Health Care Essay

Under indemnity insurance, the insurers guarantee payment to any licensed health care provider for all covered services. In recent years, fee-for-service indemnity plans also have grown more similar to man- aged care plans. Traditionally, fee-for-service indemnity plans gave individuals an unrestricted choice of licensed health care professionals. Care providers were free to determine which services were appropriate based on their professional judgment and were reimbursed for all the care they delivered. Today, nearly all fee-for-service plans have adopted some form of the utilization- management strategies formerly associated with managed care, such as preauthorization for hospitalization or referral to specialists. In my opinion the indemnity design will not be around in the next thirty years it is losing favor with employers. HMOs are the most tightly closed of all managed care systems. HMOs typically provide no coverage for out-of-plan services and require health care providers to share the financial risk for the amount of services provided. Data have shown that, at an aggregate level, premiums are lower n communities with a higher penetration of HMO plans and more intense competition among health plans (Stein, 1997). Restricted provider networks and a strong reliance on primary care physicians have been major forces allowing HMOs to keep health care premiums below those of other plans. However, the tradeoff between low cost and limited provider choice has been unacceptable to ma ny consumers, as evidenced by the recent trend toward looser and more expensive forms of managed care, such as PPOs and POS plans (Sisk, Gorman, Reisinger, 1996, Stroul, 1996). This trend is likely to raise premium levels and individual copayments and deductibles in the future. Because of the rising of premiums I predict that within the next thirty years HMOs will slowly fade away. In the mid-80s, legislation allowing insurers to contract selectively with different providers at different reimbursement rates provided a starting ground for the development of preferred provider organizations (PPOs) (Gabel &Ermann 1985). Generally, the term PPO refers to a third-party payer system that contracts certain providers for patient services on a discounted fee-for-service basis. Patients are encouraged to select these â€Å"preferred providers† with economic incentives including broader coverage, and in-network providers gain a larger patient base in return for their discounted services (Gabel & Ermann 1985). Unlike health maintenance organization (HMO) coverage, PPO patients retain the ability to go out-of-network for care. Although patients are responsible for most of the costs in such situations, there is usually a yearly limit on out-of-pocket payments that allows patients who experience severe chronic conditions to access long-term out-of-network specialty care without prohibitive costs. PPOs have made a huge leap in the past two decades as a model for health insurance (Sengupta & Kreie 2011): In 1988, PPOs represented 11 percent of employer-provided health care; by 2005, 85 percent of large employers offered at least one PPO option (Hirth, Grazier, Chernew, & Okeke, 2007). PPO will be around for the next thirty years because it allows PPO patients to retain the ability to go out-of-network for care. Very long paragraph here 2. Debate whether or not private health insurance violates the standard principles of insurance. Don’t start at bottom of page. Start at top of next page PHI began with coverage principally for hospital and physicians’ services. As political debates in the United States continue regarding health insurance, there has been considerable argument and criticism about the overhead generated by the PHI mechanism (Woolhandler & Himmelstein, 1991). From1960 to 2000, the total overhead costs of PHI averaged about 12 percent of premiums, ranging from about 9 to 16 percent. This total includes administrative costs, taxes, profits and other nonbenefit expenses (Lemieux, 2005). The full cost of PHI administration to Americans including insurer’s administrative cost, net additions to reserves, rate credits and policyholder dividends, premium taxes, and carrier’s profits or losses is estimated to be about 15 percent of total national health expenditures. None of this including the formidable â€Å"hidden† costs to providers for filing claims, collecting data on quality of care, and submitting various financial reports to insurers. Private health insurance is made up of the three principal entities, which is commercial carriers, the Blues, and HMOs plus self- funded plans. The important of PHI as a source of financing for personal health care expenditures has increased slowly, but steadily (Williams & Torrens, 2010). Although there is no denying that some government health insurance programs such as Medicare deliver benefits at far less administrative cost per dollar of reimbursement than the PHI industry, health insurance by itself is not always a profitable business for insurers. This is particularly true at the high end of the market, where self-funded administrative-services-only customers generate relatively narrow profit margins for most group insurers. Indeed, the health insurance industry suffered a net underwriting loss in many years since 1976. Health insurance is beneficial for many insurers because it servers as a vehicle for selling other, more profitable products (such as insurance) and because health insurance premiums generate revenues via investment income (Whitted, 2001). A number of health insurance entities (including commercial carriers and the blue) offer insurance coverage for individuals and their families (pPauly & Percy, 2000). Some f the nation’s largest commercial accident and health insurers sell few or no individuals policies. Ordinary individual policies for basic medical (hospital and the physician coverage are extraordinarily expensive. This is because of adverse selection: insurers assume that the individual knows something that the insurance plan doesn’t future health needs. Therefore, the insurer adds on premium can easily reach $5,000 per year, even for HMO plans with extensive cost-sharing provisions. In addition, underwriting guidelines for individuals policies have become increasingly stringent; so many people who might wish to purchase coverage are not able to do so (Saver & Doescher, 2000). . Analyze the evolution of the promotion of health and disease prevention in the U. S. and identify the point at which a clear shift in the thinking in the dominant culture occurred residing in the greatest impact on the health care insurance system in the United States. Organized public health activities in the United States began in local seaport communities and only gradually expanded to state and federal government agencies. The Constitution of the United States reserves to the state all functions such as health not specifically earmarked to the federal government. For most of our country’s history, public health was an activity that was primarily carried out by a local or state governmental agency, and it was only after World War II that it was received as necessary or appropriate to have a federal cabinet-level Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. This development would suggest that our country views public health activities and perhaps health activities in general as a local and state matter; federal government involvement developed mostly after World War I, and mostly because of the abundance of federal tax revenues to be redistributed to states and local governments. The continuing efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government and to return basic functions and funds to local and state government in recent years may be seen as a continuation of this general idea (Williams & Torrens, 2010). According to (Williams &Torrens, 2010), organized public health activities in the United States began with the quarantine and isolation of potential disease carriers, moved on to the improvement of sanitation in the environment, then went on to focus on immunization of children and control of individuals with contagious infectious disease. Almost all the activities focused on acute infectious diseases, regardless of their origins. This has given rise to an unofficial and generally unspoken agreement that the primary mission of organized public health efforts in the United States should be toward the prevention and control of acute illness rather than chronic disease. Organized public health efforts in the United States have focused on out breaks of illness such as diphtheria and polio because of the suddenness and the severity of any outbreaks of this illness. The much more serious and public health problems of the United States are no longer-term degenerative conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Because of the unfortunate political controversies of the 1930’s around a possible national health insurance program, it would have to be admitted that there has been a relatively guarded relationship between the private medical sector and organized public health agencies throughout the country. As long as the organized public health agencies kept to the more traditional public health role of sanitation, immunizations, and infectious diseases control, their activities were generally supported by the private sector. However, whenever the public health sector became more active in the provision of general health services or in the governance or planning facilities and personnel in the private sector, considerable opposition arose. As a result of this opposition, organized public health agencies have been rather cautious about expanding their efforts beyond the boundaries of what were perceived as â€Å"tradition† public health activities (Williams & Torrens, 2010). It is assumed that public health must protect the interest of the public in obtaining access to appropriate health services of high quality, but that has not been an accept role for organized public health in the United States until now. References Gabel J, & Ermann D. (1985). Preferred provider organizations: performance, problems, and promise. Health Aff (Millwood). 1985; 4(1): 24-40. Hirth RA, Grazier KL, Chernew ME, Okeke EN. Insurers’ competitive strategy and enrollment in newly offered preferred provider organizations (PPOs). Inquiry. 2007; 44(4): 400-411. Lemieux, jJ. (2005). Perspective: Administrative cost of private health insurance plans. Washington, DC: America’s Health Plans. Pauly, M. V. , & Percy, A M. (2000). Cost and performance: A comparison of the individual and the group health insurance markets. Journal of the health politics policy and law, 25,9-26 Saver, B. G. , & Doescher, M. P. (2000). To buy, or not to buy: Factors associated with the purchase of non- group private health insurance. Medical Care, 38, 141-151. Sengupta B, & Kreier RE. (2011) A dynamic model of health plan choice from a real options perspective. Atlantic Econ J. 2011; 39(4): 401-419. Sisk, J. E. , Gorman, S. A. , & Reisinger, A. L. , List all authors here etal(1996). EvaluationofMedicaidmanagedcare: Satisfaction, accessanduse. ?Journal of the American Medical Association (1996) 276:50–55. Stein, R. E. K. , ed. Health care for children: What’s right, what’s wrong, what’s next. New York: United Hospital Fund, 1997. Stroll, B. , ed. (Year) Children’s mental health: Creating systems of care in a changing society. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company, 1996. Whitted, G. (2001). In S. J. Williams & P. J. Torrens (Eds. ), Introduction to health services (6th ed. ). Albany, NY, Delmar. Williams, S. J. , Torrens, P. R. , (2010). Introduction t health services (7th ed. ). Albany, NY, Delmar. Woodhandler, S. , & Himmelstein, D. (1991). The deteriorating administrative efficiency of the U. S. health care system. New England Journal of Medicine, 324(18), 1253-1258.

