Tuesday, December 31, 2019
College is The Perfect Start For Athletes Career - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1341 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/05/28 Category Career Essay Level High school Tags: Should College Athletes Be Paid Essay Did you like this example? College and professional sports associations have many players on their rosters. Most people on college teams are looking to advance their careers into the pros. In professional sports associations like the NFL, the MLS, or the MLB players make a contract with the team that they are participating or playing with. Donââ¬â¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "College is The Perfect Start For Athletes Career" essay for you Create order When a player signs a contract this means that they are agreeing to play their hardest or participate as much as they can to get money in return for their efforts. So lets say that you were a football player in the NFL. You would sign a contract with the team you are playing with. What this contract would basically say is if I play for you then you have to pay me a certain amount of money. These teams can either accept this contract and agree to pay this player that amount of money or it can be vice versa where the player is agreeing to play for the team if they get a certain amount of money. Most professional athleters contracts consist of a lot of money. Most contracts, in fact almost all contracts of professional athletes are worth more than $1,000,000 a year. So that would mean that each individual NFL team gives their players a total of about $45 million. Which would mean that the NFL association in general gives players a total $1 billion and $440 million a year. You think that is a big number now wait until you hear how much college players are paid. College players make a total of zero dollars a year from playing collegiate sports. Many people ponder over why college players dont get paid to play and many think that they should. I do not think that collegiate athletes should get paid to play for their college. There is an average of about 600 athletes at most colleges, so that means if a college were to pay their athletes even as little as $1,000 a year to play they would spend $600,000 worth of money a year on college athletes. That means that colleges would spend more money paying athletes than they would spending money on research, hospital services, and institutional support combined. When you get to the point when you are in college playing sports most people, in fact nearly everyone has probably found something they are passionate in. If you are a passionate collegiate athlete then you should want to play the sport no matter if you get paid for it or not. So if collegiate athletes love the sport so much then why do they need to get paid to play it. The main point is collegiate athletes should not get paid because it majorly increases the annual money usage of colleges, it could make collegiate athletes less passionate about the sport they play, and it could possibly cause future pro blems if the better players on the team get paid more than the not so good players on the team. There are multiple sites that can back up my belief on why collegiate athletes shouldnt get paid. One of those sites is Listland.com. This site states multiple reasons on why collegiate athletes should not get paid. The first reason is that colleges simply just cannot afford to pay their athletes. Although many people believe that many college sports associations have tons of money coming into the program, but the truth is most of the money coming into the program is going right back out. For example, in 2015 Auburn University installed the newest edition, 11,000 square foot screen in their stadium. It costed the university $13.9 million to install this giant screen into their stadium. So if colleges can hardly bring in enough money to keep the athletic program going then how are they going to bring in enough money to pay all of their players as well. Another reason collegiate athletes shouldnt get paid is because for every single high school student that dreams of playing in c ollege, only about seven percent of those students actually get to go on and do it, and only two percent of them go on to play at division 1 schools. What does that mean to you? To me, that means that playing sports in college is a privilege. Some college athletes need to recognize that the opportunity that they have to play as an athlete at a college is something that millions of people dream of never accomplish. Playing sports in college should be done for the love of the game. You dont ever want it to turn into a so called job or chore. When a player is too worried about,Oh if I dont play today then I am not going to get paid then eventually that person is going to lose their fame or passion for the game. Most people see playing sports in college as their childhood dream coming true. For most people that dream wasnt to get paid a lot of money or to get rich by it. It was to play the thing they loved most in college, and when you bring money into the situation all of that goes down the drain. If you go to the professional league, yeah I get it youre going to need to have a job and get paid to provide for your family, but in college it is all about the heart of the game. Feeling the pride of walking through campus after winning a big game, and feeling the pure agony of being defeated. Another point that is made by this site to back up my belief is that elite athletes that attend schools such as Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Duke, UConn, Kentucky, etc. already get almost all of their college tuition paid for. Just because they arent getting paid annually to play that does not mean that they do not get perks for playing. Elite athletes get nearly their whole entire college tuition paid off because they play for the college sports association. COLLEGEdata.com states that the average tuition fee for state residents attending a public college is $9,650. The average tuition for out of state residents attending public colleges is $24,930. This means that elite players that get their college tuition nearly free save somewhere from about $10,000 to $25,000. Elite players also get perks in addition to their nearly free college tuition fee, this could cause a bit of drama between these elite players and average players because the elite players may have gotten a fre e tuition along with some perks with it as the average players would of had to pay for their own tuition. According to medium.com another reason why college athletes shouldnt get paid is because sports program at a college gets paid then every other sports program at the school is going to want to get paid too. So letrs say they a college was going to start paying the college football players an annual salary. What about the boys or girls volleyball and soccer teams. It isnt fair they they are just excluded from the money because they dont accumulate and bring in as much money as the big picture sports like basketball and football. There are many reasons why college players either dont deserve to be paid or should not be paid. College is a time for fun, exploration, and learning. Almost like high school but with more freedom. It is where you have to start getting serious about what you want to do with you life but it still allows you to have fun and do what you love. For a lot of people that think they want to do forever is play sports. College is the perfect opportunity for some people to really start their career as an athlete. It is to be taken seriously but it is also to be enjoyed. Paying players in college to play is only going to make things more complicated. Use college as a time to play the sport you love not worry about how much you are getting paid to do something you want to do.
Monday, December 23, 2019
NVQ 5 Communication - 3308 Words
Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management Unit 1. Use and Develop Systems that Promote Communication 1. Be able to address the range of communication requirements in own role. 1.1 Review the range of groups and individuals whose communication needs must be addressed in own role. 1.2 Explain how to support effective communication within own job role. 1.3 Analyse the barriers and challenges to communication in own role. 1.4 Implement a strategy to overcome communication barriers. 1.5 Use different means of communication to meet different needs. Within my role there are many individuals to communication with. Staff range from therapists, recovery workers, finance department. Managers, Admin staff, Education and employment staff, HRâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The issue of power will always be present, however this needs to be addressed through building healthy trusting relationships between staff and service users and ensuring there are adequate reporting systems should this become an issue. Staff and service user belief and value systems can cause communication issues. It is important to put your own beliefs and values to one side and be open minded to others. If we rigidly place upon others our beliefs and values this will effect communication. When communicating with family members it is important to respect confidentiality both from the family member and the service user. Knowing so much about a service user over a period of 6 months can cause complacency in what staff know about a client and where communicating with family can become controversial. I always check out who is calling or enquiring about a client before disclosing any information. Client confidentiality contracts are signed by service users and next of kin is identified. Staff members also sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure there are procedures should confidentiality be broken. When communicating with outside agencies, issues occasionally arise. It can be very difficult to get hold of specific people. Phone calls and/or paperwork may not be returned. Simply marking an e mail URGENT can help. Logging any communication between organisations can be useful as it provides evidence of calls, e mails, texts etc. ServiceShow MoreRelatedNCFE EVIDENCE TRACKING SHEET5458 Words à |à 22 PagesNCFE Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice (600/0054/5) Evidence Tracking Sheet Learner name: NCFE Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice (600/0054/5) Evidence Tracking Sheets Tracking your evidence During your course your Assessor will ask you to carry out work either in the classroom, in your workplace or at home which youââ¬â¢ll keep as evidence of your learning. 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I advertise the qualification to schools in Newcastle-upon Tyne via Newsletters, e-mails to administrationRead MoreUnit 1 Err 2011683 Words à |à 9 Pagesmy job I need to keep all such information private. Grievance procedure I would follow instructions of company hand book. Conflict management is identifying and handling the situation in a fair sensible manner. Skills required are effective communication, problem solving and negotiating with a focus of interest. Anti-discriminatory practise is the main strategy in combating discrimination. It is action taken to prevent discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, class and disability it takesRead MoreBusiness Admin L3 Essay6547 Words à |à 27 PagesLearner Guide EAL Level 3 NVQ Certificate in Business and Administration (QCF) 501/1197/8 EAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Business and Administration (QCF) 501/1196/6 EAL-QBAD-LEA-ISSUE: 1 Page 1 of 26 EAL-QBAD3-LEA-1-0710 Contents 1.0 About EAL............................................................................................................................... 3 2.0 Introduction to the Qualification...................................................................................Read MoreEssay on Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment16693 Words à |à 67 Pagesawarded. 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Second line assessors assess without being directly involved with the candidateRead MoreEssay on Care of Residents and Floor Manager1528 Words à |à 7 Pagesdismissed this as she has already talked to the staff member, this would cause conflict and i would seek help from someone above my manager(Regional Director). 4)Anti-discriminatory:Treat everyone as an individual and do no dis-respect race or culture. 5)HealthSafety:Keep up to date with all training and comply with all requested of me to ensure myself, collegues and residents are not at risk of harm or injury. 6)Confidentiality:Ensure all information is secured properly and dont give out any information
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Management and Team Environment Written Free Essays
