End of Cousre assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

End of Cousre - Assignment Example If the bank assets take a long time to sell or cannot be converted to cash with ease such as fixed assets they are considered to be illiquid. According to Melicher & Norton (2011), there are various factors that contribute to the liquidity of banks. Banks with a strong capital base can be able to effectively absorb risks associated with assets and ensure safety of depositors funds as well as maintain creditor confidence hence if a bank has a high amount of Tier 1 capital, it has a higher liquidity. Adequate liquidity also involves having a strong bank positive image. If depositors or creditors view the company negatively or suspect it does not have a sound liquidity, they will shun away from the bank and the effect is felt systematically throughout the financial market. The senior managers thus must devise efficient ways of managing liquidity risks so as to gain confidence from creditors and depositors. This can be achieved through offering quality customer services and being transpa rent in its activities by publishing reports. Positive bank image thus contributes to liquidity and vice versa as adequate liquidity ensures banks positive image (Melicher & Norton, 2011). According to Financial Services Authority (2008), asymmetric information can lead to speculation or uncertainty in the financial market regarding the banks creditworthiness and its true worth hence lead to loss in confidence by other banks who can lend it money to settle its debts and maintain liquidity and other creditors and depositors hence transparency is essential. Adequate liquidity also ensures the banks have reduced risk of asset sales at fire-sale prices (FSA, 2007). If a commercial bank wants to meet its obligations and has no assets that can be changed into cash in short time, it may result to selling its illiquid assets which are of high worth at low price leading to an imbalanced balance sheet or solvency. This has the effect of destabilizing the asset market hence influencing asset p rices thus the effect is felt in the whole market. Managing liquidity risks and having adequate liquidity prevents this from happening as a bank can take its time to convert the asset to cash without any loss. Maintaining adequate liquidity also ensures the bank does not hold a high stock of liquid assets as this increases its costs of mitigating risks. This may affect the banks competitiveness especially if other banks do not mitigate risk by maintaining high liquid assets hence run at low costs thus attracting depositors. Greuning & Bratanovic (2009:191) observe that adequate liquidity enables banks to â€Å"compensate for expected and unexpected balance sheet fluctuations and provide funds for growth†. It is also essential to have adequate liquidity as all financial transactions involve elements of liquidity. Liquidity problems have an effect on the whole financial system hence having adequate liquidity is important in maintaining the safety and solvency of commercial bank s. Capital Adequacy The availability of capital as well as its costs is essential in determining the soundness and safety of commercial banks (Greuning & Bratanovic, 2009). Capital adequacy standard is stipulated by Basel I and Basel II capital accords whereby commercial banks are supposed to ensure adequate amount of capital and reserves is maintained in order to guard the bank against solvency. According to Farid & Salahuddin (2006-2010), all countries are supposed to maintain a minimum regulatory

Marketing a New Product Internationally Essay Example for Free

Marketing a New Product Internationally Essay Marketing is the field which deals with market. By defining the meaning, market is a place where people gathered and contact with one another, build relationship between two, in broad terms after the globalization world become a village and in this global business era marketing is the system of globalized promotional activities of a business which take place to achieve the organizational and financial goals The circle of marketing revolved around the market demands, product development, and reasonable proportion which can learned to instigate a market research that clarify the needs and demands of customer. Although focal process for a product promotion is market research, relying on that a producer can easily plan and develop his product well crafted, innovated, according to the socioeconomic factors, reflect the social and cultural ethics and will meet the consumer demands. Target Market and Product Information: Defining marketing on macro-level; the macro-level marketing is extremely challenging for an organization to market their product â€Å"Unique TV† internationally even branded by Philips, especially in Indian market which is a multi-cultural society have many social and religious boundaries, but economically emergent country and have great potential and competition in electronic media which create a huge space for television industry as well as competition. Marketing of a television product that is extraordinary and modern with built-in fingerprint scanner, and an innovative crafts of modern technology, the exceptional fingerprint technology allow users to customize the individuals settings, for instance when a person turns the TV on via their fingerprint the individual can set his own customized profile which contains his favourite channels, recordings etc. It is also ideal for parental control, parents can set the TV to only display the channels they choose for their Childs individual fingerprint as well as the time they allow their child to watch TV. But the perceived quality, emotional constructs, and a particular justification of the purchase can only impact the customer’s decision to purchase a brand. Target Market, Society and Culture: Before the satellite and cable network Indian had only one state owned channel broadcast, but after the influx of satellite and cable network a huge expansion in the electronic media industry has been witnessed, as well as great competition established in the television products. By determining broadly the rapid growth of Indian television industry since inception to expansion the social practices, including politics and democracy, sport and identity formation, cinema and popular culture has influenced on the daily lives of Indians. Today the electronic media cater immense involvement in the social and cultural lives of Indians, as well as India become a very potential market for the innovative and modern television products. Local Economic Development: India has traditional economy largely based on village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, modern industries, and a massive amount of services. The emerging sector of Indian economy is service sector which has expended remarkably in last decade. But a large force of human resource has attached with the agricultural economic activities, this sector retains the backbone of the Indian economy. Foreign direct investment is increasing especially in the telecommunication and information technology sector, but the privatization of government owned industries and entities is still debateable in the government avenues. The economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the decade since 1997, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India achieved 8. 5% GDP growth in 2006, and again in 2007, significantly expanding production of manufactures. Software industry is the emergent sector of Indian economy; government is capitalizing on the human resource especially English literacy for a competent force to raise the exports of software products and services to western world. This economic growth facilitates India to reduce the fiscal deficit, but the boom in speculative real state business and increased interest rates have influenced the inflation in 2006 to 2007. But a huge problem facing by India is growing population. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008) Regional Economic Development: Asian economy comprises on the 4 billion people living in 46 different states (60% of the world population). Asia is largest continent of the world and six fourth stats of the world lie in Asia with world’s second largest economy China. The wealth and economic activities of Asia are distributed in different states of Asia as others; which is because of its large size and multiple state’s differing cultures, environments, historical ties and government systems. In term of nominal GDP the large economies in Asia are Japan, China, India, and South Korea. By measuring the economically Asia pertains China, the second larges economy in the world by nominal GDP, to Cambodia one of the poorest. The GDP of china in term of purchasing power parity to be the largest economy in Asia and the second largest economy in the world, followed by Japan and India as the worlds third and fourth largest economies respectively. Market Competition: As Indian retains the third largest economy of the world, and massive social and cultural influence on the television industry generates enormous competition in the television industry. India now producing diversity of television products locally, as well as international products is also there. With these competitive forces it is very hard for a new product to attract the audience, but not as much hard for a product with some extra ordinary and exceptional features, to mesmerize and accomplish the needs of the users. As compare with the other products the new and innovative product â€Å"Unique TV† can make a difference, because of its fingerprint scanner which can help the user to control and customize the profile of every individual. After the creation and deep study of international and regional scenario the producer and marketer follows second challenge to market the product with new scientific methodologies, which can effectively get the quick and excellent response of the customer. Brand Marketing: There are enumerated factors that affect the buying intentions of customers as quality of services, equity, perceived value, satisfaction, past loyalty, perceived cost of changing supplier and brand perception. Most of them variables are inter-related and they impinge upon customer purchase behaviour cumulatively. High quality products can be created without input from marketing. However, in practice, it has been established that products that make market success received market or customer research support. There are several determinants that contribute to the success of a brand. The ideas of brand marketing lead to the recognition of the research as being based on consumer perception. This leads to the question if different ethnic backgrounds impact the consumer perception of the brand strategies. Marketing Methodologies: Questionnaire Survey:- The survey questionnaire was chosen for its cost effectiveness. The telephone questionnaire allows for a sample population to be easily reached with responses documented and easily dissected using data entry and statistical analyzing methods. Because of their widespread use, questionnaires are non-confrontational to the sample population and do not force opinions or options, allowing for accurate and viable responses to be gathered with little bias or influence from the researchers or complicated research equipment. The questionnaire development will take into consideration possible defects in the question distribution and has made all attempts to use common language and word organisation that is not technical or industry based with the hopes to remove the larger concerns in relation to comprehension and cognition. However, it is important to note that in any research methodology that is dealing with human responses to qualitative or quantitative questions remains the possibility of language bias. Advertisement:- Advertising is any paid form of no personal presentation of ideas, products, or services by an identified sponsor. Most advertising media are mass media: e. g. newspapers, magazines, television, radio, billboards, etc. Thus rather than transmitting messages to one buyer, most ads communicate to thousands or even millions of buyers: this makes each contact for less expensive than personal sales presentation. Sales Promotion:- Like personal selling and advertising, sales promotion stimulates consumer buying and middlemen’s effectiveness, but with a wide variety of means. Sales promotion tactics are expected to supplement salespeople and advertising to make them more effective. Retail store window displays, product sampling, premium offers, and coupons are all examples of sales promotion. In contrast personal selling and advertising, many sales promotions are non-continuing, such as exhibits at fairs or contests. Manufacturers and retailers have substantial control over their sales promotions. Publicity:- In contrast to â€Å"Advertisement†, â€Å"Publicity† may be defined as any â€Å"Unpaid† form of non-personal presentation of ideas, goods or services. Personal selling advertising and sales promotional are all direct forms of promotion, whereas publicity is indirect: a firm cannot just go out and buy it. Publicity has been defined as non-personal stimulation of demand for a product, service, or business firm by planting commercially significant news about it in communications media. Some publicity about companies and brands is of course not solicited by sellers: indeed, it may even be negative. Conclusion: In brief we have reached on the conclusion that the most important activity in the business and to promote a brand is marketing. From above literature, it can be stated that marketing in general is based on the consumer’s perception of the brand, regional and local economical factor, social and cultural manners and the methodologies applied to market the product. The perceived quality, emotional constructs, and justification of the purchase impact the customer’s decision to purchase a brand. This research demonstrates that market research cater foci point of marketing strategy, then identifying the organizational and product’s potentials for the effective product understanding, the marketing consultant and organization should analyze the product strengths and weaknesses to cover it with appropriation. To determine the supply and demand identify the main competitors, and craft a good and competitive piece of product which can compete according to the economical and technological factors prevailed in the market. Then the identification of distribution options is to be the major decision to market the product, a great establishment of distribution channels will pertains a great proportion in successful marketing of a product. Marketing and advertisement campaigns play pivotal role in the success of any product. However, a significant amount of money, time and resources have to place behind marketing to the ethnic (or minority) â€Å"masses† and that was many years on the making when an organization advocated for that initiative, that too was looked upon as radical. Coming off the heels of that accomplishment, painting the picture of a viable affluent ethnic consumer might be easier. Ultimately, relevant, comprehensive and actionable insight will lead to informed business decisions and the implementation of marketing best practices. If the world has changed so must a brands attitude and actions towards marketing to new target audiences.

