India Against Corruption Essay

According to the Oxford Dictionary, corruption is dishonesty and illegal behavior by people in positions of authority or power. India was ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s, Corruption Perception Index, 2012 on 5th December, 2012. Most of us may have had, at some point or the other in our life, a firsthand experience of offering bribes, using our contacts or influencing people to get work done in government offices or to get jobs in the public sector. Therefore, corruption is not a new term for anyone. As far as handling or trying to stall corruption in India is concerned, one needs to get to the root cause of corruption, and then try to cut the roots in order to handle the whole entity. Another way of curbing corruption is to limit the role of the government in various fields. The causes of corruption in India include excessive regulations, improper tax structure, complicated licensing systems, lack of transparency in the laws, monopoly by some of the government institutions, discretionary powers in the hands of government departments. In order to handle corruption, one needs to aim at removing these causes. Social activists like Anna Hazare have been working against corruption, but not much success has been achieved. But are these entities really working in the interest of the people is an issue that needs to be pondered upon. It has also been pointed that many prominent figures have had illegal money in the Swiss Banks; such things have been widely covered on the social media, but nevertheless have gone unheeded. Anti corruption laws, Anti corruption police and courts, Anti corruption organizations; all exist in India. These have been formed to bring corruption to a manageable level so that one can give a thought to eliminating corruption. According to some economists, corruption adversely affects the growth rate. It has devastating consequences on the economy. Therefore efforts must be taken to stall it. If there is less of red tape, bribery is eliminated, reduction in interference of government in the private sector is ensured, there is ethical bureaucracy and a proper tax structure and licensing system is ensured and most importantly stringent action against corrupt officials is taken; Corruption can be managed to a certain level. A mass movement though can also be the remedy, just like the one that Mahatma Gandhi led during independence. Since charity begins at home, we must try to check ourselves before we point fingers at others and therefore not indulge in any corrupt malpractices.

Program Design and Narrative Essay

To achieve the objectives for our Healthy Pomona Kids Partnership program, the city of Pomona will utilize the methods outlined below. These methods have been proven effective by the Healthy RC Kids Partnership for the city of Rancho Cucamonga, where their client population is Latino. Representatives from this organization assisted in the development of this project and we have also provided an in depth timeline to this proposal. Objective One See more: how to start a personal narrative essay examples Ensure that children from low income families have access to fresh and nutritious foods in before and after school programs. †¢Healthy Pomona Kids Partnership will hire a program supervisor and two fulltime bilingual program assistants to establish a community outreach committee. †¢Appoint four community outreach committee leaders that are culturally competent, with two of the leaders needing to be bilingual. †¢Staff will develop a plan for local farmers markets and community gardens. Objective Two Educate families on the importance of good eating habits and the dangers or risks pertaining to childhood obesity; to promote healthy eating and reduce childhood obesity. †¢Staff will coordinate weekly health classes to educate and promote healthy living. †¢Staff will develop a formal feedback system so voices and concerns can be heard. †¢Staff will track participant’s progress on a weekly basis. Objective Three Engage community leaders and local police to help residence feel safer in their community to encourage exercise. †¢Staff will develop group walks within the community to meet three times a week. †¢Encourage local leaders to build walking trails.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Meet with local schools to educate students about the benefits of exercise.

What is the meaning of the Ninth Commandment to a college student?

The basic premise behind the ninth commandment is truth, whether it is truth in deed, truthful speech or honest thoughts.   If we take the meaning of the commandment further and interpret the words to mean that a person should not lie, then we can understand better how this commandment might impact our daily life, especially in today’s modern environment where deception, and white lies appear to be condoned by our western society. The ninth commandment requires for each individual to be honest in his or her dealings with others, but analysis of the term â€Å"lying† reveals that there is more to being truthful than accurate reporting.The Oxford Modern English Dictionary (1996) defines â€Å"truth† as being â€Å"the quality or state of being true or truthful† (p. 1114) and â€Å"truthful† as â€Å"habitually telling the truth† (p.1114).   By comparison the definition of the term â€Å"lying† in the same dictionary is listed as â₠¬Å"part of a lie†¦deceitful, false† (p.595) where â€Å"Lie† is described as â€Å"an intentionally false statement† (p. 573).   From these interpretations it is easy to reach the conclusion that the definition of both truth and lying is steeped more in the intention of the individual rather than individual acts or words spoken.Brevard Childs (1974) believed that the original idea behind the ninth commandment was a legal one, rather than an ethical one, in that he translated the original text to mean that a person should not tell lies in a court of law (Childs, 1974), however the more modern viewpoint on the meaning of the commandment appears to be related to individual accountability and a desire to live a life of truth (St. John in the Wilderness, 2001, [online]).There are many different ways a person can lie including withholding the truth, slandering another person or action, or telling white lies and despite ethical discussions to the contrary all of these actions are considered untruthful from a biblical perspective.   For example in Leviticus 19:11, we are told, â€Å"you shall not steal, you shall not deal falsely, and you will not lie to one another† (NRSV).   Later in the same chapter we are again told, â€Å"you shall not go around as a slanderer among your people†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Leviticus 19:16). These are just two of the copious number of biblical references that can be found that encourage each individual to be a truthful person, but how relevant is this truth in modern society?Terence Fretheim (1991) interpreted the ninth commandment to convey a foundation for community and social living.   He wrote, â€Å"unless there is an arena in which there is public confidence that social reality will be reliably described and reported† (Fretheim, p.848), the concept of community could not exist.  Ã‚   Blatnik (2004) corroborates that idea and goes on to say, â€Å"there is no community on the face of public lies† (p.3).   Blatnik (2004) also mentions verses in Ephesians that point towards the idea that â€Å"we are bound to each other in a way that a lie in one place, a lie at one level, a lie by one person, is like a ripple in a pond – the whole pond is ultimately affected† (p.3).Walter Brueggemann (1994) wrote in his book that the ninth commandment is â€Å"a recognition that community life is not possible unless there is an arena in which there is public confidence that social reality will be reliably described and reported† (p.26).   He believed that not only was truth an important part of a just and fair legal system, but that truth should be evident in all forms of public interaction.   For example the modern idea that skewing the truth in the advertisement of products in mass media forums is an accepted part of society, but essentially if public truth cannot reflect public reality then an important part of society is undermined and we as members of this society tend, over time, to distrust the messages we get from mass media sources.In his book Commandments of Compassion, Keenan (1999) suggest that as a society we need to â€Å"create a space where truth can be told† (p.4). He believes that truth should be evident in personal relationships, family relationships and public dealings we have with other members of our community.   Unfortunately this level of truth can only be created if all members of society were totally honest with each other and as it is not possible for us as human beings, to read the thoughts of another person, it is often difficult to tell if a person we are dealing with has the same commitment towards living a truthful life as we ourselves would like to have.John Timmerman (1997) also wrote about how to be truthful in all of our relationships, both personal and public. He emphasized the different ways we as individuals could achieve this level of truthfulness and suggested that if we were caref ul in the words we spoke so that we did not give another person the wrong impression, and combined this with attentive listening to another person, then these actions could increase our own individual ability to be truthful at all times.   Timmerman also noted that the idea of promises were almost a sacred act, in that as we believe in the promises from God, so we should ensure that we only make promises we can keep (Timmerman, 1997).According to John Ritenbaugh (1997) lying is rife in our communities.   His article mentions surveys that show that students lie to their parents about 50% of the time, that people in personal relationships lie about 30 percent of the time to their partner, while 12% of four million Americans in the job market had lost their jobs because they had misleading information on their resumes (Ritenbaugh, 1997).   He suggested that the reason lying was so prevalent in our society was because we tend to use other terms for lying, such as â€Å"exaggerati ng† or â€Å"inaccuracy† to describe the untruths.We seem as a society to accept that politicians are up to no good, that a salesman is probably â€Å"putting us on† and that big corporations must be doing something illegal because they make so much money.   The fact that these beliefs have permeated our social fabric to such a degree that these thoughts are commonplace shows just how little truth we expect from others in our daily lives.   This fact alone would suggest that because we do not expect others to tell us the truth, we might be less likely to be truthful ourselves.   It would seem that much of society is based on the idea that ‘everyone else is doing it† so therefore we can absolve ourselves of being accountable and honest in our own dealings with others.The Bible gives us countless examples of what it means to be truthful.   Deuteronomy 32:4 says â€Å"He is the rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of tr uth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He† (NSRV). The teachings from Jesus also contain ideas on how to be truthful, especially in terms of the role model he became for other people.   Jesus was an example of a person who lived by his words on a daily basis, and it is through his example that we can see what changes we might need to put in place in our own lives, to be a better and more truthful person.A Christian student goes to a Christian college with the expectation that the people who share the campus with them are going to live by the same standards as themselves.   One of these expectation is that the other students, the tutors and even the administration staff of the college will all want to abide by the ten commandments and sometimes it can be bit of a shock to us to find that not only are there countless people in general society that fail to live by the commandments on a daily basis, but that some of the people in the college are also failing to li ve by the high standards set by Jesus Christ.However, it is my personal opinion that when it comes to attendance at a Christian educational institution that rather than condemn or alienate those students who might lie to us, or fail the commandments in some way or another, that we need to be forgiving and use the positive Christian influence of the college to help understand why some people find it difficult to be truthful in voice and deed and encourage these people back onto a Christian path in life.   We need to heed the words by Keenan (1999) mentioned earlier that we need to create the space where a person can feel comfortable enough to tell the truth.One of the main reasons people lie to others is based on their own fear of being judged by another person.   Most of us feel the need to make a good impression on others, so we feel we are not doing any harm by just omitting a few pertinent facts, or telling a few white lies to make ourselves appear better in a public light. A lthough the intention behind these actions may not be malicious, any form of untruth is a lie, and the only way we can be truthful people, and keep the ninth commandment is to be totally honest in all our dealings, both personal and professional.As students we are all well aware of how easy it is to be tempted to appear â€Å"better† in the way we behave, especially among our peers (Christian and non-Christian), but as Christians we are also aware of how important it is for us to live by higher standards than other non-Christian people might be prepared to live.   We need to remember that we are all sinners in some way or another, which is why I think that it is so important, when we do become aware that one of our Christian classmates is having problems being honest in their dealings, that we help rather than condemn him.   For example one of our classmates might be telling â€Å"white lies† to his parents because his grades are not as high as they should be.Even though we all learn the importance of being truthful in all of our thoughts, words and actions, it is not our place to ignore or shun that failing student – it is not our place to judge him.   Rather we should help him in spiritual ways by studying scriptures that are appropriate for the situation, and in practical ways by offering to help him study harder so that he is able to get a grade he can be proud of.   Blatnik (2004) told us that just one lie by one individual in a community can affect the whole community, but if we as Christian individuals hold fast to our own truths then through the power of prayer and understanding we can help our fellow students stay true to the teachings of Jesus Christ.The ninth commandment tells us we should not bear false witness against our neighbour – what it is asking us to do is to make truth the foundation for our lives here on earth.   Only when we are completely truthful in all of our dealings with other people around us c an we have an honest relationship with God, and that fact applies to all of us, not only as Christians, not only as college students, but also as members of the human race. ReferencesBlatnik, D.J., (2004).   The Ninth Commandment. Second Presbyterian Church Sermons, accessed online at http://www.2prelex.org/S040418.htm October 2, 2005Brueggemann, W., (1994).   The Book of Exodus, in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 1.   Nashville:   Abingdon PressChilds, B.S., (1974).   The book of Exodus: A critical, theological commentary.   Louisville: Westminster Press.Fretheim, T.E., (1991).   Exodus: Interpretation, a Bible commentary for teaching and preaching, Louisville: John Knox Press.Keenan, J.F., (1999).   Commandments of Compassion.   Franklin, WI: S.J. Sheed & WardOxford Modern Dictionary (Second Edition), (1996), New York: Oxford University Press.Ritenbaugh, J.W., (December 1997).   The Ninth Commandment, Forerunner, Personal. Charlotte, NC:   Church of the Great GodSt. John in the Wilderness [online] (2001).   The Ten Commandments: 9. You shall not answer against your neighbor as a false witness.   Accessed at http://www.stjohnadulted.org October 2 2005.Timmerman, J.H., (1997).   Do we still need the Ten Commandments? A fresh look at God’s Laws of Love.   Minneapolis: Augsburg

