Monday, September 30, 2019

Value Chain

Value Chain Analysis ******** Diagram ********* The above model demonstrates the principal element of Value Chain Analysis for an organization such as Easyjet. The integration of the above elements ultimately delivers great margin potential and thus the ideal high profitability status. I will provide a detailed analysis of this model to highlight the core capabilities of Easyjet: Infrastructure Main headquarters based in Luton. Provides excellent communication with motorways, railway lines and bus access Low overheads Paperless office No ticketing system with posted ticket Simple distribution channel management (through the Internet or call centers) Low airport costs (minimal time of aircraft on the ground), thus achieving economies of scale Financial resource investment initially supported by Haji-loannou HR Management Haji-loannou, high profile entrepreneur (shipping tycoon background), Hands-on-approach from Haji-loannou – looking for opportunities to diversify and expand, Innovative marketing terms for marketing communications to date. Technology Development Booking through the Internet (higher margins, with a more manageable, simplistic system) Strong reputation for being an airline where bookings are made via the phone or Internet. Procurement Easy purchase system in place for flight bookings Negotiated low cost airport fees Simple staff uniforms No tedious ticketing system in place Below you will find a commentary on how these key elements are also integrated into the Easyjet business and further, how the strengths can be used to develop and extend the Easyjet brand. Inbound Logistics Excellent communication system in place at airports and easy flight booking policy/payment methods convey an image of convenience – a key benefit to consumers Operations and Outbound Logistics Good marketing strategy – ‘we have the best’ approach Partnerships and promotional tie-ins with the mass media High profile PR strategy (for example: the PR stunt against Robert Ayling, Chief Executive of British Airways and its budget airline â€Å"GO† – gains cheap PR coverage) Fine targeting of attractive segments emerging e. . utilization of casual uniforms. However, safety is always a critical concern and is up to par with the standards of other airlines. Service Convenience and simplicity are of integral importance Affordable, frequent, reliable, safe slots are offered to an increasing number of new destinations No frills and/or complications are associated with the travel experience. Conclusion Clearly Easyjet has some at tractive core capabilities that have been established in the marketplace and are perceived as ultimately beneficial to the consumer. The Value Chain Analysis highlights those elements of the business that can be integrated or fine-tuned (through for example ‘just in time’ systems, quality standards and relationship marketing) in order to achieve the overall objectives of high margins, profitability and market share. Perceived superior services or products, market knowledge, industry contacts, legal advantages (patents, copyrights) perceived high value brands, low overheads, economies of scale and an offensive marketing approach are some of the key factors / elements for sustaining a competitive advantage and indeed promoting the Easyjet family of companies.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Benguet Corporation Essay

1. Statement of the problem The Benguet Corporation refused to submit concentrate samples to the Philippine Associated Smelters and Refining Corporation (PASAR). The Benguet Corporation faces shortage in producing their products and complying its contract to Mitsubishi Metal Corporation and complying the LOI. 2. Analysis of the case  Strengths The Benguet Corporation is the major producer of copper concentrates. It was the oldest mining company, the largest gold and chromite producer and one of the largest copper producers in the Philippines. Smelted Weaknesses Benguet Corporation production was expected to decline steadily which results a negative impact to Mitsubishi Metal Corporation. The Letter of Instruction (LOI) ensures the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation (PASAR) an adequate supply of copper concentrates from all local companies which results/causes pressure to Benguet Corporation in submitting its samples to PASAR. Opportunities-chance,break It is the biggest and oldest mining corporation started since 1903 and produces largest gold, chromite and copper in the Philippines. It is active in exploration for gold, copper, chromite and coal. Its expertise is about exploration, mining, beneficiation and marketing of minerals. Threats Benguet Corp. faces complaint from own shareholders. It also fears from selling their concentrates to foreign smelting and refining plants because  of the mercury content which results Benguet enter into a 12year contract to Mitsubishi Metal Corporation. 3. Alternative Solutions to the problem The Benguet Corporation provides 5-year summary of financial performance, including the individual subsidiaries’ contributions and the resulting effects which results of return of the company stakeholders. The Benguet Corporation tried to have a partnership to different small mining corporations which results higher operation employment and workers. Since, Benguet Corporation worriedly looked for foreign buyers of its concentrates. The corporation decided to have a partnership with other foreign smelting and refining companies that could help them mercury content of their products. The LOI helps the Philippine Industry to lessen its dependence of foreign especially Japanese smelter who processed most of the local mining outputs which PASAR does it best to cater the local mining corporations here in Philippines. Since Benguet Corporation could not possibly meet its contract to Mitsubishi and fulfill its quota to PASAR, the Benguet Corporation must submit first its concentrates to PASAR to refine it before giving it to Mitsubishi Corporation to lessen the refining and smelting charges of the Japanese Corporations, so there will be no reimbursement of the total project price and there will be no contractual and workers would be affected. 4. Pointed Solution The Letter of Instruction (LOI) was executed not for negative purposes but for the good of all mining corporations. These is the reason why the LOI 1387 forced and mandated all the local mining corporations to submit their products to the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation (PASAR) for testing, refining and smelting of mining products before transporting it to the foreign companies but the Benguet Corporation president, Mr. Jaime V. Ongpin is doubtful to PASAR’s capability in smelting  and refining their products. The reason why Benguet Corporation-PASAR Controversy. Yes the PASAR encountered difficulties on its first year but everyone deserves second chance. I believe that PASAR could help the Beguet Corporation on its problem about smelting and refining its concentrates and to lessen the mercury on its mining products.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Strategic Management-A report based on a strategic review of eBay Essay

Strategic Management-A report based on a strategic review of eBay - Essay Example On the other hand, favourable economic conditions initiate the growth of online shoppers within the industry. This factor has enabled the company to strengthen its financial base and cater needs of consumer market. Technological changes also influence the company to upgrade its technical capabilities. Competitive analysis reveals the fact that there is intense competition within the industry. The bargaining power of suppliers is less in comparison to bargaining power of customers. This is because availability of more players offering similar products and less switching costs involved. Internal analysis has been performed in order to evaluate internal strengths and weakness, and market opportunities and threats. On basis of value chain, swot analysis, external environmental analysis and resources and competencies certain appropriate strategies has been outlined. These strategies are then evaluated with the support of SFA framework so as to recommend most suitable strategies for future development and growth. eBay Inc., is an ecommerce company that provides business to consumer and consumer to consumer sales service through Internet. The mission of the company is to provide an online platform where individuals can trade anything thereby facilitating economic opportunity. It is an online auction company and strategies are inclined towards creating global leadership. The forces present in external environment tend to affect business operations in nearby future. Business of eBay Inc. is linked with politics as it is closely knitted with economic conditions. Political uncertainty is highly prevalent across the globe and this affects eBay’s operations since it operates worldwide. In the coming general elections, tax rate is to be increased by labour planning council (Verdin and Subramanian, 2003). On the other hand, income tax threshold is also expected to rise to 41,865 pounds from 41,450 pounds (Allen, 2006). Legal factors also

Friday, September 27, 2019

Mini research proposal Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mini proposal - Research Paper Example Whereas indigenous people in Libya face danger of extinction due to modernity, the same happens to the Canadian indigenous people. This has made me develop profound interest in the study of the environmental issues affecting aborigines in Canada. More importantly, my research will primarily focus on the ethical issues involving Canadian aborigines as the modern community competes with the indigenous community for their indigenous environment. The Canadian aborigines comprise of Metis, First Nations, and Inuit. First Nations, however, refers to other indigenous communities that are neither Inuit nor Metis. Canadian Inuit inhabit the Canadian arctic region however, there are other Inuit belonging to neighboring countries such as U.S, and Denmark (Rankin, 2011). The Metis are approximated to be 4000 in number. However, they are distributed in different parts of Canada. Unlike the modern society, indigenous people primarily depend on the natural resources for survival and Canadian aborigines are no exception. Canadian aborigines derive their autonomy and cultural identity by the way they naturally interact with their natural habitats. For instance, many Canadian aborigines are still characterized by their subsistence farming, hunting, fishing, and gathering. Although Canada has continually embraced modernity, Canadian aborigines still prefer retaining their autonomy by sticking to their native culture and native way of life as opposed to the modern generation that prefers modern lifestyles (Peterson, 1995). Modernization has posed a serious threat to existence of Canadian aborigines due to encroachment of their indigenous natural habitats (Dupuis, 2002; Tough, 1997). For instance, the Inuit inhabiting the Canadian arctic region are already experiencing the effects of global warming (Peterson, 1995). The Inuit are experiencing a habitat stress as they are being pushed further into

