HAS THE DUBAI FINANCIAL CRISIS LED TO A LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN THE Essay

HAS THE DUBAI FINANCIAL CRISIS LED TO A LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN THE ISLAMIC SUKUK - Essay Example Also, Aljarhi (2008) mentions that sukuk can be a good solution to help the sub-prime crisis, but what happened in Dubai with Nakheel’s sukuk perhaps changes all previous concepts because investors have been informed that Nakheel cannot pay off its profit. Research Objectives and Questions Objectives 1 Analyze Islamic financial instruments and research the mechanisms of Nakheel Sukuk 2 Research the factors that caused the Dubai financial crisis 3 Analyze how the Dubai crisis impacted the Sukuk investing in Islamic Financial institutions Questions What factors influenced investors’ confidence in Islamic financial instruments? For this questions to be answered a research and analysis of corner Islamic finance principles as well as performance of Islamic finance institutions as for Islamic instruments effectiveness will be carried out. The data will be majorly based on financial and other statements of Islamic financial institutions. 1 What is Sukuk and their elements that have added to the popularity of Financial investing instruments? 2 What are the mechanisms for Nakheel Sukuk to work effectively in financial markets? Sukuk instrument will be analyzed and against its performance. 3 What were the causes of the Dubai financial crisis? To answer this question an extensive research of data in regard to economic states, economic activities and other factors will be undertaken to learn and analyze events that caused the Dubai financial crisis. 4 What was the role of sukuk in the Dubai financial crisis? Analysis of Nakheel Sukuk in 5 How did the Dubai crisis impact Islamic financing? Analyze the use and performance of Islamic finance in aftermath of the critical times in Islamic finance. Literature Review The literature reviewed in this proposal critiques many writers who have written about Islamic bonds - sukuk. The research aims to show the gap of knowledge concerning confidence in Islamic bonds (sukuk) after the Dubai financial crisis. There are three types of literature that have been discovered: firstly, literature about the causes of the financial crisis which has happened in Dubai; secondly, literature about the impact on sukuk after the Dubai financial crisis; and finally, literature concerning the theory of sukuk which is based on the Islamic financial system. Klomp (2009), in his journal about the significant causes of the banking crisis, says that the absolute important factors that affect directly on a financial crisis are: 1) High credit growth 2) Negative GDP growth 3) High real interest rates. Lewis (2010) has other points in his journal that say that the causes of the financial crisis include individual and cognitive psychology, social influences, psychology used by economists, the good society, and culture and human agency. Rotheli (2010) believes that the causes of the financial crisis can be summarised as risk misperception, policy mistakes, and banks’ bounded rationality. He agrees with Klomp (2009) in a credit cycle in which banks increase their credit supply and stop lending during recessions. That puts banks in a troubled situation in the future, where investors can pay their debts. The financial crisis of Dubai, as mentioned by Bassens, Derudder and Witlox (2010), started in November 2009 when the latest news informed that the largest development agency in Dubai,

Technology Adoption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Technology Adoption - Essay Example Despite adoption of technology contributing positively to the organization, most firms have not utilised the potential benefits. Therefore, small firms and even researchers themselves should consider the factors hindering and those enabling adoption of wide range of technology to enable them make informed decisions on technology adoption. Wiggly Wigglers is a point of reference on benefits derived from adopting technology. Wiggly Wigglers gained immensely after adopting new technologies. Wiggly Wigglers is a natural gardening company which was founded by Heather Gorringe in 1990. It is located in a farm in the rural Blakmere, Herefordshire. According to Heather Gorringe, they live in a village with a total of 63 people only. She says that the cows in their farm are three times more compared to the total number of people. The company being careful in handling the land, the surrounding community and the environment, it produces eco-friendly products. These include: eco-friendly homewar e, plants and worm composting kits. They are keen to work with the environment and not against it. The small company gets motivation, ideas and directions which assist consumers to be part of the solution and not part of the damage, when it deals with various environmental products, such as gardening and recycling. The success of the company has been attributed to adoption of new technology at the early stages. The company came up with its own website in 1995. This included validation of the company’s address. Heather Gorringe admits that the company has been able to expand through various services which are internet based. She admitted that she has always been impressed by technology and that she has a great passion for it. The company has witnessed growth even through the recession. This is because the company did not invest in an internal information technology infrastructure but embraced already existing information communication infrastructure such as the social media an d services available on the internet which was of great advantage to the company. According to Bunzel, social media overcomes the barriers which exist between marketing and training. Social media assist large organizations and small businesses as well as the entrepreneurs to communicate different messages that drive sales in companies or portray positive image (goodwill) about the entity. The company’s founder Ms Gorringe began to explore earnestly the social media in September 2005. This was the period when she travelled to London to attend a podcasting conference. She was ever determined to find various innovative ways which could help boost her company. Her greatest desire was to reach out to greater audience about their existing products through broadcasting. Most people had the concern for organic gardening but most lacked adequate content. It was while at the conference that she fully understood about podcasting potential. She wanted to be independent on the issues to d iscuss. She was aware that to be able to sell she had to find an opportunity to give more explanation concerning the company’s products. Therefore, social media became the best tool to interact with her customers and other interested people. Social media enabled customers to purchase flowers online from the company. The company was able to persuade all its potential customers through the internet that its bouquets of English origin were of quality and worth buying. Selling worms was one of the

