Critical Thinking Scenario Essay

The skills that you cultivate as a critical thinker are intended to help you think your way through all of life’s situations. One of the most challenging and complex of life’s areas is moral issues and decisions. Every day of your life you make moral choices, decisions that reflect your own core moral compass. Often we are not aware of the deeper moral values that drive our choices, and we may even be ignorant to the fact that the choices we are making have a moral factor. Critical thinking plays a major role in assisting us in developing values, using moral reasoning, and to make ethical conclusions. The steps involved. Critical thinking is defined as having the means to articulate what you study, being open to all possibilities and able to draw your own conclusions based on what you have learned. There are six steps to the critical thinking process. The first is knowledge; you are able to identify with what you hear and read, the topic, issues, and main points. Step t wo is comprehension, being able to relate to the information and put it into your own words. Step three is application, taking what you have learned and apply it to an actual situation. Step four is analysis, which means breaking the information down to see how they are connected to other ideas. The final step is evaluation, this occurs when you understand with supporting details and you are able to form a conclusion. According to â€Å"Ethical Reasoning: A Key Capability† (2013), ethical reasoning is the â€Å"ability to reflect on moral issues in the abstract and in historical narratives within particular traditions. Ethical reasoning is the ability to identify, assess, and develop ethical arguments from a variety of ethical positions† (What Counts As Ethical Reasoning?). The principles and rules of critical thinking are applicable to ethical reasoning because they both allow individuals to distinguish more than one side of a dilemma. If everyone followed the rules and guidelines of logic, there would still be a need for ethical decision making because compliance depends on an individual’s desire to avoid punishment. When an organization or so ciety  relies on that method of doing the right thing to avoid severe consequences, the focus of its effort to promote ethical conduct undermines the effort by promoting misperception. The participants in the Blood Money scenario consists of the Media, The U.S. Government, China, Transplant Traffickers, Doctors, Victims, Prisoners and Army agencies. The medical profession is responsible for actively promoting ethical standards in medicine to ensure the best practices. The government and military have a responsibility to set forth laws that protect all individuals, prisoners and all. Healthcare workers, should also specify the dangers of organ trafficking and the health risks involved. The ones that are conducting the sales should understand that that could be them in the position of the prisoners and their organs are taken without their permission. The victims responsibility is to make sure their physician is highly regarded and against those practices. The stakeholders have also failed morally, as they would have prevented this from happening by not involving their interests into that area of spotlight. The moral dilemma is that is it right to take an organ from a prisoner who has done wrong and that be the ultimate punishment? Or, is it wrong to make money off the actions and build a thriving underground business? The conflict is that there are so many waiting for organ transplant that it does not seem harmful for those that will be killed or dead that no longer would have a use for the organs. The best outcome would be to set laws that protect the military from negotiating standards with hospitals to award them with immediate access to organs. Initiate programs within the country that people sign whether or not if they would like to donate their organs to someone in the event they die. After reading the transcripts and watching the video I was able to get supporting details from all characters that were involved. The relevance of the criteria was that the government knows about what is happening but they tend to turn the other cheek with no regard for human life. Sacrificing human beings is considered a taboo in many countries, but many would not want to believe that’s what it is. The possible courses of action would be to contact the government officials and deal with the consequences head-on. Ethically we all have to identify with the three main principles of life; justice, sufficiency, and solidarity. I was able to see the viewpoints of each side and that helped me reach my conclusion without being bias. The critical thinking process is important  because, it allows a neutral standpoint and able to reach a conclusion and determine based solely on the facts. References Ethical Reasoning: A Key Capability. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.wesleyan.edu/ethics/reason.html Pearson Learning Solutions (2014). Award-Winning Investigation: Blood Money [Video file]. Retrieved from Pearson website: https://media.pearsoncmg.com/pls/us/phoenix/1269738887/ANN_11-20-06_BloodMoney.html Ruggiero, V.R. (2015). Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

In Intermediate Accounting

The well-known apparel brand Gap is owned by The Gap Inc., originally incorporated in California on July of 1969, and reincorporated in Delaware on May 1988.   Its stocks are traded in the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker name GPS.Other than the brand Gap, it operates other famous brands as well such as Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime, and the now-discontinued Forthe & Town.   These brands cater to different markets, offering different lines of products and prices.The Gap products are moderately priced, classically designed clothing line for casual use by men, women, and children of different ages.   These include basic clothing as jeans, slacks, and T-shirts, as well as maternity apparels.   It has its own line for children called GapKids and for babies aptly called BabyGap.Old Navy products likewise cater to different ages of men, women, and children but are relatively cheaper and innovative in styles and designs while Banana Republic products are the highest p riced since it carries lines for the sophisticated market such as fashion and tailored apparels.The Gap Inc.’s latest fiscal year ends on February 03, 2007 which practically covers the business transactions of 2006.   the accounting period started on January 28, 2006, and may be considered irregular if viewed on the number of business days notwithstanding leap years.Further observation however reveals that The Gap Inc. uses a 52-week accounting period as the reckoning period and not the number of business days.One reason is that sales trend is analyzed using weekly figures.   The 52-week reckoning period is also in line with the employee wage payouts, mostly composed of sales attendants stationed in different stores and branches, and are usually paid on a weekly basis.IBMIBM, short for International Business Machines Corporation was originally incorporated in New York on 1911 using the name Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. It changed to its present name on 1924 and from then on became a symbol of quality business machine products.It has now evolved to a â€Å"globally integrated innovation company† offering a wide range of products and services to its customers and clients alike.   Its business is now composed of three broad segments: Systems and Financing, Software, and Services.   Systems and Financing includes hardware products such as servers, data storage systems, microelectronics, printing systems, and retail store solutions.   An allied service, Financing covers commercial, client, and remarketing financing.Under the Software segment, IBM operates technical brands such as Information Management Software, Lotus, Tivoli, WebSphere and Product Lifecycle Management, performing specialized functions to help meet the software needs of clients.   Lastly, Services is perhaps the fastest growing segment of the company.Through this arm, IBM is engaged in business process outsourcing, consulting in different aspects of business, informa tion technology set up, management, and maintenance.   Its personal computer segment, practically the single segment that brought IBM to world renowned brand name, was sold to Lenovo of China sometime in 2005.IBM follows the traditional accounting period, always starting on January 1 and ends on December 31, regardless of the number of weeks or business days on a given year.This is so because the company does not experience seasonal sales as with the Gap Inc. or any other retail firm where fashion and trends play a big part.   Due to the very nature of IBM’s products and services, the demand for such is largely dictated by development in technology and business practices, and can be said, at the least, unpredictable.This is magnified by the rapidity of technological advances in computers.   Thus, to best capture the trends of its business, the annual basis of reporting is used.

Expectations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expectations - Essay Example The California Department of Education is responsible for ensuring that schools adhere to these standards. The advantage of all schools in a state to adopt same standards is that when a student changes schools, they are still guaranteed good education due to the same standards in the state. Mathematics and Science are some of the most important subjects in the curriculum. These subjects though require students to have a higher level of concentration during the learning process, due to the nature of their concepts. Most schools therefore, put more emphasis on these so that students perform equally well in them, like in the other subjects. For this reason, the national council of teachers of mathematics (NCTM) has also set its standards and expectations of schools in their performance in Mathematics. The mathematics expectations and standard by NCTM applies to the levels of prekindergarten through grade 12. These expectations are specific to each grade basing on their curriculum. Howev er, generally, this body of mathematics teachers expects that as a student goes through all the grades up to grade 12, they should have mastered all the important concepts in mathematics. Fist, students should be good at numbers and operations. This includes number systems, relationship between numbers, meaning of operations, and computing. In algebra, students must understand patterns, relations, and functions. They should also be able to analyze situations in mathematics using algebraic symbols (â€Å"National Council of Teachers of Mathematics†). The geometry standard requires students to be able to analyze the properties of geometric shapes and their relationships. They should also be in a position to apply symmetry to different mathematical situations, and use visualizing and geometry in problem solving. In measurement, students must understand different measurements and apply them. For data analysis and probability, students must be able to develop questions that can be solved with data collection. In addition, they should be able to employ right statistical method in data analysis. Overall, NCTM expects that the mathematics learning process should impart problem-solving skills in students and help them identify reasoning and proof as an important aspect in mathematics. The mathematical process must also help students develop their communication, including mathematical thinking. Additionally, students must be able to apply mathematical principles outside of mathematics. Finally, the concept of representation should help students to create and interpret social, physical, and mathematical phenomena (â€Å"NCTM†). The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) also has a set of standards and expectations of schools in the science subject. This expects the science program to impart problem-solving skills in students, to solve problems in today’s scientific world. Teachers must therefore, involve students in first-hand scientific experi ences and utilize mathematical and communication skills in the learning process. Teachers must use different teaching styles and allow class discussions without any form of discrimination. Use of hands-on experiments to enhance and develop skills in students, and participations in workshops and conferences for scientific knowledge gain must be practiced (â€Å"National Science Teachers Association†). The school administrators provide instructional leadership by enforcing the national standards of science,

