Great Expectations And Relate These To The Novel As A Whole Essay

Discuss the Significance Of The Events, Which Occur In Chapter Eighteen of Great Expectations And Relate These To The Novel As A Whole I shall now discuss the significance of chapter eighteen, and how the effects of this chapter relate to the whole novel, Great Expectations. In Great Expectations, the names of the characters symbolize their personalities. For example, Biddy is a very timid person who will do your bidding obligingly. Then Pip is a small and insignificant sounding name, just like the actual character is. Jaggers, is a man with sharp wit, and features, he has a bullying manner, which can cut you up in front of an audience, just like a jagged knife. Pip on his first encounter with Jaggers comments on how the smell of scented soap came from his hand. This is symbolism. One does not wash ones hands unless they are dirty, and since Jaggers is a criminal lawyer, they must be prone to doing illegal or immoral acts, in order to save his clients. Hence, he always has to wash his hands, in a sense, so that he is not caught by the courts, and found guilty of anything. To prevent any legal trouble, Jaggers puts a lot of thought into the way he phrases his dealings with clients. He makes sure that he does not give any personal opinions, and makes sure that the clients remember the dealings as he wants them to, so if they are questioned, then his name does not come up for recommending, or ordering the client to commit any actions of moral or legal wrongdoing. For example, when he is dealing with Pip, he makes sure that Pip rephrases his statement, ‘†¦ much obliged for his (Jaggers) recommendation†¦ ‘ since Jaggers recommending anything, can be counted as being involved with the crime. He makes sure that Pip uses the word mention instead. This is how Jaggers makes sure his hands are clean of any dirt, because he ‘never recommends anybody’ Jaggers job is a performance for him. He is a performer, and a better one then Wopsle, which is proved when he battles with him about the highly popular murder. One of Jaggers performances is with his handkerchief that he pulls out whenever he wants a person to confess some knowledge to him. This is because it makes the audience want to confess before he sneezes, it is a dramatic performance, and has aided Jaggers many times. This tells us a bit about the justice system in those times, where defending criminals, and getting them off the death sentence was a performance of techniques, and bullying the jury into letting off the criminals. This shows how the justice system in the days was not efficient at putting the real criminals out of the streets, since a few dramatic movements and a bullying of the jury could sway the scales of justice the wrong way. Dickens is a great social critic, and he criticizes the inefficiency of the justice system in those days. The justice system would be less harsh on criminals who were gentleman, then on criminals who were not. If you knew the right people, wore the right clothes, and looked the right part, you were more likely to get away with the crime. Also if you were a gentleman this made you less reason to have commit a crime in the first place(in the judges eyes), and you’ll get a lighter sentence then if you were ‘coarse and common’. A perfect example of this is the Magwitch/Compeyson trial. Although it was actually Compeyson that led Magwitch aside, because he knew the right people and because he was a gentleman, he managed to pass most of the blame onto Magwitch. Compeyson got a sentence of seven years, and Magwitch fourteen years, just because Compeyson was a ‘gentleman. In chapter 18, when Jaggers is discussing with Pip and Joe the situation of Pip having Great Expectations, he offers Joe a compensation (Wemmick’s property) ‘for the loss of his (Pip) services’ Joe denies the compensation, but Jaggers, who is completely, shocked of this news keeps on badgering him, because he thinks Joe is a fool not to accept the money. He also says, ‘Brag is a good dog, but that holdfast is better’ which means that Jaggers is telling Joe, to say he doesn’t want the compensation is nothing, but to actually keep by the word is something else. Joe to everyone’s surprise gets up in a mood of rage, to fight Jaggers, for badgering him in his own home. This shows us that Joe’s character is un-materialistic, and to be offered money is not something he is pleased by, as a replacement for his friend. It also shows us that Joe is not the type of man who can be bullied in his own home, by a man like Jaggers. Jaggers thinks Joe is a fool for not accepting the compensation offered. This shows us that the type of clients Jaggers deals with are probably materialistic, and not very moralistic, and maybe Jaggers himself has become like this by working with those types, and to meet someone who is noble and honest, like Joe, must be quite rare and surprising to him. Pip has ‘Great Expectations’ of becoming a gentleman, of getting out of his social class, ever since Estella had criticized him of his course hands. Although, when Pip is about to finally get his wish he starts to become unknowingly dissatisfied, he feels he does not want to leave his old life too, subconsciously he will miss the love and care he has received from Joe, and newly from Biddy. In some ways, his great expectations have failed, and shall continue to as his life progresses. Also, Pip starts to become snobbish, and disloyal to his ‘people’ He accuses the caring people he has known his whole life, to act coarse and common if he were to go and show them his gentlemen clothes. This tells us about Pip’s character, he is the type who would leave his old friends behind, for a better, more promising life. Although, somewhere in his subconscious Pip feels guilty for these acts, and he suffers because he knows he is acting basely. When the older Pip on reflects the selfish acts he had committed against loved ones when he was young, he criticizes them. When he is discussing with Jaggers about his future life, he reflects on how he was ‘so ready to leave and so unthankful to’ Joe. At the time, Pip was thinking of his future as a Gentleman, of how his Great Expectations will be fulfilled, and he was being selfish at the time, for not being grateful for what Joe had given him so far. Although, elder Pip’s reflection is very different, he realizes his mistakes and says how he sees Joe again, how hurt Joe felt because Pip was going to leave him, how he still feels his strong and faithful arm upon his shoulder as if it had been ‘the rustle of an angels wing! ‘ Another example is when he says to Biddy, ‘You are envious, Biddy, and grudging. You are dissatisfied on account of my rise in fortune, and can’t help showing it. ‘ I think this behavior by Pip is the worst because he thinks that he is superior to Biddy, who is so timid, and caring. The elder Pip criticizes on his actions here, for speaking ‘in a virtuous and superior tone’ When Pip was got his wish to become a gentleman, through Jaggers, he became emotionally blind. Even when Joe and Biddy, congratulated Pip on his fortune of going to become a gentleman; ‘there was a certain touch of sadness in their congratulations that I rather resented. ‘ This really shows how foolhardy and unfeeling Pip was at that time. Since the touch of sadness was actually because they both love Pip, and shall miss him and his company once he is gone. The significance of chapter 18 is great, since it is the chapter where Pip gets his wish to finally become a gentleman. Also, it is where we, the audience, see how emotionally blind, and how focused on the superficial things about a person Pip begins to become. It is where Pip and we are introduced to the bullying figure of Jaggers, and also the foreshadowing hint of Pips unhappiness in his life to come.

Biographical Sketch Essay

-refer to a brief biography of an individual. This may contain the dates of one’s birth, and death if they are dead and small outline of their background. -must be no longer than 300 words -a (biosketch) brief summary of you or someone else’s professional or educational accomplishments, publications, and affiliations- -an abbreviated curriculum vitae (resumà ©)-meant to highlight important aspects of your training, experience, and areas of interest. -a ‘light sketch’ of a persons life Below is an example: Mae Jemison:Space Star Have you ever dreamed of flying freely through outer space, surrounded by a sea of stars? Mae Jemison fulfilled that dream. On September 12, 1992, aboard the spaceship Endeavour, she became the first African-American woman to blast into outer space. This wasn’t the only time, however, that Jemison had reached for the stars and realized her dreams. Jemison was born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, but she grew up in Chicago, Illinois. There weren’t many well-known African-American female role models while Jemison was growing up, but she didn’t let that stop her from achieving her goals. She was especially interested in anthropology, archaeology and astronomy. Luckily, her parents encouraged those interests. That encouragement drove her to excel. She graduated from high school at 16. Then she earned degrees in chemical engineering and African-American studies at Stanford University. Later, she graduated from Cornell University’s medical school. No challenge was too great for Jemison to take on. Jemison’s accomplishments did not end there. In 1981, she joined NASA’s space program in Houston, Texas. And in 1988, Jemison realized her biggest dream. She finally became an astronaut! Just four years later, she was named science mission specialist (another NASA first) on an Endeavour flight. Today, Jemison encourages young people–especially women and girls–to study the sciences. Her life example teaches us to follow our dreams, no matter how great. Capsule Biography-a biography in which all the important elements of the persons life are included, in summary form, kind of like an expanded obituary. -a detailed description or account of a person’s life. It entails more than basic facts (education, work, relationships, and death) a biography also portrays a subject’s experience of these events. – Feature Story-a special human interest story or article that is not closely tied to a recent news event. It focuses on particular people, places, and events, and it goes into great detail regarding concepts and ideas of specific market interest. -in journalistic terms, it is an article in newspapers, magazine or on the internet which is intended to add depth and perspective in a story. It mostly dwells on the background of an event and gives a human interest perspective to a story or a commentary on a particular issue.

