I. The CEO of the company believes that the company should incorporate Essay

I. The CEO of the company believes that the company should incorporate fair value accounting from next year while preparing and - Essay Example The other stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, and stockholders also find fair value accounting more realistic in predicting the trends in business. It is, therefore, easier to ascertain if the business is a going concern concept is on course or otherwise. According to the international accounting standards, fair value refers to the value of an asset or liability, which forms the basis of exchange between willing parties trough arm’s length production. In other words, in free market transactions the fair value is equal to the market prices, which is determined by the forces of demand and supply. The fair value accounting has several models, which include equity approach, mixed approach, income approach, and full fair value. The equity approach incorporates the realized and unrealized profit or losses in the revaluation reserve (Bazley & Hancock, 2013). When any transaction is realized, the changes in fair value will be reflected under equity. Under equity approach, not a ll the realized gains have any effect on the income statement. The mixed approach on its part, allows all changes in the unrealized fair value to be incorporated in the income statement while the changes in the realized profits or losses are reflected in the income statement as opposed to equity. On the other hand, income approach takes into consideration in the income statement, all the changes in the fair value because of holding losses or gains (Britton & Jorissen, 2007). Finally, under full fair value model, all the changes are incorporated in the income statement including the internally generated goodwill. Proponents of fair value asserts that historical approach has lost its meaning since it does not take into consideration the relationship between market capitalization and the firm’s reported financial performance. For instance, if the firm depreciation policy is based on historical cost accounting, then it becomes increasingly hard to determine the actual market valu e of equity net worth for the firm. Moreover, it is very hard to ascertain the true financial position of the firm if the firm values its assets based on historical cost accounting (Britton & Jorissen, 2007). On the other hand, the opponents of fair value accounting approach asserts that fair value accounting cannot bridge the gap between market value of all equity and market capitalization. The reason for this is that most accounting practices through the fair value approach do not report the internally generated good will. Due to this fact, it becomes increasingly hard to have a convergence between net assets of the business and the market value for the business. The debate on historical cost and fair value accounting takes into consideration the concept of reliability and relevance. The fact that fair value accounting approach incorporates existing market conditions; it has a better platform to predict the future patterns of the business as compared to the historical approach to accounting. It is therefore widely viewed that historical approach is the most relevant approach used to determine the net assets. However, when the assets are held to maturity, the historical cost approach becomes more relevant since fair value appro

Maintaining Patient Safety Essay Example for Free

Maintaining Patient Safety Essay Maintaining Patient Safety When working in an acute care setting such as a hospital, safety is the number one priority. A safe environment greatly reduces the risk for illness or injury. It’s not only for the patient; it’s also for the healthcare provider. For a nurse, it begins when she/he meets the patient. She must assess the room and make sure there is no debris littered on the floor, that all IV tubing is untangled and not on the floor, and that the patient’s bed is down in the lowest position with both side rails up. One mistake that has been committed is having the patient’s bed in a high level in order to prevent back strain, but then remembering that they forgot the linens and leave the room with the patient basically â€Å"in the air†. The problem with this is that is the patient is drowsy, or groggy, or is incapable of walking and ends up rolling and falling off. The patient could also be of a different height and assume their feet will touch the floor and instead end up falling off the side of the bed. This is why before you leave a room you must make sure to lower the bed back to its original position, low. Although the bed has four side rails you can only keep two up at a time unless ordered by a physician for the patient’s safety, otherwise it is considered false imprisonment. In order to avoid this easily avoidable error we must remember to finish what we complete with the patient and then to lower the bed and make sure the side rails are raised. If by chance we forgot something outside of the patient’s room, stop and lower the bed, and when you return, raise it again. Without these cautionary details, a patient could fall and end up remaining hospitalized for an extended time.

Barcode Scanners and Smart Cards

Barcode Scanners and Smart Cards Introduction In an age of technological revolution, the use of information systems in computers has become essentially paramount and the overwhelming vast majority of major supermarkets worldwide has become dependant on it, the consumer demands speed and convenience and the supplier has a strong emphasis on accuracy and providing those needs that inevitably cannot be displaced, only to become better at the least, which has been happening through time. The consumer as well as the supplier needs a method where a product can be instantly recognised, and deliver an on the spot price as well accumulate more than one product not to mention information that both parties can benefit from, and not to mention be rewarded for their loyalty in recognition of their custom. The use of technology in the business sector in the supermarket chain cannot be declared such a name without such a system; however this report is not to testify its perfection, but more to exemplify its reliability, importance and future a dvancements. Why Barcode Scanners? All products to be sold in a supermarket has a barcode embedded on it NO exception, this resembles vertical black lines and a row of numbers, a barcode scanner is a computer peripheral for reading the barcode printed on those surfaces, it is connected to a computer that indentifies what is being scanned and displays on screen the information stored about that particular image and number which is required in a store. The most common scanner used but not necessarily the best is laser scanners, that uses a beam to capture the image and process it. It is believed the essential reason for using a barcode scanner is accurate accumulation of multiple items scanned. Barcode scanner are not limited to the cashiers section for the sake of buying goods and simply checking out, there are anti-theft devices on many supermarkets on the store exit, so if one were not to pay for an item, the anti-theft barcode reader would pick up an items barcode as unregistered on the database or simply put paid for. With todays advancements there are also self checkout spots were the consumer can simply scan the items themselves, so its quite obvious the wonders of barcode isnt quite going anywhere. Why Smart Cards? Smart cards in supermarkets usually are used as a loyalty scheme. A loyalty scheme is when the consumer gets points for purchases and gets rewarded with coupons or discounts for future purchases. In some cases you may have to reach a certain limit before you are entitled to use your reward. A smart card is like a credit card in shape and its size, smart cards have an embedded microprocessor, and it is under a gold pad on the front of the card, although magnetic strips are still used and popular. It can store the consumers details and products purchased if it were to be ready available. Having a smart card is optional but it is beneficiary as you can gain points, which will be stored on the computer system. It also worth noting, not only it inputs data into the smart chip as well as on the central computer, it can also be edited, or certain numeric information deducted in others words points in exchange for rewards The scheme is more than just rewards and coupons, loyalty scheme can put themselves in a privileged position of paying loyalty prices where as non member wont. An In-Depth look at Barcode Scanners in Supermarkets In a world where shops, store and supermarkets stocks grow by products, it has become an increasing demand to keep the consumers happy, the need to understand what needs to be reordered and more appropriately when has become important for financial gain in the industry. Gone are the days where in the backroom every item had to be manually counted, a waste of valuable time and ever so expensive. Even punch cards where the consumer had to mark an item they want to buy, did not exactly deliver convenience. Thankfully in the mid 20th century the introduction of barcode devices came through. An idea of a device that can identify a product quickly and accurately became essential and when proven successful it cannot be reverted, only made better, they are barcode scanners or readers. If no items for sale in a supermarket carried a barcode, then scanners would be considered pointless. With this primary purpose in mind, a barcode scanner does more than just retrieve product information. An Explanation A product carries a series of numbers, but what do these numbers mean? The first two digits implicate the country where the product was made. The next five digits implicate who made the product or what company The next five digits implicate the product itself. E.g. Biscuits The last digit is a validation number, to ensure the barcode scanner has read the code correctly. When a consumer is making purchases, each items barcode that has been scanned is transferred from the POS (Point of Sales) terminal or in others words the laser barcode reader, and then passes on that information to the main computer. This computer has a substantially large database that has all the information about the items the shop sells, every supermarket sets a criterion in what information that needs to be extracted instantly at the POS which will be clearly displayed on the screen a quite possibly another one so the consumer can be made clear on the prices, this is quite obviously the Price and the Description, this is added to the bill and also are ready to be printed at the finalisation stage. Barcode devices are more than just retrieve information from a database according to the code it matches, according to its reference barcode scanners help the computer established what item has been sold or even returned, it helps the computer identify the quantity of stock remaining and possibly alert the manager what needs to be reordered, this is called Automatic stock-taking. Supermarkets have multiple computers which is in a single room and have their own local are network, they control the stock Telecommunications In means of telecommunications, the information stored on the computer, which was transmitted by the barcode system, it needs to communicate with another system to verify volume and notification of reordering. In certain cases this form of communication, is needed through a network using the internet, after the entire stock control department may not always be in the direct vicinity of the supermarket, so this is essential and plays a big part of the process. Businesses would be lost without the current technological advancements and a lot of companies would cease to exist. Without the internet and transmission, the use of barcode equipment would be considered of useless, as it needs a form of electronic communication. Evaluation The use of barcode equipment has been firmly accepted by the supermarket chain as well as the consumer, its effectiveness can never be degraded or dwindle, only to thrive and become more advanced by the day. On the other hand nothing can be 100% effective are there are ups and downs to everything and the supermarkets information system is no different. From a supermarkets point of view what are the advantages and disadvantages? Supermarkets Advantages Speed -to have a barcode scanned only takes a fraction of a section Accuracy with a typical laser scanner it the chances of a reading error is 1 in 70 million Convenience No need for human calculation or problems solving related to prices as the use of barcode and retrieve those sort of details Supermarkets Disadvantages Update prices needs to be updated via the database, if not it can cause confusion when advertising a special offer on display, as an information system has no way of knowing of this adjustment. A power cut can cause possible loss of data It would be very difficult to find additional disadvantages from a supermarkets point of view as it doesnt require special training to use one so it is pretty much immaculate. A barcode reader may be beneficial to the supermarkets but what about the consumer? Consumers Advantages Speed and efficiency when checking out items Because prices are stored on a computer they can be reassured of accuracy Any promotions or special offers will automatically be processed without the need to bring it to the cashiers attention. Consumers Disadvantages A single item may accidently be scanned twice without the consumers knowledge, a barcode reader simply scans a barcode and cannot identify human error under the circumstances Like from a supermarkets point of view, the computer that stores the item information, cannot be aware of any price change unless updated, causing inconvenience to the consumers The effectiveness of barcode readers excluding minor human error can be described as foolproof and indispensable and the advantage significantly outweighs the disadvantages. Loyalty Scheme Information System As well as accessing and retrieving item details and prices, through a barcode reader and a loyalty card, another system is required to interrelate with what being purchased and have information about the consumer itself and be rewarded or identify purchasing habits to pass on to marketing or third part companies, this is not possible without obtaining the consumers details, preferences and permissions. What are the requirements to get this information and data? Each consumer is identified by a unique identifier number which is stored on the loyalty card itself but what is needed before being approved in a loyalty scheme? Consumers Name this is the most important as other information held is invalid without it Address for eligibility of vouchers, points or discounts you must provide a valid address, which may carry a location restriction on who can apply Gender in order for the supermarket to analyse shopping habits and patterns, they can observe a distinction between male and female and what appropriate promotions or recommendations that would suit them. Marketing any communication outside the supermarket between other companies and the consumer can only be made with the permission approved by the consumer him/herself before any details are passed on to relevant parties. Other Contact Details this could be your telephone number or an email address, should they need to contact you in regarding your purchases or any queries you have made How Does It Work? All information systems are connected via a network in order to communicate with each other, if one were to benefit from a loyalty scheme, it must communicate with a machine that holds prices and product information in order to calculate and analyse to make adjustments and process whatever advantage or accumulation the consumer is entitled to. My Conclusion Observing supermarket barcode systems and loyalty cards from outside the box, before putting together this report, I possessed virtually no knowledge on the requirements and the consistency required in order for the business information systems to operate, it did not occur to me that human error can cause disruption from an otherwise fault free barcode system. I failed to recognise that information about consumers details and product information especially the price is connected via a network on separate computers servers not necessarily in the direct vicinity of the supermarket itself. I noted speed and accuracy is only dependant by people by half, and information processing is primarily dependant on technology especially the barcode reader it self. One business owner cannot declare it a supermarket without these devices. Loyalty scheme carries a subtle objective many people may not be able to grasp, I did not realise that passing on your personal details is not necessarily used to reward for shopping with that particular chain, but also to analyse your spending and buying habits and with your consent send you information and offers relevant to this criteria which may appeal to the loyalty scheme member. If your details were passed on to marketing when you specified not to, I learnt you are doing more than just breaking the policy but you are breaking the law and the consumer can sue the company. I have learnt the complexity involved in making sure everything is kept up to par, and it required by human input to update necessary changes to the system. Consumers in general fail to recognise how important these devices are, and how they contribute to an easy experience, only the employees can benefit from something that simply cannot subside in time, only to develop better methods on a system that is established as a permanent component in the business. Bibliography Anon. (). Barcode Scanner Image. Available: http://www.crestock.com/image/839858-Barcode-Scanner.aspx Anon. (). Smart Card Image. Available: http://www.crestock.com/image/133940-Online-Shopping-2.aspx Anon. (). ICT systems in a supermarket. Available: http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=182530. Anon. (). IT in Supermarkets. Available: http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/ict/wjec_ict/as_ict/ict_in_supermarkets.pdf. Anon. (). Supermarket. Available: http://www.theteacher99.btinternet.co.uk/theteacher/gcse/newgcse/others/supermarket.htm. Anon. (). Five Advantages of Barcodes. Available: http://www.barcoding.com/information/learn_about_barcodes.shtml. Ayac, M (2008). Telecommunications are Very Important. Available: http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/telecommunications-are-very-important-597736.html. Reynolds, T. (). History of Barcode Scanners. Available: http://www.nationalbarcode.com/history-of-barcode-scanners.htm. Vermatt, S. C. (2007) Discovering Computers. Woodford, C. (2008). Barcodes and barcode scanners. Available: http://www.explainthatstuff.com/barcodescanners.html. Images used was complimented as watermarked previewed from http://www.crestock.com and was available without the need for a license and for comprehension purposes

