Monday, September 30, 2019

Micromax Product Manager

Micromax is an Indian consumer electronics company located in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is one of the leading mobile phone manufacturers in India as well as in the world. According to industry analysts, as of 2012, Micromax leads the Indian tablet market with a share of 18. 4%, ahead of Samsung and Apple, and is the third largest mobile phone vendor in terms of volume. In Jharkhand first showroom opened at LL03 HARIOM TOWER CERCULAR ROAD, RANCHI. From then the business has widespread all over Jharkhand but yet a lot of market opportunities are still left to achieve in this region. Since the owner of this showroom was first one to bring Micromax in Jharkhand thus he is only responsible to develop any business in required places. He is the owner of authorized Cnf (Carrying and Forwarding) of Micromax in Jharkhand. To modify the saturated market or decide a new market place, he suggested following duties and responsibilities to be performed as follows- * Investigate the economic conditions surrounding your small business activity such as industry trends and competition. Conduct extensive market research prior to starting up your business and continue gathering information throughout the life of the business. * Prepare a detailed business plan so you will not lose sight of your goals and objectives. * Secure sufficient financial resources for future development or expansion. * Contact professional advisors such as an accountant, banker and/or lawyer to provide expert information about your business. * Network with other small businesspeople; establish a support group. Remember, you are not alone. Attend workshops, trade shows, and seminars to keep up-to-date on changes in the industry. * Adopt a team approach; work with others in pursuing common goals. * Understand the skills and qualities you bring to your business. * Develop a situation analysis of your company including its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to assist in the development of a strategic plan for the future of the business. As we know the company is still in growth phase of PLC. Hence a product manager requires is to perform all his duty with proper routine and with honest. He is having following duties to be performed which he has classified according to preference or importance. Primary Duty In general, a business developer looks for ways to bring in more revenue to a company. This can mean anything from looking for new markets, partnering with other companies, selling new products to existing markets, or developing new products or services for a global market. The business developer must keep abreast of competitor's strategies, such as their marketing plans and new products. In addition, the developer must have an in-depth knowledge of his company's own products, marketing strategies and key demographics. Other Duties The company may give business developer responsibilities that come close to marketing and advertising. For example, the company may ask the developer to help the business create new products and market them as well. A business developer might also have to find new clients, negotiate with them and close those deals. Variation in Responsibilities The actual job responsibilities of a business developer depend on the needs of the company. In a large company, for instance, a developer may focus mostly on acquiring smaller companies that could take away market share. At a smaller company, the business development manager may spend most of his time obtaining corporate accounts and heading up product development projects. Considerations Anyone planning to enter into business should obtain some business development training. For instance, law firms often expect their associate lawyers to find new clients and generate six to eight billable hours each day. Business development training also prepares a worker for several other industries, such as sales and engineering. A successful developer needs strong analytical and research skills, people skills, and to know when to close a deal. In general, a business manager is responsible for running the business day-to-day. Whether, a managing director in a medium-sized company or a business unit director in a large corporate organization, this general management role is crucial to hold the business together, and to lead the changes which will ensure future success.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Outline the Importance of the Land Rights Movement, Specifically Referring to the Wik Decision, Mabo Judgement and the Native Title.

Outline the importance of the following for the land rights movement Native Title Mabo Wik Evidently, the land rights movement involves the ideas of the Wik, Mabo decision, as well as the Native Title. Aboriginal people are able to rebuild connections with their spirituality, through the land. Aspects of Indigenous Aboriginal spirituality such as ancestral spirit beings, totems, sacred duties and rituals are held within the land. Native title refers to individual or communal, rights or interests of Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders in relation to waters or land. This form of land title was considered to be of great significance to Aboriginal people because it allowed them to gain social and economic independence, and was a huge leap in their journey of self determination. It aimed to assist the establishment of native title by organising the Mabo decision. In the end, Aboriginal people want to own their sacred sites, and this can only be achieved through the Native Title. Eddie Mabo was an Indigenous Aboriginal man who established the Mabo decision of June 1992. This decision provided the recognition that Australia was under British settlement in 1788, hence going completely against the concept of Terra Nullius. It was this dramatic result, which contributed towards the establishment of the Native Title. Native Title became part of the known laws of Australia, which meant that Mabo’s observance provided all Aboriginal people with justice and equality. The Wik decision expresses the notion that native, leasehold and some other types of land titles can successfully co exist. This means that there is great degree of fairness within this decision, as both the Aboriginals and the Australian government is pleased.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Re-Entry and Its Effects: Institutional and Post Release Essay

