Castles In The Air

Man is a pleasure loving animal. He wants diversity of enjoyments. His intelligence has certainly enabled to get a much greater variety of enjoyment that is open to animals. Music. poetry and science, football and baseball and alcohol and cigarettes are some from which people of different temperaments and mental make-up derive pleasure. There are still others who undertake hazardous journeys on the uncharted ocean. Some of foolishly expose themselves to frost-bite and other inclemencies of weather simply to be called conquerors of snowy peaks but the thrill-which these practical men get fails to stir their soul.Even if they simply profess, it transports them to some ethereal pleasure, no sensible person who experienced the vast range of vicarious pleasures would believe them. In fact he who knows how to build castles in the airknow what the secret of perennial pleasure is, and which never gives one a feeling of satiety or frustration Much has been said in praise of the warriors who b y their barbarian exploits conquered their so-called invincible enemies. But is it not a fact that these conquerors could never lead a life free from the fear of being over-run by some braver and more crafty warrior or soldier.And this imaginary' fear drove them from one inhuman act to another? Did not Aurangzeb subject his father and brothers to most inhuman treatment simply to become the unchallenged emperor of India? Also they had cared to know how unconquerable is the person who handles sword in his dreamland where no blood issued and where forces fall as easily a butterflies in a young boy's net. Had they been contended with such conquests they might have not got a few pages in history read by bespectacled scholars, they would have, at least, remained unchallengeable masters of their domains.After all what does it matter to a person whether people talk well or bad of him after he is dead Then why expose ourselves to the smoky hazardous battle-field? Is not our unconquerable for t which is not to be defended by death dealing weapons better, it is in this world that intrigues find little head way. No doubt achievements give us a sense of fulfillment and a feeling of joy. But this joy is seldom or never in proportion to our efforts. Naturally all our plans and the pains taken in executing them head to insignificant pleasure, Not only that, This pleasure is not lasting.It is bound to result in frustration if success in one achievement is not followed by another. A part from that we may think that we have done something remarkable but others might not. This will prick the bubble of our pride and pleasure; the appreciation is whole hearted it might be only of section of people whose opinions we value the least, Then the fear of not being up to the mark also dissipate the pleasure we are likely to get from doing something concrete. And the period preceding our success is a period of great tension.In fact what we do by building casdes on the earth is not to please overselves but to please others. We work as salves and not as masters of our souls. If still some think that there is no pleaSure in idle dreams let them think so, It is a matter of opinion, and if we claim to be civilize we should not grudge them the right to entertain worn ideas. Above all pleasure is completely a personal affair. When it becomes a community affair, as the pleasure from concrete achievement is, we may call it anything else, but to call it pleasure would be misnomer.Nevertheless they who are earthy are contemptuous of day dreamers. The who ‘late and soon getting and spending law waste their powers and little see in nature that is ours are prone to have such feelings for those who make plans and entertain hopes that can never be realised. But is the dreams of such dreams to whom we owe much of colour and joy in the world. They make our drab )world permeate with whose who make life worth living. They wipe tears off every eye.They are the angles who do not fear to tread or even to rush, whatever the attitude of the down-to-the dearth people may be. It is a fact that in all ages such dreamers have been dubbed cranks. Nevertheless, it is the cranks of one age who dream of a world different from the one in which they lived that mankind have, though at a slow pace, become different from what other species are. The discontent of such dreamers with the present make them to visualise a world where mankind would enjoy the ‘sweetness and light' they unconsciously had been instruments.Day dreamers have super-human power of withdrawing themselves from the tedium of boring routine. They by virtue of sanguine optimism have the capacity to neutralize the blind darkness of the realist. The hopes they entertain never meet with frustration, and they with unheated zeal go ahead from one pleasure to another. This pleasure is rather unknown to those who cannot abandon themselves completely. An egoist who is ambitious to become supreme lord of a cherish ed domain cannot known this pleasure.Only the meet enter this kingdom. Obviously of all sorts of material gains which yelled nothing but disappointment, with a pipe in his mouth and a vacant glance in its eyes our dreamer is transported to that region where hatred ignoble reclaims give rise to love, humanism, broad mindedness and internationalism. And the picture of the world that emerges from such thinking is a thrilling and colourful pictures as are seen through a kaleidescope by a boy.

Wordsworth Language vs. Experience

Veronika Abkarian DWC 201 003 20 November 2012 William Wordsworth’s Language vs. Experience William Wordsworth, a major English Romantic poem, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature. This time period consisted of literature that had strong influences on romantic writers. The writers’ attitudes were different to the ordinary previous writers. Seventh and Eighteenth century writings were too difficult for the common person to understand. They were uncommon and had awkward and ornate structures.The following quote, â€Å"I have endeavored utterly to reject them [the formalized expressions of 17th and 18th century poetry] as a mechanical device of style† suggests Wordsworth’s view of the relationship between the language of his writing and the subjects, which are expressed throughout his works. He believes that language structure should not have set number of lines, rhyme schemes, or certain patterns of rhythm. Wordsworth wants to write about incidents and situations that occur in everyday life and describe them in language used by the average person, or a plain and empathic language.In Wordsworth’s belief, literature would no longer be mimetic and reflective but expressive. The readers of his works should use â€Å"gaudiness and inane phraseology†. He believes in making an emphasis of nature, not only physically but also human nature. He looks toward talking about humble and rustic life instead of focusing on royalty or the selfishness of having wealth. He believes that a language arising out of repeated experience and regular feelings is more permanent and more philosophical than that of the poets whom use fancy language to show off their writing style.The principles of Wordsworth pertain to his goal of helping readers understand complex emotional times when they have occurred. The common people are closer to finding the truth, a language closer to real true emotion and experience. Wordsworth feels as tho ugh he must address the sensations that are individual to the person at the time, but also bind us together. The relationship of the language he uses when expressing emotions and experience represent feelings in the spirit of the passions of men and are superior to fancy style writing. He is solely a poet for other men, or humanity.He believes strongly in brotherhood or a common sense of unity among humans. By writing poetry about the common people he emphasized them to be sentimentally equal, which represented his desire for equality amongst all mankind, a typical characteristic in the Romantic age of literature. Wordsworth’s language used in his poetry highlighted much about equality. He did not like to be known as better than those inferior to him. His position as a poet was solely a job to him that placed words full of emotion into the world. No matter lower or upper class, he saw the world as a whole.Hence why he wrote in the common language and to all types of people. I n his preface to â€Å"Lyrical Ballads† he explains that he choses these people because they are â€Å"being less under the influence of social vanity they convey their feelings and notions in simple and unelaborated expressions. † Wordsworth states that most poets’ styles of writing are based on an overflow of feelings; although it is similar for him it is quite different. He believes poetry should be a spontaneous overflow of emotion and that our thoughts are representations of our past feelings.When we reflect on these, we can discover what is truely important to men. One of Wordsworth’s main objectives that is incorporated into his language is aspiring to the ideals of the French Revolution- Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. The emotion must be reflected in tranquility and looked at from a distance, analyzed with intellect and reason as well as felt with passion. The ultimate goal is to help us understand complex emotions which when they occurred wer e too much for us to articulate. As mentioned above, his poetry carries on themes of liberty, equality, and fraternity.Principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity led Wordsworth and other romantics to romantic claims of nature and imagination. Wordsworth wrote about people, moments, and settings that represent freedom. In Cumberland Beggar, Wordsworth focuses on social classes being blend together. He writes about a beggar, a man of regular stature in society, and how he lives within nature. The beggar is very humble, and the people around him are very generous to him. The beggar is bent over and looks at the ground, this symbolizes a sort of uprising of emotion to the reader.As the beggar meets people he tends to enhance and bring out the goodness of people, which represents moments of humanity. A scene in this poem is when the boy is riding his bike and they share a sense of gentleness. Seeing the man softens the boy, and he soon realizes that he will be ancient one day. The b eggar is poor but rich in experience, gentleness, and wisdom. â€Å"No–man is dear to man; the poorest poor Long for some moments in a weary life When they can know and feel that they have been, Themselves, the fathers and the dealers-out Of some small blessings; have been kind to suchAs needed kindness, for this single cause, That we have all of us one human heart. † Old Cumberland Beggar This represents how Wordsworth’s language exemplifies the celebration of equality and freedom, stating that even the lowest among us have so much to offer. He states that even the poorest man give blessings. The most important message from this quote in his poem is â€Å"That we have all of us one human heart† because it clearly illustrates Wordsworth’s passion of equality and how poetry should erase boundaries between genders, classes, generations, and supremely, between human beings and the natural world.Wordsworth believes that spending time in nature is a gif t. This is from past experiences of his time spent in nature. In his future he keeps this in mind while he is alone, tired, and frustrated in a busy city. The beauty of his past experiences of nature will help him overcome his obstacles he is faced with in the future. When the beggar dies he is reunified in nature. Although he is alone, he is resting in peace on the green grassy field. Wordsworth’s use of the words raven, ostrich, clouds, sea-horse, and torrents in his poem, The Wandering Jew are examples of imagination and nature.In Tintern Abbey, the poet visits a church that he attended five years prior. In the poem he measures the differences, which in turn promotes universal thoughts. One who reads this poem is most likely to experience an emotional response to memories. Wordsworth is enjoying the memories but at the same time dealing with a sense of loss. As this is happening, the reader is deeply inside of their selves, trying to figure out the emotions of what they ha ve gained/lost. Wordsworth is sad because it is obvious that he cannot get the time or memories back.As a whole, we have all experienced this, which binds us all together and makes us equal. Wordsworth is recognized to be one of the most influential poets due to his poetry standing so apart from that of his ancestors. Romantics will celebrate the subject the individual, each has an imagination but each ones’ imagination leads us to different visions. There is emphasis on spiritual awareness, which is accessible to everyone. Our emotions serve as loss and sadness from an earlier stage in our life. Wordsworth’s views on his language and subject matter helped structure the face of modern-day poetry.