Human resource management Essay

To establish the role of Performance Management in controlling and developing employees it is imperative to understand the definition of Performance Management and its evolution. Evolution Performance Management is relatively a new concept, which has developed tremendously since the last two decades. As per CIPD (2009) Performance Management has been around in the language of HR and people management since the 1980’s. The above point is also mentioned by Williams R, (1998) stating that Performance Management came into prominence in the late 1980s/ early  1990s. â€Å"The term performance management was first used in the 1970’s but it did not become a recognised process until the latter half of 1980s† (Armstrong, 2009). Thorpe, (2004) states that ‘Performance management as an identifiable subject for academic study and research arguably began in the mid-1990’s’ Performance Management has evolved over the years from performance appraisal systems into a more holistic approach. As per Bach, (2005) â€Å"With the increased recognition of the problems that permeate many company appraisal schemes, there has been a shift of emphasis from performance appraisal to performance management† (p290). â€Å"The reality of contemporary performance management practice is probably best seen as ‘a logical progression in the history of the development of appraisal systems’† (Lundy and Cowling, 1996, p307). Definitions ‘The essence of Performance management is establishing a framework in which performance by human resources can be directed, monitored, motivated and refined; and the links in the cycle can be audited’ (Clark, 2005) As per Armstrong and Barron, (2009) Performance management is ‘A process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance’ (cited in CIPD 2012). ‘Performance management encompasses activities such as joint goal-setting, continuous progress review and frequent communication, feedback and coaching for improved performance, implementation of employee-development programs and rewarding achievements. It can be regarded as a systematic process by which the overall performance of an organisation can be improved by improving the performance of individuals within a team framework’ (Drum, 2005) ‘Performance management is the process of creating a work environment in which people can perform to the best of their abilities. It is a whole work system that begins when a job is defined as needed and expectations are clearly communicated to the employee’ (Den Hartlog et al. , 2004) The role of Performance Management in both controlling and developing employees: Beamon, 1999, argues that, ‘Despite the increasing focus on collaboration between enterprises from one side, existing studies in the area of performance management still narrowly look at the single enterprise and its â€Å"within-enterprise† process and people ‘(cited in Busi and Bititci, 2006). The literature review brings up some interesting common themes and issues that run through the existing literature, research and definitions of performance management. These common themes will focus on features of performance management and its application in an organisation. Performance Management versus Performance Appraisal Although Performance Management evolved from performance appraisals few decades ago, most literature still intensely focuses on performance appraisals when addressing performance management. CIPD (2012) ‘While performance appraisal is an important part of performance management, in itself it is not performance management: rather, it is one of the range of tools that can be used to manage performance. However, it is a common mistake to assume that if organizations implement performance appraisals, they have performance management. Performance management is a holistic process bringing together many activities that collectively contribute to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organizational performance. The process is strategic, in that it is about broader issues and long-term goals, and integrated in that it links various aspects of the business, people management, individuals and teams. Performance appraisal on the other hand is operational, short- to medium-term and concerned only with individual employees and their performance and development. While it is one of the tools of performance management, and the data produced can feed into other elements of performance management, appraisal by itself does not constitute performance management’. Bach (2009) also states the difference between performance management and performance appraisal, ‘Advocates of performance management claim that its value resides in the cycle of integrated activities, which ensure that a systematic link is established between the contribution of each employee and the overall performance of the organisation. This strategic approach contrasts with the free standing nature of performance appraisals, in which the outcomes of each individual appraisal are rarely linked to overall corporate objectives’ (p291). However, CIPD (2005) Survey report demonstrates that, the practice of performance management still largely revolves around objective setting and appraisal. The confusion and overlapping in organizations between performance appraisals and performance management is evident form the above literature and surveys, however it still acts as a good tool for managers to control and develop employees. Performance management is a cycle, an on-going process Performance management is a cycle and for it to deliver desired results, it needs to be an on-going process. Conventionally, Performance management is portrayed as a three-stage cycle involving performance planning, monitoring and review (Armstrong and baron, 2005) The Performance management cycle CIPD (2012) also states ‘Performance management is a process, not an event, it operates as a continuous cycle’. Clark (2005) in his definition of Performance management also refers performance management as a cycle ‘The essence of Performance management is establishing a framework in which performance by human resources can be directed, monitored, motivated and refined; and the links in the cycle can be audited’. CIPD Discussion paper (2009) mentions that using a survey and a number of practice-based case studies, this work concluded that performance management was most likely to be viewed as a continuous process rather than an annual activity. Porter et al (2012) states that, ‘Performance management is not an independent activity; it is in fact a series of processes supporting different elements of effective people management. Performance therefore needs to be placed very firmly in a management context’ (p 140).

Diversity among individuals Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Diversity among individuals - Assignment Example Nurses, patients, and other stakeholders play a fundamental role in both health promotion and health education. In light of this observation, it is important for these parties to embrace diversity and subsequently understand how diversity-related practices influence education. The aforementioned teaching principles, learning styles, and teaching methodologies aid in the understanding of critical issues in the health sector. In the process, these aspects make it possible for scholars to identify areas of education that make the highest difference in the society as far as health and education are concerned. Most importantly, teaching principles, learning styles, and teaching methodologies make it possible for education to target specific issues and problems that subsequently promote positive outcomes in both health promotion and disease prevention (Bensley & Brookins-Fisher, 2009). In a bid to overcome differing views, health care providers address disease prevention and health promotion from the community or local level upwards. Given that health concerns differ from one community to another, the idea is to have health care providers customize their approach to disease prevention and health promotion towards the community, local population, or the society they

Globalisation of Logistics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Globalisation of Logistics - Assignment Example By accessing such resources, businesses operating across nations find it easier to price their products and services at favorable prices enabling them to attract and sustain their market share. Additionally, this enables them open up their businesses to broad markers where people have disposable income to spend on various kinds of goods and services. In the wake of globalization, another important feature evident in business activities is increased communications technology, which has spread across different parts on the face of the earth. This has in fact allowed campaigns in international marketing to be effectively coordinated from domestic databases. The mobile phone technology and internet revolution has played an important role in opening new international industries to an endless potential for opportunity (Venkateswaran 2012, p. 78). It is important to realize that globalization has greatly influenced the manner in which people shop. Customers now have a wide potential of goods and services to choose from, having the ability to shop from any place on the globe, something that has produced huge dynamism in tastes and preferences. Following this development, multinational companies have been looking doe better global strategies they can use in creating and sustaining their market share. This paper examines the concept of creation of effective global strategies that these companies can use in the process of creating competitive advantages in the highly globalised business environment. In the wake of globalization, multinational enterprises are faced with the need to formulate and implement an effective global strategy they can rely on in doing business effectively across many countries on the globe (Frear, Metcalf & Alguire 1992, p. 9). These businesses have realized the advantage that comes with a strategy, which effectively correspond to the changing business

E-business models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

E-business models - Essay Example HTML code is the underpinning of every button that one clicks, every link one sees, how every link works, how every link leads to other pages, and how graphics and text are displayed on a page. Using a complex structure based upon how a page is organized and read, HTML code basically has several different elements which make it a valuable and widely-read and widely-accessible computer language, even for people who are not advanced coders by any means. HTML helps one distinguish where the header of a page is, where the footer of a page is, and other elements such as where paragraphs, graphics, and any buttons should be put on the page. Any kind of features that would be displayed on a website’s pages must be written into the HTML code, otherwise they won’t show up on the pages themselves. HTML code, therefore, is the bread and butter with which the Internet is composed. For, if we didn’t have HTML, there would be no ways to code in and allow for certain new elemen ts to be present on the web pages. Now, what if certain things had to be added onto the web page that had never been added before? In this case, we would have to build in some type of elements into the code that would allow for new features to be added onto the web pages. ... E-Payment ? -Online Credit Card Hosts Online credit card hosts basically take credit card numbers for clients or customers that are utilizing their services. â€Å"In general there is no obligation on hosts to take formal identification of their subscribers. Where the host charges for Internet access, it is probable that credit card details will have been taken and checked† (Reed, 2004, pp. 142). Basically, online credit card hosts have to have a number of detailed security checks that ensure that the people who are accessing these hosts are legitimate individuals and not people who have some type of skullduggery up their sleeves. Identity thieves will stop at nothing in order to fleece people of their hard-earned money, and, in short—separate them from it, ultimately. So, what online credit card hosts have to do is ensure that there are multiple security checks and code words entered—in some cases—in order to verify the identity of the person who is tryi ng to access the account. Of course, it only makes sense that online credit card hosts with more prestige probably have access to more online resources in order to make their systems safer. Therefore, the highest-quality card will probably offer the best protection, without a doubt. - Debit Card Consumer Protection ? Debit card consumer protection—in the past—has not been very good, but it is slowly improving. â€Å"In spite of the fact that there are difficulties involved in the use of debit cards, it is heartening to note that two big institutions in the USA have voluntarily extended some amount of credit card protection to [debit card owners]† (Gurusamy, 2009, pp. 58). In fact, debit card fraud is prosecuted more harshly even than credit card debt that is accrued fraudulently. This

Argue for or against the elimination of speed limits Essay

Argue for or against the elimination of speed limits - Essay Example (Reddy) Germany's autobahn is free of speed limits for most of its 12,000 km. The Germans' pride in their free-speed autobahn is wellknown. The autobahn was in the news recently when Greenpeace ctivists put up banners that read "120", demanding a speed limit of 120 km/h on the Autobahn. But the powerful German car makers' lobby disagrees. Car manufacturers argue that emissions from cars are already very low. Limiting the speed has no additional benefit, they say. One car maker went as far as to say that the idea of speed limits was like "hitting the automobile industry between its legs!" (Connolly) This is not surprising, since car manufacturers promote their products as macho machines. Reckless speed is equated to manliness. Their stance that emissions from cars are low does not address the safety issue or the fuel wastage. Predictably, politicians are on the back foot - unpopular decisions are best postponed indefinetely. The public mood in Germany is also said to be one of "anger" - anger at the perceived erosion of their freedom. A strong, sustained campaign targeted at the grass roots is the need of the hour.