Abstract Reentry is a challenge many offenders face once they are incarcerated and released into society. The term â€Å"reentry’† is a synonym for return and is defined as the act of going back to a prior place, location, situation or setting. Prison re-entry refers to the transition of offenders from prisons or jails back into the community. The concept of life in society is an important part of any reintegration of institutionalized people, including people who have been incarcerated for committing a crime. The institutionalization of a population leads to isolation, segregation and detachment of the elements of a company defining the basis of citizenship. Although individuals often returning to the community focus more on the choice of where they dwell, their long-term success in society is more likely to be dependent on the social roles they have chosen to play, to the extent that they will engage in the community and they have been prepared for this purpose during their incarceration or institutionalization. Reentry can help reduce recidivism as well as assist those who have been previously incarcerated to begin leading law abiding lives once released into society. However, overtime the importance of prisoner reentry has been drastically lowered with less emphasis on helping those to prepare for their release and with post release community integration. As a result, the shortage of reentry programs and limited responsibility of probation or parole to assist in re-entry; the rate at which people return to prison or jail is high. Keywords: reentry, recidivism, institutionalization Re-Entry and Its Effects: Institutional and Post Release Those who are incarcerated do not only serve time inside their prison cell, they also serve time once they are released. There are many barriers that one faces once they are released such as they are denied the right to vote,  access to public assistance, ineligible for food stamps and/or subsidized housing, and some cannot even apply for financial aid. The main problem revolving around those returning home from incarceration is the limited access to rehabilitation and assistance. The Second Chance Act of 2007 was passed on April 9, 2008 and became Public Law 110-199. The Second Chance Act provides a second chance to those reentering society from incarceration. It helps people released from prison turn their lives around and encourages employers to give returning citizens a second chance to contribute to the greater good of the local economy. In this paper I would like to I would like to point out the positive effects of successful reentry and its ability to lower recidivism. I will also discuss the Second Chance Act in further detail, which was created to provide funding for reentry programs. I will further discuss the roles of Probation and Parole and propose how their roles can be shifted to enhance successful community reintegration. I will finally explain how American values and ideologies play a significant role in resolving the issues behind reentry and the obstacles that prisoners are facing through their difficult journey to successful reintegration. Literature Review What is reentry and why is it important to society? Reentry is the process by which one is incarcerated, finishes his or her sentence and is released into society. They are either released because their sentence has been fulfilled, or on parole or probation. If reentry is unsuccessful, the prisoner will usually return to prison, this action is defined as recidivism. Recidivism can be determined by the number of prisoners being released from incarceration into society and then returning to prison. Recidivism is usually identified through arrest, reconviction, or incarceration of those who have reentered society. When released from prison, inmates who enter society are a very unstable group. Hence the reason for the problem of the reentry process as well as its programs. According to Taxman, Young and Byrne the reentry programs should include three or more phases designed to transition the inmate into the community. The first phase would begin in the institution with service delivery congruent with the inmate’s needs. The second phase would begin as the inmate is released from the institution. The inmate’s risks and needs may change significantly as he or she enters the community context. Ideally, the individual would continue in treatment services and case plans would be updated as needed. The final phase is an aftercare or relapse prevention phase where clients would receive ongoing support and services to address their needs (Taxman et al. 2003) The problem with reentry begins with the Corrections part of our Criminal Justice System. While inmates are incarcerated they receive treatment for any health issues as well as various programs to help them upon release. However, the problem with the programs is that they are not being reassessed to determine whether or not they had an impact on the offenders’ risk of future criminal behavior. This process should begin once the offender returns into the community and also while they are under supervision. The results of the reassessment should then guide any changes within the offenders’ treatment plan as well as determine the effectiveness of the programs for future inmates or offenders’. The Second Chance Act of 2007 was created to reauthorize the grant program for reentry of offenders into the community in the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. It was created to improve reentry planning and implementation and for other purposes as well. The act was introduced on March 20, 2007 by House Congressional representative, Danny Davis of Illinois. The act further had ninety-two (92) co-sponsors and was simultaneously introduced in the Senate by Joseph Biden of Delaware. After a little over a year in the House and the Senate, the Second Chance Act of 2007 was finally signed into law on April 9, 2008 by President Bush as Public Law No. 110-199. There are several purposes for the creation of this act. The act was created to break the cycle of criminal recidivism, increase public safety and to better address the growing population of criminal offenders returning to society. It was also created to rebuild the ties between offenders and their families which will in turn promote stable families. The Second Chance Act will further expand the availability of substance abuse facilities, alternatives to incarceration and comprehensive reentry services. The Second Chance Act of 2007 will further protect the public and promote law-abiding conduct by providing the necessary services to offenders while  they are incarcerated and after they reenter the community. It will finally provide offenders in prison, jails, or juvenile facilities with educational, vocational, literacy and job placement services to facilitate a more effective and productive reentry. The Second Chance Act of 2007 highlights all the main areas where reentry is currently lacking. It will create a healthy environment, allowing the prisoner to have a chance at successful reentry. It will also reauthorize adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry projects as well as improve residential substance abuse treatment for state offenders. The Second Chance Act of 2007 will offer several new reentry initiatives. It will create state, local and tribal reentry courts. Further, it will create drug treatment alternatives to prison, and offer grants for family-based substance abuse treatment. It will further provide grants to evaluate and improve education at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities and technology career training. This will break down the long standing barriers to successful reentry. The act will further provide the much needed steps to assure public safety and recovery. Some were skeptical to pass the Second Chance Act because they stated that not enough research has been done on what works with reentry. In response, Representative Jones of Ohio stated, â€Å"We can’t study anymore. We have studied. There are all kinds of studies that have shown that community reentry works. There are all kinds of programs that say diversion works. And there are a lot of young people out here who don’t have a mother or father that is a judge or prosecutor or congresswoman or a state representative to call and say I am a good person. They need us to say in the world that young people, older people, whatever their age, who have been involved in the criminal justice system, paid their dues. They need a chance and we ought to give them the second chance† (Congressional Record, 2007). Ones views of criminal justice come from their values and ideologies. Although America can be seen as a very lenient country as far as their values, people do have very strong feelings towards crime, criminals and prisoner reentry. American values include work ethic, personal responsibility, family, individual equality and the goodness of humanity.  Americans see themselves as individuals who are different from all other individuals. They consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own actions and situations in life (Key American Values). Americans further believe that everyone is of equal value. Americans assume that human nature is basically good and that those who have motivation can achieve any goal set. Finally, Americans have a strong value with regards to work. They admire those who work hard and achieve. A hard worker is one who â€Å"gets right to work† on a task without delay, works efficiently, and completes the task in a way that meets reasonably high standards of quality (Key American Values). Although there are many perspectives that involve criminal justice, the main values of the American society revolve around the issues of reentry. People believe that individuals must be held responsible for their actions. Many individuals believe that there is no way anyone could repay their debt to society after committing a crime. They further feel that those who have been incarcerated have an option to live good lives and achieve their goals but instead choose the easy way out. It is unfortunate that many Americans do not see the realities of society and the realities of the environments that many of the offenders returning home from prison came from and unfortunately will probably be returning to. There are two main ideologies in America; conservatives and liberals. Conservatives believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Liberals believe in governmental action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all, and that it is the duty of the State to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights (Conservatives vs. Liberal Beliefs, 2013). Although Conservatives and Liberals differ immensely, there are those people who are on the borderline of both ideologies. Many Americans hold a prejudice against criminals based on their label. However, regardless of a persons’ values or ideologies, America’s view on criminal justice has shifted over the years. The shift has almost created the mind set of many Americans. The belief that punishment is necessary and that the only way that punishment  can be achieved is through incarceration. Analysis The roles of Probation and Parole are to supervise the offenders once released into society. Probation and parole was designed as an alternative to prison overcrowding. It was merely based on the idea that people can change and will stop their frequent, dysfunctional behavior if given the correct opportunity. This ability to change in conjunction with community safety, allow appropriate offenders to be monitored while showing that they can be productive members of society. Probation and parole officers’ roles in regards to reentry are to assist, supervise and ensure that this does occur with each offender. In most cases they help offenders find housing, jobs, as well as provide structure and support for rehabilitation. While doing so, they are to protect communities by monitoring each offender through meetings, random home and work visits, and sometimes using a global positioning system also knows as a GPS device which tracks an offenders every move. All of the information they obtain regarding each offender, especially any violation of probation, is reported to the courts to then decide whether or not to revoke probation and send the offender to prison. Recommendations Based on my research of the proposed topic of prison reentry, I personally believe there are several ways we could improve the process as well as our programs. First I think we should evaluate and reassess what is working and what is not working. Prisoners who are receiving treatment should continue their treatment even after they are released into society. The programs that are administered to inmates while incarcerated should be reevaluated so we can determine if they really are effective. Based on my research, it seems as if we offer programs to the inmates while incarcerated but once released into society they pretty much on their own. We leave it up to them to make the transition from jail or prison to society. We should be with them every step of the way and offer more assistance for them to rebuild their lives. This is part of the reason why the revolving door exist with some inmates. The help and encouragement should begin while incarcerated. Then once released into society through probation or parole, it’s up to those officers to assist the offender in rebuilding their life. They should  spend time actually getting to know the offender, communicating with the regularly, help them find a job and a place to call their own. Conclusion The federal government recognized and acknowledged the problem of reentry due to efforts such as the Second Chance Act of 2007. This act aided in the implementation of several programs and foundations that would assist in reentry. Hopefully, over a period of time data and research will be collected to evaluate the effectiveness of each program. This data should start once the offender enters the program while incarcerated until they are released into society and under supervision. This data will then allow the country as a whole to develop a successful model to be used in aiding the difficult transition from incarceration to society. Many of those who are currently incarcerated are young, non-violent, first time offenders who make stupid mistakes and deserve a second chance. As stated within this paper, there are various reasons why prison reentry is important to our criminal justice system as well as society. It’s up to us to acknowledge this ongoing problem and do what it takes reduce recidivism and do what it takes to prepare inmates before they are released into society. As stated by Representative Norton from the District of Columbia, â€Å"inmates are now coming home, let’s not make it any worse than it was in condemning them disproportionately under the cocaine guidelines. We owe it to their communities to help them return and become good citizens† (Congressional Record, 2007). References Visher, Christy A. and Jeremy Travis. (2003) Transitions from Prison to Community: Understanding Individual Pathways. Annual Review Sociology. Vol. 29, 2003, pp. 89-113. Harrison, Byron and Robert Carl Schehr. (2004). Offenders and Post Release Jobs: Variables Influencing Success and Failure. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, Vol. 39, No. 3, 2004, pp. 35-68 Key American Values. 1994-1995. Retrieved from online on April 2014 http://www.umsl.edu/~intelstu/Admitted%20Students/Visitor%20Handbook/keyvalues.html Congressional Record – House, (2007) Retrieved from online on April 2014 http://beta.congress.gov/congressional-record/2007/11/13/house-section/articl

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Transatlantic Slave Trade and Its Effects on Africa Research Paper

The Transatlantic Slave Trade and Its Effects on Africa - Research Paper Example According to Muriithi, the blacks were not only massively enslaved, but also sold into bondage across the continents . In wanting to know more about slavery and its impacts one, can try to find out what Transatlantic Slave Trade entails (TST). Traditional answers associate transatlantic trade with enslavement and transportation of Africans to the New World through Atlantic Ocean. According to Green, The transatlantic slave trade was a human atrocity that involved transportation of millions of men and women from sub-Saharan Africa. Green further claims that TST began in 15th century when the European kingdoms portrayed some ability to expand overseas and reach Africa. According to him, the Portuguese was among the first Europeans to expand their demand for slaves into Africa. In tandem to this, Rodney asserts that the Portuguese began by kidnapping people from the West Coast of Africa and transporting them to Europe . According to him, by 16th century, almost 10% of Lisbon was filled up be Africans. In their book, Olaniyan and Sweet also expounds on what must have led to increase in the rate of slave capturing. According to them, the demand for slaves rose exponentially when the Europeans discovered the American continent; both the Europeans and the Americans were insufficient .

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Discussion Board Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Discussion Board - Coursework Example However, the human resource management must make an informed decision pertaining to the award of discretional benefits. The early retirement of employees has merits and demerits to an organization. Therefore, the management must be certain that a decision taken will lead to benefit the organization. The move usually helps in the reduction of anxiety concerning post-employment benefits. Moreover, the initiative benefits the firm given that it spends fewer employees compare to post-retirement benefits. The payment for time not worked affords the employees time for sick leaves, vacations, holidays and bereavement time (Beam and MacFadden, 2010). The benefit is ideal given that it indirectly boosts the performance of the employees. Moreover, it also acts as a performance appraisal time. The work of the employees is reviewed while they are away; hence, the payment for time not worked is a benefit to the company. Additionally, the paid vacations provide the employees with time for rejuvena tion and reflection on their goals while working in the firm. The premium pay also motivates the employees because it is a direct compensation for working in adverse conditions and working for long hours. Therefore, discretionary benefits boost the performance appraisal of employees. Specialized insurance benefits are offered when the clients are faced with emergencies. The benefits enhance a client’s financial security and preparedness for future events. The employment insurance benefits help the clients who have lost their jobs inadvertently. Employees can lose their jobs due to many factors, including a shortage of work and massive layoffs especially during organizational restructuring exercise. According to McCall (2014), specialized insurance benefits are also awarded to the employees when they have no alternative pertaining to the job vacancies. Additionally, clients can be guaranteed outpatient care when the insurance benefits pertaining to health care

Coursework in financial reporting & corporate governance Essay

Coursework in financial reporting & corporate governance - Essay Example The emergence of the concept of corporate governance can be attributed to certain events in the recent past which have shaken the business world. Accounting frauds such as Arthur Anderson, Enron, Satyam and World Com etc in the last decade resulted in loss of shareholder in the way the companies are governed. These disclosures along with the dot com bust which itself had its own share of corporate mis-governance made people loose confidence in the stock markets and the way that the companies are governed. The resulting market fall along with the tremendous impact on the society (loss of jobs, and damage to customers, and financiers) made it necessary to have a systemic framework which shall define the working of a public listed company. More recently, the financial slowdown of 2008-09 has once again raised concern over the governance of such large organizations. The greed to make profits while ignoring risks involved and the eventual loss to the society has made it necessary to have a strong board of directors which has the complete knowledge of the companys operations, policies and business. In a nutshell, the following reasons can be listed for the growth in importance of Corporate Governance: There have been many steps in setting out the standard for safeguarding the interests of the society and stop the occurrence of happenings like the Enron, Maxwell Communications and so on. Amongst the first one was the Cadbury report titled â€Å"Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance† published in the year 2002 (The Committee on the Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance, 1992). Subsequent standards were set up in the form of OECD Principles of Corporate Governance in the year 1999 and the Guidance on Good Practices in Corporate Governance Disclosure. British Airways (BA) and British Petroleum (BP) are the two large UK plcs that we will be comparing for the purpose of this paper. British

