Data Collection Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Data Collection - Research Paper Example ChoicePoint’s functions are essential not only for government organizations but also for private consumers. The data collected and provided by ChoicePoint facilitates the fluent running of different organizations in following ways; easy and quick access to personal information benefits both the parties involved in a venture. In addition to that provision of jobs becomes more accurate when different organizations have appropriate data with them. The data provided by ChoicePoint allows the credit card and insurance companies to avoid thefts and frauds and to decrease the cost. This data is also beneficent for security and law agencies because through ChoicePoint they can have an access to the data which they cannot access by themselves due to legal restrictions. The major disadvantage of this data aggregation is identity theft as easy access to personal information enables the hackers to use someone’s identity in criminal actions and as a result the victims of identity theft have to tolerate bitter consequences. In addition to that most of the people think of this data collection as interference in their privacy and thus this act is considered as indecent and unethical. Moreover, there is no proof of the fact that the information provided by ChoicePoint is accurate and sometimes it can be misleading as well. To conclude, there is a very narrow difference between invasions in privacy and the act that is performed to get the information required for the fluent running of different organizations. Personal data collection provides the business with valuable information that plays an important role in acquiring its goals. In today’s era of technology it is essential that one should have complete information about the parties involved in a venture before indulging in it, in order to avoid thefts and frauds. Sometimes, what is considered as an invasion in privacy by certain people is something that is necessary for the fluent

Presumption of Innocence Essay Example for Free

Presumption of Innocence Essay In a court of law everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a judge and/or a jury consisting of their peers. This is the basis of the presumption of innocence clause. There are many cases that we can look at in order to provide a detailed explaination to this clause. The one the we will review in this paper is the Casey Anthony case. This is a perfect case to review for this cause. The Presumption of Innocence clause involves the fifth and fourteenth ammendments which will be further explained. When we are dealing with people or are thought to be guilty of any crime we need to remember this clause and give them the benefit of the doubt that they actually did not commit the crime until we can prove that they actually did. This paper will discuss all of these things and more to provide people with a better understanding of the Presumption of Innocence clause. Presumption of innocence is defined as â€Å"the government always has the burden to justify its use of power even against people who turn out to be guilty.† (Samaha,p481) This basically means that it is the prosecutions responsibility to present evidence and to convince a jury that a criminal is guilty of the crime in question. A suspect in any crime should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. When a person is arrested we automatically assume that they are guilty of whatever crime they have committed but have you ever seen someone get arrested and be released after their trial was over because a jury found them not guilty? I believe everyone has witnessed this occurance. We may not like to discuss it but they Casey Anthony case is a big case that deals with this. Casey Anthony  was arrested and tried for the murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony in 2008. Evidence used to detain Anthony included a nine inch piece of hair obtained from the trunk of Anthony’s car, a prestigious scientist found an abundant level of chloroform in the trunk of Anthony’s car, The piece of hair found in the trunk was proven to be that of Caylee Anthony as well as proven to be that of a postmorteum Caylee, and a rare kind of duct tape that was found on Caylee’s body was also found within the Anthony family garage. There was so much evidence proving her guilt but a jury found her not guilty due to lack of hard evidence. The jurors for this case wanted more evidence against her that they did not receive from the prosecution, in which is the reasoning behind finding her not guilty. Personally I think she did kill her daughter or had some part in the killing. Again that is my personal opinion but some people think she is definitely innocent. There is never a sure way of knowing whether or not that person is guilty unless there is hard evidence to prove it or the criminal was caught in the act and everything has to be right on point. I do not think that there is ever going to be a sure way to prove a person guilty upon their arrest because in order to do so we would have to honestly have a group of peers look upon any given case and say that the person is definitely guilty. Again that will never happen! The only crimes that I believe is an absolute guilty is driving while intoxicated or knowingly driving with a suspended or revoked license. There is really no way in being innocent when you are caught for these crimes. All in all just about everyone that gets arrested should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. References Samaha, J. , 2011, Criminal Law (Tenth Edition), Wadsworth Cengage Learning Summary of Casey Anthony Murder Trial, 2011, The Caylee Daily

