Drink-at-Home, Inc Essay

CASE 2: DRINK-AT-HOME, INC. Drink-At-Home, Inc. (DAH, Inc. ), develops, processes, and markets mixes to be used in nonalcoholic cocktails and mixed drinks for home consumption. Mrs. Lee, who is in charge of research and development at DAH, Inc. , this morning notified Mr. Dick Jones, the president, that exciting developments in the research and development section indicate that a new beverage, an instant pina colada, should be possible because of a new way to process and preserve coconut. Mrs. Lee is recommending a major program to develop the pina colada. She estimates that expenditure on the development may be as much as $100,000 and that as much as a year’s work may be required. In the discussion with Mr. Jones, she indicated that she thought the possibility of her outstanding people successfully developing such a drink now that she’d done all the really important work was in the neighborhood of 90 percent. She also felt that the likelihood of a competing company developing a similar product in 12 months was 80 percent. Mr. Jones is strictly a bottom line guy and is concerned about the sales volume of such a beverage. Consequently, Mr. Jones talked to Mr. Besnette, his market research manager, whose specialty is new product evaluation, and was advised that a market existed for an instant pina colada, but was some-what dependent on acceptance by both grocery stores and retail liquor stores. Mr. Besnette also indicated that the sales reports indicate that other firms are considering a line of tropical drinks. If other firms should develop a competing beverage the market would, of course, be split among them. Mr. Jones pressed Mr. Besnette to make future sales estimates for various possibilities and to indicate the present (discounted value of future profits) value. Mr. Besnette provided Table 1. Mr. Besnette’s figures did not include (1) cost of research and development, (2) cost of new production equipment, or (3) cost of introducing the pina colada. The cost of the new production equipment is expected to be $ 100,000 because of the special way the coconut needs to be handled, and the cost of introducing the new product is expected to be about $150,000 because of the point-of purchase displays that would be necessary to introduce the new product. Mrs. Lee has indicated that she does have alternative development proposals, which are: 1. A reduced research program to see someone else comes out with the product first and if not, then proceed with a crash program. The reduced program for the first eight months would cost $10,000 per month. One advantage of this is that if the effort was unsuccessful, then development costs would be held to the eight-month figure (8 months ? $ 10,000 = $80,000). The likelihood of success under this approach is the same as the more orderly development. (The likelihood of a competing company developing a product in 8 months is 60 percent.) The crash development program would take place in months 9 through 12 and would cost an additional $60,000. It would proceed only if the eight-month study guaranteed a success. 2. Use a reduced research program and maintain an awareness of industry developments to see if someone else develops a product. If someone else has developed a product at the end of six months, it would cost only an additional $30,000 to analyze their product and duplicate it. The reduced development program would cost $10,000 per month. Mr. Besnette, being the great marketer that he is, is of course reluctant to be second on the market with a new product. He says that the first product on the market will usually obtain a greater share of the market, and it will be difficult to win those customers back. Consequently, he indicates that only about 50 percent of the sales that he indicated in Table 1 could be expected if Drink-at-Home waited until competing brands were already on the market. Moreover, he suspects that there is only a 50/50 chance that the competitor will be out with a product within the next six months. There are four options: (1) orderly development of the pina colada, (2) modest development effort followed by the crash program, (3) a modest development effort for the first six months to see if a competitive product comes on the market, and (4) do nothing. TABLE 1. Sales and Profit Potentials Consumer Acceptance Substantial Moderate Low (Sales Potential) Probability Present Values 0. 10 0. 60 0. 30 (Discounted Value of Future Profits) $800,000 $600,000 $500,000 What would you recommend? Show all supporting solutions/computations. Source: http://wps. pearsoned. co. uk/ema_ge_render_qam_11/202/51952/13299854. cw/content/index. html.

Cash flow analysis

The company's cash flows from operating activities were inadequate to cover depreciation and dividend payments from FYI to IFFY. This indicates that HEAD Banks cash flow engine is not generating enough cash to keep the company whole for those three years. However, the company generated excess cash in IFFY, which was used for growth and investment purposes. Thus, the cash flow engine is not very powerful. However, it is showing signs of recovery in the recent years. Pinpointing the Good News and the Bad News The capital expenditure shows an increasing trend and is around 1 . Xx of appreciation.In addition, it made significant investment in subsidiaries and Joint-ventures, which is another growth indicators. However, these indicators have not remained consistent throughout. Such investments were only made in FYI 1 and IFFY. HEAD Bank has consistently borrowed from other banks in the form of term deposits and demand deposits to pay dividends and for capital expenditure. This can be cons idered as a bad news because it doesn't have sufficient cash flow from operating activities. Puzzle Since the company is operating in the Banking and Finance Industry, Reserve Bank ofIndia norms mandate that the company hold a large proportion of cash along with significant deposits with the RIB (CAR and SSL norms) in order to maintain liquidity. The cash and bank balances held by the company has ranged from xx to xx of their net income. Earlier, we identified a few unusual line items, which are explained as under: In IFFY, RIB increased policy rates by 1 . 75% and Rib's borrowings against SSL increased by almost 270%. After adjusting for this, cash flow from operating activities shows a positive figure in IFFY.In the cash flow from operating activities, the cash used in distributing loans & advances as well as making investments (operating activity since it is a bank) exceed the cash generated from increase in deposits. This has resulted in a negative cash flow from operating activ ities in 3 out of 5 years. This requires the company to seek outside sources for funding such as financial borrowings from other banks and financial institutions. This may not necessarily be a negative sign if the returns from operating activities exceed the net borrowing costs and hence reaping the benefits of leverage. Housing Development Finance Corporation

Supply chain management at Zara Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supply chain management at Zara - Essay Example Supply chain management is the management of the network used to acquire raw materials, production and distribution to the customers. It can be said to be the process of attaining raw materials, production, storage and supply to the end users. Every business or company has to employ a good purchasing and supply chain management if it has to succeed in its production. Supply chain management is important to Zara because it helps in recognizing the number of suppliers that can be accessed by the company, their location, the distribution centers, management of inventory and warehousing facilities. It also helps in determining the strategy to be used in integration of information within the supply chain. Zara opened its first store in Spain in 1975 and since then its stores gave grown into giants and are distributed all over the world. It holds about 1000 stores which have been successful. Zara’s success is contributed by its unique style in fashions and accessories as well as its supply chain management.... Zara has been chosen for this analysis because of its success despite the stiff competition that is evident in the clothing industry. Sourcing Strategies and supply chain configurations For the management of supply chain to be successful, it requires a change from the management of individual activities to the integration of all the activities in the supply chain process. There are two crucial departments in the supply chain: the purchasing department and the marketing department. It is the work of the purchasing department to place orders for the company and to let the requirements of the company known to the supply chain manager (Venus 2010). The work of the marketing department is to distribute the finished goods to the customers. In doing so it interacts with the customers, gets view concerning the products and makes recommendation to the supply chain. In its attempt to respond to the demand of the customers, it gets in touch with the available retailers and distributors in their locality. The partners in the supply chain share information with one another through process integration. This involves collaboration between the suppliers and the buyers and the internal processes of production. For this integration to be effective there should be free flow of information among the key components (Christopher 1992). In the fashion industry, the chain of supply is complex especially for the retailers. It is rather long with many parties involved. In order to achieve a rapid response, proper management of the supply chain is required which will help in reducing the lead time and which can use other approaches to fasten the whole process. According to Daly & Towers (2008), there has been

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Supply chain management - Essay Example Transformation. Another key strategy is that Zara keeps tight control and flexibility over every link in its supply chain, keeping the bulk of manufacturing in-house rather than outsourcing them. While other companies begin with the designers who plan a year in advance, Zara store managers monitor what is selling daily and track current sales trends. They feed information on what customers need but can’t find to designers who create the designs and have them manufactured instantly. Throughout its process, the ‘fast fashion’ concept enables designs to reach production in two weeks, and has been imitated by Forever 21, Mango, and Topshop (Hansen, 2012). Output. As for distribution, Zara does this exclusively through their own stores because they desire to control the customer’s entire experience. Its Just-in-time system was developed in collaboration with Toyota Motor thus enhancing its control. Smaller batches of clothing are delivered to stores, to project an image of exclusivity to attract customers, and precluding the need to conduct bargain sales to move mass quantities of out-of-season merchandise (Capell, 2008). Part B: Analyse the competitive priorities of the three apparel operations and the approaches taken to managing their supply chain Design Zara’s design phase ‘breaks all the rules’ in retail fashion by drawing ideas from the market and passing these on to its designers to create. Unlike conventional garment retailers, ideas for designs do not originate from the designers in Zara, but from the customers. Customers come into the Zara store, and if they could not find the design they wanted the store management feeds this back to headquarters for designers to work on. This system is what enables the company to realize its competitive advantages, that is, its fast development lead time to market of only two weeks, compared to six months for other companies. While the method assures Zara of a ready market f or its designs, the designers however, could only experiment within a strict and narrow margin. Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) plans and designs centrally in Sweden, based on customer demands while achieving a balance among fashion, quality and price. The designers came up with their ideas by observing fashion trends, getting inputs from employees and feedback from customers; in this last aspect, they are similar to Zara. Unlike Zara which releases its designs within two weeks after order, H&M released its designs by seasons, in two main collections and several subcollections. Designing begins by brainstorming which involves all designers, buyers and pattern designers, a process not undertaken in Zara. Styles and designs previously successful and unsuccessful are deliberated on and a look of the year is decided upon. The result is that many designs brainstormed do not reach production. The design method of H&M is organized and shows planning, deliberation, and joint collaboration between bu yers and designers, but it is time consuming and inefficient compared to Zara’s two week development to market system. Benetton’s designs depend to a large degree on their designers’ diverse backgrounds and cultures. Designing is organized

