Monday, September 30, 2019

Black People and Racism Essay

â€Å"There are hundred of races in the world. Unfortunately, for as long as human have existed, we have enslave those weaker, of those we perceived to be weaker than ourselves†(thinkquest). Racism is everywhere, and we often see it on the streets and schools. There are many short stories and poems that are termed as racist. â€Å"On Being Told I Don’t Speak Like a Black Person† by Allison Joseph, â€Å" Sonny’s Blue† by James Baldwin, and â€Å" Blink Your Eyes† by Sekou Sundiata are renaissance works that show the issues of racism that black people had lived and are still living today. In â€Å"On Being Told I Don’t Speak Like a Black Person† by Allison Joseph, the author tells the story about a young Negro whose mother received brutal treatment in her school in England. In the beginning, Allison says: â€Å"Emphasize the â€Å"h†, you hignorant ass†(557). This shows that the â€Å"h† is sarcastic, and the â€Å"tone condescending intensifies racism†(Caroline). They might have used the emphasis of â€Å"h† to humiliate the negro, to make them feel bad about their skin color, and to show the negro that they cannot fit in the white society even if they become educated. Negros have suffered horrible experiences. Allison wrote about the way teachers treated Negro in school. She says: â€Å" †¦teachers slapped her open palm with a ruler in that Jamaican schoolroom†(557). Allison’s mother lived under a white teacher’s pressure, and the teachers showed this negra that she will never learn how to speak like the whites, and they can spank her because she is black, and blacks cannot do anything against the teachers because the whites have the power and the Negro is a submissive servant. In addition, Allison also shows her own life in the United States. Allison is a black person living in the United States, and she sees people discriminating her because she does not act like a black person. Allison writes: â€Å" And I didn’t sound like a Black American, college acquaintance observed, sure they knew that a black person was supposed to sound like. Was I supposed to sound lazy† (557) Allison shows that America’s society judge the black just for their skin color, and most white people see the Negro as lazy, and do not work to bring money home, do not go to school, and do not know how to speak. For example, some restaurant servers prejudice the Negro when they walk into the restaurant by making their own assumption that the table with Negro will not leave any tip. However, in many cases, they are wrong because the table with Negro might leave more tip than a table with white people. Racism is not gone. The Negro is still facing it today, but racism today is expressed differently than it was in the renaissance era. During the renaissance in Harlem, the Negro did not have enough opportunities for their future due to racism. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blue† by James Baldwin, the author tells the story of two black brothers born in Harlem, and the older brother losses communication with his young brother, Sonny. The older brother is the narrator of the short story. Later on, they reconnect due to news the narrator receives about Sonny’s prison. Before the narrator reconnects his life back to his brother, he shows many problems both had because they are Negro. Racism is evident throughout the story. The narrator wrote about Sonny’s friend. â€Å"And now, even though he was a grown-up man, he still hung around that block, still spend hours on the street corners, was always high and raggy†(310). It shows that the Negro do not have opportunities to become successful in life. The Negro has barriers between them and the outside world, which prevent most negro to obtain education or skills, and they are obligated to live on the streets corners asking for money, using drugs and stealing. In addition, the narrator also shows how racism affect the education of a negro which can be describe as Sonny’s choice of life. Sonny choice of life relates to the lack of opportunities black people have during the renaissance in Harlem. After the death of Sonny’s mother, the narrator tries to open Sonny’s mind, and advises him to finish school. In the kitchen talking to Sonny, the narrator writes: â€Å"I want to join the army. Or the navy, I don’t care. If I say I’m old enough, they’ll believe me†(321). Sonny already knows that there aren’t opportunities for him. He is forced to choose among necessities; he sees the army as the only opportunity open for Negro to escape from the streets. On the other hand, the school will give him the degree, but he does not believe that it will help him find a good job. He already knows that there are no doors open for the Negro. However, the narrator disagrees with Sonny. They are still in the kitchen talking about Sonny’s future. â€Å"†¦ But if you don’t finish school now, you’re going to be sorry later that you didn’t†(321). His brother is showing him that he can fight against racism, and he can find opportunities for his life. For example, His brother â€Å"denied† racism, and he gained education and skills to become an algebra teacher, but Sonny does not see it, and he chooses to live on the street like his â€Å"friend†. In addition to the lack of opportunity, black people are more often to be discriminate in traffic than whites. In the poem, â€Å"Blink Your Eyes† by Sekou Sundiata, the author shows the reader a Negro is stopped by the police officer because he is black even though the Negro didn’t do anything wrong. The author writes about the red light. â€Å"But the Law said I was on my way thru a red light red light red light†(582). The following passage, the red light means that this area is not for Negro. It is a neighborhood where white people live, and black people around can be seen as a threat to their place. However, this is not an excuse for the officer to stop this person. Sundiata let the reader know that â€Å"†¦In other words the light was green†(582). The green light is open only for the white society; the Negro does not have chances to go to another level, so the door â€Å"always† will close for them. After the officer stops the negro, Sundiata writes: â€Å" Why did you stop me? Somebody had to stop you I watch the news, you always lose. You’re unreliable, that’s undeniable† (583). The white society do not want to let the negro have opportunities in life, and the negro will be always seen as a threat to the society, and the white society does not need them. The negro does not have the power to stop racism, and it will always be part of their life. However, it is changing. The negro has more voice today than in the past, and they are more recognized. For example, Oscar Grant’s case where a young black guy was murdered by a police officer by â€Å"mistake†. People see it as a â€Å"racism murder† (Jessie). Fortunately, the justice was made for his family. This shows us that Racism is not completely gone. The three stories from the Renaissance show us that black people had suffered racism for many years. From being stereotyped as lazy and uneducated, to not having opportunities to succeed in life and not being accepted by the white society, the Negro has had a difficult journey to improve their situation. Even though today racism is not as prominent as in the Renaissance, we still see some signs of racism that are not completely gone. Works Cited: Sundiata, Sekou. â€Å"Blink Your Eyes†. Approaching Literature. Peter Schakel and Jack Ridl – New York Bedford and Martin’s, 2008. Joseph, Allison. â€Å" On Being Told I Don’t Speak Like a Black Person†. Approaching Literature. Peter Schakel and Jack Ridl – New York Bedford and Martin’s, 2008. Baldwin, James. â€Å" Sonny’s Blue†. Approaching Literature. Peter Schakel and Jack Ridl – New York Bedford and Martin’s, 2008. Jessie. â€Å" Racism & The Murder of Oscar Grand III†. Racism Review Blog 17 Jan. 2010 < http://www. racismreview. com/blog/2009/01/07/racism-the-murder-of-oscar-grant-iii/ > Think Quest. â€Å"Common Prejudice†. < http://library. thinkquest. org/C006274/race/intro. html >.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Influence of Western European Economy on Migration Since 1945 Essay

