7 pages Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

7 pages - Assignment Example If people buy a lot of drinks or many tickets are sold, the players’ salary increases. If there are only a few people who buy the tickets or the drinks, the players’ salary decreases. Q.1. When there is underutilization, a country uses fewer resources than those that it can use. The production possibilities frontier is that line on the production possibilities graph which indicates the maximum possible output. Q. 2. The Product Possibilities Curve abbreviated as PPC shows the optimum production level hat economies can attain. For example, if a person compare the main level of production for an economy, with the actual curve, it is possible to determine the economy’s efficiency. Q. 3. Opportunity cost is demonstrated when making a comparison between data on different points on the production possibilities frontier. When the production of an element goes up, the curve on the PPC shows the production curve decreasing. Q. 4. If there is a decrease it does not mean that the production possibilities for farm’s output have decreased. If the decrease in farms was higher than the production possibility then the farm output would increase and vice versa. Q. 6. Certain events such as natural disasters for example, floods and hurricanes are likely to move the PPC down and to the left because there would be a reduction of productivity in the economy since most businesses in operation. Q. 6. Repairing a leaking roof and paying the night security guard are fixed costs because the payment does not change despite the events surrounding the expenses. Cotton, food and electricity at the mill are variable because they always change. Q. 3. Regulations affect the output decisions of producers because it may make it too expensive or cheaper. For example, companies will not continue to supply if the regulations support the expensive