Apple App Store VS. Google Play: The Security Showdown Essay example

Some of the topics that will be discussed and compared and contrasted between the two application (app) stores are, developer registration, application code signing, and the application vetting process. Let it be reiterated that these security controls apply to just the app stores themselves and not to the overall security and the security controls that are also available as part of the device and its operating system. These are the precautions that are taken by the companies w... ... Painter, M. (2012). HP – Top three mobile application threats. Retrieved from: http://www.informationweek.com/whitepaper/download/showPDF?articleID=191738558site_id=profileCreated= Sabatini, M. (2012). Google Play (Android Market) vs Apple App Store – 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.androidauthority.com/google-play-vs-apple-app-store-2012-76566/ Signing Your Applications. (2014). Retrieved February 11, 2014 from http://developer.android.com/tools/publishing/app-signing.html Svajcer, V. (2012). When Malware Goes Mobile: Causes, Outcomes and Cures. Retrieved from: http://www.sophos.com/en-us/medialibrary/Gated%20Assets/white%20papers/Sophos_Malware_Goes_Mobile.pdf Symantec Corporation (2013). Internet Security Threat Report 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.symantec.com/content/en/us/enterprise/other_resources/b-istr_main_report_v18_2012_21291018.en-us.pdf

Arieff on Liu Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arieff on Liu - Essay Example It should be noted that Liu has used her artistic skills not merely to exhibit them as an artist but to expose the evils of the Chinese traditions. After immigrating to United States she enjoyed the freedom of expressing herself freely through murals, which otherwise wouldn't have been possible if she had been in China. She has used her art as a weapon to rebel against the oppressive patriarchal system of China. Her paintings deal with the intricate issues like foot binding and Western art historical tradition. The most remarkable style of her painting is the reproduction of female characters from the photographs she got from Chinese books. One such book was 'The Face of China', which was published in United States and had photographs taken by foreign tourists in China between 1860 and 1912. She manipulated the images in the photographs and painted them on canvas by using Western style. She incorporated photographs in her paintings, which was otherwise discouraged in China. And a fin e example of this is 'Resident Alien', which is essentially a Self-portrait constructed on Green Card, which belonged to an immigrant "Fortune Cookie" alias Hung Lieu. In this she uses her own identification card photo.

Legal Professional Conduct Hypothetical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal Professional Conduct Hypothetical - Essay Example This breach attracts a penalty of 50 units. If the receipt is related to financial service, then Warren Robinson’s act of diverting Peter’s money will be a default relating to financial services or investments under section 373 of the said Act. Warren Robinson is also deemed to have breached section 34 of the Legal Profession Regulation 2007 (hereafter, the Regulation) governing receipt of trust money. In the absence of any information to this effect, there is a breach of section 34 (2) (4) & (5) of the Regulation. (Legal Profession Regulation, 2007). How the situation should have been handled. Warren should have deposited the money of Peter into the General Trust Account. Mitigation Warren can interpret the money received as a fee for financial service and which he need not have deposited into the trust account. Law society may be addressed as mentioned in section 239 of the Act for giving necessary directions and interpretations. 2. Susan is asked by George, the solic itor employee of Warren Robinson law firm, to pay $1,200 for the specific purpose of covering cost of medical reports. This will become a controlled money when received from Susan in terms of section 237 (1) defining the controlled money. By depositing the first part payment of $ 750 given by Susan into the general trust account, the firm breaches section 251 (1) of the Act which requires deposit of controlled money in a controlled money account held by an Authorized Deposit taking Institution (ADI).. Failure to deposit attracts a maximum penalty of 50 points. . The firm has breached Section 48 of the Regulation which requires a law firm to maintain a single controlled money receipt system and issue receipts accordingly. The office employee Mary has issued a trust account receipt instead of a controlled money receipt as directed by George, the solicitor employee of the firm. The firm has breached section 50 of the Regulation by issuing a cheque for $ 940 to the doctor on Susanâ€⠄¢s account by having it signed by George, who is not authorized to withdraw controlled money. Section 50 (1) of the Regulation stipulates that controlled money can only be withdrawn by an authorized principal of the law practice or an authorized legal practitioner associate or an authorized legal practitioner holding an unrestricted practicing certificate authorizing the receipt of trust money. It is not known whether George holds such a certificate. Warren issues a trust account cheque for $ 450 towards payment of the physiotherapist report without actually receiving funds from Susan thus apparently diverting somebody’s else’s money from the trust account. This is in violation of section 259 (1) of the Act, subsection (a) of which prohibits causing of a deficiency in any trust account or trust ledger account without a reasonable excuse. It attracts a maximum penalty of 200 units (legal Profession Act, 2007) and (Trust Accounting Guide, 2009). How the situation should have been handled The practice should have deposited in a controlled money account held by an (ADI). Mitigation Since a written direction is necessary to open a controlled money account, a defense may be available to the law firm for depositing it into general trust account in the absence of a written direction 3. Katrina, another solicitor employee of the law firm Robinson Associates, transfers $ 400 from the trust

Godrej Interio Furniture E-business Strategy Case Study

Godrej Interio Furniture E-business Strategy - Case Study Example The company Godrej Interio Furniture has been operating as a sole proprietorship for the past five years. The company established a need to go online for operation and make the business a click and mortar operation. The market that was currently being targeted by the company pertained to a niche target which wants customized and designer furniture made with class and high quality materials. The product is a luxury good provided to a niche of the market. In the past the company has been reporting significant loss but as other business and retail stores in the region are adopting the e-business strategy the company also wants to integrate communicative technology in its operations and start a click and mortar operation.However with the advancement of technology that is taking place and the incremental amount of business going online, the establishment is also interested in starting online operations as well. The company is interested in going online and making the business click and mo rtar business. With access to the internet the company will be exposed to larger target market. They would be able to sell their products to the target market outside the political and state boundaries of the local region. This will significantly impact the operations of the business which will expand and can then go global in the long run. However in order to be able to start a business or a retail option online the company will have to brand itself and its products to stand out form the competition.  ... The operation is for the company called Godrej Interio Furniture. The company Godrej Interio Furniture is currently a brick and mortar business which sells unique and trendy furniture and home decoration items. The niche targeted by the company is the upper and the middle upper class market for segment of the target market. The product that is provided by the company is generally customized in nature and only designer pieces are sold in the shop. The shop is an exclusive option for the high street and high end shoppers. This assignment will review the impact of the Web, knowledge management and information technology on promoting business online. Also, the assignment will cover basic elements of the new technological environment and the techniques of knowledge management, the way global marketing is conducted. 2. Introduction of the organization Company History The company Godrej Interio Furniture has been operating as a sole proprietorship for the past five years. The company established a need to go online for operation and make the business a click and mortar operation. The market that was currently being targeted by the company pertained to a niche target which wants customized and designer furniture made with class and high quality materials. The product is a luxury good provided to a niche of the market. In the past the company has been reporting significant loss but as other business and retail stores in the region are adopting the e-business strategy the company also wants to integrate communicative technology in its operations and start a click and mortar operation. However with the advancement of technology that is taking place and the incremental amount of business going online, the

Crossing Delancey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crossing Delancey - Essay Example The societal values are beating the retreat but that viewpoint is liable to be challenged. The characters of the play move on the path that has been prescribed for them, and speak on the dotted lines. The factual message that remains embedded in this absorbing and romantic comedy is an emphatically old-fashioned idea. The real need of a nice-Jewish girl is to be happy with a nice-boy from the old neighborhood! The viewer, for the duration of the play, thinks that he is being transported from the modern age to the middle age! That journey, however, is not the unpleasant one, and the recollection of the old world values is thoroughly enjoyable. Izzy—Isabelle Grossman Isabelle Grossman, who lives alone, thinks that she is in love with an egoistic WASP novelist, believing in some fanciful ideas about life which she herself is not sure. She eventually finds true happiness with her Bubbie and marriage broker fixes her up with a traditional and nice Jewish boy from the old neighborho od. He is a humble guy, deeply religious and tradition-loving and visits shul every day and happy to make his living selling pickles at the company he inherits from his father. Izzy is not carrier-crazed yuppie, but her imaginings are strong and heady and she daydreams a lot for her own good and has her definitions about the concept of wellness. She is a perfect granddaughter. She is not ultra-modern in her attitudes and does not like to be called an old-fashioned individual. Her career has something to do with her intellectual maturity. She works in a New York bookshop and she gets acquainted with many intellectuals there of both the sexes and such encounters keep her inspired. In her effort to escape from the net in the form of Sam carefully woven for her by her grandmother, she fixes Sam up with her best friend Ricky. This stop-gap arrangement does not succeed and she gradually is impacted by the qualities of head and heart of Sam and begins to spend more time with him. She is in itially irritated with the surprise appointment with a matchmaker and tells him in a tone or rebuking, â€Å"Excuse me, but I do not know what you think you’re doing.† Izzy visits her grandmother every weekend, for a practical view of the first generation Jewish lifestyles of her grandmother and is deeply impacted by it. Bubbie, The response of Izzy’s grandmother, to Izzy’s galaxy of intellectual friends is not enthusiastic, and she is a bit worried, whether she will be trapped into making the wrong choice of her life-partner. She is deeply committed to Jewish traditions and would like to find a suitable match for from her own community. She seeks the services of a Jewish matchmaker for the purpose in view and succeeds in her endeavors. Enter Sam, in the life of Izzy, only to be cold-shouldered initially. His pickle-making profession does not certainly inspire her. (She will be known as the wife of the pickle-maker and a modern girl does not like that to happen!) Things shape well later, though Izzy is irritated initially and resists the move. When Izzy dislikes the presence of the matchmaker, Bubbie advises her calmly but in a commanding tone, â€Å"First you’ll listen and then you’ll talk.† She is the archetypal Jewish grandma and mothers her