Duty of Care and Contractual Agreements in Architecture

Duty of Care and Contractual Agreements in Architecture Section 1 Clearly explain what particular requirements must be in place for a Contract to exist between two parties? For a contract to exist between two parties there must be evidence of three key principles. An intention between all involved parties to form a legally binding relationship. A consideration (usually monetary) for the agreement. The offer and acceptance of the stated agreement. The intention of a legally binding relationship from each party must be formal; a moral obligation alone is insufficient. As such, articles such The Memorandum of Agreement outline the requirements of parties when intending to enter a contract. For a contract to exist the promise must be enforceable with a consideration. It is the party who provides this bargain who enforces the contract. Once a consideration is provided, all parties are drawn into privity of contract. The consideration is decided by the parties involved and the level of adequacy is irrelevant, it must be offered and accepted for the agreement to mature into a contract. As such, an offer without an acceptance is merely a pre-contractual agreement, not binding in law. In any case, for a contract to exist all terms of the offer must be accepted and a consideration provided. However, there is no requirement for a written document for most types of contract. An oral contract is legally binding providing there has been acceptance of an offer. From a legal stand-point, difficulty can be avoided if documentary evidence is provided of an agreement. The four corners rule allows a contract to be recorded and subsequently is easier to enforce in law. Explain what is meant by the term Duty of Care and what are the implications upon the architect? A duty of care is a legal obligation in tort law imposed on the Architect requiring they exercise a standard of reasonable care and diligence whilst carrying out professional work that could foreseeably harm others. Any failure in an Architects duty of care can result in an action in negligence where they become liable in tort law. Furthermore, a duty of care is also applicable in agency outside of any contractual arrangement. It is not required that a duty of care be defined by law, however, it often develops through the jurisprudence of common law. In this respect, a duty of care can be interpreted as a formalisation of the social contract and implicit responsibilities of the individual towards others in society. It is an ARB requirement that Architects adhere to the established standards of the profession and exercise due skill, care and diligence,whilst carrying out professional work within agreed time-frames and without unnecessary delay. For a duty of care to be breached, the following must be true: Harm must be reasonably foreseeable of the defendants conduct. A relationship of proximity between the defendant and the claimant. It must be fair, just and reasonableto impose liability. Explain the term Joint and Several Liability and how does it impact upon particular forms of architectural Practice? Under Joint and Several Liability, a client may pursue an obligation against any single party as if they were jointly liable. The responsibility then passes to the defendants who must establish their respective percentages of liability and monetary payment. Therefore, if a claimant pursues a single defendant and receives all the damages, that defendant must then pursue the other libelous parties to obtain contributions proportionate to their share of liability. Joint and Several liability is most relevant in tort claims and most often invoked in cases of negligence. Architects seek to establish a clear and properly defined agreement with specific reference to the understanding and expectations of the client. These agreements provide an assured basis on which the commission can be undertaken. Furthermore, the chosen form of appointment will determine the limit of the Architects liability and accountability. Architects also seek to limit their risk and liability through their chosen form of architectural practice. For Example, Limited Liability Partnerships and Companies cannot be jointly or several liable with its members liability determined by their stakehold in the partnership or shareholding in the company. Explain what is meant by the term Lean Construction. Lean construction is a method of designing production systems to minimize the time, effort and material waste of a project to generate the maximum amount of value. The process itself is derived from the lean production system within the manufacturing industry. It is fundamental that the production system is designed through a collaboration of project participants (Client, Architect, Engineer, Contractor, Building Owner) at the earliest stages of the project. It is based on the premise that desired ends affect the means to achieve these ends, and that available means will affect realized ends. The principles of Lean Construction are as follows: Allow value to flow by systematically removing obstacles to value creation and dispensable processes that create no value. Optimisation of the system through collaboration and systematic learning. Priority on delivering the Client/End-user/Building Owners expected value. Creating Pull Production. The pursuit of perfection/continual improvement, involving everyone in the system. Lean construction supplements traditional construction management by considering material and information flow, focusing on the enhancement of the production systems value generation. Therefore, a project using the Lean Construction method should: Deliver maximum functionality. Benefit end-users with the lowest optimum cost of ownership. Eliminate the inefficiency and waste in the use of labour and materials. Involve specialist suppliers in design from the beginning to achieve integration and buildability. Establish performance and improvement achievements by measurement. Use a single point of contact for effective co-ordination and clear responsibility. Explain and define what is meant by a Letter of Intent. What are the circumstances under which it may be issued, what may be its objectives and what are the principal matters that it should contain? A Letter of Intent is a document that outlines an agreement between two or more parties before the agreement is finalised. They resemble written contracts but are not legally binding for the parties involved. However, letters of intent can contain provisions that are legal binding such as a covenant to negotiate in good faith, non-disclosure agreements and stand-still provisions that promise exclusive negotiation rights. It can also be interpreted as binding if it resembles a formal contract too closely. Therefore, the letter of intent is enforceable by the courts both in terms of the remuneration and the act. However, the letter of intent is not a contract; instead it is a unilateral agreement in which one party confirms an intention to enter a contract with another party. Most importantly, it must contain an instruction to act and confirmation of a consideration as payment. Letters of intent are usually issued to: Clarify the nature of complex transactions for the convenience of the parties involved. Provide safeguards in case of collapsed negotiations. Officially declare interest or intent. Allow work to continue quickly based on trust. Architects mainly use letters of intent for the purpose of negotiation. For example, following the first stage of tender, a letter of intent maybe issued to inform a contractor of their approval based on their proposal. The contractor can then contribute to the design before the second stage of tendering by providing detailed pricings and an overall building cost. Once the second stage of tendering is complete, a formal contract can be established between the parties. What are the principal factors that determine the choice of a particular contract form? To determine the most appropriate contract form, the Architect and client must first consider the priorities of the project in terms of time, cost and quality. These three factors are linked through a trade-off paradigm: Time results in increased cost and decreased quality. Cost results in increased time and decreased quality. Quality results in increased cost and increased time. They are all related and inter-dependant. If time is the priority, then the procurement method must allow sufficient time to consider all of the design issues properly at the pre-contract stage. The client is afforded predictability and additional time can be saved by allowing the contractor to resource their own materials, effective management, real-time planning and overlapping detailed design phases with actual construction. If cost is the priority, then a financial limit must be established that a contract sum cannot exceed. Certainty of cost is dependant upon comprehensive design, drawings and specification that accurately assesses cost at the tender stage. If quality is the priority, the issue and degree of quality in the finished building must be clearly defined and established from the outset through a specification. Also, the measure of quality must also be defined. The choice of contract type is also directly related to the chosen type of procurement. Each type of procurement type uses standard contract forms that are known and accepted by the industry. Most architects choose to use these standard forms as they are comprehensive, address common construction situations and take account of current legal decisions. Factors such as the complexity, size and overall value of the project may also inform the procurement route or contract type. In all situations the Architect as the lead consultant has the duty to advise the client of the long-term implications of their decisions. Section 2 The Design and Build process of procurement has been endorsed by the Public Sector as the preferred procurement option, on the basis that it is claimed that it offers certainty of contract sum and brings certain cost benefits. Consider and discuss the merits or otherwise of this approach in comparison with the Traditional method of procurement with particular reference to the role of the architect. (70 marks). Design and Build is a procurement method for project delivery whereby an individual contractor is contractually responsible for both the design and construction of a project. In recent years, the public-sector has moved towards Design and Build as the chosen procurement path as opposed to the traditional, three-party arrangement where design and construction are separately contracted. The public-sectors interest in Design and Build can be attributed to several potential benefits that are not always obtainable through alternative procurement methods. The following points outline the advantages. The Design and Build procurement route provides a single source of responsibility as the contractor is singularly responsible for any defect in both the construction and design of the project. This is of particular benefit to the building owner or client, who does not have to define whether such defects are brought about by a deficiency in design or construction. Instead, the contractor is jointly and severly liable for the complete works. In a traditional contract, it is the client who must first determine the nature and cause of a problem, before deciding whether it is the designer or contractor who is at fault. Design and Build is also a popular route for the public-sector client as the contractor is obliged to bear any additional cost that results from inadequate or defective plans provided by the design team. In a traditional contract, the client warrants the sufficiency of the plans and as such is liable for any increased cost because of inadequate design. In the Design and Build contract, it is the contractor who is responsible for the projects design as well as the construction. They are hired to meet the clients specific performance specifications rather than merely construct the building as in the traditional contract procurement. Hence, if the plans are inadequately drafted or designed, the contractor is unable to seek compensation from the client. It is widely recognised that Design and Build contracts enable a project to be completed within a shorter time-period than the traditional three-party arrangement. The interface between the designer and contractor, often adversarial in the traditional method, can become more open and hence foster a more co-operative arrangement and exchange of ideas that can make the project a faster process. Time savings are also made by fast-tracking construction of known elements before the specifications and drawings of unknown elements are complete. The phased-nature of the design essentially allows work to commence on site whilst the later phases of the project are still being designed. The same time-savings are unable to be made within a traditional contract as the contractor does not usually even submit a tender, let alone start work on-site, before the design and drawings of the Architect are finalised. The responsibility for meeting local controls such as planning, bylaws and legislation is placed with the contractor, which usually results in increased efficiency. The phased nature of the Design and Build method also allows the contractor to have increased control of the project and can result in lower costs for the client. The specific control of detailed design enables the contractor to use familiar construction methods and materials which increase the efficiency of the build process. By staggering the construction process, the contractor is able to order materials for upcoming phases, ahead of time and at a lower cost. The savings made on labour, materials and time are all passed on to the benefit of the client. It is considered that the Design and Build method reduces the requirement for independent professional representation. Public sector clients often prefer to limit the number of points of contact to restrict the amount of time, effort and in-house staff it requires to undertake a project. Often it will use Design and Build in conjunction with privatisation, whereby it contracts an independent party to undertake responsibilities previously held by the Government, such as land acquisition, project finance, design, construction, operation and ownership. This method, in its most complete form is represented by the turnkey and package deal options, whereby the client is uninvolved for the majority of the project and presented with the completed building. However, it is desirable to have an independent third party (usually an Architect) for the purpose of quality control. Without a third party, the contractor, who is hired to complete the project promptly and economically, also has the task of assessing the quality and quantity of its own work. Hence, the contractor has a potential conflict of interest and is likely to reduce quality in order to satisfy the clients other requirements. With the presence of a third-party, the client/owners interests are represented during the design and construction. Clients choose Design and Build contracts as usually a fixed price and contract sum can be negotiated. The client specifies the maximum price it is willing to pay for the project before it solicits a proposal from the Design and Build contractor for its specifications, configuration and materials. However, difficulty can arise when there is an increase in the cost of work and construction. The contractor can sometimes abuse the situation by recouping costs in other areas of the project and without a third party, the client finds it far more difficult to detect and control such situations than in a traditional contact form. Therefore, most Design and Build contracts are lump-sum and fixed price, but payments are completed on a cost-plus basis to facilitate potential increases in cost. Also, payments tend to be dependant on the achievement of project milestones. This allows the contractors progress to be measured and assessed by the client, allowing easier negotiation in terms of compe nsation where costs have significantly increased under a fixed-price contract. However, the Design and Build route is not without potential problems. Many architects, clients, building owners and contractors have varying opinions about the successes of this procurement type. The following points are amongst the potential disadvantages to using Design and Build in the public-sector. If a public-sector client chooses the Design and Build procurement path it is difficult to actively compare preliminary proposals from multiple contractors. The contractor is only responsible for satisfying the clients performance specification; therefore the designs may be wide-ranging in aesthetic and prioritise different issues depending on the contractors individual stand-point. As in the turnkey approach, the client or eventual building owner has little input into the design and final appearance of the building and as such, may be unsatisfied with the result. Also, as the contract is entered into by negotiation rather than competitive tendering, the client may not always achieve the lowest cost for the building. Therefore, unlike the traditional route, if a client wants to attract multiple preliminary proposals, they must provide an individual consideration for each contractor that submits a design package. This is a cost often overlooked in debating the value of Traditional vs. Design and Build procurement, as these fees are separated from the contract sum in the case of Design and Build. Another problem with tendering a Design and Build contract is the potential for the building to become a competition in under-design. Contractors will seek to meet the clients outline requirements whilst sacrificing quality, life-span, ease of maintenance, and value in a bid to offer the minimum price. In placing responsibility for both the design and construction in the contractors hands, the client forfeits control. Therefore the client has little input in assessing sub-standard work, claiming for variations, debating extensions of time or even using a termination clause due to excessive delay. To combat against this, it is again advisable to use a third-party design professional who can check the value and realism of the tendered bid. However, the monetary and time savings inherent to Design and Build contracts then become nominal as the time-period and expertise needed by the third-party to check the work of the contractor is both expensive and time-consuming. Such a third party can be appointed independently by the client, or be appointed through consultant switch or novation if they are the original designer/design team. Also, contractors seek to recoup the outlay of unsuccessful tenders with their successful tenders; therefore, the client will always pay a small premium for the work of their chosen contractor. Another disadvantage to the Design and Build arrangement is the difficulty of obtaining long-term contractual protection in terms of the suitability of the work. Many contractors use contracts where such insurance is prohibitively expensive and resultantly, commercially unviable for the client. Therefore, it is the clients responsibility to be aware of the extent of coverage of the contractors liability insurance. In the event of a defect in the design or construction of the project, the client may be unable to recuperate anything if the contractors insurance coverage or assets are insufficient to pay compensation, regardless of whether liability can be determined. Public sector clients often choose the Design and Build procurement route as the available financial resources of a contractor are normally greater than that of the professional individual or architectural practice, in the event of a post-completion failure. A potential problem with liability can arise when the Design and Build contractor hires an Architect as a sub-consultant. Most contractors professional indemnity insurance does not cover damages caused by defective design or specifications prepared by the Architect. Conversely, the Architects professional indemnity insurance does not cover damages caused by defective labour, materials or operations during the contractors construction process. Therefore, the contractor offers a warranty for an agreed (but usually limited) time-period based on the notion of negligence. However, the commercial and financial pressures of the Design and Build contract compel the contractor to essentially under-design the building as far as possible making failures within the building an increased likelihood. As a result, there is often a need for litigation to define whether the economy of the project surpasses the expected level of professional responsibility at the time of design and construction. Therefore in order to protect their building, the client should seek to obtain a warranty that guarantees the completed building is suitable for its intended purpose, regardless of defects incurred by the contractor. In the public sector, Design and Build contracts are usually awarded on subjective criteria such as value, experience and qualification. The public sector in particular has developed contractor evaluation and selection policies that try to mitigate against the risk of such subjective judgments. In many cases this is achieved by awarding contracts based on a point-scoring system with the highest scorer being appointed. However, this discretional points system implemented by public managers offers little objectivity in determining the adequate point allocation for individual elements of the proposed scheme. For instance, there is hardly any way to decide whether one contractors foundation system warrants 20 points or a different contractors warrants 22, it is completely subjective. Also the criteria used for marking generally do not relate to the specific building type, therefore analysing a contractors qualifications and experience presents a measure of competence but does not guarant ee a successful project outcome. There is also difficulty in reasonably comparing alternative design proposals in an effort to determine which represents the best value. For example, some contractors may offer higher quality plumbing whilst others offer better electrical systems. Therefore it is impossible to draw reasonable conclusions from dissimilar bids in terms of which proposal offers best value. Often, value can only be determined after the building has been completed. In conclusion, public owners look for procurement systems that meet the needs of the public whilst mitigating against legal problems and reducing administrative burden. The public-sector has favoured the Design and Build approach as the client can guarantee a total fixed project cost early in the process and the building can be constructed in a shorter time-period with more efficiency than other procurement systems. The contract type also allows an exploration of new solutions through an open dialogue between architect and contractor, in which the public benefit from the innovation and lower costs. As a result, the public-sectors involvement with Design and Build has increased over recent years. Fundamentally, the public requires its construction projects to be durable, environmental, functional and most importantly, fit for purpose. At the same time, it expects the government funded projects to represent good value and be economic in nature. Therefore, the public itself has little involvement or interest in which procurement system is utilised, however, they expect each project to fulfill its stated requirements within its allocated budget. It is the view of the public-sector, that Design and Build is the system best equipped to meet the publics expectations and provide the most transparent value for projects that are ultimately funded by the tax-payer. Bibliography Lupton S. Architects Job Book. (RIBA Enterprises 7th ed.) Chappell D Wills A. The Architect in Practice. (Blackwell Publishing 10th ed.) ARB. Architects Code: Standards of Conduct and Practice. (November 2002) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_and_Build http://www.lao.ca.gov/2005/design_build/design_build_020305.htm

