Assignment 1 Essays - Economics, Economy, Microeconomics, Demand

Assignment 1 5) Represented by the demand curve on a graph, the law of demand is an important law in microeconomics. The law holds that the price of a product is in correlation to the consumer demand of it; as the price increase, then the demand for that specific product decreases and because of this the demand curve on the graph always shows a downwards slope. However, this only happens if there is no change to the consumer's income, taste or preferences, number and also price of substitutes or future price expectations. If any of these assumptions are changed, then the curve on the graph can drastically change as well where: If the number of people buying a product increases, then the demand for it increases, shifting the curve to the right, if it decreases, then it would shift to the left as the demand for it decreases. If there is a change in the taste of a consumer as a result of outside influence like fashion, weather or even the reputation of the product, then it affects the curve just as consumers would be less likely to buy and for which the demand decreases for winter clothes in the summer. The expectation of a consumer about future events or influences can affect the curve on the graph either negatively or positively. For example the demand for a product will change if its price were to either increase or decrease in the near future. A consumer with a higher income is more likely to purchase more number of products than a consumer with a lower income. Therefore, the income of the consumer plays a role in shifting the demand curve. The prices of other products that share similarities with a certain product affect the demand curve as well because if there is a cheaper substitute for a certain product, then there is a higher chance of consumers going for the cheaper product. 7) The market, for a helpful demeanor will not be adjusted if the company sets a coupling esteem rooftop, which is when cost is required above an agreement, or a coupling esteem floor, which is the cost required under an adjustment. 1. There will be a flood when unsold supply needing to be sold exists in a firm with a coupling esteem floor 2. In presence of a coupling esteem rooftop, there will be a demand that cannot be met because the firm/supplier lacks the supply needed. The amount of goods exchanged will be, at a certain cost, the lesser Qs or Qd, making the black market for that product. Therefore, because of the price controls present in the market, firms do not make their long run products innovatively as it doesn't have a chance at an increased profit 8) In a specific product, the difference between the percentage that its price changed over the percentage of demanded quantity is defined as the elasticity of demand where the elasticity is classified as follows: - Result greater than 1, then demand is "Relatively Elastic" - Result less than 1, then demand is "Relatively Inelastic" - Result = 0, then demand is "Perfectly Inelastic" - Result = 1, then demand is "Unit Elastic" - Result is infinite, then demand is "Perfectly Elastic" 12) There are conditions for esteem isolation to happen and some major ones are as follows: Condition 1 If by chance the rivalry in the market is flawless, and because this would regard disengagement remarkable as it would have no impact on the cost of the individual producers, there must be some sort of damage done to the market. This is essential if the firms want to have the ability to produce rather than pay the market price. Condition 2 Being able to split the market, keeping them separated in their specific ranges seeing that it is hard to trade a merchants products section by section is something the isolating supplier must have. Furthermore, since stock can be bought in a more affordable market, among business divisions there must not be any spillage. Some obstacles in business areas can be: 1.Geographical, where companies sell stock outside of their countries much cheaper than they do inside just to make more money like when the east European Communist countries admissions to the west costed less than the ones in their own markets. 2.Temporal, where time

Toni Morrrison essays

Toni Morrrison essays I got your mail incomplete though but I think I understand that one way or another we've must have talk about it while you were in funtua.... Anyway thanks for the mail and the thought and the unsaid words. I smile and joke about "it" because I know that thinking about it or getting serious about it will only hurt us. I have thought about this long before it happen and I think I have already accepted it as an unfortunate but special tragedy of my life and love. Whether it happen or not the feeling could not have been undone because it is already out there and we cant take it back. Now that it happened I think the best approach will be to accept it without defining, understanding, justifying......it. It bothers me a lot and I can assure you that the whole of my emotions, my life and sensibility is involve in this; I can never take it r any other thing about you for granted. I am not writing this to comfort you or make you feel better rather I am writing to let you know that thinking about it or being serious, meditative and sober about it will only add to our mutual torment and helplessness.... Think about this as some hopeless situation that you salvage by adding to the confusion and then try to be positive about it.... You will it will turn as bad as you fear but it will not hurt you or anybody that bad. ...

