Abortion Persuasive Essay Essay

Despite abortion being a highly controversial and divisive public policy issue, medical abortion is a highly feasible and healthy alternative to other, illicit abortion procedures and the availability of medical abortion should, consequently, be maximized rather than restricted. The reality is that for most women who are seeking ways to end their pregnancy a legal and safe medical abortion is just one of several options that such women are willing to go through. Without a viable and safe option for women seeking ways to end their pregnancy, many more women will engage in risky pregnancy ending behaviors, such as self-induced, non-medical, and illegal abortions. Minimizing the access to abortion services has been a policy goal of conservatives for some time, while the left has sought to increase access to medical abortion services. This debate is framed by several Supreme Court rulings, most notably the Casey v. Carhart case which affirmed women’s right to abortion, limiting th e restrictions that states can put on abortion clinics but leaving ambiguous exactly what restrictions are allowed. While states and local municipalities are not allowed to outlaw abortion clinics, they still enact and enforce severe restrictions on abortion clinics and abortion services. This creates a de facto ban on abortion in many states, particularly red states. The problem addressed in this project is the potential for severe costs of severely limiting the availability of and access to abortion services for mother seeking to end their pregnancies. Relying heavily on recent empirical studies on the health outcomes of mothers after abortions, this project begins by examining the safety, both physical and psychological, of abortions for mothers. Next, this project examines the legal issues that frame the public policy abortion debate, with a particular focus on the Casey v. Carhart case. Finally, this project presents recent findings from various organizations on the prevalence of abortions around the world and, in particular, the United States. The most important finding presented here is that abortion rates tend to remain steady regardless of whether there are several restrictions on abortions, which suggests that women who seek abortions are willing to engage in illegal and unsafe abortion procedures when no legal options are available. Because of this fact and other findings presented below, legal abortion services should be made widely available to populations across the United States. While most public policy debates on abortion focus on the  distinction between persons and non-persons, as well as the point in which a fetus is considered a person, there is considerable debate over the health outcomes of women who go through abortions. Much of the research relevant to the abortion issue focuses on the physical health outcomes of women. Creinin and Danielsson investigate recent evidence on the physical health outcomes in women after they go through abortions. This article discusses many studies concerning medically induced abortion that occur very early in pregnancies. The researchers draw conclusions about trends found in the studies and the empirical data produced by such studies. The researchers here find that medical abortions are becoming safer (121). That is, while at one point medical abortions were potential quite dangerous for women, today, evidence suggests that they are quite safe for the physical health of the women. In fact, the rate of incident is lower than most invasive procedures, the research suggests, which supports the notion that legal medical abortions are substantially safer than other ways that women seek to end their pregnancies. Only studies on legal abortions were featured in this review. While there is no empirical evidence on the safety of illegal abortions performed on women, it would seem that they are unlikely to be nearly as safe as legal medical abortions. The physical health of a woman after receiving an abortion is, of course, a very important factor in determining whether medical abortion practices area safe. However, with much more attention being paid to mental health of individuals and the importance of mental health in living a healthy and meaningful life, it is important to examine research findings on the specific mental health effects of abortion on women. In a systematic review of literature on the long-term mental health outcomes of women Charles et al. analyzes, compares, and discovers tends in the data from more than twenty studies on the long-term mental health outcomes of women who have medical and legal abortions (442). This literature review focuses very heavily on the long-term psychological health of such women and assesses the quality of the findings from each study, on a scale that extends from very poor to excellent in quality. Charles et al. effectively scan the relevant literature from 2000 to 2008 on the menta l health outcomes of women after medical abortions to find the most relevant findings. This literature review finds that most higher quality studies found almost no significant differences in the mental health outcomes of  women who have had abortions performed and those who have not. Additionally, while the studies that were much poorer in quality than the aforementioned studies more than half of the time produced findings that suggested that women who have had an abortion in their life times have significantly worse mental health outcomes. Thus, there may be two sorts of data being presented in public policy debate on abortion: data that suggests that women do not suffer negative long-term mental health consequences of abortion and data that suggests otherwise. The objective Charles et al. literature review, however, strongly supports the latter findings, suggesting that, in fact, there is support against the notion that medical abortions lead to long-term negative mental health outcomes in women. While the systematic literature review of the available data on the psychological health of women after abortions is highly useful in any attempts to determine the risks associated with legal abortions, there is a need for the presentation of much more recent research findings on this issue. Munk-Olsen et al. report the results of a study on the risks of mental disorders and threats to psychological health in women who have gone through induced abortions during their first trimesters. The results of this study are very recent and help to shed light on exactly how safe medical abortions have become. Also, the findings presented in this study have been compared to the results of other studies performed at a similar time to this study, making for more meaningful and significant results. The results of this study indicate that there is no significant difference between the prevalence of mental disorders in women who have had at least one abortion and those who have not (336). Additionally, the results of this study showed that the participants who had gone through abortions were not in significantly different mental health conditions than the participants who had not gone through abortions (336). The findings form this study lend strong support for the notion that access to abortion clinics should be maximized. One notable problem in public policy debates it the availability of data on the frequency of abortions, both legal and illegal, performed in the United States. Jones et al. presents findings about the frequency of abortions in the United States, as well as the availability of abortion services across the United States. The researchers found that in general access to legal abortion services was quite low, despite the Supreme Court ruling that women have a constitutional  right to an abortion (11). However, the authors note that all of the available data for the report did not include any data on unreported abortions, which, presumably, mostly includes illegal abortions. There is a problem emerging in regard to the availability of data on legal abortions and illegal abortions. The problem is that there is a wealth of data available on the prevalence and health outcomes of legal abortions, while there is virtually no meaningful data on illegal abortions. This is, of course, due to the fact of the illegality of such abortions. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to measure the potential harms committed in illegal abortions when not enough data is available. Additionally, comparing legal to illegal abortions and their respective maternal health outcomes is quite challenging given the differences in the availability of data. Even so, there are several assumptions that can help draw sound conclusions based on these research findings. One assumption is that legal abortion procedures tend to be safer than illegal abortion procedures. The rationale behind this assumption is that there is a greater likelihood that legal abortion procedures are performed by trained medical professionals who are qualified for such procedures. For illegal abortion procedures, neither the proper training nor the proper credentials are required. Additionally, illegal abortion procedures include self-initiated abort procedures, which are, of course, not performed by medical professionals. Another sound assumption is that as the availability of and access to legal medical abortion procedures decreases, the number of illegal and unsafe abortion procedures increases. This is because many women choose to have abortions whether legal or illegal. Easy access to a safe and legal abortion clinic is likely more preferable for most women seeking abortions. Thus, when such women do not have access to a safe and legal abortion clinic, many will still choose to have an abortion, but under much less safe conditions. Pazol et al. present a report on the prevalence of abortions in the United States. This report features a number of surveillance summaries on abortions performed. The data used to construct such summaries is provided by the Center for Disease Control. The data is compiled and then analyzed, leading to a number of summative statistics concerning the rates of abortion in the United States. The number of reported abortions is among the leading statistic in this report, as is the abortion rate by age groups and several historical data  trends. This report indicates that the number of performed abortions in the United States increased from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s (Pazol et al. 27). However, more recently, the data suggest that reported abortion numbers have fallen, as have abortion rates in the United States. The report finds that access to abortion in many parts of the country has decreased, which may help to explain why the number of reported abortions has decreased (Pazol et al. 29). The findings from this study do not include findings of unreported or ille gal abortions. Nevertheless, the findings from this study are consistent with previous findings and follow the path that the legal framework for abortion and abortion restriction policies appears to have taken with recent Supreme Court rulings. Once of the most important Supreme Court cases concerning state restrictions on abortion is the Casey v. Carhart case. The law professor Reva Siegel wrote a law review article on the Casey v. Carhart case. The ruling by the Supreme Court in this case is that states are not allowed to severely restrict women’s access to abortion services (Siegel 1724). Doing so is a violation of women’s right to an abortion, according to the Court. This ruling affirms prior rulings that have stated that states may not prohibit abortion and may not make it so difficult for a woman to get an abortion that the states have de facto banned abortion (Siegel 1729). Despite this very important ruling from the Supreme Court, states are, in