Why Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Not be Legal - Free Essay Example

Well, when I think of steroids I think of an image. You have the advantage over someone, which is a form of cheating. I guess it wouldnt be right unless it was legal for everybody. Reason its not legal for everybody is because it can hurt people seriously. Evander Holyfield. Performance enhancing drugs are a big problem in sports. Some people dont realize this and dont see much harm in the use of them. These drugs have been a problem in sports for a long time. Big name athletes such as Anderson Silva and Lance Armstrong have been caught doping which is another word for the use of performance enhancing drugs. These are only a few of major athletes who have been caught doping and there are many more athletes who havent been caught. Performance enhancing drugs should not be legal in sports because they put the health of the athletes at risk, they influence the younger athletes, and they affect the integrity of sports. One of the biggest reasons that doping is illegal is because of all the harmful effects it can have on the body. According to law.marquette.edu The use of steroids can have serious health repercussions, including affected liver, endocrine, and reproductive function, tumors of the liver and kidneys, heart conditions, and psychiatric symptoms. These are only a few of the harmful effects that can happen if you use steroids. The chances of these side effects increase when the drugs are used more than the recommended amount and this usually always happens because people think that the more they take the bigger they are going to get and dont consider anything else like how they have to eat right and have a workout plan. Many people think they can just take these performance enhancing drugs and automatically get a huge strong built body by doing nothing. Taking these drugs will change the consumers whole life style. How they eat, how they train, and most importantly how their are harming th emselves. Steroids are a very common type of performance enhancing drugs. These drugs are used quite common in sports and bodybuilding. A big problem when taking these is they arent supposed to be consumed alone. There are many other products you take with these drugs such as a system support and many other pills that will decrease the harmful effects the steroids put on your body but they still make taking steroids harmful to your body. Many of the people who take these dont realize that they should be supported with other pills and just take them alone. These are drugs so many people do sell these illegally and smuggle them into the U.S. This makes people sell counterfeits of the drug. Just like other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana where people put in a bunch of other substances in it to make it weigh more so they can get more money out of it. According to anabolic.org counterfeit steroids are copies of real anabolic/androgenic steroid products, which are made from illicit producers. These drugs are intended for sale on the black market, ultimately to consumers who believe they are buying a legitimate pharmaceutical item from the labeled company. Most of the time these counterfeit drugs dont even contain any steroids at all and are just full of inert carriers, fillers, and binders. They mark their bottles to where they look identical to a legitimate brand of steroids and most people cant tell the difference. Some people make the argument to legalize steroids so they wont sell counterfeits anymore. Doing this would most likely cut down the buying of these counterfeits but still the main issue of steroids is the health risks and people would abuse this harmful drug. The side effects of the steroids can be different from a man and woman. According to www.webmd.com Men who take anabolic steroids may: Develop breasts, Get painful erections, Have their testicles shrink, Have decreased sperm count, Become infertile, and Become impotent. Women who take anabolic steroids may: Grow excessive face and body hair, Have their voices deepen, Experience menstrual irregularities, Have an enlarged clitoris, Have reduced breast size, and Have a masculinized female fetus. The effects can also be different on children such as being shorter and females can suffer from masculinization. These drugs have a lot of risk when taking them and yet they are still a very common used drug. Most of the effects of these drugs wont happen right away it will take time for these risks to really do damage to the human body. These drugs can be prescribed by the doctor if someone has suffered muscle loss from a disease such as cancer. Also if someone is suffering from hormonal issu es. There is some good use in these drugs but most of the time people abuse these drugs. Most of the people who use these drugs are athletes or body builders. They think using this drug will make them better than everyone else and usually that is the case but it is also considered cheating by all of the professional associations. According to www.drugabuse.gov The majority of people who misuse steroids are male weightlifters in their 20s or 30s. There are many ways to take these drugs such as a pill, injecting them into the muscle, and using them as a gel substance. Usually these doses are like ten times the strength of a prescribed dose from the doctor. Not only do these drugs have an effect on the body but also the brain. These drugs can cause some to be paranoid, extreme aggression, delusions, and impaired judgment. These drugs can have a very big impact on someones life just because they wanted to be better than everyone else when they were younger. The long term effects of these drugs are kidney problems, liver damage, tumors, enlarged heart, high blood pressure, a nd blood clots. There are many risks when someone decides to use these drugs and they can even be addictive to some people. These drugs dont cause a high like others but they still can be overused. People want to be bigger and better so they just keep taking them over and over. Some even take other drugs, like opiods, to help with the sleep problems steroids have gave them. People also will have withdrawals when they stop taking steroids after they have been consistently taking them for a while. These include fatigue, restlessness, loss of appetite, sleep problems, decreased sex drive, and steroid cravings. There even have been some cases of users who have had depression and suicide attempts. Steroids have been blamed for some cases of young adults killing themselves but usually there is not enough evidence to prove this. Another risk to the use of steroids is the needle. If the consumer injects himself with a needle that needle could result in the needle not being clean and then getting hepatitis o r HIV. There are a lot of risks when taking these drugs but that doesnt mean that people are guaranteed to get these side effects but they really increase the chances of getting these. It is like Russian roulette. Five people may take them and have no long-term problem. The sixth may end up dead. Kenneth Mautner. Another big reason for the professional athletes not to do performance enhancing drugs