Saturday, August 31, 2019
ââ¬ÅAdrienne Richââ¬â¢s poem: Living In Sinââ¬Â Analysis Essay
Adrienne Richââ¬â¢s poem Living In Sin is a free verse poem about a womanââ¬â¢s fairy tale dream of marriage versus the reality of the sin of not loving each other. The subject of the poem is a woman starting a life of hope and happiness in a perfect relationship only to learn the true reality of the relationship. The speaker of the poem observes the womanââ¬â¢s life as sad and boring using the past tense versus the present, and short run on lines that set the hopeless mood of the poem. Imagery and colorful language is also used to describe the unhappy relationship throughout the poem. Living In Sin shows a womanââ¬â¢s life without rhyme in four meaningful images and as the tone changes she sees the relationship/marriage she expected and the relationship as it actually is. To begin with the speaker uses run-on lines, past tense and tone to illustrate the first image. ââ¬Å"She had thought the studio would keep itselfâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ shows that in the beginning of the relationship she pictured a fairy tale marriage like Cinderella. There would be no chores, no dusting, everything would be a perfect marriage. The use of past tense means she is thinking of what is not. The lines are also short and choppy making everything sound hopeless. The next line, Half heresyâ⬠¦ the speaker comes back to the present tense of the leaky faucet, noise and dirty windows. The mood then shifts again and she paints a pretty picture of her home with fruit and happiness on the table, a piano with an expensive shawl, and a cat as a nice pet. The short, choppy run on lines makes the womanââ¬â¢s life appear hopeless and tired of doing this day after day. The next image the speaker speaks about is the dinner from the night before. By using the past tense again, Not that at fiveâ⬠¦. shows the image of a romantic dinner that never was. The poem looses this imagery with the sound of the milkman waking her up as the cold morning dawns only to ruin her fantasy dream of the frustration of cleaning up from the night before. The use of language to describe last nightââ¬â¢s cheese is a metaphor to show how sour their relationship really is. The speaker also uses three sepulchral bottles, sepulchral meaning burial or tomb, as a metaphor or image of the bottles lined up as dead soldiers from the night before of drinking and partying. The woman feels as if she too has died inside and is living in aà tomb. The bug, a pair of beetle-eyes would fix her ownââ¬â, is another example of an image of what the woman doesnââ¬â¢t expect from life as she writhe under the milkmanââ¬â¢s trampâ⬠¦personifies her bending in pain. Finally the man in her life is introduced. Again run on, choppy lines are used to describe him in only four lines shows he is not in her life very often and she is frustrated and angry at him. He is described as yawning which shows that he is ignoring her and just goes on with his on self absorbed life. He then plays the piano which is out of tune like their relationship is in need of help. Next he shrugs at the mirror and leaves for a cigarette suggests he doesnââ¬â¢t care about her. Then the reality, using past to present, as the woman realizes by the minor demons, her inner thoughts of the fantasy versus the reality of the house work he left behind for her to do. The woman goes back to making the house look perfect on the outside to keep up the idea of a fairy tale life that she once thought she might have. The image of the coffee-pot boil over on the stove shows that even though she is going on like nothing is wrong, inside she is boiling. Comparative imagery is used to show life then and now in the the pears are now last nightââ¬â¢s cheese, the cat is now a beetle-eye bug, a piano with a Persian shawl is now an out of tune keyboard, and no dust upon the furniture of love is now a dusty table-top. The illusion of a fantasy and now the reality of her life. The final image ends with By evening she was back in love again, shows the fantasy versus the reality of waking to feel the daylight coming when she can start all over again. Like a relentless milkman up the stairs, she has to wake up and do the same thing day after day like the milkman waking up and starting all over again to deliver the milk. The woman goes back to her job that life will get better and someday will have a fairy tale ending, but until then she has to live in her tomb of a relationship, hence, living in sin of not being happy with what she has. Adrienne Richââ¬â¢s poem does an interesting job of describing the miserable life of a woman looking for love. She uses colorful language and imagery to show the dark, unhappy life of this woman. There is a lot of emotion and feelingsà throughout the poem. The words like, grime, writhe, coldly, sepulchral, beetle-eyes, jeered, and demons all give a feeling of the sadness that this woman feels every day. The poem is easy to read and feel the loneliness this woman has in four, choppy run on images. In conclusion, Living in Sin paints a picture of a woman finally realizing that her marriage is not a fairy tale ending. Through imagery, run on lines, and tone the sin is in the guilt from not living in the present and not being in love with her husband, whoââ¬â¢s not in love. This was an interesting poem on the sin of not loving each other and accepting each other for who they are.
Friday, August 30, 2019
The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 10
Ella I can remember the first time I wanted to kiss Micha as clearly as the day I found my mother dead. Both times were equally as terrifying, but in two different ways. Micha and I had been sitting on the hood of his car at our secret spot tucked away in the trees, staring out at the lake. It was harder than hell to get back to the spot, but the view and serenity made it worth it. It had been quiet between the two of us for a while, which was normal except for the jealousy stirring inside me over Micha's latest hook up, Cassandra. I'd never felt this way before and it puzzled me. It wasn't like the girl was anything special to Micha, but he'd told Ethan that she had the potential to be girlfriend material and it was bugging me. Micha's arms were tucked under his head and his eyes were shut as the sunlight beamed down on him. His shirt had ridden up and I could see his tattoo peeking out. As I stared at it the urge to run my fingers along it drove me crazy. ââ¬Å"I don't like Cassandra,â⬠I abruptly sputtered out, sitting up quickly. Micha's eyebrows knitted as his eyes gradually opened against the sunlight. ââ¬Å"Huh?â⬠ââ¬Å"That Cassandra girl you were talking about the other day,â⬠I said, staring out at the water rippling in the gentle breeze. ââ¬Å"I don't think you should date her.â⬠He rose up on his elbows. ââ¬Å"Because you don't like her?â⬠ââ¬Å"Noâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ I tucked strands of my auburn hair out of my eyes. ââ¬Å"I just don't want you to date her.â⬠The wind filled the silence. Micha sat up and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. ââ¬Å"Okay, I won't,â⬠he said as if it was as simple as breathing. I pressed back a smile, not fully understanding why the hell I was so happy. Micha lay back down and drew me with him. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heart beating, steady as a rock, unlike mine which was dancing inside my chest. The longer I stayed in his arms, the more content I became. I felt safe, like nothing could hurt me, but I was in complete denial that I was starting to fall in love with my best friend. *** It's been a week since the car racing incident and I've been hiding out in my bedroom living on mac n' cheese and Diet Dr. Pepper. Dean still hasn't headed home, but Lila did the morning after the race. She wanted to stay, but I didn't want her to and I think her dad wasn't too keen on the idea either. It's been kind of lonely, though. I still haven't listened to Micha's voicemail, and the constant flashing on the screen torments me. I decide to take a break from the house today and do something I've been meaning to do for a while. I want to sketch my mother's grave because I won't always be close enough to visit it. It's been bothering me the entire eight months that I've been gone. I feel guilty because it was me who put her there and then I just left her. I collect my sketch book and pencils from the drawer of my night stand, slip on my shoes and sunglasses, and head out the front door where I'm less likely to run into Micha. It's a warm day and the blue sky glitters with sunshine. I walk up the sidewalk toward Cherry Hill and decide to make a last minute stop at Grady's. I knock on the trailer door and Amy, the nurse, answers it wearing blue scrubs. ââ¬Å"Oh, hi Ella, I don't think Grady's up for any visitors today, sweetie.â⬠ââ¬Å"But he told me to stop by,â⬠I say stupidly. ââ¬Å"I know it's a little later than I told him and I'm sorry.â⬠ââ¬Å"He's not mad at you, Ella,â⬠she says kindly. ââ¬Å"I've just got him hooked up on oxygen and he's got a cough.â⬠I shield my eyes from the sun and stare up at her. ââ¬Å"Is he okay?â⬠She sighs, leaning against the doorframe. ââ¬Å"He's just having a rough day today, but try back in a few days, okay hun.â⬠I nod and back down the steps as she shuts the door. I stare helplessly at the back window which leads to Grady's room. He's sick and there's nothing I can do. I have no control over this. Micha was right. I can't control everything. As horrid images of my mom's death flash through my mind, I run into the field and throw up. *** The town's cemetery is located up on Cherry Hill, which on foot is quite a hike, but I enjoy the break from the reality of life. There is no one up there ââ¬â there hardly ever is. I push through the gate and situate by a tree right in front of my mom's headstone. It's a small cemetery bordered by trees and the grass is covered with dry leaves. As I sketch the lines of the fence and the vines that coil it, I angle downward and draw the curve of her tombstone. I become lost in the movements, adding wings to the side of it, because she was always so fascinated with flying. A few weeks before her death, my mother begged me to go on a walk with her. I gave in even though I had plans that day. It was sunny and the air smelled like cut grass. It felt like nothing could go wrong. She wanted to go to the bridge so we walked all the way across town to the lake. When we arrived there, she climbed on the railing and spread her hands out to balance as her long auburn hair flapped in the wind. ââ¬Å"Mom, what are you doing?â⬠I said, reaching for the back of her shirt to pull her down. She sidestepped down the railing out of my reach and stared at the water below. ââ¬Å"Ella May, I think I can fly.