Why is it essential to evaluate on what your team needs and wants to achieve? Creating a focus around team needs and design goals and asking, as well as answering the hard design questions as a team is an effective way of coalescing a team around one design direction. How is the ground rules for team operations made in your workplace and tasks and responsibilities shared? Ground rules must be clear, consistent, agreed-to, and followed.Where articulated ground rules are missing, natural behavior patterns often emerge spontaneously. We will write a custom essay sample on Management and Team Environment Written or any similar topic only for you Order Now * We intend to develop personal relationships to enhance trust and open communication. * We value constructive feedback. We will avoid being defensive and give feedback in a constructive manner. List some of the personal rewards and simulation offered to team members acknowledging their excellent performance. * Basic to advanced job-related computer software training to employees. In-house management and supervisory training to all supervisors/managers across departments, including programs ranging from conflict management to grammar skills.* Employees are exposed to work that is award winning and cutting edge as evidenced by the numerous awards continuously received. Also, new employees have a unique opportunity to work with proven leaders in their respective fields. What are some of the challenges you have faced when you tried to bring innovation in your team? Increased effectiveness and efficiencies; * Delivering fresh thinking and new ideas; * Creating synergies across different functions; * Product and service development. 1. With examples explain how external factors contribute innovation in teams. * Management * Manpower * Machine * material and * political * enviroment * socia-cultural * technological and * Ecological Factors Affecting Management Functions at of Mcdonaldââ¬â¢s McDonalds is known worldwide and is now in 122 countries with over 22,500 restaurants throughout.To create the successful business that McDonalds has created, there is an excellent foundation of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. These are the four functions of management. However, there are many factors that affect these four functions. They are affected by internal and external factors. They are also affected by globalization, technology, innovation, diversity and ethics. The McDonalds management teams use delegation to deal with the different factors to control the four functions of management on a daily business to keep McDonalds successfully running.No comments PART 2 Case study Analyse the factors you believe led the problems in the bearing assembly team: One of the greatest challenges a leadership has is in moving his or her team though the various team development stages. If a manager has no, or little experience of teams and team dynamics then taking over a team and then leading that team can be a very stressful experience. Every manager should know what the various growth stages are of a developing team and they should know how best to move the team through these stages with the minimum of fuss and stress.Unfortunately, many managers do not get the necessary training or coaching in this area of team development and as such teams go through a lot of stress and turmoil when perhaps this could be minimised quite considerably. He should have enco uraged each team member to do likewise. Ensured that the team had a set of rules and guidelines and that the team had an input into how these rules are formed and agreed. Rodney should have gone over again the agreements made by the team during the forming stage and ensured that the understanding is uniform across the team.The role of Rodney was to ensure that this calm continues and that any behaviours that arised that would have been threaten the calm are channelled in the right direction. Also the leadership has an important role in conveying information particularly in relation to the successes that are starting to occur within the team. He should have been spending a lot of time with individual team members coaching them and supporting them to develop their capabilities that relate to the individualââ¬â¢s team role and the tasks that they have to perform in relation to the team goals.What specific steps can Rodney take to help the team through this crisis Rodney, as a leadership should have ensured that the team meets and understands the team goals, the roles they have to take on and the rules by which they have to play. He should have let th e team bleed a little and then began the healing process by facilitating their coming together. He should lessen the direction and spent time with individuals starting to coach them in relation to their roles within the team and the tasks that they had to perform. How to cite Management and Team Environment Written, Papers
Saturday, December 7, 2019
The Case Study of Atlassian Software Company Samples for Students
Question: Discuss about the Case Study of Atlassian Software Company. Answer: Introduction: Atlassian is one of those startup companies that have reached the highs as a full-grown enterprise within a very short period. Having started its journey in 2002 and founded by Mike-Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar its software facilitates the business teams to unleash their complete potential by collaborating successfully. The software made by Atlassian is also in demand as it acts as developmental tool for agile teams. This Australian based company has been all the rage with their very first software, JIRA that was a great success (Atlassian, 2017). At present, Atlassian operates in six locations of prominent nations and the products of this company help the team members of several different companies to achieve their visions and perform things accordingly (Scholes et al. 2014). However, the unique business policies of Atlassian and especially their product sales and distribution strategy have been the key to success. Porters Five Forces Analysis An analysis of Porters five forces will help to understand better, how the competitive forces of the tech industry have shaped the strategies of Atlassian all these years. If Atlasssians marketing strategy is observed it will show how the company has entirely redefined the competitive strategies of tech companies along with their outlook to address competition in the rapidly evolving market (Gazzola and Colombo 2014). Profitability The enterprise Atlassian was formed on credit of around A$10000 by the entrepreneurs Mike Cannon Brookes and Scott Farquhar. In no time, the venture was a success and generated revenue of worth A$1 million in the very first year. Later, in the year 2005-06 the company grew to an enterprise of worth A$149 million; deservingly, the founders of the company Mike Cannon Brookes and Scott Farquhar were titled with entrepreneur of the year by accounting giant Ernest and Young (Atlassian, 2017). In recent years, Atlassian reported to have generated $215 million as revenue in 2014 and in the next year, FY15 Atlassian reached to A$319.5 million, having a considerable increase of 49 percent on the previous years revenue (Atlassian, 2017). Competitor Analysis: The tech market in which Atlassian operates is immensely competitive in nature and the solutions for effective rivalry are rather fragmented. In addition, this IT market has relative low barriers for new entrants and the threat of competing with the new ones remains always. Atlassian face competition from the larger software companies as well as from the traditional ones (van den Bosch and De Man 2013). The larger software organizations offer complete productivity suites and collaboration, while on the other hand, smaller companies offer specific products for precise use cases and also for features. Among all the competitors of Atlassian in the market, the principal ones are Microsoft Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Google, Salesforce.com and the like (Atlassian, 2017). However, Atlassian has surpassed most of them with their innovative distribution model. Most of the companies follow the traditional distribution models for their companies where they concentrate on quota-based sal es representatives and tend to rely on cracking large deals. This strategy is not appropriate to meet the requirements of the teams because the teams of different organizations are constantly driving their decisions of purchasing technology. Macro Environmental Factors: The Macro Environmental Factors of Atlassian is revealed through the Pestle analysis of the company. This analysis would require detailed investigation on political, economic, social, technological and legal factors of the enterprise (Bharadwaj et al. 2013). Political Factors: Operating in six prominent locations at present and that too in different continents, Atlassian like all other multinational giants has to huge amount of taxes especially in the region of U.S and Netherlands. High tax rates are likely to increase subscription rates of the Atlassian products. Economic Factors: The inflation rates and the factor of Gross Domestic Product tend to have an impact on the purchasing ability of the consumers. As the economy of any nation declines, it though not directly, but indirectly affects the purchasing ability of the buyers (Gazzola and Colombo 2014). Among the six locations where Atlassian operates now, Netherlands, San Francisco and California in the States, Philippines, Japan and of course Australia, all are developed countries leaving Philippines. Hence, this tech company has less risk to suffer from any such fluctuations in the economic factors. Social Factors: More and more companies are becoming multinational and technologically advanced these days. Therefore, the demand for the software made by Atlassian is likely to increase. Atlassian also focuses on staff wellbeing and for this donates a considerable amount of its profit. In addition, numerous children in the developing countries are helped by Atlassian to receive education. Their leave schemes are also framed to cater to the employee interests. Technological Factors: Being a tech enterprise, the major concern for Atlassian will obviously be technological factors. This industry is rapidly reshaping itself generating high competition and Atlassian, keeping this fact in mind is spending a lot in technological improvement. From FY13 to FY15 it spent a huge amount of US$247.6 million on research and developmental work. Besides, to upgrade its technological aspects Atlassian has purchased tools like instant messenger HipChat, Crucible and Fisheye and Clover as well as acquired Stepkas Authentisoft (Atlassian, 2017). Legal Factors: The legal factors affecting Atlassians business across the globe are currency exchange, legal registrations to obtain outsourcing facilities for the business purposes and in the case of cross country businesses. Atlassians Corporate Strategy: The corporate strategy of a company determines how the enterprise can attach value over the organizations business grounded on its resources and competencies (Guiso, Sapienza and Zingales 2015). Based on the RC module of corporate strategy, the purpose of analyzing corporate strategy of Atlassian is to identify its valuable resources that put in value to the corporate portfolio of the said company. In order to review the corporate strategy of Atlassian first its resources and competences are to be analyzed. Physical Resources: Atlassian has strong presence in four of the continents and its production capacity is pretty impressive as several popular products have been lunched under the enterprise within these few years. Financial Resources: Atlassian has considerably strong financial resources in form of investors and besides, the company itself generates huge revenue. Human Resources: Atlassian has currently 17000 employees from across the globe working for the company. Intellectual Capital: The company has nearly 13 products patented under its name and more than 60000 satisfied customers using them. Discussing about the competences of Atlassian, both threshold and core competences need to be discussed. Threshold competences: According to this, a company is required to fulfill the minimum requirements of the customers. Employing its unique resources, especially those that support competitive advantage a company continues to sustain the industry competition. In view of this, Atlassian understands the consumers demand very well that they want cheaper products of high quality and easily available. Atlassian by making their products available online eliminating sales force from the marketing and distributing process fulfills these conditions (Grant 2016). Core Competences: Their strategy for online marketing is difficult for others to imitate; where most of the competitive companies still depend on sales representatives to distribute their products, Atlassian has eliminated this phase and thus, has an edge over its competitors. Other than these RC factors, the following aspects are also part of corporate strategy analysis. Growth: Having started its journey in the year 2002, the company has shown signs of steady growth in the past 14 years; from being a startup, it is at present, a full-grown enterprise with almost 2000 people (Atlassian, 2017). Organizational Management: The HR strategy of the company is considerably good it has been hiring competent individuals from across the globe (Guiso, Sapienza and Zingales 2015). Besides that, the smooth operation of the company explains high-quality organizational management. RD technology: Atlassian emphasizes