is they can put a big influence on the younger athletes. Many of the younger athletes have someone they look up to who is a professional athlete. They model their game after them and want to be them. If this athlete is caught doing these drugs or admits to it, it will send a message to the younger generation. It will send a message saying that performance enhancing drugs are the only way to be good at a sport and the only way to make it. It also could crush the younger players dreams and everything that they wanted to be. There have been many incidents were a professional athlete has been caught using performance enhancing drug. Some of the big name athletes who have been caught using these drugs such are Alex Rodriguez, Tonya Harding, Lance Armstrong, Pete Rose, and Anderson Silva. Getting caught using these drugs usually results in suspension or being banned from whatever professional league they are in. Alex Rodriguez was a huge star in Major League Baseball and he was the youngest player to hit 500 home runs. He was a very loved baseball star and had a lot of fame. After he was caught using performance enhancing drugs everyone was against him. The MLB suspended Rodriguez for 211 games. This forced him to miss the remainder of his 2013 season and all of 2014 season with no pay. He was forced to miss almost two years and got no pay for abusing these drugs. There are serious consequences for using these drugs and the leagues make it clear that if there is any use of these drugs then you will be puni shed. These professional athletes are having a big impact on the younger generation. According to www.nbcnews.com The confidential survey found that a majority of the students in grades 8 through 12 who admitted to using anabolic steroids say they would use a pill or powder to reach their athletic goals, even if it would harm their health or shorten their life. These kids would rather be good at sports and ruin their life instead of having a good and hard work ethic and have a healthier lifestyle. There are many more problems taking performance enhancing drugs as a developing teen then there are as a mature adult. These drugs have a way bigger effect on the younger and undeveloped bodies then they do a fully mature one. Some states are starting to test these younger athletes for the use of PEDs. There are a lot of problems with testing these athletes. The drugs dont stay in the system that long so if the athletes knew they were about to get tested then they could stop using them and wait f or the test to pass and start using them again. These tests are also really expensive for each state to do them so this makes most of the states not do the tests. Another big reasons is there are many different PEDs so some of these drugs wouldnt show up on some of the tests. This makes it extremely difficult to test for every single PED. Most of the bodybuilders use PEDs and they look way bigger than most people. If a young kid saw these bodybuilders and wanted to look just like them and wanted to be as strong as them it could have a big impact on their life. When these kids find out that most of the bodybuilders are using PEDs then they think it is ok to use them. They will think it is the only way to look like them and be as strong as them. They dont take in consideration the workouts and the meal plans that they follow to become that big. They just think take these drugs and you will be stronger, faster, and healthier. If states would teach younger kids about the effects PEDs can have in their life and how dangerous they are then this would cut down the use of these drugs. Most of these kids have no idea what these drugs can do to their health and think there is no danger in taking them. So if schools would teach about these drugs and inform the students that they arent as good as they sound then this could drasti cally cut down the use of these drugs in younger athletes and tell them that it is not worth the risk. Performance Enhancing Drugs also affect the integrity of the sport. Having any of the professional athletes take these drugs would give them an unfair advantage over the other players and would be considered cheating. Sports are suppose to be a fair competition between two teams to see who is better and deserves it more. Taking PEDs will give some people an unfair advantage over the opponent even if the opponent has worked harder than them. This not only is a form of cheating but it also is very dangerous. Take a sport like football or boxing both of these sports are very physical and can do major damage to the body. If the opponent has been doping they could be way stronger than the other opponent. They could be so much stronger than the other person they could actually do serious damage to their opponent and put their opponent into danger. It would be like going to school as a student you cant cheat on tests so for the athletes it should be no different. This is a form of cheating and it is why its banned in all professional sports. These drugs can get someone to be stronger and faster than any technological device could. If someone was taking these drugs for a long time and they have been very consistent then there would be no way to reach their level of physical ability without doping. Watching sports is a very popular thing to do and very many people love it. There is a lot of doping going on in professional sports. A lot of the professional athletes have used these drugs at least once in their lifetime and some might even still use them. This is ruining the fairness of the games we all love to watch. Playing sports should be competitive and fair and who ever wins should be the person who worked harder and wanted it more, not the one who used the most PEDs or whoever used them longer. This is why doping needs to stop being in sports before it ruins them. Some players have even accused their college coach of hinting the use of PEDs at them. If college coaches are hinting PED use among their players then soon almost every player in the professional level will be using these drugs and then sports will no longer be who is the better team, it will be who has taken the most drugs. Colleges should warn their athletes about these drugs not try to encourage them to take th em. It is not worth the risk and most payers dont understand that. All of these risks and they are still a very common drug in younger athletes. According to cbsnews.com With steroid use on the rise among high school athletes, clearly the message that drugs have no place in sports is not getting across. The temptation to win, earn that scholarship, or make big bucks is quite simply too much. They would rather be successful at a sport than live a strong healthy live. Everyone thinks russian roulette is stupid and no one is trying that for fun. Performance Enhancing Drugs are the same thing. The risks in taking these drugs are simply not worth it and never will be. Performance Enhancing Drugs shouldnt be legal in sports because they threaten the health of the athletes, they influence the younger athletes, and they affect the integrity of sports. Why would someone risk their life for an unfair advantage that could cost them their whole career.

