Domestic violence dangers mount with economic, seasonal pressures

Summary of the article The article, Domestic violence dangers mount with economic, seasonal pressures by Ortiz Elias reviews the effects of economic downturn on domestic violence since it propels seasonal pressures in the family. The author identifies financial conflict as a major cause of domestic violence especially during the cold season when cases of sexual abuse are reported as highest.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Domestic violence dangers mount with economic, seasonal pressures specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The economic conflict is highest during cold weather since such families cannot afford proper shelter and may resort to sexual abuse to counter the cold weather. The author concludes that investment and consultative approach to economic conflicts may reduce domestic violence by a large proportion since these families will be in a position to afford better shelter (Ortiz, 2013). The dependent and independent variables The independent variable in this article is the economic stress-reduction intervention as a strategy for reducing domestic violence contributed by economic conflicts. The two dependent variables include cold weather and a measure of coping behaviors from sexual abuse. These variables are believed to be able to prompt the family to explore the experiences and meanings of stress and stress management. Theory and significance Significant changes in the family’s normal stress levels may occur due to intervention and practice. A life crisis might escalate the stress response and negate the intervention effect. Conversely, crisis resolution might reduce the response to stress. As proposed by the ‘loss of control’ theory, the family must take a leading role in reduction and prevention of domestic violence. It is through this approach that a better understanding of the sequel of domestic violence can be obtained including coping strategies and stre ss management efficacy. The ‘loss of control’ theory is more significant than the ‘learned helplessness’ theory since it recognizes the cognitive element in the intervention and control mechanisms when handling cases of sexual abuse as a result of domestic violence. Besides, this theory focuses on empowerment in the family unit to create harmony. Empowerment focuses on social, economic, and spiritual strength of the individual who may be the victim or perpetrator of domestic violence. As a matter of fact, empowerment is a vast concept that should not be concentrated upon women affairs since the victim and the perpetrator should be reading from the same page.Advertising Looking for article on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Analysis As suggested by the article, addressing feminine issues in domestic violence surrounding feminist theorist should be complete and reflective of the roles a nd acculturation as adopted by the society expected to embrace gender equality to minimize domestic violence. For such reason, supportive intervention should be provided to vulnerable and marginalized women in order to address their needs. Through application of informative learning, women and men are put in a position to understand and appropriate the need for stress management (Ortiz, 2013). Through this, it is relatively possible to control violence in the family unit and manage the process without having to create conflict in the intervention mechanisms. Empowering women and gender equality are vital to the attainment of minimal cases of domestic violence since they are always the victim in most instances. Therefore, policies which fail to address gender inequality also fail to support women to enhance important development activities in their societies. As a matter of fact, resolution for this financial problem should be in the form of measures adopted to promote and empower bo th women and men. Some have criticized the idea of empowering women alone since it contributes to gender inequality instead of promoting equality (Ortiz, 2013). Conclusion This article has successfully addressed the financial reasons for occurrence of domestic violence in the modern society. However, the article is not convincing enough on how domestic violence is related to changing seasons. Reference Ortiz, E. (2013). Domestic violence dangers mount with economic, seasonal pressures Web. This article on Domestic violence dangers mount with economic, seasonal pressures was written and submitted by user Ben Reilly to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Biography of Mohandas Gandhi, Indian Freedom Leader

