Physicians Clash over Medical Ethics in Death Penalty Cases Essay

The news clipping is mainly about the dilemma doctors face. They are trained to save people. They did not choose their profession to punish law-violating citizens. Specifically, this topic has been given hype by Dr. Marc Stern who quit on his job of being the head doctor in the state of Washington’s prison whose responsibilities included maintaining the lethal injection table in order for the next death sentence. In the past several years, according to the article, medical ethics and death penalty has clashed. There are a number of instances in the past where doctors bailed out of the execution causing delay in the death penalty; case in point: Michael Morales. The article also stated that the problem does not stop here. This ethical dilemma against professional participation needs careful and further study. Capital punishment and justice would be difficult to serve if all doctors are concerned about ethics. Experts went as far as predicting capital punishment could end because of this ethical issues. Ethical dilemma The whole article is about ethical dilemma. Doctors do not want to continue participating in capital punishment (overseeing death penalties) as this poses ethical issues for them. Most of them belive the punishment is cruel and unusual. Also, doctors are trained to save lives and not to end it. Personal thoughts on the matter I understand that being an object to end another person’s life when one is trained to help save it could have severe impact on one’s conscience. The human world has become civilized enough over the course of history to preserve one another. It is even more emphasized in a doctor’s profession where preservation of mankind has been his chosen field and career. However, if all doctors feel this way, I can see the nation revolting. Without a trained professional in the death sentence chamber, there is no way an execution will happen. I can foresee various forms of protests because somehow, justice must be served according to the laws of the state. The person in death sentence was found guilty of an offense that demerits him his life. The family and friends of his victim/s have turned into the law for support to the injustice done to them. The law cannot fail these people because doctors cannot do their state-given responsibilities. There must be some doctors out there that are willing to do the job. I am not saying that the state must find conscienceless professional so that the death penalty can still be observed. There must be some doctors in the field that understand their moral obligations and their obligations to the state. Like it or not, the prosecution must be finished. They cannot let the convicted criminal die in the hands of non-professionals nor can they let the families and friends of the victims live in injustice.

Communication Basics Answers Essay

1.3 Communication Basics learning objectives Describe how the communication principles and misconceptions in Chapter 1 are evident in a specific situation. Assess the needs (physical, identity, social, and practical) that communicators are attempting to satisfy in a given situation or relationship. Apply the transactional communication model to a specific situation. Instructions Use the case below and the discussion questions that follow to discuss the variety of communication issues involved in effective communication. Make notes on this page, add other pages on your own, or prepare a group report/analysis based on your discussion. Add your own experiences to individualize the analysis. Case Kristie and Jacob have been dating one another exclusively for four months. They both have part-time jobs and hope to complete their college studies within two years. Jacob thinks they should move in together. Kristie is reluctant to agree until she has more commitment from Jacob. Jacob doesn’t want to make promises he can’t keep. Kristie thinks that if they just communicate more they will be able to solve the problem, but Jacob thinks that talking about it more won’t help. 1. What needs (physical, identity, social, and/or practical) do Kristie and Jacob seem to have? It seems that both need each others presence but Kristie wants more of a committed relationship than Jacob, she wants him to be all in but Jacob feels its unnecessary to communicate with Kristie & get and understanding he rather just make things happen than to talk about making them happen. 2. Identify one element of the communication model that might help explain some of the communication problems they are having and help them communicate more effectively. A part of Kristie & Jacobs problem could be their separate environments  channeling their miscommunication creating a window of bad noise. So maybe if they were in a positive environment together they’d have a better understanding of each others wants. 3. What communication principles and/or misconceptions described in Chapter 1 may be operating in this situation? Kristie seems to have a content dimension while Jacob is relational because Kristie wants to talk about things and have better communication to move forward while Jacob rather act first and discuss later. 4. What likely role will mediated communication play in the scenario? Mediated communication is playing a likely role in this situation due to the fact both Kristie & Jacob are still in school and working that could be the leading cause of their communication. 5. How would you advise Jacob and Kristie to proceed with their communication practices? My advice to Jacob & Kristie moving forward would be to make time for them to find a common ground to understand each other & find a way around their separation if they feel the relationship is worth it and compromise for each other.

Bullying in Schools Essay

Bullying is an ongoing problem for many schools and communities. This behavior consists of teasing, threats, and stalking. This behavior is unacceptable and can turn violent, and even worse, deadly. There are many influences in today’s world that promote this behavior such as music, video games, movies, parents and other peers. A bully is a person that’s show strong aggression either physically or verbally and thrives on gaining power over there victim. A bully has no respect for others and will resort to violence if needed. The environment where the child/ youth come from is just part of a factor that makes a bully. A parent and or other adult figure that lives in a hostile environment and displays negative actions or a bully themselves inspire and teach these children this is how to act. Another factor is when a child is being abused they take all their anger, hurt and aggression out on another because it gains them negative self-empowerment. Yet, another factor of bullying could be just an individual trying to fit in to the â€Å"in crowd â€Å"of their peers. Yet, peers fail to see their future will bring them to jail or prison. A victim is the individual who receive the attack. These attacks can be verbal, physical or psychological abuse. Most victims picked on are loner and appear to be very insecure. They tend to not talk back or take action being picked on. A bully finds his victim by either there appearance, shy types or being behind in their academics (low grade point average). Most victims want to gain approval and exception from others and normally make several attempts with the bully. There are several side effects from being bullied such as psychological issues, depression (feeling helpless – worthless), self- harm (cutting skin, hair loss), anxiety (stress), and worst case suicide. Bullying in schools is estimated 160,000 children and teenagers miss school every day out of fear of an attack or intimidation by another peer. Over two thirds of children and teenagers in our schools today have had some type of bullying and responded poorly to the situation. Researches show that bullying occurs more in boys than in girls when it comes to verbal threats. In the year of 1994-1999 there were 253 violent deaths in school, 51 casualties in multiple death events. Bullying is the main factor in school related deaths. (Hunter, 2012) Schools throughout the United States do respond to bullying with reactive meas ZERO tolerance† in place, they have also installed security cameras and have police on staff as well as monitoring hallways. As part of this policy students can be suspended and or expelled for carrying a gun or knife to school as well as bullying. On a recent pole I conducted many teachers and other school board members feel as though suspension and expulsion is an easy way for a child to escape out of education. Our community’s fails to see the school may be the only positive place the child may be able to come, throwing them out is not the answer. The school over the last five years has introduced new programs which also include and family counseling. Programs such as early intervention helps children build social skills and offers anger management. Training for teachers and all staff that are involved daily with the children need to be able to recognize and respond quickly and positively. Teacher need to be able to provide positive environment and stick to the rules of conduct and don’t let no slip up happen, pay attention. Parents need to provide a positive environment and monitor your children and who they associate with. Also look up lyrics to the songs your child hears or watch the movies they watch. If you the parent wither be the victims or bully feels like extra help is needed talk to the school psychologist or the child doctor. Talk to your child, ask how they feel and offer solutions that promote positive help. Some people feel that bullying is just something that happens during your younger days and the child will grow away from their actions. Let’s look here; school shooting is on a rise killing innocent children attempting to get back at their bullies. Suicide as young as third grade destroys homes, families and communities. Drug use is higher than ever and teenager everyday day die from over dosing. Unless society takes steps to fight this disease that peers face daily it will continue to destroys young innocent lives at a downward spiral.

Work Place Diversity ( Gay & Lesbian) Research Paper

Work Place Diversity ( Gay & Lesbian) - Research Paper Example While everybody politely welcomed his partner, I later noticed negative reactions ranging from gossip to homophobic propaganda amongst my workmates. I was deeply concerned as I support Michael’s decision to confess his sexual orientation publicly, and as a workmate who is privileged to have learnt about workplace diversity in college, I have decide to address the issue with both the staff and management. I would like to explain to my workmates that sexual orientation is not a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed as it emerges in early adolescence without the individual having any prior sexual experience. It is estimated that 5% of the over 300 million Americans are LGBT and are estimated to contribute over $835 billion to the consumer market in the US annually. I am concerned that his decision to come out might affect his future prospects as evidence from research indicates that gay men earn 10 to 32% less than similarly qualified heterosexual men. There is proof that discrimination diminishes productivity, job satisfaction, and mental and physical health of all employees (Mucciaroni, 2008). It is clear that Michael is a victim of heterosexism as he is being subjected to stigmatisation based on his subscription to nonconformist behavior, identity and relationship. The gossip amounts to exclusionary behavior towards him meant to gang-up and isolate him. Isolation is associated with mental distress and might, therefore, jeopardise his mental health. Several researchers have associated heterosexism with suicidal tendencies, psychological distress, anxiety, depression and insomnia. Heterosexism is negatively related to the satisfaction with life and self-esteem which in turn impact productivity (Mucciaroni, 2008). The reputation for discrimination can negatively impact our organizations ability to attract and retain clients and customers as well as staff. Research by Harris Interactive has demonstrated that over 70% of gays and over 40% of

