Ikea Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Ikea Swot Analysis Essay Strengths: * IKEA offers a unique value proposition to its customers. It offers a wide range of well designed, functional products at low prices. The design begins with low costs from the outset, striking an ideal balance between function, quality, design, and price. * IKEA introduced the flat package which can be assembled by customers * IKEA has maintained long-term relationships with its suppliers, ensuring the company has access to high-quality materials at reasonable prices. Because of this, IKEA has some of the largest margins in the industry. * IKEA’s vision is to create a better everyday life for many people, putting the concerns for the environment and people at the heart of the business. Weaknesses: * The need for low cost products could lead to a possible compromise between quality and price. * IKEA is a global company, so product standards may be difficult to maintain. * Furniture needs assembly and not everyone has the tools, knowledge or strength to put the furniture together. The instructions for furniture assembly are just pictures. There are no words to accompany the instructions. Opportunities: * IKEA can further capitalize on the â€Å"green† movement and IKEA’s customer’s desires to have less of an impact on the environment. * IKEA is already reducing their carbon footprint by packing in less material. Threats: * Competition for IKEA comes from traditional furniture stores as well as stores like Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, and other similar stores that also sell household products and small furniture. * Some stores have already mirrored the flat package, low cost packed furniture model. * Slow down in first time home buyers, which is a core market segment for IKEA, as well as the recession will limit the amount of customers that walk into an IKEA store. Questions: 1.) IKEA is already opening stores in many locations all across the globe. IKEA offers low-cost products, mostly furniture that is packaged in low, flat boxes, which the purchaser would take with them to assemble at home. IKEA will also deliver their products and the package design saves on shipping charges as well as shelf space at the store. Customers enjoy the experience of shopping at IKEA. The restaurant allows IKEA customers to make a day of the shopping trip. The average customer drives 50 miles round trip to IKEA. The furniture comes in low, flat packaging that is relatively easy to take with you. When it comes to assembly however, the instruction usually only have pictures. This saves the company money, since IKEA is global and would need to print instructions in multiple languages. 2.) IKEA has a one-way design to it store. Customers walk through the different displays and can experience the entire store. At the end of the trip is the warehouse, which has the furniture packaged in the low, flat boxes. Customers can grab a cart and choose the items that they need or liked as they walked through the store. The displays are set up so you can see how the matching furniture looks together. You can sit in the chairs, open and close the drawers, and test out the furniture before you buy. IKEA does offer delivery for a low fee. The salesperson told me that I would have to buy one of everything in the store before the shipping price would increase; I believe the shipping price was $60 for everything in my order. One can also purchase the service of having someone come to your home to put the furniture together. However, customers looking to go in and grab something quickly will find the design and layout of the store cumbersome. Customers may also see something on display that they really enjoy, however, when they get to the warehouse, they might find the shelf empty. IKEA is able to find the sold out items at other locations, however customers need to travel to the other store to make the purchase (at least this was my experience). When the sold out item is not available, the customer might want to go back to the display and find a different set of match-able items, making the shopping experience even longer and more cumbersome.

Atraumatic Restorative Treatment for Dental Caries

Atraumatic Restorative Treatment for Dental Caries Atraumatic restorative treatment for the management of dental caries: A Review Abstract: Atraumatic restorative treatment is a method of minimal caries intervention that uses only hand instruments. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of studies reporting on various aspects of the Atraumatic Restorative Treatment and it is over three decades ART has been introduced, so this was considered an appropriate time for a systematic review on ART. Objective of this review article was to assess the effectiveness of ART in management of dental caries. All randomized or quasi-randomized control trials on ART were included. Intervention with adhesive restorative material such as GIC with different viscosity was evaluated. Primary outcomes measures such as pain relief, patient discomfort, anxiety and durability of restoration was assessed. Studies showed survival rates ranging from 66% to 76% at 6 year for single surface restorations ART approach provided higher survival percentages for single surface restorations and it causes less pain and dis comfort. Key words: Atraumatic restorative treatment, Survival, Deciduous teeth, Permanent teeth Introduction: Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral diseases of public health concern. It affects almost all individuals irrespective of age, sex, occupation, religion, castes etc in developed as well as developing countries. It varies greatly among countries, even within a country and from region to region and there are several reasons for this problem like changes in food habits, poverty, lack of facilities especially to underprivileged section of the society, etc. WHO objective of â€Å"Health for All† still remains a dream, particularly in the underprivileged population of the world. Also, there has been a radical change in the methods of treatment of dental disease. We have seen a change in approach of treatment by the dentist, starting with extraction, then conservation of tooth structure and now stress is being laid on preventive dentistry. But the underprivileged population have not benefited from these developments that have brought about improved oral health in the indus trialized world. Realizing the magnitude of this problem, particularly lack of oral health care in below poverty line segment of society, JE Frencken embarked on simplistic approach of removing caries with hand instruments and filling up the ‘cavity’. This approach is termed as Atraumatic Restorative Treatment.