Fair Teacher Pay Association :: Argumentative Persuasive Education Papers

Fair Teacher Pay Association Factà ³There is a shortage of qualified graduates of professional teacher preparation programs entering the teaching profession in the United States. Factà ³More than 80% of the employing jurisdictions in the United States have been forced to hire unlicensed, untrained, unprepared teachers because there are not enough licensed graduates of teacher preparation programs to fill the need. Factà ³The overwhelming response from college students to the question of why they wonà ­t enter the teaching profession is that "teacher pay is too low". Factà ³The average national salary for a beginning teacher for the 1998-1999 academic year was $25,735 , far less than the salary for other college graduates. Would you want to be a teacher?? Dear Mr. & Mrs. Doe: Do you care about the quality of your childrenà ­s education? Weà ­re sure you do, just like most hard working Americans. Think about it. Our childrenà ­s education is their future, and their future is our nationà ­s future. This future is determined by our childrenà ­s teachers. A lack of teachers and, more importantly, a lack of GOOD teachers is a big problem in our schools today. We, the members of the Fair Teacher Pay Association (FTPA), believe this injustice must be brought to the attention of all. In addition to informing the public, we want to do things to change the current system. This letter and informaional packet will briefly inform you of the facts you need to know on this subject. We often hear people say things such as: Teachers work form 9 to 3, less than bankers. Teachers work 9 months, and then get the summers off. Teachers themselves say: Teaching is the only job where you work three times per day. First you teach a full day, then you work at school in the afternoon, and then you take work home to do at night. The average teacher works a minimum of 8 hours and 37 minutes each day. 8:37 multiplied by an average school year of 180 days is 1551 hours a year. That is the minimum required for their daily tasks. Teachers also have supplementary tasks that they must complete on an irregular basis. These tasks such as pre and post school year activities, meetings, and continuing education add up to an average minimum of 318 hours per year. This adds up to a grand total of 1869 hours per year! Check out these statistics: - A teacher works a minimum of 1,869 hours per year to perform his/her

