Marriott Corporation” the Cost of Capital Essay

What is the weighted average cost of capital for the Marriott Corporation and cost of capital for each of its divisions? – What risk-free rate and risk premium did you use to calculate the cost of equity? – How did you measure the cost of debt? – How did you measure the beta for each division? Solution What risk-free rate and risk premium did you use to calculate the cost of equity? – Risk-free rate proxy The risk-free rate is determined using the yields of U.S. Treasury securities, which are risk-free from default risk. U.S. Treasuries are subject to interest rate risk, therefore, the selected maturity should correspond to an investment horizon[1]. – Investment horizon According to the cost-of-capital calculation methodology used by Marriott Corporation, lodging division was treated as long-term, while restaurant and contract services divisions were treated as short-term because those assets had shorter useful lives. – Expected return proxy Arithmetic average return is more suitable than geometric mean as it is better in estimating an investment’s expected return over a future horizon based on its past performance (geometric mean is a better description of long-term historical performance of an investment). – Risk-free interest rate Taking into account the above, arithmetic average annual returns of long-term U.S. government bonds for the period 1951-1987 (4.88%, see Appendix 1) is  considered to be risk-free rate for lodging division. Arithmetic average annual returns of short-term U.S. government bonds for year 1987 (5.46%, see Case Exhibit 4) is considered to be risk-free rate for restaurant and contract services divisions. – Market proxy S&P 500 index is selected as a market proxy as it is believed to be close to the true market portfolio. As it is important to use historical returns for the same market index used to calculate beta (which is given), an assumption is made that the given leverage data is calculated based on the same S&P 500 index. – Market risk premium Market risk premium should be calculated for the same horizon as that used for the risk-free interest rate. Thus a spread between S&P 500 composite returns and long-term U.S. government bond returns for the period 1951-1987 (7.88%, see Appendix 2) is a market risk premium for lodging division. A spread between S&P 500 composite returns and short-term U.S. government bond returns for year 1987 (-0.23%, see Case Exhibit 5) is a market risk premium for restaurant and contract services divisions. How did you measure the cost of debt? Marriott Corporation and each division are given market value-target leverage ratios and credit spreads as well as U.S. government interest rates as of April 1988 (see Case Tables A and B). According to investment horizons discussed above, the following cost of debt is estimated: How did you measure the beta for each division? Ideally, when estimating beta by using past returns, time interval should be consistent with an investment horizon. Betas given in Case Exhibit 3 are estimated over 1986-1987 period. As these are the only betas given, they are assumed to be relevant for both long-term and short-term investment horizons. Equity betas of each division are calculated from comparable hotel and restaurant companies. Equity betas are then unlevered taking into account financing structure of each company according to the following formula: [pic], where Tax = 40% An average of unlevered betas of comparable companies is assumed to be a proxy for unlevered betas of Marriott divisions. For calculations of unlevered betas for each division see Appendix 4. What is the weighted average cost of capital for the Marriott Corporation and cost of capital for each of its divisions? WACC is calculated according to the formula given in the case taking into account the tax shield. Cost of equity is calculated according to CAPM model.

Health and Safety at Work

Critically review your own organisation’s Health and Safety Policy and procedures and make recommendations for improvements Organisations today widely regard their employees as their greatest assets, so it is no wonder that they are spending an increasing amount of their resources on ensuring that the workplace and work systems enable its staff to feel safe and secure; as management continues takes an active role in their wellbeing. Failure to ensure and provide a safe working environment can raise concerns in a variety of areas such as legal, financial and ethical issues. In the United Kingdom there are legislations in place designed to ensure that correct and appropriate systems of work, in regards to health and safety, exist within every organisation. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASWA), section 2, â€Å"It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees. † This highlights the responsibility employers have in ensuring their employees are safe of chemical, physical and machinery hazards and risks. Hazards can be defined as something that can cause adverse effects, such as water on a staircase because of the possibility of you slipping on it and hurting yourself. A risk is the likelihood that a hazard will actually cause its adverse effects, together with a measure of the effect. Risks are usually expressed as facts with a quantifiable likelihood, such as â€Å"one in a hundred†, paired with the effect and hazard, â€Å"fatal accident [effect] at work [hazard]†. Other important sections to highlight within the HASWA are section 3 â€Å"It shall be the duty of every employer†¦ so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health and safety. † This underlines the responsibility employers have of ensuring members of the public and non-employees are not exposed to any risks. HASWA 1974, s7; â€Å"It shall be the duty of every employee while at work to take reas onable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work†. This states the duty every employee has in ensuring their own wellbeing within the workplace as well as their conduct in ensuring the health safety of their colleagues. HASWA s8; â€Å"No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare in pursuance of any of the relevant statutory provisions. † Section 8 talks of the importance of not misusing or damaging property and equipment at work under a legal obligation. From each of these sections there are key phrases and words which can be interpreted differently and applied in various contexts. â€Å"So far as is reasonably practicable†, for example, involves weighing the risk against the time, money and trouble needed to control it. This is normally expected to be exerted to different extents within different organisations. In a small business with 5 employees it may be ‘unreasonable’ to put in place a system to prevent doors shutting abruptly due to the nature of the organisation and the cost of implementation. However if in a bigger organisation of significantly more employees (150), then the risk of getting fingers trapped in the door are increased, so this may be an issue that would need investigating and probably amended in order to comply with the act. I am going to make a risk assessment of my work place in my area of operation focusing on some of the health and safety concerns and what can or has been done to rectify the issue. My workplace is in ‘23 New Mount Street’ which is a grade 2 listed building of serviced offices. It used to be an old mill, later home to the ‘Cooperative Printing Society’, and now converted into a set of offices. My office is on the second floor for which you have to take stairs to enter the building and then an elevator up to the office space. One of the health and safety issues present at my workplace is the possibility of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) when working on the computers. Since the introduction of technology and computing that involves the use of the keyboard and mouse there has always been the risk of RSI which can be due to posture held when working or the strain on your eyes caused by the glare of the computer screen. RSI occurs when you work for prolonged periods of time on the computer without taking breaks to stretch your muscles and rest. Currently in the organisation there are adjustable chairs to sit on when working on computers so the individual can alter the height of the chair to align themselves with the monitor screen. This also helps improves the posture of the individual. This complies with The Health And Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 by meeting the minimum requirements for the work chair and other equipment. There is also a â€Å"RSI Awareness† notice on near the workstations to make sure they are aware of safe computer usage. If further action was to be taken then they should try and do more in ensuring that regular breaks are taken as sometimes working on computers can make you lose track of the time, â€Å"Every employer shall so plan the activities of users at work in his undertaking that their daily work on display screen equipment is periodically interrupted by such breaks or changes of activity as reduce their workload at that equipment†, The Health And Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, s4. This is not a high-risk hazard as the users of the computers are already made aware of RSI so within this organisation spending the extra resources may not be ‘reasonably practicable’. Also this is an issue that should be enforced by the employee themselves under the HASWA 1974, s7, â€Å"take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself†; because the equipment is there for them to use it just has to be used responsibly. This can be extended further to bring in the manufacturers and designers of office equipment under HASWA , s6. 1a â€Å"It shall be the duty of any person who designs, manufactures, imports or supplies any article for use at work – to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the article is so designed and constructed as to be safe and without risks to health when properly used† . If there wasn’t ‘safe’ article provided by the office then they would not be complying with the HASWA, s6. To extend it even further it could be applied to the manufacturers and designers to ensure that it minimises the risks to health and safety, â€Å"It shall be the duty of any person who undertakes the design or manufacture of any article for use at work to carry out or arrange for the carrying out of any necessary to research with a view to the discovery and, so far as is reasonably practicable the elimination or minimisation of any risks to health or safety to which the design or article may give rise†, HASWA s6. 2. Another key issue is concerning the nature of the office building and its use of equipment. As this building has a number of office spaces usually leased on short term basis, 6 months minimum, there is usually office furniture and equipment left in hallways and corridors to moved in or out of the building and or in and out of office spaces. This is a safety concern in that it is obstructing paths and a hazard for someone to trip over them. It is also a fire safety concern as it can be seen to be blocking paths that lead to fire exits and escape routes. This can fall under HASWA, s2. 2b, â€Å"arrangements for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances†. As well as that under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, s14. 1, â€Å"Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons, the responsible person must ensure that routes to emergency exits from premises and the exits themselves are kept clear at all times†. This once again puts the earnest on the employer or person responsible for Health and Safety to ensure that the premises are free of hazards that could cause injury or a potential fire exit obstruction and to make sure that necessary precautionary measures are put in place in the case of an emergency such as fire, â€Å"Every employer shall establish and where necessary give effect to appropriate procedures to be followed in the event of serious and imminent danger to persons at work in his undertaking†, The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, s8. a. In order to comply with the legislation I think the organisation needs to make the office users aware of their responsibility in ensuring that they are not disregarding the legislation and are to be held accountable for their actions. They should also make transportation and storage of their equipment, e. g desks and chairs, in a storage room or at least out of corridors as not to obstruct the people within t he building. Health and safety at the workplace is a major issue for every organisation as it directly affects its employees in being able to work in a safe working environment. The issue of health and safety should be at the forefront of not only employers but employees as well as they can be liable, as a result of their own actions, for their own safety as well as other colleagues in the workplace and non-employees of the organisation who use the building; safety everyone’s responsibility. In the United Kingdom mostly all of the health and safety laws and legislations are governed by the phrase â€Å"so far as is reasonably practicable†, this means that every health and safety issue is a matter of relativity where the employer must assess the relative costs and benefits of any health and safety measures with time, trouble and money taken to implement it. If the costs are grossly disproportionate to the benefits then they are not obliged to amend it according to law and the phrase â€Å"so far as is reasonably practicable†. In every organisation there are issues concerning health and safety and they all differ depending on the nature of the organisation, i. e type of work, number of employees, resources etc. Within my own organisation most of the issues of Health and Safety are dealt with by the organisation in charge of the office. However within the office space I am accountable for the health and safety. To ensure health and safety is implemented effectively I believe it is necessary to educate the employees. The employees need to be aware of what they are responsible for and how they must work safely. Awareness is probably the biggest factor in ensuring good health and safety practices are implemented within the organisation. Bibliography Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 http://www. legislation. gov. uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents The Health And Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, S4 http://www. legislation. gov. uk/uksi/1992/2792/contents/made RSI Awareness (2007). RSI Awareness. Available: http://www. rsi. org. uk/. Last accessed 24 March 2011. Health and Safety Executive. (2007). Workplace, health safety and welfare. Available: http://www. hse. gov. uk/pubns/indg244. pdf. Last accessed 23 March 2011. 23 New Mount Street. (2011). 23 New Mount Street. Available: http://www. 23newmountstreet. co. uk/index. php. Last accessed 21 March 2011. Health and Safety Executive. (2007). Fire and Explosion: Workplace safety. Available: http://www. hse. gov. uk/fireandexplosion/workplace. htm#building. Last accessed 25 March 2011. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Part 2, Article 14 http://www. legislation. gov. uk/uksi/2005/1541/article/14/made The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, S8 http://www. legislation. gov. uk/uksi/1999/3242/regulation/8/made