many ways, still allowed to severely restrict access to abortion clinics to the point where most women seeking abortion in a state will be more likely to choose to either not have an abortion or have an illegal abortion. This is because the Supreme Court ruled that states, themselves, must be challenged on a case-by-case basis before the exact laws that restrict abortion can be deemed unconstitutional (Siegel 1736). In other words, though the Supreme Court struck down state legislation that put severe limitations on legal abortion clinics, states still have so many other limitations that have not been explicitly stricken down and, thus, can still be used by the states to effectively ban abortion. Even though the Court has stricken down several specific forms of limitations for legal abortion clinics, states have still continued to come up with new ways to limit abortion clinic practices that the Court has yet to strike down (Siegel 1732). The current state of the law concerning abortion and state policy abortion restrictions is such that states are allowed to  substantially restrict access to safe and legal abortion procedures. Another legal scholar, Mary Anne Warren, agrees that the current legal status of abortion is such that states are largely free to severely limit access to safe and legal abortion procedures, despite Supreme Court rulings that would seem to suggest otherwise (142). Warren argues that not only is the current legal status of abortion in the United States an uncertain one and one that need further clarification from the Supreme Court, but also that the Court has expressed the strong moral obligation to allow women to have abortions, yet has not done nearly enough to make this assertion hold among the states (145). Warren presents findings from several different studies and literature on the various effects of abortion, the established rates of reported abortion, and the availability of abortion clinics. The findings presented by Warren show that there is a strong contradiction in what the Supreme Court claims is the established rights of women to have an abortion and the actual state of affairs. One of the biggest issues, Warren states, with the current state of affairs for abortion is that the access to abortion differs radically by state. In some states, abortion clinics are easy to find, while in others, they are virtually non-existent due to severe limitations and restrictions imposed by the state (141). Although it is typical for states to differ substantially on many public policy issues, for several Supreme Court decisions to come down and expressly prohibit states from imposing such abortion limitations, it is a clear contradiction by the Court. From many perspectives, then, the current legal situation of abortion and abortion restrictions by the states in the United States in one that allows the states far too much leeway in how far they can restrict access to abortion. Research from 2013 suggests that more than twenty million unsafe abortions happen every year worldwide annually. However, less than two percent of these abortions occur in developed countries. Additionally, far fewer occur in the United States (Sedgh et al. 27). This finding would appear to suggest that the number of unsafe abortions is relatively low in the United States compared to the rest of the world. However, the United States has a low tolerance for abortions, compared to many of the other states included in these research findings. Moreover, the United States has a rate of maternal  fatalities for legal abortions that is less than 1 out of 10,000, with almost all of such fatalities occurring past 16 weeks after conception (World Health Organization 16). Recent research findings have confirmed the assumptions that certain clinical practices and mandates for abortion procedures lead to very safe abortions (World Health Organization 30). This finding provides substantial support in favor of keeping the availability of legal and safe abortion options available to women who are determined to get an abortion. Research findings from 2013 also suggest that â€Å"where legislation allows abortion under broad indications, the incidence of and complications from unsafe abortion are typically lower where abortion is legally more restricted† (World Health Organization 17). Furthermore, the World Health Organization reports that â€Å"where abortion is legally more restricted or available on request, a woman’s likelihood of having an unintended pregnancy and seeking induced abortion is about the same† (17). Additionally, research findings from World Health Organization reports indicate that illegal abortion practices tend to be much less safe than legal abortion practices (23). The World Health Organization findings strongly suggest that women who seek abortion services are likely to engage in some form of abortion services even when such services are unsafe or illegal. These findings are not only applicable to the world, in general, but also apply to the United States specifically. The report by the World Health Organization on the rates of abortion in countries that impose strict abortion laws and those that have not shows that when countries tighten their restrictions on abortion the actual rates of abortion tend not to decrease substantially, meaning that women who seek abortions are still having abortions performed, even when such abortions are illegal and unsafe (22). These findings support the notion that the levels of restrictions on abortions in the United States should be decreased and the availability of and access to abortion services for women should be maximized, not minimized. The evidence presented here strongly suggests that women will be better off if abortion services are made widely available. Current restrictions on abortion services, particularly through state legislative actions, are making it much more difficult for women to find abortion clinics. Many abortion clinics have closed in many states, particularly red states. The political divide on this issue is leading to states polarizing,  with many states having a very high level of abortion clinic availability and many other states having a very low level of abortion clinic availability and access. However, the Supreme Court has already ruled on this issue. It is unconstitutional for any state to outright ban abortion or make it so difficult for a woman to receive an abortion that abortion is de facto banned, meaning that for all intends and purposes abortion is banned by the state. The states that are severely limiting women’s access to safe and legal abortion procedures are not only violating the Constitutional as interpreted by the Supreme Court, but are also harming women. The fact that women will continue to seek abortion procedures, even when no safe and legal abortion procedures are available means that women are willing to cause significant bodily risk to themselves to have an abortion. With this in mind, restricting access to abort ion is creating many more risky situations than was ever intended. It should be realized that further restricting safe and legal abortion procedures in any particular state is simply hurting the women who may be seeking abortions at some point in those states. Evidence presented earlier showed that legal abortion procedures are very safe now, which means that women who seek abortions can have access to safe abortion procedures, but only if the abortion procedures in the given state are low. In states with high abortion restrictions, many women will be denied access to safe abortion procedures, despite such procedures being protected by the Constitution. By not acting to bring down the restrictions on abortions that are harming women by putting them in risky situations and continuing to tighten such restrictions, policy makers are acting irresponsibility. The topic of abortion in public policy debates is typically highly controversial and divisive. Even so, the findings presented here show that because medical abortion is a highly feasible and healthy alternative to illegal and unhealthy abortion procedures. Thus, the availability of and access to legal medical abortion procedures should be increased. As shown above, research suggests that most women who seek means end their pregnancies tend to find ways to have abortions, legal otherwise. After all, a legal and safe medical abortion is just one of several options, many of which are unsafe. Without a viable and safe option for women seeking ways to end their pregnancy, many more women will engage in risky pregnancy ending behaviors, such as self-induced, non-medical, and illegal abortions. Minimizing the access to  abortion services has been a policy goal of the right, while the left seeks to increase access to medical abortion services. The ensuing public policy debate is framed by the Casey v. Carhart case which affirmed women’s right to abortion, limiting the restrictions that states can put on abortion clinics but leaving ambiguous exactly what restrictions are allowed. While states and local municipalities are not allowed to outlaw abortion clinics, they still enact and enforce severe restrictions on abortion clinics and abortion services. This creates a de facto ban on abortion in many states, particularly red states. This project has addressed the problem of the possibility of extreme unsafe risks to women seeking abortion services when access has been severely limited by state and local policies. This project presents recent empirical studies on the health outcomes of mothers after abortions, examining the safety, both physical and psychological, of abortions for mothers. It also presented the legal issues that frame the public policy abortion debate, with a particular focus on the Casey v. Carhart case, before turning to recent findings the prevalence of abortions in the United States. Abortion rates tend to remain steady regardless of whether there are several restrictions on abortions, which suggests that women who seek abortions are willing to engage in illegal and unsafe abortion procedures when no legal options are available. This crucial finding is well supported in by research and strongly supports the concl usion of this project: legal abortion services should be made widely available to populations across the United States. Works Cited Charles, Vignetta E., et al. â€Å"Abortion and long-term mental health outcomes: a systematic review of the evidence.† Contraception 78.6 (2008): 436-450. Creinin, Mitchell D., and Kristina Gemzell Danielsson. â€Å"Medical abortion in early pregnancy.† Management of Unintended and Abnormal Pregnancy: Comprehensive Abortion Care (2009): 111-134. Githens, Marianne, and Dorothy McBride Stetson, eds. Abortion politics: public policy in cross-cultural perspective. Routledge, 2013. Jones, Rachel K., et al. â€Å"Abortion in the United States: incidence and access to services, 2005.† Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 40.1 (2008): 6-16. Munk-Olsen, Trine, et al. â€Å"Induced first-trimester abortion and risk of mental disorder.† New England Journal of Medicine 364.4 (2011): 332-339. Pazol, Karen, et al. â€Å"Abortion surveillance–United States, 2009.† MMWR Surveillance Summit 61.8 (2012): 1-44. Rohlinger, Deana A. Abortion Politics, Mass Media, and Social Movements in America. Cambridge University Press, 2014. Sedgh, Gilda, et al. â€Å"Induced abortion: estimated rates and trends worldwide.† The Lancet 37.5 (2007): 1338-1345. Siegel, Reva. â€Å"Dignity and the politics of protection: abortion restrictions under Casey/Carhart.† Yale Law Journal 117 (2008): 1694-1802. Warren, Mary Anne. â€Å"On the moral and legal status of abortion.† (2009). World Health Organization. â€Å"Unsafe abortion: global and regional estimates of incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality in 2008.† (2011).

