Thursday, October 31, 2019

What are the key features of an effective learning environment(in Essay

What are the key features of an effective learning environment(in Primary school) and how can this support the Primary National Strategy and Every Child Matters - Essay Example Good teachers are able to assess learning effectively. They also are able to control their classes and treat all students equally. The Primary National Strategy supports improving most of these factors, but more needs to be done. A report of the success of the Primary National Strategy concluded that The National Literacy and Numeracy frameworks are still used by teachers as their core support in planning for progression in both English and mathematics. Schools are anxious to maintain the improved standards they have seen since the introduction of the NLNS. Many do not wish to risk losing these gains through too great a change. Although the strategies have improved the teaching of English and mathematics, teaching in both subjects remains no better than satisfactory in one lesson in three. Although provision of additional guidance and better targeted support has improved the quality of teaching in some schools, it has yet to raise the overall frequency and consistency of teaching that is good or better in all schools. One significant improvement in teaching is teachers’ use of information and communication technology (ICT), a consequence of increased guidance and support provided through the PNS. However, despite support for teachers in developing assessment fo r learning, improvements are slow in coming and weaknesses remain (Primary National Strategy: An evaluation of its impact on primary schools 2004/05, 2005). A teachers knowledge of their subject matter is very important factor in that teachers effectiveness. A teacher with a high level of knowledge can usually explain a subject better to students. They will rely less on simple memorization and they will be able to answer any unexpected questions by students. They will receive more respect from students. They act as a good role model for students as they can show that learning their subjects is

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

CASE 4-Healthcare Financial Problems and Remedial Action Plans Research Paper

CASE 4-Healthcare Financial Problems and Remedial Action Plans - Research Paper Example a Hospital Medical Center puts the organization at the peril of not attaining its objectives aimed at providing medical and health services to the poor. The availability of resources to an organization exposes an organization to favorable opportunities. In the presence of adequate resources, an organization can avail the advantages of favorable opportunities (Swayne et al, 2008). Notably, presence of adequate resources will allow California Hospital Medical Center compensate its employees and cater for the large number of people who depend on the organization. Failure to pay employees may render the organization insolvent. The organization’s employee remuneration is dependent on the availability of financial resources (Swayne et al, 2008). Poor employee compensation will in turn affect the employee motivation and cause the failure in attaining company goals. Businesses can at any time face contingencies and adverse changes, which impact their operations. Presence of adequate financial resources can assist the organization offset itself from such contingencies, such as a financial crisis and business oscillations emanating from heavy losses (Swayne et al, 2008). Availability of financial resources increases an organization’s efficiency. Availability of financial resources in an organization is linked to the presence of adequate facilities which improve an organization’s efficiency (Swayne et al, 2008). The unavailability of adequate financial resources affects California Hospital Medical Center’s access to adequate medical facilities which hampers its ability to provide medical services to the people. The availability of financial resources to California Hospital Medical Center can assist the organization access facilities thus, improving its effectiveness. In this regard, California Hospital Medical Center may have to seek more sources of funds in order to support its operations. Organizations require adequate man power in their quest to attain their

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Strategy Planning and Implementation

Strategy Planning and Implementation Task 1a) The organisation of my choicce in discussing the Strategy Planning and Implementation assignment would be Pantaloon Retail India Limited. The reason behind choosing this organisation as matter of discussion can be mentioned as follows: i) I am an ex-employee of Panataloon Retail India Limited being on the rolls of the company for nearly 4 years overseeing comapanys Marketing Business Operations in the state of Gujarat, India encompassing 5 Pantaloon Retail Lifestyle stores in the cities of Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat Rajkot in Gujarat. ii) Organised retailing is emerging in Indian sub-continent with Pantaloon Retail India Limited being the forerunner. iii) Started from a humble begiining in late 20th century with single outlet operation today it is Rs.10 billion turnover, with a presence over 30 cities with combination of 500 mega stores, super stores and lifestyle stores with over 20,000 employees. Task 1b) Stakeholders are the persons or a community(group of people) who are directly or indirectly associated with an organisation for attaining its objectives and are directly or indirectly affected by the actions, decisions and policies made by the organisation. Stakeholders of the company are its Directors, Employees, Creditors, Customers, Vendors, Government Agencies, Owners and Shareholders. Hence, in other words all the human entities directly or indirectly associated with the organisation are the stake holders of the organisation. In particular, the major stakeholders of my chosen organisation are the Employees, Customers and Vendors. Retail is man intensive industry and hence the role and importance of team work is the essence of providing international standard experience of shopping to its customers. Customers are king of the retail business. Custmers are listened, obliged, serviced and are given the primary importance in Pantaloon Retail India Limited. It is believed here that if Customers are happy then the company will survive. The company follows the M.K.Gandhis famous qoute, A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so. Vendors are the blood line of the organisation. Vendors provide the organisation with the right product win desired quantity. The also support the organisation in terms of payback period giving an edge to maintain healthy cash flows for development. Hence, we observe that these stake holders are of considerable importance to the organisation growth and to combat fierce competition and to meet customer satisfaction. The specific considerations that the company has for these stakeholders are as follows: Employees: The employees should be suitably compensated in terms of monetary and other intangible benefits so that the high level of enthusiasm towards work and customer focus is maintained. The happiness and retention of customers can be ensured only with satisfied employees. Customers: As mentioned above, Customer is the key focal point of Pantaloon, hence all the business persepective should be should be suitable oriented towards customer needs and wants. The company consideration would be providing Value for Money experience to its customers and reaching them the products wherever and whenver they want. Vendors: The company considers Vendors as partner for growth. The company has taken measurable steps towards assessing them, procuring procedure, payments and to deal with the grievance. The company has further taken a step ahead by incorporating electronic touch points to minimise the lengthy procedure and ensure time saving. Task 1c)Organised retail is agressive and is becoming challenging every moment. All the strategies formulated in Retail have been centered around the most important entity The Customer. The company has always focussed towards attracting customers, retaining the existing customers and giving customers an experience which would enable to come back again and again. The crieteria that Pantaloon focussed are: 1.Cost: The most challenging factor in todays business. A good earnings to cost ratio would only decide the fate of the retail business. No matter what top-line or bottom line a company desires, Pantaloon has always focussed on Cost Strategy to offer maximum benefit to its Customers. 2. Market Penetration: After opening its various retail formats in the metro cities in India, the company has decided the Cluster Development Strategy viz. 8 city strategy for market penetration. By doing this the company will focus towards only cluster of cities for market reach in step wise manner. 3. New Product Strategy: The company strategy has always been+ based on Ideas to give their customers something new and unique. The company looks to achieve a healthy share of each Rupee spent by the customers. Thus company started from garments retailing has moved into Food Retail, Fast Food and Speciality cuisine, Gaming, Hyper market segment, home products, e-shopping and insurance sector. 4. Square foot sales : The strategic objective of the company is to seek healthy square foot sales in order to maintain good profit margin in terms of attaining healthy top line. 5. Private Brands: One of the most important criteria for attaining strategic management objective is introducing Private Label Brands which would ensure gaining a healthy bottom-line margin. 6. Vendor Strategy: Touch screen single point operation for vendor slection, product identification and payment procedure. The company believes vendors or manufacturers are partners to the business and hence venodr management is key importance to the company. Task 1d) Pantaloon Retail India Limited was formed to deliver organised garment retailing in India. The company wanted to blend fashion with affordability. Due to its fast expansion and growth the garment trader and the dictribution channel(middle man) has also earned huge margins. They are the trader who used to source the material from the manufacturers and used to store and supply the merchandise to Pantloon. There was a sudden demand in raising the margin of the merchandise by the intermediary channel. Pantaloon used to source 80% of their merchandise of reputed brands from these channels. This sudden raise could not have direct implication on the customers as increase in price to the final product would mean losing business. Hence company initially bear this loss. After sometime the comapny wanted to discuss with these intermediate channels for price renegotiation, failing which the supply of the goods were stopped creating a vacuum in the supply. This was affected by poor merchandise and customer complaints which continued for several months till the time the company had done renegotiation with new set of Intermediary channel including contacting the manufacturers directly. Bu this, the company felt the necessity of having their own private brands including manufacturing and aquiring manufacturing set up of few other companies. The company took around 6 months for consolidation exercis e and thereafter Pantaloon relaunched its Retail Stores with nearly 80% of private manufactured merchandise. Task 2) Develop Vision, Mission, Objectives Measures a. For your chosen organisation, list down its ethical, cultural, environmental, social and business objectives. How are these influenced by the current business and economic climate? Pantaloon Retail India Limited with its multi-retail business in various sectors has consolidated its operations under the umbrella concern of Future Group. The company has laid down and oberve the following values to cover its ethical, cultural, environmental, social and business objectives. The values are as below: Ethical i) Respect Humility: Respect for every individual associated in business and be humble to all. This value entails the core people function. The company pays utmost respect, listen and act accordingly to its Customers, Employees and Vendors through various channels. The Senior Management evaluates and acts accordingly on any grievance, comments and suggestions made by Customers, Employees and Vendors. ii) Openness: To be open and receptive for new ideas, knowledge and information. The company has various platform of communication with its people and analyse all the ideas or comments and shares its opinion with the Stakeholders. E.g. the company has Share With Us Book placed in all the retail stores through which a Customer can communicate with the Senior Management. Cultural i) Valuing Nurturing Relationships: To build long-term relationships. Business particularly retail business is strategic in nature. It has complete reliance on Relationship building and nurturing the emotions.It is observed that it requires more money to attract new customers rather that retaining and satisfying new customers. ii) Simplicity Positivity: Simplicity in thought, business and actions. Thinking simple yet positive render positive vibrations in the economy and earn respect from its stakeholders. Environmental i) Flow: To respect and understand universal laws of nature. The company follows the natural way of business and respect and adheres to the rules and policies laid down from time to time. It also acts accordingly keeping in mind the current economic condition and takes steps relevant in order to satisfy needs of its stake holders. Social i) Indianness : Confidence within ourselves and amongst our product. The company respects Indian culture and offer the products that suits Indian households. ii) Adaptability: To be adaptive and flexible to meet new challenges.The only thing that is constant in the Universe is Change. Hence the company is always open to change and modify accordingly its product lines as per the need and demand of the present market. Business Objectives i) Intropsection: Leading to purposeful thinking. The company from time to time does meaningful invigoration of its entire process in order to audit and take any corrective action if any. Based on the outcome the company re-strategise any of its process or function. ii) Leadership: Leadership in thought and idea and its application in business. The comany belives to be Number 1 in whatever business they are and work hard to retain its position. (Source:Pantaloon Retail India Limited website id http://www.pantaloon.com/corporate_state.asp,Dated October 26, 2009) Based on the above, it is clearly observed that Pantaloon Retail India Limited is equipped with broad range of measures to handle stressfull business environment and economic changes that may occur. Specifically, particular change in any macro economic policies are treated with utmost sincerety and needed change is implemented to overcome it. Thus more recently the economic crises has very little effect on Pantaloon, as the company could envisage the problem and taken specific measures to overcome this. The percentage of leased out premises to its its total retail outlet was nearly 65% towards the beginning of year 2008. The companys outflow in rental expenditure was a large sum of money. The company could oversee the challenge of offereing competitive pricing during the era of economic meltdown. Based on the same company started having its own premises by creating a special vehicle Future Capital Holdings which is 100% subsidiary of Pantaloon Retail India Limited. This has brought d own not only the rental outflow but also ensured better offering to customers in terms of competitive pricing as compared to its competitors.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Ernst Mayrs One Long Argument - Creationism vs. Evolutionism :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Ernst Mayr's One Long Argument - Creationism vs. Evolutionism Challenging the accepted order of society always brings a wave of criticism and contempt. In Ernst Mayr's One Long Argument, he aggressively brings to the forefront of debate the notion that his predecessors had heatedly argued for years, that man is not a divinely created creature, but rather just another animal in a state of constant change. Examining the path Charles Darwin, had followed in his attempt to better understand the evolutionary path of man, noted biologist Ernst Mayr explains Darwinian theory in respects to not only evolution but also in respect to the belief that man is somehow a creature made of a higher divinity than all else. And it is this challenge of man's role as something divine that caught me as being quite profound. It has been the belief of man since the dawn of civilization that somehow he was created above all other creatures, and that life for him, existed outside of the natural world. The interesting perspective Mayr brings to the topic of man and God is that, man may not be so divine as to be able to stand outside the natural order of evolution. Yet despite anthropological evidence, such as fossils, the public has a difficulty in accepting that man and animal had a common ancestor: that man had to evolve to his present state. But in contrast many are not be so surprised to believe that animals underwent and still undergo a constant change. Further still Mayr makes the attempt at understanding the phenomena of why man cannot agree to having evolved from the same common ancestor as the wild animal the chimpanzee. It may seem that, according to Mayr, that man's own inability to come to terms with his own evolution, stems from a feeling of not wanting to be reduced to just another animal in the chain of life. For hundreds of years, as Mayr examines, religion after religion has always placed man on some sort of pedestal, superior to all other species. And when Darwin confronted the world with possibly another truth, he shattered man's perception of himself. Even today, a hundred years after Darwin first challenged the accepted order of man as a divine being, Mayr still raises controversy in the debate over man as being just another animal undergoing a constant evolutionary change like all other animals.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Difference in The Supply Chain of B2B and B2C Website