'Short and harsh'. Is this a fair description of life for the majority Essay

'Short and harsh'. Is this a fair description of life for the majority of 'ordinary' rural Scots between 1300 and 1500 - Essay Example It was essentially a pandemic which had severe social and drastic economic consequences therefore a discussion of these effects becomes very important when we are dealing with the social issues of the time. The Plague came to Europe from the East through trade routes that had ships which carried the Bubonic Plague. It hit Europe during an economic recession and only caused the economy to go down further (Bolton, 1970). Anyone struck with the plague would be dead within three to five days and some towns lost as much as 90% of their population within a matter of months. The rural areas were also affected by the plague even though the extent of the disease was comparatively lower. It was indeed a horrible experience as major European cities such as Venice and Pisa lost more than 70% of their population. Modern estimates show us that 25 million people died in Europe within a period of just five years between 1347 and 1352. The reaction to so many people dying at once was naturally one of fear and hatred. Fear of the wrath of god which started the Flagellant Movement and the fear of the outsider such as Jews who were blamed for having caused the plague. Artists also created works of art to deal with the huge number of dead and dying they saw around them and saints were made of individuals such as St. Roch and St. Sebastian who took it upon themselves to help the sick in those times. While Scotland was already in trouble before the plague, the coming of the plague only made matters worse (Hale et. al., 1965). The agricultural system in particular suffered greatly since the output was not high enough during those years to create food surpluses. In this manner, the plague only lowered the standard of living for many Scots. The church which was present in Scotland and across Europe was simply unable to deal with the disease and

FASB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FASB - Essay Example regulatory authorities and financial advisers, media have indirect interest in the information, although they also are potential users of the specific financial information. Hence, the difference in identifying the potential users of financial information would relate to the users’ interests in the business. Those users, who are involved in day to day running of the business, along with the future planning and prospects of the enterprise will be potential users of such information, having direct interest in the firm, while indirect interest holders would be those groups who do not intend to derive any direct benefits from the company, like trade unions, financial analysts, among others. Those investors and users of potential information, who have direct interests in the affairs of the company, are interested in knowing its cash flow situation, as they need to know about the generation of cash flows, its timing and amount. This is due to the fact that the business enterprise is seen by such potential users as the source of cash generation, which could result in dividend and interest payments, loan repayments, appreciated stock prices and upward revision in the wages of company workers. The investors in a particular business expect handsome returns. Therefore, they are interested in knowing the company’s financial information. For managers and directors, the information regarding cash flow generation would lead them to a better understanding of their contribution towards the same. While financial reporting has two aspects, internal and external, FASB statement has identified the internal group of potential users, who are interested in such information. As management has been identified as playing a major role in the use of financial information by external and internal users, it is responsible for passing the information to external agencies for their particular use. In addition, management is directly interested in the information about liabilities, assets

Holidays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Holidays - Essay Example During spring break I enjoy going fishing with my friends and family. The time I get off during spring break gives me an opportunity to catch up on my reading. Spring break is a great time to have fun. The nighttime scene always gets better during spring break vacation. I enjoy having a few drinks with my friends during spring break. It is the best time of the year to party. A holiday I have always enjoyed a lot throughout my lifetime is Halloween. When I was a small kid Halloween represented the perfect time of the year to collect candy from all my neighbors. As I grew up I have always celebrated the holiday by dressing up and going to Halloween parties. If no parties are available I dress and go trick or treating on my own. This experience helps me reminisce over my youth. I always prepare my home with Halloween decorations. If I don’t go out to trick or treat I stay home to treat the visiting kids with candy. Americans should continue the Halloween tradition forever. The most important holiday for me is Christmas. Christmas represents the birth of the baby Jesus. Santa Claus has become the favorite character of the festivity since he is the one that brings young kids the toys they want. Adults also celebrate Christmas by giving gifts to their loved ones. For me decorating the Christmas tree is a fun tradition to follow during Christmas. It is said that is better to give than to receive. During Christmas season I always try to volunteer my time at the local homeless shelter in order to help out the poor. The Christmas holiday is a time to show love for others. Spring break is a great holiday because people are looking to have fun in social gatherings. The Halloween holiday is a great American tradition that allows kids and adults to dress up and find candy. Christmas is the most important holiday of the year in which people get a chance to give gifts of appreciation to each