[1] ART was first discovered in Tanzania in mid 1980s to suit the needs of the developing countries by JE Frencken Later, in Zimbabwe, the experiment was repeated by his team in larger school population group. WHO endorsed the ART procedure for the underprivileged population on world health day in April 7, 1994.[2] The idea of ART is strongly supported by the modern scientific approach to controlling caries maximal prevention, minimal invasiveness and minimal cavity preparation.[3] Different studies have been investigating the various aspects of ART approach in the past and still continue to increase. Most of the studies have investigated the survival of ART restoration and sealants. As ART approach is being utilized all over the world since more than 25 years, there is a need to carry out a systematic investigation about the survival and effectiveness of ART restorations. So the present systematic review focuses on the effectiveness of ART in management of dental caries in deciduous and permanent teeth. Materials and Methods We attempted to identify all relevant studies. Detailed search strategies were developed for each database to be searched and it was carried out in the Medline, Embase, Hinari, k-hub. All randomized controlled trials or quasi-randomized controlled trials were included. Non-randomized controlled trials were excluded. Studies with Dentate participants, regardless of the age and sex, with a history of dental (coronal) caries who have undergone restorative treatment using either conventional restorative or ART approaches were included. Studies in which evaluators were calibrated and independent, Survival result more than 1 year were included. Interventions were adhesive restorative materials, such as GICs with different viscosities, placed with the ’true’ Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) approach, including Interim therapeutic restoration (ITR) with hand instruments, compared with different restorative materials, such as amalgam, placed with conventional cavity prepar ation methods. Studies on modified ART approaches, Survival results Selection of Studies All records identified by the searches printed off and checked on the basis of title first, then by abstract or keywords or both. Records that obviously irrelevant were discarded and the full text of all remaining records were obtained. The full reports obtained from all the electronic and other methods of searching assessed independently by two review authors to establish whether the studies meet the inclusion criteria or not, using an inclusion criteria form, which previously prepared and pilot tested. Where resolution was not possible, a third review author consulted. If more than one publication of a trial was identified, all publications were reviewed and the paper with the first publication date included as a primary version. All studies meeting the inclusion criteria then underwent data extraction and a quality assessment. Types of Outcome Measures Primary Outcome Measure Pain relief, i.e. freedom from symptoms of pain and sensitivity as reported and experienced by the patient. Patient discomfort during the procedure measured by physiological measurement or behavioral observation. Patient’s anxiety and stress after treatment. Durability of restoration survival time of restoration (in months) from the time of placement. Secondary outcome measures Defects of restorative materials such as wear, fracture and staining (color changes) of restoration. Restoration failure, e.g. replaced restorations. Marginal integrity of restoration. Secondary caries. Results Pain, Anxiety and Discomfort: Five studies were reported on pain out of which three studies suggested that ART was found to be less painful.[4,5,6] In a study conducted by Rahimtoola S et al[7] pain was reported when ART technique was used but was significantly less than the conventional restorative technique. While in one study there was no significant difference in the pain levels of children treated using conventional restorative treatment, atraumatic restorative treatment or ultraconservative treatment but it was observed that when conventional restorative treatment was used, more children neededlocal anesthesia.[8] One study showed that the levels of dental anxiety were less in patients treated with ART as compared to conventional restorative treatment.[9]The studies from Topaloglu et al[10] and de Menezes Abreu et al[11] reported no difference in the levels of dental anxiety. ART technique has a potential to cause less discomfort to the patient and to less invasive to the dental tissue than conventional approach. The patient’s acceptance of ART was verified by Mickenautsch et al[12] who observed that both children and adults receiving ART restorations responded positively to the treatment. Study conducted by Schriks MC[13] and Van Amerongen WE[14] stated that children treated according to the ART approach using hand instruments alone experience less discomfort than those treated using rotary instrument. Similar findings were reported by ECM Lo CJ Holmgren also.