There seem to be many problems within the American educational system today Essay Example For Students

There seem to be many problems within the American educational system today Essay There seem to be many problems within the American educational system today. Most of the problems refer back to the differences in the students that undergo the education system. Some of these students are handicapped, some are not motivated either at home or by themselves, and some have learning disabilities. The world of learning disabilities is large and seems to receive the least amount of attention. Learning disabilities are apparent in some children while in others they remain hidden. One example of a learning disability exists in children that speak languages different from English, which is spoken the most in schools today. We will write a custom essay on There seem to be many problems within the American educational system today specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Children that speak different languages seem to have the most trouble in math because their memory works differently, their organizational skills are different and they lack the symbolic understanding that English speaking children possess. Psychologists have also found that there is a link to children with language disabilities, their mathematical skills, and their reading skills. This is especially seen in word problems. When solving story problems, children must understand complex language and solve problems presented in meaningful contexts. Jordan p. 569 The most apparent problem found amongst children that are language impaired is their symbolic understanding. This weakness is also found amongst children with other disabilities. The main problem with symbolic understanding is that the children do not seem to realize that things can stand for other things. They may fail to come to terms with the notion that one coin can stand for two other coins Grauberg p. 3 It is understood that children with a problem with symbolic understanding most likely suffer from other learning disabilities. Such children are most probably learning-impaired in a wider sense, but they are often found in special language units and in special schools for children with language impairments. Grauberg p. 3 Children who seem to have the most problems with symbolic understanding are the ones that are known as being semantic or pragmatic. These types of children are able to use the symbols that are numbers and letters. However, they can only use them as they learned them causing the children to be unable to see the symbols as constructs which, only stand for a meaning. In general, such children will have difficulty in applying acquired number skills to new situations. Grauberg p. 4 Some children with very large problems in language development seem to just give up on learning mathematical skills at a very early age. Here the problem of teacher interaction becomes a problem because if the teachers do not spend a lot of time helping and introducing the concepts of symbols to these students at very young ages the students will give up at fail at math later in the future. These children tend to become distracted very easily by their surroundings. Another problem found in the symbolic understanding is that the children may know a counting system very different to the one that they are learning at their present school. The confusion of the two number systems can be extremely large. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦children will have difficulty in accommodating their own, more global and non-verbal working symbol systemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Grauberg p. 6 There are ways to help these children with learning mathematics. First, one must begin by concentrating on the cardinal aspect to numbers. Here the relationship between linguistic form and the content in small and simple. Some suggest working with terms that are in relation to numbers and amounts such as a little or a few. Before precisely specified quantities like three or four are introduced, it may be useful to work with large nonspecific quantities. Grauberg p. 9 The next step is to have the child associate specific amounts to the numbers such as five apples or seven shirts. Then, one should introduce the written symbols to the children. Some specialists believe that children should write the number and understand that before they speak the number. They suggest that the children will become familiar with the notion that a quantity can be labeled in writing Grauberg p15. Another issue that children with language developmental problems have is organization. The problem of organization relates itself to the other problems found in the children. A child with added language difficulties will have even greater problems because the strategy of talking a problem through while solving it- essential for most of us when organizing a problem solving situation- will not come naturally to him. Grauberg p. 61 Much like children with problems having to do with symbiotic understanding the children with organizational problems will be learning impaired in a much larger sense because while they may look or act as though they understand their work shows that they do not. Teachers can also use patterns to help them learn the symbols. The patterns strategy requires students to examine sequences of numbers or geometrical objects in search of some rul e that will allow them to extend the sequence indefinitely. Thomas p. 204 .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c , .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c .postImageUrl , .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c , .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c:hover , .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c:visited , .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c:active { border:0!important; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c:active , .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u225cdddb0af72c9ae4d6a751cbd9c89c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Child Abuse EssayChildren who have problems with organizational skills have many features. The features are impulsiveness, lack of concentration, clumsiness, and lack of spatial ability. The impulsiveness is seen when the children continue to test their parents or teachers patience. They will not look further into given information, and they can not sort out the relevant from the irrelevant information. Just as in problems in symbolic understanding if the child does not understand the information or process it quickly enough they begin to show signs of a lack of concentration. Children so clumsiness because research has shown that children with a lack of organization physical movements seem slow and they appear to have no rhythm. This results in untidiness and a lack of clarityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Grauberg p. 62. Children with this issue have problems with math because they have problems sequencing, halving, sharing, and classifying the numbers. Children need to learn how to explore the various possibilities of grouping in order to make more efficient decisions having to do with organizing themselves. The main problem within the organizational problem is trying to sort out word problems. The relations between the numbers and words must be understood before the problem itself can be solved. Word problems are very complex even at the easiest level. some knowledge is needed in at least three different areas: the specific aspect of life in which the story takes place, the mathematical procedures that can be applied to the problem, and the logic and language of the story Grauberg p. 81. The area of spatial organization seems to be the hardest to teach children. There are serious doubts about methods and transfer and there seems to be very little information about the frequency and severity with which spatial disability occurs Grauberg p. 101. Spatial ability is the ability to see and understand the relationships between shapes, spaces, or areas. This area can be noticed in the childs early years as they play with toys dealing with shapes and placing. When dealing with word problems a t eacher should analyze the problem out loud. This allows the child to hear the breakdown of the word problem. Teachers should explain their thinking as they test the choice of schema and algorithm. Thomas p. 202 The final area that effects children with language impairments is memory. Early research on children with MD suggested that they were deficient in two areas of mathematical cognition: retrieval of number facts and the ability to solve story problems. Jordan p. 1 This area is directly related to organization. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦memory is organized and structured, and the more efficiently it is organized, the more successfully it will function Grauberg p. 124. Therefore if more problems lye in the childs organizational skills then more problems are bound to exist in their memory. There are at least two parts to a persons memory, long-term memory and short-term memory. Long-term memory has an unlimited amount of storage space however; one can not always recall what they are looking for from the storage space. What makes a teachers job so difficult with regards to long term memory is that all of the organization that goes on in the long term memory is done in a very personal way so, when recalling information it can be difficult to recall exact specifics. Learning matter can be offered in a way that the teacher considers well-organized and therefore likely to be remembered and easily produced, but it is by no means certain that all children will accept the organization and store it accordingly in their long-term memory. Grauberg p. 127 Short-term memory can also be called primary memory. It holds what we need for the present. Unfortunately the information that is stored in short term memory can very easily thrown away. Its content, supported by consciousness, can be easily accessed, altered and worked with; but, as the name suggests, any information stored in it is liable to fade away quickly. Grauberg p. 127 .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 , .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 .postImageUrl , .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 , .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461:hover , .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461:visited , .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461:active { border:0!important; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461:active , .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461 .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9786049f59ceb0670fe27ecae2954461:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Odyssey Themes EssayThe short-term memory is also called the working memory because there is always room for more information. While memory might cause difficulty to language impaired children some feel as though it is not a prominent feature in these children others feel that the children can not seen to escape it. A weak memory I not a feature that is peculiar to children with language difficulties. Grauberg p. 130 Many teachers seem to complain that their students memory is their largest problem. One does not need to have been teaching a long time in a school with language impaired children to find that anchoring facts in long-term memory takes a lot of targeted effort; that the number of times which can be held in working memory is low, and that word-finding problems among the children are widespread and severe. Grauberg p. 130 The main problem that lies in children with language impairments is that they seem to have difficulties with vocabulary and auditory tests appear low. In reference to long-term memory and the childrens mathematical skills the children seems to have the most problem with learning to count. These difficulties may occur for a long time which, can affect all further number work. The children can not recall what certain numbers amount to and they have to keep learning the equation while normal children learn these amounts quicker. Short-term memory however, brings up other problems with mathematical skills. Children seem to have problems with all mental arithmetic. They will not be able to keep a number question in mind while they hear it, let alone while they think about it. Grauberg p. 131 Numerical problems in either written or oral form will give the children problems this is because they often forget the beginning before they get to the end. Following instructions is also a problem for children with language disabilities. The information that the teachers are looking for is unavailable to the students so they can not provide it fo r the teachers. While some of the first problems that occur with children who have difficulties with symbolic understanding share those problems that children with memory problems have. However, these problems are made worse by those with memory problems. Children with memory deficits may experience the same problems, but they are made worse because the children find it hard to remember the names of first numbers and, more importantly, they find it hard to remember the names in the right sequence. Grauberg p. 133 Much like the other problems that exist in these children the problem of memory can be helped. One has to realize that in both forms of retrieval problems help can only be very indirect; the child needs to learn strategies for self-help. Grauberg p. 160 of course this solution is easier said then done. The main idea is to turn a difficult free recall into a simpilier easier cued recall. This new cued recall can also be called recognition. Making up cue games is also a good way to help. The child can begin to recognize the numbers through their associations in the games. As seen above there are many problems within the educational system that seem to go unadvised. The main problems that occur in children with language disabilities are symbolic understanding, lack of organizational skills, and poor memory skills. These problems can be helped if teachers and parents are willing to put in the time and effort.

