Nursing Organizational Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing Organizational Presentation - Essay Example ities that the organization goes by and are in a way related to the amount of loyalty, commitment and productivity that the nurses will give into the organization. As a result, when the values of the organization do not match the values of the nurses, they have do device a way to cope with these differences. Usually, low job satisfaction and rates of high attrition lead to the lack of an opportunity to express values of nurses in their practice and also lead to conflict with organizational constraints. They can then react in various ways to these differences. The first reaction can be through acceptance of the different values of the organization and succumbing to them even if they do not agree with them. They may also reject the notions or values that they disagree with. The third can be innovation on the differing (Diamond, Stickley, Johnston, Stacey, 2010). Depending on the way the nurses react to these values, the patient outcome can be positive or negative. If they are pleased with the way the events turned out, then they can do their best when relating and treating their patients leading to high quality services. On the other hand, if th ey have differing values with those of the organization and are dissatisfied with the management, then the nurses may not appropriately handle the patients and some of them may end up complaining about the attention and treatment that they are getting (Crook, McNeese-Smith 2003). Despite the variation between the values of the organization and the values of the nurses, it is wise to come up with a means of overcoming the workplace challenges and coming up with amicable solutions. This can be done through the use of effective communication through the right channels about what the nurses would like and trying to find a way to deal with it. Some of the effective communication techniques may involve embracing the aspects of the organization’s values that are positive and agreeable with those of the nurses before posing the

Theories Of Political Violence And Terrorism Politics Essay

Theories Of Political Violence And Terrorism Politics Essay The September 11-tragedy at the World Trade Center, which was considered as the most destructive terrorist attack recorded in world history, only proves that terrorism is continuously becoming a serious threat in international peace and security. Terrorism in the form of murder, kidnapping, bombing and hijacking has been on the rise for the past several years amidst the different policies and measures that have been implementing by the international cooperation between the governments, the law enforcement agencies and military forces. There is an estimate of 400 terrorist groups which are engaged in insurgency and terrorism in the world  [1]  . Among these most powerful revolutionary organizations which marked crucial terrorism threats across the globe included the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Ireland and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. Both these terrorist groups have significantly terrorized the people and the government in their respective area of operations for several years despite the concerted efforts on various peace talks and ceasefire policies. The governments and authorities of these two terrorist organizations had employed some of the same counter-terrorism strategies but had varying results. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was founded by Velupillai Prabhakaran in May 1976. It is the most advanced and most fearful terrorist group in South Asia and had been considered by the US Department of State as the most powerful Tamil group in Sri Lanka  [2]  . The Sri Lankan intelligence believed that the LTTE was responsible for the deaths of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa, 700 members of rival Tamil groups, four cabinet ministers, 27 parliamentarians, 26 government officials and thousands of civilians. At present, the terrorist group is considered as an organization with semi-conventional fighting capability which has gained the control of most regions in the north and the sections of territory along the eastern seaboard  [3]  . The efforts of the authorities in Sri Lanka remain useless since the terrorist group is still active, despite its defeat as a conventional organization in 2009. The group continues t o become the strongest militant nationalist group in Sri Lanka because of their aggressive use of suicide terrorism  [4]  . The use of suicide bombers and the legacy of mass bombing have raised the LTTEs profile as an international terrorist group. The group, furthermore, is involved in money laundering, human trafficking and light weapons trade which serve as source of revenue for its operation  [5]  . In fact, being an active separatist organization, the LTTE caused the creation of a separate Tamil state in the north and east parts of Sri Lanka. Another well known terrorist group, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), began to emerge in 1916 to advocate Irish sovereignty and freedom against the British rule which marked the brutal treatment and harsh discrimination of the native Irish Catholics  [6]  . The terrorist acts of the IRA arouse because of the desire of its members to take over Northern Ireland, which is constitutionally part of the United Kingdom but geographically located on the island of Ireland  [7]  . Unlike the LTTE which only terrorizes for a political and economic agenda, the IRA has been organized to fight the long history of oppression and discrimination against the Catholics during the British rule. Notwithstanding its violent and controversial tactics in achieving its goal, the militant group has been able to encourage loyal allegiance from the urban businessmen, rural farmers, men, women, old and young citizens of the area. IRA members who were armed with weapons were willing to die to attain their political aspirations and defend their community from the abusive ruler  [8]  . At first, the government of the country, with the help of other international law enforcement agencies, had unsuccessfully put the conflict on IRA terrorism to an end. There were seven attempts to restore peace in Northern Ireland, but these attempts were considered as failures as shown in many events such as the 1974 workers strike, the feeling of threat of minority parties, and the lack of sustained initiative and power-sharing  [9]  . But in the end, the government solved the conflict brought about by the IRA because of the strategic and effective peace talks and ceasefire policies. The cases of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) have been resolved by strategic interventions from the governments of the said countries. However, the two cases had different results in the end of the long peace talks and ceasefire policies initiated by the authorities. The interventions done by the government with regards to the problems of the LTTEs terrorism acts were considered as a failure since the terrorist group was not eradicated. The failure was due to the conflicting international interests between the country and corrupt officials as well as the use of terror to force terror out of Sri Lanka  [10]  . The efforts of the Sri Lankan government to counter the movement of the LTTE before 1994 were considered to be essentially domestic initiatives  [11]  . Military measures were merely based on the provisions of the 1979 Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). During the administration of the three successive presidents of the Uni ted National Party (UNP), which include JR Jayewardene (1977-1988), Ranasinghe Premasada (1989-1993) and DB Wijetunga (1993-1994), the government was considered to be a failure in acknowledging and responding to minority grievances and human rights violations. This was due to the effort of the government to manage and solve the conflicts of the LTTE terrorism in a minimal and economical way. During the administration of Chandrika Bandaranaike of the Peoples Alliance (PA) in 1994, the government initiated unconditional talks with the LTTE to minimize the problem of corruption. It is believed that the conflict with the LTTE was prolonged because of the corruption done by the politicians and service commanders. Since then, the Sri Lankan government pursued a four pronged strategy to solve the problem on the terrorism acts of the LTTE. These strategies included regaining control of the LTTE dominated areas, offering a devolution package which could form the basis for a negotiated settle ment, restoring normalcy, providing humanitarian assistance to the areas affected, and pursuing a politico-diplomatic propaganda to deny the LTTE international sympathy  [12]  . At the multilateral level, the Sri Lankan government adopted the UN Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism in 1994. In addition, the UN Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism was set up two years later. Moreover, as a country based measure, the terrorist group was declared as an unlawful association in 1992 after the death of Rajiv Gandhi. This act forced India, the country who initially armed, trained and gave refuge to the LTTE, to ban the terrorist group and withdraw its support to the group in terms of training, weaponry and other military needs  [13]  . In addition to these measures were the peace talks and ceasefire policies initiated by the Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi  [14]  . Nevertheless, despite these measures following the 1987 ethnic riots, the case on the LTTE ter rorism acts was not totally resolved because of the use of terrorism to eradicate terrorism itself. Sri Lankan police had shown violence to the suspected members of the terrorist group which caused the increase of LTTE recruitment. Since innocent people were experiencing great violence from the authorities, they were left with the option to join the force of terror in order to avoid the terror done by the authorities themselves. This particular related to the fact that individuals of any social status may engage in violent activities  [15]  . In contrast to the LTTE, the concerted peace talks and ceasefire policies in the case of the IRA became successful because of the cooperation and mutual interest of the parties involved in the problem. The 1994 and 1997 ceasefires and peace talks were considered to be the result of many factors. The effort to re-energize governmental initiatives to solve the Northern Ireland settlement was initiated by John Major (British Prime Minister 1991-1997) and Albert Reynolds (Irish Taoiseach 1992-1994)  [16]  . Unlike the case of the LTTE, the British rulers did not use terror to eradicate the threat of terrorism in Northern Ireland. In fact, the British and Irish governments launched the Downing Street Declaration in December 1993, wherein the British government recognized that Ireland should be for the Irish people alone. This decision made by the British ruler showed that anti-terrorist interventions, such as peace talks and ceasefire policies, would only become effective if both part ies are willing and dedicated to solve the issue for the mutual benefit of the involved parties. This is thus the reason why the problems of this terrorist group were solved peacefully and effectively. In total, the Sri Lankan government had been considered to waste several opportunities to take control over the LTTE terrorism acts due to party interests taking precedence over the national interest  [17]  . Through the case of the LTTE, it was proven that international action, which is considered as a necessary condition in grappling the problems of terrorism, is not enough to solve the conflicts of the LTTE, if the engaged parties are not willing to engage in negotiations. The creation of effective and efficient policies to eliminate and solve the problem of the LTTE terrorism acts has not been compensated by the ceasefire policy and peace talks since 2002  [18]  . In this sense, Sri Lankas government had no effective measures implemented with regards to the problem on LTTE terrorism. In contrast, the peace talks and ceasefires in the case of the IRA became successful because of the willingness of both parties to resolve the issue between the government and the terrorist g roup. The IRAs case has been resolved at its earliest stage since there was no conflict on the interests of the government and the terrorist group. Unlike the LTTE case which was prolonged because of the intervention done by the corrupt government officials who gained from weapons trade, the case of IRA was not tainted by the political propaganda of some abusive authorities. The British governments declaration which acknowledged the rights and privileges of the Irish people to their own land was indeed very helpful for the resolution of the issue. Through the cases of the LTTE and the IRA, it can be concluded that peace talks and ceasefire policies are to be considered positive and effective ways to eliminate and eradicate terrorism acts in the world if both are willing to resolve the main root of the problem. The use of terrorism to force out terrorism acts is not the effective and best way to cease the problems of terrorism. Terrorism only becomes more serious and destructive in the presence of greedy interventions done by corrupt officials and businessmen who are gaining from manufacturing and trading weapons used for terrorizing the world. The best way to eradicate terrorism in the world still lies in peaceful interventions, such as peace talks and ceasefires. After all, war against something does not always signify using of destructive means such as guns, weaponry and violence.

The Country of Iraq Essay -- Research Iraq Essays Papers

The Country of Iraq   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The country of Iraq has weathered many hardships over the past few decades. An eight-year war over territory with Iran began in 1980. Soon after, in 1990, Iraq invaded the country of Kuwait, which led to the Gulf War. Then, after twelve years of not complying with the UN Security Council over weapons of mass destruction, Iraq was invaded by the United States in March of 2003.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A consequence of Iraq's rocky past is an unstable government. Several countries, including the U.S. are currently providing aid to help the rebuilding effort. Some efforts include strengthening school, healthcare, and law enforcement systems with education and reconstruction. Recent government changes for Iraq include a new flag and new currency. The new flag has a blue crescent moon in the center and is white with one yellow and two blue strips at the bottom. The new currency is called the New Iraqi Dinar, and it features many new safety features to prevent counterfeiting. There is also currently an interim (temporary) government in Iraq. Elections by the Iraqi people will hopefully occur on the 30th of January this year. If the elections proceed as planned, Iraq will be one step closer to having an independent government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though Iraq is in a time of crisis, it is truly an interesting and beautiful country. At twice the size of Idaho, it is the home to about 25,374,691 Iraqis. The primary religion in Iraq is Muslim. Almost 97% of Iraqis are practicing Musli...