A Killer Whale Study

A Killer Whale Study Killer Whales The orca, or the killer, whale is one of the most well-known and most majestic of the sea. Belonging to the dolphin family, the killer whale is found all over the worlds oceans and has been the object of study by many animal researchers over the past few decades. Killer whales are unique mammals in the ways that they live, for example, feeding and migration, also the mother-child relationship. Apart from being such an interesting animal, they are currently endangered. When most people think of killer whales, Shamu comes to mind; the first killer whale to successfully thrive in captivity, also the iconic symbol of the SeaWorld parks. Since the killer whales early notoriety with SeaWorld, the development of better researching techniques, such as satellite tagging, have become important in understanding many aspect of the species, as well as learning how to protect them. Killer whales are usually found in pods, which are large groups that can range anywhere from ten to eighty members. Interestingly enough, each pod is a unique family consisting of blood related whales. When a calf is born into a pod, the mother cares for it closely for many calves die when they are very young from illness, accidents, or even predators such as large sharks (Carwardine, 4). If the calf survives its early years, it will remain in the pod for the rest of its life. Each pod has its own special language, or dialect in the believed and complex way of communication among other killer whales, and all members of the pod are similar in appearance, even though no two orcas look exactly alike (Carwardine, 4). Another distinguishing feature of killer whales is their Dorsal fin. Male killer whales have a huge dorsal fin that can grow up to six feet, females, however, have a much smaller and more curved dorsal fin (Carwardine, 4). In comparison to their large fins, adult orcas whale s can weigh from three to eleven tons, and male orcas grow to an average length of twenty-three to twenty-seven feet but can reach lengths of up to thirty-two feet, and female orcas average between twenty and twenty-two feet (Killer Whale, National Parks Conservation Association). Pods of killer whales have been recorded in virtually all oceans and major seas and from all open-water habitat zones (Dahlheim et al., 1981). Although they have been spotted all over, their primary habitat is in the freezing cold waters of the polar regions, for example the Arctic and Antarctic (Carwardine, 4). Another characteristic of killer whales and all other members of the cetaceansthe group of animals that consists of whales, dolphins, and porpoisesis that they only receive one set of a hundred teeth that are pointed and sharp for catching and tearing prey (Carwardine, 4). The killer whale appears to be an opportunistic feeder; diet may vary from one region to the next, among age and sex classes, and within years (Kirkevold and Lockard, 47). The unusual list of prey includes many types of fish, birds, other small cetaceans, sea lions, seals, electric rays, and outrageously even blue whales, great white sharks, as well as other killer whales (Kirkevold and Lockard, 47). Killer whales are known to work together while hunting, developing special techniques and skills for different foods that they hunt. In the Antarctic, they work together by tipping sleeping seals and penguins from ice floes into the waiting mouths of other members of the pod (Carwardine, 27). One of the most interestin g methods of hunting prey is used by killer whales off the coast of Argentina on the Punta Norte beaches, where several pods have learned how to catch young elephant seals and sea lion pups in the shallows (Carwardine, 28). The whales survey the beaches for their target and once they have found a victim easy enough for them to catch, they rush toward the beach so fast that they surge out of the water and onto the beach, leaving their prey no time to escape (Carwardine, 29). Most whales and dolphins are in serious trouble when they strand like this, but the killer whales of Punta Norte grab their prey and then wriggle back into the sea (Carwardine, 30). Other methods of finding food underwater is using Echolocation, where the whales make special clicking sounds and listen for the echoes that bounce back (Carwardine, 31). In 1997, possibly one of the most impressive and incredible accounts of an orca whales choice in food was when two whales off the coast of Californias Farallon Islands attacked and killed a great white shark. Peter Pyle, a biologist who studied the birds and sharks of the Farallon area, was the expert on hand when the strange event unfolded (Turner, Showdown at Sea). Pyle recalled seeing two whales that were later identified as belonging to an L.A. pod, attacking the shark. After about five minutes, the liver had been ripped out of the shark and was tastefully being enjoyed by the whales as the carcass of the dead shark sank (Turner, Showdown at Sea). The incident was beyond odd. No oneanywherehad ever recorded seeing a killer whale attack a great white. And then something even stranger happened: The sharks of the Farallones vanished (Turner, Showdown at Sea). Many researchers have tried to understand why the killer whales had targeted the shark as prey, and most have concluded that the behavior is pretty much unique to the L.A. pod, a cetacean gang so strange a better moniker might be the Odd Pod (Turner, Showdown at Sea). Since then, researchers have studied the relationship between killer whales and sharks and have come to find that even though humans fear the great white shark as the ultimate predator, sharks may perceive their rank differently (Turner, Showdown at Sea). Despite the many locations of killer whales, the population has been declining over the past two decades. The surprising element that is mostly to blame for the decline in whale numbers is found in their food supply. For example, schools of fish that are commonly preyed upon by orcas have been minimized due to factors, including degradation of spawning habitat, reduced ocean survival, and over-fishing (Ford et al., 97). Temporary closures of fisheries to protect the whales livelihood became an option, until it became a major problem with the declining fishing industry. Another startling discovery posing a huge threat to the killer whales was finding dangerously high levels of PCBs and other contaminants in their blubber, a high enough level to rank them as one of the worlds most polluted cetacean populations (Ford et al. 98). As top-level predators in the food web, killer whales ingest a variety of human-made industrial pollutants through their diet (Ford et al., 98). The dangerous p ollutants that pour into the sea every day from factories, farmland and towns threaten the health of the whales and shorten the life-span and leave them more susceptible to disease. Fortunately, PCBs are no longer produced in North America, but the security of the stored PCBs is questionable, and it seems likely that the pollutants will continue to seep into the whales habitat for years to come unless serious international efforts are made to eliminate them (Ford et al., 99). Although pollution and deterioration of food sources are key factors in the decline of killer whale populations, there are still other small factors, such as, incidents where whales are harmed or killed by boat propellers and even oil spills. The protection of these animals is necessary for their current status is endangered in some areas such as off the coasts of North America, and threatened in others. There are many aspects that make the killer whale such a defining beauty of the sea. First, their high intelligence level and well developed systems of communication set them apart from many animals. Then the culture they express commonly with family pods and strategized group hunting classifies them as a much more advanced species. Finally, the evolutionary domination of the seas as a high ranked animal of the food pyramid only remarks them as an incredible animal. There are many different species of the sea with many different characteristics that make them interesting, but none are as truly amazing as the killer whale. With laws in place to further protect the populations of killer whales many hope to see them prosper and live on for many centuries to come.

