Corporate Social Responsibility ( Csr ) Essay - 1369 Words

Businesses have a responsibility to give back to the customers they serve and the communities they operate in. Today, many organizations have realized the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in response to consumers and stakeholders becoming more mindful of social issues. Corporate social responsibility has continued to change and grow. It can be difficult to define CSR because it takes on a variety of social, economic, political and environmental formats depending on the business. Corporate social responsibility in the broadest sense is viewed as for-profit organizations becoming ‘good corporate citizens’ (Salton Jones, 2015). Organizations that have a culture of corporate social responsibility have a unique competitive advantage with consumers and stakeholders. While there is an incentive for businesses to be socially responsible, most are unlikely to contribute to social issues that are controversial. In its onset, corporate social responsibility primarily was displayed in the form of donations to various issues. Businesses would tend to take on issues where they could provide an immediate short term impact. Lately, some businesses have implemented more complex models of CSR that aim to provide sustainable assistance to the needs that are most relevant to the community they serve. This change has many benefits for both the organization and the community. The organization benefits from investing in education, as an example because it potentially impactsShow MoreRelatedCorporate Social Responsibility And Csr1566 Words   |  7 PagesSocial responsibility or also called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR )- is the firm’s engagement (voluntarily initiated) in and its compliance (legally mandated) to environmental, social, and governance issues (The Foundation, 2014). Also, is based on stakeholder’s needs being financially sustainable, and CSR can come from both corporate or not-to-profit organizations. CSR has seven categories; Leadership, vision and values; Marketplace activities; Workforce activities; Supply chain activities;Read MoreCorporate Social Responsibility ( Csr )1167 Words   |  5 PagesCorporate Social Responsibility Introduction Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept which is also known as corporate citizenship, corporate conscience or in a simple way a responsible business. It is an integrated concept of self-regulatory business model for any organisation. Corporate Social Responsibility has been in practice for more than fifty years now, which has been adopted not only by domestic companies but also by transnational company with voluntary CSR initiativesRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility : Csr1232 Words   |  5 PagesCorporate social responsibility has become a buzzword within the industry in the last few years. Following the financial market crash investors and stakeholders began looking at corporations to act more socially responsible. The meaning of social responsibility differs across regions. Western countries are the ones who are pushing for corporate social responsibility -thesis-- A broad overview at corporate social responsibility (CSR) looks to corporations to make a change in the society or the environmentRead MoreCsr : Corporate Social Responsibility1598 Words   |  7 Pages CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined by many groups like, Tata steel, Coca Cola, Reliance, Videocon etc. Although they all stand for similar meanings connecting to taking responsibilities of the society as a business individual, its definition has been getting broader from a established point of view, corporate social responsibility is a type of business instruction included in a business demonstration. CSR policy functions as a self-regulatoryRead MoreCsr : Corporate Social Responsibility Essay1285 Words   |  6 PagesCSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility and it is a concept with many definitions and practices and also a buzzword in the media. In general, corporate social responsibility is the policies and progra ms of business corporations which tend to benefit society while improving a corporation’s public image and profitability at the same time. The meaning of it is implemented in different countries and companies differently. Warren Buffet said that it takes 20 years to build a reputation and onlyRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility ( Csr )863 Words   |  4 Pagestechnology in the last century. The term of Corporate Social Responsibility appears more often into public’s concerned and it has become a hot issue in recent years. This essay is going to discuss and provide an overview of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by debate some key issue in this area. 1.2 What is Corporate Social Responsibility? In 1953, Bowen’s Social Responsibility of the Businessman firstly discusses the idea of corporate social responsibility. He states the relationship between societyRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility ( Csr )1314 Words   |  6 PagesSocial responsibility has become a primal interest to the humankind for the past two decades. In the earlier days, the firms and organizations concentrated only on the financial part of the business and ignored the ethical, social and moral sectors. But in the recent times, the businesses are getting a grip of the significance of the social, ecological and environmental effects on their success. This has resulted in the emerging interactions between organizations and social segments thus giving riseRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility ( Csr )1173 Words   |  5 Pages Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is highly important to Millennials. If a company is lacking a CSR plan, now it a good time to start one. Millennials are looking for ways in making a positive impact on the world and are expecting the same from companies. They are looking for companies that contribute to the betterment of communities and the environment. Millennials put great value in supporting such brands, companies and organizations that share these values. Companies without a CSR in placeRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility : Csr979 Words   |  4 PagesThe notion of Corporate Social Responsibility is a phenomenon globally known for many years. In spite of the fact that CSR has been neglected for quite a long time, nowadays several authors deal with this issue, as revealed by the development of theories in recent years concerning the topic. In spite of the fact that there has been a huge growth of literature it is still impossible to simply define CSR. Many definitions trying to capture the concept of CSR exist, but their content varies (MattenRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility ( Csr )1370 Words   |  6 Pagesmore attention on the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The core issue is the appropriate responsibility of business. In as much as firms ought to obey the law, but beyond complete compliance with environmental laws, the question is whether firms have extra social responsibilities to commit part of their resources to environmental preservation voluntarily. This memo provides an exploratory investigation of the link between corporate social responsibility and the benefits accruing to a

Describ the Types of Stakeholders Involved in Two...

Task 2- P2 I am going to discuss the different stakeholders involved in two contrasting businesses. I am going to explore the stakeholders involved in each business and how they are affected by the company. My first organisation is Boots Alliance, a pharmaceutical shop on most high streets. My second organisation is Oxfam charity. Both provide goods or services to the public; however they have different stakeholders affecting their decisions. Stakeholders are anyone that affects or can affect a business’s decisions. This could be a consumer, an employee, a supplier or many others. Boots is a high street pharmaceutical store and therefore directly affects the customers. Customers determine what new products the company will make and†¦show more content†¦Oxfam’s consumers would be the people who donate and those who benefit from the help Oxfam give. Donators determine what the business can do that year as they determine the amount raised. Consumers can donate through money donations, buying goods in Oxfam shops, craft fairs, badges that raise awareness of the charity etc. The Donator gains a feel good factor as they have help another which is what continues to keep a charity like Oxfam in business. Consumers that buy products from an Oxfam shop will still want decent quality goods and therefore the shops must ensure all donated goods are up to standards or they will lose donations. On the other side of consumers, those that are helped by the charity determine where the money is allocated in a small way. The charity decides which area to focus on whether it be HIV, providing clean water for communities or medical care and this is influenced by those that need help. Employees of Oxfam are also divided into two categories; volunteers and paid employees. In an organisation like Oxfam it will mostly be volunteers. Volunteers although they are working for free must be treated fairly as if it were a paid job or they may not continue to do the work. Volunteers are not very easy to find as many people have full time jobs and the majority of people aren’t willing to work for free. Due to this Oxfam must ensure all volunteers are happy and so want to continue to help. There are also a

