A personal opinion

Conservation of energy, economy, and environment; this is what a good government looks forward to and see secured in its country. And who does not want to wake up one day and see the environment clean and green? Unfortunately, the prospect – if we will look at it realistically – is far from happening in our day and generation. What we have created out of this supposed to be perfect habitat for all species, including humankind, is a deteriorating planet in need of preservation. This is the price of what we call progress. In pursuit of advancement, we find ourselves in the midst of degeneration. Thus, the cry for the earth’s conservation.Although, more things can be said for why our government is pushing for an expansion of the Renewable Fuel Standard, some important things relevant to our existence need to be addressed and understood. Granted, that we need not be too dependent on the Middle East’s supply of oil; besides, it’s a given that we need a m ore hygienic atmosphere and cost-effective fuel. Nevertheless, vital questions have to be asked before plunging headlong to the alluring promise of biofuel use and its program. What are the unseen consequences of massive ethanol production? What are the effects so far in ecology and economy of this adaptation to biofuels?What roles have governments played in this campaign to shift to biofuels? Which biofuels, if these are indeed viable, are the right ones to develop? These questions, if addressed properly, are crucial and may contribute a lot to the government’s policy on biofuels (Renewable Fuel Standard). Discussion ~ A Case for Biofuel. The use of biofuels has quickly become popular because they are derived from plants. As such, while grown they (the plants source for biofuels) absorb carbon in the air and also release it when burned. The very nature and life cycle of producing biofuel seem to project an environmental-friendly outlook.President Bush was urged in 2004 by at least 30 state governors to expand his program and the support the government is giving for the production of ethanol (Avery, 2006). The proposal of these governors was optimistic. It forecasts reduction of fuel prices, enhancing security in national power/energy, and can generate multiple jobs and thus accelerate economy in rural areas (Avery, 2006). The scheme was indeed a roadmap to solving most of the nation’s crises. There are many proponents for renewable energy that exert much pressure on the government to shift from using the conventional petroleum gas to ethanol.Becky Stillman, an advocate of ethanol use was very optimistic and asserted that enough biofuel can be produced in Indiana alone. She projected â€Å"Hoosier farmers† capacity to yield â€Å"1 billion gallons† of biofuels. She further calculated a â€Å"doubling of Indiana’s pork production†. Sun Microsystems’ co-founder, Vinod Khosla expressed his confidence when he stated with absolute certainty his hopes for ethanol production. He believes that the government can make use of the already agricultural land and needs not convert nor change food production in order to produce enough ethanol.He claimed that the majority of petroleum use in cars and light trucks can be switched to ethanol. Because proponents of biofuels are absolutely convinced of its gains, Senator Hilary Clinton (one of its advocates) pushed for a speedier stride in terms of the government’s support. ~ A Case against Biofuel. The big promise that plant-produced oil holds probably is the main reason why President Bush, in his 2007 State of the Union Address, has called for a broader expansion of the government’s program on the use of biofuels.The program has been running for some time now and is gaining more momentum especially that the President has backed it up. If last year’s requirement of plant-produced oil for US fuel makers was four billion gallons, the new p lan as expressed in the President’s State of the Union Address will definitely increase the requirement and would mean huge increase in budget. Let’s consider the odds against the massive production of biofuels, which I firmly believe tips the scales and convincingly points to the need to seriously reconsider what this country is embarking into.As in the pro side of the issue, there are also advocates campaigning against biofuels, and they appear to have a stronger case. For example, Republican Senator John McCain is on the opposite side and has spoken intelligently on the issue. He pointed out clearly the negative repercussions of ethanol production. In the Decade of the 80s, he said, government subsidies for ethanol production were originally meant to help bolster the corn farmers’ struggling industry. But instead of contributing to the overall welfare of America’s agriculture, the large subsidies have incurred wide ranged harm on other agricultural bus inesses.In order for the beef and dairy farmers to raise a decent profit, they would have to jack up on the prices of meat and milk; this is to compensate for expenses sustained for the higher price of feed corn while raising beef and dairy products. In short, the whole process is at the expense of the rank and file consumers. Imagine those who will experience the bulk of the impact? Not the rich and powerful definitely, unless the subject is all about gains or profits; but the grassroots, those who, in the end will not be able to fend for themselves that much in terms of financial capability.The overall effect of these subsidies can be seen in the resulting high costs of agricultural products. Senator John McCain stated that â€Å"ethanol is an inefficient, expensive fuel. † On a larger scale, the unintended consequences of massive biofuel production can be seen in its effects on some of the countries in Southeast Asia, more particularly, Malaysia. Because of strong European demand, Malaysia’s export of palm oil has generated huge monetary income of 9 billion dollars last year (check Elizabeth Rosenthal’s article at www. nytimes. com/2007/01/31).Looking at the surface, the prospect of generating such enormous amount of profit is certainly appealing. This optimistic outlook when juxtaposed with results of scientific investigation regarding palm oil production is not really utopic or ideal. Because of the rising demand of palm oil in Europe, Malaysian government has allowed for the clearing of vast tracts of their rainforest to convert them into palm tree plantation. Along with this, is the excessive use of chemical fertilizer. The expanding need for palm plantation has caused for the burning of peatlands to accommodate more space needed.This practice is responsible for the huge amounts of carbon emissions in the skies. What’s the big deal about it? According to studies, Indonesia is now ranked the world’s third-leading source (3rd only to U. S. and China) of carbon emissions and is believed to be contributory to the feared global warming (check Elizabeth Rosenthal’s article at www. nytimes. com/2007/01/31). Considering these facts, the full-of-promise prospect of biofuel use has become a frightening idea. It’s not without bad repercussions. In the U. S.alone, enough has been observed to make us think more on the issue. The government has a big role in this shift to biofuels. For one thing, our government’s leadership is like a ship’s rudder that determines the course of our nation. What the government sanctions, the populace approve. If we will not stop at this point and heed those on the opposite end (those who are against the massive production of biofuels), we might wake up one day reaping the consequences of our bad choice. The campaign for the use of biofuels needs additional and patient study.Let’s allow our scientists to probe further on the issue and consider c arefully the benefits and losses. Conclusion It was quite coincidental that I came across the topic on this other side of the biofuel issue and although much research will have to be done as of yet in order to attain a more balanced and scientific information, certainly, what we have here is truly, amazingly, real conversational piece. Just bring this up especially when some of your â€Å"more intellectual† friends or relatives are around, and you’ll realize that you have just stumbled into what may be termed as a â€Å"pricey topic.† The full consequences of a massive shift to biofuels in the future may not yet be in our full view. The arguments for and against it are all available to us. I think, not just to play it safe, for the time being, it’s still safe to use conventional petroleum gas while further study on biofuels is still ongoing. Reference: 1. Avery, Dennis, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Sept. 21, 2006. 2. Rosenthal, Elizabeth. Accessed Au gust 31, 2007

Masque of the Red Death By Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allen Poe â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† 1) What does each color in each room mean? These colors represent the seven deadly sins which are laziness, lust, gluttony, greed, pride, anger, and covetousness. The colors can also represent the seven stages of man starting from birth, toddler age, childhood, teen age, middle age, old age, and lastly death. Blue is birth, Purple is royalty and power, Green is growth and life, Orange is destruction, White is purity, Violet is knowledge and memory, and Black is death. ) Why do you think Poe arranged the apartments in this manner? The way Prince Prospero arranged the rooms is very peculiar. He did it from east to west according from when the sun would rise to when it would set. When the sun would rise it would mean birth and when it would set death. Just like the rooms blue was on the east so it would mean birth and black being on the west meaning death. 3) What do the colors add to the suspense in the story?The colors add cert ain suspense to the story because we do not have a meaning to them. They give you a mysterious out look towards what can happen next. We obviously have the idea that the black room means death and that someone will eventually die. 4) What does the ebony clock represent and what in the story leads you to this conclusion? It represents every hour that they live past the Red Death or until it comes since they cannot escape it. The fact that the clock is ebony meaning black it symbolizes the color of death.So we can come to the conclusion that sooner or later someone is going to die. 5) Why does the ebony clock reflect Poe’s personal life? It reflects his personal life because Poe had a lot of deaths happen in his life, starting with his parents when he was young. These deaths were all related because at that time tuberculosis was the main cause of death. Reading his biography we soon see that all his loved ones died from tuberculosis. Although it is not clear of what he died fro m.

