Spirit Airlines Strategic Choice and Evaluation

Strategic Choice and EvaluationThe next phase associated with strategy formulation is the strategic analysis and choice phase of the process. According to Pearce & Robinson (2013), â€Å"Business managers examine and choose a business strategy that allows their business to maintain or create a sustainable competitive advantage† (p. 238). Therefore, a business such as Spirit Airlines should evaluate their current strategy and determine areas of improvement in order to grow the business in a way that aligns with their company mission.The airline industry hosts a number of significant external factors that influence business strategies and alternatives. The purpose of this paper is to evaluation and present alternative strategies for Spirit Airline’s future growth as a company. Furthermore, the following paper will seek to identify the best value discipline for Spirit Airlines and in turn suggest a generic strategy and grand strategic for the organization.Evaluation of Alt ernativesSpirit Airlines is universally known for its ultra-low-cost, low-fare airline services that provide affordable travel opportunities throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America (Spirit Airlines, 2012). Maintaining a strategically low-cost structure directly aligns with Spirit Airline’s target market, which allows the company to offer low priced basic services combined with a range of optional services for additional fees (Spirit Airline, 2012).The airline has earned a reputation for delivering cost effective fares and reliable on-time service with a no frills. In order to realize maximum growth, enhancements to the existing low cost strategy must be implemented to create a greater advantage in the market. Spirit Airlines has identified opportunities for growth with the release of the latest 10k Annual report. By the airlines own admission, the company is suffering with a failing reputation and insufficient customer service  interactions (Spirit Ann ual Report, 2012).In addition, Spirit Airlines recognizes that its current conditions, if not corrected, will have a significant impact their competitive stance in the industry. The airline industry is highly competitive with respect to routes, fees and services and although Spirit is well known for lower fares, the fares alone will not protect the company from the risk of future failure. The implementation of long term strategic goals will not only correct inefficiencies with the existing strategy, it will also focus on necessary improvements to help Spirit achieve its growth potential.Pearce & Robinson (2013) identifies the implementation of long term objectives as tools used to correct significant issues for the long run. Therefore, the solution will not only impact the present, but the future as well. According to Pearce & Robinson (2013), â€Å"Strategic managers recognize that short-run profit maximization is rarely the best approach to achieving sustained corporate growth an d profitability† (pg. 191). An evaluation of Spirit Airline’s current issues with customer service and competition warrants the use of value disciplines and new strategies.Value DisciplineBest value disciplines are similar to generic strategies; however value disciplines place significant emphasis on superior customer value, using a selected discipline. The value discipline is comprised of three values: operational excellence, customer intimacy or product leadership (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Previously it was established that Spirit Airlines would need to improve customer service interaction to experience growth in the future and gain sustainability among competitors in the market. Of the three value discipline identified, customer intimacy is the strategy that would provide the most benefit for the organization. Spirit Airlines currently uses the operational excellence strategy, as the company focuses on providing its best value products at all times.Spirit Airlineâ⠂¬â„¢s product base consists of low fares, easy online booking, on-time service, deluxe leather seating and an expanding route selection. Spirit is able to offer these amenities at a low cost due to their reduced unit operating cost and other cost cutting strategies. For example, Spirit Airlines reduces overhead expenses in the area of marketing as it utilizes its website and direct-to-consumer marketing to drive ticket sales (Spirit Airlines, 2013).The main focus of the airlines strategy is to deliver on its product base at competitively low prices by reducing overhead. While Spirit Airlines has perfected their operational excellence discipline, there is room for improvement in the customer intimacy strategy. According to Pearce & Robinson (2013), â€Å"Customer Intimacy strategy continually tailors and shapes products and services to fit the increasingly redefined definition of customer service† (p. 205). This strategy is precisely what Spirit Airlines is lacking in their c urrent business model strategy. Spirit Airlines contends that customer loyalty and intimacy are a huge risk for the organizations future success and their reputation (Spirit Airlines Annual Report, 2012).Customer intimacy strategy as it pertains to Spirit Airline will seek to better the company’s reputation by aligning customer service activities with the business model, thereby responding quickly and professionally to customer needs. Additionally, the implementation of this strategy will drive the airline to place emphasis on the profitability of a loyal customer relationship as opposed to the revenue of a ticket sale.Generic StrategyGeneric strategies enable the implementation of long term objectives and provide a foundation for how the organization will best influence the market. Pearce & Robinson (2013) defines generic strategies as, â€Å"A core idea about how a firm can best compete in the marketplace†. (pg. 195). Generic strategy includes striving for low cost l eadership within the industry, the promotion of differentiation methods to bring a unique image to the market and lastly, it impresses upon the importance of focus strategy in order to accommodate the needs of the market segment (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Currently, Spirit Airlines utilizes the generic strategy of low-cost leadership to achieve and sustain their low cost position.According to the Spirit Airlines Annual Report (2012), â€Å"Our operating costs per available seat mile is 10.09 cents, which is significantly lower than that of major network carriers, American Airlines, Delta, United, and US Airways†, (p. 7). Spirit has successful achieved this with a low-cost leadership strategy that ensures high aircraft utilization, operation of a modern single fleet type of Airbus, which is associated with lower maintenance costs and efficient flight scheduling (Spirit, 2012). The company is consistently seeking  innovative cost savings ideas to improve processes and custome r satisfaction.Continuous improvement of Grand StrategyA grand strategy is a long tern plan that provides an organization with basic direction for implementing its long term goals. Additionally, grand strategies are imperative as they provide a basic timeframe for achieving long term business objectives. The grand strategy is comprised of 15 strategic principles: concentrated growth, market development, product development, innovation, horizontal acquisition, vertical acquisition, concentric diversification, conglomerate diversification, turnaround, divestiture, liquidation, bankruptcy, joint venture, strategic alliances, and consortia (Pearce & Robinson, 2013).Spirit Airlines uses the innovation strategy to allow customers the freedom to choose buy-up options that appeal to them. Thereby unbundling packages and making it more affordable to travelers. â€Å"This innovative approach is utilized to grow the travel market and stimulate new economic activity while creating new jobsâ₠¬ , (Spirit Airlines, 2013 p. 1). According to the Spirit Airlines Annual Report, the organization lacks marketing alliances that may harm them in the future (Spirit Airlines Annual Report, 2012). Many airlines including American, Delta, United and US Airways have marketing alliances with other airlines under which they market and advertise their status as a marketing alliance (Spirit Airlines Annual Report, 2012).The Annual Report state, â€Å"These alliances, such as One World, Sky Team and Star Alliance, generally provide for code-sharing, frequent flier reciprocity, coordinated scheduling of flights to permit convenient connections and other joint marketing activities. Such arrangements permit an airline to market flights operated by other alliance members as its own. This increases destinations, connections and frequencies offered by the airline. Our lack of marketing alliances puts us at a competitive disadvantage† (Spirit Airlines Annual Report, 2012 p 18). Since one of Spirits long term objective is to gain a better competitive position in the market, the addition of a strategic alliance grand strategy would be best suited for the organization.Strategic alliances as described by Pearce & Robinson (2013) are, â€Å"Partnerships that exist for a defined period during which partners contribute their skills and expertise to a cooperative project (p. 231). In the case of Spirit Airlines, the use of alliances between other organizations related to the airline industry would work to together to gain a mutual benefit. For example, Sky Team provides comprehensive access to an extensive global network with over 1,000 destinations for traveler to explore.SkyTeam partners with 19 airlines to provide travelers with a more flexible, convenient and beneficial travelling experience (SkyTeam.com, 2013). As part of Spirit Airline’s long term objective a strategic alliance would expose the organization to a greater customer base, more routes and destinati ons. On the other hand, an organization like SkyTeam also benefits as travelers utilize their services to book travel reservations.RecommendationSpirit Airlines is currently has the lowest per seat operating cost of any other domestic airline company; however they are still confronted with strong competition in the industry (Spirit Airlines Annual Report, 2012). Therefore, additional strategy enhancements are needed to grow the company. After careful consideration of all strategies and value disciplines, it is recommended that Spirit Airlines utilizes the customer intimacy strategy to build brand and customer loyalty. As previously mentioned, an overhaul of customer service would be necessary to aid in relationship building technique between Spirit and its customer base.Another strategy recommendation previously mentioned is the implementation of a grand strategy used to determine the course of action for many of Spirits long term goals. Specifically, a strategic alliance strategy i s the most critical strategy, as it will allow the company to expand the product selection with the help of a strong mutual alliance in the industry. This strategy is a more cost effective approach than spending millions of dollars on marketing campaigns.Thereby keeping operation cost low and pass-through the benefit onto the travelers. Spirit Airlines has been successful over the years with their current strategy, but competitive position will always be a risk. Therefore, the implementation of this strategy will add competitive leverage.