Who Tamed Fire First? Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Who Tamed Fire First? The farther back in time we explore, the more room there seems to be for discrepancy among various theories regarding the history of the earth. One of the many disputed aspects of history concerns the nature of the relationship between humans and the environment. This paper will focus on the debate of the origin of first tamed fire. Was it Homo erectus or Homo sapiens? The widely accepted big bang theory of evolution "paints Homo erectus as no more than a smart ape," (McCrone, New Scientist, May 20, 2000, 31) with a, "15-minute culture," (McCrone, 34) incapable of manipulating his surrounding environment. Though even if we were to believe he was physically capable of accomplishing this act, McCrone explains, "controlling fire simply seemed too intellectually sophisticated a feat for this creature," who were, "primitive toolmakers, and showed no signs of symbolic thinking over the next million or more years of their existence," (McCrone, 31). Under this theory, any remains of fires from his time are written off as bush fires, lightning strikes, and other such naturally induced occurrences. It is not until Homo sapiens comes along that humans are considered to have begun to "master" their environment. A recent, more scientifically based analysis of ancient Chinese fires supports this same stance that Homo erectus was not the first to tame fire. The geological analysis took place at the Zhoukoudian site in China, where an opposing theory marks the first controlled fire at 500,000 years ago by Homo erectus' hands, (Wuethrich, Science Magazine, July 10, 1998). Though they confirmed recovering burnt bones from the site, there was no solid evidence to suggest the controlled use of fire, such as hearths,... ...order in our world. It gives us a past, present and future. Time also offers us a sense of perspective, so that we can make insights and connections, decide what is true and what is false, what is valuable and what is inconsequential. In this regard, the debate over the time and origin of the first tamed fire is an effective illustration of the ways in which time affects our perception of human kind and its relationship with the environment. Which theory of origin we ultimately choose to believe is particularly significant in that it gives insight into the way in which we view ourselves in relation to our past. Sources Cited: "Did Homo Erectus Tame Fire First?" Balter, Michael. Science. June 16, 1995. "Fired Up." McCrone, John. New Scientist, May 20, 2000. "Geological Analysis Damps Ancient Chinese Fires." Wuethrich, Bernice. Science Magazine, July 10, 1998.

Siddhartha and The Alchemist comparison essay

Every individual’s life is a journey. There are different stages in life that one goes through and by experiencing these different stages of life one becomes wiser. In the novel, Siddhartha and The Alchemist the protagonist Siddhartha and Santiago both go through man different stages in life which made them grow, learn and transform into wiser people. Both protagonists go on a journey which is eventually the same but the purpose of journey is different. Similarly, both protagonist struggles through their journey to become a wiser people. However, the end result for both protagonists was the same which is discovering themselves. Both the father discourages them for leaving their house and going on their journey.Siddhartha the protagonist in Siddhartha is the son of the respected and wealthiest Brahmin. However he is not happy even though he has everything he could ever ask for. Siddhartha realized that he made everyone else happy but that he himself wasn’t. He also got t he feeling that he had already learned the best of what his teachers had to teach but it still wasn’t enough. He still wasn’t satisfied. â€Å"Tomorrow morning, my friend Siddhartha is going to join the Samanas. He is going to become Samana† (Hesse, 9). . Samanas are monks who go around begging for food and they are known for their spirituality.Siddhartha thinks of joining the Samanas as he wanted to become spiritually knowledgeable and get rid of the â€Å"self†, which is a sense of greed and jealousy. But before he could go join Samanas he has to go ask his father’s permission to let him go. When Siddhartha goes to see his father to ask for permission his father was unhappy with Siddhartha’s decision because he wanted Siddhartha to stay home, take care of the house as well as take over the Brahmins position. But however, Siddhartha was not willing to take no for an answer and said â€Å"I will stand here and wait, you will grow tired Sidd hartha, I will grow tired, you will fall asleep Siddhartha, I will not fall asleep, you will die Siddhartha, I will die† (Hesse, 11) which shows his passionate desire for enlightenment.The father and son disagreement is also in Alchemist but it is less intense than the disagreement between Siddhartha and his father. Santiago is a young boy who decided that he did not want to become a priest but a shepherd. His father  tries to explain Santiago to think again about his decision of traveling by saying â€Å"Among us, the only ones who travels are the Shepherds† â€Å"well then I’ll be a shepherd† (Coelho, 9). While going against what was wanted of his parents, his father showed acceptance of his decision to become a shepherd by giving him three ancient Spanish gold coins. Santiago’s life as a shepherd and his journey started from that day.Santiago was comfortable with being a shepherd. He knew how to be a shepherd; he trusted the sheep and the sheep trusted him too. But being a shepherd did not truly make Santiago happy. One day Santiago was taking shelter with his sheep’s under the old church. He has the same dream every time he falls asleep under the sycamore tree that grows out of the ruin of the church. Santiago was so driven by the reoccurring of the same dream and eventually Santiago sold his flock of sheep and embarked on his great journey to the pyramids. Throughout the novel, each protagonist showed their strong will to go on journey even if it meant going against their family.The Protagonist in both novels faces obstacles along their journey but these obstacles made them stronger and wiser. On his journey to get answers for his question and reach Nirvana. Siddhartha struggles, starves, get burned and sacrifices his easy life and chooses this hard path just in order to gain Nirvana (enlightenment). As he leaves home to become Samana, he realizes that the path he has chosen is not the right one.† It was th e self, the character and to rid myself of the self, to conquer it, but I could not conquer it. I could only deceive it†¦..I am Siddhartha; and about nothing in the world do I know less than about myself, about Siddhartha† (Hesse, 38).Siddhartha struggles not knowing what to do, where to go and who he was. Siddhartha was trapped in a cycle of losing and regaining his self. â€Å"You have observed well, you have seen everything. You have seen Siddhartha, the son of Brahmin. Who left his home to become a Samana and who has been Samana for three years. But now, I have left that path and came into this city, and the first one I met, even before I had entered the city, was you. To say this, I have come to you, oh Kamala! You are the first woman whom Siddhartha is not addressing with his eyes turned to the ground. Never again will I love my eyes when I meet a beautiful women† (Hesse, 53).Things suddenly changes after meeting Kamala. Siddhartha starts getting involved in the things that he was once against which are pleasure and money. He struggles and works  hard in-order to impress Kamala. In the same way, Santiago faces numerous obstacles along his journey as well. On his journey when Santiago arrives in tangier, he meets a boy who is his age who speaks Spanish and offered to help him get to the pyramids. When they were about to leave the bar owner grabs Santiago and tells him something. â€Å"The boy push the owner aside and pulls Santiago outside with him† and tells him that â€Å"the owner wanted Santiago’s money† (Coelho, 37). But the owner of the bar was trying to warn Santiago about his new friend. Santiago ends up getting tricked and losing all his money.He later realize the bar owner was trying help him. After that incident he ends up working at a crystal shop in order to earn money for his trip. Another obstacle he faces is when there was a battle going on in the desert. Some armies blocked him and the alchemist fr om going. The alchemist told the armies that Santiago is someone† who understand the force of nature† (Coelho, 163). By listening to what alchemist said. The armies put Santiago on test. If he fails they would kill him. Both protagonists go through a lot of obstacles on their journey. Having the ability to succeed to your personal legend, and find self-discovery allows people to open their minds and see the world for what it really is and how everything has a purpose in life.On his path to self-discovery, Siddhartha, had to confront many challenges, such as leaving his family, friends, and loved ones as he kept going on his journey. Siddhartha overcame these problems through introspection and help from others Siddhartha couldn’t figure out how he could find Nirvana (enlightenment). He understood it when his son left him to follow his own dreams. â€Å"His face resembles that of another person, whom he had once known and loved and even feared. It resembles the fac e of his father, the Brahmin. He remember how once, as a youth, he had compelled his father to let him go and join the ascetics, how he had taken leave of him, how he had gone and never returned†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.had not his father died long time ago, alone, without having seen his son again?† (Hesse, 131).He realizes that he wouldn’t have been able to stop his son just; like how his father wasn’t able to stop from leaving. Santiago’s dream was to make it to the pyramids, but the adventure that he found himself on in order to get to those pyramids taught him more than he ever thought. â€Å"He thought many roads he have travelled, and of the strange way god have chosen to show him  his treasure. If he hasn’t believed in the significance of recurrent dreams, he would not have met the gypsy women, the king, the thief or†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Coelho, 165). He learns many things on the way to find his treasure. Therefore, his journey becomes successful as he fi nds treasure.While staying with the crystal shop owner he learns that â€Å"every blessing ignored becomes a curse† (Hesse, 58). And also learns that it is necessary to adopt different methods in order to succeed in life. Siddhartha and Santiago come across things that came in their heart which made them wiser. Throughout the novel, each protagonist shows that their life is a journey, not a destination, and that the real treasure is in the journey itself. They showed strong determination which resulted in success of their journey. Each protagonist faces numerous obstacles which made them grow wiser and they discover their true selves.