Higher Education and Nguyen Essay

Nowadays, education is a main concern of society. The government shows a lot of solutions to improve education and try to make it better and better. In the article ‘Time to expand our views on education’, published in Thanh Nien News in January 2012, Nguyen Thi Phuong Nguyen argues that the public university system in Vietnam needs to be improved and people should change their attitudes towards higher education. Nguyen presents some solutions to help Vietnamese education be improved and this essay will critically evaluate her main suggestions. Nguyen mentions two main problems that helps the government improve Vietnamese education. The first problem is there should be stricter penalties for law-breaking institutions. Many universities are doubted of their legality. They cheat students out of fees and earn a lot of money from students. The second problem mentions that the government needs to spend money more effectively on tertiary education. They do not know how to spend money usefully. The government needs to find the way of spending money effectively to improve their quality. Nguyen’s first argument, Nguyen makes a good points when she states that the laws against institutions need to be more severe. Many universities advertise that they have good service, high qualities and good teachers. But it is not true. They have poor qualities and teachers do not help students to study better. Students pay a lot of money to study in there, and they do not have good environment as advertisement. The worst penalty that can be expected is a small fine. The government should be stricter. Many cheating universities should be forced to close. Nguyen’s second argument, Nguyen is correct when she state that the government needs to spend money more effectively on tertiary education. They spend a lot of money for advertisement and marketing, which is ineffective. They can use this budget to equip modern equipments in class and find good teachers. For example, education accounts for 20% of all state budget expenditures and stands at 5.5% of GDP (MOET 2008). This is higher than many other countries in the region. Therefore, the problem is how the budget is spent more effectively. In conclusion, Nguyen’s article ‘Time to expand our views on education’ shows many suggestions and solutions for the development of Vietnam’s higher education system. Both of her arguments that the law-breaking institutions need to be sereve and the government should focus on tertiary education are acceptale. The government need to do them to develop the Vietnam’s higher education system. Although the article has both strong and weak arguments, overall message is effective for development of Vietnamese education.

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution & Natural Selection Essay

Charles Robert Darwin was born on 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire into a wealthy family. Darwin himself initially planned to follow a medical career, and studied at Edinburgh University but later switched to divinity at Cambridge. In 1831, he joined a five year scientific expedition on the survey ship HMS Beagle. This is where he came up with his theory of evolution. During his voyage on the Beagle, Darwin found evidence that challenged traditional belief that species are unchanging. During this, he read Charles Lyell’s book Principles of Geology. As Darwin began visiting many places, he began to see things that he thought could be explained only by a process of gradual change. He realized the plants and animals on the Galapagos Islands resembled those in South America. He later suggested that the animals migrated to the Islands from South America and changed after they arrived. He later called this change evolution. When he returned from his voyage he continued his studies, but did not report his ideas of evolution until many years later. The key to Darwin’s thinking about how evolution takes place was an essay written in 1798 by Thomas Malthus. Malthus suggested that human populations do not grow unchecked because death caused by disease, war, and famine slows population growth. Darwin realized that his hypothesis can apply to all species. Considering Malthus’s view and his own observations and experience in breeding domestic animals, Darwin made a key association. A process in nature in which organisms possessing certain genotypic characteristics that make them better adjusted to an environment tend to survive, reproduce, increase in number or frequency, and therefore, are able to transmit and perpetuate their essential genotypic qualities to succeeding generations. He call this natural selection. In 1844, Darwin finally wrote down all these ideas about evolution and natural selection in and early outline that he showed to few scientists. He decided to publish it after being contacted by Alfred Russel Wallace. His book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection appeared in November of 1859. Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection were based on four major points. 1) Inherited variation exists within the genes of every population or species. 2) In a particular environment, some individuals are better suited to survive and have more offspring.

Our Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan War Term Paper

Our Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan War - Term Paper Example The wars have been compounded by the influence of Al Qaeda and foreign fighters who have infiltrated in the country. These have seriously complicated the war on terror as a result of suicide attacks and kidnappings they employ. These have dealt a big blow to the reconstruction efforts being undertaken in the two countries and also continue to pose a big threat to global security. This is due to extremist tendencies which they seem to have perfected the world over with adverse effects to mankind. Iraq woes started with the discovery of oil and the subsequent scramble for oil by the US and Great Britain in 1930s. Since her independence in 1931, the country's political arena has been characterized by a series of coups and other political upheavals that led to the coming to power of Saddam Hussein in 1979 (The Iraq crisis, n.d, Para 5). Saddam, on coming to power immediately embarked on consolidation of his dictatorial powers and an ambitious territorial expansion campaign that led to on e of the longest battles in Asia involving Iraq and Iran. Iraq later went on to invade Kuwait in 1990 and occupy it which led to its fierce confrontation with the US alongside its NATO allies. Iraq was defeated and withdrew from the country. Saddam later went on to develop nuclear weapon facilities, a move that set him at odds with the international community. Sanctions were imposed on the country after it refused to cooperate with the UN arms inspectors. This protracted competition eventually culminated into the US invasion of the country. The ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003 led to a stream of devastation in the country caused by widespread looting and civilian bombings by pro -Saddam militias. This caused adverse effects to the countries infrastructure and a serious humanitarian crisis that called for urgent remedies. A civilian government was later installed to replace the fallen Saddam government. The move was expected to instill calm but achieved modest success due to lack of acceptance by the Iraqi people. In its counterattacks, the Iraqi forces put up fierce resistance and also attacked bases in Kuwaiti according to Lee (2009, Para. 8). Both the new government and the coalition forces continue to face heavy casualties as a result of attacks by the remaining insurgents helped by al Qaeda fighters.   Afghanistan has also had a series of uprisings since independence the most difficult period being the mujahedeen war against Russian communist occupation in the 1980s. This formed the very foundation of Al Qaeda through the inspiration of then the US-backed Osama Bin Laden. This makes the renegades a creation of US blunders in their strategies. Taliban did not pose a serious threat until they embraced Osama as their financier in exchange of allowing him to set up a base in the country. O

The assignment should consist of one review article on the latest Literature

The assignment should consist of one article on the latest developments on the pathophysiology of a named disease. (Drug treatments for Alzherimers Disease) - Literature review Example Developing management plans for the disease has been a daunting task that is still being researched on. It has been established that the disease cannot be cured but it can be managed to prevent continued degeneration. Anticholinergic drugs were used at that time with the use levodopa being adopted later. This was done after the discovery of dopaminergic deficits in the pathophysiology of the disease. The disease is quite common and affects the nervous system with patients having symptoms such as tremor, slowness in movement, rigidity and instability. It’s a neurodegenerative disorder and research shows that it affects about one per cent of the population from the age of seventy (Savitt, Dawson & Ted, 2006). The greatest development in the treatment of PD was the development of ways to correct dopamine deficiency which is greatly associated with the disease. Halting disease progression has been the greatest nightmare in science and medicine as the medical therapy used is just used to provide temporary relief and not a long term solution for the disease. The need, to do this research on Parkinson’s disease, was necessitated by the fact it is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder (Barbara & Lang, 2014). There are various factors associated with the onset of the disease with various genetic and environmental factors being thought to have an interaction that results to the disease (Bekris, Mata & Zabetian, 2010). Familial Parkinsonism which is detected when patients show symptoms such as rigidity, tremor and slowness in movement has been shown to be caused by mutation in six genes which include SNCA, ATP13A2, PINK1, DJ1, PRKN and LRRK2 (Bekris, Mata & Zabetian, 2010). Other factors, which have been seen as predisposing factors or leading to the disease, include variation in the MAPT, SNCA, and LRRK2. Putting the individual at a vulnerable position makes them to show the symptoms

Enabling healthcare through ICT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Enabling healthcare through ICT - Assignment Example In addition, one can tell whether the information is valid and accurate by checking whether there is supporting evidence from scientific studies (Kuo, et al, 2013). However, the surest way is by seeking health officer’s advice on such information. They are better placed to pinpoint accurate and inaccurate information. Â  Community resources are funded by people in a particular local area. The main purpose of such resources is to improve standards of living rather than waiting for the federal and state programs. Most of the community resources entail the provision of services in healthcare and education. However, the state and federal governments are required to offer these services to the community. For instance, federal resources include those that are basic to the community. Programs such as Medicaid and Medicare as well as supporting and funding other programs fall under the federal government. This is aimed at bringing services closer to the people. Nevertheless, the state is accorded greater authority of the federal funding in order to monitor and regulate federal governments spending.

Pedagogics as a System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pedagogics as a System - Essay Example The teachers play an important role in achieving the desired knowledge as the teacher acts as the moderator and motivator so that the learners would be challenged to explore beyond what is expected. If I have my own personal website and I will be permitted to use it as an instructional module to teach my students, I will utilize it to ensure that a free flow of idea is achieved. The website instruction will not have the limitations of time unlike in the classroom. It should be noted that discussions made in the classroom are cut short thus the discourse is likewise abruptly concluded which impedes the free flow of ideas. The internet and this website will not pose such restrictions but rather everybody can contribute or give his own thoughts and ideas for academic discussion in his own time and pace. The website can also be a means to give essay homework, and be used as the mode of submission for the students. The website can equally be used to provide additional links to websites that will contribute to the discussion if not materials that can be used to provide alternative knowledge distinct from the ones provided by the school. With each student given a unique login ID and password combination to establish their identity, their grades can also be viewed conveniently and privately as well as their class standing. The website can also be a means to provide historical views of the discussion made by past classes on the same subject in order not to repeat the same point of view. There would also be instances where the position of current students can be stressed or supported by the discussions of the students in past classes. In this way, a more mature and intelligent discussion can be achieved since old arguments which have already been presented in the past will be limited thus the mind shall be challenged to offer new ideas and concepts for discourse.