American Folk Music Essay Example For Students

American Folk Music Essay American music began to emerge almost as soon as the first Europeans and Africans arrived in the New World. Both the European settlers and African slaves brought instruments and musical traditions with them. The Europeans contributed fiddles and pianos, while Africans brought the knowledge of making and performing upon beanlike instruments with them. By the 19th century, these three instruments were played by black and white Americans, but often in different ways. In the early part of the 19th century the states east of Mississippi River dominated our country. Outside of New England, the Middle Atlantic States, along with the far Southwest, became the first extensively settled sections of the United States. Scotch, Irish and German pioneers settled in the mountains, far from the port cities and slowly growing cities. In the southwest, pioneering Spaniards gradually moved into what would become New Mexico and Arizona. Face-to-face communication among these settlers was normal. Many people remained illiterate or obtained the most meager formal education. As the United States emerged from the shadow of British domination, new hybrids began to emerge. The seeds of synchronization had been planted and the beginnings of distinctly American folk music could be heard in the first few decades of the 19th century. Outside of the major cities most of the United States remained a rural population. Musical activity was an important means of entertainment at home, at homes of neighbors and in church. The folk music of white and Hispanic Americans remains a complex, complicated topic involving a variety of vocal and instrumental traditions. The 18th- and early 19th- century musical styled largely followed the lead of Spain and British Isles, because of the ongoing domination by England of the eastern United States and the influence of Spaniards in the Southwest. Churchgoers sang ballads of British and Spanish origin entertained folks. The music of Africa were exceptionally diverse. Religious and public ceremonies were often called for music making. The primary instruments of West Africans were drums of varying sizes and shapes. African music became integrated into our musical fabric quickly. The acculturation in the West Indies took much longer. Africans brought to the South soon learned European culture. The south was also home to most of the slowly maturing black American music; it spawned most of the unique forms of American folk music, such as blues or gospel. What is today considered American folk music thus began as a mix of music from many countries, cultures, and work environments. Distinctions between folk and other genres were further eroded by singers who merged traditional folk with songs about political issues. This reached new heights with the folk revival of the sass and sass. The social and political issues at that time concerned the civil rights and the Vietnam War, inspired the rise of a style called protest music. Singers and composers like Pete Serge, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Joan Bake played music that was not strictly folk, but that owed a great deal to the folk tradition. The definition of American folk music expanded to include this new development. In the years since, the music has continued to evolve and change, influencing and being influenced by shifting tastes in the music world. While traditional ethnic folk music is still very much a part of it, American folk today includes much more as well. As a result, American folk music is far from dead. Instead of being something found between the dusty pages of a book or in a museum, folk continues to change in a new way. British Folk In the New World In the sass, when the first white colonists arrived in America, folk music of the British Isles was already hundreds of years old. As with any folk tradition, its exact singings cannot be dated with certainty. However, it was clearly ancient; many tunes familiar to the colonists can be traced back at least to the mid-sass. The music was richly diverse, because of regional differences. A) Instrumental Music Instrumental music was primarily for dancing. As in most cultures, dancing was a major form of entertainment for the working class that typified the early British immigrants. It was nearly always part of the festivities. The instruments used to play British folk dance music varied. The most common instrument was the fiddle. There were many styles within the broad category of dance tunes. One of the most moon was the reel- a fast paced dance, usually performed in couples, typically in 2/4 time. Another type of dance was the Gig- a solo dance, typically in 6/8 time. Still another common dance was the stratosphere- a slow dance from Scotland, usually played in 2/4 or 4/4 time. C) Singing Solo The second basic category of British folk music was the vocal song. Traditional British singing had strict rules. It should be performed solo and a capable, the singer used a nasal voice and was an oral historian, improvisation was not important. D) Ballads The ballad told a story. This was usually an exciting tale of legendary figures, great oversee or famous battles. Today about three hundred examples of these songs still exist, they are called the Child ballads (e. G. : Barbara Allen) e) Lyric Songs Generally speaking, lyric songs did not focus on storytelling. Instead, they expressed monologues. F) Work Songs and Broadsides Some traditional songs were used while working. For example immigrants from Scotland used walking songs. Songs of the sailors were called chanteys or shanties. All these songs are usually highly rhythmic, helping the workers stay together and keep their rhythms synchronized. G) Religious Music Early American settlers also sang songs of worship. The primary place for religious songs was in church. But people also sang them at home and in camp meetings. They enjoyed singing songs that used familiar tunes (such as folk tunes). A simple call- and- response system called lining out was used. Another technique was shape note singing, where you use different symbols to represent notes. H) Isolated Families thus grew accustomed to fending for themselves- and this, of course, included making own entertainment. Because of their isolation the music these people played remained relatively free of outside influence. There were no radio shows or big-city performers to introduce new songs. There were no phonograph records or radio broadcasts to influence playing styles. I) Alterations The music did not stay entirely pure, of course. Sometimes words or melodies were misheard or poorly remembered. They also took old melodies and fitted them with new lyric. The way of performance styles also changed. Appalachian fiddlers played their instruments in a different style and used other bows. J) String Bands Several instruments, rather than a single fiddle, became the norm for dance music. This development came about with the widespread adoption of the banjo and guitar. These three instruments together formed a string band. They became familiar sights at dances, at parties, or simply on front porches. K) Songs of pioneers New generations and new immigrants were continuing to push westward. A body of highly distinctive songs developed as pioneers settled these new regions. Musically these tunes were generally rooted in traditional British music, but lyrically they reflected the experiences of daily lived of the people who invented the. The songs told tales of bad weather, illness, great battles or dramatic love affairs. L) American Music Gradually, as the country itself grew, several strains of homegrown American music were developing. In some cases British- derived folk was being preserved more or less intact. In other cases, such as development of string bands and the songs of pioneers, it was developing in distinctly new and original ways. Slaves began arriving in America in the sass, mostly in the Deep South, which needed many people to produce tobacco, rice, cotton, etc. There was a little comfort in the bitter lives of slaves, but they did have one solace: a rich musical tradition. This music was crucial to their survival; it helped them keep part of their African identity alive and it let them maintain hope to face of inhuman treatment. This music influenced American music like no other. Music Appreciation Module EssayThey still played dance music, but altogether it as a spicier style, performed by small groups and typically featured by an accordionist, fiddle players, percussions and vocalists. The accordions used by the Cajuns were button accordions. C) Msick Texan West of Louisiana, meanwhile, another distinctive style was developing. Along the Texas-Mexico border, Texans- descendants of Spanish Mexican colonists- were, like the Cajuns, both preserving their traditional music and creating vibrant new styles. Collectively these styles were called msick Texan, translated informally as Tex-Meg music. It developed in several different ways. Requests Texans and conjunct are different well-known Tex-Meg formats. The instrumentation and many dance styles were influenced by the German immigrants in the late sass. D) Corridor Another classic form of Texas-Mexican folk music is the corridor, a type of ballad. Corridor used typically simple tunes and narrated stories. They were performed by wandering guitarist- singers or by migrant workers as they traveled the countryside. Ethnic groups like Cajuns and Texas Mexicans were not the only ones responsible for the distinctive styles of folk music developing in America. Sometimes laborers thrown gather by their shared work developed distinctive songs all on their own. Railroad workers and lumberjacks were two such groups. Many American sailor songs were adaptations of British sea chanteys. Not all sailor songs were for work times; sometimes they were simply for enjoyment. The cowboys of the Old West were perhaps, the most famous of all song-producing They had a potent impact on American society and folk music. They were ethnically diverse groups, like English and Irish, Hispanic, and American cowboys. New melodies were sometimes created, but often cowboys simple put new lyrics to existing melodies. They usually played easy-to-carry instruments like harmonicas and fiddles. Like all true folk songs, cowboy songs were anonymously written. G) Singing -or The cattle Cowboys sang for many of the usual reasons, especially to pass the time during the long hours on the Job or while sitting around a nighttime fire. However, one unusual situation was a frequent cause of cowboy song: Many of their performances were for audiences of cattle. Cowboys who had night shifts discovered that soft singing helped settle the animals and lessened the chances of a stampede. Cowboy songs ere usually more straightforward ballads, which concerned daily life and its pleasures, pains, dangers and rewards. H) Many Styles As groups like cowboys, Texans and Cajuns developed and preserved their music, other groups were also doing the same. In particular, new groups of immigrants arrived in America in massive waves during the decades around the turn of the twentieth century. Some of these new arrivals were from Asia, but most were European and Russian. Immigrants from places like Italy, Poland, France and Germany brought its own music: The Poles and Germans had their accordion-driven once tunes; the Italians had their sweet, sad mandolin songs; and the Jews had their vibrant sleeker music. The musical styles stayed separate, but it changed with the transportation. Musicians could travel around and began to influence each other. Improved technology in the form of radio and phonograph records had an effect on American folk music, because of destroying barriers between ethnic and national groupings. Better transportation was the first force of change to be felt. As roads and railroads improved, professional musicians moved more frequently between urban undo rural areas. Typically, these musicians belonged to traveling productions, such as the minstrel show. In these revues white musicians, dressed in black-face Joked and sang in parody of African American style. The shows provided white northern audiences with a humorous view. A) Minstrel Shows Minstrel show seem grotesquely racist from a modern standpoint, but they were an important part of Americas musical history. They were early instances of folk music crossing racial and social barriers, introducing elements of black culture. Minstrel shows continued into the early years of the twentieth century, although their popularity waned. Meanwhile, a new technology was transforming the way people listened to music. Though the recordings werent in the best standard, this development was revolutionary for musicians. The earliest recordings were too poor to record some music well, but by the sass the technology was much improved. As a The First Recorded Hillbillys Music Early commercial folk recordings were of traditional white music. The first may have been Texas fiddler Eek Robertsons Sallies Gooding in 1922. The next year a talent scout for Joke Records, Ralph Peer recorded songs. He also began making regular ours of the South and found a number of popular performers. At first no one knew exactly what to call the music. It was variously referred to as old-time southern tunes, hill country music, or simple old time music. But when Peer gave one of his groups the name Hill Bellies, this term became a catchall for all rural white music. Hill-Billy music was born. D) Race Records Meanwhile, record sales for other kinds of popular music were also booming. Recordings by musicians from Hawaii were as popular as recordings of Eastern European polkas. By far the biggest sellers were race records- all recordings by African Americans, including blues, spirituals and spoken sermons. Blues records were the big sellers. E) Radio During this period another invention was storming the country. In 1929 radio station KODAK in Pittsburgh made the first commercial broadcast. Radio was a sensation, and by 1923 most major American cities had their own stations. The magical new technology thus helped stitch the nation and its musical heritage, together. F) The Pry and The Blues Folk music was integral to radio from the beginning. Many stations featured regular live folk performances, especially hillbillys music. Most of these shows were popular only regionally, but some of these were also national popular- like the famous Grand Ole Pry on WAS in Nashville, Tennessee. Blues shows were also heard, although they were not regularly scheduled until the sass. The most famous was King Biscuit Time on station KAFKA in Helena, Arkansas. G) The Carters As radio expanded folks popularity and reach, the music began to change. For one thing, the term hillbillys was dropped in favor of country, which included the smoother, more pop-oriented music often featured on shows like Pry. One such group was the Carter family: Sara(author and lead vocal), her husband A. P. (bass vocals), and Saras cousin Amenable(guitar and vocals). Raised in Virginians Clinch Valley, the Carters were steeped in well-known old-time songs, and A. P. Was also a shrewd collector of more obscure tunes. Their records sold phenomenally well and many of the songs became familiar standards. H) The Singing Brakeman Another standout of the era was Jimmie Rodgers. His first recordings were made at the same time and place as the Carters: June 1927 in an old hat factory in Bristol. He was deeply influenced by African American folk music. Rodgers briefly worked for the aileron, but after contracting tuberculosis, he hasnt been able to do that and tried his hand at playing music professionally. Within a few years Rodgers was a national star. The Singing Brakeman, as he nicknamed for his former occupation, was a gifted songwriter and a warm inviting vocalist- especially when he let loose with his infectious yodel. I) Preserving Music Entrepreneurs were behind the booming sales of records by artists like Rodgers and the Carters. However, not everyone who recorded folk music had profit in mind. In particular, a small group o folklorists- scholars and serious collectors- sought to

The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis Essay Example For Students

The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis Essay Many people in modern world are sensitive to the huge amount of things. One of the worst is people with post-traumatic depression after giving birth to the child. In the short novel written by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† we see what results it can cause. Talking about the character list in this story – we don’t have many heroes. In the novel, the role of the main character, as well as the narrator, has a woman who is trying to deal with post-traumatic depression. When her husband prevails to rent a house somewhere far away from their home, she agrees, and here they are, in the creepy building. The highest floor is for the wife who is locked there by her husband. That is the way he decided to deal with her problem. And after some time we will discover why. We will write a custom essay on The Yellow Wallpaper Character Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The narrator, the wife, thinks that some time ago that room could be one of the children – it has yellow wallpaper that is ragged; windows that are boarded up; and the floor that is badly scratched. According to the words of the narrator, something very odd is happening in the house. Also, the main character seems to be very restless as she thinks that some time ago there was another woman locked in the room suffering from the same problem. Up to the end of the story, the reader doesn’t get the information if it is a truth or just a fantasy of a sick brain. Jane, who is the narrator and the main character with post-traumatic depression decides to make a diary,  which became the only friend she has, where she can write things that bother her and talk to things that are in the room. Starting from this moment in the Yellow Wallpaper reader gets the information about her illness more and more. Was it an illness? The mental disease placed upon the narrator in the Yellow Wallpaper, it showed so much more than a physical one that we start thinking – is she insane? Her husband acts like a tyrant; he forced her to hide her feelings,  and  emotions. He forced her to show that their marriage is an ideal one and the primary reason of why he moved his family to another place was the desire not to show that his wife has problems that she can accidentally occur as not an ideal one. Characters of the Yellow Wallpaper are the real representatives of the things that are happening with the woman and man in nowadays world. It is a very common thing for a humble woman. The main hero of the story is locked in the room without any help and assistance from a person (husband) who was supposed to protect. It is pretty understandable that the Yellow Wallpaper represents the factor, the structure of the family, medicine, traditions in which our main character is trapped. The author of the text Gilman skillfully uses wallpaper like a nightmare, like a domestic violence a woman can face in the world. Isn’t it scary that women from the 19th century have the same status in the 21st? Characters of the story are representatives of typical problems and people who exist now, who are widespread all over the world. The Yellow Wallpaper is an illustration of the way of  mind that is already plagued with anxiety can deteriorate and begin to prey on itself when it is forced into inactivity and kept from healthy work. Using specific techniques, even scary ones, Gilman in the Yellow Wallpaper shows us what the problem is? Why don’t we do anything with it? Gilman shows what will happen to the society at the end of the novel. The woman became crazy, and the man likely was dead. Is it the real thing which has to be in the relationships between humans? .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a , .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a .postImageUrl , .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a , .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a:hover , .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a:visited , .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a:active { border:0!important; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a { 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; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a:active , .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a .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; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u923246b13e6f2149104d8caf70807c9a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Self-Reflective EssayTo sum up, we have to overview our attitude to the things which are close around us. And to stop being silent – silence isn’t a thing which leads to healthy relationships.