buy custom The United States essay

buy custom The United States essay United States was a democratic country with open society and based on freedom of an individual. It was an open society that was protected by laws as it was defined by the constitution of the United States. At the same time, market mechanism that was based on American society, allowed individuals or private firms, to engage in free trade or exchange without interferences from government authority arbitrary actions. This resulted to various conflicts like the conflict between the open society, social values and market values. This was covered up during the era of President Ronald Reagans presidency in 1980s. People elected their representatives in United States to represent them at various levers of power. Those representatives were supposed to represent the peoples interest but contrary, they put their interest ahead mainly due to money and the capitalism effect as they tried to maximize on the amount of profits that got into their pockets. This is how the capitalism and issues to do with money affected the social welfare of the people and the public interest. This generally brought conflict between the public and private interest. In United States, the political process was supposed to serve interest of the common people but this changed with time. In Americas politics, capitalism hijacked the interest of politicians to help the society; instead they served their own interests. The elected representatives were beholden by their election financers and not electorate interests. This brought conflict between the society and the whole idea behind the capitalism. That conflict was extended even to social sector where few rich people target was to make profits through social amenities. This was due to special interest people were putting on their priorities. Although a lot was being done by the United States government, the overall winner was few individuals who were continuing to gain. They were gaining more and more profits making a lot people to join the idea behind serving their own interest. In Britain, mercantilism reduced in mid-18th century when an economic theorist group led by Adam Smith, challenged the doctrines of mercantilist in believing that the wealth of the world was to remain constant. They went ahead to say that the state would increase its wealth on expense of another. In mid 18th century, there rose industrial capitalism which was made possible by accumulation of huge amount of capital, that was under the merchant phase of capitalism and its investment in the machinery. The industrial capitalism which is dated from 18th century signified the start of the systems of manufacturing development, complex labor division within the work process and the global domination of capitalism production mode. The resulted industrial revolution was the merchant being replaced by industrialist, who became dominant in capitalist system. This made a declination of the traditional handicraft skills of the artisans, journeymen and the guilds. Also in this era, capitalism marke d the change of relations between peasants and the British landowning gentry. This transformation gave rise to cash crop production mainly for market rather than for subsistence use. There was increased agriculture mechanization which was mainly encouraged by the surplus generated by commercial agriculture rise in Britain. Another major change that resulted due to rise of industrial capitalism was the decline of mercantilism. In Mid to late 19th century, Britain was broadly considered as the typical case of laissez faire capitalism which gained a lot of favor over mercantilism in 1840s in Britain. In same years, there was a repeal of the com laws and navigation Acts, these were in line with the teachings of Adam Smith and David Ricardo who were classical political economists. Britain embraced liberalism where it encouraged competition and market economy development. Buy custom The United States essay

Plasma Displays essays

Plasma Displays essays Up until the past couple of years, most televisions have been built around the same technology. This technology is the cathode ray tube. In CRT televisions, a gun fires a beam of electrons into a large glass tube. The electrons send phosphor atoms to an excited state that causes them to light up. They have good images, but they also have one big problem. They take up a lot of space and are very heavy. Now scientists wanted to find a better way to fit a big television in a small room. They came up with the plasma flat panel display. They still come in large sizes, but are only about six inches thick. Plasma televisions illuminate tiny colored fluorescent lights to form an image. Each pixel is made up of three fluorescent lights. A red, green, and blue light. The plasma display varies the intensities of the different lights to produce a full range of colors like the CRT televisions. Plasma is the central element in a fluorescent light. Plasma is a gas made up of free flowing ions. When free electrons are put into the gas, there is an electrical voltage established. The free electrons collide with the atoms, and knock loose other electrons. When an atom loses an electron, it gets a positive charge and becomes an ion. This causes many negatively charged particles and many positively charge particles to rush around the area. While they are all rushing around, particles are constantly colliding with each other. When there is a collision, an atom goes to an exited state. When it drops back to its normal state, it gives off a small amount of energy. The types of atoms used in plasma televisions are xenon and neon. The reason these atoms are used is because they give off light energy. The gases in plasma televisions are contained by tiny cells between two plates of glass. Long electrodes are also positioned between the gases on each side of the cells. The two electrodes are address electrodes and d ...

Final Strategic Plan

Final Strategic Plan An organization depends upon the strength of its strategic plan to guide the business toward the ultimate goals of fulfilling the need of a customer and making a profit. This is a simple statement; however, the process in building this plan is not simple. In the formation of a company, a mission statement, a vision statement, and guiding principles or values are established in order to communicate to the customer and the employee the purpose of its business. These 3 components are the foundation of the company of which objectives and goals are built. Using tools such as SWOTT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and trends, and the balanced scorecard to set objectives, measures, targets, and initiatives, a strategic plan can maintain alignment with the mission, vision, and guiding principles. The strategic plan for Rooms of Taste Tea House has been created and will be further explained in the following sections.Professor Ambrose SwottRooms of Taste Tea House is a small family-owned business which is operated by a mother and daughter partnership employing a small staff of 7 employees. The business is located in a small shopping district of a historic town in southeast Texas whose target customers are mainly female in gender. The tea house offers a select menu based on 5 dining rooms which vary according to the changing themes of each room and is only opened for lunch, Monday through Saturday. Each room can accommodate 16 people based on 4 tables of 4, 2 tables of 8, or one table of 16. Rooms of Taste Tea House also provides services to private events in the evening hours such as wedding rehearsal dinners and adult birthday parties with a wide variety of menu options from which to choose.According to Entrepreneur (2009), "A mission statement defines what an...

Google Inc Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Google Inc Business Strategy - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  the analysis of strategic framework of an organization can be done by using the framework of the Generic model proposed by Michael Porter. The model states that a firm can pursue four strategies that include overall cost leadership, focus, differentiation and differentiation focus strategies. Depending on the business and the market environment a firm can either chose one strategy or a combination of these strategies.   Overall cost leadership strategy involves a strategic framework in which a business organization lowers its cost of operations and uses the cost benefits to sell products at lower prices than their competitors. Business organizations using a differentiation strategy provide a unique product or service offering that is unmatched by the competitors in the industry segment.   In the present study the choice of Porter’s generic strategies has been selected because of the fact that Google has a large number of business units and the framework of the generic model proposed by Porter would help in a better understanding of the business strategies of Google. Porter’s generic strategies would not only help analyse the past and present strategies but would also give an idea about the future course of strategic endeavours that would be pursued by the organization.  Google is one organization that is synonymous with internet as it is the largest search engine company.  ... l cost leadership strategy involves a strategic framework in which a business organization lowers its cost of operations and uses the cost benefits to sell products at lower prices than their competitors. Business organizations using a differentiation strategy provide a unique product or service offering that is unmatched by the competitors in the industry segment. Firms using such a strategy normally charge a premium for their uniqueness in the product or service offering and generate their core competence based on their innovations. Focus strategy involves targeting a very core and niche consumer segment and providing services that tend to cater to the very specific needs of the customers (Botten, 2007, p.263). Bowman’s strategic clock (refer annexure 2) also includes the above dimensions of Porter’s strategic model in addition to the inclusion of competitive rivalry within the industry (Drews, 2010, p.8). In the present study the choice of Porter’s generic str ategies has been selected because of the fact that Google has a large number of business units and the framework of the generic model proposed by Porter would help in a better understanding of the business strategies of Google. Porter’s generic strategies would not only help analyse the past and present strategies but would also give an idea about the future course of strategic endeavours that would be pursued by the organization. Analysis and Evaluation of Google Strategy Google is one organization that is synonymous with internet as it is the largest search engine company. In addition to search engine that constitutes the bulk of its business, the company also has many other business units that includes video streaming, online social networking etc. The main source of revenue for the company comes

Work Based Learning in the Creative and Cultural Industries Assignment - 1

Work Based Learning in the Creative and Cultural Industries - Assignment Example When examining the swine flu and the responses that are a part of the work place and society, there is also a relation to the media and the way that information is portrayed to society. From one angle, the swine flu and the implications of this virus should be based on complete and truthful information. Having this would allow the public to respond in the correct way and would create a difference in how culture, businesses and different arenas of life looked at the flu. However, there are also other angles that the media adds into the swine flu and different pieces of news. Instead of basing this on complete fact and information, there is a change in the information that is presented. Often, this comes from limited knowledge on the swine flu. At other times, this is related to the cultural stigma that is surrounding what is happening. While writing this report, I found that it is important to recognize what the media is saying as well as how knowledgeable they are on a subject. It is important to look beyond cultural expectations, information that is presented at a surface level and the way that society responds as a whole as well as in places such as the work place. Looking at the way that media depicts certain ideas and being able to distinguish beyond this is essential to finding the real information and knowledge that is a part of different epidemics, such as the swine

