherland Party wanted to insti l nationalistic pride, with a belief that they could still win the war, keen for Germany’s continued participation in the conflict.This pressure group was supported by leading military figures such as Admiral von Tirpitz and Ludendorff, and by the end of 1917, the party had one million supporters. This highlights how all sides of the political spectrum seemed to have substantial support and highlights how divided Germany had become politically. It is therefore clear that despite the initial unity that was brought about by Burgfrieden, political divisions had widened dramatically by the end of the war. International actions also provoked discontent within Germany. The involvement of the USA in the war led to certain groups opposing the war.It now seemed near-impossible for Germany to win the war as there was an extra major power against them. Additionally, it could be argued that the Russian Revolution could have inspired new political thought. It provided inspiration for the discontented as they may have understood the potential that industrial action can have and realised that their voices could be heard to spark some serious political change. This is another factor that widened political division in Germany as people now understood the fact that they did not have to conform to the government’s ruling.Nearer the end of the war, in the years 1917 and 1918, there were increasing strikes within Germany with growing social discontent. In early 1918, 500,000 people were on strike for five days and although protests were quashed by the authorities, resentment continued with strikers wanted an end to the war, democratic rights and more food as people were being rationed through a war economy and the Turnip Winter of 1916-17 had led to rising levels of malnutrition and starvation. Growing opposition also stemmed from the huge losses suffered in the war.Of 13. 2 million German soldiers, there were 6. 2 million casualties with 2. 05 million killed. As peo ple began to realise that Germany may not win the war, they began to question the sacrifice of the millions that had died and this provoked increasing resentment and opposition. This growing popular opposition is another example of how Germany was becoming increasingly divided over domestic issues provoked by the war and also the war itself as increasingly more people wanted it to end.Overall, although things looked promising in 1914, when the Kaiser had initiated Burgfrieden and all political parties had agreed to put their political differences aside, this did not succeed in narrowing political divisions. As the war continued, Germany underwent political polarisation with an increasingly aggrieved population and a contrast in political parties as left wing groups demanded an immediate end to the war and right wing groups wanted to continue until Germany were victorious.The First World War, despite initially creating political unity, increased political divisions in Germany dramati cally, rather than narrowing them. It did so to such an extent that soon after the end of the war, Germany underwent dramatic political reform, rapidly going through a period of constitutional monarchy before developing into a parliamentary democracy seeing the Kaiser exiled to the Netherlands. The narrowing of political division that Wilhelm had achieved at the start of the war, had clearly failed.