Wegener and the Theory of Continental Drift

Prepared for Dr. Heather Hauser Shorter University EASC 2060 The Natural World Submitted by Lillie Momon December 6, 2011 Running head: Wegener and the Theory of Continental Drift Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) was a German scientist in the fields of meteorology, astronomy, and geology. He was one of the first scientists to theorize about the continental drift or continents in motion, which supports the belief that the Earth's continents once were a single land mass. Wegener called this land mass, â€Å"Pangaea†, because the continents began to break up, and various parts drifted away from one another. According to Wegener, â€Å"the eastern shoreline of Africa and the western shoreline of South America fit together like a piece of jigsaw puzzle, and when you align the continents at their continental shelves, their fit is even better† [ (Wegener, 2007) ]. When scientist and geologist began to traveler around the world, it was even more evident that Wegener’s theory of continental drift could be possible, because scientist had once thought that the continents had started off in their places, where they now lie. However, Wegener’s theory began to change the way people looked at the world. Based on the theory of continental drift, Wegener began to gather evidence from around the world from landforms, fossils, and climate and put it in a book titled â€Å"The Origin of Continents and Oceans,† which was published in 1915. Wegener’s theory was rejected because he could not provide evidence on the force that moved the continents. Base upon the reading of, Conceptual Integrated Science, Harry Hess and Robert Dietz, both scientists came up with a hypothesis that linked, Wegener’s theory of continental drift, to seafloor spreading. The seafloor is repeatedly changing; as new lithosphere forms in mid ocean the older lithosphere is pushed from the ridge into a deep ocean trench, which causes the continents to shift† [ (Weil, 1997) ]. According to Dr. Heather Hauser, a professor at Shorter University, in the late nineteen fifties, geologists found new evidence of continental drift, such as two rocks matching exactly. Both rocks were the same age, and h ad the same exact genetic structure. These two landforms were discovered in 1958. The location of these rocks, were western South America and south eastern Africa. This discovery helps prove that continental drift has actually occurred, because it is nearly impossible for two rocks of the same kind to turn up on two separate continents [ (Hauser, 2011) ]. Then in 1912, Wegener also found a tropical plant on the island of Spitsbergen. This island lies north of Norway in the Atlantic Ocean. Today Spitsbergen is covered in ice and has polar climate. This is important because today no tropical plant can grow in Spitsbergen, because its temperature is too cold. Wegener indicated that, Spitsbergen was once closer to the equator. He thought that this was the only possible solution for the unusual discovery. At the same time when Spitsbergen was warm and tropical, Africa’s temperature was freezing, but today Africa is known for its hot and tropical climate. Some geologists have concluded that the temperature was once freezing by discovering rocks that are covered in deep scratches. These scratches were caused by continental glaciers. Today, Africa’s weather is too mild for any type of glacier to form. Wegener concluded that when Pangaea existed, it was closer to the South Pole. Based on science research, when any continent moves to either pole, their temperature begins to drop. Based upon, all of the evidence from the landforms, fossils and climate, leads one to believe that continental drift did occurred [ (Wagner, 2008) ]. Scientist also discovered particular fresh water reptile fossils that have been found in Africa and South America. These two continents were separated by the Atlantic Ocean, making it extremely difficult for the same fossil to be found on to different continent. Which makes Wegener’s theory more plausible? Scientist later discovered a fernlike plant, which had existed about two hundred and fifty years ago. Wegener used this plant to prove his theory of continental drift could have occurred, because this plant was found in many locations [ (Wagner, 2008) ]. Also based upon, the evidence from the landforms, fossils and climate, leads scientist and geologist alike to believe that continental drift, actually did occur. We also have our reading material from, Conceptual Integrated Science and a short documentary film on the earth crust that was showed in our Science class, the Natural World, which ook placed at Shorter University, supervised by, Dr. Heather Hauser, which implies that the plate tectonics are the main forces behind the changes that happen here on Earth. If we were to use some of the evident of plate tectionic,using the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate to illustrate just a few of the fascinating features that are created along these boundaries. A ccording to the evident reviewed, the earth’s crust is not a solid mass. It is shaped more like a jigsaw puzzle that is made up of continental plates that shift around on top of the mantle. This movement takes place very slowly and large scale movement can only be measured in millions of years according to Dr. Hauser [ (Hauser, 2011) ]. Wegener’s theory is largely based on a combination of two main ideas: Continental Drift and Sea flooring. Each piece of the puzzle slides and grinds past, under, over, or away from the other pieces around it. The boundary where the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate meet is called, a convergent boundary. This is where one plate (The Pacific Plate) moves into and then underneath the other one (North America). This creates a whole lot of grinding, folding, pushing, and otherwise violent forces [ (Hewitt, 2007) ]. So therefore, based upon the evidence which have been provide in reference to the landforms, fossils, climate, seafloor spreading, and plate tectonic compels one to believe, that Alfred Wegener, theory of the continental drift really did occurred and that continental drift will continue for millions and millions or years, long after humans are gone. Hauser, D. H. (2011, November 29). The Natural World. (L. Momon, Interviewer) Hewitt, P. G. (2007). Conceptual Integrated Science. San Francisco: Pearson. Wagner, I. 2008, Aug 11). The Great Continental Drift Mystery. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from Yale Educational Curriculum: http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1991/6/91. 06. 05. x. html Watson, J. (1999, Oct 11). Dynamic Contienents. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from http://pubs. usgs. gov/gip/dynamic/continents. html Wegener, A. (2007). Continental Drift-An Idea Before I ts Time. In P. G. hewitt, Conceptual Integrated Science (pp. 511-517). San Francisco: Pearson. Weil, A. (1997, Mar 6). The Rocky History of an Idea. Retrieved November 26, 2011, from Plate Tectonics: http://www. ucmp. berkeley. edu/geology/techist. html

Urban wildlife management in arizona Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Urban wildlife management in arizona - Essay Example This is something that makes the wild animals insecure and can be used in explaining the fact that they have been attacking human beings without being provoked. The fact that their natural habitat has been invaded is already enough provocation to them (Luniak, 2004). This leads to the solemn point that the government should also make sure that in the bid of expanding citys wildlife should always be considered. There are a number of ways in which wildlife can be considered in such a case. This is because in this case they as just as endangered by the situation just like human beings are. There can be made plans that will see to it that their inhabitants are fortified in such a way that they will not be easily found in the areas that are inhabited by human being (p. 67). The wild animals that cannot be easily put away from human beings habitat could also undergo scientific gene modification to make sure that the hostility that they have towards human beings is moderated. Some people would argue that this would be endangering the wild animals, but industrialization and urban growth are already putting them and human being in danger with each side fighting for survival at any cost (p.

The Role of the audit committee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Role of the audit committee - Essay Example The paper will discuss the roles, the responsibilities and the effectiveness of the audit committee in details. The independence of the audit committee and how its independence is ensured will be explored. The current issues that are being faced by the audit committee in the context of various accounting misrepresentations will also be analysed. Role of Audit Committee The Role of Audit Committee in the US and the UK and Oversight of Internal and External Auditors and Overseeing Financial Reporting The audit committee has the responsibility of judging the validity of financial statements. The internal financial controls of the company and the company’s risk management system are reviewed by the audit committee (Financial Reporting Council, 2010). The audit committee is responsible for hiring the external auditors. They have the right to fire the external auditors if their performance is not satisfactory. ... The audit committee has the authority to hire as well as terminate the independent auditors. They approve the fees of engaged auditors. They conduct discussion with the independent auditors regarding the approach that will be taken in conducting the audit. They conduct a review of the audit that is done by the independent auditor to understand the areas of concern and make suggestions. They conduct an annual review of the audit report of the independent auditor. The audit committee reviews the company’s accounting controls internally along with the risk management policies of the company. They monitor the financial reporting and financial disclosures in the company. The financial statements that are audited are discussed with the management and the auditors. The audit committee reports regularly to the board of directors regarding their inference from audit reports (Singh, 2005). The audit committee is responsible for ensuring independence of both internal and external auditor s. The audit committee has a liaison with internal and external auditors. The external auditors underwrite the validity of accounting information. The audit committee has the responsibility of ensuring the independence of the internal auditors. They provide resources to the internal auditors to ensure quality of the information. The internal auditors report to the audit committee. The compliance with standards and code of ethics of the internal auditors make things easier for the audit committee (The Institute of Internal Auditors, 2004). Importance and Effectiveness of Audit Committees The rising scandals and fraudulence activities in the corporate world have increased the

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 93

Journal - Essay Example His demise was so painful that whenever I think of him I shed tears. 3. Death of my idol. I am the biggest fan of Michael Jackson. His music is both entertaining and inspirational to me. His death was one of the biggest shocks for me. It took me several days to accept that he had passed on. I was very depressed. I felt like I had lost a part of me. 4. The strange kid in school. There was this quiet girl that was surrounded by mystery and creepiness. Apart from wearing dark clothes, she was also a loner and enjoyed moody songs. One day she collapsed in class and was rushed to hospital. We later discovered she had deep cuts on her thighs and hands. At first we thought it was a case of parental abuse. However, bizarre knives and other sharp objects were confiscated from her room. 5. A fish and a coin. I love fishing. One day, my father and I went fishing during the holidays. Basically, it is always my father who catches fish. However, on this particular afternoon, none of us was successful. As the evening approached, I felt my fishing rod shake. I pulled it instantly and shockingly, a fish bigger than the palm of my hand was writhing and begging for mercy beside me. The shock in my father’s eyes was priceless. As we opened the fish, guess what we found- A $25 cent

Commercials in classrooms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Commercials in classrooms - Essay Example Many factors are responsible for it. But for the present, the focus will be on one major factor, displaying of commercials in classroom. The School premises have become an important playground for the companies. To increase their customer base, companies marketing strategy makers have been innovating newer and newer ways. For many companies children and teenagers are being viewed as the vital customer base. They are inventing various ways to attract teenagers towards their product. Among the newly innovated ways, one of the important ones is using commercial in different parts of school premises to attract children’s and teenager’s attention towards their product. Earlier companies used to attract customer’s attention by giving advertisements of their products on T.V., radio, news Paper, magazines, billboards in the road sides etc. But now companies are making direct interaction with children and teenagers through schools. The present paper is concerned with a review of Mr. Michael Sandel’s essay on â€Å"Commercials in the classroom†. This paper actually seeks to analyze the demerits of using commercials in the classroom and then will discuss which kinds of advertisement ought to be removed from the classroom along with explaining the reasons for doing so. Commercials in classroom – a threat to pupil’s future: Classroom no longer remained the place of learning only. This holy place also has not been left untouched by corporate marketing strategy. Marketing personnel of the companies are now seeing a huge client base among the children and teenager. They, therefore, have become very much desperate to attract those customers to their products. They have invented new process of advertising for their products. Advertising on T.V, radio, news paper, etc does not ensure that these will be watched by the audiences they are targeting. If children and

