Critically analyse how the government debt problems initially faced by Essay - 4

Critically analyse how the government debt problems initially faced by a few relatively small economies could trigger such a wide impact in financial markets - Essay Example Though the amount of exposure of each country and each financial market to the financial market of another country varies but the fact remains that no country can be considered as isolated in respect of interconnectedness. This particular essay discusses the effect of financial crisis on two particular markets that is derivative market and foreign exchange market. The essay tries to find the possible reasons due which financial crisis started from a particular country with a small economy gradually effects the financial markets globally. In this respect of this analysis both fundamental and identifiable factors are tried to be identified. Throughout centuries there have been several financial crises that have had large scale impact on the overall financial system. Different crisis in different timers have been triggered by different factors. However although there have been various triggering factors for different crisis the impact levels of the crisis have also varied depending on their reach and spread. A few examples of such crisis in the past are Asian crisis, Japan Crisis, Crisis of the Nordic countries. However the financial crisis of the dimensions of European financial crisis is unprecedented. The massive scale of the crisis was caused by two related factors the banking crisis and the crisis of the bond market (Ullah and Ahmed, 2014). The crisis first broke in 2007 when the banks felt uncertain about their investments in certain complex financial instruments. They increased interbank lending rates and virtually stopped lending to other banks. This led to serious liquidity problems for the banks in the short r un. At that time it was felt that the problem was more specific particular institution and those particular institutions may face default risk. However after default of major banks like Lehman Brothers, and risks concerning AIG which in turn took more financial institution with them in their downward

Proposal paper; Claim of policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Proposal paper; Claim of policy - Essay Example â€Å"Contentious Objectors† have no right to claim this status in America today. The United States Armed Forces, every branch, only inducts volunteers. Unlike many foreign countries, Turkey, China, and Israel, where military service is mandatory, the draft is not in effect today in America. Since joining the American military is voluntary, a soldier cannot later claim they did not want to be a soldier. The Iraqi war is not a popular one with American citizens or even Iraqi Veterans. One soldier, Senior Airman Tim Goodrich, even felt compelled to create a website called Iraq Veterans Against the War at http://www.ivaw.org/ (Dahr). Although Tim Goodrich created this site, he served his time in Iraq (Dahr). He is against the war, but felt the need to fulfil his duty. Tim Goodrich did not go AWOL like some of his fellow servicemen. Another soldier has entered politics to protest the war. Tammy Duckworth â€Å"is the only seriously wounded combat veteran running this year for Congress, whose ranks of members with military experience are at their lowest since World War II, according to Congressional Quarterly† (Stone). Creating a website and running for Congress are productive ways of protesting the war, unfortunately not all soldiers protest the war in these healthy ways. Sixty Minutes II reported â€Å"hundreds of American soldiers have broken the law and gone AWOL† since the beginning of the Iraqi war (Rather). These â€Å"Contentious Objectors† are numerous, but on Sixty Minutes II the focus was on Staff Sgt. Camilo Meji (Rather). Staff Sgt. Meji refused to return to Iraq because he felt President Bush and other leaders lied about weapons of mass destruction, but his platoon leader Tad Warfel responded by saying â€Å"His duty’s not to question myself or anybody higher than me,† and â€Å"We’re not paid in the military to form personal opinions or to doubt what our leaders say† (Rather). Both men feel very strongly about their opinions.

