Digital Single-lens Reflex Camera

Brochure More information from http://www. researchandmarkets. com/reports/2104103/ Digital Camera Market in India 2012 Description: Digital camera market in India can be characterized with strong growth potential in the ensuing years. Currently, the market is mainly dominated by a handful of players and a cut-throat competition exists amongst these players. The market was valued at INR 17. 5 bn during the fiscal year 2010 and is expected to attain a CAGR of 43% to reach INR 104. 6 bn by 2015. Rising disposable income and increased consumerism primary boosts the market in India.The report begins with a market overview, which provides an insight to the overall digital camera market. It describes the primary reasons which are propelling the market forward. The section also talks about the prevailing competition amongst major players and the market size and growth figures in India in terms of revenue as well as total camera units. This section also features Porter’s five forces a nalysis of the digital camera market in India, thereby offering a clear picture of the market scenario and market entry barriers for prospective new entrants.This section is followed by the technology section which enlightens the readers about the image sensors used in digital cameras for producing images. The sensors discussed in the report comprise of CMOS and CCD sensors. The section enlists the working procedures and advantages of these sensors, thereby providing detailed information about the Pros and Cons of each individual sensor. Distribution model section of the report briefly summarizes the various channels of product distribution, adopted by major players in the market to sell their products.It brings forth the present marketing strategies put in place by the players so as to increase their market reach and penetration. Pricing strategy analysis of top three vendors in the market have been derived after an in-depth analysis of the players concerned. The list generated aft er the research offers valuable insight about the various lucrative segments in the market. This section also features a separate analysis column which helps in clearly distinguishing the prime product segments on which these vendors primarily emphasize on.An analysis of the drivers and challenges explains the factors leading to the growth of the market including increased disposable income, declining prices, rise in e-commerce, increased travel plans and growing inclination for digital cameras. Strong opportunity exists in the market as increasing disposable income and higher consumption pattern drive the demand for digital cameras. This coupled with the fact that the increasing travel plans and constant decline of prices will lead to a developing market.Additionally, growing tendency to own a digital camera and to be able to share images online will fuel growth in this market. The key challenges identified are presence of grey market and emergence of Smart devices with camera feat ures. Basically, grey markets sell products prior to their official launch at comparatively lower prices and hence consumers are attracted by the fact of getting the latest product first hand, which in turn reduces the revenue generated by the overall market.The unprecedented growth in adoption of smart devices capable of capturing high quality images is also a factor hindering the full fledged growth in the market. A majority of the population still prefer devices such as Smartphones as a substitute of digital cameras. The prime reason for this tendency happens to be the common notion to own a multifunction product. Trends identified in the market comprise of introduction of mirrorless cameras, maintaining an India specific product portfolio, providing attractive features and specific focus on a particular range of products.Some of the key players in the market have introduced the mirrorless cameras in their product portfolio. This segment has attracted a lot of attention as these products have a comparatively lower body weight and are much more compact as compared to bulky DSLR cameras and hence owing to the portability quotient, these devices are finding a growing acceptability amongst both consumers as well vendors. It is also seen that most of the major players in the market India specific product portfolio wherein they price their products by keeping in mind the fact that India is a price sensitive country.Off late, the digital camera market has also seen the emergence of products with attractive features such as swivel LCD screens, direct image sharing over the internet, HD video recording and 3D imaging amongst other. Players are primarily incorporating these attractive features so as to lure consumers and gain a competitive edge over their competitors. Lastly, the key players in the market have exhibited a common tendency to bank upon a particular range of products. They spend a substantial amount of their operating expenses for the marketing of these products.This strategy is primarily adopted so as to increase brand visibility and awareness amongst consumers. The competition section provides detailed information about the competitive landscape in the market and includes a detailed profile of the major players in the market. This section covers crucial information about the players such as their corporate information, business highlights, a brief history of their respective corporate activities and sales intelligence. It further elaborates on the player’s detailed SWOT analysis and a comprehensive list of their product portfolio.A separate section on the future strategies of key vendors is also included in the report which gives value added information about the future plans of the top vendors in the market. This section highlights the key areas which these vendors are currently focusing on, so as to generate a better amount of revenue and garner a larger share in the overall market. The report concludes with a section o n strategic recommendations which comprises of an analysis of the growth strategies of the digital camera market in India. Contents:Page 1: Executive Summary Market Overview Page 2: Digital Camera Market – Overview; Digital camera – Market Size (FY 2010-2015e), Page 3: Porter’s Five Forces Analysis – Digital Camera Market Technology Page 4: Image Sensors – Working; Advantages Distribution Model Page 5: Distribution Model – Consumer Electronic Stores, Retail Showroom, Channel Partners, Distributors and Dealers Pricing Strategy Analysis of Top 3 Vendors Page 6: Pricing Strategy – Point and Shoot Segment Page 7: Pricing Strategy – DSLR Segment Drivers and Challenges Page 8: Summary Page 9-13: Drivers Page 14: Challenges Trends Page 15: Summary 16-17: Trends Competition Page 18: Canon Inc – Corporate Information; Sales Intelligence; Brief History and Business Highlights Page 19: Canon Inc – SWOT Analysis Page 20-23: C anon Inc – Product Portfolio Page 24: Eastman Kodak Company – Corporate Information; Sales Intelligence; Brief History and Business HighlightsPage 25: Eastman Kodak Company – SWOT Analysis Page 26: Eastman Kodak Company – Product Portfolio Page 27: FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation – Corporate Information; Sales Intelligence; Brief History and Business Highlights Page 28: FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation – SWOT Analysis Page 29-31: FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation – Product Portfolio Page 32: Nikon Corp – Corporate Information; Sales Intelligence; Brief History and Business Highlights Page 33: Nikon Corp – SWOT Analysis Page 34-36: Nikon Corp – Product Portfolio Page 37: Olympus – Corporate Information; Sales Intelligence; Brief History and Business Highlights Page 38: Olympus – SWOT Analysis Page 39-41: Olympus – Product Portfolio Page 42: Panasonic Corporation – Corporate Information; Sales Int elligence; Brief History and Business Highlights Page 43: Panasonic Corporation – SWOT Analysis Page 44-47: Panasonic Corporation – Product Portfolio Page 48: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. – Corporate Information; Sales Intelligence; Brief History and Business Highlights Page 49: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. – SWOT Analysis Page 50-53: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Product Portfolio Page 54: Sony Corp – Corporate Information; Sales Intelligence; Brief History and Business Highlights Page 55: Sony Corp – SWOT Analysis Page 56-57: Sony Corp – Product Portfolio Future Strategies of Key Vendors Page 58: Future Strategy – Major Players Strategic Recommendations Page 59: Strategic Recommendations List of Charts & Figures Market Overview 1. Digital Camera Market Size – Revenue (FY10 – FY15e) 2. Digital Camera Market Size – Volume (2010-2015e) 3. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Pricing Strategy – Digital Camera Market 4. Pricing Strategy – Point and Shoot Segment 5. Pricing Strategy – DSLR Segment Drivers and Challenges 6. 7. 8. 9. Total no. f household (mn) – (2005, 2015e, 2025e) Aggregate Annual Disposable Income (2005, 2015e, 2025e) e-Commerce market growth – India (2010 – 2015e) Travel and Tourism – Size and Growth (2010 – 2020e) List of Tables Distribution Model 1. Sales Channel – Major Vendors Competition 2. Major Players a. Corporate Information b. Sales Intelligence c. SWOT Analysis d. Product Portfolio Future Strategy of Key Vendors 3. Future Strategy – Major Vendors Ordering: Order Online – http://www. researchandmarkets. com/reports/2104103/ Order by Fax – using the form below Order by Post – print the order form below and send to Research and Markets, Guinness Centre, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8, Ireland. Page 1 of 2 Fax Order FormTo place an order via fax simply print this form, fill in the i nformation below and fax the completed form to 646-6071907 (from USA) or +353-1-481-1716 (from Rest of World). 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History of Las Vegas, Nevada Essay