developing and improving its intellectual and technology properties, which is why it has been spending a lot on research works. Risk: However, Atlassian bears considerable amount of risk factor in its style of business. In the first place, the industry, in which it belongs demands continuous innovation and this will be challenging to the company to keep innovating. Besides, to continue with the no sales force strategy in a competitive market is also a matter of great risk (Amini and Bienstock 2014). Service delivery: Every organization must look into its customer experience and that whether they are facing any trouble to use their products (Albeladi, Khan and Khan 2014). In this case, Atlassian is always improving the way they operate and receiving feedbacks from the customers on regular basis. Atlassians Business Strategy: It is an inescapable fact that a strong and well-thought business strategy provides an organization the desired foundation as well as platform to achieve its goals. It consists of the key factors like corporate culture, strategic planning and strategic intents, its evaluation and future thinking and these factors decide how a company is likely to attain its goals. Discussing about Atlassians business strategy these above-mentioned factors are worth analyzing: Corporate Culture: Corporate Culture or Organizational culture of a company refers to its collective beliefs and ideals, vision, leadership, teamwork, flexibility and change management. Atlassian, as a company has a clear set of beliefs and ideals. It is an open company and sharing becomes their first principle. The corporate culture of the company insists the members to spark the change within them first and prioritizes continuous improvement above all. It is an organization that is not driven by pure business intentions but with heart and passion, keeping a balance between everything (Amini and Bienstock 2014). They regard their customers as their topmost priority and ensure that the consumers have a flawless experience at every stage of their purchase. They even evaluate the experience of the buyers after sale and consider their perspective as well. Their teamwork culture is of high praise; they strive to put that first which is right for the team and due to a happy workplace, all the members willingly devote much of their time at job. Strategic Planning and Strategic Intent: Atlassian as a tech company has rightly identified the nerve of this industry i.e. to outpace all other rival companies by rapidly advancing in high-growth fields like cloud computing, data analytics, cyber security, XaaS and lastly in digital content. Atlassian has been quite vigilant in grasping these technological factors of progress and has incorporated most of them in their software products (Grant 2016). Alongside this, Atlassian follows a unique sales and distribution strategy that keeps it much ahead of other competitors. The philosophy of no sales force allows the organization to spend the minimum amount on sales and marketing, as all its products are directly available on the official website of their company. The buyers have the facility of free trial and after that; they are allowed to directly subscribe the software from the site. This also establishes direct relationship between the customers and the company. Atlassians distribution model explains how they have thoughtfully connected them with the customers at every step. They believe in building great products, keeping the price considerably low, pursuing volume, selling the products online, maintaining transparency in pricing and making the trials easy and hence, easy trials require great products so the cycle ends with creating great and innovative products (van den Bosch and De Man 2013). Evaluation of Strategic Planning: Their strategy of no sales force has been a huge success until now and the high revenues generated by them go in their favor. In 2015, Atlassian had to spend only 21% of its revenue in sales and marketing. Future Thinking: Having been established as a brand with this strategy, Atlassian intends to continue with it. Besides, its endeavor to improve continuously will certainly benefit them in the long run (Atlassian, 2017). Strategic Leadership: The entrepreneurs Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes have been the leaders of exceptional influence throughout, who have successfully gathered competent workforce for their company and with the vision of reaching the peak have made Atlassian a well-established brand in tech industry. The way they have made the company adaptable with the rapidly changing industry with their uniquely structured policies, shows clear sign of strategic leadership (Nahavandi 2016). Current Position of Atlassian: Having begun as a startup Atlassian went on for several acquisitions and its most popular products like JIRA, Confluence spawn huge revenue for the company every year (Atlassian, 2017). Presently, Atlassian is in a very stable condition as a company and shows prominent signs to remain that in future also. Conclusion: Winding up the discussion, as the case study reveals it can be said that Atlassians greatest contributory feature in the tech industry is to implement no sales force model that shows new ways to the smaller companies and new startups. Unlike others, it spends more amount of money in building products rather than marketing and selling their products. They are in the right track to say that creating great products automatically attracts customers if the products are made easily available to them. Besides, the organization highly concentrates on employee as well as customer satisfaction and this explains the reason behind their remarkable success. References: Albeladi, K.S., Khan, U.A. and Khan, P.M., 2014, March. Driving business value through an effective IT strategy development. InComputing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom), 2014 International Conference on(pp. 561-563). IEEE. Amini, M. and Bienstock, C.C., 2014. Corporate sustainability: an integrative definition and framework to evaluate corporate practice and guide academic research.Journal of Cleaner Production,76, pp.12-19. Atlassian. (2017). Atlassian | Software Development and Collaboration Tools. [online] Available at: https://www.atlassian.com/?_mid=52b420e7a027ee5e85a26786021320beaceid=adposition=1t1adgroup=12404612438campaign=186505358creative=179601586500device=ckeyword=atlassianmatchtype=pnetwork=gplacement=ds_kids=p17793883759gclid=Cj0KEQjww7zHBRCToPSj_c_WjZIBEiQAj8il5J4EpxAUFVai1DoQa34jcgvQkO9vL3d0dSc1E-CqPuUaAkpD8P8HAQgclsrc=aw.ds Atlassian. (2017). Atlassian | Software Development and Collaboration Tools. [online] Available at: https://www.atlassian.com/ Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O.A., Pavlou, P.A. and Venkatraman, N.V., 2013. Digital business strategy: toward a next generation of insights. Gazzola, P. and Colombo, G., 2014. CSR integration into the corporate strategy.Cross-Cultural Management Journal, (06), pp.331-338. Grant, R.M., 2016.Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley Sons. Guiso, L., Sapienza, P. and Zingales, L., 2015. The value of corporate culture.Journal of Financial Economics,117(1), pp.60-76. Nahavandi, A., 2016.The Art and Science of Leadership -Global Edition. Pearson. Scholes, K., Regner, P., Johnson, G., Whittington, R. and Angwin, D., 2014.Exploring strategy: Text cases. Pearson. van den Bosch, F.A.J. and De Man, A.P. eds., 2013.Perspectives on strategy: contributions of Michael E. Porter. Springer Science Business Media.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Monday, November 25, 2019
A Letter From Saudi Arabia Essays - Sahabah, Arab People
A Letter From Saudi Arabia Essays - Sahabah, Arab People A Letter From Saudi Arabia Dear Mr. LMN, Hope you are doing well. How are things at the Academy? I am doing just fine here in Al Arabiyah as Saudiyah1, ever heard that name before? It is just the local short name for Saudi Arabia. It is already a year since I left US and now I am almost half way through the two years that I am spending here. Theres a lot that I want to tell you about my experience so far. I always wanted to leave Westford for good, but had never imagined that I would someday be doing a job in Saudi Arabia! It all started when I got this new job with the Saudi Arabian Specifications and Standard Organization (SASSO)2. My Uncle has a close friend in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. So one night my uncle asked me if I would like to live for two years in Saudi Arabia, and then he told me about this job opportunity for which they required a qualified engineer in structural architecture. It wasnt exactly something that I had planned in life, but I always wanted to experience life in a different atmosphere, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do so so here I am! I work in a Water conservation-desalination1 plant in a town called Khumrah which is 30 miles south from Jeddah3. It is a small town with a population a little less than Westford3. Where I live is very close to my work, barely a 5-minute walk from the plant. Since there arent many trees around the place I live, it is usually very hot in that area. The average temperature here in Summer is really killing!! Sometimes it gets as high as 94 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, its an extreme climate here4! It certainly is a big change from Westford! It makes me sweat a lot, but I have gotten used to that. Even now I still calculate the temperature in Fahrenheit, whereas this country follows the metric system, which is sometimes confusing, but thats just part of the experience. But I am really thankful to my uncle, he did give me a lot of tips about staying here. For instance the kind of clothes that I should pack, what vaccinations I should take before leaving other than those required by the Saudi consulate such as the ones for cholera5. So I guess, I was pretty much packed up when I left America. I live in a small 2 story building, in a 2-bedroom apartment- building6 with Umar, the son of my Uncles friend. The apartment building has no parking lot, there is no reason to have one because not many people in this town own cars for themselves. At first, that really surprised me! I and Umar have become really close friends now. He too works in the same plant with me. He can speak some English, although he can understand everything I say in English, which is something that I am really thankful for- Its one of the best things to happen to me. You will not find many English-speaking people here. In only 60% of the population of people 15 years and older can read and write1. Anways.. so we live on the 2nd floor and there is an Arab family that lives downstairs. The first day, when I arrived at the Jeddah airport, I was amazed by the way the airport is designed, it looks more like the ancient Islamic architecture that I had seen much of in the travel brochures on the flight. It took a while to clear the customs, especially since the import laws here are very strict7. After clearing the customs as soon as I was at the arrival terminal Umar was there to receive me. He recognized me with the help of a photograph that my uncle had mailed to him. Since I am a Muslim, I had some knowledge of Arabic, from what Iittle I had learnt in Islamic school, but that was twenty years ago!! Anyway, so I greeted Umar, in what I though was an ancient Arabic greeting- As salaam O Alaiqum8, he replied by saying Wa Alaiqum As Salaam. But later, I discovered
Friday, November 22, 2019
An Assessment Of Whole Foods Value Chain. Memorandum Case Study