â⬠ââ¬Å"Mom, stop it and get down,â⬠I said, not taking her very seriously at first. But when she turned her head and looked at me, I could see in her eyes that she wasn't joking. She really believed she could fly. I tried to stay as composed as possible. ââ¬Å"Mom, please get down. You're scaring me.â⬠She shook her head and her legs wobbled a little. ââ¬Å"It's okay honey. I'll be fine. I can feel it in my body that I can fly.â⬠I took a cautious step toward her and my foot bumped the curb of the bridge. The cement rubbed my toe raw and I could feel blood oozing out, but I didn't look down at it. I was too afraid to take my eyes off her. ââ¬Å"Mom, you can't fly. People can't fly.â⬠ââ¬Å"Then maybe I'm a bird,â⬠she said seriously. ââ¬Å"Maybe I have wings and feathers and they can carry me away and I can become one with the wind.â⬠ââ¬Å"You're not a bird!â⬠I shouted and reached for her again, but she hopped onto one of the beams and laughed like it was a game. I tugged my fingers through my hair and steadied onto the railing. It was a far fall, one that would crush our bodies on impact, even in the water. I braced my hands on the beams above my head. ââ¬Å"Mom, if you love me at all, you'll get down.â⬠She shook her head. ââ¬Å"No, I'm going to fly today.â⬠A truck rolled up and stopped on the middle of the bridge as I edged toward her. Ethan jumped out and didn't so much as flinch at the scenario. ââ¬Å"Hey, Mrs. Daniels. How's it going?â⬠I gaped at him and hissed, ââ¬Å"What are you doing?â⬠He ignored me. ââ¬Å"You know it's not really safe out there.â⬠My mom angled her head to the side. ââ¬Å"I think I'll be okay. My wings will carry me away.â⬠I was mortified, but Ethan didn't miss a beat. He rested his arms on the railing. ââ¬Å"As much as that could be true, what if it's not? Then what? I mean is it really worth the risk?â⬠I glanced back at my mom and she looked like she was weighing the options. She stared at the dark water below her feet and then at the bright sky above her head. ââ¬Å"Maybe I should think about it for a little bit.â⬠Ethan nodded. ââ¬Å"I think that's probably a good idea.â⬠She made a path across the beam and planted her feet on the railing. Ethan helped her down and we got her into the backseat of his truck. She fell asleep within minutes and I slumped my head back against the chair. ââ¬Å"How did you do that?â⬠I asked quietly. ââ¬Å"One of my friends was tripping out of their mind one night and I had to talk him out of jumping off the roof,â⬠he explained. ââ¬Å"It was all about making her realize that there was more than one scenario.â⬠I nodded and we stayed quiet for the rest of the drive to my house. Ethan never brought it up to me, nor did he treat me differently and I was grateful for it. After a doctor's visit, it was determined that my mother had started to suffer from ââ¬ËDelusions of Grandeur,' which happens sometimes in bipolar patients. I finally pull away from the drawing when it's nearly dark. I gather my sketchpad and pencils and head down the hill. In front of the arch iron entryway is Micha, sitting on the hood of his mom's car, wearing jeans, and a black and red plaid shirt. His head is tipped down and wisps of his blonde hair cover his forehead as he messes around with his phone. I stop a little ways off from him. ââ¬Å"What are you doing here?â⬠His eyes lift from his phone. ââ¬Å"I'm waiting for you.â⬠ââ¬Å"How did you know I was here?â⬠ââ¬Å"I saw you leave with your sketchpad and head this way, so I came up to check on you.â⬠I take a tentative step forward. ââ¬Å"How long have you been sitting here?â⬠He slides off the hood and puts his phone away. ââ¬Å"For a while, but I didn't want to disturb you. You looked too peaceful.â⬠I press my lips together and stare at him, craving to sketch him like I used to. He would sit on my bed and it was like he owned my hand. ââ¬Å"Look, about the other night, I think ââ¬â ââ¬Å" He strides across the grass toward me, moving so impulsively that there's no time to react as his finger covers my lips. ââ¬Å"Just let it be for a while, okay?â⬠Uncertain of his exact meaning, I nod anyway. He lets his finger fall from my lips, trailing a line down my chest, finally pulling away at the bottom of my stomach. ââ¬Å"You want a ride home?â⬠His voice comes out ragged. I glance at the grey sky and the birds flying across it. ââ¬Å"That would be nice. Thank you.â⬠Micha She's preoccupied during the drive and so am I. I was so pissed off about my father that I got into the car about to do something reckless, however, then I saw Ella wandering down the street, and I followed her. The way she walked was very entertaining, her auburn hair blowing in the wind, and the way she swayed her ass in the short denim shorts she was wearing. It calmed me down watching her sit up on the hill and draw, but I can't stop thinking about the phone conversation. ââ¬Å"We should go somewhere,â⬠I announce when we drive onto the main road. Ella jolts in her seat and turns away from the window. ââ¬Å"I should probably go home.â⬠ââ¬Å"Come on.â⬠I pout, hoping it'll win her over. ââ¬Å"Just come with me somewhere and we can relax.â⬠She's tempted. ââ¬Å"Where exactly?â⬠I turn the volume of the stereo down and let my arm rest on the top of the steering wheel. ââ¬Å"To our spot by the lake.â⬠ââ¬Å"But it takes forever to get there.â⬠Her eyes rise to the dark sky. ââ¬Å"And it's getting late.â⬠ââ¬Å"Since when have you been afraid of the dark?â⬠ââ¬Å"It's not the dark I'm afraid of.â⬠I sigh and downshift. ââ¬Å"Come on, just you and me. We don't even have to talk. We can just sit in silence.â⬠ââ¬Å"Fine,â⬠she surrenders, tossing her sketchpad into the backseat. ââ¬Å"Just as long as you don't ask me questions.â⬠I hold up my hand innocently. ââ¬Å"Scouts honor. I'll keep my questions to myself.â⬠Her eyes narrow. ââ¬Å"I know you've never been in the scouts before.â⬠I laugh, feeling the pressure lift from my chest. ââ¬Å"It doesn't matter. I'll keep my questions to myself, but with everything else, all bets are off.â⬠She pretends to have an itch on her nose, but really it's to obscure her smile and it makes me smile myself. *** Its pitch black by the time we reach our spot on the shore that's secluded by tall trees. The moon reflects against the water and the night air is a little chilly. I get my jacket out of the trunk and offer it to Ella, knowing she's cold because of the goosebumps on her arms and the way her nipples are poking through her shirt. She slips the jacket on and zips it up, covering up her perky nipples. I sigh, hop onto the hood, and open my arms for her to join me. Hesitantly, she climbs onto the hood, but stays at the front, with her feet propped up on the bumper, gazing out at the water. I scoot down by her and keep my knees up, resting my elbows on them. ââ¬Å"What are you thinking about?â⬠Her eyes are huge in the moonlight. ââ¬Å"Death.â⬠ââ¬Å"What about death?â⬠I wonder if we're finally going to go back to that night. ââ¬Å"That Grady's going to die,â⬠she whispers softly. ââ¬Å"And there's nothing I can do about it.â⬠I brush her hair back from her forehead. ââ¬Å"You need to stop worrying about everything that can't be controlled.â⬠She sighs and leans away from my hand. ââ¬Å"That's just it, though. It's all I can think about anymore. It's like this fixation I have no control over which makes no sense because I'm fixated on controlling the uncontrollable.â⬠She's breathing wildly. Shit. I need to calm her down. ââ¬Å"Hey, come here.â⬠I loop my arms around her waist and lie her down on the windshield with me. She rests her head on my chest and I play with her hair, breathing in her vanilla scent. ââ¬Å"Do you remember when you decided that it would be a good idea if you climbed up the scaffolding in the gym?â⬠ââ¬Å"I wanted to prove to Gary Bennitt that I was as tough as the boys.â⬠She buries her face into my shirt, ashamed. ââ¬Å"Why do you remember everything?â⬠ââ¬Å"How could I forget that? You scared the hell out of me when you fell. Yet, somehow you managed to land on the board just below it.â⬠ââ¬Å"I thought I was going to die,â⬠she murmurs. ââ¬Å"I was so stupid.â⬠ââ¬Å"You weren't stupid, you just saw life at a different angle,â⬠I say. ââ¬Å"I've always envied you for it. Like when you used to dance in a room where no one was dancing or how you stuck up for people. But there was always that wall you put up. You would never let anyone completely through.â⬠She's soundless for a while and I expect for her to push me away. But she sits up and hovers over me, her hair veiling our faces. Her breath is ragged, like she's terrified out of her mind. ââ¬Å"I opened up to you once,â⬠she whispers. ââ¬Å"When we were here in this spot doing this same thing.â⬠I can't take my eyes off her lips. ââ¬Å"I'm not sure what you're talking about.â⬠She licks her lips. ââ¬Å"I told you I didn't want you dating Cassandra.â⬠ââ¬Å"Cassandraâ⬠¦ Oh, was that what that was about?â⬠I start to laugh. ââ¬Å"What's so funny?â⬠she asks, but I can't stop laughing. She pinches my nipple and I jerk upward, smacking my forehead against hers. ââ¬Å"Ow.â⬠She blinks, rubbing her forehead and a laugh escapes her lips. ââ¬Å"Tell me what's so funny.â⬠She looks beautiful, trying to be pissed, when deep down she's relishing the moment. I'm enjoying myself, which I didn't envisage tonight, but if anyone can cheer me up, it's her. Like when my dad left and she caught me in the garage, clutching onto his tool box crying like a baby. She gave me her Popsicle and then just sat there with me until I ran out of tears. I eye her over and she fusses with her hair self-consciously. With one quick movement, I flip us over so my body is covering hers. ââ¬Å"When I told Ethan about that day when you told me not to see Cassandra, he told me you had a thing for me. He's usually not right about those things.â⬠ââ¬Å"I didn't have a thing for you,â⬠she argues. ââ¬Å"I just didn't want anyone else to have a thing for you.â⬠ââ¬Å"You're adorable when you deny the truth. You always have been.â⬠ââ¬Å"Micha, I used to have studs on every item of clothing I owned and enough black eyeliner to make an entire sketch. That's not adorable.â⬠ââ¬Å"It is on you.â⬠I wink at her. She shakes her head and pokes a finger at my chest. ââ¬Å"Don't try and use your player moves on me.â⬠We remain silent, frozen in the moment, until I finally speak again. ââ¬Å"I have an idea.â⬠Curiosity slowly takes over her face as I shift over her body. My arms are at the side of her head, barely holding my weight up. My face hovers above hers, our lips only an inch apart, and she lies perfectly still. ââ¬Å"I want to kiss you.â⬠She shakes her head promptly. ââ¬Å"I don't think that's a good idea.â⬠I trace one of my fingers over her lips. I've been going about this all wrong. I can't force myself on her. I have to move slow and think of her as a skittish cat that needs to be approached cautiously. ââ¬Å"Just kiss. I swear to God that's all we'll do.