The Decades Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Decades - Essay Example During this period racism had begun to die down and black people began to be seen as equals by the majority white people. Therefore this song that called for change exemplified the mood of change and togetherness. In the decade of the 1970s, â€Å"Dancing Queen† by Abba best exemplified the mood of the decade. This was the decade that saw the creation of bands and group singers. Abba was among the best bands and their band success exemplified the mood. In the decade of the 1980s, â€Å"Thriller† by Michael Jackson bet exemplified the mood of the decade as this was the decade that saw the revolution of dance and dancing moves. The song had a very good choreography that caught the hearts of many. In the decade of the 1990s, â€Å"Vogue† by Madonna best exemplified the mood (Garry 2001). This decade was a decade that saw the partial acceptance of gay relationships and people in the society. This song was about a gay dance move called ‘vogueing’ and henc e it therefore went with the mood of the decade. Finally in the decade of the new millennium, the song that best exemplified the mood was â€Å"Independent Woman† by destiny’s child as this was a period that saw women completely rise to the same status as men and even take up very prestigious positions. There are patterns of commonalities between the decade of the 1970s and that of the 1980s as this period experienced formation of numerous band groups that went ahead to become a success. There is also some commonality between the decade of the 1980s and 1990s whereby this period songs touched on alcohol and drugs and hence exemplified the drug

The book the killer angels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The book the killer angels - Essay Example The story is characterized in a way that it is told from the  perspectives  of various  protagonists. Thus, this battle, fought for both freedom as well as the way of life, proved to be a very tough one as is shown by history. Michael Shaara (1928-88) was an eminent American author, was known for his fiction works based on the fields of science, sports fiction as well as history. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, to an Italian family who had immigrated to America. He completed his graduation in the year 1915 from the Rutgers University. An important part of his life was his rendering of service to the 82nd Airborne division as a very determined and courageous sergeant. Shaara always harboured the desire to transform his feelings and emotions into words, and this influenced him to author a story of historical significance, which portrayed exactly what the people felt about the war. Therefore, the story is an insight into what the emotions and feelings people had under the situation of war and also what was the cause for the war. Summary: ‘The Killer Angels’ is an apt example of how language and writing can change the perspectives of people regarding a particular thing. This fictional story about the Civil War and especially the Gettysburg battle of 1863, brings to fore the perceptions of active members in the war, such as the generals and union generals namely: James Longstreet and Robert E. Lee as well as John Buford and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. The story Shaara tells seems to be more informative about the Gettysburg battle than any other non-fiction work on the same. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, one of the characters in the story, is seen to be a very highly inspiring figure, with â€Å"his Twentieth Maine Infantry Regiment† kept the left flank of the union safe and secure during the second day of the battle (Latham II). It is only with the help of this unit that the people were able to get an upper hand against the reb els at Little Round Top. This novel finds place in the hearts of civil war readers under the category of non-fictional works. This is so due to the fact that the way Shaara has portrayed the characters, there exists a high level of accuracy behind it as compared to the real events. Another reason is that the author has successfully made an account of important turning points that changed the fate of the Battle of Gettysburg. It comes as no surprise that a curious reader will definitely be left with the desire to know more about the battles as well as Civil War described in the novel. There are a lot of people who think that reading history is a process that involves nothing but getting bored, this book is more than enough to prove those notions wrong. The book also opposes another belief that historical writing holds, which is that readers interested in war novels are more inclined to know things from the perspective of the common soldier and not the generals, who are blessed to sta y in the dignified atmosphere of rear headquarters, moving armies around like chess pieces. For anyone who thinks the fighting at Gettysburg was simply a large battle in a big field, Shaara has painted a moving picture of the three-day battle that reveals not only the elaborateness of the  Civil War, but the personal lives and thoughts of the men who fought in it. By taking first-hand accounts written in journals and letters, Shaara has intertwined a piece of historical fiction. The

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 36

Accounting - Essay Example Failing to provide the cash flow statement, the company will lack the proper information on telling the sources of cash and its use. Additionally, the company will not have adequate planning tool for its business success in the long term (â€Å"Cash flow statements†, 2000). To improve operations, I would compare the expenses that accumulate for a given operation to its budget and provide management warning if the expenses appear to be ahead of projections (Lawrence, 2004). This will give the company time to control cost over the remaining part of the project. I would also approach the client about the increase in billing to cover the cost overrun. Assuming the costs are reimbursed to the clients, I would carry out cost precision where the customer will pay all the expenses incurred plus the revenue. Some of the accounting activities that I would take into consideration will be the cost of materials, cost of labor, and overhead. I would use cost information history to arrive at standard rates and then assign this standard costs to jobs based on the activity units (Drury, 2002). I will allocate the manufacturing overhead cost via Departmental machine hours (Innes & Mitchell, 2003). This is because the manufacturing companies studies and controls the time for direct labour and motion. They have started using machines to replace the direct labor. Using machines increases the factory overhead due to machinery depreciation, machinery maintenance, and set up of machines. Reducing the direct labor and increasing the manufacturing overhead, the correlation between the manufacturing overhead and direct labour tends to wane. Therefore, the logical response is to allocate manufacturing overhead based on the machine hours rather than direct labor hours (Carroll, 2004). I would use break-even analysis to determine the optimum output level below which will

Impact of Internet of things (IOT) on society Research Paper

Impact of Internet of things (IOT) on society - Research Paper Example This a risk that the study of the IoT has prioritize on the technical artefacts and has neglected the social aspects part of the technical system and information infrastructure. Mukhopadhyyay (2014)discussed that to developing through leadership in the marketplace, is the idea behind the initiative of the internet of things. The use IOT has led to integration in that knowledge and skills are integrated in order to create value and impact industry in the society. He also explains that IoT appears to have moved objects from the physical world to a virtual one, internet of things features create a sort of virtual continuum among physical objects and their representation on internet as well as their environment. The complexity is one factor that is not pointed or noted out in the research papers by Mukhopadhyyay and Matos respectively. It is an important factor to study and control when working on IOT. Because the behavior of any particular node has to be considered in order to determine its potential impact on the whole system. With IOT data is generated, analyzed, aggregated and transformed into information and the data is distributed to the users, which actually requires a wide distribution processor that has the capability and seamless connectivity. As a result of major system crashes, the internet of things leads to increasingly large scale with highly coupled technological system that can actually remove human intervention in order to increase reliability and also to increase the potential for societal vulnerability(Slevin, 2010). The IoT inevitably leads to redesign of work process as organizations responsibilities are changed on the control and the accountability and later redistributed. The improvement of performs of the operation can be investigated specifically in the domain of supply chain management where the benefits perceived are reduction in manual error and in improved stock control and management (Ning, 2013). Business of

Discussion 2 Week 10 Contract Termination Liability Risk Assignment

Discussion 2 Week 10 Contract Termination Liability Risk - Assignment Example ssionals on adequately addressing potential termination risks on their contracts, and on how potential termination costs would be funded in the event of a termination† (GAO, 2011, p. 11). The recommendations are consistent with the findings which allegedly cause potential termination practices. As emphasized, NASA does not observe consistency in application of detailed and specific instructions for the implementation of FAR clauses. As such, the contractors assume diverse interpretations of reported â€Å"risks and financial responsibilities related to potential termination liability, which may be due in part to NASA’s inconsistent practices† (GAO, 2011, p. 10). As such, the recommendation requiring NASA professionals to monitor potential termination costs would only be successful if and when the root cause of the dispute and inconsistency in practices is addressed. Thus, first and foremost, NASA should be able to design structured and consistent policies and prac tices concerning termination liability funding to avoid problems ensuing from contract termination in the future. One alternative to reinforce consistency in contract termination practices is to enforce review and monitoring of long term government projects and contracts within a definite time frame, say, every three years. Any need for changes, adjustments, and updates which are not within the original scope of the contract should be identified within that stage of progress. As such, as early as possible, when termination costs are not yet significant, the government and contracting parties should already set the stage for appropriate action (either termination or proceed with the contract) within a maximum ceiling (costs) stipulated. The changes and conditions should be subject to the regulations set in terminations for default and convenience (OConnor,

Philosophical Methodologies to the Self Term Paper

Philosophical Methodologies to the Self - Term Paper Example In comparison with the nominal self, the narrative of self implicates endurance over time and is distinctly pertinent to discourses of memory and individual personality. This is an advancing agreement amid philosophers and cognitive scientist about the significance of narrative and connection to discontinuous memory. There are, nevertheless, two dissimilar perceptions of how narrative self is regulated. On a more protracted standpoint, the self is a rich fusion of narratives that permits for the ambiguities, self-deception and contradictions of individual life. There are several ways of understanding the perception of a nominal sense of self. For this case, it is relevant to understand how we utilize the first person pronoun when we are referring to ourselves in a manner that never allows errors (Neisser 1998). In a real sense, the mind is an amalgamated being. Rather, it is a natural model that consists of numerous segments. As we know, the human mind has many diverse feelings, inst incts, and desires. The self, in reality, is essentially a creation of the mind and society. The min to utilizes the notion of the self so that it can operate in a consolidated manner. By abstracting itself as a more compacted and singular object, the mind is then able to comprehend its feelings and desires far much easier. Further, the mind creates the self to amalgamate all the diverse feelings, desires and instincts into one rational set. Thus, the mind utilizes these notions to make decisions and vindicate past decisions (Bermudez 2006). Next, the community and other people also utilize the perception of the self to comprehend and associate with a human. In reality, it is improbable and impractical to know all the diverse desires, instincts and feelings that affect the humans thereby causing them to act in certain manners and to reach particular decisions. For this case, to comprehend the nature of humans, we perceive them as singular individuals with singular selves. Elementary wisdom also affects our notion of the self.     Ã‚  