An Assessment Of Whole Foods Value Chain. Memorandum - Case Study Example It is quite heartening that in such a competitive environment Whole Foods has been able to record revenues of $5,607.4 million during the fiscal year ended September 2006 with an increase of 19.3% over 2005. This has been possible on account of a strong value chain at Whole Foods. The revenue growth forms a core component of the strength of the company. Some of the strengths can be enlisted as; Strong revenue growth: During the previous five years when the market forces became much more competitive credit goes to the management of the company for coming out with impressive revenue figures. As compared to the industry average of 6.2%, during 2002-2006, Whole Foods recorded a revenue growth of 19.8%. Wide range of products: Company's product profile appears equally impressive with natural and organic products like seafood, meat and poultry, bakery, Gift Cards, prepared foods, specialty (beer, wine and cheese), nutritional supplements and vitamins, grocery, body care, books, floral products, pet products and household products. Focused growth strategy: Company's decision to contest1 the decision of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenging the merger of Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats, provides a glimpse into the aggressive strategy that the company has adopted over the years. In the year 2006 itself company opened 13 new stores with a view to reaching out to newer customer base. Company has also been successfully pursuing the acquisition strategy to leverage the economies of scale. Dedicated Workforce: The Company could not have written the success story without an active support and cooperation from the dedicated workforce. But there are some weaker areas which need constant attention as well; Lesser presence on the International horizon: Though the company has been able to establish itself firmly in US, its international is still limited to couple of stores in UK and Canada only. Minimal media presence: Today we are living in a media savvy society, therefore having a good presence in media and advertisements provides an edge to a company and its products. But so far Whole Foods has relied more on word-of-mouth publicity and keeps ignoring the strengths and advantages of being in media. For example in 2006 the company spent only 0.4% of total revenues on advertising. Rising rental costs: Whole Foods has been operating with rented space at many places. This forms a major cost component for the company. With rising rental costs and decreasing profit margins, the situation may become alarming if the requisite attention is not paid to the issue. For example, during the fiscal year 2006 itself the company paid approximately $153.1 million as rental expenses. Primary activities in the value chain include (Appendix-1); Inbound logistics: Raw material supplies, knowledge sources, consultancies, supplier management etc. Production: The inbound logistics are put in use to give out a finished product or a full-fledged service component. Outbound logistics: Taking care of distribution network, inspecting the quality of goods and services, planning out marketing and sales strategies etc. Marketing and sales: It forms an important component of the value chain as it is the main interface between the company and the customer. Service: Once the product or service is delivered to the customer, then comes taking a feedback from the customer. This has become very important in order to establish the company's brand equity and customer's loyalty. Futuristic needs are also projected by way of accepting
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Merck Pharmaceutical Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Merck Pharmaceutical Company - Essay Example Merck Pharmaceutical products are mainly therapeutic agents, for the treatment of various human and animal disorders. In fact the basic source of income for the company comes from the revenues derived from the filling and management of prescriptions and health management programs (Banks, 2001). Merck & Co., Inc. is also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the USA and Canada, with the headquarters of the company located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey and was established as the United States subsidiary of the German company which is currently known as Merck KGaA. Similar to the German assets in the United States, Merck & Co. was expropriated in 1917 during the First World War and set up as an independent company. In fact statistics and data suggest that this company is presently one of the seven largest pharmaceutical companies in the world both by market capitalization and revenue. Merck & Co. or MSD is also known as a global research-driven pharmaceutical company. It discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of unique products to improve human and animal health. Each and every organization requires leadership because all of them are affected by their contexts, philosophies, governance structures, value systems, and the legal ground rules under which they operate. These are the forces and factors that control their leadership needs. When it comes to community or social responsibility, it is said that the Merck Company Foundation has distributed over $480 million to educational and non-profit organizations since it was founded in 1957. This company is also today involved in bringing out various medical publications as it publishes the "Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy" that is considered as the world's best-selling medical textbook, and the "Merck Index" which is a collection of information about chemical compounds. Over the years there are several challenges that the company has faced. For instance, Attorney General Coakley's Office filed a settlement with drug manufacturer Merck and Company, Inc. (Merck) resolving concerns about the company's misleading advertising and promotion of the "Cox-2" inhibitor drug Vioxx. This drug is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat arthritis. The complaint, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, claims that Merck failed to reveal to consumers that Vioxx posed an increased risk of heart attack. The consent judgment, also filed in Suffolk Superior Court prohibited Merck from further mislead consumers in advertising for any Merck product and requires full disclosure of all known risks of Merck drugs. The complaint asserts that Merck began marketing Vioxx in May 1999 with an aggressive and deceptive promotional campaign directed at both consumers and at health care professionals. However, they hide the fact of high risks of heart problems. When promoting Vioxx directly to patients of arthritis as well as the health care professionals, Merck allegedly misrepresented the cardiovascular side effect. As a result the company's ethics were questioned and subsequently the drug was taken off from the market. In September 2004, Merck admitted that Vioxx caused serious cardiovascular events and withdrew the drug from the market. Further, when the multistate group investigated this case in December 2005, it exposed that in addition to the deceptive and misleading adverti
Monday, November 18, 2019
Silver and gold Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Silver and gold - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to analyze the historical background of silver and gold, their ancient and modern uses, the manufacturing process, the impact the materials have on the environment, their cultural significance, and future innovations on the usage of the metals. Silver History of Silver The first major silver mines were discovered in Anatolia, which is the modern day Turkey, in 3000 BC. In the 1st Century AD, Spain became a key silver producer due to Roman discoveries. In early 1500s huge silver deposits were found in Bolivia, Peru, and Mexico which enriched the Spanish empire for a period of 300 years. In the period 1500 to 1875 about 1.5 billion ounces of silver were mined in Mexico with a large percentage mined in the 1700s. In the 1700s, silver became the backbone of Spanish Empire and 1 billion ounces was mined in the Veta Madre in Mexico. 1857 saw the state of Nevada adopting Silver mining as a major industry when Comstock Lode was found in Nevada. Nevada became to be known as t he silver state because of the silver mining. From 1857 to 1877, Comstock produced gold and silver of an approximate value of 400 million US dollars which could have been worth about 500 Billion US dollars in the modern days. There was a 50 percent increase in the global yield of Silver between 1900 and 1920. This amounted to about 190 million troy ounces per year and discoveries were made in other countries such as the United States and Canada. From 1921 to present improved techniques has led to separation of Silver from Zinc, copper and lead. This has led to an increase in production of Silver and its usage. Silver was among the first metals known to man. The other metal is gold. The ancient population valued Silver because of its white color, brilliant luster, non-corrodibility nature and it was relatively easy to work with. Today, silver still stands out as one of the most valued metals because of the above properties but several other characteristics have changed the trend of s ilver usage from being merely monetary and decorative metal to being predominantly an industrial metal. Usage of Silver Silver is a soft, malleable and the most ductile among the metals. These properties have led to it being fabricated into personal adornment items and decorative items of various types. Hence, chain necklaces, neck rings, silver bracelets, and other jewelry items were developed as from ancient times. In the later days, silver was used to make decorative things such as handles for swords and daggers and later when approaching the modern times it was fashioned into eating utensils and various tableware items. The industrial usage of silver arose in the 19th and 20th centuries. The following section illustrates the chronological account for the usage of silver. In the 1820s, silver and silver salts became major component for the development of photography. Since the late 1830s, silver has been used in the manufacture of silver-mercury amalgams that are used for restori ng teeth. In the third millennium BC the Egyptians made mirrors of polished silver while ââ¬Å"silveringâ⬠of mirrors with metals such as mercury, tin and lead was adopted in Europe before Renaissance period. In 1835, Justus von Liebig invented the process of large scale production of silvered glass through a chemical reduction of silver nitrate compound. In 1840, the process for electroplating of silver was granted a patent and it was the first patent to be granted for electroplating any metal. Alessandro Volta used silver and zinc for making
Saturday, November 16, 2019
The Globalisation Of The Rastafari Cultural Studies Essay
The Globalisation Of The Rastafari Cultural Studies Essay Globalization of Rastafari is a highly rich historical and ethnographic work exploring Rastafarian from its origin in the early twentieth century to the world today. The book analyses the political, cultural, spiritual, geographical, political, sociological and psychological aspects of globalization on the rastafari movement, and provides a carefully weighed and richly illustrated assessment of the benefits and ills that have flowed from globalization as well as suggestions for steering it towards more positive outcomes in the future. It highlights the pursuit for change among an oppressed people and how they settled in other countries. This literary work serves to show how the Rastafarian movement created their own dogmatic ideology. The articles in the book focus most particularly on the latter two concerns: first, how does the global context of Rastafari affect the dynamics of the movement and the forms the movement takes? Second, how do we understand the potential impact of Rastafari on the larger world when we view it in a global light?à [1]à As we link the inception of the Rastafarian movement in the 1930s to todays time, it can be implied that they are still trying to get global recognition of their unique syncretic religion. There is still a struggle even now to regain their African heritage and cultural identity and ideologically distance themselves from what many perceive to be the misguided and unjust societies in which they live.à [2]à The first chapter seeks to give an overview of the general content of the collection of articles that were used to create this literary work. R.C. Slater through his methodology gives us a very lucid explanation of the term Globalization as relates to the Caribbean and the wider world. He shows that since the time of Columbus, the population of the Caribbean has been a truly global population, comprised of Africans, Asians, Native Americans and Europeans.à [3]à He postulates that Rastafari is a syncretic religion derived from Christian and African sources continues to expand globally via foreign missionaries and as believers participate in a new Diaspora in search of work and livelihood. Not only do these religions spread religious ideas and practices, but they also have become sources of inspiration for art, literature and music around the world. He introduces the term Babylon, which can be definitively traced to Marcus Garveys teachings, which liken the Afro-Caribs in the West to the Jews Exile into Babylon. The institution of slavery created tremendous suffering for those that were enslaved in both of these cases. The term Babylon is used in Rasta terms with much negative connotations. It is something that they are radically opposed to. Corruption, politics, police, laws, and cities are often referred to as Babylonà [4]à In chapter two, Richard Slater seeks in defining Who are the Rastafari? stating the negative connotation that the world at large may label them. He writes that despite the many and confusing answers to the question, it is undeniable that people who identify themselves as Rastafari exist. He stresses the difficulty in defining Rastafari and states, I do not believe it is possible to present an all-encompassing definition of Rastafari, but a workable minimum characterization of it will be helpful. My focus here will be on Rastafari I-consciousness as an element of the movement.à [5]à He goes on to show how this I indicator relates to the Rastafari identity and that the central features of Rastafari are not necessarily found in either beliefs or practices, but a set of unorthodox religious practices when compared to established religions. He further mentions that there are major differences in the Rastafi core belief system with respect to Leonard Barretts six tenets of Rastafarian beliefs. He writes, I met many people who identified themselves as Rastafari, but who did not acclaim Haile Selassie to be the living god, others considers Selassie to have been a corrupt sham.