Philosophy on Dualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy on Dualism - Essay Example Dualism graces its roots to as far back as Zarathushtra, although Plato and Aristotle also dealt with the possibility of existence of an incorporale souls that actually bore the faculties of intelligence and wisdom. Their conclusion is that "people's intelligence (a faculty of the mind or soul) could not be identified with, or explained in terms of, their physical body" (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.). The difference in the properties of mental and physical realms supports the validity of dualism. Minds are observed to have subjective qualities such as sensations which cannot be reduced to something physical. These experiences then are deemed to be from of different origin than the physical body. "There is no place in the brain where electric stimulation can cause a person to believe or decide. Although our thoughts can be true or false our brain states cannot be true or false. Nobody can tell what we are thinking by measuring brain waves. We must be asked what we are thinking" (AllAboutPhilosophy.org). On the other hand, there seems to be a lack of rational understanding as to how an interaction could possibly take place between the brain and the mind. Simply, this arguments says that there is nothing such as supernatural or other dimension that can explain this interaction thus the mental and physical realm must be one. Another argument against dualism is that when the brain is damaged, brought by physical trauma, drug abuse and other diseases the mental powers are always affected. "The argument holds that if the brain and the mind were actually separate, our mental powers would not be comprised" (AllAboutPhilosophy.org). This views leads us to think that there is/are factor/s that dictate the well-being of the mind, not just the physical body. Mental heath then is a factor of many other things aside from physical health. In the end it is found that the arguments for dualism is strong. Indeed, things such as emotions or feelings which does not necessarily emanate from the physical body are from different realms and they affect the mind. Monism Monism is associated with any philosophical view which says that "there is unity in a given field of inquiry, where there is not to be expected" (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.). Thus there are philosophers who stands on the belief that the universe is really just one thing, despite of its many facets, appearances, diversities. In theology, this is the belief in one God who holds everything. Just differ in what they target and how they count. There are actually many monisms, although they all have the attribute of oneness. We however focus on two historically important monism; the existence monism which targets concrete objects and counts by token and the priority monism which targets concrete objects and counts by basic token. However, "neither existence nor priority monism is accorded much respect in contemporary metaphysics, nor are they always properly distinguished. Indeed, the entire monistic tradition is often dismissed as being somewhere between obscure and ridiculous" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosphy). Monism can be viewed as simply the opposite of dualism and pluralism. It particularly denies multiplicity of things and the distinction between body and soul, matter and spirit and other dualistic distinctions. Strengths

Employment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Employment Law - Essay Example As an employee, Tom would then be in a position where there is a general premise that he would be eligible to file a case for unfair dismissal, but when working as a self employed person, the employer’s liability would be limited. The basis for this lies in the rule laid down in the case of Jennings v Westwood Engineering, in which an employer is required to deduct taxes at the source from his employees; should be fail to do so, he could be committing a criminal offence. Since the employer deducts tax and insurance which are a percentage of his earnings, and to which the employer also makes a contribution, this means that the employer has certain obligations in respect to employees, so that the employees will have some rights in respect to sickness, unemployment or injuries arising during the period of employment. An employer however, has no such obligations towards a self employed person; as a result, any claim for unfair dismissal would not be sustainable if the worker is a self employed person. ... ack of clarity in these definitions, a number of factors were later identified in the case of ready Mixed Concrete (South East) Ltd v MPNI (1968), in which McKenna set out the following considerations in determining whether an individual was an employee or self employed: (a) Is the employee providing his skill in consideration of a wage (b) Is there an element of control exercised by the employer? (c) Are there provisions in the contract inconsistent with it being a contract of employment? Applying this in Tom’s case, it must be noted that at the outset, Tom has a guaranteed income, because he is entitled to 20 sessions with the company’s members, as stated under the first condition spelt out above in the case of McKenna. Secondly, it must also be noted that Tom does not supply his own equipment and tools; nor does he make arrangements to provide his own support staff to carry out an assignment as a contractor would do. In the case of Lee v Chung and Sun Chung Construct ion and Engineering Co Ltd, in determining whether an individual was an employee, the Court stated that when the worker used the tools and equipment provided by the company, he would fall under the category of an employee rather than self employed. Other factors examined in this same case were (a) how much financial risk the employee took and (b) how much investment responsibility he had and (c) how much s/he was able to profit from his own investment of time and effort. On this basis, it may be noted that Tom’s financial risk was not substantial because he had a guaranteed income from the Company’s members and could use the Company’s staff and equipment, which reduced his own investment liability. . In the case of Ready Mixed Concrete, McKenna also laid out the condition that a contract of

In William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily analyze the personality and Research Paper

In William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily analyze the personality and behavior of Miss Emily - Research Paper Example On the other hand, she becomes an object to be scrutinized by people in her town, and this turns her into a mysteriously mute figure. There are other situations where Emily portrays qualities of stereotypical southern â€Å"eccentric† that are unstable and exceptionally tragic, thereby leading to bizarre behaviors (Qun, 66). Emily is also described as a person who enforces her own sense of law and conduct; for instance, she refused to pay taxes, which was illustrated, when she was purchasing the poison. Besides, this is also demonstrated by her behaviors such as skirting the law through refusal to have numbers attached to her house when federal mail service is instituted. Nonetheless, her effort to dismiss the law began to take more sinister consequences, thereby resulting killing her husband. This paper will focus on analyzing the character of Emily as portrayed in â€Å"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner. In this case, this analysis will begin with general analysis of he r character, which will be followed by an analysis in three perspectives, which include; Emily as a daughter and woman, as an artist and her legacy. Emily is presented to be a monument, which is pitied, irritating, and focusing on living her own life in her ways and terms. People in her township gossips her after accepting to be married to Homer without firm wedding plans; in fact, this lead to drawing people’s attention to her way of life, whereby people make various speculations about her. The act of buying the poison is considered to be effort to commit suicide by people in her town. However, Emily had numerous instabilities that resulted to different directions and leading to finals scene of making a conclusion that she had necrophilia (Qun, 67). In this case, necrophilia is a condition, which regards a sexual attraction to dead bodies. In addition, this is a term used to describe a powerful desire to control another person in a context of romantic through an intense pers onal relationship. Therefore, Emily as a necrophiliac, controlled her relationship, which resorted to bonding with unresponsive entities without resistance or will, like the case with dead bodies. Daughter and Woman Emily is also portrayed as the only child in her family, whereby the narrator does not mention of her siblings, and her mother is not mention. Moreover, it is striking that the narrator fails to mention about her mother, since there is not reasonable explanation for this. Instead, the narrator focuses on emphasizing on the way she was her father’s daughter and the loneliness she experienced due to him (Fang, 106). On the other hand, she is completely controlled by his father up to his death and this control continues even after his death. For instance, he separates her from the rest of the world, during his life, whereby he ensures that Emily did not have any friends, lover, or husband. In this case, her father sets up a life that is in a way that is impossible fo r her to change until her death (Fang, 106). Emily is portrayed to be a weak person, who is unwilling to declare a stance against her father; though this idea is in a way that blames has as the victim. Her father is depicted as a person who is strangely controlling, domineering, and willing to treat her daughter with cruelty. However, her behaviors are disguised by this theory after his death, whereby she tried to get rid of the perception that had been created by her father (Fang, 106). Nevertheless, Emily failed to pursue her own desires of love and sex, and the effort to pursue womanhood fails leading to a decision to revert to

Reflective Teaching in Teaching and Learning or Chilldren's Literature Research Proposal

Reflective Teaching in Teaching and Learning or Chilldren's Literature in Victorian Period for Teaching in Singapore - Research Proposal Example Overtime, other philosophers have become instrumental in developing the theory of reflective practice and among those notable are John Dewey (1933) and David Schon (1983). Dewey, much influenced by the Progressive Era of his time, employs the scientific process of generating and testing hypothesis as vital components to reflective thinking. Half a century later, David Schon revolutionised the concept of reflective practice emphasising the importance of context and experiential knowledge for continuous improvement. The integration of ideas from these two theorists is evident in current reflective practice literature. Reflective practice is borne out of the basic premise that changes in an organization starts within each individual. It is regarded as a â€Å"meaningful and effective professional development strategy† (Osterman and Kottkamp, 2004, p. 1). Although the goal remains synonymous (the development of individual competencies leading to improved organizational performance), reflective practice offers an alternative approach to traditional professional development approaches. The emergence of reflective practice in the educational setting, as discussed by Osterman and Kottkamp (2004), was a response to the failure of educational reforms to effectively address the need of academically and socially preparing students to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Educators on a daily basis â€Å"routinely juggle multiple tasks, process information on many levels, manage a continual stream of interruptions, and make on-the-spot decisions to meet the changing needs and demands in the teaching environment† (York-Barr et al., 2006, p. 2). Though teachers are guided by their knowledge, a significant margin of uncertainty accompanies their practice as a result of unpredictable circumstances that require spontaneous responses. The reflective practice

Tort of Negligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Tort of Negligence - Essay Example Per say the concept of negligence doe not refer to an act. Actually it is a legal concept that tends to define the basic character of an act so as to prove it to be legally wrong. As per Blyth vs. Birmingham Waterworks Co. (1856), â€Å"Negligence is the omission to do something which a reasonable man, guided upon those considerations which ordinarily regulate the conduct of human affairs, would do, or doing something which a prudent and reasonable man would not do.† However, once the concept of negligence came within the scope of the English Tort Law, the next logical and plausible challenge was to decide as to what qualifies to be termed as ‘ordinary care† and what was to be the nature and basis of the measure required to decide as to whether an act committed by an individual, organization or a group amounted to negligence. In that context, one needs to mention the much famous concept of ‘the man on the Clapham Omnibus’. ... The ‘man on the Clapham Omnibus’ represented a hypothetical person who is in general reasonable and well educated without being qualified enough to be called a specialist (Twining 64). ‘The man on the Clapham Omnibus’ represented the standard of reasoning with which to gauge a defendant’s conduct in an English Law Civil Action for Negligence. The hallmark of this concept was that it delineated and put in place a standard for ascertaining and establishing the charges of negligence on a defendant. It established a general standard of care expected of any English citizen while performing varied aspects of one’s personal or professional life. The real beauty of this standard is that it tends to be reasonable yet simple in its approach and tends to bring the legal concept of negligence within the grasp and scope of the so called common man. The very fact that this standard of care does not expect perfection on the part of ascertainers obliterates an y possibility on the part of the defendants to wriggle out of the clutches of law by resorting to technical jargon and rigmarole. It is also immensely humane and pragmatic in the sense that it do recognizes the fact that an average person lacks the foresight to foresee any risk accruing by the dint of one’s actions. Still, it is astutely responsible and practical in the sense that it enjoins on the average person the duty to be ordinarily prudent and careful, without tending to be unexceptionally or unrealistically flawless. There is no denying the fact that even the most virtuoso experts in jurisprudence do tend to overlook and appreciate the sophistication and beauty inherent in the concept of ‘the man on the Clapham Omnibus’. However, the reality is that this legal idiom not only validated the concept