Reflection on Leadership and Sustainability SKK Inc

Reflection on Leadership and Sustainability SKK Inc Introduction Leadership is one of the most important factors that always dictate success or failure of an organization in the world today. Leadership has been in existence for as long as the history of humankind can be traced. As Blanchard (2010, p. 57) puts it, a leadership goes beyond providing the direction for the followers. It entails going into details to discover the potential of the followers.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Reflection on Leadership and Sustainability: SKK Inc specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It involves engaging the followers in a way that would make them discover themselves. It involves helping the followers develop the urge to achieve. It is the art of making people realize that they have a potential to achieve beyond their current capacity. Leadership requires the leader to challenge the followers positively in a way that would make them feel that they need to rediscover themselves. An organization has to come up with means through which it can wade off these challenges and deliver quality products in the market in the best way possible. This way, a firm would be able to come out as a successful business unit that can withstand market pressures. Organizations share external environmental factors. Emerging technologies, good government policies, a promising market are factors that an organization cannot consider as a competitive advantage. They are factors that are shared by all the firms in that particular industry. An organization must therefore, develop its policies that will give it a competitive edge in the market. An organization should develop mechanisms through which it can challenge the existing market threats in the best way possible. It should be able to stand out among the rest, as a firm that understands the market and is able to provide it with what it needs. It must appear positively special. This requires proper management of the workforce. It re quires a strategy that will help it have the best workforce that can drive the changes required within an organization. This is what most firms have realized and are determined to achieve Blanchard (2010, p. 98). They need to go beyond simple management of the workforce. In the management, we need leaders. There is need to have a sustainable environment where the future is protected, while the current needs are achieved. Gill (2011, p. 91) says that this may be a very challenging task. This is because in most of the cases, meeting currents needs involves compromising the future.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, the current society requires a sustainability strategy that would assure an organization of a protected future. This research paper focuses on leadership and sustainability in the contemporary world with focus SKK Inc in Cambodia. Transformation al Leadership and Sustainability at SKK Inc SKK is a Cambodia-based company specializing in land and real estate developments. The vision of the SKK Inc. is to become the leading architectural firm in the region. The mission for the company is to transform the construction patterns into environmentally sustainable structures within the jurisdiction of its market. SKK’s core values are to create and provide livable, eco-friendly and contemporary communities for people living in Phnom Penh. Since 2011, SKK has just set base as being a leading driver in real estate development industry in Cambodia. Given this fact, transformational leadership is very important to the management in enhancing sustainability. Transformational leadership is defined by Holiday (2002, p. 38) as a type of leadership that uses motivation to enhance the performance of employees. Holiday (2002, p. 24) defines leadership as a process where an individual (a leader) offers guidance to a group of individuals (followers) in an organizational structure. It is the process of leading others towards a better future. Transformational leadership, as the name suggest, provides a completely new path to approaching various issues in an organization. It provides an insight the employees. One of the main aims of a transformational leader is to create a completely new approach in managing various issues within the organization. This is what the current world demands an organization. Emerging technologies are changing various approaches of management. The emerging trends need new approaches that can be used to provide a way in which they can be managed differently. This is what leaders at SKK Inc have embraced. Transformational leadership attempts to make employees discover themselves. According to Hacker and Grint (2005, p. 78), a transformational leader will always make followers realize that they have untapped capacity which they can exploit to get better results in every activity they are doing. It involves making the followers realize that they are part of the change. It makes employees own the whole process.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Reflection on Leadership and Sustainability: SKK Inc specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They feel that some changes that are proposed are part of them and are meant to make their work easier. This way, they develop the responsibility to ensure that these changes are accomplished successfully and within the specified time. Such leadership will evoke desires on the followers to see to it that specific desires are achieved within the specified time. It is an art of tying the objectives of an organization to that of its employees. This leadership approach makes emphasis on the first ‘P’ of the three elements of sustainability which is the people (Fullan 2005, p. 85). It involves making people within the organization appreciate the need to develop a sustainab le policy within the organization that would enable the firm experience sustainable development. This would entail developing means through which an organization can generate profits without putting a lot of strains on the planet earth. Characteristics of Transformational Leadership that Makes it a Sustainable Leadership Strategy SKK Inc should consider the need to have eco-friendly communities not only in Phnom region, but in all other regions where it operates. As the current Project Director of the SKK Inc. Cambodia, I am deeply concerned of how our sustainable infrastructural development can be spread to a larger geographical region beyond the current scope. Given that SKK Inc cherishes sustainable leadership on all its leaders at various positions, understanding some of the characteristics of transformational leadership would be important. Having a sustainable business is very important in the current competitive world. Business units are subjected to a lot of pressures by the shareholders to increase their profitability. However, the need to preserve the planet earth is also increasing as the negative impacts of environmental degradation are already evident in the world (Bruijn 2002, p. 29). The purpose of leadership is therefore, to find a common ground for these two contradicting elements of sustainability. Transformational leadership has some characteristics that make it unique from other forms of leadership. Transformational leadership cherishes authenticity. It encourages followers to act as natural as possible. People who act naturally always tend to give their best. Passion is another major characteristic of transformational leadership. A transformational leader must be passionate about every action they take. This way, it becomes possible for the followers to take this characteristic from the leaders.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Followers will develop passion when they realize that their leader has passion in his or her actions. Transformational leadership should also embrace creativity. Creativity is very crucial in the contemporary world. A leader must be able to solve problems in a creative manner. They have to encourage the culture of creativity in their employees. This way, such an organization will be able to be creative in the market. Transformational leaders should have self-awareness. He should understand what he or she stands for and is able to express this feeling to the followers (Parkin 2010, p. 49). This way, it would be easy to avoid cases where a leader issues instruction, which he or she can change abruptly without a clear explanation for the same. A transformational leader must have interpersonal intelligence. This is important to help bring people of different social backgrounds together. Organization brings together individuals from different backgrounds. It would require interpersonal i ntelligence to make these people reason in the same line and work as a unit towards achieving specific objectives. This would help in creating sustainability. A transformational leader must have integrity. As Blanchard (2010, p. 78), ethics is very important in the process of creating a secure future. It is important to note that transformational leadership aims to bring a completely new approach of doing various activities in s better way. Integrity will be one of the main ingredients in that leadership. It will be possible to tell others to maintain integrity only if the leaders show the same in their actions. A transformational leader must also develop clarity of purpose. The leader must be sure of what he or she wants from the followers and from the leaders. According to Billsberry (2009, p. 68), having a clear sense of purpose on what one does makes it possible to measure the level of success of an individual. This way, it becomes easy for such a leader to determine the rate at which objectives of the organization is being achieved. In order to achieve this sustainability, an organization should also consider the following models (theories) of leadership. Theories of Leadership In order to support sustainable leadership, it would be vital to consider some of the leadership theories in the contemporary world. These theories help in further clarification of the purpose of leadership within an organization. Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid This theory by Blake and Mouton has largely been considered as one of the most appropriate theories in managing sustainable business operations for individual firms. According to Kezar Lester (2009, p. 720), Black and Mouton’s managerial grid is one of the most relevant models of leadership in the current world. The grid is as shown below. As evidenced from the grid, the theory gives emphasis on concern for people and concern for production. As a leader, there is always a concern to ensure that the organiz ation functions effectively. This can be measured by increased productivity of the firm. This theory says that productivity should not be overemphasized at the expense of employees (Gray Bebbington 2001, p. 93). Employees are very valuable to any organization, and their interest should be taken care of. The need for productivity should be balanced with the need to protect the employees. At (1, 1) is impoverished management where employees concern is not taken care of, and production is poor. Concern For  People Concern for Production At (9, 1), emphasis is laid on task, while taking middle ground (5, 5) would help the firm achieve its objectives moderately with moderately satisfied employees. At (1, 9), emphasis is given on concern for employees. The best grid is at (9, 9) always referred to as team management. Employees concern is emphasized while ensuring that production is put at maximum levels possible. This model enhances sustainability because it emphasizes on the two Ps o f sustainability which is people and profits. PESTEL Analysis It is important to understand the environmental factors that may have direct impact on the operations of SKK Inc. PESTEL analysis is one of the best models of analyzing the environmental factors. The political environment in this region has been marred with some challenges, especially due to some political strife experienced in some of the regions where this firm operates. The economic and social structure of the market has been very attractive. The advanced technological environment has been unpredictable, while the legal structures have always defined the way this firm operates in the market (Holiday 2002, p. 118). Charles Handy PEST Model Charles Handy came up with a different approach to leadership that focused on environmental factors. This model focuses on what Charles describes as new realities that a leader must take into consideration within an organization. The first is the political factors. Political environme nt has direct influence on operational activities of a firm. It must be taken into consideration when a leader is formulating policies. Economic status of the society will also influence the leadership style that a leader can apply. It will dictate what policies to apply, and which to suspend as the firm awaits a change in the economic environment (Davies 2006, p. 67). Social factors play an important role in defining leadership strategy. The social structure of a society will help define the organizational culture that a leader can instil on the followers. In the current society, the role of technology in defining leadership has become significantly huge. Before formulating any policy, a leader must take into consideration the relevance of the policy and the prevailing technologies in the environment. This theory emphasizes on the third element of sustainability which is the environment. Conclusion The current business world has become very competitive. The need to have sustainable leadership in organizations is increasingly becoming important. As demonstrated in this discussion, inasmuch as there is need to develop strategies that would meet the current needs of organizations and people in the current society, there is also the need to ensure that the future is protected. There is need to ensure that the current structures would benefit the current organization in a manner in which these organizations would have a secured future. Theorists have tried to explain the need to have sustainability in organization. Sustainability in organizations is the sure way of ensuring that there is continuity. As this discussion demonstrates, there is need to have some of these theories have clearly demonstrated how the current competitive world can be sustained using sustainability in leadership. There is need to have a leadership strategy that is conscious of the future society. List of References Billsberry, J 2009, Discovering Leadership, Palgrave, Basingstoke. Blanchard , K 2010, Leading at a higher level, Prentice Hall, London. Bruijn, T 2002, Partnership and leadership: Building alliances for a sustainable future, Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht. Davies, B 2006, Developing and sustaining leaders, Paul Chapman, London. Fullan, M 2005, Leadership sustainability: System thinkers in action, Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks. Gill, R 2011, Theory and Practice of Leadership, Sage, London. Gray, R Bebbington, J 2001, Accounting for the Environment, Sage, London. Grint, K 2005, Leadership: limits and possibilities, Palgrave, Basingstoke. Holiday, C 2002, Walking the talk: The business case for sustainable development, Greenleaf Publishing, Sheffield. Parkin, S 2010, The positive deviant: Sustainability leadership in a perverse world, Earthscan, London.