How significant was Martin Luther King’s contribution to the civil rights movement in the years 1956-68? Essay

There is no doubt that MLK shaped the way people campaigned for black civil rights in America during these years however weather that was significant to any head way they did make, one example of his significance is the amount of peaceful protest that was carried out, now that MLK was promoting peaceful protests more people could participate in campaigning for what they believed, this made the supporters for the civil right movement far greater in numbers than ever before and opposing people found it harder and harder to suppress any action they may take. The Montgomery Bus Boycott is a perfect example of a peaceful protest headed by MLK this was because this was the first real push for blacks to be more equal to whites and so they could be treated as people, the boycott would also not have succeeded if it weren’t for MLK as he provided structure and inspiration for everyone taking part. This is significant because it gathered more supporters for the movement and gave them more influence when it came to changing things. Another reason that MLK was significant was he branched out the campaign from the south to the north and west which were places which may not have been as bad and public about it but were still very racist and discriminative towards blacks, this is significant because it helped a lot more blacks join in with the campaign and help support in numbers, it also made the pressure on the government larger as there were more and more supporters for the campaign and more and more people (not just blacks) who could influence decisions. MLK had a special gift of being able to create moving and inspiring speeches, this highlights his significance because it was him that was the face of the campaign and with his inspiring speeches he created more and more support for the campaign but most importantly more white sympathisers as they had a lot more power and influence. One other thing that highlights MLK’s significance to the civil rights movement was his death. This was significant because of all the people who looked up to MLK and viewed him as an idol and inspiration now had no one to lead them, this led to confusion and left people not knowing what they should do and who to follow however people also took his assassination as the point where they stand up and really fight for what they believe in. MLK didn’t always pull of these miracles and get more support and get blacks closer to their goal as there have been a lot of examples where MLK didn’t help or he did and didn’t succeed: one example is where he tried to take the fight north  and thought that the struggle in the south would pay dividends however when he left Chicago and left Jesse Jackson in charge people criticized him for not finishing what he started and left people loosing respect for MLK and the civil right movement. Another example of MLK not being a help and sometimes more of a hindrance to the progress of the black civil rights movement was when he agreed to be part of the Montgomery bus boycott and when he agreed to stay in jail, on both of these occasions MLK left and in turn left people doubting his word and judgement. Another example is the Meredith march, MLK did not set out to go to the march until after James Meredith had been shot, this gave people the impression that king only showed up because someone was hurt and not to support the cause even though it was a gesture of good will from MLK. MLK also helped out in the freedom summer in 1964 and the brown vs. board case, sit ins that took place all over America, Freedom rides and Violence in Montgomery. In conclusion I think that it would be incorrect to say that MLK was insignificant to the civil rights movement in these years however he cannot be held solely responsible for the success they had as he always had to have the support of thousands of protesters, people in some sort of power and sympathetic whites. MLK also acted as a martyr and his death inspired thousand. Also other organisations did a very good job of recruiting people and getting support. That is why I would consider him one of the key factors along with other organisations and the people that turned up to rallies and did the dirty work.

Meaning of Life and Life Essay

Every person has a variety of questions about the meaning of life but how we as humans perceive and search for the answers to life’s ultimate questions will vary depending on what one’s beliefs and traditions may be. One of the most prominent and most publicized ways to search for the answers of life is through a practise of religion. Another way to find meaning which is just as significant as religion is science. Equally as important but under looked is the ultimate questions that are searched for in suffering. These three paths to solving the ultimate questions to life are the most prominent and yet the most common. With reference to Lonergan’s quote people have a variety of questions about life, this essay will analyse how people search for life’s ultimate questions. Some people search for meaning through Religion, the religion that is practised often and is recognised for helping answer some of life’s ultimate questions is Christianity, people who are Christian say that God helps them find their meaning to life. According to the ‘chasing something more’ article Justin Langer went to visit a chaplain and said â€Å"I’ve got a beautiful wife and two gorgeous kids, a great house. I should be happy- but something is missing. † The Chaplain said â€Å"have you read the bible lately? † This gave Justin a new mind set and he started reading the bible on his trips overseas now. According to the writer Michael McVeigh Justin said â€Å"I’ve being brought up catholic, but it’s not just about the teachings, it’s about what happens in real life. † Karl Rahner who was a famous Catholic theologian believed â€Å"For if God really doesn’t exist, the hunger for meaning is absurd. † [Rahner 1990] (Morgan 1996). Rahner never forced people to believe in God but he says that it is realistic to suggest, because he thinks it’s a goal that cannot be completed within ourselves, without God, In the bible it says â€Å"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit† (Romans 15:13) this quote from the bible backs up with Karl Rahner and what he believes. Paul Davies a contemporary Australian physicist, thinks that although science gives you the answers to some questions but the deeper and more meaningful questions will not be able to be answered by science. Science is the new way of challenging religion and the way we find meaning and answer life’s ultimate questions. According to Peter Morales a Unitarian Universalists he says science and religion share a common wellspring. He believes that through science you learn more about the world and how it works. He says that we can know and face the truth through science and then move on and define our own meaning through religion. Science proposes that we are an accidental outcome of a procedure of evolution, Peter Morales says that all science questions are questions that can be answered and we can compare the answers, and he says that we can choose the answer that best fits our experiences. Sam Harris a neuroscientist says â€Å"science can help us get what we want† (TED 2010) he believes that no matter what our values are religion or anything you are still concerned about conscious and its changes, and when people from a religion say that changes can persist after death, this a fact and factual answers are from science. Paul Davies who is a scientist is so captivated by the universe that he like Lonergan believes that his questions are limitless. Davies is indefinite to whether he believes in God, but what he does believe is the ‘theory of everything. ’ Suffering is an under looked experience that contributes to the search for life’s ultimate questions. According to Friedrich Nietzsche a prominent theorist he believes that ‘God is dead’ he felt that people went to God as an ultimate explanation for everything. Victor Frankl also a prominent theorist says that through suffering and experience, According to Nietzsche he says â€Å"we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. † Frankl believed that if there is a meaning in life, then there is essentially meaning in suffering, he says â€Å"suffering is an ineradicable part of life even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete. † Frankl says that even with a despairing situation, â€Å"the human mind can transform a personal tragedy into triumph† (Ed Batista website 2010) According to Frankl after a tragedy in someone’s life their tragedy turns into an achievement. Ulrich Diehl a philosopher in the making believes that all human beings share the same needs and that we all search for a meaning of life, but although human suffering can be a challenge to the meaning of life, the outcome from the personal affect actually helps people find meaning to life and answer some questions they need to know about their life. Lonergan says that there is no limit to our questions, although finding the answer to these questions will vary depending on what one’s beliefs and traditions may be, through religion, science and suffering this is shown most prominent to help humans to find these answers. All these aspects help humans find meaning to life, and they are all equally as important as each other. These three paths demonstrate that they are most useful to use when searching for meaning and answers to some of life’s ultimate questions.

Liquor Ads essays

Liquor Ads essays According to Antonia Novello, Surgeon General of the United States, in SIRS Government Reporter, the principle cause of death for those between the ages of 15 and 24 are alcohol related car crashes (1). Doesn't it make sense that we should concentrate our efforts into reducing this problem of alcohol abuse? Apparently DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, doesn't think so. Worsnop says that on November 7, 1996, they removed their voluntary ban of hard liquor ads on television and radio that had been in affect since 1936 (219). He then states that the removal came right after Seagram, a liquor company, advertised for some of their hard liquor on KRIS-TV in CorpusChrist, Texas (219). This movement is definitely a step in the wrong direction and action should be taken to reinstate this ban, but this time legally. First of all, the removal of the ban gave DISCUS a bad reputation. Already the four major TV networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX) have vowed not to air ads f or hard liquor (Worsnop 219). DISCUS has also lost respect in the field of politics, especially with numerous congressmen and the President, himself. Worsnop said "Beer group representatives think DISCUS' announcement undercut its credibility in Washington" (219). Bill Clinton referred to the decision as "simply irresponsible" (qtd in Worsnop 219). Secondly, many of these advertisements for liquor have been said to target teens. However, Seagram's executive vice president of marketing strategy, Arthur Shapiro, said that Seagram had taken "great pains that our advertising doesn't appeal to or aim at children" (qtd in Krantz 1). This is not so, according to Katherine Prescott, who pointed out the use of animals and a graduation theme in Seagram's commercial. This seems to associate the use of alcohol with academic success when the two rarely coexist (Tannert 2). Clinton also expressed his concern that the ban may cause increased drinking among minors (Fa...