E-Business implies revolution of the vital business processes via the usage of Internet technologies. The Internet is transforming every facet our daily lives and is hard to find any other area which is going through as fast and remarkable change, as the manner in which businesses function. When businesses espouse Internet technologies into their main processes, they begin to reap real business value. Companies irrespective of their size are utilizing the benefits of the Internet to establish communication with their partners besides connecting with their back-end data systems and transacting commerce. Business to Consumer E-Commerce) Points of difference in the Supply Chain of B2B website and B2C website: The most important difference between B2B and B2C lies in the role of the B2B website in Internet terms. B2B websites is concerned mainly with Supply Chain Management — SCM. SCMs constitute web portals that facilitate businesses to enter business transactions directly with their suppliers and distributors in an online manner thereby permitting electronic transfer of orders, preparation of invoices and also payments. Wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers come under this group. On the other hand, B2C websites constitute intermediary portals to connect customers to suppliers. Among the leading ones are ebay. com which is an auction site, yell. com a yellow page website and ZDNet. com which is a technology marketplace. Transactions of the above business happen on the Internet and hence known as e-business. B2C is concerned with the objective of selling to the end user. Normally these are websites like amazon. com, which is the world largest virtual bookstore, which sell goods to the end user. Thus a B2B website deals mainly with other businesses whereas a B2C site provides products to the end user. What is the difference between B2B and B2C? ) Even though any e-business solution is a unique one; it boils down to the categorization level of either B2B or B2C. B2C normally indicates the online trading and auctions, for instance on-line stock trading markets, on-line auctions for computers and other articles. B2C e-commerce points to the budding commerce model in which businesses and consumers communicate through the electronic mode or digital mode in some manner. Taking the example of B2C e-commerce, the aim is more regarding attracting the prospects and making them into sales. The final objective lies in the conversion of shoppers into buyer as quickly and constantly as might be possible. Under the B2C, the flow of information among the business and consumer typically is through Internet. This flow comprises of services, product orders/ service requests from the customers, product information. Apart from that it might also involve flow of tangibles like goods ordered from customers, transfer of documents among business and customers. (Business-to-consumer E-Commerce) The services that are typical of B2C e-commerce comprise of (i) auction stores for instance e. ay. com (ii) online stores for instance amazon. com and (iii) online services for instance travelocity. com. Among the intense outcomes of the information revolution lies in the influence regarding the manner in which economic value gets built and extracted. Access of information is easier as also the price. The benefits of the company are (i) There is an enhanced demand (ii) The entire globe becomes the market place at a fraction of a cost (iii) There is a huge advantage of cost-reduction as regards promotion and sales. (iv) Costs are much lower. The benefits for the customers are that they are able to get a lower price and they are faced with a wider choice and better information and increased convenience. Conducting shopping by the online stores is becoming popular and its acceptance is also increasing. Even though B2B sales constitute the major earner of revenue, yet B2C sales are also supposed to better in the forthcoming years. But for this to happen, online stores are required to provide increased value to the customers and concurrently found novel ways to generate revenues. However there are major challenges confronting the B2C initiatives. These are â€Å"organizational challenge, business process reengineering, system integration problems, problems in matching technology to the needs of the business, the role of business intermediaries, getting browsers to purchase articles, building customer loyalty and fulfillment†. (Business-to-consumer E-Commerce) Under the B2C system the SCM hovers around managing service quality albeit with strong technology mediation. As it is known that internal marketing is required to inspire the staff to become outstanding service providers, it is crucial that internal managerial processes are required to built a friendly, high-availability, high performance website and a seamless delivery and returns procedure. A huge difference among the traditional and B2C services is the surfacing of a complex order taking and fulfillment systems as a replacement of the front-line employees. Therefore it needless to say that service problems in B2C often come from the breakdown of such systems. The front-end processes are concerned with the design and maintenance of websites, attracting visitors to their websites, and making them customers and getting repeat orders. In the back-end processes constitute system dealing with order fulfillment, delivery and returns. The managers' in charge of B2C are required to govern the processes to get optimum performance. A point to be noted here is that the customers get the experience of those elements comprised of the front-end and back-end processes which impact them in a direct fashion. Failures in B2C have every chance to happen in these visible processes; however they can also happen in the background and the failure of managers to steer these processes in appropriate methods. (Conceptualizing B2C Businesses as Services) B2C relationships are present as a crucial part of the e-commerce business. Web sites applying these relationships rely on the performance and design of the website. Consumers make decisions depending on just these needs sometimes and a business requires doing well in the required needs of the consumer. These categories of businesses also deal with marketing, and the most popular websites have been introduced before the general public through advertisements fueling interests to the consumer. After gaining recognition, these business model sites improve their selling for a long-term period. (Lengkeek; Solack; Preston; Ritzema; Tapia, 2004) One more angle to B2B initiative in the Supply Chain Management — SCM space is the rise of the B2B Trading Community Evolution. The surfacing and popularity of the Internet trading communities have been exciting. Although it is still in its infancy, there is more to it in the coming years. Majority of the trading communities presently are supporting the two fundamental works of e-commerce that are Dynamic Product Catalogues and Order Processing that are Buy/Sell and related deals. It is envisioned that the final capability and the ultimate evolutionary results of the trading community explosion locates a net of five leading functions that the entire trading community will present in the years to come. These five functions transcend simple systems functionality and include everything that is needed for most efficient delivery of a holistic supply chain solution. To be more specific these are â€Å"Dynamic Product Catalogues, Order Processing, Multi-Firm Logistics Planning, Multi-Planning Logistics Operations and Consolidated Transportation and Delivery†. (B2B Trading Community Revolution) In order to completely exploit the capability of B2B, companies are required to concentrate in terms of eHubs that are web enabled platforms that permit trading partners to locate exchange and share information connected to buying and selling activities. A number of transactions regardless of them being inbound or outbound needed in customer order fulfillment are carried out in an automated fashion. A definition of eHub given by Kevin McKelvie and Mark Simmonds state eHub as a â€Å"set of technologies that give end to end Supply Chain integration and collaboration, sharing of information, visibility into a wide array of activities connected with demand planning, direct procurement and execution of order†. (Business-to-consumer E-Commerce: The eHub Concept) In this act, the eHub makes an optimum use of the supply chain itself and all its participants. It gives a full transparency at every stages of execution of a transaction. Implementation of the incoming transaction of the customer present in the â€Å"far up' in the channel to contract manufacturing inside the supply chain is automated. In doing this, the inventory is optimized. (Business-to-consumer E-Commerce: The eHub Concept) Through the use of the eHub information flow is facilitated to everybody concerned in the supply chain thereby facilitating them to react in a timely and efficient fashion. Therefore the eHub primarily matches the supply chain collaboration as it is accessible to several different parties. All the constituents contribute their share of information to build a collection of dynamic information inside the critical area of the eHub. As all the trading partners are able to use the information, it caters to multiple functions. It supplies not just the present view o the order but also supplies visibility into other related parts of fulfilling that order, like production capacity, availability of inventory and logistics and fulfillment status. (Business-to-consumer E-Commerce: The eHub Concept) There is a difference exists in the B2C and B2B marketing which has to be kept in mind while developing marketing activities. The terms were formed to differentiate Internet Commerce business that sold mainly to consumers and those whose markets constitute other businesses. These expressions have been broadened their definitions to imply any business which primarily sells to the ultimate customer — B2C or to other businesses which is B2B. Even though marketing programs are identical for each type of business, the difference lies in the manner of their execution, the message and the outcome of the marketing activities. At the core of successful B2B or B2C initiate is an efficient Supply Chain Management — SCM which can make or mar an e-commerce transaction. However, the presence of SCM appears in more visible form in case of B2B as businesses have to keep in touch with suppliers, databases and warehouses present at multiple locations, which are connected through computer networks. Presence of eHubs a recent addition will be playing an important role in the coming years to boost e-commerce transactions. The role of SCM in case of B2C on the other hand deals with the customer order processing, payment acceptance in a secured manner, order tracking while the product is in transit, shipping details and handling returns.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A Chip off The Old Block-Bluster Essay

