Case Study One: Martha Johnson’s Inheritance Essay

In â€Å"Case Study One: Martha Johnson’s Inheritance†, Martha Johnson is a fictional character who is facing a financial dilemma. Receiving an inheritance after losing her aunt, Martha contemplates a series of choices. She can buy a car, live on her own, temporarily stop working, and go on vacation. Ultimately, saving her money is the best choice for Martha. As with any decision there are consequences and rewards. In order to make the right choice, Martha needs to consider how her choice will affect her life in education, social/ family, and her future. In all instances education is by far the most important factor. If Martha chooses to take a three week vacation to Hawaii, all the work she has done to ensure her educational opportunities will be prolonged, leaving her with more work when she returns. Although the other choices benefit to education, this is not the case when it comes to her social and family needs. Because moving causes such a strain on families and the individual, although having more time to study, Martha will inevitably feel the guilt of leaving her ill mother alone, and lose focus on her school work. On the other hand, buying a car would improve her social life as well as provide transportation to and from school, but will prove to be a burden in the future. All the choices Martha is facing, proves to be temporary solutions, except saving her money. By doing so Martha can continue working, receive financial aid, and in the meanwhile add to her inheritance by placing it in a high-interest money-marketing fund. As determined and intelligent Martha is, this is the best choice for her.

If Only I Could Go Back

It was around 9:00 pm and the atmosphere was charged. The roads were blocked and the police were to be found on every corner. A search was in place, I was the suspect. My clothes were stained with blood, not my blood but Eve's blood. My face was covered with dirt as though I had taken a dip in a pigsty. Suddenly just behind me I heard a booming sound â€Å"Freeze, don't move†, but I was too faint to synchronize with a response. Red and blue lines were flashing before my guilty eyes, it was the police. They had found me; I was handcuffed on the spot and thrown into the back of a van like a captured animal thrown into his cage. I was read out my rights â€Å"You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law†. That was it, I had been on the run for 4 consecutive days. My stomach lunched with hunger, my body desperately urged for rest but worst of all I was ruined. I was filled with intense regret. Although a sense of denial ran through my head, my conscience overcame the effect and I knew what I had done was wrong. â€Å"Too late now† I thought to myself. As I neared the place of my judgment with the last bit of strength in me I shouted aloud â€Å"God Forgive Me†. Time seemed to crawl as freedom raced its way out of my life. I was utterly left to rot. Fear and regret was all I could think of. My sense of fear was so strong, that I began to cry. My emotions overpowered me once again and the more I thought of the crime I had committed the more I continued to cry. I then arrived at the police station where I saw my father standing with only one expression on his face, ‘SHOCK'. As a police officer informed my father of my actions I saw a tear form in his eyes, a tear filled with shame and disappointment. The sight of my father's face scared me all the more. A vision of an empty, lonely future came alive at the back of my head, the past 18 years of my life flashed past me so fast like a video cassette put on super forward. I then heard a rough thick voice say â€Å"Why my son, why did you beat Eve to death?† It was my father who by now had understood precisely what had happened. He was a man who went through a lot of rough times himself. I was silent. The cause of my actions was due to my family problems. The agony, the loneliness of my parents being divorced and not having a father and a mother at the same time made me feel empty. My family was very dear to me, as a ‘real family' was all I wanted. Ever since I was a child I've been brought up by a single parent and always wished to have my parents back together. I longed all my life to know how a real family life was, but I was deprived of that. I did not want my father to pity me hence; I kept the reason to myself. I am a man now and should be responsible for my actions. It was because of Eve who simultaneously insulted my family and made fun of the fact that my parents were divorced. â€Å"Your parents don't love you that was why they left you† was one of the many hurtful things she said. At first I tried to ignore it but the truth penetrated its way into me and anger was all that was left in me. The blood in my veins boiled making me all the angrier where at one point I burst and took all my anger out on her. Punch after punch, kick after kick. This is when my emotions took over me at first. Everything happened so fast, and by the time it was all over and saw Eve's helpless body lying horizontally opposite to me, I was shocked but most of all scared. This was the first time I had actually seen someone die before my own eyes, and to worsen things it was me who had â€Å"murdered† her. I acted like a robot controlled by the truth and my emotions. Then the fear of death took over me and for the first few minutes I froze at a standstill but the thought of what I had done scared me so much that I began to run as fast as I could to hide myself from what I had done. Now my life is ruined. I feel like a total failure. Till this very day each moment I sit in my jail cell, I feel helpless and hungry and regret what I had done and just wish if I can take back what had happened. The thought, the whole thing just keeps running through my mind making me feel so wrong and so bad. â€Å"Oh! If I could only go back in time!†

My India My Dream Essay

It has always been the dream of every citizen of a country, to see that the country develops with no negative systems or ideas or beliefs. It is my dream and my vision that India would be the most powerful and developed nation in the world in near future. India will be a golden bird of the coming years. In my dreams more emphasis will be given to health, education and all-round development of children, since they are the future builders of this country, INDIA. India will be a vast country with millions of able, skillful, hard working, patriotic and loving people. It will be very rich in resources and there will be tremendous growth in all fields. PRIMARY EDUCATION of youth will shape their foundation. With this 100% literacy is assured. Every citizen in the country will be able to read, write and understand any one language including COMPUTER EDUCATION. EDUCATION is the key medicine which can diminish superstitions and negative social behaviours. Another dream is EXCELLENT INFRASTRUCTURE within the country. ESSENTIAL SERVICES such as health & family welfare, education, integrated child development, clean water, electricity and rural development will be given the utmost importance. India will be the NET EXPORTER in the world. Its GDP will be above 1000 trillion rupees, as Indian RUPEE will be the major trading currency in the world. There will be free trade, license-free administration and above all absolute NO CORRUPTION. UNEMPLOYMENT will be eradicated and people will earn their daily bread on their own. There will not be any RELIGIONAL CONFLICTS in India. All the people will live in peace & harmony and all the religions will thrive. The PER CAPITA income of India will be the highest in the world. All the above is sure to take place only if we have a political will, young brigade and an excellent corruption-free administration.

The Shoe Shop Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Shoe Shop - Case Study Example The shoe industry, together with the apparel and accessories sectors posts increases in total turnover in the past year which shows the increasing demand and market for these products. The creation and operation of The Shoe Shop which will commence on January 2008 is another quest to provide products for this profitable market. The price of shoes in London is highly dependent on the strategies employed by the different industry players (BFA 2007). Business organizations which employ differentiation and niche strategies enhance the image of their brands by putting a high margin in their shoe products. A good example of this is Russell and Bromley where a pair of women's shoes can cost up to '200.00 (Russell and Bromley 2007). On the other hand mid-priced companies charge from '40 to '90 for a pair of shoes. Shoe manufacturers who are utilizing cost leadership strategies can price more competitively at less than '30. Ben Sherman can price as low as '15 for a pair of women's shoes. These pricing strategies of the competitors in the market together with the survey conducted to determine the target consumers' preferences become the primary bases of The Shoe Shop's proposed pricing strategies. The pricing strategy of a business organization is one of the key elements to its success and even mere survival in the industry where it operates (Kotler 2005). In this consideration, The Shoe Shop formulates its pricing strategy as a way to efficiently generate the maximum profit available. The main aim of the pricing strategy is to cover all the company's efforts in production and other activities, provide ample margin for profits, build the hip image that the company desires, and generate enough demand by pricing competitively and at par with other industry players. In order to determine the pricing strategy, the market research department of the shoe shop conducted a survey which is geared in appropriate rice for a pair of shoes. Considering the target market of The Shoe Shop, the survey was participated by both men and women whose age ranges from 18-35 years old. The market research department concluded that within this age range, consumers are very much concerned about their image and prefer products which express what is hip and trendy. They are willing to pay more for image but most will not spend more than '92.00 for a pair of shoes. Thus, with this consideration, The Shoe Shop will price a pair of shoes in its product line for '70.00. III. Per Unit Cost Statement The costs associated with the production and marketing of the company's shoes generally has a variable and fixed component. The variable costs are direct materials and direct labor both of which can be directly traced to the individual shoes being manufactured. Even though the sizes and design of the shoes vary, the company's direct material cost '27.25 for each pair. Direct labour is 1.25 hours and employees are paid '15.00 per hour of labor. In terms of indirect costs, The Shoe Shop pays a monthly overhead of '7,500. The manufacturing department together with other functional areas, is serviced by the administrative and marketing department. The Shoe Shop allocates a monthly overhe

Art and Morality Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art and Morality - Movie Review Example Artists are the ones who have to normally face the brunt of this censorship. Whether you consider the criminal obscenity charges against the rap group for the album 2 Live Crew in the 80s or the fatwa issued to kill Salman Rushdie for his book Satanic Verses – artists have always been persecuted for bringing out work which goes against ‘ethos’ of society. (Greenwood) This chant for censorship is not limited to Islamic countries or third world countries which are not considered ‘mature’ enough but extends to the self proclaimed champions of free speech – USA and the Western Europe. From the Comstock Law of 1873 to the 1996 Communications Decency Act; the developed world is full of laws which stifle artistic freedom. (Caso) The question which arises is this – should we allow censorship of controversial art which shows murder, explicit sexual scenes or offends religious sensibilities? The answer is a big NO. The reason is very simple. Censo rship is like a wild poisonous snake – you cannot control whom it will bite. Once power is given to the government to ban someone else; it may turn it head and ban something you like too. The most frequent target of censorship is sexually explicit art forms. Hundreds and thousands of books have been banned all across the world for their sexual content. Some books may be sexually explicit; however sexual content is usually an excuse for the ban. One example which comes to mind for such excuse is the ban of Grapes of Wrath. (Wartzman) Grapes of wrath is a much celebrated and controversial book which was releases in 1939. As a work of art; this book is exemplary which went on to win The National Book award, the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize in 1962.It is set during the Great depression and focuses’ on the hardships faced by families during the period. However the book was opposed vehemently by groups of big landowners who were opponents of organized labor. Explicit s exual content was used as an excuse to ban the book at that time from schools. The example of Grapes of Wrath is given here to show how sexuality can be used as an excuse to ban books whose main content is nowhere related to sexuality. Thus obscenity can easily be used as a vehicle by the government or powerful pressure groups to ban books or ideas to which they are opposed .Pornography and sexually explicit material is completely relative. What might be sexually offensive to one person may be normal for other person. We might find it amusing and childish that many Islamic countries ban films which show lip kissing but the same argument can be used for that art forms which majority of Americans find sexually explicit. These famous lines by Justice John Marshall sums up the futility of trying to define obscenity – â€Å"one man’s vulgarity is other’s lyrics!†Not only obscenity but even pornography has no legal definition. Some may consider a little skin sh ow as pornography where as others may consider it as the requirement of the film. In the absence of a formal definition we are left to the whims and fancies of certain individuals who are given the right to decide right and wrong. Laws are those which can be objectively applied, not something which requires subjective treatment. â€Å"Concerning the Gods I am not able to know either that they do exist or that they do not exist.†- The treaties of Protagoras. (Schiappa) Most of us this day will not find the above line offensive as atheists are now an acceptable part of the society. Some openly