Terracog Case Study Essays

Terracog Case Study Essays Terracog Case Study Paper Terracog Case Study Paper TerraCog Case Study Background TerraCog, Inc. is a privately held company specializing in high quality GPS and fishing sonar equipment. Although TerraCog was not always first to market with their new products, they were known for surpassing their competitors in addressing consumer needs because of their innovation in creating exceptional product design and functionality. In 2006, TerraCog’s competitor, Posthaste, launched BirdsI, the only handheld GPS with satellite imagery. Caught off guard by the product’s success, TerraCog President, Richard Fiero, makes a snap decision to satisfy the â€Å"gadget† appeal of BirdsI by launching the company’s own version of the competing GPS called Aerial. However, as TerraCog moved forward with the initiative, the estimated costs of developing Aerial threatened to thwart the launch. Needing to finalize decisions on cost, pricing and initial production volume, key department managers gathered in a series of dubious meetings laced with frustration, disagreement and reluctance, but produced no effective conclusion. In the end, the onus fell to Emma Richardson, a newly-promoted Executive Vice President to push the group toward a go/no-go decision. Problem Definition TerraCog Inc. is suffering from a stalemate in the development and execution of Project Aerial brought on by poor decision making and an ineffective team structure. Relevant Theories and Models The overall decision making process at TerraCog seems a bit puzzling. Management’s decision to underestimate consumers’ response to the satellite imagery technology featured in BirdsI led to a valuable loss in time and market share. As a result, Fiero, under the sole advice of Vice President of Sales, Ed Pryor, hastily chose to start Project Ariel without the due diligence of consulting with key stakeholders to understand the implications of producing such a product. There was no discussion regarding the technological capabilities that Project Aerial would offer leading to a major disconnect in pricing Aerial. Furthermore, there was no consensus around the timing of implementing Project Aerial given that the product team was already working on several other projects. As a result, departments greeted the decision to launch Aerial with a not so enthusiastic response. Because group decision making generates more complete information and knowledge and offers an increased diversity of view, the executives would have benefitted more by meeting with stakeholders and explaining the challenges the company faced with not initially responding to BirdsI and discussing the go forward plan to develop a competing product. When choosing group decision making techniques, the best approach for TerraCog seems to be the interacting group technique. This approach is most effective for achieving commitment to a solution which in this case, is the decision to launch Aerial. When stakeholders participate in decision making, they are more likely to enthusiastically support the decision and encourage others to accept it. Not only was there a weakness in the decision making process at TerraCog, Project Aerial was also operating with a working group and not a true working team. A work group’s goal is to share information leaving each individual accountable for their own work while the group’s synergy is neutral, sometimes negative. Furthermore, the group lacked cohesiveness as each department worked in individual silos. The sales team did not have input into the product, nor was the production team given a chance to review the design and offer recommendations on managing product cost. The handoff approach from product development to production to sales meant that the problem was not discovered until the launch date was at risk of being missed. There was also a lack of clarity around who should be on the team and the nature of each individual’s role. At each key meeting regarding Aerial, there seem to be an absence of key stakeholders present. The inconsistency of participation at each meeting suggests that this is not a dedicated team but rather a manifestation of individuals forced to complete a task. As a result, TerraCog should implement a cross-functional team to effectively allow individuals from different departments to exchange information while promoting cohesiveness. Moreover, the establishment of a team leader is imperative to Project Aerial’s success as it operates in a multi-team system that allows different teams to coordinate their efforts to produce a desired outcome Alternatives There are three alternatives that Emma Richardson should consider when identifying the go forward plan of Project Aerial. The first alternative is to launch Aerial at the full retail price of $475. The advantage of launching at this price point is that TerraCog would again be a competitive force in the industry and would be answering the call of Posthaste’s launch of BirdsI with a superior product. This would allow TerraCog to remain the leader in innovation and prove that they are in fact successful in satisfying consumer demands. The disadvantage of launching at this price point is the price itself. Although TerraCog is a reputable name in the industry and may receive some product acceptance because of this, the price would more likely lead to lower sales causing a major loss in profit. Furthermore, retailers may not even give Aerial shelf space as they’re not only selling an expensive product, they’re late to market. Internally, the product development and production teams would carry the blame of failure since they were not able to produce a stellar product that was competitive in price and higher in quality during the time period required. Another alternative that Richardson should consider is launching at the lower price point suggestedat $400 per unit. Again the advantage here is answering consumer demands at a quicker rate than taking the time to develop a feasible product with low price and high quality. At this price point, TerraCog should be successful in recapturing lost share from going to market so late. Because the sales team was already promised by Fiero that Aerial would be priced at $400, that’s one team that would be on board with the project. The disadvantage of retailing the Aerial at $400 is the lost of margin and production costs. Furthermore, in order to recapture any loss revenue, launching at $400 would also mean TerraCog should lower the quality of Aerial. Internally, the production team would suffer the most since they’ve been reprimanded in the past for producing a low quality product. Moreover, given that TerraCog’s business was built on quality performance and innovation, the company’s reputation would take a huge hit when Aerial’s technology doesn’t perform to desired consumer standards. The last alternative that should be considered is to abandon the launch of Aerial altogether and focus on the other more exciting projects that the product team was initially working on. The pro to this alternative is that TerraCog could capitalize on the grown in cycling and fitness GPS applications and become a competitive force there. TerraCog could realize the inability to quickly make a quality product at a competitive price by cutting its losses now rather than realizing a greater hit when going to market. The con to this approach is that the company would suffer sunk costs with the amount of time and money already invested in the project. Moreover TerraCog would miss out on potential sales and new customers. They may also lose their valued reputation as they could be considered incompetent by not having the ability to create a competing product to BirdsI. Solution Given all of the possible alternatives for the go forward decision of Project Aerial, Emma Richardson should decide to move forward with the launch of Aerial at a reduced price of $425 while simultaneously working on a product redesign to re-launch a new and improved Aerial at a later date. The pro to this solution is that the price would allow TerraCog to remain a viable competitor while recapturing lost market share. Additionally the product team will still be able to explore more advanced technology to re-launch Aerial 2. 0. The con is that TerraCog would still be launching a lower end product which could ultimately turn off customers and not want them to even buy the future redeveloped product. Next steps is for Richardson to develop a cross-functional team by reeling the group back in to work more cohesively. To improve decision making, a clear vision needs to be clarified and agreed upon by all parties. Rather than arguing during meetings, the team should brainstorm objectives, discussed amongst the team, but ultimately decided upon by Fiero and Richardson. Both Fiero and Richardson should improve their leadership skills and be more confident articulating goals and supporting the team.

Latest vs. Last

Latest vs. Last Latest vs. Last Latest vs. Last By Maeve Maddox Chandan writes: I am confused between usage of word LATEST. Basically, it is being used in two opposite situations: 1. meaning late or last â€Å"Return my book latest by Monday† 2. meaning most recent â€Å"This is the latest book.† How is â€Å"latest† is used in 2 opposite contexts? English is often blamed for confusion and ambiguity that stems not from the language, but from the use of the language. As an adjective, latest has the meaning â€Å"most recent.† Ex. This is the latest book. Here’s the latest news. In order to use â€Å"latest† adverbially, with the meaning â€Å"at the last possible moment,† it needs to be placed in a phrase. Ex. Return my book on Monday at the latest. Here are some quotations with the correct use of the term on newspapers: jacket, the artist Christo stood on a platform looking over the Serpentine lake one April morning and watched his latest creation come to life. As ducks glided across the water, men in orange jumpsuits began assembling the installation (www.nytimes.com) of strategy and doctrine on cyberwarfare is less a product of inattention than of the still-early stage of this latest technology of destruction. The lack of doctrine and especially the lack of consensus on controlling destructive (www.nytimes.com) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?Hang, Hung, HangedWood vs. Wooden

Participation Exercise #13 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Participation Exercise #13 - Assignment Example These provide an avenue for creating change for better project returns. Failure to consider these costs may result in growing variance in costs, which may indicate poor planning for the management. As one way of having surety on the actual costs incurred in the project, Carnegie found it easy to make decisions on projects knowing the actual gains he makes from them. Cost per pound figures aided Carnegie have a competitive advantage in that he could set his prices as low as he wanted just to win a bid without negatively affecting his business’s profitability. While the competitors guessed on what was best to charge on their products, Carnegie knew exactly the actual costs he incurred and the returns to expect (Spafford). Carnegie used this to make more sound decisions in his business hence the successful returns while the competitors found it difficult to compete and had their attempts at winning bids from him fail. Through these, Carnegie kept track of his variances and hence keeping his costs in

Bureaucracy Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bureaucracy Assignment - Research Paper Example The development of science and technology during the 1950s and 60s called for an increased in education funding which later expanded to education of the poor, minorities, women, the disabled and foreign nationals. This led to the passage of a Public Law Act for the creation of a Department of Education Organization in 1979. The main priorities of this department was to ensure equal access to education for all, to improve the quality of education, involve both parents and public in matters of education, increase federal research and support, improve coordination, management and efficiency of federal education programs and increase the accountability of such programs to the President. While the initial purpose of the department is being upheld till date, the increasing global competitiveness has also increased the need to prepare the American students to face this challenged through fostering excellent educational opportunities to all classes of people. The present Secretary of the US Department of Education is Arne Duncun. He was nominated by the President-elect Barack Obama to be the secretary of education and the US Senate confirmed his position on the Inauguration Day in 2009. The major goal of the department of education is to ensure equal access to education for all and also to improve the excellence of education throughout the country. The secretary in the Department of Education coordinates, supervises and directs all the activities within the department in addition to performing the role of the principle advisor to the President in matters concerning federal policies, programs and other related events in the field of education. The secretary remains the Chief Operating Officer of the Department and is followed in succession by the deputy and under Secretary, General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer. The Deputy Secretary in the Department of Education is responsible for developing and implementing educational policies and programs for the elementary an d secondary educational programs, which involves providing a safe and drug-free environment in schools, special education for students with disabilities and rehabilitative education for those coming from a culturally different background and development of interventional education programs and reforms. The Under Secretary is concerned with postsecondary, higher and adult educational policies and programs, college aids and reforms for the Presidential Pell Grant program. The secretary is supported by members who constitute the immediate office of the secretary. They are required to provide logistics support and advice to the secretary. The members include the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy and Policy and Programs, Senior Advisor and White House Liaison. The immediate office of the Secretary in turn directs the executive management staff who provide administrative and management services, scheduling and advance staff who are concerned with managing the daily inform ation needs of the office of the Secretary and logistics, the executive secretariat tracks all the correspondence between the offices of the Secretary, Deputy and Under Secretary, the White house initiative in tribal colleges and university staff seeks to ensure the tribal colleges are granted proper accreditation in addition to gaining federal grants and high-quality education for all, the International Affairs Office offers advice on international issues and initiatives that may affect the educational polic

Alternative perspectives of international political economy 1 Essay

Alternative perspectives of international political economy 1 - Essay Example The ultimate generalization that exists within the rational choice model is that the individual or collective will make a choice based upon that which maximizes their overall best interests. However, the authors point to the fact that the rational choice model presents a noted difficulty in the fact that it raises the question of who and what defines the â€Å"public†. Whether or not there is indeed a concerted voice, even within a democratic system is an issue that directly concerns the means through which the rational choice model can be applicable to IPE. The authors reference the case in point of corrupt elected officials acting â€Å"rationally† by accepting bribes and payouts; however, even though this is true with some, the rational choice model inherently breaks down over such mores and norms of character that are exhibited by others who refuse such bribes and payouts. Ultimately what is rational choice for one is not for another; thereby calling into question t he degree and extent to which this can or should be used to define IPE. Constructivism Constructivist theory is introduced as a â€Å"deconstruction† of existing factors. ... ssumptions of constructivist theory, with respect to IPE, can be summarized in the following: 1) ideas, beliefs, values, and identities of individuals and groups are the key to understanding IPE 2) ideas, values, beliefs, and identities are socially constructed 3) ideas, values, etc., are social forces that are more important than military or economic factors 4) conflict and cooperation are products of values and beliefs 5) change can be explained by examining changes in the values and beliefs of individuals and other actors over time. Feminist Critique Within the feminist critique, the authors argue for the fact that IPE is predicated upon the norms, mores of gender roles, stereotypes, patriarchy etc. Moreover, overlooked aspects of IPE are due to the fact that the pervasive sexism has sidelined women over the decades. As such, a focus upon gender, loaded language, subtexts, male dominance of not only society but economic studies especially economics is oftentimes engaged. This is a broad based dynamic that is not succinct and can easily be transitioned to apply in a great litany of different situations. Ultimately, the dynamic through which the decisions of IPE have taken place since the dawn of time have in fact been dominated by men and by a patriarchal sense of sexism. As such, it is perhaps this one approach, of all the others that have been engaged, that has the most to offer with regards to approaching seemingly old issues from a fresh perspective and gaining new insight into them. Hegemonic stability theory Hegemonic stability theory can roughly be defined as the understanding that a given power, invariably rich and powerful, dominates other states for a length of time; instituting norms, expectations, and ultimately collapsing under its own weight. Such a

