Alcohol Dependence Essay Example for Free

Alcohol Dependence Essay An alcoholic is a man or a woman who suffers from alcoholism they have a distinct physical desire to consume alcohol beyond their capacity to control it, regardless of all rules of common sense. According to Alcoholics Anonymous UK, who say they have no unique definition for alcoholism, it may be described as a physical compulsion, together with a mental obsession. Apart from having an enormous craving for alcohol, an alcoholic often yields to that craving at the worst possible times. The alcoholic knows neither when nor how to stop drinking. Definition an alcoholic is a person, while alcoholism is the illness. An alcoholic suffers from alcoholism. Alcoholism is a long-term (chronic) disease. Alcoholics are obsessed with alcohol and cannot control how much they consume, even if it is causing serious problems at home, work, and financially. Alcohol abuse generally refers to people who do not display the characteristics of alcoholism, but still have a problem with it they are not as dependent on alcohol as an alcoholic is; they have not yet completely lost their control over its consumption. Moderate alcohol consumption will not generally cause any psychological or physical harm. However, for some individuals, social drinking eventually leads to heavier and heavier alcohol consumption, which does cause serious health and psychological problems. Alcoholism in the UK one in every 13 people in the United Kingdom is an alcoholic, according to the NHS (National Health Service) statistics. Even among people who are not dependent on alcohol, a sizeable proportion drink too much. In the USA, 15% of Americans are problem drinkers, while between 5% to 10% of male and 3% to 5% of female drinkers could be diagnosed as alcohol dependent, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The World Health Organization (WHO) says there are at least 140 million alcoholics in the world; unfortunately, the majority of them are not treated. A US study estimated that about 30% of Americans report having an alcohol disorder at some time in their lives. Alcohol consumption more severely affects women than men, according to a coordinated study carried out by researchers at RTI International, Pavlov Medical University, Leningrad Regional Center of Addictions, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. A Canadian study found that alcohol is a factor in 1 in 25 deaths worldwide. The British Medical Association says that alcohol kills six people in Scotland every day. The lifetime risk of alcohol-use disorders for men is more than 20%, with a risk of about 15% for alcohol abuse and 10% for alcohol dependence, according to researchers from the University of California, San Diego, USA. Alcohol consumption, when in moderation can have some positive effects on health. Moderate red wine drinking has several health benefits. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that injured patients with alcohol in their blood have a smaller chance of dying in hospital. The researchers said that their findings should not encourage people to drink. What are the symptoms of alcoholism? The signs of alcoholism and alcohol abuse are very similar, and are often just a question of degree or intensity. Typically, the last person to be aware that he/she has a serious drinking problem is the alcoholic himself/herself they are in denial. Some signs and symptoms of alcoholism as well as alcohol abuse include: Drinking alone. Drinking in secret. Not being able to limit how much alcohol is consumed. Blacking out not being able to remember chunks of time. Having rituals and being irritated/annoyed when these rituals are disturbed or commented on. This could be drinks before/during/after meals, or after work. Dropping hobbies and activities the person used to enjoy; losing interest in them. Feeling an urge to drink. Feeling irritable when drinking times approach. This feeling is more intense if the alcohol is not available, or there appears to be a chance it may not be available. Having stashes of alcohol in unlikely places. Gulping drinks down in order to get drunk and then feel good. Having relationship problems (triggered by drinking). Having problems with the law (caused by drinking). Having work problems (caused by drinking, or drinking as root cause). Having money problems (caused by drinking). Requiring a larger quantity of alcohol to feel its effect. Nausea, sweating, or even shaking when not drinking. A person who abuses alcohol may have many of these signs and symptoms but they do not have the withdrawal symptoms like an alcoholic does, nor the same degree of compulsion to drink. The problems linked to alcohol dependence are extensive, and affect the person physically, psychologically and socially. Drinking becomes a compulsion for a person with a drink problem it takes precedence over all other activities. It can remain undetected for several years. drunk man lying on the table with whiskey glass What is binge drinking? In the UK, binge drinking occurs when a man consumes more than eight units of alcohol and a woman consumes over six units in one sitting. Drinking large amounts of alcohol now-and-again is worse for the heath than frequently drinking small quantities. Binge drinking has become a growing problem in many countries, especially in the UK where 40% of emergency hospital admittances are alcohol-related. Sipping wine, beer or spirits three to four times per week increases the risk of binge drinking, particularly among young men, according to a study carried out by researchers from the Universite de Montreal and the University of Western Ontario. Men who drink 22 or more units of alcohol a week have a 20% higher rate of admissions into acute care hospitals than non-drinkers, researchers from the University of Glasgow found. Binge drinking among college students and heart disease researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that healthy young adults who regularly binge drink may have a higher risk of heart disease later in life. Senior author, Shane A. Phillips and team found that college binge drinkers show damage to blood vessels similar to that caused by high cholesterol and hypertension, both factors linked to heart disease. Phillips said Regular binge drinking is one of the most serious public health problems confronting our college campuses, and drinking on college campuses has become more pervasive and destructive. Binge drinking is neurotoxic and our data support that there may be serious cardiovascular consequences in young adults. What causes alcoholism (alcohol dependence)? Alcohol dependence is a gradual process which can take from a few years to several decades to become a problem with some very vulnerable people addiction can come in a question of months. Eventually, over time, regular alcohol consumption can disrupt the balance of the brain chemical GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which controls impulsiveness, as well as glutamate, which stimulates the nervous system. Brain levels of dopamine are raised when we consume alcohol dopamine levels may make the drinking experience more gratifying. Over the long- or medium-term, excessive drinking can significantly alter the levels of these brain chemicals, making the persons body crave alcohol in order to feel good and avoid feeling bad. These risk factors may also be linked to excessive drinking: Genes scientists say there are specific genetic factors which may make some people more likely to become addicted to alcohol, as well as other substances. People who have a family history of addiction are at higher risk for abusing alcohol. Alcoholics are six times more likely than nonalcoholic to have blood relatives who are alcohol dependent. Researchers from the Universidad de Granada, Spain, revealed that the lack of endorphin is hereditary, and thus that there is a genetic predisposition to become addicted to alcohol. The age of first alcoholic drink a study found that people who started drinking alcohol before the age of 15 were much more likely to have an alcohol problem later in life. Underage drinking in the USA is common 26. 6% of Americans under the legal age for alcohol consumption are drinking, a new report issued by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services) informed in a new report. The authors explained that although some progress had been made in the short term to reduce underage drinking, especially among children aged up to 17 years, underage drinking rates are still excessively high in the USA. Of the 12-20 year olds who said they had drunk alcohol during the previous four weeks, 8. 7% had bought it themselves. Pamela S. Hyde, an AMHSA Administrator, said: Underage drinking should not be a normal part of growing up. Its a serious and persistent public health problem that puts our young people and our communities in danger. Even though drinking is often glamorized, the truth is that underage drinking can lead to poor academic performance, sexual assault, injury, and even death. Smoking, especially non-daily smokers A study by Yale University researchers found that non-daily smokers are five times more likely to have a problem with alcohol compared to people who have never smoked. Easy access Experts say there is a correlation between easy access to alcohol (cheap prices) and alcohol abuse and alcohol-related deaths. A US study found a strong link between alcohol tax increases in 1983 and 2002 and a significant drop in deaths related to alcohol use in one American state the effect was found to be nearly two to four times that of other prevention strategies such as school programs or media campaigns. Stress some stress hormones are linked to alcoholism. If our levels of stress, anxiety are high some of us may consume alcohol in an attempt to blank out the upheaval. Military service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to experience posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorders simultaneously, according to researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Peer drinking people who have friends who drink regularly or abuse alcohol are more likely to drink excessively and eventually have an alcohol problem. Low self-esteem experts say that people with low self-esteem who have alcohol readily available are more likely to abuse it. Depression people with depression may deliberately or unwittingly use alcohol as a