My Experience with Domestic Violence Essay -- Personal Narrative Essay

I would shut my eyes because I knew what was coming. And before I shut my eyes, I held my breath, like a swimmer ready to dive into a deep ocean. I could never watch when his hands came toward me; I only patiently waited for the harsh sound of the strike. I would always remember his eyes right before I closed my own: pupils wide with rage, cold, and dark eyebrows clenched with hate. When it finally came, I never knew which fist hit me first, or which blow sent me to my knees because I could not bring myself to open my eyes. They were closed because I didn’t want to see what he had promised he would never do again. In the darkness of my mind, I could escape to a paradise where he would never reach me. I would find again the haven where I kept my hopes, dreams, and childhood memories. His words could not devour me there, and his violence could not poison my soul because I was in my own world, away from this reality. When it was all over, and the only thing left were bruises, tea rs, and bleeding flesh, I felt a relief run through my body. It was so predictable. For there was no more need to recede, only to recover. There was no more reason to be afraid; it was over. He would feel sorry for me, promise that it would never happen again, hold me, and say how much he loved me. This was the end of the pain, not the beginning, and I believed that everything would be all right. Like so many innocent, selfless girls, untouched by the world, I forgave him. The pain dispersing through my body reminded me that I was strong and all I needed to do was heal. I would cry without tears at first, the sadness inside me so intense, that the hollowness in my heart would weigh me down. My heart’s deep hollowness was so immense, that the loudest shrie... ...e helped me overcome the obstacle of domestic violence. My will and motivation was to get an education, better myself, and become a strong and intelligent woman. I choose to view this unfortunate situation as a learning experience because I am stronger now and I will never go backwards. Something that I have learned after overcoming this battle is that life is very unpredictable and it is up to the individual to rise above and choose the right path. This excerpt from the poem â€Å"Recovery† by Maya Angelou has given me encouragement and inspiration to move on with my life and become the best person that I can be: â€Å"A last love, proper in conclusion, should snip the wings forbidding further flight. But I now reft of that confusion, am lifted up and speeding towards the light.† I live by these words everyday because they motivate me to succeed and overcome the impossible. My Experience with Domestic Violence Essay -- Personal Narrative Essay I would shut my eyes because I knew what was coming. And before I shut my eyes, I held my breath, like a swimmer ready to dive into a deep ocean. I could never watch when his hands came toward me; I only patiently waited for the harsh sound of the strike. I would always remember his eyes right before I closed my own: pupils wide with rage, cold, and dark eyebrows clenched with hate. When it finally came, I never knew which fist hit me first, or which blow sent me to my knees because I could not bring myself to open my eyes. They were closed because I didn’t want to see what he had promised he would never do again. In the darkness of my mind, I could escape to a paradise where he would never reach me. I would find again the haven where I kept my hopes, dreams, and childhood memories. His words could not devour me there, and his violence could not poison my soul because I was in my own world, away from this reality. When it was all over, and the only thing left were bruises, tea rs, and bleeding flesh, I felt a relief run through my body. It was so predictable. For there was no more need to recede, only to recover. There was no more reason to be afraid; it was over. He would feel sorry for me, promise that it would never happen again, hold me, and say how much he loved me. This was the end of the pain, not the beginning, and I believed that everything would be all right. Like so many innocent, selfless girls, untouched by the world, I forgave him. The pain dispersing through my body reminded me that I was strong and all I needed to do was heal. I would cry without tears at first, the sadness inside me so intense, that the hollowness in my heart would weigh me down. My heart’s deep hollowness was so immense, that the loudest shrie... ...e helped me overcome the obstacle of domestic violence. My will and motivation was to get an education, better myself, and become a strong and intelligent woman. I choose to view this unfortunate situation as a learning experience because I am stronger now and I will never go backwards. Something that I have learned after overcoming this battle is that life is very unpredictable and it is up to the individual to rise above and choose the right path. This excerpt from the poem â€Å"Recovery† by Maya Angelou has given me encouragement and inspiration to move on with my life and become the best person that I can be: â€Å"A last love, proper in conclusion, should snip the wings forbidding further flight. But I now reft of that confusion, am lifted up and speeding towards the light.† I live by these words everyday because they motivate me to succeed and overcome the impossible.

Woman’s Search for Identity in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee and Thei

Woman’s Search for Identity in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee and Their Eyes Were Watching God. The main female characters of Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Seraph on the Suwanee, move from oppression to liberation throughout the course of the novel. Their journey to find their own â€Å"niche† in life occurs via their relationships with men. For Janie, her relationships with dominant male figures stifle her identity as well as her ability to achieve self-actualization. For Arvay Meserve, her personal background and relationship with her authoritarian husband cause miscommunication and thus prevent her from personal growth and awareness. In both cases, a hurricane is the mechanism through which both women find their identities and place in life. Janie’s previous husbands—Logan and Joe—and Arvay’s husband, Jim Meserve, â€Å"sometimes play more the role of substitute parent than that of a husband† (Roark 207). Clearly, this type of relationship impedes one’s self-actualization (including the recognition of one’s personal desires and aspirations). While a father figure is completely...

Math: Mathematics and Favorite Subject

I know very well what my weak point is. I am not a writing women; I am in love with numbers. Mathematic is my favorite subject since I began to study. My mother is an accountant, and my father is a civil engineer. The first thing that I teach me was to count 1 to 10 with only one year and half. Math is my favorite subject, for three reasons, this subject-matter pushes me to think carefully, be organize when solving math exercises, and the most important numbers are easy to me.For these reasons I enjoy every single day in my job. First of all, it helps me in my life because I learn to think and concentrate clearly. When I have a Math problem, I read it and try to think in a easy solution. This helps me understand the situation. When I have all the data, I write the formula. I always try not over thinking it, because this can affect the result. My mother told me that math is like a puzzle, like a game. Second, I am extremely organized with numbers.I always follow all the rules and keep the solutions steps by step in my records. The result need to be clean, which means that anyone can understand the result without my presence. By the time that I have the solution, I feel free and comfortable. I can only hear in my head, I win, I win!!! The third and final reason is that numbers are easy for me. Equations, problems, geometry, addition, multiplication and rest are fun to me. I see this subject as hobby not as a class. Numbers are infinite; they are like the stars in the sky.Galileo Galilei said that, â€Å"The great book of nature is written in mathematical symbols†. In conclusion, Math was my life in Kinder Garden, Elementary School, Middle School, and High School, will be the same for the rest of my life. This class showed me how to put my brain to work. I learned how to work and study at the same time like a game. Numbers are easy and bring me happiness every day since I was a little girl. Thanks to my mother, father and teachers who always supported in th is subject, I am a good mathematician today.