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Report on Companies in East Anglia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Report on Companies in East Anglia - Essay Example So, students will see from close, the way their own books get printed, as well, as everything else, such as pamphlets, magazines, newspapers and all publishing stuff. Upon organizing this trip, one has to think of some parameters, regarding this business, such as international trade if so. Whether, for example, these companies are export and import companies at the same time, by collaborating with other companies, bigger companies, from which they get new ideas, on the work procedure whether they deal with their own ideas, in regard to their business after having worked longue time offering their innovations (Ashwell Dies, 1976). Also some cultural issues, such as labor force, marketing, relationship between importers and exporter, will be criteria, for them to better understand the history of printing, in the long run, in regard to adaptation to trade rules of today companies in the field. We’ll be choosing 7 companies among the first 10 ones chosen initially. We’ll be choosing the biggest ones, and those who are willing to receiving a group of 25 students from University These companies are: Ashwell Dies, Label-On, Adhesive Label Manufacturer, Label Solutions Limited, Taffeta Label Printing, Plimsoll Label Printing, One-Label Printing, Also, this will be for saving time, and just fewer companies, would be better for the scope of the trip, and paper (Billbord, 1971) later. Labor force should not be big nor too small, so the image that students will get, will be as objective as possible. Also what has to be considered, are the relationships between importers and exporters, whether for example, these companies are doing exports, to Publishing Houses of abroad for example, for printing their material in books or magazines for example, so that students will get deeper to the meaning of one of the big inventions in history that have changed the world, (Bellis, 2011) thus getting post- historical knowledge on one of the ‘’100 most importan t events’’ of the world so far throughout history (Seidi, J. 1999). What also would be also interesting for the future, is whether something even newer on this will be ever discovered by anyone, being specialized in the object, to be â€Å"added† to history of label printing, in the modern world. For example anyone will be ever able to invent something more original, for speed on printing, that this can be a â€Å"case study† for future students. And we also want to consider upon this, whether, any innovations will be implemented, for making this work easier and more comfortable for workers in the future. So, in general what are the perspectives of further development of these six major companies, of East Anglia, serving as statistics finally to the topic and the real status of label manufacturer (Adhesive Label Manufacturer, 2011). The companies, finally chosen for visit, have welcomed students before, and they are too open and willing, to inform then in detail, about past, present and possibilities of the field in the near future. Safety and health conditions, are not

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Pub industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Pub industry - Case Study Example Certainly, this measure was applauded by the owners of the pubs and there are good reasons to expect the increase in the number of the customers. Another legislative initiative might more detrimental to the industry of pubs. Labor party has proposed to introduce total ban on the smoking in pubs, though it is still a proposal and is widely debated. In current edition of the proposed legislature smoking will be allowed only in those pubs that do not serve the food. One of the impacts is undoubtedly possible negative consequences for the business of the pubs. If this initiative is accepted, the pub industry will have to adapt itself to new environment and devise new ways to lure their steadfast customers. It can do it either by shifting to new pubs that will provide clients with drinks (new strategy should be devised in this case) or by reorganizing its chain of the pubs ( as Wetherspoon is large company it might try to reorganize its chain by establishing two types of the pubs- those which serve the food and those that do not. This reorganization should be based after thorough investigation of geographical and social factors, once the company has obtained a reliable data on where it would be more appropriative to open the pubs mentioned). Economic factors. The UK has one of the most developed economies in the world, with the annual growth rate of 1.7% percent in 2005. (Prediction). The GNP per capita is one of the highest in the world; it is one of the most important factors as it means high purchasing power of Britons, who enjoy going out and currently have less time, possibilities and inclinations to cook meal at home. Strong economy also means the possibility for expansions on the market and provides the company with stable environment to plan...Economic factors. The UK has one of the most developed economies in the world, with the annual growth rate of 1.7% percent in 2005. (Prediction). The GNP per capita is one of the highest in the world; it is one of the most important factors as it means high purchasing power of Britons, who enjoy going out and currently have less time, possibilities and inclinations to cook meal at home. Strong economy also means the possibility for expansions on the market and provides the company with stable environment to plan its future operations. Several import restrictions on the technological equipments or raw materials used in the production of the beer, might hamper the development of the industry. The industry might also suffer from low import duties on alcoholic drinks, which encourage customers to purchase the drink abroad. Social factors. Several social factors such as late marriage, increasing number of divorces and growing number of persons with high incomes as well as more hours spent at the workplace might influence the business of the pub industry. More and more people prefer to go out to dine at the pubs; the majority of them simply do not have enough time to cook the meals at home. That is why the company should study these factors thoroughly in order to understand what forces are driving people to dine out. There are no grounds to expect any technological innovations or breakthrough in the industry in the nearest future, neither there is a possibility for the breakthrough in the long-term.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Taxes or tariffs on imports in Saudi Arabia Essay

Taxes or tariffs on imports in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example However, Saudi Arabia imposes 5 percent duty of customs upon majority of imports that are dutiable. Although 5 percent customs duty is charged on majority of dutiable goods, certain imports attract a higher duty of 12 percent ad valorem on cost, insurance and freight value commonly known as C.I.F while other imported commodities are charged 20 percent customs duty so as to protect the national infant industries. Commodities covered by customs duties of 20 percent include; Bottles and flasks, Ice cream without cocoa, Chocolates, Chewing gum, Aluminium barrels and cans among others. This is among the government’s undertakings to ensure growth of industries in this nation of Saudi Arabia. (www.the-saudi.net) Contractors in Saudi Arabia are required to purchase materials and equipments locally but if the materials are not available then they can import from foreign countries at zero to 4 percent tariff rates. Tobacco is charged the highest rate duty of 1 percent. This high duty is meant for discouraging its smoking and other ways of consumption in the nation since it is harmful to humans. It is therefore evident that the government of Saudi Arabia has, to a great extent, used tariffs and taxes on imports as a control measure in the country. In addition to the above taxes, 5 percent common external tariff which was established by the gulf cooperation council (GCC) forms part of tariffs charged in Saudi Arabia. GCC is formed by six states in membership which are Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. All imports coming from GCC’s states are usually exempt from any duties. Originality of these goods requires that 40 percent of value be added internally. In addition, special concessions are given to members of the Arab league since they are happen to be signatories to the agreement that is meant to facilitate trade as well as exchange and also to organize transit of commodities between the Arab league states. Further duty red uctions are given on commodity imports from the Arab states which have entered bilateral agreements with this nation of Saudi Arabia. It is worth noting that only a few items have their customs duties calculated based on metric weight and capacity as opposed to ad valorem. However, the rates for such limited commodities are relatively low. (www.cgijeddah.com) SYSTEM USED The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) of the international Brussels agreement of 14 June 1983 have been in use in Saudi Arabia since 1991. This system came into being after authorization by the Royal Decree Number M/56 and that is dated 19/10/1407 H., and it was ordered to be put into function by the Minister for Finance and national Economy in Order No. 3/1805 dated 19/10/1410 H. This is the main system used by the customs department of Saudi Arabia In determining the rates of taxes applicable to different imported commodities. It gives provisions of classification for entirely every commodity that has a possibly of being imported. (www.the-saudi.net) SAUDI ARABIA’S ECONOMY. Saudi Arabia, being an oil rich kingdom has one of the most vibrant economies in the Gulf region. Buoyed by clear focus on economic diversification and record oil prices, the kingdom of Saudi represents exciting

Monday, September 23, 2019

Introduction to Management, Information Systems and Organisations unit Essay

Introduction to Management, Information Systems and Organisations unit - Essay Example Red Rose Entertainment is a video shop which was established in 2000 in Queens Town, Australia. Since its inception, the shop mainly relied on catalogue cards when issuing videos to the customers. However, the organisation has underscored to expand its operations and penetrate other areas but this requires it to adopt a new computerised system as well as hire more employees in order to improve on efficiency. In order to meet the changing demands of the environment to be more flexible there is pressure from the workers who want to be developed and trained to play a part in decision making in areas that affect them and their work. Leadership is defined as the ability to influence a group of people towards the achievement of organisational goals (Robins S.P., Odendaal A.& Roodt G. 2001). Basically, leadership is concerned with the vision of the organisation and it should be noted that leading is a function of management where a leader instigates change that is aimed towards the achievement of the organisational goals. The leadership and the employees ought to work hand in hand in order to achieve the vision of the organisation which has underscored to expand its operations. A leader often takes a leading role in developing and inspiring staff to improve on their performance which in turn leads to increased productivity in terms of offering satisfactory products and services to the customers with the aim of achieving organisational goals. A leader should always display positive traits that can be emulate by the juniors in the company. Basically, leadership is mainly concerned with taking a long term perspective of the organisation where a leader seeks to motivate the members of staff through developing relationships of trust among the workers (Bates et al 2005). In the case of Red Rose Entertainment, democratic, participatory leadership style is more ideal as

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Primate Evolution Essay Example for Free