Male Control the Social World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Male Control the Social World - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that the males watch over the female gender to ensure that they are as disciplined as possible. As a protector of the female gender, men are supposed to see to it that their sisters and daughters do not have sexual relationships until they are married. They also watch over daughters, sisters and wives to ensure they do not engage in extramarital affairs. Basically, the females must have sexual purity if they are to deserve men, and those men have to make sure of the sexual purity by always watching over the females. In this case of the Middle Eastern communities, the male-controlled society only exercises supervision on females, while the females would never supervise men.This study highlights that the Samba society also emphasizes one fact; that women always carry pollutants. Initiating males involves ritual activities which include removal of female (feminine) pollutants imbued into their bodies throughout the duration of mother’s care. This is a clear show of how impure females are perceived to be. Again during love-making, the Samba men are believed to have feminine pollutants imbued on their bodies by their sexual partners. Initiation involves training the Samba males on how to remove feminine pollutants imbued on their bodies during love-making. In this scenario, females are associated with perpetual dirt which men must always remove. Additionally, men are so much in control and are unsupervised by females.   Ã‚  

Real and personal property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Real and personal property - Essay Example Property is usually divided into two aspects; the first being the personal property and the second is real property. Real property is usually restricted to matter revolving around land or what is sometimes called ‘in rem’. On the other hand, personal property revolves around chattels or what may sometimes be defined as ‘in personam’. In modern law, property can be examined under a series of models.; the first one amongst these is property as a fact. The second is property as a right and the third is property as a responsibility. In the legal system, real and personal property ownership is governed by property law rights when considering the common law system. In the civil law legal system, there is a distinction between movable and immovable property. Real property is largely encompassed by immovable property while personal property is associated with movable property. Consequently, the rights associated with these types of property are entailed in property law. (Liuzzo & Bonnice, 2005) In legal terms, the process of declaring that certain property belongs to an individual is not adequate enough to constitute property. Instead, this matter is usually all embracing when certain persons need to have their rights to chattels or land respected and enforced by the law. It is essential for one to acquire property legitimately in accordance to the law so as to seek its protection. This is usually acquired by possession of a title to that property. There are a series of differences that arise when one considers the issue of personal versus real property. The most outstanding difference among them is with regard to immobility. Usually, real property can be considered immobile while personal property is mobile. This means that the rule governing the latter’s transference are radically different from those governing the former. Real property

How can website design be improved by the study of ergonomics Essay

How can website design be improved by the study of ergonomics - Essay Example This design of human-machine interface is based on the basic instincts and psychology of human like clicking an icon on a touchpad to initiate an application. Bob Boie developed the first touch screen pad at Bell Labs in 1984 that allowed the users to manipulate the graphics with their fingers. However, it is recently that electronic device manufacturers have started exploiting this technology for consumers like using finger touch to open a book and turn pages that give a feel similar to real world. In this research, three websites categories from Webby Award’s website; Charitable Organizations/Non-profit, Social Networking and e-Commerce focusing different area were evaluated for ergonomics on a number of factors including navigation, search, layout of information, quality of text and others by users of hand held devices using a 15 points questionnaire. The results indicated that websites were ratings were dissimilar for navigation and usefulness by experienced and inexperien ced users; however, ergonomics quality of the website needed improvements. For this developers, need to concentrate on web layout, structure and improvements in navigation. This would improve not only the ergonomics of the website but also the website overall impression resulting in increased frequency of website visitors. Table of Contents ABSTRACT 1 1.1 Introduction 6 1.2 Rationale and Theoretical Framework 2 2. Literature Review 5 2.1 Human Factors and Ergonomics 5 2.2 The Expansion of Internet 6 2.3 Human Computer Interaction 7 2.4 Major Web Design Mistakes 8 2.4.1 Bad Search 8 2.4.2 Online Reading of PDF Files 9 2.4.3 Colours of Visited Links Remain Unchanged 9 2.4.4 Non Scannable Test 10 2.4.5 Fixed Font Size 10 2.4.6 Pages Titles with Low Search Engine Visibility 11 2.4.7 Any Thing That Looks Like an Advertisement 11 2.4.8 Violating Design Conventions 12 2.4.9 Opening New Browser Windows 12 2.4.10 Not Answering User’s Questions 12 2.5 Web Interface Design 12 2.5.1 Plan Structure 13 2.5.2 Content Design 13 2.5.3 Consistency 13 2.5.4 Make Web Interface Accessible 14 2.5.5 Solid Navigational Base 14 2.5.6 Put User Input into Perspective 14 2.6 Ergonomics Method for Website Design 15 2.6.1 Planning of Design 15 2.6.2 Content Analysis 16 2.6.3 Organizing Information 16 2.6.4 Process Analysis 16 2.6.5 Design and Development 16 2.6.6 Designing for Global Users 17 2.6.7 Usability Testing 17 2.6.8 Conducting Usability Testing and Evaluation 17 2.6.9 Offline Usability Testing 18 2.6.10 Maintenance 18 2.6.11 Checking Website Integrity 18 2.7 Hand Held Devices and Web Interaction 19 3. Research Methodology 20 3.1 Research Design 20 3.1.1 Exploratory Research 20 3.1.2 Conclusive Research 20 3.1.3 Descriptive Research 21 3.1.4 Casual Research 21 3.2 Quantitative and Qualitative Research 22 3.3 Data Collection Methodology 22 3.3.1 Structured Interviews 22 3.3.2 Survey Questionnaire 23 3.4 Design of Questionnaire 23 3.4.1 Structure of Questionnaire 23 3.4.2 Ques tion Types 23 3.5 Sampling 25 4. Findings and Discussions 26 4.1 Respondent’s Profile 26 4.2 e-Commerce Websites 30 4.2.1 Navigation 31 4.2.2 User Considerations 32 4.2.3 Website Usefulness 32 4.3 Charitable Organizations / Non-profit 34 4.3.1 Navigation 35 4.3.2 User Considerations 35 4.3.3 Website Usefuln

How could HMV survive in digital word Literature review

How could HMV survive in digital word - Literature review Example At the same time, presence of a large population of suppliers has their bargaining power related to packaging materials and recording disks (Watson and Spence, 2007). The bargaining power of retail music customers have increased substantially. Customers in the UK music sector can be divided as corporate and individual. With evolution of download services and legal streaming, the e-shops and streaming services, such as, iTunes, have become popular among consumers. As a result of rise in illegal streaming, people are currently buying lesser number of records (Wikstro, 2005). Corporate consumers in this industry include offline and online retailers involved in bulk purchases of albums from the music labels. These entities include stores like, Game and HMV, as well as online stores like, AmazonMP3, iTunes and Zune. Stringent contracts, along with increasing sources where consumers can download songs and videos illegally, have lowered the bargaining power of corporate customers (Rust, Kannan and Peng, 2002). Established and branded music labels are spending millions in test marketing, recording as well as image-development campaigns so as to ensure competency and quality of the artist, before making a public launch. These areas need implementation of special skills as well as huge access to money. Furthermore, these campaigns are supported by exhaustive distribution network and wide reach in terms of online distributing partners (Michel, 2006). These online partners are also helpful for immediate album distribution to exact locations. Also, the bigger brands can easily use their industry contacts during concert organisation, album promotion shows or for creating buzz for different artists. As these facilities are not available to newer brands, initial risks as well as capital expenditures are higher compared to that of the established brands. Then again,

Real and personal property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Real and personal property - Essay Example Property is usually divided into two aspects; the first being the personal property and the second is real property. Real property is usually restricted to matter revolving around land or what is sometimes called ‘in rem’. On the other hand, personal property revolves around chattels or what may sometimes be defined as ‘in personam’. In modern law, property can be examined under a series of models.; the first one amongst these is property as a fact. The second is property as a right and the third is property as a responsibility. In the legal system, real and personal property ownership is governed by property law rights when considering the common law system. In the civil law legal system, there is a distinction between movable and immovable property. Real property is largely encompassed by immovable property while personal property is associated with movable property. Consequently, the rights associated with these types of property are entailed in property law. (Liuzzo & Bonnice, 2005) In legal terms, the process of declaring that certain property belongs to an individual is not adequate enough to constitute property. Instead, this matter is usually all embracing when certain persons need to have their rights to chattels or land respected and enforced by the law. It is essential for one to acquire property legitimately in accordance to the law so as to seek its protection. This is usually acquired by possession of a title to that property. There are a series of differences that arise when one considers the issue of personal versus real property. The most outstanding difference among them is with regard to immobility. Usually, real property can be considered immobile while personal property is mobile. This means that the rule governing the latter’s transference are radically different from those governing the former. Real property

How could HMV survive in digital word Literature review

How could HMV survive in digital word - Literature review Example At the same time, presence of a large population of suppliers has their bargaining power related to packaging materials and recording disks (Watson and Spence, 2007). The bargaining power of retail music customers have increased substantially. Customers in the UK music sector can be divided as corporate and individual. With evolution of download services and legal streaming, the e-shops and streaming services, such as, iTunes, have become popular among consumers. As a result of rise in illegal streaming, people are currently buying lesser number of records (Wikstro, 2005). Corporate consumers in this industry include offline and online retailers involved in bulk purchases of albums from the music labels. These entities include stores like, Game and HMV, as well as online stores like, AmazonMP3, iTunes and Zune. Stringent contracts, along with increasing sources where consumers can download songs and videos illegally, have lowered the bargaining power of corporate customers (Rust, Kannan and Peng, 2002). Established and branded music labels are spending millions in test marketing, recording as well as image-development campaigns so as to ensure competency and quality of the artist, before making a public launch. These areas need implementation of special skills as well as huge access to money. Furthermore, these campaigns are supported by exhaustive distribution network and wide reach in terms of online distributing partners (Michel, 2006). These online partners are also helpful for immediate album distribution to exact locations. Also, the bigger brands can easily use their industry contacts during concert organisation, album promotion shows or for creating buzz for different artists. As these facilities are not available to newer brands, initial risks as well as capital expenditures are higher compared to that of the established brands. Then again,