Why would a firm want to become a multinational Essay Example for Free

Why would a firm want to become a multinational Essay Let’s be clear about what we mean by a multinational. This is a firm that extends beyond the borders of an individual nation and operates with affiliates and branches in at least two countries. A multinational organizes phases for producing goods and services to sell in different countries. For example, many car companies have mastered the so-called international segmentation of production, which works like this: A Toyota vehicle assembled in San Antonio may have been designed at the Toyota design center in Australia; the vehicle’s aluminum-wheel components may have been produced in Delta, British Columbia; and its other components may have been produced in yet another location. Other multinationals replicate entire production processes in different countries. Consider Coca-Cola. If you are visiting Poland, the Coke you drink probably was produced in a plant in Lodz, Poland, not in the United States, although the brand and the company hail from the U. S. International business scholars and economists have observed that firms become multinationals to exploit three broadly defined sets of advantages. The first is ownership advantage. Multinational firms usually develop and own proprietary technology (the Coca-Cola formula is patented and kept extremely secret) or widely recognized brands (such as Ferrari) that other competitors cannot use. Multinationals often are technological leaders and invest heavily in developing new products, processes and brands, while usually keeping them confidential and protected by intellectual property rights. Maintaining stronger protection of these elements helps firms enjoy greater profits from innovation. Second, consider localization advantage. Multinationals usually try to build facilities that produce and sell their products in locations near the consumer (the Polish consumers of Coke in our example). This helps reduce transportation costs or helps the company fit in better with local tastes and needs. Proximity to demand also helps firms adapt their products and services to different markets. At the same time, they also may take advantage of lower production costs (for example, labor costs, energy, sometimes even lower environmental standards) or more abundant production factors, such as expert engineering or greater raw materials). For example, the Polish affiliate of Coca-Cola also owns bottling plants in the Beskidy Mountains region of Poland, which is rich in mineral water for making other beverages. Finally, multinationals want to internalize the e benefits from owning a particular technology, brand, expertise or patents that they find too risky or unprofitable to rent or license to other firms. Enforcing international contracts can be costly or ineffective in countries in which the rule of law is weak and court procedures are long and inefficient. In these cases, the company also may risk losing its ownership advantage, which it has created at a substantial cost.

Marketing Analysis of Adidas

Marketing Analysis of Adidas Introduction Adidas is a 2nd largest sport wear industry in the footwear market. Adidas is largely engaged with the sport industry, offering customers widespread selection of sport equipments. Adidas segmented its market into three main divisions Sport Performance, Sport Heritage and Sport Style. Company has its market extensive increase in Europe, US and Asia with approximately 150 continents (www.adidasgroup.com). Adidas aim to get better their quality, look, feel, and representation of their product in order to surpass consumer expectations and to provide them with the highest value, thereby helping athletes of all kinds to achieve zenith performance in their various fields. Adidas mostly invest in the sport market and increasing its profitability. As a sport giant Adidas should not only invest in the sports market but also it should try the other product related to the sport but in different industry like food (Nutrition and energy) products. Adidas is producing almost all kind of the product for the athletes, boxing, swimming, football, body building, golf etc, making all kind for products to give them comfort and confidence that they are wearing a reliable product. All of these sports consume high level of energy while their every day workout or during training session. As a highly reputed company if Adidas introduce such product then it will increase its market and an addition to it sport industry. New products will also be one of the most important factors in terms of success in the future (Blythe, J. 1998). After an extensive analysis of the environment and the market analysis adidas has develop and launched ‘Adi food Supplement’. Adi food supplement is mainly for the football athletes who consistently move during the game, this requires constant bodily re-adjustment, made possible by immediate starts, stops, jumps, dashes and spins. All of these physical needs can negatively impact the body and make the athlete vulnerable injury, illness or a disease. The athletes must have a well developed skills, complete with enhanced coordination, healthy and flexible joints. The flexibility required for complex and specific soccer manoeuvres, and the ability to create unpredictable power on-demand. Playing soccer well, and at the level required for success and victory. Adi food supplement will be reach in multi mineral vitamins. During the game athletes sweat heavily and lose mineral vitamins from the body. Regular dose of Adi food supplement will recover the lost minerals and the vitamin time to time and keep the athletes fit for the next game. This food supplement can be used in water, milk, juice etc to get the energy and for the taste it will be in different flavours to fulfil the need of the buyer. Market Objectives: Adidas marketing objectives are as follows: Increase its sales and market share Develop and launch a new product Improve its company and brand image Market development Environmental analysis: Every organisation need to analyze the enviourment to know its position in current market and compare the product with the competitors. The model we will use to analyze the market will be PEST. Igor Ansoff, 1965 states that environmental concept should be continuous and should feed all concepts of planning. Marketing environment is made up of three main parts: Internal environment Micro-environment Macro-environment According to the Food and Nutrition Policy 2007-2012 and UKAS, BS EN ISO 17025 law in Europe there are six main policies need to