Saturday, August 31, 2019

Lord of the Flies – Reflection of Society

In society, people have the ability to become violent no matter the personality of the individual. Brutality is in all animal species. The only difference between humans and the animals is the ability of the human mind to control one's thoughts and actions, however, even this ability can be lost if presented with a situation that becomes so stressful or so outrageous that the mind is no longer in control. This is exactly what happens in the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Within this book people will find exactly how brutal a human being can become when the boys are trapped on an island with no other adults with them. This book proves without a doubt that all individuals have the natural capacity for brutality. Jack was already a destructive person before the boys ever became stranded on the island, however, he somehow is driven to kill. Jack was considered a likeable guy that was admired and feared by many. Jack could easily be described as a popular football star or a popular person in today's world. Jack, after not getting his way, decides he will form his own group of boys to be against the other group. This begins the destructive course of society much like it happens today. He takes a group and tries to overthrow the other by force and deception. Roger is just pure evil. A person can only wonder how such a boy could have been on a plane and not in a mental institute. Roger seems to be the one feared mostly for his insanity. The best example of his capacity for brutality occurs when he decides to kill Piggy with a falling boulder. In the beginning of the book, he only tossed rocks at people but never hit them. Now, as time has past, he has lost all control of his mind and now seems only to act on instinct, survival being one of the instincts he follows the most. Piggy and Ralph seem to be the only level headed people on the entire island so it might be hard to conceive them causing harm to anyone or letting their instincts of survival take control of them. However, this is exactly what happened. Ralph's group was so scared that Jack's group may attack them, when Simon came to give them some information, Ralph's group killed him. They only killed Simon because they believed he was from Jack's group or the beast coming to get them. It was not until after they killed Simon that they noticed what had happened. The strangest thing about this is that Ralph and Piggy, the most level headed of the group, participated in killing Simon. Ralph and Piggy, despite their rational behavior, became irrational when they fear the worse. Fear is definitely one of the biggest factors that cause people to take action rather than thinking about the consequences. The only character that can be considered non brutal would have to be Simon. Simon played a very important role in this book because was the one that could see what others could not see. The most ironic twist in the story was when he was killed. Before he met his fate, he was talking with the cut off head of a pig that Jack's group gave to the beast as a sort of â€Å"sacrifice. † The pig told him that the anger within them, the boys on the island, would end up destroying them. As Simon comes back to tell them what he had been told, he was killed by his own group in fear that he was the beast or part of Jack's group. The killing of Simon seemed to symbolize the end of innocence and humanity. The one person that could have saved them all was killed out of instinct and fear. William Golding probably had Simon killed because no one listens. Take a look at today's society. Why would anyone believe in a person that talks to a pig's head for advice? Also, most people today does not or will not stop and listen to those who are trying to help. Once people reach that point of no return, nothing, not even a friend could help them. This seems to be the belief of Golding. Golding has brought out much or his views on life in this book. Lord of the Flies gives a good view on today's society and how society might react in such a situation. The book also gives insight into human nature and what humans are capable of when there is nothing left but fear and survival. With Golding being part of a great war he definitely understands more than most what people will do from the battlefield. All the rules change while on the battlefield just as when the boys were stranded on the island. Golding seems to be leaving a message for all of mankind to see and perhaps a warning of things to come.

