Discovery Of The World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 109

Discovery Of The World - Essay Example Initial education on world tours captures the role of Columbus as a first explorer, which is not accurate because of the existence of data suggesting there were other voyagers before him who explored the world and discovered most of the places he is credited for. The involvement of Columbus in Hispaniola indicates the cruel nature of his approach. The killing of the inhabitants of the area was a genocide event because it led to suffering to the people of Hispaniola. The direct involvement of his men in the death of the locals indicates criminal liability of Columbus. In addition, the action taken by Columbus and his voyages in the area can be charged in the modern world as the violation of human rights. Columbus is a villain and not a hero because he is credited for what he did not achieve. Likewise, he is involved in actions and events that are not related to heroism. The involvement in battles in order to claim the lands and wealth of others is an indication of the challenge of res pect for humans.  

Is friar Lawrence to blame Essay Example for Free

Is friar Lawrence to blame Essay Friar Lawrence is the local Roman Catholic priest who is also an apothecary. He is the confident of both Romeo and Juliet and plays an important role in the fate of both. He is more than aware of the familys feuding and seems to be well thought of by everybody. Romeo respects Friar Lawrence very much and sees him as a father figure. When Romeo feels suicidal when he has just been banished from Verona, the Friar tells him to straighten up. `This is dear mercy, and thou seest it not. ` When Romeo confesses that he wants to marry Juliet, Friar Lawrence teases Romeo about how fickle in love he is. `Is Rosaline, that thou didst love so dear, So soon forsaken? ` But in spite of this he still agrees to marry the young couple as he hopes it will end the familys feuding. `For this alliance may so happy prove, To turn your households rancour to pure love. ` He only agreed to it because he had their best interests at heart. I dont think he is to blame for marrying them as he did what he thought was right. And even if Friar Lawrence hadnt married them, whos to say that another Friar wouldnt have married them? Romeo and Juliet both feel as if they can turn to him when they are in trouble. We see this when Romeo has been banished, because he stabbed Tybalt and Juliet has been told that she must marry Paris. Romeo doesnt seem as if he is very close to either of his parents but Juliet usually has her nurse to turn to, but even the nurse, in the end the nurse rejects her too. `I think it best u married with the county. ` So in desperation each one goes to Friar Lawrence for help. Romeo is helped by being giving him a hide out in Mantua until Juliet can meet him. Juliet, being ordered to marry Paris, has gone to Friar Lawrence in desperation and has asked for help. First of all the Friar has to help Romeo escape. He allows Romeo to spend one night with Juliet, but before dawn he must leave. It is at this time that Juliet has been told to marry Paris. So she goes to the Friar. Friar Lawrence then devises a plan that will ensure Juliet and Romeos happiness. In some ways this shows us the Friars cunning, we are also shown that he is quite a smart man. We know that the friar is also an apothecary, so he gives Juliet a potion, which will make Juliet look as if she is dead. When she is taken to the family tomb, the friar will wait until she awakens, and by which time Romeo will hopefully already be there and take Juliet away. While devising this plan he still has the families interests at heart. He is only doing this in the hope that the two families, Montague and Capulet will reconcile. Although it could be argued, that he only helped them because he wanted to save himself. I personally dont think so. I think he would have known that he would have had to `cover his tracks` before he married the couple. He seems like a prudent man, one that will think things through; he would never have married them and helped them elope for selfish reasons. But the Friar did deceive both the Capulet and Montague parents. And although this was wrong, it was also, in my opinion justified. I think this because he didnt really have much choice. If he had wanted to succeed with his plan then they would have had to be kept in the dark, there was no other way round it. If they had been told, neither parent would have agreed to let their child associate with the child of the enemy. Priests do have the best interests of their parishes at heart and they do not lie and deceive people needlessly, but I think in this case it was allowed. Even though everything didnt turn out the way it should have, it achieved the one thing the Friar wanted: peace between the families. And although the price paid was very high, almost too high, the motivation was honourable he genuinely didnt act selfishly. I think everyone, in the play recognised this including the prince. `We still have known thee for a holy man. ` Friar Lawrence really was a decent man, even if his plans did go slightly wrong.

Mental Health State Essay -- Healthcare, Vision, Mental Health

Low vision assessments as a routine normally include case history and psychophysical measurements. By adding mental health state and low vision quality of life questionnaires during case history, a better quality of low vision rehabilitation can be offered to low vision patients. Low vision rehabilitation is very rewarding because much can be offered to assist the low vision patients. We report a 43-years old female who had tractional retinal detachment secondary to diabetic retinopathy and how low vision rehabilitation can be improved by adding simple steps incorporating mental health state and quality of life questionnaire which can be measured objectively during case history in low vision assessment. As this case report shows, recognition of the mental health and quality of life impact on visual impairment is very critical to institution of appropriate rehabilitation and referral for low vision patients. Introduction Currently, low vision assessment routine normally involved mainly the case history which includes the patient’s main complained, patient’s requirements, patient’s ocular history, patient’s general health plus medication, family history of ocular diseases and general health. The psychophysics measurement such as visual acuity (VA), refraction, visual field measurement, contrast sensitivity function test, assessment of anterior and posterior part of the eyes were the common examination conducted during low vision assessment (Jackson & Wolffsohn 2007). However, mental health state i.e The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) (Ramli et al. 2007) and Low Vision Quality of Life Questionnaires (LVQoL) (Walffsohn & Cochrane 2000) are not routine in case history during low vision assessment at Low Vision Clinic, U... ...sians. Asia Pac J Public Health 21(1):43-50. 12. Norhani, M. & Suzainah, Y. 1998. Profile of low vision clinic population. Clinical and Experimental Optometry 81(5):198-202 13. Ramli, M., Mohd Ariff, F. & Zaini, Z. Translation, validation and psychometric properties of Bahasa Malaysia version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). ASEAN Journal Psychiatry 8(2):82-89 14. Wolffsohn, J. S. & Cochrane, A. L. 2000. Design of the Low Vision Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (LVQOL) and Measuring the Outcome of Low-vision Rehabilitation. American Journal of Ophthalmology. 130(6):793-802. 15. Zainal, M., Ismail, S. M., Ropilah, A. R., Elias, H., Arumugan, G., Alias, D., Fathilah, J. Lim, T. O., Ding, L. M. & Goh, P. P. 2002. Prevalence of blindness and low vision in Malaysian population: results from the National Eye Survey 1996. Br J Ophthalmol. 86:951-956

Character Study: Scott Hastings Essay

The film strictly ballroom directed by Baz Lurmann is a drama/comedy about peoples attitudes towards dance and other cultures. A character that makes a dramatic change is Scott Hastings. He changes from being smug and self centred to being accepting of other cultures and that other people can be successful with the help of family and friends. Scott is a very arrogant, self centred person before he properly meets Fran. His mother Shirley has a great influence on his behaviour. â€Å"Half of the trophies in this room were won by Scott.† Shirley shows Scott that is alright to be rude to people and that the world only revolves around him. In Les Kendall’s dance studio, Scott is irritated by les and Shirley because they showed their disgust about Scott dancing his own steps and rebelling against Les and Shirley. This causes Scott’s partner Liz start dancing with the dancing champion Ken Railings, also Scott’s arch enemy. â€Å"I don’t want us to end up like that drunk Ken Railings. The director shows Scott’s reaction to this by using extreme close ups to show his facial expressions and mid shots to show his body language to the people around him. At the end of the scene Fran approaches Scott and asks to dance with him. This triggers the changes that Scott starts to make. Scott changes due to Fran approaching him and asking o dance with him, â€Å"Look what you’re carrying on about? You’re going to wake up tomorrow and feel like a real idiot about it.† Scott decides to give Fran a chance at dancing and realises that Fran can really dance. In the Fiesta scene Baz Lurmann uses the opportunity to reveal Scott. Rico confronts Scott about the kind of dancing Scott is doing with Fran and Scott lies to Rico and says that he has been practising the Pasa Doble, Scott then tries dancing the Pasa Doble, but soon learns that it is the wrong dance because the people at the Fiesta start to laugh at Scott for dancing the wrong dance. â€Å"What, why are you all  laughing at me?† Rico starts to dance the Pasa Doble and Scott joins in. The director uses this dance off to reveal the fact that Rico is Scott’s contrast and the extreme close ups on both of the dancers feet. This symbolises that Scott respects Rico and learns that he has to earn respect and not be given it like a handout. In this scene Rico is wearing a genuine matador’s jacket to show Rico has an upper hand on dancing the Pasa Doble. Scott also realises how he acted before he met Fran and Rico and his behaviour towards people ho he thinks are ‘below’ him. The ending sequence is another sequence that also changes Scott. This is the scene where Shirley pressures Scott into dancing with Liz after her new partner Ken Railings dumps her. Fran sees Scott and starts dancing in beginners dancing. â€Å"Fran is back in beginners where she belongs. Scott sees Fran upset and shows his true colours and feelings about Fran. Finally Scott realises Fran is the right dancer for him and this is also the time when Doug tells Scott the truth about his and Shirley’s past. â€Å"Son, can I bend your ear for a tick.† In the dance sequence following what Doug revealed to Scott, he realises that Fran and her culture is important. The matador jacket which Rico wears in the earlier Fiesta scene is now worn by Scott to symbolise the respect and knowledge he has gained through Rico and Fran. Scott now reveals his feelings for Fran by kissing her. Therefore the character Scott changes from an arrogant self-centred boy to a courageous admiral character. This is shown though the three main scenes when Scott feels challenged. In the opening scene Scott thinks of Fran and all of the people who cannot dance as good as him like they should look up to him but in the Fiesta scene, Rico and the Spanish community laugh at Scott proving his theory wrong. Scott’s new sense of respect leads through to the ending sequence when Scott portrays freedom and the sense to respect everyone, no matter what culture they are.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet

Internet has developed the global among every thing in our life. In the last century, the world became smaller like a village. The users of the internet are increasing because of the interest for them from the free services. The communities have knowledge and benefits from the internet; however, some of them are victims own to this international network. The internet has many benefits for the population especially the communication; such as social networks and E-mails.For instance, Face Book, Twitter, and Google let us to get in touch with each other by easy way from computers and mobiles. Furthermore, E-mail is the official technique to contact with the organizations, companies, and universities; for example, the students, who want to register in collage often send online request, to accept them. In addition, the internet has wise encyclopedia which contain any things the readers want to know. Even though, people have TVs and news paper, they prefer to follow the fresh news about po litics and sports from the internet. Related article: The Other Side of Email Robert Kuttner SummaryOn the other hand, the victims are targets for hackers who steal private information across the online network. For example, fake websites to sell products to steal the MasterCard information. None the less, some users have anti-varies to protect their systems. Also, many people wise their time in the chat while they have spoken about no things. In my opinion, the internet is very important for me. By my side, I always study by watching lessons and reading from the internet. Also, I improve my skills from the internet.