Critical Thinking Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Thinking Application - Essay Example I agree that to the choice of the central issue as: Is it right for General Barry Norman to use the mycoherbicides to supposedly help Afghanistan and its people, and to save many American lives by ending the military action sooner? As compared to all the other ethical issues, the issue on determining if General Barry Norman is right to use the mycoherbicides is most critical in the case given that any action that would ensue from this issue would drastically affect a majority of people: the Afghanistan, the Americans, and even the international organizations who should be involved in the effects of mychoherbicides to mankind. In other words, this central ethical issue has enormous ethical implications. The other identified ethical issues only affect the party concerned (like for example, the first issue: â€Å"Is it right for the Taliban to protect and tax Afghanistan’s opium business, using drug profits to support its activities, including the fight against US and other forc es?† have ethical implications focusing on the interests of the Talibans – with repercussions to the United States. For the second issue: â€Å"Is it right for the Unites States to seek ways to destroy or reduce Afghanistan’s’ opium crop in order to cut off the source of Taliban’s money?† the ethical implications would revolve on benefits to the US and detriments to the Taliban. In contrast, the central issue does not only affect the Talibans, the United States, but other innocent people whose lives might be put in danger with the use of the mycoherbicides. The fact that there is a critical concern as to the stability of the mycoherbicides and the likelihood they may mutate and spread beyond our control attests to the veracity of it being the central ethical issue in the case. A central ethical issue of using mycoherbicides in Afghanistan’s poppy plants needs further research. A report conducted by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) entitled â€Å"Repeating Mistakes of the Past:

McDonald's Financial Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

McDonald's Financial Accounting - Essay Example McDonald’s was formed in 1940 as a barbeque restaurant but later developed into a huge chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. â€Å"McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 33,000 local restaurants serving more than  64 million people in 119 countries each day. More than 80% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men and women† (About McDonald’s.com, 2011). The accountant’s report accompanying the Annual Report usually refers to the auditor’s report. The purpose of the accountant’s report is to give an opinion on the presentation of the financial performance of the organization. The auditors review the entire financial data before forming an opinion on the financial statements of an organization. The accountant’s report of McDonald’s is reviewed by the Ernst and Young, who are a Public Accounting firm and are the auditors of McDonald’s. According to them, the financial statements of McDonald’s seem to be fairly presented in all material respect and that the financial statements are prepared in accordance with the U.S Generally Accepted Accounting Principle. The main idea or the main purpose of this report is to assure the shareholders and the investors that the company in question is not performing any fraudulent activity that may not be in line with their respective objectives (McDonald’s, 2010) Financial Statements are a proper record of financial performance of any given business entity. These financial statements provide a reflection of an organization’s performance with respect to the resources being used in order to attain the favorable/unfavorable results. The most important financial statements are: Income Statement The income statement displays the net profit or loss made by a company through the normal course of its operation. The profit or loss reported within the Income statement pertains to a specific period of time (usually 12 months which constitutes a year end). The only transactions recorded within the Income Statement are those which affect the profit. These transaction normally tend to be affiliated with the income earned and the expenditure incurred during a period of time. The Consolidated Income Statement of McDonald’s shows a profit of $4946.3 million in the year ending 2010. This profit figure is 8.6% and 14% higher than the profit figures of 2009 and 2008 respectively. These figures clearly suggest that McDonald’s has performed extensively well; keeping in mind the global economic crisis that had prevailed within the global economy(McCallig, 2008). Balance Sheet The Balance Sheet is a statement that portrays the result at any particular point in time. The Balance Sheet provides a snap shot of the entire business in question since its inception till the point in time when the Balance Sheet is created. The Balance Sheet is categorized into broader categories showing the assets, liabilities and the equity of a business entity. These categories are shown separately with the assets portion under one heading while the equity and liabilities portion under the other heading. The assets portion must eventually tie up with the amount displayed under the equity and li

Identify the principal powers available to the courts in England & Essay

Identify the principal powers available to the courts in England & Wales in connection with statutory interpretation. How does t - Essay Example One system of employment tribunals that works for England, Wales, and Scotland also exists. In both England and Wales, the house of lords handles matters of highest appeals. In such cases, only the law lords are charged with the responsibility of proceeding over these cases. The Supreme Court judicature act 1873 however abolished this. This was done through the elections where the parliament passed the bill to have the Supreme Court in place. However, an amendment preserving the judicial function of the House of Lords was passed. The court was then used to handle impeachment cases in England, even though nowadays they are considered Magistrate court refers to the lower courts in which all criminal proceedings begin. Certain civil issues can also be decided in these courts, these include family matters (Probert, 2011). These courts have been meant in such a way that they can deliver justice in a swift and simple mean. In England and Wales, there are many magistrates’ courts; th e number is approximate to be over 360. The jurisdiction of these courts lays o the various powers that the legal system gives them. Offences especially those termed as summary offences are often considered small offences and are thus punishable under the powers of magistrates’ limited courts. ... Indictable offences may include rape, murder, and robbery among others. The cases here are heard by the judges at district judge in the magistrate or by three bench magistrate. The magistrate courts have no jury. The police undertake the investigation of these cases and then the prosecution is done accordingly. Defendant can chose to hire to solicitor to represent them in court. This is often catered by the state. Jurisdiction and sentencing powers of the courts In regards to issues related to criminology, the magistrate courts also used to be referred to as police courts both in England and Wales were put in place to deal with little offences at a speedy manner. Nearly all the criminal cases begin and stop at this point. Serious crimes are often taken to crown courts. It is approximated that 95% of many cases are handed at this point. Least serious criminal offences like driving cases, criminal damage of minimal damage, drug possession, vandalism, and criminal damages. All these are dealt with at summery proceedings in the magistrate court. In such cases, the defendants lack the right to jury trial and they have no formal indictment (Miller & Jentz, 2011). The verdict lies in the hands of the magistrates and judges at the courts. Sentencing powers in the magistrate courts have certain limitations. There are certain offences that have their limitations. For instance, they are capable of inflicting fines up to five thousand US dollars and can pass an imprisonment sentence. When the magnitudes of offences are big, the limitation is often raised. This means that such cases can attract high fines of up to over $ 50, 0000. There are certain cases like driving offences where the driver can be penalized by being disqualified from driving for some time. Such cases

McDonald's Financial Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

McDonald's Financial Accounting - Essay Example McDonald’s was formed in 1940 as a barbeque restaurant but later developed into a huge chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. â€Å"McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 33,000 local restaurants serving more than  64 million people in 119 countries each day. More than 80% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men and women† (About McDonald’s.com, 2011). The accountant’s report accompanying the Annual Report usually refers to the auditor’s report. The purpose of the accountant’s report is to give an opinion on the presentation of the financial performance of the organization. The auditors review the entire financial data before forming an opinion on the financial statements of an organization. The accountant’s report of McDonald’s is reviewed by the Ernst and Young, who are a Public Accounting firm and are the auditors of McDonald’s. According to them, the financial statements of McDonald’s seem to be fairly presented in all material respect and that the financial statements are prepared in accordance with the U.S Generally Accepted Accounting Principle. The main idea or the main purpose of this report is to assure the shareholders and the investors that the company in question is not performing any fraudulent activity that may not be in line with their respective objectives (McDonald’s, 2010) Financial Statements are a proper record of financial performance of any given business entity. These financial statements provide a reflection of an organization’s performance with respect to the resources being used in order to attain the favorable/unfavorable results. The most important financial statements are: Income Statement The income statement displays the net profit or loss made by a company through the normal course of its operation. The profit or loss reported within the Income statement pertains to a specific period of time (usually 12 months which constitutes a year end). The only transactions recorded within the Income Statement are those which affect the profit. These transaction normally tend to be affiliated with the income earned and the expenditure incurred during a period of time. The Consolidated Income Statement of McDonald’s shows a profit of $4946.3 million in the year ending 2010. This profit figure is 8.6% and 14% higher than the profit figures of 2009 and 2008 respectively. These figures clearly suggest that McDonald’s has performed extensively well; keeping in mind the global economic crisis that had prevailed within the global economy(McCallig, 2008). Balance Sheet The Balance Sheet is a statement that portrays the result at any particular point in time. The Balance Sheet provides a snap shot of the entire business in question since its inception till the point in time when the Balance Sheet is created. The Balance Sheet is categorized into broader categories showing the assets, liabilities and the equity of a business entity. These categories are shown separately with the assets portion under one heading while the equity and liabilities portion under the other heading. The assets portion must eventually tie up with the amount displayed under the equity and li

Film Analysis and Breakdown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Film Analysis and Breakdown - Essay Example The filming is a spectacular mix of close up and panoramic shots that encapsulate life before and after the Hurricane. No shot is wasted during the opening sequence, as the view is taken on a journey through two different time periods. Documentaries are often designed to elicit emotion and to tell a story. This opening sequence certainly accomplishes this aim. While there is nothing spoken, the music tells the story. There are great editing features employed here that cut between the massive flooding that occurred when the levees broke, yet we are then cut back to an earlier time when the area was beautiful and life was good. This editing technique provides a comparison and contrast that make the film effective in communicating its intended message. The music itself appears to be carefully chosen as well. Rather than shifting its message and tone, the jazz played during the opening sequence is a consistent representation and reminder of what the Gulf Region was, and hopes to once again become. Finally, the opening sequence has a cut in action that takes us to the present time to begin telling the story that forms the foundation of the film. Two images truly dissolve into one another as the region of old and the region of today is meshed together to pain a vivid picture in the mind of the viewer. That opening sequence is designed to serve as the introduction to a story. It captivates the viewer and leaves them wanting to know more. That is the essence of a good