Drawing on what you have learned about Essay Example for Free

Drawing on what you have learned about Essay Drawing on what you have learned about City Road, outline some of the inequalities on a street that you know. The purpose of this assignment is to outline some of the inequalities on a street that I know, namely Balham High Road, in order to draw comparisons to that on City Road. Balham High Road forms part of the A24 which runs from Clapham to Tooting, south west London. It appears a typical high street serving a local population of 21,000 and provides a variety of retail options, banks and numerous coffee shops. It is well served by public transport with both the Northern Line tube and overground rail into Victoria via Clapham Junction. Balham is served by at least four bus routes providing links to a wide range of destinations. In addition, there is one night bus route that runs through the town centre. The street has witnessed a significant change in recent years with private sector investment assisting in ‘upgrading’ the area. There are an abundance of restaurants and bars which provides evening entertainment in a buzzy atmosphere. Despite the higher than average proportion of affluent residents, there is an unequal division of wealth and this will form part of my discussion, particularly in relation to shopping and housing. I will then move on to discuss the inequalities that exist in the Polish immigrant community. One of the first things that struck me when comparing the subject street to City Road was the inequality relating to the type of shops i.e. the number of branded retailers in comparison to independent traders. ‘The Street’ DVD showed several examples of prosperous independents such as the Sari Shop and Xquisite Africa whereas Balham High Road appears a clone of most other London high streets accommodating the usual suspects – WH Smiths, Boots, Carphone Warehouse along with Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. A few independent shops exist but many have shut down over recent years due to unfair competitive pressure from the multiples and more recently the banks who are adding further pressure by not lending to smaller businesses. Learning Companion 1 asks that we bear in mind a question asked by Simon Bromley, How are inequalities produced? The obvious inequality between the busy, wealthy high street retailers that occupy prime retail space and that of the poorly stocked independents who are being pushed out of the high street is a trend seen across the high streets in the country and came about from 1996 when the town centre first policy redirecting retail developments from out of town back into the town centres emerged. In addition, demand on time means its easier for consumers to buy everything they need in a supermarket, rather than the time consuming exercise of buying meat from the local butcher, potatoes from the market and so on. Another inequality relates to housing. Balham High Road contains a mix of social and private housing. The obvious inequality here is between those that can afford to purchase their own property or rent privately and pay the associated costs (utilities, council tax etc) and those on little or no income who cannot and require subsidised living. Further inequalities exist such as the environment and quality of these dwellings. Damp is much more common in low income homes as is overcrowding which leads to health problems and antisocial behaviour. The private dwellings on Balham High Road tend to be high spec new apartments or large detached buildings and are all well maintained with double glazing, private parking and some with alternative energy solutions. Despite the above, it must be noted that in terms of condition of buildings, the Labour government introduced the Decent Homes Standard in 2000 and this assisted in improving the condition of public housing. This agenda is still active. It could be perceived that the inequality tends towards the private sector who are obliged to pay for the upgrade and maintenance of their properties whilst also incurring taxes etc. The final inequality I noticed is in the Polish community. There are two Polish shops, along with a community centre and a church. The Polish population in Balham has hugely increased since 2006, though Balham has been one of the centres of the community in London since World War II. In order for such a presence to exist, the Polish population here at one time must  have felt isolated and their needs not catered for as did the proprietor of Xquisite Africa. The purpose of this paper was to highlight some of the inequalities on a street I know and compare where possible to that of City Road using the study materials provided. Balham High Road, like City Road was similar in terms of diversity but perhaps not in terms of housing which I hope I have gone some way to expand upon. References Blakely, G., Clarke, J., Raghuram, P., Silva, E., and Taylor, S., (2009) Learning Companion 1, Introducing the social sciences: part one, Milton Keynes, The Open University. ‘The Street’ (2009) Making Social Lives (DVD), Milton Keynes, The Open University. Self Reflection Having not studied in many years, the most difficult part of this assignment was determining how to approach it. I overcame this by watching the DVD and reading the associated material, then I studied my subject street from the vantage point of a coffee shop and wrote down a plan for the structure and content. I struggled most with keeping to the point and providing a focussed piece of writing.

Exploring Characteristics Of Leaders

Exploring Characteristics Of Leaders There is Malay proverb said that kalau guru kencingberdiri, muridkencingberlari. Its mean that when the teacher shows the student bad attitude or anything, the student does it even more worst. As people know teacher is one of the example of a leader. Leader is the one who are guiding or directing others toward a common goal, show the way by some examples, and create an environment where other team members feel actively involved in the process. People who being a leader or willing to, usually they will been through some step and or process. Besides, there are also few characters that should be in person who willing or want to be a leader. One thing in common must have in leader is desire. The desires they have are to make promises of the life the ability to precise them copiously and without restrictions. There is a time a smooth as Ralph Waldo Emerson once spewed his words, that person is only half of himself or she, the other half is they expressions. Because of his word, a leader is born with copiously on the other side look is self-expression. Its needed because it can bear the essence of leadership. Most of the concept and skill need to make the leader able to express their copiously means that the leader know who are they, what their strengths and weakness are. Besides that, they also must know how to fully deploy your strengths and compensate for their own excess and weakness. In that way they might know what their need, they want, and also the way to communicate to people, in order to gain the cooperation and support from people. The entire leader must know how to set and achieve their own goal. Its because th e result they get from what they aiming might affect the people around them. They need to learn how to understand ones self, people and the world to learn and gain more experience. CHARACTERISTIC A leader not a boss of the team but, rather people who are committed to the mission Venture. There is some characteristics of a strong leader might have in each of them:- Good listener They should be a good listener not on only for the personal problem of each of the group member. But they also must be the good listener for group member during the decision making, especially during meeting. It is because the teammates might have good decision to make changes in for the group. By keeping mind open, the leader can come up with many ways to accomplish the goal. Focused The leader and their group must remind to keep on venture for the goals and mission. If they keep on stay together, hand in hand and keep concentration on what they aim, they wont get out from the track and the teammate will stay motivated and be productive to achieve the target. As a leader in the group, its theyre role to arrange the schedule in the term of time. Organized Team member can be motivated by a leader who is also organized. Its mean that the leader can set the tone for the team to make the group member be more motivated. Available At the time, most of the leader will be busy with their responsible. However, in any circumstances leader must find the time to communicate of interact with their team. One way to do this is to set the frequent group of meeting. From this way leader can prevent from the problem that the group might be exist. Include Others The worst thing for leader do is do all the job or tasks. Leader should not do the entire job because it might prevent the leader venture from growing beside of poor use of time. As an alternative, leader should work with one of the teammates and learn to representative the responsibility at the same time being aware of everyones interests, goals, and strengths. Decisive Beside of listening to other people, sometime leader cant be able to compromise because of term and condition that might be face in the future. However, even this thing might be happen, leader must afraid or hesitate to make final decision even some of the team member wont agree with the decision that will be make. Confident It is the most important character that must be in the leader. The teammate can believe the leader because of the leader believing them. Dedicated, intelligent and proud of what of hat are they doing from inner and outside look must be in them also to make sure the teammates wont doubt to believe the leader. EXAMPLE OF LEADER There are many of people born with blood of leader but of them are not. However, for those who are not born with the leader blood, most of them dont stop and stare. The example of good leader is a leader thats not tyrant. Usually good leader always encourage the team member to follow and to work effectively. The leader who are in effect typically dont demand, instead they encourage. A few leaders had born in Malaysia. Namely Abdul Rahman, Abdul Razak, Hussein Onn, Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and NajibRazak. For this task, I will take the last prophet of Islam, named Muhammad ibnu Abdullah. About Muhammad Muhammad ibnu Abdullah is the name. He had known as Muhammad. He was born on 20th of April in the year of elephant, 12 Rabiulawal according to Islamic calendar. Based on holy Quran, he accepted he accepted his revelation on August 16th, 610 century, same as Ramadan 17th and it is surah Al-Alaq. Once he accepts, he officially appointed as a prophet when he was in the age of 40 years old and 6 month. After he accepted, he runs the propaganda in two ways, in confidentially in 3 years. Thenhe runs it openly. During the open propaganda was running, resistance from the pagans until he felt very disappointed and make him migrated Mecca to Medina. Then, the migration bear result, he succeed build country which been respected and sovereign. He had deemed as the best example as in the moral that have thought from the holy Quran. The Leadership of Muhammad. He has been a leader in almost all category of life such as political leader, religion, economy planner, chief judge, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ He was appointed as leader because of his leadership qualities that apparently. One of his leadership qualities is Shidiq in Arabic, its means truth in English. Because every action or decision that make by the leader is to achieve of being high quality leadership. In Arabic can be trusted means Mandate. Since he was young, he was called as Al-Amin (mandate) because he always can be trusted. Even a pagan recognizes about his honesty and mandate. Can people imagine during his time ifhe cant be trust how the world now? Intelligent is also one of the leadership characteristic in him, its meanfathonah in Arabic. A leader must be intelligent in almost everything to have a good management. Last but not listed, anchor or in Arabic call it as tablig. In addition to the three attributes mentioned previously, a leader must know how to perform, communicate and interact to people with all the good that has been taken like the way Muhammad do. Besides, the people of Muhammad must understand and fathom about how important the bounty is and how the influence of him to the people. CONCLUSION. In the simplest and the small scale, we are the leader of ourselves. Lets take the story of other people who are experience more about life as example, inspiration and role model as well to become a better person and good, high quality of leadership.

