Themes in Shakespeare

Shakespeare explores what it means to be an honest and honorable men In Henry IV Part I William Shakespeare goes into depth of what characters are like and how they display what It Is to be honest and an honorable person. Shakespeare Is able to delve Into aspects of characters personality traits by presenting them with choices they have to make (Including) from prince Hal having to stand up to his enemy Hotshot to (and) Falstaff lying and deceiving actions that leads him to becoming knighted in the Elizabethan times.These choices signifies Shakespeare views that it goes not matter who you may be or what you may have done whether you have been stealing, drinking, and abusing others you can still be knighted and be classified by others as honorable. Let's start off with Sir John Falstaff, Shakespeare has developed a character that is very likeable by those in the Elizabethan times, the audience in particular were intrigued with Falstaff as a character, why? Because he lived his life li ke there was no tomorrow, he knows that you only deserve one chance at life and this appealed to him and the audience, Shakespeare also delved IntoFalstaff traits portraying them through his Interactions with others In how he would interact with others, these examples Included that he would abuse the bartender at the tavern and worse of all he would Ill to her displaying Falstaff as being dishonest towards others, another example Is when he Is on the receiving end of being robbed by Prince Hal and Points, he lies about the situation, denies everything and that he was not scared, but in the end he covers up these lies by being even more dishonest by saying â€Å"l knew it was you† but he didn't know it was prince Hal and points and that e was covering up his tracks.Shakespeare also displays Falstaff opinions of honor as a disgrace, he also goes on to say â€Å"what is honor air† signifying he does not care one bit about honor. Falstaff however does display being honest to himself but not to others this is evident when Hal and Points repeatedly insult Falstaff by saying â€Å"fat as butter you are Falstaff now to the common person they would deny these Insults but to Falstaff he accepts these insults, cops It on the chin, and accepts who he Is no denying from him, this portrays the honest towards himself.Now on to Hotshot, Hotshot Is a completely opposite character from Sir John Falstaff, hotshot Is a warrior, a medieval knight, a soldier in our modern society If he were alive, he is the honorable men of the play and Shakespeare evidently display this through him dying at the end of the play to hotshot waging war on King Henry.Shakespeare wanted to create a character that was gallant and skilful who was not afraid of anything, the traits of hotshot provided the platform of what an honorable person is. Also note how Shakespeare presents hotshot as talking very fast paced and if you equalized hotshot he would be standing tall upright, like a king an d signifies him as more of an honorable person.Also Shakespeare addition into the play of Hotshot waging war against King Henry for the fact that Hotshot cousin is not being Included in the throne and that he deserves to be, glandless that hotshot has values upon his family and that he could have let It all go and not had a war but he was determined, he was subjected In his right mind that he needed to protect his family and this signifies to the audience of what it is to have honor even to the battle field, the tart off with how he became the King, King Henry killed Richard the former King to become the new king, in a way Henry is portraying dishonest and dishonorable actions to become the king in our modern society you would have to be subjected to family origin or married to a king but in the Elizabethan times if you kill the king you become the king in which case this is how Henry becomes King happens to Henry. Shakespeare portrays Henry as one of our modern day politician once they are in the top Job aka (prime minister) they can't seem to keep their promises; in which Henry didn't keep his promise to hotshot which signifies that Shakespeare was portraying him as being a lire and a thief and that this presents to the audience you really can't trust the person in charge.Also note this is how Shakespeare has incorporated into his play the dramatic irony of Henry and hotshot relationship we see at the start of the play how Henry did not want to wage war on hotshot and that if hotshot release his prisoners he would drop his attack on hotshot, but as already discussed we know hotshot traits of being a warrior, soldiers, mediaeval knight displays he has too much nor and dignity to let this pass and that he needed to protect him and his family for Henry not keeping a promise to hotshot. Through the developments of characters to there traits Shakespeare is able to distinguish his opinions and views of what it is to be an honest and honorable men from hotshot gall ant stand against King Henry to Falstaff exploring tow ways of being honest to himself but not to others. Through Henry lies and stealing of the throne distinguish Shakespeare presenting what it is to be an honest men and what it is to be an honorable men.