Status Quo

Developing and retaining highly qualified teachers continues to be a critical need (Berry, 2004; Darling-Hammond & Sykes, 2003). As more teachers retire and school populations continue to grow, an increasing number of schools, universities, and states are implementing programs to ease induction, develop quality teachers, and inform educational practices. Therefore, many educators are now turning to action research to achieve these goals. The purpose of Grogan, Donaldson, & Simmons (2007) article Disrupting the Status Quo is to make an argument that unlike traditional research, action research encourages school personnel to systematically develop a question, gather data, and then analyze that data to improve their practice. The article addresses the key question to the appropriateness and relevance of educational leaders undertaking action research projects as the capstone of their doctoral studies (Grogan, Donaldson, & Simmons, 2007). The most important takeaway in this article is that traditional educational preparation programs and the hierarchical structure of public schools tend to perpetuate compliance and maintenance of the status quo. Furthermore, there is a need for transformative learning to help leaders deconstruct conformity to the many social and cultural canons, which have permeated U. S. schools to the detriment of our students. The authors believe that an action research dissertation and mentoring is an essential component in any educational leadership curriculum that aspires to foster the critical, reflective learning that is the hallmark of human and organizational transformation. Gilles & Cramer (2003) supports a combination of appropriate coursework and mentoring help new teachers transition quickly into solid, thoughtful, and strategic teachers. The key concept we need to understand is that action research and the fact that the Ed. D is a professional degree does not minimize the rigor or prestige in comparison to a Ph. D. Since the research, focus of an Ed. D is different from that of a Ph. D, action research focuses on generating knowledge that is workable, make sense, and is credible in more than one setting as opposed to acquiring knowledge for its own sake (Grogan, Donaldson, & Simmons, 2007). The main assumption that the author is making is that there has to be a change in order to transform the learning process. If we take this line of reasoning serious then there should be no kid left behind. The new generation of educational leaders will also have the tools needed to think critically, identify and solve problems facing their institution of higher learning. If we fail to take this line of reasoning seriously, we could end up in worse economic and educational status. Berry, B. (2004). Recruiting and retaining â€Å"highly qualified teachers† for hard-to-staff schools. NASSP Bulletin, 88(638), 5-27. Darling-Hammond, L. & Sykes, G. (2003). Wanted: A national teacher supply policy for education: The right way to meet the â€Å"highly qualified teacher† challenge. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 11(33). Retrieved [22 July 2011] from http://epaa. asu. edu/epaa/v11n33/v11n3 Gilles, C. & Cramer, M. (2003, April). The impact of school-university partnerships on classroom teachers and their teaching. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Grogan M. , Donaldson, J. & Simmons J. (2007, May 19). Disrupting the Status Quo: The Action Research Dissertation as a Transformative Strategy. Retrieved from http://cnx. org/content/m14529/1. 2/.

Public Relations Student Society Essay

My name is Jessica T. and I am a high school senior. During high school, I have been very focused on academics, and have also been involved with many extracurricular activities. As I prepare for my freshman year at Central Michigan University, my goals are to be an active member of the Honor’s Program, to be selected for the Leadership Camp and Safari, and to achieve a major in Integrative Public Relations, with a minor in Leadership. Throughout high school, I have been able to maintain an excellent grade point average, while also being active in many different clubs and sports. My current school activities include: Student Council (Historian of the council and Secretary of my class), National Honors Society, Business Professionals of America (Vice President), Cares Charity Club, Varsity Cross Country, and Varsity Soccer. I have also been a member of Pep Club, Foreign Language Club, Yearbook, and Volleyball. Along with school groups and activities, I am an active member of my church youth group at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. One of my very favorite and most fulfilling events each year is a mission trip, where I’m able help people who may be less fortunate or just need some extra help from their community. A schedule that blends academics with school and community activities keeps me very busy. My ability to have both a school life and social life is something that might distinguish me from other high academic achievers. As I’ve seen with some of my own classmates, many people aren’t able to find a good balance; you either have a â€Å"bookworm† who does not get out much, or students who get out too much and end up failing classes. A crucial skill I had to learn quickly was how to manage my time between school, extracurricular activities, and just relaxing with my friends and family. I love to have fun with my friends, but I also know when it is time to concentrate on school work. The fact that I love public speaking is something that might also set me apart, not only from high academic achievers, but most high school students in general. I do not think you can find many people my age who are comfortable talking in front of people – anytime or anywhere – in either large or small groups. My speaking skills have strengthened my confidence to take on leadership roles when working on an event, and to take charge of a group in order to get things accomplished. Every school year, my friends appoint me as the class coordinator of the school’s Lip Sync Competition, which is actually a dance competition between the four grades. My friends and teachers always compliment me on how I am able to take 32 classmates – all with different opinions and personalities – and persuade them all to agree, without coming across as being mean. I believe my public speaking and leadership qualities will help me to achieve my goals to major in Integrative Public Relations and minor in Leadership. In addition to earning my degree at CMU, I plan to pursue my interest in the university’s volunteer and interdisciplinary programs, and student professional organizations such as the Public Relations Student Society of America. During my visit back in December, I met members of both the Honor’s and Leadership Programs. I was so thrilled that CMU offers programs where I can continue to grow and build on the professional and personal skills I’ve gained in high school. It was also exciting to see that so many students share a lot of my same interests. The Integrative Public Relations degree is what initially sparked my interest in becoming a Chippewa, however the confirmed my decision to attend Central Michigan University. In regards to the Honors Program, I believe I have a lot to offer. The planning and organizational skills I’ve learned by coordinating events through student council and the National Honor Society will help as I work with other members to create and plan fundraising and campus events. My confidence in speaking to large or small audiences will be helpful during classroom discussions or in working with a small team on a class or honor’s program project. Being involved with athletics has taught me a lot about commitment and teamwork, especially how to work well with many different personality types and levels of play. All of these skills will help me in many other areas such as: meeting my new dorm mates, working with fellow students and Honor’s Program members in class or on special events, and ultimately as I earn my degree and begin my new career. Last, but not at all the least, I have a great family. There are four of us – my parents, my little sister, and me. My sister, Sarah, is a freshman at my high school. We haven’t attended the same school since I was in first grade, so its fun to be in school together. I’m looking forward to playing with her on the varsity soccer team this year before I graduate. Family and friends are very important to me, and I love spending time with them. School is also an important thing in my life, and I do work hard to achieve what I need to, to reach my future goals.

Nationalism and imperialism in British africa 1850-1960 Essay

Nationalism and imperialism in British africa 1850-1960 - Essay Example Identity is another issue in settler societies. Louis Hartz, in his seminal work, "The Founding of New Societies" (1964:11-13, 53-4)1, observed that identity formation by European settlers in a new land is a complex process. Changes in Europe and the presence of 'native' peoples in the new land make it difficult to maintain identification with the old country. The 'racial element' becomes an integral part of settler consciousness and national identity in a way that does not occur in Europe. Colonial presence became established first, in the West African Settlements (Sierra Leone, Gold Coast etc.). It brought, as a by-product, Christian missionaries (White and Black!) and Enlightenment ideas of freedom and self-determination to Africa. However, it also brought the idea of the "Other" with it and dispossessed the Africans from their sense of the "Self". Edward Said in his "Orientalism" (1984) focused on the idea of discourse. He categorically explained the discursive practices of the "West" since the beginning of the Renaissance and their "Humanist" attempts to situate themselves into a historically, anthropologically, socially, psychologically and economically dominant and "subject" position that would forever dispossess the native "orient" being from their own history and claim to history within the Western canon. Not only that Fanon in his "Black Skin White Masks"2, talks about the psychological dislocation of the native due to the complete eradication of African iden tity from educated native. Incase of the masses the dislocation was physical - through the dislocation of their lands. Thus, anthropologists such as Madison Grant or Alexis Carrel built their pseudo-scientific racism, inspired by Gobineau's "An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races" (1853-55). This ruse of superiority was used from the nineteenth century onwards, to begin the 'civilizing mission' which legitimated imperial conquest and control brought to the fore the issue of 'native policy'. The 'white man's burden' meant that, in imperialist theory and to some extent in practice, 'native policy' involved the role of the Colonial Office as guardian of 'racial' minorities and 'backward' peoples. In the mixed colonies, however, it continued to mean principally the legalized theft of 'native' land and the use of 'natives' as a source of cheap labor. Settler societies were therefore quick to seek political autonomy in order to deal with the 'natives' in their own way and acquire w hat territory they wanted. Hence, the nineteenth century saw a further divergence between colonial and imperial ideology. Two contradictory sets of principles were on a collision course within the settlements: the concept of trusteeship within the imperial philosophy of a non-racial empire, and the settlers' determination to create a 'White Man's Country' (Huttenback 1976:21)3. After the 'scramble for Africa' in the 1880s, there was a brief age of self-conscious imperialism when the British empire was vaunted as the strongest, largest and most benign the world had ever seen, and flags and banners became sacred symbols of the nation. However, this could not hide the savagery of the war that was being used as an appropriate civilizing mission. In South Africa, three groups struggled over the land. In the early 1800s, the Zulu chief Shaka fought to win more land. Meanwhile, the British won control of the Dutch colony on the

Political Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Political - Assignment Example Defending his action, President Obama, said that the house of congress had refused to bring to vote the Bipartisan Immigration Bill that would ‘legally’ address the issue of immigration in the United States. He dared the republicans to bring the bill to the floor of congress and pass it; which is after passing in the senate in 2013 has stagnated in the congress (Knowlton 1). The republicans were quick to point out that President Obama was acting unconstitutionally and was using his executive powers in allowing undocumented immigrants to remain in the country without the threat of being deported. They continued to accuse the president of â€Å"damaging the presidency† by abusing the office’ power. By using executive powers, they claimed, that he was destroying the legal system of passing the Bipartisan Bill. In response, President Obama, together with his democratic sympathizers, majority of who were lawmakers released a letter with 10 scholarly views on the legality of the executive order the president issued. The scholars, in the letter, insisted that the president had not gone beyond the powers of his office. Maricopa County’s Sherriff, Mr. Joe Arpaio, filed a suit in the federal district court challenging President Obama’s order and power to execute such a directive. In his suit, the Sherriff wanted the Court to guide the President on how to act ‘accordingly’ and obey the United States constitution. Elsewhere, Scott Pruitt, the Attorney General of Oklahoma, stated that president Obama’s order was â€Å"ill-advised, unworkable, unlawful and brazenly political†. The republicans continued to accuse the president of pitting them against the Hispanic community, as they formed the majority of the house of congress. The republicans were keen in their utterances in order to avoid the party’s standing with Latino voters, who have become the fastest growing minority voters. They know that their