What are the roots of the present crisis of the euro Essay

What are the roots of the present crisis of the euro - Essay Example There are good promises about integrating the euro zone into one currency policy. One of the reasons why there are many countries engaged themselves into this one-currency policy is to substantially address the need of their economy to rise up above any other. However, behind all of these promises are some limitations that need to be taken into consideration (Provopoulos, 2010). One of the limitations is the substantial loss of the ability of a participating nation to set its individual domestic monetary policy. Another is losing its ability to change the nominal exchange rate of its currency. It is therefore clear that with the optimum currency area policy; there could be no significant contribution of uniting the euro especially with the presence of weaker economies because the euro’s market strength would eventually be dragged down (McGuinness, 2010). Another main reason why the euro crisis comes into a significant issue in the euro zone is the failure of Stability and Grow th Pact to ensure fiscal discipline (Provolous, 2010). This is clear in the case of Greece in which its debt to GDP ratio had risen to 12.6 per cent which is extremely above the required maximum of only 3 per cent. This resulted to the bail-outs of Greece and Irish Republic which has become the major topic in the recent euro crisis (BBC News, 2011). The Greek government is promising a good opportunity for everyone. This entices investors to invest in its economy and in return the government substantially does its best in the process. However, this led to increase in government spending which made it highly covered with debt. Tax is an important financial source of the government. However, it would be impractical to increase tax rate because this would only encourage investors to go to countries with low taxation rate. The worst case scenario is that this would just only encourage investors to falsify financial information just to save them from paying high tax rate. This is the reas on why the Government especially in the case of Greece to result to borrowing just to meet its obligation. In reality, it is hard to redistribute wealth by increasing tax. This would only result to other complex problems that would help aggravate the situation. However, in reality it is not only Greece doing this same strategy but it includes Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain. These countries are also known for overspending and borrowing for many decades just like Greece. Considering that these countries would be unable to pay their debt, and then the present crisis of the euro will be persistent and could hardly challenge the US dollar as the leading currency in the world. Government expenditure therefore is the leading driving force allowing the rise in the share of government spending. This is evident in the case of some European countries in which government spending increased from 43 percent to 50 percent (Provolous, 2010). It is therefore important that investments in high-va lue added sectors should be maintained and this can only be realised by the reduction of bureaucracy and rigidities in the labour, product and service markets (Provolous, 2010). Another root cause can be traced to the problems underlying a one-size-fits-all monetary policy. One significant problem is the issue of political and cultural differences among participating European countries (Hughes, 2010; Provolous). Unlike with the United States, there is no central fiscal authority in the euro area. This central fiscal authority is viewed to significantly contribute to redistribute fiscal resources. Furthermore, unlike in the United States, cultural differences particularly in the language make labour a less mobile in euro area. Labour is particularly important in the euro area. However, this is continuously challenged by the cheap labour in China. This significantly increases the chance of investors to gain more in China. Thus, this leaves behind the euro area. Specifically, it was ve ry clear that it reduced its employment

Biography of the Austrian Artist and Symbolist Gustav Klimt Essay

Biography of the Austrian Artist and Symbolist Gustav Klimt - Essay Example Here he sharpened his artistic skills following in the footsteps of his mentor and favorite artist, Han Makart. After graduating from the school in 1883, Gustav worked jointly with his brother Ernst and Franz Matsch a co-student. They opened a studio where they displayed art from other artists such as Laufberger’s graffiti designs for the Art Historical Museum. In 1886 they received a prize for their design for the decoration of the staircases of Burgtheater2. The painting depicted who’s who in ordinary life in Vienne. Soon after their career kicked off they separated and went separate ways. Gustav’s first professional job was when he was asked to make a painting of Ringstrasse. At this time Vienna was in the Ringstrasse Era a period when the city was undergoing great change3. The Vienna city was built as one massive ring, and arts were being patronized as never before by the bourgeois class. The city was entering an age of industrialization, science and research . However, it still lacked a revolutionary spirit to the arts. In1883he received a nomination for the professor at Vienna Academy but he was rejected. 1888 saw Klimt receive the award for Golden Order of the Merit from Emperor Franz Joseph 1 of his native country. He then became an honorary member of University of Vienna and University of Munich both of which he never attended. This was in recognition of his art projects within and around Vienna. Four years later his brother Ernst and his father died and it is not clear whether these deaths were the main cause for his new rebellious and experimental style of art or his earlier rejection to the professorship at the Academy of Fine Arts by the Ministry of Culture. Since then his art changed. Gustav replaced his earlier classical iconography and replaced it with strong sensual themes. This was first depicted in his painting of 1894when he was appointed to paint some portraits to hang in the dome of University of Vienna.

Kuiper Leda Problem Solution and Defense Case Study

Kuiper Leda Problem Solution and Defense - Case Study Example For increasing profit company has to focus on sales figure. Kuiper Leda built a strong reputation with its clients / customer due to right quality, right quantity & right price. Kuiper's customers are having faith on kuiper's capability. Kuiper decide to launch a new product knows as Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID). Initially kuiper's started with a very small setup for this device. And Kuiper is facing a problem in managing inventory for this new setup. The inventory cost is on the higher side. So Kuiper decide to decrease in inventory cost using effective operation management. Decrease in inventory cost will definitely increase the revenue of the company and its share holder / stock holder. Increasing the revenue of the company, automatically ensure the future growth of the company. Kuiper Leda management team should need to focus on the adequate forecasting of inventory, so that the production process can be run smoothly, without increasing the inventory holding cost. This Effect the future growth of Kuiper Leda. For achieving decrease inventory cost Kuiper Leda instruct the operation Management team to keep track of the production process. During the inspection of production process, team was asked to keep track on inventory also. This team has to focus on the production process & inventory, & need to found how much inventory is required for a specific order. Kuiper Leda asked its team to decrease in over heads in various department like in production, in quality, in inventory, in transportation. Issue and Opportunity Identification Issue Opportunity Reference to Specific Course Concept (Include citation) Concept Kuiper Leda's main issues are the future growth of the company, & future growth of the company is depends on production, inventory, resources & order completion in time To keep the cost down proper inventory management & increased in production is required. This process include to make a raw material store near to the company to keep transportation cost low, & material is available at the time of production process. Removal of Extra production capacity means that only required material or process should be used in production. Capacity of Raw material store should be adequate to handle incoming raw material. Right forecasting of inventory for just-in-time to maintain effective inventory controls (Aquilano, Chase & Jacobs, 2005, ch 8, pp. 60) Inadequate inventory management Need to make a effective Inventory management program Forecasting of inventory for just-in-time to maintain effective inventory controls Aquilano, Chase & Jacobs, 2005, ch 8, pp. 60) Number of suppliers are too large Need to develop a distribution centre Increase communication with suppliers to prevent delays in product to increase production. (Chase, Jacob, and Aquilano, 2006, ch 8, pp. 25). Logistic Control Need to develop logistic Management System Logistic will keep track on cost of delivery of finished goods (Aquilano, Chase & Jacobs, 2006, ch 1, pp. 5) Timeliness delivery of product Need to develop a team who keep track on supply chain Management Team will check each & every process

Consultancy Project for Novartis Saudi Arabia Dissertation

Consultancy Project for Novartis Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example Related Literature 11 Saudization and the Private Sector 12 Saudization and Novartis Pharma Services 13 Saudi Work Values & Unemployment in the Private Sector 14 Addressing the Challenges of Saudization in Private Companies 16 Pharmacy Education & Practice in Saudi Arabia 17 Pharmacists Working as Medical Representatives 19 Medical Representatives at Novartis Pharma Services 21 Human Resource Management (HRM) in Saudi Arabia 23 HRM and Saudization 24 HRM Strategies on Recruiting Employees 25 Recruitment Strategies of Companies in Saudi Arabia 29 Al-Jomaih Bottling Plants 30 General Electric (GE) Energy Manufacturing Technology Center 30 The Saudi British Bank (SABB) 32 Chapter 3 – Project Proposal 33 Client Background and Issue 33 Project Types 34 Project Outline 34 Methodology and Timeframe 36 Risks 37 Key Contacts 37 Chapter 4 – Analysis & Evaluation of Issues 38 Research Design and Method 38 Pilot Survey 39 Limitations of the study 40 Participants in the study 41 Gro up 1: Saudi Pharmacists in the Government Sector 41 Group 2: Saudi Pharmacists in the Private Sector 43 Group 3: Saudi Pharmacy Students 43 Survey Results and Discussion 43 Research Findings: Saudi Pharmacists in the Government Sector 43 Research Findings: Saudi Pharmacists in the Private Sector 50 Research Findings: Saudi Pharmacy Students 56 Chapter 5 – Findings and Conclusion 61 â€Å"Medical Representatives are Being Paid Less† 61 â€Å"Government Work is a Good Training Ground for Pharmacits† 62 â€Å"Medical Representative Work is a Tough and Stressful Job 62 â€Å"Medical Representative is a Low Status Work† 63 â€Å"The Job is Easier in the Government† 64 Positive Response from the Stakeholders in the Survey 64 Saudi Pharmacists in the Government Sector 64 Saudi Pharmacists in the Private Sector...For this consultancy project, the company’s product manager, Dr. Adel Alohali outlined the challenges that were faced by the company in t he midst of Saudization program by the government. In response to its need to attract more Saudi pharmacists, Novartis provides its medical representatives with generous salaries, bonuses, and other incentives that are comparable to the benefits given for government jobs where most of Saudi pharmacists work. For instance, the company provides new cars, which medical representatives can own after four years and also get a new one after that. However, as Dr. Alohali explained, the company’s Human Resource team is still finding out ways to effectively recruit Saudi pharmacists to work in the company. Currently, Novartis Pharma Services employ a total of 89 pharmacists; 86 of them from foreign countries and only 3 are Saudi nationals. If possible, the company plans to eventually replace its workforce with more Saudi pharmacists in the next few years to drive in more sales for the company. Moreover, some benefits of Saudization of medical representative jobs at Novartis were also discussed during the consultation. The company saw the need to employ Saudi nationals because, as part of their experience and culture, purchasing department in government hospitals and Saudi doctors prefer to deal with Saudi pharmacists than foreign workers. Novartis believes that by employing Saudi pharmacists, they will be able to increase their competitive advantage against other pharmaceutical firms.