Marketing, ( The All Seasons Hotel) - Assignment.4 Essay

Marketing, ( The All Seasons Hotel) - Assignment.4 - Essay Example All the above mentioned sectors use overseas travel as incentives to their employees as well as non-employee sales agents. Product: A new package with some complimentary offers is designed. It is a 2 nights, 3 days package along with banquet hall as a conference package. It also includes welcome drink, buffet breakfast and bed tea as complimentary offers. These compliments will be subject to the condition that the booking will be made for a minimum of 10 pax or rooms. Promotion: The All Seasons Hotel will be positioned as a business convention hotel for small groups. Promotion would be carried out on-line with relations to contextual advertising with popular search engines like Google and others. Also the associations to which the target segments would belong would also be roped in for publicity. B. As industries like fuel, glass, china, ceramics, armaments, ferrous metallurgy, machinery and equipment and coal are prevalent in Czech Republic and also being strong in engineering, the country can expect lot of business travelers coming from different places. In order to target this segment of consumer business, All Seasons Hotel needs to establish good industrial relations with the industries existing in their country, so that they would recommend their Hotel as a preferred place of stay to their business partners coming from other places. Intangibility is the major difference between a product and a service. For example, when a consumer decides to buy a television or a music system, he can actually see the product, touch it and can turn it on to listen or watch the quality of the picture or music. However, a service is intangible and it is impossible to experience unless it is consumed. The quality of the service is not so easy to establish as clearly as it is done in the case of a product. Let us consider the case of a customer approaching a bank to avail a bank loan. Though the customer has a prior idea about the services

Academic Honesty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Academic Honesty - Essay Example A society that lacks the basic moral value of honesty is weak and prevalent to ethical decay and disease. Academic honesty is a cornerstone of the development and attainment of knowledge, it is a very important element of a student’s life, as the Integrity and honesty learned at the academic level leads the students into becoming responsible citizens with a core of justice and integrity leading to just and fair nation. A dishonest student on the other hand becomes an unreliable individual, creating chaos and disorder in society The Centre for Academic Integrity (1999) indicates that â€Å"Higher education and society benefit when colleges and universities have standards of academic integrity that provides a foundation for a vibrant academic life, promote scientific progress, and prepare students for becoming responsible citizens† Therefore the concept of education is not just to impart knowledge, but also to provide moral values so that a conscientious society can be created. Academic dishonesty mocks the students quest for knowledge and hampers educator from accurately assessing the individual talents and accomplishments of their students. It is very important that all students and mentors respect the integrity of one anothers work and recognize the importance of recognizing and safeguarding intellectual property so that academic honesty can be upheld. â€Å"Individual integrity is vital to the academic environment because education involves the search for and acquisition of knowledge and understanding, which are, in themselves, intangible. Evaluation of each student’s level of knowledge and understanding is a vital. Part of the teaching process and requires tangible measures such as reports, examination, and homework. Any act that interferes with the process of evaluation, misrepresentation of the relation between the work being evaluated, or the resulting evaluation, and the student’s actual state of knowledge is an act of

Quality of Successful Marriages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quality of Successful Marriages - Essay Example Be it any problem or trouble, the whole family tries to overcome it collectively. This affects and influences the upbringing of the children in this culture to a huge extent as well. Usually the parents communicate to their children in a very evident manner and encourage them to communicate in a similar way. They discuss very minute details and interact very closely. For example, my mother has always talked to me very frankly, about everything, be it the smallest details; even the taboos of the society, and this has encouraged me to share everything with her in return. This has always helped me to get closer to my mother. Not only this, my parents have always depicted very close communication, sharing everything with each other, understanding each other's needs and personality and valuing each other's opinions and thoughts. As I've grown over time, being brought up in this particular way where interpersonal communication has always been stressed upon, I have grown learning these values that conveying your own thoughts and understanding others is the most important part of being in a relationship, and the most important factor of making it successful. In addition to this, I would like to induce within myself, such skills that would help me to communicate with people especially my significant other in the best possible way so that I can always understands his needs, thoughts and opinions his way. This is one of the foundations of making a marriage successful. 2. EMPATHY & SENSITIVITY Empathy means to understand. To stand in the other's shoes and try to imagine and realize what that particular person would be going through. This is quite self-explanatory how important this factor would be for a successful marriage. If one cannot understand the other properly, this will eventually lead to conflicts that can badly damage the relationship and in worst cases, can even bring an end to the relationship. Empathy has always been one of the basic aspects of successful relationships, especially marriages. Here, I'd like to give a personal daily-life example; if I need to study for a test, but my parents want me to help them in some household chores, and they don't empathize and tend to be narrow minded and keep on scolding me and forcing me not to study and do the house work, how difficult it would get for me to pursue my studies. In my family, however, it's the other way round. My parents have always understood my needs and my priorities and have never forced me to do what I don't want to and/or I cannot do at a particular point in time due to my own engagements or commitments. Moreover, my parents always empathize with each other. If my father has some unexpected business proceedings and/or meetings, for example, and he has prior plans with my mother, like shopping, she would always understand and would not fret about it. Similarly, if my mother (a working woman) needs some time out to carry out her office work at home, my father would always understand and would never get upset. Had it been the other way round, and had my parents never empathized, they would have always been fighting and upset with each other. But thankfully, it's the former way and they always empathize with each other. This in turn shows me and teaches me the importance of empathy in making a relationship, especially marri

Lord of the Flies Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies Essay William Golding, the Nobel Prize winning author is probably best known for his novel Lord of The Flies. The story tells about how a group boys are stranded in an island in the pacific after the plane they were on was shot down. The boys attempt to recreate the culture they left behind through democracy and election but slowly the boys are lured from civility and rational thought to primeval tribalism. William Golding uses many ways to describe this change in the boys in an interesting way that will manage to keep the audience engaged. He uses many literary devices to achieve this result, one of them is symbols. An example of a symbol used frequently in the Lord of The Flies is weather. William Golding uses the elements of weather effectively in Lord of The Flies to symbolize a kind of universal assessment of the actions, making the novel more interesting, and representing the inner feelings of the characters. Golding manages to use elements of weather effectively to symbolize a kind of universal assessment of the action and dramatic events in the novel. Elements of weather are used to represent the action that is taking place and to also foreshadow future events. For example, Golding uses weather to slowly hint or indicate Simons death. This is visible in the statement There was a blink of bright light beyond the forest and the thunder exploded again so that a littlun started to whine. Big drops of rain fell among them making individual sounds where they struck (Golding, 186). By reading this, readers can feel that the atmosphere and mood has changed for the worse. When Ralph says, Going to be a storm and youll have rain like when we dropped here, Golding is trying to indicate to us that something big is about to take place later in the novel. Besides that, after Simon dies there heavy rain; The water bounded from the mountain-top, tore leaves and branches from the trees, poured like a cold shower over the struggling heap on the sand. (Golding, 188). So the rain is used here to represent the sadness caused by Simons death as he was a victim of the savage actions of the hunters. This part makes the readers feel sorry for Simon but the readers also know that Simon couldnt do anything to fight back. Golding doesnt present the sadness of Simons death directly but instead chooses to use weather to present it to the readers. In a nutshell, the elements of weather are used at the right place and at the right time, making the action and dramatic events in the  novel much more intense. William Golding also uses the elements of weather to make the story more attractive and to create a more gripping atmosphere. Golding manages to use the weather to portray some situations with a mysterious and serious air. Golding also uses weather to make the readers feel as though they are at that particular scene and can experience the weather at that time. This is done to create intense emotions in the reader. During Simons death Golding uses the weather to complement the Lord of The Flies as being omens for something evil that is about to happen. Phrases like Colours drained from water and trees and the pink surfaces of the rock, and the white and brown clouds brooded (Golding, 176) show that something bad is about to happen and creates an ill mood and also in a way makes readers more anxious as to actually what is the evil event that is going to happen. The line The blue white-scar was constant, the noise unendurable (Golding, 188) makes the reader nervous of the uncertain weat her. This also helps to create interest in the reader who will want to know whether there is a relation between the terrible weather and events that are to come. Golding realises the power of weather to explain a situation or to signify something. In the past the ancients believed in the power of weather to influence our lives. For example, they believed in rain gods and sometimes performed rituals to ensure that there was sufficient rain. Weather also can have an impact on peoples moods. For example sunny weather makes people hopeful and happy as opposed to cloudy days which create depression. All of this shows how weather has the ability to influence a person and William Golding realising this has used weather to create interest in readers and thus has made the novel more interesting. Besides that, William Golding has managed to use elements of weather successfully in the novel The Lord of The Flies to portray the inner feelings of the characters in the novel. He uses different types of weather to portray or symbolize different moods or emotions that the characters are feeling at that particular moment or period. Cloudy and dark skies are used to create an ominous mood that symbolizes that something bad is about to happen. This causes reader to feel apprehensive about future events.  Meanwhile, rain and thunderstorms are used to symbolize fear and frenzy. This element is sometimes used by Golding in place of words between characters to portray frantic activity that is taking place. Hope is also symbolized in different ways such as the sun appearing after rain and the coming of peaceful dusk. Among the examples Golding uses to symbolize hope in the boys can be found in the beginning of chapter 1. The statement The undergrowth of the side of the scar was shaken an d a multitude of raindrops fell pattering (Golding, 1) is used to symbolize hope within the boys because the way the rain stops and how the sun has come out resembles a new beginning for the boys to look forward to. Another example of hope in the boys can be found at the end of chapter 3. The statement Now the sunlight had lifted clear from the open space and withdrawn from the sky (Golding, 60) clearly illustrates how Simon feels hope that he will be at peace with nature. This is signified by cool, calm darkness setting on the jungle and the opening of the candle buds and flowers. Golding also uses weather to create a mood of gloom and impending evil. An example of this is the statement Over the island the build-up of clouds continued (Golding, 163). This creates an ominous mood among Piggy and Ralph symbolized by the large clouds covering the sky signalling that it was going to rain. Besides that, Golding also manages to use rain and thunderstorms to symbolize frenzy and fear. An example of this can be found in the statement The dark sky was shattered by a blue-white scar (Golding, 171). The element of lightning and thunder here symbolizes how the boys are increasing scared and in a frenzy as they dance and chant. Besides Goldings examples in The Lord of The Flies, elements of weather are also used in movies regardless of language. For example lightning is sometimes portrayed in movies when the characters suddenly realize something or when a dramatic event has taken place. In conclusion, elements of weather are a great way to symbolize the inner feelings of characters and William Golding has used them to great effect in his novel. In conclusion, the power of weather as a symbol cannot be underestimated. Elements of weather have the ability to portray characters emotions, foreshadow future events and to also catch and hold readers attention. Golding, realising the importance of weather as a symbol has used it  consistently throughout the book. All major events have been related to elements of weather successfully. As a result, Golding has managed to make the readers feel what he intended them to feel. So in brief, Goldings usage of the elements of weather in the Lord of the Flies has symbolized a universal assessment of the action, has made the novel more interesting and has represented the inner feelings of the characters. Work Cited: Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. educational edition. Great Britain: Faber and Faber Limited, 1996.