Business Ethics And The Fast Food Industry

Business Ethics And The Fast Food Industry Ethics is the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. It is the study of morality. This paper is research based on ethnographic study conducted in one of the outlets of Burger King an American based fast food company with over 12000 outlets across 73 countries. This paper includes observations that were made in one of its outlets, interviewing some of its employees, and also includes inputs given by some chosen customers. Once all these recordings were made, the aim was to relate our findings to identify if this company is ethical in its practices. I visited Burger King Outlet in M. L Hampstead, which was pretty spacious, with about sixty seating capacity. Out of which forty were lower seats, 10 high chairs and the also had some 10 chairs specially meant for kids. Considering the crowd it seems to be enough seating facility, but during peak hours that is between twelve to three in the noon its bit difficult to get seats. Nether There neither is a specific smoking zone inside the burger king nor is it allowed in burger king. The shop is handicap friendly all the parts of store are wheel chair accessible, the doors can be opened pressing the button sitting on a wheel chair. Toilets specially meant for handicaps are facilitated. They have toy cars in which children can sit and play, it is a special attraction for children. parents bring children because of this reason. It costs fifty pens for ten mins ride. They also give free toy pack with kids meal which cost 2.99 pounds. They dont have any discount like student discount or any other discount targeting specific section of customers but they have offers like buy one get one free which is applicable for any sandwiches, expect sandwiches its not applicable to any other items . I found that many people asking for specific type of burger called whopper burger which coast 3.79 pounds. Other than this more customers opted fizzy drinks these two items seems to be very famous with burger king. I also noticed that only few people opted for take away like 20% but maximum about 80% of customers opted to eat in. one more thing I observed that from 12 to 3 in noon it is peak hours and for every ten minutes we can expect 30 to 40 costumers .so at that time six service staff were attending customers in the front desk but on other times in off pick hours there will be around 15 to 20 customers in a span of 10 minutes , so there will be 3 to 4 service staff in front. I interacted with staff and tried to collect some data. They were very friendly and cooperative and were generous to give following information They told that, there were 30 people working in that particular burger king .out of that 24 were male 16 female .In that 6 of 24 male staff were designated as shift mangers, 3 out of 6 female staff were also shift managers and there was only one branch manager. Expect this 10 members all other were service staff and they were paid 5.80 pounds per hour and shift managers were paid 6.20 pounds per hour and branch manager was paid a fixed monthly salary. They were allowed to take 40 days of paid sick leave others than this they didnt had any special comforts or benefits, and employees were given permission to have food worth 50 pens per hour. And they were paid 50 percent extra salary when they work during bank holidays and festival holidays . The staff was really diverse which include people from all ethnicity, out of which 10 were student working part time and remaining were working full time. They said they prepare a burger within 30 sec n they dont take more than 2 min to serve a customer, whatever may be the order. As far as customer concerned majority of them were middle aged, compared to young or old people and there were more female customer than male. When I spoke to some of the young customer I came to know that that rates in burger were bit costlier compared McDonalds, KFC and its other competitors and hence less in number of younger crowd. Majority of customer were very polite in the behavior but sometimes young customers behave very rudely, they even use abusive words and even through the burger if some minor mistake is happened while serving this young customers. Unlike McDonalds and star bucks, in burger king I didnt see them collecting money for any kind charity work, nether I saw any information regarding burger king charity connection. Ethics, which often called as moral philosophy is not easily defined and philosophers offer contradictory explanations of it. It is a subject which includes discussions about how we should live, what is right? What is wrong? And what we mean? To get an idea of ethics, its important to have a look at these questions: Are some of the things always wrong, If so what are those?, or does it defer on the point of view or even situation? How to measure goodness and badness? Are all humans selfish? Are really some people better at morality than others, or is everyone equally capable of being good? Why should you be good? Is Ethics a special type of knowledge? If it is so what sort of knowledge is it and how do we get it? Dose morality means obeying a set of rules? If people say, I know cheating is wrong, do they know it is wrong or simply believe it very strongly? Are moral laws the same as societies laws? This means, ethics covers a wide range of topics. The answers for these questions are hotly debated for hundreds of years and are still debated today. They affect every aspect of the way we live. They cover even issues such as whether we should pay our taxes or not and even how we treat our pets. There are two different kinds of ethics: Ethical theory and Practical ethics. Ethical theory examines the various philosophies, systems, ideas or principles used in making judgments about right/wrong/good/bad things. Practical ethics is more focuses on subjects that always invite ethical questioning such as is it is right to have an abortion or help someone who is terminally ill. No doubt these two things are related. The theory we use influences the decisions on every particular moral issue. For example, one who believes in a set of principles which states that life is sacred and no one can ever take it. This principle may lead him to think against capital punishment. So the ethical theory leads him to a view about the moral issue (the death penalty). Before we proceed, some definitions should not go amiss. Ethics comes from the Greek word ethikos which in its root form (ethos) means character or custom. For the Greeks it refereed to the appropriate or customary way to behave in society. Morality is derived from the Latin word Moralis and is concerned with which actions are right and which or actions are wrong, rather than the character of the person. Today the two terms are often used interchangeably. Business ethics concentrates on the moral standards applicable to business policies, institutions, and their behavior. In other words, is a form