Current and Non-Current Assets Essay

Current assets are items on a balance sheet. According to Investorwords, current assets equal â€Å"†¦the sum of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, inventory, marketable securities, prepaid expenses, and other assets that could be converted to cash in less than one year,† (2008). If a company goes bankrupt, current assets are easily liquidated. Additionally, current assets are a source of funds for most companies. The importance of current assets to businesses is that these assets fund daily operations and expenses. Not only are current assets expected to be turned into cash, they many be sold, or consumed within a year. By contrast, non-current assets are not â€Å"†¦easily convertible to cash or not expected to become cash within the next year,† (Investorwords, 2008). Examples of non-current assets include fixed assets, leasehold improvements, andintangible assets, (Investorwords, 2008). The differences between current and non-current assets include time and form. Current assets are intended for use within one year, while non-current assets are not. If a company owns land and a building as the center of its business, that company is not going to convert the land and building,  non-current assets, to cash within a year. The company keeps both the land and building for longer time-periods. Another example of the difference between the two types of assets is equipment, or machinery. The company uses the equipment for its daily operations, and will not be done with the equipment within a year. The equipment is a non-current asset. Equipment and machinery belonging to a company depreciates over time. This is another characteristic of many non-current assets. Current assets do not depreciate within a year. Dividing assets and liabilities into current and non-current allows for the calculation of working capital. This is the amount of current assets minus current liabilities. Working capital is the relatively liquid part of the company’s financial position. The Order of Liquidity Assets are listed on the balance sheet in order of liquidity. Current assets come first. This order begins with cash and cash equivalents, including temporary investments maturing within 90 days, but excluding cash restricted for purposes other than meeting current obligations. Next in the order are short-term investments. Debt security investments are classified as trading, available-for-sale, or held-to-maturity securities. Investments in equity securities are classified as either trading or available-for-sale securities. Trading and available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value, while held-to-maturity securities are reported at amortized cost, (NACUBO, 2005). The order of liquidity on the balance sheet continues with receivables, which discloses the amounts of expected uncollectibles, nontrade receivables, and accounts pledged or discounted. Inventories are the next part of current assets, in which a company discloses the basis of valuation, pricing method, and completion stage of manufactured inventories. Last in the order of current assets are prepaid expenses, although expenses prepaid past the current operating cycle are reported as deferred charges in the â€Å"other asset† section of the balance sheet, (NACUBO, 2008). The order of liquidity on the balance sheet moves toward non-current assets. Long-term investments are the next item on the balance sheet. These include investments in securities, tangible fixed assets not currently used in operations, special funds, and investments in affiliated companies or nonconsolidated subsidiaries. Long-term investments are those that management intends holding for an extended period. Property, plant, and equipment are non-current assets next listed on the balance sheet in order of liquidity. Most of these assets are depreciable or consumable. The basis of valuation, any liens against the property, and accumulated depreciation or depletion is disclosed. Usually, a detailed classification of property, plant, and equipment is disclosed in a supplementary schedule, not the face of the balance sheet, (NACUBO, 2008). Intangible assets are next in the order of liquidity. Intangible assets are resources without physical substance providing economic rights and advantages. Limited-life intangible assets are amortized over their useful lives and reported net of the accumulated amortization. Indefinite-life intangible assets are not amortized; instead, they are assessed periodically for impairment. Some intangible assets expenditures are not capitalized, but expensed as incurred, (NACUBO, 2008). Last in the order of liquidity are â€Å"other assets†. This is a special classification for unusual items that cannot be included in one of the other asset categories. Examples include deferred charges, non-current receivables, and advances to subsidiaries. The classification of assets depends on the nature and the use of the item. Reference Business Accounting. (2003). Retrieved April 13, 2008 from URL http://home.millsaps.edu/ Investorwords. (2008). Retrieved April 12, 2008 from URL http://www.investorwords.com NACUBO. (2008). Balance sheet classification. Retrieved April 13, 2008 from URL http://www.nacubo.org

Creation of the Whites Essay

The â€Å"Creation of the Whites† is a story about the whites coming over and slowly starting to colonize what they called the new world. This story shows the whites and the Native Americans being very peaceful towards each other. The whites ask permission to the Native Americans for about everything they do in the new world. Although the whites try to be respectful there are still signs that they consider their selves superior over the Native Americans. In this story it shows the whites coming over the sea and starting to eventually start colonizing the new world. They come over the first time and the Native Americans come up to see them but they leave on their, what the natives called house boat almost immediately. The next time the whites came they tried to talk to the Native Americans but they could not understand each other. The whites came back with more ships the next year and asked the Native Americans to come to shore and eventually did. The whites decided to leave ag ain shortly after they showed up. Then the whites came back again three months later and asked the Native Americans for some earth to fill a box and the natives gave it to them. The whites later came back and let the Native Americans know the ground is fertile. The whites then asked for some land to live on and the Native Americans gave them permission. The thing that amazes me most about this document set is how the Native Americans and whites get along so well. In later times in history the Native Americans and whites rarely got along as well as they did in this story. The whites seem to really respect the Native Americans for most of the story. They ask permission just to come to shore and put dirt in a box. Later on the whites also ask permission to use some of the Native American’s land. The stories that we hear from later times are of the whites pushing the Native Americans off there land without getting permission. The Native Americans give the whites everything they ask for which also surprises me a lot. The Native Americans have lived on the land for many years and it surprises me that they would give some of their land up to people who they thought were created out of sea foam. The Yuchis believed that their tribe originate d from the sun and the whites originated from sea foam. I understand that they don’t know much about the whites beliefs that they are they superior culture but I am still surprised the Native Americans would give up their land. The Native Americans were very generous to the whites. The whites  seemed to respect the Native Americans other than when they tested the land to see if it was fertile which may have shone a lack of trust. The Native Americans had been living on the land for many years and the whites could have easily trusted the Native Americans that the land was fertile. They even came back and told the Native Americans that their land was fertile. This shows part of the whites belief that they are the superior culture. The whites seemed to be very respectful throughout the story. They asked permission for everything they wanted to do. The only thing I saw the whites do that showed that they might of lacked trust in the Native Americans was test the ground to see if it was fertile. This story shows that the whites and th e Native Americans did not always have big conflicts.

Putting an End to Poverty

A young boy walks through the mud bare-footed towards his one room shack. He opens the waterlogged door to find his young mother feeding his eighteen month old sister cold beans. He walks towards the kitchen, which is really just a three-legged table, a lawn chair and a stove, and scoops the remaining beans from the stove onto a plate for himself. He gives his mother a kiss on the cheek and walks towards his corner of the room. His mother wipes a tear from her eye. Tonight she did not eat dinner with her children; she did not eat at all just as she had not eaten the night before. This scene did not happen in a third world country like one might have believed. It happens everyday here in America. With the Presidential Elections quickly approaching, the candidates should focus on certain issues such as poverty and welfare. To help put a stop to poverty, the candidates must focus on the children living in the destitution, the education of the families, and the monetary wages of the families that are often making less than $15,000 a year. Politicians believe these things to be true in order to cut down on the poverty level. Putting an end to poverty starts with the children of the families. Vice President Al Gore feels very strongly about this. If the government provides nutritional support programs and food stamps, the likelihood that the children will become mature and flourish increases. Galbraith feels the same was as Gore. â€Å"If the children, though badly fed at home, are well nourished at school†¦ then there is a chance that the children of the very poor will come to maturity without inhibiting disadvantage. † (Galbraith, 246) If the physical well being of the children is watched very closely, then this would decrease the probability of poverty when the children are adults. Programs that could help the poverty level include Gore†s idea to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). By doing this, the EITC would reduce poverty and child poverty rates. The EITC has already lifted 4. 3 million people out of the poverty level, 2. 3 of which were children. â€Å"(If the) physical well-being of the children is vigilantly watched†¦ then there is a chance that the children†¦ will come to maturity†¦ (246). † Secondly, the Governor of Texas, and Republican candidate for the 2000 Presidential Election feels that education is an important way to end poverty. George W. Bush feels that giving federal funds towards school districts in poverty-stricken areas will help expand the number of children and families that will rise above the poverty level. â€Å"We will give schools new freedom to excel in exchange for proven results. When a school district receives federal funds to teach poor children, we expect those children to learn. And if they don†t, parents should get the money to make a different choice. † (George W. Bush www. vote-smart. org/speeches/mtv. phtml? func=speech=m00) Bush also feels that money should be given to those children that are pursuing secondary education. Providing a $1,000 grant to students who took Advanced Placement and college classes in high school is just one example to encourage students of all social classes to try their hardest. Bush also provided the idea that better and safer schools should be built in the impoverished areas. Like Bush, Galbraith feels that education is a very important issue in the fight to end poverty. â€Å"The effect of education and related investment in individuals is to help them overcome the restraints that are imposed by their environment. (246) If the government helps to make the schools more effective in teaching, then the schools will make the poverty level more effective in decreasing. Lastly, the government must help families learn how to manage their finances. The two major candidates for the Presidential Election did not cover this topic. Obviously Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush did not feel that this would have been a successful idea. Galbraith on the other hand, feels that this is very important to help rid the country of poverty. The only way to solve the problem of poverty is to help people help themselves. † (245) One might, however, realize that society would not want the government so closely involved in their lives. This issue would not be of concern towards the Presidential Candidates, but of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). So in that sense, the government is involved with the finances of the people of America, whether they like it or not. The hopes of a nation are to get rid of all poverty. They want to feed and cloth and educate the little boy that lives in the one-roomed shack. They want to teach the parents of that little boy so that way, they can be hired at better paying jobs; they want to help the people with their finances. The man that wins this presidential election is going to have to understand that there is poverty out there, and that there are things that he can do about it. William Pitt once said â€Å"Poverty is no disgrace but it is damned annoying. † Galbraith answered that with â€Å"In the contemporary United States, it is not annoying but it is a disgrace† (247). The leaders of today should help diminish the poverty level from a disgrace to non-existent.