Video Business Case Report on acQuire Technology Solutions - Case 2 Study

Video Business Report on acQuire Technology Solutions - 2 - Case Study Example The paper provides the best alternative that the organization might adopt in order to deal with a situation of weak financial position in future. It is important for the organization to maintain a good customer relationship and upgrade itself with the technological developments taking place in the international market. The most important decision for the concerned organization is that of following a strategy of combining its pricing and marketing strategies in order to improve financial position of the company. The strategy has been recommended with the aim of helping the company to increase its total revenue and also its share in the world market. Introduction The major causes of the financial crisis are manipulations of the financial statements of companies, deficiencies in risk management, high leverage, lack of secured lending in the derivatives market and ineffective management (Bernanke 2010; Gramley 2013). All these led to the development of weak crisis-management capabilities by the companies (Friedman 2011, 98). As a result of the crisis, most of the open economies in the world have been the victims of recession and the companies operating multinationally are struggling to fight the effects of recession. This paper presents a report on a particular issue currently faced by a company named ‘acQuire Technology Solutions’. ... The outcome of this analysis would be useful in developing the decision criteria for the company and identify the alternatives that would be implemented while dealing with the issue currently faced by the company. Issues The world has recently emerged from the turbulent financial crisis and is still fighting to get rid of the after effects of the phenomenon. The concern shown by the CEO of acQuire Technology Solutions, Warren Cook, is that there is distinct possibility of recurrence of the 2008 crisis. This situation would be detrimental for the company and place it in a position of huge loss (Cook 2013a). In this context, the prime issue identified by the company is the development of strong strategy that would help the company deal with the current situation and emerge with success. Causes and importance of the issue The issue identified in the above section is important for acQuire since it is associated with long term sustainability of the company. According to the CEO, the long term performance of the company would be reflected in the way, the management of the organization deals with their responsibility towards their employees and treats their employees at present (Cook 2013b). acQuire Technology Solutions nurtures the objective of providing a long and cherished career to its employees. Maintaining the organization in such a way that it would be able to provide secure career to its staffs is one of the foremost concern for the firm. Decision Criteria Analysis Situational Risk Assessment acQuire Technology Solutions is a privately owned organization and it must make the comparison between risk and reward of any particular decision. The alternatives recommendations that are being

Reading Log and Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reading Log and Case Study - Essay Example The most important resource available to organisations is human resource and their conducive functioning is ensured by a suitable organisational culture and climate. 2. Key insights (200 words) The state of the economy mandates that various organisations have to merge with each other in order to forge their survival. On the other hand, certain other organisations are trying to go for a change in their business operations through business process innovation. In order to support both kinds of activities, it is essential that organisations enhance their operating organisational culture and climate by innovating within its framework. The transition from one organisational cultural state to another cultural state is not only cumbersome but requires dedicated effort on multiple fronts. In order to make organisational culture and climate change a success it has to be adapted well to the existing organisational culture and organisational climate. This ensures that the transition between cult ural states is smooth and does not affect business operations negatively. In order to make the transition as smooth as possible, it is advisable to study the various involved sub-cultures within organisations in detail to identify possible transition problems. The resistance to change in organisational cultures is a present reality and needs to be dealt with on realistic footing. How can you key insights be applied in practice (200 words) In order to deal with organisation change on a stronger footing, it is necessary to implement organisational cultural change with greater understanding of the underlying sub cultures that would provide resistance to change. It is necessary to provide employees with means of feedback to gauge their assessment of the organisation’s culture and climate in order to develop new changes. Employee feedback could be received using questionnaires, surveys, one on one meeting by senior management and other similar methods. Once employee perception of existing organisational culture and climate is established, this baseline can then be used to plot a new direction for movement. During any major or minor organisational culture or climate change resistance will be encountered. The senior management of the business has to find avenues that will invite resistance from employees and then deal with these problems accordingly. For example, senior employees may show reluctance to upgrade their IT skills so the management would need to provide them with more intuitive and easy to use IT systems. These gaps and deficits must be assessed as realistically as possible and the use of external experts should not be ruled out. Case Study 1. How would you characterise current staff behaviour at the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Bank? The current staff behaviour at Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Bank is characterised by a twofold description – the older staff is sticking to its old working values while the new staff is trying to innovate and incre ase competitiveness. Overall staff behaviour characterises the struggle between the old guard and the new innovators. 2. Do you feel that their behaviour is attributable to the changes that have taken place, and why? The behaviour of the staff is purely an outcome of the structural change at the bank given the merger. Instead of the staff being at loggerheads because of differentiated cultures from two organisations, the staff is in a struggle because change is being imposed and resisted. Older members

Epidemiology Exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Epidemiology Exercise - Essay Example In addition to this, the length of tuberculosis incubation differs from individual to individual depending on the person’s risk factors. However, within six weeks of exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an infected individual develops early stages of TB in the lungs that have no symptoms (CDC, 2014). Symptoms and signs of TB depend on the part of the body infected by the bacteria. Primary infection of TB may resolve on its own as individuals develop immunity between 6-10 weeks after infection (CDC, 2014). In case the immunity is weak, TB may progress and stretch all over the lungs or other organs. Such patients may develop signs and symptoms like; weight loss, fever, fatigue, cough and loss of appetite (CDC, 2014). Symptoms and signs for TB in the lungs include coughing for almost a month, coughing of blood, painful breathing, chest pain and pain when coughing (CDC, 2014). Occurrence of extra signs depends on where TB is developing (CDC, 2014). For instance, if TB develops in the lymph nodes, the patient may have swollen glands on the neck and under the arms. In case it affects the joints and bones, the patient develops swellings and pains around hips and knees. Lastly, Genitourinary TB results into pain in the flank as well as frequent urination accompanied with pain plus blood in the urine (CDC, 2014). Tuberculin skin test is done by injecting a fluid in skin under the lower fraction of the arm. After about two days, the part injected with the fluid is examined (CDC, 2014). A hard, raised swelling indicates the presence of TB. Blood test for TB is done to determine how immune system reacts to the presence of TB causing bacterium (CDC, 2014). Patients with latent TB infection have the TB bacteria but cannot infect others or show signs of the disease. The bacterium is inactive form and if not cured, it may result in TB. Medications used for diagnosis of latent TB include rifampin (RIF), isoniazid (INH) and rifapentine (RPT) (CDC, 2014). TB can be

Critically analyze how successful the British government's use of Essay - 1

Critically analyze how successful the British government's use of Spending Reviews has been as a way of making government more - Essay Example From the chart it is evident that in the past government’s total expenditure persistently exceeded, often to a great extent, public sector revenues, forcing it to resort to borrowings. This situation is necessarily a temporary measure, because prolonged reliance on increasing levels of borrowing increases the default risk to the firm or the government. To ensure a sustainable financial approach, it is therefore important to control expenditures, for which an effective and responsive spending assessment process must be adopted. SRs and PES: How the SR system compares to the old PES system Before 1992, the level of government spending was ascertained through what are called annual Public Expenditure Surveys (PESs). The approach was fragmented and piecemeal because the Treasury negotiated bilaterally with each department. This prevented the government from developing a strategic outlook on the overall level of public spending and the balance or prioritization among its components . Another element that the PES was unable to do was to account for cyclicities among spending – that is, it does not distinguish which spending is cyclical and which is non-cyclical. This caused the total spending to ‘creep up’. ... s by lengthening the duration between PESs to three years, managing aggregate public spending in a top-down approach by specifying a ‘control total’ (i.e., government’s total planned spending), and distinguishing between DELs (departmental expenditure limits) and AMEs (annually managed expenditures). DELs cover those expenditures which government argues can be controlled, while AMEs are expenditures driven by demand which the government cannot effectively plan for, such as social security payments, debt interest, and the spending by local authorities. The Labour government came into power in 1997, and a year later the control totals system was replaced with a system that required departmental spending to be fixed for three years in Spending Review (SRs). There had been five such spending reviews, shown in the following diagram. Before each SR, the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report determines the Total Managed Expenditure (TME), which is the expenditure by the en tire public sector and derived from the National Accounts. It is the TME which is divided into the two components earlier described, the DELs and the AME, and the DELs are thereafter allocated by departments. Both the DEL and the AME are divided each into capital spending, or spending that increases the public sector’s fixed assets, and resource spending which is spending on everything else. The Labour government criticized the control total method of budgeting under the 1992 framework as preventing departments from efficiently spending and investing money, based on the following reasons: (1) The control totals over three years is of an ‘indicative’ nature – that is, control totals for the second and third years are only advisory in nature, and may be, as they have often been, increased when felt

Bel Canto Historical Analysis Essay Example for Free

Bel Canto Historical Analysis Essay Bel Canto, the setting is reflected off of the Lima Crisis, otherwise known as the Japanese embassy hostage crisis, which began on December 17, 1996. Bel Canto is a story on the events that happen in the house of a South American country’s vice president. It portrays the relationships of the characters and their feelings toward one another as well as explains the hostage situation. In the Japanese embassy hostage crisis, similar events took place, such as the actual overtake of a mansion which contained high-ranking military officials and others of a high social standing. Both settings deal with the releasing of hostages in exchange for demands that were never met, which led to the resolution of both the Lima crisis and Patchett’s Bel Canto. Bel Canto reflects the historical Japanese embassy hostage crisis, although Bel Canto has a third person omniscient point of view of the occurrences on the inside of the mansion. Bel Canto imitates the incidences of the Japanese embassy hostage crisis. The Japanese embassy hostage crisis was a 126 day hostage crisis where members of a revolutionary movement known as the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement had taken over 600 hostages, a decent amount of which were high ranked military officials and other well-known ambassadors. The MRTA, led by Nestor Cerpa, took over the highly fortified residence of the Japanese ambassador. Cerpa proclaimed that he would release any of his hostages who weren’t involved with the Peruvian government, and they did so. The MRTA eventually release all the captives except 72 men. The original plan of this takeover was to change the ways of the government. In Bel Canto, although the terrorists originally came to take the president, they were a rebellious group from the country and wanted changes in the government. The rebels demanded a few things in return for the safety of the hostages. They requested â€Å"The release of their members from prison; a revision of the government’s neoliberal free market reforms, and they protested against the cruel and inhumane conditions of Peru’s jails† (Japanese embassy hostage crisis). In Bel Canto, the rebels have demands as well: The terrorists having no chance to get what they came for, decided to take something else instead, something they never in their lives knew they wanted until they crouched in the low, dark shaft of the air-conditioning vents: opera. They decided to take that very thing for which Mr. Hosakawa lived. (71). Both terrorists wanted demands out of their seizures of the mansions. In both Bel Canto and in the Japanese crisis, a Red Cross official was the ‘negotiator. He attempted to setup a barter system to which the terrorists would get supplies so long as they give hostages back in return. In the Japanese crisis, Luis Cipriani had worked on getting a deal that would allow the terrorists to be let go into Cuba as exiles. This negotiation failed, as did some of the consultations from Bel Canto. Messner, the negotiator, attempts to make several negotiations with the terrorists, throughout the novel. Although both mediators do try to work th e situations out with the rebels, they are not able to meet the standards of the negotiations. In the end of both Bel Canto and the Japanese embassy hostage crisis, the terrorists were killed. They were not done in the same fashion, although the hostages were saved. In Bel Canto, the terrorists allow the hostages to be outside, and one day while they are together, a group of government troops come and shoot all the insurgents, as well as Hosokawa. In the Japanese crisis, a military assault overwhelmed the rebels and forced them to either surrender or be shot and killed. Bel Canto is very much reflected upon the happenings of the Japanese embassy hostage crisis. The similarities of the negotiations between the outside world and the mansions, the motives for invasion, and the format of how the situations end are all closely related. The book may not have total accuracy of the Lima crisis, although the internal view of the occurrences in the mansion provide a different side of the hostage situation. Works Cited Japanese embassy hostage crisis. Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. . Patchett, Ann. Bel Canto. 2005 ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. Print.