Investigating the effectiveness of human resource management Essay

A) Terms of Reference On the 1st of October 2003, the management department requested a report written investigating the effectiveness of human resource management at McDonald’s Restaurants Limited, and how this operation helps the organisation achieve their strategic aims. The report was to be submitted on the 9th December 2003. B) Executive summary McDonalds has various business strategies being introduced over the next two years. The report investigates how the Human Resource Management (HRM) practice enables the strategic plans to be achieved. McDonalds are expanding the number of restaurants in India, while closing selected stores in the UK, plans to change packaging, deco and uniform will affect the culture of the organisation. McDonalds are also diversifying, ‘McKids’, brand of clothing, and toys. It is the HRM policies that will ensure a smooth change over. The major concern is the cultural change; HRM must ensure that staff are involved in the changes allowing them to ‘buy’ into the plans. The extension plans should run efficiently as all the policies and legislation should already be in place. The investment in ‘McKids’ could prove difficult for HRM, because they are dealing with a separate market. The current polices in place cover a wide range of issues, which are sufficient for McDonalds strategic plans. C) Introduction McDonald’s fast food chain began in America in 1954, developing into a recognised worldwide establishment. McDonalds now has over â€Å"30,000 restaurants serving more than 46 million people each in 121 countries and territories† 1. The first British restaurant opened in 1973, expanding to 1,184 restaurants; however â€Å"80% of McDonalds restaurants are operated by independent franchisees†2. D) Methodology The information was gathered using â€Å"textbooks† from the library, the Internet, and a â€Å"student pack† from McDonalds Limited. E) Their present and anticipated strategy In order for a company to reach its goals, aims and objectives, a strategic plan should be implemented, allowing the company to establish ‘whom they are’, ‘their aims and objectives’, ‘future position’ and ‘how they are going to get there’. Strategic planning also confirms the attainment of their goals. Lynch (2002) says, â€Å"Strategy can be described as the identification of the purpose of the organisation and the plans and actions to achieve that purpose†3. While Kenneth Andrews believes that strategic planning is † a pattern of decisions†¦which represents the unity, coherence and internal consistency of a company’s strategic decisions that position a company in its environment and to give the firm its identity, its power to mobilise its strengths, and in its likelihood of success in the market place†4. Alfred D Chandler (1962) states, â€Å"Strategy is the determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out those goals†5. Although varying, all are concerned with the company’s planning, objectives and goals. Strategic planning is organised by top management; the plan represents directions the company needs to take at different times. There are five steps in strategic planning; firstly, identify the business and develop a mission statement, showing the company’s overall aims and objectives. This statement is used to motivate employees, customers and other interested parties. McDonald’s mission statement is â€Å"McDonald’s vision is to be the UK’s best quick service restaurant experience†6. Secondly, translate the mission statement into strategic goals; thirdly, create an action plan to attain those goals. Fourthly, introduce the strategic planning, and finally evaluate the results to determine whether changes are required. McDonald’s currently holds the largest market share of restaurants chains, at â€Å"7.3%†7; the nearest competitor is Burger King holding â€Å"3%†8 of the market. UK sales have risen dramatically over the last 27 years, and in 2001 sales reached in â€Å"excess of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.6 billion†9, however according to an Evening Standard report â€Å"pre tax profits dropped by 20% last year†10. McDonald’s intends introducing many new strategies, over the next two years. McDonalds, Chief Marketing Officer, â€Å"outlined a number of strategic global plans for McDonald’s† †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ they â€Å"intend to roll out a healthy lifestyle programme called Go Active†, â€Å"Make greater use of Ronald McDonald the face of the brand†, and introduce â€Å"global licensing programme called McKids, initially applied to clothing and Toys†11. In a separate interview he reports of numerous plans being introduced, â€Å"A worldwide advertising campaign†, â€Å"launch of global packaging concept†, â€Å"ongoing review of staff training, new products, and uniforms and the introduction of a loyalty scheme†, and to become â€Å"a leader in healthy eating†12. McDonald’s are installing â€Å"Wi-fi nodes†13 in many restaurants, allowing customers’ access to the Internet. Expansion plans are also intended f or India, where â€Å"McDonald’s plans to double its outlets over the next three years†14 F) Its current HRM practices HRM deals with the ‘Human’ aspect of a company, such as recruitment, selection, training, provisions of contracts, equal opportunities, dismissals and redundancy, welfare and health and safety. HRM is responsible for issues affecting employees and their relationship with the company. HRM developed from personnel management in the 80’s. The concept of management practice dates back to the 19th century, when some employers became concerned about employees working conditions. Rowntree’s appointed the first welfare worker, in 1896, to â€Å"ensure the well being of women and children in the workforce and to watch over their behaviour†15. Welfare work is still an aspect of HRM, although not so necessary within today’s society. It is these early approaches of Rowntrees, Cadburys and Robert Owen, which clearly show the development of HRM. HRM is defined as â€Å"a rational approach to the effective recruitment, retention, and deployment of people within an organisation, including, when necessary, arrangements for dismissing staff†16. Within the UK, McDonald’s employs â€Å"47,735 people†17. McDonalds expects the highest standards of quality, service and cleanliness towards the customers from its employees; they also require staff to have a positive attitude towards themselves, customers and other staff members. McDonalds employs local people, and ensures that employees are selected, trained, promoted and treated on the basis of their skills. Their policy states that McDonald’s will provide career opportunities, challenging and rewarding work, providing pay on performance. There are two levels of recruitment within the company, management and hourly paid staff. McDonalds offers staff flexible working hours suiting individual preferences. The hourly rate for staff exceeds the national minimum wage, salaried management earning between à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12000 and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½64000. Staff are entitled to various benefits, health care, pension, company car, bonus scheme, sick pay and stock options. McDonalds supports the ‘Opportunity Now’ Campaign, increasing the number of women they employ, â€Å"43.30%†18 of their workforce is female. The company now allows qualifying staff up to eight weeks paid maternity or paternity leave. The company works closely with various disabled organisations, and employs where possible disabled people. The diversity development within the company insures the working environment is free from discrimination and harassment and job applicants and employees, will not be treated less favourably on the grounds of marital status, colour, age, gender, race nationality, ethnic origin or disability. McDonalds believes that â€Å"training is the foundation of their success and vital for improving the business†19. Hourly paid staff receive on the job training, supplemented by computer based and other training methods, Management staff receive training at one of the company’s six British training centres. McDonalds â€Å"restaurants work to the standards which meet those required by legislation†20, they also have various policies covering food quality and nutrition, also working closely with suppliers ensuring animal welfare. The company has a number of franchises, which means that although McDonalds controls the majority of establishments, legislations, laws and policies are the responsibility of the franchise operator. G) How the HRM practices enables the business strategies to be achieved. Many policies are in place, covering a wide range of topics; enabling HRM to support the company in achieving their overall strategic plans. McDonalds operates in 121 countries, HRM must be aware of the different employment and contract laws, religion, culture, currency differences, and labour costs throughout these countries. The extension plans for India should not affect the company severely as the operation guidelines and policies already exist. Within the UK and USA the company has Universities to train their management, and other staff are trained â€Å"in-house†. When they expanded to India, lack of training facilities; meant staff were brought in from other countries to employ and train staff. This could have caused problems; outsiders may have little or no knowledge of the country, laws or societal beliefs. As the company expands into ‘new’ countries they need to consider other issues such as uniform and eating habits, certain religions do not eat certain products, other cultures impose dress code, all these issues need to be considered by the HRM to ensure the placement of correct policies. Due to falling sales there are plans to change the image and culture of the company; introducing new decor, uniforms and packaging. Unless HRM have involved the staff in the planning stage of these changes, they will encounter great difficulty in obtaining cooperation; staff need to ‘buy’ in to changes. Although, the company does have training facilities around the country educating staff on theses changes. Customers may also object to this image change. The introduction of healthy foods may cause problems, staff will need to be re-trained, which may cause staff shortages, and increase training costs. Some of the stores situated in city centres are installing facilities to allow the customer connection to the Internet. The HRM will have to implant policies to ensure correct usage of the Internet; and take steps to ensure that ‘inappropriate’ websites are unavailable. McDonalds has a high ‘turnover’ of staff, suggesting the recruitment strategy is inefficient. Incorrect job advertisement possibly leads to the submission of applications by the wrong type of person. H) How the HRM practice reflects the theories of strategic HRM. There have been many investigations into the issues surrounding HRM, leading to many theories. According to the Harvard Model, â€Å"HRM polices need to derive from critical analysis of: the demands of the various stakeholders in a business and a number of situational factors†21. The belief is that because organisations are owned and operated by various people (stakeholders), the management’s task is to balance the returns to everyone involved. The Harvard Model is seen as the ‘soft’ approach to HRM, employees being stakeholders of the company. This model has four areas to address, human resource flow, reward system, employee influences, and work systems, there are also situational factors such as influence of trade unions, laws, and labour market, which are also relevant to the theory. The theory believes that the effectiveness of the HRM is related to the four ‘C’s’, â€Å"Commitment, â€Å"Competence, Congruence and Cost-effectiveness,†22. The Harvard theory is that employees are an asset rather than a cost, and investment in these employees provides long-term benefits to the company, this theory is similar to McGregor’s, theory ‘Y’ approach. There are a number of concerns with the approach, â€Å"how to measure the variables, conflicts between cost-effectiveness and congruence, huge variety of variables potentially relevant to any given HRM situation, and sometimes a technology or set of working conditions make it impossible to increase some levels of ‘C’s'†23. The alternative approach known as the Michigan model, being the hard approach, believes that employees should be treated like any other resources, â€Å"obtained cheaply, used sparingly and developed and exploited fully†24. There are common features in both these models, both mix the HR policies and business plan, line managers are responsible for people; both are unitarist, and stress commitment to the organisation. McDonalds has a mixture of both the hard and soft approach, store managers being responsible for the day-to-day running as in the soft approach, and training provisions show that staff are an asset and investment in them should provide long-term investment for the company. The organisation also has similarities to the hard approach, with staff receiving low wages (obtained cheaply), and restaurants are often run with minimum of staff (exploiting). Guests (1987) theory, is also included in McDonalds policy, Guest believes the organisation should, â€Å"aim for high level of commitment from staff, obtain high quality output, continually improve standards, flexibility from staff, no fixed job definitions, working practices and conditions and seek strategic integration through HR policies†25. McDonalds are â€Å"Continually improving standards† and â€Å"offer flexible working times for staff†26. These prescriptive approaches also believe that line managers should accept HRM policies and integrate them into strategic plans, allowing staff to change roles within the organisation. Known as culture, organisations have different values, ideas and beliefs that affect the way they operate. According to Handy, there are four types of culture; Power, Role, Task and Person. McDonald’s culture combines two of these, top management, reflects ‘power’ culture, making the overall decisions, allowing rapid response to decisions. Although there are similarities to the ‘task’ culture, the overall aim of the organisation is task orientated, focussing on team culture, and strong communication between all levels of staff. The contingency approach suggests that â€Å"different problems and situations require different solutions†27, both internal and external influences should ‘fit’ together making a logical solution. McDonalds has integrated this approach, by considering the environment with their packaging and adjusting menus to suit different cultures. This approach also influences staff promotions that the company offers, staff are offered appraisals, a means of increasing their job opportunities. Barney (1991) suggests that there is a â€Å"resource based model†; physical, financial, human and organisational resources are the main link between internal resources and the company’s performance. Suggesting that it is not enough to have HR in line with strategy, and developing people will raise their commitment to the company, and provide an advantage over competitors. Although McDonalds do invest in people â€Å"66.26%†28 are under the age of 20, suggesting the majority of these are temporary, so will not progress through the company, leaving training costs continually rising. Gould’s ‘Model of Morale’, should be considered, suggesting that high staff turnover, sickness, absences and low performance within the company, is caused by low staff motivation, job satisfaction and group cohesion. These problem stem from inadequate internal factors such as â€Å"perception of leaders, matching needs to the job and identification with organisational goals†29, and external factors such as â€Å"status, age, pay, conditions, job market policies, training, equipment and economic state†30. Hofstede undertook worldwide research into culture and concluded that different countries mainly have four different cultures, â€Å"individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity. Depending on how the country viewed these areas, Hofstede categorised the countries further, pyramid of people, well-oiled machines, village market and family. As McDonald’s operates in 121 countries; consideration for this theory may allow a better understanding of the needs and values of staff. I) Recommendations Suggested improvements: * Reducing staff turn over * Encourage long-term employment (minimising training costs – maximising staff) * Create a culture that people wish to work in * Promote training allowing staff progression to higher job opportunities * Increase wages    Bibliography Class Notes. McDonalds Fact File 2002. (Available from McDonalds) Http://www.mind-advertising.com/sectors/sector_restaurants.htm (Accessed 18/10/2003). Prynn, Jonathan. Evening Standard UK, 3 May 2003. Kleinman, Mark. 2003 ‘Mcdonald’s Media gets global review’. Marketing Magazine, 11 September, p.1. Kleinman, Mark. 2003 ‘McDonald’s gets back on track’. Marketing Magazine, 11 September, p.15. Burns, Stuart I. 9 October 2003. â€Å"The Internet @ McDonald†, [online] Available from URL Http://www.bbc.co.uk/dns/collective/A1338392 (Accessed 28/10/03). â€Å"McDonald plans Indian expansion†, [online] Available from URL Http://www.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2924185.stm (Accessed 18/10/2003). Foot, M, Hook, Caroline. 1999. Introducing Human Resource Management. 2nd Ed. Addison Wesley Longman, London Hannagan Tim, 1995, ‘Management Concepts & Practices’, Pitman Publishing, London. Graham, H T. Bennett R. 1998 ‘Human Resource Management’, 9th ED. Financial Times, Pitman Publishing, London. Cole, G A. 2002. Management Theory and Practice. 5th Ed. Continuum, London. 1 McDonalds Fact File 2002 2 McDonalds Fact File 2002 3 Wang, Y. 2003. â€Å"Human Resource Management Strategies†, â€Å"Week 3†, (Classnotes) Lampeter University. 4 Foot, M, Hook, Caroline. 1999. â€Å"Introducing Human Resource Management†. 2nd Ed. Addison Wesley Longman, London. 5 Wang, Y. 2003. â€Å"Human Resource Management Strategies†, â€Å"Week 3†, (Classnotes) Lampeter University. 6 McDonalds Fact File 2002. 7 Http://www.mind-advertising.com/sectors/sector_restaurants.htm (Accessed 18/10/2003). 8 Http://www.mind-advertising.com/sectors/sector_restaurants.htm (Accessed 18/10/2003). 9 McDonalds Fact File 2002. 10 Prynn, Jonathan. Evening Standard UK, 3 May 2003. 11 Kleinman, Mark. 2003 ‘Mcdonald’s Media gets global review’. Marketing Magazine, 11 September, p.1. 12 Kleinman, Mark. 2003 ‘McDonald’s gets back on track’. Marketing Magazine, 11 September, p.15. 13 Burns, Stuart I. 9 October 2003. â€Å"The Internet @ McDonald†, [online] Available from URL Http://www.bbc.co.uk/dns/collective/A1338392 (Accessed 28/10/03). 14 â€Å"McDonald plans Indian expansion†, [online] Available from URL Http://www.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2924185.stm (Accessed 18/10/2003). 15 Foot, M, Hook, Caroline. 1999. Introducing Human Resource Management. 2nd Ed. Addison Wesley Longman, London 16 Cole, G A. 2002. Management Theory and Practice. 5th Ed. Continuum, London. 17 McDonlads Fact File 2002 18 McDonalds Fact File 2002 19 McDonalds Fact File 2002 20 McDonalds Fact file 2002 21 Hannagan Tim, 1995, ‘Management concepts & practices’, Pitman Publishing, London. 22 Graham, H T. Bennett R. ‘Human Resource Management’ 1998, 9th ED. Financial Times. Pitman Publishing, London. 23 Hannagan Tim, 1995, ‘Management concepts & practices’, Pitman Publishing, London. 24 Graham, H T. Bennett R. ‘Human Resource Management’ 1998, 9th ED. Financial Times. Pitman Publishing, London. 25 Foot, M, Hook, Caroline. 1999. Introducing Human Resource Management. 2nd Ed. Addison Wesley Longman, London 26 McDonalds Fact File 2002 27 Hannagan Tim, 1995, ‘Management concepts & practices’, Pitman Publishing, London. 28 McDonalds Fact File 2002 29 Wang, Y. 2003. â€Å"Human Resource Management and Culture†, â€Å"Week 6†, (Classnotes) Lampeter University. 30 Wang, Y. 2003. â€Å"Human Resource Management and Culture†, â€Å"Week 6†, (Classnotes) Lampeter University.

Final essay questions for Introduction to Anthropology

Final questions for Introduction to Anthropology - Essay Example Basing on many beliefs, for instance, the biblical belief, the practice is seen as against the norms of the societies. Anthropology has tried to enlighten people about such like practices ((Kottak 33). Child labor and abuse: this is another issue that is on the rise in the developing countries. Children are being overexploited in their life. Child abuse is deadly as it causes those exposed to such conditions being affected directly or indirectly. The role of anthropologists here is to try and come up with ways that could show those doing so that what they are doing is not right. Violence against women: in most states, women are taken as inferior creatures who have no power to talk against what they don’t want and that what is said by men is always right and every woman should follow it without obligations. In the changing world, women are becoming just like men, to have ideas of much help in the development of the world. This has called for the intervention of anthropology in trying to show the world that when given equal chances like men, they can be productive to the society in one way or the other. Alienation of Youths. The world is fast to recognize the presence of a great and powerful youth sub-cultures. This, with its own individual behavior and values, is particularly prominent in the cities (Kottak 45). Suicide: there is a good confirmation to designate that suicide rate has been on the rising in recent years. In most cases, it was elicited by a fall out that the victim had with a spouse, a close relative, or parents over what seemed to be a trifling matter. It seem to be normally a response, both self-pitying and bellicose, to the danger that a close interactive relationship will be ended (Kottak, 60). In all these issues, anthropology has tried to play a role so as those that are not in line with straight living realize their mistake and change for the developement of the community and the world as a whole. Religion