The Personal Analytical Paper Essay Example for Free

The Personal Analytical Paper Essay Often times, I find myself sitting alone, reading a book or enjoying a cup of coffee. Sometimes I could sit for hours in a coffee shop just by myself. I contemplate on the things that are going on in my life. I think of the issues and problems that are bothering me. I try to sort out the many things that trouble me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I cannot help but question myself, why do I prefer to keep my problems to myself? Why do I choose not to open up to other people? My best friend has asked me this question several times. Why can’t I let others in?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I try to figure out the answer to my question, I begin to analyze the other facets of myself. Am I anti-social? Am I a loner? Can I not mingle with other people? If I answer yes to any of these questions then I need not explore any further for they would explain why I prefer to keep things to myself. However, I cannot say that I am completely anti-social. I cannot say that I am a loner nor can I say that I do not mingle with other s for I do. I go out; I socialize and have fun but when it comes to personal matters, particularly personal struggles and problems, I tend not to open up to anyone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other people would call their closest friends at times of trouble. Others would seek help or simply look for a comforting shoulder or an ear willing to listen. I myself have friends who would call me and tell me their issues no matter how big or small. They would open up about the simplest problems to the most complicated ones. I listen and offer my shoulder so why do I not seek out the same things when I have the same problems? It is not that I do not have anyone to turn to for I believe I have sincere and true friends around. It is not that I think my friends would not understand for I know that they are more than capable of helping me analyze the situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   So why can’t I open up to them? Why do I prefer to sit with a book or a cup of coffee to sort out my problems? As I figure out the answers to these questions over a cup of dark roast coffee, as I usually do, I realize that it is just my nature to handle things on my own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since I was young, my parents have raised me to become independent. They tried to instill in me the value of knowing what I can do and doing it. They taught me that if I can do something on my own then I should just do it on my own. As I look back on my past, I realized that even though help has been offered so many times in so many different situations I have always preferred to do things on my own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I realized that my coffee shop sessions were merely my planning and organizing phase. It is at these times when I try to figure out if there’s anything I can do to resolve the problems I face. The coffee sessions alone are my version of private space. As I look around in the coffee shop I feel connected to the world yet at the same time I feel that I have my own space and time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having coffee alone, in my case, is not a sign of being a loner. Rather it is a sign of every individual belonging to the same world yet at the same time having his own little world to explore and contemplate on.

Theories on Employee Relations

Theories on Employee Relations Unitarist, Pluralist and Marxist perspective have been described for understanding and analyzing employee relations. Each of them provides a different interpretation towards workplace conflict, the role of unions and job regulation (Edwards, 2003). In other words, those three perspectives hold different views against conflict in the employee relations. The following paragraphs will introduce three perspectives one by one. After that, it will summarize the differences among them. Unitarist perspective Seeing from the Unitarist perspective, the organization is regarded as an integrated and harmonious group of people with one loyalty culture. Specified explanations are as follows. Such an organization attaches much importance to mutual cooperation. Moreover, all employees within the organization share a mutual purpose. In addition, this perspective similar to paternalism has a high requirement for the loyalty of all employees. The management of such an organization is outstanding due to its emphasis and application. For this reason, it has been concluded that trade unions are not necessary for the mutual exclusiveness of the loyalty between organizations and employees. However, the conflict on employee relations is considered pathological and disruptive outcome caused by interpersonal friction, communication breakdown, as well as agitators (Kaufman, 2004). Pluralist perspective From the perspective of Pluralist, organization is made up of various sectional groups. Each group has its legal loyalties, goals and leaders. Particularly, management and trade unions are two remarkable sectional groups in the Pluralist perspective. As a result, the main job responsibility of management is not enforcement and control but persuasion and coordination. However, trade unions are acted as lawful delegates of employees. The conflict is inevitable here and the conflict in the Pluralistic perspective is solved by collective bargaining. Generally speaking, conflict is always associated with bad things. However, conflict if being managed well can also take place evolution and positive change from the perspective of Pluralism (Kaufman, 2004). Marxist perspective Marxist perspective is also called radical perspective. This perspective is to reveal the nature of the capitalist society. It thinks that workplace relations are against the history. It recognizes inequalities in power in the employment relationship and in wider society as a whole. Consequently, conflict is perceived as an inevitable result. Whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more, a natural response regarding workers against the capitalism exploitation is seen as trade unions. The managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s position would be improved by institutions of joint regulation from the view of Marxism if having the periods of acquiescence, because they suppose rather than challenge the proceeding of capitalism (Hyman, 1975). Differences among three perspectives According to the descriptions toward three perspectives, it is obviously that they have different understandings against conflict. The Unitarist view perceives conflict as a word with derogatory sense and it puts forward three reasons of generating conflict such as agitators, interpersonal friction and communication breakdown. It employs a paternalistic approach, so it is short of the conflict between capital and labor which is the focus of Marxist perspective. Moreover, it does not refer to the solution. On the contrary, the Pluralist view indicates that collective bargaining is the way of tackling conflict. Another difference lies in that sometimes conflict can be positive. It implies the importance of conflict management. It can be seen that the Pluralist view pays much attention to conflict resolution and how to how to manage conflict. Moreover, it considers that the power between parties with different interests is equal, which is just opposite to the Marxist perspective. Actual ly, the Marxist view is very radical. From its point of view, the inevitability of conflict comes from the inequalities of powers caused by capitalism exploitation. That is to say, different from Unitarist perspective, the Marxist perspective gives different reasons of bringing about conflict. Appropriate perspective for analyzing employee relations in the UK In this part, it will firstly describe the development process of employee relations in the UK. Afterwards, it will prove that three perspectives can be applied to analyze the British employee relations but the Pluralist perspective is the most appropriate view for analyzing British employee relations. According to the definition of collective bargaining by International Labor Organization, one party of collective bargaining is one employer, some employers or one or several employer organizations while the other party is one or several worker organization (Herman, 1998). It is obviously that the collective bargaining is not feasible without the union of workers. In Medieval England, the relationship between employers and employees was equal but not class relations. As usual, most of competent employees would live in a separate house or married the daughter of employers. The sprout of the capitalist way of production provided possibility for the emergence of industrial relations. The distinction of manufacturing rights and power of management, the division of employers and employees, as well as the existence of a great many permanent labors provided soil for the generation of the trade union. At the early stage of capitalism, there was not law or system to guarantee the basic life o f employees. In order to make a living, workers must negotiate with employers. Although a lot of inequalities existed between them, workers did not have enough countervailing power through individual negotiation or signing contract with each worker. In order to improve life and working conditions, labors gradually united and struggled with employers. At the end of 1600s, trade union emerged as the times require. Because the industrial workers did not form strong hierarchy, the primary labor movement was only limited to the range of manual workers. One of important role of the early trade union on behalf of workers was to negotiate with employers for salary, employment conditions and so on. At the end of 1700s, the collective agreement between employment labor organizations and employers came to the UK, which is the earliest collective agreement in the world (Fraser, 1999). The UK as the source origin of Industrial Revolution is also a country developing trade union movement earliest in the world (Williams and Smith, 2006). Therefore, the British labor relations system is with distinctive characteristics. In the development history of British Labor Laws, collective bargaining is regarded as an effective way to resolve labor disputes. Before the Second World War, the collective bargaining in the UK was mainly a national negotiation. The national collective agreement covered most of workers. Until 1970s, some local collective bargaining emerged. More and more employers started to withdraw from national collective bargaining. Corporate-level collective bargaining gradually occupied dominant position replacing national collective bargaining (Gospel, 1998). Moreover, the government also supported decentralized collective bargaining and the regulatory institutions such as wages council were abolished. In addition, the British law fully protected the interests of members of trade union and stated a variety of immunities against trade unions so that they would not be charged owing to strikes or other industrial actions. However, collective bargaining has begun to suffer multifarious criticisms since 1980s. Someone criticized that the collective bargaining was too disruptive, because the breakdown of collective bargaining brought about too frequently industrial actions so as to weaken domestic economic competitiveness. As a result, the coverage of collective bargaining gets smaller and smaller. According to the statistics, the coverage has already decreased from 70% in 1984 to 41% in1998 (Addison and Siebert, 2002). In any way, collective bargaining was the basis of the British employee relations for much of the 20th century. Based on the introduction of employee relations in the UK, it can be seen that the British collectivism has already went through the development process from sprout to be legal. In Medieval England, the relationship between employers and employees can be explained with the paternalistic approach. Employers and employees were loyal with the ideal of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“a happy familyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and did not need the trade union to solve conflicts, which is the emphasis of the Unitarist perspective. Consequently, the inequalities existed between employers and employees at the beginning stage of capitalism. Employees were exploited by employers, but they had not enough strong power to solve them. For this reason, the inequalities in power in employment relationship can be analyzed by the Marxist view. After that period of time, the trade union came into being and was firstly responsible for negotiating with employers regarding the issues of wage and employment condition. Afterwards, the collective agreement emerged in the UK with the improvement of trade union. Moreover, the diversification of employees created conditions for the expansion of trade unions and members. As a result, the form of collective bargaining was more common and was regarded as an effective solution to conflict in labor disputes, which is identical with the view of the Pluralist perspective. Employers gradually found the disadvantages of collective bargaining and less took part in the collective bargaining. As a matter of fact, the decline of collective bargaining can also attribute to the shortcomings of the Pluralist perspective which focused too much on the solution to conflict and the accommodation to change and power differences. In other words, it neglects the government influences and power differences at all employee relations levels. As a whole, the deficiencies of collective bargaining lead to its declination in the British employee relations, but its role can not be substituted for any other kind of conflict resolution. It can be concluded that the Pluralist perspective has greatly influenced the employee relations in the UK and will continue to develop its effects, which is natural to be the most appropriate perspective for analyzing the British employee relations compared with other two perspectives. Conclusion To sum up, different people have different minds. The Unitarism, Pluralism and Marxism have already expressed their views against the conflict on employee relations. However, there are some differences in their views. Three perspectives are from different angles and have different emphases. After discussing the differences among three perspectives, it has elaborated my own opinion that the Pluralist perspective is the most appropriate for the analysis of employee relations in the UK based on the development process of the British employee relations. It can be concluded from the analyses that collective bargaining with irreplaceable role is playing a less and less important role in the British employee relations with the various changes in employment and the labor force. In addition, conflict management is extremely significant for the sustainable development of organizations. People should not only focus on the conflict resolution but also pay attention to the influences of other fac tors. As a result, it is very crucial and indispensable for every organization to establish positive employee relation so as to attract and retain high-quality staff, to improve employee productivity, to increase employee loyalty, to enhance working morale, to elevate business performance, as well as to reduce absence rate (Lewis and Saunders, 2003). (1973 words)

