AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

AIDS is a serious (often fatal) disease of the immune system transmitted through blood products especially by sexual contact or contaminated needles. It is the most serious outcome of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. People with AIDS often suffer lung, brain, eye and other organ disease along with debilitating weight loss, diarrhea, candidacies, dementia, toxoplasmosis and a type of cancer called Kaposi's Sarcoma, and makes the immune system weak and therefore less able to fight certain infections and diseases. (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&q=define:aids) AIDS is currently incurable, and is spread through the transfer of bodily fluids. According to WHO estimates, by end-1996, nearly 30 million people – including over 2.5 million children – had been infected with HIV since the start of the pandemic. Every day, more than 7000 adults and 500 babies are infected. More than 8 million people have developed AIDS. Of the 26.8 million adults wi th HIV infection – the global estimate in end-1996 – 14 million were in Sub-Saharan Africa and more than 3.5 million in Asia. Our region, that is South-East Asia, is likely to suffer the brunt of the pandemic - being home to over half the world’s population. Moreover, HIV/AIDS is now present in every continent and in every region of the world. (http://w3.whosea.org/en/Section10/Section18/Section349.htm) Founded in 1983, The National Association of People with AIDS advocates on behalf of all people living with HIV and AIDS in order to end the human suffering caused by HIV/AIDS. They are the oldest national AIDS organization in the United States and the oldest national network of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. Over 80% of their staff are people of color, and women living with HIV hold senior staff positions at NAPWA. The majority of their staff members are people living with HIV. Their Board of Directors is equally diverse, providing representation of the many communities impacted by the epidemic. The vast majority of Board Members are also HIV positive. These dedicated and hard working people make NAPWA unique among national AIDS organizations. They offer many programs, including important conferences and training sessions throughout the year, including the Leadership Training Institute, Helping Communities Build Leadership, the Ryan White National Youth Conference on HIV and AIDS, and Staying Alive, NAPWA's national conference for people living with AIDS and HIV. The target population for this group is anybody with AIDS, but also those at risk. Like stated before, nearly 30 million people, including over 2.

Cats vs. Dogs as Pets

The most popular pets in today’s society are cats and dogs. There has always been a debate for both sides. It’s a matter of opinion to which animal is superior. This essay is going to compare and contrast the two animals. One of the most obvious similarities is that cats belong to the feline family. Cats are independent and require less attention from their owners. Dogs belong to the canine family. Dogs are pack animals; this means they require more attention by their owners so they don’t become depressed and lonely.Looking at both animals, they both have different needs, habits and attitudes. Cats need less grooming because they clean themselves. Cats use a litter box and don’t have to be trained like dogs to use the bathroom outside. Cat litter can be expensive also. Dogs need to have baths, be brushed and taken care of when they use the bathroom. The cost for food is more expensive for dogs. The habits of both animals are very different and should be co nsidered by the owner. Dogs, if allowed, will share a meal with their owner. They can also share furniture such as bed, recliner, and couches.They like to be petted and go for walks. Dogs bark and can bother neighbors. Dogs nail care has to be done by a veterinarian which can cost you. Cats do to but don’t have to be walked. Cats can be trained though to walk on a leash. Cat’s meow, purr, growl, and hiss. Cats may scratch furniture and are very hard to train them not to do so. Cats can be declawed to deter the tearing up of furniture. The other difference between cats and dogs is that cats are nocturnal and dogs are daytime animals. The attitudes between the animals can be very different.Dogs can be loving, loyal, protective and do tricks if trained. Some dogs are really good with kids and some are not so you might want to look into which breed of dogs are good with children. Cats on the other hand can be unpredictable and scratch children. They can be sweet in nature and snuggle up with you. Cats enjoy playing with simple toys such as; paper balls, toilet roll cardboard, mouse toys and yarn. Cats don’t have to be entertained by their owners because they are independent animals. Sometimes cats can bring you surprises such as birds, mice, moles. They even chase and kill flies.Some cats may be shy and skittish around other people so they like to hide in different places throughout the house. There are many reasons we choose to have a pet. One reason may be to relieve stress. Some pet lovers might choose to get a dog to protect their house. Some prefer to own a cat instead of a dog and vice versa. Older people prefer cats for the companionship. Younger couples usually choose a puppy for their children to play with. It is also good to research all the options you have that will suit you and your family. Whether you choose a cat or dog you should always consider they both have different needs, habits and attitudes.