[5] A summary of these studies outcomes is presented in Table1. TABLE 1: Overview of studies having assessed dental pain, anxiety and discomfort between the ART and the traditional treatment approach Comparison Age Operator background Variable measured Conclusion ART vs rotary Instruments[7] 6–16 years old Dentists Pain: -Questions: Did you feel any pain during treatment? ART caused less pain ART vs rotary Instruments[8] 4–7 years old Pedodontist specialist Pain: -Wong–Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale ART caused less pain ART vs rotary instruments vs ultraconservative treatment[4] 6–7 years old Pedodontist specialist Pain: -Wong–Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale -No difference in levels of pain among treatments -Local anaesthesia was more frequent given in the rotary instrument group ART vs rotary instruments ART vs ART with Carisolv [10] 6–7 years old Pedodontist specialist Anxiety: -Venham Picture Test No difference in levels of anxiety between treatments ART vs rotary Instruments[9] Children and adults Dentists and dental therapists Anxiety: -Childrens fear survey schedule -Corahs dental anxiety scale Both children and adults treated with the ART were less dental-anxious ART vs rotary instruments vs ultraconservative treatment[11] 6–7 years old Pedodontist specialist Anxiety: -Facial Image Scale No difference in levels of anxiety among treatments ART vs rotary Instruments[13] 6-year-old children Dental students and dentists Discomfort: -Heart rate and modified Venham index (observations) ART caused less discomfort Durability of Restoration Various studies showed that survival rates were lower with increasing period of time.[15,16] Frencken JE[15] assessed the survival of ART restoration after first, second and third year evaluation interval and found that the survival rate of one surface ART restoration were higher in first year compared to second and third year. Lo ECM[16] Suggested that cumulative survival rates of the large restoration were lower, being 77% and 46% after 3 and 6 year respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in cumulative survival percentages of the evaluated ART restorations between single and multiple-surface restorations at 1-year (p=0.137) and 2-year (p=0.377) evaluations. But at the 10-year evaluation, the survival rate for single-surface restorations (65.2%) was 2.1 times higher than that for the multiple surface restorations (30.6%). This difference was statistically significant (p=0.009).[17] Secondary Outcome Measures: Defects of restorative materials wear and fracture of restoration: Studies conducted by Lo ECM[16] and Frencken JE[18] showed that most of the restoration were in good condition and had only minor defects and wear which did not warrant further treatment. Secondary caries Increment of secondary caries was found to be maximum in a study conducted by Zanata RL[17] while other studies showed no statically significant difference.[18,19] Operator effect. Frencken JE [18] et al observed an operator effect for single surface ART restorations. It was observed in one study that experienced operators place better ART restoration than inexperienced operators.[15] Marginal Integrity of Restoration: In a study the restorations that were evaluated with the USPHS criteria at the 5-year examination, unacceptable marginal integrity, either a crevice extending to the enamel–dentine junction or the restoration being fractured was found in 9% of the small and 21% of the large restorations.[18] While in another study, 63.6% of the ART restorations were assessed as ‘good’, 15% as having a ‘slight marginal defect’ at 3years.[19] Restoration Failure Failure occurred in 24% of the small restorations and 41% of the large restorations. The large restorations had a higher relative risk of failure, 5.87, compared with the small restorations.[16] Failures were related to unacceptable marginal defects and total loss of restoration. Frencken JE [18] reported failure of total 28 ART restorations placed in 25 students during the 3 year period. While same author in another study reported 106 ART restoration failures from total of 487 ART single surface posterior restorations.[15] Discussion: The ART approach seems to be an economic and effective method for improving the oral health not only of people in developing but also of those in industrialized countries (Frencken and Holmgren 2004).[1] It may be considered as a safe and conservative alternative for conventional restorative dental treatment, particularly for Class I (occlusal) dental cavities. Pr imary outcome measures: Pain, Discomfort and Anxiety: The originators of the ART approach noticed that the technique had a potential to cause less discomfort to the patient and to be less invasive to the dental tissues than the conventional approach. The patients acceptance of ART was verified by Mickenautsch and Rudolph[12], who observed that both children and adults receiving ART restorations responded very positively to the treatment. Dentists also seemed to approve the â€Å"new† approach. Among the main reasons given were those related to the patients comfort: the reduced use of local anesthetic and absence of the noisy drill and suction.[20] Some suggested that ART as found to be less painful and cause less dental anxiety. The reasons could be contributed to the operator’s level of specialization and /or skills in handling anxious children. The studies from Topaloglu et al [10] and de Menezes Abreu et al [4,11] in which no difference in levels of dental anxiety and dental pain were observed, were performed by pediatric dentists. In the studies that favored ART [7,8,13] all operators, but the one from de Menezes Abreu et al, [8] were non-pediatric dentists (general practitioners, dental therapists or dental students). However, the latter study had included children younger than 6 years, and all those given the conventional treatment received local anesthesia and the restorations were performed under rubber dam isolation. It is not unrealistic to argue that age and the use of the needle and that of rubber dam might have influenced childrens perception of pain. In light of all these aspects, it can be hypothesized th at the behavior management provided by a pediatric dentist may overcome much of the discomfort that a child can feel independent of the restorative treatment approach. Durability of Restoration: The survival percentages of single surface non occlusal posterior ART restoration were significantly higher than for comparable amalgam restoration 4.4, 5.3 and 6.3 years. Although it is known that non occlusal glass ionomer restoration survive long but significant lower survival results for non occlusal amalgam than for comparable ART glass ionomer restorations were observed.