Harassment in workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Harassment in workplace - Essay Example An employee with a minimum of one-year of continuous service can make a claim for an unfair or wrongful dismissal. An employee with less than one-year service can make a claim under common law provisions only. It is to be observed that the wrongful dismissal covers only the compensation of employee’s pay for the notice period. (â€Å"Thavarajah 2008: 57†). In constructive dismissal, there will not any dismissal from the employer. Actually, in such cases, the employee is driven out of his employment due to the scenario at his workplace. (â€Å"Thavarajah 2008: 11†). In Bouzourou v The Ottoman Bank1, Privy Council was of the opinion that an employee to consider himself as being terminated , if his transfer to another place made him vulnerable to disease or expose him to an aggressive peril of violence . (Thavarajah 2008: 10). In Wang Chee Hong v Cathay Organisation, it was held that in case of a transfer, which pushed back the plaintiff to a place of fewer responsi bilities though with the analogues’ conditions where the plaintiff refused to accept that transfer is nothing but a dismissal. Thus, such relegation of accountability with its outcome of frustration and humiliation and loss of reputation among colleagues made it not possible for the plaintiff to continue the service in the organisation and hence, it should be regarded as dismissal. The identical views were also expressed in JF Bumpus v Standard Life Assurance Co Ltd2, Cox v Philips Industries3. (Thavarajah 2008: 11). The constructive unfair dismissal has been explained in Western Excavating (EEC) V Sharp4, where it would be regarded as unfair constructive dismissal if an employer is culpable of infringement, which goes to the very root of the contract or if he had shown an inclination no longer to be accountable by it. In such scenarios, the employee is empowered to consider the contract as ceased and himself being dismissed. In United Bank v Akhtar5, it was held that in a ba nk employee’s service contract stated that he could be transferred to any of its bank branches within the UK, and the employee turned down to move to Birmingham from Leeds branch at a shorter notice and hence resigned from the job and later, she claimed the constructive unfair dismissal. It was held by EAT in this case that the employee had been constructively dismissed, and his demeanour did not warrant that dismissal. (Scrope & Barnett 2008: 211). In Cape Industrial Services Ltd v Ambler6, when considering whether there has been an unfair constructive dismissal, the Court of Appeal was of the view that the following had to be taken into consideration. What were the significant conditions of the contract seemed to be infringed? Whether the details of the breaches have been made out. Whether breaches are fundamental in nature. If so, whether an employee has been driven to resign due to such a breach. Whether the employer has demonstrated any probable fair grounds for the cons tructive dismissals. Whether, in such scenario, the employer has acted unreasonably or reasonably in treating the grounds as an adequate one warranting dismissal. (Scrope & Barnett 2008:211). In Green v DB Group Services (UK) Ltd7, HC, compensation for stress oriented injury can be very liberal and in this case, a bank was held vicariously accountable for a continuous campaign of harassment and bullying witnessed by a female secretary who was awarded damages in excess of ?850,000. (Scrope & Barnet

An analysis of two engineering Forms of Contract Coursework

An analysis of two engineering Forms of Contract - Coursework Example These benefits are in terms of cost b saving, improvement of quality of both services and products, and time-saving. The very first NEC contract was published in 1993. The abbreviation NEC stands for New Engineering Contract. This new type of engineering contracts was a radical shift from the traditional contracts that existed before the year 1993. Unless the previous contracts, this contract is written in plain language. The contract abandoned the frustrating nature of the previous engineering projects and concentrates on stimulating the parties involved. After the first edition of NEC contract, the second edition was published. This new edition was called the NEC Engineering and Construction Contract. This was only two years after the NEC contract was published. This new NEC contract had Adjudicators Contract, a new professional service and subcontracts together with a set of back-to-back short forms. In April 2013, this suite was enlarged and updated. The new move saw the total number of documents making it rise to 39 documents. These documents included Professional Services Short Contracts and a set of enhanced guidance documents. The professional services short contracts are the standard form used to appoint project managers by the Association of project Management. The updated NEC contract is called the NEC3. The NEC3 is recognized worldwide for its unrivaled track record. This has seen it getting endorsements from both industry and governments all around the world. Some of the major engineering projects that have been delivered by this contract within budget and on time are the venues for both the 2012 London Olympic venue and the Paralympic games venue. This projects put the NEC3 onto a whole new level. FIDIC’s standard form of contract is much older than the NEC3 contract which is quite recent. This type of contract is

Types of contraception Essay Example for Free

Types of contraception Essay There are many different types of contraception available on the market today. Each type of contraception offers different advantages and disadvantages, and is not a one size fits all thing. Each person has different needs that need to be considered with choosing their birth control, and some people may choose to not be on any sort of birth control. Religion and differing views may also play a factor in choosing a type of birth control. Tina and Dan are a newly married couple who, prior to marriage, practiced abstinence, and are hoping to start a family within a year. There are many different types of birth control for them to choose from, though the two options that may be best are either a low hormone birth control pill or a condom. The advantage of a birth control pill is that it can be highly effective, and when a couple is not concerned with sexually transmitted infections, it can help to regulate periods, reduce cramping, and is over 99% effective when used properly. Also, a birth control pill can be stopped at virtually any time without serious repercussions, and once the pill is stopped, the woman can conceive during her next ovulation cycle. A disadvantage of the pill is that it is sometimes hard to remember to take, and missing even one dose reduces how effective it is. The other option is using condoms. Condoms have been said to lower both male and female sensation, and can tear, though this is rare. However, a condom is a very temporary form of birth control, and the protection is gone as soon as the condom is, allowing it to not interfere with fertility longer than the time it is worn. Linda is young and enjoys dating. She also enjoys intimacy with a long-term committed partner, but is not interested in being a single mother, or sexually transmitted infections. Linda should consider an inter-uterine device (IUD), the shot, condoms, or the implant. The benefits to the IUD and the implant are that they are long term birth control, and rarely effect fertility after being removed. However, they also do not protect against STI’s. The shot is an option that also does not protect against STI’s, but does last for 3 months. A condom protects against STI’s, but is only a one time usage. Linda may be best suited for using a combination of hormonal  birth control, combined with a condom to best protect herself against STI’s as well as pregnancy.