Friday, August 30, 2019

General motors, accounting theory and receivership Essay

Accounting theory is a wide ranging and comprehensive analysis and practice of management accounting and modern financial accounting. This function is accomplished through provision of a theoretical framework that assists in appreciating and understanding the purpose of various accounting practices. Business wise, the theory provides its linkage with modern accounting processes and the impacts of the procedures on business performance or operations. The theory is preferred because it goes beyond the theory, idea and thought analysis to incorporate holistic views of the influence of cultural and historical regulations and impacts on real world business environment (Madsen, 1999, p. 12). Receivership is a scenario under which gives an order to place a property under receivers control so that preservations for affected fellows can be done through it. In a case where a company is failing, actions brought forth by its creditors can place the business under receivership. The business does not cease to operate but is subjected to receiver’s management. In several cases, the court appoints a person to liquidate, rehabilitate, conserve or administer assets belonging to the insolvent corporation, in efforts made ultimately to relief or protect creditors. It therefore doesn’t lead to termination of corporate charter, but serves as a solution to financial difficulty. The dominion controller of the property subject to legal action is known as the receiver. In most cases, receivership is valued as an extraordinary remedy (Dubin, 1947, p. 10). This is because it is us4d to take care of a property when it is required for prosecution of lawsuit. This is especially when a danger is perceived that the property may be removed or dissipated form the courts jurisdiction in a failure to appoint a receiver. It is a process that only takes place through a court order, utilization only in exceptional circumstances. It may involve of not the consent of the owner of the property. General Motors is a company in the United States of America, dealing with motor based accessories, facilities and equipments. It is a company that is recognized as an economy mover not only in US but also in the global economy. However of late, the future of the company is hard to tell because it is subjected to several challenges of receivership, a process that is not only affecting its financial stability but also shaking its social fabric. United States uses a basic form of financial information in assessing the viability of corporations (Gordon, 2005, p. 17). In its capital markets, the general purpose financial statements used include profit and loss statements, balance sheets, statements of cash flows and statements of changes in equity. The nation also obtains extra information from footnotes. The extra information may include accounting procedures and policies utilized in preparing the financial statements, composition and the nature of balances reflected in the financial documents and other disclosure and matters that may be considered relevant for fairness to be upheld in the financial documentation process. US securities registrants also make periodic, quarterly and annual fillings (Belkaoui, 1991, p. 34). These fillings provide supplemental and additional information concerning statistical analysis, descriptions of significant risk factors, major operation locations and units, properties and plants, services and products and company’s business. The legal framework also requires operations to do with management’s discussion and analysis, assessment of liquidity risks and liquidities and certain supplementary schedules. Critical consideration and analysis of the above information gives a corporations financial status and its ability to serve the creditors and satisfy the requirements by the law (Cheffins, 1997, p. 15). The question on whether General Motors is in full consideration of ethical aspects in the process of receivership is subject to various influences. To some point, it may be ethical and fail at some points. This is because the receivership process has got some benefits to both the company itself and the shareholders, meaning that the process may lead to ethical grounds of treatment. On the other hand, the process has its own disadvantages to itself and stakeholders, this representing the degree of ethical deviation. For the time being, the company has received a mounting pressure to convince Washington that the bankruptcy of the company does not turn out catastrophically to the national economy. It is anticipated that if this happens, millions of job opportunities will be lost, tax payers will have to pay more than $100 billion and therefore lead the economy into a severe depression. Because of this threat, Barrack Obama, Harry Reed and Nancy Pelosi have called for an auto bailout of the company (Rae, 1959, p. 16). The decision to get into a receivership supports the argument that the company is ethical to some extend. This is because receivership is the alternative of bankruptcy which is worse. Bankruptcy paralyses every thing in a company and soils the continuity of the company, stakeholders and the national economy as a whole. Surrendering to receivership deal is showing the concern of the company towards their stakeholders, national economy and the global economy. In one special consideration, if the company failed to engage in a receivership deal, all dealers and suppliers from all over the globe would be jobless (Bonbright, 1982, p. 19). To escape from employee assaults, receivership make sure all employees are not pay off and the operations of the company continue running though under courts monitory. The control by court gives hope and protects the rights of the stakeholders. Reflecting unemployment as a worldwide challenge, it cloud be bad for companies to advocate and engage in business strategies that increase unemployment. Again, the business ethics are tied to respect and compensation of employees as a major priority, because it is believed they form the production propellers. Without employees, an organization can hardly run and this is the reason as to why General Motors has been regarded as ethical for giving employees the best treat the company could afford during this financial challenge (Gordon, 2005, p. 17). If General Motors could not strike this deal, it is a possibility that it would have broken up and sold to other companies that may be foreign or domestic. In this case, stakeholders would have lost everything, workers would have lost and management fired. This is a clear indication that receivership is attributed to less stigma. The decision of rushing to this line of management has been seen to release the stigma of the management, country and the clients in question. This is because the operations are still on and under strict surveillance by court administration (Gordon, 2005, p. 16). Therefore, America as a nation, its citizens and stakeholders still have hopes that the company will reinstall its functioning. According to the accounting theory, it is always advisable to be a risk taker but to certain limits. Once the balancing of the accounting section fails, it is also provided that accountants or administration should surrender and allow advanced cross data analysis. This is a measure made to minimize the exposure to risks that may render an organization non functional. Business receivership increases chances of a troubled business survival. To revive the proceedings of the business almost to normalcy level, it is essential to put in place new management to help discover the errors of the old management. This increases the probability of the business survival (Bonbright, 1982, p. 19). The reason as to why many people may believe that GM is not serving its function and failing is because the American economy itself is under its steepest drop in 20 years time, recording foreclosures at highest levels, stock market performing the poorest for five years and a decaying consumer confidence. It should be understood that the cause of the GMs challenge is also contributed to by the economic environment of the country and also the global economy, which is in a recession. It is said that General Motors is in the verge of bankruptcy. In December 2008, the consumer confidence in the company has dropped to its lowest levels possible. Because of these difficulties, the federal government announced that the economy has been in a recession as from December 2007. This company applied for this protection from creditors because according to how the situation was, a red ink had mounted an issue which was realized through a cash flow collapse and amid falling sales. The company made the unavoidable choice in efforts of filing court intervention in dealing with urgent liquidity crisis and therefore seeks for transformation towards sustainability. According to the stock market, the company’s shares had dropped with nearly 85 percent and were in turn suspended. The company was unable to meet its payroll in December 2008. GM is observed to have small domestic rivals but its state is closely being watched to face amid turmoil in auto industry. The failure of this company has also been ignited by the global financial crisis that has plunged the demand for vehicles (Rae, 1959, p. 17). According to the nature of accounting, it is described as a process of communicating, measuring and identifying economic information to facilitate decisions by the information users and permit informed judgments to take place. This has been taken as a statement of basic accounting theory, supporting the ideology that economy or entrepreneurial progress is a concern of stakeholders, and information should be exposed with a lot of freedom and accuracy. In regards to the General Motors, the move to receivership is a strategy to allow access to documents and pave way for new judgments to be made but separate entities. This is highly appreciated in the theory of accounting because it improves the creativity of the company in management activities and help reconstruction of the company. Failure to communicate information is not ethical. This is because if GM was not ethical it could only give up at times of complete insolvency or bankruptcy. Under the accounting theory, measuring and communicating information involves observation of events and transactions of the firm and measuring the transactions as well. Financial report is then released, which serves as a message to help the healing process. After the interpretation of the message, an image of the firm is obtained and then used as a basis of decision making. The adjustments that are possible in case of the above company will be based on accounting discoveries and recommendations. The allowance of experts into the scrutiny process is a show of responsiveness to the reform process and the willingness to be corrected (Rae, 1959, p. 17). As the above takes place, the receiver has acted as the referee of the proceedings, playing a trustee duty to the court. This receiver has maximized the value of General Motors Company and its assets. The receiver is also taking the best ways possible to protect shareholders and creditors involved in the saga of this company. With time, the receiver may often liquidate the assets and shut it down but this is not the case in the united stases of America. The fate of the company therefore rests on the possibility of the company coming back operation, the amount of remaining money and the causes of the business problems. If events prove that there is no hope for the company in the long run, the acting receiver would make sure that every partner involved benefits from the scrape value of the venture. If it is finally ruled the company should be sold as a going concern, the price tag can improved because for the value added by the receiver. This description makes receivership of its concern more sensitive to its creditors, clients and creditors (Bonbright, 1982, p. 18). With all the above arguments describing General Motors as ethical, the path that the company followed to this far is on the other hand questionable both in human resource management and financial accounting. If the company was so ethical, such difficulties could be detected earlier and protected. It will be then very accurate that the company should have participated in financial fraud. Fraudulence and material misstatement is believed to have led the company to this saga, completely going against accounting ethics of transparency, accuracy and accountability. At international levels, the company is said to have defied from accounting theory by either overstating revenues, understating expenses, omitting some liabilities, overstating assets, failure in transactions, disclosure and accounting events, mischaracterization, disclosures that may be misleading in concerns of MD&A, products and services, liquidity and liquidity risks or in supplemental information. Inclusively, the country may also have created fictitious assets, omitted actual liabilities or improper reflect of transactional timing. The above frauds are all outlawed in the financial accounting theory, which the above company may not have adhered to, leading to the present massacre (Rae, 1959, p. 16). Still to show discontentment of the company as far as accounting theory is concerned, receivables and revenues recognized prematurely should be given a special treatment in the accounting process, an error that General Motor sis believed to have committed and thus failed to meet its payroll in December 2008. The cost of production of the company has been observed to increase before the fall magnified and collapsed the functioning of the company. Through accounting theory, this may have been caused by deferring the reconnection of costs or purchases, improperly overstating the value of inventories or improper treatment of overhead or indirect expenses. According to the outcry of the General Motor employees, there must have been a delayed recognition of associated provision expenses before this downfall. Contingencies have been detected in form of litigation reserves, product and warranty liability reserves sales return allowances and doubtful accounts allowances. According to the nature of the controversy in the company’s financial statements, creation of fictitious probably took place. It involved recording of associated fictitious receivables, fictitious revenues, fictitious inventory and therefore underestimation of cost of goods sold (Madsen, 1999, p. 13). Accounting theory and practice of accountants firmly argue against exclusive frauds, which definitely drive corporations and businesses to the situations comparable to the ones of General Motors. The exclusion concerns liabilities and other obligations such as contingencies, guarantees and commitments, all of which affect the balance sheet status. The effect of such exclusions is understatement of expenses such as environment cleanup expenses, litigation expense provisions, judgment liabilities, litigation reserves debt losses such as undisclosed commitments, guarantees and debt related contingencies. This category also incorporates direct charge off reserves and impairment of unconsolidated assets like partnerships, joint ventures and equity investments. All the above exclusive frauds lead to overstatement of liquidity measures and understatement of company’s total liabilities and interest expense (Dubin, 1947, p. 11). As far as accounting theory is concerned, the company is believed to have defied the provisions of the theory with big margins. This is because if the company had carefully taken into concern the above errors, the turmoil could not have resulted. Again, even if it could occur, the margin could not be alarming. The accounting discrepancies that many leaders in America have felt brought the company down are pushing them to propose a complete turmoil of the company. The above fraud description illustrates that receivership of the company was not the best precautionary measure to take, but instead accounting theory prescriptions should consistently have been upheld by the company and thus prevent this fall. This means that the company is not as ethical as people may be thinking. Ethics are attributes in which every member of a certain setting performs or delivers his or her responsibility with all affordable sincerity and fairness. This involves consideration of the cultural expectations when in such environment, social aspects and the particular work ethics. If frauds comparable to the ones above take place, this means that a section of the staff is not sincere and so non ethical. Therefore it may also make sense to say the company is not so ethical (Belkaoui, 1991, p. 35). To add on this, an ethical institution is always the interest of the public because of the confidence they attach to them. The subsequent and rapid drop in the confidence of this company is an indication that it wasn’t an ethical organization which citizens could understand the scenario as a normal challenge and therefore continue supporting it. Because receivership is a lame way of solving the problem, the structural framework has to be strengthened if the company happens to revive as a going concern. If efforts to revive the company fail, it would also be wise to go for the bankruptcy option. Together with the disadvantages of this option, it may ultimately emerge as stronger form with lower cost structure. To supplement this, the government can undertake a bailout to add new capital, replace management, write down the debt and preserve most of the jobs. To conclude, receivership of General Motors can not be seen as a solution as per now but it is time to tell, especially according the economic trends. Still, it is hard to tell whether the company is ethical, since it posses both weak and strong elements of ethical practices (Cheffins, 1997, p. 15). Bibliography Belkaoui Ahmed (1991). Accounting in the dual economy. Westport, CT: Quorum Books; pp. 34,35. Bonbright James (1982). The holding company: Its public significance and its regulation. New York: McGraw Hill Books; pp. 18,19. Cheffins Brian (1997). Company law: Theory, structure and operation. New York: Clarendon Press, Clarendon; pp. 15. Dubin Robert (1947). United automobile (CIO), general motors and Studebaker. Science Research Associates; United States, pp. 10, 11. Gordon Robert (2005). Business leadership in the large corporation. New York: Brookings Institution; pp. 16,17. Madsen Axel (1999). The deal maker: How William C. Durant made general motors. New York: John Wiley & sons; pp. 12, 13. Rae John (1959). American automobile manufacturers: The first forty years. Chilton, Washington; pp. 16, 17.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Proposal for Callingyou Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Proposal for Callingyou Inc - Essay Example The Company provides 24 / 7 support, staff rotates in shifts, centralized administration is recommended to configure multiple accounts on each workstation, and this enables every employee to log in the computer with his / her own credentials. Topology is the framework of any network. Star topology is recommended for the current network design. It is the most widely adopted topology. The star topology supports the centralized provision of network resources and services. The support staff can manage the network administrative and troubleshooting tasks centrally. Star topology helps to implement centralized security architecture for improved and enhanced security of the network. The network implementation cost can be saved by provisioning the core systems located centrally. The security controls and backup systems are also located centrally for better troubleshooting and management. Data communication network requires a carrier for transportation of data. A simple definition is available on ‘www. T1definition.com’ that says â€Å"A T-1 line is a dedicated data line that transmits data at the speed of 1.544 megabits per second (mbps). This translates to a speed that is 27 times faster than a 56k dial-up modem, which means that multiple people can access the Internet simultaneously†. T1 consists of total 24 channels that can be used as 24 different channels for voice or data. However, 24 simultaneously logical connections can be established. A dedicated T1 line can support up to 50 to 100 users on the network. The dedicated T1 carrier is implemented to synchronize traffic within the two remote sites for Calling You Inc. Furthermore, another carrier is requisite for internal communication of the network. Data transmission is conducted on a Category 5 cables for the current network design. CAT-5 is in the form of twisted pairs. However, the cable consists of 4 copper wire pairs, connecting the