Why Is Water Pollution An Important Issue Environmental Sciences Essay

A A A A Comprising over 70 % of the Earths surface, H2O is doubtless the most cherished natural resource that exists on our planet.A Without the apparently priceless compound comprised of H and O, life on Earth would be non-existent: it is indispensable for everything on our planet to turn and prosper.A Although we as worlds recognize this fact, we disregard it by fouling our rivers, lakes, and oceans. Subsequently, we are easy but certainly harming our planet to the point where being are deceasing at a really alarming rate.A In add-on to guiltless beings deceasing off, our imbibing H2O has become greatly affected as is our ability to utilize H2O for recreational purposes.A In order to battle H2O pollution, we must understand the jobs and go portion of the solution. POINT AND NONPOINT SOURCESAA A A Harmonizing to the American College Dictionary, pollution is defined as: A to do foul or dirty ; dirty.A Water pollution occurs when a organic structure of H2O is adversely affected due to the add-on of big sums of stuffs to the water.A When it is unfit for its intended usage, H2O is considered polluted.A Two types of H2O pollutants exist ; point beginning and nonpoint source.A Point beginnings of pollution occur when harmful substances are emitted straight into a organic structure of water.A The Exxon Valdez oil spill best illustrates a point beginning H2O pollution.A A nonpoint beginning delivers pollutants indirectly through environmental changes.A An illustration of this type of H2O pollution is when fertiliser from a field is carried into a watercourse by rain, in the signifier of run-off which in bend effects aquatic life.A The engineering exists for point beginnings of pollution to be monitored and regulated, although political factors may perplex affairs. Nonpoint beginnings are much more hard to control.A Pollution originating from nonpoint beginnings histories for a bulk of the contaminations in watercourses and lakes.AACAUSES OF POLLUTIONAAA A A A Many causes of pollution including sewerage and fertilisers contain foods such as nitrates and phosphates.A In extra degrees, foods over stimulate the growing of aquatic workss and algae.A Excessive growing of these types of beings accordingly clogs our waterways, use up dissolved O as they decompose, and block visible radiation to deeper Waterss. This, in bend, proves really harmful to aquatic beings as it affects the respiration ability or fish and other invertebrates that reside in H2O. A A A A Pollution is besides caused when silt and other suspended solids, such as dirt, washoff plowed Fieldss, building and logging sites, urban countries, and eroded river Bankss when it rains.A Under natural conditions, lakes, rivers, and other H2O organic structures undergo Eutrophication, an aging procedure that easy fills in the H2O organic structure with sediment and organic matter.A When these deposits enter assorted organic structures of H2O, fish respirationbecomes impaired, works productiveness and H2O deepness become reduced, and aquatic beings and their environments go suffocated.A Pollution in the signifier of organic stuff enters waterways in many different signifiers as sewerage, as foliages and grass cuttings, or as overflow from farm animal feedlots and pastures.A When natural bacteriums and protozoon in the H2O interrupt down this organic stuff, they begin to utilize up the O dissolved in the water.A Many types of fish and bottom-dwelling animate beings can non last when degrees of dissolved O bead below two to five parts per million.A When this occurs, it kills aquatic beings in big Numberss which leads to breaks in the nutrient concatenation. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.umich.edu/ % 7Egs265/society/image6N8.JPG Polluted River in the United Kingdom The pollution of rivers and watercourses with chemical contaminations has become one of the most crutial environmental jobs within the twentieth century. Waterborne chemical pollution come ining rivers and watercourses cause tramendous sums of devastation.AAAA A A A Pathogens are another type of pollution that turn out really harmful.A They can do many unwellnesss that range from enteric fever and dysentery to minor respiratory and tegument diseases.A Pathogens include such beings as bacteriums, viruses, and protozoan.A These pollutants enter waterways through untreated sewerage, storm drains, infected armored combat vehicles, overflow from farms, and peculiarly boats that shit sewage.A Though microscopic, these pollutants have a enormous consequence evidenced by their ability to do illness. A hypertext transfer protocol: //www.umich.edu/ % 7Egs265/society/pic5.gif ADDITIONAL FORMS OF WATER POLLUTIONAA A A A Three last signifiers of H2O pollution exist in the signifiers of crude oil, radioactive substances, and heat.A Petroleum frequently pollutes waterbodies in the signifier of oil, ensuing from oil spills.A The antecedently mentioned Exxon Valdez is an illustration of this type of H2O pollution.A These large-scale accidental discharges of crude oil are an of import cause of pollution along shore lines.A Besides the supertankers, off-shore boring operations contribute a big portion of pollution.A One estimation is that one ton of oil is spilled for every million dozenss of oil transported.A This is equal to about 0.0001 per centum. Radioactive substances are produced in the signifier of waste from atomic power workss, and from the industrial, medical, and scientific usage of radioactive materials.A Specific signifiers of waste are uranium and Th excavation and refining.A The last signifier of H2O pollution is heat.A Heat is a pollutant because increased temperatures result in the deceases of many aquatic organisms.A These lessenings in temperatures are caused when a discharge of chilling H2O by mills and power workss occurs. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.umich.edu/ % 7Egs265/society/image5BI.JPGDemonstrators Protest Drilling Oil pollution is a turning job, peculiarly devestating to coastal wildlife.A Small measures of oil spread quickly across long distances to organize deathly oil slipperinesss. In this image, demonstrators with â€Å" oil-covered † plastic animate beings protest a possible boring undertaking in Key Largo, Florida. Whether or non inadvertent spills occur during the undertaking, its impact on the delicate Marine ecosystem of the coral reefs could be lay waste toing.Ahypertext transfer protocol: //www.umich.edu/ % 7Egs265/society/imageKUS.JPGOil Spill Clean-up Workers use particular cyberspaces to clean up a California beach after an oil oiler spill. Tanker spills are an increasing environmental job because one time oil has spilled, it is virtually impossible to wholly take or incorporate it. Even little sums spread quickly across big countries of H2O. Because oil and H2O do non blend, the oil floats on the H2O and so washes up on wide sweeps of shoreline. Attempts to chemically handle or drop the oil may farther interrupt Marine and beach ecosystems. Types of H2O pollution Water pollution can come from a figure of different beginnings. If the pollution comes from a individual beginning, such as an oil spill, it is called point-source pollution. If the pollution comes from many beginnings, it is called nonpoint-source pollution. Most types of pollution affect the immediate country environing the beginning. Sometimes the pollution may impact the environment 100s of stat mis off from the beginning, such as atomic waste, this is called transboundary pollution. Surface Waterss are the natural H2O resources of the Earth. They are found on the outside of the Earth ‘s crust and include: Oceans Rivers Lakes These Waterss can go polluted in a figure of ways, and this is called surface H2O pollution. Microbiological H2O pollution is normally a natural signifier of H2O pollution caused by micro-organisms. Many types of micro-organisms live in H2O and cause fish, land animate beings and worlds to go ill. Microorganisms such as: Bacterias Viruss Protozoa Serious diseases such as cholera come from micro-organisms that live in H2O. These diseases normally affect the wellness of people in poorer states, as they do non hold the installations to handle contaminated H2O. Foods are indispensable for works growing and development. Many foods are found in effluent and fertilizers, and these can do extra weed and algae growing if big concentrations end up in H2O. This can pollute imbibing H2O and geta filters. This can be damaging to other aquatic beings as the algae usage up the O in the H2O, go forthing none for the surrounding marine life. Some pollutants do non fade out in H2O as their molecules are excessively large to blend between the H2O molecules. This stuff is called particulate affair and can frequently be a cause of H2O pollution. The suspended atoms finally settle and do a thick silt at the underside. This is harmful to marine life that lives on the floor of rivers or lakes. Biodegradable substances are frequently suspended in H2O and can do jobs by increasing the sum of anaerobiotic microorganisms nowadays. Toxic chemicals suspended in H2O can be harmful to the development and endurance of aquatic life. Causes Domestic families, industrial and agricultural patterns produce effluent that can do pollution of many lakes and rivers. Sewage is the term used for effluent that frequently contains fecal matters, urine and laundry waste. There are one million millions of