Advantages Of Advertising On Television Marketing Essay

Advantages Of Advertising On Television Marketing Essay Floomajuice will be marketed in Scotland as Scottish people spend a lot on juices. As Floomajuice being very tasty and is also nutritious, has less calories as its not made from concentrate. Floomajuice range of drinks also helps people in controlling cholesterol and reduces the risk of cancer. Our product is aimed to reach all age group targeted audiences, primarily focusing on the health and taste conscious people of Scotland. Circulation Floomajuice will be distributed at all local stores and supermarkets throughout Scotland, this will help our company to have better sales of our product. Marketing and Strategic Alliances Floomajuice will not leave any stone unturned in the effect of reaching the targeted audience. We will promote the product using strategic combination of electronic media, print media and outdoor media. we will use television commercials over the news, health and entertainment channels. We will place ads in magazines i.e. Good house Keeping, Sky Magazine, Sky Sports, BBC Top Gear, Readers Digest and Mens Health and news papers like Sun, Metro, Guardian etc.. we will also put ads in Sunday special edition news papers which will help us to reach large number of audiences. We will use social media like Tweeter, Face book for promoting our Floomajuice product. We will use outdoor advertising like billboards, which will have the attention of the audience. We will also put promotional outlets near major supermarkets and offer free sampling of the Floomajuice products. 2A. An important step to promote marketing and sales of Floomajuice range of products is to select appropriate media.. Below are the benefits and drawbacks of using various media for advertising Floomajuice as follows: Newspapers Newspapers are the most traditional ways of promoting business and awareness among the targeted audience. The advantages of Newspapers are Newspapers allow us to reach large number of people as everyone likes to read newspaper. We will have the flexibility in deciding the size of placing the ad in the newspaper. We will have the advantage of telling the customers about our product by using large space in the newspaper. Quick turn-around helps our ad reflect the changing market conditions. We can decide to run our ad today can be in customers hands in a day or two. Exposure to our ad is not limited. Customers can go back to see our ad again and again if they want to. Disadvantages Publishing ad space can be expensive depending on the day we decide to publish. Our ad has to compete against the clutter of other competitors of advertising. Poor photo reproduction can limit the creativity of our ad in the newspaper. Newspapers are highly visible medium and our competitors can quickly react and publish a better ad in order to compete with our ad Magazines Magazines are more focused, more expensive and are alternative to newspaper advertising. This medium of advertising helps our company to reach highly targeted audiences. Advantages of using magazines as medium of advertising are It allows our company to have better targeting of audience as we have the option to choose magazine publications that cater our specific audience. High reader involvement in magazines which means that more attention is given for our advertisement. Publishing ad in magazine provides better quality of paper, better reproduction and full color ads. Which will help our company to know that there is a better product out in the market for audiences. Disadvantages We need to plan weeks in advance to publish the ad in magazines as they are more competitive and most often booked in months advance. Publishing ad in magazine has limited flexibility in terms of placement and format. Buying space in magazine to place ad is higher compared to placing ad in newspaper. Radio Advertising in radio is an universal medium enjoyed by people at one time or another during the day. It might me at work, home or even while traveling in bus or car. Advantages of using radio as medium of advertising Advertising in radio helps us to promote our product to everyone in Scotland. People tend to respond to the ad as the medium has sounds and voices. Advertising in radio is relatively cheaper. Radios have less inflation than those of other media. Disadvantages As radio listeners are spread over many stations, we have to advertise simultaneously on radio several channels to reach our targeted audiences. Listeners cannot go back and listen to the ad once they miss in that particular time when the ad is aired. Radio is a background medium and most listeners listen to radio while they are doing some or the other work, which means that our ad has to go on air more number of times in a day. Television Advertising on television gives us the opportunity to reach large number of people through out the nation in a short period of time Advantages of advertising on television Advertising on television helps to promote our Floomajuice more efficiently as it is based on image and visual medium and offers the ability to convey our message with sight, sound and motion. Television channels like Channel4, e4+1, ITV etc are watched by most of the audience. Hence advertising on these channels will promote Floomajuice. Disadvantages Advertising about our product on television is short and may require to place the ad multiple times in the desired channels. Advertising on television channels is concentrated in local broadcasts channels and station breaks which people might ignore them. Advertising in Commercial breaks are often sold out far in advance. Advertising on television is the most expensive medium in terms of airtime, creative and production of the ad Social Media Advertising Web has revolutionized the way we communicate over the last two decades and now with the proliferation of social media, it has revolutionized the way we socialize with others. Sharing videos, photos, opinions and sometimes advertising what they love. Since all this interaction takes place through the networking site and we know a lot of information about the user, there is a huge potential for us to customize and promote Floomajuice product line. Advantages Lots of people spend a lot of time on social media, and this provides for a great way to build relationships with our clients and personalize our promotional efforts. If targeted at the right audience with the right promotion, it