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Annotated Bibliography Example This article confirms the report from Martin and Lehren, where low-income students were able to pay off their debts. The article is credible, because authors had knowledge and skills in conducting this kind of study. This article helps my research, because it informs readers of the financial effects of student loans after college. College loans may be too high to be adequately paid, which discourage some students from graduating in college. Baum, Sandy. â€Å"Hard Heads and Soft Hearts: Balancing Equity and Efficiency in Institutional Student Aid Policy.† New Directions for Higher Education 140 (2007): 75-85. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 3 July 2012. Baum explores the hardships for school administrators in balancing equity and efficiency decisions. The main argument of the article in relation to college debt is that society increasingly favors people with merit or skills, instead of helping those who are in need. She argues for the importance of providing discounts to low-income students, so that they can have the chance to enter college. The author is reliable, because she has skills and knowledge in economics. The journal is also credible, since it focuses on diverse higher education issues and employs empirical approach to data collection and analysis. This article is important to my research, because it shows that low-income students struggle to get college loans that they critically need to finish college. Because of their intense desire to finish college, they may lack awareness and knowledge that college costs may be too high to help them in quickly alleviating their financial problems right after college. Cooper argues against the commoditization of college education, because the learning experience is individuated, and the language of business cannot be applied to the learning process and systems of colleges. Moreover, he believes that commoditizing education neglects the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Special Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Special Education - Essay Example This assumption and accusation comes from the fact that schools stand to get more funding from the government if they have more special education needs students. In this regard, it is assumed that schools are more likely to label more students as special needs students so as to acquire more money from the government. However, as Freeman (2012) says, this is not only incorrect, it is also impossible. He argues that this accusation is incorrect because of various reasons. First, in any school, just one qualified teacher can have a child into the special needs status. This member of staff, who should also be a qualified teacher, and the special education needs coordinator would at the same time have to communicate and consult with so many other parties before he or she is finally able to have the child labelled as a special education needs student. These other parties include the board members, the parents of the child, the head teacher, a government body and many others. This means tha t the school cannot just decide to make a certain student a special needs student and start getting funding for the same. Secondly, Freeman (2012) argues that this claim is wrong because even if it was possible for schools to decide to label a child as having differentiated needs, this does not necessarily lead to the school getting lots of money. He argues that even after a school makes a certain student or group of students special needs students, this does not necessarily lead to the government increasing funding to the school. In such a case, the school may be required to meet the special needs of the students within the already existing resources. Again, even in the rare cases where the government may increase funding to the school, the increase in minimal and not so much as to be seen as a improvement of the students that the school gets. To counter this belief that schools and teachers are getting into the habit of unnecessarily labelling students as special needs students in order to get more money, Freeman (2012) argues that schools have over time tried their best to improve the learning environment of students with disability. This means that contrary to the belief that teacher and schools are using special education needs students to get more money, they are actually more interested in helping these students and do so with or without increased funding. Thirdly, Freeman (2012) argues that this argument is incorrect because even in cases where a school gets more support from the government for helping in taking the needs of these students with special education needs, this increased funding is usually in the form of teaching staff as opposed to cash money. In the article, he also looks at another issue that is more fundamental. The Second issue is that it is not the labelling that is important but how challenges of special students are dealt with. He looks at how the history of taking care of students with special need has changed. In particular he ar gues that teachers and school in general have turned to not caring too much about labelling but to coming up with different ways in which to assist students. He stresses that the label that the child gets is not important to the school staff, both teaching and the other members of staff because what matters to them is identifying the barriers and coming up with sensible practical solutions to help these students. Freeman (2012) stresses at least two things here. First he stresses the fact that labelling student

Monday, August 26, 2019

Sleepy Inn Mote Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sleepy Inn Mote - Case Study Example This is a mistake because guests should be getting breakfast in their rooms. The results of the study have also not been taken seriously by Huang which is giving great insight about the visitors. Lack of marketing is one of the biggest shortcomings in the strategy of Sleepy Inn Motel. Signs and Brochures are not nearly enough and more should be done in this regard. Below we will step by step evaluate the present strategy of Huang and will suggest what should be done. In the end the decision Huang should take will be given based upon our discussion. Firstly Sleep Inn Motel should look closely to the research findings given by regional tourist bureau. The low cost approach of Sleepy Inn Motel is the main problem. The findings clearly state that only 13 percent of the visitors have family income of less than $27,000 per year. This makes perfect sense because if a family is earning less than $2250 a month then probably they will be looking for a new job rather than a vacation. The low co st approach of Sleepy Inn Motel is not working because customers do not want lower costs only. They also demand services which the motel is not providing. People who come on vacations want to enjoy and have fun. They may be price conscious but still they want to enjoy. A motel that is offering basic services and no food, except breakfast, is not something people would want. This is why many people return from the parking lot of Sleepy Inn Motel. The services are not appealing the customers and that is why they do not want to stay in the motel. Restaurant is a need for guests because they come back to the motel for the night. The findings of the research reveal that more than 66 percent of the visitors stay in the same area at the same location for more than 3 days. This is an amazing insight for the Sleepy Inn Motel. Huang is not investing in a restaurant because he feels that that it will cause more problems than benefits but this will not be the case in reality. When visitors will return to their rooms they would prefer having dinner after they are fresh and cleaned up. This is an opportunity Huang can avail and can increase motel’s profits. Study also reveals that 78 percent of visitors were conscious about their choice of accommodation. This means that they do not just find a resort by chance and stay there, rather they actively search for a good place to stay. This is another reason why Huang should invest in services at his motel. Huang was under the impression that guest could find their way to the motel themselves but he is actually wrong. Visitors need advertisements to know about the motel and the facilities it has to offer. This is lacking in the Sleepy Inn Motel and because of that potential guest return from the parking of the motel. There are also 40 percent of visitors who reserve the rooms in advance. Sleepy Inn Motel is currently not even targeting these 40 percent visitors. The motel does not have a site nor is it marketing its motel t hrough tourist magazines or sign boards. The services of the motel are not worth remembering so customers are also not telling other potential customers about the motel. All in all there is not marketing done by the motel and it is hurting the business of the motel (not saving costs). 68 percent of guests are also couples according to the study and this information can also be used to design services that suit guests. For example double beds should be kept in rooms and there should be a small closet as well. Moreover everything

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Summary on a research article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary on a research article - Essay Example The researchers then evaluated the selected responses using hermeneutics to find common themes and "initial inklings about the structure of the phenomena" (p.91). The study found that there was a relationship between the stress of performing the duties of a Jordanian nurse and the incidence of PTSD. The study also found that the stress was made more traumatic by the lack of professional and personal support systems. The researchers identified several common feelings that were the cause of their work-related stress. The study reported that a feeling of isolation and alienation, and empathy and helplessness were common threads that ran throughout the descriptive reports. The study established initial trustworthiness by the credentials of the researchers and the publication in the peer-reviewed journal Accident and Emergency Nursing. The study adhered to scientifically sound methods and acceptable research ethics. The study by Jonsson and Halabai (2006) had been pre-approved by the Ethical Committee at the Jordan University Hospital (p.92). According to Padgett (1998), "A trustworthy study is one that is carried out fairly and ethically and whose findings represent as closely as possible the experiences of the respondents".

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Human resources planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human resources planning - Assignment Example The factors that influence the demand for products and services, as well as skills competencies are put into consideration and how these factors may continue to influence demand. The company’s supply chain boosts for lower inventories, smoother production plans, reduced stock-outs, and improved customer service as a result of better forecasting techniques. The supply technique adopted by the organization is effectively done to ensure that production is done for the right quantities and the right time. For this reason, the suppliers of YWCA Niagara have always strived to find ways to match demand and supply in order to achieve optimal levels of cost, customer service, and quality that guarantees a competitive advantage with other suppliers, especially in the HR market (Armstrong, 2007). The YWCA Niagara supply chain is designed in such a way that problems that affect delivery may have ramifications throughout the chain. Demand and supply in the human resource department are done by reviewing the data available in the HR audit and projections made for future HR demand and supply. The internal labor force in the organization may be affected by temporary factors such as leaves and permanent factors such as deaths. One of the  core  methods used by the company to forecast the future HR supply is trend analysis. The method is based on the assumption that past ratios and trends in the movement of employees is stable and is a reliable indicator of the future trends and the necessary ratios of employee movement (Belcourt, & Belcourt, 2012). The company makes use of the information collected in HR audit and employment data analysis to identify the labor patterns. The examination of past trends enables the HR department to predict the effect of similar activities in the future of the organization since the HR department makes the assumption that the factors will remain stable and unchanged. Although trend analysis is not

Friday, August 23, 2019

Law Enforcement Culture Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law Enforcement Culture - Term Paper Example These cultural forces do not allow one to report any form of irregularity that another police officer engaged in even if you do not agree with it. This could be corruption incidences, illegal use of force to the public or any other acts not in line with good police rules and regulations. In essence, shapes what is right or wrong as amongst them whether or not it’s in the book. Those who violate this kind of norm are met with severe sanctions from, not just the officer on the wrong but also the entire workforce. This sanction may include even physical assault on each other. Some writers have argued that this kind of culture grows stronger because generally police officers feel alienated, (Dellattre, 1994), and the only people who can understand them are other police officers who are able to identify with their specific problems and so they need to participate in the code of silence for them to feel accepted. Since police institutions are filled with injustices, hard punishments and corruption of the superiors, most of the police officers feel that their workplace has largely victimized them and use this excuse to engage in misconduct. Then if they are caught in their acts, they will manipulate other officers or even engage in arm-twisting to escape punishment. Participating in the code of silence is their way of not just achieving a sense of belonging but also of hiding away from punishment from their misconducts since no other colleague will be testifying against them. Effective Communication and Proper Presentation of Oneself Since talking to the superiors about a colleague’s misconduct is against the culture and may result to sanction from one’s peers, it is important to be careful if you are planning to maintain good morals and dignity in the workforce. First of all, effective communication is paramount, (Anonymous, 2006). Good communication will help other police officers feel accepted in their workplace to drive away their feelings of victimization and frustration. They need to accept their job and the challenges that come with it. It will help them maintain a positive attitude when they are working and they needn’t try and drown their frustration on innocent citizens or in drugs. One also needs to ensure that there is a good channel of communication with the superiors through which the police can air their grievances. The police administration needs to know the things that their subordinates are not comfortable with, whether it’s in promotion, way of carrying out discipline or other issues. All functions of the administration should be performed fairly and in transparency so that no one is left with feelings of bitterness and resentment. Those who have been caught in any form of misconduct should be justly punished so as to deter others from doing the same and to make them see that justice is being done. Ethical training amongst the police force should be advocated for which will instill upon them a sense of dignity and responsibility not to engage in certain acts. Further, one needs to carry themselves with dignity and needn’t succumb to the vices of their colleagues. They should be the ones to correct their colleagues when they are about to engage in misconducts and give them warnings against doing the same. He should not be afraid to condemn wrong actions as well as congratulate good behaviour and as such, be the custodians of good morals within the institution. For the few who