means of self-treatment. On the other hand, a statistical modeling study suggested that alcohol abuse may lead to depression risk, rather than vice versa. Media and advertising in some countries alcohol is portrayed as a glamorous, worldly and cool activity. Many experts believe that alcohol advertising and media coverage of it may convey the message that excessive drinking is acceptable. The Royal College of Physicians is asking for a European Union ban on alcohol advertising to protect children. How the body processes (metabolizes) alcohol people who need comparatively more alcohol to achieve an effect have a higher risk of eventually having an alcohol problem, a study carried out by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, found. Ads by Google Liver Damage Symptoms If You Have These 3 Symptoms You May Have Liver Damage. See Now. hearthappy. com 90% Lower Alcohol Craving New Way To Help Drinking Problems. Verified 90% Success Rate! declinol. com Heart Attack Signs? Know the 4 Bodily Signs. Take The Simple Heart Test Now www. simplehearttest. com How is alcoholism diagnosed? In the USA a person must meet the criteria laid out in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), published by the APA (American Psychiatric Association). This includes a pattern of alcohol abuse which leads to considerable impairment or distress. The patient should experience at least three of the criteria below during the past 12 months: Alcohol tolerance the patient needs a large quantity of alcohol to feel intoxicated. However, when the liver is damaged and cannot metabolize the alcohol so well, this tolerance may drop. Damage to the central nervous system may also reduce tolerance levels. Withdrawal symptoms when the patient abstains from alcohol or cuts down he/she experiences tremors, insomnia, nausea or anxiety. Typically, the patient drinks more to avoid these symptoms. Beyond intentions the patient ends up drinking more alcohol, or drinks for a longer period than he/she intended. Unsuccessfully attempting to cut down the patient is continuously trying to cut down alcohol consumption, but does not succeed. Or the patient has a persistent desire to cut down. Time consuming the patient spends a lot of time obtaining, using or recovering from alcohol consumption. Withdrawal the patient withdraws from recreational, social, or occupational activities. This did not used to be the case. Persistence the patient carries on consuming alcohol even though he/she knows it is harming him/her physically and psychologically. Some signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse may be due to another condition, or simple aging, such as memory problems, or falling. Some patients may go to their doctor about a medical condition, such as a digestive problem, and not mention their alcohol abuse. It is not always easy for a doctor to identify candidates for alcohol dependency screening. If a doctor suspects alcohol may be a problem, he/she may ask a series of questions if the patient answers in a certain way the doctor may go on to use a standardized questionnaire. A single question can identify unhealthy alcohol use in patients, a study revealed. Blood tests can only reveal very recent alcohol consumption. They cannot tell whether a person has been drinking heavily for a long time. If a blood test reveals that the red blood cells have increased in size it could be an indication of long-term alcohol abuse. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) this is a test which helps detect heavy alcohol consumption. It is a blood test. There are other tests which can indicate whether the liver has been damaged, or whether a man has reduced testosterone levels however, screening with a good questionnaire is seen as the most effective means for an accurate diagnosis. Most alcoholics deny they have a problem and tend to minimize the extent of their drinking. Talking to family members may help the doctor in his/her diagnosis (permission will be needed for this). Complications of alcoholism and alcohol abuse Usually, drinking alcohol initially elevates the persons mood. However, after a long period of regular heavy drinking the persons nervous system will become depressed and the drinker will become sedated by alcohol. Alcohol may undermine a persons judgment; it can lower inhibitions and alter the drinkers thoughts, emotions and general behavior. Heavy regular drinking can have a serious effect on a persons ability to coordinate his/her muscles and speak properly. Heavy binge drinking could cause the patient to go into coma. Eventually, regular heavy drinking may cause at least one of the following problems: Fatigue the patient is tired most of the time. Memory loss especially the patients short-term memory. Eye muscles the eye muscles can become significantly weaker. Liver diseases the patient has a considerably higher chance of developing hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Cirrhosis of the liver is an irreversible and progressive condition. Gastrointestinal complications the patient can develop gastritis, or pancreas damage. These problems also seriously undermine the bodys ability to digest food, absorb certain vitamins, and produce hormones which regulate metabolism. Hypertension regular heavy drinking invariably raises the persons blood pressure. Heart problems regular heaving drinking can lead to cardiomyopathy (damaged heart muscle), heart failure, and stroke. Diabetes alcoholics have a very high risk of developing diabetes type 2. Patients who have diabetes will invariably have serious complications if they are regular heavy drinkers of alcohol. Alcohol prevents the release of glucose from the liver, causing hypoglycemia. A person with diabetes is already taking insulin to lower his/her blood sugar levels hypoglycemia could be devastating. Menstruation alcoholism will usually stop menstruation or disrupt it. Erectile dysfunction alcoholic men are much more likely to have problems getting an erection, or sustaining one. Fetal alcohol syndrome women who abuse alcohol during their pregnancy are much more likely to have babies with birth defects, including a small head, heart problems, shortened eyelids, as well as developmental and cognitive problems. Thinning bones alcoholics invariably suffer from thinning of the bones because alcohol interferes with the production of new bone. This means an increased risk of fractures. Nervous system problems alcoholism often causes numbness in the extremities, dementia and confused/disordered thinking. Cancer alcoholics have a much higher risk of developing several cancers, including cancer of the mouth, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, breast, prostate and pharynx. An international study found that the key causes of bowel cancer are alcohol and smoking. In fact, even moderate alcohol consumption is linked to a higher incidence of cancer among women, a study found. Another study found that consuming just two or more drinks per day could increase a persons risk of pancreatic cancer by about 22%. Accidents alcoholics are vulnerable to injuries from falls, car crashes, being run over, etc. The NIH says that over half of all American traffic deaths are alcohol-related. Domestic abuse alcohol is a major factor in spouse beating, child abuse, and conflicts with neighbors. Work (school) problems employment problems, unemployment, school problems, are often alcohol-related. Suicide suicide rates among people who are alcohol-dependent or who abuse alcohol are much higher than among other people. Mental illness alcohol abuse can cause mental illness and make existing mental illnesses worse. Problems with the law the percentage of alcoholics who end up in court or in prison is significantly higher compared to the rest of the population. reaching for the whiskey glass Treatment for alcohol dependencySome medical inpatients with unhealthy alcohol use may benefit from a brief intervention, say researchers from Boston University School of Medicine. The first step for the alcoholic is to acknowledge that there is an alcohol dependency problem. The next step is to get help. In most of the world there are several support groups and professional services available. A study found that people with a stable psychosocial life situation often delay in seeking help for their alcohol problems even though they are serious. In another study, published in March 2012, scientists from Norway re-analyzed data from old trials that tested LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) for the treatment of alcoholism and concluded that a single dose of the psychedelic drug was effective in decreasing alcohol misuse. Researchers from the Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, informed in Frontiers in Pharmacology in October 2012 that veterans who smoke have a higher risk of alcohol abuse relapse than non-smokers. They added that smoking while trying to give up drinking impairs memory, learning and other cognitive skills, which undermine successful sobriety. The following are recognised treatment options for alcoholism: Do-it-yourself experts say about 30% of people with an alcohol problem manage to reduce their drinking or abstain without seeking professional help. There is a great deal of material in books and the internet that may help the self-helper. Counseling a qualified counselor can help the alcoholic talk through his/her problems and then devise a plan to tackle the drinking. CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is commonly used to treat alcohol dependency. Treating underlying problems the alcoholic may have a problem with self-esteem, stress, anxiety, depression, or some other mental health problem. It is important to treat these problems too. It is crucial for the alcoholic to realize that drinking will probably make mental health problems worse. As alcoholics commonly suffer from hypertension, liver diseases, and possibly heart diseases, these will need to be treated too. Residential programs residential programs are ideal for some people. They include expert professional help, individual or group therapy, support groups, training, family involvement, activity therapy, and a host of strategies that are aimed at treating the alcoholic successfully. Some people find that being physically away from access to temptation is a great help. Drug that provokes a severe reaction to alcohol Antabuse (disulfiram) causes a severe reaction