World War 1 Battles

World War 1 Battles The battles of the World War I were fought across the globe from the fields of Flanders and France to the Russian plains and deserts of the Middle East. Beginning in 1914, these battles devastated the landscape and elevated to prominence places that had previously been unknown. As a result, names such as Gallipoli, the Somme, Verdun, and Meuse-Argonne became eternally entwined with images of sacrifice, bloodshed, and heroism. Due to the static nature of World War I trench warfare, fighting took place on a routine basis and soldiers were rarely safe from the threat of death. The battles of the World War I War are largely divided into the Western, Eastern, Middle Eastern, and colonial fronts with the bulk of the fighting taking place in the first two. During World War I, over 9 million men were killed and 21 million wounded in battle as each side fought for their chosen cause. Battles of World War I by Year 1914 August 7-September 13: Battle of the Frontiers - Western FrontAugust 14-25: Battle of Lorraine - Western FrontAugust 21-23: Battle of Charleroi - Western FrontAugust 23: Battle of Mons - Western FrontAugust 23-31: Battle of Tannenberg - Eastern FrontAugust 28: Battle of Heligoland Bight - At SeaSeptember 6-12: First Battle of the Marne - Western FrontOctober 19-November 22:Â  First Battle of Ypres - Western FrontNovember 1: Battle of Coronel - At SeaNovember 9: Battle of Cocos - At SeaDecember 8: Battle of the Falklands - At SeaDecember 16: Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool, Whitby - At SeaDecember 24-25: The Christmas Truce - Western Front 1915 January 24: Battle of Dogger Bank - At SeaFebruary 19-January 9, 1916: Gallipoli Campaign - Middle EastApril 22-May 25: Second Battle of Ypres - Western FrontMay 7: Sinking of the Lusitania - At SeaSeptember 25-October 14: Battle of Loos - Western Front 1916 February 21-December 18: Battle of Verdun - Western FrontMay 31-June 1: Battle of Jutland - At SeaJuly 1-November 18: Battle of the Somme - Western FrontAugust 3-5: Battle of Romani - Middle EastDecember 23: Battle of Magdhaba - Middle East 1917 January 9: Battle of Rafa - Middle EastJanuary 16: Zimmermann Telegram - Western FrontMarch 26: First Battle of Gaza - Middle EastApril 9-May 16: Battle of Arras - Western FrontJune 7-14: Battle of Messines - Western FrontJuly 31-November 6: Battle of Passchendaele (Third Ypres) - Western FrontOctober 24-November 19: Battle of Caporetto - Italian FrontOctober 31-November 7: Third Battle of Gaza - Middle EastNovember 20-December 6: Battle of Cambrai - Western Front 1918 March 21-April 5: Spring Offensives - Operation Michael - Western FrontJune 1-June 26: Battle of Belleau Wood - Western FrontJuly 15-August 6: Second Battle of the Marne - Western FrontAugust 8-11: Battle of Amiens - Western FrontSeptember 19-October 1: Battle of Megiddo - Middle EastSeptember 26-November 11: Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Western Front