Environmental science Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental science - Research Paper Example Nowadays, 10% of the world is legally protected in one way or the other. In conservation practice, private fundraising is insufficient to pay for the effective management of so much land with protective status hence government assistance should intervene. This paper discusses in depth some environmental issues that negatively affect the Galapagos Island. Galapagos Islands have unknown waters surrounding the famous volcanic archipelagos that consist of natural wonders of a realm that is truly a living natural laboratory. These islands portray a range of mysteries of the deep, caverns buried beneath the earth and primitive wildlife entirely unknown to humanity. These islands remain as hosts for biological mysteries to date. They extensively portray unique geographical features, organisms, and locales. Scholarly research depicts that quite a range of animal species found on these islands seem so unreal to human beings. Charles Darwin, who once visited the islands, formulated a theory embarking on natural selection due to the curious unique species he came across. He used the theory to refer to the evolutionary changes that enables both plants and animals to adapt to the environment. For instance, different environments in the islands have different characteristics that the inhabitants have to get adapted to them. Moreover, Charles Darwin’s perception of natural selection based its argument on the feeding habits of different animal species, climate of the environment and genetic inheritance. Some of the animal species observed from these islands include Blue-footed booby, Waved albatross, Flightless cormorant, Galapagos tortoise, and Galapagos penguin. Although these beautiful sceneries act as tourist attraction sites, they are pessimistically affected by humanity. For instance, several environmental issues such as fishing, poaching of both plants and animals, and introduction of foreign species of plants and animals to the environment

A critical review of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S Essay

A critical review of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - Essay Example This is a direct reference to the story of Genesis which tells of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. This referencing puts a tone of connection within the race of humanity. As Marcus Muhling put it in his book called A Theological Journey Into Narnia, â€Å"This is because in Christianity, humanity - by which is meant all people throughout history - is not just a race or a class, but an organism: all human beings are in relationship to one another.† (Muhling, p. 14) This way of classifying the four children designates them as apart from the other races of Narnia. This unifies their existence within the realm and elevates them, to a degree, to positions of exception. school associations† he could â€Å"steal past those watchful dragons† of tedious sermons and obligatory worship. By enlisting the unfettered powers of imagination, Lewis hoped to recapture the original beauty and poignancy In this way, Lewis was able to craft a story that could relate the principles of the Christian story in a way that could be easily digested by a young reader. While the biblical references could be difficult to comprehend, the fantastical one created by Lewis could be read by a child and understood, thus priming the intellectual process that could bring a deeper understanding to faith in Christ. Lucy, the heroine of the story, approaches her newfound world with innocence. She accepts what she sees and feels around her, without regard to the fantastical existence of Narnia. She exhibits faith as she walks through the wardrobe into a world that exists outside of her own world. This type of trust is indicative of the type of trust that is desired in faith for Christ. Faith is a goal should be reached without questioning the reality of the existence of God which is believed without proof through tangible evidence. and Edmund have both gone through the wardrobe to Narnia, but Peter and Susan have not been

Critical thinking Mo Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical thinking Mo - Coursework Example Some of the banks that have been affected by the uncertainty in the oil industry are those from the European Union, America and from the oil producing countries, however, banks in the United Arab Emirates have remained relatively stable especially in the bleak outlook of oil industry of 2011. Revising down of the economic outlook of the growth of OPEC countries from 3.7 to 3.6 was an ill advised idea, this is because that made the stakeholders get an escape path from being innovative and implementing structures that would have ensured that the growth rate is maintained even in the reduction of global demand for oil and oil products. Looking for other ways to diversify risk and cushion the economies would have produced better results than just revising down forecasts for growth. Investments in the oil industry are a key in ensuring stability in oil production and the $300 billion the OPEC member states have set aside for upstream investment in the oil industry is a right step in the right direction. Ensuring constant supply of oil and maintaining a reserve potential will enable the OPEC countries to be able to regulate prices from rising too high or going down too low. The idea of United Arab Emirates bank having weathered the economic crisis of the euro zone that happened in 2011 being solely dependent on internal structures to manage their risk preparedness is far-fetched and cannot be solely relied on to explain the stability. This is because the country, which exports second hand goods to Africa, has a significant part of its economy being driven by these exports; banks’ diversifying their products to this sector was also a contributing factor that made them more stable amidst the euro zone crisis. However, internal structures are needed in the banking industry of the oil producing countries especially those that have no other source of revenue to drive their economy and failure to this may

Business History Analysis of Globalization Essay

Business History Analysis of Globalization - Essay Example Is globalization restricted to the business world only? The concept of globalization has entered almost in all areas of our lives be it business, language, education, culture, lifestyle and other psychological and social behavior patterns. It is argued that we are fast losing our unique identity and sense of belonging and are moving towards globalized identity. This paper aims at studying the historical background of multinationals and the creation of global capitalism. It will also study the pattern of its growth that is believed to be non linear and will try to find if the global firms and global capitalism really is inevitable. Multinationals and Global Capitalism Multinationals are firms that operate in more than one country. They are the main source of flow of investment, trade and knowledge that transcends boundaries, which is the essence of the globalization process. Multinationals only proved to be the beginning of the globalization process. Globalization in the last two deca des has entered every aspect of our lives in unimaginable way. Yet its extent and background is still debatable. Globalization is referred to as a process of increasing integration in the civilized world (Gills et al. 2006). There are differing opinions about the history of globalization ranging from world war two to as old as sixteenth century. The extent of globalization today is also debatable some regard world as fast becoming borderless while others regard it just as a fallacy. The impact and consequences of globalization is also two tongued sword. On a positive note it has lead to convergence between countries but on a negative note it has resulted on more inequalities between countries and leading to erosion of sovereignty of nations. There are differing viewpoints about causes of globalization as well. Some believe that developments in the communication and transport technology is responsible for globalization while others regard businesses and governments as the main force behind globalization. According to this viewpoint multinationals has proved to be the forerunners of globalization (Toyne et al, 1997). Multinationals The role of multinationals in globalization cannot be fully understood without the sound understanding of multinationals and its historical background. The term multinational enterprise was used in the latter half of the twentieth century although firms had started to invest offshore in the nineteenth century. A multinational is an organization that has its control operations and income generating assets in more than one country. Home country of multinationals is called home economy and the other countries where they invest are called host economies or host countries. Usually the no of host economies should exceed five or six and they should be of considerable size as well for an organization to be called multinational. If a firm’s international operations are very extensive then it is called global organization. A multinationa l firm makes two types on investment in the host economy, portfolio investment and foreign direct investment (FDI). Portfolio investment is the acquisition of securities with no involvement in the management of the host economies. FDI involves control over the management as well. FDI gives ownership

Abortion Should Be A Womans Choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Abortion Should Be A Womans Choice - Essay Example This substantially includes fighting for the women’s freedom to choose; especially those they think may be the best options for them in consideration of some circumstances or factors. This blog includes some social issues that could influence the choice for abortion as an alternative course of action among women. In particular, the proponent tries to establish the point that these issues are influential prior to the actual decisions of women to go for abortion or any other relevant means. In addition, this blog will serve as a way of information dissemination without showing any partiality, but just to demonstrate the reality why some women may probably result to abortion as a course of action. The problem Abortion is a controversial social issue because it does not only include subjects about the law, but directly concerns women’s health. This is a social issue that needs to be addressed because it deals with life. Concerning this, people have varying point of views, creating a need to establish or draw the line of understanding. The variation of points on abortion could stand as an ultimate problem because its existence could possibly lead to varied concerns and ideas. This would then raise a remarkable point whether abortion is part of the woman’s choice. However, such a choice must be backed up with relevant justifications and this is where the point of the proposed blog sets in. Discussion of activity A blog, which is attached in this article, could be a remarkable way to address some problems associated with abortion and the women’s choice to go for it. This blog disregards the associated personal belief about abortion, the issues of violence and illegality. In the following section is the proponent’s reflection on abortion, including some point of views that could be the bases of the course of actions or the kind of choices women should initiate concerning abortion as their personal choice. The proponent chose to use a blog because it is a remarkable opportunity not only to educate everyone, but could show the readers some perspectives that need substantial considerations prior to the actual choices or alternative course of actions concerning abortion and women’s choice to go for it. The creation of this blog relates to class materials because of the following reasons. First, this blogging activity concerns the studies about women part icularly on their specific and probable response to some issues. For instance, part of the issues concerning feminism is the idea about single parenting, by which a woman could raise a child by herself, an activity that has been proven by time (Shaw and Lee 31). Women nowadays could eventually do their own way to raise a family with the existence of single parents. However, this activity requires financial considerations. Women who are single parents have to shoulder everything all by themselves and they have to face the need to address health concerns that at some point would require consideration of financial matters in great detail. Second, this blogging activity tries to point out the idea that women need to be given the chance to decide what they might think good for them based on some existing situations. This is a highly political issue because this concept has long been discussed in relation to the idea about feminism. Feminist politics for instance has become a controversia l point and so the issue about abortion as a personal choice among women has become a significant component of this concern (Shaw and Lee 34). Third, this blogging activity also deals with the issue of health and poverty which have been part of the women’s life and their actual choice about abortion. This point remarkably considers the above two points,