â⬠I move my finger away from her lips. ââ¬Å"And kissing's not that scary, right?â⬠ââ¬Å"With you it is,â⬠she says truthfully. ââ¬Å"If you want me not to, just say it.â⬠Taking my time, I leisurely lower my lips toward hers. She stays stationary, her big green eyes targeted on my mouth. Slowly, so she has time to let her thoughts slow down, I caress my lips across hers. A small gasp flees from her lips and I slip my tongue into her mouth. Her hands glide up my back and into my hair. My body conforms to hers as I explore her mouth with my tongue. She bites down on my bottom lip, sucking my lip ring into her mouth before releasing it. Fuck. She's making this hard. I intensify the kiss as my body becomes more impatient, but I keep my promise and only kiss her, even when she fastens her legs around my waist and rubs up against me. Ella He said just kiss and it seemed okay, but now my body has developed a mind of its own. I'm writhing my hips against him enjoying the pleasure erupting inside me. He's hard between my legs as he kisses me so fiercely that my lips are swollen. His fingers tangle in my hair and his tongue plunges deeper and deeper into my mouth the more I rock against him. My head falls back and my eyes open to the stars shining in the sky. It feels like I'm falling or flyingâ⬠¦ I'm not sure, but whatever it is I can't seem to control it. For a second, I want to capture the moment, put it in a jar, and always have it with me, but panic seizes my mind and I jerk away from his lips. His eyes snap open and his pupils are vast. ââ¬Å"What's wrong?â⬠ââ¬Å"Nothingâ⬠¦ It's justâ⬠¦ I have to calm down.â⬠I take a deep breath, my skin still tingling in the spots his hands touched. Micha nods, breathless. Carefully, he moves off of me and leans back against the window, securing his hand around mine. We don't speak as we stare up at the sky. He traces his finger along the folds between my fingers and my eyelids drift shut. I feel a wall crumble, leaving behind dust, debris, and pieces that desperately need to be put back together. *** ââ¬Å"Are you okay?â⬠I ask Micha when we pull into my driveway. He's been quiet the whole drive home and I can tell something's bothering him. ââ¬Å"Yeah, I'm fine,â⬠he says with a shrug and then his gaze darts to the back window as headlights shine up behind us. ââ¬Å"Although, you might not be.â⬠My eyebrows furrow. ââ¬Å"Why? What's wrong?â⬠He points a finger at a car parking at the curb in front of my house; a shiny black Mercedes with a familiar blonde-haired driver sitting in it. ââ¬Å"Oh my God, is that Lila's car?â⬠I ask. ââ¬Å"I'm guessing yes, since I doubt anyone around here owns a Mercedes.â⬠Lila climbs out of the car and it's clear that she's been crying. Her eyes are swollen and her cheeks are red. She has her pajama bottoms on and a hoodie pulled over her head. The last time she walked around in an outfit like that she'd just broken up with her boyfriend. ââ¬Å"I think she might have some issues at home,â⬠I tell him, grabbing the door handle. ââ¬Å"She acted like she didn't want to go home.â⬠ââ¬Å"But you didn't ask her about it?â⬠he questions with an arch of his eyebrow. I bite my lip guiltily. ââ¬Å"I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.â⬠God, I'm a terrible friend. Lila heads up the driveway and we get out to meet her around the back. Before I can say anything, she hugs me and starts to sob. I tense, not used to being hugged, except by Micha. ââ¬Å"I didn't want to go back there,â⬠she cries. ââ¬Å"I knew this was going to happen.â⬠I look over Lila's head at Micha for help. ââ¬Å"It'll be okay.â⬠He gives me a sympathetic look and mouths, take her inside. I nod and he waves at me, getting back into his car. I guide Lila into the house holding her weight up for her like she's ill. When I get her into my room, she curls up on my bed and hugs a pillow. I wait a minute before I speak. ââ¬Å"Do you want to talk about it?â⬠She shakes her head. ââ¬Å"I just want to go to sleep.â⬠ââ¬Å"Alright.â⬠I turn off the light and collapse onto the trundle. I need to get into my pajamas, but it's been an exhausting day. ââ¬Å"My dad hates me,â⬠Lila whispers through sobs. I freeze and then sit up, squinting at her through the dark. ââ¬Å"I'm sure he doesn't hate you.â⬠ââ¬Å"Yes, he does,â⬠she says. ââ¬Å"He always says so ââ¬â that he wished he had sons instead of daughters because they're easier to deal with.â⬠ââ¬Å"Are you going to be okay?â⬠I ask, unsure what else to say. ââ¬Å"I will be. It'll just take some time.â⬠Was that the magical cure? Time. I flop back down and fall asleep to the murmur of her sobs.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Leadership Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Leadership Theories - Essay Example Leaders who use this theory in their organization's exhibit focus, vision, inspiration and risk-taking traits. They possess a charismatic charm in transforming the organization through influence on the employees. Ethically speaking, a transformative leader must only influence the followers in a positive manner. The characters or strategies shown to the employees should be within the ethical requirements of the organization or professional field in question. The objective of a transformational leader is to change the organization positively in all aspects. Transformational leadership is increasingly becoming popular in some sectors due to its effectiveness in ensuring improved performance. Transformative leaders not only influence the followers and other junior members of the organization but impacts also on other leaders. Through the influence, other leaders become agents of change i9n the organization. Followers respect, admire and the transformative leaders. Based on the description by the proponents of the theory, transformational leadership has four components. The components include intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation and idealized influence. Through these components, the leader is in a better position to make decisions that will initiate a positive change in the whole of the organization. Through intellectual stimulation, a transformative leader can make decisions in a manner that does not appear to challenge other leaders within the organization. The leaders encourage the followers to adopt creativity when undertaking their duties. Creativity offers the followers opportunities to innovate and learn. The leader can make the decision intellectually without any member of the organization feeling victimized. The second trait that is common among ethical leaders who utilize transformational leadership style entails individualized considerations (Grants, 2012).Ã
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
M4A2 Leadership and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
M4A2 Leadership and Ethics - Essay Example Given the constraints on time, three members of the Executive Committee of TESCO were interviewed. These members were Laurie McIlwee, Matt Atkinson and Alison Horner. Laurie McIlwee serves as TESCOââ¬â¢s Chief Financial Officer, a highly critical position for any business operation in the modern economy. McIlwee has a well rounded career with sizable foreign exposure in the United States, Middle East, Central Europe and the United Kingdom. The interviewee was chosen for his decision making proximity to Clarke. Matt Atkinson currently serves as TESCOââ¬â¢s Chief Marketing Officer and presents a diverse career ranging from service in Asia to the United Kingdom. Atkinson is in constant contact with Clarke, especially in order to deal with any ethical controversies that may arise out of the groupââ¬â¢s actions. Alison Horner is currently serving as TESCOââ¬â¢s Group Personnel Director with her initial joining in 1999 as a Personnel Manager in TESCO. Horner has witnessed the g rowth of Clarke over the years from his previous positions to the current position of Group Chief Executive. 1. Describe the ethical issue faced by the organization and explain how your chosen leader handled it. Do you agree with the individual's strategies for resolving the issue? TESCO is one of the United Kingdomââ¬â¢s largest retail operations and has found itself in various ethical dilemmas over time. It has been argued that TESCO has developed a supply chain network that forces other competitors to the ground and does not allow new competition to enter the market. The allegations were investigated by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) but the possibility of TESCOââ¬â¢s monopoly was rebuked although there were concerns of TESCOââ¬â¢s large footprint in the industry (Office of Fair Trading, 2006). The organizationââ¬â¢s leader allowed an investigation to take place without using any political influence or other forms of coercion. The investigation was carried out throu ghout the United Kingdom for all major retailers. The organizational leader ensured that all and any kind of information requested for the investigation was provided impromptu. In addition, TESCO has come under fire time and again for using suppliers exploiting cheap Bengali labor. TESCOââ¬â¢s suppliers are using labor that is paid roughly five pence every hour for an eighty hour week without any perks or benefits on the job (Ramesh, 2006). The allegations were not merely restricted to TESCO but to all major retailers operating in the United Kingdom (Label, 2006). In response to allegations of labor exploitation, TESCOââ¬â¢s leadership responded by stating that their suppliers were meeting the minimum national standards enforced in Bangladesh. The organizationââ¬â¢s leader opined that all legal rules and guidelines were being met by both TESCO and its suppliers in Bangladesh so it did not make any sense to call these transactions as unethical. Moreover, the organizational l eader held that TESCO was providing jobs for millions in Bangladesh which was aiding poverty alleviation in Bangladesh. Criticism has also been diverted towards TESCO on the issue of misleading price cuts projected through misleading advertisements. In order to bolster sales, TESCO reduced prices on unpopular items and slightly increased prices on popular items but advertised the overall sale as being uniform for all goods. In addition, TESCOââ¬â¢s buy one and get one free offers are speculated to increase wastage with special emphasis on food