[15] The cumulative survival rate of ART single surface restoration remained high throughout the study 92.7% (SE 3.0%) over 2 years and65.2%(SE 7.3%) up to 10 years. These rates are in the line with the results of other investigations, which reported survival rates ranging from 66% to 76% at 6 year for single surface restorations. The cumulative success of 65.2% observed in this study could be considered even better due to the longer period of clinical service. The survival rates of multiple surface restorations (class II) decreased significantly from 2 to 10 years. After 2 years, the survival rates between single and multiple surface restorations were similar. These results are consistent with those of Cefaly and Farag which observed similar survival rates for class 1 and class II restoration after 1 and 5 years, respectively. However, a statistical difference was apparent over the 10 year evaluation period (65.2Ãâ€"30.6% success rates for single and multiple surface restorations, respe ctively).[17] Secondary outcome measures: Defects of restorative material such as Wear, Fracture and Staining of Restoration: The annual wear rate of the high strength glass–ionomer material used in their study was rather stable at around 20-25 m after the first year and this did not increase much with time or size of the restoration. This rate is very satisfactory and may help to alleviate some of the concerns of earlier reviews on ART. The use of an adhesive material in ART restorations also makes repair of restorations with gross defects and wear possible and total replacement may not be necessary.[15] Reasons for minor defects and wear can be explained by the fact that firm finger pressure was applied over the restorative material to ensure good penetration of glass ionomer into the pits and fissures, as recently demonstrated.[18] Secondary caries: It has been shown that caries left in occlusal enamel lesions had either not progressed at all or only progressed slightly under clinically ‘intact’ as well as ‘sometimes intact’ sealants after 3 years. In contrast, caries had progressed under sealants that were ‘never intact’.[18] No ART restoration failed because of carious lesion development only. Restorations failed because of a combination of dentine carious lesions and mechanical defects.[17] This pattern of failure was also observed by Frencken et al[15] but contrasts with the study of Prakki et al[21] which observed no caries even in those teeth whose ART restorations were missing. Operator effect: An operator effect has been cited in a number of ART studies.[18,22,23] Although all operators (dentists and dental therapists) in the studies referred to above had followed a training course on ART, the operator effect seems to indicate that in order to perform quality ART restorations, the operating dental personnel requires skill, diligence and comprehension. An ART training course of a couple of days may be too short for some qualified dentists and dental therapists.[15] The operators’ greater experience in applying ART and the use of a high-viscous glass ionomer in the study may explain the higher results.[18] Failure of Restoration: The finding that failures of ART restorations placed in the same child were correlated suggests that some factors related to the individual subjects such as diet, occlusion, and caries risk may influence restoration survival.[16] The predominant reasons for ART restorations to fail were unacceptable defects at the margin and re restoration.[15] Almost half of the failures were related both to the physical characteristics of the glass ionomer used and to the operators’ handling of the material. Few failures were due to excessive wear. The other half of the failures were considered to be operator related. The exact reasons for the unacceptable marginal defects were unknown. However, it can be speculated that improper mixing of glass ionomer, providing a mixture that was either too dry or too wet, was one of the reasons. Another reason could be the difficulty in inserting the material into the depths of deep and small preparations. Subsurface voids produced during insertion may have resulted in later fracture of the surface layer under pressure.[18] Compared to conventional treatment approaches, ART is still very young. Despite this, much progress has been made in researching various aspects of the ART approach. More experience in the actual technique of cleaning carious cavities with hand instruments has been gained and newer, physically stronger glass ionomers have been marketed as a result of its existence. These developments have most probably led to the higher survival results of ART restorations in permanent teeth in the more recent compared to the early studies. Conclusion: ART technique has proved to be less painful and causes less discomfort to the patients with high survival rate in both in primary and permanent teeth. This technique has the potential to make oral health care more available to a larger part of the world’s population than before. The greater part of the world’s population has no access to restorative dental care. ART should be taken seriously by the dental profession and educational courses should be organized before the approach is used in the clinic.