Background to the problem Mr Something runs a small business called A Chip off The Old Block-Bluster. Mr Something is the makes of Blockbusters son. He has only left him a little bit of inheritance and wanted him to produce a business that was just as good as his. He currently has a shop in slough High Street. He only gets a few customers a day. He keeps track of people’s record manually and would like to use his father’s money to set up an electronic system that only requires a few manual entries. The Current System Mr Something currently uses cards to manage his business. He has 2 types of cards. 1 card is his business card to hand out to people to show where his shop is, his name, telephone, his email and his fax. The other type of card is a customer card. The customer card has the shop logo on it and the customers name on it. It is a card made out of card and is laminated to protect it from damage. If the customer does not have a card, he issues one to them for a price of 20p if they wish to rent DVD’s again. He collects their name, address, DOB and home number. The card can have data printed on it with a permanent ink. It shows when the DVD must be returned by. The ink can be erased using a special spray and a cloth. This is costly and takes some time. It can sometimes irritate the customer depending on how long it takes. He creates the card by designing it on Microsoft publisher and printing it off using a dot matrix printer and laminates it. He also keeps a paper record. It has a table with the same details as on the card and the name of the DVD rented and the date it must be returned by. He writes it by hand using a pen while the customer is renting the DVD. If the DVD is not returned by the date set for return, then he uses mail merge to send a letter to the customer saying that the DVD must be returned by 4 days after the letter has been sent and if not, there will be a higher charge. If it continues then the police will be involved. Mr Something calls it the record sheet. The record sheets are stored in a briefcase that is locked and is stored in a cupboard that is overhead that is also locked. This reduces the chances of burglars getting their hands on the customer’s details. Problems with the system The current problems with the system are: * It takes time for Mr Something to enter in the customers details onto the record sheet. * The laminated cards that he gives to his customers are easily damaged by peeling away the laminated layer * The cleaning liquid is expensive to buy and therefore makes little profit * The manual methods take very long which hold up the customer. The end user’s requests The end user would like: * a computerised system * a homepage that can navigate through the whole system easily * searches that can be easily used * a window that can search through records * something that can add files to the records file * something that can show the charges of overdue DVDs Possible Solutions A non-ICT solution could be to use cards. There could be three files, one for members, one for DVDs and one for loans. But this could lead to problems as cards can get damaged as easily as log books, and they aren’t very practical. Cards can also get lost, and this solution is quite time consuming. Cards could also be quite expensive. Word processing and presentation programmes are unsuitable for this solution. Word processors couldn’t store the information properly, although a table could be made to store the files. Reports and queries cannot be made on a word processing document. The information could not be structured properly. Presentation software couldn’t be used as they are made really for displaying information to an audience. Both of these solutions could not be used to store structured data. A spreadsheet programme could be used. Rows and tables could be made to store the data. However, this could be quite repetitive. Three different tables would have to be made. Each DVD would have to be repeated every time it was lent. This would be quite frustrating and time consuming. Using a relational database seems like the best solution for the DVD rental. It can be used to store lots of data and reduce the amount of repetition of it. Queries can be used to extract data quickly and easily. This could be used to find overdue DVDs, solving the problem of undetected overdue fines. Separate tables can be made easily, which can be linked in a relationship. Wizards can be used to make queries and reports quickly without mistakes. Databases also contain validation tools which stop input errors. Length check can be used on the fields to stop mistakes. Primary keys can be made to number DVDs and members. Objectives The system should have the following: * it should be neat and tidy for easy reading * There should be a report to show the overdue DVDs and their price. * Charges should be calculated automatically. * The navigation should be easy with clearly labelled command buttons. * The system should be able to save data on customers and DVDs without confusion.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Examples of a Personal Statement for Your Success!