Evaluating the Historical Capital Budgeting Method Essay Example for Free

Evaluating the Historical Capital Budgeting Method Essay Currently AES employs Project Finance Framework. Project finance tends to be used in projects with tangible assets with predictable cash flows in which construction and operating targets can be easily established through explicit contract. The key to AES projects financing lies with the precise forecasting of cash flows. In effect, the possibility of estimating cash flows with an acceptable level of uncertainty allows for allocation of risks among various interested parties. The ensuing certainty in cash flows allows for high level of leverage and enables project assets to be separated from the parent company. Let us now take a closer look at the pros and cons of the Capital Budgeting System currently in place. Principal Advantages Non-Recourse The separation of the parent company is structured through the creation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). This SPV is the formal borrower under all loan documents so that in event of default or bankruptcy AES is not directly responsible before financial creditors. Instead, their legal claims are against the SPV assets. Maximize Leverage Currently AES seeks to finance the cost of development and construction of the project on highly leveraged basis. High leveraged in non-recourse project financing permits AES to put less in capital to put at risk permits AES to finance the project without diluting its equity investment in the project. Off-Balance Sheet Treatment AES may not be required to report any of the project debt on its balance sheet because such debt is non-recourse. Off balance sheet treatment can have the added practical benefit of helping the AES comply with covenants and restriction relating to borrowing funds contained in loan agreements to which AES is also a party. Agency Cost The agency costs of free cash flow are reduced. Management incentives are to project performance. Most importantly close monitoring by investors is facilitated. Multilateral Financial Institutions One of the four constituents that have contractual arrangement with the SPV in a typical project are the banks (an integral part group of financiers that include share holders, insurers, equipment manufacturers, export credit agencies and funds). Among these banks there are multilateral financial institutions (like IFC, CAF and etc). Presence of these institutions as financiers helps in raising capital from these institutes at lower cost and secondly it is also read as a positive sign by commercial banks. Drawbacks Projects V/S Division The company is not only expanding its geographical boundaries, but it is also diversifying its business through backward and forward integration. The current financial model does not provide the AES with the big picture, which now constitutes more number of variables that are being influenced by multiple factors due to the increase in depth and breadth of the organization. Complexity Financing of projects requires involvement of a number of parties. They can be quite complex and can be expensive to arrange. Secondly it demands greater amount of management time. Macroeconomic Risk The current methodology employed by AES for capital budgeting does not take into account the exchange rate risk. This risk will be of higher magnitude in the developing countries because of their unstable monetary and fiscal policies[2]. As we have seen that fluctuation in exchange rate has greatly hurt the AES business and they were unable to mitigate this risk as they haven’t anticipated it. This risk becomes important when the exchange rate fluctuation affects balance sheet items unequally. Thus keeping check on the foreign exchange rate requires timely adjustment of both the items of revenue and expenditure, and those of assets and liabilities in different currencies. Political Risk: This is another important factor which the current financial management system does not take into account. This will be of significant importance when it comes to investing in developing countries where frequent changes in government policies occur. Does this system make sense? The financial strategy employed by AES was historically based on project finance. This approach solely took into account those factors that minimized AES exposure to the project and achieved the most beneficial regulatory treatment thus ensuring availability of financial resources to complete the project. The model worked well for the domestic market as well as for the international operations, provided the opportunities undertook by AES were either in the sector of building and running a power plant or simply buying an existing facility and upgrading it and then operating. The underlying assumption over here was that the symmetrical and asymmetrical risks faced by the project were more or less same irrespective of its geographical location (Refer to Exhibit 3). However when AES started diversifying the breadth of its operations by incorporating other offshoots of energy related business and transforming from a cogeneration to a more utility organization with majority of expansion occurring in developing economies. This diversification of business increased the symmetrical risks like business risk, a classic example of which we see in Brazil where AES experience shortfall in demand /sales volume due to Energy Conservation Policy of Brazilian government and this had a chain effect on debt servicing capacity of the SPV as well the stock price of the parent company. Other factor that current model was not able to include was the risk of devaluation of currency in developing economies which resulted in significant losses due to the inability of the company to survive its international debt obligations. Expansion in developing economies also exposed the business to political risk where the policies change erratically with changes in government. Hence we see that the geographical diversification of business causes asymmetrical risk to increase causing bimodal behavior in the result. Project financing becomes less recommendable as a symmetrical risk becomes more manifest. This constitutes a problem for emerging countries where these risks tends to be at the forefront. Lal Pir Project Valuation Scenario 1: Pakistan In order to calculate the value of project for the Lal Pir project in Pakistan, we first need to calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) using the new proposed methodology. For this we have followed the approach given in exhibit 8 of the case. The first step is to calculate the value of levered ? using the formula and information given in the case[3]. The value of the levered ? comes out to be 0. 3852 or 38. 52%, which essentially means that our project is not very highly correlated to the market return. Using this value of ? we now calculate the cost of Equity (refer Exhibit 4A). We have used the return on U. S. Treasury Bond (i. e. 4. 5%) as the risk free return in calculating the cost of equity. The cost of equity comes out to be 0. 072 and similarly, using the risk free return and the default spread (given in exhibit 7a of case) we calculate the cost of debt which comes out to be 0. 0807. It is important to note that the cost of debt and the cost of equity also need to be adjusted for the sovereign spread (0. 0990 for Pakistan). Once we have the adjusted costs of equity and capital we can now calculate the WACC for the project using the formula given in case where we essentially multiply equity and debt ratio with the adjusted costs of equity and debt respectively[4]. The WACC in this scenario comes out to be 0. 1595 or 15. 95%. However, now we need to adjust this WACC for the risks associated with doing the project in Pakistan and we do this by using Table A given in the case. We know that the total Risk Score for Pakistan is 1. 425 and since there is a linear relationship between business specific risk scores and cost of capital[5] we need to adjust our WACC by 7. 125% thus making our final WACC 23. 075%, using which we calculate our NPV (refer to Exhibit 6) from the year 2004 to 2023, and it comes out to be negative $234. 34 million. Scenario 2: USA For USA similar calculations are made to calculate the WACC (Exhibit 4B). However there are two things that are different. First we see the sovereign spread is equal to zero. Secondly, in this case we would need to calculate the business risk using the information given in exhibit 7a of the case (refer to Exhibit 5). This score comes out to be 0. 64 and using this score, our business risk comes out to be 3. 23% and adding it to our calculated value of WACC, we get our final WACC of 9. 64%. Using this we calculate our NPV for USA which comes out to be negative $ 35. 92 million (refer to Exhibit 7). Adjusted Cost of Capital and Probabilities of Real Events in Pakistan In calculating the adjusted cost of capital for Pakistan the WACC is adjusted for six common types of risks: Operational, Counterparty, Regulatory, Construction, Commodity, Currency and Legal. We can clearly see from table A given in the case that besides construction there is a probability of all these risks actually effecting the project in Pakistan. In these, the highest probability is that of currency risk and the legal risk. The adjusted cost that we have calculated is adjusted by the total risk score for Pakistan. There is a linear relationship between the total risk score and adjustment to the cost of capital, i. e. a score of 1 leads to an adjustment of 500 basis points in the WACC. When we calculate the WACC for Pakistan through traditional formula it comes out to be 15. 95%, however in order to incorporate the risk factor associated with Pakistan we need to adjust it for the Total Risk Score, which in this case is 1. 425. So we simply multiply this by 500 and we find out that we need to adjust our WACC 23. 075%. Since this 23. 075% is adjusted using the total risk score we can safely assume that it incorporates for the probability of the afro-mentioned six types of risks in WACC with respect to Pakistan. Discount Rate Adjustment: USA v/s Pakistan As mentioned earlier the discount rate is adjusted based on the total risk score of the country. This total risk score is compiled from 6 main types of risks, the probability of which varies from country to country. If we simply compare the risk scores for USA and Pakistan[6], we can see that there is a major difference between the risk profiles of both the countries. For instance, while currency, regulatory and legal risks are significantly high in Pakistan, they do not exist in the USA at all. Also we see that operational, counterparty and commodity risks are higher in USA as compared to Pakistan. Similarly when the respective WACCs of the two countries are adjusted for their risk we see that the adjusted WACC for Pakistan (23. 075%) is much higher as opposed to that of USA (9. 64%), which essentially implies that Pakistan is inherently a riskier country to invest in as opposed to the USA and any investments made in this region would have to cross a higher hurdle rate than if they were made in the US region.