Las Vegas, translated from Spanish as â€Å"the meadows† was discovered and thus established in 1829 by the Mexican merchant Antonio Armijo, who led a trade caravan of 60 men creating a trade route to Los Angeles. Ironically, what historically was established as a mere transition point on a route, became one of the most remarkable places in the United States, â€Å"a pearl in a desert. † Practically, the rapid growth of Las Vegas as both a tourist destination and a community is directly related to the development of the image of Las Vegas. Even though Nevada was the last state to outlaw gambling in 1909 and the first state subsequently to legalize gambling in 1931, Las Vegas city fathers were more concerned with the divorce laws than reinstating gambling, and throughout most of the 1930s, gambling remained a sideline for Las Vegas. But the eighth wonder of the world, as Boulder Dam was then billed, â€Å"began to funnel a torrent of tourists† to the Las Vegas Valley (Boorstin, 1987:3). Las Vegas leaders envisioned their town as a Nevada Palm Springs. Alan Hess, in his book Viva Las Vegas, observes, â€Å"They began to promote their characteristic western identity, the desert scenery, a social mix of laissez-faire government and neighborly hospitality embodied in speedy divorces and easy gambling† (Hess, 1993:19). In 1932, a year after the legalization of gambling, the then-luxurious, three-story Hotel Apache opened in downtown Las Vegas. With a motif of Native American design and an elevator to the supper club on top, the Apache was the most modern for its day. By 1936, the dam was completed and Las Vegas, with no more big payroll checks from dam workers, was beginning an economic slump. But, between 1938 and 1942 several changes occurred to avert the slump. In 1938, Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Brown had begun enforcing the no gambling laws in California and many California gamblers moved to Las Vegas. Guy McAfee, a police captain and commander of the vice squad, was one of these California gamblers who moved into Las Vegas where he purchased the Pair-O-Dice Club in 1939. McAfee is credited with naming that part of the Los Angeles Highway which came into Las Vegas as â€Å"The Strip† in fond memory of the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. It would be several years before ‘The Strip† would gain its present day fame. Federal intervention also assisted the Las Vegas economy when President Roosevelt’s administration ordered air bases throughout the country. In 1940 Las Vegas received an air training station on the outskirts of town, and in 1941, Basic Magnesium, Inc. (BMI) was built, which created the city of Henderson. † Las Vegas found itself with two new industries-recreation provided by the dam and lake, and defense, provided by the training station and BMI. The recreation (tourism) and defense industries would shape many western cities throughout the rest of the century. Fremont Street, Las Vegas’s main thoroughfare, boomed. As Don Knepp said in Las Vegas Entertainment Capital, â€Å"There also emerged the image of Las Vegas as the glamorous hub for vacations in the Southwest† (Knepp, 1987:31). The city leaders had begun promoting Las Vegas as a tourist Mecca, and the WPA Guide to Nevada, the Silver State, 1940, seemed to approve of the methods when it said of Las Vegas, â€Å"No cheap and easily parodied slogans have been adopted to publicize the city, no attempt has been made to introduce pseudo-romantic architectural themes, or to give artificial glamour and gaiety† (Hess, 1993:20). 941 saw further growth for the Strip and downtown. The El Rancho opened with a dude ranch theme and atmosphere. Built by Californian Thomas E. Hull, the El Rancho established a pattern of roadside landmarks, vistas and signs that broke with the tradition of downtown Las Vegas hotels and realized a vision that would mold the city’s current form. The El Rancho duplicated the easy accessibility of the roadside motel, but with much more grandeur. While the downtown Hotel Apache was fancy, the El Rancho was lavish. Downtown, the El Cortez opened. Built by Californians Marion Hicks and John Grayson and although multistory, as most downtown hotels were, the El Cortez also kept to the western or Spanish theme. After stopping at the El Rancho, William J. Moore and R. E. Griffith, realizing the potential of thousands of gambling customers from the gunnery school, built the Last Frontier. Opening in October 1942, the Last Frontier also western in theme, was larger and more opulent than the El Rancho. McAfee, not satisfied with owning just the Pair-O-Dice Club, tried to upstage the El Rancho by building the Pioneer Club at Fremont and First Streets. Also consciously western in style, the Pioneer Club opened in 1942. Even though western in design, as late as 1947 Las Vegans were amazed that something so lavish as the El Rancho could succeed so far from downtown. The success of the El Rancho, the Pioneer Club and the Last Frontier was impressive enough that the city boosters considered making the western theme mandatory for Fremont Street. Although many downtown casino owners followed suit, the idea was never formally adopted. As Las Vegas became more savvy about the potential of a tourist economy, it began to exploit its western heritage more consciously. In keeping with the western motif, dude ranches replaced motels to provide divorce seekers a place to stay until their six weeks residency requirements were met The western influence provided a successful venue for divorce interests and gambling, two of the leading economic factors for Las Vegas. Close behind McAfee was Bugsy Siegel, who began by taking over the Las Vegas race betting wires, and, as a representative of Al Capone, â€Å"muscled out the Continental Press Service and gained part ownership of several Fremont Street Clubs including the Pioneer Club. Although there was already an obscure element of â€Å"gangsters† in Las Vegas, Siegel was publicly known for his ties to organized crime. Siegel brought with him the negative aspect of the influence of organized crime, but he also brought the positive aspect of establishing a landmark luxury resort with the building of his Flamingo which broke with the western theme. The half-finished Flamingo officially opened with Jimmy Durante as entertainment in 1946; finances forced closure of the resort four weeks later, but the Flamingo reopened in 1948. Knepp credits Siegel with bringing extensive national exposure to Las Vegas; the notoriety attached to â€Å"the Fabulous Flamingo† branded Las Vegas as an underworld haven, a reputation that has persisted (Knepp, 1987:32). World War II created a shortage of construction materials which also created most of the financial difficulties Siegel experienced while building the Flamingo. But the federal government, including the war and defense spending, contributed greatly to Nevada, especially Las Vegas. Eugene P.  Moehring states in his book, Resort City in the Sunbelt, that â€Å"Defense spending was an obvious by-product of the worldwide conflict. But, like the dam earlier, World War II strengthened the town’s recreational economy† (Moehring, 1995:40). The war also brought some disadvantages such as curfews, which cut profits by closing casinos from 2 to 10 a. m. and meat rationing, which caused some restaurants to close. â€Å"Clearly, the national emergency cr eated many problems for Las Vegas† (Moehring, 1995:40). Yet, much the same as Hoover Dam before it, World War II represented a bonanza for the small town’s economy. The war helped confirm gambling as Las Vegas’s main postwar industry; â€Å"By partially depriving the city of tourists for almost four years, the war magnified their [tourists] importance in the minds of promoters† (Moehring, 1995:40). The end of the World War II brought an end to the shortages of construction materials which had plagued Siegel and the 1950s brought the largest growth expansion in American history. This expansion occurred in the western United States, led by the state of Nevada. As 1950 opened, Nevada contained approximately 160,000 residents: by 1955, the population was about 245,000, a rise of more than 53 percent (Glass, 1981:39). By the end of the 1950s, Nevada’s population had increased 75 percent, to 285,000 residents, making it the fastest-growing state in the country. During this expansion, Nevada’s economy flourished thanks to mining, to the Freeport Law and to the test site in Las Vegas. But, it was gambling that brought about the unprecedented growth. By 1955, mining still outstripped gambling by just under $100,000, but as Jane Glass, in her book Nevada’s Turbulent 50% asked, â€Å"Who noticed? Well, of course the people who were working the mines noticed and the tax collectors who pulled in the highest amount on record but, â€Å"almost nobody else† (Glass, 1981:92) which seems to imply that Nevada, especially Las Vegas, had forgotten the rich economy of mining, preferring instead to credit gambling as the biggest bo on the state’s economy. The Freeport Law was the legacy of Edwin Bender, an administrator for a federal agency in charge of storing strategic war material, when he discovered a shortage of space in which to store the items. By the end of the 1940s, Bender found himself with a surplus of space and a shortage of goods. Later, when the county tax assessor evaluated some of the items for tax purposes, Bender felt the taxation to be unfair. He wrote a proposal for what became the Freeport bill and with the help of Nevada Attorney General Alan Bible, who drew up the bill. Owners of warehouses and light manufacturing firms found Nevada’s tax climate substantially to their liking and, the Freeport Law became a significant economic advantage. After twenty-five years, three-quarters of a billion dollars worth of goods were being shipped yearly by truck and rail from the warehouses in the state (Glass, 1981:44). Although initially slow to move, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce became deeply involved in designing and planning for tourists as early as 1944. The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and its boosters, fearing for the postwar economy sponsored a fund raiser to raise $75,000 as a budget for promoting the city as a tourist destination. During the war, the two largest industries had been the Army Air Base and Basic Magnesium, Inc. Surveys and research led the Chamber to the conclusion that tourism was now the best means to a good economy and the Chamber set out to attract visitors. Before long however, Las Vegas found it had to deal with the underworld image that had grown up thanks to â€Å"Bugsy† Siegel and others. The Chamber of Commerce tried several different public relations firms and advertising firms to draw attention away from the negative publicity of gangsters as well as the wild city image previously promoted. When these firms failed to promote the city in what Las Vegans and the Chamber felt was a positive way, the Chamber hired the West Marquis Agency to handle promotion. The West Marquis Agency was subsequently replaced when the Chamber felt it too had failed. It appears the Chamber need not have worried. Surveys now have shown that during the time of heavy gangster influence, tourists came to Las Vegas in the hopes of actually seeing a gangster. Knepp supports this view, â€Å"For most visitors in the 1940s, however, the reputed underworld ties seemed only to highlight the city’s wide open appeal. † (Knepp, 1987:32). Nevertheless, by the 1950s, promoting Las Vegas and creating the acceptable image had become a concerted effort of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the city and the casinos who hired their own communication specialists. Contemporary Las Vegas is a place famous for extremely high concentration of world largest and what is more important, famous, casinos, among which are Stratosphere Hotel and Tower, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Rio Suites, the Gold Coast, the Maxim, the San Reno, the Continental, the new Paris and the smaller Hard Rock, Luxor, and the Circus Circus. Las Vegas Valley and its dominant industry generate a great many statistics, some misleading, others conflicting. In 1995-96, gamblers left behind $3. billion at the machines, tables, and sports books of the Strip compared to $683 million Downtown, a fact that gives some idea of the relative importance of the two in the industry that created and still runs Las Vegas (Littlejohn and Gran, 1999:2-3). Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any other city in the world (more than a hundred thousand in 1998, with twenty thousand more either planned or under construction), and the highest average hotel-occupancy rate (87 to go percent) of any American city. In 1995, the Zagat Guide estimated that it offered the lowest average daily hotel room rate of the thirty-three leading U. S. visitor destinations. Moreover, Las Vegas currently contains nine of the world’s ten largest hotels. Las Vegas claims to be the number-one tourist destination in the U. S. , with more than 30 million visitors a year. Nevada had in 1996 both the highest marriage rate (ten times the national average, due primarily to out-of-state couples who come to Las Vegas and Reno to marry) and the highest divorce rate (more than double the national average). According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports for 1995, Las Vegas had the highest total crime rate and the highest rate of crimes against property among all American cities with more than 250,000 people (Littlejohn and Gran, 1999:5). Police reports for that year placed Las Vegas fourth among U. S. metropolitan areas of over a million population – after Miami, Phoenix, and Oklahoma City – in the rate of all serious crimes; 14. 7 percent of these were called â€Å"violent. †