Examples of a Personal Statement for Your Success! Personal Statement as a Step towards Your Future Probably you have already met the term ‘personal statement’, when reading college requirements for an application form. Together with a statement of purpose, it is a compulsory part of your application, which makes it very important and should be taken seriously. We understand how tempted students are to complete the form as soon as possible, but it is important to focus on every stage, avoiding the most common mistakes, which students do day after day. Once you understand what to write about, it will be much easier to write your personal statement. Definition of a personal statement Personal statement greatly differs from other papers you need to submit when entering a college. That is why it may greatly puzzle you at first, even if you are an experienced student. Personal statement is a paper, where you need to explain why you can become a valuable member of the college’s community and to tell about your personality. Personal statement also has other names, which include a personal essay, admission essay, reflective essay and sometimes even a narrative essay. Despite the chosen term, your main goal is to describe your potential, goals, hopes and dreams, which make you the best candidate for the chosen college. When you work on a personal statement, you need to prove that your values, academic background and non-educational aspects impact your academic success. There are no common rules for a personal statement, so you can show your creativity and ideas when working on the paper. However, you should always stick to the rules and requirements, provided by the college or university. College statement types When it comes to writing, you won’t find a single form for all types of assignments. Personal statement is not an exception and has two main types to offer: Comprehensive/ general personal statement. It gives the applicant maximum freedom concerning the things you are willing to discuss. It is also called an open-topic essay and doesn’t have any requirements other than formatting peculiarities, indicated by the college. Basically, through this type of a personal statement you need to represent yourself in the best way; Answer on a certain question. When you are asked to deliver such type of a personal statement, you will also be given a question to answer. It will reflect your skills, knowledge, experience, future plans, etc. In addition, personal statements can be divided into college, undergraduate and programs ones. Personal statement for college Such personal statements are usually delivered through an essay. This admission essay type is more complicated and advanced. In most of the cases, you will have to answer a certain question, because a graduate should already possess independent thinking and have an opinion on the most complicated issues. By the time you graduate, you are expected to think critically and have life experience. This means that you possess a clear understanding of what you are willing to study and how a particular program can help you in achieving your goals. Don’t forget that most programs provide financial assistance if a student returns to the institution for researching or teaching. This explains why most personal statements of graduates contain interests of the applicant in a professional and academic field, rather in a personal one. Undergraduate personal statement When undergraduate students are asked to write application essays they usually need to deliver general statements. This means that you can write about anything and pick a topic, which will reflect your personality and motivation in the best light. So why undergraduate students usually write open-topic essays and not an answer to a specific question? The reason is simple: high school graduates still lack experience and don’t have a clear picture of what they want to do after college. They are open to new skills and knowledge, so giving a response on a particular topic may not be the most suitable option. For an undergraduate personal statement, the best option will be to show how the student is exploring own personality and the world around. Students need to describe what makes them passionate, how they interact with others and whether they are willing to contribute to society. Personal statement writing Every day thousands of thoughts run through our minds, but when it comes to writing we can feel a lack of ideas and inspiration. Everything becomes even more complicated when you know that your future college admission depends on the quality of your writing. However, you shouldn’t feel desperate, because there are tips and advice, which will make it much easier to write a personal statement even if you are out of ideas! Personal statement is not a regular high school or college assignment, which you complete just to get a grade and move on. It requires lots of devotion, analysis and critical thinking. You need to understand your own dreams, hopes, passions and background in order to deliver a great essay. To simplify the process just follow our guidelines: Take enough time to understand what information you want to render or how to give an answer to the required question; Start working on the first draft without thinking about possible mistakes and length of the essay. Just write down everything that comes to your mind; Don’t be in a hurry. Make sure you have enough time to complete every stage step-by-step without a necessity to write your personal statement in a day; Make sure you have a dictionary nearby. It will help you to choose the most proper words and show how good your vocabulary skills are; Always concentrate on your strong sides but provide clear examples instead of simply talking about how good you are; Never compare your statement to those of others. Every student has own perception of the world, experience and skills; Read the statement aloud to detect its weak points. Personal statement structure It is not a secret that at least half of your statement’s success lays in proper formatting. That is why you need to follow the common outline really carefully. Brief introduction You should always start your admission essay with an introduction, which gives brief information about your motivations and interests. Introduction is a paragraph, which aims to catch the attention of readers, motivate them to learn more about your personality. In a personal statement, introduction acts as a hook. Achievements and academic interests It doesn’t matter whether you are an undergraduate or a graduate: you already have an academic experience to share. Always focus on facts without exaggerating anything. Write about your achievements, interests and plans for your future education and career. If you are a graduate student, you can briefly describe interesting classes you have taken and professors you have had. Background experience If you are asked to write an essay on a free topic, you should devote a paragraph to your background experience, which had a solid impact on your education and life. However, it shouldn’t be related to your school or college life. Out-of-class activities You may think that this section is about your hobbies, but actually it must focus on activities, which are still associated with the chosen field. You can include information about your volunteering projects, activities outside of school and other fields, which contributed to choosing a particular program or college. Publications and other accomplishments In case you have any publications, here is a section to mention them. However, this paragraph is mostly created for graduates, who already have researched to discuss. Why you have chosen a particular program or college It is always a good idea to tell the board why you decided to stop your search on the particular program and college if you didn’t add such information to the introductory section. Conclusion Finish your statement with a paragraph, which summarizes your strong sides and explains why you are a perfect fit for the chosen college or program. Your conclusion should be strong and make a great impression on the committee! What makes a great personal statement Now, when you know the key requirements to the format and content of your personal statement, it is the right time to get familiar with general tips: Remain natural and enthusiastic, remembering about your personal style; Make sure your humor is appropriate. The board may not have a similar sense of humor, so you may only harm yourself; Decide what message you are willing to render and work on it; Always include examples; Try not to be general; If possible, avoid controversial subjects and comments, because you don’t know who will be reading your statement; Once your first draft is ready, you need to proofread and edit it to make sure it meets all of the requirements and the necessary word count. Elements of a personal statement If you want your statement to grab the attention of the committee, it should contain the following elements: Explanation of why you are willing to take the chosen course; Evidence, which demonstrates that you meet all of the necessary criteria and have researched the profession and course; Details on how you have grown your interest in a subject outside the class; Explanation why you have chosen their college to continue education; Tell about your experience, explaining what you have learned and how it helped to grow your interest in the chosen field; Demonstration of transferable skills; Acknowledgment of your critical thinking; Brief enumeration of your goals. Apart from knowing what to include to your personal statement, don’t forget about the things you shouldn’t do: Never copy-paste parts of your older personal statements; Don’t include irrelevant data or too personal details; Avoid clichà ©s; Meaningless lists; Complicated expressions; Negative excuses and comments; Claims without any proofs. Examples of a personal statement Success of your personal statement always depends on a careful topic selection and in lots of practice. The more time you devote to writing such an essay, the simpler it will be for you to write your personal statement in future. Below you will find examples of statements for graduate and undergraduate levels. Examples of college personal statements topics Why are you willing to enter a graduate program? How it interlinks with your career aspirations? What are your admission qualifications? Picture your career in a five years time; What events or experiences grew your interest in the chosen program? The biggest professional challenges you are facing at the moment and how the chosen program can help in overcoming them? Sample #1 When we see a teenager, carrying a journal we usually think that he or she has things to hide. For me, a journal means much more and helps to put all of the emotions into words. I remember one day at school when I experienced hundreds of emotions at once. In a moment I was bored and then angry, filled with hopes and despair at the same time. That is when I decided to start a journal. For less than an hour, I wrote five poems. I read them carefully over and over again and felt proud that I was able to turn negative emotions into creativity. Starting from that day I carried my journal with me anywhere I went. It gave me a feeling of security and peace, and I knew that even if I didn’t have the inspiration to write, I could reread my stories and poems. In some way my journal helped me to overcome emotions and curb them. However, any time I took it out, my classmates were trying to see what was inside. At first, I was hiding the journal in my bag, but as I grew more confident, I started offering them to read my poems or write their own if they wanted to. I changed my thoughts about owning such a journal, when I saw how much happier people became, when I was giving them my journal. Very soon my book became a common possession and contained emotions of different people. My classmates trusted me and expressed themselves through poems, songs, drawings and stories. Many of them were so inspired that decided to start their own journals. That is when I realized that owning a journal could have a therapeutic effect. Having that book gave me a feeling that I was capable of everything, I could achieve anything I wanted to and that made me feel great! Journalism  had a great influence on my life, so I want to major Media and Communication to make my own thoughts and thoughts of people to be heard worldwide. I am ready to be the person, who transmits others’ emotions, shares them with the society and helps to transform negativism into something bright and positive. That is why I love journalism  so much! Any time I feel like there are too many emotions and thoughts in my head, I put them on paper and express myself in any way I want. I never thought that such a simple experience may change my whole life. For some people, journalism  can be a clichà ©, but for me, it is a whole new world, which helps me to remain focused, sane and open to the world. Examples of undergraduate personal statements topics Tell about the event or achievement that lead to your personal growth and understanding of your personality; Discuss the time, when you had to face a certain challenge. What impact it had on you and what lessons you have learned from it? Tell about a problem you are solving or would want to solve; Who inspires you the most? What things do you want to achieve in life? Example #2 We are living in the times when media and internet have occupied firm positions in every person’s life. It will be fair to say that the media has the most solid impact on society. Education is very important because it helps us to share personal views on various things and helps us get ready for the future carrier. I want to combine both education and media because I dream of becoming a journalist. While media is powerful and has a positive impact on millions of people, there are also many dishonest journalists, who only care about how many clicks their reports and posts will gain. That is why I want to contribute to society and use Internet platforms to give people information on important problems and issues. Even though I don’t have many years of experience working as a journalist, I still have a solid education with knowledge on how to build my future career. During my high school years I have been working as an editor of the website and school paper. I reported on the latest events and covered problems of students, stirring debates and discussions. Due to my work ethics and aspirations, I always meet deadlines and move myself forward to learn more about every topic. I want to become part of the program for many reasons. A thorough research made me realize that your program is perfect for achieving all of my aspirations in the chosen field. With its help I will greatly improve my writing skills, sharpen my knowledge and grow on both professional and a personal level. Professional assistance Once you have written a personal statement you may think that it is time to breathe out. However, if you want to be accepted, you can’t deliver your paper without editing it. Unfortunately, we are not objective when it comes to evaluating our own works. We see the paper as we imagine it, not as it really is. That is when our editors and proofreaders can be of great help! Our professional specialists have many years of experience and can improve your paper with ease. They will polish your personal statement and give valuable tips on how to achieve the best results. In case you don’t have enough time to write your personal statement or want to entrust it to professionals, you can contact us or leave a request through the order form. Writing a personal statement will improve the following aspects: Your writing skills; Chances of being accepted; Spelling; Grammar; Formatting; Your tranquility.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Tamara Draut Essays