when somebody drinks alcohol, including nausea, flushing, vomiting and headaches. It is a deterrent. It will not treat the alcoholics compulsion and will not cure alcoholism. Drugs for cravings Naltrexone (ReVia) may help with the urge to have a drink. Acamprosate (Campral) may help with cravings. Hormone ghrelin Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, have discovered a new brain mechanism involved in alcohol addiction involving the stomach hormone ghrelin. When ghrelins actions in the brain are blocked, alcohols effects on the reward system are reduced. It is an important discovery that could lead to new therapies for addictions such as alcohol dependence. Detoxification the patient takes some medication to prevent withdrawal symptoms (delirium tremens) which many alcoholics experience when they give up drinking. Treatment usually lasts from four to seven days. Chlordiazepoxide, a benzodiazepine medication, is frequently used for detoxification (detox). Doses will be initially high, and will then taper off. It is important that the patient abstains completely from alcohol during the detox. Staying on the wagon (remaining abstinent) some patients find the detox acheivable, but start drinking again soon after, or some time later. It is important to remember Samuel Johnsons phrase If at first you dont succeed. Try, try, and try again. Success rates are significantly improved if the patient has access to counseling or some support group. Family support is crucial. Sometimes a good GP can provide vital support. A study found that genetics is a factor in predicting the risk of relapse among alcohol-dependent patients. Further Reading: What is Alcohol Poisoning? What are the Dangers of Alcohol Poisoning? Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today

Cyber Bullying Is Growing Rapidly Psychology Essay

Cyber Bullying Is Growing Rapidly Psychology Essay Although bullying has been around for centuries, it has only been in the past twenty years that researchers have tried systematically to measure bullying (Kowalski, Limber, Agatston, 2008). In 2001, the first study of bullying in the United States was conducted with more than 15,000 students in grades 6 through 10 (Kowalski, Limber, Agatston, 2008; Nansel, et al., 2001). Tanya Nansel and her fellow researchers found that, within a single school term, 17% of children and youth said they had been bullied sometimes or more often, and 19% had bullied others sometimes or more frequently and 6% said they had been bullied and had bullied others sometimes or more often. In 2005, David Finkelhor and his colleagues conducted telephone interviews with children and parents, and found that 25% had been teased or emotionally bullied during the previous year (Kowalski, Limber, Agatston, 2008; Finkelhor, Ormrod, Turner, Hamby, 2005). The researchers estimated that 13.7 million children and youth were physically bullied and 15.7 million were teased or emotionally bullied each year in the U.S.(Kowalski, Limber, Agatston, 2008). The massacre at Columbine High School in 1999 seems to have been pivotal in focusing attention on bullying in the United States. Although the specific motivations for this (or other school shootings) may never be fully understood, retrospective accounts in the popular press and in the research literature pointed to bullying as a contributing factor in many of these crimes (Kowalski, Limber, Agatston, 2008; Limber, 2006; Fein, et al., 2002). A search of the Lexis/Nexis database using the search terms bullying and schools demonstrates how much school attention to school bullying has changed in recent years within the United States. In 1998, the year prior to the Columbine shootings, school bullying was in the headlines of American newspapers, magazines, and other popular press periodicals 145 times. The following year, the number of articles on school bullying doubled, and, in 2001, shot to more than 750. There has also been an increase in attention to bullying among researchers since that time. In a search of the Psych Info database using bully or bullying as search terms, there were only five publications in 1990. By 2000, the number increased to 94. In 2004, there were nearly 250 such publications. Cyber bullying wasnt even an issue in the 1990s. However, with advances in technology, children are now exposed to a new form of bullying cyber bullying (Kowalski, Limber, Agatston, 2008). Cyber bullying occurs only between minors. If an adult is involved, the behavior is labeled cyber harassment or cyber stalking (Kowalski, Limber, Agatston, 2008). Much of the attention in the popular press and professional literature has focused on sexual predators that seek out their victims through online venues such as Facebook and Myspace. The same cannot be said of cyber bullying. Significantly less attention popular, academic, and/or legal has been devoted to the topic of cyber or electronic bullying. The reality, however, is that the majority of children are more likely to be targeted by a person who cyber bullies than by a stranger they have met on the Internet who is trying to arrange an offline meeting(Kowalski, Limber, Agatston, 2008). In 2005, it was estimated that 17 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 use the internet, and 74 percent of teens IM (Lisante, 2005; TEXAS STUDY, 2009). Today, 87% of U.S. teens use email and 93% use the internet (Jacobs, 2010). WHAT TYPES OF CB ARE OCCURING THE MOST? Although traditional bullying is still more common, cyber bullying is increasing rapidly. Cyber bullying may occur through phone calls, text messaging, email, picture and video clips, instant messaging, web sites, and chat rooms. The number of people who own a cell phone is on the rise. There are a number of ways that cell phones can be used in bullying. Cell phones are a popular device used to cyber bully because unlike computers, cell phones are typically left on when not in use. When someone is done using a computer, they generally shut it off. Cell phones, however, are left on all hours of the day. The fact that cell phones are portable allows the bully to make contact with the victim throughout the day. Cyber bullies may use text messaging to attack their victim or they may use digital photos. Many bullies will call and leave abusive messages for the victim also. Since most cell phones have a built in camera, it is easy for the bully to use photos as another form of bullying. Bu llies may capture their victims changing in a locker room or using the bathroom. They can then disseminate these photos to others to embarrass their victim. Another form of bullying is called happy slapping. Happy slapping typically occurs when embarrassing images of someone are caught on a camera or on a camera phone. Many times, the person is not aware that they are being recorded. In many instances, these recordings may be set up and planned out. In April 2008, the beating of a 16-year-old girl was videotaped by other female students. The incident sparked outrage after the bullies posted the video on MySpace and YouTube. The victim suffered a concussion, damage to her eye and ear, and numerous bruises. Eight girls faced charges of felony battery and false imprisonment for the attack on a fellow teen. This event sparked national outrage brought to light the importance of educating youth on teen bullying. Cyber bullying also occurs regularly in chat rooms. Most victims of cyber bul lying say abuse occurs in chat rooms, where people who are in the room send and receive messages, called chatting. People inside chat rooms generally use screen names, or nicknames, and all the screen names of people in the chat room are listed on each users screen. A person can read messages from others in the chat room, and type and send his or her message as a reply. What someone types instantly appears on the screen as part of the chat (Breguet, 2010). Another form of cyber bullying that can occur is by exclusion. If a person is intentionally left off of a buddy list, in order to have their feelings hurt, then they have been cyber bullied. These chat rooms not only exist on the computer, but in video gaming as well. It can be difficult for adolescents to separate their character from themselves. Bullies who cheat and gang up on other gamers are called griefers (Bailey, 2010). Like traditional bullying, minor forms of cyber bullying include being ignored, disrespected, picked on, or otherwise hassled. The more debasing forms involve the spreading of rumors about someone, stalking or physically threatening another person through some medium or method of electronic communications (Hinduja Patchin, 2010). More indirect forms of cyber bullying include disseminating denigrating materials or sensitive personal information or impersonating someone to cause harm (Willard, 2007). Add info on social networking WHICH ADOLESCENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE VICTIMS OF CB? Five signs that indicate a student is being cyber bullied are as follows: Changes in mood or demeanor after being online Avoids talking about school, friends, or what they do online Has crying, anxiety, or depression episodes, especially after using the computer or cell phone Makes excuses not to go to school Withdraws from friends or usual activities (Tiano, 2008; Borgia Myers, 2010). The highest numbers of incidences of bullying occur at the middle school level. Bullying can start with children in elementary school. By the time students reach middle school, the bullying becomes more physical. Boys and girls typically bully in different ways. Boys usually push, shove, and hit. Girls on the other hand, usually start rumors or exclude girls from being a part of their social network of friends. A series of studies found that the chance of being a victim of cyber bullying increases as youngsters grow older (Kowalski and Limber, 2007; Patchin and Hinduja, 2006). Other studies found lower cyber bullying rates for students 15-18 years old than for students 12-15 years old (Slonje Smith, 2007). Still other studies found no relationship between age and being the victim of cyber bullying (Vandebosch Van Cleemput, 2009; Smith et al., 2006). Cyber bullying is occurring less frequently than traditional bullying and most cyber bullying is occurring outside of the school environment (Smith, Mahdavi, Carvalho, Fisher, Russell, Tippett, 2008). However, it is the responsibility of the school district to provide a