Proposition 34 Case Essay Example for Free

Proposition 34 Case Essay If the states voters approve it, Proposition 34 will eliminate the death penalty in California and replace it with life in prison without the possibility of parole. Specifically, Proposition 34 will: Repeal the death penalty as maximum punishment for people found guilty of murder and replace it with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Apply retroactively to people already sentenced to death. Require people found guilty of murder to work while in prison, with their wages to be applied to any victim restitution fines or orders against them. Create a $100 million fund to be distributed to law enforcement agencies to help solve more homicide and rape cases. California has seven hundred and twenty five people on death row. Seven of the seven hundred and twenty five people currently on death row have exhausted all appeals and are therefore eligible for execution; although a federal judge said that legal challenges to Californias lethal injection procedure must be resolved before any of them could be executed. The last time a prisoner was put to death in California was in 2006. California is one of 33 states that currently authorize the death penalty. The death penalty in California was judicially invalidated in the 1970s and was then reinstated as Proposition 7 in 1978. Thirteen inmates have been executed since then. Some arguments people are making who are FOR proposition 34 are that more than one hundred innocent people have been sentenced to death in the United States, and some have been executed. Their argument is stating that if proposition 34 is passed then we will never execute an innocent person in California again. Another argument is that California’s death penalty is too closely and broken beyond repair. They argue that one, only thirteen people have been executed since 1967-no one since 2006, most death row inmates die of old age. Two, we waste millions of tax dollars on special housing and taxpayer-financed appeals that can last 25 years. And last but not least in today’s society death row inmates sit around doing nothing. More arguments are that proposition 34 will make convicted killers work and pay into victims’ compensation fund, it will keep the killers in prison until they die, it will free up millions of tax dollars (to help our schools and to catch more murderers and rapists), and it saves money. Supporters are saying people think death penalty is cheaper then life in prison but they are wrong. Supporters also say California will save nearly $1 billion in five years, and the money could be spent on law  enforcement and our schools. Another thing supporters say is that there are more then one million unsolved cases of murders, so if we demolish the death penalty then some money can go to DNA testing, crime labs, and all other tools that help solve rapes and murders. Arguments that non supporters are making is that California is broke and abolishing the death penalty will cost tax payers over $10 0 million in the next four years and many years and many millions more in the future, instead of justice, killers get lifetime housing/healthcare benefits. Proposition 34 is not about saving money, it is about ACLU’s agenda to weaken public safety laws. Proposition 34 lets serial killers, cop killers, child killers, and those who kill the elderly, escape justice. Proponents don’t acknowledge that when California’s death penalty was eliminated before, condemned criminals were released only to rape and kill again. Voters had to restore capital punishment to restore justice. The death penalty is given to less than 2% of murderers whose crimes are so shocking that juries of law-abiding citizens unanimously delivered the sentence. Capital murder victims include: two hundred and twenty five children, forty three police officers, two hundred and thirty five raped and murdered, and ninety tortured and murdered. Non- Supporters also say that ACLU is the problem and that it is the ACLU and supporters who have disrupted fair implementation of the law with endless delays. Other states including Ohio and Arizona give criminals full rights and fairly enforce the death penalty. California can too. Also, that marketing Proposition 34, supporters make cost claims based on newspaper articles and â€Å"studies† written by the ACLU or other death penalty opponents. Department of Corrections data suggests abolishing capital punishment will result in increased long-term costs in the tens of millions, just for housing/healthcare. Taxpayers will spend at least $50,000 annually to care for each convicted killer who didn’t think twice about killing innocent children, cops, mothers and fathers. Non supporters say proposition 34 proponents don’t want you to know that it is not about the money, it is about their political agenda. In my opinion, if I were voting, I would vote no on proposition 34 because I feel that if someone can murder or rape another person then they deserve to die. There are way too many people in this world that are raping and killing others so we need to get rid of the ones already caught. I feel that if people actually start to get executed  for their stupidity then others will start to think twice before they go and rape or kill some one else. If we take away the death penalty then I feel that people will begin to kill and rape even more because in their minds it is â€Å"Hey, it’s only life in prison without parole, I still get benefits and I get to work†. If the death penalty get abolished California is screwed! Works Cited http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/ca/state/prop/34/