take care while producing a food products and follow the instruction to deploy the product in to any of the country which are under WHO European Action Plan. Biased healthy start Ensuring a secure, vigorous and sustainable food supply Detailed information and guidance to the consumer about the product Taking integrated action to tackle linked determinants such as physical motion, alcohol use, drinking water and the atmosphere Improving nutrition and food safety in health sector Monitoring, estimate and study If we examine the football market than we will come to know that Western Europe specially United kingdom is a very huge market and have a very good economic stability in the market. Now days each person is concern about its health especially all the athletes of any sports, and they spend hugely just on to their training and diet. Adidas as a privileged brand image in the market and any product related to sports will be highly appreciated. Nutrition and health related products have a significant market share. To launch the Adi Food Supplement Adidas required minimum of  £ 130 million of initial investment to launch the product with significant and steady profit. In Europe technology factors are very favourable to ensure the product standards. Growth Objectives: Corporate management’s first course of action should be a review of whether any opportunities exist for improving its existing businesses’ performance. Ansoff has proposed a useful framework for detecting new intensive growth opportunities called a product market expansion grid† (Philip Kotler, 2003). Ansoff states that a company could expand using penetration strategy, market development strategy, product development strategy and diversification. In the current situation, Adidas intention is to develop a new product of potential interest to its current market. It should be noted that Adidas is a global company with market all over the world including Cameroon. The critical factor for success in going down this road is the profitability of the customer group for which the product is being developed. Secondly given the fact that Adidas have a strong brand name that can comfortably applied to its products. Product development: This strategy is used to develop new product for the existing market. Production of Adi Food Supplement in such a well developed market with a good competition will be of great advantage. Due to the competition the company gets chance to improve its product and make the best available for consumers. With the production of such kind of product Adidas will be able to fulfil the market gap and will be increasing its market share by getting an upper hand over the rivals. Kotler, P. (1994) states that â€Å"once a company has successfully segmented the market, chosen its target customers, identified their chosen needs, and determined its market positioning than it is better able to develop new products†. Segmentation of the Market, Targeting and positioning of the Product: Market segmentation is the process of splitting customers, or potential customers, within a market into different groups, or segment, within which customers have the same, or similar, requirement, (McDonald and Dunbbar, 1998). Adidas being a global company was able to segment the UK market on the following bases. Size – the population is 60.6 million of which 80% local community, 10% Welsh and Northern Ireland and rest 10% is rest of world communities. Identity – Adidas was able to identify that more than the 50% of the population between 18 to 30 yrs were more engaged in athletics, which the rest of the youth population was interested in other sports such as volleyball, handball, rugby and others. Another group of the total population 20% of between 34-40years were interested in amateur footing in the morning while another 10% of the population between 41-60years were also running for the sake of keeping fit. Relevance – Adidas found in their market research that their product features were relevant for the segment they were researching as sportsmen and women wanted to run for long time without stopping to drink water. They need any kind of supplement fluid that will sustain in the body for a long time. Accessibility –Adidas can use different adverting strategies to the target audience, such as TV advertising, sport panorama, bill boards and youth magazines or sponsor the football match to tell people about the product. Getting the segmentation of the market, company’s next step is to target the particular segment of the potential customers of the new product. A particular segment is said to be attractive if there is enough potential customers to aim at, it is likely to be profitable and very much accessible. According to Geof, L. and Lester (2006) encompasses the identification of diverse needs for specific groups or segment of customers, deciding which of these groups the organisation should target or serve and designing marketing mix programs so that the needs of these targeted groups are then more closely met. In order to achieve the target market if we implement young and Rubican 4Cs model this can easily explain the segmentation of the market. This model can analyse user observation and help to determine their needs. After conducted common market research conducting interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires. They came to know that there are three main lifestyle groups which are based on cross-cultured buyer characterizations, which are constrained, the middle majority, and the innovators. It most likely found that the Middle Majority and the innovators are more concern about their health and spend some amount of the pay on their health products. Product Positioning Product positioning is always a very important part of any organization to market its product. Adi Food supplement will be rich in vitamins minerals and rich in nutrition for the athletes who do work out most of the day to keep them fit for the game. Footballers keep training and burn a lot of energy and due to sweat they lose vitamin and minerals. The biggest competitor of Adidas will be Maxi Muscles because has they market established but Adidas is the biggest name in the sports market and that brand image is their competitive advantage upon their competitor. Adi Food supplement will be a milk type product just add it in water or any other fluid and drink it with different flavours. It will consist of all necessary multi vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrate and amino Acids to recover energy and stamina quickly. Product positioning took place in the buyers mind and it is very much