The Different Forms and Styles of Essay Writing

eEssay An  essay  is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal  point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including:  literary criticism, political  manifestos, learned  arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition of an essay is vague, overlapping with those of an  article  and a  short story. Almost all modern essays are written in  prose, but works in  verse  have been dubbed essays (e. g. Alexander Pope's  An Essay on Criticism  and  An Essay on Man).While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like  John Locke's  An Essay Concerning Human Understanding  and  Thomas Malthus's  An Essay on the Principle of Population  are counterexamples. ————————————————- Forms and styles This section describes the different forms and st yles of essay writing. These forms and styles are used by a range of authors, including university students and professional essayists. Cause and effect The defining features of a â€Å"cause and effect† essay are causal chains that connect from a cause to an effect, careful language, and chronological or emphatic order.A writer using this rhetorical method must consider the subject, determine the purpose, consider the audience, think critically about different causes or consequences, consider a thesis statement, arrange the parts, consider the language, and decide on a conclusion. Classification and division Classification is the categorization of objects into a larger whole while division is the breaking of a larger whole into smaller parts Compare and contrast Compare and contrast essays are characterized by a basis for comparison, points of comparison, and analogies.It is grouped by object (chunking) or by point (sequential). Comparison highlights the similarities between two or more similar objects while contrasting highlights the differences between two or more objects. When writing a compare/contrast essay, writers need to determine their purpose, consider their audience, consider the basis and points of comparison, consider their thesis statement, arrange and develop the comparison, and reach a conclusion. Compare and contrast is arranged emphatically. DescriptiveDescriptive  writing is characterized by  sensory  details, which appeal to the physical senses, and details that appeal to a reader's emotional, physical, or intellectual sensibilities. Determining the purpose, considering the audience, creating a dominant impression, using descriptive language, and organizing the description are the rhetorical choices to be considered when using a description. A description is usually arranged spatially but can also be  chronological  or emphatic. The focus of a description is the scene.Description uses tools such as  denotative  languag e,  connotative  language,  figurative language,  metaphor, and  simile  to arrive at a dominant impression. [9]  One university essay guide states that â€Å"descriptive writing says what happened or what another author has discussed; it provides an account of the topic†. Lyric essays  are an important form of descriptive essays. Dialectic In the  dialectic  form of essay, which is commonly used in  Philosophy, the writer makes a thesis and argument, then objects to their own argument (with a counterargument), but then counters the counterargument with a final and novel argument.This form benefits from being more open-minded while countering a possible flaw that some may present. Exemplification An exemplification essay is characterized by a generalization and relevant, representative, and believable examples including  anecdotes. Writers need to consider their subject, determine their purpose, consider their audience, decide on specific examples, and arrange all the parts together when writing an exemplification essay. [ Familiar A familiar essay is one in which the essayist speaks as if to a single reader.He speaks about both himself and a particular subject. Anne Fadimannotes that â€Å"the genre's heyday was the early nineteenth century,† and that its greatest exponent was  Charles Lamb. [13]  She also suggests that while critical essays have more brain than heart, and personal essays have more heart than brain, familiar essays have equal measures of both History (thesis) A history essay, sometimes referred to as a thesis essay, will describe an argument or claim about one or more historical events and will support that claim with evidence, arguments and references.The text makes it clear to the reader why the argument or claim is as such. [15] Narrative A  narrative  uses tools such as  flashbacks,  flash-forwards, and  transitions  that often build to a climax. The focus of a narrative is the  plot . When creating a narrative, authors must determine their purpose, consider their audience, establish their point of view, use dialogue, and organize the narrative. A narrative is usually arranged chronologically. Critical A  critical  essay is an  argumentative  piece of writing, aimed at presenting objective  analysis  of the subject matter, narrowed down to a single topic.The main idea of all the criticism is to provide an opinion either of positive or negative implication. As such, a critical essay requires research and analysis, strong internal logic and sharp structure. Each  argument  should be supported with sufficient evidence, relevant to the point. Other logical structures The logical progression and organizational structure of an essay can take many forms. Understanding how the movement of thought is managed through an essay has a profound impact on its overall cogency and ability to impress.A number of alternative logical structures for essays have been visualized as diagrams, making them easy to implement or adapt in the construction of an argument. I just don’t know how these people live their lives pointing out the imperfections of other people? To think that those good people have nothing against them, and still they make issues about them. Isn’t it very immature of you to talk about other people everyday? Don’t you like get tired of being mean? Yeah, some people have rough edges, but is it right to blurt them out to everybody?To like tell everybody that this guy or this girl have these weird allergy and stuff, do you feel good about yourselves spreading those to everybody? â€Å"But I’m just saying the truth†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ B*tch please,  being honest is different from being a rude. If you have nothing good to say about others, then shut it. They don’t live their lives for you. They don’t live to impress you, and to be perfect just to hear your applauses. Whores, better stop whor in’ about other people ‘cause mature people wouldn’t stoop down to your level. You’re just proving how uneducated you are in terms of morals.

Assignment for International Economic Relations Lecture

Assignment for International Economic Relations lecture Topic:Milton Friedman as the criticised economic agitator which has chances to succeed In my opinion, things which are fascinating in the economy for people without more than average knowledge about this science are not elaborate models, taxation or tariff systems. Really captivating issue for ordinary man is a picture of economy as a metaphysical force which rules our lives. In this context it is a reasonable tool for explaining global processes. Somehow, we should be a little skeptical, because it is quite dangerous to think that one and only impact on world society is supply and demand rule. In my essay I would like to focus on the understanding and the idea of world which Milton Friedman offered in the book „Free to Choose†. In the reality as he presented it there are two categories of action- according to â€Å"real economics† and against it. That real and good economics is a set of actions, but also lack of any action, which are undertaken for purely economical reasons. One should emphasize that Friedman sees economics as overwhelming power which, in terms of the effectiveness and the profit, is the best solution. As an example he is points to ZSSR- an opposite of the model to free economics. In his view commonwealth with the planned economy would be in even worse condition if it werent for the elements of drawing aside from the Marxist ideology in the direction of the capitalism. American economist illustrates the way in which the system works by describing the situation of the Soviet citizen who is decides to break the principles of soviet economy. He is handing the washing machine over to the national point of repair illegally. He is paying more, but repair is done without the queue and he has his working washing machine in the short time. What is more a mechanic from the national point of repair gets some additional earnings. Both benefit from that transaction, which is a pure example of capitalistic way of handling business , all that happening in the center of gravity of a planned economy. Friedman is also assigning a very important role to the price as the notifying, stimulating and regulating factor. One should add typical Smiths attitude to the role of the government presented in the epitaph for Hong Kong of the end of years 80, written in the same spirit. My point is not to report Friedmans ideas, as I think that what he presents to his readers is not only the image of economics. I can see it more as the program, desired state of affairs. In my mind a Nobel Prize winner in field of economics from the year 1976 is in a way reminding of Karol Marx. Despite the fact that the Communist Manifesto is from other times and presents the opposite ides, I could say it uses similar rhetoric. As a matter of fact the American economist is scoring the program of the co-founder of the International Workingmens Association, as if he wanted to show that the capitalism won already as the best economic system, now is the time for it to become the leading ideology. Finding support in such attributes as the freedom, the equality in the access to goods explicitly in the context of the economic system is making the text of Friedman agitational. In the following part of the essay I will be trying to confront utilitarian (or even Utopian) vision of Friedman with views of other economic minds. It is probably the best to argue against Milton Friedmans theory by using the achievements of the school of John Maynard Keynes. It is obvious that the British scholar sees the role of the government and the state rather differently. Keynes wants administration to take care of citizens in the full-time manner, rather than only as a night watchman. However he agrees with the global scope of economics. According to him the domestic production depends on the world demand, and unemployment is an effect of the insufficient demand. When comparing the two points of view I shall focus on the vivid aspects. There is a method of the psychoanalysis with the colloquial name „ dictator †. The test examines 2 persons- one is assigned to be a dictator receives for example 100 dollars. He is supposed to share money with the second person, so that the other accepts the exchange. If the second person agrees on the division of money, the amounts are given to the participants. If the division wont be accepted money is coming back to researchers. It isnt possible to negotiate and the second person knows what amount the dictator has at his disposal. Supposedly the situation is simple- the second person should agree to accept any amount the dictator offers, as it would always result in the intrinsic gain for him. Meanwhile, 69% of people for which the suggested amount stayed from 1 to 3. 7 dollar decided not to agree for the division. Dictators most often pay amounts between 28 and 44 dollars. It is one of many undoubted proofs for the fact that people do not always act reasonably and according to the spirit of economics. Adam Smith wrote, that the exchange between sides based on the principle of the freedom would take place exclusively when both sides will recognize it as profitable. How can receiving 3 dollars for nothing not be recognized as profitable? It turns out that there is something else apart from the profit as understood by Friedman. In „Free is Choose† and „The Essence of Friedman„ is summoning the famous Leonard E. Reads pencil, of which „ no man knows how to make a it†. Read is describing all stages of the coming into existence of the pencil, with a broad spectrum. The pencil â€Å"is saying† that thanks to the function of price none of the buyer is interested in a aspect who is getting the graphite: believer of the Yahweh or the Allah and whether Americans or Japanese people cut the trees down. The whole matter is showing itself not to be so simple and that is why nobody is registering international price of pencils, and more a barrel of oil concerns us. Furthermore an example of the â€Å"dictator† shows that the point of reference is extremely important in making economic decisions. Not to search far, let us take the example of the European Union, which ideology is more related to Keynes than Friedman. What I mean is the Union as the institution bristling with the customs, rates, and artificial subsidies of Community economies. After all opening to other markets, with cheap products (provided it is not dealing with the dumping) should benefit the EU. Isnt it a fact that the more participants in the free global exchange, the more effective the economy is? We, Europeans prefer to pay extra for â€Å"our† grain, by subsidizing it, rather than allow for goods from Africa. Maybe the explanation for this is the fact that we are aware that even tough the profit is less, it stays within European economy, and does not allow inhabitants of Africa to make comparatively higher profit. It is worthwhile to mention the opponent of classical economics and the self-regulation of the world market. Karl Polanyi regarded specific business activity and its rooting in the culture together with the historical moment and the social situation as the main factors influencing the shape of the economy(„ The Great Transformation †). According to Polanyiego economic transactions are not as much guided by receiving an economic or financial benefit as they are aimed at supporting and refreshing norms and social values. He found global markets moving on into the side of the laissez-faire, the main reason for the atomization of the society and the breakdown of social bonds. From the other side Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto is slightly narrowing the issues. He definitely rejects the argumentation of supporters of liberal economics, who claim that capitalism is not working in some countries (e. g. South America) due to cultural differences. He regards these views as offensive and unconvincing. In his „ The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else †, he highlights the inborn feature of entrepreneurship of inhabitants of countries which find it difficult to function as the free market economy. De Soto claims that the poor men of noncapitalistic world have significant amounts of the saving which are being estimated to account for as much as forty-fold the entire foreign help from 1945 to 2000 r. The Peruvian can see the problem in the lack transparency of these goods. The wealth which people have from outside of the range of capitalism, is not circulating in the worlds economy. It is not possible to take a loan or to pawn the central mortgage with the help of these assets. For de Soto capital is not only a transparentness. The secret of Capital lies in abilities of people of capitalist systems which can see living their wealths which they can invest as a living capital. For them it works already on the principle of the unconditioned reflex, however the rest of the world is left with the dead capital and not being able to invest it. Here Hernando de Soto is seeking the cause of the poverty. I will devote the last paragraph to the quite obvious accusation, that in the model of Friedman there is no such an instrument like social benefits. The government, which is not helping poor men to rise their quality of living and help become economically active or in more extreme cases giving them a chance to survive, seems worthless. Apart from that, words about equality of opportunities and of the access to goods, seem to be empty words in the context of a society diversified in terms of wealth from the assumption. It is not difficult to attack Milton Friedman and his views. Equally easily like Karol Marks and his social and economic model . After all in the communism a logical cohesion and an adequacy in relation to reality were not the most important issue, its aim was to give an uncomplicated and interesting interpretation of world surrounding us. The same concerns the laissez-faire of Friedman. This gives the American economist greater chances of the success than the German a philosopher had. If to examine the criticism of de Soto, Keynes, Polanyi and socialists it it is possible enough to reach the conclusion that they criticize small shortcomings rather than serious professional errors. Following Keynes thoughts, it is possible to say that there are other factors which influence human action then mere economics. However it is worth to remember the fact that at one time we didnt know how to measure the social capital, social tensions, social inequality. Perhaps at one time in the future we will manage to measure even more intangible factors such as love, pain or the dislike. Then when they become measurable and countable, it will be possible to include them in the system of economic exchange, and to check whether being a â€Å"dictator† is still more profitable. It is difficult to force people to retreat from global exchange, in favor to the local one which is fulfilling the social role, as Karl Polanyi wanted. As for de Soto, the poor of developing countries must learn the same lesson as the Americans in The Wild West did- the important of title deeds and the fact that they are liable to an exchange for other goods, that is in short transparency. There remain two questions: how to convince people for acting within the free economy, and how to solve a problem which the laissez-faire doesnt predict? First what is coming to my mind it is a Grameen Bank example. First bank in the world which opened to people without essential capital. The homeless, unescorted women, families in need could take the microcredit fitted to their needs. Everything acting as a bit as in the fairy tale- as people are rising their standard of living and Grameen notes considerable profits. What is more they already have their followers in major banks: Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, BNP Paribas. Of course, just as in every other system there are already certain shortcoming, but one should remember that the project is young. One should appreciate the fact that it is satisfying social needs of the welfare state belongs, and it is not in opposition to the laissez-faire. And if the economic liberalism would be supposed to control entire world, it is in my opinion one of the best solutions we could offer yet. It is as if we corrected the shortcoming of the framework by using the tools that the framework gives us. Maciej Bialoruski, IS UW(International Economic Relations, Wed,16. 45)