of applied or practical ethics. It includes not only the analysis of moral norms and values, but also attempts to apply the conclusions of this analysis to that assortment of institutions, technologies, transactions, activities, and pursuits that we call business. Business ethics investigates three different kinds of issues: systemic, corporate, and individual. Systemic issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about the economic, legal, political and other social systems within which the businesses operate. Corporate issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about a particular company. Individual issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about a particular individual or an individuals within a company. The multinationals operating in more than one country creates ethical dilemmas for their managers that managers of a firm limited to a single country may not face. The ability to shift its operations from one country to another enables the multinational to escape the social controls that a single nation might attempt to impose and can allow the multinational to play one country against another country. It can even sometimes transfer goods, raw materials and capital among its plants in different countries which enables it to escape fiscal obligations and even taxes that companies operating in a single nation forced to bear. They often get the opportunity to transfer a new technology or set of products from a more developed world to nations that are less developed. It is often faced with the dilemma of deciding which of these different norms and standards to implement in its operations. Ethical relativism is the view which states that there are no ethical standards that are absolutely true and that can be applicable to the companies and people of all societies. Thus, the theory of ethical relativism implies that whatever the majority in our society believes about morality can be considered automatically correct. Utilitarianism is a term for a view which holds that actions and policies can be evaluated on the basis of benefits and costs they will impose on society. usualy business analysts think that the best way to evaluate the ethical propriety of a business decision or any other decision is by relying on utilitarian Justice and Fairness Issues involving justice and fairness are usually divided into three categories: Distributive justice is concerned about the fair distribution of societys benefits and burdens. Retributive justice refers to the imposition of punishments and penalties on those commit wrong deeds. Compensatory justice deals the best possible way of compensating people who were wronged by others. Least Harm This deals with condition where neither choice are beneficial. In such case, a person can choose least harm possible option and which harms the fewest people. One should also sensibly argue that people have superior responsibility to do no harm than to take steps benefiting others. For example, a person has a greater responsibility to simply walk past a person rather than to hit a person as they walk past with no specific reason. Rights In the rights ethical theory the rights accepted by a society are protected and given the highest priority. Rights are considered to be ethical since a large population endorses them. Individuals may also confer rights upon others if they have the capability and resources to do so (1). For example, a person may say that his friend may borrow the car for a day. The friend who was given the ability to borrow the car is now having the right of the car for the day. Based on the theories and utilitarianism which explains ethics based on benefits and cost though burger king charging more than other counterparts like Mc Donalds and K.F.C, people thought, it worth paying and liked the quality, thus it seems to be ethical as for as the pricing is concerned. But some also thought its pricing was expensive especially the youngsters and many avoided Berger king and rather preferred other options. With there prospective it may be unethical pricing. . As for as employee rights are concerned burger king is paying the minimum pay directed by the government. Though it seems to be nothing wrong legally but when charging more than all its counterparts it seems to be unethical to stick to bottom of the payment scale, when it come to paying its employees. And in case of Mc Donalds, there rival brand they had some special schemes for its employees through corporate tie ups, but any such facilities are missing in case of burger king, says the employee. But burger king employee are happy that unlike many other fast food companies it allows its employees to have food. Food they can have is like 50 pens worth per hour, but it seems to be unethical seeing the pricing of its food items, it should be sensible and ethical if they try to increase this. And it cannot be uneconomical considering the fact that only 5to 10 employees work in most of its outlets at a time, Thus it doesnt make huge impact to its revenues. Seeing the fact that all of its outlets are disabled friendly it seems to be an ethical practice, but they might be doing it for compulsion since it is mandatory under law. Further opinion regarding being disabled friendly can be given only if we can come to know whether they are having similar practice in countries where its not a compulsion under law. They do have facilities for entertaining the kids, but they are charging for it so it hard to categories it has a act of social concern or a commercial one. But they are also giving some gifts along with kiddy meal, again this can be considered a marketing activity. They doesnt even have student or any kind of discounts which again doesnt really come under ethics , it could have been considered as a mere promotional activity ,even if they were having. One thing that really needs a mention, is its diversified staff which included all kind of people from different ethnicities, male female and students and had both part timers and full timers. The staff were very friendly and polite they treated every one in a same way the did not do any differentiation based on race, color, religion and ethnicity. There was no gender bias they treated every one the same even when some young costumers behaved very rudely they were trained to be very polite. From some of its behavior it brings a notion that it is very ethical and socially responsible. but its might not be totally true because many of these acts may be carried out of legal compulsion and some time even because of business compulsions, but one good thing, which need to be mentioned is that, its not involved in any notable un ethical behaviors. The topic of ethics itself is a debatable subject in every step. So on this topic it hard to decide or conclude whether the Burger king is ethical or not. And its might be the case of many other companies References: Manual g velasquez business ethics andrewson university 2001 Serrelo.c and fraedrich john 1994.