can have cascading effect if customers share our ad/offer with others. We can generate awareness about our product indirectly through our own social media profile and encouraging users to add/like us. It is relatively cheap and highly personalizable to advertise on social media. Disadvantages Some social network users dont pay too much attention to advertising and maybe be turned off in a negative way For small businesses, it may be difficult to leverage social media to create awareness about their products as it is hard to gain the initial momentum It is important to portray a humane side of the company by creating awareness and teach the importance of juices, rather than directly trying to sell a particular product Banner Advertising Banner advertising is the oldest form of online advertisement. Some forms of banner advertisements include vertical ads and top level banners. Sometimes it can also include popups and so on. Costs for banner advertising can be click based or based on banner location on the website and also varies with number of visitors to the website. Advantages A lot of advertising agencies are offering competitive pricing for Banner advertising which resulted in a downward pressure on costs making this medium cheap and effective. Proper location and well-designed banner ads on prominent websites can result in high traffic rates to our product. Effectiveness of these ads can easily be measure and fine-tuned on a regular basis as all the information about which banner ad was clicked and which website was the ad on are easily available. We can also focus our banner ads on websites most frequented by our targeted customers resulting in better ROI. Disadvantages Ill placed or too flashy banner ads are sometimes seen as annoyance and can create negative impression on the brand. If banner ads are placed in popups or new windows, there is a likelihood that ad blockers may completely block them Due to over-saturation of ads and poor designs of banner ads, the convert rates are very low even if click through rates are high. 3A. Target Market Primary ADULTS: Between 25 to 50 years old age  ­ Professionals and parents Becoming more concern about their heath Preferred organic juices Chosen rich nutrition than better taste Concern about price and quality Secondary YOUTH: Between 14 to 25 years old age. Likes to drink cool stuff Preference depended on fashion Drink for style Purchase cheep drink Easily influence by TV, magazine and online advertisement Strategy Promotion: Start brand and product awareness program by using TV, radio commercials, news paper, magazine and web promotional ads in Scotland beginning of May 2013 to the end of November 2013 Product: Product range from 200ml,500ml, 1 liter and 3.5 liter Distribution: We will be using supermarkets and retail stores as our distribution channels. Promotional Strategy Promotion Free Floomajuice offer in major supermarkets in Glasgow, Edinburg, Sterling, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen and selected stores on June 2013. Free Floomajuice t-shirts will be distributed if customers purchase the product in selected stores. This promotion is only happens on June 2013. Public relation Publicized the heath facts of natural fruit juice. Associate these facts with Floomajuice to create its image as heath and relate to longer life. Consumer health stories related to Floomajuice might be a good idea to arouse interest in others. EX: Consumer reduces cholesterol by drinking Natural pure Juice. New interactive web site and discussion board will be designed. Advertising Goal: To highlight the health fact of Natural Floomajuice. Persuade: Drink Floomajuice continuously to derive benefits of natural goodness. Remind: Make consumers think and get used to the Floomajuice product. Floomajuice will produce Natural juice at a more reasonable price than other artificial juice products. Lower budget customer cannot purchase natural juice because of the high price strategy. There is no company in the market at the moment that competes with Floomajuice products which are natural and free from artificial chrematistics. Our aim is to make customers switch over to Floomajuice and attract new market as well. Reasonable pricing will change the market share on Floomajuice. Floomajuice will take over major part of the market share. Floomajuice will offer combination of the best quality and the best service. Price strategy is based on customer value. Advertising: Floomajuice will be the first pure natural fruit juice going to be introduced in Scotland. Most of the consumers dont know about how it tastes and what are the health effects of this juice are. Sales Promotion In store sampling program: Sampling price strategy Public Relation Stories about Floomajuice  ­ New health benefits and research findings Development of new Floomajuice website will include discussion board and interactive futures. Direct Marketing Television, Radio, newspapers and magazines will be use to advertise Floomajuice in Scotland. Heath benefit of the drinking Floomajuice will be the main focus of the advertisement. Feedback from customers Conducting focus group to analyze the Floomajuice for future product development. 4A. Market and External environmental factors People in Scotland spend more on fruits and vegetables, this tells us that people are more health conscious. so our product can derive benefit for this in Scottish market. Social and cultural factors Scotland has a multi ­cultural society so it has different types of consumer with respect to their religion and eating habits. But these days consumers are more conscious about their health. This is because of education and awareness everywhere. Consumers demands for foods, fruits and juices which are more nutritive and provide health benefits. The people belong to different category of classes i.e. upper class, middle class and low class but everyone is sensible about his or her health. So consumer may belong to any of the above ­mentioned classes, his maximum expenditure is on fruits and vegetables. Technical Factors Technology is changing day by day. Due to advancement in technology healthy and nutritive juice can be extracted from different fruits. Attractive packing and labeling also plays a vital role in product promotion, the technology for which is easily available. Legal Factors Political forces are more concerned about the peoples health. It has passed a Food and Drugs act under which it has clearly defined it terms and conditions which are more focused on health and nutrition. But now government has been changed recently. It may make some changes in the Act, but the changes will definitely be in favor of consumers health. Needs of different target segments are as follows Health Consumers have become increasingly health