Biography of Olympe de Gouges, French Activist

Biography of Olympe de Gouges, French Activist Olympe de Gouges (born Marie Gouze; May 7, 1748–November 3, 1793) was a French writer and activist who promoted womens rights and the abolition of slavery. Her most famous work was the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen, the publication of which resulted in Gouges being tried and convicted of treason. She was executed in 1783 during the Reign of Terror. Fast Facts: Olympe de Gouges Known For: Gouges was a French activist who fought for womens rights; she wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female CitizenAlso Known As: Marie GouzeBorn: May 7, 1748 in Montauban, FranceDied: November 3, 1793 in Paris, FrancePublished Works: Letter to the People, or Project for a Patriotic Fund (1788), Patriotic Remarks (1789), Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen (1791)Spouse: Louis Aubry (m.  1765-1766)Children: Pierre Aubry de GougesNotable Quote: Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her rights. Social distinctions can be based only on the common utility. Early Life Olympe de Gouges was born on May 7, 1748, in southwestern France. At the age of 16, she was married against her wishes to a man named Louis Aubry, who died a year later. De Gouges moved to Paris in 1770, where she started a theater company and became involved in the growing abolitionist movement. Plays After joining the theater community in Paris, Gouges began writing her own plays, many of which dealt explicitly with issues such as slavery, male-female relations, childrens rights, and unemployment. Gouges was critical of French colonialism and used her work to draw attention to social ills. Her work, however, was often met with hostile criticism and ridicule from the male-dominated literary establishment. Some critics even questioned whether she was the true author of the works to which shed signed her name. Activism From 1789- beginning with the French Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen- until 1944, French women were not allowed to vote, meaning they did not have the full rights of citizenship. This was the case even though women were active in the French Revolution, and many assumed that such rights were theirs by virtue of their participation in that historic liberation struggle. Gouges, a playwright of some note at the time of the Revolution, spoke for not only herself but many of the women of France when in 1791 she wrote and published the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen. Modeled after the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen by the National Assembly, Gouges declaration echoed the same language and extended it to women. As many feminists have done since then, Gouges both asserted womans capability to reason and make moral decisions and pointed to the feminine virtues of emotion and feeling. A woman was not simply the same as a man; she was his equal partner. The French version of the titles of the two declarations makes this mirroring a bit clearer. In French, Gouges manifesto was the Dà ©claration des Droits de la Femme et de la Citoyenne―not just woman contrasted with man, but citoyenne contrasted with citoyen. Unfortunately, Gouges assumed too much. She assumed she had the right to even act as a member of the public and to assert the rights of women by authoring such a declaration. She violated boundaries that most of the revolutionary leaders wanted to preserve. Among the most controversial ideas in Gouges Declaration was the assertion that women, as citizens, had the right to free speech, and therefore had the right to reveal the identity of the fathers of their children―a right that women of the time were not assumed to have. She assumed a right of children born out of legitimate marriage to full equality to those born in marriage: this called into question the assumption that only men had the freedom to satisfy their sexual desire outside of marriage, and that such freedom on the part of men could be exercised without fear of corresponding responsibility. It also called into question the assumption that only women were agents of reproduction―men, Gouges proposal implied, were also part of the reproduction of society, and not just political, rational citizens. If men were seen sharing the reproduction role, perhaps women should be members of the political and public sphere of society. Death For refusing to be silent on the rights of women―and for associating with the wrong side, the Girondists, and criticizing the Jacobins, as the Revolution became embroiled in new conflicts―Olympe de Gouges was arrested in July 1793, four years after the Revolution began. She was sent to the guillotine in November of that year and was beheaded. A contemporary report of her death said: Olympe de Gouges, born with an exalted imagination, mistook her delirium for an inspiration of nature. She wanted to be a man of state. She took up the projects of the perfidious people who want to divide France. It seems the law has punished this conspirator for having forgotten the virtues that belong to her sex. In the midst of a revolution to extend rights to more men, Olympe de Gouges had the audacity to argue that women, too, should benefit. Her contemporaries were clear that her punishment was, in part, for forgetting her proper place and violating the boundaries set for women. Legacy Gouges ideas continued to influence women in France and abroad after her death. Her essay Declaration of the Rights of Woman was reprinted by like-minded radicals, inspiring Mary Wollstonecrafts Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792. Americans were inspired by Gouges as well; during the 1848 Womens Rights Convention at Seneca Falls, activists produced the Declaration of Sentiments, an expression of female empowerment that borrowed from Gouges style. Sources Duby, Georges, et al.  Emerging Feminism from Revolution to World War. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1995.Roessler, Shirley Elson.  Out of the Shadows: Women and Politics in the French Revolution, 1789-95. Peter Lang, 2009.Scott, Joan Wallach.  Only Paradoxes to Offer: French Feminists and the Rights of Man. Harvard University Press, 2004.

Nietzsches Concept of the Will to Power

Nietzsche's Concept of the Will to Power The â€Å"will to power† is a central concept in the philosophy of 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It is best understood as an irrational force, found in all individuals, that can be channeled toward different ends. Nietzsche explored the idea of the will to power throughout his career, categorizing it at various points as a psychological, biological, or metaphysical principle. For this reason, the will to power is also one of Nietzsches most misunderstood ideas. Origins of the Idea In his early twenties, Nietzsche read The World as Will and Representation by Arthur Schopenhauer and fell under its spell. Schopenhauer offered a deeply pessimistic vision of life, and at the heart of it was his idea that a blind, ceaselessly striving, irrational force he called â€Å"Will† constituted the dynamic essence of the world. This cosmic Will manifests or expresses itself through each individual in the form of the sexual drive and the â€Å"will to life† that can be seen throughout nature. It is the source of much misery since it is essentially insatiable. The best thing one can do to reduce one’s suffering is to find ways to calm it. This is one of the functions of art. In his first book, The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche posits what he calls a â€Å"Dionysian† impulse as the source of Greek tragedy. Like Schopenhauer’s Will, it is an irrational force that surges up from dark origins, and it expresses itself in wild drunken frenzies, sexual abandon, and festivals of cruelty. His later notion of the will to power is significantly different, but it retains something of this idea of a deep, pre-rational, unconscious force that can be harnessed and transformed in order to create something beautiful. The Will to Power as a Psychological Principle In early works like Human, All Too Human and Daybreak, Nietzsche devotes much of his attention to psychology. He doesn’t talk explicitly about a â€Å"will to power,† but time and again he explains aspects of human behavior in terms of a desire for domination or mastery over others, oneself, or the environment. In The Gay Science he begins to be more explicit, and in Thus Spoke Zarathustra he begins to use the expression â€Å"will to power.† People unacquainted with Nietzsche’s writings may be inclined to interpret the idea of the will to power rather crudely. But Nietzsche is not thinking only or even primarily of the motivations behind people like Napoleon or Hitler who expressly seek military and political power. In fact, he typically applies the theory quite subtly. For instance, Aphorism 13 of The Gay Science is entitled â€Å"The Theory of the Sense of Power.† Here Nietzsche argues that we exercise power over other people both by benefiting them and by hurting them. When we hurt them we make them feel our power in a crude way- and also a dangerous way, since they may seek to revenge themselves. Making someone indebted to us is usually a preferable way to feel a sense of our power; we also thereby extend our power, since those we benefit see the advantage of being on our side. Nietzsche, in fact, argues that causing pain is generally less pleasant than showing kindness and even suggests that cruelty, because it is the inferior option, is a sign that one lacks power. Nietzsche’s Value Judgments The will to power as Nietzsche conceives of it is neither good nor bad. It is a basic drive found in everyone, but one that expresses itself in many different ways. The philosopher and the scientist direct their will to power into a will to truth. Artists channel it into a will to create. Businessmen satisfy it through becoming rich. In On the Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche contrasts â€Å"master morality† and â€Å"slave morality,† but traces both back to the will to power. Creating tables of values, imposing them on people, and judging the world according to them, is one noteworthy expression of the will to power. And this idea underlies Nietzsche attempt to understand and evaluate moral systems. The strong, healthy, masterly types confidently impose their values on the world directly. The weak, by contrast, seek to impose their values in a more cunning, roundabout way, by making the strong feel guilty about their health, strength, egotism, and pride. So while the will to power in itself is neither good nor bad, Nietzsche very clearly prefers some ways in which it expresses itself to others. He doesn’t advocate the pursuit of power. Rather, he praises the sublimation of the will to power into creative activity. Roughly speaking, he praises those expressions of it he views as creative, beautiful, and life-affirming, and he criticizes expressions of the will to power that he sees as ugly or born of weakness. One particular form of the will to power that Nietzsche devotes much attention to is what he calls â€Å"self-overcoming.† Here the will to power is harnessed and directed toward self-mastery and self-transformation, guided by the principle that â€Å"your real self lies not deep within you but high above you.† Charles Darwin.   Historical Picture Archive/Getty Images Nietzsche and Darwin In the 1880s Nietzsche read and seems to have been influenced by several German theorists who criticized Darwin’s account of how evolution occurs. In several places he contrasts the will to power with the â€Å"will to survive,† which he seems to think is the basis of Darwinism. In fact, though, Darwin does not posit a will to survive. Rather, he explains how species evolve due to natural selection in the struggle to survive. The Will to Power as a Biological Principle At times Nietzsche seems to posit the will to power as more than just a principle that yields insight into the deep psychological motivations of human beings. For instance, in Thus Spoke Zarathustra he has Zarathustra say: â€Å"Wherever I found a living thing, I found there the will to power.† Here the will to power is applied to the biological realm. And in a fairly straightforward sense, one might understand a simple event such as a big fish eating a little fish as a form of the will to power; the big fish demonstrates mastery of its environment by assimilating part of the environment into itself. The Will to Power as a Metaphysical Principle Nietzsche contemplated writing a book entitled â€Å"The Will to Power† but never published a book under this name. After his death, however, his sister Elizabeth published a collection of his unpublished notes, organized and edited by herself, entitled The Will to Power. Some sections of this book make it clear that Nietzsche took seriously the idea that the will to power might be a fundamental principle operating throughout the cosmos. Section 1067, the last section of the book, sums up Nietzsche’s way of thinking about the world as â€Å"a monster of energy, without beginning, without end...my Dionysian world of the eternally self-creating, the eternally self-destroying†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It concludes: â€Å"Do you want a name for this world? A solution for all its riddles?  A light for you, too, you best-concealed, strongest, most intrepid, most midnightly men?––This world is the will to power––and nothing besides!  And you yourselves are also this will to power––and nothing besides!†

