Porter's generic strategies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Porter's generic strategies - Case Study Example The cost leadership strategy has enabled the U.S airways to increase profits by reducing costs that are incurred by the airline, and also enable them to increase the market share by putting cheaper prices while still making a favorable profit on each sale they make (Kossowski, 2007). The U.S airways has made this strategy highly efficient since they have; access to the capital needed to spend in technology that bring costs down, efficient logistics and low cost requirements on labor, materials and facilities. The U.S airways has also applied the differentiation strategy, which involves making their products and services unique and more presentable than those of their competitors, hence making them more efficient in the airline market (InfoRefuge, 2012). Focus strategy used by the U.S airways entails concentrating on a market and providing it with low costs or well-specified products, which eventually builds a strong brand loyalty amongst their customers making it more attractive comp ared to their competitors. Airline competitors have been outdone successfully by the U.S airways because of the airlines use of the Porters generic strategies, which ascertain that they are more competitive and get a greater share of the

Company Contract: Constitutions and Director Role

Company Contract: Constitutions and Director Role Question 1. Is the contract enforceable against Beanstalk Ltd owing to the fact that Jack did not have the capacity to enter into that kind of contract? Employees of a company have a clear mandate on their powers and this are usually spelt out in the in the articles and memorandum of association of a given company. The corporation act has come in handy to address this scenario. Section 124 dwells on the powers of the company and its legal status. Sec 124 (2) provides that a company legal capacity to do a particular thing is not affected by the fact that the company interests are not served by doing it. Section 125 of the CA is to the effect that a company constitution may have an express restriction on the way a company may exercise its powers. Suffice to note that the exercise of a power by the company is not invalid merely because it is contrary to an express restriction or prohibition in the company’s constitution. Subsection 2 is to the effect that an act done by the company is not invalid merely because it is contrary to or beyond any objects in the company’s constitution. Sec 126 is to the effect that an agent appointed by the company and he has the power to make, vary, ratify or discharge a contract. The person may be exercising express or implied authority and on behalf of the company. The power may be exercised without using a common seal. The court always takes the view that the duty to act in good faith in the best interests of the company means that the directors must act in the interests of the shareholders as a collective group as illustrated in the Greenhalgh v Arderne Cinemas Ltd[1]. In addition to the above sections, section 128 entitles one to make assumptions in section129 in relation to dealings with a company. The company is not entitled to assert in proceedings in relation to the dealings that any of the assumptions are incorrect. Section 130 on the other hand is to the effect that a person is not taken to have information about a company merely because the information is available to the public from ASIC. Section 128(4) is to the effect that a person is not entitled to make an assumption in section129 if at the time of the dealings they knew or suspected that the assumption was incorrect. Section 129(b) details the presumption in section 128. Section 129(2)(b) is to the effect that one may assume that a director has authority to exercise the powers and perform the duties customarily exercised or performed by a director or company secretary of a similar company. In our case scenario Beanstalk is obligated to pay even if Jack surpassed his powers unless they can prove that Giant ltd were aware of the limitations imposed on jack and they disregarded them. The Beanstalk constitution was available in the public record and Giant ltd had an obligation of knowing and complying with the con tents Section 130 of the CA serves to address the issue of notice on the limitations imposed on the directors or agents of the company. It provides that the company cannot escape liability on the premise that the person dealing with the company should have been aware of the limitations. The two Sections just before section 130 are of the following effect: Section 128(4) is to the effect that a person is not entitled to make an assumption in section129 if at the time of the dealings they knew or suspected that the assumption was incorrect. Section 129(b) details the presumption in section 128. Section 129(2)(b) is to the effect that one may assume that a director has authority to exercise the powers and perform the duties customarily exercised or performed by a director or company secretary of a similar company. One also need to look at the organic theory which states that where the agents of the company acts within the boundary of powers conferred to them by the company constitution or replaceable rules, then they are deemed as being the company itself as was illustrated in Northside Developments Pty Ltd v Registrar-General[2]. But this may always turn out not to be true as was espoused in the case of Smorgon v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd[3], where it was observed that such an act requires the attribution of mental states to corporations Company’s legal capacity At common law the company could only enter into legal obligations only if its’ constitution so authorizes. Any part to the contract was deemed to be aware of any restrictions contained in the constitution of the company. Capacity is catered for under Corporations Act 2001. Section 124 accords the company the same legal capacity as an individual and this encompasses power to make an agreement. S 125is to the effect that performance of an act including entry into an agreement by the company will not be invalidated merely on the premise that its beyond the power of the company’s constitution. Thus Giant limited will not be stopped from staking it claims of payments merely because Beanstalk limited had made it constitution public as provided for under s125. Section 128 and 129 are to the effect that where one enters into any dealing with the company on the belief that he is dealing with the right person, then the company will have to honor its obligations. Thus despite the constitution being made public, section 129 and 130 states that the company is still bound by the acts of it officers who are duly appointed to carry out such a task. Thus beanstalk will have to prove that despite Giant ltd being aware of the limitations, they violated what was in the public domain. Question Two Pan Ltd is a company without a constitution. At a members meeting five items of business were passed as special resolutions and placed in a new constitution of the company. These were: that dividends can only be paid if they have been recommended by the directors and declared by the members; Dividends Dividends are the payments made out to shareholders when the company is a going concern and if the directors have approved such payments. They can only be paid if the company assets are sufficiently in excess of its liabilities immediately the dividend is declared and if the dividend is fair and reasonable to the company shareholders as a whole and this does not prejudice the company ability to pay its creditors. This is governed by sections 254T and 254U. (b) That the transfer of shares in the company requires the approval of the directors; Transfer of shares A shareholder in a company who wants to terminate his relationship with the company may decide to offload his shares by way of sale. The shareholder may encounter some difficulties if he wants to sell the shares to an outsider of the company. Some of the difficulties which may arise under the replaceable rules are: The directors have the discretion to refuse to transfer the shares and There might a restriction in the company constitution (if any) on shares transfers. Sections 707. Section 140(2) stipulates that a member may refuse to be bound by modifications after becoming a member if such a modification imposes or increases restrictions on the right to transfer the shares already held by the member, unless the modification is made: or (i) in connection with the company’s change from a public company to a proprietary company under Part2B.7; or (ii) to insert proportional takeover approval provisions into the company’s constitution. Thus the discretion of shares transfer lies with the directors unless a contrary intention as envisaged in section 140 (2) is adduced. that Wendy Weird be a director of the company for life; The CA doesn’t set the specific time for retirement of directors. One can only fail to serve as a director under the circumstances contemplated in Part 2D 3 of the CA. this can be removed by members through the annual general meeting, through resignation or incapacity. To this end one can be a director for life. Those directors of the company are to be appointed by Wendy Weird; A director may appoint another director under section 201 H (replaceable rule—see section135). A person can be appointed as a director with a view of the company establishing the requisite quorum for a directors meeting. Section 201J provides that the directors of a company may appoint 1 or more of themselves to the office of managing director of the company for the period, and on the terms (including as to remuneration), as the directors see fit. To this end Wendy can be appointed under the conditions envisaged in the above sections. That the directors may issue the company’s shares only with the approval of the members. Directors have the powers to issue new shares as provided for under section 254D. Before issuance of new shares of a given class, the directors of a proprietary company must offer them to the existing shareholders of that class. The directors must give the shareholders a statement setting out the terms of the offer. Question Three In order to obtain the funds necessary to expand its business Growth Ltd is to make a $M20 share issue. Advise the directors of Growth Ltd over the following matters. REQUIRED: Can the funds be raised from existing members or anyone else without a prospectus? (2 marks) There are several ways of raising funds by companies in Australia. Public companies (i.e. those with more than 50 non-employee shareholders) can raise funds from the general public by issuing securities. Private companies (ie proprietary limited companies that have no more than 50 non-employee shareholders) on the other hand can raise funds: From existing shareholders and employees of the company or a subsidiary company, and from the general public if the fundraising does not require a disclosure document. Section 708 is to the effect that any personal offers of a body of securities do not require disclosure to the investors. But this doesn’t apply to offers which might amount to indirect issue. Vital documents one is supposed to give potential investors when raising funds? As a general rule of procedure, if a public company is desirous of raising capital or offering securities for sale (for example shares or debentures) a disclosure document must be availed to the potential investors. This is document whose main purpose is to describe all regulated fundraising documents for the issue of securities (for example shares or debentures). All companies which are allowed to raise funds can use a prospectus. A company also relies on an offer information statement or a profile statement and this is informed by the type of fundraising one intends to carry out and whether the restrictions imposed by virtue of using these documents are satisfied. Offer information statements An offer information statement (OIS) has in it a lower threshold for disclosure but can only be used for fundraising up to $10 million. If the company intends to use an OIS then it is required to include a copy of an audited financial report with a balance date within the last six months. Profile statements This is a document which sets out limited key information in relation to the company and the offer. This kind of statements can only be relied upon if ASIC has approved their use. To this end a company can raise funds from without reliance on the prospectus. In summary, a disclosure document is not required when: an offer is a personal offer, and if: offers or invitations have been made to fewer than 20 persons in the previous 12 months, and the new offer will not result in more than $2 million being raised in that 12 months; Note: you must not advertise the offer when you rely on this exemption the offers are made to specified people who are presumed not to need disclosure because of their financial capacity, experience, or wholesale status; the offers are made to current holders of the securities; no money or other form of payment is payable for the securities; other disclosure regimes under the Corporations Act apply (i.e. takeovers, schemes of arrangement); The offer is made by certain types of financial institutions. Will the directors be safe from prosecution if they provide to investors in a prospectus everything they know that is relevant about the investment? (2 marks) The Corporations Act does not detail out everything that ought to be included in the prospectus. But section 710 