Walt Whitman: Homoeroticism in Leaves of Grass Essay -- Poetry Analysi

Leaves of Grass is Walt Whitman’s life legacy and at the same time the most praised and condemned book of poetry. Although fearful of social scorn, there are several poems in Leaves of Grass that are more explicit in showing the homoerotic imagery, whereas there are several subtle – should I say â€Å"implicit† – images woven into the fabric of the book. It is not strange, then, that he created many different identities in order to remain safe. What Whitman faced in writing his poetry was the difficulty in describing and resonating manly and homosexual love. He was to find another voice of his, a rhetoric device, and his effort took two forms: simplified, and subverted word play. The first was to understand and render the experience in everyday terms, as in the poem Behold This Swarthy Face. Whitman puts emphasis on masculinity â€Å"in this swarthy face, these gray eyes† (149), and other words, too, are expressive enough to explain to the reader what kind of person is to be loved. What is not as subtle as in some other of Whitman’s poems is the idea in the second part of the poem: â€Å"And I on the crossing of the street or on the ship’s deck give a kiss in / return† (149) – the meeting of the two is to be recognized anywhere, be it on the street or on a ship's deck. When it comes to the second form, Davidson notices that â€Å"The other and far more prevalent form of presented homoerotic love was by means of terms of oppression, subversion† (54). Exemplar poem of this form is Not Heaving from My Ribb’d Breast Only. In it the lyrical subject is trapped in fears and must break out of suppression in order to be himself. In the end of the poem there is a sudden release: â€Å"O pulse of my life! / Need I that you exist and show yourself any more than in... ...d Bergman, David. Choosing Our Fathers: Gender and Identity in Whitman, Ashbery and Richard Howard. American Literary History 1.2 (1989): 383-403. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Davidson, Edward H.. The Presence of Walt Whitman. Journal of Aesthetic Education 17.4 (1983): 41-63. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Herrman, Steven B.. Walt Whitman and the Homoerotic Imagination. Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche 1.2 (2007): 16-47. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Maslan, Mark. Whitman and His Doubles: Division and Union in Leaves of Grass and Its Critics. American Literary History 6.1 (1994): 119-139. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Metzer, David. Reclaiming Walt: Marc Blitzstein’s Whitman Settings. Journal of the American Musicological Society 48.2 (1995): 240-271. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2012. Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass. Pennsylvania: the Pennsylvania State University, 2007. Print.

Leonard?s Tattoos in Memento Essay -- essays research papers

Leonard’s Tattoos in Memento Memento is a film written by director Christopher Nolan, where Leonard Shelby, an overly confused man wants revenge after his wife's murder. Leonard suffers brain damage rendering him incapable of making new memories; her death is the last thing branded in his mind. Though his affliction keeps him from being able to form new memories, Leonard seeks revenge; to wreak this revenge he must keep notes on even his own life, tattooing himself with important clues. Told in segments that move backwards in time, the audience follow Leonard back through a series of events, learning in each segment what happened previously, things Leonard has already forgotten. To help him with his search, he has evolved a system. He takes Polaroid pictures, putting names to faces, marking which car is his, which hotel room is his. Moreover, to keep certain notes from being lost or changed, he has an elaborate series of tattoos slowly growing all over his body. The largest of these tattoos is written right across Leonard’s chest, written in backwards script so that when he stands in front of a mirror, the main fact is there for him to see: â€Å"John G. Raped and Murdered My Wife.† Below this is another tattoo that reads, â€Å"Find him and kill him.† Scattered across his torso and arms are a collection of facts he has gathered about the case, the points that Leonard thinks are most important. In addition, he has only one tattoo that is visible with clothes in which he is able ...

