American Life During & After the Cold War

American life during and after the cold war American life in the cold war†¦ How was it? I will start off by telling you why the cold war is called the cold war. The term â€Å"Cold war† is used to describe the relationship between America and the Soviet Union after world war two from 1945 to 1980. Neither side ever fought the other because the consequences would be too appalling. Although they did ‘fight’ for their beliefs using client states who fought for their beliefs on their behalf.The Cold War was to dominate international affairs for decades and many major problems occurred –like the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Hungary and the Berlin Wall being just some. For many the growth in weapons of mass destruction was the most worrying issue. This was a huge and one of the biggest worries of the American people along with many others. Although the American life was full of worries and tribulations during these time, there was also major cultural, soci al and economic changes for the better to.The Cold War touched many aspects of American social and cultural life, from the civil rights movement to survivalism, from Hollywood to the universities. The civil rights movement of the cold war where very interesting. The Cold War added some push to the Civil Rights Movement. . As a result of this, the African Americans came together with the some of the whites in the United States to protest against racisim that was real in the US. For quite some time during the world war, a few African Americans had united to fight for equal rights aswell but did not do so well.After the world war, quite a number of the civil rights movements came into the limelight though. A significant period in the civil rights movements occurred between the years 1950s and 1960s when strong civil rights groups were formed and Martin Luther king Junior became the head of these civil rights pressure groups. This movement and many like it had a lot of influence on Amer ica and how they lead to an improved approval of constitutional rights. Even though the government was trying to silence the anti racism protesters leaving outside America.Could Cold War Have Been Avoided?America tried to look like they where all to perfect at home. President Truman felt that as a result of the cold war that was intense between the US and the Soviet Union, it was important that social increases were made in order to put the US at an advantage in this battle. As a result of this, the president's committee on civil rights was formed; this policy looked over the need to tackle the civil rights issues in the country since it was seriously snooping with the country's international relations and appearance.The U. S. was declaring its democracy to be the best and most effective way of running a country and was claiming and trying to show to the world that Communism reduced human rights and individual freedoms. The irony was that in the U. S. , despite our so called â€Å" ideal† form of government, these rights and freedoms were being denied to American citizens right at home! , most particularly African Americans. This obviously did not go unnoticed by the higher ups in the government or by African American leaders.It made for an uncomfortable hypocrisy throughout the Cold War, and was used as an arguing point by some leaders of the Civil Rights Movements. It was rather absurd to have the United States trying to shape discrimination in the other countries while it could not handle the discrimination within its own walls! But it makes more sense. America did not just randomly decide to be nicer to black people in the 1960s, instead of the 1920s or the 1890s. Instead, it ended segregation because not doing so would badly damage the fight against communism.Civil Rights was therefore not just the right thing to do, but also vitally important to the national interest. Saying all of this is not to talk bad about the accomplishments of the Civil Righ ts movement, or to ignore the fearlessness of its leaders. Civil Rights was probably the best thing that happened to the United States during and after the cold war. It fundamentally changed the country from a system based upon bullying to what it is today. The American natural survivalism during the cold war was pure instinct. There was always controversy with nuclear warfare.There is the morality of using nuclear weapons. They were many scared for their life during the cold war. They knew if either the Soviet or U. S. made a wrong move toward the other, they would be wiped out. After the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949, the American public was understandably nervous. They were aware of the destruction that individual atomic bombs did to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Boyer 145) But the general public did not know a lot yet about the risks of radiation and fallout.One of their methods was to involve schools. Teachers in selected cities were enco uraged to conduct air raid drills where they would suddenly yell, â€Å"Drop! † and students would need to kneel down under their desks with their hands over or around their heads and necks. Some schools even distributed metal â€Å"dog tags,† like the ones worn by World War II soldiers, so that the bodies of students could be identified after an attack. Many of the people where skeptics of â€Å"spies†. Russian spies to be more specific. In the 1950s, the U. S. was a scary place.Many people were convinced that a Communist plot to overthrow the government was about to happen and saw conspiracies in every side they turned or looked. As much terrible fears that where going on at the time, there was still time for fun and games. Escapes from the humble bow. American movies represented a lot of truth’s , scares and fiction of the American life. Or in other words presents films that reflect the anxieties, values, and beliefs of Cold War culture. Hollywood was often a target of the â€Å"bad Americans â€Å" because of the variety of ideas expressed through movies and television.Movie actors that starred in films that were not within the norms of traditional American life were said to be Communist sympathesizers who were attempting to brainwash Americans through propagandists movies. Producers crafted movies with broad audience appeal. A lot of the movies where about â€Å"A menace lurks beneath a tranquil surface. † ( boyer 133). I believe this is where the big part of people looking over there shoulder or not trusting a lot of people came from. A propaganda fear the movies put into the American culture.

Portfolio Unit 1: Article Critique Essay

User interfaces and consumer perceptions of online stores: The role of telepresence KIL-SOO SUH and SUNHYE CHANG School of Business, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Office of General Affairs, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Behaviour & Information Technology, Vol. 25, No. 2, March-April 2006 pages 99 – 113 1. Overview of Article The article written by Kil-Soo Suh and Sunhye Chang are well laid out, and easy to read. I feel that they have made the article interesting enough to keep people interested right from the start and reading further. I think that the writers choice to use many facts from the start is a good choice as it helps to keep readers intrigued. The title for the article may not be the best choice, but is indeed very direct with what they are trying to provide readers with. The writers continue, with a brief introduction, theoretical background and hypotheses with useful information as well as useful references in there work. The writers have used research to provide references to there work which is vastly positive and gives readers further information on the subject. The article was written in the year 2006 and is about the consumers’ perceptions about online stores and shopping online. Over time consumers have become more and more accustomed to using the internet and shopping online and this article explains what general consumers once feared about using such a tool to make everyday transactions. The articles gives readers examples of questions and also the results to them. This can help readers into a better understanding about the subject of user interfaces and consumer perceptions of online stores. The writers have chosen to use quantitative as well as qualitative methods to show there use of questionnaires and results. The articles descriptions about certain information such as ‘user interface and telepresence’ are well described with references, examples and also diagrams which are clear and easy to follow. 2. Strengths and Weaknesses 2.1 Weaknesses a. Although the article starts off well, introducing the reader into the subject, it does start to become rather repetitive half way through. b. Whereas the research seems to be done well, the ‘theoretical background and hypotheses’ have come up a little short on information. c. With evidence to the questionnaires and data tables of results, the methodology for the overall article seemed to be based on both quantitative and qualitative methods. However, I found that the quantitative information given was not sufficient enough for the reader. d. The literature used may not be as appealing to e.g a younger audience who may want to read shorter paragraphs and less overall. e. The article may seem to be now a little outdated for readers even though it has useful information. 2.2 Strengths a. The research has been done well and is also appropriately referenced, making it easy for readers to follow and research on there own if they wish to with the research information provided. b. Towards the end of the article the writers have a heading ‘Future research directions’. With the information provided in this short ‘to be continued’ styled paragraph will help encourage any readers that are enjoying the article to read further, and maybe to even research the subject further themselves. c. Although the article is to some extent outdated at the time of my self reading it, I think that it still provides the reader with relevant and precise information. 3. Recommendations a. By keeping the article short could mean appealing to a wider audience b. I feel that if the aims where set out clearer at the start of the article, it would be even easier for the reader to get into it. c. Producing better research methods as well as a better background on the subject will also have been better suited to this particular article. d. Changing the literature to better suit a younger more open audience. I feel that the article should be better suited to the reader than the writer. e. Although there is quantitative and qualitative data within the article itself, I feel that the writers could have made better use of the information by applying more time to the qualitative data rather than focusing more on quantitative data.

Power Corrupts in Animal Farm

Power is authority and strength, which is any form of motive force or energy, ability to act, or control. When too much power is given, a dictatorship government can form, in which all decisions are made by one authority. In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell the author portrays how â€Å"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely†. From the death of Old Major, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer replaced him. At first things started off pretty well; the harvest was very good the first year and the reading and writing system had helped some, but had limited success on others.In time, the leaders of animal farm started to have mixed feelings. Snowball and Napoleon were in constant disagreement. An important meeting that was held ended with an astonishing outcome. One decision that was made was concerning the windmill project and the most important decision made was who would be the head animal. Snowball and Napoleon each gave their input on what needs to be done around the farm. â€Å"Snowball stood up and, though occasionally interrupted by bleating from the sheep, set forth his reasons for advocating the building of the windmill.Then Napoleon stood up to reply. He said very quietly that the windmill was nonsense and that he advised nobody to vote for it†. At this time, Snowball jumped back up to convince the people that it was a good idea to build a windmill. Then Napoleon sent his dogs after snowball and they chased him off the farm. Since Snowball had been expelled, Napoleon took over â€Å"The Manor Farm† which led to food shortage, hard labor, and deaths. He used his knowledge and education to take over the farm.With all the pigs and dogs on his side Napoleon had absolute power. The pigs were the brains of the farm and the dogs were the military force of the farm. Napoleon had complete control over the farm. Napoleon’s power corrupted the whole idea of Animalism & The Seven Commandments, which the farm fi rst started with. The power that the three pigs obtained had corrupted them and, then Napoleon received absolute power, which corrupted the society as a whole. Throughout the story Napoleon’s power continually increases, but he’s never quite satisfied.Napoleon is always greedy for more power. Napoleon's standards are that he must have complete power and rule over everyone, though he becomes corrupt because he gains absolute power over everyone on the farm. Stalin loses power because he is always hungry for more power, and is never satisfied with the power that he has. As Stalin dies Russia is completely corrupt because the power was not evenly distributed, and the citizens did not count as people. No power is given to the people under Stalin’s rule.Only him, and a few other privileged individuals live with power and respect in the community. In conclusion, history has proven that power is the root of all evil in a communism style government or congregation. In A nimal Farm, the animals tried to be equal, but in time, some animals had certain views and different opinions and some gradually became more powerful. No matter how hard in society we try, equality will never truly be reached by mankind for the reason that  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely† (Lord Acton).