Primate Evolution Essay The theory of evolution began when man first noted his distinct similarity to apes. The possibility of a common ancester with the modern apes had been discussed since the mid 1800’s, but it wasn’t until Charles Darwin published his book, On the Origin of Species in 1859, that the idea was considered legitimate. Since that time, fossil records have helped us to deliniate and define our evolutionary history and to describe the many human-like species that have lived on the earth over the last 8 million years. Charles Darwin studied a population of finches that had been isolated on the Galapogos Islands, and described the theory of natural selection, whereby over time, each finch had changed in ways that made it more successful in a particular niche. He observed fourteen different species of finches, all who were very similar, except for the size and shapes of their beaks. He noted how each type of beak was shaped very specifically for the type of food the bird ate and explained that the changes were due to the natural selection of the characteristics in a species that made it more successful at obtaining food and at reproducing. If a finch with a slightly longer beak was more efficient at eating termites from holes in trees, he would survive longer and reproduce more than his short beaked counterparts who ate termites. His offspring that inherited his slightly longer beak would also survive longer and reproduce more. Over time, the longer beaked finches would be more prolific than the shorter beaked version within that particular niche and the adaptation would flourish while the shorter beaked finches would die out. Eventually, speciation occured (the development into reproductively separate species), as the termite eaters with longer beaks became more distinctly separate within their environment and became reproductively isolated. This gradual change of a segment of a population into reproductively different species, in response to an environmental pressure (competition) for survival factors is called adaptive radiation. Although Darwin mentioned nothing about human evolution in his first book, his science minded peers were able to understand how his theory applied to humans. Initially there was much debate by the general population over the idea that humans could have evolved from the same lineage as an ape, but by 1870s, the scientific community had already come to the general conclusion that a fossil record would be found in Africa, where our great ape relatives were found. In the 1920’s, as predicted, Raymond Dart found bones from Australopithecus africanus, a hominid who lived between 2-3 million years ago in the Pliocene Era. They were discovered in a cave in Africa. From the skeletal structure he was able to determine that the specimen was bipedal; a defining trait of humans, and the size of its braincase was between that of modern humans and apes. Since that time, paleoanthropologists have been able to trace the evolutionary history of the primates including hominids, for some 85 million years and can determine many facts about their lifestyle through the study of fossils and other artifacts (O’Neal, 2006). There is not a complete record, and although paleoanthropologists have presented us with many pieces of the puzzle, we do not know exactly how man evolved into the species we are today. Some researchers have speculated that many of our developed traits were due to adaptations for an aboreal life. The premise of this idea is that as angiosperms became prevailant, an overlapping canopy developed that allowed cross movement from tree to tree. The canopy was a niche that had little competition and provided advantages for primates. Over time and through natural selection, primates took to the trees. They developed opposable thumbs and short finger nailed, grasping hands for holding onto branches, binocular vision for depth perception, and more complex brains to be able to better deal with balance and complex navigation (Simons, 1992). The difficulty with this idea is determining why, since there are other aboreal animals without these characteristics, primates developed them. There had to be some other factors that added the pressure for choice of these characteristics in primates. A primary characteristic of hominids is bipedalism. We likely developed from a chimpanzee-like, knuckle walking ancestor. The reason for the change from using all four limbs for locomotion to standing upright, on two limbs is unknown. There are several theories that focus on environmental conditions as being the motivating factor. One such theory is called the Savannah Hypothesis which proposes that due to drier conditions, the African forests thinned and disapeared. Bipedalism developed both as an adaptation to facilitate movement across the grasslands and as a way to give early hominids use of their hands for food cultivation and tool use since they were no longer needed for locomotion (Simons, 1992). The pressures that fuel evolutionary trends are those that are required for the species improved survival. We immediately think of food and shelter, but perhaps the most critical in insuring the continuation of a species is reproductive strategy. Primate reproductive strategies today include those that are monogmous (one male and one female), those that are polygynous (one male and multiple females), those that are polandrous (one female, multiple males), and those that are promiscuous (multiple males, multiple females). Eighty percent of primates practice polygyny, eighteen percent practice monogomy, with polandry seen only in some of the Callitrichids, the marmosets and tamarins, and promiscuity seen in chimps. The evolution of polygyny can be easily rationalized. In polygynous strategies, the egg has a high energy cost and the female puts her energy into childcare. Males may help with childcare as well, but females have a long period of gestation and then a period of lactation, so childcare is their primary focus. Females must focus also on food, not only for themselves, but for their offspring, whether directly or as an energy source for lactation. Therefore, female primates will naturally search for food sources. It is advantageous for females to congregate for childcare, for shared food sources and for safety. Reproductive success for a female primate is through the focused care of each individual offspring. Males do not have the same enforced biological costs throughout the reproductive process. Sperm are easily produced in large quantities at a low energy cost. Reproductive success for males is through the number off offspring he can produce. Under these circumstances, polygyny is the most efficient reproductive strategy for species survival (O’Neal, 2006). Mongomous primates have a different environment. Monogomy is driven by the spacial arrangements of females or when the male’s role in childcare is critical. When females do not gather, it is logistically not feasible for the male to obtain additional mates. Gibbon females will not tolerate another female in her claimed territory. The males might have the tendancy toward polygyny, but the females won’t allow it. Monogomy in tamarins is necessary because of the relative size of the offspring to parent size. The young, although still dependent on parental care, quickly grow to near adult size. It is nearly impossible for a single female to raise her offspring alone. Although reproductive strategy is varied among primates, each species’ tendancy is based on the evolutionary pressure for their survival and success. Recent fossil discoveries have been able to describe an evolutionary history that dates back as far as 4. million years ago to the Autraliopitecines. An almost complete skeleton was found in 1974 in Hadar, Ethiopia and adopted the name Lucy. This was the first human –like homonid. Lucy was bi pedal and had a large brain for her body size of 48 inches. Since that time, other fossils of Australopitecines have been uncovered, but Lucy remains the most complete, and is the standard for the species (Primate Info Net, 2008). Homo habilis is thought to have descended directly from a species of Australopithecine hominid and lived from approximately 2. 2 to 1. million years ago. Fossils found in Tanzania in 1962 by Louis and Mary Leakey show that Homo habilis was short and had long arms, like the Australipithecines, but had a decrease in facial protrusion, giving it a more human-like appearance. They used rudimentary tools in their hunting and gathering (Primate Info Net, 2008). Homo erectus had a larger brain case than Homo habilis and stood slightly more erect. They also had more sophisticated tools that were able to cut and slice. They had discovered the use of fire and were the first actual hunter-gatherer society. They lived approximately 2. 2 to 1. 1 million years ago and were the first to leave Africa and travel throughout the Great Rift Valley (Primate Info Net, 2008). . Homo sapiens archaic or Neanderthal Man inhabited Europe and parts of Asia approximately 1. 2 million years ago. They were a fairly sophisticated society. They buried their dead, had fire, ate meat and had modern tools like hand axes and knives. They were adapted to a colder climate with short, robust statures and large noses. Their brain capacity was greater than modern humans and they had language. There were probably only about 10,000 Neanderthals and they slowly disappeared as modern man, Homo sapiens sapiens began to appear 200,000 years ago (Primate Info Net, 2008). . Throughout man’s evolutionary history there has been a trend toward greater intelligence, mobility and refined physical and mental control. We are evolving each day towards a better version of ourselves. Are we the final model? Or will we eventually be replaced by a more efficient, successful hominid? In all likelihood, we will.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Fiji Water Essay Example for Free

Fiji Water Essay FIJI Water has recently been accused of greenwashing. Greenwashing is a term that is used to describe companies that mislead their consumers into believing that they are an environmentally safe company. With the threat of global warming due to greenhouse gases, many people have become extremely sensitive to companies that aren’t doing their part to keep the world a great place to live for thousands of years to come. This has caused problems for FIJI Water because their business is successful only if they are able to get consumers to buy their water even though they aren’t an environmentally friendly company. Fiji, an island located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, has to ship bottled water 5,500 miles to the United States, which produces 216,000,000 pounds of greenhouse gases per trip. This has a huge impact on the environment and therefore has led to many conservationists attacks due to FIJI Water’s claim to go carbon negative. FIJI Water promised to reduce their packaging by 20 percent per year, supply at least 50 percent of the energy used at its plants with renewable energy, optimized logistics and use more carbon-efficient transportations modes, restore degraded grasslands in Fiji, and support recycling programs for plastic bottles. They claimed that this would have a net reduction of carbon in the atmosphere, and used the slogan â€Å"every drop is green† to symbolize that their company wasn’t doing any harm to the environment. While they promised this and created a website to show that they were going carbon negative, there were no numbers to prove that they actually accomplished what they intended to do. I completely agree with the conservationists that they are greenwashing because it’s hard to believe that a company exporting 90 percent of their products to places that are thousands of miles away and emit a ton of greenhouse gases would be able to be carbon negative. Some companies don’t get caught for their greenwashing, but when it’s completely obvious it’s hard to fool customers, especially conservationists.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Liberalism Is The Most Convincing Of Theories Politics Essay