learning environment that is in a safe environment. Studies show that 85% of high school students spend at least an hour a day on the internet. Many of the shows that teenagers are watching on television at night are reality shows. There is a lot of fighting and verbal confrontations that occur during these shows. It is believed that confrontations keep the audience entertained and wanting more. ARE F2F BULLIES GENERALLY CBs ALSO? Researchers who investigate online behavior recognized that people engage in activities online that they would not be as inclined to engage in if they were in the real world. Researchers use the term disinhibition to describe this phenomenon (Willard, 2007). There are several reasons why a bully may choose the internet to torment a victim. Cyber bullying can be done anonymously, with little effort, and the bullying can be carried out repeatedly and at a convenient time for the bully. One of the most important reasons a bully torments online is because there is a constant, captive audience to witness his or her handiwork and the victims humiliation (Breguet, 2010). Males are more likely to be traditional face to face bullies. Females, on the other hand, are more involved with cyber bullying. This could be due to the indirectness that cyber bullying plays a role in. Since females generally do not like confrontation, they are more like to participate in a form of bullying in which they do not have to face their victim. Cyber bullying allows the female students the opportunity to bully without confronting their victim. In accordance with the relationship between age and being a cyber bully, no clear tendencies could be discarded. Since cyber bullying can be anonymous, a bully can victimize someone much older or much younger than themselves. In 2006, Megan Meier committed suicide at the age of thirteen. Megan killed herself after receiving cruel messages on MySpace from who she believed was a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans. Joshs identity was actually created by Lori Drew. Drew was the mother of a former friend of Megansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Many individuals who bully have issues controlling their anger, come from violent homes or neighborhoods, have overly authoritarian parents, or may be acting out because of other problems at home (Goodstein, 2007). Some bullies may have poor social skills and trouble adapting to new or overwhelming situations (Goodstein, 2007). As a result of being bullied, many victims in turn begin to bully individuals who are younger or weaker than themselves. Many kids try to be funny as an attempt to be cool while at school. Making fun or ridiculing others is sometimes considered funny. So as an attempt to be cool, bullying may occur. Bullies are not always the friendless, mean loners many people assume them to be. Bullies actually can be quite popular. Many times, they are very connected to school life through athletics, academics, or other extracurricular activities. Bullies generally are strong, confident, and aggressive, much more so than their victims, who, by comparison, tend to be weak, timid, and nonassertive (Bolton Graeve, 20). Some cyber bullies are angry loners or misfits, sometimes seeking revenge for having been bullied themselves. Experts say it is common for online abusers to be popular students with plenty of self-esteem who are trying to strengthen their place in the social hierarchy. They do it by intimidating those they perceive to have less status (Billitteri, 2008). Its not really the schoolyard thug character. Its the in-crowd kids bullying those who dont rank high enough, says Nancy Willard, executive director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use (Billitteri, 2008). Mark Wei ss, education director of Operation Respect, says, I think the culture is angrier. He went on to say, The things on TV, the laugh tracks of situation comedies, its all about making fun of each other and putting each other down, and reality TV is all about humiliation(Billitteri, 2008). WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS FELT BY THE VICTIMS OF CB? Although cyber bullying is occurring most frequently at home and not at school, it affects students at school. Even when its off campus, the impact is coming to school in the form of young people who have been so tormented they are incapable of coming to school to study, which leads to dropouts ,fights, violent altercations and suicide, said Nancy Willard, a former attorney and former teacher of at-risk children (Billitteri, 2008). Patchin and Hinduja (2006) found that 42.5 percent of the cyber bully victims were frustrated, almost 40 percent felt angry, and about 27 percent felt sad (Vandebosch Van Cleemput, 2009). One teenager said, It makes me hurt both physically and mentally. It scares me and takes away all my confidence. It makes me feel sick and worthless (Hinduja Patchin #1). Victims who experience cyber bullying also reveal that they were afraid or embarrassed to go to school. In addition, research has revealed a link between cyber bullying and low self-esteem, family problems, academic problems, school violence, and delinquent behavior. Cyber bullied youth also report having suicidal thoughts, and there have been a number of examples in the United States where youth who were victimized ended up taking their own lives (Hinduja Patchin #1). Even though suicide rates have decreased 28.5 percent among young people in recent years, upward trends were identified in the 10- to 19-year-old age group (Hinduja Patchin #2 plus others). Youth who are bullied, or bully others, are at an elevated risk for suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completed suicides. The reality of these links has been str engthened through research showing how experience with peer harassment (most often as a target but also a perpetrator) contributes to depression, decreased self-worth, hopelessness, and loneliness-all of which are precursors to suicidal thoughts and behavior (Hinduja Patchin #2 plus others). In a research conducted by Hinduja Patchin (2010), cyber bullying victims reported that they were almost twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to youth who had not experienced cyber bullying. Traditional bullying and victimization have also been linked to loneliness, peer rejection, low self-esteem, poor mental health, and other psychological and physiological ailments among youthful populations (Hinduja Patchin, 2010; Crick Bigbee, 1998; Forero, McLellan, Rissel et al., 1999; Hershberger DAugelli, 1995; Mills, Guctin, Lynch et al., 2004; Prinstein, Boegers,, Spirito, Little et al., 2000; Prinstein, Boegers, Vemberg, 2001; Rigby Slee, 1993; Salmon, James, Smith, 1998). After considering the extent research on bullying and suicidal ideation, it can be said with confidence that a strong relationship exists (Hinduja Pachin, 2010; Balry Winkel, 2003; Kim, Koh, Leventhal, 2005; Mills, Guerin, Lynch, et al., 2004; Roland, 2002; Seals Young, 2003). The research on cyber bullying flourished following the school shooting at Columbine High School. Research from the Secret Service and the United States Department of Education on thirty-seven school shootings, including Columbine, found that almost 75 percent of the shooters felt bullied, threatened, attacked, or injured by other. Several shooters also reported experiencing long-term and severe bullying and harassment from their peers (Goodstein, 2007). According to Goodstein (2007), victims of bullying usually miss more school, have higher dropout rates, and have problems concentrating on their schoolwork. They also tend to show higher levels of insecurity, anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, physical and mental symptoms and low self-esteem. The consequences of being cyber bullied quickly creep into the classroom where the students eventually face the damage to their psyches or their reputations(Borgia Myers, 2010). Children have always been encouraged to not tattle tell. Once these children are bullied, many withhold the experience they are going through as a result of what they have been taught. Parry Aftab, of wiredsafety.org, says 45,000 students-85 percent to 97 percent of her audiences-reported having been victims of cyber bullying in 2007. Yet, only 5 percent will tell a trusted parent or adult (Billitteri, 2008). Another reason many victims do not report that they have been bullied is because they worry that the problem will escalate. An 11-year old from Michigan said, She kept texting me so many mean things that I wanted to throw my phone against the wall. I told my mom and she called her. After that the mean girls texted me, wow you cant fight your own battles (Billitteri, 2008)! Although online comments have the potential to spread at a much faster rate than conversations in a school hallway, dealing with it could possibly be easier. Teens have the capability of ignoring the comments online by merely turning off the computer and not reading them. Since comments were made online, the victim is able to print the comments to turn them over to the local police unit. Victims can also report incidences to their ISP. School districts and parents need to make themselves responsible for educating youth on cyber bullying. Since most cyber bullying occurs away from school, parents may attempt to protect the bully by arguing that they have the freedom of speech to express their thoughts aloud. Conclusion: It is very important as parents to monitor childrens online activity. Parents should be aware of social networking sites that their children participate in. It is critical to educate children about the proper language that should be used online. Experts believe that cyber bullying is going to worsen because most bullies enjoy the idea that they have a large audience witnessing their attacks on the victims. As the price of computers continues to drop and as internet use gets faster, cheaper, and more far-reaching, it only makes experts believe that cyber bullying will continue to grow. Therefore, it is critical for parents to talk to their children about the impact of cyber bullying on youth. When kids are confronted about being a cyber bully, many of the kids respond that they didnt know that they were actually hurting the other person. Since many cyber bullies do not face their victims, it is difficult to witness the effects that the bullying is having on the victims.