Case study examining a firm in the US from a microeconomic standpoing Research Paper

Case study examining a firm in the US from a microeconomic standpoing - Research Paper Example Apple operates in both oligopoly and monopolistic conditions. Apple Inc. is American technological company with headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple is a huge, tremendous corporation that is the business of design and selling smartphones and computers. Apple is also a strong competitor in the business of offering online services. The company was founded in 1976. The three founders of Apple are Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak. The company became Apple Computer Inc. in 1977. The name was changed to Apple Inc. in 2007. Currently, Apple is the second largest information technology based on revenue earned. It is bettered by Samsung Electronics, which holds number one position. The company employs 72,800 employees who are permanent and work full time. It has 425 retail stores that are found in over fourteen countries. Moreover, the company is responsible for operating its online businesses, which are Apple and ITunes stores. The company enjoys brand loyalty and high revenues. The paper examines Apple Inc. from a macroeconomic perspective. Supply and Demand have a direct influence on business operations. Supply affects the amount of products in the market, which will eventually affect the price of products. Price increase with a decrease in demand.. Demand refers to the desire of consumers to obtain a service or product. The interplay of supply demand leads to the price elasticity, which explains how changes in price affect demand for products and services. Apple is a multinational company, which means United States and global economic conditions affect its operations. It is obvious Apple is affected by the dynamics of supply and demand, which are at the center of all markets. Apple Inc. has been affected by increase in the number of people who have use computers and smartphones. The increased demand for smartphones and computers is due to the need for growth. In response, the company has been able to register

Soicalism in Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Soicalism in Africa - Essay Example ted by a capitalist system as espoused by the scholar, African socialists used the ideology for their self-serving means and thus reinforced the same vices that socialism was supposed to eradicate. Karl Marx understood socialism as a system of production in which use-value rather than economic value took precedence during production. It, however, requires a means of economic planning where individuals would benefit from economic output in accordance to their contribution. Ownership of resources and people’s livelihood would be in the hands of the working class through public ownership or cooperatives (Gasper 67). Therefore, unlike capitalism, which directed surpluses of production to the elite, socialism was designed to reward society and the working class for their participation in production. One should note that Marx largely focused on communism; however, the scholar dedicated a small portion of his time to socialism. Several scholars admit that it is hard to find details on socialism directly from Karl Marx, but it is possible to use his traditional concepts to expound on the principle. Marx believed that socialism was unique owing to the non-competitive way that production took place; people produce through association. In essence instead, of being controlled by some external power, the worker is engaged in production and has the capacity to control it. Socialism can only exist when a bureaucracy no longer manipulates society – be it the state or a smaller entity like a corporation. The above scholar often criticized capitalism for its alienation of workers; he claimed that most producers were trapped in the process of creating the means of production. They were never free to engage in creative expression or even realize the full potentials of their talents. Marx as the means which man could attain freedom once again would thus perceive socialism; he would be free from economic deprivation and spiritual deprivation. This is not to say that Marx called

Talk bout racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Talk bout racism - Essay Example William is described as a person who has a good sense of humor, in addition to loving his family (Petrini 1). He is a businessman and he hates to leave his family whenever he has to travel or attend to his businesses. William has been profiled on a number of occasions, and he is also guilty of profiling others. It is vital to note the interest that William has on knowing the American culture. This interest is motivated by his need to feel like a true American. The main theme in the story is the racial profiling of people from different backgrounds. For instance William profiled Fekadu when he came to pick him up from his house. During this instance, William glanced at Fekadu and concluded that he is a, â€Å"black man with a violent history† (Alexia 50). This conclusion was motivated by the fact that Fekadu had a scar on his neck. During their interactions, William learnt that Fekadu was learned and non-violent. He learnt that Fekadu studied physics and he was a jet-fighter pilot. However, he had to escape from his home, in Ethiopia, without informing his parents. The characterization of Fekadu and William impacts on readers because they are able to relate to their problems and issues. The two characters also have positive impacts on each other. The narration of the story using flashbacks and old dreams helps in the connection of the two characters and the instances of racial profiling. William’s insights and thoughts, and the theme of profiling enable the reader to analyze and think about each of the characters. The two characters are able to relate because they find themselves in similar circumstances. They are faced with problems such as racial profiling, family stability and their personal pains, hopes and fears. William does not like business trips that make him leave his family (Petrini 1). He fears that a racially instigated problem may arise and cause harm to his family. The

Application of theories of psycology, sociology in the context of Essay

Application of theories of psycology, sociology in the context of (UK)paramedic practice - Essay Example Advanced training for the extension of roles of paramedical professionals is essential (DoH (c), 2001), with training and education in skills needed for assessment and treatment of conditions among the elderly such as wounds, fractures, cervical spine injury and stroke, in the community setting (Mason et al, 2003). They thus reduce the National Health Service’s (NHS) problem of increasing expenditure on emergency medical admissions (Gray & Walker, 2008). New initiatives need to be developed to improve the assessment of elderly patients (DoH (a), 2001; DoH (b), 2001). Ambulance Mrs. Thomas is a frail old lady of eighty years. She fell down, when her ankle twisted unexpectedly, causing severe pain in her left hip, which took her weight during the fall. She could not be moved to her bed. Her spouse dialled 999 and asked for paramedics to attend to her urgently. In this case, paramedics arrived quickly, and gently shifted her on to a stretcher, from where she was transferred to her bed. Using their knowledge and experience about hip fractures in the elderly, including a sprained ankle, the paramedics decided to immobilize her hip and support her ankle, while administering her a pain killer. Integrated decision making with a multidimensional team helped them decide to provide medical treatment and nursing care in the home setting, without hospital admission. Knowledge which is linked to power is a sociological theory, based on knowledge having the power to have an effect on individuals, or more generally on society (Adams & Sydie, 2001). In the context of paramedic practice, a combination of both theory and practice are used in the exercise of judgment related to emergency medical cases, termed as â€Å"knowledge invested in action† (Dunne, 1999: 707; Hager, 2000). An important theory that is applicable to paramedics’ work in relation to judgment, decision making and application

Formal Proposal on Pensions for Public Employees Research

Formal on Pensions for Public Employees - Research Proposal Example There are different types of pension plans and this report suggests the public organizations to use and implement ‘Defined benefit pension plan’ as this would be beneficial for most of the employees working in public sector. Pension plans are of many types. Retirement plan, state and social pension plan, and disability pension are some of the types. It is mandatory for permanent employees that they should be given payment after their retirement in the form of pension. If it is not paid then it should be mentioned in the contract of the employees. Pension is defined the amount that an employee gets on his retirement through the contribution of employees and investment returns. This amount is received on a regular basis by the employee. Members’ contribution is deducted from their payroll throughout their duration of service (Davis, 1998). Generally, the amount of pension is predetermined and based on a defined formula. This formula may vary from one organization to another however the formula is based on employee’s history of earnings. In America, Public employee pension plan is suffering and the employees at the public organizations are not satisfied with the existing plan. One of the reas ons for this is that government is exploring more unusual investments in order to feed the Public employee pension plan. OCER has invested 10.9 billion dollars in funds. Out of these funds, only 4% is from assets (Reicher, 2014). According to figure 1 presented in the appendix section, all public plans are funded in a well-mannered way and contributions from the employers are found lower in pension plans (Basich, 2011). This report presents a proposal for the pension of public employees. Pension is an important aspect of the workplace as it provides funds at a stage when the person does not have the ability or energy to work appropriately for 40 hours in a week. Senior management has an important role and they have to take part