Awarness and Attitude of Primary Teachers Essay

Child Rights: A Gist The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines basic rights of children covering multiple needs and issues. India endorsed it on December 11, 1992. Following are a few rights in the immediate purview of Smile Foundation as well as India. The right to Education: 50% of Indian children aged 6-18 do not go to school Dropout rates increase alarmingly in class III to V, its 50% for boys, 58% for girls. The right to Expression: Every child has a right to express himself freely in which ever way he likes. Majority of children however are exploited by their elders and not allowed to express. The right to Information: Every child has a right to know his basic rights and his position in the society. High incidence of illiteracy and ignorance among the deprived and underprivileged children prevents them from having access to information about them and their society. The right to Nutrition: More than 50% of India’s children are malnourished. While one in every five adolescent boys is m alnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished. The right to Health & Care: 58% of India’s children below the age of 2 years are not fully vaccinated. And 24% of these children do not receive any form of vaccination. Over 60% of children in India are anemic. 95 in every 1000 children born in India, do not see their fifth birthday. 70 in every 1000 children born in India, do not see their first birthday. The right to protection from Abuse: There are approximately 2 million child commercial sex workers between the age of 5 and 15 years and about 3.3 million between 15 and 18 years. They form 40% of the total population of commercial sex workers in India. 500,000 children are forced into this trade every year. The right to protection from Exploitation: 17 million children in India work as per official estimates. A study found that children were sent to work by compulsion and not by choice, mostly by parents, but with recruiter playing a crucial role in influencing decision. When working outside the family, children put in an average of 21 hours of labour per week. Poor and bonded families often â€Å"sell† their children to contractors who promise lucrative jobs in the cities and the children end up being employed in brothels, hotels and domestic work. Many run away and find a life on the streets. The right to protection from Neglect: Every child has a right to lead a well protected and secure life away from neglect. However, children working under exploitative and inhuman conditions get neglected  badly. The right to Development: Every child has the right to development that lets the child explore her/his full potential. Unfavourable living conditions of underprivileged children prevents them from growing in a free and uninhibited way. The right to Recreation: Every child has a right to spend some time on recreational pursuits like sports, entertainment and hobbies to explore and develop. Majority of poor children in India do not get time to spend on recreational activities. The right to Name & Nationality: Every child has a right to identify himself with a nation. A vast majority of underprivileged children in India are treated like commodities and exported to other countries as labour or prostitutes. The right to Survival: Of the 12 million girls born in India, 3 million do not see their fifteenth birthday, and a million of them are unable to survive even their first birthday. Every sixth girl child’s death is due to gender discrimination. Child Rights in India: An Introduction India is a party to the UN declaration on the Rights of the Child 1959. Accordingly, it adopted a National Policy on Children in 1974. The policy reaffirmed the constitutional provisions for adequate services to children, both before and after birth and through the period of growth to ensure their full physical, mental and social development. Accordingly, the government is taking action to review the national and state legislation and bring it in line with the provisions of the Convention. It has also developed appropriate monitoring procedures to assess progress in implementing the Convention-involving various stake holders in the society. India is also a signatory to the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children. In pursuance of the commitment made at the World Summit, the Department of Women and Child Development under the Ministry of Human Resource Development has formulated a National Plan of Action for Children. Most of the recommendations of the World Summit Action Plan are reflected in India’s National Plan of Action- keeping in mind the needs, rights and aspirations of 300 million children in the country. The priority areas in the Plan are health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and environment. The Plan gives special consideration to children in difficult circumstances and aims at providing a framework, for actualization of the objectives of the Convention in the Indian context. Status of Children in  India Recent UNICEF (2005) report on the state of the world’s children under the title â€Å"Childhood Under Threat† , speaking about India, states that millions of Indian children are equally deprived of their rights to survival, health, nutrition, education and safe drinking water. It is reported that 63 per cent of them go to bed hungry and 53 per cent suffer from chronic malnutrition. The report says that 147 million children live in kuchcha houses, 77 million do not use drinking water from a tap, 85 million are not being immunized, 27 million are severely underweight and 33 million have never been to school. It estimates that 72 million children in India between five and 14 years do not have access to basic education. A girl child is the worst victim as she is often neglected and is discriminated against because of the preference for a boy child. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights In order to ensure child rights practices and in response to India’s commitment to UN declaration to this effect, the government of India set up a National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The Commission is a statutory body notified under an Act of the Parliament on December 29, 2006. Besides the chairperson, it will have six members from the fields of child health, education, childcare and development, juvenile justice, children with disabilities, elimination of child labour, child psychology or sociology and laws relating to children. The Commission has the power to inquire into complaints and take suo motu notice of matters relating to deprivation of child’s rights and non-implementation of laws providing for protection and development of children among other things. Aimed at examining and reviewing the safeguards provided by the law to protect child rights, the Commission will recommend measures for their effective implementation. It will suggest amendments, if needed, and look into complaints or take suo motu notice of cases of violation of the constitutional and legal rights of children. The Commission is to ensure proper enforcement of child rights and effective implementation of laws and programmes relating to children- enquiring into complaints and take suo motu  cognizance of matters relating to deprivation of child rights; non-implementation of laws providing for protection and development of children and non-compliance of policy decisions, guidelines or instructions aimed at their welfare and announcing relief for children and issuing remedial measures to the state governments. Convention on the Rights of the Child Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989 Right to education From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The right to education is a universal entitlement to education, a right that is recognized as a human right. According to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights the right to education includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all[1], an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all, in particular by the progressive introduction of free secondary education[2], as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher education, ideally by the progressive introduction of free higher education.[3] The right to education also includes a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed primary education. In addition to these access to education provisions, the right to education encompasses the obligation to rule out discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to set minimum standards and to improve quality of education. [4] International legal basis The right to education is law in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 200 and 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.[5][6][7] The right to education has been reaffirmed in the 1960 UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education and the 1981 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.[8] In Europe, Article 2 of the first Protocol of 20 March 1952 to the European Convention on Human Rights states that the right to education is recognized as a human right and is understood to establish an entitlement to education. According to the International  Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the right to education includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all, an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all in particular by the progressive introduction of free secondary education, as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher education in particular by the progressive introduction of free higher education. The right to education also includes a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed primary education. In addition to these access to education provisions, the right to education encompasses also the obligation to eliminate discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to set minimum standards and to improve quality. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has applied this norm for example in the Belgian linguistic case.[9] Article 10 of the European Social Charter guarantees the ri ght to vocational education. [10] Definition Education narrowly refers to formal institutional instructions. Generally, international instruments use the term in this sense and the right to education, as protected by international human rights instruments, refers primarily to education in a narrow sense. The 1960 UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education defines education in Article 1(2) as: â€Å"all types and levels of education, (including) access to education, the standard and quality of education, and the conditions under which it is given.†[11] In a wider sense education may describe â€Å"all activities by which a human group transmits to its descendants a body of knowledge and skills and a moral code which enable the group to subsist†.[11] In this sense education refers to the transmission to a subsequent generation of those skills needed to perform tasks of daily living, and further passing on the social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical values of the particular community. The wider meaning of education has been recognised in Article 1(a) of UNESCO’s 1974 Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.[12] The article states that education implies: â€Å"the entire process of social life by means of which individuals and social groups learn to develop consciously within, and for the benefit of, the national and international communities, the whole of their personal  capabilities, attitudes, aptitudes and knowledge.†[11] The European Court of Human Rights has defined education in a narrow sense as â€Å"teaching or instructions†¦ in particular to the transmission of knowledge and to intellectual development† and in a wider sense as â€Å"the whole process whereby, in any society, adults endeavour to transmit their beliefs, culture and other values to the young.† [11] Assessment of fulfilment The fulfilment of the right to education can be assessed using the 4 As framework, which asserts that for education to be a meaningful right it must be available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. The 4 As framework was developed by the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Katarina Tomasevski, but is not necessarily the standard used in every international human rights instrument and hence not a generic guide to how the right to education is treated under national law.[13] The 4 As framework proposes that governments, as the prime duty-bearer, has to respect, protect and fulfil the right to education by making education available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. The framework also places duties on other stakeholders in the education process: the child, which as the privileged subject of the right to education has the duty to comply with compulsory education requirements, the parents as the ‘first educators’, and professional educators, namely teachers.[13] The 4 As have been further elaborated as follows:[14] * Availability – funded by governments, education is universal, free and compulsory. There should be proper infrastructure and facilities in place with adequate books and materials for students. Buildings should meet both safety and sanitation standards, such as having clean drinking water. Active recruitment, proper training and appropriate retention methods should ensure that enough qualified staff is available at each school. [15] * Accessibility – all children should have equal access to school services regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity or socio-economic status. Efforts should be made to ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups including children of refugees, the homeless or those with disabilities. There should be no forms of segregation or denial of access to any students. This includes ensuring that proper laws are in place against any child  labour or exploitation to prevent children from obtaining primary or secondary education. Schools must be within a reasonable distance for children within the community, otherwise transportation should be provided to students, particularly those that might live in rural areas, to ensure ways to school are safe and convenient. Education should be affordable to all, with textbooks, supplies and uniforms provided to students at no additional costs. [16] * Acceptability – the quality of education provided should be free of discrimination, relevant and culturally appropriate for all students. Students should not be expected to conform to any specific religious or ideological views. Methods of teaching should be objective and unbiased and material available should reflect a wide array of ideas and beliefs. Health and safety should be emphasized within schools including the elimination of any forms of corporal punishment. Professionalism of staff and teachers should be maintained.[17] * Adaptability – educational programs should be flexible and able to adjust according to societal changes and the needs of the community. Observance of religious or cultural holidays should be respected by schools in order to accommodate students, along with providing adequate care to those students with disabilities. [18] A number of international NGOs and charities work to realise the right to education using a rights-based approach to development.[citation needed] Historical development In Europe, before the Enlightenment of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, education was the responsibility of parents and the church. With the French and American Revolution education was established also as a public function. It was thought that the state, by assuming a more active role in the sphere of education, could help to make education available and accessible to all. Education had thus far been primarily available to the upper social classes and public education was perceived as a means of realising the egalitarian ideals underlining both revolutions.[19] However, neither the American Declaration of Independence (1776) nor the French Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789) protected the right to education as the liberal concepts of human rights in the nineteenth century envisaged that parents retained the primary duty for providing education to their children. It was the states obligation to ensure that parents complied with this duty, and many states  enacted legislat ion making school attendance compulsory. Furthermore child labour laws were enacted to limit the number of hours per day children could be employed, to ensure children would attend school. States also became involved in the legal regulation of curricula and established minimum educational standards.[20] In On Liberty John Stuart Mill wrote that an â€Å"education established and controlled by the State should only exist, if it exists at all, as one among many competing experiments, carried on for the purpose of example and stimulus to keep the others up to a certain standard of excellence.† Liberal thinkers of the nineteenth century pointed to the dangers to too much state involvement in the sphere of education, but relied on state intervention to reduce the dominance of the church, and to protect the right to education of children against their own parents. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, educational rights were included in domestic bills of rights.[21] The 1849 Paulskirchenverfassung, the constitution of the German Empire, strongly influenced subsequent European constitutions and devoted Article 152 to 158 of its bill of rights to education. The constitution recognised education as a function of the state, independent of the church. Remarkable at the time, the constitution proclaimed the right to free education for the poor, but the constitution did not explicitly require the state to set up educational institutions. Instead the constitution protected the rights of citizens to found and operate schools and to provide home education. The constitution also provided for freedom of science and teaching, and it guaranteed the right of everybody to choose a vocation and train for it.[22] The nineteenth century also saw the development of socialist theory, which held that the primary task of the state was to ensure the economic and social well-being of the community through government intervention and regulation. Socialist theory recognised that individuals had claims to basic welfare services against the state and education was viewed as one of these welfare entitlements. This was in contrast to liberal theory at the time, which regarded non-state actors as the prime providers of education. Socialist ideals were enshrined in the 1936 Soviet Constitution, which was the first constitution to recognise the right to education with a corresponding obligation of the state to provide such education. The constitution guaranteed free and compulsory education at all levels, a system of state scholarships and vocational training in state  enterprises. Subsequently the right to education featured strongly in the constitutions of socialist states.[23] As a political goal, right to education was declared in F. D. Roosevelt’s 1944 speech on the Second Bill of Rights. Implementation International law does not protect the right to pre-primary education and international documents generally omit references to education at this level.[24] The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to education, hence the right applies to all individuals, although children are understood as the main beneficiaries.[25] The rights to education are separated into three levels: * Primary (Elemental or Fundamental) Education. This shall be compulsory and free for any child regardless of their nationality, gender, place of birth, or any other discrimination. Upon ratifying the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights States must provide free primary education within two years. * Secondary (or Elementary, Technical and Professional in the UDHR) Education must be generally available and accessible. * Higher Education (at the University Level) should be provided according to capacity. That is, anyone who meets the necessary education standards should be able to go to university. Both secondary and higher education shall be made accessible â€Å"by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education†. [26] Compulsory education The realisation of the right to education on a national level may be achieved through compulsory education, or more specifically free compulsory primary education, as stated in both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.[27][28] Action For Children (AFC) Action for Children (AFC) conceptualised by Wild Ganzen and supported by Net4Kids and Kids Rights aims at involving privileged citizens, civil society groups and various institutions including corporates in the development process. This programme supported by the Dutch Government promoted consortium (Wild Ganzen, Net4Kids and Kids Rights) has given a boost to the initiative. The programme is being implemented in three developing economies of the world namely Brazil, South Africa and India. Smile Foundation joined hands with the Consortium in April 2008 and since then has been executing the programme in India. The objective is to stimulate more fortunate mass to be a part of the development process and ensure sustainability of grassroots initiatives across India. Through AFC, Smile Foundation encourages people to ‘stand up and act’ to bring a change in the lives of underprivileged children and youth. Action For Children is based on the concept that development is a people’s issue and not just the government’s concern. With this premise, the Foundation has been striving to build a civil society that owes responsibility for societal development and participate whole-heartedly in transforming the lives of underprivileged children. Through AFC, Smile Foundation encourages individuals, civil society groups, corporate houses, professional associations, schools, colleges, youth wings to participate in the development process. The Action for Children programme sensitizes and involves the fortunate mass through: 1. Local Actions Local Action connotes organizing an event to raise funds for a child centric project. It can be organised by individuals, groups and institutions in their region. Local action aims at sensitization and consequent involvement of the privileged mass in raising funds for children through various activities 2. KidsXL KidsXL is a school exchange programme wherein children of privileged school and underprivileged school are brought together under one platform. Several interactive sessions and special activities are organized for the children. KidsXL aims at bringing the children from both the segments closer, thereby reducing social disparities. In the process, the children also learn to be sensitive and responsible towards the society 3. Media Advocacy The aim is to involve media in creating awareness among the people and advocating the cause before a wide audience. The Foundation sensitizes  people through documentaries, Public Service Advertisements, news features, advocacy campaigns, rallies etc. 4. Corporate Social Responsibility CSR aims at sensitising and involving corporates in the development process. It gives the corporates an opportunity to give back to the society. It is based on a partnership model wherein corporates partner with Smile Foundation either to support the whole or a part of capital cost or running cost of a child centric project. The inherent objective of the programme is to ensure that the development activities become locally sustainable.