Google (unionization) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Google (unionization) - Essay Example The only indication of employee unrest surfaced on one occasion when Google employees discovered that the Company had been secretly monitoring their activities using concealed cameras on desktop PCs.(Khouieri,2007) but this was easily and quickly dissipated with an offer of increase in pay. From the perspective of key stakeholders however, the lack of unionization is beneficial, especially because it ensures that company operations are unlikely to be held up for too long due to strikes or similar collective action by employees. In a global online environment, that requires constant employee input in updating and maintaining sites and processing applications, any hindrance in the continuous progression of work could be disastrous and affect consumers, advertisers and Google’s partners all over the world. In a competitive environment, consumers have been increasingly discriminating and demanding, thereby requiring employees to be constantly vigilant in developing new products and services. Employees also need to be vigilant in dealing with problems such as the development of viruses and/or impediments in the smooth operation of software applications associated with Google’s search engine, Adsense programs and other technological applications. A strike by employees brought on by unions demanding higher pay or better working conditions for example, would cause these activities to grind to a halt and adversely affect the interests of consumers, many of whom are heavily dependent upon the online environment in their day to day work activities. Any impediment in the work of employees would also hinder the interests of vendors and suppliers who are liable to lose any cost advantages they may be currently enjoying in their relationship with Google. Where management is concerned, the scope for profits of the Company would also be severely affected, because in a competitive online environment, any impediment to employee inputs could result in

Desert Flower by Waris Dirie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Desert Flower by Waris Dirie - Essay Example II. Plot Summary Waris Dirie was born into a nomadic tribe in Africa and deserts of Somalia were her playgrounds in childhood. Life there was a tough option but with no other alternatives she continued to live there, working and tending cows and she grew into a tough individual. She was a victim to the superstitious traditions of genital mutilation, but she had no knowledge about its true significance at that young age of 5. She was given to understand that it was an inevitable procedure to become a woman. Her mother was a party to that cruel exercise on her body and a professional killer woman knifed the outer portion of her genitals and then sewed it up. That was known as the procedure of circumcision, she survived it but some of her close ones, like sister Halemo and two other cousins had died. At the age of thirteen she ran away from the house to stall the efforts of her scheming father who wanted to give her in marriage to an aged individual. She reached Mogadishu to join her si ster Aman who had also escaped from the house. She stayed with her sister and aunt and then reached London with her uncle who was an Ambassador, as a maid to his family. She took education and soon came to realize her inner potentialities. She wanted to transcend from her status as a nomadic woman and achieve something tangible in life. She was in London for 4 years and when it was time for her uncle and family to return to Somalia, she insisted on staying back. She led a solitary life with none to support her. She got acquainted with Malcolm Fairchild, a photographer and then succeeded in getting some jobs in London. She married her friend Marylyn’s brother and got a passport. Opportunities fell to her lot to travel to different countries for modelling and soon she became a... Center of discussion in this paper is â€Å"Desert Flower†, the memoir of Waris Dirie. It is the story of how a nomadic girl from a backward country, Somalia, rises to become an internationally known super-model and then takes the top assignment as the UN Ambassador for the cause of women. She is a remarkable beauty with extraordinary courage. Her march from the village mud roads to the fashion runways of Milan, Paris and London reads like fiction. The name of the book is â€Å"Desert Flower†, but actually the author deserves that name. Cathleen Miller is the ghost writer of the book but the facts and the emotions of the content belong to Waris. The sum and substance of the book according to her own understanding is: Everything decided for her by God and she is just doing the work allotted to her by Him. Birth and death are in the hands of God and none has say on that issue. She will continue to take chances and she does the same throughout her life. During her run, she is nearly eaten by a lion, but the lion somehow spares her. About that encounter she writes, when I realized the lion was not going to kill me, I knew that God had something else planned, some reason to keep me alive. "What is it?" I asked as I struggled to my feet. "Direct me.† Some individuals are the victims of destiny; some are the creators of their destiny. Waris belongs to the latter category and with her fighting qualities, grit and determination she turned every situation to her advantage.

The Impact of Neocolonialism on the Social, Economic and Political Essay

The Impact of Neocolonialism on the Social, Economic and Political Life of Nigeria - Essay Example It can be derived from the report and the previous research conducted on the topic that British colonial rule in Nigeria from the second half of the nineteenth century to the early 1950s is associated with intense violence by the colonisers, with â€Å"the use of force to damage people and objects; the use of force to maintain control; and the use of humiliating words to generate violence reactions†. â€Å"Nigeria was a creation of British colonialism† states Wright, to fulfill British self-interest and political calculations. The country came into being only at the end of the nineteenth century, with British imperial policy drawing together different groups of people and ecological zones over the duration of several decades to form the country. In the first half of the twentieth century, imperial arrogance formulated and implemented policies promoting British rather than African advantage. These policies developed the social and political identities of the colony, and produced long-term problems which Nigeria struggled with after 1960 when the country gained independence from colonialism. Neocolonialism, the last stage of imperialism is defined as â€Å"control of the economic and development destiny by a former colonial area such as Africa by outside powers after independence†. Neocolonialism is illustrated by the British giving independence to Nigeria with one hand, while taking it away with the other. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to distinguish between Colonialism and Neocolonialism in Nigeria, and to assess the impact of neocolonialism on the social, economic and political life of the country. The Difference Between Colonialism and Neocolonialism in Nigeria Colonialism formed the root cause for political crisis by replacing pre-colonial political systems that worked for Africans with alien models. Ethnic conflicts that now destablise the continent were created by changing the geographical outlines in the map of Africa , bringing diverse people together without taking into consideration established borders. â€Å"The new nation states were artificial and many were too small to be viable† (Obadina 2000, p.1). Not even one-thirds of the countries in Africa have populations larger than 10 million, with Nigeria being a significant exception. African societies were divided into separate groups on the basis of western multi-party democracy imposed by colonial powers. The introduction of party politics by colonial administration fuelled the blaze of ethnic conflicts in Nigeria. The imposition of alien rule makes colonialism a dictatorial regime that did not allow people their right of self determination. Colonialism â€Å"brought death, pain and humiliation to millions of its victims† (Obadina 2000, p.2). Colonialism as a civilizing mission is only a myth, because Europe’s economic and political selfinterest drove the system. However, some useful acts carried out by colonial powers f or fulfilling their economic and administrative needs were the buidling of infrastructure such as railway for carrying export commodities, and undertaking the education of a few Africans to assist them in running the colonies. At the same time, beneficial contributions were not made by colonialism to any part of Africa. Significantly, economically stronger countries like Nigeria and Ghana were depleted of their infrastructure, leaving only a few railway lines, rudimentary communication and commuting systems and limited numbers of graduates. Although colonialism did not help Africa’s poor, the elites flourished as a result of the creation of opportunities by the linking of the continent to the western world. The emergence of neocolonialism with the end of British colonialism

Racism Reading + Questions for March Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Racism Reading + Questions for March - Coursework Example The central point of concern revolves around the predominant whites and the minority blacks. The superiority of whiteness over other races within and without the American context takes toll of the discussion. This is more so when Americans are generally expected to be whites, although the American population comprises of native communities and people from European and Asian background. The cultural, social, economic, and political dealings relative to whiteness and people of color are essentially captured. Investments within and across the aforementioned factors have always favored the white population at the expense of colored people. Oppressive and discriminatory social democratic policies implemented by agencies like the Federal Housing Administration (Lipsitz 372) are highlighted. Notably, the contemporary America continues to overlook and downplay the present implications posed by the â€Å"whiteness† factor relative to the welfare of the people of color and the nation at large. Ultimately, the â€Å"white† problem will only escalate if whiteness continues to be the basis upon which social democracy is racialized. The author’s insights into social democracy racialization, American â€Å"white† problem, and whiteness as an investment factor resonated with me. Personally, I deem these issues necessary to address, but they continue to receive little if no social and political attention. I had not thought of what actually constitutes the American society. The American society is made up of people with diverse cultural and social backgrounds. Majority of American people today are not Native Americans. This means that they are the lineage of early European and Asian settlers into America. On the same note, slavery had its contribution to the existence of people of color in America. This makes the American white a social construction, something that I had not thought of before. I have a question about whites and

