Key pieces of legislations promotion Essay

Places a duty for schools to produce a Disability Equality Scheme (DES) and an Access Plan. Schools must encourage participation in all aspects of school life and eliminate harassment and unlawful discrimination Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 Ensure to develop the good relationship between organizations and people. Human Rights Act 1998 Set out the rights of the individuals and guide them how to take action against the authorities if these rights are effected Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 Makes it unlawful for educational providers to discriminate against pupils with a special educational need or a disability Children Act 1989 Sets out the duty of local authorities (including schools) to provide services according to the needs of children and to ensure their safety and welfare Education Act 1996 Sets out the school’s responsibilities towards children with special educational needs. The Act also requires schools to provide additional resources, equipment and / or additional support to meet their needs Children Act 2004 Sets out the duty to provide effective and accessible services for all children and underpins the Every Child Matters outcomes Equality Act 2010 Sets out the legal responsibilities of public bodies, including schools, to provide equality of opportunity for all citizens. This brings together nine equality laws Table B: Code of Practice about promotion of equality and valuing of diversity Code of Practice Purposes The special educational needs code of practice 2001 This code outlines the statutory guidance for policy and the procedures and responsibilities

Why was Malthus wrong about Japan?

Today Japan is a highly developed first world country with a vast population and a booming economy. The demographic history of Japan and how it reached this renowned economic status has been the focus of much theorising and has engaged the minds of many demographers, economists and historians for centuries. Japan is unique in the way its population has changed and its economy has developed without the stimulus of overseas markets. It does not boast the best physical landscape, being 85 percent mountainous, and it is not well endowed in terms of resources. Despite these negative attributes however, Japan has developed, and to such an extent it can now boast one of the worlds leading economies. Indeed Japan was the only country outside the western world to have developed at a similar rate. In the 18th century a Swedish doctor, P. Thunberg commented on Japan, ‘Of all the countries that inhabit the three largest parts of the globe, the Japanese deserved to be ranked first, and to be compared with the Europeans. ‘ (Modern Japan, P. Duus. ) It stands to reason therefore that Japan's history merits such a wealth of discussion amongst academics. Part of Japan's success as a country has to be attributed to its longstanding political regime. For centuries Japan was an empire ruled by an emperor based at Kyoto. From the 12th century however Japan was governed by Shogun (military leaders) who oversaw the day-to-day life of the Japanese people. The emperor, in effect, was under house arrest, taking a submissive role being more of a spiritual leader to the people. The year 1600 saw an important event for the political governing of Japan. It was in this year that a battle (Sekigahara) established the supremacy of the Tokugawa family as ruling shoguns. From 1600 to 1868 this family ruled and these 268 years of Japan's history became known as the Tokugawa period. It is this period that is of fascination to many demographers as during this time Japan experienced stagnation in its population but it also seemed to be the onset of its economic success. From the early 18th century to the Meiji restoration in 1868 Japan's population stayed at around 33 million. It is this 150-year period of stagnation that is of interest to studiers of the demographic history of Japan. There is also much discussion as to whether the population as it was, was inextricably linked to economic growth or vice versa. Searches for explanation of population trends date back centuries. One of the earliest and probably the most famous explanation of observed population figures in the world in general, was put forward by the Rev. Thomas R. Malthus in the 18th century. In 1798 Malthus's ‘Essay on Population' was published, in which he wrote at length on past, present and future population trends of mankind. His most famous stance on population levels was that ‘population, when unchecked increases in geometrical ratio; subsistence only in an arithmetical ratio. (Malthusian Population Theory, McCleary. ) He believed that mans (sic) power to produce population is greater than his power to produce subsistence, thus meaning that that the population of a country was constantly held in check by misery and vice. From this a simple model is produced illustrating the point that if populations increases; food prices will increase; real income will decrease; and thus mortality will increase (figure 1. ) The ultimate check according to his works was the want of food, but this was never an immediate check except in the case of actual famines. The constant checks can be classified into two sets, preventative and positive. Positive checks are multifarious and include such components as exposure to the elements, epidemics, war, plagues, famines and extreme poverty. The preventative checks can be further sub-classified into vice and non-vice. According to Malthus however, there is only one preventative check that can be classified as vice and this is moral restraint. The consideration of moral restraint was a latter thought from Malthus, added to his ‘essay' in 1803. From this a more optimistic model of possibility was constructed (Fig 2. ) The two checks vary inversely from one another and can be in operation with varying affect according to the society in which there are operational. The situation as it was in Japan must have had some constituent that caused the observed trends in population. If Malthus's theory is believed to have been operational in Japan then some sort of check was holding the population at its stagnated rate. Japan, unlike Europe at the time was a closed system. Emigration was unheard of and likewise nobody entered the country. Internal migration was also low, although would not have affected population figures. This was mainly due the Tokugawa establishing a period of isolation, cutting Japan off from the rest of the trading world. In terms of Japans population this meant that migration was not responsible for the stagnation, therefore according to Malthus it must be due to high mortality rates and/or moral restraint alone. Malthus travelled to various European countries to study their population trends in order to supplement the work in his first essay. He did not however make it as far as Asia, but did manage to comment on Japan and China in his work. He tended to make generalisations about Japan based on his thoughts about China, believing that in both of these countries moral restraint was not practiced, as it was only adapted to Western Europe. His work led him to believe that in Japan and China marriage was universal and occurred at a very young age. Taking this into account, Malthus attributed positive checks on population to the cause of the stagnation the Tokugawa period. Included in the positive checks Malthus believed occurred in Japan was the act of infanticide or ‘mabiki', literally meaning ‘thinning out. ‘ Again he depicted Japan as being similar to China, but whether he was wrongly casting aspersions about Japan or whether infanticide was one of the components accountable for the population trends is another area that has been widely debated. Many people in this field of work since Malthus have devised various explanations as to the cause of Japans stagnation, and many have been curious as to whether Malthus was right about Japan. In order to deem Malthus right or wrong on this topic information on fertility and mortality levels as well as the marriage system and evidence of infanticide is needed. Early studiers of Japan's history found a way of gathering such information. During the Tokugawa period a registration system, known as Shumon Aratame Cho, was devised (mainly for tax reasons) that recorded births, deaths and other such information for villages in Japan. By studying, what were tantamount to an early form of census, family reconstitution is possible and a better idea of the overall demographic change at that time in Japan is given. Generations of population historians have performed village studies and different generations have varying ideas about the trend in population. The first generation of population historians believed Malthusian checks to be in action in Japan. Subsequent work has questioned this conclusion and many other avenues of thought have been opened up. Levels of fertility are related to marital patterns. This is an area that Malthus had decidedly definite views on in Japan. A control on marriage may have been responsible for the stagnation experienced between 1700 and 1850. This kind of population control may have been conducted in Japan in order to yield positive benefits from lower fertility levels, managed food prices and improved real incomes. Malthus believed that nuptuality in China and Japan was universal and occurred at a young age. He did not believe that controls on marriage could occur in Japan as outside Western Europe h thought that ‘the passion between the sexes is necessary' and cannot be overcome (Malthusian Population Theory, McCleary. From studies of nuptuality records (including components such as age at marrying and proportion of people ever married) it is shown that marriage was universal in Japan but was not at such an early age as it was in China. If nuptuality levels for Japan are compared with England and China for the same time period, then Japan falls somewhere in the middle (see fig 3. ) Universal marrying would suggest high levels of fertility but as discussed this was not the case in Tokugawa Japan. The issue of marrying at a later age can account for low levels of fertility, and possible reduced fecundability in women. Other factors can be attributed to fertility levels and many studies have been carried out in this area. T. C Smith, part of a later generation of population historians, conducted a study of a village which he named ‘Nakahara,' to give an overall general pattern of what was occurring in Japan at this time. Smith looked at fertility levels of the village and constructed fertility curves to examine the possibility of infanticide. The curves showed low levels of fertility, and were convex suggesting that there was an absence of birth control in the village. This adheres loosely to the standard levels of fertility at the time; although the figures in question were lower (fertility levels were naturally low in Tokugawa Japan, lower than pre-industrial Europe. ) Smith believed that the low levels of fertility were due not only to factors such spacing and lactational amenorrhea, as put forward by some of his contemporaries (e. g. Cornell), but also to the practice of infanticide. If Smith's study is consistent with the rest of Japan, then Malthus's theory would be true. However fertility curves alone do not prove beyond doubt that infanticide was occurring. L. Cornell believed the reasons for the low levels of fertility could be explained by factors other than infanticide. She believed the low level of fertility in general in Japan was a result of cultural rather than structural patterns. One of the main reasons put forward for this was the long lactation periods of Japanese mothers. It is biologically proven that the longer the lactation period after birth the harder it is for a couple to conceive their next child. This, Cornell attributes to the observed low fertility levels. Another reason put forward is migration patterns of males in villages at that time, causing a reduction in fecundability. Migration to castle towns, where employment had a large pulling power, was seasonal in villages and as a result of long periods of migration, fecundability decreased and fertility was kept at a low level. Cornell believed that these factors not deliberate controls on family size by the practice of infanticide as other academics believed, caused low levels of fertility in Japan. This was brought about by controls on society by over-riding cultural trends. Smith however, had evidence other than fertility curves to support his claim about infanticide. He studied the sex bias in families in Nakahara to add weight to his argument. He believed that the sex of the next child in a family was enforced by infanticide. Assumptions are easily made that this practice accords with the widely heard of folklore that males were the preferred sex in Japanese households, therefore one would expect the sex ratio to be male biased. However Smith found from his studies that the sex of the next child was not biased to males. He tabulated the evidence, which showed that in a family with predominantly male children, the next child was more likely to be female, and in families that had equal number of male and female children, the next child was most likely to be a male. The opposite was true in families with predominantly female children. However sex selectiveness was not found in other studies, for example in a study by Hayami, there was no evidence of sex selectiveness in families. Smith used this evidence to suggest that infanticide was a means of family limitation in Japan. Another piece evidence he found for the practice of infanticide was that small landholders had fewer children than large landholders, suggesting that family limitation was practiced as a long-term plan, so as to not put financial on the existing family and to maintain living standards. This idea has been rejected however by other authors such as Hanley and Yamamura who believed that infanticide was not only practised by peasants and poor families, but also by the rich who chose to limit their family in order to husband assets. Many authors speculate that infanticide was also practiced to limit the number of male heirs in a family and lessen the competition for family headship. On the matter of infanticide in Japan, contrasting ideas make it difficult to conclude if Malthus was correct in his assumption. However what can be concluded is that villages would have undoubtedly varied in their practices and beliefs. From a persons study of one village it would be wrong to conclude that infanticide was or was not practised in general in Japan. What would be a fair assumption would be to say that infanticide probably was operational in some areas and not in others. However it seems unlikely that infanticide alone, occurring in some areas would lead to the stagnated population that occurred in Japan at this time. Other checks on population must now be looked at to prove or disprove Malthus's theory. It is a given that fertility levels were low in Tokugawa Japan, so according to Malthus mortality must be a contributing factor of the population stagnation. From the Shumon Aratame Cho it is difficult to gain an idea of mortality levels, especially infant mortality. It has been estimated (Cornell) that by as late as 1926 a quarter of all deaths in Japan were infants. In the early Tokugawa period death rates were high and fluctuating. The life expectancy at birth at this time was in the low thirties. Epidemics as a constant check, proposed by Malthus, occurred regularly in Japan; however by about the 16th century the population was large enough to support such disasters. There were also some wide spread famines, particularly bad ones occurring in the 1730's, 1780's and the 1830's, which obviously would have made a dent in population figures. However there is a tendency for populations to recover quickly from famines, and many people would have simply moved away from the area. These two Malthusian checks seem not to have had a large impact on death rates, suggesting Malthus was wrong about Japan in this case in point. Death rates not associated with widespread disasters, must also be take into account. Mortality levels were generally higher in the cities, of which there were about 200 at this time, than in the countryside. An increase in the number of people living in cities could account for a high national mortality level; however improvements in the standard of living meant that death rates actually decreased in these areas. It seems that in this period of Japan's history contrasting factors were at work keeping the death rates at a constant level. Warfare decreased at the beginning of the Tokugawa period, lowering death rates; but epidemics were introduced, increasing the rates. Similarly death rates increased slightly as cities grew, but the improvements of living standards combated this increase. Malthus was correct in the sense that checks on population were occurring in Tokugawa Japan, however he did not account for the fact that Japan with a completely different culture and set of traditions from Europe, would have had different ‘checks' on the population working in opposition to the ones he proposed. A picture is now appearing of life in Tokugawa Japan. Fertility levels were low; mortality levels were high and fluctuating at the start of this period but then decreased towards the end. These two demographic variables can account in part for the population remaining constant for so many years, but it is not exactly in accordance with what Malthus thought about Japan. In reality Japan was much more akin to England in terms of its demography than China. Malthus was wrong in this case as well. He presumed Japan to be dissimilar to European countries and because of its locality in relation to China, to be much more alike it neighbouring country. Malthus had some general thoughts on population, not specific to Japan, but which are also wrong in Japans case. Malthus believed that ‘man (sic) does not like hard work', and this is why subsistence cannot take keep pace with population. This would ultimately lead to a positive check on population, which Malthus did believe was occurring in Japan. From the time of the Tokugawa period to present day, the people of Japan have shown to have been hardworking, which is represented in the level of their economic success today. From the 17th century agriculture was the main employment sector in Japan. During this century agriculture took off at a vast rate and began to keep pace with the growing number of mouths. As the population slowed and productivity continued to increase, the per capita food supply also increased. Small-scale cultivators dominated the agricultural economy in Tokugawa Japan, but this was only the starting point of the economic transitional change in Japan. By the late Tokugawa period, ‘proto-industrialsation', a term referring to the production of goods for distant markets was underway. New technologies spread and output of products such as soy sauce, bean paste and vegetable oil was a substantial proportion of all non-agricultural output. Proto-industialisation was concentrated in rural areas, which meant migration to large cities slowed, which in turn would have affected mortality rates, as mortality was consistently higher in these areas. In this case Malthus was also wrong in his assumptions about Japan. The population did not grow in a geometric ratio whilst the subsistence only grew in an arithmetical ratio. In fact quite the opposite occurred during the Tokugawa period in Japan. Overall it seems Malthus was wrong in most of his assumptions about Japan, such as universally low ages of marriage, moral restraint not being practised and widespread infanticide. However he did touch upon factors that operated in Japan as they did in many other countries at that time, such as family limitation and preventative checks affecting population numbers. In fact given the very little first hand knowledge Malthus actually knew about Japan, the only way his speculations could have been correct would have been purely by chance, which as highlighted is the not the case. Malthus was incorrect in his assumptions about the extent to which population-influencing factors occurred in Japan. Never the less he gave many population historians a foothold to further investigate the demographics of historic Japan.