JUDICIARY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

JUDICIARY - Essay Example This is the democratic principle enshrined in the Constitution, the rule of law to prevent the tyranny and also maintain law and order. To achieve this end, the three foundations of a justice system are the police for the enforcement function, the criminal justice system for court trials, and finally, the corrections or the prison system to incarcerate and rehabilitate those convicted of crimes against society. Members of the criminal justice system, such as the prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges or justices must at all times implement and interpret the law with probity, fairness, justice, equality, and solidarity in the pursuit of human rights protection for all, exercise their function without fear or favor. All the said members must act in an ethical manner at all times, free from any corruption, and not influenced by any consideration except morals B. Discussion The judiciary performs its functions with the utmost fairness and equality; how judges must implement or interp ret the law without any influence or pressure from anybody, so that citizens will have faith and trust in their justice system, as their supreme protector against oppression by powerful individuals or influential pressure groups. However, it is also faced with a number of problems or issues it must address so it can carry out its mandate adequately. 1. Judicial ethics – members of the judiciary are brought to a higher standard than other people, they being expected to uphold the law at all times so people will also respect the law. The foundation of law is based on the validity of civil ethics within pluralism (Cortina, 2000). a. Solemn oath – this is a reminder to always stick to the straight and narrow path, despite temptations along the way in performance of duties. Corruption has been a bane, because people tend to accept bribes or other considerations of value (Montinola & Jackman, 2002). b. Sanctions – the judiciary does not take too kindly to its erring m embers and imposes a variety of measures such as fines, suspensions, disbarment, and even imprisonment. c. Code of conduct – members of the judiciary have to be careful in their actions at all times, to uphold the integrity and independence of the judicial branch of government. Standards are contained in the judicial canons issued by the Supreme Court, to include such matters as the avoidance of any impropriety, or even just the mere appearance of impropriety, and to avoid any partisan political activity at all times, such as campaigning for a particular party or candidate. It is a co-equal branch and must exercise its independence always (Fox & Stephenson, 2011). 2. Why people commit crimes – there will always be deviants in any society. Why these people commit crimes despite the certainty of punishment made sociologists offer their theories. a. Anomie theory – this was introduced by eminent French sociologist Emile Durkheim, in his book The Division of Labor i n Society published back in 1893, which explains the modern phenomenon of deviance, resulting from feelings of inadequacy and ambiguity, coming from the industrialization of society, causing normlessness from loss of values and traditions (Franzese, 2009); anomie views criminals as victims of society, unable to cope, and not as mere deviants. b. Strain theory –

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Clearwater Technologies Essay Example for Free

Clearwater Technologies Essay Clearwater set a per-seat manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) that decreased with higher quantity seat purchases, reflecting the customer perception of declining manufacturing cost per seat. Clearwater also saw this as advantageous because it encouraged customers to maximize their initial seat purchase. Clearwater typically sold its products through value-added resellers (VARs). A VAR was typically a small local firm that provided sales and support to end users. The value added by these resellers was that they provided a complete solution to the end user/customer from a single point of purchase and had multiple information technology products available from various vendors. Using VARs reduced Clearwaters sales and service expense significantly and increased its market coverage. These intermediaries operated in several steps. First, the VAR combined the QTX from Clearwater with database software from other suppliers to form a turnkey customer solution. Second, the VAR loaded the software with customer-specific information and linked it to the customers existing sales history databases. Finally, the VAR installed the product at the customers site and trained the customer on its use. Clearwater sold the QTX to resellers at a 50 percent discount from the MSRP, allowing the VARs to sell to the end user at or below the MSRP. The discount allowed the VARs room to negotiate with the customer and still achieve a profit. The Upgrade Initially, the expectation had been that the 30-seat unit would be the largest volume seller. In order to gain economies of scale in manufacturing, reduce inventory configurations, and reduce engineering design and testing expense to a single assembly, Clearwater decided to manufacture only the 30-seat server with the appropriate number of seats enabled for the buyer. Clearwater was effectively giving away extra memory and absorbing the higher cost rather than manufacturing the various sizes. If a customer wanted a 10-seat server, the company shipped a 30-seat capable unit, with only the requested 10 seats enabled through software configuration. The proposed upgrade was, in reality, allowing customers to access capability already built into the product. Clearwater knew that many original customers were ready to use the additional capacity in the QTX. Some customers had added seats by buying a second box, but because the original product contained the capability to expand by accessing the disabled seats, Clearwater saw an opportunity to expand the product line and increase sales to a captive customer base. Customers could double or triple their seat capacity by purchasing either a 10- or a 20-seat upgrade and getting an access code to enable the additional number of seats. No other competitor offered the possibility of an upgrade. To gain additional seats from the competitor, the customer purchased and installed an additional box. Because customers performed a significant amount of acceptance testing, which they would have to repeat before switching brands, the likelihood of changing brands to add capacity was low. The objective of this mornings meeting was to set the price for the two upgrades. As QTX product manager Rob Erickson stopped to collect his most recent notes from his desk, he reflected: What a way to start the week. Every time we have one of these meetings, senior management only looks at margins. I spent the whole weekend cranking numbers and Im going in there using the highest margin weve got today. How can anybody say thats too low? He grabbed his notes, calculator, and coffee and headed down the hall. From the other wing of the building, financial analyst Hillary Hanson was crossing the lobby towards the conference room. She was thinking about the conversation she had late Number MSRP to VAR Unit Unit of Seats End User Price Cost* Margin** 10 $8,000 $4,000 $500 87. 5% 20 $14,000 $7,000 $700 90. 0% 30 $17,250 $8,625 $900 89. % TABLE 1 *Unit cost reflects additional $200 for memory capability for each additional 10 seats. **Margin _ VAR Price _ Unit Cost VAR Price Number Original Original Actual Actual of Seats Unit Cost Unit Margin Unit Cost Unit Margin 10 $500 87. 5% $900 77. 5% 20 $700 90. 0% $900 87. 1% 30 $900 89. 6% $900 89. 6% TABLE 2 Friday afternoon with her boss, Alicia Fisher, Clear waters CFO. They had been discussing this upcoming meeting and Alicia had given Hillary very clear instructions. I want you to go in and argue for the highest price possible. We should absolutely maximize the profitability on the upgrade. The customers are already committed to us and they have no alternative for an upgrade but with us. The switching costs to change at this point are too high since theyve already been trained in our system and software. Lets go for it. Besides, we really need to show some serious revenue generation for the year-end report to the stockholders. Hillary had not actually finalized a number. She figured she could see what the others proposed and then argue for a significant premium over that. She had the CFOs backing so she could keep pushing for more. From the parking lot, Brian James, the district sales manager, headed for the rear entrance. He, too, was thinking about the upcoming meeting and anticipating a long morning. I wish marketing would realize that when they come up with some grandiose number for a new product, sales takes the hit in the field. Its a killer to have to explain to customers that they have to pay big bucks for something thats essentially built in. Its gonna be even tougher to justify on this upgrade. At least with the QTX, we have something the buyer can see. Its hardware. With the upgrade, there isnt even a physical product. Were just giving customers a code to access the capability thats already built into the machine. Telling customers that they have to pay several thousand dollars never makes you popular. If you think about it, thats a lot of money for an access code, but you wont hear me say that out loud. Maybe I can get them to agree to something reasonable this time. I spent the weekend working this one out, and I think my logic is pretty solid. Price Proposals Once everyone was settled in the conference room, Rob spoke first: I know we have to come up with prices for both the 10-seat and 20-seat upgrades, but to keep things manageable, lets discuss the 20-seat price first. Once that number is set, the 10-seat price should be simple. Because the margin on the 30-seat unit is the highest in the line, I think we should use that as the basis to the price for the upgrade. He went to a whiteboard to show an example: If a customer is upgrading from a 10-seat unit to a 30-seat unit, they are adding two steps of capacity costing $200 each to us, or $400. $400 /1-0. 90 _ $4,000 to the reseller, and $8,000 to the end user. We keep the margin structure in place at the highest point in the line. The customer gets additional capacity, and we keep our margins consistent. He sat down feeling pleased. He had fired the first shot, had been consistent with the existing margin structure, and had rounded up the highest margin point in the line. Brian looked at Robs calculations and commented: I think thats going to be hard for the customer to see without us giving away information about our margins, and we dont want to do that, since they are pretty aggressive to begin with. However, I think I have solved this one for us. Ive finally come up with a simple, fair solution to pricing the upgrade that works for us and the customers. He walked over to a whiteboard and grabbed a marker: If we assume an existing 10-seat customer has decided to upgrade to 30-seat capability, we should charge that customer the difference between what the buyer has already paid and the price of the new capacity. So . . . New 30-seat unit $17,250 Original 10-seat unit $8,000 Price for 20-seat upgrade $9,250 Its consistent with our current pricing for the QTX. Its fair to the customer. Its easy for the customer to understand and it still makes wads of money for us. It also is easy for the customer to see that were being good to them. If they bought a 20-seat box in addition to the 10-seat box they already have, it would be costing them more. He wrote: New 20-seat unit $14,000 A new unit provides customers with redundancy by having two boxes, which they might want in the event of product failure, but the cost is pretty stiff. Upgrading becomes the logical and affordable option. Hillary looked at the numbers and knew just what she was going to do. That all looks very logical, but I dont see that either of you has the companys best interests at heart. Brian, you just want a simple sale that your sales people and the customers will buy into, and Rob, you are charging even less than Brian. We need to consider the revenue issue as well. These people have already bought from us; are trained on our hardware and software and dont want to have to repeat the process with someone else. It would take too long. Theyve got no desire to make a change and that means weve got them. The sky is really the limit on how much we can charge them because they have no real alternative. We should take this opportunity to really go for the gold, say $15,000 or even $20,000. We can and should be as aggressive as possible. All three continued to argue the relative merits of their pricing positions, without notable success. Jefferies listened to each of them and after they finished, he turned to a clean whiteboard and took the marker. Ive done some more thinking on this. In order to meet the needs of all three departments, there are three very important points that the price structure for these upgrades must accomplish: 1. The pricing for the upgrades shouldnt undercut the existing pricing for the 30-seat QTX. 2. We want to motivate our buyers to purchase the maximum number of seats at the initial purchase. A dollar now is better than a potential dollar later. We never know for sure that they will make that second purchase. If we dont do this right, were going to encourage customers to reduce their initial purchase. Theyll figure they can add capacity whenever, so why buy it if they dont need it. That would kill upfront sales of the QTX. 3. We dont want to leave any revenue on the table when buyers decide to buy more capacity. They are already committed to us and our technology and we should capitalize on that, without totally ripping them off. Therefore, while Hillary says the skys the limit, I think there is a limit and we need to determine what it is and how close we can come to it. If we assume that those are the objectives, none of the prices youve put together thus far answers all three of those criteria. Some come close, but each one fails. See if you can put your heads together and come to a consensus price that satisfies all three objectives. OK? Heads nodded and with that, Jefferies left the conference room. The three remaining occupants looked at one another. Brian got up to wipe the previous numbers off the whiteboards and said: OK, one more time. If our numbers dont work, why not and what is the right price for the 20-seat upgrade?