East and West Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

East and West - Essay Example It is then that Jesus named Simon his chief disciple, giving him the name Peter meaning â€Å"rock†. At the point of the naming, Jesus blessed Simon and made his promise of building an everlasting and Holy Church upon the â€Å"rock† that was Simon Peter. Upon the death of Jesus Christ, Simon Peter became the Chief priest and head of the other disciples to spearhead the apostolic era spread of the Gospel. It then happened that Simon Peter became the first person among the disciples to establish the very first church in Rome (Dowley 195). As believed by many Catholics, the murder of Peter took place in Rome, where he also served as the head of Christians in the region and across the world. Guettee notes that many Christian believers and particularly Catholics believe that the Roman bishop received Peter’s mantle to lead the Christian flock across the world. Catholics also believe that before Peter died, he entrusted the bishop of Rome with the responsibilities of building and caring for established Church. With the existing belief and honor granted to the bishop of Rome as the leader and head of largest section of the Christian Church, and as an attribute to Peter, Adrian I declared himself as the Pope, a trend matured by Nicholas I and upheld further by King Gregory VII. Episcopacy is a form of government organization developed to rule the church (Dowley 196.). The rise of episcopacy in Christianity in the early Church attaches to the presbyter. Presbyter was a priest and overseer in the various churches and believed to develop from the Apostles of Jesus Christ during the spread of the Gospel. Papandrea explains that the concurrent growth and increase in population of Christians facilitated the formation of higher position of bishop of Rome, also considered as father bearing the great responsibility of exercising control of the Catholics in Rome and beyond (23). As the churches grew with characterization of multitude of followers, it became hard for the bishop to manage the churches single handedly, thus, the need to develop some other positions and offices to help manage the churches. The newly formed positions comprised the priests who were still presbyters and deacons, all of whom had the responsibilities of serving various divisions of Christians. Both the priest and the deacons were answerable to the bishop. It is worth noting that the deacons were assistants of the priests and, therefore, every church or congregation had the two dignitaries. Bishop of Rome enjoyed exclusive rights to appoint, dismiss the priests and deacons, approve church members and even baptize church members. Bishop of Rome also exercised absolute control over the finances of the various churches under his control and settled disputes among the church members. The Bishop of Rome also headed other bishops serving in other cities and countries. The entire system was what entailed the episcopacy. The bishop of Rome, otherwise known as the Pope, played various functions, center of which was the unification of the Christian religion (Dowley 200). Bishop of Rome mediated between Christians upon emergence of any conflicts and differences. For instance, Leo the Great met with the barbarians of Hun in 452 and the barbarians of Vandal in 455 to negotiate the modalities of restoring peace in Rome through withdrawal of the threats posed by the barbarians. Pope Gregory 1 also led negotiation with the Lombard barbarians in 592 to ensure withdrawal of the

How Settlement Occurs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How Settlement Occurs - Essay Example Singapore’s CDP operates in an almost similar manner.The first stage of the clearing process is trading matching. This takes place immediately trade is initiated in the SGX-ST trade engine. Its trading platform is the Quotation and execution system for trading.When trade matching occurs, the CDP becomes the CCP on either side of the transaction by Novation. As a result, brokers from either side are guaranteed efficient performance. In situations of T+1, the CDP goes a step further to notify each individual of their obligations when it comes to security and money.With securities settlement, CDP effects the brokers clearing accounts by crediting the buyer and debiting the seller. The CDP apart from having an account with the clearing bank also has an account with each settling bank. The CDP also has a clearing fund to be used in situations where members are unable to clear their financial obligations.In Germany, the platform used is the Xetra.This is an order driven trading syst em.The transactions matching system is automatic. The orders are kept in a central order book free for all Xetra participants to inspect.All clearing takes place in the stock exchange. This occurs either electronically or on the floor.These are forwarded to the Clearstream system.Clearstream under the safe custody Act is charged with the responsibility of keeping and administering securities.The transactions are settled on the second day of trading(T+2).We have examined the clearing systems for the three nations.

Argumentive Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argumentive Summary - Essay Example Therefore, the household in which a child spends their preschool years can have a major impact on their success and educational development for many years to come. We might consider the extent Brice’s thesis is convincing, and to what extent the evidence she offers to support it is comprehensive. It seems to me that Heath’s work is extremely convincing, and offers a helpful analysis of a hugely important issue, that is, giving children the best start possible in their education. Heath makes an important contribution to academic work on the importance of the preschool environment for a child’s subsequent, formal education. As well as dealing with the very particular examples of the three neighborhoods she selects for analysis, Heath also provokes the reader’s thoughts on more general issues, for example in commenting that teachers and researchers ‘have not recognized that ways of taking from books are as much a part of learned behavior as are ways of eating, sitting, playing games, and building houses’ (97). ... Of course, the implications of this statement are central to the essay and its arguments. Heath’s essay is based on the assumption that a child will imitate practices they learn in the household, and these will either facilitate or obstruct the schooling process later on. Heath is therefore positing the notion that due to their acquisition from the home environment, literary skills can be acquired as naturally as any others. Heath states that adults provide their children with ways ‘taking from books’, which will come to seem natural in schools, businesses, or offices (97). Given that we live in a highly literate society, where reading and writing are needed for even basic tasks, and having established that the basics of literacy can be taken from adults in the home environment, as discussed above, it is striking that Heath approaches a field on which little work has been done. Little is known about the functioning of these processes in practice. Heath therefore p erforms a valuable task for the extension of our knowledge when she chooses to survey the importance of ‘literary events’, in which ‘participants follow socially established rules for verbalizing what they know about the written material’ (98). As the title of the essay indicates, one such event might be the bedtime story, and this theme is carried throughout Heath’s analysis. Heath’s approach is also interesting in that she does not just work on patterns detected in ‘mainstream’ households, but also on those she finds in alternative styles of household (98). She chooses three communities in the Southeastern United States – a middle-income area called Maintown, where the households surveyed have a mother who has taught in local public schools (100); Roadville – a

Humans Live in a World Where Everything Tries to Make You Something Else Essay Example for Free

Humans Live in a World Where Everything Tries to Make You Something Else Essay Identity is now so hard to define. No longer as simple as whom am I? Identity is it solid or fixed? Neither is it constantly changing from birth till death. In addition to the problems faced with growing a developing an individual also faces problems from ideas surrounding personal problems. These can be examples from the environmental influence, such as arriving into a new school or even a new culture. These experiences can be both positive and negative though, negative as they may leave an individual disillusioned with their direction and place in life, yet positive in the way that an individual may feel reinvigorated and their perception of personal boundaries removed. Growing up in Australia is a short collection of stories from various artists that entails their stories of being different to others and the challenges that they faced in order to fit in when their identities are so different. Sticks and Stones and Such Like by Sunil Badima is a story about How being different, can isolate an individual and make it difficult for them to belong. The main difference in this story is the name Sunil, it singled him out and showed his different nature compared to everyone else. The way that people couldn’t pronounce it only served to exacerbate his push for a more ‘western’ name, Neil. This changing of an identity, from the Indian Sunil to the Aussie Neil, represents how people are willing to change and conform in order to fit in and be accepted by others, even going so far as to forego cultural preoccupations. How to be Japanese by Leanne Hall is a story that Discusses the stereotypes that exist, the racial prejudices that those from a culture deemed the minority are subject to. An individual cannot control how they look yet they’re judged about this. The cultural differences usually hinder an individual, whereby once cultural values sporting exploits as that of success another views success educationally as high marks, yet it is the minority group which is subjected to being stereotyped. This stereotyping is an action that removes an individual’s identity, placing an individual into a wider group whereby they lose their identity, given a set of predetermined characteristics, which is extremely common amongst the racial groups, e. g. the Japanese love hello Kitty. Reveals how a loss of identity can occur as an individual is adjudged to be something else before qifference, alienating them, difficult to conform. A personal identity is impossible without belonging to a family, society and culture. Without Belonging to a group somewhere an individual cannot hope to find their identity, the two are inextricably linked. Without a place in the world, an individual is lost and cannot hope to find their place. This is shown progressively throughout the film of Skin. Because Sandra is coloured and her parents and brother are white, she is constantly confused about her identity and who exactly she is. rBelonging is an innate predisposition that majority of the populous seek the feeling of acceptance and a place in the groups ranks offers. Once Sandra relises she cant find this within her family and the society she grew up in she looks to the Black people of South Africa to find a sense of belonging. Belonging to a group offers a sense of security and acceptance that people seek. It is through this environment that an individual will learn and their identity flourishes under the experiences of the group and that of their own, belonging to a group reaffirms our own identity. Whilst belonging to a group may culminate in the formation of an identity, this may not be the true potential of the individual. This influence may upon an individual’s identity may be detrimental, their identity a mere extension of the group’s prerogative. May also lead to an individual being stereotyped and/or alienating their past. Therefore those that cannot belong or alienate themselves from the rest of society struggle to find their place in the world, they are constantly drifting, the question of who am I, left unanswered. This is emphasised throughout the film Skin as Sandra is constantly changing her state as a white South African to a colored South African, so that she is able to find a sense of identity and belonging. People are put into groups, like family and school, and this is a struggle when it conflicts with identity. Whilst belonging to a group, the choice to conform is one that most people must make, we are all born into a group of some degree. Yet it is this place within a group, the arrangement of parameters that can lead to conflict surrounding an individual’s identity. When we are born, we are born into a family environment, born into a group already. Yet through this group, as individual’s we learn and model ourselves off the actions of those in the group, the decisions and perceptions of its members are reaffirmed onto our own. Yet this predetermined group can cause problems for our identity as individuals. This family whilst providing a base from which an identity can develop, also masks an individual’s identity, the individual may have of been raised in the interests of the group, unfulfilling their true potential. Moreover this placement of an individual occurs through other avenues of life as well. At school an individual may be labelled, stereotyped in a particular way based upon something as simple as they way in which they dress. This stereotyping and prejudice can breed only conflict within an individual as they struggle to determine who they truly are, are they the person they are perceived as? Or are they more? Furthermore in order to fit into a group, an individual’s conformity may be misaligned with the values and perceptions of this group, only giving birth to further conflict surrounding an individual’s identity. They struggle to find who the truly are, their true identity against the restraints that conformity offers them. There is conflict between identity and belonging. Where conflict is resolved it is good for the individual’s identity. The need to belong is an innate predisposition for most humans. As we are social creatures we seek a place in the world, a place where we can be accepted, a place of security. Yet in our willingness to conform, conflict can arise between an individual’s identity and that of the group. This discrepancy something that breeds only discontent as an individual discovers that the interest of the group may be misaligned to those of their own. Furthermore in a group the needs of the group are put before those of the individual, thereby stifling the true identity. Yet this creates further conflict as some of the decisions of the group, the choices that it makes may not be reflective of those of the individual. As the individual takes second wrung to the needs of the group, the individual may become discontent about where they are, questioning their own identity.

