The evaluation report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The evaluation report - Assignment Example From the analysis it is found that Landor has to incorporate a Design oriented work culture. Also it was found that Landor lacks an inclusive growth model. Landor can be rated very high in terms of brand equity. Similarly, Street Voice appeared to have a highly differentiating factor from others. But it lacks an inclusive growth model and expansion plan. Table of Contents Sl. No Topic Page No. 1 Introduction 3 - 5 2 Main Body 5 - 9 3 Analysis 9 - 13 Analysis of Landor using Four Powers of Design Management Analysis of Landor using DM Staircase Analysis of Street Voice using Four Powers of Design Management Analysis of Street Voice using DM Staircase 4 Conclusion 13 Introduction Design Management is a very comprehensive process for the success of any business organisation. â€Å"Simply put, design management is the business side of design.† (DMI, 2011) Design Management is an all encompassing term. It refers to the process of integration of strategies of the business to its eve ryday functioning for the benefit of creating better products or services. Therefore, to have a better design management in process in an organisation, a company should have a good business strategy, good product and production policy and a drive for continuous innovation. Thus it can be seen that design management is not a separate functional activity in an organisation. It is an activity that requires continuous attention and contribution of all the functional departments in an organisation. However, the ultimate authority for a better design management in an organisation lies with the top level executives or the chief strategists. Considering the growing importance of design management in the modern business management, most of the premium management institutes have introduced it as an important course of study. Design of a business can be classified mainly into three broad categories namely Strategic Design, Industrial Design and Service Design. (BDI, 2011) Strategic design comp rises of the vision and mission of a business. It lays out the framework for an organisation’s mode of operation. Industrial design is the area that involves policies regarding technology, engineering, branding and the like. Service design comprise of policies regarding people, infrastructure, public relations, etc. This report is intended to give an evaluation of design management in the present time with reference to two business organisations of different industries Landor Strategic Brand and Consulting Company and Street Voice Company of media industry. Landor is a company which was established in the year 1941. Landor is one of the major consulting companies in the world with a presence of more than 20 offices in 16 countries. (Landor.com, 2011) Landor is a specialised brand consultant and provides its services to all the big names in the industry as well as the emerging players. Therefore, Landor helps the clients with Industrial design of design management. Starbucks, Pepsico, Coca Cola, Apple, Adidas, etc are some of the clients of Landor. The core strategy of Landor is to provide services to businesses that are facing challenges with branding issues. As Landor is a brand consulting company, it hardly interacts with the ultimate consumers. But the services rendered by them are entirely based on the requirements of the ultimate cons

Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalisation on Business Essay - 1

Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalisation on Business - Essay Example The paper tells that globalization can be defined as a process where regional economies, culture, and societies have been integrated by trade and a worldwide-spanning network of communication. Globalisation exists in different dimensions. These dimensions include rapid technological advancement, foreign investment, capital flow, migration as well as international trade. Globalisation in simple context is considered as efforts to making the global society as a single village. This process is characterized by the production of goods in one region of the world and later distributed to the rest of the world. For instance, vehicles are manufactured in countries like Germany, United States, and Japan among others but are used in the rest of the world including Africa. Globalisation has integrated world economies for instance internet connections, and mobile phone has made people closer. This makes the world be a smaller village. Work can be distributed to any part of the world as far as th e internet connection is existing. In the business, context globalization serves to remove variation that exists and is geared to achieve universal platform. Globalisation influence issues and concerns in a business environment. Issues and concerns are the ones that are considered to affect business either positively or adversely. Economic globalization further integrates national economies to form an international economy through aforementioned dimensions of globalization. Jens-Uwe and Meera point outs that technological advancement and policy have played a crucial role in enabling global investment, immigration, and international trade. For instance, the current globalization in the United Kingdom is traced to be cooperative policies such as trading blocs. Globalisation is a tool that helps in eradication of state-enforced legislation on services and goods across the borders.