Internal Analysis and SWOT Analysis slp 03 Essay

Internal Analysis and SWOT Analysis slp 03 - Essay Example The chapter provides the basics of the topic and is simple to read and understand. The chapter also provides a clear understanding and provides a seep insight into the topic. The references for the Steps 2 and 3 have been taken from the website of LOWE Home Improvements. The website is one of the most reliable sources of information for the company and to gain the all financial figures. Also a research that was conducted by one in January 2008 has also been used as it provides a deep analysis of the company and also provides all essential information and details about the company. The benefits of using these references are that they provide reliable and accurate information along with being recent. The references are also easily accessible and the details provided are easy to understand and are apt as they are focused for the investors. Bharatbooks, 2008, ‘Premium Company Profile: Lowes Companies, Inc.’, Accessed on 29th November 2009, Retrieved from http://www.bharatbook.com/Market-Research-Reports/Premium-Company-Profile-Lowes-Companies-Inc.html Heller, Z., 2009, ‘Home Depot vs. Lowe’s: Where is the  Difference?’, 6th July 2009, Accessed on 29th November 2009, Retrieved from

Moral argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Moral argument - Essay Example Dr. Cox did active euthanasia and it is considered a sin and a crime. Passive euthanasia is legal and is done by withholding life-sustaining assistance, while active euthanasia (physician-assisted) involves acts that will hasten someone’s death (Green 641). Although many people think that active euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide, is morally wrong and is a total disregard for the sanctity of life, three reasons why physician-assisted suicide is morally right are that it is a respect for the paramount right of an individual to execute sovereignty on matters that concerns only the self, it is the same as passive euthanasia, and it provides dignity in death (Green 640). First, opponents claim that active euthanasia disregards the individual’s right to life. It is claimed that the aim of medicine is always to look for ways to cure an illness, which is rooted in the idea of prolonging a person’s life. It is claimed that there is also a possibility that an ill p erson may be under pressure to choose euthanasia rather than be a burden to other family members. There is also the possibility of misdiagnosis or miscalculations by doctors, and death can no longer be reversed (Linville 201-2). There is no denying that the logic of these claims have value. However, while people focus on an individual’s right to life, it is forgotten that the individual also has an absolute right over matters that concerns only the person who is involved. This means that to be able to exercise the right to choose life or death is a paramount right for every individual in the event when no intervention or help can be currently applied or given to alleviate the person’s condition. An individual must have the right to decide and choose if the remaining solutions to end the intolerable suffering are merely between miracle and death. Regarding medical misdiagnosis or miscalculations, while it is true that doctors sometimes make mistakes, they are still ofte n correct than wrong. In this matter, the individual is sovereign (Linville 204-5) and that each individual has the right to decide on personal matters. Second, opponents claim that such act goes against the Hippocratic Oath. It is said that doctors are not meant to harm patients, particularly through their profession. Killing them is harming them (Klampfer 7). This claim is understandable. However, there had been so many modifications of the Hippocratic Oath over the years because some of its doctrines are no longer appropriate with the existing society (Klampfer 11). For example, the first paragraph of the oath has been changed because swearing to Greek gods and goddesses may be considered offensive to one’s religion today. Abortion was also prohibited then, but is legal today under certain conditions. The oath also only refers to men, but women today also practice medicine already. Splitting fees with one’s teacher and promising to support their children are also no t practiced today (Antoniou et al. 3075-7). Furthermore, such claim puts the legality of passive euthanasia in question. Passive euthanasia, if defined without any refinement, means allowing one to die by not doing anything to save the individual. Yet this action is

The industrial development in Japan after World War II Essay

The industrial development in Japan after World War II - Essay Example Japan is said to be the principal trading and technologically manufacturing country of the world. Prior to the world war II Japan was the center of an empire that at times included Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria, much of eastern China, southern Sakhalin Island, and the Marshall and Mariana islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean.After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the new government launched a determined drive to establish a modern industrial economy anchored in Western science and technology. Modern systems of education and banking were created. The government financed and operated new manufacturing, mining, and transportation ventures, and as they became commercially viable it sold them to private interests. Continued government support led to the development after the 1890s of large-scale, family-based enterprises (zaibatsu) in banking, transportation, and heavy industries related to armament production. Vigorous private initiative prompted consumer industries such as textiles.During th e 1920s and 1930s, Japan's industries grew steadily in variety and technical maturity. Manufactured goods such as cement, steel, bicycles, simple industrial machinery, chemical fertilizers, and processed foods gained in importance. Electric power generation also increased sharply during this period. Notwithstanding these developments, the Japanese economy on the eve of World War II was still backward in many respects. Sophisticated machinery, chemicals, and refined metals had to be imported.... Two million of its people had died in the war, a third of them civilians. Air raids had devastated its cities, and at least 13 million Japanese were homeless. Industry was at a standstill, and even farm output had declined. Many Japanese wore rags and were half-starved. All were mentally and physically exhausted. For the first time in its history, Japan was a conquered nation occupied by a foreign power. Nowadays, we can see a novel Japan excruciating with energy and ambitions. Its economy is counted among the top most economies of the world. The population has become affluent and the country's main islands are connected together with a network of tunnels and bridges bullet trains keep on running at a speed of around 195 kilometers per hour. Prosperity created new challenges, however. The price for Japan's success included explosive urban growth and overcrowding, water and air pollution, and damage to many of the nation's scenic treasures. Hills were hacked down for factory sites or home-sites, while mountains were defaced by highways to accommodate city tourists. For a time, Mount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain peak almost disappeared from sight because of smog created by factories and cars. Today, that smog is gone, thanks to some of the world's most rigorous standards for auto emissions and industrial air pollution. In other areas, Japan still struggles to balance development with environmental protection. It was once predicted that Japan would become the world's largest economy by 2000, but the picture has changed dramatically. Japan's real-estate and stock markets collapsed in 1989-92, beginning the longest recession since World War II. The economy remains weak despite tax cuts and massive government spending. Yet export-oriented Japan still runs a

The effect of remuneration on productivity an appraisal of primark Research Proposal