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Reflection paper - Essay Example Utilitarianism also points out the idea that the good thing to do is to maximize individual ability for making the whole world a better place. Therefore, impartiality proves to be appropriate in order to maximize pleasures. Utilitarianism also eliminates the idea of moral dilemma for as long as majority is happy on a certain action, then it is absolutely the right thing to do. A â€Å"Pokerface† could mean a person who is not honest about his real emotion or feeling and hiding it may be the best option so that nobody could know about it. Pokerface was coined from an actual poker card play, by which each opponent would not want to show a real expression of their face to others so that any hint about what cards they are holding may not be detected. This paragraph depicts the idea about deception which would be made possible if the girl would be able to successfully hide her real intention of deceiving the man. Achieving it seems would what make the girl happy. Wearing pokerface based on the song would maximize the girl’s pleasure. Based on utilitarianism, from the point of view of the girl, there would be no any moral dilemma, for as long as her move maximizes her happiness. However, from the perspective of the man who has been deceived, that might not ensure maximizing his happiness. For this reason, for as long as there is no majority who got the maximum pleasure, then utilitarianism would fail to tell us what is good or bad, but what is right would always mean subjective at this point. Applying this in the general context, we know for sure that the majority always has the authority over the minority if there would be maximum happiness generated by the former. However, provided that the minority has something more important point compared to the majority, up to what extent then does the latter hold over the former? Does following the majority would still ensure

Critical Analysis of studies regarding Austim and whether vaccinations Essay

Critical Analysis of studies regarding Austim and whether vaccinations are the cause - Essay Example the disorder is not been linked to ignorance or carelessness but is linked to MMR vaccination, which is used to immunize children against measles, mumps and rubella. It is hypothesized that since 1980, when the vaccinations was made available to people from all the classes in the society, the development in autism has increased substantially (KNOW. . ., n.d., para 5). Not only that, but because of this hypothesis, parents are concerned about the reliability of the vaccination to such an extend that even the scientific studies contradicting this hypothesis are not helping to develop trust in safety of vaccines. There are numerous studies conducted by scientists and researchers to find if MMR vaccine causes development of autism and most of the studies have found no evidence of relationship between MMR vaccine and increase in risk of developing autism. Smeeth et al., in their article ‘MMR vaccination and pervasive developmental disorders: a case-control study’, describe a study conducted to find out if there was any relationship between the MMR vaccine and the increase in the risk of autism. The intention of the study was to see if MMR vaccine causes autism (Smeeth et al., 2004, p.963). The method that was used to study if an increase in risk of autism or other PDD’s is associated with MMR vaccine was a case control method(Smeeth et al., 2004, p.963). The data of the population for study was taken from UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD), which was set up in 1987. The strength of this study was the availability of the data that consisted of electronic clinical records of the patients registered with all the practices in England and Wales and hence, was not limited (Smeeth et al., 2004, p.963). The data also

The Corporation as a Legal Entity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Corporation as a Legal Entity - Coursework Example The formation of an entity requires the input of different stakeholders, including the owners, the investors, and the directors and managers. At law, the corporation is a separate legal entity from all those people involved in its formation, and has it owns rights and liabilities. Therefore, it is evident that the corporation has its own rights and duties, separate from the directors and stakeholders in the company, who are usually separated from the corporation by a corporate veil. This means that a company can, in its own right, perform contracts, own assets, perform lawful actions, and be liable to the authority in its own name. This principle, called the Salomon Principle, was established in 1897 in the case of Salomon V. Salomon, which will be discussed in detail at a later stage in this paper. This principle was later affirmed by the House of Lords, which stated that the company is not an agent of the owners of the said company. This means that, in law, the company is an entire ly separate being from the subscribers to its memorandum, and in law, is not an agent or trustee of the said subscribers. The Establishment of the Doctrine of Incorporation The doctrine of incorporation was firmly established by the House of Lords in Salomon V. ... ted that, even though the company could be the same as it was before incorporation, with the same managers, same people sharing profits, it is still an entirely separate entity. The members are, therefore, not liable in any way for the company, except in instances as prescribed in the Companies Act 2006. In stressing this doctrine, the House legalized the usage of the corporation by individuals seeking to put a veil between themselves and their creditors. The effects of this decision are widespread, for example, in Foss V. Harbottle (1843), it was held that the corporation can sue and be sued in its separateness from the shareholders. The decision in Regal (Hastings) V. Gulliver (1942) also established that the other effect of the Salomon Principle was that the company has perpetual succession, and that the company can enter into contracts in its own name, separate from its shareholders. The fourth implication of the Salomon Principle is that the corporation has the sole right to acq uire, possess and dispose of its own assets, which was decided in Macaura V. Northern Assurance Limited (1925). However, Lord MacNaughten’s ruling concerning the Salomon Principle was not a good decision, since it gives some parties unreasonable shield, which can be detrimental to the individuals dealing with the companies. The case established an important principle in company law, that of the independent existence of a registered company or corporation. The inflexible application of this principle can be detrimental to the persons dealing with the company, since the corporate veil is insecure. Piercing the Corporate Veil As previously stated, there are instances where courts are allowed to remove the corporate veil enjoyed by shareholders and apportion liability directly to the

Question Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Question - Personal Statement Example in the environment both in and out of class but hope to stretch more especially out of class so as to fit in the diverse student body and learn from the challenge of diversity so as to as to graduate as a world citizen. As part of the my growth and student life, I have come to appreciate the importance of giving equal opportunities to all people despite of the social class, ethnicity of origin. Having come from China and studied mostly out of my home country, I came to experience instances where opportunities for instance to lead in student organisations could be denied to me because largely because of my origin. In order to overcome the situation I stood high and rose against discrimination of any kind, proved my ability to both teachers and fellow students hence finally won the confidence of both. This is a strength I will be carrying with me to Delaware. One accomplishment that has taken a great deal of my time and effort was learning a second language, fitting in a new learning environment and keeping the pace of native students. As a foreign student in America, I have encountered challenges to do with communication and as such had to put a lot effort towards overcoming the same. My motivation has always been never giving up my academic success and thus I became a friend of teachers as well as other students who assisted me a great deal in learning the new language. Being close to teachers and being able to quickly befriend other students was quite helpful as I was able to overcome the fear of being laughed

Art History the Mourning of Christ by Giotto Assignment

Art History the Mourning of Christ by Giotto - Assignment Example Other two figures surrounding Christ are depicted from behind and it is impossible to see if they are men or women. Maria Magdalena holds legs of Christ. We can assume that it is she only because of her red hair. Other five figures are in the middle of the painting. The central figure of this group is a young man with the short haircut and he looks very young. He leans toward Christ and stretches his arms to him as if he wants to embrace him. His face reflects sorrow and grief. Other two men from this group are calm and their sorrow is very deep inside because they look like detached viewers of this tragic scene. There is also another group of mourning people in the left part of the painting. The picture is divided into two main parts upper and lower by a sharp mountain edge. In the upper part of the painting we can see 10 angels flying high in the blue sky, or if to say more exactly, are caught up in emotional explosions of sorrow. Generally, Giotto’s painting expresses a mood of sadness. He uses different devices providing his viewers with possibilities to look at deep space of the painting. He uses foreshortening and it looks like there is a lot of space in this painting. Pastel colours used by the artist create an atmosphere of motion in the painting, or fixed moments of motion if to be more exact. Soft clothing in the lower part of the painting is contrasted with sharp forms of the mountain in the middle of it (Lamentation). Giotto’s new devices belong to the techniques of the Early Renaissance. His painting is 3-dimensional, full of symbols and allegoric meanings (Lamentation). His manner of contrasting human and divine worlds can be seen in the exact depiction of human clothing and angelic images. In such a way Giotto clearly shows that he delimits human and divine worlds. In â€Å"The mourning of Christ† depicts Giotto made an emphasis on mother’s sorrow at Christ.  