Social Work Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Work Reflection Paper - Essay Example The objective of the project was to determine if the social workers could draw a distinction between personal values and those of patients and their families. Another objective was to determine how the role of social work could change in the midst of a treatment. Finally, the last objective was to allow social workers to identify their comfort levels regarding the end of life discussions. The evaluation was divided into three activities. This paper presents a reflection on how my group responded to the activities, how the objectives were met, and implications of this exercise for my practice as a social worker. Activity 1, Activity 2, and Activity 3 were end of life care, comfortable and dignified death, and completing the five wishes respectively. Activity 1 involved a scenario of Mr. Cortez, who is connected to ventilator 24 hours following gunshot wounds. Additionally, Mr. Cortez cannot feed on his, so he is given food through tubes. Moreover, the patient is sore and cannot make any purposeful movement. The group responded to the scenario guided by a number of issues including personal values, factors that bar families from making healthcare decisions, and application of social work expertise in the situation. As the discussion went on, I noted a number of important factors. For instance, the main barriers to decision making by families include culture, religion, the inability of the patient to air his opinion, and language/comprehension. Additionally, from the activity, it emerged that not everyone is comfortable with discussing end of life issues and initiating end of life with the fa mily of the patient. For example, Sarah Welsh and Roy found it hard to talk about death and initiate the end of life conversation with the family. Nevertheless, the group responded well to the activity, and one of the strengths demonstrated was the ability to convince and encourage one another to uphold the duties of a social worker. For instance,

Assignment Analytical paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assignment Analytical paper - Essay Example World famous actors and high-paid physicians are not the only ones however who need to be aware of the important issues surrounding the standard of care and the general standard in practice. Nurses must understand the principles of professional nursing practice and ethical and legal implications of the work that they do. Seeking to provide a thorough and comprehensive overview of the implications of not following institutional policy and practice standards, this research paper will identify the principles of professional nursing practice and explain the ramifications of failing to follow this practice by looking at Nurses and Midwives Act 2006 of Western Australia and the Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia (BBC, 2009). Nurses play an important, yet often neglected role, in sustaining the care of patients. Accordingly, nurses must maintain a high ethical standard in their practice. According to the Nurses and Midwives Act 2006 of Western Australia, there are many penalties for unethical behavior and for not following established protocol and policy standards in the delivery of care. Accordingly, there are financial penalties associated with the contravention of standard nursing practice. Being a registered nurse is a privilege and a status which is achieved after the successful completion of courses, testing and years of hard work. When one practices as a nurse or midwife without the proper certification, the Nurses and Midwives Act 2006 prescribes penalties for such unethical behavior. Thus, someone who practices nursing or midwifery and is not registered to do so faces penalties applicable to section 85(1), (2), (3). Pecuniary in nature, the first offence is penalized at $5,000 with a daily penal ty of $200. Accordingly, for the second and all subsequent offences, they are penalized at $10,000 with a daily penalty of $400. These are significant sums of money which should act as a real deterrent to those without the proper

Posner & Petersen Essay Example for Free

Posner Petersen Essay With the advent of technology and the increasing complexity of the human machine interface, the demands on the attentional capacity of human operators in these evolving systems is very high. Broadbent (1958) was the first to propose a theory on attention; he argued that we have severe limitation on our ability to pay attention to more than one event. According to him the source of this limitation is an internal filter that accepts one message and rejects others. The view that our attention is limited comes from the presence of the cocktail party problem and air traffic controllers which are essentially attention-switching problems. Thus in our technologically advance world, where everything is a sensory experience, it is apparent that the stimulus overload in our sensory modalities may lead to diminished performance. The importance of attention to performance has been widely accepted, it is a necessary component in mental processing (Posner Petersen, 1990). In controlled laboratory experiments on dichotic listening (Cherry, 1953) which is more widely known as shadowing found that listeners could report much of what was presented to the attended ear but little if anything about the contents of the message in the unattended channel. We use our attention to choose and increase the processing of stimuli that are most significant at each moment. Directing attention to a stimulus leads to lower perceptual thresholds, faster reaction times and increased discrimination accuracy (Rorden Driver, 2001). However, the study of attention remains to be a challenge for most researchers due to its ambiguity and the difficulty in measuring it. Neurological and cognitive explanations of attention have abounded in recent years and have afforded us with a better way of understanding attention (Posner Petersen, 1990). Posner (1980) in his article devised a theory of understanding attention that gave us a deeper understanding of the human spatial attentional process in the perceptual domain. He proposed that understanding the mechanisms of orienting; detecting, locus of control and covert and overt orienting can be used in explaining how spatial attention functions. The most important of which is his differentiation of locus of control which are external and central controls, or for purposes of this study it is referred to as exogenous and endogenous processing. Exogenous processing refers to events controlling the orienting of attention outside the mechanisms or more specifically stimulus driven responses. For example when a stimulus draws the attention of the mechanism to a particular area in space the detection of other target events in that area become more likely. Meanwhile, endogenous processing is where the central mechanism alone directs the allocation of attention to a particular are in space through such means as instruction or probability of target events occurring in the appropriate area of space. Likewise, Posner also distinctly categorized orienting into overt and covert orienting. He said that being able to distinguish covert form overt orienting one must first be able to measure covert orienting without using overt head and eye movements. Previous studies on attention had focused on vision rather than other senses. The numerous studies on visual attention had based their assumptions on the localization of visual receptors and eye movement. Recently, the paradigms used to measure visual attention have also been applied to auditory attention. Researchers Spence and Driver (1994) had demonstrated in their experiments that the cuing paradigm can also be applied to auditory attention. They found that covert orienting does occur in human auditory system and that it influence localizations in the exogenous tasks and both localization and pitch discrimination in the endogenous tasks. Given the limited theories and scientific experiments on auditory attention it is of importance to replicate the said study to validate their findings and possibly explore new findings. However, in the present study, 3-dimensional audio is used to generate cues as opposed to the free-field cues used in the original experiments. Using 3-dimensional audio as opposed to free-field sound has been found to be more effective in controlling for front-back confusion, wherein the sound is identified as coming from an incorrect hemifield and given that high occurrence of this confusion can lead to localization errors thus the choice of using 3-dimensional audio (Parker, et. al. , 2004). However, early researches using 3-dimensional audio as compared to free-field sound have generated dubious results, like in a study where virtual and free-field sound was compared in terms of cues associated with movement of the head found that the front-back confusion rate for virtual sound have been double to that of the free-field (Wightman Kistler, 1989). Upon exclusion of front-back errors in the analysis, the localization errors were still greater for virtual sound. The conflicting results of auditory studies have led researcher Martin, McAnnaly and Senova (2001) to devise a system that would enable the use of virtual audio by ensuring that its quality is equivalent to that of free-field sound with respect to front-back confusion and localization errors. In contrast, it was found that non-individualized 3-dimensional audio is associated with an increase in front-back confusion, poor localization acuity and poor externalization (Begault Wenzekm 1993; Moller, et. al. , 1996, Wenzer, et. al. , 1993). Parker et al (2004) investigated the effectiveness of using virtual 3-D audio in a high workload flight simulation task. They supplemented the head-down displays with high-fidelity 3-D audio, and found that when the virtual 3-D audio was presented visual acquisition time was quicker. Furthermore they found with the virtual 3-D audio presented perceived workload was reduced and situational awareness was improved. Flanagan et al (1998) also used virtual 3-D audio in an experiment which compared an unaided search with visual and auditory search cues for targets outside the visual field. In the experiment they used both virtual audio (via headphones) and virtual visual cues (via helmet mounted display), and found that both the visual and auditory cues were effective in reducing search times for the targets. The present study would therefore make use of the system developed by Martin, McAnally and Senova (2004) to administer 3-dimensional sound using Spence and Driver (1994) experimental conditions. In order to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of the variables in this study and of how important the study of attention is, a review of the pertinent variables is presented. 1. 1 Attention System The attention system is difficult to explore, in cognition the various perceptual properties can be related to concrete perceptual systems like how perceptual illusions can be explained by the limitations of our optical system. While in the study of attention system one has to deal with it as a totally cognitive event without any physical substrate to refer to. In order to explore the properties of attention, the various components of the inner workings and cognitive processes need to be isolated; in the study of cognition, researchers can control the amount of input that the perceptual modalities process and even the physical and neurological structures of attention can be identified. Posner (1980) in his article devised a theory of understanding attention that gave us a deeper understanding of the human spatial attentional process in the perceptual domain. He proposed that understanding the mechanisms of orienting; detecting, locus of control and covert and overt orienting can be used in explaining how spatial attention functions. Orienting refers to the aligning of attention with a source of sensory input or an internal semantic structure stored in memory. Orienting can happen in an overt or covert manner. Detecting refers to the level with which the nervous system is made aware of a stimulus. It may be in a verbal or manual form. A very important distinction in the study of spatial attention is the locus of control. Posner (1980) define the process of control as either being external or central control of the orienting of attention. Other terms such as automatic vs. non-automatic and exogenous and endogenous have also been used to describe this process. Overt orienting refers to the observed head and eye movements when an organism attends to a stimulus, covert orienting refers to bodily processes that can be achieved only by the central mechanism and can be measured by experimental methods. Spatial attention has been related to overt movements of eyes, body, head and etc. but the relationship between movement and attention has been entirely unclear. A number of theories governing the degree of dependence of the attentional systems to eye movements have been postulated along the years. The common system says that attention movements are fixed to the movement of the eyes. However, the behavioral evidence suggests that attention can be shifted with the eyes fixed, this findings and together with results showing enhancement of evoked potentials (Eason, Harter White, 1969; Von Vorrhis Hillyard, 1977) and the firing rates of single cells (Bushnell, et. al. , 1978), have eliminated the idea that attention and eye movements are identical systems. The efference theory (Wurtz Mohler, 1976) proposed that attention shifts were programs for the movement of the eyes. Klein (1979) said â€Å"when attention to a particular location is desired , the observer prepares to make an eye movement to that location; the oculomotor readiness, via as yet unknown feedforward pathways , has the effect of enhancing processing in or from sensory pathways dealing with information from the target location†. In his experiments, Klein (1979) found that there are clearly conditions under which one gets no relationship between spatial attention shifts and eye movement latencies. Functional relation theory (Remington, 1978) found that under simpler testing conditions like those conducted by Klein (1979), a relationship between eye movement and spatial attention is present. He found that there is a strong tendency for attention to shift to the target position for an eye movement prior to the eye leaving the fixation point. He also found that just before and after the stimulus presentation that detection was high at both the peripheral targets. In general, the results suggest that the relationship between eye movements and attention is not as close as either a complete dependence or efference view. Klein’s findings that eye movements does not influence latencies of shifts of attention and Posner’s results showing that attention movements is in the opposite direction to eye movement programs, debunk the popular notion that attention can be measured through overt bodily movements. Nevertheless, the two orienting systems are not completely independent; it has been observed that attention can focus on the target prior to an eye movement even when detection signals are more probable for fixation. Posner (1980) concluded that eye movements have a functional relationship with the spatial attentional system. It seems that eye movements are programmed by an initial movement of attention to the new eye position well before the eyes actually begin to move. This presupposes the idea that even without moving, we are already using our attention system to process the target object. Further, Remington (1978) compared peripheral and central cues for eye movements in order to determine their relationship to shifts of attention. When he used a peripheral cue he found improved sensitivity in the vicinity of peripheral target after the cue and well before eye movement. When a central arrow was used to cue movement, there was no evidence of any change in sensitivity in the direction of the target until after the eye movement began. Thus, eye movement is not a reliable measure of attention shifts and in the same way overt attention cannot reliably demonstrate the mechanisms of attention, hence we turn our attention to covert attention. 1. 2 Covert Attention Posner (1980) emphasized that the study of spatial attention should focus on covert attention for it gives a better picture of how attentional systems work than overt attention which can be subjected to external influences. Overt attention is manifested through external movements and more often than not the person is aware of that behavior, hence results on overt attention may be due to various factors not related to attention. In studying covert spatial attention, Posner (1980) said that it is important to keep in mind the functions of orienting, detecting and the distinction between external and central control. Orienting is the ability of the individual to shift attention around the visual field; detecting is when the individual becomes conscious of the stimuli, external and central control identifies the process by which the individual is attending to the stimuli and overt and covert attention is the ways in which the individual process the stimuli. Thus, even before attention is directed to a target, the individual can orient his/her sensory receptors to focus on the stimuli, and when the attention has been oriented, the individual can now detect the stimulus and depending on the context with which the stimulus is presented may attend to the stimuli exogenously or endogenously. Based on Posner’s influential work, it can be deduced that the study of covert attention is more important and scientifically worthwhile than overt attention, hence the number of models used to explain and study covert attention. The three models used to study the covert spatial distribution of attention has been used in experiments on visual attention but since few researches focused on auditory tasks it is presented here as it can possibly used to explain other sensory modalities. The first model says that attention can only be directed to one visual field (Kinsbourne, 1993). This in essence means that we can only attend to one thing at a time; hence we can only see one movie at one time. However, the model is too simplistic to fully define visual attention. The human vision can accurately build a spatial model of the external environment and relevant objects will compete for selection with other objects. On the other hand, this model may be used in the study of auditory domains because its spatial distribution is lesser. Sound is composed of waves that travel in the air, it is quite dispersed and thus to attend to a sound cue is much faster than attending to a visual stimuli. Moreover, as we perceived it sound does not occupy a physical space much like objects, letters, and colors etc. that are used as visual stimuli. The second model states that attention can be divided in a graded manner with the maximum performance at the focus of attention, which gradually deteriorates, with the increasing displacement of the focus. This means that the quality of our attention to a target is at the most accurate if it is within our central focus and that our perception of the target deteriorates a sit moves further away. This model is much more suited in the study of auditory performance since it takes into account the graded allocation of attention with respect to sound and distance. It is interesting to explore at what point our attention to an auditory stimuli would decrease and to which it is strongest.