Pakistani Indian Relations

Pakistani Indian Relations Introduction: From the beginning the seeds of conflicted have been impartially implanted in the roots of Pak-India Relations. These two nations never considered each other as their friends but remained and wanted to be foes. At the time of the partition, about half a million Muslims and Hindus were killed in mutual insurgences following the partition of British India. Millions of Muslims living in India and Hindus and Sikhs living in Pakistan immigrated in one of the most massive transfers of population in the modern era. Both countries blamed each other of not providing suitable security to the minorities immigrating through their territory. This served to increase tensions between the newly-born countries. This created instability in the area and never lead each other to prosper economically. The relations between India and Pakistan have been influenced by a number of historical and political issues, and is defined by the crucial partition of British India in 1947, the Kashmir dispute and the number of military conflicts fought between the two nations. No doubt that the nations share the same historic, cultural, geographic, and economic terms In the Sub-Continent and their relationship has been critical by aggression and doubts. Countries Comparison: Wars, Conflicts and Disputes: Kashmir Issue: The emerging, countering and the most deadly issues in the world is the cause of major tension and conflict between two countries. It was from the beginning when the Ruler of Kashmir decided to remain independent at the times of division. Now after the division Pakistan is claiming its Dominance and India is claiming its reunion with Kashmir which is leading to a critical situation and insurgency. 1965 War Kargil War (1998-99) After the independence, India had left no stone unturned to bring harm to the sovereignty of Pakistan. Moreover their actions of the 1965 war claimed their aggression towards Pakistani community. Moreover it is still pressurizing the army of Pakistan. Another incident when Pak become nuclear superpower in 1999 the Kargil war broke out. But some analysts claim that they have been the victim of releasing of tensions from the both sides. But both were solved by the International communities. Water dispute Since independence the water dispute emerged as major dispute between the two nations about rivers Ravi,Sutlej,Chenab,Beas,Jehlum and Sindh.So after the cooperation of World Bank, In 1960, Indus Treaty was signed to resolve the conflict.Pak get Chenab,Indus and Jehlum and India got Ravi, Sutlej and Beas according to the treaty. Bangladesh Liberation War Since independence, Pakistan was geo-politically divided into two major regions, West Pakistan and East Pakistan. East Pakistan was occupied mostly by Bengali people. In December 1971, following a political crisis in East Pakistan, the situation soon risen out of control in East Pakistan and India intervened in favor of the rebelling Bengali people. The conflict results in a brief but bloody war and lead to the independence of East Pakistan. In the war, the Pakistani army swiftly fell to India while forcing the independence of East Pakistan which separated and became Bangladesh. Control Line Issues A number of times when the relations and tensions between India and Pakistans seemed to be decreasing the control line issues came into existence by the Military of both cuontries. The true example is Kargil war (1998-99).Firings, bombings and arresting of innocent people are key findings of these issues. Conflicts Reborn: Samjhota Express Bombings (2007) The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings was a terrorist attack targeted on the Samjhauta Express train on 18 February. The Samjhauta Express is an international train that runs from New Delhi, India to Lahore, Pakistan. It is one of two trains to cross the India-Pakistan border. At least 68 people were killed. Mostly were Pakistani civilians but also some Indian security personnel and civilians. Prasad Shrikant Purohit, an Indian Army officer and leader of a Hindu Fundamentalist Group.It was identified and investigated as a key suspect responsible for the bombing. The attack was a turning point in Indo-Pakistani relations, and one of the many terrorist incidents that have effected relations between the two countries. Mumbai attacks (2008) The 2008 Mumbai attacks by ten Pakistani terrorists killed over 173 and wounded 308. The single surviving gunman, Ajmal Kasab (who was arrested during the attacks), was found to be a Pakistani national. This fact was acknowledged by Pakistani authorities. In May 2010, an Indian court condemned him on four counts of murder, waging war against India, conspiracy and terrorism offences, and sentenced him to death. India blamed the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group, for planning and executing the attacks. Islamabad resisted the claims and demanded evidence. India provided evidence in the form of interrogations, weapons, candy wrappers, Pakistani Brand Milk Packets, and telephone sets. Indian officials demanded Pakistan deport suspect for trial. They also said that, given the sophistication of the attacks, the criminals must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan. Role of Media in Promoting Peace: No doubt, over the last two decades, media has been playing a vital role over the peace and trade development talks of Pak-India relations. Not only Pakistani media but foreign media is also participating very actively. From ages these sides have never been to the soft corners of the issue but are always the grand part of mishaps. The both media men and media partners are also demanding their home countries to ensure easy visa policy to promote harmony among the countries. Singers like Atif Aslam and Rahat fateh Ali khan also go India for performing musical activities for the film industry of India. This shows a major peace initiative by media side. The Lighter Side of Diplomatic Relationship: Aman ki Aasha: â€Å"Aman ki Aasha† (Hope for Peace) is a campaign jointly started by the two leading media houses The Jang Group in Pakistan and The Times of India in India. The campaign purposes for mutual peace and development of the diplomatic and cultural relations between the two nations in South Asia. It was started on January 1, 2010. The campaign never received warm response from India and Pakistan. Shoaib and Sania Relationship: The one of the greatest relationships ever made in the history of world and the most renowned one is â€Å"Shoaib and Sania Marriage† which has weaken the strong holds of hatred and anger between two nations. This has also presented a soft image of Pakistani personnel in the light of Indian dilemmas. Bilateral Sports Promotions: Sports have always been a key player in promoting peace and harmony. Both countries were mutually involved in number of sports like Cricket, Hockey and Kabbadi. And both countries important persons often and several times go to their neighbors to see these cricket and hockey matches. Moreover, the recent Kabbadi Final match was warmly attended by Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Shareef. This was an important initiative regarding peace promotion. Trade and Development Talks: In Second Indian Expo on December 14, 2013, Leader of Businessmen Group (BMG) and former President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Siraj Kassim Teli, has advised business community of India to pressurize their government to resolve issues and normalize trade and political relation with Pakistan. While Inaugurating 2nd Indian Expo at Expo Center, he said that both the countries should visit each other’s country frequently and conduct trade. He was of the view that army and politicians both the countries, do not like to normalize relation whereas the business community and general public are in favor of normal relations. There should be no restriction on movement between the two countries. In New Delhi on December 9, 2013, a Pakistani delegation led by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said there is a need to take bold steps to encourage business relations and to make changes in investment laws in both the countries. According to him, It is time to take action and to take bold steps. Tourism is an important sector and there is a need to promote tourist movement. There is the need to change the existing investment laws in both the countries. Railways Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Saad Rafique has said that the Pakistan Railways will soon send a delegation to New Delhi. According to the minister, the main purpose of the visit is to learn about the functioning of the Indian Railway System. Rafique acknowledged that the Indian Railways is a profit-making entity unlike the Pakistan Railway. Pakistan also needs to take help and guidance from the Indian Railways to make it economically possible and bring it back on the right track. Addressing a press conference at Pakistan Railway headquarters in Lahore, he also said that Indian Railways, one of the largest railway networks in the world, has 115,000 km of track with a route of more than 65,000 km connecting 7,500 stations. We have to do away with the policy of hatred with neighbors, especially India, as we cannot afford it today. MFN Talks: India-Pakistan relations got an additional setback after the announcement made by Pakistan’s Finance Minister that the MFN status, i.e. the most favored nation status, to India will not be considered. Although the improve trade relations would have a significant impact on the political issues between the two countries, and this announcement makes it more likely that bilateral relations will continue to weaken at current low levels. The latest figures show that India’s 2012 trade with Pakistan accounted for a mere US$2.15 billion of its total trade of US$778 billion (less than 0.3 per cent). Exports to Pakistan accounted for only 0.56 per cent of India’s exports, while imports constituted 0.11 per cent. Given the size of both countries’ economies and the complementarily of their trading baskets, the present level of trade should be higher. The rejection of MFN status compounds these difficulties, and reduces the effect of positive steps taken by both countr ies over the last few years. MFN status would not only help provide stability in trade relations between the two countries but would also assist Pakistan in technology upgrades, greater productivity gains, and increased revenues from legal trade. It is reported that India-Pakistan informal trade (trade occurring through a third country) accounts for more than formal trade (which is around US$4 billion). Further, consumers would experience lower product prices and greater variety. Despite Pakistan’s recent rejection of MFN status to India, India could unilaterally reduce all kinds of non-tariff barriers that would be capable of creating confidence among Pakistani traders. A good and stable political relationship would help trade but opposite is quite possible. Whereas, nowadays Pakistan is closely watching the high-decibel campaign for Indias general elections, andNarendra Moodi has surprisingly emerged as the favorite candidate for many across the border who want peace and trade with India. They believe that Moodi, who boosted trade and investment in Gujarat, may also give a big push toIndo-Pak trade. Observing the Most favorite Nation (MFN) status to India by Pakistan would be a positive step forward in improving the relation between the two neighbors, Islamabad may decide on it after the elections in India, said James Dobbins (U.S Special Representative). Global Views: At their much anticipated meeting in New York, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh guaranteed to find ways to restore calm on their disputed border in Kashmir as an initial step towards reconciliation. An Indian official said that the two leaders have decided to task senior military officers to â€Å"find effective means to restore the ceasefire† in Kashmir. U.S. Special Representative James Dobbins said ahead of an expectedmeeting in New York between the prime ministers of the two neighboring countries.Improvement in Pakistan-India relations is akey to South Asian stability and Washington would support any initiative towardsthat goal. He also said that on India and Pakistan relations, we would support any initiativeswhich led to an improvement in those relations. We think it’s importantfor both countries, it’s important for the stability of the broader region, it’simportant for the world, at Washington’s Foreign Press Center.He was commenting on peace prospects between the two nuclear powersthat saw a cooking of tensions this summer with repeated violations ofnegotiating periods in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifand his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh are expected to hold peace discussions in New York, where they will both address the 68th UN General Assembly session. They ’re both nuclear-armed powers, and a conflict between them wouldbe disastrous not just for them, but for everyone. The special representative also reminded U.S. backing forimprovement in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations specifically because it would easesome of the pressures and tensions that give rise to the conflict in Afghanistan. And so from our point of view, there is everything to be gained from animprovement in the relationship between two countries. Current Scenario: The Global Discussions for maintaining peace between India and Pakistan are at its peak these days. The newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Nawaz Sharif has taken a step forward towards India. Peace between the two nations seems to be his first priority. Mian Nawaz Sharif in his several speeches talked about the betterment of relation between the two nations. He also talked to one of the leading media group of India to play a positive role in this situation. He also invited Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan. Recently, Chief Minister of Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif visited India and watched Kabaddi match between the teams of both nations. He said if India wins the match we will congratulate you as our neighbors won and if Pakistan wins, India should do the same as their neighbors won. He invited Chief Minister of Indian Punjab to visit Pakistani Punjab. This shows the positive stance of Pakistan’s government. On the other hand, India is not showing any response to this due to several reasons in which Indian elections are one of the main. Elections are going to take place in India hopefully this year and Monmohan’s government in about to finish its tenure. It seems that Monmahan Singh’s government is not willing to take any step for the peace between the nations as it might harm their party in the coming elections. At the same time, the Prime Minister candidate of BJP India, Mr. Narinder Moodi is using Anti-Pak relations as one of its main stance in his campaign. Both India and Pakistan are looking forward to improve their status economic development, globally. Both the nations are seen in a competition. Conclusion: To sum up this scenario, only one-sided soft corner is seen which is from Pakistan as they are not leaving a single chance to improve the relations but Indian government is not looking forward to it. The relations cannot be improved until or unless both the governments sit together and resolve their issues. The gigantic spending on Defense Budget from both countries is leading them to an economic â€Å"Black Hole†. They should follow the famous sayings; â€Å"Let Bygones, Be Bygones† The Government of Pakistan has decided to give the MFN status to India after their elections. This status will increase the trade between then the two countries through land border and it is hoped that trade normalization can help in resolving the issues. References: http://www.dawn.com/newspaper http://www.brecorder.com/business-a-economy/672:/1264337:second-indian-expo-opens/ http://karachi.newspakistan.pk/ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-12-09/news/44989244_1_india-and-pakistan-sohail-lashari-salman-bashir http://inserbia.tumblr.com/post/69776834458/pakistan-railways-ready-to-seek-technical-help-from http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ http://tribune.com.pk/story/649555/indo-pak-relations-lets-re-write-our-history-for-a-better-future/ http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/india-pakistan-wars.html http://historypak.com/quaid-i-azams-perception-of-pakistans-relations-with-india/ https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~nmonasch/pakistan-india conflict.html http://www.thenews.com.pk/ http://www.nation.com.pk/editors-picks/25-Nov-2013/pak-india-mediamen-demand-easy-visa-policy http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/08/28/leaving-pakistan-india-trade-barriers-up-ties-political-progress-down/ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-12-03/news/44710673_1_mfn-status-narendra-modi-indo-pak-trade http://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/pak-may-decide-on-mfn-status-to-india-after-polls-dobbins_896262.html http://tribune.com.pk/story/611555/un-secy-gen-welcomes-pakistan-india-talks/