Marketing Channels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Channels - Essay Example The factory gate is the point at which the product is fully assembled and ready to be sent to the retailer's distribution center (Factory Gate Pricing 2004). Under FGP, the retailer takes over the primary distribution from the supplier which means the retailer no longer has to pay the cost of transportation that was previously included in the price the supplier charged for product. The retailer buys the product "at the factory gate" and arranges transport. Instead of several separate vehicles making delivery to a central point, one vehicle can make several stops to pick up goods from suppliers in a specific geographical area. Also, goods can be collected at port of entry into the UK which will cost less, and collecting goods at a manufacturing site located outside the UK could create additional savings. FGP has been in use in the UK by a number of grocery retailers and, as stated earlier, offers component costs of product with transportation costs separated. According to Scottish Food and Drink, there is a lack of knowledge about FGP among suppliers, but the majority of those suppliers using FGP have had a positive experience and believe it is here to stay (How Do I 2004). According to them, certain areas need exploration in deciding whether FGP is the right solution. According to Potter (2003), FGP was first introduc... Understanding supply chain costs Having thorough understanding of logistics operations Putting cross-functional teams in place Making top-level commitments between organisations, for instance, CEOs Once these factors have been considered and FGP is put in place, it becomes obvious that transportation costs are a key area of concern. Effect on Supply Chain Partners and Customers According to Potter (2003), FGP was first introduced in the UK by the fashion and automotive sectors in order to establish organisation and optimisation of transport by purchaser to point of delivery. Applying FGP in the UK grocery sector, however, is probably its most complex application. Tesco was the first to implement it, then Sainsbury's, Asda and Carrefour. A Tesco case study realized the following FGP benefits: 1. Reduction in transport miles 2. Reduction in transport costs 3. Supply chain visibility Aware of orders being placed on suppliers Analyses of the extra costs of demand amplification on transport Better use of transport through backloading Higher service levels The more consolidation, the more savings on wider scale Potter, p. 20 Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment: What Is It According to the Grocery Manufacturers association, collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) is a revolutionary business process wherein trading partners use technology and a standard set of business processes for Internet-based collaboration on forecasts and plans for replenishing product (Collaborative Planning 2002, par. 1). Because it is a new process within the industry, intended to develop a collaboration strategy among trading partners, a study was undertaken by GMA outlining basic tenets

Fences (play) by August Wilson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fences (play) by August Wilson - Essay Example he name of the play comes from the request made by Rose that Tory and Cory build a fence around their backyard which seems to represent her wish to keep the family together. It also shows her desire to keep those whom she loves close to her within the same house even if they are not really willing or able to stay with her. Despite these wishes of a perfect family oriented life, Rose is not someone who lives in the dream world since she is quite a realist in her expectations. The backdrop of the drama is taking place against race issues and the development of the idea of being African American while living with all the prejudice and hatred one has to suffer as an African American. In this sense, Rose does not have a longing for better days to come or a nostalgic approach which is displayed by other characters. She accepts what she has been given in life and the role she has to play in the world is very clear to her since she is a mother and wife to the best of her abilities. She is certainly trying to improve her condition through practical and available means such as asking her son and husband to build a fence for her but she does not seek out things which might be too much to ask for from the world. In fact, the only thing she does seek quite strongly is a bright future for her own son. She supports his decision to play football and supports him fully in his struggle to be a player that can overcome the barriers placed before him due to his race. As further proof of her compassion, she accepts the illegitimate child of her husband with open arms even though she does not forgive her husband for cheating on her. This reflects the nurturing and sensitive side of her nature and it does certainly add to her character as a mother figure. As a mother figure, Rose certainly goes through her trials and tribulations the least of which is coming to terms with seeing the proof of her husband’s faithlessness in front of her. However, it is her mother instinct which takes

Hedge funds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hedge funds - Essay Example The term "hedge fund" involves any pooled investment medium that is (1) organized in private, (2) directed by experienced and professional investment managers, and (3) not accessible to the public. Hedge funds are supported by rich personalities and institutional investors who are regarded as primary investors. Other investors include (1) endowment funds, (2) pension plans, (3) funds of funds, and (4) retail investors. (Boyle, 2007) Other bodies characterized as hedge funds are systematic and limited partnerships and liability companies or most commonly reside outside the United States. (President's on Working Group on Financial Markets, 1999) Hedge fund originated in 1949. By 1968, 140 hedge funds were operating as reported by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Within the last 20 years, hedge fund industry bloomed and become common in the U.S. market. According to Phelim Boyle (2007), in the year 1990, a total number of 610 funds are controlling $39 billion worth of assets. By 2000, there were 3,873 funds directing $490 billion assets. The estimated size of the hedge fund industry in mid-1998 was in the range of 2,500 and 3,500 hedge funds controlling between $200 and $300 billion worth of capital, totaling more or less $800 up to $1 trillion in total assets. As compared with other U.S. financial market sectors, hedge funds are relatively small. ... (President's on Working Group on Financial Markets, 1999) The Marko Maslakovic (2008) reports that despite the existence of market destabilizations, the hedge fund industry continued to grow in management assets and the number and type of institutions investing in hedge funds. For the assets under management, the hedge fund for this category amounted to over $2,250 billion in the end of 2007. Figure 1 shows the trend of global hedge funds in relation to their assets under management. The number of hedge funds reached over 11,000 in 2007 or 12 percent increase from the previous year (2006). The presence of the increasing credit crisis and increased market volatility did not hinder hedge funds assets from growing by 30 percent in 2007. Hedge funds did not incur any significant influence on the credit crisis because only 5 percent of their assets were examined in mortgage-backed securities in September 2007. Boyle (2007) mentions six (6) reasons for the hedge funds growth: (1) technological innovations, (2) derivatives revolution, (3) special ization, (4) increase of market complexities such as catastrophe bonds and structured products, (5) recent poor market equity performance, and (6) low interest rates. Figure 1 For the distribution of hedge funds in the world, reports of Maslakovic (2008) show that the United States is the major source of hedge fund investments with 67 percent of the total hedge funds assets in 2007. Europe and Asia are the next large sources with 22 percent and 7 percent shares respectively. New York City is the world's leading city for hedge managers and it is followed by London. In New York, around 60 percent of hedge fund managers are stationed in this city.

Organization value's Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organization value's - Research Paper Example Perhaps, the conflict weakened the foundation of the university’s mission and vision. A large number of people in the university, such as senior administrators, discovered that severe problems continue unresolved. Demands to the administration led to the formation of a committee tasked to identify the issues that the university’s important constituents had. What followed is a comprehensive assessment of senior administrators. The general findings showed that most British and Irish students and employees had little or even no knowledge of the decisions and actions of the administrators due to poor information sharing. In contrast, the American employees stated they were aware of what should be performed and how it should be realized. In order to concretely ascertain the dissatisfaction with the process of information sharing in the university, I conducted small interviews with some of the administrators, faculty staff, and students. Some of the students and employees bel ieved that the administration could work by itself and should be doubted to work for their best interests. Only the administrative personnel expressed high satisfaction with the process and outcome of information sharing in the university. The responses of the students express a considerable degree of ‘uninformed’ stances. ... and I know that these are not reliable sources of information.† The opinion of the faculty staff on the poor system of information sharing is expressed in the statement, â€Å"Honestly, I am not informed of the steps that are being taken to build the assets of the university. Our administrators do not show genuine commitment to the people at the university, especially with regard to sharing of information and values. Apparently, the dissatisfaction among the employees and students at the university is rooted in the lack of information, but with the Irish people this lack of information is a defense mechanism against accountability. The Americans and British demand information for the purpose of learning. The Irish are more contented with the lack of information for the purpose of blaming. This is a major issue for the university. The responses of the faculty staff, mainly British and American, express discontentment with the administration of Americans and British, whereas the most positive opinions of top administrators originate from the Irish employees. This phenomenon is conceivably brought about by differences in cultures and values within the organization. The Effect of Cultural Diversity and Poor Information Sharing Practices on the University’s Organizational Values The Irish groups demonstrate greater power distance over the British and American personnel. The latter groups demand that they have the right to question or challenge those in authority. My interview reveals that a number of American and British faculty members believe that it is their duty to oppose those in the top echelons. This opposition occurs in person, in the form of debate. On the other hand, Irish personnel dislike opposing those in power. The more relevant the concern is to them, the

What advantages does a herfindahl-type index have as a measure of Essay

What advantages does a herfindahl-type index have as a measure of industrial concentration over an n firm concentration ratio - Essay Example There are two main differences of the Herfindahl index with the concentration ratio. The Herfindahl index uses all the firms market shares rather than using any particular number of the largest firms and furthermore, it uses the squares of the values of the market shares to compute the extent of concentration. So,if we assume N firms in the industry, the Herfindahl index looks like: To identify the relative advantages of the Herfindahl type index it is pertinent to note the desirable properties such competitiveness indices should exhibit. First, any competitiveness index should exhibit a decreasing trend with a rising number of firms. This is simply a reflection of the fact that as the number of firms increases the competitiveness rises and hence any index that captures the extent of concentration in the industry should reduce in value (Tirole, 1988). Secondly, any index of concentration should also be non-increasing if not declining with an increase in the extent of symmetry in the market shares of the associated firms (Tirole, 1988). Thus, having perceived the basic features any adequate index of concentration should have, we now proceed to comparatively analyse the two aforementioned measures in the extents they meet up to these requirements. Evidently, the concentration ratio as well as the Herfindahl index both satisfies the first requirement. Both of the indices shall exhibit declining trends as the number of firms start rising since the individual market shares as a percentage of the total market output shall fall. However, the concentration ratio fails to satisfy the second requirement. If there was a redistribution of market shares among the considered firms with some of them gaining higher market shares while that of the others fell so that the total market share of these firms taken together remained the same, the concentration ratio would not change. However, in the Herfindahl index, the squared values of the individual market

The Washoe Indian Tribe of Nevada Essay Example for Free

The Washoe Indian Tribe of Nevada Essay The Washoe Indians resided around Lake Tahoe in Nevada and nearby the Great Basin. The Native American People lived near the western Great Basin, where the Washoe lands were the first areas to be settled. For reasons of survival, the Washoe Indian tribe migrated to more economically feasible areas, due to the loss of their hunting grounds, in the valley and their prior ways of life were taken over by farms that needed hired hands, and the large demand for charcoal and lumber. The Washoe tribes moved toward the cities and areas that held employment, where they could support themselves and their families and other areas where farms and ranches were available to them for sources of employment. Before the Washoe tribe met up with Europeans, the Washoe people’s territory was surrounded by the southern shore of the Honey Lake in the north, and west fork of the Walker River in the south and the Sierra Nevada crest in west and the first range east of the Sierra Nevada in the east. Usually the Washoe tribe would spend their summers in the Sierra Nevada, while they would move to the east mountain ranges and when winter rolled in, they would spend the cold months, plus the spring season in the valleys between the east and west areas. â€Å"The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California is a federally recognized, self-governing tribe headquartered in Gardnerville, Nevada. It was organized pursuant to the Indian Reorganization Act of June, 18, 1934, as amended.† we learn from the Government Home of Nevada and California. (Honoring our Elders, 2007) â€Å"The Washoe Tribe is a sovereign nation and has supreme authority over the Washoe people, tribal lands, and its own operations.† We are also told that, â€Å"The tribal government has jurisdiction over trust and allotments in both Nevada and California, with additional tribal trust parcels located in Alpine, Placer, Sierra, Douglas, Carson and Washoe Counties.† These counties are governed by a Tribal Council and Chairman, the Washoe Tribe in which the tribe is led. (Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, 2007) â€Å"In a personal committee announcement, for the Washoe Indian Tribe, we learn that â€Å"The Washoe Indian Tribe Human Resources Department is seeking interested tribal members to serve on the Personnel Committee.† This Indian Council meets monthly in making recommendations for the Tribal Council with regards to employment related issues. Any individuals, who are chosen to serve on the Indian committee, must be enrolled as a Washoe Tribal member. We learn from (Honoring Our Elders, 2007) that, â€Å"The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California operates a variety of grant-funded programs†, which are used for schools, including Head Start Programs and Native Temporary Assistance to Needy Families is used to promote healthy and thoughtful development of children and their families in Washoe communities. The Washoe Indians are self contained and remain a great part of our Native American history. Reference Page Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada. (2007) Programs Honoring Our Elders. (2007) The Government Home of Nevada and California. Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada. (2007) Personnel Committee Announcement.