IKEA in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

IKEA in China - Essay Example The corporations decide to enter into new country to capture the new market and in this process they primarily focus cross cultural factors for building multicultural teams. However, they have to face several difficulties due to mismatch of organisation culture and social culture (Rajagopal, 2007, p.8). This paper will attempt to analyse distinct features of cross cultural differences affecting international trade in context of IKEA’s business in China. To offer basic understandings and interpretations of cross cultural difference, some relevant models and concepts will be critically analysed and discussed. This paper will also include the basic difference of Swedish and Chinese cultures. Role of expatriate managers in managing multi-national corporations will also be discussed. Finally, the paper will end by summing up the entire discussions and findings. IKEA is a privately-owned global furniture company. It is a Sweden-based company and founded by Ingvar Kamprad who started to sell matches at the age of seven during 1920. During 1940-1950, he entered into the furniture business and the business experienced a rapid growth within a short span of time (IKEA-a, 2010). Currently, it offers large varieties of furniture for domestic and commercial purposes. It also provides furniture for children (IKEA-b, 2010). IKEA has expanded its business in the global market and it is present in the entire Europe, North America, Middle East and Asia pacific regions. The business idea of IKEA focuses on its core value, product range, low price and betterment of everyday life of its valuable consumers (IKEA-c, 2010). Business and culture are inter-related with other and hence, before presenting critical analysis of cross culture, expatriate management and multicultural operations. The national culture is the prime factor that affects the culture of an organisation and its behaviour.

Reflection on global & dversity learning project Essay

Reflection on global & dversity learning project - Essay Example Although the power plant is necessary and useful to the locals, it has a number of adverse effects that are detrimental to the population. The plant has some health effects to both humans and aquatic life around Hudson River. Power plants and other energy generation projects are often prone to numerous deadly accidents that range from the explosion of transformers to electrocution of humans and animals. IPEC is no exception since it has also had an incident of a transformer explosion. This type of accident is highly detrimental to both human and aquatic life around the source of power generation. Transformer explosion at this plant resulted in a number of environmental damages. This explosion resulted in spillage of several gallons of oil into the nearby Hudson River. Spillage of oil is dangerous to the aquatic life as it results in blockage of air spaces limiting the amount of oxygen consumed by plants and animals in the water. Consequently, most of them die or wither due to limited oxygen that is essential for life. In addition, this is also dangerous to humans that consume water from this river. Over the course of the semester, I have learnt several theories and concepts regarding diversity, sustainability, equity, and health, which have shaped my understanding of social issues in the society. For instance, I have learnt about tolerance and its applicability in interacting with people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. If not for tolerance, there would be no globalization where individuals from different nations and cultures interact and exchange ideologies among other things. Tolerance is also applicable online to appeal to different audiences as demonstrated by the reading How to Be Liked By Everyone. Another essential concept that I have learnt is multiculturalism, which applies in an environment of diversity. Multiculturalism provides for the development of cultural to necessitate unity in an environment of many

The Effects on GPA Essay Example for Free

The Effects on GPA Essay The academic performance of high school students always constitute a major source of concern for educational practitioners as a result, any factor that could potentially improve this performance is worth considering (Everson and Roger, 2005). The importance of high school education derives from the fact that it provides an essential platform for academic and non academic accomplishments, psychological growths, the foundation for subsequent higher education and future life (Marsh and Kleitman, 2002). Consequent upon this perceived importance, factors that could potentially inhibit or improve high school students performance are worthy of in depth investigation. One such factor that has been shown to considerably influence high school performance is the participation in extra curricular activities. To a large extent, participation in extracurricular activities in high school is generally considered as a vital component of the educational experience (Galiher, 2006). However, the influence of participation in extracurricular activities has not been clearly defined. While some studies have linked positive academic outcomes with extracurricular activities, such as the study carried out by Cairns, Farmer, and Mahoney (2003); others have shown that there exist no significant relationships and even in some cases, some studies have reported negative relationship. As a result, the effect of extracurricular activities on high students performance has become a topic of educational, political, and community debate for more than a century (Marsh and Kleitman, 2002: 465). This paper intends to contribute to this debate by reviewing the several literatures on the topic. Historical Overview Fujita (2005) noted that the early adoption and development of extracurricular activities in high schools was slow. During those early years, most educators saw it as a fad that will fade away with time. For example, Marsh and Kleitman (2002) observed that before the turn of the twentieth century, educators were critical of participation in school extracurricular activities. To these early educators, high schools should be focused on solely on narrowly defined academic outcomes, because, non academic activities were believed to be primarily recreational and of no educational value. Some even contented that such recreational activities could be detrimental to the academic performance of high students. As a result, extracurricular activities participation for high students was discouraged in the early 1900s. Burnett (2000) provides an indepth review of the history and early developments of extracurricular activities in high schools. However, over the course of the last couple of decades, educational practitioners and researchers have adopted a more positive perspective of extracurricular activities; with most of then contending that these activities positively impact psychological developments of students and at the same time help improve academic performance. This change in perception is not unrelated to the large and growing body of research that have continually examined the links and relationships between extracurricular activities and academic performance of students using a wide array of research methods and tools. To a large extent, the bulk of studies conducted on this topic over the course of time point to a positive relationship between extracurricular activities and a host of academic, social and psychological outcomes, while very few of these studies report negative relationship. However, the primary problem with research in this field is that researchers have often adopted different variables in different research methods making generalization of the effects of extracurricular activities on academic and social performance of high students difficult to make. Relevant Theoretical Literature The basic theoretical framework that underlies the various studies carried out in this field involves correlating students’ academic performance with their participation or lack of, in extracurricular activities. For example, in Galiher (2006), the author collated data about the various extracurricular activities present in a particular high school and the list of students that participate in these activities. The grade point averages (GPA) and cumulative grade point averages (CGPA) for these students was also collated and participation in extracurricular activities was then correlated with students’ academic performance. The basic idea, generally, is that if participation in extracurricular activities positively impacts academic performance, then students involved with these activities would perform better academically, when other factors, such as age, IQ, gender, socio economic status etc have been controlled for. Analyzing the commonly used methodological designs in studying the relationship between social and academic performance and participation in extracurricular activities, Marsh and Kleitman (2002) observed that there are three research designs often employed by researchers. The first involve a one-time data collection research design that correlates extracurricular activities with the selected outcome variables. The second also involved a one-time data collection design, but controls for background variables such as socioeconomic status, gender, and age before correlating extracurricular activities participation with the selected outcome variables; while the third framework involve longitudinal studies where the same outcome variable are measured on multiple occasions so that the actual effect of extracurricular activities on the selected outcome variables are estimated after controlling for earlier outcomes (Marsh and Kleitman, 2002). While, according to Marsh and Kleitman, all of these frameworks are not perfect, they have all been used to show positive relationship between extracurricular activities and social and academic variables. Relevant Research In researching the relationships between extracurricular activities and students academic outcomes, researchers have sought to delineate what constitutes extracurricular activity. In this light, extracurricular activities have been broadly divided into in-school and out-of-school activities. The divisions are self descriptive. Furthermore, out-of-school activities can be subdivided into structured and leisure activities. While structured activities have been described as activities that require active effort from the participating parties and provide an environment for expression of ones identity or interest in sports, performing arts, academic, and leadership activities(Eccles and Barber, 1999 quoted in Marsh and Kleitman, 2002), leisure activities are activities that enjoyable but not demanding (Marsh and Kleitman, 2002) e. g. driving around or talking to friends. Extracurricular activities have also been grouped into formal and non-formal activities (Fujita, 2005). Here, formal activities refer to all structured and organized activity, irrespective of whether it is in-school or out-of-school, while non-formal activities refers basically to out-of-school leisure activities. From this classification, the influences of extracurricular activities on academic performance can be streamlined. For example, it is only reasonable that in-school structured activities will better influence academic outcomes and thus increase GPA than out-of-school activities. In this sense, Gerber (1996) investigating the relationship between academic outcomes and the two type of extracurricular activities reported that there is a greater and more significant positive correlation between in-school extracurricular activity participation and GPA than for out-of school structured activities. This distinction between extracurricular activities notwithstanding, there is ample research studies that point to the academic and social utility of extracurricular activities. In one of the early definitive studies carried out in this field, Marsh (1992) using a large longitudinal study that investigated the social and academic performance of students while in school and two years after graduation, reported that students who participated in extracurricular activities were more likely to have higher school satisfaction, higher internal locus of control meaning that students felt more in control of their lives; higher social and academic self-concepts; and higher educational and occupational aspirations in school and two years after completing high school (Marsh, 1999; Marsh and Kleitman, 2002). Several other studies have reported a positive correlation between participation in extracurricular activities and academic performance. For instance, Marsh and Kleitman after reviewing several previous studies observed that extracurricular activities help in building and strengthening academic performance, even if the activities are not obviously related to academic subjects. Darling, Caldwell, and Smith (2005) after an extensive longitudinal study reported that students who participated in school-based extracurricular activities had higher grades compared to those who were not involved in any extracurricular activity. In a more specific study, Galiher (2006) investigated the relationship between students participation in extracurricular activities and their current grade point averages and cumulative grade point averages. The author did not only investigate this relationship, data was also analyzed to see if there existed grade point increments with increasing participation in more than one extracurricular activities. The author concluded that Not only was the analysis consistent with the correlation data but also showed very clearly that students who were participating in one or more activity were getting better grades than students who were not involved in any school activities. The mean grade point average for students who participated in one or more activities was approximately one grade point higher than students who were not involved, which is equivalent to one letter grade (Galiher, 2006: 11-12). This study showed, definitely, that there is a positive relationship between students’ participation in extracurricular activities and their academic performance (indicated by the GPA) and that with increasing participation, students are more likely to get higher grades. Implications for Practice With the decreasing educational achievement recorded in schools nationwide, educational practitioners and researchers are under pressure to find ways to better improve the performance recorded in schools. With this increasing pressure on educators to perform, any factor that shows potential of improving academic performance deserves serious attention. Again, with the decrease in funding available for public schools, coupled with the poor performance of schools, educational decision makers are often under intense pressure to make decisions concerning the continuance or removal of academic and extracurricular programs. From the above, it is apparent that research studies indicating positive correlation between participation in extracurricular activities have two major implications. First, it provides educators with a valid instrument for increasing the academic performance of students. The knowledge that students achieve greater academic and social outcomes with increase participation in extracurricular activities will definitely prompt educational practitioners to promote healthy and effective extracurricular activities tool for enhancing academic achievements. Two, it make the decision process easier for educational decision makers who have to decide concerning the continuation of extracurricular programs. Instead of rationalizing the removal or continuance extracurricular programs, decision makers will be more productively engaged with how to better harness the potentials of these programs. Implications for Inquiry Despite the several positive implications of extracurricular activities that have been reported in several studies, one major that deserves further investigation was raised by Hunt (2005). After studying the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance, the author reported no positive outcome, instead, he argued individuals who were academically sound at earlier ages were more likely to participate in extracurricular activities raising the question of whether extracurricular activities indeed influence academic performance or is a result of it. This area still deserves further study. Summary It has been argued that high school experiences provide an essential platform for academic and non academic accomplishments, psychological growths, the foundation for subsequent higher education and future life. Thus, any factor that could possibly influence students ability to perform their best while in high school is worth investigating. Extracurricular activities constitute one of the factors that have been shown to influence students performance in high school. In this paper, several literatures on this topic were reviewed. To a large extent, it was shown that extracurricular activities participation improves students academic performance. Thus, students that participate in one or more extracurricular activities were more likely to have higher GPAs compared to students that did not participate at all. Work Cited Burnett, M. A. (2000). One strike and youre out: An analysis of no pass/no play policies. High School Journal, 84(2): 1-6. Cairns, B. , Farmer, T. , and Mahoney, J. (2003). Promoting interpersonal competence and educational success through extracurricular activity participation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95: 409-419. Eccles, J. S. , and Barber, B. L. (1999). Student council, volunteering, basketball, or marching band: What kind of extracurricular involvement matters? Journal of Adolescent Research, 14: 10-43. Fujita, K (2005). The Effects of Extracurricular Activities on the Academic Performance of Junior High Students. The Masters College. Available at http://www. kon. org/urc/v5/fujita. html [Accessed June 21, 2008]. Everson, T H and Roger E. M (2005). Everyone Gains: Extracurricular Activities in High School and Higher SATÂ ® Scores. College Board Research Report No. 2005-2. Galiher, S (2006). Understanding The Effect Of Extracurricular Involvement. Thesis. School of Education, Indiana University, South Bend. Marsh, H. W. (1992). Extracurricular activities: Beneficial extension of the traditional curriculum or subversion of academic goals? Journal of Educational Psychology, 84: 553-562. Marsh, W. H and Kleitman S (2002). Extracurricular school activities: The good, the bad, and the nonlinear. Harvard Educational Review, 72(4): 464-510. McNeal, B. R (1995). Extracurricular Activities and High School Dropouts. Sociology of Education, 68(1): 62-80.