Corporations are a threat to environment Research Paper

Corporations are a threat to environment - Research Paper Example This research defines environmental pollution as an unfavorable variation of our surrounding through direct or indirect influence, causing changes in radiation levels, energy patterns, physical and chemical composition of our environment. Environmental pollution can occur naturally or in can be artificial (Antonescu & Mateescu, 2001). Due to this fact it can be said that the environmental pollution caused by corporations in U.S is artificial. Air, water and soil pollution caused by coporations can have health implications to the population living around the industries. Deaths and billions of dollars are lost in medical expenses caused by air pollution (Milton & Rahman, 1999). Industries are known to emit gases such as CFCs and metal ions such as Lead, nickel, copper and iron. These substances can find their way to livestock and contaminate the meat that humans are going to consume (Sabir et al, 2003). The goal of this research is to determine the implication of the pollutants that ar e emitted by corporations. It will also try to aim at investigating whether there are enough measure set in a corporation to recycle their waste as a ration to control pollution. This research aims to answers the following research question: If the hypothesis will be accepted, it will be prudent for the policy makers to formulate policies that will control environmental pollutions caused by these corporations. These will make the morbidity or mortality rates caused by pollution caused by corporation to decrease adversely.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Summary - Essay Example The major question is: What is tourism education? The other important concept to consider is to establish the difference between tourism education and tourism training. The other important question that sought to be addressed by the study is: How has tourism education developed in Indonesia? More importantly, the chapter sought to explore the concepts and methods used in delivering tourism education in the learning as well as teaching process. The chapter also sought to explore the level of tourism in the Indonesian Higher education. Tourism education has rapidly developed during the past two decades in different parts of the world. For instance, the first degrees in travel and tourism were offered in the 1980s in the UK (Messenger, 1991). This trend has slowly spread to other countries both developing and developed. Research has shown that this trend is a bit similar in developing as well as developed countries. However, there has been debate about whether to consider tourism as a discipline on its own. This is mainly because it is widely viewed as an emerging discipline which has not yet fully developed. The group that argues that tourism is a discipline on its own state that there have been different distinctive concepts peculiar to the tourism industry that have developed during the recent past (Leiper, 2000). For instance, the main destination ratio is a concept specifically meant for the tourism industry (Leiper, 1981). The Australian Standard Research Classification asserts to the notion that tourism has been long identified as However, the other group argue that tourism cannot be regarded as a discipline on its own as a result of the fact that it lacks integrated frameworks that have been developed in various disciplines in different researches. In actual fact, they argue that there are few or no theories that have been specifically developed for this area of study which means that it cannot be regarded as a

China Bank Internationalisation Project Essay Example for Free

China Bank Internationalisation Project Essay This approach to a project is very similar to what happens regularly in the financial services industry. A project has to be completed, a team is set up (usually with individuals of different skills with different backgrounds and from different countries) who then have to work together to complete the task. Managers then evaluate each team member in such a process on the basis of the quality of the final joint work produced. Background China’s banks are trying to internationalise and your task is to help advise a Chinese bank on how to do this. Bank of China, for example, has on its website its ‘Strategic Goal† and other banks have similar goals: Strategic Goal Aiming at excellence, sustaining growth and building a first-class international bank. Strategic Positioning A large transnational banking group focusing on commercial banking business and providing diversified services integrated both at home and abroad. Commercial banking focused diversification With commercial banking business as the core and foundation of the groups development, Bank of China will keep improving its brand popularity and core competitiveness by expanding business network and customer base and nhancing product innovation. By taking advantage of the comparative competitiveness of diversified services for unified customers via unified channels under unified strategy and brand, it will strive to develop various business lines such as investment banking, fund, insurance, investment and leasing so as to create a synergistic effect on the div ersified platform in the interest of comprehensive and excellent financial services for customers. To provide a structure to this advice, you are required to write answers to each of the five topics below (though you need not follow exactly the items in each). Each of the five sections should be not more than 500 words i. e. 2,500 words maximum for the whole project. This will also make it much easier to present each project in class i. e. to read out the paper in class. Also, it will help you understand the need to be concise. Most business papers have an ‘Executive Summary’ at the front of a paper and in the case of this project, the ‘executive summary’ is the actual paper. You will, of course, be likely to write more on your section in the first instance but you will then have to reduce it in size to make this summary the correct length. Although you may choose to allocate one section to each person in the group, it is VITAL that the quality of English (grammar, spelling), is high throughout. Thus one person who is good at English should check through the whole paper. Also, each section should use the same font and typesize. You should also ensure that each of you understands each of the 5 topics and is able to speak in class about any of them. I may choose any one of you to present and to explain your proposals. Project China’s banks are trying to internationalise. You have been employed as consultants to a well-known large Chinese bank. They have asked you to write a report for them as below: â€Å"Until now, we have been principally a domestic financial institution operating in mainland China. We expect that the profitability of our existing domestic business may decline and that our balance sheet size will not increase as fast as before. We are therefore considering trying to internationalise. We need to learn from Western experience of internationalisation and try to apply that experience (though modified for specific Chinese characteristics) to our own internationalisation project. Please prepare a report that will help us achieve our objectives. † Having chosen your bank (one of the big four) set out a strategy that it might follow. You should start by looking at the bank’s latest annual report and accounts and any press references to internationalization of Chinese banks. Some topics that you might cover are suggested below but the actual topics that you think are relevant may be wider than this. You should also look at the experience of Western banks which have tried to become full-service i. e. international financial supermarkets. I. Examine balance sheet strength, current and future expected loan losses on existing domestic loans, current and future required Basel ratios and current price to book ratios of the bank or banks you have chosen and any other relevant information. You have to provide a summary of your chosen bank’s financial strengths and weakness relative to competitors. Consider any competitive advantages that Chinese banks might have in trying to internationalise in relation to any weaknesses of European or US banks at the present time in terms of funding availability, currency related issues, term of loans, regulatory ratios, ownership structure etc. II. Consider reasons why Chinese domestic banking is likely to be less profitable from 2012 onwards compared with previous years (consider interest margins and loan write-offs and any other factors). Consider in which countries a bank might best open overseas operations, what commercial banking products and services might be offered and why. Consider products and services to be offered to Chinese companies doing business abroad and also local companies in the foreign market which may or may not do business with China. Give reasons why you think a Chinese bank could gain competitive advantage in these markets with the different types of customer they might attract. Also consider where you might put the international head office of such a bank and whether the senior management in a country should be natives of that country or expatriate managers from China. III. Chinese banks are currently principally commercial banks involved in lending, trade financing, foreign exchange services and leasing. Consider the other types of products and services, in particular investment banking and asset management services, that they might want to offer outside China and the advantages and possible drawbacks of trying to compete with US investment banks in such products. Finish with a recommendation on the scope of products the bank should offer. IV. If you recommend that your bank should go ahead with an internationalisation programme, advise it on the relative merits of a new start-up bank versus a policy of acquisition of local banks in the chosen markets. You might, for example, suggest that the bank acquire RBS from the UK government. V. Japanese commercial and investment banks have not been very successful in their internationalising efforts (see Chapter 27 of your textbook). Consider the economic, cultural and foreign branch/ subsidiary management, employee and governance (and any other) issues that might have hindered their development. Consider how a Chinese banks may, or may not, be able to overcome these same difficulties. Citigroup has also proven not to be very successful. You should examine what its strategy was and why it collapsed (rescued by the US government) and why it is now downsizing and simplifying. RBS has also cut back its investment banking activities dramatically. You should consider why it has done this. Some articles from the FT that might be useful in this endeavour are included on Blackboard under â€Å"Course Documents†. However, it is important that you access other sources of information which may include private information that you have access to. You should give references where appropriate. Brian Scott-Quinn [ 1 ]. Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China

Sandra Cisneros The House on Mango Street Essay Example for Free

Sandra Cisneros The House on Mango Street Essay In the short story The House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros unfolds her childhood memories where she and her family struggled with poor living conditions on the way to their own house, and she seems to suffer from it more than anyone of the family. When one day they finally get the house of their own and her family seems to be ready to settle with it, she continues suffering because its not the house wed thought wed get (501), the one she imagined and built up in her dreams. At that point Cisneros obtains her dream to be fulfilled: she decides that whatever happens, she must have the house of her dream. This difference between her dream and reality is quite obvious and seems to upset her a lot; however, the impact of it is tremendous because it caused her to obtain the energy necessary for a dreams fulfillment. During the narration, Cisneros specifies the features of the house of her dream. It has to be not just her own place to live, but also a place that she could be proud of. She describes her dream house as one I could point to; inside it would have real stairs, not a hallway stairs, but stairs inside like the houses on TV (501); it would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. Even though these features are not necessities for living, the authors own dream becomes her necessity to be fulfilled. However, while living with her parents she understands that here her dream is not going to come true. The authors present house contrasts with the house of her dream: Its small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small youd think they are holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling in places and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in.(Cisneros 502). And this evokes a feeling of shame for her house, which is familiar to her since the last place they lived at. This huge inequality between the authors dream and reality, just like a difference in potential generates a driving force, gives her energies to dream and to be sure that shell fulfill her wish. Sandra Cisneros experienced what not having her own place is like, moving all the time and being ashamed of her living conditions; that helped her to build a dream, to  know exactly what she wants from life, and gave a will to pursue her goal. She says, I knew then I had to have a house. A real house.(Cisneros 502). Our dreams are often formed by childhood experiences; once we collide with harsh reality, feel awkward or ashamed- we know for sure for ourselves: when I grow up, Ill do everything for this not to happen. And this gives us energy to achieve success. Works Cited: Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. 40 Short Stories. Ed. Beverly Lawn. New York: Bedford, 2001

