Compare & contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Compare & contrast - Essay Example y are worthless and this is mainly due to the fact that teachers no longer care to find out whether their students have received the knowledge they have been taught or not. It looks at the various ways through which students can be motivated to get interested in their studies so that their education can be beneficial not only to them, but also to the society in which they will work. Education is one of the most important things in the world today; in fact, it is considered a basic human right by most international organizations. In this paper, we shall look at two articles with different approaches to education and we shall compare these approaches to each other. In this paper, we shall compare the different approaches that these two authors have suggested as a remedy for filling up the gaps in education both in the workplace and at school. We shall look at the following: an approach to education, failures in the education system, and finally, the actions to be taken to ensure that education is beneficial. Feuer and Sherry have suggested very different approaches to ensure that people get the necessary education to be able to excel in life. Feuer states that there are so many books on sales each having its own approach that it can be confusing for those who would like to learn more about it. He suggests that it is always best to ensure that those people who are learning about sales are taught only the most important points which they may use when doing their work. There is no need to overeducate them because this will only lead to their confusion during the sales process. Sherry, on the other hand, states that teachers are no longer paying attention to their students’ educational welfare and instead tend to pass them along to the next class even though they have not learned anything in the previous class. This results in the failure of the education system because many of those who receive high school diplomas tend to be practically illiterate and this is all

College Learning Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

College Learning Experience - Essay Example Having spent a couple of months in the university, I am confident to say that the experience has already altered my outlook in life and has somehow enriched my maturity. Through my interaction with my classmates and professors, I am now more receptive of the various ideas presented in the classroom and have also learned to distinguish those which are helpful and those which are of less significance. Armed with the little knowledge and skill I have learned so far, I am more determined to finish college and pursue a degree in nursing. The decision to take up nursing is based on my assessment of strength in biological sciences and my desire of sharing my innate passion of enlightening and caring for people. With a higher level of maturity, interest in learning, and time management skill, the first semester proves to be fruitful indicated not only be the higher grades that I am earning but by my social and moral growth.