Free sample - The Food Industry. translation missing

The Food Industry. The Food IndustryThe food industry has been under recent scrutiny as to its moral and ethical obligation to consumers in the provision of healthy, wholesome food to citizens. There has been a widening feeling that in order to impart ethics into the industry, there is a need to tax all unhealthy ingridients, regulate prices especially when cheaper prices come at an expense to the consumer and the need for classification and ethical traceability. Inn response, a group of protagonists in the industry who feel that consumers should be responsible for their own nutritional choices has clamoured for the market autonomy. They feel that utter freedom of choice as to which products should be consumed shoould be granted to the consumer. Therefore, the consumers, through their own intuition, should avoid all foods that are deemed harmful or unethically produced. It is in view of this contoversial debate that this esssay establishes the pros and cons of these arguments based on an ethics platfor m. Positions have been adopted that provide a hard-line against consumers freedom of expression in the food industry. On one hand, the Chicago School of Economy postulates for a value free market with well informed and versed consumers in making suitable choices in consumption. On the other hand, there is the position held by lobbyists and campaigners for consumer rights who feel that the consumer should always be protected against harmful or inappropriate products by corporations in the food industry. The consumer, in the former approach, is hereby viewed as either passive or equipped with insufficient knowledge and power so as to reject any advances that are deemed unethical. This incorporates the fact that the middle income consumer is frequently indebted to the producer, who would otherwise use this to the advantage of lowering standards to produce cheaper products that contravene basic ethics. The latter argument against consumer sovereignty and demands governmental interventions in the food industry proposes that consumers exhibit utilitarian maximization of their own persornal utility such that most people insist on buying cheaper products without giving a damn on whether the producer met the set moral standards. This in turn means that private preferences and interests take root in the protection of politicized issues such as the impact on the environment. Therefore, the voter, who happens to be hypothetically distinctive from the consumer, votes in an unethical government that does not have the public interests and moral principles at heart. This is however contravened by the empirical evidence presented against these concepts. First, the idea of the market being value free is only hypothetical since societal norms of trust and decency such as adherence to agreed contracts between the consumer and the producer are mainly upheld by the market players. Secondly, although some consumers such as children are highly vulnerable, many consumers have diverse opinions regarding particular products, which is advanced by technological advances such as the internet and widespread awareness campaigns conducted by lobbyists and Non-Governmental Organisations. However, this aspect is flawed since the consumers can never at one time attain perfect knowledge on all the products offered in the market. Thirdly, studies conducted by consumer-watch non-governmental organisations indicate that consumers are not concentrating solely on their personal and short-term interests and preferences but are shifting towards a sustainable public interest on consumerism issues. Therefore, the image of the rational, utilitarian, egoistic cost-effective consumer is being discarded as a portrayal of consumer behaviour, thought and a theoretical analysis. Fourthly, the distinction between the end user of various products and the general public, who vote for policies on food consumption is rather challenging. Empirically, the individual who shops and consumes the goods produced is one and the same with the voter who casts his vote in support or in opposition to various legislations or governments in the political process. Therefore, preferences expressed in shopping cannot be detached from political preferences. Moreover, from an analytical point of view, the distinction between consumer and citizen i s not constructive in the food industry since the existence of consumer concerns expresses a discontentment in the ability of the existing regulatory body in dealing with rogue producers. In 1962, the John F. Kennedy government appealed to the consumerism rights broadly through the enactment of the Bill of Consumers Rights, which was consequently integrated into the European Union consumer policy programme. It addressed the rights to safety, the right to keep the consumer informed, the freedom of choice, the freedom to be heard, right of representation and the right to sufficient legal protection. After the 1992 Rio Convention in which the general significance of sustainable production was deliberated upon by most nations till a consensus was achieved and the later creation of the unified European single market, the ethics in consumerism and diverse consumer needs came to prominence. However, concerns expressed by consumers are multiple and cannot be aptly documented in law. Consumer’s rights can be ethically justified from an analysis of three different perspectives that lobby for consumer sovereignty. A deontological approach, which strongly advocates for the undeniable sovereignty, can be traced to the German philosopher Kant. Consumption choices are placed in the individual consumer’s autonomy; hence the consumer should mould the market into his or her preferences. This argument serves to nullify the purported conceptual distinction between the voter and the consumer since it clearly states that the autonomy of consumers should be upheld over that of producers. Kant bases this deontological approach on the basis that adults are well-informed and educated on the various products and that they are independently capable of choosing the preferences they feel are suitable for their needs. The market and production systems should further deliver goods and services as preferred by an autonomous individual. A utilitarian perspective is proposed by John Stuart Mill’s statement on freedom in which the autonomous person should be capable of striving for his own goals and preferences through creation of awareness by education, regulation, dependable information and receptive markets. However, the utilitarian perspective justifies balancing the overall costs of giving consumers the freedom of choice and that of letting experts in the food industry decide on the constituents of   healthy food and nutrition. This contravenes all inherent principles of consumer sovereignty as applied to the food industry. The third perspective is the pragmatist perspective since it pays attention to the fact that ethical principles apply chiefly to social developments. In a social context, food is produced, prepared and consumed under which any moral contravention would have a direct impact. Without social regulations and rules, the expression of the rights of autonomy would be rendered null and void. Consumer sovereignty under a pragmatist approach can only be in context if the key market players such as producers, government regulators, policy makers and the civil society adhere to this perspective. As a consequence of food serving as a basis for cultural and social functions, collectives in the sphere of lobbyists and sensitizers, such as cultural or quasi-political non-governmental organizations and independent consumer organisations should shape consumer preferences while ensuring that autonomy is guaranteed. This implies that purely economic competition availed by the producer’s purchasin g power on food conumption markets should not be the chief focal point in considering whether certain products such as genetically modified food are detrimental or not. In the food industry, the clamour for maximum profits or the most economical utilisation of money does not directly equate to the best situation since various resultant costs such as on the environment and animal welfare emerge. In this industry, not every product can be allowed to be freely circulated and hence control on the market’s sovereignty should be practiced. The food industry, therefore, has a moral responsibility to provide healthy, wholesome food to citizens and consumers should not be wholly responsible for their own nutritional choices.

Final Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final Project - Research Paper Example A training framework for employees in the application of the basic quality control tools is also created through this process (Tara, 2012). A storyboard is a visual display of the Quality Improvement story and normally it is mounted on a board in the area where the problem is occurring. This is because everyone can be able to see the problem and the progress made in solving process. A QI story has several uses: first, a team is able to organize, gather and analyze the data in a logical manner. Secondly, the progress of the team is also monitored (Tara, 2012). Third, the story facilitates the non members understanding of the process and the improvement. Lastly, the story makes it possible for presentations to be made to the management become standardized since everyone is familiar with the processes. The quality improvement story is a process that has several standard steps to be followed: 1. The problem area is identified 2. The causes of the problem are identified 3. The root causes of the problem are analyzed, identified and verified 4. The prevention action is planned and implemented 5. The effectiveness of the chosen action is checked 6. The process improvement is standardized 7. Future actions are determined Wellington hospital: Quality improvement story The wellington hospital conducted a quality improvement project which involved designing, developing, and implementing a quality improvement project that is based on accreditation. Team: 5 members Venue: wellington hospital building Team members: John smith Nelson Pulaski Dr. Theresa brown Rebecca Anderson Plan: to identify and plan for improvement in service delivery (http://www.thewellingtonhospital.com/) Identifying the problem area The areas for improvement were identified through the efforts of the team members and collaborations of the hospital’s departments. According to a survey conducted on all the hospitals in the state by EPIC sponsored by the association for public health institutions. I n 2011, 58% of the residents in the state knew very little about the services and products offered at wellington hospital. A review of the data also revealed that the people had little awareness and the knowledge of the quality of professionals in the institution (http://www.thewellingtonhospital.com/, 2012). Schedule of the plan A committee of staff committed to the process improvement comprising of administrators as well as top level managers. The team members also include the members who contribute to the quality assurance process as well as contributing to the project conclusion. A matrix diagram was created to document and understand the approach to be adopted. A time phased schedule was also created for the completion of the project (Hitoshi, (1985), Understanding the chance AIM statement Capacity Breakdown of the capacity Levels of learning Increasing awareness of the services in the public health services Relationship with the media Find the contacts to the media Learn the p ricing for the advertisements Past relationships Writing capacity Increasing the capability of the staff Developing the writing process Learn the standard formats in article writing John will write releases for the press The minimal writing process Public health topics Research and findings on the issues in the public health The issues which the hospital is currently facing Information to be released to the media Basic knowledge

Lean Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Lean Management - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that objective of lean management is to be an efficient, effective and customer focused organization with least cost and zero wastes. Customer satisfaction plays a vital role in developing and retaining new markets in any business and one good method to gauge it is getting feedback on different aspects from the customers. Major businesses employ customer contact center concepts since these solutions provide businesses with the flexible and strong infrastructure to interact with their customers and effectively manage ongoing projects. Based on these feedbacks, improvements in products and business strategies, development of new products, increase in customer satisfaction and loyalty, and exploration of new markets is sought to devise the swift response to global competitive markets. In the recent past, a number of companies have invested considerably in managing and maintaining contact center to get a competitive advantage by analyzing custome r experience and company performance; however, due to recent economic downturn companies are finding it difficult to manage the contact centers due to increased operating expenses. The as lean principle has effectively been applied in the manufacturing sector, in a similar way this concept is equally well applicable to a service industry. In doing so, Hines cautioned that organizations may miss a strategic aspect of value creation while focusing merely on cost reduction and lean tools while applying lean principles. To reduce the operating costs associated with contact centers, a lean management approach would help in creating a greater value demand while reducing the failure demand. IT businesses recognize that customers lean to support companies providing better services within a given price range. In this report, the company realized that its competitive position in the market is no longer secured. Therefore, a shift to lean management was attempted to reduce wastes and costs and increase revenue. This report is an attempt to study the significance of adopting and applying lean management concepts to Contact Center Industry using academic rigor while focusing on Averatec Contact Center and how it can effectively be applied to achieve zero defects with increased customer satisfaction. Averatec Contact Center 2.1 Company Description Averatec, established in 1984, is a company offering a broad range of computer products including desktop PCs, Laptops, and Servers, networking, storage and peripheral accessories. IT services including infrastructure technology, consultation, and business process development are few other services offered by the company which is engaged in a number of project in these areas. The company supports its entire operations with total 6000 employees and one design, development and manufacturing facility, and more than a hundred service centers located across the globe.