Analysis of Divisional Performance of Asian Paints Ltd

PURUSHOTHAMAN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR M. COM (BUSINESS FINANCE) DEPT. OF COMMERCE 2nd YEAR PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY REG. NUMBER: 11351059 INTRODUCTION DIVISIONAL PERFOMANCE OF COST CENTRE AND PROFIT CENTRE A profit centre is a unit of a company that generates revenue in excess of its expenses. The main aim of profit centre is to earn profit. The performance of profit centre is evaluated in terms of whether the centre has been achieved its budgeted profit A  cost centre  is a business unit that is only responsible for the  costs  that it incurs. The manager of a cost centre is not responsible for  revenue  generation or asset usage. The performance of a cost centre is usually evaluated through the comparison of  budgeted  to actual costs. The costs incurred by a cost centre may be aggregated into a  cost pool  and allocated to other business units. Investment centre is responsible for both profit and investment. The investment centre manager has control over revenue, expenses and the amount invested in the current assets. The following are the techniques used to measure the divisional performance of cost centre and profit centre * Variance analysis * Profit * Return on investment * Market share COST PER UNIT: Cost refers to the total cost incurred for the production. So cost per unit refers to the cost incurred for producing 1 unit. Normally we used the below formula to calculate the cost per unit Cost/unit = total cost / No. of unit produced COST PER UNIT year| Production| Total expenses| COST PER UNIT| 008| 40946. 7| 559586| 0. 073173203| 2009| 50418. 7| 602922| 0. 083623918| 2010| 57937. 2| 732142| 0. 079133829| 2011| 72582. 9| 849056| 0. 085486587| Interpretation: The above table and chart shows the cost per unit of Asian paints India ltd. They incurred highest cost per unit in the year 2011. This may because increasing the cost of raw material or other charges etc. It is better to have lower cost per unit because when cost per unit increases the total cost will increase. That in turn reduces the profitability of a firm. In the 2008 the firms have lower cost per unit of production compared to other years. So may be this year the profit is increased. The cost per unit is higher in the years 2011 and 2009. COST VARIANCE Cost variance (CV) is the amount of money that was actually spent on a project or a part of a project compared to the amount of work that was actually accomplished. Cost variance = Budgeted cost of work performed – The actual cost of work performed. YEAR| TOTAL COST| STANDARD| COST VARIANCE | DECISION| 2008| 40946. 7| 61276. 54| -20329. 84| A| 2009| 50418. 7| 61276. 54| -10857. 84| A| 2010| 57937. 2| 61276. 54| -3339. 34| A| 2011| 72582. 9| 61276. 54| 11306. 6| F| 2012| 84,497. 20| 61276. 54| 23220. 66| F| Interpretation: Here from 2008 to 2010 there is a favorable situation because in these years actual cost is less than standard cost. In 2011 and 2012 actual cost exceeds standard cost. That may be because of increase in the cost/unit in these years. SALES VARIANCE Sales variance is the difference between actual sales and budget sales. It is used to measure the p erformance of a sales function, and/or analyze business results to better understand market conditions. Sales variance = Actual sales – standard sales Segment 1= Paint YEAR| SALE| STANDARD| SALES VARIANCE| DECISION| 2008| 39062. 2| 51731. 3| -12669. 1| A| 2009| 48641. 9| 51731. 3| -3089. 4| A| 2010| 56135| 51731. 3| 4403. 7| F| 2011| 63086. 1| 51731. 3| 11354. 8| F| Segment 2= Others YEAR| SALE| STANDARD| SALES VARIANCE| DECISION| 2008| 1731. 7| 1717. 375| 14. 325| F| 2009| 1634. 5| 1717. 375| -82. 875| A| 2010| 1774| 1717. 375| 56. 625| A| 2011| 1729. 3| 1717. 375| 11. 925| A| TOTAL SALES VARIANCE YEAR| TOTAL SALES| STANDARD| COST VARIANCE | DECISION| 2008| 40,946. 70| 62,655. 72| -21,709. 02| A| 2009| 50,418. 70| 62655. 72| -12,237. 02| A| 2010| 57,937. 0| 62655. 72| -4,718. 52| A| 2011| 72,582. 90| 62655. 72| 9,927. 18| F| 2012| 91,393. 10| 62655. 72| 28,737. 38| F| INTERPRETATION Sales variance is higher in the year 2012 which means that company sold more than standard sales in the year 2012. And the 2011 also have the favorable value but it is lower than 2012. From 2008 to 2010 company cannot sold more than standard sales. That is an unfavorab le situation for the company. MARKET SHARE The percentage of an industry or market’s total sales that is earned by a particular company over a specified time period is known as market share. Market share is calculated by taking the company’s sales over the period and dividing it by the total sales of the industry over the same period. This metric is used to give a general idea of the size of a company to its market and its competitors. Market share Year| Total sales| Industrial sales| Market share | 2008| 40,946. 70| 348047| 11. 76| 2009| 50,418. 70| 393266| 12. 82| 2010| 57,937. 20| 260717| 22. 22| 2011| 72,582. 90| 834703| 8. 70| 2012| 91,393. 10| 868,234. 00| 10. 53| Interpretation: Company has highest market share in the year 2010. It is decreased in the subsequent years may be because of increased price of the products. WORKING CAPITAL TURN OVER RATIO A measurement comparing the depletion of working capital  to the generation of sales over a given period called as working capital turn over ration. This  provides some useful information  as to how effectively a company is using  its working capital to generate sales. WORKING CAPITAL TURN OVER RATIO YEAR| TOTAL SALES| CURRENT ASSETS| CURRENT LIABILITIES| WC| WCTOR| 2008| 40,946. 70| 8,686. 30| 8018. 6| 667. 70| 61. 32| 2009| 50,418. 70| 10,403. 70| 7811. 4| 2,592. 30| 19. 45| 2010| 57,937. 20| 11,981. 00| 10588. 7| 1,392. 30| 41. 61| 2011| 72,582. 90| 15,475. 70| 11952. | 3,522. 90| 20. 60| 2012| 91,393. 10| 19,927. 70| 16008. 9| 3,918. 80| 23. 32| Interpretation: Here working capital ratio is higher in the year 2008. This means that company may have adequate working capital for their operation in 2008. Working capital to ratio is very lower in the subsequent years (i. e. 2009 to 2012), it shows that company is struggled with inadequacy of wor king capital in that years. INVENTORY TURN OVER RATIO Inventory Turnover Ratio is one of the efficiency ratios and measures the number of times, on average, the inventory is sold and replaced during the fiscal year. Inventory Turnover Ratio formula is: year| Total sales| opening stock| closing stock| Avg stock| ITOR| 2008| 40,946. 70| 40,946. 70 | 42,954. 70 | 41,950. 70 | 97. 61| 2009| 50,418. 70| 50,418. 70 | 52,427. 70 | 51,423. 20 | 98. 05| 2010| 57,937. 20| 57,937. 20 | 59,947. 20 | 58,942. 20 | 98. 29| 2011| 72,582. 90| 72,582. 90 | 74,593. 90 | 73,588. 40 | 98. 63| INTERPRETATION A low inventory turnover ratio is a signal of inefficiency, since inventory usually has a rate of return of zero. It also implies either poor sales or excess inventory. A low turnover rate can indicate poor liquidity, possible overstocking, and obsolescence, but it may also reflect a planned inventory buildup in the case of material shortages or in anticipation of rapidly rising prices. In our case the 2008 has the lower turnover rate. A high inventory turnover ratio implies either strong sales or ineffective buying (the company buys too often in small quantities, therefore the buying price is higher). A high inventory turnover ratio can indicate better liquidity, but it can also indicate a shortage or inadequate inventory levels, which may lead to a loss in business. Here the years from 2009 to 2011 there is constant turnover rate. RETURN ON INVESTMENT A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an  investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. The objective of every firm is to earn a satisfactory return on capital invested. This is the measure of success i. e. it shows the overall profitability of the firm. ROI = PAT/ cap. Employed YEAR| PBIT| CAPILAT EMPLOYED| ROI| 2008| 5925. | 9,285. 00| 63. 81583199| 2009| 6075. 9| 10,944. 70| 55. 51454128| 2010| 10526. 9| 15,572. 20| 67. 60059593| 2011| 11636. 7| 19,753. 20| 58. 91045501| 2012| 14,086. 30| 24,877. 80| 56. 62196818| INTERPRETATION The above table and chart implies us, The ROI is higher in the year 2008. The Company gets 63. 82% as return on investment. This may because; in this y ear company sold more than the standard sales. So return on investment is increased. Company received lowest ROI in the year 2009 CONCLUSION: The Asian paints ltd is having an indifferent performance levels, they have both positive and negative performance indicators. The sales variance is for the last two years is favorable for the company, and also all other indicators such as cost variance favorable for the firm. Another thing is that market share of the company shows a decreasing trend due to decrease in sales. The inventory and working capital of the company is also not good. So it is important for the company to focus on to improve sales volume with higher turnover, better maintenance of working capital. And to try to get more return on investment by adopt necessary measure and techniques. Analysis of Divisional Performance of Asian Paints Ltd PURUSHOTHAMAN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR M. COM (BUSINESS FINANCE) DEPT. OF COMMERCE 2nd YEAR PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY REG. NUMBER: 11351059 INTRODUCTION DIVISIONAL PERFOMANCE OF COST CENTRE AND PROFIT CENTRE A profit centre is a unit of a company that generates revenue in excess of its expenses. The main aim of profit centre is to earn profit. The performance of profit centre is evaluated in terms of whether the centre has been achieved its budgeted profit A  cost centre  is a business unit that is only responsible for the  costs  that it incurs. The manager of a cost centre is not responsible for  revenue  generation or asset usage. The performance of a cost centre is usually evaluated through the comparison of  budgeted  to actual costs. The costs incurred by a cost centre may be aggregated into a  cost pool  and allocated to other business units. Investment centre is responsible for both profit and investment. The investment centre manager has control over revenue, expenses and the amount invested in the current assets. The following are the techniques used to measure the divisional performance of cost centre and profit centre * Variance analysis * Profit * Return on investment * Market share COST PER UNIT: Cost refers to the total cost incurred for the production. So cost per unit refers to the cost incurred for producing 1 unit. Normally we used the below formula to calculate the cost per unit Cost/unit = total cost / No. of unit produced COST PER UNIT year| Production| Total expenses| COST PER UNIT| 008| 40946. 7| 559586| 0. 073173203| 2009| 50418. 7| 602922| 0. 083623918| 2010| 57937. 2| 732142| 0. 079133829| 2011| 72582. 9| 849056| 0. 085486587| Interpretation: The above table and chart shows the cost per unit of Asian paints India ltd. They incurred highest cost per unit in the year 2011. This may because increasing the cost of raw material or other charges etc. It is better to have lower cost per unit because when cost per unit increases the total cost will increase. That in turn reduces the profitability of a firm. In the 2008 the firms have lower cost per unit of production compared to other years. So may be this year the profit is increased. The cost per unit is higher in the years 2011 and 2009. COST VARIANCE Cost variance (CV) is the amount of money that was actually spent on a project or a part of a project compared to the amount of work that was actually accomplished. Cost variance = Budgeted cost of work performed – The actual cost of work performed. YEAR| TOTAL COST| STANDARD| COST VARIANCE | DECISION| 2008| 40946. 7| 61276. 54| -20329. 84| A| 2009| 50418. 7| 61276. 54| -10857. 84| A| 2010| 57937. 2| 61276. 54| -3339. 34| A| 2011| 72582. 9| 61276. 54| 11306. 6| F| 2012| 84,497. 20| 61276. 54| 23220. 66| F| Interpretation: Here from 2008 to 2010 there is a favorable situation because in these years actual cost is less than standard cost. In 2011 and 2012 actual cost exceeds standard cost. That may be because of increase in the cost/unit in these years. SALES VARIANCE Sales variance is the difference between actual sales and budget sales. It is used to measure the p erformance of a sales function, and/or analyze business results to better understand market conditions. Sales variance = Actual sales – standard sales Segment 1= Paint YEAR| SALE| STANDARD| SALES VARIANCE| DECISION| 2008| 39062. 2| 51731. 3| -12669. 1| A| 2009| 48641. 9| 51731. 3| -3089. 4| A| 2010| 56135| 51731. 3| 4403. 7| F| 2011| 63086. 1| 51731. 3| 11354. 8| F| Segment 2= Others YEAR| SALE| STANDARD| SALES VARIANCE| DECISION| 2008| 1731. 7| 1717. 375| 14. 325| F| 2009| 1634. 5| 1717. 375| -82. 875| A| 2010| 1774| 1717. 375| 56. 625| A| 2011| 1729. 3| 1717. 375| 11. 925| A| TOTAL SALES VARIANCE YEAR| TOTAL SALES| STANDARD| COST VARIANCE | DECISION| 2008| 40,946. 70| 62,655. 72| -21,709. 02| A| 2009| 50,418. 70| 62655. 72| -12,237. 02| A| 2010| 57,937. 0| 62655. 72| -4,718. 52| A| 2011| 72,582. 90| 62655. 72| 9,927. 18| F| 2012| 91,393. 10| 62655. 72| 28,737. 38| F| INTERPRETATION Sales variance is higher in the year 2012 which means that company sold more than standard sales in the year 2012. And the 2011 also have the favorable value but it is lower than 2012. From 2008 to 2010 company cannot sold more than standard sales. That is an unfavorab le situation for the company. MARKET SHARE The percentage of an industry or market’s total sales that is earned by a particular company over a specified time period is known as market share. Market share is calculated by taking the company’s sales over the period and dividing it by the total sales of the industry over the same period. This metric is used to give a general idea of the size of a company to its market and its competitors. Market share Year| Total sales| Industrial sales| Market share | 2008| 40,946. 70| 348047| 11. 76| 2009| 50,418. 70| 393266| 12. 82| 2010| 57,937. 20| 260717| 22. 22| 2011| 72,582. 90| 834703| 8. 70| 2012| 91,393. 10| 868,234. 00| 10. 53| Interpretation: Company has highest market share in the year 2010. It is decreased in the subsequent years may be because of increased price of the products. WORKING CAPITAL TURN OVER RATIO A measurement comparing the depletion of working capital  to the generation of sales over a given period called as working capital turn over ration. This  provides some useful information  as to how effectively a company is using  its working capital to generate sales. WORKING CAPITAL TURN OVER RATIO YEAR| TOTAL SALES| CURRENT ASSETS| CURRENT LIABILITIES| WC| WCTOR| 2008| 40,946. 70| 8,686. 30| 8018. 6| 667. 70| 61. 32| 2009| 50,418. 70| 10,403. 70| 7811. 4| 2,592. 30| 19. 45| 2010| 57,937. 20| 11,981. 00| 10588. 7| 1,392. 30| 41. 61| 2011| 72,582. 90| 15,475. 70| 11952. | 3,522. 90| 20. 60| 2012| 91,393. 10| 19,927. 70| 16008. 9| 3,918. 80| 23. 32| Interpretation: Here working capital ratio is higher in the year 2008. This means that company may have adequate working capital for their operation in 2008. Working capital to ratio is very lower in the subsequent years (i. e. 2009 to 2012), it shows that company is struggled with inadequacy of wor king capital in that years. INVENTORY TURN OVER RATIO Inventory Turnover Ratio is one of the efficiency ratios and measures the number of times, on average, the inventory is sold and replaced during the fiscal year. Inventory Turnover Ratio formula is: year| Total sales| opening stock| closing stock| Avg stock| ITOR| 2008| 40,946. 70| 40,946. 70 | 42,954. 70 | 41,950. 70 | 97. 61| 2009| 50,418. 70| 50,418. 70 | 52,427. 70 | 51,423. 20 | 98. 05| 2010| 57,937. 20| 57,937. 20 | 59,947. 20 | 58,942. 20 | 98. 29| 2011| 72,582. 90| 72,582. 90 | 74,593. 90 | 73,588. 40 | 98. 63| INTERPRETATION A low inventory turnover ratio is a signal of inefficiency, since inventory usually has a rate of return of zero. It also implies either poor sales or excess inventory. A low turnover rate can indicate poor liquidity, possible overstocking, and obsolescence, but it may also reflect a planned inventory buildup in the case of material shortages or in anticipation of rapidly rising prices. In our case the 2008 has the lower turnover rate. A high inventory turnover ratio implies either strong sales or ineffective buying (the company buys too often in small quantities, therefore the buying price is higher). A high inventory turnover ratio can indicate better liquidity, but it can also indicate a shortage or inadequate inventory levels, which may lead to a loss in business. Here the years from 2009 to 2011 there is constant turnover rate. RETURN ON INVESTMENT A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an  investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. The objective of every firm is to earn a satisfactory return on capital invested. This is the measure of success i. e. it shows the overall profitability of the firm. ROI = PAT/ cap. Employed YEAR| PBIT| CAPILAT EMPLOYED| ROI| 2008| 5925. | 9,285. 00| 63. 81583199| 2009| 6075. 9| 10,944. 70| 55. 51454128| 2010| 10526. 9| 15,572. 20| 67. 60059593| 2011| 11636. 7| 19,753. 20| 58. 91045501| 2012| 14,086. 30| 24,877. 80| 56. 62196818| INTERPRETATION The above table and chart implies us, The ROI is higher in the year 2008. The Company gets 63. 82% as return on investment. This may because; in this y ear company sold more than the standard sales. So return on investment is increased. Company received lowest ROI in the year 2009 CONCLUSION: The Asian paints ltd is having an indifferent performance levels, they have both positive and negative performance indicators. The sales variance is for the last two years is favorable for the company, and also all other indicators such as cost variance favorable for the firm. Another thing is that market share of the company shows a decreasing trend due to decrease in sales. The inventory and working capital of the company is also not good. So it is important for the company to focus on to improve sales volume with higher turnover, better maintenance of working capital. And to try to get more return on investment by adopt necessary measure and techniques.