The effect of remuneration on productivity an appraisal of primark London - Research Proposal Example This paper defines the remuneration as the process of making an employee motivated by offering him a compensation or benefit. It is basically the gains he gets from the employers in exchange for services he performs in the workplace. It is a great way to increase the morale of an employee and boosting his performance level by keeping him motivated toward the job. Employee remuneration is a way to promote the well being of an employee by raising his status through paying salary to him in return for the services he provides for the employer. Employee remuneration can be characterized into two parts by naming them as time rate and piece rate method. The time rate method is characterized by measuring the time that worker spends on the job whereas piece rate method is related to the unit productivity as seen by the input given by employee to produce output. There are many advantages of time rate method of employee remuneration as it leads to producing quality products within a given time frame and the compensation is provided to employees keeping in view the time they spend on the job. For instance, the salary can be fixed based on hourly, weekly or monthly basis. Here the emphasis is more on the quality than quantity and supervision is tight as compared to piece rate method. It is a good method to make a new employee learn the basics of job without caring for the amount of salary he attains as it is based on the time spent on the task. However, the piece rate method is characteristic of the inputs the employee puts in to produce a specified number of outputs. In this type of method, an employee is more focused with quantity than quality and he is not being placed under strict supervision as he has just to produce the specified number of products at his pace. It is a good way to increase motivation among employees to strive for better pay by producing more outputs (Abrams, 2003). There are number of

Lifeboat ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lifeboat ethics - Essay Example This can lead to confusing spaceship ethics with the life boat idea. On the Spaceship Earth, nations can be divided into two categories rich nations – the most powerful- and poor nations. Two thirds of the Earth’s population lives in poor nations, only a third lives in rich nations. The United States is the wealthiest nation on Earth. Everyone sees the rich nations as lifeboats. The rich one third represents the lifeboats; and the two thirds are trying to get to one of these lifeboats. In order to get in any lifeboat we first have to realize its capacity. The lifeboat has a capacity, which limits how many people can get into it. In addition, we cannot exceed the capacity; if we exceed capacity then we will lose our safety factor and everyone therein will drown. The cruel ethics of the lifeboat becomes crueler, when we take into consideration the reproductive differences between the rich and poor nations. Rich nations are doubling every 87 years, while the poor nations double almost every 35 years. Hardin gives an example that shows the population of the United States equal to another population made of seven poor countries. Suppose that the U.S currently agrees to share its recourses with them. At first the ratio would be one-to-one, but in the future the poor countries’ populations are going to double faster than the United States’ population, then each American would have to share what he/she has with more than eight people. Consequently, a nation’s needs are determined by their population size. Another important point Hardin argues about in his article is the tragedy of commons. When properties become public, everyone would have the right to use it. Thereafter, everyone would suffer because of overloading the commons. Otherwise, everyone would say his/her needs are greater. Overloading of the commons results into destruction of the facilities and

Scholarship for Young Entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

For Young Entrepreneur - Scholarship Essay Example ion called Pausa-GmbH as an internee, where I was responsible for cash and inventory management; along with these responsibilities, I also took active part in the strategic planning function of the organization. This experience further enhanced my abilities as a proficient manager and helped me developing my own business. I am a person with skills and talents, which I try polishing rather than wasting. Therefore, I keep myself busy working on different tasks and gaining experience, with the help of my multitasking ability. I joined JU Rosenheim, a political party and worked there as a recruiter. My major responsibility was to convince people to join the party and, as a result, I developed strong communication and convincing skills, which could definitely help me as an entrepreneur. In addition, I am active in physical activities and served as football coach at SpVgg-Unterhaching. Keeping in view that I am an active participant in various entrepreneurial activities, I believe, that I ideally qualify for the scholarship; however, my grim financial position will make it difficult for me to continue my educational journey. As I am an established entrepreneur, I hereby, apply for young entrepreneur scholarship. I hope that management of the institute will consider my request. I will be very grateful for this kind

Internal Environment of Tesco Literature review

Internal Environment of Tesco - Literature review Example Quite understandably, there is a bright side to the picture and as well as a darker side which goes hand in hand, however, when talked about the corporate world, markets and industries, the darker side is more dark to offset the brightness of so-called bright side of the picture. The golden days for the business were when they could operate with monopolies and lesser competition. Consumer awareness was virtually zero and thus their bargaining power was extremely low (Senge, pp. 189-196, 1991). Â  However, with this revolution of information technology, the marketplace has changed into something, which no one could have imagined in his or her wildest dreams, some decades back. Statistics reveal that out of the Fortune 100 companies of 1900, only four of those corporations have been surviving and the rest is history. Furthermore, only General Electric (GE) is the only company, which still exists out of the top 12 companies that appeared on the Dow Jones Index in 1900. Quite clearly, the marketplace is now a brutal and ruthless place, which has no place for companies that fail to adapt, change, innovate, learn, and compete. In fact, the marketplace today is a bloody red ocean since all that companies do today, is make their competitors lose so that they can win. Â  For most companies, the pie is not growing or expanding and the only way to increase your share of the pie is to decrease the share of their competitors. More importantly, the companies that have failed to adopt proactive, calculated, informed approaches and have tried to remain mere spectators, the environmental forces have not forgiven them for the same and they are history. That explains why Nokia, which started it business as lumber company that made equipment needed to cut down the forests diversified, adapted, changed, and innovated to become the biggest seller of mobile phones in the world.

The Lemon Tree Dilemma Essay Example for Free

The Lemon Tree Dilemma Essay The website EEOC.gov should be a bookmarked site for any individual who is working as or plans to work as a manager in a business with more than one (i.e., the owner) employee. This website contains the information that the federal government expects companies and businesses to use and follow with respect to hiring, firing, and disciplining its employees. It explains disabilities, how to handle them, and when to use them in making hiring decisions. It also provides information about protected classes, in which people must be a member before they can claim discrimination. You should plan to visit the EEOC website during this week to help work through this ethical dilemma faced by Paul and Mary, two managers in the company in The Lemon Tree. Read through the fictional dilemma, and then choose the subject of discrimination discussed therein, planning to debate the ramifications of that with your classmates and your instructor. Some of this seems obvious, but others aren’t as easy to determine as they seem. Your instructor will bring in new and different â€Å"twists and turns† as we go along. Read the dilemma, and then lets discuss. (The dilemma is found on the left tree, entitled The Lemon Tree Dilemma. ) 1. What is one aspect of Title VII that has been violated by the company? 2. Which actions by the two employees that call their credibility into question are you allowed, as an employer, to consider? Or, what types of actions are you not allowed to use and why? Are there any you wish you could use? Remember to support your answers to the questions above with a law or business reason. 1. Be sure to cover the different types of discrimination in this thread – all categories are possible areas for assessment on the Final Exam. 2. Next week, while the espionage case is under investigation, Paul opens hiring for Peter Puffs position and Mary opens hiring for Jackies position. Paul hires the first qualified white male who applies.