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Patient Safety - QSEN Initiative Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Patient Safety - QSEN Initiative - Term Paper Example To enrich the quality of treatment given to patients, it was realized that nursing standards need to be raised and standardised. ââ¬ËInnovation in nursing education is the key to improving quality and safety.ââ¬â¢(Enhancing Quality and Education in Nursing Education, 2012) Hence, the basic need was to provide nurses with the Knowledge, skills and Attitude (KSAs) by training the nursing faculties through the help of medical institutes.The nursing faculties then formally train the nurses, thus, improving nursing performance and quality. To resolve this issue, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) laid foundations for a project, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) via phase-wise funding.Through RWJF, strategies and policies were developed and implemented to ensure thatââ¬Ëfuture nursing graduates develop competencies in patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informaticsââ¬â¢.(Enhancing Quali ty and Education in Nursing Education, 2012).According to ââ¬ËIntegrating QSEN Competenciesââ¬â¢, The QSEN project is categorized into three phases of action. 2005-2007 Phase I Pre-licensure Education 2007-2009 Phase II Graduate Education and Pilot School Collaborative 2009-2011 Phase III Faculty Development to Achieve Curriculum Integration The concern today is that there is stilllack of qualified, good-quality nursing staff in general (Hinshaw 2001). That can be roughly depicted as the growth in number of patients is much higher than the growth in patient-centered nursing staff. This lack extra burden on the existing system of nursing staff and institutions. Thus, during this shortage, it becomes a bigger challenge to conduct QSEN processes and ensure quality maintenance. The issue of shortage not only concerns the nursing staff, but it also exists in the number of nursing faculty that trains the nursing staff while utilizing QSEN standards. A future issue which can cause in efficiencies and counter-productivity is keeping in-check the size and number of trained nurses. When an institute produces its products in terms of trained individuals, credibility is often judged by quality of performance by the alumni. Hence, if there ever exists a period of low performances by nurses, the whole process will become counter-productive and might cease to be perceived as viable any more. The nursing leaders aim to take this initiative forward by stressing the importance of role-models in the nursing staff. During practical duty hours, role models are the figureheads who channel the treatment objectives and quality standards in the right way. They should be able to correct inappropriate processes while bringing the whole environment a positive air. It also serves to instigate a feeling of self-fulfilment in the nurses. Another step taken to enhance nursing environment is to allow nurses to take ownership of their specific wards. That means nurses can be allowed more control of their own wards and the nursing operations in the dedicated premises (Ford 2009). The very idea to develop and introduce the QSEN program to the nursing schools and healthcare system is a very commendable step. The three-phased project encircles the needs of the patients, the nurses and the faculty as well. For the betterment of patients in hospitals and hospital care, in general, it is of great significance Feedback and opinion-taking surveys area good inclusions to the QSEN project. This
Monday, August 26, 2019
Explain the different rules and approaches taken by judges when Essay - 1
Explain the different rules and approaches taken by judges when interpreting an Act of Parliament, giving examples from case law, and critically analyse their advantages and disadvantages - Essay Example 18). As is always the case in other nations, appropriate government departments are often charged with the obligation of overseeing the implementation of Acts of Parliament. This implies therefore, that an Act that governs the transport sector for example is to be implemented by the Department of Transport while both houses of parliament are tasked with the responsibility of supervising the implementation process. Any alterations to an Act of Parliament are always done by passing another Act. At the same time, an Act can no longer apply after being subjected to repealing. The judiciary plays a critical role in putting into practice Acts of Parliament, as judges and magistrates base most of their rulings on such legislations. Consequently, this essay aims to provide more insight on some of the rules and approaches judges rely on while interpreting an Act of Parliament as well as their advantages and disadvantages to the justice system. Interpretation simply refers to the act of making sense out of a legislation. It is imperative to note that judges normally use both intrinsic and extrinsic materials in analyzing and understanding Acts of Parliament (Statutory Interpretation). Intrinsic materials majorly refer to the provisions that exist within the legislation to be interpreted whereas extrinsic resources refer to the input judges receive from everything not found within the bill. Subsequently, judges use extrinsic materials for purposes of non-adherence to literalism. The Interpretation Act of 1978 is one of the legislations that judges have significantly referred to in the course of analyzing case facts and reaching verdicts. Under the words of enactment for example, the Act provides that every single segment of an Act take effect as a fundamental enactment devoid of preliminary arguments. Under the amendment and repeal in same session section, the Act provides that the Act in question may be
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Second Langauge Learning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Second Langauge Learning - Assignment Example In the same way, second language learners of different nationalities find it difficult to produce the voiced consonant of the article ââ¬Å"theâ⬠as well as the voiceless counterpart of this article as in ââ¬Å"thinâ⬠. Grammatical errors that the learners of second language make can, in part, be attributed to interference between the first language and the second language. Nevertheless, at the phonological level, there is a certain level of reliability. Differences between other languages and English are often the major reason behind the interference. The process of learning is considerably simplified as the phonological differences or similarities between the first language and the second language become greater. Use of contrastive analysis hypothesis in the teaching of second language Inaccuracy of the learnerââ¬â¢s language imparts the need for the teacher to ascertain if the error is related to pronunciation or grammar. In spite of all the controversies and critici sms that the use of contrastive analysis as a way of teaching second language has gained, many teachers still find the insights provided by the contrastive analysis hypothesis quite useful and helpful in comprehending the problems commonly faced by the students, and for making students understand what they need to learn. The contrastive analysis hypothesis provides the learners with the awareness of the differences between their first language and the second language. This helps the learners realize what speech habits of their native language can be transferred to the second language. ââ¬Å"It seems desirable, then, that teachers be familiar with the significant differences between the... This essay approves that grammatical errors that the learners of second language make can, in part, be attributed to interference between the first language and the second language. Nevertheless, at the phonological level, there is a certain level of reliability. Differences between other languages and English are often the major reason behind the interference. The process of learning is considerably simplified as the phonological differences or similarities between the first language and the second language become greater. This report makes a conclusion that the interaction hypothesis assumes the learner to be in a continuous cycle of learning. The quality and amount of learning is directly linked with the variety of experiences that the learner has in the everyday life. Learner in the eyes of interaction hypothesis is a person with receptive personality traits. The curiosity of learning is assumed to be ingrained in the learner. However, the quality of learning is fundamentally associated with the hold of the other person in communication with the learner over the second language of the learner. The learner might be able to learn more as a result of the interaction with another individual who is also a non-native speaker of the language in which the communication takes place because the learner can then identify with the communication partner and might thus be better able achieve hold over the weak areas. During the process of communication, the learner negotiates in the second language which reveals gaps in his/her abilities.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Independent research study - BBA Hospitality Management Paper
Independent study - BBA Hospitality Management - Research Paper Example The social media affects communication in diverse sections and social groups in the world. Instead of mass communication, there are mass communicators (Runion, 2010). This is because the power and authorities of traditional communication channels are losing their rigours and new and smaller channels are developing through the social media like Twitter and Facebook. In December, 1995, there were only 16 million internet users and this represented just 0.4% of the worlds population at that time (Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2011). However, today, 30.4% of the worlds population is hooked onto the Internet and this represents 2.1 billion people (Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2011. Many people spend a lot of their time online these days. Some go online to check their mails whilst others maintain links with interest groups, family, friends, old school mates and other relatives living overseas through social media networks. In her assessment of her statistics on the social media industry, Evans identifies interesting facts about the social media network (2011). She identifies that there were 21 million Twitter users in the United States in 2011. She states that 40% of bloggers describe themselves as professional so they spend a considerable time working on the internet. Secondly she indicates that 60% of all Fortune 500 companies conduct business over the popular social network site, Facebook. Facebook has over 800 million users around the globe this makes it one of the biggest concentration of the potential market that exists for all goods and services (LA Times, 2011). This means that more and more people are spending their time on the Internet and on social network sites. Also, a vast community of professionals are evolving, who spend time and acquire skills which is sufficient to help build the social network as a good place to do business. This therefore means that the social network are appropriate outlets through which businesses can operate and make profit.
