Social Media the End of Privacy free essay sample

However, these social networking ventures and their resulting technologies, some would argue, have marked the end of privacy not only for their rent users, but for future generations as well. Before we decide whether social media have Irrevocably eroded privacy, It Is Important to define what privacy Is, and also to describe how social media works. Merriam-Webster defines privacy as freedom from unauthorized Intrusion, or the quality or state of being apart from company or observation (Merriam-Webster). Social media companies such as Backbone, Twitter and Google* allow groups of people to connect with each other for free, and they fund this connectivity by selling their users information to marketing companies. Traditional business models have led us to believe that if we use a product then we must be the clients. This does not apply to social media. With social media, we are the product to be sold to the paying clients of the marketing companies. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Media the End of Privacy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Loading Lyle 2 2 Since social media by definition seeks to connect you with your friends at all costs. So much so in fact, that it attacks that luxury to be apart from the observation of others, I. E. , privacy, we might imagine a scenario where two friends and I hang out together at a bar and then go home. Two of my friends have Backbone and I dont because I do not like the idea of having my arsenal life displayed on the Internet. Photos are taken for fun. However, as I pose for the photos with my friends, I do not realize that my friends will post these pictures on social media for everyone to see.My friends can tag me by my real name in these photos and what I thought was a private night out with my friends, turns out to be a public event, which people can see and comment on. In the past, things were simpler and networking like this was not born yet. If the friends and I were to take photos, they would sit in a drawer or in an album and only people who had physical access to that album could see those photos. Presumably those people were not shown to complete strangers or potential employers.Those photos were private, but they are not private anymore. Whether you are currently an employee or seeking a lob, companies now have the option to Invade your privacy through poaching on your social network websites. They can check all your photos to Judge your reputation and decide without even your knowledge whether you might damage the companys Image, In fact, Backbone even collects data on users who are not on Backbone and hen markets their Information to potential advertisers.Perhaps even more disturbingly, even If I chose to deactivate my account, my photos, messages and memories are stored and used by Backbone for an indefinite period. This concept of indefinite ownership of my past attacks the heart of my privacy: Freedom from unauthorized intrusion. Loading

Investing in Chinese Manufacturing Industry

Investing in Chinese Manufacturing Industry Free Online Research Papers ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank our lecturer, Mr. A.B Teoh for the great help and support he has given me. He was always ready to help me whenever I had a problem. I would also like to thank my senior mates who helped me when I didn’t understand some areas. Lastly, I shouldn’t forget God, who has given me the strength in completing this assignment without any major problems. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This assignment is about an official working in a firm in Tanzania known as Global Connection offering advice and recommendation to SMEs that are looking to invest in China in the sector of manufacturing industry. This document will present a PEST analysis (Political, Economical, Social and Technological environment) that will affect Small Media Enterprises (SMEs) that want to invest in China. This document will specify which industry SMEs are looking forward to invest in. Benefits of investing in China will also be seen so that SMEs know what they planning on doing in long term. Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION 05 2.0 PEST ANALYSIS 06 2.1 POLITICAL 06 2.1.1 GOVERNMENT TYPE AND POLITICAL STABILITY 06 2.1.2 RULES AND REGULATIONS DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA 06 2.1.2.1 STARTING A BUSINESS IN CHINA 06 2.1.3 FORMS OF INVESTMENT IN CHINA 07 2.1.3.1 EQUITY JOINT VENTURE. 07 2.1.3.2 CONTRACTUAL JOINT VENTURE. 07 2.1.3.3 WHOLLY FOREIGN-OWNED ENTERPRISE. 07 2.1.4 TAXES 08 2.2 ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 09 2.2.1 GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) 09 2.2.2 CURRENCY AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATE 09 2.2.3 LEADING INDUSTRIES 09 2.3 SOCIAL AND CUTURAL ENVIRONMENT 13 2.3.1 DEMOGRAPHY AND POPULATION GROWTH 13 2.3.2 RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 14 2.3.3 LANGUAGE 14 2.4 TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT 15 2.4.1 TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE. 15 2.4.2 INTERNET USAGE 15 2.5 RECOMMENDATIONS 16 2.5.1 MODE OF ENTRY 16 2.5.2 BENEFITS 16 3.0 REFERENCES 17 3.1 BOOKS 17 3.2 WEBSITES 17 4.0 APPENDIX 21 1.0 INTRODUCTION China is a market oriented country located in Asia with a population of 1.3 billion people. It is a country with a mixture of many cultures and religions. China is country that booming up in modern technology. Even though the country’s population is of great number but the people are very hard working. China has its own languages as any