Policy on Refugees and Integration in Costa Rica

Policy on Refugees and Integration in Costa Rica COSTA RICAN GOVERNMENT POLICY ON REFUGEE AID AND INTEGRATION INTRODUCTION: THE AMBIGUOUS STATUS OF THE REFUGEE AND COSTA RICA The problem of the refugee originates as a peculiarly twentieth century phenomenon. The displacement of peoples from the very borders that delineate states presented a historical challenge that threatened the integrity and the essence of the latter. As the philosopher Giorgio Agamben abstracts the pertinence of this problem: Every time refugees no longer represent individual cases but rather a mass phenomenon (as happened between the two wars, and has happened again now), both these organizations and the single states have proven, despite the solemn evocations of the inalienable rights of man, to be absolutely incapable not only of resolving the problem but also simply of dealing with it adequately.[1] For Agamben, this inadequacy of the treatment of the refugee problem, despite the international consensus on the existence of the human rights of the refugee, is intimately tied to the theoretical shortcomings of the notion of the Nation-State itself; there is a consistent rupture in t he functionality of the Nation State when confronted with the anomaly of the refugee, i.e., when a subject is separated from his/her state, this subject becomes a disturbing remainder that other states find it difficult to account for. Thus, insofar as the refugee denotes a certain failure of the Nation State to protect its citizens/non-citizens, the case of the refugee denotes the limit of the State. Nevertheless, despite the tension between the notions of the refugee and the state that ground their relationship, there is an attentiveness to this problematic (evinced in Agambens own remark), demonstrated by the general consciousness of the existence of the refugee. Hence, regardless of any discerned policy inadequacies, there still exists a concerted effort to address the problem. The success of various refugee policies certainly may be evaluated, e.g., as with Agambens negative evaluation. In the case of Costa Rica, its treatments of the refugee crises that began in 1980s Central America was an example of some moderate successes, or at least, the desired mobilization of a states capabilities via governmental policy towards the refugee cause. However, this mobilization encountered its own distinct problems, over-determined (following Agambens abstraction of the problem) by the irregular status of the refugee him/herself. The successes and failures of Costa Ricas refugee policy is a particularly significant case study for numerous reasons. To the degree that there was a concerted effort from the Costa Rican officials to alleviate the refugee crisis, the shortcomings relate not to Costa Ricas negligence of this crisis (thusly indicating the direction of an evaluation of this policy in terms of a general apathy on the part of Costa Rica), but the opposite: it is this very effort that provides a compelling case for an analysis of a refugee policy in terms of its affectivity and its limits. That is, Costa Ricas attempt to rectify their refugee problem, rather than ignore it or deal with it in a manner that undermines the notions of the rights of man, provides an excellent paradigmatic case for the possible indexing of refugee policy. It is because of this very commitment to alleviating the problem that Costa Rica, despite any subsequent further critiques regarding the details of their refugee policy, is recognized by the international community as having advanced a fairly successful policy in regards to refugees. As Tanya Bysok notes Costa Rica is often cited as a model for refugee settlement.[2] However, this is not to suggest that the Costa Rican approach is flawless. Whilst some policies of the Costa Ricans have been recognized as effective by social scientists, this praise does not diminish the evident gaps in the Costa Rican policy. In this paper we shall examine the Costa Rican treatment of the refugee and attempt to understand how the refugee was integrated/or non-integrated into Costa Rican society. This analysis will be concerned with Costa Ricas approach; however, whilst there was a clear Costa Rican governmental policy, a significant factor in the Costa Rican case is the large presence of foreign organ izations that were encouraged to participate in a possible refugee solution. Thus, because of the Costa Rican openness to a diversity of aid organizations and volunteers offering support, the qualitative analysis of the success/failures of the Costa Rican approach cannot merely be attributed to the Costa Rican government itself. Whilst this encouragement of international participation may be logically viewed as an autonomous gesture of the Costa Rican government, it can also be construed as Costa Ricas self-acknowledgement of having been fundamentally overstretched in terms of its capabilities to handle the problem. Secondly, this analysis shall be supplemented with an anonymous questionnaire of former refugees in Costa Rica, in order to introduce a non-theoretical personal discourse within the parameters of our text. The method of the questionnaire is placed into the paper to act as a balancing point with the theoretical evaluation. The emphasis on the notion of testimony, a form of empiricism all its own, forwards an account of the Costa Rican policy that evaluates the countrys treatment of refugees from a theoretical standpoint, while also acknowledging the power and significance of such a testimony. COSTA RICAN REFUGEE INTEGRATION ANALYSIS The genesis of Costa Ricas refugee problem may be preliminarily abstracted as a matter of geopolitical positioning. Costa Rica occupied a hazardous place within Central America in the 1980s. The relative stability of Costa Rica was contrasted by the neighboring conflicts in El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras: The 1980s evinced a certain explosion of such geopolitical and ideological tensions in Central America, from which Costa Rica was spared. As Martha Honey notes, the Costa Rica of the 1980s â€Å"appeared to be an oasis of tranquility†[3] It is this status of a certain oasis in Central America, that evidently yielded Costa Ricas refugee problem: as a stable nation, it represented the destination of choice for refugees seeking to avoid war in their native lands. Costa Ricas stability as a source for refugees has continued in the time period since the beginning of the 1980s. Yet the refugee that Costa Rica encounters now is substantially different: Refuge es coming into Costa Rica today tend no longer to be from Central America but instead the vast majority are from Colombia. Many are middle-class, urban professionals.[4] Thus, by no means is the refugee in Costa Rica a homogeneous figure. The wars across Central America in the 1980s that led to such displacement are no longer a significant factor in present Costa Rican refugee policy. The Costa Rican encounter with the phenomenon of the refugee begins in 1980 with increasing hostilities in the neighboring country of El Salvador. The immediate reaction of Costa Ricas treatment of this refugee influx distinguished itself from other nations such as Honduras. Whilst Honduras policy favored the internment of the Salvadorian refugees in camps, Costa Rica from the outset emphasized the process of making the refugee self-sufficient; they sought to sever any dependency of the refugee on the state apparatus itself, while simultaneously integrating the refugee into Costa Rican society. These two approaches immediately evince a lucid difference in treatment. In the case of Honduras, this treatment may be viewed as an isolationist approach, insofar as the site of the camp becomes the home of the refugee it does not represent a zone of inclusion, but rather one of suspension moreover, it is an implicit acknowledgment of Honduras government inability to deal with the phenomeno n of the refugee, placing the refugee in a certain no-mans land, as it waits for the conflict in the home country to cease. In contrast, the Costa Rican emphasis on autonomy and self-sufficiency denotes the acceptance of the refugee immediately into its boundaries. We can abstract this difference in terms of a synchronous thinking and a diachronous thinking. In the case of Costa Rica, the policy does not introduce the phenomenon of two times, i.e., waiting for the war to stop rather, the interruption of the refugee experience is directly addressed, through a minimization of this interruption that is a policy of refugee inclusion in Costa Rica. On the other hand, in the Honduran approach, two times are articulated, a wartime and a non-war time. There is no possible mediation between the times; there is only a case of transition and thus, a passivity on the part of the government that is then transferred to the refugee him/herself this interruption that is the refugee event determines the entire Honduran policy. In essence, Costa Rica attempted to establish the continuity of the refugees’ life, allowing for the possibility of a normalcy to remain in the face of a crisis. Such initial successes of the Costa Rican programme may be attributed to a certain history of human rights discourse that emerges in the country, i.e., that Costa Rica was conducive to internationalism in its support of UN programmes and its own creation of international approaches. This historiographical element is significant to understanding the immediate difference of Costa Rica from its neighbors, as it stresses a historical Costa Rican commitment to human rights. As Alison Brysk notes, Costa Rica qualifies as a global good Samaritan because its record of human rights promotion is enduring and multifaceted, and it makes a meaningful contribution to globally significant initiatives.[5] Hence, Costa Ricas Good Samaritan status is derived from its fidelity to such initiatives on both a regional and global level. Among its contributions, Costa Rica was involved in the peace negotiations that ended three regional civil wars, while also functioning as the seat for the Inter-American C ourt of Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS). On the international level, Costa Rica was involved with international organizations such as serving at the initial prepatory conference for the founding of the United Nations, while also initiating the UN Childerns Fund. These historical contributions of Costa Rica may be construed as establishing a certain tradition within Costa Rica that made it more receptive to the specific demands of the refugee influxes that began in the 1980s. Thus, from an ideological perspective, there was nothing in the Costa Rican state ideology that would be adverse to the refugee; rather, the ideology was committed to human rights from its outset. This tradition may help to understand the initial successes of the Costa Rican programme. In the initial stages of the refugee problem in the 1980s, because of such an international tradition of Costa Rican policy, there was no shortage in the country of foreign and international refugee organizations that participated in the alleviation of the crisis. As Basok summarizes these contributions: A number of government and voluntary agencies have participated in refugee settlement [in Costa Rica]. They include local branches of such international organizations as Caritas, the Episcopalian church, and the YMCA. In addition, refugees themselves formed a number of voluntary organizations in the hope of assisting their compatriots. Apart from providing emergency aid to refugees, the UNHCR has also financed most of the refugee urban projects. Financial assistance has been provided by other international NGOS as well.[6] The plurality of non-governmental actors demonstrated a Costa Rican openn ess to the refugee crisis. Moreover, the possibility of refugees themselves forming aid organizations demonstrated a certain autonomy of the refugee within Costa Rica; despite the loss of nationality that is the refugee displacement, the refugees were granted a freedom to organize and assemble regardless of their anomalous status. These international organizations were also complimented by Costa Ricas own approach, which has been termed as the durable solution model, emphasizing integration of refugees into the country of asylum. As an unpublished UNHCR document describes this durable solution model: Self sufficiency projects are the ultimate aim of UNHCR as they allow the refugees to become independent of emergency assistance and be productively integrated in the receiving community. In the under-developed countries with serious unemployment problems, self-sufficiency projects offer the best alternation for the refugees work problem. For the receiving country, these durable solutions are a contribution to the national economy, particularly the projects which include both nationals and refugees.[7] Costa Ricas commitment to what the UNHCR deemed as the most effective program for refugee crisis further explicates the traditional openness of Costa Rica to international consensus, whilst concomitantly identifying Costa Ricas desired integration of refugees. The UNHCRs evaluation further acknowledges the durable solution as beneficial to the new country of the refugee itself: the influx of labour sources provided a boost to the national economy of Costa Rica. Thus, Costa Ricas commitment to the durable solution model may be viewed as both a commitment to international law and the notion of human rights, whilst also a policy decision how to utilize the refugee crisis for the benefit of Costa Rica itself. Nevertheless, what may be termed as Costa Ricas comprehensive solution, insofar as it incorporated the UNHCRs preferred model while simultaneously allowing for the participation of foreign organizations, nevertheless encountered specific problems. Primarily the non-organizational model’s intervention into the refugee problem was problematic: The results, however, were less than satisfactory. In 1985 it became evident to the UNHCR that less than half of the 152 projects registered with government agencies were still active. Most of the others had failed.[8] The infectivity of the multiplicity of organizations according to the quantitative data of the UNHCR tends to suggest that the approach of a strength in numbers, i.e., multiple organizations engaging in the refugee crisis, was unsuccessful primarily because of a lack of cohesion. Inasmuch as the Costa Rican intent was essentially one of no aid is bad aid†, this ultimate failure speaks to a certain consistency needed be tween organizations, in order better to establish links between groups, and affectively address the grounding problem, that of the refugee him/herself. This bureaucratic entanglement between organizations as detrimental to the refugee is easily discernable from the perspective of the refugee him/herself; because a plurality of organizations exists, the refugee is caught in a bureaucratic system, with no connection to the Costa Rican government itself. This serves as an impasse to the desired integration. This collapse of the various international programs led Costa Rica to attempt a more autonomous policy that would be regulated by the government, therein optimistically hoping to marginalize the previous failures through a centralization of refugee policy. This centralization would enable a consistent discourse of the durable solution to emerge in the Costa Rican space. As Ed Mihalkanin notes After the failure of many of the international and domestic refugee projects, the Costa Rican government tried to integrate refugees into already existing jobs.[9] By Costa Rica directly addressing the problem, this focusing of the remit of refugee policy could better serve the goal of integration: as the refugees are located in Costa Rica, the most efficient means towards integration would be to have the government directly involved in the refugee process by opening economic opportunities to the refugee. This shift reflects a certain fundamental ambiguity at the heart of the general theory of refugee policy. While, prima facie, the plurality of non-governmental organizations that operated in Costa Rica to alleviate the suffering of the refugee may be viewed as a logical step, inasmuch as it emphasizes giving aid to refugees in light of any possible limits to the capabilities of the Costa Rican government, this approach simultaneously suspends the notion of an integration into Costa Rican society. That is to say, if integration is the ultimate goal of Costa Rican refugee policy, such integration can only be engendered by the direct intervention of the government itself, as the government is ultimately congruent with Costa Rica. From this perspective, the collapse of the aid programmes emanating from various international sources may be viewed, in actuality, as a step towards a more direct involvement of the Costa Rican government in the refugee problematic, in terms of a more strident form of integration. This strident form would be necessary if the Costa Rican government would become the primary instrument for refugee aid in the nation, as opposed to the organizational plurality. Nevertheless, after the general failure of the international aid programmes, charity organizations, etc., the new Costa Rican government initiative itself faced various de jure issues that prevented the establishing of a greater remit for refugee aid. As Mihalkanin writes, at times Costa Rican laws actually prevented refugee aid, despite any best intentions of the Costa Rican government. This was the case regarding Costa Rican employee law: â€Å"Yet very few work permits were issued since by law only ten percent of a firms workers can be foreigners.†[10] Thus, the attempt to integrate refugees into the Costa Rican labour force already met opposition in a pre-existing law that marginalized the possibility of foreign workers in Costa Rica. As Mihalkanin notes, despite the intent of both the government to integrate the refugees and the employers’ will to aid the refugees by giving them work, this shared movement encountered a double impasse: the de jure situation of the l abour law, coupled with the de facto situation of employers, whom, although giving refuges a workplace, could not register the workers because of the law. Therefore, any type of de jure integration of these refugee workers who were already working in Costa Rica, was not possible because of the law; despite their labour power, and one must conclude, the desire for this labour source, the separation between the de jure and the de facto situation prevented this opportunity at integration. What occurred then is simply a missed opportunity, a miscommunication between government and private sectors, the latter wholly receptive to the influx of refugee workers, but whose hands were metaphorically tied by the Costa Rican law. This problem of the limits of aid in the sphere of labour relations also extends into the basic human rights of Costa Ricans, such as health care: insofar as health care is available to refugees in Costa Rica, access is limited from both a temporal and financial perspective. As a UNHCR report from 2003 noted, â€Å"in Costa Rica, access to social security services is universal, which means that everyone, regardless of nationality, is entitled to health coverage at a very low cost.†[11] Nevertheless, the caveat here is that â€Å"refugees and asylum seekers are entitled to free healthcare cover during their first three months in Costa Rica.†[12] This leads to an immediate problem facing refugees after the three month period of coverage has elapsed; as Gloria Maklouf Weiss, Director of ACAI (Asociacià ³n de Consultores y Asesores Internacionales), a UNHCR partner in Costa Rica recapitulates this problem: â€Å"some refugees are in such economic hardship that they cannot pay even the very small monthly fees.†[13] Thus, considering the situation of the refugee, the three-month time limit appears insufficient for health care coverage. The securing of an employment opportunity in Costa Rica within this same three-month period would have to be a concomitant aim of a programme; otherwise, the benefits of the Costa Rican health care policy are severely limited by the refugees’ inability to generate capital. On this point, the separation of the spheres of employment and healthcare impede the abilities of the refugee to begin a life in Costa Rica; insofar as employment and healthcare are considered as distinct issues, the benefits of healthcare are separated from the refugee labour force. The weakness therefore in this aspect of the policy is not anticipating the contiguity between employment integration and the possibility of health care. It is examples such as these incongruities in the law and policy of Costa Rica itself that failed to provide a comprehensive programme for its refugees. Thus, whilst Costa Ricas position as a stable country remains attractive to refugees in a time of crisis, various gaps in the system prevented a comprehensive plan to address the phenomenon. QUESTIONNAIRE The data in section 2.0 regarding Costa Rica’s history and policy approach to the refugee crisis only provides one side of the picture. This theoretical analysis of Costa Rican refugee policy, considering the constraints on any discourse of this style, is to be supplemented by a questionnaire submitted to four former refugees in Costa Rica. Whilst the sample size of the questionnaire is admittedly small, the necessity of its inclusion rests on a theoretical significance given to the notion of testimony in an effort to verify or contradict the reading provided of Costa Rican refugee policy. The prejudice of the academic discourse is to be alleviated through the survey presentation; thus, the purpose of the questionnaire is based on a theoretical value attached to testimony and the attempt to provide a more complete picture of the refugee policy of Costa Rica. Because of sensitivity to the time concerns of the participants and because of issues with the English language, the que stionnaire was deliberately simple and limited to four questions. QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS While the sample size is admittedly small, and the nature of the questions direct, the data of the questionnaire would seem to indicate a moderate level of satisfaction with the Costa Rican refugee policy. The option for the refugees in Costa Rica appears to be beneficial; the majority of answerers expressed that integration and employment possibilities were available in Costa Rica, whilst also noting the receptivity of the various refugee organizations to the concerns of the refugees. It is germane to note that the questionnaire deliberately avoided inquiring into the personal history of the participants, in respect for ethics and the privacy of the participants. While this may be construed as detracting from the accuracy of the questionnaire, as it brackets out some of the personal histories involved in the participants, the aforementioned ethical position of protecting privacy was taken as paramount. Rather the questionnaire was to function as a cursory testimonial survey of Costa Rican refugee policy, and thus, while no means a complete account, it does indicate that the Costa Rican option for refugees was more positive than it was negative. CONCLUSIONS The difficulty of the refugee problem primarily lies in the problems it engenders vis-à  -vis the traditional structure of the State, which relies for its function on the notion of citizenry. Inasmuch as human rights become an international imperative, the anomalous appearance of the refugee conflicts with the traditional State model. This tension is however a source for the production of new approaches to the refugee problematic. Costa Rica’s position in the ravaged Central America of the 1980s placed the nation into a role of a paradigm case for refugee policy. The Costa Rican approach must be commended at the outset for its commitment to human rights and the welfare of the refugees. The intent of the Costa Rican policy therefore must be viewed in a positive light. However, the complications that arose from the refugee crisis provide valuable data and source material for the possible improvements of refugee policy. Costa Rica’s acceptance of foreign, international and non-governmental charitable organizations to alleviate the crisis, whilst helping the refugees on the â€Å"terrain†, actually hindered the successful integration of these refugees into Costa Rican society, inasmuch as these organizations, as non-Costa Rican entities, actually created a further distance between the refugee and the Costa Rican state. Moreover, once the majority of these organizations had failed, the Costa Rican government was left to complete the so-called â€Å"durable solution.† The impasses to the â€Å"durable solution† may be traced to employment and economic laws of the Costa Rican state, laws which were unable to successfully meld with the desired â€Å"durable solution.† It is various de jure factors, despite the overall Costa Rican government intent and the intent of the private sector to integrate refugees through employment, which hindered the affectivity of this solution. Nevertheless, Costa Rica is still referred in some academic literature as an excellent example of a refugee policy. This seems to be supported by the anonymous questionnaire that was a part of our research; the questionnaire, while its sample size is admittedly small, nonetheless offers a certain support to the notion that Costa Rica was more effective than not regarding the refugee experience. Thus, whilst there are problematics in the policy of Costa Rican refugee integration, it is nevertheless a paradigm from which numerous positives can be drawn, whilst also providing a better insight into the impasses that may present themselves in such a policy: hopefully these cases, will yield a better approach to the difficult notion of the refugee in the future. BIBLIOGRAPHY Giorgio Agamben, â€Å"We Refugees†, accessed at: http://roundtable.kein.org/node/399 Tanya Basok, Keeping Heads Above Water: Salvadorean Refugees in Costa Rica McGill Queen’s Press: 1993. Alison Brysk, â€Å"Global Good Samaritans? Human Rights Foreign Policy in Costa Rica†, in: Global Governance, Vol. 11, 2005. Martha Honey, Hostile Acts: U.S. Policy in Costa Rica in the 1980s, University of Florida Press: 1994. Ed Mihalkanin, â€Å"Refugee Aid, Displaced Persons, and Development in Central America† in: Refugee Aid and Development, Greenwood Press: 1993. UNHCR, â€Å"Health Fair in Costa Rica gives refugees much needed medical care†, March 6, 2006, accessed at: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVOD-6MNF3L?OpenDocument> 1 [1] Giorgio Agamben, â€Å"We Refugees†, accessed at: http://roundtable.kein.org/node/399. [2] Tanya Basok, Keeping Heads Above Water: Salvadorean Refugees in Costa Rica, pg. Xvii. [3] Martha Honey, Hostile Acts: U.S. Policy in Costa Rica in the 1980s, pg. 4. [4] UNHCR, â€Å"Health Fair in Costa Rica gives refugees much needed medical care†, March 6, 2006, accessed at: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVOD-6MNF3L?OpenDocument> [5] Alison Brysk, â€Å"Global Good Samaritans? Human Rights Foreign Policy in Costa Rica†, in: Global Governance, Vol. 11, 2005. [6] Basok, pg. Xviii. [7] Basok, pg. Vi. [8] Basok, pg. Xviii. [9] Ed Mihalkanin, â€Å"Refugee Aid, Displaced Persons, and Development in Central America† in: Refugee Aid and Development, pg. 90. [10] Mihalkanin, pg. 90. [11] UNHCR, accessed at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVOD-6MNF3L?OpenDocument> [12] UNHCR, accessed at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVOD-6MNF3L?OpenDocument> [13] UNHCR, accessed at http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EVOD-6MNF3L?OpenDocument>