Liberalism Is The Most Convincing Of Theories Politics Essay Other theories of international relation have been created to guide a states relationship with the international society. These include the classical realism, liberalism, the English school and others. Of all the theories of international relations learned in this module, liberalism interests me most. Liberalism as a theory in international relation holds some interesting supports and views which are not only important but very crucial and practical in the modern global economy. It is a political philosophy that emphasizes the power of institutions and individual liberalism seeks a society where there exists a free market economy that simplify private enterprise, exchange of idea is independent, rule of law and a transparent system of government. International relations, liberalism is of specific importance as regards world peace and security, environmental protection, trade and fostering good relation between different states. Liberalism and international relation It is no doubts that the issues of peace, security, welfare, environment and trade are the weightiest matters in international relation. No any other theory addresses these issues as does the liberalism. The basic argument is that, both the state and non state actors are important as far as international relations are concerned (Burchill et al, 2005). The state does not perform alone player in the international scene by enhancing their state capability. Rather, the state has to bias to individual benefit and other non state actors to guide and determine its behavior when dealing with other states or nations on that area. Therefore an individual should not work for the state but the state should be work to complete the wishes and concern of people. The reasoning is that individuals make up the state and the world is one big community of individual. This perception is specially very related with modern globalization and technological advancement which have seen the organization of a gl obal community. Dunne, Kurki and Smith (2007) could be observe that, the heart of assumption in all classical liberal theories is that domestic actors and structures strongly agree on foreign policy direction and the behavior of the state in international relations. Even though all under the powerful umbrella of liberalism, there exist different approaches with small differences in terms of how they view and interpret international relations. Mostly, liberalists could be seen on two dimensions. The first dimension comprises of those liberalists theories proceedings and interaction. It puts attention on the domestic actors and tries to understand, give explanation how their identities and interest to do decide foreign policy options and international relations (Burchill, 2005). The second dimension, on the other hand comprise of theories which bias themselves to structures and agents as the basis to international relations. Liberalists liable to this dimension take their care on institutional feature s within the state to explain international behavior (Dunni, Kurki Smith, 2007). According to two dimensions are further differed based on whether their theoretical assumptions support rationalism or constructivism. Despite the differences, liberalists hold important basic ideals which are particularly good and helpful in international relations. The basic principles of liberalism lay on the individual. The individual here also point to the collectivities of individuals such as institutions, firms and other organizations. The individual and not the states interests should come first. The work of the state is to support the rule of law and see to it that it is enforced. Since individuals are the ones who make up the state, the state cannot be active unilaterally except it is serving the benefit of those that it represents (Linklater, 2000; Richardson, 2001). The state derives power from the citizens and has controlled power to do unilaterally. The state should be governed in manner that respects the rights of its citizens to property, life and above all, individual freedom. Given that individuals expand to beyond the state such as international organizations and firms, are not only inconsistency but also cooperation can shape international affairs. Liberalism believes in the power of human reason and individuals rational principles could be put into perform in international relations. For example, according to Kant extrapolating in 1795 the foundations of liberal thinking; If the consent of the citizens is required to decide that war should be declaredà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ nothing is more natural than they would be very cautious in commencing such a poor game, decreeing for themselves all are the calamities of war. Among the latter would be: having to fight, having to pay the costs of war from their own resources, having painfully to repair the devastation war were leaves behind, and, to fill up the measure of evils, load themselves with a heavy national debt that would embitter peace itself that can never be liquidated on account of constant wars in the future. (Kant 1795)(as cited by Dunni, Kurki Smith, 2007). In a liberalist conduct state, individuals and not the state unilateral carefulness will have to determine on major decisions that affect international relations. The issue such as the war on terrorism which absolutely involves two or more state actors would have to be agreed by the citizens. In so doing, they would have weighed the benefits and costs of supporting such a move and agree to responsibilities and whichever outcomes results. The other point is those liberalists are very cheerful that, when individual are left free to make up their reason can attain mutually beneficial cooperation. Even though individuals, like they are left to reason freely tend to additional their own self interests. Such diverse self interests exist on just a few issues. In many of the issues individuals will have analogous views and interests. It is common interests on the majority of issues that foster mutual social interests and help set up good international relations. Thus of modernization and globalization are seen as the outcome of these reasoning. Since modernization represent progress be it economic or social which in turn develop the human life, so does international relations improve with liberalism. According to Evans Newnham (1998), the relevance and importance of liberalism in international relations could be seen in four areas. That are, the first area respects world peace. World peace cannot be achieved except there is the spread of democratic institutions in globally. By democratic institutions it means, there exist democratic systems in the state that allows people to freely scorn the elected government but no as to disagree with it, its right to be the government (Shapiro, 2003). Therefore exists free spaces through which individuals and other non-state actors can act with decorum, independence and vision. The second importance is belief of liberalism is that mean exist a natural harmony of interests. In this regard, people and sates will have the independence to make their own rational judgments and as a result is building national interest, international interests one and the similar. In basically, this core belief rests on the first one, it about democratic institutions. Where there is the being of democratic institutions, the state will not have the power to proceed unitary without respecting the will of its citizens. The state exists for the people and therefore it would not have any other alternative but to make decisions that majority of the people agree with. Individual actors will however have diverse interest spanning beyond their national boundaries. It is these spanning interests that in the long run create a natural harmony of interests. People will not have to be enforced to agree or harmonize their interests with other states but rather their needs will drive them to it. The third belief is concern the conflict resolution and respect for the rule of law. This belief similarly succeeds the second one of the democratic institutions. Under liberalism, self determination is never a suitable concept. Where conflicts therefore arise, there should be recognized judicial procedures or any other corresponding procedures that should be followed in resolving the differences. Such procedures could be negotiations or international institutions and area such as European Union, the United Nations or the International Criminal Court. Disputes resolved through these means will not only bring justice to the parties involved but will also be seen to reverence the rule of law (Griffith, 1999). The fourth and the last belief is that, collective security replaces the notion of self-help. When the people have vested interests spanning beyond national boundaries, they will grasp upon themselves that war, insecurity and terrorism will no only make affect that one state where insecurity exists, but also the interests that they hold in that state. They are likely union unity to against such ills. In addition, liberalism is about maintenance morality and decisions from supporting of ethical. States should therefore interfere on issues such as those affect on environment because it does not only affect a single state. There are generally four liberalistic concepts that are used to explain how cooperation in international relations can be achieved with liberalism and to make the world much better. These are the social liberalism, interdependence liberalism, republican liberalism and the institutional liberalism. That can be following the detail in below of this. Sociological liberalism According to this section of liberalism, international relations do not only apply to governments but as well as between private individuals groups and a whole of societies. Sociological liberalism views focusing international relations on the state to state actors like very limiting. in its place, international relation situations can be improved and can be made much more better if non state actors also were included to play a role. In generally of the liberalist, individuals are more peace loving than governments and the more they link up and network with each other beyond the states boundaries better for international relations. When the individual actors link up and cooperate beyond their national boundaries they form up transnational relations. According to Jackson Sorenson (2007), the transnationalism is the immediate outcome achieved when international relations advanced by the states is supplemented by relations among individuals, groups and societies. This relationship is stronger and long-lasting than any other kind of relationship because it has important consequences. This is because, if the states get to disagree, there are too many actors who depend and have helped set up that kind of relationship. This kind of relationship is often compared to the cobweb by illustrate the many non-state actors with all different types of external ties and interest with another. Transnational relations help establish a new form of human society which works beside or even in completion with the states. Non state actors have especially been empowered by technology and can be increased social communication (Sullivan , 2002). Due to pressure from these actors the state has no selection but to conform. A good example here would be the political situations of Kenya and Madagascar in Africa. Upon the disputed Kenyan presidential elections that were followed by ethnic aggression in 2008, it was non state actors that pressurized the contenders try to stop or broker the power sharing deal (Lafargue, 2009). In addition the modern world, as individual firms and businesses investment in other countries, they necessitate cooperation particularly if the investments are of public nature such as roads, communication infrastructures, and other public investments. The individual firms are becoming more important than the state itself due to globalization and innovations technological. Interdependence Liberalism As transnational relations increase, so does the level of interdependence to nearly the level of dependence. This both dependences therefore means that, individuals and the state are affected by what happens in other countries. Such as issues of war, terrorism, the pollution of the environment and some even economic policies will affect more than one country or neighbor countries (Daddow, 2009). In a good example here it is the political instability in Somalia and the current global financial crisis. The instability in Somalia has seen an increased security pressure of terrorist and terrorist groups which take advantage of the situation to advance their ills. In addition, there have been increased piracy in the chasm and the east African coast have seen many ships sailing the route be hijacked only to be released after payment for ransoms. The lack a purposeful of government has therefore degenerated from being a Somali problem to a world problem. Many of the ships being hijacked are not even headed to Somalia. For example in other in global crisis, it started in the United States. It has since affected all economies and although people at varying degrees. Such issues show how the level of interdependence has grown. Another philosophical issue there concerns the environment. Green house gases emission in China or the United States do not only affect climate or lead to global warming in the two countries only, but also in whole of the world. Even though some countries such as in Africa may have a little contribution on this, they may on the contrary be the main victims of climate change through hunger, poverty and malnutrition. Resolving such that issues need to requires the cooperation by both state and non state actors in all countries. Republican liberalism Republican liberalism examines liberal democracies as the most important of peaceful type of political system. Since there are only two types of democracies in the world, democratic and non democratic, three types of relationships in international relations are possible. These are: between a democratic and another democratic state between non-democratic and another non ­-democratic state, and between a democratic and another non-democratic state. The best form of international relationship happens to be one between two democracies. This is because more often than not domestic politics will determine the shape and nature of international relationship that state engages in democratic nations are founded on the principles of a domestic culture that promotes peaceful disagreement resolution, general moral values and commonly beneficial ties of economic cooperation and freedom making them difficult to engage in war with each other. Democratic relationship therefore fosters a form of dem ocratic peace because democracies are managed by citizens who are not at any one time shore up the idea of attractive in a war between two democracies. Republican liberalists single out war as the most serious evil in international relations (Steans, 2009). If a country is governed through democratic values, then it will be able to extend in the same when dealing with other nations. Democratic countries are also possible to agree on such issues as environment, world trade and other international issues. A liberal world is more than any other theory promotes respect for democracy in institutions and that promises the most peaceful international relations. Institutional Liberalism Liberalists strongly support for the establishment of international institutions because they make collaboration easier and likely (Weber, 2004). An example includes the European Union which although founded on simple values has highly developed to become a monetary union using the same currency amid member states (Kelstrup, 2000). Other institutions such ASEAN have been in the front line to simplify the six party talks to end the present stand off between the United States and the Republic of North Korea nuclear disarmament efforts. Institutions help encourage international cooperation and reduce the lack of trust and fear. This is facilitated by suitable and clear information about each other behavior and expectations. Liberalism helps to solve the most modern day issues in the international system. Liberalism, war, peace and security Wars were destroying effects to the nation, its people and the international community. Since the World War I and war II, it has been within the interest of nations to practice a world that is free from war peaceful and secure. The liberal consideration advocates that all states work together or at least reaches to a consensus to these fundamental issues (Barkawi Laffey, 2001). By advocating that states move towards establishing democratic values in their governance, democratic peace is achievable. Moreover, institutionalization, existence of economic ties and freedom between states helps decrease chances of war by promoting conversation, engagement and peaceful conflict resolution (Koldziej, 2005). Liberalism and the environment The effects of environmental pollution know on boundaries. Such as the issues a droughts, global warming, increasing of sea level as well as the hurricanes are very costly effects brought by environmental degradation. Liberalists there believe that, it is the moral duty of states to cooperate and stop or mitigate these damaging effects. There are two basic principles of liberalism that requires us to protect and guard the environment. These are the right to have each individual basic needs met and the fact of sensible pluralism. Under the first principle, the environment does not only help in providing our basic needs but also verify us of survival. Liberalism is concerned about the current and the future generation ability to meet the basic requirements and therefore calls for promise to environmental sustainability (Dobson Saiz, 2006) On the other hand, no rational individual will resist that survival depends on the physical environment and that it is good. In addition, no rationa l individual would argument the costly effects of years of environment ignore being experienced in the world today. It is therefore within the liberalist reasonable pluralism that calls for a shared responsibility and action towards environmental protection. Liberalism and international trade Liberalism advocates for the establishment of international institution and a move towards free trade. It calls for the abolishment of limitations and barriers to world trade. Protectionism, inequitable of trade and economic practices are critical issues at the heart of international relations. This is more with respect to the foreign relations between two world economic powers China and the United States. Through calling on increased combination, free trade, and peaceful conflict resolution, liberalism can help resolve most contradictory issues in international relations in the world today. Market liberalism offers the promise of a free, wealthy and pluralistic society for all people (Boaz, 2008). Liberalism and welfare Major issues of welfare comprise of health, hunger, poverty and human rights. Liberalism advocates that the state respects individual liberty. Democratic peace cannot be achieved if these welfare issues are not addressed. Moreover, no single state works in isolation due to the complex interdependence between nations. Liberal democracies consequently should intervene and cooperate in welfare issues (Sutch, 2001). Conclusion In conclusion, liberalism as theory guiding international relations is best placed to handle most modern issues affecting a states relationship with the international community. As have been already outlined, liberalism is the best placed theory in international relations that promises a secure and peaceful world, sustainable environment, trade without restrictions and other barriers, and respects human rights. For it however to work smoothly and yield better results, all countries must accept and be ready to adopt it. This is as evidenced by the fact that best relations and democratic peace only thrives between two democracies. So long as there continues to be non-democratic countries, applicability of liberalism faces many challenges especially with the consequences of globalization. There therefore might be need to alter some principles of liberalism in order to accommodate and guide relations with non-democracies.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Albert Camus Philosophy in The Plague Essay example -- Albert Camus P