other country but English is well spoken now in the country so as to ease communication with foreign people mostly tourists and foreign business people that visit China. China has many industries such as tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, technology industries. So if SMEs are looking to invest in foreign countries than China is the right place to do so. The future of the country is determined by decisions made by the Communist Party of China (CPC). SMEs in China are estimated that they are responsible for 60% of the country’s industrial output and should employ 75% of the workforce in the country’s cities and towns. SMEs are suppose to create urban jobs since the Chinese government is aware that SMEs are job creators. â€Å"Flexible SMEs are generally well positioned to take advantage of opportunities created by Chinas entry to the WTO†. (Embassy of the United States united states of Beijing. China, 2002) 2.0 PEST ANALYSIS 2.1 POLITICAL Political environment includes factors in government, level of political stability, the law and regulatory system that affects an organization when operating. 2.1.1 GOVERNMENT TYPE AND POLITICAL STABILITY Even if China has changed from a planned economy to a market oriented country the political economy stays the same. The CPC (Communist Party of China) take the decision which determines the future of the country. The power centers in China are: i. Conservatives ii. Liberals iii. President Hu Jintao iv. Former president Jiang Zemin v. Military 2.1.2 RULES AND REGULATIONS DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA 2.1.2.1 STARTING A BUSINESS IN CHINA A permit is needed so as to do business in China, so your agent or distributor will put all documents needed together and provide them to Chinese custom agents. â€Å"Documents that may be required include import permits and Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine inspection (AQSIQ) clearance. Most imports to China do not need an import license if they are registered with Chinas Ministry of Commerce (New Zealand Trade Enterprise, 2008). Just few items come across licensing or permit procedures, such as drugs, chemicals, weapons. If a local agent is being used then it is important to make sure they have an import license. If not, the importer will have to look for links which will lead to higher costs in delivery. So as for the case of shoe manufacturing in China a license or permit is needed so as to start the business. By having connections before starting the business than it is made a lot easier and less expensive. 2.1.3 FORMS OF INVESTMENT IN CHINA Investment is divided to direct investment and indirect investment. In China there are three main types of direct investment: 2.1.3.1 EQUITY JOINT VENTURE. Equity joint venture refers to working together between two individuals a local individual and a foreign individual in other words a Chinese and an overseas individual, they share mutual rewards and risks. Here is where the Chinese government and businesses are concerned. â€Å"Overseas parties are only allowed to invest at most 25% of the entire registered capital in the form of cash or trade property rights etc. The parties to the joint venture shall share the rewards, risks and losses according to the ratio of investment.† ( Starmass International, 2001) 2.1.3.2 CONTRACTUAL JOINT VENTURE. Rights and responsibilities and all liabilities are agreed on a contract before joint venture. This is when the parties will agree on the form of administration and profit division. â€Å"The major difference between an equity joint venture and a contractual joint venture as means in China market entry is that the latter neither necessarily calculates the shares in the form of currency nor distributes profit in proportion to their share, but share profit according to the form of investment and the ration of profit sharing as per the contract.† (Starmass International, 2001) 2.1.3.3 WHOLLY FOREIGN-OWNED ENTERPRISE. This refers to the established enterprises by foreign investors with their own capital according to the law of China. Since China offers joint ventures with other countries than SMEs should use this chance to enter in the manufacturing industry in China due to reasons such as: ? Cheap labour ? Availability of raw materials ? High technology 2.1.4 TAXES There are different kinds of taxes in China which SMEs have to know. The kinds of taxes available are as follows: KINDS OF TAX DESCRIPTION Business tax This is a tax payable against turnover by all enterprises and individuals doing business of construction, finance and insurance, selling immovable properties. It varies from 3% to 20% of the sales turnover Value added tax(VAT) VAT is applied if your company is selling, manufacturing, processing or repairing tangible goods. VAT Rate for â€Å"General Taxpayers† is 17%, or 13% for some goods. â€Å"small scale tax payers get lower rates of about 4% for Trading enterprises and 6% for other production and other enterprises Foreign enterprise income tax EIT is calculated against the net income in a financial year after deducting reasonable business costs and losses; i.e. profits. Withholding tax: Withholding Tax is a PRC tax levied on overseas companies providing services to China based business. If you are based outside the PRC but are supplying services to clients in China, your invoices are in effect. Individual income tax If you are sent to China and your salary is being paid elsewhere not in China and spend more than 183 days in China then you would have to pay IIT in China based on the number of days you effectively spent in The country. (Source from: agn.org/regions/ap/MainlandChinaTaxationOverview.pdf) 2.2 ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 2.2.1 GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) Gross Domestic Product is an essential part of Gross National Income. It is the total value of goods and services produced within the country in one year. GDP is used to access countries whose multinational sector is significant share of activity. During the reform period China’s GDP has risen from Rmb 362.4 billion in the year 1978 to Rmb13.7 trillion in 2004. â€Å"The share of primary industry in GDP has fallen from 28% in 1978, at the beginning of the reform period, to 15% in 2004. This fall occurred because agricultural output grew more slowly than output of other economic sectors.