conscious creating a demand for healthier products. They are aware of the fact that soft drinks do not provide essential nutrients, this causes them to choose fruit juice or water as beverage alternatives. Convenience Customers demand proper packaging for separate activities. They address this situation by creating the same products in different packaging. For example, some juices are sold in larger bottles for home and also lunch size boxes. Taste Taste is essential for all consumers as it is among one of the important reasons why they purchase the product. Age Appropriate Youth is one of the major segments for beverage consumption in Scotland. Adults would also be our major target audience as they are very health conscious and with all the benefits that Floomajuice has in it and sure would be a successful product in Scotland. SWOT Analysis Strengths Floomajuice range of products are made of fresh fruit juice and not for concentrate. Floomajuice is high on minerals and energetic. Floomajuice is priced reasonable and has attractive packaging. Our product is health conscious and anti-oxidant. Weaknesses New brand product in market. Not easy for customers to switch from their regular brand of juice. Opportunities Floomajuice brand can become major competitor in the market. Threats Competitors would introduce same kind of products in to market. MARKETING STRATEGIES HEALTY CONSCIOUS: Between 14 to 60 years old ageà Ã‚ ¾ Health professionals and people who are conscious or want to improve their health. Find solution for health problem Heart, cancer, hardening of the arteries and related diseases Influence by the fact and scientific research Want to live longer Dont care about price Concern quality minerals Brand image is important 5A. Marketing Implementation Schedule Media May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 Aug 2013 Sept 2013 Oct 2013 Paper X X X X X X TV X X X X X X Radio X X X X Web X X X X X X Free Sampling X Promotion Timing Chart Media Rate Number Total Cost May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct News Paper and Magazine ads Metro News Paper X X X X X X Sun News Paper X X X X X X Guardian News Paper X X X X X X Weightwatchers Magazine X X X Womens Health X X X BBC Good Food X X X Mens Health X X X Slimming World Magazine X X X TV commercials Heath programs X X X News X X X Radio Capital FM Scotland X X X X X X Absolute Radio X X X X X X Sooth Radio UK X X X X X X Billboards Subway X X X X X X Shopping Malls X X X Bus Stations X X X Free Sampling Sainsbury Supermarkets X Morrison Supermarkets X ASDA Supermarkets X Web MSN X X X X X X Google X X X X X X Face book X X X X X X Tweeter X X X X X X

Description, Function, Attribution, and Analysis of a Red-figure Type B

The durability of clay has brought forth an immense abundance of Greek pottery, a craft mastered by Athenian artists. Archeologists have found hundreds of varieties in creation, shape, function, style, and artwork in Archaic vases. The museum has been blessed with one of these priceless artifacts; it is the duty of this establishment to accumulate as much data as possible surrounding the vase. In first identifying technique, dimensions, and condition, as well as describing shape, ornament, and figural scenery, one may then begin to analyze the vase. This serves the general purpose of understanding where the artifact stands in Greek culture and history. Through the examination and research of figural scenes, it is then possible to compare these to other scenes and styles of the same and other painters. Finally, one can then hypothesize where, why, and how this piece was used. The Athenian vase can be identified as a red-figure Type B Kylix. The height of the vase vacillates between 12.1 and 12.3 centimeters, and the diameter of the foot is roughly 12.5 centimeters. Whereas the diameter of the mouth varies between 33.1 and 33.5 centimeters, the diameter with handles is close to 41.5 centimeters. The vase is completely restored, a condition in which pieces on the body of the vase are glued back together. The bottom of the foot is decorated with subsidiary ornamentation, but the design cannot be distinguished due to the condition of the kylix. A reserved save band runs around the step of the foot. Beneath the artwork is subsidiary ornamentation in the style of circumscribed and horizontal palmettes. A reserved line lies where the lower body meets the stem. The body of the kylix joins into the stem without an abrupt junction, and the foot is convex in profile. Along the exterior, two handles curve upwards along opposite sides of the kylix. Both the upper surface and the inside of the handles are reserved, with the area of the body behind them. The single figural scene on the front body of the kylix roughly depicts a battle between centaurs and human characters. It also includes animal figures. Starting from the left, there is a bearded and mustached male centaur with long, pointed ears. Above the waist, his head and bare torso are human; below the waist, his buttocks, legs, and hooves resemble the body of a horse. He clenches a spear from behind in his left h... ...comparing the kylix with those of an earlier and later date, one can see that the Greeks were an extremely progressive culture that could make leaps and bounds in art in only a matter of two decades. Though the ideal Greek concept of hero depicts Heracles as impassive and undaunted in this kylix, Euripides suggests that the society also honored his grounded qualities like love, emotion, and sympathy. These conjectures are an important addition to current knowledge of ancient Greece as archeologists move towards further exciting discoveries. Alan H. Griffiths, â€Å"Centaurs†, Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth, 2003, The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 309 J.D. Beazley, 1984, Attic Red Figure Vase Painters, Vol. 2 (New York: Hacker Art Books), 124-127 A.T. Clark, 2002, Understanding Greek Vases (Los Angeles: J Paul Getty Museum), 53 M.G. Kanowski, 1984, Containers of Classical Greece (New York: University of Queensland Press), 63-67 J. Boardman, 1975, Athenian Red Figure Vases, The Archaic Period (London: Thames and Hudson), 121, ill. 170 J. Falconer and T. Mannack, 2002, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 925, ill. 19

Fast Food Whos to Blame On-Demand Essay