Biography of Mohandas Gandhi, Indian Freedom Leader Mohandas Gandhi (October 2, 1869–January 30, 1948) was the father of the Indian independence movement. While fighting discrimination in South Africa, Gandhi developed satyagraha, a nonviolent way of protesting injustice. Returning to his birthplace of India, Gandhi spent his remaining years working to end British rule of his country and to better the lives of Indias poorest classes. Fast Facts: Mohandas Gandhi Known For: Leader of Indias independence movementAlso Known As: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mahatma (Great Soul), Father of the Nation, Bapu (Father), GandhijiBorn: October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, IndiaParents: Karamchand and Putlibai GandhiDied: January 30, 1948 in New Delhi, IndiaEducation: Law degree, Inner Temple, London, EnglandPublished Works: Mohandas K. Gandhi, Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Freedoms BattleSpouse: Kasturba KapadiaChildren: Harilal Gandhi, Manilal Gandhi, Ramdas Gandhi, Devdas GandhiNotable Quote: The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. Early Life Mohandas Gandhi was born October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, India, the last child of his father Karamchand Gandhi and his fourth wife Putlibai. Young Gandhi was a shy, mediocre student. At age 13, he married Kasturba Kapadia  as part of an arranged marriage. She bore four sons and supported Gandhis endeavors until her 1944 death. In September 1888 at age 18, Gandhi left India alone to study law in London. He attempted to become an English gentleman, buying suits, fine-tuning his English accent, learning French, and taking music lessons. Deciding that was a waste of time and money, he spent the rest of his three-year stay as a serious student living a simple lifestyle. Gandhi also adopted vegetarianism and joined the London Vegetarian Society, whose intellectual crowd introduced Gandhi to authors Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy. He also studied the Bhagavad Gita, an epic poem sacred to Hindus. These books concepts set the foundation for his later beliefs. Gandhi passed the bar on June 10, 1891, and returned to India. For two years, he attempted to practice law but lacked the knowledge of Indian law and the self-confidence necessary to be a trial lawyer. Instead, he took on a year-long case in South Africa. South Africa At 23, Gandhi again left his family and set off for the British-governed Natal province in South Africa in May 1893. After a week, Gandhi was asked to go to the Dutch-governed Transvaal province. When Gandhi boarded the train, railroad officials ordered him to move to the third-class car. Gandhi, holding first-class tickets, refused. A policeman threw him off the train. As Gandhi talked to Indians in South Africa, he learned that such experiences were common. Sitting in the cold depot that first night of his trip, Gandhi debated returning to India or fighting the discrimination. He decided that he couldnt ignore these injustices. Gandhi spent 20 years bettering Indians rights in South Africa, becoming a resilient, potent leader against discrimination. He learned about Indian grievances, studied the law, wrote letters to officials, and organized petitions. On May 22, 1894, Gandhi established the Natal Indian Congress (NIC). Although it began as an organization for wealthy Indians, Gandhi expanded it to all classes and castes. He became a leader of South Africas Indian community, his activism covered by newspapers in England and India. Return to India In 1896 after three years in South Africa, Gandhi sailed to India to bring his wife and two sons back with him, returning in November. Gandhis ship was quarantined at the harbor for 23 days, but the real reason for the delay was an angry mob of whites at the dock who believed Gandhi was returning with Indians who would overrun South Africa. Gandhi sent his family to safety, but he was assaulted with bricks, rotten eggs, and fists. Police escorted him away. Gandhi refuted the claims against him but refused to prosecute those involved. The violence stopped, strengthening Gandhis prestige. Influenced by the  Gita, Gandhi wanted to purify his life by following the concepts of aparigraha  (nonpossession) and  samabhava  (equitability). A friend gave him Unto This Last  by  John Ruskin, which inspired Gandhi to establish Phoenix Settlement, a community outside Durban, in June 1904. The settlement focused on eliminating needless possessions and living in full equality. Gandhi moved his family and his newspaper, the  Indian Opinion, to the settlement. In 1906, believing that family life was detracting from his potential as a public advocate, Gandhi took the vow of  brahmacharya  (abstinence from sex). He simplified his vegetarianism to unspiced, usually uncooked foods- mostly fruits and nuts, which he believed would help quiet his urges. Satyagraha Gandhi believed that his vow of  brahmacharya  allowed him the focus to devise the concept of  satyagraha  in late 1906. In the simplest sense,  satyagraha  is passive resistance, but Gandhi described it as truth force, or natural right. He believed exploitation was possible only if the exploited and the exploiter accepted it, so seeing beyond