people on Earth, so treating sewerage is a large precedence. Sewage disposal is a major job in developing states as many people in these countries do n't hold entree to healthful conditions and clean H2O. Untreated sewerage H2O in such countries can pollute the environment and cause diseases such as diarrhea. Sewage in developed states is carried off from the place rapidly and hygienically through sewerage pipes. Sewage is treated in H2O intervention workss and the waste is frequently disposed into the sea. Sewage is chiefly biodegradable and most of it is broken down in the environment. In developed states, sewerage frequently causes jobs when people flush chemical and pharmaceutical substances down the lavatory. When people are sick, sewerage frequently carries harmful viruses and bacteriums into the environment doing wellness jobs Industry is a immense beginning of H2O pollution, it produces pollutants that are highly harmful to people and the environment. Many industrial installations use fresh water to transport away waste from the works and into rivers, lakes and oceans. Pollutants from industrial beginnings include: Asbestos – This pollutant is a serious wellness jeopardy and carcinogenic. Asbestos fibres can be inhaled and do unwellnesss such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung malignant neoplastic disease, enteric malignant neoplastic disease and liver malignant neoplastic disease. Lead – This is a metallic component and can do wellness and environmental jobs. It is a non-biodegradable substance so is difficult to clean up one time the environment is contaminated. Lead is harmful to the wellness of many animate beings, including worlds, as it can suppress the action of bodily enzymes. Mercury – This is a metallic component and can do wellness and environmental jobs. It is a non-biodegradable substance so is difficult to clean up one time the environment is contaminated. Mercury is besides harmful to animal wellness as it can do unwellness through quicksilver toxic condition. Nitrates – The increased usage of fertilizers agencies that nitrates are more frequently being washed from the dirt and into rivers and lakes. This can do eutrophication, which can be really debatable to marine environments. Phosphates – The increased usage of fertilizers agencies that phosphates are more frequently being washed from the dirt and into rivers and lakes. This can do eutrophication, which can be really debatable to marine environments. Sulphur – This is a non-metallic substance that is harmful for marine life. Oils – Oil does non fade out in H2O, alternatively it forms a thick bed on the H2O surface. This can halt Marine workss having adequate visible radiation for photosynthesis. It is besides harmful for fish and marine birds. Petrochemicals – This is formed from gas or gasoline and can be toxic to marine life. Oceans are polluted by oil on a day-to-day footing from oil spills, everyday transportation, run-offs and dumping. Oil spills make up approximately 12 % of the oil that enters the ocean. The remainder semen from transporting travel, drains and dumping. An oil spill from a oiler is a terrible job because there is such a immense measure of oil being spilt into one topographic point. Oil spills cause a really localized job but can be ruinous to local marine wildlife such as fish, birds and sea otters. Oil can non fade out in H2O and forms a thick sludge in the H2O. This suffocates fish, gets caught in the plumes of Marine birds halting them from winging and blocks visible radiation from photosynthetic aquatic workss. Nuclear waste is produced from industrial, medical and scientific procedures that use radioactive stuff. Nuclear waste can hold damaging effects on Marine home grounds. Nuclear waste comes from a figure of beginnings: Operationss conducted by atomic power Stationss produce radioactive waste. Nuclear-fuel reprocessing workss in northern Europe are the biggest beginnings of semisynthetic atomic waste in the environing ocean. Radioactive hints from these workss have been found as far off as Greenland. Mining and refinement of U and Th are besides causes of marine atomic waste. Waste is besides produced in the atomic fuel rhythm which is used in many industrial, medical and scientific procedures. Eutrophication is when the environment becomes enriched with foods. This can be a job in marine home grounds such as lakes as it can do algal blooms. Fertilizers are frequently used in agriculture, sometimes these fertilizers run-off into nearby H2O doing an addition in alimentary degrees. This causes phytoplankton to turn and reproduce more quickly, ensuing in algal blooms. This bloom of algae disrupts normal ecosystem operation and causes many jobs. The algae may utilize up all the O in the H2O, go forthing none for other marine life. This consequences in the decease of many aquatic beings such as fish, which need the O in the H2O to populate. The bloom of algae may besides barricade sunshine from photosynthetic Marine workss under the H2O surface. Some algae even produce toxins that are harmful to higher signifiers of life. This can do jobs along the nutrient concatenation and impact any animate being that feeds on them.AAA CLASSIFYING WATER POLLUTIONAAA A A The major beginnings of H2O pollution can be classified as municipal, industrial, and agricultural.A Municipal H2O pollution consists of waste H2O from places and commercial establishments.A For many old ages, the chief end of handling municipal effluent was merely to cut down its content of suspended solids, oxygen-demanding stuffs, dissolved inorganic compounds, and harmful bacteria.A In recent old ages, nevertheless, more emphasis has been placed on bettering agencies of disposal of the solid residues from the municipal intervention processes.A The basic methods of handling municipal effluent autumn into three phases: primary intervention, including grit remotion, showing, grinding, and deposit ; secondary intervention, which entails oxidization of dissolved organic affair by agencies of utilizing biologically active sludge, which is so filtered off ; and third intervention, in which advanced biological methods of N remotion and chemical and physical methods such as farinaceous filtration and activated C soaking up are employed.A The handling and disposal of solid residues can history for 25 to 50 per centum of the capital and operational costs of a intervention plant.A The features of industrial waste Waterss can differ well both within and among industries.A The impact of industrial discharges depends non merely on their corporate features, such as biochemical O demand and the sum of suspended solids, but besides on their content of specific inorganic and organic substances. Three options are available in commanding industrial wastewater.A Control can take topographic point at the point of coevals in the works ; effluent can be pretreated for discharge to municipal intervention beginnings ; or effluent can be treated wholly at the works and either reused or discharged straight into having Waterss. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.umich.edu/ % 7Egs265/society/image90K.JPGWastewater Treatment Natural sewerage includes waste from sinks, lavatories, and industrial procedures. Treatment of the sewerage is required before it can be safely buried, used, or released back into local H2O systems. In a intervention works, the waste is passed through a series of screens, Chamberss, and chemical procedures to cut down its majority and toxicity. The three general stages of intervention are primary, secondary, and third. During primary intervention, a big per centum of the suspended solids and inorganic stuff is removed from the sewerage. The focal point of secondary intervention is cut downing organic stuff by speed uping natural biological procedures. Third intervention is necessary when the H2O will be reused ; 99 per centum of solids are removed and assorted chemical procedures are used to guarantee the H2O is as free from dross as possible.AAAA Agriculture, including commercial farm animal and domestic fowl agriculture, is the beginning of many organic and inorganic pollutants in surface Waterss and groundwater.A These contaminations include both deposit from eroding cropland and compounds of P and N that partially originate in animate being wastes and commercial fertilizers.A Animal wastes are high in O demanding stuff, N and P, and they frequently harbor infective organisms.A Wastes from commercial feeders are contained and disposed of on land ; their chief menace to natural Waterss, hence, is from overflow and leaching.A Control may affect settling basins for liquids, limited biological intervention in aerophilic or anaerobiotic lagunas, and a assortment of other methods.AALand WATERAA A A A Ninety-five per centum of all fresh H2O on Earth is ground water.A Ground H2O is found in natural stone formations.A These formations, called aquifers, are a critical natural resource with many uses.A Nationally, 53 % of the population relies on land H2O as a beginning of imbibing water.A In rural countries this figure is even higher.A Eighty one per centum of community H2O is dependent on land water.A Although the 1992 Section 305 ( B ) State Water Quality Reports indicate that, overall, the Nationis land H2O quality is good to excellent, many local countries have experienced important land H2O taint. Some illustrations are leaking belowground storage armored combat vehicles and municipal landfills.AA