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Colonialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Colonialism - Essay Example These forces have prevented the region from achieving liberation (Alkadry 745). Cultural heritage caused by lack of democratic institutions and installation of institutions that favored the British is responsible for lack of progression towards democracy and liberation in Islamic nations. Defensive modernization, imperialism, and direct colonialism work together in some instances against the self-determination of Middle East people. There are mainly two differences between the two traditional democracies. First, the role of the government for western traditional is to protect the individuals’ right to liberty, property, and life while the government’s role in Islamic tradition is to provide economic and social justice. Second, western democracies emphasize more on institutions of democracy and process while in Islamic nations what matters most is the outcome of the democratic. The administrators of colonial countries oppressed people of the Middle East. In other words, they carved them and put regimes that wound not unite the people in the Middle East. The indirect role played by the United States served its interests over those of the Middle Eastern people and this made the people not to experience the fair process of liberation. Globalization is an integration process between nations, people and countries, relates to the situation in the Middle East. For example, without a stable political environment, globalization would not be effective within the region. Additionally, globalization may compromise the sovereignty of independent

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Reflection paper - Essay Example Being a convenience store, we are very passionate about our commitment to customer service. When an employee is new in the organization, he is introduced to the vision and mission statement of the company. This makes all our employees aware of the things that the company values; thus, he is able to work within these values and eventually it is instilled in him. It is in our company’s culture to make the employee feel fulfilled. The company believes that the employees should be provided with never-ending opportunities for growth. Our organization believes that the job of every employee should always be a learning experience for them. Furthermore, management emphasizes team achievement rather than personal gains of the employees. There are several factors which I like in our organizational culture. I appreciate very much the sense of belongingness that I feel in the organization. We as managers are always consulted in various aspects which affects our work. Management is always ready to hear our opinions and accept our suggestions. Team building and employee empowerment is a positive attribute of our organization. One of the things that I do not like about our culture is that sometimes I feel that the customers’ satisfaction is over emphasized. There are times when it is difficult for us to deal with some of the customers’ request but we still have to go out of our way to please them. I understand however, that it is necessary because our industry is very competitive. If we displease a customer, we might drive them away from our store. Another thing that I do not like about our organizational culture is that there are times when an individual’s effort is not given much importance. This is because team effort is always emphasized. As a manager, I think one way that I can positively impact our organizational culture is by mentoring my staff to be more conscious of the needs of the customers. Since our culture

Monday, September 23, 2019

Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Business Environment - Essay Example The firm has developed its brand through the high quality food and service that it offers to all its customers. The firm has been able to capture a desirable percentage of market shares in terms of food market and on the other hand Waitrose has also gained its importance in the organic food market and fish market. This British supermarket chain which is partnership firm has an employee base of 91,000 (Randall and Seth, 2011).The organization operates on the concept of centralized decision making. Albam a small high street retailer was founded by Alastair Rae and James Shaw who have proved to be great partners through their decision making approach and strategy formulation. Both of them worked together with all its workers so as to deliver the best services to all its customers and position themselves as a strong brand in the market (Pride, Hughes and Kapoor, 2011).The retail business of Albam is focused towards developing sophisticated and practical menswear that is aligned with the ever changing fashion scenario. The small retailer has extended its branches into two other locations in London. The business ownership structure of this small retail firm is that the owners and staff aim at providing personal service to all its customers. The staffs get feedback from the customers and on that basis they develop their designs so that they are able to retain their customers and create more of timeless fashion (Menipaz and Menipaz, 2011).Thus it can be stated that ownership structu re of Waitrose which is a big firm, is completely different with that of a small firm such as Albam. In case of Albam the focus towards customer loyalty and dealing individually with customers but on the other hand the owners of Waitrose are more aligned towards smooth running of the subsidiary by enhancing their level of service through providing online facilities to all its customers (Heskett, Sasser

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Regenerative medicine Essay Example for Free

Regenerative medicine Essay Regenerative medicine Is the process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function. It can be used for many things by many different techniques. It can benefit many different people in many different ways. Regenerative medicine replaces/repairs tissues that the body cannot repair on its own. This includes things such as organs like kidneys; if one needs to be removed we may be able to replace/repair It. Regenerative medicine can save lives and be a lot more useful than average people may think it Is. Using state of the arc technology we may be able to prevent organ transplant rejection due to the fact that we can grow the organ from the patients owns cells/tissue. Current estimates say that approximately one in three Americans can benefit from regenerative medicine. Stem cells are used a lot in regenerative medicine. The stem cells are what are used to create the organ in the lab. The scientists first take the stem cells and place them and a model for them to grow on. Once the stem cells have grown and formed tissues around the mold they add what the organ needs to do its function. They then end electrical signals to bring the organ to life, like a heartbeat, almost as if they are reviving it. This has the potential of saving millions of lives in the long run, maybe even billions, or eventually trillions if mankind last that long. Of course technology will advance and there will be dfferent techniques and approaches for regenerative medlclne, but technology Is developing faster than ever in the past 100 years, so we may not be as far away from achieving great things as you might think. Say someone needs a new bladder, but no bladders that match them are currently available. Well with regenerative medicine we can create a new bladder in a hopefully short period of time with the tissues and cells of the person who needs the bladder. Therefor there will be no shortage of organs and no problems regarding the body rejecting the organ anyways. The only downside of this Is that growing tissues and cells takes time. So, If the patient needs a new bladder Immediately, growing one will not be an opuon because It will not grow fast enough In time for the person to live. But I see that there are three solutions. Solution one is that people could regularly visit their octor to be sure nothing is wrong, so if something is wrong we may be able to notice it before Its too late. Solution two is that in the future we can only hope that technology will be advanced enough for us to speed up the growth of these tissues, this will help In situations where the patients does not have a lot of time. The third solution Is that If we have the materials needed, we could eventually create enough organs with enough different tissues that nine times out of ten, one of the organs will match. I believe that any of these three solutions could work, but they ingredient to chieving this is time and effort. This is why I feel like more people should be choosing careers in science. It is very interesting and can help benefit all humans on the plant in the long run. So If more people worked with regenerative medicine who knows what the limits could be. Fasclnatlon wltn ty to regenerate tlssues ana organs nas exlstea slnce mankind first realized that it is possible (This was thousands of years ago, even though they couldnt really do anything and the term regenerative medicine was not used). Long before the term Regenerative Medicine was came up with, humans were ealizing the effects and capabilities of medicinal intervention. The Ancient Civilizations of Sameria, Egypt, China, India, and South America all pioneered medical discoveries and techniques that still impact the field today. Practices that we take for granted, such as cleansing and debridement of wounds using vegetable and mineral concoctions were common. Hundreds of scientists and philosophers over thousands of years have worked to establish our current technologies. The early 1800s saw a huge expansion in the fields of biology and medicine when scientists revealed that all ife depends on chemical reactions that occur within cells, which could, in fact, be reproduced in the laboratory. The discovery and official introduction of antibiotics by Alexander Flemming in 1928 changed the field of health-care forever. Followed shortly after by the discovery of cell division and heritability in the form of a helical, ladder-like structure, called DNA, science was geared to bring a whole other ball game. These discoveries meant that human biology and the systems contained within could now be brought into and manipulated in the laboratory. As the turn of he 20th century hit, previously mystical processes of life science finally become tangible. Regenerative medicine has grown from prior activities including surgery, surgical implants (artificial hips), and increasingly sophisticated bio-material scaffolds (skin grafts). The work that truly launched regenerative medicine into a tangible area of science began as cell therapy. Work in the field of transplantation in the mid-1950s gave rise to some of the first therapeutic surgeries in medicine. Performed on identical twins, the first kidney transplant occurred in 1954 followed by he first liver and lung transplants in 1963, pancreas transplant in 1966, and the first heart transplant in 1967. Bone marrow transplants for treatment of leukemia patients had the public and scientific communities in an uproar of excitement. Following this wave of enthusiasm, cell biologists began to question the capabilities of the integrity of the tissues being transplanted and wondered whether it was possible to create, grow, and harvest these tissues in the laboratory. Thus began the era of Tissue Engineering which has lead us into the field of Regenerative Medicine. Cell therapy is a therapy in which cellular material is injected into a patient. Cell therapy originated in the nineteenth century when scientists experimented by injecting animal material in an attempt to prevent and treat illness. Although such attempts produced no positive benefit, further research found in the mid twentieth century showed that human cells could be used to help prevent the human body rejecting transplanted organs, leading in time to successful bone marrow transplantation. Today two distinct categories of cell therapy are recognized. The first ategory is cell therapy in mainstream medicine. This is the subject of intense research and the basis of potential therapeutic benefit. Such research, especially when it involves human embryonic material, is controversial. The second category is in alternative medicine, and perpetuates the practice of injecting animal materials in an attempt to cure disease. This practice, according to the American Cancer Society, Is not DacKea Dy any mealcal evidence 0T erectlveness, ana can nave aea01y consequences.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Stroop methodology: attentional bias in alcohol drinkers