The Purpose Of A Business Plan Business Essay

The Purpose Of A Business Plan Business Essay In most cases, a business plan is created to explain and illustrate the vision you have for your business, and to persuade others to help you achieve that vision. To accomplish this, your plan will need to demonstrate on paper that you have a firm visualization of what your business is going to be. It needs to convince others that your business concept can be successful and that you possess the expertise-alone or collectively-to assure that it will be both successful and profitable. Why is it important It is important to use a business plan when starting and running the business as it indentifies the business aims and objectives, also it is important to have one as it will allow the business to go back and see if the business is progressing in the developing business and if the business is on the track to achieve the aim. RANGE OF POSSIBLE IDEAS I had many potential ideas of the businesses that I would like to set up in Lisburn. My most favourite ideas which I was considering to start up are: Restaurant In the current time in Lisburn there are several restaurants and there is no which serves multinational menus which include European, Asian and American foods. I believe that this business could be successful as many of peoples would like to try other nationalities foods. To run this business successfully I will have to create a very warm and welcome premise to which lots of peoples will be able to like it and. Also the service and food will need to be high quality so the customers will love to come back. Advantages Original menu as no restaurants serves the food I would If the business will gain loyal customers the business will survive Disadvantages Risk of not getting into the taste of locals Competition with well established restaurants Unknown local suppliers product quality Inexperienced staff Sandwich bar In modern days more peoples are buying ready to do foods such as chips, crisps, sweets which are bad for health. My idea is to let adults and children to have a healthy break time eating fresh ingredients and healthy sandwiches. To survive I will need to provide my business with the equipment such as Toaster, Micro wave, Panini maker, Serving Unit Hot/Cold, Grills, Till and much more. Advantages Disadvantages Competition with well established businesses Inexperienced staff Unknown local suppliers product quality Coffee shop Many people are in the hurry in these days, where most of them dont have time to consume their breakfast at home. The coffee shop idea will allow to those peoples who have to travel long time to their jobs, to buy tea or coffee and the snack and consume on the way, this could save enormous amount of time if they could decide to do their lunch and coffee themselves. I will have to spend about  ¼ of my budget on the equipment where I will need to buy equipment such as coffee machine, cups (glass and plastics), plates and more. Advantages Disadvantages Competition with well established businesses Inexperienced staff Unknown local suppliers product quality Ice Ring Lisburn does not have many attractions in the city, so it could be a good idea to get everyone enjoy their afternoons on the ice cold ring. It could be a very good place to have fun with the family and friends away from their troubles. The business could survive as the only other attractions could be the swimming pool and cinema which are located in the city centre. Advantages Disadvantages Expensive to run and insure Lots of health and safety issues will need to be complete. After concluding my potential businesses ideas I had rejected some of the ideas as there was the possibility that they wont survive the first year of trading. This is the list in order of the businesses I want to operate. The first one is the business I am currently going for, the last one is the least possible for me to go for. Coffee shop Sandwich bar Restaurant Ice Ring After knowing what business I am going to open I had thought about the name for it. The name that the most attracts my attention is CS. It is short and easy to remember which is excellent name. LEGAL STATUS There are several legal statuses available for my chosen business: Solo trader This is when the business is owned and run by one individual; however this is mainly the local business and will normally not expand on an international level. Main advantages of a solo trader à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 100% of control over the business it means that the entire business is controlled by one person only which is mainly owner. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Quicker at decision making it allows to easy and fast make decision as there is only one person whom make the decisions and dont have anyone to make the decisions. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Can keep 100% of profit if the business is well operating it even can make high wage and dont have to share profit with anyone. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Local business, therefore loyal customers from that area loyal customers may result in a consistent flow of money into the business. Main disadvantages of a sole trader à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Unlimited liability this may meant that the owner may lose his personal possessions because of the business depth and cannot pay it back. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Heavy stressful workload because it is a solo trader business it means that the one person has to do all of the activities which includes paperwork and more, which could cause stress, about not completing it and of the lack of time. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Finance problems because the business small and is financed by one person and maybe by a bank loan. The solo trader may face finance difficulties if the business will get into the debt. Partnership a partnership is when between two and twenty peoples own a business, as there is large number of co-workers each is investing money in to the business and share the profit or loses of the business. Main advantages of a Partnership à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ More peoples investing money because there is many partners the large capital and large funds are raised quickly, this means that the business can easily and faster earn stable finance source than a solo trader. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ More ideas because there is more than one person who owns the business, each has different ideas how to improve the business. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Shared workload as the business has more than one owners the workload can be easy shared between partners which decrease the possibility of stress. Main disadvantages of a Partnership à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Disagreements as each of the partners have different ideas to improve the business the disagreements can appear as other person doesnt like the idea which is currently discussed. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Breakdown in communication this can be cause when one of the partners will decide to go ahead with their own ideas, in which case may cause other departments become confused and may lose the communication between each other. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Unlimited liability if the business will be in the debt there is possibility the owners will lose their personal processions to pay back the debt. Over considering different legal status available, I decided that the most appropriate status for my business is solo trader. Despise of all the disadvantages. I had chosen this legal status for the reason that I can test my self if I can run business on my own. Also I had choose it for the reason the I wont rely on any one with decision making and I will operate the business as I want. I did not choose the partner ship as we may have disagreements which may have effects on business which may lead to close down; this is the risk that I dont want to take, as I may loose lots of my money. RESEARCH COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS The primary research that I had carried out was a questionnaire which I had held in the city centre of Lisburn. I choose this destination as this is where I am hoping to set my business. From the questionnaire I will receive the overview and the opinions of my future target market. Primary research The first question I had asked in the questionnaire was What age group would you be in? Form this question I had found the majority of my target market would come from 18-20 age group. The second popular age group was 21-30age group and 31-40 age group as both has the same percentage. The second question I had asked in the questionnaire was How often to you visit coffee shop? The result was very interesting as 40% of people who had fill in this questinoaire had said that they are visiting coffee shops every day. The 28% said that they are visitgin coffee shop weekly. I also asked if they would be interested if I would provide any refreshments suchas sandwitches and fresh salad. For the pie chart I noticed that 72% of people thinks that this is a good idea. As I know thatthey would like to have a sandwitches and salad I had asked them how much they would like to be charged for them. I had allowed them to choose the costs starting form  £1.50 up to  £4+. More than 56% said that they prefeer the price to be  £2.50 as for this price the best igridients can be purchased. As there are many students living in the Lisburn I had asked peoples in their opinion would the discount for students encourage them to go to coffee shop. The 56% of votes said that they would be encouraged to visit the coffee shop. Secondary research The UK branded coffee chain market continues to expand rapidly, exceeding 3,000 outlets for the first time and an estimated  £1.3 billion in turnover as UK consumers taste for coffee bars continues unabated. According to Allegria Strategies, the market is forecast to nearly double over the next decade to reach up to 6,000 outlets and turnover in excess of  £2.5 billion within 7-10 years. Growing at more than 15 per cent for the past eight years, UK coffee bar culture has extended well beyond UKs major urban centres and is penetrating smaller towns and the provincial areas due to phenomenal consumer demand and rapid opening programmes by coffee bar chains Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Caffà ¨ Nero, Pret A Manger