Danone Marketing Strategy

Danone Marketing Strategy Danone is the worlds largest fresh dairy company with a thousand cups of Danone offerings being consumed every second around the world. It operated in India through a joint venture with the Britannia group till 2009. After the split, Danone India was setup as a wholly owned subsidiary of GroupeDanone with the aim of promoting fresh diary and milk products. The dairy industry benchmark suggests that the packaged yoghurt market in India could be about 60,000 tonnes, while the indigenous market comprising curd sold in loose pouches by local dairies may be about 140,000 tonnes. The major players in the organized segment include Amul, Nestle and some smaller regional players like Nandini in Karnataka and Milma in Kerala. Thus, India presents a promising opportunity to Danone especially with its differentiated emphasis on quality and freshness. With this in mind, Danone has launched its line of yoghurt in the select markets of Mumbai and Pune and is now targeting a market share of 12% in 5 years. This report outlines the marketing strategy decided by Danone to achieve these targets. Introduction Groupe Danone is engaged in the marketing and production of fresh dairy product and beverages. It is headquartered in Paris and is the fifth largest packaged food company in the world with just over 1% shares of global sales 1786 billion US$ in 2008. In recent years, the company has refocused its operation into three core markets water, fresh dairy products, baby food and medical nutrition. Danones principle product is Yoghurt. It is the worlds leading company in yogurt with 24% value sales in product category. Mission Danones mission is to provide healthy food products to as many people as possible. Our rationale for choosing Danone yoghurt is based on the following alarming statistics Under-nutrition contributes to 53 percent of the 9.7 million deaths of children under five each year in developing countries such as ours Iron deficiency is the most prevalent form of malnutrition worldwide, affecting an estimated 2 billion people. It is impairing the mental development of 40-60 percent children in developing countries Vitamin A deficiency affects approximately 25 percent of the developing worlds pre-schoolers. It is associated with blindness, susceptibility to disease and higher mortality rates. It leads to the death of approximately 1-3 million children each year. Iodine deficiency is the greatest single cause of mental retardation and brain damage. Worldwide, 1.9 billion people are at risk of iodine deficiency, which can easily be prevented by adding iodine to salt In light of the above, we found the following characteristics inherent in Danone yoghurt which made it more than just a convenient tasty snack: DANONE YOGHURT is fortified with 4 micro nutrients : Vitamin A, Iron, Zinc and Iodine keeping in mind the sheer number of Indians who suffer from deficiency of some or all of these nutrients Other benefits of yoghurt are: Nutritious texture The smooth creamy texture of yogurt comes from lactic acid, which is formed when milk ferments. Fermentation occurs using two lactic bacteria:  Streptococcus thermophilus  and  Lactobacillus delbrueckii var. bulgaricus. Improved digestion During fermentation, between 20 and 30% of milks lactose is converted to lactic acid. Since yogurt contains bacteria such as  ÃƒÅ¸-galactosidase, those who are lactose-intolerant can tolerate it better when they eat it. Yogurts texture makes it easier to digest. Due to its thickness, yogurt takes longer to move through the digestive system, allowing the lactase enzyme to break down lactose more efficiently and absorb nutrients effectively. Low fat Recommended fat intake represents between 20% and 35% of total energy intake and is normally 65 g a day for women and 90 g for men. Eating yogurt allows one to maintain these limits. With at most 5 g of fat per serving, yogurt is pure health food that is not just low fat, but also contains a host of other nutrients Another reason for choosing Danone yoghurt is that it has been launched very recently in Pune. As a part of the phased launch program in India, Danone yogurts were initially made available in three flavors (strawberry, mango and vanilla) across super marts and grocery stores in Pune and now Mumbai. Danone fortified yogurts have a shelf life of 15 days. While Danone Dahi is priced at Rs 27 for 400 grams and Rs 14 for 150 grams, flavored yogurts are priced at Rs 10 each for 100 gram pack size. Such a product which is in its initial stage of launching, gives us an opportunity, as marketing students, to analyze the Indian market for flavored yoghurt and develop a marketing plan for further expansion of Danone Yoghurt. Situational Analysis Yogurt is a fermented milk product prepared by blending bacterial cultures into the milk. In India, traditional yoghurt products such as dahi, sour milk drinks such as lassi and buttermilk used to br produced at home at very negligible cost. Many sections of consumers still prefer preparing such items at the home because of high costs of branded products in the market. But at the same time due to growth in the middle class section of society in big cities and increased awareness of nutritional value of such dairy items, accompanied by a fall in the per unit prices of processed dairy products, the sales of packaged dairy food products has grown in the last decade. Context Currently yoghurt in India is available in two forms namely: set and stirred. Set yoghurt is available in plastic cup containers usually in packs of 100 to 400 grams. It is particularly popular in the northern and western parts of the country. On the other hand the stirred or loose form is available in plastic pouches in packs of 100 ml to 500 ml quantity. These loose packs are more prevalent in the southern part of the country. Rising average income of households in the urban areas, increasing awareness about the health benefits of processed dairy products, combined with the increasing western influence in society has lead to a faster rate of growth in the demand for yoghurt and other sour milk products amongst the Indian consumers. Till very recently there was not much demand for flavored or fruit yoghurt among Indian consumers and most of people consumed it in plain form. Company Groupe Danone (Danone) is a global market leader in production and marketing of fresh dairy products and beverages. The group is headquartered in Paris, France and employs 76,044 people globally. The group recorded revenues of E 15,220 million (approximately $22,393.8 million) during FY2008, an increase of 19.1% over FY2007. The operating profit of the group was E 2,270 million (approximately $3,339.9 million) during FY2008, an increase of 33.8% over FY2007. The net profit was E 1,313 million (approximately $1,931.9 million) in FY2008, an increase of 10.8% over FY2007. The product line offered by the company include bottled water, savory snacks, dairy desserts, pro-biotic dairy products, beverages and fresh dairy products under more than 25 brand names. The key strengths of the company includes, strong global brand image, market leadership across a wide variety of product types and across geographies, diversified revenue model which reduces the risk and most importantly strategy of product innovation to strengthen groups competitiveness. With the focus on the healthy and nutritional dairy food products, Danone group has re-launched itself in India after its initial alliance with Britannia ended in 2007. The aim of the company is to grab a significant pie of the flavored and value-added milk product category, by differentiating itself through extensive product innovation. The key focus of the company would be on delivering products which have nutritional benefits and would be focused mainly on the health conscious people of the society. Competitors Karnataka Milk Corporation KMC with its flagship brand Nanadani accounted for the maximum share of yoghurt and sour milk product market in India till 2008. KMC didnt have a national presence, but was widely available in southern India especially Karnataka, which accounted for highest per-capita consumption of sour milk and yoghurt products. In addition to KMC, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF) also occupied a major chunk of the market and both the companies had recorded a growth of about 1% during 2008. Nesvita, a pro-biotic yoghurt brand of Nestle, increased the market share of Nestle on accounts of increased demand for yoghurt among the consumers in 2009. Pricing was one of the most important factors in determining the market share of the brands. Due to low manufacturing costs, KMC and GCMMF were able to price their products at significantly lower levels as compared to national players like Nestle. For example a 200gm unit of nandani dahi is available for Rs 10 whereas the same quantity for Nestles Fresh and Natural Dahi costs Rs 13. Till 2009 Nestle and Yakult were only international players in the yoghurt market in India. State level cooperatives supported the domestic brands capability of having short shelf life, and so boosted the market for them compared to the international players. Also as late as 2008 there was no private label presence in the yoghurt and sour milk market in India. Collaborators Danone faces intense competition from local players like Karnataka Milk Corporation and Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. These local players have several advantages over an external player like Danone. For example due to low manufacturing costs and state funded cooperatives they are able to price their products low as compared to other players. Also, the distribution network of these local players is far more effective and penetrates deeper into the geographies, which is a major profit factor in dairy product industry. Also the supply of milk and culture to be used in the production process needs to have an efficient delivery system. To address such problems Danone has chalked out plans of joint ventures and partnerships with other players. It has partnered with Dynamix, as the co-manufacturer for Danone products in India. Also it has entered into a joint venture with Japanese pro-biotic dairy products manufacturer Yakult Honsha to launch pro-biotic yoghurt called Yakult distributed through the direct selling channel popularly known as the Yakult Ladies. Also Danone has partnered with several retail chains and distribution networks to make its product readily available to a wide audience. Customers The size of the Yoghurt market in India has increased by approximately 18% in 2008-09 in current value terms to reach Rs 6.5 billion. Sour milk drinks is the fastest growing category, with about 22% value increase in 2009. With the growing awareness about the nutritional and health benefits of the organic and cultured dairy products among the urban population of India, there has been a significant rise in the demand for such products. As the number of players offering such products are currently very few, there is a good business opportunity in this segment. The prospective consumers are people who value the nutritional and health benefits of processed and packaged diary food products. The key drivers which push the customer to look out of such products are the reliability and brand image of the vendor. The customers also place value on shelf-life and whether the product is made with natural ingredients. Packaging also plays an important role on consumer preference. The size of the packs available and the ease with which they can be consumed, stored and re-consumed is an important criteria for a consumer to make a product choice. Pricing of the various packs plays an important role in the ultimate buying decision of the consumers in India. The price needs to be decided by keeping in mind the per unit cost of production as well as the competitors price for the same quantity. Source: Official statistics, trade associations, trade press, company research, store checks, trade interviews, Euromonitor International estimates Porters Diamond Determining Factors of National Advantage Factor Conditions: India has readily available cheap labor. Also skilled workers are in abundance in urban and semi-urban areas at low costs. The raw materials like the milk, culture are readily available all over the country. Setting up a manufacturing unit is comparatively easy in certain parts of the country due favorable state laws Demand Conditions With increasing awareness of nutritional and health benefits of packaged dairy products there has been a tremendous increase in the demand of such products The size of the Yoghurt market in India has increased by approximately 18% in 2008-09 in current value terms to reach Rs 6.5 billion Western influence over the middle and upper middle class has increased the demand Related and Supporting Industries Plans of joint ventures and partnerships with other players like Dynamix, as the co-manufacturer for Danone products in India Also it had entered into a joint venture with Japanese pro-biotic dairy products manufacturer Yakult Honsha to launch pro-biotic yoghurt called Yakult Ladies Denone has partnered with several retail chains and distribution networks to make its product readily available to the targeted customer segment Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry Currently not many people aware of flavored and fruit yoghurt in India Local players like Karnataka Milk Corporation KMC etc enjoy a number of benefits over external players in terms of lower costs and better distribution systems No private label presence in the yoghurt and sour milk market in India currently Pricing plays an important role in decision making for Indian consumers Marketing Objectives Danones marketing objective is to gain 12% market share in five years till 2014. In a category dominated by well-established players, it will take considerable time to establish market leadership. While this would naturally be a long term goal for the company, its immediate goal should be to incrementally gain market share and create awareness for flavoured yoghurt as well as brand Danone. Marketing Strategies Segmentation Scheme, Segments Profile The market segmentation can be done using demographic and geographic variables. The demographic variables used are income, gender and age. The geographic segments are divided based on urban or rural locality inhabited by the population being segmented. By 2016, the share of middle-class households (defined as those having annual income of US$6,000-$30,000) in the top 20 Indian cities is estimated to move from 39% in 2007-08 to more 55%. High-income households (more than US$30,000) will triple in the same period to 13%. More importantly, the share of low-income households (below US$3,000) could halve to just 7% by 2016 compared to 16% in 2007-08. Such a gigantic shift in household demographics will have a huge impact on demand for everything from food and beverages and consumer electronics to clothing and personal transport. The urbanization of India is taking place at a faster rate than in the rest of the world. By 2030, 40.8% of Indias population will be living in urban areas compared to about 28.4% in 2007-08. The population in urban India saw rapid growth driven by birth and migration during 1995-2007 which will continue until 2015. The percentage of urban households