Family Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family Business - Research Paper Example Critical Issues Involved Within Family Business In accordance with survey report of KPMG (2009), it has been observed that family businesses mainly deal with such features or aspects that are unique to their business. Therefore, there exist certain issues with regard to the accumulation as well as the preservation of occupational assets along with wealth by implementing and applying various measures. Family business also entails issues such as management, ownership along with governance. Succession planning, growth and progression are also pertinent issues that are being faced by family businesses. Compensation issues related with reimbursing the family members is also a matter of concern as it creates a significant extent of problem within the management of family business. Another prominent issue that depicts rivalry among family members or siblings also creates a hurdle in the growth and the development of the family business (PWC, 2012; CBIA, n.d.; ICFIB, 2009; KPMG, 2009; Mass M utual Financial Group, 2007). In the opinion of the survey report published by ICFIB (2009), it has been assessed that issues with regard to governance is a primary problem of family business. ... e selection of appropriate member for a designated position in the organizational hierarchy is at times not done which results in creating an issue with regard to fairness as well as justice. In the survey report, it has been further revealed that family businesses do not maintain or inculcate written documents concerning employment policies. Communication gap and conflicts within in-laws are issues that have been recognized through the survey in the above article (PWC, 2012; CBIA, n.d.; ICFIB, 2009; KPMG, 2009; Mass Mutual Financial Group, 2007). According to the survey report of Mass Mutual Financial Group (2007), it has been taken into consideration that labor costs, estate taxes and health care costs are certain issues that arise within family business. Furthermore, it has also been ascertained that family businesses mainly rely upon their close associates for assistance and advise which at times creates a major issue in terms of rivalry within family members. In the opinion of P WC (2012), it has been determined that in family businesses there are issues related to taxation as well as accessibility with regard to capital. According to the survey report, it has been revealed that in Finland, key issues that are being faced by family businesses include staff recruitment as well as prevailing market conditions. The reviews and the survey reports depict the current prevailing issues within family business that are affecting the growth and development of the organizations. Family businesses are executed worldwide inculcating common issues within its system (PWC, 2012; CBIA, n.d.; ICFIB, 2009; KPMG, 2009; Mass Mutual Financial Group, 2007). Mitigating Issues for Growth and Development Succession planning is a major issue within family business. In order to resolve such

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Globalization - Essay Example The opponents of globalisation until now have achieved greater success in garnering support from the public, owing to their ability for framing arguments in their favour, focussing on issues like use of child labour by MNCs in developing economies, and indifference of the developed nations towards serious health issues like AIDS seen rampantly spreading in the developing nations. The proponents of globalisation on the other hand present statistical data in their favour that though scien...tifically sound evidences are often difficult to comprehend from the viewpoint of a layman (ibid). Despite the contentions over globalisation and its effects, in the past three decades, observations reveal that large-scale globalisation and worldwide interconnectedness have gained increased popularity in all spheres of life, ranging from economic to technology to cultural. Globalisation of world economy has occurred due to rapid expansion of trade, financial activities, production of goods, which li nks economic growth and development of all nations across the world within the main trading zones (developed nations) and beyond (emerging economies of developing nations). As was evident during the global economic crunch of 2007-2008, currently globalisation has taken place to such extent that no national economy can safeguard itself from the ‘contagion effect’ of the disturbances within global financial markets (Baylis, Smith and Owens, 2011). The term globalisation can be interpreted in various ways. According to the most popular interpretation, the term means creation of a uniform platform at global basis, where there is synchronisation of technology, economy and culture, to create a standardised world. This perspective primarily translates into referring globalisation as westernisation of the oriental world. According to another perspective, globalisation is a form of hybridisation that creates a melange of various cultures and socioeconomic structures worldwide. H owever, from a study of the various perspectives it is not easy to derive a particular ‘correct’ interpretation, as the meaning of the term can vary based on the context on which it is used. As for example, economics globalisation, which takes place through the integration of national economies with the global economy via foreign direct investments or FDIs, capital flows, immigration and spread of technological knowledge in all fields, refers to liberalisation of trade markets and spread of capitalist market values (Bhagwati, 2004). In the arena of international relations, it refers to the development of global power play with more focus on interstate relations. Globalisation within sociology relates to changes within the present society its effects and the development of the so-called ‘global society,’ while in cultural context globalisation pertains to the study of effects of global interconnectedness on the culture and identity of various communities wor ldwide. Therefore, it is quite clear that globalisation has many facets and is hence difficult to delineate and ascertain whether it is a panacea (as per the neo-liberals who are strong proponents of globalisation) or a plague (as per the leftists or the anti-neoliberal group forum that are against

The Complexity Of Culture Cultural Studies Essay

The Complexity Of Culture Cultural Studies Essay So why is culture so complex? According to the popular writer Raymond Williams, culture is one of the most complicated words in the English language. The study of culture is far too complex to be studied only from the viewpoint of one specific scientific discipline, or to be based on one specific model. In a world as complex as ours, each of us is shaped by many factors, and culture is one of the powerful forces that acts on us. Culture is not a set of objects and behaviors, but a context, specific to a particular time and place, in which meaning is made (Geertz 1973) (Schall). Cultural contexts include important patterns, attitudes, and values such as language use and communication patterns, religious beliefs and rituals, the tools and artifacts of daily life, familiar relationships, gender roles, and many other characteristics. Because of the complex, multifaceted nature of culture, understanding a specific group, whether ones own or that of others, requires study from several dive rse perspectives. Although each perspective will shed light on the systems of meaning within that group, the different perspectives will not necessarily fit together into a neat, unified cultural portrait (Rosaldo 1989) (Schall). In order for a researcher to make sense of the complexity of cultural concepts, relevant prior knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of cultural variation is a prerequisite to effectively comprehending cross-cultural studies. According to Joe Novak, the creator of concept mapping, when concept maps are used, the material to be learned must be conceptually clear and presented with language and examples relatable to the learners prior knowledge. Concept maps can be helpful to meet this condition, both by identifying large general concepts held by the learner prior to instruction on more specific concepts, and by assisting in the sequencing of learning tasks though progressively more explicit knowledge that can be anchored into developing conceptual frameworks (Novak). In the following sections I offer up a series of approaches designed to aid a researcher in unraveling the complex nature of cultural variation and ways of simplifying cultural understanding. Gaining sufficient knowledge and understanding of culture can become a complex task in itself making it necessary for one to develop specific strategies and approaches to the problem. Any approach should encompass key terms, essential cultural concepts and principles, as well as multifaceted foundational theories. This should provide the knowledge necessary to understand and simplify complex models and studies designed for the purpose of illustrating culture differences across an array of situations. So where should one begin in developing their cross-cultural knowledge? Establishing a glossary of terms that define some of the significant concepts in one or more topics that lend themselves to research investigation using cross-cultural data is necessary. For the purpose of cross-cultural communication, cultural literacy should begin with the basic terms such as culture and communication. Culture can be defined as, a system of symbolic resources shared by a group of people. In every cross-cultural situation, groups of people with different systems of symbolic resources come in to contact by communicating with one another. Communication can be defined as, the practice of creating and exchanging meanings or symbolic resources. It is clear that culture and communication are interrelated, therefore, cross-cultural communication can be defined as a process of interaction between two groups of people with different systems of symbolic resources. ( Klyukanov) Understanding these terms wi ll enable one to see how and why people identify with each other and form cultures through the process of cultural identification. Cultural identification simply allows us to define our own cultural selves. Before embarking upon the quest for understanding of other cultures, it is necessary to break down and understand ones own culture. Anthropologists Kevin Avruch and Peter Black explain the importance of culture this way: Ones own culture provides the lens through which we view the