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 8

Strategic management - Essay Example (Florio, 2003) In 1981 the British Telecommunications Act separated BT from the Post Office and began the process of liberalization. Consequently in 1982, Mercury, an ancillary of Cable and Wireless, was certified as a national fixed line network operator became a competitor of BT. In 1983 the government declared its duopoly policy which stated that the only telecom service providers for fixed lines in the nation would be BT and Mercury for the coming 7 years. (Summanen, and Pollitt, 2003p.2) In 1982 the government planned to privatize BT. In 1984 the plan was executed and BT was privatized: 50.2% of its stakes were sold to the public. The creation of Oftel under the Telecommunications Act 1984 after BT’s privatization, finally led to the separation of its regulatory and operational functions. The privatization of BT in 1984 showed signs of a new structure of the telecom industry that could fare better in a competitive framework than in the public sector. The need for investment in the operations and services and customer orientation was acknowledged. (BT’s response, 2005, p.7) The duopoly stage of BT, from 1984 to 1990, led to a soft landing into competition. Even though BT sold its manufacturing units shortly after its privatization, the number of employees grew from1984 to1990. (Summanen, Pollitt, 2003, p.4) In 1987 Iain Vallance was selected as the chairman of BT. The initial reorganization of British telecom as an integrated telecommunications corporation was made in the early 1990s. In April 1991, BT came up with a different business structure, which was the outcome of a yearlong reorganization. BT’s new establishment concentrated on definite market sectors to satisfy the needs of a variety of customers- individuals, small companies, and MNCs. At the same time, the objective of achieving a leading position as a global telecommunications operator was laid down.

Bus330 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bus330 - Essay Example 3,413,649,001 $3,533,126,716 $3,656,786,151 $3,784,773,666 $3,917,240,744 $4,054,344,170 $4,196,246,216 $4,343,114,834 $4,495,123,853 $4,652,453,188 $550,000,000 $569,250,000 $589,173,750 $609,794,831 $631,137,650 $653,227,468 $676,090,429 $699,753,595 $724,244,970 $749,593,544 $775,829,318 $802,983,344 $831,087,762 $860,175,833 $890,281,987 $921,441,857 $953,692,322 $987,071,553 $1,021,619,058 $1,057,375,725 $1,045,000,000 $1,081,575,000 $1,119,430,125 $1,158,610,179 $1,199,161,536 $1,241,132,189 $1,284,571,816 $1,329,531,830 $1,376,065,444 $1,424,227,734 $1,474,075,705 $1,525,668,355 $1,579,066,747 $1,634,334,083 $1,691,535,776 $1,750,739,528 $1,812,015,412 $1,875,435,951 $1,941,076,209 $2,009,013,877 $250,000,000 $258,750,000 $267,806,250 $277,179,469 $286,880,750 $296,921,576 $307,313,832 $318,069,816 $329,202,259 $340,724,338 $352,649,690 $364,992,429 $377,767,164 $390,989,015 $404,673,631 $418,837,208 $433,496,510 $448,668,888 $464,372,299 $480,625,329 $264,199,034 $273,446,000 $283,016,610 $292,922,191 $303,174,468 $313,785,574 $324,768,069 $336,134,952 $347,899,675 $360,076,164 $372,678,829 $385,722,588 $399,222,879 $413,195,680 $427,657,528 $442,625,542 $458,117,436 $474,151,546 $490,746,850 $507,922,990 $44,199,034 $45,746,000 $47,347,110 $49,004,259 $50,719,408 $52,494,587 $54,331,897 $56,233,514 $58,201,687 $60,238,746 $62,347,102 $64,529,251 $66,787,774 $69,125,346 $71,544,734 $74,048,799 $76,640,507 $79,322,925 $82,099,227 $84,972,700 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $49,250,000 $117,351,933 $126,683,001 $236,340,656 $246,336,328 $256,681,850 $267,389,465 $278,471,846 $289,942,111 $301,813,834 $314,101,069 $326,818,356 $339,980,749 $353,603,825