Comparison of Perfect and Imperfect Competition

Comparison of Perfect and Imperfect Competition INTRODUCTION The Father of Economics Adam Smith in his book â€Å" The Theory of Moral Sentiments†, wrote about the main characteristics of human beings. According to him a human being is very selfish or possesses self-love as well as there exists an invisible hand. The concept of self- love in human being is one of the most important factor in â€Å" the value theory† as well as in the development of market. [1] Generally a human being carries out economic activities till a point where he thinks that what I am paying is equal to what I am receiving, Human being willingly trade or carry out exchange till he feels that what I am giving is less and what I am receiving is more, once he realises that what I am giving is equal to what I am receiving, he will stop further trade. This is one of the most important philosophy of consumers and producers. Both the concept is based on selfish motives of maximising returns in terms of their efforts that is money. Since an economy consists of various economic agents with diverse interests, allocating resources optimally becomes an intricate task. Economic planners have two mutually opposing means to solve this allocation problem: planning versus competition. Which avenue will be adopted by the planners depends crucially on their value judgments. WHAT IS A MARKET? â€Å"Originally† says Jevons, : a market was a public place in a town where provisions and other objects were exposed for sale; but the world has been generalised so as to mean any body of persons who are in intimate business relations and carry on extensive transactions in any commodity. In the words of Cournot, a French economist, â€Å"Economics understand by the term market not any particular market placec in which things are bought and sold but the whole of any region in which buyers and sellers are in such free intercourse with one another that the price of the same goods tends to equality easily and quickly.† Thus, the essentials of market are: A commodity which is dealt with. The existence of buyers and sellers A place, be it certain region, country or entire world. Such intercourse between buyers and sellers that only one price should prevail for the same commodity at the same time. PERFECT COMPETITION Perfect competition is a theoretical market structure. Perfect competition is the world of price-takers. A perfectly competitive firm sells a homogenous product. It is so small relative to its market that it cannot affect the market price; it simply takes the price as give. Under perfect competition, there are many buyers and sellers, and prices reflect supply and demand. Also, consumers have many substitutes if the good or service they wish to buy becomes too expensive or its quality begins to fall short. New firms can easily enter the market, generating additional competition. Companies earn just enough profit to stay in business and no more, because if they were to earn excess profits, other companies would enter the market and drive profits back down to the bare minimum. Real-world competition differs from the textbook model of perfect competition in many ways. Real companies try to make their products different from those of their competitors. They advertise to try to gain market share. They cut prices to try to take customers away from other firms. They raise prices in the hope of increasing profits. And some firms are large enough to affect market prices. But the perfect competition model is not an ideal that we should try to achieve in the real world. Features of Perfect Competition There are many small firms, each producing an identical product . Each too small to effect the market price. The perfect competitior faces a completely horizontal demand curve. The extra revenue gained from each extra unit sold is therefore the market price. Freedom of Entry and Exit; this will require low sunk costs.[2] Diagram for Perfect Competition These factors are unrealistic in the real world. However Perfect Competition is as important economic model to compare other models. It is often argued that competitive markets have many benefits which stem from this theoretical model. In the Industry price is determined by the interaction of Supply and Demand. The firm will maximise output where MR = MC at Q1 In the Long Run Firms will make Normal profits. If Supernormal profits are made new firms will be attracted into the industry causing prices to fall. If firms are making a loss then firms will leave the industry causing price to rise.[3] Assumptions behind a Perfectly Competitive Market Many suppliers each with an insignificant share of the market – this means that each firm is too small relative to the overall market to affect price via a change in its own supply – each individual firm is assumed to be a price taker An identical output produced by each firm – in other words, the market supplies homogeneous or standardised products that are perfect substitutes for each other. Consumers perceive the products to be identical Consumers have perfect information about the prices all sellers in the market charge – so if some firms decide to charge a price higher than the ruling market price, there will be a large substitution effect away from this firm All firms (industry participants and new entrants) are assumed to have equal access to resources (technology, other factor inputs) and improvements in production technologies achieved by one firm can spill-over to all the other suppliers in the market. [4] IMPERFECT COMPETITION Imperfect competition is a competitive market situation where there are many sellers, but they are selling heterogeneous (dissimilar) goods as opposed to the perfect competitive market scenario. As the name suggests, competitive markets that are imperfect in nature. Imperfect competition is the real world competition. Today some of the industries and sellers follow it to earn surplus profits. In this market scenario, the seller enjoys the luxury of influencing the price in order to earn more profits. It prevails in an industry whenever individual sellers have some measure of control over the price of their output. Take the example of Coco-cola and perpsi together have the majpr share of the market, and imperfect competition clearly prevails. If a seller is selling a non-identical good in the market, then he can raise the prices and earn profits. High profits attract other sellers to enter the market and sellers, who are incurring losses, can very easily exit the market. The major types of imperfect competition are: monopoly, oligopoly and monopolistic competition. Monopolistic Competition: This market structure is characterized by a large number of relatively small competitors, each with a modest degree of market controlon the supply side. A key feature of monopolistic competition is product differentiation. The output of each producer is a close but not identical substitute to that of every other firm, which helps satisfy diverse consumer wants and needs. Oligopoly: This market structure is characterized by a small number of relatively large competitors, each with substantial market control. Oligopoly sellers exhibit interdependent decision making which can lead to intense competition among the few and the motivation to cooperate through mergers and collisions. Monopoly: Monopolies are thus characterized by a lack of economic  competition  to produce the  good  or  service  and a lack of viablesubstitute goods. Monopoly is an enterprise that is the only seller of a good or service. In the absence of government intervention, a monopoly is free to set any price it chooses and will usually set the price that yields the largest possible profit. Just being a monopoly need not make an enterprise more profitable than other enterprises that face competition, the market may be so small that it barely supports one enterprise. But if the monopoly is in fact more profitable than competitive enterprises, economists expect that other entrepreneurs will enter the business to capture some of the higher returns. If enough rivals enter, their competition will drive prices down and eliminate monopoly power. COMPARISION OF VARIOUS MARKETS A distinction has been made between perfect and imperfect competition. â€Å" A market is said to be perfect when all the potential sellers and buyers are promptly aware of the prices at which transactions take place and all the offers made by other sellers and buyers, and when any buyer can purchase from any seller. Same price same commodity same times is essential characteristic of perfect market. [5] On the other hand, a market is imperfect when some buyers or sellers or both are not aware of the prices made by others. Different prices come to prevail for the same commodity at the same time in an imperfect market. STRUCTURE NO.OF PRODUCERS AND DEGREE OF PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION PART OF ECONOMY WHERE IT’S PREVALENT FIRM’S DEGREE OF CONTROL METHODS PF MARKETING Perfect Competition Many products; identical products. Financial markets and agricultural products None Market exchange or auction. Imperfect Competition Monopolistic Competition Many producers; many real differences in products. Retail trade like pizzas, beer. Some Advertising and quality rivalry administered prices. Oligopoly Few producers; little or no difference in product. Steel, chemicals some Advertising and quality rivalry administered prices. Monopoly Single producer; product without close substitutes. Franchise monopolies like electricity, water,drugs considerable Advertising COMPARISION ON BASIS OF DEMAND In economics, basically  demand  is the utility for a good or service of an economic agent, relative to his income. Demand is a buyers willingness and ability to pay a price for a specific quantity of a good or service.   Ã‚   Demand refers to how much (quantity) of a product or service is desired by buyers at various prices. The quantity demanded is the amount of a product people are willing to buy at a certain price; the relationship between price and quantity demanded is known as the demand. The term demand signifies the ability or the willingness to buy a particular commodity at a given point of time. In the above diagram, PART A reflects that the perfect competitor faces a horizontal demand curve, indicating that it can sell all it wants at the going market price. The price elasticity is perfectly elastic. When there is pure competition, since the number of firms is large, no individual has power to influence the market price. Also, since the products are identical from the consumer’s point of view, the price paid by them can’t be different. OX and OY are two axes. Along OX is the output and the OY is the price/revenue. At OP price a seller can sell as much as he likes. He cannot charge more and not charge less because then he’ll lose all his customers. PART B says that an imperfect competition, in contrast, faces a downward sloping demand curve. Meaning that if an imperfect competitive firm increases its sales, it will definitely depress the market price of its output as it moves down its dd curve. The price elasticity is finite elastic. [6] COMPARISON  ON BASIS OF SUPPLY Competitive firm has direct implications for the market supply curve and the law of supply. The primary conclusion is that a perfectly competitive firms short-run supply curve is that segment of its marginal cost curve that lies above the average variable costcurve. A perfectly competitive firm produces the quantity of output that equates marginal revenue, which is equal to price, and marginal cost, as long as price exceeds average variable cost. The profit-maximizing choices of output at alternative prices generate the perfectly competitive firms short-run supply curve. Consider three key points: A profit-maximizing firm produces the quantity of output that equates marginal revenue and marginal cost (MR = MC). A perfectly competitive firm is characterized by the equality between price and marginal revenue (P = MR). The law of diminishing marginal returns gives the marginal cost curve a positive slope. Combining all three points means that a profit-maximizing perfectly competitive firm produces the quantity of output that equates price and marginal cost (P = MC). An increase in the price, moves the profit-maximizing quantity to a higher point on the positively-sloped marginal cost curve, and a larger production quantity. A decrease in the price, moves the profit-maximizing quantity to a lower point on the positively-sloped marginal cost curve, and a smaller production quantity. REAL WORLD SCENARIO In the post independence era, India adopted highly restrictive industrial policy. India’s industrial licensing policy created entry barriers for private enterprises in sectors earmarked for them and hence didn’t promote ‘perfect competition’. Indian planners who believed in the doctrine of ‘infant industry argument’ provided necessary protection to domestic manufactures from foreign competition by way of tariff barriers. During this regulated regime, however, India’s industrial growth rate was not promising. In India, under Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), industrial licensing policy was abolished and tariff and quantity restrictions on imports were also dispensed with. Thus the New Economic Policy made an effort to promote a competitive market system in India. As a result India’s industrial sector started showing some signs of improvement in terms of growth.[7] In the real world, situations like perfect market exists for markets for most of unbranded staple goods such as food grain and vegetables. However it should be noted that there is a trend of branding more and more of such goods also, and in this ways making their markets become more and more like oligopolistic markets. In a monopoly like in Saudi Arabia the government has sole control over the oil industry. A monopoly may also form when a company has a copyright or patent that prevents others from entering the market. Pfizer, for instance, had a patent on Viagra. In an oligopoly, assume, for example, that an economy needs only 100 widgets. Company X produces 50 widgets and its competitor, Company Y, produces the other 50. The prices of the two brands will be interdependent and, therefore, similar. So, if Company X starts selling the widgets at a lower price, it will get a greater market share, thereby forcing Company Y to lower its prices as well. There are two extreme forms of market structure: monopoly and, its opposite, perfect competition. Perfect competition is characterized by many buyers and sellers, many products that are similar in nature and, as a result, many substitutes. Perfect competition means there are few, if any, barriers to entry for new companies, and prices are determined by su pply and demand. Thus, producers in a perfectly competitive market are subject to the prices determined by the market and do not have any leverage. For example, in a perfectly competitive market, should a single firm decide to increase its selling price of a good, the consumers can just turn to the nearest competitor for a better price, causing any firm that increases its prices to lose market share and profits. CRITICISMS OF PERFECT COMPETITION The use of the assumption of perfect competition as the foundation ofprice theoryfor product markets is often criticized as representing all agents as passive, thus removing the active attempts to increase ones welfare or profits by price undercutting, product design, advertising, innovation, activities that the critics argue – characterize most industries and markets. These criticisms point to the frequent lack of realism of the assumptions ofproduct homogenity and impossibility to differentiate it, but apart from this the accusation of passivity appears correct only for short-period or very-short-period analyses, in long-period analyses the inability of price to diverge from the natural or long-period price is due to active reactions of entry or exit. Some economists have a different kind of criticism concerning perfect competition model. They are not criticizing theprice taker assumption because it makes economic agents too passive, but because it then raises the question of who sets the prices. Indeed, if everyone is price taker, there is the need for a benevolent planner who gives and sets the prices, in other word, there is a need for a price maker. Therefore, it makes the perfect competition model appropriate not to describe a decentralize market economy but a centralized one. This in turn means that such kind of model has more to do with communism than capitalism. Another frequent criticism is that it is often not true that in the short run differences between supply and demand cause changes in price; especially in manufacturing, the more common behaviour is alteration of production without nearly any alteration of price. CONCLUSION In this industrial and competitive world not everyone has a chance to excel. Sometimes there is boom period in the economy when the firm’s income flourishes while at other times there can be a depression which will create losses for the firm. It is thus a firm’s ability to manage its resources carefully and feasibly. Why do consumers spend their income on new brands? A classical reference may be in order: â€Å"The love of novelty manifests itself equally in those who are well off and in those who are not. For . . . men get tired of prosperity, just as they are afflicted by the reverse. . . . This love of change . . . opens the way to everyone who takes the lead in any innovation in any country.† Thus, in an economy there will be different types of market and each market will have its own pros and cons it just depends on the various innovations they undertake to attract more consumers. Both perfect and imperfect competitions excel in their fields. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS: Nordhaus, Samuelson. (2008) Economics. Tata Mc-Graw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. Dewett, K.K., Nevalur, M.H., Modern Economic Theory, S. Chand, New Delhi, 2010. WEBSITES: http://www.economicshelp.org/microessays/markets/perfect-competition/ http://tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/competition/competition.htm http://www.economicshelp.org/microessays/markets/perfect-competition/ http://www.cci.gov.in/May2011/Advocacy/essay2012/jyoti.pdf [1] Dewett, K.K., Nevalur, M.H., Modern Economic Theory, S. Chand, New Delhi, 2010. [2] http://www.economicshelp.org/microessays/markets/perfect-competition/ [3] http://www.economicshelp.org/microessays/markets/perfect-competition/ [4] http://tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/competition/competition.htm [5] Dewett, K.K., Nevalur, M.H., Modern Economic Theory, S. Chand, New Delhi, 2010. [6] Nordhaus, Samuelson. (2008) Economics. Tata Mc-Graw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. [7] The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) was 6.2 percent for April-Dec, 1999.