Hamlet: A Tragic Hero Essay -- Hamlet, Shakespeare

â€Å"A tragic flaw is an error or defect in the tragic hero that leads to his downfall.† (http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/literature/bedlit/glossary_t.htm) In the history of literature, if the question of who was the most indecisive character was brought up, Hamlet would be a prime candidate. Hamlet had numerous chances to reap revenge for his father’s death but was only able to follow through after the accidental murder of his mother. Hamlet’s inability to make a decision ultimately leads to his demise, and for that is his tragic flaw. What makes a tragic hero? Dr. Peter Smith, Associate Professor of English at Kentucky State University, broke the archetypical characteristics of a tragic hero down into six groups. Of the six, four will be discussed, the first being â€Å"noble stature.† (http://www.kysu.edu/artsscience/ENG411/tragic%20hero.htm) Smith said that the fall of one with noble stature will not only affect their life but also the lives of the people who look to them for support. Hamlet is the prince of Denmark; the people of Denmark rely on a strong royal family to rule and support the country. Next, Smith discussed the â€Å"tragic flaw† (http://www.kysu.edu/artsscience/ENG411/tragic%20hero.htm) which leads to the decline of the hero. Hamlet’s inability to make a decision lead to his death, which will be discussed in more detail further on. Thirdly, Smith says that one must have â€Å"free choice. The tragic hero falls because he chooses one course of action over another.† (htt p://www.kysu.edu/artsscience/ENG411/tragic%20hero.htm) Hamlet is not forced to kill but makes the decision on his own. Finally, Smith says, â€Å"the punishment must exceed the crime.† (http://www.kysu.edu/artsscience/ENG411/tragic%20hero.htm) The audience cannot f... ... the one behind the curtain and kills Polonius by mistake without a second thought. Hamlet is a tragic hero because he follows the guidelines set by Dr. Smith; he has noble stature, he has a tragic flaw, he has free choice, and finally, he has unjust punishment. (http://www.kysu.edu/artsscience/ENG411/tragic%20hero.htm) His downfall was his inability to make a decision. He vowed revenge for his father’s death only to stall time and time again until he finally goes through with it only to die himself. Work Cited Clark, William George, and Wright, William Aldis. The Unabridged William Shakespeare. Philadelphia: Courage Books, 1997. â€Å"Glossary of Literary Terms.† The Meyer Literature Site. February 7, 2002. Smith, Peter. â€Å"The Characteristics of an "Archetypal" Tragic Hero†. Characteristics of a Tragic Hero. 2002. Kentucky University. February 7, 2002.

Lionel Andres Messi

Lionel Andres Messi, known as Messi, is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona as a forward or a winger. Considered to be the finest player on Earth, Messi has received dozens of trophies and awards. Messi is the perfect attacking player, he was completely two-footed, a prolific finisher, exceptional at dribbling and passing, and was a remarkably good tackler for a forward. The Argentine superstar was born on the 24th June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina to Jorge Horacio Messi (born 1958), who was a factory worker and Celina Maria Cuccittini, who also works but as a part-time cleaner.Lionel Messi has three siblings, two of which older brothers named Rodrigo and Matias. The final, a sister named Maria Sol. At the age of five, Messi played for a team called Grandoli, coached by his father. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth deficiency. An Argentine club were interested in Messi’s ability, but didn’t have enough money to pay for his treatment . The director of FC Barcelona signed Messi after watching him play and was willing to pay for the treatment. Lionel Messi was offered a debut for FC Barcelona against Porto. And what a game!He was seventeen at that time and was the youngest ever player to score a goal in the La Liga. Within the next year, Messi found himself a first squad player and scored 16 goals in 26 matches. During the next five years, Messi became an international superstar scoring tens of goals. He made his debut for Argentina, when he was only 18 years old. Lionel Messi also won dozens of awards including: Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup, Player of the Year (several times), La Liga Player of the Year, Top Scorer (many times), Goal of the Year and many more awards.Messi also played in a few World Cups for Argentina. The final one in 2010, started well with a 4-0, 4-1, 1-0 and 2-0 to finish off the group stages. The last 16 round wasn’t a good match as it ended with a 4-0 defeat to Germany. In the season 2009-10, Messi was in great form, scoring 47 goals. He was the highest scoring player. 2010-11 came and his goal-scoring record continued. Scoring many goals, among other reasons, makes Lionel Messi the finest player of all time!!