Albert Camus' Philosophy in The Plague To know ourselves diseased is half our cure. - Alexander Pope As the title clearly suggests, the novel The Plague is, indeed, a story of disease. On the surface, the novel The Plague, may be an accounting of facts detailing the outbreak of bubonic plague in the town of Oran. But on a deeper level, it is a novel that reveals awareness and acceptance of the limits of human existence. And it is also a reminder of our absurd freedom and the choices we make in life, especially when facing death. In writing The Plague we are told that Camus "sought to convey [...] the feeling of suffocation from which we all suffered and the atmosphere of threat and exile in which we lived" (Bree, 1964:128). He was, of course, speaking of the horrors of World War II. But "at the same time [he wanted] to extend [his] interpretation to the notion of existence in general" (Bree, 1964:128). Camus' interpretation of existence is revealed in his philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus in which he discusses the absurd and its consequences, revolt, freedom and passion. Some interesting connections can be made between the philosophical discussion in The Myth of Sisyphus and the existential themes found in The Plague. In The Myth, Camus outlines his notion of the absurd and its consequences; in The Plague he brings his philosophy to life. This tale of life and death is told by Dr. Rieux, who maintains that his "business is only to say 'this is what happened', when he knows that it actually did happen, [and] that it closely affected the life of a whole populace [...]" (Camus, The Plague, p.7). Of the novel, Germaine Bree says, "considered in its totality [The Plague] transmits a personal experience ... ..., one way or another, and The Plague is a reminder of that absurd fact. The quote at the beginning of this paper, "To know ourselves diseased is half our cure" has its relevance in the ultimate lesson we learn from The Plague. But there is another lesson to be learned and Camus reminds us of it in The Myth of Sisyphus: "the point is to live" (Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, p.65). While facing the horrors of death, the characters in The Plague do an excellent job of bringing that philosophical point to life. Works Cited Bree, Germaine. (ed.), Camus: Collection of Critical Essays. Prentice-Hall: Englewood, NJ. 1962. Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus and other essays. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Camus, Albert, The Plague. Vintage: NY, 1991. Ellison, David R. Understanding Albert Camus. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1990.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Essay --

Knowledge and philosophy are one of the key components for studying accounting. Knowledge is created when you have gathered facts and information. As suggested by Arrington & Schweiker (1992) ‘nothing counts as knowledge until it is argued before and assented by a research community’. This means that when new knowledge is created, it is always undergoes an enormous scrutiny by peers, so that it is nearly perfect. Kuhn (1970), Davis (1971) and Collins (1985) also suggest that any knowledge should be easily accessible by the public e.g. the users of accounting or accountants themselves. To obtain knowledge we have to make some observations. These observations are then transformed by the process of induction into laws and theories. Therefore knowledge is seen as creating a reality. As mentioned before knowledge is especially important in the construction of realities. This is because accountants in general created these economic realities, this leads to an expectations gap between the accountants and the users, hence accountants are also seen as communicators for these realities. However because accountant construct these realities it can become biased and objective (Morgan 1988). Accountants also persuade users to accept the realities that they have created. On the other hand philosophy helps us to better understand and access to knowledge. This type of study is known as epistemology. Epistemology creates a foundation of the basis of knowledge. One of the bases of knowledge is truth and fact. However this can be a very problematic area because if a statement is deemed to be true then it is automatically a factual statement. This causes problems because the words true and fact are interchangeable i.e. if a statement is a fact... ...tely it may change our knowledge. This leads on to my point that knowledge and philosophy is always changing, this then changes the world we live in. This is because eventually we change our concepts and theories. For example if a theory is changed, that is related to the conceptual framework and social construction, and then this too is changed. I have seen that in the creation of knowledge and philosophy, the process of induction is vital because it allows us to build theories and more importantly economic realities. When studying or researching accounting we sometimes come across a few paradigms such as the All Ravens are Black paradigm and the inductivist turkey. These paradigms helps to better understand knowledge and also it can separate true from false and fact. It can help us to refine our knowledge so that the end result is almost prefect e.g. neutrality.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Conclusion Cults