Different Issues About Sex Education

Different Issues About Sex Education Introduction Sex education is possibly one of the most talked-about topics nowadays, especially among concerned citizens and the government. Sex is a natural thing for all of us and it is just right for the researchers as well as the readers to know and learn more about it. But the question is, is it right for sex education to be taught in primary schools? This research paper tackles the different issues about sex education. It contains the pros and cons of teaching sex education in primary schools. Opinions from different sides such as teachers in primary and secondary schools are considered. With such divisions, the reader can approximate their own comprehension of the topic and thus contribute ways to assist the primary students regarding this matter. In this research paper, the researchers would like to show the readers the importance of teachers perception on teaching sex education in primary schools. The researchers are convinced that this paper will be of great value to students and teachers. Conceptual Framework Sex Education Teachers Secondary Primary Perception Statement of the Problem The study aimed to find out the teachers view on teaching sex education in primary schools. What is the general profile of the respondents in terms of: Age Civil Status Gender Subject teaching What are the teachers views of teaching sex education in primary schools? What are the issues/concerns of teachers in the teaching of sex education primary schools? Is there a significant difference on how the teachers view the teaching of sex education when compared by primary and secondary schools? Hypothesis There is no significant difference between the perspectives of the teachers from primary and secondary schools. Assumptions of the Study The researchers assume that the questionnaires distributed to the respondents are answered honestly and truthfully, and that all data that will be gathered is reliable to the study. The researchers also assume that the personal values may affect the respondents reaction to the questions given and personal experiences may influence the response to the question. Research Locale The study will be conducted in Southville International School and Colleges located at 1281 Tropical Ave. cor. Luxembourg St., BF International, Las Pià ±as City, Philippines. The school will be the focus of the study because it is more convenient to the researchers, it has a big population and it is suited for the study. Significance of the study Parents: They will be guided on making the decision of letting their children study sex education in the school where their children are studying. Students: They will have an idea about what they can get from learning sex education. They will be aware that the very heart of this issue is for their future. Scope and Limitations: The research focused on the perceptions of the teachers towards teaching sex education in primary schools. The respondents are the teachers in primary and secondary level of school year 2010-2011, from Southville International School and Colleges. Definition of Terms Curricula- are the courses offered by an educational institution. It is also a set of courses constituting an area of specialization. Mandatory- can also be compulsory the teaching of sex education is obligatory. Optional- the teaching of sex education for young people is not compulsory. Perception- is a result of perceiving, observation, a mental image, or concept. Primary school- includes grades one to six. Secondary school- a school usually including years 7 to 10. Sexuality- is an expression of sexual receptivity or interest especially when excessive. Sex wise- it is a 12 part series which discussed sex education, family life education, contraception, family life education, contraception and parenting. Sex Education- is an education about human sexual anatomy, reproduction, and intercourse and other human sexual behaviour. Young people- are also referred to as teenagers or children ages between to 10 to 12. Review of Related Literature Sex Education It is sometimes called sexuality education or sex and relationships education, is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. Sex education is also about developing young peoples skills so that they make informed choices about their behavior, and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices. It is widely accepted that young people have a right to sex education. This is because it is a means by which they are helped to protect themselves against abuse, exploitation, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV and AIDS. It is also argued that providing sex education helps to meet young peoples rights to information about matters that affect them, their right to have their needs met and to help them enjoy their sexuality and the relationships that they form. It aims to reduce the risks of potentially negative outcomes from sexual behavior, such as unwanted or unplanned pregnancies and infection with sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. It also aims to contribute to young peoples positive experience of their sexuality by enhancing the quality of their relationships and their ability to make informed decisions over their lifetime. Sex education that works, by which we mean that it is effective is sex education that contributes to both these aims thus helping young people to be safe and enjoy their sexuality. (http://www.avert.org/sex-education.htm, 2010) Beliefs Young people can be exposed to a wide range of attitudes and beliefs in relation to sex and sexuality. These sometimes appear contradictory and confusing. For example, some health messages emphasize the risks and dangers associated with sexual activity and some media coverage promotes the idea that being sexually active makes a person more attractive and mature. Because sex and sexuality are sensitive subjects, young people and sex educators can have strong views on what attitudes people should hold, and what moral framework should govern peoples behavior these too can sometimes seem to be at odds. Young people are very interested in the moral and cultural frameworks that bind sex and sexuality. They often welcome opportunities to talk about issues where people have strong views, like abortion, sex before marriage, lesbian and gay issues and contraception and birth control. It is important to remember that talking in a balanced way about differences in opinion does not promote one s et of views over another, or mean that one agrees with a particular view. Part of exploring and understanding cultural, religious and moral views is finding out that you can agree to disagree. Effective sex education also provides young people with an opportunity to explore the reasons why people have sex, and to think about how it involves emotions, respect for one self and other people and their feelings, decisions and bodies. Young people should have the chance to explore gender differences and how ethnicity and sexuality can influence peoples feelings and options. They should be able to decide for themselves what the positive qualities of relationships are. It is important that they understand how bullying, stereotyping, abuse and exploitation can negatively influence relationships. . (As also stated at the website: http://www.avert.org/sex-education.htm, 2010) Sex education worldwide Africa Sex education in Africa has focused on stemming the growing AIDS epidemic. Most governments in the region have established AIDS education programs in partnership with the World Health Organization and international NGOs. These programs were undercut significantly by the Global Gag Rule, an initiative put in place by President Reagan, suspended by President Clinton, and re-instated by President Bush. The Global Gag Rule required nongovernmental organizations to agree as a condition of their receipt of Federal funds that such organizations would neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations. The Global Gag Rule was again suspended as one of the first official acts by United States President Barack Obama. The incidences of new HIV transmissions in Uganda decreased dramatically when Clinton supported a comprehensive sex education approach (including information about contraception and abortion). According to Ugandan AIDS activists, the Glob al Gag Rule undermined community efforts to reduce HIV prevalence and HIV transmission. Europe Finland In Filand, sexual education is usually incorporated into various obligatory courses, mainly as part of biology lessons (in lower grades) and later in a course related to general health issues. The Population and Family Welfare Federation provide all 15-year-olds an introductory sexual package that includes an information brochure, a condom and a cartoon love story. England and Wales In England and Wales, sex education is not compulsory in schools as parents can refuse to let their children take part in the lessons. The curriculum focuses on the reproductive system, fetal development, and the physical and emotional changes of adolescence, while information about contraception and safe sex is discretionary and discussion about relationships is often neglected. Britain has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe and sex education is a heated issue in government and media reports. In a 2000 study by the University of Brighton, many 14 to 15 year olds reported disappointment with the content of sex education lessons and felt that lack of confidentiality prevents teenagers from asking teachers about contraception. France In France, sex education has been part of school curricula since 1973. Schools are expected to provide 30 to 40 hours of sex education, and pass out condoms, to students in grades eight and nine. In January 2000, the French government launched an information campaign on contraception with TV and radio spots and the distribution of five million leaflets on contraception to high school students. Germany In Germany, sex education has been part of school curricula since 1970. Since 1992 sex education is by law a governmental duty. It normally covers all subjects concerning the growing-up process, body changes during puberty, emotions, the biological process of reproduction, sexual activity, partnership, homosexuality, unwanted pregnancies and the complications of abortion, the dangers of sexual violence, child abuse, and sex-transmitted diseases, but sometimes also things like sex positions. Most schools offer courses on the correct usage of contraception. A sex survey by the World Health Organization concerning the habits of European teenagers in 2006 revealed that German teenagers care about contraception. The birth rate among 15- to 19-year-olds was very low only 11.7 per 1000 population, compared to the UKs 27.8 births per 1,000 population, and-in first place-Bulgarias 39.0 births per 1,000. Poland In the Western point of view, sex education in Poland has never actually developed. At the time of the Peoples Republic of Poland, since 1973, it was one of the school subjects; however, it was relatively poor and did not achieve any actual success. After 1989, it practically vanished from the school life it is currently an exclusive subject (called wychowanie do Ã…Â ¼ycia w rodzinie/family life education rather than edukacja seksualna/sex education) in several schools their parents must give consent to the headmasters so their children may attend. It has much due to the strong objection against sex education of the Catholic Church; the most influential institution in Poland. It has, however, been changed and since September 2009 sex education will become an obligatory subject in the number of 14 per school year unless parents do not want their children to be taught. Objecting parents will have to write