Role of Homemakers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Role of Homemakers - Essay Example This is a predominantly principled debate that proposes that every homemaker should earn an equal salary from the government fund that is funded through taxpayer dollars. This can only be performed through tax rebates and tax exemptions that can be doled out through institutionalized processes set up for tax returns and auditing. A good example is America’s Internal Revenue Service or the Canada Revenue Agency based in Canada.The life of a homemaker entails a boundless amount of to-dos and demands. Provisional to the size of family and home, the position can extend beyond the typical 9 to 5. Way back in the 1950s, homemakers were anticipated to stay at home, while those who desired to work faced frequent stigmatization. Currently, it is the opposite of what used to happen: whereby women pity one another along the fault lines of economic class, conviction, ethnicity, and need. In the majority of developed nations, homemakers who stay at home are considered old-fashioned as well as an economic burden to the society. Observations from Lui, 2013, reveal that the daily chores of cleaning, raising their children, and cooking by these homemakers have continuously been ignored by national accounts. The majority believe that G.D.P. will go down if a man marries a homemaker and stops paying her for her work. In addition, G.D.P. will rise if a homemaker stops nursing and buys formula for her little baby. The United Nations, 2001, has noted that homemakers have been valued less than ever in a debated that equates women to men in raising productivity and economic growth through the labor market and labor market. Homemakers do face punishment in nations where mothers still struggle to balance career with family and thus quit work less out of conviction than necessity.

Work in the Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Work in the Community - Essay Example The roles which one has, beliefs that are carried by various groups and the expectations and definitions one has within their personal life all add into the boundaries that are created. The social groups are defined specifically by the thought processes that individuals relate to. However, these social groups then have difficulty in building a presence within other arenas while having a consistent set of boundaries with community building that has opposing ideals or beliefs within the community. Politicized Roles Political roles carry several dimensions of behaviours that alter the way in which one integrates or separates into the community. This comes from the basis of opposition or acceptance of the governmental policies which are intertwined within a community. Social groups which support a specific understanding and passion toward a political role will often form into a belief and value system, while other social groups that oppose this will create boundaries that are based on th e political roles. This is what forms the acceptance or rejection of specific policies, actions and the formation of social groups in the community. The boundaries lead to limitations that are within social groups for interaction and integration that are a part of the community. As policies are created, individuals will divide or change their outlook within the community. ... The political roles then become based on lifestyle which one has and the way that this is linked to the political agenda which is currently in practice(Elwood, 2006). Currently, the political agenda has noted the several divisions in social groups and in response has created the Community Cohesion Unit, which is based on communities learning how to embrace different social groups and to create changes at a local level. The particular policies and initiatives that are being established come specifically from surveys in local communities throughout Europe. These surveys have noted that residential segregation is common, specifically with a division of populations by income level, social establishments and work requirements which the individuals had. These boundaries have then created policies and new agendas within politics with the noticed boundaries (Robinson, 2005). While the policies are created, those who are associated with different political groups or which have a set of belief s around their lifestyle will create more divisions within groups based on experience and understanding. Community Activism A second area where boundaries are created within the community comes from the activism that is placed among various social groups. There are communities and social groups that have specific beliefs and an understanding of how much engagement one should have within the community and with specific activities. The activism which is noted is based specifically on the fluidity of the community. This means that each social group creates a sense of movement that goes within and out of the foundational structure of a community. The diversity and the number of people populated in the area then build a sense of activism and structure that is within the community. If

The Philosophies of Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Philosophies of Plato - Essay Example Plato was believed to have been born approximately 427 B.C., making his ideas, concepts, and theories well over 2,000 years old. Plato lived and died in Greece in approximately 348 B.C. making him about 80 years old. However, with little historical accounts of these dates, they are approximations but it is also believed that he was born unto a very political family that was also wealthy and it was his father who ensured that Plato received the top education by distinguished teachers during this era. It is during those approximate 80 years, mostly in Athens, where he developed many ancient philosophical concepts which contributed to Western philosophy and his teachings were often considered Platonism (Vaughn). With Socrates as Plato’s teacher, as well as another of Socrates’ famous students, Aristotle, they laid the groundwork for developing higher thinking in the foundations of Western science and philosophy in the Western world. Plato even founded an Academy in Athens which was considered to be one of the first of its kind to teach higher learning topics that included numerous topics and it was years later that his nephew (his sister’s son) would be the successor of being the head of the Academy. Some of these topics that were part of Plato’s dialogue, writings, and teachings were based not only on philosophy but also ethics, rhetoric, logic, mathematics, and even religion. Many of the themes behind his work included the theory of forms, innate knowledge, the five regimes and Platonic love.

Significance of Human Resource Development Essay

Significance of Human Resource Development - Essay Example In this regard, organizations have recognized the importance of Human Resource Development as an important strategic partner in the development of its most valuable intangible asset - the human capital (Zula and Chermack, 2007). With the growing number of workers which is likewise intensified by diversity due to the burgeoning population of ‘baby-boomers’ (Waight, 2005), Human Resource Development (HRD) is critically required to address the diverse characteristics and provide a strategic human capital planning (Zula and Chermack, 2007). The following outlines the essence of human resource development being a strategic partner in business organizations. The changing role it portrays from traditional perspective of human resource function to a more decentralized functionality. Its significance in the learning and development of individuals and organizations as well as the emerging trends and future of human resource development is herein provided. As organizations continue to struggle to address the demands of a changing economy and marketplace, whilst finding ways to improve performance of the workforce and in turn enhance financial profitability, HRD is perceived the best source and venue for these changes to take place as prime role of this division is manpower development. In Graham’s (1994) findings, he ascertained that successful health care organizations, despite different approaches and ways of achieving end result, all acknowledged and recognized the significance of human resource dimension. Through well-integrated human resource structure, specifically with the function of human resource development, employee’s skills and abilities are nevertheless extracted to provide utmost value for optimal business profitability. In this sense, the human resource development has emerged as a critical essential feature

The Evolution of Industrialization, from the Putting Out System to the Essay

The Evolution of Industrialization, from the Putting Out System to the Factory System - Essay Example Through this method of working, the owner of the industry would assign a particular contractor and make him chief. After hiring the chief contractor, the new contractor would in turn focus on the group and pick out several other junior contractors each with a particular task that they would later on combine to see to the completion of the project (Meyer, 2012). Through this method, the junior contractors and their team members were free to hold their meetings anywhere even if it meant leaving the site. This is why this system was referred to as â€Å"putting out† because the rich employers would just putting out commodities to the workers who worked in their homes and these would putting out to other junior workers. Through this system, the customer had a very large role to play as the chief contractor would not commence work without ensuring that he had everything he needed from the customer. It was the customer’s duty to purchase some of the important stuff for the contractor to engage his men and come up with a desirable product. The putting out system was very effective during the beginning of the industrial revolution. Through this putting out system, British soldiers got their firearms by contacting various contractors in the London area. These contractors would consequently seek people that new internal areas in the city where they would get firearms. Through this, every person in the chain got some commission. However, there are cases that the contractors sent showed greed and could even attempt escaping with the money. The soldiers were bright and they would eventually catch up to them. The cottage industry is another one that prevailed effectively during this period. This was a less complicated section of the industry in that the customers knew the exact residence of the spinners. With this information, they would go, leave details and then visit after several weeks or days depending on the

Chalice Wine Essay Example for Free

Chalice Wine Essay Chalice Wine Group is a publicly traded company that, through numerous partnerships, owns and/or operates a number of vineyards and wine manufacturing companies in California’s Sonoma valley. Previously, they enjoyed a time of profitability. Yet in recent years, expansion has saw a decrease in their level of profitability, followed by a repeating period of net income losses. The goal of the case is to determine whether the operation of a small winery can be a profitable venture. Upon reading the Chalice Wine Case, the primary issue that I have identified, is that the management of the company has not crafted a clear and identifiable mission. †¢As currently structured, Chalice Wine Group is attempting to be a â€Å"vertically† integrated company. In this they are attempting to accomplish ever step in the wine business. They are making their own grapes, processing their own grapes, bottling, and lastly shipping them to various distribution outlets. This is fine, as long as they are able to create an extremely efficient model to do so. But unfortunately, as their results indicate, they are not efficient enough to make this current model work. There are a number of possible avenues that Chalice Wine Group needs to explore, among those are: -Why are they paying a price for grapes(from themselves! ) that is so in excess of the market rate? There are currently some transfer issues in place, management needs to explore these costs. -Pressing and manufacturing of the wine: The costs of the machinery involved, is extremely expensive. What is Chalice doing with their equipment during the time periods in which there is no production? How are they utilizing this excess capacity? They can either outsource this to another company, or utilize this capacity to process wine for others. -Shipping and distribution: Why are they handling this process themselves? This is easily something that should be handled outside. †¢Secondly, they wish to be a niche wine provider, by manufacturing a high quality, high cost product. The problem is that this statement essentially contradicts their company’s vertical structure. This is illustrated through examination of some of their shipping/bottling practices and part of their distribution chain. -They do not package and bottle their products according to the same quality standards. For example, they are using different quality bottles and boxes for different products. In this eyes of the consumer, this can be inferred as different levels of wine quality. -Next, the desire to be a small niche provider is a direct contradiction to the thought of distribution through food markets. This alone can allow the consumer to infer a mass marketed, broadly distributed product of lower quality. If they want to be a niche provider, they need to market and distribute themselves as such. Chalice Wine Group needs to decide what kind of company they want to be, and as such, needs to structure themselves in a way that will help best meet that mission and goal in the most efficient manner possible.

Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Indus Valley Essay Example for Free

Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Indus Valley Essay Throughout the history of Earth, there have been many fascinating developments, the most prominent being the first civilizations, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. They had many similarities, such as characteristics of early civilizations and social structures, but they also had their differences. The most embossed differences included the divergent geography, prior belief, trade, relations with other civilizations, and politics. The earliest societies, such as Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt exhibiting indicator traits of civilization developed along the floodplains of great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq, and the Nile in Egypt. People had settled in Mesopotamia by 7000 B. C. and the First Dynasty of Egyptian rulers was founded before 3000 B. C. , implying a much earlier period of occupation in the Nile River valley and delta. To protect themselves and channel the forces of nature, people living near the rivers created new technologies and forms of political and social organization. The geographical similarities were that both civilizations resided on banks of major rivers, Tigris Euphrates, and Nile. Another similarity is that both civilizations developed a writing system. It first appeared in Mesopotamia before 3300 B. C. E.  Cuneiform was the name of it, and wedge-shaped symbols represented words or syllables. Hieroglyphics were the Egyptians’ way of writing, and it had been developed by the beginning of the early Dynastic period. Pictorial symbols represented sounds, syllables, or concepts. Literacy was confined to a relatively small group of scribes and administrators in both of these civilizations due to long period of study required to master the systems. Also, both civilizations had social classes, with the king and the royal families at the top, next were the priests, local leaders and artisans, and lastly, slaves and peasants occupied the bottom. Both Mesopotamians and Egyptians acquired substantial knowledge about mathematics, engineering, medicine, and transportation for various reasons such as, creating calendars, calculating the quantity of agricultural produce, building temples and pyramids, and practice astronomy. Egypt and Mesopotamia were in contrast to one another in many ways. Egypt emphasized strong central authority, while Mesopotamian politics shifted more frequently over a substructure of regional city-states. They were also culturally different; Egypt developed in relative isolation, all foreigners were considered enemies while Mesopotamia was a multicultural society. Also, Egypt was well endowed with natural resources and far more self-sufficient than Mesopotamia. They used papyrus reeds growing in marshy areas to make sails, ropes, and a kind of paper. Hunters pursued the abundant wild animals and birds in the marshes. Egypts art and architecture are very different from Mesopotamia. From pyramids to temples, rigid pharaohs to flowing art of Amarna, Egypts style was totally different from Mesopotamias. Mesopotamian art focused on less monumental structures. In Mesopotamia, women lost social standing and freedoms in societies where agriculture superseded hunting and gathering; whereas in Egypt, they are depicted with dignity and respect, could own properties, and inheritance from their parents was possible. Both civilizations traded differently but Mesopotamia was more productive due to technological advance. Egypt’s interests abroad focused on maintain access to valuable resources rather than acquiring territory. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt were ruled by kings, however, in Egypt, their kings were called pharaohs and they had significantly more power than the Mesopotamian kings of the city-states. Also, relating the above comparisons to larger global context, The Indus Valley is one of the worlds earliest urban civilizations, along with its contemporaries, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. One of the differences between these three civilizations is that there is a large quantity of metal in the Indus Valley than in Mesopotamia and Egypt, and most metals are utilitarian tools and everyday objects. However, more jewelry and other decorative objects have been unearthed in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Also, Indus Valley people were technologically skilled in irrigation and using the potter’s wheel. They also have a system of writing with more than 400 signs. Like the Mesopotamians, the people of Indus Valley had widespread trading contacts reaching as far as Mesopotamia. There is little known about the political, social, and economic institutions of Inds Valley, however, there is a statue called the â€Å"Priest-King† because some scholars believe it may represent someone with religious and secular authority, but the true identity of this person is unknown. Conclusively, certain traits are indicators of civilization such as: political system based on control of a defined territory, long-distance trade, and major advances in science and the arts are among others, which the earliest societies, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Indus Valley have exhibited. They were the first civilizations to develop high levels of political centralization and urbanization. Because little is known about the Indus Valley people, there is not a lot of information for their political and social status; however, they clearly possessed the technology which par with those found in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Government Intervention in the Health Care Market