The economy of Australia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The economy of Australia - Research Paper Example Average family income is in the range of 55,000 USD annually, though differing drastically depending on which part of the country the person lives in. Australia has a relatively even distribution of wealth amongst its population. The GINI index, which is a measure of wealth disparities in a country, gives Australia a score of 30.5, only .1 above the European union, and 112th largest score in the world (in the GINI index a lower score means better or more even distribution of wealth). For comparison, Sweden, with the best GINI score has a 23, while America, with a terrible score for a developed country, has a score of 45 (CIA). Australia, as a country the size of a continent (it is the 6th largest country in the world) has a wide variety of natural resources including coal, iron, precious metals, diamonds, rare earth elements, natural gas and petroleum (CIA). IT is the largest net exporter of coal in the world, and accounts for 29% of global coal exports (CIA). Australia has highly developed transportation and communication infrastructure, with wide access to high speed internet and public transpiration in cities (CIA). Its primary mode of public transpiration is bus (CIA). Its infrastructure is much worse in rural regions, which have access issues. Australia has very strict and well adhered to employee protection laws, with only a very few countries having better (Global Edge). It has much more protection for long term than temporary workers, however, and this causes the perception of abuse amongst temporary and immigrants workers, usually from other pacific Islands (Global Edge). Salaray and benefits vary highly depending on employment sector, though public health care is less accessible than almost any other developed country, not being government funded (Global Edge). Australia’s principle industry is service, like most developed countries, though this is supplemented by mining, equipment manufacturing and steel foundering. Foreign

Are our zoos cruel to wild animals Essay Example for Free

Are our zoos cruel to wild animals Essay Zoos are places that often visited by the people for recreation, moreover for the family who has child. They can find many kinds of animal, without going to the wild forest. Zoos can make the visitors happy, but it might not be the same condition as the wild animals feeling. I trust that zoos are cruel to the faunas. Numeruous people think that zoos are good for the wild animals. Keeping animals in the zoos can save the animals from extinction than let them free in their habitat. In their wild habitat, the animal might be killed by their enemies. If they live in the zoo, they could not be killed by their predators because they live in each cage. In addition, they also think that not all of the zoo are cruel to the wild animal because some of them have standart operational procedures how to protect animal in the zoos, for example is Safari Park Zoos, the biggest zoos in Indonesia. On the other hand, there are some reasons that can explain why zoos are cruel to the animals. First of all, zoos are not condusive for wild animals life. They should live in their free habitat. They could feel bored with the limited place that is available in the zoo. Also they cannot interact with the other animals. It can make them feel depressed. If the faunas feel uncomfortable with their habitat, they cannot reproduce well. So, their offspring will be stopped and the wild animals will be extinct. Except that, the zookeepers also make some mistakes. The zookeepers usually does not take care of the animals. They does not give the suitable food for the animals, does not keep the animals clean, and does not give the good treatment for the animals which are getting sick. The zookeeper sometimes exploitate the animals for their commercial aims. They do not care with their condition. Perhaps the wild animal is already tired, but the zookeeper still force them to entertain the visitors. The examples are elephant and dolphin which work hard for entertainment events in the zoo. All in all, it requires the zoos management to improve their ability in managing the zoos. They can decorate the zoos as similar as possible to their natural habitat. They also should make training for the zookepers. So, they can give the better treatment for the animals.