is to the effect that a prospectus must contain all information that the investors (and their professional advisers) would reasonably require, and reasonably expect to find in the prospectus. This information should be availed so that the investors can make an informed assessment of material matters relating to the company and these do include: †¢ The assets and liabilities, financial position, profits and losses and prospects of the company. †¢ The rights attaching to the securities being offered. Some other information such as terms and conditions of the offer, disclosure of certain payments made to the directors and advisers in connection with the IPO and the expiry date of the prospectus must be contained in the prospectus. To this end the directors will be immune from prosecution as they will not have breached any requirement bestowed on them. If the company issues a prospectus and the directors then become aware that there is a false and misleading statement in it, what alternatives are available to them under the CA? (3 marks) Where a company directors have become aware of a false or misleading statement in the prospectus which has already been issued to the public, the can petition the ASIC to issue Stop Orders. Though these are the preserve of the ASIC to issue this can be sought so that the issues can be rectified on time. Stop orders: what they are and when we will issue one section 719 A stop order is an administrative mechanism that allows ASIC to prevent offers being made under a disclosure document where we believe it contains: a misleading or deceptive statement an omission of information required to be provided under the legislation, or a new circumstance has arisen since the disclosure document was lodged. Where a stop order is issued on a disclosure document, then the company is not allowed to offer, issue, sell or transfer its shares while that order is in force. An interim stop order may be sought for up to 21 days during which time the company will be accorded a hearing to put across its views to an independent delegate. It’s after the hearing that the interim stop order may be lifted or a final stop order on the disclosure document may issue. . Does the CA provide any protection for directors where funds are raised under a prospectus that contains a misleading statement? (3 marks) The liability for directors under corporation falls under section 1308, which provides inter alia that misleading misstatements amounts to a crime and such an offence, is one of strict liability. The CA offers protection to directors by availing the following defences. There are a range of defences available to potential civil and criminal liability, some of which include: †¢ The ‘due diligence defence’, that is, that the person has made all enquiries which were reasonable in the circumstances and having made these enquiries, they believed on reasonable grounds that a statement was not misleading or deceptive or that there was not a material omission from the prospectus. †¢ Where a new circumstance has arisen and it can be established that the person was not aware of the new matter. †¢ Establishing that the person reasonably relied on information provided by someone outside the company, such as a professional adviser, for statements contained in the prospectus But the director should not conceal such information when it comes to his attention. [1] [1946] 1 All ER 512 (CA) [2] (1990) 170 CLR 146 [3] [1976] HCA 53 Is Globalisation A Threat Or An Opportunity? Is Globalisation A Threat Or An Opportunity? Is globalisation a threat or an opportunity for business? The key objective for any business organisation is to maximise profit, if a manufacturing or service industry in any country is progressive in their field of practice, there maybe a need for them to invest or open other subsidiary operation in other country where there is a rising demand for their goods or services Sloma (2004). Furthermore, (Post et al, 1999:146) states that globalisation consist of assembling goods from components produced in several nations, buying of raw materials from overseas suppliers or selling finished goods or services to customers in other countries, also (BBC, 2011) defines globalisation as the involvement of the world becoming highly interconnected as a result of increased cultural and trade exchange. Therefore this essay would explain the cause/effect, opportunities and threat of globalisation on businesses. The main causes of globalization may; trade liberalisation, transportation, and communication (Bhagwati et al, 1983). In trade liberalisation, legislation reducing trade and foreign direct investment have been relaxed. Some governments offer tax incentives to persuade overseas companies to invest in their country, this maybe linked to what is known as free trade (BBC, 2011). Transportation is relatively becoming cheaper, fast and easy to access. People travel for holiday, business, migrate and emigrate from one country to another. Businesses organisations can ship goods and raw materials between countries more easily making goods and services from all over the world available to consumers. While communication, the internet, telephony and the television have paved way for free flow of information and ideas. Outsourcing is a example these, thus a businesses organisation in a country can have a call centre in another country answering calls from customers of the main country. One of the main effect of globalization is inequality, this refers to the income disparity that exist between countries across the world. It maybe argued that globalisation contributes in creating more wealth in developed countries, thus it does not help to close the gap between the worlds richest nations and the worlds poorest King King (2005:199). The internet can be viewed as an opportunity of globalization for businesses. The internet can also be seen as a gateway to participate in the game of globalization (BBC, 2010). Through the Internet, business organisations have been able to go beyond borders, to reach their end customers with their goods or services, thus this could be referred to e-commerce. Communications can be made quickly and easily to any anywhere in the world, but at the same time businesses are exposed to big competition, Holton (1998). There are millions of websites on the Internet, despite the seemingly easy participation, the reality of the Internet can be seen as oligopoly, Sloman (2004). Furthermore, with the internet playing a roll in globalization. It may be good for a business organisation to have access to anyone anywhere in the world, but it also exposes the business to competition. In the internet competition, winners are very few, which creates a big gap between the large and small business. Howev er, there are still opportunities for small business in the world of globalization. This could be; the variety of cultures, languages, social systems and customs, etc. Take the differences of language for illustrative example. Your website may not be seen by customers if it is only in English. Actually, many web pages in the Internet are written in English. However, the business should know there are many languages in the world. If a business website has a page in a different languages, their competitors may be reduced. Another key opportunity for business, is the transfer of technological advancement and knowledge in globalisation. Corsi (2000) points out that this has led to growth in innovation and better techniques of production to business. The main result of this is the growing income and appreciation of the companys economic achievement. Foreign migrants coming to work in multinational companies contribute to the knowledge of developing businesses thus which makes the business more efficient. Economic policies, management techniques and Increased knowledge about production methods present invaluable inputs in small businesses (SME) King King (2005). In globalization there are opportunities of cheap labour for business organisations, thus Jennifer (2005) argues that developing nations are encouraged to open their economies to international trade, with the aim that free trade would bring development and prosperity. Opening its economy to international trade does not translate to economic development and instant prosperity for developing countries, but rather it signifies the exposure of the developing economy to multi-national corporations and foreign direct investors, many of which seek to expand their operations in developing economies because of the cheap labour available in these economies. Growing portions of these cheap labour sources consist of women and MNCs have been accused of intentionally hiring economically and poor educated deprived women to reduce labour costs. With cheap labour a clothing company in the UK can sell a shirt for  £60 that cost less than 10 pence in labour to produce. While globalisation may be seen as an opportunity for big businesses, it can also be argued to be a threat to big and small businesses (SME). Carper (2010) argues that energy and transportation costs increases when jobs are outsourced, as big businesses revise their business strategy and produce goods overseas. Customer service often decreases as companies pay for their goods to be transported from a foreign warehouse to their before being dispatched to the customer. Call centers, are also affected by globalization, as its being flooded with clerks who do not speak fluent English. As energy use increases, domestic supply costs increase as more businesses compete for natural resources. Intergovernmental relations between two countries can have an influence on multinational corporations. For example, If two countries are are war, there will be no trade between them. Furthermore, business operations may be influenced by the political ties of host and home country governments even when there is no war. The United States and Japan have had an important, but difficult, relationship since the end of World War 2. The United States helped rebuild Japans steel, auto industries and shipbuilding , and by the 1970s Japans productivity had increased massively. It used its efficiencies to export steel, automobiles, and semi-conducts to the big U.S. Market. The United States has shifting political relations with Great Britain, China, Russia and Brazil, and many other nations. Economic relations are affected, for better or worse, by political change, and national political priorities shape business relations. The United States, for example, banned U.S. Manufacturing industries fro m selling military products to countries that government agencies believe may be a threat U.S. Security; it restricts high technology exports; and it has banned U.S. Companies from doing business dealings in Cuba (Post et al, 1999:159). Increased Competition is another main concern, as it is threat to domestic businesses. Government of developing countries are faced with this problem as they look to export more and import less to increase the countrys GDP. Globalisation threaten domestic companies as domestic businesses have to compete with foreign business organisation, they are forced to raise their customer satisfaction levels and standards in order to survive in the market. In addition, In developing countries, this is disturbing for domestic companies as they are unable to contend with foreign companies as they are too dependent on the government for funds and therefore lack competitive edge. And also, this is were the government moves in to protect small companies by creating trade barriers and imposing tariffs on imported products. Protectionism does not apply to only developing countries but also developed countries also have the highest trading restrains, Borkakoti (1998). In conclusion, it appears to the author, based on what this essay talks about to point out that globalisation can be an opportunity also a threat to large and small business. Furthermore, globalization has played a big role in the movement of goods and service, making resources available to consumer, it may be argued that globalisation has created global expansion for big business as it has paved the way for small domestic businesses to export their goods or service. However globalization has its disadvantages as well, because of its vulnerability to intergovernmental relations (in the case of war) and its opens domestic businesses to foreign competition. REFERENCES Anup, G (1997) E-commerce security : weak links, best defenses. Oxford: Wiley. BBC (2010) Globalization. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/industry/globalisation_rev1.shtml [Accessed: 14th March, 2011] Bhagwati, J. N, Panagariya, A., Srinivasan, T. N. (1983) International Trade. 2nd edn. Massachusetts: The MIT Press. Borkakoti, J (1998) International Trade. London: Macmillan Press Ltd Carper, T (2010) The Threat of Globalization. [Online] Available at: http://www.thaynecarper.com/globalization/ [Accessed: 20th March, 2011] Corsi, C (2000) Innovation and market globalization. Amsterdam: IOS Press. pp9 Holton, R. J. (1998) Globalization and the nation-state. London : Macmillan Press. Jennifer, M. (2005) The Double Edge of Globalization. Available at: http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/7/0/6/8/pages70681/p70681-1.php [Accessed: 14th March. 2011] King, P King, S (2005) International Economics and International Economic Policy. 4th edn. New York: Irwin/McGraw-Hill Post, J., Lawrence, A., Weber, J. (1999) Business and Society. 9th edn. Boston, MA: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Sloman, J. (2004) Essentials of Economics. 3rd edn. Harlow : Financial Times Prentice Hall