Charles W. Chesnutt :: essays research papers

Charles W. Chesnutt Though born in Cleveland in 1858, the grandson of a white man and the son of free blacks, Charles W. Chesnutt grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina where his family, having left the South originally in 1856, returned after the Civil War. Chesnutt who had little formal education taught himself and also received tutoring from family members. Chesnutt is known as one of the great American novelist and short-story writers of the late 19th century. Chesnutt lived most of his childhood in Fayetteville, NC where he worked part time in a family grocery store and attended a school founded by the Freedmen's Bureau. By 14 he had published his first short story in a Fayetteville newspaper. "I think I must write a book It has been my cherished dream and I feel an influence that I cannot resist calling me to the task."(1) At 15 Charles dropped out of school to support his family. By the age of 16, he had come to Charlotte to teach the city's black schoolchildren and also to support his family. He had an intense thirst for knowledge. At a time when few educational opportunities existed for black Americans, he studied math, music, literature and languages. He left Charlotte to take a job as assistant principal of the State Normal School. By age 22, he was its principal. "There's time enough, but none to spare."(1) Lack of opportunity to advance led him to go to New York City to find work at Dow, Jones and Company and also writes a financial news column for the New York Mail and Express. Later that year his son Edwin J. Chesnutt is born. In November, he leaves New York for Cleveland where he begins to work in the accounting department of Nickel Plate Railroad Company. While in Cleveland Chesnutt studied Law. While in Cleveland Chesnutt supports his mother and father while supporting his own family. Chesnutt begins to write for Family Fiction. While working at Nickel Plate Railroad Company and writing for Family Fiction he continues to study law. A year later, he passes the Ohio Bar Exam and joins the law offices of Henderson, Kline, and Tolles. Chesnutt published "The Goophered Grapevine" in the Atlantic Monthly became the first work written by a black author. The success of "The Goophered Grapevine" leads him to publish "Po’ Sandy" and "Dave’s neckliss" in the Atlantic Monthly. Chesnutt decides to start his own firm of Attorneys, stenographers,

Sex Equality Essay -- Gender Roles, Sex Discrimination, Title IX

Sex Equality Title IX is a sex discrimination issue that was brought up in 1972. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in school programs and school activities (source 1). Title IX includes all high schools, colleges, and universities. Since 1972, Title IX, has made a big difference in academics, athletics, and employment oppurtunities for girls and women. A guiding principal in America states that equal opportunity is not rhetoric (source 1). The most drastic progress from the Title IX issue is in interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics. Although sex discrimination continues to be noticed in education and athletic programs (source 1). Title IX’s implementing regulations have exact provisions dealing with athletic programs and all scholarships. Title IX provides, to the people, the circumstances that if an institution operates or sponsors any athletic programs, they must provide equal athletic oppurtunities for both sexes. The Office for Civil Rights is to consider whether an institution is correctly issuing the athletic interest and abilities of students of both sexes (source 1). Women now make up the majority of the students in America’s colleges and universities, along with the majority of recipients of master’s degrees (source 2). Regardless, colleges and universities still give lower amounts of treatment to women’s athletics while spending a large chunk of the money on men’s athletics. Title IX became part of the amendments of education on June twenty-third, 1972. â€Å"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational programs or acticity receiving federal financial assistanc... ...that receive federal education money (source 5). The 2005 rule allowed schools to meet the requirements of the third prong by using an e-mailed survey to female students. This survey would be able to ask students about their athletic interests (source 5). Title IX increased the amount of women that participate in college sports (source 4). The number has more than quintupled (30,000 to 186,000) since 1972. Coaches have used many ways to inflate the number of women on athletic teams. They have been trying this because the higher the number of women in college sports, the more positions can be added to men’s sports teams (source 4). It seems evident that limiting the number of women and girls is also limiting the nation as a whole (source 2). This limitation keeps females from realizing their full potential. It just gives males free reins over the world (source 2).

Strindbergs The Stronger Essay -- Strindberg Stronger Essays

Strindberg's "The Stronger" In 'The Stronger' Strindberg focuses upon the role and importance of women at the turn of the 20th century. This is portrayed through a conversation of two women who have different lives and social statuses. Mrs. X is married and therefore socially stronger. Miss Y is unmarried and rather poignantly, doesn't speak. At the turn of the 20th century, women were seen as 2nd class citizens to men. However, this entire play is set in a women's cafà © where Strindberg's purpose is to allow the two characters to fully express their feelings rather than be influenced and controlled by men. Since the play focuses upon the role and importance of marriage and family, the setting of Christmas is significant. It reinforces Mrs. X's family values and the power it gives her over Miss Y However, later on in the play, the strength of constant silence by Miss Y proves more powerful than Mrs X's family values and the setting of Christmas is quite forgotten. Strindberg uses a title and single letter as names for the characters to emphasise the issue of marital status where the individuality of the two women isn't important. It is merely the title that defines the person. We recognise stage directions as defined actions, usually just before or after speech and sometimes during a characters line. They can be used to emphasise a characters speech or to illustrate a certain emotion. This may hint at or reveal a characters personality, where a certain movement may show strength or weakness, particularly important for Miss Y who expresses herself solely through actions and facial expressions. The stage directions in 'The stronger' tell the audience about how strong or weak a character is. For... ...e play, there are times when both characters are strong and weak. It is only at the end of the play where I feel that Mrs X's true strength is shown. She briefly concludes the argument and doesn't appear to have any hard feelings towards Miss Y. She even thanks her for the way she has influenced her family life. Mrs X represented the traditional women of Strindberg's time where her life revolved around her husband and family. This is completely the opposite for Miss Y who represented women wanting a change to the male-dominated world. She doesn't react to Mrs X's patronising speeches about family or children and remains calm. She is more interested in her paper than what Mrs X has to say. Above all, I conclude that Miss Y is 'the stronger'. This is because of her ability to not rise to Mrs X's 'bait'. She is strong in her silence and never retaliates.