Play is important for development and learning. Essay -- Legal Issues,

Play is a freely chosen and personally directed behaviour that actively engages children. It is very important that early years practitioners have a good grasp on this subject as the developmental usefulness of play for a child is extremely significant. For children, play provides them with the necessary skills to develop: socially, emotionally, physically and creatively. Bruce (2004) explores the fact that play is a valuable tool for children to discover their environment and to learn about why things happen using all of their senses both indoors and outdoors. The hypothesis that will be discussed throughout this essay is how play is important in early development and learning and how it serves both the child’s individual needs and the future society in which they will live in. This will be discussed and explored through reference to historical play pioneers, legislation, policy and guidance and theoretical knowledge on the social, cultural and intellectual perspectives on pl ay. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework (2008), created under the Childcare Act (2006), gives all practitioners across England guidance on a play based approach to learning. Therefore, assuming children do learn by play, practitioners and professionals must deliver planned, purposeful play which has a balance between adult-led and child-initiated activities, as stated by QCA (2007). There should be a wide variety of different play methods that allows them to represent their own learning experiences. These opportunities provided for children in early years settings, need to enhance and develop all of their skills and abilities. This includes: communication with peers and other adults, exploring different environments that include takin... ...ole within learning for children. Play pioneers such as Friedrich Frobel, theorists such as Piaget, current legislation and guidance, and the support from parents and practitioners worldwide, understand, illustrate and provide evidence as to why play has such a critical role within every child’s early development and learning. It allows children learn through something they enjoy, possibly not even realising that they are learning themselves. Play has a key role within benefitting children’s growth and development; physically, emotionally, socially, creatively and intellectually. If it wasn’t for direct experience and learning through play, children would not develop and learn at the same rate as they do today as they have not learnt the language yet, so it provides them with a form of communication and learning which is designed specifically for their age group.

Coffee Culture

Coffee has been around for a very long time. It is no coincidence that such an influential and integral drink has created a cultural realm of its own. According to â€Å"Hot and Bothered: Coffee and Caffeine Humor† by Elise Decamp with Catherine M. Tucker, coffee humor has been depicted to be one of the compliments that has culturally elevated coffee-drinking to a another human aspect – humor. Humor can be interpreted and expressed in more ways than one.There are no set rules of what constitutes humor in any society; therefore, humor comes in many shapes and sizes. So, how is increasing coffee humor relayed to â€Å"caffeine culture? † Each culture and point in time is different, but coffee has always had a strong correlation to a â€Å"caffeine culture† that stemmed from the physiological and mental attributes that coffee, or caffeine, imposes on its consumer. Because of its notorious effects coffee has on its consumers, drinking coffee has been portrayed as an energizing, riveting, and delectable image.The article also makes references to cartoons and sketches about consuming coffee in the mid-1900’s and how it depicted the consumption of coffee and its effects. This is perhaps because during that span, societies were emerging as more work-oriented lives that led to the more practical use of coffee, or caffeine. Coffee humor emerged as a way of interpreting coffee consumption and its effects by portraying the consumers as very alert, alive, and even somber. The articles also notes that research on caffeine consumption not only may make a person more energized and alert, but also relaxed and at ease.This eventually led to the relationship coffee had with its consumers by allowing avid coffee drinkers to demonstrate their affinity and devotion by either wearing it as a shirt, bumper sticker, or on a description via social media. Eventually, coffee humor has contributed to the image many coffee drinkers hold and has been an ess ential method of showing the world the many faces of drinking coffee. Drinking coffee, however, has not always been portrayed as a positive influence.Through coffee humor, modern preoccupations about coffee or other aspects of modern life have been revealed to be a concern for the consumption of coffee. The article explains the use of caffeine as drug, known as dopamine, which is responsible for the effects it has on its consumers. Those effects being alertness sleep depravity, high-energy, and an increase in blood pressure. Caffeine not only causes these effects to take place during its intake, but like many other drugs, it leads to withdrawals that bring forth anxiousness, depression, muscle fatigue, insomnia, and headaches.These withdrawals, however, only last a couple days, unlike stronger drugs with longer lasting withdrawals. Consequently, coffee humor has taken an interpretation of the effects of coffee consumption by portraying what would happen if someone was to go without drinking coffee and their lives would be different. What may seem like an innocent joke at first, could actually be analyzed as a portrayal of a social issue of the potential dangers and misinformed lifestyles many choose to be a part of.

