Hazard and vulnerability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hazard and vulnerability - Essay Example The assumption that 'natural' disasters are inherently and predominantly natural phenomena has tended to exclude the social sciences from consideration in much of the spending that is done in disaster preparedness. This is despite the fact that over the last twenty years a considerable literature on disasters has emerged from human geography, sociology, anthropology and (to a lesser extent) economics. For many years, social science has contributed to policy formation for disasters (especially in the Third World) through the activities of many Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). The initial development of vulnerability analysis is then rooted in social science, and in a sense has constituted a political economy of disasters to the analysis of devastating events that are normally associated with natural hazards. At its most simplistic, vulnerability analysis asserts that for there to be a disaster there has to be not only a natural hazard, but also a vulnerable population. Much of the conventional work on disasters has been dominated by 'hard science', and has been a product of the prominence that natural phenomena have acquired in the disaster causation process. But this 'physicalist' approach is also a result of the social construction of disasters as events that demonstrate the human condition as subordinate to Nature.

Ballet or football Essay Example for Free

Ballet or football Essay Ballet and football are both difficult sports to master; however, someone once said, â€Å"If ballet were any easier, they’d call it football. † What makes for a good sport? Every sport has rules and regulations that one must follow in order to play. The sport requires specific skills such as strength, coordination, and speed. A good sport has a certain level of safety to keep the participants safe and requires a lot of teamwork so that every is playing together. I personally think ballet is the more technical of the two. Ballet is much more complex than football. Every sport requires you to follow certain guidelines. In football, the player can’t grab the opponent in certain ways or a yellow flag will be thrown on the ground to indicate holding or some penalty that no one has even heard of before. Football has rules that the team must obey. On the other hand, ballet is less restricted than football. They are no rules in ballet. Ballet is a form of art; there are no limitations on art. Ballet is not about winning or following any rules; it is about expression through movement. Although there is more freedom in ballet, there is a lot of technique required. You must hold your arms a certain way so that they do not droop, and you must always remember the turn out of your thigh when you tendu. Ballet may not have rules, but there are still plenty of little details to remember. Strength is a major component of almost any sport. In football, the quarterback relies on two hundred and fifty pound linemen to block so that he can get the ball in the end zone. The defensive linemen have to use their upper body strength to hold the opposing team and keep them from getting to the ball. They use their lower body to stand strong to hold their ground like grabbing a bull by the horns. Ballet requires a totally different kind of strength than football does. Dancers use their upper bodies to hold their arms above their heads in a perfect beach ball shaped fifth position while still keeping their shoulders down for thirty minutes at a time. They use their lower body strength to push out of a plie to a pique turn and have to maintain the core strength, so they do not wobble too much. Football does not require much coordination. It wasn’t a sport that was meant to be pretty. It was meant to be rough and rugged for the manliest of men. While watching the game, half of the time you don’t even know if they meant to fall down or if they just happen to be clumsy enough to fall over their own two feet. It tends to be one big dog pile play after play. In ballet, coordination is everything. Dancers must make sure they are in the exact spot that they are supposed to be at and be in sync with every other dancer on the stage. Pierce Brosnan said, Love is a lot like dancing; you just surrender to the music (Willcutt). Every beat must be a white flag waving and show complete dedication to the music. Dancers have to be coordinated enough to do long elaborate pieces of choreography while still maintaining a smile on their faces. Ballerinas must make every single movement appear effortless. In football, speed is very important when a wide receiver is trying to run the ball down the field. It is his speed that helps him to pass by the other players in lightning speed so fast that they do not even know what hit them. I know what you’re thinking†¦. why would you need speed in ballet? However, not one ballerina would ever dream of doing a slow fouette, a move in which you whip your leg around to spin. It would be a disaster. Fouettes are meant to be fast to get your body around faster to make your pirouettes prettier. Speed and extreme focus is what makes a ballerina capable of turning. Although countless football players get hurt yearly, they have equipment that is specifically designed to keep them from serious injury. Football players risk injury every time they step foot out on that field, but if they fall down, their equipment is there to take the majority of the impact. Safety is important in any sport you play; that is why in football the players wear pads and helmets for protection. However, dancers must maintain a flawless posture to keep from injuring themselves. There