The Chrysalids: Character Analysis of David

The Chrysalids: Character Analysis of David Waknuk is a religious community that doesnt believe in individuality. Everything must, basically, be the same. Any differences or deviations are hateful in the sight of god. When faced with adversity, individuals are stretched to the limit and tend to show great achievements!   You must go through obstacles and adversity. Thats what provides endurance for the future. David had numerous challenges for him to overcome. The punishment of being a deviant is clearly stated throughout the chapter like sent to the fringes, a feeling of inhumanity and being discriminated which didnt allow him to express feelings or emotions. Being a deviant and having telepathic abilities has many negative effects like being isolated from your family and sent to the fringes but made David a stronger, succeeding person. Having a difference, you are not considered as humans and are sent away banished to the Fringes. These people are then left there to fend for themselves with no sympathy. The consequences of showing deviations from the wider population result in individuals being moved to the Fringes, on the edge of Waknuk. Due to the contaminated soil, there is a limited amount of food available. With the people of Waknuk being symbolic of God with their strict norms, those not fitting the population are considered outsiders and removed from the group. David, over time, gains many opponents because of his difference. Living in such a controlled community made David feel neglected because he encountered diversity due to his differences from the people of Waknuk. Being confronted by town officials, David struggled to fit in with the people of Waknuk as he faced constant hardships regarding his differences.   Recurring differences left David with no choice but to face his fears on a daily basis. To be any kind of deviant is to be hurt always. (Page 167). Waknuk functions under a set of laws and beliefs that discriminate against anyone or anything that does not look normal, ultimately being sent to the fringes. Those who look different in any way from the Image of God as set by the Definition of Man, are isolated from society, and sterilized so that they cannot produce more Deviations. This relates to the quote as they are afraid of the unknown and their differences. Being isolated from society had a positive effect on Davids identify. David was unfamiliar with the brave people of New Zealand, which made him feel inferior because he had to learn to adapt and overcome the feeling of never being accepted. With self-pride and bravery, there was a rise in strength that allowed David to overcome his obstacles, eventually succeeding. There are numerous challenges along with having a telepathic ability, one of them is having a feeling inhumanity. Inhumanity is characterized by cruelty as well as an unjustified behavior. This inhuman behavior results in catastrophic consequences, perhaps why it is not favored.   But, this is evident in the book. For example, The ways of the world were very puzzling David, (Page 9). There was no love and justice when it came to recognizing an individual unusual from the one kind of majority. Deviating features on an uncommon individual lead to victims of hatred crime. At the end of the day, we could all say that The Chrysalids definition of inhumanity is far beyond the normal standards. Assassination of an innocent being, and presentations of ignorance among family and friends are common in such a community. Waknuk can be a harsh place. For example, Anne had seen this just as well as the rest of us, but now she pretended to ignore it. She began to defy her difference by refu sing to respond to us, though whether she shut her mind off altogether, or continued to listen without taking part we could not tell. David, (Page 42). Not only does it show how people in their society behave but is telling us that something needs to change about us as a whole. This also shows how people fear change, David has a feeling of inhumanity changed the way of thinking and made him more closed minded as he was afraid of the consequences. David goes through these obstacles and events represents the skills David had to overcome this event. David let these events affect his behavior. In the Chrysalids, the people of Waknuk are bias contrary to anyone who does not live up to the true image. They will discriminate against anyone who looks or acts differently than the norm do. For example, there are signs all over Davids house saying things like WATCH FOR THOU MUTANT, (Page 2). On the other hand, Sophie has only one extra toe on each foot and she had to be sent away to the Fringes for being different. Also, Aunt Harriots baby has the smallest little mark on her but she was still labeled as a deviation. In Waknuk society, anyone deviating from the true image of God lead to persistent judgement.   For example, a plant devastation is burned, an animal deviations often slaughtered, and human with deferences or who are not the norm are sterilized so they cannot reproduce and sent out into the Fringes. If you are not the true image of God, you are considered unusual and not normal by society in Waknuk. For example, when Sophie is depicted as a deviant, she appears to elope along with her family to protect herself. David lives in constant fear that others will discover his secret of telepathy. Sophie, a character introduced in the first part of the book had to flee the village because she had an unusual number of toes. Having to hide about Sophies toe was a challenge for David as he couldnt express his emotions or opinions about one another which made him a more closed person keeping everything on the inside and not expressing it. In a time of trouble, the adversities David faced revealed his true character. David was isolated from his family, had a feeling of inhumanity, and being discriminated but all these adversities helped to improve Davids mental health and outlook on life, which contributes to strong character. Each adversity David overcomes, he gained invaluable knowledge while growing stronger. Are People Becoming Too Reliant on Technology? Are People Becoming Too Reliant on Technology? Smart phones, Facebook, Netflix, YouTube†¦. The world is living in an era of constant dynamic technological revolutions. Information Technology has become inextricable from everyday life. Information technology refers to combination of computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet, and the people that work with these technologies. The main aim of T is to facilitate the life of each and every one, as Steve Ballmer said (brainyquotes.com). â€Å"The number one benefit of information technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didnt think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential.† However, IT can be addictive and occupy a huge place in one’s life. IT has brought about a revolution in data processing and storage. Creating a document, editing and storing a document is a task any common individual with basic IT knowledge can achieve. Storing information has become easier and less bulky, for example; a considerable of amount of data, such as a company’s information about its employees can be stored on a computer or in a secondary storage device such as a pen drive, and does not require bulky filing cabinets. This has revolutionized businesses around the world. As Bill Gates said: (brainyquotes.com). â€Å"Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I dont think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without the talking about the other.† Businessmen find it easier to check stock, demand, prices, and investment possibilities. There are dependent on this technology but only because it gives them the possibility to render their businesses more productive. Furthermore IT has allowed tremendous progress in the medical field. The research facilities set up have allowed to find the cure to several diseases and better understanding of many others, for example the use of the electron microscope has led to the understanding of the structure of the AIDS virus. Genetic Engineering has allowed to cure birth defects and treat other genetic diseases. â€Å"Im fascinated by the idea that genetics is digital. A gene is a long sequence of coded letters, like computer information. Modern biology is becoming very much a branch of information technology.† Richard Dawkins (brainyquotes.com). Machine assisted surgical operations are conducted all over the world to assist doctors in dangerous procedures and provide greater precision and reduce the risk of human error. Monitoring the heart rate, taking the Blood pressure and the amount of oxygen in the body are all machine assisted. People are dependent on IT but the latter allows many lives to be saved and helps to provide better medical assistance. IT has bestowed upon man a great favor: the internet. Man cannot fathom the kaleidoscope of facilities the internet gives him access to. People can learn whatever they want, ranging from astronomy to advanced linguistics while being comfortably seated at home. Access to education has been greatly facilitated as online courses are available to everyone and online degrees and diplomas can be obtained. In addition IT knowledge is a must as: â€Å"In todays knowledge-based economy, what you earn depends on what you learn. Jobs in the information technology sector, for example, pay 85 percent more than the private sector average.† William J. Clinton (brainyquotes.com). Furthermore, communication in itself has underwent an extraordinary transformation. As Peter Drucker said: (brainyquotes.com). â€Å"The new information technology Internet and e-mail have practically eliminated the physical costs of communications.† Skype and Facetime allow people to transcend barriers and saves them money as international calls are very expensive whereas these applications are free. Communication costs have been further reduce with the invention of Whatsapp and Viber. Teleconferences are held all over the world and the physical cost of travelling becomes inexistent. However, it is undeniable that IT has become a leech in some people’s lives, particularly youngsters. A recent survey proves that mobile users cant leave their phone alone for six minutes and check it up to 150 times a day. People make, receive or avoid 22 phone calls every day and send or receive messages 23 times a day. Dr James Roberts of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business in Texas conducted research on the matter and said: (brainyquotes.com). â€Å"Mobile phones are a part of our consumer culture. They are not just a consumer tool, but are used as a status symbol. They’re also eroding our personal relationships.† With the advent of social media such as twitter and Facebook, people have been engulfed by IT. Youngsters feel the urge of posting everything they do and that happens to them on the internet. It seems to have caused attention deficit disorder outbreak as their self-esteem rises or falls according to the response they get on their posts. Teens all over the world have instagram, twitter, snap chat, etc. Rather than them focusing on school the only thing they care about is that everything on their social media accounts are perfect. It honestly makes no sense whatsoever. The teens are disregarding their school work and only care about those things, a lot of teens are anti-social. The only way they interact with people is through their phones. A lot of the time the people they are considering theyre friends online they have never even met. Teens do not even like to go places because they think their phones are more satisfying than having to actually go outside and do something with their lives other than going on their cell phones. So, yes we are way too dependent on technology. Health problems have also arisen due to overexposure to computers, for example; back pain, eye problems, joint problems, to name but a few. Online films and series have rendered people addicted to them, as they spend a lot of time glued t their monitor with the usual phrase â€Å"just one more episode†. Information Technology is becoming a crutch for humanity. The world is evolving to incorporate technology into every facet of human life. Because of this new reliance people are losing the ability to take care of themselves in an organic and all natural way, for example GPS systems have changed the way we travel. People cant even read a map anymore. To conclude, IT has become an inherent part of modern life. In most cases its use is vital. It facilitates tasks and allows people  to explore all possibilities and also to attain the paroxysm of his capabilities. However it should not be considered the solutions to all problems and an escape from reality. If ever IT is considered to be an evil, it definitely is a necessary one. WEBOGRAPHY/ REFERENCES http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2276752/Mobile-users-leave-phone-minutes-check-150-times-day.html http://techterms.com/definition/it Steve Ballmer, SB, [online] available from: Brainyquotes.com. [Accessed: 16.02.2015] Bill Gates, BG, [online] available from: Brainyquotes.com. [Accessed: 16.02.2015] Richard Dawkins, RD, [online] available from: Brainyquotes.com. [Accessed: 16.02.2015] William J. Clinton, WJC, [online] available from: Brainyquotes.com. [Accessed: 16.02.2015] Peter Drucker, PD, [online] available from: Brainyquotes.com. [Accessed: 16.02.2015] Dr James Roberts, JR, [online] available from: Brainyquotes.com. [Accessed: 16.02.2015]