the current situation provided power to change it. In practice,  satyagraha  is nonviolent resistance to injustice. A  person using satyagraha could resist injustice by refusing to follow an unjust law or putting up with physical assaults and/or confiscation of his property without anger. There would be no winners or losers; all would understand the truth and agree to rescind the unjust law. Gandhi first organized satyagraha  against the Asiatic Registration Law, or Black Act, which passed in March 1907. It required all Indians to be fingerprinted and carry registration documents at all times. Indians refused fingerprinting and picketed documentation offices. Protests were organized, miners went on strike, and Indians illegally traveled from Natal to the Transvaal in opposition to the act. Many protesters, including Gandhi, were beaten and arrested. After seven years of protest, the Black Act was repealed. The nonviolent protest had succeeded. Back to India After 20 years in South Africa, Gandhi returned to India. By the time he arrived, press reports of his South African triumphs had made him a national hero. He traveled the country for a year before beginning reforms. Gandhi found that his fame conflicted with observing conditions of the poor, so he wore a loincloth (dhoti) and sandals, the garb of the masses, during this journey. In cold weather, he added a shawl. This became his lifetime wardrobe. Gandhi founded another communal settlement in Ahmadabad called Sabarmati Ashram. For the next 16 years, Gandhi lived there with his family. He was also given the honorary title of Mahatma, or Great Soul. Many credit Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913  Nobel Prize for Literature, for awarding Gandhi this name. Peasants viewed Gandhi as a holy man, but he disliked the title because it implied he was special. He viewed himself as ordinary. After the year ended, Gandhi still felt stifled because of World War I. As part of  satyagraha, Gandhi had vowed never to take advantage of an opponents troubles. With the British in a major conflict, Gandhi couldnt fight them for Indian freedom. Instead, he used satyagraha  to erase inequities among Indians. Gandhi persuaded landlords to stop forcing tenant farmers to pay increased rent by appealing to their morals and fasted to convince mill owners to settle a strike. Because of Gandhis prestige, people didnt want to be responsible for his death from fasting. Confronting British When the war ended, Gandhi focused on the fight for Indian self-rule (swaraj). In 1919, the British handed Gandhi a cause: the Rowlatt Act, which gave the British nearly free rein to detain revolutionary elements without trial. Gandhi organized a hartal (strike), which began on March 30, 1919. Unfortunately, the protest turned violent. Gandhi ended the  hartal  once he heard about the violence, but more than 300 Indians had died and more than 1,100 were injured from British reprisals in the city of Amritsar.  Satyagraha  hadnt been achieved, but the Amritsar Massacre  fueled Indian opinions against the British. The violence showed Gandhi that the Indian people didnt fully believe in satyagraha. He spent much of the 1920s advocating for it  and struggling to keep protests peaceful. Gandhi also began advocating self-reliance as a path to freedom. Since the British established India as a colony, Indians had supplied Britain with raw fiber and then imported the resulting cloth from England. Gandhi advocated that Indians spin their own cloth, popularizing the idea by traveling with a spinning wheel, often spinning yarn while giving a speech. The image of the spinning wheel (charkha) became a symbol for independence. In March 1922, Gandhi was arrested and sentenced to six years in prison for sedition. After two years, he was released following surgery to find his country embroiled in violence between Muslims and Hindus. When Gandhi began a 21-day fast still ill from surgery, many thought he would die, but he rallied. The fast created a temporary peace. Salt March In December 1928, Gandhi and the Indian National Congress (INC) announced a challenge to the British government. If India wasnt granted Commonwealth status by December 31, 1929, they would organize a nationwide protest against British taxes. The deadline passed without change. Gandhi chose to protest the British salt tax because salt was used in everyday cooking, even by the poorest. The Salt March began a nationwide boycott starting March 12,  1930, when Gandhi and 78 followers walked 200 miles from the Sabarmati Ashram to the sea. The group grew along the way, reaching 2,000 to 3,000. When they reached the coastal town of Dandi on April 5, they prayed all night. In the morning, Gandhi made a presentation of picking up a piece of sea salt from the beach. Technically, he had broken the law. Thus began an endeavor for Indians to make salt. Some picked up loose salt on the beaches, while others evaporated