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Case Study Example 5). However, in the process, because of emissions and increased waste production, the lives of residents become uncomfortable to some extent and sometimes the long term effects can be devastating. Other problems that are often associated with world events like football are racism, discrimination and violence (Wyludda, 2009, p. 5). The idea of creating a temporary but enormous event requires a lot of power consumption, consumption of unnecessary resources, and production of large wastes. This can just be termed as â€Å"inherently unsustainable† (Jones, 2011, p. iii). Many events undergo long planning before implementation. Currently, events are held in socially, economically and environmentally changing and turbulent environments. This calls for planning as a critical role for which in the recent planning, sustainability has taken the center stage. The concept of environmental engagement has not been left behind as well (Raj, 2009, p. 140). Event managers ought to be flexible in their planning since events vary and each needs a well formulated framework to assist achieve key principles that can be applied to all. It is the responsibility of those who organize such events to maintain social and environmental sustainability. If event organizers ensure sustainability in their planning, then the eventual results would be impressive (Jones, 2011, p. v). The world football governing body has an event known as the FIFA world cup. It is the biggest sporting competition in the world. For this reason, its impact to the society and environment is enormous. Hosting such an event demands critical consideration of all features to ensure that there is unprejudiced approach and sustainability. The FIFA World Cup â€Å"provides a platform to advertise the issue of sustainability in events† (Debra, Peter and Geoff, 2010, p. 189). With such an understanding, FIFA and the organizing committee took the responsibility of

Timberland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Timberland - Essay Example It is famous for its increased development from being a Boot maker to a larger Earth keeper. Timberland has CEOS who have desirable traits; they have negotiation skills and humility. These are the success factors of timberland that made it appear on top of other companies. Timberland stakeholders are futuristic about the company’s development. It does not concentrate only on its success but also what benefits it can bring to the earth. The stakeholders of Timberland Company work to the success of the company. They do not put in their self –dealings. Timberland Company progressed well due to the presence of devoted stakeholders who generate new ideas of improving the company. This company extended its service to other companies making it unique. It goes into partnership with other company stakeholders, which will provide support to its developing issues. Example of such stakeholders includes its partnership with Boston’s City year. Timberland in partnership with this company promotes community service. Timberland ensures that whatever chosen goal in place relates to social responsibility and sensitivity to the environment. Timberland focus on Earth keeping it profitable to the company. All the processes at timberland involve the sensitivity to the environmental conservation. Unlike other companies, Timberland Company is concerned about the keeping of the environment whenever it undertakes any activity within the company. It works on the principle that one can run a profitable business and be considerate to basic human rights. During the production process, Timberland uses the recycled materials that are cost effective as compared to using new ones. It produces boots that have green soles, which are from recycled materials. By using materials, which are possible to recycle and are harmful to the environment, it promotes environment

Romantic Genre in Film Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Romantic Genre in Film - Research Paper Example There are however, movies that have attempted to appeal to crass sensibilities for the purpose of commercial benefits. This paper shall look at the Romantic genre in film, with a special focus on the film Titanic, which was directed by James Cameron and was released in 1997. The first movies of this genre were silent movies and were mostly released during the last decade of the nineteenth century. This also reflected the aesthetic movement that made an open discussion of love possible. The end of the Victorian era meant that in a certain sense, people were not as rigid in their worldviews or conservative as the Victorians were. Films that were directed by Charlie Chaplin often featured a romantic element that served to highlight social issues. It would sometimes involve people of higher classes falling in love with the tramp, serving to highlight the intensely materialistic culture that had begun to develop during the middle of the twentieth century. The disparity in classes does not force the lovers apart, a feature that is common to many films of this genre. The opposition that the love faces from the establishment is something that is constantly critiqued in such movies. Chaplin also looks at the way in which vulnerable sections of the society sometimes come together through love and mark their protest against an unjust manner of social grouping and running of the economy. This can be seen in several movies where both the lovers belong to marginalized sections of the