The process a person has to undergo to open a bank account Essay Example for Free

The process a person has to undergo to open a bank account Essay The bank will have in place a process that customers must have to follow to enable them open an account. This process involves various activities that the application must have to go through before a decision can be made to open an account. The initial process starts once the customer enters the Bank and speaks to a Customer Service Adviser about opening a new bank account. The adviser will asks the customer various questions in order to establish the customers banking needs. This enables the adviser to clarify what kind of account is more suitable for the customer. Since the customer does not know what kinds of bank accounts are available, the Customer Service Adviser enables this process to take place. Without the support of the adviser, the process of opening the account might have been more difficult and time consuming. The customer is also advised on the time duration it might take in the process of opening the account. The customer then has to fill in an application form which enables the process to move to the next stage. The customer can call on the adviser for assistance in filling out the form at any point in time. Once the form has been properly filled in, it is processed by the bank staff (using processing software on the computer by sending the information to a referencing agent to check if the applicant details are correct and for a credit check to find out if the customer has any adverse credit history. These are guides used by the bank to determine whether the information given by the applicant is true and to decide on credit facilities that might come with certain bank accounts). The information sent off is then verified and sent back to the bank. All the information sent are assigned scores using guides (software) that the bank has installed to make the process more efficient. Depending on the customers score, a suitable account would be recommended. A decision will then be taken in regards to the opening of the account and details of the account are entered into the computer. At this point of processing the account, some delays would be experienced while the adviser inputs the details of the new account into the computer. While this is being facilitated, the customer then receives details of his/her account. The customer leaves now as their input into the process of opening the bank account has been completed. The account details and customer information relevant to operating the account is then sent for printing to the card manufacturing company. The machinery, plastic and paper used in the process of manufacturing the relevant items for the bank enables the process of opening the account to be completed. The cheque book, card and pin number for use with the account are then mailed by the printing company to the banks customer or sent to their local branch for collection. Once the cheque book, card and pin are received by the customer, it enables the use of the bank account and without this, the operation of the account would be made more problematic. Volume looks at how many different jobs one person performs in the business. In a supermarket, each person works one station on a shift and rarely swaps during it unless it is extremely necessary. In some cases, there are enough people employed in the supermarket so that they only ever have to perform one duty during their time employed there. In the supermarket, there are sometimes 20 people working on the tills during the busy periods but often there are not this many people working in a bank at any one time. By having this high Volume, you will find that the each person will find their job extremely repetitive as it is all they perform all day long. In some cases, people will work behind a till for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for several years. This high repeatability often isnt appealing to a lot of people though. However, since people are performing the same tasks day in and day out, they become an expert in their area. This leads to highly specialized people in the supermarket which is good for the business. In a bank, there are normally two or three people who deal with the individuals bank accounts, and processing cash transactions, and then there is one person who deals with opening bank accounts, another working on loans, and someone possibly dealing with mortgages. This low volume of staff means that if anyone is sick, then the other staff will be required to cover the area for the duration. If you work in a bank, your position is often changed to where you are required most so you need to be multi-skilled and have good knowledge of the job. Variety looks at the degree in which the business responds to different customer requirements. A supermarket would have high variety as they order in a wide variety of products, made by different brands and sometimes of different ethnic origin to appeal to a wide variety of tastes. This means that the supermarket is flexible about what it orders, in order to meet the needs of the customer. A bank has very low variety in terms of the accounts they offer. They have their standard set of accounts such as Flex account Savings and ISA but there are few variations off the standard model. 90% of people who go into the bank to open up a savings account will leave with the same account. These standardised accounts make the whole process of opening up a bank account very routine and so the staff working there could do it with their eyes closed. Variation In Demand is how much demand changes over a period of time. In a bank, the accounts very rarely change. The main changes to them are the interest rates but this is usually determined by the government and so changes are infrequent. This keeps the bank in a routine, and also proves them to be very predictable in what they offer to the customer. This means that it doesnt matter when an individual opens a bank account as it will almost always be the same. In a supermarket however, there are seasonal changes constantly. They cater for all of the holidays that occur over the year, Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, Summer Holidays and Halloween. They need to order in the seasonal goods in advance to the holiday so that it entices people to buy them early. They can also adjust their ordering to meet customer demand, i. e. if the store holds a Buy One Get One Free offer on a particular popular product, then they know that they are going to sell a lot of it therefore they will adjust their ordering accordingly. After the promotion finishes, it is highly unlikely that they will continue to sell the same numbers so they will reduce the amount ordered. Visibility relates to where the process is carried out. In a bank, you see very little of the processes being carried out in front of you therefore there is low visibility. Credit Checks are done online by an independent company, cards and chequebooks are manufactured in another place altogether, Money is taken from you and put into a till and your account credited electronically. Sometimes, especially if you are paying in a cheque, there is a time lag between processing your transaction and seeing the results. It can take up to a week to send out new cards, new chequebooks, or new PIN numbers if you lose them and so this could be problematic for the consumer, as they may not have access to any money during that period of time. In a supermarket though, you see quite a few processes occurring in front of you. You can see people continuously stacking up shelves to ensure there is food available for the customer and you see your food being processed through the tills. This leads to low waiting tolerance however, and the consumer always wants their product immediately and often voices their dissatisfaction if they are unable to get exactly what they want. On the Deli counter, you can see your choice of meat being cut exactly how you want it to be and wrapped for you, and in some supermarkets, you can even choose for someone to make your own personal pizza for you. In order to offer these services, there needs to be good customer service skills in place so that any questions regarding anything in the store can be answered if needed. Company success relies heavily on consumer satisfaction and so the store must ensure that the shelves are full, that there are a wide range of products on offer, and that customer service skills are excellent. By offering all of these things, the supermarket can ensure good satisfaction and repeat business.

An Outpost of Progress Infobox Essay Example for Free

An Outpost of Progress Infobox Essay Notes for the Teachers One Language – Many Voices Joseph Conrad: An Outpost of Progress INfO-BOx Cultural and historical background The colonization of Central Africa did not set in until the very end of the 19th century, when ‘the scramble for Africa’ – the race of European powers to divide the continent among themselves – got under way: In 1870 European countries owned only 10% of Africa, by 1900 it was 90%. For a long time access to the huge territories in the Congo River basin was considered impossible due to the impenetrable forests and the impassable rapids of the river itself, which served as a barrier to European exploitation. The adventurer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley gained the interest and support of the Belgian King Leopold II for his expeditions into the Congo basin ‘to prove that the Congo natives were susceptible of civilization and that the Congo basin was rich enough to repay exploitation’. In the name of Leopold II he appropriated land and labour for the king’s newly founded ‘Association Internationale du Congo’. Leopold’s claim to the Congo was recognized at the International Africa Conference in Berlin in 1884–1885, presided over by Bismarck. The Congo Free State, as it was ironically called, was confirmed as the private property of King Leopold II in return for guarantees of neutrality, free trade and opposition to slavery. The Congo Free State, 1900 next to nothing, apart from small amounts of cloth, beads or brass rods. The rubber boom started in the mid-1890s due to the increasing industrial demand from Europe. While the rubber trade made a fortune for Leopold II, it led to the extreme brutalization of the local population. Under Leopold’s ownership approximately 10 million Congolese died as a consequence of exploitation and disease. To enforce the rubber quotas, the Force Publique (FP) was called in. The FP was an army, but its aim was not to defend the country, but to terrorize the population, which it did by cutting off the limbs of the natives; this practice was disturbingly widespread. When news of these atrocities reached Europe, there was a public outcry; the British parliament asked Roger Casement to make an inquiry into the situation in the country. The result of his enquiry was the famous Congo Report (1904). Casement had been a British diplomat in the Congo, where he met Conrad and whose Heart of Darkness (1899) had deeply influenced him. In 1903 Conrad wrote to Casement saying, ‘there exists in Africa a Congo State, created by the act of European powers, where ruthless, systematic cruelty towards the blacks is the basis of the administration’. Conrad’s novel also contributed to a widespread knowledge of the colonial abuses and crimes taking place in Africa. In 1908 Leopold II was forced to sell the Congo Free State to the Belgian government, which annexed it as a Belgian colony until its independence in 1960, when it was named Zaire. Its history since then has not been much happier. Following the secessionist Katanga Civil War, the country was brutalized under the dictatorship of President Mobutu. In 1997, when Mobutu was overthrown by the rebel leader Laurent Kabila, the country was renamed The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Torn between ethnic strife and civil wars, involving refugees from Rwanda and Burundi and displacements from Sudan, the country is still unstable. Biographical aspects Ivory and rubber were the main sources of income for King Leopold’s company and its agents: they and their African auxiliaries seized all the ivory that could be found, buying tusks from villages for a pittance, or simply confiscating them. They were working on a lucrative commission structure imposed by the King in 1890, of which the African elephant hunters received 26 As captain of a steamship, Joseph Conrad travelled up the Congo River to Central Africa and the heart of the Congo in 1890, and then went on an overland track to Leopoldville (now Kinshasa). As we know from his diaries and letters, which he wrote in English, he was deeply concerned with the greed of Belgian (and other European) merchants, the abuses of colonial powers and atrocities committed by white managers and their black auxiliaries, always in the name of a missionary and rogressive spirit to ‘enlighten the dark continent’. But he also met with what he thought to be cannibalism, and was confused Notes for the Teachers by the natives’ drums and ‘wild savagery’. His decision to resign from his post as captain was as much caused by his ill health as by his desire to become a writer. It has been said that ‘Africa killed Conrad the sailor and strengthened Conrad the writer’1 In his extensive writings (over 40 works of fiction of various length) the themes of travel and the pursuit of material and idealistic goals as well as isolation, ambition and failure can be said to be drawn from his own experiences. Conrad: An Outpost of Progress His deep-rooted scepticism of imperialism can be linked to his Polish background: born into a nation which had vanished from the map after being annexed by Russia, Prussia and Austria in 1795, and into a family which had opposed Russian oppression and been exiled to Ukraine, Conrad had good reason to question the right of stronger powers to impose their wills on smaller nations. 1 Jean-Aubry, Georges. Joseph Conrad in the Congo. New York: Haskell, 1973. Interpretation Summary Kayerts and Carlier are put in charge of a remote and unpromising trading station on a river.