The Catcher in the Rye Passage Summary Essays

The Catcher in the Rye Passage Summary Essays The Catcher in the Rye Passage Summary Essay The Catcher in the Rye Passage Summary Essay Essay Topic: The Catcher in the Rye In passage 26.16 in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden reveals his anger towards the kid who had written â€Å"F*** you† on the wall. Holden is filled with anger in this passage because he didn’t want innocent children’s minds to be corrupted. The example shows how Holden is a â€Å"Catcher in the Rye†, saving kids from the crookedness of the world. It then enabled Holden to visualize a scene where he is punching the kid who had written â€Å"F*** you â€Å" on the wall. The scene is ironic because Holden wants to be â€Å"the catcher in the rye† for kids while in the same time wants to hurt other people. Holden’s animosity towards the â€Å"perverty perverted bum† is evident when he says, â€Å"I kept wanting to kill whoeverd written it†. The statement that was written on the wall affected Holden. â€Å"I saw something that drove me crazy It drove me damn near crazy†. The way Holden repeats the line, â€Å" drove me crazy†, shows how much he was affected by it and how Holden realized that â€Å"Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how theyd wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell themall cockeyed, naturallywhat it meant†. The anger exhibited by Holden shows a different side of him. On one side, we see Holden Caulfield as a boy who didn’t try too much at school and doesnt give much effort at life, but we now see Holden who deeply cares about how the younger children will react towards such words that they have never seen before. Even though Holden’s tone is very annoyed and ang ry about how one could write such words, Holden has good intentions in the words he say. With little kids, Holden sees potential in them and wants to keep all of them innocent as long as he can, since he feels that when they get exposed to the real world, many of them will turn into â€Å"phonies.† This feeling Holden has shows how he feels angry towards himself. He is something he doesnt want to be, and rath

Defeating Age-ism In The Interview

Defeating Age-ism In The Interview Modern job search can be daunting for a more mature job-seeker.  Maybe the online side of networking is baffling, maybe the pace of new technology is frustrating, and these are things to work on–but here are  some suggestions for preparing yourself for success while job-hunting later in life. First, have an immaculate resume and cover letter, and dynamic and current recommendations ready to back you.  Consider consulting a professional career coach who can look over your materials and give you pointers.  The next step is to prepare for the interview the way you used to prepare for exams in school. Here are  some great tips for  recognizing and diplomatically deflecting potentially biased questions at the interview stage. Watch out for the following questions once you’re sitting across from a decision-maker:1. Aren’t you overqualified?This question could signal that the employer thinks you’rea) too old for the job,b)  asking for more money tha n a lower level candidate, orc) only biding your time until a bigger, better job like your previous positions comes along or you get bored.Consider asking a question in response that may help you figure out which of these possible motivations is at work, then sorting through your past experience to prove that your age makes you qualified or that the demands of this job are exactly what you’re looking for, regardless of what you’ve earned or what your title was in the past.2. What are your strongest skills?This is often a dog-whistle to see how up-to-date your tech skills are; be sure and emphasize your current skill level and how familiar you were with common office technology in the past. (And, by the way, if you’re not up to date, see what your local library or community college has to offer in the way of computer classes).3. What are your interests outside your career?This tricky question may be intended to make you sound more sedate or retiring than you are; consider the benefits of emphasizing active, physically demanding pursuits to reassure potential employers that you will not only keep up but thrive in their office.The most important skill in interviewing is the ability to be yourself, but the best, most promising version of yourself. Put your winningest foot forward, and let the less experienced applicants just try to keep up.

The important elements of marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The important elements of marketing plan - Essay Example Other important applications include informing the details of the company to the sales personnel, suppliers and others so that they become aware of company's goals and achievements. Feasibility study is an important phase in the development process. It enables the developer to have an assessment of the product being developed. It refers to the feasibility study of the product in terms of outcomes of the product, operational use and technical support required for implementing it. Economic Feasibility: It refers to the benefits or outcomes. We are deriving from the product as compared to the total cost we are spending for developing the product. If the benefits are more or less the same as the older system, then it is not feasible to develop the product. The development of the new product should greatly enhance the accuracy of the system and cuts short the delay in the processing of the product. The errors can be greatly reduced and at the same time providing great level of security. Hence, we do not need any additional equipment. Operational Feasibility: It refers to the feasibility of the product to be operational. Some products may work very well at design and implementation but may fall in the real time environment. It happens most of the time with feature films. It includes the study of additional human resources required and their technical expertise. Technical Feasibility: It refers to whether the product that is available in the market fully supports the present trend. It can be used to study the pros and cons of using particular kind of feature film for the development and it's feasibility. It also studies the additional training need to be given to the people to make the product work. A qualitative and quantitative research is must in developing an good feature film. Qualitative research is more of collecting data, conducting interviews, using documents and to understand and explain social phenomenon. Quantitative research involves is of development of natural sciences to study natural phenomenon. Survey methods, formal methods, econometrics, etc., are some of the examples of quantitative research. Qualitative research methods are more often used as it involves observation of data that helps in finding solutions to the problems. Qualitative research has been categorised into three categories named as positivist, interpretive and critical. Positivist research methods involves attempt to test theory that to understand the predictive element of the phenomena. It involves formal propositions, hypothesis testing, measuring of quantifiable variables, etc. In this type of research it is assumed that the objectives are given in reality and can be measured by their properties. Interpretive research method involves sharing of information and social constructions such as language. Interpretive method is used to understand the meaning of the given information that was assigned to the researchers. Critical research as the name implies concentrates more on the critical view of the subject. It highlights the critical viewpoint of the situation that has to be analysed. Implementation

Reading Responses and Replies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Reading Responses and Replies - Essay Example First, the writer does a good job of displaying why he suits for the job position. He goes ahead to demonstrate the value he would bring to the company. The writer gives excellent tips of enhancing confidence to the employer. This catches the employer’s attention to evaluate the need of recruiting a strong applicant who is ready to bring growth to the company. Secondly, while concluding, he displays his confidence by stating that he regards to meet the employer. This demonstrates confidence in his skills and abilities that he would succeed to get the job. Nevertheless, listing out his accomplishments was wrong since this suited a resume. Mostly, most employers regard a cover letter that is one page in length therefore; it would be displeasing to list out the list of accomplishment. The writer could have summarized his list of accomplishment in one or two sentences to grasp the reader’s attention. The writer failed to use the correct format of cover letter. The use of bu llets display lack of professionalism as the use of listing seemed unnecessary. Though bullet points augment easy reading, it should not be present in the formal business letter. There is a lot we can learn from this letter but few things can be improved as mentioned above. Work Cited Purdue University. Business Wring Engli