is no special equipment for a dancer to use to keep themselves to safe. A dancer must rely on stretching to warm up his or her muscles. Dancers have to take every good care of their ankles and knees because they are constantly at risk of injury. If a dancer twists her ankle on stage during a performance, she doesn’t call in the second string. She sucks it up, puts on a brave face, and keeps on dancing. Teamwork is important in football because if you don’t read your guards, then you are liable to screw the entire play up. The player must know what the play is and what exact role everyone is going to play. The players huddle up before each play to strategize against the other team. They break off and have to rely on their teammates to do what is required of them. Vince Lombardi said, â€Å"People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society† (Family of Vince). When you think of the word team, you don’t exactly picture a group of ballerinas dancing on a shiny hardwood stage. You stereotypically think of the Pittsburg Steelers or some other NFL team. However, in ballet, every dancer is part of a team. You have to be so in tune with one another that as soon as the music begins, everyone begins to dance as if a bunch of puppets moving on strings. If one â€Å"teammate† loses rhythm then the whole performance suffers. Dancers rehearse with their fellow dancers for weeks and weeks to perfect their dance so that it will be flawless. In the end, ballet and football require a great amount of passion and determination. If you do not have the heart, you will not be willing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to pursue the sport whole-heartedly. Although football may be a little easier, both sports demand a lot of hard work. Works Cited Family of Vince Lombardi c/o Luminary Group LLC. â€Å"Famous Quotes by Vince Lombardi. † Vince Lombardi. 2010. Web. October 4, 2012. Willcutt, Sara. â€Å"Dance Quotes 3. † Ascending Star Dance- An Internet Dance Magazine. 2007. Web. October 4, 2012.

Collapse of Civilizations Essay -- essays research papers

The factors that lead to the â€Å"collapse† of civilizations are almost directly related to those that created it. Archaeologists characterize collapse by a number of elements, some of which we have evidence for, others we do not. Most archaeologists are unsure of exactly what caused the decline of most civilizations in the ancient world, yet there are many clues to some of the events that could have contributed. The collapse of the ancient Roman Empire, the Mesoamerican Mayan, and the Egyptian cultures will be discussed in the following paragraphs, with a focus on the uniqueness of each.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Collapse† is in quotations because its definition when applied to civilizations is often debated. Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary states: 1: to fall or shrink together abruptly and completely: fall into a jumbled or flattened mass through the force of external pressure 2: to break down 3: to cave or fall in or give way 4: to suddenly lose force, significance, effectiveness, or worth 5: to break down in vital energy, stamina, or self-control through exhaustion or disease; especially: to fall helpless or unconscious 6: to fold down into a more compact shape Although this definition can vaguely describe the overall fall of most civilizations, the actual details are more finite. One such event would be an environmental change. Archaeologists use this as a reason for the decline of civilizations often because it fits so well into any situation. A terrifying earthquake, a change in flow of a vital river, and a volcanic eruption are examples of what could have happened to abruptly end a civilization. Another reason might be over use of natural resources. As civilizations grew, the need for more resources increased. They could not grow enough food to support the growing population, and as a result trade networks fell apart, people began to starve, and large epidemics spread. Also many of these civilizations based everything on ideology. They believe that their rulers were gods on earth, so when these devastating things started happening, they lost faith in their ruler. Building temples, making statues of their kings, redistributing their good s, and the following of rulers all ceased. The accumulation of all these factors resulted in decline.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For a long period of time, the Mayan civilization was assumed to ha... ...n 1163 B.C., Egypt entered a period of slow decline (Scarre 1997:116). Pharaohs became less powerful, and their prestige dwindled. Hungry soldiers were terrorizing the community, while tomb robbers were raiding the pyramids for resources that were very much needed. They had buried their pharaohs with food, goods and jewelry, all of which were needed to keep the civilization in tact. They had built too many pyramids, and there were setbacks in Asia which corrupted trade. People did not understand why the pharaohs could not fix the problems that were going on. They viewed them as gods and lost trust and faith. Egypt fell apart as these things culminated with loss of belief in the pharaohs. These three civilizations all had a decline that can not be totally explained. Each unique yet similar in different ways. Both the Egyptian and Mayan civilization seemed to have declined because of agricultural and ideological reasons, and all three had to do with a loss of power and trust in rulers. There are many factors that create a civilization or empire and make it powerful. The corruption and loss of these same factors is what leads to the decline of an otherwise successful civilization.