Candide Essay

Throughout his novel Candide, Voltaire utilized satire, characterization, and techniques of exaggeration and contrast to attack Candide’s two-dimensional outlook on life and to disprove the overly optimistic philosophy that Candide and Pangloss represent. While the experiences of Candide and Pangloss conflict dramatically with this philosophy, both choose to maintain their beliefs in this regard. Voltaire uses Candide as a tool to accuse the various aspects of his zeitgeist. Through his techniques, he attacks multiple points of view and even the Enlightenment he represented. Candide is a story about the two dimensional character of Candide, who is taught from birth not to think for himself and to accept the ideals of others. He chooses to follow the local philosopher Pangloss, who preaches that everything is good, and that the world is the â€Å"best of all possible worlds†. Throughout the story, Voltaire dramatically disproves this philosophy over and over, but the protagonist sticks with this belief. Each of the characters in Candide represents a different aspect of his zeitgeist, most of whom Voltaire brutally attacks with his satire. After examining Candide in Western thought and movements, there is no doubt that the work is highly critical of many of the social institutions of the time. Still, while criticizing many of the societal aspects such as religion, the class system and the detested monarchy in France Candide is not free from the biases and â€Å"unenlightened† thoughts that the revolutionary movement in France was based upon. The philosophers wanted to work through established forms, including the monarchy and even the Church† by doing so, there were not quite as revolutionary in their beliefs since they did not attempt to go outside of the system of oppression to draw their insights. Even though Voltaire was known for verbally announce the equal rights of women, this emotion is not apparent in his fiction, especially considering the fact that the main female characters are prostitutes, women that marry for money, disease-spreaders, and most importantly victims. In terms of religion, Candide explores the hypocrisy that was rampant in the Church. Consider for example, the inhumanity of the clergy, most notably the Inquisitor, in hanging and executing his fellow citizens over philosophical differences. Moreover, he orders the flogging of Candide for merely, â€Å"listening with an air of approval† thus proving himself somehow implicit in blasphemy. Church officials in Candide are depicted as being among the most sinful of all citizens; having mistresses, engaging in homosexual affairs, and operating as jewel thieves. These three subjects—religious intolerance, greed, and denial of love are satirized and portrayed as wrong and harmful in Voltaire’s Candide. They are portrayed as dangerous tyrannies over the mind of men that serve only to counteract logic and damage the general welfare.

Great Gatsby - Summary of Chapter V essays

Great Gatsby - Summary of Chapter V essays In the night Nick comes home from the meeting with Jordan. Gatsby passes by and asks Nick if he wants to go swimming in his pool. But Nick refuses the offering because he is too tired. In their short conversation they talk also about the invitation of Daisy. They agree on the day after tomorrow. Nick invites Daisy for tea the following day and asks her to come alone. At the day of the meeting Gatsbys gardener cuts Nicks lawn and a greenhouse delivers flowers. At three oclock Gatsby comes over looking exhausted and pale. Nick and Gatsby talk a bit and Gatsby is about to go home as Daisy arrives at four oclock. Entering the living room with Daisy Nick notices that Gatsby is gone. Gatsby knocks a few moments later on the front door and is lead in the room by Nick. Daisy and Gatsby are embarrassed by the presence of each other and they dont really start a conversation. After a tea in a tense atmosphere Nick leaves them alone. When he comes back both are in a happy mood but Daisy seems to have been in a sad mood before. They decide to go over to Gatsbys house, because Gatsby wants to show her his enormous house. Ending up in the bed room Gatsby tells them that he has got a man in England who buys him clothes. Daisy is very fascinated by his great collection of shirts. Gatsby urges Klipspringer to play the piano. According to Nick Gatsby finds out that Daisy does not come up to his dreams. ...

Free Essays on Obasan

of Naomi, silence is even thrown into play during such devious acts as molestation. When the neighbor Mr. Gower was molesting five-year-old Naomi, she remained silent. â€Å"The conflict between silence and speech is complicated for Naomi by her memories of the pre-oedipal silence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Goellnicht, 295). She was taught not to lash back at adults and to do what they say. At this moment, she learned dis-trust. The incidents with him happened more than once, yet she remained silent. This, for Naomi, drew her apart from her mother, leaving something between them that could not be discussed or mentioned. Bef... Free Essays on Obasan Free Essays on Obasan Paper- Obasan This is a story of silence. In some cultures, silence means everything. Sometimes it is not what you say, but what you don’t say. The characters in this story live many ways through silence and it’s effective nature. Naomi is torn between her aunts personalities, yet remains silent. The family remains silent throughout the events of their captiveness. Sometimes things are better left unsaid, but then again, did things work out in the end for these people? Sometimes, silence means everything. â€Å"In the U.S. silence is generally looked upon as passive; in China and Japan it traditionally signals pensiveness, alertness, and sensitivity† (Cheung, 113). The people of this story are silenced throughout their whole lives, living out their cultural ways, even though living in another country. They are raised to respect through silence. Ever since Naomi was five, Obasan, their aunt, raised her and her brother Stephen. Before this occurred Naomi seemed to have a happy childhood. She looked up to her mother as all young children do. She respected her mother’s authority and clung to her demeanors and ways of acting. She would play outside and go about her business unbothered, trusting everything her mother told, as all children trust a parent. â€Å"If I speak I will split open and spill out† (Kogawa, 63). From the words of Naomi, silence is even thrown into play during such devious acts as molestation. When the neighbor Mr. Gower was molesting five-year-old Naomi, she remained silent. â€Å"The conflict between silence and speech is complicated for Naomi by her memories of the pre-oedipal silence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Goellnicht, 295). She was taught not to lash back at adults and to do what they say. At this moment, she learned dis-trust. The incidents with him happened more than once, yet she remained silent. This, for Naomi, drew her apart from her mother, leaving something between them that could not be discussed or mentioned. Bef...

Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 2

Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 2 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If The Great Gatsbywere college, Chapter 2 would be the drunk frat party that gets way out of control, with Tom Buchanan as that guy yelling at everyone to chug. That’s because this chapter is all about Tom’s double life: Nick meets his mistress, gets wasted at her small apartment party in Manhattan, and gets an up close and personal view into Tom’s violent tendencies. Read on for a fullThe Great Gatsby Chapter 2summary, plus explication of connections to the book’s main themes and analysis of important passages! Quick Note on Our Citations Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text. The Great Gatsby: Chapter 2Summary Nick describes the â€Å"valley of ashes† that is the area between the rich suburb of West Egg and Manhattan. This is the gray and dirty part of the borough of Queens that you drive through to get from Long Island to NYC. Above this bleak, smoky, unpleasant landscape is a giant billboard advertising Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, an eye doctor. The billboard is a set of giant eyes that seems to be surveying or judging everything below. Tom’s mistress lives in this â€Å"ash heaps† area. One day, when Nick takes the train with Tom to Manhattan, Tom suddenly makes him get off at a random stop to meet her. They go to a garage owned by George Wilson, who seems to be in the middle of buying a car from Tom.Myrtle Wilson, George’s wife, comes down to the garage. She isn’t beautiful, but is attractive because she is plump and lively. Tom quickly makes a plan to meet her in the city. He and Nick leave, and Tom explains that George has no idea that Myrtle is having an affair with Tom. Tom insists Myrtle meet him in Manhattan, so she boards the same train as Tom and Nick, but she sits in a different car to be discreet, and they then meet up at the station. Myrtle decides she would like a dog, and Tom buys her a puppy from a condescending passing salesman. Nick tries to leave Tom and Myrtle, but they insist he come up to their apartment very far uptown. The apartment is small, gaudily decorated, and uncomfortable. Tom brings out a bottle of whiskey. For the second time in his life (or so he claims), Nick gets drunk, so his memory of what happens next is somewhat hazy. Nevertheless, we get the sense that Tom and Myrtle have sex while Nick politely reads a book in the other room. Then some guests come over: Myrtle’s sister Catherine, as well as a photographer named McKee and his horrible wife.Myrtle lords it over her guests. The McKees fawn over her and Tom, complimenting her dress and devising ways of photographing her artistically. Tom plies them with alcohol.Meanwhile, Catherine tells Nick that she’s been to a party at Gatsby’s house. According to her, Gatsby is so rich because he is Kaiser Wilhelm’s cousin. Catherine then tells Nick that both Tom and Myrtle hate the people they’re married to; she wonders why they don’t divorced and marry each other instead. When Myrtle overhears, she says something obscene about George Wilson. According to Catherine, these divorces don’t happen because Daisy is Catholic. Nick, who knows that Daisy is not Catholic, is shocked by what has obviously been Tom’s lie. Nick then remembers Mrs. McKee using an anti-Semitic slur to talk about a failed suitor.Myrtle responds that her own mistake had been to marry the suitor that she should have ignored. Nick keeps trying and failing to leave the party. Myrtle tells him the story of how she first met Tom on the train. He picked her up by pressing himself against her when they got out on the platform. Later that night, Myrtle and Tom have an argument about Daisy and Tom hits her so hard that he breaks her nose. Nick leaves the party and goes home with McKee, the photographer. The narrative gets harder and harder to follow as Nick’s inebriation really catches up with him. Nick somehow ends up at the train station, waiting for the 4 am train to get back to West Egg. One interpretation of Nick going home with the photographer is that Nick is actually gay. We delve into this theory on NIck's character page. Key Chapter 2 Quotes About half way between West Egg and New York the motor-road hastily joins the railroad and runs beside it for a quarter of a mile, so as to shrink away from a certain desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashesa fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air. (2.1) Every time anyone goes from Long Island to Manhattan or back, they go through this depressing industrial area in the middle of Queens. The factories located here pollute the air and land around them - their detritus is what makes the â€Å"ash† dust that covers everything and everyone. This is the place where those who cannot succeed in the rat raceend up, hopeless and lacking any way to escape. Check out our focused article for a much more in-depth analysis of what the crucial symbol of â€Å"the valley of ashes†stands for in this novel. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantictheir retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground. (2.2) There is no God in the novel. None of the characters seems to be religious, no one wonders about the moral or ethical implications of any actions, and in the end, there are no punishments doled out to the bad or rewards given to the good. This lack of religious feeling is partly what makes Tom’s lie to Myrtle about Daisy being a Catholic particularly egregious. This lack of even a basic moral framework is underscored by the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, a giant billboard that is as close as this world gets to having a watchful authoritative presence. Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume some time before and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream colored chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as she swept about the room. With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur. Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air. (2.56) This chapter is our main exposure to Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress. Here, we see the main points of her personality - or at least the way that she comes across to Nick. First, it’s interesting to note that aside from Tom, whose hulkish physique Nick really pays a lot of attention to, Myrtle is the only character whose physicality is dwelt on at length. We hear a lot about her body and the way she moves in space - here, we not only get her â€Å"sweeping† across the room, â€Å"expanding,† and â€Å"revolving,† but also the sense that her â€Å"gestures† are somehow â€Å"violent.† It makes sense that for Nick, who is into the cool and detached Jordan, Myrtle’s overenthusiastic affect is a little off-putting. But remember this focus on Myrtle’s body when you read Chapter 7, where this body will be exposed in a shocking way. Some time toward midnight Tom Buchanan and Mrs. Wilson stood face to face discussing in impassioned voices whether Mrs. Wilson had any right to mention Daisy's name. "Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!" shouted Mrs. Wilson. "I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai" Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand. (2.124-126) This bit of violencesuccinctlyencapsulates Tom’s brutality, how little he thinks of Myrtle, and it also speaks volumes about their vastly unequal and disturbing relationship. Two things to think about: Why doesn’t Tom want Myrtle to mention Daisy? It could be a way of maintaining discretion - to keep secret her identity in order to hide the affair. But, considering everyone in town apparently knows about Myrtle, this doesn’t seem to be the reason. More likely is the fact that Tom does actually hold Daisy in much higher regard than Myrtle, and he refuses to let the lower class woman â€Å"degrade† his high-class wife by talking about her freely. This is yet again an example of his extreme snobbery. Tom is a person who uses his body to get what he wants. Sometimes this is within socially acceptable boundaries - for example, on the football field at Yale - and sometimes it is to browbeat everyone around him into compliance. It’s also interesting that both Tom and Myrtle are such physically present characters in the novel - in this moment, Myrtle is the only character that actually stands up to Tom. In a way, they are a perfect match. In my fanfic reworking of this scene, Myrtle would get to really go to town on Tom, MMA-style. Chapter 2 Analysis So how does this chapter contribute to our understanding of the novel's themes? And what are the most significant character beats to remember? I'llanswer those questions in this section. Themes and Symbols Love, Desire, and Relationships. At the party, the guests discuss love and marriage. Two separate threads in this conversation stand out: In Catherine’s eyes, the situation between Myrtle and Tom couldn’t be clearer: both don’t like their spouses, both are into each other, so the obvious solution would be for the two of them to run off together. Of course, we see that Tom would never leave Daisy for Myrtle - she is just someone he can feel free to abuse, since he can always buy her compliance with more cheap gifts. Myrtle describes her decision to marry Wilson as a case of mistaken identity. She thought he was a gentleman, but his veneer of class - exemplified by the fact that he â€Å"He borrowed somebody's best suit to get married in and never even told me† (2.6) - was almost immediately dispelled after the wedding. This is very reminiscent of both what happens to Daisy, as Tom cheats on her during their honeymoon, revealing his MO; and what almost happens to Daisy and Gatsby, who is yet another man who seems like a gentleman but is actually living in a borrowed â€Å"suit† and a borrowed identity. Society and Class. After seeing the heights of the upper classes on East Egg and the lows of the factory workers in the valley of ashes, this chapter shows us what life is like for a segment of the middle class. Myrtle is desperate to get as far away from her depressing life with Wilson at the gas station as she can, surrounding herself with the material trappings that Tom can provide: an apartment, clothes, and an accessory dog. The American Dream. In a novel that is all about the American drive to get ahead, Myrtleis one of the strivers, willing to put up with terrible treatment in exchange for a chance to climb higher. So are the people hanging on her coattails, like the McKees and Catherine. Seeing her with this shows us just how striated (separated into layers) society is, as Myrtle grabs every tiny opportunity to demonstrate her slightly higher status to her entourage. The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg.This world is defined by its lawless amorality, and there is no voice of moral authority to pass judgment on the bad behavior of the characters. All we get is an inanimate object that hints at the possibility of a divine watcher. But, even though these disembodied eyes do make wrong-doers feel uncomfortable under their gaze, they can't actually prevent anything. For example,Tom is entirely comfortable lying. He maintains a mistress, lying to Daisy about his phone calls. And it turns out that he is lying to Myrtle as well, telling her that the reason he can’t divorce his wife is that Daisy is a Catholic. He winces under the eyes of the billboard, but it doesn't deter him in any way. The Valley of Ashes. There are those who live in palaces in West and East Egg. There are those who party in apartments in Manhattan. But this chapter shows us what happens to the people who get left behind, and who can't muster up the luck and energy needed to "win." They end up in the gray wasteland of industrial Queens, enabling the rich to get richer through their depressing, polluted, and monotonous labor. Are there any happy marriages in this book? Like, how are Nick’s parents doing? Or that random horseback riding couple we’ll see later? Anybody? Crucial Character Beats Tom drags Nick to meet Myrtle at Wilson’s gas station, in the middle of the â€Å"valley of ashes† that is industrial Queens. They arrange to meet in Manhattan, where Myrtle hosts a little party in her apartment. Myrtle lords it over her guests and reveals how miserable she is in her marriage. It’s also clear that Tom has been lying to Myrtle about his own marriage in order to string her along. The party breaks up after Tom punches Myrtle in the face and breaks her nose. He does it because she mentions Daisy’s name. What’s Next? Get deeper into the characters of Tomand Myrtleto really dig into what function they play in the novel. Draw comparisons between Myrtle and Daisyto see how these two almost diametrically opposed women actually have some important things in common. Also, explore how each perceives her relationships with men. Move on to thesummary of Chapter 3, or revisit the summary of Chapter 1. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Why school lunches should be picked up by the childrens parents Essay

Why school lunches should be picked up by the childrens parents - Essay Example Balanced diet not only helps them in their physical growth but also ensures mental alertness that facilitates their academic advancements. Also, the increasing concern of rapidly growing obesity amongst children in America has emerged as major social problem. In US, in the last three decades, and obesity in children and adolescent has nearly tripled (HHS News, 2001, ref.1). At the same time, lack of proper nourishment amongst children coming from impoverished families of immigrants, have compounded the problem of academia where children are not able to cope with the stress of the education curricula. In such a scenario, school lunches serve as vital linkages for creating facilitating environment for improved academic results and healthy eating habits. Thesis statement School lunches would help inculcate better eating habits amongst children and thereby help arrest the increasing tendency of obesity amongst American children. Rationale for the proposal Good nutrition and healthy food significantly contributes to a child’s proper growth and general well being that helps to improve his or her academic achievements. In the increasing pluralistic society, the diversity of race, income and nationality has brought forth huge social problems of conflicting ideologies and wide income disparity. The children living in impoverished conditions in the neighborhood colonies have inadvertently become innocent victim of the time. Delgade (2005) asserts that in 2000, 35.7% of Latino population was less than 18 years of age and therefore, in 20 years of time, there will be lot more younger Latinos. There is huge number of dropouts because of many reasons, not the least important being poverty and lack of will to educate themselves. US census corroborates his statement and confirms that that by 2050, Latinos will reach 25% of the total U.S. population (US Census, 1999). This is staggering number could create mammoth social problem if the low literacy problem amongst childr en of the immigrant and impoverished families is not addresses urgently. Mid day lunch in schools would provide them with healthy food and help meet their physical, mental and emotional need when they would be better able to contribute positively to their academic grades. Obesity amongst children of mainstream American population is another worrying aspect which must be tackled in more effective manner. CDC data reveals that from 1980 to 2008, childhood obesity had increased from 6.5% to nearly 20% for 6-11 year olds and 5% to 18% for 12-19 year olds. Studies have shown that fat intake of children in US has inadequate amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates, but excessive amounts of fats. The increasing tendency towards fast food promotes sedentary lifestyle which causes obesity (Ebbeling et al., 2002; Smith, 1999). The widespread ramifications of obesity considerably increase risks to life and health. Diseases like high blood pressure, heart problems, diabete s are some of the major by products of obesity. The children therefore must be encouraged towards healthy dietary habits and active lifestyle. Solution to the problem The advancing technology has covertly promoted sedentary lifestyle amongst children as children have become addicted to the computers, television and mobile phones. This has also resulted in bad eating habits and erratic schedule. The increasing consumption of fast food and aerated drinks by amongst children and adolescents are the major causes for their obese and overweight problems as they are high on calories and low on nourishment. The policy of school lunch for students during school hours, therefore, becomes highly relevant for children as it would encourage healthy diet at the right time. The