KIPP National Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

KIPP National - Case Study Example The founders have the drive and passion to give children of lower income families the skills to make it through college. This passion and skill has shown success. From the very beginning the founders worked for months trying to establish the right to operate as a school. This took months of waiting from the district to approve the original proposal made by the founders. Once approval was accepted the founders were able to begin recruiting students and convincing parents that their new school would greatly help their child academically. Over the next months the founders were able to recruit enough students to get the KIPP School started. The founders had many promises to live up to and this helped guide the success as they did not want to let parents and their children down. Having enrollment grow each school year proved that what the founders created a school that was turning out to be successful. Students were excelling at a terrific rate and the option for expansion was taken witho ut hesitation. Scores were improving and the students showed the willingness to want to succeed. The growth to New York showed that KIPP Schools were not holding back and were focused on helping kids who otherwise would not have a chance in a normal school environment. There are many elements in the KIPP operational model that set KIPP apart from other schools. ... Structure and not allowing any slack in commitment makes for KIPP’s successful operational model and sets them apart from the rest. 2) Should the KIPP schools be replicated? Can they be? What are the major challenges KIPP will face as it expands? The KIPP schools are mainly successful because of the hard work and determination put forth by the two original founders. The two original founders make sure that teachers, parents and students are focusing and functioning how they originally promised. Replicating this type of structure and discipline would be hard to replicate. The schools would be hard to replicate because the two founders would need to make sure they have teachers that are willing to give their all like the founders have. Many examples throughout the case refer to why it was important for the founders to lead the schools in the direction they are going in. Expansion can be done but it is likely that expansion will take away from the success that the two original sc hools already have. Expanding is one thing and can be achieved by funding and hard work. Expanding and being successful is another issue. One can expand but what is the point if the expansion is not going to be successful. By reviewing the case it is obvious that success was determined on the founder’s hard work. Two people alone cannot be at several locations at once to make sure teachers are acting how they need to be and students are living up to their agreements. If the founders are out taking on several new ventures the two original schools will lose leadership by the founders and can slowly become unsuccessful unless proper leadership is put in place. It is obvious that

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

Improvement - Research Paper Example Patient service quality is therefore equivalent to the traditional customer satisfaction model, which has been used in the business environment for a lot of years now. There are a lot of factors that can trigger improved patient service quality, including the language in which oral and written instructions given to patient are delivered. Because patients do not have the professional knowhow to quantify what makes up a high quality service to them, they would normally look at signs that they experience in their body as part of their recovery. It would be noted however that radiology procedures only set the tone for other medical and surgical procedures to continue (Kaufman et al., 2010). With this noted, it can be said that patient service quality will be linked to the outcome of the whole medical procedure that the patient is taken through. What this means is that the patient must be put in a position to understand the role they can play in making the whole medical procedural outcome a successful one (Filler, 2010). But in a situation where instructions are written or spoken to the patient in a language they cannot understand, they will never know the actual part they are expected to play. In such a situation, they may not experience the overall improvement and may therefore not regard the radiology procedure as being quality. In radiology, the quality of images produced is very important for medical and surgical decision making (Bastable, 2008). Already, the healthcare system will be noted to be a shared responsibility, requiring all stakeholders to bring their individual expertise together to form a collective consultative program agenda. The part of the radiology in this quest is to ensure that the best of images that can make doctors and other physicians take decisions on patients is produced. There are actually records of wrong medical and surgical decisions that have been taken because of poor quality of image after imaging procedure

Agency report on Foster Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Agency report on Foster Care - Essay Example Foster care is an issue that has been in practice as long as history itself started to exist. It is a system in which parents who are not the biological parents of the child (minors) in question are certified and given the onus of taking care of the minors who have been removed from the care of the biological parents or other custodial guardians by the state authority as a result of various circumstances. These minors are often in government or state's foster homes. It should be understood that foster care is only a temporary short term alternative for the main permanent plans for such minors. These permanent plans includeThere are a number of foster care organizations which are both state owned or Non Government Organizations (NGOs) (Watson, 1994). These NGOs are mostly owned by individuals, family foundations, churches, professional organizations etc. This paper seeks to address the issue of foster care by these foster care agencies by looking at one of the agencies. The population taken care of by the agency, the services offered by the agency and the procedures for fostering the minor(s) shall be highlighted in the paper. The agency to be addressed is the Alabama Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries.This is a Christian organization that has been around for more than 116 years. Alabama Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries is found in Alabama in the US and it has continued to embrace its tradition of foster-caring for minors and/or families. The minor(s) and families under the care of this organization are nurtured to become productive and pro-Christ citizens. It was founded in Evergreen, Alabama by one Rev. John W. Stewart in 1891. The personalized and comprehensive services offered at this foster care agency imply that the organization is more than equipped to assist more individual minors and families in a myriad of ways and in more places in the entire Alabama and beyond. It is important to note that this agency sets foster goals and plans as it continues to take care of the minors and families under its care. The agency is in partnership with the Alabama churches, community organizations, Baptist associations and individuals and all these ensure that the foster goals and plans are reached and accomplished effectively. The agency's main goal or what may simply be termed as its mission statement is to not only protect but also restore and nurture both minors and families through the extensively Christian centered services. These services are extended to these minors and families who urgently need foster care as result of a number of unfavorable circumstances (Young et al, 1997). The agency offers its services to such minors and families under four major areas. These include: Homes for Children which include campuses, emergency shelters and group homes among other arrangements Education services and/or family assistance Professional counseling to the minors and the families Administration of the agency in a way that maximizes resources that will be used to give the foster care to the minors and families It is imperative to note that for almost the entire history of the agency its major focus has been to provide foster homes for children and the youth especially those who are unfortunate in the society. It owns campuses and emergency shelters. It also manages group homes and foster care. The children homes are positioned to provide homes for both the children and the youth. These are found in Mobile and Decatur. The group homes are found in Oxford, Dothan,

George Simon Ohm Essay Example for Free

George Simon Ohm Essay Fair test Safety In order to make the experiment there are certain procedures that I must follow. I must use the same voltmeter, ammeter and constantan wire. This is in case other ammeters or voltmeters are using different settings. To make the experiment safe we must check all wires and crocodile clips for faults. When we are doing the experiment we must also use a low voltage. Method 1. Collect apparatus: a voltmeter, an ammeter, 7x wires, 1 crocodile clip, and 100 cm constantan wire. (at lengths of 26 standard wire gauge, 28 standard wire gauge and 36 standard wire gauge) 2. Set apparatus up as shown: 3. Set the power pack on as low a voltage as possible. (So that there is not too high a current passing through the circuit. ) 4. Place the 100 cm of constantan round the holders. Then connect the crocodile clip. 5. Turn on the power pack and record what the ammeter and voltmeter read. 6. Record the results, in a pre prepared table. 7. After recording all results for the 26swg piece of wire. Wait. Turn off the power pack. Take 28 SWG constantan wire. Turn on your power pack and record what the ammeter and voltmeter say. 8. Change the wire to 36 SWG of constantan wire and repeat the experiment. 9. Work out the resistance for all the results using Ohms law. V = I*R Obtaining evidence Results for Constantan 26 SWG Table 1 Length (cm) Voltage (Volts) Current (Amps) Resistance (Ohms)Â  Table 2 Length (cm) Voltage (Volts) Current (Amps) Resistance (Ohms) For the graph with all 3 tabled results for constantan 26swg see attached sheet 1. Results for Constantan 28swg Table 1 Length (cm) Voltage (Volts) Current (Amps) Resistance (Ohms). Table 2 Length (cm) Voltage (Volts) Current (Amps) Resistance (Ohms) Table 3 Length (cm) Voltage (Volts) Current (Amps) Resistance (Ohms) For the graph with all 3 tabled results for constantan 28swg see attached sheet 2. Results for Constantan 36swg Table 1 Length (cm) Voltage (Volts) Current (Amps) Resistance (Ohms) Table 2 Length (cm) Voltage (Volts) Current (Amps) Resistance (Ohms) Table 3 Length (cm) Voltage (Volts) Current (Amps) Resistance (Ohms)For the graph with all 3 tabled results for constantan 36swg see attached sheet 3. Analysis Analysis of length I predict that there will be higher resistance in wires that are longer in length. My prediction was correct. As the length of the wire decreases so does the resistance. This is clearly visible on all three of the graphs. On the graph for constantan 26swg (sheet1) there is a strong negative correlation. The resistance for all three results at 100 cm is between 3. 24 ? 3. 50 ? and at 5cm it is between 0 ? and 0. 5 ?. From 65cm-40cm the results I collected are almost identical. There is hardly any variation in the results and it is shown by the graph. The graph for constantan 28swg (sheet 2) is by far the best graph because of the closeness of all of the readings taken. There is a slight anomalous result at the 95cm reading. From the results collected in table 1 he resistance rose from 4. 49 ? to 4. 55 ?. This did not affect my results too much there was still a clear trend. This is however extremely unlike the graph for constantan 36swg (sheet3). There is clearly a huge error. At 90cm there is an incredibly out of position recording. The voltage for this point was 0. 8 V. this is roughly 2. 0 Volts away from where ideally it would be and this has caused such a dramatic change in the direction of the plotted points. I also believe that as the length doubles the resistance will also double. My prediction was correct. An example of this would be taken from table 3 of constantan 28swg. The length is 10cm and the resistance was 0. 5 ? ; the resistance for 20cm was 0. 98 ?. 0. 5 x 2 = 1 1 0. 98 = 0. 02 This is almost exactly double. This is only one example of the resistance roughly doubling with length. Analysis of thickness In order to analyse the thickness of the wire I will first need to work out the area of the wire. I have got the thicknesses in British Standard Gauge and I have found a site (http://www.falcon-acoustics. co. uk/hintstipsgeneral. htm) which has a table with the thickness converted into millimetres. The conversions for the wires thickness are as follows: Constantan 26swg = 0. 457mm Constantan 28swg = 0. 376mm Constantan 36swg = 0. 193mm This however is the diameter of each of the wires; and the formula for the area of a circle is ? x ri. The radius of a circle is half the diameter. To work out the area of the wire I must first halve the diameter then square it then multiply by pie. Pie (? ) is 22 i 7 the number has definite end. Now I will work out the area for each of the wires. Constantan 26swg:Â   029240465 mmi This shows that the Constantan 26swg is thicker than the Constantan 28swg and the Constantan 36swg and by how much in mmi. I also believe that the thicker the wire is the less resistance will be present. This is correct. I have taken the resistance from all 9 tables and put them in a graph (sheet4). I have taken the resistance from 50cm for all of them. The graph clearly shows the huge difference in resistance. As you can see the Constantan 36swg is more resistant than the 26swg and 28swg Constantan wire. The area of the Constantan Evaluation Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