world; the logic by which we order it; the grammar by which it makes sense. Everyone has a culture. No one can ever fully separate themselves from their own culture. While it is true that anyone can grow to understand and value a range of different cultures and communicate effectively in more than one, one can never overcome his own, or any other culture, to achieve an all encompassing perspective on culture. As was mentioned previously, it is necessary and important for one to gain knowledge in the study of cross-cultural communication. The nature of knowledge is very complex; however the complexity of the cross-cultural world can be exposed by combining two complimentary approaches: the objective (scientific) approach and the subjective approach. In the objective approach, knowledge is viewed as an object, the world consists of concrete variables and people behave in patterned and predictable ways. From an objective standpoint, all observers of a culture would see the same thing, knowledge is external to all people and the watchful observer captures this knowledge and characterizes it in meaningful fashion. The subjective approach represents the other side of the knowledge gaining process. This approach aims to interpret and understand interactions and cultural meanings that are internal to people. The combined implementation of these approaches highlights the methodical, relational, an d opposing nature of cross-cultural communication which includes an array of cross-cultural knowledge. Edward T. Hall, a respected anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher, identified Ten Primary Message Systems which he classified as Interaction, Association, Subsistence, Bisexuality, Territoriality, Temporality, Learning, Play, Defense, and Exploitation. From his ten primary message systems, Hall devised an interrelated Map of Culture. Halls map makes it easier for researchers to pinpoint complexities in understanding target cultures. The process of constructing a system of meanings known as cultural mapping explains how every culture develops ideas about the world and its place in it. The main types of meanings which form a culture map include: beliefs, attitudes, values, norms, mores, laws, and world view. It is important to understand that all of these ideas are interconnected. Culture maps provide structure and give rationality to universal knowledge established about people and the social world, providing expectations about typical patterns of behavior and the range of like ly variation between types of people and their characteristic actions and attributes. Understanding and applying these concepts can aid researchers in breaking down the complexities of cross-cultural variation. Another set of means that are typically presented are global cultural dimensions. These variables are very wide in scope, are related to all cultures, and can be used for the purpose of assessing cultures. Global cultural dimensions vary from researcher to researcher, this section attempts to identify and provide the most commonly discussed dimensions which include: Individualism/Collectivism, Power Distance, Masculinity/Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance, and High-Context/Low Context Communication. Researching several ethnographies and studying the approaches presented by anthropologists, philosophers, and writers whose work has laid the foundations for the field of cultural studies will provide further depth and understanding. Below are a few examples of theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. According to Hans Gullestrup the complexity of cross-cultural studies, as well as cultural studies, are especially related to the following observations or facts: 1. The relativity of each culture the cultural hierarchy 2. The co-incidence of the cultures the cultural categories 3. The changeability of each culture the cultural dynamic 4. The ethical problems related to cross-cultural studies A researcher will base his or her work on different paradigms and a differing understanding of culture depending on the situation and the purpose (Hans Gullestrup). For these reasons, Gullestrup argues that theoretical and analytical models are needed for cultural and cross-cultural studies formulated as frame models, or as a kind of framework, where each researcher or cultural actor can relate to one other with his own data, observations, and experiences when trying to create an understanding of a particular cross-cultural situation, according to his or her needs, as well as to the four factors mentioned above. As mentioned previously, anthropologist Edward T. Hall When we approach another culture, a tendency exists to generalize, placing experiences in wide-ranging categories or types. The best we can do is to make sure generalizations are as accurate as possible and avoid overgeneralizations, especially those beginning with All. When attempting to describe a certain culture, we must be careful and ensure that the culture we classify is the one that was observed. If we come across another culture and fail to notice obvious differences then the all we have done is stereotyped and our interaction with that culture has become extremely unreliable. To avoid stereotyping, it is necessary to test generalizations against the actual behavior and values of those being encountered in the observed culture. Cross-cultural communication is successful when our observations and reflections of people from other cultures are accurate. Two useful approaches for counteracting mistakes of oversimplification and generalization of a culture are Culture-General and Culture-Specific approaches. Concentrating on cultures broad characteristics, is macro and global in scope and defined as Culture-General. With over 200 national societies throughout the globe, over 5,000 languages, and endless subgroups interrelated by ethnicity, race, religion, common history, politics, and culture, it becomes virtually unfeasible to thoroughly sort out the full range of cultural practices found in each society. Culture-General ideas and frameworks are useful and provide researchers tools necessary to understand principles, categories of behavior and world views, ideas and values, how to learn another culture, and how to successfully and effectively navigate cultural boundaries. Culture-general approaches to interaction describe general contrasts that are applicable in many cross-cultural situations. For example, Edward T. Halls classificat ion of high-context low and low-context cultures is a culture-general comparison that implies a source of miscommunication between many diverse societies. This approach is based on more conceptual categories and generalizable skills, and represents the etic form of cultural knowledge. Etic knowledge is essential for cross-cultural comparison because such comparison essentially requires standard units and categories (Lett). General cultural characterizations can be narrowed by using a Culture-Specific approach, based on ethnographies, is an intercultural form of emic cultural analysis. Emic knowledge is essential for an intuitive and empathic understanding of a culture (Lett). Culture- Specific refers to the distinctive qualities of a particular culture. It can also be a means of studying cross-cultural communication when the culture characteristics of a particular culture are examined and used to explore the broad, general characteristics of the structure of cultures. At the culture specific level, differences between two particular cultures are assessed for their likely impact on communication between people of those cultures. Cultural observers must always be ready to modify existing conceptualizations when new experiences do not fit into the original universal category. Simply, one-size fits all conceptualizations are not effective in cross-cultural communications. Clifford Geertz, in his book The Interpretation of Cultures, attempts to simply cultural variation by saying, The concept of culture I espouse, and whose utility the essays below attempt to demonstrate, is essentially a semiotic one. Believing, with Max Weber, that man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun, I take culture to be those webs, and the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science in search of law but an interpretive one in search of meaning. It is explication I am after, construing social expressions on their surface enigmatical. But this pronouncement, a doctrine in a clause, demands itself some explication.

Glaxowellcome

Case 21 †¢ The Headaches of GlaxoWellcome comply with regulations, and selling it to the end users while making a pro? t. In addition, there is a tariff for the import of candelilla wax into Japan of 3. 8 percent; this is for either ? rst or second re? ned candelilla wax. FUTURE OF THE CANDELILLA WAX INDUSTRY ? According to executives of Ceras Deserticas, the future of this market is promising. They expect growth in the future, although they they have not made public the actual estimated growth for the market. They are worried about the best path to take advantage of this growing and competitive market. The industry is consolidating and if Ceras Deserticas does nothing, it will either die or be taken over. As mentioned before, there are several joint ventures in which U. S. companies are investing in Mexico to guarantee a steady supply of candelilla wax. Both Ceras Nacionales de Mexico and †¢ 735 Multiceras have established joint ventures with American companies. They are p ursuing research and development to try to create a synthetic wax that can replicate the characteristics of candelilla wax and meet the requirements of end-users.DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Of the three options options presented at the beginning of ? the case, what should Ceras Deserticas do? 2. Why would Mitsuba Trading Co. be interested in a joint ? venture with Ceras Deserticas? 3. What would be the advantages and disadvantages for Ceras ? Deserticas of a joint venture? ? 4. What strategy must Ceras Deserticas follow in approaching joint venture? C ASE 21 THE HEADACHES OF GLAXOWELLCOME Migraine medicine is a key growth area for Glaxo Wellcome Inc. Glaxo); a Britain-based pharmaceutical company with global operations. 