Space shuttle columbia failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Space shuttle columbia failure - Essay Example The velocity of the shuttle was 17,321 mph, while its actual weight depended on the payload and the other consumables on board. The thermo protection system of the space shuttle comprised of service coverage with high and low temperature reusable surface insulation tiles (Perkins, 86). The other areas such as the bay doors, fuselage and wings were covered with white silicone-rubber painted Nomex, which served as the insulation system (Christensen, 377). However, during the subsequent upgrade of the orbiter, the initial insulation tile and the silicone-rubber were replaced with Fibrous Insulation Blankets, which were found to be more flexible and appropriate for the orbiter surface insulation (Christensen, 377). The space shuttle was the first of its kind in many aspects. The space shuttle Columbia was the first spacecraft that was a reusable spacecraft and it was the first spacecraft that could carry large satellites both to and from the orbit (NASA, n.p.). The space shuttle Columbia comprised of three major components; the orbiter where the crew on board were housed, two solid rocket boosters which provided the shuttle with lift during the first two minutes, and a large external tank that fueled the main engines (NASA, n.p.). The Shuttle was 184 feet long, while its orbiter was 122 feet long, with a wing span of 78 feet and a height of the 57 feet, measured while standing on the runway (NASA, n.p.). On the day of the actual landing of the space shuttle Columbia, within the last few minutes of its landing, the shuttle entered the Earth’s atmosphere from the orbit. The incidence occurred when the spacecraft was approaching its Kennedy Space Center which was its targeted landing destination (Howell, n.p.). However, at 9.00 a.m. EST, an abnormal reading showed up on the NASA mission control center, starting with the loss of the

Faisal - Operational and process management Essay

Faisal - Operational and process management - Essay Example The paper also described views on how this company can better their stand in the crowded footwear industry and end up being a stronger competitor to its key challenges in its business environment. The paper presented a number of models and theories for both the analysis of the prevalent systems at Crocs, and offered insights on how they can integrate into success and create a more stable company. The paper also portrayed different perspectives by providing postulations against vertical integration as strategy to gain competitive advantage. 1.0 Introduction Crocs, Inc. was initiated in the year 2002 in Colorado and is arguably one of today’s fastest growing brands and organisations at the world level. The company initially produced footwear for all age categories under the same brand and is now sold well in over 100 countries. The brand features a special kind of plastic that is softened by body heat of the individual wearing the shoe, resulting in high degree of comfort. Sales for the company jumped 256% in 2006 (Thompson, 2006). There has been much discussion about Crocs’ success and besides the popularity of its shoes, the major reasons for the enormous growth of the company has been its efficient chain supply management. Crocs, Inc. has shown that being flexible and being focused on digressing from the conventional norms of the industry, they could achieve more success and profits than their peers (Ashkanasy and Wilderom). This efficiency was the result of their Chief Executive Officer’s vision of satisfying customers by developing an ultra efficient process of production that would facilitate the company to make and supply at short notice, hence creating a competitive advantage in the industry. The Crocs supply chain has been revolutionary in footwear production but there is need to evolve in line with changes in the global industry environment. In the long run, a conventionally thinking organisation has no future. Alteration in technol ogy, delivery procedures, customer demands, and legislative policies demand that a company focuses on its core competencies rather than venturing into all possible diversification schemes. 2.0 Industry analysis By the use of the Product Life Cycle (PLC) concept (Waters and Water, 1999), it is quite visible that the footwear industry as a whole is near saturation and this is likely to run for a long time. It is least likely that the demand for footwear will fall significantly but there are possibilities that with the development of cheaper and more durable products, the industry’s profitability will decline after some time. Using the following Five Forces Model analysis of the global footwear market, the following observations can be made. 2.1 Entry Barriers Entry barriers are engineered to elbow out potential starters from entering a market. These barriers seek to serve the monopoly powers of the incumbent organisations in that industry, thereby maintaining monopoly margins. Some known barriers include limit pricing, patents, cost advantages as well as marketing and advertising among others. This industry appears to offer relatively easy entry for new participants. The advantages of cost are fairly low with quite a large number of players locally and globally. However, it is worth noting that the manufacturers have significantly easy access to factors of production, particularly raw

Alternative working capital policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alternative working capital policy - Essay Example btain funding through this method is that EHC should have an average operating margin greater then 0% over the last three years along with a debt coverage ratio greater than 1.25x. the third option is to go for sourcing investment from private banks, which obviously come with a higher rate of interest (4.50%) compared to the other available options. Further, there is a difference in prepayment limitations in this case at 2% of the principal amount. The inflow from operating activities totaled nearly $50 million. However, the high operating expenses to the tune of $40 million means that EHC is left with a mere $497,000 in terms of net income. This is insufficient to fund the proposed expansion worth $75 million nor is it adequate to manage the related loan repayment increases in case the required funds are sourced from outside. The cash conversion cycle (CCC) will help determine the period up to which EHC will not be able to seek cash in case an increase in investment towards expansion is initiated in a bid to offer a wider range of services. CCC is this a measurement of the liquidity risk associated with any proposed initiative towards growth. Clearly, CCC is negative which means EHS is highly dependent on collecting cash from customers before paying suppliers and for the maintenance of equipment. Although this represents a strict policy of collections, this approach is not sustainable in the long run and the company will not be able to consider any expansion in this setup. Amongst the three options available, it is recommended to opt for low tax revenue bonds as it comes with a manageable rate of interest and moreover, such bonds come from governmental bodies, thereby having the least risk associated with them. the advantage of a revenue bond also arises from the fact that repayment is done solely from the revenues generated by the new expansion, which will facilitate easy book keeping and have the least influence on EHC’s management of existing

Translation theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Translation theories - Essay Example zes, and utilizes translation principles to arrive at three main translation categories that are translation theories founded on source-oriented perspectives, linguistic translation theories, and recent translations. While source-oriented translation approaches developed from the 2nd century B.C to the 20th century A.D., the linguistic translation theories began during the second decade of the 20th century and lasted for 50 years. However, the last three decades of the 20th century led to the birth of the descriptive branch of translation that was subdivided into process-oriented, function-oriented, and product-oriented translations. The recent translation includes the target-oriented approach to translation that includes Toury’s norms in translation (Venuti, 2000, p. 198). Different translation theories are used in different translation purposes. This paper evaluates the differences between Gideon Toury’s Norms in translation theory and Lawrence Venuti’s translator’s invisibility theory. The comparison begins by placing the norms in translation theory in wider context, offers a description of the translator’s invisibility theory, compares the two theories, and finally, performs an assessment and evaluation of the implication of the two theories for practical translation. At the start of the present translation period was the descriptive translation branch in Israel since 1970s. During this period, Israeli researchers affiliated with descriptive research used the polysystem theory by Even-Zohar in 1990, and the aspect of norms established by Gideon Toury in 1995 (Benjamins, 2008, p. 64). Since Israeli is a multilingual and multicultural state, translation of other languages into Hebrew was committed to a target-oriented approach. The polysystem theory of literature and culture involves all cultural, literary, linguistic, and social aspect, but did not account for single-text translations. Instead, polysystem viewed single-texts as a system operating

How effectively did the three armed services combine in the Falklands Essay

How effectively did the three armed services combine in the Falklands campaign - Essay Example Despite being over 8,000 miles away and at a tremendous logistical disadvantage, Prime Minister Thatcher sent an invasion force consisting of ships of all varieties, airplanes, helicopters, soldiers and one British Prince. Mrs. Thatcher wanted to prove to the USSR and communist governments throughout the world that western powers were not going to back down from a conflict, especially a colony or territory that contained a large number of western inhabitants. Thatcher was informed that Soviet intelligence reports stated that even if Thatcher were to go ahead with a military invasion, the English would lose if they went at it alone. Again, The Iron Lady took offence and set out to prove them wrong. The British Prime Minister realized the implications of this crisis. She knew that what ever she chose to do would be setting one precedent or another. It was in Thatcher's hands to decide which precedent she would set. For her, there was no question, she could not let it seem that the Sovi ets could freely choose a Western territory or colony and simply invade it without fearing the consequence of military action. In most of the renowned strategists’ opinion, the Falklands War has been referred to as like two bald men fighting over a comb. Neither country particularly needed the Falklands, and the Falklands had very little that either country coveted, but it was the symbol that was important. (Gordon 2006) Argentina lost the war in part because the comb wanted to go to England but more importantly because they simply were not prepared to fight a war against the whole world. How did British Royal Forces Show Leadership Styles The British royal armed forces used dramatically different leadership styles portrayed by British Officers at the battle of Goose Green. As regards to these two characters are the most prominent: the Battlegroup Commander Colonel H Jones who was famous for assaulting a trench single handedly and was subsequently killed. The second character is that of the B Company commander Major John Crosland who successfully lead an assault on Burntside Hill and demonstrated a markedly different style of leadership than that of Colonel Jones. These two characters have been chosen because of their almost polar opposite approaches to initially the orders process and then their own leadership style. They demonstrate just how subjective the orders process can be and the affect that a differing approach can have on the battle itself. Jones demonstrated how an autocratic style of leadership coupled with a positionalist approach to war fighting lead to near disaster, whereas Crosland showed how a slightly more Laisser Faire attitude and an understanding of mission command could prove successful. How could two such different approaches be present in what was to all intents and purposes was the same organization? The first - the orders delivered by Jones for the Assault on Goose Green and secondly his individual leadership style. These will then be contrasted with that of Major Crosland and his assault onto Burntside Hill. Colonel H Jones was a renowned figurehead of the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment. He was known for his fiery temper, his embrace of the Parachute Regiment ethos and his dogged tenacity (Middlebrook, 1985). His actions