World Luxury Goods Industry Essay Example for Free

World Luxury Goods Industry Essay Luxury goods have more than the ordinary and necessary characteristics compared to other products of their category. Their characteristics can be divided into 6 parts Symbolism, Price, Extraordinariness, Rarity, Aesthetics and Quality. The global market size for the industry has been at a growth rate of 9% per annum. This trend has been seen in the market since 1995 till 2000. The luxury market took a hit from 2000 to 2004 when incidents like the September 11 and SARS epidemic took place during those years. The market was at a standstill till 2005 when it caught pace again until the subprime financial crisis. Recent years the growth rate has been at 11% average and this has been happening since 2009. At 2013 the market is sized at Euro 212 billion and has great potential going forward. The 10 % growth estimated for the market in 2013 represents the fourth straight year following the great recession that luxury goods revenues will grow annually by double-digits. Americas region is also projected to benefit from the market, with revenues growing by 13 percent by year’s end and Asia-Pacific sales particularly driven by China India are projected to grow by 18 percent. Growth in Europe is expected to be at 5 percent this year showing that the economic trends in these areas have affected the market for luxury goods. It is estimated that the luxury goods market will grow, in real terms by 4-6% per year between 2013-2015 increasing the market to between â‚ ¬240 and â‚ ¬250 billion by 2015. There has been a shift towards online sales in this segment with this medium continuing to grow faster than the rest of the market, at 28% annual growth for the year and reaching close to 10b Euros, nearly 5% of total luxury sales which larger than the luxury revenues of Germany. In online sales, shoes are the top-performing category. This level of online penetration is when brands have to treat their online channel as a integral part of their competitive strategy, rather than an an extra source of revenue. When we see the different products types in the industry it is seen that the Accessories highlights the best performance over the period 2007-2011 led by the emerging markets customers preferences with respect to luxury accessories. We see a shift in the market trend in apparels where the mens luxury sales increased by 16% in 2011 surpassing sales to woman. Mens luxury goods in 2011 accounted for 40% of the global luxury market up from 35 % in 1995. As you can see in figure above that the accessories and hard luxury goods have seen an increase in segment. In the luxury goods market the Italian brands have increased to gain the largest market share of luxury sales, moving from 21% in 1995 to 24% in 2013 almost equalling French brands market share of 25%. But in a consolidating market, French conglomerates are a driving force, owning 29% of the market compared to 25% in 1995. Key Figures Category Revenues Growth Forecast. 2012 (est) 2012 Leather Goods â‚ ¬33bn 16% Shoes â‚ ¬12 bn 13% Men’s Apparel â‚ ¬26 bn 10% Women’s Apparel â‚ ¬27 bn 9% Fragrances â‚ ¬20 bn 4% Cosmetics â‚ ¬23 bn 5% Jewelry â‚ ¬11 bn 13% Watches â‚ ¬35 bn 14% Total â‚ ¬212bn 10% The different players in this market are different for different product types like in the luxury watches segment it is Rolex, Omega etc, mens and womens apparels segment it is Armani, Burberry etc and leather goods segment it is LVMH, Ralph Lauren etc. Similarly many more in other segments and below are the different luxury goods brand with LVMH leading in revenue terms. Porter’s 5 forces model. THREAT OF NEW ENTRANT: Capital Requirement: The capital requirements for manufacturing, setting up stores and maintaining them are all very high. The break-even for these brands is very high. Their marketing and management costs such as rent, high salaries for craftsmen, heavy promotional activities etc. are very high too. A study indicated that they need to have 400 stores to develop a truly global presence. Brand Loyalty: The brand image associated with luxury brands and the loyalty created through CRM programs and exceptional service levels is very high for existing brands in the market space. However, the industry has been experiencing declining brand loyalty in emerging markets since their purchases are driven by status and show off motives and hence brand switching between brands perceived to have similar status is increasing. Nevertheless it takes considerable amount of time and expenditure to build its brand loyalty. Scale economies: It has been observed that consolidation of brands in the luxury market help in achieving higher economies of scale. Consolidation helps in increasing bargaining power with suppliers, obtaining operating synergies say in advertising etc., better financing options and risk management through diversification in the brand portfolio of the companies. LVMH, PPR (Gucci), Prada Group, Richemont have all undergone consolidation. Exclusive access to suppliers and distributors: Many brands in this segment have acquired their suppliers or have exclusive arrangements to protect their competitive advantage and insulate against rising costs in future. Also the numbers of distribution points are increasing as emerging markets are growing and luxury malls are coming up. For instance, LVMH acquired Leman Cadran and ArteCad SA- watch dial manufacturers and Delos Bottier, French artisan shoemaker. Retaliation from existing Cos- The powerful established brands tend to retaliate against the smaller and newer brands by say preventing them from having access to multi-brand retailers. Therefore we see that the threat of new entrant is high. THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES: Middle price brands: The growing mid ranged, high street brands pose as a possible substitute to the luxury brands. During economic crisis consumers tend to â€Å"trade down. † Counterfeit goods: The manufacturing and sales of counterfeit goods from Countries like China is growing. Quality design: increased internet accessibility and online shopping has made is easy for fast fashion brands to replicate designs and fashion trends of luxury brands within days/weeks of the fashion shows. There are no monetary switching costs to customers. However, there is a loss of prestige which is important to luxury brand buyers. Therefore the threat of substitutes is moderate. BUYER’S BARGAINING POWER: Decreasing buyer concentration: The number of buyers relative to suppliers is increasing. Only 50% of the 1. 6 MN wealthy were as rich 4 years ago. Level of dependency on buyer: The industry is heavily dependent on top-tier customers, mostly on a small super affluent population. Celebrities etc. being early adopters can drive consumption but single buyers cannot determine prices. Switching costs: There are emotional switching costs involved. With introduction of loyalty programs and associated privileges, the switching costs have increased. Possibility of backward integration by customers is very low. So on the whole, the bargaining power of buyers is low. SUPPLIER’S BARGAINING POWER: Number of suppliers: The raw materials are limited and exclusive. There are limited high skilled workers and there is also growing shortage since not many youngsters are willing to learn. For instance, Couture-level embroiderers in France have dropped from 10000 in 1920 to 200 in 2013. Level of Dependency: Some key components and materials are outsourced. For eg: LV outsources its monogram leather, in 2012, Chanel ordered large chuck of leather from a supplier in case they wouldn’t find more. Supply substitutes: Most materials are highly specialized and difficult to substitute. Switching costs to new suppliers are high since the quality is at risk and there is a past coordinating experience which is important. Forward integration possibility is very low since the luxury groups are much more experienced and wealthier than their suppliers. Thus, the bargaining power of suppliers is moderate to high. COMPETITIVE RIVALRY: Competitive structure: The industry has an oligopoly structure since it is dominated by few large independent players. LVMH, Richemont and PPR Gucci are the big three. Demand conditions: The demand is growing and will grow at a relatively high pace as China and Hong Kong markets grow further. Exit Barriers: Some brand exist despite the fact that they do not make any/much profits due to emotional reasons. For instance, Christian Lacroix hasn’t made any profit in 22 years. There are some highly specialised supply chain components that may be very difficult to sell. Chanel has 6 atelier d’arts under it which has no alternative usage. The rivalry among existing competition is high. Luxury Goods-Developed Countries Overview. There is so much talk about China, Brazil and other emerging markets as the future of luxury market while there is some truth to it we cannot ignore the developed markets. The current growth and hot spot for luxury goods is still in the developed countries. American region is the king of luxury spending; it grew at 4% in 2013 compared to 2012. There has been growth in the number of new store opening in tire two cities in these developed countries going to show that companies see potential in the smaller region and there is increase of disposable income in the smaller cities. Visitors from developing countries still prefer to buy luxury goods from the developed countries; this has also led to an increase in the demand of luxury goods in the developed countries. According to Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study Spring 2013 there are significant regional differences in the luxury market developed countries and all of them have their unique differences. Some of them are: Europe will see 2% growth in the luxury spending in the next few years, with increasing spending by tourists even though there is lower spending by European nationals. Tourist spending is driving half of revenues in Italy, 55% of revenues in the U. K. , and 60% of revenues in France. Japan has experience a decline in luxury spending by 12%. Although in real terms, the consumption has increased as the country has emerged out of stagflation. The Middle East continues to be relatively strong, with a 5% growth. The demand for Luxury goods remain strong in Dubai, while Saudi Arabia is also gaining share to become the region’s second largest luxury market. As these countries are oil rich they like the flamboyance and luxury. Online sales, of Luxury goods have gained popularity in the last few years in the developed countries. They are growing faster than the brick and mortar stores, turning in 28% annual growth for last year and reaching close to 10 billion Euros. In online sales, shoes are the top-performing category. With online penetration high, brands should treat their online channel as an integral part of their overall channel strategy, rather than an just an another source of additional revenue. According to the â€Å"Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study† finds accessories, including leather goods and shoes, have definitively become the largest segment, growing 4% for 2013 to reach 28% of the total revenues. Apparel is now a quarter of the market, growing at 1%, Apparel was very popular couple of years ago. Perfumes and cosmetics had a 2% growth in 2013. Luxury cars, wine and spirits, hotels, in-home and out-of-home food, home furnishings, and yachts all show growth, with luxury cars, wine and spirits, and hotels outpacing personal luxury goods and leading to an overall 2013 market of â‚ ¬800 billion of affluent spending, up 6% over 2012.compared to 25% in 1995. The luxury goods market in the developed countries is becoming very complex and in some areas is starting to look like the fast-moving consumer goods Industry. Brands have to adapt themselves by bringing in the level of detailed customer insight to standout of the clutter. While this Industry is still showing steady but not extravagant growth, brands need to adjust to a new set of scientific tools in order to keep up with other markets. CAGE Framework for Developed Countries Cultural Luxury Goods Industry in Developed countries over the years have matured and have formed definite distribution channels where most of the time they try cross selling to their existing buyers. However new customers enter the market, they account to an addition of 1%-3% of the total population involved in the luxury goods instry In Developed countries Culture is often considered with income level to follow a trend related to luxury goods. Considering a people with zero income level when shifts to a income level and wants to buy a luxury good his decision is dependent upon the income he is currently earning and the culture he is following in the ratio of 3:2. Administrative Initially as taxes were collected in the form of luxury tax from the customers in developed countries, they were indifferent to it as they had a considerable large amount of disposable income. Over the years as people entered the luxury market they got affected by such high rates. The government how of such countries depend on these taxes as they generate a large amount of revenue. Geographical Most of the developed countries are the manufactures of these luxury goods they tend to be cheaper in these countries. As the demand of the countries is very high they tend to acquire the fixed costs at an early stage, later just trying to recover the variable cost making it cheaper. Most of these developed countries have access to superior products used in manufacturing these products thus making the end products to be easily manufactured and thus slashing the rates, thus inducing more customers to buy the product Economic Differences GDP and per capita income of the developed countries is high compared to other emerging countries. Thus showing they have a higher disposable income and standard of living is high proving that they can afford luxury goods as their basic necessities of life is fulfilled. Luxury Goods-Developing Countries Overview. When we talk about developing economies we will be taking into account Brazil China and look at the luxury goods market in these two economies. Almost half of the luxury goods produced worldwide are sold in the emerging markets with China leading the way. The luxury goods market has seen tremendous growth in China whereas the same growth hasn’t been replicated in India Brazil because of some regulatory issues (high import duties). Looking at China, the GDP has been growing at almost 10% y-o-y which has been increasing the denomination of wealthy Chinese in the country. When you look at the Luxury market, the Asia-pacific region has been the best performer with a growth rate of 25% in 2011 and accounting for about 29% of the worldwide revenues. The growth of this market in China has been tremendous which can also be put down to the fact that many e-commerce players have come in to fray which give the digital consumers a chance to make use of the price advantage. The market has been helped by the fact that there has been a shift in the mentality of the Chinese people wherein they want the real stuff now rather than settling for the counterfeited goods. In addition to this due to the weakening Euro and the increase in the number of upper class citizens the Chinese people have been undertaking more and more overseas trips which in turn has increased the revenues for the Luxury market. Now coming to Brazil, the luxury goods market was about 2. 7 billion dollars in 2012, and the expected growth rate was estimated to be about 15-25% for the next five years which was put down to the fact that it has become the 7th largest economy in the world the purchasing power and the income rate for an average Brazilian is growing. Brazil now has 36 billionaires 165,000 millionaires out of which about 50% are below the age of 35, which will help boost the luxury goods market in the country. Now because of the unique services that are being provided to the consumers in Brazil, also the payment plan by installments and also the fact that a huge number of showrooms are being opened in the country the consumers are willing to buy the luxury goods for which they had to go abroad in the earlier days. STRATEGY – STRUCTURE PERFORMANCE STRATEGY: Strategic approach to product offer and price positioning. Focusing on the E-commerce platform as well in order to cater to the increasing number of digital consumers Opening up of new stores and availability of quality products easily. Focus on the retail chains in order to aid the distribution as this is the highest grossing medium (Omni-channel Retailing). Increase of scale in order to improve margins. Shift towards the accessories sector as this has the highest growth rate amongst the Luxury goods market. Store experience. Real time communication between the brand and the consumer via blogs communities. Off-price outlets. Consolidation. Diversification. STRUCTURE: Oligopoly: Very few luxury groups dominate the market. Large number of small individual brands. Individual brands being introduced by the large market players. Big Three LVMH Richemont PPR Gucci PERFORMANCE: A CAGR of +25% in China for the luxury goods revenues over the period 2008-11. A CAGR of +18. 3% in China for E-commerce buys during the period 2007-10. 31% increase in constant value terms for Brazil, 72% for China 86% for India over the period 2008-13.