1 Glaxo’s primary business is to market prescription products to physicians and healthcare providers. Glaxo was the ? rst pharmaceutical company to manufacture and market a revolutionary new class of prescription migraine medications called ‘‘triptansà ¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Triptans, which Glaxo launched in 1993, are a class of medications that work speci? cally on the 5HT-1 receptor sites, which are believed by doctors to be the primary cause of migraine headaches.In mid May of 1997, Sir Benjamin Palmer, the general manager of Glaxo’s CNS/GI Metabolic division, sat at the head of the conference table in room G-1 of the Glaxo Wellcome global headquarters in Stockley Park West, England. A group of 6 marketers (3 from the ‘‘Professional’’ team and 3 from the ‘‘Commercial’’ team) were staged in front of Palmer and two vice presidents of sales (East and West). The three of? cers listened attentively to the ? nal marketing presentation that more than 60 marketing team members had worked on for the past 19 months.The issue: How to launch Naramig, Glaxo’s new (second generation) prescription migraine medicine, in the U. K. In the back of Palmer’s mind were the following considerations: – Although Naramig was considered by Glaxo to be a better triptan than Imigran, in reality, there were some attributes of Naramig that were inferior to those of Imigran. – It was not as if Imigran had not been successful: Glaxo had captured 91 percent of the prescription medication market share (in ? s) for migraines in the U. K. – Glaxo expected the approval and launch of its competitor, Zeneca’s ? st triptan medication (Zomig) prior to that of Naramig, and likewise, expected Zeneca to market Zomig as a 2nd generation triptan. 8 1 Months Later 2 Early in February of 1998, a similar scene to that of 8 1 months 2 ago, in room G-1 of the U. K. headquarters, was taking place in a conference room located at the U. S. home of? ce in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Mark Glackin, U. S. General Manager of Glaxo’s CNS/GI Metabolic Division, considered several marketing options presented by the team for the U. S. aunch of Amerge, Glax o’s second-generation triptan that had been marketed in the U. K. as Naramig. 2 Although Glackin had several considerations to keep in mind, various factors and events gave Glackin a much different perspective than 1 that of Palmer 8 2 months earlier: †¢ How would U. K. hospitals and doctors react to Glaxo’s promotion of Naramig? †¢ Glaxo was apprised of the marketing strategy chosen by the U. K. for Naramig and its short-term results. †¢ What was the best product positioning of Naramig with respect to Imigran? This case was prepared by Jared Fontaine, Aaron C.Lennon, and Robert Moscato of the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University under the supervision of Professor Masaaki Kotabe for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective management of a situation described (2001). 1 Today the company is known as GlaxoSmithKline, which was formed in January 2001 as the result of a merger between GlaxoWellcome and S mithKline Beecham. †¢ Zeneca’s Zomig had in fact been approved and launched in the U. K. prior to that of Naramig. The effects of Zomig on the success of Naramig and Imigran were therefore available for analysis by Glackin. Just as in the U. K. , Glaxo U. S. expected the approval and launch of Zomig in the U. S. prior to that of Amerge. 2 Like Amerge/Naramig, Glaxo’s research indicated that the name Imitrex would fare better than Imigran in the U. S. market. 736 †¢ Case 21 †¢ The Headaches of GlaxoWellcome EXHIBIT 1 The Businiess GW Portfolio: 1998 ?1,027m (+9%) ? 432m (+5%) ? 1,971m (+24%) Respiratory Viral Infections CNS ? 688m (? 44%) ? 749m (+1%) ? 1,209m (? 4%) ? 1,089m (+31%) (Migraine ? 645m) Migraine Bacterial Infections Gastro-intestinal Oncology Others % of Sales 28 17 15 9 10 10 6 14Total sales ? 7,165m increase of 2% †¢ Glaxo U. S. had launched the marketing promotion of Product Lines: Migraine Depression Gastrointestinal Imitrex (the U. S. brand name of U. K. ’s Imigran)3 Nasal Spray 5 months earlier. on pharmaceutical marketing, Glaxo U. S. could use directto-the-consumer (DTC) advertising to promote Amerge. †¢ Unlike the U. K. , which has stricter government regulations †¢ Allergy/Immunology/Respiratory Division Product Lines: Allergy/Immunology Asthma COPD COMPANY BACKGROUND GlaxoWellcome Inc. was formed in 1995 when U. K. based Glaxo Pharmaceuticals, a relatively young company, acquired U. K. pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome in a corporate takeover. The acquisition made Glaxo Wellcome Inc. one of the top three pharmaceutical ? rms in the world with approximately 4 percent of the worldwide prescription pharmaceutical market. International Organization GlaxoWellcome Inc. is based in the U. K. with its Worldwide Headquarters located in Stockley Park West. As of 1997, Glaxo Wellcome Inc. had 22 local operating companies (LOCs) in 9 countries of which Glaxo U. S. was one. Although based in the U.K. , the U. S. market made up approximately 40 percent of worldwide sales, while the U. K. only accounted for 7 percent. Due to the rigid guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Glaxo’s products are generally introduced ? rst in one of the other 8 LOCs before gaining approval in the U. S. The majority of R&D and production for Glaxo takes place in the U. S. , U. K. , France, and Italy, each having both an R&D unit and manufacturing plants. Organizational Structure/Product Lines The organizational structure of Glaxo Wellcome in both the U. K. and the U. S. s based around its 3 divisions and the product lines within each of those divisions: †¢ HIV/Oncology Division Product Lines: HIV Cancer Glaxo sells prescription medications that fall into one of these three product lines. As of 1998, the migraine product line made up just over 9 percent of total Glaxo sales worldwide. The CNS/GI Metabolic division, of which migraine makes up 60 percent, grew 31 perc ent from 1997 to 1998 (see Exhibit 1). THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY Pharmaceuticals are generally classi? ed into two categories: over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications.As of 1998, there were no OTC drugs speci? cally formulated for migraine. After a pharmaceutical medication has been developed, there are two stages: approval and marketing. Approval In order for a pharmaceutical company to market and sell any medication that they have developed, the product must ? rst be approved by the respective regulatory body of each country (FDA in the U. S. , MCA in the U. K. ). On average it takes 12 years for an experimental drug to travel from the lab to the medicine chest. Only ? ve in 5,000 compounds that enter preclinical testing make it to human testing.One of these ? ve tested in people is approved. Although each country has †¢ Central Nervous System/Gastrointestinal Metabolic Division (CNS/GI) 3 Market research showed that U. S. consumers would be more responsive to t he brand name ‘‘Amerge’’ than that of ‘‘Naramig. ’’ Case 21 †¢ The Headaches of GlaxoWellcome its own particular set of guidelines and speci? c procedures for approval, new medicines are generally developed and approved as follows: 1. Preclinical Testing—This is the exploratory process where a pharmaceutical company identi? es compounds through in vitro (test tube) testing.The deliverable at the end of this process are compounds that can enter Phase One of Clinical Testing. 2. Clinical Trials, Phases—There are three mandatory phases of clinical trials. These clinical trials study the medicine’s safety pro? le, how it is absorbed and distributed, the duration of its action, its ef? cacy, and side effects. 3. Application—Following the completion of all three phases of clinical trials, the company analyzes all of the data and applies for approval in the respective country if the data successfully demon strate safety and effectiveness. The application contains all of the scienti? information that the company has gathered. At this point, the regulatory body may request further information. 4. Approval/Refusal—Once the regulatory body completes the professional assessment of all relevant information, it either approves the application and the new medicine becomes available for physicians to prescribe, or, if unsatis? ed, refuses to grant approval. There is one important distinction between the U. S. and the U. K. in the approval stage of pharmaceuticals. In the U. S. , every medication must be approved by the FDA before it can be marketed and sold.However, because of the existence of the European Union (EU), it is possible that a medication may be approved in member nations without being professionally assessed and analyzed by each country’s respective regulatory body. This means that if one member nation’s (e. g. Sweden’s) regulatory body approves a medic ation, the applying pharmaceutical company can either ask the other EU member nations to ‘‘recognize’’ Sweden’s approval or apply to each member nation separately. If one member nation approves a medication, then all of the countries in the ‘‘Mutual Recognition’’ procedure have the same prescribing information.However, if a medication receives independent approvals, then the prescribing information will be unique in each country. The difference can have an effect if applying in each country separately produces slightly different results in the trial phases (e. g. , perhaps the trials show that a medication is more effective for its desired indication during trials in the U. K. as compared to similar trials performed in Sweden). Marketing In general, products are marketed and advertised solely toward the ? nal consumer. This makes sense since it is the ? al consumer that ordinarily has the ? nal say as to whether he/she will actually purchase the product. However, pharmaceuticals are marketed to physicians and hospitals that in turn decide if they will prescribe the medication to their patients. U. S. vs. U. K Although it is illegal for pharmaceutical companies to advertise their products directly to patient/consumers in the U. K. , †¢ 737 in the U. S. (as of 1997) direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising is permitted. Research has shown that DTC advertising in the U. S. has a large impact on sales.The research shows that patient’s requests for speci? c medications marketed by speci? c pharmaceutical companies affect the companies’ sales to physicians and hospitals. The other major difference in the pharmaceutical industry between the U. S. and the U. K. is the extent of governmental coverage. In the U. K. , the health care system is socialized. Doctors are paid by the government with an additional payment per patient. Everyone is entitled to free medical care under the plan, which is fun ded by the National Treasury and Health Insurance Tax. The U. S. on the other hand, has not employed socialized medicine, although Medicare and Medicaid cover a signi? cant part of the population. Instead, the U. S. health care system follows an insurance-based coverage scheme whereby individuals buy insurance from a company, which in turn pays for their medical costs. HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES Doctors classify headaches into three main types: †¢ cluster headaches †¢ tension-type headaches †¢ migraines Cluster headaches are the most painful type but also quite rare and hence have not offered pharmaceutical companies a suf? cient market potential to pro? ably develop and market a medication speci? cally focused on curing these headaches. Tension-type headaches, while the most prevalent, are generally capable of being combated with over-the-counter medications such as aspirin and ibuprofen and hence, likewise do not offer Glaxo a pro? table market for which to develop a p rescription product. Migraines, on the other hand, are suffered by an estimated 26. 