The Absorption Costing Approach to Cost-Plus Pricing

The Absorption Costing Approach to Cost-Plus Pricing Allocating a fair and proper price to a product or service may be a tricky balancing act for a company. Many firms have an ongoing struggle with setting their pricing strategies. It is a well known fact that the success of any product or service relies straight on the ability to sell them which anon directly depends on the correct pricing strategy (Bosse, 2009). The pricing cannot be just randomly guessed by the company. There are several measures that ought to be considered while forming the pricing strategy. By implementing creative judgments and intensifying the awareness of consumer motivation, a company can seize the market. Pricing is not merely a marketing, financial or operational decision; instead it influences all aspects of the firm (Petersn, 2008). Preliminary Situation for Pricing Erner (2010) mentions two possible situations to consider for pricing: The first one declares that the product in question has several competitors who offer products with less differentiation. Hence a market price already exists. In this case customers will not purchase products with high market prices. Therefore the company does not have to conduct extensive research about the pricing strategy as they already have a guideline present. The second situation indicates that the market price does not exist. Herein the product does not have any direct competitors and no pricing standards are available. The company has to decide how to price its products or services. In such a position the company must emphasize more on market research, customer perception, costing, price testing etc. (Hilton, 2009). The Absorption Cost Approach to Cost-Plus Pricing For pricing decisions accounting information can be used especially if the firm is a leader in the market or a price-maker. As there is hardly time for analyzing demand and marginal cost for each product or service thoroughly, managers have to depend on a swift and unsophisticated method for determining prices. Therefore companies apply the Cost-Plus Pricing (CPP) method in which the total cost of the product or service adds a margin to ascertain the selling price (Hilton, 2009). However many companies are price-takers as they set their prices according to the market leaders and have to follow the market, adjusting their prices due to competition. Even in such cases understanding costs supports making managerial decisions e.g. which and how many products or services should be produced (Pietersz, n.g.). To give a considerable return on the stockholders investment the determined price in pricing standard products must cover all costs such as production, administrative, fixed and variab le sales cost (Erner, 2010). As this should not be the case the business will bear losses and may not even be extant. Comprehending the companys marketing strategy is required for applying cost information in pricing decisions (Collier, 2009). COST + MARK UP = SELLING PRICE (Ingram, Albright, Hill, 2003) Determine the Cost Coverage Before adding a desired profit margin the full costs  [1]  for each product or service has to be calculated (Ingram, Albright, Hill, 2003). Flowingly the company has to underline the cost coverage that can be done by the Absorption Cost Approach (ACA) or the Contribution Approach (CA) (Erner, 2010). In the pricing decision the unit cost of a completed product is a key measure. The so called Unit Product Cost (UPC) stipulates the value of goods inventory completed and the cost of sold goods (Tatum, n.g.). On the one side variable costing classes costs according to their behavior into variable or fixed. For determining the UPC variable costing only includes costs directly varied to production i.e. direct material and direct labor cost as also the variable manufacturing overhead. The fixed manufacturing overhead costs are dealt like period expenses i.e. expense them like selling and administration cost in the period in which they incur. Fixed costs are not regarded in variable UPC. On the other side absorption costing classes the costs according to their function either into manufacturing or non-manufacturing costs. For calculating the UPC by applying the ACA all manufacturing costs, variable or fixed, are included (Ingram, Albright, Hill, 2003). Contribution Approach In the CA the cost base consists of the variable expenses associated with a product. The mark-up used must include the fixed costs considering the desired profit per unit. The cost base must be kept free of any element of fixed costs facilitating the pricing in special situations (Guilding, Drury, Tayles, 2005). In this paper the CA is not considered in detail. Absorption Cost Approach In the ACA the cost base is defined as the cost to manufacture a single unit. The selling and administration costs which are not included in the cost base are considered in the mark-up stage that is added on to the target selling price (Guilding, Drury, Tayles, 2005). The ACA illustrates the pricing decision as deceitfully easy. It seems that a company only has to calculate its UPC, determine the profit level they want and set the price. It appears that a company can ignore demand and arrive at a price that will safely yield whatever profit it wants (Garrison, Noreen, Brewer, 2010, p. 760). The ACA depends on unit sales predictions and nor the UPC nor the mark-up can be determined without them. In this approach it is anticipated that customers need the predicted unit sales and are willing to pay any price the firm stipulates. But customers have a choice as they can either purchase from a competitor or decide not to buy the product at all if the price is set too high (Garrison, Noreen, Brewer, 2010). Determine Mark-up for Absorption Cost Approach A mark-up is the percentage added to cost for profit, whereas the margin is the percentage of the selling price that is represented by profit (Collier, 2009, p. 173). The ACA and CA both bury some cost elements in the mark-up. The mark up percentage has not only to cover the buried costs but also has to generate a satisfying return on assets employed (Erner, 2010). The mark-up over cost ought to be set according to the market conditions, but many firms rest their mark-up upon desired profit and cost (Garrison, Noreen, Brewer, 2010). The formula for determining the right mark-up percentage by applying the ACA is as follows (Garrison, Noreen, Brewer, 2010, p. 759): Mark-up % = (required RoI x investment) + selling and administrative expenses / (UPC x unit sales) Adjust Price to Market Conditions The final stage considers adjusting the prices pursuant to the market conditions. The CPP usually tends to ignore the relationship between the price and the volume to be produced which in turn can result in lower profits, insufficient demand etc. Thus the sales forecasts need to be met in order for the pricing to be reliable. The final selling price may be much higher than the figure received due to the mark-up stage as companies (can) ignore the competitive positioning, promotional strategy, product differentiation, packaging etc. (Erner, 2010). Practical Example To illustrate an example  [2]  of CPP using ACA it is assumed that Company X just underwent some design modifications for their product Y and wants to set a selling price accordingly. The cost estimates are as follows: The first step in ACA is to calculate the UPC which is illustrated in the following calculation. Here it adds up to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 23.50 per unit as a volume of 10 000 units is assumed for Company X: Several companies set their profit on costs and desired profits. This can be illustrated by using the given formula for mark-up percentage for ACA (see 2.2 Determine Mark-up). To illustrate how the formula is applied, assume Company X invests à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 100 000 in operating assets like e.g. equipment to produce and market 10 000 units of the product each year. Further suppose Company X needs 20% RoI. So the mark-up calculations are as follows: Mark-up % = (20% x à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 100 000) + (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2 per unit x 10 000 units + à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 60 000) / (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 23.50 per unit x 10 000 units) Æ’Â   42.55% The Mark-up of 42.55% resulted to a Target Selling Price of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 33.50. Only if Company X really sells its 10 000 units at this price the products ROI will be 20%. Logically the ROI will decline if fewer products are sold. The betoken volume of sales is achieved only when the required ROI will be reached.

Accomplishments :: essays papers

Accomplishments I have not had a single accomplishment that is worth writing about but I feel that my college completion will be one accomplishment that I will be most proud. I feel that I am taking one step forward in life that will make me become a more successful person. My High School life has helped shape the way for my college experiences that I will face. My senior year in high school is not the same as many other high school students. I am taking many advanced classes to help me prepare for college. These classes help me better understand exactly how much harder I must work to succeed. From my college experience, I hope to gain many things. Obviously college is a time that students can truly become individuals. When I attend college I will have the opportunity to become more independent and to take on new responsibilities. I have always relied on my parents for support, but at college I will be on my own and will have to push myself harder. This will help me to become more mature and will help me grow in character. I have long awaited for the time to be independent and now is the time that I shall prove myself. Right now I have a fairly accurate idea concerning what I want to do with my life. My love for computers has taken me a long way and I have a strong feeling that I will continue in the field of computer science. Yet, I am also aware that I may change my mind several times before I begin a career. College will introduce me to new and various things, and I will develop new interests from this exposure. The world of technology is changing rapidly and computers seem like the best way to go. When I combine that and my love for computers I am almost certain that the field of computer science is right for me. In college, I will also be exposed to new clubs and activities. I feel that club and after school activities can make a person more involved and give a person the right qualities to become a leader. Involvement in extra events has provided a balance for rigorous course study. With the pressures that college brings, I will probably want to be involved in many groups.