Small business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Small business - Research Paper Example Quality assurance, in its broadest sense, is also any action taken to prevent quality problems from occurring. In practice, this means devising systems for carrying out tasks which directly affect product quality (Anon., 2011). B. At least two systems associated with the management of quality. Describe their relationships, limitations and applications. There are two popular systems associated with the management of quality that I am aware of, they are Kaizen and Total Quality Management or TQM. Kaizen is a Japanese Quality Assurance system of continuous improvement in quality, technology, processes, company culture, productivity, safety and leadership. It is a system that involves every employee - from upper management to the cleaning crew. Everyone is encouraged to come up with small improvement suggestions on a regular basis. This is not a once a month or once a year activity. It is continuous. Japanese companies, such as Toyota and Canon, a total of 60 to 70 suggestions per employ ee per year are written down, shared and implemented (Anon., 2011). TQM on the other hand is a comprehensive and structured approach to organizational management that seeks to improve the quality of products and services through ongoing refinements in response to continuous feedback (Anon., 2011). TQM requirements may be defined separately for a particular organization or may be in adherence to established standards, such as the International Organization for Standardization's  ISO 9000  series. TQM can be applied. At its core, Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach to long-term success through customer satisfaction. In a TQM effort, all members of an organization participate in improving processes, products, services and the culture in which they work (Anon., 2011). C. The main principles that should be included in quality management systems. This should include a systematic approach; documentation of procedures, standards and specifications; innovation; review and audit; measurement and evaluation. Since the business is still new, the best quality assurance approach that is applicable to our company is Kaizen as this allows continuous improvement of the system, policies and procedures that would make the company responsive to the customer’s needs. In the implementation of our intended quality assurance system the following steps will be undertaken; 1. Identification of key tasks – this will make us know the key areas of responsibilities that is important to the over- all performance of the business. 2. Documentation of guidelines on how to do those key tasks, its processes and systems – documented tasks are easier to improve, savings us time and resources. 3. Continuously improve the readability of the documented tasks – the purpose for this is continuous improvement of readability is for easier understanding and communication. 4. Make those informations available to each workstations – this way each em ployee knows the key tasks and how to do them. 5. Create a work flow system considering the key tasks identified and documented – since the company is still new, work process are still to be created for further improvement as the business evolves. II. Choose a business that has an established quality assurance system in place and provide a summary about the business that clearly identifies the sector it operates in (manufacturer, retailer or service), its size, its main operations and its purpose or

Please write a response on two episodes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Please write a response on two episodes - Essay Example He is undeniably intrigued by a scientific approach taken to food and he very subtly also inculcates this interest in the viewers also. It is normally thought that when it comes to food, one cannot reinvent the wheel. However, Ferran Adria is one man who experiments with his food in a laboratory which suggests that the wheel is in fact reinvented. Bourdain certainly has a very distinct food philosophy which he seems to energetically defend in this video, Decoding Ferran Adria. The bedrock of this food philosophy is formed by the idea that the most riveting and soulful kind of food cannot be produced under laboratory conditions. Such kind of food is mostly found in the most chaotic kind of kitchens where sweating chefs struggle to keep up with the customers’ orders. However, the revolutionary approach taken to food by Adria appears to have mesmerized Bourdain because it somehow turns out to be

Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Report - Assignment Example Any children’s right forums should relate existing human rights law to the particular circumstances of these children and develop existing laws to meet the specific needs of vulnerable children. It is the responsibility and rights of parents and educators to offer guidance in the implementation of rights of these children. They must develop an approach that, takes into account the child’s evolving capacities, such as age and self-realization. Self-identity can be explained as the descriptive characteristics, abilities, qualities, of a person. (Freeman, 2000) Listening to children talk about their right and rights of other, there is need to put in place more active ways of particularly identifying children’s views, mainly when it comes to conducting a research and educational practices. Children, and in particular young ones, should be allowed to express their views in any way possible even through children’s activities like drawing and orally. The meanings young ones attach to their experiences are rarely the meanings that the adults in charge of them would ascribe. (Bandman, 1999) The session will focus on the importance of understanding how children construct and develop their own sense of what their rights are and in what way they develop a sense of belonging within the community and family they come from. It will scrutinize the importance of early experiences in relation to their self-worth. The connection among the vision, belonging, and the shaping of children’s identity will be discussed, including the areas of attachment, social- cultural heritage, developing experiences and progressive relationship structure will be explored. Johnny is a seven-year-old boy in a kindergarten school, he is from a humble background, as the first-born child of four boys, and one girl he is curious about his surroundings. At this age, he can ask questions and seek answers about

How technologies can be used to make the border system stronger Dissertation

How technologies can be used to make the border system stronger - Dissertation Example The topic of research is based on the concept of border security. In the past, the researcher has worked in the Homeland Security Centers of Excellence and it is through his experience at the department that directed him towards basing his research project on border security. Homeland Security dispatches a range of resources and funds to the federal, state and the local governments, allowing the amalgamation of a number of individually-operating agencies into a collective whole. The agencies work in collaboration with each other for the achievement of shared objectives. These objectives aim to uphold the integrity and security of the country and subserve to provide the utmost protection to the US population. The Homeland Security Centers of Excellence operate under the Office of University Programs and aim to recruit and attract renowned researchers and enthusiasts for carrying out research programs. The research brings together professionals from various fields and uses their expert ise to come up with solutions for homeland security. Each research center is affiliated with a university and their research ventures are supported and collaborated upon by a number of agencies including think tanks, laboratories, and private institutions. The research work carried out at the Security Centers is in line with the research requirements of the divisions of the Department of Homeland Security  Science and Technology Directorate. The collaboration helps to deliver top-of-the-line technology solutions for the problems facing the Department as well as the country on the whole (U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2009). In particular, one of the Centers, National Center for Border Security and Immigration, is focused on the promotion and enhancement of border security. This was the Center that I was associated with. The Centre is led and supported by two universities: one being the research co-lead while the other is the education co-lead. The Center is committed to the development of technologies, tools and sophisticated procedures to regulate and monitor immigration and business across the borders. This involves the development of projects that promote border security and make it stronger and more effective. There are a number of aspects relating to borders security that the Center focuses on; these include risks and weaknesses, better surveillance and screening, analysis of immigration patterns and improvements in immigration law enforcement (U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2009). The conditions that have developed after the 9/11 have exposed many gaps in the security and surveillance mechanisms. These gaps and vulnerabilities have become yet more acute in light of pressing security demands after the rise in terrorism over the previous years. Besides the post-9/11 conditions and terrorism there are other factors that have necessitated a revision of the immigration and border security systems. These include greater security reviews, insuffic ient collaboration with NGOs and the government, disputed policy tensions etc (Kerwin 2011). My research question is how important is border security today and what measures can be taken to improve it? The research project focuses in particular on the development and enforcement of better surveillance mechanisms and advanced technologies for regulating the influx of immigrants as well as goods such as false documents, illegal medicines, drugs and other illegal items. The project focuses on various aspects associated with development of such technologies, including their pros and cons. One of the key features that guarantees the success of a research project is the amount of information collected regarding it. Keeping this in mind, the research objectives can be defined as follows: Revisiting the importance of border security Identifying the need to develop better methods of surveillance and border security Reviewing the available literature and successful technologies used

Is violence necessary to maintain or have a moral society Essay

Is violence necessary to maintain or have a moral society - Essay Example Discussed in this paper are the differing standpoints with regard to the role of violence in maintaining a moral society. Violence is an immoral act Throughout the years, scholars struggled to explain the concept of morality. They tackled issues such as, â€Å"good and evil†, â€Å"origin of sin† among others in attempt to understand the complexity of morality. Pacifists view violence as an immoral act that results in further degradation of the society. Individuals with this standpoint believe in amicable resolution of conflicts whereby, opposing sides set their differences aside and work towards reaching a compromise. The process of conflict resolution is lengthy and riddled with many barriers; therefore, ensuring proper communication channels exist proves crucial in mitigating the conflict. Effective communication hinges on both parties listening to each other’s grievances without passing any judgment or exuding verbal or non-verbal mockery. It also entails dev eloping sensitivity to each other’s cultural background whereby, each party must make a conscious effort to avoid using language and actions that are automatically perceived by the other party as overt disregard for their culture. For example, throwing a shoe at person in the Arab culture symbolizes the highest level of disrespect; in 2008, a journalist threw his show at the former president G.W. Bush during his visit to Iraq for conflict resolution talks. The presence of a neutral third party charged with the responsibility of mediating the conflict enable feuding parties to address their concerns in a rational manner. For example, feuding countries rely on peace delegates to mediate their amicable conflict resolution talks in order to prevent the onset of war, which is likely to result in civilian casualty and immense destruction of property. Pacifists encourage the use of non-violent methods, which entail preventing the infliction of injury or harming others. These methods negate the use of physical force or verbal threats by encouraging the use of peaceful methods to foster lasting, positive political and social change. Pacifists bear in mind the negative repercussions of resorting to violence such as counter-violence. The vengeful nature of majority of humans compels them to engage in counter-violence aimed at retaliating against instigators of preceding violent acts. This perpetuates enmity failing to address initial problems that triggered violent outbursts. Individuals using non-violent methods have greater control over their message making these methods an effective form of protest. For example, in Mahtma Ghandi led the Non Cooperation Movement in 1920s, which entailed resignation from nominated positions in the legislative government and surrendering of titles with the sole intention of protesting oppression by the government. The media provides a platform for these protestors to express their grievances. However, dealing with the media might result in complications especially when conflicts exist between a minority group and large institutions such as the government. The latter have the power to censure the media; for example, the government might pass absurd statutes that restrict the freedom of the media. Such circumstances are responsible for triggering violent outbursts, which result in degradation of

I am Legend Essay Example for Free

I am Legend Essay When thinking of horror films, simple features come to mind for what you need to produce a good movie. Monsters are always a big plus in order to get a good scare factor. A good horror film will have drama that usually leads to the death of a main character or other supporting characters. I believe I Am Legend is a good contender for a low-key horror film. Under the direction of Francis Lawrence was a film written by Mark Protosevich. In 2007 this movie was a big hit in the theaters, for its incredibly gritty and strong story line. Actor Will Smith played the part of the Main character Robert Neville, who thought he found the cure for cancer but in fact spread a disease out through the world. The whole movie is played in New York City, were David a scientist announces he has a cure for cancer when in fact it is a plague that turn the people into monsters. So the plot of the movie is David Surviving in New York by himself, trying to test rats for the cure to the virus. That catch to the movie is that all the monsters are contagious and only come out at sun down to find other humans to spread the virus. In this movie you had a lot of glimpses and scenes that would show that this movie could be a horror film. The two examples of horror films I used in the first paragraph are shown in many scenes of I Am Legend. The virus that spread through the people made them monsters and in a good horror film you need a scary, deadly, nasty monster to be the antagonist. The monsters in I Am Legend are the typical creature for a horror film. They are not easy to look at which gives into a scarier character. They are very mean and ruthless and show no mercy. The last feature that is a main feature is that they will kill with no questions. The drama part of a horror film usually ends with death and the scene usually has a lot of anticipation on it to put you on the edge of your seat. In I Am Legend when David is out doing his rounds and gets baited into a booby trap he gets knocked out and wakes up in the trap a little too late. The monsters are waiting for the sun to come down to attack and infect David. In a showing of great effort but significant downfall David’s dog Sam) is attacked and becomes infected. Almost turning on its own owner David is forced to kill his only sort of companionship and is left alone for the time being. The director did a good job with this movie because he produced a good storyline built with a lot of anticipation. I believe that he did try and put in that scary horror effect with the darkness of the movie and the frightening creatures. Even though I Am Legend is characterized as a â€Å"dramatic thriller†, in most instances it can definitely be considered a horror film.