Challenges For Human Rights In The 21st Century Philosophy Essay

Challenges For Human Rights In The 21st Century Philosophy Essay It, perhaps shall not form an overstatement that of all the grand-narratives that tend to empower the common people (of the world), the human rights vernacular appears to be the most dominant. The expansion of democratic norms in the last decades of the 20th century essentially intensified the international legitimacy of human rights language. Many of the jurisdictions of both the hemispheres adopted more liberal and rights-oriented constitutions. This legacy is much more excelled by multidimensional effects of globalization on peoples and polities of the world. In this century we are observing a shift in human consciousness. The popular movements in the conservative Mid-west fueled and accelerated by electronic media and internet, foreshadows a significant shift in the history of human rights. This implies a message, perhaps a clear statement with which many of us would certainly agree that, the means of oppressing human dignity, the mantras for justifying absolutism and the machines for employing the Minotaur against the mass people, have been ended. This rise of the popular consciousness for sack of liberty, rights and human dignity is a great achievement in the international human rights movement. Thanks to the contribution of IT-based social networks that they not only connect the people but also unite and empower them to challenge the hegemones and their ideas. This picture tends to release a sense of optimism on the effects of human rights language that is least, they inspire people to struggle for legitimate demands. However, international political theatre is a very complex area of multilateral powerful actors. It is empirical that political power interplays in diverse ways in different contexts, hence this may be consistent to submit that such an interaction shall not be able to reproduce the same result with mathematical exactitude. To put in simple words, it means any political initiative may produce many different results in different contexts varying both in degree and in kind. The truth of this statement is admissible, but ethically this may not make us happy when it tends to justify actions that many of us would rather believe to be unjust. More to the point, after 9/11 the US campaign for war against terrorism, rise of religious fanaticism in different jurisdictions and impacts of climate change inject some completely new but strategically very important elements as points for policy reflections. The war against terrorism poses itself as a significantly different warfare since it involves no regular armed conflict from objective level of perceptions. If state enterprises can be considered as one side of the conflict, the other side the terrorists usually remains less than tangible. There is, I may imagine, a no mans land in between the two frontiers and here stays the common people, open to be the subjects of attack from both sides. It is evident that unlike the conventional warfare, the conflict of both sides occurs sporadically. Hence, none of us possibly can say for sure whether we at present are at peace or, at war of some kind. No one knows exactly when and how one may become the subject of terrorism. But perhaps every one may assume that at present many of the important human rights (like, right to life, speech, religion, movement, and fair trial) have been significantly curtailed. Understandably a reason for that is very often collective security is given more priority than individual. Even if we accept that it is necessary to protect the security of the society at large at the cost of some rights of a few, we have to admit that there is no explicit threshold or margin of appreciation for it. It appears that right to collective security trumps many fundamental human rights. Therefore, it seems important for us to ensure a minimum threshold or, margin of appreciation to protect the rights of those human beings who are at risk of deprivation. Many of my students even raise questions regarding the legitimacy of Drone attacks on suspected targets. We would plausibly accept that the rules of humanitarian law and human rights law frequently differ; but I imagine debates may be offered by different parties as to the question of priority if there is a conflict between the two. This may be submitted that there is an absence of norm or, significantly uniformed state practice to guide us on a legitimate border line between the two laws. This is not a well defined area in the sense that we do not know when to apply one or, cease the other, or, even when one may suspend the other. So, applying humanitarian law on probable suspects means opening the door to targeted killings and stripping of them of due process of law or any human rights whatsoever. Think of the state-sponsored extra-ordinary renditions that took place in many counties of the EU especially after the 9/11 incidents. Or, even the killing of suspect terrorists abroad. I assume many in the law community do not understand, what exactly makes these people (i.e. the terrorists) competent for deprivation of a due process of law? What doctrinal basis in international law exactly supports such intervention made against the sovereignty of a foreign state? Moreover, do we have an exceptional rule that justifies punishing someone without offering her the opportunity of defending herself in the court? All these questions become more significant when human rights language provides the sole premise of legitimacy and response to such actions. All these statements reveal another pertinent dimension that is the question state sovereignty or, supremacy of state. The hegemony and counter hegemonic struggle between and among different actors pose a serious question before us: i.e. do we still live in a world of sovereign states? Does the sovereignty of powerful states vary (both in degree and in kind) to that of the weak states? If variation among sovereigns is a fact then, what legal doctrine provides its legitimacy? We know that most of the human rights instruments make the state responsible to protect the rights of its people. It is consistent to think that such a burden was supported conceptually by the principle of state sovereignty. As states possess the ultimate authority over both imperium and dominium, it is logical that the onus to protect human rights should be on the state. State-practices often make this paradoxical as empirically states themselves violate human rights. However, it is more threatening to imagine that many states become helpless to protect its citizens rights from foreign surveillance and (aerial) attack. It is sufficient at this point for me to offer you to think of a question, which I would, emphasis a significant one is that: What role do human rights play in this incessant wrestle of power politics? Or, I imagine those in the world of realpolitik might choose a more precise but sharp question: Does human rights at all play any significant role in the world? The answer, for me, I will never say no. But, if you ask me about the locus of human rights in the political decision making, central or, peripheral, possibly I will say I do not know. I think thats the tragedy of it. One, perhaps the strongest (and many might say the weakest) point of international law is that it changes rapidly: Uniformed practices of the states and their consent to a particular action may produce a stronger law than positive laws. Even, state practices may by-pass any statement of an international legal instrument. Notably, the statement on non-intervention by the UN in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state in Article 2 (7) of the UN charter is a good example. The Article appears to respect the question of state sovereignty by the UN in matters of domestic jurisdiction of a state. Understandably, in the mid 1940s when the charter was drafted states were concerned about their sovereignty and wanted to protect it from outside intervention. But, the recent state practises show a change in this approach that is in case of Human Rights violations intervention of/ through the UN is a strong possibility. The basic apologia behind this new practice is comprehensible. Serious human rights violation may create sufficient reason for an exception. But, this exception if occurs persistently and with substantive number of states consenting, it releases a possibility to create a new norm of international law. Such a norm may provide legitimacy to, which many of us would agree, neo-colonial enterprises. The dominance and oppression of the Western metropolitan states over their Eastern counterparts. For centuries, it has been the West that manifests itself as the ethical master of the East. Do we accept human rights to add more legitimacy to that mastery? I can imagine many of us might suggest that empowering or, campaigning for human rights must not empower the dominant states, it must not provide legitimacy to their interest-oriented (or, purposefully discriminated) military interventions. At this level, I would suggest to consider the domestic dimension of human rights. For this, it is helpful if we accept the reality that after fifty years of decolonization, the oriental states are more or less successful in developing their domestic capital. In some jurisdictions, the native business enterprises or, the MNCs are becoming so powerful that at any point they tend to become equivalent to that of the state or, least they can challenge or alter any state initiative if by any chance they disagree. Even if we disregard the overall economic situation of a former colony which is now independent, I am sure that, this would not be exaggeration to state that some states make significant advancement in developing their private capital, alongside foreign capital. This indicates that in those states, states are not the sole players in political fields. Capital is often a co-ruler or, least manipulator of politico-economical decisions along with the state. This is acceptable to the extent that it signals the development or, strength of domestic capital vis-Ã  -vis the state. But, the same paradigm may offer different shocking results if we add a human rights element to it. Lets imagine that on a human rights question an MNC is involved as one party against an individual. This may entail several results of which let me choose a few; the first probability is that since the MNC is structurally and financially more able and comprehensive than the individual, it will have the superior capacity to convince or, manage the states regulatory oversight. The MNC shall win, irrespective of the fact that it denies the individual a legitimate right. Secondly, if the individual goes to the court, it is more likely that she may find her self in a difficult situation as the legal knowledge and expertise may be unwilling to make capital its enemy. Then, how does human rights empower? Or, do they empower at all? If you stand before a superior power, you may find adding human rights to you shoulder does not significantly change your status. This is somewhat a statement that says that human rights themselves require empowerment before they may empower us. But, how to empower the rights? Lenin, the prominent Marxist prophet maintained that the state, law and the pre-eminent capitalists always retain a symmetrical relation, in which the former two work as tool of oppression and legitimacy of the latter. Many of us may not support this contention. But even if we disregard Lenin, we would possibly find that it is in fact difficult a task to disintegrate the state from this chain of connection. I suggest that the state should be more pro-poor in its socio-political actions or, least we must neutralize the state. We already have these thoughts, but what is lacking is a comprehensive design and practical initiative for the purpose. From the perspective of environmental rights, things are getting more complex. We the conscious, literate people, are already aware of the international campaigns on global warming and climate change. But the point of consideration is how much practical connection do we have with the environment? We consider the nature as space, in which we live, breathe, we love to see natural beauty, the hills, the stars, the night sky, the ocean; we cherish a moonlight night, we love to see the pea-cocks, whales, sharks, tigers, elephants; we are happy to visit the forests, lakesides and thats all. All we do is living and entertaining. We, possibly never interacted with the nature the way a farmer or, a fisherman does or, feels. We live on the nature and they make it living. Now, think for a minute how much these people are aware of environmental rights, or protection? The answer, I think we all know; they know almost nothing. Then, if these people are not aware of their rights, who and how to pro tect the environment? I understand that many would suggest that environmental damage is caused more by the educated people than the farmers and fisherman. This is true, and therefore, besides the literate and conscious people we must have to think to add and aware the maximum number of earthlings who live on earth. It is basically, their art and heritage to make the earth living. The international instruments on environmental rights, like human rights instruments, impose the key responsibility on the shoulder of the state. If, for this purpose we deconstruct the term state, we would find, most possibly no farmer, no fisherman or, suchlike, but, the pre-eminent members of the society. If we consider the positive relation between the commercial enterprises and the state for this purpose, we may see that the present type of environmental protection supports this joint venture. That is, the emphasis is given more on development than environment protection. I must make it clear that I support the right to deve lopment, but, it must be environmentally sustainable. What I am trying to say is that when you emphasize on development it appears that you (intentionally/ unintentionally) support the key contention of the industrialists and not of the poor farmers. In this language, development has a specific meaning; it never meant for the poor. Development always principally has a commercial connotation. So, there is always a question, as no one knows, to what extent we have to sacrifice our environment for the sake of development.

Education :: English Literature

Education Education in Nervous Conditions. Education is often regarded as beneficial for people and necessary for advancement where people willingly accept to get educated. However in the case of Africa, education was forced on the population, especially western education. Although the Africans had an established medium of education, western education came to replace it and this education under the faà §ade of benefiting the society was there to exploit the people. Western education destroyed the people’s culture exploiting their intellect and their labor. The African’s medium of education was there to inculcate the values and culture of the tribes and this way of educating people was seen as inferior and the Europeans believed in an eradication of that type of education: â€Å"The traditional African educational systems, in their various forms, served the needs of the African people much more than the colonial educational system ever could.† Colonial education brought forward by missionaries was intended to make the local people westernized and follow or corporate with the western government: â€Å"colonial African education was not based on a desire to educate the African people, but a desire to have the ability to control the African people.† Students who follow colonial education are torn between the western world and their own African world and they have this feeling of not belonging to either culture. They don’t want to follow their own culture as they feel superior to it and the white world does not accept them either. The Africans have adopted alongside with the colonial education, the values of the western world and this makes these students move away from the traditional world of Africa. The young generation would feel that through this education they had acquire too many skills to be able to get a proper gob in their society which they consider as backwards and when they leave their country for the colonial empire they are rejected. In Dangarembga's Nervous conditions, we are presented with the westernization of various characters through education. British education plays a great role in the novel where Tambu, Babamukuru, Nhamo and Nyasha, all bear the impact of this education. Dangarembga’s gives weight to Kachru’s ‘alchemy of English’ where: â€Å"Tambu tells us that "white wizards" from the south who were "well versed in treachery and black magic" educated her uncle Babamukuru (18-9)† Tambu knows that the British education is an important way to enable her to evade her two major biological roles, that of being a woman and of being black, which have imprisoned her in her culture. When the novel starts Tambu is seen as being happy at her brother’s death as this is enabling her to go to a western school where the colonial education

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier :: The Chocolate War

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier was a book that we read in class, it was about good and evil. It is about how the to forces battle for superiority over one another. The book tells how one of the sides over powers the other to claim its spot on top. The people are like pawns to two of the characters, Archie and Brother Leon because they use the people to get what they want from them, and will stop at nothing to get it. Both of characters will stop at nothing to have what they want, which is to have the power over the school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The good characters even though few in number are willing to go the distance (especially for Jerry). Jerry is the main character of the story. He has a struggle with in himself to do the right thing. He mess with the wrong people in the school and they make him pay for it, because no one can mess with the Vigils and get away with it. He was to refuse to take chocolates for ten days. However he still refuses to take the chocolates after the ten days. Brother Jacques is another one of the good guys because he sees that Brother Leon is truely an evil man and abuses his power the power that he has over the kids. He saves Jerry at the of the story from the boxing match. Goober is a good person with a big heart, but is not to smart to get out when in to deep helping Jerry to get out. All that he wanted to do was to play football and to run.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is more of a power struggle among the evil side for them to want to work together. Archie is the Vigils’ Assigner giver. Archie has a struggle with Brother Leon and Carter. First a struggle with Leon because both are trying to carrie the power of the school. Second with Carter both trying to control the Vigils. Carter the president of the Vigils puts Archie on probation tries to stab him in the back at the boxing match using the black box. He smashes Jerry in practice every day just because he can do the. Brother Leon is a sadistic teacher because of the things that he does to the kid in his class, like when he put Bailey in front of the class and smacked him on the cheek with a pointer.

Counselling Essay

Identify aspects of body language and explain their necessity in rapport building in counselling Describe what â€Å"body language† or non-verbal communication (NVC) are. Write about body language the S.O.L.E.R and identify aspects of body language useful in creating an effective counselling relationship. Body lanuage is very important of how one looks on the outside during interation with others. If a person looks uninterested during a conversation he will have a hard time making and keeping friends. A good body language involves, keeping good personal space, making eye contact, sitting or standing up straight, and looking interested. You must not do the bad role play,which is stare at the floor, or stare too much at th client. Even scowl, fidget or rock back and forth, cross arms, slouch etc. The counsellor can identify what you are doing wrong. If the clients talks ina very flat voice, the counsellor may think this is his feelings of depression. The counsellor and client attribute characteristic to each other on the basis of non-verbal and para-verbal communiction. Thiscan be used to replace or support words. This can be used to replace or support words. This can conceal as well as to reveal, thoughts and feelings. Counsellors sometimes, can misinterpret clients non-verbal and para-verbal communication and must ask the client, what they are really thinking and feeling. The SOLER are for the 1) eye contact it is essential, majority of the time and showing face movement. This can be gestures, head movement and facial expression. 2) keep still, not to fidget do not rock back and forth, play with your hair or clothes or hands. 3) Personal space , not too far near about 2-3 feet apart is a comfortable distant. 4) Posture sitting up straight or even leaning towards the speaker, the client will know you are interested and encourage active listening. Maintaing eye contact, forward trunk, lean, close distance and medium-rated and high rated verbal empathy results to higher levels of judged empathy . Counsellor must be careful not to misinterpret the efforts of their own non-verbal communications on their clients. Silence is an important form of non-verbal communication. One of the main ways in which counsellors can show acceptance is to give the client both permissin and psychological space to reveal their thoughts abnd feeings. Non-intervention and saying nothing is important way where parents can communicate acceptance to their children.