The City of Miami of Florida Essay Example for Free

The City of Miami of Florida Essay Miami is considered the largest city in the state of Florida. Many tourist articles describe this city as a unique city of contrasts, contradictions, and extremes. Currently, the city of Miami is home for many celebrities, entertainers, athletes, retired families and upcoming tourist and immigrants who migrated to this tourist center of a city. Unfortunately, the city also has a negative side; Miami Florida has served as a refuge for the famous and infamous, including gangsters during Prohibition, serial killers, deposed Latin American dictators, sheiks, rock stars, artists, writers, athletes, and just about anyone starting over. As political conditions in the Western Hemisphere fluctuate, Miami continues to be a destination for waves of refugees (Miami, 1998). According to the Encyclopedia or Urban America (1998), Miami currently has the largest percentage of foreign-born residents of any metropolitan area in the United States. With over half its population of Hispanic origin and more than one-fifth black, many from the Caribbean, Miami is multiculturalism. Immigrants, who choose to migrate in the city of Miami, are presented with the opportunity and the lifestyle of starting from the very bottom of the financial and social pyramid, work hard, and abide by the laws and regulations with the expectations of success and benefiting their families. The Cubans, Nicaraguan, and Haitian are working hard to gain one common goal, success, and climbing their current financial status. The American dream is more than just alive in the minds of the immigrants who migrate to this preferred destination. The city of Miami is also known as Magic city, known for the diverse and ethnic culture in South Florida. The City of Miami is also the home for the Miami heat basketball team and the Miami Dolphins football team. The City of Miami has been the vacation hotspot for college spring vacations and family vacations for the social life offered in the City. According to the Census of 2000, Miami’s population is made up of 362,470 and by the end of 2011; the population is expected to increase to 390,191 individuals. The Census of 2000 also illustrates that the city of Miami has a sixty percent Hispanic population, a twenty-three percent of African American population and only a twelve percent of Caucasian population. Individuals between the ages of twenty to forty-four make up more than thirty-nine percent of the population, followed by people who are between the ages of sixty to seventy four, which makes up about twenty percent of the city’s population. Unemployment rate is as low as ten percent (Miami Government, 2011). Population of Miami (Florida) Miami is the State of Florida’s largest city as well as the largest city in Miami-Dade County. Dating back to the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the City of Miami had an influx of Cuban immigrants and over the years developed into a major city and became a cosmopolitan. Many immigrants fled countries that had a crumbling economy or imposed political sanctions or persecution. Along with immigrants, Miami has a large population of retirees from the North and Midwest. The large migration to Miami brought other changes, resulting in Miami having the image of an international city making it a gateway to Latin America. Miami has experienced major population shifts throughout its history. Over time, more people have migrated from rural to urban regions of Florida in search of a change in lifestyle, economic pursuits, and social structure. Miami’s population shift as the upper as well as middle classes matriculates outward from the city centers with the poorer citizens being left behind within the inner city, often living near enclaves of the very rich. This matriculation causes the suburbs to expand and combine with the suburbs of nearby metropolitan areas to form a megalopolis, or a vast regional city in which many metropolises merge. Only Texas and California have as many urban centers separated by miles of terrain. Urban centers grow to a certain level, after which economic improvement allows many citizens to move away from city centers not to rural areas but to new suburban developments. The issues faced by the City of Miami are no different from those of other American cities. Miami too experience an increase in crime to overcrowding, from deteriorating race relations to deteriorating urban services and a reduced tax base. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the total population of Miami is 399, 457. The two largest racial make-up of the population is 72% Caucasian and 70% Hispanic with 19.2% of the population being comprised of Afro-Americans.† For years, Florida has suffered the highest crime rate of any state and the highest rate of violent crime per capita with Miami being the epee-center. Compared to many other cities, Miami is relatively less wealthy and has a high volume of poverty stricken areas. A contributing factor to high crime rates and areas is poverty. These areas such as Liberty City or the Pork and Beans Housing Projects are areas with more impoverished residents and are likely to see more frequent violence and drug crimes, in particular. As the economy continues to take a downward spiral it is likely that the Miami police department will post increases in their crime statistics in these areas. Crime rates tend to increase with the increase of job loss. Families are struggling with the lack of disposable income, and a weak job market offering little opportunity, some people may turn to criminal activity. The current unemployment rate in the City of Miami is 11.5. The living wage for Miami-Dade County is $11.36 per hour with health benefits, or $13.01 per hour if health benefits are not provided. Tourism is a major industry for Miami, and many visitors never see the â€Å"under-belly† of Miami because of the citys highway system, allowing political leaders to ignore the poorer-high crime areas while catering to these visitors. All this means its violent crime problem is unlikely to abate soon. The total crimes for the population are about one and a half times the national average for all crimes. In reality; however, violent crime in Miami has increased and contributing to this problem is Miamis growing population. The city has a mixed racial makeup with a large black and Latin population. At the same time, Miami also may be the nations capital of multiculturalism of the very sort sought by other American cities as the population changes. Many American cities have encountered increasing problems along with growth. Poor high crime areas in Miami cannot develop the necessary tax base to pay for better schools to education the next generation so it will not have to live in poverty. Miami is considered to be more dangerous than many other city of size. New Orleans is considered the most dangerous of all, followed by Camden, New Jersey. In 2008 the City of Miami Gardens was ranked as the thirteenth most dangerous city with a population in excess of 75,000 out of all cities in Florida. The expansion of the prison system by an additional 1,865 beds will be needed to handle the influx over the next five years. Official projections; however, suggest the number of beds that will be needed is far from adequate. When individuals violate the laws of the land, they are housed in a facility ran by the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department. The county jail is comprised of five correctional facilities: the Pre-Trial Detention Center, Womens Detention Center, Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Training and Treatment Center, and the Metro West Detention Center. These facilities hold on average 7,000 inmates, who are awaiting trial or are serving sentences of 364 days or less. Currently Miami-Dade County Jail houses about 6, 224 inmates. Of these 6, 224 inmates, 3, 412 are Afro-American; 1,700 are Hispanic with 2, 808 Whites being incarcerated. The department has a Boot Camp Program for youthful offenders, a Work Release Center and a medical unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The space problem also plagues the juvenile system, in which a shortage of beds forced authorities to put young offenders back on the street to await space in a juvenile facility. While waiting, it is not surprising that these young offenders commit more crimes. Public Attitude High crime rate has plagued the city of Miami, â€Å"Florida† for decades. Even though including all crimes, the crime rate for the total population is about one and a half times the nation average. These crimes include high statistics in murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults. Miami experience approximately 20 murders per 100,000 people compared to the national average of just seven. Miami experienced 537 robberies per 100,000 residents, more than twice the national average of 206. Aggravated assaults are 927 per 100,000 people nearly three times the national average of 337. The city of Miami is also less wealthy than others, and poverty is a major contributing factor for high crime rates. Residents living in impoverished areas are likely to experience more violent and drug crimes than others. Citizens believe that with the economic downturn in full force, they will see an increase in crime statistics in the upcoming years because as unemployment rises, so does the crime rates. Families face less money to spend and without work or money to occupy some people, they often turn to criminal activity. Many residents believe that the lack of Fortune 500 companies is the main obstacle facing Miami’s growth and evolution to a top-tier city. They think that the continued development of the downtown and Brickell area, expansions of the airport, and the addition of the new baseball stadium will make the city more attractive. Citizens believe Miami has the potentials of Hong Kong, but the problem with the city is its lack of honest government, not with crooks, and criminals. They understand that they must learn to vote for what is best for their community, not the ghetto, not Cuba, not Venezuela, areas the majority of citizens migrate from. Intelligent, educated people are leaving in masses going to other states is another problem because it will not help attract Fortune 500 companies. Citizens believe that until all these issues are addressed and resolved, Miami will continue to move in the wrong direction, just a party city with no jobs (Paez, nd) Change of location All big cities have downtowns as an important of their central point of their city however, unlike Miami, Fl not many cities have as much to do like Downtown Miami does (Castelo-Blanco, 2010). Miami’s violent crime rate is the highest in the country, considering they have high indecencies of robbery, and assault. Thankfully in terms of other cities their murder rate is relatively low. Miami, like many cities property values fluctuate all, depending on the crime around the area. Home prices around the Miami areas is range from Coral Gables of 210K – 250K, it appears that the most crime in Miami does occur in the North Miami Beach area. The home values in that area range from 43K – 72K, while in other areas such as South Beach homes range from the 750K Millions. Although Miami is a beautiful place to visit and stay for some time police reports suggest that they travel with a contingent of large people and stay in areas where it is highly lit and populated such as downtown, Miami. The crime rate in Miami has caused much separation in the difference and quality of living for people in Miami, as one travels down the Dolphin Expressway, people can notice a culture change in which areas are not in shabby condition by illegal activities. One of the unique tools the Miami-Dade police department allows residents to do is use the crime mapping program that helps empower the community by putting valuable public safety information at the community’s fingertips. The Miami-Dade shows they there were 140 crimes between March 22nd, 2011, and March 28th, 2011. The Hollywood police department 139 from March 27th, 2011 through April 2nd, 2011, and the Plantation police department had 53 crimes between March 27th, 2011 and April 2nd, 2011 all ranging from theft, assault, and illegal drug activity. This program shows clearly that home prices and transportation levels change as people choose to live away from the city center. Miami downtown is the party center and where the night life lives however it is so close to higher crime areas that people choose to live in areas such as Miami Beach, South Beach, where homes cost 10 times more than areas in North Miami Beach. Hotspots As mentioned Miami Florida is known as a beautiful vacation spot. Many tourists come to Miami to vacation because of the lovely atmosphere of Downtown Miami and South Beach. Miami is also known as a celebrity hotspot many celebrities are known to have condos along South Beach or either own a home on Star Island. Although Miami is known to be a beautiful vacation area unfortunately just as many other cities it has its hotspots for criminal activity. In Miami there are quite a few hotspots, which consist of major criminal activity such as robbery, assaults, murder, and mainly the possession of illegal drugs. These hotspot areas are Overtown, Little Haiti, Opa Locka, and Liberty City. In Miami there is a program called Weed and Seed, which initiatives when begun, was to focus on the drug sales and prostitution that ran rampant through the criminal hotspot areas mainly in Little Haiti and Liberty City. Recent news that has occurred in the hotspot areas of Miami, FL, is the killing of seven African American men. Research states, â€Å"Over a seven-month period between July 2010 and February 2011, Miami police — mostly officers on specialized task forces — shot and killed seven men, at least two of whom were unarmed. The succession of shootings, which came after a few years of relative calm, awoke old tensions in the Overtown, Little Haiti, and Liberty City neighborhoods, and caused a political firestorm at City Hall (Miami Herald, 2011). These three areas mentioned are known for their criminal activity however the slaying of seven African American men over a seven-month period has made members of the community and family members of the deceased outraged. The people of the community are looking to have the Chief of the City of Miami Police Department removed because they feel as though City of Miami Police Chief Miguel Exposito is doing little to nothing about the situation or the officers involved with the shootings. This only leads people to believe that the crime rates in the hotspot areas may increase because the members of the community are furious with the police departments. Conclusion In 2010, there were a total of 31,000 crimes where 6,000 were violent crimes and more than 24,000 crimes were property crimes. With a crime rate of 86 per one thousand residents, Miami has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities. Because the city of Miami is considered a tourist city with all the visitors as well as the diverse individual all fighting for obtaining the American Dream; many people commit crimes to climb the social and financial ladder faster. Many people must start at the bottom to arrive at the top is frustrating to many causing them to commit crimes. References Miami, Florida. (1998). In Encyclopedia of Urban America: The Cities and Suburbs. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/abcurban/miami_florida. Miami Government. (2011). About the City Of Miami. Retrieved from http://www.miamigov.com/press/pressreleases/miami/AbouttheCity.asp. Miami Herald. (2011). Families of men shot dead by Miami police get their say. Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/23/2130756/families-of-men-shot-by-miami.html Paez, Adolfo L., Ed., Miami: Public Attitudes about Crime. A National Crime Survey Report. Institution: Bureau of the Census (DOC), Suitland, Md. Roman, C. G., Cahill, M., Coggeshall, M. (2005). The Weed and Seed Initiative and Crime Displacement in South Florida: 5-6. Retrieved from http://www.statenet.com/welfare/flborland.html. Retrieved from www.miamidade.gov/corrections/facilities.asp Retrieved from http://www.floridahistory.org Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Miami, _Florida