The cults are characterized by their methods and also their beliefs. A cult refers to a social group that is cohesive and it is devoted to practices and beliefs of the surrounding culture considered to be out of the mainstream with notably negative or positive admired perceptions. In most of the times cults have a positive and a negative perception with the positive perception relating it to the groups of arts, fiction, writing, music and fashion. On the other hand the negative for cultic movements relates it to pyramidal business groups, questionable therapeutic groups and also extreme political groups.The status of a cultic populist group begins as a rumor of the belief system in a novel including its devotions that are great, its practices that are idiosyncratic and also its positive or negative effects on the members and its perception. In most cases cults are defined in such a way that they are viewed and identified as problematic groups and if we were to do away with the proble matic concern the attributes and the characteristics of cultic groups would not be in existence, (Richardson N. 2004). Types of cults The Utopian CultThis group of people share a belief that the Lord, Jesus Christ returned back to earth way back in the year 70. The return of Christ made it possible for the community to bring the millennium kingdom of Christ themselves. Consequently, the cult believers were able to free themselves of sin and have hence forth been perfected in the world. They do not wait for perfection in heaven since they already attained it down here on earth. This community was characterized by the spirit of communalism. They owned all processions and property communally. They were present in Vermont, New Jersey, Newark, Wallingford and Putney among other places.The community initially had 87 members but the number grew up to 306 by the year 1878. All the branches of this cult were closed down in the year 1854. The only surviving community by the name the Wallingfo rd community was unfortunately devastated and washed away by a tornado way back in 1854. The Apocalypse Cult This cult typology has people who believe that the world is coming to an end. The cult is also commonly known by the term, dooms day cult. They site the examples of the weapons of mass destruction as one of the elements that will bring the world to an end.They claim that the planet earth is being faced by wrath and great threats to the existence of human kind and that it will be wiped off from the face of the earth as well as the world history, (Wilson, Stephen, 1993). The cult holds affirm belief that the Lord Jesus Christ will only come back to earth after there has occurred a holocaust of nuclear in the Middle East. They then argue that the most powerful leaders today have been brainwashed by this belief and that’s the reason why they are propagating for the nuclear weapons and those of mass destruction.They cult leaders who are apocalyptic have contributed to the l oss of lives by thousands of people. The followers believe that they are the chosen ones by Christ and have been saved from the evils of this world and will eternally live at the right most hand of Jesus Christ. They prophesy on the rapture and try to speed up the second coming of Christ. Religious Cults A religious cult has other external religious observances and practices apart from the sacred scriptures and the faith of the believers. Religious cults normally have veneration devotion that goes beyond the living. They are characterized worship of the dead.The observances of religious cults include ceremonies and rituals that may be done in a variety of forms including sacrifice, prayers or hymns. These cult types also have idols and sacred places that are used for pilgrimages, (Weissen, K. 1992). The most notorious cults are the doomsday or apocalyptic cults since they are known to mislead and brainwash their follower’s minds and sometimes even to death. Cults and Canada C anada should have legislation against the formation and following of cults. Cults do lure many innocent citizens who feel that the world has not been fair to them.These people are normally desperate and the cults easily take advantage of this and promise them of a fruitful and good life beyond this earth. Through these cults, hundreds of people have lost their lives where the followers are at times advised by their leaders to take away their lives so as to meet Christ and move away from this desperate and evil world. Cults should hence be done away with and absolutely banned through legislation. The difference between a religion and a cult lies in extremity while the religions don’t and also the cults exhibit them with a greater vigor than all the other religions do.It is important to clearly define the term cult and how it differs or it’s similar to religion. A cult is not just defined as a religion and on the other hand the major world’s religions are not cult s, (Richardson N. 2004). Some people say that the only difference that exists between a cult and a religion is a hundred years. Cults do not have any positive gains since they eventually lead to the destruction of their followers or they misguide and mislead their followers to an extent that they become confused. The followers of a cult do not normally see those who are not part of this form of worship as leading the true way of life.They can even cause harm to those who criticize them, (James, Simon 1993). The strength of the cults is that they are able to lure worshipers into believing on the doctrines of the cult and eventually brainwash them. They are based on materialism and hence innocent people would give in to their ideas. Their main weakness is that they do not end well. More often than not, the cult followers end up losing their lives to the beliefs and ill advice of their leaders. The followers lead a miserable life with the untrue promises given to them by their leaders, (Herm and Jerhard, 2001). Conclusion Cults have existed for very many years to date.Some people normally are not able to tell the difference between cults and the true religious faith. This is more so because there are even religious cults. The cult community normally shares a set of beliefs which could have their end focused on Christ or not. A very prominent editor for the Washington weekly turned down an article proposal on the issue of science and church by saying that the only difference that existed between a religion and a cult was a hundred years. Similarly a larger number of people agree to such sentiments as they equate religions to cults and insist on the blurriness of any line that separates them in any way.It seems perverse for the religious people who are honest to their faiths to be grouped together with those who run cults. References Herm, Jerhard, (2001): The Celts: The People Who Came Out of the Darkness. NY: St. Martin's Press James, Simon (1993): The World of t he Cults. London: Thames and Hudson, 1993. Richardson N. (2004): The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Oxford Weissen, K. (1992): Goddess Worship and the Status of Women in Ancient Celtic Society. Hampshire College: Wilson, Stephen, (1993): Saints and their Cults: Studies in Religious Sociology, Folklore and History. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press

Monday, September 16, 2019

Impacts of malnutrition on children Essay

Capacio (2013) once said that one of the underlying reasons for establishing feeding program is to provide targeted families and their children, an incentive to attend school. It is popular strategy for achieving both educational and social objective among school children, which includes combating and fighting hunger and malnutrition. She further said that its potential impact on education is that aside from alleviating short-term hunger among children, proper nutrition improves children’s cognitive functioning and attention. Better nutrition provides them better assistance to diseases which would keep them from attending school, thus would indirectly improve educational achievement. School feeding programs could help supplement the problem for malnourished children through providing them with healthy meals. Meanwhile, Manasan @ Cuenca (2007) assert that malnourished children often experience loss of mental capacities. They became sickly and loss their presence of mind. Because of this children that are malnourished often have low performance in school. School feeding program is done to reduce the number of malnourished children and improve their nutritional status and at the same time improving their performance in the class. Bundy (2009) suggests that appropriately designed school feeding programs increase access to education and learning and improve children’s health and nutrition especially when integrated into comprehensive school health and nutrition programs. Similarly, a recent review by Jomaa (2011) reveals relatively consistent positive effects of school feeding on energy intake, micronutrient status, school enrollment and attendance of the children participating in school feeding programs compared to non-participants. At present there are approximately 300 million chronically hungry children in the world. One hundred million of them do not attend school. And school feeding programs have been continuously gaining popularity in developing countries, mostly among those affected severely by childhood hunger and malnutrition. These program aims to enhance the concentration span and learning capacity of school children by providing meals in schools to reduce malnutrition. Furthermore, Luistro (2012) said that 42,000 undernourished pupils stand to benefit from the Department of Education’s School Based Feeding Program, which aims to boost their health and help them do well in school. He also added that the feeding program gives nutritious meals to pupils suffering from severe malnutrition for 100 to 200 feeding days. According to Food for Education Stakeholders (2000), evidence strongly suggests that school feeding programs can increase attendance rates, especially for girls. School feeding or take home rations serve as incentives for enrolling children in school and encouraging daily attendance. Early malnutrition can adversely affect physical, mental and social aspects of child’s health, which as a result leads on underweight, stunted growth, lowered immunity and mortality. The lack of nutrition imposes significant economic costs on individuals and nations including how it affects on academic performance and behaviors at school and long term productivity adults. Problems like delayed entry to school, less overall schooling, smaller stature and lower school performance among children represent a great motivation to impose feeding programs. Henceforth, the researchers embark to pursue this study in order to determine the effects of feeding program to the health condition and academic performance of the students in Maasin Central School. In addition, the researchers believe that the results of this study would help curb the problems of malnutrition especially to younger children. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND This study is basically premised on the theories of Ahmed (2004), Jukes, Drake @ Bundy (2008) and Adelman (2008). It is also supported by the following legal bases such as House Bill No. 428, House Resolution No.26 and  DepEd Order No. 43, S. 2011. According to Ahmed (2004), solid empirical evidence of the impact of school feeding programmes on educational outcomes proves that school feeding increases school enrollment and attendance by reducing drop-out. Enhanced nutrition and health of primary school children leads to improved learning and decreased morbidity, paving the way for healthier lives. He further said that the school feeding programmes not only alleviate child hunger in school, but also enhance nutrition, particularly when the food is fortified with micronutrients. This raises the potential to improve a child’s health, school performance and educational attainment. Furthermore, Jakes, Drake @ Bundy (2008) state that when school feeding targets preschool children, it can help give a child a healthy head start and pave the way for a promising future. There is compelling evidence that poor nutrition in early childhood affects cognitive development and learning potential and poor health is an additional barrier to education. They further said that increased access to preschool can enhance education outcomes and equity among children of primary school aged-children. School feeding should be seen as a part of a continuum and one of many potential interventions that support nutrition for pre- primary and primary school aged- children. School feeding in pre- primary schools, for children aged 3 to 5 years can be seen as preventive, and has the potential to bridge the gap between infancy and primary school age- 6 to 11 years in countries where pre- schools are part of the basic education. Meanwhile, Adelman (2008) said that improving micronutrient status through food fortification or micronutrient powders, particularly of iron, B- vitamins, vitamin A and iodine, contributes directly to enhance cognition and learning capacity. Recent studies in Kenya and Uganda proved that both in- school meals and take home rations (THR’s) reduce anaemia prevalence. In addition, Grillenberger (2003) believes that school feeding enhances the diet and increases the energy and kilocalories available to a child. It targets micronutrient deficiencies, which are widespread among school- age children in developing countries and which increase susceptibility to infection, leading to absenteeism and impairing learning capacity and cognition. Alderman (2011) highlighted the importance of school feeding programmes both as a social safety net for children living in poverty and food insecurity, and as a part of national educational policies and plans. School feeding  programs can help to get children into school and help to keep them there, through enhancing enrollment and reducing absenteeism. And once the children are in school the programs can contribute to their learning through avoiding hunger and enhancing cognitive abilities. Furthermore, school health and nutrition interventions have been recognized in addressing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of universal basic education and gender equity in educational access. In order to achieve these goals, it is essential that even the poorest children, who suffer most from ill health and hunger, are able attend school and learn while there. Disadvantaged children- the poor, the marginalized, girls and children in fragile states- often suffer from ill health and malnutrition and therefore benefit most from school feeding program. According to Jacooby (2012) ascertained that school snacks in the Philippines were completely additional resources to the students in the program. That is each additional calorie provided in school led to an identical increase to the total calories consumed by the student during the day. Numerous studies show that in school feeding has a positive impact on school enrollment or participation in areas where initial indicators of school participation are low (Jukes, Drake @ Bundy 2007). Moreover, Greenhalgh (2007) @ Lehrer (2008) claimed that school feeding programs which provide meals at school (SPFs) or related take home rations (THRs) can improve enrollment and attendance, can address chronic hunger or micronutrient deficiencies and, by improving health or by increasing a child’s focus in the classroom, can enhance learning. According to Jomaa (2011), states that school feeding programs (SPFs) are intended to alleviate short- term hunger, improve nutrition and cognition of children and transfer income to families. He also added that the positive impact of school feeding on growth, cognition, and academic achievement of school- aged children receiving SPFs compared to non- school- fed children was less conclusive. This review identifies in the design and implementation of SPFs and calls for theory- based impact evaluations to strengthen the scientific evidence behind designing, funding and implementing SPFs Likewise, House Bill No.428 otherwise also known as â€Å"Child Nutrition Act of the Philippines†- (an Act establishing in the Department of Education a National School Feeding Program for elementary grade pupils) requires the implementation of a National plan of Action that will save millions of elementary school  children from malnutrition and illiteracy by establishing in the Department of Education a National Feeding Program that could significantly reduce the prevalence of malnutrition and swiftly resolve related school and pupil- learning problems. House Resolution No.26- a resolution directing the house committees on basic education, social services, health and government to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) particularly, the various feeding programs for public school children in children in early childhood care and education centers (Day Care Centers), elementary and secondary schools all over the country. The resolution was filed on January 7, 2013 by Congressman Jonathan A. de la Cruz. Finally, DepEd Order No. 43, S. 2011 states that the Department of Education (DepEd) through the Health and Nutrition Center (HNC) should strengthen the School Health and Nutrition Programs (SHNP) into its key programs and aligning all its activities into one seamless whole. This is envisioned to make this Department better able to determine the effectiveness and relevance of its programs, and to make responsive to the DepEd’s mission of enhancing the student’s motivation and capacity for learning, improving learning, outcomes, reducing absenteeism and ensuring that school- age children are able to stay in school as enunciated in the Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Sunday, September 15, 2019