Was Sir Douglas Haig a Good or Bad Leader?

Was Sir Douglas Haig a Good or Bad Leader? The issue of Douglas Haigs role as a general on the Western Front, during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, has been thoroughly questioned by many historians to date. Through different views and opinions, Haigs skills have been both heavily celebrated and criticised. Therefore he has been viewed as both Butcher of the Somme and the Architect of Victory, much evidence supporting both arguments. However the majority of people seem to favour the idea of Haig being a merciless leader, which is completely understandable. For instance, the Battle of the Somme hugely affected almost every person in Britain, many losing family members. For them, it would have been easy to blame the British losses solely on General Haig, and many did just that. However many people saw him as a highly gifted soldier and leader, and there was a good side to Haig, for example, he did manage to eventually wear down the German army, and played a part in the result of World War 1. Therefore this controversial issue will perhaps be continually debated. The Battle of the Somme was a largely Scottish battle, with three Scottish divisions participating. This also applied to Douglas Haig, who was born in Edinburgh and was commander in chief. He was blamed for the enormous slaughter of the Battle of the Somme, during which there were around 60,000 British casualties on just the first day, a third of which were killed. This alone is evidence enough for a lot of people of Haigs failures as a general. However, many of the flaws in Haigs leading of the Battle of the Somme stemmed from the fact that he was commanding a group of sixty divisions, when the usual number was just six. This shows the extreme circumstances under which Douglas Haig was commanding at the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme was a significant event in history; this is mainly due to the absurd amount of deaths, even though they were no larger than were to be expected, however some people find fault in the fact that Haig kept the army fighting even when he became aware of the continuous height of casualty figures. Just like any general, Haig strove for success, however he had a major fault: he was extremely optimistic, and constantly believed that the German army was close to surrendering, therefore believing that a win was also close. This positive personality is shown by a quote which Douglas Haig himself said at the beginning of the war, The situation is never so good or so bad as first reports indicate. However, even though he felt that his army was fully capable of defeating the Germans, he wasnt correct, in fact, Haigs army didnt have the huge amount of soldiers, which the German army were able to take advantage of this clearly shows that his targets were impossibly to achieve , he was just too ambitious. Haig was also heavily criticised for the ridiculous length of the battle, this was simply because it could have been ended much sooner than it was, and this would have even prevented Britain in constantly finding fault in Haigs leadership skills. The main reason that Haig even allowed the battle to continue because he wished to straighten his trenches, as this would have had a great effect on his armys attacks. However Haig was also criticised for allowing the British army to fight in the appalling weather at the time of the Somme, although technically he cannot take the entire blame for this decision as the idea actually came from the French army officer. Haig was certainly one to override his army commanders, although this is understandable, as if he found their advice questionable then he had to trust himself to make the correct decision alone. However at the beginning of the battle of the Somme, Haig was overruled himself, by the governments of Britain and France, they asked Haig to attack the German army at that point in time, but Haig didnt agree this was because he felt that his armies werent ready; however his argument wasnt effective, therefore he was ignored. Haig understood that he would have to plan an attack quickly, because if he took too much time to do so then the alliance which stopped the French from attacking the British could be put in jeopardy, and that was a risk that Haig couldnt afford to take. At the start of the battle, the British army looked to have no chance in defeating the German army, in fact, Official History wrote that the Somme was the first time that the †¦British line been held with so few men and so few guns†¦. The British army were also overwhelmed by the power of the Germans and after just one day of fighting there were an enormous number of casualties, most of them due to bite and hold attacks. In the beginning, Haig was severely short of forces and, trying to find a solution, ended up having to leave Goughs twelve divisions alone to defend 42 miles of the front, this resulted in some having very few soldiers. Haig could have managed the Somme better, however by the end of the battle, the British were achieving success against the Germans and eventually the Germans did surrender, in fact the German General Ludendorff mentions in his autobiography, My war memories, As a result of the Somme we were completely exhausted on the Western Front. When considering Haigs skill as an army commander it has to be remembered that the situation at the Battle of the Somme was extremely unique, Haig was handling ten times the amount of forces, most of whom were learning the tactics of war as they went along. After the battle ended Haig was compared to other generals who sent hundreds of soldiers to their deaths, he was viewed as uncaring and constantly making horrible decisions. Although Haigs opinion of the turnout of the war was never made clear, it was suggested that he agreed with the result, as in 1919, Haig defended the fact that the Germans were offered a settlement at the end of the war. The relationship between Douglas Haig and David Lloyd George was a cause of major conflict and had an overpowering effect on Haigs reputation. Lloyd George was clear in the fact that he had no trust or liking for Haig, especially during the Somme, when he didnt understand why Haig was allowed the high casualty rates to continue, especially since this didnt give any advantage to the British. He saw Haig simply as a man with no intelligence, and no understanding, although he also never replaced him, or even stood up to him. However, it was no secret that a war was waged between Haig and Lloyd George. An example of the tension between these characters was on the 1st September, when Haig received a telegram from Henry Wilson, marked personal, this carried a warning, that Haig was to stop preventable casualties during the battle of the Somme. The clear reason for the telegram was for the protection of Lloyd George; however Haig took it that he could strike the Hindenburg line if he felt t he need to do so. The tension between them grew when Lloyd George published his war memoirs, in which he unleashed an attack on Haig, both, simply as a man and as part of the army. This was one of the very little books that really cause chaos for an important figures reputation, especially since when it became available, Haig had already passed and therefore he couldnt even protect his own reputation. However Lloyd George isnt the only politician that Haig had a significant relationship with, Haig and Winston Churchill also had a somewhat interesting relationship, in fact Haig helped out Churchill in the writing of his book, The World Crisis, by sending him parts of his personal diaries which he kept during the war. The reason that this is interesting is the fact that Churchill often criticised Haig, especially as a General during the war. However, Churchill did admit that when reviewing the war he began to think a good deal better if Haig than I did at the time. Unlike Lloyd George, Churchill felt that it would be impossible to find as good a general as Haig was to replace him. Haig didnt mind some criticism from Churchill in his book, but it was that criticism which strongly effected Haigs reputation. The conflict between these politicians and Haig meant that Haig had to fight the war against not only the Germans, but also those politicians. It wasnt just Churchills writing that affected Haigs reputation though; there were many different memoirs and accounts released after the war, by many different people, for example, David Lloyd George, Churchill and Gough. However when these records were released Haig mentioned to Foch that he couldnt release a book on the war, as it was too soon to tell the truth. If he had written them however, they would have not only been successful, but would have probably heightened his reputation. However Haigs Final Dispatch, published in 1919 actually had only a small effect on the opinions of the war. Yet, decades later, a revisionist historian, John Terraine revised these arguments and tried to re-build Haigs reputation. In fact, Terraines Douglas Haig: An Educated Soldier strongly defended Haigs reputation, his main point being that it was Haig who eventually wore down the German army. However historian, John Laffin, has the opposite opinion, he feels as though Haig should be accused beca use of his wilful blunders and wicked butchery. This shows clear argument between the two recent historians, both trying to challenge Haigs reputation. Terraine passed away in 2003, however before his death, he did manage to change the way that some people saw Douglas Haig, and he restored Haig to the position of serious commander. Haig was criticised and celebrated by different historians, few ever looking at both sides of things. Haigs reputation was heightened the most due to his input in helping and celebrating ex-servicemen. Haig devoted a large part of his life, after the war, to charity events and war-memorials. This shows that people were even slightly wrong about the fact that he didnt care about the young men fighting in the war. For example, in 1922, Haig travelled to Swansea and 4000 people turned out to see him lay a stone for the city memorial, and in 1925, the Haigs toured Canada; some 10,000 people came to see Haig lay a stone on a cenotaph in Toronto. Also, in Glasgow, in 1924, Haig revealed a monument. These days people may be shocked to find out that in 1925 Haig opened the Newfoundland Memorial Park; this was where the 1st Newfoundland attack took place in 1916. The fact that Haig was sought after to carry out the ceremony by the government, shows that even though there is constant argument over Douglas Haigs reputation, at this time he must have been highly thought of. This is why Haig was overwhelmed with huge amounts of requests to reveal all sorts of different memorials. Haigs speeches at these events were never completely neutral, the issues of sacrifice and the needs of ex-soldiers were constantly highlighted. This made his reputation improve to a lot of people, because they felt as if he was more caring. In the early 1920s Haig began to type up his wartime diary, he wished for this to be published after his death. In 1928 a line of war diaries and memoirs began being published, some attacking Haigs reputation seriously, however Haig wasnt alive to see this, as on the 29th January 1928, Douglas Haig died of a heart attack. This death came as a shock to Britain, many people in disbelief. Haigs wife believed that the strain of wartime command had worn out his heart, and the media began to print headlines, field marshal a war victim, Haig was treated just like any soldier who had fought in the war, and he too was seen as a war casualty. The real surprise after Haigs death was the extent to which the public mourned him; his death was treated much more graciously than any other British general. Therefore his coffin was escorted by the two future kings of England, showing that he was obviously an important member of the nation, even though some people viewed him as a callous butcher. This was reinforced because St Pauls, Wrens great cathedral was suggested as where Haig would be buried and if he had been then hed have been buried with Wellington and Nelson, two heroes from WW1, however Haig had wanted to be buried at home, in Edinburgh, therefore he body was sent north. A crowd of people waited for him to arrive, to pay their respects. Eventually he was buried in the grounds of Dryburgh Abbey. However the event of his death just brought more conflict to the argument of Haigs reputation. Again, Haigs reputation plummeted. Therefore Haigs reputation is constantly debated, going from one extreme to the other, barely ever balancing, or being fair to the actions of Haig. However much argument is presented in favour of Haig, the evidence is overpowered by the casualty figures of the battle of the Somme, by Churchills criticisms of Haig and by the tension in Haigs relationship with David Lloyd George, these are the facts people cant just forget and therefore the points which effect Haigs reputation. Haigs reputation was most significantly analysed through memoirs and accounts, for example of Churchill, Lloyd George, Gough and Terraine, although his reputation took a severe hit after his death also. Its clear that Haig will forever be viewed as heartless general, which is a fair judgement, considering the fact that he was the general in charge during the Battle of the Somme, and allowed the horrific casualty figures to present, and the fact that he let the battle go on for much longer than it should have, fo r personal or no gain, and thats why Douglas Haig will forever be condemned as Butcher of the Somme. Hedging Techniques: Analysis of pros and cons Hedging Techniques: Analysis of pros and cons This report will discuss the basics of hedging, advantages and disadvantages of hedging. There is description of methods and techniques used for hedging. This also discusses the primary need of hedging. Then follows the detailed calculations of the receivables of 500M pesos due in six months time and the best way of hedging to get the most of it. This report then goes on to discuss the forward contracts and futures along with forward options that are available for individual and basic differences between forward contracts and options Introduction: An unexpected change in exchange rates is the economic exposure which is commonly seen as a political disaster or natural disaster. The effect of economic exposures on exchange risks is kept out from this paper on one hand. On the other hand the cross-border firms do not get affected by the volatility of the exchange rates, in terms of the translation transaction exposures. Foreign exchange risk does not exist; even if it exists, it need not be hedged; even if it is to be hedged, corporation need not hedge it. When compared with certain