Cutco Case Write-up Essay

What is direct selling?Direct selling is the face-to-face selling away from a business location. It is technically a form of non-store retailing. The manufacturer sells directly to the consumer or business customer as does Dell, Inc.Direct sellers are not employees of the company. They are independent contractors who market and sellthe products or services of a company in return for a commission on those sales.Direct selling is a push-marketing strategy where there are no physical stores. Orders are usually placedin person or via the consultant’s Web page. Sometimes the phone is used to place orders or reorders, but only about 12% of sales take place this way. Home shopping parties are the most widely recognizedsales method, where friends, family or acquaintances get together for a few hours to learn about orsample a range of products or services. However, the majority (about 70%) of the direct selling industry’s sales actually occur using a one  -to-one approach wher e one seller may present the productsor services to a single consumer. According to the direct selling association (DSA), some recent statistics are as follows- 85% of the sellersreport a good, very good or excellent experience with direct selling. 74% of U.S. adults have purchasedproducts from a direct seller. 70% of direct selling takes place in a residence, and almost two-thirdstakes place on a one-to-one basis.The popular form of direct selling is multilevel marketing. Multi-level marketing, which is commonlyreferred to as MLM, is one type of distribution method found in direct selling. You may also hear of theterm multilevel used to refer to a type of compensation plan that pays its representatives based on the individual’s product sales as well as that of their â€Å"downline,† which refers to a group of people thatconsultants bring into a company to generate sales.2. How would one respectively characterize Cutco Corp. and Vector Marketing Corp?Cutco Corporation, formerly Alcas Corporation, is the parent company of Cutco Cutlery Corp., multi-levelmarketing company Vector Marketing, KA-BAR Knives Inc. and Schilling Forge. Its primary brand is alsothe name Cutco. The company was founded in 1949 by Alcoa and Case Cutlery (hence â€Å"Al-cas†) tomanufacture knives. The management purchased the company from Alcoa in 1982, and the companyacquired Vector Marketing Corporation in 1985. In early 2009 Alcas changed its name to Cutco, thename of the primary product. See Figure 1 Figure 1www.cutco.com/aboutus More than 100 kitchen cutlery products are sold under the Cutco name, as well as a variety of kitchengadgets, utensils and flatware. The company also carries a line of cookware, sporting and pocket knivesand garden tools. As of 2012, Cutco was purchased by more than 15 million satisfied customers. Over700 manufacturing and administrative people are employed at the Cutco/Vector headquarters in Olean,N.Y. Cutco products are marketed directly, by appointment only, to consumers in the convenience of their homes, at fairs and shows, and sold in specialty Cutco retail stores located in:St. Louis, MO, Indianapolis, IN, Lansing, MI, Erie, PA.Vector Marketing  CorporationVector Marketing is both a multi-level and direct sales company that sells Cutco. Earlier on there werehundreds of small independent sellers of Cutco. In 1981, Vector was created as an independent seller.From 1981 to 1984 Vector sold way more than all the other independent sellers. In 1985, CutcoCorporation (back then it wa s called Alcas Corporation) bought the company from its owners toreplicate Vector’s success across the nation. Vector is now the exclusive seller of Cutco Cutlery. Vector’s home office is in Olean, New York, and has over 250 year-round, independently run locations throughout the United States, Canada, and PuertoRico. Vector has over 300 more temporary locations that open each year for the peak summer season.The sales efforts are organized by geographic location. Currently six regions exist and are combined intotwo companies-Vector East and Vector West.The sales representatives are primarily students who sell Cutco products during their summer vacations.Sales are made through in-house presentations in which representatives display the superiority of Cutcocutlery by cutting unconventional materials such as rope and leather. The operating margin of VectorMarketing is approximately 7 percent. Vector also runs a catalog to maintain a continuing relationshipwith customers after the summer peak season. Sales representatives continue to receive commissionson catalog sales as long they maintain a modest sales level. Vector also runs a we bsite to recruitstudents and service current customers and provide product information. 3.  