Translation theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Translation theories - Essay Example zes, and utilizes translation principles to arrive at three main translation categories that are translation theories founded on source-oriented perspectives, linguistic translation theories, and recent translations. While source-oriented translation approaches developed from the 2nd century B.C to the 20th century A.D., the linguistic translation theories began during the second decade of the 20th century and lasted for 50 years. However, the last three decades of the 20th century led to the birth of the descriptive branch of translation that was subdivided into process-oriented, function-oriented, and product-oriented translations. The recent translation includes the target-oriented approach to translation that includes Toury’s norms in translation (Venuti, 2000, p. 198). Different translation theories are used in different translation purposes. This paper evaluates the differences between Gideon Toury’s Norms in translation theory and Lawrence Venuti’s translator’s invisibility theory. The comparison begins by placing the norms in translation theory in wider context, offers a description of the translator’s invisibility theory, compares the two theories, and finally, performs an assessment and evaluation of the implication of the two theories for practical translation. At the start of the present translation period was the descriptive translation branch in Israel since 1970s. During this period, Israeli researchers affiliated with descriptive research used the polysystem theory by Even-Zohar in 1990, and the aspect of norms established by Gideon Toury in 1995 (Benjamins, 2008, p. 64). Since Israeli is a multilingual and multicultural state, translation of other languages into Hebrew was committed to a target-oriented approach. The polysystem theory of literature and culture involves all cultural, literary, linguistic, and social aspect, but did not account for single-text translations. Instead, polysystem viewed single-texts as a system operating

Outline the objectives of economic management and analyse the role of fiscal policy Essay Example for Free

Outline the objectives of economic management and analyse the role of fiscal policy Essay The Australian Government targets economic objectives that may provide equality and higher living standards throughout the country. For these benefits to reach Australian households, the Australia government has to overcome objectives such as economic growth, distribution of income, and external stability. To do so, the government uses the fiscal policy in order to influence the amount of government expenditure and revenue which can alter economic activity. The government’s fiscal strategy aims to ensure fiscal sustainability over the medium term; therefore the government is responsible for meeting its current and future spending commitments with revenue raised. Australia has had a low historical use of fiscal policy during the 1990s, however since the Global Financial Crisis; fiscal policy has been a powerful tool in maintaining Australia’s economy. Fiscal policy has a large influence over economic activity, through using the expansionary fiscal stance which involves a net increase in government spending, or a fall in taxation revenue. However, this was not the case during the period 1996-2007 as fiscal policy had a smaller role to play in the economy. As the Howard Government came into office, the stance of fiscal policy was largely contractionary. A contractionary stance occurs when government spending is reduced. An example of this stance is when the Howard Government was committed to achieving a balanced budget over the course of the economic cycle, as fiscal policy was tightened in 1996-97, 1998-99, resulting in a surplus of $1171 million. This meant that fiscal policy was generally not a major role in influencing the business cycle, instead monetary policy had the central role in maintaining economic activity. Although fiscal policy was not greatly used from the mid-1990s to 2007, it has had a large impact on recessions. As the Global Financial Crisis hit Australia, the fiscal policy was introduced in order to increase the level of economic activity, instead of letting Australia plunge into a recession. The impact of the GFC dramatically changed the budget balance, through a decline in government taxation revenue and an increase in discretionary government spending. This led to the movement from a cash surplus of $19. 7 billion in 2007-08 to a cash deficit of -$27 billion in 2009-10. Economic growth decreased to 1. 4% of GDP, which gave the government the incentive to introduce the fiscal stimulus, while the Rudd Government used an expansionary fiscal stance to support aggregate demand. The stimulus package involved a $77 billion package, with a $42 billion Nation building plan and Jobs Plan in the 2009 budget to support infrastructure and investment and the Economic Security Strategy package of $10 billion in spending on cash transfers to low and middle income households. The result of expansionary fiscal policy helped Australia avoid a recession, as these stimulus measures were estimated to boost Australia’s economic growth by 2. 75% of GDP in 2009-10. In addition, fiscal policy can influence the objective of inequality in income distribution. The government is committed into try to use a progressive taxation system which will provide a fairer distribution of income. The progressive taxation system is when higher income earners pay a larger proportion of tax compared to low income earner, leading to a redistribution of income to low income earners. An example of the progressive tax system can be seen in the ‘personal income tax thresholds’, where the highest income bracket of $180,001 and over has an effective tax rate of 30. 3-44. 9%. However, the structure of the progressive system of personal income tax changed when the Gillard Government announced it would increase the tax-free threshold to $18,200 on 1st July 2012 as part of the Clean Energy Future Package from the carbon tax and will rise again to $19,400 the following year. This threshold bracket changed from the previous 2009 and 2010 Personal Income tax threshold as all taxpayers where given a tax free threshold of $6000. Between 1996 and 2008, the Federal Government used fiscal policy in order to maintain external stability. External stability is an aim of government policy that seeks to promote sustainability on external accounts so that Australia can service its foreign liabilities in the medium to long run. External stability can be managed by the government achieving fiscal consolidation, which is running a budget surplus over the course of the business cycle. One of the main ways to run a budget surplus is to eliminate public debt, which in turn can help reduce the part of net foreign debt owned by the Australian Government. For instance, when the Howard Government was in power, there was a series of consecutive surplus budgets to retire a significant amount of public debt. From 1996-2007 the stance of fiscal policy was largely contractionary, since the Howard Government was committed to achieving a balanced budget over the course of the business cycle. It was tightened throughout the years of 1996-1999, and thereby, eliminated Commonwealth general government debt from the peak of $96 million (17. 6% of GDP) in 1996-97 to -0. 5% of GDP by 2005-06. This in turn increased Australia’s national savings and resulted in low net foreign debts. Subsequently, the fiscal policy has an effective role in achieving the economic objectives of economic growth during downturn economic activity, equal distribution of income and maintaining external stability. Australia was successful in using fiscal policy to avoid recession in 2009, when it implemented one of the largest fiscal stimulus packages in its history, as well as changes to the personal income threshold that gave a more equal distribution of income to lower income earners. By aiming to achieve fiscal surplus the Australian economy can achieve its economy objectives rapidly.