Hindustan Computers Limited Hcl Commerce Essay

Hindustan Computers Limited Hcl Commerce Essay HCL Technologies is one of the seven companies in the Bloomberg database of 3,000 technology companies with a market capitalization of more than $5 billion, revenue of more than $2.5 billion and a compounded annual growth rate more than 25 per cent during the past five years (HCL Technologies Limited, 2012). Definition of Success at HCL means providing the best possible solutions to their clients with optimum level of satisfaction. HCL Technologies is the Number 1 employer in India. 1.1 History Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL), one of Indias original IT firms started in 1976 currently deals in various segments like Remote Infrastructure Management, BPO services, IT Hardware, Systems Integration and Distribution of Technology and Telecom products RD and Technology Services and Enterprise and Applications Consulting is Indias original IT firm. Started 35 years ago, the enterprise now stands with an enormous workforce of 90,000 employees. it spreads across 31 countries across the globe and has 505 foothills in India. A global name and numerous partnerships with many Fortune 1000 firms are a few feathers in the HCLs success story (HCL, 2012). 1.2 Ownership Fast Facts HCL Technologies Company Name HCL Technologies Ltd. Company Type Global IT Company Service Areas Software, Infrastructure and BPO Date of Establishment November 12, 1991 Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer Shiv Nadar Vice Chairman CEO Vineet Nayar Employee Strength 85,335 on 30th  September 2012. Offices Offices in 31 countries Geographies USA, Europe, Asia Pacific and Japan Consolidated Revenues US$ 4.3 billion (Rs. 22,417 crores), as on 30th  September 2012 1.3 Businesses HCL is a leading global Technology and IT Enterprise with annual revenues of US$ 6.2 billion. The HCL Enterprise comprises two companies listed in India, HCL Technologies and HCL Infosystems. HCL Snapshot 1.4 Location HCL Technologies as a $4.3 billion global company brings IT and engineering services expertise under one umbrella to solve complex business problems for its clients. It leverages its global offshore infrastructure and network of offices in 31 countries. HCL provide multi-service, holistic delivery in industries such as financial services, consumer services, manufacturing, healthcare and public services. Organizational Structure The Indian conventional way of working leads to a vertical hierarchical structure, which is with founder as the head and certain subordinates below him. Being a technical expertise company, the hierarchy depends on the level of knowledge gained by the professionals. Due to no inter department interfering, the transfer of knowledge is more on vertical basis but very rarely horizontal. Vision To be the technology partner of choice for forward looking customers by collaboratively transforming technology into business advantage.(HCL, 2012) Mission We will be the employer of choice and the partner of choice by focusing on our stated values of Employees First, Trust, Transparency, Flexibility and Value Centricity. (HCL, 2012) Leadership style, approaches etc HCLs leadership style follows the rule of free-rein rather than the contemporary participative method. It is clearly noticeable from the recent development of a defined approach of Employees First Customers Seconds (EFCS). Now days the leaders give full authority to their employees to make decisions but at the same time, take the responsibility of the same. It helps the company to build future leaders who would be better decision makers and also motivation to the employees for analysing situations better and working with respect to them. Delegating tasks is an important tool which should be followed and practiced in corporate and fortunately is followed in the HCL. It helps build confidence and trust among co-workers aiding a pleasant and healthy work environment. This is kind of leadership style is also known as laissez faire, which is the non-interference in the affairs of others (Clark, 2010). Expertise of employees is the key to HCLs success. HCL firmly believes that a firms employees makes the company reach pinnacle heights. Highly qualified and well trained employees are a part of the HCL clan. When knowledge comes into picture, expert power is the power used by employees. Its the knowledge that makes a person stand out in the crowd of all employees. Expert Power is a very common phenomenon in knowledge based industries(Tannenbaum and Schmidt, 1973). Culture unique language, culture, rituals etc. A place where people can think and imagine endless possibilities is the best way to describe HCL. Freedom of thought is very important to extract the additional creativity at work. With a bright history of 35 years, HCL has stood by its core values and philosophy of creating innovations and inventions. HCL has a very rigid demarcation of working in their own department, which implies that employees are not allowed to work in other department other than their own which gradually spoils the inter-departmental relationships. In case of absenteeism too, workers are not allowed to switch department to avoid gaps in enhancing productivity. http://d15mj6e6qmt1na.cloudfront.net/files/images/0053/9998/employees.jpg Rigid policies, tapered span of control and high degree of centralization and formalization are few things associated with HCL. Within departments HCL employees have freedom of processing their thoughts but not inter-departmentally. The organization was bureaucratic structure. However, HCL has initiated a new management approach where the employees of HCL are considered first and then the customers. It is termed as Employees-First Effect which according to Mr. Vineet, CEO is the reason for the company being employee centric and employee driven. It is very much like trimming the conventional method upside down. This not only helps in building confidence and motivation among employees but also transparent work environment. 4.1 Group Dynamics/Team Building initiatives Since there is a lack of inter departmental transfer of knowledge, coordination is at stake at HCL. It followed an Indian conventional method of getting approval from the top management and then would the task be carried forward. After the new management approach of employees first and customers second, the company has started giving more liberty to the employees in terms of taking decisions which makes them feel a part of the organization. It enhances their rationale thinking enabling them to give their 100%. Change management initiatives Change is an inevitable process in management. Just like aging of an individual cannot be hampered in any manner, in the same manner change in management is the need of the day. A company cannot work in the same manner as it was working 10-15years ago. This change came to HCL in 2005 when the sales were low in that period. HCLl alarmed itself before the nick of the time and changed its models and strategies to work according to the customer needs. This is what saved them from the 2009 recession.HCL is one of the very few companies who showed growth even in the recession years. Business models and good managements are the keys to the foresight vision of the market. HCL converted itself from a traditional company to a Generation Y genre. (BMC Software, 2010) Innovation / Creativity initiatives Engaging the employees where they feel a part of the firm and making them realise that they are as important as the customers is a new example of managing employees that Mr.VIneet, the CEO has set in for all the global companies. A unique management technique which makes sure that the workforce of 90,000 employees remains satisfied in order to enhance employee satisfaction but also lead to more than 100% productivity. Turning technology into a manifest advantage for the clients is what HCL is best at. Critique on the current internal scenario / internal environment including people practices An agent promised a customer a delivery of a certain product in a specific time period. The dispatch manager was on leave. So his subordinate took the task in his hand and made sure that the delivery is done on time. But to his horror, he received a note stating that he is not liable to do so because of lack of authority. This incident just proves that the management is very rigid and has a narrow control style of working, which poses as a threat to self motivation of employees to excel in their work and be an overall manager. Suggestions and recommendations Communication should not be considered as an event within a container where employees broadcast oral and written messages instead should be deemed as a continuous process of conveying thoughts and interpretations throughout the organization. Individual learning and focus groups should be included in the working of HCL. It not only enhances individual productivity and skill development but also overall wellness of the firm. Gaining insights from vertical structure of hierarchy should be implemented so as to avoid miscommunications and lagging of work. Assuming others are happy is never the solution to a problem. Therefore, it is very important for the firm to start taking feedback from their employees to know how much justice is the firm doing to the employees. Conclusion Three values on which HCLs cornerstone is based are trust, flexibility and Employee Effect First. All three values make the company a desirable company to work for. Trust is created by pushing the trust envelope. Be flexible with respect to employees and situations is what a good company would associate itself with. The unique management approach of employee first and customers second inhibit the company to be an employee centric. Employees being an responsibility of the management and customers being a responsibility of the employees. Therefore, I would like to work in a company where employees are recognised, valued and rewarded for their performance. Bibliography BMC Software (2010) ELO: Articles: HCL Technologies CEO Talks about Building a Culture to Drive IT Productivity, August. Available at: http://www.enterpriseleadership.org/blogs/Articles/2010/08/10/hcl-technologies-ceo-talks-about-building-a-culture-to-drive-it-productivity (Accessed: 15 December 2012). Clark, D. (2010) Leadership Styles. Available at: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadstl.html (Accessed: 16 December 2012). HCL (2011) Employees First, Customers Second | Business Change Management. Available at: http://www.employeesfirstbook.com/ (Accessed: 15 December 2012). HCL (2012) Overview. Available at: http://www.hcl.in/overview.asp (Accessed: 15 December 2012). HCL Technologies Limited (2012) About HCL Technologies | IT Services, Outsourcing Software Development, IT Solutions | HCL Technologies. Available at: http://www.hcltech.com/about-us/about-hcl-technologies (Accessed: 10 December 2012). Tannenbaum, R. and Schmidt, W.H. (1973) How to Choose a leadership Pattern, Harvard Business Review, May-June, pp.162-180 HBR Classic [Online]. Available at: http://www.elcamino.edu/faculty/bcarr/documents/How%20to%20choose%20a%20leadership%20pattern.pdf (Accessesd: 15 December 2012).

The Midwife :: essays research papers

The Midwife’s Apprentice is written by Karen Cushman. The setting takes place in the past nearly five hundred years ago from now. It is also a fiction book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alyce formerly known as Beetle or Dung Beetle has found a home in a village with a Midwife who feeds her only morsels of what hard work she does. But before that the tale of how she was found must be told.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beetle found herself snug as a bug in a dung heap. She slept for warmth, completely dismissing the horrid smell of it. Then a sharp question asked â€Å"You girl. Are you alive or dead?† she promptly opened her eyes and was taken in after tell the woman she could do hard work and not eat much. So that’s how she ended up as where she is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Well the midwife didn’t really treat her as an apprentice for she spoke unkindly and forbid that Alyce would ever see what she was helping women do. But Alyce did! And how horrible it was, the Midwife would scream, curse and slap the poor women until they could take no more and push out the baby.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once the midwife was not there and Alyce had to help the woman with the baby. She told the husband to brew whatever was needed to help her. Then she began talking to her softly and soothing her till the baby came out into the world when it was almost certain that it would not make it. When the midwife got there she was thoroughly mad. The husband of the wife said Alyce was more kind and efficient and that the midwife was no good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the end she fled to a small inn near the village where she saved another baby. The Midwife :: essays research papers The Midwife’s Apprentice is written by Karen Cushman. The setting takes place in the past nearly five hundred years ago from now. It is also a fiction book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alyce formerly known as Beetle or Dung Beetle has found a home in a village with a Midwife who feeds her only morsels of what hard work she does. But before that the tale of how she was found must be told.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beetle found herself snug as a bug in a dung heap. She slept for warmth, completely dismissing the horrid smell of it. Then a sharp question asked â€Å"You girl. Are you alive or dead?† she promptly opened her eyes and was taken in after tell the woman she could do hard work and not eat much. So that’s how she ended up as where she is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Well the midwife didn’t really treat her as an apprentice for she spoke unkindly and forbid that Alyce would ever see what she was helping women do. But Alyce did! And how horrible it was, the Midwife would scream, curse and slap the poor women until they could take no more and push out the baby.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once the midwife was not there and Alyce had to help the woman with the baby. She told the husband to brew whatever was needed to help her. Then she began talking to her softly and soothing her till the baby came out into the world when it was almost certain that it would not make it. When the midwife got there she was thoroughly mad. The husband of the wife said Alyce was more kind and efficient and that the midwife was no good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the end she fled to a small inn near the village where she saved another baby.

The Concerns of Internet Censorship Essays -- Censoring Internet Right

The Concerns of Internet Censorship As a professional Internet publisher and avid user of the Internet, I have become concerned with laws like the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) that censor free speech on the Internet. By approving the CDA, Congress has established a precedent which condones censorship regulations for the Internet similar to those that exist for traditional broadcast media. Treating the Internet like broadcast media is a grave mistake because the Internet is unlike any information medium that has been created. My concerns about Internet censorship prompted me to write "Internet Censorship is Absurd and Unconstitutional." In the essay, I outline why I believe that the Internet should not be censored in any way for two reasons. First, any law advocating censorship of the Internet is too broad and unenforceable on this global information medium. Second, Internet censorship is a breach of First Amendment rights for those users residing in the United States. The essay will provide insight into why self regulation is the only viable solution to the problems that have and will be presented to the Internet. Should it be illegal to publish literature with "indecent" content on the Internet but perfectly legal to publish that same work in print? This question has spawned the debate over Internet censorship, which is currently raging in the United States Congress as well as in other political forums around the world. The question as to whether the Internet should be censored will continue to be debated for many years to come. As with any political topic, the debate over Internet censorship has its extremes. Many proponents of Internet censorship want strict control over this new information medium. Proponents of Internet censorship such as Senator Jim Exon (D-NE), co-author of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), are in favor of putting strict laws into place regulating the Internet in order to protect children: "The Decency Act stands for the premise that it is wrong to provide pornography to children on computers just as it is wrong to do it on a street corner or anywhere else" (Exon). These proponents suggest creating laws for the Internet similar to those now in place for television and radio. Those strongly opposing Internet regulations, such as the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition (CIEC), assert that the Internet is not li... ...1997): n. pag. Online. Internet. 19 Mar. 1997. Available: http://pathfinder.com/@@sAbDXgQAlb0upRm2/time/daily/1997/970319/970319-1.html. [Time magazine report on the Supreme Court appeal of the CDA case.] Net Nanny Software International. Untitled. n. pag. Online. Internet. 3 Jun. 1997. Available: http://www.netnanny.com/. [Home page for the Net Nanny Software company which describes the software’s purpose and appropriate usage.] Plummer, James C. "Decent Information?" Consumers’ Research Magazine Aug. 1996: 33. [An editorial on the CDA questioning it’s premise.] Recreational Software Advisory Council Web Site. Online. Internet. 3 Jun. 1997. Available: http://www.rsac.org/. [Web site for the RSACi rating system which explains the system’s purpose and appropriate usage.] Sirico, Robert A. "Don’t Censor the Internet." Forbes 29 July 1996: 48. [Editorial outlining concerns about governmental control of the Internet and alternatives.] Whitmer, Clair. "Man Gets 5 Years for Online Child Porn." CNet, Inc. (23 Feb. 1996): n. pag. Online. Internet. http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,787,00.html. [Report of a man sentenced for sending child pornography via the Internet.]