Characteristics of a Good Screenplay Essay

Three important considerations of drama are: good story, good plot and good structure. Explain how a screenplay model incorporates these in its features. A screenplay can be an original piece (Original screenplay), or based on a true story or previously written piece, like a novel, stage play or newspaper article (Adapted screenplay). At its heart, a screenplay is a blueprint for the film it will one day become. A screenplay focuses on describing the literal, visual aspects of the story, rather than on the internal thoughts of its characters. The average page count of a screenplay comes between 90 and 120 pages. For one to have a good screenplay and an excellent example that deserves to be imitated, a good story, plot and structure must be put in place. The Story Writing a screenplay or screenwriting, is telling exciting stories about exciting people in an exciting form. A common formula is: (Character + Want) x Obstacles = Story A good story is about an interesting protagonist (character). Except in situations where the story is about more than one person, the protagonist of a story is easily known; he or she is the one the audience cares most about. For example; James Bond, Superman etc. The protagonist usually wants something badly (objective) and most times, gets trouble achieving it (obstacles), and the story is worth writing because it illustrates some kind of universal message (theme) that people can empathize to. Some people have suggested that in order for successful development to occur, it is advisable to use a story questionnaire to explore story scenarios and ask for ways to uncover the answers that will guide one through the story. In writing a good story, it is expected that the writer knows the end of the story even at the beginning. The power of vivid and revealing descriptions can never be over emphasized, every single thing conveyed about the characters’ appearance and surroundings can help reveal or reinforce another facet of who they are and what they become in the course of the screenplay. This can be achieved by using sensory details(sight, smell, touch and hearing) in description. The Plot A story’s plot is what happens in the story and the order it happens in. For there to be a story, something has to move or change. A plot is the road map that takes the story from point A to point B. This change could be a physical event, a decision, a change in person, a change in the audience or reader’s understanding of the situation or the fact that nothing will ever change in the character’s life. The plot is the sequence of events in the story from the beginning to the end (timeline). Usually the order of events is: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement (final revelation) The Structure The structure is a way in which different parts of the story link together. It is very technical and the format is usually the same everywhere. The screenplay is structured in such a way that it has a beginning, middle and an end (Act I, Act II and Act III). These elements are called the set-up, conflict and the resolution. â€Å"In the first act, it’s who are the people and what is the situation of this whole story? The second act is the progression of that situation to a high point of conflict and great problems. And the third act is how the conflicts and problems are resolved.† – Ernest Lehman Putting all these important considerations into place, a screenplay model is gotten. From all the notes that I read preparing for this assignment, I understood that the screenplay model is universal in a way. Even with alterations and changes, a great Screenplay model would basically depend on: 1. The Protagonist 2. The Antagonist 3. The Desire of the characters especially the protagonist (internal and external desire). â€Å"Somebody’s got to want something; something’s got to be standing in their way of getting it. You do that and you’ll have a scene.† – Aaron Sorkin, writer of popular TV series The West Wing 4. The Inciting incident: This also usually awakens the desire. For example, the protagonist watches when his mother is blown up by a car bomb and swears to revenge her death. That becomes his desire. 5. The Journey, the protagonist goes a through a journey and changes. 6. The Crisis: The crisis occurs when the hero’s final dilemma is crystallised, the moment they are faced with the most important question of the story; just what kind of person are they? This choice is the final test of character, because it’s the moment where the hero is forced to face up to their dramatic need or flaw 7. The Climax: Historically it is sometimes referred to as the â€Å"obligatory scene† (a term coined in the 19th century by French drama critic Francisque Sarcey). This is where the protagonist finds a release from his predicament, it is the final showdown with the antagonist.  8. The Resolution: here all the knots of the plot are untied and unravelled. It is either the protagonist lives happily ever in the case of most romantic movies or that the hero dies tragically or as is becoming commonplace recently, the ending is left open in a way that the audience interprets whatev er ending that suites them. A screenplay must be formatted, majority of the script is made up of just four elements which are: the sluglines, action, character names and the dialogue. When one knows how to format these four and the manner in which everything is written, it becomes easier to get a good screenplay.