Understanding Of Scottish Society :: essays research papers fc

Abstract The concept of a nation state has only emerged over the last couple of centuries, before this point less advanced and coherent states managed the affairs of the populous. The nation state is the overlapping of two separate features. The nation is the identity that individuals relate to within the society. This can exist on its own, as all that is needed is a person to feel that they have a connection with others on no more than shared belonging. The state is used to take national feelings of loyalty and use them to effectively govern peoples lives. The state almost like a governmental overlay for a national identity to operate within. Scotland can be seen in this light because it is a fine example of what nationhood looks like, without the apparatus of the state to cloud the picture. Scotland has this dual identity of Scottish nation within the confines of a British state. In answering this question it is necessary to investigate the origins of modern nation states. Firstly examining what the term 'Nation State' means by breaking it down into its two parts. Lastly I will examine how accurate a term the 'Nation State' is when applied to Scottish Society. The 'Nation State' is a recent phenomena, with most of human history being founded on stateless societies. These stateless societies refer to the tribal and clan systems that existed across the globe, before the emergence of larger societies such as Empires and Kingdoms. These societies were able to function as they were relatively small. The whole or at least a large part of the community could be involved in any decision that need to be made, although because of their size complex decision making processes were needed. With the increase of population and the subsequent competition for limited resources, systems started to emerge that could handle the new demands. Economies started to produce more than what was required by the community, so the surplus was trade with neighbouring communities. This process also created the need for higher authority to govern the transactions between the communities. These embryonic communities developed into what can be described as traditional states, with a sovereign leader such as a King or Emperor who ruled absolutely. They could do this because they held the reins of the states military forces. In Max Weber's view this was the critical component of any state. For a state to be legitimate it must have a monopoly of the use of violence within the confines of its own territory. However usually this was only a last resort and the ordinary people were quite unaware of the state developing around them. A limited form of government would emerge to ensure that the Head of the State could rule effectively.