à [6]à ; and also , no Rasta whom I have ever met would claim that it is by virtue of smoking ganja that one is a Rasta. In fact, if one is reliant on ganja if one cannot exist without it one certainly has been trapped by Babylon. In chapter four, Slater interviews Mutabaruka, who is a DJ for Jamaicas IRIE FM radio station, a poet and some consider him as an international emissary of Rastafari. Matabaruka is very unorthodox in his beliefs, he openly states, As a matter of fact, you will hear purely negative things about Jesus when you come to I. Because I and I dont have anything good to say about Jesus, because Jesusà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ because Jesus became like the Devil.à [7]à Mutabaruka meticulously answers the questions put to him by Slater, and very candidly allude to the fact that the majority of Rastafari have deviated far from Rastafari true essence and way of life. Mutabaruka attribute the spread of Rastafarism out of Jamaica is via the reggae music and that many reggae artists can only articulate Rastafari in the music but not outside the music. Also the culture of Rastafari can spread, can be identified with, can be lived true by anyone who identifies with oppression and anyone who feels disenfranchised by the colonial system or white supremacist system that maintains itself all over the world would gravitates towards Rastafari. Mutabaraka does not foresee Rastafari being decentralised from Jamaica due to globalization but rather he thinks Jamaica is almost like Jerusalem when it comes to experiencing Rastafari. He argues that Rastafari is not a religion but its a way of life. In chapter five, the article by Jan DeCosmo explores the shape Rastafari identity has taken in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, from its introduction through reggae music and its revaluation of African heritage, to its ambivalent relationship to Afro-Bahian spirituality.à [8]à DeCosmo shows that amidst the racial discrimination that Afro-Brazilians face in line with poverty, oppression, and social injustice, they still manage to keep alive their Rastafarian culture via the reggae music. Such poverty, constructed on the shoulders of a colonial and racist history, and supported by continuing legacies of that colonial and racist history, is one context in which Bahias Rastafari community has arisen to resist oppression, to call for justice, and to revalorize Bahias black African heritage.à [9]à DeCosmo writes that some of the Rastafarians she interviewed were proud of having rejected the globalized world, or what they call Babylon and replace it with a divine order, an order of spirit, of love, of African roots. As such, Rastafari identity continues to be linked with cultural resistance and a desire to radically change the world. DeCosmo further writes that there are differences between Bahian and Jamaican Rastafari. Thus, there are two differences between Bahian Rastafari and Jamaican Rastafari that deserve attention. First, among Bahian Rastafari there is much less emphasis placed on physical repatriation to Africa than in ideal typical Jamaican Rastafari especially in its early stages. Second, Bahian history has given Rastafari there a special relationship to the religion and culture of the orixas.à [10]à With respect of the connation globalization of the Rastafari as it applies to Bahian Rastafari, we observe the prevalence of distinctly African cultural practices in Bahia. One of the interesting differences between orthodox Rastafari and cultural Rastafari is the different levels of tolerance each has for the religion and culture of the orixas. Unlike cultural Rastafari, the orthodox stand opposed to indigenous forms of Afro- Bahian religion and culture, such as Candomblà © and Carnival. Thus the globalized Rastafari in Bahia is far from being achieved since each group see their roots in a distinctively different location. In chapter seven Michael Barnett explores from a Jamaican diasporic perspective, the impact that the migration of Jamaicans to England, the United States and Canada has had on the globalization of the Rastafari movement. Barnett gives a clear picture of the reality that the Jamaicans faced when they migrated to England as recruits to help to rebuild England and its economy after the devastation it suffered during World War II. They were to be given the opportunity to improve and develop their social and economic life but they were greatly deceived. As Barnett writes, There were in fact no institutions established in England to welcome and process the Jamaican newcomers. As a result Jamaicans had to learn to cope on their own in their new home, against a background of racial discrimination and prejudice. Notting Hill, West London was the scene of major race riots in England and gave birth to the now famous Notting Hill Carnival.à [11]à It is said that this incident gave birth to the Rastafari movement in England in 1950s. Black power movements soon developed over the next few years where we saw many Black power leaders emerged and some were imprisoned for inciting racial hatred after making what w ere considered inflammatory speeches to their audiences. After years of struggle, reggae had experienced its definitive breakthrough into the mainstream pop culture of England mainly due to effective marketing of Bob Marleys music. The popularity of reggae music during the seventies served to secularize the Rastafari movement, with many youths embracing the political, social and cultural message of Rastafari, and not necessarily the religious beliefs of the movement. With respect to Rastafari groups in Canada,during the late sixties the Civil Rights struggle in the USA spread across to Canadian Blacks This helped to fuel the growth of the Rastafari movement. Rasta was seen as a bizarre cult and faced the same hardship as was in England. Two distinct Rastafari group emerged,the more politically oriented Rasta tended to participate in the general struggles of the Black community while those Rasta more steeped in religiosity tended to remain as mere spectators on the sidelines. In the USA, the presence of the Rastafari movement is due to Caribbean migration. The Jamaicans have infiltrated the USA whereby in Brooklyn in New York is frequently referred to as Little Jamaica. They are well established having regular reggae concerts and setting up clothing and record stores. And similarly to the other countries, the Rasta is seen as criminals, thugs etc. Barnett ends his article by mentioning two Rastafari services, Nyahbinghi Rastafari binghi and the Boboshante binghi. At the Nyahbinghi Rastafari binghi, the core of the activity was significantly at the Tabernacle where the drummers pounded away incessantly but rhythmically, lulling much of the crowd into a semi-hypnotic trance. The air was thick with the smell of ganja,and just in front of the tabernacle a group of brethren smoked their spliffs as they observed the proceedings. At the Boboshanti ceremony, they read Psalms from the bible, whereupon after every verse or so, everyone would say, Holy Emmanuel I, Selassie I, Jah Rastafari with the accompaniment of drums. Barnett commended the Binghis at both mansions for their authenticity and their Jamaican-ness., and it is fair to say that one could not tell that one was not in Jamaica. The exposition and general discussion throughout the book have established and did justice to the term, Globalization. We can clearly get an insight into how the Rastafarian movement has managed to extend its reach and influence throughout the Caribbean, from England to Zimbabwe and also as far north as Canada and as far south as Brazil and South Africa. The book is well worth the price and I strongly recommend this book to anyone desirous of getting a deep insight into the historical development from early stages to modern times of the Rastafari and their struggle through racism, labelling, oppression and all such negative conations. The book clears any misconception that one may have about their rituals, beliefs, culture and most of all their music, reggae, which seems to be the one thing that formulates this whole idea of a globalized Rastafari.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Hinduism Essay -- Religion, Dharma, Atman
Hinduism is a religion filled with many philosophical thoughts about the soul, following your duties, achieving liberation and understanding the consequences of karma. Many of the beliefs in Hinduism makes a person think of life and their own actions they do everyday since it can affect your next life. Hinduism sometimes also makes one wonder if all of these various beliefs and philosophical thoughts are true or not and if you donââ¬â¢t follow your duties (dharma), if consequences really do occur or not in the present life and the next life. Atman, which is the soul, is constantly craving for things and always wants something even after we obtain our desires; it is a non-stop process (Embree 33). The Self (atman) is taken over by pleasure and pain, which is true in life because there are always desires that give us pleasure and make us happy (Embree 36). But one also needs to remember that life has its ups and downs meaning, there always will be a time of pain in life. No one is ever satisfied in life, we are always wanting more and more each day. According to the Upanishadic thinker the material world is not very important, only you, your soul, and the actions you do are important (Embree 36). Nothing else is more important in the world than your personality, which is the self (atman). I donââ¬â¢t completely agree with the Upanishadic thinker that the material world does not matter. It does matter because our actions and the way our soul feels at certain situations, it all comes from the material world. Yes, our acti ons are just as important but the material world drives us to our actions that the soul does. Every act we make, every thought and every desire, shapes this and our future lives. Karma, action and the consequences of action... ...rma at a young age. A person has to be able to follow their dharma no matter, because it may not always be the right action but it has to be fulfilled because it is your dharma. Arjuna in Mahabharata did not want to kill his own people, because he knew it was a sin. Krishna convinced him that he would commit a sin if he failed to perform his own duty (dharma) as a warrior, because a warriorââ¬â¢s duty is to fight (Embree 281). Hinduism can relate everything to each other and that is why for many it is easier to understand the whole concept of Hinduism, the atman, following your duties, achieving liberation and understanding the consequences of karma. You must perform your dharma in your life and do good karma in order to either have a better soul in the next life or to escape the cycle of samsara. If one does not obtain or fulfilled, one may not achieve liberation.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Drug Abuse on High School Students Essay
The hypothesis for this report is that as an individual increases drug use, their success within their education decreases. To prove this is true, there were many investigations involved in the process. Firstly, there was secondary research provided in order to see the drug use of all teenagers in Ontario, as well as dropout rates in Ontario as a whole. As well as definitions, general drug information, and other factors of these variables. Then, there was primary research used to compare the findings from the secondary research to just a sample of students from the Catholic Central High School community. In order to further research the topic of the effects of drug use on high school students and its correlation to educational achievement, 24 surveys were conducted within the Catholic Central High School community (refer to appendix, pg. 2-3), and of these 24 participants, approximately 8% are grade 9 students, 21% being grade 10 students, 29% being grade 11 students, and 42% being grade 12 students (refer to appendix, pg. 4, graph A). Secondary research states that according to the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS, 2007), 65% of teens say they use drugs to ââ¬Å"feel coolâ⬠and to have the approval of others, and their desire for social acceptance. Contrarily, primary research showed that 50% of students surveyed think that friends do not have any influence in their decisions regarding drug or alcohol use, whereas 33% think they do have influence (refer to appendix, pg. 4, graph B). According to Partnership for a Drug-Free Canada (2010), 73% of teens report that number-one reason for using drugs is to deal with the pressures and the stress for school. Likewise, primary research states that 70. 6% of the 24 participants have consumed drugs or alcohol before or during school hours, which shows how teenagers are using school as an excuse to consume drugs or alcohol (refer to appendix, pg. 4, graph C). Primary research indicates that 70. 8% of the students surveyed have experimented with drugs (refer to appendix, pg. 5, graph D), and also, these drugs that they have experimented with were for non-medical purposes. Surprisingly, the top 5 drugs most consumed by the participants are Marijuana (100%), Tobacco (47. 