Effect of Consumption on Identity in Britain

Effect of Consumption on Identity in Britain We are what we consume. To what extent does consumption contribute to the construction of identity in contemporary British society? In order to understand the extent to which consumption contributes to the construction of identity in contemporary British society, and thus be in a position to comment on whether or not â€Å"we are what we consume† is a valid statement or simply hyperbole, it is important to first understand the sociological concepts behind the question being asked. â€Å"Consumption† in sociological terms does not simply mean the buying and consuming of goods and services. In particular, sociologists are interested in consumption as a means of conveying meaning. â€Å"Conspicuous consumption† is a term that was originally coined by Thorstein Veblen and it refers to the ways in which people convey the extent of their wealth to others in a society in which the traditional means of conveying meaning have largely disappeared. Veblen argued that in society, a person’s standing was directly related to their wealth. The manner in which this wealth had been accumulated was also important, with old wealth being more highly esteemed then new wealth. The wealthy individual had two ways in which to proclaim their social standing; conspicuous leisure and/or conspicuous consumption.[1] It is important to understand the historical background that has led to the current consumption patterns in contemporary Britain. The industrial revolution was a time of massive social upheavals. Historical bonds of servitude and deference were shattered and millions of people streamed into the UK’s cities. A consequence of this mass upheaval was that wealth creation was no longer tied to the land. Suddenly a person who owned a factory could potentially have the same amount of wealth as someone who considered themselves to be part of the upper classes and whose wealth came with status. Wealth, by itself, was no longer a sufficient means of separating the upper classes from the pretenders. This was especially so in the large towns that had been created in which people were constantly interacting with strangers who were unaware of a person’s social status. As such, conspicuous consumption came to be an increasingly important means of differentiating oneself from others.[2 ] The aspirational dreams unleashed during the industrial revolution meant that, in general terms, people belonging to a lower class could now potentially overcome the wealth divide simply through hard work. Overcoming the class divide was a little more difficult and it was achieved by essentially copying the consumption habits of that class to which a person aspired. Whether consumption drove the industrial revolution or whether the industrial revolution drove consumption may never be answered. The one thing that is certain is that each fuelled the other. The more people consumed the greater the flames of industry. The more exotic and fashionable the items produced, the greater the frenzy of consumption. However, what is clear is that traditional attitudes to work and consumption had to be overcome. Weber gives a interesting example that illustrates this point; â€Å"a man†¦ who at the rate of 1 mark per acre mowed 2.5 acres per day and earned 2.5 marks when the rate was raised to 1.25 marks per acre mowed, not 3 acres, as he might easily have done, thus earning 3.75 marks, but only 2 acres, so that he could still earn the 2.5 marks to which he was accustomed. The opportunity of earning more was less attractive to than that or working less. He did not ask: how much can I earn in a day if I work as much as possible? But: how much must I work in order to earn the wage, 2.5 marks, which I earned before and which takes care of my traditional needs?†[3] In the above example Weber seems to be lampooning this simple person who fails to understand that by working longer hours they can earn more money. In contemporary British society, it almost seems as though leisure time cannot be enjoyed without having first purchased the means of enjoying that time. Thus wide screen televisions, games consoles, international holidays, books, dvds, etc are all things without which people are made to believe they could not enjoy their leisure time. This should be contrasted to the person in Weber’s example who believed that simply being away from work was enough of a reward in itself. One suggested definition of a consumer culture, put forward in order to encompass conspicuous consumption in Third World countries, but also useful as a general starting point, is one, â€Å"in which the majority of consumers avidly desire (and some noticeable portion pursue, acquire, and display) goods and services that are valued for non-utilitarian reasons, such as status seeking, envy provocation, and novelty seeking.†[4] As such, any society in which consumption involves more than simply subsistence living (ie living to survive) will involve to some extent a degree of conspicuous consumption. Likewise, the concept of â€Å"identity† in contemporary sociological terms has developed beyond simply looking at a person’s occupation and class.[5] This move away from employment constituting the main source of a person’s identity splintered sociological thought. Whereas previously a person’s identity fell into several reasonably clear sociological categories and sociological theorists could hypothesis on the â€Å"macro† topics of relations between these groups, the shattering of the nexus between work and identity meant that sociologists now had to turn their attention to areas which had to that point been somewhat overlooked. The study of consumption by sociologists has relatively recent origins. While Marx and Veblen touched on consumption, their focus remained on class and occupational identities. That said, their early work in this area should not be discounted. Marx argued that by separating workers from ownership of the goods they produced and the means of that production, they were essentially being â€Å"estranged from their labour.†[6] As we will see below, this estrangement can lead to disillusionment in employees. However, it should be noted that consumption, being aspirational, actually thrives on feelings of disillusionment. As Weber’s example above illustrates, it is difficult to sell a person who is content an illusion. In their pioneering text on consumption, â€Å"The World of Goods†, Douglas and Isherwood noted with incredulity that, it is extraordinary to discover that no one knows why people want goods.[7] They went on to put forward the argument that â€Å"consumers use goods to construct an intelligible universe and to make and maintain social relationships.†[8] One could perhaps argue that in contemporary British society identity and consumption have become one and the same. As the wealth of society as a whole has increased and family bonds have slowly eroded, people look to advertisements, their peer group and celebrities to assist them in identifying themselves. However, by creating an identity which is outside of themselves and which relies on imported meanings, they run the risk of the identity they present to the world being itself an illusion. When such an illusion is shattered, it can have serious consequences for that person and those around them. Historically, British society has always been extremely class segregated. However, in modern British society, class wars have been to a large extent been replaced by battles of consumption. A particularly good example of this was the recent news that the Labour minister Ruth Kelly had made a decision to send her child to an expensive private school when a suitable state alternative existed. The arguments surrounding her decision clearly illustrate the extent to which choices about consumption can clash with a person’s public identity. The fact that Mrs Kelly is a Labour minister and former Education Secretary means to some people that she should not make decisions about her consumption of services which are contrary to party lines. A clear example of this thinking is set out in Simon Jenkins recent article in the Guardian.[9] He argues that: â€Å"To remove a child from the state school system is rarely an educational choice, whatever euphemism is customarily applied. It is a social statement. Across class-bound Britain, the exclusive school, whether state or private, reinforces the great divide.†[10] Other commentators from within the Labour party went on record to state[11]: I think it goes against the principles of the Labour Party. I am saddened by this and it makes me wonder about the sort of people who achieve high office who are in New Labour† (Birmingham Selly Oak MP Lynne Jones). I think we should expect Labour ministers to put their children through the state system. I deplore others transferring their children out of the system to go private† (Austin Mitchell, MP for Great Grimsby). What underpins these statements is the underlying belief that a person’s true identity is revealed by their consumption decisions. Furthermore, if one believes in a certain cause, not to support that cause through consumption decisions is akin to betray. While the Labour party may no longer be the â€Å"worker’s party†, it is still the party that most fervently advocates the role of public services and those less well off. The difficulty then for Labour ministers is that with their own increasing affluence, they are more likely to want to make consumption decisions which are more akin to the upper middle classes as opposed to their traditional support base. This naturally causes friction and inevitably calls of hypocrisy when the illusion is discovered. It should be noted that conspicuous consumption crosses divides of culture, race, age and religion. An interesting case in point is the Muslim Hijab which some women wear. These have now become â€Å"hot fashion items† for young Muslim women branded with for instance, Calvin Klein, Burberry, L’Oreal and Chanel logos. In this way, a Muslim woman can make the statment that while her religion is Muslim, her identity is Western. Likewise, Fulla dolls have replaced Barbie dolls in many Middle Eastern countries where the doll is a best seller.[12] The fact that Fulla’s popularity is about identity is clear in Mr Abidin’s (the brand manager behind the doll) statement: This isnt just about putting the hijab on a Barbie doll. You have to create a character that parents and children will want to relate to. Our advertising is full of positive messages about Fullas character. Shes honest, loving, and caring, and she respects her father and mother. While one may question what relevance the sale of a doll in the Middle East might have in contemporary Britain, the point is that in a global, inter-dependant marketplace, the West no longer dictates the consumption agenda as it once did. And as new ideas and aspirations emerge, these then filter back into the consumption patterns of British society as people in Britain seek to communicate those aspirations through their consumption. The interesting irony is the way in which a consumer society has managed to incorporate all these conflicting and competing ideas, some which even argue against consumerism, into nice, consumable packages. This is perhaps what is at the heart of the statement â€Å"we are what we consume†; that even if we identify ourselves as being anti-consumer, the only way to communicate that message to others is through consumption itself. Ritzer[13] suggests four changes that have occurred within society as a result of the process of consumption. These changes are first, that people no longer have to go to different shops to obtain the goods they wish to purchase but can instead go to supermarkets or shopping centres which cater for all their needs under one roof. While this does on doubt create a more convenient shopping experience, it also creates a more sterile one as everything is controlled and there is little chance of anything out of the ordinary occurring.[14] Second, many of what he calls the â€Å"cathederals of consumption† such as Disney Land and Las Vegas, have become destinations in their own right. People are just as likely to go there to enjoy the sites for what they are/represent as they are to go there to consume the goods and services offered by them.[15] Third, customers are more likely to do more of the things employees previously did for them, for themselves for no pay. Clear examples of this are the checkouts at supermarkets, with many British supermarkets now having some type of self-checkout service, self-service petrol stations, and cash points.[16] Finally, the process of consumption has altered social interaction to such an extent that a consumer is more likely to interact with the sites as opposed to any other people.[17] In many cases, the people with whom a consumer is interacting during the consumption process are so scripted in their role that interaction on a human level is close to impossible. To a certain extent, those employers are trying to break down the roles that their employees perform to such an extent that they can eventually be replaced by machines. In circumstances such as these, it is hardly surprising that many workers feel disillusioned and seek, in their leisure time, to escape from the monotony of their unfulfilled lives through consumption. In this case, perhaps consumption isn’t conspicuous but rather innocuous. Ratneshwar[18] looks under the illusion created by many of these â€Å"cathedrals of consumption† and in a scathing indictment argues that the â€Å"underlying rationality and sheer manipulativeness of these places are more likely to remain hidden from consumers.† However, people who work in these places quickly become disillusioned and come to see them as places â€Å"largely devoid of meaningful content.† [19] The interesting thing about modern consumption is that a person’s presence is never permanent. At the end of every day, everything is put back the way it was and when the shop/amusement park/cinema reopens the next day it is almost as if the previous day never happened. These places of consumption lack any historical or human dimension. They rely on people to give them meaning and yet, perhaps ironically, they themselves claim to be the givers of meaning. One could perhaps say that they sell back the meaning they have stolen from their customers (no doubt this would be Marx’s view). That said, it would be difficult to argue that a middle class person living in Britain today is worse off, or would willing trade places, with a person living in the middle ages. Even though that person in the middle ages may have had a clear identity about themselves and their position in the world, that certainty constrains them in a way in which a modern person would not be willing to be constrained (although it is arguable that this is slowly changing and that people are becoming more constrained). The fundamental feature in a society of consumption is that we are all complicit in the illusion taking place. As Ruth Kelly has shown, our consumption habits make hypocrites of us all. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bourdieu, P. (1977), Outline of a Theory of Practice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Belk, R. W. (1988), Third World Consumer Culture, in Goodwin, N. R., Ackerman, F. Kiron, D. (1997), The Consumer Society, Island Press, Washington DC, pp.311-314 Bocock, R. (2001), Consumption, Routledge, London Corrigan, P. (2006), The Sociology of Consumption: An Introduction, Sage Publications, London The Daily Mail, Ruth Kelly named as Labour minister sending a child to private school, 8th January 2007, taken from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=427179in_page_id=1770 Douglas, M. Isherwood, B. (2005), The World of Goods, Routledge, London Goodwin, N. R., Ackerman, F. Kiron, D. (1997), The Consumer Society, Island Press, Washington DC Jenkins, S., Introducing the minister of no faith in communities, in Guardian Unlimited, 10th January 2007, taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1986631,00.html The New York Times, Bestseller in Mideast: Barbie With a Prayer Mat, 22nd September 2005, taken from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/international/middleeast/22doll.html?ex=1285041600en=72bb8cc089bf9435ei=5090 Ransome, P. (2005), Work, Consumption and Culture: Affluence and Social Change in the Twenty-first Century, Sage Publications, London Ratneshwar, S. Mick, D. G. ed. (2005), Inside Consumption: Perspectives on Consumer Motives, Goals and Desires, Routledge, New York Ritzer, G. (2005), Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption, Pine Forge Press Smart, B. Ritzer, G. ed. (2003), Handbook of Social Theory, Sage Publications Ltd, London Storey, J. (1999), Cultural Consumption and Everyday Life, Arnold Publishing, London Veblen, T. (1994), The Theory of the Leisure Class, Dover Publications, Ontario Woodward, K. (2003), Social Sciences: The Big Issues, Routledge, London 1 Footnotes [1] Corrigan, P. (2006), p.17 [2] Corrigan, P. (2006), p.17 [3] Weber, M. (1976), pp.59-60 in Corrigan, P. (2006), p.66 [4] Belk, R. W. (1988), p.105 in Goodwin, N. R., Ackerman, F. Kiron, D. (1997), p.312 [5] Ransome, P. (2005), p.96 [6] Bocock, R. (2001), p.37 [7] Douglas, M. Isherwood, B. (2005), p.xxxi [8] Douglas, M. Isherwood, B., in Corrigan, P. (2006), p.17 [9] Jenkins, S. in Guardian Unlimited, 10th January 2007 [10] Jenkins, S. in Guardian Unlimited, 10th January 2007 [11] The Daily Mail, 8th January 2006 [12] The New York Times, 22nd September 2005 [13] Smart, B. Ritzer, G. ed (2003), p.424 [14] Smart, B. Ritzer, G. ed (2003), p.424 [15] Smart, B. Ritzer, G. ed (2003), p.424 [16] Smart, B. Ritzer, G. ed (2003), p.424 [17] Smart, B. Ritzer, G. ed (2003), p.424 [18] Ratneshwar, S. Mick, D. G. ed. (2005), p.305 [19] Ratneshwar, S. Mick, D. G. ed. (2005), p.305