The Beauty of Numbers :: Graduate Admissions Essays

The Beauty of Numbers "There are three kinds of lies-lies, damned lies, and statistics."-Mark Twain Well, perhaps Mr. Twain didn't see the beauty of numbers the way that I do. Because ever since grade school, mathematics has been my favorite subject. And once I was in college and could focus on many areas of math, I realized that I had a genuine interest to applying mathematical and statistical theories to real-world concerns. Hey, even Twain the skeptic realized the importance of balancing the cargo on shallow, difficult-to-navigate riverboats so that the port and starboardsides were equally laden-he even advised the captains to part their hair down the middle so that the weight was perfectly distributed! I find a similar pleasure in seeing the numbers "come out right." When I first entered the work force, starting out in the actuarial area, the areas of my day-to-day work that I most enjoyed were researching and analyzing data so that I could logically apply the information to the business opportunity at hand. Consequently, I realized that the most prudent path to accomplishing this would be to further my education in the advanced studies of statistics and I have been preparing myself by taking a year of higher-level math and statistics courses at Ohio State. I've maintained a 4.0 GPA, and am confident that pursuing a Ph.D. and later entering a career in statistical consulting or teaching is the right step for me. I'd like to focus on two qualities that I know will help me to succeed in graduate school and in my chosen field. First, I go after what I want and don't stop until I get it. And second, I quite genuinely find research and analysis fascinating and enjoy doing that kind of work. My strategy in attaining success is to identify my goal, figure out the best way to attain it, and then do it. When I was an undergraduate, I wanted to start my own business. I assessed my skills and founded CalcWizards, a mathematics tutorial service. I developed and marketed the service to other students and taught all disciplines of mathematics, from beginning through advanced. Not only was my business a financial success, but I really enjoyed the time I spent teaching others. This go-get-it attitude served me well in my career at Cigna Life Insurance as well.

Impact of Right to Work in India

Economic Environment Management PROJECT Impact of the â€Å"Right to work programme† in India SUBMITTED BY – Yash Jhaveri IIM Kozhikode Batch: EPGP04: Date of Submission: 27th January 2013 Contents INTRODUCTION : Right to Work In INDIA †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 What is NREGA / MGNREGA †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. WHAT ARE THE GENERAL BENEFITS RTW / MGNREGA †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 HOW IS THE PROGRAM FINANCED? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 Financing pattern †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Release of funds †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Comparison : RTW/MGNREGA Vs other government based employment schemes †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 Impact of RIGHT TO WORK / MGNREGA †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 Increase in GDP †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 Effect on Inflation †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Recommendations †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 REFERENCES †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 2 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT – KOZHIKODE INTRODUCTION : Right to Work In INDIA Every human being have rights to fundamental aspects like right to food, life and education. India is a country where approximately thirty percent of the population is below the poverty line.In order to provide millions of humans with rights to life, right to education and right to food that only have access to economic assets like labor power, providing them employment is very important. Unemployment i s one of the major concern and reason for spreading poverty in India. The right to work according to Article 39 of the Indian Constitution urges the State to ensure that â€Å"the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means to livelihood†, and that â€Å"there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women.RIGHT TO WORK Program is implemented in India under Mahatma Gandhi national rural employment guarantee act – MGNREGA. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) was notified in 2005, 7TH Septmeber. What is NREGA / MGNREGA Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was earlier knows as NRGEA. Main aim of this program is to enhance the livelihood andsecurity of people residing in rural areas. This act guarantees a minimum 100 days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.Important original provisions of the MGNREGA are a s outlined below: i. Every household in the rural India shall have a right to a minimum of 100 days of guaranteed employment every year for minimum one adult (above 18 years of age) member, for doing UNSKILLED manual labour, compensation for which is fixed at Rs 120 (one hUndred twenty only) on daily basis. ii. Only productive work shall be undertaken under this program. A list of permissible and preferred works has to be prepared by a state council who shall implement the program.Such preferred works are identified basis the benefits of socio-economical work, the contribution made by such socio-economical work to social equity, and the ability of such work to create assets on permanent basis iii. For successful implementation and for labourers benefit the up-gradation of kills are required of unskilled workers. The program may provide such training and expenses towards these trainings iv. Taking into the consideration the guide lines of states council, Wages to such labourers to be paid in cash or in kind or both. v.To make it easy for the applicant, the program states that employment shall be provided within a radius of 5 kilometres of the village where the applicant resides at the time of applying. In cases where employment is provided beyond such limit of 5 kilometres , transport allowances and daily living allowances shall be paid in accordance with Programme Rules; vi. Given the scenario where at least twenty women are employed at a site, a provision shall be made for one of them to be deputed to look after all / any children under the age of six who may be brought to the worksite if they accompany their parents.The person deputed for such task of minding the children shall be paid the statutory minimum wage; vii. A small portion of the wages not exceeding 5% may be deducted as a contribution to welfare schemes organized for the benefit of labourers employed under the Programme. These welfare schemes are insurance: health and accident, survivor benefits, maternity benefits and social security schemes. 3 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT – KOZHIKODE WHAT ARE THE GENERAL BENEFITS RTW / MGNREGA: i. ii. The program provides social protection by providing employment opportunities to the people living in rural India.The program promises livelihood security for the underprivileged and poor through creation of durable assets, improved water conditions and security, soil conversion and as a result of soil conversion higher land productivity The program provides services like drought-proofing and flood management in rural India Through the processes of a rights-based legislation, this program empowers the socially disadvantaged, specifically women, Scheduled Castes and Schedules Tribes The program ensures strengthening decentralized and participatory planning through convergence of various initiatives like anti-poverty and livelihood The program works on grass root levels by deepening democracy by strengthening Panchayati Raj Institution s MGNREGA is a powerful tool which implements transparency and accountability in governance thereby ensuring inclusive growth in rural India.This is because of its impact on social protection, security of livelihood and democratic empowerment. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. HOW IS THE PROGRAM FINANCED? Financing pattern The center will bear the appended costs. 1. For unskilled manual workers: 100% cost of wages 2. For semi skilled and skilled workers :75% cost of wages and material 3. All administrative expense as determined and as per guidelines of central government which essentially includes salary and allowances of program officers and their support staff and work site facilities 4. Administrative expenses of CEGC The state will bear the appended costs 1. For semi skilled and skilled workers:25% cost of wages and material 2.If in case the state government cannot provide wage employment within 15 days of application, the state government to pay unemployment allowance to the applicant. 3. A dministrative expenses of SEGC Release of funds: 1. Unlike in other state run programs where the funds are pre allocated, in this programme , the release of funds is wholly dependent upon the proposals given by the state 2. The ministry of rural development will decide on the sanction of funds once it receives state’s formulated annual work plan and budget proposal. (AWBP) 3. The annual work plan and budget proposal is based on the demands of funds received from the state’s districts and panchayats of districts 4.AWBP also reports the use the of previous funds received by the state and also on key performance indicators determine under the scheme enabling an assessment of proposals received by state government. The said assessment is of qualitative nature. This enables the ministry to decide on the finalizing the amount for the state for the given financial year. The actual disbursement of funds to the state also depends upon the utilization of funds previously allocat ed for the same state. 4 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT – KOZHIKODE 5. The district programme coordinator or the state applies to the ministry of rural development , once the 60% of funds released earlier are utilized, for next round of funding under CEGF 6. On receipt to disbursement of funds by the center, the state government will release the funds to the program within 15 days.Comparison : RTW/MGNREGA Vs other government based employment schemes There are a few valid reasons why a right to work- guarantee of employment works better as compared to fly by night program introduced by center and state: †¢ guarantee of employment increases the purchasing capacity of those who are demanding work †¢ This program ensures the inclusion of the poorest of the poor in employment schemes. †¢ The Program brings a sense of security in the laborers lives. Employment guarantee programme boosts the confidence of laborers with respect to high local employment prospect and hen ce discourage season based migration, most laborers resort to in difficult times. Right to work is A legally binding employment guarantee program is far more durable and reliable than fly by night schemes and programs run by state government which have proven on more than one occasions to be extremely short-lived. Impact of RIGHT TO WORK / MGNREGA Increase in GDP Planned expenditure of government is increasing as government is spending (budgeted 33,000 crore for 2012-13) on welfare or construction projects to give work to the unemployed people. A substantial part of this spending goes as the wages to the direct labour. As marginal propensity to consume (MPC) of this labourers is very close to 1, the effect of this government expenditure to the increase of GDP will be very high , which in turn leads to high growth in GDP. As per Keynesian model , increase in the government expenditure will make the GDP grow which in turn amounts for higher output.MGNREGA as Accelerator High proportio n of agricultural population actually owns land. After spending on normal consumption for livelihood, the amount saved is mostly spent on their own farms. So the production from their land also increases leading to further increase in GDP. Change in Interest Rates As we have already discussed, because of the MGNREGA, GDP is supposed to increase, interest rate is higher than earlier. Because of the increase in government spending, consumption also increases, i. e. , demand in the goods market increases leading to a rightward shift of the demand curve. With an increase in output, interest rate also increases.As interest rate increase, investors will be less willing to borrow money from banks. As a result, capital Investment will come down. Decreasing investment will have a negative effect on GDP which will eventually come down. So the net effect on GDP by government sPending for MGNREGA employment will be little less. 5 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT – KOZHIKODE Effect on Infla tion Because of the MGNREGA, (i) unemployment is reducing and (ii) people who had a no / nominal income previously are now having nominal /higher income. The overall effect would be reduction of unemployment in the economy. MGNREGA leads to inflation but only in the short run.The higher wage rates in MGNREGA increases the wages of the workers who are working under MGNREGA thereby increasing their marginal propensity to consume. This leads to increase in the demand of food items. In the short run this leads to increase in the prices of the commodities mainly the food items and thus leading to increase in inflation. Also the workers employed under MGNREGA are unavailable for agricultural work during the harvest season, this leads to shortage of farm workers. As a result labourers need to be hired by offering higher wages than that offered under NREGA. As the cost of labour is increased, the effect of this can be observed in the form of increase in the prices of the farm output and thu s shifting the Aggregate supply AS curve to the left.The above mentioned phenomenon can be observed only in the short run because in the long run the infrastructure activities carried out under MGNREGA like construction of wells and dams for irrigation purpose, leveling of roads and water conservation and harvesting will increase the farm output produced thereby leading to increase in the supply of food items thus shifting the AS curve back to the right and thus reducing inflation. Implications Since its inception, the Act has generated 1112. 03 crore person-days. Almost 70% of the MG NREGA labour. The average wage earned has risen from ? 65 per person day in 2006 to ? 100 in 2011. Inclusive Growth – The share of SC/ST families in the work provided under MGNREGA over the previous five years has ranged between 51-61%. Women workforce participation under the Scheme has surpassed the statutory minimum requirement of 33 per cent. Over the previous five years it has ranged between 40-48%. In 2011, there were allegations that the programme was no more effective than other poverty alleviation plans in India.Rumors and reports had a buzz of corruption, controversy and scam written all over MGNREGA. Corrupt officials puncturing the budgets that are allocated, government expenditure routed from the funds for deficit financing, poor quality of infrastructure built under this program, were some of the issues that were being pointed at and questioned. 6 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT – KOZHIKODE Recommendations The MGNREGA scheme has been designed as a supply-based model, where the number of works undertaken is dependent on the amount of labourers that register with the scheme. This caters to the primary objective of generating wage employment in India.Although to ensure quality-driven growth, the model has to incorporate a demand-based side, where the labourers are given work according to the value-addition required. The clause about providing an employment within five kilometers of the residence of a labourer needs tweaking. 7 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT – KOZHIKODE REFERENCES * NREGA Report to the people – 2nd Feb ‘12 (http://nrega. nic. in/circular/Report%20to%20the%20people_english%20web. pdf) * NREGA Website (http://nrega. nic. in/netnrega/home. aspx) * ‘The Macroeconomics of NREGA’ – Live Mint article (http://www. livemint. com/Opinion/nKoASa6hFXSX3w8Wd0EeWI/Views–The-macroeconomicsof-Nrega. html) * Macroeconomics – N. Gregory Mankiw * ‘The Modern Minimum-Wage Controversy and Its Antecedents’ – A paper by Thomas C. Leonard