† (China Statistical Yearbook, 2004) Manufacturing industry grew faster than the GDP over that period from 48% to 53% during the manufacturing boom. â€Å"Individuals have also become richer, with annual GDP per head rising during that time from Rmb379 to Rmb10,502† (China Statistical Yearbook, 2004) â€Å"Chinas phenomenal economic growth in recent years was primarily due to growth in the secondary and tertiary sector of the economy.†( Heilig, 2009) Agriculture in China which is the primary sector only grew a little since 1996. Fig1 China’s GDP by sector, 1978 2003 (Heilig, 2009) [Accessed on 03 August 2009] 2.2.2 CURRENCY AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATE The currency of China is known as Renminbi which means people’s money. China’s monetary authority issues the money in China. â€Å"During the previous decade, Mainland Chinas Currency was pegged to the U.S. dollar at 8.28 RMB. On July 21, 2005, it was revalued to 8.11 per U.S. dollar, following the removal of the peg to the U.S. dollar. The revaluation resulted from pressure from the United Stated and the World Economic Council.† (Danwei 2002) In 2003 the value of dollar dropped causing value of Renminbi to fall also making exports more competitive in China mainland. â€Å"This led to some pressure on the PRC from the United States to increase the value of the RMB in order to encourage imports and decrease exports.† (Danwei 2002) 2.2.3 LEADING INDUSTRIES China is a fast growing country and the industries have changed the economic status in the country especially Foreign Direct Investment. Manufacturing industry is the leading industry in China as stated in the diagram below. So SMEs can consider investing in manufacturing industry by choosing to joint venture with local investors in the country. Fig 2 Almanac of China (Emerald Group Publishing Limited) [Accessed on 04 August 2009] 2.3 SOCIAL AND CUTURAL ENVIRONMENT TANZANIA CHINA Culture Tanzania is a nation with a mix of races, traditions and cultures. Religions found in Tanzania are Christianity, Islam, and Hindu. Daoism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, popular folk religion (village religion). Population â€Å"The population of Tanzania in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 36,977,000† (Advameg, 2009) â€Å"1.3 billion people (1,330,044,605 as of mid-2008)† (About.com 2009) 2.3.1 DEMOGRAPHY AND POPULATION GROWTH â€Å"The decline of dependency ratio has created a productive population age structure with an affluent supply of labour force. Empirical results illustrate that the Chinese demographic transition has contributed to 15-25% of economic growth and 5-21% of savings rate in the reform era. With the acceleration of population aging, demographic dividend will be depleted at the end of 2013.† ( Fang Dewen,) Since mid 1960s China has been able to harvest its demographic dividend due to changes in population age structure. So the reduction of working age population will cause rise in wages. The Chinese are hard working people and are very healthy. So if wanting to join ventures with China to start a manufacturing company then China is the right place to do so. China has a population that exceeds 1.25 billion people in the country and it increases approximately 12-13 million people each year. 2.3.2 RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. The Chinese are not very religious people. â€Å"Chinese culture was perhaps the first to develop an intellectual skepticism concerning the gods.†( SACU, 2001) Religions practiced in China include: Daoism (Taoism) Islam Buddhism Christianity Popular folk religion (village religion) Spirituality 2.3.3 LANGUAGE Every country has its own language, so does China. Mandarin Chinese is the official language and is difficult for foreginers to learn and understand. â€Å"As one of the six official languages used by UN (United Nations), Chinese now has earned itself greater status in the World.† (TravelChinaGuide, 2009). Many Chinese speak basic English especially the youth which makes more better for SMEs to start a business in that certain country because communication won’t be a problem when working together. But it is still a problem in certain areas in China where language is a barrier in communication, so it gets difficult for foreigners to communicate with the locals. Even though China is growing fast in technology language is still a problem in some areas. 2.4 TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT 2.4.1 TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE. China is in the middle of a massive upgrade of its transportation. China has realised so as to keep their economy growing they are going to need efficient system so as to move goods and people around the country. â€Å"According to World Bank statistics, goods lost due to poor or obsolete transportation infrastructure amounted to one percent of Chinas GDP† (US commercial service, 2001-2009) Ports are being improved for more use of the country’s waterways and even airports. China is about to open a 36km six lane highway across Hazngzhou Bay which will reduce travel time between the two busiest ports in China in about two hours. So transportation is being made easier for doing business in China. 