You will have 45 minutes to plan and write an essay on the topic assigned below. Before you begin writing, read the passage carefully and plan what you will say. Your essay should be as well-organized and carefully written as you can make it. As Americans add pounds, critics are increasingly blaming the fast-food industry. Teenagers have filed lawsuits blaming McDonalds for their health problems, and a public health group in California has asked the governor to declare childhood obesity a state of emergency. But parentsnot the fast food companies, not the governmentare in the best position to fight the epidemic of overweight children. Parents are responsible for teaching healthy eating and exercise habits. Parents are to blame if they let their kids eat unhealthy foods and sit in front of the television or computer for hours at a time. We have laws against parents leaving a loaded weapon where children can find and use it to hurt themselves or others. Its time to get parents to take the same responsibility to protect their children from unhealthy foods and lack of exercise. Adapted from Daniel WeintraubsThe Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the HomeThe Sacramento Bee, December 17, 2002 Explain Weintraubs argument and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with his analysis. Support your position, providing reasons and examples from your own experience, observations, or reading. The sample student essays that follow reflect the EPT Scoring Guides criteria. Sample student essay with a score of 6 Daniel Weintraub, in The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home, states that parents are responsible for the increasing epidemic of child obesity. Parents need to be responsible enough to teach their children healthy eating exercise habits. In our world today, children sit around play video games all day, if they are allowed to. Weintraub argues that parents need to step up to the plate and get children involved in some type of exercise. I agree that parents need to take more responsibility for child obesity, but schools, fast food companies the government also need to take that same initiative. Parents have a lot of influence on their children from the day that child is born. Children learn how to talk from their parents, how to respect their elders and they should learn healthy eating exercising habits from their parents. There are many steps to take in showing a child what is healthy unhealthy. A parent could make sure that a child receives a serving of fruits or vegetables at lunch  dinner, eliminate soda from the house and even eliminate all junk food from the house. From a young age, my parents taught me to have an apple for a snack instead of a cookie that I should be getting 5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day. This lesson has influenced me even until today when my friends I will go and eat a salad at lunch instead of pizza or chips. I have also eliminated all soda from my diet. Parents need to show their children that exercise is not a bad thing. At a young age, parents need to show children that there are other things to do, like playing tag or playing at the park, than just watching t.v. Parents could introduce their children to different sports until the child finds one that he or she is interested in. My parents entered me in dance class were lucky in finding that that was what I enjoyed. I have been dancing since I was three years old I also played soccer for 8 years. It isnt very difficult to turn off a t.v. and send your children outside to play. Parents are not solely responsible for child obesity schools, fast food companies the government also need to take action against child obesity. Schools today do not provide a great selection of healthy food. My student body is luck that we have an off-campus lunch but even then it is difficult to find healthy food. Fast food companies definitely need some blame. With advertising that appeals to children, it is no wonder that America is fat. Through whining for that toy that a child can get with a kids meal, the parent is pressured to go to a fast food place. Daniel Weintraub argues that parents are responsible for child obesity. I agree with Weintraub but schools fast food companies also need to help in the fight against child obesity . Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 6. The superior response indicates that the writer is very well-prepared to handle college-level reading and writing. The writer clearly explains Weintraubs argument regarding childhood obesity in the first paragraph and takes a thoughtful position, contending that Weintraub is right to a degree but that schools, fast food companies the government also need to take that same initiative. The writer skillfully restates Weintraubs argument in the first paragraph and makes a further connection in the second paragraph by saying, they should learn healthy eating exercising habits from their parents. However, the emphasized should suggests that the writer questions whether this always happens. The conclusion again refers back to Weintraub. The essay demonstrates quality  and clarity of thought with its careful analysis of both the strengths and weaknesses of Weintraubs somewhat overstated position. The essay reflects an effective use of topic statements and strong personal examples to both support Weintraubs argument that parents are responsible for childhood obesity with respect to eating and exercise habits and make the case that others are responsible as well. Sentence structure is varied and word choice is precise. The essay has few errors. Sample student essay with a score of 5 America is now known as the fattest country in America. Many of our countrys people blame the fast food industry for over-advertising, selling unhealthy food, and selling oversized portions. However, others feel that Americas obeisity is a matter of personal responsibility. In his article The battle against fast food begins in the home, Daniel Weintraub explains that parents need to take responsibility for the eating habits of their kids, and I agree with his opinion in this matter. As Americans, we are given the freedom of choice, however, before we become adults, it is our parents that have to teach us how to make the right decisions. This is Weintraubs point. If parents are not willing to teach their kids the dangers of eating too much fast food and not getting enough exercise, then those kids have no way to make the right choices. Kids learn best at an early a ge, therefore, teaching them good habits will allow them to make the correct decisions later. I agree with Weintraubs opinion that parents are responsible. Obviously, fast food companies are going to market towards kids they are more impressionable. Because of this, if parents would start teaching kids early on, they could use that impressionable quality to their advantage. The benefits of education are apparent in almost everything we do. For example, a better educated person can solve problems quickly and easily. The same goes for someone educated in terms of health habits. They can make the best choices because they have been taught to do so. Fast food companies provide a service. It is up to us, or our parents if we are not yet of age, to decide how much of that service we should use. In conclusion, Daniel Weintraub is correct in his assesment of one of the causes of Americas obeisity. The truth is that no child can grow up to be an intelligent human being without a proper education, wether it be in mathematics or eating habits. Fast food companies are always going to compete for customers and try to make money, but they cannot control our  decisions. The only people that can make choices for us our ourselves, and we canno t make the right choices without proper education from our parents. We cannot blame others for our own problems. Only when parents and the population of American in general are educated and choose to live healthy lifestyles will the countrys obeisity cease. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 5. The clear competence of the essay indicates that this writer is quite ready to handle college-level reading and writing. The writer addresses the topic of childhood obesity clearly, summarizing and then agreeing with Weintraubs position. Further references to Weintraub in the body and conclusion maintain a clear focus on the argument. The essay presents a well-reasoned response, indicating that various factors contribute to childhood obesity but finally siding with Weintraub in placing the responsibility on parents We cannot make the right choices without proper education from our parents. The essay shows some depth of thought in making the case that adults are responsible for making their own sound choices while parents are responsible for the choices their children make. However, the writer simply dismisses the responsibility of the fast-food industry without analysis. The essay is fairly clearly organized around the ideas that parents are responsible for their childrens choices and that the best way to counter fast-food advertising is through education however, some repetition and a lack of strong examples weaken the writers argument. The sentences are varied and word choices are generally precise and effective. The essay has only a few minor errors failure to use a semicolon with however, misspelling of obesity, and the distracting repetition of America in the first line. Sample student essay with a score of 4 Obesity Can Be Stopped Within the Home The article titled, The battle against fast food begins in the home, is the authors Daniel Weintraub, point of view on the rising obesity problem in America. Mr. Weintraub wrote this particular piece with one intention to educate the readers with his own views. Mr. Weintraub doesnt blame the Government, or advertising for Americans weight problem. But, instead he feels that parents are the sole component. He not only blames parents for their childrens poor eating habits, but also for they lack of exercise, and physical activity. I strongly agree with Mr. Weintraub because of the dynamics and regimne of parents lives today and parents wanting to blame  everyone and thing but themselves. I strongly agree with Mr. Weintraub because of the dynamics and regimne of parents lives today. Mr. Weintraub makes the point in his article that, Fast Food is fast., and It can also seem cheap. (Weintraub) This is just what parents who work all day want. They want to feed their children, not cook but feed, and relax after a hard days work. They may not mean to, but they are already to blame for their childs eating habits. However, taking the easy route, they have already put their children at risk. The dynamics of their daily regimne naturally allow them to feed their child junk. Not only do I believe that Mr. Weintraub is correct because of the dynamics and regimne of parents lives today, but I also strongly Agree with Mr. Weintraub because of parents wanting to blame everyone and thing but themselves. First off, in an article written by Shannon Brownlee titled, Its Portion distortion that makes America fat, a mother who was suing McDonalds stated, 1 always believed McDonalds food was healthy for my son. (Brownlee) This statement shows a parent who is willing to blame a company, whose sole purpose is making money, for her childs obesity. All the while parents eat, themselves, the exact same food as their child. They dont hold any responsibility that maybe their child will mimic these same habits. In the Letters to the Editor section a woman, Patricia Gonzalez, poses a good question Why arent they (parents) home cooking them (children) healthy food (Letters to Editor) Instead of parents complaining about how companies made their kids fat, or how advertising hooked their kids, why dont they eliminate these factors and cook their children a meal they know is healthy I strongly agree with Mr. Weintraub because of the dynamics and regimne of parents lives today and parents wanting to bl ame everyone and thing but themselves. Mr. Weintraub expressed the right point. As Americans, we need to take responsibility ourselves and not just blame other people. Parents could eliminate obesity before it became a problem in their childs life. That is why I strongly agree with Mr. Weintraub. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 4. This adequate response to the topic suggests that the writer should be able to handle college-level reading and writing. The writer clearly addresses Weintraubs argument that parents are responsible for the epidemic of childhood obesity but fails to explain why the fast-food companies, whose sole purpose is making money, do not share responsibility.  The writer generally understands the passage and develops a sensible, if somewhat simplistic, response why dont they . . . cook their children a meal they know is healthy The essay has a clear organization around the issues of parents lack of timedynamics and regimne of parents livesand parents desire to shift blame to others. However, wel l-chosen examples would strengthen the support for this argument. The essay demonstrates adequate use of syntax and language however, word choice is sometimes imprecise. For example, The article . . . is the point of view . . . and hold any responsibility. Dynamics and regimne are used both imprecisely and repetitively. The writer has general control of grammar and usage however, errors in punctuation and capitalization are frequent and distracting. Sample student essay with a score of 3 Who is to blame the parents, fast food companies, the government or yourself People now a days are so quick to sue fast food companies for making them fat but its all about self control. One should know his or her own body and watch what they eat. Fast food places are on almost every corner but doesnt mean their making you eat there. In New York a teenager is sueing McDonalds for making her fat. He weighs in at 400 pounds. His mother says I always believed McDonalds