results this hypothesis seems to be inconsistent. Different ways have been found out by some empirical researches to hinder different exposures. For instance, in some real cases financial instruments or netting was applied. Hedging and Importance Normally foreign exchange rates are dictated based on the supply and demand of two currencies and are persuaded depending on both the interest and inflation rates of the corresponding countries. For entering into a contract both the parties those are going to buy sell must have to be familiarised by the forward exchanging rate. Above all relationship between forward exchange rates, spot exchange rates, inflation and interest have to be introduced. Due to some factors such as government intervening and costs of transaction, relationship should not always be hold in the short run. But however the relationship could be hold on the long run by the four parties: purchasing power, expectations theory, the interest rate parity the international Fisher effect. Types of exchange rate exposures: In an international firm exchange rate losses those are unfavourable are protected by hedging currency exchange risk. Thus hedging currency exchange risk can be considered as one of the factors for eliminating risks. There are basically three forms of exchange rate exposures. Transaction exposure Translation exposure Economic exposure Transaction exposure: It is caused when the organisation is driven into certain financial agreements or obligations. The future gains or losses of an organisation are completely dependent on the changes caused to the exchange rates in the future cash flows of the agreements or obligations. The values that were before after the accounts received paid along with those engagements to buy or leasing financial cash flows do not match. The risk of transaction exposure is completely different from the risk of transaction exposure since the former one contains potential changes regarding cash flows. Translation exposure: Translation exposure is also known as balance sheet exposure or accounting exposure. It is a kind of exposure which occurs when if the financial statements of all the affiliates have been consolidated by the parent company. The denominated currencies of the affiliates are quite different when compared to their parents. Economic exposure: Economic exposure is also known as real exposure or operating exposure. It is mainly concerned about the risk of losses in exchange in association with the changes in future cash flows. It is completely different from the former two exposures which operate by long-term diplomatic decisions. There are mainly three barriers for non-financial organisations hedging currency risks compared to the financial organisations. Firstly, models to forecast forward are not well devised. Secondly, team of management is incessantly hesitant to hedge risks of FX the team seems to risk-averse with respect to FX risks. Lastly, the risk management is less in non-financial firms compared to financial firms. The main purpose of hedging FX risks for most of the non-financial firms is for variance reduction in future cash flows. Some of the advantages of corporate hedging are as below. It can predict the cash flows of the firm that are generated internally can arrange the financing plan of a firm either internally or externally. Also hedging helps for the smoothening of the net income of a firm, which proves to be valuable in the present financial market which focuses attention to quarterly earnings rather than the cash flows in the long-run. Based on the proponents of hedging, some of the many arguments are opposed to hedging. Spending on hedges of currency opt for an exceed in the loss in currency risk exposures. If the management fails in reducing the risks using hedging, rivalry arises between management shareholders, where as the value of the shareholder crumbles. There are several hedging instruments in order to protect our money from getting exposed to the above mentioned exposures/risks. These hedging techniques include spot, forward contracts, options, futures, currency swaps and so on usually referred to as derivatives. The most frequently used instruments are: Forward Contracts: The two parties enter a contract in which they agree on a favourable current exchange rate on a specified future date. Thus this guarantees a customized future payment and maturity date and eliminates future volatility. It is tailor made instrument that it includes and specifies all its parameters like money, date, exchange rate and denomination of payment. Also the cost of forward contracts is low comparing with other instruments and the settlement date is up to one year. Futures: These are similar to forward contracts but are more standardised in terms of volume that is about to be exchanged. This is generally intended to speculating profits. Spots: This allows us to buy or sell a currency at todays exchange price and the day of settlement will be no more than two business days. Currency Options: Options are like contracts but are more costly than contracts. It guarantees a worst-case exchange rate for the future purchase of one currency for another. There is a right to sell or buy but there is no obligation to do so as such giving the options holder substantial benefits. Currency Swaps: These are in general long term high value transactions. By swapping their future cash flow obligations the counterparties are able to replace cash flows denominated in one currency with cash flows in a more desired currency. As requested billing in U.S. dollars, forward contracts and money market hedge are some effective techniques of hedging and safe guarding the firm from any possible fluctuations and risks arising from the same. In U.S. dollar billing we charge the goods at the rate in their home country but enter a contract based on the spot rate on the day of sale, and which means they need to pay the equivalent amount in dollars when the payment is due. Irrespective of the fluctuations of the currency rates the company is bound to make the payment of that exact amount of dollars at the end of contract or due date. Forward contracts are mentioned above lock in the exchange rate on future currency transactions and thus reducing their exchange risk. The payment is due in future but the current exchange rate is used for entering into such a contract. Money market hedge is a technique where in the company relies on borrowing and investing funds via money markets and using the spot rate to lock in the amount from the receivable. We borrow in the home currency the same amount that we are expected to receive ad invest in the other currency. Billing in U.S. Dollars As per our previous exports made to Mexico, we will receive 500 million Mexican Pesos. The spot rate of Peso/USD is 15.3555-15.3561, one of 15.3555 is the bid price at which the trader will buy from us and 15.3561 is the price at which he will sell. So we need to buy 500 million Mexican pesos meaning we need to consider the spot exchange ask rate 15.3561. Thus the 500 million Mexican pesos will come to USD which is $32.5604 M. Therefore we will be receiving a definite sum of $32.5604 M after the end of contract which is 6 months. So what ever is the exchange rate at the end of 6 months or whatever be the range of fluctuations we will get $32.5604 M. But the company has to pay an equivalent of $32.5604M which is $32.5604M*15.3555 = 499.9812M pesos. This is mainly due to the depreciation of peso with respect to US dollars. Forward Contract Since the goods have been exported the importer is now short if 500 million Mexican pesos. By entering into a forward contract we sign an agreement with the importer, which states that the delivery of the equivalent of the amount due should be made after 6 months time at the forecasted forward rate which is 15.0123-15.0134 (peso/USD). So as in the previous case we will be entitled to a sum of USD which turns out to be $33.3036 M. Hence we now entered into a future contract which gives us $33.3036 M at the end of 6 months. While we receive $33.3036 M, as an equivalent to 500 M Mexican pesos, the importer needs to pay the trader an amount of $33.3036*15.0123 = 499.9636 M pesos. However if the future rate increases then the importer is obliged to pay the 500M pesos at the prevailing spot rate. But in case the spot rate goes down then the importer has to meet the previously agreed rate for the payment. Money Market Hedge Here we are expected to receive 500 M pesos, so we borrow the same amount from a Mexican bank at the borrowing rate of 2.6% p.a. and we convert them to US dollars and invest the exact same amount in US dollars at 3.1% p.a. We borrow 500M Mexican pesos at 2.6%, which is = 493.5834M and we convert them into dollars at the prevailing spot rate of 15.3561, which transforms to = $32.1425M and we invest them in US market at 3.1%, which gives us $32.1425*1.016 = $32.6568M. But once we receive the payment of 500M pesos the loan will have to be repaid and we have $36.6568M*15.0123 = 550.3029M pesos, whereas the loan amount is 500M*1.013 = 506.5M pesos. Which means we have a profit of 550.3029M-506.5M pesos = 43.8029M pesos, which in turn is = $2.9176M Best Hedge By observing the figures, it is clear that future contracts method is more beneficial than the rest of them. This hedging earns us $32.5604M by billing in U.S. dollars, $33.3036M in forward contracts and $32.6568M by money market hedging. Derivatives The derivative securities market has become quite large in recent years. In 2007, according to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association the notional value of all financial swaps stood at $587 trillion worldwide. The GDP of the entire world was only about $60 trillion by the year 2008. The swaps and derivatives transfer risk from those who do not want to bear to those who are willing to bear for a fee. It is almost like insurance on property or automobile. For example, a put option is to safeguard if the price of a stock is expected to fall. And, like the insurance industry, both parties are mutually benefitted by this type of transaction; it is called hedging. Bulk of the transactions in derivative securities is mainly based on speculation than for the purposing of hedging against foreign currency risks. These help in providing liquidity in the currency market apart transferring risk. The sizes of banks and stock brokerage firms in derivative securities may give rise to huge loss which may well bring the entire financial system to a standstill. At the same time, some participants in these derivatives markets are reporting huge profits. Swaps The derivatives market involves more than just put and calls options. There are also contracts involving swapping fixed interest rate payment streams for adjustable or floating interest rate payment streams. Simply put its mutual agreement of two parties which satisfy both the parties. Forward Contracts and Futures Swaps, caps, and floors are recent innovations in the derivatives markets. The derivatives market traditionally included forward contracts in addition to options (puts, calls, warrants). A forward contract involved a commitment to trade a specified item at a specified price at a future date. The forward contract takes whatever form the two parties agree to. There is also a market for standardized forward contracts, which is called the futures market. The standardization makes possible a wider market with greater liquidity and efficiency. Often the futures markets eliminate the ties between specific parties, the party and the counter-party, and the risk that the other might not fulfil the contract. In the futures market everyone deals with the clearinghouse who guarantees fulfilment. Forward exchange operations carry the same credit risk as spot transactions, but for longer periods of time; however there are significant risks involved. A forward contract requires delivery, at a fixed future date, of a specified amount of one currency against other foreign currency payment; the exchange rate is fixed at the time of writing the contract. It is to be noted that gain or loss on the forward contracts is irrespective of the current spot rate. The gain or loss exactly offsets the change in currency costs. The major active participants in forward markets are arbitrageurs, traders, hedgers who seek to reduce their exchange risks by locking in the exchange rate on future trade or financial operations. There are differences in even the quoted prices, commercial customers are usually quoted the actual price while the dealers quote the forward rate only as a discount/ premium on the spot rate. These contracts are usually available for 1,2,3,6 or 12 months delivery. However forwards for odd maturities can also be formulated. With the increase in the maturity and volatility of the currency the bid-ask spread rises. Forward Exchange Options Contract In the options market there has developed some terminology that is somewhat intimidating to the uninitiated. A call option is the right to buy a share of a stock, the underlying security, at a specified price, called the exercise price or the strike price. A put option is the right to sell a share of a stock at a specified price, the exercise price or the strike price. There is a limited time for the exercise of the call option. An American option can be exercised at any time up to and including the expiration date. A European option can only be exercised on the expiration date. The value of a call option at any time depends upon: The current market price of the underlying security The exercise price The interest rate Time remaining until expiration The volatility of the price of the underlying security. When any of these change the value of the option will change. The options terminology that is most obscure is the use of Greek letters to refer to the response of the option value to changes in the variables which affect it. Ά Delta = the change in the price of the option per unit change in the price of the underlying; i.e., the increase in option value if the current market price of the stock goes up by one dollar. Delta is important in creating a perfectly hedged portfolio. The rate of change of the delta of an option is called its gamma. à Ã‚  Rho = the rate of change in the price of an option in response to a unit change in the interest rate. ÃŽÂ ¸ Theta = the rate of change in the price of an option with respect to time; i.e., the change as the time until expiration decreases by one unit. Vega (this is not a Greek letter) = the rate of change in the price of an option for a unit change in volatility. Despite having the right to buy a call option or to sell a put option, the rights holder is not obliged to buy or sell but can do so at his will. This will give him total flexibility as to when to buy/sell his options