1%), Salvia (41. 2%), Mushrooms (35. 3%), and Cocaine (29. 4%). Refer to appendix, pg. 5, graph E). Similarly, secondary research shows that many teens, 51% to be exact, mistakenly believe that itââ¬â¢s safer to abuse a prescription drug than it is to use illegal drugs. Secondary research explains that the majority of teenagers consume drugs or alcohol because their parents are not paying enough attention to their teenage children, because of family problems, because they have family members who have drug or alcohol addiction problems, or because they are living in a single-parent household which would aslo mean that that single parent does not have enough time to know what their children are up to. Contrastingly, primary research shows that within the students surveyed, 58. 3% are part of a nuclear family (mother, father, and 1 or more biological or adopted children). (Refer to appendix, pg. 5, graph F). Also, 75% do not have family members with drug addiction problems (Refer to appendix, pg. 6, graph G). According to Canadaââ¬â¢s Labour Force Survey (1990), nearly 340,000 young people aged 20 to 24, or 1 out of every 6 (16. 6%) had not obtained a high school diploma and were not enrolled in school due to their involvement with mostly tobacco and also illicit drugs. Canadaââ¬â¢s Labour Force passed the same survey almost 20 years later, in 2010, the dropout rate decreased and it was now 1 in every 12 (8. 5%) of 20 to 24 year-olds that had not obtained their high school diploma due to the same reasons mentioned above. Contradictorily, primary research demonstrates that out of the 24 participants, 20 of them (83. 3%) feel that students who drop out of high school are stereotyped as people who are involved in drug/alcohol related activities (refer to appendix, pg. , graph H). And also, that 75% of the students think that alcohol and drug use has increased over time among teenagers (refer to appendix, pg. 6, graph I). To conclude, it was found that the primary research and the secondary research are both similar and different in many ways, as in some points the articles, books, and online resources agrees with what the 24 participants know and think about the topic being discussed, and sometimes it does not.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Virginias Role in the American Revolution essays
Virginias Role in the American Revolution essays For the next half-century these products of the golden age served as leaders successively in the War of Independence, in the formation of a new nation based on the new principles of the inalienable rights of man, and in governing the republic during its formative years (Dowdey, 337). The American Revolution spanned about 20 years. During these 20 years the colonists of America worked for independence from their mother country, Great Britain. Virginia contributed leaders, politicians, military commanders, congresses, and held battles on their soil. Virginia gave the most important contribution during the American Revolution. Virginian politicians and leaders proved vital to the American Revolution; leaders such as, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and Richard Henry Lee. In March 1775, Patrick Henry gave his renowned Give me liberty, or give me death! speech (Stokesbury, 57). This speech helped spark revolution fever among the colonists. Henry attended the Virginia House of Burgess. He was also known for his exhilarating and rousing speeches, which sparked the Southern Colonies. Henry preached anti-British rule slogans, during and prior to the Stamp Act and Townsend Acts, Whether of not Patrick Henry was a demagogue . . . he exerted a new kind of popular appeal, and he had used this appeal to advance himself to a position of military power. . . (Dowdey, 345). Patrick Henry served a key position in the independence of America. Thomas Jefferson was given the duty of writing the Declaration of Independence. He wrote it in two days and had it reviewed and proofread by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Jefferson borrowed many ideas from John Locke, a famous English philosopher. In the first sentence of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence it states: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their crea...
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
The Why, Where, and How of Writing for the Christian Market
The Why, Where, and How of Writing for the Christian Market Writing for Christian markets may not be at the top of your write-for list. I grew up in church, so it seemed a natural place for me to begin my writing career. I was already familiar with publications and what types of stories and articles they used. As with any freelance market, you want payment for your effort, so all the publications listed here do pay, and most I have written for many times over the years, selling fillers, devotionals, articles, and stories. A serious freelancer is always on the lookout for new markets. Many Christian publications, especially Sunday school take home papers, publish weekly so the number of manuscripts they need is greater than a traditional monthly magazine. They accept a variety of pieces; fillers, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and devotionals. The age range is diverse. There are publications for the smallest of children up to adults. Our Little Friend is for children from ages 1-5. They seek true-to-life stories one or two pages long. One story I wrote for them was about kids making fun of each other. Mature Living is for those facing retirement. Many older people feel as if they are used up. I offered encouragement and gave examples of things anyone could do to help others in a list article. Devoââ¬â¢Zine is a devotional market geared toward teens that Ive written for using lessons from teaching young people at church. Youth leaders are always looking for great activity ideas to use with their kids, and Insight Youth Resources has paid me for ideas our youth group did. ParentLife is a magazine that has published multiple funny saying from my kids as fillers. Do you work with women in the church? Todayââ¬â¢s Christian Womanà needs articles that offer strength and encouragement for everyday women. Need more market ideas? An invaluable tool for finding these markets is the Christian Writerââ¬â¢s Market.à You can also ask friends for help. Do they attend a church that hands out take-home papers? Do they subscribe to Christian magazines? Ask to borrow copies and research to see if those publications accept freelance work. You could also Google ââ¬Å"Christian magazines,â⬠ââ¬Å"Christian publications,â⬠or ââ¬Å"Christian writers wanted.â⬠I have found some regular writing employment doing this. When considering topic ideas, note that many of the publications follow a theme list. Lookout and Youth Worker both do. Theme lists give basic ideas of what the editors want during certain times of the year. Once you repeatedly write for these publications, many will come to you with an urgent need, when something on their theme list hasnââ¬â¢t been fulfilled, and they know you are dependable. Some Christian publications just want to hear your story. I have used many of my own experiences, especially when it came to the teenage years, mine and my childrenââ¬â¢s (Guide). Guide wants true stories, and many of my teens experiences ended up on their pages. And keep in mind that not all Christian publications are overtly religious. Some of the childrenââ¬â¢s publications simply want stories with a moral lesson. But be aware of the diversity amongst denominations and their beliefs. For example, some conservative publications want women to wear dresses, if clothing happens to be mentioned in your story. Some denominations worship on the Sabbath, which is actually Saturday, not Sunday. Others wonââ¬â¢t include anything about drinking. Here is a site with helpful information on denominations. Donââ¬â¢t underestimate the power of the Christian market for your writing. You can stretch yourself, get some new
Monday, November 4, 2019
The doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty Essay
The doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty - Essay Example The urgent question is whether the existing doctrine may assist in adopting the constitution, which would be entrenched against the future amendments and would effectively limit the executive and legislative power in Britain. In this connection it should be mentioned, that despite the fact, that the doctrine is supposed to be the basic principle of the British constitutionalism, it has been recently admitted, that the doctrine becomes more and more inappropriate and unacceptable in the constitutional context, changing because of the British membership in the European Union, higher accents at the human rights and the transition of the legislative rights to the regional legislatures. Despite the absence of the fixed constitutional frames in the written form, which would limit the British Parliament' activity, it has long been admitted that it is impossible to take any political measures for limiting legislative or executive powers. However, it is essential to note, that the British Par liament is now more limited in its rights not on the judicial, but on the political reasons, and the sphere in which it is not able to implement its unlimited powers is increasing. 'When Dicey published The Law of the Constitution in 1885 he defined parliamentary sovereignty as meaning that, 'Parliament has, under the English constitution, the right to make or unmake any law whatever; and further that no person or body is recognised by the law of England as having a right to override or set aside the legislation of Parliament.' (Elliott, 2002) Simultaneously, it is essential to note, that any constitution without future amendments can hardly be adopted in the light of the existing Doctrine. The possible proof for such assumption may lie in the explanation as for the role of courts in the doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty, which shows that the courts are not able to protect the absurd laws from being adopted, if the process of passing it through the both houses of Parliament has been transparent and legal. 'It has therefore been established that Dicey's doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty is, in theory, true. Parliament, it seems, can make or unmake any law it wishes and no person or body can set aside or override such legislation. However, whether this is actually true in practice remains to be seen.' On the other hand, it is also notable, that when the judges find enough competence and ability to interpret the Parliamentary statutes and acts, it hardly serves for the benefit of the society, as the laws and acts are usually written in such ambiguous wording as to adopt its interpretation to the specific situation; though taking into account the
Saturday, November 2, 2019
The Benefits of Single Parenting vs Two Parents Essay
The Benefits of Single Parenting vs Two Parents - Essay Example The parents tend to bring their ego in petty matters and argue with each other. This makes the environment in the family not only uncomfortable for the child but also for the parents. A single parent does not have to go through all this. He/she is independent in his/her decisions and there is no one to challenge them. ââ¬Å"When I call out, "Bedtime," there's no one to say, "Aw, let them stay up another half hour."â⬠(Mohler, 2011). Accordingly, the parent enjoys complete right over the child. Stronger Bond with the Child A childââ¬â¢s bond with a single parent is usually stronger than it usually is with either of the two parents when he/she has both. Single parents are often the role models for their children. Children grow up imitating the attitudes, activities and ideology of the single parent. ââ¬Å"A single parent is also more readily available to observe changes in the child's behavior and attitudes, as well as getting to know the peer group the child chooses to surro und her/himâ⬠(Squidoo, 2011). Having both parents, children tend to be careless towards their parents. They know if the mother scolds, they can side with the father and when the father is outrageous, they can seek refuge in the motherââ¬â¢s lap. But having a single parent means no escape whatever the parent says or does. There is nobody the child can look up to for any kind of help but the single parent. Over the time, such a bonding between the single parent and the child proves very beneficial for the parent. Many children escort their old parents to the old houses when they grow up and get married themselves. Children think that the couple would take care of each otherââ¬â¢s needs. But a child would think a thousand times before doing this to a single parent considering he/she has been the childââ¬â¢s only guardian all life long and must be taken special care of now that he/she is old. The life-long struggle of the single parent pays off in the end in a vast majori ty of the cases while the opposite is true for the dual parents. Development of Solid Child Identity Single parenting develops a solid identity in the child. Single parent is like an open book. The child reads the book and does accordingly. Children who grow up under the supervision of dual parents have the tendency to become confused because of the conflicting views, beliefs and opinions of the two parents. Letââ¬â¢s take a case for example in which the two parents belong to different religions. The father is a Christian and the mother is a Hindu. The father goes to the Church while the mother goes to the Temple. The father eats beef burgers while the mother worships the cow. The father does not worship the idols while the mother does. All of this is very confusing for the child. Parents are supposedly the role models for the children. When the two role models display different and often conflicting characteristics, the child becomes confused and is not able to work out which of the two is correct and which is not. Such marriages have frequently inculcated such a culture in the home, wherein the child starts believing in both the religions. The mixture of the two religions gives rise to a third religion that has extremely subjective foundations and whose beliefs and perceptions are entirely challengeable. The child having multiple beliefs himself is very confused. On one occasion, he worships the cow and on another, he eats it. This