Gender inequality

As such, considerations of occupational segregation and human capital theories are together not enough to understand the continued existence of a gendered income disparity. [6] The glass ceiling effect is also considered a possible contributor to the gender wage gap or income disparity. This effect suggests that gender provides significant disadvantages towards the top of Job hierarchies which become worse as a person's career goes on. The term glass ceiling implies that invisible or artificial barriers exist which prevent women from advancing within their Jobs or receiving promotions.These barriers exist in spite of the achievements or qualifications of the women and still exist when other characteristics that are Job-relevant such as experience, education, and abilities are controlled for. The inequality effects of the glass ceiling are more prevalent within higher-powered or higher income occupations, with fewer women holding these types of occupations. The glass ceiling effect al so indicates the limited chances of women for income raises and promotion or advancement to more prestigious positions or Jobs.As women are prevented by these artificial barriers, from either eceiving Job promotions or income raises, the effects of the inequality of the glass ceiling increase over the course of a woman's career. [10] Statistical discrimination is also cited as a cause for income disparities and gendered inequality in the workplace. Statistical discrimination indicates the likelihood of employers to deny women access to certain occupational tracks because women are more likely than men to leave their Job or the labor force when they become married or pregnant.Women are instead given positions that dead-end or Jobs that have very little mobility. [4] In Third World countries such as the Dominican Republic, female ntrepreneurs are statistically more prone to failure in business. In the event of a business failure women often return to their domestic lifestyle despite t he absence of income. On the other hand, men tend to search for other employment as the household is not a priority. [11] The gender earnings ratio suggests that there has been an increase in women's earnings comparative to men.Men's plateau in earnings began after the 1970s, allowing for the increase in women's wages to close the ratio between incomes. Despite the smaller ratio between men and women's wages, disparity still exists Census data suggests that women's earnings are 7 percent of men's earnings in 1999. [7] The gendered wage gap varies in its width among different races. Whites comparatively have the greatest wage gap between the genders. With whites, women earn 78% of the wages that white men do.With African Americans, women earn 90% of the wages that African American men do. With people of Hispanic origin, women earn 88% of the wages that men of Hispanic origin do. There are some exceptions where women earn more than men: According to a survey on gender pay inequality b y the International Trade Union Confederation, emale workers in the Gulf state of Bahrain earn 40 per cent more than male workers. [12] Professional education and careers[edit] The gender gap also appeared to narrow considerably beginning in the mid-1960s. Gender Inequality 11. ‘Women will never enjoy the same rights as men. ‘ Do you agree? We live in a world full of changes. In the past, women have been disgraced and were treated as lower class. A woman had no authority, no say and no rights to make a decision. Their duty at home was just cooking meal, cleaning the house, taking care of children and many things like these. However in today's world, the status of women is at a high level not only in the family aspect but also in the business area when compared to the past.I believe that women have progressed in their status quo but to a larger extent, but it is true that women will never enjoy the same rights as men as in many societies, women have yet to achieve gender equality as men are still generally dominant. Some basic right women should receive, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right t o food, the right to work, and the right to education have been achieved but not all, especially not when compared to men.In some workplace, wage discrimination still exists as women are not allowed the same pay as men who are of similar ranks to them. The root of this problem is to society, a woman should be at home, taking care of children and not out there in the working world. The income difference maybe expected to serve as a deterrence to women, encouraging them to remain as housewife. However, this mindset is starting to change. Vice versa, men are starting to accept the fact that they too, do play a role in bringing up and caring more for their children and this gives rise to a new role named ‘househusbands'.Statistics have also proven so. Worldwide, women work two thirds of the world’s working hours and produce half of the world’s food yet women only earn 10 percent of the world’s income and own less than 1 percent of the world’s property. Moreover, in Forbes 2009 top richest people in the world, the only female that came close to the top ten was Alice Walton whose wealth was not even earned by herself but an inheritance from her family. It is clearly illustrated that although women have been given economic rights, the playing field in the workplace is still not level.People still think that a woman’s role is ultimately as the housewife and not the one with a successful career or the one who is able to help the company advance. Therefore, women have enjoyed more rights than before but women will never enjoy the same rights as men as society has been structured such that women are tasked as caregivers of the family. In many countries, the issue on gender inequality still exists. Many women were not given their even dignity.While 2012 ended with the death of the 23-year-old paramedic student, who died fighting wounds sustained fighting off her rapists in a moving bus in the Indian capital of Delhi, it has invoked the issue of gender inequality in India. The outcry over the Delhi gang-rape has sparked a furious debate on the horrors that confront women in India. While the debate has put a spotlight on the inadequacies in India’s rape laws and policing, and exposed misogynist Indian â€Å"leaders†, the deep-rooted sexual inequality in the country that lies at the root of the misogyny and sexual violence has not received the attention it deserves. Gender Inequality I chose to write Toulmin Essay proposal about gender inequality in the work place. The Toulmin Essay next week will be about gender inequality in society. Gender inequality in the work place is a small component of the larger picture of com/is-patriarchy-the-main-cause-of-gender-inequality/">gender inequality in society. There are several ways in which women have been discriminated against in the workplace over the years. From the very start of the hiring process women have had to face animosity and repression in the corporate world.Women had to have