Behind Prisons Walls

Prisons represent correction facilities in which individuals who have violated the law of the land in one way or another are physically confined and deprived of certain freedoms especially that of movement and free association. The institution of prison is conventional and forms an integral part of the judicial system of any given country, incarceration or imprisonment is a penalty which is legal and is imposed by the state through its judicial arm, to persons who have violated the laws.Historically, imprisonment was not considered as a punishment but as a way of confining criminals until such a time when the state or the governing authorities would be in a position to administer capital or corporal punishment. Biblically there were prisons in Jerusalem used for detention purposes in the Old Testament (Flynn & Hurd, 1998). History purpose and types of prisons Prisons have been in existence for very many centuries, history of imprisoning individuals started way beyond the eighteenth c entury.The holding of individuals before trial, although not necessarily in building or other structures built specifically as prisons may be in castles is as old as history and have been exercised for several centuries. Private jails were in existence and their history dates back in the year 1166 and their existence continued into the eighteenth century; they were mainly run privately as commercial undertakings and the prisoners were expected to pay for the food and other services that they enjoyed while in custody.For the past two centuries the history of prisons can be classified into three main periods which were all characterized by conflicting rationales for both imprisonment and prisons. In the early nineteenth and late eighteenth centuries, much emphasis was put on reforming both the prisons and the prisoners. It is during this period that the institution of modern prisons were established, a more oppressive approach was adopted in the nineteenth century.As a result of this approach new notions about rehabilitation and reforms emerged towards the end of the nineteenth century and in the early twentieth century. Prison conditions throughout the century, continued to terrible. There was no segregation of women, children or men, offenders were not classified and they were all held together regardless of the crime committed. These are some of the factors that were calling for reforms and rehabilitation within the prison administration (Federal Bureau of Prisons, n. d. ).In prisons nowadays, deterrence, retribution of rehabilitation, are the main elements that are used by the state through its judicial arm to provide society with justice. Prison is a very important institution to the society. The members of the society who are found guilty for violating the rules and regulations governing the members of the society are confined in prisons and thuds are denied the opportunity of committing more crime to the society. While in prison the offenders are usually reformed so that they can be better members of the society once there are out of prison.They are rehabilitated so that in future they can be better members of the society and contribute positively to its growth and development. In most prisons the imprisoned individuals usually under go some technical training to enable them acquire some skills which will enable them to make a living once they are out of prison instead of engaging in criminal activities. Such skills will deter them in future from committing crimes in future in an attempt to make a living, and hence prisons receive criminals from the society and gives back responsible people to the society.By imprisoning people who have committed certain crimes to other people justice is seen to be done, it is perceived to be equitable especially by the aggrieved party who could not take law on their own hands as this would lead to a chaotic society. Thus prisons provide an orderly way of dealing with offenders and making them become better people (Jachimowicz & Jose, n. d. ). The medium security prisons are used to jail those people who have committed petty offences and are to be imprisoned for relatively a short period.The inmates in medium security prisons are usually held up in cells that accommodates several prisoners. These inmates are deprived of freedom of movement, access to education, privileges such as participating in sporting activities, vocational and therapeutic programs. In these facilities the prison officials restrict the number of times an inmate can be visited and communication between the visitors and the inmates is carefully monitored by the officials, while communicating the inmate and the visitor have to face each other through a transparent partition made of glass and they have to communicate via telephone.In some medium security prisons the inmates are given opportunities to work furloughs, release and other modes programs which are transitional in nature, but only a small population o f the inmates is given an opportunity to take part in such programs (Marsh, 2004). The offenders who are most dangerous and have committed major offences like rape, robbery with violence, terrorism and murder are imprisoned in maximum security prisons; these facilities usually have very many strict restrictions and rules, the inmates in maximum security prisons are in most cases isolated from each other and they usually spend a lot of time in solitary cells.Very few amenities are usually found in maximum security prisons and the cells are usually sparsely furnished. In most of the developed countries such prisons are usually fitted with video cameras which are used by the prison officials to monitor prisoners in their work areas or in their cells. In most maximum security prisons the inmates are required to remain in their cells for as many as twenty three hours a day leaving them with only one hour for showering and relaxing.The third category of prisons is the super maximum securi ty facilities, which are located within the maximum security prison, they are highly restricted and there is minimal human contact. Inmates in these facilities are confined in small solitary cells for most of the day. They normally live alone with no single chance of meeting and socializing with anyone (Marsh, 2004). For individuals who have committed certain offences which attract imprisonment, but cannot be jailed because they have not attained legal adulthood, the minors are housed in special types of prisons commonly referred to as juvenile correctional facilities.These institutions are similar to dormitories in boarding schools, but more restriction is imposed on the minors in these facilities. Recent Research on Prisons Research shows that in many cases, prisons achieve their main objectives, imprisoning criminals enhances public safety, since they are held in confined places from which it is not possible to threaten the safety of the public. The prisons have also achieved sig nificantly as far as rehabilitating criminals is concerned as they are deterred from committing similar offences in future.They have also played a significant role in reinforcing about right and wrong which are basic social values and norms (Tonry & Petersilia, n. d. ). Despite all these achievements some researches indicate that prisons have consistently been used by the prison officials and the state to continue to abuse the human rights of the prisoners. Various researches show that the prisoners are denied basic necessities such as good clothing and enough food.Studies have also revealed that imprisonment has a negative effect on the spouses and the dependants of the person imprisoned. Imprisonment affects the financial stability of the prisoners and their families, during the imprisonment period and after. Such families also suffer from the society as they are perceived by the members of the community as questionable families and in most cases people avoid to associate with the m. This affects the ex prisoners, their spouses and children psychologically making it difficult to socialize with other members of the society.Such negative altitudes usually affects the ex prisoners even financially as they are unable to secure any form of employment as members of the society do not trust them, this is likely to increase their chances of involving themselves in criminal activities in future so as to be able to maintain themselves financially (Jacobson, 2005). In most countries the cost of running prisons is fully met by the state through the revenues it collects in form of taxes from its citizens. The governments are responsible for the management and the running of prisons; they support their judiciary arms financially to administer justice.The judges, prison officials and other workers in the judicial system are remunerated from the government coffers, since they are civil servants. In some cases the prison departments are expected to raise some money by the gov ernment, through running some commercial enterprises from where they are in a position to partly fund them and the government meets the remaining part of their budget (Krause, n. d. ) Such enterprises are usually in the form of farming activities where the prisoners are the main source of labor. The cost of running prisons for any given country runs into millions of dollars each year.Thus there is need to minimize the expenditure of the prison departments so as save on these costs but at the same time meeting the goals of imprisoning individuals. Some of the proposed methods of reducing the burden on prison cost on the government are through the privatization process. Another method of reducing prison costs is by placing the petty offenders on probation instead of confining them, such offenders can be required to offer some services to the community under the supervision of some court officials or community leaders.By dealing with such offenders in this manner a lot of cost will be saved and the offenders will be given an opportunity to serve the community which they might have wronged in one way or another (Brown, 2009). Privatization of Prisons Studies have shown that governments can save substantially on costs through privatization and thereby tame the rising costs of running prisons. The officials of the state should consider taking advantage of the benefits that are likely to be realized by once they outsource their prisons to private enterprises, this will enable them improve prisons and also save on the tax payers’ money.However, the state should ensure that the quality of the prisons and their intended objectives are not compromised by such a move, hence they should conduct privatization carefully and include all the required stakeholders so as to seal off any loop hole that might be used to compromise the standards of prisons in their states (Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 2004). A study that was done in the year 2003 in New Mexico showed t hat the state saved up to $9600 per prisoner in 2001 as a result of effective privatization. Through privatization the state officials alter the fundamental structure in future government funding of the prisons.A study in Michigan indicated that it was very difficult in coming up with a balanced budget on its prisons since much of its expenditures are law mandated. This therefore, means that it does not matter how much well the economy might be performing, or the amount of money treasury is receiving, the state is under obligation to meet certain expenses (Nguyen, 2008). Conclusion Prisons are very important and form an integral part of the society, they should therefore, be accorded as much support as possible so as to enable them meet their objectives effectively.Prisons should not be perceived as places where law breakers are punished but as rehabilitation center where criminals are given a chance to reflect on their lives so as to be better members of the society once they are t hrough with their prison life. The authorities managing the prisons should under take a reform process which should be aimed at deterring the offenders from committing similar offences or other related offences in future. Their efforts should be aimed at ensuring that the prisoners leave the prison facilities as better people than they were when they joined them.The prison departments should equip the inmates with certain technical skills that will enable them to contribute positively in the society after the imprisonment term is over. It is also very important for the prison officials to educate the public on the need to assist criminals and ex prisoners so that they can be more responsible. Reference: Brown, J. (2009): Cost of running prisons sky high, Retrieved on 2nd May from, http://www. timesrecordnews. com/news/2009/apr/18/cost-of-running-prisons -sky-high/. Federal Bureau of Prisons (n. d. ): Prison Types & General Information, Retrieved on 2nd May from,http://www. bop. gov/ locations/institutions/. Flynn, N. & Hurd, D. (1998): Introduction to prisons and imprisonment Prison Reform Trust (Great Britain), ISBN 1872870376, Waterside Press. Jacobson, M, (2005): Downsizing prisons: how to reduce crime and end mass incarceration, ISBN 0814742742, NYU Press Jachimowicz, H. P. & Jose, E. S. (n. d. ): Jails and Prisons: Types and Kinds, Retrieved on 2nd May from, http://criminal. findlaw. com/articles/1452. html. Krause, M. (n. d. ): Prison costs are running out of control, Retrieved on 2nd May from, http://www. i2i. org/main/article. php? article_id=1311. Marsh, I.(2004): Criminal justice: an introduction to philosophies, theories and practice ISBN 0415333016, Routledge. Mackinac Center for Public Policy 🙠 2004): Prison Privatization: A Growing National Trend, Retrieved on 2nd May from, http://www. mackinac. org/6504. Nguyen, L. (2008): Cost of running adult prisons, jails rises to nearly $3B, report finds, Retrieved on 2nd May from, http://www. canada . com/ottawacitizen/news/story. html? id=5c3617b3-74c6-4b b7-b5e3-fae38f504a6e. Tonry, M. & Petersilia, J. (n. d. ): Prisons Research at the Beginning of the 21st Century, Retrieved on 2nd May from, http://www. nc