Analyze the given scenario Essay Example for Free

Analyze the given scenario Essay Analyze the given scenario and perform a K.T problem analysis to identify the cause of the problem. Sparkling mineral water is the primary product of Bubbles, Inc. This firm, which is based in France, serves three major markets— Europe, North America, and Australia. It collects water from a natural spring; the water is then filtered through a parallel array of three filter units, each containing two charcoal filters. The filtration process removes trace amounts of naturally occurring contaminants. The filtered water is stored in separate tank farms, one for each market, until it is transported by tanker truck to one of the three bottling plants that serve the companys markets. When the water arrives at the bottling plant, it is temporarily placed in 3500 m3 storage tanks until it can be carbonated to provide the effervescence that is the trademark of the producer. Some of the water is also flavored with lemon, cherry, and raspberry additives. Next, the sparkling water is packaged in a variety of bottle sizes and materials, ranging from 0-ounce glass bottles to 1-liter plastic bottles. The European market receives its shipments directly by truck, usually within three days. Products bound for North America or Australia are shipped first by truck to the waterfront and then by freighters to their overseas destinations. Business has been good for the last several months, with the North American and European markets demanding as much sparkling water as can be produced. This situation has required that Bubbles contract with additional plastic bottle suppliers to keep up with the increased demand. It has also forced regularly scheduled maintenance for the Australian and North American tank farms to be delayed and rescheduled because of the high demand for the product. There is also, of course, a larger demand placed on the spring that supplies the mineral water for the process.Unfortunately, the news is not all good for Bubbles. The bottling plant for the Australian market is currently several weeks behind schedule owing to a shipment that was lost at sea. This catastrophe has required that water from the companys reserve springs, which are located many miles from the bottling plant, be used to augment the water supplied by the regular spring so that the bottling plant can operate at an even higher level of production. The availability of water from the reserve springs is hindered by their remote locations, but  the water from these springs does not require filtration. In addition, contract negotiations are going badly and it appears there will be a strike at all of the bottling plants. Recent weather forecasts indicate that relief from the ongoing drought, which has already lasted three months, is n ot likely. Worst of all, customers in the North American and Australian markets are complaining that all shipments of the sparkling water in the last six weeks have contained benzene in unacceptably high concentrations. You know that benzene is often used as an industrial solvent but is also found naturally. A quick survey of the bottling plant managers shows that the North American- bound products that are currently packaged and awaiting shipment have benzene concentrations in excess of acceptable concentrations. However, the managers of the bottling plants that service the Australian and European markets report that no significant level of benzene was detected in the bottles that are currently stored. Authorities in the North American and Australian markets have already begun recalling the product, with authorities in the European market pressuring Bubbles for a quick solution and threatening to recall products as a precautionary measure. Information adapted from the following journal:American Chemical Society. (1992). When the bubble burst: The company’s response proved as the original contamination.

Task Centred Approach And The Crisis Intervention Social Work Essay

Task Centred Approach And The Crisis Intervention Social Work Essay This short study takes up the evaluation and assessment of two social work intervention theories, namely the Task Centred Approach and the Crisis Intervention Method, with special regard to their implications and applications for social work practice. Social workers, in the course of their practice, are often called upon to help people in coping and dealing with different types of difficulties in their lives. Human beings face situations of crisis at one time or the other during their lives (Roberts, 2000, p 11). The crisis theory postulates that the occurrence of crises is normal to life. Such crisis situations can occur suddenly, like family illnesses or a loss of jobs, or be unpredictable, like entering school or growing older (Roberts, 2000, p 11). Individuals attempt to cope with crises with their available mechanisms, but face problems when such mechanisms do not work or when earlier unresolved crises get reactivated. Social workers are often called upon to intervene with individuals and help them in coping with their crises (Roberts, 2000, p 11). The task-centred approach is a progressive and goal-orientated method for social work practice. It constitutes a practice-based approach that is built on research and is being used in a diverse settings and circumstances (Nash, et al, 2005, p 33).  It represents a social work method wherein clients are assisted in carrying out problem reducing tasks within specific time periods. It is structured, problem focused and time-restricted and is being increasingly used in contemporary social service interventions (Nash, et al, 2005, p 33). Crisis intervention is often grouped together with the task centred approach. Malcolm Payne (1991, p 4) sees significant common ground between crises intervention and task centred approaches to social work practice. Both methods focus on problem solving, deal with brief interventions and are related to learning theory. This essay takes up the examination and assessment of these two theories, with especial regard to their communalities, their differences and their relevance for social work practice. Due regard is given to the implications of anti-oppressive practice. 2. Crisis Intervention Theory The crisis theory states that it is important for people to resolve their crises situations and experiences in order to cope with new developments and crises (Aguilera, 1998, p 47). If individuals are unable to resolve their earlier crises, they become more vulnerable to inability to resolve new crises. Individuals who learn new skills to resolve their crises are on the other hand strengthened in coping with future crisis situations (Aguilera, 1998, p 47). Human beings have considerable capacities for handling or dealing with difficult situations. It is only when such difficulties assume significant proportions and people do not have appropriate resources, personal, emotional, social, spiritual or physical, to deal appropriately with stressful circumstances or events that they become involved in crises. Difficult or stressful events do not by themselves result in crisis situations (Aguilera, 1998, p 47). Crises are actually determined by the responses of individuals to specific stres sful circumstances or events and their responses to them. Crises develop only when individuals perceive specific events to be significant and threatening, try to handle such events with their usual coping strategies without success, and are not able to use other alternatives (Aguilera, 1998, p 47). Behavioural and psychological experts perceive crises to be akin to states of psychological disequilibrium. Individuals experiencing crises are likely to experience a range of emotions like feelings of apprehension, anxiety, fear, guilt and helplessness (Nash, et al, 2005, p 37). Other indicators include alterations in eating and sleeping patterns, activity and energy levels and ability to concentrate. People in crises are also commonly known to suffer from depression and withdraw from social intervention (Nash, et al, 2005, p 37). Social work experts argue that whilst the majority of crises run their course or reach some semblance of stability within one or two months, it is necessary for skilled intervention to take place to strengthen the coping mechanisms of individuals. The failure to do so will result in the existence and continuance of crisis associated behaviours, even as the opportunity for change will be forgone (Nash, et al, 2005, p 37). People in crisis often have little by way of solutions and are receptive to external help and assistance (Roberts, 2000, p 19). The provisioning of skilled intervention by social work practitioners during the occurrence of the crises can result in opportunities for individuals experiencing crisis to learn new skills, achieve beneficial behavioural change, and regain stability. Individuals who have been able to successfully cope with crises are strengthened by such experiences and can use their skills in future times of difficulty (Roberts, 2000, p 19). Crisis intervention is essentially a professional response that is limited in terms of time and is used to assist individuals, families, and groups (Hepworth, et al, 2002, p 83). Social workers aim to assess the openness of individuals experiencing crises to learning of new skills and mechanisms for coping. They also help individuals in reducing their feelings of helplessness, isolation, and distress and use social resources to help in restoring individuals to their prior functional levels, as soon as practically possible (Hepworth, et al, 2002, p 83). Such social work intervention is done through listening, validation, acceptance, normalisation, reassurance, education, advocacy and brokering resources (Nash, et al, 2005, p 38). Crisis intervention can be specifically segregated into 7 stages, namely (a) establishment of communication and development of feelings with individuals that circumstances can become better, (b) assessment of situation, (c) exploration of available strengths and resources, (d) goal setting with the use of such strengths and resources, (e) implementation of plan, teaching of new skills and mobilisation of other support if required, (f) evaluation and adjustment of the plan and (g) follow up and termination of relationship (Hepworth, et al, 2002, p 83). It is important for social workers to be skilled in crisis intervention because of the constant demand upon them for helping people in crisis situations (Roberts, 2000, p 19). Social workers are liable to encounter clients with diverse needs, which may in turn require research, strategic planning and the providing of individualised person centred support (Roberts, 2000, p 19). The nature of crisis intervention work also calls for confidentiality and emotional separation in order to deliver services in a professional manner (Roberts, 2000, p 19). 3. Task Centred Approach The task centred approach emerged in response to the slow and inadequate results that were being achieved through traditional casework methods (Reid, 1997, p 134). Traditional casework methods in social work were felt to be of limited use because of their resource intensive nature, their lack of focus, and their ambiguous outcomes, which were difficult to assess and quantify (Reid, 1997, p 134). Reid and Shyne engaged in extensive study in the late 1960s to explore alternate approaches to casework and developed the task centred approach for social work practice, which called for limited but intensely focused intervention periods. The approach was essentially client oriented and required the social worker to act as a facilitator (Reid, 1997, p 134). With the task centred approach helping clients to improve their difficulties quickly, the process was soon adopted for replication and development in the United Kingdom (Reid, 1997, p 134). Studies on the task centred approach revealed that unfocused help, as was provided by the psycho-social approach and the case study method, over long periods, resulted in reduction of hope and self confidence on the part of the client (Nash, et al, 2005, p 42). It also resulted in negative dependency and unnecessary attachments to specific organisations or particular social workers (Nash, et al, 2005, p 42). It was also seen that the setting of time limits for achievement of specific outcomes helped in building expectations of the possibility of rapid change and enhanced participant energy and motivation (Nash, et al, 2005, p 42). Whilst the task centred approach proved to be practically beneficial for clients and also served, reduce and optimise utilisation of limited social work resources, it also facilitated a shift towards the person centred approach, the negation of the assumption of the professional being the only source of expertise, and helped in achievement of greater empowerment and reduction of oppression (Naleppa Reid, 1998, p 63). The task centred approach calls for attention to be paid to social and external issues that affect individuals rather than on perceiving individuals and their psychological histories to be the main cause of their difficulties (Naleppa Reid, 1998, p 63). The task centred approach involves a structured method wherein the social worker firstly assists the service user in articulating the problems in the ways perceived by service users (Hepworth, et al, 2002, p 87). The social workers subsequently helps the service user to detail and breakdown the problems, taking care to redefine them wherever necessary and helping the service user to locate important areas for action (Hepworth, et al, 2002, p 87). The social worker finally motivates the service user to categorise and prioritise his or her individual problem in line with his or her perceptions (Naleppa Reid, 1998, p 63). The social worker and service user thereafter work in partnership to (a) specify and identify outcomes, (b) agree to contracts and (c) review and assess progress. Social workers who use the task centred approach should be able to positively engage service users and instil trust and confidence (Hepworth, et al, 2002, p 87). Commonalities in Task Centred and Crisis Intervention Approaches Task centred approaches and crisis intervention methods appear to merge well in both theory and practice (Watson, et al, 2002, p 96). Social work research indicates that the use of these methods have proved to be effective with a wide range of clients. Both theories emerged in response to the apparently ineffective outcomes of case work approaches that were grounded in psychodynamic theory (Watson, et al, 2002, p 96). Both methods additionally focus on brief and short term interventions. They are connected to learning theory and based upon problem solving ideas (Watson, et al, 2002, p 96). Both these approaches call upon social workers to engage in participative and joint activity with service users, first to assess and analyse problems and their causes and then take action to deal with such problems (Sandoval, 2002, p 63). The application of these methods thus calls for the use of the person centred theory, the need to place the service user at the centre of the issue and the urgency of viewing the issue from his or her perspective (Sandoval, 2002, p 63). Social workers need to be very good listeners in order to be able to locate the real issues that are troubling service users and thereafter be able to help them with measures to tackle their difficulties (Sandoval, 2002, p 63). Like other social work methods, the task centred approach does have its limitations. It is in the first instance predicated upon the rationality of service users and their willingness to work with social workers (Nash, et al, 2005, p 53). It is also difficult to apply it without appropriate agency support. Despite such limitations the two approaches continue to be very useful, especially because of their instrumentality in increasing empowerment and their integral anti-oppressive approach (Nash, et al, 2005, p 53). The methods increase the abilities of service users through the inculcation of new skills and allow them to deal, not just with their current situations but with future circumstances of difficulty and oppression (Nash, et al, 2005, p 53). Conclusions Social work practice is influenced by many factors that require the taking account of the perspectives of service users, social workers, agencies and society. The approach of individual workers is bound to be influenced by numerous factors that can leave them confused and looking for guidance in their task of assisting service users in difficulties. The task centred approach and the crisis intervention theory provide useful tools to service users to assess the true conditions of service users, participate with them in structured, time bound and joint resolution of problems and empower them to face and overcome oppression. Social workers do however need to understand the implications of these theories and refrain from labeling their actions in all difficult situations to be task centred or critical intervention in nature. The true understanding of the potential and use of these theories will help them significantly in their practice scenarios.