Reflection essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5
Reflection - Essay Example The American culture has a socially constructed definition for the term ââ¬Å"raceâ⬠but the very existence of people from mixed race cultures pose a threat to the understanding of the term race. It is really shocking to face the fact that in the very liberal America that we see today, the attitude towards mixed race people has always been negative to such an extent that inter-racial marriages was not even supported based upon the fact they were unnatural and resulted in weak progenies. The Hybrid Degeneracy which says that mixed race people have ââ¬Å"inferiorâ⬠genes compared to the parental genes, theory lends support to this argument. This somewhat confused me since according to Darwinââ¬â¢s theory mixed genes lends more stability and even though some people think that mixed races would have bad genes, Darwinââ¬â¢s theory makes it clear that mixing of genes is better for human race. Mixed race people were once considered dangerous, immoral and even unfit for the ââ¬Å"superiorâ⬠white society. However, no such consideration is made against the whites who might be indulged in something familiar as the non-whites. From the perspective of mixed race individuals, it must be really hard to select their allegiance to just one race because of which they are often seen as ââ¬Å"traitorsâ⬠or ââ¬Å"sell-outsâ⬠especially in an hegemonic culture. This creates a problem for an individualââ¬â¢s identity since society compels mixed race people to re-define his identity altogether. The article makes it clear that some people consider ââ¬Å"white raceâ⬠to be superior and consider the dilution of the genes as something unnatural and this superiority complex compels some people to deny the existence of mixed races in America. The latter part of the reading highlights the fact that ââ¬Å"raceâ⬠is political, socio-cultural as well as biological in nature. Our society has created a bubble of thought about the
Friday, August 23, 2019
Changes in Britains Society during WWII Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Changes in Britains Society during WWII - Essay Example Men were now called upon to not only take up arms but also to till the land, to provide rations to the fighting force, and to make weapons. Every man had to contribute to the war effort, be it by joining the armed forces or making weapons. The Second World War was and is the topic of much speculation, debate and inquiry and the humongous literature which this war produced is unparalleled in scope. This war affected the whole world at large, while its impact on the participating nations is felt even to this day. In Britain this war was called the People's War and it changed the lives of the men and women and children who lived through it, by altering the political idiom and changing the social landscape. Professor Sonya O. Rose, in her book titled "Which People's War National Identity and Citizenship in Wartime Britain, 1939-1945" gives an account of the general mood of the time and the consensual nature of the general population, who banded together, unmindful of class, gender, age, or political affiliations to defeat the common enemy-Nazi Germany. This war was total in its scope, in that no life was left untouched by the upheavals it caused. Professor Rose, in her work has also placed a great deal of emphasis on the ideal of nationalism which permeated the national consciousness. The Welsh and the Scots, with their strong regional identities joined the war effort but the constant reference to it as England's war, gave rise to the regional aspirations and she notes how the Scottish soldier's keenness to wear a kilt may be construed as an anti-English sentiment, while fighting on the British side. John Stevenson's book on British society (1914 - 45) highlights the salient factors that took place in the society of Britain during the Second World War. Stevenson explores the different periods in British history and presents us with a clear interpretation of many important events and incidents that took place during that time. Some of the topics that he deals with in his book are the ravages of war, women's suffrage and wartime experiences, class system and organized labor in relation to the parliament, the economy and welfare reforms that existed during that period, foreign policy, equal citizenship, gender roles and appeasement of the existing situations. Gender Roles - Women during the war Stevenson's book highlights many of the strongly held beliefs surrounding the war. It tells us of how the greatest source of female employment was domestic service. Despite the fact that most of the women were employed in munitions factories and even though there was a massive escalation in the production of armaments, yet rendering domestic services was a priority in female labor. The role of women underwent the greatest change during this period, and they were called upon to fill up the roles traditionally reserved for men. Carol Harris, in the article "Women under Fire in World War Two," details the duties which women were called upon to perform and the new roles they had to take upon themselves. During World War I, women took up jobs in the essential services so that men could go and fight the war but, in World War II Sir William Beveridge, in a secret report in 1940, clearly spelt out that women would have to be conscripted in the army, although they would not have to bear arms. Women were called u
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Binge drinking Essay Example for Free
Binge drinking Essay ?Binge drinking, especially among the youth, has been on the rise in Singapore. explore some of the reasons why youths resort to binge drinking and the consequences. What is binge drinking? This happens when someone drinks excessive amounts of alcohol. To drink alcohol socially is one thing, For instance, at parties and at gatherings. Conversely, when alcohol is heavily consumed over a short period of time, also commonly known as, binge drinking, it brings about undesirable health effects to the body. Binge drinking has been discovered to be more common among youths aged 18 ââ¬â 29 years old in Singapore. Statistics show that 18. 7% of them have been found to be men and 12. 2% of them women (ââ¬Å"Binge drinking amongâ⬠, 2013). Peer pressure, affluence and stress are some reasons why youths engage in binge drinking. It is crucial to explore reasons why youths revel in binge drinking despite its obvious dangers. Binge drinking can be described as excessive drinking which can be hazardous to oneââ¬â¢s health. This essay will discuss the reasons why youths enjoy binge drinking and its destructive consequences. Peer pressure is one of the essential drivers of binge drinking. Teenagers are often influenced when they see their friends drinking while some simply do not want to feel left out at parties and gatherings (Dowshen, 2013). Who would really want to stand out from the rest of their friends? It is normal and common for teenagers to want to fit in. Many a times, teenagers find it difficult to resist their friendsââ¬â¢ invitations and hence, end up indulging in binge drinking with their friends. This is to a great extent common among teenagers with friends who consistently drink. Affluence is another cause of binge drinking. It is often stereotyped that youths of low-income families are more likely to resort to drinking and substance abuse due to financial and emotional problems. However, findings have proven otherwise. Youths from affluent families are highly inclined to engage themselves in binge drinking due to the pressure that is placed on them by their parents to excel well in school and all other areas (Luthar, 2014). Apart from that, with the accessibility to easy money, loads of free time and lack of parental supervision, affluent youths result to binge drinking because of the carefree and luxurious lifestyle they live in (White, 2007). Stress is a popular reason why teenagers resort to binge drinking. Teenagers are often stressed out with school. Case in point, when they are loaded with huge amounts of homework and given almost no time to finish them. They view alcohol as a way to get themselves ââ¬Ëhighââ¬â¢ and relieve their stress (Cyhlarova, 2010). This frequently brings about binge drinking. Apart from the stress they get from school, teenagers can also be stressed due to relationship issues. They heavily depend on alcohol to dispose of their worries and stress. Binge drinking can result in both long term and short term health effects. Some long term effects are liver disease and kidney damage. Alcohol poisoning is one of the most deadly short term effects of binge drinking (Burke, 2012). At the point, when an individual consumes alcohol excessively, their pharyngeal reflex and breathing gets affected. The pharyngeal reflex is known to help to prevent one from choking. Therefore, if the reflex does not function well, one might die of choking on their own vomit. In conclusion, parents play an enormous role in being a good role model to their children. They are responsible for educating their children from young on the impacts of binge drinking and why they should not engage in it. In addition, parents can be vigilant and keep an eye over their children. For example, keeping track of their daily activities and the people they hang out with. Research has shown that when parents go the extra mile and put in effort to be more involved in the lives of their children, it reduces the likelihood of their children drinking. Teenagers can also play their own part in protecting themselves from falling into the trap of binge drinking. They can do so by wisely choosing their circle of friends. They should avoid having friendship ties with friends who consistently pressure them to drink along with them and instead make good friends with those who lead them in the right path. Binge drinking is a behaviour that comes with a heavy price to pay. However, with the right prevention measures put in place, teenagers can stay safe, away from this deadly habit. (620 Words) References Binge drinking among young adults remains a concern, say doctors. (2013). Retrieved from http://news. xin. msn. com/en/singapore/binge-drinking-among-young-adults-remains-a-concern-say-doctors-1 Burke, D. (2012). Alcohol overdose. Retrieved from http://www. healthline. com/health/acoholism/overdose#Overview1 Chavez, N. (2004). Preventing adolescent binge drinking. Retrieved from http://www. youthbingedrinking. org/you/parents. php Cyhlarova, E. (2010). Alcohol: a cure for stress? Retrieved from https://www. drinkaware. co. uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-health/alcohol-a-cure-for-stress#adverse Dowshen, S. (2013). Binge drinking. Retrieved from http://teenshealth. org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/binge_drink. html# Luthar, S. (2014). The problem with rich kids. Retrieved from http://www. psychologytoday. com/articles/201310/the-problem-rich-kids Wilkins, E. (2008). Teens, alcohol and binge drinking: why kids are drinking hard alcohol at a younger age. Retrieved from http://www. empoweringparents. com/Teens-Alcohol-and-Binge-Drinking. php# White, P. (2007). The dare side of wealth: risks associated with growing up in an affluent family. Retrieved from http://www. drpaulwhite. com/the-dark-side-of-wealth-risks-associated-with-growing-up-in-an-affluent-family-%E2%80%93-risk-1-drug-alcohol-abuse/.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
An overview of global warming
An overview of global warming Cautions: Global Warming! The air quality of our atmosphere has been in drastic changes in the past century. Industrial revolution has cause major harm to our environment. Pollution, dumping toxic wastes into our ocean, and releasing harmful gases and sprays into the atmosphere. These are some of the cause of global warming so dangerous in the worlds environment. We should take more action towards global warming before its too late. What is Global warming? Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earths temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate (Global). Population growth, deforestation, and pollution have increased by a large margin from twenty, forty, or even a hundred years ago. Since the Industrial Revolution, machines have changed the way life we lived. Before the Industrial Revolution, human activity released very few gases into the atmosphere, but now through population growth, fossil fuel burning, and deforestation, we are affecting the mixture of gases in the atmosphere (Global). It is imperative that we, the people, take action on our dying environment, for the future of our kids and generations to come. Unless steps are taken to stop this progression of events, and even in spite of such steps, the vast majority of the evidence shows that the Earth will continue to grow warmer, with widespread and even catastrophic results. How did we find out what was the cause of global warming? After doing some research, I learned that global warming is created by the greenhouse effect: The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, for example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earths average temperature would be about 60 F colder. Because of how they warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases (Global). Do you know what a greenhouse is? Have you ever seen houses with a small glass house in the backyard just for plants? Well these glass houses also known as a greenhouse. They are meant for plants to survive through the winter time by trapping heat within the house. Since, Earths atmosphere is very much like the greenhouse model, energy from the sun passes through our atmosphere where energy is absorbed by the air, water, and plants. Once absorbed, the energy then releases itself back into the atmosphere and then releases into space. Without the greenhouse effect, our climate could be disastrous because the atmosphere regulates our climate. It could raise or lower the temperatures, misbalancing nature. Even though the greenhouse effect is good for the environment, it could also be bad. Since the atmosphere is filled with pollution, the energy re-releasing back into space sometimes gets trapped by the atmosphere and warms up the Earths climate. Pollution is one of the largest problems in todays environment. By emitting harmful gases such as carbon dioxide which are mainly released from cars and power plants, harmful gases will build up into the atmosphere. The harmful effects of gas build up in the atmosphere and can increase the temperature of the Earth which could endanger plants, cause wild weather patterns, or alter land formations (Global). There are many ways to increase the effects of global warming such as contamination, wastes, or deforestation. One of the largest producers of pollution is power plants. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), turning on the television, using the washer/dryer, or even turning on a light can help lead to more greenhouse gases since they use electricity which originate from power plants. The fumes of power plants are created from the burning of fossil fuels which are released into the atmosphere. What is fossil fuel? According to the Greenhouse Effect article, fossil fuel originated from plants. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the air. When the plant dies, the remains are buried in the soil. After thousands and thousands of years, the carbon dioxide is transformed into a coal or oil which is fossil fuel. The General Accounting Office study forecasts a 42 percent surge in electricity production over the next two decades that will boost U.S. power plants carbon dioxide emissions by 35 percent and mercury emissions by 9 percent (Eaton). Since the population of the world is growin g each day; people are going to use more power which would create more fossil fuels being burned up and more power plants being built to accommodate the rate of the population. Even though there are no inventions to make fossil fuel fumes to be more friendl to the environment, there are other alternatives to cut back on burning fossil fuels. By conserving power, we can cut back on electricity which could help by burning less fossil fuel. Part of the problem could be solved by converting these plants to burn cleaner natural gas (Overview). There are other alternatives to produce energy that dont come from power plants such as solar and wind energy. Solar energy is known to use solar panels to gather energy from a heat source such as the sun. This energy is gathered and stored in a flat panel where it is stored until the energy is consumed. Unlike Solar energy, there is another way to gather energy from our environment. Wind-power energy gathers energy from the wind. Have you ever driven in the highway and seen these large white fans on the top of a hill? Well, those fans are wind conservers. They act the same as solar but by the wind. The amount of energy in creases depending on the speed of the wind. In other words, the faster it goes, the more energy is gathered. Technological advances have brought the cost of electricity generated by the wind down by 82 percent since 1981 (Overview). Today, the average person usually drives himself/herself to work, travel, going or dropping someone off at school, yet do they know how much harm it can cause just to do an errand? With millions of cars driven each day, many harmful toxins are released from the cars exhaust. The amount of gases released can cause harmful effects to the environment and to health. Like power plants, cars are only small versions of power plants, but with so many of them being driven, it could be worse than power plants. The fumes of these cars can lead to breathing problems mainly for older people since their lungs are usually weaker. Organophosphate insecticides, such as diazinon, disulfoton, azinphos-methyl, and fonofos, are used widely in agriculture and in household applications as pesticides. Over 25,000 brands of pesticides are available in the United States, and their use is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The release of the pesticide can cause children or people, if inhaled, to cause malfunctions in their immune system because it mutants their cells. To help the environment, technology can be very helpful in decreasing the greenhouse effect that is plaguing our environment. While there is no technology to remove C02 from a cars exhaust, we can make them pollute less by making them more fuel efficient (Overview). Creating cars that are fuel efficient can cut back on fuels being used by cars. Hybrid cars (Gas/Electric Cars) are being created that let you go over 800 miles before a fill up for fuel. Newer technology is allowing cars to run farther by using less gas by shifting the engine between electricity and gas. If we are to make any progress in slowing global warming, we must make our cars go farther on a gallon of gas (Overview). Wastes are another large problem in our environment and a benefactor of global warming. Sometimes anti-environmental groups dump wastes into lakes and oceans where they could contaminate an area and misbalance the ecosystem. This can cause a problem because wastes could release hazardous materials that could be radioactive or very harmful that can cause people to be sick. Yet, do the people know what the effect of this waste can cause do to the environment? As a Norman Myers said, if we dont watch what we do with our resources and what we do to our environment, our resources will soon be depleted which will cause a huge conflict throughout the world. Do you know where your trash is being dumped everyday? If you say in a landfill, you are correct. A landfill is where your trash is processed and compacted and stored. Yet what does the build up of landfill have to do with global warming? The trash that we send to landfills produces a greenhouse gas called methane. It is a product of decomposition of organic matter and of the carbonization of coal. Methane is one of the greenhouse gas chemical compounds. Methane is also produced by the animals we raise for dairy and meat products and when we take coal out of the ground (Global). Like power plants and cars, trash can be very hazardous in the build up of the greenhouse effect. Since trash and wastes are getting overcrowded in landfills it could lead to trouble in the near future. Running out of room to store our wastes, there are ways of shortening the load of trash by recycling. Recycling is the process of reusing waste to make new material. Even though the public thinks recycling is good, it can also be bad. The use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer poses a more significant lead threat to the land than did the use of leaded gasoline. All sewage sludges contain elevated concentrations of lead due to the nature of the treatment process Lead is a highly toxic and cumulative (Stauber 108). Recycling wastes to create fertilizer on plants can harm farmers and ruin agriculture. The material in these wastes is very harmful because it could be contaminated with unnatural substances. Land spreading of sewage sludge is not a true disposal method, but rather serves only to transfer the pollutants in the sludge from the treatment plant to the soil, air and ground water of the disposal site (Stauber 109). Destroying nature can also shorten the life span of the Earth. Deforestation, the process of cutting down trees could disturb the ecosystem or the environment. According to the EPA, The projected 2C (3.6F) warming could shift the ideal range for many North American forest species by about 300 km (200 mi.) to the north (EPA). Since trees remove carbon dioxide from the air, cutting down the trees would only result in climate changes. If the climate changes slowly enough, warmer temperatures may enable the trees to colonize north into areas that are currently too cold, at about the same rate as southern areas became too hot and dry for the species to survive (EPA). Due to deforestation and global warming, the shift of climate change dries up the soil which would be impossible to grow anything. This is how deserts are created. The percentage of the worlds plants threatened with extinction is much larger than commonly believed, and could be as high as 47 percent if tropical species are in cluded, researchers said (Study). How can we help stop the people who are cutting down the trees? By doing the opposite, planting trees would help the environment since it removes carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. At the rate of planting one tree is about the same rate of thousands of trees being cut down. Regulating tree cutting companies would slow down the process of deforestation but it is still a problem because wood is very high in demand for housing and construction. How is nature holding up against global warming? The effects of global warming have destroyed thousands of homes by floods, created new diseases, and have left hundreds homeless to the rampage of awkward weather patterns. Global warming effects do not just change the temperatures; they can lead to the change of weather patterns and the rise of sea levels. Devastating floodsjust some of 526 significant natural disasters in the first nine months of the yearripped through parts of Europe, China, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh this year, killing thousands of people and leaving millions more homeless. Even though some nations might get positive effects such as aiding against droughts, other nations would get consequences from global warming (UN). The change of weather patterns can be very disastrous to nature and the sea since it alters the ecosystem. By changing the ecosystem, animals and vegetation are pushed out of their habitat and into a different location. Wild life isnt able to adapt to the new environment easily because they wouldnt know where to gather food or conflicts with other species. Weather patterns can create tsunamis (large tidal waves) which would crash into coastal regions creating erosions. Sea levels are rising due to the rise of temperature due to global warming. Sea level may rise between several inches and as much as 3 feet during the next century (EPA). Due to the melting of glaciers, water is rising from the ocean which is saltwater and it can spread or flood inland threatening plants and animals. If we do not help the environment now, our planet wont exist in the near future. It is important that the people understand that harming the planet to a degree can cause the extinction of the Earth. Rise of temperature, change in weather patterns, toxic wastes lurking in our air, we are vulnerable. If we want to survive on this planet in the future, we must act now before it is too late. Steps need to be taken to cut back and slow down global warming until newer technology can alter and to help the longevity of our world.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Health And Fitness Structure
Health And Fitness Structure To-day health and fitness or wellness services industry is also a fast growing sector in India. In the previous unit we have discussed about the hospitality industry wherein offering health club services are considered as an additional feature of a hospitality business. Now, in this unit let us discuss exclusively about the health and fitness industry that is booming in India. This segment includes a number of services such as beauty treatment services, therapy based treating products, personal health counselling, rejuvenation such as yoga, spas and last but not least the fitness developing centres viz. various gymnastic clubs or centres. In fact the field is experiencing a healthy growth rate and currently has an estimated market size of USD 120 million. The visible trend of surge in wellness business is the increased range of wellness books, products, and wellness holidays on the offer of the concerned person or that particular product manufacturing company. India has emerged as a big player not only in medical, tourism industry but also in developing domestic fitness and health centres in addition to the supply of the fitness product made to the individual by the manufacturing company for doing the exercises with those products to keep them fit. As on 2008, there were 765 fitness clubs in India with total membership of 2.3 million members. (Source: Statistics of the IHRSA Asia Pacific Market Report, 2008) In fact the Indian fitness industry is an immensely under penetrated market compared to several developed and developing countries in the world. For example, 16.0% of the US populations have fitness club membership whereas in India, a survey taken in seven metro cities shows that it is only 0.4%. On the other hand you know that India has the highest incidence of diabetes in the world. That is 40 million people are affected and it is likely to go up to 70 million by 2025 if left unchecked. This sudden increase is due to the changes in the lifestyle. You can notice some major changes in the areas of food consumption, lack of physical activities, longer commutation, lesser or change in sleeping time etc. among the working class population. The point is most of them in this class are well aware of the correction they need to necessarily make in their living styles. Therefore, there is a huge emphasis on regular exercise to prevent obesity and diabetes. An entrepreneur can start a business of fitness centre with the equipments and tools which are being sold by many manufacturers. The habit of people living in main metro cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi etc, ladies in particular utilise these centres to make them fit for a healthy live. Some of the equipments are Aerobic stepper, forearm flexor, anti microbial speed rope, resistance bands, skipping rope and many more