Background for cgeesecack factory restaurant Essay

Background for cgeesecack factory restaurant - Essay Example In 1975, Evelyn started to make a variety of delicious cheesecakes and some fantastic desserts that were sold by thousands of wholesale accounts. Just after thirty years, with one hundred and seventy locations, the success of the cheesecake factory has made it a great success story for the American. The restaurant looked impressive. There were many apartments to be seated in. There was an oval bar off to the right of the entrance. There were two levels of seating and some were in open areas while others were in off to the side areas for quiet or even romantic dining. The people were dressed in a variety of ways. Some folks had on shorts and others were dressed up in beautiful special evening clothing. As we looked around we noticed the servers were smiling, happy and courteous with everyone – no matter what they were ordering. People ordered pizza, snacks, sandwiches, appetizers and meals or any combination of those items. We wanted to stay at the restaurant for a while so we could watch people for this paper, so we ate a very small lunch and saved our appetite for this evening out. This assignment is a combination of our observations. The Cheesecake Factory Restaurant was our choice for this assignment because everyone tells us how great the food is and how much fun it is to eat there. We have been told they have good and friendly service, sports on the televisions around the whole restaurant, and good food. We are international students and know that there are many thoughts that go through our minds as we spend time in a restaurant. People of all nationalities, races, colors, and cultural backgrounds appeared at the restaurant during our time there. It does not cater to one specific group of people. As we consider the people we see we try to guess as many details about them as possible by their dress, mannerisms, skin color, and language. We believe people’s culture is an asset to our goal of international business

Give 1 or 2 examples of how evaluation of a theory can help you Article

Give 1 or 2 examples of how evaluation of a theory can help you understand the importance of theory in nursing - Article Example As an example, when a nurse wants to understand how to better work with patients, there are many theories that provide a model of how this work can be done. As an example, Brant, Beck and Miaskowski (2010) evaluated the Theory of Symptom Management (TSM) and provided insight on why this evaluation was important. The authors state that understanding more about the interventions that are used in TSM provide a better way for nurses to develop other interventions. In this case, understanding a few ways that symptoms of some diseases are managed, can bring about other ways of managing these diseases. Another reason that theories are important to understand is because it can lead nurses to the discovery of other diseases and how to handle them. As an example, Boggatz and Dassen (2011) provide information on a conceptual model for understanding why older people use nursing care. Their study is important because it showed what to look for when working with older people. They point out that seeking care is a self-care process in some respects, so it becomes more important to understand older people’s motivation for seeking care. This information can also provide reasons that older people do not seek treatment. Brant, J., Beck, S., & Miaskowski, C. (2010). Building dynamic models and theories to advance the science of symptom management research. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 66(1), 228-240. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05179.x Marlaine, C. S. (2001). Analysis and evaluation of contemporary nursing knowledge: Nursing models and theories. Nursing and Health Care Perspectives, 22(2), 92-92. Retrieved from

Sociological Concepts on War in the Middle East Essay

Sociological Concepts on War in the Middle East - Essay Example Wars can be considered as a serious social problem as it has been responsible for many sociological issues. The wars that have been fought result in degeneration and loss of life and property. During war people become disheartened and they resort to all kinds of violations to correct the authorities in power. People become the preys of exploitation and anarchy in times of war. The social challenges that the wars raise are matchless with out any remedies. People are grabbed by the aftermath of the war by becoming widows, orphans etc. The social threat that the war raises is dissatisfaction and degeneration of the society and people. The status of people gets degenerated and they have to suffer a lot to get out of the social evil of wars. Due to the anarchy during the times of the war people get addicted to alcohol and many other drugs. The wars that are fought in the Middle East had great lessons to teach the modern world. But people are indifferent to the adverse impacts of war. They behave as if they are ignorant of the aftermaths of the war. The loss of life and property due to never ending war is quite beyond the imagination of human beings. The paper is dedicated to the analysis of global images of sociological concepts on war in the Middle East. Apart from war there are a number of other social problems that the word faces today. All these social problems are social issues that every country suffers in the present day. Though there are a number of corrective measures adopted by the authorities they are not adequate to meet the essential requirements. Any country that suffers from any of these social problems can not be considered secure as it lags much behind social progress that of the expected rate. These social problems stand as a hindrance to the growth and development of the country. If a nation wants to attain fast development in every field it should be free from all these negative factors. The social problems are actually the negative factors that pull the countries backward from development. The major social problems that many nations suffer are poverty, unemployment and under employment, beggary, prostitution, war etc. . (Jamail). The image shows how adversely common people are affected by the social problem war. They are a few social problems that deserve mention. There are a number of other social problems to be mentioned. But comparatively they are less severe than those mentioned above. Poverty is a social evil that grabs the society in the modern world. It is a global issue to be taken care of and to be removed. Whole world is now under the clutches of poverty. The rate at which poverty grows is highly alarming and authorities try to find remedy for the social evil of poverty. But no remedial measure is sufficient and foolproof as it lacks popular support. Unemployment and underemployment are other two social evils which put much burden on people. When people have no jobs they would resort to meanest things to find a living. It affects the status of the country and its people. Begging is another social issue that almost all the developing countries face. Poverty and unemployment are the two reasons responsible for begging. The authorities can reduce the number of people who have resorted to begging by providing more and more job opportunities. The main reason behind the global social problem of prostitution is the lack of employment and less salary of the employed persons. People who resort to

Give 1 or 2 examples of how evaluation of a theory can help you Article

Give 1 or 2 examples of how evaluation of a theory can help you understand the importance of theory in nursing - Article Example As an example, when a nurse wants to understand how to better work with patients, there are many theories that provide a model of how this work can be done. As an example, Brant, Beck and Miaskowski (2010) evaluated the Theory of Symptom Management (TSM) and provided insight on why this evaluation was important. The authors state that understanding more about the interventions that are used in TSM provide a better way for nurses to develop other interventions. In this case, understanding a few ways that symptoms of some diseases are managed, can bring about other ways of managing these diseases. Another reason that theories are important to understand is because it can lead nurses to the discovery of other diseases and how to handle them. As an example, Boggatz and Dassen (2011) provide information on a conceptual model for understanding why older people use nursing care. Their study is important because it showed what to look for when working with older people. They point out that seeking care is a self-care process in some respects, so it becomes more important to understand older people’s motivation for seeking care. This information can also provide reasons that older people do not seek treatment. Brant, J., Beck, S., & Miaskowski, C. (2010). Building dynamic models and theories to advance the science of symptom management research. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 66(1), 228-240. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05179.x Marlaine, C. S. (2001). Analysis and evaluation of contemporary nursing knowledge: Nursing models and theories. Nursing and Health Care Perspectives, 22(2), 92-92. Retrieved from