Information Technology vs Industrial Clusters The WritePass Journal

Information Technology vs Industrial Clusters Background and Introduction: Information Technology vs Industrial Clusters Background and Introduction:Discussion:Conclusion:  ReferencesRelated Background and Introduction: Information Technology (IT) has been an important force transforming human life on planet earth. It has changed the foundations of business, social, economic, financial, technological dimensions of human life. It has fostered the pace of life as well as changed the lifestyle and speed of human life. Now with the advent of internet, the speed of life has become an important determinant of keeping pace in different dimensions of life. The very meaning of markets and boundaries defining the markets and business domains have undergone a complete change because of the internet and fostering technological change that it brought in its wake. While corporate business world has taken full advantage of the internet, it has still I the early phases of realizing full support and potential of the internet. IT speculators suggested huge benefits from the internet which meant relocation and complete physical freedom from the customers, competitors and physical boundaries of the market which earlier defined the very limits of any industry. By early twentieth century, the markets were tended to be defined at local level, at city level and at the national levels. There was little mention of the international or global markets. This was because of limited progress achieved in the means of communications and transportations. Most markets were considered as physical definitions or definitions in terms of physical presence of the buyers and sellers. Each place where buyers and sellers could be physically present were defined as local markets. Where ever the buyers and sellers could gather together from a national scale were the national markets. The limited advancements in the means of transport and communications were a natural barrier on the market definition. Discussion: As the industrialization process grew and the means of transport and communications also grew with them. The beginning of the railways system and the telegraphs and telephone brought about some relaxations in the definition of the markets and the markets definitions also included the areas from far off here there were customers of any product or service where transport means such as railways and communication means such as telephone and telegraphs had access. Therefore the means of transport and communications have served as a key factor defining the geographical boundaries of markets. The definitions of the market boundaries has moved hand in hand with the advancements of the transportation and communications. The second half of the twentieth century has brought a technological revolution especially in the IT sector. The computer is the most fascinating invention of the twentieth century. It has transformed the speed and accuracy levels of the information processing. It has also promised and delivered transparency and merit. In the last fifty or sixty years the world has witnessed the rise of internet which has impacted the communications in an un-precedent manner. The rise of the internet has defined and redefined the basics of communications in every nook and corner of the world. The business markets and each industry and segment is deeply affected by the growth and usefulness of internet. Amongst the key benefits envisaged by the IT experts, the Internet was thought to redefine the markets as well. In several sectors such as services banking and retailing and IT, it was thought that the internet would introduce branchless services virtually eliminating the physical presence of the branches in every area of the country. But despite the wide spread use of the internet in every office and production factories and manufacturing area, it is noted that companies still prefer to be located near their competitors and outsourcers. Why? This is the primary question that we need to answer in this essay. In the conventional approach to networking, most industries in retailing services and banking followed an level headed approach with their competitors. In every area, Mcdonalds and KFC and Burger King have their outlets almost next to each other or as near as possible. Banks also tend to have their branches next to each other in every area regardless of the volume of business they can get. They go for prominence and presence as much as for their market share ion every area. The reasons are simple and straight forward. Despite the use of internet, physical presence through an outlet is thought as important as the market share and sales through that area. Secondly the most important characteristics are discussed as follows: In the banking sector concept of branchless banking was envisaged with the rise of internet. Despite after wide spread use and years of practice and websites each bank has launched and online services uploaded on their websites, the online services used by the clients, customers and banks is hindered by some plain truths. The mal practices, internet frauds, site hacking and other practices that put the online security of information under question mark, has caused clients, customers and banks to shy away from using the online services with full confidence. The use of the online services is limited and transactional volumes of the online services are still limited because of the limited trust and confidence earned by the online services because of security of online information. Most companies and clients and individual customers deem online data to be vulnerable and prone to theft. This causes the use of online services to be used in limited volume and thus limiting the concept of br anchless banking. Secondly, the traditional and conventional banking practices call for a physical presence of the ban k outlets in each area so that the customers may see and visit the bank they trust and deal with. This is owing to the fact that customers pledge their trust more with a bank physically present than with the one which has a presence only on the web. The so called ‘human element’ is still more important than the technologically advanced services such as online banking.   A modern customer does not have the luxury of time and his time is money. He wants to invest his time as much cautiously as money. He knows that if he mismanages his time, he will loose money, therefore time is money. The ebanking is an answer to many of his needs on this perspective. He can perform many of his jobs and day to day banking activities which ate into his precious time, He can deal with all financial activities by means of ebanking. A modern customer is an ebanker. He prefers not to visit a bank branch as long as he can meet his banking need via one of the available ebanking means and ways. Therefore, ebanking is considered as an answer to many of the problems of the customer of modern day baking market. â€Å"Challenges remain even in Latin America. In locations not served by banks most users open an account primarily to access welfare payments, or because their employer deposits their salary directly into their account. Apart from withdrawals, the most frequent use of the accounts is for making utility bill payments.† http://economictimes.indiatimes.com â€Å"The power of cellular phones has been tremendous in the country, and the branchless banking program would target cell phone users with little or no access to banks, he said.†(www.thejakartapost-banking-start-bali.html) Telebanking is also considered as part of the internet banking. In the telebanking services by dialing the given Telebanking number from anywhere, the customer can access their accounts and by following the user-friendly menu, entire banking set up can be conducted through Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system which is purpose built and designed to serve the customer. There are sufficient numbers of hunting lines available with this system and the customer calls never fail or go un attended. The system is built around in several local languages and acts to the usage ability of the customer. The modern day organization is highly interactive and dependent on the ebanking services. The accounts department is functional on ebanking system and it can check its daily cash balance and issue checks and make payments and transfer the funds through ebanking and tele-banking services alone. It saves on the time and effort of the organisation. Branchless Banking has potential as stated by Time s of India â€Å"Branchless banking has a huge potential to reach the unbanked and underserved segment of the population, he said and added that the branchless banking certainly will help people to take better advantage of the banking facilities at affordable cost† (http://timesofpakistan.pk) The cultural factors that tie and define business values for a specific locality also define the brand equity and market share in specific pockets of a market forcing companies to locate themselves in each area close to their competitors and outsourcers. This forces most banks and retailing companies like Mc donalds, KFC, Burgar King to stretch out and make their branches available in the local vicinity of their competitors. If a competitor in retailing will have an outlet in one area, he may well get the touch and feel of the local buyers more intimate touch and feel of the local buyers. He can respond to their needs more sharply and meaningfully than if he is not there. Same goes for the banking sector as well. Each branch manager has to perform as part of his duties a heavy job of personal banking and personal relation building with his clients in each pocket of the market to make its customers feel at home with their bank. â€Å"  Branchless banking is very useful and helpful in both urban and rural areas† states (http://telecomnewspk.com) With the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of competing companies is maintained because of the customers increasing demand for ‘Customization‘ in the products and services areas.   This forces most companies to locate themselves close to their competitors so that they may learn about the local taste and preferences. Each retailing outlets tries to serve the customers in a customized fashion in terms of local taste and preferences. Same is true for the banking sector as well. Most banks open their branches close to their competitors because they want to make sure that they meet the needs of their customers in a superior fashion to their competitors. With the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units is maintained because of the production economies and tax holidays offered by certain states. The competitors tend to have their industrial units in the same areas because they want to keep pace with the tax holidays that are earned by their competitors. It affects their cost of production and thus the cost of sales of their products and service. Therefore, the competing companies tend to locate themselves close to their competitors and outsourcers as it may be caused by the tax benefits and tax holidays earned by the companies in certain industries. This leads to the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units despite the widespread used of the internet and IT services. With the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units is maintained because of the fact that many companies tend to maintain their outreach to the market and access-to-market at the same level as their competitors’. This factor is important in the case of many products and services such as foam and bedding industry which is a heavy produce to carry and it needs to be located near the market and thus in order to maintain a competitive edge with the competitors on ‘outreach’ to the market, the companies tend to locate their industrial units close to their competitors. This is also why with the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units is still maintained. The cost of transportation as part of production cost is an important determinant of the choice of location for companies for their industrial units. Companies tend to locate their industrial units near their competitors because they want their transportation cost to be the same as of their competitors.   This is also a reason why despite the rise of IT and internet services, the cluster formation or geographical concentration of industrial units is still maintained. Companies tend to locate themselves close their competitors because of the fact that they want to maintain their edge with their competitors in terms of getting the market feedback. They want to maintain an equal closeness and proximity to their clients or customer base or target market with their competitors and ear the title of caring and respect for the customer in the eyes of the customers. Therefore even with the rise of IT and internet services, the tendencies of concentration of industrial units is still maintained.   Industrial clusters develop â€Å"Industrial clusters develop in places where a business can develop links with other firms (and universities, government bodies and so on) to boost its performance† (cogentsi.com) Lastly, companies tend to locate themselves close their competitors because they want to conduct market intelligence and collect information about their competitors activities and utilize that information in their business plans. This leads to industrial clusters and concentration of industrial clusters within geographical areas, despite the increasing use of information technology and internet services. In so doing companies maintain their edge with their competitors in terms of market intelligence. They want to maintain a close eye on their competitors and thus even with the rise of IT and internet services, the tendencies of concentration of industrial units is still maintained. Conclusion: From the foregoing discussion, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that despite the rise of internet and wider spread use of information technology, companies tend to concentrate their locations within close geographical locations. The use of internet and information technology has certainly increased the efficiency and functional performance of the companies at a mass level, the potential benefits accruing from branch-less services and reducing the geographical concentration are still far from reality.   Most of the companies tend to be located near their competitors and the outsourcers because of the cost advantages and strategic reasons that hold, sway and largely dictate the strategic decisions of companies such as locating industrial units.   References http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/branchless-banking-in-india/articleshow/3386737.cms thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/01/branchless-banking-start-bali.html http://timesofpakistan.pk/business/2011-01-21/branchless-banking-is-future-of-financial-sector-shahid-kardar/22094/ cogentsi.com/industrial-clusters.htm http://telecomnewspk.com/2011/03/formal-branchless-banking-in-pakistan/ http://mobile-financial.com/node/14211/Marketing-Branchless-Banking