Native American Medicine Essay Example for Free

Native American Medicine Essay The medical cures and healing traditions used by the Native Americans are rather interesting and different compared to modern day Anglo Saxon cures. Native Americans, using their basis of ideas and beliefs, have developed a general idea of naturalistic cures and healing processes. Although the cures and healing processes are much different than Anglo Saxon ideas of curing and healing, the Native American processes tend to work well and even better than many Anglo Saxon cures. Native American medical and healing beliefs and processes are generally based on a more natural curing or purification process than the processes of modern day Anglo Saxons. Many Native American healing processes have been practiced for around 40,000 years. Different Native American healing traditions have appeared to share roots with different cultures, such as ancient Chinese traditions. Although many of the Native American healing traditions appear to share roots with ancient Chinese traditions, the greatest influence on Native American healing is the environment in which they have lived. The different plants and animals around them influenced their healing practices to be all natural. Another influence on their healing practices was other tribes. The migration of tribes around them allowed the tribes to share their knowledge of natural cures. Trade was also very helpful in Native American healing practices because many of the natural remedies required herbs from surrounding environments or long distances, and being able to trade with traveling tribes saved much travel time and risk. Although Native American healing practices have proven to be successful, a lot of their traditions have been lost. Many of the practices were driven underground and lost because they became banned or illegal in many parts of the United States. After 1978, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed, and the Native Americans were once again allowed to practice their healing traditions. The long gap without practicing certain healing processes resulted in the loss of many of their practices, however. Even today, there are still difficulties with Native Americans being allowed to perform different ceremonies and rituals because the land serves other purposes. (www. cancer. org). Native Americans have successfully lived for many years by using their own idea of natural cures and purification. Native American healing is a broad term that includes different healing beliefs and practices of hundreds of indigenous tribes or North America. It combines religion, spirituality, herbal medicine uses, and purification rituals that are used to treat the indigenous people either medically, emotionally, or behaviorally. According to Lakota Sioux, the basis of natural beliefs and connections comes from the story of the white buffalo. The story begins with a woman appearing during the time of famine. She was wearing a white buffalo skin and carrying a sacred pipe. After appearing to the tribe, she explained to them that the wooden stem was for the trees and everything growing on earth. Her red bowl was to symbolize the flesh and blood of all people and the smoke was the breath of their prayers going to Wakan Tanka, the creator. The woman then presented the pipe ceremony to the tribe, which included offerings made to the four directions while drums were played and sacred songs were sung. The people then began to understand the connection between sky and earth and the unity of all life. Before leaving, the woman said she would return when the time was right and turned into a buffalo, changing colors several times. Finally, she became a white buffalo calf and disappeared. The people followed her teachings and were no longer hungry. Years later, a white buffalo calf, very rare, appeared and changed colors throughout its life. The calf is believed to be the woman. (www. native-americans-online. com). Through this story, many indigenous tribes have believed nature to be the cures and purifications needed for the soul to become whole. There are many types of Native American healing practices, and they are promoted to help with a variety of ills. Some of the most common aspects of Native American healing include the use of herbal remedies, purifying rituals, shamanism, and symbolic healing rituals to treat illnesses of both the body and spirit. Herbal remedies are used to treat many physical conditions. Practitioners use purifying rituals to cleanse the body and prepare the person for healing. Shamanism is based on the idea that spirits cause illness, and a Native American healer called a shaman focuses on using spiritual healing powers to treat people. Symbolic healing rituals, which can involve family and friends of the sick person, are used to invoke the spirits to help heal the sick person. (www. cancer. org). The Native American belief in spirituality caused the Native Americans to believe that diseases are caused by an object piercing the soul through sorcery. A disease can also be believed to be the complete absence of a free soul. Their naturalistic beliefs allowed them to believe that even diseases are considered natural occurrences, and because they occur naturally, they can be cured naturally as well. By using natural remedies, â€Å"medicine men† attempted to cure diseases that have invaded tribal villages. Natural remedies used by the medicine men included different concoctions of plants, fungi, or animals that could be eaten or rubbed on a certain area of the body to cure the illness. Before Europeans invaded Native American land, Native Americans had not had an extreme amount of experience in the treatment of disease. However, after the Europeans invaded their land, they (the Europeans) brought many diseases with them. Some of the deadly diseases included smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, typhoid, influenza, and pertussis or whooping cough. At the first sign of the diseases, the indigenous people continued trying their natural remedies, but after many failed attempts at curing the diseases, the people would often avoid the sick and leave them to die because they believed that evil spirits had taken over their soul. With the Europeans bringing many diseases to the indigenous land, the indigenous people believed the Europeans to be evil spirited and deadly. The many diseases brought by the Europeans caused a major Native American depopulation. In order to try to cure these diseases or other illnesses, Native Americans relied on the use of what they referred to as the â€Å"medicine man† or â€Å"healer†. The medicine man was very well educated on the surrounding nature and knew what natural remedy would cure the illness. Often times, the medicine man would have to travel to other lands in order to find a certain plant or a fungus that was needed in the remedy. Medicine men were very effective at curing illnesses because of the knowledge they had of nature. Not only did the Native Americans use natural remedies to cure illness, but they also used natural purification processes in order to purify or cleanse their soul in an emotional healing process. The purifying ritual is a ceremony known as a sweat lodge, where the indigenous people would sit in extreme temperatures and sweat out the evil in them which allowed them to be cleansed. To begin the sweat lodge process, one must offer a pouch of tobacco to the medicine man. The tobacco is used to represent the spirit of the person presenting it. By offering the tobacco to the medicine man, one is asking him to work on their behalf in the spiritual world. When presenting the tobacco, one would also bring forth their specific desire such as an alcohol or drug problem. The sweat lodge process begins with the passing of what are known as tobacco ties. Many tobacco ties are hung around inside the sweat lodge and each tobacco tie represents a prayer. The four sacred herbs, sage, sweet grass, cedar, and tobacco, are used in order to help purify the room and allow the spirits to work. Then rocks, primarily lava stones from volcanoes, are heated using a fire until they are white hot. Once the rocks are white hot, they are brought into the lodge in order to begin the sweating process. To keep the rocks hot, water is poured onto them making an immense amount of steam and heating the lodge. Now that the purification process has finally begun, everyone sits in a circle and goes around, one person at a time, offering prayers. After all prayers have been given, the medicine man blends them all together in a mystical process altering the state of mind to something beyond the physical form. This is where the real healing takes place. As the purification process comes to a conclusion, a new ceremony known as wopela begins. Wopela is simply giving thanks. All participants bring in gifts for the medicine man in order to thank him for leading them through the purification process. The medicine man begins a prayerful state and takes the prayer ties and sets them up in the north end of the center. This allows the prayers to be carried to the Great Spirit in a good way. The medicine man then blows out the candles the lodge becomes pitch dark. Another emotional healing strategy is the use of the medicine wheel. The medicine wheel was an important transformation in the process of Native American tribes realizing that they are much different from each other. Basically, the medicine wheel was a sheet decorated in special symbols, colors, or stones that allowed others know about the inhabitants of the tribe. One was placed in front of every tepee or hut to notify others of that individual’s strengths and weaknesses. By doing so, each individual had their own guidelines to follow for personal growth by realizing what one needed to learn and what one needed to teach. After many generations, the people began to lose the concept of blame and anger upon others. One tribe member from Arizona states â€Å"If I said to you, ‘Does anyone ever make you angry? ’ you would say yes. But in reality, this is totally impossible. You choose to be angry by the way you process the event. This is something you were taught to do as a child. If you could imagine not one person in all of New York City having the concept of anger, that’s what it was like during that time period of no wars before the white man came. †(www. native-americans-online. com). By placing a simple wheel outside their homes, the Native Americans began to learn to cope with their anger and not place blame upon others. This shows a strong cultural emotional healing process because it rid the tribes of anger and blame on others. Indigenous people also believed in psychiatric healing beliefs by altering their state of mind. They were able to alter their state of mind through events such as drumming and chanting rituals, Salish spirit dancing, and visual stimuli. All processes were used in order to calm down an individual. The drumming or chanting of rituals acted as a concentration device to its listeners. A constant beat or pattern would reduce the tendency of the mind to wander. It would also enter the brain wave patterns and sometimes the subjects’ brainwaves would change to match the frequency of the drumming or beating. As for the altered states produced in the Salish Spirit Dance, the sensory stimulation would release neuro-endocrine opiod agents that would produce a peak experience during that dance performance. It is quite obvious that the healing processes of the indigenous people vary greatly from the healing processes of modern day Anglo Saxons. For example, in seeking a cure, Anglo Saxons search for a man made discovery to lead to a cure where as the indigenous people rely on nature for their cures. Although the Anglo Saxon solutions are very effective, the natural remedies also work and are less harmful. All Anglo Saxon cures provide quick solutions but at the risk of side effects which are not present in natural remedies. One belief of the indigenous people was that the illness was caused by nature, so nature can cure the illness. Another difference in Anglo Saxon healing processes is emotional or psychiatric healing. Anglo Saxon traditions in emotional healing include the use of a therapist or other person to talk to in order to solve the problem. The indigenous people use a similar cure, except they seek a higher cure such as the sweat lodge in order to be in contact with the spirit world. Anglo Saxons also place blame and problems on others in an attempt to relieve themselves of the pressure or danger of events. The indigenous people however, do not like to place blame on others, but on themselves. The indigenous people begin looking for a cure inside oneself in order to fix the problem. Although many rituals and healing processes of the indigenous people are much different than the processes of the modern day Anglo Saxons, the processes of the indigenous people have proven to work effectively in curing the illness. Their belief in having a pure soul contributes to the rituals they perform in order to heal. Both Anglo Saxon and Native American healing processes have been proven effective, with the difference being the focus of the solution. Native American medical and healing beliefs and processes are generally based on a more natural curing or purification process than the processes of modern day Anglo Saxons. Sources Used http://muwww-new. marshall. edu/jrcp/VE13%20N1/jrcp%2013%201%20thomason. pdf http://www. native-americans-online. com/index. html http://www. cancer. org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/mindbodyandspirit/native-american-healing.