Self awareness in persons with brain injury

Self awareness in persons with brain injury Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a major medical issue which can affect anyone regardless of class, race, ethnicity, gender, or age. It can be defined as damage to the brain, which occurs after birth and is not related to a congenital or a degenerative disease. These impairments may be temporary or permanent and cause partial functional disability or psychosocial maladjustment (Brain Injury Association, 2009). People who have sustained an acquired brain injury are not easily pinpointed in society due to the lack of external symptomology, and therefore ABI is usually referred to as the hidden disability. This title, named accordingly, is due to the extensive damage to their cognitive and social functioning and less to do with their physical appearance, which in many cases remained unchanged. So what causes ABI, and who can be affected by it? This type of injury can occur due to a series of incidents, and anyone can be affected by it. Some possible incidents include a road traffic accident, a fall, an assault, a stroke which causes damage to the brain, complications during brain surgery, tumours, viral infections, or lack of oxygen to the brain (a possible result of a heart attack, hypoxia, or anoxia). ABI can be split into two types traumatic and non-traumatic. A traumatic brain injury can occur due to a closed or open injury. The more common type, closed injury, occurs when the brain is bounced around in the skull due to a blow to the head, such as the impact from a road traffic accident. What this impact results in is damage to the brain tissue. An open injury, on the other hand, occurs when an object such as a bullet, fractures the skull and enters the brain (Headway, 2009). This type of injury is less common and usually damages a specific part of the brain, therefor e resulting in specific problems. The other type, non-traumatic injury, is simply one that does not occur as a result of a trauma, such as a stroke or a tumour. Prevalence of ABI is unknown within Ireland, however Headway (2009), an Irish organisation specialising in brain injury rehabilitation, accumulated ABI data from various countries and applied this to an Irish population in order to estimate the prevalence. With this information they suggested that between 9,000 and 11,000 people sustain a traumatic brain injury each year in Ireland. They estimated that there are approximately 30,000 people in Ireland between the ages of 16-65 with long term problems following trauma to the brain, and that the 15-29 year old group are three times more likely to sustain a brain injury than any other group. Another Irish study, OBrien Phillips (1994), recorded individual patient details for all head injury admissions to the Neurosurgical Unit at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. They estimated a prevalence of head injury among patients in Ireland to be approximately 13,441 per year, which is just slightly higher than Headways (2009) estimation. Results from t he 225 patients they studied portrayed that road traffic accidents accounted for 48% of injuries sustained (the largest proportion), and falls accounted for 36%. The researchers also found that between 1987 and 1993 there were 3,154 people killed and 64,971 injured on Irish roads. Alcohol consumption prior to the injury was also found in 31% of cases. In a larger study, Tagliaferri et al. (2006) attempted to locate the prevalence rate of brain injury, this time in Europe. They claimed that the absence of prevalence data hampers the full assessment of medical treatment and rehabilitation needs (p. 265) and that prevalence studies in Europe are essential, and should be undertaken extensively. With this in mind they suggest that brain injury patients will increase by 775,500 each year in the EU, and that 6,246,400 people are alive with some degree of TBI [traumatic brain injury] (p. 260). Thus we can conclude from these studies that Ireland has a prevalence rate of ABI from about 9,000 to 13,5000, a slight impingement upon Europes figures, but a worryingly high statistic for Ireland alone. There are three levels of brain injury, which indicate the severity of the neurological injury mild, moderate, and severe brain injury. To qualify for a mild brain injury, one must score between 13 15 on the Glascow Coma Scale, which records the conscious state of a person. This type of brain injury can occur due to a brief loss of consciousness, and the patient may present himself or herself as confused, and suffering from a concussion. Symptoms that occur within this severity of brain injury are predominantly headaches, fatigue, irritability, sensitivity to noise or light, balance and memory problems, nausea, decreased speed of thinking, depression, and mood swings. A moderate traumatic brain injury can be diagnosed when the patient scores a 9 12 on the Glascow Coma Scale. This injury occurs when there is a loss of consciousness that lasts from a few minutes to a few hours, and confusion lasts from days to weeks. Patients in this category usually make a good recovery with treatm ent. The last level of brain injury is severe brain injury, and this occurs when there is a prolonged unconscious state or coma that lasts days, weeks, or months. This category can be categorized into subgroups of coma, vegetative state, persistent vegetative state, minimally responsive state, akinetic mutism, and locked-in syndrome. (Brain Injury Association, 2009). There are many changes and consequences that affect a person after they have suffered from an acquired brain injury, whether mild, moderate, or severe. These changes may be temporary, improving in time, or permanent, dictating the way they live the rest of their lives. Not only do the changes affect the victim, but they also affect the victims support system (i.e. their surrounding family and community). Each brain injury is unique and subject to change, and depending on the severity of the injury, a patient will witness cognitive changes shifts in the ability to think and learn, affecting memory, concentration, flexibility, communication, insight, and responses. Physical changes will also be apparent in the form of fatigue, headaches, chronic pain, visual and hearing problems, and sexual function. Behavioural changes may include impulsivity, irritability, inappropriate behaviour, self-centredness, depression, lack of initiative, and sexual behaviour. Challenging Behaviour As stated earlier, most people who have a head injury are left with a change in the form of their emotional or behavioural pattern. This is inevitable as the brain is the seat and control centre of all our emotions and behaviour (Powell, 1994, p.96). With this in mind, challenging behaviour alone has become synonymous with ABI as one of the main behavioural deficits that occur following injury. The literature of ABI has accentuated that challenging behaviour presents the most significant behavioural disturbance within this diagnosis, and can pose serious problems for their recovery, their family, and also their community. Kelly et al. (2008) provided evidence that challenging behaviours have often been associated with risks such as family disintegration, loss of accommodation, reduced access to rehabilitation or community facilities and legal charges (p.457). Results of their study indicated that 94% of the patients they studied showed broad behavioural disturbance, with 60% engaging in four or more behaviour problems (p.463). However, due to convergent opinions on what constitutes a challenging behaviour, defining such behaviour has become difficult. However, Headway Ireland (2009) have made one such attempt to define challenging behaviour: any behaviour, or lack of behaviour of such intensity, frequency and/or duration that has the potential to cause distress or harm to clients/carers/staff or one which creates feelings of discomfort, powerlessness, frustration, fear or anxiety. It is also behaviour, which delays or limits access to ordinary community facilities and is outside socially acceptable norms. As mentioned earlier, types of behavioural problems that may occur following an acquired brain injury include agitation, depression, anxiety, self-centredness, withdrawal, physical aggression, increased/decreased libido, impulsivity, self harm, restlessness, paranoia, and many others. As each brain injury is unique, some patients may suffer with some symptoms, whereas others may not. Each person is entirely unique, with severities and symptoms being completely individual. So why exactly do patients suffering from an ABI present with challenging behaviours? Powell (1994) suggests that there seems to be four main reasons why these challenging behaviours exist: (a) direct neurological damage; (b) exaggeration of previous personality; (c) the stresses of adjustment; and (d) the environment the person lives in (p.97). With regards to direct neurological damage, the challenging behaviour results directly from the damage done to the certain area of the brain. Many of the challenging behaviours stem from damage done to the frontal lobes, which are important for the regulation of emotions, motivation, sexual libido, self-control and self-awareness. Following a brain injury, the patients existing personality traits, tendencies, and problems may be exaggerated, it is as if the controls or brakes which modify and regulate the personality have been loosened, and traits and mannerisms become distorted and exaggerated (p.97). It is highly important for the professio nals working along side the patient to be aware of the patients previous personality when attempting to understand their challenging behaviour. Thirdly, stress of adjustment can also be a major contributor to the challenging behaviour that persists in patients with ABI. Finding out that one can no longer do the simple things in life anymore, such as play their favourite sport or instrument, can be extremely frustrating and stressful for the patient. It is more likely that under these extreme conditions of stress that one would become more angry and irritable, and become more preoccupied with their problems than before. Finally, the social and physical environment can also contribute to the onset of behavioural problems. The social environment relates to the natural supports surrounding the patient such as family, friends, neighbours, and professional staff, whereas the physical environment depicts the patients setting, whether its an institutional setting or a family home. Taking in to consideration both the social and physical environment, if the person suffering from ABI is not understood, and communication and support is poor, then their behaviour is likely to deteriorate as a result. It is crucial for the patient to be in the correct environment to reap the best opportunities possible. How others respond to the challenging behaviour of a person with an ABI plays a crucial role in the rehabilitation process, as well as the quality of life of family and friends surrounding the patient. Of concern is the setting in which the patient is located these behaviours can endure and worsen over time, particularly in unstructured settings where there is often little control over the environmental contingencies that govern behaviour (Kelly et al., 2006). Alderman (2001) has stated how behaviour modification programmes can create profound changes within the neurorehabilitation setting. There exists an amalgamation of research conducted in this area with some very mentionable results. Watson et al. (2000) conducted a case study on patient, JH, who had sustained a brain injury as a result of a gunshot wound, and developed severe behavioural problems. A differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (DRL) intervention was devised for 85 weeks, which allowed JH the opportunity to gain stars at the end of the day if he had absolved from aggressive behaviour to a created limit. This treatment resulted in JHs level of Clopixol being reduced from three times a day, down to two without any side effects on his challenging behaviour. DRL has demonstrated the effectiveness in reducing both the frequency and severity of aggressive behaviour 10 years after a very severe TBI had been sustained (p.1011). Other studies stress different approaches to treatment of challenging behaviours, such as remedial behaviour therapy approaches, or Rothwell et al. (1999) who suggest the main emphasis in treating challenging behaviours should be upon behavioural assessment as it engenders an empathic understanding of what is often offensive behaviour, which helps reduce the stress experienced by the people affected by the behaviour and leads to respectful, individualized and holistic interventions (p.530). Self-Awareness As mentioned earlier, challenging behaviour is synonymous with ABI, however deficits in self-awareness have also been well established in the literature to be evident in patients with brain injury. Impaired self-awareness poses great challenges for rehabilitation, and also for the safety of the patient suffering from the ABI. Self-awareness can be defined as the capacity to perceive the self in relatively objective terms while maintaining a sense of subjectivity (Prigtano Schacter, 1991, p. 13). The ability to think subjectively and objectively of ourselves, and to adjust our behaviours accordingly, are abilities that are often overlooked, but are none-the-less crucial for daily living, and integration into society. These skills are commonly impaired following a brain injury, as both are constructs associated with executive functions and related to frontal-executive systems dysfunction (Goverover et al. 2007, p. 913). Oddy et al. (1985) undertook a study in a bid to portray the implications of a decreased level of self-awareness (specifically behavioural limitations) after traumatic brain injury. The researchers asked patients and their surrounding families to describe the behavioural problems that prevailed seven years following the brain injuries occurrence. The results noted that patients tended to underestimate their problems in comparison to their families reports. For example, 53% of patients noted that memory problems were the most common long term difficulty, whereas 79% of the families noted memory problems as significant sequelae. Also, patients failed to report two problems that the families reported. 40% of the families noted that the patient behaved in a much more childlike manner, and also that the patients refused to admit to their difficulties. This study brought to light the issue of self-awareness impairment. We have so far spoken of self awareness deficits and its prevalence within people who have ABI, but what exactly are the implications of such a deficit? It is widely suggested that an increased impairment of self-awareness is associated with increased problems in most other areas of the patients life. For example, Larn et al. (1998) studied that ABI patients with poor self-awareness show less compliance and participation during treatment in rehabilitation. Malec Degiorgio (2002) found that ABI patients with decreased level of self-awareness are considerably more at risk of being referred for more intensive rehabilitation. Malec et al. (2000) found that such patients require longer lengths of stay in rehabilitation; Sherer et al. (2003) found that patients are more likely to be associated with a poorer functional status at time of discharge from rehabilitation. Ezrachi et al. (1991) found that deficits in a patients level of self-awareness is foretelling of a low rate of return to em ployment following a brain injury. And finally, Ergh et al. (2002) found that a high level of impairment of self-awareness with the ABI patient is reflective of higher distress among caregivers (as cited in High, 2005). With regards to treatment of impaired self-awareness in individuals with ABI, there is a vast range of methods which have been studied. Crosson et al. (1989) have shown that group therapy programmes can be beneficial in increasing intellectual awareness. Zhou et al. (1996) studied three adult males who were trained in knowledge of ABI residuals using a game format to present training information (p. 1). Results suggested that all participants increased their knowledge relating to areas of behaviour, emotion, cognition, communication, physical, and sensory residuals. Many studies have exemplified the role of observation and feedback to improve individuals level of self-awareness. For example, Schlund (1999) undertook a case study of a 21-year-old male who was a TBI survivor and was 5 years post-injury. Results of this study showed that report-performance measurement, feedback and review, positively altered the patients awareness deficit. However, observation and feedback are not witho ut its faults as Bieman-Copland Dywan (2000) point out. Their study suggested that direct feedback becomes confrontational and can lead to agitation among patients with severe brain injury. This study highlights the need for each treatment to be individualised to ensure the best possible outcomes of treatment. Fleming et al. (2006) evaluated the usefulness of an individualised occupation-based approach for participants dealing with ABI, specifically with regards to the level of self-awareness and emotional status. The unique focus of the program was the use of meaningful occupations to provide the individuals with experiential feedback of their current level of ability through the use of self-monitoring and supportive therapist feedback (p. 51). The results supported the use of this type of therapy in increasing self-awareness, and that occupational performance may be highly important in increasing the self-awareness of people with ABI. Finally, Goverover et al. (2007) conducted a randomised controlled study on the self-awareness treatment model, stipulated upon Toglia and Kirks model (2000). Their study provided evidence for experiencing different tasks and everyday activities for enhancing self-awareness and self-regulation. Although treatment of impaired self-awareness is crucial for the patients full recovery, it has been studied that increasing the level of self-awareness in ABI patients can also have some negative consequences. Fleming Strong (1995) suggested that the belief that increased self-awareness is essential for positive outcomes in rehabilitation and needs to undergo further investigation, as a literature review suggests that the development of self-awareness can be associated with emotional distress in the individual (p. 55). This study further exemplifies the necessity to create individual treatment plans when in rehabilitation. Interventions With technology constantly advancing in the medical sector, it is evident that sustaining a brain injury no longer suggests a death sentence. With this in consideration, the emphasis has shifted towards rehabilitation of those who have sustained such an injury in order to help them attain the best quality of life possible. Many interventions have been conducted and researched for improving self-awareness, and also for managing challenging behaviours, which directly improve the life of the patient. There are limited studies focusing on the effectiveness of interventions in reducing self-awareness deficits, and whether these interventions contribute to positive outcomes in rehabilitation. However, in a literature review, Lucas Fleming (2005) suggest that interventions in self-awareness can be broken into two categories restorative/facilitatory, or compensatory. Within the restorative/facilitatory category, education, direct feedback, and experiential feedback [are] the most frequently recommended (p.163), with others such as behavioural therapy, psychotherapy and rating of task performance also being recommended. Education relates to ensuring the patient understands his or her injury and the impairments that this injury brings. This can be delivered through a variety of ways such as group therapy, visual aids, and support groups. Direct feedback following a task performance can be used to facilitate intellectual, emergency, and anticipatory awareness (p.164), whereas experient ial feedback allows the patient to go through difficulty in a real-life situation and is useful in emergent and anticipatory awareness (p.164). Compensatory strategies then As noted earlier, challenging behaviours and problematic social interaction have been liked to individuals with brain injury, which result in an amelioration of difficulties in areas such as family life, integration into the community and employment, to name but a few. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) works with environmental stimuli that impede on the challenging behaviour, and it is behavioral [sic] research in the field of brain injury rehabilitation [that] is an effective means of identifying techniques for reducing challenging behaviours and improving adaptive skills (Selznick Gurdin, Huber Cochran, 2005, p.15). This research is extensive and incorporates many different behavioural interventions, all of which have been proven to be successful. Within schools and residential programs, intervention procedures have been undertaken to reduce challenging behaviours that disrupt academic behaviour. Feeney Ylvisaker (1995) incorporated antecedent treatment using graphic organizers, curing, plan-do-review routines, and inclusion of the participant in decision-making. This treatment reduced the intensity and frequency of aggressive behaviour evident in three males with TBI. Gardner, Bird, Maguire, Carrario, Abenaim (2003) also reduced challenging behaviours using antecedent control procedures, however their success was due to interspersal and fading techniques. Selznick Savage (2000) examined self-monitoring methods for individuals who had sustained a brain injury. These methods proved to be effective for increasing attending, academic responding, and task accuracy as well as for improving social skills with individuals with behaviour disorders, mental retardation, and learning disabilities (p.243 ). This study found that on-tas k behaviour increased to 89 100% for three boys with brain injury when these self monitoring procedures were undertaken. Consequence-based interventions have also been studied extensively in this area and prove to have significant positive results. Peck, Potoczny-Gray, and Luiselli (1999) used instructional motor activities when a 15 year old boy with ABI showed signs of stereotypy in the classroom. This intervention reduced stereotypy and maintained its reduction when treatment was faded. Within the rehabilitation area, there has been extensive research depicting behavioural procedures that reduce challenging behaviour. Hegel (1988) implemented a token economy system to an 18 year old boy with a brain injury during therapy session in order to reduce his disruptive vocalizations and his noncompliance. As a result of the token economy system, his vocalizations decreased and his achieved goals increased. On a similar note, Silver et al. (1994) used a monetary reward system on a 12 year old girl with an anoxic brain injury. This was incorporated in a bid to improve her performance of morning tasks. She was reinforced with one penny for each step that she correctly completed. Reinforcement was gradually faded, and by the end of the intervention her verbal cues and physical assistance had decreased by 70 92%. Differential reinforcement of alternative behaviour (DRA) has also been proven to be successful in reducing challenging behaviour. Slifer et al. (1993) used this tech nique with extinction, response cost, and a token economy, to reduce disruptive behaviour. In most cases, DRA reduced disruptive behaviour and also increased compliance. From examining these studies, it suggests that various reinforcement procedures may facilitate more efficient therapeutic goal attainment and subsequent home and community reintegration (Gurdin et al. 2005, p.12). Purpose of current study The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of self-awareness and challenging behaviours in persons with acquired brain injury, intervention types, and success ratings. This study will incorporate a sample of Irish patients who have ABI, which is presently absence in the research conducted to date. It will also provide information on what intervention types are most regularly used among persons with ABI, and the success ratings of such intervention types.