Government Intervention in the Health Care Market Naif Almutairi a) As an economic adviser to the Health Minister, how would you respond to the following question raised by a member of parliament? It is more of a basic human right to have access to food than to health care. Why do governments intervene more directly in markets for health care compared to markets for food? Introduction In the western political tradition, basic human rights are universal: all rights are necessary in order to make up the fundamental requirements of a human being (Donnelly, 2013). However, in practice, human rights are hierarchical. As Montgomery (2002:373) declares, peoples actual experiences with human rights reveal which ones are the most prevalent in their daily lives, and thus provide a possible basis for estimating their relative importance and for adopting appropriate policies. Different cultural groups and nationalities have different experiences of human rights (Donnelly, 2013). For example, people from high income countries such as Britain have few experiences of the right to food, yet frequent (and even inevitable) needs for the right to health care (Macklem, 2015). As a result, it can be argued that while food is more of a basic right to life (i.e. without food one cannot live) than the right to have access to health care, the latter is far more applicable to the delivery of human rights in the social, economic and political context of early twenty first century Britain. This essay will examine the problem of basic rights in greater detail, looking in particular at the reasons why the government tends to intervene more directly in health care markets than markets for food. As will become apparent, in order to understand the issue, it is essential to consider the unique nature of the health care marketplace, and the underlying need for government regulation that this necessarily entails. Government Intervention in the Health Care Market In order to understand why governments intervene more frequently and directly in health care markets, it is essential in the first instance to consider the nature and the function of the marketplace. For most commodities (including food), the market performs a simple function that permits buyers and sellers to exchange a good or service for a fee (Harvey, 2011). Free markets therefore allow the price of the good or service to be determined by: (1) supply and demand; and (2) resources available (Harvey, 2011). Prices for food products are agreed by both the buyer and the seller with supply and demand dictating the pattern of the interchange between the consumer and the producer (Donaldson Gerard, 2005). Viewed from this perspective, in a free market place (i.e. a marketplace that is characterised by an absence of government intervention) consumers are sovereign (Taylor Mankiw, 2014). Consumers are thus free to make choices and producers respond in kind (Taylor Mankiw, 2014). However, the health care market is fundamentally different from food and other commodities that are bought and sold in the marketplace (Klein, 2005). Two points in particular are apparent. Firstly, when a consumer becomes seriously ill and needs to enter the health care marketplace, the costs of goods and services are likely to be extremely high (Donaldson Gerard, 2005). For example, for the vast majority of consumers, the costs of complex surgery will far exceed what the customer is able to afford. Thus, consumers in the health care market place are not sovereign economic actors as they are in food markets where hunger is alleviated according to what kind of food the consumer can afford (Wiseman Jan, 2011). Secondly, unlike consumers of food, health care consumers cannot predict when they will become sick or what their future health care needs might be (Donaldson Gerard, 2005). Therefore, consumption in the health care market is not determined by choice but, rather, by uncertaint y (Wiseman Jan, 2011). As a consequence, in the health care market, most transactions occur between insurers and health care providers rather than between the consumer and the commodity producer (Guinness Wiseman, 2011). This, in turn, ensures that transactions which occur in the health care market place are influenced by complex processes of risk management, information asymmetry resulting from consumer ignorance and negative externalities (i.e. where health care exacts a cost to all consumers regardless of whether or not they are purchasing any products) (Guinness Wiseman, 2011). Consequently, in the health care market, prices are not determined by supply and demand; rather, prices are determined by interactions between insurers and suppliers, and health care providers (Taylor Mankiw, 2014). Furthermore, unlike in other commodity markets, the price of health care is not affected by the quantity or availability of resources: when the consumer is sick they have no option but to purchase the product that can make them better (Wiseman, 2011). As a result, stripped of the power and influence of sovereign consumers, the health care market is fundamentally distorted. Where, in an ideal market, consumers act as a check upon the power of the producers, in a health care market suppliers and producers are predominant (Donaldson Gerard, 2005). Consequently, left to its own devices, the health care market would be subject to endemic failure characterised by problems of distribution, resource inequalities and an absence of price controls (Walshe Smith, 2011). It is for this reason that the government tends to intervene more directly in the health care market than in the food market. Government intervention in the health care market is required to regulate the marketplace, establish the parameters for prices, and allocate and fund scarce resources (Mills, 2011). Without government intervention, the public costs of consumption would exceed the private costs of production (Mills, 2011). Conclusion The Member of Parliament who raised the question has failed to grasp two important points. Firstly, although, from a theoretical vantage point, rights are universal, in practice rights are characterised by hierarchy. In Britain, the right to health care is of more practical value than the right to food. Secondly, because consumers are not sovereign, the health care market is susceptible to market failure. Although the existence of market failure and/or market inequalities is not in itself a reason for government intervention, the extent of the distortions and pervasive incentives that arise in health care renders government intervention in the funding and regulation of the health care market an economic necessity. b) What do you think should be the objectives of a health care system? How would you finance and organise the system to achieve this? Introduction At the dawn of the twenty first century, health care is arguably the most contested area of public policy with the legitimacy of governments depending in large part upon the ability to meet the health needs of ageing populations in times of deep economic uncertainty (Buse et al, 2012). The centrality afforded to health care therefore demands that policy-makers have clear objectives and goals so as to set attainable long and short-term agendas for public health care delivery. This essay will examine the issue of objectives in greater detail, looking in particular at the goals of health care in the contemporary era. In addition, the essay will consider the ways in which the state should finance and organise the system in order to meet its objectives. Over the course of the essay, it will be necessary to discuss problems such as raising funds, paying doctors and financing hospitals and other front-line services. The Objectives of the Health Care System The core objective of any health care system should be two-fold. On the one hand, a health care system should endeavour to improve the health and wellbeing of all of the people who use the system regardless of wealth (Mahon, 2011). On the other hand, a health care system should look to reduce the economic burden of disease upon the state (Robinson, 2011). However, these two objectives cannot be achieved in isolation. For example, aiming to improve the wealth of the population demands that the health care system improves access to primary health care (Mahon, 2011). Likewise, reducing the burden of disease demands that health care systems improve the cost effectiveness of health services, and recruit the best medical professionals available to deliver health care (Donaldson Gerard, 2005). Therefore, the core objectives of the health care system are undermined by an unresolved tension between social and economic goals: where social goals outline the primacy of equity, economic objectiv es underscore the importance of efficiency; likewise where social goals consider quantity, economic objectives emphasise quality (Maynard, 2005). As a result, the objectives of the health care system are determined by the nature of the institutional mix between public and private health care providers (Maynard, 2005). Financing and Organising the Health Care System to Achieve Objectives In order to examine how to finance and organise a health care system, it is essential to contemplate the question of opportunity cost. As Donaldson and Gerard (2005) attest, the principle of opportunity cost is constructed upon the premise that purchasing one item inevitably involves a trade-off against another. For example, a health care manager who decides to invest in a particular treatment cannot do so for a different treatment. Thus, the true cost of the allocation of scarce resources is the inability to pay for other resources that the health system requires (Wiseman, 2011). Therefore, opportunity costs suggests that there is always a trade-off between equity and efficiency (Maynard, 2005). This has been particularly prevalent in the NHS where certain areas of the health care system (for instance, coronary disease) have been prioritised over others (for example, mental health) (Ham, 2009). Financing and organising the health care system therefore demands that public health agen cies incorporate the private sector into models of economic development (Balduzzi, 2011). Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have already become a staple feature of health care economics (Klein, 2005). PPPs allow the state to shunt the responsibility for financing the building, operation and design of hospitals and other clinical and non-clinical services to private sector contractors in the guise of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) (Broadbent Laughlin, 2005). Although PPPs have been criticised for increasing the risk of financing health services back onto the public sector, the merging of public sector interests with private sector imperatives represents an ideal means of alleviating the economic burden of funding health care from the state (Klein, 2005). In particular, institutional diversity is able to address the problem of opportunity cost when there is only the one health care provider (Broadbent Laughlin, 2005). PPPs should thus remain a central means of financing and organising health care services. In addition, in order to raise funds, public health care providers should look to fuse taxation with income from patient charges (Donaldson, 2011). Moreover, significant funds can be raised from public health providers treating private patients. For example, NHS Foundation Trusts (FTs) have seen income from private patients increase by 16 per cent in the past two years, totalling  £395.9 million in 2014-15 (Health Investor, 2015). Private sector initiatives can also be used to help to pay for the expertise that is required to deliver quality health services (Donaldson, 2011). Research undertaken by Donaldson (2011), for example, suggests that doctors respond positively to financial incentives (i.e. remuneration per consultation or per operation). Although financial incentives have been criticised for leading to over-recommend of health services, there is little evidence that this is an inevitable by-product of market-based remuneration (Donaldson, 2011). Contractual performance-rel ated pay where wages are linked to market economies would therefore represent the most viable means of paying for and retaining the best medical staff in order to deliver the objectives of the health care system (Tofts, 2011). Conclusion The objectives of the health care system are both economic and social. On the one hand, a health care system should endeavour to improve the health and wellbeing of the population through improving access to care. On the other hand, a health care system should aim to reduce the burden of disease by improving the quality of health care provision. However, the problem of opportunity cost suggests that there is always a trade-off between efficiency and equity. It is therefore proposed that health care systems are financed and organised according to a public-private model. This, in turn, would help to build hospitals and other front-line services, pay doctors and raise funds for the allocation of resources. In the final analysis, quantity and quality can only be established by locating alternative means of financing and organising the health care system.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   References Balduzzi, P. (2011) Models of public-private partnerships for the provision of goods, in, Journal of Economics and Politics, 23(2): 271-296 Broadbent, J. and Laughlin, R. (2005) The development of contracting in the context of infrastructure investment in the UK: the case of the Private Finance Initiative in the National Health Service, in, International Public Management Journal, 6(2): 173-197 Buse, K., Mays, N. and Walt, G. (2012) Making Health Policy: Second Edition Maidenhead: The Open University Press Donaldson, C. and Gerard, K. (2005) Economics of Health care Financing: The Visible Hand: Second Edition London: Palgrave Macmillan Donaldson, C. (2011) Credit Crunch Health Care: How Economics Can Save Our Publicly-Funded Health Care Systems Bristol: Policy Press Donnelly, J. (2013) Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice: Third Edition New York: Cornell University Press Guinness, L. and Wiseman, V. (2011) Health care markets and efficiency, in, Guinness, L. and Wiseman, V. (Eds.) Introduction to Health Economics: Second Edition Maidenhead: The Open University Press, pp.117-132 Ham, C. (2009) Health Policy in Britain: Sixth Edition London: Palgrave Macmillan Harvey, D. (2011) The Enigma of Capital and the Crises of Capitalism London: Profile Health Investor (2015) NHS private pay income up 14% in two years. In Health Investor [online], available at, http://www.healthinvestor.co.uk/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=4259 (first accessed 24.10.15) Klein, R. (2005) The public-private mix in the UK, in, Maynard, A. (Ed.) The Public-Private Mix for Health Oxford: The Nuffield Trust, pp.43-62 Macklem, P. (2015) The Sovereignty of Human Rights Oxford: Oxford University Press Mahon, A. (2011) Health and wellbeing: the wider context for health care management, in, Walshe, K. and Smith, J. (Eds.) Healthcare Management: Second Edition Maidenhead: The Open University Press, pp.96-119 Maynard, A. (2005) Enduring problems in health care delivery, in, Maynard, A. (Ed.) The Public-Private Mix for Health Oxford: The Nuffield Trust, pp.293-310 Mills, A. (2011) Health systems in low and middle income countries, in, Glied, S. and Smith, P.C. (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Health Economics Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.30-57 Montgomery, J.D. (2002) Is there a hierarchy of human rights? in Journal of Human Rights, 1(3): 373-385 Robinson, S. (2011) Financing health care: funding systems and health care costs, in, Walshe, K. and Smith, J. (Eds.) Healthcare Management: Second Edition Maidenhead: The Open University Press, pp.37-64 Taylor, M.P. and Mankiw, G. (2014) Economics: Third Edition London: Pearson Tofts, A. (2011) Managing resources, in, Walshe, K. and Smith, J. (Eds.) Healthcare Management: Second Edition Maidenhead: The Open University Press, pp.399-417 Walshe, K. and Smith, J. (2011) Introduction: the current and future challenges of healthcare management, in, Walshe, K. and Smith, J. (Eds.) Healthcare Management: Second Edition Maidenhead: The Open University Press, pp.1-12 Wiseman, V. (2011) Key concepts in health economics, in, Guinness, L. and Wiseman, V. (Eds.) Introduction to Health Economics: Second Edition Maidenhead: The Open University Press, pp.7-29 Wiseman, V. and Jan, S. (2011) A simple model of demand, in, Guinness, L. and Wiseman, V. (Eds.) Introduction to Health Economics: Second Edition Maidenhead: The Open University Press, pp.37-54

The Social Convention Of Death In Literature :: essays research papers fc

Our environment dictates how we live our lives and how we handle situations. Our environment also dictates how the people around us handle our death. Death is one important social convention of a society depicted in The Call of the Wild, Garden Party, the Great Gatsby, Bone, and Dulce Et Decorum Est. Death and the handling of death is a social convention portraying values and ways of living in two main ways: â€Å"respect† of the body and acceptable manners to die such as through violence, illness, caring, etc. In the Call of the Wild, by Jack London, death is a game where survival is a tactic, kill or be killed (manner of death) and the body is a trophy (â€Å"respect† for the body). For example, â€Å"He [Buck] was ranging at the head of the pack, running the wild thing down, the living meat, to kill with his own teeth and wash his muzzle to the eyes in warm blood.† (London 49). This game Buck played with the other dogs was a challenge of who will catch the snowshoe rabbit. It shows a twisted regard for life. Buck wanted to wash his nose in the rabbit’s blood to smell the kill. In this game, the only respect for life is the trophy that the body will make in death. Another example of the game is â€Å"From then on, night and day, Buck never left his prey, never gave it a moment’s rest, never permitted it to browse the leaves of trees†¦ Nor did he give the wounded bull opportunity to slake his burning thirst in the slender trickling stream they crossed.â₠¬  (London 95). Buck played with the bull’s fear and he showed no mercy. He showed no respect, he gave the bull no honor and the bull finally died of exhaustion, falling over, only to become Buck’s prize that also fed him. â€Å"For a day and a night he remained by the kill [moose], eating and sleeping, turn and turn about. Then rested, refreshed and strong,† (London 96). Buck nourished himself off the bull and became stronger and more resilient. To eat Buck must hunt his food in the uncaring wild, it was his only choice for survival. The game that Buck played with life did not always give respect to the dying, though this seemed necessary to his survival, giving the deaths more acceptability as a source to nourish the winner of the game.