A Pestle and Porters Analysis of the IKEA Company - 2200 Words

A Pestle and Porter's Analysis of the IKEA Company in Singapore (Term Paper Sample) Content: Running head: IKEA BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN SINGAPORE1An Analysis of IKEA business Environment in SingaporeShinia ZhilieiKaplan Institution of Management  TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231513" COMPANY OVERVIEW  PAGEREF _Toc437231513 \h
3 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231514" PESTLE ANALYSIS OF IKEA IN SINGAPORE  PAGEREF _Toc437231514 \h
3 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231515" PORTERS FIVE ANALYSIS OF IKEA  PAGEREF _Toc437231515 \h
7 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231516" Competitive rivalry among firms  PAGEREF _Toc437231516 \h
7 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231517" Threat of new entrants  PAGEREF _Toc437231517 \h
7 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231518" Bargaining power of suppliers  PAGEREF _Toc437231518 \h
7 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231519" Bargaining power of buyers  PAGEREF _Toc437231519 \h
8 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231520" Threat of substitutes  PAGEREF _Toc437231520 \h
8 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231521" STRATEGIC RECCOM ENDATION  PAGEREF _Toc437231521 \h
8 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc437231522" CONCLUSION  PAGEREF _Toc437231522 \h
9COMPANY OVERVIEWEstablished in Sweden in 1943 by Ingvar Kapard as a mail order business, IKEA has made tremendous milestones to become the largest furniture retailer globally (Tippenberg, 1997). Today, IKEA owns 378 stores in 47 countries, has a portfolio of over 10, 000 products and 147, 000 employees. In 2014, its net income was estimated to be worth 3.329 billion Euros, its total assets worth 44.667 billion Euros and its total equity was valued at 31.608 billion Euros (Inter IKEA System B.V, 2015). Built upon a vision to create a better everyday life for the many people, IKEAs core business is to create cheap but chic ready-to-assemble functional home furnishing products. The company has also diversified its products base to include solar PV systems, flat pack houses, shopping centers, a virtual mobile phone network and hotels. IKEA has established a distinct and valuable strategic position through its innovative, aesthetic functional designs and competitive pricing. Some of the key characteristics that make IKEA stand out are their flat-packed DIY designs that require consumers to assemble the furniture themselves; a unique Scandinavian shopping experience with mammoth size blue and yellow retail stores laid out like a maze; heavy application of its product catalogue as a major marketing tool; and its egalitarian, caring corporate culture that aims to make a difference in the lives of both people and planet(Johansson, 2006, p.85; ). PESTLE ANALYSIS OF IKEA IN SINGAPOREA PESTLE analysis is a framework used by organizations to track and monitor the external macro-environment factors that shape and influence an organizations operation (Bensousan Fleisher, 2012). The global environment is highly competitive, complex, dynamic and extremely volatile. This section analyzes the political, economical, socio-cultural, legal and environmental factor s that may influence IKEA business expansion in Singapore.The P in the Pestle acronym stands for political. The political decision and climate can greatly affect the profitable aspects of a business. Some of the political factors that affect business include bureaucracy, corruption, tax and tariffs, freedom of the press, competition regulation and consumer protection and the governing laws (Kotler, 1997). Singapore is continuously ranked as the world most investor-friendly country in the world (The Economist, 2014, World Bank, 2012) . Singapores stable and democratic political climate, budding economy, high levels of transparency, strong judicial system, flexible and relaxed immigration policies, minimal corruption and good corporate governance have solidified the countries position as a global business and financial hub. The country has an outstanding tax system and speedy business set up procedures that allow for quick entry and fast traction. IKEA Singapore can therefore anticipa te a stream of profits and favorable business operation due to Singapore business friendly regulatory approach. The E in Pestle stands for economic factors which may either cripple or boost business operations. Singapores has a robust and dynamic economy that is growing exponentially. The country is strategically located in the heart of East Asia making it a cross road to other Asian economies (Hawksford, 2015). The country boasts of a very strong unfaltering dollar, a highly educated and skilled labor force, attractive personal and corporate tax rates, good infrastructure and high standards of life. All this factors translate a good profitable business for IKEA. However, IKEA in Singapore may be