Financial Statements analysis on the basis of total comprehensive i

Financial Statements analysis on the basis of total comprehensive i As the main objective of the financial statements to reflect the economic value of a company in order external users make useful economic decision, and due to the last shocking breakthroughs in the financial system, IASB recently has worked on developing high quality set of accounting standers; International financial reporting standards (IFRS). IFRS transition has break out in 90 countries, though other countries are following. Concerning the European Union, The EU has required IFRS for the groups listed on European stock market (EU Regulation 1606/2002).The new set of standers as any new standers being introduced- has some effects on the financial reporting issues. This study is a literature review of prior studies focusing on the effect of the comprehensive income introduced by IFRS on the financial analysis, specifically one financial technique; ratio analysis. This study is presenting prior studies starting with a literature review in chapter one which is an overview of the com prehensives income discussing the definition of the comprehensive income then examines the pros and cons of the comprehensive income. Chapter two is a literature review where of the financial analysis definition and financial analysis techniques, focusing on ratio analysis technique as the most common technique being used, and as it used part of this study. Chapter three is including the main hypothesis and the core issue of the research of the effect of the comprehensive income on the financial ratios. While Chapter four is a practical example examining the hypothesis mentioned in the previous chapter. Time was one of the major limitations of this study, lack of sufficient data was a second, many studies have examined the effect of IFRS adoption, but few has gone beyond and studied its effects on key financial ratios, where none has clearly stated the direct impact of the comprehensive income on the key financial ratios. This study is an attempt to study this effect. Chapter 1: comprehensive income statement overview 1.1. Definition and Presentation of comprehensive income statement Many studies has declared that Income statement thought to be the most important statements in the financial statements. For inventors; the past income is the most important base for the future predictions and expectation for the cash flows, and so for expecting the share price and dividends. While creditors view the income statement as the borrowers ability to generate future cash flows to fulfill their financial obligations. Yet the comprehensive income statement drove its importance from the income statement importance. Comprehensive income is not a new concept; it was first introduced by FASB in 1985 in its Framework as the change in equity of a business enterprise during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from nonowner sources. Later it was introduced in the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 130, Reporting Comprehensive Income, issued by FASB in 1997, as: the change in equity [net assets] of a business enterprise during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from nonowner sources. It includes all changes in equity during a period except those resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. Comprehensive income statement includes the traditional net income plus all revenues, expenses, gains and losses recognized during the period, refereed as other comprehensive income, where other comprehensive income shall be classified separately into foreign currency items, minimum pension liability adjustments, and unrealized gains and losses on certain investments in debt and equity securities. Additional classifications or additional items within current classifications may result from future accounting standards. ((SFAS) No. 130,Para 17,1997). Under IFRS comprehensive income definition has not been changed, but IFRS has modified the rules of income presentation; due to the former rules regarding the classification of other comprehensive income, where these rules has been criticized as some of other comprehensive income items have been recorded in the equity section, while others in the profit and loss statement and others were not recognized at all. A second major reason was the importance recognizing the realized and unrealized gains and losses that might continue into the future as the excepted cash flows in the futures as they are the main drive for share price. IFRS approach of income presentation a mixture of previous income reporting and fair value concept and is being applied on unrealized gains and losses meeting certain criteria. Regards the presentation of the comprehensive income statement under IAS 1, profit or loss are recognized plus other comprehensive income items, where the income statement has changed from net profit and loss to profit and loss. Entities are allowed to use the most suitable name to describe the totals as long as it give the right meaning, though IAS uses different terms, like total comprehensive income, or profit or loss. Regarding the presentation of comprehensive income, entities are allowed to choose between the presentation of a single statement, or tow statements where an income statement is including all items of profit and loss, and the second statement shows other comprehensive income items (IAS 1.81). Under IAS 1, all income and expenses should be recognized in the profit and loss, unless there is an exception (AS 1.88), under (IAS 1.89) some of items need to be recognized under other comprehensive income. IAS has as well identified the items of other comprehensive income, as the following: Changes in revaluation surplus (IAS 16 property, plant and equipment and IAS 38 intangible assets ) Actuarial gains and losses on defined benefit plans recognized in accordance with (IAS 19 employees benefit ) Gains and losses arising from translating the financial statements of a foreign operation (IAS 21 The Effects of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates) Gains and losses on re-measuring available-for-sale financial assets (IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement) The effective portion of gains and losses on hedging instruments in a cash flow hedge (IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement). Under (IAS 1.82), the minimum items should be included in the comprehensive income are: Revenues Finance costs Share of the profit or loss of associates and joint ventures accounted for using the equity method Tax expense Amounts from the discontinued operation include : the post-tax profit or loss and the post-tax gain or loss recognized on the disposal of the assets or disposal group(s) Profit or loss Each component of other comprehensive income classified by nature Share of the other comprehensive income of associates and joint ventures accounted for using the equity method Total comprehensive income Under (IAS 1.83) these items must also be disclosed in the statement of comprehensive income as allocations for the period: Profit or loss for the period attributable to non-controlling interests and owners of the parent Total comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests and owners of the parent Under (IAS 1.85) additional line items may be needed to fairly present the entitys results of operations. Under (IAS 1.87) No items may be presented in the statement of comprehensive income (or in the income statement, if separately presented) or in the notes as extraordinary items. Under (IAS 1.95) certain items must be disclosed separately either in the statement of comprehensive income or in the notes, if material, including: Write-downs of inventories to net realizable value or of property, plant and equipment to recoverable amount, as well as reversals of such write-downs Restructurings of the activities of an entity and reversals of any provisions for the costs of restructuring Disposals of items of property, plant and equipment Disposals of investments Discontinuing operations Litigation settlements Other reversals of provisions Under (IAS 1.99) expenses should be recognized either by nature or by function if an entity categorizes by function, and then additional information on the nature of expenses must be disclosed (IAS 1.104). Pros and cons of Comprehensive income : According to prior studies, Investors has the ability to process financial information regardless its location, giving this, the location of the comprehensive income will not affect the quality of information interrupted by investors. On the contrary, policy makers believe it matters, as they think the performance statement presentation is more transparent presentation as comprehensive income serves as better measurement for firm performance, where it includes all changes in net assets. The immediate recognition and direct reporting of comprehensive income items would transparently present all income flows in one statement in a timely manner, though it can be costly to some companies in certain industries (e.g. insurance industry) as they might try to hide their earning management. Another argued advantage, is comprehensive income shows value creation process and forces managers to consider external factors that affect firm value, not just internal operating ones. On the other hand, as comprehensive income contains a number of passing items possible as future events, this might cause noise and uncertainty and affect decision making process because users may take significant time to sort out temporary or irrelevant components. Following this point, proposing that comprehensive income includes irrelevant components can reduce the ability to uncover long-run performance. Chapter 2: Financial analysis overview 2.1. Definition of financial analysis and methods Though IFRS was discussed to be the one is giving more comprehensive information, it dose not include all the financial information needed to reach an excellent financial analysis. Financial statements are the source of information that present the economic value of a company to the external users. Several articles and books has defined the Financial analysis as to combine financial statement, financial notes, with other information, to evaluated the past, current, and future performance and financial position of company for the purpose of making investment, credit, and other economics decision. Financial Analysis is concerned with risk factors that might affect the future performance of a certain company. Financial analysis is concerned with different aspects of the company, in general financial analysis deals with profitability (ability to generate profit from delivering good and services), cash- flow generating ability (ability to generate cash inflows exceed cash outflows), liquidity (the ability to meet short term obligation), and solvency (the ability to meet long term obligation). In order to conduct a full, comprehensive analysis, analyst must collect information concerning economy, industry, competitors, company itself. This external information can be found as economics statistics, industry reports, and trade publication. The company provides the internal part of the information which includes the financial statements, and press releases. Financial analysis is not only about financial data which is the core of the financial analysis and provided in the four major financial statements, that provide the historical and current information; is it about the non-financial data which provide the future information. Regarding the financial data, can be founded in the four major statements: income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flow, statement of changes in owners equity. The income statement shows how much revenue the company generating during certain period and what its cost incurred. Income statement can be referred as profit and loss and its prepared on consolidated basis. Revenues, operating income, net income, and earning per share can be driven from the income statement. The balance sheet or as recently knows as the statement of financial position, shows the current financial position of the company by showing company resource (Assets), and what it owes (liability) at a specific point in time.While the (owners equity) shows the excess of assets over the liabilities, analysts could use the information stated in the statement of financial position to answer question regarding improvements concerning liquidity, and solvency, and give the statues of the company compared to its peers in the same industry. The cash flow statement classifies the cash flows into of three sections: operating activities which include items determines net income as well as day to day transactions. While investing activities includes the acquisition and disposals of long term assets. The last section is financing activities which contain activities related to obtaining or repaying capital. Cash flow statement provides information related to performance and financial position. While income statement provides the necessary information regarding the company ability to generate profit, cash flow statement provides information regarding the ability of the company to generate cash flow from running the business itself. Statement of changes in owners equity knows as statement of shareholders equity, reports the changes in the owners investments in the business, and it helps analysts in understanding the changes in the financial position. Beside the four major statements, financial notes and supplementary schedules, managements discussion and analysis, and auditors reports, provide a quite good set of extra information for further analysis. Financial analysis should be well defined as it could be preformed for different reasons and purposes. Different categories require different financial techniques, but for any purpose data must be gathered and analyzed, and all examining the company ability of generating cash and grow earnings. But as for different focuses, different techniques are used. For example, the most tow common categories are the equity analysis and the credit analysis. Equity analysis is usually preformed by the owner, and focuses on growth while the credit analysis is preformed by the creditors (banker or bond holder) and concentrates on risks associated. Defining the purpose of the financial analysis is the most important and first step in effective financial analysis as it defines the necessary financial techniques that should be used, and thus defines the type and amount of data to be collected. After defining the purpose of the financial analysis, a suitable technique should be chosen to deliver the purpose of the focus. To reach the best results, a mixture of calculations and interruptions is required. For example, it is not enough just to calculate the financial ratios, further investigation explaining the reasons behind each ratio, what each ratio means, comparing the ratios with other competitors, might give a comprehensive picture. A comparison is a must in a good evaluation, compare the company with other competitors in the industry is (common size analysis), while evaluate the company through time called (trend analysis), and (ratio analysis) is to express certain number to another in which answers some important question about the true financial position. Common size analysis is to compare a total financial statement usually income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement in relation to base like revenues or total assets. Common size analysis for the balance sheet includes: horizontal and vertical common size analysis, where horizontal common size analysis is to compare the increase or decrease in balance sheet items to previous years. Vertical common size analysis involves dividing each item in the same period total assets to come with a percentage, in the case of analyzing the income statement, items usually are divided by revenues. Trend analysis