Gene Expression of Mitochondrial Enzymes from Exercise

Gene Expression of Mitochondrial Enzymes from Exercise Induced Change in Gene Expression of Mitochondrial Enzymes as a Result of Intense Exercise Abstract Exercise-induced changes in gene expression of mitochondrial enzymes has become a leading target for sports medicine research. Previous indirect testing of delayed-onset muscle soreness and changes in rotation of motion do not provide a sufficient explanation of the induced changes to the genome (Hubal, et al., 2010). Biomarker testing has allowed for detecting levels of proteins within a sample. Blood and serum levels, taken before and after exercise, have been analyzed and tested for changes in protein activity. Calf-raises show an increase in creatine kinase (CK) and aldolase (ALD) activities (Kanda, et al., 2014). MicroRNA arrays along with telomere extension mRNA arrays and quantitative real-time PCR on RNA taken from white blood cells have shown to down-regulate telomeric repeat binding factor 2 (Chilton, et al., 2014). Biochemical testing at the genomic level will provide a better understanding of the long-term effects of intense exercise. Knowing these high-intensity induced gene expressions in mitochondrial DNA aids in knowing what causes diseases such as Rhabdomyolysis. Introduction Centuries ago staying physically fit was accentual to stay alive. Those that were not fit were not able to kill prey and therefore would be less likely to survive. In today’s world, being physically fit is not a necessity, but rather something that many people strive for to live a healthy lifestyle. Living an active life lowers the chance of many diseases, such as kidney and Alzheimer’s, and cancers, such as colon and breast. It is therefore crucial to understand the biochemistry behind exercise as a helpful preventative measure for health problems. When exercising, the body is put through tasks that disrupt homeostasis. The body wants to eliminate wide spread deviants of homeostasis. However, after and during exercise the body needs more oxygen and energy to be able to complete the tasks one is putting on the body. These demands, the increase in affinity for oxygen and energy, require metabolic responses that disrupt homeostasis. To test these metabolic responses, many scientists use biomarker testing on whole blood and serum samples rather than pieces of skeletal muscle. Biomarkers are used to measure the presence of a physiological state. These markers have biological properties that measure the blood and serum. There are many different changes in the mitochondrial genome during and immediately following exercise. This paper will focus on an overview of some endurance training biomarkers, but will mainly focus on high intensity exercise and the induced gene expression in the mitochondrial genome. It is important to study the effects of exercise on gene expression to know at what levels of various genes, like lactate dehydrogenase, aldose, etc., come dangerous to human health as to prevention diseases such as Rhadomyolysis (Heled, et al., 2005). Proliferator-activated Receptors association with Exercise-Induced Mitochondrial Biogenesis Transcriptional cofactors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PGC) regulate gene expression (Lin, et al., 2005). PGC-1a regulates gene expression in the mitochondrial genome. This coactivator interacts with other proteins to regulate contraction. Overexpression of PGC-1a results in an increase in mitochondrial gene function (Lin, et al., 2002). Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent kinase 2 (CaMKII), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and nitrogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) all have important signaling that help regulate PGC-1a (Hawley, et al., 2010). Calcium is important for energy due to its role in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Contractions of skeletal muscle are dependent on high levels of calcium. The calcium then binds to troponin, which moves the myosin fibers resulting in muscle contractions. Calcium also plays a major role in calcium-calmodulin-dependent kinases. Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent kinase 2 (CaMKII) activation increases the transport of glucose in skeletal muscle (Rose, A. and Hargreaves, M., 2003). AMPK and MAPks activate PGC-1a, Figure 1, by phosphorylating transcription factors myocyte enhancer factor 2 and ATF-2, respectively (McGee and Hargreaves, 2010). Figure 1. Schematic of the Major Signaling Pathways Involved in the Control of Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy and Mitochondrial Biogenesis (Hawley, et al., 2010). The right side of this figure shows the correlation of the AMPK, CAMK, SIRT1, MAPK pathways that effect PGC-1a which regulates mitochondrial biogenesis. Another inhibitor of PGC-1a is a deactelyase silent mating type-information regulation 2 homolg 1 (SIRT1) (HIgashida, et al., 2013). Since SIRT1 is NADà ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ º-dependent, Figure 1, changes in concentration of NADà ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ º change the SIRT1 activity in the cell (Gurd, 2011). Many studies have shown that the protein content of SIRT1 and the activity are independent, and that because of that it is thought that the SIRT1 activity is what subsidizes to PGC-1a activity (Gurd 2011). Test For Correlation between SIRT1 and PGC-1a. The following experiment was performed by Chabi and coworkers to examine SIRT1’s role in muscle during muscle use (Chabi, et al., 2009). Rats were placed into a control group and a running group. The running group were able to run on a loaded wheel. Weight was added to the wheel during weeks one through four, but maintained a 200 g weight from weeks five through eight. The plantaris (PL) and soleus (SOL) muscles were taken as well as the tibialis anterior (TA) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) for analysis. Once the proteins were extracted, the SIRT1 activity and deacetylase was found by fluorescence. A cycling assay was used to determine the NAD nucleotides. Immunoblotting was done to test expression of PGC-1a, cytochrome c, SIRT1 and GAPDH. SIRT1 expression showed to be the highest in the liver and slow-twitch muscle while PGC-1a immunoreactivity was highest in the heart muscle. This experiment did not show a correlation between SIRT1 and PGC-1a expression, like the scientists hoped, but it did bring up the question if SIRT1 activity is altered by acute exercise instead of high-intensity. Eccentric Exercise and Muscle Damage Markers The following was performed by Kazue Kanda and coworkers to see if eccentric exercise affects muscle damage markers (Kanda, et al., 2014). Participates in this study each performed right calf-raises on a force plate to add 0.5 Hz to each lift. With 3 min for rest, forty repetitions for 10 sets were completed with half of their weight along with the added force. Immediately following these muscle contractions, the medial and lateral gastrocnemius and soleus were measured for tenderness using a FP meter. The meter rated based on a visual analogue scale from no pain to extremely sore. The ankle was tested for range of motion (ROM) along the dosiflexion position (-20 ) to the plantar flexion position (15). Both of tenderness of the calf and the ROM was tested at 24 h increments until 168 h after the repetitive muscle contractions. After 72 h the tenderness of the right calf increased significantly (p Subsequently, samples from the blood and urine were taken both before and at various times after the exercise. Various proteins, creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), aldolase (ALD) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were tested from the serum. An Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to test for fatty acid-binding proteins (FABP). The activities of CK and AST increased significantly post 72 h. The activities of ALT and ALD also increased for each sample, however, it was not significant. LDH activity had a significant increase at 96 h after exercise, but not really before. The results for ALD did correlate with the tenderness of the medial gastrocnemius at the 72 h mark and could suggest that ALD might be a better muscle damage indicator because the other proteins tested did not correlate with tenderness. The ELISA testing on FABP resulted in no detectable changes. This experiment used two methods of testing muscle damage and had correlated results for ALD. Exercise-Induced biochemical changes in Quadriceps and Gastrocnemius in Mice The following was performed by L. Toti and coworkers to see the changes in blood lactate as well as mitochondrial enzymes as a result of two different exercises; intense activity with recovery periods and moderate activity with no recovery periods (Toti, et al., 2013). Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the two muscle groups, the quadriceps and gastrocnemius, to see expression of enzymes correlated with oxidative metabolism. Mice were divided into three different groups based on similar maximal velocities. Mice with higher maximal velocities partaked in the intense activity: running at 90% for 2 min followed by 1 min of recovery. The mice with lower mamximal velocities partaked in continuous running at 60% velocity. Data was collected for 40 sessions, where each mouse ran a distance of 1000 meters. Blood samples were taken at sessions 1, 20 and 40. Blood lactate was tested and showed a decrease in both groups by session 40, with the higher-velocity group measuring significantly lower than the lower-velocity group. Immunochemistry testing resulted in an increase in response for the high-velocity mice for both the quadriceps and the gastrocnemius. This experiment showed that high-intensity training impacted the biochemistry more so than the low-velocity training. MicroRNA Expression and Telomere-Associated Genes After Acute Exercise The following was performed by W. Chilton and coworkers to see mechanisms the correlation between white blood cell (WBC) telomere length and exercise (Chiltion, et al., 2014). Participants in this study ran on a treadmill for 30 min at 80% of maximum oxygen uptake. Blood samples were taken before and immediately following the running as well as an hour post-running. MicroRNA expression arrays that could measure a whole genome, were used on the samples. TERT mRNA expression levels were then tested by qPCR. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) mRNA and Sirtuin-6 (SIRT6) were two of the genes tested. This experiment was able to show supporting evidence that the transcriptional regulation of key telomeric genes can be affected by exercise. TERT mRNA was upregulated as well as the SIRT6. The qPCR testing on TERT and SIRT6 showed the increase in binding miRNA. Chilton did express that the increases in both the SIRT6 and the TERT mRNAs could have been upregulations from the extra-telomeric pathways instead of just the telomeric roles since there was no definitive way to differentiate between the two in this experiment. It is important to understand exercise’s effects on telomeres and its corresponding proteins to gain an insight on how physical health improves telomere homeostasis, keeping the telomeres from getting too short and the cell dying. Chemokine Polymorphisms Association with Skeletal Muscle Damage The following experiment was performed by M. Hubal and coworkers to see if chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and chemokine receptor 2 (CCR 2) are associated with biomarkers after exercising (Hubal, et al., 2010). CCL2 is important because it recruits necessary items, such as memory T cells, dendritic cells, and monocytes, to inflammation sites in injured tissue. CCR2, the receptor molecule for CCL2, mediates with calcium mobilization. It is suggested that CCL2 and CCR3 play major roles in the repair of skeletal muscle damage. Participants performed two, 25 contractions, sets of elbow flexor muscle contractions in the non-dominant arm. It was crucial that the participants had constant maximal effort and stayed hydrated the 10 days following the exercise. Blood samples were taken and sent for genotyping. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) known to influence the level of CCL2 proteins were analyzed using PCR. There were four SNPs from CCL2 and three from CCR2 that should high phenotype associations. The minor allele found in the SNPs was correlated with an increase in damage. This study was able to show that variations of the CCL2 and CCR2 genes are related to muscle damage markers caused by exercise. Molecular and Metabolic Changes of High-intensity Interval Training The following experiment was performed by J. Little and coworkers to assess the molecular and metabolic changes of high-intensity interval training (Little, et al., 2010). Participants performed six cycling training sessions over the course of two weeks. Each session consisted of approximately 30 min of high intensity intervals. By the last sessions, the subjects were completing 12 intervals of 60 s high-intensity cycling followed by 75 s low intensity for recovery. Biopsies from the leg were taken before and after the two week training. The muscle lysates were taken for Western blotting and enzyme activity testing. Western blotting was used to test for glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4), PGC-1a, and SIRT1while the mitochondrial enzyme activity was tested on cytochrome c oxidase (COX). The subjects improved in both time and power, about 10%, for cycling during the two week training session. COX activity increased by 29%. PGC-1a increased by approximately 24%, however, the protein itself was did not have any genetic changes. GLUT4 content increased by 119%, while SIRT1 increased by approximately 56%. This experiment showed some changes, due to exercise, in regulators that are important in mitochondrial biogenesis. Conclusion There are many induced changes in the mitochondrial genome during and after exercise. These changes occur to help maintain cell homeostasis while the body is being put through stress during intense exercise. Blood and serum samples along with tissue extractions have provided a way to examine these changes and see how one is correlated with another (Figure 1). PGC-1a helps muscle contractions by regulating gene expression in mitochondria biogenesis. However, PGC-1a has many cofactors helping it. CaMKII, AMPK, and MAPKs all help in providing energy to the skeletal muscles by impacting the activation of PGC-1a. Although SIRT1 deactelyation inhibits PGC-1a, it still impacts the biochemistry of the body during workouts due to deactelyation. LDH activity was shown to increase hours after high-intensity exercise because LDH it is released as pyruvate is converted into lactate. ALD, which converts sugar into energy, was found to be a good indicator because in the calf-raises experiment the results from the biomarker testing as well as the tenderness testing correlated with each other. CCL2 and CCR2 were found to have changes in SNPs that corresponded to the high-intensity exercise and most likely aide in the recruiting of the memory T cells and dendritic cells to the injured tissue. High-intensity exercise, without time for recovery, would keep the body maintained at a stressful state of trying to bring it back to homeostasis. As proven in the calf-raise experiment, LDH levels decreased as the participants were able to come accustom to the exercises. The bodies were no longer in shock. If the bodies were did not become accustom, or the body was not given any time for recovery, the chances of obtaining diseases such as Rhabdomyolysis increases. Future experiments need to focus on what levels of these regulators will become dangerous. Research should be down to further understand the relationship between SIRT1 and PGC-1a. References Chabi, B., Adhihetty, P.J., O’Leary, M.F., Menzies, K.J., and Hood, D. (2009) Relationship between sirt1 expression and mitochondrial proteins during conditions of chronic muscle use and diuse. J. Appl. Physiol. 107(6):1730-1735. Chilton, W., Marques, F., West, J., Kannourakis, G., Berzins, S., O’Briend, B., and Charchar, F. (2014) Acute Exercise Leads to Regulation of Telomere-Associated Genes and MicroRNA Expression in Immune Cells. PLoS ONE. 9, 1-13. Gurd, B. (2011) Deacetylation of PGC-1a by SIRT1: importance for skeletal muscle function and exercise-induced mitochondrial biogenesis. App. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 36:589-597. Hawley, J., Hargreaves, M., Joyner, M., and Zierath, J. (2010) Integrative Biology of Exercise. Cell 159, 738-749. Heled., Y., Zarian., A., Moran., D., and Hadad, E. (2005) Exercise induced rhabdomyolysis – characteristics, mechanisms and treatment. Harefuah 144(1):34-8. Hubal, M., Devaney, J., Hoffman, E., Zambraski, E., Gordish-Dressman, H., Kerns, A., Larking, J., Adham, K., Patel, R., and Clarkson, P. (2010) CCL2 and CCR2 polymorphisms are associated with markers of exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage. J of App Physicol 108(6), 1651-1658. Kanda, K., Sugama, K., Sakuma, J., Kawakami, Y., and Suzuki, K. (2014) Evaluation of serum leaking enzymes and investigation into new biomarkers for exercise-induced muscle damage Exerc Immunol Rev. 20, 39-54. Lin, J., Wu, H., Tarr, P., Zhang, C., Wu, Z., Boss, O., Michael, L., Puigserver, P., Isotani, E., Olson, E., Lowell, B., Bassel-Duby, R., and Spiegelman, B. (2002). Transcriptional co-activator PGC-1 alpha drives the formation of slow-twitch muscle fibres. Nature 418, 797-801. Lin, J., Handschin, C., and Spiegelman, B. (2005). Metabolic control through the PGC-1 family of transcription coactivators. Cell. Metab. 1, 361-370. Little, J.P., Safdar, A., Wilkin, G.P., Tarnopolsky, M.A., and Gibala, M.J. (2010) A practical model of low-volume high intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms. J. Physiol. 588(6):1011-1022. McGee, S., Hargreaves, M. (2010). AMPK-mediated regulation of transcription in skeletal muscle. Clin. Sci. 118, 258-263. Rose, A.J., and Hargreaves, M. (2003). Exercise increases -calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity in human skeletal muscle. J. Physiol. 265, E380-E391. Toti, L., Bartalucci, A., Ferrucci, M., Fulceri, F., Lazzeri, G., Lenzi, P., Soldani, P., Gobbi, P., La Torre, A., and Gesi, M. (2013) High-intensity exercise training induces morphological and biochemical changes in skeletal muscles. Biol Sport 30(4), 301-309. Alissa Christian

Foreshadowing in Wuthering Heights :: essays research papers

Foreshadowing in Wuthering Heights Foreshadowing is a very common literary device used in classic literature. It gives a yearning of what may come ahead and an intriguing tie from the present to the past and vice versa. To foreshadow is â€Å"to shadow or characterize beforehand† (Webster’s Dictionary). Wuthering Heights as a whole serves as a large-scale example of this foreshadowing effect and it contains many other examples within it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first half of the book, Emily Bronte gives the account of the foundational characters, the first generation. The account is given in a diverse way, it is stated as from the eyes of an outside observer with an inside scoop named Nelly Dean. Nelly had lived in both Thrushcross range and Wuthering Heights and had a first hand account of all that had happened in their inhabitants’ life. The actions and decisions of the first generation were also very eminent in their descendants; they both had their share in heartache and disaster. Though the same mistakes were not made they suffered just the same. The fact that Heathcliff never rectified his relationship with Catherine and all the others he hurt the hurt carried on down the family line.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The repetition of events was revealed in everything that occurred. The way that the first generation was treated was how they treated the next. For example Heathcliff’s deprivation of Hareton repeats Hindley’s deprivation of Healthcliff. Even the first Catherine shows this, she mocked Joseph’s earnest evangelical zeal and soon so did her offspring. It is even said that Heathcliff trying to â€Å"open† Catherine’s grave was repeated. All things were â€Å"predicted† and eminent of reoccurring in the future. The foreshadowing device was also used yet another time, to explain the basis of the whole story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the time of Heathcliff and Catherine’s journey through turmoil many things were said. Often when you are in a fit of rage or a time of passion you say things and some are meant and others are not. Emily Bronte to advantage of that fact. Through the many pieces of dialogue found in the story between Catherine and Heathcliff there was one thing said amidst it all that was meant and prevailed through the story. Heathcliff in a fight cursed Catherine’s soul to haunt him until he died and Mr. Lockwood saw that ghost and the ghost ended up haunting Heathcliff to insanity and eventually death. Bronte gave us that foretelling to intrigue us to see the depth of the relationship that Catherine and Heathcliff had shared, Heathcliff cursed her and Catherine carried it out until revenge was achieved.