Democrat and Republican Political Strategy in an Upcoming Election :: essays research papers

Based on current polls, the outcome of the upcoming election is leaning towards disaster for the Republican parties. This is partially due to the lack in competence on national security. Despite the forecasted outcome, the Republicans are remaining calm and confident about the upcoming election. Contrary to the polls, republicans are expecting a triumphant election session. If they succeed with their campaign plans they could ultimately cause a political upset. Unlike the Democrats, the republicans are massively investing in their campaign. They are actively preparing for the â€Å"toughest election in at least a decade,† (Mehlam). Unlike previous years there are only a handful of house seats available this election, compared to the almost 100 available in 1994. To handle the escalated election the Republicans have taken a different approach to wining voters over as well as getting registered voters motivated to go out an actually vote. They have developed â€Å"Special Teams†, whose focus is motivating and recruiting voters. These new teams are taking a more personal approach this time around, which the republican parties believe will be responsible for overturning the election. From several experiments and trials, the Republican Party has developed new strategies and advantages. First, they discovered that phone calls and door nocks persuade a voter to go to the polls. As well as using that same approach to drawing in new voters to their party, by focusing on the â€Å"increasing importance of person – to – person appeals. Second, they are investing their money differently than in previous years. Rather than pay for excessive overpriced television ads, they are paying for people to make phone calls and go door to door recruiting. This increased presence of republican recruiters and volunteers has already been shown to be more effective than the high paid democratic employees. Finally, the biggest advantaged that the Republican Party has developed is their massive financial investment in the campaign, they spare no expense, which will leave the underinvested Democrats in the financial dust. These new developments are inflating the Republican’s confidence and it is beginning to look like their â€Å"secret weapon† this election. The final advantage of the republicans is the reliability of their voters. As well as, they are counting on the unhappiness of the democrat voters with their party, which is encouraging when focusing on this upcoming election becoming favored for the republican parties. As far as the author is concerned I agree with his assessment of the Republican Party.