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Wearable Motion Detection Technology to Detect Falls

Wearable Motion Detection Technology to Detect Falls Louise Patterson 1. Project Title The development of a fully working model using wearable motion detection technology to detect and alert to falls within the home. 2. Abstract The focus of this document concerns the research and methodology into the problem of people with care needs being able to live independently within their own homes with minimum intervention. Elderly people particularly tend to have an increased risk of falling and sustaining serious injury than younger people. Other people with certain medical conditions also have a higher risk of falling due to seizures, balance problems etc. Current fall detection alert systems are expensive and obtrusive. They require landline phone connections and a call centre network with access to personal information to contact the appropriate carer. Sensors are rarely waterproof and can be easily damaged. The way the sensors are carried on the body can irritate and become annoying to the patient. One of the biggest, most costly failures of current systems occur when a call button has been touched by accident, resulting in accidental alerts being sent to the call centre. The main objective of this research and proposed model is to provide an investigation into the possibility of using new technology to provide a more effective system. Which Such a system will work only for fall detection and send alerts to appropriate personnel with the option for camera access to enabling them to view situation on way to alert. Specifically the project seeks to discover if new ring motion detection technology can be used to provide a more cost effective way of detecting falls within the home. Provisioning of a sensor which is both waterproof and unobtrusive to the wearer, which can be used to send an alert via txt or email directly to carers, thereby removing the need for an expensive, dedicated landline alert system and call centre network. Table of Contents (Jump to) 1. Project Title 2. Abstract 3. Aims 4. Objective 5. Justification 6. Literature Review 7. Methodology 8. Work Plan 9. References 3. Aims The aim of the project is to develop a working model for fall detection using motion detection technology in the form of a wearable ring, thereby replacing current, outdated and non user friendly equipment. Thereafter presenting the working model to appropriate bodies in order to facilitate a huge reduction in what has become a costly and awkward system to run and maintain for all parties. To achieve this, research in what defines a fall will be carried out as well as research for application creation using the processing language and motion detection programming using the available software development kits provided by the ring developers. Current fall detection applications will be researched to compare and improve on proposed model. To achieve this, research will be carried out to determine what defines a fall in the current system, as well as the range of fall detection applications currently available. Following this, research will be required into the most appropriate type of application creation tools to use in the working model. Tools include the type of processing language required and the particular motion detection programming available through the software development kits provided by the ring developers. Comparisons will be drawn from research findings in order to discover what improvements could be made on the proposed working model. 4. Objectives 5. Justification 6. Literature Review The purpose of the papers read is how to define the fall within the scope of the project and what technologies are best suited to project. With this in mind the following papers contain information on fall detection and the different technologies that may be used to complete a project of this type. Challenges, issues and trends in fall detection systems by Raul Igual, Carlos Medrano, and Inmaculada Plaza: Published online July 6 2013 in the BioMedical Engineering OnLine Fall detection system using Kinect’s infrared sensor by Georgios Mastorakis and Dimitrios Makris : Published December 2014 in the Journal of Real-Time Image Processing Heterogeneous multi-sensor fusion based on an evidential network for fall detection by Paulo Armando CAVALCANTE AGUILAR, Jerome Boudy, Dan Istrate, et. Al.: Submitted to HAL on the 14 Dec 2012. Accurate, Fast Fall Detection Using Gyroscopes and Accelerometer-Derived Posture Information By Qiang Li, John A. Stankovic, et. Al. Challenges, issues and trends in fall detection systems: this paper covers many of the different studies already taken place. It details the devices and methods used to detect falls. Fall detection system using Kinect’s infrared sensor : This paper cover the use of the xbox’s kinect sensors in fall detection. The same technology used in the nod ring. Heterogeneous multi-sensor fusion based on an evidential network for fall detection : covers how the network is used to alert and detect the falls. Accurate, Fast Fall Detection Using Gyroscopes and Accelerometer-Derived Posture Information: covers how the bodies position is used with accelerometers and gyroscopes to detect falls. 7. Methodology The research required to enable completion of the project will the follow the flow diagram used within Objectives. Secondary research will be carried out into what defines a fall. This will require papers, articles, books and websites to be read on the definition of what constitutes a fall. The information gained from this research will be compared and contrasted in to tables to analyse what movements and positions best constitute a fall and will cover the most appropriate scenarios for the system model. During this research any currently available algorithms, diagrams and coding will be collated, analysed and used to determine the fall definition selected for the project. Another aspect required for the system model is the final position of the fall and the time of inactivity that would indicate a fall. The data will be collated and analysed using graphs and diagrams to select the most appropriate solution that encompasses the most data to create an all-encompassing fall detection system. Time inactivity data will be collected from research data to compare and contrast time retrieved to select the median figure for inactivity and use this in the development of the system. Then all the collated data will be compared analysed and a conclusion drawn, showing the best options for the project, and the development of the equations required for coding of the device sensors. Once a fall definition has been selected the language used to program the device sensors needs to be researched and learned. The sensor device has available software developer’s kits (SDK) for android, iOS and UNIX among others. The use of these kits will require a steep learning curve and require reading and taking practical courses on learning the languages required. Learning the language, will be achieved through books, online courses and available API’s and code. The Project Supervisor will assist in the project ensuring the correct language is used and coding is fit for purpose. Although the ring comes with its own software, other methods of programming appropriate to the current skill set will be researched, by contacting developers through the developer’s forum and other programmers to assist with programming the sensors. At this stage any compatibility issues with the sensor and devices will be noted and used during the testing of the completed model to facilitate improvements. During the process of learning the coding language, the programming of the ring using this knowledge will be initiated. Sample codes will be modified and tested by programming the device to test functionality. Current fall technology research will include investigating current papers, applications and systems. Available current applications will be compared against the proposed project model to determine possible areas for improvement. Initial alert sending programming will be programmed within the rings SDK, producing results of positive fall detection and sending them to a receiving device. Knowledge and programming developed during research will be used to complete alert programming. Testing will be carried out using simulated alerts on various platforms, at different distances from sensor to base station. Results will be collated and displayed in graphs showing comparisons and analysis. The alert sending system which sends messages to mobile phones and emails will be programmed using the SDK or language used to program other functions. The completed model is to be tested using actual falls which creates an ethical issue. To address this issue local martial arts instructors will be approached to request their assistance with testing. The instructors will be asked to provide the test equipment to classes in order to record falls that take place during normal class activities. To fulfil any ethical considerations these tests will be recorded and the appropriate paperwork for consent obtained. These tests will ensure fall detection, alerts sending and receiving and the effective range of the system. The results will then be collated and reproduced in graphs, tables and illustrations to demonstrate success and failure rates, distance achieved and sending and receiving times. Future developments are investigated through searching for additional functionality of the sensor devices used within the model and possible cost effective additions which, when added to the system model improve the project and add features resulting in a reliable care model. The final step will be compiling the report for submission. This will done by pooling all research, tables, graphs and coding into the documentation required for the MSc project. 8. Work Plan The MSc Smart Networks course leader has stated the project must be completed and submitted for marking so graduation can be achieved in December or January. With this is mind the completed project must be submitted to lecturer in plenty of time to allow for marking and external evaluation. To ensure this is the case a final submission date of October 30th 2015 has been selected with a start date of the 22nd of June 2015. A draft submission is to be submitted no later than the 25th of September. Timeline As a literature review is a learning and development process this will be an ongoing method from June to the end of September. Programming and initial testing will commence in the first week in July and continue until a completed model is ready for final testing. Final testing is to commence in the third week of September and last for two weeks. Compiling of data and research will be compiled as an ongoing process, however writing the project will start in earnest at the same time as final testing. Due to the complexity of the project fortnightly meetings / tutorial sessions will be arranged with the supervisor. 9. References