After the end of the second world war, many European countries suffered from the effects of the war and the future of the continent was in doubt. Most countries had a hard time rebuilding and recuperating their economies from the aftershocks of the war. The western part of Europe, after a torrid time of economic and political hardship, began to recover and rebuild their countries. In the years that came after the war, the countries in the western region had to enact cooperative measures with each other as opposed to competing with each other to ensure that they survived the torrid period together. This period was marked by complex processes with the rolling out economic programs that would reduce trade barriers among the countries and this kick started a period of significant economic development in the region. The migration history of Europe represents an unplanned development and unintended occurrence. It represented a combination of labor migrants, colonial migrants and asylum see kers (Schönwälder, 2003). This essay will establish the link between successful economic periods in western Europe and the levels of migration into these areas. The postwar migration can be categorized into two phases; a regime which involved colonial migration and that which involved the migration of guest workers. Those migrated came to look for work opportunities which were created by the ten recovering and booming economies in Western Europe. In the 1970’s, there was an interaction of economic deficiencies with colonial migration before the war. This also interacted with the existing citizenship regulations in countries such as France, Belgium, UK and the Netherlands while countries such as Austria , Denmark, Germany Sweden and Switzerland had implemented guest-workers policies that were a major attraction for foreign migrants. Germany enacted a currency reform in 1948 which instigated the recovery of its economy. In mid 1950’s, the country along with the others in the western region of Europe experienced high labor demand levels that could not be satisfied locally. A unanimous pattern in Western Europe at that time involve d sourcing of labor from the eastern parts of Europe as they believed that migrants from those parts could be integrated easily into their systems. This expanded into the northern countries in Africa and countries near the periphery of middle east such as Turkey. The countries arranged guest-worker schemes among themselves and other interested countries out of their region. Trade unions especially in Germany saw the guest-worker programs as a threat to existing wage rates as they feared that they would experience a downward spiral at the end. Governments in Western Europe particularly Germany’s incorporated measures that ensured that the guest workers enjoyed the equal work conditions as their European counterparts. The basic principle behind the scheme of guest-workers was that that the foreign workers would remain in the countries as long as they held their jobs and would leave back to their native countries once the economy started to perform badly. In Germany for example, many guests-workers left the country during the 1968 economic recession with the guarantee that they could return when the economy recovered and the labor demand went up again. In the early 1970’s, the huge numbers of migrant workers in the European market were causing an economic slowdown and most of the countries responded to this by stopping the migration programs in 1973. This, however did not result into the intended result of migrants moving back to their countries. Many guests-workers remained in the countries where they received help from NGOs and charitable organizations in addition to favorable court judgements which permitted their stay. This case was most prevalent in Germany. Countries such as France, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Holland implemented varying forms of the guest-workers policies which sharply decreased the extent of migration related to labor from 1973 onwards. In the other regime of labor migration touching on colonial background, bilateral and multilateral agreements in regard to guest-workers became the sole supply of migrant labor. UK, Netherlands, France and Belgium had the capability of drawing huge numbers of unskilled laborers. Policymakers were thought to have tapped at the opportunity colonial labor offered to satisfy the boom experienced after the war but this was not the case. The inability to secure domestic workers meant that the policymakers had to rely on colonial migrants to feed the labor demand. This was mostly practiced in France and UK with limited implementation in Belgium and the Netherlands (Schönwälder, 2003). In the postwar period, UK put into trial its version of the migrant worker scheme by sourcing workers from the Eastern part of Europe. However, the local economy became sluggish and this reduced the pull factor that UK had on migrant workers. Countries such as Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland were more appealing and attractive to migrant workers from eastern Europe countries. The UK economy was not on the same level with the rest of western Europe but its situation with guest-workers were enhanced by its citizenship program which integrated over half a billion colonial subjects into the country’s fold. In 1948, UK had in place legislation that confirmed all of its former colonial subjects as the country’s citizens with rights to enter and enjoy all social, economic and political rights within the country. The resulting occurrence was the inflow of migrants of Indian and Pakistan origin in the country. The economy of the country enjoyed a full employment rate at the time and there were labor shortages which the migrants helped to correct. By 1962, UK had over half a million non-white colonial migrants and this marked the start of restrictive measures that regulated the inflow of colonial migrants. The figure of non-white colonial migrants had risen to over a million by 1972, a period which saw UK cut on the privileges associated with UK nationality status at the time (Strayer, 2009). France on the other hand concentrated on migrants from northern Africa particularly from Algeria though not a former French colony. The supply of the labor migrants was hampered by completion from Germany and Switzerland which were experiencing increased economic growth. This shortened the supply of labor in France and the interest of the European nations in colonial labor resulted to an increased migration of Algerians into the country as they had the right to enter France, a case similar to that of UK. French companies sourcing for cheap labor looked to Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco as credible sources of such labor. The system was tighter in Austria, Germany and Switzerland but the French took the opportunity to directly hire colonial migrants into their companies and confirm their nationality status afterwards through the National Immigration Office (Foley, 1998). In recent decades from the 1980’s, the largest percentage of migrants into Europe have come from West Africa. This has been accentuated by extreme poverty levels, high rates of unemployment and political instability in some of the nations. This has been enhanced by the perception held by many people that Africa is a continent plagued by miseries of all kinds. Despite these challenges afflicting people in Africa, the promise of a better life and economic conditions in the dominant Western Europe countries offers a unique attraction to African migrants into the economically developed countries. The European economy is a major contributor to the success of the global economy and presents numerous lucrative and medium scale job opportunities for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled laborers from all walks of life. The prevailing excellent economic conditions act as the main pull factors for migration into the more popular countries in Europe such as Germany, France and UK. These co untries offer a chance for many migrants who are driven by the sheer aspiration to live in a western country. After many African countries gained independence, the education systems were hugely improved and this resulted into the outlet of highly learned and qualified personnel . The demand for expatriates and skilled labor in the Western European economy presented a great chance for the ;learned people to move abroad and try their luck with corporate and technological jobs. Most colonial powers had projects that flew talented students in their countries to present better academic opportunities for Africans. In the current era, a significant number of migrants in the Western part of Europe are students who come to achieve advanced educational dreams. The European countries are well economically developed which translates into quality education structures which are among the best in the world. Many students of African, Indian and Asian descent migrate to these countries to tap into t he great educational opportunities that are present in these countries (Schönwälder, 2003). Migration patterns are created through network functionality. Which leads to the rise of migration systems that act as links to origin and destination countries through an established exchange of products, people, information and capital remittances. The systems may be legal or informal but all contribute to the continous cycle of family and labor migration . Currently,many countries in Western Europe pay more attention to migration of skilled laborers who are viewed as capable of bettering their economic growth. The UK and Germany have taken significant steps towards this priority by issuing work permits to the highly-skilled labor migrants. This attracts many professionals who believe they have a great chance of succeeding in those countries. In 2000, Germany introduced a ‘green card’ program aimed at attracting over 20000 highly qualified workers. This was in pursuit of further economic progress, a factor that acted well in raising the migration levels in the country and therefore into Europe. In a period spanning from 1999 to 2004, France has seen the number of foreign migrant rise from 376000 to more than 570000 which signifies a rise of 35000 migrants annually. These migrants were mostly of African descent who came to France for educational. Job and resettlement purposes. In Britain and the Netherlands, the levels are not too far apart from those in France with an annual inflow of more than 10000 migrants being reported. These migrants come into these countries either illegally or legally. The legal form of migration differs with the driving motive of the migrants (Foley,1998). This brings in the third aspect migration into Western Europe fuelled by the economic success enjoyed in this region. Many countries in Western Europe enjoy unperturbed peace and economic stability. All of them are members of the United Nations and are bound by the regulations and principles that are core to the operations of the United nations. In recent years dating from the 1970’s into the new millennium some African countries have suffered from political instabilities which have resulted into civil unrests in those countries. The civil unrest acted as the push factor which caused many migrants to leave their war stricken countries. However, the choice of their destination country was mainly influenced by , the economic stability of that country. Many western European countries presented this option and represent viable choices where the migrants can be granted asylum and thrive under better humanitarian conditions as opposed to neighboring countries. The migrants go against all odds to reach the European mainland with the hope that once they are there, they will find ways of integrating i nto the local population and tap into the available opportunities of work and settlement. In the 1980’s, asylum applications had reached 320000 and more than doubled from 1992 in Germany. In Britain the numbers hit the 100000 mark. Most of these migrants are offered refugee status but their main aim of coming to these countries is to find a better a life away from their native countries. This notion is enhanced by the high economic performance levels identified with the European economy(Strayer, 2009). In the European region, specifically the western part offers the second largest intra-regional migration of workforce behind America. Most of the migrants in this region have been attracted to this place by the prospect of successful lives in countries and regions experiencing economic booms. However, the uncontrolled number of illegal migrants poses a challenge to them and the same economy that attracted them to these countries. Most of these migrants are mostly concentrated in low-skill tertiary sectors of the various industries present in the region. With the recent economic crisis in the world and in the European region, most of the migrants were faced with various vulnerabilities associated with economic pressure as they depended on unsustainable resources and their status as migrants only made matters worse for them. In light of the economic problems that afflicted the region in 2008,. The countries in the region in conjunction the whole EU body started to enact immigration pol icies that would control the levels of migration during the hard economic conditions. These policies were proposed and enacted to shield the labor sector from increased worsening conditions and to protect the existing wage rates which had a significant effect of the economic downturn at the time (Kaelble, 2011). In conclusion, it is clearly evident that many push and pull factors that have influenced migration into Western Europe. However, the economic success that the region has enjoyed in the years after the second world war in the current era of economic recessions and recoveries acted as a major influence in determining which part the migrants moved to. The economic conditions in this region provided numerous opportunities for the migrants to progress their lives and mould a successful future. With the demand for labor souring in the region at one time and the advent of excessive inflow of migrants through various economic periods shaped by both success and downturns, the main pull for migrants to the western part of Europe was the economic development that Europe was identified with. References Foley, B. J. (1998). European economies since the Second World War. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Kaelble, H. (2011). The social history of Europe, 1945-2000: recovery and transformation after two World Wars. New York: Berghahn Books. Schönwälder, K., Ohliger, R., & Triadafilopoulos, T. (2003). European encounters: migrants, migration, and European societies since 1945. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. Strayer, R. W. (2009). Ways of the world: a brief global history. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Source document