involves comparison of the financial statement of an entity over time, trend analysis usually provide information about the historical performance and growth. Cross sectional analysis compare a specific measurement of a company with the same measurement for another company. The use of graphs and analytical tools could facilities the comparison and highlight the most important facts that the analyst wants to communicate with the management. Statistics like regression analysis are used in more complicated situation where more precise information needed. Ratio analysis is one of the most famous techniques in the financial analysis where it provides information about the relationships and expectations between the financial accounts. Certain issues should be in mind while conducting ratio analysis; as mentioned before computing the ratio itself is not enough for providing a comprehensive picture about the financial performance, it only indicating what certain issues are but not explaining why they are happening, therefore further investigation going beyond the numbers is required, in compliance with full compression overtime, competitors, and industry. Second issue would be to choose the relevant ratios as ratios used for different purpose and providing certain financial information; for example ROA is an indicator of profitability, where current ratio provides information regards liquidity. Different accounting policies can misrepresent ratios; therefore adjustments across different financial statements for different companies are req uired for a meaningful analysis. There are about five main types of financial ratios; profitability, activity, liquidity, solvency, valuation ratios. Profitability ratio is measure the companys ability to generate profit from its resources, the most famous ratios in this category are: return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). While activity ratios measure how efficient the company in managing the day to day activities, inventory turnover is one example of the ratios used under this category. Third type is liquidity ratios where it deals with the company ability in meeting short term obligations, can be expressed in current ratio, while solvency ratios deals with long term obligation, debt to asset is one example of solvency ratios. Valuations ratios are used to asses the company equity, P/E ratio is used for this purpose. Ratios could be driven from the financial statements of the company or from specialized websites as Bloomberg, as these kinds of websites provide easy access to the historical data. Ratio analysis drove its importance from the information that might provide, as it gives an insight to the historical, current and future performance of the company. Though ratio analysis has its own limitation when it deals with a company operates in different industries, as the comparison become more difficult then. Another limitation would be the use of different accounting methods as comparison would be difficult unless adjustments are made, for example one company might consider account for its inventories under the FIFO method while the other account for it under the LIFO method. Using IFRS might overcome these differences if applied. 2.2. The affect of IFRS as new accounting standard on financial Ratios Financial statements are determined by business strategy, industry, and economics and affected by those as well. The difficulty of understanding the financial statements depending in the accounting procedures and polices chosen by top management. Changes in time frames, company structure, accounting methods and estimates in the company can affect the true economic value of an entity and might affect the financial analysis and thus reflect a distorted image of the company. One of the most trends that might affect the financial analysis is changing of the accounting standers, as different accounting standers might use different methods. IFRS as a new set of international accounting standers has some effects, as the adoption process is costly, complex, Although IFRS believed to improve transparency and comparability of financial statements. Besides these effects IFRS has effect on the financial statements. To understand the effects of IFRS, one should understand the major differences between IFRS standers and local GAAP standers. Several studies will be mentioned in this section, which will clarify the effect of IFRS adoption in Europe. According to Impact of International Financial Reporting Standard Adoption on key financial ratio, which has studied the effect of IFRS adaption on Europe continent represented by Finland; major differences in IFRS and Domestic accounting standers were found in the following areas: for employee benefits obligations (IAS 19), it is required to be measure at present value, where in countries like (Belgium, Denmark, Finland) such rules are do not exist, and in countries like (e.g. Austria and Germany) calculations follow tax regulations. Concerning deferred tax (IAS 12), a deferred tax liability should be recognized for all taxable temporary differences, where in countries like (Greece, Luxembourg) rules concerning the treatment of deferred tax are missing, and in countries like (France, Germany) the deferred tax is be calculated on the basis of timing differences rather than temporary differences. In addition, deferred tax assets are not required to be recognized (Austria, Belgium) , while IAS 12 requires a deferred tax asset to be recognized for all deductible temporary differences to the extent that is probable that the deductible temporary difference can be utilized . For intangible assets (IAS 38), state that an asset can be recognized when it will probably generate future benefits and when the cost of the asset can be reliably measured. For this reason, research expenditures cannot be capitalized. However, in many countries like (Germany, Italy, and Spain) research costs are allowed to be capitalized. Moreover, countries like (Finland) emphasize capitalization of development expenditures. Construction contracts (IAS 11), requires the costs and revenues of construction contracts to be recognized on a stage of completion basis, compared to countered like (Finland, Greece), recognition by the stage of completion is optional. Inventories (IAS 2), requires inventory to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value, (Austria, Portugal and Spain) allows inventories to be measured at the replacement cost instead of net realizable value. Moreover, according to (Germany, Luxembourg), inventories can be valued without the production overheads, IAS 2 requires inventory to be valued at full cost. The major difference is that IFRS requires that assets impairments (IAS 36), most financial instruments (IAS 39), biological assets (IAS41), tangible and intangible fixed assets that have been acquired in a business combination (IFRS 3), pension assets (IAS 19) and share-based payment liabilities (IFRS 2) and investment property and property, plant and equipment (IAS 16) after initial recognition to be measured at fair value. On the contrary accounting practices in continental European countries have been based on historical costs but required downward valuations for permanent impairments of long-term assets. Beside fair value, depreciation of assets in accordance with continental European countries differs from that required by IFRS. As IFRS has put large weight on the presenting balance sheets at fair value, therefore it requires assets with definite useful life to be depreciated or amortized periodically and assets with indefinite useful life to be assed for impairment. However, the continental European countries also require assets with indefinite useful life to be amortized. Therefore, while IFRS requires goodwill to be assessed annually for impairment, continental European countries requires goodwill to be amortized systematically (Finland, France) or allows goodwill to be deducted immediately against equity (Germany, Greece). The study has also indicates the impact of these changes on the accounting figures. The study has indicating that the adoption of fair value accounting will probably increase the balance sheet items, and as the impairment accounting rules of continental European countries differ from those of IFRS these differences could lead to different accounting figures. As a consequence, the impact of fair value accounting adoption on accounting figures is also an empirical question since it is impossible to predict the exact impact of the adoption on accounting figures. Other studies where more specific and handled one country by itself. One of the studies titles Adoption of IFRS in Spain: Effect on the comparability and relevance of financial reporting has indicated the effect of IFRS implementation on the balance sheet, as one of the study results has indicated that on the liability side, important differences were found due to the change of debt valuation rules and a new direction for consolidation. While the major difference in the equity side was due to direct adjustments and to the indirect effect of the adjustments. Fixed assets and inventories were the only items that did not change significantly as fixed assets were valued under traditional valuation method (acquisition cost). The reason behind insignificant differences in the inventory was that Spanish usually didnt apply LIFO method which is not permitted under IFRS. IFRS adoption in Europe: the case of Germany, has stated that IFRS adoption has resulted in higher retained earning in the first year of IFRS adaption because of the conservative approach of the German GAAP (HGB). The study has also indicated that IFRS effects vary with the industry:à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry effects on non-current assets and liabilities were relatively more important, whereas in the fashion industry the effects were mostly on working capital While IFRS Adoption and Financial Statement Effects: The UK Case, has indicated that the IFRS implantation has a positive affect on the financial performance and post. IFRS implementation for the company as profitability and growth attend to be higher under IFRS. It also indicated that IFRS as high quality standers has reduced risk and improved the credibility and the borrowing bargain power of firms. It also stated that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦IFRS adoption is likely to introduce volatility in income statement and balance sheet figures. Despite the higher volatility, adopters interest cover ratio has not been adversely affected, implying that IFRS adoption would not lead to debt covenant violation or financial distress à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Chapter 3: The Impact of Comprehensive income on the financial ratios As mentioned earlier the impact of IFRS on accounting figures differs with the country that IFRS is applied in, as different countries have different accounting standers, different impacts resulted. In this section a comparison between US GAAP and IFRS will be mentioned as Deutsche bank (the particle example) mentioned later was using US GAAP. First differences of reporting comprehensive income under IFRS and different accounting standers will be mentioned followed by differences of reporting comprehensive income under IFRS and US GAAP. In the study titled Comprehensive income in Europe: valuation, prediction and conservative issues, has argued that the concept of comprehensive income does not recognize different income concepts in different industry or different firms. And financial analyst has taken into consideration these limitations and used total and unrealized asset valuations and foreign exchange to fill in the gabs. In the study titled analyzing brokers expertise: did analysts fully anticipate the impact of IFRS adoption on earnings? The European evidence Has reached to a conclusion that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦analysts were not able to correctly anticipate the effect of IFRS adoption on earnings, forecast errors being significantly associated with differences in earnings changes resulting from the compliance with the new financial reporting standardsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. While in Adoption of IFRS in Spain: Effect on the comparability and relevance of financial reporting the study has studied IFRS effects on the income statement. Major differences were found due to major differences between Spanish GAAP (SAS) or IFRS in classifying revenues and expenses for example the classification of RD expenses. Another difference is the treatment of extraordinary income, as certain extraordinary items under (SAS) were classified as operating income under IFRS reclassify under (SAS) as operating income under IFRS. The study has indicated those Cash, solvency and indebtedness ratios, as well as the return on assets and returns on equity, has varied significantly as a result of the changes in the balance sheet and income statement. In Effects Of Comprehensive Income On ROE In A Context Of Crisis: Empirical Evidence For IBEX-35 Listed Companies (2004-2008), when calculating ROE under comprehensive income compared to ROE calculated under net income, statistically significant differences were founded, which means that ROE calculated under comprehensive income, shows the market impact much more clearly and thus provide better information for users and particularly for investors. The study has also indicated that comprehensive income is an alternative measurements of corporate performance and is much more in tune with the market reality than the traditional net income. According to IAS plus report which was issued by Deloitte in 2004, the major differences between IFRS and US GAAP are listed here: As in IAS 1(reporting comprehensive income) IFRS requires the statement of changes in equity. The total of comprehensive income is permitted but not required. And define Comprehensive income as the net income plus gains and losses that are recognized directly in equity rather than in net income. While in the US GAAP requires the presentation of the total comprehensive income. Gains and losses can be presented in the income statement, statement of comprehensive income, or statement of changes in equity. Under IFRS Extraordinary items is prohibited while in US GAAP Extraordinary items are permitted but restricted to infrequent, unusual, and rare items that affect profit and loss. This act by IFRS increase transparency and limit manipulation. And that would lead to an increase in the reported income and therefore might have a significant effect of the financ ial ratios dealing with profitability. Dealing with inventory IAS2, LIFO method under IFRS is prohibited while under US GAAP is permitted. When using LIFO revaluation for inventory needed, this could result in major tax liabilities. For property, plant, and equipment (IAS 16), under IFRS revalued amount or historical cost might be used where revalued amount is fair value at date of revaluation less subsequent accumulated depreciation and impairment losses where under US GAAP it is generally required to use historical cost. Which lead to increase in book values under IFRS. Chapter 4: Practical example (the case of the Deutsche bank) In Deutsche bank transition report, (Transition Report,2006 IFRS Comparatives), The Deutsche bank net income under IFRS was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 6,070 million for the year ended December 31, 2006, an increase of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 84 million compared with à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 5,986 million under U.S. GAAP. While shareholders equity under IFRS was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 32,666 million, a decrease of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 142 million as at December 31, 2006 compared to U.S. GAAP, according to the transition report. Conducting small ratio analysis limited only to the three major profitably ratios, a res