equipments and products are available for doing exercises. The equipments like treadmill, stretch, and rovers, elliptical are also available to do exercises safely for everyone who wishes to keep their body fit in all aspects. There is a scope for the entrepreneurs to start this type of health institutions, gyms, fitness centres etc. Since these equipments are given to customers on a fixed time basis they come to the centres regularly, and the entrepreneur can earn a considerable amount. http://www.healthkart.com/sports/fitness-accessories/aerobics-general-fitness?pre=pageNo=3 Example: AC Nielsens global online consumer survey findings released in Feb 2009 said that 54 percent Indian respondents think they have issues with their weight. About 80% people said that they exercise at least once a week. Going to a gym is second most preferred option for exercise after walking. Objectives: After studying this unit, you will be able to explain the concept of health and fitness list the types of health and fitness activities classify the types of health and fitness services describe the business opportunities list the advantages starting a health and fitness centre list the challenges of managing a health and fitness centre commencing a health and fitness business 10.2 Concept Health is defined in the WHO (World Health Organisation) constitution of 1948 as a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of any disease or infirmity. Health is optimal well-being that contributes to quality of life. Being free from ailments alone cannot be considered as healthy although it is essential to good health. Optimal health includes high-level mental, social, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellness within the limits of ones heredity and personal abilities. Health is the state of being and wellness depicts the quality of life or the state of living a healthy life style. Wellness reflects the positive aspects of health that can help expand your potential to live and work effectively. Wellness is possible for everyone, regardless of whether you have a diagnosed disease Fitness refers to being fit enough to perform our personal and social obligations in an active manner. To achieve this, sufficient energy and strength levels are important. Being fit need not mean being an athlete or sport person but a capable and independent human being in general.(http://www.mhhe.com/hper/physed/clw/01corb.pdf) The concepts of health and fitness are related. If you are fit, you have a higher chance of being healthy. For example, if we observe the people who go for a walk or jogging every day, we can notice that they enjoy a healthy life, free from stress and illness. This is because their persistent walking improves their physical fitness, and also their mental well-being. Well being refers as an organised set of activities fabricated to help the individuals and families and maintain the behavioural pattern which in turn help to reduce the risk of them and simultaneously enhancing the ability of them in order to perform the tasks. The health and fitness industry is focused on the supervision of exercise and physical activity either in an individual capacity or within a group in a controlled environment. The industry provides various services and facilities that encourages and promote physical activity and the general concept of promoting wellness. In health and fitness industry, you also need to know the five major health related physical fitness components, namely: Cardio -respiratory endurance Body composition Flexibility Muscle endurance Muscular strength Let us now discuss each of these in detail. Cardio respiratory endurance: This refers to the ability of the heart, its functions, blood, and blood vessels including the total respiratory system. The required power and oxygen will be supplied to the muscles and allow them to do the exercises. Any person who does the muscle exercises can be bodily fit and can do physical activities for a longer period of time without any stress. Cardiovascular exercise offers the individual major benefits to the health and to those who are regular and constant with their exercises. The exercises for cardiovascular activities are swimming, cycling, jogging, and swimming, and pedalling and riding a machine which is elliptical in shape used in health institutes and fitness centres. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/502099-recommended-total-duration-for-cardiovascular-endurance-exercise/#ixzz1wbJEGORh) Source: http://healthplux.com/intense-cardio-workouts/ Body composition: It comprises of bones, muscles, fat and tissues etc. An individual who perform regular exercises will have normal percentage of fat. Body composition refers to your percentage fat in the body. The bone, connective tissue, muscle and internal organs are fat-free and termed lean mass. This mass is superior to fat mass and should be checked and maintained by taking healthy foods and regular exercises. Everyone who wants to keep the fat in control can improve body composition by losing fat, increasing lean muscle or a combination of both. For example, weight training adds both muscle mass and bone density. Flexibility: It is refers to the movement of joints in a body. The movement range may vary from person to person. There should be a free movement of such joints to have the flexibility. It is affected by length of the muscle, the structure joints etc. An individual can move his joints to the maximum level and full range for engaging himself in his duty and play as well. Source: http://eugenept.blogspot.in/2009/07/if-it-looks-like-duck-flies-like.html Muscle endurance: This refers to the repeated usage and ability of the muscles. An individual can repeatedly move his muscles for a longer period of time without any tiredness. Muscular strength: This refers to the ability of the muscles to carry out the external works such as lifting the weights and keeping the arm and shoulders in good shape and strength. You can perform this for maintaining the external force and lifting of weight and controlling of your body. Source: http://www.ehow.com/list_6967692_good-weight-training-exercises-beginners.html A health and fitness professional must be able to measure the components to advise clients about their health related fitness, and to use data obtained from the tests to design appropriate exercise programs which can then be evaluated. It is intended that all 5 components contribute evenly to make up a holistic health related physical fitness. Self Assessment Questions Fill in the blanks: _________ reflects the positive aspects of health that can help expand your potential to live and work effectively. The health and fitness industry is focused on the supervision of _____________ and physical activity either in an individual capacity or within a group in a controlled environment 10.3 Categories of Health and Fitness Activities You have learnt that being healthy and staying fit means meeting all our personal and social needs independently and actively. Let us now discuss more about general health and fitness scenarios. Wellness incorporates all aspects of health, including the physical, mental, spiritual and environmental. Wellness programs are those that work to positively influence these areas of a persons life to improve overall health and well-being. The term wellness program is most often associated with corporations and work-sites however wellness programs may also be offered through community organizations such as schools, Cooperative Extension Offices or public health departments However, as we are going to discuss about fitness industry more, let us also have a closer look on the health related issues in this section. The fitness centres differ from the nature of exercises they offer. Some of these are; Meditation and yoga therapy centres for deriving peace and pleasure and keeping good health Fitness centres and health spas for keeping the health fit and rejuvenated. Gym and dance 10.3.1 Meditation As we are from the land of Buddha we are not new to many of his thoughts though we do not practice them in our real life. Meditation is considered to be a way for attaining spiritual bliss and peace, ultimately for healthy living. Every culture and tradition has its own distinct and exclusive styles of practicing meditation. The basic concept and understanding i.e. to concentrate and focus towards one issue or object for a longer duration may not be feasible for all. But once we get habituated to do this in a systematic way the result is there. In India there are many missions conduct programs and classes on various captions involving meditation to teach this. Here, all you can attach yourself as a member and practice meditation for individual benefit to attain the ultimate benefit which the modern science proves true. There are many groups in all the main areas of the cities and they are teaching the meditation to group of people at different timings. This meditation controls the anger of a person and it induces us to concentrate on what we do. As per Michael J.Baime the meditation educates to have an emotional stability which allows the meditator to experience the intense emotions. One can gain insight and proper understanding of his thoughts. If you do the meditation regularly you can conquer your emotional intense and can get rid of the emotional imbalances. This helps in full relaxation of the body. The entrepreneur may get the knowledge about the meditation from the leading group of institutions and in turn this meditation will help to fell comfort and confidence including self control in his life. And he can also conduct such training centres for the benefit of the residents and can earn money with the knowledge of meditation. Meditation gives a sense of calm and acceptance of oneself and the others as well. This technique is being done for many years. Irrespective of caste and creed many people practicing the meditation for their wellness. Hence there is much scope for an entrepreneur to start such centres or visit s chools and colleges etc to teach the meditation. 10.3.2 Yoga therapy India was the origin of Yoga. It is a simple but useful technique for doing exercise which works as union among our body, mind and soul. It consists of gestures and postures. It is called Asna in Sanskrit. Yoga helps you to keep your body fit and maintain the balancing and to get self enlightenment. And it helps to control the emotions of the mind. As you know yoga is simply one sort of physical exercise involving stretching and balancing. This is mainly to keep the physique fit thereby derive fitness. But ancient legend would speak much about this theory and there are therapies developed in modern days to either prevent or cure various illnesses. However, you must appreciate that a right postures play a very important role for health fitness. As said above Yoga means union and aims at the realisation of the unity of our whole being. It is a Hindu discipline aimed at achieving a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquillity. In the West, the term is most commonly understood as the physical exercises that are practiced as part of this discipline. Human health fitness depends not only on the general physical fitness but mental peace. The entrepreneurial company can do the business of teaching Yoga to the people in and around in his area. He can also conduct group wise and offer packages of services of Yoga and there is a scope for him to earn money out of it. 10.3.3 Nature cure Naturopathy is a science of healthy living and a drugless system of healing. Nature Cure is rightly defined as a system of man building in harmony with constructive principles of nature on physical, mental, moral and spiritual. This is a technique for keeping you fit by using herbals and other naturally grown food. In nature therapy green vegetables, spinach and fruits etc are given to the people who want to cure their disorders. Since it is also a simple technique the entrepreneurial enterprise can invest money in this business and can earn some return from the investments made. Naturopathy deals with treatment of disorders by balancing the condition of homoeostasis and up-keeping the equilibrium through addition and deletion of substances. This type is available only in some places and the entrepreneur can opt for this business. Now-a days the public are fully aware of these techniques and they are known about the facts of maintaining wellness. Yet they know that these are inexpensive and there is no side effect for these techniques. For the entrepreneur it is a good chance for them to start the business as there is no much competition in India. He can start many branches across India even in abroad also. The public are eager to know about their health conditions and they want to learn more and more about the nutrition, diet and exercises to be followed etc for maintaining their wellness. Physical Exercise There are many institutions which deal with physical fitness for the wellness of the people concerned. You have already learnt that fitness is about being in shape or in good physical condition. Wellness refers to being free from illness. Living fit requires not only consuming healthy diet but doing some regular exercises along with diet. Exercising can be done by means of special equipment for lifts, squats presses or in various other ways like aerobic exercises viz. cycling, running, biking, swimming, rowing, gymnastics such as pull-ups and push-ups. Doing all these exercises in different combinations will increase our withstanding power and stamina. In USA there are more fitness and recreational sports centres which are equipped with latest machineries. These are running as a successful business unit. Some of them are: aerobic dance and exercise centres athletic club and physical fitness health spas exercise fitness centres gymnasiums health studios weight training centres nutrition strength development centres (http://www.census.gov/epcd/naics02/def/ND713940.HTM) Hence, in this unit we discuss about catering to the ever increasing demand of people in the field of fitness by setting up commercial units such as gymnastic centre or centre for yoga and other related therapies. Many publications are also available for the people to do exercises which are re commended in that. People in India use the fitness centres to do exercises. These centres have instructors and trainers to teach the people how to do exercises or meditation etc. They are conducting group exercise classes with audio and video facilities for making the people to grasp the techniques. Various fitness centres in India are: spice world fitness centre -New Delhi fitness flash- New Delhi fitness studio- New Delhi fit line- New Delhi Ozone fitness N spa- New Delhi Satguru machine fitness-Mumbai Proline fitness- Mumbai Herbal life- Mumbai Body grace- Mumbai Park health club-Kolkata Enkon body gym- Kolkata Source: http://business.mapsofindia.com/fitness-centres/ The entrepreneur can very well start his fitness centre in any place. It is undoubtedly a good business for him as people are very much interested in maintaining their body, mind and soul to survive as a fittest. Self Assessment Questions State true are false: Pathology clinics are meant for diagnosing and analysing various biological factors. To concentrate and focus towards one issue or object for a longer duration is very easy and feasible for all. Naturopathy deals with treatment of disorders by balancing the condition of homoeostasis and up-keeping the equilibrium through addition and deletion of substances. 