Leadership In Julius Ceasar Essay -- William Shakespeare

In Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar, the use of diverse leaders plays an important role in the plot, showing vividly how strong personalities conflict. This is the case with Brutus and Cassius, the two leaders among the several conspirators. The story of Julius Caesar is set in ancient Rome during a time when Julius Caesar is to become king. This, however, angers Cassius, a nobleman, and he plots with Brutus and others to kill him before he becomes king. They do just that, justifying their actions by saying Caesar was too ambitious and would have gone insane with power. This backfires with the Roman citizens after an emotional speech by Mark Antony, Caesar’s right hand man. This forces the conspirators to flee Rome and go to war with Antony and eventually take their own lives. Because of their great leadership qualities, Brutus and Cassius take the leader roles among the conspirators. Nevertheless, they at times do argue over the course of action. Though Brutus and C assius are both similar in that they are great leaders, their differences in character are instrumental in determining the conclusion of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite their differences, Brutus and Cassius have similar traits that give rise to great leaders. Both Brutus and Cassius are noble, intelligent men. They usually have good intentions and understand the situation they are in. This is why they both agree to go along with the conspiracy to kill Caesar. The two also like to think out and plan their actions. They do this two significant times in the play. When the two plan Caesar’s assassination and during the planning of the final move for Brutus and Cassius’ army. When the assassination is developing, Cassius thinks to kill Antony as well as Caesar saying, â€Å"Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar, Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him A shrewd contriver; and you know his means, If he improve them, may well stretch so far As to annoy us all. Which to prevent, Let Antony and Caesar fall together† (2.1.157-162). Brutus, however, responds with his own reasoning, â€Å"Our course will see n too bloody, Caius Cassius, To cut the head off and then hack at the limbs, Like wrath in death and envy afterwards; For Antony is but a limb of Caesar† (2.1.163-166). They two are also self reliant and self-dependent. They can think and act for themselves as they should any great man says Cassius to Brutus, â€Å"Me... ...derable differences in trust and loyalty are the ultimate factors that influence the conclusion of the play. Both of these characters have great qualities such as intelligence, self-dependence, and reasoning ability that make them excellent leaders. It, however, is their differences that govern the end result of the conspiracy. The single most outstanding decision of the play was when the conspirators resolved not to kill Antony along with Caesar. Brutus’ overwhelming trust of Antony led him to believe Antony was not going to be a problem. There are many implications of leadership as seen in Julius Caesar. Those who tend to exhibit strong leadership characteristics will have much more impact on those who tend to stand back and fall into the crowd, even if the decisions being made are illogical. When two strong leaders interact, there usually is a disagreement on the course of action, which can be harmful for the group. The strong characters of Brutus and Cassius, and the w eaker conspirators, prove both these conclusions. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar." Houghton Mifflin Company. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, 1994.

absolutism in europe Essay -- essays research papers

Absolutism affected the power + status of the European nobility depending on the country in which they lived. In England the power of the nobility increases due to a victory in the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution of 1658. However, in France, Louis XIV ¡Ã‚ ¯s absolutist regime decreased the powers of the noble but heightened their material status. In Russia and in Prussia, the absolutist leaders of those countries modernized their nations + the nobility underwent a change, but it retained prestige + power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charles I considered himself to be an absolute monarch in England in the 1630 ¡Ã‚ ¯s. A large portion of the parliament dislikes him because they wanted more of a say on the government and because the Protestant of the group disagreed with his Catholicism and ruling of the Anglican Church. The English Civil War crushed, + the parliament won, however, through Cromwell ¡Ã‚ ¯s Protectorate and the return of the Stuarts, Charles II and James II, it was not until 1688 that the Glorious Revolution placed William + Mary of Orange on the throne. They signed a Bill of Rights, which gave Parliament more power, and this gave the nobles a greater influence + responsibility in the government. It also stated that new tax could not be passed w/o parliamentary consent, another example of their increased power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However in France, the absolutist regime of Louis XIV took power away from the nobles. Although the nobles were exempt ...

Computer Software Piracy And Its Impact On The International Economy :: essays research papers fc

Computer Software Piracy and it's Impact on the International Economy The PC industry is over twenty years old. In those twenty years, evolving software technology brings us faster, more sophisticated, versatile and easy-to-use products. Business software allows companies to save time, effort and money. Educational computer programs teach basic skills and complicated subjects. Home software now includes a wide variety of programs that enhance the users productivity and creativity. The industry is thriving and users stand to benefit along with the publishers. The SPA (Software Publishers Association) reports that the problem of software theft has grown, and threatens to prevent the development of new software products. Unauthorized duplication of software is known as software piracy which is a "Federal offense that affects everyone† ("Software Use..." Internet). The following research examines software piracy in its various forms, its impact on the end user and the international industry as a whole, and the progress that has been made in alleviating the problem. Software piracy harms all software companies and ultimately, the end user. Piracy results in higher prices for honest users, reduced levels of support and delays in funding and development of new products, causing the overall breadth and quality of software to suffer† ("What is...† Internet). Even the users of unlawful copies suffer from their own illegal actions: they receive no documentation, no customer support and no information about product updates ("Software Use..." Internet). The White Paper says that while virtually every software publisher expresses concern about their software from unauthorized duplication, over time, many have simply accepted the so-called "fact" that such duplication is unavoidable. This has created an atmosphere in which software piracy is commonly accepted as "just another cost of doing business" ("With the Growth..." Internet). In a brochure published by the SPA it is stated that a major problem arises from the fact that most people do not even know they are breaking the law. "Because the software industry is relatively new, and because copying software is so easy, many people are either unaware of the laws governing software use or choose to ignore them" ("To Copy or not to Copy" Internet). Robert Perry states that much of the problem of software theft arises from the way the software industry developed. In the past, when a software firm spent millions of dollars to write a program for a mainframe computer, it knew it would sell a handful of copies. It licensed each copy to protect its ownership rights and control the use of each copy. That is easy to do with only a few copies of a program. It is impossible for a software company to handle