Rappaccini’s Daughter Essay: The Irony -- Rappaccinis Daughter Essays

â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† – the Irony  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter,† the reader finds numerous ironies, many of which are explained in this essay.    Morse Peckham in â€Å"The Development of Hawthorne’s Romanticism† gives an explanation of how Hawthorne uses historicism in his early short stories [â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† was in Twice-Told Tales in 1836] for an ironic effect:    The Romantic historicist used the past for a double, interconnected purpose. On the one hand it was a means for separating oneself from society. . . .He can be aware of the failure of the institution to fulfill its avowed intentions and its social function. . . . Romantic historicism, therefore, is never an end in itself but a strategy for placing the current social conditions in an ironic perspective. . . .(91-92)    In â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† the â€Å"failure of the institution† relaates to the medical establishment, which is traditionally sworn to uphold the health of people, but in this story Dr. Rappaccini, out of scientific zeal, has been skewed away from the fundamental purpose of medicine. It is indeed ironic that he poisons his own daughter and her boyfriend, alienating them from society and dooming them.    The tale takes place in Padua, Italy, where a Naples student named Giovanni Guascanti has relocated in order to attend the medical school there. His modest room is in an old mansion watched over by the landlady, Dame Lisabetta, a two-dimensional character given to religious expletives like, ``Holy Virgin, signor!'' She seeks to make the customer content with his lodging; she answers Giovanni’s curiosity about a garden next-door: ``No; that garden is cultivated by the own hands of... ...    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter.† ElectronicText Center. University of Virginia Library. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed-new?id="HawRapp"&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public    Kazin, Alfred. Introduction. Selected Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Fawcett Premier, 1966.    Kaul, A.N. â€Å"Introduction.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Peckham, Morse. â€Å"The Development of Hawthorne’s Romanticism.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Swisher, Clarice. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.            

Al-Jabartis and His Chronicle of the French Occupation 1798 Essay

The Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1798 – Napoleon in Egypt, was written by the Egyptian born scholar and jurist, Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (c. 1753-c.1825) between 1798 and 1801, framing the French occupation of Egypt. Both the Middle East and Europe, during the late 17th century were in a state of redefinition. Although the chronicle had covered only the brief period during first seven months of 36, it serves as a crucial accounting. Clearly illustrated is a paradigmatic shift between a modern culture and an antiquated system with a chronicle of events that swings between something that is merely observational to something written by an emotionally charged spectator. Although the work has been widely accepted, there is still some speculation as to degrees of censorship and possible omissions through various translations. The French occupation is a confrontation between exported modernity and an old regime: the French revolutionaries and their dominance over the Ottoman social order that is markedly different in contrast; and, al-Jabarti reports on how it transfers cross-culturally. Levels of contestation, open and/or secretive acceptances give way to losses and gains driven by high emotion – even for this writer. He â€Å"describes very carefully every step in the negotiation of the organization of society, from administration to inheritance, from property to charity or from justice to deliberation.† Al-Jabarti’s accounts were written with a criticism and tone that lacked very little neutrality. Clearly described is the questioning of Napoleon’s sincerity. They did not believe that a Christian could be a redeemer for Islam and distrusted him immensely. The disdain for Napoleon’s attempts to gain the trust and favor of the Is... ...Texas, n.d.. http://www.laits.utexas.edu/ cairo/teachers/napoleon.pdf. Livingston, John W., and Al-Jabarti. "The Rise of Shaykh al-Balad 'Ali Bey al-Kabir: A Study in the Accuracy of the Chronicle of Al-Jabarti." Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. No. 2 (1970): 283-294. http://www.jstor.org/stable/613005 (accessed November 30, 2013). Moreh, Shmuel. "Reputed Autographs of 'Abd al-Rahman al Jabarti and Related Problems." Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. No. 3 (1965): 524-540. http://www.jstor.org/stable/612097 (accessed December 1, 2013). Thompson, Jason. "Napoleon in Egypt: Al-Jabarti's Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1798."Journal of World History. No. 1 (1995): 144-147. http://www.jstor.org/ stable/20078629 (accessed November 28, 2013). Tignor, Robert L. Introduction. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2010.

Healthy Eating Essay

Eating foods containing fat does not seem like a smart thing to do especially if you are dieting, but certain fats are essential to make sure our bodies remain healthy. There are fats to avoid and these are known as the â€Å"bad† fats. Saturated fats and trans-fats are considered â€Å"bad† fats. This type of fat would include butter since it is more solid even at room temperature. Eating too much of these fats can cause your cholesterol levels to rise. High consumption of these fats can also cause a stroke and possibly lead to heart disease. Not all fats are bad though. There are â€Å"good† fats such as polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. If these fats are consumed in moderation, they have the ability to lower cholesterol. There are risks to having too much of any type of fat. Too much could lead to excessive weight gain and obesity. Maintaining a healthy diet can be done with close monitoring to make sure you are taking in as many calories as you are burning. Taking in more calories than you are burning will cause you to gain weight. It is important to eat high-fiber foods, fat-free and low fat along with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Fiber is also essential to a healthy diet. Eating a high-fiber diet will add bulk to what you are eating and you will remain full longer which will prevent unnecessary snacking. There are 2 types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber turns to gel when combined with water to slow down digestion so you feel full for a longer period of time. Insoluble fiber speeds up the process of the food we eat going through our stomach and intestines and adds bulk to our stools. There are so many ways to get fiber into your diet such as most cereals, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dried beans. High-fiber diets are beneficial. Fiber aids in constipation and helps things run smoothly and helps digestion. Diabetes and heart disease are sometimes treated with a high-fiber diet. Adding fiber into your diet is as simple as eating nuts to your snack or lentils to your soups and stews.

How does Shakespeare in his final act of Much Ado About Nothing Essay

Question) How does Shakespeare in his final act of the play put all the pieces of the puzzle together revealing every character’s true nature? Answer) The church scene has taken place and the watch has officially unearthed the truth. Act 4 has set the mood for the denouement of the play, where all the pieces of the puzzle are put together and the true nature of the play being a sunny comedy is preserved. Act 5 which is the final act of the play begins with a furious exchange of word between Leonato and Antonio on one side and Don Pedro and Claudio on the other. Don Pedro and Claudio are informed about Hero’s death but they fail to show any sign of remorse. Benedick enters and challenges Claudio to a duel. The situation seems to be getting more complicated just when Dogberry enters along with Borachio and Conrad bound by the watch. Borachio informs Don Pedro of the truth as he says, ‘what your wisdom could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light.’ Don Pedro and Claudio seek repentance as Leonato asks Claudio to ‘Hang an epitaph upon Hero’s tomb and since he could not be Leonato’s soon-in-law’, Leonato asks him to be his nephew by marrying Antonio’s daughter. The play progresses and the audience for the first time witnesses a somewhat romantic dialogue between Benedick and Beatrice. Claudio, as promised by him, sings to Hero’s grave as he says, ‘Pardon goddess of the night those that slew thy virgin knight.’ The play now moves into its final scene where Hero is brought in front of Claudio and Claudio readily accepts her. Also, Benedick asks for Beatrice’s hand in marriage. The news of Don John being caught comes in. The characters however are in a jolly mood and thus postpone Don John’s predicament and start to revel. With this the play ends on a happy note. However, the final act is one of revelation. Not only does it put all the pieces of the play together but also exposes the true nature of the characters as well. To start with Hero is technically brought back to life both literally and metaphorically (as the false accusations are lifted). Her sanctity is preserved. However, she again appears to be a mere puppet of the patriarchal society as she readily agrees to marry Claudio and doesn’t even question her father. Claudio has lost respect in the eyes of the audience and his reputation takes one final hit as he appears to be a superficial human. He readily agrees to marry Leonato’s daughter, thus showing that he as a person doesn’t believe in true love. However, when he sees Hero, there is again a complete volte-face in his behaviour and seems to have fallen in love with Hero again. However, it is needless to say that this love is superficial as that is all that Claudio is capable of. Don Pedro who has remained quite all this while and has not put the powers vested in him to good use also somewhat redeems himself by repenting at Hero’s grave. Don Pedro is a mature and discerning character. However, during the play, the circumstances surrounding him cause him to take irrational decisions. However, in the final act he is quick to understand the situation when Benedick informs him that Don John has fled Messina and when he sees Borachio and Conrad bound by the watch. Leonato, a victim of self-deception like Claudio, thinks of himself as someone very righteous but doesn’t appear so in the church scene when it is most needed. Leonato also makes an unreasonable decision of ‘giving away’ his daughter to Claudio, the very man who had openly slandered her. The norms of the patriarchal society are so deeply ingrained in him that he fails to be a sensible character. This is seen especially when he easily forgives Don Pedro and Claudio but holds Margaret responsible as he says, ‘So are(innocent) the prince and Claudio who accused her upon the error that you heard debated. But Margaret was in some fault for this.’ The merry war also comes to an end as Beatrice and Benedick decide to marry each other however not without a final war of wits as both claim to love each other only to the extent that is reasonable. Their love is passionate and is deep-rooted unlike the courtly love of Claudio and Hero. This couple appears to be the stars of the play as they are probably the only characters who manage to maintain a good reputation in the eyes of the audience though initially both appear to be very garrulous in their demeanour. Don John along with his villains is help prisoner and their villainy is also brought to light. The minor characters also make short appearances in this act. Dogberry manages to pull off another set of malapropisms and entertains the audience with slapstick humour. The image of Dogberry being a bumbling idiot remains constant. The play comes to an end putting all the suspense and deceptions to rest. Though the play is a sunny comedy, there still remains contention over how happy the ending truly is considering that Hero has been asked to remarry Claudio. Also, the friendship between Benedick and Claudio has taken a turn for the worse. Clearly Don Pedro is also somewhat depressed as he is the only person who remains a bachelor and had earlier showed some sparks of attraction towards Beatrice. However, these our minor issues which are resolvable. The major issues have been resolved and the characters have also matured over the course of the play. Thus, it can be conclusively said that the play ends on a merry note. Act 5 serves as a well organised denouement as all the pieces of the puzzle are put together and the true nature of every character is revealed.