Tamara Draut Essays Tamara Draut Paper Tamara Draut Paper The Growing College Gap In her essay The Growing College Gap Draut makes the claim that attending college is a decision students are faced with nationwide. She argues that there’s a gap between class and race dealing with financial problems. The gap has increased due to many cuts in the educational system and how Financial Aid helps the less fortunate but it doesn’t make higher education any more affordable to the masses. Therefore, since the socioeconomic breach continues to grow, security for a middle-class student, which is earning a four-year degree, is now decreasing because of the expense to actually achieve the said degree. This essay focuses on college students and their future, while making a comparison of their social class. It shows the government has a major impact in this situation because it offers some statistics to give a vision of what the employment rates have changed according to previous studies about now. In addition, the author differentiates the futures many college students have as a result of their parents’ financial past and present. Tamara Draut dissected every aspect of the American college system and thoroughly backed up her argument with undeniable statistics and facts. For example, persons with some college experience can expect to earn $1. 5 million while with an Associate-degree they can expect to earn $1. 6 million. Also, persons with a Bachelor’s degree can expect to earn $2. 1 million, persons with a Master’s degree can expect to earn $2. million and with a Professional degree they can expect to earn $4. 4 million (1). Surprisingly only seventy percent of high school graduates attend college; one would think that with estimated earnings such as those that more than eighty-five or ninety percent of graduates would go onto higher education. If college were less expensive, this percentage would increase drastically. According to Draut, â€Å"While the Federal government is spending more than ever before on student aid, over $70 billion to be exact, funding has not kept pace with enrollments or tuition prices† (2). This quote it is confusing, because of the amount the Federal Government is spending is quite a huge number itself and yet it’s not enough to fund most students. There are cuts in education, and a lot of students are affected by it. It will be hard for them to pay off the tuition and loans because some of these students are from a low income family. It has been difficult for them to consider how much money they will end up paying off after they’ve graduated from college. It would be good if the Federal Government can find ways to help give the poor more funding for college. Economic status is a major factor in the college process. For most people, it is the only factor. Unfortunately, the first question middle-class and low-income families ask about a school is how much it is because of the insane burden that college loans place on the student and their family. With the extremely competitive job market as well as the intense competition between college students, as long as tuition rates continue to increase, the economic classes will grow further and further apart. In the nineteenth century, there were really only two classes: the upper class and the lower class. It seems that soon enough, there will no longer be a middle class based on the economy and competition alone. The lower class cannot get ahead because they do not have the money; especially when college is extremely expensive. The upper class will continue to get ahead because they have enough money to do with it whatever they want. Another part of Draut’s argument should make all college degree seeking Americans fight against the injustice of government aid programs; providing aid on merit based performance only (3). It is fair the money being granted to students who study hard and make sacrifices in order to obtain their secondary education, but what happened with the students who come from low income backgrounds? Aid programs do not take into consideration that many low income students come from inner cities, where secondary education is at the bottom of categorized education scale and these students lack the crucial knowledge that being taught at the more prestige’s high schools of the suburbs where middle and upper class students attend. The college tuition rates are increasing and soon enough only the wealthy will be able to afford going to receive their degrees. Even with the various grants, legislation and financial aid opportunities, students and families alike still struggle to muster up enough money to be able to enroll in one’s preferred institution. Hopefully, more legislation will be instilled so that many more students, of minorities and low-income families predominantly, will have better chance of being able to attend a university. Draut, Tamara. â€Å"The Growing College Gap†. The Allyn Bacon Guide To Writing. Ed. John D. Ramage, John C. Bean and June Johnson. New York: Longman, 2010. 270. Print. Draut, Tamara. â€Å"The Growing College Gap†. The Allyn Bacon Guide To Writing. Ed. John D. Ramage, John C. Bean and June Johnson. New York: Longman, 2010. 271-272. Print. Draut, Tamara. â€Å"The Growing College Gap†. The Allyn Bacon Guide To Writing. Ed. John D. Ramage, John C. Bean and June Johnson. New York: Longman, 2010. 272. Print.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Character Development in Arthur Millers The Crucible

The role of Arthur Miller in the development of The Crucible The Crucible deals with the main events of Salem and the main changes and developments of roles emerging in the play. Every character in the drama experiences some change whether it is good or good. Arthur Miller believes in the good and evil of Chura, he thinks that all characters are doing work of God, but actually shows encouraging devils. They are good and sincere Christians, but many people can not even follow the Ten Commandments. The Crucible of the theme of the Crucible Development Arthur Miller is a historical drama, but more important is the social and psychological drama. Various ways to develop themes through The Crucible are through characters, plots, settings, and conversations. According to Raymond Williams, the importance of witch trials, the moral crisis of society is clear and directly be formulated, have been described. In this way, life style overall quality of the organic non-existent You can see the qu ality (Ibsen to Brecht's play, until 1968). Abigail Williams of Arthur Miller 's Cru 埚 saw various aspects of the role of Abigail Williams in the whole drama of Krusselsburg. Arthur Miller created funny and complex characters with diverse and distinctive features, but in the first scene, the audience clearly recognized the characteristics of her control and operation. Abigail was first introduced as 17 years old, very beautiful girl, orphan ..., but since the parents were found to be absent, the audience became sad. Please refer to Mirror 's introduction to Abigail Williams with Waste. How realistic he is about her performance as a controller. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Abigail Williams appeared as an administrator of many key figures. Abigail can manipulate and control many characters well. Her beauty allowed her to influence others. Arthur Miller's Justice and Injustice in Chura, by Arthur Miller, by John Proctor, by Elizabeth Proctor and by Abigail Williams the role of justice and injustice. It also shows through the small role of Mary Warren and Messi Luis, the followers of Abigail Williams, and Danfoss and various citizens. There was a rumor that Abigail Williams and girls were discovering dancing in the forest by pastor Paste, when Bettari and Ruth Putnam found magic, there was magic between them.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Assignment 1; NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE NEWS Essay

Assignment 1; NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE NEWS - Essay Example sentially engages in describing the activities undertaken by varied volunteers who form and contribute to the Threatened Birds Network (TBN) which is a community based program of the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and Birds Australia. Issue at hand is the efforts taken up across continental Australia to identify and conserve the various species of birds that are threatened with extinction due to various imprudent measures impinging on the eco-environment in which such birds thrived. The article however, identifies clearing of forest areas as the major cause for removing sheltering and nesting areas of several birds and thus driving them to the brink of extinction. The article identifies primarily land as the locational context of the issue. The issue, as far as the article is concerned, has the locale in rural Australia and in particular in the forest area-either cleared or facing clearing in or around such rural areas. However the article also identifies beach areas of Australia as the location peculiar to specific birds facing extinction. This implies that the focus of the article is birds found on land and facing extinction. Due to limited references to beach areas and birds found therein the article can also be considered as having the main emphasis of threatened birds in woodlands of rural hinterland of Australia. As already stated above the Australian government is the major actor playing an important role in resolving the issue through its National Heritage Trust and Birds Australia. Its instrumentality is the community based program Threatened Birds Network (TBN).From the tenor of the article it appears that the TBN involves the participation of both the professionals and community based volunteers .The former category are classed as regular recovery teams in the article. The volunteer category primarily comprises of private land owners or local land holders. Moreover the latter category has also been identified mostly as comprised of

Business Ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Business Ethics - Research Paper Example In today's society, it is evidently true that many global companies struggle to survive given the lack of ethics in light of their modus operandi (Hunnicutt, 2009). The literature review of the research, therefore, will aim at outlining CSR not as a constraint, cost or philanthropy but as a source of innovation, opportunity and the acquisition of market leadership through competitive advantages presented by corporate social responsibility. An organization will experience an increment in customer loyalty and the volume of its sales when it supports CSR activities. Indeed, it happens when consumers feel that the company plays a big role in improving the welfare of the community and they think the best way of rewarding the company is by buying its products and services, thus resulting in an increase in the company’s volume of sales. Research conducted in the UK intimated that organization that support CSR programs have experienced an increase in sales of their products and services. The organizations were also required to satisfy the needs of the customers such as the quality, taste, price and safety (Archie, & Kareem, 2010). In addition, majority of the consumers are willing to purchase products that have a small impact on the environment and they do not buy products from companies that utilize child labor (Militaru, 2006). Also, a strong record of CSR helps to improve clients’ attitudes towards the organi zation’s products; clients will make more purchases and remain loyal to them. For instance, an estimate of 88 percent people who were interviewed in the Great Britain said they make more purchases from a company that engages in activities that improve the welfare of the society in which it conducts its production process. Companies that support CSR activities often find it easier to attract and recruit highly qualified and skilled employees, particularly in tight labor markets.

Is there is any differences between UK Accounting Ethics Standards and Essay

Is there is any differences between UK Accounting Ethics Standards and US Accounting Ethics Standards - Essay Example To the extent that the ASCs pronouncements, known as Statements of Standard Accounting Practice (SSAPs), have not been replaced by FRSs, they remain in force. The ASB has a formal exposure process for proposed standards. Early concepts are issued as Discussion Papers. These are released to the public and comments invited. Where a new standard is to be proposed, a Financial Reporting Exposure Draft (FRED) is released for comment. The standard in final form is only issued when comments have been incorporated or addressed. This aims to address the criticisms levelled at the ASC, whose comment process was less rigorous. Issues that require an immediate solution are considered by the Urgent Issues Task Force (UITF). The UITF comprises a number of senior figures from industry and accounting firms. It meets as necessary to consider pressing issues and issues Abstracts which become binding immediately. The principal legislation governing reporting in the UK is laid down in the Companies Act 1985 (as amended by the Companies Act 1989 and subsequent statutory instruments), which incorporates the requirements of European law. The Companies Act sets out certain minimum reporting requirements for companies and, for example, requires limited companies to file their accounts with the Registrar of Companies who makes them available to the general public. From 2005, this framework changed as a result of European law requiring that all listed European companies report under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). In the UK, companies which are not listed have the option to report either under IFRSs or under UK GAAP[2]. Recently issued UK FRSs have, in any case replicated the wording of corresponding IFRSs, reducing the differences between the two sets of standards significantly. Each of the current UK accounting standards are explained below

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The advantages and disadvantages of BACI design and its approaches Essay