Raising the Minimum Wage for the Lower Class Is Actually Good for the E

Do a search online about raising the minimum wage and you will see any number of articles, and essays detailing why it shouldn’t be done. As detailed or as long winded as these articles are, they all have one central argument, and that is; if we raise the wages of the lower class, than the providers of goods and services will have to raise their prices, which in turn makes everything go up. To this I say bah humbug. It is asinine to think that a company such as Wal-mart whose CEO makes an annual salary of $20.7 million would have to raise prices along with employee salaries in order to make any substantial profit margin. This is simply not true, especially when you consider that the average Wal-mart employee only makes close to $9.00 an hour, and it’s not just Wal-mart, but other consumer based companies, such as Target, and TJ MAXX. The CEOs of these companies make ridiculously high salaries while not even paying their workforce enough to live on. The question is why. The reason is simple. It’s greed. The more a CEO makes the more they want to make. The economy is no longer about providing a good or service for the population at large, but about amassing as much wealth as possible, and you’re stupid if you think you have the same opportunities to obtain wealth as those Wal-mart and Target CEOs. The truth is the deck is stacked against you, and it keeps getting worse as the world moves along its orbit. The economy has become based largely on the trading and selling of commodities, and the worker has become a cheap disposable commodity, to be used up by megalomaniacs who sit atop cash mountains, casting down crumbs as they see fit. The collective bargaining rights of the worker are disappearing at alarming rates. Data from the... ...some sort of nanny state to make everyone dependent upon the Socialist government. The hard truth is the majority of people on these programs work full-time jobs, and aren’t the only ones in their households doing so. To reiterate the point being made a higher wage means less people on welfare, and it frees up tax money that could be used for other things, or it could go back into the pockets of the American worker. Many would read this and call me a Socialist, and if offering an argument in favor of the rights of workers makes me a Socialist then so be it. The blogs and articles and essays, some written by economists with advanced degrees, people academically more capable than I am, will continue to deride the raising of wages for the low class worker, or the need for regulation to be put in place. I’m just stating that they’re wrong, and that this essay proves it.