Holy Year of Jubilee :: Religion Religious Christian Church Essays

Holy Year of Jubilee The ultimate derivation of the word jubilee is disputed, but it is most probable that the Hebrew word jobel, to which it is traced, meant "a ram's horn", and that from this instrument, used in proclaiming the celebration, a certain idea of rejoicing was derived. Further, passing through the Greek iobelaios, or iobelos, the word became confused with the Latin jubilo, which means "to shout", and has given us the forms jubilatio and jubilaeum, now adopted in most European languages. For the Israelites, the year of Jubilee was in any case preeminently a time of joy, the year of remission or universal pardon. "Thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year," we read in Leviticus 25:10, "and shalt proclaim remission to all the inhabitants of thy land: for it is the year of jubilee." Every seventh year, like every seventh day, was always accounted holy and set aside for rest, but the year which followed seven complete cycles was to be kept as a sabbatical year of special solemnity. The Talmudists and others afterwards disputed whether the Jubilee Year was the forty-ninth or the fiftieth year, the difficulty being that in the latter case two sabbatical years must have been observed in succession. Further, there are historical data which seem to show that in the age of the Machabees the Jubilee of the fiftieth year could not have been kept, for 164-163 B.C. and 38-37 B.C. were both certainly sabbatical years, which they could not have been if two sabbatical years had been inte rcalated in the interval. However, the text of Leviticus (25:8-55) leaves no room for ambiguity that the fiftieth year was intended, and the institution evidently bore a close analogy with the feast of Pentecost, which was the closing day after seven weeks of harvest. In any case it is certain that the Jubilee period, as it was generally understood and adopted afterwards in the Christian Church, meant fifty and not forty-nine years; but at the same time the number fifty was not originally arrived at because it represented half a century, but because it was the number that followed seven cycles of seven. It was, then, part of the legislation of the Old Law, whether practically adhered to or not, that each fiftieth year was to be celebrated as a jubilee year, and that at this season every household should recover its absent members, the land return to its former owners, the Hebrew slaves be set free, and debts be remitted.

Employee Absence Essay -- Business, Absenteeism

Many organizations face employee absence issues daily. The level of absence varies among each working industry. Strategies to reduce absenteeism rate differs between each organization. My retail company currently has an attendance policy in place, but absenteeism continues to be a problem. To find the solution to reduce absenteeism, I would have to understand the common causes of absenteeism, and then find different solutions to fix the problem. Proper communication and documentation of employee absences will improve absenteeism, employee productivity, and customer service. "Absence management hit by substandard record-keeping." Occupational Health 61.8 (2009): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. This article emphasizes that poor record-keeping by line managers was an issue. The article identifies a few difficulties that line managers faced in the healthcare industry. They were not willing to or not able to control employee absence in compliance with the policies and guidelines of the organization. Absences were reported late, not reported, or reported inconsistently. Most employers asked the employees to inform of their absence within the first day, but over a quarter of the employers did not have a procedure for employees to follow. The line managers were responsible for any absence notifications. Eighty five percent of employers documented absences on return-to-work interviews, yet only half of the employers required their employees to fill out a return-to-work form. The above article correlates to my thesis because it shows that line managers lack the proper procedure in documenting employee absences. Managers have the responsibility to correct the problem yet they are inconsistently following comp... ...nication and documentation of employee absences will improve absenteeism, employee productivity, and customer service. Improving communication between employees and managers is an important practice that improves employee attendance. Managers can decrease absenteeism by make enforcing clear attendance policies and have proper documentation of employee absences. Managers must keep accurate and consistent record keeping of absences. Employees must report absences immediately so managers can properly document in the records. Readings from the sources also indicate that absenteeism not only affects productivity and customer service, but absenteeism also affects employee morale. Employee morale will diminish if managers ignore the abuse of absenteeism among employees. Both absenteeism and employee morale can have a negative effect on productivity and customers service.

Essay on The Holy Bible - Genesis 1-3 and the Downfall of Mankind :: Holy Bible Genesis Essays

Genesis 1-3 and the Downfall of Mankind People hold many differing opinions about Genesis 1-3. Some people believe that God didn't want Adam and Eve to have the knowledge of good and evil because it would make them as gods. The purpose of this essay is to show that Adam and Eve caused the downfall of mankind. Now, to the untrained eye, it may be possible to interpret the aforementioned text as having certain "scheisty" tendencies coming from both the serpent and, believe it or not, God himself. As possible as it may seem, the main theme of the passages of Genesis are not trying to show God as being greedy with the knowledge of good and evil. It isn't like God was worried that Adam and Eve would gain knowledge that would empower them and make them as gods. That is almost preposterous to think that God, the almighty creator of heaven and earth, would be worried about two mortals obtaining a little bit of information. In all actuality, that idea is incredibly far from the truth. God gave Adam and Eve the world, literally. This perfect world, a "heaven on earth", was just given to them out of the goodness of his heart. All they had to do was look over God's creations and enjoy true eternal bliss. As a matter of fact, the only rule that God gave to Adam and Eve was to not eat of the tree of t he knowledge of good and evil. All they had to do to live in the eternal paradise, with all the cookies and milk they could stomach, was to follow that one freakin' rule. Acknowledging the fact that the serpent (a.k.a. Satan Incarnate) did do its part in persuading Eve to eat the fruit and to give the fruit to her husband. Even still, Eve should have realized that she was risking eternal happiness for the words of a snake. God said, "... of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shallot not eat of it: for in the day that thou neatest thereof thou shallot surely die." He wasn't speaking of an instantaneous death, or even mortal death. He was more so saying that they would lose their immortal lives, therefor being compromised by mortal death. The serpent knew of this and used his knowledge to bring about the inevitable demise of mankind.