adversely affected by the surge in labor cost and declining productivity due to labor shortages brought about by a rapidly ageing population (Kelly, 2015). Social cultural factors include the gamut of attitude, behavior, beliefs of a particular market. These include the spending habits, fa mily size and structure, lifestyle, population growth rate, religion, social classes and belief among a host of other suppositions (Dcosta, 2011). The Mercer Survey, (2014) ranked Singapore the 2nd place to live, work and play thanks to it world leading education system, healthcare, transport system and safe living environment. The country has been described as the place where the West meets the East due to its diverse culture. This means Singaporeans can be more adopting of IKEAs Scandinavian designs due to their affordability and Western design. Furniture mindsets may also play a key role in impeding the growth of IKEA in Singapore. Singaporean generally believes that furniture should last a lifetime. This contradicts IKEA designs which are not designed to be durable. In order, to change this mindset and make consumer more accepting to their not-lasting products, IKEA may have to conduct several campaigns aimed at changing Singaporeans attitudes towards furniture as fun and dispos able items.The DIY culture and shopping experiences also poses another challenge for Asian consumers. Asians are averse to DIY projects and are used to genuflection from shop assistants (Bansal, 2012). This contradicts IKEAs self-assembly feature and little to no human assistance in IKEA stores which largely employs arrows and glow signs as navigation tools. Home assembly services and shop assistance features could, if added, solidify IKEAs prominence in the Singapore market. Technologically, IKEA is widely known for its risk taking creativity and innovation. Singapore is a perfect fit for IKEA due to its pacesetting technological advancements. The Global Information Technology Report of 2011 ranks Singapore the top technological savvy Asian country. The Republic increasingly strives to adopt the latest technologies in manufacturing, engineering production, 3D, automation and robotics. Some of the companies in Singapore enjoy market leadership in sub-categories such as semi-conduct or equipment, diagnostic tools, biologics, hard disk drive media and offshore oil and glass platforms. The government also provides educational and financial incentives to boost companies RD programs. The Legal aspects of a company and environment dictate the rules, laws and guidelines that govern companys operations, migration, competition and labor policies. Singapore has enacted a wide range of policies including Electronic Transaction Act, Content Regulation, and Intellectual Property rights to solidify e-commerce and guard against violation of intellectual property. The Competition Act promotes a favorable competition climate and forbids practices like price fixing, bid rigging, market sharing and any other harmful or abusive business competition practices. It is estimated that IKEA consumes 1% of the wood used in commercial activities globally. However, the company takes bold environmental commitments to reduce their carbon footprint and green house emissions. The company owns wind farms in eight countries, pushes for sustainable farming of cotton using less water and chemicals, charges extra for plastic bags and has increased its use of certified responsibly harvested wood in their products. IKEAs eco-friendly practices were not well received in China due to the extra charges imposed on eco-friendly items. However, Singaporeans are truly open and committed to earth friendly practices and dont mind carrying their own eco-bags or supporting environmental friendly practices and products. PORTERS FIVE ANALYSIS OF IKEA The Porters five forces is analytical tool that deconstructs industry structure into five competitive forces and variables namely: competitive rivalry among existing firms, bargaining power of customers, the threat of new entrants into the industry and the threat of substitute products and services (Nemati and Barko, 2004) Competitive rivalry among firmsThere is a long of list of furniture manufactures who offer style and quality at affordable prices. IKEA faces rivalry from all corners; big chain stores, regional stores, local retailers and online B2B and C2C shopping malls. Rivalry has been further compounded by the global recession which has forced premium priced furniture manufactures to reduce their prices and product portfolio in order to expand their market share. IKEA not only has to match prices but other value added services and packages like interior design, free delivery, free packaging and assembly, consultation and credit offered by other furniture retailers. However, IKEAs positioning as an innovative cost leader coupled with the current recession that has hit the furniture industry the hardest, may help deflate competitive rivalry.Threat of new entrants The threat of new entrants into the furniture is lo...