3 million people in the U. S. , 5 million people in the U. K. , and at the time of Glaxo’s launch of Imigran/Imitrex, were not effectively treatable with over-the-counter medications.Migraines are complicated combinations of intense pain (usually on one side of the head) and neurological symptoms like visual problems, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound, which often reduce the sufferer’s productivity and concentration and in some cases render the sufferer bedridden. In the U. K. about 18 million working days are lost to migraine sufferers a year. In the U. S. approximately 10 million migraine sufferers were bedridden for more than 3 million days per month and experienced 74. 2 million restricted activity days per year (as of 1989). Such statistics translate to lost workplace productivity ranging from $5. billion to $17 billion annually in the U. S. and sick pay and repl acement personnel costs of ? 750 million in the U. K. annually. Hence, in the early 1990s, Glaxo took advantage of the market potential for migraine-speci? c prescription drugs. 4 4 At the time of Glaxo Wellcome Inc. ’s entrance into the market for prescription migraine medicines, although doctors were prescribing drugs for migraines, these drugs were not migraine-speci? c but rather were drugs that were developed for general pain relief. 738 †¢ Case 21 †¢ The Headaches of GlaxoWellcome IMIGRAN/IMITREX In 1993, Glaxo Pharmaceuticals introduced in the U.K. and the U. S. , the ? rst medication (triptan) speci? cally formulated for the acute treatment of migraine. 6 Imitrex/Imigran when initially launched in March of 1993 was produced in injection form. In 1995 and 1997, Glaxo followed up the marketing of Imitrex/Imigran by introducing line extensions in the forms of tablets and nasal spray, respectively (see Exhibit 2). Imitrex/Imigran5 uncomfortable injecting themsel ves). Sales of Imitrex/Imigran worldwide grew from less than $350 million in the year of its introduction to more than $1 billion in 1997.Imigran/Imitrex SWOT Glaxo considered the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Imigran/Imitrex to be the following: Strengths—Imigran/Imitrex was the ? rst medication marketed toward speci? c migraine relief. Hence, Imigran/Imitrex had a strong brand image as the market leader, and in fact played a signi? cant role in the development of the migraine market. Imigran/Imitrex was also a potent medication with a proven ef? cacy; it was in fact very successful in relieving the pain of migraine headaches. Although there were some side effects associated with the medication, Imigran/Imitrex has a proven safety pro? e. The fact that Imigran/Imitrex is offered in 3 different line extensions offers Glaxo a ‘‘portfolio’’ of relief to offer to various patients. Weaknesses—The fact that Imigran/Imitrex is a potent medication has its downside as well. The medication proves to be too powerful for some patients, which therefore limits its use. Moreover, Imigran/Imitrex is expensive relative to OTC products that were used to ? ght headaches. This weakness of being expensive is exacerbated by the fact that the medication has a high rate of recurrence (a patient may need to take the drug more than once during a migraine).Although Imigran/Imitrex is proven to be safe, because of the side effects (e. g. , tightening of the chest), there is a perception by some that the medication is not safe. Opportunities—Glaxo felt that having 3 product line extensions opened up the opportunity to perhaps exploit Imigran/Imitrex as a medication that is right for every kind of migraine sufferer. The biggest opportunity for Glaxo and Imigran/Imitrex is the fact that the migraine market was completely underdeveloped. EXHIBIT 2 Line Extension Injection Tablet Nasal Spray U.K. 3/1993 5/1995 5/1997 U. S. 3/1993 7/1995 8/1997 These line extensions were spurred by the fact that only a small percentage of the total 26. 3 million migraine sufferers had ever tried Imitrex/Imigran in injection form. Hence, Glaxo, even 2 years after the introduction of Imitrex/Imigran injections, viewed the potential market as wide open. The injection formulation of the product provides the fastest relief—as early as 10 minutes; the nasal spray—as early as 15 minutes; and the tablet—as early as 30 minutes.Hence, Glaxo has been successful marketing the injection form of Imitrex/Imigran using a strategy of ‘‘quick-relief’’ (an aspect that is very important to severe migraine sufferers) and successful marketing the tablet and nasal spray forms of the drug using a strategy of ‘‘easy and painless administration’’ (an aspect that is important to migraine sufferers who are 5 The launch of Imigran/Imitrex came prior to the Glaxo Pharmaceutic als’ acquisition of Burroughs Wellcome, Inc. 6 Glaxo used the brand name Imitrex in the U. S. nd the brand name Imigran in the U. K. for the same product. Market research showed that the name Imitrex would fare better with U. S. physicians and hospitals. EXHIBIT 3 GlaxoWellcome Worldwide Migraine Franchise $m 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 1993 Injection 1994 1995 Tabs 1996 1997 1998 Nasal Spray Case 21 †¢ The Headaches of GlaxoWellcome Threats—The two main threats to Imigran/Imitrex are that of competition and cannibalization. Glaxo was aware that Zeneca was close to marketing a competitor triptan called Zomig. SinceImigran/Imitrex had been on the market for over four years, Glaxo felt that Zomig would be marketed as a ‘‘second-generation’’ triptan (an improved version of Glaxo’s ? rst-generation Imigran/Imitrex). Imigran/Imitrex had also experienced some cannibalization effects between its 3 line extensions (see Exhibit 3). The Un derdeveloped Migraine Market As of 1997, the fact of the matter, was that approximately 90 percent of migraine sufferers were not being medicated with a triptan (see Exhibit 4). This meant that many people were still taking ineffective OTC drugs to combat their migraine pain.Accordingly, Glaxo considered the market for ‘‘triptan’’ drugs to have great potential. †¢ 739 Exhibit 5 shows how Naramig/Amerge speci? cally compared to Imigran/Imitrex as a migraine medication. EXHIBIT 5 Imigran vs. Naramig MEASURE Speed of onset Peak efficacy Consistency of response Tolerability Incidence of chest pain Incidence of recurrence ORDER (best first) Imigran > Naramig Imigran > Naramig Imigran > Naramig Naramig > Imigran Naramig < Imigran Naramig < Imigran EXHIBIT 4 Migraine market = underdeveloped 48 million migraine patients 586 million migraine attacks/yearNaramig/Amerge SWOT Glaxo considered the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Naramig/Amerge to be the following: Strengths—Although not as powerful as Imigran/Imitrex, Naramig/Amerge was effective in relieving migraine pain. Its biggest strength, relative to Imigran/Imitrex was its mildness; the side effects caused by Naramig/Amerge were substantially less compared to Imigran/Imitrex, which gave it ‘‘user friendly’’ image. Its long duration of pain relief gave Naramig/Amerge a low rate of recurrence; 67 percent of patients require only one dose of Naramig/Amerge over a 24-hour period.Naramig/Amerge was able to be marketed as a true second-generation triptan (an improvement on the ? rst) since Glaxo was the company that had introduced the ? rst triptan medication. Weaknesses—The major weaknesses of Naramig/Amerge were twofold. First, it had a slow onset of action. This of course would turn off patients looking for fast relief. Second, Naramig/Amerge had only been developed in tablet form and therefore lacked marketability in terms of line extensions. Opportunities—The market opportunity for Naramig/ Amerge was quite obvious.At the time of Naramig/Amerge’s approval, only 10 percent of all migraine attacks were being treated with triptan drugs. This meant that 90 percent of migraine sufferers were either not being treated at all, or treated with relatively ineffective medications. Threats—Like Glaxo’s ? rst-generation triptan, Naramig/ Amerge’s biggest threat came from Zeneca’s Zomig. Although it was unclear how successful Zomig would be in stealing Glaxo’s market share and expanding the market through sales to the untapped 90 percent, what was clear was that Zomig was likely to be approved in both the U.K. and the U. S. prior to Glaxo obtaining approval for Naramig/Amerge. COMPETITION 60 Triptan Rx = 10% 526 Million Attacks Since its introduction in 1993, Imitrex/Imigran had clearly played a role in de? ning patient expectations. However, combining its awareness th at Zeneca was in the process of developing Zomig and the fact that Glaxo, as a company, was always looking to bring new medications and improvements to the forefront, Glaxo had worked on developing a secondgeneration triptan of its own.Company research revealed that for a new triptan product to be successful, patients and doctors would require it to be as effective as Imitrex/Imigran but with a longer duration of pain relief and a lower side effect pro? le. NARAMIG/AMERGE Naramig/Amerge, Glaxo’s second-generation triptan, was actually being developed prior to the launch of Imigran/ Imitrex. 7 Amerge/Naramig, only available in tablet form, tested to have both a longer duration and a lower side effect pro? le than Imigran/Imitrex.Although Naramig/Amerge was considered by Glaxo to be a better triptan than Imigran/Imitrex, in reality, there were attributes of Naramig/ Imigran that were inferior to those of Imigran/Imitrex. 7 Glaxo, as with Imigran/Imitrex, used the brand name Nar amig in the U. K. and the brand name Amerge in the U. S. for this new ‘‘triptan’’ drug. This decision was once again a product of market research. When Glaxo Pharmaceuticals acquired Burroughs Wellcome in 1995, they had already launched Imigran/Imitrex (1993). 