special disagreements. North America United States Almost all U.S. students receive some form of sex education at least once between grades 7 and 12; many schools begin addressing some topics as early as grades 5 or 6. However, what students learn varies widely, because curriculum decisions are so decentralized. Many states have laws governing what is taught in sex education classes or allowing parents to opt out. Some state laws leave curriculum decisions to individual school districts. Two main forms of sex education are taught in American schools: comprehensive and abstinence-only. Comprehensive sex education covers abstinence as a positive choice, but also teaches about contraception and avoidance of STIs when sexually active. A 2002 study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 58% of secondary school principals describe their sex education curriculum as comprehensive. Abstinence-only sex education tells teenagers that they should be sexually abstinent until marriage and does not provide information about contraception. In the Kaiser study, 34% of high-school principals said their schools main message was abstinence-only. The difference between these two approaches, and their impact on teen behavior, remains a controversial subject. In the U.S., teenage birth rates had been dropping since 1991, but a 2007 report showed a 3% increase from 2005 to 2006. From 1991 to 2005, the percentage of teens reporting that they had ever had sex or were currently sexually active showed small declines. However, the U.S. still has the highest teen birth rate and one of the highest rates of STIs among teens in the industrialized world. Public opinion polls conducted over the years have found that the vast majority of Americans favor broader sex education programs over those that teach only abstinence, although abstinence educators recently published poll data with the opposite conclusion. On the other hand, proponents of abstinence-only sex education object to curricula that fail to teach their standard of moral behavior; they maintain that a morality based on sex only within the bounds of marriage is healthy and constructive and that value-free knowledge of the body may lead to immoral, unhealthy, and harmful practices. Within the last decade, the federal government has encouraged abstinence-only education by steering over a billion dollars to such programs. Some 25 states now decline the funding so that they can continue to teach comprehensive sex education. Funding for one of the federal governments two main abstinency-only funding programs, Title V, was extended only until December 31, 2007; Congress is debating whether to continue it past that date. The impact of the rise in abstinence-only education remains a question. To date, no published studies of abstinence-only programs have found consistent and significant program effects on delaying the onset of intercourse. In 2007, a study ordered by the U.S. Congress found that middle school students who took part in abstinence-only sex education programs were just as likely to have sex (and use contraception) in their teenage years as those who did not. Abstinence-only advocates claimed that the study was flawed because it was too narrow and began when abstinence-only curricula were in their infancy, and that other studies have demonstrated positive effects. According to a 2007 report, Teen pregnancies in the United States showed 3% increase in the teen birth rate from 2005 to 2006, to nearly 42 births per 1,000. Virginia Virginia uses the sex education program called, The National Campaign to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy. The National Campaign was created in 1996. The program focuses on preventing teen and unplanned pregnancies of young adults. The National campaign set a goal to reduce teen pregnancy rate by 1/3 in 10 years. The Virginia Department of Health ranked Virginia 19th in teen pregnancy birth rates in 1996. Virginia was also rated 35.2 teen births per 1000 girls aged 15-19 in 2006. The Healthy people 2010 goal is a teen pregnancy rate at or below 43 pregnancies per 1000 females age 15-17. Asia The state of sex education programs in Asia is at various stages of development. Indonesia, Mongolia, South Korea have a systematic policy framework for teaching about sex within schools. Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand have assessed adolescent reproductive health needs with a view to developing adolescent-specific training, messages and materials. India has programs aimed at children aged nine to sixteen years. In India, there is a huge debate on the curriculum of sex education and whether it should be increased. Attempts by state governments to introduce sex education as a compulsory part of the curriculum have often been met with harsh criticism by political parties, who claim that sex education is against Indian culture and would mislead children. (Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan have no coordinated sex education programs.) In Japan, sex education is mandatory from age 10 or 11, mainly covering biological topics such as menstruation and ejaculation. In China and Sri Lanka, sex education traditionally consists of reading the reproduction section of biology textbooks. In Sri Lanka they teach the children when they are 17-18 years. However, in 2000 a new five-year project was introduced by the China Family Planning Association to promote reproductive health education among Chinese teenagers and unmarried youth in twelve urban districts and three counties. This included discussion about sex within human relationships as well as pregnancy and HIV prevention. The International Planned Parenthood Federation and the BBC World Service ran a 12-part series known as Sexwise, which discussed sex education, family life education, contraception and parenting. It was first launched in South Asia and then extended worldwide. Acrimonious Debate over Sex Education in the Philippines The educational module Adolescent Sexual Health, though not yet released to all high schools in the Philippines, has already drawn heavy criticism from the Roman Catholic Church, pro-life activists, and some parents. The way it is being taught lacks the reverence, the refinement that the subject matter demands, said Jo Imbong, legal officer of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. Deciding when to teach children about sex should be left to their parents, he said. But Professor Corazon Raymundo, director of the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI), said sex education in schools is necessary because it is not in the nations culture for parents to discuss sex with their children. The education department, which presented the module as a response to the nations booming population growth, emphasized it is not a sex manual but rather a teaching guide dealing with family planning, reproductive health, and the dangers of early and pre-marital sex. According to a UPPI survey, 23 percent of Filipinos ages 15-24 engaged in pre-marital sex in 2002, up from 18 percent in 1994. The prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviors among adolescents rose from 20 percent in 1994 to 27 percent in 2002. Further, this age group now accounts for 17 percent of all induced abortions in the nation. Its high time that the ignorance of adolescents be addressed in a way that will allow them to make an informed choice, said Solita Monsod, former economic planning secretary. Now, however, education officials have responded to the criticism by withdrawing the module for further communications among stakeholders. Before it is returned to schools, some sections will be revised, said Lolita Andrada, the modules editor and the director of the Bureau of Secondary Education. In particular, the section on safe sex, which some viewed as a promotion of promiscuity, will be rewritten, Andrada said. (http://www.thebody.com/content/news/art23803.html, 2010) Dep.Ed. sued over sex education plan MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) The former legal officer of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on Monday sued the Department of Education for incorporating sex education in the curriculum of elementary and high school students. In an interview, lawyer Jo Aurea Imbong said she filed the case in behalf of 30 concerned parents who opposed the sex education plan. She described the sex education program as a form of contraceptive imperialism that assaults moral sensibilities and values of young people and actually encourages sexual promiscuity. We have examined the modules being used by DepEd and found that it promotes family planning, reproductive health and demographic development in subjects such as Mathematics, Science and English. It is specifically designed to transform the attitudes, behavior and social norms of young people based on a foreign model, she told abs-cbnNEWS.com. Imbong said the class suit aims to stop DepEd from implementing Memorandum No. 26, which integrates sex education in the curriculum for private and public schools. She said the program changes the attitudes and values of children especially in Christian families. Imbong said sex education was already being implemented in the basic education curriculum 12 years ago, and the new DepEd memo only updates the modules. She said adopting the sex education plan will fast-track moral decay among young people who are exposed to sex at an early age. While curiosity is normal for young people, it is still the primary responsibility of the parents and families to inform their children about sex, she said. She also noted that the sex education program is receiving funding from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). In response, Education Secretary Mona Valisno said the sex education program is still being pilot-tested and that the discussions will focus on the science of reproduction, physical care and hygiene, correct values and the norms of interpersonal relations to avoid premarital sex and teenage pregnancy. She said the Deped consulted different sectors about the program including the CBCP and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas. She said parents who were consulted about the program were very happy with it especially since it provides relevant information to children. She also questioned why a court case was filed especially since the program does not contradict the mandate of DepEd to protect childrens rights to quality education. Our curriculum doesnt talk about condoms and such. Its only exposure to the children to the right information in order for them to make the right decisionKung hindi natin kailangan, then the new secretary of education can change it, she told ANC. She said the sex education plan seeks to battle the high percentage of unwarranted pregnancies in the country, which is one of the 10 highest in the world, and prevent dropouts as a result of teenage pregnancies. She said the topics integrated into the modules will be scientific and informative and are not designed to titillate prurient interest. In Science, sex education topics will cover the reproductive system, parts of the body, reproductive cycle, and puberty. Under Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP), proper behavior among and between peers of different genders will be discussed. In Health classes under MAPEH (Music, Arts, PE and Health), personal hygiene and reproductive health will be part of the lessons. In Heograpiya, Kasaysayan, at Sibika (HEKASI) classes, discussion will include the position of religion on premarital sex and the norms when people of opposite sex interact. In Math classes, data on issues like premarital sex, teenage pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections will be used in studying mathematical analysis and statistics. (Dizon, 2010)