Coping with Your Issues on Your Own

Coping with Your Issues on Your Own Proper Scheduling Despite all the excitement and expectations of new life experience caused by the transition to college, this process is also accomplished with much stress for a new student. Freshman year obviously plays a significant role in the personal development as it symbolizes a start of new life – adult life. This is the first time when a student is the only person responsible for his or her well-being; that is why it is extremelybeneficial to make this start fresh and smooth to succeed with further student’s troubles.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Coping with Your Issues on Your Own specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The transition from high school opens new opportunities to the freshman such as afreedom of decision making, a new environment, and new acquaintances.However, this newly found freedom also demands much responsibility and mature behavior as the freshman is responsible for all the actions he or she makes; and there is no need to hope for somebody’s assistance. To cope with challenging situations provoked by the new environment is possible through proper socializing and time management. It is impressive that college gives more time, which is possible to spend according to one’s own mind, but it also demands more time to fulfill the work assigned. Each student should clearly understand that attending the classes is not enough to succeed, it is necessary to perform a lot of additional work and research. This obviously needs a proper scheduling of the day to avoid stress or headaches. Within first months at college, the student faces tests and other academic obstacles that make him or her study hard for hours. The well-performed coordination of scheduling issues distributes work in portions that can be made with little effort and stress. Procrastination in the studying process is not the choice; it is no longer the norm to do the task in the last m inute such as the night before it is due. Getting assignmentsdone in advance or parts is the way to avoid stress pertaining to academic issues, especially within first months at college. While coping with the college assignments and tasks, it is helpful for the freshman to understand the limits. Proper scheduling can be done with accordance to the knowledge how fast and how much work can a student do. It is advantageous to split up reading materials of big amounts such as novels as it helps to avoid monotony, tiredness, and boredom, and thus causes less stress. Performing tasks assigned in sections needs planning the time accordingly to manage academic tasks in a timely manner. It is necessary to keep in mind that scheduling also involves social life of a student, besides his obligatory academic assignments. A variety of extra seminars, conferences, workshops, and group studies is offered to students to acquire more knowledge, improve existing skills, and expand the abilities.They a lso need time and energy and sometimes cause much stress to freshmen who find it hard to adjust to so many changes and academic requirements. The transition to college is also accomplished with the necessity to get new acquaintances and friends. The student society often provides students with a range of clubs, associations, and groups reflecting different interest and life positions. These communities also require time, especially at the beginning to prove one to be a valued member. Therefore, the main cornerstone in the freshman adjustment with little stress experienced is a proper scheduling of numerous assignments and activities to be done a day.Advertising Looking for article on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Overcoming Social Stress The transition from high school to college means the transition from home with caring parents and family to an adult life with no support behind the back. The situation of leaving the usual environment a student is accustomed to can cause serious social stress. Though it is an exciting feeling of becoming a grown-up and receiving the ability to make one’s own decisions, college life also requires a lot of responsibility and maturity. Misunderstandings of these issues on the part of freshmen who have just got freedom make them struggle many difficulties at the beginning of their college experience. A new life needs to create a new social network to get adjusted in the strange environment. The first significant issue the freshman deals with is sharing a room with a complete stranger. It is essential to take into consideration that the roommate if he or she is also a freshman also experiences difficulties caused by leaving parental house. Hence, the two strange people have much in common – the necessity to establish themselves in the student society, adjust to college life tempo, and succeed in the educational process. From the first si ght, a new roommate can seem a disaster that is why it is critical to take into account his or her level of stress in this situation. The other significant tip is to get acquainted with the roommate’s habits, interests, and preferences and develop a joint plan for a pleasant habitation. Even two entirely different students can successfully live together if they are tolerant to each other’s needs and desires, and nobody tries to establish the dominance. Besides dealing with a roommate, a freshman also faces the problem to get new acquaintances and friends to avoid loneliness and lack of communication. Every school year starts with a party where a freshman can meet other new students, findcommon interests, or just get involved in the student life. There are a number of places of interest organized by different student associations to vary a student life and supplement the monotonous academic study with new impressions and experiences. The student society also conducts c onstant meetings and travels that serve to increase cooperation and interaction among students. The most notable thing while looking for new friends and mates is to be one’s own person; there is no need to do the thing everyone else does if there is no wish to. A freshman should not worry that he or she does is not going to fit any community or student group unless he or she pretends to be someone else. The student life can be much enjoyable if a freshman pursues his or her own interests and likings and thus, finds the most convenient communication environment.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Coping with Your Issues on Your Own specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As the college life is a first stage of adult life, it requires mature behavior and relationships with mates, teachers, and partners. The educational staff understands the challenging difficulties a student faces while adjusting in college; however, i t is only a student’s task to cope with the assigned work, social life, and living issues. If a freshman goes to a party, he or she has to understand that staying awake late leads to the late arrival to classes, bad concentration, and hasty; those do not serve for a substantial advancement or relaxing mental condition. One of the important factors of the successful study process is a sufficient socialization in the student community; this requires close communication with a roommate, course mates, and other students. Nevertheless, social life should not exclude education process or influence progress in studies. An adult person who a freshman already is should cope with all aspects in a grown-up way. Stress Relievers In addition to academic and social challenging issues, a freshman also experiences stress of the situation in general. The process and understanding of becoming an adult often leads to lower self-esteem and confidence in one’s own abilities to manage a va riety of matters and tasks. A new environment and a necessity to share a living place with a stranger can cause stress and a feeling of loneliness. Multiple academic assignments, tests, and hard study arouse adrenaline rush; such busy social life is also accomplished with an increased usage of caffeine and a necessity to find a part-time job. There are several tips helpful to adjust and feel comfortable in the college environment. It is crucial to find or create one’s own space where a freshman can focus and concentrate on the study he or she is coping with or just be alone for a while. If a freshman has an ever-present or noisy roommate, the quiet place can be found in the library or a comfortable corner in the coffee shop. During warm periods, the privacy can be established under a big tree far from crowded paces and lanes. Proper physical condition reflects proper mental one; so a freshman should pay attention to some physical activities to avoid stress. Walking is a perf ect relaxation option for the mind; besides, it can be done everywhere and free of charge. A freshman can walk to classes, between them, to a friend’s house or shops, he or she just need to take this advantage. Advertising Looking for article on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another relaxing activity is yoga that is an excellent form of exercise and significantly benefits the health condition. Yoga classes are offered at gyms and in fresh air, and it can be done at different parts of the day. A balance of the right food and enough sleep also assist in avoiding student stress. Though fast food is quick, cheap, and convenient, it does not provide a freshman with all necessary vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. Constant consumption of fruit, vegetables, fish, and juices balance the food ration and stimulate the learning process. A proper diet should be accomplished with enough sleeping hours that help the brain to relax and withdraw the useless information. Lots of freshmen find it hard to get enough sleep because they cannot manage their busy schedules. Thus, the learning process should be organized with either late stays awake or morning classes. There are also a number of stress reliever techniques helpful in overcoming tense situations during coll ege study. The usual lack of sleep can be supplemented with power naps during the day; they are short but enough to relax the mind and boost its productivity. The other helpful technique is visualization that needs several minutes to bring peace and calm to the tired freshman. A student just needs to occupy a comfortable position, close the eyes, and create a line of imagery pictures. The visualization can be accompanied with breathing exercise eliminating the student from stress. A technique called Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a good start and end of the student day’ the activity involves tensing and relaxing all body muscles. Listening to classic music also helps to concentrate within the learning process, wake up mental productivity, and relax brains at the end of the day. Despite various techniques serving to relieve stress, it is important to avoid student pitfalls. Proper scheduling of the fulfillment of assignments prevents from all-night studying to manage the tas ks due to deadline limits. Proper sleep provides a compelling mental productivity and does not require constant caffeine consumptions. Long night parties also damage the studying process and are better to be exchanged for study groups that are helpful in education and provide necessary communication. A Perfect Study Session Body and Mind Preparation for Exams It is obvious that exam period is not a pleasant one as it requires much effort and energy and brings much stress and sometimes frustration. The success in studies is not a gift or blessing, it is a result of a right self-organization aimed to boost brain potential and involve all the abilities. The preparation for an exam should not be done in the last minute and should follow the proper learning of the material during classes and home assignments. A diligent student do not need to study at nights and in a harsh, he or she just need to follow the tips directed to get the body and mind ready. If the student does not enjoy proc rastination during the semester, it is easy for him or her to cope with the preparation. The main tips of proper exam preparation are a masterly study organization, usage of additional studying sources and techniques, and healthy body condition. The first thing to do is to set a study time and stick to it every day, it is crucial to take constant breaks to relax the mind. The time should be managed wisely to avoid long-term study sessions, and it is better to dedicate the first part of the day for mental activities.The clear workplace plays a significant role in the educational progress, thus, the desk should be organized to create a positive work environment. If there is no need and help, it is reasonable to cut out social media, TV, and video games before exams. Before the preparation starts, the student should set goals pertaining to the study process such as how much is aimed to be accomplished a day; moreover, personal limits should be involved in the schedule planning. Settin g priorities helps to focus on the most important exams first and stay concentrated on the major aspects. There is no need to stress too much and be obsessed with the results and consequences as it switches the priorities during the preparation process. It is good to establish cooperation with classmates in person and online to swap notes and conduct study session in groups. Additional materials and techniques in the preparation assist in boosting brain abilities and potential. There are three main types of memory – visual, audial, and kinesthetic which should be engaged in the studying process. The usage of flashcards and presentations accumulate visual memory, audio sets and music accompaniment serve for audial memory, creation of hand mockups, diagrams, or other supplementing material works for kinesthetic memory. Gathering old notes and papers, rereading some textbook chapters, and redoing old tests and quizzes help to remind the studies’ material. Besides persona l material, it is good to attend the library to expand the knowledge in the field and join study groups that target to provide better information cover within a shorter time period as every member does only a part of the job. Online resources offer anextensive help in finding necessary information and training; it is reasonable to keep in mind and use online quiz applications such as Quizlet. At the end of the preparation, it is beneficial to answer all study guide questions to check the achieved level of proficiency. Even proper scheduling and usage of additional materials cannot lead to a good advancement if they are not accompanied by right health condition. Hence, it is necessary to eat well, especially chocolate, fish, and berries that accumulate brain productivity. The student should also get 8 hours of sound sleep to relax between study sessions; regular exercises also contribute to the successful studying process.It is good to receive plenty of fresh air and drink much wat er and juice to stay hydrated; it is better to have coffee only once a day and in the morning to stimulate the brain activity and let it relax in the afternoon. Special Techniques The process of exam preparation is a difficult period demanding hard effort and causing much stress to students. The first rule is obviously to study every day during classes, lectures, and seminars and manage assignments, but even such diligent students face the problem to copy with upcoming examinations. The advancement in studies requires proper scheduling, constant studying, and knowledge of some additional techniques that help to accumulate brain productivity and use its full potential. The Pomodoro Technique was created and developed to improve time management of students in exam preparation. The main idea of the technique is a study structure consisting of constant breaks and short study periods. There is no need to take a book and dedicate oneself to its investigation for three or more hours as the brain cannot absorb all the read information. That is why the best way to gain knowledge and make it a long-term memory is to accomplish studies in sections. This allows the student to accomplish the task and keep continuous improvement with little effort and stress through effective time management. The first step in Pomodoro Technique is to decide on a task, set studying priorities, and perform a concentrated study within 25 minutes. Afterwards, it is necessary to take a 5-minute break to switch the attention from studies and relax the brain. This study-break session can be repeated three times when it is time for a longer break; it is good to take it in fresh air and go for a short walk. The technique is available in application forms such as FocusBooster, Pomodoro, and Pomodoro Time Management Lite. Such sufficient time management helps to achieve educational results with a lot less time spent. Another excellent technique is an 80/20 rule also known as the Pareto Principle tha t claims that 80% of student results need only 20% of his or her effort.The main key to achieve sufficient progress is not based on the intelligence level but study skills to focus on the right material needed to accomplish the task. There are syllabus documents developed for each subject in student course study; these papers and guidelines are available in print and online and should be used to avoid wasting time during the exam preparation process. Moreover, they often include glossary of terms that are required to be learnt while completing course study. There are also various study guides sold in shops that are helpful in filling gaps in student knowledge. The educational systems claim no separation between students’ outcomes and marks they get; nevertheless, class studies and textbooks are not enough to acquire the course material. Hence, study guides provide instructions of necessary activities and works to perform a full range of knowledge and focus on right things. T he right concentration leads to the cover of all required course content and improves academic performance correspondingly. One more thing pertaining to time management is a power nap that is a recreation break between study sessions. The main principle of power nap is its short term that, however, allows the body and the mind to relax and prepare for a further work. There are two great ways to experience a power nap not longer than 20 minutes that is enough to gain a new mental energy. It sounds silly, but it is good to drink coffee when you are extremely tired; the caffeine starts work after 20 minutes, so there is an opportunity to have a short nap before waking up from it. Another way is to set an alarm at 30 minutes and get into bed with the clothes on. Taking into consideration time necessary to fall asleep, the nap takes about 20 minutes; and it is easier to get up when having clothes on already. Ways to Overcome Distractions The preparation for exams demands a complete atte ntion to the subject and full concentration on its content. There are a lot of things that interrupt the student from the learning process such as Internet surfing like Facebook and Youtube, noisy roommates, or student parties. These distractions can be taken as minor hazards for a good advancement; however, it is better to minimize their effects. The progress in education can be achieved only under condition of the complete focus on the assignment; thus, there are some tips assisting in getting rid of surrounding distractions. The first tip is to turn off the music as it is almost impossible to acquire new and difficult information while listening to song lyrics. The only type of music permissible in the preparation is classic music which is slow and calm and helps to concentrate on the subject content. Moreover, it also isolates student ears from other minor noises such as outside talks, traffic noise, and murmurs. Therefore, it is reasonable to inform the roommates about oneâ⠂¬â„¢s study hours and intentions to avoid bothering and interruption on the part of them. The best place to study is an isolated place where a student can dedicate all effort and concentration to accomplish the task assigned. If it is not possible to stay alone in the room, there are other quiet places perfect for studying like the library or small coffee shops. There is no much difference where to stay for studying, but the student shouldbein a place provoking no temptation to start up a conversation with a friend. One of the biggest distractions nowadays is the Internet that gives a plenty of opportunities to be distracted from studying for a short time; in fact, most of browsing takes much time and is anenormous waste of learning productivity. The best way to beat this temptation is to cut off the internet or disconnect Wi-Fi connection during the studying. In case, the Internet is needed for some research, the student should conduct it and save the findings on the desktop to pr event further need in the Net. Other prominent distractors are TV and cell phones that are always at hand and ready to destroy the learning process. Hence, it is better to put the phone silent and out of the view during intense study sessions. There should not be any TV on the background as it lowers the task accomplishment or stops it at all. Majority of favourite programs and films can be watched on the computer later or recorded on TV; thus, no TV, computer games, or phone talks are acceptable in the exam preparation. One more common distractor is munching, almost every student likes eating while doing homework. Firstly, it is worthless because the focus switches from the study content to the food consuming with all its flavours and aromas. In scientific language, the blood leaves the brains and concentrates in the stomach to digest the eaten stuff; so it is hard to acquire new information while eating. Secondly, the student desk has to contain only education-related items, and it is often full of valuable papers and course books that can be stained with fat and colorful spots from food. It is obvious from the said above that there are many distractions, and they are always going to be to get a reason to withdraw from studying. Only a student is responsible for scheduling proper preparation process to achieve success in the studying. The advancement requires self-control to avoid and prevent the possibility of distractors and manage to focus on the work and complete it without time wasting. Get Your Things Straight The Importance of College Education It is obviously prestigious to get a college degree, and many students try hard to catch the opportunity to transit from high school to a college institution. However, after entering a college environment, many change their goals and sometimes even do not see their withdrawn from the most important one. Despite a variety of entertainments, parties, and clubs that are a result of newly found freedom to make de cisions and behave correspondently; it is essential to realize that the most significant part that can be gained in college is education. First of all, college is a conscious choice of what and how to learn with a perspective for future career and well-being. It is a place where a student can acquire knowledge he or she is passionate about and thus, enjoy the learning process. Moreover, college education provides strong competence that plays a significant role in the professional development and high self-efficacy. The advancement in studies increases personal self-esteem and confidence in one’s own abilities and potential. Besides strong knowledge and skills, college education also provides a student with useful relationships that can be helpful in future life. Classmates with various backgrounds and interests expand each other’s mental outlooks and help a student grow as a person. The variety of opportunities and academic focus assist in figuring out who the person i s and who he or she wants to be. This understanding is necessary for everyone to find one’s own place in life and society. College education is also an opportunity to achieve independence – personal and financial one. This does not only concerns moving from parents’ house, but becoming a responsible adult to make decisions and develop strategies and plans aimed at further prosperity. Hard and diligent studying is often rewarded with part time jobs in the field of future career with a high potential of further promotions and financial stability. Knowledge and skills acquired during college education are applicable not only in the future career, they are animmense help in managing personal life. Such abilities as analytical thinking and excellent speaking and reasoning skillsare welcomed in the job market and make a candidate more marketable. Even general knowledge of economics and law make the person more impregnable in various situations in daily existence. Besi des academic disciplines, college education offers a plenty of activities, involvement in which can become a bullet point in a student’s future resume. For instance, Student Government develops knowledge in politics and law and accumulates leadership abilities and interpersonal skills. It is possible to find any group of interest to improve the attainments and explore something new. Moreover, such groups provide practical experience that can be a first professional experience in the field of accounting, journalistic, medicine, sociology, or tutoring. Thus, college education in its initial meaning is anexcellent source of knowledge and development. That is why, it is necessary to keep oneself focused on the educational opportunities rather that to be distracted by student parties and entertainments. It is obviously hard and demands much energy and effort to complete a course and get a degree, but it is worth it. And it may be a terrific pride to become the first in the family to graduate from college or be the new one from a long line of family graduates. Tangible Reasons to Get College Education There are many reasons why students come to college; ones seek freedom from home and parents, others are eager to acquire new knowledge and skills. There are those who go to college because they are made to; as a result they need nothing but have fun and entertainment. Despite all the reasons, it is certainly worth trying to get from college life as much as it is possible – new acquaintances, experiences, and abilities. Nevertheless, the main reason to stay in college and make much effort to complete a degree is to get an education. That is why college education should be taken as a first stage in a professional career aimed at achieving money, prosperity, and independence. The main motive that rules almost every person in the contemporary world is money.Of course, every job is paid, but the difference is how much a person can get for the work he or she does. College education requires constant hard work to accomplish assigned tasks, cover course content, conduct necessary researches, and write lots of essay and papers. Hence, this education gives a plenty of skills and knowledge in the field of the student major. A well-qualified student with a college diploma is more likely to get a well-paid job with a potentially rising salary.Consistent development and improvement of knowledge open the doors to a further adult life with a stable income. Another advantage of college education is a variety of opportunities a student gets with a degree in hand. Besides a number of subjects pertaining to the major course, college education offers a range of different workshops, lectures, seminars, and other methods of the professional development. While a student is at college, he or she should grab any opportunity of acquiring new skills or abilities as this serves for his or her future prosperity. After graduation, a college student receives more job openings and more chances at promotions; moreover, a variety of skills accumulated at college can be applied to a variety of fields. Moreover, college education does not only influence a future career of a current student, it empowers him or her with a plenty of knowledge applicable in everyday life. College experience enriches students’ knowledge in the way to control a personal life’s logistics and improve day-to-day existence. It is obviously helpful to know how to read a lease or handle the finances of one’s own family; college education also provides an understanding of how market changes influence everyone’s life such as retirement accounts. No one feels secure against negative life experience like a loss of job place, bankruptcy of the company, or global economic crisis; however, a person with college knowledge is more likely to overcome such difficulties. Strong knowledge, acquired marketable skills, and significant money account are help ful when life throws a curve. The first two options are offered by college education, the third is their consequence when hard work at college is rewarded by a well-paid job. Thus college education is not only a graduation diploma, it is a door for the successful future. That is why, when a student gets to college his or her main focus should be education; of course, there is no need to be obsessed with it; entertainment activities and clubs are developed specially to provide proper relaxation and recreation between study sessions. It is just necessary to keep in mind that parties can be later, and college is an initial source of knowledge that is increasingly important in the job market. Intangible Reasons to get College Education College education is acrucial stage in building one’s professional career; it is the first step to achieve financial prosperity and independence. Besides vivid tangible reasons of gaining a college degree, there are a number of intangible reasons c laiming to personal self-esteem, confidence, and satisfaction. These reasons help students to focus on the educational process at college as on the main achievement point during college experience. It often happens that after the transition to a college environment, the student is distracted with a plenty of non-academic activities; that is why it is essential to remind the intangible but valuable advantages of a college degree. The education at college is not only dedicated to the study of the subjects pertaining to the course major; it also offers a variety of skills helpful in life. Numerous seminars, conferences, and classroom discussions develop and accumulate critical thinking and reasoning skills which are going to stay for a student lifetime. They can be applied to make significant life decisions and develop ways to improve the day-to-day existence. Most of the prestigious professions require a college degree and a constant professional development. A college graduate has a future opportunity to continue the study and pursue new skills and knowledge in the field, even if he or she has never given a second thought to continue the education. Such opportunity is a great advantage if a student is interested to connect his career with law, medicine, or education; these spheres have a high potential of promotions that are not separated from further studying. College education also gives a chance to obtain professions such as a scientist, a politician, or a sociologist which help to make one’s own contribution to the world’s change. People who aim to be able to help others and become doctors, lawyers, teachers, or work in various social services first have to educate themselves and get a college degree to acquire the necessary knowledge to act as agents of change for others. Otherwise, it is impossible to provide proper assistance and bring positive changes to other people’s lives. One more advantage of college education is a future acc ess to various unexpected resources acquired through time in school. Money is not the only valuable thing is life;beneficial relations can be helpful in various life spheres. For example, an ex-roommate can become an attorney and a class friend – a doctor who it is always possible to refer to. An annual alumni meeting can give a meeting with an ex-mate who offers a well-paid job as he or she knows the value of the college diploma. Hence, the college education can provide kinds of benefits and sources that are hard to plan beforehand, but that can make a real difference in the life. The last but not the least of intangible advantages here is a personal sense of pride and oneself. When a student get a college diploma, he or she knows that the effort applied and time and energy spend are rewarded now. The student gets a strong boost to start a professional life and find his or her own place in society. Moreover, the fact of earning a college degree gives an undoubted reason of lifetime pride to oneself, the family, and friends.