saltwater. Indian-made salt soon was sold nationwide. Peaceful picketing and marches were conducted. The British responded with mass arrests. Protesters Beaten When Gandhi announced a march on the government-owned Dharasana Saltworks, the British imprisoned him without trial. Although they hoped Gandhis arrest would stop the march, they underestimated his followers. The poet  Sarojini Naidu  led 2,500 marchers. As they reached the waiting police, the marchers were beaten with clubs. News of the brutal beating of peaceful protesters shocked the world. British viceroy Lord Irwin met with Gandhi and they agreed on the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, which granted limited salt production and freedom for the protesters if Gandhi called off the protests. While many Indians believed that Gandhi hadnt gotten enough from the negotiations, he viewed it as a step toward independence. Independence After the success of the  Salt March, Gandhi conducted another fast that enhanced his image as a holy man or prophet. Dismayed at the adulation, Gandhi retired from politics in 1934 at age 64. He came out of retirement five years later when the British viceroy announced, without consulting Indian leaders, that India would side with England during  World War II. This revitalized the Indian independence movement. Many British parliamentarians realized they were facing mass protests and began discussing an independent India. Although Prime Minister  Winston Churchill  opposed losing India as a colony, the British announced in March 1941 that it would free India after  World War II. Gandhi wanted independence sooner and organized a Quit India campaign in 1942. The British again jailed Gandhi. Hindu-Muslim Conflict When Gandhi was released in 1944, independence seemed near. Huge disagreements, however, arose between Hindus and Muslims. Because the majority of Indians were Hindu, Muslims feared losing political power if India became independent. The Muslims wanted six provinces in northwest India, where Muslims predominated, to become an independent country. Gandhi opposed partitioning India and tried to bring the sides together, but that proved too difficult even for the Mahatma. Violence erupted; entire towns were burned. Gandhi toured India, hoping his presence could curb the violence. Although violence stopped where Gandhi visited, he couldnt be everywhere. Partition The British, seeing India headed for civil war, decided to leave in August 1947. Before leaving, they got the Hindus, against Gandhis wishes, to agree to a  partition plan. On August 15, 1947, Britain granted independence to India and to the newly formed Muslim country of Pakistan. Millions of Muslims marched from India to Pakistan, and millions of Hindus in Pakistan walked to India. Many refugees died from illness, exposure, and dehydration. As 15 million Indians became uprooted from their homes, Hindus and Muslims attacked each other. Gandhi once again went on a fast. He would only eat again, he stated, once he saw clear plans to stop the violence. The fast began on January 13, 1948. Realizing that the frail, aged Gandhi couldnt withstand a long fast, the sides collaborated. On January 18, more than 100 representatives approached Gandhi with a promise for peace, ending his fast. Assassination Not everyone approved of the plan. Some radical Hindu groups believed that India shouldnt have been partitioned, blaming Gandhi. On January 30, 1948, the 78-year-old Gandhi spent his day discussing issues. Just past 5 p.m., Gandhi began the walk, supported by two grandnieces, to the Birla House, where he was staying in New Delhi, for a prayer meeting. A crowd surrounded him. A young Hindu named Nathuram Godse stopped before him and bowed. Gandhi bowed back. Godse shot Gandhi three times. Although Gandhi had survived five other assassination attempts, he fell to the ground, dead. Legacy Gandhis concept of nonviolent protest attracted the organizers of numerous demonstrations and movements. Civil rights leaders, especially Martin Luther King Jr., adopted Gandhis model for their own struggles. Research in the second half of the 20th century established Gandhi as a great mediator and reconciler, resolving conflicts between older moderate politicians and young radicals, political terrorists and parliamentarians, urban intelligentsia and rural masses, Hindus and Muslims, as well as Indians and British. He was the  catalyst,  if not the initiator, of three major revolutions of the 20th century: movements against colonialism, racism, and violence. His deepest strivings were spiritual, but unlike many fellow Indians with such  aspirations, he didnt retire to a Himalayan cave  to meditate. Rather, he took his cave with him everywhere he went. And, he left his thoughts to posterity: His collected writings had reached 100 volumes by the early 21st century. Sources Mahatma Gandhi: Indian Leader. Encyclopaedia Britannica.Mahatma Gandhi. History.com.