My Teaching Philosophy Essay -- Education Educational Teacher Essays

My Teaching Philosophy The nature of knowledge should be relative. Each student is different, and their education should fit their needs. Education should help the child grow both mentally and emotionally. Students should be given the right to think on their own. They do not need a teacher who will take their free will away. Students should not have to conform to something in which they do not believe. They should have their own thought processes. The best philosophical approach toward a child’s education is progressivism. Progressivism allows the child to be a free-thinking individual. My teaching method will let the students become critical thinkers who can use their knowledge in the â€Å"outside world†. To accomplish this I will use praise as the main source of reward. Telling a child they are doing well, will encourage them to do better. My students will be allowed to voice their opinions without being judged. I want to become a teacher because I want to feel like I am accomplishing something special. Teachers have the ability to transform their students into free thinking individuals, and I would like nothing better than to help a student to find his or her place in the world. The overall purpose of education is to teach children the basic skills that they will need in life. Their education will be integrated with what they plan to accomplish. They can learn through an experience related curriculum, such as internships and group projects. If stud...

Essays --

Conservation Environmental problems mainly generated in the economic activity, therefore it should be resolved together with the economic activity. In both developed and developing countries, there is always an argument, stated that whether the economic development come first or the environmental conservation come first? The former follows the â€Å"develop first, conservation later† model while the latter follows the â€Å"conservation while development† model. For developing countries which also known as Third World countries, which model should be follow to achieve a win-win situation which benefits both human beings and environment. However, some powerful insights opposed that Third World countries should take the model of â€Å"develop first, conservation later†. They believe that for developing countries, the best way is find a way in which both development and conservation are benefits to each other by converting the resources gained from environment and turn the resources into profits which help in economic growth, later by using this profits and use it as a fees for the conversation of environment to compensate the loss of environment for the profits gained. This method combine both environmental protection and economic development and forming a mutually benefits between the two. Third World countries are able to protect the environment although they have a lower income levels compared to those First and Second World countries. Due to various reasons, the economic development is different among developing countries. Therefore, developing countries don’t have to follow the path of developed countries which develop the economy first and then just conserve the environment. Environmental conservation not only depends on economic growth, ... ...e public destruction" of the situation, and ultimately reach the purpose of combating desertification. Therefore, combating desertification must be combined with poverty, poor governance must sand. Only effective control of desertification, economic development is sustainable; only achieve poverty alleviation, people will consciously safeguard the achievements in combating desertification. So, compared to only consider combating desertification, which is a positive and effective way. Visible only to find a developing country can protect the environment, but also bring economic benefits of the method, the poverty resides in protecting the environment, the protection of the environment in which resides in poverty, in order to embark on economic and environmental coordination broad road .This is developing choice! This is the inevitable choice for developing countries!

Fried Green Tomatoes at the WhistleStop Cafe :: Fannie Flag

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafà ©, one of my finest works. Who am I? I am the author Fannie Flagg. I’ve been writing since the fifth grade, when I wrote, produced, directed and starred in a three-act comedy titled â€Å"The Whopee Girls†. It made the audience laugh, but it got me expelled because it had the word â€Å"martini† in it. I’ve always had dry wit. I then entered a Miss Alabama contest winning a scholarship to the Pittsburg Playhouse. I was the only girl who failed ballet. When I was nineteen, I began writing and producing TV specials, and since then I’ve appeared in more 500 TV shows, which include Candid Camera, The Dick van Dyke Show, The Love Boat, Love American Style, and movies like Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson, Stay Hungry, Grease. I am currently finishing a few new movies such as Flying By and Shattered Glory both of which are coming out in 2009. I was in Broadway too! I was in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas! I’ve written several books such as Standing in the Rainbow in 2002, and my newest book Can’t Wait to get to Heaven, in 2006. I now live in Montecito, California. So about my book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafà ©, well the theme is mainly feminism and a little bit of my gay pride, (you’ll see when you meet Idgie.). The setting starts out in the nursing home where, Mrs. Cleo Threadgoode, the long-time resident of Whistle Stop, tells Mrs. Evelyn Couch all about her life starting in the year 1929, and the little town of Whistle Stop. Now I will tell you all about the rest of my book in the eyes of my most important character, Mrs. Cleo Threadgoode. My name is Mrs. Cleo Threadgoode, and I live at Rose Terrace Nursing Home. I am 86 years old. I have just made a new friend, and her name is Mrs. Evelyn Couch. She came into the visitors lounge and I started talking right to her. I’ll tell you what I told her too. In fact I’ll even tell you the whole story. It all starts out in Whistle Stop, 1929.