Biography of Pedro Flores, Father of the Yo-Yo

Biography of Pedro Flores, Father of the Yo-Yo Pedro Flores (April 26, 1896–December 1963) took what had been a Filipino weapon, and later a Filipino toy, and started manufacturing yo-yos in the United States. He soon became a self-made millionaire as the popularity of the toy skyrocketed. Indeed, the word yo-yo is a Tagalog word, the native language of the Philippines, and means come back. Fast Facts: Pedro Flores Known For: Introducing the yo-yo toy to the United States.Also Known As: Pedro Edralin FloresBorn: April 26, 1896 in Vintarilocos,  PhilippinesDied: December 1963 in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaEducation: University of California, Berkeley, Hastings College of LawSpouse: Edria Myers (m. June 6, 1931–December 1963)Children: Delmar Walters (stepson)Notable Quote: I am more interested in teaching children to use the yo-yos than I am in manufacturing of yo-yos. Early Years Flores was born on April 26, 1895, in Vintarilocos Norte, Philippines. He immigrated with his family to the United States in 1915, later studying law at the University of California Berkeley and the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. Flores Edria Myers on June 6, 1931. They were married until Flores died. Flores never completed his law degree and began his yo-yo business while working as a bellboy. From Weapon to Toy In the Philippines, the yo-yo was a weapon for over 400 years. The weaponized version featured large, sharp edges, and studs and attached to thick, 20-foot ropes for flinging at enemies or prey. Later, a form of the yo-yo, which had originated in China, became a popular toy in Europe and Asia. Flores had played with these toy yo-yos as a child- they were called bandalores at the time- and felt there might be a market for the toy in the U.S. Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company In 1928, Flores started the Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara. Flores began making yo-yos by hand for neighborhood children, but soon, James and Daniel Stone of Los Angeles financed machinery for the mass their production. Within a year, Flores was selling 300,000 yo-yos annually. On July 22, 1930, Flores trademarked the term Yo-Yo. Eventually, Donald F. Duncan Sr., who founded the Duncan Toy Company in 1929, took notice of the popularity of yo-yos. He bought the rights to the trademark and company from Flores that same year for $750,000. Promoting the Yo-Yo Flores stayed active and helped Duncan promote the yo-yo in the early years of the product. Particularly in 1931 and 1932, Flores staged yo-yo contests in various cities around the country. These contests featured yo-yo tricks, which became popular over the years, such as the sleeper, where the yo-yo seems to spin in place at the end of its string, or the walk the dog, where the practitioner seemingly gets the yo-yo to walk/roll along the ground and then return. Death Flores died in December 1963 in Coshocton, Ohio, where he had lived for more than two decades. He is buried in the South Lawn Cemetery in Coshocton. Legacy By 1962, Duncan Toys had sold 45 million yo-yos in the U.S. Three years later, the company went bankrupt. Flambeau Plastics Company (today Flambeau Inc.), acquired the rights to the yo-yo, and today it manufactures and sells the 11 different models of yo-yos (as of April 2018) still under the name of the Duncan Toys Company, which operates as a Flambeau subsidiary. Since Flores brought the toy to the U.S. decades ago, the yo-yo has become deeply ingrained in the culture of the country. For example, in 1968, Abbie Hoffman was cited for contempt of Congress for walking the dog in an effort to entertain the House Subcommittee on Un-American Activities that was investigating him, and Richard Nixon made headlines when he used a yo-yo on stage at the opening of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1974. Sources Findagrave.com.History Of The Yo-Yo.  Museum of Yo-Yo History.ï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Pedro Flores Story | The Character Network.†Ã‚  The Character Network RSS.Revolvy, LLC. â€Å"‘Pedro Flores (Inventor) on Revolvy.com.†Ã‚  Revolvy.

Unwritten Laws of Engineering and Laws of Personality Assignment - 5

Unwritten Laws of Engineering and Laws of Personality - Assignment Example Skakoon asserts that these laws are like the norms of a society, which cannot be violated through impunity on a frequent basis.There are three major dimensions of unwritten laws of engineering that need to be taken into consideration. The first essence of unwritten engineering law that needs to be given consideration by engineers is: Lessons that need to be learned by beginners in the engineering field; these lessons cover three major issues, which are:   - Issues related to their work: Beginners in the engineering field are required to give their first duty, no matter how minor they may appear, a high sense of commitments and professionalism.   - Issues ascribed to their supervisors: According to Skakoon 2001, engineering supervisors have the right to know the level of progress of activities in their departments. In this regard, beginners in the engineering field are required to ensure that their supervisors are kept up-to-date on issues affecting their duties (10).   - An interpersonal relationship between them and their colleagues as well as their supervisors: In addition, Skakoon asserts that beginners in the engineering field should endure that they maintain a good inter-personal relationship between their colleagues and other stakeholders. This can be achieved through proper communication techniques and keeping an information update.Another dimension of unwritten laws of engineering is the chiefly relationship with engineering managers. The article explicates three techniques that can be applied to achieve this, they include:  Ã‚   - Technique and Individual Behavior: According to Skakoon 2001, the need to know about what is going on by a manager in an engineering department is another unwritten law of engineering. This can be achieved through collaborations and facilitating a positive relationship between the manager and their subordinate staff (23).   - What managers owe their employees: Skakoon notes that engineering managers are the face of their organizations. In this regard, they are required to facilitate a positive representation of their subordinate staff.