The 5 Types of Interview Outfits That Will Get You Hired

The 5 Types of Interview Outfits That Will Get You Hired No matter what stage you are in your career, you need to dress to impress whenever you’re granted an interview. That might mean something different depending on your career status and the field you’re interviewing in, but the overarching point you should keep in mind when you select your attire is this: look like you care. Look like you put some thought into how you present yourself, because after all, if you don’t care enough to look nice and together when you’re on your best behavior, then why should a company think you will care enough to do your best on any random Tuesday after a few months into the job? Here are some tips for how to make sure you’re making the right first impression on the hiring manager. Show them through what you’re wearing how perfect you would be for the job, no matter what that job is.1. Super-CasualIn the past, the basic rule was that if you had a job interview, you better either buy a suit or make sure yours was d ry-cleaned and ready to go. But times have changed, and it’s really okay to match your attire to the personality of the company.For example, you don’t want to show up to a casual workplace in a suit and tie- you’ll look like you don’t really understand the culture, and they won’t be able to picture you adequately within their company. Try instead to focus on making sure you look clean and professional, despite the more laid-back style. Dark, clean, and crisp denim always works, with tasteful (again, clean) sneakers or sandals or flats, and a tidy, well-fitting top. Don’t bust out a concert t-shirt or anything, but a wrinkle-free polo works.2. Sort-of-CasualYou’re still not going to need a suit and tie, but you might have to trade your nice top in for one with buttons. Avoid jeans and go with a casual dress (one with sleeves, please), a skirt, corduroys, or other slacks instead. Keep your shoes relaxed, but elegant- nothing you would w ear to the gym, say. Maybe add a bit of a heel.3. Executive CasualYou still don’t absolutely need a tie in this situation (but certainly no one would think it out of place), but a jacket or blazer is often called for. Definitely no jeans. Keep the skirts or slacks on the dressier side, and go with the more elegant shoes- pumps for the ladies; something leather for the men. Add a pop of color or pattern in your shirt that will jazz up the monotony of your suit separates.4. Serious BusinessOkay. Here come the suits. Gents, here come the ties. You can wear your more colorful suits, darker ones, or subtle patterns- bright colors are fine here. Just because you need to look professional doesn’t mean you can’t have a personality. Keep the tops crisp and well-tailored, the heels closed-toe, and legs covered with hosiery or tights.5. Boardroom Big ShotIn the highest stakes situations, it’s best to go for the gold. Grey or navy suits for the men, with ties and wh ite dress shirts. The highest quality accessories are needed here- as neat and unobtrusive as possible. Ladies, keep your skirt lengths two-fingers above the knee or longer and stick with black tights and shoes.Remember to make sure you’re comfortable. And don’t make it look like you’re dressing up from Mommy and Daddy’s closet. Keep it simple, not too flashy, and you’ll do just fine. And, as always, dress for the job you want, not the one you have.

Personality profiling in sport Essays

Personality profiling in sport Essays Personality profiling in sport Essay Personality profiling in sport Essay Describe theories related to personality and how they affect sports performance. Evaluate critically personality profiling in sport. What is a personality? Hollander tells us that a personality Is the sum of an individuals characteristics which make a human unique. But it is not known for sure what a personality actually is or how we actually begin to form them. There exist three main personality theories and each of them relate to sports performance in their own way. The first theory is called the trait perspective theory. Trait theory states that we are born with personality characteristics that influence the way in which we behave in sport and in everyday life. Personality traits are stable and therefore vary little over time. Some sports performers may have an aggressive trait and this may surface in a variety of different situations. The key people behind this theory are Eysenck, Cattell and Girdano. Eysenck identified four primary personality traits and arranged them in a 2 dimensional diagram. The model was laid out in a cross, and at one end you have introversion and extroversion, and the other stable and neurosis. According to Eysenck you could either be stable or neurotic, but not both for example. It is said that extroverts, with their outgoing and sociable nature, would be more suited for team games such as football. Where as a quiet, reserved Introvert would be mores suited for individual sports such as archery. This data was collected by POMS, or profile of mood states a type of personality profiling. Cattell argued that more than just two or three dimensions were needed in order to create a full picture of a persons personality. He proposed that personality could be reduced to and measured in terms of 16 personality factors. He argued that measuring these factors via his test would give an appropriate personality profile. He recognised that personality was more dynamic than Eysenck suggested and could fluctuate according to the situation. So according to Cattell, a football player who never normally shows signs of aggression, may show signs when involved in a certain situation. Girdano was also a trait theorist and he suggested there are two distinct personality types, Type A and Type B. Type A according to Girano would be; highly competitive, have a strong desire to win, fast working, controlling and prone to stress. Type B would be the polar opposite of this, and would be; non-competitive, unambitious, slow working, no urge to control and less prone to stress. From this we see that the first distinct personality type would be more suited and more successful for a team game, and Type B would be more suitable for an individual game. We also see that Type A would be likely to get stressed in high pressure situations where as Type B would keep calm, however it would be likely for Type B to be unable to trigger any sort of aggressive or competitive characteristic when it mattered. The second theory is called the social learning perspective theory. The social learning theory, developed by Bandura, differs from trait and interactional approaches in that it sees individual differences in behaviour as resulting from different learning experiences. This means that what determines an individual’s response to a situation is not so much their genetic make-up or the constraints of the particular situation, but instead how past experience has taught that person to act. Behaviour therefore changes depending on the situation and is therefore a product of our interaction with the environment. Banduras model shows us how this personality theory affects sports performance. An inexperienced performer may be inspired by the positive attitude and commitment of an experienced player, and then chooses to copy desirable approach, receiving positive reinforcement in doing so. The third and final personality theory is the interactionist approach, which was based on the work done by Hollander. It is a combination of the trait and social learning perspectives. It suggests to us that personality is modified and behaviour is formed when genetically inherited traits are triggered by an environmental circumstance, thus meaning that behaviour is unpredictable. It also explains to us why behaviour can change in different situations, so for example a competitive rugby player may not be so competitive when off the field of play. Personality profiling is done to see which personalities are fit for what sport, and if a certain individual personality is one that all athletes may share. This is difficult due to the fact there is no clear, universal definition of a personality. Personality profiling involves measuring an athlete on a number of personality scales and building up a picture of their strengths and weaknesses. Tests can be measured in a various number of ways, through; questionnaires, interviews, observations or profile of mood states. There are a number of problems with personal profiling though. There is no conclusive evidence that a sports personality actually exists, so far there only exists theories surrounding the matter and no hard evidence. Profiling results are usually subjective, and conclusions may be influenced by personal opinions with no support of scientific evidence. Profiling results are invalid more often than not. It is feared that an athlete may unconsciously modify their own behaviour to match up to the profile ascribed to them. There also exists a reliability issue, due to the fact questionnaires are often carried out using self report, so therefore not always answered correctly or honestly.