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Impact of the financial crisis globally and in Mauritius

Impact of the financial crisis globally and in Mauritius Like almost all economies worldwide, the Mauritian economy has not been spared form the effect of the global financial crisis and subsequently to the recent European crisis. The former is considered to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. This was mainly due to the falling home prices in the United State which consequently spread to all other major economies and those which are dependent on the US economy. The Global Financial Crisis has led to the crisis of public debt in the Eurozone starting with Greece at the end of 2009. Due to the linkage of member countries in the Eurozone and the use of a single currency, the crisis faced by Greece started to spread to other member countries and this became known as the Eurozone crisis. It is obvious that although the measures that would be analyzed have had great effectiveness on mitigating the impact of the two crises, it has not been inevitable to prevent them from affecting the key sectors of the Mauritia n economy. One reason is because of its openness and financial integration to the world economy and the other being the fact that Mauritius has longed been and is still very Eurocentric. The Global Financial Crisis (2007-2009) Its Origin and Impact on the World Economy The Global Financial Crisis started when home prices began to fall dramatically in the US Real Estate market at the end of 2006. One of the reasons for the falling prices is because of the housing bubble which peaked in approximately 2005-2006. As a result people who have taken home loans started to default on their repayments as they find it cheaper to buy a house rather than to continue paying for the home loan. Due to the financial linkage and the globalization process, the declining home prices started to spread to other countries. More and more foreclosures and defaults led to banks financial position to deteriorate rapidly around the world. Investors worldwide started to lose confidence in the US economy and other major economies of the Eurozone. As such stock markets were deeply affected leading to huge loses for investors. Consumption, which is the main component of aggregate demand for many countries and US, started to decline which resulted in many quarters of negative grow th in the US and other major economies. The financial crisis led to a prolonged worldwide recession in 2008. Governments and Central Banks were forced to take necessary actions to fix the crisis. Capital injection and interest rate cuts were common to help borrowers to repay their loans. The low consumer confidence and investors confidence in the world economy resulted in many firms and financial institutions filed for bankruptcy such as the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Stimulus packages were implemented in many countries to help boosting economic activity. These stimulus packages helped companies which employ thousands of workers not to file for bankruptcy so as not to increase unemployment, for example, the US government agreed to help giant car companies Ford and Crysler in order to prevent them from closing down and laying down workers. The Global Financial Crisis did not only affected rich countries but also emerging economies and developing countries. Countries like Brazil, Russia, India, China (BRIC) and many other emerging economies experienced significantly high economic growth prior to the crisis but with the global economic downturn they had seen a slowdown in their level of economic activity. The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Mauritian Economy With the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the world economy and the deterioration of banks financial position, investors in Mauritius started to react in September 2008 by massively selling their shares. Not surprisingly, companies whose prices declined the most were those in the banking and financial sector such as the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) and the State Bank of Mauritius (SBM). As a result, the SEMDEX, the share price index of shares quoted on the Official Market of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius, started to decline to its lowest level. This indicated the level of pessimism among investors in the Mauritian economy. The Global Financial Crisis affected all key sectors of the Mauritian economy, such as the textile industry, the tourism industry, the sugar industry, the financial services sector, and the construction industry. This was mainly due to the trade liberalization of Mauritius to the world economy. As such, even though Mauritius is not related to the origin of the financial crisis, the effects of the crisis crossed the Mauritian border uninvited. This is the danger of globalization on small states like Mauritius. Among all the sectors of the Mauritian economy, the textile and tourism was most affected. Many firms closed down. Low level of tourist arrivals, due to the increasing level of unemployment in key markets, affected the tourism industry deeply. The construction industry experienced a slowdown in its economic activity. Foreign Direct Investment fell significantly during the crisis. Finally, during the same period the sugar industry had to undertake reforms because of the end of the European Union Sugar Protocol in 2006. Rising unemployment was not inevitable and the economic growth rate was declining. However, it should be noted that Mauritius did not register negative output growth during the global economic downturn. Measures by the government and the Bank of Mauritius successfully prevented the Mauritian economy from entering into a recession. Policy measures taken to mitigate the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Mauritian Economy. Since the beginning of the Global Financial Crisis and its impact on the Mauritian economy there has been huge policy coordination between the government and the Bank of Mauritius (BOM). Keynesianism was on the rise and expansionary monetary policies were followed. The government adopted expansionary fiscal policies to boost productivity. The BOM followed the same policy actions as other Central Banks worldwide, easing monetary policies. In the last quarter of 2008, through its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the BOM decided to slash the Key Repo rate by 150 basis points and the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) was brought down from 6 percent to 5 percent, thus freeing some Rs2.5 Billion for commercial banks to be able to increase loans to the private sector and in turn increasing the level of economic activity. On the government side, although the economic growth projection was still positive at 5.5 percent for the year ending 2008, expansionary fiscal policies were adopted. The budget deficit was increased but for the benefit of increased productivity. Like the BOM, the government also followed the same course of actions taken by other countries to fight the global financial crisis. An Additional Stimulus Package (ASP) equivalent to 3.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or Rs6 Billion was put in place. The ASP was aimed at expanding the airport of Mauritius and to create six funds that would make Mauritius more resilient and thus limiting the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Mauritian Economy. These Funds include: The Maurice Ile Durable (MID) Fund. Food Security Fund. The Human Resource, Knowledge, and Arts Development Fund. The Local Infrastructure Fund. The Social Housing Development Fund. The Manufacturing Adjustment and SME Development Fund. The Implementation of the Additional Stimulus Package in its effort to fight the Global Financial Crisis. The six funds created under the ASP are detailed below: The MID Fund would include a solar water heater scheme, energy saving lamps, replacing street lighting lamps, mobilize foreign expertise for sustainable development support for a wind farm project, and financing the Waste Energy Project. All these schemes would help in building the vision of a Green Mauritius and protect the Mauritian Economy from high price volatility for non-renewable energy. Under the Food Security Fund land would be prepared and provided with irrigation facilities for small farmers. The land resource mobilization would result in the production of some 5000 tons of additional food commodities between 2009 and 2011. The aim of this fund is to increase the food supply for the population and reduce the dependence on imported food supplies. The Human Resource, Knowledge, and Arts Development Fund would make provisions for scholarships to needy students. A Student Loan Guarantee Scheme and the construction of new campuses for tertiary education are also financed under this fund. The aim of this fund is to provide education for all children and help in eradicating poverty and also to widen the circle of opportunities. The Local Infrastructure Fund would provide resources in a wide range of areas including multi-purpose complexes, fish landing stations, market fairs, waterfront, crematorium, and tartan track. The aim of this fund is to improve areas where people visit regularly and increase security for the people. The Social Housing Development Fund would include the rehabilitation of NHDC estates and infrastructures for social housing and support for affordable housing to bring down the cost of mortgage. This fund would help more people to own a home. The Manufacturing Adjustment and SME Development Fund would facilitate the work undertaken by the Enterprise Mauritius, SEHDA, and the National Women Entrepreneur Council. Another important scheme that was created under the ASP was the Mechanism for Transitional Support to the Private Sector (MTSP). This mechanism makes provision for a Financial Rescue Package (FRP) to help enterprises in financial difficulties. The MTSP covered all sizes of enterprises whether small, medium, or large. The facilities favored enterprises which have used all available financial tools provided by banks and other financial institutions and still cannot overcome their financial distress. It also applies to those where banks and other financial institutions do not agree to help them. The 2009 budget also aimed at making provision for a range of actions in light of the global economic crisis. The National Empowerment Foundation (NEF) was created from this budget. Its main aim was to fight the remnants of poverty in Mauritius and the eradication of poverty. The NEF also put an obligation on large companies to give at least 2 percent of their operating profit as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The NEF enhanced its efforts on re-skilling, retraining, and returning retrenched workers to productive employment. The Euro Crisis (2010) Its Origin and Impact on the Eurozone economies. The Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2009 forced many countries to seek help to restructure their economies, especially the Eurozone economies. After the financial crisis another problem was emerged, the public debt or sovereign debt crisis which later became known as the Eurozone Crisis. It started with Greece at the end of 2009 and then spread to other Eurozone member countries such as Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. A sovereign debt arises when a country issue government bonds denominated in its own currencies but sold to investors abroad. The problem with Greece was that the cost of financing the debt became so large that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) agreed on a à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬110 Billion loan for Greece. Soon after other countries started to have the same problem as Greece and bail outs was necessary. Ireland has also been bailed out with à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬85 Billion. However, these loans are conditional on the implementatio n of harsh austerity measures. Austerity measures being cuts in government spending and increased taxes. One of the main impact of the Euro Crisis was the depreciation of the Euro vis-à  -vis other currencies. There was high financial instability in Eurozone economies which consequently led to uncertainty and falling investors confidence. On 9 May 2010 the 27 member states of the European Union agreed to create the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), a legal instrument aiming at preserving financial stability in Europe by providing financial assistance to Eurozone states in difficulty. The Impact of the Eurozone Crisis on the Mauritian Economy. Mauritius is highly dependent on the Eurozone and it is obvious that a depreciating Euro would have serious consequences on the economy. The crisis impacted on all key sectors of the Mauritian economy including export, financial services industry, domestic oriented industries, and other emerging sectors. Most of our exports are billed in Euro while most imports are in US dollars term. Since the beginning of 2010, the Euro has depreciated by around 8 percent while the US dollar has appreciated by around 3 percent against the rupee. Therefore, it is clear that exports revenues are declining while costs are rising for local firms. This is very crucial for domestic firms and this present a threat for their survival and consequently employment. The Central Statistical Office (CSO) downgraded the real GDP forecast for 2010 from 4.6 percent to 4.2 percent after the unfolding of the Euro Crisis. Furthermore, the CSO predicted an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent in 2010 from 7.3 percent in 2009. On the other hand, the inflation rate was declining. Analysts expect the austerity measures to impact negatively on the growth performance of Eurozone economies. This can result in a drop in demand for our exports and lower tourist arrivals. Moreover, some analysts believe that the Eurozone crisis will last for 5 to 7 years. Policy Response to the Eurozone Crisis and to limit its impact on the Mauritian Economy. The Mauritian economy is faced with a depreciating Euro which is having serious consequences in terms of low tourist arrivals and low demand for our exports. Furthermore, the Euro crisis is expected to last for 5 to 7 years. There is therefore a compelling need to restructure the Mauritian economy and to diversify from the Eurozone countries to other emerging countries such as the BRIC. Below is an extract from Facing the Eurozone Crisis and Restructuring for Long Term Resilience which was presented by the Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Pravind Jugnauth in 2010. Thus, The seven pillars of our response to the euro crisis and to the larger challenge of global economic rebalancing are: Industry and enterprise restructuring Deleveraging Supporting the creation of new financing instrument Fast re-skilling and re-employment of retrenched workers, with a focus on retrenched women workers Acceleration of public infrastructure Protecting consumers Modernizing regulations to improve competitiveness In order to implement all of the seven policies response mentioned above, many measures was taken, these includes: The implementation of an Economic Restructuring and Competitiveness Programme (ERCP). This will support firms in the export sectors, especially the textile and clothing industry to help them overcome their financial difficulties. Support for the SMEs to help them better manages their finance and thus being resilient to external shocks. Supporting small planters in the sugar industry which are squeezed between reform into the sugar industry and a depreciating Euro. Help to restructure the tourism sector in diversifying into non-euro based markets. Help the retrenched workers by providing them support and ensuring their re-employment. Ensuring that consumers can benefit in the depreciating Euro. Restructuring the public sector enterprises. Accelerate public infrastructure projects that are vital to the economic restructuring. Improving competitiveness by reviewing the regulatory framework. Setting up a committee to endure the proper implementation of the policy response package and ensure its effectiveness. Mobilizing the necessary resources to finance the package. The Mechanism for Transitional Support to the Private sector (MTSP) which was put in place to help firms in difficulties during the Global Financial Crisis was replaced by the ERCP. The ERCP is much more than a financial rescue package. The main features and process of the ERCP is outlined in the next section. The Economic Restructuring and Competitiveness Package The main processes of the ERCP are as follows: A diagnosis will be carried on the company applying for support under the ERCP to determine its viability. If the company is found viable, it will be granted all support under the ERCP provided that it takes a serious commitment to restructure and deleverage. An Independent Financial Analyst will be drawn to prepare a restructuring plan for the company. The restructuring plan will include market diversification, product improvement, efficiency, and productivity. If the restructuring process requires the laying off of workers, a retrenchment plan should be submitted to the ERCP and the Support Unit for Re-employment of Employees (SURE) for approval. The deleverage plan will define actions the company needs to take to bring down its gearing ratio to the benchmark established by the ERCP committee. Inefficient, poorly managed, highly geared companies will not be granted support under the ERCP. Measures were also taken by the BOM to manage the euro/rupee exchange rate. The Key Repo rate was cut by 100 basis points to 4.75 percent on the 27th September 2010. Conclusion Up to now the Mauritian economy has demonstrated a considerable degree of resilience to external shocks. The Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2009 was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s and it has dampened the world economy significantly. Mauritius being a small emerging economy was also hit by Global Financial Crisis due to its openness n financial integration to the world economy. However, policy coordination by the government and the Bank of Mauritius in adopting expansionary fiscal and monetary policies has prevented the Global Financial Crisis from damaging the economy further. The effects of the Eurozone crisis on the Mauritian economy were also very high. These were inevitable since Mauritius has always had high dependence of its exports such as tourism, textile and sugar on markets in Europe but the policy response such as reducing the Key Repo rate to 4.75 percent by the BOM and the implementation of the ERCP by the government will ensure that the Mauritian economy has a long term resilience to external shocks