740 †¢ Case 21 †¢ The Headaches of GlaxoWellcome However, Burroughs Wellcome was also developing a triptan of its own.When the takeover took place, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) forced Glaxo Wellcome to divest one of its triptan formulations because of antitrust implications (i. e. , monopolization). Having already successfully marketed Imigran/Imitrex, Glaxo Wellcome of course chose to divest the triptan that Burroughs Wellcome had developed. (Burroughs only completed about 55 percent of the clinical trials. ) Zeneca purchased the rights to this incomplete triptan and ? nished the further development and application process of what came to be Zomig.Glaxo had the following assumptions a bout Zomig: powerful means of maximizing market share, Palmer was unsure of the logistics of such an approach and worried about the ethical considerations of focusing the promotion of their product in areas based on factors such as socioeconomic status. Also, Palmer considered the fact that such a strategy may overlook patient needs. 3. An Alternative: Whereby Glaxo would market Naramig as an alternative to Imigran/Imitrex, (e. g. , superior; different; similar). The pros of the ‘‘Alternative’’ strategy were that it could detract from competitor noise, and could in fact devalue the image of the econd-generation triptan. This latter aspect may be an effective way to combat Zomig. The biggest drawback of this strategy was the idea that if there were no clear message (in terms of the medication that was best for migraines) it could lead to confusion and hence hurt Glaxo’s image. 4. Replacement: Whereby Glaxo would discontinue the marketing of Imigran an d focus solely on Naramig. This option ? t well with the overall concept that Naramig was an overall superior drug to Imigran. It would also allow Naramig to gain all the bene? s of a new compound: ‘‘secondgeneration,’’ safety, and low recurrence. However, Palmer worried about the confusion that would accompany such an approach and if a ‘‘Replacement’’ strategy would devalue Glaxo Wellcome in the eyes of physicians and hospitals. 5. Don’t Launch: Whereby Glaxo would only continue to market Imigran and never launch Naramig. Although this strategy might class all triptans as the same, negating Zomig as a second-generation, Palmer had already made up his mind that not launching Naramig was a waste of an opportunity and of resources that went into developing the medication.There was also the consideration that Zeneca would still be able to accomplish marketing Zomig as a second-generation triptan and leave Zeneca with an open ? eld. Naramig in the U. K. Palmer and his team chose a ‘‘Replacement’’ strategy for Naramig. This involved ceasing all promotion of Imigran (except to the extent of sales for patients who were already using Imigran) and positioning Naramig as the recommended starting place for migraine patients. Palmer felt that replacement was the best way to attract triptan-na? atients and ? ve capture the untapped market. Glaxo focused the promotion around Naramig as a ‘‘patient-friendly’’ medication providing patients with the best relief on the market. The results showed that the replacement strategy met Glaxo U. K. expectations. Naramig proved to be effective for migraine headaches in the majority of patients. In terms of the 90 percent untapped market, Naramig was preferred by 67 percent of previous non-triptan users. Exhibit 6 shows worldwide sales of Glaxo Wellcome’s two triptan drugs.It is clear that the replacement strategy thwarte d the growth of Imigran, and that Zomig and Naramig were both successful in expanding the market. PRODUCT POSITIONING: U. S Mark Glackin was now faced with the same decision that Palmer was faced with 8 ? months earlier. What was the best strategy to market Amerge with respect to Imitrex in the U. S. †¢ Like Naramig/Amerge, Zomig had a lower recurrence rate than Imigran/Imitrex. †¢ Zeneca would be successful in marketing Zomig as a secondgeneration triptan even though it was the company’s ? rst triptan. This was simply an issue of timing. Zomig’s ef? cacy was comparable to Imigran/Imitrex. †¢ Zomig would be launched in both the U. K. and the U. S. prior to Naramig/Amerge gaining approval in both markets. PRODUCT POSITIONING: U. K Sir Benjamin Palmer sat in his of? ce weighing all the information he had just learned in the marketing meeting. There was only question to be considered; the considerations were complex; the answer to that question was crucial: the success of a major product line of Glaxo Wellcome hung in the balance. How should Glaxo Wellcome U. K. , position its new triptan Naramig?Palmer wondered how U. K. hospitals and doctors would react to Glaxo’s promotion of Naramig when Imigran had been the ‘‘gold standard’’ for the past 4 years and had captured 91 percent of the prescription migraine medication market share. Palmer’s bigger concern was how to position Naramig with respect to Imigran in order to capture the 90 percent of the market that was untapped (see Exhibit 4). Although Naramig was considered to be a better triptan than Imigran, perhaps there were new patients who would be partial to the characteristics of Imigran.Just as important was what positioning strategy would be the most effective in ? ghting off the attack of Zeneca’s Zomig that Palmer expected to be launched in the U. K. prior to that of Naramig. Palmer had been presented by the marketing team with ? v e positioning strategies for Naramig: 1. Based Segment: Whereby Glaxo would target its marketing efforts toward different patient types. (e. g. , adolescents; elderly; chronic migraine; Imigran/Imitrex nonresponders; and patients who do not tolerate Imigran). Using such a strategy would allow Glaxo to promote Naramig where Imigran was weak to increase market share.At the same time, though, it was not clear as to how the market should be segmented, or how able physicians would be to identify such segments. If in fact physicians had trouble identifying the different patient types, the effect may be to confuse the prescribing process. 2. Distribution Based Segment: Whereby Glaxo would segment the market based on distribution channels. (e. g. , hospitals only; clinics only; private channels; less wealthy areas). Although Glaxo considered this option to be a Case 22 †¢ Benetton †¢ 741 EXHIBIT 6 Sales (? m) 700 600 500 400 300 200 194. 04 100 35 0 8 6054 282. 588 362. 346 539. 4 51 Triptan Revenue 662. 12 671. 797 would have to consider this difference along with the differences in the respective health care systems. Would Glaxo U. S. be successful in using DTC advertising to offer a portfolio of migraine medication to various types of migraine patients, or should the U. S. follow a similar replacement strategy as the U. K. and position Amerge as the best migraine medication available. Glackin considered the same 5 options for Amerge positioning as Palmer had considered 8 ? months earlier for Naramig: 1.Clinical/Patient Based Segmentation 2. Distribution Based Segment 3. An Alternative to Imitrex 4. A Replacement for Imitrex 5. Don’t Launch Amerge at All DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1993 1994 Imigran 1995 1996 Zomig 1997 1998 Naramig market? Glackin had several considerations to keep in mind including the results of the ‘‘Replacement’’ strategy chosen in the U. K. , and the effect of Zomig as a competitor. As was the case in the U. K. , Imitrex had largely de? ned the market for migraine medication and had been quite successful in capturing customers.Glackin also expected that Zomig would be launched in the U. S. prior to that of the approval of Amerge. The U. S. had recently legalized DTC advertising. Glackin 1. Why is GlaxoWellcome introducing a second migraine medication? 2. How should GlaxoWellcome position Naramig in the U. K.? 3. Was the actually chosen strategy (option #4) the best decision? 4. How should GlaxoWellcome position Amerge in the U. S.? C ASE 22 BENETTON COMPANY BACKGROUND Benetton was founded as a single shop in Italy in 1965. Three years later the company expanded into France.Eventually, Benetton spread throughout Europe and by 1979 it was established in the United States. Benetton Group S. p. A is a unique global group that is a part of a larger organization known as the Edizione Holding Group. This is the holding company through which the Benetton family has ownership in many different b usinesses including hotels, publishing, and real estate. The Edizione Holding Group as well as the Benetton Group was founded by the Benetton family, which is made up of four siblings: Luciano, Chairman; Gilberto,Deputy Chairman and Joint Managing Director; Carlo, Director; and Giuliana, Director, who own and run the company as shown in Exhibit 1. Luciano’s son, Alessandro, is also one of the eight Directors. This global Benetton Group specializes in designing and manufacturing of clothing within the textile-apparel sector of industries, and combines this know-how with the strong identity and image of world-leading sports brands that have been incorporated through the acquisition of the Benetton Sportsystem business.These sports brand names are encompassed under the Playlife label and include Rollerblade, Killer Loop, Prince, and Nordica. The clothing sector includes casual and sportswear, consisting of the Sisley, United Colors of Benetton (UCB), and Undercolors of Benetton brands, which are mainly produced and distributed by the Automated Distribution Center in Castrette, Italy, the factory that produces over 90 million items of clothing each year. There are production facilities in France and Spain as well. These ? ished and packaged products are the dominant production category for the company and are distributed directly to the Benetton Group’s 7,000 retail stores located in 120 countries, of which only 55 stores are owned by the company, with the remaining stores independently owned and operated. The second production category for Benetton comprises the sports equipment and performance-wear item and a third category encompasses items such as footwear, bags, and accessories. Benetton’s overall turnover amounts to about 4,000 billion lire.Recently, in 2003, the company initiated an effort to diversify away from its main clothing business by moving to acquire Italian highway operator, Autostrade. This case was prepared by Eunjung Jenny Chun, Juliet Freedman, and Nicole Parker and updated by Sonia Ketkar of the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University under the supervision of Professor Masaaki Kotabe for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective management of a situation described (2003).