Stroop methodology: attentional bias in alcohol drinkers This study is on attentional bias in alcohol drinkers. In this experiment undertaken the main objective is to find out whether alcohol drinkers are likely to allocate their attention to alcohol-related words, because if our attention is owed to the alcohol-related content, or if our memory processes becomes occupied, the researcher should identify a delay in reaction when the participants are naming the colour of an alcohol-related word when presented. The study therefore hypotheses that moderate alcohol drinkers are likely to allocate their attention to alcohol-related words. For this study, there were 170 participants in total, all aged 18years plus. The Stroop task method was used on the computer (PC). The gathered results were entered into the computer (PC) to calculate descriptive and inferential statics, so the results could be seen visually and statistically. The results show there is significance to the prediction that attentional bias will influence our memory processes in r elation to alcohol drinkers. Introduction Attentional Bias refers to the term not allowing one to examine all possible outcomes when judging about an association. Previous research stems from the famous Stroop effect that was discovered in 1930 by J.Ridley Stroop. This was an experimental effect in which he discovered that the individuals cognitive processing ability was very powerful. In other words The Stroop effect (Stroop, 1935) is a prime example of the human failure to attend selectively to a particular aspect of a complex stimulus (Algom, D., Chajut, E., Lev, S. (2004). Since most researchers are interested in finding out things, the logical next step would be to develop further on and ask whether this actual delay in reaction time is due to moderate drinkers compared to light drinkers. In order to test the effectiveness of this Stroop effect, one uses the colour words example. By this, we mean words that are written using same coloured ink i.e. red written in red ink, and words written in different coloured ink i.e. red written in blue. The participants are asked to read the words and not the colour. This sounds easier to do than it actually is. In this study the methodology and the affects of the Stroop test will be critically evaluated. To achieve this, previous research and literature will be drawn upon. A study of Duka and Townshend (2001) demonstrated attentional bias associated with alcohol cues: differences between heavy and occasional social drinkers, they used a dot probe (alcohol-related pictures and words) and questionnaires, and the aim was to examine whether non-dependent heavy drinkers would differ in their selective attention towards alcohol-related stimuli compared to social drinkers, the results showed attentional bias amongst the heavy drinkers in relation to alcohol-related stimuli, scores in factors such as sociability and sexuality shown to also be high, but low on personality and persistence. A further study of Duka and Townshend (2004) demonstrated the priming effect of alcohol pre-load on attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli; they used a dot probe and questionnaires, and the aim of this study was to examine whether attentional bias towards alcohol-related stimuli wound increase after priming with either one or two doses of alcohol/placebo, the results on m ood ratings showed dose dependent increased in positive mood radar after alcohol pre-load, and in the dot probe task, all participants showed attentional bias towards the alcohol-related stimuli, and the neutral bias was only positive at low alcohol dosage. A study of Sharma, Albery, and Cook (2001) demonstrated selective attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli in problem drinkers and non-problem drinkers; they used a modified Stroop task (computerized), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in order to measure Anxiety, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to allow scoring (high or low), the participants were divided into three groups: local community alcohol service (CAS), student volunteers who were divided into two control groups, the aim of this study was to examine whether patient of problem drinkers selectively attend to alcohol-related stimuli compare to the two control groups of non-problem drinkers, the results indicate significance amongst the CAS group in longer reaction times in responding to colour of alcohol-related words compared to neutral words, with reduced interference for the high AUDIT group, therefore significant; in the low AUDIT group no significance was found. Additionally, no evidence is provid ed in the interference habituated amongst the three groups. A study of Stetter, Ackermann, Scherer, Schmid, Straube, and Mann (1994) demonstrated whether alcoholics develop an information processing bias towards disease-related stimuli, the results indicated an increase of error amongst alcoholics when presented with the disease-related stimuli compared to the neutral conditions, and controls. A further study Stetter, Ackemann, Bizer, Straube, and Mann (1995) by testing their hypothesis that alcoholics develop a disease-related attentional bias, with 40 male alcohol-dependent, and 40 male healthy, and used the Stroop colour-naming task, the results showed alcoholic inpatients performed significantly poorer than the control group under the critical experimental condition (colour-naming of disease-related words), as compared with the non-critical condition (colour-naming of neutral words; p = 0.03), no effects were found on the reaction times. A study of Johnsen, Laberg, Cox, Vaksdal, and Hugdahl, (1994) conducted in Norway demonstrated attentional bias in the processing of alcohol-related words on alcoholic subjects, using the Stroop colour and word test, the results indicate the alcoholics respond slowly on all categories, more so on alcohol-related words compared to the control group, and both groups responded slowly to colour interfering words than neutral words, the findings suggests that the alcoholic subjects allocated their attention to alcohol-related words, therefore allowing their cognitive processes take over making it impossible to ignore the alcohol-related words. Method Participants The participants were recruited the students at London South Bank University. There will be 170 participants in total, 34 males (17-moderate and 14-light drinkers) and 139 females (68 moderate and 71-light drinkers), and all the participants were adults aged 18years plus. Apparatus All participants were asked to complete the tasks on a computer (PC), and the same apparatus was used to store data, and later analyse the data collected. Design The Stroop task method is used and the two-way ANOVA test will be used to analyse data (2 X 2 Mixed subject design). There are two independent variables i) Group (light vs. moderate alcohol drinkers) ii) Word Type (neutral vs. alcohol-related words), and the dependent variable is the reaction time to identifying the colour the word is presented in. In order to verify differences that may occur, the between group and within group will be looked at in more depth. Procedure In this study, the following was explained. Each participant was asked to follow the instructions provided on the screen. Labels were placed on the buttons on the keyboard for each subject to make their responses. There are two set type of words (alcohol-related words and neutral words). The participants were required to complete a serious of trials in responding to the colour of the ink that the word is written in (BLUE, RED, YELLOW, and GREEN) and (VODKIA, J.DANIELS, GIN, and BEER) rather than word. Part of the instruction was that they must complete each trail as quickly and accurately as possible, as their reaction time would be recorded Results The results of the 2 x 2 ANOVA was used to analyse the data. The effects of word type (alcohol-related words and neutral words) f = (1,168) 140.16, p = . Neutral Word Alcohol Word Main Effect of Drinking Type Light 840.00 mean score (34.28) sd 870.52 mean score (28.51) sd 855.26 mean score (31.66) sd Moderate 849.91 mean score (28.86) sd 892.67 mean score (21.26) sd 871.29 mean score (24.73) sd Main Effect of Word Type 845.01 mean score (31.95) sd 881.73 mean score (27.39) sd Fig 1: The table below shows the mean scores, and standard deviation of the word type (alcohol-related words and neutral words), and drinking (moderate drinkers and light drinkers) Fig 2: shows the interaction graph Discussion For this study the hypotheses do support, in other words significance was found. The literature of the prior studies using the Stroop paradigm with alcohol-related stimuli has a number of fundamental methodological problems. According to Sharma, Albery, and Cook (2001) the first problem identified is that the multitude of different variables that could potentially be manipulated giving a totally different set of results. It therefore becomes apparent that one needs to be very clear on exactly what the variables are and what exactly the researcher wants to achieve. Another problem identified is that of the actual format administered. Again, many issues may arise regarding the way in which the test is formatted. If the format is changed, will the result change along with it? As more development is completed in this area of study on alcohol addiction, the researcher no doubt will see that, the variables and the modes of administration discussed above will have a huge effect on the study. For example, one set of results could construct stronger effects than others, and that the other probable central variables make no difference at all to the outcome. The researcher should also take into account that however, a task is administered to the participants is bound to have both advantages and disadvantages, and can be improved upon. This does not mean that one way is better than the other. It just means that the researcher needs to be aware of this and choose a methodology that best works for them. Choosing the correct methodology in any study therefore can be just as important as the actual study itself. What becomes apparent is that there is no particular way of carrying out a study. Either way studies will carry certain advantages and disadvantages. One particular study related to our discussion was the single-word presentation of the Stroop stimuli. In this case, the stimuli were given in card format. One card had all the needed stimuli for alcohol -related words while the other had neutral words. The time taken by each subject to colour name the words on the first card compared to the second was recorded. In other words, recorded reaction time. This format, although used on many studies, comes with its limitations. Evidence obtained concludes that it is difficult to accurately measure the response time by the individuals and that the process evolved is very time consuming and involves a lot of calculations. In other words this type of format may be seen as being time consuming and tedious for the researcher to carry out. Its not all bad however, the card format can have an advantage in that it produces stronger interference effects (e.g. McNally, Amir and Lipke, 1996; Williams et al., 1996), presumably because it provides a se mantic network of words in a given category (Sharma, et al 2001). In addition, the individuals words recorded in terms of its reaction time are not used with any presentation mode, as each participants reaction times to each category of stimuli are averaged prior to statistical analysis. Other objections to the use of card presented stimuli were that the total time measured included both correct and incorrect responses. Previous research shows that the amount of trials where errors occurred is in fact rare and equivalent for different categories of stimuli. Furthermore, studies by Stetter et al also seem to agree. His study shows that card format stimuli does not allow for the measurement of time-cause of alcohol attentional bias. For instance, with these card presentations one would not know if the strongest bias occurred for alcohol words presented earlier and then the bias attenuated. An attempt to rectify this issue was to assess participants habituation to the stimuli across time. This was achieved by observing how reaction times to the alcohol and neutral stimuli changed during the course of the experiment. In relation to Johnsen et al studies, it was criticized in many aspects such as, the word types not being matched on the frequency. Additionally being assured in using two words alcohol-related words, for example liquor store; red wine. (Sharma, et al 2001).However, Johnsen et al stated clearly that since the studies were carried out in Norway, the words were obviously translated in Norwegian vinmonopol = liquor store, and rodvin = red wine, and as you can see, when translated its single words. Further criticisms were put forward to why the participants were asked to press the key response button; and call out the name of the colour. Sharma et al study contained a number of problems. Firstly, the neutral words were long to a given category (environmental features), which affects the reaction times. Secondly, the number of neutral words being associated closely to the four ink colours (e.g. blue, red, brown, green), also how these colours were closely linked to the words (e.g. blue s ky, green grass). Also concerns were put forward on the manner of design (e.g. low, middle, and high) drinking groups. Lastly, problems occurred with the problem drinkers, who may have resolved their alcohol problems being placed amongst the heavier drinkers. To conclude, there are two opposing thoughts with the methodology used; one that the Stroop paradigm is highly objective, valid and reliable, and the other that some are not worthy of inclusion. Many researchers are continuing to offer theoretical explanations to account for the Stroop paradigm, and still trying to make sense on how it could be adapted to be more advanced in being improved.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Essay On Corporate Social Responsibility Accounting Essay