Dog Dreams :: essays research papers

Dog Dreams For the past five years my dream has been to own a male Saint Bernard pup out of my old Saint Bernards, Samson and Delilah. Patty, the woman that owns my old companions called and informed me that Delilah was pregnant and was expected to deliver within the next week. I knew that my dream was coming true and I would get my pup. That whole week I was on cloud nine all I could think about was this dog. I went ahead and made plans to pick out my new bundle of joy the following Monday after they were born. Everything was going great, until I received the most disturbing telephone call I had ever received. This call informed me that Delilah had given birth to six beautiful puppies, but a disease in the mother’s milk called milk fever had instantly killed three of the pups and the other three were in critical condition. I asked if I could come and see the three living pups, but she said to wait and see if they survived. Patty told me to call her Saturday night and check on the pups. A s Saturday approached I worked up the nerve and called her. I soon learned that two more had passed away and only one pup was still holding on. Patty told me that the one pup that was still holding on was a male, and he looked just like his father, Samson. This information rekindled my dreams and I began to have some hope. She told me that if anything happened she would give me a call. Sunday went by along with Monday and most of Tuesday. Then around 9:30 while I was at work, one of the servers informed me I had a telephone call. My heart began to race, as I answered the telephone. As I expected it was Patty, she wanted to tell me that the pup had passed away. It felt like a hundred pounds of bricks hit me in the chest. We talked a bit, I thanked her for everything she had done, and I hung up the telephone. All I could think about was that my pup was dead. After so many years of waiting and wanting this pup in the matter of days, it was gone.

Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics: Happiness :: Nicomachean Ethics Essays

From pursuing pleasure to avoiding pain, life seems to ultimately be about achieving happiness. However, how to define and obtain happiness has and continues to be a widely debated issue. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle gives his view on happiness. Aristotle focuses particularly on how reason, our rational capacity, should help us recognize and pursue what will lead to happiness and the good life.';(Cooley and Powell, 459) He refers to the soul as a part of the human body and what its role is in pursuing true happiness and reaching a desirable end. Aristotle defines good'; as that which everything aims.(Aristotle, 459) Humans have an insatiable need to achieve goodness and eventual happiness. Sometimes the end that people aim for is the activity they perform, and other times the end is something we attempt to achieve by means of that activity. Aristotle claims that there must be some end since everything cannot be means to something else.(Aristotle, 460) In this case, there would b e nothing we would try to ultimately achieve and everything would be pointless. An ultimate end exists so that what we aim to achieve is attainable. Some people believe that the highest end is material and obvious (when a person is sick they seek health, and a poor person searches for wealth). Most people think that the highest end is a life of pleasure. Hedonists have defined happiness as " an equivalent to the totality of pleasurable or agreeable feeling.';(Fox, 3) Some pleasures are good and contribute to happiness. Not all ends are ultimate ends but the highest end would have to be something ultimate; the only conceivable ultimate end is happiness. Happiness is perhaps the only clear ultimate end. Happiness is what we strive for by itself and not to get anything else. "So it appears that happiness is the ultimate end and completely sufficient by itself. It is the end we seek in all we do.';(Aristotle, 461) Mans' good is related to his purpose; the purpose of a man involves the actions of his soul (the soul being a part of his reasoning). By carrying out the activities of his soul and doing so with proper excellence and virtue, man is able to reach a desirable end. Virtue, then deals with those feelings and actions in which it is wrong to go too far and wrong to fall too short but in which hitting the mean is praiseworthy and good†¦.

Economics case study Essay

(a) Explain whether health care is a private , merit or public care (b) Is health care a free good? Explain your answer (c) Does the quote from the doctor suggest that the market for healthcare is in equilibrium? Again explain your answer (d) Compare the effects of an improvement in the quality of product provided by the NHS and that provided by a private health care company (e) Explain 2 meanings of the word ‘efficiency’ (f) What is likely to happen to private sector firms which are not efficient? (g) In which market structure is information about best practice likely to be most freely available (h) Discuss the private and external benefits of health care. a) A public good is a good that is a benefit to society and is provided free of cost to society, usually by the government running the country. Theses goods are not provided by private companies and firms as they do not render profit, which thus leads to a market failure due to a lack of provision of public/merit goods. Examples for such goods are roads, streetlights, education, public libraries etc. NHS (National Health Service) is a public good and government organization. It is a service that is ‘free at the point of delivery’ because society pays for it indirectly through taxes. The NHS provides free healthcare to society, this is especially beneficial for the low income group sector of society thus making it a public good. The demand for this service is high, as healthcare is very expensive in the private sector. As the law of demand states that when the prices increase demand decreases. Here there is no actual price for the service thus the demand must be high. But sometimes this high demand creates a problem as the supply cannot be met; public goods are goods that do not render profits. And thus these organizations are run by government spending and may not really be updated with the best quality as they have a limit in their budgets. They do not have the quality of being efficient as they do not make profits from their services. b) A free good is good that is not scarce, has a zero market price and do not have any opportunity costs when consumed. The key word is opportunity cost. (***Free good is a term used in economics to describe a good that is not scarce. A free good is available in as great a quantity as desired with zero opportunity cost to society.) Opportunity cost is the cost of forgoing one opportunity for another. For example – A school has been given 10,000$ and it can either spend it on books and supplies or on a new gym. Thus the opportunity cost to build the gym would be the loss of not buying books and vice versa. An example for free good can be sunlight, air, salt water etc. Considering healthcare, it can be noted that healthcare does not fall into the category of free good. It is an economic good even a public organization like the NHS. As NHS is a government funded subject, it is actually just a free service at the point of delivery. The taxpayers pay for this good; therefore it does have a market value indirectly through taxes. And it is not a resource that is available all the time, thus making it limited and not scarce. As it is government funded, the government can choose to spend their money on something else instead of healthcare. Therefore there is an opportunity cost to providing healthcare. The government can may spend the same amount on public structures (roads, streetlights, traffic lights or on education etc). As provision of healthcare has an opportunity cost, it makes it an economic good and not a free good. (*** Economic good is a good that has an opportunity cost thus giving it a price and hence making it scarce.) c) The market for healthcare (pubic healthcare) is not in equilibrium as the doctor quotes†we just get more patients and we can’t cope with anymore†. Therefore suggesting that the supply cannot meet the demand and thus the market equilibrium is not met. Market equilibrium is when the market is in a stage where the demand meets the supply. For eg – In the figure below, we see that at price P1 the quantity Q1 is both demanded and supplied. Thus the market in equilibrium at the price P1 since the quantity of goods that people wish to buy at price Q1 is equal to quantity of the goods the supplier wants to sell at that price. This price P1 is also called as market clearing price, as everything produced is sold. The market thus remains in equilibrium. The healthcare sector (NHS) does not follow this structure of market equilibrium. The figure below shows the demand for healthcare in the private and public healthcare. This follows the demand laws that when prices increase then the demand for the good decreases as can be in seen in the demand for private healthcare services. Whereas the demand for public healthcare is very high as the price is very low or minimal. (Figure 1) Figure 2 – When the prices are low then the suppliers supply less of their goods. In the case of healthcare (public healthcare), the providers of this services may not be provide less of their services but the quality and efficiency may be less and improvements may not be made as they are Government organizations and do not have the funds to do so. Figure 3 shows that because of the low prices the demand for the service increases to Q2 and the healthcare providers can only provide services till Q*. More is being demanded than supplied, and thus there is a shortage as there is an excess of demand. Therefore the market equilibrium is altered as the supply does not meet the demand. d) Improvements in the quality provided by the NHS and the private healthcare company. The private sector’s main motive is to earn profit. Any private company or firm’s main goal is to earn profit. This can be done by having a large consumer base, thus to get achieve a large consumer base the firms continuously improve their services and are always striving for efficiency. Therefore an improvement in the private healthcare sector would not make a big difference as these firms are already always trying to provide better services to the consumers in order to make profits. Even though the prices are higher than the public sector people would with money would chose to a private clinic rather than a government healthcare facility, as it would be wiser for them to make use of the better healthcare facilities. If there are improvements in the public sector, the efficiency of the sector is improved and a lot more people would prefer going to public healthcare facilities rather than spending more money for the same service at a private clinic. The demand for the private healthcare services would decrease, and the firms would have to come up with innovative methods to restore their consumer base as a majority of the consumers would prefer paying less for healthcare for the same services provided by the private sector. The private healthcares may even have to shut down due to increasing costs in running their facilities and fewer buyers for their services thus decreasing the revenue they earn. There would be a producer loss for the private sector and a consumer gain for the consumers as they pay for good quality healthcare at a cheaper rate. But this would mean more government spending on healthcare to ensure that the new improvements continue. Or the government may increase the taxes, and thus the tax payers would have to pay more taxes in order for better public healthcare. e) Efficiency – getting any given results with smallest inputs or getting maximum output from minimum inputs Efficiency can be classified into 2 categories – * Efficiency in consumption ( Allocative efficiency ) * Efficiency in production ( Productive efficiency ) Allocating resources among consumers so that it would not be possible by any re allocation to make people better off without making anyone worse off is called efficiency in consumption. Allocative efficiency in simple terms can be put as â€Å"doing the right thing†. Defining Allocative efficiency – when there is no waste in resources in the production of goods, allocative efficiency is maximized. This occurs when there is 0 excess demand and supply in the market (S=D). For eg – when a firm produces 5000 flower pots but the market enables the firm to sell only 3500 then the resources have gone waste by producing the excess 1500 goods and there is an inefficiency in the allocation of resources as they could have been better allocated. The firm could have used the same amount of resources for something like fertilizers which would have had a higher demand. Therefore the allocative optimality occurs when the supply equals demand on the market. Allocating available resources between industries so that it will not be possible to produce more of some goods without producing less of others is called efficiency in production. Productive efficiency occurs when goods are produced at the lowest possible cost per unit, taking into account all costs arising. A firm is productively efficient when total use of resources (factors) result in the lowest possible cost per unit of output. This would be the point where average total is minimized. Productive efficiency means â€Å"doing things right†. In the healthcare sector being economically efficient as well as productively efficient is what the private clinics, hospitals etc aim for. To supply the maximum output at the cost of minimum inputs. f) Private firms that are inefficient would not be able to compete with other firms in a competitive market. If a firm is inefficient, the demand for the firm’s services and goods decrease and the firm’s consumer base will move on to another firm that does provide efficient goods and services. Or if a firm is allocatively inefficient then its resources go waste and it is unable to make the same revenue like it would have if it had used proper allocation of resources. Lack of productive efficiency would lead to the cost of production to be higher therefore the firm would suffer losses. Taking the 3 different situations in private healthcare – * Inefficient services and quality provided: would lead to the loss of customers and eventually revenue, and more competition from other firms. * Improper allocation of resources(spending): spending and wasting money on frivolous items such as curtains and dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor rather than medicines and treatment facilities , the firm would have a decrease in revenue again as people would expect top quality services rather than fancy dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor. * Costs of production and services > revenue earned = loss: the firm has spent a lot more on setting up the place and is not gaining maximum profits in return thus being productively inefficient. g) In a private structure information about best practice is likely to be freely available, as in public sectors there is not much incentive to improve techniques and skills. Whereas in the private sector the commercial organizations have an economic incentive to introduce better practices for both market leadership which leads to profits. Eg – 2 dentist clinics each one comes up with newer faster and high quality technology for braces such as clinic1 comes up with ‘invisible braces’ and clinic 2 to outdo clinic 1 comes up with ‘invisible painless clear fit on braces’ to form a larger consumer market. Whereas in public sector there would be no such highlight as there is no one to compete against and no economic incentive. h) Merit goods are goods that are beneficial to the society and include services like healthcare defense etc. The marginal social benefits in providing healthcare are greater than the marginal production costs. For this reason healthcare is normally left up to the government to provide in many countries as private sector owners find no profit making scheme through it. The private and external benefits of healthcare are many. * Society remains healthy * When society remains healthy then the major workforce remains fit as well * Provision of healthcare = public good, like the NHS makes it easily accessible to the low income society. * If the main workforce of a country has access to healthcare, the overall development of a country increases. * The government also encourages the use /consumption of this service, as it is beneficial for all. * The healthcare services provided, if of good quality, makes sure that everyone in society gets their vaccines, health checkups etc. Thus ensuring that everyone is stable and in a well fit environment. * These services are more beneficial for the lower middle and poorer section of society. The poor do not need to spend much of their little incomes and are assured of the basic services.