Monday, August 19, 2019

Birth Control :: Contraceptives, Birth Control Essays

What exactly is birth control? Birth control means things that can be done to ensure that pregnancy only happens if and when wanted. Nowadays there are a great variety of ways to assure birth control. However, there is only one way that can be considered 100 percent secure. The more it is known about birth control options, the better chances of avoiding an unwanted pregnancy and reducing the risks of getting a sexually transmitted disease, including AIDS.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The only guaranteed option of birth control is abstinence. Abstaining from having sexual intercourse will ensure that pregnancy does not occur and also prevents sexually transmitted infections. People may find it difficult to abstain for long periods of time and tend to end their abstinence without being prepared to protect themselves against pregnancy or venereal diseases. Many choose outer course which is sex play without vaginal intercourse. For others, it is sex play with no penetration at all. It is a 100% effective against pregnancy unless pre-ejaculate or sperm gets onto the vulva or into the vagina. Outer course however, frequently leads to intercourse, therefore another form of birth control and protection from infection has to be used. The most commonly used methods of birth control are the condom and the pills. The pill is taken once a day and a pack should be completed every month. Combination pills contain estrogen and progestin. Others are progestin-only. Pills contain hormones that work in different ways. The condoms are a sheath made of thin latex or plastic to cover the penis before intercourse to keep sperm from joining egg. No matter how old one is , it is very important to use condoms with another method of birth. There are a large variety of birth control options in the market these days. These options include the patch, the ring, and the shot. The shot, of the hormone progestin, is applied in the arm or buttock every 12 weeks to, prevent release of egg or, prevent fertilized egg from implanting in uterus. The patch a thin plastic places on the skin of the buttocks, stomach, upper outer arm, or upper torso once a week for three weeks in a row. The ring is a small, flexible hoop inserted deep into the vagina for three weeks in a row and taken out the fourth week. The Ring protects against pregnancy by releasing estrogen and progestin.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Essay --

Environmental decision-making has become a tool in the hands of communities and NGOs to oppose development projects that may benefit the larger society. Indeed it may be argues that such participation in environmental decision making limits economic progress. Fracking also known as hydro-fracking or hydraulic fracturing is the process of using millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and other variety of chemical commonly known as frack fluid to fracture shale rock thousands of feet below the ground and these fractures open allowing gas to seep back through the drill-hole and be extracted to the surface . It is the process by which natural gas ‘shale’ and oil are extracted from the ground by opening and widening fractures below the earth surface and injecting a mixture of water, chemicals and silica sand at high pressure into drilled wells in the earth to push the natural gas and/or oil onto the surface . Hydrofracking is a stimulation technique used to increase the yield of natural gas wells . In organically rich shale formations such as the Appalachian, Marcellus Shale, natural gas occurs in three ways: within the pore spaces of the shale, within natural vertical fractures or joints in the shale, and adsorbed to mineral grains and organic materials within the shale . Most of the recoverable gas is located in the pore spaces, but because the pores are tiny and insular, extracting gas from them is difficult. Because of shale’s low permeability, the vertical wells traditionally drilled in the Marcellus Shale and others yielded gas at a slow rate . Geologists noticed, however, that the most successful wells shared a common trait: a wellbore that intersects numerous fractures in the shale. These fractures in turn intersect oth... ...n the US has been in practice for a really long time and the percentage of proven environmental impacts caused by fracking are low. In a University of Texas study an estimate of approx. 1 million oil and gas wells have been drilled and fracked. News reports, public debates and environmental groups all have their respective facts and figure of the impact of fracking to the environment. There have been peer-reviewed scientific reports into the potential impacts of fracking but these studies show that risk of leakage for instance is dependent on the quality and integrity of the borehole casing and cement job rather than what is brought about by fracking. Other environmental impacts are dependent on the logistics and extraction plan. 1. Ground water contamination This is the most discussed issue raised about fracking, it is also the most serious environmental concern Essay -- Environmental decision-making has become a tool in the hands of communities and NGOs to oppose development projects that may benefit the larger society. Indeed it may be argues that such participation in environmental decision making limits economic progress. Fracking also known as hydro-fracking or hydraulic fracturing is the process of using millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and other variety of chemical commonly known as frack fluid to fracture shale rock thousands of feet below the ground and these fractures open allowing gas to seep back through the drill-hole and be extracted to the surface . It is the process by which natural gas ‘shale’ and oil are extracted from the ground by opening and widening fractures below the earth surface and injecting a mixture of water, chemicals and silica sand at high pressure into drilled wells in the earth to push the natural gas and/or oil onto the surface . Hydrofracking is a stimulation technique used to increase the yield of natural gas wells . In organically rich shale formations such as the Appalachian, Marcellus Shale, natural gas occurs in three ways: within the pore spaces of the shale, within natural vertical fractures or joints in the shale, and adsorbed to mineral grains and organic materials within the shale . Most of the recoverable gas is located in the pore spaces, but because the pores are tiny and insular, extracting gas from them is difficult. Because of shale’s low permeability, the vertical wells traditionally drilled in the Marcellus Shale and others yielded gas at a slow rate . Geologists noticed, however, that the most successful wells shared a common trait: a wellbore that intersects numerous fractures in the shale. These fractures in turn intersect oth... ...n the US has been in practice for a really long time and the percentage of proven environmental impacts caused by fracking are low. In a University of Texas study an estimate of approx. 1 million oil and gas wells have been drilled and fracked. News reports, public debates and environmental groups all have their respective facts and figure of the impact of fracking to the environment. There have been peer-reviewed scientific reports into the potential impacts of fracking but these studies show that risk of leakage for instance is dependent on the quality and integrity of the borehole casing and cement job rather than what is brought about by fracking. Other environmental impacts are dependent on the logistics and extraction plan. 1. Ground water contamination This is the most discussed issue raised about fracking, it is also the most serious environmental concern