Intro to Ethics Study Guide Essay

1. social contract theory is to give up right to have a government, animals come in the public court of opinion. Animals are involved †¦ implicit †¦ it can be inferred they contribute to human beings and killing them would interfere with the balance in the ecosystem 2. virtue ethics-aristotle would argue that if you were to kill an animal without morality would be immoral. Using too much compassion or too little. Doing the right thing because it is the right thing. 1st categorical imperative. If that maxim is able to become a universal law. A maxim would be to care for animals 3. Util- it depends on the situation who it makes happy more who is satisfied? Can you do better with your time 2. If John has a day off from work and stays home all day getting drunk, then Utilitarianism would say that it is okay for john to do that seeing that he is home alone and he is not bothering anyone. His family and friends are not aware of what he is doing and he decided to get drunk which makes his happiness the highest. Yet, it must be considered what John could have done in that period of time that could have been most beneficial to the community. The morally right thing action brings the highest net or overall happiness which John did not provide. This brings up Hedonism where the right actions only have best results that are measured so the goal should be to maximize the total measure of happiness. John could have done other things throughout that day like volunteering at a hospital or visiting his family. According to Utilitarianism, John decided to get drunk which is not following through with the Utilitarian right of action by doing something that would give the most happiness. Morality is the effort to guide one’s conduct by reason and have the best reasons for doing them. So, if John’s drinking is not backed up with the best reasons possible for doing them, then John’s decision is not morally correct according to utilitarianism. 3. 4. We are obligated to keep our promises according to all four theories. Utilitarianism: If my happiness outweighs the net happiness of the person of whom I want to break the promise with, then utilitarianism would say that it is okay to break the promise seeing that it would give me the most amount of happiness. But, if you break that promise and continue to break promises you made to your friend, then that would eventually lead to your best friend being unhappy with you and break the friendship apart unless that friend does not care about broken promises. Kantian ethics: We should keep our promises because we are to act only according to that maxim by which it will at the same time become a universal law. If we were to promise to pay someone back and never planned to pay them back for real and broke that promise, then if that was to become a universal law no one would trusts each other or believe people when they say they will owe them back. Thus, this will break friendships and leave the world with broken promises. Social contract theory: depends if the person lying is doing something for good virtue ethics: practical wisdom on which virtue to use. Knowing what virtue to use in what situation. 5. Kant thought lying was immoral because our behavior should be guided by universal laws which are moral rules that hold true in all circumstances. Kant says that lying under any circumstances is â€Å"the obliteration of one’s dignity as a human being† Even a small white law is unacceptable. His argument consisted of it being okay to lie or lying becoming popular. You should act in a way if it was to become a universal law so this universal law of lying would lead to everyone lying and the purpose would be self-defeating, no one would believe each other, and no one would pay attention to what you say. Essentially, Kant believes that we should only do the actions that conform to rules that we would adopt universally. 7.virtue is a state of character that lies between by doing a virtuous act you will become virtuous because it will become a habit coward-courage 8. If known murder comes to your home searching your friend, A virtue theorist would tell the truth. Although he has virtues like loyalty and honesty which he want to keep true, I would have to choose between one or the other. Virtues are desired states of character that are also excellence that brings into good conditions therefore people strive to have these virtues. The friend must choose to whether tell the truth to the murderer which is a virtue of having honesty or tell a lie to the murderer to help his friend which is a virtue of loyalty to their friend. Although both virtues are important and one would not want to participate in the murder of their friend, a virtue theorist would essentially tell the murderer the truth since ——–lying is treating a person as mere means because you are using them to lie instead of using them as ends——virtue is a state of character concerned with choice and so lying in a mean would be determined by the rational principle which can only be determined by a man of practical wisdom.—-virtue looks for what is intermediate.

How Have Your Eating Habits Changed Since You Joined College?

Virginia Mwangi Name of institution Subject name September 24, 2011 Eating habits In a nutshell, I can describe the change in my eating habits since I joined college as transference from one distinct end of a continuum to the other. This is because they changed from healthy to unhealthy, regular to irregular and from eating in plentitude to small meals. The paucity of my pocket was partially responsible for the shift from plenty to minimal. With the little allowances my mom gave me for upkeep, no one was more adroit at achieving the intricate balance between my need to be stylish and food. Consequently, my meals were reduced to what may be considered by many as mere snacks. In essence therefore, the pounds I lost from eating less were compensated for adequately by my cheap but trendy dressing. On the other hand, it never really occurred to me that my college eating habits were a far cry from being healthy. The fact that mine were not exactly exceptional from those of the rest of the students contributed significantly to this. In addition, although we as students had a wealth of information on appropriate diets, we simply did not have a variety of nutrient packed food in our environment to choose from. Moreover, the readily available sumptuous fries retailed at student sensitive prices provided us with the impetus to eat unhealthy. The irregularity of my meals was not of my own making but was due to my hectic course schedule. Prior to joining college, I adhered to my meal times to the clock. However, this proved a daunting task in college since the time schedules did not strictly observe meal times. In particular, my tutorial schedule had the tenacity of coinciding with regular eating times. In conclusion, reflecting back on how my eating habits changed since I joined college makes my heart pause. In particular, the irregularity and paucity that came to characterize my meals was simply incredulous. The concept of eating healthy also seems to have been conspicuously absent as far as my eating habits in college were concerned.

A Pestel Analysis of a Clothes Manufacturers and Suppliers

The PESTEL analysis shown in the appendix portrays some of the issues in the external environment that a firm manufacturing and supplying luxury men’s clothing may experience. In all six sections; political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal there are issues that the firm would face. However, some have more significance to others. Although political, technological and environmental factors would have a big affect on the firm, when looking at the three most important issues facing the firm; social, economic and legal come out on top.Firstly, social factors play a massive part in the external environment of the firm. For-fronting the part it plays could be, as brought up in the PESTEL analysis, the men’s clothing market is very dynamic. Fashion has its own cycle, but it very hard to understand, with items coming in and out of fashion quickly. With retailers changing stock usually at least 4 times a year (seasonal clothes) it can be very hard for a m anufacturer to keep up with. Along with this rapid change, there has been seen a raise in men’s fashion consciousness, with more and more premium priced men’s clothing appearing.This portraying the difficulty the firm may have at keeping up with its competitors who have somewhat consolidated themselves in the market. However, with low barriers to entry, thus low initial capital costs to start the business, they may catch up quickly. This along with the a thorough PESTEL analysis may see the firm compete well. Changing fashion has often been led by national social change. A recent form of social change has seen consumers become more ethically driven, with products such as the Fairtrade brand seeing a steep increase in sales, according to their website around ?300m of sales annually (2007 figure).This rise in what is known as the ethical consumer has meant that attention on this front has to be sharply increased. Some companies such as the bath shop have turned focussed solely on a ethical approach. The manufacturing of the firm will not go unnoticed with pressure groups being very much present. Businesses such as Primark and GAP have felt a full force lobby from these interest groups. Primark, who were outsourcing the manufacture of their goods to India, were uncovered by a BBC report. The program showed children working for the outsourced manufacturer and bad working conditions.If the firm was to have bad press too, say from PETA and animal rights activists, who look very closely at fur farming (for luxury clothing), this may have detrimental affects on factors such as their reputation and finances. This shows issues the firm may experience from pressure groups, so work will be needed to keep these people happy and too shareholders with similar views. Demographics mentioned in the PESTEL may too conjure up issues for the firm in the current environment. Demographics include age, race and gender.When looking at the age of the population, the firm will need to address the issue to which age group (target market) to supply this luxury clothing too. According to a recent census males aged 15-64 years old make up 33% of the population, thus a age group within this seems appropriate. However, the lower of the group having lower disposable income and other factors will need to be considered. Race and culture will also bring about some issues to the firm. They will have to consider clothing that will be appealing to all races and not offend any culture.This being a small issue but will need to be watched. Secondly, moving on to economic factors that may affect and bring up issues in the external environment for the firm. Recession comes out as the biggest threat to the firm at the moment, with many businesses falling into liquidation and great times of uncertainty for workers. With Recession comes many problems that the firm will experience. One being unemployment, which according to BBC figures has rose to around 8-8. 9%, these be ing the worse figures since 1992.Rising unemployment along with a falling national disposable income demand in the economy will fall. The firm supplying luxury goods are usually going to be more susceptible to a fall in demand when there is a fall in income. This is because luxury goods are more income elastic. Consumers will be more willing to give up spending on these kinds of goods than say essentials such as toilet paper and drinks. This is an issue to the manufacturer so they will have to hope on considerations such as brand loyalty and correct marketing to push up demand.They may also need to drop their profit margin on clothing to help generate more sales. In this economic downturn there has been a big depreciation in the pound sterling. This has made exports more attractive (however, fall in value of pound means its not exactly positive) and importing more expensive. With the firm mainly supplying the UK market with some operations abroad it will be affected by this. If raw materials are being imported into the UK for use in production then the firm will be paying a higher unit price for these. This of course will add to the unning costs of the business. Also the few countries they firm supplies they will be receiving a lower price for the goods losing out on the bad exchange rate, which has been at its worse for a decade. Both of these are an obvious issue to the firm but are out of their control, so it is just a case of sitting and waiting for the economy to be boosted again. One way the government may try to help the economy recover again is through a policy implemented in times of turmoil called fiscal policy. This comprises mainly of controls on spending and taxation.For example the VAT cut of 2. 5% from 17. 5% to 15% was made in attempt to help businesses stay afloat. Many companies passed these cuts straight onto the consumer in order to stay competitive. Another policy installed is the monetary policy, which looks mainly at money supply and int erest rates. Interest rates, under the Monetary Policy Committee, were brought down to a very low 0. 5% stated on the Bank of England website. This along with other contributors has led banks to be very stingy with lending money to each other, consumers and business.The firm if it finds itself needing to borrow capital from the banks may find this difficult and with such a weak pound investors may be less willing to invest too. This may be a great issue to the firm as with no constant cash flow partnered with a possible fall in demand it may find itself struggling to compete and stay in business. The final factor of the 3 most important issues currently facing the firm is the legal elements. These will have a big impact on the business environment of the men’s clothing sector such as the social and economic considerations have done too.The legal system in the UK is very complex and there are many laws that the firm will need to abide for business to run. The firm is likely to be affected in the two usual ways by legal factors. Firstly, if new procedures and systems have to be developed then it can affect the firm’s costs. Secondly, if the laws affect the likelihood of the customer buying the good, it can affect the firm’s demand. The amount of laws present makes it harder for the firm to run with checks needing to be made along many points of the course of the business.The Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974, is one law that would bring up issues for the business. First, they would need to spend money on ensuring the workplace is safe and suitable under the law, this would avoid any possible suing or bad press. Second, training will need to be provided before an employee can work on the firm’s premise. This will cost the firm and will not see a return until the employee has been working for a good amount of time. Also the risk of employees quitting during training (first few weeks at work is a likely time for one to quite) will mean money is wasted if they do so.Training will not be the only issue cost to the business, things such as reporting all incidents will increase administration costs, as more files are created and submitted for health and safety. The firm may feel under pressure too from other laws such as competition laws and employment laws and issues may arise if they are caught breaking these laws. Competition law will be likely to protect the firm against other manufacturers who may make cartels or predatory price for example.However, it creates pressure on executives and others to keep by these laws and run the business in the â€Å"correct† way. Employment acts such as the Employment Relations Act, 2004, give certain rights to the employees to stop them being â€Å"abused† by managerial personnel. This has left the firm’s employees with a greater authority, allowing them to legally call strikes if they have any concerns. This is made more likely to happen to the firm as it i s sitting in a recession with high inflation.High inflation can lead to employees demanding higher pay, thus being an issue that the firm will need to keep tabs on. All laws, as said make business practice a very much controlled environment to work in, which has shown to cause business various issues, some stated already. These have mainly been issues that affect the firm’s costs. One issue that can affect the demand of the goods may be bad press. Many laws put in place to protect people e. g. employment laws and international agreements on human rights or environmental policy, will create bad press if broken.Emissions levels and road taxes may affect the firm if it is importing its raw materials laws may also make it hard for the business to import all the materials they need too or they may need to pay more for the surplus on the amount allowed. All three factors from the PESTEL analysis show many issues that the firm will face in the external environment of the men’ s clothing market. Overall, social, economic and legal considerations bring about more issues than technological, environmental and political elements. However, they too create issues that the firm will need to analyse and consult.The men’s clothing market is strongly influenced by social and economic happenings and controlled by laws portraying why they create more issues than the other three. All in all, politics do not play a great role in the manufacture of clothes. Also the men’s clothing market being a relatively simple segment in terms of technology, thus low barriers to entry, technological factors do not form many issues. Environmental factors seem to create the most issues to the firm but are closely linked to social and legal and seem more appropriate in these sections.