Prepare a report for the board of directors of Summer Bodysuit Ltd Coursework

Prepare a report for the board of directors of Summer Bodysuit Ltd that analyses the problems faced by the company and that sets - Coursework Example 2. To study whether bank’s request for a significant reduction in the overdraft facility granted to Summer Bodysuit Limited is reasonable. Structure of the organization The financial problems in a company arise mainly due to weakness in the structure of the organization. Jill Dempsey and Mike Greaves have good experience in the company’s business. The business model, designing and manufacturing of casual and leisure clothes aiming particularly at the younger and higher-income market, is in line with their experience. However, the weakness in the organization structure lies in lack of proper system for financial management. Financial management is a specialized area which needs expertise for efficiency in business operations. Keeble brothers’ involvement in the day to day business activities has been very limited. The business has grown well over the period of time and the order recently received from Arena, a chain of casual and sportswear stores is seen particul arly important. The draft accounts from the Auditors confirm the company’s success. But, lack of suitable system for working capital management and planning in capital investment has landed the company in the current financial difficulties. Relationship with the bank and planning for the future The bank wants the company to reduce the overdraft by half over the next six months. The company had breached its overdraft limit on several occasions over the past few years. The management is aware of the fact that the patience of the bank has been wearing thin. The largest shareholder of the business is Keeble Estates Ltd, owned by David and John Keeble. Neither they are in a position to make further investments nor willing to accept investments from new investors, fearing loss of influence over the company. It is in this backdrop the analysis is done to make suitable recommendations for taking necessary actions to overcome the current financial difficulties. Business operations Dec how et al (2010) state, â€Å"the quality of a ?rm’s earnings depends on both the ?rm’s ?nancial performance and on the accounting system that measures it.† Prima facie the company has not accorded the deserved attention to accounting in the organization. The management has embarked on investment spree without making necessary arrangements for the additional working capital needed for its operations. David et al (2007) states that â€Å"overcon?dent managers underestimate risk and therefore take actions with excessive risk†. Evaluation of the business prospects involves analysis of several factors relating to the business. Schrand and Zechman (2009) state that â€Å"the overconfident managers make optimistic forecasts and in order to meet these forecasts, exhibit higher levels of fraud and earnings management.† Though the results do not in any way suggest fraud its management of finance calls for critical analysis. Gross profit margin during the la st two years has been at 14.99% and 20.61% respectively which reflects the soundness of the business proposals of Jill Dempsey and Mike Greaves. The increase in capital investment and consequently working capital required additional investments which are met primarily through bank overdraft. â€Å"An overdraft facility enables businesses to obtain short-term funding - although in theory the amount loaned is repayable on demand by the bank† (Riley, 2012). The bankers are now asking the company to reduce the

Personal Barriers to Online Learning Essay Example for Free

Personal Barriers to Online Learning Essay Online learning or e-Learning refers to application of electronic technology for the delivery of instructional content or knowledge domains. Beamish et al. (2002), defines e-Learning as: â€Å". . . a wide set of applications and processes allied to training and learning that includes computer-based learning, online learning, virtual classrooms and digital collaboration. These services can be delivered by a variety of electronic media, including the intranet, internet, interactive TV and satellite. † In spite of the great flexibility and varied range of tools that e-Learning can provide to imparting education, implementing any e-Learning system can be a complicated and complex endeavour and online learning can be a very frustrating experience for the student as well as the teacher. A number of personal barriers affect students and teachers alike in any online learning system. Personal Barriers of Students The technology available with students determines the nature of the course content to a large extent. Students may simply not have the required bandwidth to access high-end multimedia content. The course designer has to tailor the contents to suit the technology availability of the students. This is especially true of e-Learning courses catering to international community scattered all over the world. In such cases severe constraints may have to be imposed on the utilization of technology resources available at the end of the imparting institution. The design would then have to optimized for dial-up users with at the most 800600 pixel monitor screen resolutions. In fact, many universities take special care to ensure prior to registration that their respective e-Learning course content is accessible to the students. â€Å"Technical infrastructure deficiencies on the student side can impede course activities, especially in an online distance-learning environment. † (Arabasz, 2003, pp. 42) The proficiency level of the student in using ICT tools would enhance or undermine his e-Learning experience to a great extent. In the international context it would be unwise to expect uniform familiarity with ICT usage. A student, previously not exposed to ICT, will therefore not only have to handle the course requirements, but will also have to acquire the requisite skills in ICT to pursue the course effectively. From the learner perspective, literacy and IT skills and aptitude for self-direction, being confident and motivated to participate in online learning have also been identified as potential barriers to effective online learning (Australian Institute for Social Research, 2006, pp. 15). The factor that students have to study in isolation in an e-Learning system has triggered off many debates. Many perceive this isolation as a crippling obstacle to the development of e-Learning systems for higher education. Brouner and Flowers (1997) even suggested that the lack of human interactions in the incorporation of technology into higher education would have to be effectively made up by increased human contact. The e-Learning environment lacks the discipline and time regulations imposed on students in conventional education. This requires students to be more motivated, better time managers and more attentive during e-Learning sessions. The lack of the proximity and personal touch of the instructor as in a traditional classroom can create a communication chasm that both the instructor and the student may find difficult to surmount. In a situation where eye contact and proximity are limited, students cannot be disciplined nor affirmed by eye contact and body language (McKnight, 2000). Time is another constraint that affects online learning negatively. Whilst education has now extended geographically it has limited students with time restrictions (Jones et. al. , 2004, pp. 14). Trials and Tribulations for the Faculty Time is perhaps the biggest investment that the instructor has to make. The amount of time required to develop and maintain an e-Learning course is usually not anticipated by the people involved. The instructor has to spend a lot of time on restructuring and reengineering the course for e-Learning delivery. A complete over hauling is required. Instructors also need to give time for technical and pedagogical training as instructions in e-Learning differ radically from conventional approaches. Last but not the least, the instructor has to spend considerable time corresponding or communicating with students. A very important aspect of e-Learning is the views or approach of the instructor. The instructor could be trying to make the e-Learning experience as good and fruitful as the conventional classroom’s. It is a case of trying to replicate the conventional classroom in e-Learning. The second approach could be the instructor’s effort to improve the instructions through the medium of e-Learning. The instructor will have to decide on which approach to adopt, a decision that could profoundly influence the very character and quality of the e-Learning content. Technical issues can hamper an instructor’s efficiency or performance. The instructor is often not familiar with the technologies that are utilized. Development in multimedia would require knowledge of Flash, Shockwave and similar tools. It is difficult to find persons skilled in both the application technology and the field of education. The problem of technology extends to the teacher who may not be proficient in the software. The dependency on technology also tends to undermine the faculty’s confidence at times. â€Å"Are things going to work when I’m in the classroom? Will the Internet be up? Do I need to bring back-up materials on a disk? Will the last instructor have left things in good shape? These [issues] may be more basic than you’d expect, but dependability is still a major issue. † (Arabasz, 2003, pp. 41) Online Learning therefore requires very careful planning and implementation in order to achieve success.