Paul Ehrlich's influence on modern microbiology and immunology Essay

Paul Ehrlich's influence on modern microbiology and immunology - Essay Example The latter had long been a serious disease not only in Europe but also all over the world and had developed into a serious public health problem that needed to be dealt with swiftly. Ehrlich’s contribution to microbiology in this case came from the study of the chemicals that were seen to have a discriminating affinity to certain types of organism or tissues. In addition, because of this research, he and a fellow scientist, SakahiroHata, ended up developing salvarsan, an arsenical that killed spirochaete without having any mortal effects on the patients on whom it was administered. Despite the fact that this arsenical had some toxic effects, it was still a great advancement in the field of applied organic chemistry, and it was for this reason, among others, that Ehrlich was honoured with the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1908. He was a pioneer in the conducting of experiments that involved the use of chemical drugs for the treatment of diseases and this was done through the stud y of the diverse cells and tissues in the human body. These ended up revealing the fundamental principles that lay behind the immune system of the human body and this helped a great deal on the establishment of the use of chemotherapy in medicine. In addition, his development of salvarsan ensured that syphilis would, for the first time in history, be cured and this discovery may be considered to be amongst the greatest discoveries in the modern world because it came to reveal the potential which the systematic research in drugs had for the development of cures for other diseases (Sepkowitz 291). The development of the field now known as haematology came about through the efforts of Ehrlich, who conducted studies of how blood cells reacted when dye was applied to them. This new field came to be concerned with the study of blood and those organs that formed it, and as such came to be and is still recognised as one of the most prominent scientific fields. In fact, many of the terms tha t Ehrlich coined when conducting his various researches have come into common use in medicine and these involve the term chemotherapy (Elliott 53). Ehrlich had many influences in his early life that inspired the development of his interest in science and scientific methods of research and among the most influential individuals in his early life was his cousin Karl Weigert. The latter was a well-known pathologist in his time and it was he who helped Ehrlich develop an interest in the study of cells through his teaching him how to dye cells so that he could have a better view of them under the microscope. From this time onward, Ehrlich became engrossed in his research on dye reactions on cells and this interest continued even after he joined university and it was his research that may for the most part, have led to the development of modern microbiology as well as immunology. Through his doctoral thesis it can be suggested that during such an early period of his suggests that even at this early stage in his vocation, he had already come to the conclusion that his chosen

English - Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 Research Paper

English - Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 - Research Paper Example It goes without saying that this Shakespearian sonnet tends to be most rich in the use of variegated imagery, the intensity and depth of passion and the dexterity of the usage of figurative language. Explanation of Sonnet 18 The poet begins the Sonnet 18 by posing a rhetorical question from which the reader can easily deduce as to what one could further expect in this sonnet. At the very start of the poem, the poet discernibly conveys that he is going to compare his beloved, which many of the critics agree that one happened to be a young man, to a summer day. Nevertheless, if one chances to read the poet separately, not being cognizant of the theme and context of the poem, a reader could easily assume that this sonnet is a poem eulogizing a beautiful woman. For the text of this sonnet tends to mention nothing so as to convey otherwise. The charm of the subject is praised not by directly tracing the similarities between the beauties of a warm summer day and one’s beauty, but, r ather by posing contrasts between the delicacies of a warm summer day and one’s beauty. There is no denying the fact that though the imagery used by the poet in this sonnet happens to be simple, yet, it is imbued with much meaning, context and verbal dexterity. One could also easily notice that the rhythm evinced by the poet in this sonnet is quite regular and continuous, without any obstructions and restraints, with a flow that is scarcely disturbed or hampered by any enjambments. Each and every line in this sonnet is specifically aimed at making a single statement, imbued with much meaning and context, and thematically building on the meaning conveyed in the next line. No wonder, this act is achieved by the poet without compromising even an iota on the melodic quality of the sonnet. Any mature reader could easily look to it that the poet has masterfully resorted to the usage of assonance and internal rhymes to achieve a melodious sound and rhythm. As one proceeds with the p erusal of this sonnet, one slowly comes to the realization that it is not merely a poem praising the beauty of the poet’s beloved, but also happens to be a verse loaded with philosophical connotations, delving on the nature and quality of poetry and the essential qualities it should possess. In a much broader context the poem also makes any unsuspecting reader in an indirect yet unintentional way think on the evanescent existence of man and the eternal existence of art and beauty. Rhyme Scheme and Sonnet Structure Again it gets visible at the first glance that the Sonnet 18 is a typical Shakespearian or English sonnet. Hence, following the rhyme scheme of the other of the large body of Shakespearian sonnets, Sonnet 18 also has three quatrains followed by a couplet. Again the rhyme scheme is typically characteristic of Shakespeare’s other sonnets being abab cdcd efef gg. It is quiet visible that it is a classic Shakespearian sonnet having 14 lines arranged in quite a re gular iambic pentameter. Leaving aside a few first syllables that tend to be strong, the poem scarcely tends to deviate from its meter. There is no line that flows into the next line and each and every line culminates in a full stop. There lie two quatrains at the start of the sonnet that are easily followed by a third quatrain that tends to shift the tone of the poem a little. This quatrain is than masterfully led to a rhyming couplet that aptly culminates the Sonnet 18. Just as it was so typical of the Italian sonnets from which

Working capital management - a business organizations success Essay

Working capital management - a business organizations success - Essay Example Working capital management is essential for a business organization's success and even mere survival. By focusing in this aspect, companies are able to ensure sufficient cash flow in order to settle maturing short term obligations and finance expected operational expenses (McClure 2008). Without efficient techniques in managing working capital, a company can show profitability but might be illiquid to settle its current liabilities thereby jeopardizing its relationship with creditors. Working capital management also covers the efficient collection of accounts receivable and sale of inventory in order to generate cash. The better the company manages working capital, the less money it needs to borrow. Holding excessive cash is also seen as inefficient because it can be used for investment which maximizes shareholder wealth. One of the best examples of companies which benefits from focusing on working capital management is computer giant Dell, Inc. The company's success can be directly attributed to its efficient inventory management system which eliminates excessive production. In contrast with typical manufacturers, Dell's production is tied up with customer demand enabling it to get rid of inventory holding cost.

Character Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Character Analysis Paper - Essay Example They wear leather jacks, drink gin and grape juice in order to give the appearance of a cool group of buys. However, in the end, the insecurities and fear of Digby is brought forward as he is unable to maintain his cool in a dire situation. From the interaction between the group, it seems quite clear that Digby is the untold leader of the group. It is Digby who instigates the group in getting into rebellious situations. For instance, it was Digby who pointed the blue car to the narrator. Rather than collaborating with his friends, he took over the situation in a manner that an unofficial leader would take. It was not Digby who was driving the car but rather the narrator because the narrator owned the car. Digby was sitting in the passenger seat right beside the narrator. His position in the car also points towards his role in the group. He was happy to let the narrator ride the car but he placed himself in a position where he could control the car. He did this when started fighting for the wheel and leaned over the horn. He even instructed the narrator to turn on the flashlights (Boyle, 1985). Digbys character is dynamic because it changes at the end of the story. From being a cool boy, Digby evolves into a scared one. Digbys attitude at the beginning of the story was one of nonchalance. He was living a life where he derived fun at others stake. However, when he is beaten up by the man in the blue car, he is scared. Digby did fight with the man initially but realized that he was not strong enough to beat the man. Therefore he ran away from fear. He, like his friends, hid on the other side of lake for the entire night only out of fear. Even when he did get on in the morning, he was in a hurry to get back. The offer of drugs by a beautiful girl did not persuade him to stay. In many ways, Digby is quite like the young teenagers. They may appear to be cool from the outside but inside they are