Shakespere- Man Or Myth? :: essays research papers

SHAKESPEARE: MAN OR MYTH? Who was the real Shakespeare? The son of a Stratford glovemaker? Or was he a forgotten nobleman, the 17th Earl of Oxford? It is the greatest detective story there ever was. As more clues are being found, more and more people are doubting the fact that he ever wrote all his plays or even existed. The big question people are asking is why the man who told so much about who we are tell us so little about himself? That is one of the many reasons why I think he never existed or even wrote all those plays. How could a ‘nobody’ have thought a man who could barely sign his name was the greatest writer in the English language? In this essay I will tell you about why I don’t think he wrote the plays, why Edward de Vere was the real Shakepeare, and other things like why it’s impotrant to see who the real Skaespeare is. In my opinion I do not believe that Shakespeare wrote all those plays because the man couldn’t even sign his own and I don’t think he ever existed. There are many facts that back up my opinion. One is where Mark Twain once said that only a riverboat captain can handle riverboat slang, and there were some things that you have to just experience. â€Å"Where would Shakespeare, have learned the lawyer slang, court slang, soldier slang, and all the terminology that fills the plays?†1 1Some other facts that make me believe that Shakespeare never wrote these plays is that no plays, no poems, and not a single letter Shakespeare’s own handwriting has ever been found. The only examples of his handwriting yet discovered are six signatures, each one spelled differently. Another thing is that one by one, art experts doubt that he posed for any of the portraits of himself. It is believed by Oxfordians that Edward De Vere was the real Shakespeare. What makes me believe this is that Lord Burghley provided De Vere with the same environment and education the author of the plays mist of had. De Vere received degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge and then studied law. He was also saluted at the court with the toast: â€Å"Thy countenance shakes a spear.† It is very sad that De Vere did not receive any credit for his work, but instead a man who didn’t even exist get it.

Enron :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Enron Executives at high-flying Enron Corp. (ENE ) never seemed overly concerned with how the rest of the world viewed their business practices. Earlier this year, the California Attorney General had to get a court order to collect documents in an industrywide investigation into energy price fixing. And when an analyst challenged former CEO Jeffrey K. Skilling in a conference call to produce Enron's balance sheet, Skilling called him an "ass----." Still, even some Enron executives worried that the company had gone too far with two complex partnerships set up in 1999 to buy company assets and hedge investments. With Enron's then-chief financial officer acting as general manager of the partnerships and in a position to personally benefit from their investments, the potential for a conflict of interest and backlash from investors seemed overwhelming. "Internally, everybody said this is not a good idea," says a source close to the company. But no one could have predicted such a jaw-dropping outcome for the nation's largest and most innovative energy trader. Since Oct. 16, when Enron revealed a $35 million charge to earnings to reflect losses on those partnerships and was forced to knock $1.2 billion off its shareholders' equity, the company's stock has plunged 60%. The Securities & Exchange Commission is investigating Enron's accounting for its partnerships and whether it properly disclosed them to investors. Suddenly the company, which brought high-tech and complex finance to energy trading, is essentially trying to avoid a run on the bank. Moody's Investors Service has already downgraded the company's debt. Enron says it is meeting with credit agencies to calm their fears, and analysts say Enron is working on a turnaround plan that would likely include accelerating asset sales, issuing shares, and obtaining new credit lines. Enron's board has set up a special committee to look into its controversial partnerships. But analysts also worry that Enron's trading partners could pull the plug if they lose confidence that it can honor its trades. "ON CRACK?" Inside Enron, once-cocky employees are reeling. They were still puzzling over the abrupt Aug. 14 departure of CEO Skilling when the company announced on Oct. 24 that CFO Andrew S. Fastow, architect of the controversial private LJM investments--which got their name from the first initials of his wife and children--was removed from his post and on leave. In a tense meeting held at a Houston hotel after the latest financial disclosures, soft-spoken Chairman and CEO Kenneth L.

Formats of Income Statement and Balance Sheet Essay

Income statement: In the case of sole proprietary and partnership concerns there are no prescribed forms of the income statement and balance sheet. Their preparation is also desirable but not compulsory. However, they are generally prepared. In the case of trading concern, a trading account and in the case of a manufacturing concern, a manufacturing account and a trading account can also be prepared. In such a case, the account heading is mentioned as follows: Manufacturing/trading and profit and loss account. In the case of joint stock companies’ preparation of the profit and loss account and balance sheet every year is compulsory. There is no prescribed form (except in the case of banking and insurance companies) of the income statement or profit and loss account. The account is titled as â€Å"Profit and loss account† The results of manufacturing and trading activities may; however, be shown separately in the account. The profit and loss account is usually prepared in a T shape. In the case of joint stock company, the manufacturing, trading and profit and loss account is prepared in the above format except with three modifications: I.The heading given is only â€Å"Profit and loss account† for taxation in the profit and loss account; II.The net profit is shown after making provisions for taxation in the profit and loss account; III.Figures, for the previous period, if any, have also to be given. Profit and loss appropriation account: In the case of joint stock companies, a profit and loss appropriation account is also prepared. It explains as to how the profit earned during the period has been distributed. Balance sheet: There is no prescribed form of balance sheet for a sole proprietary or a partnership concern. However, the assets and liabilities may be shown in any of the following orders: I.Liquidity order II.Permanency Order In case the concern adopts liquidity order, the assets which are more readily convertible into cash are taken into account initially and those which are not so readily convertible are taken into account subsequently. Similarly those liabilities which are payable first are taken into account initially and those payable later on are taken into account subsequently and so on. In the case of permanency order, the reverse order is followed. As per the law applicable to some governments, every balance sheet of a company shall give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the end of the financial year. Similarly, every profit and loss account of a company shall give a true and fair view of the profit or loss account of the company for the financial year.

Inequality and Education

Inequality and Education Brenda A Mota Adams City High School Inequality and Education has been such a big problem for many Americans around the United States. Many have written about and talked about the situation, but nobody has come up with a solution for it. There has been a shrinking of inequality between racial groups from 1970-1988, but since then the gap has grown again. Too many of American’s disadvantaged children grow up without the skills needed to thrive in the twenty-first century. Educational inequality is due to social and family background.Inequality and Education has become one of the most important political and social issues in the United States. During the last three decades the gap between the educational attainments of children raised in rich and poor families has widened dramatically. Also according to the most recent census report, about one-quarter of children under the age of 6 live in poverty. With Inequality and Education, many problems follow it. The situation is a puzzle† no one has the slightest idea what will work†. (Sabrina Taverns, 2012, paragraph 21).Their seems to be no solution to help fix this. It we may take a while to fix this problem but if we all come together we can probably all come up with a great solution that can work. According to Laura D’ Andrea Tyson, â€Å"’A mind is a terrible thing to waste†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. (2012, paragraph 21). So we should all be able to appreciate and be given an opportunity. Now there’s not that many solution to this problem. According to Sabrina Taverns,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the pattern of privileged families today in intensive cultivation†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. 2012, paragraph 12). One solution could be to get more poor and middle class people into education. Education can be a solution to inequality. More education would also benefit those in more in need. Professor Reardon says that â€Å"with income declines more severe in the lower brackets there’ s a good chance the recession may widened the gap†. (Sabrina Taverns, 2012, paragraph 7). The American value is that each individual should have the opportunity to realize his or her potential.So if we gave more children the opportunity to get some education it would benefit us all because this inequality in education problem would get a solution. All in all, Income inequality and education may take a while to fix but by getting more children their education and finding their potential that can help a little. Everyone has potential to become someone in life and get education it doesn’t matter what race or age you are. It shouldn’t even matter your family income.

Canadian cultural Essay

In her article â€Å"I Am Half-Canadian,† Pamela Swanigan seeks to define Canadian cultural identity by comparing and contrasting it to the often highly regarded identity attributed to Americans. Born in the USA to parents of mixed racial origin and later immigrating to Canada, Swanigan offers a unique view on many of the common fallacies that come up when one envisions the culture of the United States. Contrary to the popular view, that depicts the United States as an all-welcoming â€Å"melting pot† of cultures and races, Swanigan contests instead that American culture is one of constricting self-definition and pigeonholing. She argues that American culture is neither open nor accepting of diversity, instead forcing people to strictly classify themselves into certain racial and linguistic categories- â€Å"everyone’s forced to pick one definition and stick to it. † Having personally experienced this phenomenon, as a woman of mixed race working in a traditionally male field (sports writing), Swanigan is extremely influential in presenting her case, offering a number of examples as to how Americans are boxed in to certain classifications and social expectations. She further goes on to remark on the close-minded nature of such a view, which leads many Americans to be suspicious and vaguely threatening- a stance that directly contradicts the traditional view of the United States as an open and accepting country. Swanigan contrasts this with the relatively fluid and undistinguishable collective culture of Canada, where a lack of strict individual definition leads to the misconception that Canadians have no culture at all. Instead the author seeks to dispel this myth by suggesting that this lack of identification is in fact the ideal that America claims to promote, which its neighbor to the north that has achieved.