How is Cutco Cutlery marketed?Cutco cutlery was designed to be the finest cutlery in the world. Cutco cutlery has always beenhistorically marketed through direct selling primarily via Vector Marketing Corporation. The peopleactually selling Cutco cutlery are independent contractors who effectively operate their own business.Sales RepresentativesThe sales representatives (mainly students) are paid a commission on the products they sell but do notreceive a salary from the company. These sales are made through in-home presentations in which salesrepresentatives validate and prove the superiority of Cutco cutlery through demonstrations. The onlydownfall to this method is that many of these college students join as a  Cutco representative to makemoney for the summers and the customers they create often lose contact with Cutco products and thecompany afterwards. Catalog SalesCutco created a small catalog mailing in 1985 that is now sent to 4 million customers around four timesthroughout the year. In 2011, this catalog generated 120,000 orders and approximately $18 million insales. This is important to continue because, as stated before, sales representatives often lose contactwith customers after the summer and this is a great way to retain customers and continue acquiringnew customer in the September through December months.Internet ActivitiesInitially a customer-oriented website focusing on customer service and product information only,customers soon started wanting to order directly off the website. This demand for e-commerce resultedin a closed customer site in 2000, in which only existing customer were allowed to view prices and placeorders. As of 2011, approximately 56,000 purchases were made online generating revenues of $8.7million and operating margins of 9 percent.Other Marketing initiativesThese included booths at county fairs and shows. In 2011, nearly 1,800 fairs and shows were bookedand revenue exceeded $9 million. Another initiative existed where realtors purchased Cutco products asgifts for potential customers/clients generating $4 million in revenue. Cutco also used other avenuessuch as Cutco retail locations to reach customers and social media to reach future representatives andcurrent customers to keep them abreast developments in product line changes and updates viamediums such as Facebook and Twitter. 4.  What factors should be considered when evaluating the possible growth drivers?Several factors should be considered when evaluating potential growth drivers: The current economic situation is an important factor in determining how inclined consumersare willing to spend their income on cutlery. Sustainability of brand recognition and brand presence. This needs to be considered becausewith virtually no mass-market marketing, word-of-mouth becomes very important to spread theword about the brand and its offerings. Creating more consumer exposure to the brand wouldbe needed to be evaluated to gain customers in the direct selling environment Availability of recruits is another factor that can influence potential growth drivers- as thenumber of recruits increases; the potential number of impressions can be increased. Investing in diverse recruiting procedures and multi-channel approaches to acquiring potentialrecruits instead of web-only efforts could be considered. Potential entry into international markets via joint ventures could be considered. This wouldobviously dependent upon the state of the global economy . The cost to expand supplementary channels (internet and catalog) and the potential impact ondirect sales. Effect of aggressive marketing on field sales and potential conflict arising from sales throughretail stores. What growth driver(s) should serve as a strategic focus? Why?Growth drivers for strategic focus should be as follows: Increasing the number of recruits will directly drive Vector’s revenue growth. Additional growthcan be achieved through investment and energy to improving recruiting approaches andstrategies. To generate more consumer product sales in the future, Cutco must invest in brand recognitionefforts. Consumers are more likely to buy a brand that they are familiar with and recognize. Ascompetition increases in the future, this will be one of the determining factors in increasingsales in a fragmented environment. Dependence solely on the domestic economy could spell disaster for sales. Therefore,expanding to international markets could be key for the brand in order to gain an edge on thecompetition. Traditionally direct sales representatives could sell to homes easily since one key decision makerin the family was always at home. Today with dual-earning households, supplementary channelssuch as the internet and catalogs are necessary to reach households. One of the riskiest strategic options is a retail channel. However, in today’s micro -segment retailenvironment consumers need choices and strategically this could easily complement the directsales efforts of Vector to reach more consumers and increase revenue. Co-branding withcelebrity chefs is one example of taking advantage of a pull-marketing retail environment.