food was healthy for my son. How is this possible Two patty cheeseburgers, deep fried potatoes, and a large cup of soda is clearly not healthy. This kid probably ate at McDonalds majority of the time but I doubt he ate there everyday for every meal so how is McDonalds fully to blaim. Whatever happen to exercising, if this teenager was getting the required exercise there is no way he could way in at 400 pounds. Dont get me wrong Im not just on the fast food companies side. Yes McDonalds super-sizing most of their meals is a little extreme. Having good deals like dollar nugget Tuesdays is also a big temptation. Fast food companies could cut down on the location of there restuarants. Being that its so convinent that its close to your house, cheap and fast is another way that makes Americans so addicted. In conclusion, Both Americans and Fast Food Companies can change for the better. Americans start taking some responsibility for what you put into your own body. Fast Food Companies think of how many lives are at risk because of what your feeding them and cut back on expanding your franchises. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 3. Although the essay indicates a developing competence on the part of the writer, it is flawed in  significant ways that suggest the writer needs additional practice before being able to succeed in college-level reading and writing. The writer does not arrive at a thesis until the conclusion, which states, In conclusion, Both Americans and Fast Food Companies can change for the better. Even if this thesis had been presented in the introduction, however, it would need to be made more specific. The writer does not summarize or explain Weintraubs argument and fails to respond to the argument that parents are primarily responsible for their childrens eating and exercise habits. The writer does not use Weintraubs argument about the role of parents to develop the response as a result, the essay is not focused on Weintraubs argument but instead focuses entirely on the responsibility of the individual and the fast-food industry. The essay demonstrates simplistic thinking. It ignores the socioeconomic and developmental issues that can impede children and parents from making wise decisions about what they eat. It also ignores the imperative for businesses to make money when it suggests that McDonalds could cut down on the location of there restaurants. A skeletal organization is present, with the two body paragraphs each addressing a single idea that is summarized in the conclusion. The paragraphs are underdeveloped they need additional specifics and analysis. In addition, the role of parental responsibility needs to be explored. The paragraphs need effective topic sentences relating back to a controlling idea or thesis. The writers language is highly informal, relying on a series of rhetorical questions and colloquial comments (Who is to blame . . . How is this possible Whatever happen to exercising Dont get me wrong.) in place of analysis. The writer uses vague or incorrect pronoun reference (one should know . . . and watch what they eat but doesnt mean their making you eat there), and sentence structure is weak (Being that its so convinent . . . is another way that makes Americans so addicted.). The main errors, however, are in the mechanics, with numerous errors in punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. Sample student essay with a score of 2 Bigger isnt always better Last year a Bronx teenager who weighted in at a wooping 400 pounds sat in a confrence room while their mother tryed to file a suit againt McDonalds for make her kid fat. When ask why she replyed I always believed McDonalds food was healthy for my son. More and more americans are trying to blame fast food for the reason they are fat, but is it what they eat or how  much. Shannon Brownlee asked this question and this is what she found. Portion sizes has been creeping up ward science 1972. That when McDolands introduced its large size fries. (which now was smaller than a medium today.) And now they make more money then ever, they do it by consumer manipulation. Example 7-Eleven can sell the 64-ounce Double Gulp for only 37 cents more the 16-ounce 89 cent regular Gulp. Youd feel ripped off if you bought the s maller size. And thats just the way I feel when I go to fast food why not get the bigger size your pay just as much as a regular. After reading Shannon Brownlees article I understand and agree that people arnt getting fat from the food but from how much they eat. So maybe all those moms should stop getting mad that their kid are getting fat and be mad at their kid for eating so much and throwing away money on food that 70 of the time they dont finish Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 2. The serious flaws here indicate that this writer will need considerable additional practice before being able to succeed in college-level reading and writing. The writer does not summarize or respond to Weintraubs argument, instead lifting portions from another article by Shannon Brownlee about fast food. The writer does not use the passage at all. Sample student essay with a score of 1 Many people blame the fast food industry for making them obese. But its not their fault it is the fault of the parents. It is theirs for not teaching the person how to eat right. It is the parents responsibility to teach their children o eat right and to excise at lest once a day. Americans have taken the blame of obesity and put it one that fast food industry. Many parents have filled lawsuits against McDonalds for their health problems. Commentary This essay illustrates the EPT Scoring Guides criteria for a score of 1. The fundamental deficiencies of this essay clearly indicate that the writer needs much additional practice to be ready to succeed at college-level reading and writing. The essays lengthsix sentencesis insufficient to respond to the question. The writer misunderstands the passage and fails to refer to it. The essay is repetitive. The first and fifth sentences repeat each other, as do the second, third, and fourth sentences. The writer culls the idea of parental responsibility from the passage but offers no support, reasons, or examples as the prompt instructs. The essay appears to be incomplete. It ends with a (misstated) statement of fact from the passage  that either belongs in the summary portion of the essay or should be omitted in lieu of the writers own opinions and supportthe better option. The writer lacks basic control of syntax and vocabulary. The writer has serious and persistent errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that severely interfere with meaning. Pronoun confusion (It is theirs . . . ), preposition misuse (blame of obesity), and punctuation errors are profound.