Why Energy Drinks Are Unhealthy Essay Example for Free

Why Energy Drinks Are Unhealthy Essay A lot of people drink energy drinks now, especially young people and teenagers. Adults drink Red Bull and Monsters too explaining it that strong coffee doesn’t help them. Of course, people feel good when they drink energy drinks. Energy drinks have become popular among students in preparation for exams, office workers who do not have time to meet the deadline, some athletes (in fitness clubs), tired drivers and clubbers for anyone who is tired, but should feel fresh and full of energy. After drinking the energy drink, you immediately feel a surge of strength, vitality, improves mood and increases the reaction rate. If we compare the effect of energy with a cup of coffee, it is many times greater than it, and lasts a long time. From time immemorial people have used stimulants. Thus, in the Middle East people to have strength and energy drink coffee, in China and Asia tea in Africa cola nuts. Magnolia, Ginseng, Aralia were popular in Siberia. Energy drinks have appeared in the late twentieth century. A businessman from Australia after a trip to Asia has decided to establish manufacturing engineers. The first energy drink on an industrial scale was Red Bull. Energetic quickly won the love of the consumer along with Coca-Cola and Pepsi. To taste all the energy drinks are not much different from to simple soda. But we know that the manufacturers add vitamins, carbohydrates, and even caffeine. And all this is done to a man tormented life immediately cheered up, felt a surge of strength and in the end felt an interest in this very life. There are doubts? It is known that the composition comprises carbonated beverage energetic water, sugar, and a mysterious color. As they say, drink to your health! The components of energy drinks are not chosen by chance. Carbohydrates are charged with energy, vitamins stimulate the muscles, and caffeine invigorates. Incidentally, the caffeine they contain roughly the same as a cup of coffee. Today, scientists and experts opinions are divided: some believe energy drinnk is quite harmless, as the regular soda, while others argue that they can act like drugs, and certainly addictive and dependency. Jane E. Brody (2011) writes that numbers of scientists are worried about highly caffeinated beverages like Red Bull, Rockstar, Monster and Full Throttle, which are popular among teenagers and young adults. People who regularly drink energy drinks should take care. By drinking one standard drink cans daily dose of caffeine is the normal dose. It is not exceeded but two or more cans it is above the norm for most people. Regularly abusing caffeine can lead to problems such as nervousness, irritability, drowsiness, frequent urination, arrhythmia, and dyspepsia. The simultaneous use of energy drinks and some antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, may cause pupil dilation in humans. (Sara M. , 2010) I read a short news article â€Å"Boy treated after Red Bull binge† from BBC News. This article says that fifteen years old boy from Hummersknott Comprehensive School was taken to hospital in Darlington after drinking eight cans of energy drink Red Bull. Of course this is the most common energy drink ingredient and most of you know the side effects, but the list wouldn’t be complete without it. It’s hard to pinpoint a safe dose because it varies from person to person and according to a person’s tolerance. Between 500 milligrams to 1000 milligrams in a 24 hour period will probably result in side effects. (Energy Drink Side Effects) The main active component of energy drinks caffeine, which increases the physical capabilities. In amounts up to 6 mg / kg it actually has a positive effect with a minimum negative impact. (Caffeine Health: Clarifying the Controversies) However, today there are no established norms for the use of caffeine in the energy sector, as they relate to food additives. If soft drinks, according to the norms of FDA, the caffeine content cannot exceed 20 mg / ml, the power of one bank can contain 505 mg of caffeine its like to drink 14 cans of Coca-Cola. Too much caffeine can harm health, making overconsumption of energy drinks risky. Insomnia, heart rhythm disturbances, osteoporosis, heart disease, anxiety and miscarriage are all linked to excessive caffeine consumption. (EmaxHealth, 2010, para.4). Katherine Zeratsky (2012), Resource Drainer, tells â€Å"With the growing popularity of energy drinks, many parents have become concerned about how much caffeine their kids are getting. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that adolescents get no more than 100 milligrams of caffeine a day. Younger children shouldnt drink caffeinated beverages on a regular basis. (Nutrition and healthy eating, para. 6) Young people just pours into an energy drink the market of soft drinks is 20 million liters per year. Even more popular alcoholic cocktails containing energy. But for some reason so wins and successful people will no longer be. But some are altogether in a hospital bed. Consisting of caffeine and taurine, which are simply using energy reserves of the body, without giving anything in return. So, it’s like a car: the more we load the motor, the faster we go, the more wear on the engine. That is why at first regular use of energy drinks enough 1 2 cans, and then all the time necessary to increase the dose to the body using even their innermost reserves of energy stored in an extreme case. But addiction specialists say, not as part of anything is not contained. However, the researchers note that the taste of power engineers and other carbonated drinks are not bad. The liquid from the jar to drink constantly and it is not boring unlike, for example, from ordinary water with sugar. At the same time hooked to the power not only to avid party-goers. Pour tired students and honors students to better prepare for exams, young professionals, so as not to waste precious time in sleep, and time to make money. I read web article â€Å"Surrey school bans high-energy drinks† from BBC website. It tells about Oxted School in Britain. A Surrey school has banned its pupils from drinking high-energy drinks because of their impact on behavior. A spokesman for the energy drink, Red Bull, said it does not recommend its beverages to caffeine-sensitive individuals, including children. The rapid release of adrenaline, increased mental activity, after a short time leads to a decrease in strength. After drinking an energy drink you have to give your body time to recover and take out caffeine. An overdose of caffeine causes nervousness, irritability, lack of sleep and appetite. With long-term regular use of caffeine appear cramps, stomach pain, and deterioration of the nervous system. For children it is most harmful drink. Especially if they drink it more than they can. In addition to the caffeine in energy drinks high in sugar, which can also lead to short-term increase in the activity of the brain. These drinks are quite high in calories, so now they are released in a lightweight version with a sweetener. These drinks do not give additional impetus to energy. â€Å"High levels of refined sugar especially high fructose corn syrup are known to lead to weight gain and diabetes. Most of the more popular brands contain 18-39 grams of sugars, which not only will contribute to developing diabetes and weight gain, but do not contribute to long-term energy. Glucuronolactone one of the natural metabolite of glucose in the human body. Is also found in cereals, red wine, some vegetable resins. It is an important component of connective tissue. No power does not possess properties somewhat improves the excretion of toxic metabolic products. In the energy drinks contain in an amount exceeding the natural daily production in the 250-500 times. † (Energy Drink Facts, para. 8) Taurine another commonly used components. This is sort of a natural component, an amino acid that is also present in appreciable amounts in meat and fish. However, when we use conventional foods, our bodies naturally get taurine in the right quantities. Taurine is best absorbed with vitamin B6. Energy drinks give us more taurine than necessary. Taurine combined with caffeine is toxic to the body. (Side Effects of Taurine, para 4) â€Å"Studies have shown no significant negative side effects in taurine dosages up to 6 grams a day. Energy drink levels of taurine typically are between 50 to 100 milligrams. Excess taurine is eliminated in the urine. One potential positive side effect associated with taurine supplements is for people undergoing chemotherapy. Certain chemotherapy medications can severely decrease a patients taurine levels, and taurine supplementation may make the patient feel better. Chemotherapy patients should speak with their doctors before beginning taurine supplements. † (Side Effects of Taurine, para 4) Guarana a tropical plant with a strong antioxidant effect. Its fruits contain high amounts of caffeine and have tonic properties. Guarana is a medicinal plant. In guarana contains: 5. 5% amide Resin 7%, 0. 6% saponin, and traces of amino acids, adenine and guanine, sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium and vitamin B1. (Katherine Zeratsky, 2012) Guarana seeds can be used: to treat headaches, fever, cramps against, as an aphrodisiac. Used guarana seeds for prevention of bacterial infections, as a tonic and tonic as a stimulant. Performance and endurance with the use of guarana increased. Guarana is useful in the treatment of migraine and neuralgia. Guarana helps in the fight against obesity by inhibiting hunger and promoting the destruction of the fat. And for people with chronic fatigue syndrome guarana an indispensable plant. Guarana, along with ginseng, is removed from muscle tissue lactic acid. Decreasing the sensitivity to pain during exercise. Prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis, purify the liver. As part of the energy drink guarana and ginseng derive a variety of toxins and are exciting to people. However, the doctors and then kept in the confirmation of the exciting action. â€Å"Guarana comes from plants native to South America. Amazonians have used it for a long time to increase alertness and energy. It’s more dense in caffeine than coffee beans (3-4% vs 1-2%). It’s not just called â€Å"caffeine† because it contains a couple other things: theobromine and theophylline. They’re found in coffees and teas and are known stimulants. Marketing will sometimes call this one guaranine, as if it’s something different. It’s not. Some people do respond differently to the version of caffeine in guarana compared with regular caffeine. Some report that guarana works better, while others believe it doesn’t have as good of a stimulating effect. † (Energy Drinks Ingredients, para. 8) In using the energy drink people, in addition to the guaranteed caffeine stimulation (the same as when using, for example, coffee), swallows a big question mark because of the effects of combinations of such substances in such doses is simply no data. Also, do not forget that they themselves drink any energy in itself does not contain. They only mobilize internal reserves, literally squeezing them out of cheerfulness. This effect requires a sufficient rest to follow recovery. When an advertisement promises you a jar of energy drink to regain the energy, know that it is a fraud, the energy you expend their own. Sooner or later you will have to return the vigor and energy, taken from the body into debt. If the girl drank energy drink once a month, its easy to cheer her and not feel the moment of the return energy of the debt. If the energy drink used regularly, the body is unable to recover, and in that case, unavoidable harm to the body: shattered nervous system, cardiovascular system wear, and a person has a dependence on energy. As you can see the arguments against is greater than the arguments for. And yet, it is possible in your life may come a time (hopefully, one-time), when you feel the need to drink a bottle of energy drink. In any case take care of yourself. References Boy treated after Red Bull binge. (2008, February 20). BBC. Retrieved from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wear/7255306. stm Blanchard K.(2010, August 17). Energy drink risks may outweigh benefits. EmaxHealth. Retrieved from http://www. emaxhealth. com/1020/energy-drink-risks-may-outweigh-benefits Brody J. E. (2011, January 31). Scientists see dangers in energy drinks. New York Times Magazine. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2011/02/01/health/01brody. html? _r=1 Caffeine Health: Clarifying The Controversies. International food information council foundation. Energy drink facts. Healthy Planet diet. Retrieved from http://www. healthyplanetdiet. com/energy-drink-facts. html Energy drink side effects. Energy fiend. Retrieved from http://www.energyfiend. com/energy-drink-ingredients Sara M. Seifert, BS, Judith L. Schaechter, MD, Eugene R. Hershorin, MD, Steven E. Lipshultz, MD (2010). Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults. Pediatrics. Retrieved from http://pediatrics. aappublications. org/content/early/2011/02/14/peds. 2009-3592. abstract Surrey school bans hight-energy drinks. (2010, March 25). BBC. Retrieved from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/surrey/8586893. stm Zeratsky K. (2012, March 27) Nutrition and healthy eating. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/energy-drinks/AN01303.