Serving the Worlds Poor is Good for Business - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2009 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Cause and effect essay Did you like this example? Serving the Worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s poor is good for business and good for the poorest people in the world Words Count: 1,994 In recent few decades businesses are striving very hard to change their image from simply being à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“profit making institutionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“responsible players of the societyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . However it is not about serving the society unconditionally rather they are aware of the fact that having a socially responsible image is essential for their image and profitability in this competitive business age. Therefore businesses are continuously looking for new ways and ideas for making their relationships better with the society by contributing effectively towards it. They have their special units working on ethical and regulatory compliance and taking initiatives to make lives of their employees, customers, partners and people better and safer. In this way business corporations are taking special and tar geted measures to serve the society by taking the ownership of their activities (Ismail, 2009). Businesses are achieving this by taking responsibility of effects of industrialization, giving opportunities to new talents, taking steps to protect environment, transferring technology and alleviating poverty (Ismail, 2009). Poverty is an international issue not only for governments but for national and international organizations as well (Karnani, 2007). International organizations like United Nations and World Bank are taking huge steps worldwide in order to reduce poverty but this is definitely not enough as in addition to non profit organizations, profit making institutes should also play their part as well. There are many definitions of poor but in general poor is someone who does not have sufficient resources to afford a basic necessities or generally acceptable standard of comfortable living. It is not true that poor has no money but the truth is poor have little or insufficien t money. The practice and debate of rich people helping poor is very old as from centuries generous and philanthropist people of the society are helping poor in order to attain some level of equality and impartiality. They have come up with different charitable and humane ideas to provide them employment, food, health; shelter and education so that poor can become useful members of the society rather than being a burden to the society. Helping poor is not only provides them with basic necessities of life but it also helps in eradicating the sense of usefulness, inequality and unfairness. This also helps as poor people are involved in legitimate economic activities and they are not attracted by illegal means of earning wealth and getting what they want. For some of us it might be quite strange that in this era of free trade and free enterprise where capitalism is at its boom and large business giants are guiding and impacting government policies even laws of countries why busin esses are still concerned about poor? Why they are spending billions of dollars in starting various projects of social work? Why PG is spending a lot in India by establishing hundreds of school? Why Dell is promoting a laptop for each child no matter which country he belongs? Why Unilever is offering loans for education and business to women around the world? Why KFC is campaigning very hard to remove hunger? Is it all for general good or rules of business have changed? In my opinion the later is true and now businesses are playing as per new rules. In this wake of highly informative era when people whether they are employees, customers, investors or general public, are more aware of their rights and obligations than ever. They know very well when companies are required to pay dividends or how industries should dispose of their wastes and so many other issues. A company that is earning billions of dollars from food business is expected to return back something to society by helpi ng poor people in removing hunger. A multinational which is expanding globally by selling technology is expected to play its role by transferring some proportion of technology to poorer countries who otherwise cannot afford these sophisticated technologies. This side of corporate responsibility is supported by corporate giants themselves as Mr. George W. Merck (son of founder of pharmaceutical company) has always mentioned that medicine are formed for patients not for profits and his company took exemplary steps to serve health needs of poorer nations that made their shareholders proud (Handy, 2002). Serving the poor does not necessarily mean that companies start donating their products free of cost without any profit just for the sake of generosity. It also means identifying poor as potential market (bottom of economic pyramid), properly segment and target them and develop affordable products and services which fulfil their needs and are within the reach of their pockets. Compan ies are redesigning their product portfolios and coming up with low cost housing plans, banking solutions, educational and health services. In this way these businesses can tap that market niche and turn into profitable market segment. It will not only help them contribute effectively in providing for poor with basic necessities and making their lives comfortable but in the long run these businesses can play their role in eradication of poverty and bridging the class difference gap to some extent. Improved technological innovations have improved the production efficiency of businesses which has resulted in sufficient cost reduction and by reducing their profit margins in order to serve less privileged potential customers will not only ensure ample profits for them but also help in poverty alleviation. We can find various inspiring examples of businesses serving the poor successfully especially in underdeveloped and developing countries. Take India for example where poverty level has declined from approximately 39% to almost 21% in just five years due to radical increase in economic activity in the country. Multinational corporations like Unilever, Citicorp and PG have come up with specialized products in order to cater the poor but ambitious population of India. Online website stores accessible in remotest rural areas as well are offering branded goods in accessible prices. In this way they have joined