2.4.2 INTERNET USAGE Internet in China is growing fast according to China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) the country’s online population has grown 41.9% in 2008 to 298 million users. Even though China’s internet penetration is still fairly low even if it exceeds the world’s average. Access of internet through mobile phones is very popular, it is said that the number of internet users through mobile phones in China went up to 133% from 2007. 2.5 RECOMMENDATIONS According to the PEST analysis in China technology industry, tourism industry, manufacturing industry and agriculture industry are the fast growing industries in China. SMEs are recommended to enter into manufacturing industry because it is the leading sector of industries in China. SMEs should invest since there is availability of cheap labour, raw materials and modern technology. 2.5.1 MODE OF ENTRY When starting a new business large capital is needed, since SMEs have limited capital so it is suggested mode of entry is to joint venture with local manufacturing industries. Joint-venture has medium control as it have more than two companies involve in management (Daniels et al, 2007, p470). SMEs benefit in this country through joint-venture method whereby they don’t have to start a company from the bottom, the company’s image is established by current companies in the country. 2.5.2 BENEFITS China is now given the title â€Å"end of cheap China† because many have started business in China due to cheap labour and availability of resources. SMEs benefit from China because of: Currency Quality Natural resources VAT rebate cuts 3.0 REFERENCES 3.1 BOOKS Ball, D, A, McCulloch, V, H, Geringer, J, M, Minor, M, S McNett, J, M 2008, International Business: The Challenge of Global Competition, McGraw-Hill, Boston. Daniels, J, D, Radebaugh, L, H Sullivan, D, P 2007, International Business, Pearson Education, New Jersey. Hill, C 2007, International Business: Competing in the global marketplace, 6th ed, McGraw-Hill, Boston. 3.2 WEBSITES About.com 2009, China Population, viewed on 31 August 2009, http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/chinapopulation.htm>. Advameg, Inc, 2009, Encyclopedia of the Nations, viewed on 27 July 2009, . Asia for Educators, Columbia University 2008, Population in China, viewed n 05 August 2009, . Case Studies in Business Management 2009, Center For Management Research, viewed on 02 August 2009, . Chan, K 2009, China Finance Accounting, viewed on 29 July 2009, . China Statistical Yearbook 2004, China’s economy and business climate, viewed on 30 July 2009, . Danwei 2002, Danwei Chinese Media, Advertising, And Urban Life, viewed on 31 July 2009, . Embassy of the united states of Beijing.china 2002, Embassy highlights, viewed on 29 July 2009, Fang, C Dewen, W 2001, Demographic Transition and Economic Growth in China, viewed on 03 August 2009, . Glencoe 2004, Marketing Essentials, viewed on 01 August 2009, . Heilig, G, K 2006, GDP By Sector, viewed on 30 July 2009, . New Zealand Trade Enterprise 2008, Sales and Marketing, viewed on 03 August 2009, . Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, SACU 2001, Religion in China, viewed on 27 July 2009, . Starmass International 2001, Investment In China, viewed on 01 August 2009, . TechCrunch 2009, internet usage in China, viewed on 04 August 2009, TravelChinaGuide.com 1998, Language, viewed on 04 August 2009, . The World Bank Group 2009, Doing Business Measuring Business Regulations, viewed on 28 July 2009, . Urban Insight 2000, Infrastructure on the Rise in China, viewed on 01 August 2009, . US commercial service 2001, Transportation, viewed on 29 July 2009, . 4.0 APPENDIX (Source fromdoingbusiness.org/ExploreTopics/StartingBusiness/Details.aspx?economyid=185) TANZANIA CHINA List of procedures List of procedures Apply for VAT certificate with the Tanzania Revenue Authority Obtain a notice of pre-approval of the company name Apply for clearance of the proposed company name at the Registrar of Companies Obtain capital verification report from an auditing firm Apply for taxpayer identification number (TIN) with the Tanzania Revenue Authority Obtain the approval to make a company seal from the police department Revive VAT/stamp duty inspection Register with Social Welfare Insurance Center Register for the workmen’s compensation insurance at the National Insurance Corporation or other alternative insurance policy Register for both state and local tax with the tax bureau (Source from: httpwww.freshfields.compublicationspdfs200614675.pdf) DIRECT INVESTMENT Direct investment is done through joint venture with domestic investors and domestic owned companies in a country by investing its invested capital and participating in investment activities. INDIRECT INVESTMENT Indirect investment is the type of investment through purchase of shares, bonds, share certificates, security investment fund. Investors do not directly participate in management of investment activity. Research Papers on Investing in Chinese Manufacturing IndustryDefinition of Export QuotasPETSTEL analysis of IndiaRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationQuebec and CanadaTwilight of the UAWNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice

Consumer Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Consumer Protection - Essay Example This Project Plan suggests that it becomes necessary to consider pragmatic and appropriate research question and during the course of deliberations this needs to be translated into achievable ends. Also, the enlightenment gained from appropriately decided case laws also needs to be included to substantiate arguments and underline facts. Besides, various sections in which this subject is dealt with also need to form a part of this paper. (Press summary, 2009). â€Å"The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 (UTCCRs) protect consumers against unfair standard terms in contracts they make with traders. The Office of Fair Trading, together with certain other bodies, can take legal action to prevent the use of such terms.† (Unfair terms in consumer contracts, n.d.). It is necessary to conduct a study of this kind in order to assess the unfair terms that are often being enforced as pre-determined statements without being deliberated with the concerned consumers, who are thus placed at a detriment, due to the arbitrary and high handed dealings of producers of goods and services. Besides, it is also necessary to consider and apply necessary legal remedies if and when unfair terms are forced upon unwitting consumers. In order to understand these aspects in their proper perspectives, it is necessary to under the basics of these terms. According to the Unfair Terms in the CCR 99, if terms and conditions of business have not been individually dealt with and discussed and any decision has been reached without due negotiations with affected consumers; it could be said to be coming within the realms of being â€Å"unfair terms.† (Statutory instrument 1999 No. 2083. 1999). Besides this, the terms have been pre-determined without taking the concerned consumers into confidence. As a result of which the consumer may have to suffer detriment. It could correctly be said that unfair terms have been incorporated in the agreement which creates disadvantages for the consumers.

The Sociology of Nursing and Patient Care Essay

The Sociology of Nursing and Patient Care - Essay Example The essay "The Sociology of Nursing and Patient Care" follows an observational approach to analyze abilities of a nurse’s routine with this particular patient, using literary materials and a reflective type of perspective. The conclusion emphasizes how the use of sociological thought can be of benefit to the role of a nurse and the patient. The story of â€Å"Peeling the Onion† is about a young girl who has been in a severe car accident. The scenarios that transpire define how the role of nurses sociologically affect the patients own behaviors and emotions by the way in which the interactions take place. This poor girl is suffering from multiple injuries and is lucky to be alive; the nurses and medical doctors that are depicted in the story give rise to numerous concerns from a sociological context. Wright C. Mills coined theory of, â€Å"sociological imagination† gives clarification to this girl’s problem, as his theorization was designed to understand the social realization of individuals own adversities based upon the social position they might find themselves, such as in this young girl’s current predicament. One of the main negativities that are found in this girl’s circumstance is in how the nursing staffs relative indifference towards this patient makes her feel alienated, which could also pose as a complication from a cultural perspective since the racial identity is left to be questioned. Mills points out that it is the past experiences and history of them that affect individuals social perspectives the most.

Liturgy and the Microphone Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Liturgy and the Microphone - Coursework Example Experience would tell me that an effective sermon touches certain domains of the mind and the heart and provokes past as well as present personal issues. These issues may refer to encounters of pain, happiness, or grief. Most of all, they refer to matters pertaining to spirituality and how it can be strengthened. Eliot describes such a phenomenon as the workings of the â€Å"auditory imagination† in which the mind seems to travel back in time and results in a merging of earlier and current times (qtd. in Mcluhan 107). As the words lull in the distance, a kind of progression takes place especially when the message is relevant to what has happened or what is presently happening in the person’s life. The microphone then is like an instrument in neuro-linguistic programming that is often used as a therapeutic intervention to deal with various psychological problems. By listening to a psychotherapist, the person is being guided to a particular place in his consciousness that will give him access to personal issues and gradually attempt to resolve them in the same plane. However, the depth of mental and emotional processing that will take place is still dependent on the listener’s willingness to focus on what is being said. If the person is not really interested in the message or is too distracted by other thoughts to allow anything else to sink in, the volume and quality of the sound produced through the microphone will not matter to any extent. As such, the microphone may involve a public address system during the mass, but the overall experience in consciousness is still private and individual. Similarly, I disagree with Mcluhan’s contention that the use of the vernacular pace through the microphone discourages meditation unlike what is happening during a relaxed Latin Mass (Mcluhan 110). Among all the church goers, only a few could comprehend Latin and cannot start then to