Final Examination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Final Examination - Essay Example â€Å"Nostra Aetate† enforces my belief in the Christian faith that seeks to accommodate other faiths and religions. It is living up to the spirit of the Gospels in John 17:21 â€Å"That they all may be one†. I cannot be more proud of my faith seeing that it extends a hand to others in order to seek understanding and by extension peace. This verse exalts us as Christians to fight for peace so that others can truly identify us with a father who is the source of all goodness. The question of divine revelation is present in all religions. From the Christian faith, Islam, Hinduism to all other shares this common characteristic. It sets them apart from other religions that do not claim divine revelation in their founding. This is the point of departure for interreligious dialogue knowing too well that their origin and base are inspired by a supreme being and not ordinary human beings out to advance their own ideologies and interests. Man is considered a mortal being in all these major religions (Valea Paragraph 3). He is portrayed as being powerful but limited in a sense and that is why he raises the state of the mortal person after the death. Though they differ in terms of the state of the afterlife it is evident that this is a common trait in all and it’s given a lot of weight. On the hand other hand, the Supreme Being is viewed as in immortal being and as a source of everything in existence. There is the essence of eternity in the Supreme Beings which make them be seen as being very powerful. The idea of the divine reality is very alive among believers of all major religions. There is the cultivation of a close relationship of human beings and the Supreme Being. Human beings engage at different levels in relating with the Supreme Being. The acknowledgement that there is a greater power than them has a sense of relief to them in that they are able to cast their doubts and worries. Valea in his article à ¢â‚¬Å"The

Music in the marketplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Music in the marketplace - Essay Example The place smelt fresh with flower scents all over the environment setup. Drinks were served to the couples as it seemed as though the event was sought of a festival. There was no other sound audible in the environment and the space was sufficient to ease movement or a dance. The music in this setting is important in defining the space and aids in crafting the identity for the brand. The music made me feel refreshed, and the other members of the audience felt relaxed, especially due to the smell of the environment and the smooth romantic music. The other club visited a few miles away had a direct contrast with the place where romantic songs were being played. The second club played rock music with a big number of people in attendance. The place was stuffy, and no one seemed to enjoy the serenity of the environment. On the other hand, there was an audible sound coming from a construction site a factor that affected the music. Essentially, the club had limited space due huge number of people. Though the rest of the audience mostly seemed to enjoy the moment and the music, I did

Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing simulation Essay

Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing simulation - Essay Example This will be followed by direct impact/results of these decisions which will be generated by the simulation itself. Following this explanation, the interdependence between differentiation and positioning a product and a service is explained. Besides this, the results of the decision of repositioning the brand of Cruiser Thor or introducing a whole new product line will also be discussed. Besides this, the overall effect of Product Life Cycle on the brand’s performance and the scenarios presented in the simulation is also discussed, which will give a comprehensive summary of selected marketing plans and its impact on the brands’ performance. 1. Scenario 1 1.1 The Situation Cruiser Thorr is the market leader in the motorcycle industry where the consumers symbolize the brand with lifestyle. Lifestyle positioning is the strongest element in the motorcycle industry and Cruiser Thorr enjoys the brand image of a premium product with all the features and deliverables which make s it the first choice of the consumers who can afford it. Situation 1 of the Simulation presents a scenario where the Cruiser is losing Sales because its ideal target market (men in the age-group of 25-50) is growing old and is no longer interested in the lifestyle image of the brand. Moreover, the alternative market of the youngsters do not relate to the image of the brand of Cruiser. Therefore, the brand had to be repositioned in the market and around those elements which would cater to the consumer preferences as portrayed in the market research. 1.2 Recommended Solutions The possible solution was to reposition the brand. I selected the parameters of Price, Service Offerings, Product Uniqueness, Product Design and Style. The results showed by the simulation were that the parameters of Product Style and Design and Product Uniqueness were not appropriately selected. I selected the Service Offerings because the competing brands had good services to offer and that, because of the hig h price of the Cruiser, it had to be complimented with Financial Services. Besides this, the Product Style and Design would have complimented the Lifestyle image. I did not select the Lifestyle parameter exclusively because the trend in the target market showed that this was no longer as important to the consumers as it was when they were young. 1.3 The Results As lifestyle image is the most important component in the Motorcycle Industry, the brand will sustain its image. Along with this, the Quality Engineering parameter also had to be included as it incorporated all the other factors such as the engine’s performance, the design and its overall quality; which are important to the consumers. 2. Scenario 2 2.1 The Situation The second Scenario was that the brand of Cruiser was lagging in sales despite repositioning it. The market dynamics through research showed that the young men, aged from 20 – 35 comprised of a strong market potential. Now the question was either to reposition Cruiser Thorr again or to launch a separate product called RRoth – a much lighter version of the Cruiser. 2.2. Recommended Solution The solution was to launch a separate product line under the brand of RRoth with low prices, more financial services, unique design and the quality persistent with Thorr’s image. The idea of repositioning Cruiser would be harmful because Cruiser Thorr is the premium brand of the company and repositioning it in the

Current Legal Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Current Legal Issues - Essay Example (www.gypsyadvice.com ) The society and government in today’s world have racially discriminated the Gypsy and the Traveler community because of which, these communities even today remain ostracized from the main stream public and society. Though there are several laws like the Race Equality Law and Race Relations Acts that have been passed by the government for providing justice to these communities, still it has been seen that in the majority of cases relating to equality, justice has not been provided to them because of which most of these communities remain in the dark. (www.jennettearnold.com) Issue of proper Accommodation: Indeed it has been centuries since such inequality has been meted to them, as well as to the people working in close contact with them. The Gypsy and Traveler communities have their own lifestyles as well have their own culture. Among them the Romani as well as the Irish Travelers are considered to be quite distinct due to the traditions that they follow . The rest of them are classified and identified based on how they move about within the country, which could be circus type of families or as travelers. (www.scribd.com ) Most of these Gypsies and Travelers maintain a nomadic kind of life, while the rest of them live in brick houses. Thus the lack of suitable and good housing sites is the biggest problem that is experienced by the Gypsy and Traveler communities today. Due to the inequality meted out to them by the rest of the society, this community presently are socially deprived and discriminated widely. The following is a brief study of inequality, which is being meted out to the Gypsy and Traveler community, in terms of the aspects regarding their accommodation. (www.scribd.com ) Lack of proper and permanent houses has been cited by most experts, as the primary reason for most of the problems, which these communities are facing across the world as well as in Great Britain. Most of the experts believe that non availability of su itable housing sites; have turned as a serious problem for allocation of housing sites to these communities by the government. As a result lack of proper housing facilities has been considered as one of the biggest and worst type of inequality, which has been shown to this community by the respective governments. The lack of good accommodation always causes a sense of insecurity among the Gypsy and Traveler Community alike and this has been stated as the root cause for all other problems, that the community experiences. (www.historyextra.com ) The main flaw that has been caused in this case has been directed towards the government, whose planning policy itself seems to falter, since they have moved away from the public sites to the system wherein, such communities themselves provide sites for construction of houses. It has been seen that whenever the Gypsies or the Traveler communities try to develop their own sites through private purchase, the local residents tend to oppose such a move. Because of this quarrel and disputes often occur between local residents as well as the members of these communities. This is a common scenario that has been noticed, whenever the members of the Gypsy and Traveler community try to submit applications regarding the plans for construction of house on lands, which they have privately purchased. Often such disputes and

The competitive nature of the big supermarket chains in the UK Essay

The competitive nature of the big supermarket chains in the UK - Essay Example It will further discuss whether the market structure is beneficial or has a negative impact to the customers. The four brands take more than seventy-five percent of the market shares with Tesco enjoying the largest share of the UK market. The supply of commodities is always on demand; hence, the production scale tends to be large to have space to accommodate the economies of scale. When the issue of economies of scale comes into play, the variable cost is always low due to the advanced technology that results to full utilization of the investment. The consumers get more products at lower prices. The oligopoly market structure tends to attract large manufacturers. In addition, the manufacturers are required to have higher levels of technical and financial strength in production of commodities (Obitz, 2009, p. 59). It results to more benefits to the people as evident in the large quantities of low price products. The oligopoly market in United Kingdom supermarket chains does possess an aspect of interdependence. If a company makes a price or market strategy that has influence on the other companies, the whole market particularly the firms, become interdependent (Leahy & Neary, 2010, p. 25). This means that if one supermarket decreases or increases the price of its commodities, the other supermarkets will also adjust their price. The supermarkets, in most instances have a common agreement of how they make changes on the output and the price. In addition, most of their strategies seem to be similar in order to maximize on their profits. This results to a non-price competition in oligopoly market and price rigidity. The supermarkets in the UK avoid engaging in price wars. The prices are relatively same in all the large supermarkets. In the business world, some firms will tend to lower their price than the others while the quality of their goods is not securitized. This makes the consumers buy t he products at low prices and

Current Legal Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Current Legal Issues - Essay Example (www.gypsyadvice.com ) The society and government in today’s world have racially discriminated the Gypsy and the Traveler community because of which, these communities even today remain ostracized from the main stream public and society. Though there are several laws like the Race Equality Law and Race Relations Acts that have been passed by the government for providing justice to these communities, still it has been seen that in the majority of cases relating to equality, justice has not been provided to them because of which most of these communities remain in the dark. (www.jennettearnold.com) Issue of proper Accommodation: Indeed it has been centuries since such inequality has been meted to them, as well as to the people working in close contact with them. The Gypsy and Traveler communities have their own lifestyles as well have their own culture. Among them the Romani as well as the Irish Travelers are considered to be quite distinct due to the traditions that they follow . The rest of them are classified and identified based on how they move about within the country, which could be circus type of families or as travelers. (www.scribd.com ) Most of these Gypsies and Travelers maintain a nomadic kind of life, while the rest of them live in brick houses. Thus the lack of suitable and good housing sites is the biggest problem that is experienced by the Gypsy and Traveler communities today. Due to the inequality meted out to them by the rest of the society, this community presently are socially deprived and discriminated widely. The following is a brief study of inequality, which is being meted out to the Gypsy and Traveler community, in terms of the aspects regarding their accommodation. (www.scribd.com ) Lack of proper and permanent houses has been cited by most experts, as the primary reason for most of the problems, which these communities are facing across the world as well as in Great Britain. Most of the experts believe that non availability of su itable housing sites; have turned as a serious problem for allocation of housing sites to these communities by the government. As a result lack of proper housing facilities has been considered as one of the biggest and worst type of inequality, which has been shown to this community by the respective governments. The lack of good accommodation always causes a sense of insecurity among the Gypsy and Traveler Community alike and this has been stated as the root cause for all other problems, that the community experiences. (www.historyextra.com ) The main flaw that has been caused in this case has been directed towards the government, whose planning policy itself seems to falter, since they have moved away from the public sites to the system wherein, such communities themselves provide sites for construction of houses. It has been seen that whenever the Gypsies or the Traveler communities try to develop their own sites through private purchase, the local residents tend to oppose such a move. Because of this quarrel and disputes often occur between local residents as well as the members of these communities. This is a common scenario that has been noticed, whenever the members of the Gypsy and Traveler community try to submit applications regarding the plans for construction of house on lands, which they have privately purchased. Often such disputes and