Gustav Robert Kirchhoff :: biographies biography bio

Born: 12 March 1824 in Kà ¶nigsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) Died: 17 Oct 1887 in Berlin, Germany Gustav Kirchhoff 's father was Friedrich Kirchhoff, a lawyer in Kà ¶nigsberg. Gustav's mother was Johanna Henriette Wittke. In 1988 Gustav Kirchhoff went to the Albertus University of Kà ¶nigsberg to study math when he was at the age of 18. In 1833 Frans Neuman and Jakobi set up a mathematics-physics seminar at Kà ¶nigsberg. Kirchhoff attented at the seminar from 1843 to 1846. It was while he was studying with Neumann that Kirchhoff made his first outstanding research contribution which related to electrical currents. Kirchhoff's laws, which he announced in 1845. The year 1847 was an eventful one for Kirchhoff. He graduated from Kà ¶nigsberg in that year and he also married Clara Richelot. They moved to Berlin in 1847. Kirchhoff teached at the University of Berlinfrom 1848 to 1850. He left from Berlin to Breslau where he was a professor of physics. In 1851 Robert Bunsen joined the University as professor of chemistry. In 1852 Bunsen was called at the University Heidelberg and soon he arranged for Kirchhoff to teach at Heidelberg as well. Kirchhoff joined a research with Bunsen and they found a spectrum analysis. In 1881 he was elected to the Electrical Congress in Paris, as the German delegate. His failing health forced him to prematurely retire in 1886. One year later he died in Berlin on 17 October 1887. His write books; "Vorlesungen à ¼ber mathematische Physik " (1876-94, "Lectures on Mathematical Physics") and " Gesammelte Abhandlungen " (1882; supplement, 1891, "Collected Essays"). Spectrum Analysis Kirchhoff was the first to explain the dark lines in the Sun's spectrum as caused by absorption of particular wavelengths as the light passes through a gas. He found that when light passes through a gas, the gas absorbs those wavelengths that it would emit if heated. spectral lines - a discovery that began the spectroscopic method of chemical analysis. Kirchhoff and Bunsen began by effectively inventing the spectroscope, a prism-based device that separated light in its primary chromatic components, i.e., its spectrum, with which they began studying the spectral "signature" of various chemical elements in gaseous form. The spectrum of an object is the variation in the intensity of its radiation at different wavelengths. Objects with different temperatures and compositions emit different types of spectra. By observing an object's spectrum, then, astronomers can deduce its temperature, composition and physical conditions, among other things.

Cell Membrane/ Electron Transport Chain / Biochemical Pathway :: essays research papers

1. The cell membrane structure is vital to the life of the cell. The cell membrane is shaped as having a phosphate head at the very outer surface, and two fatty acid tails hanging from it. The membrane is double, so at the tip of the fatty acid tails, there are two more fatty acid tails attached to another phosphate head. This is what it looks like:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The reason the cell membrane is shaped like this is mainly to control the water flow in and out of the cell. Water is very important to the cell: if too much water enters the cell, the cell will explode, and if too much water leaves the cell, the cell will shrivel up and die. This is how the cell membrane controls water flow: the phosphate heads are polar, and slightly attract water. However, the fatty acid tails in between are non polar, and repel water, so the fatty acid tails prevent too much water from entering or leaving the cell. With this tough membrane, there has to be a way for things to enter the cell. This is where the channel proteins come in. They act as gateways to the cell. There are many ways to enter the cell. Some ways require energy, while others don’t. The ways that require energy are put into a category called active transport, while the ways that don’t require energy are put into a category called passive transport. An example of active transport i s the proton pump. The proton pump is an integral part of chemiosmosis, and it pumps protons from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration. This requires energy since things like to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. An example of passive transport is facilitated diffusion. This is very easy since the particle is moving from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration and through a channel protein made exactly for its size and shape. 2. These membranes are very important to the electron transport chain. This is because they house the membrane proteins that make up the electron transport chain. The two electron transport chains are similar in that they both make ATP by chemiosmosis, and they are different in the fact that they pump protons in different directions: the electron transport chain in the thylakoid layer pumps protons in the cell (from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration) then the protons are forced out through the ATP synthetase channel.

Why is exercise Important?

Have you ever heard the impression â€Å"use it or lose it â€Å"? Well it is true if you don’t use your body, you will surely lose it. Your muscles will become flabby and weak. You heart and lungs wont function efficiently, an your joints will be stiff and easily injured. Inactivity is as much of a health risk as smoking. It also helps prevent diseases, our bodies were meant to move they actually crave exercise; regular exercise is necessary for physical fitness and good health. It reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and many other diseases. It also can improve your appearance and delay the aging process. It helps improves stamina, because when you exercise, your body uses energy to keep going. Aerobic exercise involves continues and rhythmic physical motion, such as walking and bicycling. It improves your stamina by training your body to become more efficient and use less energy for the same amount of work, as your conditioning level improves your heart rate and breathing rate return to resting levels much sooner from strenuous activity. Exercise is also a key to weight control because it burns calories. If you burn off more calories than you take in, you lose weight. It is as simple as that. Once you begging to exercise regularly, you will discover many more reasons why exercise is so important to improving the quality of your life. Exercise reduce stress, lift moods, and helps you sleep better. It can keep you looking and felling younger throughout your entire life. How often should you exercise? The benefits of any exercise program will diminish if it is disrupted too frequently. A â€Å"stop-start routine is not only ineffective, but can cause injuries. Being consistent with exercise, therefore, is probably the most important factor in achieving desired results.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Fifty