Horus Research Paper

Horus is one of the oldest and most important deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion. He was worshipped from at least the late Pre-dynastic period through Greco-Roman times. (Remler) Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as different gods by some Egyptologists. However these different forms may possibly be different perceptions of the same god who served many different functions. (Remler) The earliest recorded form, dating around the 25th century B. C. , is Horus the Falcon who was the patron god of Nekhen in Upper Egypt and who is the first known national god. Meltzer)However the most widespread and popular story, and the one that I will focus on, describe Horus as the son of Isis and Osiris. (Meltzer) Isis was said to be the daughter of the gods Geb and Nut. She was thought of as the perfect example of the Egyptian mother and wife. She was therefore considered the symbolic mother of all the Pharaohs. (Shaw)Osiris was one of the oldest and most wor shipped gods in ancient Egypt. He was generally referred to as the god of the Afterlife. This would make him one of the most revered gods because the ancient Egyptians felt that the Afterlife was more important than actual life. They often referred to their dead as the â€Å"living ones†. (Meltzer)Horus served many functions in Egyptian mythology, but mostly he was known as either the god of the Sky or the god of both War and Protection. He was also considered the role model for all of the Pharaohs. Each ruler was looked upon as a living Horus. His other roles will be mentioned later. Horus in Egyptian is pronounced Haru, meaning Falcon. Horus has also been translated to mean â€Å"He who is above, over†. Horus also appears as the Egyptian name Har-Si-Ese which means â€Å"Horus, son of Isis†. Horus was also sometimes known as Nekheny, meaning â€Å"Falcon†. Meltzer) In the majority of Egyptian hieroglyphics the Pharaoh is often portrayed as Horus. Countless depictions of the Pharaoh almost always featured him wearing the Eye of Horus and with Isis as his mother. As mentioned before, Pharaoh was looked at as the living version Horus in life so when he went to the Afterlife he woul d be greeted by Osiris as a son. The idea of a Pharaoh as being the son of Osiris seems to have changed to Pharaoh as the son of Ra during the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt but the ruler while alive was always considered as the living Horus. (Meltzer) Horus was the son of the goddess Isis. He was formed from all the dismembered body parts of her murdered husband Osiris. She then used her magic powers to conceive her son. Once Isis knew she was pregnant with Horus, she ran away to the Nile Delta to hide from her brother Seth, who had killed Osiris and knew he would want to kill their son. Since Horus was said to be the sky, he was considered to also contain the sun and moon. It was said that the sun was his right eye and the moon was his left eye, and that they traveled across the sky when he flew over as a falcon. This is why he is sometimes referred to as Harmerty – Horus of two eyes. Later, the reason that the moon was not as bright as the sun was explained by a tale, known as the Contesting’s of Horus and Seth. (Remler) In this story Seth, sometimes referred to as Typhon,(Shaw) the patron of Upper Egypt, and Horus, the patron of Lower Egypt, had a bloody battle for Egypt. They had always each other since Seth had killed Horus’ father, Osiris, and tried many times to kill Horus as a child. Neither was the clear winner but in the end the rest of the gods took Horus’ side. In the battle two important things happened. Seth lost a testicle which explains why the desert which he ruled over was in fertile. Then Horus had his left eye gouged out which explained why the moon was so much weaker than the sun. They would go on to have many more battles. The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and royal power. The symbol is seen on images of Horus' mother, Isis, and on other gods associated with her. Horus was also said to be a god of war and hunting. After the death of his father Horus took it upon himself to wage war against Seth and his forces. In one story Osiris appears to Horus from the underworld and asks him â€Å"And what is the most glorious deed a man can do? Horus was said to have repliedâ€Å"To avenge the injuries done to his father and mother. † (Shaw) The Horus falcon often appears is hieroglyphs which shows a lion hunting. This made him a symbol of majesty and power as well as the model for the Pharaohs. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Horus-15) Other gods would later be referred to as gods of war Isis told Horus to protect the people of Egypt fr om Seth, the god of the desert. As mentioned before, Horus had many battles with Seth. These battles were not only to avenge Osiris but also to figure out who the rightful ruler of Egypt was. In these battles, Horus came to be associated with Lower Egypt (where Horus was worshipped), and became its patron. One story shows how Horus was on the verge of killing Seth but Isis, who was Seth’s sister, stopped him. Isis injured Horus, but eventually healed him. They both went to appeal to the various other gods to have them proclaim who was the winner once and for all and they eventually sided with Horus. Seth refused to give in, and the other gods were getting tired of the fighting that had continued for 80 years. Horus and Seth then challenged each other to a boat race, where they each raced in a boat made of stone. Horus and Seth agreed, and the race started. Horus had tricked Seth however. Horus’ boat was made of wood but painted to look like stone. Seth's boat sank, but Horus's did not. Horus then won the race, and Seth stepped down and officially gave Horus the throne of Egypt. But after the New Kingdom, Seth still was considered Lord of the desert and its oases which were greatly inferior to the fertile delta of Lower Egypt which Horus ruled over. While researching Horus it was important to understand just what his significance was in the lives of Ancient Egyptians. Was he just another one of their many gods or was he placed on a higher level than most? There are many heroic stories about Horus. The fact that the Egyptian people considered Pharaoh, their all-powerful rulers as living version of Horus tells us something. This is proof that he was one of the most important gods in the ancient Egyptian religion. It shows that Horus was the role model for all Egyptians. They were always hoping to conduct themselves in a manner that was Horus-like. Not surprisingly there have actually been many comparisons between the roles of Jesus in Christian religions and Horus in the religion of ancient Egypt. (Meltzer)

Is Coca Cola the Perfect Business? Essay

A. One of the most important skills to learn in managerial economics is the ability to identify a good business. Discuss at least four characteristics of a good business. Based on the article about Coca-Cola, there are five essential characteristics of a business for it to be considered as a â€Å"Good Business†. First, it should be appealing to both young and old alike. Second, it must have a distinct characteristic which cannot be easily imitated by others. Third, it must already made an impact to the market because it has already earned a large portion of market share. Fourth, profit margin and rates of return should be high. And Lastly, it must have a competitive advantage or economic moat. Appealing to both young and old alike. The product that the company sells / offers can be used or consumed by people of all ages. It must be enjoyed not only by selected markets rather it should be enjoyed by all. Distinct characteristic which cannot be easily imitated by others. The product that the company sells / offers must be unique and exceptional. It must safeguard it’s â€Å"secret ingredients†. So that it cannot be easily imitated by others. Large portion of market share. The product that the company sells / offers is used or consumed by a large portion of the market and must be preferred above other companies who are in the same line of business. A good business must able to deploy a lot of incremental capital at an above average rate of return for a long time. If a business is able to do that, it will in effect be helping its shareholders compound their money at a good rate of return and saving them the trouble of having to invest the extra dividends they would have received if the company didn’t reinvest in its operations. A durable competitive advantage or economic moat is what sets apart the good and great companies from the mediocre and downright lousy companies. A significant competitive advantage allows a company to earn better than average profits or maybe even excellent profits, and protects the company’s profits from competitors that want to get a piece of the action. A strong brand, being the low-cost producer, patents, and having a near monopoly over a certain market are some sources of competitive advantage. B. Identify and talk about at least four companies that you regard as having the characteristics listed here. Apple Company – This popular company is the brain behind gadgets like iPod, iPad, iPhone, and MacBooks. Their products are user-friendly and can easily be used by people both young and old. Also, Apple always sees to it that their products offer unique features which suit the people’s wants and needs enabling the people to patronize their products; thus in return, earning a large portion of market share compared to other competitors. SM Investments Corporation – This is composed group of companies: Retail, Mall Operations, Property, and Banking & Finance. RETAIL – SM is the Philippines’ most dominant player in retail with 193 stores nationwide. Of these, 46 are SM Department Stores; 37 are SM Supermarkets, 76 are SaveMore branches; and 34 are SM Hypermarkets. MALL OPERATIONS – SM is the Philippines’ largest shopping mall developer and operator with 46 malls nationwide. SM Prime also owns 4 malls in China’s second and third-tier cities, namely Xiamen, Jinjiang, Chengdu, and Suzhou. By the end of 2012, SM Prime will have a total of 46 malls in the Philippines and five in China with a combined GFA of 6.3 mn sqm. PROPERTY – SM’s property group is a fast emerging business with interests in residential, commercial, leisure and hotel development.SMDC is rapidly growing with 15 residential projects under its SM Residences and two projects under its M Place brand. BANKING & FINANCE – SM’s bank network is the largest in the Philippines with its 41% interest in BDO Unibank and 20% interest in China Banking Corp. In 2Q 2012, BDO became the country’s largest bank in terms of assets with 744 branches nationwide. Chinabank is the 8th largest with 307 branches nationwide. ABS-CBN – is a major Filipino commercial television network owned and operated by the Filipino media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation, a publicly traded company. It is the country’s leading television network with an advertising revenue amounted to 17.5 billion pesos for the fiscal year 2011 San Miguel Corporation – is Southeast Asia’s largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific region. San Miguel carries many brand names in the Philippine food and beverage industry, including San Miguel Pale Pilsen, Ginebra San Miguel, Monterey, Magnolia, and Purefoods. San Miguel Beer is one of the largest selling beers and among the top ten selling beer brands in the world. SMC manufacturing operations extend beyond its home market to Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia; and its products are exported to 60 markets around the world. C. Suppose you bought common stock in each of the four companies identifies here. Three years from now, how would you know if your analysis was correct? What would convince you that your analysis was wrong? Supposing I bought common stock in each of the four companies indentified above; three years from now, I would know that my analyses were correct by simply looking back and evaluating if the company still suffice the list of characteristics of a good business. I will be convinced that my analyses were wrong if it will not suffice even just one of the characteristics listed for it to be considered as a â€Å"good business†.