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Procedure Skills

Lesson planSchool: Colegiul Na?ional M. Eminescu, Ia?i Date: 6th April 2018 Proposer: Popovics Anamaria Mentor's name: Cetilina Neagu Class: 9th grade, 5 classes/ week Level: B2 Textbook: Upstream Intermediate Lesson type: Integrated skills with focus on consolidating and acquiering vocabulary related to sports and sportspeople Time allowed: 50 minutes Aids: Textbook, blackboard, chalk Aims:Create the opportunity for Ss to use previously acquired language related to sports.Give Ss the opportunity to express their own opinions on different types of sports.Objectives:By the end of the lesson Ss will have retold the text using vocabulary related to sports.Ss will have learnt how to use arguments for their own opinions.Ss will have acquired new vocabulary (adjectives) related to sports.Time and lesson stage Procedure Skills Interaction Rationale and observations2 minutesWarm-up T will ask how was their previous day after school, and also ask them to remember the last text they did Speaking T-Ss To create a relaxing environment and also revise language.10 minutes Controlled speaking practice T: Will ask ss. provide the main ideas from and remember the important words.Speaking T-Ss Teacher can provide key words to trigger the idea and guide them towards what she needs to hear from the students using the appropriate vocabulary.20 minutes Free speaking practice8 minutes Controlled Practice T tasks Ss to describe pictures related to sports and make connections between these and the type of people who would practice the sports.T asks the Ss to solve ex 2 from page 136. The T will explain words along the way and demand synonyms for groups of words and words such as â€Å"centre of the target†, â€Å"daring†. Writing + Speaking +FeedbackPairsStudents will have developed conversational skills through dialogueProvide arguments.Describe by using appropriate adjectives.Paragraph organising.8minutes T puts the students into pairs and asks them to solve exercise 4 from the page 137. The teacher will then place three stickers on the blackboard depicting the words â€Å"interesting†, â€Å"challenging† and â€Å"boring† and ask the students to complete the gaps underneath them with the free-time activities they came up with earlier. Speaking/ PairworkGroupwork Pairs -Agreeing, disagreeing, giving arguments, interrupting, summing up, reporting to the classPeer feedback2 minutes T gives feedback upon the activities and gives homework to the ss : The students will have to revise the conditionals from the end of their practice books and come up with sentences of each conditional type. Speaking T-Ss To revise the previous activities.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Social network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social network - Essay Example LinkedIn, which is one of the social network sites, offers job seekers as well as managers of organizations the opportunity to identify potential employees (Patridge 86). This is achievable when the managers go through the online resumes as well as the career histories of those within their network. The social network sites offer individuals the opportunity to communicate openly. In as much as there are several conventions that agitate for the freedom of expression, people have eon certain occasions failed to let all their thought out for reasons that are unknown. The social network sites offer platforms on which individuals can air the ideologies they harbor without any fears. The fact that individuals discuss various ideologies and post news of events that take place within different parts of the world similarly contributes to open communication. In like manner, open communication comes out in the form of individuals asking questions and share various links. Social network sites provide individuals with the opportunity to widen the business contacts that we have. As mentioned above, LinkedIn has come in handy in supplementing the careers of the over two hundred million users it has, other social network sites like twitter and Facebook can help an individual to widen business contacts by getting to know professionals in their respective areas of expertise. Stakeholders in the field of human resource management have often advised that social network sites can act as the ideal tool for recruitment. This is majorly because the sites provide a wide audience and this makes it easy for organizations to reach several potential employees within a short duration (Peacock 79). Experts in the field of marketing similarly hold the belief that social networking sites often act as ideal marketing equipment. Business owners can advertise their ventures online. Though some people have normally held the opinion that negative feedback can amount to

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Chinese Men's Gymnastics Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Chinese Men's Gymnastics Team - Essay Example In this category, Chinese Men’s gymnastics team was the main highlight of the event with large cloud cheering for their favorites. Over the past world competitions especially in Olympic Games, the Chinese Men’s gymnastics team has always been a moving force in gymnastics category due to their stunning performances. The team great performance has been greatly influenced by its credible leaders and talented teamwork. From first team heads LI Ning and Li Xiaoshuang to team leader Xiaopeng and his counterpart Yang Wei, Chinese Men’s gymnastics team has produced commendable results scoping top positions and several medals in the events. For instance, in the Los Angles Olympics held in year 1984 the team was the second run-up by taking the silver medal. The team leaders were not happy with the silver medal owing to their dedication to teamwork as well as resources invented for their preparation. However, in the following Olympic Games that were held in Beijing, the Chi nese male Gymnastic team was regarded as the winning team due to their excellence show in the group stages. The team comprised of experienced team leaders as well as new freshmen who offered stunning performance and cooperation. ... This has been evidenced by stunning performance where the team won all the Gold medals in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2012 respectively. As Anderson (58), suggest the Chinese Men gymnastics team is recognized as major highlight of any world championship events and hot gold medal favorite due to their strength. Team leadership In the Rotterdam, the Netherlands world championships, the Chinese men gymnastic team comprised of the following gold medal winners: Chen Yibing (ring champion), Teng Haibin (parallel bars vice champion), Yan Mingyong (Rings vice champion), Feng Zhe (parallel bars vice champion) and Zhang Chenglong (horizontal horse champion). Over the past world championships in Gymnastics, the experienced team members mentioned above have remained at the pinnacle of the gold medal team performances, though there are upcoming new members considering the 2012 London Olympics games. In this regard, the gold medal winning team in 2012 event in London team comprises of Feng Zhe, Guo Weiyang, Zou Kai pose, Chen Yibing and Zhang Chenglong respectively. In this list of gold medal winner’s championships, it is evidence that experienced team names remain in the team due to their leadership and team strengths. With the team having a poor position for 2012 London Olympic event, most people did not expect to see the team stunning performance. Many spectators would have wondered how the Chinese men gymnastic team, which was defending Olympic champion and world titleholder for decade, would lose its strengths. The team fans had booked their tickets in advance for the opening game schedule to cheer the squad. According to media release, the fans would be had shouting the name of the new team

How the situation in Ukraine affected the economy of Russia Essay

How the situation in Ukraine affected the economy of Russia - Essay Example It’s noteworthy that the essay demonstrates the short review of the main economic points of Russia, namely: exchange rates, interest rates, inflation risks and GDP, chart - CPI inflation, the economic sanctions and gives the brief conclusion of the situation. The Russia-Ukraine crisis has caused grievous economic consequences on the Russian economy, especially due to economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the Western countries. Since the beginning of the Ukraine and Russia conflict, the Ruble has been on a downward trend making it the worst performing currency globally after the annexation of Crimea. The diagram in the paper shows the Ruble has been weakening after the Ukraine Crisis began. The diagram in the paper demonstrate how interest rates have been increasing in the Russian economy after the country’s currency exchange rate started declining and inflation increased forcing the Bank of Russia to increase interest rates a move that drew similar reaction from lenders in the banking system resulting in high interest rates in the domestic market. Since the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, inflation rates in Russia have been accelerating in because of a weak currency that has made imports expensive hence raising the rates of inflation in the economy. The paper contains diagrams of inflation in Russia (2014) and Russian GDP. Russia was slapped with economic sanctions due to its entry into the Ukraine conflict by several Western nations such the U.S. and EU concerning trade.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Referring to at least three of the case study countries,'Liberal Essay

Referring to at least three of the case study countries,'Liberal Democracy is an ideal which many countries believe in but seldo - Essay Example Liberal democratic execution and performance incorporates the practices of the existing liberal governments. Moreover, there are some international standards that any government must fulfill to qualify as a liberal democratic government. However, differences experienced in liberal democracies globally are brought about by variations in the implementation of liberal democratic principles. The comparison between liberal democracies in the world governments is exceedingly complicated by the existing differences in the definition of the term in diverse political, social, and economical settings. However, liberal democracy principles are universally based on the three main principles, the regime longevity or endurance, liberal democratic value delivery and government efficacy (Skinner 1998, p. 89). Various countries have a strong acuity on the liberal democracy principles, its standards and importance in political, social and economic development. However, a good number of countries that value liberal democracy ideas have a setback in achieving its intended objectives. The essay will entail a case study expounding on the manner in which different countries implement the liberal democracy ideologies and principles. ... To begin with, the United States of America has federal political institutions comprising of 50 states and the District of Columbia. In a federal government structure like that of the United States, the power of the executive is separated from the judicial functions in line with liberal democracy principles. The constituents have executive self-government powers, which lead to economic inequality among different states in the United States of America (Graham, Farkas and Grady 2007, p. 345). The United States of America president is elected after every four years with a two term limit. Although millions of people participate in the election, the president is not elected directly by the country’s citizens but by 538 highly regarded members of an Electoral College. This is slightly in contrast to the basic tenets of a liberal democracy whereby the general public should have the mandate of electing their leaders including the president as it is the case in Russia and France. In th e United States, the Congress which is the country’s legislature is made up of 435 house of representative members and 100 hundred senate members. Each state is represented by two senators for a term of six years. Members in the House of Representatives serve for a period of two years and are elected from single member constituencies. Members of the Congress who are the representatives of the general public have the power to approve the government’s financial outlays as well as legislations. In developing countries, the president has the absolute power of appointing all government officials. In the United States, the president can veto legislations but with the support of two third majority vote

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

IBP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

IBP - Research Paper Example Under the contract, an employer, in this case IBP, was responsible for the  safety  and safety violations of another employer’s employees, DCS in this case, and had the  mandate  to prevent and  abate  such violations.  IBP had supervisory authority and control over the worksite regardless of whether DCS created the hazards or was in a position to reduce them.  In addition, IBP owned the equipment and  therefore  required to  exercise  all  control  as a contracting party and  plant  owner and ensure that no employee was at risk.   The nature of the contract between IBP and DCS required there be a daily recurring  task  that IBP employees had  previously  been doing.  The contract was on-going and the relationship between the two was a close one.  IBP constant contact with DCS also included  frequent  discussions about LOTO standards and the fragrant violations of these standards by DCS employees. While the contract held DCS responsible for LOTO standards compliance, IBP had the  mandate  to ensure DCS complied even if it meant suspending or terminating the contract. IBP could have imposed penalties on DCS and its employees at any time to  ensure  LOTO compliance. As the worksite-controlling employee, it could also have suspended and expelled employees who fragrantly violated safety