Arya High,† Syrio Forel called out, slashing at her head. The stick swords clacked as Arya parried. â€Å"Left,† he shouted, and his blade came whistling. Hers darted to meet it. The clack made him click his teeth together. â€Å"Right,† he said, and â€Å"Low,† and â€Å"Left,† and â€Å"Left† again, faster and faster, moving forward. Arya retreated before him, checking each blow. â€Å"Lunge,† he warned, and when he thrust she sidestepped, swept his blade away, and slashed at his shoulder. She almost touched him, almost, so close it made her grin. A strand of hair dangled in her eyes, limp with sweat. She pushed it away with the back of her hand. â€Å"Left,† Syrio sang out. â€Å"Low.† His sword was a blur, and the Small Hall echoed to the clack clack clack. â€Å"Left. Left. High. Left. Right. Left. Low. Left!† The wooden blade caught her high in the breast, a sudden stinging blow that hurt all the more because it came from the wrong side. â€Å"Ow,† she cried out. She would have a fresh bruise there by the time she went to sleep, somewhere out at sea. A bruise is a lesson, she told herself, and each lesson makes us better. Syrio stepped back. â€Å"You are dead now.† Arya made a face. â€Å"You cheated,† she said hotly. â€Å"You said left and you went right.† â€Å"Just so. And now you are a dead girl.† â€Å"But you lied!† â€Å"My words lied. My eyes and my arm shouted out the truth, but you were not seeing.† â€Å"I was so,† Arya said. â€Å"I watched you every second!† â€Å"Watching is not seeing, dead girl. The water dancer sees. Come, put down the sword, it is time for listening now.† She followed him over to the wall, where he settled onto a bench. â€Å"Syrio Forel was first sword to the Sealord of Braavos, and are you knowing how that came to pass?† â€Å"You were the finest swordsman in the city.† â€Å"Just so, but why? Other men were stronger, faster, younger, why was Syrio Forel the best? I will tell you now.† He touched the tip of his little finger lightly to his eyelid. â€Å"The seeing, the true seeing, that is the heart of it. â€Å"Hear me. The ships of Braavos sail as far as the winds blow, to lands strange and wonderful, and when they return their captains fetch queer animals to the Sealord's menagerie. Such animals as you have never seen, striped horses, great spotted things with necks as long as stilts, hairy mouse-pigs as big as cows, stinging manticores, tigers that carry their cubs in a pouch, terrible walking lizards with scythes for claws. Syrio Forel has seen these things. â€Å"On the day I am speaking of, the first sword was newly dead, and the Sealord sent for me. Many bravos had come to him, and as many had been sent away, none could say why. When I came into his presence, he was seated, and in his lap was a fat yellow cat. He told me that one of his captains had brought the beast to him, from an island beyond the sunrise. ‘Have you ever seen her like?' he asked of me. â€Å"And to him I said, ‘Each night in the alleys of Braavos I see a thousand like him,' and the Sealord laughed, and that day I was named the first sword.† Arya screwed up her face. â€Å"I don't understand.† Syrio clicked his teeth together. â€Å"The cat was an ordinary cat, no more. The others expected a fabulous beast, so that is what they saw. How large it was, they said. It was no larger than any other cat, only fat from indolence, for the Sealord fed it from his own table. What curious small ears, they said. Its ears had been chewed away in kitten fights. And it was plainly a tomcat, yet the Sealord said ‘her,' and that is what the others saw. Are you hearing?† Arya thought about it. â€Å"You saw what was there.† â€Å"Just so. Opening your eyes is all that is needing. The heart lies and the head plays tricks with us, but the eyes see true. Look with your eyes. Hear with your ears. Taste with your mouth. Smell with your nose. Feel with your skin. Then comes the thinking, afterward, and in that way knowing the truth.† â€Å"Just so,† said Arya, grinning. Syrio Forel allowed himself a smile. â€Å"I am thinking that when we are reaching this Winterfell of yours, it will be time to put this needle in your hand.† â€Å"Yes!† Arya said eagerly. â€Å"Wait till I show Jon—† Behind her the great wooden doors of the Small Hall flew open with a resounding crash. Arya whirled. A knight of the Kingsguard stood beneath the arch of the door with five Lannister guardsmen arrayed behind him. He was in full armor, but his visor was up. Arya remembered his droopy eyes and rustcolored whiskers from when he had come to Winterfell with the king: Ser Meryn Trant. The red cloaks wore mail shirts over boiled leather and steel caps with lion crests. â€Å"Arya Stark,† the knight said, â€Å"come with us, child.† Arya chewed her lip uncertainly. â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"Your father wants to see you.† Arya took a step forward, but Syrio Forel held her by the arm. â€Å"And why is it that Lord Eddard is sending Lannister men in the place of his own? I am wondering.† â€Å"Mind your place, dancing master,† Ser Meryn said. â€Å"This is no concern of yours.† â€Å"My father wouldn't send you,† Arya said. She snatched up her stick sword. The Lannisters laughed. â€Å"Put down the stick, girl,† Ser Meryn told her. â€Å"I am a Sworn Brother of the Kingsguard, the White Swords.† â€Å"So was the Kingslayer when he killed the old king,† Arya said. â€Å"I don't have to go with you if I don't want.† Ser Meryn Trant ran out of patience. â€Å"Take her,† he said to his men. He lowered the visor of his helm. Three of them started forward, chainmail clinking softly with each step. Arya was suddenly afraid. Fear cuts deeper than swords, she told herself, to slow the racing of her heart. Syrio Forel stepped between them, tapping his wooden sword lightly against his boot. â€Å"You will be stopping there. Are you men or dogs that you would threaten a child?† â€Å"Out of the way, old man,† one of the red cloaks said. Syrio's stick came whistling up and rang against his helm. â€Å"I am Syrio Forel, and you will now be speaking to me with more respect.† â€Å"Bald bastard.† The man yanked free his longsword. The stick moved again, blindingly fast. Arya heard a loud crack as the sword went clattering to the stone floor. â€Å"My hand,† the guardsman yelped, cradling his broken fingers. â€Å"You are quick, for a dancing master,† said Ser Meryn. â€Å"You are slow, for a knight,† Syrio replied. â€Å"Kill the Braavosi and bring me the girl,† the knight in the white armor commanded. Four Lannister guardsmen unsheathed their swords. The fifth, with the broken fingers, spat and pulled free a dagger with his left hand. Syrio Forel clicked his teeth together, sliding into his water dancer's stance, presenting only his side to the foe. â€Å"Arya child,† he called out, never looking, never taking his eyes off the Lannisters, â€Å"we are done with dancing for the day. Best you are going now. Run to your father.† Arya did not want to leave him, but he had taught her to do as he said. â€Å"Swift as a deer,† she whispered. â€Å"Just so,† said Syrio Forel as the Lannisters closed. Arya retreated, her own sword stick clutched tightly in her hand. Watching him now, she realized that Syrio had only been toying with her when they dueled. The red cloaks came at him from three sides with steel in their hands. They had chainmail over their chest and arms, and steel codpieces sewn into their pants, but only leather on their legs. Their hands were bare, and the caps they wore had noseguards, but no visor over the eyes. Syrio did not wait for them to reach him, but spun to his left. Arya had never seen a man move as fast. He checked one sword with his stick and whirled away from a second. Off balance, the second man lurched into the first. Syrio put a boot to his back and the red cloaks went down together. The third guard came leaping over them, slashing at the water dancer's head. Syrio ducked under his blade and thrust upward. The guardsman fell screaming as blood welled from the wet red hole where his left eye had been. The fallen men were getting up. Syrio kicked one in the face and snatched the steel cap off the other's head. The dagger man stabbed at him. Syrio caught the thrust in the helmet and shattered the man's kneecap with his stick. The last red cloak shouted a curse and charged, hacking down with both hands on his sword. Syrio rolled right, and the butcher's cut caught the helmetless man between neck and shoulder as he struggled to his knees. The longsword crunched through mail and leather and flesh. The man on his knees shrieked. Before his killer could wrench free his blade, Syrio jabbed him in the apple of his throat. The guardsman gave a choked cry and staggered back, clutching at his neck, his face blackening. Five men were down, dead, or dying by the time Arya reached the back door that opened on the kitchen. She heard Ser Meryn Trant curse. â€Å"Bloody oafs,† he swore, drawing his longsword from its scabbard. Syrio Forel resumed his stance and clicked his teeth together. â€Å"Arya child,† he called out, never looking at her, â€Å"be gone now.† Look with your eyes, he had said. She saw: the knight in his pale armor head to foot, legs, throat, and hands sheathed in metal, eyes hidden behind his high white helm, and in his hand cruel steel. Against that: Syrio, in a leather vest, with a wooden sword in his hand. â€Å"Syrio, run,† she screamed. â€Å"The first sword of Braavos does not run,† he sang as Ser Meryn slashed at him. Syrio danced away from his cut, his stick a blur. In a heartbeat, he had bounced blows off the knight's temple, elbow, and throat, the wood ringing against the metal of helm, gauntlet, and gorget. Arya stood frozen. Ser Meryn advanced; Syrio backed away. He checked the next blow, spun away from the second, deflected the third. The fourth sliced his stick in two, splintering the wood and shearing through the lead core. Sobbing, Arya spun and ran. She plunged through the kitchens and buttery, blind with panic, weaving between cooks and potboys. A baker's helper stepped in front of her, holding a wooden tray. Arya bowled her over, scattering fragrant loaves of fresh-baked bread on the floor. She heard shouting behind her as she spun around a portly butcher who stood gaping at her with a cleaver in his hands. His arms were red to the elbow. All that Syrio Forel had taught her went racing through her head. Swift as a deer. Quiet as a shadow. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine. Fear cuts deeper than swords. The man who fears losing has already lost. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper than swords. The grip of her wooden sword was slick with sweat, and Arya was breathing hard when she reached the turret stair. For an instant she froze. Up or down? Up would take her to the covered bridge that spanned the small court to the Tower of the Hand, but that would be the way they'd expect her to go, for certain. Never do what they expect, Syrio once said. Arya went down, around and around, leaping over the narrow stone steps two and three at a time. She emerged in a cavernous vaulted cellar, surrounded by casks of ale stacked twenty feet tall. The only light came through narrow slanting wi ndows high in the wall. The cellar was a dead end. There was no way out but the way she had come in. She dare not go back up those steps, but she couldn't stay here, either. She had to find her father and tell him what had happened. Her father would protect her. Arya thrust her wooden sword through her belt and began to climb, leaping from cask to cask until she could reach the window. Grasping the stone with both hands, she pulled herself up. The wall was three feet thick, the window a tunnel slanting up and out. Arya wriggled toward daylight. When her head reached ground level, she peered across the bailey to the Tower of the Hand. The stout wooden door hung splintered and broken, as if by axes. A dead man sprawled facedown on the steps, his cloak tangled beneath him, the back of his mailed shirt soaked red. The corpse's cloak was grey wool trimmed with white satin, she saw with sudden terror. She could not tell who he was. â€Å"No,† she whispered. What was happening? Where was her father? Why had the red cloaks come for her? She remembered what the man with the yellow beard had said, the day she had found the monsters. If one Hand can die, why not a second? Arya felt tears in her eyes. She held her breath to listen. She heard the sounds of fighting, shouts, screams, the clang of steel on steel, coming through the windows of the Tower of the Hand. She could not go back. Her father . . . Arya closed her eyes. For a moment she was too frightened to move. They had killed Jory and Wyl and Heward, and that guardsman on the step, whoever he had been. They could kill her father too, and her if they caught her. â€Å"Fear cuts deeper than swords,† she said aloud, but it was no good pretending to be a water dancer, Syrio had been a water dancer and the white knight had probably killed him, and anyhow she was only a little girl with a wooden stick, alone and afraid. She squirmed out into the yard, glancing around warily as she climbed to her feet. The castle seemed deserted. The Red Keep was never deserted. All the people must be hiding inside, their doors barred. Arya glanced up longingly at her bedchamber, then moved away from the Tower of the Hand, keeping close to the wall as she slid from shadow to shadow. She pretended she was chasing cats . . . except she was the cat now, and if they caught her, they would kill her. Moving between buildings and over walls, keeping stone to her back wherever possible so no one could surprise her, Arya reached the stables almost without incident. A dozen gold cloaks in mail and plate ran past as she was edging across the inner bailey, but without knowing whose side they were on, she hunched down low in the shadows and let them pass. Hullen, who had been master of horse at Winterfell as long as Arya could remember, was slumped on the ground by the stable door. He had been stabbed so many times it looked as if his tunic was patterned with scarlet flowers. Arya was certain he was dead, but when she crept closer, his eyes opened. â€Å"Arya Underfoot,† he whispered. â€Å"You must . . . warn your . . . your lord father . . . † Frothy red spittle bubbled from his mouth. The master of horse closed his eyes again and said no more. Inside were more bodies; a groom she had played with, and three of her father's household guard. A wagon, laden with crates and chests, stood abandoned near the door of the stable. The dead men must have been loading it for the trip to the docks when they were attacked. Arya snuck closer. One of the corpses was Desmond, who'd shown her his longsword and promised to protect her father. He lay on his back, staring blindly at the ceiling as flies crawled across his eyes. Close to him was a dead man in the red cloak and lion-crest helm of the Lannisters. Only one, though. Every northerner is worth ten of these southron swords, Desmond had told her. â€Å"You liar!† she said, kicking his body in a sudden fury. The animals were restless in their stalls, whickering and snorting at the scent of blood. Arya's only plan was to saddle a horse and flee, away from the castle and the city. All she had to do was stay on the kingsroad and it would take her back to Winterfell. She took a bridle and harness off the wall. As she crossed in back of the wagon, a fallen chest caught her eye. It must have been knocked down in the fight or dropped as it was being loaded. The wood had split, the lid opening to spill the chest's contents across the ground. Arya recognized silks and satins and velvets she never wore. She might need warm clothes on the kingsroad, though . . . and besides . . . Arya knelt in the dirt among the scattered clothes. She found a heavy woolen cloak, a velvet skirt and a silk tunic and some smallclothes, a dress her mother had embroidered for her, a silver baby bracelet she might sell. Shoving the broken lid out of the way, she groped inside the chest for Needle. She had hidden it way down at the bottom, under everything, but her stuff had all been jumbled around when the chest was dropped. For a moment Arya was afraid someone had found the sword and stolen it. Then her fingers felt the hardness of metal under a satin gown. â€Å"There she is,† a voice hissed close behind her. Startled, Arya whirled. A stableboy stood behind her, a smirk on his face, his filthy white undertunic peeking out from beneath a soiled jerkin. His boots were covered with manure, and he had a pitchfork in one hand. â€Å"Who are you?† she asked. â€Å"She don't know me,† he said, â€Å"but I knows her, oh, yes. The wolf girl.† â€Å"Help me saddle a horse,† Arya pleaded, reaching back into the chest, groping for Needle. â€Å"My father's the Hand of the King, he'll reward you.† â€Å"Father's dead,† the boy said. He shuffled toward her. â€Å"It's the queen who'll be rewarding me. Come here, girl.† â€Å"Stay away!† Her fingers closed around Needle's hilt. â€Å"I says, come.† He grabbed her arm, hard. Everything Syrio Forel had ever taught her vanished in a heartbeat. In that instant of sudden terror, the only lesson Arya could remember was the one Jon Snow had given her, the very first. She stuck him with the pointy end, driving the blade upward with a wild, hysterical strength. Needle went through his leather jerkin and the white flesh of his belly and came out between his shoulder blades. The boy dropped the pitchfork and made a soft noise, something between a gasp and a sigh. His hands closed around the blade. â€Å"Oh, gods,† he moaned, as his undertunic began to redden. â€Å"Take it out.† When she took it out, he died. The horses were screaming. Arya stood over the body, still and frightened in the face of death. Blood had gushed from the boy's mouth as he collapsed, and more was seeping from the slit in his belly, pooling beneath his body. His palms were cut where he'd grabbed at the blade. She backed away slowly, Needle red in her hand. She had to get away, someplace far from here, someplace safe away from the stableboy's accusing eyes. She snatched up the bridle and harness again and ran to her mare, but as she lifted the saddle to the horse's back, Arya realized with a sudden sick dread that the castle gates would be closed. Even the postern doors would likely be guarded. Maybe the guards wouldn't recognize her. If they thought she was a boy, perhaps they'd let her . . . no, they'd have orders not to let anyone out, it wouldn't matter whether they knew her or not. But there was another way out of the castle . . . The saddle slipped from Arya's fingers and fell to the dirt with a thump and a puff of dust. Could she find the room with the monsters again? She wasn't certain, yet she knew she had to try. She found the clothing she'd gathered and slipped into the cloak, concealing Needle beneath its folds. The rest of her things she tied in a roll. With the bundle under her arm, she crept to the far end of the stable. Unlatching the back door, she peeked out anxiously. She could hear the distant sound of swordplay, and the shivery wail of a man screaming in pain across the bailey. She would need to go down the serpentine steps, past the small kitchen and the pig yard, that was how she'd gone last time, chasing the black tomcat . . . only that would take her right past the barracks of the gold cloaks. She couldn't go that way. Arya tried to think of another way. If she crossed to the other side of the castle, she could creep along the river wall and through the little godswood . . . but first she'd have to cross the yard, in the plain view of the guards on the walls. She had never seen so many men on the walls. Gold cloaks, most of them, armed with spears. Some of them knew her by sight. What would they do if they saw her running across the yard? She'd look so small from up there, would they be able to tell who she was? Would they care? She had to leave now, she told herself, but when the moment came, she was too frightened to move. Calm as still water, a small voice whispered in her ear. Arya was so startled she almost dropped her bundle. She looked around wildly, but there was no one in the stable but her, and the horses, and the dead men. Quiet as a shadow, she heard. Was it her own voice, or Syrio's? She could not tell, yet somehow it calmed her fears. She stepped out of the stable. It was the scariest thing she'd ever done. She wanted to run and hide, but she made herself walk across the yard, slowly, putting one foot in front of the other as if she had all the time in the world and no reason to be afraid of anyone. She thought she could feel their eyes, like bugs crawling on her skin under her clothes. Arya never looked up. If she saw them watching, all her courage would desert her, she knew, and she would drop the bundle of clothes and run and cry like a baby, and then they would have her. She kept her gaze on the ground. By the time she reached the shadow of the royal sept on the far side of the yard, Arya was cold with sweat, but no one had raised the hue and cry. The sept was open and empty. Inside, half a hundred prayer candles burned in a fragrant silence. Arya figured the gods would never miss two. She stuffed them up her sleeves, and left by a back window. Sneaking back to the alley where she had cornered the one-eared tom was easy, but after that she got lost. She crawled in and out of windows, hopped over walls, and felt her way through dark cellars, quiet as a shadow. Once she heard a woman weeping. It took her more than an hour to find the low narrow window that slanted down to the dungeon where the monsters waited. She tossed her bundle through and doubled back to light her candle. That was chancy; the fire she'd remembered seeing had burnt down to embers, and she heard voices as she was blowing on the coals. Cupping her fingers around the flickering candle, she went out the window as they were coming in the door, without ever getting a glimpse of who it was. This time the monsters did not frighten her. They seemed almost old friends. Arya held the candle over her head. With each step she took, the shadows moved against the walls, as if they were turning to watch her pass. â€Å"Dragons,† she whispered. She slid Needle out from under her cloak. The slender blade seemed very small and the dragons very big, yet somehow Arya felt better with steel in her hand. The long windowless hall beyond the door was as black as she remembered. She held Needle in her left hand, her sword hand, the candle in her right fist. Hot wax ran down across her knuckles. The entrance to the well had been to the left, so Arya went right. Part of her wanted to run, but she was afraid of snuffing out her candle. She heard the faint squeaking of rats and glimpsed a pair of tiny glowing eyes on the edge of the light, but rats did not scare her. Other things did. It would be so easy to hide here, as she had hidden from the wizard and the man with the forked beard. She could almost see the stableboy standing against the wall, his hands curled into claws with the blood still dripping from the deep gashes in his palms where Needle had cut him. He might be waiting to grab her as she passed. He would see her candle coming a long way off. Maybe she would be better off without the light . . . Fear cuts deeper than swords, the quiet voice inside her whispered. Suddenly Arya remembered the crypts at Winterfell. They were a lot scarier than this place, she told herself. She'd been just a little girl the first time she saw them. Her brother Robb had taken them down, her and Sansa and baby Bran, who'd been no bigger than Rickon was now. They'd only had one candle between them, and Bran's eyes had gotten as big as saucers as he stared at the stone faces of the Kings of Winter, with their wolves at their feet and their iron swords across their laps. Robb took them all the way down to the end, past Grandfather and Brandon and Lyanna, to show them their own tombs. Sansa kept looking at the stubby little candle, anxious that it might go out. Old Nan had told her there were spiders down here, and rats as big as dogs. Robb smiled when she said that. â€Å"There are worse things than spiders and rats,† he whispered. â€Å"This is where the dead walk.† That was when they heard the sound, low and deep and shivery. Baby Bran had clutched at Arya's hand. When the spirit stepped out of the open tomb, pale white and moaning for blood, Sansa ran shrieking for the stairs, and Bran wrapped himself around Robb's leg, sobbing. Arya stood her ground and gave the spirit a punch. It was only Jon, covered with flour. â€Å"You stupid,† she told him, â€Å"you scared the baby,† but Jon and Robb just laughed and laughed, and pretty soon Bran and Arya were laughing too. The memory made Arya smile, and after that the darkness held no more terrors for her. The stableboy was dead, she'd killed him, and if he jumped out at her she'd kill him again. She was going home. Everything would be better once she was home again, safe behind Winterfell's grey granite walls. Her footsteps sent soft echoes hurrying ahead of her as Arya plunged deeper into the darkness.