increased from 26.9% to 29.3% in the period 1995-2007, and is expected to reach 31.8% by 2015. Target Segment and Rationale Thus based on the various socio-economic indicators mentioned above, the urban middle-class Indian family would prove to be a very attractive target segment. The choices of women and children play a huge part in deciding the food items consumed by a family. Married women who are educated and who are balancing busy careers with their families have comparatively less time to spend on daily cooking which has resulted in the increased popularity of packaged food. This trend is likely to continue as the number of working women is expected to increase over the coming years. Tweenagers (children in the age-group 10-14 years) have a high level of media awareness and influence family decision-making in urban India. An example of their influence is the success of breakfast cereals in urban India. Cereals are increasingly being consumed by young urban children within rich and middle-income families and Kellogg India has successfully taken advantage of this by positioning its cornflakes as a nutritious snack for children after school. Therefore it is important to target this segment of the population. But influential as they are, a singular focus on just the children can be detrimental as the proportion of tweenagers in the total population is estimated to fall by 0.2% from 2007 to 2015, owing to families opting to have fewer children. Positioning and Rationale For many years Indians have had a negative perception of packaged food as stale and inferior. But with greater information about product quality, the growing affordability and necessity of such goods has contributed to the changed perception of packaged goods as hygienic and high in quality, which in turn has led to the increased popularity of branded packaged goods. Due to greater investment in the power sector and the penetration of electricity to most parts of the country, the sale of domestic electrical appliances such as refrigerators is increasing. This factor too has led to an increase in sales of frozen and refrigerated packaged foods. Consumption of yoghurt in India is highest in Northern and western Indian where Indian yoghurt(curd ) is eaten sweet (as opposed to consuming yoghurt with savory foods like in most of South India)and this would provide an easier progression to flavoured yoghurt in terms of consumer tastes and preferences. The concept of flavoured yoghurt is common in western cuisine, and with middle-class urban Indian families eating out and expanding their culinary horizons more than ever before, they are highly likely to be open to the concept of flavoured yoghurt. Taking into consideration the above mentioned demographic, economic and social factors, Danone yoghurt can be positioned as a tasty and healthy versatile food option. It can be consumed as a snack between meals, as dessert, or even as part of a meal like breakfast. It differentiates itself based on the superior health benefits, taste and quality offered. Danone yoghurt is uniquely positioned as it offers the taste and enjoyment derived from consuming an indulgence food-item like ice-cream as well as the health and nutritional benefits of a health drink (Eg: malted health drinks). In this way it can marry the benefits of both products and differentiate itself from other value-added dairy and health food options present in the market. Market Research MARKET RESEARCH Background: When Danone launched Danone Yoghurt in Pune, they didnt undertake a very extensive market research process. The company was new to India therefore collecting valuable feedback on customer preferences and their attitude towards health snacks was more important. They conducted surveys and got feedback on aspects like their eating habits, number and type of flavors to launch etc. The company was reasonably confident of Danones acceptance in India as it has made the product work in countries with no exposure to fermented dairy whatsoever such as Indonesia. The Problem: What is the consumer perception of yoghurt in general and is there a profitable potential market for flavored yoghurt in India? Decision Alternatives: To increase the scope of Danone yoghurt in other cities beyond Pune and Mumbai To halt expansion The former would require expanding the manufacturing capacity and setting up more factories. Currently there is only one in Baramati (near Pune) in Maharashtra which caters to both Pune and Mumbai markets. Research Objective: To determine if India is ready for Flavored yoghurt and to see which specifications and preferences of consumers can the company cater to in order to capture a larger market share. Data sources: Primary data collected through a survey. This seemed to be the most effective way to gauge peoples knowledge, belief, preferences and satisfaction. For this purpose we developed a questionnaire. Total number of respondents: 76 The sample of people asked to fill the questionnaire ranged from children to elderly to working professionals, to adults who stay home. Danone has not specifically targeted any particular segment of people. The company has decided to cater to families as a whole. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS: Based on the responses to the questionnaire we can infer the following: Most respondents believe in eating and living healthy and feel that yoghurt is a healthy and nutritional alternative to other snacks and eatables. This is no surprise as there is a trend towards health consciousness among children and adults alike In purchasing a snack such as yoghurt, people rank flavor as the main criteria for making a decision. Price and fat content are considered to be other important factors. Among flavors, we found plain yoghurt (or dahi) is the most preferred followed by chocolate. This is expected as dahi is now part and parcel of our everyday meals and chocolate is popular among kids and adults. Besides these, strawberry and vanilla are also liked by the respondents. Danone is the first to offer vanilla flavored yoghurt in India. When asked to rate attributes in yoghurt on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the least important and 5 being the most important) respondents rated taste, flavor and health benefits (low fat) as the most important features. RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON ANALYSIS People regard yoghurt first as tasty and then as healthy. Danones mission is providing healthy food products to as many people as possible. Danone is a food company and not a pharmaceutical company therefore while the basis of all their products is healthy content, they cannot and do not ignore the taste aspect. Respondents consume curd and other forms of yoghurt mostly between once to 5 times in a week. This boils down to a maximum of once a day. They purchase yoghurt mostly through food chains such as Reliance, More etc. and only about 36% purchase from local shops. Respondents gave considerable importance to availability of yoghurt. It is interesting to note that people are not willing to go out of their way to buy a particular brand of yoghurt especially if substitutes are available. Therefore, yoghurt should be readily available (even in local shops) to induce people to make a purchase and inch towards building brand loyalty for Danone. Since people are willing to pay Rs. 10 to 12 for plain yoghurt, flavored yoghurt can probably be priced marginally higher as it is viewed as a premium product. Marketing Action Plan The Marketing Action Plan deals with the 4Ps of marketing, i.e. Product, Price, Promotion and Place. We have outlined the marketing action plan for Danone Flavored Yoghurt below: Product Danone Flavoured Yoghurt is flavored spoonable yoghurt made from milk, Yoghurt cultures, flavors, stabilizers, whey protein concentrate and color. It is fortified with four micro nutrients Zinc, Vitamin A, Iodine and Iron. Danone Flavored Yoghurt does not contain any preservatives. It has a shelf life of 15 days. The product would be primarily positioned as a healthy snack that tastes good. It is currently available in four flavours in India. They are: Mango Strawberry Vanilla Plain The product is available in 100 g packages. Currently no other product sizes are available. Product Packaging Danone Yoghurt is packaged in a plastic container and vaccum-sealed using an Aluminium foil bearing the attractive logo and branding. The containers are well sterilized before the fermented milk is poured in so as to remove the yeast since that leads to the creation of moulds that destroy the yoghurt. In addition, some stabilizers are added at the final stage that prevent the occurrence of whey, the watery coat that is formed above the set yoghurt. Price The price of the Danone Flavoured Yoghurt is Rs.10 for 100 gm yoghurt. Since the main marketing strategy of Danone is to establish the brand in India and increase the market share, Danone has to apply market-penetration pricing techniques. The product is competitively priced to ensure wider consumer reach and to secure high volume growth. The operational cost involved in the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and retailing of 100 gm of flavoured product are as follows Advertising Objectives The aim of the advertising program will be to create awareness about the brand, to highlight the quality,taste and nutritional benefits of the product. Since Danone is new to India and flavoured yoghurt is in the introduction stage in the Indian market, the advertising has to create sufficient awareness about the product category among the customers and stimulate enough interest to promote trial of the product. The advertisements should also increase the brand awareness of Group Danone and communicate to the consumers that Danone is the largest company in dairy products in the world. The advertisements would be primarily targeted at the segment of urban, middle class families. Choice of media The main focus should be on television ads, as it reaches more urban families than any other medium. Display media such as billboards, signs etc., innovative promotion programs and point-of-sale promotions could also be implemented to ensure wider reach. Advertising Program Television Advertisements The television advertisements would be targeted at the urban, middle class families. We suggest that there should be two separate television advertisement strategies one for increasing the brand equity of Group Danone in India and one focused on building the awareness of Danone Flavoured Yoghurt. It is important to build the brand awareness of Danone as the urban middle class consumers in India are highly aspirational and would love to be associated with a world-class brand. Aspiration-led marketing and portrayal of brands as status symbols has worked well in the past with the Indian consumers. This could also create an edge against established competitors such as Amul or Nestle and aid in brand recall. The advertisement should be informative; the purpose here is to introduce the average Indian consumer to Danone as the worlds largest dairy group. The creative execution can focus on Danones history, its popularity across the world and essentially, the arrival of Danone in India. The product related television advertisement should be built around the product features, taste and health benefits, appetite appeal and the snacking occasions. One of the main intentions is to ensure that potential customers try out the product. The plain yoghurt is a part of Indian diet and is generally preferred over the flavoured yoghurt which has less appeal to the Indian palate. Hence, the advertising has to actively motivate the consumers to switch from traditional sour yoghurt to the flavoured yoghurt emphasizing on both the taste and the added health benefits and can feature men, women and children consuming flavoured yoghurt as part of their meals. It should have eye-catching visual imagery that promotes appetite, appealing music and preferably a story line that involves an urban family that represents the general consumer lifestyle and preferences. The strategy for the implementation of the advertising should be: Launch with a high-decibel advertising campaign to maximize the impact. This can be continued for three to four weeks. The advertisements should be mainly featured on television channels popular in the urban middle class families. General entertainment channels in Hindi as well as English and the television channels that target tweens and English movie channels have more viewership among the target segment. The programs which are most popular with the target segment and those that emphasize health and wellness should be focused on. Outdoor media Billboard and poster ads that complement the television advertisements and enhance the brand appeal should also be a major part of the communication plan. Danone already has implemented innovative promotion media such as the Blue Danone buses in Pune. These ads should contain memorable visuals and communicate detailed information to give the product greater visibility and appetite appeal. Print Media The print media advertisement can deliver detailed information about the brand and the nutritional and taste attributes of the product to the target customers. English newspapers and family magazines such as Readers Digest, Good Housekeeping etc. and health and wellness magazines reach a large base of urban consumers. Sales Promotions The purpose of the sales promotions such as coupons, contests, premiums etc. are to gain attention and to lead the consumer to purchase the product. Since the product is in the introduction stage, the main goal is to encourage trials and thereby adoption. The following sales promotion methods are suggested: Distribute free samples with popular family and health magazines Banded packs with other branded health foods such as breakfast cereals or fruit juices. Point-of-sale displays that are eye-catching Social Media Marketing The urban population is characterized by extensive use of internet media. Internet represents a powerful channel that can be proliferated for effective advertisement campaign. Social media marketing can be employed in the form of presence on networking sites like facebook, orkut and myspace. Forums can be created on these sites that can inform the users of the health benefits of yoghurt, latest technology and its effect on product quality. First hand feedback and consumer sentiments can be analyzed from what they say on these forums. This information can be used to improve product quality, packaging, introduce new flavours and improve consumer interaction and further reinforce the brand image in the minds of the consumer. Place The primary mode of distribution of Danone flavoured yoghurt is a single-level channel with only the retailer as the intermediary between Danone and the consumer. To ensure the freshness of the product, it is put in cold storage at 4 degrees Celsius after packaging and is transported in trucks to the warehouse. Danone is the first company in India to have cold chain from factory to warehouse and from warehouse to the retail shop. At present, Danone flavoured yoghurt is available only in Mumbai and Pune. Danone will be launched across India in three phases: Phase I: It would include marketing in the top 10 metros with use of modern retail chains Phase II: It would include the next 20 Tier 1 citi