Gender wage gaps Essay

Introduction Everyone is entitled to the equal wages for equal work. However, women’s average income has been lower than men’s in nearly all occupation and women in Canada are still far behind the men’s starting line on wage in the labour market. It is one of many parts of gender inequality in Canada, when considering labour market participation in view of gender. I think that the current measures to settle wage discrimination are not effective enough to correspond to market income inequality. That’s why I choose this topic. It is required to think of new alternatives for closing the gap. So I provide a few ways to figure out gender wage gaps. What is the gender wage gap? The gender wage gaps describe the earning differences between men and women on paid employment in the labour market. It can be measured in many ways, but the most common method is to focus on full time and full year wages. It is also able to be measured the gender wage gap on the basis of hourly wages. The most recent Statistics data of Canada shows that the gender wage gap in Ontario is 28% for full time and full year workers. It means that when a male worker is to earn $1.00, a female worker is to earn only 72 cents. When the Pay Equity Act was passed in 1987, the gender wage gap was 36%. It has been reduced gradually over time. The current situation As a result of women have been investing significant time and resources in their education, women now consist of the majority of undergraduate and master’s degree in Ontario. 62% of university undergraduate students in Canada are women. But women still earn less than men in all occupational categories and all educational levels. Although more women than men go to university or college, they don’t always get paid better than men who have the same work. It is particularly embarrassing that the pay gap is grater  for younger generations of women. There is a 39% gap between men and women’s earnings in the ages from 35 to 44. Women account for 60% of all minimum wage workers and the women at low wages are presenting all age groups. This is the reason that poverty follows women after their retirement with women age 65. It’s over twice as likely as men to be low income. The gender wage gap gets wider when women have children and when they have a part-time job. Women having children earn 12% less than women without children. Women’s opportunities for higher wage are limited by the responsibilities of family which they still burden disproportionately. While now the most majority of mothers work in the paid labour force (almost 70% of women having children under five are working), the employment rate of women with children have much lower than men with children. Making less money for their family than men affects significantly them throughout their lives, which could put women and their children at a higher risk of poverty and decrease their income to earn a lifetime and retirement income. The reason of gender wage gap There are several factors that caused the gender wage gap. According to a report by Dr. Pat Armstrong, the gender wage gap is caused by the following three features of Canada’s labour market, which interact to yield substantially lower wage for women. â€Å"That is 1. The majority of women are segregated from men into different work and different workplaces. In Canada, 67% of women work in traditional occupations such as teaching, nursing, clerical, admin or sales and service jobs in 2009. 2. In general, women’s segregated work is paid less than men’s work. The higher the concentration of women, the lower the pay. Women’s skills and competencies are undervalued because of their association with women, as are sectors and industries such as health care and services in which women predominate. 3. Women’s lower pay reflects the systemic undervaluation of women’s work relative to that of men.† Functionalistic perspectives of the gender wage gap Functionalists have the view that inequality is a product of the traditional  division in human societies. In the past, men had a tendency to attend to more external tasks such as working for company or doing government job and women attended to more internal tasks such as those involved in raising child or doing house work. While both kinds of labour are functional and necessary for a society’s survival, the external tasks which were accomplished by men always have been more highly rewarded than the internal tasks made by women. So in functionalism, it was very natural for men to get higher wage than women. However, gender roles and their accompanying inequalities have changed in industrialized societies. Industrialized society made the traditional division of labor less functional. Even though traditional arrangement remains in force in most societies, the traditional labour of division is no longer meaningful today. That means men and women are the same as the part that comprise the social and men are women must be treated equally if they do the same work. So, I think that it is not appropriate to explain the gender wage gap in functionalistic perspectives any more. Solutions of the gender wage gap There are three solutions which I want to suggest for solutions of the gender wage gap. 1. To support working families Although female workers have lower wage than men, their role is very important part of this society. As we know from this sentence â€Å"Women having children earn 12% less than women not having children†, it is important to make circumstances to focus on work in workplace. Governments and companies need to create more family-friendly workplaces and workplace policies especially for women with children. Work places need to consider providing parental leave and paid leave for sickness and family care. It is also necessary to offer high-quality childcare arrangements and encourage the development of more part-time jobs to pay well and to have good benefits. Not only is such policies good for female workers, but it beneficial to the company that want to hire competent female workers. 2. To increase the minimum wages Because the majority of 534,000 minimum wage workers in Ontario are women,  the increasing of statutory minimum wage is necessary to close the wage gap. Increasing the minimum wage to reflect the rising living costs every year reduces poverty and inequality of income. Ontario’s minimum wage has been fixed at $10.25 for three years. The three year fixing brings the effect lowering the income of minimum wage substantially by 7%. So it results in widening the wage gap. To close the wage gap, I think, the best solution is that the minimum wage is to rise as a certain percentage automatically by laws or rules. Even though it is not possible to determine the specific number because of changing economic conditions every year, it is very effective that the minimum wage increasing is controlled by rules. 3. To need detailed analysis the data Although there are sufficient resources to show that female worker tend to work equal and earn less than men, more detailed analyses are needed to settle underlying causes. Governments need to collect and share particular and reliable country’s data from which the respective gender wage gaps of country can be calculated and compared. This would make it possible to find out effective ways of dealing with the problem and to identify possible improvements to existing legal frameworks likely to lead to decreasing significantly in the wage gap. Wage Gap Program The Pay Equity Office started the Wage Gap Program in 2011, designed to examine current compensation data and assess the possibility of gender wage gaps for non-unionized employees in Ontario’s private sector workplaces. Wage gaps can be caused by a lot of factors, one of which relates to wage equity. The Wage Gap Program enables the Office to more precisely direct its efforts for supporting workplaces that appear to have wage equity gaps. At first, the Office conducted the Program by obtaining correction data from employers with over 500 employees. Workplaces with 250 to 499 employees are being examined now and it is expected that by the fall, workplaces with 100 to 249 employees will be contacted. References Gender Wage Gaps and Earnings Ratios in Ontario. (2012, November 21). Pay Equality Commission: Equal Pay For Work Of Equal Value. Retrieved from http://www.payequity.gov.on.ca/en/about/pubs/genderwage/wagegaps.php Blau, F. and Kahn, L. (2007, February). The Gender Pay Gap: Have Women gone as far as they can? Academy of Management Perspectives, pp.1-23. Morissette, R., Picot, G., & Lu, Y. (2013). The Evolution of Canadian Wages over the Last Three Decades (No. 2013347e). Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch. Adshade, M. (2013, January 22). Do women choose lower pay?: The gender wage gap explained. Canadian Business. Retrieved from http://www.canadianbusiness.com/blogs-and-comment/gender-wage-gap/ Armstrong, P. (2008, June). Equal Pay For Work of Equal Value. Expert Report.