Heritage, Traditions and Beliefs Essay

All around us, there are different cultures, races, and ways of life that we interact with. Even with all of the differences, we still somehow manage to live in harmony with each other. If we think about it, we all live in one place; Earth. There are different perspectives and stories as to how it came about. These stories about the earth’s origin also reflect the different heritages, traditions, and beliefs that we see around us. The stories from the Native Americans, Africans, Mayan civilization, scientific origins of life and the book of genesis from the bible will be discussed in this essay. The Native Americans, called Navajo believe in the power of the Wind. They believed that life came from the wind. The breath that comes from our mouths gives us life. When the wind stops to blow, our life ends and we die. The Navajo also believes that their ancestors are always with them. The presence of wind trail on their fingertips shows them their ancestors. They believe that every living and non-living things are connected with the power of the wind. The Africans, specifically from the tribe of Yoruba, the people of Nigeria, Togo, and Benin, believe in the supreme being, Olorun and his assistants, Orishas, heavenly entities. David A. Anderson wrote this story. The story started with Oluron with orishas living in the sky in a baobab tree. Oluron being a great being allows the orishas to roam around. Obatala, a curious orisha, left the baobab tree and found a vast empty ocean below the mist. Obatala asked Olorun for permission to go down to the vast ocean and make something solid in the waters below. Olorun allowed Obatala’s request. Before starting his journey, Obatala asked for the help of Orunmila, the orisha seer. She advised Obatala to prepare the following things for his journey; a chain of gold, sand, palm nuts, maize, and a sacred egg, which carries the personalities of all the orishas. So Obatala hooked the chain of gold to the sky and climbed down to the vast empty ocean. He went down for seven days and when he reached the end, he waited for the advice of Orunmila to pour the sand into the water. A vast land was formed from the water. Obatala was still unsure of what to do. The sacred egg, which he hid inside his clothes near his heart hatched as Obatala’s heart pounded stronger. The Sankofa, a bird bearing the spirits of all the orishas, came out. As it flew around the solidified land, it formed dunes, hills, and lowlands. Eventually, Obatala released the chain and walked in the land that he named â€Å"Ife†. As Obatala explored the land, he scattered the seeds that he brought with him and so plants started to grow. Obatala made images of him out of clay and he was pleased. Olorun, being pleased with what Obatala did, made a fireball for the clay to be cooked and Olorun’s breath brought life to the figures. The Mayan civilization’s story of creation is called the Popol Vuh. The story started with Heart-of-sky, also called Maker, Modeler, Kukulkan, and Hurricane, whom they regarded as the almighty. It was only him who existed and he realized he needed someone to talk about his name and praise him. By mere speaking, earth emerged followed by mountains, trees and land. When Heart-of-sky sees that everything is going well, he created the animals to roam the land. He ordered the animals to praise him, but all they did was make animal sounds, thus he ordered that animals shall serve the people, whom he made to praise him. It took Heart-of-sky two attempts to make people, the first was made of mud and was loop-sided and spoke nonsense, and so he decided to let it dissolve away. The second was made from wood. Doll woods were mad, but did not have blood, sweat or minds. They did not respect their creator so flood was casted to the land, it destroyed the homes of the dolls and later on they are called monkeys. Thus, this explains the similar features of monkeys to humans. The scientific origin of life focuses in two main people, namely Pasteur and Darwin. With Pasteur’s experiments, he supported that God created the earth. He believed that life couldn’t arise from inanimate matter. In connection to this, Pasteur believed in the aid of the divine creator. Darwin’s theory, on the other hand, states that the first life on earth came from inanimate matter. Another theory was that the earth was an eternal entity according to Iris Fry, a historian of biology. Earth and life being eternal means that it did not come from anything, but it just existed before everything else. Lastly, the term â€Å"Panspermia†, from the Latin word â€Å"pan† meaning all states that sperms of life wanders the universe and takes root at any planet that meets its living condition. Svante Arrhenius in Sweden promoted this idea. The early idea that life and earth are eternal is outdated. People started to wonder where we came from and thus the idea was lost. Panspermia or Transpermia describes the transfer of life from planet to planet. The story of creation from the book of genesis of the holy bible depicts the seven-day creation of earth by God. Each day was described with the building of different things like, the separation of land and water, animals and humankind creation. On the seventh day, seeing that everything was perfect, God was pleased and so he had a rest that day. It was believed that God made everything on earth; He named all creatures in His power and ordered them to follow Adam. It ended when God was pleased with men and eventually gave the Garden of Eden for them to take care of. In comparison of these beliefs, the Native Americans belief with the origin of life is somehow similar with Darwin’s theory on life. Both stories pointed out that life came from non-living objects. Through the wind, everything came to life and through it people are connected with the environment. Similar with Darwin, he believed that inanimate objects are responsible for our existence. Compared to the points discussed earlier, the stories of the Africans, Mayans and the book of genesis all believe in a supreme being, who made everything. Olorun, Heart-of-sky and God, these are the names of each creator. Even with such different titles, they are the same. Their only differences are on the details on how they made life. Each stories started with the divine existence followed by their prime need to create something or someone to worship them. Their stories ended with the creation of their subordinates, people. In addition scientist Pasteur, who made one of the major contributions scientifically, supports the story of creation from the book of genesis. In conclusion, these five stories about life’s origin are somehow interconnected. Each is presented differently. The elements of the stories reflect their culture. After comparing each story with others, it only shows the importance of our beginning. By knowing the differences and similarities of each, I have come to understand that everyone deserves respect regardless of their origin. The comparison I have made will help me interact better with my future patients because of the culture reflected in each stories. We live in one place, one atmosphere, and one sky and yet each of us has our own belief in life. We came about evolution differently based on the area we live in. To preserve each race, tribe and community, we made stories of it, which reflects our culture and traditions. These stories were made so others may understand and respect our way of living.