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

Parenting - Essay Example This paper briefly analyses the importance of parenting. According to Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, "Most children need their parents' help and encouragement to discover the satisfaction of using their own imaginations" (Thoughts for Today). Psychological development of children is as important as the physical development. Many parents- even the educated parents- concentrate more on the physical development of the children and give less importance to the psychological or emotional development. Such parents believe that their duty remains only in giving proper food, clothing and shelter to the children till they become adults. In fact parents’ love, care and attention are more important to the children than the food or other physical things. Growing children do not know how to adapt with its surrounding. He will look suspiciously or anxiously at all new things which may catch his attention. The presence of parents and their advice will help the children in dealing with new situations more comfortably. â€Å"Some parents believe that if they've spent an hour of "quality" time with their children, they've done enough. This hour is usually focused on an enjoyable activity: watching TV going out to eat, going to the movies, etc† (Parenting Tips: Giving Your Children the Gift of Time). Many of the mothers are professionals and they get less time to spend with their children. Infants and children often forced to spend their majority time in the day care centers with nannies rather than mothers. The services of nannies can never be considered as the substitute of mother’s services to a child. In order to compensate for the less time spent with the children; some working mothers have the habit of spending an hour with the children when they come back their home. They are of the false belief that spending an hour as a friend with their children is enough for the proper development of their children. Children need the services of parents rather than friends . If parents give the services of peers, from where the children will get the services of parents? â€Å"Suffice it to say that guilty parenting overcompensates and causes children to view themselves as victims. This happens because children model our behavior and point their fingers at the parent who points the finger at himself† (Parenting Tips: Giving Your Children the Gift of Time). Parents who failed to spend adequate time with their children often try to give more love and care to their children when they get opportunities to spend time with their children. This overcompensation usually do harm to the children rather than goods. Over activities of parents will increase the children’s desire for the presence of their parents further and further. Failure to spend increased time with parents will develop the feeling of victimization among children. According to Frank A. Clark, â€Å"The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along without them† (Parenting Quotes). Making the children self sufficient to meet the realities in life is the core of good parenting. Parents are the first teachers in a child’s life. They consider their parents as the role models in their life. Whatever the things they learned from the parents or family will often reflect in their behavior in society. Society or schools can do little in the molding of children when we compare the roles parents can

The Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union Assignment

The Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union - Assignment Example In the EU farmers are guaranteed a certain price by their government. This is achieved mainly through the use of buffer stocks. These refer to the previous season’s stocks that were not absorbed by the market hence stored by the governments for future eventualities in the market prices. The government buys excess stock in the market to maintain a certain price if there is over supply and releases extra produce to the market to keep the prices at the agreed rate in case of shortage pushing the prices up (Swinbank, & Tranter, 2004). Whenever there is an overwhelming supply of farm products on the market, the excess supply tends to push down the average prices of the produce leading to reduced profits for the farmers or even end up making losses. The E.U sets quotas for such products so as to protect farmers from these problems. The dairy sector is one such agricultural sector that has set quotas imposed on it by the E.U. A quota is represented on the graph by a vertical supply curve at the time the quota is binding. The response of the producers to changes in prices is asymmetrical. Supply will reduce in response to fall in prices and this is represented by the left side of the quota. On the other side ,the right side, when the price rises the farmers are prevented from raising production making the supply curve to become inelastic in nature. (www.economicsonline.co.uk) The elasticity of the demand curve will determine if the farmers will benefit from the production quota. The farmers will be at a benefitting position after the quota if the curve is inelastic around the initial set price. When a market economy is restricted, the quota that is set on production always leads to quota rents. This can be depicted as the a+b in the graphic representation. They are referred to as rents because the farmers get an extra return of Pd. If the farmers manage to sell or lease their quota rights, it gives a capital value to the quota which is equal to the discounted