How to Align Content Marketing and Social Media in 9 Steps

How to Align Content Marketing and Social Media in 9 Steps Ask a business owner with a strong online presence and they’ll tell you- content marketing is one of the quickest, most successful ways to increase organic traffic. And, ask anyone and they’ll tell you- of course you need to manage your social media pages to grow your business and your customer base. But if you’re tackling both of these initiatives and not doing them in sync, you’re doing it wrong.    Creating and distributing content allows your business to reach new audiences, position your CEOs as a thought leader, and answer all of your customer’s most common questions while (hopefully) converting those clicks into sales. Likewise, businesses rely on social media to act as the face of the brand and often, as the prime distribution channel for content. Because your business’s social media pages are where your customers likely engage with you the most, they can be invaluable sources of feedback. Good content marketing and social media often have the same common goals- to increase site traffic, ramp up conversions, and build a general audience of devoted users. Because many of these objectives overlap, it is essential that your content marketing and social media presence are effectively aligned to get the most out of your audience and to reach as many people as possible. What is ? is the best marketing management platform to organize and execute all your marketing projects. That includes content + social media integrations that make scheduling and promoting content easy, all in one place. See it in action. How to Align Your Content Marketing and Social Media Presence in 9 Steps Table of Contents: Plan Ahead With Task Management Software Compare Metrics Monthly Target New Audiences Based on Engagement Use Graphics to Promote Content on Social Media Integrate Social Media Elements Into Blog Posts Use Blog Content for Facebook Live Material Launch a Cross-Promotional Content Series Across Channels Use Top Writers for Twitter Chats, Reddit AMAs, and Quora Originate New Content Ideas From Social Media Followers and Polls Bonus: Coordinate Content + Social Media With One Free Calendar Template If theres one thing content marketing and social media have in common, its this: success starts with planning. And they each work best when theyre planned and executed together in one place. The most effective way to plan and schedule all your content + social media posts is to use a calendar. Like the one included here below. With this free Excel template, you can: Plan your content calendar. Know what youll publish and work ahead. Schedule social media promotion. Line up posting days and times to make sure your content gets seen. Improve content + social visibility. When everything is planned in one calendar, your entire team can stay in the loop. Download it now, then follow each of the nine steps in this post to bring your content and social worlds together. 1. Plan Ahead With Task Management Software One of the most essential steps to aligning your content marketing and social media teams is planning within the same task management tool on shared boards or calendars. A task manager such as   can be a great tool to keep your team aligned and to track marketing plans holistically. By sharing calendars between all marketing team stakeholders, social media leaders can plan promotion for upcoming content initiatives, while content marketing teams can review social posts and make suggestions for captions and creatives. On , social media managers can be tagged prior to posts being published so that social posts can be planned in-line. Source: https://www.getapp.com/marketing-software/a// It’s essential that content marketing and social media teams coordinate within planning software to share new content and suggest improvements to content distribution efforts. With the right task management software, you can help ensure that your team is publishing content  at the right cadence and giving readers a reason to return day after day, week after week. 2. Compare Metrics and Engagement in Monthly Sessions In addition to planning in a common task management tool, content marketing and social media teams should meet in person frequently to compare overall performance metrics and traffic wins and losses. Use these meetings to align objectives for the following month and quarter, and ensure that your business’s content marketing efforts are working. Frequent meetings can help uncover trends in performance and engagement and better align future content plans. With multiple team members working on various initiatives, big picture metrics can easily be forgotten or pushed aside. Keep your team focused on the end goal- whether that’s signups or conversions or something else- and make sure that everyone is working towards the same KPIs. Unsure where to start? Focus on overall site traffic (sessions or pageviews) from social platforms and the number of  conversions through call-to-actions within blog content. To stay on track in these meetings, follow these steps. Both teams should come prepared with wins, losses and overall metrics. Focus both on the metrics that relate to respective platforms (sessions, engagement, shares) as well as the long term goal metrics (sign-ups, conversions, sales). In the meeting, brainstorm on how both teams can better align goals, whether that means the social media team re-shares successful content multiple times, or content creates more pieces covering topics that Facebook users are eating up. Keep the conversation going throughout the month by sending a weekly round-up email with one big win and one big loss every Friday. Determining how metrics can be shared effectively and solutions can be gleaned and applied from them will help both teams succeed in the long run. If your content marketing and social media teams are one in the same, it’s still important to set aside time to align thinking and compare successes between platforms. Recommended Reading: The Best Times to Post on Social Media Based on Research 3. Target New Audiences Based on Engagement So you’ve instituted a monthly metrics session- now what? Once you’ve begun to uncover trends and insights between platforms and on your blog, it’s time to put this data to work. Hone in on what’s working (and, of course, what’s not) and look for new audiences you can tap into. Once you’ve begun to uncover trends and insights between platforms and on your blog, it’s time...For example, social media can target specific hashtags, post content in different Facebook or LinkedIn groups, or work with other influencers or businesses to start new social swaps. Step 1: To interact with new groups on Facebook, search for a particular keyword, filter for groups, join the group, and interact with other users. Step 2: On LinkedIn, the sidebar on the left-hand side of your homepage will display different relevant hashtags and new groups to explore. Use both of these tools to promote relevant content to new audiences. Step 3: On Twitter, add relevant, popular hashtags, like G2 Crowd did below to your tweets to increase engagement in new audiences. In turn, the blog can cover different topics that work specifically on Facebook or produce content in different formats like video, listicle, or slideshow depending on how they perform on new platforms. When targeting new audiences, social media and content marketing teams should ensure that they don’t neglect their core audience in pursuit of expanding exposure to new niches or audience segments. 4. Creatively Market Content With Graphics or Clips on Social Media One common content marketing tactic is to create e-books to thoroughly explain a topic, secure leads, or introduce a new product. These are longer form guides that can be key to increasing conversion, but they also take a lot of effort and time to produce, so it’s important to ensure that social is aligned before the work begins. Creating a series of graphics made specific for social media platforms can be a great way to promote an e-book or tease it’s release before it’s widely circulated. For example, if an upcoming e-book lists a number of steps for improving your business’s online security, you could design a colorful graphic for each step with a brief description. The release of these graphics daily will pique the interest of social media followers to download the e-book and read the rest of the steps. If there are no steps to list, excellent pull quotes from the e-book can be equally effective. With a tool such as Canva, you can access and edit great free designs in a couple of minutes, as I did below. Step 1: To get started, sign up for Canva and create your first design. Step 2:   Then select a layout and edit the text, background, and colors. Step 3: Once your edits are complete, you’ll have a beautiful graphic to market your e-book. This tactic can be employed for YouTube or embedded videos as well by cutting a particularly good clip or a few clips from the video and releasing them on social media, and directing followers to a link if they’d like to watch the full video. On Facebook, this approach will yield many more views  than a typical post because Facebook videos results in 135% more organic reach than photos, on average. For best results, the content creator and social media team should coordinate on which steps, quotes, or clips would be best received by a social audience. With ’s scheduling feature, you can determine and schedule posts at the best time for your audience. 5. Integrate Popular Social Media Elements Into Blog Posts One of the best aspects of online blogs, as opposed to traditional media, is the room for innovation and creativity in communicating information non-traditionally. For example, as emojis have gained widespread use in wordlessly communicating emotions through text messaging and social media, they have also gained use in blogs to spice up content. To stay ahead of the curve and keep up with new trends, social media teams should communicate to content marketers what social audiences respond well to and what can be implemented on blogs to keep content relevant and interesting. To stay ahead of the curve and keep up with new trends, social media teams should communicate to...Because of the speed and frequency of communication on social media, new trends can be tried and proven much more effectively here than on your blog. A few different elements from social media that can be added to blogs could be videos, gifs, image slideshows, and memes, depending on how they’re received on social media. A great use of gifs can be found on ’s The Skimmer’s Guide to , which very creatively utilizes gifs throughout to keep the reader engaged. Of course, when applying any of these elements, content marketing teams should use discretion. For a more serious topic or professional guide, a meme or gif may not be appropriate. Likewise, a video or image slideshow could be distracting from core text or break the attention of the reader. By testing engagement on both social media and in blog content with new elements, teams can safely innovate and stay ahead of the communication curve. Recommended Reading: The Best Content Calendar Template to Get Organized All Year 6. Use Blog Content for Facebook Live Material You can’t get it right every single time. One of the unfortunate facts of creating content is that many of the posts you create may go unseen. But consider this- a post that didn’t quite work in one form could be repurposed and utilized in a whole different way. For example, a blog post that didn’t quite catch on in written form could be turned into a video script and presented to a Facebook or Instagram Live audience. Another example could be taking steps from a blog post, creating graphics from it, and uploading them as a slideshow on Instagram to be flipped through. Step 1: To get started, select the right blog post that would be interesting to your Facebook audience. Step 2: Choose parts of the post that could be succinctly summarized in a 15-minute Facebook Live. Look for clear steps that are actionable and easy to describe. Once found, write a script with an introduction, the subjects you’d like to cover, and a conclusion. Step 3: Promote the Facebook Live on different social media accounts. Step 4: To launch the Facebook Live, go to your Facebook page and click ‘Live’ in the action panel. Though you can’t make every single post work, it’s a good idea to narrow in on blog posts that you’d like to give a little more â€Å"juice† to. Task social media teams to come up with ideas that could work based on existing content and work from there. If you want to do a Facebook Live, consider whether you have relevant content you can reference in the chat or edit to make a scrip. Don’t look at low clicks as a failure- look at it as an opportunity to innovate and improve. Recommended Reading: 49 Facebook Marketing Tips to Get Better Results Right Now 7. Launch a Cross-Promotional Content Series Across Channels One great way to increase engagement across all channels and create a cohesive content marketing experience is to launch a series that can work across many platforms. For example, a new content vertical could launch in conjunction with a YouTube series that’s also cut down shorter snippets for Facebook. Say your goal is to gain YouTube subscribers for a new account- you could plan a content series that embeds a new YouTube video in every post, enticing readers to click through and (hopefully) subscribe. Neil Patel, an expert on digital marketing,   promotes across multiple channels including YouTube, e-books, blog posts, and social media, which has made his name omnipresent in the marketing space. If you’re building a presence on YouTube and have a popular blog, try the following tactic that Patel utilized. Step 1: After creating a couple videos for YouTube, write a comprehensive blog post on a complementary topic. For example, Neil wrote a blog post explaining that everything he has taught about SEO was wrong: Step 2: Then,   embed the YouTube video, which is a natural next step in the blog post’s call-to-action into the near end of the blog post. This will encourage readers to watch the video, increasing your viewership, and perhaps then watch the next video in sequence or even, subscribe to your channel! To promote an e-book or report, a social media team could release a series of videos on Facebook or Twitter explaining aspects of the e-book or report’s findings with attached links to the piece of content itself. In addition, selections from the content could be published on LinkedIn either under the brand or executives’ profiles with links to the content included. Recommended Reading: How to Promote Your Blog With 107 Content Promotion Tactics 8. Use Top Writers for Twitter Chats, Reddit AMAs, and Quora Twitter chats (public conversations within a unique hashtag) are excellent ways to interact with other companies in your space, gain followers, and assert your brand as a thought leader on a specific subject. Likewise, a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), where executives answer common questions about a topic or the company itself, is an excellent tactic to increase engagement and publicity in a niche community. For upcoming chats and AMAs, social media teams should coordinate with writers or company executives to ensure they’re on hand when questions begin to roll in and to provide comprehensive responses that wow participants. Tap into your blog to come up with new topics to cover and angles to take. Quora, a platform where users ask and answer questions, is another place where social media and content marketers should coordinate engagement. For the sake of optics on Quora, it can be better if individuals at a company create an account and answer questions, rather than brands. The writers who handle the blog can be excellent resources to answer questions and provide invaluable insight. Step 1: After signing up for a Quora account, a writer simply must answer a few questions in their niche before Quora and other users begin asking them for other answers. Once in your account, click Answer to find the right question. Step 2: Write your answer and click submit. Try different answer formats like steps and lists, adding useful images, and making your responses long and comprehensive to receive recognition and upvotes. 9. Originate New Content Ideas From Social Media Followers and Polls Social media followers who regularly interact with content are often a brand’s most engaged audience with untapped feedback to provide. To come up with creative new ideas for content creation, poll your social audiences with direct questions about topics they’d like covered or content mediums they like most. Step 1: To poll followers on Twitter, add your question then click Add poll. Step 2: Add poll answer options and click Tweet. Integrating more polls and surveys is a great way to plan future content and gather meaningful feedback from those who are more dedicated to your brand.