and others. Results from more than 6,300 telephone and face-to-face interviews with UK consumers (the largest sample ever conducted in the UK) reveal that consumers are visiting branded coffee chains more frequently than ever before: Coffee shops are now mainstream and form an important part of UK lifestyles with more than 11 million adults visiting coffee shops at least once per week and more than 20 million persons visiting the venues at least once per month AIMS/OBJECTIVES OF A BUSINESS An aim is a long term intention that business wants to achieve. All businesses have different aims and sometimes some businesses have more than one. To achieve the aims an objectives are set. Objectives are the goal outcomes or targets. Many businesses are using SMART method to set their objectives achievable. Smart stands for; Specific they must set out clearly what a business sis aiming to do. Measurable they must be capable of being met Achievable everyone involved in reaching the objective must agree with the objective and understand what is meant by it. Realistic the objectives must be achievable from the source that are available form and for the state of the market conditions Time specific the objective should state over what time of period the objective has to be achieved. Many businesses create a mission statement, which states the purpose of the business and it values. It is meant to stake both the aims of the business and the provide a vision of the business for the stakeholders. The aim for my business is; Achieve the loyal customers by offering an efficient and reliable service at a low cost. The objectives for my business are; Survive when I first start out Get loyal customers and staff To break even within the first year Become market leader within next five years PROMOTION STRATEGIES Marketing mix refers to the primary elements that must be attended to in order to properly market a product or service. Also known as The 4 Ps of Marketing, the marketing mix is a very useful, if a bit general, guideline for understanding the fundamentals of what makes a good marketing campaign Elements of the marketing mix are often referred to as the four Ps: Product A tangible object or an intangible service that is mass produced or manufactured on a large scale with a specific volume of units. Price The price is the amount a customer pays for the product. It is determined by a number of factors including market share, competition, material costs, product identity and the customers perceived value of the product. Place Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often referred to as the distribution channel. Promotion represents all of the communications that a marketer may use in the marketplace. Promotion has four distinct elements advertising, public relations, word of mouth and point of sale This is the marketing mix for my business considering 4ps; Product The product which I am going to provide is a wide range of coffees, teas, snacks, sandwiches and fresh salads and fizzy drinks. Price Because of the recession not many peoples will allow them selves for the take away coffee. There fore I will need to sell my product in the lowest price as possible. All the hot drinks will be sold between  £2  £4, all the soft drinks  £1 and the snacks, sandwiches and salads between  £1,50- £3. Place The premise which I choose for my coffee shop is located in the centre of the city centre. The premise which I found is for the rental purpose and costs  £1,000 per month. This property has 2 floors with reasonable good sizes. The ground floor will be used as a main area of the shop where customers will be served and use the Wi-Fi, where as the first floor will be the office area. Promotion To promote my business I am going to us local news papers to advertise my coffee shop. To support my promoting method I am going to use leaflets which will be delivered by the local postman. The leaflet details will include the prices, available coffees types, and location and contact details. LIKELY COMPETITORS I discovered my likely competitors by doing research on yell.co.uk and from local knowledge. There are four well established businesses which I will compete with for survival. This are; Esquires coffee shop The house of Vic-Ryn Street cafe Coffee Inc Each of those businesses are well established and have regular customers. Because all of them are mainly located in the city centre the competition will be heavy on me as the premise which I will use form my business is also in the city centre. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analysis can be defined strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieving that objective. SWOT represents; Strengths: attributes of the person or company those are helpful to achieving the objective(s) Weaknesses: attributes of the person or company those are harmful to achieving the objective(s). Opportunities: external conditions those are helpful to achieving the objective(s). Threats: external conditions which could do damage to the objective(s). Strengths and Weaknesses can be controlled within the business. It is up to the manager to deal with these at the right time and in the appropriate way. Opportunities and Threats are out of control of the manager. Theyre therefore external. This is my swot analyse for my business CAFE LATTE. Strengths Sit in facility Wi-Fi facilities Offering different types of foods and snacks Located in the city centre Weaknesses Not well known Competition with established businesses Opportunities Expand locally Buy more specious premises allowing being more welcome Threats Esquires coffee shop The house of Vic-Ryn Street cafe Coffee Inc SECTION B PHYSICAL RESOURCES Physical resources are defined as resources that are available to business organisations in the form of buildings and other machineries which are needed for the day to day running of the organisation. To smoothly operate my business I need meet physical requirements which will allow me to survive and operate my business. the equipments which I need for my business are listed bellow. The equipment list Item Quantity Unit Price Total Price Timing Buy/Lease Counter 1  £10,000  £10,000 Start Up Buy Seating (chairs and tables) 15  £8,000  £8,000 Start Up Buy Water boiler 1  £464.13  £464.13 Start Up Buy Coffee machine 2  £500  £1,000 Start Up Lease Coffee (12 kg) 4  £60  £240 Start Up Buy Cookery 60  £329.50  £329.50 Start Up Buy Knives, forks and spoons 40  £50  £50 Start Up Buy Refrigerated display units 1  £2,010.  £2,010 Start Up Buy Cleaning fluids 6  £600  £600 Start Up Buy HUMAN RESOURCES Human resources are known as people employed by a business. This means that human resources are the number of people working for the business. The number of human resources is related to the business, for example a small business such as a window cleaning service has small human resources which may include two or five employees. The big international businesses on the other wise, such as Tesco, or Sainsbury are more likely to have thousands or even more workers. Because my business is small and is just starting up I wont need too many human resources. To be able to successfully operate the business I am going to employ 2 full time and 1 part time employees. Each employee will be required to have good communication skills and be able to work in the busy atmosphere. Because I want to encourage my staff to perform on their best abilities I am going to award them by adding additional  £1.00 to theirs minimal wage. There are several policies that I will need to take into consideration if I want my business to operate legally and satisfy my customers and staff. Health and safety issue is the most important regulation which I need to consider. I will be required to make sure that I will create a safe environment for my workers and the customers. If the accident will happen because of not making any health and safety requirements I can be sued which could cost me money and time, including it could reflect my business reputation. Equal Pay Act, 1970 Sex Discrimination Act, 1995 is another important law which I have to make sure I will consider within my business. When I will going to advertise my vacancy I cannot specify what sex I am looking for as this is how the law is broken. I have to make sure that I will give a fair chance for both sexes to try to apply for the job. The National Minimum Wages Act, 1998 this law simply clarified that people cannot be underpaid under the minimum national wage. There are three branches of this legislation; Between 16 and 17 years  £3.57 an hour Between 18 and 21 years  £4.83 an hour 22 and over  £5.80 an hour Data Protection Act, 1984 I need to consider this act in order to keep my staff and my business details save. Because I will need to store the private and financial details I will need to make sure that no on unauthorised will have access to these details. Disability Discrimination Act, 1995 I need to make sure that I wont discriminate any employee because of theirs disability. I am not going to consider the disability in picking appropriate employee for my business. The only fair way is by picking the qualifications and experience. RESOURCES AND QUALITY CONSTRAINTS LEGAL AND ECONOMIC Pestle analysis is one of framework that categorizes environmental influences as political, economic, social and technological forces. Sometimes two additional factors, environmental and legal, will be added to make a PESTEL analysis, but these themes can easily be subsumed in the others. Political influences These refer to government policy such as the degree of intervention in the economy. Economic influences These include interest rates, taxation changes, economic growth, inflation and exchange rates. Social influences Changes in social trends can impact on the demand for a firms products and the availability and willingness of individuals to work. Technological influences new technologies create new products and new processes. Legal influences environmental factors include the weather and climate change. Changes in temperature can impact on many industries including farming, tourism and insurance. Environmental influences these are related to the legal environment in which firms operate. For my business there are several constraints relevant to me are legal, economic, technical, and environmental. Legal constraints The legal constraints that will affect my business are regulations for a contract for example how long is the credit on it. Anther legal constraint would be DPA (Data Protection Act) in the UK gives the right to individual