Student Debt and Its Implications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Student Debt and Its Implications - Essay Example Many students engaged in borrowing as well as in huge sums of money. During graduation, the average debt in 2008 rose by six percent in the following year heating $24,000. In the year 2008, there was the highest number of defaulters in federal loan repayment in over a decade. This was when the nation’s economy slid into recession. Partly driven by the slow economy, federal loan defaulters are increasing. If a student fails to make payments for 270 days, it becomes a matter of increasing significance to both community colleges as well as the students. Loan default brings about severe consequences to the borrowers as well as colleges. When one misses some payments he/she could be demanded to play through calls and letters. However, defaulting can destroy a student’s future. Federal agents will demand that a defaulter pays the loan in full. In addition, the case may be assigned to some collection agency. A defaulter’s wages, as well as benefits, could be garnished till the balance (that may not be easy to discharge in bankruptcy) gets resolved. This may apply even to old age social security benefits being garnished (Clark, 499). Loan defaults for borrowers could wreck their credit, create the inability to buy a home or car, finding employment or even renting a home. Colleges, where only a few students get to borrow, have special protections, however, colleges could result to being not eligible to federal loans as well as grants where most of the colleges’ former borrowers default within a given period of 3 years’ time for entering payment (Bryce, Matthew and Debbie, 1). With federal loans as well as the grand plus loans, it is at a time when this loan is twenty-one to thirty days late that the loan can go to delinquency but the national credit bureaus may be informed when a loan is 60 days late. However, the program of federal loans provides a number of plans to that held defaulters. But one has to negotiate with their lender in the case for private loans which involve agreement terms of the loan as well as options for payment.  Ã‚  

Data analysis2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Data analysis2 - Essay Example It came to be known that dropouts can happen mainly on account of two issues. Someone gets burdened with personal workload like getting married or becoming pregnant as was the case for Assia and Meriem. Another prominent reason for dropout was the mismatch of expectation. Anna found the course curriculum comprised of historical research in the field of childhood whereas she wanted to learn more about dealing with children. Marwan’s interest in electronics and creativity prompted him to go for a course in multimedia, but soon turned into boredom as he was not satisfied by the course. Smain had found his interest in English and registered for a course which turned out to be relating to British history. This disappointed him to quit studies and concentrate on his family business. The essence of the analysis reveals important feedback for the authorities monitoring education in the country. All the students interviewed are enrolled in the famous London Metropolitan University. Those who had to shoulder family responsibilities like marriage and bearing a child were found to be interested in completing the journey of acquiring knowledge sometime in future. One of the noticeable finding from the analysis has been the fact that most of the dropouts occurred because the corresponding students did not find the subjects to be as interesting and enriching as they had perceived before enrolling themselves. This made them to break in the midst of the course. But they also had a tacit desire to make up for it sometime in future by enrolling at a better place and complete the journey. In some cases, the student found earning money to be more challenging and thus decided to take care of the family business. This leads to an important conclusion. Universities and education al institutes need to review the course curriculum so that it remains updated and contemporary. A course should be designed with the view of enriching a student with practical

American Banking Industry Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

American Banking Industry - Research Paper Example As a point of fact, banks are often and highly criticized due to being so driven towards profit maximization. Given this, banks often neglect its responsibility to the people as well as the environment. That is to say, banks may be directly or indirectly participating in harming the human beings and nature.   Review of Related Literatures This section aims at presenting an overview of the kinds of literature related to the topic of American banking industry. ... The expediency of this section is to help grasp an outlook on how to understand the topic under study. In this regard, this review of related kinds of literature is divided and categorized into the following segments which are: a) History of Banking Industry in America, b) The Role of the Banking Industry in the Social, Economic, and Political Setting of America, c) The Domestic and International Ethics, d) Ecological and Natural Resources, e) The Social Issues Faced by American Banking Industry, and f) The Corporate Stakeh olders Response to the Issues Confronting the American Banking Industry. a) History of Banking Industry in America According to Goyal and Joshi (2011), 2000 BC marks the earliest record of banking activity. During this era, the merchants lent money to the traders as well as farmers in Assyria and Babylonia. In this regard, it can be said that in the entire world, the industry of banking is among the oldest (Goyal & Joshi, 2011). In the United States of America, the earliest record of modern commercial banking industry had started in the year 1782 in Philadelphia (Mishkin & Serletis, 2010). According to Mishkin and Serletis (2010), the Bank of North America had been a success which triggered other banks to operate in America. On the one hand, 1791 marked the charter of Bank of the United States. This bank had functioned as a private bank and at the same time, a central bank that had an obligation to the economy of the whole society. However, its charter expired in 1811 which had lead to the establishment of another bank in 1816. Such charter of the Second Bank of the United States came to end in 1836 as Andrew Jackson rejected its rechartering.

Mid-term history exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Mid-term history exam - Essay Example In fact, fabrics made in the home with techniques that remained largely unchanged since the Middle Ages. The machines used within the home to make textile fabrics were small and either hand-powered or powered by hand. The Industrial Revolution, however, replaced these hand-powered machines with coal and put the manufacturing responsibilities in the hands of a centralized factory system (Backer). These coal-powered technologies, along with the steam engine, are the most commonly cited cause of the Industrial Revolution (Hudson). James Watt’s development of the steam engine allowed the transformation of fuel into mechanical work, which quickly became a staple instrument in a variety of different industries including powering locomotives, ships, textile machines, and automobiles. However, other explanations may aid in explaining why the Revolution occurred. One theory states that capitalism is responsible for the Revolution, insofar as capitalism incited merchants to take more co ntrol over their workers. When workers were paid a piecework rate in a factory, as opposed to the home, workers would produce more in order to have a better lifestyle. Centralization of material production into factories was the inevitable result of the capitalist system (Backer). Another theory looks at the differences in scientific knowledge between countries and tries to look at the Revolution in terms of what countries and cultures were able to think â€Å"mechanically† (Backer). In need, one of the first countries capable of such â€Å"mechanical† thinking was Great Britain, which is commonly believed to have been the first country to industrialize. In the case of England, science and dissemination of practical scientific knowledge played a large role. At that time, the new science of Newton was clearly associated with applied science. Those scientists disseminated their knowledge to an interested public for commercial and practical reasons through talks like the famous Boyle lectures and by various scientific societies like the Royal Society of London (Hudson). In many ways, the development of science in England and the development of industrialization in England were inextricably tied together. â€Å"By the end of the century it was simply assumed that the mechanization of manufacturing, and hence of labor, required a working knowledge of Newtonian science† (Jacob 167). Also, the concentration of knowledge into the limited land mass of the British isle may also have played a role in contributing to industrialization. Even though England was a source of new scientific knowledge, it would have been difficult to disseminate that knowledge if the country was less densely populated like continental Europe (Jacob 160-163). The Industrial Revolution left a number of social effects on England throughout the rest of the 19th and 20th centuries. For one, it led to the birth of the modern factory and, consequently, the modern city that develop ed around the factories. These factory towns brought in employees from all of the country looking for opportunities in the new industrialized world. A negative consequence of this was, of course, child labor. Child mortality rates increased throughout the industrialization period because parents would send their children off to dangerous employment in specialized tasks within the factories (Hudson). Although child labor existed prior to industrialization, it became a present phenomenon in society, in which children as young as four

Germany's Market economy as a Model for Europe Research Paper

Germany's Market economy as a Model for Europe - Research Paper Example However, the long run effects of the treaty might not seem to be as fruitful as expected owing to the divergent ideologies prevailing within the EU member states, where most of nations are argued to follow a neo-conservatism policy unlike Germany (Amable, 2011; Abrahamson, 2010). Even though the leadership performances of Germany has been praised by other EU nations, it has also been criticised on the basis of the recent financial crisis and free trade policies between the US and EU as one of the major constraints to channelize the instability within the member states (Mà ¶ller & Parkes, 2012). Thus, in light of the current economic ideological differences persisting within Germany and other EU member states and also with the US, a question arises that â€Å"Will the negotiated TTIP between the EU and the US impose significant impacts on the international trade affairs of Germany within EU and outside, causing alterations in Germany’s position in the near future of global po litics†. In the current milieu of global politics, effects of the recent economic downturn can be witnessed apparently in the reasons acting behind international treaties. A similar aspect can be witnessed in relation to the proposed TTIP treaty promoting free trade between EU member states and the US. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008, both the US nation and the member states of EU had been facing inevitable disruptions in terms of economic stability and growth. As was apparently noted, the GDP rates in all over EU countries were dipping rapidly creating a strong negative influence on its monetary policies. The effects of financial crisis 2008 were apparent in the EU housing market and also in its stock market which indicated a steeply declining growth rate [refer to figure 1 and 2] (European Commission, 2009). Evidently, the performance of almost every sector in the EU member states began dipping,