Aboriginal Cooking Methods Essay

The traditional ways to cook for aboriginals used to involve roasting their food on hot coals, baking in the ashes & steaming in ground ovens. But today theses things have changed & the aboriginals have easier ways to cook using ‘technology’ from today. They have adapted to make the process easier by boiling & barbequing. Roasting; When cooking meat, this was the basic technique, which was almost always used. They cooked most meat, fish & small turtles. To make sure the meat was cooked through, it was also covered by ashes & coals, which also made tough meat softer. The meat would be eaten quickly after roasting. Shellfish were also cooked on the coals on the outside of the fire, this way when they started to froth, they could be removed quickly. Baking Bread & damper was cooked in the ashes. When aboriginals made fires, they made sure they used the right kind of firewood, so that after the fire was out, the ashes could be used for cooking their bread. They were very careful as to which wood they used because some woods made to bread taste bad & some caused irritation & discomfort. Over time, it was the wattle seed that was found to be the most successful for cooking. It gave no bad taste, gave no one irritations & produced a fine ash. Witchetty grubs only needed to be quickly rolled over the ashes to be cooked. Then damper was put beneath the ashes & then covered. To cook yam, or vegetables, they would dig a small hole, place the vegetable in it, and then cover it with ash. Steaming; In the Wiradjuri areas, steam ovens still exist. The ovens were made by digging a hole in the ground, they were about 90cm long, & 60cm deep. The clay left over from digging was then made into smooth lumps & then would be placed on top, once the hole was filled with selected firewood. While the wood burned, the clay became hot. The clay would then be removed with tongs. The pit would be swept out & then lined with still green leaves & grass. Then meat such as possums (because they were small enough) would be lain inside, covered with more leaves & then the clay would be placed on top. To stop the steam escaping, the ground that was originally taken out when the hole was dug covers the clay. Wrapping; Wrapping is still used in places like Arnhem Land. Vegetables are wrapped in the moist paper bark from Melaleuca trees & then placed in ground ovens. Today Aboriginals use more advanced methods of cooking. They have adapted their old ways to make them easier. Boiling; Aboriginals have now learned to boil foods in galvanized cans, tins, steel drums or whatever items are available. Because of this, ground ovens are being used less & less. Barbequing; Although the Aboriginals don’t have top of the range barbeques, they have got their own version. It is simply a piece of wire to hole pieces of meat or dough over red coals. Aboriginal Dreaming Although the Dreamtime was in the past, it is the Aborigines religion & culture that rules them today. The saying, ‘As it was done in the Dreamtime, so it must be done today,’ dominates all aspects of the Aboriginals lifestyle & actions. According to some Aboriginals, the Rainbow Serpent made the world. It is their belief that that is true. Religion is some peoples’ way, spiritualism is theirs. The Rainbow Serpent came from the Northern Territory while Australia was still in its dreaming stage. It traveled over the country, creating the mountainous locations by pushing the land into many ranges & isolated areas. The Great Dividing Range is a creation of the rainbow serpents movements. Throughout its journey over & under the land, it created rivers, valleys, & lakes. It was also careful to leave many areas flat. Once it was satisfied with its creation of Australia, spirit people came from inside it & moved all over the country to form many different lifestyles, languages & different stories. When the land was finally finished, it was ready for people, but there were none .Walya-Nam-Adiki was the woman who walked out of the sea & met up with a tribal man. Seen as there were no people, they talked about the problem with having such a wonderful land, but no people to live there. To fix this problem, they had many spirit children together. Walya-Nam-Adiki told all her children to go to all different places across the country & to speak new languages, make & keep land & water management. They were to stay in their chosen areas, & to make social & kinship systems which would make sure that there would always be people within their tribal boundaries. Other Aboriginals believe that when the world first existed, that giant semi-mortal beings that resembled plants & animals rose up from the flat land where they had been sleeping for countless ages. These beings wandered the land aimlessly. As they roamed around, they  performed the tasks that Aboriginals do today. These included camping, making fires, digging for water, fighting each other & performing ceremonies. When they became tired of carrying out these rituals, the dreamtime ended. Wherever the creators had been, a natural landform now marks the place. The creators made everything which Aboriginals are in contact with everyday & from which they gain their living. Apart from forming the land, they also created the laws that govern the aspects of everyday life, which some Aborigines still live by. Aboriginals in Jail & Custody The idea of over-representation of Aboriginal adults in prison is set down early for the younger generation to understand. In Juvenile Detention centers, aboriginals aged 10-17 were 24.2* times more likely to be in custody than non-aboriginal children. For aboriginals aged 18-21 the over-representation rate was 9.6* Indigenous rates of imprisonment in adult prisons varied between about 4* times the non-indigenous rate in Tasmania & up to over 20* times in Western & South Australia. At almost any time, up to 80% of inmates in Northern Territory ‘Correctional Facilities’ are of aboriginal descent. Whatever the intent, mandatory sentencing has more effect on aboriginals than any other ethnic group in the NT. Also Police custody rates for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders was 26.2* times more likely than people of other races. Aboriginals are 25% of people that are arrested & 15% of people who are in jails are also Aboriginal. From data collected, aboriginals are over-represented in offences involving violence, breaking & entering, breaches of justice procedures & driving offences. Aboriginal people are 12 times more likely than others to be in prison for  homicide and 16 times for breaking and entering. One principle factor is that of the low status of the indigenous side of Australia in socio-economy & culture. In 1988, Commissioner Muirhead stated that â€Å"humanity and our country’s reputation demand a vigorous approach and new initiatives†. Years later, Aboriginals still continue to die in police cells & prisons. On 10th February, 2000 a 15 yr old boy committed suicide in the Don Dale Correctional Facility in Darwin. He had a mandatory 28jail sentence for petty theft of pens, pencils & paint. He was due for his release 4 days after his death. The Northern Territory Chief Minister simply swept aside the death & gave a statement â€Å"There will always be deaths in custody.† The death of the boy & the Country Liberal Party refused to even consider the re-appeal of the mandatory sentencing laws sent a break of outrage through many leading Australian, International & Aboriginal groups. Two weeks previous to the death, a Federal Senate traveled to Darwin, to make a report on the laws. None of the Country Liberal Party’s officials was prepared to give evidence at the hearing. The United Nations blasted Australia over these laws, & the treatment of the indigenous people to this land. Also saying that Canberra could be in breach of the UN Convention to Eliminate Racial Discrimination. *Based on records in 1998

Pest Analysis of Mcdonald

MKT 204 Principle of Marketing 2 Individual Assignment Fast food industry Swot Analysis Name: Ting Ze Kai ID: I11008551 Section: 5K1 Lecturer: Mr CHEAH SIN CHYE Table of Contents Company Background| 3| PEST Analysis | 4-9| 4Ps Strategies| 10-11| References| 12-13| Appendix| 14| Company Background McDonald is a largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants in the world. Approximately 68 million customers in 119 countries daily are served. The birth of McDonald began with Raymond Albert Kroc.He found two brothers (Richard and Maurice McDonald) who run a hamburger restaurant and acquired the franchising right from them to run McDonald’s restaurant. In 1955, McDonald’s Corporation was founded by Ray Kroc and opened the first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. In 1980, GOLDEN ARHCES RESTAURANTS SDN BHD gets the license to operate McDonald’s restaurant in Malaysia from McDonald’s Corporation USA in 1980. The first restaurant McDonald’s Malaysia opene d at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. Now, it has more than 200 restaurants operated in Malaysia. PEST Analysis- McDonaldPolitical * Raising retirement age * Healthy Issue * Taxation| Economic * Exchange currencies * Economic growth * Interest rate| Social * Seek to better quality * Technology with teenagers | Technology * Online advertising * Mobile CRM * New technology | Political Raising retirement age According to the V. SHANKAR GANESH and EUNICE AU (2012), they stated that the retirement age for the public sector has already been raised to 60 by government. It can be a huge impact for the company. Normally, company paid high salary for the old workers which contain high skill and experience.For saving cost, company will recruit new worker which paid low salary to cover worker near retirement age. But, the retirement age has been increase and old worker still with high salary. It will lead the cost of labour increasing to the company. Healthy Issue According to the Audrey Edwa rds (2012), he stated that 35 major food and beverage(F&B) producer and fast food has been asked by the government to reduce the sugar and salt content in their product. It implies government will start to enhance the standard of requirement of the food and request fast food company emphasis on more healthy food.Therefore company should readjustment the standard of their food to reach the government requirement. It might affect the taste of their product and losing their customers. Taxation Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib in Budget 2012 announced franchise fee is now tax deductible in Malaysia. Those fees for franchise business they paid are allowable for tax deduction (NBC, 2011). It is good news for those franchise companies. Normally, a rise in corporation tax has the same effect as increase cost. Company will pass some of this tax on to consumer with higher price.Whereas, franchise business can use those fees they paid to deduce the tax from company. Therefore, the cost will be d ecrease and they can provide more value meal for their customer. Furthermore, they have more capital to find a new market such as hot drinks market, healthy food market and so on Economic Exchange currencies According to the The Star (2012), it mentioned that the ringgit climbed 3. 7% to 3. 0598, the biggest gain since the third quarter of 2010. A head of treasury at Bangkok Bank Bhd said that the currency is on a strengthening trend and could test 3. 3 to the dollar in the near term (The Star, 2012). It means that the exchange currency maintains at the high level and it will be increasing in the following. McDonald always imports most of its raw material such as beef and potatoes due to local market cannot supply in abundant to meet the demand of its products. Therefore, the strengthening of ringgit makes company cost of purchase decrease. Then, company is able to lower their product price and diversify their promotion tools to offer more value meal to attract customer.Economic gro wth According to The Star (2012), it mentioned that Malaysia’s economic growth remains strong and is at a comfortable level when compared with that of the global economy and the central bank has projected the Malaysian economy would grow at a steady 4%-5% this year anchored by resilient domestic demand. As the food slightly above normal foods, not many people will have the income range to consume the products. Moreover If the economy is bad and their income is affected, the demand of McDonald product will certainly going down.But Malaysia’s economic remains strong means Malaysian have more disposable income and they can spend more and more expensive food at fast food restaurant. Interest rate Malaysian interest rates currently at three per cent have remained accommodative (The Star, 2012). It could be a dangerous for the company. Businesses often need to take out short term loan to make up for shortfall in expenses, so higher interest rate makes such shortfalls more co stly, since the business will have to more interest back to lenders. Company also frequently take out longer term debt for improvement and infrastructure.The higher interest rate, they should face more costly on their debt. Therefore, they should lower their cost of production by using different way and strengthen their marketing strategies to gain more profit to overcome. Social Seek to better quality Malaysian quality of life index increased from 100 points for the base year 2000 to 111. 9 points in 2010 (The Star, 2012). When their quality of life is improved, they have higher expectation. They will start to want have quality in services and more conveniences that can differentiate one restaurant from another.All these needs should be considered by the company. If company haven’t noticed it yet, it will be difficult to gain competitive advantage in the market. Technology with teenagers According to the Joy Lee (2012), he mentioned that technology has no doubt brought about the luxury of convenience. Nowadays, even a toddler or kid is in tune with technology. It means that technology is changing the life style. Teenagers want technology in their life and facilities such as credit card payment, wireless internet and other attraction for their hangout and eating.So all these need should be considered by McDonald Company. Technology Online advertising During the height of the tech boom, online business is getting normal nowadays. It brings convenient to the customer and company. According to the Jack Komperday (2003), McDonald’s sat on the internet advertising side lines. This will get closer with their target market because teenagers get in touch with technology more. Compare with TV advertising, online advertising is more effective and cheaper. Furthermore, company are easier to spread their new products and news through their official website such as www.Mcdonal. com. my. Customer also can take order easily through their official websites. Mobi le CRM According to the Chantal Tode (2012), Mcdonald’s will introduce a mobile CRM program with the goal of rewarding customer and driving loyalty. The program involves using the Mowingo mobile application to notify customer about regional promotions and store-specific coupons that are exclusive to the app and the store issuing them such as they can get a free coffee or other through the app (Chantal Tode, 2012). This will lead cost saving for the company and attract more customers. New TechnologyTimes have changed and evolution of technology in the fast food industry is picking up the pace. According to the Kerry Pipes (n. d. ), touch-screen kiosks and self-checkout lanes will happen in fast food restaurants such as McDonald, Burger King and so on. These contactless payment kiosks often included colourful, animated touch-screen menus that give customer the option to browse through the entire menu, customize their order, and then pay with cash a credit card Kerry Pipes (n. d . ). It is very fantastic system for McDonald which is a fast food industry provide fast services.They give customer more freedom and convenient. It will increase the speed of service and ease long lines. Company also can cut their labour costs due to the machine has replaced labour work. 4P Strategies deal with issue Product For dealing the health issue, company can come up new menu with healthy food. McDonald’s specialise product is burger so they can come out a healthy hamburger, add salad and fruit with set meal or organic food. It will meet the requirement from government and open new market to attract healthy conscious customer.Furthermore, Malaysia’s economic is growing, Malaysian has more steady and disposable income and they will choose more expensive and quality food to satisfy them. Therefore, McDonald can adapt better raw material to produce products with high price and high quality such as triple burger, high quality beef burger and so on to satisfy custom er’s taste. Price In marketing mix, price is very important for a product. Due to the franchise fee is now tax deduction in Malaysia, McDonald are able to use more pricing strategies to position their products such as promotion price, value price, price skimming.But for the vegetarian burger and high quality beef burger, company can use pricing skimming method to set initial high price with them into market because they adapt high quality and healthy material to make it and then slowly lowers the price to make the product available to a wider market. It will position the healthy burger with high price high quality in people’s mind. In addition, exchange currencies issues bring the cost of production decrease and hence they can earn more profit. Promotion For the new launching of product, company can advertise new product with bar code.Customer scan the barcode with their smartphone, they can get free drinks with new product. Online advertising is getting normal nowaday s. Therefore, company can use various form of online marketing techniques such as banner advertisements, videos or social medial to promote their product. In addition, McDonald, social responsible company so they can expand their online advertising related with social responsible. It can build a positive image in the market. Furthermore, using CRM program maintains customer relationship and loyalty.McDonald has opportunity cooperate with mobile cooperation to wider their range of customers such as customer will get free coupons when they purchase certain brands mobile. Place Malaysians are starting to seek to better quality now. McDonald should increase their outlets nearby work place, bus station, and airport. Furthermore, they should increase their location of deliver service and provide training for their employee to build a faster and better service for their customer. For the new launching product such as high quality beef burger, they initially can only available few outlets w hich located upper middle class area.References * V. SHANKAR GANESH and EUNICE AU, 2012. Raising retirement age. Available at: http://www. nst. com. my/top-news/raising-retirement-age-1. 94353#. [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * Audery Edwards, 2012. Passion for food feeds disease. Available at: http://thestar. com. my/news/story. asp? file=/2012/4/15/nation/11069279&sec=nation. [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * The Star, 2012. Asian currencies complete quarterly gain. Available at: http://thestar. com. my/news/story. asp? file=/2012/4/15/nation/11069279&sec=nation [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * The Star, 2012.Minister: Economic growth stays strong. Available at: http://biz. thestar. com. my/news/story. asp? file=/2012/3/26/business/10986390&sec=business [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * The Star, 2012. Interest rates remain accommodative. Available at: http://biz. thestar. com. my/news/story. asp? file=/2012/3/21/business/20120321195459&sec=business [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * Joy Lee, 2012. Today ’s toddlers and kids are in tune with technology. Available at: http://thestar. com. my/metro/story. asp? file=%2F2012%2F6%2F2%2Fcentral%2F11395408&sec=central#.T8nYyO-wHmE. facebook [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * The Star, 2012. Report shows better quality of life in 2000-2010. Available at: http://thestar. com. my/news/story. asp? file=/2012/6/11/nation/20120611220429&sec=nation. [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * Tan Cheng Li, 2012. Malaysians do their part to protect the environment. Available at: http://thestar. com. my/lifestyle/story. asp? file=/2011/4/22/lifefocus/8485754&sec=lifefocus. [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * NBC, 2012. Franchisee fee is now tax deductible in Malaysia.Available at: http://www. nbc. com. my/blog/franchise-fee-tax-deductible-in-malaysia/. [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * Jack Komperda, 2003. Buying Time Online. Available at: http://www. usnews. com/usnews/culture/articles/031006/6ads. htm. [Accessed on 19 June 2012] * Chantal Tode, 2012. Mcdonald’s bit es into mobile CRM at over 500 locations this summer. Available at: http://www. mobilecommercedaily. com/2012/05/18/mcdonald%E2%80%99s-bites-into-mobile-crm-at-over-500-locations-this-summer. [Accessed on 19 June 2012] Appendix