Facing the Effects of the Civil War

After the Civil War, it became evident that changes in the South had to be made. The old way had certainly not worked, and it was time for variation. Therefore, there was much political, economic, and social reforms introduced in the South between 1864 and 1877. After 1877, many of the changes stayed with the exception of Civil Rights. In 1865, the Freedmen†s Bureau was introduced in Congess. It was formed because the government realized that it could not longer meet the needs of Southerners. It was created to look after freed slaves as well as refugees and abandoned land. Groups of people soon received new rights. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. It gave black Americans full citizenship and guaranteed them equal treatment. Also, it passed the Fourteenth Amendment to make sure that the Supreme Court couldn†t declare the Civil Rights Act unconstitutional. The amendment made blacks citizens of the United States and the states in which they lived. Also, states were forbidden to deprive blacks of life, liberty, or property without due process. Additionally, blacks could not be discriminated by the law. If a state would deprive blacks of their rights as citizens, it†s number of congressional representatives would be reduced. The Civil Rights Act as well as the Fourteenth Amendment affected both the North and the South. Additionally, the Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed blacks the right to vote, but the South found ways to get around this amendment. Reconstruction government made many changes. It strengthened public education and made it available to black children. It strengthened public education and made it available to black children. It also helped the position of women by expanding legal rights for women. Also, they eradicated incarceration for debt. Lastly, They legalized laws which made unjustified forclosures of homes and farms illegal. Many plantations, at one time he trademark of the South, were broken up. Tenant farming and sharecropping became prevalent. Alabama and Virginia instituted agricultural colleges. Also, although cotton was still vastly important, refined farming methods led to the heightened production of tobacco, rice, sugar, corn, and other conventional crops. Much money from farming went to the production of industry. The South built factories, mines, steel mills, and railroads, to name a few. Mills were created by groups of people in abundance. After the Compromise of 1877, most of these plans remained the same, with the exception of the position of blacks. After this date, the states severely limited the rights of blacks to vote as well as their position in society. In conclusion, there were many political, economic, and social reforms that were introduced in the South between 1865 and 1877. Most of them survived the Compromise of 1877. These reforms continue to remain until today.