Can Secular Leadership Be Useful in the Church Thesis

Can Secular Leadership Be Useful in the Church - Thesis Example These include differences in motivation as well as style and practicalities and also in response and relationships. There are aspects of leadership which only seem to fit into a secular pattern and others only into a church one. There are also some which require some adaptation to fit from one to the other. Thought leadership is mentioned, that is the idea that leadership does not necessarily come from a position held, but from ideas pursued until they come to have great influence, such influence bearing no relationship to the person’s official status or standing. The essay looks too at historical patterns of leadership within the church, including patterns described by Christ and his apostle Paul, as evidenced in the pages of the New Testament, the Gospels, the Book of Acts and the Epistles, as well as what happened during the first centuries of the church. It looks also at the role of women in the church, Biblically, historically and in current practice. It asks about the differences between secular and Christian leadership. It then considers which aspects of the former are not useful in church life, as well as considering those that are. The conclusion reached is that there are certain aspects of secular leadership which can be useful in a church setting, although perhaps carried out in a different way or with a different emphasis. There are however other aspects which the church could well do without and which should be avoided. The church is not the world and her standards are not worldly ones, but should be those of Christ

Challenges Facing the Graduate Student Essay Example for Free

Challenges Facing the Graduate Student Essay The many challenges that face the potential graduate students may inhibit them from taking that first step to enrolling in graduate school. This paper will focus on personal challenges for this writer and strategies she will use to overcome them. Some challenges for this writer are working full-time, being financially responsible for others while maintaining a mortgage and family responsibilities. Time management and a novice regarding some computer programs also provide other challenges. Many obstacles have to be conquered in an effort to ensure success. Hardin (2008) contends these barriers often put her at a greater risk for being unsuccessful. The purpose for this writer entering graduate study is the hope of expanding her career opportunities to include teaching at the undergraduate level. Her motivation to return to school was two-fold. A divorce and a lengthy recovery following a work-related injury within a year inspired thoughts of facing the future being financially independent and wondering if the recovery would be without limitations to allow a return to bedside nursing. These life changes prompted soul searching and re-motivated this writer to pursue a graduate degree, a goal that had been set several years prior. As a graduate student this writer faces the challenges encompassed with being an adult. Over the past 30 years, there has been an escalation of students, primarily women, entering graduate study. According to Hardin (2008) the motivation for many women to return to school is usually centered on a major life change. These women usually return to college in an effort to support their families. Balancing commitments, such as work, life, school and other responsibilities create a stressor to the student and pose even more challenges. As the sole provider for two children and responsible for other financial costs that entail, this writer works full-time on the nightshift. Traditionally compensation on nightshift is more than traditional work schedules. Although financially this helps alleviate one stress for this writer, another stress is created, lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation, fatigue and sleepiness negatively affect function that often results in decreased productivity (Mulgrew, 2007). This writer believes working nightshift and facing the sleeping challenge poses a potential barrier to success. Based on 2004 statistics, approximately 15% of Americans work nontraditional work schedules (Chung, Wolf, Shapiro, 2009). Adan and Natale (2002) also found that the relationship between gender and shift work support the thought women are more morning types, preferring to retire to sleep earlier and rise sooner, which results in optimal mental performance. This writer believes this to be true of her. In an effort to meet the challenge of time management, she will keep an accurate calendar and prioritize all appointments, work schedule, and other commitments. Blocking out hours of the day to focus on schoolwork as well as ensuring enough sleep while pursuing personal goals such as exercise should encourage quality work. Procrastination is time’s enemy. A few minutes of effective planning will save time in the end. This involves a continual assessment and reassessment of priorities and activities (Spidal, 2009). Financial stressors also affect the graduate student. Hardin (2008) found lack of financial support may actually prevent an adult from enrolling in graduate school. The adult student often differs from the traditional student as her financial needs often include a mortgage and childcare. Working nightshift helps alleviate the financial deficit for this writer as nightshift pays a differential. Many nurses, including myself, will work extra shifts to offset the financial burden. Attending classes may inhibit the overtime opportunity, therefore smaller paychecks add to the existing financial load. A graduate student has to weigh the benefits of an education when after graduation her financial debt will increase (Morgenthaler, 2009). In an effort to minimize the loan amount, this writer researched loans and scholarships. She consulted her employer and found there were a few scholarships available in addition to education reimbursement. The scholarship amounts are monetarily limited. Some also require a commitment to continuing employment for a set number of years per scholarship. Despite these caveats, any amount of money is helpful to decrease the debt as well as ensuring longer employment. Another challenge facing this writer is she has never used PowerPoint in any arena. This may lead to a feeling of inadequacy. To neutralize this deficit she will ensure access to the latest computer programs for her papers, research, or presentation. Ultimately the amount of effort put forth by this writer to achieve desired educational results will depend on her overall motivation and dedication to her goal. Hardin (2008) has found that most graduate students are not prepared academically. This is associated to being away from the academic setting for a prolonged amount of time. Technological skills may be outdated or she may not understand the new computer programs. Conducting research and writing papers at a professional level may also be intimidating to the graduate student (Morgenthaler, 2009). Many challenges face this nontraditional graduate student as she returns to school. Although there are significant obstacles, this writer is optimistic about overcoming these obstacles by using the aforementioned strategies as she successfully completes graduate school.

Sole Traders, Partnerships and Limited Companies Comparison

Sole Traders, Partnerships and Limited Companies Comparison ADVANTAGES OF SOLE TRADERS: * Economical and easy to set up a new firm. Not much capital is required. * The sole trader has the total control over its firm. The owner has the, hand-on approach over its business; he doesnt need to consult with anyone. * The owner being the sole trader, keeps all the profit. * The business dealings are confidential, competitors cannot look into the accounts of the owner. DISADVANTAGES OF SOLE TRADERS: * Risk of indefinite liability. Incase of any debts, the owner is forced to sell its personal assets. * Sole traders find difficult to enjoy economics of scale. * Since the firms are small, banks will not lend them large sum of money and will be inefficient to use any other long-term finances. * Problem of continuity occurs, if the owner dies or retires. PARTNERSHIPS: a partnership is an agreement between two or more people to form a business. Profits and losses of a business are shared by each person who contributes money, assets, labour and skill. Example, doctors, dentists etc. ADVANTAGES OF PARTNERSHIPS: * It brings more flexibility as more people can contribute in the capital * Responsibilities are shared between the partners. It allows for specialization, where ones strength can complement anothers. * By introducing new partners, expanding becomes easier. * Reduction in risk of losing money, as costs can be shared among partners. DISADVANTAGES OF PARTNERSHIPS: * Dispute among the partners, can affect the decision-making process. * Partnership duration is always uncertain. * Partners are jointly and individually responsible for the debts of firm. * exploitation of resources can be raised among partners. LIMITED COMPANY: it is a legal entity. All limited companies are incorporated. They can sue or own their assets in their own right. (bbc.co.uk, 2009). It is owned by the shareholders. ADVANTAGES OF LIMITED COMPANY: * It provides limited liability to shareholders. The shareholders are not individually responsible for firms debts. * Despite of deaths, resignations, the company continues. * Name of the company is protected and has supple borrowing powers. * Management interests and obligations are defined. Shareholders and investors are easily assimilated. DISADVANTAGES OF LIMITED COMPANY: * Possibility of takeover or merger as shares can be bought by anyone. * Disputes between, shareholders and board of directors regarding the interests. * Increase in paper work and different rules. A budget is a dominant tool that helps a business to take better decisions. It is most efficient tool to direct the cashflows. A budget is planned to * Manage finances. * Assures continuity of funds for current commitments and for future projects. * Enables to make financial decisions. The basic budget factors that a business should consider are: * Projected cashflow: the cash budget tells about the future cash position on monthly basis. * Projected costs: this includes costs of production, sales and marketing costs, business administration and operation costs, fixed, variable and semi-variable costs. (entrepreneur, 2004) * Projected revenues: sales or revenues calculations are based on amalgamation of businesss sales history. Through this, business can also prepare projected profits for the next 12 months. * Collective profits and losses: each month, profit and losses are added, this total tell when the business will break even and begin earning a profit. (entrepreneur, 2004) TIM O NEIL, the founder of TT vision would also have considered the points mentioned above, when he started his business. KEY SOURCES OF FINANCES ARE: * Bank loans and mortgages: suitable for medium-sized firms. Banks can lend large sum of money for a long period of time. Rate of interest is attached to the loans. * Overdrafts: right to be able to withdraw money you do not presently have. Provides flexibility and interest is paid on the amount withdrawn. * Trade credit: it enables the firm to have access to flexible amount of funds for a short duration. High limits and interest are charged on the amount borrowed. * Venture capital: they are set-up to invest in developing countries. They offer capital to help businesses grow. * Lease: it means businesses are paying for the use of a product but do not own it. ( bized.co.uk, 2009) The Business idea can be cafà © shop can turn into a business proposition. The start-up finance for the business can be sourced out ones personal assets like money held in banks, home equity loan which is quick and inexpensive for borrowers. Finances can also be arranged through banks, credit cards to setup a franchise. Land can be hired through lease. BIBLIOGRAPHY (2009).Budgeting and business planning [Internet].Available from: [Last accessed 15 December 2009]. Tracy, B. (2004).Drafting Your Budget [Internet].Available from: [Last accessed 15 December 2009]. (2009). Sole traders and partnerships [Internet].Available from: [Last accessed 14 December 2009]. (2009).Advantages of a Limited Company [Internet].Available: [Last accessed 14 December 2009]. (2009).Public and Private Limited Companies [Internet].Available from: [Last accessed 14 December 2009]. (2009).sole trader [Internet].Available from: [Last accessed 14 December 2009]. (2009).sources of finance for business [Internet}.Available from: [Last accessed 17 December 2009].