Impact of Chronic Pain on Suicidal Thoughts

Impact of Chronic Pain on Suicidal Thoughts Abstract This research paper discusses the impact of chronic pain on the suicide attempts. It includes the prevalence and risk of suicidal ideation associated with chronic pain. The paper implicated the selection of work which identifies the psychological processes which are implicated in both the suicide literature and pain in relation to increased rate of suicidality. Although, this paper investigates impact of chronic pain on suicide[H1]; there is an immense need of programmatic research for the investigation of both pain and general specific factors of risk for examining the processes of psychology associated with it, and for the development of enhancing intervention to facilitate the patients in pain. How Does Chronic Pain Impact Suicide Victims Introduction The paper is intended to research the impact of chronic pain on suicide attempt. Throughout the world, suicide is endemic with varying methods and rates. The World Health Organization estimated the recorded suicide deaths in all over the world which represents 1.8% of all the deaths and is approximately 873000 per annum[1]. Rates of prevalence for suicidal ideation and fatal suicide attempts are very high. In a survey conducted in USA, the population indicated that 13.5 percent of respondents have had some kind of suicidal ideation experience in past, and 4.6 percent attempted suicide. These statistics give both the indication of the major issue of management and the index of distress. It signifies the increased consumption of health care, the economic costs related to the lives which are lost, and the immense personal suffering. The risk factors of suicide associated with pain and the behavior of suicide are remained difficult to differentiate as which one is most vulnerable. It is due to the fact that individuals completing and attempting suicide are represented by heterogeneous group which encompass to those with some disorders related to psychiatry like schizophrenia or depression, those with personality disorder or substance abuse issues, and those depilating and experiencing physical and chronic illness[2]. For maximizing the potential identification of the impact of chronic pain on suicide and preventing the deaths which could be avoidable, it is required to study not only the commonalities but also the risk factors which contribute to the suicidal ideation development across suicidal individuals. Chronic pain One out of every five adults, who attend basic medical care during any stage of a year, has been found suspected of having chronic non-malignant pain and it has been a common health related problem[3]. This problem is associated with lack of physical fitness, lower health conditions and poor quality of life. This problem has also been linked with the risks of increasing depression. After negative results of all medical treatments, the impact of chronic pain affect patients’ lives drastically, therefore, the patients of chronic pain convince themselves for committing a suicide attempt as they feel limited or no other choice. The suicide attempt concerning with these patients has been one out of seven solutions to their problem that are conceivable. Unluckily these facts have some truth. Some suggestions have been reviewed in the existing literature and these suggestions have proposed that the ideation of suicide is common in people who suffered from chronic pain. The occurrence of suicidal ideation has been found three times higher in chronic pain patients as compared to those who did not suffer from chronic pain[4]. There are a number of studies that avoid collective explanation of the findings due to the varied samples and suicide assessment methods. But some studies have indicated the existence of suicidal ideation at the rate of 7% in individuals having chronic pain, who were observed during a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation program in a hospital[5]. The researchers also observed the out-patients of hospital and recorded between 5 to 24 percent rate among chronic pain patients. The lifetime existence of suicidal ideation has been observed in 20 percent of patients, which shows no major difference between a community sample and treatment seeking individuals’ results. Another study revealed more significance and observed a group of members of a chronic pain self-help organization. The study resulted that around 50% individuals of that group had serious consideration of suicidality. Four different studies have recorded the existence of suicidality among chronic pain patients. These existing inadequate and limited data related to suicidality in chronic pain patients reveals that contribution of pain has been 4% of all the deliberate self-harm patients in UK’s general hospitals. The data also reveals that 60% of the patients were those who had been suffering from pain for the last six months or more[6]. The lifetime existence of suicidality has been observed from 5% in patients with musculoskeletal disorder, up to 14% in patients with chronic abdominal pain. The rate of suicidality has been recorded as high as double in patients with chronic pain, as compared to those who did not have chronic pain. According to a pain centre in the United States, the prevalence of suicidality was calculated and recorded with a rate of 23 patients out of every one hundred thousand people every year[7]. This rate does not seem to be as high as has been in psychiatric patients, but it is 2 to 3 times higher the rate found in general public. Two different studies related to suicidality have related the pain with the existence of high risks of suicidality in patients who had pain. The first study that was based on a ten year longitudinal observation of farmers revealed that patients of back pain had nine times higher risk of committing suicide as compared to those who did not have back pain. The results remain unchanged even after controlled usage of smoking, social status and getting older[8]. The second study that was based on an eight year longitudinal observation, revealed that patients with wide spread body pain or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) had twice the risk of suicidality, violence and accident. Impact of Chronic Pain in Suicide Attempts Family History of Suicide A number of studies related to suicidality have recognized a strong relationship between the existence of suicidality and family history in patients[9]. Another study revealed that the there was 7 to 8 times high risk of occurrence of suicidal ideation in patients with chronic pain who had a family history of existence of suicidality as compared to those chronic pain patients who did not have a family history of suicidality and this remained unchanged even after significant adjustments in other covariates such as depression. Despite this relationship, the suicidality has not been significantly evaluated in other studies, in connection with the affects of family history[10]. The available data about suicidality has been unsuccessful towards the assessment of family history of suicidality which is another risk element for completed and attempted suicidality in patients with chronic pain. Previous Suicide Attempt A number of studies have confirmed that previous attempts of suicidality have played a major role in the development of consequent risk of suicidal attempts in chronic pain patients, in addition to depression’s effects or other covariates. The results observed converse results in depressed patients who did not have chronic pain. The studies established the outcome by stating that depressed patients who had chronic pain were twice as likely to have attempted suicide at least once in the past[11]. Different available studies related to suicidality have confirmed that previous suicidality attempts might be the cause of motivation towards further suicidality attempts and completed suicidality. However the available data has not been successful in assessing the patients with chronic patients. Being Female According to two different studies, female chronic pain patients have been more risks of suicidal ideation than male chronic pain patients[12]. These findings have been surprising because of the fact that ratio of suicidal attempts have been more found in men than women in the western world. However two different studies with comparatively smaller data samples have presented no significant statistical difference in data during the observation of suicidality in both genders[13]. Another possibility of higher occurrence of suicidality in females might be because of the fact that these data samples of population had overrepresentation of female with pain or rheumatoid arthritis disorder. Presence of Co-Morbid Depression According to four different studies, depression has played a major role in developing the risk of suicidal ideation in patients who had chronic pain[14]. In fact, the high co-morbidity between depression and pain; and between depression and suicide has not been a surprising finding because the depression has not always been helpful in predicting the suicidality in chronic pain patients[15]. Studies have also revealed that some of the patients with chronic pain, who also had depression, did not have suicidal ideation. Pain