society and are yet, not helpless, as a result of their awareness of their ability to revolt against unjust social systems. The ability of subaltern groups to create bonds amongst themselves owing to their common marginality is something that Chaplin explores through the premise of romance. Following the conventional times of the Victorian era and its aftermath, there were many unusual couples that adorned the screen. Same-sex couples were one such type some were couched in terms of comedy and t his served to avoid controversy and conflict with the conservative sections of the society. Unusual couples also involved those who were separated from each other through a difference in their ages. This resulted in controversial movies that sought to often push the barriers that the society had set. An attempt to break out of stringent social norms that had followed the World Wars can be cited as a reason for this sense of liberation that people sought to experience. This period followed a period when filmmakers sought to explore the travails of couples whose love could not reach a culmination. One of the most famous examples of this is Casablanca. Films like this sought to look into the aspects of love that sought fulfilment and culmination. It felt the need for marriage while making the viewers seek one too. This wish of the viewers was continually deferred by the filmmaker in favour of one that left a tragedy in its wake. This paradoxically, led to such movies becoming successes at the box office and the trend continued. This again was followed by a period that again had unusual couples that were sometimes based on the sexual misadventures of people. They were also sometimes based on books which had always had a history of being more controversial and open than the visual medium. This resulted

Violence Against Women in Muslim Families Essay Example for Free

Violence Against Women in Muslim Families Essay Nasim Basiri Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared in a 2006 report posted on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) website that: Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions. At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime with the abuser usually someone known to her, (Kofi Annan 2006) One of the key issues addressed at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing was the elimination of violence against women. Violence affects the lives of millions of women worldwide, irrespective of their socio-economic status. It cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious barriers, impeding the rights of women to participate fully in the society. The urgency of addressing this global problem is tragically illustrated by the treatment of women in conflict or crisis situations, where various forms of harassment, intimidation, rape and forced pregnancies are being used as instruments of war, especially by the opposing forces or the supposed peacekeepers. The recent incident in the Darfur region of Sudan, where women were violently abused both physically and sexually and some killed, is typical. However, it is not only in times of war that women are vulnerable to abuse. Throughout the world, women suffer untold violence in the family, at work and in the wider community, while the perpetrators include individuals and the state apparatus. Women worldwide remain vulnerable to life-threatening conditions and abuse of physical and psychological integrity. Although violence against women is highly under-reported, its prevalence is high in many cultural settings both in the developed and developing countries. For instance, studies indicate that 10-58% of women have experienced physical abuse by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Furthermore, cross- sectional studies show that 40% of women inSouth Africa, 28% in Tanzania and 7% in New Zealand reported their first sexual intercourse was forced. More than half a billion of the women in the world are Muslim. They are concentrated in approximately 45 Muslim-majority countries in a broad belt from Senegal to the Philippines, with the largest number on the South Asian subcontinent. The most populous single Muslim-majority nation is Indonesia.The policing of Muslim communities in the name of gender equality is now a globally organized phenomenon and one that has become even more pronounced after the events of September 11, 2001 when the United States began its ‘War on Terror’ in response to the terrorist bombings of the World Trade Centre and Pentagon. The policing is organized under the logic that there is an irreconcilable culture clash between the West and Islam with the latter bent on the West’s destruction. (Huntington 1997) They are tribal and stuck in pre-modernity, the argument goes, possessing neither a commitment to human rights, women’s rights nor to democracy. It is the West’s obligation to defend itself from these values and to assist Muslims into modernity, by force if necessary, as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq both underline. The body of the Muslim woman, a body ï ¬ xed in the Western imaginary as conï ¬ ned, mutilated, and sometimes murdered in the name of culture, serves to reinforce the threat that the Muslim man is said to pose to the West and is used to justify the extraordinary measures of violence and surveillance required to discipline him and Muslim communities.