EVA Calculation and comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

EVA Calculation and comparison - Essay Example The chart below indicates that Walgreens EVA scores have been on the rise in the past three years. CVS' EVA scores have been falling and indicate that CVS needs to examine its resource utilization methods and decide what to do turn its scores around. The goal of any organization is to lower its costs while increasing profitability. There are many methods organizations can use. In the three year window examined (2004, 2005, 2006). Initially Walgreens' total assets were slightly higher than CVS'. Then CVSs were reported as slightly higher than Walgreens. Walgreens consistently outspends CVS for cost of goods sold. The higher the cost of goods sold the lower the profits. But, Walgreens consistently reports 10% on ROA (return on assets). CVS reports between 6.3% and 8% ROA. Walgreens has a bigger share of the market and consistently outperforms CVS. But, the difference is not so big that n any one year CVS could come out on top. The current earnings are so close that a good year could put CVS ahead. Both pharmacies could benefit from strategies to differentiate them in the market and draw in a greater share of the market in pharmacy sales. Walgreens has begun doing so by advertising itself as "your pharmacy" and "there's my pharmacy next to work""there's my pharmacy close to home"(TV commercials). .. Sales $37,006,200 Cash $513,400 N/P $774,200 COGS $27,105,000 A/R $2,080,700 A/P $3,988,900 Gross $9,901,200 Inventory $5,719,800 Accrd Exp $59,500 Prepaids $78,800 SG&A $7,881,700 TTL Cur $8,392,700 TTL Cur $4,822,600 EBIT $2,019,500 PP&E $3,952,600 LTD $1,594,100 Interest $110,500 GoodWill $1,789,900 TTL Liabilities $6,416,700 EBT $1,909,000 intangible $802,200 Other Assets $223,500 Equity $535,500 33.96% Tax $648,300 LTA Charges $122,500 EAT $1,260,700 TTL Assets $15,283,400 TTL Liab & Equity $6,952,200 ROA 8.20% ROE 235.40% Debt $2,368,300 0.8200 0.01 0.82% equity $535,500 0.1800 1.4894 26.81% $2,903,800 27.63% 18.25% EVA -10.05% Table 2 Table 3 31-Dec-03 Assets Liabilities & Equity Sales $26,588,000 Cash $843,200 N/P $3,166,000 COGS $26,588,000 A/R $1,601,700 A/P 0 Gross $26,588,000 Inventory $4,016,500 Accrd Exp $323,200 Prepaids $35,100 SG&A $5,439,400 TTL Cur $6,496,500 TTL Cur $3,489,200 EBIT $1,423,600 PP&E $2,542,100 LTD $1,032,100 Interest $48,100 GoodWill $889,000 TTL Liabilities $4,521,300 EBT $1,375,500 Intangible $403,700 Other Assets $211,800 Equity $207,800 38.40% Tax $528,200 LTA Charges 0 EAT $847,300 TTL Assets $10,543,100 TTL Liab & Equity $4,729,100 ROA 8.00% ROE 407.70% Debt $4,198,100 0.9500 0.010639 1.01% equity $207,800 0.0500 0.3538 1.77% $4,405,900 2.78% 1.71% EVA 6.29% Works Cited: Ecoach. EVA. Retrieved 2007-02-09

Gambino cleaning products salesman Essay Example for Free

Gambino cleaning products salesman Essay Description of the proposed system Description of the problem A new system of calculating and reporting on cleaning products salesmen is to be designed and implemented. Cleaning products salesmen commission is based on a set of data which is the monthly sales of cleaning products sold by the salesmen. Objectives The new system must: Â  Be automated as far as possible, needing no thorough knowledge of spreadsheets, databases or any other software in order to operate it. Â  Have fitted controls to ensure precision and completeness of data input. Â  Take into account commission payments from monthly sales. Print commission reports for each of the salesmen, and a summary report showing total paid to each salesman and overall total. Include an option to delete commission records previous to a given date so that the file does not increase for an indefinite period. The proposed new system can be shown in a level 0 data flow diagram as follows: A level 1 Data Flow Diagram of the proposed system is as follows: User functions 1. The Commissioning Salesman in the Sales Department will be responsible for entering all details of new cleaning products salesman and new products. 2. An Accounts clerk will have special responsibility for the commission system. 3. The Accounts clerk will enter each month the sales of each product, giving quantity sold and gross sales value (i. e. quantity X cover price). 4. Every 6 months, the Accounts clerk will produce the Commission reports for each cleaning products salesman. This will show the commission that has been earned in the previous 6 months. A payment is then recorded and a cheque issued to each cleaning products salesman to whom commission is due, together with the Commission statement showing sales details, and the statement from the Accounts system the total amount due. Database specification Menu structure The many functions of the Commission System will be accessed by means of a front-end menu, which will have the following structure. The data model There are three main entities in this system related in the entity relationship diagram shown below. Because a many-to-many relationship cannot be applied in a relational database, an additional entity named Salesman/Product is introduced. The ERD can now be drawn as follows: The database for Gambino cleaning products salesman system specification will have the following tables: tblSalesman (SalesmanID, Surname, FirstName). Foreign key in tblSalesman/Product ProductName Text (40) Product title tblProduct SalesTeam Text (40) All salesman who sell a product tblProduct Price Currency Product price tblProduct StandardCommission Number Percentage commission on each product sold 1-10 tblSalesman/Products BonusCommission Number Bonus percentage commission on each products sold 11-20 tblSalesman/Products SalesNumber Number 1=Standard commission 2=Bonus Commission 1 or 2 tblSales QuantitySold Number Number of products sold tblSales GrossValue Currency Data Dictionary Input Specification Three input forms will be required. frmProducts. This will be used to enter product details. frmSalesman This will be used to enter details of a salesman and all products on which they receive commission. The commission percentages for each product will be entered in a subform of the main form. Validation methods: The Product ID will be selected from a drop-down list of existing Product IDs. Once a Product ID is entered, the product name will be automatically displayed. frmTransaction This form will be used to enter transactions. Validation methods: Only valid dates will be accepted. The Product ID will be selected from a drop down list of existing Product IDs. Once a Product ID is entered, the product name will be automatically displayed. Selecting a radio button so that only a valid alternative can be selected will choose the transaction type. Process Specification Commission Calculations To calculate the commission for a given transaction, a query has to be performed to combine attributes from tblTransaction, tblProduct, tblProduct/Salesman and tblSalesman. The calculation of the commission is performed as follows: If TransactionType = 1 (i. e sales) ThenRate = StandardCommissionRate ElseRate = BonusCommissionRate endif Amount = Rate * GrossValue. These processes will be carried out in qryCommission. This query will be the source of both the commission report and the summary report. Maintenance Each year, transactions prior to a given date will be removed from tblTransactions. This prevents the transaction file from becoming too large and slowing down the system. The maintenance will be carried out as follows: Run a Delete query to delete records from tblTransaction. Test Plan Tests will be carried out using valid and invalid data and data at the extremes of acceptable values. The following test data will be used. tblSalesman Salesman ID Surname Firstname STEVED Stevens David. Test urpose Expected result 1 Select enter data from main menu, then select Products. To check if the menu options work and that a Products form opens at a new record. Products form opens at a new record. 2 Enter data from test data set. Try entering an invalid date i. e. 3/9/2001 To check the menu options work and that the Salesman form opens at a new record. Salesman form opens at a new record. 3 Select Enter Data from Main menu and then select Salesman. To check if the menu options work and that the Salesman form opens at a new record. Salesman form opens at a new record. 4 Enter data from test data set. To check if valid data is accepted. All valid data accepted. 5 Try entering product ID of BB113. Test that no product can be entered unless it exists on product table. Record rejected. 6 Select Enter Data from Main menu and select Sales To check the menu options work and that the sales form opens at a new record. Sales form opens at a new record. 7 Attempt to enter a new sale with date 3/9/2001 To test if date is validated. Error message will appear on leaving field. 8 Select reports from Main menu then select Product details. Test to see if the Product details display all products entered. All products appear on the report. 9 Select report from the Main menu then select Commission report. Check to see if Commission report details are correct. User is asked to enter start and end dates for report. All commission is calculated correctly. 10 Select Reports from Main menu the select Summary report. Check that Summary report is correct. User is asked to enter start and end dates for report. All totals are calculated correctly. 11 Add 2 transactions for dates in 1999. then select Maintenance from Main menu and identify deletion of records prior to 31/12/1999 Check that Maintenance option deletes records prior to date user enters. The two records are deleted from table. 12 Add a transaction for 31/12/1999. then select Maintenance from Main menu and identify deletion of records prior to 31/12/1999. Check that maintenance option deletes records for date user enters. The record is deleted from table. 13 Select Exit from Main menu To check if the main menu option works correctly. Database closes. Development Plan The planned schedule for development is given below. Week beggining Task Comments 29/01/2004 Detailed design spec 29/01/2004 Tables created 01/02/2004 Input forms created 15/02/2004 Queries and reports created Reports on products and salesman 21/02/2004 Standard commission report created 27/02/2004 Procedures for clearing file developed Clearing records prior to given date 29/02/2004 Testing and modifications 03/03/2004 Testing and modifications 06/03/2004 Documentation 08/03/2004 Installation and entry of master file data. A period of parallel running will follow with reports produced from old and new systems. Conclusion The system will be implemented by Microsoft Access 2000. It will run on any existing PC. The database will be accessible from any of the Departments which are responsible for keeping the data up to date. These departments include Accounts and Sales departments. The system is expected to be tested and installed by the end of April 2004. Sunit Dhadra 12K AVCE ICT AVCE ICT Unit 1 Sunit Dhadra 12K AVCE ICT.

A Comparison of Shakespeares Sonnet 18 and Duffys Valentine Essay

A Comparison of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 and Duffy's Valentine Shakespear's attitude towards his lover is she is superior to the summer and very beautiful " Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" This show Shakespeare is thinking about comparing her to the summer but then he gives examples of how she is better than the summer. He says she is lovelier than the summer " Thou art more lovely and more temperate." He then goes on to say "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May" this means that she is more like a darling bud of May than a rough wind that come in the summer. He also explains, using a metaphor that the summer doesn't stay forever, but she will be beautiful forever " And summer's lease hath all too short a date." Then he says that sometimes the sun is too hot and is hidden by clouds but her beauty is never hidden and she is perfect. "Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines. And often is his gold complexion dimm'd" He then uses a double metaphor to explain that every living this is doomed to die and that nature cannot stop itself from dying ...