A Comparison of Because I Could Not Stop For Death and Up-hill

It is quite peculiar that there are people who are not afraid of dying or death. Admittedly, most of us are either too afraid to face death or death itself. However, there are exceptions to the rule; and notably, Emily Dickinson and Cristina Rossetti are just some of the people who lovingly welcome the idea. Since both are also poets, they were able to portray their ideas regarding the matter through poems.In Emily Dickinson’s â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death†, she used a technique of remembering imagery of/from the past to elucidate never-ending conceptions; and this; she was able to do through establishing a dialectical relationship between one’s imagination and reality. In her poem, she suggested the subject of interconnection and the reciprocally determined personalities of the known and unknown through viewing the particular correlations between the two holistically and hierarchically.Moreover, she talks about death and eternity. And from the perspec tive of eternity, she remembered experiences that happened so long time ago and from those recollections, she endeavors the eternal world through its rapport with sequential standards.For Dickinson, Death is a kind and comforting gentleman and she adds positive subtexts about it. In this particular poem, Dickinson eternally combines and increasingly orders the temporal world with divine universe. She was able to dialectically shape some sense from the confines of life; thus permitting her readers to have a temporary glance to a universe which have an outwardly different and sporadic stages of existence that at the same time is holistically purposed and drawn in (Dickinson).Meanwhile, Cristina Rossetti also flirted with the same topic on her poem â€Å"Uphill†. In this poem, she talks about the never-ending struggles that we have to endure in life. She successfully achieved it by comparing life to an extensive and hard journey uphill—coated with lots of metaphor that is obvious all throughout the poem.Obviously, the poem is about a traveler inquiring another traveler about the whole journey. Furthermore, the poem is constructed in such a way that Traveler 1 will ask a question and Traveler 2 will answer him back and this goes on until the end of the poem. But yet, if we examine the poem closely, it is more than that.There is so much symbolism and allegory in the poem. In this poem, symbolism inspired Rossetti to write—there are overflowing concealed meanings through the use of allegory. Through closer examination, allegory is fabricated in the course of the entire poem rather then just having it within two lines or so.Nevertheless, the main theme that Rossetti wants to impart to her readers is that no matter how long or hard a journey one may encounter, there will be Someone who will never let you go (in this case, God) and that one cannot miss heaven. Since she is devout Anglican, her poems are at the same time about the idea of Death and religion. This particular poem talks about that topic in a sorrowful and death-obsessed manner (Rossetti).Both authors and poems reiterate the concept of death. In these two particular examples, the difference is how the authors created and styled their poems in different manners. Emily Dickinson used metaphors to convey her message while Christina Rossetti used allegory in her poems. This only shows that both are gifted authors.But more important than that is the fact that no matter how many people view death as a gruesome loss, there will always be people who are courageous enough to accept it and welcome it with open arms—and these two poets are exception to that.Works Cited: Dickinson, Emily. â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death.† March 2, 2008   . Rossetti, Christina. â€Å"Uphill.† March 2, 2008

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Pollution in Vietnam

HANOI—As Vietnam's economy has boomed in recent decades, so too have pollution levels in its major cities, with experts concerned that air pollution could pose a major public health concern. â€Å"Environmental pollution in Vietnam is a real problem,† said Tuong Lai, former dean of Vietnam's Social Science Institute. â€Å"It's not just foreign visitors who have complained about our dust pollution—people in our country are also very dissatisfied with it,† he said.A study conducted by employment consultants ORC Worldwide put economic boomtowns Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi on a list of the 20 worst cities in the world in which to live and work, for environmental reasons. Air pollution was cited as a key factor for both Ho Chi Minh City, which was the ninth worst place to live, and Hanoi, which was ranked 11th worst. A 2008 environmental report by the World Bank ranked the two cities as the worst in Vietnam for pollution, while an environmental study by 400 int ernational scientists in the same year said Hanoi and Saigon were the worst-ranked cities for dust pollution in the whole of Asia.Expert warning And experts at a Southeast Asia air pollution seminar hosted by the Industrial Institute of Asia warned that air pollution in Vietnam had reached dangerous levels. In 2007, Vietnam started to publish results of its own surveys, with an Environmental Protection Bureau report officially recognizing in 2007 that dust pollution was a serious problem in Vietnam. Vietnamese residents of the worst-ranked cities were well aware of the heath effects, and of the effect on tourism revenues. The atmosphere in this country is now seriously polluted, yet the government has not found any solutions,† one Hanoi resident said. â€Å"The air pollution in Saigon and Hanoi has annoyed not only the people in the country, but also the Vietnamese who come back to Vietnam as visitors,† he said. â€Å"It has disappointed so many foreign tourists, too. † Thousands of deaths Health authorities say that thousands of cases of death or illness have been confirmed as having been caused by atmospheric pollution with carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene, and fine particulates (dust).In 2007 the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that an average of 16,000 deaths a year in Vietnam are now caused by air pollution, with thousands of people now confirmed to be suffering from pulmonary disease. Environmental studies blame fuel emissions from public transportation and industrial pollution from factories. Pressure is now growing on Hanoi from international as well as domestic environment specialists to step up controls on industrial pollution and clarify the responsibilities of the various government agencies involved in environmental protection.Calls are emerging in domestic media for the government to enforce a switch to cleaner fuels, and to punish or penalize anyone causing environment pollution. â€Å"Pollution greatly affe cts the health of our people,† Tuong Lai said. â€Å"Therefore the government must make multiple efforts to make a healthy living environment for the people who crowd such big cities as Saigon [Ho Chi Minh City] and Hanoi,† he added.