Monday, September 23, 2019

Chapter 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Chapter 4 - Essay Example Second class contains functional fibers which include isolated or extracted non-digestible carbohydrates. Fibers are important as they decrease the chances of intestinal disorders. Various functional fibers such as gums and pectin cause development of gums in the stomach which slow down the transmission of food. Fibers are also known to control blood cholesterol levels, because soluble fibers bind to cholesterol from food objects and reduce its absorption. Fiber intake can be helpful in reducing intestinal disorders and hence the daily recommended dosage which is 25-38 grams should be made common. Knowledge regarding dietary fibers should be incorporated into careers. I, being related to the medical field put my knowledge of fibers into practice. Dietary fiber if taken in the right dosage can be a factor for prevention of intestinal and other disorders. One of the most common symptoms a patient present with is constipation. The best solution to relieve constipation is the usage of fiber in diets. Patients can be counseled that there are no cons to the usage of fibers. Patients should also be told that the daily recommended dosage of fibers in the diet. Patients visiting the doctor should also be educated on which food items contain how much percentage of fibers. The significance of dietary fiber and its need in the diet is known by many people but there are still many confusions amongst them. The misunderstood thing is that fibers are present in plants that we eat but it needs to be known these parts of plants are not digested in our body and are rather left undigested. Dietary fibers have their pros and cons. These can be misleading and a thorough understanding is necessary. Various fibers such as gums and pectin are harmful as they provoke formation of gum like material in the intestine which hinders the transport of food materials resulting in low glycemic action of food items. Different fibers have different functions in the human body

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Michael Jackson Essay Example for Free

Michael Jackson Essay Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, entertainer and recording artist. Referred to as the King of Pop, he is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time, and one of the most influential. His contributions to music, dance and fashion,[1] and a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. Alongside his brothers, Jackson made his debut in 1964 as lead singer and youngest member of The Jackson 5. His solo career began in 1971. His 1982 album Thriller sold more than 110 million copies, and remains the best-selling album ever; while several of his other albums rank among the worlds best-sellers. Jackson is credited with having elevated the music video from mere promotional tool into an art form. His videos for Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller made him the first African American artist to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. He popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical style, vocal style, and choreography continue to transcended generational, racial and cultural boundaries. Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children to an African American working-class family, in Gary, Indiana, an industrial suburb of Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovahs Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter Joe Jackson, a steel mill worker who performed with an RB band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and six brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Brandon (Marlons twin brother, who died shortly after birth)[7] and Randy.[8] In 1982, Jackson contributed the song Someone In the Dark to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; the record won a Grammy for Best Album for Children.[27] That same year Jackson issued his second Epic album, Thriller, which surprisingly became the most commercially successful album of all time with nearly no promotion. The album remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for 80 consecutive weeks and 37 of those weeks at the peak position. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including Billie Jean, Beat It, and Wanna Be Startin Somethin.[28] Thriller was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. It is the best-selling album of all time in the United States.[29] It was, and currently remains, the best-selling album of all time, with 110 million copies worldwide. Jacksons popularity would soar further. On March 25, 1983, he performed live on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special, both with The Jackson 5 and on his own singing Billie Jean. Wearing a distinctive sequined glove, he debuted his signature dance move, the moonwalk, which former Soul Train dancer and Shalamar member, Jeffrey Daniel had taught him 3 years before. His performances during the event were seen by 47 million viewers. On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi Cola commercial, overseen by executive Philip Dusenberry,[37] at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. In front of a full house of fans during a simulated concert, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jacksons hair on fire. He suffered second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars on his scalp, and he also had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter.[21] Jackson never recovered from this injury. Jackson died on June 25, 2009 from a drug overdose, amidst preparations for his This Is It concert series. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. The History of Michael Jackson. [online]. Available http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_jackson 2 March 2010. â€Å"Encyclopedia of world Biography†. Suzanne M. Bourgoin. 2nd Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. 17 vols. Student Resource Center – Junior. Gale. Leroy Collins Leon County Public Library. 2 March 2010.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Preventing Teenagers from Smoking

Preventing Teenagers from Smoking Problem statement It is well documented that tobacco use has caused many smoking related diseases yearly; De Meyrick (2000) reported that almost 20,000 people died each year from smoking related diseases. Smoking has been steadily declining in Australia but there is a need to prevent teenagers from even taking up smoking. According to statistics provided by Quit Victoria (2014), the overall rate of smokers among Australian students aged 12 to 17 was 6.7% in 2011, with 4.1 percent of students within the age bracket of 12 to 15 being current smokers and 12.9 per cent of current smokers being in the age bracket of 16 to 17 years of age. Further, it was reported that the majority of adult smokers adopted the habit as teenagers, with the average age of initiation in 2010 being 16 and these smokers took up the habit seriously after progressing from the experimental stage (Tobacco in Australia 2014). It was also found that 16% of males and 13% of females had become regular smokers by the age of 17 (Tobacco in Australia 2014). A study by Chang et al (2005) also found that tobacco smoking among teenagers has been associated with substance abuse and depression as well as a host of mental health problems in both male and female adolescents. Chang et al (2005) further reported that prevention and early intervention into teenage smoking will not only avert later daily smoking but it can also prevent or mitigate the risk for substance use and psychiatric problems. Considering that smoking has caused many health related problems and has also contributed to other social costs, it becomes crucial to prevent teenagers from even adopting the smoking habit. While there are many anti-smoking campaigns, a specific programme targeting teenagers in Victoria is needed to significantly reduce the statistics of 16% male and 13% female teenage smokers by age 17. Needs Analysis Plan The identified problems and service gaps There was no secondary research on the suburbs most at risk of teenage smoking in Victoria. However, interviews with community health care centres, social workers and schools found that the suburbs of Broadmeadows, Dallas, Coolaroo, Frankston North and Bangholme are most at risk of teenagers adopting the smoking habit. The low socio-economic background of the teenagers and poverty associated and family problems have placed these teenagers at the highest risk of not only adopting the smoking habit but also substance and alcohol abuse. There are high incidences of teenagers presenting themselves with problems associated with substance and alcohol abuse, such as depression and self-harm, at the community health care centres. These findings are typical in other research studies research as well (Johnston Thomas 2008). Local police also reports incidences of teenage brawls and fights as well as an overall higher crime rate in these rough suburbs. It has been found from interviews with local support groups, including schools and community health centres as well as social workers that these teenagers feel displaced and isolated. Due to the shortage of resources, there have not been any specific programmes targeting at these teenagers to address smoking, substance or alcohol abuse. There are programmes by local church groups, schools and community health centres to help the residents of these suburbs. However, these programmes are not properly coordinated and are sporadic and short-lived at best. For this reason, the benefits of any community-based programme to help the teenagers cannot really be realised. Interviews with teenagers in these suburbs found that many of them form friendship with other teenagers in schools. Due to cases of bullying or simply for the need of peer support, children as young as pre-primary form friendship with the older children and teenagers, expecting protection from these ‘gangs’. These children learn their habits and emulate behaviour of the older children of the gangs. Interviews with teenagers found that most consider smoking, substance use and alcohol consumption as a rite of passage that they have grown up and accepted as full member of the gangs. For this reason, some teenagers started smoking and drinking as young as 9 years. The fact that many of the parents are also smokers do not help. The high crime rate in these suburbs is due to the lack of employment for teenagers and the need to support their smoking and alcohol habit. As such, the target audience for the proposed funding is primary school children and high school children livin g in the identified suburbs. The service gaps found are the lack of a sustained programme specifically targeting the children and teenagers in the suburbs of Broadmeadows, Dallas, Coolaroo, Frankston North and Bangholme against taking up smoking as well as support programmes for teenagers to quit smoking. While there are attempts in reaching out to our target market in reducing or preventing smoking by various community groups, there is no concerted effort in pooling the efforts of the community support groups through any programme to address the issues that contribute to early adoption of smoking in these communities. This is due to the absence of a person or community group that is solely responsible for such a programme and the lack of funding. After the funding has been proven successful with the proposed interventions, this can be considered for other suburbs in Melbourne and Victoria in the future. Proposed interventions/solutions It is proposed that a Quit Teenage Smoking Project be the responsibility of Quit Smoking Victoria with a dedicated trained personnel (probably a nurse) and two other full-time staff members in a team to oversee the project. A multi-pronged approach with several partners is needed to address teenage smoking in the identified suburbs. Li Powdthavee (2014) reported from their study that people who stay longer in schools tend to be at a lower risk of taking up the smoking habit. For this reason, it is vital to include the schools as an important partner in this project. It is also crucial to include community health care centres as an important partner in this project, for the simple reason that they are the health authority that can discuss health issues with the teenagers who present themselves at these centres for health related issues. Churches and community groups are also critical partners in this project due to their outreach programs and their network in the community to help th ese teenagers. It is also vital to include businesses’ participation as these businesses can offer casual employment to keep the teenagers off the street where they learn how to smoke. The extra money earned can be useful to teenagers to feed themselves and they also learn a skill and feel respected. Businesses can also be involved through some corporate sponsorship. The multi-pronged approach requires the teenagers to be segregated into two different target groups – the non-smokers and the smokers. The objective for the non-smokers is to prevent them from smoking while the immediate objective for the smokers is to reduce smoking. The interventions are discussed as follows – Conclusion The Quit Teenage Smoking Project/Campaign is a proposed project that needs funding by the Victorian Department of Health to prevent teenagers from taking up smoking. Due to the limited funds available, it is proposed that this campaign be carried out in the poorest suburbs of Victoria. The campaign is a multi-pronged approach that engages not only the community health centres in these suburbs but also schools, churches and community groups as well as businesses because smoking is more than a health issue but also a social and emotional one. The main reason why teenagers take up smoking is because they feel that it is a rite of passage and they want to be accepted in their peer groups. Hence, it is important that these teenagers are occupied with better things than getting into trouble and taking up smoking, which can also lead to alcohol and substance abuse. It is proposed that schools be responsible for keeping the students engaged with several proposed programmes while the churches and community groups keep the students occupied with interesting activities so that these teenagers find meaning in their lives with other activities than getting into trouble and smoking. Businesses can actively recruit teenagers to work for them after school and businesses can also provide sponsorship, such as free meals in schools so that students have incentives to go to school. Of course, the community health centres help by providing medical and emotional counselling support. In order to ensure that the campaign is a success, three monthly review of objectives and measurement of goals are important so that adjustment can be made to the campaign to achieve the best results. References Chang, G., Sherritt, L., Knight, J. R. (2005). Adolescent cigarette smoking and mental health symptoms.Journal of Adolescent Health,36(6), 517-522. De Meyrick, J. (2010). Tobacco smokings changing trajectory in Australia.Journal of Business Research,63(2), 161-165. Johnston, V., Thomas, D. P. (2008). Smoking behaviours in a remote Australian Indigenous community: the influence of family and other factors.Social science medicine,67(11), 1708-1716. Li, J., Powdthavee, N. (2014). Does More Education Lead to Better Health Habits? Evidence from the School Reforms in Australia.Social Science Medicine. Quit Victoria Resource Media Centre 2014 http://www.quit.org.au/resource-centre/fact-sheets/smoking-rates Tobacco in Australia 2014, Cancer Council, http://www.quit.org.au/news/