Effect of Discounting on Climate Change

Effect of Discounting on Climate Change Introduction Climate change can be termed as the single largest problem that we as a humanity are facing at present. Since the 1960’s- when for the first time the perils of greenhouse gas emissions on climate were reported- the gravity associated with demand for action on climate change has only been increasing.Though the impacts of climate change are already being felt in terms of increased frequency of disasters and changing weather patterns, a majority of the impacts are to affect future generations only. This raises many questions on whether to act on climate change now or later. The role ethics has to play in tackling such an issue is immense. Individual perceptions, their choices and what defines morality for them all come in to light while determining action on climate change. Since the formation of UNFCCC, under which international negotiations on climate change are being held, the weightage on acting against climate change has been catapulted to a global level. The framework has seen many international agreements on cutting down the global emissions of greenhouse gases and building resilience among communities to tackle climate change. But the costs involved in acting against climate change and arresting the global temperature change to such a level so that it doesn’t prove catastrophic to the future generation is huge. Nicholas Stern, an economist, had published a report- The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change- in 2006 for the British Government which had given an estimate of one percent of global GDP that is required to arrest the impacts of climate change. This estimate was revised in 2008 to two percent of the global GDP accounting for faster than expected climate change. To put things in perspective two percent of global GDP acco unts for close to US$1.5 trillion when the World Bank estimate of the total global gross domestic product of US$74.9 trillion is taken into consideration. Such values aren’t small and require enormous funding from countries world over to act against the impacts. Hence action on climate change, though ethical, has huge implications on the global economy. This economic implication of acting on climate change becomes more precarious when we take into consideration the fact that climate change is set to have its worst impacts on the generations to come. This leaves us with the question of whether to act now or leave it to the future generations to tackle the issue of climate change. Corporations and for that matter countries in itself would act only if they see some incentives in acting now, else one wouldn’t want to sacrifice their economic growth which transcribes into well being in the present. What drives international climate negotiations in formulating policies for climate change mitigation is something called as the social cost of carbon (SCC). SCC helps us in estimating the benefits (climate) of decision making. Social cost of carbon can be termed as the the economic damages associated with a small increase in carbon dioxide. This dollar figure also represents the value of damages avoided for a small emission reduction. Hence such an economic value is what drives nations to act on climate change. Higher the value of SCC, higher is the perceived threat from climate change, which in turn increases the urgency required to act on climate change. Higher values also indicate a negative impact of climate change on the future GDP projections of nation states, hence acting on climate change is incentivising nations by insuring their future GDP against the perils of climate change. But for arriving at a social cost of carbon we need to consider what is called an optimal ‘r ate of discount.’ Arriving at a rate of discount is based on what ethical stand one takes, hence this value might hugely vary from person to person. Aspects such as how much you value intergenerational equity, how much are you ready to sacrifice in the present, how do you expect technology to improve in the future and what do you expect to happen to economic growth in the future all come into play while arriving upon a discount rate. This paper would aim to look at the ethics of discounting taking into consideration the various values for discount rates proposed by economists and the implications that these values have on the policy measures we adopt. Existing literature in this area would be reviewed, shedding light on the various arguments/viewpoints centered around choosing different discount rates for climate change action. This process of reviewing literature in itself might be a limitation as the paper would rely on the arguments put forth by authors of respective papers for choosing a certain discount rate. This paper would initially discuss about the evolution of discounting and its relation to climate change and then move onto reviewing existing literature in this field and finally concluding the discussion by stating the author’s viewpoint. Literature Survey Discounting is a financial term that which means a debtor has obtained a right to delay the payment to a person who has lended the amount, a creditor, for a defined period of time by paying a certain fee. This discount is usually associated with something called a discount rate. In simple terms discount rate can be defined as the rate at which the amount owed must be raised to delay payment for one year. A discount rate is what what determines the discount rate and not vice versa. Discounting Factor is another term that is used in context to discounting. Discount factor is the percentage rate required to calculate the present value of future cash flow. What these values mean in terms of climate change and their implications on climate policy shall be discussed in the next few paragraphs. With the basics of discounting know lets move onto the role discounting has to play on climate change mitigation decisions. To figure this out let us look at some questions that economists seem to be in love with while determining the amount we should spend to fight climate change: How much will you be willing to spend to make your child richer by certain amount in the future? And what about the amount that you would be willing to spend to make your grandchild, or your great- great-great grandchild in the distant future richer by the same amount? The answers to these questions might shed light on the future of the planet. Most economic analyses of climate change have concluded that we should be spending only small amounts to combat climate change now, ramping up slowly over time. This conclusion is argued against by climate scientists who say that immediate action is the only way to arrest the serious ramifications of climate change. And the disagreement arises from the above mention ed questions, on how much do you value the future generations’ welfare in terms of a monetary value. The worst consequences of climate change, as mentioned earlier in the introduction, are likely to unfold only over decades or centuries. This means that the present generation is only set to see the beginning of what might be the worst consequences of climate change, with the future generations bearing the maximum brunt of it. Hence, the decision of how much to spend now to arrest climate change in the future weighs itself on assessing how much it is worth to us now to prevent that future damage. As driven by human tendency we would be prefer money now over money later, and hence economists typically figure that our willingness to pay for preventing a dollar worth of damage in a year, or in a decade is less than a dollar. This percentage less is called the â€Å"social discount rate.† What is of importance is figuring out what this discount rate should be. For a short period of time, the easier way is to consider the prevailing market rate of interest. This is similar to a loan that you have taken at a certain interest rate. After all, if you happen to get a bank loan at an interest rate of 7 percent, then getting a dollar in a year is essentially equivalent to getting a tad over 93 cents now. What this essentially implies is that, economically, it would make sense for you to spend 93 cents today if it helps you in avoiding a problem that would otherwise cost you one dollar a year from now. This can be put in other words: a dollar of the projected future impacts has gotten discounted to 93 cents today. But when this is played over many years the results are very peculiar. The following example is cited from an article published in Science News: â€Å"For example, at a 5 percent annual interest rate, a penny that belonged to Julius Caesar would have expanded to the bogglingly huge sum of 3 – 1041 dollars today — more than the entire world economic output over the last 2,000 years multiplied by the number of stars in the sky.† And what this essentially means is that discounting, at a 5 percent social discount rate, would shrink any imaginable catastrophe today to far less than a penny in Caesar’s time, and an economist would have therefore recommended that Caesar not spend even so tiny an amount to avoid it. The mind boggling amount this discounting would result in besides being absurd, would also silence the people wanting action on climate change because of the huge monetary implications. It is very difficult to overlook the effect any constant discount rate (like the 5 percent rate used in the above example) on the future growth potentials which is going to be exponential and explosive. So even considering a moderate social discount rate of say, 2 to 3 percent, economists will have a very hard time trying to justify the amount spent on combating climate change in the present. Instead, economists would suggest to invest this amount in savings and our future generations will be rich enough to live well inspite of all the damages from climate change. But an exception to this is Nicholas Stern. In 2006, he wrote the The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review which concluded by suggesting that we should invest one percent of world GDP immediately to combat climate change. Otherwise, he said, the chaos resulting from climate change could cost twenty percent of world GDP per year. But this was arrived at by setting the social discount rate to near zero. The discount rate he had taken into consideration while arriving at the conclusion was severely criticized by many economists. Underlying assumption is that people would prefer a dollar today than a dollar in the next year are a hundred years from now. Economists are still at loggerheads over this, on whether to: Either accept an assumption that is argued as economically unjustified (a close to zero social discount rate), or conclude that we should accept climate change without a fight. A third alternative which is more likely to remain unentertained is that the economic valuations fail to shed light on the issue at hand. Let us now look into the argument put forward by Stern in his â€Å"Economics of Climate Change† report for taking a near zero discount rate. This paper has already referred to the Stern Review in its earlier sections. The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change is probably the most comprehensive survey of the economics of climate change published until thus. The lead author of the review, Sir Nicholas Stern, from besides being a distinguished economist, he has also made important contributions to areas of public and welfare economic theory that are particularly relevant to climate change economics. His conclusion that we should act now by investing on acting against climate change as it would have more serious implications on the future generations in strongly contended by leading economists. Stern, in his review had said that we should invest one percent, which was revised to two percent in 2008, of the global gross domestic product for acting climate in order to curtail the ravaging impacts of climate change in the future which, otherwise, might lead to huge losses to the tune of 20 percent of global GDP every year in the future. After the first chapter’s brief summary of the scientific evidence for climate change, the next few chapters have devoted considerable attention to the ethical issues revolving around the choice of discount rate. â€Å"This represents the economist’s trade-off between the welfare of different generations and is hence the key to the way that different distributions of consumption over time can be ranked in terms of social welfare.† The Review states that â€Å"The ethical framework of standard welfare economics looks first only at the consequences of actions (an approach often described as ‘consequentialism’) and then assess consequences in terms of impacts on ‘utility’ (an approach often described as ‘welfarism’). The standard welfare economic approach has no room, for example, for ethical dimensions concerning the processes by which outcomes are reached. Some different notions of ethics, including those based on concepts of rights, justice and freedoms, do consider process† (p. 29). The Review also takes a consequentialist approach, which is in line with standard welfare economics, and makes judgements that are both explicit and implicit concerning the distribution of welfare and of consumption across generations. Discounting and the Stern Review It is now well now that in h (i.e. the avoidance of the damage that climate change might otherwise do under what is known as a ‘business as usual scenario’).

The Talloires Declaration :: French History Essays

The Talloires Declaration The Talloires Declaration was born in Talloires, France in 1990 at a conference attended by presidents and chancellors from universities around the world. They believe universities have a duty to take care of the land in order for it to be sustainable and support future generations. The intention of the creators was to find a way to incorporate environmental sustainability in all aspects of educational institutions. They came up with the Talloires Declaration which is an official statement comprised of ten how-to steps to create sustainability. It is supported by universities around the globe who want to incorporate sustainability and environmental literacy in the classroom, in research, in system operations, and in outreach programs. The claim of the Talloires Declaration is â€Å"University leaders must initiate and support mobilization of internal and external resources so that their institutions respond to this urgent challenge.† Already more thanthree hundred university presidents and chancellors from over forty countries have signed the declaration and have incorporated sustainability into their universities by following the framework set by the ten steps. To understand the Talloires Declaration, one must know what sustainability is. The dictionary definition of sustain is â€Å"to keep going: prolong.† Environmental Sustainability is a way of using resources so that they are not depleted and it is a way of living that uses environmental methods such as recycling, solar panels, and little use of resources. In universities across the globe, sustainability has not been incorporated in everyday campus life and this has caused concern about the environmental impacts of those institutions. Each of the ten steps of the Talloires Declaration is open for individual interpretation by each university. The creators purposefully wrote the steps this way because each campus has its own circumstances and environment. These guidelines ensure that universities follow through with sustainability because they motivate and inspire the establishment of a better world. It is good that the same steps are followed by all the universities, that they are dedicated to creating a sustainable future, and that they are held accountable for their actions. The first step of the Talloires Declaration is to spread the word of sustainability and the ways to develop it at the university.

Toward an Ethics for Being Educated Essay -- Education Learning Essays

Toward an Ethics for Being Educated ABSTRACT: The regulative ideal of being educated is construed through features associated with the conduct and aspirations of faculty in higher education. These features include autonomy of mind and its presuppositions in self-knowledge and ability to inquire. These features as well cover having the identity of an educated person, implying evaluation of the products of the mind in logic and language, motivation to maintain an education, and the deep convictions and attitudes characteristic of the academic, humanist, and scientist. Finally, these features encompass knowing how to apply professional methods in reading and evaluating professional literature, identifying what is potentially educative, seeking a deepening of values through value inquiry, and the application of values in a constructive manner. However, the most promising motivation is commitment to oneself. Other motivators, such as love of learning and curiosity, will be transitory. Commitment can be to prescriptions base d on the features associated with the regulative ideal. These prescriptions would in turn comprise a rudimentary ethics for being educated. Three Concepts of an Educated Person In discussions of institutional education, three general and sometimes overlapping senses of the term "educated person" are in common usage. In the first sense, anyone is educated who has successfully completed a school's program. Regardless of what has been learned, a person is said to be educated by the fact of program completion or graduation. In other words, actual learning is not the criterion for calling a person educated. This may explain the comment that a persons education cant be taken away. The second sense specifies c... ...can be to this ethic. The prescriptions would have personal development as their common theme. Most of us take personal development, however, as discretionary. In our society, we would not be censured for rejecting personal development in favor of a life of action for example. Subscribing to such an ethic, then, would ordinarily be done for other reasons such as the ends it serves or the attractiveness of the ideal itself. From personal experience, I know of many faculties in higher education who have committed themselves to the ideal. In many of their lives, their obligation to self is complemented by other motivators such as appetites, inquisitiveness, ends, instructions, opportunities for inquiry, and incipient doubt. But, is the regulative ideal as depicted worth fealty? This depends upon our philosophy of life which I think we have given considerable attention.