important to consider the buyers point of view regarding price before position the product in the market. Consumer thinks of every aspect of the product before buying like, taste, price, quality, satisfaction etc and then he or she will buy the product. Adidas as a sport tycoon can ensure the quality and taste and the price of the product but satisfaction still remains with the buyer. TV media and promotion of the product plays a vital role in positioning brand in the minds of the target consumers (Trout et al, 1981). According to the Aaker et. al (1992) we can achieve product position by seven different ways. Product characteristics and customer benefits To keep consumer attention for the product it very much necessary that product should have a very powerful slogan which expresses the product and the consumer demand. Adidas should develop a slogan like ‘Healthy Life with Adi Food Supplement’ and step into a different shade of the market. Competitive Price To contend with the market for this product Adidas should keep the market price competitive with the other products in the market. Product Launch Launch of the product is very important part in the positioning strategy. If we look at the current market in London Olympics are going to be held in 2012. In Olympics, athletes will be coming all around the world and that product can be a big hit as a brand name of Adidas. Consumer Consumer plays an important role in product positioning if product is associated with the consumer. It will be an extra edge if Adidas advertise its product with a well-known personality in the market. Product classification Properly classify the product makes it easies for the consumer to understand and compare it with the different product and can notice the benefit of the product. Logo / Symbol Every product in the market has its special symbols. Adidas being a well known tycoon already have its three strips Logo and can also be set for the new product with minor adjustments. Competition A healthy competition is always beneficial for a new product because competitors like Maximuscles already created a space and position in the market. Adidas can use the same market reference point to launch its product and can easily penetrate in the market. Marketing Mix of the Adi Food Supplement Neil H. Borden, (1964) states that the marketing mix is the set of marketing tools the firm uses to pursue its marketing objectives in the target market. Kotler (1994) says the set of controllable variables and their levels that the firm uses to influence the target market. Marketing mix is based on 4Ps which is the classification of the product Product In marketing mix presentation of a product is a very important that how Adidas present its product for the consumer. It includes product competitive price, an attractive packing, and different flavours for the consumer. As a brand adidas it is very much important for the company to present its new product according to their image so consumer feels privilege when they buy Adi Food Supplement. Price To penetrate in the market with a new product it is very important for adidas price the product with a very competitive price which should be affordable for all kinds of buyers in the market. Price should be determined after review the competitor’s price so the affordability should not be a problem for the product. Promotion Promotion of the product plays a very important part in product marketing strategy. Promoting the Adi Food Supplement can be done via different ways like online marketing, TV ads, Sports Magazines, sponsoring the events, leaflets and more. As much Adidas send the information about the product to the customers will be better for the long run benefits. Place Last but not least part of marketing mix is the place of the product where adidas will launch it, as we discuss before in marketing segmentation about the initial location of distribution is UK. Place involves all distribution channel, location of distribution and the method of the distribution and it is important to fulfil the availability of the product indifferent locations in UK for that Adidas can consult to their organised dealers and retailers for the product selling. Investment cost on Adi Supplement and its Return Before launching the product companies always go through from the cost analysis and the product price, it always a crucial role to determine the right price according to the market and the economic view of the company (Shipley, 1981). Initially company will invest roughly around  £ 130 million pounds to make the product successfully moving in the market. As the product will be something that will be focused on a specific target group the price of the product will be reasonable and affordable, with each box containing 750g Powder based supplement and costing around  £ 25. Cost pricing Year 1 The expected cost for the product is  £ 25 per box and the contribution sales for next five years is as follows Adidas should get return of its investment as follows This product will cover its cost with in 3 years and 7 months. And margin of the product can be increase if the product will be launched before the Olympics games in 2012 in London. References Aaker, D. A., R. Batra and J.G. Myers (1992) Advertising Management, New York: Prentice-Hall. Adidas Group. (2009). leveraging opportunities across our brand portfolio Available: http://www.adidas-group.com/en/overview/strategy/default.asp. Borden, N. H. (1964), â€Å"The Concept of the Marketing Mix†, Journal of Advertising Research, June, Vol. 4, pp. 2–7. Available in Schwartz G. Science in Marketing. John Wiley Sons, NY 386-97. Brown, R (1993). Market Focus. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd. 18,84-85,171. Evans, J and Berman, B (1985). Marketing. 7th Ed. New Jersey: A Simon Schuster Company. 20,32-35,645-79,262,264-74. Igor Ansoff, (1965). Competing Strategy, the Ultimate Strategy Library: The 50 Most Influential Strategic Ideas of All Time. Philip Kotler, 1994, Marketing Management, Analysis, Planning, and Control, 8th edition. Peter R. Dickson and James L. Ginter, (1987). â€Å"Market Segmentation, Product Differentiation, and Marketing Strategy,† Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51. Rick Brown (1993). Market Focus. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd. 31-32. Ries, A. and J. Trout (1981) positioning: The Battle for your Mind, New York: McGraw-Hill. Shipley, D. (1981) Pricing Objectives in British Manufacturing Industry, Journal of Industrial Economics. WHO/Europe. (2009). Nutrition and food security. Available: http://www.euro.who.int/Nutrition.