Movie response

Movie Is take on a dark portion of the history of U. S. And are able to Illustrate not only a Journey but highlight prolific periods In time. Hooligan's movie Is a true story of an American legend, Jackie Robinson, who broke the racial barrier In Major League Baseball and became one of the most Inspirational leaders In the fight for call rights and equality. Throughout the movie, Robinson Is faced with outrageous comments and unjust treatment from a variety of sources. There is one significant leader that mirrors the same passive actions as Robinson is Mr..Martin Luther King Jar. Along with having an impact on the activist, Robinson was able to open to door for African- American athletes, not just in baseball but in all sports. Robinson not only proved his race was capable of competing, but was able to change the stigma and stereotypes that African-Americans faced. Another area that would see the influence of Robinson, and that was shown in the movie, was the role of sports journalis t named Wendell Smith. Although the movie might have stretched the relationship of Robinson andSmith, there Is no denying the impact they had on each other. Smith was tasked with not only covering Robinson but finding him places to stay, as well as to help protect him. Robinson on the other hand did more than give Smith something to write about, but to help open the pathway for African-Americans to Join other fields, even sports journalism Jackie Robinson did more than change the game of baseball. He was able to curb stereotypes with humility, change the way people see those of a darker complexion, and begin to open the door for African-Americans to belong in any occupation.He was able to use the platform of being a professional athlete to help shed light on the atrocious treatment and inequality people of color were forced to face. Robinsons whole journey as well as the purpose can be summed up in his own quote movie 42 response By vested â€Å"42† movie is take on a dark po rtion of the history of U. S. And are able to illustrate not only a Journey but highlight prolific periods in time. Hooligan's movie is a true story of an American legend, Jackie Robinson, who broke the racial barrier in Major LeagueBaseball and became one of the most inspirational leaders in the fight for civil rights and equality. Throughout the movie, Robinson is faced with outrageous comments American athletes, not Just in baseball but in all sports. Robinson not only proved his and that was shown in the movie, was the role of sports Journalist named Wendell Smith, there is no denying the impact they had on each other. Smith was tasked with face. Robinsons whole Journey as well as the purpose can be summed up in his own.

English Language Advertisement Essay

Plan: 1. Advertising is one of the most prominent and powerful uses of language. 2. The Features of Advertising. 3. Is advertising language normal language? Does advertising language sometimes break the rules of normal language? 4. References. 1. Advertising is one of the most prominent and powerful uses of language. Advertising is one of the most prominent, powerful, and ubiquitous contemporary uses of language. Its seductive and controversial quality has attracted consistent and intense attention across a range of academic disciplines including linguistics, media studies, politics, semiotics, and sociology. The reasons for this academic interest are far from superficial. The study of advertising brings together many of the key social and political issues of our time: the new capitalism; globalization; overconsumption and the environment; cultural and individual identities; and the communications revolution. It provides insight into the ideologies and values of contemporary societies. Advertising’s creative use of language makes it a particularly rich site for language and discourse analysis. Operating in all media and exploiting the interaction between word, sound, and image, it provides a key location for studies of multimodal communication. Simultaneously poetic and commercial, it raises questions about the nature of creativity and art. Ever since the intensification of advertising in the 1950s, leading scholars have analyzed its use of language. This new four-volume Routledge Major Work brings together for the first time the most seminal and controversial works, allowing users to obtain a wide and inclusive view of this rewarding topic. It will be welcomed by scholars and other researchers in the field as an invaluable ‘mini library’ on the language of advertising. 2. The Features of Advertising Advertising Language is characterized by the following features. In any given advertisement these features may appear or be largely absent, such is the great variety of advertising copy found on promo products such as promotional tote bags and T-shirts. However these features may be said to be typical of advertising in general. Even advertisements which do not use the traditional features to attract inform and persuade may be described as being incontrast to the traditional features. Some modern advertisements appear to be almost dissuading consumers from their product – but this is a technique used as a determined way of not conforming to tradition. See Benetton, Marmite. Hyperbole – exaggeration, often by use of adjectives and adverbs. Frequent use of adjectives and adverbs. A limited range of evaluative adjectives includes new, clean, white, real, fresh, right, natural, big, great, slim, soft, wholesome, improved†¦ Neologisms may have novelty impact, e.g. Beanz, Meanz Heinz, Cookability, Schweppervescence, Tangoed, Wonderfuel†¦ Long noun phrases, frequent use of pre and post modifiers for descriptions. Short sentences for impact on the reader. This impact is especially clear at the beginning of a text, often using bold or large type for the â€Å"Headline† or â€Å"slogan† to capture the attention of the reader. Ambiguity is common. This may make a phrase memorable and re-readable. Ambiguity may be syntactic (the grammatical structure) or semantic (puns for example). Weasel words are often used. These are words which suggest a meaning without actually being specific. One type is the open comparative: â€Å"Brown’s Boots Are Better† (posing the question â€Å"better than what?†); another type is the bogus superlative: â€Å"Brown’s Boots are Best† (posing the question â€Å"rated alongside what?†) Euphemisms :†Clean Round the Bend† for a toilet cleaner avoids comment on â€Å"unpleasant† things. The classic exampe is â€Å"B.O† for â€Å"body odour† (in itself a euphemism for â€Å"smelly person†). Avoidance of negatives (advertising normally emphasises the positive side of a product – though see Marmite, Tango, Benetton, for whom it seems that all publicity is good). Simple and Colloquial language: â€Å"It ain’t half good† to appeal to ordinary people, though it is in fact often complex and deliberately ambiguous. Familiar language: use of second person pronouns to address an audience and suggest a friendly attitude. Present tense is used most commonly, though nostalgia is summoned by the simple past Simple vocabulary is most common, my mate Marmite, with the exception of technical vocabulary to emphasise the scientific aspects of a product (computers medicines and cars but also hair and cleaning products) which often comes as a complex noun phrase, the new four wheel servo-assisted disc brakes. Repetition of the brand name and the slogan, both of which are usually memorable by virtue of alliteration (the best four by four by far); rhyme (the cleanest clean it’s ever been); rhythm (drinka pinta milka day); syntactic parallelism (stay dry, stay happy); association (fresh as a mountain stream). Humour. This can be verbal or visual, but aims to show the product positively. Verbal Puns wonderfuel and graphic positions are common. Glamorisation is probably the most common technique of all. â€Å"Old† houses become charming, characterful, olde, worlde or unique. â€Å"Small† houses become compact, bijou, snug or manageable. Houses on a busy road become convenient for transport. A cafà © with a pavement table becomes a trattoria, moving up market aspires to be a restaurant, too cramped it becomes a bistro. Not enough room to serve it becomes a fast food servery. If the menu is English food it is likely to be traditional, home-baked or home made; if the menu is French the cake will be gateau, the potted meat patà ©, bits of toast in your soup will be croutons. The decor will be probably chic, possibly Provenà §al. Finally, potency. Vance Packard (1960) memorably said: â€Å"The cosmetic manufacturers are not selling lanolin, they are selling hope †¦ we no longer buy oranges, and we buy vitality. We do not just buy an auto, we buy prestige.† 3. Is advertising language normal language? Does advertising language sometimes break the rules of normal language? These questions relate to the place of advertising language in the context of the readers’ general knowledge of language (we will presume that the language is English). In order to answer them, we must have some conception of what is meant by â€Å"normal language†. The English language has evolved to have many different kinds of functionality, each of which correspond to different situations and styles of use. From an analytic point of view, it seems to make most sense to understand â€Å"normal language† to include the variety of styles of English that mature speakers and readers control. This will form the backdrop of everyday language in its many functions, against which we can view advertising language. If one looks around in literature on advertising, or searches on the WWW, it is not uncommon to find claims to the effect that advertising breaks the rules of normal language and language use. However, from the perspective of a professional linguist, few of these claims really seem to be supportable. Now, with the exception of linguists, few people have any reason to pay close attention to the way that language is actually used in its speech community, for a wide range of communicative functions. Like many aspects of human being and human behavior, our unconscious knowledge of language is much greater than our conscious knowledge of it, so the facts about language that are immediately accessible to the average person only cover part of what the language is and how it is used. Collect some text from advertisements that you have found. Can you find any examples of words, phrases or constructions that are truly different from the various varieties that you encounter on a regular basis? These varieties may include informal spoken language between close friends to technical and scientific descriptions (more likely to be written), and everything in between. Doubtless, not all of the text you find will be standard English, but is any of it not English at all? In doing this exercise, it may be that you will learn more about what creative possibilities your language allows, rather than how much advertising goes beyond the boundaries of that language. In a recent short article in the journal Nature, Pullum and Scholz (2001) point out that, at every level, language has a level of creativity that allows it to be ever-expanding, ever-changing. Even the idea that there is a stock of words which constitute the English language cannot be upheld, because it is always possible to invent new words, and new names in particular. Thus, â€Å"Here is my new invention; I call it â€Å"X† † is a strategy in everyday English which advertisers can take advantage of, when the y state â€Å"Introducing the all-new â€Å"Y† â€Å". In an interesting coincidence which illustrates the point very clearly, the Dreamweaver ® program which we have used to construct this website has the command â€Å"Indent† to indent a paragraph, and we used it to format the quote below from McQuarrie and Micks. In the command menu, the command after this one is â€Å"Outdent†, which makes a paragraph wider. Neither of us had seen this word before, yet we understood its meaning, and certainly did not reject it as â€Å"non-English†. This is not to say that any random new word can be generated for the author’s purposes in any context. The â€Å"Outdent† example above is presented in a very clear context, which makes apprehending its usage and meaning quite clear. We generally find that novel words presented in an advertisement have the same supporting context; they may be new, but they are not â€Å"out of the blue†. The work of McQuarrie and Mick (1996) is highly relevant in this context. They place advertising language in the context of the study of rhetoric, and observe: â€Å"A rhetorical figure has traditionally been defined as an artful deviation (Corbett 1990). More formally, a rhetorical figure occurs when an expression deviates from expectation, the expression is not rejected as nonsensical or faulty, the deviation occurs at the level of form rather than content, and the deviation conforms to a template that is invariant across a variety of content and contexts. This definition supplies the standard against which deviation is to be measured (i.e., expectations), sets a limit on the amount and kind of deviation (i.e., short of a mistake), locates the deviation at the level of the formal structure of a text, and imposes a grouping requirement (i.e., there are a limited number of templates, each with distinct characteristics).† The unusual aspects of language that we sometimes find in advertising can be fruitfully considered to be examples of â€Å"artful deviations†. 36.3 VW ad (Rolling Stone, May 23, 2002): Heck, it’s been re-everything-ed. This new verb is coined on the basis of a very robust feature of English, which allows nouns to be used as verbs (see Clark and Clark (1979)). In this case, the new verb is also prefixed and suffixed. Out of the blue, â€Å"to re-everything† would be hard to interpret, but in the context provided by the advertisement, its meaning is clear. In the summer of 2002 the pop group No Doubt had a hit song called â€Å"Hella Good†; some of the lyrics are shown here: Hella Good (G. Stefani/ T. Dumont/ P. Williams/ C. Hugo/ T. Kanal) You got me feeling hella good So let’s just keep on dancing You hold me like you should So I’m gonna keep on dancing (Keep on dancing) â€Å"Hella good† is not advertising language, and it is not standard English, but it is certainly â€Å"pop music English†, and it is the kind of phrase that anyone could produce in conversation. In 48 Cointreau (InStyle, August 2002) we find an example of a blend, â€Å"Be Cointreauversial†.