The Articles of Confederation :: American America History

The Articles of Confederation During the Revolutionary period, the United States and Britain had many conflicts. Between 1763-1776, there were issues among these two countries. Between 1780-1789, there were issues about the federal government and the states under the Articles of Confederation. Two of these issues happened to be the foreign affairs between Britain and the United States, and the economy of the federal government. Subsequently following the French and Indian War, which happened to be where the British fought for the American colonies, Britain was in great need to pay its debts. Holding the war against the colonies, Britain decided to tax the colonies to pay for their large debt. Not being treated as members of the British Empire, the colonists were angered at the thought of being a source for Britain?s revenue. Acting in protest to what the colonies considered to be unjust laws, the colonists resisted attempts to be taxed, claiming as long as they weren?t allowed fair representation in the English Parliament, they would not pay. In 1650, a series of laws called the Navigation Acts were issued for the American colonies; although they did not come into full effect until after the French and Indian War. These laws prohibited the trade of certain items, which made it difficult for merchants who relied on French, Spanish, and other foreign countries for business. These restrictions angered the merchants, seeing as they were not allowed to make specific products in the colonies any longer, Heavy tariffs made trade nearly impossible and led the colonists to believe Britain was purposely doing this to hurt the economy of the colonists. England enacted laws to create trouble with trade between the colonies and other countries. In 1764, the Sugar Act was issued; this law taxed sugar, textiles, and other goods. One year following this the Stamp Act was put into effect, taxing all legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards. Shortly after, the Townshend Acts came into place, taxing lead, glass, iron, and manufactured goods within the colonies. The colonists became infuriated at these new laws stating they were too heavy and were levied without their direct consent. Britain thought it only necessary to place troops in America for the safety and protection of their colonies. They thought since they were doing such a great favor for the colonies, that it was only fair, and that the colonists would not mind providing the supplies needed to tend and care for the troops sent there.

Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper -- Morals Ethics Decision ma

Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper Personal, organizational, and cultural values are the basis of an individual's personal and professional decision-making style. These values are the key ingredients that make up our core beliefs. Values are ideas that are actions which could be right or wrong, good or bad that are the basis of human action (Tosi 2000). Personal values might also be called morality, since they reflect general expectations of any person in any society, acting in any capacity. These are the principles we try to instill in our children, and expect of one another without needing to articulate the expectation or formalize the process in any way. Family is the first school for a child where the seeds of cultural values are sown (Jain para 6). Cultural values are the beliefs of a human group that one can identify. Cultural value is the newest terminology which is used in literature on international relationships and economics. Individuals acting in an organization take on an additional burden of ethical res ponsibility. For example, organizations have codes of ethics that prescribe required behavior within the context of a professional practice such as medicine, law, accounting, or engineering. These written codes provide rules of conduct and standards of behavior based on the principles of Professional Ethics (Colero para15). Personal Values My personal values include hard work, honesty, achieving success in life, being flexible and helping others. My values evolve around leading a fulfilling lifestyle that allows me to be a supportive, loving and contributing member of my family and community. A clear picture of our personal values allows us to rank the tasks on our "to do" lists according to how closely... ...dividual Employees in Organizations-An Integration Framework. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge (8) 2, 105-112. Retrieved March 30, 2006 from EBSCOhost Database. Payne, Neil. (Feb 2006)International affairs: in today's global market, knowing how to conduct cross-cultural meetings is essential.(Motivation). In Kitchen & Bath Business, 53, p30(1). Retrieved April 03, 2006, from InfoTrac OneFile Siva, Manu. Difference in Cultural Values. India Today (20) 3. 45-48 Retrieved April 03, 2006 from http://www.indiatoday.com. Soin, Raj. Clarifying and Applying Personal Values: Priorities and Integrity Retrieved. April 1, 2006 from http://www.wright.edu/~scott.williams/skills/values.htm Tosi, Henry L (2000). Cultures: National and Organizational. Managing Organizational Behavior, 4th Edition, 341-383. New York: Blackwell Publishers

Vouchers Are Not the Solution for Improving Public Schools Essay

â€Å"Vouchers lead us away from the basic American tradition of a free, quality public education for every student and undermine the kind of comprehensive, systemic school reform that is working [†¦]† (Tirozzi, 1997). This quote taken from Gerald Tirozzi, the assistant U.S. secretary of education for elementary and secondary education, sums up the issue of vouchers. Milton Friedman, a free-market theorist, introduced vouchers, which funnel public funds to private schools, more than forty years ago (Resnick, 1998). Vouchers redirect money that would have been spent on educating a child in the public school system to a private school of the parent’s choosing. Voucher use is based on two factors, student eligibility and school eligibility. Those students who would be eligible for vouchers are among those in low-income families. School eligibility widely varies state by state. In some states school eligibility is restricted only to nonsectarian private schools, where elsewhere any private school is eligible (Resnick, 1998). Those who support vouchers offer three reasons for their position. One reason being that most public schools are failing, secondly vouchers help the children who use them, and thirdly vouchers create competition that motivates public schools to improve (Resnick, 1998). However, opponents argue that funding should be put toward improving the current public school system for the masses instead of allowing a better education to an elite few. Research is largely oppos ed to vouchers. Vouchers imprudently use public funds to back religious education, degrade public education, and support elitism. Vouchers are set up such that they take money from public school funds and redirect it towards private schools an... ... nations schools are not failing, but would benefit from improvement, the children that do receive the vouchers are but an elite few and the benefits of a private school education as opposed to public has yet to be proven. Supporters make the last argument that vouchers create competition that motivates the public schools to improve, however at the same time the funding that needs to go towards improvements is being stripped away resulting in deterioration of the public school system. As supported vouchers unfavorably use public funds to back religious education, degrade public education, and support elitism where it should not be. The public school system was created to accept all children no matter what. The system of vouchers causes the school system to take several steps back on the progress it has made as a result of years of struggle to become truly public.

Discrimination of the Homosexual Essay

A simple look into the history of mankind and one can quickly conclude, discrimination of the homosexual is, quite possibly, one of the earliest forms of discrimination to exist. Centuries later tolerance, acceptance, and equal rights continue to have a stronghold on the homosexual community, often fueling public debate and strong opposition within Congress, the workplace, and even in the confines of the family dynamic. Discrimination of the homosexual quite possibly has one of the greater disadvantages of all other forms of human discrimination because many would argue, according to the Holy Bible, God, Himself, disapproves. From the earliest chapters of the Bible, such as Leviticus 18:22 (New King James Version) which reads, â€Å"Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. †1 to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that states, â€Å"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. â€Å"2 man quickly comes to the conclusion that God clearly sees the homosexual as unacceptable. Therefore, many feel entitled to discriminate against the homosexual community believing if God says it is wrong, one is somehow given permission to act as they are God and carry forth hatred and zero tolerance for the group. However, if one truly studies or reads the Bible, one will find that God detests quite a few things, one being â€Å"hatred†. And, where one may point to a few of these scriptures with regard to homosexuality, the very group tends to forget to include the many other scriptures that support God’s mandate for all to love one another, to forgive one another, and to avoid judgment of all humankind. Discrimination is painful – it stirs hatred, it destroys individuals, families, communities, nations, and the world at large. Discrimination of homosexuals, in particular, has resulted in countless deaths, suicides, assaults, and shattered lives yet this discrimination continues and shows little signs of coming to an end. And, it remains fact that one of the greatest tools many have to show just cause for their hatred and discrimination continues to be the Bible. Often taken out f context, or neglecting to study the historical or geographic reasoning behind various scriptures, entire churches and denominations band together in direct opposition of the homosexual community all while forgetting God’s direct words, â€Å"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. † (John 15:12)3 This one scripture is a far cry from God’s permission to allow homosexual discrimination. Yet, many â€Å"Christians† are quick to dismiss the scripture and opt to use the Holy Bible to support displays of hatred and bitterness all while destroying families and contributing to the suicide rate of the world’s youth in alarming numbers. Discrimination can be defined as â€Å"the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. †4 Discrimination shows little room for tolerance or a desire for understanding, compassion, or respect for an individual’s right to chose his or her path in life. Discrimination stirs anger and hatred as evidenced by many acts of violence that have taken place for centuries. Discrimination causes individual self-doubt, feelings of hopelessness and lack of security. Discrimination of the homosexual often leaves an individual feeling out casted by everyone; often alienated by his or her very own family. For the young individual facing such scrutiny and hatred, there often seems no way out, especially for those surrounded by others who have lost compassion and a true loving heart. With no one to turn to, no one to fully understand or provide support, many of these youth turn to the unthinkable: suicide. It is a burden and pressure far too overwhelming for many – often much more so when you belong to an organization that feels they’ve been granted biblical permission to target an individual. Such was so in case of young Eric James Borges. Eric James Borges endured a life-long struggle with coming terms with his sexual identity. Feeling â€Å"different† and unlike other boys from the time he was a young child, he quickly learned to suppress his feelings and emotions for fear of others finding out he was a homosexual – a gender identity that had been made clear to him was unacceptable to society, to his family and, above all, to God. But, it wasn’t long into his life where this became difficult to mask, far too overwhelming of a task to keep hidden. His less han masculine mannerisms and attractions to activities associated as girlish made him a quick target. And, soon came harassment. As though not difficult enough to deal with the bullying, emotional and physical abuse of his peers, young Eric’s fundamentalist Christian home provided little by way of a haven from the pain. If anything, the home provided added reinforcement and strengthened Eric’s certainty that something was deeply wrong with him. Unfortunately, the adults in Eric’s life, including his Christian parents, made life dramatically worse for the young man. Growing up in a home where Christian values and standards were strictly enforced, Eric’s parents viewed his sexual orientation as defiant and wrong in the eyes of God. Eric began a life on display, often the subject of family prayer during which time family members would pray for his â€Å"healing† and â€Å"deliverance† from the â€Å"curse† placed on his life. His family, too, endured pressure by many within the church, some accusing the parents of living a sinful life of their own that resulted in the curse. Rather than learn to love their son and support, guide, and encourage him with compassion and loving arms, Eric’s parents succumbed to their own inner insecurities, often applying far more pressure on the youngster and accusing him of choosing an immoral life, at one point calling upon divine intervention: an exorcism. When performing the ritual exorcism with the anticipation of curing him of his cursed sexual orientation failed, his parents chose the next best course of action: demanding he leave the household. Shattered, torn, and disowned, the young Eric found support in a few who showed him love and compassion. He joined and participated in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning (LGBTQ) groups which introduced him to others who had led difficult lives – some less devastating than Eric’s, but others just as tragic. During this time, he participated in a movement designed to educate and create awareness and provide information to the public that the homosexual life was neither a â€Å"curse† from God neither the demonic lifestyle so often portrayed by many within the world’s churches. Eric became a guest speaker, a young author, a figure among struggling homosexual youth and a noted survivor of a life targeted by discrimination. But, despite all the advances and his personal accomplishments, the damage had been done to Eric. Without the love and support of his family and relatives, with the pain associated with a lifetime of abuse, Eric, could no longer endure his internal suffering. Young Eric James Borges committed suicide January 14, 2012 at age 19 near his hometown of Visalia, California. Discrimination of the homosexual continues, and it must end. But, will it? Consider the recent development in Australia. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has very recently assured religious organizations new rights under a recently-passed bill will ensure they have the freedom to discriminate against those they have deemed â€Å"sinners,† including homosexuals. Under this law schools, hospitals, and faith-based organizations will be able to refuse to hire â€Å"sinners† with minor stipulations. Discrimination by religious organizations throughout Australia has been a long-standing issue and has now only strengthened its case by the passing of this new law. This law, alone, could produce many with the future of Eric James Borges – one that ends in tragedy largely due to people’s harsh, unkind, and inhumane words – words many feel entitled to use because they use God as means to support their hatred. God is a God of love, mercy, and compassion. In His eyes we are equally and beautifully-made, a perfect Masterpiece, a wondrous work. It’s time for this discrimination to end and for us to embrace the homosexual community with love, compassion, understanding and the true Heart of God.