Free Essays on Los Ninos

Los Nià ±os â€Å"Planeando auto-confianza, una semilla a la vez.† El objetivo de Los Nià ±os es promover la autosuficiencia y la participacià ³n comunitaria a travà ©s de proyectos educativos y al desarrollo. Los Nià ±os generalmente gana $130,000 por aà ±o para donar alas familias pobres, especialmente los nià ±os, en Tijuana y Mexicali, Mà ©xico y en San Diego, California. Mi pap es el presidente del consejo de directores de la organizacià ³n desde 1985. Asà ­ he expuesto a Los Nià ±os por sobre de quince aà ±os. Espero eventualmente seguir en las huellas de mi pap y contribuir ms a Los Nià ±os. La razà ³n porque comenzà ³ Los Nià ±os fue porque las estadà ­sticas relacionando a la nutricià ³n, la salud, y el ecolà ³gico son increà ­ble y sigue siendo asà ­ hoy dà ­a. La mayor causa de la enfermedad en Mà ©xico, es desnutricià ³n. La tasa de la mortalidad infantil es 22 muertos por 1000 nacimientos. El hambre y la desnutricià ³n contribuyen casi a a la mitad de los muertos de los jà ³venes. Adems, 40 por ciento de la poblacià ³n adulto estn desnutridos y 2/3 de todos las personas consumen menos de las calorà ­as requeridas por dà ­a. Por consiguiente, los 1600 participantes y 8000 beneficiares ayudarn estas personas. Los Nià ±os fue establecido por Roque Barros en 1974 para dar socorro directo en la forma de comida y ropa. La idea fue ayudar las reas pobres de Tijuana, Mà ©xico. Los Nià ±os es una organizacià ³n sin fin lucrativo asistiendo a las familias viviendo a lado de la frontera de California y Mà ©xico desde 1974. En el aà ±o 1975, Los Nià ±os comenzà ³ su primer programa para ganar fondos, â€Å"caminata-a-thon,† lo cual consigue mucho dinero cada aà ±o. La organizacià ³n inicià ³ los programas de nutricià ³n, de agricultura, y de educacià ³n. Recientemente en los à ºltimos aà ±os, se hizo una organizacià ³n poderosa que ayuda mucha gente desdichada. La parte de participacià ³n ms importante de Los Nià ±os es la â€Å"caminata-a-tho... Free Essays on Los Ninos Free Essays on Los Ninos Los Nià ±os â€Å"Planeando auto-confianza, una semilla a la vez.† El objetivo de Los Nià ±os es promover la autosuficiencia y la participacià ³n comunitaria a travà ©s de proyectos educativos y al desarrollo. Los Nià ±os generalmente gana $130,000 por aà ±o para donar alas familias pobres, especialmente los nià ±os, en Tijuana y Mexicali, Mà ©xico y en San Diego, California. Mi pap es el presidente del consejo de directores de la organizacià ³n desde 1985. Asà ­ he expuesto a Los Nià ±os por sobre de quince aà ±os. Espero eventualmente seguir en las huellas de mi pap y contribuir ms a Los Nià ±os. La razà ³n porque comenzà ³ Los Nià ±os fue porque las estadà ­sticas relacionando a la nutricià ³n, la salud, y el ecolà ³gico son increà ­ble y sigue siendo asà ­ hoy dà ­a. La mayor causa de la enfermedad en Mà ©xico, es desnutricià ³n. La tasa de la mortalidad infantil es 22 muertos por 1000 nacimientos. El hambre y la desnutricià ³n contribuyen casi a a la mitad de los muertos de los jà ³venes. Adems, 40 por ciento de la poblacià ³n adulto estn desnutridos y 2/3 de todos las personas consumen menos de las calorà ­as requeridas por dà ­a. Por consiguiente, los 1600 participantes y 8000 beneficiares ayudarn estas personas. Los Nià ±os fue establecido por Roque Barros en 1974 para dar socorro directo en la forma de comida y ropa. La idea fue ayudar las reas pobres de Tijuana, Mà ©xico. Los Nià ±os es una organizacià ³n sin fin lucrativo asistiendo a las familias viviendo a lado de la frontera de California y Mà ©xico desde 1974. En el aà ±o 1975, Los Nià ±os comenzà ³ su primer programa para ganar fondos, â€Å"caminata-a-thon,† lo cual consigue mucho dinero cada aà ±o. La organizacià ³n inicià ³ los programas de nutricià ³n, de agricultura, y de educacià ³n. Recientemente en los à ºltimos aà ±os, se hizo una organizacià ³n poderosa que ayuda mucha gente desdichada. La parte de participacià ³n ms importante de Los Nià ±os es la â€Å"caminata-a-tho...

The Dimension of Inter-Professional Practice The WritePass Journal

The Dimension of Inter-Professional Practice Introduction The Dimension of Inter-Professional Practice ) NMC (2008), Code of Conduct, Nursing and Midwifery Council, London Ovretveit, J., Mathias, F., Thomoson, T. eds., (1997). Interprofessional working for health and social care. Hampshire: Macmillan Press Limited. Pollard, K., (2005). Interprofessional Working: an Essential Guide for Health and Social-Care Professionals; England, Nelson Thrones Limited. Roper, Logan and Tierney (1996), Whithead (2000) Education, behavioural change and social psychology: Nursing’s contribution to health promotion. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34(6), 822-832 Whitehead D, (2001) Applying collaborative practice to health promotion. Nursing Standards. 15(20):33-7. Bibliography General Social Care Council, (2006). Code of Practice For Social Workers and Employers. London: GSCC. Golightley, M., (2008). Social Work and Mental Health People. Learning Matters. Barker. P., (2009).   Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing: The Craft of Caring. 2nd ed. London. Hodder Arnold. Taylor. C., Lillis. C., Lemone. P., (2001). Fundamentals of Nursing: The art and Science of Nursing Care, 4th edn, Lippincott, Philadelphia. Thompson I., Melia K., Boyd K., (2000).   Nursing Ethics, London, Churchill Livingstone

Improve Business Writing Skills by Measuring What Matters

Improve Business Writing Skills by Measuring What Matters Business leaders understand the importance of "good business writing" skills and can differentiate good writing from bad. However, in order to improve your team's business writing skills, it's essential to actually measure business writing skills to develop metrics to track improvement. Defining the right measurements allows you to assess the current business writing performance level of your team and helpsimprove business writing skills accordingly. Here are three steps measure your employees’ business writing skills 1. Separate Substance and Syntax Measurement The first step is to measure the substance and syntax of the document separately. These are two distinct aspects of a document that are unique to business writing. The document can have good substance that is poorly worded. Conversely, a poorly worded document can lack substance. Always remember that in business writing, substance precedes syntax. A document that has perfect syntax but meaningless substance is still going to fail to convey information. More worrisome, it may lead readers in the wrong direction, wasting time and potentially introducing risk and cost implications. 2. Analyze Substance of a Typical Document Once you are able to differentiate between substance and syntax, the next step to improve business writing skills of your employees is to specifically analyze the substance of your documents. There are five crucial elements to substance that differentiate good business writing from bad. These include: Awareness of audience Correct content for audience needs Logically categorizing that content Sequencing the content logically And, of course, good style, tone, and grammar. Once you break down the substance according to these 5 elements, it becomes easier to assess the document and the skills of the writer. Using this baseline, you can identify writing gaps and deficiencies, thus informing business writing training emphasis. 3. Analyze Syntax Syntax is the last measurement step in analyzing the team's writing skills. Syntax is actually easier to measure and correct than substance errors. Employees who possess strong analytical skills – who often work in engineering, scientific, and finance positions–are naturally adept at integrating multiple concepts. This typically translates into strong substance. However, not all employees with analytical skills will also have clear syntax skills. But, it's easier for those employees with stronger analytical skills to quickly and easily improve business writing skills because they possess the raw requisite skills. The concept of measurement is just as important in writing as in any other field. Using these steps, you can access the performance levels of your employees' business writing skills. However, do know that measurement alone is not enough. Measurement is just the start to better writing. Once you identify the gaps, you can then start the improvement process. Download my eBook, â€Å"Four Steps to Improve Your Team’s Business Writing Skills"to learn more about helping your employees write better at work. Or, schedule a complimentary consultationwith a business writing expert to receive specific recommendations for your team.

Human Growth and development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Growth and development - Essay Example Opponents of this approach argue that the behavioral patterns have nothing to do with genes because a human being can be modified into whatever kind of a person the nurturer wants him to grow into. Researchers and scientists have yet not settled down the argument over which part of the debate to support even after 200 year study on this subject. Several researches have been conducted in the past that prove that human genetics go hand in hand with human environment. This debate has never been settled because the truth is that both nature and nurture interrelate with each other and work parallel to each other in defining an individual’s behavior. It is incorrect to hold any one of the two responsible for how human beings grow and behave. Genes hold very much importance in the personality development of an individual but one cannot discard the importance of nurture. Works Cited Shaffer, David R. â€Å"Nature versus Nurture.† Social and Personality Development. USA: Cengage Learning, 2009.