Definition of fixed cost and variable cost

Definition of fixed cost and variable cost Fixed cost (FC): is a cost that remains constant, in total, regardless of changes in the level of activity. Fixed costs are not affected by changes in activity. Consequently, as the activity level rises and falls, total fixed costs remain constant unless influenced by some outside force. But fixed cost per unit decreases as the activity level rises and increases as the activity level falls. (Garrison etal., 2006, P49). Fixed costs include salaries of executives, interest expense, rent, depreciation, and insurance expenses. . Variable cost (VC): is a cost that varies, in total, in direct proportion o changes in the level activity. The activity can be expressed in many ways, such as units produced, units sold, miles driven, beds occupied, lines of print, hours worked and so forth. But variable cost per unit remains constant. ((Garrison etal., 2006, P48). Direct cost, indirect cost and overhead costs Direct costs: is a cost that can be easily and conveniently traced to the particular cost object under consideration. The concept of direct cost extends beyond just direct materials and direct labor. (Garrison etal., 2006, P50). Example: the salary of supervisor in marketing department is the direct cost for marketing department. The salary is likely the same each month not depend on the quantity of sales product. Indirect costs: is a cost that cannot be easily and conveniently traced to the particular cost object under consideration. (Garrison etal., 2006, P50).   Each business has its own method of allocating indirect costs to different products, sources of sales revenue and  business units.  Business managers and accounts should always keep an eye on the allocation methods used for indirect costs. Example: Depreciation on the production machine is also an indirect product cost, it stays the same each year not depend on the volume produced on the machine. Costs can be direct and indirect depending on the cost object: product, department,  and others such as division, customer, or geographic market. The total amount of the  cost remain the same as volume changes, it is fixed cost. It is a variable cost if the total cost change in proportion to the change in the activity or volume. Overhead costs: the indirect recurring costs of running a business that are not linked directly to the goods or service produced and sold. Overhead costs can include payments for the rent of premises, utility bills, and employees salaries. Controllable costs and uncontrollable costs Controllable cost: are those costs which can be regulated or controlled by specified member of an undertaking. Most of the variable costs are controllable costs. For example, direct material, direct labor and direct expenses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦are controlled by the lower level of management. Uncontrollable cost: can not be controlled by the specified member of the undertaking. Most of the fixed costs are uncontrollable cost. For example, factory rental expense, supervisors salary, depreciation. Evaluate the statement I have trouble with the terminology-direct costs, also called variable costs, are the ones that are controllable. Whereas indirect costs or overheads, also called fixed costs, are uncontrollable. Based on the definitions above, I strongly disagree with the statement because the delegate assumed wrongly about the cost. There are many ways to classified cost depending on the purpose of management. According to association with products, costs are divided into product costs and period costs. According to identifiably, costs are divided into direct cost and indirect cost. According to behavior, costs are divided into fixed cost, variable cost and semi- variable cost. According to controllability, costs are divided into controllable costs and uncontrollable costs. Direct cost can be fixed cost and variable cost depending on situations For example: the salary of supervisor in manufacture department is the direct cost for manufacture department. The salary is likely the same each month not depend on the quantity of product. It is a fixed cost of manufacture department. Raw material supply for manufacture department is a direct cost for department but it is a variable cost, total amount of supplies use in the department increases if the volume in the department increases. Indirect costs can be fixed costs and variable cost also: In opposition to direct cost, most of indirect cost is fixed cost. For example rental cost is indirect cost for part production, it is a fixed cost of manufacture department stay the same each month, its not depend on the number of product. But indirect cost can be variable cost also. The cost of electricity for administration of manufacture department is variable cost monthly depending on the number of electricity use more or less. Controllable cost and uncontrollable cost Most of variable costs are controllable. To illustrate: low level manager in manufacture product is the direct monitoring and control of production process. They can be managing the raw material use to create product and direct labors that mean control the number of employees needed to complete product. Management can organize the use of resources effectively in the short term. On the other hand, many of fixed costs are uncontrollable. They are imposed in terms of management such as business can not decide the rental fees of factory, the rent for his unit negotiated by higher management, or the rates dictated by the local authority. Question 2 1. Participative budgeting Budget preparation is the process by which organizational goals are translated into a plan that specifies the allocated resources, the selected processes, and the desired schedule for achieving these goals. There are two main types of budgeting: bottom-up budgeting and top-down budgeting. Participative budgeting is a method of preparing budgets in which managers prepare their own budgets. These budgets are then reviewed by the managers supervisor, and any issues are resolved by mutual agreement. Manager Marketing Manager Sales Vice President Sales Vice President Finance President and CEO Vice President Production Cashier Controller Manager Manufacturing Manager Distribution All level of an organization should work together to create the budget. Each level in organization should contribute in the way that it best can in a cooperative effort to develop budget. Lower level management is responsible for setting the estimate of budget data in a participative system and submits them to the next higher level of management. Before the budget is accepted, they must be reviewed and evaluated by middle management before they are transferred to the organization. Advantage of participative budgeting Participative budgeting is relevant to all member of particular project, it helps to encourage all participants contribute idea to built a project effectively. Budget information is given clearly and fairly accurate because it use of the data available at the project management level Working motivation is higher when an individual directly involved in setting goals rather than goals imposed from above. Self-imposed budget made commitments to implement the goals. If the budget has been setting from top management, managers can say that budget is unreasonable or impractical to start, could not be performed. With participative budget, it does not happen when the managers set a budget for themselves. Disadvantage of participative budget Time consuming and costly because too many participants involved in setting budget project. The influence of top manager is limited over the budget process. However, when the lower-level managers plan the short budgets and mid-range budgets, outlining organizational policies and goals, they can influence the outcome by issuing a statement. Individual tend to overstate the real resource needs because they think that all budget will be cut in certain proportion by top manager and set a goal lower than actual for easy to achieve the goal. 2. Budget variance a. Definition of budget variance: Total budget variance is simply the difference between the actual cost of the input and its planned cost. Total variance = Price variance + Usage variance In standard costing systems, the total variance is broken down into price and usage variance. Price variance is the difference between the actual and standard unit price of an input multiplied by the number of unit used. Usage variance is the difference between the actual and standard quantity of inputs multiplied by the standard unit price of the input. Total variance = (AP x AQ) (SP x SQ) ACTUAL COST (AQ x AP) STANDARD COST (SQ x SP) STANDARD COST (SQ x SP) ACTUAL COST (AQ x AP) > FAVORABLE VARIANCE (ACTUAL UNFAVORABLE VARIANCE (ACTUAL > STANDARD) AQ means the actual quantity of input used to produce the output AP means the actual price of the input used to produce the output SQ means the standard quantity SP means the standard price Favorable variance and unfavorable variance are not equivalent to good and bad variance. The terms indicate the relationship of the actual price or quantities to the standards prices and quantities. b. Budget variance investigation Managers responsibility is carefully calculated the variance because that is a part of effective control of organization. In general, it is difficult to manage external sources of budget variance (government policy, stock market, fluctuation of exchange rateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) rather than internal sources (raw material, cost per hour on direct labor). Management should know about the acceptable range of performance. If the budget has a favorable balance that means it has brought the profit to the company. Conducting an investigation to find out the reason why the variance of budget was favorable and it could be made more than in the future. If the variance is small, it should not be too worried. In fact, a little variance between actual budget and the projected figures is always happens. With the very small difference, the manager can ignore them, no need to adopt strong action because it does not bring terrible consequences for the business. So, with little difference, the best way to solve is simply putting it into stride. If the budget has unfavorable variance, head of department need to conduct an investigation to find out the main causes by external influence or internal influence. For example the increase of raw material usage per unit more than allowed standard because it was poor condition of machine or poor manufacturing. Find the cause and how to fix the problem; it is a good measure to prevent a similar situation may occur in the future. After having adverse variance the budget needs to rewrite or the budget needs to verify by internal audit. Question 3 Explain the term used in the statement 1. Committed fixed costs Committed fixed costs relate to the investment in facilities, equipment, and basic organizational structure. The two characteristics of committed fixed costs are that they are long term in natural, and they cannot be significantly reduced event for short periods of time without seriously impairing the profitably or long- run goals of the organization. Even if operations are interrupted or cut back, the committed fixed cost will still continue largely unchanged (Garrison etal., 2006, P190). For example: Vietnam airlines has total 80 aircraft, the company must pay money for depreciation, maintenance and insurance expense. The expense is not depend on the number of times the plane fly or the number of passenger in plane. It is a committed fixed cost. Decisions to acquire major equipment or to take on other committed fixed costs involve a long planning horizon. Management should make such commitments only after carefully analysis of the available alternatives. Once a decision is made to acquire committed resources, the company may be locked in to the decision for many years to come (Garrison etal., 2006, P191). For example the total committed fixed cost of renting the building for the hotel is very high and the company must commit to pay for it at least 5 years in Vietnam. Uneven revenue flows It is showed that the difference of demand (low or high) for product or service in different periods. At times the company is very busy and at others it suffers from very slack periods. The hospitality industry is often divided into two distinct seasons: high season and low season. The period time between two seasons can move and change each year. In high season, the hotel does not have enough room for customer and the room rate is very high that bring large of profit for the hotel. In contrast, in low season the hotel must reduce the price and apply promotion to attract tourist. It is a common situation of hotel and resort. The implication of the above situation for the company Many of our cost are committed fixed cost. Our revenue flows occur very unevenly. To be profitable we have to take a flexible approach to pricing The company in hospitality industry has large proportion of fixed cost for the initial investment so the break even point is also very high. Company will operate with high level of capacity before earning a profit. But when passed break even point the profit will increase rapidly. Committed fixed cost has a little effect to the level of costs in the short term. Revenue is the money the company receives for selling their product or service. It is calculated by taking the selling price and multiplying it by the number of units sold. Profit is the amount of money left over after costs have been covered. It is calculated by: total revenue minus total costs. Therefore, profits will not be improved by a greater emphasis on cost management of costs. The company will get profit if the revenue is maintained consistently above break even level. Due to the nature of leisure industry, the product is not in storage so the focus on revenue during the period low level of demand is the necessary task of this company. By adopting a flexible approach the company is adapting the price of the product or service to suit the situation of the company and the amount of money customers are willing to pay. But the given price must be greater than variable cost and above break event point. This pricing strategy is designed to attract as much business as possible when the company has spare capacity. The price will be increased for busy periods when the company can expect to operate near to full capacity. For example: In Vietnam, Da Nang has a long beautiful coastline. Seaside hotels have a high level of demand in the summer (from May to August), this time mainly to serve domestic tourist. The room rates are usually higher two times as much as normal. The hotels have maximum revenue in this period. In the low season from October to February next year, the hotel has launched promotions to attract tourist such as discount 30% room rate at Furama Resort or stay 2 night get 1 night free at Golden Sand Resort. In this case, at times of low volume an inflexible, cost orientated approach to pricing.

Recycling Computers :: Recycle Reuse Reduce

Recycling Computers (this paper includes survey and results) In order to keep up with technology, computers must be replaced every few years. Most people simply throw away their old computers and other electrical parts because they are unaware of the environmental problem arising everyday from the careless disposal of electronics. In order to prevent the destruction of the environment people must be educated in two areas; what is in the computer itself that makes it harmful to the environment, and what are the steps in disposing of technology properly. The first step in prevention is through education. The purpose of this document is to educate the consumer on this importance of this issue and what steps they can take personally to help prevent the problem in the future. Today, there is more than two million tons of electronic waste consuming space in the United States’ landfills. Most people however, do not see this as a problem. What most consumers do not know is that computers and electrical components contain toxic materials such as lead, calcium, and mercury that are leaching into our countries landfills. For example, a computer monitor itself may contain up to eight pounds of lead. When twenty students were surveyed on toxins found inside a computer, it was observed that the majority knew there were toxins inside. However, thirty-three percent did not know. When asked what specific toxins can be found inside, the majority of the students were correct with their responses of all three toxins. Did you know that there are hazardous materials in computers? No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Which ones specifically? Mercury Calcium Lead All Three Mercury Lead All Three Mercury All Three Mercury All Three All Three All Three The more important issue that must be addressed is if people are aware of the fact that they can actually recycle their own old computers. The majority of people are unaware of the fact that computers are in fact recyclable in their entirety. Most old computers end up collecting dust simply because they are outdated and better technology is available. When twenty students were surveyed on whether or not they knew computers were recyclable, seventy percent answered that they did not think computers were able to be recycled. The following chart shows the results. Were you aware that computers are recyclable? No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No No No No No No There are multiple organizations that are set up strictly to help people find electronic recycling information and choose the best method of disposal that is appropriate to their specific needs.