Cost Management in Air Asia Essays

Cost Management in Air Asia Essays Cost Management in Air Asia Essay Cost Management in Air Asia Essay 1. 0INTRODUCTION Background, History and the Business Concept AirAsia is a brand of airlines operated by AirAsia Berhad. A Malaysian based low-fare company. AirAsia established in 1993 and start the operations on 18 November 1996 (Wikipedia, 2011) Inspired by the success of Ryanair and EasyJet as low cost carrier, Toni Fernandes saw the potential of having the same concept in Asia. Air Asia executed the cost leadership strategy with introduced ticketless travelling, one type cabin, free seating, and online booking trough internet that able slash the price into 40% 60% cheaper than regular airlines (Declanegan, 2012) Now Everyone Can Fly† described AirAsia’s value. Operational effectiveness and cost advantages created efficiency go directly to end user. Customer enjoy more surplus with price falls, and encourage more air travel among Malaysians (Khoo et all, 2005) The study purpose is to analyse how AirAsia and its strategic cost management able to operate a business in low cost yet generate a profit, and able to sustain as one of the business leader in South East Asia. 2. 0LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 1What is Strategic Cost Management Cost management is a process where entities have control, monitor and manage their own cost and expenses. It covers the whole budget of the business, inflow and outflow of cash and transactions in every certain of period. This is for the entity to keep track of their business transaction, and also to estimate budgets for the future. While strategic cost management is the overall recognition of the cost relationships among the activities in the value chain, and the process of managing those cost relationships to a firm’s advantage and also known as Cost Management Theory1. 2. 2The importance of strategic cost management to the company Strategic Cost Management is one of the key business strategic planning. Dr Kalyani Srinivas C defined strategic cost management as a tool for competitive advantage and value creation that does not focus on traditional cost reduction, which entails unnecessary cost elimination. Meaney K, 2011 mentioned that cost management has purpose to ensure adequate supply of funds from the right source at the right cost, at the right time to the firm to meet its funding needs. At this point each company want to improve the profit as maximum without losing the business principle. Strategic management can be considered as one of the strategic management technique for the company to succeed in their business. 2. 3Key success factor to have good cost management in a company To have a good cost management, a company need to set a proper goal, long and short term planning. Clear target and align accountability to the target (Delloitte, 2010). Create a guide of principle was one of the critical factors of strategic cost-management-framework for the firm of foundation to achieve an effective cost management. 3. 0STRATEGIC COST MANAGEMENT FOR AIR ASIA 3. The background of Strategic Management for Air Asia (related to the concept of the business Chan, D (2000) mentioned since 1970, Asian air travel competition has been intense. The intensity has increase very significant with economic growth in Japan, China and South East Asia. When the competition in the airlines industry become hard, complex, and uneven, AirAsia need to think strategically to win the market yet able to generate profit for shareholder. With â€Å"Now Everybody Can Fly† as its tag line, AirAsia try hard to make the ticket price as low as possible to make the cost of flight affordable to lmost everybody. AirAsia also expand the fly route to most of point where Malaysia Airlines (MAS) refuse to fly. The concept of Low Cost Carrier (LCC) is based on the idea that people would fly a lot more often if they get an affordable fare. LCC make air travel the most simple, convenient and inexpensive form of transportation so that they can move maximum number of passenger at the minimum cost (DodDid, 2012) 3. 2How Air Asia Manage their cost Air Asia has several main strategies to keep the price low while price of fuel and goods keep increased. According to the official website, Air Asia managed to cut more cost in operation where regular airlines unable to do, such as : High Aircraft Utilization Air Asia only need 25 minutes to disembark and embarked passenger, include load and unload the luggage, compare to full-services-aircraft (FSC) which need minimum one hour. The minimize time spent on the ground, make Air Asia able to fly almost 12 block hours to maximise the operations. No Frills Air Asia based on the basic concept of transportation : carry passenger from point A to point B safely. Every other services like food, alcoholic beverage, and comfort kit are considered luxury and out of the main concept. Streamline Operations Air Asia make the operation as simple as possible. They only use single type of aircraft to make services persons (flight attendants, mechanic, pilot and services crews) only need to learn one type of aircraft. Compare with another airlines which has several type or aircraft, the company has to created one training department where and several maintenance and mechanic specialist according the aircraft type. Air Asia able to delete those department in the company which save a lot of cost. Basic Amenities Air Asia fly from Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) with very basic building and facilities. No special boarding gate like FSC which landed and picked up passenger from KLIA. In other country, Air Asia always landed at less busy Airport (Secondary Airport) such as Clark (Manila, Philipine instead of Ninoy Aquino) and Standstead (London, UK instead of Heathrow) to reduce tax airport for passenger. Point to point network Air Asia operate on short-haul most of the time, also do not make arrangement with another airlines or provide connecting flight to keep the operation simple and low cost. Air Asia believed with keep the operation system simple and based on basic concept of transportation would keep the cost and ticket price low enough yet still generate profit to keep the investor stay. Fig 1. Revenue per ASK, Cost per ASK and Cost per ASK exclude fuel From the fig. 1 we could see averagely for five years Available Seat Kilometre (ASK) cost without fuel is USD 0. 016 (1. cents) per kilometre seat, which is very low compared with MAS (USD 0. 07 ~ 7 cents) or Cathay Pacific (USD 0. 10 ~ 10 cents) (fig 2) while Operating cost included the fuel charges averagely USD 0. 0328 (3. 28 cents) every seat, every kilometres operated. Average from 5 years data, Air Asia operating cost around 80% from the total revenue, except in 2009 where operating cost reach 112% ( fig 3) which make the company suffer 17% loss or equal with RM -496 Million as the result of company unwinding the remaining fuel hedges and interest rates loan which taking a lot of charges. Fuel hedges had been main strategies of a big company which use large amount of oil and gas to operate their business such as manufactured and transportation. Fuel Hedges mean Air Asia has special contract with several oil and gas company to give a fix price of fuel for several period without follow any fuel fluctuation and politic situation. With Hedging the fuel, Air Asia able to press the fuel surcharge only 17% from average fuel surcharge (Unknown, 2011) theborneopost. com/2011/05/27/airasia-reduces-risk-through-fuel-hed ging/ With opening in several international destination such as Singapore, Bangladesh and India, Air Asia able to came up with clean sheet for the following years. Air Asia able to generate net profit 16% from the total revenue without change the ticket price. Average for five years, Air Asia able to generate 30% of net profit. (Karp, 2009) routesonline. com/news/24/atw/13066/airasia-suffers-128-million-2008-loss/ Profit margin is the way to compare in the net profit ratio in different entities to check the effectiveness each expenditures to generate profit. For the same line of industries, profit margin is important to compare with competitor to overtake them via pricing wars which always become a main success factor of Air Asia to gain more customers. According to Center for Aviation 2011 (CAPA) net profit margin from 2001 to forecast 2012 average are 4% from the net revenue. (CAPA, 2011) centreforaviation. com/analysis/iata-upgrades-2011-airline-industry-profit-forecast-but-warns-of-weaker-2012-59153 Air Asia in five fiscal years able to gain operates profit margin averagely 16% and nett profit margin average 19% from the net sales. It shows that on aviation industries, Air Asia consider as efficient compared with other low cost airlines company Cebu Pacific 9%, Nok Airways 6%, Tiger Airways 14% , MAS 5%, Singapore Airlines 3%, Thai Airways 9%. (CAPA, 2012) centreforaviation. com/analysis/mas-should-reconsider-lcc-strategy-as-losses-continue-while-airasia-reports-more-leading-profits-74652 Return on Shareholder Equity or ROE measures a corporations profitability by revealing how much profit a company generates with the money shareholders have invested . 4. 0RECOMMENDATIONS Compared with other aviation industries, Air Asia has big success to press the cost to keep try flight fare as low as possible. However the low fare price still able to generate profit with accumulation of sales volume and the effectiveness of aircraft operation which make the company still very attractive to investor and shareholder. 5. 0REFERENCES Chan, D. 2000. â€Å"Airwars in Asia: Competitive and Collaborative Strategic and Tactics in Action. â€Å"Emerald Management and Development, 19:473-488. Declanegan, 2012. AirAsia. http://declanegan. blogspot. com/2012/01/few-people-said-they-enjoyed-my-post-on. html Doddid, 2012. Business Model Low Cost Carrier Air Asia. http://doddid. com /2012/04/business-model-low-cost-carrier-air-asia/ Khoo, C. Hofman, S. Tjitrarahardja, C. Narayaswamy, R. 2005. Air Asia Strategic IT Initiative. University of Melbourne. Meaney, K. 2011, Importance of Cost Management for Business Success. On Website http://ezinearticles. com/? Importance-of-Cost-Management-for-Business-Success=5692129 ventureline. com/accounting-glossary/S/strategic-cost-management-definition/ deloitte. com/assets/Dcom-Ireland/Local%20Assets/Documents/ie_Consulting_ChangingYourTune. pdf

Procter&Gamble Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Procter&Gamble - Essay Example ledge and learning, discipline and thoroughness are part of Procter and Gamble’s ideals of best practice.By implementing profit sharing, the company reinforces loyalty for the company, mutual respect and trust between management and workers. Among the principles and values are a deep commitment towards customers’ best interests, social service, employees’ welfare and business operations that are simple, direct and transparent. (Dyer et al, 2004: ix, 46, 305). Increasing intense competition from Unilever, Johnson and Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, L’Oreal and other companies is weakening the company’s position in the share market. Further, demand for consumer goods is impacted by the soundness of the United States economy and particularly by corporate profits. Also, investigators have uncovered the fact that animal testing is being done by the company in harsh conditions for its cosmetic and drug manufacturing units (Swasy, 1994: 196). Since consumers are aware of the ethics behind production and the need for corporate social responsibility, this may affect the marketability of its products. Acquisitions such as the recent one of Gillette prove to be mutually beneficial (Hannon, 2008: 46). Further, developing the different markets which are opening up opportunities for P & G to establish itself has to be done with priority product categories, and the organization to be developed to carry out the strategies have to be planned (Conklin, 2006: 189). Technological advances have made it possible to increase the rate of production several times, thus reducing overhead costs (Swasy, 1994: 97). With the aging population all over the world increasing in proportion, as compared to a decade earlier, the growing need for skin care and pharmaceutical products along with research development has opened up new opportunities in these spheres. Competitors have been devoting more research funds to cosmetics than to detergents or other products, with higher profit margins

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - Essay Example splays a character that is funny and thoughtful, as she is the only member in the family who seems to bring color and life to her family that has been immensely devastated by Kate’s illness. The first part of the novel reveals how Anna displayed her inquisitive nature. Unlike other kids who by and then accept the common notion that they were brought to earth because of their parents’ love for each other, Anna had asked the reason for her existence beyond the surface-level inquisition. She went on by saying that if outside creatures, such as an alien, see children in this world, they might assume that these kids were born out of a drinking spree or a mishap in the use of artificial birth control (Picoult 7). This lamentation is a no-nonsense gibberish for Anna because all her life, her existence was literally for a purpose. Her character is always inquisitive by asking, proving, and confirming the nature of her existence. With those questions, she was also able to formulate her own sensible answers. Furthermore, her inquisitive nature was also displayed many times in the book, particularly when she sought the help of Campbell Alexander, the lawyer she wished to de fend her on court. She was initially declined, but her inquisitive nature made their conversation going and eventually earned the approval of Alexander to serve as her lawyer. Anna Fitzgerald also displayed her impressive intelligence. This observation is evident when she effortlessly elaborated the cases that she thought would be related to her possible case. More importantly, her intelligence was seen in the entire book as she managed to bring to the court a family issue that has been overlooked by her parents due to their seemingly myopic view to Kate’s condition. Only Anna understood her role in the family. Her character was more of a legal fighter, and her intelligence to understand all aspects of her existence made her see things through the lenses. Anybody can rarely find such bold and