Heroism In Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

There are many traits that are possessed by those who seek heroism. Whether it is in real life or in fiction, every hero desires these character traits in the past, present, and future. IN my opinion, the two traits that are most prominent in the poem Beowulf are bravery and goodness. In this poem, Beowulf exhibits the trait of bravery by defeating the monster, Grendel. This monster was a very powerful monster that plagued the town of Herot. â€Å"He slipped through the door†¦ Snatched up thirty men, smashed them/ Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies/ The blood dripping behind him, back/ To his liar, delighted with his night’s slaughter. (11)† The society that he terrorized was happy and always rejoicing. â€Å"As now warriors sang of their pleasure/ So Hrothgar’s men lived happily in this hall†¦ (11)† Bravery today has changed from that of Anglo-Saxon times. In the poem, Beowulf uses his bare hands to defeat the evil, monstrous Grendel. He believes that it would be braver and mightier if he were to defeat Grendel without use of a weapon. â€Å"My lord Higlac/ Might thing less of me if I let my sword/ Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid/ Behind some broad linen shield: my hands/ Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life/ Against the monster (15).† However, in modern times, bravery is associated and accompanied by weaponry. In the movie â€Å"Jaws†, which is a 20th century film, the preying shark terrorizes the beaches of New England. After he is finally trapped, he is killed- but not in the same fashion as Grendel was. The shark was shot in the mouth and then blew up to do a CO2 tank he had swallowed. The way in which each antagonist was killed was in two very different ways: with and without weaponry, respectively. These two scenarios from Anglo-Saxon and modern times are similar, as well. They are similar because of the continuity of â€Å"monsters† terrorizing a society being a great influence among audiences of the past and present. The two works of both eras demonstrate the continual interest in defeating villains and â€Å"feeding† it’s listeners with tales such as these. Bravery is not the only trait in which a hero possesses. A hero needs and has more than one heroic quality, just like no flower is complete without its vibrant colors and sweet smell. Goodness can be compared to that of a flower’s vibrant colors and sweet smell.

Law and its system :: essays research papers

1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The importance of a contract law to the private market system is vital for our private enterprise economy. It helps make buyers and sellers willing to do business together. Contract laws allows private agreements to be legally enforceable. Contract laws provides enormous flexibility and precision in business dealings. It provides flexibility in that you can agree to literally anything that is not illegal or against public policy. It gives precision in that with careful thinking you can make another agree to exactly the requirements that accomplish even a very complex business purpose. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Common law of contracts is understood to have many types of contracts. Another source is legislation. Various states have enacted the common law as a part of the state statues. b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The UCC is the Uniform Commercial Code which is a state-based legislation. This covers the sale of goods. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The following phrases are important to the understanding of contract law because a bilateral contract is an agreement containing mutual promises. A bilateral agreement is whenever there is doubt about the form. The party making the promise can control the application of many concepts of contract law by understanding the distinction between bilateral and unilateral contracts. Unilateral contract is an agreement with only one promise. The maker of such a promise seeks an action rather than a promise in return. b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When many contracts arise from discussions in which parties actually discuss the promised terms of their agreement are called express contracts. Implied-in-facts arise from the conduct of the parties rather than from words.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Implied-in-law contracts is when one party unjustly enriched at the expense of another, the law may imply a duty on the first party to pay the second even though there is no contract between the two parties.

Human Life And Fire :: essays research papers

Human Life and Fire The world is full of powerful forces. There are forces that effect the entire society and there are forces that only effect a select part of it. One of the most powerful forces of nature is fire. Fire is constantly present in today's society. Whether it be by staying warm or the destruction of private memories and property, fire is an ongoing influence in society. Due to this fact, it is possible to compare fire and life in general. Fire begins with an idea of a spark. Then the spark is made and with the help of kindling, the flame begins to grow. Once a flame begins to grow it can take many paths because of the influences of external forces. If a wind blows, the flames change their direction and velocity and can engulf many other things. On the other hand, if there is no wind, the fire may burn itself to the ground and never reach its full potential. If rain begins, the fire is slowed and may even be stopped for good. Oxygen is necessary for a fire to flourish; without it a fire will whittle and die. Some objects allow fire to burn for years while others burn out very quickly or are not able to be burned at all. No two fires are alike, in what they do. Some roam free while others are confined to an area. A fire is beautiful to some, while to others it is dangerous and hellish. These phrases can be used to illustrate life, as well. Life begins as a type of spark. Some believe that life begins at conception, thus showing that life does begin with a very small, yet significant "spark." Others believe that life begins at birth. This could be related to the beginning "spark" of life through the way a baby enters the world, in material form. Humans begin to grow through their experiences and how they are raised. Each person lives their own life because of the impact these external factors have on them. As times change, people and attitudes change. This is a fact of life. Due to certain outside influences, a person may make the best of themselves or just diminish in the general mass of society. Humans survive and flourish because of their environment. It is general scientific knowledge that humans survive because of the oxygen in the air. Without good oxygen content, humankind could not survive. If a certain part of the country has better air quality, then usually the general public has less health problems, i.

Ghost Story

It was a cold starlit sky when a couple decided to steal a pawn shop which had many jewellery from different type of countries. It was located in an unusual part of the town where people do not often visit as it has a very strange atmosphere in the air. ‘Quick, Quick' said the man grabbing his woman by her wrist and dragging her behind. ‘He's coming, we must disappear before he sees us'. The man held his girl girlfriend very tightly by her arm, who was struggling to run with a heavy load on her back. As the couple hurried along the cold chilling street they slipped into an ally and began to catch there breath. Then came a rather large grotesque looking man charging from his shop, looking from left to right. The man was around six foot tall, rather heavy eyebrows, with many scars across his neck and a right eye which had an irregular white colour inside. As he looked into the dark misty sky he gave an almighty roar which sent vibrations through the heart of the couple. His face turned from one colour to another and as he clenched his fist he then swore to take revenge on the thieves. At this moment of time his humanity was questioned as he looked like he was indestructible. The couple in the alleyway stared at one another in the face, heart beating to the second regretting they even stepped outside the shop. As they were in a cul-de-sac they were too afraid to leave the ally and make an escape. The couple muttered words under there breaths as if they were planning an escape. The man then went back inside the shop and slammed the door which then sent a shudder through the couples body. As the couple went into the streets, they heard a little tap of footsteps in the alley which they were hiding in. The woman stopped and turned towards the alley where there was a dark shadowed figure in the mysteriously gloomy corner filled with a thick dark mist as if she was attracted to it. As the woman curiously stared in the corner, the man held hand and gradually pulled her away from it. As she exited the alleyway she heard a deep, slow trembling voice ‘Where do you think you are going'. As she heard this voice it started to make her think she was hearing something in her head but soon she and the man realised something was in the corner. You aren't going to escape' and then in a slightly decrepit voice ‘It is yours to keep forever'. The woman who then looked in her bag to see what it meant, as she scurried through her bag there she found a black box which began to glow as soon as she picked it up. As soon as she picked it up the creature laughed in a creepy way and all that was heard was a screeching hissing noise. The woman immediately dropped the beautiful black box which then opened, containing a necklace with a dark mist filled black stone hanging from it. This is when the man decided he had enough, grabbed the bag containing the rest of the jewellery and prompted the woman to leave. As they decided to leave she couldn't help but pick up the gold necklace and put in safely in the box. ‘I'm going to throw this back, we don't need it' As she dumped the necklace in the gutter, the couple left the scene of the robbery and they decided to take a taxi. As the car arrived the woman was adamant on taking a taxi but nevertheless decided to go in. As the man entered the taxi he was too occupied in the jewellery but when the woman sat down she looked in disbelief what was on the seat in front of her. The glowing black box was shining like a star and as she opened it, it contained a note ‘Get Rich Or Die Trying. ‘ As soon as she finished reading the note the taxi driver who was the shop owner then turned back and cackled in a callous, cold-blooded way ‘REMEMBER ME' and drove the car down into the banks of a countryside where a low, lurid lake awaited the coming of the notorious thieves.