Stephen William Hawking :: essays research papers

Stephen William Hawking was born on 8 January in Oxford, England. His parents' house was in north London, but during the second world war Oxford was considered a safer place to have babies. When he was eight, his family moved to St Albans, a town about 20 miles north of London. At eleven Stephen went to St Albans School, and then on to University College, Oxford, his father's old college. Stephen wanted to do Mathematics, although his father would have preferred medicine. Mathematics was not available at University College, so he did Physics instead. After three years and not very much work he was awarded a first class honours degree in Natural Science. Stephen then went on to Cambridge to do research in Cosmology, there being no-one working in that area in Oxford at the time. His supervisor was Denis Sciama, although he had hoped to get Fred Hoyle who was working in Cambridge. After gaining his Ph.D. he became first a Research Fellow, and later on a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. After leaving the Institute of Astronomy in 1973 Stephen came to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, and since 1979 has held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. The chair was founded in 1663 with money left in the will of the Reverend Henry Lucas, who had been the Member of Parliament for the University. It was first held by Isaac Barrow, and then in 1669 by Isaac Newton. Stephen Hawking has worked on the basic laws which govern the universe. With Roger Penrose he showed that Einstein's General Theory of Relativity implied space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes. These results indicated it was necessary to unify General Relativity with Quantum Theory, the other great Scientific development of the first half of the 20th Century. One consequence of such a unification that he discovered was that black holes should not be completely black, but should emit radiation and eventually evaporate and disappear. Another conjecture is that the universe has no edge or boundary in imaginary time. This would imply that the way the universe began was completely determined by the laws of science. His many publications include The Large Scale Structure of Spacetime with G F R Ellis, General Relativity: An Einstein Centenary Survey, with W Israel, and 300 Years of Gravity, with W Israel. Stephen William Hawking :: essays research papers Stephen William Hawking was born on 8 January in Oxford, England. His parents' house was in north London, but during the second world war Oxford was considered a safer place to have babies. When he was eight, his family moved to St Albans, a town about 20 miles north of London. At eleven Stephen went to St Albans School, and then on to University College, Oxford, his father's old college. Stephen wanted to do Mathematics, although his father would have preferred medicine. Mathematics was not available at University College, so he did Physics instead. After three years and not very much work he was awarded a first class honours degree in Natural Science. Stephen then went on to Cambridge to do research in Cosmology, there being no-one working in that area in Oxford at the time. His supervisor was Denis Sciama, although he had hoped to get Fred Hoyle who was working in Cambridge. After gaining his Ph.D. he became first a Research Fellow, and later on a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. After leaving the Institute of Astronomy in 1973 Stephen came to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, and since 1979 has held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. The chair was founded in 1663 with money left in the will of the Reverend Henry Lucas, who had been the Member of Parliament for the University. It was first held by Isaac Barrow, and then in 1669 by Isaac Newton. Stephen Hawking has worked on the basic laws which govern the universe. With Roger Penrose he showed that Einstein's General Theory of Relativity implied space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes. These results indicated it was necessary to unify General Relativity with Quantum Theory, the other great Scientific development of the first half of the 20th Century. One consequence of such a unification that he discovered was that black holes should not be completely black, but should emit radiation and eventually evaporate and disappear. Another conjecture is that the universe has no edge or boundary in imaginary time. This would imply that the way the universe began was completely determined by the laws of science. His many publications include The Large Scale Structure of Spacetime with G F R Ellis, General Relativity: An Einstein Centenary Survey, with W Israel, and 300 Years of Gravity, with W Israel.

Human Resources Profession Map (HRPM) Essay

The Human Resources Profession Map (HRPM) was created to explain how HR adds value; it was designed by a collaboration of both specialist and generalists working in the UK and globally across private and public sectors. The HRPM was developed by the CIPD. The design of the HRPM is to be relevant and applicable to HR professionals operating anywhere in the world, all sectors and in organisations of any shape or size. It captures what skills are required for effective and successful HR. There are 4 bands which relate to professional competencies; they define the contribution that professionals make at every stage of their HR career. The key areas of these bands include service and relationship with clients, activities performed by HR, where time is spent and how contribution and success is measured. The band summaries are: Band 1: Support administration and processes, is customer orientated. Band 2: Advises and manages HR issues. Band 3: Lead and consult, addressing key HR change at organisation level. Band 4: Lead and Manage professional areas, developing and delivering HR strategy. The HRPM is made up of 10 professional areas, 2 of these are the core of the map. Diagram? At the very core is â€Å"Insight, Strategy and Solutions†. It is at the core it is awareness of the business and developing actionable insights and solutions. Secondly is â€Å"Leading and Managing the HR Functions†. This is owning and shaping to insight-led leading, including working with financials such as budgeting while managing HR performance. Its design it to meet needs and priorities. The 8 other professional area segments identity the activities and knowledge that are required to provide specialist support, these are applicable not only internally but also externally. Organisational Design: Structure changes, delivering organisational objectives. Organisation Development: Workforce focused for organisational strategic ambitions. Resource and Talent Planning: Focusing on attracting the right people. Learning and Development: Combined commercial and HR expertise to bring value. Performance and Reward: Delivering programmes that recognise and reward. Employee Engagement: Prioritises employment experience  ensuring there needs are met. Employee Relations: Areas such as policies and procedures, employment law. Service Delivery and Information: Ensuring HR delivery is accurate and timely. The outer circle of the HRPM shows the behaviours which describe how activities should be carried out. Curious: Future focused Decisive Thinker: Analyses, understands data to make defend-able decisions Skilled Influencer: Pursues the organisations values Personally Credible: Builds and delivers professionalism. Collaborative: Efficient with a wide range of people Driven to Deliver: Determined and resourceful Courage to Challenge: Confident, speaks up skilfully Role Model: Leads by example In conclusion the HRPM can be used as a tool to identify your immediate and future development needs. 1.2  This section will comment on the professional area â€Å"Employee Relations† within band 2. My role is fundamentally HR. Practising HR in the company I focus on ensuring services I provide are timely and effective by having knowledge to provide excellent customer services. As a band 2 employee my duties include ensuring values and behavioural expectations permeate through the organisations processes, policies and literature. My main focus when dealing with these topics is to get the relevant documentation in order I receive a vast amount of face to face queries and phone calls from all types of employees with a wide range of topics including salary/payroll related queries. I have been with the company nearly 3 years and demonstrate band 2 skills often; I have learnt the evaluation processes and solutions available. This is why I became the key contact for HR. I always start by gathering all the facts and listening to the employee and try to indicate a time frame when I expect to get back to them. If I can’t meet that I will let them know before it reaches that time. I then access resources such as CIPD website, SAGE helpdesk, HMRC and Internet to prepare correctly documentation. When preparing any documentation which would include employment law I have these checked with senior staff although I solely draft these. At band 2 not all the behaviour’s may apply, I would show the following in this professional area: Driven to deliver: Staff issues are  challenging therefore I will investigate these to the best of my ability ensuring the best outcome for the organisation but using empathy to employees. Personally credible: I keep documentation consistent by using standard company templates/formatting as well as making sure they are sent timely and delivering professionalism to both em ployees and company. Courage to Challenge: I have good relationships with senior management and ensure I check my facts so I can challenge things appropriately. 2.1 – 2.3 My role is key for the business I need to be accurate about company policies and systems; I must get it right first time. This has been a huge part of my role recently due to quick expansion which also included a new office. Before this expansion I was the sole administration from day to day operation to HR queries. My aims are the focus of improving our company HR and gaining the tools to make this happen. The expansion included TUPE-ing 10 site workers, I emphasise with their grievances and aim to handle these complaints in constructive ways, It is a good forum to gather ideas which might help improve our procedures. Employees: I deal with various needs, from the early recruitment process, current staff to staff leaving. The main are Payroll related. The focus of my job is ensuring the Payroll is correct, we run 3 separate Payrolls all have complexities like expenses, overtime. By communicating and reminding colleagues when Payroll is running keeps any conflicting needs to a minimu m for other work demands. My main method of communication with the employees is telephone. For issues that need documentation such as salary increases, missed overtime are put in writing and I am strict in not running updates without documentation. I scan anything like this to relevant records. The advantage to phone calls can be normally the employee is away from the team mates and the office is clearer delivery about any issues. The disadvantage to phone calls is you can’t always get the best feeling for a sensitive situation without reading the body language. Candidates: Recruitment is usually relatively steady; however the last 7 months recruitment was/is busy. The workforce has doubled. The main method of communication within recruitment is phone calls and SMS messages, due to the industry we operate applicants won’t tend to be around email. My phone number is the source for all recruitment enquiries. I need to be sensible with my time as phone calls can take a lot of time out  the day if not planned properly. For example should I be setting up an interview I use a pre written SMS/text messaged so I add candidate information and send. This reduces long phone calls and candidates respond well to a message with all the information they need. To internal staff I run a HR calendar on outlook add any appointments send interviews to all relevant team leaders/office managers with reminders. It allows me to inform multiple people quickly making better use of my time. All team leaders/supervisors operate Smart Phones allowing this to be a tool that I can use well do to this. As my role involves many areas I budget my time accordingly to be as cost effective as possible. This is something I have learnt to be aware of while working for a small company. I also take advantage of any cost effective resources such as the Job Centre w ebsite. The advantages to phone calls are you get a better understanding of the person and can getter a better understanding of their job background to ensure they correct interviewer performs the interview. The disadvantage to phone calls can be during recruitment periods my day can be very disruptive to me so I try and pre plan for these occasions. Directors: There are two directors with the company, one is operational and the other is more financial/back office. Both of them have equally important demanding tasks which I have to balance my time around. I keep both directors informed with tasks I am dealing with mainly by email. I have weekly meetings with a director, this is the place I address more complex HR issues. For a disciplinary issue I can get the best understanding of the facts as it will be a face to face conversation The advantage to meetings is they are open conversations so I can prepare all HR documentation accordingly and with all the facts. I can take documents I have prepared to these meetings, in order to check the director is happy and that any legal requirements are covered. I learn how the documents requirements are discussing these face to face. The disadvantage can me sometimes you can’t address important issues untill it is time for a weekly meeting.