Othello as Victim of Hamartia Essay -- Othello essays

Othello as Victim of Hamartia   Ã‚  Ã‚   By definition, a tragedy is a story that details the downfall of a protagonist. Most often, the protagonist (tragic hero) is a member of high society who is faced with an oppositional force, be it internal or external. In his Poetics, Aristotle states that "tragedy is the imitation of an action; and an action implies personal agents, who necessarily possess certain distinctive qualities both of character and thought; for it is by these that we qualify actions themselves, and these- thought and character- are the two natural causes from which actions spring, and on actions, again all success or failure depends...." This quote illustrates an aspect of tragedy upon which many works are based, including Shakespeare’s Othello. Aristotle has thus outlined the characteristics of a tragic hero. The tragic hero must be cursed with an overpowering â€Å"hamartia,† or tragic flaw, which leads to his eventual downfall. Although he is a virtuous man, Othello is a tragic hero whose naivetà © becomes his tragic flaw. Over the course of the play, the audience sees Othello crumble apart because of his over-powering jealousy. Despite his sins, the audience still manages to feel pity for Othello and his horrible misfortune. In this case, the tragic h... .... Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos. Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957. Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Introduction to The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare. N. p.: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1957

Tim Leary Essay -- essays research papers

Timothy Leary, also known as ‘Uncle Tim’, ‘The messiah of LSD’, and ‘The most dangerous man in America’, was born on October 22, 1920, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He went to a public high school where he discovered girls and the ability to attract attention from those in authority. After high school he attended Jesuit College Holy Cross, but Tim wasn’t satisfied with Holy Cross, so he took a test to get into West Point. He got very high marks and was accepted. Timothy was very enthused and proud to be at West Point. However, his enthusiasm faded when he realized that he was being trained not to think, but to follow. One day, on a return trip from a football game, Timothy was invited to drink with a few of the upper classmen who brought some bottles of whiskey. The illicit event was unfortunately discovered the next day, and the Cadet Honor Committee punished Tim by inflicting a kind of solitary confinement: everyone was forbidden to sp eak a word to him. A date was set for a court-martial. Timothy was aquitted in less than two minutes, which caused the disgruntled and unsatisfied Committee to maintain the silence punishment. Leary had to endure nine months of being ignored. When he became a sophomore, some of the cadet officers whom where not on the Honor Committee approached Tim to talk about the situation. They informed him that the whole business was causing morale problems. They wanted to make a deal for Tim's departure. He said that he would leave Westpoint if the honor committee would read a statement in the mess hall proclaiming his innocence. They returned two days later with an approval. Tim went back home and applied to more colleges. He was accepted to the University of Alabama where he became a psychology major. Shortly after, Tim was expelled for sleeping over at the girls’ dormitory. He was an A student. When he was kicked out of college he was sent to basic training in artillery at Fort Eusti s Virginia. The army needed psychologists, and since Tim had already started the major they let him finish his degree in the service. He was going to be stationed on an infantry boat in the south pacific. Luckily, his old friend from the University of Alabama was now the chief psychologist at the army hospital in Pennsylvania. He managed to get Tim a transfer to his hospital. 	In 1944, while training as a clinical psychologist in Pennsylvania, ... ...dia extravaganzas with live video and music. His books became graphic novels that were the products of desktop publishing and most profoundly his interests became focused towards the rise of the World Wide Web. Tim realized that this was what he was waiting for, a place where you can create and interact with your own worlds. Soon, Tim devoted his entire efforts to making his web site, http://leary.com, his home for his archives, ideas and his fans. After he learned he had inoperable prostate cancer in January of 1995, he embraced the dying experience as one of the greatest journeys of all time. He refused to become morbid and depressed over his situation. He was often entertaining guests and could often be seen at a number of events in the city in his formula one wheel chair. A home in cyberspace that can live on forever was one of Tim's last wishes. Timothy Leary was many things to many people, and he resisted most attempts to categorize himself. He often said at these times, "you get the Timothy Leary that you deserve." Overall it is accurate to call him a philosopher and a scientist, whose underlying motivations were human communication and understanding the mind.