Economic development in Saudi Arabia Essay

The topic about economic development has become contentious among many economists in the global scene. The paper focuses on economic development in Saudi Arabia. Discussion about the various concepts and theories about economic development has been introduced. An investigative approach has been applied in the analysis of the various factors affecting the economy of the country. All the theories and aspects of economic development identified have been integrated in the essay by providing a link between theory and practical aspects of the topic. The major emphasis is about the economy of Saudi Arabia (Bourland, para 5-9). Economic development is the establishment of new structures within an economy. Structural changes are brought about by the establishment of new infrastructures and programmes, for example; the condition of health and education in a country, population control policies, and many others. It is the expansion of both macroeconomic and microeconomic aspects of a country and does not focus only on the income of a country. Economic development is measured by the advancement of both private and public sectors in an economy (Arndt, pp. 457-466). Economic development is measured by the use of several parameters such as the improvement on the living standards of the people in a country, new infrastructures being introduced in an economy, increase in the national income and many other factors. Measuring economic growth by the use of one scale may become inefficient since there are many factors affecting the economy and its people. While assessing the aspects of economic development in a country, the main focus is on the long run status of the economy and the changes brought about by the government in a long period of time. Deviations are bound to happen in the short run; that is why the short run period is not adequate enough to measure the economic development of a country (Arndt, pp. 457-466). Background information about Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia covers a geographical area of 1,960,582 million sq. km. and has four cities; Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Dammam. The terrain of the country is mainly a desert with rugged mountains in the southwest. The country experiences an arid climate with extreme temperatures in the interior. At the coast there is high humidity and temperatures. The total population of the country is 28 million with an annual growth rate of 1. 9 percent. The main religion is Islam and the official language is Arabic. The country is known to be the home place of Islam. the culture of the country is conservative and strict Wahhabi interpretations of the laws of Islam are adhered to by the Muslims. The literacy levels have been estimated to be at an average of 78. 8 percent with a great difference between men and women (male 84. 7 percent while female 70. 8 percent). The workforce is composed of 6. 49 million people with 35 percent being foreign workers. Monarchy is the system of government in the country and the constitution is based on the Holy Qur’an (Bureau of Public Affairs, para. 1-4). The kings are selected from the royal family. The king then establishes the government and the ministers to serve in the government. Saudi Arabia has joined World Trade Organization recently to promote trade in the country. The country is also a member of OPEC (Bourland, para 41). Economic development of Saudi Arabia As per the 2008 statistics the economy of Saudi Arabia had a gross domestic product of $527 billion with an annual growth rate of 6. 1 percent. The natural resources of the country are â€Å"Hydrocarbons, gold, uranium, bauxite, coal, iron, phosphate, tungsten, zinc, silver, and copper† (Bureau of Public Affairs, para. 5). Agriculture accounts for a small percent of the economy of the country. The main industries in the country are â€Å"crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics, metals, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair, and construction. † According to Bureau of Public Affairs (para. 5) the exports of the country in 2008 were valued at $364 billion while the imports where valued at $103 billion. In 2009 the exports were worth $180. 5 billion; petroleum and petroleum products accounted for 90 percent of the total exports. The government has established international relations with many countries in the world (Bourland, para 17). U. S. is the leading importer of oil products from Saudi Arabia. In 2008 oil exports were sold as follows â€Å"US 17. 2%, Japan 15. 3%, South Korea 10. 2%, China 9. 4%, India 5. 9%, Taiwan 4. 6%, Singapore 4. 4%. † the country made imports worth $86. 61 billion in 2009. The main imports are machines, equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, automobiles, and textile products. As per the data collected in 2008 the import partners are â€Å"US 12%, China 10. 4%, Japan 7. 6%, Germany 7. 3%, South Korea 5. 1%, Italy 4. 7%, India 4. 5%, UK 4%† (Bourland, para 29). Oil is the dominant economic product produced by the country for local use and export. It accounts for more than 90 percent of the exports of the country and 75 percent of the revenues collected by the government. Oil was discovered in the 1930s and large scale exploitation of the resource was done after World War II. The economic development of the country has been achieved through the sale of oil products to many countries in the world. Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserves in the world and is the leading producer and exporter in the world. The government has control over all the oil produced in the country (Bureau of Public Affairs, para. 14). The increasing oil prices have made Saudi Arabia achieve fast economic growth and development. The country has enjoyed surplus balance of deficit in trade with other countries. The revenues collected from trade in oil are used to strengthen the defense of the country, carry out development programmes and to assist other Arab and Islamic countries. Saudi Arabia has influenced OPEC to raise the oil prices. This increasing demand for petroleum products is creating a lot of revenues to the country and there have been many expansions in the industries in the country (Bureau of Public Affairs, para. 16). To increase access to many foreign markets the country joined World Trade Organization in 2005. The government has encouraged foreign direct investment in the country to expand most of its industries. The living standards of many people in the country have been uplifted by the income from the sale of oil and its products. The government plans to expand the economy while maintaining its traditional Islamic values and customs (Bureau of Public Affairs, para. 31). The surplus budget of the country has enabled the government improve the education system and job training to its citizens. The infrastructure of the country has been developed to improve the economic activities. The government provides good wages and salaries to its employees to promote the living standards of the people (Bourland, para 13). Saudi Arabia has successfully entered the business world. According to World Bank Group (para, 1-6) â€Å"the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been rated as the 13th most economically competitive country in the world, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC)-World Bank annual â€Å"Doing Business† report issued for 2010. † The government has enacted several reforms in many sectors of the economy to open up the market of the country to external investors. This has attracted many investors and the country is experiencing rapid growth in the business sector. The country has been ranked as the best in terms of business activities in the entire Middle East as well as in the Arab World (Bureau of Public Affairs, para. 51). International relationship with other countries has been improved to maintain peace in the region and to avoid conflicts which may affect the economy of the country. The government has established several embassies with foreign countries. Saudi Arabia has maintained good relationship with US for a long period of time. The two countries have been trade partners and they exchange products as well as other resources. U. S. has been the major importer of oil products from the country. Europe and Japan have also been good trade partners with Saudi Arabia and trade has been facilitated through establishment of agreements and negotiations. To maintain peace in the region, the Saudia government funds security agents to keep peace in the neighboring countries as well as other Arab countries (Bureau of Public Affairs, para. 19-25). The good relationship between U. S. and Saudia government has promoted security in the country. For example, â€Å"the United States has sold Saudi Arabia military aircraft (F-15s, AWACS, and UH-60 Blackhawks), air defense weaponry (Patriot and Hawk missiles), armored vehicles (M1A2 Abrams tanks and M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles), and other equipment† (Bureau of Public Affairs, para 33-41). The Saudia armed forces is supported with weapons and training facilities by the U. S. government. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers were used in the construction of military and civilian structures in the country. U. S. has promised to sell advanced defense military equipment to members of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This is a strategy to improve self-defense of the members of GCC (Bureau of Public Affairs, para. 26-31). The economic development of Saudia continues to be affected by poor policies about human rights practices. Discrimination against women has remained a great challenge to the government. Ethnic and religious minorities are also not favored by the policies of the country. There are restrictions on freedom of speech and this has caused a global concern over the rights of the people to express themselves freely in the country. The press has been closely monitored by the government and strict rules have been placed to hinder spread of some information about the government. Several cases of abuse of prisoners have been reported as well as detention to citizens who are not guilty. Other human rights issues affecting the country are suppression of the rights of the workers, and the denial to change the government by the citizens. Since economic development is not only measured in terms of the GDP; the country is still lagging behind towards achieving success in the promotion of the economy (Bureau of Public Affairs, para. 32-40). The increasing population in the country is creating a great threat to the economy of the country. As the population increases more strain is placed upon the resources of the country. If the trend is not reversed the country will have inadequate resources to cater for the needs of its people. The excess control of the government to the private sector is creating threat to expansion of the private investments in the country. Foreign investors fear the strict policies established by the government upon the private investment. The system of the government also restricts growth and development of the economy since the kings come from the royal family. A democratic system of government is better since it encourages competition and good performance. Such a system increases the freedom of the people to express themselves and also provides rights to the citizens (Bourland, para 34). The global economic recession of 2007-2009 and its impacts on Saudi Arabia The economy of Saudi Arabia was affected by the global recession experienced by the world economies in 2007-2009. An estimated growth rate of -0. 6 percent in 2009 was achieved due to the poor performance of the global economies. 5 percent inflation rate was registered in the year 2009. Unemployment in the FY 2009 was estimated to be 11. 6 percent among Saudi males. The public debt of the country increased to 20. 3 percent in 2009 while the revenues declined to $167. 7 billion the same year. The public expenditure increased to $164. 3 billion in 2009. The economic recession can be traced from the subprime mortgages of the US. The banking sector in US issued many loans to subprime mortgage intermediaries. Due to the expanding market in the sub prime mortgage markets, many banks issued unsecured loans to the intermediaries. The climax of the boom was reached in 2007 when the prices of products started to increase and many subprime mortgage lenders were unable to repay their loans. This led to massive default of debts and banks registered huge losses. This reduced the lending capacity of many banks. The resulting effect was lack of credit in the economy and the collapse of many companies (Stapledon, pp. 29). Sub prime mortgages are policies which have a high risk of default. Subprime borrowers are the people with low incomes and have a poor credit history. They have higher risk of default compared to the prime borrowers. The US government had deregulated the real estate mortgages leading to massive investment in subprime mortgages. This caused the risky lending of subprime mortgages. The subprime mortgages were not popular initially but they became widely used in the 1990s. The climax of the sub prime mortgages was in 2006 when they accounted for more than 21 percent of all mortgages traded in the US market. The value of subprime mortgages in 2006 was valued at $600 billion. Many subprime mortgage intermediaries were established to reap the benefits of the expanding industry (Helleiner, pp. 44). Since the US is a major export partner to Saudi Arabia, a ripple effect of the economic crisis was felt in the country. Other economies were also affected and Saudi Arabia experienced declining exports for oil products. The imports purchased by the country were affected by global inflation and the country’s budget increased. Other economies declined since they had no market for their goods and Saudi Arabia reduced the oil exports. The entire world encountered economic crisis which resulted into failure by all sectors of the economy in the world (Stapledon, pp. 63). High levels of unemployment were experienced as industries closed down. International trade was affected by the economic crisis and this affected all sources of employment leading to high levels of unemployment. Poverty increased and the living standards of many people declined. Family incomes were low and the people barely survived through the hard economic period. The low incomes that people had could not buy the products in the market due to high rates of inflation. In the global economies, the crisis was at the peak in July 2008 but afterwards, it started to decline. The decline of the crisis started towards the beginning of 2009. The economy of Saudi Arabia has started to regain from the crisis. The economy has not yet recovered and a lot of investment is required to regain the normal economic situation as before. It will take a lot of time for the economy of the country to recover completely from the impacts of the crisis (Helleiner, pp. 35). Current strategies The government has introduced new strategies to promote economic recovery from the economic recession experienced in the recent past. The government of Saudi Arabia is encouraging private investors to extend investment in other sectors of the economy to avoid overdependence on oil. Only ten percent of the industries are non-oil manufacturing in Saudi Arabia. This sector provides employment to about six percent of the working population. This condition has been identified as risky and urgent measures have been adopted to reverse the trend especially after the global recession experienced in the country last year. The economic crisis affected the country due to over-dependence on oil as the main economic product. Other sectors have been neglected and this has created a major risk to the economy of the country. The government has permitted private and foreign investors to participate in telecom and power generation industries. Foreign direct investment has been encouraged by the government to increase the economic activities in the country as well as provide employment to more people (Bourland, para 38). Conclusion Economic development measures to changes in the structures, population, and the welfare of the people living in a country. The economy of Saudi Arabia has developed tremendously over the years due to the wealth of natural resources bestowed upon the country. Oil and other petroleum products are the main economic products produced and exported by the country. The country has established good relationship with other countries. It participates in trade with several countries. The government has offered assistance to neighboring countries and other Arab countries in terms of finances, peacekeeping and other aspects. The over-dependence on oil and petroleum products has placed the economy of the country at a great risk. Diversification in the economic activities has been encouraged to provide a better position in the turbulent global markets. Saudi Arabia has been adversely affected by the global economic crisis due to over-reliance on oil as the main economic product. The progress towards achieving success in economic development in the country has been hindered by the poor human rights practices experienced in the country. Work cited Arndt, H. W. Economic Development: A Semantic History. â€Å"Economic Development and Cultural Change. † Vol. 29, No. 3. (Apr. , 1981), pp. 457-466. Chicago: The Chicago University Press. Bourland, Brad. The Saudi Economy’s Golden Era: Phase Two. Saudi-US Relations Information Service. August 24, 2007. Brummer, A. â€Å"Turbulence Ahead; the Global Credit Crunch Has Hardly Begun to Bite: Much Worse Is to Come. Alex Brummer Predicts That 2008 Will Present Labor with by Far Its Sternest Economic Test†. New Statesman. Jan 7, 2008. Volume: 137. Issue: 4878. Bureau of Public Affairs. â€Å"Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. † Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. April 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010 from; Stapledon, N. , â€Å"Housing and the Global Financial Crisis: US versus Australia. Economic and Labor Relations Review. July 2009Volume: 19. Issue: 2. World Bank Group, Doing Business. 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010 from;