The impacts on the financial decision process of human elements Essay - 1

The impacts on the financial decision process of human elements - Essay Example Financial decisions are made in a systematic process. Organization factions are run by individuals who are entrusted with carrying on the vision and the mission of the company. As such, human elements is one the key components in the formula of financial decisions success. This paper will evaluate the impacts of the human elements in the process of making financial decisions. As preamble, the paper commences by reviewing types of financial decisions that are made in the organization. The financial decision making process is then assessed. The study then evaluates the types of human elements that characterize the contemporary organization. The impacts of the identified human elements are then analysed with the intent of revealing the extent to which they affect the whole process of making the financial decisions. The study then concludes the findings by giving a brief summary of all the main ideas given in the whole study. Strategic financial decisions are mainly made by the senior management of the organization after the approval by the shareholders. There are three main financial decisions that are made within the organizations, that is, investment, financing and dividend policy decisions. The investment decisions involve identifying the available opportunities for the investment and investing the shareholders funds in the best investment that has high returns and low risks. The financing decisions are the decisions that are made to identify the possible sources of fund to the organization and then selecting three best source of fund. The main sources of fund for the investment to the organization are commercial loans, organization has retained earnings, fund sourced from the capital market, the grants from other organizations and issuing of the corporate bonds (Cascio, John and Boudreau 2010, p.255) On the other hand, the dividend decisions are the decisions, which are made to determine how the

Equine Rescue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Equine Rescue - Essay Example animals with the intent of giving them good care are now floundering as their original plans prove too expensive and they are unsure how and where to cut the expenses. Neglect becomes a consequence of not knowing how to formulate an alternative plan for the care of their horses. In order to understand the issue, it is important to understand the responsibilities of an owner in caring for a horse. Every animal has a designed physical system that must be fed in a specific way. For the horse, the digestive system developed so that it could accommodate a nomadic lifestyle that provided a constant source of grazing (Prince & Collier, 1989, p. 81). Proper dental care for the horse is central to maintaining healthy eating habits as the horse must be able to liquefy his food through chewing before it is swallowed. The best way to feed a horse is to let them graze in a pasture. This sort of food provision is in line with nature and will provide most of his or her needs, except perhaps for an addition of salt if this is lacking in the area. If this is not feasible, then a cereal grain hay such as oat, barley or wheat would be the next A horse will need an area in which to exercise, and an area that will protect them from inclement weather and the elements. Ideally, anyone who has purchased a horse has a stable and land adequate for exercise available. According to Prince and Collier (1989), â€Å"A good stable site will allow for dry foundations, free drainage, good lighting, adequate water supply, and pure air† (p. 28). Loafing sheds are a place where horses can get out of the weather, yet still have access to the outside areas. These are usually built with three walls and are shared with several horses who have free access to them. Barbed wire, while used throughout a good deal of the West, is not ideal as fencing material because the horses end up with a great deal of injuries that can ultimately become infected or cause other health risks. Regular assessments of the

Applied Research Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Applied Research Method - Essay Example Furthermore, leaders of these organizations must be able to keep the reputation of their country in mind and expand their knowledge about other countries, so they are able to effectively market to individuals in these countries, as well as in their own (Thomas, Pollock, and Gorman, 1999). Leaders in these companies must see to it that their products and services are of the highest quality. High quality products and services will insure that these companies take the lead in their respective industries. In addition to all of this, it is imperative that company leaders motivate their workers and give them incentives to work hard because hard workers will insure the success and long-term stability of the company. Properly educating workers is also helpful in that this enables companies to develop the means that they need for optimal competitiveness (Petrick, Fall, Scherer, Brodzinski, and Quinn, 1999). In addition to the need to possess these particular skills, leaders of multinational o rganizations must use the resource-based view of the firm along with the theory of competence-based competition. According to an article found in the British Journal of Management, â€Å"The resource-based view of the firm and the theory of competence-based competition can be used in answering basic questions regarding competition and rivalry† (Thomas and Pollock, 1999). It is crucial that such questions be answered if companies want to stay ahead of their competition and remain successful for years to come. There are four multinational companies that we will discuss that made use of all of these skills. As a result, they are very successful today, and they enjoy a reputation of being the lead in their respective industries. There are case studies that prove this to be fact. First, we will look at Capston-Whites Document Management and Production Services (CW). CW is a company that provides products and

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation (Opinion Paper) Essay

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation (Opinion Paper) - Essay Example Intrinsic motivation comes from within such as a person's need to feel useful or need to seek self-actualization (Law, 2006). Extrinsic motivation consists of external factors that motivate an individual such as pay and benefits or other motivators provided by employers. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are not limited to the workforce. Motivators, or rewards, are provided beginning in childhood. Taking piano lessons and studying a foreign language are intrinsically motivated for this author. The intrinsic rewards that I am receiving are satisfaction and enjoyment. Extrinsically motivated activities include cooking and exercising. The extrinsically motivated activities are performed to please others who hope that diet and exercise will help improve my quality of life. There are several principals and theories related to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Motivation itself can be described as the "mental processes that arouse, sustain, and direct human behavior."(Law, 2006) People can be positively motivated or negatively motivated. One boss' leadership style may motivate productivity while another boss' leadership style may negatively affect productivity. It is key for any organization to conquer motivation within the workplace. In my opinion coaches of sports teams have known for years that the combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors can create the need to excel or a... George Gipp was a varsity football player at Notre Dame. When he fell ill and died Knute Rockne used a statement that Gipp is said to have made on his death bed: I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy. (Estate of George Gipp, 2007). Knute Rockne used this statement to motivate his team to defeat the undefeated Army team in 1928. He knew that his team would be intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to win the game. Another principal relating to motivation is the multicative principal. This principal is based upon the belief that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are interactive rather than additive. I agree with this principal because I have seen how in playing the piano I am rewarded by other people noticing and commenting on my performance. At the same time I have a sense of personal satisfaction when I play well (intrinsic). Although it is nice to receive positive comments, and encouragement, I gain more from the intrinsic award. I am motivated more by how I feel about myself and am motivated to play better despite the extrinsic rewards. The discounting principal of motivation has to do with the rewards affect on atheletic performance. The athelete may be intrinsically motivated to perform and win. But, an athelete that is paid to perform (such as major league baseball and NFL football) may stop performing if the paid reward is removed. Thus the intrinsic motivation is pushed aside or 'discounted' when the extrinsic reward is

Literature class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Literature class - Essay Example This short story reflects Clarke’s attitude about coming from Barbados himself. Clarke was raised on the island, only to come to Toronto to find a whole new world, just like his narrator of â€Å"The Motor Car†. The sense of losing oneself in a new country, which has a different culture, was one of Clarke’s fears, which he expresses in this story. Unlike the narrator in â€Å"The Motor Car†, Clarke managed to move and keep his traditional values. â€Å"Hazel† by Carol Shields is a novel that any middle aged homemaker can relate with. After raising two daughters and being supported by her husband, Hazel’s life is changed forever when her husband dies. Hazel felt depressed and lonely, so decided to take a job. Her mother-n-law, best friend, and daughters were appalled. Hazel’s mother-n-law said â€Å"there is no need† (Shields). She felt that since Hazel was well provided for, that a job was not necessary. Maxine, Hazel’s best friend, said â€Å"your not the type† (Shields). Her daughters insisted their father would not have approved. What Hazel’s family and friends did not realize was Hazel needed her job. It might have been a nothing small job, but she needed to feel useful. People need a purpose in life. Hazel just happened to find hers in a job demonstrating pots and pans. Alistair Macleod’s â€Å"The Boat† is a story about the narrator’s sorrow regarding his father’s death. The sorrow expressed by the narrator was wrapped up in a boat. The boat symbolized tradition and a family bonding around working on it. In fact â€Å"Jenny Lynn had been my mother’s maiden name and the boat was called after her as another link in the chain of tradition† (Macleod). The narrator relates stories from every stage of his life by remembering times in the boat. The boat is the focal point of the narrator’s life. When he remembers his father, he remembers