Samsung SWOT and PESTEL Analysis

Samsung SWOT and PESTEL Analysis SWOT ANALYSIS Definition This is part of a companys strategic planning process that connects the companys objectives and strategies to tactics and actions carried out by employees. Often SWOT is part of a companys strategic planning process that connects its objectives and strategies to actions and tactics carried out by employees.   To better decide what changes to be made in a company and know where it stands on four key strategic areas it has to use a SWOT analysis. SWOT Basics Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats (SWOT) is an acronym that identifies the four critical elements of this analysis.   Strengths usually explain in detail an analysis of the companys advantages over its competitors. Weaknesses evaluate areas in which the company is at a competitive disadvantage and has a possibility of failure. Opportunities are untapped markets or business developments that the company could venture in and make profit. Threats transverse the external environment that could affect the company, an example being technological, environmental and regulatory factors. Strengths and Weaknesses The main reason for using the SWOT analysis is so as to be able to evaluate and assess a companys strengths and weaknesses. This helps the company understand its main market advantages and areas that competitors could take advantage of.   Companies take advantage of its strengths by using them as marketing messages so as to differentiate them from their competitors.   By understanding their weaknesses companies can decide what areas need improvement and what areas are deeply rooted in the nature of its business. Opportunities By exploring untapped opportunities company leaders are able to consider ways to grow. Any strong company has to look for ways to improve and elevate its growth curve because without growth means failure and lack of utilization of opportunities, therefore, giving an advantage to the competitors. Opportunities are areas that could create more sales and profits to the company, and these can be the inclusion of new and emerging markets, new business and product developments and lastly strategic business partnerships. Threats Though this is not fun at all, companies always need to have an idea of what external threats they may encounter so they can always be prepared and avoid being caught unawares.   Government regulation changes may affect the level of competition or costs companies face. Ways in which a company gets access and uses natural resources can be affected by environmental or conditional changes.   Companies that do not incorporate new technologies are always affected negatively. (Hill and   Westbrook (1997). WHAT IS PESTEL   ANALYSIS AND WHY IT’S USEFUL? So as to be able to achieve maximum results and get to its optimum performance a company has to consider some factors. The Pestel analysis explains these factors in six categories.   POLITICAL These refer to the magnitude of government intervention in the economy.   Most times the foreign policy of a country plays an important role in determining the trade regulations that could either lead to trade restrictions or trade incentives.   A company can be highly affected by specific regulations imposed by the government. ECONOMICAL Future operation of a company/organization is highly affected by economical factors. Also, the cost of imported and exported goods are highly affected by the changes in exchange rates in different regions. The expansion and growth of an organization are highly influenced by the economy since there is a change in cost of capital. (Yà ¼ksel, I. (2012). SOCIAL The macro-environment of the organization is formed by different social factors, cultural and demographic aspects of the Social factors include attributes in ones career, age distribution, growth rate, population, how individuals are conscious about their health and safety. A keen analysis of these factors helps one understand the PESTEL analysis and help organizations understand the dynamics of existing and the availability of potential markets and future customer needs. TECHNOLOGICAL With the speed at which technology is evolving and customers becoming more acquired to it, organizations have no option but to keep up with this pace.   New technology makes the old one obsolete and outdated. An organization/company that is not ready to embrace new technology is at a chance of lagging behind its competitors and losing its market value. LEGAL These are factors that affect the behavior of customers and the operation of businesses. Things which may be affected by legal factors are product transportation, profit margins, and viability of certain markets just to mention a few. These factors help in knowing if there are any dangers behind selling certain products like drugs and sharp objects and can also affect how a company stocks their inventory or interacts with the customer. Consumer law is used so as to protect consumers from companies that are involved in fraud and also preserve their rights when in the market. This affects business because they have to put aside resources so as to give detailed information about their products and services.   Employment law is also known as labor law, and it explains how companies’ employees should be treated. This also helps protect children from child labor and also it makes the firing of innocent employees a bit harder. SAMSUNG SWOT ANALYSIS Samsung Electronics Co. Limited is the consumer electronics subsidiary of the Samsung Group, based in Suwon, South Korea. Samsung is popularly known as the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile phones, smartphones such the highly popular and successful Galaxy as well as other electronic devices like Television sets, LCD panels home theaters, refrigerators and even cooking appliances. Having a great and undisputed manufacturing and marketing expertise, Samsung is regarded as the world’s second largest consumer electronics company the first being Apple,Inc. its American rival. STRENGTHS †¢Ã‚  Ã‚   It is the world’s most successful electronics manufacturer of television sets, liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, mobile phones and smartphones and other electronic appliances. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By use of its strategic marketing style Samsung is the world’s number one mobile phones seller with the world’s largest market share of 21.4% in 2015s second quarter. Apple comes second   with 13.9% †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By use of its impressive research and design capabilities, Samsung has been able to create and roll out a payment app with similar capabilities to Apple Pay, in less than a year the Samsung Pay.   Also, the company has been able to incorporate many of the capabilities of both Apple phones and Google Android operating system to its mobile devices. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung not only has strong manufacturing capabilities but also have undisputed marketing strategies that have led to the success of the company. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung has been able to sustain long-standing relationships with retailers in the United States and Europe that have been able to provide a steady sales channel for its products through out the years. WEAKNESSES †¢Ã‚  Ã‚   It is quite clear that Samsung has not been able to match Apple Inc.’s marketing capabilities for smartphones. This is because   Its share of the U.S. smartphone market fell by 2.3% between 2014 and 2015 yet Apple’s share price grew by 34.9%. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some Chinese competitors such as Huawei and Xiaomi are catching up to Samsung in the smartphone market. In the year 2014 and 2015 Huawei’s share grew by 48.1%, and Xiaomi’s share grew by 29.4%. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsungs dependence on customer electronics sales in markets that have limited resource for growth is dangerous. The company depends on these markets an example being the United States and Europe, for much of its revenue. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The public has not accepted the Android operating system in an equal manner like the tech community. This is because many consumers view Android as an inferior product to Apple’s IOS.   Samsung devices use the Google source application system and this is a weakness because it is not preferred by a majority of people.   †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Apple products are viewed as more technology advanced and dependable on than Samsung products by a large number of consumers. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung needs to improve its marketing efforts and standards, so as to be in the same level as Apple. OPPORTUNITIES †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung needs to grow its market for smartphones, tablets and other technological devices in developing regions where consumers are not familiar with PCs.   This is because in 2015 sales of tablets overtook sales of traditional personal computers. An example of these regions is Africa and India. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung should seize the increased demand for tablet and smartphone-based solutions and market some of its products that are not known to many such as Samsung Pay †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company should venture into new technologies such as wearable tech †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The growth of the middle class in the developing world will increase the market for consumer electronics †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sales channels such as Amazon.com can be used by Samsung to grow its online market THREATS: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung has not been able to outdo Apple. This is because Apple has emerged as the dominant smartphone and tablet brand in some markets, such as the United States. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The growth of Apple’s reputation for quality, reliability, and sophistication is a threat to Samsung because it seems to be lagging behind. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung is most popular for its Galaxy devices. We could even say that it depends on these devices. The problem is, the Google Android operating system, which these devices depend upon, is not as popular with average people as iOS that is in most other devices incuding Apple is. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚   Key markets for Samsung are North America and the United States.   The declining and stagnating of the middle-class incomes in these areas could reduce consumer buying power and therefore affect Samsungs sales. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Samsung is experiencing rivalry from Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei and Xiaomi. This is evident because the capital share of these companies rose and Samsung’s is falling. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If Apple decided to produce more consumer products like home appliances and cameras, Samsung could be greatly affected. Though Samsung has been able to maintain an impressive research, design and manufacturing capabilities, its marketing strategies are questionable. There is a need for the company to revisit and improve its smartphone marketing and design efforts so as to be able to maintain its market share in crucial arenas like the U.S. If the Samsung wants to maintain its position as an industry leader it needs to: 1. New capabilities like Samsung Pay 2.   learn to deal with aggressive Chinese competitors like Huawei and Xioami 3.Compete with Apple’s reputation. PESTLE ANALYSIS OF SAMSUNG INTRODUCTION Samsung is a global company that operates in the market for consumer appliances and gadgets. Samsung is owned by a South Korean family and has global aspirations to expand into newer markets. Since Samsung is not content with operating in some markets in the world, it wants to cover as many countries as possible. This analysis focuses on the external environmental factors that drive the Samsung’s strategy. POLITICAL A large number of markets where Samsung operates have a political environment that is conducive for business. This means that its operations run smoothly and though there might be some minor distractions to its operations in some of the foreign markets like India, Overall it can be concluded that Samsung is operating in markets where the political factors are not harmful. Samsung has faced significant political blows in its home country South Korea because of the country’s tensions with North Korea. Due to this instability, the company has had to take into account this political factor and also the threat of war in the Korean Peninsula. In areas where the political environment is unstable Samsung faces a lot of political pressure. This includes areas in many African and Latin American countries where the political environment is unstable and experiences frequent changes in the governing structures.This is not yet a major cause for worry for the company because it has factored the political instability into its strategic calculations. ECONOMICS Opening up of several markets in the developing world means that Samsung can expand in the global markets. This, therefore, means that economic factors are a critical consideration. The current global economic crisis has affected the purchasing power of customers forcing the company to seek profitable ventures in the emerging markets. The global environment in which   Samsung operates in has a lot of uncertainties and volatilities which means that the company has to keep on adjusting its strategies. Through expansion of Samsung into emerging and developing markets has made it possible for the company to adjust well to the tapering off of the consumer disposable incomes in the developed world. This is the main reason that Samsung has an aggressive push into the emerging markets with hopes that it shall recover all its lost businesses in the developed world. SOCIO-CULTURAL Samsung being a South Korean multinational owned by a family means that despite its global footprint it still operates from the core of a Korean company and culture. This means that among its global operations, adapting itself to local conditions is paramount. Since Samsung is a global company that has had to act locally, therefore adapting a global strategy makes it possible to be productive in emerging markets. Together with this, Samsung has had to tailor its products in markets it operates in so as to cater to their customers whose preference changes so fast.   It is important to note that Samsung operates in a market niche that is strongly influenced by the lifestyle preferences of consumers.   The fact that socio-cultural factors are different in each country; Samsung has had to reorient itself in each market accordingly. TECHNOLOGICAL Samsung is considered to be among the world’s leading innovative companies. Therefore, the company is at an advantage of controlling and making use of the power of technology and driving innovation for sustainable business. This has resulted into an obsessive mission by the company to outdo its rivals and competitors when it comes to technology and innovations. The companys main goal is to be the first to reach the produce devices that are preferred by customers and also be the first products of their kind in the market. LEGAL Due to Samsungs alleged imitation of the Apple’s iPad and iPhone it has had to face substantial penalties and law suits. This affected the company negatively on areas of public perception and consumer approval strategies. From Samsungs experience of having various lawsuits with its competitors, other technology driven companies should know that having an elaborate basis of a design or model is key rather than making a fast move so as to be able to present a product to the consumers that shall, in the end, ruin your reputation. ENVIRONMENTAL Samsung has to be on the lookout when making its products so as to be able to satisfy its customers. When doing this, it has to take into account its social and environmental responsibilities so as to make sure they are both ethical.   Therefore, this means that the company should ensure that it does not compromise on its staff wages or their working conditions for they are all involved in producing the final product. (Grade and Pestel) CONCLUSION As Samsung prepares to expand globally, it has to be sure of what is expected of it. Technology changes so fast and customer preference even faster. Therefore, with this analysis, Samsung has clear guidelines on what to expect in the global consumer landmine. REFERENCES GRADE, G. B. PESTEL Analysis Of The Energizer. Hill, T., & Westbrook, R. (1997). SWOT analysis: its time for a product recall.  Long range planning,  30(1), 46-52. Khan, U. A., Alam, M. N., & Alam, S. (2015). A Critical Analysis of Internal and External Environment of Apple Inc.  International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management,  3(6), 955-961. Kim, M., & Park, J. (2011, February). Demand forecasting and strategies for the successfully deployment of the smart TV in Korea. In  Advanced Communication Technology (ICACT), 2011 13th International Conference on  (pp. 1475-1478). IEEE. King, R. K. (2004). Enhancing SWOT analysis using triz and the bipolar conflict graph: a case study on the Microsoft Corporation.  Proceedings of TRIZCON2004, 6th Annual Altshuller Institute. Yà ¼ksel, I. (2012). Developing a multi-criteria decision making model for PESTEL analysis.  International Journal of Business and Management,  7(24), 52-66.