An Introduction to the Skoda Company

An Introduction to the Skoda Company The two cyclists, who were known as Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement, are considered as the founders of Skoda Company. The two cyclists were used to design and produce their own bicycles and eventually it was established as Skoda. In 1925, Skoda was established in Czechoslovakia and gradually, it was expanded towards Eastern Europe by producing cars, farm ploughs, and aero planes other than bicycles. Skoda has to cope with hard times in company history such as war, economic problems and also the changes in the political environment. While the Skoda is grown up internationally, there was a requirement of a strong foreign partner. By, 1990 Volkswagen AG had dominated by joining Skoda. Volkswagen AG is known as the leading car manufacturer in Europe by manufacturing variety of branded products such as Volkswagen, Skoda, and Audi (Skoda Auto, 2011). The remarkable thing is the Skoda UK is selling Skoda cars through its independent network of certified dealers. 1.2 Business as a transformation process In common, there is an input and output can be clearly identified in a business. Input may consist of working force, entrepreneurship, capital and land. Output may be goods and services. Therefore, the process of transformation is common for all the organizations and most of the time, output can be considered as a combination of goods and services (Oxford University Press 2007). For an example considering the hospitality as a business foods and beverage can be the goods they serve and the lodging may be the service they offer. The critical thing is to be produce outputs which may worth higher than the inputs. In financial terms, it is known as the profit in relation to the organizations which are expecting profits. But, in the case of non profit oriented organizations such as schools and hospitals other indicators are used to measure the progress. Transformation may differ from business wise. The critical thing is to implementing innovative methodologies of value addition for the pro ducts and services while cost cutting (Oxford University Press 2007). Value addition can be done by manufacturing outputs that the customers are ready to pay money more than usual price. Since the brand name may be incorporated with customers lifestyle and preferences, effective branding result in improved sales. For an example, plain pair of shoe can be marketed to a higher price by branding it with brands like Nike or Addidas. Chapter 2 Organizational audit and the business environment 2.1 Organizational Audit Organizational audit is critical for a business to meet the following objectives. To analyze the businesss organizational framework, procedures and flow chart. To investigate the contest between the job descriptions, responsibilities and the flow chart of the business.    To emphasize the unsatisfactory aspects of the current structure of the business. To define development paths for improvement of the business. To satisfy these objectives organizational audit is being done by analysis of existing data, summary reporting, individual interviewing processes and analysis of raw data gathered through the surveys. Organizational audit is crucial for a business to cope with the business environment. 2.2 Business environment It is believed that business transformation process may not occur in a vacuum. Firms are driven in particular frameworks and subjected by the business environment. Business environment can be divided in to two. Micro Macro Micro environment consist of individuals or organizations which the business deal with a regular basis. It may include customers, employees, distributors and suppliers which are known as the stakeholders. That all components may have the direct involvement of the business activities and it can be affected by the actions of the business. Therefore, it can be concluded that micro environment play a vital role in the success and the behavior of a business. The macro environment may consist of factors which are lying outside of the direct control of the business. It includes economy, policies of the government and also the social changes. Since these macro factors can primarily change the environment of a business one individual business can rarely do much on its own to shape them. Theoretically, the macro environment can be analyzed by using PESTEL analysis. (Scott, 1982) Chapter 3 The PESTEL analysis for Skoda Company PESTEL Analysis PEST analysis is the methodology of analyzing the macro environment in most of the countries. But, the expanded PEST model which is known as PESTEL is commonly used in UK (CIPD, 2009). PESTEL is stand for Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal analysis. It describes the outline of macro environment in relation to the business environment. Referring to the political factors, it consists of policies implemented by the government such as the involvement in the economy. It also includes what kind of goods and services to be produced and the priorities in relation to the business support. The political decisions may play a vital role for some businesses which are related to education health and also in the infra structure facilities. Considering the Skoda Company, the changes in laws and regulations such as accounting standards, taxation requirements and environmental laws and legal power of the foreign states may affect on their business especially in the international trade. Therefore, it is critical to monitor the governments policies and regulations in a continuous manner. (Lynch, 1999) Economic factors may include economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates as well as the inflation rate. Those are the factors that may have the potential to make effects on operations and decisions. Referring to Skoda, interest rate may affect its  cost of capital. Therefore, it determines the extent of the growth of the business and expansion. Exchange rates may affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported goods. Social  factors include cultural aspects, health perception, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Changes in social factors influence in the product demand and operation. For example, aging process may generate smaller and less-willing workforce .This may lead to increasing the labour cost. Therefore, referring Skoda to cope with these trends there should be various management strategies to be adopted. For an example, it should be more concerned on age limit of the workers when recruiting new workers. The factors such as rate of technological changes, automation and the technical inducements altogether considered as technological factors. Those factors may influence with the outsourcing decisions, market entry barriers and efficient production level of a company. When considering the Skoda, it is producing branded motor cars. Therefore, technology should be their main focus. Because, it creates opportunities for new products and product improvement in relation to the marketing. As the technology advances, new products may launch. (Scott, 1982) Ecological and environmental aspects such as weather, climate, and climate changes can be considered as environmental factors. Those factors may especially influences industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance. Furthermore, growing awareness of the potential impacts of climate change is affecting how companies operate and the products they offer, both creating new markets and diminishing or demolishing existing ones. Discrimination law,  consumer law,  antitrust law,  employment law, and  health and safety law can be considered as the component of the legal factor. These factors can influence with the operation process, cost of production and the demand for the products. Legal aspect mainly focuses on the effect of the national and world legislation. The Skoda Company receives all the rights applicable in the nature of their business and every inventions and product developments are always going into the patented process. I.e. Audi, Skoda. The PESTEL factors are combined with external micro-environmental factors and internal drivers in relation to the business. Furthermore, it can be explained as opportunities and threats in a  SWOT analysis. Chapter 4 The SWOT analysis for Skoda Company SWOT Analysis SWOT is stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths can be described as internal components of a business that lead to its growth. Weaknesses can be identified as the attributes that will make disturbances business or make the business susceptible. The external conditions that could lead to future growth are known as the opportunities in SWOT. Threats are described as the external elements which could make negative effects on a business. (Lynch, 1999) To recognize its strengths, Skoda gathered information through researches from both customers and also from the reliable independent surveys. For an example, annual JD Power customer satisfaction survey had questioned the vehicle owners about their feelings on their vehicle for last six months by using questionnaire for about 20,000 owners. According to the results Skoda dominated in the top five car manufacturers for last 13 years (JD Power 2010). Not only that, in 2007, Top Gears survey revealed that among the 56,000 viewers Skoda dominated as the number one car manufacturer (Top Gear 2007). According to those results, Skoda found that the company excelled at satisfying its customers when focusing the owner experience rather than on sales alone. Almost all of Skodas customers would recommend Skoda branded vehicle to others, means that Skoda had a distinctive strength. As a result, Skoda manufactured cars that their customers could enjoy, rather than simply maximizing the sales. The refore, Skoda branded themselves as a quality product that satisfies its customers. Skodas analysis showed that in order to grow the business required to address issues about how the small company fit into the highly competitive market. An out-dated perception of the Skoda brand, related to the companys Eastern European origins, contributed to the business small size. By 1999, Volkswagen AG ownership had changed this negative attitude about Skoda. But, in 2006 brand Health Check revealed that the weak and neutral image in mid market range is still existing when compare to the Ford, Peugeot and Renault like brands (UK Branding 2006). Though, Skoda still deficient of a strong appeal, it is realized that the company needed to reduce the defensive campaigns exemplifying what the brand was not and begin new campaigns illustrating what Skoda had to offer. The change was simple and Skoda knew that its owners were satisfied with their cars. Skoda had realized that its rivals marketing approaches are mainly focused on the product itself. But in contrast, Skoda tends to focus its attention on emphasizing the owners experience with their cars and the customers satisfaction with Skoda vehicles. This SWOT analysis may lead Skoda to distinguish its product from its competitors. Considering the UK market, there are 50 different car makers selling around 200 vehicle models. To survive in this large and competitive market, Skoda needed to ensure that its message would not be lost or drowned out within the crowded environment. As a result, Skoda had manufactured seven different cars such as city car, luxurious car, and family car addressing different market segments with subsequent levels of pricing. Chapter 5 The planning for a business and implementation a new strategy 5.1 Strategic planning, Tactical planning and Operational planning Depending on the PESTEL and SWOT analysis, the business plan for the business should be created by the management of the business. Planning process can be identified as three phases such as strategic planning, tactical planning and operational planning. Strategic Planning can be considered as a long term planning attempted by senior management of a business. I.e. the executives. It involves making decisions which will work toward reaching an organizations mission and vision statements. Tactical planning it the mid term planning. It may range from months up to about two years. This involves middle management those who plan strategies to achieve a businesss strategic goals. In contrast, operational planning is routine planning handled by front line managers. They may report to middle management and enact the leg work of the strategies developed by middle management to achieve strategic goals. 5.2 Implementation of the new strategy Novel business strategies are designed to improve the overall utility of a business, its employees and increase profitability of the business. But change may be troublemaking and can be costly within its own context as employees deal with new procedures, information technology, products or an organizational matrix. To reduce the cost, disturbances and negative effects of implementing new strategies, it should implement a strategy for implementation. Essentially, a well planned and accomplished implementation plan may lead to reduce confrontation to the changes. The process of implementing a new strategy can be identified as six major steps (Kaplan and Norton 2010). Split the new strategy into smaller portions. Aware the employees about the map of change Create and post a scorecard for the new implementation, helping as a cheerleader to employees throughout the process that success is reasonable step wise. Acquiring the feedback regarding the new strategy at each stage by employee surveys. Request customer satisfaction. Doing the correct adjustments in the new strategy, time scale and goals based on feedback and customer satisfaction. 5.3 Conclusion With the concentrated study of the PESTLE, the Skoda Company will continue to emerge and develop if they manage to find solutions in different challenges that the entire organization might face in the future. Since the external environment is extremely complex and dynamic it is important to conducting the PESTEL in a regular basis. Practically, it may not possible to identify almost all the significant changes in the business environment. But, still they may able to find some of those critical changes through their assumptions and that will lead them to take the correct decision in the future. At present the PESTEL structure is further expanded as STEEPLE and STEEPLED by considering the ethical and demographic factors. Therefore, it may be important to stick to this latest model, because in some businesses those factors considered to be critical. To improve its performance, it may be needed to conduct a brand positioning examination by obtaining market research data from both interna l and external audits, allowing Skoda to conduct a SWOT analysis.   Skodas SWOT analysis may facilitate the company to reveal that customer satisfaction by purchasing their products. Not only that, it also reveals that the brand was no longer seen as a poor, outdated car, the company was able to operate within a position in the market, and that a change in public perception was very important to Skodas ability to expand within a highly competitive market. SWOT analysis makes the raw information which may gathered from a survey in to an order therefore, it may support managers to investigate both internally and externally. Therefore, it may also highlight the key internal weaknesses of a business, and also the strengths what the management should be alert on their business. Depending on the SWOT and PESTEL analysis, it is required to implement a new business strategy. The critical thing is to implement that new business strategy without disrupting the business.