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays research papers

The Scarlet Letter, written in the 1800's by Anti-Transcendentalist Nathaniel Hawthorne, tells the story of Hester Prynne. Young Hester lived in New England, about the same time witch trials were still conducted, and she is found guilty of carrying a baby whose father she refuses to confess. The punishment for this crime is from then until the rest of her life, Hester had to bear a stitched 'A'; on her breast. This 'A'; carries the namesake of the book, The Scarlet Letter. Although thought to be an embarrassment and form of torture for Hester, this scarlet letter seems to become a sense of pride for Prynne. This scarlet letter grows to become a part of Hester an identification to her child Pearl. The scarlet letter is a constant recurring symbol in Hawthorne's novel, but it doesn't satisfy only one purpose. As many symbols tend to do, the scarlet letter serves numerous functions, which enhance the story. The first and most obvious symbol would be the actual 'A'; that was stitched on Hester's chest. In this example, the scarlet letter was a symbol for the entire world to see and ridicule Prynne for her 'wrong-doing'; This use of public humiliation for Hester was thought to be necessary to punish and teach Prynne a lesson. This puts much focus on the way people harass and torture others simply because they feel other people have done things morally wrong and deserve punishment. While the 'wrong-doers'; are being punished, the punishers in turn commit wrongs. Here many questions arise. Was it wrong for Hester to keep her child's father a secret from the public? Was is wrong for her to have to live her life as a walking, breathing example of what that Boston community thought was bad? Another usage of symbol in this book was what the scarlet letter becomes for Hester. This punishment which was branded into her soul for eternity starts to shift gears as the novel progresses. The sentence for her crime starts to become more a part of her than she would ever have imagined. Although the origin of the 'A'; to the public was, is, and always will be for her crime of adultery, which was at that time considered illegal and immoral, but it also gives her public recognition. The recognition was of course bad at first, but it was still a way that turned all heads, and eyes were on Hester.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Hardships Facing Vietnam War Soldiers in Tim OBrien’s Going after

The Hardships Facing Vietnam War Soldiers in Tim O'Brien’s Going after Cacciato and In the Lake of the Woods The Vietnam War was, mentally and physically, one of the most brutal the United States has ever participated in. Our soldiers had to undergo daily miseries and sufferings which wore on them in body and mind. Dysentery was a common cause of physical wasting. Other diseases combined with the continuous rain and mud caused flesh to rot and made daily life that much more insufferable. Long periods of boredom would be broken by unexpected guerilla attacks or booby traps. The enemy rarely materialized long enough to be actively fought or even identified. Equally uncertain as who they were fighting was the answer to the question of what purpose they were fighting and dying for. All of these hardships the soldiers faced caused an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and constant fear. To counter this sense of despair, the soldiers had many ways of coping with or avoiding the reality of the war. Tim O’Brien, with Going after Cacciato and In the Lake of the Woods, addresses th...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Woman in White :: Compare Contrast Lee Woman White Essays

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (post 1914) and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (pre 1914) I chose the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" as I had read it a while ago and had enjoyed it a great deal, I was also interested in the themes and subjects covered in it, such as: Prejudice, innocence, how a mind set affects peoples opinions etc My only problem was I had no idea what to compare it to as I am not a huge fan of classical literature, and do not know many books of this style. My teacher suggested I try either "Jane Eyre" or "The Woman in White", as they both covered the themes and subjects of "To Kill a Mockingbird". First I tried "Jane Eyre", after a few chapters I decided to try "The Woman in White", as I found "Jane Eyre" quite monotonous and dull. The first few chapters in "The Woman in White" were also quite dull but at about chapter 8/9 it starts getting really interesting soon after I couldn't put it down. It is now one of my favourite books The "Woman in White" is a story about the horrific acts a man of high status could commit in the 1800's and get away with (Sir Percival Glyde). The story begins by introducing us to Walter Hartright, who is the primary narrator, through him we have our first encounter with the woman in white (Anne Catherick), who hints that she had been terribly wronged by an evil baronet (who we soon discover to be Sir Percival Glyde). Sir Percival is engaged to Laura Fairlie, the beautiful art student of Mr Hartright. But Laura and Mr Hartright are in love, the triangle ends with Laura and Sir Percival marrying and Mr Hartright going to Central America to try to forget Laura. It turns out that Sir Percival has a terrible secret, which Mrs Catherick (Anne's mother) knows it is that he is not really a baronet he becomes paranoid of Anne discovering it so he sends her to an asylum. In addition, he is in great debt, which is why he marries Laura as she is set to inherit a great fortune. This is the base of which a terrible conspiracy takes place, which robs Laura of her identity and money then locks her up in an asylum. The rest of the story concerns her revenge, and how it was possible for such a thing to take place. "To Kill a Mocking Bird" is also based around how an innocent who is wronged simply to suit a person's personal needs.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Analysis of statement that “acquiring foreign companies creates shareholder wealth and helps reduce many risks” Essay