Privatization of Public Utilities Essay

Privatization of Public Utilities Essay A National Government’s Decision to privatize It’s Public Utilities Introduction There has been a prevalent political agreement on improving-benefit effect of private governance in the last decades. More than $1 trillion revenues have been generated for the government on the sale of government-owned firms to private owners. Public executives nowadays evaluate privatization as a suitable tool to implement a rapid growth of promising product innovations, facilitate financial economy development and promote more efficient production technologies. However, substantial figures of firms across the world are still owned by government. (Aghion and Tirole, 1994; Ahmed and Ashutosh, 2008). Having mentioned the privatization benefits, why are there general impediments in the decision process from the government, prioritizing to privatize some firms over the others to private sectors? In answering this research question, certain firm’s political and financial-economy factors were investigated in the selection of companies for privatization. As supported by literature on private firm decision to go public, financial characteristics of firms that can probably influence the decision to privatize were recognized (Ansolabehere and James, 2007). Arguably, the sale of government owned firms can not only confide in financial-economy factors but also on political settlement and costs. However, Dixit and Londregan (1996) argued that privatization may be seen as a negative development by the public on the opinion of undemocratic shift of property owned by the government to private investors. This can result in the governing party losing its votes in such region. The position of political patronage in the decision to privatize was considered, such as; hiring decisions of government-owned firms can be influenced by politicians to favour supporters. Further to the evaluation of political and financial-economy effect on privatization, research was conducted on India Government. This country was used as a case study because it has a huge political competition among its political parties with multiparty democracy (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). This research contributes to the political and finance-economy literature by investigating privatization effects suggest that selection of companies for privatization are done randomly, but the result presented from Dinc and Gupta (2011) point out that privatization decision is probably endogenous to characteristics of the firm. The literature is structured as follows; Section one describes the political system in Indian along with its privatization. Section two, discusses the political and financial-economy factors that are possible to affect government decision to privatize its public utilities. While section three, presents the conclusion of this research. 1. Privatization and Indian Political System 1.1. Firms Owned by Government In Indian post-independence era, firms owned by government were justified by anxiety that projects that involve large investment and time-consuming gestation periods will not be awarded to private sectors. There was rapid nationalization of firms across all sectors between 1960 and 1991, which boost the formation of gross capital in firms owned by the Federal Government to 40% of the entire gross capital establishment in the market economy (Ministry of Finance, 1996). According to Ministry of Finance (2004), the wages of government companies’ workers are higher compare to private companies’ staff and overstaffed usually occur in government companies. For instance, federal government firms employed over 10% workers from various structured sector in 2003, and their wages were averagely double that of private sector (Panagariya, 2008). This huge difference in their wage recommends why government workers vigorously disagree with government decision to privatization. 1.2. Political System India has a legislative system where representatives are directly elected from 543 single member constituencies dispersed across 35 states, while the national government was formed by alliance of parties or political party that wins most of the constituencies. About 450 political parties participated in five elections to the federal government, held since the commencement of privatization program in 1991. These elections are 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. It is important to recognize the establishment of alliance among national political parties, before the commencement of election so as to inflate their probability of acquiring the majority (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). The Congress Party initiated the economic reforms that won the 1991 elections with the support of its allies and remain in as the ruling party until the 1996 election. After 1996 election, there were successive short-lived governments that later collapsed as a result of support deficiency from affiliated members (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). 1.3. Privatization Process In 1991, Indian created sweeping economic reforms which comprises of privatization and deregulations, as a reaction to balance payment crisis. 50 companies out of 280 nonfinancial companies that are owned by the Federal Government were privatized between 1991 and 2006. The decision to privatized list of companies was takes at the Cabinet level where every government produce its own list. The Congress government commenced the privatization in 1991, and later continued in 1999 by the BJP administration after a brief interruption by the successive government (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). Comparatively, privatization is not famously practiced in India unlike United Kingdom (UK) where almost all government-owned firms are been privatized such as British Gas, Transport for London (TFL), British Airport Authority. Since Congress and BJP parties have engaged in privatization, neither any of them as an intellectual obligation to privatization, as both parties have campaigned against each other using anti-privatization rhetoric (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). For instance, the Congress government were attacked by the BJP conservatives on privatization plans (Reuters News, 1992; cited in Dinc and Gupta, 2011), and eventually collide with the labour unions to protest privatisation (Reuters News, 1993; cited in Dinc and Gupta, 2011). In 2004, the Congress Party also campaigned against the BJP’s reform agenda, based on the platform of limited privatization, the Congress party won the election (Dinc and Gupta, 2011). 2. The Role of Political and Financial-Economy Factors in Privatization Decision 2.1. Financial Factors: Firm Size and Profitably Adverse effect could exist in the quality of companies that decide to publicized, if the issuers have more information than the investors about the company’s value (Leland and Pyle, 1977). According to Chemmanur and Fulghieri (1999), they argued that there is probability for adverse selection cost to be greater for both smaller and younger companies. This is backed by the result of Pagano et al. (1998), who suggested that smaller companies are not likely to be privatised. In the context of privatization, the methods of sales in a cross-country sample of privatised companies were compared together by Megginson et al., (2004). From his analysis, he finds that compared to private capital markets, big companies have the possibility to be privatized over shares sales to the public. 2.2. Political Factors Theoretically, Persson and Guido (2002) suggested that is likely for the politicians to target public funds to important constituencies with swing voters to succeed in elections. Experimentally, Dahlberg and Johansson (2002) shows that allowance allocation in Sweden is intense in constituencies with more swing voters, and research shows that French companies that are politically associated create additional jobs in politically aggressive constituencies (Bertrand et al., 2007). Shleifer and Robert (1994) argued that interference in the operation of companies by politicians is a major cause of inefficiency in companies owned by the government. Conclusion Since most privatizing governments sell companies, owned by the government over time or not at all, we investigate if political and financial-economy factors as well as political objectives are likely to affect government decision to privatized its public utilities. Using Indian as an exemplification, government owned companies which comprises of companies that remain fully government owned and privatized companies were investigated. Although privatization advantages like efficiency developments are distributed across the community, the costs are probably to be distinctively intense among a small group. Therefore, the voter’s support could be declined for the governing party in constituencies where the company is located. Similarly, the public may have negative opinion on privatization as a diverging transfer to public utilities or assets to private investors. The adverse reaction on outcome of elections in that constituency will be increased if the ruling party encounter a close race with the other political parties. Finally, the research suggests that selection of companies for privatization is not by chance. Accepting political contest as a tool for privatization decision, the sale of companies owned by the government was found as a facilitator to significance development in efficiency as well as profitability of these companies. References Aghion, P., Tirole, J., 1994. The management of innovation. Quarterly Journal of Economics 109, 1185–1209. Ahmed, S. and Ashutosh, V., 2008, Battles half won: The political economy of India’s growth and economic policy since independence, World Bank Working paper No. 15. Ansolabehere, S., and James S. J., 2007, Party control of state government and the distribution of public expenditures, Scandinavian Journal of Economics 108, 547– 569. BÂ ¨os, D., 1991. Privatization: A Theoretical Treatment. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Chemmanur, T. and Fulghieri, P., 1999, A theory of the going public decision, Review of Financial Studies 12, 249–279. Department of Disinvestment, 2007. Evolution of Disinvestment Policy in India . Government of India. Available at: http://www.divest.nic.in/evolutionp.htm.> Dinc, S. and Gupta, N., 2011. The Decision to Privatize: Finance and Politics. The Journal of Finance, LXVI(1), pp 241-269. Dixit, A. and Londregan, J,. 1996, The determinants of success of special interests in redistributive politics, Journal of Politics 58, 1132–1155. Gupta, Nandini, 2005, Partial privatization and firm performance, Journal of Finance 60, 987–1015. Leland, H. and David P., 1977, Informational asymmetries, financial structure, and financial intermediation, Journal of Finance 32, 371–387. Ministry of Finance, Government of India, 1996, Economic Survey of India (Government of India, New Delhi, India). Ministry of Finance, Government of India, 2004, Economic Survey of India (Government of India, New Delhi, India). Pagano, M., Fabio, P. and Luigi, Z., 1998, Why do companies go public? An empirical analysis, Journal of Finance 53, 27–64. Panagariya, A., 2008, India: An Emerging Giant (Oxford University Press, New York). Persson, T. and Guido T., 2002, Political Economics: Explaining Economic Policy (MIT Press, Cambridge). Persson, T. and Guido, T., 2002, Political Economics: Explaining Economic Policy (MIT Press, Cambridge). Shapiro, K. and Willig, R., 1990. Economic rationales for the scope of privatization. In: Suleiman, E.N.,Waterbury, J. (Eds.), The Political Economy of Public Sector Reform and Privatization. Westview Press, Boulder, CO. Shleifer, A. and Robert, V., 1994, Politicians and firms, Quarterly Journal of Economics. 109, 995–1025. A National Government’s Decision to Privatize its Public UtilitiesPage 1