Black Boy :: essays research papers

Black Boy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Black Boy is a story written in first person through the black boy’s eyes. The story opens with the black boy cleaning eyeglasses at the sink during the morning hours before lunch. As the boy washed eyeglasses this day as all other days, Mr. Olin, a white man who ordered the black boy around hovered over him. While striking up conversation with the black boy, Mr. Olin asks a ridiculous question if the black boy is his friend. This question in the story is the first step in developing the plot. The black boy, fearful of the Mr. Olin and the power he has over him, decides to lie to him and tell him that he is his friend. Mr. Olin begins to trick the black boy in thinking that another black boy named Harrison wants to fight him because of words that were taken the wrong way. The black boy gets worried because he does not remember saying anything insulting to Harrison, and he wants to talk to him and make things right. Mr. Olin tells the black boy that he will go and speak to Harrison for him. During the black boys lunch break he goes and talks to Harrison himself about the situation, but soon they realize that they are being set up to fight each other in order to entertainment to the white men. Both black boys keep their mouths shut about speaking to each other and knowing the truth that neither of them wants to fight. Mr. Olin and Harrison’s boss both keep egging them on for weeks to fight each other and finally bribe them with five dollars to box fight. Harrison is interested because he wants a suit and this money will help, but the other black boy knows that this is shameful and does not want to fight no matter what the bribe is. For days Harrison and the black boy dispute whether to box or not, and they finally decided to box but to pretend. The day comes to fight and both stare each other in the face realizing that they do not have enough knowledge about fighting to fake the whole scene. The fight begins and the two boys angr y at themselves, each other, and their authority begin to fight and shed blood. After their fight both boys feel shame and degraded and never fight again although they are egged on many times after.

Natural Disaster and the Decisions That Follow Essay

In the hurricanes’ wake, Nationwide received more than 119,000 claims collectively worth $850 million. Although dealing with those claims was difficult, even more difficult was Rommel’s later decision to cancel approximately 40,000 homeowners’ policies. Nationwide received a huge amount of mediaattention as a result, almost all negative. In reflecting on the decision, Rommel said, ―Pulling out was a soundbusiness decision. Was it good for the individual customer? No, I can’t say it was. But the rationale wassound.â€â€"Hurricanes aren’t the only weapons in nature’s arsenal, and the insurance industry is hardly the onlyindustry affected by nature. Consider the airline industry. American Airlines has 80,000 employees, 4 of whommake decisions to cancel flights. One of them is Danny Burgin. When weather systems approach, Burgin needs toconsider a host of factors in deciding which flights to cancel and how to reroute affected passengers. He arguesthat of two major weather factors, winter snowstorms andsummer thunderstorms, snowstorms are easier to handle because they are more predictable. Don’t tell tha t toJetBlue, however. On February 14, 2007, JetBlue wasunprepared for a snowstorm that hit the East Coast. Dueto the lack of planning, JetBlue held hundreds ofpassengers on its planes, at JFK, in some cases for aslong as 10 hours (with bathrooms closed!). To the stranded travelers, JetBlue’s tepid offer of a refund was just as outrageous.

Does rap and rock music cause increased violent or promiscuous behavior Essay

Rock and rap music have been perceived by some people to be the cause of increased violent and other anti-social behavior especially to the young people. Some argue that such perception is an overstatement as there are many other factors inbuilt in human beings that precipitate their misbehaviors. Crime in society is caused by a wide variety of factors. According to Michael Moore an Oscar award winner and author of Bowling for Columbine, the system has been organized in a manner that it attracts and perpetuates crime in the society. The US has a record of so many deaths due to gun use. Extensive fear is imposed on the masses. To Moore, the current killings are not due to poverty, unemployment or diversity in ethnicity. The mass media can be blamed for the situation. It is responsible for instilling in the people’s mind that violence is appropriate. Development of a gun culture is also to blame for the increase killings. It is very easy to access and own a gun in US. The system has enabled extensive gun ownership on the grounds of self-defense. (Moore M, 2002) However, this viewpoint is contradictory as other countries have easy access and ownership of guns but they do not experience the rates of killings that the US faces. The blame could be put on action movies, rock stars with their music and video games but other societies have this too. Rock artists like Marilyn Manson do not agree that music is to blame for increased deaths. Marilyn is blamed on the increased violence especially in schools. Though the music does not actually cause the death per ser it instills hostility in the children minds as it could be misinterpreted. Parents are failing in their role to raise responsible children. It is irresponsible to delegate the guidance role to the media. Guidance ought to be given to such children so that they can rationally sieve what is right from what is wrong from the media. Inequalities between the rich and the poor is a clear problem in the US where by more concerns are raised when the impact is on the rich. It creates the impression that poor is worthless and deserves no respect. Proponents of rap music argue that rap music does not in any circumstance command or direct people to choose violence. Liability to distinguish what is false or fiction from reality would lead to more youths being engaged in crime or other anti-social behavior. People should be rational enough to see the effects of their behavior on the society at large. (Moore M, 2002) Some rap music portrays women as the weaker sex and they are viewed as prostitutes to be used as sexual objects. Some artists can be bad influence though not all. The generalization that all rock or rap music causes criminal activities is an understatement as some sing on values and morals that are needed for good citizenship. Rap music can encourage promiscuous behavior especially because most artists use vulgar language on sensitive issues and they also portray nude women. Some teenagers may identify themselves with the women in such movies or videos resulting to increased promiscuity. Women in such movies who are depicted as whores do so to earn their living and they cannot be crucified for that. Respective government ought to work hard to improve their system to accommodate more people in the job market. (Wingwood et al, 551) The youthful generation is thrilled by the entertainment sector. Music influences behavior regardless the age gender or ethnicity. Greater impact is on those with little or no determined values. Some rappers are considered â€Å"cool† and are consequently very influential on attitudes on fashion, sex and violence. Poor children or youngsters from the minority groups lack proper role models as they grow up. They may turn to music for values determination and identification. Parents should install morals on their children so that the music has no space for that. Homes that are not well organized contribute to change in internalizing morals. Bad company at school and the teenagers exposed to vulgar information are more likely to engage in sexual activities at an earlier stage. However this viewpoint is counteracted by the argument that those who allow music to form their reasoning were initially affected. This is to say that rap music would add ‘promiscuous’ behavior to those already in that capacity. (Anderson A et al, 90) Rock music has since a long time ago been associated with the youth and antisocial behavior like rebellion. It was initially meant to create more awareness in the society. Rock and roll was feared to promote aggression, bigotry deviant sexual behavior, homicide and drug use. Rap music has its roots in the African music and hence viewed as rising to fit their appropriate needs or to raise their needs. Rap music has been blamed for not only degrading women but also for the increased sexual behavior among youngsters. This has other effects like unwanted pregnancies and spread of diseases. Increased sexual behavior could be due to the words used in the songs as well as the obscene pictures. Men are portrayed as sexually insatiable and sex is seen as inconsequential. Teenagers may act on the messages communicated, as they are very specific on the sex roles. Girls repeatedly exposed to these songs are likely to take submissive roles and allow the disrespectful treatment from their partners. Boys are likely to internalize the portrayed roles of exploiting girls and consider such acts as normal. (Stephens D & Few L, 251) Censorship would be inappropriate for the young adults but parents should offer guidance to their children as a step to install morals. Listening to their side of story so that the communication is 2-way would help them better understand the content of such music and thus enable them react accordingly. Although allowing the African America musicians to have a voice was a way of accepting and respecting the views of a minority race, the content of their songs was alarming and raised much attention. Exposure to these songs before children are of age will have detrimental effects on the children. (Hayes G, 12) According to a research by Ralph J.  Diclementle, PHD of Emory University School of public health, girls who listened to rap music or watched rap videos were more likely to indulge in anti-social behavior. (Fox R, 2) Many teenagers are attracted to hip hop and rap music especially from artists like Kanye west, Snoop Dogg and Timbaland. The hip hop music is attractive due to its beats and catchy rhythms. Rap music consists of more rhymes and poetry. Hip hop is more attractive because the beats are attractive. Most of the teenagers are attracted by the beats and the fact that it is danceable. The lyrics are also quite catchy. Rap music can have positive effects on the listeners for instance it can cause a creative mindset and incorporate different styles and trends. Rock music is popular to people of all ages. Its beats, lyrics and tones attract a number of people. Many parents disregard hip hop music and link it with discrimination against women, bad influence and violence. However many parents accommodate rock music because they are familiar with it as most of them grew up with it. Rock music is not as danceable as hip hop and most people sing it along or listen to it. Hard rock is loud and preferred mostly by the young people while many due to its softness prefer soft rock. Rappers are accused of not producing quality music since they do not emphasize on information or educative music. They instead of clearing the stereotype reinforce it by their music for instance Notorious BIG’s song that he is ‘considered a fool because he dropped out of high school’ others claim to ‘drop out of school for the big wallets’. They offer confusing information to the young generations who may think that there is an easy way of life. This could precipitate violence when such people become over ambitious but lack the means to attain their goals. However not all rap artists discard education, some like J- Live who was previously a teacher knows the value of education and instills it to his listeners through his music. Unlike BIG, J-live tells the young to ‘load their brains’. (Johnson J et al, 30) Some rap music can be beneficial. It teaches people using real life experience. This way people can be able to learn from other people’s mistakes or good deeds and hence respond accordingly. Some rap artists warn on the effects of drug use while insisting on the advantages of hard work. This instills on the teenager or youths the importance of hard work. It can be inspirational as it tells of never quitting regardless of the tough times a head. Gangster rap portrays the way of life in the urban nature, which is at times violent. It tries to impose that to survive in this kind of environment people need to consider their own self interests which at times entails taking the law in their hands. Money and power are portrayed as basis for respect in society. Gangsta rap praises the evildoer who does not abide to laws or regulation. It results to increased violence because it seems to praise or support crime, drug and killings. (Anderson A et al, 965) The answers to whether rap music affects behavior depend on who is answering it. Supporters of rap like the artists would claim that their music only portrays what is actually happening in the society. However the effect of rap music on behavior is similar to the effects of pornography and video games. Lack of evidence that rap music actually results to violence or promiscuous behavior makes the claim quite weak. These music creates a resigned mode where there seems to be no hope for society due to an adamant attitude towards social change. It could have positive impacts if people thought of what became of their society and what can be done to improve. The rap music containing violence may affect youth’s behavior; it may create a greater acceptance of the use of violence where they embrace it as a way of life or something normal. Rappers advocate for their songs by saying that being silent about what is actually happening in the society does not solve the problem. To them the music is a reflection of the frustration and pain that is faced in the ‘ghetto-life’. Music artists are viewed as heroes and teenagers, yearn to be like them. Some end up committing suicide, homicide on public shootings to prove they can be like their heroes. Research has showed that excessive exposure to sexual activity influences the teen’s perception to sex and this could lead to more indulgence in risky and sexual activities. Music does affect people’s behavior in many ways including the subconscious mind and consequently influences people’s view on the society. Music can be used to alter moods. Just as it is used to encourage or motivate athletes it can increase violence. To the rappers the music reflects, distills and amplifies the social realities at its primary or basic level and then reincorporates it into that reality. To them the outsiders or those away from the ghetto cannot understand them since the do not understand their plight. The society has maintained inequalities that have adverse effects on its people. Teenagers who listen to lots of music especially rap which may consist of degrading sexual messages are more likely to start sex indulgence earlier than their counterparts without such exposure. Rock and rap artists are at times convicted of violence. For instance Snoop Dogg had an incidence with the law enforcement officers due to violence. Since the young people may consider him a hero they may indulge in violent activities to ape him. A research by a Rand Corporation and published by the American Journal of Public Health, found that adolescents who listened more to this music progressed faster into indulging to sexual behavior than those who did not listen to such music. Listening to such music affects all adolescents regardless of their gender or ethnicity. Music therefore plays an important role in the psyche of young adults. (Barongan C & Hall GCN,195) A research also showed that teenage African American girls who were exposed to rap videos or music were more likely to abuse alcohol and engage in promiscuous behavior. Their body image would be negative and the chances of having multiple partners could be higher. Greater awareness and education is needed on the risks involved or associated to the media exposure. Evidence of more African American involved in violent or criminal behavior can be seen in their numbers in prison. Rap artists are disgusting to some when they talk of women degradation when they boast of having enough women at their disposal. The adolescent age is where teenagers are establishing their identity and the kind of music they listen to affects their identity. Peer influence reinforces the trend of music teenagers will be accustomed to. Another aspect that rap music portrays is killing of the police and black-to-black violence where killing-using guns is deemed appropriate. It is considered racist music that tries to fight corruption and discrimination from the dominant white society. The community so created is hopeless and results to drugs violence and promiscuity, which in turn results to teen pregnancy. (Anderson A et al, 85) Several scholars’ doctors and researchers did the study on African American women in 1996-1999 and the effect of music. Girls exposed to rap music were more likely to take drugs, have problems with the law and are prone to sexually transmitted diseases. According to the researchers, girls who were more exposed to rap music were more likely to hit a teacher, get arrested and have sex with multiple partners. Parents’ failure to monitor the teens and the frustrations of lack of job opportunities precipitated the violence further. (Wingwood G & Disclemente L, 433) Sociologists have also established that music affects the health, attitudes and behavior of teenagers. They not only listen to the music but also live it. Music is used to express ideas or narrate stories. On average teens listen to music approximately 40 hours in a week. The hours daily provide ample time to change their perception about life. Not all teens understand what the music really means and different teens have varied meanings to the words in such songs. Censoring such music to protect the innocent teenagers would not bear much fruit. This is because it would be faced by much protects on the grounds of hindering or being against the freedom of expression rights. Again, even when the music is not played in the radio stations it is still played elsewhere and thus it is still accessible. Due to peer influence it would be hard to monitor and prohibit what one’s children listen to. An appropriate measure would be to explain the consequences of what the music is all about and engage the children in critical thinking. For music to have a positive or negative effect on an individual, the individual must have a certain degree of affinity in it. Personal choice forms a critical part in such decision-making. However, the use of visuals reinforces what is heard. Studies show that rap music could affect men’s perception towards women to the extent where after women are raped they could argue that the women provoked the men by way of dressing. A study carried out in a college campus in the U. S where men and women were exposed to rap music both hard and soft that involved questionnaires on their perception to songs that were gender biased. Men were proved to react more to stereotypes after exposure to such music and videos. Women proved to be more accommodating and submissive to the male. Words commonly raised include bitches and whores and this attracts the attention of quite a number of people. Exposure to rap music comprises of violence for instance murder. (Cole J & Gy Shefall, 40) In 2000, the American academy of pediatrics issued a joint statement on the effects of violence through entertainment means on children. It made this conclusion connection between aggressive character and violence in the media. In the studies reports were made from the general office as well as the mental health department that the government should put in place policies that would protect its people, as the media violence would ruin it. (AAPCC, 315) According to Leonard a psychologist the effects of violence of the TV and aggression is cumulative. The effect of rap music leads to aggression in one’s later life. However it is difficult to tell if music actually influences sexual promiscuity, drug use or violent behavior in cases where the teens do not comprehend the meaning of the lyrics.