Helping Parents and Caregivers Fight Chilhood Obesity Essay Example for Free

Helping Parents and Caregivers Fight Chilhood Obesity Essay Helping Parents and Caregivers in the Fight Against Childhood Obesity Young children acquire their knowledge through direct instruction, modeling, and experiences within their environment (Lanigan, 2010, p. # 369). Children who are obese are known to have lower self-esteem, and a higher risk of becoming drinkers, smokers, and/or socially isolated as they mature. Health concerns such as Cardiovascular Disease; Gall Bladder problems; Hypertension; and Sleep Apnea have all been associated with childhood obesity (Robinson; Geier; Rizzolo; Sedrak, 2011). Teaching portion control, implementing a healthy balanced diet, and adding in daily physical activities can help parents and caregivers in the fight against childhood obesity. Portion control is something that has to be developed from within a person. By introducing and practicing the use of healthy eating habits early in life, parents and caregivers are increasing the opportunities for a child to learn behaviors that can help them to develop a healthy life style. This type of life style can in turn increase the child’s chances of reversing or even preventing obesity. Teaching children to recognize what it feels like in their bodies when they are hungry or what could be called their hunger signals, while encouraging them to eat their food more slowly, and persuading them to stop eating when they feel they have had enough, even though they may still have food left over, are all ways of promoting healthy eating habits in children. The practice and observation of these skills will benefit children in their journey to a healthy life. Creating a healthy balanced diet can be a challenge for families. The convenience of the fast food industry has increased the challenge for families. Most families have parents or caregivers who work long hours and have little down time, causing them to â€Å"grab† dinner verses preparing it as was once the norm. In a balanced diet, the recommendation of carbohydrates is 45% to 50% of the total daily calories, while fat intake is at 30% to 35% (Philippas; Lo, 2005). Focusing on the right fats and carbs are of extreme importance. Making choices with fruits, vegetables, legumes, and healthier poly- and  monounsaturated fats, verses saturated fats and refined carbohydrates like white bread, refined sugar, soft drinks, cakes and candies, can dramatically assist in the battle against childhood obesity. While portion control and a healthy balanced diet are essential in the fight against childhood obesity, the benefits of physical activity should not be ignored. Exercise is a key component in the treatment and prevention of obesity in children (Robinson; Geier; Rizzolo; Sedrak, 2011). Exercise will assist in weight loss as well as improve metabolic risk factors such as hypertension, and has been known to have led to the lowering of blood pressure, along with reducing in depression, anxiety, and improvement of self-esteem (Robinson; Geier; Rizzolo; Sedrak, 2011). The obesity epidemic is being blamed for the rise in serious diseases and disorders (Robinson; Geier; Rizzolo; Sedrak, 2011). With this information of the multiple health concerns that have been associated with childhood obesity, parents and caregivers must be armed with education and resources to fight against this disease. Teaching portion control, implementing a healthy balanced diet, and adding in daily physical activities can help parents and caregivers in the fight against the disease known as childhood obesity.

What Does Unity Mean In Islam?

What Does Unity Mean In Islam? Introduction The Muminoon are a single Brotherhood. (The Holy Quran, 49:10) as quoted in the Quran. Allah further explains about Brotherhood by explaning that Muslims are awliyyaa (allies, friends, supporters) of one another, and this again is based solely on Islam: A real Muslim will help his bro/sis in Islam to live in peace. Brotherhood is to live in peace and to understand one another. They must not argue even if one disagrees with another and that they should follow the best meaning of what is being discussed. They must always forgive and have mercy for one another. A Muslim also helps any innocent person and loves his bro/sis for the sake of Allah swt. This is because Allah wants all Muslims to live together in peace,love and tranquility, not backbiting and hating each other for no reasons. Even with non Muslims we should live in peace and respect. Allah swt says in the Quran about brotherhood and commands us to act as brothers and sisters. The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islà ¢mic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allà ¢h, that you may receive mercy. (Surah 49:10) Muhammad saws said the real Muslims must love each other as real brothers and sisters too. You will not enter Paradise until you have faith, and you will not have faith until you love each other(hadith). Islamic Unity What does Islam mean? Islam comes from an Arabic word which means submission to the will of God. It also comes from the same root as the Arabic word salam, which means peace. Unity is the strength and the unity of people forms a strong nation. Therefore, this is one of the reason Islam emphasise great stress on the importance of unity. The Islamic concept of Towhid  [1]  is similar to unity of humankind. The corner stone in Islam is the unity of God. Allahs unity teaches Muslims that the y should not divide persons into sections and sects  [2]  . As been quoted by Dr. Mohammad Ali Al-khuli is his book titled The Light of Islam writes: Islam is the greatest unifying force in the world. It is a religion to all humans regardless of color, race and language. It is a religion that tolerates other religions and orders its followers to respect and protect all humans. According to a Hadith of the Holy Prophet every human being belongs to Adam and Adam was from soil. Islam has been st rictly prohibiting racial discrimination. Peace, equality and paternity  [3]  are thought through unity. When there are no unity, it will bring about disruption, devastation and disputes. God is the God of all human beings. All humans unity is the ultimate aim of the teachings of Islam. The doctrinal and ideological differences must not end up through war or bloodshed. Religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of heart, one must submit to God and live according to His Divinely revealed Law. The most important truth that God revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God. However, anyone who submits completely to God and worship Him alone is a Muslim. The word Muslim refers to one who submits to the will of God, regardless of race, nationality or ethnic background. Being a Muslim entails willful submission and active obedience to God, and living in accordance with His message. Things which can be implemented to bring the unity which are commanded to have amongst the Muslims is that they are required to put Islam as their top priority in life instead of the amusement in this world knowing that Islam is the way to Paradise. And whosoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers. (Al-Imran:85) Besides that, all Muslims are also required to return the Quran to Its proper place. The Quran provides as a guideline for living and needs to Muslims and it is to be the Muslims central focus, and is needed to implement it as a whole. Ways to achieve Brotherhood in Islam The way to achieve Brotherhood in Islam is through: Quran The Quran is : The speech of Allah sent down upon the last Prophet Muhammad, through the Angel Gabriel, in its precise meaning and precise wording transmitted to us by numerous persons ( tawatur), both verbally and in writing. Inimitable and unique, protected by God from corruption. ( Denffer, 1991, 17). The Quran is the foundation of Islam and the primary source of guidance for Muslims in all aspects of life, whther spiritual, legal, moral, political, economic or social. An important theme of the Quran is legal guidance and related matters about how the Muslim community should conduct itself. This includes how to worship God through prayer; fasting and pilgrimage  [4]  ; marriage and divorce; the restriction of polygyny; the regulation of slavery; spending money to help the poor and needy; relations between the sexes; children and custody; prohibition of gambling and alcohol; punishment for crimes such as theft, murder, adultery and slander; war and peace; commercial transaction s; and inheritance. It also covers moral injunctions such as truthfulness, moderation in behaviour, justice, fairness, forgiveness, honesty, kindness to ones parents, keeping generosity and the keeping of promises. Muslim scholars have developed agreat number of Quranic exegetical (critical explanation) works over the past fourteen years. Some of these rely heavily on the Quran and the explanations of the Prophet. The Quran is for Muslims, the revealed word of God. Hence, the exegesis  [5]  of the Quran (tafsir) has emerged as one of the most revered  [6]  disciplines in Islam. The life of the early Muslims revolved around the Quran, one of their earliest concerns was to understand the message of the sacred text. Therefore Quran is important for Muslims in order to achieve Brotherhood. Six pillars of faith: essential beliefs of a Muslim Belief in God (Allah) Belief in the angels Belief in the revealed books Belief in the messengers (prophets)

College Admissions Essay - Defining Myself :: College Admissions Essays

The joy of writing admissions essays! I think it's good that I do this, that I solidify my thoughts into writing. Yet in pouring my feelings into words, I worry that they will become the structure I give them; that my liquid essence will take the shape of whatever phrases I choose; that my thoughts will be defined by the words I use and confined to the rigid boundaries of a language unable to accommodate the fluidity of my mind; that they will be limited to one distinct avenue when a linear direction does not suffice to express these multi-variable musings. It is easier to float in the sea of my unarticulated thoughts than to build a language boat and sail on a definite course, but in allowing myself to drift at the whim of my mind's currents, I get nowhere. In articulating myself, I create a solid manifestation to which I can look and say, "That's what I believe." I may not define my feelings poorly when I leave them unspoken, but in refusing to solidify what I believe I have nothing: nothing to share, nothing to grow on, nothing by which to determine who I am. And so I take the risk of losing the tantalizing and comforting mystery of the infinite by committing myself to write. It is better this way. I carry this - this perplexing barrier between what I think and what I say, between who I am and who I define myself to be, between what I think I carry and what I actually do.

Religion: Who needs it? :: social issues

Religion: Who needs it? Why is it that humans are constantly looking elsewhere for what they are able to provide themselves? People with washers and dryers send their clothes to be cleaned. Owners of houses stocked full of food can be found at McDonald's. Billions of people can be found each week inside churches. Wait...the cleaners,McDonald's and churches? Yep. People are constantly trying to make their lives easier. Darwin theorized that this was part of "Survival of the Fittest." That the easier we make our lives, the more like we are to survive. Religion is one more way, along with self-starting coffee pots, that we have developed to make our lives easier and ultimately more bearable. Assuming that there is some "master plan" that we can't see makes. Religion is simply a self-made, self-serving idea. Humans are the only animals on the planet capable of keeping track of time. Because of this, we pompously assume that only the most valuable of projects are worth our time. We sometimes say, "That was a total waste of my time." What if our entire lives were a waste? What if there was nothing after this life to greet us? The idea that lives are giant wastes would obviously make same people rather annoyed. With religion in our life we are content in the belief that we are constantly working toward something. There is a reason for all the pain, heartache and suffering. Another way that religion is self-serving is through the way that it shuns responsibility. By way of religion we are able to place our "eternal happiness" on someone elses shoulders. Although it is our responsibility to live the kind of life that we think God would want us to live, it is ultimately his decision wether we succeed or fail. Because of this I really appreciate the Buddhist way of thinking. Buddhist teach that you are to look inside yourself to find the inspiration and good to reach the ultimate goal, known as enlightenment. Through this it is no one's responsibility but your own if you aren't happy or successful. It isn't that God has or hasn't blessed you, it's that the answer lies within yourself and you just haven't found it yet. The last way that religion is self serving and foolish is in another way that we make oursleves happier and more content. Through self-induced propaganda we believe that regardless of our situation in life, someone is watching us, and taking care of us.