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation (Opinion Paper) Essay

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation (Opinion Paper) - Essay Example Intrinsic motivation comes from within such as a person's need to feel useful or need to seek self-actualization (Law, 2006). Extrinsic motivation consists of external factors that motivate an individual such as pay and benefits or other motivators provided by employers. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are not limited to the workforce. Motivators, or rewards, are provided beginning in childhood. Taking piano lessons and studying a foreign language are intrinsically motivated for this author. The intrinsic rewards that I am receiving are satisfaction and enjoyment. Extrinsically motivated activities include cooking and exercising. The extrinsically motivated activities are performed to please others who hope that diet and exercise will help improve my quality of life. There are several principals and theories related to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Motivation itself can be described as the "mental processes that arouse, sustain, and direct human behavior."(Law, 2006) People can be positively motivated or negatively motivated. One boss' leadership style may motivate productivity while another boss' leadership style may negatively affect productivity. It is key for any organization to conquer motivation within the workplace. In my opinion coaches of sports teams have known for years that the combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors can create the need to excel or a... George Gipp was a varsity football player at Notre Dame. When he fell ill and died Knute Rockne used a statement that Gipp is said to have made on his death bed: I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy. (Estate of George Gipp, 2007). Knute Rockne used this statement to motivate his team to defeat the undefeated Army team in 1928. He knew that his team would be intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to win the game. Another principal relating to motivation is the multicative principal. This principal is based upon the belief that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are interactive rather than additive. I agree with this principal because I have seen how in playing the piano I am rewarded by other people noticing and commenting on my performance. At the same time I have a sense of personal satisfaction when I play well (intrinsic). Although it is nice to receive positive comments, and encouragement, I gain more from the intrinsic award. I am motivated more by how I feel about myself and am motivated to play better despite the extrinsic rewards. The discounting principal of motivation has to do with the rewards affect on atheletic performance. The athelete may be intrinsically motivated to perform and win. But, an athelete that is paid to perform (such as major league baseball and NFL football) may stop performing if the paid reward is removed. Thus the intrinsic motivation is pushed aside or 'discounted' when the extrinsic reward is

Contributing Factors to Nurse Burnout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Contributing Factors to Nurse Burnout - Essay Example Nurses play a crucial role for the patients in hospitals. For that, they should be well motivated and avoid anything that can distract their attention and driving force for work resulting in burnout. The work associated factors involve nurses being overworked, especially in the case of those working in the emergency section. Most of them have no control over their job and they frequently find themselves working for long hours and at times they are forced to forego sleep. Their timetable is not regular and one cannot plan for another task after finishing his/her session.Some encounter complicated and new challenges that require them to improve their skills continuously especially on machines and technology. Their tasks are done in a specific place like within a hospital ward that can become monotonous. Additionally, clinicians are the ones normally recognized for successful treatment and not the nurse who manages the patient. The people related to the patient can sometimes expect too much from the nurse to save the life of the patient. In the case of misfortune, these can affect the nurses and mostly to perfectionists who are reluctant to delegate duties or ask for support.The human mind is created in such a way that it requires rest after work. This makes people take a rest and join their social groups away from their work environment.This can be limited by professions like nursing. Nurses should be involved in decision-making and their grievances taken critically.

Religion Is The Opium Of The People Philosophy Essay

Religion Is The Opium Of The People Philosophy Essay Religion is the opium of the people Karl Marx, Critique of Hegels Philosophy of Right, 1844 The construct of two uniquely different terms being used together often raises the eyes of persons who focus on strategies to influence the thinking and actions of many persons. In this case, religion represents those persons around the globe who hold strongly held beliefs. Opium, conversely, often represents an addictive substance that shifts the ability of individuals to maintain control of their own faculties, abilities, or behaviors. Each term provides numerous images in the minds of people who value either religion or the use of substances. In this case, however, the terms are used in a statement of emphasis that demands that one see the critical direction that Karl Marx was approaching in 1844. According to Oxford Dictionaries (2009), Religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. Opium is a reddish -brown heavy-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used illicitly as a narcotic and occasionally in medicine as an analgesic. The opium of the people is a thought and action-reaction regarded as inducing a false and unrealistic sense of contentment among people. In this case, it is Religion, according to Marx. History reports that the majority of people believe that Marx criticizes religion as being a relief for the masses, in the way that it creates an illusory fantasy to the poor, assuring them that even if they are living in misery in this life, they will find true happiness in the afterlife, thus only masking the problem and not solving it. However, based on the sudden change in the 19th century (period in which Marx lived) of how opium is perceived, the quote can be assessed in two way s; positively and negatively. This makes it interesting for us to analyze it since history plays a big part on how it should be understood. Since prehistoric times, opium has been used worldwide. From Egypt to China, it was highly regarded and used for many things, such as to relieve pain, to bring courage and strength to soldiers, to reach a feeling of ecstasy or to get in touch with the divine. These practices continued and spread, until the 19th century, when its negative effects were being detected. At this point, opium was found to be addictive, sometimes lethal and had started to be regulated. The impact and harm that was done through the use of opium caused societies to consider changing the perspective held on the use of the drug. Eventually, the use of opium became illegal because its damage was significant to the members of every society where it was used. Parenthetically, it was and sometimes still is being used for medical experiments and pain-reduction, delusional practices to this day and remains the most efficient pain-killer. However, despite the illegalization of opium and its derivatives, it was and is still being used by a wide variety of people in all parts of the world, most commonly in the form of heroin, in order to achieve a feeling of pleasure and to escape from reality. In the 19th century, opium was responsible for two wars that took place between the United Kingdom and China. The Opium Wars occurred because China illegalized the drug though the United Kingdom continued to traffic it in China, through India. After having had an overview on the history of opium, we can now deduce the different possible meanings that Marx conveys in his quote. In a first perspective, Marx could imply that religion is the opium of the people in a positive manner. This being the case, Marx meant that opium provides comfort and relief. Since Marx was a big supporter of the proletarian movement, which in his time was working in horrible conditions and leading miserable lives in cities, Marx might have insinuated that religions purpose was to create illusory fantasies for the poor as opium did for drug abusers and addicts. Economic realities often prevented the poor and to a large extent, even the aristocrats, from finding true happiness in this life; so religion tells them that this is OK because through a belief in God, through accepting the power and authority of God; through dying and going to heaven, one will find true happiness in the next life. Additionally, religion might bring comfort to people in hard times, for example during times of war, when people would pray for God to protect them, or after the death of a loved one, thinking thi s person would go to heaven and be at peace. Another argument would be that religion and opium give courage to people. Christians and Muslims believe that God Allah is always with them, protecting them and loving them, which could boost their confidence and make them feel they can do anything with God on their side. Lastly, religion can give, for some, a purpose to life based on the principles and tenets of God suggesting that God has a plan for each human being. Moreover, it explains all that science is unable to explain, for example the creation of the Human race. Effectually, what is not scientific is created by faith often unchallengeable in the eyes of rational thought. To conclude, Marx could be stating by his quote that people are in distress and religion provides solace, just as people who are physically injured receive relief from opiate-based drugs. On the other hand, Marx could very well be criticizing religion. First of all, opiates do not fix a physical injury, they merely make you forget pain for a limited time; this is a good thing only if you work on solving the underlying roots of the pain. Equivalently, religion doesnt fix peoples pain, it simply conceals their reasons of suffering and causes them to look ahead to an illusory future when the pain will cease, instead of working on changing their present condition. In other words, Religion as opium creates an imaginary world that prevents people from being accountable for their own lives and their own futures since they believe their path is traced and controlled by a certain God. They are thus led to let things happen and not be responsible for the situation in which they are. Moreover, religion is used as a control mechanism that gives power and authority of some over the masses. The desire to create a collective unconscious that diminishes the power of man to an acquies cing to the power and authority of a higher power often unseen and unknown. Because of the unknown nature -there is a concern that the higher power is infinite; man is finite, and in that finite nature, man can never be in control of his own destiny. Thus, man must acquiesce to the power of the higher authority, and its emissary on earth the Church. However, the church is the work of man and is bound to be flawed. For example, regarding Christianity, Jesus advocated helping the poor, but the Christian church merged with the oppressive Roman state, taking part in the enslavement of people for centuries. In the Middle-Ages the Catholic Church preached about heaven, but acquired as much property and power as possible. Finally, religion, just like opium, is a cause of war. Opium was the cause of two wars between the United Kingdom and China in the 19th century. Similarly, religion was the cause of the crusades, a war between Christians and Muslims that lasted nearly two centuries. This could be one of the reasons why Marx associated the word opium with religion. The quote Religion is the opium of the people can apply to the two major religions: Christianity and Islam. Both religions believe in one God, and both believe in a final judgment, where a person is judged according to their actions on earth, and then sent to either Heaven, place of joy and bliss where they will be happy, either in Hell where they will spend an eternity of misery. On the other hand, other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism believe in reincarnation of the spirit, which means the person might or might not be happy in his new life, and this excludes Marxs theory of religion being a comfort to the people.