Running head: SPORT VIOLENCE Essay

Violence is defined as â€Å"the use of excessive physical force, which causes or has obvious potential to cause harm or destruction.†(Mchill) Sport violence an issue or just part of the game? Where is the line drawn among players, fans, and media? With violence being so prominent in sports today the love of the game is being over shadowed by the need to win. Coaches, parents and players are being instructed to win at all cost, these tactics are then being glorified by the media and supported by the fans as good entertainment. The top three issues involving sport violence is media portrayal, fan identity, and youth sport violence. Media portrayal of sports violence is shown and read on every type of media outlet. Are the constant replays shown on ESPN of a player getting rocked in a game really necessary? Or how about the top ten worst hits? What type of message is this sending to young athletes? Media outlets are glamorizing athletes that are usually the aggressive and violent ones on a daily basis. Yes, athletes are being penalized for these violent actions but being replayed on ESPN 15 times a day really sending a message that violence is a part of the sport and promoting violence to solve problems? On the other side of the argument, exposure to sports violence by the media has stimulated efforts to control and prevent behavior by multiple fines and penalties. Also a high school athlete being scouted for a college sport can utilize the media to showcase the player and give an advantage to be recruited to the team. Spectator violence is present in every level of sport. From youth sport to professional sport, spectators lose control of their emotions and commit acts of violence against players, coaches, officials, and other fans. There are several factors that lead spectators to commit acts of violence: strong team identification, strong team loyalty, alcohol, and situational variables such as a team loss or fans of opposing teams sitting in close proximity and instigating each other. While the passion that spectators have for their team is a positive characteristic and it drives the success of the sport industry, the negative cost is that the passion can turn into criminal and deviant behavior which takes away from the enjoyment of the game and puts others at risk; endangering their right to enjoy watching a contest by having their safety jeopardized. However, all is not lost. There are policies and procedures that can be put in place to help curb spectator violence, but it takes a commitment from the top leaders of each individual sport organization to take a stand against such destructive behavior. Youth sport violence is a growing concern for all involved. A large part of child development comes from the involvement in youth sport. The problem is what they are being taught from overzealous coaches and parents who push for the win at all cost. The youth are learning to use unnecessary roughness and poor sportsmanship with little repercussions. The parents and coaches are the largest issue because they providing poor examples for the children. The ethical issue becomes whether it is ethical to included additional rules to youth leagues. The solution developed is for stricter rules or more serious repercussions for coaches, parents, and players. These rules are in hopes that they will bring youth sports back to a positive atmosphere it was once created for, without parents and coaches influencing youth poorly. Introduction Sport Violence in the 21st Century has become a major ethical issue. From the youth level to professional sports, fans, players, coaches, and media are guilty of contributing to this problem. Sport Violence is changing the way in which games are played, observed, and coached. Issues surrounding Sport Violence are not limited to the playing field but are spread throughout society. The major areas in which sport violence impact society are within the actual sport participants such as players and coaches; the media, and the spectators. One of the major issues is that sport violence is impacting the youth of America. The youth struggle to distinguish what they see on tv and what they are allowed to do themselves. They see violence and think that that kind of behavior is appropriate so they behave similarly during their games and may coaches do anything to stop it. In fact, many coaches encourage violence and poor behavior with a Win At All Cost mentality. Some people hold sport media accountable for the growing issue of sport violence because the media tends to glamorize and glorify violence in sports. When there is a violent hit or a fight in a game, the media will continually show the incident from several angles. While the announcers might be discouraging the poor behavior, the production continues to show it again and again instead of cutting to commentary or a commercial. Another example of how media spreads sport violence is the Top 10 lists of biggest hits, hardest knock outs, or most bruising pitches. The problem is that violence sells and the producers know it; which leads to another issue in sport violence: the spectators. Spectators love watching the violent hits and the hardest knockouts over and over. Just as a bad car wreck makes everyone stop and look, violence in sports catches people’s attention and invokes an emotional response. Therefore, the spectator’s response to the media is cyclical and they both drive each other. Additional concerns of spectators and sport violence is the emotional ties that individual’s feel to their team. This type of team identification can influence an individual to commit their own acts of violence if their team loses or if they feel threatened by a fan of another team. Spectator violence lives in youth sports, high school sports, collegiate sports, and professional sports. It’s negative influence is overreaching and permeating. Analysis and Discussion: Are parents and coaches encouraging kids to use excessive force in sports in order to win games? Where is the line between a good play and unnecessary roughness? Violence in sports is a topic of many sport enthusiasts and is an even large concern when it involves youth sports. The issue is discovering what is causing sport violence in the youth. There are a many outlets that help influence excessive force, media coverage of professional sports, parents and coaches with a win at all cost mentally. Is violence in youth sport a result of sport being to competitive? Youth sports were started to help develop children’s identity, physical skills, social skills, teamwork, and brain function. All the positive effects are true for youth sports if the focus is on developing children and not as much on the score of the game. While there is a place for competitive nature in youth sports it should not cause unnecessary roughness by the athletes. Arthur-Banning cited scholars saying â€Å"youth sport can be used to promote lifelong physical activity and enjoyment of sport, but only if programs are specifically designed with this intent.†(Smith & Smoll, 1997; Weiss & Petlichkoff, 1989)(p.4). A large problem lies in adults who cannot put aside their desire to win and therefore get out-of-control. This includes yelling at the umpires, fighting with other parents, yelling at players, etc. When children observe this behavior they believe it is acceptable to do the same. This behavior then fosters more poor behavior for example, blaming others for their actions and not taking responsibility. â€Å"The competitiveness permeating youth sports today often leads to exploding tempers, vile verbal assaults and sometimes fisticuffs, placing the child in the middle of the melee. Finding the balance between the positive and negative lessons that aggression teaches is the key, according to Tofler.†(Focus on Family, p. 4). It is parents and coaches job to groom well tempered athletes during their youth. In a study by Kerr explains four types of violence in sports which are important to be able to identify the difference between the in orders to determine the use of the violence. There is â€Å"play violence† which is just playful but is a concern when it escalates to â€Å"anger violence† which is serious anger that is unpleasant. The third is â€Å"Power violence with a serious purpose and tends to take the form of cold, calculated violence† this is an excepted form of violence in sports like boxing and karate but not football. In sports like football i t would be unnecessary roughness. The fourth type to be aware of is â€Å"thrill violence is usually provocative and spontaneous, providing pleasant high levels of felt arousal and felt negativism† (Kerr, 2009, p.45). If coaches and parents are aware of the type of violence the athlete is displaying they can take correct measures to prevent it from happening again. By having the adults support positive sportsmanship and punish or discourage poor sportsmanship it will teach the young athletes how to respond to different situations. The adults should focus on how to help their children control emotions during a game which will help the kids develop skills that can be used outside of sports, like conflict resolution. Ian Tofler, M.D. â€Å"says, for the most part, sports reflect society today. He asserts that the American way of life embraces assertiveness, aggression, but also resiliency. Learning such attributes from sports is essential in teaching moral and ethical development.†(Focus on the Family, p. 4) Sport can be a positive part of children’s youth if done correctly. Youth sport administrators should ensure there are guides to support positive experiences for children in sports. To fix violence in youth sports additional rules may need to be in place for coaches and parents. Would it be ethical to put rules in place to give parents or coaches technical fouls based on their negative out bursts? Would it be ethical to eliminate athletes from a league for excessive use of roughness? Is it ethical to continue to allow youth violence in sport to occur with little repercussions? The issue in question is whether it is ethical to make additional rules for youth sports to help prevent youth sport violence. These rules would be directed to parents, coaches, and athletes holding them more responsible for their actions. Cavanagh decision-making model will be used to decide the most ethical option. Using the Utilitarian theory is the first step of the model. â€Å"The greatest good for the greatest number† (Cavanagh, p. 141). Facts that support more rules are; helps kids develop problem solving skills, develop sportsmanship, children staying safe, children will understand right from wrong, parents and coaches will be punished for acting out, and the youth games will be focus on learning instead of just winning. The facts that go against more rules are; games are less competitive, could embarrass parents, coaches and parent do not give feedback positive or negative, and athlete fool around in the game. Overall the greatest good for the greatest number of people would be to instill additional rules. With additional rules it will teach children important life skills they can take with them in the future. For the parents and coaches they will begin to understand the game is for the kids to have fun and learn. Sports violence will go down because if things escalate out of control the parents, coaches, or athlete could be thrown out of the game or league. They all will understand that poor actions lead to repercussions and youth sports will be what it was designed for, education and fun. The second step to the theory is Rights, â€Å"They enable individuals to pursue their own interests and they impose correlative prohibitions and/or requirements on others.†(Cavanagh, p. 142).The rights that are for additional rules for youth sports are; life and safety, truthfulness, freedom of conscience, right of autonomy and Privacy? The players, coaches, and parents have the right not to have their life or safety endangered at a youth sport event because of violence. Truthfulness supports the rules because other players and coaches have the right to know the intentions behind a play. If the player was told to win the game at all cost the opposing team has the right to know the intention of foul play. Freedom of conscience supports the rules because if parents, coaches, or player’s choice not to adhere to the rules they will be asked to leave because they are violating the moral rules put in place. The right of autonomy side favors the rules because if the parents, coaches, or players do not like the added rules they can choice not to participate in the league. On the other hand the right of free speech, privacy, and autonomy go against the additional rules. Parents and coach have the right to criticize conscientiously as long as it does not violate others, giving them the right to yell at players, coaches and officials at a game. Parents and coaches have the right of privacy to conduct their parenting or coaching style however they see fit. In conclusion the right that weighs the heaviest on this issue is the right to life and safety. The additional rules will keep parents, coaches, officials, and most important children safe during games. The most important thing in youth sports is education and fun, which mean unnecessary roughness or the winning at any means necessary does not have a place in youth sports. The third ethical criteria for determining if additional rules should be put in place for youth sports, in order to limit youth sport violence is justice. â€Å"Justice requires all persons, and thus managers too, to be guided by fairness, equity, and impartiality.†(Cavanagh, p.144). The parts of justice that support the additional rules are fair administration, fair compensation, and fair treatment. The administration will uphold the â€Å"rules consistently, fairly and impartially.