Cash Transfer Benefits

Cash Transfer Benefits Cash Transfers in Sum Cash transfers fit into the development measures by being a branch of social protection. Social protection is a set of policies, programs, and agendas that seek to remedy a problem such as insecurity and risk. They are associated with people who cannot get their needs met in typical programs associated with the labor market; in other words, they cater to the most vulnerable people. Cash transfers function in such a way that the state gives money to the poor on a regular basis, with or without conditions. The methods of cash transfers slightly differ for each country. (Hanlon, 3). In addition to this, cash transfers can either be given in the form of legitimate cash/food stamps or ‘in-kind’ things. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, which I will discuss later on. Both cash transfers and conditional cash transfers (CCTs) exist. Cash transfers function without conditions or contingencies and, on the contrary, CCTs involve conditions that the receiver must abide by in order to receive money. An example of this would be: a poor mother receives a monthly amount of money on the condition that she regularly takes her child to the doctor. CCTs are targeted programs that are primarily concerned with children’s health and education. They also only grant money to individuals who don’t make enough income to support themselves. How cash transfers trump previous development paradigms While previous development paradigms thrive in a number of developmental aspects, they also fail in other areas that cash transfers seek to remedy. Firstly, ‘development’ tends to leave out the poorest of the poor and neglect the most vulnerable sectors. James Furguson states, â€Å"Under such circumstances, it has become more and more difficult to argue that the value produced at the region’s industrial centers is generated by the suffering of those at its periphery; instead, the suffering of the poor and marginalized appears as functionally isolated from a production system that simply no longer has any use for them† (Ferguson, 11). In an attempt to help these individuals who tend to be ‘left out’ of previous development paradigms, conditional cash transfers â€Å"promote the inclusion of ‘the most vulnerable sectors’ of society† (Spronk, 21). Secondly, previous development paradigms are highly focused on production as the best way to develop. To challenge this and to bring morals back into the system, cash transfers are highly focused on distribution. Why? Because ‘development as production’ can easily make the producers be understood as commodity-makers instead of real individuals, where ‘development as distribution’ does the reverse. In addition, James Ferguson believes that the world is at a place today that the distribution approach would make more sense. His ‘politics of distribution’ â€Å"involves new ways of thinking about a range of things that includes labor, unemployment, the family, and the meaning of ‘social’ payments (Ferguson, 10). Thirdly, previous development paradigms do little to help individuals cope with the harsh impacts of structural adjustment. Cash transfers, on the other hand, provide a lengthy amount of time where money is regularly given to the poor. This helps them cope with the impacts of structural adjustment programs much more than the previous development paradigms have in the past. Not only this, but cash transfers help individuals cope with other unexpected things, too. UKaid provides an example, stating, â€Å"In Lebanon, while UNHCR provided cash to Syrian refugees to cope with the harsh winter conditions as an alternative to ‘winterisation kits,’ most directed their additional income towards food and water† (UKaid). UKaid then comments on this, stating that â€Å"it is not that they did not need fuel it was that they needed other things more† (UKaid). This sheds light on the fact that â€Å"the element of choice is critical† (UKaid). In addition, the expenses involved in previous development paradigms are astronomical compared to cash transfer programs. Susan Spronk and Melisa Handi in No Strings Attached state that â€Å"One of the reasons CCTs are so popular is that they deliver results at a relatively low cost. Compared to the expenses involved in establishing universal, quality health care and education systems which in most of the Global South would entail massive public investment CCTs are almost free† (Spronk, 22). It makes sense for a health and need-based system that is catered to the poor to be cost-efficient. To continue, previous development paradigms have the tendency to make the poor be part of the capitalist system where Westerners become wealthier from the poor being poor. Structural adjustment programs are notorious for doing just this. The poor are indebted to Western countries, and therefore are placed within programs that, more times than few, trap them within the system. They remain poor and as slave-figures to the wealthy, creating goods that the wealthy benefit from and that the poor do not. It is a vicious cycle that the poor, who are embedded within these structural adjustment programs, are unable to escape from. Cash transfers, on the other hand, do not embed the poor in a system that they are unable to get out of. Cash transfers strive to bring the poor out of poverty without the desire to make Westerners wealthier in the process. Cash transfers also meet a more diverse set of needs that hard-structured paradigms fail to acknowledge, (UKaid). Because they are structured in such a way that the individual can use the money how he/she wishes based on what he/she believes is the most mindful and need-based way to spend it the individual is getting his/her needs fulfilled much more than if that individual were to be shoved into an already-structured system that was not build around her specific, personal needs but the entire population’s general needs. Cash transfers are more individual-specific, which means that the plans are catered to the individual’s needs instead of what the program assumes are his/her individual needs. Other health programs that are more rigidly organized assume that the individual can easily fit into its previously-established structure, which is not always the case. Development paradigms, such as microfinance, can have the ability to benefit poor borrowers in certain situations, however do not make the poor countries richer; there is not a large long-term benefit for the country, itself. Therefore individuals and the countries they inhabit are stuck in this microfinance system with no greater vision for the future. With cash transfers, however, the individuals ideally open up bank accounts, begin to establish businesses, and input their money into the economy on a regular basis by purchasing medicines, food supplies, and more. The cash transfer system helps the country’s economy and increases its wealth and independence in the long-run, as well as short-term. To what extent do cash transfers succeed? Cash transfers succeed to the extent that the individual receiving the cash transfers can manage his/her money well. There are, indeed, situations where the individual fails to successfully manage his/her money; however there are also situations where the individual can manage his/her money well enough to improve his/her life and even save a small amount each month. UKaid and the Center for Global Development’s study on cash transfers states that cash transfers are a â€Å"highly effective way to reduce suffering and to make limited humanitarian aid budgets go further, as well as can more broadly reform the humanitarian system so that aid providers of the future can work in a more complementary way to maximise their impact† (UKaid). How do cash transfers succeed? According to a film by Juhi Bhatt and Alok Verma on the effects of cash transfers in India, cash transfers have a positive impact on nutrition, medical care, education, infrastructure and housing, and the economy. Cash transfers allowed Indian families to increase their spending on healthy foods, go to the hospital when ill and buy medicines regularly, neatly dress their children and provide them with education on a regular-basis, have access to clean water, paved roads, proper draining, and working amenities, and save their small surplus monetary amounts in banks. (Guy Standing: Cash Transfer in India [EN Subs]) Because of increased sanitation, access to healthier, substantial foods, and the ability to regularly purchase medicines, illnesses are less common. Because kids do not have to work in agriculture, but instead can attend schooling, their futures appear brighter and enthusiasm about education is greater. And because they have a small amount of surplus money that they use to s ave in bank accounts, they are able to become more independent as time progresses. India’s economy benefits just as much as the individuals supporting it do. Of course we cannot assume that every country or individual who receives cash transfers will turn out exactly as India does, but India nonetheless seems to be a country where cash transfers are able to succeed. Key debates surrounding social protection programs Today there are many key debates that encompass social protection programs that one must consider in discussing cash transfers. Firstly, there is: targeted vs. universal. This raises the question: Does everyone get money or only some people? Some individuals could believe that targeting people is better because it is a better use of the money. However, those who fall just above the cut-off line of who qualifies are critical of this because they do not receive money. Secondly, there is: conditional vs. unconditional. Is it better to have conditions and contingencies associated with money? Will people spend their money more wisely if there are conditions? Or is this controlling, and should people be able to do what they wish with their money? Some individuals fear that the poor would only spend their money in short-term investments, and therefore would not set themselves up for a better long-term future. Others believe that no one knows what the poor needs besides the poor, and therefore it would be wiser to trust the poor that they will spend their money on things they believe they need. There is much debate between which is better: CCTs or unconditional cash transfers. And indeed there is more contestation over unconditional cash transfers. Thirdly, there is: markets vs. states, which raises the question: Should state or market take on people’s social protection? There is much contestation surrounding this, as well. In addition, cash vs. in-kind/things is highly debated. Cash takes on the form of money or food stamps; in-kind takes on the form of items such as fuel, rice, etc. The argument in favor for cash is that it gives people more opportunity to succeed. The argument in favor for in-kind things is that, as much as cash gives people more opportunity to succeed it also gives people just as much opportunity to fail. In addition, people don’t always spend money on what they need so cash transfers give them what they need. Also, in-kind things do not associate with inflation. In this sense, in-kind things are more stable, predictable, and reliable.