Philosophy Prep Essay

1. What are the different branches of philosophy, and what are they about? 2.Explain what a fallacy is. What kind of mistake is someone making when they commit a formal fallacy in an argument? 3. What is â€Å"wisdom,† and how does philosophy relate to it? 4. Describe the nature of critical thinking. What advantage does the critical thinker have over someone who lacks that skill? 5. Describe and explain the steps in the critical-thinking process. 6. What is wrong with â€Å"relativism† as a thought process? What does the relativist need to understand? 7. What do you think you can fruitfully learn from the study of philosophy? How can you apply philosophy to your life? 8. Describe the influence of Homer on early Greek thought. How did he pave the way for philosophical thought? 9. Describe and explain the underlying philosophy of knowledge that guided Socrates’ method of knowledge. 10. Who were the sophists, and why did they oppose Socrates? 11. Explain why Socrates was arrested. How did he respond to the charges against him? 12. Explain Plato’s view of the soul. Why did he liken it to a chariot? 13. What was Descartes’ conclusion about the nature of the self, and how did he arrive at that conclusion? 14. How did John Locke’s views differ from those of Descartes? How did that determine Locke’s views of the self? 15. What was Hume’s argument for the position that there is no such thing as the self? 16. What was distinctive about Kant’s view of the nature of self as related to experience? 17. What was Ryle’s view of the mental as it relates to the physical? How did Ryle’s view differ from those before him? 18. What are the two forms of physicalism? How do they differ from each other? 19. What is determinism? How is it different from the thesis that there is no free will? 20. What is hard determinism, and how is it argued for? 21. What did Baron D’Holbach mean by saying that â€Å"Absence of constraint is not absence of necessity†? 22. Explain the distinction that was made by W.T. Stace in arguing for the compatibility of free will with determinism. 23.What did Moritz Schlick mean by saying â€Å"If decisions were causeless there would be no sense in trying to influence men†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . What role did this thought have in his theory of free will? 24. What is existentialism? Explain Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist position on the nature of free actions. 25. Give some examples of questions that are asked in metaphysics. Which one(s) do you think are best indicative of the subject matter of metaphysics? Explain. 26. Describe the subject matter of epistemology, and explain what questions in epistemology you think are worth pursuing. 27. Describe Plato’s doctrine of the Forms. What questions was it meant to answer? 28. Describe Plato’s hierarchical metaphysics, explaining the relationships between the levels. 29. Explain and contrast the theories of knowledge of rationalism and empiricism. 30. How did Descartes go out about pursuing only knowledge that could be absolutely certain? What did he find?

Harriet Martineau and the Conflict Theory Essay

When I look over the theories we have discussed in our text: functionalism,symbolic interaction and conflict, I think the one I relate to best is the conflict theorist. The conflict theorist that I agree with the most is Harriet Martineau. She was a conflict theorist that the book describes as, â€Å"Scholar Harriet Martineau (1803–1876), an English opponent of slavery and capitalism who felt they oppressed women, children, and nonwhites, translated the work of Comte so people could understand the importance of his perspective (Adams & Sydie, 2001). Regarded as a radical in her day, her work was largely dismissed by people in authority.† ( Vissing, 2011, chapter2 sect 3 para 13) There were many female activists who were active early on in the field but they were ignored until feminine activists brought it to the attention of the American public arena ( Vissing, 2011). She would best referred to as a conflict theorist. The conflict theory is defined as, â€Å"a theory that assumes that the institutions and interactions within society foster inequality and competition, and when they are challenged, then beneficial social change can result.† ( Vissing, 2011) Our text states that Harriett Martineau was a feminine activist and also was an activist for children and non-whites. Our society has changed greatly since the 1800’s and without people like Mrs. Martineu , I ,as a female, would not have the advantages I have today. Things like voting, and equality in the work place have helped women and minorities project their viewpoint into the system we have today. These activists stroved for fair working laws which would keep women in the 1800’s and early 1900’s from being mistreated and used. Also another important  thing the feminine activists fought for was birth control and abortion as an option to females, so that they may work or pursue personal goals and interests. The belief in conflict theory is that there must be a challenge to the system  and the way things are in order to activate change, and from what we can tell in the past this has been an effective tool in the slow processes of equality. Another thing that Harriet Martineau did was take the works of Auguste Comte and put them into layman’s terms for the average person of the time could understand. Auguste Comte’s beliefs were that we should look at observable facts in order to study society, not just the cultural beliefs.†His concept of positivism holds that there is nothing that can’t be accurately studied if the right methodology is employed. If we try conscientiously enough by employing the scientific method, most things can be studied and understood.† ( Vissing, 2011, chapter 1 section 3 para 3) Harriet Martineau used this idea and applied it to the progression of equality for women children and non-whites. In Harriet Martineau’s life she was brought up in a comfortable middle class family, and was denied some education because of her sex. When her father died she was faced with sever economic loss and for once felt what it was like to not have the conveniences of a middle class family to hide in. She was engaged to be married but her fiance fell ill and she was â€Å"saved† from a married life. She was single for the rest of her life and face living and earning a living in a patriarchal society. She soon was face with some uncomfortable things and rather than accept them and conform she invoked change within our society by making the plight of women, children and non-whites a mainstream problem that needed to be corrected. Martineau was a Unitarian in religion and at first had a very strong religious viewpoint on the world and society. (Hill, 1991). There are many things that I agree with Martineau on such as that all people should be treated equal and fairly. Another of her main ideas was that non-whites should be treated fairly and with the same respect and dignity that whites were given. She also believed that women children and nonwhites should be able to vote to give their voices some power and that they be offered a chance at education and opportunities for work as well and earn an income which  provided them with sense of freedom and self sufficiency. In America we would not be the culture we are today without activists such as Harriet Martineau. There would be no women CEOs, we would have no choice other than abstinence when it comes to birth control. Many women died because abortion was illegal and they sought backdoor clinics and at home methods of there own to rid themselves of an unwanted pregnancy. Another important issue that was resolved due to activists initiating equality into our culture not only for every white man but for every person regardless of race, gender, age or religoud preferences. Today we are treated equal in most instances and when not the issue is usally irradicated quickly. In my opinion the conflict theorist had the right idea, without conflict or differences in the way society is run there will be no need for change. If there is someone who feels like things need to be changed we must bring that issue to the people and make it known because not all inequalities are suffered by the same people and unless you have been never been treated  unfairly then you know how it feels to not be able to do something or say something just  because of who you are not what you have done. Our merits should be what we are judged on and not by what someone stereotypes us as being. We have come a long way as a culture but as long as there is a society we will always have some form of fight on our hands to ensure equality for all  people, and it seems to me that the conflict theory is the best way to do this. Reference Belasco, S. (2000). Harriet martineau’s black hero and the american antislavery movement. Nineteenth – Century Literature, 55(2), 157-194. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211910586?accountid=32521 Michael, R. H., & Deborah, A. L. (2010). The harriet martineau sociological society’s fifth working seminar: A report from boston college 1. Sociological Origins, 6(1), 5-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204784236?accountid=32521 Vissing, Y. (2011) An Introduction to Sociology. (Ashford University ed). San Diego: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. retrieved from: https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUSOC101.11.1/sections/sec1.3?search=harriet%20Martineau#w4370

Dark Were The Tunnels Essay

A Change in Humanity George R. R. Martin’s short story, â€Å"Dark, Dark Were The Tunnels,† is one of the pieces included in John Joseph Adams compilation of apocalyptic short stories titled Wastelands: stories of the apocalypse. This story is not a traditional story of the apocalypse; it is not about humanity’s struggle to survive immediately after an apocalyptic event, in a changed environment. Nor is it a story about how humans are affected emotionally and struggle to live day to day. Instead this is a story about how humanity has already passed its struggle and has adapted to its new world so that people may easily live and build a civilization in their changed environment. Greel, the protagonist for the first half of this story, is a member of a portion of the human population that burrowed underground in order to escape the apocalyptic wasteland of the surface of the earth. There is, however, another group of humans who escaped to a place called Luna in order to survive the apo calypse. When two men from Luna venture in to the tunnels to look for any sign of survivors, they see Greel. The people of Luna are virtually unchanged by the apocalypse. However, the tunnel people have adapted to their new environment, with large photosensitive eyes, pale skin, long limbs and telepathic abilities. The explorers are shocked and disgusted by Greel’s appearance because he no longer looks like they do; in their eyes he is no longer a human being. â€Å"The creature in the pool of light was small, barely over four feet. Small and sickening. There was something vaguely manlike about it, but the proportions of the limbs were all wrong, and the hands and feet were grotesquely malformed. And the skin, the skin was a sickly, maggoty white.† (Adams 97). The theme of this story is the how differences between two groups of people can result in problems between the two groups. This story’s strengths are first that you get to see the same event from the point of view of two different characters. First you come to understand Greel, a member of the new underground species of humans; then you see the same events from the point of view of the people who escaped into space. This gives you an interesting understanding of how much humans have been changed by their apocalypse becoming he two types of humans are  now so different that they cannot communicate with each other. The second strength of the story is the way that Greel is introduced to the reader. If the story had started with a description of Greel than the reader might not have been able to sympathize with him. However by having his point of view first it makes the reader take Greels side and sympathize with him despite how he looks. The weakness of this story was that it di d not contain many background details. It did not explain how the humans who escaped the apocalypse by going into space managed to do this. Also the details that it did give about Greels civilization were confusing because they were not explained in detail, only talking briefly about fighting through the bad levels and climbing up through tunnels. However, a lack of detail is common in short stories because it is difficult to fit in a lot of background information while still keeping the story interesting and short. The importance of this story is that it shows the long-term effects of an apocalyptic event on humanity. Humans have been completely changed by an apocalyptic event, so much so that the people who did not experience this event are shocked and horrified by what the changed group of humanity has become. They no longer consider each other a part of the same species; they are now too different from each other. This is a unique story in the collection of apocalypse stories be cause it shows how a ‘normal person,’ someone unaffected by the apocalypse, reacts to a person who has been changed by the apocalypse. This story shows how the two types of people can no longer understand each other. â€Å"Dark, Dark Were The Tunnels† does not talk about the original struggles of the people who burrowed into the earth to escape the apocalypse, such as an inability to find food and the emotional impact of being trapped underground, instead it talks about how the people who have adapted to their new situation have created an entirely new civilization in their new environment. They are no longer the same group that fled underground; they have changed almost entirely. This is a story of these new people, people who were irrevocably changed by the apocalypse, meeting people who were not changed at all. The interaction between them does not end well for either party. They no longer speak the same language so they cannot communicate, they do not look the same physically, and both think that the other has a limited intelligence. The humans from Luna believe that Greel is stunted from his time undergr ound and Greel does not  understand why he cannot form a connection with the minds of the men from Luna, something that only happens with animals. Neither side understands the other and this results in Greel killing the humans from Luna because they killed his hunting rat, wrongly thinking that it was dangerous. Overall this story was a successful. It does belong in Wastelands because it tells the story of the aftermath of an apocalyptic event. It was made clear that there had been an apocalypse, saying that there had been a war; making the surface of the planet unlivable for a long time. This apocalypse is what led to the change in the human population that burrowed underground. The story is not a about the immediate effects of the apocalypse, it is a story about the aftereffects of an apocalypse. Work Cited Adams, John Joseph. Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse. San Francisco: Nightshade Book, 2008. Print.