Domestic Violence in the Lgbt Community

Domestic Violence is fundamentally different in LGBT relationships for numerous reasons. There are many causal and contributory factors that make domestic violence in the LGBT community uniquely different than male-to-female or female-to-male battering. To understand these differences one must recognize domestic violence beyond the stereotypical heterosexual manifestation. According to A Professional Guide to Understanding Gay and Lesbian Domestic Violence, same-sex battering mirrors heterosexual battering, but same-sex victims have fewer resources and are less protected.Seven states define domestic violence in a way that excludes same-gender victims. Making matters worse is the fact that in some states sodomy is still considered a crime which forces a victim to confess to a crime in order to prove a domestic relationship. Many women’s shelters refuse services or safety to same-sex victims. Since same-sex marriage is not legal, many families are not considered â€Å"real fami lies† in the eyes of the law, making it more difficult for these victims to get help. Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons LGBT domestic violence is so different is found in the unique communities of LGBT people.LGBT communities â€Å"provide social forums, rites of passage, rituals for celebration, and bodies of art and literature that combat isolation and allow us to explore our full potentials (Bartlet, 1993). † Because many LGBT people feel shunned and excluded from the American ideal, they have forged their own communities as refuge from the inequalities and persecution of mainstream America. The tools a batterer uses to maintain control, like power and control, cut across all lines of gender identity and sexual orientation, but a batterer’s behavior is always peppered with community influences.Batterers play on their victim’s vulnerabilities and community values to maintain control. The volumes of hate, hostility, and condemnation directed at L GBT people from mainstream America encourage self-loathing and internalized homophobia. It covertly forces isolation and creates a false sense of safety from within the community. And LGBT batterers manipulate those difficult realities to employ highly effective weapons against their partners. So community is a strong contributing factor to domestic violence in the LGBT community.The Frustration-Aggression theory of domestic violence adds another distinction to LGBT domestic violence. In essence, this theory opines that human beings can become violent when their goals are blocked. For gay male and female abusers, this theory is painfully true. Throughout childhood, before sexuality begins to develop, gay youngsters, like everyone else, think about and plan their future selves. They negotiate a life path within the frames of family, community, society, and the culture in which they live.In early adolescence, when sexuality comes to the fore and one’s homosexuality is questione d, those dreams of family and community begin to feel too exclusionary. This can be a time of tremendous stress; the sense of being inherently different and â€Å"bad† can be overwhelming. All the evils about homosexuals one has likely heard in the media and around the family can be internalized, and begin a pattern of self-hate and destruction. All adolescents ask the question, â€Å"Who am I? †, but for the adolescent homosexual it becomes increasingly more difficult to recognize that one is not necessarily growing up to be the person he originally imagined.And the person he is becoming is reduced to villainy by mainstream America. He begins to realize that many of his life goals are blocked, like marriage and basic human rights. Without a strong support system to negotiate and redefine his identity, this can be a traumatic and damaging experience. But family support is often lacking and positive gay role models are scarce. Coming out in adolescence is often a terrif yingly alone experience that can damage the soul and lead to frustration and anxiety that will carry on into future relationships.Coming to terms with second-class citizenship in the families, communities, and society in which he has imagined himself so abundantly different can result in frustration and feed the self-hate that has already started seeping in. And anger develops when certain fundamental goals are blocked. With such rite-of-passage circumstances as these, it is no wonder that domestic violence happens in 39% of gay male relationships (Merrill, pg. 44). A psychological aspect that contributes to the escalation of Domestic Violence in the LGBT community can be associated with the term heterosexism.Many use the term heterosexism to describe an individual who strongly believes in heterosexual relationships. Heterosexual relationships are described as being attracted to the opposite sex and being in intimate contact with only the opposite sex. Heterosexism is used in correl ation to negative attitudes, bias, and discrimination of those who favor same sex relationships. The reason why this term is becoming associated with same-sex relationships that involve domestic violence is due to the use of power and control related to the term heterosexism.The power and control that ensues from heterosexism being used could be easily be described as â€Å"outing the victim in the abusive relationship. † One gathers an idea of the victim’s â€Å"out† status within the individual’s work, friends, and family relationships. Inquiring if the victim has told those he or she cares for about his or her sexual preference usually does this. Knowing this information is beneficial to the abuser because it will allow the abuser to control what the victim will say to the police, or anyone, about any abuse that would exist in the relationship.The contradiction of this term would exist within the abusers identity. The abuser would use the victimâ€℠¢s fear of exposure against that individual as if it would be a bad thing to come out to those who care for and love the victim. The abuser will use ideology related to bigotry slanders, faith, natural law, or popular beliefs as a weapon to keep this victim in the cycle of abuse. Same-sex female domestic violence is an unspoken problem in the lesbian, bisexual, transgender population.Facts about lesbian domestic violence, myths within the population and services are all misconceived reasons why female domestic violence is such a big issue. There is not a lot of data on female same-sex domestic violence. Therefore, most information is taken from heterosexual domestic violence cases and small population samples from the lesbian community such as women’s festivals and lesbian cruises. Within the lesbian, bisexual, transgender community domestic violence is taboo. A fact from the Lesbian Partner Violence Fact Sheet is 17 – 45 % of lesbians have reported being involved in a t least one case of abuse (Rose, 2000).Lesbian victims of abuse are fearful of speaking out for reasons of being judged and pushed out by the lesbian community as a whole. The lesbian, bisexual, transgender communities within a certain area can be small. Unpleasant public allegations ostracize the person and take away community support. Lesbians have few choices of where and how to get help and support, yet the numbers of lesbians affected by domestic violence is about the same as the number of female victims in heterosexual couples (Pattavina, 2007).Types of abuse in female same-sex domestic violence is similar to heterosexual couples, such as hitting, pushing, slapping, disrupting sleep, having sex when one doesn’t want to, and not talking to one another. Behaviors in female same sex domestic violence also include â€Å"jealousy, controlling, becoming involved too quickly, unrealistic expectations, blaming others for their feelings, and hypersensitivity† (rainbowdome sticviolence. itgo. com).A difference is that in a small-knit community, fear of losing support from family and friends isolates and potentially prevents the victim from getting help or even reporting the abuse (Hassaouneh, 2008). But the fear of being â€Å"outted† if that partner is recognized in public, at work, or by the family as being a lesbian is a homophobic fear that hampers the victim in leaving or getting support (Hassouneh, 2008). There is also the isolation within minority groups of lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders.Lesbians often have less support in terms of cultural, ethnic, and religious background to turn to in time of difficulty, like domestic violence (Pattavina et al. , 2007). Especially in cultures where women are not as valued as much as men, it can lead to feelings of discrimination within one’s own community. There is a myth among the lesbian community that a utopia exists. The myth about â€Å"lesbian utopia† is that women are sensi tive, nurturing, caring, and get along better because of those reasons. Lesbian utopia is just that, a myth. Women do hit, hurt, and violate other women.Another myth about female intimate partner couples is that there is a more masculine â€Å"butch† woman and a more feminine woman in the relationship. That is not always the case. Yet another myth is that the â€Å"butch† or masculine women is the batterer. Again that is not always the case. A big myth is that female same-sex violence is not as dangerous or serious as heterosexual or gay male couple’s domestic violence (Hassouneh 2008). Violence is violence regardless of who perpetrates it. Female intimate partner abuse is under-reported (McClennen and Gunther, 1999).Many lesbians are afraid of losing the only support system they have (Miller et al, 2000). It may be that the perpetrator is their only support system and there is no knowledge of whom or where to turn for help. Then there is the lesbian who does re port and she, the victim, ends up getting arrested (Hassouneh, 2008). The misinformation among law enforcement about how to identify the victim in same-sex domestic violence cases is not always cut and dry (Miller et al. , 2000). There are perpetrators that act as victims.The larger of the two women may get arrested even if she is not the masculine one in appearance. Or the more masculine-appearing woman does get arrested although she may be the victim. There are not always services for women who are lesbian, bisexual, or transgender in the community (Hassouneh, 2008). Either, shelters don’t accept women from the lesbian, bisexual, transgender community or there is no legal standing within the state to substantiate a crime. Many states do not recognize same-sex relationships therefore there are no laws in regards to protection.Many victims in female intimate partner relationships may have experienced violence from a heterosexual relationship in the past. Also â€Å"lesbian i ndividuals are more likely to experience domestic abuse at the hands of their partners than to be exposed to antigay violence perpetrated by strangers† (Pattavina et al. , 2007). A study done by Blaise Fortunata and Carolynn Kohn (2003) of 82 participants, 25 being batterers and 57 non-batterers, states batterers were more likely to have been victims of sexual and/or physical abuse in their childhoods. Also, there was a higher use of drugs and alcohol among batterers.The study suggested some personality traits a batterer would have, such as â€Å"antisocial, aggressive, borderline, paranoid and delusional† (Fortunata and Kohn, 2003). These traits would be seen as lacking in the areas of â€Å"poor boundaries, impulse control, problem solving, affect regulation, along with fear of abandonment, jealousy, low self esteem and an inflated sense of entitlement† (Fortunata and Kohn, 2003). Although Harvey Wallace, the author of the class textbook, would say that there a re not any specific characteristics that would describe an abuser. Wallace then goes n to cite factors by other researchers that backup what was depicted in the Fortunata and Kohn study. Factors or characteristics such as the abuser having â€Å"abuse in the family of origin, low self-esteem, male superiority, authoritarian personality and copes by minimizing the abuse† are Wallace’s (2008) examples. The first step in getting treatment as a victim is to accept that the victim is a victim. Reaching out for help, looking up shelter phone numbers and calling them, or getting a plan together for when the victim needs to get out are some good first steps (rainbowdomesticviolence. itgo. com).Educate the victim in how to create a safety plan by putting personal items such as birth certificate, credit cards, and medications all together so one can leave quickly (rainbowdomesticviolence. itgo. com). Have clothes and hygiene products available in the car or at a friend’s house. Give the victim time to regroup. Her life has been turned upside-down, and the healing process will take a while. When examining homosexual relationships, meaning male-to-male relationships, we see that studies as a whole indicate they have higher rates of promiscuity and violent behavior than heterosexual couples.We must rely on studies for more accurate rates of domestic violence in homosexual couples because much of the abuse is under-reported. Under reporting is due to largely the same reasons we have discussed about why lesbian victims fear asking for help from law enforcement, friends, or family. The American Journal of Public Health has published a detailed study of domestic violence victimization in the homosexual community. It focused on four geological areas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. The study resulted in 2,881 complete interviews (Merrill, pg. 23).In these interviews the men answered highly personal questions under strict confidentiality. This was a large groundbreaking study that has been the cornerstone of homosexual domestic violence research. It was revealed that 39% of those studied reported being battered by their spouse at least once in the last five years. This figure was much higher than heterosexual women victimizations at 11. 6% (Merrill, pg. 44). Men infected with the AIDS virus were more at risk for psychological and physical abuse than their HIV negative peers, and were more likely to be victimized in a sexual manner (Merrill, pg. 1). Solid research like this helps to open our eyes to a real problem with homosexual domestic violence, and it needs to be addressed. We need to de-sensitize law enforcement officials and set up more support for homosexual victims and therapy for perpetrators. There is a direct link between high rates of promiscuity and partner violence because cheating is common. Having multiple partners outside of the relationship can dilute the quality of the relationship; furthermore, it blurs boundary lines. Promiscuity commonly leads to jealousy, which in turn leads to emotional and physical abuse (Cruz, pg. 60). The sexual relationships of gay males are plagued with domestic violence, just as lesbian and heterosexual relationships are. There are many similarities and differences when considering the factors that go into domestic violence when looking at gay males versus lesbians and heterosexuals †¦ lets take a look at a few of them. As discussed before, lesbians have a fear of being â€Å"outted† when others are alerted to the abuse happening in their relationships. Gay males who have not fully come out of the closet have this same fear, which may cause them to not report abuse by their spouses.However, HIV rates run much higher in the gay male population than in the lesbian population, and perpetrators have been known to blackmail their victims with the threat of revealing their HIV- positive status (Cruz pg. 164). In terms of law enforcement and ho w it often handles cases of LGBT domestic violence, they stereotypically see the bigger or more masculine partner as the perpetrator, which often times sends the victim to jail. Police are primarily responsible for enforcing domestic violence laws. Legal agencies, in general, are conservative, and many don’t try to conceal their homophobia.This trait begins with the police, and goes up through criminal justice system. The DA’s, judges, and probation officers have their own social biases, which often do not support gay and lesbian victims. This is especially problematic for criminal prosecutors who enforce victim protection orders. The patriarchal nature of our society makes it difficult for law enforcement to enforce domestic violence laws. This heterosexual bias also reflects the resistance of the prosecution and judicial systems to prosecute same-sex offenders. The vagueness of the mandate to law enforcement personnel allows a great deal of discretion on he part of t he individual officer in the disposition of a domestic violence investigation. â€Å"The lack of systematic training on this issue for police officers heightens the idiosyncratic enforcement of laws. The unpredictable nature of the police response represents a significant deterrent to reporting domestic violence among gay/lesbian/bisexual families. This occurs despite the fact that as a matter of policy, preferred arrest policies do exist in many states and localities. These policies suggest that the preferred response to a report of battering is to make the arrest. There are many resources designed to support the LGBT community. Yet, in researching policies of domestic violence issues, one will find one story after another about the fear surrounding reporting these instances to authorities. It appears that these networks provide the majority of support for many issues, and that those in the LGBT community cannot and perhaps, should not report instances of domestic violence to the police. In conclusion, it is important to remember both the similarities and the differences between heterosexual and LGBT domestic violence.Despite the fact that the same dynamics of power and control are evident in both forms, the sexual orientation of the partners, the effects of the battery, and certainly, whether there are ample helping resources should the victim decide to reach out have everything to do with how the perpetrator chooses to maintain that control. It is essential that we recognize domestic violence in all our communities. And it is essential that we build community-specific strategies to end domestic violence in all its forms.