The House on Mango Street Reflection Paper

February 6, 2013Cynthia Cotto [email  protected] edu Response Paper In the very first vignette Esperanza discusses how her family moved around a lot and even though the house on Mango Street was not the house of their dreams, it was a great achievement to own it. Although Esperanza knew they were not moving anytime soon, she recognized one advantage; her family was free of landlord management. In my community home ownership is a constant battle and for many simply a dream.I learn the value of home ownership in a similar sequence as Esperanza. My little sister and I were moved to and from apartment to family member’s houses until our first small home. A home with no back yard and only four stairs and side walk out front. None the less, a home to call our own; it was then that I knew one day I will own my home painted â€Å"white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. † Setting this goal meant one thing to me, out; out of Philadelphia like out of the House on Mango Street.How to get out and leave my home, my Philadelphia that is so much a part of my maturing process that has molded who I am today is the challenge. Poverty is the drive behind my force on getting out, like Esperanza, poverty is a constant scene that drives my motivation to rise out from my community in Philadelphia. For many families it is not unusual to live in a row home next to an abandoned home or open lot where houses use to be; look around and see no grass only concrete, see no trees only stumps of where trees use to be and garbage carried by the wind collected alongside stoop of houses.The tricky part of growing up with this experience is realizing it molds character and influences a sense of direction. My experience in poverty directed my ambition in education therefore strengthening my chances in attaining my goals. Ultimately what was said to Esperanza by the three sisters, â€Å"You can’t erase what you know. You can’t for get who you are† is valid in the sense that no matter which path one is headed, their past is part of who they are, it is where they have been.Even though leaving Philadelphia is a dream of mine, I know there is no other place in the world I would rather be from; it has prepared me to be brave and define what I desire for my life and what is undesired for my life. Self-exploration is hindered in this book and my life. I can very much identify with Esperanza perspectives on societal issues that Latin women face. A society dominated by men and women relying on them, whether it is a father, spouse or friend. Men are considered the strong reasonable as where women are weak and emotional, in turn women need men for protection.A young girl may have two story paths, one where she relies on the protection of her father while she watches her mother cater to him or two, witnesses the struggles of a single young woman and absence for a father. This book describes marriage as priority for every girl or else how could she survive; appearances and physical features are highly valued traits. This attitude is not one that Esperanza agrees with, nor do I. For example, Marin she is the girl standing on the street just â€Å"waiting for a car to stop, a star to fall, someone to change her life. This character implies that she does not dream of actively setting life goals for herself and working to earn them, instead she will wait until a man makes it happen for her. The ideology behind this thought being that as a woman she must thrive to be as attractive as possible to heighten her chances of marriage and acquire worthiness. First women are to become wives, then mothers this is to be success enough. The thought of a woman exploring her independence not only from her family but from men is not an appreciated ideal.Esperanza mentions many women that are prisoners in their marriages and trapped in their homes due to such bias. This is an important issue and should be addres sed because reflecting on Esperanza’s perspective and my personal opinion; Latin women are not encouraged to explore independence much less through education. Sally is a great example that can express my reason for writing about this issue, her father sheltered her all her life and she married before eighth grade.Practicing those societal values leads Sally’s life to be encaged by her husband and home accompanied by nothing but the things she owns; this to which Esperanza understands that even though Sally has all the material things that her husband can buy, that is not worth much if there is nothing to do, no social interactions, or no self-respect. Esperanza absorbs her surroundings, contemplates her neighbor’s situations and visualizes her life and the thought of her life sadly gazing out of a window, this was all the motivation she needed to decide that she will not be end her story in the same manner; this I have done throughout my life as well.Being born and raised in the heart of Philadelphia I am consistently expose to the abundance of inequality, injustice and overall hardships that seem to walk hand in hand with this territory and culture of my community. Esperanza introduces Alicia, a girl that has a strong quality in common with Esperanza as well as I; the virtue of education. Alicia’s circumstances are very relatable to young Latin girls today in my life for example, I can recall positive reinforcement when I received good grades but there was rarely any encouragement to have me participate in extracurricular activities or educations competitions because there were chores.My family believed the transition would be easier if I did not move away for college and so I did not; I am encouraged to live home until marriage, therefore I have been. Things such as living on my own is addressed with the attitude of â€Å"why waste money, you minus well wait until you get married to move out,† but my education is my future; it is my gateway out of Philadelphia and into the path of my home with trees and grass to come home to after a day with my second grade students. With independence from my family and men is born a woman that can support herself and does not need to rely on a man.I am writing about the inequities regarding Latin women addressed in this novel as it is connected to my life. I like Esperanza, refuse to accept the limitations surrounding me like fog in the night discouraging me to pursue new paths. Most of the women characters Esperanza describe have strong personalities yet are unable to escape from their suppressing community and culture. I am neighbors with Mothers the age of fifth-teen and grandmothers the age of thirty-two. There are women that are raising their grand-children and mothers hoping to complete high school.Yet somehow this has become a norm it is not surprising to see a Latin woman have children at a young age as well as marriage. I personally never get tired of being asked: Do you have children? Are you married? You are in school? (in a very sarcastic tone); in that specific order. The expectations in this novel for young Latin girls are to find a man to support them and the way to find a man is through physically looking as attractive as she can and in order to become a loyal wife and mother. This is a society where a woman leaving their families to seek self-identification is not a natural thought.Esperanza was strong enough to fight through the society norm and pursue her talent and not become trapped in a house ruled by a man. Today I fight the same battle as do many Latin women do, we are strong and it takes bravery to go after one’s happiness in life. We strive to rise above poverty and community inequities through hard work and self-dedication to one’s ambitions. As The House on Mango Street is part of Esperanza, my Philadelphia community is part of me; without what I have seen I would be blind to what I want.

Citizens United: the Death Knell of Democracy Essay

In 2010, the imperious solicit of the unify States ruled on the national picks Commission v. Citizens unite, a case that allow for brace drastic effects on our governmental strategy. Large corporations and grasp nubs leave al oneness flat have unprecedented regularize over the Statess national, body politic, and local anaesthetic picks. If Congress does non overturn the autocratic dally ruling on Citizens unite then, as a result, the finality has the strength to lead to policy-making subversion, the increase of voter apathy, and the dr receiveing out of third contri saveiony ideas. in short our countrys political system get out no continuing operate for the good of its citizens, but rather be beholden to whomever has the most bills to apply.The overbearing Court decision on the Citizens joined case is one of the most ravage court decisions in our countrys news report, but many people sock little to nothing about the marches case. Citizens united is a conservative non-profit organization, and in 2008 they attempted to violate federal flow laws by distributing a documentary overcritical of Sen. Hillary Clinton. The law Citizens Untied violated was the part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform come that prohibits, Broadcast advertisements mentioning a view at heart 30 geezerhood before a primary or 60 days before a general election (par. 19). As a result, the federal official Election Commission blocked the film and Citizens coupled sued on the grounds that it violated their foremost amendment veracious-hand(a) to free speech however, Citizens United lost the case in Federal Court, but they appealed and the case went before the positive Court.The question proposed before the court was whether Citizens United should have been allowed to show the Clinton documentary. According to tenner Liptak, a political columnist for The reinvigorated York Times, Instead, the court addressed the questions it proposed to the parties in June when it target down the case for an unusual foster argument in September, those of whether Austin and McConnell should be overruled (par. 26). The court ruled 5-4 that Citizens United had the right to show the Clinton film, but in the address they also overturned Austin and McConnell, 2 cases that had previously banned corporate and union contributions to political campaigns. justness Anthony Kennedy wrote in the volume touch, By definition, an independent expenditure is political speech presented to the electorate that is not coordinated with a vista (par. 17). legal expert Kennedys opinion equates money to free speech as long as the money is not posely given to a housedidates campaign. jurist Kennedy went on to state that, Political speech is indispensable to decision making in a land, and this is no slight true because the speech comes from a corporation rather than an individual (par. 20). Justice Kennedy deliberates that corporations be entitled to the akin rights as human beings. The Supreme Courts decision on Citizens United has now enabled corporations and unions to pour exorbitant heart and souls of money into Americas electoral landscape.First, endless ostracise campaign advertisements bombarded Ameri mints for nearly two days before the presidential election, and a capacious add up were paid for by A-one PACs. These immense political action committees ar a direct byproduct of the Citizens United decision, and are funded by corporations, wealthy individuals, and hollow unions. There are no laws hold how much one can present to these first-rate PACs, and they are allowed to slip extraneous millions of dollars towards the supremacy or defeat of a candidate. As long as super PACs do not directly contribute to a candidates campaign, they are allowed to spend as much money as they please. Most of the advertisements sponsored by Super PACs reflect the views of the candidate they support. One realizes that Super P ACs cannot contribute fiscally to a candidate however, that candidate directly acquires from the millions of dollars spent on political ads by a Super PAC.Second, with the plainly endless amounts of money Super PACs can raise, they consume a vast amount of political influence. Super PACs have the potentiality to cause political corruption on a level not seen since the pee Gate Scandal during the Nixon administration. For example, Super PACs can use their political war chests to defeat nearly any candidate that does not support their agenda by deluge all(prenominal) media source with scathing set on ads. As a result, politicians depart touch compelled to vote in favor of the bills that would bring in the donors of a Super PAC. Politicians will be extremely reluctant to go up against a Super PAC that has an intimately endless supply of money that could be used to support a challenger. It whitethorn only be a vaticination for the future, but many Americans already trust S uper PACs will cause corruption. For example, a survey of 1,015 adults conducted by the Brennan have-to doe with For Justice discovered, 69% of respondents agreed that new rules that let corporations, unions and people give unlimited money to Super PACs will lead to corruption (par. 7).The American public is noticing the effects of the Super PACs and they foresee a bleak political future. Third, voter apathy is on the educate and Super PACs are the main endorser for example, a survey of 1,015 adults by the Brennan Center For Justice found, One in four Americans 26% say that they are less likely to vote because big donors to Super PACs have so much to a greater extent influence over elected officials than come Americans (par. 14). The Brennan Centers survey shows that a significant amount of Americans believe that their vote is worthless. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in the minority opinion for FEC v. Citizens United, A democracy cannot function effectively wh en its constituents believe laws are being bought and sold (qtd. in Dionne, par. 7). Justice Stevens believes the unlimited amount of money cranch unions, the wealthy, and corporations can spend on political campaigns in order to meet their own agendas will cause Americans to lose bank in their government, and when our government loses the trust of its citizens our democracy will dissolve only to be replaced by an authoritarian state.Fourth, Citizens United will officially end the third ships company system, but the most tragic will be the end of third ships company ideas. Some of the most important economy in our countrys history started out as third troupe ideas. For example, abolition of slavery, child labor laws, utilizationers compensation, direct election of Senators, global warming, and womens ballot were once the basis of the third party political platform. Super PACs have the resources to lucre exorbitant amounts to spread their messages by advertisements, but th ird parties do not possess the resources to fiscally compete with them. Super PACs have the fiscal ability to monopolize every media source in order to float any ideas that do not harmonize with their own. The first amendment protects the right to communicate ones opinion and ideas, but the Supreme Court has stripped that right away from our third party system.It is abundantly nominate that the Citizens United decision has unleashed a thrash on the American political landscape in the form of Super PACs. As a result, our federal representatives must pull back a constitutional amendment overturning the Citizens United decision, and turn new campaign finance regulation requiring campaigns to only be funded by the government. The benefit of having campaigns paid for by the government is every candidate will get the same amount of money, and politicians will no longer have to feel beholden to wealthy donors and corporate interests, but rather work for the good of their constituent s. In conclusion, our country has been through many crises and it has always overcame them. One has to believe that our government will make the right decision and overturn the Citizens United decision, consequently restoring our trust in government by taking the power away from the labor unions, millionaires, and corporations, and putting the power back where it really belongs with the American people.