How business works Essay

Introduction In this assignment I will be producing a case study on large/medium sided businesses, showing of how business works. My chosen company is McDonalds. The following will be including in my case study: * A description of what the business does, its aims and objectives. * A description of the purposes and activities of human resources and any other three functional areas. * A description of how effectively different areas of the business communicate. * A description of how the structure of the business is different from another organisation’s structure. * A record of my source’s information. McDonalds Restaurant OverView McDonalds is a large fast food chain of restaurants operating world wide, started in America and has outlets in other places such as, India, Cyprus. In many countries McDonald s sells variations of its food to cater for local tastes. They are also known for being multicultural because of the different cultural foods in their restaurants. Because of their huge volume of sales McDonalds has strong purchasing power with its suppliers and is therefore able to sell food very competitively. By the end of 2001 their was 1,184 restaurants in the UK alone. They had a target to get over 80 new restaurants opened by 2002, and that was achieved. By opening over 80 new restaurants they employed 4,800 new employees. ACTIVITY, AIMS & OBJECTIVES (P1, D2) Main Activity The main activity of McDonalds is selling fast food. They aim to provide a customer service, there are 1.5 million employees working for McDonald restaurants in the 119 countries, which all have the same daily activities which involves the staff in greeting, serving and helping customers with any enquiries or problems. They are the largest food service company in the world, so it’s important that all employees work together to succeed their aim. Main Aim McDonalds main aim is to provide customers with a fast food service in order to obtain a profit for its shareholders. McDonalds are committed to conducting their business with the environment in mind. McDonalds mission statement is â€Å"To be the world’s best quick service restaurant†. This is being achieved through five strategies such as; * Development: Lead the quick service restaurant market by a programme of site development profitable restaurant openings. * Our People: Achieve a competitive advantage through people who are high calibre, effective, well motivated and feel part of the McDonalds team in delivering the company’s goals. * Restaurant Excellence: Focus on consistent delivery of quality, service and cleanliness through excellence in our restaurants. * Operating Structure: Optimise restaurant performance through the selection of the most appropriate operating, management and ownership structures. * The Brand: Continue to build the relationship between McDonald’s and our customers in order to be a genuine part of the fabric of British society. Objectives McDonalds objective is to be the best’s quick service restaurant and believes and believes that this involves avoiding damage to the environment at a local and global level. The company aims to ensure that its operations today do not have an effect on the lives of future consumers. McDonald’s is involved in an ongoing programme with the aim to improve the environment, they do this by reusable packaging and recycling. Functional Areas within McDonalds (P2, M1, D2) HUMAN RESOURCES The Human Resources department concentrates on employees who work for the McDonald restaurants. Human Resources department include managing staff and their welfare, so the safety of their staff is taking very seriously, this all comes under Health and Safety. Staff have to be careful not to use computers/tills for long periods of time because they can suffer from eyestrain, tiredness or stress. McDonalds is improving communication systems by installing panic buttons for the safety against violent customers. McDonald’s employees have to work together to ensure a hazard free zone, by adhering to the health and safety regulations. McDonalds puts new employees on to a training system, to make sure if an accident happens which involves either a member of staff or a customer getting hurt, then the employee will be able to handle the situation effectively. McDonalds restaurants work to high standards, which meets and mostly exceeds the rules and regulations. The company always aims for the highest standards given in guidelines because of health and safety regulations and to expand the business. If McDonalds didn’t meet the requirements than they would be closed down by the health and safety executives. The Human Resources department contributes to McDonald’s activity by making sure: * They employ the right staff * Making sure the store is a hazard free zone These things contribute to the activity of McDonalds because without them they wouldn’t be able to achieve their aim, so it’s important that all the different department’s work together to succeed it. Recruitment, Training and Development When recruiting staff McDonalds look for people who have a positive attitude towards customers, themselves and other employees, and who are capable of delivering the highest standards of quality, service and cleanliness to our customers. Then potential employees are trained, promoted and treated on the basis of their relevant skills, talents and performance and without reference to race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, age and disability. McDonalds management development curriculum takes new recruits form trainee manager to restaurant manger. They have on-the-job training and open learning development modules, backed up with courses and seminars at the company’s national and regional training centres. Hourly paid staff receive continuous on-the-job training by computer based training and other training materials. When employees complete their initial training staff members are awarded a basic certificate in food hygiene. Employees Below are the figures of the staff’s gender and age status. By the end of 2000 McDonald’s employed 49,726 members of staff: * 46, 207 restaurant crew * 2, 974 restaurant management crew * 545 office staff Health and Safety McDonalds always aims for the highest standards (and mostly exceeds), so they can achieve its aim and be the best quick service restaurant. If McDonalds didn’t meet the requirements of the health and safety act 1974 than they would be closed down by the health and safety executives. The most common hazards which occur in a work place are: 1. Leaving the work place untidy and dirty 2. Leaving floors wet and stairs 3. Leaving wires to trial across passageways 4. Frayed carpet or loose tiles 5. Equipment just left all over work surfaces 6. Too many plugs inserted into only one electric socket The human resources department has to make sure that all health and safety regulations are met. If they are not met then it can be closed down, also if the restaurant is unclean then it could loose customers and wouldn’t keep up their activity to be the best selling fast food restaurant. Customers wouldn’t want to go to a dirty restaurant, where there are a lot of hazards going on such as; wet shop floor, bins over filled, dirty tables and a unclean kitchen area. If any of these hazards occurred in any McDonalds restaurants customers could become ill or hurt, which would result in McDonalds going to court or having to closed the McDonalds restaurant down. Management training includes coping with emergency situations that could arise in a restaurant. This is because it decreases the risk of people being injured or the buildings being damaged in the McDonald restaurants. When an accident has occurred the manager then has to write out what happened and then investigate on the matter. Training is the main priority to ensure the consistency of the restaurant operation, and the highest levels of customer service and care. Every McDonalds franchisee must successfully complete a training programme which takes on average nine months to complete. Trade Union The workers are represented by union of shop, distributed and allied worker. Job Roles In Human Resources Job Roles In the Human Resources function Carmel Flatley, Human Resources Director I am the human resources director of McDonalds and I have the overall decision of anything that happens in this department. I also have to make sure that the human resources department don’t go over their budget. Paul Smith, Human Resources Manager I look after the whole HR department and staff, involved with industrial relations and trade unions negotiations, implementing the organisations HR policies. Gemma Wilson, Recruitment officer I deal with recruiting people, that’s sending out application forms, making interviews for potential employees. Potential employees don’t need to be experience in any way, because McDonalds is committed to training their staff and improving the skills of staff. Matthew Lawrence, Health and Safety Officer I deal with all health and safety matters, accident monitoring and staff welfare. That involves making sure that the shop floor is a hazard free zone for customers and clean and tidy, making sure the kitchen is clean enough to work in. I am well trained in first aid so that if any accidents happen, I will be their to help. I also have to deal with complaints and try to solve them. FINANCE The finance is one of the most important functions as they record all the money going in and out of the business, they give a budget for each other department to spend to make sure they keep their level of income and expenditure. They would regularly check the amount of money each department has spend and made to see if they are on target or not. If a department has gone over their budget then the finance dept would check to see if there is enough money to lend those more. So the purpose of the financial function therefore is to: * Keep all the financial records required by the organisation, detailing all the receipts and payments that have been made * Prepare final accounts from these records as required by law * Monitor the income and expenditure of different departments against their budgets * Provide continuous, up to date financial information for managers about business performance * Pay salaries and wages to the staff * Pay amounts owing to suppliers * Control the levels of debts owed to the company * Obtain additional finance when required, from the most appropriate source * Advise senior managers on the financial implications of major decisions These contribute to the McDonald’s activity by being apart of providing a good customer service by, paying the employees their salaries/wages, if they weren’t paid they wouldn’t be no staff or it could result in the staff withdrawing their labour. Production will cease and the employer will lose revenue. By McDonalds receiving more capital they can improve the quality of the store or products so customers would be more pleased of the in store environment or pleased of what they have purchase. It would result in consumers returning to the store because of the good service and also bringing more money to the business which will also achieve their aim which is to be the best selling fast food restaurant. Job Roles in Finance Department JOB ROLES George Mackay, Finance Director I am the finance director and I am in charge of the whole finance department. It involves information services, new product development, quality assurance and supply chain. I have to make sure a product which is purchased has the right quality that is expected from consumers, and then have to put a price to it. The most important part of the finance department is the cash flow which is the movement of cash going in and out a business. As a finance director I have to gives advice to senior managers on the overall decision on financial matters. And also as a director I have the last say with what happens within the finance department. Christopher Bateman, Financial Manager I looks after the finance function and the staff. Advising on financial resources. As a manager I have to make sure that all work as been done well. E.g. they have to monitor the income and expenditure of all departments to make sure they haven’t gone over their budget. So after the staff have checked their cash flow I then have to then go threw it to make sure nothing has been missed out. Derek, Daniels, Ledger Clerk I have to assist the chief accountant in the recording of all financial transactions. So where the money goes or comes in I have to make sure the chief accountant has recorded it all effectively. If any mistakes have been made I then have to correct the errors. Nita Negi, Credit Control Clerk As a credit control clerk, I have to assist the credit controller in checking the credit status of new customers and existing accounts, and also Reminding customers or overdue payment. PRODUCTION Production is all about the process of making something. Product life style shows the stages of a product or a range of products. If it isn’t successful it goes to decline stage. The activities of the production department are listed below: * Obtaining the resources required to produce goods or provide a service * Organising the resources to produce the goods or provide the service in the most appropriate way For the activities to be achieve they must consider the aim of the business which is to be the best selling fast food restaurant, so they have to find the best quality of food that suits them and then order it but first having to keep on target and not going over their budget by ordering expensive items or ordering to much that it all cant be produced/sold. Another thing they must consider is if the resources can be organised to achieve the aims, doing this they have to think about selling it cheaper then their competitors or having an offer like buy on get on free. They do this so it sells more because people wouldn’t to spend more they would go to the most cheapest place or giving the product an offer can be appealing to the customers. The production department contributes to McDonald’s activity by finding the right products at the right prices. When good quality products are sold at low prices it pleases customers and make them want to return, it also brings in more people as when a customer is pleased with the type of service they have receive the consumer then tells several other people, which makes then want to try it out. Job roles in Production Job Roles in Production Steven Cornway, Production Manager Responsible for the entire production function and it’s operations. What ever goes on has to be checked and authorised by me. Kim Karenga, Production Planners Plan all production to maximise machine use and staffing, taking account of customer requirements. Chris Walker, Production Controllers To check all production is going to schedule. Ted Osborne, Designers I am responsible for the actual design of the finished product. So if I don’t like the way a product has been designed I can make remendments. MARKETING The object of marketing is to make sure that the right product is made and potential customers are persuaded to buy it. Market Research can be carried out through either primary or secondary research. Primary research means asking someone on their views or opinions. A way of asking potential customers of their views or opinions is to make sure a survey, having questions about a certain item. After the survey has been completed they will then need to send out the surveys to potential customers, by either online, over the phone, by post or giving out surveys (in stores. Postal surveys don’t have much of a response as the others do as it takes more time e.g. sending it back, so when postal surveys are concerned their will usually have to be some kind of incentive offered for completing the survey, so customers would be tempted to fill it out. Secondary research is known as â€Å"desk research†. It consists to looking up facts or figures in books, magazines, computer databases, company files. So secondary research is looking at information that already exists instead of creating your own. McDonalds keeps a large amount of information on their databases about their customers and their buying patterns, also companies buy information from government statistics. Product – The amount of products the customer wants, the quality wanted, the features and the styling that are preferred, whether packaging is important, whether a guarantee or after sales service is required. Strategies – Is a long term plan for future success or development. Place – McDonalds are located on high streets or town centres. Marketing contributes to the McDonalds activity by market research (finding out what potential customers wants/needs), and improving existing products. Both of these improve the customer service, marketing contribute a lot to their activity to make McDonalds achieve their activity. All the functions work together to achieve it. The job roles of Marketing Job Roles in Marketing Matthew Howe, Marketing Director I am responsible for the overall marketing function and its aims and objectives. So if any idea’s have been thought of they have to been checked with me before anyone goes ahead and makes a change. Ethan Farah, Sales Manager As a sales manager I am responsible for overseas agents and the achievement of sales targets overseas. David Frank, Market Researchers Market researchers have to find out consumer opinions on current and proposed goods and services, if this is not done than they could bring out a product which isn’t doesn’t sell a lot and a loose the money they put in to produce the products. Advertising Manager An advertising manager is in charge of advertising and liaising with agency staff over publicity campaigns. Advertising is one of the most important things in marketing as without advertising a product will not be known so their would sell as well as products being advertised. EQUAL OPPORTUNTIES (P3, M2, D2) In a work placement an employee has rights and responsibilities. Below are the rights and responsibilities of an employee. Rights as an employee Employee’s rights How to carry it out Having safe working conditions Making sure that the area your working is a hazard free zone, if not consult your manager or the human resources area. It is also your job to take care with anything you do to prevent any hazards happening. Getting paid the fair salary/wage Depending on your age, experience and contract, employee’s get paid differently. You have to make sure that your getting a fair paid if not consult your manager. You should first read your contract because you might have signed for getting paid the amount you’re getting. Provided information concerning your rights Before starting your job you will be provided with information about the rights an employee has. (mainly in your contract) If you’re not provided with this information you are able to ask for it. Not to be discriminated on grounds of race, sex or disability If you feel that your getting treated unfairly according to your race, sex or disability your able to take up action like consulting your trade union. To be consulted over matters which will significantly affect your terms and conditions of employment If you employer decides to change something, which affects the terms and conditions on you employment and does not consult you first, you can take action upon this. Responsibilities for an employee Employee’s responsibilities How to carry it out To be ‘ready and willing to work It’s always good to be full with enthusiasm in your work because it looks good for the company and make you happier in your work To give a personal service Your contract will contain you main job roles, but it’s always good to provide your own service like putting your ideas into your work, smiling and just any other little thing. To treat others how you would like to be treated If you’re rude and dishonest than fellow staff would treat you the same. It’s important to work as a team and communicating well with other people, this can only be done if you treat people well. To work towards the objectives of the business Working towards the objectives of a business could look good on you and on the business, if the employer see’ s you are working hard than it could result in the employee being promoted. To work in good faith Working in good faith consists of being honest, if you’re honest it again can see that you’re trustworthy and could get promoted. But yet if your seen lying than you could loose your job. COMUNNICATION (P4, M3, D1, D2) Most organisations have different ways of communicating, communicating is one of the most important things in a business, because without communicating you cannot run a business effectively. They are all types of communicating, below is a list of ways of communicating within a business. * Meetings * Group discussions * Tele phone * Memo’s * Emails * Draft letters * Reports * Faxes There are two main methods of communication which are oral and written communication. Oral communication could be either face to face or the over the phone. If you can’t get threw to the person you are calling then you can leave a message which is still oral communication. Written communication could be sent by mail or transmitted electronically. This can include letters which is the most common one, text messages on mobile phones or notices on notice boards. Below are the advantages and disadvantages about oral and written communication. Oral Written Advantages 1. It’s a fast way of communicating because you don’t have to write things down. 2. It’s cheap, as if you phone someone you would have to pay for the phone call. 3. Immediate feedback, you don’t have to wait age’s for someone to reply back to you as you would in a letter. 1. Writing a message can be retained for future reference. 2. Writing a message can also be copied for other people’s uses. 3. Creates a distance between sender and recipient useful for difficult communication, e.g. bad news. Disadvantages 1. Clear Speech, you must speak very clearly so that other people can understand you, but yet when you write a letter people can just read it in their own pace. 2. Long or complex messages can be forgotten. 3. You can be easily distracted while someone talks to you, and then you could forget the whole message they just told you. 1. When writing a letter it can take time to write, while if your talking to someone its faster.] 2. Keyed in documents need to be skilled and produced quickly and accurately. 3. Delivery can take time, or could be delayed. McDonalds functional areas communicate with each other by a system called Intranet which was launched in 2000. The McDonalds intranet provides a fast and up to the minute source of information for the McDonalds restaurant management and office staff. McDonalds external communication is don’t by a system called McNews which was launched in 2000. McNews is a award wining magazine which was published monthly for all restaurant staff, then in 2002 McNews was re – launched as MDUK and is now a lively focused magazine. MDUK has activities and events from restaurants around the country. MDUK is a showcase for best practice, recognising individual’s outstanding practices and achievements, as well as highlighting internal and external awards. Apart from the Intranet and MDUK, McDonalds also has other ways of communicating within the business, they are listed below. 1. An email system operates in all offices and company – owned restaurants 2. Regular staff communication sessions are held in the offices 3. Employee satisfaction surveys for both office and restaurant staff are held annually. 4. Meetings are held monthly. 5. Memo’s – send daily An email system is to contact anyone within the business or outside the business, the email system is a fast and easier way to contact people. The email system is used by most companies and general people all over the world. Staff communication sessions are held to improve of employee’s communication skills. This is important because communicating with customers is one of the main things to do. Employee satisfaction surveys are handed out every year, so employees can write how they feel working in the McDonalds restaurants. This is a good thing to do because it’s important to keep the staff happy as it motivates the staff to work harder. Meetings are held every month to discuss the McDonalds performance. They also talk about how much they are making and see what can be improved with the money. McDonalds talks about new idea’s and try to change or promote things that is not doing so well. This is a good way of communicating as you get to talk face to face to see the expressions on each other faces and it’s faster as you don’t have to way for a reply if you do if you was writing an email. Memo’s are used daily in all of the departments. Sales manager might send a memo to human resources manager and ask if he has found a sales person. Memo’s are used daily because they are important little messages, and it’s also a fast way of sending.