Business Law and Ethics for Future and Fiction

For Skye to successfully take action against Charlene for her alleged negligence action, she is required to provide the necessary evidence illustrating duty of care that her instructor owes her. (Mathiason, 2013, 880). Below is a discussion of the issues, correspondent laws, appliances, and wind up statements regarding Skye’s action against Charlene. Negligence, according to Robertson (2013, 31) refers to a presumption whereby a party is considered responsible for occurrence of accidents or injuries which may be averted. An individual is bound to be responsible for negligence action, especially if the defendant consciously refuses to take precautions care, so as to avoid injury and damage caused to people under their care and supervision. Negligence claims requires provision of substantial evidence brought forth by the plaintiff legally proving that the defendant undoubtedly needs to perform the duty of care (Murgatroyd et al 2016, 1). The four major steps essential in providing substantial evidence of perpetrated negligence includes the following: Obligation of care is a stated duty under law where individuals are expected to perform and conduct themselves in a way that causes no damage to individuals under their care (Pagura, 2015, 254). Naturally, the duty of care will be believed as to be carried out by family, relatives or people close to someone. According to the law of negligence, the duty of care is to be performed by any individual with a social responsibility of ensuring other people's safety, whether close or not. Charlene, being Skye's yoga instructor, acts responsibly in going an extra mile to provide her students with rubber soled socks to prevent them from unnecessary falling and injuries. She is keen to note that the floor of the hall she hired to hold yoga classes is slippery and cannot sustain the yoga moves. Most importantly, Charlene is able to note that larger student groups are not east to supervise without injury cases. Prior to this issue being noted, Charlene makes a risky choice of inviting her students for a free Thursday lesson to pensate for the lost time. As it is expected, the students turn up was greater than usual. The 45 students are contained in the same hall which was initially concluded to have limited space that can fortably a modate a maximum of 25 yoga students. Charlene should have thought of the dangers she has been exposing her students to by placing the tea urn in the same room of yoga participation. Since yoga is known to involve vigorous movements, the tea urn should have been kept in a separate place to avoid accidents of burning or tipping over the urn or table. Most importantly, on that day when the student turn up was larger than normal, Charlene would have been wise as to divide the class into half so that she could deal with the first group then the next in turns without having to pete for space. It will be right to subject the instructor to owe a duty of care to Skye because the tea urn would not have originally been placed near the practice area. Breaching of duty can be related to circumstances whereby a defendant fails to do something responsibly pared to a normal individual’s behavioral response if put in a parable condition (Iacobucci, &Trebilcock, 2016, 175).   Standard of care on the other hand is the degree of caution taken to prevent a person under a duty of care from harm's way (Barravecchio, 2013, 5). Charlene is responsible enough to purchase rubber soled socks to prevent her students from falling and hurting themselves. She is also concerned with the space of the hall and therefore opts to admit a lesser number of students so she can provide equal attention to all. On the particular day when the student turn up was 45, 20 more than usual, the yoga instructor failed to meet the required standard of care. She a modates all the students in the same hall well aware of the dangers inherent in her choice. The limit of space in the hall is what causes Skye to look for an alternative position at the back where she has limited space for movement. It is obvious that the instructor’s attention was majorly focused more on the students at the front than those at the back. This way she could not easily notice that one of her students was not wearing her socks. Voluntary risk assumption illustrates the protective action, taken by a defendant so as to prove the voluntary involvement of a plaintiff knowingly assuming likely risks as a result of   their action (Bant& Bryan, 2015, 427). Risk assumption by the plaintiff if proven by the defendant will reduce the right of pensation for damages and injury caused. Generally, the assumption of risk explains that a plaintiff very well aware of the dangers they are exposing themselves to goes ahead to indulge in the risky action (Goudkamp, &Klar, 2016,849). In the particular incident where Skye decides not to wear the provided dancing socks with the thought that the socks did not match her hot pink outfit, she knowingly chooses to go against her teacher’s instructions. Moreover, Skye makes a grave mistake of attending the yoga classes under alcohol influence. She must have known that alcohol will most likely affect her normal judgment but she blindly assumes the dangers she was exposing herself to. Additionally, Skye arrives late for her dancing lessons and cannot occupy her original space. She is left with no choice but to find a different space which is much less than her normal space. I would argue that it is Skye’s fault that she could not occupy her normal space in the hall due to her lateness. If she knew she was going to attend yoga classes, she should have prepared early for class and avoid attending the after party. In addition to her lateness, she ignores the risk of indulging in the yoga class under alcohol influence. Despite the fact that Charlene had not fully explained the need of wearing the socks throughout the dancing lesson, it was a mandatory requirement for all students to wear the socks. If only Skye would have considered all the stated facts, she would have prevented the risk of getting burnt at the yoga class. In the law of negligence, before a plaintiff decides to seek legal action for implied negligence, there should be available proof that their damages are resultant from the defendant’s negligent actions (Turton, G 2015, 80). It is also vital to reflect on the actual circumstance that led to the injury. Was it anticipated by the defendant or it unexpectedly happened (Law, 2014). Before Skye proceeds to take action against Charlene, she must avail proof stating that her burn resulted from the accused’s negligent action. Skye's skin is seriously scolded when her foot tips the table on which a tea urn and steamer are on. This causes the appliances to topple over her body resulting in the severe burns. Partially, it is Charlene’s fault that Skye gets involved in the accident. She should have looked for an alternative area to place the urn and steamer, considering the limit of space in the hall. It is also Skye’s fault that she skid for ignoring to wear the provided rubber-soled socks. Additionally, Skye who had consumed three glasses of wine might have had affected vision as a side effect of drinking wine. It is only right for both Charlene and Skye to be held responsible for their actions. Hosting of a large number of students overshadows Charlene's capability to efficiently supervise the students. Moreover, Charlene knowingly accepted to host all the 45 students well aware of the great difficulty of management she subjects herself to. If only the students would have been the normal number, the instructor would have been able to notice that Skye was not wearing the socks as instructed. This observation would have helped Charlene to take necessary action on her defiant student. On the other hand, if only Skye was obedient enough to put on the socks and not to put priority in her fashion sense, she would have refrained from skidding into the table. If also she avoided drinking wine before her classes, she would have been more alert. It is most likely that the wine caused her to have impaired judgment and bodily imbalance causing her to unwillinglyskid into the table. Bant, E., & Bryan, M. (2015). Fact, Future and Fiction: Risk and Reasonable Reliance in Estoppel. Oxford Journal Of Legal Studies, 35(3), 427-452. Robertson, A 2013, 'On the Function of the Law of Negligence', Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 31-57. Barravecchio, JA 2013, 'The Tort Of Negligence', Legaldate, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 4-7. Bohlen, FH 1906, 'Voluntary Assumption of Risk', Harvard Law Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 14-34. Goudkamp, J, &Klar, L 2016, 'Apportionment Of Damages For Contributory Negligence: The Causal Potency Criterion', Alberta Law Review, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 849-862. Iacobucci, EM, &Trebilcock, MJ 2016, 'An Economic Analysis Of Waiver Of Tort In Negligence Actions', University of Toronto Law Journal, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 173-196 Law, T. (2014). Case Note: O'Mara v Air Canada 2013 ONSC 2931. Travel Law Quarterly, 6(2), 127-131. Mathiason, T 2013, 'Are You Part Of The Global Workforce?: An Examination Of The "Duty Of Care" To Business Travelers And International Assignees Under The Ilo Occupational Health And Safety Conventions And As Emerging International Customary Law', American University International Law Review, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 873-904. Murgatroyd, D. F., Harris, I. A., Yvonne, T., Cameron, I. D., & Tran, Y. (2016). The association between seeking financial pensation and injury recovery following motor vehicle related orthopaedic trauma. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 171-14. Pagura, I 2015, 'Negligence: What you need to know', Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 254-256. Turton, G 2015, 'Risk and the damage requirement in negligence liability', Legal Studies, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 75-95