Characterization of Mr. Jack Stapleton in Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles

Authors use the four methods of Characterization to develop and describe characters in their story by using the narration and the thoughts of other participants to show how the character looks, behaves, and sounds. In The Hound of the Baskervilles, author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle utilizes Characterization to bring to life the antagonist of the story, Mr. Jack Stapleton. Normally, an author uses physical appearance to intimate the personality of the character. In Doyle's book, the narrator describes Mr. Jack Stapleton’s physical appearance: â€Å"He was a small, slim, clean-shaven, prim-faced man, flaxen-haired, and lean-jawed, between thirty and forty years of age, dressed in a gray suit, and wearing a straw hat. A tin box for botanical specimens hung over his shoulder and he carried a green butterfly-net in one of his hands. † (Doyle 89) While reading this it is impossible to detect the evil in Mr. Stapleton. Doyle uses the calm facade of Mr. Stapleton to trick the read er into thinking that there is nothing odd or malevolent about him yet he is a scheming manipulative villain.One cannot judge simply by outward appearance, for his looks deceive the reader which is why other methods are used to determine a character. A character's speech, thoughts and actions can reveal more about who they are and their personality. For example in Doyle’s book, Mr. Stapleton’s actions and words show his personality more explicitly, ‘† But, dear me what’s this? Somebody hurt? Not—don’t tell me that it is our friend Sir Henry! ’ He hurried past me and stooped over the dead man.I heard intake of his breath and the cigar fell from his fingers. ‘Who—who is this? ’ he stammered ‘It is Seldon, the man who escaped from Princetown. ’ Stapleton turned a ghastly face upon us, but by a supreme effort he had overcome his amazement and his disappointment. † (187) This makes Stapleton†™s character more understandable by giving an inking of his greatest desire, the want for Sir Henry Baskerville dead. It is possible to note this because Doyle shows that Stapleton is obviously disappointed to find out that the dead man is not Sir Henry.Actions demonstrate a lot about the characters identity. But more tools are needed to ascertain full knowledge of a persona. The third method of Characterization is using the thoughts or comments of other figures in the book to tell more about the character. In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Mrs. Stapleton describes him, ‘â€Å"†¦ Oh this villain! See how he has treated me! ‘ She shot out her arms out from her sleeves, and we saw with horror that they were all mottled with bruises. â€Å" (216-217) The statement of Mrs. Stapleton describing Mr. Stapleton as being a villain for hurting her is an obvious sign of malevolence and clearly shows his disposition This is not the last method of Characterization for all fo ur are needed to completely identify a character.The last method of Characterization is given by the narrator through a firsthand comment on the person To finalize the identification of Mr. Stapleton Sir Arthur Conan Doyle provides this statement from the narrator's point of view, â€Å"But there was no sign within it of that desperate and defiant villain whom we expected to see† (215) this final example dictates that Mr. Stapleton was indeed a desperate and defiant villain and verifies the way that Mr. Stapleton perceived as a foul and wicked man. Many methods are used by authors to give life to their extraordinary characters. Showing great skill in the area of Characterization, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brings forth intriguing and thought provoking personas that make his tale, The Hound of the Baskervilles so unique to readers everywhere.

All high school graduates should be given a chance to get a free college education

The skyrocketing costs of modern higher education are a serious threat to national economy and well-being. Students who are presented with formidable barriers on their way to college, such as the need to take time to complete their degree, staying out of the workforce for the time period, and serious entrance tests, have to cope with a problem that is insurmountable for many: the cost of higher education.Although in the US student loans are available, this is a serious consideration that may prevent many from getting an education. It seems feasible that students are provided with a no-cost public college education in the way it is done in many European countries. This policy would have many benefits for the labor market and educational system.1. Finding Ways to Finance Public educationWhat is the way to finance public education? The money is typically raised through the taxation system involving federal and local taxes. This setup involves a more equal distribution of the financial b urden implied in the higher education system.After all, the advantages of higher education are later consumed by the whole society as educated specialists are working in many spheres of society for the benefit of all. Students who are investing time, effort and money in their education are not only toiling for themselves – they are leveraging their talents to create a better world for all.However, when the system is financed out of funds provided by students and their parents, the distribution of burden is unequal since it lies exclusively on the shoulders of those who are studying and ignores the positive social effects of education. Education is a communal affair and it should be treated as such by all relevant parties, who should attempt to turn it into a powerful vehicle for social development. Providing a public education out of public funds will ensure a more equitable distribution of the financial responsibility for supporting college education.2. Giving Talented Stude nts a ChanceRising tuition costs place heavy demands on family and personal budgets, making financial background of a student an important factor in determining the decision to go to college. As of now, the constant rise over the past decade gives no indication of stopping. Quite soon, education may be affordable (excluding students loans) only to a select few. In fact, policy-makers have already expressed concern about the steep rise in costs.The National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education established in 1997 stated that â€Å"the federal and state governments may elect to impose price controls on higher education† given uncontrollable rise in tuition fees (Martin 2002:88).In determining the factors for financing and tuition, society should ask itself what it really wants in terms of enrolment in colleges: a more affluent or a more talented class. If the answer is the latter, enrolment clearly has to be determined by intellectual ability and leadership potential, not by the ability to cover the costs. If we take affluence and talent to be unrelated, there is no reason to desire the enrolment of students from wealthier families.Quite the other way round, wealthy parents may have ways to promote their children other than through education, and if they have connections, it is possible to make it even to a top position with an online degree or even without any.Thus, free college education is a way to harness the potential of all talented students regardless of their parents’ financial possibilities. In contemporary American society, individuals from needy backgrounds may rely on education as their only way to success. If society denies them this way, they will never gain a chance in those jobs that could reveal their full leadership potential.3. Are Fees Inevitable?Despite students’ protests against costs of higher education, education experts continue to insist that fees are inescapable. As reasons for increases in college tuition, t hey cite the need to maintain an adequate economic basis including development of new technology in universities and colleges. Some college officials insist that students should be happy with fees because they are â€Å"fire-sale bargain considering what it actually costs the school to educate an undergrad each year† (Sausner 2001:20).Evaluating those arguments, one should keep in mind what should be the ultimate purpose of education. If this is taken to be the benefit of the overall society, if should be structured in such a way as to ensure this maximum benefit for all. For example, imposing taxes in order to finance education will gather more money from the rich and less from the poor. Putting these funds into tuition-free education, the government will give all equal access so that cost is not an issue.As a result, the education provides the nation with more efficient professionals who will be able to contribute to economic growth. Tax payments can be maintained at levels that correspond to the needs for technological and other development of colleges. Surely, this means higher taxes, but this will be offset by absence of tuition for citizens.

Critically examine what is meant by natural moral law Essay

The doctrine of natural law has its deepest foundations from Greek philosopher Aristotle but upholds the strongest dictation in the writings of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). The underlying ethical basis of Roman Catholicism also stems from his writings based around the premise that God created all things ‘good’. This includes man, the highest aspect of his creation of whom he made in his own image; â€Å"Then God said: â€Å"let us make man in our own image, in our likeness, let them (man and women) rule over the fish in the sea the birds in the air, over livestock, over all earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground†. One of the major aspects of natural law is the concept that everything and everyone is made with a predetermined purpose. And the starting point of all advocates of natural law is to work out this purpose akin to human life. Following ones rationale, Aquinas claims, leads us to a realisation of our ‘purpose’- reason is used to find out Gods intention and the purpose of human existence and this will enable one to arrive at the principles of natural law. Focusing firstly on the word ‘natural’, it is synonymous with reason. Contrary to what one may assume ‘natural’ does not mean our natural predispositions or inclinations but rather mans ability to reason. In fact natural law is founded upon mans ability to reason. Aquinas considered that natural law was the moral code which humans are naturally inclined towards. In his work Aquinas established three ideals that should govern our moral principles it is comprised of precepts of the eternal law that govern the behaviour of beings possessing reason and free will. The first precept of the natural law, according to Aquinas, is the somewhat vacuous imperative to be good and avoid evil. Here it is worth noting that Aquinas holds a natural law theory of morality: what is good and evil, according to Aquinas, is derived from the rational nature of human beings. Good and evil are thus both objective and universal He argued that mans first priority laid down by natural law was self preservation and that on the basis of this first axiom man puts forward the ideal that life is to be preserved. Thus man has an empathic desire to respect and preserve life beyond his own. If man gives in to non-rational desires or ‘apparent goods’ as Aquinas so calls them then one becomes imprisoned. According to Aquinas if we follow our rationale it would lead to a perfect moral state†¦ which lives up, not only to one of the bibles most salient features, but a principle which Christ himself promulgates in his teachings, â€Å"Love your neighbour as yourself†. It upholds what one can identify as natural virtues- prudence, temperance, and justice. Procreation is the second ideal of which Aquinas quotes so strongly as a moral code. This way of thinking corresponds well with the teachings of St Paul. It is not merely sex to make children but the whole ethical side that goes with it. For instance it is not promiscuity that they denote but monogamy. They believe that it is the only successful way of procreation of the species. Otherwise there would be a generations of dysfunctional relationships. It leads to an ordered society. St Paul exhorts the Corinthians, â€Å"†¦Each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfil his marital duty to his wife and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way the husband’s body does not only belong to him but to his wife.† (Corinthians ch6 v 2-4) Lastly the significance of faith in God has considerable significance in his writings. Unlike some philosophers that share similar ideas to Aquinas, he did not consider that human nature was totally corrupted. He suggested that the ultimate function of reason leads us to postulate the existence of a creator i.e. God. To find completeness one must listen to ones reason where one will find a spiritual union with God. This will naturally project all things moral. Having identified the three main functions that Aquinas establishes within natural law it would be of importance to go on to identify other key aspects. Firstly I would be inclined to recognize what Aquinas referred to as ‘apparent goods’. Apparent good is a term given to an action, which on the face of it appears to be a ‘good’ action but actually isn’t. Reason enlightens man of the peculiarity between good and evil. Man is subject to temptation because of our ancestral history; Adam and Eve. From this we as a human race can be seduced by ungodly desires (apparent goods). An apparent good can pervert reason. For instance, one may feel good taking drugs and drinking heavily but really it is self destructive and perverted from reason, which tells us that it is not good to take drugs or drink heavily. Reason links in well here; good intentions stem from good will and good will is the product of mans reason. If we listen to our reason it exemplifies that good outcomes cannot be the gilding light to morality†¦if we concentrate on good outcomes it may lead to the perusing of apparent goods. An example could be a bomb that’s about to explode. Does one torture the terrorist captured to save the lives of a whole community or stand by the premise of the rule not to torture? Torturing the terrorist is an example of an apparent good or a secondary ideal (a primary ideal being the three ideals established at the beginning of essay). It promises an immediate benefit, but the act itself is degrading an immoral. Natural law would dictate that torture is irrational and goes against the first ideal to preserve the lives of others. One can start to picture the difficulties with natural law- does one let a whole community die for the exception of the torture of one man? Mans purpose is not follow apparent goods! The ironic concept is, is that natural law claims if one follows one reason and purpose at all times then it will achieve a morally just world! This is because if purpose isn’t reversed then there is no chance of apparent goods. Examples could include abortion, euthanasia or even homosexuality (!) Which all go against one of the three ideals. Previously mentioned was that of the word ‘purpose’. Purpose to Aquinas was the assumption that everyone has a divinely devised purpose in life. According to Aquinas reason can illustrate this but only faith assures man of his choices. God did not make man like robots to merely choose the ‘right’ thing but if he listens to his reason, there will be an unavoidable tendency towards goodness. â€Å"All beings tend towards the actualisation of the potentialities of their natures† Simply, if we follow what reason dictates we will, ‘strive to fulfil are particular gifts’. St Paul in his letters to the Romans stated also that we have particular gifts and that we should follow them. He uses the idea of prophesising; if ones gift if prophesising then let him use it in proportion to ones faith. If ones gift is to teach then teach†¦.and so one. The problem is of course what happens when one thinks their eschatology is that of an ‘ apparent good’? They might consider that their personal goals are that of power or like the suicide bombers think that their eschatology is to end their live ion aid of attacking the enemy. Obviously here we have a perversion of ones eschatology. Natural law claims that reason illustrates to us their limitations. ‘Apparent goods’ are destructive to one and others and disgrace or degrade man. So the question arises that why do so many of us follow an ‘apparent good’? Aquinas would argue that it is in opens weak nature that it is far easier to follow what one desires and gets pleasure out of, and once tempted, one is stuck in the intoxication. 2) analyse and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of natural law as a definitive ethical theory. The premise of natural law states that morality is based on reason alone, but surely if we look around us it is actually based on our emotions? David Hume (1713-1776) was a philosopher that disagreed with the notion that morality is based on reason alone. As we have seen, Aquinas believed that natural law was synonymous with mans reason; Hume powerfully argued that if this is so then why do people have such a diverse perception of what is right and wrong, good and bad? Surely if morality is reason based then we would all have the same ideas of what is good and bad? If, as Aquinas believed, morality is based on reason then why is it that in a moral predicament we actually act on our emotions? For instance if one is in a crash and one has an option to save ones child or a doctor that is about to crack a cure for cancer, which is one likely to choose? I would say that 99% of mothers and fathers would go against what reason dictates and save the life of their child. I would also question the fact that if morality derives from reason then it should comprise of a set of ‘a prori’ rules that should be completely universalised. Why is it then that we invent these ‘rule’ and find excuses to break them or even feel it is moral to break them? For instance, if we have a rule or a secondary ideal as Aquinas would put it, that is ‘do not steal’ should it be applied even when it seems hell of a lot more moral to break it. If there is an axe murderer who is going to use his weapon to kill someone, to break the rule ‘does not steal’ to get his weapon seems totally incoherent. According to natural law however, the rule ‘do not steal’ should be universalised and therefore never broken. Aquinas did come up with an idea of proportionalism. Proportanalism states that when there is a proportionate reason to break a rule i.e. to get the weapon off an axe murderer then it is ok to do so. I feel as though this is a complete cop out. In effect he is coming up with a set of rules that have to be universalised and they are based on reason, and then comes up with a set of excuses or exceptions when it doesn’t work! Natural law assumes that we have a ‘uniform’ human nature, â€Å"god made man in his own image’ Genesis 1:27. Basically, this conjures up the supposition that if we humans were all created in the same way then realistically we should all therefore be able to identify what our purposes are. Our sexual organs are formed for procreation, thus, homosexuality becomes unnatural. The question is who is Aquinas to delegate what is purposeful? One could go as far to say does man as a whole have a purpose? Philosophers such as Neitche or Sartre that would greatly disagree with Aquinas and human nature. Their ideas are governed by existentialism, which entails that there is no fixed human nature that man has no purpose, life has no broader meaning. The only reality is the chooses that we make; indeed, these choices are spontaneous and individual. They do not delve into the concept any of these choices are rules that should be universalised. If one looks at society today it really has been influenced by such proposal, and we are unsympathetic to the idea that we have a fixed human nature and fixed purposes. Because there is this idea of no human nature there can consequently be nothing unnatural, so inevitably homosexuality and such like is not a problem. Aquinas is compelled with the idea that we are made from a purposeful creating benevolent creator. He presupposes that faith in such being will lead to utter moral peace and satisfaction, and will lead to a perfect moral society. The problem is, is that in contemporary society the popular assumption is that there is no god or it is questioning such conceptions. We are broadly agnostic. Many people’s lives run without orientation to god or religion, thus emasculating the natural law theory. Essentially what is being said is do we necessitate god to feel moral or spiritually whole. Can we be moral without religion? According to many, indeed we can. Aquinas postulated that we can exist morally without god but would lack the assertion of his moral choices prone to doubt and temptation. Whether morality requires god is inconclusive from a reason based argument. There is a predicament also with Aquinas’s idea of purpose. For instance he postulates that that the main function of genital organs are for procreation and therefore denounces homosexuality, masturbation or even the enjoyment of sex! However, in observation bodily organs generally have many a function. Mouths are not just for eating but also for kissing, talking†¦they are limitless. So why does he adopt a denunciation to the sex between homosexuals? It seems contradictory and inconsistent. Thus, I would say that he is imposing his desires and claiming that these are the basis of morality or these are what reason dictates to us. His views on purpose are limited and could be completely different to what he considers- all in all why does he hypothesize what our purposes is. When looking at the strengths of the natural law approach one finds that they seem to be born from the limitations of the weaknesses. Firstly there might actually be human nature despite existentialist beliefs to the contrary. For instance, we are all filled with horror at murder or child abuse. Of course there are always exceptions to the general rule such as suicide bombers who kill themselves and others but what one stating is that human nature is an open question. Some humanist’s may believe in human nature like Dawkins or Russell who say we all want to belong to a ‘herd’. It suggests that we have something in common we interact with others. Aquinas said that spiritual completeness is only synonymous in union with god. Although a large percentage of the population are secular, I would say that it is true that most of us still don’t like to think of the end as being nothingness. There is a desire to believe in something beyond bodily death. The existence of so many religions seem to prove this point. It could be looked upon like this; are we, as Sartre says condemned to be free, or does existence really have an underlying purpose and meaning? Like I mentioned earlier, we now live in a secular age. However we cant seem to get away from ‘god’ or ‘gods’. We basically invent gods like science and medicine. Surely this seems to indicate that our existence requires some foundation beyond our own means? In regards to ‘apparent goods’ Aquinas claims that they are self destructive despite the ‘miracle’ cures of modern society. The questions arises that will society ever create an earthly paradise where all pleasures are catered for. Will we ever make the ‘paradise’ that temps us away from reasoning or will we find that it’s not enough. It would be that if paradise can never be created then it reinforces the idea of ‘apparent goods’ In conclusion I would be inclined not to follow natural law. Although it raises many valuable and appraisable points (after all it does strive for what’s moral) I feel as though it is far too orthodox and strict for my liking. It seems to have too much of Aquinas’s desires and seems irrelevant for today’s society. As a definitive ethical theory I suggest that it doesn’t uphold what I would determine or expect a definitive ethical theory to be. I feel it has too many gaps that have un suggestive answers, the fact that it hasn’t made me feel as though I can relate to it as a moral theory says it all.