to know which companies hold their personal details and they are allowed to ensure that the information is accurate. This data should be also being protected within the business to ensure no one unauthorised will access the personal details. Economic constraints due to the current economy it will be harder for me to get a bank loan. Also because of the recession not every one will be able to afford the take away or sit in coffee. Technical constraints I will need to make sure that all the Environmental constraints as I will provide a take away service I will provide with recycle cops which will be easily recycle and good for environment. Also I will provide customers with business plastic take away cups with the lids which will allow them to use it to refill. SECTION C SOURCES OF FINANCE There are different sources of finance I can use to finance my business. Those sources are; Money from family or friends because I am a sole trader I may be able to borrow money from family or friends without paying interest, which would be very beneficial for me. Bank loan another way to finance my business I may use a bank loan. Loans from a bank or a building society can be expensive as they will include the interest. An agreed amount is borrowed and repaid over a fixed period of time with interest. To start up my business I am going to use the  £10,000 that I was left by my grandparents. Although my physical resources of total of  £22.694. I decided that I am going to take a bank loan. The loan which I will take will cover both my start up cost and running costs. I am hoping to get a loan that will be for 4-5 years which also will cover the unexpected expenses. The loan which I choose is Platinum Loans. I got a loan for  £30,000 and will be repaid by 5 years. The monthly amount to repay is going to be  £601.63 and the 7.8 APR which I total I will need to repay  £36,098. FORECASTS: CASH FLOW AND BREAKEVEN SUSTAINING IDEA After analysing project figures and the information that I had gathered I can say that the business will make profit within the first year. If I would considering expanding my business locally in the future I will need to consider all the major expenses to pay. Into these expenses I am considering a bank loans which will be repaid within 5 years and capital purchase. After two or more years of trading the external factors will need to be considered, as they may change the impact on the business. Those external factors that would change are due to Political, Legal, Social and Economic influences Political influences Legal influences Social influences Economic influences SECTION D BREAK EVEN ANALYSIS Most of the businesses frequently want to know the amount of the business need to produce or to reach break even. If the business has collect the information about fixed costs and variable cost and what process it is going to charge, it will allows to calculate how many units will be required to sell to cover all of its costs. The stage of sales or outputs where total costs are exactly the same as the total revenue is called a breakeven point. There are several uses of the break even and the most common one which are used by almost most of the businesses are based on: Calculate in advanced the level of sale needed for break even See chow changes on the in cost affect the break-even point and profit See how effect in output affects profit. To calculate a break even point I am going to use following formula; BE= SP-VC/FC. (BE- Break Even, SP Selling Price, VC Variable Cost, FC Fix Costs). I also used this formula to draw up business break even point graph what will show exactly how much units needs to be sold to break even. Selling price Is the price that a unit is sold for. Sales Tax is not included the selling price and a sales tax paid is not included as a cost. The selling price of my products is 2,50 per unit Variable cost Variable costs are costs directly related to production units. Typical variable costs include direct labour and direct materials. Coffee, Cups, Lead and Sugar the total of those materials is 0.40 per unit. Fix costs Cost that do not change when production or sales levels do change, such as, rent, property tax, insurance, or interest expense. The total fix cost is  £55,934 Break even calculation BE= 2.50-0.40/55,934 BE = 26,636 This is the graph which shows the break even unit point. As you can see to break even I need to sell 26,636 units of coffee in a year. To get more specific figures that 2,220 coffees a month, which I think is achievable.  £ 0 RATIO ANALYSIS EXCLUSIVE SUMMARY The business that I had decided to set up is CS which will be located in - in Lisburn. The opening hours will be 8 am to 5 pm form Monday to Friday and 10 am to 3pm in Saturday and Sunday. Products The products that my coffee shop is going to sell is a wide range of coffee, teas, snacks, sandwiches and fresh salads and fizzy drinks. All the foods will be home made which will Employees I am going to employ two full times and one part time employee. Each of the employees will be paid  £1 over their minimal wage, which will allow me to motivate them. Finance Because  £10,000 which I got from my grandparents will be not enough to start the business I will take the loan. The amount I am taking is  £30,000 which will be repaid over 5 year time. Competition Esquires coffee shop The house of Vic-Ryn Street cafe Coffee Inc

New Telemarketers :: Internet Computers Technology Media Essays

New Telemarketers The other day, while doing what should have been a five-minute task, I was online searching for a web page. Because I am a horrible speller, and mostly because I was in a hurry, I typed in the wrong web address. Instead of Google.com, I got Goggle.com. Instantly I was bombarded with fifty, yes I counted, fifty pop-up ads on my computer screen. As Internet users, I am sure that you know that these advertisements are not only annoying, but very frustrating when trying to get things done quickly. And they are, in this particular instance, confusing to both me and my computer. Ironically, or maybe a stroke of marketing genius, the very last pop-up was an ad for a free â€Å"pop-up killer† program that you could download. The ad worked because after â€Å"killing† all those ads, I found myself downloading the program to stop those annoying things. Then, I swore it worked because the next three times I went to Goggle.com there were no ads. (There was also no search engine, which took me a few more minutes to figure out why). Since then, I have become extremely annoyed with the program and removed it from my computer, but only after the program asked me another three times if I was sure I wanted to remove it or buy the profe ssional version. While even I will admit these ads and tactics seem like marketing gold, they also seem intruding and unethical. They may even lead to the demise of the Internet itself. And yes, I do realize that statement seems a bit extreme. Using the web as a communication medium is a good function of the World Wide Web. Communication mediums are one of the many functions that the web has to offer our society. But, these pop-up ads and other forms of irritating promotional tactics, such as spam, re-routing and faux error messages, are unethical. They are unethical because they â€Å"mislead users into displaying advertising; some are unethical because promoters are forcing advertising messages on people† (Farkas 110). And as you know and can tell from my experiences, they happen way too often. But how can these unethical practices hurt society and the Internet? Well, as Marshall McLuhan states, â€Å"like any other extension of man, typography had psychic and social consequences that suddenly shifted previous boundaries and patterns of culture† (McLuhan 233). In his chapter he implies that print and type lead to industrial revolution; the Internet can impact society just as greatly.

Essay --

Slaves wanted freedom. They wanted to get away from their malicious and abusive owners, reunite with their families, and have a chance at a new life. The Underground Railroad gave them that chance. Before the Underground Railroad, slaveholders became accustomed to the use of this cruel system in which they called slavery, where slaves were often treated worse than farm animals. Slaves were forced to live in terrible conditions, where they were crowded into poorly built huts, exposed to both the freezing cold and extreme heat, worked from sun up until sun down, and were malnourished. Slaves could also be subjected to torturous punishments at the will of his or her master or overseer. As a southern judge once decreed, â€Å"The power of the master must be absolute.† Slaveholders would even aim to break up slave families just so that their absolute control would never waver. (Landau) It is believed that the system of the Underground Railroad began in 1787 when a Quaker named Isaac T. Hopper started to organize a system for hiding and aiding fugitive slaves. The Underground Railroad was a vast, loosely organized network of people who helped aid fugitive slaves in their escape to the North and Canada. It operated mostly at night and consisted of many whites, but predominately blacks. While the Underground Railroad had unofficially existed before it, a cause for its expansion was the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act allowed for runaway slaves to be captured and returned within the territory of the United States and added further provisions regarding the runaways and imposed even harsher chastisements for interfering in their capture (A&E). The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act was a major cause of the development o... ...d and inspired blacks to do something about the situation that they were being given, and so they did. Blacks and whites came together to fight on the same side, to fight for the abolishment of slavery. This coming together is what caused the Underground Railroad to expand and evolve, but none of it would have ever happened, or at least not as fast as it did, without the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act which brought blacks and whites together. In this way the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act was a major cause of the development of the Underground Railroad because it caused people to realize just how cruel slavery was, which invoked an increase in the support and aid of the strong, free, black population, who were a crucial component to the Underground Railroad, as well as abolitionist and anti-slavery white, resulting in the expansion of the Underground Railroad.