Politicking Goes High-tech :: essays research papers

Politicking Goes High-Tech This reading dealt with the fact that the major decision makers for people when voting (especially for Senators) are the television spots. The article discussed how today's campaigns are now candidate-centered rather than political party-centered and how they require large sums of money in order to pay for all the advertising, and a team of professional workers rather than a team of volunteers is a necessity. Much of the money goes to commercial advertisements, but another large portion goes to continuous polling and direct mail strategies. The article talked about the need to have the speed and technology to know how the people feel right away. A candidate cannot wait weeks or even days for the results to come back to him or her whether he or she is in the lead. The results are needed within hours. After getting the results from the polls, it is then time to determine what action needs to be taken to aid your campaign (or more often hurt your opponent). The candidate then needs to create new television ads to make himself or herself appeal to the interests of the people or sometimes to counteract the bad things the opponent has to say. This fight between the television ads is often referred to as Spot Wars. While the Spot Wars help out the candidates (or harm the opponents with derogatory remarks), they can cost an enormous amount of money; and after being played on television the opponent will return the attack with one of his or her ads—then, the candidate will have to go back to work all over again creating new ads regarding the new polls—all of which costs more money. A major portion of the money for candidates to use comes from PACs. These PACs make up  ¼ off all contributions to Senate campaigns, while some of the other money comes from fund raisers and cost-per-plate dinners. Before the candidate begins to play the ads on television he/she needs to determine what the campaign focus is going to be. Focus groups are small groups of voters who gather with the candidate to give an idea of perhaps what the people are looking for. Then the candidate has to decide when to run the ads. Determining that can be more difficult: if you have the money it is probably best to start early and hope your opponent runs out of money trying to counteract your ads—"One candidate puts on a message, and the other has to decide how to respond." After you run the ads you have to poll the people, of

Free Argumentative Essays: Police Brutality :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Police Brutality Police work is dangerous. Sometimes police put in situations that excessive force is needed. But, because some officers use these extreme measures in situations when it is not, police brutality should be addressed. The use of excessive force may or may not be large problem, but it should be looked into by both the police and the public. For those people who feel racism is not a factor in causing the use of excessive force, here is a startling fact. In Tampa Bay, Florida, five men died while in the custody of the Tampa Bay police Department (C.C. 27). The thing is, the Tampa Bay Police Department is made up of mostly white officers, but of the five men who died, none where white. Four of the five men that died where African Americans, and the other man was a Mexican National. If the incident in Tampa Bay does not show a person racism, this event might. In New York City, an average of seven Latin Americans were killed a year between 1986 to 1989, but in 1990, that number increased greatly. In that year, twenty-three Latin Americans were killed by police gunfire. When asked how he felt about racism being involved in police brutality, Yussuf Naimkly of the University of Regina commented: "Excessive police force against blacks has always been tolerated, because as a formally enslaved minority African Americans are trapped in a cultural context specifically designed to inhibit their development and thus minimize their threat to white hegemony" (C.C. 72) Executive Director of Police Misconduct Lawyers Referral Service Karol Heppe commented, â€Å"Brutality against minorities is a daily occurrence in Los Angeles,† she says. â€Å"The difference this time is someone videotaped it (C.C. 36). Another shocking incident of police brutality occurred in Reynoldsberg, Ohio. A group of offices named themselves â€Å"S.N.A.T.† squad. This acronym stood for â€Å"Special Nigger Arrest Team† and they made it a point to harass African Americans whenever. â€Å"The number of people killed by police has gone down from the middle 1970's to the middle 1980's in major cities,† says Patrick V. Murphy, former head of police commissions in Detroit, New York, and Washington, D.C. (C.C. 17). Also, in Kansas City, Missouri, a police department there has 1,110 officers. Amazingly, the only received approximately 108 complaints from the public about those 1,100 officers. Adding to the belief that police brutality isn't a very big problem, most legal authorities and officials agree that the use of excessive force by police officers is going down. In fact, they say that they see brutality

Industrialization - Economic Change and Effect :: European Europe History

Industrialization - Economic Change and Effect Since the 19th century, industrialization has had positive and negative effects on the live of workers. Industrialization is the process of modernization and mass production of most goods. This also includes but not limited to mining and the forging of iron. An area where industrialization had a massive effect was in Eastern Europe. It emerged as a need to modernize and unify Europe. Although Britain led industrialization at first, it quickly exploded from Spain all the way through Russia. Early in the industrial revolution Britain stood alone as the world's industrial giant. To protect its head start Britain placed strict laws monitoring the exportation of inventions. Then in 1807 a British mechanic William Cockerill, opened factories in Belgium for the manufacturing of spinning and weaving machines. Belgium thus became the first European nation to industrialize. By the mid 1800s, other nations had joined the race, and several newcomers were challenging Britain's industrial supremacy. The effects of industrialization were especially obvious in Germany. By the late 1800's Germany had setup a standard for chemical and electric companies worldwide. Germany was second only to Britain among the European powers. Germany spectacular growth was due to the ample amount of iron and coal resources in the area. A disciplined and educated work force also helped the economy, while a rapid growing population provided a huge home market and a highly skilled work force. It almost eliminated the poverty factor in Germany due to the vast availability of employment. But along with the attributions of industrialization also came the bad. Poor work place conditions lead to work place abuses. Workers were forced to work long hours for little pay and even children were abuses during this time. Some of the abuses were children as young as 7 could be seen in work places, sexual discrimination was present. Women were often hired in factories because they could be paid less then men. And pollution was also a serious problem. These were among the most common problems of the time and these were too often seen in most if not all the work places. Workers were outraged by these abuses and how the government, at the time, did nothing to help. Workers established unions and won the right to bargain with employers for better wages and hours. And eventually the government passed laws regulating the employment of children and set safety regulations in the work place.