hands with government and local organizations in their efforts of reducing poverty and providing poor basic necessities and comforts of life. Another example is from Bangladesh where micro financing model of Grameen Bank by Dr. Yunus has done wonders in serving credit needs of poor and allowed them to not only start their own businesses but also generate employment opportunities for others. Grameen group has also come up with other services for poor including housing, telecom and energy etc. Serving the poor is not only beneficial for poor but it also cruc ial for the profitability of the businesses. Most of the businesses are hesitant to invest in bottom of the pyramid needs as they believe that poor people do not have enough money to spend on their products. The income of poor might be low but it is also true that the aggregate purchasing power. Take the example of project à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Shaktià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) which has come out as a win-win situation for both businesses and poor rural population of India (Anon., 2012). This program was aimed to empower the residents of affluent areas of India especially to women by promoting and facilitating their entrepreneurial potential and use it for the profitability of the company. This program has not only contributed in reducing poverty by increasing the income of beneficiaries of this program to double but also provide a new market niche to the products of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). In order to move a step further Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has partnered with State Bank of India to make financial services available to the poor people of these areas (Anon., 2012). If we look into the effects of this initiative we can assess that this project has not only financial benefits to Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and the recipients of this projectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s support but it will have a long lasting impact on the people of rural India. They will consider and remember Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) as their long lasting partner who has helped them out of their misery and affluence by not only providing them financial strength but also by paving ways for their recognition in the society, linking them with prospering India and helping them achieve education and health facilities. In the long run Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) will have an extremely loyal client segment which will be really difficult for competitors to reach and penetrate as they are enabling poor people to manage their own business, which can then be custom-built rather than patronise the majority into labouring for the few. It is interesting to note that whenever businesses reach out to cater poor or bottom of the pyramid customers they on one hand not only serve them with specific product or service but on the other and they play their part in improving the well being and life style of that niche. The products offered to them are not limited to basic food and shelter necessities but include comfort items like solar appliances, eye sight spectacles, insurance plans, viable energy solutions and hygienic products etc. They improve the health and education conditions of their customers which ultimately bring prosperity to their coming generation. In order to reach out to them businesses try to improve the infrastructure, sanitation conditions, communication system and overall conditions of that particular market so that their product can be reached and used by the customers effectively. In this way by using the blue ocean strat egies businesses tap the new business destinations and develop sustainable markets for themselves. In order to better understand this mind set of businesses the idea of social entrepreneurship has been introduced where entrepreneurs not only run their businesses in societal interest but also welcome and encourage competition in order to serve community better (Cheng, 2014). These investments in base of the pyramid clients are also important for the businesses as they bring about progress on macro-economic level by creating work opportunities and income generation and in this way positively affecting the overall economic activity and GDP of a particular country. Therefore the governments and social sector of that particular country try to facilitate and promote such businesses by giving them recognition for their efforts at national and international forums, facilitating them in different regulatory requirements and sometimes by subsidizing and promoting their products on larger f rames by making bulk purchases like in case of natural calamities (drought, flood and earth quack). This further strengthens our point that in order to serve poor the businesses not necessarily have to forgo their self interest and profitability. They can work in their self interest by serving the poor in innovative, efficient manner by adopting ways of production which can reduce their production and delivery cost to minimal levels (Prahalad Hammond, 2002). As we all know that profitability in not about charging high profit margins it is about getting the job done with minimum amount of resources (efficiently) and serving the customers in ways so that they remain satisfied and loyal to your products and services. We can some up our discussion with the note that serving the poor is not only beneficial for the poor but it also increase the profitability of the businesses as they reach out for untapped, affluent and under privileged customers which constitute a huge market place f or businesses. It is common perception for businesses that poor people might not be able prove as profitable customers as they have little or no money. This perception has proved very wrong as we have observed so many real world examples where businesses even multinational corporations have customized their products in order to cater market of poor people and have run successful and profitable ventures over there. By studying such successful models businesses can learn how they can serve the poor in profitable way and play their part in stabilizing the economic activities in a particular region. In this way businesses can serve the poor in both profitable and responsible way (charity to some extent but not pity) and contribute towards economic and social development with governments and non-profit organizations without compromising their profitability. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Serving the Worlds Poor is Good for Business" essay for you Create order