Software And High School :: essays research papers

Software And High School The beginning of the 1990's is marked by the era of computers. Everywhere we look ,we see computers. They have become an essential part of our every day life. If the world's computer systems were turned off even for a short amount of time, unimaginable disasters would occur. We can surely say that today's world is heading into the future with the tremendous influence of computers. These machines are very important players in the game, the key to the success however is proper software (computer programs). It is the software that enables computers to perform a certain tasks. Educational systems in developed countries realize the importance of computers in the future world and therefore, emphasize their use in schools and secondary institutions. The proper choice of software is very important especially for beginners. Their first encounter with the computer should be exiting and fun. It should stimulate their interest in the computing field. First and foremost is the fact that computer software is a very important educational tool. Students in high schools experience computers for the first time through games and other entertaining software. These help develop youth's mental pathway in the way of logic, reflexes and the ability to make quick and concrete decisions [Lipcomb, 66]. The next step requires them to think more seriously about the machines. Secondary students learn the first steps in computer programming by creating simple programs. Here, the assistance of useful software is necessary. The computer software has many applications in the real world and is found virtually everywhere. The new generation of very fast computers introduces us to a new type of software. Multimedia is a of computer program that not only delivers written data for the user, but also provides visual support of the topic. By exploring the influence of multimedia upon high school students. I have concluded that the usage of multimedia have significantly increased students' interest in particular topics(supported by the multimedia). In order get these positive results, every child has to have a chance to use the technology on a daily basis [jacsuz@]. Mathematics is one of the scientific fields that has employed the full potential of computer power complicated problem solving. By using the computer, students learn to solve difficult problems even before they acquire tough mathematical vocabulary. The Geometer's Sketch pad, a kind of math software, is used in many Canadian high schools as a powerful math tutor. Students can pull and manipulate geometric figures and at the same time give them specific attributes. The next best feature of the software is a drawing document. It allows for easy drawing of perfect ellipses, rectangles and lines.

Civil Law and Criminal Law :: Criminal Justice

In any given nation, there are two branches of the legal system, such as civil law, and criminal law. In the first civilizations they did not differentiate between civil and criminal law. However, In the United States today the degree of the significance of a crime, classified as felony or a misdemeanor. In this composition I will be discussing the differences between criminal and civil law and how they differ in consequences. The amount of crime differs between communities. Unfortunately, periodically crimes are not recorded in the statistics rates, since of undiscovered crime, which is called the dark figure of crime. The civil law was originated by the romans law. The roman’s development of civil law consisted of more than a thousand years of jurisprudence by the twelve tables which hold the foundations for law systems today. The laws endorse equal treatment, and fairness. Also, the laws covered inheritance, marriage, and courtroom procedures. The civil legal system today is a branch dealing with definition and enforcement all private or public rights such as, Contract, family, intellectual, property, and tort laws which are called misdemeanors. An example of a misdemeanor dispute is the panhandling in Salt Lake City, according to Salt-Lake-city weekly, â€Å"three men were arrested for panhandling in Salt Lake City. Therefore, civil rights attorney Brian Barnard filled a complaint on the behalf of the three men. In the complaint the attorney explained how First Amendment rights were violated by state statute when police cited them while ignoring other comparable solicitations. The settl ement that reached the city has agreed to not issue tickets to people who hold signs asking for money or assistance, so long as the individual does not stand in a location that would pose a safety risk to themselves or to others†. Under civil law, the government provides a forum for the resolution of torts were the plaintiff tries to prove a wrong was committed. Another example of a hypothetical civil lawsuit is that a former patient sues a doctor for misdiagnosis of cancer .The plaintiff claims that the defendant did not monitor her symptoms accordingly. As a result, her cancer spread throughout her body. In the end of the case, the court’s held the defendant liable. Therefore, his license was taken away, and he was sentenced to two years in prison.

Cleopatra Essay example -- essays research papers

Significant Woman: Cleopatra I chose to write my "Significant Woman" paper on Egypt’s last pharaoh, Cleopatra. When I began my report, I knew very little about Cleopatra, except that she was the mistress of both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony of Rome. I wondered what impacts on history Cleopatra made on her own. I feel that Cleopatra was a very significant woman in history because she was very aggressive and assertive, characteristics that have always been considered unfeminine. At the same time, however, Cleopatra has been remembered by some as somewhat of a sex object, which is and always has been a common judgement of attractive females. Cleopatra did use her sex appeal to her advantage. It was one of the few manipulations that nobody could take away from her, and it was a very convincing form of persuasion. Cleopatra’s family had been ruling Egypt since 305 BC, when Ptolemy I declared himself King of Egypt sometime after Alexander the Great’s death. The Ptolemy family was of Macedonian decent, not Egyptian. Cleopatra, more precisely, Cleopatra VII, was the third daughter of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos "Auletes", who began his rule of Egypt in 80 BC. Cleopatra VII’s mother could possibly have been Cleopatra V Tryphaena, who either died or disappeared in 68 BC, right after Cleopatra VII’s birth in 69 BC. Cleopatra VII had two older sisters, Cleopatra VI and Berenice IV, and one younger sister, Arsinoe IV...