The advantages and disadvantages of BACI design and its approaches - Essay Example 2009).The BACI design requires data from two sites namely the control site and the impact site. The sites are viewed as pairs and forming a block of time. The required data is collected a number of times before the impact begins as well as after. According to Anderson, et al. (2009), there are two treatments namely â€Å"Before-After† and â€Å"Control-Impact†. The first treatment is of primary interest during the second of secondary interest to the researcher. If there is an environmental disturbance that affects the given population, academics argue that the different interactions are prevailing in the statistical mean rest responsible for the abundance results seen in the sampled population. It is arguable that the differences impose control and potentially affected location before the disturbance and that difference after the disturbance (Lucas et al. 2013). The final problem is that there are certain environmental disturbances that cannot be detected by using the BACI design; these disturbances alter the temporal pattern of variance of abundance when statistical calculations are involved (Lucas et al. 2013). 2. Behavioral element developed by the birds such as avoiding the vicinity of the turbines. This can have an effect on the birds such as displacing them from their natural habitats and affecting their movement patterns This is a design made to analyze changes in means because of human activity. The simplest form involves collecting data on the activity and comparing it with the data from the event. The standard approach is to treat data as independent samples and to compare the samples using the two-sample test. Any differences found in the samples are associated with the given activity. However, it is difficult to make a causal inference as the data collected is observational and depends on several assumptions (Langston, Pullan & Council of Europe, 2010).The Disadvantages of this design is that

Capital Punishment and Tortures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Capital Punishment and Tortures - Essay Example Taking the deterrence argument first, as the course module suggests, "those who believe that deterrence justifies the execution of certain offenders bear the burden of proving that the death penalty actually is a deterrent." Yet numerous studies have shown that the death penalty is no more a deterrent than life imprisonment, and indeed, those countries such as the United States who widely use the death penalty actually have the highest murder rates in the industrialized world (Bowers and Pierce, 1980). The brutalizing effect of the death penalty, particularly through well-publicized, infamous executions may actually bring about more murders as there is a general atmosphere of acceptable violence within a society (Zimring, 2003). There is thus no concrete proof that the death penalty actually deters violence, and indeed, the opposite may be true. As the module suggests, "those states in the US that do not employ the death penalty generally have lower murder rates than the states that do". Thi This argument against the deterrence effect is further bolstered by the fact that many murders are spur of the moment, emotional outbursts, often within a domestic situation, in which the consequences are not truly considered. These murders are committed by normally rational people while in a temporary state of irrationality in which judgment as to consequences is impossible (deathpenalty, 2007). It is these domestic murders that are most often solved. The 'professional' type of murder such as that which exists within organized crime or within the more haphazard gang killings are similarly undeterred because far fewer of these cases are actually solved (Zimring, 2003). The other, much smaller category of murderers, serial and spree killers, are also unlikely to be undeterred. The first because capital punishment holds little fear for them because of their often objectified view of human worth, including their own (Lahey, 2002). The spree killer will not be deterred because he normally takes his own life at the end of the spree anyway. Capital punishment holds no fears for a dead person. The second major argument for the death penalty si based upon the idea of "justice" and "morality". This claims that it is ethical to have a death penalty because it is a just punishment for the taking of another life. This theory is based upon the "eye for an eye" type of mentality. But as the module suggests, "the concept of retribution is simply another way of describing revenge." In fact, "a mature and civilized society , , , should respect all life, even that of a murderer". So the moral argument against the death penalty is based upon the same set of ethics which makes murder the most serious crime within a society in the first place. The most valuable thing is a human life, according to this type of morality, and so all human life should be preserved, whatever the person has done. This argument

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Is there is any differences between UK Accounting Ethics Standards and Essay

Is there is any differences between UK Accounting Ethics Standards and US Accounting Ethics Standards - Essay Example To the extent that the ASCs pronouncements, known as Statements of Standard Accounting Practice (SSAPs), have not been replaced by FRSs, they remain in force. The ASB has a formal exposure process for proposed standards. Early concepts are issued as Discussion Papers. These are released to the public and comments invited. Where a new standard is to be proposed, a Financial Reporting Exposure Draft (FRED) is released for comment. The standard in final form is only issued when comments have been incorporated or addressed. This aims to address the criticisms levelled at the ASC, whose comment process was less rigorous. Issues that require an immediate solution are considered by the Urgent Issues Task Force (UITF). The UITF comprises a number of senior figures from industry and accounting firms. It meets as necessary to consider pressing issues and issues Abstracts which become binding immediately. The principal legislation governing reporting in the UK is laid down in the Companies Act 1985 (as amended by the Companies Act 1989 and subsequent statutory instruments), which incorporates the requirements of European law. The Companies Act sets out certain minimum reporting requirements for companies and, for example, requires limited companies to file their accounts with the Registrar of Companies who makes them available to the general public. From 2005, this framework changed as a result of European law requiring that all listed European companies report under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). In the UK, companies which are not listed have the option to report either under IFRSs or under UK GAAP[2]. Recently issued UK FRSs have, in any case replicated the wording of corresponding IFRSs, reducing the differences between the two sets of standards significantly. Each of the current UK accounting standards are explained below

Capital Punishment and Tortures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Capital Punishment and Tortures - Essay Example Taking the deterrence argument first, as the course module suggests, "those who believe that deterrence justifies the execution of certain offenders bear the burden of proving that the death penalty actually is a deterrent." Yet numerous studies have shown that the death penalty is no more a deterrent than life imprisonment, and indeed, those countries such as the United States who widely use the death penalty actually have the highest murder rates in the industrialized world (Bowers and Pierce, 1980). The brutalizing effect of the death penalty, particularly through well-publicized, infamous executions may actually bring about more murders as there is a general atmosphere of acceptable violence within a society (Zimring, 2003). There is thus no concrete proof that the death penalty actually deters violence, and indeed, the opposite may be true. As the module suggests, "those states in the US that do not employ the death penalty generally have lower murder rates than the states that do". Thi This argument against the deterrence effect is further bolstered by the fact that many murders are spur of the moment, emotional outbursts, often within a domestic situation, in which the consequences are not truly considered. These murders are committed by normally rational people while in a temporary state of irrationality in which judgment as to consequences is impossible (deathpenalty, 2007). It is these domestic murders that are most often solved. The 'professional' type of murder such as that which exists within organized crime or within the more haphazard gang killings are similarly undeterred because far fewer of these cases are actually solved (Zimring, 2003). The other, much smaller category of murderers, serial and spree killers, are also unlikely to be undeterred. The first because capital punishment holds little fear for them because of their often objectified view of human worth, including their own (Lahey, 2002). The spree killer will not be deterred because he normally takes his own life at the end of the spree anyway. Capital punishment holds no fears for a dead person. The second major argument for the death penalty si based upon the idea of "justice" and "morality". This claims that it is ethical to have a death penalty because it is a just punishment for the taking of another life. This theory is based upon the "eye for an eye" type of mentality. But as the module suggests, "the concept of retribution is simply another way of describing revenge." In fact, "a mature and civilized society , , , should respect all life, even that of a murderer". So the moral argument against the death penalty is based upon the same set of ethics which makes murder the most serious crime within a society in the first place. The most valuable thing is a human life, according to this type of morality, and so all human life should be preserved, whatever the person has done. This argument

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Nevada &import fossil fuels Essay Example for Free

Nevada import fossil fuels Essay I do not think that importation of fossil fuels can sustain the way of life of people Nevada for longer period of time. Firstly, the production of fossil fuels, as well as its use, has environmental disadvantages. As Nevada uses this kind of energy source, people will suffer from different ailments caused by the carbon dioxide produced while converting fossil fuel into energy. What is the use of energy if people will suffer from unhealthy environment? Secondly, fossil fuels take millions of years to be produced and it is non-renewable. Sooner or later, the sources will be depleted and the need to look for alternatives is a must. Second, what things do you think the state government can do to reduce dependence on fossil fuels? To reduce dependence on fossil fuels, the state government may try to pass policies that will encourage investors to create infrastructures that will be home to plants of renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear and others. Third, identify 3 conservation techniques that we can do immediately as individuals to help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? To decrement the amount of energy being used, the following are 3 conservation techniques that may be used: 1) Residents of the state should save energy being used at home. Home appliances and equipment should be turned off and unplugged when not in use. Also, if the weather is fine, they may not use their air-conditioning units. 2) Commercial buildings in the state should be designed to favor good natural ventilation and lighting. 3) Instead of using energy-burning vehicles in going to near places, people may try walking or riding bicycles. Finally, admit to whether you actually utilize any of these conservation methods! The aforementioned conservation methods are very practical. I utilize those methods without such a big effort. In simple ways, we can help the state reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Strategic Human Resource Management at Sears stores