Managerial accounting techniques to help them thrive

Managerial accounting techniques to help them thrive Globally Hotels operators and managers are relying on managerial accounting techniques to help them thrive in the highly competitive and economy recession. The critical aspect of focusing on increasing revenue, minimise cost, align incentive to performance, maximise profits level without decline in the quality of services rendered by Hoteliers are becoming evolving issues in the hospitality industry. The essence of this project is uncover how management accounting is use to provide specialised internal information to the Managers in Lagos Airport Hotel, Lagos Nigeria that are responsible for directing and controlling operations within the hotels. The types of information provided by management accounting information systems and how it help the management in their strategic planning (Short or Long term), measurement performance, attained the organisational strategic objectives of increasing the owners wealth. SECTION 1- DESCRIPTION OF COMPANY: LAGOS AIRPORTS HOTELS LIMITED Lagos Airport Hotel Limited, is a subsidiary of Odua Investment Company,The hotel began operation in 1942 under the ownership and management of Joseph Harold, a Brition . The hotel name was then Grand Hotel which was later changed Ikeja Arms was incorporated in 1961, having started business as an owner managed hotel with 5 rooms in 1942 under the name Grand Hotel, Lagos.with 5 rooms. It was renamed Ikeja Arms Inn in 1956 acqiured in 1959 by the Government of Western region of Nigeria comprises of Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti States in 1959 and incorporated as Lagos Airport Hotel in 1961. As at today the hotels had grown from 5 rooms in 1942 to 277 rooms consist of of , presidential suites , Monarchical Suite, Executive Suites, Presidential Suites, Executive/Business Suites, Standard/Executive Double, six conference halls well-secured car parks, two international Restaurants four Bars and an Olympic-sized Swimming Pool. The hotel under the leadership of Alhaji   Adebayo Jimoh , has over five hundred highly professional staff with additional two subsidiaries hotels namely Lafia Hotel and Premier Hotel Ibadan. The hotel strategic vision is to be the preferred choice for customers in the Nigerias hospitality industry. and mission statement is to passionately deliver efficient and catering services at competitive and affordable prices. In Peat survey 2009 the Airport is rated among the best top hotels in Nigeria and among the first leading hospitality companies in Lagos State. is rated among the best top 20 hotels in Nigeria. SECTION 2 COST BEHAVIOUR ANALYSIS HOTEL BUSINESS OPERATION AND COST BEHAVIOUR ANALYSIS HOTEL ACCOUNTING STRUCTURE AND LAGOS AIRPORT HOTEL EXPERIENCE The hotel business operation globally is characterised with a number of different cyclical sales revenue cycles which includes daily operating cycle, weekly , seasional cycle and general business cycle(Reccession). The Lagos airport hotels is not expempted from the above cyclical business patterned. Significantly, these various cyclical operation in hotel create a unique difficulties in forecasting revenue and cost. Secondly , hospitality operation are People oriented and people- driven, it is more difficult to effectively automate and control cost than it is on other non hospitality business sector 2.1 COST BEHAVIOUR AND ANALYSIS Lagos Airport Hotel operations tend to be highly departimised with separate operating division/unit that provide accommodation/lodging, Restaurants Bar services, Conference Banquest, Etc . Consequently the hotel accounting systems are designed to allow an independent evaluation of each operating department or division. To this end, cost directly traceable to a department are identified as direct cost, typically major direct cost in hotels includes cost of sales(foods drinks), salary wages, operating supplies e.g Soap, Toilet tissue paper etc . After direct costs are determined they are deducted from revenue to isolate contributory income which represent the depts or division contribution to support undistributed general overheads. As in their practice indirect cost are not easily traceable to a department and referred to as undistributed costs One of the arguments in favour of allocating indirect expenses to department is that aithough department managers are not responsible for controlling those costs, they should be aware of what portion of them is related to their department since this could have an impact on departmental decision making such as establishing room rates, foods and other service selling prices at a level that covers all costs not just direct cost. When this type of Full -cost accounting is implemented in a responsibility accounting system , it allows a manager to know the total minimum revenue that must be generated to cover all costs even though the control of some of those costs is not their responsility. Nevertheless there are mistake as regard the direct costs, controllable costs, indirect costs and non controllable cost. The assertion that say direct costs are generally more easily controlled than indirect costs but (Salome 2009) argued that in the long run all costs are controllable by someone at sometimes 2.2 RELEVANT NON RELEVANT COST CONCEPT AND APPLICATION IN HOTEL The theory of relevant and non relevant cost is widely used in hospitality cost management( ) the application is use for variety of decision making. A relevant cost is one that affect decision and such a cost must be in the future and different between alternatives. For example The Lagos airport is considering to introduce online booking with ATM Payment portal, the relevant cost would be the cost of web solution, ATM Machine, the cost of training employees on the new solutions and any change in maintenance and material supply costs on the new solution/machine. As long as no change is necessary in the number of staff required, the hotel labor cost would not be relevant cost and it would make no difference to the decision On cost behaviour Most hotels have a high proportion of fixed cost which are not expected to change in the short run of an operating period og a year or less and will not vary with increases or decrease in sales revenue, examples are management salaries, insurance or committed cost of an advertising campaign ,So this type of costs are not relevant for decision making Variable cost on the hand change in direct proportion to a change in sales revenue for example the more foods and drink sold, the more cost of sales incurred The usefulness of relevant cost , non relevant cost, fixed , variable, sunk cost etc in hotel business help the managers in making the following types of decision Allocation of indirect costs to revenue unit/dept Which types of equipment should they buy Whether to sell below total cost? Whether hotel should be close during off season? As the cost of low -activity characterises hotel sectors Which investment/business should they buy Make or buy decision making Alot more In the airport hotel activity -based costing is not broadly used while target costing has squat adoption level. But standard costing is most popular costing used in the hotel 2.3 MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING SYSTEM AND DECISION MAKING IN HOTEL A RELATIVE ILLUSTRATIVE STUDY OF LAGOS AIRPORT HOTEL The business success of the business depends to a very large extent upon the capacity of top management to develop the appropriate strategies in a number of issues which conform to the business corporate strategic goals The hotels have typically diverse level of decision making. Management at each level takes decision that are within its capability and responsibility For each level of decision making management accounting system has been found to provide appropriates information required for management decision making. To be specific the management accounting information system was found to be helpful to the hotel management to formulate and execute Strategies concerned with volume and capacity Strategies for assessing the relative profitability of division/ department or revenue area Strategies for pricing in condition of hotel space capacity Strategies for selecting product/service range where there are capacity or other constraints. Marginal costing is used by the hotels for cost structure and pricing decision. The marginal costing is mainly used for short-term planning, while activity based costing is the favoured costing method for long term strategic planning. The cost -volume -profit approach to decision (e.g Breakeven analysis) are widely produces to assist management in decision making . this assist them in evaluating current and future events regarding sales revenue inflow and cost outflow Cost volume profit analysis(CVP) cost are separated into variable and fixed componenets. They are then used to make informed and rational decision TABLE SHOWING Break even sales Break even sales equitation for Loding unit for 2009(See Financal hilghlight week6 project outline) The fixed costs(FC) are N197,702 , sales revenue N568,900 and variable cost (VC) are N63,968 .what is breakeven sales revenue? The break even point(BEP) = Fixed cost (Sales revenue Variable cost) = 197,702 (2053-230) BEP = 108 Rooms per day. Fig2: Break even revenue FC / 1-(variable cost/sales revenue) 197702/ 1- (N63,968/N568,900) 197,702/88.7% = N222,888 CVP analysis is a logical extension of breakeven analysis in hotels business it is used to make the following decision among others. At what level of sales revenue will operating income be TARTGETD INcme may be 700,000,000 How much must sales revenue increase to cover a new fixed cost If room rates are changes, what will be the effect on rooms sold? Whether to give bulk discounts or not? New investment decision SECTION 3 BUDGETING PROCESSING REVIEW BUDGETING AND BUDGETARY PROCESS OVERVIEW IN HOTEL INDUSTRY The objectives of organisation will be faciliatated by the implementation of an efficient budgeting, this because the whole essence of budgeting is to ensure that the allocation of resources is palnned to avoid waste and promote profitability For hotel managers to make meaningful decision about future, a manager must look ahead(Budget) Antril. P Mclaney.E (2009) Martin Micheal (2004) argued that for hotel or restaurant operators or manger the budget might be no more than looking ahead to tomorrow, estimating how many guests per night , estimating how many customers will eat in the restaurant etc Budgets not expressed in monetary terms could involve numbers of guest to be served, number of rooms to be occupied, number of employees required, or some other unit as opposed to monetary value Agara(2007), Martin Micheal (2004) identified the three main purposes of budgeting in hotels business To provide organised estimates of future unit sales, sales revenues, expenses, net income, staffing requirements or equipment needs, broken down by operating period and department To provide management with long-term and short term goals. To provide a method of control so that actual results can be evaluated against budget plans and adjustments, if necessary can be made The budgetary cycle or process is a five part process that involved the follows Establish attainable goals or objective Plan to achieve these goals or objectives Compare actual results with those planned , and analyse the difference(variance) Take corrective action required Improve the effectiveness of budgeting The starting point in budgeting is to forecast sales revenue, in hotel operation in forecasting the mnager usually considered past actual sales revenue and trends, current anticipated trends and the economic, competitive and limiting factors. Once the sales revenue had been forecast, direct operating expenses can be calculated based on anticipated sales level and undistributed expenses allocated or deducted to arrive at the net income. The various types of budgets include fixed, flecible, capital budget, operating , departmental,master budget etc Zero based budgeting (ZBB) this budget is found useful for controlling and controlling hotel operation, as the name implies no expenses can be budgeted for or incurred unless they are jusitified in advance. ZBB requires each department head to jusitify in advance the entire annual budget froma zero base. The department manager responsible for the cost prepare the analysis. After each department or division is anakysed , management ranks all decision unit and the final budget is allocated according to this ranking The variance analysis is useful tools for budgetary control as it is used for isolating the cause of difference between budgeted and actual figures. SECTION 4: FIRM PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS4.0 LAGOS AIRPORT HOTELS FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS The financial report present merely a stewardship report . if the information is to have real meaning both to the management and other users of the report, it must be subjected to a process of analysis and interpretation. To do this, various stastics yardstick or analytical tools like ration analysis, comparative analysis, common size vertical analyisi , trend analysis/ percentage can be used. Ratio analysis is concerning with expressing relationship between inputs and output, the objective of ratio analysis is to construct a framework of such relationship which are important for the success of the company. One part of this framework bring together all these aspect of the business which contribute to profitability both fot the company and owners, another part of the framework assesses the liquidity of the hotel, the remaining part reflect the hotels standing or viability for the future. Table : Lagos Airport Hotel financial performance Anaysis for 5 years 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 Profitability Ratio Gross profit Ratio or Margin 63.5% 46.5% 51.8% 68% 67.6 Net profit ratio or margin 17.2% 1.3% 4.3% 17.4% 15.7% Return on Capital employed 63.7% 3.9% 12.3% 43.1% 61.1% Liquidity / Investment Ratio Current Ratio 1.2:1 1.3:1 1.34:1 1.37:1 2.05:1 Gearing Ratio 103% 91.4% 91.7% 93.5 49% Total Debt to shareholder fund 193% 169% 171% 166% 156.8% Earning per share 2.47 0.14 0.42 1.5 1.25 Comments: Gross profit ratio which indicates the gross margin on sales in a period is steadly show a sign of improved 2009 from downward slope that occurred between 2008 2007, however the gross profit ratio needs improvement The net income ratio and return on capital which indicates a relative efficiency of the hotels business and overall profitability of the business is worrisome even with 17.3% for net return 63.7 ROCE for 2009 the performance is still far below expected returns level and it glaring that the hotel has been performance in term of profitability badly. For the hotel to remain operation for the nearest features it must be profitable and liquid. The strategy to adopt here is for the hotels managemenet to reduce its operational cost, improve revenue per guests,rates of occupany and innovate a new products or service that can improve revenue and profitability stream. The liquidity position of the hotel is far below ratio 2:1 recomended for healthy company, liquidity ratio measure the ability of a firm to meet its short -term obligations and reflect short term financial strength of the firm while the gearing ratio is extremely high as the company operation is funded from debts and depend on borrowed fund for expansion which is very vulerabilty to earning of shareholders and poses a possibility of take -over or bankcruptcy. The overall trend analysis for the hotel(see apendix2) provides uselful insight into some of the factors that might contributed to this aweful financial position Interestingly, many individual operating ration are specifically available for hospitality industries which focus on internal operation like rooms/accommodation, Foods Beverage analysis and decision making. Some of these analysis includes but not limited to income per guests for each division, costs per guest by items, foods and or beverage cost percentage, labor cost percentage average foods or beverage dollar/Naira by meals period and by revenue areas, seat turnover by meals period etc In the rooms or lodgimg division average rate per occupied room, revenue per available room (REVPAR) , Occupancy percentage, annual revenue per room, labour cost percentage etc The internal analysis of the above influenced the management decision making in term of improve sales level, directing efforts into selling higher priced rooms rather than lower priced, increasing rate of occupancy percentage or average room rate. On the impact of success critical factor(CSF) on the financial performance, the monetary indicators, grosss operating profit per available room was used SECTION 5 : CAPITAL INVESTMENT ANALYSIS 5.0 CAPITAL BUDGETING TECHNIQUES IN HOTEL INDUSTRY The largest investment that hotel or food seervice business has to make is in the land and building (Martin Micheal 2004) . The hotels management also make frequent investment decision for items such as equipment, furniture purchases and replacement. Due to elongated life time and colossal of capital outlays entail for capital investment, management espoused a more pragmatic approach and use appropriate capital investment control methodology to ensure right capital investment decision making There are hazard in making capital investment, the hazards can be seldom be eliminated but there are techniques available that allow the manager to reduce some of the quesswork The Lagos Airport hotels use Payback period and net present value, rn as a tools to guide investment decision A Case study of capital investment decision making in Lagos Airport Hotel A typical capital investment decision techniques is the Lagos airport hotel was contemplating of improve the restaurant services and planning to purchase a new type of oven and other modern kitchen apparatus. Or invest in Cinema or Casio Opertaion The hotel management is provided with two alternative investment option to choose from with their annual net cash inflows over the five -year investment period Year Otption1- Restaurant Improvement Option2- New Cinema Casio Centre 1 1,200,000 630,000 2 1,290,000 870,000 3 1,320,000 1,275,000 4 1,230,000 1,725,000 5 615,000 1,815,000 The initial investment outlay of N4,950,000 NPV is at 12%, Would either of them be a good investment for the hotel? Solution Option 1 -Restaurant improvement Net cash flows Cumulative net cash flows Year 0 Cost investment (4,950,000) (4,950,000) Year1 Net Saving 1,200,000 (3,750,000) (-4,950,000 + 1,200,000) Year 2 Net saving before Dep 1,290,000 (2,460,000) (-3,750,000 +1,290,000) Year 3 Net saving before Dep 1,320,000 (1,140,000 ) (-2,460,000+ 1,320,000) Year4 Net saving before Dep 1,230,000 90,000 (-1,140,000 +1,230,000) Year5 Net saving before Dep 615,000 705,000 ( 90,000+ 615,000) Option 1 Payback period = 3 years, 11 months plus 4 days Option 2 -New Cinema CASINO CENTRE Net cash flows Cumulative net cash flows Year 0 Cost investment (4,950,000) (4,950,000) Year1 Net Saving before Dep 630,000 (4,320,000) (-4,950,000 + 630,000) Year 2 Net saving before Dep 870,000 (3,450,000) (-4,320,000 +870,000) Year 3 Net saving before Dep 1,275,000 (2,175,000 ) (-3,450,000+ 1,275,000) Year4 Net saving before Dep 1,725,000 (450,000) (-2,175,000 +1,725,000) Year5 Net saving before Dep 1,815,000 1,365,000 ( -450,000+ 1,815,000) Option 2 Payback period = 4 years, 3 months The analysis above showed option 1 have a shorter pay back period and logic of using pay back period is that projects that can recoup their cost quickly are economically more attractive than those with longer payback(Antrill Mclaney 2009) so Option 1 is to be selected based on pay period methods. The major drawback o9f pay back period is that it ignore cash flow after the payback period and it does not take time value of money(Effect of inflation/ interest /risk etc) into consideration NET PRESENT VALUE(NPV) Net present value methods of appraisal consider all of the costs and benefits of each investment opportunity and make a logical allowance for the timing of those costs and benefits The NPV is consider better among all other investment appraisal techniques because of cashflow timming recognition, uses of all relevant cash flow and meet the objective of the business which to increase owners wealth LAGOS AIRPORT HOTEL USING NPV METHOD OPTION1 -Restaurant Improvement NPV Option 2 New Cinema Casino centre Time Cash flow N NPV (12%) Cash flow N NPV Year0 (4,950,000) (4,950,00) (4,950,000) (4,950,00) Year1 1,200,000 0.8929 1,071,480 630,000 562,527 Year 2 1,290,000 0.7972 1,028,388 870,000 693,564 Year 3 1,320,000 0.7118 939,575 1,275,000 907,545 Year 4 1,230,000 0.6355 781,665 1,725,000 1,096,238 Year 5 615,000 0.5066 311,559 1,815,000 919,479 -817,333 -770,647 Here we must ask how can management decide which option or project is acceptable, judging by NPV decision which stated that If the NPV is positive the project should be accepted, if it is negative the project should be rejected If there are two (or more) competing projects/options that have positive NPVs, the project with higher (or highest) should be selected. In this case of Lagos Airport hotel non of the two option is Negative and it should be rejected unless management has other non financial benefits attached with options which may still at long run contribute to the actualisation of the hotels strategic goals. SECTION 6: COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS As usual for business environment in the hotel industry is a highly competitvive, and Lagos Hotels Limited found itself in a such competitive based marketing segment with more than 5000 operators in the market. Significantly the hotels has the followings 7 majors/ market leaders to complete with Sheraton Hotels Tower, Pretoria Hotels, Federal Palace Hotels, Lagos Hilton Hotel, Excellence Hotel, PVC Hotels and Reassurance Hotels The core keys advantages of competitors in Comparism with Lagos airport range from their location advantage(Most of them located in Victoria and ikoyi areas of Lagos that accommodation the major businesses in Nigeria) International Operations advantage, 21st century well designed architectural building , modern facilities luxury, Branding, high Price advantages, innovation program (Customer Loyalty Program) etc The major advantages of Lagos airport is strategic location in the ikeja but with old building structures Next to Lagos is Victoria Island, which takes while to get to, about 2hrs, this is because of the amount of traffic and chaos on the roads, also some of the roads are in a bit of a mess, pot holes that can swallow you without trace. Victoria island is modern, and the Hotel Eco is very good, but costs  £250 GBP per night note the Sheraton in Lagos is also modern and costs  £300-350 per night, bottled water in the Eco was  £4, but if you are spending  £250 a night who cares, you must keep drinking water in this heat. These hotels do cost more than a London Hotel, but then there is no where else decent apart from Lagos Airport Hotel. Note the Airport Hotel was  £100 per night, I booked at the desk where ther is a written price sheet on the wall, you will have to put down a security deposit but you do get this back at the end of your stay. SECTION 7: BALANCED SCORECARD APPLICATION OF BALANCED SCORED CARD FRAMEWORK (A CASE STUDY OF LAGOS AIRPORT HOTEL) Balanced scorecard as the name suggested offers a more balanced view of a firms or of a managers performance by intergrating both financial and non financial information in a coherent fashion .This overcomes one of the obvious defects of traditional performance measurement systems which places undue emphasis on historical financial information. For long term effective and efficient performance, especially in hotel enterprise, the information related to service quality, introduction of new products, service, additional supply, entrance on new market, the competitor performance and human capital relation management is vital. Goardana Mateja also empaciated the need for balanced score card application in hotel indsutry The hotels operations are oriented towards people and to that end their financial performance depends on the behaviour and manners of hotels employees, the development of new products and service and as the most important , guest satisfaction In Lagos airport hotel use it to implement strategies of a change/ restructing in management programme undergo in 2009 Apart from using it to create a link between the performance measurement indicators and hotel strategies, Management use it to communicate strategy to both managers and staff. At operational level the Balance scored card are use to align employess efforts with those reuired for successful strategic implementation However, successful implementation of a balanced scorecard is not a trivial matters especially for hotels like Lagos Airport Hotels that is Government owned which make some top management appointment political in nature. Apart from this balanced scored concept is simple but it implementation is found to be time consuming and costly task especially to hotel like Lagos Airport with weak financial resources and manpower to support the practice of this new management concept in the longrun. Table: Lagos Airport Hotel Balanced scorecard Hotel Management Balanced Scorecard Managing the day to day activities of a hotel can be facilitated with the help of KPIs. KPIs, on a BSC are the means to attain the end of Measuring Performance. Such tool can be used when umpteen external and internal forces have a bearing on the organi Perspective Performance Financial Perspective 53.63% Customer Perspective 65.56% Efficiency 29.67% Staff perspective 65.78% Total Performance 54.85% Scorecard includes 4 categories, 17 indicators Strategy tree and scorecard details : Perspective Goal Weight (x of 10) Description Performance (%) Measure unit Target Values Financial Perspective 3 53.63% Wage Costs as a % of total sales 3 It refers to wage cost as a % of total sales of the hotel. 40% % 0% Annual operating profit per room 3 It refers to annual operating profit per room available in the hotel. 10000 $ 25000 Food cost as a % of food sales 2 40% % 0% % increase in labor costs 2 20% % 0% Total Performance in group Financial Perspective 53.63% Customer Perspective 3 65.56% Number of positive feedbacks 3 It refers to number of positive feedbacks received from the customers (on a scale of 1 to 10). 9 Score 10 Number of complaints received 2 It refers to number of complaints received from the customers regarding the services provided by hotel (on a scale of 1 to 10). 3 Score 10 Response rate 3 Metric is not available in trial version 1 minutes 1 Frequent customers as a % of total customers 2 Metric is not available in trial version 30% % 100% Total Performance in group Customer Perspective 65.56% Efficiency 2 29.67% % of room booked through reservation channels 2 It refers to % of room booked through reservation channels maintained by the hotel. 25% % 100% Internet bookings 2 indicates the % of bookings received through internet services. 30% % 100% Room occupancy 2 Metric is not available in trial version 60% % 100% Rate of sales inquiry conversion 2 Metric is not available in trial version 30% % 60% Average length of stay 2 Metric is not available in trial version 2 days 4 Total Performance in group Efficiency 29.67% Staff perspective 2 65.78% Staff turn