High Wire Essay

The living standards of an individual in any country depend on numerous factors. The economic conditions of that country, is one of the most important factor which influences the lives of the people living and working in the country. The changes in the economic conditions of country have a huge impact on the lives of people, as they affect their earning and spending capacity. One such country which is experiencing massive changes in its economy is America. America was regarded as a country where one can achieve his/her dream of an affluent and prosperous lifestyle but the recent economic situation in America tells another story. The book â€Å"High Wire: The Precarious Financial Lives of American Families† by Peter Gosselin deals with the economy of America and the changes it has undergone since 1970s. The author brings forth the affects of these changes on the financial lives of Americans. The changes in the economic policies of America have led to a situation in America where Americans are being deprived of financial security. Through his book, Gosselin throws light on the financial life of Americans which is becoming more and more insecure, owing to the shift of risk from the employers to employees, from the insurance companies to their clients and from the federal government to the American people. Financial Lives In the book â€Å"High Wire: The Precarious Financial Lives of American Families† by Peter Gosselin, the author focuses on the financial lives of Americans in the present times. He begins his book by pointing out the difference in the economic conditions in America and the financial lives of its people in the past and in the present times. In the period that followed World War II, Americans led a life of prosperity and affluence, owing to the favorable economic conditions in their country. â€Å"The first is that for most of the past quarter century, the United States has enjoyed the return of a resilient and growing prosperity that once seemed lost. † (Gosselin 1). But in present times, the financial lives of Americans have been affected by the changing economic scenario in their country. Even if they are leading a life of prosperity, they are insecure regarding their financial lives. â€Å"The second fact is that many of us, even the affluent among us -those with family income running into the hundreds dollars-have arrived at the new century increasingly uneasy, with a gnawing sense that our circumstances are changing in ways that leave us less secure. † (Gosselin 2). The lack of security is having a huge impact on the lives of Americans. After citing the economic situation, in which the Americans are leading their lives, the author goes on to analyze the reasons for this insecurity that is gripping Americans. The foremost reason he mentions in his book is related to the new economic policies which places the risk on the individuals instead of government. â€Å"In its place, wrapped in the economic doctrine of free markets and the moral precept of personal responsibility, stands a new first principle: Each of us is now expected to forge our own future, free to rise or fall as our talents or luck may dictate. † (Gosselin 4). In support of his claim, Gosselin provides numerous examples which prove the shift of risk from government, employers and insurance companies to the people. Insurance companies are taking advantage of the new economic policies and reducing the payments which are claimed by their clients. In such circumstances, American people are forced to bear their medical expenses, without any substantial support from their insurance companies. The concept that individuals or companies are responsible for their own financial conditions has led to the collapse of even big companies. â€Å"Within days, in September 2008, another investment bank, Lehman Brothers, was on the brink collapse†¦.. But Paulson under intense political pressure from Conservative Republicans in Washington to invoke moral hazard and let the company fail†. (Inside The Meltdown). Another factor that has greatly influenced the financial lives of Americans is the effect a job loss has on the work life of an individual. The unemployment benefits that a worker receives after a job have reduced drastically in the comparison to the times before a couple of decades ago. The author also brings forth the fact that a job loss leads to a greater drop in wages in present times. A worker, who has lost his job, is compelled to work on fewer wages on his next job, thereby leading to a drastic reduction in his/her spending capacity. Effects on Individuals The effects of the drastic changes in the socio-economic policies of America on individuals working and leading their lives in America are presented by Gosselin. He writes in his book that in present times, American people are more concerned about the problems they will face in their financial lives than the national problems. â€Å"Indeed, it has not been public events that sometimes awaken us and leave us tossing in bed. Instead, fleetingly, but recurrently, we have been night stalked by questions about our private lives. † (Gosselin 2). They are worried about their medical expenses, the cost of education of their children, the impact a job loss would have on their family. The author cites the examples of some individuals in his book to bring forth the impact the changed rules in American economy is having on American people. He writes about real people whose financial lives have been largely impacted owing to the new economic policies in their country. Individuals like Debra Potter had to bear the medical expenses on their own, as their insurance companies, taking advantage of the new economic policies, refused to pay them the proper amount of benefits liable to them. People received benefits from their insurance companies but they were insufficient enough to cover their medical expenses. A job loss turned the life of an individual upside down, like Coss who had to manage with meager unemployment benefits after losing his job as the Vice President of a reputed bank. â€Å"As Coss-tall, taciturn, with short-cropped almost military, hair- recounted what it was like to go from earning several thousand dollars a week to collecting a few hundred in unemployment benefits. † (Gosselin 6). With the aid of statistics, Gosselin proves his claim about the growing insecurity among the Americans regarding their financial lives. The changed economic conditions has created such a situation in America where financial lives of its people lack the security which is needed to stabilize them when they are effected by a job loss, medical expenses or college education. The government is not providing a security net where people can cope with the changes that new economic policies are having on their financial lives. People have to deal with these changes on their own. â€Å"Instead of joining together to solve problems, that affect the whole society, the heralds of the new approach say, more responsibility should be placed on individuals and families.† (Gosselin 5). Even though the number of people whose financial lives have changed owing to the new economic situation is less, these effected people are less likely to return to their former financial positions. â€Å"As with so much else about the present economy, the dangers are like rifle shots, hitting fewer targets but doing more lasting damage. † (Gosselin 54). The financial lives of Americans are being influenced by a number of factors. Through this book, Gosselin brings forth these factors and the impacts these factors are having on the way the Americans are managing their work lives and family expenses. Conclusion The author has put forth the current economic situation and the impact it is having on the financial lives of Americans in his book â€Å"High Wire: The Precarious Financial Lives of American Families†. Being an economics reporter, the author has succeeded in presenting the real picture of American economy and the insecurity experienced by American people regarding their financial lives. His book differs from other books written on this topic, for Gosselin has presented an accurate depiction of American economy in present times. He also brings forth the reasons which have led to insecure financial lives for the Americans. He holds the government and the companies responsible for this situation in America. But he fails to consider the other factors that are influencing the economic situation in America. He focuses only on the economic policies of American government and American companies, and ignores the impact of other countries on the American economy. The book has aided me in understanding the present economic condition of America and the risk its people are facing regarding their financial lives. It also made me aware of the negative impact the new policies are having on American economy. My thinking that the new economic policies were assisting in the economic development of the America was proved wrong after reading this book. The book can be helpful for economists as well as the common people of America, for it will inform them about the reasons for their insecure financial lives, and this information will assist them in voting for appropriate candidate during the Presidential elections.