Unhealthy Lifestyles and Diet

An unhealthy lifestyle means more illness and more expense to treat those illnesses. This means a bigger burden on an already challenged healthcare system. Poor health also means more time lost at work, less quality recreational time, and even shorter lifespan. But the people in this modern day have a mindset that takes good health for granted. One can suffer from years of aches and pains, and would just ignore them, and then feel so surprised when one finds out one has developed a serious chronic disease.Majorities would usually leave their health to the hand of the doctors, relying on the advance medical technology, medical drugs when the fall sick. We have the choice to live a healthy lifestyle, but many chose to live just for today, enjoy life, and most of the time end up suffering in pain with chronic diseases and illnesses. Unhealthy Lifestyle There are many factors contributing to the degeneration of health among many people today. We live in a terribly polluted world.We are a ll exposed to thousands of toxins and chemicals every day at work, home, in the air, and in the food that we eat and water we drink. In addition, we are eating more processed foods than ever before in human history and we constantly abuse or bodies with pharmaceuticals We are constantly bombarded by fast food at every corner. And video games have led the majority of teens to spend countless hours in front of the television being sedentary.And, as a result of all of this, there exists a generation that is out-of-shape, overweight and obese. Many would spent hours on a couch in front of the picture box watching their favorite TV programs, together with several packets of snacks like potato chips and other junk food, and they don’t get up from your butt to move around for the next couple of hours, and that’s alright. Too much junk food being put into children's hands.Children were introduced to fast food restaurant at a very young age by their parent, having been brought up in this environment, they grew up spending long hours of their free time there ,chatting with friends, galloping burgers, French fries and cups of Coke, without thinking of how nutritionally deficient foods would intoxicate their body, But do children understand that junk food or snacks like potato chips, burgers and fries have high levels of fat, sugar or salt and are simply unhealthy? Junk food which contains saturated fat increases blood cholesterol levels and therefore increases your risk of heart disease and some cancers.Smoking and drinking are two big habits that can affect your health and the way you feel. Smoking, in particular, is one habit to quit if you haven't already because it greatly increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. Alcohol can be fine in moderation, but when you are with some good buddies in a party, you may drown yourself with glasses of them without realizing how intoxicated your body is, it also can contribute to sleep problems and suppress your appetite, preventing you from eating well. Life is full of stress.Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. Work can be a stressful place, whether in an office, a factory, or a school. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Stress isn’t always bad. Some stress is good, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But too much stress is bad, when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price. The stress response also helps you rise to meet challenges. Stress is what keeps you on your toes.But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life. Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, incr ease the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.Public are generally dependent on medical drugs and are not aware that medical drug side effects are dangerous to their health. In the world today, Many people seems to think that they just want medicines and drugs to solve their health problems, they believe they can always seek medical assistance,. But what they are not aware of is that these pharmaceutical medications may have potential adverse reactions. Some of the most popular prescription drugs on the market are used for the treatment of arious conditions such as high cholesterol to depression to rheumatoid arthritis to sexual enhancement. Some of these pharmaceuticals drugs can cause serious problems such as liver damage, muscle pain and in some cases severe muscle breakdown and even death. When you go to a medical doctor and he gives you many packs of pills and capsules in various colours, shapes and sizes, drugs which are toxic to your liver and do crazy things to your health and metabolism, perhaps you obediently swallow those little poisons without considering what they are doing to your body. Polluted EnvironmentThe industrial revolution, technological advancement and modern transportation have seriously depleted oxygen levels in our atmosphere. Our obsession with carbon-based fuels for power generators, planes and automobiles consumes vast amounts of oxygen daily. Coupled with this is the huge reduction of our forested areas and all plant life as the need for timber and paper continues beyond our production capacity. At the present time, scientists have determined that our atmospheric oxygen concentration levels are being reduced by about 0. 8 percent every 15 years or so.Regrettably, at the moment, there is no reason to believe that this trend is going to change. Toxic stress, toxic chemicals and air pollution (all of which are becoming more prevalent in our industrialized cities), as well as increased use of antibiotics, emotional stress (which produces adrenaline and adrenal-related hormones that use more oxygen), physical trauma (reduces circulation and oxygen supply) and infections (the body uses oxygen to fight bacteria, fungi and viruses). Frequent use of drugs also depletes your oxygen supplies at the cellular level.A shortage of oxygen in the blood could very well be the starting point for the loss of the immune system and the beginning point of health problems like cancer, leukemia, AIDS, seizures, nerve deterioration and candida. Future research will clarify the links between poor oxygen levels and disease. Initial symptoms of oxygen deficiency may include overall weakness, fatigue, circulation problems, poor digestion, muscle aches and pains, dizziness, depression, memory loss, irrational behavior, irritability, acid stomach and bronchial complications.When the immun e system is compromised by a lack of oxygen, the body is more susceptible to opportunistic bacteria, viral and parasitic infections, colds and the flu. Oxygen deprivation can also trigger life-threatening diseases, as underscored by Nobel Laureate Dr. Otto Warburg’s assertion that cancer and other infections or diseases cannot live in an oxygen-rich environment. Poisonous agents from the household items. Our bodies are absorbing the harmful chemicals surrounding the environment today. It is thus imperative that we clean up our living environment as much as possible.Those regular detergents, soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and perfumes that we uses today contain many chemicals which are toxic to our bodies, some even carcinogenic. Although we don't directly ingest them, these chemicals are absorbed by our skin, other harmful chemicals such as turpentine, arsenic, insecticides, paints, etc. Again, even though we don't ingest them, we are constantly breathing in their gaseous fumes . Lack of Exercise. You just put in a good 10 hour day in front of your computer screen, and the last thing you want to do is exercise.Let's see, exercise, and improve your fitness level, or sit down with a glass of wine and watch your favorite evening television show. What would you do? Seventy percent of individuals know they should exercise, but choose the wine and the television program instead. Do you know this simple daily decision can end up being detrimental to your health? Effects of irregular eating or skipping meals †¢ Mouth ulcers †¢ Acidity and heart burn †¢ Nausea †¢ Constipation †¢ Lowered blood pressure †¢ Elevated uric acid (kidney disease) †¢ stresses brain and body †¢ Fat StorageEating breakfast primes your metabolism and helps set its pace for the day, says Michelle A. Gordine, M. D. , author of the book â€Å"Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African-American Wellness. † By contrast, skipping breakfast puts your bod y in starvation mode, an energy conservation setting of your body's metabolic machinery that promotes fat storage and discourages calorie-burning. †¢ Blood Sugar Skipping meals, particularly breakfast, can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels. After fasting overnight, your blood sugar levels may be at their lowest ebb of the day.Skipping this meal can result in hypoglycemia — dangerously low blood sugar — which can cause you to feel dizzy or sleepy and overeat to compensate. A spike in blood sugar from a large afternoon meal leads to a late afternoon blood sugar drop, sending you on a blood sugar roller coaster, according to Roberta Larson Duyff, author of the â€Å"American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. † Instead, try cutting back on dinner and shifting the bulk of your calorie intake toward the first half of the day. You may find that eating this way gives you more energy when you need it the most.After doing this for a few day s you'll naturally become hungry at breakfast time. †¢ Malnutrition Older adults who experience decreased appetite as a function of aging may be in danger of malnutrition from skipping meals, according to nutritionist Sari Edelstein, Ph. D. , R. D. , author of the book â€Å"Life Cycle Nutrition: An Evidence-Based Approach. † Aging also brings with it decreased nutrient absorption. The combination of the two is a recipe for potential nutritional deficiencies. Early intervention can prevent weight loss and other serious health consequences, such as osteoporosis and decreased immune function. Brain Function Maintaining even-keeled blood sugar levels ensures that your brain and muscles receive a steady supply of glucose, their preferred fuel source. Eating regular meals results in better mental acuity, learning and memory, improved work performance and better strength and endurance. Your attitude toward work or school may also improve and you might find that your demanding boss or that irritating co-worker aren't as unreasonable as you previously thought. †¢ Blood Sugar Drops and Spikes One of the most important reasons that skipping meals is unhealthy is due to the affect this has on your blood sugar.When you eat a meal, your body breaks up the food. Some of this food is stored as fat, while other parts of it enter your bloodstream as sugar, and work to provide you with energy throughout the day. When you skip a meal, your blood sugar drops dramatically. This not only can make you feel sluggish and tired, but it can also wreck havoc with insulin in your body. If you chronically skip meals, you can be setting yourself up for the development of diabetes later in life. †¢ Inadequate Nutrition Another important reason why skipping meals is unhealthy is due to the fact that you are more than likely not receiving adequate nutrition.Eating a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats helps not only to ensure that your bo dy functions properly, but can also help in the treatment and prevention of a number of serious conditions. Some conditions that can be improved with proper nutrition include cardiovascular disease, strokes, and some types of cancer. You may believe that you can skip meals and still achieve optimal nutrition by supplementing your diet with multivitamins. And while multivitamins do have their place, research has shown that these pills aren't as effective as real food at providing your body with what it needs.For good health, try to eat as naturally as possible. †¢ Altered Metabolism You  typically  skip meals for two main reasons. One,  you are ultra busy and don't have enough time to grab a quick snack, or two, you are trying to lose weight. If you are one of the people who are trying to lose weight, you may be actually sabotaging yourself by skipping meals. When you eat, your metabolism, which is one of your body's functions, works to break the food down into smaller, us able parts. When you skip a meal, your metabolism has nothing to do. In a way, your metabolism is like a muscle.You must use it, or you will â€Å"lose it. † When your metabolism does not have to work to break down food, it begins to slow down. Then, the next time you do actually eat something, your metabolism is not able to break the food down as quickly, and as a result the food is stored as fat. Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy weight (or even lose weight), it is essential that you eat regularly throughout the day. Recent research has found that five to seven small, regularly timed meals eaten over the course of a day works best when trying to maintain a healthy weight. The Effects of Sleep DeprivationNeurologic Effects Sleep deprivation mimics the effects of drinking alcohol — you may experience slurred speech and uncontrolled reflexive movements of the eye called nystagmus. You may also develop a slight shakiness or tremor in your hands. Some people even have a more pronounced droopiness in their eyelids, called ptosis. Various other neurological reflexes can change in sleep deprivation. These are unlikely to causes symptoms you would notice. However, if your doctor were to test them, you may have sluggish corneal reflexes, a hyperactive gag reflex, and hyperactive deep tendon reflexes.In addition, you may have a reduced threshold for seizures. As a result, people with epilepsy are at greater risk for seizures when they're sleep deprived. One thing that you may notice right away is an increased sensitivity to pain. Studies have shown our sensitivity to heat and pressure pain is especially enhanced when we don’t sleep enough. Also, there is reported to be an increased sensitivity to pain in our esophagus, as might occur in the setting of nighttime heartburn Vital Sign Changes Research studies have demonstrated that sleep deprivation may cause subtle changes in your vital signs.Vital signs are important physiological markers th at are often tracked as part of a general health assessment. These include: †¢ Body temperature †¢ Blood pressure †¢ Heart rate †¢ Breathing rate †¢ Reduced decision-making skills †¢ Poorer memory †¢ Reduced concentration †¢ Reduced alertness †¢ Shortened attention span †¢ Slower than normal reaction time †¢ Poorer judgment †¢ Reduced awareness of the environment and situation †¢ Reduced work efficiency smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and drinking too much increased the risk of dying by such a large degree that it was the equivalent to being 12 years older.