SATS Air Cargo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

SATS Air Cargo - Essay Example Correspondingly, the organizational operations of SATS have also seen changes over the years owing to the changing nature of its customers. With the increasing number of customers in the cargo sector of the airline market, SATS initiated the SIA Superhub 2 also known as the Airfreight Terminal 6 in the year 2001 with an investment of around $270 million. This approach of the company accompanied it with the ability to handle 800,000 tonnes of cargo per year, which was also accounted among the biggest capacities during that time. Furthermore, the customers in the cargo handling sector of the airline industry have also become more attracted towards online web based operations in course of time. Contextually, SATS introduced the web-based cargo tracking services in the year 2003 in order to meet the changing expectations of the customers (SATS 20111). Increased Competition With the augmented number of operations of various companies in the cargo sector of the airline industry, the compet ition has become more intense. ... This step of the company ensured the loyalty of the customers with the company for a longer period of time. Moreover, in similar regard, it has also introduced a new brand promise to the customers, which further states as â€Å"One with you† (SATS 20111). Furthermore, since there are various numbers of companies offering similar kind of products to the customers, only effective or innovative services would ensure enhanced operational services for any company including SATS. To comply with this aspect, the company has been continuously changing its service offering patterns to the customers so that their valuable association with the company continues for a longer period of time (SATS 20111). Part 2- SATS Air Cargo Competition SATS DHL Singapore Airlines Market Share .0019% 11.49% .0.02% Share Price as of Submission .31% (2013) Singapore Exchange 1.03 % (2013) (Singapore Exchange n.d.) .48% (2013) (Singapore Exchange n.d.) Stock Turnover 27.70 (2013) (Singapore Exchange n.d.) 2 3.56 (2013) (Singapore Exchange n.d.) 35.50 (2013) (Singapore Exchange n.d.) Revenue 2008- S$1,062,094 2009- S$ 1,538,906 2010- S$ 1,729,131 2011- S$ 1,685,413 2012- S$ 1,818,992 (SATS 20112) 2008- S$ 7,474,908,000 2009- S$ 6,175,362,000 2010- S$ 7,525,278,000 2011- S$ 8,223,343,128 2012- S$ 8,405,745,600 (Deutsche Post AG 2013) 2008- S$ 186,245 2009- S$ 181,752 2010- S$ 145,834 2011- S$ 159,980 2012- S$ 169,157 (Singapore Airlines 2012) Resources People: The chairman of the Edmund Cheng Wai Wing was appointed in the year 2012. Apart from him, there are also some other crucial members altogether forming the management team of the organization. Brand Position: With more than 60 years of operations in the airline industry, the company has acquired the reputation to be called as one of

A Microeconomic Analysis Of British Petroleum Economics Essay

A Microeconomic Analysis Of British Petroleum Economics Essay BPs (British Petroleum) origins can be traced back to 1901 when William Know tried to explore oil in Persia. The first commercial oil discovery was made in the Middle East by BP in 1908. In 1935, the company prospered and was renamed the Anglo- Iranian Oil Company. The war effort resulted in the British government becoming a shareholder of the company (until 1987). In 1950, Anglo-Iranian expanded into petrochemicals. The Iranian nationalization of the oil industry and subsequent diplomatic solution involving Britain, the US, and Iran led to the emergence of a new consortium involving Anglo-Iranian Oil called The British Petroleum Company (founded in 1954). 1.2 Company Overview BP is one of the largest vertically integrated oil and gas companies in the world. The companys operations primarily include the exploration and production of gas and crude oil, as well as the marketing and trading of natural gas, power, and natural gas liquids. BP is headquartered in London, the UK and employs about 92,000 people. 1.3 Why choosing BP for the essay The company recorded revenues of $361,143 million during the financial year ended December 2008 (FY2008), an increase of 27% over the financial year ended December 2007 (FY2007). The operating profit of the company was $36,347 million during FY2008, an increase of 9.2% over FY2007. The net profit was $21,157 million in FY2008, an increase of 1.5% over FY2007. 