Computer Fraud And Crimes :: essays research papers fc

Computer Fraud and Crimes In the world of computers, computer fraud and computer crime are very prevalent issues facing every computer user. This ranges from system administrators to personal computer users who do work in the office or at home. Computers without any means of security are vulnerable to attacks from viruses, worms, and illegal computer hackers. If the proper steps are not taken, safe computing may become a thing of the past. Many security measures are being implemented to protect against illegalities. Companies are becoming more aware and threatened by the fact that their computers are prone to attack. Virus scanners are becoming necessities on all machines. Installing and monitoring these virus scanners takes many man hours and a lot of money for site licenses. Many server programs are coming equipped with a program called "netlog." This is a program that monitors the computer use of the employees in a company on the network. The program monitors memory and file usage. A qualified system administrator should be able to tell by the amounts of memory being used and the file usage if something is going on that should not be. If a virus is found, system administrators can pinpoint the user who put the virus into the network and investigate whether or not there was any malice intended. One computer application that is becoming more widely used and, therefore, more widely abused, is the use of electronic mail or email. In the present day, illegal hackers can read email going through a server fairly easily. Email consists of not only personal transactions, but business and financial transactions. There are not many encryption procedures out for email yet. As Gates describes, soon email encryption will become a regular addition to email just as a hard disk drive has become a regular addition to a computer (Gates p.97-98). Encrypting email can be done with two prime numbers used as keys. The public key will be listed on the Internet or in an email message. The second key will be private, which only the user will have. The sender will encrypt the message with the public key, send it to the recipient, who will then decipher it again with his or her private key. This method is not foolproof, but it is not easy to unlock either. The numbers being used will probably be over 60 digits in length (Gates p.98-99). The Internet also poses more problems to users. This problem faces the home user more than the business user. When a person logs onto the Internet, he or she may download a file corrupted with a virus.

Defining Moments in Song of Solomon, Push, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas :: comparison compare contrast essays

Defining Moments in Song of Solomon, Push, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas      Ã‚  Ã‚   For those who bask in the light of privilege in the dominant culture, they take for granted their right to assert themselves and to be acknowledged as "somebody who matters". For those who live in the shadowy margins (such as the American poor and/or minorities), they experience the systematic denial of the basic human rights - to live at one's fullest potential, in other words, an outright denial from living a "dignified life". Such a denial might cause one to feel "voiceless and choiceless" (Objective 1b). It has been the minority's experience, (historically and in the present day) that the right to achieve one's full potential is kept just out of reach. Minorities must first fight for survival. Then, if there is enough energy and hope remaining, they can strive to utilize vehicles of assimilation or resistance (Objective 4) in order to carve a place for themselves in the world. However, this does not mean that a full realization of the "American dream" is even possible. For every small victory, there remains a bitter aftertaste. In other words, for every step gained, there is a "personal or cultural sacrifice" (Objective 4). Meanwhile, on the journey to freedom, the individual is plagued with 'ghosts' of the past. These 'hauntings' can appear in the form of individual/family oppression: (knowledge of emotional pain, physical violence) or in the form of a historical haunting: (i.e. knowledge that your ancestor was a slave; the traditional family unit broken)(Objective 3). These disturbances continue to surface and demand to be worked through, thus a 'haunting' is another factor that holds one back from achieving their full potential.    Whether oppression comes from a large, historical institution such as slavery, or from inter-family abuse, it is the process of suppression that I am exploring in this essay. The process of oppression is where families or institutions withhold or prevent one's self-worth or self-identity to develop. I will explore the personal journeys of the following characters; 1) Frederick Douglas from The Classic Slave Narratives, 2) Milkman from Song of Solomon, 3) Precious from Push, noting how they all share a common path through the darkness of oppression towards the ability to assert their self-identity.