The 12 Best Books on Writing Ive Ever Read - Jerry Jenkins

The 12 Best Books on Writing Ive Ever Read - Jerry Jenkins The 12 Best Books on Writing Ive Ever Read Regardless how many books I’ve written (nearly 200) and sold (over 70 million), I fear if I’m not learning, I’m stagnating. My late mother was a convincing example of one who never believed she had arrived. Mom was not only a piano teacher well into her eighties, but she was also a piano student. So it’s the memory of my mother that spurs me also to keep reading everything there is to read- especially about writing. The books below (in alpha order by author) represent a fraction of those available. You could read one per  day for the rest of your life and not exhaust the resources. But, in my opinion, these are the best books on writing available. Some require wearing your big kid pants due to language, which I have noted. 12 Books Every Aspiring Author Should Read 1. The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work By  Marie Arana This book came from ten years of Ms. Arana’s  Washington Post Book World  column. More than fifty fiction and nonfiction authors share how they discovered they were writers and how they work. I was fascinated by what pleases and annoys them. Arana also profiles each writer. Click here to get the book. 2. Plot Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot that Grips Readers from Start to Finish By James Scott Bell (friend and colleague) Anything but a dry textbook, this breezy guide is from a former trial lawyer who keeps you entertained while covering basics like how plot impacts structure, the difference between popular and literary fiction, and how to serve as your own book doctor. Click here to get the book. 3. Getting into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors By  Brandilyn Collins (friend and colleague) Calling on her theater training, Collins teaches bringing characters to life the way actors do on stage. She draws on the Method Acting approach to explain and adapt characterization techniques for novelists. Click here to get the book. 4. The Writing Life By  Annie Dillard Dillard’s hauntingly ethereal prose soars even when she’s writing about writing. That’s rare. I resonate with her honesty about how grueling the craft can be. This is one of the best books on writing available. Click here to get the book. 5. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft [language] By Stephen King (acquaintance) At the risk of hyperbole, there’s so much to recommend here that I hardly know where to begin. Besides all the practical advice, you get King’s own rags-to-riches story in his inimitable voice. You  learn a ton  while being wildly entertained. Click here to get the book. 6. How to Write Bestselling Fiction  [mild language] By Dean Koontz I’m not overstating it that this book changed my life. It informed the way I wrote the Left Behind series, which has sold more than 60 million copies and still sells six figures every year, nearly a decade since the last title was released. I use this as a textbook when I teach writing. Click here to get the book. 7. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life  [language] By  Anne Lamott Lamott has you howling with laughter one minute and weeping the next as she recounts, with brutal honesty, the joys and travails of the writing life, single parenting, overcoming addiction, and coming to faith. Click here to get the book. 8. Writing the Breakout Novel: Insider Advice for Taking Your Fiction to the Next Level By Donald Maass An agent challenges you to do more than just spin a yarn, but to also think â€Å"big concept,† tackle major themes, and write life-changing works. Click here to get the book. 9. Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies By Sol Stein (acquaintance) Novelist, editor, publisher (Stein Day), and writing teacher, Stein is one of the deans of the American literary scene. His career spans decades, and he shares insider stories of famous novelists and their work, as well as everything he learned along the way. I sat under his teaching years ago and still follow his advice. Click here to get the book. 10. On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction By William Zinsser Zinsser’s background  should not be missed. He was a graceful classicist as a writer, and this million-seller has been lauded for its warmth and clarity. Zinsser offers sound tips on the fundamentals of writing any kind of nonfiction you can think of. Click here to get the book. Now, don’t read  any  of those books for writers, until†¦ †¦you’ve read the bible of writing books: 11. The Elements of Style By  William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White Failing to start your reading on writing with anything other than this undisputed classic would be akin to reading the top ten Christian classics while ignoring the Bible. This short paperback is recommended by every writing teacher I know. I’ve read it at least once a year for more than 40 years. Its simple truths cover everything from style and grammar and usage. Make them second nature. Click here to get the book. 12. Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One Never Lets Them Go By Les Edgerton Les is one of the most powerfully edgy writers in the business, and you must have your big kid pants on to read his novels. But any writer will benefit from this great resource. Packed with helpful, practical advice, it carries his blunt tone (but nothing offensive). I refer to it regularly. Click here to get the book. If you’ve read none of the other books on this list, start with Stephen King’s  On Writing. A short course in mistakes to avoid while writing, it’ll remind you why you wanted to be an author. Then, especially if you want to be a novelist, read Dean Koontz’s  How to Write Bestselling Fiction. You could learn more in just those two books than in an entire college writing course. BONUS:  Before investing in one of these, download my free guide:  How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps.     Click here to download How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps. What’s your favorite book on the craft of writing? Share it with all of us in the comments section†¦

Olympia Machine Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Olympia Machine Company - Case Study Example However, there are weaknesses in the current compensation plan. Regardless of the large volume of sales, there are high fixed selling expenses and also common measures that determine salary increases of the salespeople have not been established by the management. Some of the key issues that any new compensation plan must address include how to poise a balance between capital equipment and sales. A salesperson must be able to not just take any order that comes along but sell. Secondly, a weighted plan that allows a salesperson to assess what pays off and what does not should be addressed, in order for him or her to be more resourceful. Finally, there has to be a common standard where salary increases for all like employees should be known. This is of importance since the management is able to weigh how prolific a salesperson is. In the point system, together with a salary, a salesperson is given bonus points in relation to his or her performance in the sales activities. However, with this system, detailed reports about the performances of the salespeople are required thus increasing the organization’s overhead cost. In this plan, a salary, expenses and a commission on sales were taken into consideration. This way, the salespeople had security because they were assured of a salary and were still motivated due to the commission rates incurred on several products. However, this would mean that the commission plan with specifications would result to a cut in current salary base for most salespeople. The bonus plan involved giving the salespeople an opening to earn bonuses from their sales, without putting a boundary past a target. They also received the same salary as before. However, upholding a liable sales-expense-to-sales ratio would go against the Company’s philosophy of upholding such. I would therefore recommend the

Strategic problems facing HRM operating in multi-national companies Essay

Strategic problems facing HRM operating in multi-national companies - Essay Example This paper will talk about the possible strategic problems faced HR managers while working in multinational organizations. The three key problems discussed here are ‘Compensation and Reward Systems’, ‘Training and Development’, and ‘Job Expectations and Motivation Policies’. The symptoms are that HR departments are getting ready to take full advantage of their capital as well as staff when businesses need to progress. One of the most frequently talked about criticisms regarding HR is that several experts do not have the progressive thinking and strategic counseling focus considered necessary to be an successful business partner (Ulrich, 2013, p. 22). They do not use the time to know the business they sustain as well as concentrate additional on transactional HR activities that do not have the influence the business needs. HR managers have to be trusted consultants to the organizations as well as to the leaders they work with. They have to be effectual coaches and are responsive to their vital part as to successfully review workforce abilities and facilitate scheduling for potential requirements (Becker & Huselid, 2006, p. 899). HR should concentrate on turning into a trusted mentor to their business with the aim of give power to managers to drive better organizational performance. Human resources departments are in front of major problems as their responsibilities turn out to be broader as well as more strategic in the recent times. HR is â€Å"more than a basic function† (Dowling et al, 2008, p. 32) that includes appointment, development and retention of workforce. It is a main factor in developing a workforce that focuses on the objectives of the business. With bigger significance comes bigger hindrances - according to a study by Shipton et al (2006), the major problems faced by HRM are compensation and reward systems; training and

Role of Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Role of Culture - Research Paper Example Introduction Before going into the discussion regarding role of culture in a country, let us get a better understanding of what culture actually is. Culture represents the customs and traditions of people living in any specific society. Kartha (n.d.) states, â€Å"Culture is something that a person learns from his family and surroundings, and is not ingrained in him from birth†. It is a pattern of such behaviors and characteristics, which a person needs to learn if he or she wants to survive in a society in an appropriate manner. In this paper, we will not only discuss the role which culture plays in the lives of people living in Puerto Rico but also we will examine the culture of Puerto Rico from different aspects, such as, education, business management, communication, politics, food, religion, and etiquettes. Role of Culture in a Country Culture plays a critical role in shaping the behaviors and characteristics of people living in any specific country. Culture shapes the wa y the citizens communicate with each other. It gives an identity to the people of a country, which differentiates them from the people of other countries. Culture is the backbone of every society or any country. Every country has a different culture, which differentiates from the cultures of other countries. ... â€Å"Usually, people who settle in other nations imbibe the new culture, while at the same time strive to preserve their own† (Kartha, n.d.). Cultural Influences of Puerto Rico Culture plays its role in setting the dimensions for the economic progress of Puerto Rico. Beautiful landscapes and rich culture of Puerto Rico provide a sensual feast for the visitors (Beasley, 2010). Culture is involved in every aspect of the country’s growth and development. Some of the most common fields in which culture holds a very significant position include education, business management, communication, politics, food, religion, etiquettes, and gender roles. Let us discuss how culture makes an impact on the progress and development of Puerto Rico, which is an unincorporated territory of the United Sates of America. Impact on Education Culture has a very significant impact on the education of Puerto Rico. Cultural tendencies influence the way students participate in the process of learni ng. Understanding of the culture also influences perception and awareness of the students, which helps them deal with different challenges regarding education. Improvement in the process of learning is the best example of cultural influence on education in Puerto Rico. Students improve their process of learning when their teachers emphasize on mental representations, visual learning strategies, and hands on learning. In Puerto Rico, it is one of the main responsibilities of a teacher to integrate the elements of culture in the process of educating the children because in this way, children can become familiar with norms and values of their own culture. Those students, who learn the values of their cultures and exhibit them throughout their educational career, achieve