Free Essays on Astronmers Wife

In the Astronomer’s Wife by Kay Bole, Katherine has no hope because she feels that all men are like her husband. The story is about a house wife who has a very bad relationship with her husband and she seeks for someone to understand and respect her. Mrs. Ames has forgotten any strength and beauty that she has because of the way her husband treats her with such emotional neglect. But then she regains her confidence when she realizes that not all men are dreamers. The story opens with â€Å"There is an evil moment on awaking when all things seem to pause. But for women, they only falter and may be set in action by a single move: a lifted hand and the pendulum will swing, or the voice raised and through every room the pulse takes up its beating†. The author describes the time of awaking as the most evil because you just don’t think about what you have to do. But for women it is different. The astronomer’s wife is a woman of action. She thinks about all the things she needs to get done around the house. For her time is too valuable she cannot waste it. She has to fill time â€Å"to the brim.† Katherine, the astronomer’s wife is much like the pendulum; she is reliable, consistent just following the same path. On the top of page 58 the word hail seems to stand out. â€Å"Katherine hailed the morning with her bare arms’ quivering flesh drawn taut in rhythmic exercise†. She seems very happy maybe because she will occupy her time up and not have to be with her husband. She also does some sort of exercise this possibly refers to how she likes to go fast paced and get things done in her days. The story simply started out by saying how each day is the same as all the others. Katherine sees to all matters of running a successful household. That is why the astronomer believes that Katherine is capable to some degree because he leaves her to be liable to everything. The astronomer seems too occupied with his work to bother his wife, or m... Free Essays on Astronmers Wife Free Essays on Astronmers Wife In the Astronomer’s Wife by Kay Bole, Katherine has no hope because she feels that all men are like her husband. The story is about a house wife who has a very bad relationship with her husband and she seeks for someone to understand and respect her. Mrs. Ames has forgotten any strength and beauty that she has because of the way her husband treats her with such emotional neglect. But then she regains her confidence when she realizes that not all men are dreamers. The story opens with â€Å"There is an evil moment on awaking when all things seem to pause. But for women, they only falter and may be set in action by a single move: a lifted hand and the pendulum will swing, or the voice raised and through every room the pulse takes up its beating†. The author describes the time of awaking as the most evil because you just don’t think about what you have to do. But for women it is different. The astronomer’s wife is a woman of action. She thinks about all the things she needs to get done around the house. For her time is too valuable she cannot waste it. She has to fill time â€Å"to the brim.† Katherine, the astronomer’s wife is much like the pendulum; she is reliable, consistent just following the same path. On the top of page 58 the word hail seems to stand out. â€Å"Katherine hailed the morning with her bare arms’ quivering flesh drawn taut in rhythmic exercise†. She seems very happy maybe because she will occupy her time up and not have to be with her husband. She also does some sort of exercise this possibly refers to how she likes to go fast paced and get things done in her days. The story simply started out by saying how each day is the same as all the others. Katherine sees to all matters of running a successful household. That is why the astronomer believes that Katherine is capable to some degree because he leaves her to be liable to everything. The astronomer seems too occupied with his work to bother his wife, or m...

10 ways to improve efficiency as a recruiter to get ahead

10 ways to improve efficiency as a recruiter to get ahead Attention recruiters- as the folks who are at the front lines for ensuring that companies and organizations are staffed with the best and brightest employees available, your jobs are critical to their success.LinkedIn published an article that provided compelling reasons why recruiters today are key to organizations: â€Å"Now, in today’s economic environment and marketplace,  recruiters are more important than ever, especially for those companies that are able to find and secure the services of an experienced search firm with an extensive track record of success.† The author reasons that superstar candidates can be difficult to find and court, as they usually receive multiple offers from top-level organizations and often need to be wooed and properly recruited in order to get them to seriously consider joining an organization.The Balance recently released an article that highlights tips for ensuring that recruiters perform their roles as effectively as possible- use these tips to maximize your efficiency and success.1. Improve your candidate pool.A better talent pool will bring better talent to your organization. In order to make sure you’re searching for the best potential candidates regardless of the position you’re hiring for, make sure you do the following: invest time to forge relationships with college and university career placement offices and executive search firms, use professional association resources and network at professional industry events, keep an eye out for strong potential candidates on online job boards, and take full advantage of available resources on LinkedIn and other online social media outlets.2. Hire the sure thing.As a recruiter you have to trust your instincts. Untested new potential talent that grabs your attention could be a smart gamble, but it is a risk- do you want to put your reputation on the line for a roll of the dice? When you come across real talent with a proven track record, background, and skillset you’ll know it, and these are the sorts of individuals you should go after.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});3. Look in-house first.Always work to make sure that your company is using its existing staff resources to its fullest potential before looking outside for talent. Why? Because in-house candidates have already been tried and tested on some level and already have a feel for how the organization operates. Plus, you know how they’ll fit into the company’s culture, which is always a big question mark when bringing someone new aboard. On top of this, if you go â€Å"outside first† and existing staff gets the feeling that new opportunities that arise aren’t open to them, they may start looking for their next big opportunities elsewhere.4. Help build your company’s rep.Sure, a big part of your job as a recruiter is to hunt for and source top talent from far and wide, but if your company has a re p as being a fantastic place to work, top talent will flock to you- making your job much easier and letting you be more effective and efficient.5. Get other employees involved.Although it’s important for any recruiter worth their paycheck to have an extensive network of contacts and professional insiders in the industry they’re hiring for, if you utilize the networks and contacts of fellow employees your universe will expand exponentially- opening you up to a world of new and potentially valuable candidates.6. Offer more.This one seems obvious, but it bears repeating because it’s such a core tenet of human behavior and recruitment psychology. If you want to lure top talent in any industry, you have to be more than competitive regarding the pay package being offered. Make sure to stay on top of industry trends regarding compensation, and make sure that your company is at the head of the pack in terms of offerings.7. Use your perks to your advantage.Beyond the pay package, does your company offer any additional perks to attract potential candidates? Everything from reimbursement for continuing education to vacation discounts and free snacks/meals can help attract top talent and sway them your way when making a job decision, and you never know how important a perk may be to someone who’s considering working at your company- so be sure to play all of your perk cards when recruiting.8. Hire for strengths.Hiring strong people may seem like another obvious point, but you’d be surprised by how many recruiters ignore this fundamental fact and go after an unorthodox candidate who could potentially be a positive disruptor of the status quo in their organizations- which could backfire fantastically. What does The Balance recommend? â€Å"Hire for strengths; don’t expect to develop weak areas of performance, habits, and talents. Build on what is great about your new employee in the first place.†9. Make the most of your compa ny website.A great website will attract new talent to your company, making your job easier. If there’s a clear, well designed, and user friendly career section with information on open job opportunities, even better. Any worthy potential candidate will check out your company’s website- likely before an interview but undoubtedly after one. A weak or sloppy website will not be a check mark in the pro column for candidates thinking about whether to work at your company.10. Check references.Even if you’re completely dazzled by the resume of a potential candidate and are eager to get them on board as quickly as possible, take a pause and be sure to devote the time needed to do an extensive reference check. This is always time well spent, and you may learn some information about a candidate that could affect your initial decision.Bottom line: The more efficiently you do your job as a recruiter, the more your company benefits- both in the short term and the long run. U se the tips presented here to take your recruiting efforts to the next level. Good luck, and happy hunting!