†(Cavanagh, p.143). Fair compensation supports the new rules because it holds individuals involved in the act of violence responsible for the injuries they have caused on the other individuals. Each parent, coach, and player deserve to be treated the same unless they decide to act in an out of control fashion. The cons against the new rule are fair blame and due process. Parents or coaches should not be â€Å"held responsible for matters over which they have no control†(Cavanagh, p.143). Parents or coaches might not necessary be responsible for the actions of their children during the game. Parents or coaches can make the argument that their rights are being violated by adding additional rules to youth leagues. Again the justice criterion leads to the addition of rules to youth leagues based on fair treatment. If an individual chooses to act out they are setting themselves apart from others and therefore, should be treated in such a way by given them repercussion for their negative actions. A fair solution to this ethical issue of violence in youth sports is to add additional rules to youth leagues. The leagues can start by having all players, parents, and coaches sign an agreement to conduct themselves in a fair and proper manor. In addition they will be made aware of penalties or repercussions if they do coach their kids to use unnecessary roughness or if they have out of control burst which will be determined by the officials. The penalty they receive will be based on remarks or actions taking by the individual. The officials will have the right to give out these penalties based on new league rules. The rules will make examples out of offenders to encourage others not to violate the rules. Lastly, before coaches are allow to coach a team they must attend a seminar or clinic that explains what is demeaned unnecessary roughness, out bursts, and other unfavorable actions. All parents will be invited to clinics and seminars but are not requiring attending unless one of the rules is violated. If one of the rules are violated it is mandatory for the people involved to attend with their child to the clinics or seminar. Violence in the media has been is a topic of great concern for many of years to parents, educators and even medial professions. There doesn’t seem to be many positive aspects to violent television shows or sporting events. There will always be the debate over why some people react with violence after watching violent media being played over and over on sports stations and some do not, but the fact remains that there are only a few good reasons to see so much violence in such detail. Mass media can be said to have a large contribution to the acceptability of sports and violence. The media plays a vital role in sports and how it’s portrayed. Through the media exposure, many people to sports-related violence are tuned into the television, magazines, newspapers, and radio, thus providing numerous examples to children and young adults who may imitate such behavior. Violence through the media can glamorizes players, often the most controversial and aggressive ones. On the other hand, the exposure given to sports violence by the media has stimulated increased efforts to control and prevent such behavior by multiple fines being set in place and many penalties. One of the most recent events that involved violence in sports and media exposure is the Detroit Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers brawl. A little recap of the incident was Pacers forward Ron Artest stretched himself out on the scorer’s table, where he was hit by a cup of beer thrown by a Detroit fan. Artest, followed by a number of other Pacers, charged into the crowd, throwing punches. The fight lasted about 10 minutes. Officials eventually called the game, and the Pacers were showered with beer, popcorn and debris as they left the court; a chair was thrown during the brawl and a number of people were treated for minor injuries. Not only was this fight showed on ESPN for weeks, it was shown on national news stations across the country and analyzed every aspect of it. The YouTube video of the fight received millions of hits and today is still showed as one of sport’s most violent brawls. In 1961-1973 a study was done by Ontario Royal Commission on Violence. On average 15 hours of â€Å"very aggressive† and â€Å"aggressive sports† were televised per week, and in 1973 the average raised to 21 hours per week. The most obvious and over played argument would be the negative result of violence in the media and how it promotes violence to solve problems. By watching detailed violence, it sends a message that violence is acceptable way to play sports or be â€Å"competitive†. Some examples of how the media relays violence in sports could be by the constant replays of massive hits, slow motion showing every impact including the player’s distressed face, and even zooming in on the player that was injured. Shouldn’t media outlets be portraying sports as skilled and professionalism? Instead televisions are full of â€Å" top ten painful plays† or â€Å" top ten hits† or â€Å" best fights of 2012†. What message is this sending to athletes of every age? Smith (1978) did a study on how much violent material do young athletes consume through media. The results were about 65% of youth athletes attend pro hockey games 2-3 times a year, 53% said they read about pro hockey on a daily basis and 80% watch it weekly. Consumption went up with age. Hockey can be thought to be one of the most violent sports next too football with the legal fist fights. Smith (1983) asked â€Å"Have you ever learned how to hit another player illegally from watching pro sports?† and 56% of the 604 participants said yes. With a little over half of the people watching sports learned how to illegally hit another player during a game is intense. This could possibly mean the outlet of television or media is the reason why violence in sports in on a rise. It was reported by Sports Business Journal that in 1987-1988 the NBA had more fist fights than Professional Boxer Mike Tyson. Finding many pro sides for violence in sports through the media was a little more challenging. Receiving a college scholarship is almost impossible these days. Without the help of the media portraying them as the best of the best it would be a lot harder for schools across the country to recognize or even notice potential athletes. A defensive player in football gets his position by being aggressive and making important tackles, even if it’s a violent play. Recording these plays or writing about them gives an advantage to the athlete trying to get into college. Also, media coverage can greatly enhance the chances of violent offenders being caught. There have been several examples of players, who were not reported by officials during a match, being cited by sporting bodies, clubs or tribunals after the event. Media footage has also helped track down perpetrators of violent acts off the field. Known by many, some sports are violent by nature. Boxing is the obvious example, where physical attack is the point of the exercise. There has been much debate over the sport and the media coverage for such violence this form of â€Å"violence† is within the rules of the sport and the possibility of injury is well known by participants and by viewers so by showing coverage of these types of sports are accepted and are not merely portraying violence as acceptable outside of the sport. The question related to media and violence is whether showing violence in sports through the media outlets ethical? Cavanaugh decision-making model will be used to decide the most ethical options. Utilitarian theory is â€Å"The greatest good for the greatest number† (Cavanagh, p. 141). Actions are evaluated by judging their consequences and weighing the good effects and bad effects and the attempt is to achieve an optimal balance of benefits versus harms on those affected by the action. Facts that support media coverage of violence is that viewers like to watch action in sports, violence is a part of the game, intensifies the game and may help high school athletes get noticed for college. The facts that go against media coverage of violence are; too graphic, no need to show people getting hurt, violence and competition are two different things violence only degrades the sport or player. Overall the greatest good for the greatest number of people would be to allow the media to cover violence in sports. Now days people watch sports through the television or watch highlights through media such as ESPN. Some people only want to see the important plays of the game. Let’s face it, the more intense sports are the more people will watch them, even if it’s a nasty hit, or brawl in a basketball game. Rights theory is the next step. The rights for media coverage of sports violence are; truthfulness and right of free speech. Truthfulness supports this theory because the media have the right to be truthful in what they show and not alter the media or certain outbreaks. Censorship is allowed but if a major fight breaks out is it ethical or unethical to show it? Do the people have a right to see what happened? Under the right of free speech commentators and sports broadcasting channels have the right to criticize others as long as it doesn’t violate the rights of others. If it happened in the game why wouldn’t the media be allowed to play it and talk about it? The last theory is justice. The theory of justice requires decision makers to be guided by equity, fairness, and impartiality (Cavanagh et al., 1981). It relies on three types of moral prescriptions: (1) that individuals who are similar in a relevant respect should be treated similarly and individuals who are different in a relevant respect should be treated differently in proportion to the difference between them; (2) that rules should be administrated fairly and clearly; and (3) that individuals should not be held responsible for matters over which they have no control, and should be compensated for the cost of their injuries by those responsible for these injuries (Cavanaugh et al., 1981). Decision making and reasoning based on the theory of justice focus on the distributional effect of actions (Cavanagh et al., 1981). Under these criteria’s I believe it is ethical to show violence in sports throughout media. Though violence throught the miedia will never go away some of the alternatives I came up with were to limit the number of times a aggressive play is shown on TV and have a warning for younger kids that what is about to be shown is graphic so parents can decide whether its appropriate to show the violent acts. Over the past several decades, sport violence has become an ever-increasing topic in North America. The topic of violence usually revolves around athletes, teams, and the organizations themselves. For instance, Ron Artest, also ridiculously known as Meta World Peace thanks to his name change, is more widely known for his violence than he is for his basketball skills; most recently for his violent swing of the elbow to the head of James Hardin during the last week of the 2012 NBA regular season. The New Orleans Saints’ publicity has shifted over the past year from the America-loved Hurricane Katrina World Champions to the America-despised Bounty Hunter team who offered inside bonuses to those defenders that had the biggest and most damaging hits to the opposing team. And finally, just about since its inception, the entire Oakland Raider football organization has been labeled as poor sports, violent, and unethical due to the organizations predisposition for everything that goes against ethical behavior. Traditionally, much of the attention has focused on the ones in the big spotlight, and only a small amount of attention has focused on the ones in the background, the ones who passionately follow and support the athletes, teams, and organizations: the spectators. No doubt, spectators make the sport world go round. With the Sport Business Journal’s estimate of $194.64 billion spent in the year 2001, if it wasn’t for the spectators, the sport industry would not be as successful (Chelladurai, 2009, p. 10). The shear economic impact of sport within our society is extremely important in driving the American economy, and with the thrilling permeation of sport within American society, spectators have the ability to make or break the sport. American’s love their teams. The passion and excitement that the success of teams creates within the spectator is unparalleled to anything else. The biggest sport stadiums in our country, The Big House at the University of Michigan for example, bring out over 100,000 spectators for each event. Nothing else in our society encourages this kind of commitment and participation over an extended period of time. The biggest concerts can bring close to that many people, but the concert only lasts for one day in one location and then the show moves onto a different city or state. Certain protests, parades, or political events can draw crowds over 100,000 but once again, the actual event is usually only one or two days and the difference between these events and sports/concerts is that these events do not cost anything to attend. For spectators to commit their support over entire seasons, year in and year out, requires an ongoing investment in mental, emotional, financial, and cognitive resources. This kind of relationship between spectator and team is remarkable. Few events in our society can compete with the extreme emotional highs that sports can invoke within ones soul. However, with the emotional highs come emotional lows. For the majority of time, sports have a very positive impact on society, but at other times sport has the ability to influence spectators to commit unlawful and undesirable acts of violence and aggression. It is during these times when sport has a negative role in our society. To begin the discussion about spectators it is important to have a fundamental definition. Nicholson and Hoye (2005) define spectators as â€Å"supporters and parents†¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœbench’ players, coaches, team, club or league officials, venue staff and general public within the view of the field of play† (p. 95). All of these individuals play an important role when it comes to making sport a positive experience or a negative experience. The role that media, players, and coaches play in sport violence has already been discussed. The remains of this discussion will be focused on the individuals outside those two areas; specifically the spectators known as the fans. There is the obvious physical violence that spectators can invoke on each other, the officials, the players, and the coaches. For the purpose of this discussion, poor behavior not resulting in physical violence is going to be included with the overarching topic of â€Å"violence.