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

Mugwumps - Essay Example There were massive amounts of government corruption during the Grant administration and the resulting problems drove a wedge in the Republican Party, the Mugwumps supported Democratic reform candidates such as Grover Cleveland. According to Gerald W. McFarland, â€Å"Between 1870 and 1896, the Mugwumps, most of whom were members of the Republican party’s reform faction, frequently engaged in protests against â€Å"unsuitable† party candidates† (McFarland 40). These protests helped bolster the chances of those candidates running on a reform platform and partially assisted in the election of Grover Cleveland. However, the decision to go against ones political party was not taken lightly, as Allan Peskin writes, â€Å"To be a Republican or to be a Democrat-these were not lightly-made decisions but were shaped by self-interest, ethnicity, and, above all, history, most notably the polarizing trauma of the Civil War† (Peskin 703). As a result of the election fraud and other types of corruption that caused the backlash and mugwumps to begin their attempts at reform. The infamous Tammany Society was extremely influential during this time period as well, primarily in New York which following the Civil War had an inordinate amount of influence on national elections and politics. This was in no small part due the large influx of immigrants through Ellis Island. According to Peter Argersinger, â€Å"The highly competitive political system of the late nineteenth century, as Samuel T. McSeveny has written, â€Å"led to repeated charges, countercharges, and denials of corruption, coercion, bribery, and fraud-allegations that have been echoed by subsequent political biographers and historians. Taken at face value, these outcries would lead one to believe that the two parties alternated in cheating their opponents out of deserved victories† (Argersinger 669) It is no small wonder then that so many individuals

Valuation and Law in The United Kingdom Coursework

Valuation and Law in The United Kingdom - Coursework Example The implication of the location being in a provincial town is that laws that are relevant outside of London and that apply to locations outside of cities, in general, are relevant. The literature on land acquisition in the UK notes that there are fundamentally two types of acquisition interests on UK land, one that is freehold, and another that is leasehold Freehold interests are interests that translate to maximum possession and flexibility in terms of handling, making money from, controlling, and disposing the acquired interests, because this implies that the owner of the land has full, unlimited time ownership of the property and because the owner has the right to lease the land to others in order to gain income from the land possession, if desired. Leasehold arrangements, as the term implies, are land lease arrangements where the one providing the lease has the ownership rights, while the one acquiring the lease does not have such ownership rights, but has time-bound and limited rights to occupy and to use the land. This is so, even as he has the right to solely take occupation of the land for the limited time period of the lease, and there are regular payment considerations and obligations that the land occupier must pay the landowner to continue having legal occupation rights over the property. For this paper, the discussion focuses on the full acquisition interests of freehold commercial property (Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co LLP 2015; Penningtons Manches LLP 2015). As discussed above, one of the key assumptions is that the discussion generally applies to both local and foreign acquirers of commercial property in the UK, unless otherwise specified. Moreover, the discussion also focuses on the acquisition of freehold properties, and that the shopping parade in the provincial UK town is to be acquired from a freeholder of the property (Richards 2014).

Investigation of variables for monitoring muscle fatigue in EMG Essay

Investigation of variables for monitoring muscle fatigue in EMG recordings - Essay Example Here the assessments are based on the analysis of signals produced during the activity of the muscle; contraction or relaxation. There are many algorithms used available for estimating the amplitude, frequency variables and conduction velocity of the surface EMG signal detected during voluntary contractions. Here the most widely accepted algorithms are studied and its advantages and drawbacks are outlined. Here the focus is made on the frequency analysis of surface EMG signal. The results obtained during the frequency analysis of surface EMG signifies the behavior of test signals based on mean and median frequency variables acquired using PSD estimation methods, namely Autoregressive and Periodogram. Here an electromyograph is record the signals generated during the electrical or neurological excitation of the muscle cells and these recorded signals are then subjected to spectral analysis. The frequency responses of the signals are considered assessments are made accordingly. â€Å" Surface EMG signals are decomposed into 32-subbands by using a cosine modulated filter bank. Both the instantaneous mean frequency (IMF) and the instantaneous amplitude (IA) are estimated from the sub bands and are used as indicators of muscle fatigue† (McGoron, et al, 2009, P. 267). Table of Contents 1. Introduction 7 1.1. Power spectral density (PSD) 7 1.2. Spectrum estimation techniques 8 1.2.1. Fast Fourier transforms 9 1.2.2. Blackman turkey approach 10 1.2.3. Autoregressive method 11 1.2.4. Auto regressive moving average model 12 1.3 EMG 13 1.4. Application of PSD in EMG 13 2. Literature on Application 14 3. Discussion 17 3.1 deterministic function 18 3.2. Stochastic function 18 3.3 induction of autoregressive approach 19 4. Results 31 4.1. Deterministic 31 4.1.1. Test signal 1 31 4.1.2 Test signal 2 37 4.2. Stochastic 46 4.2.1. Test signal 4 46 4.2.2 Test signal 5 53 4.2.3 Test signal 6 57 5. Advantages of EMG and PSD 63 5. Conclusion 64 1. Introduction: At the present era medical literature considers human muscle fatigue as a physical phenomenon that starts during the onset of a muscle contraction and develops progressively until the muscle cannot generate force, the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) reduces during muscle fatigue. Here spectral analysis is used to examine the nature of signals recorded in the electromyograph due the electrical activity of the muscle fibers. 1.1 power spectral density (PSD): Power spectral density (PSD) is the frequency response of a random or periodic signal and indicates where power is distributed as a function of frequency. PSD is deterministic and for certain types of random signals independent of time. It shows the strength and weakness of the signals at different frequency levels. The frequency level of the signal is drawn against time to get the spectra. Waveform can be represented by a plot of amplitude versus frequency together with a plot of phase versus frequency, respectively known as the amplitude a nd phase spectra. Amplitude and phase

Incorporating Ethical Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Incorporating Ethical Standards - Essay Example That is all that is needed to perform a full background check on the person using advanced HR information technology. A simpler and less digital solution would be to ask each employee for a certificate of good conduct. Performing other medical checks such as blood checks for high cholesterol and another physical test can help the company create a wellness program to increase the quality of life of its employees. 2. Incorporating ethical standards is beneficial in both the creation of contracts and technology information systems. Ethics can be included indirectly in a contract by incorporation clauses that include social corporate responsibility initiatives. For instance, a contract can stipulate that the transportation vehicles used to move merchandise must be green vehicles that use an alternative fuel other than gasoline such as trucks powered by natural gas. Including ethical clauses can serve a social purpose, but often the inclusion of social clauses increase the operating costs of a company. Ethics can help legitimize an information technology system. ... Â  The HR department must incorporate safeguarding protocols to ensure nobody has access to the privilege information written in the contracts. The use of privacy in the workplace can be considered an ethical action. 3. In your response, you mentioned that technology keeps evolving at a rapid rate. I completely agree with your statement. Moore’s Law states that the speed of computing power doubles every two years. As computing power increases the consumer benefits because people are getting better computers at cheaper prices. In certain industries inflation negatively impacting costs. The cost of a developing a new drug during the last five years has increased from $800 million to $1.2 billion. Pharmaceutical companies need to find ways of incorporating technology to lower developmental costs. 4. People that work as telecommuters do not have boundaries at work and personal life become the same. A way for a telecommuter to separate home life and work is by creating a special o ffice in their homes where they perform their work. I believe that ethics is very important for people working as telecommuters. Due to the lack of supervision telecommuters must act ethically and comply with the code of conduct of an organization. It would be unethical for a telecommuter to drink alcohol while performing work for the company. 5. A few years ago I worked at a company that had an IT specialist that often acted very unethical. He was constantly using his access to information to snoop into other employees’ lives.

Valuation and Law in The United Kingdom Coursework

Valuation and Law in The United Kingdom - Coursework Example The implication of the location being in a provincial town is that laws that are relevant outside of London and that apply to locations outside of cities, in general, are relevant. The literature on land acquisition in the UK notes that there are fundamentally two types of acquisition interests on UK land, one that is freehold, and another that is leasehold Freehold interests are interests that translate to maximum possession and flexibility in terms of handling, making money from, controlling, and disposing the acquired interests, because this implies that the owner of the land has full, unlimited time ownership of the property and because the owner has the right to lease the land to others in order to gain income from the land possession, if desired. Leasehold arrangements, as the term implies, are land lease arrangements where the one providing the lease has the ownership rights, while the one acquiring the lease does not have such ownership rights, but has time-bound and limited rights to occupy and to use the land. This is so, even as he has the right to solely take occupation of the land for the limited time period of the lease, and there are regular payment considerations and obligations that the land occupier must pay the landowner to continue having legal occupation rights over the property. For this paper, the discussion focuses on the full acquisition interests of freehold commercial property (Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co LLP 2015; Penningtons Manches LLP 2015). As discussed above, one of the key assumptions is that the discussion generally applies to both local and foreign acquirers of commercial property in the UK, unless otherwise specified. Moreover, the discussion also focuses on the acquisition of freehold properties, and that the shopping parade in the provincial UK town is to be acquired from a freeholder of the property (Richards 2014).

Incorporating Ethical Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Incorporating Ethical Standards - Essay Example That is all that is needed to perform a full background check on the person using advanced HR information technology. A simpler and less digital solution would be to ask each employee for a certificate of good conduct. Performing other medical checks such as blood checks for high cholesterol and another physical test can help the company create a wellness program to increase the quality of life of its employees. 2. Incorporating ethical standards is beneficial in both the creation of contracts and technology information systems. Ethics can be included indirectly in a contract by incorporation clauses that include social corporate responsibility initiatives. For instance, a contract can stipulate that the transportation vehicles used to move merchandise must be green vehicles that use an alternative fuel other than gasoline such as trucks powered by natural gas. Including ethical clauses can serve a social purpose, but often the inclusion of social clauses increase the operating costs of a company. Ethics can help legitimize an information technology system. ... Â  The HR department must incorporate safeguarding protocols to ensure nobody has access to the privilege information written in the contracts. The use of privacy in the workplace can be considered an ethical action. 3. In your response, you mentioned that technology keeps evolving at a rapid rate. I completely agree with your statement. Moore’s Law states that the speed of computing power doubles every two years. As computing power increases the consumer benefits because people are getting better computers at cheaper prices. In certain industries inflation negatively impacting costs. The cost of a developing a new drug during the last five years has increased from $800 million to $1.2 billion. Pharmaceutical companies need to find ways of incorporating technology to lower developmental costs. 4. People that work as telecommuters do not have boundaries at work and personal life become the same. A way for a telecommuter to separate home life and work is by creating a special o ffice in their homes where they perform their work. I believe that ethics is very important for people working as telecommuters. Due to the lack of supervision telecommuters must act ethically and comply with the code of conduct of an organization. It would be unethical for a telecommuter to drink alcohol while performing work for the company. 5. A few years ago I worked at a company that had an IT specialist that often acted very unethical. He was constantly using his access to information to snoop into other employees’ lives.