Specific Risk Factors Location and type of pain Location and type of pain might increase the risk of suicidality in patients. Several studies have confirmed that location of pain such as presence of back pain or widespread body pain have been among several causes of higher risk of suicidality as compared to those who did not have pain. Different types of pain with diverse characteristics and level of severity have been recognized as convincing in predicting the suicidal ideation. Patients who had migraine with aura have been found to be twice at risk of having suicidal ideation as compared to those who had migraine without aura, regardless of the existence of co-morbid depression[16]. Patients with abdominal pain have more risk of having suicidal ideation while patients with neuropathic pain were less vulnerable in terms of suicidal ideation. A study based on a mixed group of chronic pain patients revealed higher suicidal risk when compared with controls. But the data presented no difference between fibromyalgia patients and contr ols when each one of the group was separately examined[17]. The available data confirm the vitality of the studies in relation to the effects of different subtypes of pain on suicidality of patients. High Pain Intensity There has been a reasonable assumption that the high intensity of pain has a relationship with the degree of suicidality. Two different studies have observed the pain intensity in relation with suicidality. The first one revealed a significant relationship in both of them, while the other study found no relationship between pain severity and suicidal ideation[18]. Therefore, this shows the need of more clearer and helpful research so that the relationship between pain intensity and suicidality could better be understood. Long Pain Duration Long pain duration in a patient is likely to increase the risk of suicidal ideation. Patients with longer than three months duration of pain were examined against another group of patients with less than three months duration of pain on a range of psychological variables such as patients’ likelihood of suicidal ideation[19]. The study revealed that the risk of suicidality was higher in patients who had prolonged rheumatoid arthritis whereas those with less than three months of rheumatoid arthritis were comparatively at lesser risk of suicidality. Presence of Co-Morbid Insomnia Insomnia has been one the significant factors towards existence and absence of suicidality in patient with chronic pain[20]. The study also confirmed that patients with severe insomnia along with associated daytime dysfunction and greater pain intensity were more vulnerable to suicidal ideation. The severity of sleep-out insomnia has been found with 67% of the variance. The studies have been consistent in confirming the earlier researches that presented higher existence of insomnia and sleep disorders towards suicidality and give extra weight to the significance of the study of interaction present between the non pain specific and pain specific factors of risk while suicidality is investigated among patients of chronic pain[21]. Conclusion Patients who have suicidal ideation generally utilize primary health care services at a higher rate than those who have psychosocial health problems without suicidal ideation. Some health problems specific to patients with suicidal ideation are sleep disorder, bad smoking habits and more psychiatric symptoms than those who have not suicidal ideation but have psychosocial stressors. All of these associated problems and habits tend to contribute towards more discomfort in patients and more repeated visits. This research paper has given an overview of the features and the prevalence of the inter relationships existed between mental ill health and physical ill health along with suicide. It is clear that the chronic pain has a significant impact of suicide attempts therefore greater attention of policy is required and the provision of service is needed for the improvement of condition. Chronic pain has been identified as a major risk factor for patients towards suicidality, causing 13% of patients to have suicidal ideation. Around 19% of patients were those who reported non-suicidal morbid ideation. There is an urgent necessity of programmatic research to investigate both the pain and general specific factors of risk for examining the processes of psychology associated with it, and for the development of enhancing intervention to facilitate the patients in pain. Result In relation to controls, the risk of reaching to death by suicide is found to be doubled at least in the cases of chronic pain. There was life time prevalence of suicidal attempts between 5 percent and 14 percent of individuals which have experienced chronic pain, and suicidal ideation prevalence is about 20 percent. There are eight factors of risk for suicidalty in the chronic pain, inclusive of duration, intensity and type of pain and the sleep on set insomnia associated with pain, hence it is pain specific. References Courtenay E. Cavanaugh, Jill Theresa Messing, Melissa Del-Colle, Chris O’Sullivan and Jacquelyn C. Campbell. Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Behavior among Adult Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 2011. 372-383. Igor Elman , David Borsook, and Nora D. Volkow. Pain and Suicidality: Insights from Reward and Addiction Neuroscience. Progress in Neurobiology, 2013. 1-27. Afton L. Hassett, Jordan K. Aquino, Mark A. Ilgen. The Risk of Suicide Mortality in Chronic Pain Patients. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 2014. 1-7. Johannes Krause. Tim,Bogerts. Bernhard, andGenz. Axel. Risk Factors for Suicide–An Alternative View. CNS Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets-CNS Neurological Disorders), 2013. 936-940. Kowal. John, Wilson Keith G., Henderson. Peter R., McWilliams Lachlan A. Change in Suicidal Ideation After Interdisciplinary Treatment of Chronic Pain. Clinical Journal of Pain, 2014. 463-471. Amy R. Murrell, Rawya Al-Jabari, Danielle Moyer, Eliina Novamo, Melissa L. Connall. An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach to Adolescent Suicide. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL CONSULTATION AND THERAPY, 2014. Emilie Olià ©, Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla, Philippe CourtetTop of Form Bottom of Form . Pain in Suicidal Ideations and Behaviors. In Mental Health and Pain. Springer Paris, 2014. 183-190. Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. Lancet, 2012. 2318-2319. [1] Emilie Olià ©, Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla, Philippe Courtet. Pain in Suicidal Ideations and Behaviors. [2] Afton L. Hassett, Jordan K. Aquino, Mark A. Ilgen. The Risk of Suicide Mortality in Chronic Pain Patients. [3] Kowal. John, Wilson Keith G., Henderson. Peter R., McWilliams Lachlan A. Change in Suicidal Ideation After Interdisciplinary Treatment of Chronic Pain. [4] Igor Elman , David Borsook, and Nora D. Volkow. Pain and Suicidality: Insights from Reward and Addiction Neuroscience. [5] Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. [6] Amy R. Murrell, Rawya Al-Jabari, Danielle Moyer, Eliina Novamo, Melissa L. Connall. An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach to Adolescent Suicide. [7] Courtenay E. Cavanaugh, Jill Theresa Messing, Melissa Del-Colle, Chris O’Sullivan and Jacquelyn C. Campbell. Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Behavior among Adult Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. [8] Johannes Krause. Tim,Bogerts. Bernhard, andGenz. Axel. Risk Factors for Suicide–An Alternative View. [9] Afton L. Hassett, Jordan K. Aquino, Mark A. Ilgen. The Risk of Suicide Mortality in Chronic Pain Patients. [10] Igor Elman , David Borsook, and Nora D. Volkow. Pain and Suicidality: Insights from Reward and Addiction Neuroscience. [11] Courtenay E. Cavanaugh, Jill Theresa Messing, Melissa Del-Colle, Chris O’Sullivan and Jacquelyn C. Campbell. Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Behavior among Adult Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. [12] Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. [13] Emilie Olià ©, Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla, Philippe CourtetTop of Form Bottom of Form . Pain in Suicidal Ideations and Behaviors. In Mental Health and Pain. [14] Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. [15] Amy R. Murrell, Rawya Al-Jabari, Danielle Moyer, Eliina Novamo, Melissa L. Connall. An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach to Adolescent Suicide. [16] Johannes Krause. Tim,Bogerts. Bernhard, andGenz. Axel. Risk Factors for Suicide–An Alternative View. [17] Afton L. Hassett, Jordan K. Aquino, Mark A. Ilgen. The Risk of Suicide Mortality in Chronic Pain Patients. [18] Michael R Philips, and Hui G Cheng. The Changing Global Face of Suicide. [19] Johannes Krause. Tim,Bogerts. Bernhard, andGenz. Axel. Risk Factors for Suicide–An Alternative View. [20] Kowal. John, Wilson Keith G., Henderson. Peter R., McWilliams Lachlan A. Change in Suicidal Ideation After Interdisciplinary Treatment of Chronic Pain. [21] Emilie Olià ©, Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla, Philippe Courtet. Pain in Suicidal Ideations and Behaviors. [H1]How the heck does pain struck suicide?