Insomnia and Psychological Causes in Adolescents

Insomnia and Psychological Causes in Adolescents Ruhi Mehdi Ali Insomnia and Its Psychological Correlates in Adolescents Sleep, in one form or another, is a biological necessity for all living creatures (Coveney, 2014). Insomnia is the most frequently occurring sleep disorder in which the whole body and brain are in a conflict between the desires of wanting to fall asleep and not wanting to go to the wakening status (Mushtaq 2014). On the basis of occurrence of symptoms, insomnia can be classified as transient (no more than a few nights), acute (less than 3-4 weeks), and chronic (more than 3-4 weeks) (Kamel and Gammack 2005). I chose insomnia to be the subject of my writing because I think that it is a serious though ignored heath problem. Studies show that insomnia affects approximately 30% of the general population (Roth, 2007). While Johnson et, al. (2006), estimated that 10.7% adolescents are affected among the general population according to the DSM-IV criteria (as cited in Abe Germain, 2012). A study conducted in a Pakistani medical university revealed that 58.9% of the adolescents slept less than 8 hours a day (Kazim Abrar, 2011). Which means it is not only highly prevalent in our society, but also found worldwide in people of all ages and every gender but none of them tends to solve the issue on an earlier stage. This results in the severity of the disorder leading to various negative consequences. In this article we will focus mainly on the correlation of insomnia with the psychology of adolescents. We will also discuss the causes and circumstances that could lead to the progression of insomnia and some possible management remedies which could be helpful for the readers to diagnose and manage the problem at an earlier stage. In the month of March, 2015, a 28 years old lady was admitted to the Karachi Psychiatric Hospital with complaint of insomnia. She verbalized that she was divorced 10 years back and currently was living with her mother. During her married life she felt that her brother in law used to eye her in an inappropriate way which she felt uncomfortable and she talked to her husband about that but he didn’t believe her, instead divorced her. She was too depressed about the event, and since then she was having complain of insomnia. She didn’t adhere to the prescribed medications and therefore was admitted to the hospital with relapse. According to the criteria suggested by Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders edition 5 (DSM-V), a person is said to have insomnia disorder if the following symptoms are true for him; (A) dissatisfied with sleep quantity and quality. (B) One or more of these symptoms: difficulty initiating maintaining and returning to sleep after awakening, early morning awakening, non-restorative sleep and bed time struggles. (C) Major distress or impairment in daytime accompanies the sleep complaint (also reported by Kidwai Ahmed, 2013). (D) Sleep difficulty occurs at least thrice a week and is present for at least three months. (E) The difficulty occurs despite of sufficient opportunities and age-appropriate circumstances for sleep (Abe Germain, 2012). The criteria makes it easier to rule out the disease. CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS Carskadon discussed that during adolescence a range of biological, psychological and social factors interact, resulting in shortened sleep duration, that has been characterized as ‘the perfect storm’’ (as cited in Hysing 2013). A study conducted in Bahawalpur, Pakistan concluded that 39.2% of the youth (aged 16-25yrs) experience insomnia while 33% suffer from sleeplessness (Mushtaq et. al., 2014). There are several determinants that could lead to insomnia. I believe teenage is the most vulnerable stage of a person’s life. Multiple hormonal changes occur (Mushtaq, 2014; Kamel Gammack, 2005) and psychological distress acts as the key precipitating factor for sleep disorders. Problems in secular, personal or even religious life create great stress on a person’s mind (Mydin, et. al., 2012). Family conflicts, long working hours requiring more hard work, academic challenges and spiritual distress are some of the stressors that make adolescents face difficulties to fall asleep, no matter they have to get up early in the morning, and most of them skip the daytime naps as well (Yen et. al., 2008). Beside this, uncomfortable, noisy or change in sleep environment also hinders in sleep (Mushtaq 2014). Hysing et. al., (2014) claim that such routines cause a sleep deficiency of ~2 hours on weekdays. Some common habits including late night socializing activities, watching television or movies, surfing the internet (Coveney 2014; Yen et. al., 2008), excessive use of mobile phones (Mushtaq, 2014; Yen et. al., 2008), excessive use of substance like alcohol, caffeine, drugs, or side effects of some medicines like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) etc. (Mushtaq, 2014; Abe Germain, 2012; Kazim Abrar, 2011; Alhola Kantola, 2007), also interfere with sleep quality and delay the bedtimes. Furthermore, there could be some genetic or medical determinants as well that pose a risk towards sleep deficiency (Kidwai Ahmed, 2013), while in some cases psychiatric issues may also be present that lead to secondary insomnia (Roth, 2007). Depression and anxiety are the two most common co-morbid that lead to insomnia and vice versa, as worrying about sleep deficiency itself exacerbates insomnia. Dauvilliers described that 72.7% of