Essay On Corporate Social Responsibility Accounting Essay The term stakeholders means a party that can effect or be effected by the actions of the business as a whole and they are the group of members without whose support the organisation cannot exist or they are the interested parties who is keen to know what the business is doing. In this situation the stakeholder is Steve Morgan who is the controller of the Newton Industries and is interested in production cost reports. What are the ethical issues involved in this situation? Steve Morgan is involved in the ethical issue as he did not inform the management that the advertising cost is expensed in the current period the net income wouldnt be overstated and this would help the financial managers to make decisions and maintain effective control over resources. What would you do if you were Steve Morgan ? Managerial Accounting or management accounting is a set of practices and techniques aimed at the providing managers with financial information to help them make decisions and maintain effective control over corporate resources. So, if I was in Steve Morgans position I would had recorded the advertising cost as expense in the current period , so as to not to overstate net income. BYP 3-6 Who are the potential stakeholders involved in this situation? The term stakeholders means a party that can effect or be effected by the actions of the business as a whole and they are the group of members without whose support the organisation cannot exist or they are the interested parties who is keen to know what the business is doing. In this case the potential stakeholders are Jan Wooten who is department head in the Moulding Dept. And Tony Ferneti who is quality control inspector of moulding department and are interested in saving the companys money. What alternatives does Tony have in this situation? What might the company do to prevent this situation from occurring? Tony has two alternatives in this situation, first alternative is that pass through the inspection and on to the Assembly Department all the units that had defects non-detectable to the human eye. The second alternative is that Tony can reject all the units that had defects. The company can lower the wages of the employees so that the employees will be extra vigilant and will be careful. Also the company could use the extra money after lowering the wages in providing the employees a better training and could avoid such situation in the future. Part B: Essay on corporate social responsibility CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in business is related to the obligation of companies and other business organizations to increase their positive influence and reduce their negative activity toward society. In that sense, while ethics is a matter for each individual in the business field, social responsibility is related to the influence of an organizations business decisions on society. One of the most significant principles on which modern business is based is that of an organization based on responsibility. Organizations must take responsibility for their role in society. Corporate Social Responsibility is becoming an increasingly important activity to businesses nationally and internationally. As globalization accelerates and large corporations serve as global providers, these corporations have progressively recognised the benefits of providing CSR programs in their various locations. CSR activities are now being undertaken throughout the globe. The rationale for CSR has been articulated in a number of ways. In essence it is about building sustainable businesses, which need healthy economies, markets and communities.(megatrend) The key drivers for CSR are: Enlightened self-interest creating a synergy of ethics, a cohesive society and a Sustainable global economy where markets, labour and communities are able function well together. Social investment contributing to physical infrastructure and social capital is increasingly seen as a necessary part of doing business. Transparency and trust business has low ratings of trust in public perception. There is increasing expectation that companies will be more open, more accountable and be prepared to report publicly on their performance in social and environmental. Increased public expectations of business globally companies are expected to-do more than merely provide jobs and contribute to the economy through taxes and employment. The concept of corporate social responsibility has been standardized and today represents an integral part of integrated management systems. The principles connected with existing definitions of corporate social responsibility consist of the following: taking part in community life, accountability, sustainability, transparency, ethical behaviour (without corruption), honesty and inclusion. Socially responsible companies adhere to the triple result approach, keeping in mind the social, economic and environmental influence of their business operations. (Weygand, kimmel kieso. 6th Ed, p 21) Framework of CSR CSR is important, as its a starting point towards building CSR into management control systems. The different phases are also named steps. This is done because the framework works as a continuum where different steps follow one another and a step cannot be skipped when heading to a system working in day-to-day work and helping to reach set goals. In step three the management control system is shaped and it represent the processes, systems and tools by which the management guides the organizations and its employees behaviour to fulfil the set strategy and targets. To facilitate management actions management should get proper reporting of the step three. After attaining CSR outcomes these outcomes can be reported to the stakeholders via CSR reporting. The steps will be used to analyze the empirical results of the study. The stage of alignment of CSR into management control systems in the case companies will be analyzed according to this framework. In this internal control the role of a ccounting plays a very important concept. Corporate social responsibility and important of accounting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ CSR is a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns into their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ CSR is the process by which managers within an organization think about and discuss relationships with stakeholders as well as their roles in relation to the common good, along with their behavioural disposition with respect to the fulfilment and achievement of these roles and relationships Several concepts related to CSR, which apply to the accounting areas: Environmental Management Accounting, Social Environmental Accounting and Environmental Reporting or Social Responsibility Accounting. These concepts link CSR to the accounting system, arguing for the importance of such aspects in the work of accountants. Very well informed businesses and non-profit organizations environment seems aware of the importance of good CSR practices. CSR developed a portal presenting and advertising very well the experience of CSR and international organizations in this area. Such companies in our country have initiated several projects and initiatives. CSR-related concepts influence significantly the accountancy profession for example, Environmental Management Accounting is the management of environmental and economic performance via management accounting systems and practices that focus on both physical information on the flow of energy, water, materials, and wastes, as well as monetary information on related costs, earnings and savings. (tkf.org.in) Managerial accounting is reflected by both physical information on the use, flows and destinies of energy, water and materials, and monetary information on environment-related costs, earnings and savings sides. It has such application fields as: assessment of annual environmental costs/expenditure, product pricing, budgeting, investment appraisal, calculating costs, savings and benefits of environmental systems, environmental performance evaluation, indicators and benchmarking, external disclosure on environmental expenditures, investments and liabilities. As this shows, and we will further develop, it is then imperative that all parties involved in the accounting domain consider fostering such competencies in accountants, for the overall good of the society. Managerial Accountability is an international standard for social responsibility, created by Council on Economic Priority Accreditation Agency with the goal of securing an ethical source of products and services. This standard is of a voluntary character and can be applied to any company, regardless of size and branch of operations. Also, the standard can either replace or be a supplement to companies or industries with a specific code of social responsibility.(amfiteatur.economic) Part C: Essay on budgeting Budget: Is a formal written statement of managements plan for a specified future time period, expressed in financial terms. It represents the primary method of communicating agreed-upon objectives throughout the organization. Once adopted, a budget becomes an important basis for evaluating performance. It promotes efficiency and serves as a deterrent to waste and inefficiency. (Weygandt, Kimmel Kieso, 6th Ed, p 384) Some employees will question the need for a budget. The procedure of budget preparation is at times seen as difficult, and it is not constantly clear how the attempt that is required leads to any fruitful production. Furthermore, budgets can be seen as imposing constraint that is hard to live with and establish goals that are difficult to meet. Despite these dismal remarks, it is very important that organizations carefully plan their financial affairs to attain financial achievement. These plans are normally expressed as budgets. A budget is detailed financial plans that quantify future expectations and actions relative to acquiring and using resources. (Principles of Accounting) In small organization, formal budgets are an unusual object. The individual management/owners likely manage only by reference to a common mental budget. The person has a good sense of estimated sales, costs, financing, and asset needs. Each operation is under direct oversight of this person and confidently she or he has the capacity to keep things on a logical course. When things dont go well, the management/owners can normally take up the slack by not taking a pay check or engage in some other form of financial requirement. Of course, much small business eventually is unsuccessful anyway. Explanation for unsuccessful are several and varied, but are often pinned on undercapitalization or insufficient resources to sustain operations. Many of these post-mortem assessments reflect a failure to adequately plan! Even in a small company, a reliable business budget/plan can often result in anticipate and avoiding terrible outcomes. Medium and big organization consistently relies on budgets. This is likewise true in business, government, and non-profit organization. The budget provides a formal quantitative phrase of opportunity. It is an essential aspect of the planning and control process. Without a budget, an business will be highly unproductive and ineffective. (Principles of Accounting) Advantages of Detailed Budgeting: There are several advantages of detailed budgeting for business which are. First of all creating a budget is a long term perspective so it enables to think in a long term and moves away from making short term goals. It also allows thinking long term financial position and profitability of a business no matter if the planned budget doesnt successes. (Accounting Tools) Making a detailed business budget allows to pin point where the company generates it most of the revenue as in many cases it is easy that the management looses the most profitable aspect. It forces management to consider to whether it should let go non productive part of business and which new one to invest in. (Accounting Tools) Budgeting allows business to think what the key purpose of the business is and to forecast environmental factors that may affect the performance of the business. This forecasting enables to develop strategy to overcome different environmental pressure. (Accounting Tools) A detailed budgeting allows business to look forward what future cash flows will be required for the expansion of the business and from where to generate funds in order to meet the future growth needs. (Beyond) Formulating a budget also allows you to evaluate the performance of the business. Where the business is now and where to be and how to get there. It provides step by step information which is helpful in reaching where the business wants to be. Without budget it is very difficult to evaluate the current performance of business. It measures the planned performance with actual which gives a complete and true picture of the business. (Weygandt, Kimmel Kieso, 6th Ed, p 385) Budgeting enables managers to decide where to allocate funds as cash are always limited. Whether to invest in fixed assets to increase production for matching future demands or to invest in working capital. It also enables business to decide which asset is worth investing. (Beyond) A realistic established budget enhances the probability that the business will successes because it contains all the essentials and targets that have to be accomplished and also enables the business owner to according to the planned activities. (Accounting Tools) In addition detailed budgeting also helps to formulate different department goals and different functional goals. The functionality of all the departments are necessary to run the business mechanism. Basically budget creates a harmony among the entire department prevailing in a particular business. (Principles of Accounting) A budget is not only useful for owner or managers of business but it is also useful for the investors. Budgets helps investors to check if the business have enough potential and if the business if worth investing. Investors see the budget to find out what are the goals of business and investing in that particular business will maximize the probability of better return in terms of interest. (Accounting Tools) Budgets are not just useful in comparing your own performance with the planned one but it is also useful in comparing the performance of your business with the overall industry, like what are the labor rate prevailing in the market, what price to charge from customer, what volume to sell in order to get maximum revenue. (Accounting Tools) Conclusion: A strong budgeting system serves as an effective planning and control tool that allows a business to plan its short term and long term strategy towards achievement of its short term and long term goals, by: Setting up targets for individual departments of the Company, Checking and ensuring the availability of necessary resources for the achievement of the said targets, Streamlining the goals of different departments with that of the organization, Monitoring the actual performance against the budget, Adjusting the performance deficiencies by referring back to the budget Adjusting the budget where required by incorporating the changes in the working environment, and Continuously planning for effective and better performance. All in all a budget is a system of governance that enables the management to build up the business by adequately planning its each move in the market and maintain a pro-active approach in its business that serves as a plus point in a competitive business environment if managed effectively and intelligently. (Weygandt, Kimmel Kieso, 6th Ed, p 385 386)