Finding Inner Peace Essay

Being at peace with one’s inner self sounds inviting but some aspects of many different religions can be hard to grasp at times. While most religions influence others, some have ideas and beliefs from sources unknown. Hinduism and Budhism are two of many religions. Having many similarities, their differences are what make them unique. Hindus have many gods, polytheism, and Buddhist believe in finding one’s inner peace. They both focus more on one’s inner self rather than on religion it’s self. The word Hinduism came from a Persian word â€Å"Sindhu† that relates to the Indus River that is located in northwest India. Arabs, Persians, and Afghans were the first to use the word Hindu to describe those coming from the area around this river. (Tillman and Cason 09) Some historians say that Hinduism can be traced back to the ancient Indus Valley civilization which would make Hinduism over 4,000 years old, which makes it extremely hard to say when it actually began. Most historians divide Hinduism into many overlapping periods in history. The first period is pre-Hindu. Pre-Hindu dates around 2000 B. C. and not much is known other than evidence says that is religion was centered on fertility gods and water quality. Between 2000 and 1500 B. C. , a new religion began to emerge in India, Vedas. This religion was sacrificed-based and centered around fire. They gave up animals as sacrifice for in turn their gods, devas, and would give good crops and wealth. The next era of Hinduism is called classical Hinduism and began sometime around 500 B. C. During this period is when many new gods, goddesses, and rituals emerge that are based on earlier practices. At this time is when being devoted to the god or goddess of ones liking started. (patheos. com, Hinduism Beginnings) Hindus believe in multiple gods and reincarnation. With that said, a god can be any living organism. A god can be even a fire or storm. It is said, that in the Hindu religion there are 330 million gods (Tillman and Cason 09). There is no one that can worship all these gods at once, so the individual choose just one god to serve. Triune godhead is the name given to the three aspect of the Supreme Reality. The Supreme Reality is the Brahma, Vishnu and the Shiva. The Triune godhead is also known as the Trimurti or the trinity. The Trimurti godhead is the head of all the gods because of what it represents. The Brahma is the creator god, Lord and Father of all things and represents birth. Vishnu is the preserver of the universe and represents life and the Siva is the creator of power and represents destruction and death. Reincarnation means rebirth or how the soul leaves the body and begins a new life in another body. The Samsara, the cycle of life is said to be the core religion belief of the Hindu religion. Under the cycle of life there are four ways that you can reap the Samsara. There are the Dharma, Artha, Kama and the Moksha. Dharma is the moral code that sustains the Hindu ociety. The Dharma is thought to be a duty and righteousness and observes the caste which is the social group of one’s’ birth. The Dharma is the natural universe of law that enable human to be happy and to save one self from suffering and degradation. It is also known as the Law of being that things cannot exist without. Artha is the life cycle of material profit or possession. This cycle of life have to do with politics and commerce which is the means to sustain human activity. In the Hindu society they do not believe that the pursuit of wealth corrupt the soul. A ouse holder requires wealth, because he has to perform many duties for his family. The life cycle of Artha includes achieving widespread fame and elevates social standing for the individual. Kama is the life cycle of desire; it is understood to also mean sexual desire. Kama can mean liberation and happiness in life or it can lead to great hindrance for the individual. Sexual activity is an obligatory duty and not to be use for just enjoyment. The sensual nature of human is important to the Hindus for they do not believe that sex is bad. Sexual relationship outside of arriage is not permitted. Kama is not only for desire but it can also be for other pleasure in your life such as culture art (Jayaram 09-10). Moksha is the spiritual release of life. Moksha is the end of death and rebirth. Hindus believe that the soul passes through this cycle and how you live the previous life will determined your incarnation. Moksha can be achieve through many lifetimes, this process require a loss of life and things in life. Karma is also needed for this cycle to balance the fulfillment of a person duty (Tillman and Cason 09). Buddhism, however, beliefs are enlightenment, personal peace, and love and compassion without attachment. Buddhism evolved from the beliefs and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha Gautama, who was originally a Hindu, was born a prince in 623 B. C. in Lumbini, India and became â€Å"the Buddha†. He began to see that his only obstacle was his own self. His first sermon was in deer park near Benares, now called Varanasi (Tillman and Cason 09). There are 2 main expressions of Buddhism; Theravada expression and Mahayana expression which represent the north and south’s adaption to Buddhism. Theravada expression, the lesser vehicle, is the southern viewpoint. This expression comes directly from Buddha and his original followers. Theravada Buddhist’s main goal is to reach arhat. Arhat means perfect saint. Theravadas do not believe in a god. They believe that the universe creates and recreates itself a million times a second (Tillman and Cason 09). Theravada expression also teaches that not every one can practice Buddhism. Mahayana expression, on the other hand, believes anyone can reach enlightenment and reach it in one lifetime unlike many as the Theravadas believe. Mahayana help people become bodhisattva, living saints. Both Theravadas and Mahayanas accept the Pali canon and Tripitaka as scripture. One of the core beliefs of Buddhism is the belief in the Four Noble Truths. These truths, laid out by Siddhartha, are the beginning of understanding. According the the Four Noble Truths, life is suffering. Suffering begins at birth, illness is suffered through life, and fear of death also brings suffering. The cause of human suffering is desire, or â€Å"tanha. † Our desires cause us suffering because we want what we cannot have. In order to remove suffering, one must remove desire. The way to remove desire is another doctrine of Buddhism – the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path provides a eioght parts that allow a human to remove their misery. The eight parts are as follows: right understanding, mindedness, speech, action, livelihood, effort, meditation, and emancipation. Another doctrine of Buddhism is the Golden Mean, a philosophy expressed by Siddhartha. It is the middle of the path of no extremes, and focuses on moderation. Hinduism and Buddhism have many similarities, having both originated in India. Hinduism and Buddhism are more philosophical than religious, and describe an all encompassing philosophy and define existence itself. Both religions have their own versions of Tantra, and believe in certain spiritual practices like meditation, concentration, cultivation of certain bhavas or states of mind. The cycle of death and rebirth, governed by Karma, is referred to as samsara. According to Hinduism, the soul is immortal, while the body is subject to birth, decay, old age and death The Buddhist definition of right conduct and personal obligations, dharma is the path which must be taken to escape the suffering of worldly life. Dharma defines correct living for a Hindu. The practice of Yoga is intimately connected to the religious beliefs and practices of both Buddhism and Hinduism. They both emphasize compassion and non violence towards all living beings. Alike and different all at one time; the main point is to find one’s true self and find inner peace. Hinduism dates back thousands of years and Buddhism can be pin pointed. Yet, each religion has a very similar message. Doesn’t every religion have a similar message when it comes to life? Live in peace and harmony, and find happiness in whatever you do.