Foreign Aid and the Development of African Nations

The African Nations, particularly those lying in the Sub-Saharan region have been subject to poverty, inadequate financial resources of their respective governments, lack of proper infrastructure and essential services like health, sanitation and water supply. These countries have also long been plagued by corrupt leaders, who have no concern about the sufferings of their citizens, despite growing their personal wealth based on the countries’ natural resources and foreign aid.Despite billions of dollars of foreign aid pouring in the region by countries like the United States, U.  K. , Germany and Japan there is no tangible change in the development of these countries. This paper will discuss the role of foreign aid in the development of the African Countries. Though, the common perception among the people is that the sub-Saharan Africa receives fairly large amount of foreign aid, but there is no proper outcome of it. They often complain that most of aid given to the African governments is consumed in non-development expenditures, or either is directly deposited in the overseas accounts of the rulers.But the fact is that the amount of aid given to these countries is never enough, particularly when considered the amount of development work done. Another problem is the method of distribution of the foreign aid, as there is very little amount, which is directly handed over to the African governments for their projects. Most of the aid is either in the form of technical support in which most of the aid is used in paying the officials of the aid giving country in exchange of their services. For e. g.the United States, which is considered as a major ODA, provider in the region does not spend, as she should have and as much resources she has. Most of the foreign aid provided by the United States is either in response to catastrophes like famine, earthquakes and tsunamis etc. , or in the form of emergency relief, like the U. S. wheat supply in cases of shortage of food supplies due to draught in many African countries. (Sachs, 82) On the other hand the actual amount of Official Development Assistance is far below as it is thought by many Americans.It is simply because large portion of ODA is disbursed primarily to the strategic nations like Iraq and Afghanistan. The remaining amount left for the non-strategic countries is then distributed either via NGOs or in the form of technical expertise and services. In both cases none of the amount is directly handed over to the recipient government. Thus the leftover of the ODA, which is directly handed over to the aid recipient nations, is significantly low. The same is the case of most donor nations like the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and Italy etc.The amount of aid actually handed over to these governments, which may help them to practically implement the public development projects like hospitals, schools, water supply and sanitation etc. (Sachs, 82) According to the 2003 U. S. gove rnment statistics regarding the ODA given by the United States to the sub-Saharan Africa, the total amount given was $4. 7 billion only. The sad story is that out of this huge amount only $118 million were directly handed over to African governments in order to support public development programs run by the government and communities.  (Sachs, 83)Therefore the given statistics regarding the U. S. aid depicts the inadequate amount of direct aid given to the African nations. Now speaking about the output and consequences of the foreign aid in the development of sub-Saharan African nations, the results are not encouraging. Partly because of inadequate amount of aid, ineffective method of aid distribution and disbursement, corrupt governments and leaders the outcome is not overall satisfactory regarding virtually the entire sub-Saharan region.The United States and other donor countries can shed their burden by using the United Nations as a platform of foreign assistance to the sub-Sah aran regions. (Tharoor) Kenya is a good example to analyze the role of foreign aid in the economic and public development of the country. Kenya had been among those countries, which have received huge external aid flows from the donor nations and institutions in order to foster economic growth and reduce poverty.But unfortunately the outcome has never been satisfactory as there is no major improvement in the economic growth of the country, neither there is any significant reduction in poverty or any tangible public development as an outcome of foreign aid. The country like other sub-Saharan African nations faces high indebtedness, unemployment and absolute poverty. The poor economic performance of the country has led to high dependency of Kenya on foreign aid. (Njeru, 1) The Kenyan development expenditures were slightly above 10% of the total government expenditures during the late 90s.This shows a development expenditure decline of about 50% from the 70s, which was just below 20% a t that time. Due to poor economic performance the government development budget has increasingly become dependent on donors. For e. g. in the 80s only 40% of the development expenditure depended on foreign aid, while in the next debate the dependence had raised to 70%. (Njeru, 6) This increasing dependence was the result of poor performance and using the local government resources on non-development expenditures.Most of funds disbursed by the donors is either in the form of appropriations-in-aid or revenue, the most common of which is appropriations-in-aid method. Using this method the donors have direct contact with the project coordinator, but there is a drawback of this method as the government loses control of these projects there is a big chance that they may become white elephants. (Njeru, 9) On the other hand, under the revenue system the funds are disbursed directly to the Treasury via special accounts in the central bank, but here are some other risks, like misuse of the fu nds because of weak accounting system at the Treasury.  (Njeru, 9)During the post-independence period Kenya receive heavy inflow of foreign aid particularly from the British. In the 70s and 80s there were high development activities in telecommunication networks, land settlement schemes, health and education sectors. During the 80s Kenya had enjoyed the highest level of foreign aid flow and there were about 600 active development projects in the above-mentioned sectors. (The Role of Foreign Aid in Development, 37)The major setback in the initial development progress was brought by former president Kenyatta and his successor Daniel arap Moi, as they not only backtracked the on going progress by making some unsound decisions like price control, marketing boards which soon adversely affected the prices and production incentive. Import substitution was also an important drawback, which resulted in poor economic condition and forced the government to stall many public development proje cts. (Erixon, 14) Corruption is also an important factor, which has led to the wastage of large amount of foreign aid.According to the Transparency International’s index of corruption Kenya was among the 10 most corrupted countries. According to TI the incidence of corruption is about 50% in most ministries, city councils, parastatals, SOEs and other governing bodies. (Erixon, 14) President Kenyatta’s regime was plagued by his so-called land reforms in the name of which he received large amount of foreign aid and subsequently became the largest landowner in the country. His alleged favor to his tribesmen and kinsmen, the Kikuyu, also resulted in mass corruption and loss of large amount of donor’s money.Using foreign aid to support their own kindred has become a norm in the Kenyan politics. (Cohen, 7) Presidents Moi’s regime is also marked by misuse of foreign aid in favor of the relative and political supporters. For e. g. the Kenyan government received $ 873 million in official development assistance in the fiscal year of 1991/92. All this aid was either on grant basis or loan basis and supported some 654 public development projects. These projects have about 2,000 sub-components, in order to give every ethnic group a fair price of the fund.Not surprisingly a large amount of the fund and project resources were not used accordingly. (Cohen, 13) Moreover the public developments on district level were also done on ethnic and political basis, as those areas where the residents are either the tribesmen of the president or loyal to him will receive a large sum of budget and public development programs, while those who oppose him like the Kikuyu, the people of the former president Kenyatta receive marginal amount of budget and public development funds. (Cohen, 16-17)President Moi’s government and leadership have been marked with more corruption and use of foreign aid on their own behalf. According to a Guardian report, President Moi , his associates and relatives have allegedly moved more than 1 billion pounds of government money to nearly 30 countries including Britain. Other relatives who have been involved in corruption of millions of dollars government money include Moi’s sons, which have moved 384m and 550m pounds respectively. (Rice) This report clearly depicts how ruthlessly these corrupt leaders have looted their country and fellow countrymen.The same is the character of NGOs in this regard, as most of the NGOs working in Kenya have their loyalties with one of the political parties or ethnic groups and they only work in their interest. Moreover those NGOs which are honest to their mission and objective face constraints and suppression from the government and they are only allowed to work according to the interest of the government officials, and their interest is always to do a favor to their kinsmen or political allies.In this way the people in real and dire need are often neglected, only becaus e they do not have enough political power or ethnic relation with the people in the office. Botswana is another case and a different story. The country has been the best example of good governance and leadership in the continent by far. It is the only country, which has been democratic in spiritually and practically throughout the entire post-independence period. The country has actively promoted the its’ citizens social and economic development throughout its post-colonial history.The country led by its founder Sir Seretse Khama and his successors were dedicated to deliberate democracy and market economy. Khama played an important role in developing a law-respecting political culture, which was wholeheartedly endured by his successors. (Rotberg) Though Botswana has received a heavy amount of foreign aid inflow the public development of the country in not based on that primarily. The main factor, which contributed in the country’s success, is its good governance and la ck of corruption.According to Transparency International Botswana is the least corrupted country in the African continent far better than many European and Asian countries. (Williams) Botswana has shown its capability of utilizing the amount of donors’ funds. Botswana has the strongest state institutions, professional civil services, strong planning systems and centralized aid management systems. All these have helped the country to utilize the funds wisely and accordingly with the minimum loss and misuse possible. The effective use of aid effectively contributes to the project plans, but also gave the country more control over the aid.This is in contrast to Kenya where the foreign aid froze twice due to poor compliance of the Kenyan government to the conditions of the donors. (Renzio, Whitfield & Bergamaschi, 1-4) After the independence Botswana was among the poorest countries of the world and there was lack of proper infrastructure and social and economic institutions. In t he initial post-independence period the country has used large amount of foreign aid, but the leadership was wise enough to use the foreign assistance in proper way.The government also preferred grants to loans and used diversified donors and also made a habit of refusing to accept aid when not necessary. (Togo, 3) The government wisely used foreign aid in not only developing the public sector like health, transportation, sanitation and water supply, but also used the chance to invest the aid heavily in the diamond mining industry which later boosted the country’s economy and help Botswana to overcome her dependence on foreign aid. (Togo, 4) But in the 90s the situation has changed and the new generation of leaders have emerged which are not willing to follow the path of Khama.They have allegedly used the government funds as their personal possessions acting double as the directors of private funds thus reserving these funds for the projects run by their firms. Furthermore in 1992 the credibility and respect of the Botswana government was further tarnished by the notorious Housing Corporation scandal in which the Vice president and other high-ranking officials were allegedly involved. (Togo, 5) Despite all these downfalls and shortcomings emerging in the new general of politicians, the country is still the least corrupt as compared to other African nations.According to recent studies Botswana has received the highest level of foreign aid up to 1980s, which has played a significant role in the development of the country. The foreign assistance had been as high as $200 per capita in 1980s. But the studies show that aid has only played siginificant role in public development in the early years of independence, when the country relied completely on the British aid for its expenditures. But in the next decade the ratio of aid had declined sharply, and the revenue from diamond mining far exceeded the aid. In the late 80s the share of aid fell to 3% of GDP fro m 29% in 1967.Therefore foreign assistance played significant role in the first two decades of the country history. (Togo, 6) The founder president of Botswana made his priority to secondary education in order to increase the proportion of the natives in the countries civil service and other comprehensive development projects, like mine development, construction of dams and irrigation. The government wanted to provide the natives jobs and reduce poverty. Thus they used the foreign aid initially to promote education and then focused on the infrastructure like roads, electric power and water supply, which will become the basis of the mining industry.(Togo, 8) The government than acquired $2. 5 million loan from the World Bank to finance the Shashe complex diamond-mining project. The government also won technical assistance from several developed countries. The foreign assistance acquired was largely used in the development of the infrastructure of the Shashe Complex project. Then the aid was used for the development of the human and physical capital. (Togo, 8)Thus Botswana used foreign assistance for the development of the human capital by promoting education and physical capital by developing the infrastructure.In this way one can easily conclude that foreign assistance played an important role in the development of the country in the first two decades. But when the case of Botswana is compared with that of Kenya, it becomes clear that foreign aid is not the sole factor in the success of a country. In the last four decades Kenya has received more foreign assistance than Botswana, but the country never became economical strong as Botswana did. The primary reason was the different in the vision and approach of the rulers of the two countries.The Kenyan first two rulers have been among the most corrupted and autocratic type of rulers and they have no interest in the welfare of their fellow citizens. They ruthlessly used the countries resources as personal possessi ons. On the other hand the Botswana founder president Khama and his successors have been honest to their country and fellow citizens and wisely used their country’s resources as well as the foreign assistance they had received to develop their country’s economy, public sector institutions and infrastructure. Therefore foreign aid has never been the primary factor in any country’s development.