Stewardship versus economic decision making in financial reporting

The chief aim of fiscal describing harmonizing to the IASB ‘s Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements model is that of supplying equal information in order to enable stockholders conduct economic determination devising. This brought the argument of whether such nonsubjective neglected the importance of the stewardship appraisal by the portion of stockholders. In the past decennary the IASB and the US FASB have been working on a joint undertaking to develop a conceptual model for fiscal coverage. Such conceptual model has the purpose of supplying a base for developing harmonised, future accounting criterions. In 2008, the boards issued an exposure bill of exchange of chapter one and chapter two of the conceptual model with chapter one undertaking the aims of fiscal coverage. In the exposure bill of exchange that has been recently issued by the two boards, it was identified that the aim of fiscal coverage should be that of catering for all the determinations that capital suppliers make, including both resource allotment determinations and determinations made to protect and heighten their investings. Furthermore on the implicit in exposure bill of exchange there is stated that information about the stewardship of an entity ‘s economic resources should be considered as decision-useful information. Hence in this exposure bill of exchange it is clear that the two boards shifted from concentrating entirely on economic determination devising, to general determination devising, with stewardship being included in such broader definition. Although this move to concentrate on determination utility instead than specifically on economic determination devising was a agency to subsume stewardship in the aim of fiscal coverage, writers such as Andrew Lennard still argue that stewardship and determination utility should be recognised as separate aims. â€Å" aˆÂ ¦stewardship contributes an of import dimension to fiscal coverage, which should be reflected by specific recognition in the aims of fiscal coverage. †[ 1 ] The bulk of the writers who recognise stewardship as a cardinal aim in fiscal coverage, claim that fiscal statements should be prepared on the footing of historical costs. This ensures in supplying a clear, factual history of the minutess that occurred during the twelvemonth, over which direction had control. Therefore describing on historical cost can help stockholders carry through their stewardship appraisal needs better. On the other manus, to provide for determination utility, particularly in footings of economic determination devising, fiscal coverage would concentrate more on the prediction of future hard currency flows. Such nonsubjective would be better addressed with ratings based on market values, since they better reflect the timing and certainty of future hard currency flows. This is taking to the outgrowth of rating techniques based on current values, such as just value. The acceptance of just value accounting is possibly one of the most controversial issues presently being faced by the accounting universe. Both the IASB and the FASB have been working on this issue for the last twosome old ages. Traditionally, fiscal coverage has been entirely based on historical costs. The usage of current values, such as just value describing emerged comparatively late, and was applied to merely few selected countries. One of the countries where just value had a major influence is in the measuring of fiscal instrument. Using market values to value Financial Instruments is deemed to be dependable ( since markets in these points are good developed ) and relevant ( because the values of fiscal instruments can see big fluctuations, therefore historical costs depicts a really hapless image of current values ) . However, in the nearby hereafter, just value measuring is likely to be extended to other assets, particularly in the visible radiation of the fact of the IASB â €˜s and FASB ‘s sensed penchant for just value measuring even where the market is non good developed. â€Å" The IASB believes that just value measuring under IFRS and GAAP is already consistent. Besides, the IASB and the FASB will go on to work together to guarantee that using just value in an inactive market is accounted for systematically †[ 2 ]. Stockholders are divided into two chief classs, private persons and institutional investors. Although fiscal coverage is designed to provide for the demands of capital suppliers, due to the deficiency of cognition normally found within private single stockholders, concerns may originate on what such private single stockholders identify as utile, for their determination devising.Need for the survey:The thesis ‘s aim is to place the current demands of private stockholders and what they identify as valuable information. The thesis shall so analyze to what extent the focal point on determination utility and the prediction of future hard currency flows through just value accounting shall help private stockholders in fulfilling their demands.Research Methodology:The thesis will be of a qualitative nature. The purpose of such thesis is to accomplish a deep apprehension of what local private stockholders value as relevant information, and to analyze whether the emerging construct of ju st value accounting will be supplying such users more relevant accounting information. The purpose of the survey is non to generalize findings but to obtain rich description on the implicit in subject. The method being taken into consideration to garner the qualitative information is the puting up of focal point groups with stockholders. Such group treatments provide direct grounds about similarities and differences in participant ‘s sentiments. Participants are non required to reply for every inquiry enabling them to construct on one another ‘s response. Furthermore by moving as a moderator I can guarantee that the treatment is ever kept on path. Finally, focal point groups can be considered as a more plausible solution when compared to open ended interviews with stockholders. The response rate of stockholders to a focal point group is likely to be greater when compared to a personal 1 on one interview, since the latter is perceived as more intrusive. The chief restriction of utilizing focal point groups is possibly the hazard that people influence each other ‘s response. As a consequence the response of participants can be different than the response that would hold been generated from a private 1 on one interview. Stockholders from two local, listed companies are traveling to be considered as the population sample. These companies are Bank of Valletta and HSBC. The pick fell on these companies because due to the recent alterations to IAS 39 and IFRS 7, just value measuring had a considerable impact on the banking sector. Thereby, due to such fact stockholders can be even more concerned and affected with the underlying capable. Two focal point groups are planned to be set, one with BOV stockholders and one with HSBC stockholders, with groups runing from six to twelve members. Shareholder ‘s list can be obtained from the Malta Financial Services Authority. The sampled population will except abroad stockholders, trusts and investing companies, therefore concentrating entirely on local private stockholders.Chapters Overview:Introduction: foremost the stewardship versus economic determination doing argument will be tackled, and its effects on rating on fiscal coverage will be analysed. The th esis shall so concentrate on the outgrowth of just value as a measuring tool and its prospective use. Furthermore just value will be compared and contrasted with cost based rating. The debut will besides include an scrutiny of how each rating method caters for the single private stockholders ‘ demands. Literature Reappraisal: literature reappraisal can be focused on two facets being the argument of just value measuring versus cost based measuring, and the argument of whether private stockholders use accounting information largely for economic determination devising, or to measure stewardship. Research Methodology: in this subdivision I shall depict how the consequences were achieved, explicating how the information was collected and analyzed. This subdivision shall incorporate the failings and restrictions of the research methods and methodological analysis used. In the methodological analysis I shall besides include any jobs that I anticipated and explicate any stairss taken to forestall them from happening. Findingss: this portion of thesis will incorporate the information generated from the focal point groups. Consequences will be presented, interpreted and discussed in this subdivision. Decision: this portion will supply reasoning penetrations on the research, and recommendations of other research inquiries that can be tackled to better the research on the country. The chief inquiries to be answered in this subdivision are: what has been learnt from the consequences? How can this cognition be used? What are the defects of the research?Bibliography:Accounting Standards Board. ( 2007 ) . STEWARDSHIP/ACCOUNTABILITY AS AN OBJECTIVE OF FINANCIAL REPORTING A remark on the IASB/FASB Conceptual Framework Project. United kingdom: Accounting Standards Board. Alan Bryman, E. B. ( 2007 ) . Business Research Methods 2 edition. United kingdom: Oxford University Press. Doron Nissim, S. P. ( 2007 ) . ON THE APPLICATION OF FAIR VALUE ACCOUNTING. Columbia Univesity. Lennard, A. ( 2008 ) . Stewardship and the aims of fiscal statements: a remark on IASB ‘s Preliminary Positions on an improved Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting. United kingdom: Accounting Standards Board. RONEN, J. ( 2008 ) . To Fair Value or Not to Fair Value: A Broader Perspective. Accounting Foundation, Sydney. Schmidt, S. ( 2004 ) . Fair Value Accounting. United states: Governors of Federal Reserve System. Whittington, G. ( 2008 ) . Fair Value and the IASB/FASB Conceptual Framework Project: An Alternate View. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.

Overview of Information Systems and Technology Essay

Corporations rely heavily on their internal business systems. These business systems consist of departments such as finance and accounting, human resource, legal, sales/marketing, and operations. Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. contains all the necessary business systems to operate for day to day activities. Riordan, a manufacturing company HRIS system is dated back in 1992 and as part of the financial system, it tracks the employee information such as pay rate, hire date, personal tax exemption purposes, seniority date, vacation hours for none exempted employees, organizational information such as manager’s name and department for budget purposes, and personal information with inclusion of addresses, birth dates and names. The company’s HRIS system was installed in 1992. It is a part of the financial systems package and keeps track of the following employee information: †¢Personal information (such as name, address, marital status, birth date, etc.) †¢Pay rate †¢Personal exemptions for tax purposes †¢Hire date †¢Seniority date (which is sometimes different than the hire date) †¢Organizational information (department for budget purposes, manager’s name, etc.) †¢Vacation hours (for non-exempt employees) Changes to this information are submitted in writing (on special forms) by the employee’s manager and are entered into the system by the payroll clerk. Training and development records are kept in an Excel worksheet by the training and development specialist. Each recruiter maintains applicant information for open positions. Rà ©sumà ©s are filed in a central storage area, and an Excel spreadsheet is used to track the status of applicants. Workers’ compensation is managed by a third-party provider, which keeps its own records. Employee files are kept by individual managers; there is no central employee file area. Managers are also responsible for tracking FMLA absences and any requests for accommodation under the ADA. The compensation manager keeps an Excel spreadsheet with the results of job analyses, salary surveys and individual compensation decisions. Employee relations specialists track information about complaints, grievances, harassment complaints, etc. in  locked files in their offices.