A Journey from HRM to SHRM Essay

The radical change taking place in the workplace and the work force has led to the dramatic evolution of traditional human resource management to strategic human resource management. The days of the strictly administrative human resource function are over. HR management must now be considered a critical strategic partner and must contribute to the overall objectives of the company. Strategic HR management is characterized by focusing more on strategic rather than operational issues. However, the administrative work must still be done efficiently. Strategic HR management involves making the function of managing people the most important priority in the organization, and integrating all human resource programs and policies within the framework of a company’s strategy. Strategic HR management recognizes that all decisions on finance, marketing, operations or technology are made by an organization’s people. Strategic HR management involves the development of a consistent, aligned collection of practices, programs, and policies to facilitate the achievement of the organization’s objectives. It considers the implications of corporate strategy for all HR systems within an organization by translating company objectives into specific people management systems. The most important consideration of strategic HR management is that there is no one best way to manage people. Therefore, the specific approach and processes will vary from organization to organization. It may even vary in an organization with clearly defined business units or functional areas. However, all HR programs and policies must be consistent and must therefore be integrated within a larger framework, leading to the facilitation of the organization’s vision and its objectives. Human resource management has been traditionally defined as the set of philosophies, processes and procedures a firm uses for the following four basic tasks: †¢ Managing the entry and exit process. The HR function has normally been responsible for recruiting people the organization would need in the future. Therefore, manpower forecasts are made and a corresponding plan is made. HR managers have also been involved in the exit or separation process. This is normally done by retirement or by having the employee fired. †¢ Managing the growth and development process. There are traditional HR tasks such as orientation or socialization, training and development, and performance appraisal. Processes are also designed so that employees understand the overall scope and direction of the organization. †¢ Managing the reward and recognition process. Rewards come through the administration of compensation and benefits, and recognition comes in the form of promotion, job assignments and rotation. However, the process of rewards and recognition includes the countermeasures of demotions and disciplinary action. Performance appraisal is also a critical input into the reward and recognition system. †¢ Managing the overall organization climate. In the highly competitive and rapidly changing business environment of today, it is necessary to foster a climate that challenges employees to better levels of performance. Of course, the organizational climate is not a variable to be managed or designed. However, it is necessary for all the organization’s processes and procedures, from its compliance with the law to its new strategic initiatives, to be aligned. In the shift from traditional HR to strategic HR, there are a number of issues which HR practitioners must contend with. The first is whether the main responsibility for people management programs should rest with staff specialists in the corporate HR department or with the line managers who are the ones most in contact with the workers. Traditional HR assumes the role of handling transactions as they arise. These may involve compliance with changing laws, rectifying problems between supervisors and subordinates, recruiting and screening applicants for current needs and basically responding to events after these happen. Strategic HR is much more transformational and realizes that the success for any initiative form growth, adaptation, or change within the organization are dependent upon the employees who utilize any change in technology or produce any changes in the organization’s product or service. HR, therefore, plays a transformational role by assisting the organization in identifying and meeting the larger challenges it faces in its external environment by ensuring that the internal mechanisms that facilitate change are in place. Traditional HR departments must, therefore, rethink, redefine and re-evaluate their roles. HR managers must learn to operate their departments more like a business. Businesses must have clear strategies, outcomes, products, services and structures to attain specific objectives which are aligned to the corporate objectives. HR practitioners must answer the following questions: †¢What is the HR strategy? Strategy defines how a business positions itself and allocates resources to products to deliver value to customers. An HR strategy articulates the purposes of HR within the firm, the deliverables or outcomes from HR work, and the services delivered by the HR department. †¢What are the products or services of HR? Many typologies of HR work exist to describe types of HR processes. The new HR typologies will identify new HR products or services required to meet changing business needs. Many of these new products will ensure the flow of intellectual capital and knowledge within a firm, while others will ensure the development of a new generation of leaders within a firm. †¢How should HR be organized to ensure that the strategy is executed? Increasingly, organizations are being defined less by structure and more by how capabilities are acquired and developed. The tremendous growth of outsourcing is clear evidence of this development. As HR functions articulate clear strategies, products or services, they identify the organizational choices that ensure that capabilities, even across organizational boundaries, meet strategic goals. It is clear that human resource management must operate strategically. The central idea behind strategic HR management is that all initiatives involving how people are managed need to be aligned with and in support of the organization’s overall strategy. No organization can expect to be successful if it has people management systems that are at odds with its vision. As a prerequisite for understanding how to strategically manage human resources, it is necessary to understand the process of strategic management.