Business valuation Essay

†¢One of your friends uses the terms ethics and morality interchangeably. You do not think this is correct. How would you explain the difference between ethics and morality? Provide an example of morality and one of ethics in your explanation. Ethics are more about a set of rules for a specific class of people, or a situation. They are more of a set of rules. While morals are more about an individuals’ set of rules for them, what they hold to be right or wrong that they follow to make decisions or take actions. A good example would be a lawyer who is defending a person who has committed a robbery. The lawyer’s morals tells him that the person is guilty, but his ethics tells him that he must defend the person. †¢Select two major ethical theories covered in your readings for Week One. What are the major differences between these two theories? Which one of these theories best aligns with your personal beliefs? Explain. I choose utilitarian theory and deontological theory. Utilitarian theory is to maximize utility as well as maximize happiness while deontological theory refers to following rules or regulations. Utilitarian can be a scenario where it benefits the individual or group say be given a weekend off even though there is still much work to be done, while within the same scenario the employees could almost be forced to work the weekends, even though they are tired and would like to spend time with their families. I prefer utilitarian as maximizing my happiness is important to me. I have worked with companies predominantly the Navy, whose type of theory is deontological. Duty within the Navy is huge, rules create the structure. Knowing that the happiness of myself and my family are a huge part of my determination when making the decision to take a job. †¢What are examples of virtues, values, and moral concepts? How do each of these relate to one another? In what ways are they separate and in what ways are they connected? Virtues are a person’s thoughts and/or actions that are guided by are morals, are morals are what we hold to be true ranging from honesty to being faithful, while are values are simply what he hold to be valuable. They all go together like cogs, working together to reach the same goal, but if one is not there then the whole thing will not work. They are separate because they’re all slightly different, say like parts of a car engine, and yet they are all required in order for the engine to work. If one is not present the engine will not work. †¢In Ch. 6 of Basic Ethics, the author discusses the relationship of religion as it relates to morality and ethics. Using your own personal experiences as a resource, what, if any, relationship exists between religion, morality, and ethics? Explain your answer. †¢Select a public figure from politics or business. Select an ethical theory that seems to best fit this person. Why does this theory seem best? Which theory seems to least suit this person? Why? Hilary Clinton, she would highly appear to follow a deontilogical ethical theory. It seems to suit her and her political career nicely, it just does not seem to be in the best interest of the citizens. Following utilitarianism she would be putting the happiness of the voters and citizens either above her own or at the very least equally. †¢If a person is described as virtuous, is this the same as saying that person is moral or ethical? Why or why not? How would you explain the relationship between these three concepts? Provide examples. If one has to be called ethical or moral I would not say that it means that they are virtuous, but I would say that if someone has to be called virtuous that they would be both ethical and moral. Being virtuous means having or showing high moral standards, so to be virtuous means one would have to have high ethics and high morals. The three work together, morals is doing what is right, ethics is moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior, and being virtuous is a combination of these two as well as going above and always being moral.

Relationship Reading Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Relationship Reading Project 2 - Essay Example The ideal result expected of a marriage is ‘to flow together harmoniously’ from the day they tie the knot and take the oath of mutual allegiance. They try to find a common goal, and they respect the goals of each other. The happy couples develop a find sense of anticipation and are familiar with the contextual expectations of the partner. They store the essential information about the partner and style their responses accordingly to take care of the small and big desires of the partner. They try to nurture mutual dreams and co-operate in all possible ways to fulfill them. To enable them to find an amicable solution in the areas of conflicts like, equitable distribution of the household tasks, management if children, family budget and investments, disposition with near and dear ones, relations, and the serious issues like, drinking, drugs and smoking, extra-marital relations and the like, this â€Å"Love Lab† is the experimental spot. Gottman’s first conclus ion is shocking. He asserts that that there are no happy couples, as there are no lasting emotional relationships without chronic conflict.(p.2) He asserts that there is something seriously wrong about the couples that have no chronic subjects to struggle and tackle with. Authentic relationship and emotional distance are not the alternative beats of the same heart. There is a problem with such hearts. Emotional detachment is the worst thing that can happen in a relationship, especially marriage. Dr. Gottman observes, â€Å"In fact, I am now able to predict whether a couple will stay happily together or lose their way. I can make this prediction after listening to the couple interacts in our Love Lab for as little as five minutes!†(p.2) His research laboratory has turned out to be the transformation center to hundreds of couple whose marriage has been running through a problematic phase. Husband and wife are like two Public Relations Managers working for one institution who have equal powers. The name

The prevalence of substance use on children Research Paper

The prevalence of substance use on children - Research Paper Example In a 2003 national survey, half of all seniors’ in high school reported they had tried taking illicit drugs at least once. It was further revealed that 41% of students in 10th grade and 23% of those in 8th grade had tried drugs that were illegal (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Such findings are worrying because substance use is associated with several negative consequences, such as academic problems, physical aggression, developmental problems, delinquent and criminal behavior and health problems in the long term (Buu et. al, 2009). In addition to this, children who develop into chronic substance users are bound to experience social or psychological problems. The survey also showed that 41 to 65% of persons with constant lifetime substance abuse are prone to having at least one mental health disorder. Approximately 51% of those persons with one or more lifetime mental health disorders also had a constant lifetime history of substance use disorder (Doweiko, 2009). It was found that the 15 to 24 year old age bracket had the highest rates (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Substance use is categorized as being different from substance abuse. The American Psychiatric Association defines substance abuse as a pattern of substance use that man ifests itself through significant and recurrent adverse consequences that are related to repetitive substance use. There are various factors that increase the risk for substance use among the youth. Some of the causes of substance use include delinquency, perceived substance use by peers, low family pride and family substance use problems. A study done in 2009 found that substance use by parents, socioeconomic status of the family, family mobility, instability in neighborhood residence and frequent change in neighborhood placed children at the risk for developing substance use disorders. Youth with mental health disorder also

The challenge of police leadership Research Paper

The challenge of police leadership - Research Paper Example amongst the team, the importance of empowering employees, the importance of making decisions with consensus, and the importance of the implementation of actions in the transparent way is highly important for becoming successful leaders. The police department also needs good leadership skills to control the law and order in the society and community (Tully 1999). The leadership skills required by the police force of any country are faced by many challenges. The biggest challenge is to control the people and make sure that everyone obeys the law. Those that are violating the laws need to be dealt in a stern way by the police (Tully 1999). Challenges with police leadership also lie in controlling the performances of the employees and delegating those tasks according to their potential and ability. The police leaders also need to control their subordinates in an effective manner so that all the subordinates conduct their duties in the manner required. Delegating orders to the subordinates by the leaders of police is a very commanding and autonomous task. It needs to be conducted with careful reviews so that all the goals and objectives are attained successfully by the department of police (Guest 2002). The leaders need to ensure that commitment and dedication is present in the employees of the police department so that when critical tasks are assigned to them, it can be ensured that the task will be carried out well by the employees. The leaders need to listen to the problems of the subordinates and other employees. If employee problems and views are considered there are high chances that successful police leadership can be attained as all employees would be willingly working hard to achieve successful results (Gilmartin and John 1998). There are ethical challenges faced by the police leadership. Bribery is one of the common things observed in the police departments. The leaders of the police department should ensure that they don’t get involved into any

Business Oulining Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Oulining - Research Proposal Example MARKETING PLAN From statistics, it showed that the existing similar businesses in the area are very few and don’t serve the population to maximum. The firm will ensure that it offers maximum products and services to the customers; the main targeted customers include individuals, institutions, contractors and other commercial and industrial customers. Price strategy will be laid down considering the corresponding cost of product, labour and prices charged by other competitors. The business will advertise its goods through posters, trade exhibitions and mass media. This will enable the business to compete effectively with other enterprises. The opportunity is quite promising since the competition is not that high. ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT The owner of the business will be overall manager. Having obtained a Masters degree in Business Management hence will have high skills in management field. His duties will be setting business goals, making decisions, recruiting new employees and overall supervision of the business. The owner will employ a number of qualified staff who will assist in carrying out various duties involved in the business. The workers experts from the business related field. Recruitment of a new staff and motivation will be tactfully applied. Promotion of staff will be considered and incentives will be offered depending on qualifications, experience, long-service and hard working. The business will obtain all necessary legal documents e.g. licenses and the supportive services such as insurance, banking services shall be provided OPERATIONAL PLAN The business will operate on a considerable rented hall. It will start operating early January 2015. The premises will be equipped with all important facilities e.g. telephone, toilets, etc. Operational days will be throughout the week from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. apart from Sundays and Public Holidays where the business shall remain closed. Financial plan The estimated amount of money required to s tart the business is $20,000. The source of the funds will be personal savings of $5000 shillings, a bank loan of $12,000 and donation from friends and well wishers of $2000. The break-even point of the business is estimated to be $ 15000 and the gross profit margin ration is estimated to be 87.97%. the business plans to make contact to 300 business owners per month and convert it to total of 15 sales per month in a minimum of 10,000 loan request from merchants at 5% commission will be estimated income of $7500 per month. I am expecting to pay back the amount monthly in 5 years. I am passionate in helping small business to survive. Item Cost E-mail greeting for sales $50 Desk top $900 Desk and chair purchase $200 Leads to call $700 for 3 months $2100 Paper and office supplies $700 Simple website set up $500 Home line and greeting setup $100 Email and domain setup $20 Hire an attorney for applications and agreements with Merchants $500Â   Create a company name and other company setu ps $800 List of questions for Merchants 400 CRM $5500 Extra Employee pay for 3 months $7200 Total $15,000 Executive Summary Rosie Neek investment Limited is an Independent sales operator (ISO) working in the merchant industry to help build profitable businesses by lending to potential customers. They serve as links to business requiring capital boosts while charging transaction, statements and monthly minimum fees. The business is based in 40 Wall Street, New York. ISOs makes business to