Smallpox Blankets during the French Indian War :: Smallpox Disease

A different perspective on a smallpox epidemic during the French and Indian War appears in Andrew J. Blackbird's History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan. Blackbird, Chief Mack-e-te-be-nessy, was a member of a distinguished Ottawa family from the northwest shore of the Michigan lower peninsula. He wrote his History late in life, after a long career in education, politics, and public service. Blackbird's book, like many similar autoethnographic texts, is a combination of autobiography, history, ethnography, and polemic. He opens with a conventional reference to inaccuracy in current histories. In the course of correcting the record he relates the story, preserved by elders of his nation, of a smallpox epidemic during the height of the French and Indian War, about 1757. Blackbird's story is unique because of the unusual disease vector. It was a notable fact that by this time [1763] the Ottawas were greatly reduced in numbers from what they were in former times, on account of the small-pox which they brought from Montreal during the French war with Great Britain. This small pox was sold to them shut up in a tin box, with the strict injunction not to open the box on their way homeward, but only when they should reach their country; and that this box contained something that would do them great good, and their people! The foolish people believed really there was something in the box supernatural, that would do them great good. Accordingly, after they reached home they opened the box; but behold there was another tin box inside, smaller. They took it out and opened the second box, and behold, still there was another box inside of the second box, smaller yet. So they kept on this way till they came to a very small box, which was not more than an inch long; and when they opened the last one they found nothing but mouldy particles in this last little box! They wondered very much what it was, and a great many closely inspected to try to find out what it meant. But alas, alas! pretty soon burst out a terrible sickness among them. The great Indian doctors themselves were taken sick and died. The tradition says it was indeed awful and terrible. Every one taken with it was sure to die.

The Biblical Flood of Genesis Based Upon the Flood of the Epic of Gilga

Biblical  Flood Based Upon the Flood of Gilgamesh      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the middle of the nineteenth century, archaeologists unearthed twelve clay tablets. Around the turn of the twentieth century, archaeologists finally managed to decipher the tablets written in Akkadian, the language of ancient royalty and diplomacy. The tablets tell of the story of Gilgamesh. (1) The eleventh tablet tells that Gilgamesh, in his quest for immortality set out on a long journey to look for his ancestor, Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim was already bestowed with eternal life by the gods. Upon reaching the island of Utnapishtim's abode, Gilgamesh was told a story by his ancestor of a great flood that once swept the world. (2) The similarity between this story and that of Genesis is astounding. The table below gives a comparison of both these stories.    The Epic of Gilgamesh The Book of Genesis (Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh that he was a true worshipper of the god Ea. When the gods decided to destroy mankind by a flood, Ea warned his devotee and told him): â€Å"O man of Shurrupak, son of Ubar-Tutu, tear down your house and built a ship; abandon wealth seek after life; scorn possessions save your life. Bring up the seed of all kinds of living things into the ship; the ship which you shall built. Let its dimensions be well measured.† Genesis 6:13-14 And God said to Noah â€Å"I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them...Make yourself an ark...† Genesis 6: 17-19 â€Å"For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh...but...you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and you sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring... ... M. Readings in Ancient History: Thought and Experience from Gilganesh to St. Augustine. Third edition. Lexington, MA: D.C.Heath and Co., 1987.    Budge, E. A. Babylonian Story of the Deluge and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Montana, USA: Kessinger Publishing Co., n.d.    Gardner, John and John Maier. Gilgamesh: Translated from the Sin-leqi-unninni version. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.    Harris, Stephen L. â€Å"Gilgamesh.† The Humanist Tradition in World Literature. Ed. Stephen Harris. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., 1970.    Heidel, Alexander. The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949.    Ignatius Holy Bible. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1966.    Sandars. N. K. The Epic of Gilgamesh. New York: Penguin Books, 1972.   

“The Boogeyman” – Stephen King (1978)

Summary: Lester Billings, the father of three children is talking to a shrink. He seems mentally disturbed. His first two children died of mysteriously courses, but both of the children had cried boogeyman right before their death. After Lester had his third son, one night the son screams and Lester sees that a boogeyman is killing his son, but Lester doesn’t help his son, instead he runs away and when he returns his son is dead. When Lester Billings leaves his shrink, he sees that the shrink is actually the boogeyman. Their marriage: Lester and Rita Billings' marriage has probably never been characterized by equality. He is the kind of man who believes that women's station in life is to follow their husbands. (page 5. ) When Rita denies that she has taught Denny the word â€Å"Boogeyman†, he calls her a liar and feels like â€Å"slapping her around. † This certainly indicates the opposite to a marriage based on mutual confidence, love, and support. Lester does not have very much respect for Rita. I think he has married her out of necessity. Now he tries to imagine that their marriage is happy, perfect and like his mother wanted it to be. Lester actually thinks that Rita is a jellyfish. I think he sees every woman as jellyfish -something, which is inferior. He has to control Rita: â€Å"She still wanted to do what I told her. That’s the wife’s place, right? This women’s lib makes people sick. The most important thing in life for a person is to know his place. † Page 5. Time Seen in a perspective of time the majority the American population regarded pregnancy before marriage as a grave matter. The marriage between Lester Billings and his wife does not seem to be the happy ending of some love story. They were both very young, and the reason why they got married was the unexpected pregnancy, LB left college to get a job and support the little family. The marriage was, somewhat, a solution to the situation at the time, a solution to keep an acceptable position in society. Lester billings Charact. : He is against women’s liberation, which takes place at the time. He wants to appear powerful and to possess the leading role of his marriage The way in which he has been raised has probably inspired him to develop this attitude. One attitude caused by the mother is the one towards his children concerning where they are to sleep. Billings believes that his mother has been too over-protective with him, and this has had a negative influence on him. He mentions the episode from the beach. Lester Billings does not really take notice of the rest of society. He does not choose a position in the matter of the Vietnam War or the black Americans' civil rights movement. He and Rita isolate themselves in the little family. He thinks highly of himself. He believes that his decisions and methods are the right ones because he is the man of the family. Lester Billings is not a soft family man. In the beginning of the story he claims that children tie a man down. He is not very gentle towards his first son Denny. He hits him if he does not stop crying. He says that it is actually impossible to remember your kids when they are lost at a young age because you have not come to feel very attached to them yet. This is an enormously cynical idea in my opinion. Dr. Harper: The psychiatrist is portrayed as a passive spectator. He only replies to Billings' story with a few comments. However, he makes Billings talk and perhaps he realises something from this monologue. The ending could symbolise the victory of anxiety, fear that he maybe have realized what he was afraid of realizing. Interpretation: I think the ending is a simple clue to the reader that suppressed anxieties and frustrations create these hidden boogeymen that are able to scare ourselves as well as others. They take many shapes and perhaps everybody has got one. Perhaps the doctor simply wears the mask of the boogeyman in the end, as a representative of LB's personal internal conflict. The boogeyman lives in our subconscious mind, it lives in children’s minds- in their fantasy. Small children are the most sensitive about fear. They need their parents’ protection and you cannot get too overprotective to children at that age. Lester cannot realise this. That is why he has to pay with the most precious in life- his own children and finally his own life. â€Å"I started to think, maybe all the monsters we were scared of then we were kids, Frankenstein and Wolfman and mummy, maybe they were real. Real enough to kill kids that were supposed to have fallen into gravel pits and drowned in lakes or were just never found. Maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Boogeyman represents many things, such as, anger, fear and paranoia. You think that it is only children who are afraid of â€Å"boogeymen†, but in this story we see that also adults get afraid and paranoid and believe that there is something in the closet, under the bed, down in the basement etc. It is fear of the unknown and the superstitions, which every human being has thought about, but some gets very paranoid and they think something is out to get them. I think King’s stories also appeal to the female readers and not just to men. I think that women would understand the stories just like men. But it is right to say that King uses Women like subordinate parts in his stories and it is mostly men who has the leading parts. The boogeyman represents Lester’s fear of being the father who gives his children a bad upbringing. I do believe that Billings has killed his children himself. Some of his statements indicate this. â€Å"Christ, kids drive you crazy sometimes. You could kill them. † (Page 4) The frustrations from his own childhood may have affected him so deeply that he kills his children.