Journal Articles Essay

Reading the title and the objective of the research study, I was kind of skeptical about the main assertion of the authors, which was that there is a strong connection between the prevalence of mental disorders, and ethnic minority groups that individuals belong to. I have read studies about genetics or heredity and environment as contributing factors to the occurrence of mental disorders, however, I have not heard about the influence of ethnicity on mental health. Therefore, I am in no position to either agree or disagree with the assertions of this particular research, primarily. Reading through the rest of the research, I would have to say that the authors presented a comprehensive amount of data, which supported their claim. Enlightened about the issue, perhaps, I would agree that the most significant contributory factor would be the limited access of the minority groups identified to mental health services. Culture would be less significant in explaining the phenomenon, because if I were to agree with this idea, it is like I am generalizing the prevalence of mental disorders to minority groups. Moreover, it promotes the idea of racism or discrimination. Primarily, reading an article that I am not really aware about contributed to my interest in the topic. This time around, the article is yet again disputing another published research study regarding the matter. Disputes, such as these, are intriguing, it adds more knowledge regarding mental health, and ethnic minority groups because an individual learns about two sides of the issue. Yes, the article revealed a comprehensive take on the issue as its objective was to study all the angles of ethnicity and mental health. Contrasting results to the previous study by the Surgeon General’s Supplement, as well as the agreeable points of the same study, were all explicated. However, there needs to be another study regarding the issue in order to answer the questions left by the study, supplement both research studies, and synthesize all ideas in order to form a unified body of knowledge about the said topic. Marielena, L. , Gamboa, C. , Kahramanian, M. I. , Morales, L. S. , & Hayes-Bautista, H. B. (2005). â€Å"Acculturation and Latino health in the United States: a review of the literature and its sociopolitical context. † Annual Review Public Health, Vol. 26, 367-397. In any aspect of life with regards to multiculturalism, acculturation seems to be one of the determinants of an individual’s way of life. Acculturation does not only influence health, but also other factors such as education, political beliefs, language, choice of food or clothing, and culture in its entirety. It is not surprising to learn that the healths of Latinos, who form a specific multiracial group in the country, are influenced by acculturation. One of the top priorities of the United States is health care, and being able to provide the best services in health care at lower rates to all its citizens. If this is the case, then Latinos who assimilate or adapt the American culture are more conscious of their health as compared to their previous views about the issue. Aside from this view, the adaptation of the English language is also important in affording health care in the country for individuals who are initially non-English speakers. I have read case and research studies about the limitations of health care access to multiracial groups because of communication barriers brought about by differences in language. Acculturation, in terms of language acquisition, greatly affects the access of Latinos to health care services in the country. What I like about the article is that it points out the importance of acculturation to, not just Latinos, but other ethnic minority groups’ access to health care services in the country. Since the issues about age groups and the rate of health awareness and mortality rates are discussed, this article informs all age groups within a particular ethnic minority group to accept change in order to be granted health care services that they deserve, regardless of being a child or an adult. The article is not part of an argument; rather, it is informative and seeks to notify readers about the impact and importance of acculturation to the very significant issue of health care. It was successful in accomplishing this aim, With regards to its coverage of the topics that are needed to complete the study, it was also successful.