more experience and better credentials than equivalent male applicants if they hoped to even get a second glance. And though there has been significant improvement in some areas, the job market still remains prejudice toward women in various forms. One of the things that have changed some since women first became part of the work force is the willingness of employers to hire female employees. Women used to have to fight much harder to pr ove their competence, and, even then they rarely secured high level positions.It is becoming more common to see women in some of these high level positions now, but they still have to sacrifice much more than the men do to get to the top and have to work harder to stay there. The most predominate way in which women feel the inequality of gender discrimination is the gross difference in the pay they receive compared to men. Women in every industrialized society around the world are paid far less for performing the same tasks as their male counterparts. The gap is profound –â€Å"on average, women in the United States earn only 68% of what men are paid (206),† and that number has remained consistent throughout the years.Although some of the gap is due to the type of fields’ men and women choose to pursue, discrimination also plays a huge role. It used to be societies view that men should support their families and women should be at home care for the house and the kids. That concept carries over into the business world in a few ways. Employers feared hiring women for long term positions out of fear they would leave once they got married and had children, or the affect that caring for children would have on job performance (â€Å"the child penalty)†.Because of these outside responsibilities women were seen as being less committed to their careers, so employers saw them as more of a liability to the company than an asset. This, along with the idea that men have better leadership skills, and women were better in â€Å"support services like human resources or public relations,† women were rarely offered promotions to top ranking positions (especially those positions like sales and marketing that affect the bottom line and are stereotypically male).Once they reach a particular point on the corporate ladder they hit the glass ceiling and are stuck where as the men seem to have no limits whatsoever. More frustrating than the limitatio ns women face in the â€Å"male† job market is the biased treatment they receive even within the fields that are considered to be famine (such as nursing, teachers, librarian, etc. ) When men pursue careers in these types of areas, they are not met with a criticizing stigma,and their capabilities are not questioned like women’s are.Men never experience hitting the glass ceiling whatever their career choice might be. In fact, they experience the exact opposite! Even in traditionally female dominated jobs, men are shown favoritism. They get more offers for higher level positions and higher salaries to start, and they are given better benefits, hours, and work assignments, and they move up the lines faster than their women coworkers on what is called the glass escalator. Even though the inequality between genders is gradually decreasing, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.Women are becoming the sole source of income in many homes because of the dynamics of the changing society. Shrinking the wage gap and continue to dispel the stereotypes that surround women is necessary. Encouraging our young women to pursue education and training is one solution. By encouraging our young people to do this, and the more qualified females there are out in the job market to fill these high level positions, the more pressure employers will feel to hire them and society’s views and beliefs will slowly begin to evolve with the times. Gender Inequality 11. ‘Women will never enjoy the same rights as men. ‘ Do you agree? We live in a world full of changes. In the past, women have been disgraced and were treated as lower class. A woman had no authority, no say and no rights to make a decision. Their duty at home was just cooking meal, cleaning the house, taking care of children and many things like these. However in today's world, the status of women is at a high level not only in the family aspect but also in the business area when compared to the past.I believe that women have progressed in their status quo but to a larger extent, but it is true that women will never enjoy the same rights as men as in many societies, women have yet to achieve gender equality as men are still generally dominant. Some basic right women should receive, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right t o food, the right to work, and the right to education have been achieved but not all, especially not when compared to men.In some workplace, wage discrimination still exists as women are not allowed the same pay as men who are of similar ranks to them. The root of this problem is to society, a woman should be at home, taking care of children and not out there in the working world. The income difference maybe expected to serve as a deterrence to women, encouraging them to remain as housewife. However, this mindset is starting to change. Vice versa, men are starting to accept the fact that they too, do play a role in bringing up and caring more for their children and this gives rise to a new role named ‘househusbands'.Statistics have also proven so. Worldwide, women work two thirds of the world’s working hours and produce half of the world’s food yet women only earn 10 percent of the world’s income and own less than 1 percent of the world’s property. Moreover, in Forbes 2009 top richest people in the world, the only female that came close to the top ten was Alice Walton whose wealth was not even earned by herself but an inheritance from her family. It is clearly illustrated that although women have been given economic rights, the playing field in the workplace is still not level.People still think that a woman’s role is ultimately as the housewife and not the one with a successful career or the one who is able to help the company advance. Therefore, women have enjoyed more rights than before but women will never enjoy the same rights as men as society has been structured such that women are tasked as caregivers of the family. In many countries, the issue on gender inequality still exists. Many women were not given their even dignity.While 2012 ended with the death of the 23-year-old paramedic student, who died fighting wounds sustained fighting off her rapists in a moving bus in the Indian capital of Delhi, it has invoked the issue of gender inequality in India. The outcry over the Delhi gang-rape has sparked a furious debate on the horrors that confront women in India. While the debate has put a spotlight on the inadequacies in India’s rape laws and policing, and exposed misogynist Indian â€Å"leaders†, the deep-rooted sexual inequality in the country that lies at the root of the misogyny and sexual violence has not received the attention it deserves.