Childhood Obesity in America

Childhood Obesity in America Ashford University English Composition II ENG 122 Professor Harmon June 4, 2012 Childhood Obesity in America Childhood obesity is an important issue because of the shocking magnitude that this disease has reached in the past few years. Compared to other threats to children's health, childhood obesity has begun to rise tremendously. Certain genetic factors paired with changing lifestyles and cultures have produced children who are generally not as healthy as people were just a few decades ago.According to Berg (2004), 15% of American children are overweight – three times as many as thirty years ago – and another 15% are at risk for overweight. The treatment and prevention of childhood obesity are considered the responsibility of individual children and their parents. Parents of obese children are left in a difficult position of fearing for the social and health consequences of their child's obesity, and fighting a losing battle against the po werful presence of the media and constant exposure to unhealthy foods.It has been said that breastfeeding protects children from being obese or overweight; many people believe that â€Å"establishing healthy dietary behaviors must begin early in childhood. Mothers need education and support in healthy feeding and mealtime practices as part of a multi strategy response that targets early feeding as one potentially modifiable approach† (Horodynski, Baker, Coleman, Auld, & Lindau, 2011, p. 582. ) Whether breastfeeding is protecting against the increase of children who are overweight and obese remains a topic of dispute.Although a number of evidence indicates that breastfeeding lowers the risk of obesity, these results are by no means final. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) states, in the United States, while 75% of mothers start out breastfeeding, only 13% of babies are exclusively breastfed at the end of 6 months. Does that mean that at the age of 6 months c hildren are already falling into the category of being overweight? Many studies have been done, one in particular where â€Å"nearly 300,000 participants, showed that breastfeeding consistently reduced risks for overweight and obesity.The greatest protection is seen when breastfeeding is exclusive (no formula or solid foods) and continues for more than three months† (California WIC Association, 2006, p. 2. ) The California WIC Association states that there are several possible reasons for the protective effect of breastfeeding against obesity, they are: ? Breastfed infants may be better at self-regulating their intake. Mothers can’t see how much milk their child is drinking, so they must rely on their infant’s behavior, not an empty bottle, to signal when their infant is full. Thus, breastfed babies might be better able to eat only as much as they need. Breastfed infants are more likely than formula-fed infants to try and to accept new foods. Acceptance of new f oods is important because a healthy diet should include a wide variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Because breast milk contains flavors from foods eaten by the mother, breastfed infants are exposed to a variety of tastes very early in life. In contrast, infant formula always tastes the same. ? Breastfeeding has different effects than formula feeding on infants’ metabolism and on hormones such as insulin, which tells the body to store fat.Formula-fed infants tend to be fatter than breastfed infants at 12 months of age. Other studies have shown that breast milk is more digestible then formula and that is why breastfeeding is better. According to Eiger (1999), in recent year’s nutritionists have voiced concern about overly high levels of protein in the American diet. Since cow's milk contains about twice as much protein as human milk, formula-fed babies usually receive more protein than they need (much of it in the form of the less digestible casein).The s tools of formula-fed babies are so bulky because the babies cannot absorb so much protein, and excrete the excess in their stool, whereas breast-fed babies absorb virtually 100% of the protein in human milk. According to the CDC, â€Å" reports that the percentage of young people in the U. S. considered overweight has more than tripled since 1980. There has been a corresponding rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes, a disease linked to overweight and obesity and once seen only rarely in children and teens. It is now widely accepted that being breastfed elps protect babies from becoming overweight or obese later in life† (WEBMD, 2006, para. 5. ) Although there have been several researches and studies done, there is still no proof that breastfeeding can help reduce the risk of childhood obesity. A year later more research was done with roughly 35,000 participants. The conclusion to that research was that there was no link at all to breastfeeding and childhood obesity. Althou gh breastfeeding protects a child from many things very early in life, it does not seem to protect against obesity through adolescence to adulthood.Boyels (2007) states that breastfeeding is certainly encouraged, and has many positive consequences for both mother and child. But it should not be promoted as a solution for either the childhood or adult obesity epidemic. Because of the lack of information linking breastfeeding to obesity, it is now said that the cause for obese and overweight children is lack of physical activity, lack of healthy foods in schools, advertising of unhealthy foods on television and billboards, limited access to healthy