William Faulkner :: essays research papers

William Faulkner William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, with Jefferson as its county seat, is both a mythical and actual place. Yoknapatawpha county is 2400 square miles in area and has a population of 15,611 persons. Jefferson has an actual jail, town square, old houses, and Old Frenchman's Place, even a railroad. Faulkner's "Yoknapatawpha County" is in reality Lafayette County, and "Jefferson" is actually Oxford. The Faulkner family lived there since before the Civil War. This is where most of his stories take place. He pondered the family history and his own personal history; and he used both in writing his stories. (American Writers; 54) Faulkner born in New Albany, Mississippi in 1897. In 1902 they moved to Oxford ("Jefferson"), the seat of the University of Mississippi. His father, Murray C. Falkner, (the u was added to the family name by the printer who set up William's first book, The Marble Faun) ran a livery stable and a hardware store. Later he became business manager of the University. Maud Butler was his mother and Murray, John, and Dean were his three brothers. (American Writers; 55a) Faulkner's great-grandfather was William C. Falkner. He was born in 1825. He was a legendary figure in Northern Mississippi. Many details of his life have shown up in Faulkner's writings. He was twice acquitted of murder charges. He was a believer in severe discipline and was a colonel of a group of raiders of the Civil War. He began as a poor youngster trying to take care of his widowed mother, but ending his career as the owner of a railroad and a member of the state legislature. He was killed by his former railroad partner shortly after he had defeated the other for a seat in the legislature. There is a statue of William C. Falkner facing his railroad today. (American Writers; 55b) J. W. T. Faulkner was a lawyer, a banker, and assistant United States attorney. He was an active member of "rise of the "rednecks"", the political movement that gave greater suffrage to tenant farmers. The people of Oxford say he had and explosive temper. (American Writers; 55c) The characters Colonel Sartoris and Bayard Sartoris portray Faulkner's great-grandfather and grandfather. These characters show up in many of his stories such as Sartoris and The Unvanquished. They are a part of the Old South legend and they play an important role in the saga of Yoknapatawpha. (American Writers; 55d) William was a poor student. He left highshool in the tenth grade to work in his grandfather's bank. He liked to read, and wrote some poetry of his own. He also tried painting. William Faulkner :: essays research papers William Faulkner William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, with Jefferson as its county seat, is both a mythical and actual place. Yoknapatawpha county is 2400 square miles in area and has a population of 15,611 persons. Jefferson has an actual jail, town square, old houses, and Old Frenchman's Place, even a railroad. Faulkner's "Yoknapatawpha County" is in reality Lafayette County, and "Jefferson" is actually Oxford. The Faulkner family lived there since before the Civil War. This is where most of his stories take place. He pondered the family history and his own personal history; and he used both in writing his stories. (American Writers; 54) Faulkner born in New Albany, Mississippi in 1897. In 1902 they moved to Oxford ("Jefferson"), the seat of the University of Mississippi. His father, Murray C. Falkner, (the u was added to the family name by the printer who set up William's first book, The Marble Faun) ran a livery stable and a hardware store. Later he became business manager of the University. Maud Butler was his mother and Murray, John, and Dean were his three brothers. (American Writers; 55a) Faulkner's great-grandfather was William C. Falkner. He was born in 1825. He was a legendary figure in Northern Mississippi. Many details of his life have shown up in Faulkner's writings. He was twice acquitted of murder charges. He was a believer in severe discipline and was a colonel of a group of raiders of the Civil War. He began as a poor youngster trying to take care of his widowed mother, but ending his career as the owner of a railroad and a member of the state legislature. He was killed by his former railroad partner shortly after he had defeated the other for a seat in the legislature. There is a statue of William C. Falkner facing his railroad today. (American Writers; 55b) J. W. T. Faulkner was a lawyer, a banker, and assistant United States attorney. He was an active member of "rise of the "rednecks"", the political movement that gave greater suffrage to tenant farmers. The people of Oxford say he had and explosive temper. (American Writers; 55c) The characters Colonel Sartoris and Bayard Sartoris portray Faulkner's great-grandfather and grandfather. These characters show up in many of his stories such as Sartoris and The Unvanquished. They are a part of the Old South legend and they play an important role in the saga of Yoknapatawpha. (American Writers; 55d) William was a poor student. He left highshool in the tenth grade to work in his grandfather's bank. He liked to read, and wrote some poetry of his own. He also tried painting.

Hooters and Men :: Personal Narrative Restaurants Papers

Hooters and Men I don’t know why I feel so nervous. I’ve eaten at Hooters once before and it wasn’t so terrible. It’s just a wing joint where the waitresses are famous for being bosomy. Maybe that’s it. I feel inadequate. My small chest will pale in comparison to the over abundance of female flesh put so confidently on display and my boyfriend will never look at me the same. Come to think of it, why was he so proud and anxious to tell every male friend he had that his girlfriend asked him to go to Hooters with her? And why did they respond with cheers, hollers and, â€Å"man, you’re so lucky?† The feeling of trepidation grows as our car nears the dreaded restaurant. I don’t need to feel uneasy: how busy could this restaurant be at 7:30 on a Wednesday night? The sight of a parking lot full of cars almost causes me to force my boyfriend to turn the car around, leaving skid marks as the only piece of incriminating evidence to prove that I was on Hooters property. No, face your fear. I open the car door and walk up to the restaurant, with my boyfriend doing a good impression of not being giddy following at my heels. When I have almost reached the door, a car pulls up and two older couples, probably in their middle sixties, get out. I find it odd that they would patron this particular restaurant, but their presence helps to put me at ease. Maybe I won’t look so bizarre walking into the restaurant next to them. I open the door to a small room where Hooters paraphernalia is sold. Everything from T-shirts to shot glasses, all decorated with the Hooters logo. I have to admit it’s a good marketing strategy: this room is the first thing to greet a customer walking in and the last thing a customer sees on the way out. But the strategy doesn’t work (or at least at this point) for either the older couples or my boyfriend and I. Instead, we walk into the crowded restaurant and try to find a place to sit. My boyfriend and I choose a table against the wall. This table is high off the ground and we sit on stools, which makes it feel like we are at a bar, or another type of informal eatery.

Van Den Berghs Ltd V Clark

INTRODUCTION In Malaysia, the Income Tax Act 1967 Section 3 sets the scope of income tax provided that income accrued in or derived from Malaysia would be tax. However, S3B of the Act specifically provides that income derived by an offshore company in respect of offshore business activity is not chargeable to income tax. The law governing the tax for such offshore business activity is the Labuan Offshore Business Activity Tax Act 1990 and not the Income Tax Act 1967. The Act imposes income tax on income, while capital gains are not chargeable to income tax.Generally, income has the characteristics of repetitive, flow from a source of income and received in the ordinary course of business. It must also be examined from the recipient's perspective. On the other hand, capital receipts are non-business income and it arises independently, that are not considered as business income and treated as capital gain. For instances, realisations from long term investment or personal assets are cap ital transactions. Such gains are capital receipts.Moreover, Commonwealth laws provided that the income source is not necessarily of one which is expected to be continuously productive, but it must be one whose object is the production of a definite return, excluding anything in the nature of a mere a windfall. Windfall, gambling or profits arising from speculative activities are capital gains and would not be subject to income tax. Also, cost saving is not income and would not be taxed. The distinction between ‘capital’ and ‘income’ is crucial as capital receipts generally escaped tax.Making the distinction between ‘capital’ and ‘income’ is never an easy task, especially in relation to the compensation on termination of a business contract. Generally, compensation for payment of services is income receipts while compensation for destruction of capital structure is capital receipts. The Act does not define ‘income’ or ‘capital’; therefore one needs to research through the cases laws for guidance. CASE LAW – Van den Berghs Ltd v Clark Fact A margarine manufacturer entered into business alliance agreements with a Dutch competitor.Following a dispute over amounts due to the company, the Dutch competitor paid ? 450,000 as damages for the cancellation of the company’s future rights under the agreements, which still had a number of years left to run. The issue arise whether the compensation was an income or capital receipt. Held The House of Lords held that this payment was a capital receipt of the company. In his judgement, Lord Macmillan propounded the â€Å"whole structure† test as the test for determining the nature of such compensation.His Lordship was of the opinion that these terminated contracts were not ordinary commercial contracts made in relation to the sale of goods but were related to the whole structure of the profit-making apparatus of the manufacturer. The contracts regulated the taxpayer’s activities, defined what the parties in the contract may or may not do and further affected the whole conduct of the business. As the compensation was related to the termination of that which was fundamental to the trader’s activities, it was therefore a capital receipt. CONCLUSION The case above illustrated the difficulty in distinguishing between income and capital.With the same facts, the High Court and Federal Court could arrive at different conclusions. It is therefore concluded that the question of income or capital is a question of law for the courts to decide. As summary, table below show the different of income and capital receipts. INCOME RECEIPTS| CAPITAL RECEIPTS| Chargeable to income tax| Not chargeable to income tax| Provision of services| Gift| Trading or adventure in the nature of trade| Profit from disposal of long term investment| Sale of short-term investment| Speculation, windfall gains, gambling| Sale of good s/trading stock| Sale of capital assets|REFERENCES Bibliography Chong, K. F. (2010). Advanced Malaysia Taxation (12 ed. ). Kuala Lumpur: InfoWorld. Chong, K. F. (2003). Compensation in Connection With Business Receipts-An Analysis of the Malaysian Experience. Malayan Law Journal , 30. Chong, K. F. (2006). Contemporary Issues on Income Tax and Real Property Gains Tax. ACCA Tax Publication , 38. Chong, K. F. (2010). Malaysian Taxation (16 ed. ). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: InfoWorld. Flynn, M. (1990). Distinguising between Income and Capital Receipts – A Search for Principle. Journal of Austrlian Taxation , 17. Mahalingham, S. (2005).Compensation for early contract terminations. Tax Adviser , 18. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Section 3, Income Tax Act 1967 [ 2 ]. Section 3B, Income Tax Act 1967 [ 3 ]. Enacted from Chapter 1 – Scope of Charge, Malaysia Taxation, 16th edition(2010 ) [ 4 ]. Enacted from article Contemporary Issues on Income Tax and Real Property Gains Tax by Chong, K. F. (2006). [ 5 ]. Van den Berghs ltd vs Clark (19 TC 390) [ 6 ]. Enacted from article Compensation for early contract terminations by Mahalingham, S. (2005). [ 7 ]. Enacted from Chapter 1 – Scope of Charge, Malaysia Taxation, 16th edition(2010)

Our Dreams

Each of us has many dreams and in fact they are a sign that we are alive, we exist and we are going forward despite the situation we live in. My dreams, like every young person, are countless. When we had midterm break my boyfriend fulfilled this long dream as a gift for Valentine's Day. We visited Venice and Bergamo. Our` hearts and souls are still there with the beauty that surrounds us. There everything is like in the movies I've seen with the difference that when you get up, you look around and realize you're part of the Italian breeze, your heart starts to beats as it wants to jump in order to enjoy beauty and intoxication with you. I'm still really excited even when I remember my experience. I can tell each destination separately for days. The one I chose to tell you is our last destination – Venice. The magic that conceals this magical place causes every visitor to yearn to return again and again there. The small, narrow streets have preserved the charm of the past times, bringing warmth, love and romance to tourists. I remember when we arrived at the boat at dusk. We went right in San Marco Square. The majesty of the basilica, pigeons and music of the symphony orchestras of every restaurant made everything in us dancing. We continued our tour around the island with a visit to all the sights, and for me The most beautiful place was the Bridge of Sighs. There I received my first Italian rose, which I keep to this day. The view provokes us a warm sigh and a desire to stop the time and to stay there forever. In the evening we were in a small restaurant at the Grande Canale, drinking red wine and enjoying the sunset. Love, Italy and Venice really go hand in hand. This country makes an unforgettable gift to every visitor by donating memories of eternal beauty, intoxication, romance and love. Once you have visited Italy, there is a warmth in your heart that keeps trembling and leaves the feeling that you have forgotten something and you have to go back and look for it.