Womens Day

Women’s Day Women are not an asset, nor are they mere human beings – they are the pride of society. From raising the children through to educating our youth, they carry the largest burden of helping us in comprehending how important life is and why it should be preserved for the greater good of mankind.In Pakistan, we do not need to look any further – from our households through to our sociological development, they are the pillars upon whom we depend for our emotional and spiritual support, and even at times our economical, social and political fabric coherence. From the youngest to the oldest, they are equivocal representatives of the brighter side of Pakistan. Kiran Khan, for instance, represented Pakistan in swimming on an international platform – the Commonwealth Games, and the 2008 Summer Olympics to name a few; Dr.Attiya Inayatullah and Mrs. Safia Ameen, who were prominent members of the Population Council and brought to the fore the importance of e pidemiological analysis in Pakistan; Ms. Fatima Jinnah, who deserves an honorary mention in this regard for laying the foundation stone of the All Women Association; Mrs. Bilquis Edhi, wife of Abdul Sattar Edhi, is in her own right a testament to the Edhi Foundation.Her concentrated efforts in maintaining the humanitarian relief efforts for the people of Pakistan are at par with her husband and Pakistan is in debt to her patriotic passion for the nationalistic cause that she continues to pursue to this day; the numerous laureates of Pakistan are endless and deserve wreaths of praise for their contributions to Pakistan. That isn't to say that they alone are representatives of our society. On a daily basis we see them strive to bring a shining image of Pakistan that has been earned through fair means and admirable efforts.Notable mentions include; Mrs. Fauzia Kasuri, who pioneered the concept of ‘international level higher education for the masses' to noteworthy effect – with the advent of the Beaconhouse School System that, to this day, is the most diverse private school network that teaches Cambridge assorted GCEs to the masses; with the Educators providing an equal opportunity for the less affording stratum of Pakistan; Ms. Fatima Riaz, an undergraduate student of Ata-ur-Rehman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB) in National University ofScience and Technology (NUST), who has instituted the start of a NUST-level society titled â€Å"Bioreach† – the prime objective being to ‘reach' out to the general public and provide a ‘researcher's contributions' towards understanding diseases in Pakistan better and, furthermore, helping understand how they can be caused and avoided; to the numerous female students of Pakistan whom have represented Pakistan on numerous platforms – school, college, and university level – internationally and nationally; the mothers of children guiding them towards the right path; the elder ly women whom have provided their undivided attention in providing advice and counselor support to our veterans in their time of need; they are the numerous ‘silent heroes' whom have held our society's fabric together since Pakistan's inception. This article is a testament to the women of Pakistan, without whom Pakistan would have been different. We, the people of Pakistan, salute you for your untiring efforts and tip our hats in praise and support of your relentless pursuit of the national cause. And with this, we would like to conclude this dedication to you.