Book Review on Imagining India Essay

Monday morning, it is chaos. Despite its pristine new metro and expanding highways, the city can barely contain the morning hubbub, the swarm of people all trying to get somewhere. By the time I reach Kaushik Basu’s home—set a little apart from the highway, on a quiet street that is empty except for a single, lazy cow who stops in front of the car, in no hurry to move—I am very late, a little grimy, but exhilarated. Kaushik and I chat about how the crowds in the city look completely different compared to, say, two decades ago. Then, you would see people lounging near tea shops, reading the morning paper late into the afternoon, puffing languorously at their beedis and generally shooting the breeze. But as India has changed— bursting forth as one of the world’s fastest-growing countries—so has the scene on the street. And as Kaushik points out, it is this new restlessness, the hum and thrum of its people, that is the sound of India’s economic engine today. Kaushik is the author of a number of books on India and teaches economics at Cornell, and his take on India’s growth—of a country driven by human capital—is now well accepted. India’s position as the world’s go-to destination for talent is hardly surprising; we may have been short on various things at various times, but we have always had plenty of people. The crowded tumult of our cities is something I experience every day as I navigate my way to our Bangalore office through a dense crowd that overflows from the footpaths and on to the road—of software engineers waiting at bus stops, groups of women in colourful saris, on their way to their jobs 38 at the garment factories that line the road, men in construction hats heading towards the semi-completed highway. And then there are the people millin g around the cars, hawking magazines and pirated versions of the latest best-sellers. * Looking around, I think that if people are the engine of India’s growth, our economy has only just begun to rev up. But to the demographic experts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, India’s population made the country quite simply a disaster of epic proportions. Paul Ehlrich’s visit to Delhi in 1966 forms the opening of his book The Population Bomb, and his shock as he describes India’s crowds is palpable: ‘People eating, people washing, people sleeping . . . people visiting, arguing and screaming . . . people clinging to buses . . . people, people, people’. But in the last two decades, this depressing vision of India’s population as an ‘overwhelming burden’ has been turned on its head. With growth, our human capital has emerged as a vibrant source of workers and consumers not just for India, but also for the global economy. But this change in our attitudes has not come easily. Since independence, India struggled for decades with policies that tried to put the lid on its surging population. It is only recently that the country has been able to look its billion in the eye and consider its advantages. ‘MILLIONS ON AN ANTHILL’ For most of the twentieth century, people both within and outside India viewed us through a lens that was distinctly Malthusian. As a poor and extremely crowded part of the world, we seemed to vindicate Thomas Malthus’s uniquely despondent vision—that great population growth inevitably led to great famine and despair. The time that Thomas Malthus, writer, amateur economist and clergyman (the enduring term history gave him would be ‘the gloomy parson’), lived in may have greatly influenced his theory on population. Nineteenth-century England was seeing very high birth rates, with families having children by the baker’s dozen. Malthus— who, as the second of eight children, was himself part of the population explosion he bemoaned—predicted in his An Essay on *Tbe Alchemist, Liar’s Poker and (Tom Friedman would be delighted) The World Is Flat have been perennial favourites for Indian pirates. the Principle of Population that the unprecedented increases in population would lead to a cycle of famines, of ‘epidemics, and sickly seasons’. India in particular seemed to be speedily bearing down the path that Malthus predicted. On our shores, famine was a regular visitor. We endured thirty hunger famines* between 1770 and 1950— plagues during which entire provinces saw a third of their population disappear, and the countryside was covered ‘with the bleached bones of the millions dead’.1 By the mid twentieth century, neo-Malthusian prophets were sounding the alarm on the ‘disastrous’ population growth in India and China, and predicted that the impact of such growth would be felt around the world. Their apocalyptic scenarios helped justify draconian approaches to birth control. Policies recommending ‘sterilization of the unfit and the disabled’, and the killing of ‘defective’ babies gained the air of respectab le theory. 2 India’s increasing dependence on food aid from the developed world due to domestic shortages also fuelled the panic around its population growth—in 1960 India had consumed one-eighth of the United States’ total wheat production, and by 1966 this had grown to onefourth. Consequently, if you were an adult in the 1950s and 1960s and followed the news, it was entirely plausible to believe that the endgame for humanity was just round the corner; you may also have believed that this catastrophe was the making of some overly fecund Indians. Nehru, observing the hand-wringing, remarked that the Western world was ‘getting frightened at the prospect of the masses of Asia becoming vaster and vaster, and swarming all over the place’. And it is true that Indians of this generation had a cultural affinity for big families, even among the middle class—every long holiday during my childhood was spent at my grandparents’ house with my cousins, and a family photo from that time has a hundred people crammed into the frame. Indian families were big enough to be your *Amartya Sen and others have pointed out, however, that while these famines may have seemed to be the consequence of a country that was both poor and overpopulated, they were in fact triggered partly by trade policies and the lack of infrastructure. Lord Lytton exported wheat from India at the height of the 1876-78 famine, and the lack of connectivity across the country affected transportation of grain to affected areas. Main social circle—most people did not mingle extensively outside family weddings, celebrations and visits to each other’s homes. The growing global worries around our population growth created immense pressure on India to impose some sort of control on our birth rates, and we became the first developing country to initiate a family planning programme. But our early family planning policies had an unusual emphasis on ‘self-control’.3 In part this was influenced by leaders such as Gandhi, who preached abstinence; in an interesting departure from his usual policy of non-violence, he had said, ‘Wives should fight off their husbands with force, if necessary.’ This focus on abstinence and self-restraint continued with independent India’s first health minister, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, who was in the odd position of being at the helm of a family planning programme while opposing family planning ‘in principle’.4 As a result Indian policy during this decade emphasized the rhythm method. Rural India was targeted for raising awareness of the method, and one villager remarked of its success, ‘They talked of the rhythm method to people who didn’t know the calendar. Then they gave us rosaries of coloured beads . . . at night, people couldn’t tell the red bead for â€Å"don’t† from the green for â€Å"go ahead†.’ 5 Not surprisingly, India’s population continued to grow through the 1950s and 1960s, as fertility remained stubbornly high even while infant mortality and death rates fell rapidly. This was despite the massive awareness-building efforts around family planning that the government undertook. I still remember the ‘small family’ songs on the radio and the walls of our cities, the sides of buses and trucks were papered with posters that featured happy (and small) cartoon families, and slogans like ‘Us Two, Ours Two’. And yet, each census release made it clear that our population numbers continued to relentlessly soar, and we despaired over a graph that was climbing too high, too fast. SNIP, SNIP As the global panic around population growth surged, the Indian and Chinese governments began executing white-knuckle measures of family planning in the 1960s. ‘Our house is on fire,’ Dr S. Chandrasekhar, minister of health and family planning, said in 1968. If we focused more on sterilization, he added, ‘We can get the blaze under control.’ By the 1970s, programmes and targets for sterilization of citizens were set up for Indian states. There was even a vasectomy clinic set up at the Victoria Terminus rail station in Bombay, to cater to the passenger traffic flowing through. 7 But no matter how Indian governments tried to promote sterilization with incentives and sops, the number of people willing to undergo the procedure did not go up. India’s poor wanted children—and especially sons—as economic security. State efforts to persuade citizens into sterilization backfired in unexpected ways—as when many people across rural India refused to have the anti-tuberculosis BCG, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, injections because of a rumour that BCG stood for ‘birth control government’.8 In 1975, however, Indira Gandhi announced the Emergency, which suspended democratic rights and elections and endowed her with new powers of persuasion, so to speak. The Indian government morphed into a frighteningly sycophantic group, there to do the bidding of the prime minister and her son Sanjay—the same hotheaded young man who had described the Cabinet ministers as ‘ignorant buffoons’, thought his mother a ‘ditherer’ and regarded the Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos his role model.9 In the winter of 1976, I, along with some of my fellow IIT Bombay students, had arrived on the ‘festival circuit’ in Delhi to participate in the student debates and quizzes (yes, I was an inveterate nerd). It meant going from college to college for competitions, from Hindu to St Stephen’s to Miranda House to IIT Delhi. Most of us from the sylvan, secluded campus of IIT Bombay were not as politically aware as the Delhi students—the only elections we followed were those for the ITT hostels and student body. But in the Delhi of the Emergency years, sitting around campfires, one heard the whispered tale s of Emergency-era atrocities, and of one particular outrage—’nasbandi’. Sanjay, who had discovered a taste and talent for authoritarianism with the Emergency, had made sterilization—specifically male sterilization or nasbandi— his pet project. The sterilization measures that were introduced came to be known as the ‘Sanjay Effect’—a combination, as the demographer Ashish Bose put it to me, of ‘coercion, cruelty, corruption and cooked figures’. Ashish notes that ‘incentives’ to undergo the sterilization procedure included laws that required a sterilization certificate before government permits and rural credit could be granted. Children of parents with more than three children found that schools refused them admission, and prisoners did not get parole until they went under the knife. And some government departments ‘persuaded’ their more reluctant employees to undergo the procedure by threatening them with charges of embezzlement.* The steep sterilization targets for state governments meant that people were often rounded up like sheep and taken to ‘family planning’ clinics. For instance, one journalist witnessed municipal police in the small town of Barsi, Maharashtra, ‘dragging several hundred peasants visiting Barsi on market day off the streets’. They drove these men in two garbage trucks to the local family planning clinic, where beefy orderlies held them down while they were given vasectomies.10 This scene repeated itself time and again, across the country. It was difficult to trust the sterlization figures the government released since there was so much pressure on the states for results. Nevertheless, the Emergency-era sterilization programme, Ashish notes, may have achieved nearly two-thirds of its target—eight million sterilizations. But democracy soon hit back with a stunning blow. When Indira Gandhi called for elections in 1977—ignoring Sanjay’s protests, ‘much to his ire’11—the Congress was immediately tossed out of power. The nasbandi programme was the last gasp of coercive family planning in India on a large scale, and it became political suicide to implement similar policies. The Janata Party government that followed Indira even changed the label of the programme to avoid the stigma it carried, and ‘family planning’ became ‘family welfare’. While sterilization programmes have occasionally reappeared across states, they have been mostly voluntary, with the focus on incentives to undergo the procedure, f *Asoka Bandarage describes the target fever in India’s sterilization programmes, which gave rise to ‘speed doctors’ who competed against each other to perform the most number of operations every day, often under ghastly, unhygienic conditions. One celebrated figure was the Indian gynaecologist P.V. Mehta, who entered the Guinness Book of World Records for sterilizing more than 350,000 people in a decade—he claimed that he could perform forty sterilizations in an hour. tThese sweeteners for the procedure have at times been very strange and a little suspect, such as Uttar Pradesh’s ‘guns for sterilisation’ policy in 2004, under which scheme Indians purchasing firearms or seeking gun licences were told they would be fast-tracked if they could round up volunteers for sterilization. A district in Madhya Pradesh also made a similar ‘guns for vasectomies’ offer to its residents in 2008.