The Spring Gala Concert, Featuring the USA Percussion Ensemble, USA Essay

The Spring Gala Concert, Featuring the USA Percussion Ensemble, USA Steel, and the World Music Group - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the opening piece in the Spring Gala Concert was David Skidmore’s ‘Unknown Kind’. Skidmore is a relatively young composer having been born in 1982. Still, his compositions have been regularly performed around the country and at universities. His composition ‘Unknown Kind’ was originally performed at Carnegie Hall in 2007. While the author enjoyed the composition itself it ran counter to many of my expectations. The researcher had been expecting something more along the lines of traditional classical music, but the composition was slightly minimal and experimental. Still, it set a unique tone for the rest of the concert, as the rest of the compositions continued a slightly experimental theme. The ‘Unknown Kind’ composition was followed by a performance of Shostakovich’s ‘intermezzo’. This work fell along more traditional classical lines. This was perhaps the piece the author enjoyed the most as it balanced these classical elements with a sort of offbeat tone. David Maslanka’s ‘Crown of Thorns’ followed this piece. This was a highly minimal piece and during the performance, the author witnessed a young child dozing to sleep. The researcher didn’t share the child’s boredom, however, and after a period he came to appreciate the eccentricities in the work, as they offered an escape from run-of-the-mill type tonality. The intermission followed the conclusion of this piece.

How Important to Medieval Society Were the Religious Orders Essay

How Important to Medieval Society Were the Religious Orders - Essay Example However, the most striking feature of middle age is that people were organized in different religious groups known as religious orders. Some of the religious orders of this period include the crusades, Knights Templar, Benedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, and Cistercians. This paper seeks to explore the importance of religious orders to the medieval society. The lives of people during the middle ages revolved around religion, especially the Catholic Church, which was the dominant church during the time. Accordingly, the Catholic Church was the only church in Europe. Therefore, all the laws and important roles in the government were left at the hands of the church leaders like bishops and archbishops. Research also indicates that the Pope had immense powers during this time to the extent that he could excommunicate a king for misdeed. As earlier stated, religion had a great influence on every aspects of human live during this period. However, people organized themselves around religious groups known as religious orders, which played an important role economically, socially, culturally and politically . The religious orders had profound impacts on the economy of Western Europe in the medieval era. Research indicates that the society of Western Europe in the medieval times were largely agrarian with a population consisting of tillers of land, which was the basis of wealth creation and political power. The manor was the basic unit of such a society. The manor in this case refers. to the agricultural land reserved to a lord. The manor mainly consisted of peasants whose main duty was to till the land for the lord’s benefit. However, since religion dictated how everything was to be done, lands where crops are grown were being cultivated in accordance with the three-land system5. The religious orders, especially the Benedictine played a leading role in ensuring that the society become food sufficient and economically stable. This is particularly evident with the Benedictine in the 12th century France, where the need to feed, clothe and house the monks increased the need to have a s table economy with enough food surplus, decent shelter and clothing. In this regard, the Benedictine monk ensured people ploughed land and engaged in productive activities to ensure that society has enough food.

Physical, Emotional, and Social Changes In the Young Adolescent Essay

Physical, Emotional, and Social Changes In the Young Adolescent Learner - Essay Example Cyber-bullying is rampant among adolescent youth aged between 11 – 15 years, who bully their age mates mostly through instant messaging, social networks or short message services This is where adolescent youth use online platforms to threaten their peers and make them feel humiliated. Most of the time the receiver of this message will feel terrified and their ability to concentrate will be affected. Naughty adolescent youth steal the password of others and wrongfully log in to their accounts to post information or pictures that are embarrassing, tainting the image of the account owner. When this happens in a restricted platform, the owner of the account ends up being punished for things they did not do. The casualty is threatened of physical harm by the perpetrator. Since mostly the perpetrator’s identity is hidden, the casualty anticipates being hurt every time they are alone making them live with fear. The students, parents and teachers of middle school need to be involved in ending this wrongful behavior, protect the victims and reduce the effects. According to Kowalski, Limber & Agatston (2012) parents need to create an environment that is free and open to enable their children to openly air out the challenges they are facing. By so doing, a student who is bullied will be able to share out the negative experiences. Over reacting will make the student avoid opening up, thus the need for the parent to react moderately and take serious precaution to curb the practice by contacting the school so as to ensure the student is safe at all time. By monitoring the child, the parent can be able to identify the emotional needs of the child and provide them emotional support. Such matters should also be reported to agencies of law enforcement The teachers need to be well informed of the forms of cyber-bullying and its consequences on the student’s performance. Regular counseling sessions will help reduce the instances of bullying in the institution.

How Important to Medieval Society Were the Religious Orders Essay

How Important to Medieval Society Were the Religious Orders - Essay Example However, the most striking feature of middle age is that people were organized in different religious groups known as religious orders. Some of the religious orders of this period include the crusades, Knights Templar, Benedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, and Cistercians. This paper seeks to explore the importance of religious orders to the medieval society. The lives of people during the middle ages revolved around religion, especially the Catholic Church, which was the dominant church during the time. Accordingly, the Catholic Church was the only church in Europe. Therefore, all the laws and important roles in the government were left at the hands of the church leaders like bishops and archbishops. Research also indicates that the Pope had immense powers during this time to the extent that he could excommunicate a king for misdeed. As earlier stated, religion had a great influence on every aspects of human live during this period. However, people organized themselves around religious groups known as religious orders, which played an important role economically, socially, culturally and politically . The religious orders had profound impacts on the economy of Western Europe in the medieval era. Research indicates that the society of Western Europe in the medieval times were largely agrarian with a population consisting of tillers of land, which was the basis of wealth creation and political power. The manor was the basic unit of such a society. The manor in this case refers. to the agricultural land reserved to a lord. The manor mainly consisted of peasants whose main duty was to till the land for the lord’s benefit. However, since religion dictated how everything was to be done, lands where crops are grown were being cultivated in accordance with the three-land system5. The religious orders, especially the Benedictine played a leading role in ensuring that the society become food sufficient and economically stable. This is particularly evident with the Benedictine in the 12th century France, where the need to feed, clothe and house the monks increased the need to have a s table economy with enough food surplus, decent shelter and clothing. In this regard, the Benedictine monk ensured people ploughed land and engaged in productive activities to ensure that society has enough food.