The above statement discusses risk reduction as a benefit of acquisitions.   I will split the statement into two parts; one that discusses the reduction of risks through acquisitions, and the other which explains the creation of shareholder wealth through acquisitions.   The first part of this statement can be explained through the various forms of risk that are reduced due to acquisitions.   One major risk that is reduced through acquisitions is the risk from competitors, through acquiring a fair market share.   It is difficult for firms which invest through greenfield strategies to attract clients from the existing competitors. This is because a new firm has to prove its performance to clients before it can successfully attract clients from the present competitors.   This is a move that takes time, since the clients have to analyze the products of new firms before the firm can gain the necessary goodwill to attract new clients.   However, acquisitions enable firms to use the goodwill of the firm that has been acquired to retain the existing clients or share of the market.   The market associates the new firm, in this case TPS Connection Plc, with the brand name of the firm that has been acquired, and if it had favorable goodwill, the new firm will have less problems in retaining the existing clients, as well as attracting new clients from the competitors. An example of a firm that has undergone a successful acquisition process and enjoyed this benefit is Tata Steel of India, which acquired Corus of Netherlands.   Before sealing of this deal, Tata Steel Company had to undergo a long and costly process of bidding, which was estimated to cost about $13.7 billion.   However, this process paid off after Tata steel benefited from among other things, the market share of Corus Company.   In fact, after the acquisition, Tata steel moved from being the fifty-sixth producer of steel globally, to the fifth position (ICFAI Center for Management Research 2007: 8). The second risk that is reduced through acquisitions relates to the distribution channels.   A new firm has to create new distribution channels that are effective enough to gain a share of the market.   This is challenging since the present competitors already use the best distribution channels available.   A new firm faces the risk of reduction of sales due to inferior distribution channels.   However, acquisitions enable new firms to make use of the already existing distribution channels of the firm that has been acquired.   This enables the new firm, in this case, TPS Connection Plc to penetrate the market more easily through the use of the existing distribution channels of the firm that has been acquired.   The Tata Steel acquisition that has been discussed above benefited Tata from Corus’ European distribution channels, and this is among the factors that made it gain a large share of the market. The third risk that can be reduced through acquisitions relates to the costs of market research.   A new company has to effectively study the market it is penetrating so that it can have full information on the products to manufacture, the pricing system, modes of advertising among other qualities of the market.   This is an expensive process, and if not done efficiently, it might lead to the inability of a new firm to penetrate the existing market. Due to the high nature of the costs, this might be inhibiting to firms which do not have the necessary resources and technology.   However, in cases of acquisitions, for instance by TPS Connection Plc, the company that is being acquired already has valuable information on the market segmentation and trends.   It therefore becomes relatively easier for TPS company to penetrate the market using the available information from the acquired company.   It is important to note that nonetheless, TPS has to do research on its own, but this will be less difficult and will consume lesser funds as compared to a scenario where it was implementing a greenfield investment.   Another risk that is reduced is the systematic risk that may occur in certain parts of the world, or certain markets.   For instance, there is currently conflict that is going on between Palestine and Israel.   The largest brunt of the war is felt by Palestine, and it can be said that firms in this country are facing a systematic risk.   Firms in this country with interests in foreign countries can be said to have reduced their risk through diversification.   They can rely on the profits from the foreign firms in a period like this, when their profits are prone to decreasing.   This is one risk that an acquisition reduces, and TPS Connection Plc should use an acquisition as a form of entering the Chinese and Indian markets in order to reduce the systematic risk through diversification. Creation of wealth through acquisitions. There are several companies that have undertaken acquisitions which have proved to reduce risks and improve the wealth of shareholders.   Hindalco is one such company, and it acquired Novelis Inc, which is a company that deals with aluminum and is based in Canada.   Since both companies had a large market presence, the combination of resources, distribution channels, goodwill and market share ensured that Hindalco built a very strong market presence.   This presence is felt in almost all continents of the world. Creation of shareholder wealth is achieved through the following benefits of acquisitions.   The first benefit is greater value generation, and this means that a company that undertakes an acquisition or merger is likely to achieve higher value as compared to both individual firms.   This is explained by the fact that a company that undertakes an acquisition is more likely to generate a higher shareholder value that is much larger than the total number of shares of the individual companies. Another benefit that arises from acquisitions and which is likely to increase the wealth of shareholders is the gains in market share.   This benefit can be well illustrated when a firm is facing challenges in the market.   In such a scenario, an acquisition especially by another firm which has a strong presence in the market, is likely to make the weaker firm experience greater levels of cost efficiency and competitiveness.   In this case, there are two beneficiaries to the acquisition; the weak company benefits from elimination of its market problems, while the joint company benefits from a larger share of the market. A third benefit of an acquisition which is consistent with the wealth creation goal of a company is the cost efficiency gain.   This benefit is realized through economies of scale benefits that are realized from acquisitions and mergers.   Such benefits include ease of raising capital, sharing of resources by both firms, advancement of discounts from bulk purchases among other benefits.   Other benefits include increase in production due to the acquisition, which then leads to the reduction of the production costs of individual units.   Increase in efficiency can also be achieved through sharing of technology.   In the Hindalco acquisition, this firm gained very useful technology from Novelis Inc., which some experts estimate would have taken a decade to develop. The fourth benefit that can be attributed to the acquisitions and mergers is the reduction in the administration costs.   This occurs due to the sharing of established resources between the two firms.   For instance, when a firm enters a new market through an acquisition, it does not spend much funds setting up the different departments that are needed for operations.   Instead, a firm will use the existing departments of the new firm that is being acquired. A fifth benefit of an acquisition which TPS Connection Plc would enjoy is the increase in global presence.   When this firm acquires a company which has a strong brand name, its presence will be felt in the market, which would attract more clients to the company.   When Hindalco, an India based company acquired Novelis, a large Canada based aluminum company, this increased the global presence of the former (ICFAI Center for Management Research 2007: 6).   This was achieved through combining the strengths of the two companies and their distribution network, thereby ensuring that it had a presence in almost all continents of the world.   All these benefits either help to increase revenue or decrease costs, which is consistent with the goal of a company of increasing the wealth of the shareholders. Assessment of the decision to invest using FDI. The decision to invest in these countries using FDI is borne out of the benefits that are present in this form of investment.   This decision arises out of many factors that are present in the countries where these companies seek to invest.   For instance, when TPS Connections Plc is assessing the type of investment to undertake when penetrating the Chinese and Indian markets, it will be guided by some factors.   Some of these factors include the macroeconomic conditions of these markets, such as the benefits that foreign investors gain.   Other factors include the nature of the competition and the available forms of financing.   However, in totality, some of the main factors that make FDI a favorable form of investment are discussed below; The first reason originates from the fact that nation states usually encourage FDI in their countries.   This is due to several benefits that such states reap from the FDI.   One benefit includes the increase in revenue for the host country.   In any country, economic growth is increased through investments.   This increases the purchasing power of residents of the country due to the increase of incomes attributable to economic growth.   The increase in purchasing power leads to the increase in demand for services and goods produced within the country, and this also increases revenue for the government.   The government increases revenue due to the tax paid from the products as well as consumer spending and wages. The second benefit attributable to FDI in the host country is the increase of capital available for investment.   This especially useful to Least Developed Countries which do not have sufficient capital to invest in large projects.   FDI also helps local investors to acquire the currency needed for the purchase of investment resources.   These benefits create export opportunities thereby increasing the total capital that is available for local investment. Another reason that makes host countries encourage FDI is the increased employment opportunities that are associated with this type of investment.   Worldwide, multinationals employ over 55 million people directly, and another 10 million indirectly.   Greenfield foreign investments create the most employment opportunities, especially the creation of new industries.   However, acquisitions and mergers have been known to cause redundancies due to reduction or retraining of employees.   FDI can also lead to reduction of employment levels if weak local industries are forced to shutdown due to competition from foreign players. A third reason which leads to encouragement of FDI by countries is the introduction of technology and new skills.   Most multinationals invest in other countries due to the superior technology that they possess, which makes their products more competitive than those of their competitors.   This is achieved through increased efficiency and quality of products due to technology.   This benefits the host country by making its products more competitive in the global market. Finally, there are other spillover effects that benefit the host country, and some of them include linkages between local firms and multinationals.   Competition between local firms and multinationals enables the local industries to produce higher quality products.   Since the foreign firms export some of the products that are produced to home countries, the host country benefits from foreign exchange.   FDI also encourages the development of infrastructure either by the government or by the investors, which is a long term benefit to the host country. All these are reasons which make countries encourage FDI.   When TPS Connections Plc is entering the Chinese and Indian markets, the two countries are likely to encourage FDI for similar reasons.   They already have laws that encourage FDI and an infrastructure that supports the same.   For instance, the Chinese labor laws keep the cost of labor cheap, thereby encouraging investment by Hong Kong multinationals.   Other benefits include the strong economic growth and open door policies that seek to attract foreign investors.   These are benefits that TPS Connections Plc seeks to gain from. It is therefore beneficial for TPS Connections Plc to enter these markets and enjoy a favorable macroeconomic environment.   This will ensure that costs are reduced and sales maximized in order to boost profits. Another reason why TPS Connections Plc should undertake FDI in its entry to the Chinese and Indian markets is to tap the existing potential in the two markets.   China is the largest country in the world in terms of population, and this shows that there is a huge potential in terms of the market size (Easson 2004: 23).   As previously discussed, its macroeconomic environment favors FDI, a fact which leads to half of the exports in China being attributed to FDI by firms.   The large market size when combined with the favorable macroeconomic environment highly favors the success of foreign investors who invest in these two countries.   TPS Connection Plc should therefore take advantage of this factor to invest in these countries through FDI. Labor is also relatively cheap in both of these countries and FDI would enable both countries to reduce the cost of production, which would ultimately increase efficiency and hence profitability.   This strategy is consistent with the comparative advantage theory which states that companies should specialize in what they can easily produce better than their competitors. In this case, access to cheaper labor would have be beneficial to TPS Connections Plc, since it would reduce costs, and make its products cheaper than those of its competitors. One multinational that has effectively used this strategy is the Unilever Company.   This company has branches in different parts of the world, due to the need of having access to raw materials as well as cheap labor.   This company has concentrated its labor intensive operations in Asian countries due to the availability of cheap labor, especially from countries such as India.   This has enabled this company have an edge over its competitors, and it is currently among the biggest global producers of foodstuffs and household products. In assessment of the above factors, I would highly recommend the entry of TPS Connections Plc to the Indian and Chinese markets through FDI, since this will be beneficial not only to TPS Connections Plc, but also to the Chinese and Indian economies.   Since this move is beneficial to both the economies, these two countries are likely to make the entry process faster and relatively easier, as compared to the situation that would have been present if the entry would adversely affect the economy of the two countries.   This would also enable this company to reap the benefits of globalization through the transfer of technology from the parent company to its subsidiaries and vice verse. Bibliography. Easson, E. J. (2004). Tax incentives for foreign direct investment.   New York:Kluwer Law   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   International, p 23. ICFAI Center for Management Research. (2007). Hindalco’s Acquisition of Novelis.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved on January 5, 2009 from , p6. ICFAI Center for Management Research. (2007). Tata Steel’s acquisition of Corus.   Retrieved    on January 5, 2009 from ;www.tata.com;, p8. ;