( Jiwani) THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM Some scholars have argued that MPL cannot be effectively recognised and implemented by the South African government because Islamic law conflicts with gender equality. Since the height of the feminist movement in the late 70s, a magnifying glass has been placed over the status of Muslim women. Unfortunately, the magnifying glass used is an unusual one. Unusual in the sense that it is highly selective about which items to magnify; other items it distorts to such a degree that they no longer look familiar (Ellison, 2004). The image of Islam is portrayed (Khalid and Tucker, 1996:9) as the: fount of unmitigated oppression of women, as the foundation of a gender system that categorically denies women equal rights and subjugates them to men, this recurs in the movies, magazines, and books of our popular culture as well as in much academic discourse. I concede that many rules, as they exist within the Muslim community, have been interpreted by males and, therefore, are patriarchal. However , it is hard to conclude that Islam itself is antipathetical to equality of the sexes. I will briefly discuss the elevated position of women in Islam. In post-apartheid South Africa, women are only now really able to have their voices heard. The issue of gender equality has become central to the development of constitutional democracy in South Africa. But what is gender? It is usually described as the way society understands the differences between men and women. This can be extended to what can be identified or recognized as masculine or feminine in a socio-cultural sense. Gender is indeed socially constructed and determined by things such as culture and religion. It is also not fixed in time and place, and is, therefore, subject to change. In Islam it is important to note that the word gender has no corresponding current term in the Arabic language, the language of the Quran. The word gender is general, and reference to men and women is made by the reference to the word sex, which is believed to be value free. The Quran bears evidence to the forgoing in its reference to the story of creation where it purposely employs gender neutral terms (Hassan, 1998). According to Seedat (2000), some of the concerns and experiences emerging from Muslim women are as follows: * Women are often merely verbally informed by their husbands of their being divorced, without any sort of written legal documents; * Imams often grant talaqs without any consultation with the wives; * Women who spend their lives cooking, cleaning and looking after the children, are often left destitute at the end of the marriage. Those who find themselves financially dependent on their husbands, are unable to secure their own economic development, and are less likely to leave an unhappy or abusive marital relationship. * Many women also find it difficult to negotiate contracts due to the stigma attached, ie that she will be branded a modern Islamic feminist filled with western ideas. CONCLUSION Domestic violence is deep-rooted in many African societies Arab societies and etc, where wife beating is considered a prerogative of menand a purely domestic matter by the society. Domestic violence is one of the greatest barriers to ending the subordination of women. Women, for fear of violence, are unable to refuse sex or negotiate safer sexual practices, thus increasing their vulnerability to HIV if their husbands are unfaithful. A more productive approach, it seems to me, is to ask how we might contribute to making the world a more just place. A world not organized around strategic military and economic demands; a place where certain kinds of forces and values that we may still consider important could have an appeal and where there is the peace necessary for discussions, debates, and transformations to occur within communities. We need to ask ourselves what kinds of world conditions we could contribute to making such that popular desires will not be overdetermined by an over whelming sense of helplessness in the face of forms of global injustice. Where we seek to be active in the affairs of distant places, can we do so in the spirit of support for those within those communities whose goals are to make womens lives better . REFERENCES ^ a b c d e Moradian, Azad. Domestic Violence against Single and Married Women in Iranian Society. Tolerancy International. September 2009. Retrieved 16 Nov. 2011. Popularly referred to as the ‘‘clash of civilizations’’, the phrase and the argument can be found in Huntington (1997) For critique and examination of its widespread inï ¬â€šuence and appeal, see Said (2001). For a discussion of how the culture clash thesis inï ¬â€šuences feminists see Razack (unpublished). For a discussion of how the Muslim woman’s body has been represented in the press post 911 see Jiwani (forthcoming). Abdo, Nahla, and Ronit Lentin, eds. Women and the Politics of Military Confrontation:Palestinian and Israeli Gendered Narratives of Dislocation. New York: Berghahn Books, 2002. Abdullah, Ustaz Yoonus. Sharia in Africa. Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria: Shebiotimo Publications, 1998. Abou El Fadl, Khaled. Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women. Oxford: Oneworld Press 2001. Abu Lughod, Lila. â€Å"Introduction: Feminist Longing and Postcolonial Conditions.† In Lila Abu Lughod, ed., Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle East. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. Abu Lughod, Lila, ed. Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle East. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. Abusharaf, Rogaia Mustafa. â€Å"Revisiting Feminist Discourses on Infibulation: Responses from Sudanese Feminists.† In Bettina Shell-Duncan and Yvla Hernlund, eds., Female â€Å"Circumcision† in Africa: Culture, Controversy and Change. Boulder: Lynne Reiner, 2000. Fadel M (1999) Two Women, One Man: Knowledge, Power and Gender in Medieval Sunni Legal Thought, in International journal of Middle East Studies. Hassan SO (1998) Gender and Islamic Law, Some general observations on the Status of Women under Islamic law, paper delivered at Gender and Law workshop, World Bank. Hughes TP (1886) Marriage in Dictionary of Islam (1886), see also http:// muslim- canada. org/marriaged iction . United Nations. The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, China. UNDoc.DPI/1766/ Wom.1 12-113. New York: United Nations, 1996. De Bruyn M. Violence related to pregnancy and abortion: a violation of human rights. Sex Health Exch 2002; 3:14-15. Heise LL, Raikes A, Watts CH and Zwi AB. Violence against women: a neglected public health issue in less developed countries. Soc SciMed 1994; 39(9): 1165-79. Molloy J. Ending war against women. CRLP sponsors workshop on violence against wom en in situations of armed conflict duringBeijing + 5 Regional Conference. ReprodFreedom News 2000; 9(3): 2. Schreck Laurel. Turning point: a special report on the refugee reproductive health field. InterFam Plann Persp 2000; 26(4): 162-166. Girard F and Waldman W. Ensuring the reproductive rights of refugees and internally displaced persons: legal and policy issues. Inter Fam Plann Persp 2000; 26(4): 167-173. Nordstrom C. Catitas war. Development 2001; 44(3): 30-5. Refugees International. Visual mission: violence against women in Darfur, October 2004. http:// www.urefugeesinternational.org/content/report/ detail/4329/ . Rath DG,Jarratt LG and Leonardson G. Rates of domestic violence against adult women by men partners. JAm BdFam Prac 1989; 2:227-233. Odimegwu Clifford O. Couple formation and domestic violence among the Tiv of Benue State,Nigeria. Paper presented at the International Colloquium Gender, Population and Develop- ment in Africa organised by UAPS, INED, ENSEA, IFORD, Abid jan 16-21 July 2001. Foster LA. South African experiences in fighting domestic violence. Sex Health Exch 2002; 3: 3-4. Brinkerhoff MB, Grandin E and Lupri E. Religious involvement and spousal violence: the Canadian case. JSci StudyRel 1992; 31(1): 15-31. Heise L, et al. Ending violence against women. Pop Reports Series L, No. 11. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Population Information Program, December 1999.

Examination of the Efficacy of Dietary Supplements

Examination of the Efficacy of Dietary Supplements What has led to the popularity of dietary supplements and is their success deserved? Surname: LU First name: YIXUAN Introduction The definitions of dietary supplements are varied from different countries which specify the scope of the term differently, and this essay presents a logical common definition of dietary supplements. Dietary supplements, the forms of which are usually tablets, pills, powders, capsules or liquid preparations, are oral products taken at recommended dosage in addition to normal food intake. It contains one or more kind of nutrient which is derived from food products such as vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Additionally herbs or other botanicals are included in US definition. The sales of dietary supplements show that the popularity of dietary supplements among all fields and all ages of people has been rising dramatically in a few decades. In the US, sales of dietary supplements in 2001 were about $17.8 billion (Nutrtion Journal. 2011), and as reported by the latest statistics, dietary supplements annual sale has increased to approximately $30 billion (MD, 2014). In this essay, first of all, I will illustrate the reason why food supplements become so popular among general public, followed by a detailed illustration of the benefits of dietary supplements as supporting. Then some controversial issues raised by such popularity will be revealed, and the risks of taking dietary supplements are shown subsequently. In the end, I will give some suggestions to consumers when taking dietary supplements. The popularity of food supplements There are many factors accounting for the popularity of food supplements. Ransley et al. (2001) argue that four main driving forces cause this popularity. Firstly, the modern diet seems can hardly meet the strict requirement of health and life of people today especially in terms of nutrition, and the lack of the categories and quantities of nutrients can be supplied by taking dietary supplements. Secondly, eating dietary supplements are considered to be a remedy or precaution of aging-related diseases, which makes them quite popular among old people. Thirdly, in consideration of the increasing price of medicines and the inconvenience of seeing a doctor, taking dietary supplements directly is more attractive to consumers. Lastly, with the improvement of living standard, people are more concerned about their own health. Therefore he desirable features of food supplements can get people’s attention successfully. The benefits of taking dietary supplements Taking right amount of food supplements can assure an adequate dietary intake of essential nutrients. Although we can get all the vitamins and minerals we need as long as we keep a well-balanced diet every day, it is not easy to follow this good habit strictly especially among