High Cost of Poverty in the United States Essay

Poverty can be defined in many different ways. In certain attempts, it can be used in numbers, while other definitions can be more vague, and used to define a life style. The defined term of poverty is â€Å"the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions†. (Mirriam Webster, 2011) According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 37 million people live below the poverty line. â€Å"The ranks of America’s poor swelled to almost 1 in 6 people last year, reaching a new high as long-term unemployment left millions of Americans struggling and out of work. The number of uninsured edged up to 49.9 million, the biggest in more than two decades.† (Yen, 2011) Poverty is obviously very common in our country, and all over the world. Even with the United States being the wealthiest country in the world, we still have many Americans who struggle everyday to survive. The topic I chose to focus on is the high cost of poverty, and ho w it actually costs more to be poor. Although it seems like an oxymoron, it is a very realistic topic. I chose this topic because I have personally been involved in both sides of economic statuses. Although I do not live in extreme poverty, I technically have an income that falls within the line of poverty, but I do not have a family to support and have student loans to live off of. I wanted to know further detail of how those who only experience poverty, have limited choices, and how their disadvantages actually cost them more money. My personal life experience is one from an upper middle class family, and was raised in a wealthy suburb in a predominately white community. My family never had financial struggles, so I had no experience with battling bills. I worked in high school and had my own money, but I had nothing to pay for. I thought I made a decent amount of money making $7 an hour, and only working 15-20 hours a week. For a person with no bills or rents to pay for, $150-200 a week was a lot to me. Recently, I moved out of my parent’s suburban home and into the city to be closer to school and gain some independence as an adult. I make about $250-400 a week, depending on the activity of the restaurant I waitress at. I soon realized that I am very dependent on my two roommates to split bills and rent, because I could never afford to live on my own. Although we live in a low income neighborhood, the cost of food, rent, electric, heat and cable bills stack up, and I struggle to pay them. I also only pay one third of the full cost. I have a car I need to put gas in, a gym membership I pay monthly and credit card bills every month. I now see how people that make just as much, or less than I do, struggle even more to make ends meet when their income is at the head of the household. I wanted to show to people that it is more expensive to be poor, because of the lack of resources, income and credit, and also what their options become for survival due to these circumstances. I also did a quantitative study on renting versus owning an item, to show that it actually costs more to rent something than to purchase it upfront. I chose to sample the same three items from two different stores, and recording the prices to see the differences of renting and owning it. I am aware that most individuals in poverty, usually do not have enough money to purchase items or homes upfront so they often rent them, thinking they can afford weekly or monthly payments to stretch out their income to afford other life necessities. My first concept I chose to focus was access to food. I thought about how much I spend on the food I enjoy for just for me personally, and I think it is expensive. I enjoy fruits and fresh vegetables, brand name cereals and expensive breads. Since I grew up eating the certain brands, I continue to try and afford the things I like. Being an individual with a low income, I cannot imagine supporting not only myself, but a family solely on my income. In this research paper, I will explain the hardships of getting to and from the grocery store, and if you cannot, you need to shop elsewhere, such as corner stores.† Prices in urban corner stores are almost always higher, economists say. And sometimes, prices in supermarkets in poorer neighborhoods are higher. Many of these stores charge more because the cost of doing business in some neighborhoods is higher.† [ (Brown, 2009) ] This can lead to spending extra time, danger, stress, and in the end, costing the individual more money. It also forces those with less money to spend, higher risk for obesity. â€Å"Inequitable access to healthy foods is one mechanism by which socioeconomic factors influence the diet and health of a population†. (Drewnowski, 2009) Since they do not have the money to afford healthy choices, they must choose foods that they can stretch out in order to feed their families, even if it is not healthy. My next concept I chose to study was the price of minimum wage, and how it isn’t really the minimum coverage of standard living. In New York State, the minimum wage is $7.25. â€Å"About 20% of American adults who have jobs are earning less than $10.65 an hour. Even at 40 hours a week, that amounts to less than $22,314, which is the poverty level for a family of four†. [ (Isidore, 2011) ]. This simply states that a monthly income of about $1,000-$2,000 is almost impossible to survive on. This may lead to bad credit, forced into renting, and having people do dangerous or criminal activity to get money or items for their families. The poverty rate for all people disguises substantial variation between racial and ethnic subgroups. Poverty rates for blacks and Hispanics greatly exceed the national average. According to the United States Census Bureau, â€Å"In 2010, 27.4 percent of blacks and 26.6 percent of Hispanics were poor, compared to 9.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 12.1 percent of Asians.† (Bureau of the Census, 2011) Poverty rates are most often the highest for families headed by single women, particularly if they are black or Hispanic. â€Å"In 2010, 31.6 percent of households headed by single women were poor, while 15.8 percent of households headed by single men and 6.2 percent of married-couple households lived in poverty.† (Bureau of the Census, 2011). â€Å"The official poverty level is an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four â€Å". (Yen, 2011) On average, depending on the size of a household, a family living in poverty has an average income of less than $20,000. This can include couples with children, single parents with one or more children. Needless to say, this is not a lot of money to support a family on, and thus they have to take extra steps to survive, which results in higher costs, and contributing to the statement of the high cost of poverty. You have to be rich to be poor. This is what some people, who have never lived below the poverty line, don’t understand. The poorer you are, the more things cost. Additional steps in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, and danger. This is a fact of life that television, magazines and media, do not often explain. Take for example, food. First, if you do not have a car, getting to the supermarket can take anywhere from one to three hours of public transportation, and costing a price to use the bus or a taxi. To use the method of public transportation, it is necessary to hav e to load all of your groceries into the bus, or taxi. This is limiting to space and capability of carrying all of the groceries. A simpler version of this would be to walk to the corner store, for free, but where the grocery selection is limited and prices are doubled. â€Å"Prices in urban corner stores are almost always higher, economists say. And sometimes, prices in supermarkets in poorer neighborhoods are higher. Many of these stores charge more because the cost of doing business in some neighborhoods is higher.† (Brown, 2009) Also, if you are living in poverty, you will most likely not be making enough money to buy $100 or more worth of groceries for your family. This results in the person or family spending more money, to either get to the grocery store, or paying more for the food to save money traveling to and from. In the end, it is a losing situation, and the poor are paying more in the end than someone who is wealthy and has access to the necessary resources. Spending more money than middle class, or wealthy class to buy groceries is one example of how high the cost of poverty is. If the poor is spending money in the corner stores, they are most likely not getting nutritious foods or healthy choices that most corner stores do not carry. Obesity is a direct result from that, seeing that unhealthy foods cost way less than healthy eating does.† Obesity and type 2 diabetes follow a socioeconomic gradient. Highest rates are observed among groups with the lowest levels of education and income and in the most deprived areas. Inequitable access to healthy foods is one mechanism by which socioeconomic factors influence the diet and health of a population†. (Drewnowski, 2009) Low income levels leave people no choice but to choose foods that are nutrient poor, because it is a price that can afford and something they can stretch out among their whole family to feed them. It is also the best way to provide daily calories at an affordable c ost. Those who are struggling financially are clearly the most disadvantaged when it comes to healthy eating habits. In our grocery stores today we have so many artificial sweeteners, preservatives, fats and sweets that are sure to taste good, but not good for our health. Fats and sweets tend to cost way less, where as healthy foods cost more. It makes no sense to have unhealthy foods cost less than healthy foods, but it is the manufacturing and production that determines the cost of foods. Therefore, those who do not have the money to purchase healthy options have to choose foods that fit in their budget. These are usually unhealthy, packaged, canned or frozen options that have little to no nutritional value. Even those families that have government support, welfare checks and food stamps are still on a restricted budget. The foods they are allowed to get for free or reduced price are items such as fruit juices, canned fruits, cereal, grits, and corn tortillas. These items are all packed with sugar and calories which is not aiding in healthy lifestyles. â€Å"Researchers have shown that low-income neighborhoods attract more fast-food outlets and convenience stores as opposed to full-service supermarkets and grocery stores† (Drewnowski, 2009). This also relates back to travel costs, transportation and affording food. Since it is easier to get to the corner stores, it is a disadvantage to the customers because the corner stores are usually just packed with unhealthy options. It is economic deprivation that is a key factor in obesity, and one key factor of weight gain may be low diet cost. Another example of how the high cost of poverty is, is the price of minimum wage and if it really acceptable to be the minimum wage you can survive on. Most people and experts agree that to get out of an economic slump, we need more jobs. But another problem is that millions of Americans already have jobs that don’t pay very much. â€Å"About 20% of American adults who have jobs are earning less than $10.65 an hour. Even at 40 hours a week, that amounts to less than $22,314, which is the poverty level for a family of four†. (Isidore, 2011) In New York State, the federal minimum wage is $7.25. Minimum wage is supposed to be the wage in which it is the bare minimum amount of money that one can survive on. Even at 40 hours a week, that equals to be $290 without taxes taken out. This would be a paycheck of about $250 for one week, and this equals about $1000 a month. Taking into consideration that those who are the working poor, they need to spend more money getting to and from work, which also costs extra time. They also need to pay bills, feed themselves and their families. For an individual making $1,000 a month, this is almost impossible to survive on even in minimal conditions. An average cost of rent in Buffalo NY is fairly inexpensive, and taking into consideration that Buffalo on of the poorest cities in the United States, we have to be aware that there is many people in the city below the poverty line. According to Rentjungle.com, An average one bedroom apartment in Buffalo is $679 a month and two bedroom apartment rents average $750. To see this in comparison to another large city, one bedroom apartments in New York City rent for $2356 a month on average and two bedroom apartment rents average $2767. Minimum wage is clearly not enough to survive on if your average monthly income is $1000. Out of $1000 income, you have to set aside an average of $600 for rent, leaving you $400 for car fees, if you have one, or transportation fees if you depend on them. If your apartment does not include utilities, you need money for electric bill, gas bills, which can skyrocket in our area when it is winter, cable or internet if possible, and food budget. Another example of a disadvantage the poor have is the actual process of cashing their check to get their money. The rich or middle class usually have the option of direct deposit for their paychecks. The poor have check-cashing and payday loan joints, which cost time and money. The poor pay more for financial services, and many people who cannot be capable to have a bank account may have to pay extra money for a money order to pay their bills and cash their checks. â€Å"They may pay a 2 percent check-cashing fee because they don’t have bank services.† (Brown, 2009) Many people in poverty literally live paycheck to paycheck. If they have a bill that’s due, they do not have a luxury of online payments, because they cannot afford computers or internet, so they have to mail it. If they do not have the money in time for a bill, they have to wait for their next paycheck. This can cost late fees, and in an end result, spending more money than a person with those luxuries. While many people are surviving in this manner, people will look for any way to get by without spending their money. Many people in poverty may depend on credit cards to help them afford things they cannot. Credit cards can help out for temporary reasons, but if not paid off, this can cause more problems. People who are struggling to pay their bills will most likely have bad credit, and have no other option but to rent homes, items, and many other things they cannot afford, due to their credit and income. Bad credit also costs more money than those with good credit. If a person does not have enough money to pay off bills in full, they will get extra interest charges and fees that stack up and end up costing more for them. Since I did not have the option of going into homes of the people in poverty, I decided to do research on items, rather than homes, to compare the costs of rent to own. Poor people do not have the option of owning homes, because of their credit and/or income, so they have no choice but to rent. I wanted to see if the price you pay for being a low income individual actually costs you more, than to own something. This is to show that poverty does in fact cost more to live I chose to look at a refrigerator, a range and a television from two different department stores to compare prices on a rent versus owning the item. My first item, the refrigerator, a 25.3 cubic foot, Side-by-Side with thru-the Door Ice and Water, Black color, was $799.99 to own immediately from Best Buy. At Rent- A-Center, the same exact refrigerator was $37.99 to rent per week, for 91 weeks. At first, it seems like a cheap deal and a realistic price for those who do not have the $799.99 upfront to spend. When you do the math, $37.99 per week for 91 weeks is $3457 total to own after renting at the $37.99 per week. This is over four times the price it would cost to buy at Best Buy and own immediately. I also learned that consumers can get a â€Å"discounted† price by purchasing the item after 90 days, which seemed a little better to me. When I did the math again, it would equal out to be $1728 total to own after renting for 90 days. This is still about double the price of buying it immediately. My next item I compared was the range. A GE-30† Freestanding Electric Range, Black-on-Black Quickset III oven. At Best Buy this was $429.99 to own immediately. Rent-A-Center had the same oven for $24.99 to rent per week for 74 weeks. The total to own after renting for 74 weeks at $24.99 was $ 1849. After 90 days of renting, the total price to own would be $924.63. The prices are clearly different, but yet it seems manageable when you are there. Looking at a price of $25 a week for a nice, brand new stove seems pretty manageable if you have a low income. When you look at the math and how much it will actually cost to rent rather than own, it is actually over four times the original price to own the oven upfront. The last item I compared was a television, an Insignia © Advanced 42† Class/1080p/ 120Hz/ LCD. This item from Best Buy was $749.99 to own immediately. Rent-A-Center had the same television for $39.99 to rent per week, for 74 weeks. It seems like a reasonable, affordable price until you calculate it and realize that it would cost $2959 total to own after 74 weeks of renting. This is about four times the original price. After 90 days of renting, the â€Å"discount† price to own, at Rent-A-Center is $1479, still double the original price. All three of the items I chose to compare are most needed in homes, with the exception of the television. Although it is not a necessity, almost all homes have at least one television. When those who are living in poverty want to own these items, they will have struggles to afford paying them. They turn to the option of renting because they see the low price and it appeals that it is affordable to them. The small payments they think they can afford weekly add up and end up costing them quadruple of original prices. In conclusion, being poor is a struggle. It costs much more money and time to be poor. Working lots of hours and making little money takes a toll on many people here in the United States. I wanted to show readers that this is a very realistic topic to study, and that the cost of poverty is high. The obstacles and disadvantages those in poverty have to deal with are frustrating, stressful ,and in need of change. Poverty is a very difficult thing to understand and take control over because lifestyles cannot be forced upon. People choose their own paths of life, and lack of education, jobs, motivation, children and many other situations are uncontrollable. In our society, I think it is important to know the struggles of those in poverty stricken situations and to understand their hardships. This can be motivation to those in it, or headed towards it in their future. Learning about the costs and disadvantages poverty comes with can be a motivating factor for people to go to college and get an education to receive a well paying job, get a job in general, educate themselves about saving money, and learning that renting is not cheaper than owning. Hopefully my research will be beneficial to those in college, living on low income, to do well in school to gain better jobs, educate those in poverty about the costs they are spending and figuring new alternatives, and to open eyes to those that think it is cheap to be poor. Being in poverty costs time and the cost of poverty is certainly high. In the end, the high cost of poverty will be a never ending cycle of time and money and I hope this research paper opens the eyes of all individuals to help make this problem change. Bibliography Brown, D. L. (2009). The High Cost of Poverty: Why the Poor Pay More. Lexis Nexis Academic , A-4. Bureau of the Census. (2011). Income Alternative Poverty Estimates in the United States. Washington D.C: U.S Census Bureau. Drewnowski, A. (2009). Nutrition Reviews: Obesity, diets, and social inequalities. Seattle: University of Washington. Isidore, C. (2011, September 27). CNN Money. Retrieved November 15, 2011, from Not getting by on minimum wage: http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/27/news/economy/minimum_wage_jobs/index.htm Jason M. Sutherland, E. S. (2009). Getting Past Denial — The High Cost of Health Care in the United States. The New England Journal of Medicine , 1227-30. Mirriam Webster. (2011). Mirriam Webster Dictonary. Dictionary . Brittanica Company. Yen, H. (2011, September 13). Yahoo News. (A. Press, Ed.) Retrieved November 15, 2011, from Census: US poverty rate swells to nearly 1 in 6: http://news.yahoo.com/census-us-poverty-rate-swells-nearly-1-6-142639972.html