How I have improved My Mastery of English language through the Essay

How I have improved My Mastery of English language through the Semester - Essay Example It is true that when one is proficient in English language, he stands a better chance of fitting in almost all societies of the world. Taking into account the aforementioned significance of the language, I have been very keen and attentive in class just to ensure that I get maximum knowledge possible from the class lessons. I have also been carrying out expounded research on the English language considering broadness and continuing growth of the language. I sincerely have to admit that I have benefited hugely from English lesions that I attended since the beginning of this semester. It is worth mentioning that English lessons I attended through this semester have helped to improve my reading and writing skills. Before the beginning of this semester, I was incapable of writing constructively in English language classes. This was because I had not mastered the basic rules of grammar such as punctuation, fluent flow of ideas, and most of the time I was confusing spellings and as such lo sing the intended meanings of what I intend to communicate. To be precise, I had flat reading style without any fluctuation despite the demand within the sentence. To this end, I must confess the great improvement that I have made since the beginning of the semester since I can construct flawless sentences and compose appealing papers. The English lessons I have been attending through this semester have helped in improving my speech techniques and expressions. This course has been very beneficial to me especially since it provided me with the opportunity to read various books and articles that have enabled me to improve the level of my writing and expression in the English language. I can say that the level of my proficiency in both written and spoken English has significantly improved as compared to the previous semester. Furthermore, I have also been able to improve my hand writing to a more legible form than it was at the beginning of the semester. Moreover, the English lessons I have been attending through the semester have acquainted me with sufficient skills of reading, analyzing, interpreting, and answering particular questions in passages and other grammatical texts The English lessons I have been attending throughout the semester have assisted me in enhancing my grammar as can be observed from the improvement in the manner I use the various parts of speech to present well written academic papers. I have also learned how to describe events and items through proper use of different types of adjectives. It is also worth mentioning that the English lessons through the semester have assisted in improving my knowledge of other fields of study as I can now read and write various concepts without the slightest form of contradictions. To add, English lessons I have been attending through the semester have assisted in improving my spelling accuracy as well as avoiding the temptation to engage in direct translation of words from my native language to English. Wi th all the stated and observable improvements that I have undergone through the English lessons in this semester, I still have some problems that I hope can be resolved when assisted. The first problem that I still encounter concerns appropriate use of punctuation marks when writing sentences. The most notable punctuation marks that pose challenges my resolve to be a notable writer English language are the semi colons and colons. I have been facing repeated confusion on the appropriate time to use either the

Health Care Innovation Essay Example for Free

Health Care Innovation Essay I will compare the current health care system with the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that became law on March 23, 2010. The current system, which is being phased out between 2011 and 2018 is increasingly inaccessible to many poor and lower-middle-class people. About 47 million Americans lack health insurance, an increase of more than two million people from 2005 (Rover, 2011) the increasingly complex warfare between insurers and hospitals over who pays the bills is gobbling up a great deal of money and the end result is that the United States pays roughly twice as much per capita for health care as Canada, France, and the United Kingdom yet experiences slightly lower life expectancy than those countries. President Barack Obama campaigned for the need to reform the American health care system, stating that the cost of health care was a â€Å"threat to our economy† and that health care should be a â€Å"right for every American. † (Rover, 2011) Thus began the passage of health care reform. On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law. Private and Parochial schools have been competing with public schools for as long as I can remember. These schools have to show that they are worth paying for or they do not get customers. The health care industry, on the other hand does not have government competition. The old health care system gave insurance companies all the power. It is more along the lines of, pay us outrageous fees or you die. Even if you have their coverage they still look for ways to drop you from their insurance. I feel that under the new health care reform laws I will not have to worry about getting laid off and losing my health insurance coverage again. There are 92 provisions in the ACA (Affordable Care Act) that are being mplemented between the years 2011-2018. This paper, however, will only cover the provisions I feel are of concern to most lower to middle class Americans, or should I state â€Å"financially struggling like myself†. Furthermore, the ACA has a broad range of provisions that aim to advance a framework and foundation for redesigning the healthcare delivery system to one that is person-centered, offers individual control, improves quality, and integrates care across settings and providers (Shugarman, L. R. , Whitenhill, K. 2011). Key provisions undergird health and long-term care reform by improving the continuum of care within four domains: long-term care insurance, home and community-based services (HCBS) expansion, care coordination, and workforce reinforcement. Since the recession began in December 2007 nearly 7 million Americans have lost their jobs. In addition, there were an estimated 43 million uninsured prior to that; Many of whom lost the only health insurance coverage they had for themselves and their families. Former employees are given the option to buy temporary insurance through companies such as Cobra which contains provisions giving certain former employees, retirees, spouses and dependent children the right to temporary continuation of health coverage at group rates. However, this insurance is costly, well above the financial means of someone without a job. The typical cost for basic family coverage can be around $1,309. 00 per month. A cost that is nearly impossible to cover when you are unemployed or underemployed. Under the ACA, the following provisions would be considered pros for the average American: (a) Coverage will expand to cover nearly 95 percent of legal U. S. residents. Plus, preventative care will be free. (b) Increased regulation will stop insurance companies from rigging prices, for instance there was a recent 40% insurance premium increase in California. (c) Insurance companies will have to accept everyone. No more pre-existing condition exclusions. They can’t place limits on coverage anymore, either. (d) Cheaper prescriptions for seniors. e) Ensuring Free Choice. Workers who cannot afford the coverage provided by their employer may take whatever funds their employer might have contributed to their insurance and use these resources to help purchase a more affordable plan in the new health insurance exchanges. (f) Eliminating Annual Limits on Insurance Coverage. The law prohibits plans from imposing annual dollar limits on the amount of coverage an individual may receive. (g) Insurers must now reveal how much money is spent on overhead. (h) Makes Care More Affordable.  The act includes tax credits to make it easier for the middle class to afford insurance will become available for people with incomes above 100 percent and below 400 percent of poverty (i) Chain restaurants will be required to provide a nutrient content disclosure statement alongside their items. You will see calories listed both on in-store and drive-through menus of fast-food restaurants. (Affordable health care for America, 2010) Under the ACA, the following provisions would be considered cons for the average American: (a) Cuts in Medicare.  The elderly on Medicare will see their benefits changed dramatically. The biggest item being used to pay for the new program is more than $500 billion in cuts to the Medicare program at a time when 72 million baby boomers become eligible for it in the next decade. The second biggest move to pay for this is by raising and expanding the Medicare tax. (b) No new incentives for primary care physicians (c) More taxes, the government has to pay for healthcare reform somehow. Taxing businesses is a big strategy. Families earning more than $250. 00 a year will have to pay higher Medicare taxes, also, this isn’t a tax, but employers will be fined $3,000 per employee if they don’t provide affordable medical coverage. (Drea, 2010). However, the provision that is causing the most concern is the insurance mandate. Within this mandate everyone is required to be insured or else pay a fine. There is an exemption for low-income people. This mandate takes effect in 2014. (Right To Health Care, n. d) I personally feel the ACA will benefit most Americans for several reasons. First, if you do not have health insurance, you will have a choice of high quality, affordable coverage for yourself and family. Second, the reform will finally bring skyrocketing health care costs under control. Third, the reform will provide every American with some basic protections that will finally hold insurance companies accountable since they will not be able to discriminate against persons with pre-existing illnesses or conditions. Lastly, Americans can now purchase their health insurance coverage with the bargaining power that was only reserved for larger companies, instead of individual policies which are extremely expensive. Bear in mind that from 2000 to 2006, health care premiums increased 87% compared to overall inflation (an increase of 3. 5%) and wages (3. 8%). A ‘Public Entity’ would help keep costs from skyrocketing (Right to Health Care, n. d). Working Americans may be experiencing something akin to sticker shock. The average cost of a family policy now exceeds $13,000 a year, having doubled over the last decade, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Similar increases over the next decade would translate to the average policy for a family costing in the neighborhood of $24. 000 a year. (Right to Health Care, n. d). I really had not paid that much attention to the new health reform act, prior to a tragedy that happened to my best friend’s family recently. One of her sisters had been covered by her employer sponsored health care plan for the last 10 years. For 8 of those years she was the picture of health, no major illnesses or accidents requiring the use of her insurance other than the occasional checkup. About 2 years ago she decided to up her yearly deductibles and co-pays from $1,200 to $6,000 in favor of a lower monthly premium to help make other household bills easier. At that time there was no reason for her to feel anything bad would happen; Had she been covered under the new ACA she may not have had to worry about paying high medical bills. Unfortunately last spring my best friend’s sister was diagnosed with bi-polar disease; a few weeks later coincidentally she also discovered she had breast cancer. Late this past summer, my best friend’s sister committed suicide. I am not saying that her health insurance situation was the main reason for her decision to take her own life, but I know her family tried many times to convince her she needed more help for her major depression. Her response was always that she could not afford it. The emotional trauma associated with her two illnesses and the constant worry over the medical bills only added to her anxiety and depression. Fear of hospital bills should not deter anyone from seeking medical care. My best friend is carrying around a lot of guilt that she could have and should have done more for her sister by insisting her sister get the medical care ecessary and not worry about how it would be paid for. Since my best friend’s sister’s death, I have come to realize that not being able to afford health care insurance could be the difference between life and death for many. How appalling to live in a country with such great wealth, yet millions face financial ruin if they are uninsured or insured and their current insurance provider decides to drop them. I am not saying that the new health care reform laws will be fix all our problems, but I feel it’s a good start, and only time will tell.