do high school administrators have the right to have unannounced locke :: essays research papers

Do high school administrators have the right to carry out unannounced body or locker searches? Does it violate the student’s body or personal belongings? Many people think that it is wrong for administrators to have random body and locker searches, but I think it is ok and somewhat necessary. Having unannounced body searches or locker searches is necessary because they keep schools safer, they enforce rules and they avoid harmful incidents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Random body and locker searches keep schools safer. When someone or their locker is searched, whatever it is that is illegal is removed and the student is suspended. This helps because it gets rid of whatever isn’t safe and takes the person who brought it out of the school for a while. This avoids anything else from happening   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I’m not saying that every student that gets caught with something is a bad student. Sometimes unsafe or illegal items are brought to school by â€Å"accident†. We all know that accidents happen. That is why there are special guidelines for â€Å"accidents†. For example, a boy goes fishing with his dad on Sunday. They use a pocketknife to cut and gut the fish. The boy puts the pocketknife back in his jacket pocket and wears the jacket to school the next day. The boy doesn’t realize the knife is in there until he takes the coat off and puts his gloves in his pockets and outs and outs the jacket in his locker. Now the boy wouldn’t have gotten in trouble if he had followed the guidelines for when accidents happen. All her had to do was take the pocketknife to an administrator and explain the situation and he wouldn’t have gotten suspended. The locker searches enforce the rules because it gives the students an opportunity to ke ep themselves out of trouble, while keeping students from bringing anything because they know about the locker and body searches and wont bring anything to school to avoid punishment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever sat and wondered if the students at Columbine High School were given random body and locker searches would that incident have happened?

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Organic Chemis

CHEMISTRY HIGHER lEvEl PaPER 2 Monday 18 May 2009 (afternoon) 2 hours 15 minutes INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your session number in the boxes above. Do not open this examination paper until instructed to do so. Section A: answer all of Section A in the spaces provided. Section B: answer two questions from Section B. Write your answers on answer sheets. Write your session number on each answer sheet, and attach them to this examination paper and your cover sheet using the tag provided. At the end of the examination, indicate the numbers of the questions answered in the candidate box on your cover sheet and indicate the number of sheets used in the appropriate box on your cover sheet. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Candidate session number 0 0 2209-6108 19 pages  © International Baccalaureate Organization 2009 0119 –2– Section a Answer all the questions in the spaces provided. 1. M09/4/CHEMI/HP2/ENG/TZ1/XX+ Biodiesel makes use of plants’ ability to fix atmo spheric carbon by photosynthesis. Many companies and individuals are now using biodiesel as a fuel in order to reduce their carbon footprint.Biodiesel can be synthesized from vegetable oil according to the followingreaction. O H C O C R O H C O C R (l)+ 3CH3OH(l) O H C O C R H H H NaOH(s) H C OH H C OH (l)+3 CH3 H C OH H O O C R (l) vegetableoil (a) methanol glycerol biodiesel [1] Identifytheorganicfunctionalgrouppresentinbothvegetableoilandbiodiesel. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. (b) For part of her extended essay investigation into the efficiency of the process, a student reacted a pure sample of a vegetable oil (where R=C17H33) with methanol. Therawdatarecordedforthereactionisbelow. Massofoil = 1013. g Massofmethanol = 200. 0g Massofsodiumhydroxide = 3. 5g Massofbiodieselproduced= 811. 0g Therelativemolecularmassoftheoilusedbythestudentis885. 6. Ca lculatetheamount (inmoles)oftheoilandthemethanolused,andhencetheamount(inmoles)ofexcess [3] methanol.

Friday, August 16, 2019

As She Grows – Creative Writing

â€Å"And it's another thing to have that one person not love you back, not the way you want them to. † (Cowan 106). As She Grows by Lesley Anne Cowan tells us the story of a teenaged girl, Snow, who grew up with no mother or father. The person that acted as her â€Å"parent† was her grandmother, a drunkard. Growing up with no love at home, she leaves for a group home. It is there she makes her life changing decision. To keep her child and to give her a home showered with love and happiness. Throughout this book, the author shows Snow's journey, separation when she leaves her grandmother, initiation when she gets pregnant and decides to keep the child, and return, when she decides to return to her former life in order to raise Betty. In As She Grows, Snow struggles to show her daughter the love that she had never experienced, so that her child might have the life she never had, filled with love and care, demonstrating the power of love to transform lives. The most significant reason for this was the lack of family love for Snow. Snow grows up with her grandmother, an alcoholic. Her mother drowned and her father is unknown. She grows up used to feeling needed by her grandmother, but she is tired of following her grandmother's crazy antics. She finally decides to leave her grandmother and moves into a group home. â€Å"I wait to feel something, anything other than this blankness inside. † (Cowan 277). Snow leaves her grandmother, hoping for a better future, away from her grandmother. When she first arrives at the group home, she finds some bad in each person, giving her a reason for her to hate them at first sight. Yet soon, she discovers that she was wrong and finds qualities in them for her to appreciate. Her â€Å"parents† are now composed of a group of people called â€Å"Staff†. The way Staff acts like a parental figure makes Snow feel a deficiency of love, even away from her grandmother. â€Å"At some point, I saw them differently and I actually wanted to belong. † (Cowan 207). Even though she did not like the group home or the people living there at first, she learns that they were good friends to her when she needed them to be there for her. Another reason for her change is that Snow slowly learns to put trust in her friends. When Snow finds out that she is pregnant, she tries to accept the truth by herself. Yet, she soon finds out that this is too much for her to carry by herself, so she tells this secret to one person. Each person living in a group home is assigned to a counselor. To Snow, going to a counselor is her price to stay in a group home. Her counselor, Eric, slowly persuades her to tell him about her reasons of leaving her grandmother. Soon, she breaks down and tells him why she left and even about her pregnancy. â€Å"Some words spill out of me and other are forced through my throat. † (Cowan 178). At thins point, Snow tells Eric that she is tired, that she does not want to plan her next step in life. She tells him, â€Å"I have no fight left in me. † (Cowan 179). After her friend Jasmyn's persuasion, she tells the group home and Staff that she is pregnant. Soon, Snow learns that sometimes outsiders that are not related to you in any way can become the closest people in the world, the ones you can rely on most. To Snow, going to this group home was her life-changing decision that altered her future for the better. The final reason for this change is to show the maternal love she never received in her childhood to her baby daughter, Betty. Snow struggles to understand the meaning of maternal love. In the very last line of the book, â€Å"If I rise in you, bury me. † (Cowan 289). She tells her daughter that if Snow's life is going to be seen in Betty, she must somehow break away from it. A couple weeks after Betty's birth, she tells her daughter, â€Å"People are afraid I won't know how to love you. (Cowan 225). Snow believes that she will find that courage and bravery in her that is needed to take care of her. Snow is a perfect portrayal of a victim of a society. Society thinks that all teenaged mothers will not know how to love their children. â€Å"Moments when I think, I can actually do this. † (Cowan 126). Snow sometimes has doubts about her ability to raise her daughter, but she also has times where she knows that she can raise her daughter, and not allow her to relive her own life's journey. Yet Snow is not so confident for the majority of the time. â€Å"Look away from her piercing eyes and whisper, ‘I'm sorry', into her soft skin. † (Cowan 277). Snow worries that her daughter's present and future. In the present, Snow is afraid she will not know how and when to love her. In the future, Snow is afraid about what life her daughter will choose to take. She wants the best life possible for Betty, and Snow thinks the life she had was the worst life imaginable, a kind of life she doesn't want Betty to have. In the last two lines of As She Grows, â€Å"If I rise, bury me. If I rise in you, bury me. † (Cowan 289). Snow's difficulties in raising Betty are shown. Her lack of parental love in her childhood has caused Snow to learn maternal love for her child, because she does not want Betty following in her old steps. Even near death, Snow still wants the best for her daughter. She loves her and says that if her bad characteristics or her life ever appear to surface in Betty's life, she is to bury all of this.