Criminal Theory Essay Example for Free

Criminal Theory Essay People with anti-social behaviors are defined by â€Å"A persuasive pattern of disregard for, and violation, of the rights of others that begins in early childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood. † (Walsh and Hemmens page 238) People with this disorder are up for greater health risks, for the disorder makes a person be a risk taker, usually engaging in smoking, alcohol, risky sexual behavior’s and drugs. Their also at risk for they are prone to depression, inflicting self-wounds and violent acts towards others. In this state of mind people are emotional, non-cognitive, and have low self-esteem. Making them act out in violent manners. This behavior is linked to childhood. As a child if something wasn’t right, they were shy or forgotten they probably put on a mask and faked being what society views as normal. They are not connected with society. And they do not understand social norms. They have become experts on faking feelings, and they do not know emotion or empathy. These people are deceitful, manipulative, egocentric, selfish and lacking guilt. Dealing with regards of crime and Anti-social disorder, the criminals often view that their victims were not â€Å"wrong†. Drug users viewing their addiction to a social norm that isn’t there. They do not understand what they are doing is wrong and have no sense of guilt or cognitive thinking process. They do not feel any kind of remorse for the things of which they have done simply because they cannot empathize with the people or actions against which they are offending. Neutralization theory was created by Skyes and Matza. This theory explains that the offender has a positive view on the crime he or she has committed. Also similar to Anti-Social individuals these criminals view that they have done nothing wrong. Unlike Anti-Social disorder, Neutralization theory states that the offender puts the excuses in their own head, not merely understanding the social norms. There are five techniques that Neutralization theory uses in justifying their crimes. The first way people neutralize their crimes and actions they have done is called â€Å"Denial of Responsibility† which is shifting the blame from the offender to the victim. An example is when a rapist says in court â€Å"she was asking for it the way she was dressed and or acting. † They feel absolutely no guilt for the crimes that they have committed. They feel no responsibility at all for the victim and their injuries. The second technique is called â€Å"Denial of Injury†. This is where the offender has no attachment to the crime and has not caused any real injury or offenses. An example of this would be a person breaking a entering and smashing a window in and claiming â€Å"the insurance will cover it. † â€Å"Denial of Victim† is the third technique. This is where the offender says the victim received what they deserved, almost viewed as karma. Most domestic cases portray this, saying significant other or victim got what they deserved from these actions. The fourth technique is â€Å"Condemnation of the Condemners† where the offender states part of the blame on the condemners. These condemners are police, parents, probation officers, etc. An example of this would be the criminal blaming the officer for planting evidence on them or the crime scene and not taking any of the responsibility that it was there’s. Number five is â€Å"Appeal to a Higher Loyalty†. This is where the offender in committed and or loyal to something or someone in their life for the greater good according to their beliefs. Things that would fall under this category re murder or assault. A good example of this would be a person under mafia rule murdering someone for the leader or the greater good of that mafia. Ted Bundy was made famous for his criminal actions. His five-state murder spree was not lightly forgotten. Bundy killed over 100 women and only gave information about where the bodies were of fifty of the acclaimed victims. Comparing hi s life, actions, and behavior point to Anti-Social Behavioral theory and Neutralization theory the most. Putting these theories to the test trying to profile a serial killer. Theodore Robert Cowell was born in 1946 to an single mother that moved in with her parents. He grew up thinking his grandparents were is parents and his mother was his sister. Later in life his mother married and he became Ted Bundy. Growing up he was a â€Å"normal† child, he was an attractive teen that was well liked in school. He did relatively well in his academics. He was known for being shy; people profiled him to be socially awkward. He never did grow out of this stage and the profile followed him to college. Bundy went first to the University of Puget Sound. It was a highly regarded school and many of its students were wealthy. This made ted feel inadequate and inferior due to financial aspects. He left and went to University of Washington. His shyness held him back with social activities and dating, but Bundy did find someone that he fell for. They had the same skiing passion, spending most of days on the slopes. And he soon fell in love and became obsessive. He tried impressing her with receiving scholarships and accomplishments but they fell flat. She ended the relationship saying he wasn’t going anywhere in life and wasn’t husband material. This haunted him for the rest of his life and fell into an extreme depression. While in this depression he had dropped out of school. His anti-social behavior got worse. Also during this time he found out who his mother actually was. Bundy was a on a slippery slope downhill, he was labeled as a petty thief. He soon came out of his depression had false bravo, went back to college and got a bachelor’s degree in psychology. With his new found self he was on top of the world. He was with a new woman that adored him and his first love wanted him back. He had one foot in the political arena. During his time at college women had gone missing from campus. They narrowed the quest down to a man asking for help then kidnapping the women. Bundy being smart realized it was only just a matter of time till local officials connected the dots. So Bundy moved to Utah and enrolled in the University of Utah. He didn’t stop his attacks just because he had moved. Women were being abducted and reported missing at the campus and malls around the city. While in Utah police had discovered a graveyard of bones. They eventually put the dots together and figured out it was Ted. They now knew that he was dealing with a criminal that could go across state lines. Bundy didn’t stop at Utah he also went to Colorado during ski season and killed women there before he was finally caught due to a car suspicion. He was charged with kidnapping charges. During his trial he was charged with murder of one known victim. But he escaped out the library widow being his own attorney. He made his way down to Florida where he rented a house at Florida State University. He was known for his sorority house killings. Ted Bundy was arrested again due to evidence of teeth impressions on a victim’s chest. He was charged with murder and recieved a plea bargain of three twenty five year sentences. He refused the plea and wanted another trail during this time new evidence came forward and at the new trail he was sentenced to death by means of the electric chair. Prior to his death he attempted over 100 murders, keeping some heads of his victims and necrophilia. When asked why he did everything he blamed it on his early exposures to pornography as his stimulants to his obsession with murder. Ted Bundy falls under a lot of different theories but Anti-Social Behavioral theory is most demanding. He was awkward in his youth, not in a strong stable family life, had difficulty dating and participating in other social events. He wore a mask covering himself from the world. He knew he was different and had to change or it would be noticed, so he became a well-known member of society and was respected. He felt no remorse for things that he had done. This action falls under Psychopathy, he found pleasure in re-living kills. Going towards Neutralization theory he blamed the women for the things that he had done. He connected them to his college girlfriend that had dumped him. That they needed to die because of what she did to him. That neutralized any feeling he had towards making these killings. He strongly viewed he was not at fault, and he plead not guilty until he was on the electric chair. In an interview he states â€Å"I don’t know what made people want to be friends. I don’t know what made people attractive to one another. I don’t know what underlays in these social interactions. † The above statement proves my point of the Anti-Social Behavior. He was lacking things that we as â€Å"normal† human beings understand. He goes on to answer the question â€Å"Are murders born or made? Nature vs. nurture? † it’s still an ongoing debate to this day. In my opinion and conclusion Ted Bundy was nurtured.