price of greed :: essays research papers

The Price of Greed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Argh matey! Welcome aboard the ship that will lead to a world of pirates. Lets be cautious now the sight of gold can make any man lust with greed and in a blink of an eye they are lost in a world of gluttony. Now will enter a place where the desire for more has taken control over many men that are now doomed. Pirates of the Caribbean: The curse of the Black Pearl is a tale of betrayal and greed; where the greed of man leads to a path of many riches but a life cursed without enrichment. The curse that will leave man always wanting more as well as the lost of their senses of life and feelings of emotions. The code of the pirates like many other codes establishes the rules pirates abide by. One of the rules the pirates go by is if a fellow shipmate gets left behind they stay behind. This gives significance to the word betrayal. In a pirate’s ship everyone is looking out for himself. This is similar to the real world where everyone is trying to get ahead and think of no one but himself or herself. Many choose the path of cheating and betrayals to climb the rope of success leaving behind no regrets and seeing ahead a future of fortune. The thinking of a pirate: fortune.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Captain Jack Sparrow is the captain of the Black Pearl until his crew plots against him to take over the ship. Empowered by greed they were led by a new voice, Barbosa, and left Jack Sparrow in an abandon island. The treasure they seek was Cortez’s gold coins. Even though stories told of a curse the pirates’ greed and need for treasure overtook their rationality. Cortez’s curse did not stop them from stealing and this just demonstrates how greed has the power to destroy the inner morals of any human being. The greed of many is like a craving that hits every second and it cannot be contained; it has to be satisfied. Captain Barbosa tells the story of Cortez’s cursed gold coins and what the curse has done to him and his crew. The curse has made them live forever without senses to taste or feel. They roam the sea looking for the day they could finally break the curse. Captain Barbosa now understood that his greed had taken away from him things he found no value to but now craves for it the most.

Panama Canal Essay -- essays papers

Panama Canal Essay The canal was the best thing that ever happened to Panama. The Panama Canal was started under President Roosevelt and completed by his successor, William Howard Taft. The canal was built across an isthmus, a narrow body of land that connects two larger land areas, which connects North and South America. In some places in Panama the isthmus is only 50 miles across. The French started the canal in the late 1800’s. They had just built the then famous Suez Canal with relative ease. The Suez Canal, unlike the Panama Canal, was a straight canal on level ground, in a relatively dry climate. The French had failed in building the Panama Canal because of the tropical climate, in which deadly tropical diseases consumed their workers, and because of the mountain range in which they could not cut through. He had planned to build the canal in the way of the Suez Canal, straight and sea level. You can see the trouble with trying to cut out that much land, through the mountain range, making i t at sea level. The Americans tried their hand in the early 1900’s. Three main people helped made the canal a success. Teddy Roosevelt was one of those people; he saw the military importance of a canal. He called for the cruiser, Oregon, to sail around South America from San Francisco to Cuba so it could be present in the battle at Santiago Bay. The entire journey took ten weeks. He was the driving force in getting the permission to build the canal because he realized the importanc...

Gay marriages Essay

Legalization of gay marriages is a comparatively new social experiment, undertaken in twelve American states and several European countries. To my view, it should be cancelled, and in the present paper I would like to substantiate my opposition to the introduction of gay marriage practice worldwide. The United States Constitution, as one knows, guarantees religious freedom, so that national religion and the related obligations could not be adopted at the legislative level. Nevertheless, the national law is to great extent based upon religious principles, given that they developed much earlier than the institute of law. Nevertheless, due to the fact that the American population is diverse in terms of cultural and religious backgrounds, the legislation should demonstrate a high degree of sensitivity to the needs of minority groups, whose beliefs might dramatically contradict to the legal prescriptions. Thus, the legal foundation should be flexible enough, but only to those religions, which have most supporters in the country, as responding to the religions, poorly represented in the United States, might result in the infringement of the interests of larger religious groups (Wolfson, 2004). As the statistics demonstrates, the most widespread religions in the country are Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism (Wolfson, 2004). All of these doctrines have long histories and derive from approximately the same values which include family, human life, health and spirituality. It needs to be noted that the carriers of the doctrines are practically consistent with one another in terms of the principles of marriage, which should necessarily be heterosexual; therefore, all of them disapprove of gay families, as one of the basic goals of any ancient religion is the encouragement of natural reproduction (Wolfson, 2004; Dobson, 2004). As one can conclude, there is a strong religious argument against gay marriages, and given the fact that more than 80 per cent of Americans are adherent to a particular doctrine, it is possible to presume that the legalization of gay marriages abuses the interests of the majority. It is often stated that due to the fact that a number of same-sex couples have been cohabitating for years, it would be useful to legalize homosexual partnership, so that the receive the benefits, associated with the traditional marriage, which include social security insurance and a number of additional rights. On the other hand, same-sex marriages are likely to increase government expenditures: â€Å"Recognizing same-sex marriages would increase outlays for Social Security and for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program† (Chauncey, 2004, p. 243). In order to increase the relevant spending, it is necessary to raise taxes, so each American citizen, capable of working, will pay for the introduction of homosexual marriages from their own pocket. Given the aforementioned information about the most influential and represented religious groups, one can assume public dissatisfaction, which might appear as a result of the launch of this social experiment. Furthermore, marriage of convenience might become more common (Chauncey, 2004; Dobson, 2004). This practice is quite popular among those individuals, who wish to receive marriage benefits without the actual desire for the creation of family. In this sense, they misuse and abuse the concept of government trust for citizens and legally declared value of family, more precisely – undermine the legal understanding of family. This means, in order to avoid the increase of convenience marriage rates, it is highly recommended to not to endorse same-sex marriage. My final argument against gay marriages derives from the value of family as a source of reproduction not merely at the level of individual citizens, but also in terms of society in general. â€Å"A common objection to same-sex marriage is that the purpose of marriage is a result of naturally occurring sexual attraction that leads to procreation and that the same-sex partnership is inherently sterile† (Dobson, 2004, p. 89). I do not claim that individuals should create families taking into consideration the fact that they are obliged to have children, as the attitude towards procreation is a personal choice, but the direction, encouraging the reproduction of society, should be taken at the levels of both law and social policy; otherwise the society might not survive. Moreover, it is possible to presume that gay marriage is likely to abuse the value of traditional family even more than heterosexual cohabitation without registration. First of all, heterosexual cohabitation corresponds to the natural principles of family as a â€Å"union† of a male and a female for proliferation; it needs to be noted that a number of â€Å"unregistered† heterosexual families have children, whereas gay families have less opportunities and lower willingness to procreate (Dobson, 2004). In the social context, the scope of family duties harmoniously combines male and female roles in the household, this tendency is equally apparent in both married couples and cohabitants, whereas different gender roles are unlikely to unite within a same-sex family. As for the legal regulation of sexuality and moral issue, it is important to note that the existing legislation already restricts many aspects of sexuality and morality, such as incest or sexual contact with children,; from these examples one can conclude that the absence of such constraints is likely to negatively affect the common wellbeing. Similarly, the permission of same-sex marriages might have adverse consequences as well. To sum up, due to the facts that most religious groups oppose gay marriage, that the introduction of this practice is likely to affect everyone in economical meaning and that same-sex marriages undermine the traditional value of family, the initiative concerning their legalization should not be supported. Works cited Chauncey, G. Why Marriage? The History Shaping Today’s Debate over Gay Equality. New York: Basic Books, 2004. Dobson, J. Marriage Under Fire. Sisters, Or. : Multnomah, 2004. Wolfson, E. Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People’s Right to Marry. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.