commuters and teenagers. Therefore, Webb (2006) claims that using dietary supplements, such as multivitamins and cod liver oil, usually helps ensuring the adequacy of nutritionally diet. As Walji (1995) and Mason (2001) point out, having irregular meals is quite common and this may cause nutritional deficiency. Besides, improper methods of preserving and cooking food may result in the loss of some nutrients from food, particularly those delicate and unstable vitamins, which may cause a phenomenon that people eating a lot but still undernourished (Walji, 1995). Additionally, the amount of nutritional requirements vary from person to person, even the nutrient containing in the standard diet may still be either ex ceed or inferior to some people. Therefore having a wholesome diet with the addition of supplements personally is a good way to ensure the correct amount of nutrients keeping our body in optimum condition. Besides, food supplements do have a powerful psychological effect on consumers. This is shown in a research that many consumers use supplements occasionally and take them only when the spirits are low or when they are stressful (Ransley, et al., 2001). Another benefit of taking dietary supplements is the efficacy of preventing deficiency diseases (Webb, 2006; Mason, 2001). In order to cure some diseases, people may need to increase demand for a particular nutrient in certain medical conditions or other circumstances. Take vitamin D deficiency as an example, vitamin D has the function of promoting intestinal tract absorption of calcium. Webb (2006) points out that the main source of vitamin D inside body comes from exposing the skin to the ultraviolet rays in the sunshine. People who spends less than the necessary amount of time under the sunshine, seems to be more vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency. Webb (2006) also notes that the lack of vitamin D is an essential contributing factor in the development of osteoporosis among old people. Combining with the fact that the ability of converting sunlight into vitamin D in the elderly will decrease as they grow older, taking related supplements become more necessary and functional. COMA ( 1991) recommended that vitamin D supplements should be taken by all aged people only if they are regularly exposed to the sunlight with reasonable amount of time (Webb, 2006). The usage of dietary supplements also contributes to avoiding other diseases or illness such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers or skin problems. Differentiating from the supplements treating nutritional deficiencies, food supplements for other diseases may have long-term positive effects on physical condition (Webb, 2006). For instance, fish oil supplement is well known for its effect on heart diseases. A conclusive study demonstrating the function of fish oil has been done by Burr et al. (1989). He tested â€Å"the effects of dietary intervention in the secondary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI)† (Burr et al. 1989, p757). The result shows a nearly 30% decrease in total mortality among the tested men who were suggested to eat oily fish (or fish oil capsules if some people did not eat fish) during the two years study (Burr et al. 1989). Although some variables may have not considered in the study, it is still a comparatively successful experiment verifying the efficac y of fish oil which is the main effective ingredient in fatty fish. Controversial problems following with the popularity With the growing popularity of taking food supplements, many controversial problems arise subsequently. What is the standard direction of taking dietary supplements? Are there adequate regulations of dietary supplements market especially in terms of herbs and mineral? whether dietary supplements make a worthwhile contribution to a healthy dietà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¸ All these issues point to the risks of taking dietary supplements. The risks of taking dietary supplements There are so many unknown risks of eating dietary supplements, one of the main risks is that it may be harmful if people taking supplements in wrong dosage. If people take over-dose of specific supplements in the diet, such behavior may trigger the food-drug interactions (Hans, et al., 2001). Both the FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the US, 2014) and Webb(2006) state that the excessive use of some supplements, such as vitamin and iron, may cause some health risks and needless effects before, during and after surgery. For example, large ÃŽ ²-carotene supplements are known for the efficacy of preventing heart disease and cancer, but some studies show that such supplements may have counteractive. â€Å"Rapala et al. (1997) reported increased death rates from coronary heart disease in those subjects (smokers) given ÃŽ ²-carotene supplements compared with those receiving either the placebo or vitamin E supplements† (Webb, 2006). In addition, the ‘inverse supplement hypot hesis’ claims that some people who already have sufficient nutrition are more likely to taking supplements (Ransley, et al., 2001). Here is the evidence provided by the Women’s Cohort Study. In this study, one of the informants took 9g of vitamin C from supplements and an extra 90mg from another vitamin preparation. The intake of these two was more than 200 times than the RNI (Recommended Nutrient Intakes) and this is the amount without taking her dietary intake into account (SFL, et al., 1998). The above-mentioned evidence