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Analysis On Racism In Huck Finn Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In July of 1876, a man by the name of Samuel Clemens began writing one of the most important and influential works in America’s literary history. Under the pseudonym of Mark Twain, the work was begun as a sequel to Twain’s popular boy’s adventure novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. As he progressed in the writing of the sequel, Twain, an author already noted for his humor, cynicism, and American social criticism, began to lean away from strictly the boy’s adventure style towards a more serious, critical look at society. By the time Twain had finished writing the novel in 1884, eight years after it was begun, he had produced The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, his greatest work and possibly on of the greatest works of American literature. With The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain attempted to illustrate his contempt for certain aspects of specifically pre-Civil War Southern society through the eyes of the innocent Huck Finn. Howeve r, his focus was not entirely on pre-War Southern society, for criticism of aspects of modern society as a whole was evident, as well as on aspects of human nature. Although Twain had essential produced a superficial boy’s adventure novel, it’s very themes are not characteristic of such a genre. The themes that are developed throughout the novel include that of hypocrisy, racism, violence, and gullibility. These four themes represent the elements of pre-War Southern society that bear Twain’s main criticisms throughout the pages of the novel. Specifically, much of Twain’s critical focus landed upon the theme of racism. Racism, in all of its ignorance and crudeness, is present in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, from the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson’s attempt to â€Å"sivilize† Huck to Tom Sawyer’s startling acclamation that Jim was already free. Huck is confronted with example after example of Southern society’s innate racis m, some of which Huck too has inherited. As Jim and Huck journey down the mighty Mississippi, Huck begins to lose those inborn racist sentiments in his through his uninfluenced life with Jim. By closely developing the theme of racism through Huck’s internal struggle with reality and with society’s reality, Twain attempts to illustrate his contempt for the outright injustice of one of society’s most disturbing and irrational aspects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the novel b... ...probes deeper into Jim’s despair, he discovers that Jim feels wholeheartedly guilty about an incident that occurred in his relationship with his deaf and dumb daughter. Jim’s great display of emotion surprises Huck, for he has inherited the belief that a black man is not capable of such a degree of emotion. â€Å"He was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn’t ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe that he cared just as much for his people as white folks does their’n. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so.† (Twain 23) Society’s belief that the black race was inferior to the white race in every way, including emotion, is illustrated in this sentence. Huck’s surprise that Jim loves his family just as much as white people do is simply a belief that he has inherited from civilized society. Twain demonstrates the inherent racial prejudice of pre-Civil War Southern society in a satirical manner. The notion that black people do not care for the families as much as white people care for theirs seems utterly ridiculous to the reader. However, in the South, this notion was commonplace and accepted.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

breaking the norm Essay -- essays research papers

Breaking the Norms  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When each of us was conceived, we did not have anything influencing our perception of the world. While we were growing up and still do this day, our surroundings influenced the way we think and the how we behave in our daily lives. We get ideas about gender roles from our parents, our teachers, television, books and even subconsciously. As part of a project to break the norms of society and push past peoples thresholds, I needed to figure out what made people feel uncomfortable. I thought for a moment and decided to tackle homophobia. I choose this topic because very few men are comfortable talking about the subject of gay men. It is my objective to better understand why men think the way we do. In order to get started I needed to brainstorm.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a little bit of deliberation, Juan and some other male classmates decided to hold hands and walk through the student union. Picture four grown men holding each others hands, walking through the middle of campus. As you can imagine, we received a lot of looks. We walked around for about five minutes as if nothing was going on. People seemed to be staring at us for a moment saying to themselves â€Å"what are they doing?† This is something that never happens in society. You hardly ever see men holding hands, much less four grown men swinging each others arms. Honestly, my first thought was that we would look so gay if we did this. Others in the group were skeptical at first to do this as well. When we walked into class, the students seem to cringe when they saw us take our seats.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After that day I decided to take my project one step farther and push past everyone’s threshold. In order to break the norms of society and truly make people uncomfortable, I decided to wear the color pink for the entire day of school. I went to the local Savers and purchased several items that were very feminine. I bought a pair of pink and yellow striped bellbottoms and a tight pink collared shirt. I wore the clothes to school in the hopes to witness the students reactions to me wearing clothes completely out of the ordinary. After attending two classes that day, I decided to talk to some friends of mine. They all told me that I looked like a â€Å"fag.† I finally had broke the norms of society and at the same time caught my friends stereot... ...ey take it in the rear!† Some of the men I asked even said they felt â€Å"homosexuality is like a disease that you might rub off on you if you get too close.† Many of these men felt like their families would disown them. My feeling is that if you are not gay then you have no reason to be afraid of someone who is. I feel that if you have no doubt in your sexuality then you wouldn’t feel threatened by someone who is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I don’t feel that men are truly independent or confident enough to let go and feel as comfortable as females do. I feel that the social construction of our society needs to be modified. Men need to be taught that it is okay to show emotion and that whatever their sexuality is, it doesn’t matter. To be more masculine we should learn to cope with our sexuality, and not be afraid. Masculinity does not mean without feeling, it means being strong and coming to terms with who you are. Wearing a pink shirt or holding hands with someone doesn’t mean anything then just that. With so many influences changing our perception of the world, its hard to make the right choices. You should not be so quick to judge someone, and in this case, why does it matter?