Strategic Human Resource Management at Sears stores Sears, an American chain of department stores, is one of leading retailers in the world. Under the leadership of CEO Arthur Martinez, Sears developed an employee-customer-profit model and successfully changed its financial performance in the 19th century (Rucci, Kirn and Quinn, 1998). Sears successful transformation has changed not only its market strategy but also organisational culture. In the essay, I will firstly analyse forces for Sears transformation from the external and internal environment. Before presenting an approach of reward management, main issues of the old reward management will be discussed. Then I will review several elements which are essential for building up reward management and explain reasons. After all, I will make a conclusion of previous points. External forces for transformation Competitors The severe threat from competitors in the market is a vital reason for the necessity of transformation. Porter (1980) identified five forces in the competitive environment in which competitive rivalry is one of key elements. The early of 19th century had witnessed the worst performance of Sears. However, in the same period, Sears competitors, coming from difference sides, gobbled up market share with remarkable speed. Notably, Wal-Mart, focusing on the need of customers, was capturing the popularity of customers (Rucci, Kirn and Quinn, 1998). Employees The ignorance of the need of employees could affect the long-term development of Sears. Before the transformation, few workers could acknowledge managerial strategy and could have a clear view of what role they played. Besides, the turnover in 1922 brought a heavy burden to employees, making them tire out. Due to the immediate need for improving performance, Martinez and his team temporarily ignored the attention of employees. The reengineered store operations heavily emphasised on training, incentives, and the elimination of administrative and other non-selling tasks for sales personnel (Rucci, Kirn and Quinn, 1998).It brought a multiple of extra workload for employees. Customers The satisfaction of customer is vital for the development of the company. However, Sears turned to be a self-absorbed company which was interested in its own management (Martinez and Madigan, 2001:14).According to the research conducted by the customer task force; customers opinions had been neglected by the headquarters. Besides, a multiple of cases had proved the failure to meet customers expectations (Rucci, Kirn and Quinn, 1998). Internal forces for transformation Finance The financial crisis is the key for the urgent transformation. In 1992, sears undertook its worst crisis in history with a net loss of 3.9% billion. Although the success of 1992 turnover, it is essential to systematically transfer the organisation in order to gain a long-term profit. In 1992, with the arrival of Arthur Martinez, to resolve the urgent financial problem, store operations were reengineered, with a heavy emphasis on training, incentives, and the elimination of administrative and other non-selling tasks for sales personnel'(Rucci, Kirn and Quinn, 1998). Culture The old command-and-control culture was too parental to take care about employees. Although top-down structure could produce effective initial outcomes, it was lack of the broad ownership and employee engagement (Rucci, Kirn and Quinn, 1998). Sears was entrapped in the history without recognising timely changing world. The old culture did not fit in the renewal environment. Therefore, changing Sears culture is necessary for companys long-term development. It would be a battle against a deeply troubled, bureaucratic culture (Martinez and Madigan, 2001) Main issues of reward management and motivation Managers A significant rate of pay linking to achievement of customers satisfaction target has negative effects on managers performance. Specifically, a large percentage of pay at risk may provoke negative reactions and some resistance. For instance, managers feel anxious about the insecurity of the job. Moreover, it is difficult to evaluate and identify the improvement of customers satisfaction which is affected by complex factors. Therefore, it is unfair to cut off variable pay because of customers satisfaction. The application of Leadership skills model may not adequately fit with any positions. Sears has identified 12 leadership skills and qualities and utilised them in the evaluation, promotion and training (Rucci, Kirn and Quinn, 1998). However, the technical skill which is significantly vital for position is not clearly presented. Leadership skills model seems to be highly contextual. Too much training can lead to diverse effects for Sears. Firstly, mangers need the time to exercise and apply what they have learned into job. Sears designs various types of training, such as learning maps, town hall meetings, which occupy much time. Besides, training programs bring financial burden for the company. Because cost of training covering rents of training rooms, fees for trainers or else can be expensive. Employees The flexible pay referring to customers satisfaction may affect employees performance in a negative way. In Sears, Goal-sharing pilot programs associate employees incentives pay with customers satisfaction. Additionally, employees income at risk may cause overwork and others which may damage both physical and mental health. Besides, it adds insecurity and unpredictability which can affect the working performance, cause anxious and pressure(Heery,1996). The efficiency of communication with millions of employees could affect the deployment of reward management. Communication is a troubling issue for retailers like Sears with 300,000 employees at thousands of locations. Besides, the relatively high turnover rates require the necessary of continual reorientation of new employees (Rucci, Kirn and Quinn, 1998). New reward approaches Amabile (1998) pointed out that as for creative and innovative workers, intrinsic rewards is a better motivator rather extrinsic rewards. Sears attempts to provoke the workers innovation and creativity, therefore, intrinsic rewards should relatively emphasised in reward management. Intrinsic rewards can be expressed as non-financial rewards. Armstong (2002) presented the importance of financial and non-financial rewards. New reward approach is widely discussed by researchers. Features of new reward can be simply generalised into strategic, business-aligned, flexible, performance-driven, distinctive and integrative of the actions of employer and employee (Armstrong and Murlis, 2004).Reward management is a key element within human resource management which should be bound up with business strategy. According to the situation of Sears, non-financial or intrinsic reward and new reward should be taken account into the consideration of Sears reward system. In Sears, the importance of non-financial rewards is sensed to some extent. Besides, Reward systems which could make a significant strategic contribution to business success should be systematically designed and adjusted in accordance with the organisational strategy. Based on the analysis of specific situations of Sears, different new strategy approaches are recommended for managers and employees respectively. Competence-based pay for managers Competency-based pay is a method of rewarding people wholly or partly for individuals competencies which are demonstrated or performed in their positions (Armstrong, 2002).It is referred that competence-based pay which has associate competencies with current as well as expected future job performance is forward looking(Lewis, 2006). It could have a link with customer focus and reward behaviours or attitudes such as co-operation, courtesy and communication (Kessler, 2005). Therefore, 12 leadership skills as a part of competencies can be combined with the approaches; meanwhile large portion based on customers satisfaction can be changed. As the notion of human resources as key assets has been widely accepted, competence-based payment system encourages and motivates managers incentives and innovation, providing them with a flexible reward. White and Drucker (2000:19) mentions that effective business performance depends on individual performance and seems to support for performance for the person rather than pay for the job including equal pay for equal work. Therefore, payment may be associated with forms of competencies-based pay, with reward to mould behaviour and encourage greater responsiveness to change. Total reward approach for employees Total reward combines the base salary and other benefits such as recognition, autonomy or opportunity (IRS, 2003a). It has might notice personal difference and circumstance, containing a base salary, development opportunities or flexible working hours'(Lewis, 2006), allowing rewards to be offered which meet diverse needs. Therefore it can permit employees base salary meanwhile can meet individuals particular needs. To some extent, total reward approach ensures the base salary which guarantees the job security and fairness in the fixed pay. The sense of fairness has a positive effect on the employees working efficiency. Employees can be encouraged when their efforts will lead to improved performance and be rewarded fairly to satisfy base needs (Martinez and Madigan, 2001).Although the amount of reward is quite small, it could make people feel appreciated and motivated (Kessler,2005).Take well-being for example, it has an effect on individuals and organisation. It could be improved by HR practices, such as building up flexible work patterns, conducting health and safety training programs or establishing work-life balance. Other elements Reward management, one of the key levers in pursuit of effective HRM, should be structured to meet HR objectives (White and Drucker, 2000:26).Additionally, there are at least other three elements deserved in HR practices. Reilly (2003) suggest that better attention also should allocate adequate time for implementation, including training, communication and guidance, monitoring and evaluating the outcome and discovering what has been learned from the results. Recruitment and selection Storey and Wright (2001) presented that it is apparent that the notion of labour as a competitive advantage underpins the HRM practices, including reward management system. Actually, the design of the reward management should consider recruited individuals need. Effective recruitment and selection can enhance the business performance, because it selects the right people who can match to job requirements. Besides, the soft approach, selecting candidates from the organisation, implies a long-term investment in training and development or a reward scheme. It could improve employees loyalty and retention. Conversely, hard approach brings new ideas, skills into the organisation (Storey and Wright, 2001). Better reward system can attract more competitive and qualified candidates. Training and development Training and development is a primary task which is helpful to implement the reward approaches in HR practices. As the perspective of the enterprises, training is to increase the competitiveness in the marketplace. Besides, appropriate training programs can be a method reward, improving the retaining rate. It could increase job satisfaction and improve employees loyalty to the company. Basadur (2004) indicated that training improves performance by finding, solving problems, and implementing solutions. In employees point of view, they can get the opportunities to get access to higher rewarded position by obtaining tacit knowledge, skills from the attendance of training. Training can make people more willing to generate more and better ideas to solve problems. Besides, training programs can help employees have a better understanding of reward management approaches. Assessment As a key part of HR practices, assessment should underpin the whole process, connecting to the orgainisational strategy. Assessment techniques, such as 360 degree appraisal feedback or Sears TPI, have certain drawbacks; otherwise the working performance should be measured, monitored and controlled. The immediate and accurate assessment ensures is pivotal. Geary (1992) also suggested that the effectiveness of the reward system depends on the method of selecting and implementing the system rather than itself. The on-going assessment of performance provides timely adjustments to improve performance with a possibility (Gold, 2003). Conclusion In the article, it has been analysed primary external and internal forces for Sears transformation. The external reasons are the threat from competitors, the loss of customers and employees extra workload. In terms of internal reasons, the significant cause is to obtain the long-term financial profit. The other is the bureaucracy culture. Secondly, main problems of Sears reward management are analysed from the perspectives of managers and employers. In the standpoint of managers, the main issues are: the insecurity of pay, widely applying leadership model which ignores the specific, technical skills and pressures from too much training programs. As for employees, incentive pays could raise the extra workload and high turnover requires the constant improvement of the effectiveness of communication. In the following part, the alternative reward approaches are discussed respectively. Competency-based approach is recommended for managers; meanwhile total reward approach is the recommendation for employees. Lastly, three elements which internally connect to reward management in HR system are reviewed: effective recruitment and selection, appropriate training and development and on-going assessment. (Word account = 1994)

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Theme of William Wordsworth as a Prophet in Tintern Abbey Essay