High Schools That Work: Best Practices for CTE Essay example -- Educat

High Schools That Work: Best Practices for CTE High Schools That Work (HSTW), a school improvement initiative of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), has documented achievement gains by career and technical education (CTE) students at participating sites (Bottoms and Presson 2000). At HSTW sites participating in 1996 and 1998 assessments (Frome 2001), CTE students showed math and science achievement equal to the national average of all high school students—and exceeded the national average of CTE students in math, science, and reading. One part of the HSTW framework is a set of 10 Key Practices that each participating site implements by developing and carrying out a customized action plan for school improvement (SREB 1999). Kaufman et al. (2000) used existing HSTW data to analyze the impact of 6 clusters representing HSTW's 10 Key Practices. They concluded that achievement gains in science, reading, and math were correlated with the proportion of students meeting HSTW curriculum standards and with the amount of time students spent talking to their guidance counselors and teachers about their school program. They also concluded that the proportion of students perceiving their academic and CTE teachers working together to improve students' math, reading, and writing skills was correlated with achievement gains in those three areas. This Brief provides practical examples of approaches HSTW sites have used to move toward HSTW curriculum standards, provide students with guidance, and allow academic and CTE teachers to w ork together. HSTW Curriculum Standards The curriculum recommended by HSTW (Bottoms and Presson 2000) calls for a challenging program of study with two components. First, an upgraded academic core ... ...Students. Atlanta, GA: SREB, 1995. (ED 404 540) Southern Regional Education Board. 1996 Outstanding Practices: Effective Strategies in Raising the Achievement of Career-Bound High School Students by Replacing the General Track. High Schools That Work. Atlanta, GA: SREB, 1996. (ED 404 541) Southern Regional Education Board. New Partnerships and a National Network to Improve High School Education. Atlanta, GA: SREB, 1999. <http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/background/brochure.asp> Southern Regional Education Board. High Schools That Work in Kentucky: A Progress Report. Atlanta, GA: SREB, 2000. <http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/state_reports/KYstateprofile.pdf> Winterburn, P. "Learning to Trust. On the Treasure Coast, Tech Prep Proves a Trove for Educators Long Divided." Vocational Education Journal 70, no. 4 (April 1995): 28-29, 44. High Schools That Work: Best Practices for CTE Essay example -- Educat High Schools That Work: Best Practices for CTE High Schools That Work (HSTW), a school improvement initiative of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), has documented achievement gains by career and technical education (CTE) students at participating sites (Bottoms and Presson 2000). At HSTW sites participating in 1996 and 1998 assessments (Frome 2001), CTE students showed math and science achievement equal to the national average of all high school students—and exceeded the national average of CTE students in math, science, and reading. One part of the HSTW framework is a set of 10 Key Practices that each participating site implements by developing and carrying out a customized action plan for school improvement (SREB 1999). Kaufman et al. (2000) used existing HSTW data to analyze the impact of 6 clusters representing HSTW's 10 Key Practices. They concluded that achievement gains in science, reading, and math were correlated with the proportion of students meeting HSTW curriculum standards and with the amount of time students spent talking to their guidance counselors and teachers about their school program. They also concluded that the proportion of students perceiving their academic and CTE teachers working together to improve students' math, reading, and writing skills was correlated with achievement gains in those three areas. This Brief provides practical examples of approaches HSTW sites have used to move toward HSTW curriculum standards, provide students with guidance, and allow academic and CTE teachers to w ork together. HSTW Curriculum Standards The curriculum recommended by HSTW (Bottoms and Presson 2000) calls for a challenging program of study with two components. First, an upgraded academic core ... ...Students. Atlanta, GA: SREB, 1995. (ED 404 540) Southern Regional Education Board. 1996 Outstanding Practices: Effective Strategies in Raising the Achievement of Career-Bound High School Students by Replacing the General Track. High Schools That Work. Atlanta, GA: SREB, 1996. (ED 404 541) Southern Regional Education Board. New Partnerships and a National Network to Improve High School Education. Atlanta, GA: SREB, 1999. <http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/background/brochure.asp> Southern Regional Education Board. High Schools That Work in Kentucky: A Progress Report. Atlanta, GA: SREB, 2000. <http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/state_reports/KYstateprofile.pdf> Winterburn, P. "Learning to Trust. On the Treasure Coast, Tech Prep Proves a Trove for Educators Long Divided." Vocational Education Journal 70, no. 4 (April 1995): 28-29, 44.

Education Philosophy Statement :: Teaching Education Essays

Education Philosophy Statement As a sophomore, I was required to compile a genre of educational philosophies and create my own philosophy in the process. Today, as a senior I am required to â€Å"revise† that statement into one that is sophisticated and intelligent based on new information that I have received in the last two years. One instructor said to me, â€Å"Your view on educational elements may have changed,† and another said, â€Å"Randy, your philosophy on the way you view yourself as a teacher and the view of your classroom may have evolved into a more manageable, realistic perspective,† and they were both right. In the first draft of my philosophy, it states that I see myself as a teacher with an â€Å"eclectic† view on teaching children. Although I still believe in my â€Å"eclectic† ways because it gives the students and me a variety of ways to learn, it has â€Å"evolved† into a more specific, eclectic philosophy. For example, I stated that in my classroom the children would be involved with as much of the classroom decisions as possible. In contrast, I now believe that the instructor is the primary decision-maker allowing the students to give their input on certain situations and keeping their concerns in mind when making the final decision. Why do I feel that way now? I have observed two different schools and two different grade levels – an 8th grade classroom and a 12th grade classroom. What works in at one level does not work at the other, meaning, observing a teacher who incorporated the student government, so to speak, in her classr oom did not always succeed in getting anywhere in the end. I have learned that the students are not as diplomatic as I once believed, followed by the fact that the students do not always know what they want or what is the best for them as a class. While I am on the subject of observing classrooms, another area of my philosophy that I now view with a sophisticated, intelligent insight is extra-curricular activities.

How Is the Power of Dreams and Dreaming in the Novel of Mice and Men Essay

The idea of moving from one place to another, working hard and trying to raise the quality of life for you and your loved ones is known as ‘The American Dream’. Steinbeck invites us to understand how having this dream keeps them going despite the challenging life that each character faces. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck makes this ‘dream’ the main focus of the story for both the reader and characters. George’s dream is to have independence and to â€Å"go into town and get whatever I want† but most importantly he dreams of being â€Å"somebody†. On the other hand, Lennie aspires to be with George and to â€Å"tend the rabbits†. Ultimately, George and Lennie both wanted to â€Å"have a little house and couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs† however, George only tells Lennie about their dream to comfort Lennie. This is shown when Lennie says â€Å"No†¦ You tell it. It ain’t the same if I tell it. Go on†¦ George. How do I get to tend the rabbits. † It is only after they all realised that together, â€Å"this thing they never believed in was coming true† Even though the dream is very important to George as well, Steinbeck portrays Lennie as someone who wants the dream a lot more. This is shown through Lennie’s angry or upset feelings when he feels like he has done something that would jeopardise their dream. George uses this to his advantage to threaten and control Lennie by blackmailing him, â€Å"If you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits. † Consequently, Lennie tries to please George and to gain his approval as much as possible. Another way in which Steinbeck shows the power of dreams and dreaming in the novel is through how much they want it. Steinbeck portrays each character’s desperation through their lifestyle. The dream that each character has reflects what is missing from their life. George and Crooks are both very desperate about this dream because they both want their current lives to be like their past. This is shown when, for a second, George loses track of the present and says â€Å"we’d keep a few pigeons to go flyin’ around the win’mill like they done when I was a kid† which is referring back to his childhood. Similarly, Crooks wants to return to his past. â€Å"The white kids used to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them. † This shows that Crooks used to be well respected and equal within his community. After all, Crooks â€Å"ain’t a southern negro†; however, he is not treated well at the ranch, therefore, the dream provides comfort for Crooks. Although George wants to return to his childhood, there is a deeper meaning to his dream. George wants to â€Å"just say the hell with goin’ to work† because unlike Candy, George doesn’t want to stay at the ranch too long so he would get ‘canned’. For George, the dream means that â€Å"nobody could can us† Furthermore, George doesn’t want to have to keep moving because he would â€Å"jus’ live there† and â€Å"belong there. There wouldn’t be no more runnin’ round the country and gettin’ fed by a Jap cook. † This suggests that he’ll be his own boss. A result of being a migrant worker, no one at the ranch has any friends, which is why Crooks was surprised to hear that Lennie had George. For George and Lennie, the dream of having their own land provides a stable home that will eventually gain them friends and family. On the other hand, Crooks is very pessimistic about the possibility of a dream becoming a reality because he has been segregated in the ranch for as long as he can remember. His cynicism has led him to believe â€Å"It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head†. This suggests that his past experiences have affected his power to dream. Steinbeck reinforces the power of dreaming within the novel, as he shows every character’s reaction when they all realise that there is a possibility of George and Lennie’s dream becoming reality. â€Å"They looked at each other, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true. Once they believed that the dream is a possibility, the tension is ramped up. Suddenly there is something to lose and something to fight for. This massively enhances the power that the dream has over each character and for a while the feeling of doom is lessened. The reader wants to know if each character can escape the curse they seem to be under and reach their goals. For Lennie and candy the dream would provide an exciting o pportunity, as both characters are not worth much in the real world. The dream would provide them a chance of appreciation. To Lennie, the dream is an antidote to disappointment and loneliness, and he often asks George to recite the description of the farm to him for comfort. Like a child, he loved the hear George telling him to â€Å"tend the rabbits† correspondingly for Candy it would make him feel more important as he can â€Å"cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some† Even though Curley’s Wife was the reason that the dream fell apart, she had big dreams to be in â€Å"pitchers† Unsatisfied by her surly husband, she constantly lurks around the barn, trying to engage the workers in conversation. However, although she may come across as very flirtatious, she only flirts with the men for attention. Which is what her dream would have provided her if she didn’t marry Curley. Shes so lonely, and so desparate for the attention of the men at the ranch that she even flirts with Lennie as she leans â€Å"closely† at him to â€Å"see if she was impressing him† To look in more detail about how Steinbeck shows the power of the dreams, take each individual character and how they all act to their dreams ending. For example, Steinbeck has made Curley very bitter after the realisation of his dreams ending when Candy’s wife is killed by Lennie. His bitterness shows how much the dream meant to him and how he needed it because he is old and disabled so he will probably get ‘canned’ soon, He shuffles out of the barn which that he has given up all hope, almost given up on life.