How I Became Me

To begin, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is unique. The novel is written from the perspective of a teenager who lives in New York in the 1950's.From the context in the beginning and the end of the book, â€Å"I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy† (page 1), â€Å"I could probably tell you what I did after I went home, and how I got sick and all, and what  school  I'm supposed to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I don't feel like it† (page 213), we can infer that Holden Caulfield, the aforementioned teenager, is in a  mental  hospital.However, he tells the story through flashback of a three-day period sometime before Christmas the year before. This is unusual because most novels cover much more time than three days. This is one reason why this novel is so unique. Although the novel is spread over only three days, we lea rn so much about the protagonist, and many other characters, because all Holden's thoughts and feelings, especially about other characters, during these three days is portrayed, nothing is left out.My favorite part of the book is probably Holden's interaction with and description of Ackley in Chapter 3. This is probably my favorite part of the book because I can relate to the protagonist in that I have to put up with my neighbor who fits the description of Ackley perfectly. Ackley is a rather nosy fellow who comes over through a window and without permission. He plays with all of Holden's possessions, and then puts them back in different locations.He cuts his nails all over Holden's room, stands in his reading light to talk to him, and he never brushes his teeth. I also enjoy not only this part, but also other descriptions of other characters, because the author has a totally unique way of describing people. â€Å"He was exactly the kind of a guy that wouldn't get out of your light when you asked him to† (page 21), â€Å"He was one of those guys that think they're being a pansy if they don't break around forty of your fingers when they shake hands with you† (page 87).Even though the novel The Catcher in the Rye is set in the fifties, I can still relate to the protagonist, as well as others around his age, because of the lingo. It makes the characters so human, and just about anyone can relate to that! I found myself looking forward to Holden meeting a new character or happening upon an old acquaintance, to see what type of personality the author had given them. Also, there is no brilliant sentence structure or sophisticated diction to this novel.The reason this novel is so good is the incredible insights the author uses, which connects the reader to the characters in a way that is inimitable. Salinger's wonderful insights are enhanced by his strategic use of italics to indicate emphasis, which tells the reader the exact meaning and tone Salinger is attempting to portray as if the reader were to hear the spoken dialogue, â€Å"In the first place, we're both practically children. And did you ever stop to think what you'd do if you didn't get a job when your money ran out?We'd starve to death. The whole thing's so fantastic, it isn't even-† (page 132). This is the type of novel that generates emotion, true, honest emotion, from the reader, because they can connect so well to the characters. A reader would truly cry, say if Phoebe, Holden's younger sister, were to die at the end; whereas in other novels that a character dies in, less of an emotional impact is made on the reader. Finally, only one huge event takes place that effects all the others, and that is Holden Caulfield flunking out of Pencey.All other events in the book are trivial. This keeps the plot simple enough so that the main focus is on the protagonist's thoughts rather than actions. However, I think this novel is so excellent and one-of-a-kind because of the personality of the protagonist. He is easily bothered by the  little  things people do, â€Å"God, how I hate it when somebody yells â€Å"Good Luck! † at me when I'm leaving somewhere. † (page 202), yet he loves to drive others crazy, â€Å"You weren't allowed to smoke in the dorm, but you could do it ate at night when everybody was asleep or out and nobody could smell the smoke. Besides, I did it to annoy Stradlater. It drove him crazy when you broke any rules. He never smoked in the dorm. It was only me. † (page 40). He doesn't seem to buy into religion, as he describes himself as an atheist. He also seems to be an existentialist as well. Every single thing he does is based upon whether he â€Å"feels like it† or not. Holden is a well-crafted character who could be a real person writing an autobiography he is so lifelike. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Frankenstein, Blade Runner and the Natural World

Continually throughout history humanity’s connection to the natural world has been probed, celebrated, mocked and forgotten in a haphazard cycle that has been classified as human nature. Through a comparison of Mary Shelley’s 19th Century didactic novel, ‘Frankenstein’ (the Modern Prometheus) and the director’s cut of Ridley Scott’s ‘Blade Runner’, a common conception of man’s place amongst nature is posed as being submissive to her dominance.Though each text shares the same values each represents its core concepts in a manner inimitable to its context, ultimately critiquing the respective society’s, bringing to light the fears that the majority of society refused to acknowledge at the time. These fears centre mainly around three broad concepts; scientific discovery, industrial development and religion, which collectively invite consideration of humanity’s unabridged connection with the natural world and how i t has been altered over time.In the spirit of Enlightenment, a large cultural movement in the pre-19th century world, Shelley conceived Frankenstein and, in effect, his creation. The Enlightenment movement encouraged people to turn away from faith and to start relying more on reason and the answers developments in science were beginning to supply. â€Å"A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. † The juxtaposition of the Creatures unnatural image with the romantic values of the sublime and creative genius characterises the monumental shift away from the natural.The death of her protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, represents the expectations the romantic writer has for the enlightenment movement, alluding to the inevitable doom it will bring upon humanity. By creating a juxtaposed image between Frankenstein, who is repeatedly surrounded by pejorative terms such as ‘suffer’, ‘malice’ and ‘bitter’, and his br other Ernest, characterising the latter as ‘full of activity and spirit’, Shelley places Ernest in the role of Romanticism whilst Frankenstein personifies the Enlightenment movement.Their contrasting connections to the natural world and their subsequent lives, permits Shelley to critique her own context and the ideals within it. Her views on Romanticism and Enlightenment are similar to that of Rousseau, a known philosopher who suggested that ‘†¦nothing is so gentle as man in his primitive state, when placed by nature at an equal distance from the stupidity of brutes and the fatal enlightenment of civil man. ’ This suggests that humanity’s connection with nature is essential to ensure harmony within ociety and in effect it’s survival in the world. Reinforcing this theory, Blade Runner, presents an image of this corrupted harmony and its effects on humanity. Ridley Scott’s text reveals that within his time, 178 years after ‘Fra nkenstein’, scientific development still held the same destructive concerns. However, by the use of film rather than text, Scott represents the fears of his society in a much more vivid approach, preventing them from being so easily disregarded.Current technology now allowed scientists to experiment in the world of robotics and areas such as IVF, leading many to question how this would affect humanity’s natural roles within society. This is demonstrated as Scott blurs the lines between what makes a human truly human. He does this by giving the replicants human emotions and unique identities. Pris’ words ‘I think Sebastian, therefore I am’ reinforce this idea while also alluding to the evolving knowledge and skills of the artificial beings, their natural abilities to adapt and progress.These developments in science within the film have dismal consequences, ones which Scott fears for his own world, and the continuous downfall of rain is just one prese ntation of this, symbolic of mother nature grieving over her destruction. As times were changing in both contexts and new sciences were explored people repeatedly questioned their faith, causing many religious debates and conflicts. ‘Frankenstein’ represents common battles of moral and God, going so far as to be known as the Modern Prometheus.The reference to the Promethean myth foreshadows the consequences Frankenstein will undoubtedly have to face. Blinded by his own ambition and dreams of glory and fame he endeavours to take on the role of God by creating life and disrupting natural order. In creating his monster Frankenstein also usurps the natural role of women as child bearers, questioning their place and use within humanity. â€Å"A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. The juxtaposition of the phrase ‘excellent natures’ with the clearly unnatural give insight into the one -tracked desires of Frankenstein, not pausing to consider the moral issues surrounding his experiments. However, he ironically seems to blame God and fate for the destructive course of his life, telling Walton ‘destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction. ’ Faith subsequently had a ambiguous impact on humanity’s connection to nature, representing the ideals of natural order and the consequences of destroying it’s structure.Similarly, the role of God is also obscured in the dark scenes of Blade Runner, stemming from the lack of nature. Religious allusions are rich throughout the text, beginning within the first sequence when syncopated bursts of flames create an image resembling Dante’s hell, suggesting hell on earth. â€Å"A new life awaits you, the chance to begin again in the New World. † After destroying their own world the Tyrell corporations promises of bigger, better things are seen as a missionary act, the answer to humanity’s problems. This earns Tyrell levels of power unequitable on Earth and lead him to believe himself to be a God.The sharp cut lines and magnitude of the Tyrell building reinforces these implications as it looms over the city, placing him above the rest of humanity. However, the triumphant forces of nature come through in the final scenes as Tyrell meets his end, and natural order begins to be rectified with the death of Pris and Batty. The white light illuminating Batty’s form as his body shuts down gives him a godly image, supported by the nail protruding through his hand and the white dove that flies away, a symbol of peace and hope for restoration.This scene reinforces natures purity and the extent of its healing powers in contrast with humanity’s destructive impact on its elements. Mary Shelley and Ridley each created monumental texts with the common concepts of scientific development, industrialisation and religion. Bot h explore how humanity’s connection with the natural world is distorted and overshadowed by the influences of modern advances and opportunities, leading to its exploitation and neglect.