State-funded faith schools

This paper will look at the manner in which state-funded religion schools came into being in the United Kingdom. It will reason that authorities educational policy and its in-migration and integrating policies play a cardinal function in finding the demand for the proviso of province religion schools. The province support of religion schools has a long history in the United Kingdom. The National Society of the Church of England founded 17,000 schools to offer instruction to the hapless between 1811 and1860. ( DfES, p.2 ) The province support of these schools began in 1870 when Church and other voluntary establishments began to have financess to supplement and help them in their educational proviso. ( Cush, p.435 ) As at January 2008, of the 20,587 maintained primary and secondary schools in the UK, 6,827 have a spiritual character and of these nine are Muslim. ( Bolton, 2009, Table 1 ) There are three types of schools with spiritual character in the UK – maintained, academies and independent schools – with the province providing support for the first two. Maintained schools are either: volunteer controlled which means the Local Education Authority provides all the support in return for control largely over spiritual instruction and administration ( most Church of England schools are voluntary controlled ) ; and voluntary aided where the province provides 90 % of the support for more control over spiritual instruction and administration ( most other denominations fall into this class, particularly Roman Catholic schools ) . ( Cush p. 435-436 ) . Christian and Judaic religion schools were the lone religion schools having province support until 1998 when the Islamia Schools Trust, a fter a conflict of 12 old ages, was awarded voluntary aided position for its schools. Whilst there are merely nine province funded Muslim schools, there are over 100 Muslim schools in Britain. These independent schools tend to organize their attempts through the Association of Muslim Schools. On November 11th, 2007 during Prime Minister ‘s Questions, the authorities stated that sing instruction it â€Å" is committed to a diverse system of schools driven by parental demands and aspirations ; that the Government does non hold marks for faith schools but remains committed to back uping the constitution of new schools by a scope of suppliers. † ( Bolton, 2009, p.14 ) Reaffirming the Government ‘s place on religion schools, Ed Balls, the so Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families said on January 9th, 2008: â€Å" It is non the policy of the Government or my Department to advance more faith schools. We have no policy to spread out their Numberss. That should be a affair for local communities. † ( Bolton, 2009, p.16 ) The thrust for some members of the Muslim community towards their ain religion schools needs to be understood in visible radiation of the background of Muslim migration into the UK, their subsequent integrating and recent universe events. The first Muslims geting from South Asia in the 1950s were semi-skilled or unskilled laborers. They had a inclination to remain insulated from the wider community – this being every bit much a map of their ain pick as a response to the racism and societal exclusion they were sing. ( Hefner, p.227 ) Subsequent unfastened in-migration policies of the 1970s allowed their households to follow and now 75 % of all Muslims in the UK are from South Asia. Harmonizing to the 2001 nose count, the about 1.6 million British Moslems make up approximately 3 % of the population. ( Hefner, p. 227 ) In the UK, â€Å" Muslim † has become synonymous with â€Å" Pakistani † . Third coevals British-born Muslim households no longer believe of themselves as immigrants, although what it means to be a British Muslim is still a construct being negotiated. Our individualities are defined as much by our ain apprehension of our histories as by how we think others perceive us. In recent old ages, the individuality of Muslims has been tied up with universe events and striking representations in the media. Since September 11th, 2001, Muslims have been bombarded by an overpoweringly hostile media and a authorities seemingly captive on encroaching on the autonomies and human rights of its Muslim citizens. Salma Hafejee described an event that evoked non uncommon feelings in her 21 twelvemonth old boy. Talking on a movie for â€Å" Our Lifes † , a undertaking which explored the penetrations and experiences of Muslim adult females in Bradford, she told the narrative of a weekend visit her boy took to Barcelona. Coincidently, on the weekend of his trip there had be en a series of apprehensions made in Barcelona in connexion with what had been described as terrorist activities. On his return place, her boy was met by constabularies and questioned for several hours. She said he had ever felt British and believed that his British passport would protect him, but for the first clip he felt an foreigner in his ain place. ( Speak-it, 2009 ) One can good conceive of that this experience and the changeless bombardment of negative images associating to his religion in the media must hold been perplexing. Naturally surrounded by such ill will and â€Å" other † ised in this manner, a community would hold a inclination to shut ranks and look inward for comfort, protection and security. This state of affairs can be seen as some justification for why the Muslim community turned to Muslim schools to continue their communal individuality and Muslim patterns. The Education Reform Act 1988 provinces that schools should â€Å" advance the religious, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of students at the school and in society†¦ † Some Muslims were get downing to oppugn whether a non-Muslim schooling environment would be able to adequately carry through that demand for their kids. The Education Act of 1944 made faith the lone topic it was mandatory to learn in school, but the instruction of faith is comparatively superficial, intending that from the position of those for whom a spiritual ethos is of import, mainstream schools are unable to supply the religious and spiritual dimension adequately. How authoritiess deal with the proviso of faith does look to hold some bearing on the educational picks of parents. An scrutiny of Belgium and The Netherlands shows that when the authorities proviso of spiritual instruction is high, the demand for spiritual schools is muted. In Belgium, 4 % of the population is Muslim – chiefly of Turkish or Moroccan descent. Since 1975, it has been the jurisprudence to supply Islamic direction in province schools on the same footing as other faiths are taught. The first, and merely, province funded Islamic primary school opened in 1989 and seems to be linked to the inability of two municipalities to name officially recognized instructors and thereby their refusal to supply Islamic direction. In The Netherlands, 6 % of the population is Muslim and besides chiefly of Turkish or Moroccan descent. The province does non hold a policy for the specific proviso of Islamic direction and there are 45 Islamic schools in The Netherlands. ( Merry, 2005 ) In the UK, the deficiency of equal proviso of spiritual instruction in mainstream province schools, the ill will of the media, the authorities and the populace to their religion and community, and the recorded underachievement of Pakistanis in mainstream schools combine to organize a powerful incentive for Muslim parents to take over control of the instruction of their kid. Given the UK authorities ‘s expansive rhetoric about advancing and back uping Britain to be a multi-cultural society, and its declared committedness to a diverse system of schools driven by parental demands and aspirations, the support of Muslim province funded schools is an easy stretch. But an in agreement definition of a multicultural society seems deplorably missing. The authorities has a ‘policy of advancing multiculturalism ‘ but if it is unable to specify what a multicultural society could look like, how does it cognize that the policies it is advancing are effectual to run intoing this terminal? Today ‘s multicultural Britain has many faces dependent mostly on ethnicity, geographics and societal category, which in bend is one of the determiners of educational accomplishment. Is multicultural merely the recognition of diverseness in our society or is it an battle with that diverseness to make a society that is pluralistic? Does it intend that we are all free to populate in our ain sub-worlds without interface with the wider community or does it intend that we are encouraged to prosecute with each other? Where is the yarn that binds us as citizens if we live wholly culturally independent lives? This was a inquiry that was raised by Ray Honeyford more than twenty old ages ago and it is still a inquiry that warrants turn toing thoughtfully today. In 1982 Bradford Council issued guidelines for its purpose in instruction. These included: preparing kids for a life in a multicultural society ; countering racism and the inequalities of favoritism ; developing the strengths of cultural and lingual diverseness ; and reacting to the demands of minority groups. Ray Honeyford was a headteacher in a Bradford in-between school and he was concerned that the educational policies he was expected to implement were impracticable. He argued that the 20 % of Bradford ‘s Islamic immigrant population had purposes to stay in Britain. For their interest and for the interest of others, they