Disaster Prevention, Incident Response, and Relocation

Recently, there have been a lot of efforts being made by organizations and government agencies that focus on disaster prevention and mitigation. Disaster, as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (2007), â€Å"takes many forms — a hurricane, an earthquake, a tornado, a flood, a fire or a hazardous spill, an act of nature or an act of terrorism. † The advent of efforts that generally apply to environmental and natural disasters, as well as man-controlled disasters, has stirred many of us.In this light, this paper will also give an overview at the way disaster prevention, disaster incident response, and disaster relocation are being handled in the society, particularly in the technological aspect of the sourcing process. First, the concept of disaster prevention could be considered as a basic part of any research source since the idea of disaster preparedness had not been so new a concept.In this regard, a website made by an Ethiopian agency embarks on disast er prevention and preparedness. The site has the title Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA), and it functions as a governmental commission that acts as an information board relegating to several important data for its audiences. Its main focus is on the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia.The sections in the homepage provide the categories of information and these include: the news section where news clips of related humanitarian activities are linked; public relations section wherein publications made by the DPPA are shown; livelihoods section presenting regional livelihood analyses; pledges and deliveries section which shows the status of responses to humanitarian appeal; and other categories that generally determine related information. The website serves as a database that does not merely show the programs of the DPPA but also the activities which characterize its endeavors.How disaster prevention is illustrated in the website is transcended more with the commission ’s activities rather than the information that individuals should look into in going in-depth at disaster prevention. The program lay out mentioned disaster prevention as looking into the root causes first in order to anticipate actions, in which the mechanism of Employment Generation Scheme was applied (DPPA, 2009); however, the mechanism seems to be a needs-based approach – giving relief (food) in exchange to the victims’ physical work. This somehow connotes unsustainability.Personally, I see the website as a mask for a marketing method to gain assistance from aid organizations. Second, carrying the concept of incident response is the website of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Mainly acting as a response unit, FEMA has several coordinating subgroups which specialize according to the varying forms of disasters. Among these coordinating groups are Emergency Response Teams, Federal Incident Response Support Teams, Hurricane Liaison Team, Urban Sea rch and Rescue Task Forces, Mobile Emergency Response Support, and many other categorizations.In the website, there is also a major part that includes the mechanism where incident response is applied. This mechanism is called modeling, and is considered as â€Å"essential element of [†¦] planning efforts [†¦] for different circumstances and data sets† (FEMA, 2007). Further, the website includes the specific actions that it does as a response unit. Some of these undertakings are centered on the development of mission assignments, and coordination with other concerned agencies.This website is indeed informational, although it could somehow appear to give out an information overload, but nevertheless, it serves its function in imparting knowledge about an agency’s incident response to disaster. The third website is a link on disaster relocation which is shown by the Laguna Beach City in California. It shows a government plan that aims to establish relocation whe n a disaster that requires an immediate evacuation occurs.Very simplistic does the plan seem, such that it states that â€Å"every family [must] designate an out-of-state contact to help coordinate family reunion plans† (City of Laguna Beach, 2006) when a major disaster strikes. The website visually looks like an advertisement for vacation places, but over-all, its content is simplistically relevant. To summarize, the three websites are shown in a much differentiated manner. The contents are highly regarded as informational, although the focus of the contents of each site does not necessarily revolve in the topic headings that they have.The website for FEMA is probably the most informational among the three since it gives a comprehensive lay down of the activities and the coordinating groups that are needed in its functioning. Disaster and its adverse effects could be mitigated by individual preparedness. The starting point in disaster preparedness is to â€Å"help your comm unity by [first] preparing yourself† (Canadian Red Cross, 2009). Meanwhile, web sources are commonly relied upon in times of disasters, so it is important that these sources are able to provide comprehensive information that would help people in facing such risky situations.

Family sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Family sociology - Essay Example Sociological theories and concepts help in providing a concrete base for this understanding of the role of family life in society. Moreover, analyzing different aspects of family life using different perspectives of sociological themes and concepts help in better understanding of the concept of family ideology and its structural changes in the current society. Even though contemporary society has seen many social changes in the aspect of family ideologies and its contributions to the society, it still occupies a central role in the lives of individuals. Thus, studying the role of family from the sociological perspective can provide an insight about how a family functions within a society, and helps influencing the lives of the individuals in promoting socialization, economic contribution and cooperation. According to Anthony Giddins (2006), family is defined as a group of persons who are linked directly through blood relationships or marriage, with the adult members assuming responsibility for children and family care. By this definition, family is regarded as a social institution and also the central unit of socialization, which shares values and commitments towards one another. Of all the social institutions, marriage plays a fundamental and vital role in creating a society. Marriage is bound to have preceded society; and made it possible by binding together. It is considered to be the basis of social order and improvement, along with providing the chief support of law, morality, and religion. (Booth, Crouter and Landale 2002, p.48). The extended family was a most common family structure; however, it started to decline because of many social and economic factors. Typically, in the 1940s and 1950s, a traditional family structure comprised of a man and woman along with their one or more offspring, and was widespread in the society as an