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Historty argumentativ paper -see details in intruc Essay - 1
Historty argumentativ paper -see details in intruc - Essay Example The feminist movement had the greatest impact on American history because it fully brought to light the importance and fairness of gender equality in all aspects of the human life. Prior to the early 1900s, women were regarded as property of their husbands than as individual human beings. Anything that needed to be tended to in the social community or in the political community would be a task for the husband. If a woman were not married, she simply would not play a role in the goings-on, such as voting. Being considered below men, it was believed that women had no reason to vote. While most people were happy with this arrangement, or at least used to it, there were many women who could not wrap their minds around the blatant inequality, so protests began that fought for suffrage. The protests were not centered so much around the fact that women wanted to do what the men were able to do. Rather, these women were more concerned by the idea that they were being thought of as lesser human beings than men, and it was all because of their gender. America, a country that prided itself on the freedoms and opportunities that it offered, was holding back an entire gender and insisting that women were inferior to men and did not deserve the same privileges. The primary reason that women were ever given as to why they could not vote was because politics was considered to be a predominantly masculine business. As such, women had no place in voting, running for office, or having any say in politics. The feminist movement consisted of women who did not believe that the rights and privileges of citizens should be gender-oriented, and they used that belief to fight for something that they felt they honestly deserved. The feminist movement gave women the right to vote, a privilege of being American citizens that they deserved. This success was not simply just changing the minds of those in charge, but it was a success that included making it an amendment of the United States
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Agricultural Wastes as Growing Medium for Pomelo Citrus Grandis Essay Example for Free
Agricultural Wastes as Growing Medium for Pomelo Citrus Grandis Essay The study was conducted to evaluate the use of agricultural wastes as useful growing media for pomelo (citrus grandis) as compared to fertile soil. This agricultural research aims to determine the higher-value uses of agricultural wastes such as animal manure, rice hulls and bran by using it as media for growth of pomelo. The scope included only the utilization native duck manure, fresh rice ban, fresh rice hulls and parboiled rice hulls. The process involves the preparation of pomelo seedlings, preparation of growing media, transplanting method, sustaining growth and monitoring growth of pomelo seedlings in terms of height of the plant and the number of leaves. The pomelo seedlings were observed to survive during the experimentation period. However, the growth varied from one medium to another. To compare the growth rate of pomelo seedlings in agricultural wastes and soil, the t-test was used. It is determined by the mean sample of growth of pomelo plant in the growing to media as labeled T1 to T3 as compared to a standard mean sample, that of the soil, T4. The computed value of t at pgt;. 05 is 1. 23 and 2. 47 less than the critical value 2. 920. This result revealed that there is no significant difference between soil and animal manure-parboiled rice hulls as growing media of pomelo plant. While the greater tcomputed value of T1 and T2 divulged that there is a significant difference between the growth rate of pomelo in the soil and in fresh rice bran (T1) and hulls (T2). This proves that agricultural wastes can be used as growing media for pomelo seedlings. This also affirms that agricultural wastes can help plant breeders to lessen expenses in terms of growing media necessary for plant growth.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Strength Training for Volleyball Players
Strength Training for Volleyball Players The improvement of these abilities is quite important for a volleyball player, being the muscular strength many times the priority for the young athlete. Several studies have reported significant improvements in vertical jump following resistance training (Baker et al, 1994 ) and (Stone et al, 1981).The purpose of strength training for volleyball is not to build big muscles, but to develop the physical characteristics necessary to improve a playerââ¬â¢s performance. Strength training is very important to volleyball and however, should not be developed independently from other abilities such as agility, speed and endurance. This program is designed mainly to improve the skill of vertical jump in volleyball for players with moderate to advanced experience. Needs Analysis Needs analysis focuses on the fitness needs of both the activity (vertical jump) and the athlete involved in the sport (volleyball). Sport analysis Successful participation in volleyball sport requires expertise in many physical skills and performance is often dependent on an individualââ¬â¢s ability to propel themselves into the air during both offensive and defensive manoeuvres. These movements include the jump serve, spike, and block. During the carrying out of a jump serve or a spike, the player jumps high into the air and strikes the ball at the highest point of their jump in an effort to propel the ball rapidly down towards the opposing side of the net. Defensively, front row players defend against spikes by jumping into the air with their hands raised in an effort to impede the offensive attack. Unlike offensive jumps, defensive jumps are not maximal vertical jump efforts. There are many factors that are involved in an athleteââ¬â¢s vertical jump and many factors that are involved in improving an athleteââ¬â¢s vertical jump. Vertical jump mainly involves use of the lower limbs. However, the upper limbs play an important role in vertical jump activity. Feltner et al (1999) and Harman et al (1990) concluded that using an arm swing during vertical jumping improved performance over no arm swing. An upward swing causes a downward force on the trunk which in turn slows the rate of contraction of the leg muscles allowing the muscles to contract at a slower velocity and thus generates more force. The fact that an arm swing is so important to vertical jumping performance, may indicate that there is a technique or skill component to vertical jumping, rather than just leg power (Young, 1995). Another biomechanical aspect of vertical jump is the bi-lateral deficit. Bi-lateral deficit results in different heights one-leg versus two-leg vertical jump. The maximal height achieved from one-legged jump is approximately 60% of the maximal two-legged height (Challis, 1998). The possible reason for this deficit may be a neuromuscular adaptation. One-leg jump requires a maximal recruitment of muscle fibres due to less muscle mass available. Furthermore, the height that is achieved by the vertical jump has a direct correlation with the amount of force that is produced by the muscle fibres. This force is created by a phenomenon known as the stretch-shortening cycle of muscle fibres. The stretch-shortening cycle is a natural reaction by muscle fibres to slow the body from fast movements and prevent injury to the individual involved (Kraemer and Newton, 1994). The stretch-shortening cycle involves a counter-movement when a muscle fibre is rapidly stretched creating tension within the muscle. A counter-movement occurs when the muscles are eccentrically stretched, and then rapidly shortened to accelerate the body in the opposite direction and achieve the reverse desirable action. To accomplish this, the muscles act eccentrically to slow the body and initiate the reverse desirable movement (Kraemer and Newton, 1994). This cycle is critical to vertical jump performance. As the individual flexes the knees to jump, the stretch shortening cycle is activated and the athlete explodes into the jump. Newton et al (1997) claimed that there may be an even more important factor to producing more forceful contractions. The research that they conducted came to the conclusion that force output did increase as a function of load, but lighter loads also produced more force because of the speed that the muscle was contracting. In terms of muscle fibre type, elite volleyball players typically show muscle fibre percentages of around 52-60% Fast Twitch muscle fibre composition, which compare favourably to samples from elite level sprinters and jumpers (45-80%FT) (Conlee et al, 1982). A final biomechanical feature of vertical jumps involves the mechanics of the two-joint muscles of the lower limbs. The major muscle groups of the lower extremities involved in vertical jump are the hamstrings, quadriceps and gastrocnemius. All these muscle groups are bi-articulated muscles that cross over multiple joints. The sequence of muscle activation occurs through a proximal to distal pattern (Pandy, 1991). Thus, the gluteus maximus and hamstrings are activated first with a distinct goal of accelerating the trunk upward after countermovement. The activation continues downward through thigh, shank and finally to the toes. Therefore, all of the lower limb muscles must work in order to develop an explosive power. Energy source Research has shown that elite volleyball players to rely primarily upon their anaerobic energy system to supply energy demands during a match (Conlee et al, 1982). However, matches can last up to two and a half hours; therefore some aerobic component must be present as well. Volleyball is 90% anaerobic and 10% aerobic (Baechle et al, 2000). The aerobic energy system may not be relied upon during matches, but it is certainly important during training sessions, rest, and recovery periods. In relation to the specific composition of muscle fibres, it has been suggested that athletes with a well developed anaerobic power capacity will generate more power than athletes with a high aerobic power capacity (Conlee et al, 1982). Primary sites of injury The mechanisms and frequencies of injury in volleyball are well documented. The jump-landing sequence is the most common source of injury in volleyball (Briner and Kacmar, 1997). In fact, blocking and spiking are linked with over 70% of volleyball injuries (Watkins and Green, 1992). Ferretti et al., (1992) hypothesized that the high number of jumps and the likelihood of losing balance due to deviations in jumping technique are the primary causes of injury during volleyball. The vast majority (90%) of volleyball injuries occur in the lower extremity with the knee joint being particularly vulnerable (Gerberich et al, 1987). Knee injuries are of particular importance because they are associated with more lost time from sports participation than other injury sites (Solgà ¥rd et al, 1995). A well-designed volleyball training program will also help to reduce the incidence and severity of injury in volleyball players. Despite being a non-contact sport, a three study found that volleyball is the eighth most injury prone sport in the age group 14 to 20 years (De Loà «s ,1995). Program Design A well-structured volleyball training program can increase explosive power, vertical jump height, stamina and speed and agility around the court. Skill training alone, such as practising spikes, wont develop the physical traits necessary to play to the athletes full potential (Gabbett et al, 2006).Volleyball players have exceptional lower body power and perform well in the vertical jump test (Smith et al,1992). Power in the legs is needed to jump explosively off the ground in order to spike, block, set and dive. This program is designed to maximize the vertical jump for a professional volleyball player who is very interested in increasing his vertical jump to enhance his sport performance