the patients with primary insomnia had a family history of the disorder (as cited in Abe Germain, 2012). EFFECTS Adequate sleep is important not only for physical health but for cognitive and psychological wellbeing as well. On average, 7-8.5 hours of sleep per day is considered to be normal for adults. (Alhola Kantola, 2007; Kazim Abrar, 2011). While 6 hours/day, is thought to be short sleep duration (Bryan, 2011, as cited in Coveney, 2014). Insomnia, an underestimated disorder causes a number of effects that can disrupt a person’s quality of life (Alhola Kantola, 2007), for instance, chronic fatigue and malaise, aggressiveness, work absenteeism, increased risk of accidents (Cunnington, et, al., 2013; Abe Germain, 2012) etc. A study revealed that in a period of 12 months, only 1% of non-insomniacs had industrial accidents as compared to 8% of insomniacs (Roth 2007). Additionally, I have also commonly observed that it causes emotional instability and mood lowering, that further increases psychological distress and lowers concentration ability (Kazim Abrar, 2011). Decreased memory, ne urocognitive and academic performances are also highly affected that result in impaired performance on psychomotor tests and less productivity at workplace and schools/colleges (Coveney, 2014; Kamel Gammack, 2005). Furthermore, depression and hypertension (Kamel and Gamack, 2005) Such cognitive declines and stressors have their impact on a person’s social life which can be seen as the quality and quantity of his time spent with his family and friends is disturbed. As a result, the person may experience suicidal ideations as severe depressive symptoms. Many people then look towards substance abuse like alcohol and drugs use, either to relieve this stress or to merely induce sleep (Mydin, et. al., 2012; Abe Germain, 2012). Such people also have emotion focused problem solving strategies (Mydin et. al., 2012) i.e. they are less thoughtful about the situation and make emotional attempts to get rid of the Williams argued that moving towards a global 24/7 society is making us utilize our sleep time in walking activities and social opportunities (as cited in Coveney, 2014). Late night social gatherings, connectedness to peers through media and high tech devices has increased too much in our society. This simply means that sleep and rest are not being given much importance which in turn calls for a need to take this matter more seriously especially for the younger generation who wouldn’t want distressing effects of insomnia to affect their growing future. MANAGEMENT Sleep disorders especially insomnia is taken lightly and mostly remains undiagnosed and therefore, untreated. The disorder is treated so as to avoid relapses rather than treatment of current episodes or crisis (Cunnington, et, al., 2013). Benzodiazepine is the most frequently used sedative hypnotic as the first line treatment of insomnia. It decreases reduces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, sleep onset latency and nocturnal awakenings. Other pharmacological aids include non-benzodiazepines, anti-depressants, and anti-histamines. These medicines are used with the desired outcomes of improved sleep initiation, maintenance and improved next-day functioning (Kamel Gammack, 2005). Multiple approaches can help to control the situation from getting worse. One of them includes asking patients to maintain a 1-2 week sleep diary to assess their sleep pattern. This diary would be helpful to keep the record of the person’s usual bedtime and duration of sleep along with the details about the meals taken, exercise, use of alcohol and medications (Kamel and Gammack, 2005). Maintain such a diary would help to review the activities and factors that may have hindered sleep and improve them accordingly. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is another effective intervention with long-term efficacy. It targets the maladaptive behavior and thoughts that may provoke sleep disturbing conditions. This face to face interaction helps client and health care professional to particularly work on aspects and factors that are worsening the situation (Cunnington, et. al., 2013). One more approach known as ‘stimulus control therapy’ restricts the client and environment particular so as to induce sleep. For example, bedroom is confined to be used only for sleeping or sexual activity while sleep incompatible stimuli such as reading, television and computer should be avoided in the room (Cunnington, et. al., 2013; Kamel Gammack, 2005). CONCLUSION Insomnia’s prevalence varies from 11.8% in Nigeria2 to 27% in the United States and 37% in France and Italy (Kidwai Ahmed, 2013). As far as I have observed, people now a days are concerned about being at the top and being number one, but in the long run they ignore their basic health needs including rest. Especially teenagers have multiple stressors from their personal and secular/professional life which causes distressing emotions and they tend to skip their sleep time in order to cope with the challenges. Inappropriate sleeping environment, substance abuse family conflicts, and some underlying medical or psychiatric illness can also interfere and disrupt their normal sleep pattern. Insomnia is a preventable and controllable disorder. Therefore, it is important not to ignore any sleep issues as they may lead to the severe consequences of insomnia. REFERENCES Abe, Y. Germain, A., (2012). Insomnia and Its Correlates: Current Concepts, Epidemiology, Path physiology and Future Remarks. Public Health- Methodology, Environment and Systems Issues: 387-418 Alhola, P. Kantola, P., (2007). Sleep Deprivation: Impact on Cognitive Performance. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 3(5): 553-567. Coveney, C., (2014). Managing Sleep and Wakefulness in a 24-Hour World. Sociology of Health Illness, 36(1): 123-136. Cunnington, D., Junge, M. Fernando, A., (2013). Insomnia: Prevalence, Consequences and Effective Treatment. The Medical Journal of Australia. 199(8): 36-40 Hysing, M., Pallesen, S., Stormark, K. M., Lundervold, A. J. Sivertsen, B. (2013). Sleep Patterns and Insomnia among Adolescents: A Population-Based Study. Journal of Sleep Research, 22:549–556 Kamel, N. Gammack, J., (2005). Insomnia in the Elderly: Cause, Approach, and Treatment. The American Journal of Medicine, 199(6): 463-469. Kazim, M. Abrar, A., (2011). Sleep Patterns and Academic Performance in Students of a Medical College in Pakistan. Khyber Medical University Journal, 3(2): 57-60. Kidwai, R. Ahmed, S., (2013). Prevalence of Insomnia and Use of Sleep medicines in Urban Communities of Karachi, Pakistan. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 63(11): 1358-1363. Mushtaq, A., Saqib, A., Aslam, Z., Fatima, F., Waqas, M. Akram, M., (2014). Occurrence and Causes of Insomnia in Youth of Bahawalpur Division of Pakistan. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Bio-Science, 3(2): 408-418. Mydin, Y., Almashor, S. Zaharim, N., (2012). Correlates between Insomnia, Psychological Distress and Daytime Sleepiness of Malaysian Adults with Symptoms of Insomnia. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, 13(2): 122-127. Roth, T., (2007). Insomnia: Definition, Prevalence, Etiology, and Consequences. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 3(5): 7-10. Yen, C., Hung Ko, C.,Yen, J., Cheng, C., (2008). The Multidimensional Correlates Associated With Short Nocturnal Sleep Duration and Subjective Insomnia among Taiwanese Adolescents. Sleep, 31(11): 1515-1525.

Legalizing Marijuana Will Decreased Crime Essay -- legalization of cann

Marijuana is the cause of much commotion and debating, as the question of legalization becomes more of an issue. Drugs are a major influential force in countries all over the world today. Legalization is an option that has not had a chance, but really should be given one. Although many people feel that legalizing marijuana would increase the amount of drug use, legalization would benefit for the following reasons: 1)reduction of money spent on law enforcement 2)increase in the countries revenue 3)lessen crime 4)useful in treating certain medical conditions. Many feel today we are loosing the war on drugs. People consider legalization unnecessary. They feel that it will increase the amount of drug use throughout the world. They state that in many cases, drug users who have quit quit because of trouble with the law. Legalization would eliminate the legal forces that discourage the users from using or selling drugs. They also say that by making drugs legal, the people who have never tried drugs for fear of getting caught by the law will have no reason to be afraid anymore and will become users (Potter 1998). However, legalization will be profitable to global economies in two ways. It will allow for money spent on drug law enforcement to be spent more wisely and will increase revenue. There have been escalating costs spent on the war against drugs and countless dollars spent on rehabilitation. Every year in the United States, ten billion dollars are spent on enforcing drug laws alone. Drug violators accounted for about forty percent of all criminals in federal prisons (Rosenthal 1996). In 1989, a Republican county executive of Mercer County, N.J., estimated that it would cost approximately one   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   billion dollars to build the jail space required to house all the drug users in Trenton alone (Roffman 1982). All of this money could be spent on things of greater importance. Not only has the drug problem increased, but the drug related problems are on the rise. Drug abuse is a killer worldwide. Some are born addicts (crack babies), while others develop addictions later in life. Drug violators are a major cause of extreme overcrowding in US prisons. In 1992, 59,000 inmates were added to make a record setting 833,600 inmates nationwide (Rosenthal 1996). A high percentage of these prisoners were serving time because of drug related incid... ... decided that it is a valid and necessary solution to our countries drug problem. By implementing such a program the American population can use its money and resources to combat the problem through the legal system. Legalization will decrease violent crime associated with drug dealers, it will decrease the number of users and will lower the wasteful cost which is connected with the current system. Such legalization will not destroy our youth in any way and will only be accessible to adults in the country. If we continue with our current system we will never solve the problem. Drug dealers and addicts will crown our prisons and plague our streets. Bibliography 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Friedman, Milton. â€Å"Prohibition and Drugs.† Newsweek. 1972 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Potter, Beverly The Healing Magic of Cannabis Ronin Publishing’s, Inc. CA 1998 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Randell, Robert C The Patients Fight for Medicinal Pot Thunders Mouth Press, NY 1998 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Roffman, Roger A Marijuana as Medicine Madrona Publishers, Inc., WA 1982 5) Rosenthal, Ed Why Marijuana Should be Legal Thunders Mouth Press, NY 1996