Monday, September 16, 2019

Accenture Social Media Analysis

Accenture Social Media Analysis MKT 436 Ian Cartmill Zach Crawford Edwin Huang Tyler Whitsett Introduction Accenture PLC is one of the leading consulting firms in the country and has developed an extensive social media platform to expand its reach in the business world. Accenture currently has a network of social media across many platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Through Facebook and Twitter, Accenture segments its markets by region, type of service, and career options by making a Facebook page or Twitter account exclusively for that market.With Accenture’s YouTube page, a wide variety of videos ranging from video blogs to educational content on company growth. Finally, through LinkedIn, Accenture profiles its different services as well as connects with professionals who would be looking for their services. In addition to the traditional social media sites, Accenture operates many different applications through Facebook, iTunes, Google Play as well as its own online publication, Outlook. After a description, an analysis will be given to measure the performance of Accenture’s social media’s efforts.Finally, recommendations will be given on how Accenture can improve their efforts to reach a wider audience. Social Media Description Accenture’s Facebook and Twitter presence is extremely large which is shown by the numerous pages on these sites. Currently, Accenture has over â€Å"40 different pages on Facebook and 30 different Twitter handles† (A1), each catering to a particular market. About half of these pages are targeted based on the region or country in order to provide information exactly aimed a country’s business environment.Within each of the country’s pages, discussions and interactions occur with customers and users through contests, interviews, philanthropic endeavors in the region done by Accenture, and information the company provides on different industries. Usually the cou ntry’s page will display resume opportunity linksin order to keep acquiring new talent for the company. If career opportunities are not listed on this page, an individual career page is listed to provide information on career opportunities at Accenture in that region.On Accenture’s main Facebook and Twitter pages, different examples of management, operations, marketing, and other strategies are presented so all customers can see the level of analysis they will receive from an Accenture team. Also, articles written by Accenture are shown on the pages that range from work events to in depth stories on industry trends constantly are posted weekly. Finally, the last sets of pages on Facebook and Twitter are used to provide customers with an in-depth look into the different services provided by Accenture.For example, the Sustainability Services Facebook page provides links to articles and case studies on sustainability in a business in order to reduce cost and create effici encies (http://www. facebook. com/accenturesustainabilityservices). They also engage their customers and users through surveys, games and other actions that keep users coming back to their page. In addition to Accenture’s Facebook and Twitter pages, YouTube and LinkedIn provide a unique and different way to reach out to their customers.Through their YouTube account, Accenture is able to provide different types of new information to both current and potential new customers with its â€Å"251 videos† (A1). For example, a Capital Markets video blog is used to describe different topics related to capital markets and the process of managing the risks with them. In another set of videos, a video podcast shows different traits of a high performance business model that can be emulated by other companies.All content that is put up on the YouTube account is used to attract new customers to what Accenture does and provide existing clientele insights as to how Accenture’s s trategies can better their companies. This is a more casual look at Accenture’s customer attraction actions. For a more formal approach to gaining new customers and staying connected with current clients, LinkedIn is utilized. With LinkedIn, Accenture can professionally show their â€Å"core competencies as well as present customer recommendations and feedback† (LinkedIn). They also demonstrate their corporate culture through employee reviews and insight.To go along with Facebook and Twitter, they also have a careers page to continue acquiring talent in every medium possible. Beyond the typical social media realms in which most companies are involved in, Accenture has also grown into new areas that differentiate themselves in the social media marketing. This is done through Accenture’s online journal, Outlook, and the development of apps to further their marketing efforts. Outlook provides a unique connection to existing and potential customers by giving article s that can be anything from industry specific trends or news to skill and service actions.This demonstrates the level of expertise Accenture can provide to new customers, and assist in providing additional offerings to their current customers. Finally, after all traditional online forms of social media are exhausted; Accenture also provides many of the same marketing sites in the form of mobile apps for the iTunes and Google Play markets. This gives customers the ability to see all content and information on the go as most business people are. These applications include a mobile version of Outlook and other service specific applications (Google Play). Social Media AnalysisAlthough Accenture has tapped into the most popular social networks, they don’t utilize them to their full potential. Their main strength across the social networking platforms is the ability to reach current and potential customers, employees, future hires, students, and anyone who might be interested in wh at Accenture has to offer. An example is their applications through iTunes and Google play. On iTunes they â€Å"have 14 mobile apps and on Google Play they have 11 apps compared to Ernst & Young’s 6 apps on iTunes and 3 apps on Google Play† (A1). Some apps are duplicates; some are strictly for employees, while others are for the public.The apps range from a National Postal Forum to Financial Services to Lux in Arcana. Since it is available on iPhone and Android platform, they are targeting the most popular smartphone users. Another metric to consider how large their social network presence is their main Facebook page, Accenture has over â€Å"145,000 likes compared to E & Y with 15,000 likes† (A1). With these many options and a well-known presence, they are able to increase their brand awareness and position themselves as knowledge experts in that field. Another strength Accenture has with their social platforms is that they are continuously adding content to t hem.On their Twitter feed, they â€Å"tweet an average of 66 times a week along with additional links in the message compared to E & Y’s 20 tweets a week† (A1). On their Facebook , they post â€Å"39 times a week compared to E & Y’s 2 times a week† (A1). More tweets and posts, enables them the opportunity to be noticed more by the market. This is shown through how many Facebook users are talking about them. Accenture has over â€Å"2,000 users posting about them compared to E & Y’s 390 users talking about them† (A1). A weakness of their social networks is the lack of integration across the different platforms.An example is their YouTube and Twitter page. In their description, it only provides a link to their home page instead of including their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes store, and Google Play. (About Accenture). After an analysis of their YouTube channel, we determined that they could include more in their descriptions by including a summary of the video, tags, and follow up information. They need to make it easier for users to dive further into Accenture if necessary. Another weakness of their social networking strategy is that it does not incorporate a form of a push/pull strategy.Their current push strategy is not creating an atmosphere of a two way interaction. On their pages, they do not engage or follow up with the users to keep them coming back. Although they ask questions in their tweets, they are not going out of their way to search for potential topics they could enlighten a user about. From comparing Accenture’s social media networks to Ernst and Young’s networks, they both use the same platforms but Accenture has a larger social media presence with more content. In Twitter, Accenture has over 62,000 followers with over 5500 tweets compared to E & Y’s 37,000 followers and 2,600 tweets.On LinkedIn, Accenture has over 600,000 followers with 179,000 employees on it compared to E & Y’s 364,000 followers and 114,000 employees on LinkedIn. Accenture has the most presence and content in every category except for the amount of YouTube videos they have. Accenture has 251 compared to E & Y’s 485. Managerial Recommendations The heart of a successful e-commerce strategy is the ability to attract and engage a potential customer by offering easy access to a variety of different information channels about your company.Although Accenture offers many different informational channels that explain who they are and what services they can offer to potential clients, these channels are not easily accessible. When doing a simple search of Accenture on Google, you initially see a link to Accenture’s website along with a few key words with vague descriptions. In order for Accenture to attract and gain new clients they need to have access points to all of their different social networks.These social media access points will allow Accenture to promote its marke ting message to a larger business demographic who will feel more comfortable operating in one of these social media domains. Accenture also needs to do a better job at educating its customer base by explaining who Accenture is as a company and what kind of services they offer to potential clients. As it stands now customers who go on Accenture’s company website have to navigate through web page after web page to find a simple description on which the company is and what services they offer.Accenture’s homepage is full of key words and links to other parts of the company’s website. I would recommend that the include information on value added services that would differentiate itself for competitors. Accenture should elaborate on its many value added services that it has done in the past on projects that reduced cost, improved performance, innovative features, speed responsiveness and customization. These value added services will not only attract and sustain cust omers it will also help Accenture’s bottom line by causing customers to pay a higher premium for services rendered.Since most of the services that Accenture offers to its customers are intangible they need to do a better job at trying to make their services feel more tangible, instead of just offering detailed, long worded business plans and short, non-descriptive statements on services provided. Accenture could further demonstrate services that they provided to past customers through cost savings graphs, efficiency improvement charts, and customer testimonials. Also, to reduce customer uncertainty and address any questions a potential customer might have I would recommend that Accenture have a live web assistant messaging service on their home page.This service would allow the customers to speak in real time to a customer service representative. These simple tweaks to Accenture’s homepage will reduce some of the unknowns and risk that all customers undoubtedly face wh en searching for a new company to do business with. In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of B2B marketing Accenture should adopt a CRM system like its lead competitor Ernst & Young did to manage its client customer base.Ernst & Young adopted a CRM software called Aprimo to perform the following functions: targeted direct e-mails, ongoing lead management, inbound interactions via Web form submission, Webcast registration and follow-up, and project management (task assignment and follow-up) for their national and regional marketing teams (Shadick, 2012). Many of the components of the information within Ernst & Youngs Aprimo CRM system are shared with customer relationship departments within the firm.For example, opportunities are collected from events, tradeshows, sponsorships, webcast and direct communications, which are then distributed to the appropriate individuals for follow-up (Shadick, 2012). With the adoption of CRM systems like Aprimo, Accenture would have rea l-time access to client’s interest and inquires allowing them to tailor their response to new and existing client’s needs. Conclusion In Conclusion Accenture is a very dynamic B2B company that utilizes virtually all of the media outlets available to educate and attract new customers.Accenture’s B2B marketing campaign is unique in the fact that it leverages its current ongoing business initiatives with its own customer base through an online Journal called: Outlook. This journal boldly talks about what Accenture is doing now and in the future for its client base. This and many other creative marketing/informational channels that Accenture has created brings assurance and a sense of trust to customers who are uncertain with partaking in a service that really doesn’t produce a tangible outcome and cost thousands, if not millions, of dollars to perform. Works Cited Shadick, David (2011).Ernst & Young Better Manages B2B Marketing with Aprimo Marketing, Sun. 17 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Services. † Linkedin n. pag. LinkedIn. Web. 17 Nov 2012. . â€Å"Apps by Accenture. † Google play n. pag. Google play. Web. 17 Nov 2012. . â€Å"Accenture. † About Accenture n. pag. YouTube. Web. 17 Nov 2012. . Appendix A1 – Social Network Metrics