A Summary of The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, a Short Story by Ursula K. Le Guin

A Summary of The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, a Short Story by Ursula K. Le Guin Fiction â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas† is a fictional story that is classified as a short story by the author Ursula Le Guin. The story has a vivid description that has a lot of repetition in the narration of the way of life of the people of Omelas. The story is full of deliberate vague and vivid descriptions. The narrator explains the happiness in the city of Omela, but it becomes clear that the narrator does not know the details about the details. The fictional nature of the story comes out clearly when the narrator gives the readers the freedom of imagining the details as it suits them, it doesnt matter. As you like it† (Le, 1973). The Context of the Story In the introduction, the story gives the details of the Festival of Summer celebrated by the Omelas. The matching of the people and the singing shows the happiness that dominates among them. However, the narrator shifts from the celebration and narrates the misery of a child locked in a house secluded from the Omelas. From the story of the suffering child, the idea of scapegoat arises. According to Nugroho (2016), the scapegoat is the act of laying the blame on someone instead of others. The narrator makes the reader understand that the child suffering is in exchange for the happiness of the people of Omelas. If the child is to let out of the house and given the opportunity to enjoy life as the Omelas, then suffering is bound to befall the people of Omelas. Thus, the child is depicted as the life saver since its misery makes life possible. Ritchie (2016) postulated that allegories are stories that describe events and represents events in a metaphorical manner. In this context, the suffering child is used to represent the wealthy and the poor. The poor seem to work for the wealthy and the few happy ones. However, any conclusions about the significance and the causes of the child suffering are left by the narrator at the disposal of the reader. Apollonian Work Based on the context and the insight of the story, the story can be concluded that it is Apollonian. Leddy (2016) describes the Apollonian as works whose aspects of human nature are presented as rational, ordered and full of discipline. The happiness fills the people of Omelas, and the writer describes the child as somebody whose freedom has been limited. The people, especially the children of the Omelas, who goes to see the child pity him or her. However, the goodness of the Omelas cannot go to the extent of rescuing the child from suffering. The Value and The Message of the Story The value of this fictional story lies in the themes illustrated by the narrator. The theme of suffering as seen in the child locked up in house shows how some people suffer in the society at the expense of others. The happy ones in the society enjoy themselves while the low class in the society suffers working hard with little or no return. Moreover, on the positive side, there is love and sharing among the people of Omelas. The festival brings together the people of Omelas; they play, eat, and interact together during the festival. Recommendation to other Readers The narrator calls the readers to make their conclusions after reading the story. Moreover, the narrator seems to be unsure of the facts surrounding the lives of the Omelas. The readers can make their conclusions after reading it. Therefore, it is important for people to read the story, and make their conclusions about the Omelas.

Coffee and ethical globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Coffee and ethical globalisation - Essay Example This paper is about how the coffee bean is changing the way organizations are doing business all over the world.We use as our basis an article about how a number of companies are working with Fair Trade,a U.S.-based socially-orientated group that lobbies companies to pay fair prices for agricultural products imported from third world countries.As a result, these companies are mobilising their customers, shareholders, and their competitors to behave differently. This transformation of organisational behaviour towards increased social consciousness somewhat goes against the traditional context of running capitalist-based businesses. Several thinkers - economists Karl Marx and Adam Smith, gurus Peter Drucker and Michael Porter, philosophers Friedrich Hayek and Alasdair MacIntyre, and Nobel Prize winners Milton Friedman and Amartya Sen - have opined that the business purpose of organisations drive their behaviour.What drives this behaviour at the centre of which lies the humble coffee be an How is this phenomenon exactly changing the way organisations do business globally This seemingly innocuous set of questions drives us to investigate: First, how do these changes in the purpose of running a business enterprise affect its profitability and, ultimately, its sustainability Second, how should we understand these organisations and the behaviour of the people who manage them so that we learn for our personal advantage. After all, whether these changes are right or wrong - thus falling within the realm of ethical studies - we can certainly learn for our own benefit, acquiring a deeper understanding of organisations that would help us comprehend the purpose and logic not only behind the workings of corporations but also of the global, political, and historical consequences of everyday events. Understanding how business organisations adapt to reality can teach us how to survive and thrive in any working environment and, should we so decide, discover ways of making a personal difference in the world. This paper will use three of five paradigms to analyse the behaviour of organisations and discuss four issues arising from the emergence of the coffee bean as a catalyst of change. The author has selected the classical, critical management studies, and evolutionary paradigms explained in the next section to discuss corporate governance and business ethics, globalisation and internationalisation, organisational change and leadership, and environmentalism and its national policy consequences. Our understanding of these three paradigms, based on the works of Crowther and Green (2004) and Whittington (2001), provide us with models to understand the culture of organisations and how they act and interact. Organisations transform and are transformed, evolve and grow and, depending on how they manage this process, either bloom and continue their existence or otherwise stagnate and die. The manner by which organisations face complex issues depends on the men and women who own and manage them, which includes their shareholders, managers, employees, customers, and what Freeman (1984) refers to as stakeholders. Organisations, after all, begin and sustain their existence through humans, so understanding how organisations behave in the face of issues is a window to the minds of the humans within them. Using three paradigms, we investigate organisational behaviour and find out how coffee is changing the way we live, and how it may continue to transform our future. Paradigms as Analytical Tools There are five paradigms we can use to analyse organisations. This is by no means an exhaustive list, as there are many ways of introducing and discussing the theory of organisations, as Crowther and Green

Causes and effects of alcoholism Research Paper

Causes and effects of alcoholism - Research Paper Example Research has failed to reach consensus on the causes of alcohol abuse, but one cause due to which individuals become addicted to alcohol is that those who consume alcohol for a very long period of time become mentally dependant on it and if they try to stop consumption of alcohol they experience withdrawal symptoms and this dependence is recognized as one of the causes of alcoholism. There are other causes that may cause alcoholism, but research has failed to reach consensus on these causes. One of these causes is genetic factors that may result in alcoholism. This means that certain individuals might be born with certain characteristics that may increase the risk of these individuals becoming involved in the act of alcohol abuse. Genetic factors may explain alcoholism among certain percentage of population, but it fails to explain the same behavior in various other populations. According to Kearney, genetic factors are one of the reasons due to which individuals abuse alcohol and th e researcher even states that individuals belonging to families in which alcohol abuse was quite prevalent were at a higher risk of around three to four times to abuse alcohol (Kearney, 2011, p.257). Another possible cause of dependence on alcohol is the changes in an individual’s cognitive chemical balances due to continuous consumption of alcohol over a longer period of time. Individuals who try to stop consumption of alcohol may experience decline in the chemical levels of norepinephrine and due to this the individual may experience higher levels of blood pressure as well as increase in heart rate and in order to counter this effect, the individual may resort to drinking higher levels of alcoholic drinks. A research was conducted by Hawley, in which the researchers identified that the levels of cerebrospinal fluid norepinephrine were higher among those who were trying to quit their addiction of alcohol consumption (Hawley, 1981). To a