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Bank of America Corp Essay

Bank of America Corporation supplies banking and non-banking financial services and products to individual customers and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the form of retail banking, larger corporations and government of the United States and even to international arena. The bank generates the savings accounts, money market savings accounts, checking accounts from the deposits segment. The Global Card services segment allows the US consumers with business cards, consumer lending and international debit card services. The Home Loans and Insurance segment offers it consumers with products and services related to real estate such as mortgage and home equity loans. The Global banking segment gives commercial loans, leasing, short-term loans, capital management and treasury solutions. The Global Markets solution provides advisory services, custody services and securities clearing. The bank’s Global Wealth and Investment Management segment caters to estate management, brokerage services, credit and banking expertise. The profit margin for the bank was 7. 05 percent in the past year. Bank of America has a $1. 5 trillion goal for community development lending focusing on affordable housing, SMEs, consumer financing and economic development in general. Global Consumer and Small Business Banking is the largest segment of the bank and focuses mostly on credit card issuance and consumer banking. This division has over 6200 retail branches and over 18700 ATMs over the US. The bank is also a member of Global ATM alliance- initiative taken by many banks to that enable the customers to use the ATM or check card with no fees. The organization also supplies its employees to buy hybrid vehicles and has an eco-friendly tower in Manhattan and even gives mortgage loan breaks to consumers whose homes pass as being energy efficient. The bank has even donated money for the health centers in Massachusetts and to the homeless shelters in Miami. JP Morgan Chase and Company: JP Morgan Chase provides a variety of financial services across the globe. There is the Investment bank segment for corporate strategy and structure, capital raising in equity and debt markets, risk management and provides the financial institutions, governments and corporations with institutional investors. There is Commercial banking segment that does lending, treasury services, cash management, trade and whole sale cards to SMEs and multinational companies. The Asset management segment provides wealth and investment management services to institutions as well as retail investors. Global investment management in equities, real estate, hedge funds, fixed income, money market instruments and banking deposits are also offered by the bank. The company has Retail financing services segment that caters to retail banking for the consumer through checking and savings accounts, mortgages, home equity and business loans and online banking and telephone banking. The Card Services segment provides the credit cards and keeps track of the credit payments processes. The profit margin for the latest fiscal year has been 19. 52 percent. Its consumer functions involve more than 3000 branches, 8500 ATMs and 270 mortgage offices. JP Morgan and Chase fared well compared to its peer in the credit crunch of 2007 and even though investment banking unit suffered and the bank even increased its loan reserves losses by $4. 3 billion. And even then the net income of the bank was 25 percent due to the growth in strong earnings of the bank’s credit card and commercial banking units. After the survival of the bank in such a tough scenario it has proven the effectiveness with which it has been offering the diverse array of financial services businesses. Citigroup and Inc: The company has two distinct segments: Citicorp and Citi Holdings. Citicorp is the global bank for the businesses plus the consumers and is divided into two main businesses namely: Regional consumer banking and institutional clients group. The regional consumer banking provides the conventional services of retail banking, cards and commercial banking on small-scale in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Catering to the securities and banking services such as investment banking, advisory services, lending, debt and equity sales, foreign exchange, institutional brokerage and treasury and trade solutions is the institutional clients group. Whereas the segment Citi Holdings has three businesses to look at: brokerage and asset management, local consumer lending and special asset pool. The brokerage and asset management division in a joint venture with Morgan and Stanley and provides retail brokerage and asset management services. The local consumer lending provides mortgage loans, personal loans, student loans, commercial real estate loans and even western European card. The special asset pool is a portfolio of securities, loans and other assets. The profit margin for the latest year has been negative 0. 84 percent. Citigroup is the sixteenth largest political campaign donator in the US according to Centre for Responsive politics. Citigroup even obtained naming rights as Citi Field to the home ballpark of the New Major League Baseball team in 2009. Recommendation: After research of the three banks, Citigroup has been the one to be involved in many scandals; ranging from financing Enron and alleged money laundering facilitation and even conducting biased research on the customers. Citigroup even disrupted the European bond market by selling a large amount of bonds and then buying them back a cheaper price. The organization has also been alleged of stealing money from its customers especially the poor and the recently deceased with an improper â€Å"sweep† feature in its computers. Hence it can be said that Citigroup has to go a long way in clearing its image with the consumers because now with the internet, they’re aware of everything and already Citigroup faces a lot of competition from its competitors. Reference: Winkler, Rolfe (August 21, 2009). â€Å"Big banks still hold regulators hostage†. Reuters, via Forbes. com (Retrieved August 21, 2010)

Monday, September 16, 2019

American Culture vs. Jewish Culture: Success Stems from Beyond Marriage

To the modern married woman, nothing assures her of success in her career more that the support she receives from her husband in the pursuit of her career goals. While this kind of support is not always assured, the freedom to pursue her goals without any limitations from her husband works just as well.In fact, women have proved that they can multitask between marriage and a successful career. The medieval idea that a woman is only useful for reproduction purposes once she gets married does not hold water anymore. Through the ages, women have proven their resilience at defying all odds and proving to the word that they are worth more than the domestic roles they were given at marriage.Throughout history, the role of married women as wives, mothers and housekeeper was of much importance both to them and to the family unit.   In Judaism, these roles received respect and were the basis for the exemption of women from time barred commandments (Jones, M. 1999). Accordingly, the role tha t the woman played was given overriding significance to fulfilling commandments.Anti-feminists have over time used the exemption rule that Jewish women enjoyed to state that in actual sense the rule was a prohibition that women should not perform commandment. Although they are the epitome of feminine liberation, many people may not know that Jewish women have overtime fought for their liberation by quoting phrases that favor their position in the society from the  Ã‚   Talmud (Jones, M. 1999).Such rules allow them to perform commandments that are not time restricted. However, the detractors argue that even though they are recognized, as worth some services, they are not as highly rated as their male counterparts. To this, the women argue that the role a wife does not revolve around the synagogue. Many women hold this role in high regards and as a basis of fighting their critics.To understand the situation that women had to contend with through the centuries, one needs to look at t he evolution of marriage through the times.In the older days, marriage for women was out of lack of a better thing they could engage their time in all areas of life. Women were disadvantaged and never gained the skills required to lead successful lives without the support of the socially advantaged male figure.In most cases, women had no control over certain like education, as their roles were purely reserved for domestic duties. Early in life, young girls were taught that their sole purpose was marriage and child bearing (Gordis, D.H. 2008).When they were ripe of age, and considering that, the society had created a dependant mentality in them, the women were under pressure to get a suitable husband and get married. Ideally, the man was supposed to provide for the woman and any dependants that resulted from the relationship.The woman’s social standing was so low such that they would be used to secure business transactions. Accordingly, the fathers were at liberty to sell thei r daughters to whoever pleased them, whether the woman liked the man they were being sold off to or not.The 17th century however had better things for women. They begun to exert more power to the men and consequently demanded for more freedoms.They begun to resist marriage through coercion and instead put their personal happiness beyond  Ã‚   the pressure from family and the society. Though the start was shaky, the wars that hit America in 1775 and 1812 led to the rise of a more liberal group of women,   who took the roles that their husbands and still brought food to the table as well as handling their regular domestic chores.It has always been a common view for women to be seen as the source of human life- something they take pride in. The problem is that with this view come other negative thoughts too.Good examples are thoughts expressed by Thomas Aquinas, a theologian in the 13th century who said that men can be assisted by fellow men in other things except in conception. Fo r this reason, he referred to women as men’s helpmate and defined her unique role as conception.A Latin Church founder in the 4th century, St. Jerome also cast demeaning aspersion to women just like Thomas Aquinas did. To Jerome however, women were the devil’s gate. In fact, his sentiments were so string that he believed that women were the only way to wickedness and thus to him they were no more than perilous objects that men had to be wary of (Hooker, R. 1996).Naturally, women are considered the weaker sex, a fact that continued to perpetuate their low position in society. Because they were not as masculine as their male counterparts, they were relegated domestic chores such as milking cows, tending the children, drawing water and washing clothes.Men were oblivious of the fact that the energy required to do the collective household chores was even more than some of the hard labor than would do in the fields.   The psychological tolerance that women developed while attending to such chores was to benefit them years later  Ã‚   when the oppression against them by men became too much to bear.The â€Å"woman’s place is in the home† stereotype is a result of their biological role as birth givers. Before the 16th century, women did not express themselves in a way to portray that they were tired of the status quo. Instead, they submissively obeyed everything that the male figures in their lives would tell them to do. These male figures could be anybody from their fathers, husbands, brothers or cousins.The American CultureWomen present in the colonial America –whether black, natives or Hispanic- all had one common characteristic; they all obeyed the dictates of their husbands, fathers, brothers or masters.   Ã‚  It was not until later when British Settlers enlighten the view of these women and by indicating to them that men did not necessarily have to be rulers over them.A point in the case of John Locke, an English philosoph er   Ã‚  who was also renowned as an enlightenment thinker   and played a   major role in informing the American women that they had   individual identities   and needed to   care for ‘the self’ Shultz, S.K and Tishler W.P. 2003, pg 45).The American culture was such that a woman had no property rights. They could not sue, nor be sued and had no right to vote, divorce or speak on behalf of the family unit. It was until the 19th century that women gained rights to divorce and vote.The right to vote was granted to them through the passing of the 19th amendment in 1919. Eleven years earlier, women’s efforts to have a day set in their honor, which they wanted to name Mother’s day, had been rejected by the senate on the grounds that the day would demean motherhood (Shultz, S.K and Tishler W.P. 2003 pg52).The American Revolution which lasted for the better half of the 18th century was an eye opener for most women. One of the outstanding factors is tha t women’s roles at home changed. This because they were required to instill thoughts of patriotism to their children during a time when the husbands were out fighting the Britons.The absence of a male figure at home also contributed to more liberal wife-husband relationship. When the economic fortunes took a turn for the worse, women invariably took jobs formally reserved for men to earn extra money for household use. In rare cases, they would run the family businesses (Hartman, M.1996 pg 44).Surprisingly though, the little gains that American   women had   made during this time only worsened   men subordination towards them especially   because   they figured that women were threatening their roles as the head of household. Worse still, the laws saw to the disenfranchising and subordination of women both socially and legally (Lewis 2000).