Federal Reserve Presentation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Federal Reserve Presentation - Research Paper Example 1.3 As the regulator for the nation’s banking and payments systems, the Fed makes rules for safe business practices by banks and other financial companies. These rules include the minimum cash reserves that a bank must maintain in proportion to the deposits with it. The Federal Reserve lends money to banks for maintaining these reserves or accepts deposits from them when they have excess money. The Fed also ensures that financial securities sold in the market are safe for the customer. The Federal Reserve has a Board of Governors based in Washington, DC, with a Chairman and 6 other members appointed to staggered 14 year terms. The Fed operates through 12 Reserve Banks that cover all 50 states. Each Reserve Bank has a Board made up of bankers, business people and members of the public and conduct all the activities described in (1) above. Five of the 12 Reserve Bank presidents together with the 7 governors of the Federal Reserve make up the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) which has the responsibility for key decisions such as interest rates, monetary policy and the buying and selling of treasury securities. The activities of the FOMC are reviewed by US Congress Committee on Banking and Financial Services. The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy affects prices, employment and economic growth by influencing the availability and cost of money and credit in the US economy. This cost influences the consumer’s willingness to spend money on goods and services. The three tools used by the FOMC for determining the cost of money are open market operations, the discount rate and the reserve requirements (FRBSF, 2013). Open market operations are used primarily to control money supply in the banking system. This is done by selling government securities to banks to reduce money supply or buying from them to increase liquidity. As a result of the disruptions caused by the 2008 global financial crisis, the Fed, invoking the

U.S. Veterans are taken care of in the United States Research Paper

U.S. Veterans are taken care of in the United States - Research Paper Example with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars are appreciated by our nation† (Korb 79). The treatment provided helps in encouraging people who volunteer to defend their country is that there is still a good life after combat and the government cares and appreciates them all. But the government has to still try proving this to the people through actions. Appreciation and care given should be all round, that is; it should include support physically, emotionally and mentally not forgetting socially. The wounds suffered during the war should be taken care of, the mental trauma and stress suffered due to the combat and loss of colleagues and helping them fit in back to their lives and society. The government of the united state does provide care for the veterans in different ways but not enough for them. To start with is the veteran medical care that was first made available to the disabled veterans and soldiers in the established soldiers’ home, the naval home and the National Homes for disabled volunteer soldiers’ institutions. In World War I, public health service hospitals under a contract with the bureau of war risk insurance took care of the injured veterans. By 1920 the government had fifty government hospitals for the war soldiers. In 1921 the veterans’ bureau took over from the public health service and in 1930 the veterans’ administration replaced the veteran bureau and introduced the national Home and Bureau of Pensions. Since then the Veteran administration has grown to operate 172 hospitals, 104 nursing homes and domiciliary and 220 outpatient clinics. The wars in Korea or Vietnam led to soldiers who served more than two tours involuntarily. A soldier who survived the first tour and went back for a second tour was given at least two years to spend at home before going for another combat. This provided time for recuperation from

Web Software Testing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Web Software Testing - Research Paper Example Moreover, all the applicable tests are performed according to approved test procedures on approved test cases. However, the software testing process can be assisted with software tools that can be used in order to make the software testing process automated (Mustafa, Al-Qutaish, & Muhairat, 2009; Pressman, 2001). Web based software applications are one of the most evolving type of software systems now a days. In addition, these web applications have been built to support wide range of activities such as business related transactions such as product sale, transactions and delivery, scientific processes such as information transfer and sharing, and medical related activities such as expert system-based diagnoses. Because of the significance of these activities in everyday life, faulty web applications may have negative impact on businesses, economies, scientific evolution. For these reasons, a web application must be completely tested to guarantee that the web application is reliable and complies with its original requirements (Qian, Miao, & Zeng, 2007; Mao, 2009). The properties of web applications include distributive nature, hypermedia, and multi-platform, dynamic, the possibility to generate software components at run time (web services) and interaction with a large number of users. Additionally, web applications are different from the traditional software in the sense that their operating environments are always diverse, heterogeneous and independent. In this scenario, web applications should be tailored to such heterogeneous and diverse client environments, to satisfy the different requirements of the users. However, the main focus of web applications remains usually on the information publication, searching, and indexing as compared to the traditional software. This makes their functionalities comparatively weaker but requires faster up-dating speeds in their contents and