Poet as Prophet When I spoke last, I ended with the image of Wordsworth as a monk or priest-like figure zealously converting Dorothy and, by extension, the reader into a position within his vision of the world. But even more than priest, Wordsworth often depicts the romantic poet as prophet. This depiction is demonstrated more clearly in "The Prospectus to the Recluse" than in "Tintern Abbey." In the 1814 version of the "Prospectus" he writes: Paradise, and groves Elysian, Fortunate Fields -- like those of old Sought in the Atlantic Main -- why should they be A history only of departed things, Or a mere fiction of what never was? For the discerning intellect of Man, When wedded to this goodly universe In love and holy passion, shall find these A simple produce of the common day. (47-55) Similar to his vision in "Tintern" where perceptions are both half created by the imagination and half perceived by the senses, here Wordsworth declares that for those who recognize its power, the human mind, or imagination, can meld with nature, can heal the split between nature and mankind, the sublime and the beautiful, to re-create an edenic heaven on Earth. Wordsworth then goes on to assert: -- I, long before the blissful hour arrives, Would chant, in lonely peace, the spousal verse Of this great consummation -- and by words Which speak of nothing more than what we are, Would arouse the sensual from their sleep Of Death, and win the vacant and the vain To noble raptures (56 - 62) Wordsworth, as the romantic poet-prophet, has a preview of ... ...e romantic era ends with the sublimated subject removed from any experience outside that reflected by the romantic centre -- an ironically alienating end to a movement that began in an attempt to unite with the universe. Bibliography Abrams, M.H, General Ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton and Company, 1979. Althusser, Louis. "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses." Lenin and Philosophy and other essays. Translated from the French by Ben Brewster. London: New Left Books, 1971. 121-173. Wordsworth, William. "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey." Abrams, Gen. Ed. 155-158. ---. Preface to Lyrical Ballads." Abrams, Gen. Ed. 160-175. ---. "Prospectus to The Recluse." Abrams, Gen. Ed. 227-230. ---. The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet's Mind. Abrams, Gen. Ed. 257-313.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Tatparya and its role in verbal understanding :: Concept of Intention Sentence Papers

Tatparya and its role in verbal understanding I examine the concept of intention (tatparya) and its role in the phenomenon of verbal comprehension (sabdabodha) with special reference to Navya Nyaya, followed by some critical and evaluative remarks. An effort has been made to give an account of the apprehension of intention (tatparya) in four types of sentences: a) the ambiguous sentence b) the non-ambiguous sentence c) the vedic sentence and d) the sentence uttered by a parrot. I. The present paper gives an account of the concept of intention (tatparya) and its role in the phenomenon of verbal comprehension (sabdabodha) with special reference to Navya Nyaya, which is followed by some critical and evaluative remarks. In this connection, an effort has been made to give an account of the apprehension of intention (Tatparya) in four types of sentence: (a) ambiguous sentence; (b) non-ambiguous sentence; (c) vedic sentence and (d) sentences uttered by a parrot. II. The Naiyayikas have pointed out the philosophical significance of intention (Tatparya) first in the context of enquiring the seed of implicative meaning (Laksana). To them the non-realisability of intention or tatparya (tatparyanupapatti) is the seed of laksana i.e. implicative meaning. In fact, the implicative meaning of the term, ganga as found in the sentence gangayam ghosah is the bank of the ganga.. The primary meaning of the terms ghosah and ganga are ghosapalli and a particular flow of water (Jalapravaha-visesa) respectively. The milk-man-colony cannot remain in a particular flow of water and hence there is the non-realisability of the relation (anvayanupapatti) between them. This can be removed, if the bank of the ganga is taken as the meaning of the term ganga through laksana. In the same way, the implicative meaning of the term ghosah is also possible. In the former case laksana in the term ganga is accepted, but not in the term ghosah. In another, the reverse case is accep ted. If laksana is accepted in either of the terms, there will not be the non-realisability in respect of relation (anvayanupapatti). If it is argued that the removal of the non-realisability of relation is the result of laksana, the rule that the implicative meaning of the terms ganga and ghosah are to be accepted becomes meaningless. In reply, it can be said that the rule becomes contradicted if it is accepted that the removal of the non-realisability of relation is both the result and seed of laksana. Tatparya and its role in verbal understanding :: Concept of Intention Sentence Papers Tatparya and its role in verbal understanding I examine the concept of intention (tatparya) and its role in the phenomenon of verbal comprehension (sabdabodha) with special reference to Navya Nyaya, followed by some critical and evaluative remarks. An effort has been made to give an account of the apprehension of intention (tatparya) in four types of sentences: a) the ambiguous sentence b) the non-ambiguous sentence c) the vedic sentence and d) the sentence uttered by a parrot. I. The present paper gives an account of the concept of intention (tatparya) and its role in the phenomenon of verbal comprehension (sabdabodha) with special reference to Navya Nyaya, which is followed by some critical and evaluative remarks. In this connection, an effort has been made to give an account of the apprehension of intention (Tatparya) in four types of sentence: (a) ambiguous sentence; (b) non-ambiguous sentence; (c) vedic sentence and (d) sentences uttered by a parrot. II. The Naiyayikas have pointed out the philosophical significance of intention (Tatparya) first in the context of enquiring the seed of implicative meaning (Laksana). To them the non-realisability of intention or tatparya (tatparyanupapatti) is the seed of laksana i.e. implicative meaning. In fact, the implicative meaning of the term, ganga as found in the sentence gangayam ghosah is the bank of the ganga.. The primary meaning of the terms ghosah and ganga are ghosapalli and a particular flow of water (Jalapravaha-visesa) respectively. The milk-man-colony cannot remain in a particular flow of water and hence there is the non-realisability of the relation (anvayanupapatti) between them. This can be removed, if the bank of the ganga is taken as the meaning of the term ganga through laksana. In the same way, the implicative meaning of the term ghosah is also possible. In the former case laksana in the term ganga is accepted, but not in the term ghosah. In another, the reverse case is accep ted. If laksana is accepted in either of the terms, there will not be the non-realisability in respect of relation (anvayanupapatti). If it is argued that the removal of the non-realisability of relation is the result of laksana, the rule that the implicative meaning of the terms ganga and ghosah are to be accepted becomes meaningless. In reply, it can be said that the rule becomes contradicted if it is accepted that the removal of the non-realisability of relation is both the result and seed of laksana.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Diana Ecks Essay

Diana Eck’s writings in Darsan: Seeing the Devine Image in India address many of the key elements of the Hindu culture and traditions. Much of her writing deals with the visual aspect of the religion, and how it is more about the spirituality rather than the actual image itself. Within each chapter she hit on other major details within in the Hinduism. However this essay will discuss the specific concepts such as pilgrimage to certain sites, importance of the visual aspect, and how the construction is a religious discipline in itself. Diana Eck’s essay begins with the discussion of how Hinduism is a visual religion. Numerous times she explains how sight was a major aspect in worship and Darsan. In this section she goes on to explain that the very phrase of the Hindu religion is seeing is knowing. The whole point of the darsan aspect is to see and be seen by the god, goddess or diate that lives in the shine. Furthermore the eyes play a key role in the worship of gods. Through the eyes on can gain blessings of the divine. However to get to the dwelling places of these gods is not always a simple trip to a local shrine. She begins to discuss the pilgrimages or journeys of many people in order to achieve darsan at a specific place. During this portion of the essay she talks about the journeys and dedication that many of the Hindu followers partake in. not only do people traveling for gods but also living religious figures. For example Ghandi was perhaps the most exalted living Hindu figure. Thousands would travel just to get a glimpse of him passing in an attempt to achieve darsan. Towards the end of her passage she explains the importance of the construction of the images, and how each one was a religious discipline in itself. Later on in the passage she begins to explain how the construction of a temple becomes part of the cosmos; and in its construction the entire universe is rearranged. The very ground plan is a geometrical map of their cosmos with the sacred image at its center. Many of the temples are models of sacred mountains said to be the dwelling places of the gods, and diates. In a larger sense the temple are said to be images themselves. The construction of the temple gives evidence to this. Eck explains that from the beginning of the construction to the end is a ritual. My thoughts on the passage were that the author had extensive knowledge on the Hindu art forms along with its culture and myths. Her organization made it so each topic led to one another, and also goes into detail on almost every topic discussed. On the other hand I found one of her weaknesses was that the information got repetitive and made it difficult to focus throughout some of the paragraphs. A clear point however was the comparisons between Christianity’s god and the Hindu gods. Many times she compares the two saying a person that practices the Hindu religion could not comprehend the idea of one almighty invisible god, and that it would also be difficult for us to understand the importance of vision being a main part of the Hindu religion. This book has also shown me that each and every design has a specific importance to the religion itself. Before I assumed most of it had to be meaningless decoration, and that gods with more than eye actually serve a purpose for in achieving darsan. I had always assumed that it was just decoration or something completely different from its actual purpose. In this essay I have given a brief summary of some the major points in Diana Eck’s book Darsan: Seeing the Devine Image. These points include importance of the visual aspects of Hinduism, the ritual practice before during and after in constructing a hindu monument, and what the purpose of the pilgrimage is. I also have given a person opinion on the author strengths and weaknesses, prior stereo types and some comparisons that can be found within the book. Overall I found the book to be helpful in the fact that it gave specific reasons for many of the decorations and practices in the Hindu religion.