Discuss the issues related to the widespread adoption of e-books

Since the modern information age arrived, businesses, educational institutions and governments have increasingly used the internet to disseminate information to their targeted groups. In the process, e-books have been increasingly adopted as an important medium for delivering educational information. The widespread adoption of e-books has however raised a number of issues, ranging from copyright issues to issues of acceptance.In this essay, the author aims to discuss the various issues that have risen as a result of adoption of e-books. First of all, e-books threaten the traditional book publishing industry (Carey, 2006). E-books are particularly cheap to reproduce and distribute since they do not involve any paper printing, cover printing, warehousing and shipment. All a user has to do is point at a URL and click on the title he or she wants, and the e-book can be downloaded either for free or for a comparatively small fee.Publishing companies like Macmillan and Wiley have had a lon g standing dispute with major e-book distributor Amazon over this issue since the sales of traditional hardcover books have plummeted after the introduction of e-books (Carey, 2006). Secondly, there has been an issue of copyright infringement (Kelly, 2006). The World Wide Web has many websites that have been built primarily for file sharing. An e-book can be purchased only once and subsequently posted in many sites where users from all over the world can download it free.The author or the publisher of the book therefore does not profit from the efforts put in towards delivering the work (Kelly, 2006). This trend has even been reported with books which have not been released in e-book format: a buyer will digitize it maybe by scanning the pages and then publish it to the internet where everyone can have free access to the full content. No matter how law enforcers try, this has been one tendency which is virtually impossible to stop.Copyright issues aside, the proliferation of e-books has raised issues surrounding the unavailability of efficient devices for reading or extracting the content (Rothman, 2006). Most readers access the content in e-books by using a laptop or a desktop computer, but there have been numerous complains that too much exposure to the radiation from computer monitors causes eye and brain fatigue. The smaller devices available like Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and mobile telephones are too small and a user cannot read the content comfortably from such.In addition to this, all devices used in reading e-books are technology-based, and users have to be conversant with these technologies so as to be able to exploit the benefits of the e-book revolution. Finally, there have been acceptance issues in the adoption of e-books in the contemporary reading culture (Nelson, 2008). Generations of readers have grown up reading paper books (printed books) and have gotten so used to this that making the transition to e-books is not a very comfortable venture.Many students have continued to prefer printed paper and only use e-books for referencing purposes. The reading society is not as biased towards modern technologies as everyone would like to assume. According to statistics, many college students and faculties have continued to exhibit preference for paper books (p-books) over e-books for research, textbooks and for leisure reading (Nelson, 2008). All in all, technology is continually becoming popular, and despite the issues related to widespread adoption of e-books, digital libraries are becoming a force to reckon with in the literary scene.