should take part to the full in British life, and that in order to make so efficaciously their instruction needed to emphasize the primacy of the English linguistic communication, and British civilization, history and traditions. ( Dalrymple, 2002 ) In 1984, Honeyford wrote an article that was rejected by The Times Educational Supplement before being published by the far right Salisbury Review. The fact that it was this publication that was the first method of transmittal connoted a batch to its readers and no uncertainty would hold influenced the subsequent reading of the article itself. In â€Å" Education and Race – an Alternate position † Honeyf ord ( 2006 ) suggested that the perversion of linguistic communication ( he had a Masters in linguistics ) around race and cultural issues had made it impossible to talk candidly about the concerns and worlds that our progressively diverse society was throwing up. He highlighted that chunking together all non-whites into one class that was â€Å" black † created a duality of anti-white solidarity. What we, today, name â€Å" other † -ing. His primary concern was the impact of an imposed multicultural mentality on the instruction of his pupils. British jurisprudence obliges a parent to guarantee that his or her kid is registered and attends school on a regular basis. He argued that the inclination for Asiatic households to take their kids out of school and direct them to the sub-continent for months at a clip was non merely illegal but had obvious negative educational effects. The Department of Education and Science turned a unsighted oculus go forthing headteachers, li ke Honeyford, to follow with an attending policy based on the parent ‘s state of beginning. He found this untenable and cast it as an â€Å" officially canonic policy of racial favoritism. † ( Honeyford, 2006 ) Honeyford farther highlighted that the absence of English as a primary linguistic communication of direction at the school left the â€Å" cultural white † minority pupils in his schools educationally disadvantaged. His broader concern was how the operation of interior metropoliss with its production of cultural ghettos, and multi-racial educational policies could bring forth an integrated and harmonious society. He concluded: â€Å" I suspect that these elements, far from assisting to bring forth harmoniousness, are, in world, runing to bring forth a sense of atomization and strife. And I am no longer convinced that the British mastermind for via media, for puddling though, and for good natured tolerance will be sufficient to decide the inevitable tensen esss. † ( Honeyford, 2006 ) Post-publication, Honeyford endured a drawn-out and acrimonious run against him taking to his eventual early retirement. The acerb response to his averments for better and more integrative instruction did non raise the authorities action. Issues raised by the â€Å" Honeyford Affair † continue to be debated more than two decennaries subsequently. Honeyford ‘s tough and brave inquiring of issues that the authorities was excessively uncomfortable to raise and seek and work through have left a permanent vacuity on integrating and the harmonious and â€Å" multicultural † universe we reasonably aspire to. In visible radiation of these personal businesss, the argument on religion schools – which preponderantly relates to keep schools – leads us foremost to inquire what the purpose and intent of instruction is. Is instruction intended to supply us with accomplishments for employment, in which instance it is driven by a practical measurable end product? Or is in intended for, as Aristotle called it, human booming? And are these two needfully reciprocally sole? If instruction is deemed a human right, so what function does the kid drama in finding the instruction that he receives? These inquiries do n't look to hold been straight touched upon by those debating the desirableness of religion schools. Given the faith school argument touches on countries of instruction, political relations and faith it is improbable to be a cold-eyed 1. Most of the argument is opinion- instead than evidence-based ( Cush p.440 ) and authors on the issue repeatedly bemoan the deficiency of empirical grounds to confirm claims from either side. As Moslems are going acutely cognizant of their minority position, the thrust towards Islamic schools is every bit much a response to the onslaught on their individuality as it is about the ethos of instruction. Harmonizing to Heffner and Zaman ( 2007, p. 228 ) â€Å" In recent old ages, the issue of Islamic instruction has been a critical portion of the argument about what it means to be a British Muslim today and an of import terrain in the dialogue of individuality, citizenship and co-existence. † Mainstream instruction tends to see the universe though an Anglo-saxon lens and accomplishments are Europeanised. The survey of the parts made by Muslim bookmans over the centuries in many capable countries is a encouragement to self-esteem and those naming for Muslim schools are looking for a alteration in the manner the universe is viewed. The mission statement of the Islamia Trust Schools states that it â€Å" strive [ s ] to supply the best instruction in a secure Islamic environment through the cognition and application of the Qur'an and Sunnah. † ( Islamia ) What this requires is a reconception of the manner in which any topic can be taught, negociating as it must through the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The statement being made is that Muslim kids are going de-Islamised ( Khan-Cheema, p.83 ) and that mainstream schools are neglecting to supply an ethos in which all, non merely secular, facets of a kid ‘s life are catered for. Concern for the deficiency of individual sex proviso in the mainstream for miss is besides voiced as a concern and a ground for necessitating the proviso of Muslim schools. The academic underachievement of Pakistanis in mainstream schools is good recognised, but their accomplishment in religion schools is good above norm ( Bolton, 2009 ) . The direct connexion associating improved academic consequences and faith schools should be made carefully as academic accomplishment is besides liked to the economic and societal category of the household. The instance against Muslim religion schools is a obliging one. Those contending this place say that these schools are a genteelness land for fundamentalist and intolerant spiritual positions that are non inclusive of the bulk. They propagate segregation and voluntary apartheid and create ghettos which exclude other races and religions, therefore making societal division. With Islam about universally cast as a menace to universe order this raises inquiries associating to citizenship and trueness. Those in this cantonment may pull some of their inspiration from the place Honeyford took on the demand to incorporate instead than segregate more than 2 decennaries ago. Why would, and how could, an immigrant who lands in the UK who is able to make for himself an environment that reflects – culturally, socially, and educationally – the one which he left, have any chance to construct trueness to his host state. Clearly the authorities ‘s place on what a multicultural Britain would look like demands to be debated much more openly – if merely so we can seek and understand how we will acquire at that place. A individualistic each-to-his ain policy can non certainly supply the manner frontward. The inquiries Honeyford asked more than 20 old ages ago, unsavory as they were, are inquiries we might necessitate to inquire once more today.MentionsBolton, Paul & A ; Gillie, Christine ( 2009 ) . Faith schools: admittances and public presentation. House of Commons Library Standard Note SN/SG/4405Cush, Denise ( 2005 ) . Reappraisal: The Faith Schools Debate. British Journal of Sociology and Education, Vol.26, No.3 ( Jul.,2005 ) , pp. 435 -442Department for Children, Schools and Families ( DfES ) . Faith in the System: The function of schools with a spiritual character in English instruction and society.Hefner, Robert W. & A ; Zaman, Muhammad Q. ( 2007 ) Schooling Muslimism: The civilization and political relations of Modern Muslim Education. Princeton University Press.Hewer, Chris ( 2001 ) . Schools for Muslims. Oxford Review of Education, Vol. 27, No. 4, The State, Schools and Religion ( Dec. , ) 2001 ) , pp.515-527Hewitt, Ibrahim ( 1996 ) . The Case for Muslim Schools in Issues in Islamic Education. The Muslim Educational Trust, London.Hussain, Imitiaz, A. ( 2003 ) , Migration and Settlement: A Historical Perspective of Loyalty and Belonging in British Moslems: Loyalty and Belonging, ed Mohammad Siddique Seddon, Dilwar Hussain, Nadeem Malik. The Islamic Foundation, Leicestershire.Khan-Cheema, Muhammad, A. ( 1996 ) . British Muslims in State Schools: a positive manner frontward in Issues in Islamic Education. The M uslim Educational Trust, London.Lawson, Ibrahim ( 2005 ) . Leading Muslim Schools in the UK: A challenge for us all. National College for School Leadership.Merry, Michael S. & A ; Driessen, Geert ( 2005 ) . Muslim Schooling in Three Western States: Policy and Procedure. Comparative Education, Vol. 41, No. 4 ( Nov. , 2005 ) , pp. 411-432Parker, Stephen ( 2005/2006 ) . Reappraisal: In Good Religion: Schools, Religion and Public Funding. Journal of Law and Religion, Vol. 21, No. 1 ( 2005/2006 ) , pp. 217-219Speak-it Productions ( 2009 ) . Film – Our Lifes Project hypertext transfer protocol: //www.youtube.com/ourlivesproject # p/u/4/lFnuhPijzXM