Literature Review on Group Creativity Theory Essay

Literature Review on Group Creativity Theory - Essay Example rt in their field and have strong knowledge to properly guide the design team and create an environment that is conducive to creativity, innovation and stimulation of new ideas (Paulus & Nijstad, 2003). In other words, the art director serves as a project manager, designer and coordinator of all design activities in order to achieve the best possible end-product for the customer. Without a strong art director, a design team may not have clear direction or have the tools necessary to instill creativity and innovation for all projects. Perhaps the most difficult challenge for the art director is to implement a creative environment while balancing the challenges of group creativity theory and all of the variables associated with group dynamics. There are many external, social and psychological factors that can impact a design team’s ability to think creatively. Furthermore, the politics of a creative team can impact the group creativity because individuals begin to compete over whose ideas are more creative. One issue that can arise is an over-abundance of ideas that can actually reduce the positive creativity that is desired within a group collectivity situation (Goncalo & Staw, 2006). In this situation, it is highly important for the art director to utilize the control and organizational power awarded by the position to continue to harbor good ideas while reducing the opportunity for too many ideas to have a negative impact on group creativity. In the end, a choice must be made and the group must push forw ard to produce a strong website that is both creative and to the customer’s approval. Due to socio-psychological issues stemming from criticism in the workplace, there is often a serious issue that confronts group creativity. Many employees shut down their creativity when their own work has been criticized, in which case, directors often avoid criticizing work which negatively impacts the quality and abundance of creativity (De Dren et al., n.d.).

CPD Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CPD Nursing - Essay Example Center of discussion in this paper is continuing professional development (CPD) as the education that professionals in various fields undertake after their formal training. It mainly consists of any educational or training activity that helps professionals to maintain, increase or develop knowledge, technical skills, problem-solving or professional performance standards. It is therefore a means through which professional can demonstrate their continued commitment to competent performance in a framework that is relevant, fair, transferrable, inclusive and formative. CPD includes self-directed activities as well as formal activities. Formal activities include conferences, workshops and courses whereas self-directed activities include directed reading and preceptorship. Learning in CPD could be delivered in group sessions within the workplace or away from the workplace or work-based programmes specifically designed to meet the needs of individual professional and their employers. Daly e t al state that the main aim of CPD is to ensure that nurses and other professionals provide improved healthcare services to their patients and the society at large. In all professions, CPD as a learning initiative could be undertaken either as an initiative of an individual professional or the initiative of professional institutions, governments or employers. CPD is related to lifelong learning in that both CPD and lifelong education involve a continuous building of knowledge and skills. They both occur through experiences encountered in the lifetime of an individual and this means that their learning objectives are meant to address their inadequacies or incompetency in some specific areas an individual has noted. Both CPD and lifelong learning are continuous. This means that the acquisition of knowledge does not have a designated ending period (Bulman and Schutz 2004). Instead, it continues as long as the individual is still willing and capable of learning. Both CPD and lifelong l earning are a result of personal interest hence learning is voluntary and self-motivated according to Quinn (1998). Learning in both cases is learner directed hence education or curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the individual and their learning objectives and not individual fitting themselves into a pre-set curriculum and learning objectives. In both cases, the individual has a chance to learn through formal experiences like counselling, training, tutoring, apprenticeship, mentorship or higher education, as well as informal experiences like mass media. CPD and lifelong education are also related in that CPD takes place throughout the working life of a professional. This means it covers the individual’s working lifespan just as lifelong learning. How CPD can improve the standard and quality of nursing practice According to Chinn and Kramer (2004), CPD is a good means through which nurses are helped to have a better understanding

Renovation of Bathroom of Syracuse University Residence Hall (Dat Article

Renovation of Bathroom of Syracuse University Residence Hall (Dat Hall) - Article Example Importantly of the three viable options and the three budgeting conclusions, investigations revealed that each of the viable options will not require significant pipeline changes in the plumbing system, thus reducing costs. Option one will give freshmen the opportunity to have some privacy while showering or using the facility. Option two would not be costly as option one but will still give the bathrooms modernized feel students are used to in everyday life. The last option focuses on the student’s complaints about broken showers and old tiles. This report recommends that Day Hall renovates using option two as it will give the bathrooms a modernized feel, besides installments can be completed through SU staff reducing cost. For the purpose of providing a more comfortable residence experience for incoming freshmen, the communal bathrooms in day hall are fairly old and raise concerns over privacy and cleanliness issues amongst students currently living in the dorm. Amongst the issues for improvements, privacy ranks as of greatest importance, including sinks, showers, and toilets that are very close together. The bathrooms are very open and lack the privacy many students would like when moving to college. Therefore, to provide more personal space, renovations or separation of the toilets, showers, and sinks in the bathroom area can accommodate new and old students satisfactorily. To renovate the Day Hall’s facilities will add comfortability to the student’s need for usage, besides eliminating the health risks that may arise as a result. The primary concern of this feasibility study is the cost, duration of downtime, and the availability of SU staff.  

Describe the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of chronic Essay

Describe the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of chronic leukemia - Essay Example This is when leukemia cells grow more rapidly. One of the most common symptoms of chronic leukemia is swollen or enlarged lymph nodes. Other symptoms include fever, bone pain, weight loss, night sweats, reduced immunity, abdominal discomforts, and fatigue among many others. In the initial diagnosis, key factors include lack of significant circulating blasts, frequent thrombocytosis, and mild anemia. Chronic leukemia patients exhibit a cytochemical abnormality, characterised by low leukocyte alkaline phosphatase (Schiller 2003). A record of low leukocyte alkaline phosphatase is associated with relatively low levels of granulocyte colony- stimulating factor. Additional laboratory features include elevated elastase and uric acid levels. However, in order to confirm the disease, a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy is required to all patients considered to have chronic leukemia (Wiernik 2001). This helps not only to verify the diagnosis, but also to offer some essential information concerning the stage of the disease. In general, patients with chronic leukemia are diagnosed with immature leukocytes in their blood, and include increased number of white blood cells taking abnormal shapes (Skeel and Khleif 2011). However, the red blood cells and platelets tend to appear to be less than the normal quantities. Due to its nature of slow progression, chronic leukemia may not call for immediate treatment. However, it is vital for persons with this type of leukemia to seek frequent check ups for proper monitoring of the disease (Moini 2012). Nevertheless, there are five stages involved in treatment of this type of leukemia: chemotherapy is one of them and it is used to kill leukemia cells, which involves use of anti-cancer drugs (Swearingen 2008). Radiation is also used to kill cancer cells, which involves exposing them to high-energy radiation. Interferon therapy is

Musical Instrument Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Musical Instrument Museum - Essay Example The yangqin is a commonly used Chinese musical instrument because it was present in the three episodes and also at the museum. Yangqin is a dulcimer, and people play it using bamboo mallets pair rubberised on one end. It is played by hitting the string with the rubberised end, but the mallets can be used through being turned over to create a sharper note. In playing some Chinese song, the player holds the mallets vertically and makes the use of the other end or the use of hands to pluck. Yangqin is referred to as a versatile instrument because it is able to play arpeggios or rapid running tunes. Liuqin was also available in the museum and at the three episodes. This instrument is referred to as a soprano range lute. Liuqin has two sound holes located at the side of the body. The instruments also look similar to pipa but has is smaller. Liuqin has four strings that are turned G3-D4-G4-D5. The instrument just like guitar is played using the plectrum. An individual can change the pitch by pressing slightly above the frets of the instrument. It is a soprano instrument because it has a bright and penetrating sound. The range of liuqin is similar to the violin.Pipa is another instrument that was present in the museum as well as in the three episodes.Pipa has been associated with imperial songstresses and concubines at teahouses since it conveys the stereotypical demure damsel image. Pipa does not have the sound hole, but this does not limit it from producing musical sound just like other plucked string instruments.