† Nicholson and Hoye (2005) define poor behavior as â€Å"Foul language, abuse of officials, racial and ethnic abuse, sexual harassment, throwing missiles, drunkenness, pitch invasion, and acts of violence† (p. 98). These undesirable acts can be directed towards fellow spectators, players, coaches, and unfortunately officials. In fact, Nicholson and Hoye (2005, p. 100) found that the perception of performance of game officials was one of the key catalysts for poor behavior. Apparently, when things aren’t going the way of their desired team, spectators look to release their frustrations on something or someone and contest officials are the easiest target. Further, spectator violence is not limited to the times between the first and last whistles. Spectator violence takes place before games, during games, and after games and the violence can take place just about anywhere. It can take place at sports bars and pubs that aren’t located anywhere near the venue, or it can happen on the streets that surround the venue either before the game or after the game. Spectator violence can break out in the parking lots of the venue during pre-game tailgate parties or post-game events and it can also happen at the venue entrance/exit points, in the mausoleum, in the stands or even spread to the playing surface. With such a propensity for spectators to commit acts of violence and criminal behavior, venue and event managers are concerned with how to stop it or at the very least control and minimize it. However, understanding the cause should come before finding the solution. First off, let’s not confuse passion with violence. One of the greatest draws of sport competition in our society is the camaraderie created between players, teams, organizations, and fans. The passion and excitement created by this bond is what keeps people coming back day in day out, week in week out, and season after season. This bond is known as team identification and studies have shown it’s one of the strongest predictors of spectator violence. It’s easy to point out the obvious individuals that are high in team identification. For example, Barrel Man is a historic figure in the history of the Denver Broncos and the Mile High Stadium. Certain high schools have spirit squads that are front and center at every game and they have specific names like â€Å"Kadet Krazies† for the Air Academy High School Kadets and the â€Å"Rowdy Rams† for the Rampart High School Rams; both in Colorado Springs, CO. However, team identification is not always as visibly obvious as the aforementioned examples. Many fans feel a strong sense of internal and emotional relationship with their team. Either way, team identification is a strong variable in determining spectator violence. Wann, Carlson, and Schrader (1999) classified spectator aggression into two categories: hostile or instrumental. Hostile spectator violence involves violent actions that are motivated by anger with the goal of harming another person. Instrumental spectator violence refers to actions intended to harm another person with the goal of achieving a result other than the victim’s suffering (p. 279). This kind of violence is highest amongst individuals high in team identification and that experience a situation that is unfavorable to their personal desires; such as a team loss. These two elements can combine to make an explosive situation at sporting contests. Consider additional variables such as alcohol, age of spectators, level of game importance (playoff game), and nature of the sport (football as opposed to volleyball) and the potential for spectator violence only increases. No matter why or how spectator violence happens, the ones involved are almost always perceived as hooligans, hoodlums, or deviants and whenever violence does break out it always puts a blemish on the image of the particular sport or team. As mentioned in the beginning of this section, individuals or organizations involved in violence are seen as unethical and looked upon negatively in our society. Spectators are just as vulnerable to the negative perceptions and are also seen as unethical individuals that detract from the spirit of the game. In effort to determine the level that spectator violence is unethical, this issue should be processed through the Cavanagh Model of Ethical Decision Making. Three criteria are considered when making this determination: Utility, Rights, and Justice. The fundamental principle of utility is that whatever makes the greatest good for the greatest number of people is the ethical decision, act, or policy. If spectator violence were to occur at every sporting event across the globe than one could say that it negatively impacts the majority of people and it is therefore unethical. However, when comparing the total number of sport games that take place in the world to the total number of times that spectator violence occurs, the number of incidents of spectator violence is relatively small. Therefore, based on the utility criterion, spectator violence is considered to be ethical. The notion of rights is the next criterion to consider in making the determination of spectator violence being ethical or unethical. Spectators have a right to enjoy a sporting contest without their life or safety being threatened. On the same topic, Nicholson and Hoye (2005) explained the notion of spectator violence breaking individual rights as this: â€Å"Poor spectator behavior can impinge on the ability of people involved in sport to enjoy a safe physical, social, and cultural sport environment† (p. 95). In making a determination of spectator violence being ethical or unethical based on the rights criterion, one must conclude that spectator violence is unethical due to the fact that it violates individual’s rights to enjoy a sporting contest without their lives and safety being threatened. The final criterion to consider in determining spectator violence being ethical or unethical is justice. â€Å"Justice requires all persons, and thus managers too, to be guided by fairness, equity, and impartiality. Justice calls for evenhanded treatment of groups and individuals (1) in the distribution of the benefits and burdens of society, (2) in the administration of laws and regulations, and (3) in the imposition of sanctions and means of compensation for wrongs a person has suffered† (Cavanagh, 1984. p. 144). There are several justices to consider in this case: fair administration of rules, fair compensation, and due process. In regards to fair administration of rules, everyone spectator is held to the same high standard of appropriate behavior. No spectator gets a special rule allowing them to act inappropriately. Therefore, fair administration of rules cannot be counted as injustice when looking at spectator violence. Now, in the event that spectator violence occurs, there are often innocent bystanders affected by the violence. Sometimes they are just emotionally scarred or threatened and other times they are physically harmed. In the case of physical harm incurred by innocent bystanders, these individuals expect that they receive fair compensation for their injuries and that the violent aggressors be held accountable for their actions. However, in the case that the perpetrator is not held responsible for their act of violence and the victim does not receive fair compensation for their injuries, justice is not being served. It can be assumed that the majority of time that a violent mob breaks out and an innocent bystander gets injured, that the individual responsible for that injury will not be detained or held responsible. Only in the time there was physical evidence convicting the violent spectator will the victim receive fair compensation. More often than not, injured bystanders are taken to the emergency room for treatment of their injuries and the perpetrator is not held responsible. This situation blends into the idea of due process, where an individual has a right to a fair and impartial hearing when he or she believes that personal rights are being violated. As explained previously, spectator violence impinges on individual’s rights to enjoy a sporting event in a safe environment without their life or safety being threatened. In the case that this right is violated and someone’s life or safety has been threatened to the point of injury or harm but they are not able to bring suit on an individual or organization due to the nature of the event that occurred, then there is a strict violation of due process. To answer the question of spectator violence being unethical or unethical based on the criterion of justice, the conclusion is that spectator violence is unethical. Spectator Violence is determined to be unethical yet unstoppable, but what policies or procedures can organizations put in place that help control or minimize the violent behavior? Nicholson and Hoye (2005) discuss strategies used to manage poor behavior and their identified strategies fall under 3 categories: Preventative, which are strategies designed to educate spectators and develop a better culture; Immediate, which are strategies to deal with poor spectator behavior as they occur; and Post-Incident, which are strategies designed to punish or prosecute poor behavior after an incident (102). Preventative strategies include providing safe and secure entrance/exit points for players, coaches, officials, and spectators; providing and displaying code of conduct packets for spectators; additional education for officials on how to best handle volatile situations; strategically place bars or â€Å"wet† areas to minimize alcohol induced violence; limit alcohol consumption; development and implementation of national rules and expectations; and provide a more than sufficient number of event staff and security. Immediate strategies include removing the spectator/s from the event, cancelling the event, and the use of a Yellow/Red card system where a yellow card is a warning and a red card is a removal from the event. Post-incident measures include removing players that have a tendency to invoke violence amongst spectators, suspending players, and banning the entrance of spectators who are consistently detrimental to the game experience. There is not a one size fits all solution to curbing spectator violence. For instance, the Denver Broncos are not able to keep an individual from returning to future games. They may be able to prevent that individual from purchasing a ticket but that’s easy to circumvent if that spectator has a friend buy tickets for them. The individuals working the ticket gate are not equipped to check every person’s id so they cannot prevent the perpetrator from entering the venue unless they have specific knowledge that the perpetrator is trying to enter at a specific gate. Instead, venue and organization management should put as many of these strategies in place in order to minimize spectator violence and provide a positive safe environment for all to enjoy. Conclusion: The major points in this analysis report are the ethical dilemmas with violence in youth sports, violence through the media and spectator violence. Ways to help maintain and prevent violence in youth sports are making sure the there are signed agreement for players, coaches, parents, administering additional penalties or repercussions for unnecessary roughness or out of control and finally running clinics and seminars on the preventative measures on violence in the specific sport being played. Violence through the media can be monitored by limiting the number of replays of a violent hit or fights and seeing out warnings to young children warning them about the viscous hits, attacks, fights etc. Finally preventative measures for spectators will include providing safe and secure entrance/exit points for officials, players, and coaches, having the Code of Conduct packet for players and spectators, educating the officials and event staff for handling violent behavior, strategically placed â€Å"wet† areas, signage reminding spectators what they represent, development and implementation of national rules and limiting alcohol and # of spectators. Immediate measures for audience violence would include removal the violent spectator from the event, removal of players from the contest, cancelling the event before it gets out of hand, having a red and yellow card system and having police presence. Post incident measures need to include suspensions of players, blacklisting spectators and administering fine and jail time for appropriate circumstances. References Arthur-Banning, S. (2009). Parents Behaving Badly? The Relationship between the Sportsmanship Behaviors of Adults and Athletes in Youth Basketball Games. Journal Of Sport Behavior, 32(1), 3. HYPERLINK â€Å"http://0-search.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=36561074&site=ehost-live† http://0-search.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=36561074&site=ehost-live Bigelow, B., Moroney, T., & Hall, L. (2001). Just let the kids play. Deerfield Beac,Fl: Health Communications Inc. Coakley, J. (2011). Youth sports: What counts as â€Å"positive development?†. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 3(35), 306-324. doi: 10.1177/0193723511417311 Conroy, D. E., Silva, J. M., Newcomer, R. R., Walker, B. W., & Johnson, M. S. (2001). Personal and participatory socializers of the perceived legitimacy of aggressive behavior in sport. Aggressive Behavior, 27(6), 405-418. HYPERLINK â€Å"http://0-web.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/ehost/detail?sid=9712135c-cca9-4dc5-94f0-dd1e1b0d17† http://0-web.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/ehost/detail?sid=9712135c-cca9-4dc5-94f0-dd1e1b0d17 %40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=sph&AN=SPHS-800129 Focus on Family: Not just a game: parental rage marring youth sports. (2002). Providence, RI, USA: Manisses Communications Group. Ginsburg, R. D., Durant, S., & Baltzell, A. (2006). Whose game is it, anyway?. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Hoch, D. (2008). Combating increased violence at games. Coach Athletic Director, 77, 12-13. Kerr, J. H. (2009). Analysis of recent incidents of on-field violence in sport: legal decisions and additional considerations from psychology. Aggressive Behavior, 35(1), 41-48. doi:10.1002/ab.20284 Lanter, J.R. (no year). Spectator identification with the team and participation in celebratory violence. Journal of Sport Behavior, 34, 268-280. Livings, B. (2006). ‘Legitimate Sport’ or Criminal Assault? What Are the Roles of the Rules and the Rulemakers in Determining Criminal Liability for Violence on the Sports Field?. Journal Of Criminal Law, 70(6), 495-508. HYPERLINK â€Å"http://0-search.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23244981&site=ehost-live† http://0-search.ebscohost.com.source.unco.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23244981&site=ehost-live Linville, D. C., & Huebner, A. J. (2005). The analysis of extracurricular activities and thier relationship to youth violence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34(5), 483-492. doi:10.1007/s10964-005-7265-9 Mattila, V., Parkkari, J., Lintonen, T., Kannus, P., & Rimpelà ¤, A. (2005). Occurrence of violence and violence†related injuries among 12–18 year†old Finns. S candinavian Journal Of Public Health, 33(4), 307-313. doi:10.1080/14034940510005851 Nicholson, M., Hoye, R. (2005). Contextual factors associated with poor sport spectator behaviour. Managing Leisure, 10, 94-105. Roberts, J.V., Benjamin, C.J. (2000). Spectator violence in sports: A north american perspective. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 8, 163-181. Smith, Michael D. Mass media treatment of violence in sports and its effects. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, Vol 7(4), 1988-1989-1989, 298-311. doi: 10.1007/BF02686627 Violence. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved July 4, 2012, from