Discourse Communities

DC Essay, Draft 1 Discourse Communities Essay There is a very large variety of academic discourse communities available at the universities today. Deciding to go to college is deciding to enter an academic discourse community all on its own but deciding to choose a major is entering a more specified discourse community. There are many similarities and differences between every separate community which makes it difficult for some people to choose.Understanding a community must be done before involving oneself. Comparing and contrasting majors can make it easier for someone to choose which academic discourse community they decide to involve themselves in. Comparing and contrasting majors can be much simpler than it seems. Taking the time to describe a rhetorical purpose, audience, and values can be a good outline for to understand the community. An example of this would be comparing the discourse communities of a nursing major and an education major.According to the Sacramento State Co urse Catalog, â€Å"Nursing is a caring discipline with a foundation of nursing science guided by the application of moral and ethical principles of care and responsibility† and â€Å"The professional educator brings together subject matter knowledge, appropriate strategies, and interpersonal skills essential to providing successful learning experiences for children. † Preparing to work first-hand with people, possibly even very young children, is the main similarity between the two majors.Although the two prepare to help the community, they plan to help in different ways. The two majors are in a sense the same in their future purpose caring the same values, but different in the actual action it will entail. Both Nursing and Education carry the social value of an equal opportunity. The majors do not discriminate between the sexes or age of a person unlike athletics major possibly would. A woman at a very elderly age most likely wouldn’t be able to run a triathlo n and be successful at the same time.Nursing provides health and well-being for the community also providing safety. By treating someone of a contagious and deadly disease a nurse could possibly prevented a whole community from contact of this disease. Education provides common and even uncommon knowledge also building a future for the community. Teaching a young community to read and write makes them literate allowing them to seek high-end careers in the future.Rhetorically, an audience or a nurse could be doctors, parents, or the elderly while the audience of an educator would most likely be parents, their students directly, or the community no longer directly tied to the education environment. A typical purpose a nurse might have would be to provide health and safety to the community in order to keep a community alive. On the other hand a purpose for an educator would be to educate the community of the importance of a health and safety so they are aware of the seriousness of the matter.Personas in both fields would most likely be informative and professional. Comparing and contrasting the similarities between two separate majors can ease the decision of joining a discourse community. Values of the community can be very similar which may be what draws a person to both but the purpose of them can be completely different. Understanding the communities is done by exploring these aspects and applying rhetorical cases to them. Works Cited â€Å"Sacramento State University Catalog† (2012-2014)

High School Students on the Job Essay

High school is an important time in life; students in high school have a lot of responsibilities. Students are beginning to drive and getting into trouble. High school students that have entered the work force have less of a chance to get in trouble. Working students also have an advantage over their peers that haven’t worked. They learn money management, social skills, and responsibility. Money management is a very important part of life. Usually once high school students start working they begin to learn the importance of money and how to spend it. Saving money is one very important life lesson that high school students can learn once they start working. Saving money can help the students save up for their future, helping with bills and possibly buying their own car. Owning a car comes with expenses oil changes, unfortunate accident, tires, gas, etc. To pay for these expenses there has to be money. There also comes a time when parents may need a little help. While working, students can help their parents with a bit of money every month. Having all of these expenses students will have to learn how to manage their money so they have some left over for themselves. Next, if high school students have a job, they learn about social skills. The most important thing is treating people politely. Thus, they need to get a better communication such as talking to each other and listening very carefully. When high school students are on the job, they have to speak correctly and courteously so their customers could get the correct information. Also they have to listen very carefully. They should know what the customers are asking. In addition, they could learn about physical demeanor. At the work place, they have to keep a friendly smile and then keep a good posture by keeping themselves upright. Further, working students can learn to take responsibilities. Time management and appearance are two important responsibilities. First, working students have to get to work on time. Also, they should manage and make balance between school, work, sleep, home, family and friends. Second, many work places have special uniforms that represents them in what position they  work. They need their workers to put these specific dresses on. Working students take this responsibility too. Students have to take care of their hygiene to go into work, which includes keeping their hair clean, shaving, cutting nails, and keeping a clean scent. Money management, social skills, and responsibility are skills that are need in life to succeed. High school students that begin working learn these skills earlier than those students that don’t. Before students become adults, they need to develop money management, social skills, and sense of responsibility, so they have been preparing to adjust themsel ves to society. Therefore, I recommend teenagers work while attending high school.

Issues and Controversies

Position Paper Garrett Kaufmann ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES ON FILE Citizenship 2nd Period â€Å"Gun Control† Due 1/14/2013 May 29, 1998 Pages 225-233 I strongly believe that our right to keep and bear arms that was given to us as American citizens in the second amendment of the constitution should be upheld and gun control is not the answer to stopping gun violence.A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. – The Second Amendment. Our nations’ forefathers gave us this right when they signed the constitution of the United States of America September 17, 1787. Although there has been debate over the wording of the amendment and whether it actually means every individual person or only people who belong to a state-regulated militia.I think it is obvious that they meant each individual person. In a December 1989 article in the Yale Law Journal, titled ‘The Embarra ssing second amendment’ by scholar Sanford Levinson, a liberal democrat who supports gun control said that â€Å"The second amendment was clearly written to give all citizens, not merely trained soldiers belonging to a militia the right to keep firearms†. Other scholars agreed and noted that in 1792 congress actually passed a militia low to mandate every able-bodied man to arm himself with a musket.The Brady Act is a controversial law which was signed by President Clinton in 1993 and that took effect in 1994 (named for President Reagan’s press secretary who was paralyzed when shot in a 1981 assassination attempt on the president) which requires prospective gun buyers to wait 5 days before they can buy a gun while local law enforcement officials do a background check to make sure anyone who is prohibited from owning a firearm such as convicted felons, minors, druggies or illegal immigrants can’t buy a gun.Although gun control advocates say that laws such a s this one are responsible for a drop in gun fatalities and violent crime Tania Metaska , executive director for the National Rifle Association (NRA) rejects this claim and says violent crime began to decline before 1993 and that the background checks and waiting periods are â€Å"Irrelevant to criminals since the vast majority of felons obtain firearms on the black market or through theft, not through dealers affected by the Brady law†.The Supreme Court agreed that the Brady Bill wasn’t the answer when they overturned major portions of the law in the 1997 case â€Å"Printz vs US† when they said the law infringed on state sovereignity rights and it put an unfair burden on local officials. The NRA and other gun-rights groups contend that it is not the Brady law that has helped to spark a nationwide decline in crime but ‘Right to Carry’ or the passing of concealed weapons laws in many states. Florida began the national trend towards more permissive co ncealed weapon laws in 1987 and since then 30 other states have followed.Florida’s â€Å"Shall Issue† law requires law enforcement officials to immediately issue permits to any eligible applicant, eligible meaning that they don’t have a criminal record or history of serious mental illness. Gun-right advocates say these types of laws are necessary because people need to be able to protect themselves from a high crime rate, a legal system that can’t deep criminals in jail and the lack of resources or manpower of law enforcement to protect them.In surveys of convicted felons, criminals admit that they target victims that they believe to be unarmed and avoid those who might have weapons. A study done between 1977 and 1994 by two researchers at the University of Chicago found much lower crime rates in Illinois counties that allowed concealed weapons, and that murder rates dropped 8. 5%, rapes 5% and aggravated assaults by 7%. In May 1998 15 year old Kip Kinkle fatally shot both his parents then took 3 guns to Thurston High School in Springfield, OR. here he shot 24 students, killing 2 of them. One Month later in Jonesboro, Arkansas two boys were arrested for fatally shooting 5 people and wounding 10 others. Then of course there was the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary just this last December when 20 year old Adam Lanza shot his mom dead then went to the school and shot and killed 26 people, most of them little kids. School shootings are a horrible tragedy and they only give gun-control groups more ‘ammunition’ for their argument.I guess I can see their point but I agree with the gun rights advocates when they say it is a mistake to blame guns for all the school shooting. I agree with the saying ‘Guns don’t kill people- people kill people’. I think the people that do these things are sick in the head and that they need mental help and would still probably find a way to hurt people even if they didnâ€℠¢t have access to guns. I’m sure it’s gone up some since this article was written but studies have shown that violence in our nations’ schools is actually pretty rare.A March 1998 White House study found only 10% of all schools reported serious violence. I don’t really feel that I need to carry a gun to protect myself here where I live but if I did live in a big city I would definitely what to have the right to carry a gun to protect myself and my family. But I do love to hunt and I own 5 guns for that purpose. My dad has taught me about gun safety since I was a little kid. I have been through required gun safety training which I think is a good thing.The article states that in many rural areas of our country guns are not regarded by many as an evil, but simply as part of a way of life. In those regions, hunting is a popular sport and learning how to use a gun is often a rite of passage for many young boys and girls. Guns are treated with pride and respec t and gun safety is a paramount concern. Because many young people in those regions are exposed to guns at an early age and trained to use them safely, they are much more likely to understand the risks of guns and treat them properly.

FINANCIAL AND INVESTMENT (research Vodafone plc and British Telecom Essay

FINANCIAL AND INVESTMENT (research Vodafone plc and British Telecom plc of Telecommunications company in uk) - Essay Example This report identifies the relevant industry-related and economic-related factors which drive today’s strategic decision-making in both companies. Both Vodafone and BT thrive within a very regulated environment. Depending on the nature of the product or services, various regulation exists which dictate pricing limitations and overall service provision. British Telecom recognizes this and routinely expresses the business’ awareness of regulatory issues and how they relate to the long-term stability of the business. The Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone describes regulation as a risk to â€Å"market share, competitive position and future profitability† (Verwaayen, 2007: 27). From a strategic standpoint, regulation is a routine part of business operations, however when various legislation is provided in different, multinational regions the business must consider whether the foreign environment is worth the investment or whether new market opportunities should be researched. Moving either Vodafone or British Telecom presence into different markets which maintain less regulatory activities (such as price controls) w ould allow the company to have autonomy regarding the provision of competitive pricing which best befits the business model and profit expectations. It is clear that both Vodafone and BT must consider regulatory compliance in many varieties of business decision-making. Regulatory activity also comes in the form of litigation, where different foreign taxing powers regularly assess the value of company activities and demand capital gains taxes or other regional taxing expectations. Currently, Vodafone has appealed a case to the Supreme Court in which the business is being requested by the government in Bombay, India to pay approximately  £2 billion in capital gains taxes (Leahy and Betts, 2008). In a situation where both Vodafone and British Telecom have leveraged the