10.4 Classification of health and fitness services The health and fitness services are classified according to the nature and technique provided in the centres. There are more services available for the entrepreneur to chose. It is required by the entrepreneur to gain knowledge about these health fitness and wellness products. There are facility and service providers who are mushrooming in India across the urban areas. Let us now broadly classify them. The classifications are: Gymnasiums with workout areas (fitness building): The Bodybuilding is always unique; it joins the unknown elements of human nature with nutritional science, exercise and psychology. Your workout in the gym will vary from other Bodybuilders. You have to determine the goals such as lose fat and tone up or gain weight or doing both at the same time. But it will be difficult and can lead to zigzag diets. Some workouts will provide good results and other workouts will be a waste of time. Aerobic dance and exercise centres (Physical fitness): At first, the main aim of the step-aerobic dance exercise was to achieve a heart rate of 50-60% as per the age of the individual. This was raised to 70-80% of the heart rate. The step-aerobic dance exercise was performed by all in the experimental group for the total of eight weeks time. These were choreographed by a professional step-aerobic coach. The movement were simplified and was to learn, required the use of both the upper and lower extremities and the back. Verbal and tactile prompts were given during each step-aerobic dance exercise class. The subjects in the experimental group participated in three groups of 40 minute sessions per week for four weeks initially, followed by three 50-minute sessions per week for another four weeks. Athletic club facilities, (Physical fitness keeping the sport in mind): Athletics club are offering mind body programming and facilities which can help you to obtain new level of goals of the fitness and wellness. These clubs are having a management team and provide childcare enrichment programs, nutrition and private training etc. Exercise centres and fitness salons (Physical fitness and stress relieving): These are providing the regular exercise programs. They are equipped with modern equipments which are necessary for the wellness. To remove the stress they teach meditation along with the exercises. This stress leads to unnecessary problems of the individual. Hence the technique to overcome the stress is being taught and training is given by these clubs. Fitness Spas (health building): These spas offers house spa, hydro spa, and massages etc. They provide phenomenal facilities to their customers. In addition they are providing group class training programs, including personal training. Ice skating rinks or roller skating (fitness as well as entertaining in sport): It is a place of ice skating where high tech plastic is used to skate on. And they use synthetic ice skating rink surface for easy skating. They provide ice skating and play hockey, figure skating and public skating. Squash club facilities: These squash club provides the facilities of viewing gallery for men and women in addition to the coaching given for the indoor games. There are trainers and at some clubs these training are given free for the members. Swimming pools: Constructing of such swimming pools will yield a good income to the entrepreneur as many products are to be supplied along with the construction of pool. They are to be provided with cleaning chemicals, swimming pool covers and rollers, pumps and fittings, lightings and ladders, safety equipments , separate room for men and women for their urgent needs etc. Tennis club having court facilities: These sports club is used by some people only in the society. Since this game is not that much popular and do not attract the viewers only a few are using this to play to keep them fit and proper, Tai chi studio: Tai chi referred to as meditation in movement. It is a martial art which combines physical movement and stretching technique. It teaches and promotes the health, well being and longevity. GYM: An entrepreneur can opt for this business as it is attracted many youngsters including the women. The regular exercises practices in gym help the individual to build the body and the structure including shaping. A gym is an integrated part of a health club or leisure centre which allows the users whether members or non members to exercise effectively using a wide range of resistance and cardiovascular machines. Presently many gym centres provide necessary classes on aerobics, body buildings and the ways to use the available equipments and fixtures to prevent a loss or damage to both the operator and the users. In the case of health club it may be necessary to equip a spacious fully equipped gym facility, exercise area, giving initial training, constructing a swimming pool, steam room, sauna and a club room for various social activities and a small snack cum juice bar. By adding more facilities such as internet access etc. the founders of the club will initially arrange for membership enrolment to have more viability in its operation. Gyms with workout areas Some of the health clubs have a main workout area, which primarily consists of free weights including dumbbells, barbells and exercise machines. This area often includes mirrors so that exercisers can monitor and maintain correct posture during their workout. A gym which predominately or exclusively consists of free weights (dumbbells and barbells), as opposed to exercise machines, is sometimes referred to as a black-iron gym, after the traditional colour of weight plates. Gyms with cardio facility theatre A cardio theatre or cardio area involves many types of cardiovascular training-related equipment such as treadmills, rowing machines, stationary exercise bikes etc. These areas often include a number of audio-visual displays (either integrated into the equipment, or placed on walls around the area itself) in order to keep exercisers entertained during long cardio workout sessions. Health Clubs offering various exercising facilities Most of the new health clubs offer group exercise classes that are conducted by qualified fitness instructors. Many types of group exercise classes exist, but generally these include classes based on aerobics, cycling (spin cycle), boxing or martial arts, high intensity training and muscle training. Health clubs with swimming pools sometimes offer aqua aerobics classes in addition to their coaching on various swimming styles. Health Clubs offering only sports facilities Some health clubs offer squash courts or boxing areas in addition to swimming facilities. In those cases, additional fees are charged for the use of these facilities. In addition to the above larger health clubs generally include health-shops, snack bars, restaurants, child-care facilities, member lounges etc. Where these facilities are available it is not unusual for a sauna, steam shower or wellness areas to be made available. These clubs generally charge a fee to allow visitors to use the equipments, courses and other available services. A fairly new trend is the advent of eco friendly health clubs which incorporate principles of green living in its fitness and in their systematic way of giving therapies. Due to the influences of all the above factors it results in the monthly or annual membership fees varying differently. 10.5 Equipments Accessories Now let us see the various fitness equipments and its classifications. Cardiovascular Equipments: Treadmills, stationary bicycles and stair climbers etc. comes under this category. In some places it is common to see rowing machines also. Weight Training Equipment: Weight lifting machines, barbells, various types of benches bars and racks are considered as weight training equipments. These are meant for body shaping and buildings especially for the sport communities. Weight Reduction Equipment: Weight reduction or weight loss equipment consists of more methods than any specific equipment in any particular formation. Still there are small tools like jumping rope and other handy products etc. for the needy to do exercises as all the above models of equipments mostly involve weight reduction. The exceptional ones are that you use for body buildings that too with specific in takes. The fitness industry has a huge growth potential as only 1.5% of the urban Indian population regularly practices workout. When we talk about the points of end-user segment, they are divided into two. 1) Residential or Home Segment 2) Institutional Segment Equipments for Home Segment The entrepreneur can manufacture the equipment needed for maintenance of the wellness of the people. He can supply to these clubs and fitness centres. Apart from that he can supply these equipments to the individuals who want to do exercises at home. For this he advertises in media and informs the features of the products including its spares. He sends the equipments by VPP or courier to his customers. New products with additional features are being introduced from many countries like Japan and China. The entrepreneur can deliver the equipments for residential usage some equipment. If the entrepreneur buy them for the usage in his fitness centres it is called institutional segment. The entrepreneur can save cost if purchases additional quantity of the different equipments. He can get quantity discount from his supplier. Cost The followings are the top and the entrepreneur can supply or lend them on rent to the individuals those who are not able to make use of the gym facilities are the following ones. 1. Treadmills, this will cost approximately Rs.30,000/- 2. Bikes for exercising will cost approximately four thousand to forty thousand depending upon the models and amenities available in it. 3. Small multifaceted gymnastic machine will cost Rs.18,000/- For example Home Leaper 16H, Pro Leaper 16P etc. Equipments for Institutional Segment There is a vast requirement for these equipments. The fitness equipment markets there are opportunities for the entrepreneur to start the fitness centre for the maintenance of the wellness. In India it is estimated to be worth Rs 12.5 billion in the year 2008 and is expected to reach Rs. 63.3 billion by 2012. The annual growth rate is expected to be around 50%. Hence the entrepreneur can start this fitness centres in many places of a city and can control all the branches through effective management system. The following equipments are generally installed in the fitness centres and the entrepreneur can purchase considerable quantities for meeting the demand in his centre. The important requirement for the entrepreneur is the knowledge about the equipment and the way they are to be utilised. The company which manufactures these fitness equipments are conducting training for the entrepreneurs and teaches them how to use those equipments including the trouble shooting process. Treadmill The cardio equipment in a gym is among the most popular equipment because it is the most effective equipment available there to help people lose weight and the treadmills are also of that category. Cardio equipment has one main purpose i.e. to get your heart pumping and functioning normally. Treadmill is important equipment and now-a-days insisted by many insurance companies to have the facility of treadmill even in diagnostic centres. If the necessary equipment is available with the entrepreneurial for the wellness he can earn more revenue out of it and this will be fetching for ever as this industry is growing day by day. Elliptical Machines An entrepreneur can include these Elliptical machines in his fitness centres since they used by many for performing cardiovascular exercise. Like a treadmill, this machine will be in an elliptical shape and is stationary but allows to simulate running or walking by using a rolling or gliding ramp that are moved by feet. Many elliptical machines also have handlebars that move, allowing you to get an upper-body and lower-body workout at the same time. Weight training equipment These can also be found in most gyms and generally comes in two varieties. One is for free weights such as barbells and dumbbells that can be moved around from place to place in the
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