Older people in the society Essay

According to Roberts (1970) older people are the whole of a generation who have survived to a certain age. They are not a deviant group or one small special section of the population. They are ordinary people who happen to have reached a particular age. There are several assumptions made about older people and their health. The first is that increasing age is always accompanied by increasing frailty and disability. As a result, the increasing numbers of older people in society are usually seen as a social and economic burden (Le Grand 1993). The second assumption is that age is that age is always accompanied by ill health. The negative images of aging and older people can be all pervasive and influence decisions about the health and social care of older people which may not necessarily be in their best interest. As per the survey of United States census burro, in the year 2010, 30.8% of total population in Europe was older people aged over 65 years old. Among these, 8.4 percent over 75 years old and 4.9 percent were aged 80 or more than 80 years old. In the year 1990 it was 6.1% and 3.2% respectively, when the total old age population was 23% of total population. These figures prove that the old age population is increasing, and the problems related to old age as well. The first part of this assignment discusses some common issues related to old age. This part mainly focuses on the physical, mental and social problems of senior citizens. Then it goes through some reflective aspects of author. For that I pass through the theories and models of reflection also make an attempt to compare different models of reflection. Finally I examine one of my own experiences with an older person, by using one of the reflective models. Statistics shows that there will be an enormous increase in the ageing population over the next 20 year, particularly in those aged over 75, who will suffer most from illness, or some sort of disability. The population of Great Britain and most other countries is growing older and although this trend has largely been ignored for 2 centauries, it is now regarded as a major political and economic challenge for the future. This is because the last 30years seen a significant increase in the population of both number and proportion of people aged 65 and over. The greatest growth has been in those people aged 85 and over. The world population of older people over 65 will increase more than twice as fast as the total population of the world during  the period 19 96-2000. In every region, the population over 75 will increase at an even faster rate and those over 80 will increase faster of all. There are many health problems related to old age. As per the opinion of Hodkinson (1975) older people differ in three major ways from the young: in the type and number of diseases and accidents, in their reaction to disease and in special features to do with their background (Hodkinson, 1975). They often have a multiplicity of diseases, partly accounted for by the accumulation of non-lethal diseases such as osteoarthritis and deafness. They are more likely to fall than any other age groups, except the under-fives, often with serious consequences. (Department of trade and industry, 1995). Heart disease and stroke are particularly prevalent in old age and the majority of all deaths from heart disease and stroke occur in those aged 65 years and above.Whereas, as a recent study has shown, prevalence rates of most of the major health related behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, sexual behavior and diet were commonly lower among older people (DoH central health monitoring unit, 2006). Psychological or emotional disorders in old people are too common, Older people themselves may be unwilling to seek help or reveal their feelings to others due to a fear of stigma or a lack of knowledge about the help available to them. Chronic diseases, psychological changes, malnutriti on and medication can exacerbate psychological problems in the elderly. Poor eye sight, poor hearing and slower reactions all contributes to a lack of confidence and increased social isolation for some older people. Dementia and depression are the two general psychological disorders in elderly among this dementia is a higher prevalence. According to Victor (1989) it is difficult to accurately estimate the incidence of dementia within the population because of the problem of diagnosis, although unreliable evidence may lead us to believe that most of the population over the age of 65 years is ‘demented’. Aside from the physical and emotional influences accompanying aging, growing old can be a time of social and economic change. For some people in their 50s can be a rich and rewarding time where they can enjoy the fruits of their labors, hand over responsibility for their children and look forward to enjoying new tasks or activities (Gavilan, 1992). For others it may not be such a positive experience, affected by redundancy, financial insecurity,  bereavement and the physical manifestations of aging. Retirement does not only affect an older person’s income but can also have a detrimental effect upon their social contact and status. Most of them consider retirement as a process of loss: loss of inc ome, loss of status, and loss of purpose and routine. In this situation, Jerrome’s (1991) opinion sounds very relevant, he said that there seems to be a paradoxical situation where the state provides money and support for those who are considered too old for employment while those who are receiving the benefits would be happier carrying out a job of any kind. Caring older people is a challenging process, as it is different from caring a younger. When caring an older person it is necessary to observe them well to understand their feelings and emotions. Reflective thinking will help a health practitioner to achieve this. When reflection is considered as an effective tool in clinical practice, one should have a basic knowledge about the meaning of reflection. In fact, defining the terms proves challenging for anyone seeking to make clear the nature of reflection. There have been number of attempts, to define the term reflection by authors, poets and philosophers alike. Among those interpretations, a definition presented by Johns (johns 1995:24) is literally very near to the ‘word’ reflection; he explained reflection as the practitioner’s capability to evaluate, make sense of and learn through personal experience in order to secure more attractive, useful and satisfying work. Moreover, reflective practice has been developed in health care, especially in nursing, as a way of gaining and building up on that experienced knowledge. Before using Reflection as a tool in clinical practice one should (B .J. Taylor 2000:3) â€Å"throw back of thoughts and memories, in cognitive acts such as thinking , contemplation, meditation and any other form of helpful considerations in order to make sense of them and to make appropriate changes if they are required†. As per this suggestion nurses should analyze their day to day practice and secure the valuable knowledge to lighten their future practice. In other words, as an American philosopher Dewey (1963) suggested that one has to learn by doing and realizing what came of what they did. In searching  different studies and opinions about the process reflection, we can find out different opinions about the aspects, styles and ways of using reflection as a tool in professional practice. Schon (1983) offered two main aspects of reflective practice those are; being reflection on action and reflection in action. Reflection on action is a recollection process of thinking and meditating on an action with the aim of making sense of the incident and using the results to improve future doings. It would be helpful, if nurses and health care workers make this theory real in their clinical practice. But the next one, ‘reflection in action’ is quite strange and had some arguments around it. As per the opinion of greenwood (1998) reflection cannot be recognized before action. In contradiction, Reed and Procter (1993) said that, reflective thinking about a situation, which is likely to happen, in advance is an important precursor to introduce clinical leadership and s upervision. In other words thinking through a particular situation may help to make a prediction and give a chance to take some precautions for a future occurring issue. When considering the role of reflection in nursing profession, Taylor (2004) suggested that reflection can be used as a system of thinking which helps the nurses to maintain vigilance in caring especially when caring an older person. Freshwater (2002) raised almost similar opinion he said that, reflection helps to encourage a holistic, individualized approach to care. When go through these opinions, we can understand that reflection helps a lot to give good care to the patient by productively making rapid changes in the clinical approach, in other words, it provides an opportunity for a rapid and progressive refocusing of work activity (Smyth, 1992). Before I make an attempt to assess my reflective account, which has given me a different outlook about old age, I should choose one model of reflection to analyze my experience. There are few theories, help one to explore his/or her clinical experiences or some incidents in which they have taken part a role of a leader, such as Gibbsâ₠¬â„¢(1988) model of reflection, Johns’ model of reflection and Driscoll’s model of structured reflection. Comparing these models, Gibbs’ and Drisoll’s(2000) models raises some questions that are focused on describing, analyzing, evaluating one personal experience and reach a conclusion, from  which finally makes an action plan for the future. Though Johns’ (2002) model appears more complicated and passing through lot of self examine questions, this model fails to draw an action plan which is considered as the vital process of reflective thinking. Even though Gibbs’ and Drissoll’s models are almost same in frame work I like to choose Gibb’s model as it gives me a chance to recollect my feelings and thoughts about my experience, as well as evaluate the good and bad about it. Since we are human beings it is important that our thoughts and feelings are to be memorized and evaluated, according to Taylor (2006) humans have the ability to think and to think about passed emotions, as we are offered with the gifts of memory and reflection. I believe tha t Gibbs’ model has a good frame work and moreover, for me, it is easily applicable in my experience as it is straightforward in nature and it allows me to answer the questions that arise from the practicalities of my clinical experiences. Here I make an attempt to assess one of the main issues of old age on the basis of my own personal experience. I do like to choose Gibbs’ model as a criterion to analyze it. In the first step, as per Gibbs’s model of reflection, ‘description’ of the event includes, what was the event? Where it happened? Who were with you then? What you did? And what were the results and draw backs; the description of my reflective experience is that while I was working in a psychiatric hospital in India, where I have got many different experiences with older people. I considerer all of them as my reflective accounts and it all help me to understand the old age and its complications. The incident is that, there was one patient in our ward he was about 78 years and had some psychological problems. He was very calm and quite almost every time, but occasionally he became very aggressive and violent. In that hospital, a custom was prevailing that inform relatives when a patient become very aggressive. So we used to inform his relatives when he got out of control. After meeting with his son or daughter, his condition would have become significantly normal. And he seemed very happy and comfortable with them. But when they left him there, he was again going back to a depressed mood. When I noticed this events many times I was really interested in that patient and I tried to make a good relationship with him. Finally I succeed; he used to speak with me a lot  even about his thoughts and feelings. And one day he told me that he really did not have any serious psychological disorders. He was acted as a psychotic person so that he could see his family. And he told me that he really did missing them. He never liked to be there. It was one of my mind blowing experiences I encountered during my clinical practice. The reflective account I explained above point out to one of the main problems of old age which is nothing but ‘loneliness’, Social seclusion and loneliness have long been recognized as problems linked with old age (Sheldon 1948 ; Halmos 1952). Loneliness has been defined as an unpleasant emotion state in which the older person feels apart from others. As I completed the description of the event, I go in to the next process; ‘feelings’. In this stage one should recall the situation and try to find out that what he/she thought and felt when they went through the experience? Considering my reflective experience, there were many thoughts passed through my mind. Old age is certain for every human being. Everyone has to pass through that period. At that time I thought about his feelings. He might have been working hard to raise his children, but when he became unproductive he was thrown to the miseries of loneliness. I felt empathy to the patient because after I came to know him more I could thoroughly understand his feelings. And I thought about the reasons of the seclusion of old age. The third stage is ‘evaluation’. As per this stage I should evaluate my experience and find out the good and bad about it. When driving back my memory through my reflective experience, I can say that the main good aspect of that situation was that I could be a good listener of that man. I think he might have experienced some relief when he shared his burden of feelings with me. That awareness gave me a great amount of satisfaction. Moreover I could realize some skills which must have possessed a care worker such as patience and being a good listener, which I had never realized until then. One the other hand, there are some bad aspects too I could find out. Even though I had been working in the same department for about six months I was a little late to realise his problems, I had to find out his feeling of loneliness earlier. It shows, at that time, I have lack of ability to identify the problems of the patients. Analysis of the event is the next stage. In this stage I have to think about what sense can be made of the situation which I faced. The first sense which I could make about this incident is that the main reason of the psychological problems present in older people is because of their social seclusion and loneliness. And the important thing I learned from this incident is the severity of loneliness in older people. They would even act as insane to get rid of their loneliness. They need rather love and care than treatment. As per the Gibbs’ frame work ‘conclusion’ is the next stage. In this step I conceder my faults which I had got when I deal with that incident. In that sense I could have realised the patient’s problem of loneliness earlier. If I came to know about this earlier I could invite the attention of his relatives to this issue. Now I understand that it is necessary to mingle with them and caring them in order to make them comfortable in the surroun dings of an old age home. The final and important stage is ‘action plan’. Here I should think about what I would do if I go through the same situation. Undoubtedly I would act differently because, now I know the draw backs of old age and what they are expecting from others. So if i would be in the same situation I would understand the problem of the patient earlier and help him reduce his feeling of loneliness. Next time I would find out more ways to escape the older patients from being lonely. In order to achieve this, encourage them to busy with some hobbies or learning some new skills, such as the use of the computers. I think they would enjoy learning computers and having great fun sharing their new skill. The next and important thing is that, I have to improve my communication skills. I would make sure that all the elderly inmates in my ward get communicated and listen to their problems. I will consider this as one of my important responsibilities in the clinical area, Because Duffy. K. and Hardicre (2007) suggested that Caring for the elderly patients is a necessary element of the nurse’s role as well as a professional commitment. In conclusion, loneliness is the major issue of old age. It is different from solitude because older people can be lonely while living with other people such as residential care. Loneliness can be a symptom of depression but can be prevented by the encouragement of physical  and mental activity and being socially active; the saying ‘use it or lose it’ cannot be overemphasised. After all, when considering this essay as my reflective writing, it helps me to secure more awareness about my caring older people. Besides that I have got a clear out look about using models and theories to analyses my experiences. Finally, this reflective thinking makes me more confident to face and deal with difficult situations. Reference List: Department of trade and industry; consumer safety unit (1995) home accident surveillance system: report on 1993 accident data and safety research, DTI, London. Dewey, J. (1963) Experience and education, New York: Collier books.87-89. DOH central health monitoring unit (1996) health related behavior: an epidemiological over view, HMSO, London. Driscoll, J. (2000) practicing clinical supervision, London: Bailliere Tindall. Duffy, K. Hardicre, J. (2007) ‘Supporting failing students in practice 1: assessment’, Nursing Times, 10(4): 28-29. Freshwater, D. (2002) Therapeutic nursing: improving patient care through reflection, London: Sage. Gavilan, H. (1992) ‘care in the community for older housebound people: institutional living in our own home?’ Critical public health, 3(4): 18-23. Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning method: Further Education Unit, Oxford: Oxford Brookes University. Greenwood, J. (1998) ‘The role of reflecti on in single and double loop learning’, Journal of advanced nursing practice, 27(5): 1048-53. Halmos, Paul (1952) Solitude and Privacy: A Study of Social Isolation, Its Causes and Therapy. London. Hodkinsin, H. (1975) an outline of geriatrics, academic press, London. Jerrome, D. (1991) social bonds in later life. Social and psychological gerontology, clinical gerontology, 1: 297-306. Johns, C. (1995) ‘Framing learning through reflection within carper’s fundamental ways of knowing in nursing’. Journal of advanced nursing, 22: 226-34. Johns, C. (2002) Guided reflection: Advancing practice, Oxford: Blackwell science. Le Grand, J, (1993) ‘can we afford the welfare state’? British medical journal; 307(6911): 1018-1019. Reed, J. and Procter, S. (1993) Nurse education: a reflective approach, London: Edward Arnold. Roberts, N. (1970) our future selves: care of the elderly, Allen and Unwin, London. Schon, D. (1983) The reflective practitioner: how practitioners think in action, New York: Basic books. Sheldon, J. H. (1948) The Social Medicine of Old Age: Report of an Inquiry in Wolverhampton, Oxford University Press, London. Smyth, J. (1992) ‘Teachers’ work and the politics of reflection’, American education research journal, 29(2): 267-300. Taylor, B. (2004) ‘Technical, practical and emancipator reflection for practicing holistically’, Journal of holistic nursing, 22(1): 73-84. Taylor, B. J. (2003) ‘Emancipator reflective practice for overcoming complexities and constraints in holistic health care’, Sacred space, 4(2): 40-5. Taylor, B. J. (2006) Reflective Practice: A guide for nurses and mid wives, 2nd edn. UK: Open University press, Milton Keyness. Victor, C. (1989) ‘the myth of the woopie: poverty and affluence in later life’, geriatric medicine, (19)12: 22, 25-2