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Man’s constant questions and initiatives Essay

Man’s constant questions and initiatives to answer these have constantly helped us understand the changes happening in our environment. This opens up new opportunities for validation and testing that can make the initiative feasible and acceptable by everyone. This seems to be valuable in any scientific endeavor. In the end, the use of experimentation and other models of testing can help generate the validity of a particular idea. Looking at the collaborative work in understanding and detecting living cells in atmospheric samples, it can be seen here that the proponents wanted to test out whether living organisms came from outer space. Seeing this, it can be argued that their analysis has merit since they are trying to test out and experiment whether the idea of living organisms come from space and transported to Earth with the aide of comets and asteroids. One reason that this idea holds merit is the fact that there had been previous experiments and studies which sought to find and extract particles that contain such elements. These tests have been adequately cited by the authors in the document. Likewise, prior to their extraction and analysis, there have been several attempts to do these things which started since 1960’s. This then allowed the current writers to further explore the possibilities available. Another reason that this analysis has merit is that it uses several scientific apparatus and techniques to actively decipher the needed areas. From the extraction process towards the interpretation of data, it can be seen that it uses numerous scientific models designed to fully understand and appreciate the relevance of such towards generating and proving their hypothesis that indeed comets provide living organisms from space. In the end, the experiment proved that there are indeed organisms that reside in comets and transferred into the Earth’s atmosphere. By equally understanding this process, it can help generate answers to the development of life here in the planet. In my own perspective, I feel that the most successful species on Earth are human beings. This argument does not revolve around the numerical value or on the years of existence. Rather, I seek to argue that humans are the most adaptive when it comes to development and expansion. With this characteristic and trait, it has helped each one of us transcend the challenges of the period and actively adjust to suit our individual needs and preferences. One reason that humans are considered the most successful species on Earth is their ability to adjust to the conditions of the environment. This can be proven throughout history when man had continuously sought to find improvements and changes in society and nature. By doing this, man gained better appreciation about the things that are happening and sought to create an avenue for existing and living. Another reason why such argument is made is the improvements man has created in the different fields of study. This ability has led man to create practices that are complex and sophisticated just to acquire information and understanding of things. This again opens up the potential of maximizing the available resources and integrates it towards the changing needs of the period. The last reason involves the capability of man to decipher new ways wherein it can improve. Though the existence of man can be considered to be young compared to other species who had inhabited the Earth, it can be argued though that we are the ones who had made the most improvements in the last 10,000 years. From the traditional use of flint and sedentary patterns, we now have evolved towards a complex society that is aided by technology and other fields. Our dynamic attitude and ability to discern questions has enabled us to dominate our species and become masters of this world. References CF, AC (2003) The detection of living cells in stratospheric samples. Retrieved May 28, 2009 from, http://www. astrobiology. cf. ac. uk/spie. html

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Is What You See Real or Memorex?

We have different philosophers and different ideas from each of the philosophers, similar in some ways, vastly different in others and yet their ideas make a person think, as they are supposed to but what if neither Rene Descartes, George Berkeley or Thomas Reid are correct in their entirety? What if both ways of thinking are actually linked together enough to make them both correct and both incorrect?Let us start with the definition of epistemology where the origins of nature and limits of human knowledge are examined. Human knowledge in the aspect of the real world is limited.There is no one on Earth who knows everything whether it be real or imagined. (Rene Descartes belief of independent external world) This would become limited in any thought provoking conversation. If you were to ask people at random, if there is anything they know with certainty, they would say yes. They know for certain they are sitting or talking or looking at you or the tree. If you asked them if they were sure that they didn’t just perceive these instances they would chance to look at you like you were crazy but in the end there is also a perception.Take the example of the mind independent external world and ask yourself that if you died, would things in the world remain physically the same? The bed you slept in might until it was destroyed, the house in which you lived may remain a house but what about you as a person, you would not remain physically the same so in that view a mind independent world cannot be 100% accurate. One day you can see yourself in a mirror because you are alive, the next day you cannot because you are dead.On the other hand, you see things and believe them to be out in the world but what you see is only a perception which lends credence to Thomas Reid’s theory. Thomas Reid believes that we do not need certainty to acquire knowledge and I agree and as you will see by the following poem, the timing of perception may almost destroy Descartes and B erkley’s theories. See how that worked, I believe the following poem will destroy a theory and this is perception. NOW What has been and what will be, cannot be changed, cannot be seen.For yesterday is gone and done and tomorrow lies beyond the sun, yet there is reality, that fine line between futures and past that we define as now. The eyes have never seen, nor the ears ever heard, the falling of a star or the calling of a bird. They merely transmit shadows, vibrations they receive, along the neural networks, for the brain to be deceived into thinking that what we see and are believing and what we hear; but do we perceive reality or only what we think is there?Now a millisecond past, from eye or ear to mind and another billisecond just for the brain to define, so what we perceive as happening is at least a millisecond past. We cannot exist within the now, our reactions aren't that fast. So is what we see a piece of history by the time we can perceive or do our senses touch t he future, which do you believe? Either way it's plain to me that there is no now to be found. We live two separate times so why are we so bound? Now that I've given you a thought to twist your mind, I must say excuse the pun, I'm simply out of time.(Original copyright 1999 Cara Tapken-(Teirsha=pen) ) In reading this poem, where is the certainty now as suddenly a lot of questions have been posed and suddenly a whole new thought process will evolve into the metaphysical sense of perception. Take another example of looking at a field or horizon of trees, or any group of trees for that manner, how do they look? Ok so they look like trees but in seeing the trees do you see them as you might if there is no 3 dimensional quality or do you see them with a much defined 3-D quality?Each one will see this differently at different times which lends further conveyance of truth to the supernatural beliefs and so with this in mind where does Descartes and Berkley fit into this picture? Let us use God as an example. God is definitely a perception. Many of us believe in him, many of us think he is almighty and the basis of religion but outside of pictures for one, do we really know what he looks like? This is a form of perception as we do not know with certainty what he looks like but we only know from pictures and words of description. What of prayer?How do we really know that prayer works even though we believe? Do we see our prayers physically being listened to by God? Do we see God there with an outstretched hand in receiving? Also, Descartes believed in God and God was the centrifuge of his Roman Catholic faith and theory so in believing in God, when God is a perception and written words then how can Descartes claim the theories he does because suddenly there is no certainty. The Roman catholic faith believes in archangels, evil and good yet without seeing these in a physical sense whatsoever how can one obtain certainty in knowledge or vice versa?With regard to percepti on and certainty, how can these philosophers be wrong and right at the same time by validating one another’s theories and if there is a validation of theories then do they suddenly have related theories to for a whole new theory? Descrates believes in no knowledge without certainty and Reid believes in perception. Take into account of the poem which is a perception based poem with much pointing towards the reality of how our human brain, through proven science, works. Suddenly there is the certainty in knowledge and how perception works and is very real. Both philosophers are now correct and both are now wrong.Did we just blow two theories away, add to them or validate all or part of the theories these two obviously share? Mind independent external world does exist to a degree but as well, only by the degree of perception until the â€Å"brain can define† (CL Tapken). Now Clifford is famous for his evidentialist thesis that â€Å"It is wrong always, everywhere, and fo r anyone, to believe anything on insufficient evidence. (W. K. Clifford). I simply would like to know where Clifford’s justification is for telling people that they way they think or how they think, simply because there is a lack of evidence, is wrong.I see him as suddenly wrong for being discriminatory in a sense as theory is based upon having no actual evidence for justification as science always dictates. The theory of using cancer cells to treat cancer is nothing but a theory, there is no evidence as it has not yet been tested to be proven but in thinking this way, according to Clifford, is wrong which is highly inconsistent with the continual forward progress of science. Now Berkley’s theory is much more rational in my opinion as he believes in both sides of what you can and cannot see.He believes in the mind and the thought processes that integrate a thought to reality and that one doesn’t need complete certainty for some knowledge and he calls this the la w of nature. He has a belief process in the realm of science but he couples that with a religion to form his belief that all things happen because of God and spirits. Now for those who are quite religious, this would be believed but then there are those who are atheists and or believe in the Darwinism theory of evolution thus suddenly, in either case there is no God.But is Berkeley right, to at least some belief that God is the reason behind everything that happens? Perception and gravity denounces, in part, if not all of Berkley’s theory that God is behind everything. The Bible and those who believe in the religion of God agree that God made the heavens and the earth. We will assume that this is not perception but true. But what of gravity? No where in history is it said that God created gravity. Gravity makes the world spin thus creating the â€Å"accidental† gravity. God did not create gravity by design so now it should be safely said that gravity began as a percept ion that turned scientific.Granted, our thought process began this way of thinking and proving this theory and that in itself would be a god driven theory in using Berkley’s theory. Look at the scale that sits in the doctor’s office. The knowledge to make the scale would be in conjunction with Berkley’s theory but for the scale to remain stationary due to gravity is outside his realm of thought as once again, God did not create gravity, therefore God cannot be behind everything that happens which, in the end once again, lends credence to pure perception.It is a fine line between these philosophers on what they agree and don’t agree with but in the end there are similarities in which makes them all correct in the way of validation so with this in mind, are they all thinking the same thing yet with different answers and does this make them all correct or incorrect because of their different answers? Which do you believe and why? Maybe I am the one who is to tally wrong and incoherent in my own opinions and beliefs.Maybe I have no concrete evidence or cannot fully understand the power of perception, metaphysical, supernatural or inanimate objects, maybe I believe in it all. Does what I believe in make me right, wrong, indifferent or simply this is my belief? Who is to say that I am right or that I disagree and maybe my way of being right or disagreeing is not accepted. We each have our own philosophies of life and the reasons why and this is what makes great debates and the world go around.So in the end I must say that I do not fully agree with any philosopher to date. I may agree with a portion of their principles and systems of belief but at the same time of incorporating my own reasons of this belief or lack of belief I, in my own self have just become a philosopher like everyone else, it is just the people who will determine the validity of my own views and will form their own philosophies.Philosophy is just that, no one is right an d no one is wrong it is simply a belief system of how we work minus any factual sciences or the addition of sciences and religion. As a last thought and question which incorporates all but none of these mentioned philosophers; is there really such a thing as an evil person or are they a person who simply does bad things?In short, I believe to some extent of what these philosophers believe but then again I do not for then I would have to agree with everything they say to fully believe in their philosophy, so am I say they are correct or incorrect? References Evidence for God. Famous Scientists Who Believed in God. (September 2008) http://www. godandscience. org/apologetics/sciencefaith. html Tapken, Cara. The Starlite Cafe 1999 (http://www. thestarlitecafe. com/poems/105/poem_91080479. html Theories of perception. September 2008. http://www. unc. edu/~megw/TheoriesofPerception. html