Brave New World

The mindset the government had was they were constantly making newer and better technology to create â€Å"perfect† individuals without error. The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one, which increased the prejudice against him and intensified the contempt and hostility aroused by his physical defects. Which in turn increased his sense of being alien and alone. A chronic fear of being slighted made him avoid his equals, made him stand, where his inferiors were concerned, self-consciously on his dignity. this direct quote is an exact example of the society we live in today. Mainly women, with some men think they are ugly. It seems as if many Americans believe that plastic surgery is the answer to becoming beautiful. Our culture is not accepting to the fact that most people living in this world are happy with the way their body and looks are. Self consciousness is the main reason for a person in this day and age to change the way they loo k by injecting harmful chemicals into their bodies. These people will have to live with it for the rest of their lives whether they are happy with it or not. There are so Makidon 2 many advertisements and beauty products that encourage humans to change their personal appearance. Natural beauty was given to every individual from birth, whether it may be looks or the heart of a person. Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because theyre so frightfully clever. Im awfully glad Im a Beta, because I dont work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I dont want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. Theyre too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. Im so glad Im a Beta. becoming of the work place is sometimes harder for some than others because of the different tasks one is asked to perform. Three different routes could lead any one to success today. The first one is joining the military. Not only do you get great benefits for health care, family housing and work conditions, but the government pays for all of your expenses for college. Even if your degree takes 12 years to reach, the government pays for all expenses besides tuition and meals. The second is going to college. This can lead to an important role in society and it provides an individual with a career and plenty of job opportunities. The third is staring young and making your way up in a certain franchise. Although it is not as common as getting a college degree, many people can be successful by working hard and becoming the best that they can be. There is such a wide variety of career fields, some working harder than others, but all becoming successful in their own ways. Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isnt nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand. The world has become such a cruel, hard place to live. Prices have gone up, houses have been lost and the economy has crashed. Although the government does not control much of the studies like in Brave New World, they still have their reign over a lot of our world today. A good example of how the economy has Makidon 3 ffected families today is the reason why we moved here from Michigan. My parents both work in the Cardiac Cath Lab and the hospital they worked at in Northern Michigan ended up having to close departments down and let go of a ton of people in every department. My dad had just graduated Lawrence Technical University with a Masters degree but that still couldnt help us back east. He was offered a job here and took it right away. The east coast has been hit the hardest since the economy has crashed, government spending has put a lot of stress and anxiety on tax payers. In certain aspects the book can relate to todays society, but the government had total control over all studies and people in 632 A. F. New ideas of medical issues come alive in this novel, and the technology we use today. Since this book has been published, we no longer use the Bokanosky process, but instead we only remove the eggs and sperm from the reproductive organs, grow them in a petrie dish then put them back into the uterus for growth and development, also known as in vitro fertilization. The mindset the government had was they were constantly making newer and better technology to create â€Å"perfect† individuals without error.

Friday, September 13, 2019

MGMT 459 Organizational Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

MGMT 459 Organizational Behavior - Essay Example The research identified that the various dimensions of employee motivation were given a practical meaning in the organizations operations from the interview with the leader. The interview created an important forum for the researcher to have a practical sense of the application of the content, process and reinforcement theories of motivation that manifested during the discussions with the leader. From the interview, the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory of motivation was evidently evaluated in a practical dimension from the information provided by the leader. The theory assumes a content perspective and stipulates that motivation comes as a result of the efforts by individual employees to satisfy their needs (Robbins, Judge & Campbell, 2010). Maslow postulates that there are five categories of needs that people aspire to meet. The lowest and the most fundamental are the physiological needs that constitute the need for shelter, food, water and other necessities. The research established that people obtain a self-drive to do their work so that in return for a salary they would meet these basic needs. Second in the rank is the safety needs. Here, the employees require safety and protection in the course of their day to day operations at the workplace. The leader demonstrated how the organization’s performance was bound to fluctuate with different levels of safety and protection in various work settings. Under the social needs category, the employees need love, affection and a sense of belonging to a human community (Robbins, Judge & Campbell, 2010). They too require self-esteem, prestige, recognition, respect and a personal sense of mastery and competence. Finally, individuals have the need for self-actualization. There is the need to grow, fulfill oneself and use ones abilities to the fullest. It was discovered from the interview

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Calvinism and Ephesians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Calvinism and Ephesians - Essay Example It stands for Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace and the Perseverance of the saints. These Five Points were adopted by the Synod of Dordt (or Dordrecht), each point the subject of a chapter or head of the Canons of Dordt. According to the followers of Calvin, the Five Points "set forth clearly the biblical teaching on the sovereignty and particularity of the grace of God in salvation."1 Total depravity" is often mistaken to mean that humans are all hopelessly, intensely sinful. Actually, it means something quite different: as a result of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God -- the Fall of Man -- sin has extended to all parts of every person's being: "his thinking, his emotions and his will." Sometimes, this has been called "Total inability." This is the concept that it is impossible for the ordinary "natural" human to understand the Gospel's message. They are spiritually helpless. First, God must first decide to intervene in the form of the third personality within the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, the person is lost forever. 2 This is seen in Romans 5:12: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" and in Mark 4:11: "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables."3 Unconditional Election is the concept of predestination: that God has divided humanity into two groups. One group is "the elected." It includes all those whom God has chosen to make knowledgeable about himself. The rest will remain ignorant of God, and the Gospel. They are damned and will spend eternity in Hell without any hope of mercy or cessation of the extreme tortures. God made this selection before the universe was created, and thus before any humans existed. The ground or grounds that God uses to select the lucky few is unknown. What is known is that it is not through any good works on the part of the individual. It is not that he extends knowledge to some in order to find out who will accept salvation and who will not. There is a degree of tension within the Bible concerning precise division of responsibility between God and humans on this matter. The Bible does not resolve this issue. Hyper-Calvinists believe that a person has zero responsibility for their own salvation; it is all up to God. Arminians teach that humans have free will and thus can accept or resist the call of God.4 This is supported by Romans 9:15: "For he saith to

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Dante and The Inferno Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dante and The Inferno - Essay Example hat have the most masterful and creative way in attributing symbolic retribution for the sins are found in the second which is the sin of lust, seventh is the sin of violence and the ninth and last circle which is the sin of treachery. Dante and his friend Virgil found in the second circle people who were __ with lust when they were still alive. To their surprise, they found famous people in history who is wallowing in the second circle of hell. The famous people from history whom they found in the second layer of hell were the adulterers during their lifetime such as Helen of Troy and Cleopatra. They suffered together with the other people in the circle with a strong wind that refuses to abate giving them eternal trouble and without rest. This strong wind is symbolic of the restless sin of lust that made them commit sin during their lifetime and now haunts them as a retribution in afterlife When Dante reached the seventh circle, he found that this pit was filled with people who were violent when they were style alive. Again, he found mythological figures in history in the seventh circle of hell. There he found Dionysius I of Syracuse, Centaurus and others. This circle of hell however differed from the earlier circles because this hell has three sections – outer ring for the killers, middle ring for the suicidal and the inner right for the blasphemers. The retribution to those who are in the outer right is being dipped for all eternity in the river of boiling blood and fire. The retribution for the suicidal are being turned into food to harpies. Those who are in the inner rings are subjected to burning rain while being in a desert. As expected, Dante’s vortex of hell has the most colorful retribution. There he found Judas who betrayed Jesus with a kiss and other biblical figures such as Cain who murdered his son Abel. Again this is divided into Caina, Antenora, Tolomea and Giudecca where the retributions were being immersed in ice as they look

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Two questions related to Public Budget and Finance Essay

Two questions related to Public Budget and Finance - Essay Example Public budgeting is targeted towards the wellness of citizens. A little wrong prioritization, misallocation of resources, and financial negligence in this process can pose certain challenges for the government regarding implementation of public wellness programs and other public policies. Public budgeting holds a critical place in decision making processes because it is directly associated with the well-being of citizens. It is one of the main responsibilities of any government to allocate resources among competing public sector needs in such a way that none of the sectors faces shortage of funds in any particular stage. Public budgeting includes analysis of the needs of all public sectors and allocation of financial resources in accordance with the analysis report. It is obvious that if one program is overfunded, some other public service program will definitely bear the costs. It is the job the government to decide which sector should be given more space in the public budget and wh ich sector should be at stake. Given the nature of the public budgeting process, governments usually encounter difficulty in making decisions regarding starting of new programs and eliminating existing programs. They have to decide on these issue based on financial analysis of the current economic position of the country. In America, it is the responsibility of executives, legislators, as well as judiciary to maintain a check and balance on the public budgeting process. In the Federal government system, the congress enacts the budgets, whereas the president is held responsible for providing the guidelines for the preparation and submission of the budget. Public budgeting provides government officials the information about current financial position of the economy by detailing the capital in hand, as well as predicted future expenditures related to current and ongoing business processes. Proper financial analysis also helps governments cut off the extra costs and utilize the availabl e capital for other public service activities. Governments need to plan business and public wellness activities according to their financial budgets. If a government does not pay attention towards managing financial activities, problems can occur which may delay the planned activities (Lynch, 1991). Therefore, from public budgeting perspective, it is imperative to develop a perfect budget plan that should help the government in achieving the desired goals and objectives while maintaining the financial equilibrium. Having discussed the public budgeting system in detail, let us also talk about information, justification, and examination that play an important role in the development of a public budget. Budgeting is primarily based on information. Budgeting systems are all about gathering reliable and accurate information of both technical and political nature and using that information in making resource allocation decisions. Justification refers to process of deciding whether a publi c service program should be funded or not based on proper justifications. Examination, on the other hand, is all about analyzing the way organization’s resources have been used in the past and developing a course of action for future programs. Answer No. 2 Budget Process As Morgan (2006) states, â€Å"the success of a business depends on the capital budgeting decisions taken by the management† (p. 1). Budgets are prepared to set and accomplish organizational goals and objectives. These budgets help the organizations in preparing a