for the in-season period. It is a pre-season program which focuses on actual sport specific functions. Squatting, jumping, lateral stepping, hitting and spiking are all common volleyball movements. The pre-season volleyball strength training routine is less intense than the off-season. The goal is to maintain that strength and power, but to perfect sport specific movements. The subject is a full-time employee therefore he has no plenty of time for training. He also practises volleyball with no real schedule. He devotes his weekend to leisure activities and social commitments, so training must be scheduled during weekdays. Conveniently, the subject has no prior major sports injury and he was medically cleared fit for resistance training. The subject has good background of resistance training programs and he has been on training course over the past three months. His training included jogging for 30 minutes and some basic general strength exercises. In order to make strength a valuable physiological component, it must be trained in such a way that gains in strength lead to the highest levels of jumping power. This jumping power must then be effectively applied during the game. To achieve this, strength program is structured into three training phases that lead into the competitive phase. This program consists of three phases (mesocycles) derived from a classic periodization model. These three phases are basic strength, explosive strength and reactive strength. Each phase is four weeks in length. Phase 1 This phase precedes explosive strength and reactive strength training. This is important even for experienced strength-trained athletes as the nature of competitive sport places uneven stresses on the body. The goal here is not to try to necessarily mimic sports movements, but rather just to increase the contractual force producing capabilities of the muscles that are involved in the vertical jump. This phase lasts for 4 weeks and it aims to balance strength between the two sides of the body. It also aims to restore correct balance between the flexors and extensors (such as the hamstrings and quadriceps for example). Attention will be paid to developing limit strength in the muscles of the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and lower back as these are the most important muscle groups for vertical jumping. The muscles of the hip extensors will be given special attention because they are usually the weak links in the large majority of athletes. These muscles are the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. During this phase, training begins at a low intensity with high volume. It includes sport-specific exercises related to vertical jump as well as some non-specific exercises such as core exercises. Overload progress from 60% to 75% of 1RM. Repetitions per set range from 5 to 10 depending on how intense the exercise is. Phase 2 The goal of explosive strength exercises is to either perform the movement with more speed, or with more height. For example, try to jump higher while squatting with light to moderate weights. Generally, speed of movement, especially the beginning of the movement, is more important than the load involved when it comes to these exercises.Explosive strength movements focus on developing maximal starting and explosive strength, without much involvement of the reflexive stretch-shortening cycle .They essentially focus on applying max voluntary force as quickly as possible. In this phase plyometric exercises will be introduced particularly jumps in place and standing jump. Phase 3 Reactive strength exercises generally consist of jumps. The goal with the reactive strength exercises is to execute the movements with either less time spent on the ground or by jumping higher. These movements allow you to take advantage and build upon the reflexive forces that come from the plyometric effect. They are essential for anyone wanting to jump higher and run faster. This training uses the stretch-shortening cycle (stretch reflex) .The stretching reflex responds to the speed at which muscle/tendon complex is stretched prior to movement. Therefore, the faster and greater the stretch is the greater the corresponding reactive force will be. Specificity All exercises included in this program are designed to improve strength, neuromuscular adaptations and recruitment of muscles involved in vertical jump. Volleyball requires explosive movements with sequential use of muscles in a specific order. Olympic lifts strengthen muscles at a similar velocity and in the same order as needed in volleyball (Cross, 1993). Thus, this program will include use of Olympic lifts (snatch, clean and jerk). Most vertical jumping in volleyball is performed from static standing or from a two-step approach (Black, 1995). However, many upward and lateral movements of the upper limb are needed for blocking and spiking. Upper body and abdominal (trunk) strength has also been shown to be a contributing factor to vertical jump performance (Bobbert et al, 1994). Strength in the upper body, particularly the arms and shoulders helps to increase the strength throughout the trunk region which creates solid posture to help maximise jumping technique. Therefore, this program includes many exercises of upper body in order to strengthen all muscles involved in vertical jump.Other exercises (bench press, push press and core conditioning) are included in the program although they do not specifically improve vertical jump. These exercises are included to maintain muscular balance and enhance strength base. While this program is basically designed to improve the vertical jump, it would also be sufficient in developing upper and lower body strength and power. This program also includes some plyometric activities for both upper and lower limbs.Velocity specificity is an important consideration when designing resistance training programs for vertical jump. It indicates that training adaptations (e.g., increased strength/power) are greatest at or near the training velocity (Pereira and Gomes, 2003). However, there exists a conflicting hypothesis that the intention to move a barbell, oneââ¬â¢s own body, or any other object explosively is more important than the actual movement velocity in determining velocity-specific responses of the neuromuscular system to resistance training (Behm and Sale, 1993)Plyometric training has been shown to be one of the most effective methods for improving explosive power (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). A wide variety of athletes can benefit from power training, particularly if it follows or coincides with a strength training program. In order for plyometric training to be at its most effective it should follow a phase of maximal strength training (Baechle et al, 2000). The purpose of plyometrics is to improve the athleteââ¬â¢s capacity to apply more force more rapidly. Logically then, the greater the athleteââ¬â¢s ability to generate maximal force or strength to begin with, the more of it can be converted into sport-specific power. Weighted vertical jumps are included in this program for its popularity among training specialists and for its proven benefits in many studies. Baker et al. (2001) found that maximal power was achieved during weighted squat jumps with a 48-63% of 1RM squat. Moreover, Wilson et al. (1993) concluded that weighted jumps increased counter-movement and non-counter-movement vertical jump heights more than the traditional resistance training and plyometric. In the same way, Newton et al (1997) showed that ballistic jump squat training against 30, 60, and 80% 1RM improved vertical jump performance of elite volleyball players significantly more than squat and leg press training with 6RM loads. Subjects in both groups also completed the usual on-court volleyball practice, which involved a large volume of jumping activities. Harris et al. (2000) support this idea by showing the superiority of a combination of heavy- and light-load training to either training method alone in improving a variety of sports performance in football players. Accordingly, athletes may benefit most from resistance training using a range of loads with the intention to move explosively coupled with practicing of the actual sport movement Equipment and spotting This program relies mainly on free-weight training exercises including barbell and dumbbells. Other equipment include pulley and plyometric training facilities such as medicine balls, boxes and hurdles .Free weight training has some advantages over machine training such as whole body training and simulation of real sport activities. However, free weight training requires more balance and coordination. Therefore, spotting is highly required during training with free weights particularly with beginners and young athletes. This program has plenty of free weight exercises performed in different positions and angles and at different velocities therefore, spotting will be carried out for the most of exercises but special attention will be given to the most dangerous exercises such as overhead exercises and Olympic lifts. Intensity The intensity of the program starts at a low level and increases gradually throughout the program. 1RM strength was established at the beginning of the program by estimation from a 10RM test-measured value. 1RM is retested every two weeks after the initial test. However, 1RM will be estimated from 1RM-5RM at the beginning of the second mesocycle. Estimating the 1RM from 10RM provides a general guide until the trainee has developed sufficient strength and neural adaptations that would make testing at low RMs safe an effective (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). Intensity is adjusted by increasing the amount lifted and using supersetting and compound exercises (several exercises for the same muscle group, or multiple exercises for different muscle groups performed with little or no rest). During the last week (microcycle) of each mesocycle, the intensity and volume are slightly decreased in order to allow time for complete adaptation to take place. Plyometric exercises are introduced according to their intensity level. Low intensity exercises are first introduced followed by moderate and then high intensity exercises. Training volume Training volume is generally estimated from the total number of sets and repetitions performed in a single session. A multiple-set (three to six sets) power program incorporated into a strength training program consisting of one to six repetitions in periodized manner is recommended for advanced power training (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). One meta-analysis (Rhea et al, 2003) concluded that four sets of resistance training produced twice the strength increases of one set. Baker et al (2001) concluded that as training volume increases, power tends to decrease and vice versa. Therefore, in order to maximize power gains in this program, the volume of the training starts at a high level and steadily decreases over time. Resistance training volume is further reduced when introducing plyometric exercises. Volume is adjusted by decreasing the number of repetitions per set or by decreasing the number of sets per session. Rest and recovery Adequate rest and recovery are addressed by allowing a full day of rest between each two successive sessions, as well as limiting number of exercises per set. Generally, rest between sets ranges from three to four minutes depending on the number of repetitions performed and intensity of the exercise. For example, a set of 6 repetitions of box jump will need four- minute- rest. When training muscle groups which act together in the same session (i.e. pectorals and deltoids), fatigue may take place. To prevent this problem the muscle groups just trained will be rested or an unrelated muscle groups such as calf group may be trained prior to the training of subsequent muscle groups that have similar actions. Plyometric exercises are performed at the beginning of the training session after a thorough warm-up. Doing so, athlete will develop maximal power before muscle become fatigued from resistance training (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). The highest volume and intensity exercises are usually performed on Fridays, thus allowing two-day recovery. Periodization This program is designed as a pre-season training consisting of three mesocycles, with four microcycles in each mesocycle. Each microcycle is one week long and involves training over three days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Conclusion This program is designed to improve the vertical jump in a professional volleyball player. The workouts are demanding but simple enough to complete in 40 minutes or less. More importantly, psychological factors have been taken into account. This is the reason for the variation in the program within each cycle. Subject may skip some workouts or be not interested in training because of physical or emotional stress. However, with proper supervision and coaching and compliance to this program, the subject will see not only increases in strength and power, but also improvement in vertical jumping and consequently physical performance.
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