SNPs of ABCG2 in Chinese Advanced NSCLC Patients

SNPs of ABCG2 in Chinese Advanced NSCLC Patients Introduction Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent and fatal malignant neoplasm all over the world and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80%–85% of all lung cancers(1). The majority of NSCLC patients, approximately 80%, presents in locally advanced (phase IIIA/B) or metastatic (phase IV) stages, which results in quite low 5-year survival rates, 8-14.1% for phase IIIA and 1-5% for phase IIIAB/IV (2). The standard treatment of advanced NSCLC, two-drug chemotherapy based on platinum, has reached a bottleneck with limited effect. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), a targeted drug of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), have been recently introduced for the treatment of NSCLC. Clinical trials indicated that Gefitinib and Erlotinib treating advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation could result a remission rate of 62.1%~84.6% and progression-free survival (PFS) of 8.4~13.1 months, which are significantly higher than that in chemotherapy group (32.2%~47.3% and 4.6~6.7 months , respectively), but not over survival(3-6). In order to implement accurate treatment of both chemotherapy and targeted therapy, it’s urgent to find other predictive targets of NSCLC patients to stratify for treatment. ATP binding cassette superfamily G member 2 (ABCG2), also known as breast cancer resistance protein, was demonstrated to be associated with the effect and prognosis of chemotherapy/targeted therapy in NSCLC (7-9). Because the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ABCG2 are supposed to affect the expression of ABCG2 protein and SNPs of ABCG2 in Asian population are different from other ethnicities (10), we conducted this study to evaluate the SNPs of ABCG2 in Chinese advanced NSCLC patients and its association with their prognosis of TKI therapy. Materials and methods Patients and treatment A total of 100 patients with pathology and cytology confirmed advanced or metastatic NSCLC were enrolled into this study between April 2012 and January 2014 in Hangzhou, China. The mutation of EGFR gene was assessable in 32 patients. Other patients were not assessed EGFR mutation. TKI targeted therapy was implemented in 70 NSCLC patients and other therapy was implemented in the other 30 patients. Patients with TKI targeted therapy were treated with Gefitnid (Astrazeneca pharmaceutical co., LTD) at a dose of 250 mg/day or Erlotinib (Roche pharmaceuticals co., LTD) at a dose of 150 mg/day or Icotinib (Zhejiang beida pharmaceutical co., LTD) at a dose of 375 mg/day. The patients’ characteristics were detailed in Table 1. All patients received chest CT every two months after 1 month of therapy. The efficacy of TKI therapy was clarified as complete response (CR), partial response (PR), stable disease (SD) and progression disease (PD) according to RECIST 1.1 [1]. Patients with CR or PR at more than 6 months were considered as responders. Patients with SD and PD at less than 6 months were considered as nonresponders.[A1] Progression-free survival (PFS) was defined as the duration from TKI therapy to disease progression. Overall survival (OS) was defined as the duration from diagnosis to death from any cause. All patients agreed to participate in this study and signed written informed consent. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Nanjing Medical University and performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice guidelines[A2]. DNA extraction Blood samples were collected before chemotherapy and kept in a microcentrifuge tubes containing ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA). Genomic DNA was extracted using a DNA purification kit (Flexi Gene DNA Kit, Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). The concentration of genomic DNA was determined with NanoDrop 1000 (Thermo Scientific, Wilmington, USA) and then it was diluted to a standard of 25 ng/ÃŽ ¼l. Analysis of ABCG2 polymorphisms The ABCG2 34 G/A (dbSNP ID: rs2231137), 421 C/A (dbSNP ID: rs 2231142), 1143 C/T (dbSNP ID: rs2622604) and -15622 C/T (dbSNP ID: rs7699188) polymorphisms were amplified by PCR with the appropriate primers. The primers for PCR and single base extension (Table 2) were designed by the Sequenom Assay Designer 3.1 Software (San Diego, CA). The PCR reactions[A3] were performed at 95 °C for 2 min, followed by 40 cycles at 95 °C for 30 s, Tm for 30 s, and 72 °C for 60 s. After PCR amplification, single base extension reaction was performed following the method of Wiltshire et al [2]. Finally, polymorphisms of ABCG2 gene were tested and analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization timeof-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and Sequenom MassARRAY system (Sequenom, San Diego, CA, USA). Statistical analysis Allele frequencies of SNPs were calculated and their genotype distributions were assessed using Fisher’s exact test or chi-square test. PFS and OS were evaluated with censored survival time methods and 95% confidence intervals (CI) was obtained from multivariable logistic regression. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted for OS and analyzed with log-rank test. All tests were performed 2-sided and a p-value were carried out using SPSS 18.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) software. Results ABCG2 gene polymorphisms The genotyping of ABCG2 34 G/A, 421 C/A, 1143 C/T and -15622 C/T were performed in all these 100 patients. For the ABCG2 34 G/A polymorphism, the frequencies of GG, GA and AA genotypes were 36%, 50% and 14%, respectively. The allele frequencies of G and A were 61% and 39%, respectively. The wide-type ABCG2 421 C/A genotype (CC) had a frequency of 53%, while the CA and AA genotypes were found in 43% and 4% of the patients, respectively. The allele frequencies of G and A were 74.5% and 25.5%, respectively. The frequencies of CC, CT and TT genotypes for ABCG2 1143 C/T were 66%, 29% and 5%, respectively. The allele frequencies of G and A were 80.5% and 19.5%, respectively. Regarding the ABCG2 -15622 C/T polymorphism, the TT genotype was observed in all patients. Therefore, polymorphism of ABCG2 -15622 C/T was not investigated in the following steps. Polymorphisms of ABCG2 and clinical characteristics Patients clinical characteristics were shown in Table 1, and the relationship between polymorphisms of ABCG2 and clinical characteristics were presented in Table 3. No significant correlations were found between ABCG2 polymorphisms (34 G/A, 421 C/A and 1143 C/T) and patients’ characteristics, including gender, age, smoking history, histology and EGFR mutation (p > 0.05). Although there was no significant relationship between ABCG2 421 C/A polymorphism and EGFR mutation, a trend that CA genotype was observed frequently in EGFR mutation positive patients (47.6% in positive patients vs. 18.2% in negative patients, p = 0.119). Then we calculated the allele frequency of A in these patients and a high frequency of allele A in positive patients (33.3% vs. 9.1%, p = 0.038) was observed. Polymorphisms of ABCG2 and clinical outcome of TKI The sensitivity of 70 patients to TKI treatment was shown in Table 4. NO significant correlation was found between ABCG2 polymorphisms (34 G/A, 421 C/A and 1143 C/T) and sensitivity (p > 0.05). As shown in Table 4, median PFS for carriers of the A-allele and GG genotype at position 34 of the ABCG2 gene who were treated with TKI therapy was 8.0 months (95% CI: 5.9-10.1, n = 45) and 6.5 months (95% CI: 4.1-8.9, n = 25), respectively. There was no significant difference in median PFS of NSCLC patients receiving TKI therapy between CC genotype and CA + AA genotype at position 421 of ABCG2 gene (p > 0.05). Median PFS of patients with CC genotype at position 1143 of ABCG2 gene was higher than those with CT and TT genotypes, but no significant difference was found (p > 0.05). The median OS of patients with ABCG2 34 G/A, 421 C/A, 1143 C/T polymorphisms was shown in Table 4. The median OS of patients with GG genotype at position 34 of the ABCG2 gene was 18 months (95% CI: 14.9-21.1, n = 25) and for those with other genotypes (GA and AA) was 31 months (95% CI: 22.9-39.1, n = 45). Figure 1 showed the Kaplan-Meier curve for OS for NSCLC patients receiving TKI therapy in relation to ABCG2 genotypes at 34 G/A (Figure 1A), 421 C/A (Figure 1B) and 1143 C/T (Figure 1C). There was significant difference between patients with GG genotype and those with GA + AA genotypes at position 34 of the ABCG2 gene (p difference between patients that were CC genotype regarding the position 421 of ABCG2 gene and carriers with other genotypes (CA + AA, p > 0.05). No significant difference was found in 1143 C/T polymorphism (p > 0.05). Discussion Our present study observed that three polymorphisms of ABCG2, 34G>A, 421C>A and 1143C>T occured more frequently compared with -15622C>T in Chinese advanced NSCLC patients. As for -15622C>T, all patients presented a TT genotype. Although no relationships were observed between different genotypes of ABCG2 polymorphisms and EGFR status, a higher frequency of allele A (421C>A) in EGFR mutation positive patients was observed. The other polymorphisms were not related to clinical characteristics. The sensitivity and PFS to TKI of 70 patients was not related to polymorphisms. However, the OS of patients with 34G>A mutant type (GA+AA) was significantly longer than those with wild type (GG). The ABCG2 protein is an important member of the ABC transporter superfamily, which has been suggested to be involved in multi-drug resistance (MDR) in cancer. Screening for SNPs in ethnically diverse subjects has identified more than 80 synonymous and nonsynonymous SNPs in the ABCG2 gene to date (12). The two most frequent polymorphisms identified were 34G>A (resulting in V12M) and 421C>A (resulting in a Q141K substitution) transitions (13). A novel diplotype of two polymorphic loci in the ABCG2 promoter involving -15622C>T and 1143C>T were identified recently (14). Introduction of other ABCG2 SNPs can be found in a recent review (15). Despite the similar allele frequency of 421C>A variant among East Asian populations including Chinese (34.2–35.0%) and Japanese (26.6–35.0%), the allele frequency is higher than that of Southeast Asians (15.0%), Middle Easterns (13.0%), Caucasians (8.7–12.0%) and African-Americans (2.3%) (10). Similarly, the allele frequency of the 34G>A variant in Chinese (20.0%), Koreans (19.8%) and Japanese (15.0-19.0%) is comparable. However, it is much lower than that in Southeast Asians (45%) and higher than other ethnic groups including Caucasian (1.7–10.3%), African-American (6.3%) and Middle Eastern (5.0%) populations (10). The allele frequency of 421C>A variant in our studied population was 25.5%, which was comparable to other Asian populations. However, the allele frequency of 34G>A variant was 39.0%, which was higher than other reports from Asian populations. We found that the allele frequency of 1143C>T variant and -15622C>T variant in our study was 19.5% and 100%, respectively. In Caucasians, it was reported to be 22% and 28%, respectively (16). We unexpectedly observed that all the included patients presented TT genotype of -15622C>T. As far as we known, this gene has not been investigated in other Asian populations. Future studies could be conducted to determine the polymorphism of -15622C>T in Asian po pulation and its potential impact. Physiologically, ABCG2 protein is highly expressed in the blood-brain barrier and gastrointestinal tract, where it is thought to play a role in protection against xenobiotic exposure. High ABCG2 expression has also been found in a variety of tumors and correlated with multidrug resistance and poorer clinical outcomes, as this transporter has the ability to extrude its drug substrates out of the cells, thereby decreasing their intracellular accumulation (17, 18)[16]. Primary structural variations of ABCG2 are associated with its drug-transporter function (15). Therefore, SNPs in the ABCG2 gene would influence the pharmacological effects differently in different patients. It has been demonstrated that 421C>A polymorphisms may express low amounts of ABCG2 (19-22) while the influence of 34G>A polymorphisms on ABCG2 expression remains controversial (22, 23). And regarding to 1143C>T and -15622C>T, some researchers found a decreased protein expression related to these two polymorphisms (21 ) and others found no relation between them (24). Moreover, 421C>A polymorphism has been demonstrated to be associated with ATPase activity and drug transport (18). Thus, several clinical studies have investigated the relation between ABCG2 polymorphism and clinical outcome of NSCLC. Mà ¼ller and colleagues (25) found that carriers of the ABCG2 421 A-allele treated with platinum-based drugs showed a significantly worse OS in all lung cancer patients. However, this effect was not statistically significant in the smaller subgroups of SCLC patients or NSCLC patients with platinum-based treatment. They did not found an association between 34G>A polymorphism and prognosis. Another study of 129 unresectable NSCLC cases treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy suggested that ABCG2 SNPs rs2725264 and rs4148149 were associated with OS (26). On the other side, there was also evidence showing that ABCG2 polymorphisms were not related to response or prognosis of NSCLC patients treated with gefitinib (24), erlotinib (27) and gemcitabine and/or platinum-based drugs and/or other drugs (28). In our present study, we found the OS of patients with 34G >A mutant type (GA+AA) was significantly longer than those with wild type (GG). However, we did not observe significant differences concerning other polymorphisms including 421C>A, which was found to be associated with prognosis of other cancer by other study (29). Interestingly, it was reported that ABCG2 34 GA/AA genotypes were associated with poor prognosis of Chinese patients with acute leukaemia (30). Polymorphisms of 34G>A seems to have an opposite impact in different types of cancer. The mechanisms are worthy to be investigated in future large studies. Moreover, ABCG2 SNPs was demonstrated not only related to TKI resistance, but also to TKI induced side effects. Cusatis and colleaguesinvestigated associations between allelic variants ofABCG2 with diarrhea and skin toxicity ingefitinib-treated patients. They found that 16 patients heterozygous forABCG2 421C>A developed diarrhea, versus only 13 (12%) of 108 patients homozygous for the wild-type sequence. However, this SNP was not associated with skin toxicity (28). A recent study found that patientscarrying anABCG2 -15622 TT genotype or harboring at least one TT copy in theABCG2 (1143CT, -15622CT) haplotype developed significantly more grade 2/3 diarrhea (23). In our present study, we did not perform the analysis on side effects. However, this is a serious concern which should be taken into consideration in future studies. In Conclusion, Our findings demonstrate a strong association between the ABCG2 34G>A polymorphism and the overall survival of NSCLC patients treated with TKIs, including Gefitnib, Erlotinib and Icotinib. Since these polymorphisms can be assessed with a simple blood test, it might potentially improve the stratification of patients for TKI treatment by identifying genetically high-response subgroups. Therefore, larger prospective trials are warranted to validate these findings. [A3]The PCR reactions were performed in 20 ÃŽ ¼l volumes on 384-well plates (cat. No. TF-0384/W, ABgene, USA) with 20 ng DNA, 10 pmol for each primer and 1 Ãâ€" PCR-Buffer (Sequenom, San Diego, CA, USA). à §Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã…“à ¨Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