affordable foods, and limited access to safe places for children to play.Childhood obesity became a very important issue many years ago when the number of obese children rose. It has been said that, â€Å"among children and adolescents ages 2 to 19, obesity tripled between 1980 and 2002 and more currently when First Lady Michelle Obama unv eiled the White House Child Obesity Task Force action plan: Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation. In the view of most doctors, these statistics are cause for concern because obesity is generally associated with increased risks for many diseases as well as premature death† (â€Å"Obesity Epidemic†, 2010, para. . ) All of these health risks can be avoided if parents would communicate with their children about what they should and should not be eating. Children learn from their parents about what to eat and why it is important to eat certain foods. Breastfeeding is important to form a bond between mother and child, there have been many studies done to try and prove that breastfeeding a baby will help reduce the risk of obesity but all have come up with different results.There are several solutions to this epidemic, parent need to talk with their children about what foods are good foods and what bad foods are, fruits are always a good choice and some thing that children love. Allot all children to a certain amount of TV time, 1 to 2 hours max, too much television is bad and allows them to just sit around doing nothing. Allow children to run around and play, inside or outside, exercise is a good thing. Many children do not get enough exercise which contributes to obesity. Look into healthier foods at schools and child care centers.This is where children spend a majority of their time. It is important that they have good, healthy foods to choose from. Lastly give children water instead of sugary drinks. Along with the recommendation previously listed and many listed online, there are many ways to help with the prevention of obesity. Berg (2004) stated that the seven sound and simple guidelines for raising healthy weight children are: 1. Normalize activity 2. Normalize eating 3. Balance sound nutrition 4. Feel good about oneself 5. Communicate feelings 6. Feel good about others . Balance the dimensions of wellness Following seven s imple guidelines can help reduce overweight and obese children from becoming overweight and obese adults. Although obesity impacts lot’s of people’s lives in today’s society, seeing people pass away from a preventable disease like obesity, in a world full of motivation and exercise is heart breaking. Living a healthy, fulfilling life style is important to a person’s well being. All parents need to work together to decrease the number of obese children before this epidemic gets worse.Obesity in children is a very serious issue and should not be taken lightly; many people do not take this issue as serious as they should be. Whether it is breastfeeding a baby or feeding a child the right foods, adults need to fulfill their jobs as parents towards their children. That means being a good role model for all children at all times. Children need to be taught and shown how to live a healthy lifestyle so they do not have to worry about having any health conditions now or in the future. The only people that can help these children are their parents.Every day the number of obese children increases, it is a sad but true statement. But by following the appropriate steps and working together with children, the childhood obesity rate will slowly but surely go down. A child’s health should be the number one priority in every family’s life. It is important to eat properly and exercise, a child’s life could depend on it. When it comes down to it, breast-feeding could have a slight effect against obesity and that is supported by the epidemics evidence, but all of the research and data are still controversial.Since breastfeeding has many benefits, no bad effects, and has no cost, it may signify a new and efficient way to satisfy the dramatically rising occurrence of obesity in the United States and elsewhere. However, its effects against childhood obesity still have to be confirmed and clarified. Till then it is the parent’s responsibility to communicate and educate their children. References Berg, F. M. (2004). Underage & Overweight: America’s Childhood Obesity Crisis – What Every Family Needs to Know. Eating Disorders, 497-499. oi: 10. 1080/10640260500297333 Boyles, S. (2007). Breastfeeding and Later Obesity. Retrieved from http://www. webmd. com/parenting/baby/news/20070424/breastfeeding-and-later-obesity California WIC Association. (2006). www. calwic. org Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). www. cdc. gov/obesity/childhood/problem. html Eiger, E. S. , & Olds, S. W. (1999). The Complete Book of Breastfeeding. New York, NY: Workman Publishing Co. , Inc.. Horodynski, M. A. , Baker, S. , Coleman, G. , Auld, G. , & Lindau, J. (2011).The Healthy Toddlers Trial Protocol: An Intervention to Reduce Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity in Economically and Edcationally Disadvantaged Populations. BMC Public Health, 11(1), 581-587. doi: 10. 1186/1471-2458-11-581 Obesity Epidemic. (2010 ). In Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices.. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com/entry/sharpecw/obesity_epidemic U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n. d. ). aspe. hhs. gov/health/reports/child_obesity/ – 26k WEBMD. (2006). http://www. webmd. com/parenting/baby/news/20060926/breastfed-babies-less-overweight