Race Class Gender

Chapter 8 worksheet Race, class, Gender 1. the alienated labor is when† private property and its owners hires and controls others and defines labor for them† Instead of results of one’s labor benefiting one’s self, the labor becomes a function that benefits the property owners (184). Therefore, capitalist get to hold on to their money by the â€Å"means of production†(184). In a capitalist society Owners vs. non-owners, conflict the rises between the â€Å"haves† and the â€Å"have not’s† are inevitable.Class structure is maintained by 3 mechanisms; State (ruling class asserting their common interest 185), Ideology (Ideas that support and legitimizes the position of capitalist 185) and the capitalist structure itself due to custom an training views the condition of capitalism a normal process and creates a dependency of workers on the system which makes it hard to resist or rebel. For Ma0rx the important issues structure of econom ic relations that drives everything else(185, 186. His ideology correlates with contemporary society because of the overabundance of productions which then leads to bankruptcy (2009 housing crisis)(188). . There are several factors that contribute to the development of capitalism, accumulation of capital as a result of increased trade and the opening up of the new world. Freed labour power, raw materials, means of production and a new market became available to capitalist. Systems of trade protection and taxes advanced the power of capitalism. There are 3 stages of capitalism: 1. Cooperation is when large numbers of laborers work together productively and efficiently to produce a given product under the mastership of one capitalist (187) 2.Manufacture is a detailed division of labor among workers who have been brought together to cooperate in the production of the capitalists products (187). L No one performs all tasks and each has a specific task to perform (187). 3. Modern (machin e) industry is the development and use of machines and replaces labor power which then increases surplus value for labor. 4. Durkheim’s viewed equality as the movement of society from â€Å"mechanical† to organic solidarity. Mechanical solidarity societies are homogenous and are based on the similarity of individual in it.Organic (modern) societies are distinguished as more complex and advanced. People perform roles so different they become interdependent in order for society to be effective. Durkheim viewed division of labor as central basis for integration in modern societies (202). In contrast Marx viewed vision of labor as the source of basic problems in capitalist society (202). Marx saw regulation in capitalist society as stifling human initiative whereas Durkheim saw moral regulation as necessary for individual liberty and happiness.

Charles Dickens: A Biography

Charles Dickens one of the greatest authors of all time. Dickens wrote on the people of the Industrial Revolution and on truth and realism. Dickens wrote about every aspect of life and included all classes of society. Dickens used experiences from his own life and turned them into creativity for his novels and other writings. Charles Dickens was one of the greatest authors of English Literature because he wrote on the issues and problems that concerned the lives of the people around him. Charles Dickens was born in February 1812 in Portsmouth, England to a middle social class that influenced much of his work later in life (Smiley1). Charles Dickens used his imagination and his creations to make up things and put them in stories. Dickens envisioned people and the world in the city as a physical place. He saw human activity as a focus of interest and setting for a story (Nelson 28-29). Dickens literary career began by writing for Monthly Magazine and London Evening Chronicles when he wrote the Sketches of Boz (Gissing 7). Dickens also wrote Parliamentary debates and feature articles based on his experience and observations in the Parliament (Smiley 1). In his work Dickens largely reflected the political economic and social aspects of the society comprising of the poor, peasants, workers, landlords, the rich, and the state. Dickens wrote in the 19th century England that was characterized by oppressed poor masses with few rights. The society at this time had an oppressive bureaucracy whose machinations made the life for the poor almost unbearably, and Dickens provided information reflecting injustices of the system and the resulting exploitation of the poor. Through Dickens’ series of stories like Sketches of Boz and Pickwick Papers published on the Morning of Chronicles he made known the suffering of the poor using a quick wit and significant intuitiveness about their lives (Smiley 4). Dickens wrote fourteen novels in three years with eight of them having 875 pages (Nelson 25-29). Dickens concentrated on performing one of the most profound 19th century social commentaries denouncing poverty and social stratification using works such as Oliver Twist and Hard Times. Through his social commentaries Dickens brought up strong cases of poverty, crime, misfortunes of being poor, class stratifications, bleak economic systems, treatments of the poor, and condemnation of inconsiderable public institutions. In bringing out the snobbery of the aristocracy and the oppressive of the poor, Dickens used satire that served well to bring out indignities. Dickens used fancy and realism with a satirical overriding style that formed his style. Dickens used irony, which formed a significant part of bringing to light his arguments and showing his anger at oppression (Smiley 8). Dickens’ works were presented in weekly and monthly installments. They were affordable, accessible, and regular for all making his commentary more profound. Dickens in the 19th century was a writer who used novels, essays, and short stories to bring to light social injustices against the poor. Through his writings, he also reflected on the extent and impact of poverty on the society in the time period. Through his reflections Dickens presented powerful social and political views criticizing the rich and the state and arguing out the cause of the poor. Dickens political message was on the pressure, liberty, improvement and equality expressed as part of social reform and criticism. Dickens pointed out the flaws of greed for money and criticized the neglect of the poor such as through the book Oliver Twist that show the life of a poor boy, who from his birth suffers misfortunes and misery at the hands of the people only willing to use the poor as an means to end riches. In his political expression, Dickens shows his outrage at the leadership for allowing degradation and criticizes the Poor Laws that dedicated public charity (Smiley 14). In Oliver Twist, Dickens offers a biting social commentary focusing on victimization and abandonment (Smiley 14). In his illustrations he uses the concept of the workhouses found in all cities, where the poor are left to half starve (Dickens 6a). The focuses of the book Oliver Twist were showing the oppression of the poor and abuse of the poor children as perpetrated by the state. Dickens highly disapproved of how the state treats the poor and orphaned children, which he brings to light through institutional abuse. In Oliver Twist Dickens shows institutional failure and abuse by referring to the Parish running the warehouse in which Oliver was born and that approves he will be taken to an orphanage with very poor conditions with little food or hygiene and where children were taken for offending against the poor laws (Dickens 7a). Dickens disapproved of the work house policy such as Oliver was taken to when he turned 12, where the poor underwent emotional and physical abuse, and where children were liable to punishment even with out enough reason (Brennan and Norton pg. 504). Nevertheless, Dickens’ most profound political commentary was his disapproval of the new Poor Law of 1834 that came into effect to relieve the society of the burden of taking care of the poor and made poverty almost a crime (Fletcher 1). The law established the workhouse to house the poor seeking public assistance, although in there people suffered humiliation, stigma, emotional branding, and deprivation of both psychological and physical needs (Brennan and Norton pg. 504). The state imposed a deliberate inadequacy in the workhouses that made many option out to suffer on the streets to face public aid (Fletcher 3). In additional to institutional criticism, Dickens denounces that the goodness of the workhouses in instilling the value of working and denounces the Christian virtue of he middle class bureaucrats that subjected the poor to cruelty in the name of charity (Dickens 18 a). Dickens shows that the system has made the poor commodities for proving labor for the rich, the powerful and the state, and shows how the system has led to crime and prostitution as the poor try to escape the oppression (Fletcher 1). Unfortunately, the class of people that suffered most from the enactment of the Poor Laws and Workhouses were the children, the old, and the sick that were unable to fend for themselves on the streets (Fletcher 4). In addition to political sentiments, Dickens offers socialist ideologies by providing insight into social reforms, such as in the story â€Å"A Christmas Carol† that tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge a misery old man who sees Christmas as an excuse for the poor to expect handouts and for the people to miss work. Through the character Scrooge, Dickens brings home the opinion that the rich in the Victorian 19th century society concentrated more on attaining and retaining wealth, characteristics of capitalism instead of helping the poor (Pike). In qualifying this opinion, Scrooge considers it sufficient to pay taxes and considered the poor as idle and lazy therefore should not be given charity. Dickens shows that society should recognize the plight of the poor and contribute towards treating them more humanely. Scrooge embodies the prosperous English classes that see the poor as nothing and who think their responsibility towards helping others end with paying taxes (Book Rag Book Notes). Using the story of Scrooge, Dickens calls welfare from the poor showing that being unchairitable may lead to misfortune such as befell Marley a dead partner of Scrooge and as will happen to Scrooge if he does not change. Dickens’ socialist view such as in the book are however not through collectivism of resources, but through the rich coming in to help the poor, thus his ocialist ideals are that of charity and social responsibility of the rich towards the poor. Charles Dickens was one of the greatest authors of English Literature because he wrote on the issues and problems that concerned the lives of the people around him. Dickens achieved worldwide popularity for his novels, rich storytelling and memorable characters. He created scenes and descriptions of places that have longed delighted readers. Dickens was a keen observer of life and had a great understanding of humanity, especially of young people.Works Cited http://www.bookrags.com/notes/xmas/TOP1