Accounting for Managers

Managers frequently use CVP Analysis and Budgeting to screen business plans by evaluating a firm’s cost structure and sales volume needed to generate profit. Mountain Views Hotel is planning to open a â€Å"Boutique Hotel† accommodation in the Blue Mountains area that runs a Food and Beverage operation serving breakfast as part of the guest experience. Your team is expected to develop a successful business plan including making recommendations for improvement in future years. The Report will be written as if it were being presented to potential investors in the business. Use the Balanced Score Card approach to present key assumptions and justify them by research and analysis undertaken.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Discuss critically key results that would impact on your future decision-making including a fully supported explanation of how you could improve this business by making any changes.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Make recommendations to the proposed investors including ideas for the next steps to progress the business concept. Prepare your analysis as an authentic business report.   The Australian tourism and hotel industry have significant contribution on GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of Australian. As per Price Water cooper house Report of 2009 it is estimated there are 6807 hotels employing almost 188000 people in Australia. The market outlook indicates that the hotel industry has matured because the numbers of hotels have declined over the years and also the income growth of the industry has been minimal.   But the situations are seen improving as the 2015 data suggests that both domestic and international visitors have increased. There has been 8.2% growth in international visitors and 7% growth in domestic visitors (Hall, 1991). In this report a business plan is developed for Mountain View Hotel analyzing the business opportunity of Boutique Hotel in Blue Mountains (Hardiman & Burgin, 2011).   For this purpose the hotel industry of Australia, tourism opportunity in Blue Mountains and the projected financial data of the proposed Boutique hotel are analyzed to develop an effective business plan and also to evaluate the investment decision. The objectives of the â€Å"Mount Boutique Hotel† for first few years are: The mission of Mount Boutique Hotel is to become the preferred choice of customers in Blue Mountain area. Mountain View is a well known hotel chain that is currently running a restaurant in Blue Mountain. It is planning to open a boutique hotel in Blue Mountain. The international and domestic visitors are expected to surge giving a positive outlook for the overall hotel industry. As per the economic forecasts data it is expected that international visitors will grow by 5.3% per annum for next three years. This growth in tourism numbers will have a positive impact on the Australian Hotel Industry. The demands for hotels are expected to grow by 3% per annum in next three years. There is an increasing demand supply disparity in hotel industry as a result it is expected that room rate will grow by 2.9% by 2018 (Anderson, 2006). It can be concluded that Hotel Industry of Australia is looking good and it is the opportune moment to make investment in this sector.   The Blue Mountains is just two hours away from Sydney and it is a perfect holiday destination for anyone looking for a break from hectic life style. The blue Mountain offers spectacular scenic beauties like Three Sisters at Echo point, dinning, shopping, spa, bush walking and other natural attraction (Hudson & Lang, 2002).   It is an ever growing tourist destination with tremendous growth potential. From an hotelier point of view the current market scenario offers an excellent investment opportunity in Blue Mountain. There is a growing optimism in hotel industry because of positive macro economic developments. Being in tune with the overall market sentiment Mount View hotel has decided to start a Boutique Hotel in Blue Mountain. Boutique hotels are much smaller in size but they are stylish and unique further it tries to provide separate experience than that of corporate run hotels (Presbury et. al., 2005). The advantages of a boutique hotel are: The above analysis shows that Mount View hotels decision to open a boutique hotel in Mount View is justified. The aim is to become the best in class boutique hotel in Blue Mountains (Bruner, 1998). It is estimated to have total eighty rooms out of which 30 rooms will be high end deluxe rooms and there will be 50 standard rooms.   The deluxe rooms will include king sized bed, a desk, a mirror and a color television. Further the bathroom of the deluxe room will be of four to five meters with a sink, toilet and shower. The total estimated cost for starting the Boutique hotel is $754800.00. The details are given in the table below. To fund the project a mortgage loan of Rs. 500,000.00 is to be obtained at 8% per annum.   The remaining fund of 254,800.00 is to be provided by Mountain Views hotel. The viability of any business plan is determined by analyzing its projected financial performance.   The business plans are often screened for determining their financial viability by using cost volume profit analysis (Scapens, 1985).   The CVP (Cost Volume Profit) analysis helps in determining the effect that costs and volume has on profit. The Cost Volume Profit (CVP) analysis are often performed to determine the future activity and to provide valuable insight on: There are certain assumptions that are made while performing CVP (Cost Volume Profit) analysis (Drury, 1992), they are: The cost function is a process of dividing the total costs into fixed costs and Variable Costs (Binswanger, 1974). The total cost can only be ascertained after the estimated financial statement is prepared. The projected financial statements are prepared on the basis of certain assumptions and they are: The first step of performing the Cost Volume Profit Analysis is to estimate the cost functions. On the basis of the projected financial statement each cost is determined as either fixed or variable costs.   In the projected financial statement of Mount Boutique Hotel the estimated variable costs is $ 2234605.00 which is $96.49 per unit and the estimated fixed cost is $3153904.00.   The estimated fixed costs include Direct Labor costs of $803,040.00; overhead costs of $1696084.00; selling expenses of $259850.00 and administrative expenses of $394950.00. The estimated variable costs include direct material of $88.49 per unit and over head of $8.00 per unit.   The contribution is calculated by deducting Variable costs from sales. So the contribution margin ratio is that part of the sales that exceeds variable costs (Garrison et. al., 2003). It can be used to pay fixed costs. The contribution margin ratio measures operational efficiency, a higher ratio suggests higher efficiency. In the projected financial statement of Boutique hotel estimated sales is $6995325.00 and estimated variable costs is $2234605.00. The contribution margin comes to $4,460,720.00 that is 66.60% which is very high. It suggests that only 33.40% of total sales cover the variable costs and the remaining 66.6% is used to meet the fixed costs and earn profit. It can be reasonably concluded that any sudden increase in cost will not affect the profitability of the hotel because it has high contribution margin ratio which is a very healthy sign for any business.   The break even sale represents that level of sales where the profit is zero. At this level total sales revenue is equals to total variable costs and the contribution margin is equal to fixed costs (Blocher et. al., 2008). The break even sale is an important level because sales below this level will result in losses and sales above this level will lead to profits. In the projected financial statements of Mount Boutique hotel total fixed costs are $3153904.00 and the variable cost per unit is 192.60 so the break even sale comes to $4733857.83. The total estimated sale is $6695325.00 and the 70.70% of it is Break even sales. This means that business needs to achieve at least 70% of the estimated sales to attain no profit no loss situation otherwise it will make losses. This is a very high percentage and implies that there is a very heavy burden of fixed costs on the business.   It is suggested that business should re estimate its fixed costs structure and try to reduce the Break even sales to 50%.   The hotel should cut down fixed costs by $4399091.00 to attain the targeted break even sales.   The margin of safety is that part of the total sales that is above Breakeven Sales. It is calculated by deducting breakeven sales from total sales. The Margin of safety is a valuable indicator of profitability of an organization (Shih, 1979). It also indicates to the management how reduction of revenue will affect the break even of the organization. The higher the Margin of safety the better it is for the business. Because a low Margin of safety suggests increase in fixed costs, extra discounts or increase in prices by suppliers. So it is important to monitor margin of safety ratios. In the projected financial data of Mount Boutique hotel the total expected sales is $6695325.00 and the break even sales is $4733857.38 so the margin of safety is $1961467.62. The margin of safety ratio comes to 29.30% of total sales. It is suggested that Margin of safety ratio should be improved. It can be done by improving sales or reducing breakeven point.  Ã‚   The Operating Leverage is the analysis of relationship between fixed costs and variable costs. It is calculated by dividing contribution margin by income from operations. The operating leverages are high for companies that have large fixed costs in their total operation costs. A higher operating leverage suggests that every increase in sales will multiply profits when the breakeven point is reached (Lev, 1974). But if breakeven sales are not reached then higher operating leverage will intensify losses. So with high operating leverage a high level of risk is involved. In the estimated financial statement of Mount Boutique hotel the contribution margin is $4460720.00 and Income from operations are $1306816.00 so the operating leverage comes to 3.4 times.   This means that Contribution is 3.4 times more than income from operation so it can be derived that fixed costs are 2.4 times of income from operation which is very high. So it is suggested to take necessary measures to reduce fixe d costs.   The overall projected financial statement of Mount Boutique hotel indicates that it is a high return low risk business opportunity for any investor. The high breakeven sales and low Margin of safety is due to higher fixed costs (Alexander, 2001). The burden of higher fixed costs is due to the amortization of start up costs in initial years as it gets completely amortized then fixed costs will certainly come down thus improving the margin of safety and break even sales figure. The market analysis has shown that it is an opportune moment for any investor to enter into tourism sector. The expected growth figures are very attractive and it is also estimated there will be a shortage of supply as the increase in demand is much higher than that of supply (Jennings, 2001). If the overall macroeconomic views are considered then globally major economies are improving so it is expected that international visitors will surge in coming years. The Mount Boutique hotel will be one of its kinds in Blue Mountains. It will offer a unique experience to its visitors because of its prominent location and customized services. Further the staffs and managements are also experienced and every one of them has a valuable insight in the Hotel industry. In the light of the above analysis it can be concluded with certainty that investment in Mount Boutique will be profitable.   Alexander, C. (2001).  Market models: A guide to financial data analysis. John Wiley & Sons. Anderson, B. A. (2006). Crisis management in the Australian tourism industry: Preparedness, personnel and postscript.  