illustrates that consumers taking wrong dosage of food supplements may also be harmful. Another risk of taking dietary supplements is the lack of informed advices. As Blendon et al. (2001) indicate that, there is a lack of connection and trust between physicians and consumers. Because consumers do not believe in the information about supplements from physicians, likewise when physicians notice some problems about dietary supplements, they do not inform the consumers. Therefore, consumers prefer to take self-meditation, such as using dietary supplements to treat their illness, which is more convenient and have private space. However, when consumers need to ensure the daily intake, they have to search sources of advice from some unidentified places, such as internet, dietary supplement shop or the media. â€Å"This approach to self-meditation will carry risks and corresponding proof is that intakes of some supplements can be toxic to health and will cause serious adverse effects such as diarrhea (vitamin C) and flushing (niacin) † (Ransley, et al., 2001, p12). Furthermore, many benefits of dietary supplements are still unknown and unproved, so taking dietary supplements should be very cautious. The FDA (2014) illustrates that many supplements contain active ingredients which may cause strong biological effects in the body and increase risks of health in some cases. Therefore, the behavior of some consumers, using dietary supplements instead of prescription medicines, is obvious unwise (U.S.FDA, 2014). Since dietary supplements are neither food additives nor drugs, they are in a special status which was established by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (Hunrer and Trum, 1999). Obviously, it is not sensible to replacing the prescription medicines to supplements. In terms of herbs, herbal products do have some clinically proven benefits, but there are more facts illustrate its potential of containing toxic substances, especially regarding to the interaction with drugs (Halsted, 2003). Conclusion From what the essay has mentioned above, dietary supplement has a close relationship with our daily health. It is clear that the benefits of dietary supplement contribute to its popularity mainly. Various number of food supplements added in our daily intakes suitably enable us a nutritional-balanced diet. However the risks of taking dietary supplements are non-ignorable, which not only imply the room of the improvement of dietary supplements but also remind us necessity of taking supplements cautiously. In addition, some benefits of eating food supplements as well as the risks may be missing in this essay. It is not objective to say the popularity is good or not directly. In my view, the increasing number of people taking dietary supplements reflects a high awareness of personal health among publics. Meanwhile eating dietary supplements wisely is also necessary. To keep the balance of dietary supplement, several measures should be taken by the government. Such as strengthen the supervision of the production and sales of dietary supplements, establish detailed guideline of the usage of supplements and cultivate specialists in the field of food supplements. Apart from some regulations should be improved by the authorities, what we should do is be a savvy supplement user, thinking twice when purchase food supplements, reading the instructions of the supplements carefully before taking these products, finding out the relevant benefits of them in order to deepen the understanding of preparations and noticing the deficiency symptoms and following the measurement with cautious. References Blendon, R. J. et al., 2001. Americans Views on the Use and Regulation of Dietary Supplements. JAMA Internal Medicine, 26 March, pp. 805-810. Burr, et al., 1989. EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN FAT, FISH, AND FIBRE INTAKES ON DEATH AND MYOCARDIAL REINFARCTION: DIET AND REINFARCTION TRIAL (DART). The Lancet, 2(8666), p. 757–761. Eaglstein, W. H., 2014. What Are Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals?. In: The FDA for Doctors. s.l.:Springer International Publishing, pp. 25-27. Halsted, C. H., 2003. Dietary supplements and functional foods: 2 sides of a coin?. American Society for Clinical Nutrition, April, pp. 1001S-1007S. Hans, V., Eussen, S.R.B.M., Loveren, H. v. Rompelberg, C. J., 2001. Functional foods and dietary supplements: Products at the interface between pharma and nutrition. European Journal of Pharmacology, September, pp. S2-S9. Hunrer Trum, B., 1999. The New Dietary Supplement Label. Consumers Research Magazine, 82(9), p. 27. Mason, P., 2001. Dietary Supplements. 2nd ed ed. s.l.:London:Pharmaceutical Press. MD, W. H. E., 2014. What Are Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals?. In: The FDA for Doctors. s.l.:Springer International Publishing, pp. 25-27. Webb, P.G., 2006. Dietary supplements and functional foods. 1st ed. ed. s.l.:Oxford: Blackwell. Ransley, J., Donelly, J. Read, N., 2001. Food and Nutritional Supplements:their role in health and disease. Berlin: London : Springer, c2001. SFL, K., JE, C., MT, C. JH, B., 1998. Supplementary issues for women. Nutrition Bulletin, Volume 23, pp. 197-202. U.S.FDA, 2014. Protecting and Promoting Your Health. [Online] Available at: http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/default.htm [Accessed 27 Aug 2014]. Walji, H., 1995. Vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements : a definitive guide to healthy eating. s.l.:London :Headway. 1