Reflective paper on event management Essay

As per the course requirement, we have undergone the process of planning an international music event. While the whole process was a simulation, we could still realize the challenges and excitements that an event manager faces in his/her career. At the first phase of the project, groups were formed following Belbin’s Theory (West, 2004). Belbin proposed a model that specifies the aspects of an individual’s personality, i.e. strength and weakness that he/she shows in workplace. According to the model, there are nine roles an individual can play within a group. These roles are: Plant, Resource investigator, Coordinator, Shaper, Monitor evaluator, Team worker, Implementer, Completer finisher, and Specialist. I was chosen to play the role of Team worker within my group. My core responsibilities were to carry out the instructions given by the team leader and cooperate with others on every stage of the event simulation planning. As we have experienced, the planning of an event, especially an international music gig is a complex process. There are a number of factors that need to be considered along the way and the event itself has multifaceted impact on the society, environment, and culture. However, this experience was immensely valuable considering my event management as my future career choice as it has given me a better understanding about the procedure and the real life drill of an event really helped me to realize how to work in a team and synergize all the tasks with others that are needed to execute a musical event successfully. However, as the course instructor promised us at the beginning of the course, I also came to realize that event management is pure fun. Planning an international musical event involves different aspects of the even including the financial planning, rules and regulations, possible impact on the local community, staff management, branding of the performers, sponsorship and so on. Different scholars attempted to define Event in different ways. Getz (1993) gave the minimalist definition of ‘themed public celebration’, which was  further elaborated by Douglas et al. (2001) as events are ‘for people to come together to celebrate, to demonstrate, to worship, to honour, to remember, to socialise’. From this list of public purposes, events look like modern day rituals which were reflected by the definition given by McDonnell et al. (1999) where they argued that events are specific rituals or celebrations that are planned and created to mark any special occasion. Goldblatt (1997) gave a much simpler definition as he said that an event is a ‘unique moment in time celebrated with ceremony and ritual to satisfy specific needs’. In my experience of working with this group, the first thing I realized about what an ‘event’ is that an event is not just an occasion where people come together, get entertained and go back to home. An event is much more than that. An international music festival has the power to change a small, relatively unknown town in the corner of the country into one of the most celebrated destination. If planned and executed properly, a big event has the capabilities to transform a place and the lives of the people in the community. It is, unfortunately, equally true that same applies on the negative side if an event is poorly managed and executed. The planning and organization of an event requires the formation of a working team, as we were formed into teams. This team acted as a temporary organization where the role and responsibilities of each member were specified. According to Slack and Parent (2006), organizational framework or structure may have three dimensions: _Formalisation:_ refers to the degree to which the rules and regulations, strategies, and individual and team roles guide the activities of the team. _Complexity:_ the inner structure of the event management team with the hierarchy and authoritative system. _Centralisation:_ the degree to which an individual exercises his/her role as the decision maker of the even management team. Since our project was a drill, while the two aspects of an event management organization were noticeable (Formalisation and Centralisation), the third element, Complexity was not strongly present since the team was not very hierarchical. However, we followed the formal procedure and showed respect to the laws and regulations while we planned the event. In addition to that, we followed the policies mentioned during the course lectures to determine different aspects of the event such as financial planning, impact management, staff and volunteer management, environmental and political effect and so on. Event planning and management always requires team effort, regardless of the size or range of the event. Hence, there has to be a member of the team who plays the role of facilitator to guide the knowledge and resource sharing process. The facilitator is not exactly the team leader. Bens (2000, p.7) asserted that facilitation is ‘a way of providing leadership without taking the reigns’. In our group, different members played the role of facilitator at different stages. I observed the roles they played and learned how to disperse organizational knowledge for a better performing team. According to facilitation theory, learning within a team occurs with the help of the facilitator, not simply by someone who provides knowledge to the group (Lambert and Glacken, 2005). My personal experience confirmed this theory since I have experienced that personal knowledge can add little value to a group unless it is fairly disseminated and discussed by the other members within the group. If I look back at my experience of the group work; this will be my primary takeaway that I have learned the importance of facilitating ideas and knowledge among the group members and in future I will be aware of applying this knowledge in my career as an Event manager. Even if I don’t end up to be an event manager, this learning will help me to become better as a social being and as an individual. As an event manager, I will focus on the decentralisation of power and letting other assume responsibility and take the lead when necessary. It is sometimes better to play the labour and sometimes play the leader. Performance of a team is determined by the participation and effort given by each member. The team leader or the event manager plays the role of the ‘director of performance’ (Vidal, 2004). He synchronizes individual performances and creates synergy among the group members and specific functional departments while he enjoys working creatively and collectively with the aim of achieving certain objectives (Vidal, 2004, p. 394). Hence, I realized the nature of the work of an event manager and I am now more attracted to pursue a career in event management than before. The event management industry is embodied with a number of challenges that every event management effort has to endure. The biggest challenge is to ensure financial viability. The economy is yet to recover from the recession completely and it is still very difficult to organize a profitable event. As Smith et al. (2010) addressed, allocating the limited resources of an event effectively has become more critical than ever. For our group as well, financial consideration posed tremendous challenges and I realized that the skills I have acquired regarding event budgeting will be particularly helpful in future. Another area of difficulty was the impact analysis and contingency planning. Every event has several possible positive and negative impacts on the local society, environment, governance, and politics to some extent. Maximizing positive impact and reducing negative impact requires intelligent strategic decisions and planning. This was another learning outcome for me from the experience. However, there were a few places where I identified shortcomings in terms of group performance or my individual performance. First of all, effective communication among the group members was an issue. Every individual is different and we were formed into a group with people with different personalities. Also, there was no elected leader or director of the group. Hence, in the beginning it was a bit difficult to ensure effective communication which led to some confusion and inefficiency. As Greenberg (2002, p.217) explained that communication is the process of sending and receiving information, it requires the meaningful coding and decoding from  the both end. Another shortcoming of the exercise was that we could not specifically measure the impact of the event on the community. Actually, unless the event takes place in real life, it is difficult to say whether it would be received well by host communities or not. Though I had the experience of planning an event with a team, without the experience of executing the plan, it is always incomplete. However, this was a very enjoyable and valuable journey. The experience will add values to my character as an individual and will help me to become a better event manager in future, if I pursue this career for myself. However, even if I don’t end up to be an event manager, this experience will remind me about the values of working in synergy to produce positive results. For me, that was the significance of the whole experience. _REFERENCES:_ West, M. A. (2004). _Effective teamwork: practical lessons from organizational research_ (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: BPS Blackwell. Getz, D. (1993). Corporate culture in not-for-profit festival organisations: concepts and potential applications. _Festival Management and Event Tourism_, 1, 11-17. Douglas, N., Douglas, N. and Derrett, R. (eds) (2001). _Special Interest Tourism_, p. 356. John Wiley and Sons. Goldblatt, J. (1997). _Special Events – Best Practices in Modern Event Management_. John Wiley and Sons. McDonnell, I., Allen, J. and O’Toole, W. (1999). _Festival and Special Event Management_. John Wiley and Sons. Vidal, R. (2004). The vision conference: Facilitating creative processes. _Systemic Practice and Action Research_, 17(5), p. 385 – 405. Slack, T. and Parent, M.(2006). _Understanding sport organizations: The application of organization theory_ (2nd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Bens, I. (2000). _Facilitating with ease: A step-by-step guidebook_. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Lambert, V. and Glacken, M. (2005). Clinical education facilitators: A literature review. _Journal of Clinical Nursing_, 1(4), 664 – 673. Rogers, C. and Friedberg, H.J. (1994) . _Freedom to learn_. New York: Merril, Macmillan College Publishing. Greenberg, J. ( 2002). _Managing behaviour in organizations_. New Jersey, NY: Prentice Hall.

My Aquarium

The place I decided to do my paper on is located in the living room of my family's house. It is a one hundred gallon aquarium. The reason I chose this as the topic of my paper is that all kingdoms are present except for Plantae in it and it is its own ecosystem. Before I go in detail about the organisms in the aquarium, I would like to mention the accessories that make this aquarium a stable environment and allow the organisms to grow happily. The temperature needs to mimic natural reefs that are often found in tropical regions. The tank needs to be 78 degrees F. In the summer water is pumped through a chiller that lowers the temperture to exactly what it needs to be and there is also a conventional aquarium heater to raise tempature during colder times. Natural reefs also need lots of sunlight. This is mimicked by two large 250 watt metal halide and 4 (3 foot) vho lights. These high intensity lights produce tremendous increases in the temperture of the tank which is countered by the chiller. Natural seawater has constant currents which are mimicked by three submersible power heads that keep everything moving. Next, is the water. This needs to be ultra pure, free from dissolved solvents. Due to the high temperatures evaporation can cause as much as 2 gallons a day to be replaced. A reverse osmosis water purifier is used to create this ultra pure water. Now that I have explained how the water starts of pure the salinity needs to be constant. 33 parts per thousand is recommended for reef aquariums. Calcium, amino acids, phytoplankton, and iodine are also added to the aquarium on a daily basis. The water is tested on a monthly basis for ph, alkalinity, and about a dozen different chemicals to be sure the water chemistry is correct. Now we will discuss the first part of the reef aquarium, which is the sand and live rock. The sand needs to be live sand, meaning it contains all the necessary bacteria that will be needed in this artificial environment. The same is true for the live rock, which needs different bacteria and is the resting place for all of the corals. These organisms belong to the kingdom Monera Protista and are the first organism to be added to the tank. This aquarium also contains organisms of the kingdom Protista. These are present in the green algae that are seen on the glass of aquariums. Also red algae are seen when observing a marine aquarium. These algae bloom when there is excess nitrogen in the water. The red algae are a sign of a tank that is in bad shape. There are also specimens of brown algae in the tank. These free floating algae are a main source of food for certain fish and crustaceans. The majority of the visible organisms in the tank are in the phylum Cnidaria. These include the many types of mushrooms, polyps, anemones, soft and hard corals. These are what make the reef aquarium look like a reef. These organisms multiply in the tank and need to be fed by the sunlight and also phytoplankton. It is cool to touch these organisms with the net. They all shrivel up and get defensive when disturbed. There are also about 20 snails in the tank belonging to the class Gastropoda. These shells are taken over by hermit crabs which belong to the class Crustacea. Other members of this class include a banded reef shrimp and several emerald crabs. There is a huge clam belonging to the class Bivalvia which has pretty turquoise lips. There is even a feather duster worm that just showed up one day. The higher interverts in the tank include two starfish and also a brittle star. The starfish spend most of their time beneath the sand while the brittle star is very active and visible and will pounce on food shortly after it hits the bottom. Next to the corals the next visible class in the tank would include the class of Osteichthyes. These include tangs, gobies, dottybacks, a pair of clown fish, and several types of damsels. It is amazing to watch all these organisms grow and interact with one another while realizing how exact the conditions need to be to allow them to even survive.

Mercedes Benz of U.S.A “The Best or Nothing”- Mercedes Benz Essay

Mercedes Benz is one of the most recognizable names in the world. If you mention car, luxury, dependable, performance and â€Å"The Best or Nothing†, the first name it comes on your mind is Mercedes Benz. History of Mercedes Benz is the greatest out there, but I am going to focus on the Mercedes Benz USA, also known as MBUSA. MBUSA is a division responsible for distribution and marketing of Mercedes Benz products in the U. S. The headquarters of MBUSA are in Montvale, New Jersey. There are two dealership locations of MBUSA in northeast Ohio, one in Willoughby and the other one in Bedford. Also included in their division are Maybach, Smart and Sprinter. Although founded in 1965, MBUSA started importing Mercedes Benz in 1952, and the iconic car that started it all was 300SL Gullwing. It was founded under Max Hoffman; the current CEO of MBUSA is Steve Cannon. Other key personnel at MBUSA are Harald Henn CFO and VP, Inigo Mazquiaran GM of Corporate Finance and Joachim Schmidt Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Mercedes-Benz. Over the following years, MBUSA grew into a nationwide organization, now employing over 1500 people. The company also has 356 associated dealerships that employ 21,500 people themselves. MBUSA operates in the Car Dealership industry, in the distribution and marketing division of car sales industry to be more specific. With 305,072 passenger vehicles sold in the U. S. in 2012. SWOT Analysis Strengths: 1. Mercedes Benz has a strong brand value and global leader in premium cars 2. Leader in innovation i. e. 1st to introduce diesel engines, fuel injection and anti-locking brakes Weaknesses: 1. High maintenance cost of Mercedes Benz car 2. High prices compared to competition Opportunities: 1. Developing hybrid cars and fuel efficient cars for the future 2. Fast growing luxury automobile market & increased income Threats: 1. Ever increasing fuel prices 2. Intense competition from global automobile brands