My Life Timeline Activity for Kids

My Life Timeline Activity for Kids History is sometimes a hard concept for kids to grasp- not that events happened, but that they happened to real people and that to those people it wasnt history, it was the present. One of the best activities to help show your child the idea of being a part of history is to help him create My Life Timeline depicting their history and accomplishments. Note:  One thing to remember as you tackle this activity is that a child who was adopted may find this activity a little difficult, but there are ways to adapt it to make it more general. Instead of focusing on everything that happened from the time when your child was born and beyond, think about using less specific terms, like past and present. That way your child can decide what events in his â€Å"past† are of importance to him without feeling pressured to know the details of what happened in the time before he was adopted. What Your Child Will Learn (or Practice) Your child will get a sense of historical perspective while practicing sequencing and expository writing skills. Materials Needed: Roll of butcher paper  or some pieces of paper taped together to create a strip about 6 to 10 feet long.Pencils, a ruler, and markers.Pair of scissorsGlue or tapeIndex cardsPhotos commemorating events of your child’s lifetime. (They don’t have to be big events, just a good selection of photos that span his lifetime.) Starting a My Life Timeline Provide your child with some index cards and ask him to help you think about some moments in his life that are most important or memorable to him. Start by having him write his date of birth on an index card. Tell him what day of the week he was born on and the time if you know it, and ask him to add that information to the index card, too. Then, have him label the card with a phrase like Today, I was born!Challenge him to think of other days in his life that were important in his personal history. Prompt him to think about things like brothers or sisters being born, first days of school and family vacations. Ask him to write down the events and their descriptions, one on each index card, without worrying about whether they are in order.Complete this process up to the present day. The last card might say, Made a My Life Timeline.When he’s done coming up with events, have him place all the index cards the floor or on a table. Now, ask him to sequence the events according to whe n they happened, starting with the oldest (his birth date) on the left and working toward the most recent on the right. If your child is having trouble remember which events came before others, you can help him identify when something happened. Providing him with the month and year will be a big help in putting his personal history in order.Look through the photos together to try to find one to match each index card, but don’t stress if there isn’t one. Your child can always hand illustrate an event. Putting Together a My Life Timeline Lay the piece of butcher paper down on a hard work surface (the floor works best).Help your child use the ruler to draw a horizontal line in the middle of the paper from one end to the other.Start at the left end of the paper and draw a small line upward (vertically) from the middle of the paper. This mark will represent the day your child was born. Have him write his birth date above that line. Then ask him to make a similar line at the very end of the paper, writing today’s date and a little bit about himself and his life today.Have him place the index cards- in order- between those two dates, making a small line to connect each card to the line in the middle of the paper.Ask him to match the photos with the events and put each one below the correct index card (under the line on the paper). Glue or tape the pictures and index cards in place.Let your child decorate the timeline, trace the information he’s written with markers and then tell you his personal history!

buy custom Multinational Corporations essay

buy custom Multinational Corporations essay A multinational Corporation (MNC) is a business venture that offers goods and services in two or more countries. MNC has its management headquarter in a home country but spreads its operations in the other host countries. MNC largely influence economies of both the local and international countries across the world. So far MNC is the major factor towards building good international relations and globalization. As much as Multinational Corporations are focused to be constructive to the local societies and to achieve their objectives and potentials, they experience a number of challenges in their business operations. The commonest challege that faces the Multinational Corporations is lack of international legal framework to regulate and safeguard their activities and operations worldwide. Fully aware that trade related affairs are squarely subject to agreement between various stakeholders, countries and regions, MNCs are bound to operate at high levels of integration matchless of law in countries that are not signatories to the World Trade Organization. The reality that a business enterprise based in one country must obey the trade laws in the home country as well as those of their individual host countries results into a complexity of operations by the multinational corporations. In some host counties where there are inadequate laws and policies to regulate international trade, the MNCs should engage the local authorities in the subsequent enactment of trade laws, policies and regulations that are of mutual benefit to them both. The existence of these laws will protect global companies against unpredictable changes in foreign laws and policies that would pose a threat to their future growth and expansion. Secondly, MNCs should restrict their operations in countries that are signatories to the International trade agreements to ensure consistency and standardization of trade. Buy custom Multinational Corporations essay

Quotations for a 25th Wedding Anniversary Toast

Quotations for a 25th Wedding Anniversary Toast It calls for a celebration when a couple has been together for a quarter of a century and their relationship has survived the battles of this disparaging world. This celebration would be incomplete without a 25th wedding anniversary toast being raised to the eternal couple. Use a few quotes from the ones given below to make your 25th wedding anniversary toast a special one. Quotes AnonymousSpouse: someone wholl stand by you through all the trouble you wouldnt have had if youd stayed single. Henry FordComing together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Og MandinoTreasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your good health has vanished. Zig ZiglarMany marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood that they are on the same side. David and Vera MaceThe development of a really good marriage is not a natural process. It is an achievement. Ralph Waldo EmersonMarriage is the perfection of what love aimed at, ignorant of what it sought. Elbert HubbardLove grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away. Chinese ProverbMarried couples who love each other tell each other a thousand things without talking. Hans MargoliusOne man by himself is nothing. Two people who belong together make a world. J. P. McEvoyThe Japanese have a word for it. Its Judo- the art of conquering by yielding. The Western equivalent of judo is, Yes, dear. Johann Wolfgang  von GoetheThe sum which two married people owe to one another defies calculation. It is an infinite debt, which can only be discharged through all eternity. Wedding Anniversary Toast Etiquette Who should make the toast at a wedding anniversary celebration and when should you make them? At a wedding reception, the toast is made by the Best Man after grace is said by a clergyman and before the meal begins. However, you have more options for a wedding anniversary, which would follow the etiquette for a birthday party or formal dinner that has a guest of honor. In this case, the host of the celebration rises to offer a welcoming toast after the guests are seated. Another toast can be offered in honor of the guests of honor when dessert has been served and the champagne and alternative toasting beverages have been served. The toast should not be so long as to keep the guests from enjoying their dessert before it has melted. There can be several rounds of toasts from others in attendance, who rise to give a toast. The guests of honor do not drink when toasted, however. The host is obligated to keep the toasting beverages refilled. The guest of honor is then obligated to rise and thank the host and drink a toast to the host.