Tourism Management,27(6), 1290-1297. Binswanger, H. P. (1974). A cost function approach to the measurement of elasticities of factor demand and elasticities of substitution.  American Journal of Agricultural Economics,  56(2), 377-386. Blocher, E., Chen, K. H., & Lin, T. W. (2008).  Cost management: A strategic emphasis. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Bruner, R. F., Eades, K. M., Harris, R. S., & Higgins, R. C. (1998). Best practices in estimating the cost of capital: survey and synthesis.  Financial Practice and Education,  8, 13-28. Drury, C. (1992). Cost-volume-profit analysis. In  Management and Cost Accounting  (pp. 205-235). Springer US. Garrison, R. H., Noreen, E. W., & Brewer, P. C. (2003).  Managerial accounting. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Hall, C. M. (1991).  Introduction to tourism in Australia: impacts, planning and development. Longman Cheshire. Hardiman, N., & Burgin, S. (2011). Canyoning adventure recreation in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (Australia): The canyoners and canyoning trends over the last decade.  Tourism Management,  32(6), 1324-1331. Hudson, S., & Lang, N. (2002). A destination case study of marketing tourism online: Banff, Canada.  Journal of vacation Marketing,  8(2), 155-165. Jennings, G. (2001).  Tourism research. John Wiley and sons Australia, Ltd. Lev, B. (1974). On the association between operating leverage and risk.Journal of financial and quantitative analysis,  9(04), 627-641. Presbury, R., Fitzgerald, A., & Chapman, R. (2005). Impediments to improvements in service quality in luxury hotels.  Managing Service Quality: An International Journal,  15(4), 357-373. Scapens, R. W. (1985). Cost—Volume—Profit Analysis. In  Management Accounting  (pp. 59-74). Macmillan Education UK. Shih, W. (1979). A general decision model for cost-volume-profit analysis under uncertainty.  Accounting Review, 687-706. Accounting for Managers Gola and Costa set for establishing a business of selling fruit juices. The location of the shop is inside Shopping Arcade and nearby a supermarket. Their plan is to provide fresh juices to their customers, earn a significant amount of profits and sell off the same in the future course of time.   They will follow just in time for inventory management. Gola is under the impression that they will be successful in earning profits by controlling their cost as he believes that for running a successful business, only profitability is the foremost criteria. Posta believes that their business will be successful due to their choice of location and due to the eating habits of the people. Since there has been a significant shift in the eating habits, people have become more conscious for their healthy well-being and this was one of the reasons why both the entrepreneurs had propagated such kind of idea of business. As an Aspiring MBA graduate studying accounting for managers and being there friend, I can make them understand and analyse many other aspects apart from profitability and location of business. Since I am specializing in the field of Management and Finance I can help them in some statistical analysis which they are significantly missing on their part. Before setting of the business, it is very important to discuss the kind of industry in which they are supposed to enter a detailed analysis is required to be done right from the point of financial investment to related cost both fixed and fluctuating , expected return in fair terms. It is also relevant that they search for their competitors and analyse their business as for how they are creating an impact in the business environment. The location of the business, which they have decided is quite favourable. However, to achieve the same, both of them have to make a significant investment in terms of leasing. It refers to borrowing the property against paying for its value for a significant period of time. For this, they have to enter into an agreement with the lessor of Shopping Arcade. It is equally important that they understand the terms and conditions of leasing properly and should have a lease term of 5 years so that they can cover all their cost during this period of time (BusinessDictionary.com, 2016). For the purpose of investment, they need to have availability of funds. It is required that they approach a bank who can arrange for their finance. They need to convince the bank regarding their potential profitability of business. For this, they should have the significant backup plan on paper which is able to prove with reasonable estimates and assumptions that their prospective business is a successful plan for the future. It is also important that they should be aware of the cost of capital which will be required in their leasing terms. After arranging the significant amount of loan and arranging the same for the lease the next part is to analyse various types of cost associated with their business. Cost can be divided into fixed and variable component. For example, fixed cost will be the lease amount which is to be spread for the period of 5 years cost. Blending machines, refrigerators, furniture, benches washing up sinks, falls into fixed cost.   Variable cost will be the cost of raw materials like all those fruits which will be purchased on a daily basis. Fixed costs remain the same irrespective of the level of output while variable cost changes as per the level of output. Variable cost can increase or decrease as per the level of production but fixed cost remains the same throughout the level of production (Boundless, 2016).   After analysing all the significant cost, the next component is the break-even analysis. Break even analysis refers to the function where it is required to determine what is required to sell on a monthly or annual basis in order to cover the cost of doing the business. Like, if fixed cost is $2, 00,000 and expected contribution will be $4, break even will be $50,000. This means they will earn profits after covering $50,000(Cleverism, 2016). Setting up of standards and its importance: It is also required to set a standard for sales. This will act as a benchmark for their business as how much is required to earn in order to cross the level of breakeven point and earn a significant share of profit. By setting up standard it can be later compared with the actual sales figure. Like, for first quarter sales expected is $15,000 but actual sales was $18,000. Thus, it is a favourable condition for them as actual has exceeded its standards. With the actual figure and standards, variances can be computed for the future relevance (AllBusiness.com, 2016). The reason behind the setting up of a standard is equivalent to setting up of short term goal which will be quite helpful in achieving a long-term goal for the business. For cost, monthly expected expenditure is $10,000 but actual came to $12,000. Reason for extra $2,000 will be analysed and corrective action to be adopted for the same. Budgeting helps us to identify unnecessary expenditures and in making us adaptable towards the frequent changing financial position of the business. Budgeting ensures that we will have sufficient amount of money in order to meet the requirement of the business. It will be advisable to Gola and Costa that they should understand the essence of budgeting and implement the same for the success of their business. The concept of budgeting will help Gola and Costa immensely. It is an important tool which will control the flow of money in their business. It will also ensure that their business will turn out to be very effective and efficient in the long run ( Mymoneycoach.ca, 2016). One of the main reasons behind the term of the lease is to cover all kind of fixed cost during that period. Since it is the plan of Gola and Costa to sell off their business in future, it is required that their business should run in scientific and profitable manner. For this, they need to understand the relevance of documentation in terms of recording finance, lease papers terms of bank loans etc. The prospective buyer will analyse the business in his own way. Unless and until he finds it’s economically viable, he will not take over the business. Now, economic viability can be analysed by way of proper maintenance of records, lease papers, bank loan’s terms, and conditions etc. He will analyse that whether the said business was profitable or not. Whether the bank loan taken has been paid off and all other statutory dues or complied with or not. Lease papers will also be verified. This needs to be understood by Gola and Costa since the beginning of their business. It is very important that they should keep in mind since the beginning regarding selling off their business in the future course of time. This will drive them more proactively to achieve their short term plan which is in the form of standards. By achieving the short-term standard, they will be able to achieve their ultimate aim, i.e. profitability. Unless and until the business is not profitable, it won't remain attractive for the prospective buyer to take over the same in future.   It is also important that the business gains popularity amongst the consumers. This will help in creating the brand image for Gola and Costa and will it yield in terms of goodwill while selling off the business. Both the buyer and seller will be in a profitable position if a business has developed a brand image of its own in the market. The whole process is beyond the concept of capital investment decisions. It involves the role of management accounting as in terms of setting targets and achieving the same, producing raw materials i.e. inventory management, handling the customers and creating a favourable image in front of them etc. So, apart from having the knowledge of finance, it is equally important that Gola and Costa should be aware regarding management accounting and other important aspects. With the help of the above-stated concept, it will help Gola and Costa to have the efficient and effective setup of business. To conclude, it is required that Gola and Costa should not only rely on the concept of profitability or location of business. They should be quite aware regarding the concept of break-even analysis, an estimate of sales and setting up of targets, different types of cost involved and their implications, importance of budgeting in their business, arrangement of investment with the help of a loan from bank and requirements for selling off their business in future. By following these above concepts of finance and management accounting, they will surely succeed in their attempt for a successful venture (Debitoor.com, 2016). AllBusiness.com. (2016). Creating a Budget and Sales Forecast | AllBusiness.com. [online] Available at: https://www.allbusiness.com/creating-a-budget-and-sales-forecast-977-1.html [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Boundless. (2016). Types of Costs. [online] Available at: https://www.boundless.com/economics/textbooks/boundless-economics-textbook/production-9/production-cost-64/types-of-costs-240-12338/ [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. BusinessDictionary.com. (2016). What is a lease? definition and meaning. [online] Available at: https://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/lease.html [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Cleverism. (2016). Break-Even Analysis: What, Why, and How. [online] Available at: https://www.cleverism.com/break-even-analysis/ [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Debitoor.com. (2016). Management accounting - What is management accounting? | Debitoor. [online] Available at: https://debitoor.com/dictionary/management-accounting [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. Mymoneycoach.ca. (2016). What is Budgeting and Why is it Important? | My Money Coach. [online] Available at: https://www.mymoneycoach.ca/budgeting/what-is-a-budget-planning-forecasting [Accessed 11 Dec. 2016]. End your doubt 'should I pay someone to do my dissertation by availing dissertation writing services from