Employment Responsibilities and Rights Essay

Learning Outcome 1. 1.1 List the aspects of employment covered by law. Aspects that are covered by law are as followed, anti-discrimination provisions to protect against gender, race, disability, age, working hours and holiday entitlements. Sickness absence and sick pay. Data protection for personal information. Health and safety. Criminal records Bureau (CRB) checks when starting work within a healthcare setting. 1.2 List the main features of current employment legislation. The main features are as followed, minimum wage, hours worked, Discrimination, health and safety, holiday entitlements, redundancy and dismissal, disciplinary procedures, training and union rights. Health and safety laws cover the work conditions, and minimum wage and other laws set basic compensation levels. There’s also the disability act, manual handling operations and regulations, data protection act, general social care council code 2001 and RIDDOR. 1.3 Outline why legislation relating to employment exists. Legislation relating to employment exists to stop exploitation of workers by their employers mainly to protect the rights of their employee’s and to make sure that they have everything they need such as safety standards, holiday entitlement, maternity leave, redundancy payments, discrimination laws, maximum working hours and age requirement. 1.4 Identify sources and types of information and advice available in relation to employment responsibilities and available in relation to employment responsibilities and rights. Sources of information and advice can be found in the HR department, from your line manager or your manager’s manager. The Citizens Advice Bureau, community legal advice, trade unions, additional learning support and from representative bodies. Read more:  Employer and Employee Statutory Rights and Responsibilities Learning Outcome 2. 2.1 Describe the terms and conditions of your own contract of employment. The terms and conditions of my contract of employment are the commencement date of which I started working for the organisation. Information about my probationary period where it explains that the first three months of my employment will be probationary so that I and the organisation can assess the suitability of this arrangement. My contract states my job title, which is care assistant. There’s information about the pay rate during the week  and a different rate of pay at weekends and bank holidays, along with how often we are paid. My normal hours of work each week and holiday entitlement are stated. Which explains that I’m entitled to 28 days holiday a year but only permitted to take a maximum of 10 days at any one time. Also listed is information about sick pay and how much notice to give when leaving the organisation. My contract explains about the uniform that is provided. There’s i nformation about the CRB checks that every member of staff has when starting. 2.2 Describe the information shown on your own pay statement. The information on my pay statement is my name, national insurance number, tax code and the dates of the four weeks that I have been paid for. It details the amount of hours worked for the four weeks with the rate of pay for weekdays, weekends and any bank holidays or holidays booked during that time and the value. There’s a list for tax deductions and national insurance deductions. The total amount of tax paid since working for the organisation. At the bottom of my pay statement there is the total gross pay which is the amount earned before tax deductions. Underneath there is the total amount of tax deductions for the four weeks. The net pay is the amount left over when tax deductions have been taken away from the total gross pay. 2.3 Describe the procedures to follow in an event of a grievance. The grievance should be raised verbally with your line manager or manager’s manager. It should be done in confidence giving full details and sufficient time to consider the facts of the case and where appropriate take remedial action. If your line manager not be able to satisfactorily resolve the grievance, the matter should be referred either verbally or in writing to the home manager whose decision will be final. An employee is entitled to have another person present at any stage of the procedure. 2.4 Identify the personal information that must be kept up to date with your own employer. Personal information that must be up dated is your change in marital status, address and telephone numbers. A change of next of kin details. National insurance number and tax code. Qualifications and work history. Any medical restrictions, absence details, training and data protection. 2.5 Explain agreed ways of working with employer. Agreed ways of working with your employer are following health and safety procedures, implement agreed ways to follow care plans. Following procedures  when someone needs to take time off either for personal reason or holiday. Giving your employer the correct time needed to organise shifts for sickness. Learning Outcome 3 3.1 Explain how our own role fits within the delivery of the service provider. My role fits within the delivery of the service provider because I am maintaining the organisations reputation and setting high standards. Following uniform policies by dressing smartly and wearing the correct uniform. Attending staff training and completing e-learning course so that I’m up to date with policies and procedures. Treating the service users with dignity and making sure they keep their independence. Also communication with other health care professionals, service users and their family on a regular basis. 3.2 Explain the effect of own role on service provision. Being a care assistant I support the unit managers and senior care assistants by communicating with them. I keep them up to date with any changes regarding the service users like their behaviour and any medical conditions which have either got worse or better. I follow all policies and procedures when undertaking tasks so that I’m complying with CQC standards. Working in a team we can support the service users to maintain their independence, individuality and basis rights. To ensure the safety of staff and service users all health and safety policies are followed. 3.3 Describe how own role links to the wider sector. Working as a care assistant we are linked to a variety of health care professionals such as doctors who come in once a week for check-ups on service users and possibly giving prescriptions so that we can monitor their condition. We also have district nurses and hospitals who require monthly check-ups and we have to update them on the service users condition from carers who work with them on a daily basis. 3.4 Describe the main roles and responsibilities of representative bodies that influence the wider sector. CQC go to a wide range of care settings to make sure essential standards of quality and safety are being met at all times. All staff that work within the health care industry follow all the appropriate policies and procedures to ensure the safety of the service user and staff. Learning Outcome 4 4.1 Explore different types of occupational opportunities. The different types of occupational opportunities are gaining a level 3 NVQ and working as a senior carer and eventually working towards becoming a unit manager. 4.2 Identify sources of information related to chosen career pathway. Information relating to a chosen career pathway could be to talk to your unit manager about progression to a senior care assistant and find out the relevant training and qualifications that are needed for the role. Another source is the NHS website for job similar to a care assistant such as a health care assistant which assistant the nurses. 4.3 Identify next steps in own career pathway. In order to become a senior care assistant I would need to complete my NVQ level 2 and medication course. Do the relevant training at work and then complete an NVQ level 3.

Gaspar Aquino de Belén Essay

Gaspar Aquino de Belen is a Filipina poet and translator of the 17th century, author in particular of Pasyon, a famous poetic of passion, died narration and resurrection of Christ. Filipino natives, generally were not taught Spanish, but the bilingual individuals, notably poet-translator Gaspar Aquino de Belen, produced devotional poetry written in the Roman script in the Tagalog language. Pasyon, begun by Aquino de Belen, is a narrative of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which has circulated in many versions. Gaspar Aquino de Belen was a Filipino poet and translator of the 17th century, known for authoring a 1704 rendition of the Pasyon: a famous poetic narrative of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, which has circulated in many versions. Generally Filipino natives were not taught Spanish, but the bilingual individuals, notably poet-translator Aquino de Belen, produced devotional poetry written in Latin script in the Tagalog language. Gaspar Aquino de Belen is a Filipino writer, poet and translator during the 17th century. Aquino de Belen was known for his work Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Christong Panginoon Natin na Tola, which was published in Manila by the Imprenta de la Compania por Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay in 1760. Filipino natives generally were not taught Spanish, but bilingual individuals called ladino, notably poet-translator Gaspar Aquino de Belen, produced devotional poetry written in the Tagalog language using Roman script. Pasyon, began by Aquino de Belen, is a narrative of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Tourism and employment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tourism and employment - Essay Example The competition involved shows growth in the tourism sector. There is a need to meet the requirements of the ever growing tourism sector through innovations and upgrade of tourism products. There is also an increase in the number of hotels. This calls for more employment to cater for manpower, so many people are employed as caterers. Tourism has provided 10% of global employment as stated by the International Labour Organisation. Tourism as a service industry will require high workforce (GheorghilaÅŸ and DincÄÆ' 90). Gender: Tourism has created many opportunities for women usually in the hotel and accommodation sector. In this sector, 60% are women employees (GheorghilaÅŸ and DincÄÆ' 92). Many women are employed on a full time basis while a few are part timers in many countries. Age: Generally, the tourism accommodation sector offers jobs to young people. 40% of all tourism employees are young people mainly below the age of 35 years. This is due to their productivity in this sector. Many countries prefer young people, as opposed to old people, for their energetic nature, high rate of social networking and an advertisement strategy to win many customers. Qualifications: The level of education will determine the number of opportunities an individual can get in the tourism sector. Tourism accommodation has a high number of employees with a lower level of education while employees in management, human resource, and accounting in tourism normally hold university degrees. Therefore, tourism can accommodate a high number of employees who are not highly learned but have basic skills. Job status: Tourism offers both temporal and permanent jobs. Full time jobs depend on the duration of work. Usually tourism offers part time jobs and temporary jobs depending on the tourist turnover. Temporal jobs include tour guides and accommodation staff. Time of the year: Seasonal outcome factors the number of employees to be employed, so a high tourist turnover will result in a

Developments of research on Alzheimer's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Developments of research on Alzheimer's - Essay Example The relationship of neuropathological features of Alzheimer’s Disease to the emergence of cognitive deficits, is not fully understood currently. However, â€Å"the process that results in the accumulation of   AÃŽ ² as amyloid triggers the complex pathological changes ultimately leading to cognitive impairments† (Sun, 2007, p.40), known as the ‘amyloid cascade’ hypothesis. Lichtien and Mohajeri (2008) state that the high morbidity, socioeconomic costs, and lack of specific treatments indicate the importance of research on Alzheimer’s Disease. Evidence from Lichtien and Mohajeri’s (2008) research on the efficacy of anti-amyloid immunization strategies, indicates that they serve as effective protective mechanisms against Alzheimer’s Disease. However, the underlying mechanisms of action of therapeutic antibodies, particularly their impact on the complex amyloid ÃŽ ² peptide (AÃŽ ²) metabolism and various AÃŽ ² equilibria present both on the internal and external sides of the central nervous system, are not fully clear as yet. Moreover, physiological AÃŽ ² metabolism is not fully understood because of inadequate analytical tools to characterize and quantify treatment effects. Further, biomedical research is aimed at developing predictable therapies minimizing the risk of adverse effects such as brain inflammation and/ or hemorrhage caused by anti- AÃŽ ² immunization protocols. The researchers found that standard Enzyme Linked Immune Sorbant Assay (ELISA) protocols are inadequate in rational drug design, and there is a requirement for more complex analytical tools to be developed and applied. Tests ensuring greater reliability in the assessments of AÃŽ ² in free versus protein-bound form, as well as monomeric versus aggregated AÃŽ ², will be key to identifying the mechanisms forming the basis for efficacy and safety of the

ENRON Ethical Breach Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ENRON Ethical Breach - Research Paper Example Its stocks continued to increase at a modest rate, but in 1999 – 2000, investors saw a sudden 87% increase in 2000, which coupled with the company being named the most innovating company in America, meant the future prospects for the shareholders seemed excellent. Unfortunately, it was revealed in October 2001 that this almost sudden increase in investors’ confidence was due to accounting loopholes and fraudulent auditing, which allowed the company’s shares and returns to be appearing more favorable than they actually were. This ethical breach included the involvement and dissolution of Arthur Andersen, one of the most famous auditing firms of the world at the time. There is no reason to believe that Enron participated in corrupt practices since its inception in 1985, rather, evidence indicates that the ethical breach that lasted about a decade began several years later, when Jeffrey Skilling was hired and a team of executives was developed to cater to the accoun ting needs of the company. Since most of the work done by this group of individuals was either difficult to understand, or too complex to be looked into, many loopholes, special entities that otherwise would not have been allowed, and poor financial auditing allowed billions of dollars of debt to be hidden from the public eye. Obviously, an act that is criminal for such a huge public company to carry out. This lack of â€Å"visible debt† meant the company continued to prove profitable, and confidence coupled with investment continued to increase. Studies that were done on the ethical breach carried out by the company showed that it was not the method of corruption employed by people running the company, or the auditors in charge of producing honest financial reports. Rather, it was seen as an accumulation of negligence and misleading details in reports that finally spiraled out of control, and resulted in the demise of a company that not long ago had proved to be immensely pr omising. The ethical breach that has been described as one of the biggest scandals of corporate America involved misrepresentation of financial statements and records that enabled the firms returns and revenues to appear higher, losses to appear lower, and balance sheets to skew towards favorable performance. The auditing firm, Arthur Andersen, clearly did not do their job properly, and they were possibly influenced by Enron into reporting heavy inflow of cash, and putting away the liabilities and debts that the company had undertaken. Other than the fact that the executives entered deals which were extremely complex and bewildering to be clearly understood by many people, the â€Å"clever† accountants that worked for the company used many unethical practices to achieve their ends (McLean & Elkind, 2004). Enron misrepresented revenue recognition to make it seem as though they were bringing in more cash than they were on their services. For example, until September 2001, just a month before their exposure, Enron reported revenues of over 138 billion dollars. Moreover, the company switched from straightforward presentation of revenues (selling price minus costs) and employed the Mark-to-market accounting, which they believed showed the true economic value of their company. Investors were often given