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Kot1 Task2

KOT1 TASK 2 SCENARIO ONE Medicare part A is the hospital insurance and it will pay your mother's hospital bill one hundred percent because she has met the three day minimum hospital stay criteria. That cost will include room and board and services such as lab work, any therapy she may have received during her stay as well as pharmacy. Since your mother also has Medicare part B which is the medical insurance, part B will pay eighty percent of the physician’s services as long as her annual deductable has been paid.Unless your mom has supplemental insurance coverage also known as Medigap insurance, she will be financially responsible for the twenty percent that part B Medicare does not cover. A Medicare supplement referred to as (Medigap) insurance, sold by private insurance companies, can help pay some of the costs that Medicare doesn't cover. Medicare. gov[11/04/12]www. medicare. gov/supplement-other-insurance/medigap/whatsmedigap. htm. A couple of examples of Medigap insurance companies are AARP, Humana, and Agis. You will have to pay the private insurance company a monthly premium for your Medigap policy just as you would any insurance policy.Keep in mind that premium will be in addition to the monthly Part B premium that you pay to Medicare. In order to qualify you must have Medicare part A and B. That maybe something you and your mother may want to look into. Regarding her moving to the skilled nursing facility, the cost will be covered by Medicare one hundred percent the first twenty days. After a hospital stay of at least three days, your mother's stay in a Medicare-certified Skilled Nursing Center can be covered at 100% for the first 20 days. For the next 80 days, if your mother had to stay that long Medicare Part A covers everything except the daily coinsurance.I'm sorry no one informed either of you that your mother got an infection while at the nursing facility. That information should have been disclosed to the both of you. Unfortunately becaus e your mother acquired and infection while at the skilled nursing facility, she had to receive additional care including antibiotics. Medicare will not pay the additional expense and your mother fortunately will not be billed either. This is considered a preventable event. The facility will have to pay the costs of treatment for infection. In 2009 the rules have changed.So for instance, if you are on Medicare and you get a hospital acquired infection while you are being treated for something that is covered by Medicare, the extra cost of treating the hospital acquired infection will no longer be paid for by Medicare. Paddock, C (2007, Aug 20) Medicare will not pay for hospital mistakes and infections, new rule, Medical News Today, p1. This is unfortunate for the general public because where Medicare will not pay for these costs the costs is shifted. Unpaid costs must be covered by those who do pay so the hospital can continue operating, a process known as cost shifting.Providers inc rease their charges against households and public and private insurers who pay for their own care plus make some contribution for the care of the uninsured population. This increases insurance premiums, making it even more difficult for many households and businesses to afford healthcare coverage. In January 2006, Medicare added access to a prescription medication benefit which is Medicare part D in which your mother is enrolled. Your mothers out of pocket prescription drug costs are calculated on a progressive basis (like federal income tax). She will pay the first $325 which is the Medicare Part D Plan deductible.After the deductible is met, she will pay 25% co-insurance towards all the prescription drug costs up to a total of $2970. For example, let us assume that her total yearly prescription drug expenses are $3000. Therefore, she will pay 25% of the difference between the deductible ($325) and $2970 which is: (2970 – 325)*0. 25 = $661. 25. When the costs total more than $2970, she will be responsible for 100% of the difference between $2970 and $3000 or an additional cost of $30. In this example the total estimated annual cost out of pocket for prescription drug plan with a Medicare Part D should be around: $325 + $661. 5 + $30 = $1016. 25 in addition to the monthly premiums your mother will have to pay for the part D plan. In summary Medicare part A will pay your mothers hospital stay one hundred percent as long as the deductable is met. She will also pay twenty percent of the medical bill as long as her deductable is met. Medicare will pay for rehabilitation services one hundred percent excluding the charges for the care of the urinary tract infection. After the deductible is met, she will pay 25% co-insurance towards all the prescription drug costs up to a total of $2970.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Hume Versus Kant Essay

Hume and Kant offered two differing views on morality. Hume’s philosophy regarding moral theory came from the belief that reason alone can never cause action. Desire or thoughts cause action. Because reason alone can never cause action, morality is rooted in us and our perception of the world and what we want to gain from it. Virtue arises from acting on a desire to help others. Hume’s moral theory is therefore a virtue-centered morality rather than the natural-law morality, which saw morality as coming from God. Kant’s notion of morality stems from his notion of one universal moral law. This law is pertinent to all people and can be used at all times before carrying our actions According to Kant, you ought to act according to the maxim that is qualified for universal law giving; that is, you ought to act so that the maxim of your action may become a universal law. While Hume and Kant’s moral theory differ dramatically, they share one quality and that is the fact that neither centers around the concept of God and his will. Hume’s theories may be considered by some not really philosophical theories at all. It is to say that he is not searching for that philosophical life that is seen in a Plato, or Augustine. He believes that capitalism promotes prosperity for people, and that only science and math is the realm for reason. To discuss Hume’s ethical theory you have to look at the central theme, which are feelings. Hume’s ethical theory says that moral judgments are made on feelings as oppose to reason. Hume’s feelings are based upon the belief that people make moral judgments because it is useful to society. He uses the examples of benevolence and justice to support this idea. Benevolence leads to happiness in society, which is the main basis for moral approval. Justice, for Hume, is regarded as good because again it is useful to society. He says that justice would not exist if everybody was not selfish, and one of its main uses is to protect private property. Justice for Hume is a very business oriented type of justice in which a transaction that is made must be suitable for both parties. If humans were not selfish than justice would not even come to mind in these types of situations because the transaction would be totally dominated by one individual, and that would not be justice. Hume’s view poses the question, which is better social peace or economic prosperity? Hume states that human beings are an animal whose life consists of worldly pleasures, and this is what leads them to a happy life. Again we see a clear contradiction to what â€Å"traditional† philosophers believe to be a happy life. As you can see Hume leaves out the spiritual, reasoning, and thinking part of human nature. Leaving all these factors out he comes up with his contributions to the well being of society. He believes that chastity, confidentiality, avoiding gossip, avoiding spying, being well mannered, and loyal are what can lead you to becoming prosperous. Hume looks at this from being prosperous only from a business-orientated point of view. People do like to become prosperous and have economic growth, but is that all that matters to us as humans? For Hume these feelings are justified because he says that we naturally care about other people and if we do not suffer from something we have a natural inclination to help others out. Hume finally comes a conclusion to his ethical theory in which he states that there are only four reasons in which to do morally good: useful to society, useful to oneself, agreeable to oneself, agreeable to others. Actions that are morally good are categorized into one of these four categories. These actions must be made with sentiment or feeling over reason, for Hume states man is a creature with feelings and reason let’s us figure that out. Hume believed that reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions. He argued that reason is used to discover the causes of pain or pleasure, but it is the prospect of pain or pleasure that causes action, not the reasoning alone, as that is entirely indifferent to us. This notion of always being motivated by pleasure or pain is very important, as it follows from this that when we act morally, it is a desire that makes us act and not reason. Since morals, therefore, have an influence on the actions and affections, if follows that they cannot be derived from reason, and that because reason alone, as we have already proved, can never have any such influence. Kant takes a different approach in his ethical theory and the understanding of morality and what is morally good. For Kant moral goodness is defined as goodwill, and that we as humans have a moral obligation to do what is right. He says that moral worth is seen much clearer if someone does things out of duty. Opposite of what Hume says Kant believes that feelings and inclinations are irrelevant and that feelings are not what drive moral obligations. Then how does Kant justify what is morally obliged? He has cancelled out feelings, and has left it as an obligation for people. For Kant first you must take out all feelings. Moral obligation must be binding for everyone. If any action cannot be approved be everyone than it is not morally obliged. The standard for moral standards has to be universal or absolute. Kant’s ethical theory is put into a comparison of categorical and hypothetical imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives are looked upon as recommendations or laws by others. This is to say that it is someone else or some other thing is telling us what to do. Hypothetical imperatives are unproblematic. They are straightforward sentences that express mundane statements of fact. Categorical ones, on the other hand, are highly problematic. Categorical imperatives deal with autonomy. These are the moral obligations that Kant believes in, the morally obliged actions. In Kant’s view, only if a person is acting solely on the categorical imperative such as doing something out of duty, can the act be morally good. This is because if somebody is acting out of the hypothetical imperative, he/she has an ulterior motive in acting in that way and are therefore not acting out of duty but are pursuing a certain end. They need not be acting in self-interest, but if they act because of a desire to act in that way, this is not morally worthy. You can still act morally if it gives you pleasure, as long as the reason for your action is solely out of duty. For instance we ought to help other because you may need help some day. What makes it valuable is that it is valuable in itself. It allows us to treat ourselves and others with self respect. It is clearly seen that in Kant’s theory there is no feelings or emotions attached to these theories only obligations that will benefit all of society. When taking into account who is right or wrong, the type of person you are comes into play. Some individuals live their lives based off of feelings and emotions alone, and most decisions that these types of individuals make are what is going to them happy or something that could perhaps make them sad but another group in society happy. Then there are the other groups of individuals that do things without thinking of who they will affect but only take into account what they believe they should do based on society’s circumstances. Ultimately the decision on how to make moral judgments should be entirely based on you and your character and your experiences. If a person has been hurt by trying to be morally good then his feelings will come into play no matter how he made his original decision. If this person was making a decision based on obligation and he still got hurt from it in the long run then his next decision could be very feeling based. These two decisions on morality may continue to intertwine with each other. Hume and Kant are similar in that their moral theories are not the will as laid down by God, instead they see morality as embedded in humans themselves. However from here the theories diverge. Hume sees moral judgements as being caused by sentiments of pain or pleasure within an agent as reason alone can never motivate, whereas Kant see the only moral actions as being those caused by reason alone, or the categorical imperative. Both theories have difficulty with coming up with absolute moral laws – Hume’s theory because absolute morality would appear to be impossible if morality is based on an individual’s sentiment, and Kant’s theory because it cannot prove the existence of the categorical imperative.