By Choice or Chance Essay

By Choice or Chance? The Boat English 12 Alex McDonald The Boat written by Alistair MacLeod, is a story told from the perspective of a man looking back on his life. It’s about the difficult lifestyle that fishermen in Nova Scotia lead. The story is told about the man’s childhood, focusing on this father and the fishing lifestyle he has grown up in. The story really focuses in on the father-son relationship, where the father would prefer his son getting an education and not having to live the dangerous lifestyle he does, which in the end kills him. The father in the story commits suicide at the end of the story by jumping off his boat durning a storm. Many things contribute to his death such as the fact that he no longer wanted his son to follow in his footsteps as a fisherman, he was never really meant to be a fisherman in general and all together the father was just not happy with his life. The father never wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and become a fisherman. He had always wanted his son to be able to go and get an education, unlike him. He burned and reburied over and over again and his lips still cracked so that they bled when he smiled, and his arms, especially the left, still broke out into the oozing salt-water boils as they did ever since as a child I had first watched him soaking and bathing them in a variety of ineffectual solutions. The chafe-preventing brackets of brass kinked chain that all the men wore about their wrists in early spring were his full season and he shaved but painfully and only once a week. â€Å"(Page 121). The father is obviously unhappy and cannot find any other way out of his lifestyle. In this story the father does not lead a very happy life, from the disappointment of his career, to his family. All of his children except his son no longer lived at home, or even visit, his wife was constantly unhappy with her own life which took a toll on him and the two other reasons already discussed made the father unhappy. â€Å"He had to marry my mother and checked the dates on the flyleaf of the Bible where I learned that my oldest sister had been born a prosaic eleven months after the marriage, and I felt myself then very dirty and debased for my lack of faith and for what I had thought and done. And then there came into my heart a very great love for my father and I thought it was very much braver to spend a life doing what you really do not want rather than selfishly following forever your own dreams and inclinations. And I knew then that I could never leave him alone to suffer the iron-tipped harpoons which my mother would forever hurl into his soul because he was a failure as a husband and a father who had retained none of his own. And I felt that I had been very small in a little secret place within me and that even the completion of high school was for me a silly shallow selfish dream. So I told him one night very resolutely and very powerfully that I would remain with his as lng as he lived and we would fish the sea together. And he made no protest but only smiled through the cigarette smoke that wreathed his bed and replied,† â€Å"I hope you will remember what you’ve said†(121-122) This quote is where you start to realize that the author is foreshadowing the suicide of the father, so at the end it is no wonder he finial decides to end his life of suffering through a job he hated and his son’s. The father is just so unhappy with his life that he cannot deal with it anymore. He hates seeing his son become the man he is. The perfect place to end his life in his eyes is on the boat he was bound to for so many years. The father commits suicide because he no longer wants his son to have to follow in is footsteps as a fisherman, he was never meant to be a fishermen, and in general he was just not happy with his life.

Explain the principle psychological perspective Essay

Behaviourist A perspective means a way of seeing things. Behaviourist is the first approach in this criterion. Behaviourist is the study of human minds, they study behaviour. The behaviourist sees the brain as a black box, this is because as they study animals it is easy to experiment, and they think that humans and animals are similar. The behaviourist wanted to become scientist, which is why they carried out the experiment. Although JB Watson (1887) was the founder of this theorist he studied the work of Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936). Pavlov did an experiment once on a dog. The dog salivated every time Pavlov came to the lab with the food. The dog then started associating the time, the bell and the brown coat. This kind of association is called classic conditioning. JB Watson also once experimented on a little boy called Albert. JB Watson taught Albert to have fear of the rats. Albert had a white fluffy rabbit. One day a white rat came pass Albert, but Albert did not seem to be frightened. JB Watson stood behind Albert’s back with metals. Every time the rat went pass JB banged the metals and Albert was startled, JB did this couple of times until Albert was scared of the rat, however Albert was not only scared of the white rat, it was also scared of his white fluffy rabbit as them to animals has the same colour. BF Skinner was also another behaviourist theorist, he did an experiment on a rat in a cage, he put some food on the food pallet for the rat, the rat accidently put its foot on the lever and food came out. So the rat did this few time and knew that if the rat puts the foot on the lever food would come out, this type of experiment was positive reinforcement. On the opposite Skinner experimented on the negative reinforcement. Skinner investigated this by giving the rat a small electric shock whenever it pressed the lever. The consequence of lever pressing was experienced as unpleasant, so the rat learnt to stop pressing the lever. Psycho dynamic Freud ( 1856-1939) and Erikson(1902-194) are two men who came up with the psycho dynamic theory. Freud said that we humans are like animals driven by basic biological natures. He came up with the psyche idea. He said that the psyche idea had three stages, ID means the basic animal instinct, for example, eating sleeping and reproducing, SUPER EGO means morality and EGO means reality and logic. It is said that Freud was the earliest thinkers to bring public attention the idea that us humans are not always aware of some aspects in our lives. He believed that we lock up memories that we do not want to remember or feeling that we do not want to expose somewhere in our brains. He referred consciousness to a tip of an iceberg. He referred pre consciousness at the middle of the ice berg and he also referred unconsciousness as at the bottom of the iceberg. He also came up with defence mechanisms. He knew that when people do not want to remember things, they want to deny it. This mechanism has five stages. Denial is when a person reject the thought or feeling, repression is when we push down the bad memories to the unconsciousness however it could leak at some points. Projection is when a person pushes the social unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else. Rationalisation means making excuses and lastly sublimation is putting all the energies onto something else. Freud also came up with the early experience; he came up with this idea which has five stages. Oral means mouth, anal means anus, phallic is a Latin word for penis, latent which means resting and genital which means private parts. Erikson agrees with Freud however he thought that this continues throughout our life time and were essentially social in nature. Social Learning Theory The theorist of social learning theory is bandura. He is said to be sympathetic towards behaviourist. Although bandura does not criticize, he tells the behaviourist to build up to it. Bandura agrees with the positive reinforcement. Albert bandura said that leaning takes place in social situations, such as in the family or with friends and other people. How Skinner came up with positive reinforcement, Albert came up with vicarious reinforcement, this means when people observe and get affected. For example, Barbara is good to her mother and the father praises her, her sister is observing it but she gets affected by how she is getting treated by her parents, Barbara’s sister was vicariously reinforced. The other idea bandura came up with was role model and modelling. The people we learn from are our role model but the process of imitating the person is called modelling. Modelling has five stages, attention, which is when a person is attracted to a celebrity or a person they reall y like. Retention is when the person is keeping the likeness inside them, reproduction is when he person copies the behaviour, motivation is when the person is tempted to do what the celebrity does and lastly self efficacy is when the person is confident in one area. It is said that we do not imitate all behaviour we observe and remember. Humanistic This approach has been found by two theorist called Carl Rogers (1902-1987) and Abraham Maslow. Carl Rogers (1902-1087) theory is based on clinic and it is also based on the years he has been dealing with different clients with different problems. Rogers sees people as good and he thinks that â€Å"good mental health is a natural progression of human development†. This quote shows that he is stating that human being instinctively know what is bad and what is not. Rogers came up with an idea of an actualisation theory. This is the natural motivation that every human being has. For example, we as human beings try to do very risky things, such as flying to the moon. Some of our hobbies is to create music and paint pictures, we do all because we want to be the best we can, achieve and become successful in the future. He also came up with the idea of unconditional positive regard; he said that this is when people like you, because of who you are regardless of your performances and conformity. The opposite of this is conditional positive regard, which simply explains when someone likes you if their expectations are fulfilled. In other words, Rogers believed that some of the people feel wanted and belonged when they fulfilled other people’s expectations and that is when they develop conditional self regard. Cognitive Approach Cognitive approach is found by three theorist, Jean Piaget, Kelly and beck/Ellis. With the invention of computers and other aids brain activities was like the operation of a computer. Loads of researches have been devoted to understand the process of cognitive, such as attention, memory information processing and problem solving. Jean Piaget came up with an idea related to how people develop throughout their lives. He came to a conclusion that cognition develops through a series of stages. There are four stages that Piaget has mentioned in the theory. The first stage is called the sensory motor, it means that babies from 0 to 2 are experiencing through motor and the sense. stage 2 is the pre operational, this is when children from 2 to 7 develop languages along with the memory, stage 3 is the concrete operational which means that the child can now understand conservations but cannot solve problems yet. The last stage is the formal stage, this is when the children can abstract thought s and present problems of their own and other people. Biological Approach The theorist of this theory is called Arnold Gessel (1880-1961), Gessel came up with the idea is that people are born with a set of genes and the genes carries different personalities, so the theorist is stating that behaviour does not to do with environment and what can of people you socialise with but it is to do with the genes the person is born with. This is quite different to the humanistic approach where the effectiveness of nurture is paramount. Gessel believes that as the baby is being formed in the womb of the mother, for example, the heart being first to form. As the child develops the genes allows to flower over the person. The theorist came up with the genetic influences on behaviour idea. He thinks that genes effect behaviour in many ways, some illnesses such as Huntingdon’s disease is caused by the genes caused by the parents genes or the genes from the family. This disorder will change the person’s behaviour, for example, they will speak in appropriately and they will become aggressive.