Bilingual Education Essay Example for Free

Bilingual Education Essay A deeper sense of xenophobia has descended on America recently. The sleepy rural town of Pahrump, NV, reflected this animosity when it passed an ordinance that made English the official language and made it illegal to display foreign flags without an accompanying American flag (Curtis, 2006). In an act of civil disobedience, two Pahrump residents placed a Polish flag and an Italian flag (in reference to their own ancestry) on their front porch (Curtis, 2006). Vandals drenched the Italian flag with eggs overnight (the Italian flag looks similar to the Mexican flag). A majority of the voting citizens of Pahrump would eventually overturn the polarizing ordinance. This incident reflects a salient truth: many monolingual Americans feel uncomfortable with the influx of Spanish-speaking peoples because of the perceived lack of assimilation by Hispanics. This xenophobic atmosphere has trickled onto the realm of education: a movement for the elimination of bilingual education in public schools has gained more attention recently. Proponents argue that using native languages in the classroom impedes national unity (Brisk, 1998). Others feel that bilingual education impedes learning. This research paper examines a possible cause of the anti-bilingual movement. It also examines some arguments and counter arguments of bilingual education. Although by definition bilingual education may include English and any foreign language, this paper focuses on the Spanish-speaking population because of the perception many have about the Hispanic community: that it resists conforming to American culture. Such sentiments have contributed to the anti-bilingual education movement that has descended in many parts of America. This is unfortunate because bilingual education programs actually promote assimilation into mainstream American society. Bilingual Education 3 The bilingual education debate, as mentioned in the introductory paragraph, has garnished more dialogue lately because of another hot button issue; immigration. Newscasts often flash images of â€Å"illegal aliens† crossing our borders. Many talk shows often feature lively debates concerning effects of the undocumented workforce. The immigration debate finally sparked a massive protest in 20006 with the â€Å"Day Without an Immigrant† boycott that would affect American schools and businesses (Lendon, 2006). The topic of bilingual education has inevitably entered the debate. Editorial writers often slip in their stances on bilingual education when discussing immigration issues. Pugnacious talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh often host acidic debates on bilingualism in the United States. This issue will certainly not evaporate any time soon. What many opponents of bilingual education fail to mention is that there is an elephant in the room: xenophobia. Many monolingual citizens fear that American culture as they know it is morphing into something foreign. Considering America’s rich, colorful immigrant history, this fear baffles the mind. Why would the descendants of Poles, Germans, Czechs, Italians, and other European immigrants express such concerns? Critics of America’s evolving culture should focus on the similarities between the immigrants of their ancestors and the plight of today’s average immigrant. Many of America’s ancestors landed on our shores at the turn of the 20th century (Calderon, Slavin, 2001). Their European ancestors, like today’s immigrants, had the same dreams that many of today’s immigrants have: to escape the abyss of poverty or war. Although many immigrants faced linguistic and cultural obstacles, many witnessed their children succeed in school and acquire economic security. According to Calderon and Slaven Bilingual Education 4 (2001), â€Å"School is the ladder by which children of immigrants climb out of poverty and into mainstream society† (p. 8). The goal of the immigrants of yesteryear was clearly to assimilate by means of a quality education. If education is a major ingredient for assimilation of immigrants into mainstream society, then society should embrace bilingual education. A starting point is literacy, since reading cuts across all academic subjects. An effective strategy involves using a child’s native language in literacy instruction. We generally acquire reading skills by reading (Smith, 1994). By providing a child with reading material in his/her primary language, we provide the student with a healthier, stronger academic base from which to build on. Once a child acquires these basic skills such as identifying phonic blends in his/her mother tongue, the student digests the given topic easier. Equipped with reading and content knowledge skills, the transition into literacy in a second language then becomes smoother for the English language learner. Truly, a child’s native language is the best initial medium of instruction (Brisk,1998). I did not realize how important using a child’s native language was until I experienced an obstacle with a native Spanish speaker several years ago. Using only English, I was trying to teach a student fresh from Mexico the concept of active and linking verbs. I soon realized that she had never learned these basics about her own native language, let alone grammar of the English language. I soon resorted to teaching her grammar in Spanish. After she mastered the subject, I transitioned what she learned into the initial English lesson that I had tried teaching her earlier. This experience lends credence to the point that scholars make: children still have a lot to learn about their Bilingual Education 5 native tongue upon entering American schools (Brisk, 1998). Despite the fact that research supports using native languages as a tool for literacy, many continue their resistance to bilingual education; they argue for an all-English atmosphere in schools. An indirect but serious consequence of this approach is the psychological effect it may have on many Latinos. Many agree that language is a key component of every culture (Blanc, 2000). By discouraging Spanish from the classroom, the limited English proficient (LEP) student may feel that his or her native language or culture has less value than the mainstream culture. This may produce a sense of inferiority in the mind of many Hispanics and may cause strife among different ethnicities. Ironically, this moves many Latinos away from the assimilation ideal, which opponents of bilingual education do not want. In addition to affecting the morale of the LEP community, eliminating bilingual education programs may increase the already sky-high Hispanic high school drop-out rate. Lack of academic success is one reason Hispanic youths quit school (Lockwood, 1996). By removing their limited access to research-based programs such as bilingual education, they may suffer even less academic success. Eventually, this may produce a Hispanic community full of low-skilled, poorly educated people. In other words, it may produce a subclass. Again, this moves Hispanics away from the assimilation goal cherished by many Americans. Regardless of the benefits of bilingual education, anti-bilingual sentiments continue percolating. Some resort to using other Latinos as a means for obtaining their anti-bilingual agenda. Some cite Richard Rodriguez’s In Hunger of Memory: the Bilingual Education 6 Education of Richard Rodriguez as a case against bilingual education (Krashen, 2007). Rodriguez, a Mexican immigrant, enjoyed great academic success and assimilated into American society despite the lack of bilingual education. Some average Hispanics parallel Rodriquez’s anti-bilingual education stances. Forty-three-year-old waitress Ana Julia Duncan, daughter of Mexican nationals, received minimal bilingual services in the third grade (personal communication). Despite this fact, academically she performed moderately well (personal communication). Because of her success in school, Duncan feels that bilingualism has little value: â€Å"I didn’t speak English when I started school. I did OK. Why can’t anybody else do OK? † Unfortunately, her way of thinking strikes a familiar chord with other Latinos in her same situation. The Rodriquez and Duncan stories seem to act as support for the elimination of bilingual education. However, neither person represent the average, modern English language learner. In Rodriquez’s case, he grew up in a predominately white neighborhood (Kreshen, 2007). As a result, he was exposed to the English language a lot more than the average Spanish speaker. Since a child’s socio-cultural environment plays a major role in his or her intellectual development (Gregory, 2004), Rodriguez’s success should not surprise many. His peers, in essence, acted as quasi-tutors. Duncan’s situation parallels Rodriguez’s upbringing: she too grew up in a mainly white neighborhood (personal communication). Therefore she too received informal training or input from her peers. A majority of Hispanic LEP students, by contrast, live in predominately Spanish-speaking neighborhoods and lack the advantages Rodriguez and Duncan had as children (Kreshen, 2007). Bilingual Education 7 Despite the flaws in using Rodriguez and Duncan as microcosms in the bilingual education debate, some nevertheless insist in a total immersion approach in our schools. Although total immersion has no credible supporting evidence (Crawford, 2007), from a personal point of view, it does have a tinge of value. I had virtually no English-speaking skills as a very young child. My parents were Mexican nationals; my father worked at the post office while my mother stayed at home with the children. Thus, I had virtually no exposure to English. Upon entering my predominantly white kindergarten class in 1970, I realized that I was basically on my own since there were no other Latino children in that particular class. However, this sink or swim situation had a benefit. Within a year, I spoke conversational English. By the first grade, I became fairly fluent in English and would earn average grades. In my opinion, total immersion did play a role in my acquiring salient English skills. Unfortunately, by the time I reached the second grade, I felt as if I lost a part of my identity: I lost a good deal of my native language. I forgot some major Spanish vocabulary words, I started having trouble pronouncing many polysyllabic words, and I had developed a slight gringo accent. Mexican children noticed this and would often make fun of my awkward Spanish. To make things worse, my English skills still needed improvement. The presence of bilingual education may have prevented some of my linguistic obstacles by helping me maintain a healthy language base in both English and Spanish. Luckily, some of my teachers noticed my problem and placed me in a bilingual program along with three other students. One was in the same situation as myself; the Bilingual Education 8 other two were predominately proficient in Spanish who lacked major English skills. The bilingual teacher helped us maintain our strengths and helped correct our weaknesses by using our native language as a medium for instruction. By the end of the school year, I felt more confident. This research paper starts out with an anecdote that depicts a rural Nevada town struggling with xenophobia; it had voted in an English-only ordinance. Then, a connection between xenophobia in America and the anti-bilingual education movement is unveiled. Despite the fact that some school districts have pupils from as many as 130 different countries (Crawford, 2004), this paper focuses on the Spanish speaking English language learner because of a major criticism the Hispanic community endures; that it resists assimilation into the mainstream American culture. A â€Å"solution† for the this problem is the elimination of bilingual education programs in public schools. Proponents claim this would strengthen national unity. However, as this research paper demonstrates, purging such programs would actually gear the Hispanic English language learner away from assimilation, not towards it. If many opponents of bilingualism have their way, American schools will eventually have a monolithic, cookie-cutter approach to teaching its student population. In the United States, a country made from a rich tapestry of immigrants, this scenario would be very un-American. Bilingual Education 9 References Blanc, M. H. A. , Hamers, J. (2000). Bilinguality and Bilingualism. England : Cambridge University Press. Summary: This book is a very elevated, academic piece of work. It provides the reader with a guideline to language behavior, tools to measure levels of bilingualism, and addresses bilingual development. Other areas the book concentrates on include the cognitive development of the bilingual mind, and the cognitive consequences of the bilingual behavior. Brisk, M. E. (1998) Bilingual Education: From Compensatory to Quality Education. Mahway, New Jersey: Cambridge University Press. Summary: This book examines the traditional debates about bilingual education. It also examines influences, both internal and external, on the bilingual student’s education. The author presents strategies for implementing quality bilingual services. Calderon, M. , Slavin, R. (2001). Effective Programs for Latino Students. Mahway, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Summary: This book highlights programs that have worked well for the Hispanic population. It also addresses the unacceptable high drop-out rate of Latino high school students. The book goes a step further by unveiling the needs of higher-education for Hispanics, an area that has received relatively little attention. The authors also explain why many Latinos are at risk in America. Curtis, Lynette. (2006, Nov. 15). Pahrump Targets Illegal Immigrants. The Las Vegas Review Journal. Curtis, Lynette. (2006, Nov. 23). Backlash: Pahrump flag ban won’t fly. The Las Vegas Review Journal. Lockwood, A. T. Caring, Community, and Personalization: Strategies to Combat the Hispanic Dropout Problem. (1996). Advances in Hispanic Education, 1. Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education. Summary: This book focuses on the dangerously real issue of the Latino dropout issue. T Gregory, E. , Long, S. , Volk. (2004). Many Pathways to Literacy: Young Children Learning with Siblings, Grandparents, Peers, and Communities. New York: Routledge Falmer. Summary: This book looks at literacy, including bilingual literacy, using a sociocultural approach. It taps into the family structure in various ethnic groups. The book addresses bilingual education in the home and highlights the benefits of this strategy. The authors unveil the importance of using cultural norms as a means to teach literacy (such as story-telling). Another aspect of this piece is its assessment of children’s everyday life experience and how that impacts learning. On a personal note, this book didn’t really catch my eye at first because it didn’t focus on Hispanics specifically. I am happy that I finally opened it up because I was able to see some parallels between the Hispanic experiences and other ethnic groups. Krashen, Stephen. ( 1997). Why Bilingual Education? Eric Digest. Retrieved April 4, 2006 from http://www. ericdigests. org/1997-3/bilingual. html. Lendon, Brad. (2006, May 1). US prepares for ‘A Day Without an Immigrant. ’ Retrieved on April 4, 2007, from http://www. cnn. com/2006/US/04/28/boycott/ Smith, F. (1994). Understanding reading: A psycholinguistic analysis of reading and learning to read (5th ed. ). Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum. .