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Madagascar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Madagascar - Essay Example The geology of Madagascar consists of a backbone of Precambrian rock running from north to south down the length of the island, forming the central highlands (Figure 1, see Appendix). To the east of the plateau, there is an abrupt escarpment, while in the west the highlands slope more gently down to the Mozambique Channel. There is a wide variety of soil types, as well as considerable variation in elevation; several large massifs reach more than 2000 m. The trade winds, which come from the southeast across the Indian Ocean, produce moderate to high levels of orographic precipitation as they encounter this topographic relief. As a result, the majority of rain falls on the eastern side of the island. The western region is under the rain shadow of the central mountains, and conditions gradually become hotter and drier towards the Mozambique Channel. During the austral summer the western region is subject to a monsoon regime that originates in the north and dwindles to the south (Goodman and Benstead, 29). Consequently, there is a double rainfall gradient over the island, declining from east to west on the one hand, and north to south on the other. The northeast of Madagascar is the wettest part of the island and the southwest is the driest. The combined effect of Madagascar's rainfall re... Even within relatively short distances, there is notable turnover in species and flora composition. In 1921, the French botanist Henri Perrier de la Bathie proposed a two-tiered hierarchical classification of the vegetation of Madagascar, which has served as the basis for most subsequent biogeographic work on the island (Fig. 2, see Appendix). The major contribution of this study was the division of Madagascar into two major floristic zones corresponding to different climatic conditions and structurally distinct vegetation types. The flore au vent (windward flora) was defined as the area that comes under the direct influence of the moist southeast trade winds. The windward flora was later equated with the Eastern region of Madagascar, which includes the non-deciduous vegetation of both the coastal lowland region and central highlands (Goodman and Benstead, 239). The flore sous le vent (leeward flora) was defined as the area influenced by the drying effects of the trade winds as they descend after having crossed over the central highlands. This zone includes the deciduous vegetation of the west. The leeward flora was later equated with the Western region of Madagascar (Goodman and Benstead, 240). The fundamental biogeographic distinction between the "wet" non-deciduous forests of the east and "dry" deciduous forests of western Madagascar has been supported by numerous studies of plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate distribution patterns. Simultaneously, WWF ecoregion model divides the Eastern floristic zone into three primary regions that correspond to broad altitudinal ranges: humid ("lowland") forest (0-800 m), subhumid ("moist montane") forest (800-1800 m), and ericoid thicket (roughly above 1800 m). The major ecoregions of the Western floristic zone are

Disaster & Emergency Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Disaster & Emergency Planning - Essay Example Basically, in the times of emergencies, cooperation between different response agencies and the general public together becomes very important. The principle of information sharing would help the community and the response agencies to prepare in advance. The local responders should be given the duty of regular risk assessment. The risks can vary from flooding, storm, etc. to terrorist attacks and chemical accidents. During and after the disaster, business continuity becomes a key issue and the stakeholders involved should focus on it. Advice and assistance to business and voluntary organizations become important together with monitoring and enforcement (Schneid & Collins, 2001).In the UK, the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004 provides an important framework based on the principles of emergency planning. Emergency planning must involve a consistent level of civil protection activity based on the synchronization of the Category 1 and 2 responders. The framework provided by the Act doe s not aim to change the ways of civil protection radically. Instead, it provides that the emergency planning should be based on the existing processes and systems. The framework provides a common platform to the decentralized functionary of local responders who would act according to the local circumstances during a disaster. The Integrated Emergency Management (IEM) under the framework of CCA 2004 finally comprises of six activities: anticipation, assessment, prevention, preparation, response, and recovery. and recovery. (HM Government, 2005) However, it is still needed that the principles of emergency planning be more dynamic to address the problems of our social systems which are becoming more complex with the lapse of time. Interaction between public and response agencies should be steadily increased. Strategy for Communicating Risks The CCA 2004 provides clear directive that the response agencies should be agile enough to improve the community behaviour in the face of a disaste r. The responders must communicate the risks and provide accurate information to the community in time. There should be a warning and information system at the local level within the framework of CCA 2004. The duty