Econometric Project for final year undergraduate student Essay

Econometric Project for final year undergraduate student - Essay Example exports – imports as the within subject factors. Further, simple regression models of the nature; GDP = ÃŽ ²0 + ÃŽ ²1Xi (where Xis where the within subject factors). From the analyzed results, the variables real consumption expenditures, real gross private domestic investment, real government expenditures, real net taxes, and real net exports i.e. exports – imports were found to be statistically significant at 5% level of significance while the variable real personal disposable income was found not to be significant. The success of this paper was immensely contributed to by many people. In particular, I would like to thank my lecturer Mr.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦., for his/her guidance and un-questionable advice without which it would have been difficulty to realize the objective of the paper†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their understanding and support in the entire period. According to Amadeo, K. (2009), GDP stands for the total amount of goods and services a country produces while growth rate is the rate with which the GDP changes over years. A countries GDP growth is determined by the many factors which include political factors, environmental factors, level of investments and level of consumptions among many other factors. To Amadeo, a country’s GDP growth rate is often driven by the level of retail expenditures, level of government spending, what the country exports and imports. To him, more imports mean a negative GDP growth. Wynne, M. A. (1992) supports the assertion made by Amadeo arguing that the most crucial indicator of economic growth is the GDP growth. According to him, GDP growth signifies business well-being, more jobs for the un-employed and more gains in personal income growth. On the other hand, negative GDP growth affects consumer and business confidence resulting to businesses holding both

International business and policy assignment Essay

International business and policy assignment - Essay Example Shell’s multinational marketing strategy can be assessed using the framework proposed by Johny Johansson in his book Global Marketing, which is comprised of three roles: the foreign entry role; the local marketing abroad role; and the global management role. For a multinational company like Shell, which operates in a number of countries across the globe, the framework provides essential insights into analysing its operations. In order to analyse its strategy, it is crucial to first analyse the environment in which shell operates in, and see if the difference in performance is attributed to the strategy itself, or to the strategy’s inappropriateness in relation to its environment. What shapes the behavior of a business is the degree of uncertainty in its environment. In order to assess the degree of uncertainty, it is important for us to note the key dimensions that define an organization’s environment. As Stephen Robbins (2005, pp.443-444) illustrated in his book Organizational Behavior, there are three dimensions to the environment of any business, namely capacity, volatility and complexity. Using this framework, we try to assess the environment in which the company currently operates in. The environment plays a huge impact in crafting strategy and strategic management decisions an organization makes. The strategy depends on the dimensions of the environment where it operates in, as mentioned earlier, which depends on the overall objectives of an organization. This strategy should be supported by a different structure that would carry on the fulfillment of various responsibilities and tasks to achieve the organization’s objectives. However, in implementing a chosen strategy which requires restructuring within an organization, various strategic human resource management issues should be addressed. In the case of Shell, where the recommended strategies are to promote

Application of strategic planning in an organization Case Study

Application of strategic planning in an organization - Case Study Example Strategic planning is an organizational process of laying out strategies and making fine-grained decisions on resource allocation towards achieving the goals of the organization. A strategically managed organization defines its prospects in the future by looking at its current position and implementing changes through perfectly structured procedures. It requires an understanding of the current position of the business and the possible ways through which it can meets the organizational goals. Most organizations use their missions and visions to determine the strategies required to achieve that its objectives and build alignment to the vision and strategic plan. The ability of organization to execute its strategic plans is therefore directly affected by its ability to understand and make a clear presentation of the strategy to the employees, shareholders and managers of the organization. For most organizations, it is important to build a successful tool for implementing and managing th e overall business strategy. This calls for the development of a balanced scorecard and applying the concept of strategic mapping in the aligning the organization's units. A balanced scorecard is a business presentation model that allows the organization to relate its financial and non-financial aspects for strategic planning of the business goals and prospects. Present day organizations find it increasingly difficult to remain competitive because the strategies used and the business issues change constantly whereas the tools for measuring the effectiveness of these strategies record very minimal change. Many organizations use tools that measure success based on tangible assets whereas constant changes in technology dictate that all business units be linked together to meet the principals of strategic management. A balanced scorecard can be used to link the intangible and the tangible assets and help eliminate most of the challenges faced by modern day organizations. The scorecard c oncept is built upon good design guidelines for the business units to describe and implement their strategies by mapping strategic objectives into performance in different perspectives which include internal processes, customers, finance and learning and growth. These perspectives provide relevant feedback on the progress of the strategic plan of any given organization so that adjustments and efficient changes can be made where necessary. In addition to measuring the current performance of the organization towards meeting its goals, a Scorecard evaluates the firm's efforts for future improvement based on its progress in terms of profit creation and provision of satisfactory service to its customers. It signifies a quantitative and qualitative performance and multidimensional balance between the firm’s short-term and long-term objectives, financial and non-financial measures, lagging and leading indicators, and the internal and external performance. Strategy maps display the q ualitative measures such as employee satisfaction, consumer loyalty and corporate mission that transform a balanced scorecard from performance measurement to a performance management tool that is strategically driven. By using strategy maps of cause and effect, intangible assets can be manipulated combined with other assets for value addition to produce goods and services that meet the consumers’ needs and demands. Strategy maps illustrate the transformation of intangible assets into tangible consumer products and provide a strategic framework to look into a value creation strategy in the internal business process. The strategy map view of a Scorecard presents the organization’s strategy with a series of linked objectives that explain the important priorities for the organization. It also holds specific measures that represent expected level of success and strategic initiatives for the organization. The concept of strategy mapping can be explained and implemented in an organization by taking into

Tax Breaks as Spending Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tax Breaks as Spending - Article Example The tax code in the United States also offers help by giving parents tax breaks to pay for child care. A reduction in the taxes families has to pay puts more money in the hands of American citizens. There is a tax break that exists that allows parents to put aside $5,000 to pay for child care. Those wages escape the burden of being taxable income. The effect of this tax break for people that are in the 25% tax bracket is $1,250 a year in savings, while parents in the 39.6% tax bracket are able to save $1,980. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit provide families with a tax credit of up to $6,000 to cover eligible child-care expenses. These two tax breaks have the effect of saving American families $3.1 billion in taxes. The use of direct subsidies benefits more low-income families, while tax breaks target middle income and upper-income households. A second major way in which the government gives back to the community is through student aid. The subsidy mechanism that is used to he lp out students of low-income families is the Pell Grant. On the tax side, there are numerous credits and deductions for education purposes that benefit middle and upper-income families. Not all tax breaks are considered spending. For instance, the lower tax rate on dividends is not considered spending. The reason for the lower tax rate on dividends is to offset the effect of double taxation. It is estimated that nearly 67% of all tax breaks in the United States are a form of spending in disguise.... The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit provide families with a tax credit of up to $6,000 to cover eligible child-care expenses. These two tax breaks have the effect of saving American families $3.1 billion in taxes. The use of direct subsidies benefit more low income families, while tax breaks target middle income and upper income households. A second major way in which the government gives back to the community is through student aid. The subsidy mechanism that is used to help out students of low income families is the Pell Grant. On the tax side there are numerous credits and deductions for education purposes that benefit middle and upper income families. Not all tax breaks are considered spending. For instance the lower tax rate on dividends is not considered spending. The reason for the lower tax rate on dividends is to offset the effect of double taxation. It is estimated that nearly 67% of all tax breaks in the United States are a form of spending in disguise. The article pro vides a very interesting discussion about the effect of tax breaks and subsidies in America. Most people do not realize that the government is hiding its spending through the tax code. The actions of the government should be praised since the government is looking for ways to help out poor people and provide social justice. A more detailed discussion about the effect the government’s strategy has on the national deficit would have made this article better. Barack Obama has to negotiate a deal with the Republicans to ensure the economic future of the nation. It is imperative for the government to continue to help out poor parents that can not afford child care. These types of incentives allow a lot of people to join the