The History Of The Oromo People History Essay

The History Of The Oromo People History Essay The following summary information was adopted from the book by Gadaa Melbaa, Oromia: An Introduction to the History of the Oromo People, 1999. The Oromo are also known by another name, Galla. The people neither call themselves or like to be called by this name. They always called themselves Oromoo or Oromoota (plural). It is not known for certain when the name Galla was given to them. It has been said that it was given to them by neighboring peoples, particularly Amhara, and various origins of the word have been suggested. Some say it originated from the Oromo word gaiaana meaning river in Oromiffa. Others indicate that it came from an Arabic word qaala laa. There are other similar suggestions as to the origin of the word. The Abyssinians attach a derogatory connotation to the Galla, namely pagan, savage, uncivilized, uncultured, enemy, slave or inherently inferior. The term seems to be aimed at generating an inferiority complex in the Oromo. Culture The Oromo are one of the Cushitic speaking groups of people with variations in colour and physical characteristics ranging from Hamitic to Nilotic. A brief look at the early history of some of the peoples who have occupied north-eastern Africa sheds some light on the ethnic origin of Oromo. The Cushitic speakers have inhabited north-eastern and eastern Africa for as long as recorded history. The land of Cush, Nubia or the ancient Ethiopia in middle and lower Nile is the home of the Cushitic speakers. It was most probably from there that they subsequently dispersed and became differentiated into separate linguistic and cultural groups. The various Cushitic nations inhabiting north-east and east Africa today are the result of this dispersion and differentiation. The Oromo form one of those groups which spread southwards and then east and west occupying large part of the Horn of Africa. Their physical features, culture, language and other evidences unequivocally point to the fact that they are indigenous to this part of Africa. Available information clearly indicates that the Oromo existed as a community of people for thousands of years in East Africa (Prouty at al, 1981). Bates (1979) contends, The Gallas (Oromo) were a very ancient race, the indigenous stock, perhaps, on which most other peoples in this part of eastern Africa have been grafted. In spite of the fact that there are several indications and evidences that Oromo are indigenous to this part of Africa, Abyssinian rulers, court historians and monks contend that Oromo were new corners to the region and did not belong here. For instance the Abyssinian court historian, Alaqa Taye (1955), alleged that in the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries the Oromo migrated from Asia and Madagascar, entered Africa via Mombasa and spread north and eastwards. Others have advocated that during the same period the Oromo crossed the Red Sea via Bab el Mandab and spread westwards. Abyssinian clergies even contended that Oromo emerged from water. On this issue, based on the points made in The Oromos Voice Against Tyranny, Baxter (1985) remarked, . . . the contention that the first Oromo had actually emerged from water and therefore, had not evolved to the same level of humanity as the Amhara (i.e. treating a myth of origin as a historical fact); or, more seriously, that Oromo were late co rners to Ethiopia and hence, by implication, intruders and not so entitled to be there as the Amhara. The history of the arrival of the Oromo people in the sixteenth century in East Africa from outside is a fabrication and denial of historical facts. It is a myth created by Abyssinian court historians and monks, sustained by their European supporters and which the Ethiopian rulers used to lay claim on Oromo territory and justify their colonization of the Oromo people. Several authorities have indicated that the Oromo were in fact in the North-eastern part of the continent even before the arrival of the Habasha. According to Perham (1948): the emigrant Semites landed in a continent of which the North-East appears to have been inhabited by the eastern groups of Hamites, often called Kushites, who also include the Gallas. Paulitschke (1889) indicated that Oromo were in East Africa during the Aksumite period. As recorded by Greenfield (1965), Oromo reject the view that they were late arrivals, . . . old men amongst the Azebu and Rayya Galia dismiss talk of their being comparative newcome rs. . . . . Their own (Abyssinians) oral history and legends attest to the fact that Oromo have been living in Rayya for a long time. Beke (cited by Pankurst, 1985-86) quoted the following Lasta legend: Meniiek, the son of Solomon, . . . entered Abyssinia from the East, beyond the country of the Rayya or Azebo Gallas. There are also evidence (Greenfield et al, 1980) that at least by the ninth and tenth centuries that there were Oromo communities around Shawa and by about the fourteenth century settlements were reported around Lake Tana. The recent discovery, (Lynch and Robbins, 1978), in northern Kenya of the pillars that Oromo used in the invention of their calendar system, dated around 300 B.C., is another indication that Oromo have a long history of presence as a community of people, in this part of Africa. The so called Galla invasion of Ethiopia is also a tale. It was first written around 1590 by a monk called Bahrey and henceforth European historians and others almost invariably accepted this story as a fact. From his writing, it is evident that he was biased against Oromo. The following quotation from Bahrey, (in Beckingham et al, 1954), vividly illustrates typical Abyssinian cultural, religious and racial biases against Oromo. He began his book The History of the Galla: I have begun to write the history of the Galla in order to make known the number of their tribes, their readiness to kill people, and the brutality of their manners. If anyone should say of my subject, Why has he written a history of a bad people, just as one would write a history of good people, I would answer by saying Search in the books, and you will find that the history of Mohamed and the Moslem kings has been written, and they are our enemies in religion. In fact it appears that the main purpose of his writin g was to encourage Abyssinians against Oromo. Bahrey, Atseme, Harris, Haberiand and others description of what they called the Galla invasion of Ethiopia as an avalanche, a sudden overwhelming human wave which could be likened to a flood or swarms of migratory locust is unrealistic and difficult to imagine to say the least. The Oromos Voice Against Tyranny argued that: . . . the so-called Galla invasion of the sixteenth century was neither an invasion nor a migration. It was rather a national movement of the Oromo people . . . with the specific goal of liberating themselves and their territories from colonial occupation. It was nothing more or less than a war of national liberation. In fact the last 2000 years were occupied with a gradual expansion of Abyssinians from north to south. This expansion had been checked throughout by Oromo. It was only with the arrival of Europeans and their firearms that Abyssinians succeeded in their southward expansion mainly in the middle of last century. Abyssinian and European historians alleged that there was a sudden population explosion in the Oromo community in the sixteenth century that enabled it to invade Ethiopia. The claim lacks a scientific base. During that time no significant, if at all any, technological development such as discoveries or introductions of medicines, new and improved tools for food production, etc. took place in the Oromo community that could have been the cause for the sudden population explosion. The Oromo community had no advantages of these sorts over neighbouring communities. Different areas have been indicated as place where the Oromo developed or differentiated into its own unique community of people or ethnic group (Braukamper, 1980). According to some ethnologists and historians, the Oromo country of origin was the south-eastern part of Oromia, in the fertile valley of Madda Walaabu in the present Baale region. This conclusion was reached mainly on the basis of Oromo oral tradition. Based on scanty anthropological evidence, others have also pointed to the coastal area of the Horn of Africa, particularly the eastern part of the Somali peninsula, as the most probable place of Oromo origin. Bruce, an English traveller, indicated that Sennar in Sudan was the Oromo country of origin and that they expanded from there. It should be noted here that many European travellers have suggested the origin of peoples, including Oromo, to be where they met some for the first time, which in most cases happened to be peripheral areas. There are several groups of people in East Africa very closely related to the Oromo. For instance, the Somalis are very similar in appearance and culture. The fact that the Somali and Oromo languages share between 30 percent and 40 percent of their vocabulary could be an indication that these two groups of people became differentiated very recently. Other Cushitic-speaking groups living in the same neighborhood who are closely related to the Oromo are Konso, Afar, Sidama, Kambata, Darassa, Agaw, Saho, Baja and other groups. Oromo have several clans (gosa, qomoo). The Oromo are said to be of two major groups or moieties descended from the two houses (wives) of the person Oromo represented by Borana and Barentu (Barenttuma). Borana was senior (angafa) and Barentu junior (qutisu). Such a dichotomy is quite common in Oromo society and serves some aspects of their political and social life. The descendants of Borana and Barentu form the major Oromo clans and sub-clans. They include Borana, Macha, Tuuiiama, Wallo, Garrii, Gurraa, Arsi, Karrayyu, ltu, Ala, Qaiioo, Anniyya, Tummugga or Marawa, Orma, Akkichuu, Liban, Jile, Gofa, Sidamo, Sooddo, Galaan, Gujii and many others. However, in reality there is extensive overlap in the area they occupy and their community groups. And since marriage among Oromo occurs only between different clans there was high degree of homogeneity. The vegetation of Oromia ranges from savanna grassland and tropical forest to alpine vegetation on the mountaintops. The forests contain a variety of excellent and valuable timbers. Oromia is known for its unique native vegetation as well as for being, the center of diversity for many different species. For instance, crops like coffee, anchote (root crop), okra, etc. are indigenous to this area. The Economy Potentially, Oromia is one of the richest countries in Africa. Agriculture is the backbone of its economy. Still employing archaic methods, subsistence agriculture is the means of livelihood for more than 90 per cent of the population. There are a variety of farm animals and crop plants. Farm animals include cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, mules, horses, camels and chicken. The Cushitic speaking communities of this region perhaps Nubians, are credited with the domestication of donkey and were the first to breed mules, (a result of a cross between a donkey and a mare). The Oromo are expert in animal husbandry through their long tradition as herdsmen. For some, cattle-rearing (pastoralism) is still the main occupation. Because of Oromias favorable climate and rich soil, many types of crops are cultivated and normally there is little need for irrigation. Normally one and sometimes two crops can be harvested annually from the same field. Among the major food crops are cereals (wheat, barley, tef, sorghum, corn, millet, etc.), fibre crops (cotton), root crops (potato, sweet potato, yam, inset, anchote, etc.), pulses (peas, beans, chick-peas, lentils, etc.), oil crops (nugi, flax, etc.), fruit trees (orange, mango, avocado, banana, lemon, pineapple, peach, etc.), spices (onion, garlic, coriander, ginger, etc. coriander and ginger also grow wild) and a variety of vegetables like okra which is indigenous to Oromia. Many varieties of these important crops occur naturally in Oromia. These diverse crop plants are very valuable natural resources. Oromo farmers have contributed to world agriculture by cultivating and developing some of the worlds crop plants and in this way have discovered new domesticated varieties. The main cash crops are coffee and chat (a stimulant shrub). Coffee, a major cash earner for many countries, has its origin in the forests of Oromia and neighboring areas. Specifically, Kafa and Limmu are considered centers of origin for coffee. It is from here that coffee spread to other parts of the globe. Coffee was one of the export items of the Gibe states. Wallagga and llubbabor regions of Oromia exported coffee to the Sudan through the inland port of Gambelia on the Baro river and border towns of Kurmuk, Gissan, etc. Hararge, because of its favorable location for communication with the outside markets through the Red Sea, has been producing one of the finest coffees for export. C offee has remained the chief export item, representing more than 60 per cent of the foreign earnings of successive Ethiopian colonial regimes. The country is also rich in wild animals and plants. Many different species are found in the waters and forests of Oromia: different kinds of fish, hippopotami, and crocodiles. Land animals include lion, leopard, rhinoceros, buffalo, giraffe, wild ass, zebra, columbus monkey and elephant. There are a number of wild animals that are found solely in Oromia, such as nyaaia, bush-buck (special type), fox (from Baale), etc. Various types of birds, many of them unique, are found around lakes and elsewhere. These creatures are a source of attraction for tourists and natural scientists alike. The forests of Oromia are a source of excellent timber. Although the major portion of the forests has been destroyed since its occupation, some still remain in the south and west. However, this is threatened by mismanagement, particularly through the fast the expanding state farms and resettlement programs. At the time of colonization a large part of Oromia was covered with forest. This has been reduced to the present 5-7 per cent. In addition to timber trees, medicinal plants and trees producing different kinds of gums, grow in abundance. Myrrh, frankincense and gum Arabic are gathered from the wild trees. Forests, besides being a source of timber, medicine and gum, are useful in the conservation of water and soil, and as shelter for wildlife. They also have an important aesthetic value. Oromia has important mineral deposits. The gold mines at Adola and Laga Dambi in the Sidamo and around Nejjo, Asosa and Birbir river valley in Wallagga regions which were the major sources of revenue for Meniiek and Haile Selassie are being exploited using modern machinery. Other important minerals found in Oromia are platinum, sulphur, iron-ore, silver and salt. As early as 1900 Meniiek granted concessions to a Swiss company to mine gold, silver and other minerals in Nejjo, Wallagga region. Later the Germans took over. English, Russian and Italian companies extracted gold and platinum at Yubdo and neighboring areas in the same region. After some 60 years, the Soviet Union is continuing this business today in the same areas. It is known that large deposits of natural gas and oil exist in Baafe and Hararge regions. The Ethiopian government announced as 1986 the discovery of a new deposit of natural gas in Baale. The hundreds of hot springs scattered over Oromia are also of economic importance. Thousands of people, including foreigners, visit these springs for their medicinal and recreational value. They are a great potential source of thermal energy. Rivers, streams and springs are plentiful. The rivers have many fails that could be used to generate electric power with little effort. The extent of this electric power could easily satisfy the power needs of Oromia and several neighbouring countries.