1.4 Business Description BP is one of the worlds largest oil and gas companies. It has presence in more than 100 countries across six continents. The company operates through two reportable business segments: exploration and production; and refining and marketing. The company also operates through a third business segment, other businesses and corporate. Upstream activities involve oil and natural gas exploration and field development and production. The midstream operations involve the ownership and management of crude oil and natural gas pipelines, processing and export terminals, and LNG processing facilities and transportation. For the FY2008, BPs worldwide network consisted of some 22,600 locations branded BP, Amoco, ARCO, and Aral. BPs retail network in the US for the FY2008 comprised approximately 11,700 sites, of which approximately 9,200 were owned by jobbers (who purchase their products directly from the refining companies and either sell them to retailers or directly to the end users) and 900 operated under a franchise agreement. At the end of FY2008, BPs European retail network consisted of approximately 8,600 sites and had approximately 2,300 sites in the rest of world. Other businesses and corporate segment of the company comprises treasury (which includes interest income on the companys cash and cash equivalents) the companys aluminum asset, the alternative energy business, and shipping and corporate activities worldwide. 1.5 What we will discuss Not a clue yet. 2. ANALYSIS 2.1 Microeconomic analysis 2.1.1 Consumer demand, price elasticity and BP revenues for FY 2008 We will take one example here to analyse the law of demand and how it applies to BP. For this specific example we will use petrol as product. In general, the law of demand states that the quantity demanded of a good falls when the price of the good rises (assuming other things equal). To represent this change, the demand curve is used. It is a graph that represents the relationship between the price of a product (petrol in this case) and the quantity demanded. demand.JPG Figure The Demand Curve (image taken from www.freeworldacademy.com) As you can see in figure1, when the price increased from P1 to P2 the quantity demanded dropped from Q1 to Q2. Changes in the demand curve can be caused by many factors such as the consumer income, the price of substitutes and others. There are 2 categories of goods though. The ones that the demand doesnt change a lot when price is changed and those that even a small price change will result in a huge change in the demand. This is called the elasticity of demand. The price elasticity of demand for petrol is inelastic (price elasticity inelastic.JPG Figure Inelastic demand You can see here that an increase in price (p1 to p2) leads to a decrease in quantity (q1 to q2) that is proportionately smaller. This results in an increase of the total revenue of the company. Lets see how BP performed. revenue.JPG Figure BP revenue in 2008 (BP annual review) BP recorded revenues of $ 361.143 million in the year 2008 compared to $ 284.365 million in 2007. This large revenue increase is partially due to the very high oil price. Peter Sutherland (BP chairman) said in his speech in February 2009: There are few precedents in history for such a rapid and dramatic change in the business environment. In the space of a few months we went from a record oil price of more than $140 per barrel, and BP reporting two consecutive quarters of record profits for the group. This profitability in 2008, in theory can be based to the price effect which states that after a price increase, product (petrol) sells at a higher price, which tends to higher revenue. The sales effect doesnt apply here because we are talking about inelastic demand. 2.1.2 Oil Market Structure (supply curve, market equilibrium, total surplus) Its difficult and most times inaccurate to try and analyse the supply curve for inelastic products. A supply curve illustrates firms willingness to supply at particular prices. But in the oil industry there are exogenous factors that affect the prices. When a factor changes we say we have shifts in supply. That can be anything, for example a change in the number of firm selling petrol, a change in the price of a factor input (oil exploration expenses) or a change in technology. In our case, the supply is not affected by customers willingness to buy. Someone will buy petrol at any price in order to cover their needs (e.g drive to work). But in theory, the more quantity requested, the higher the price set by the firm. In the case which the price has reached the level where quantity supplied equals quantity demanded, we use the term equilibrium. On a graph, it is the price at which the supply and demand curves intersect. The total surplus refers to the total net gain to consumers and pr oducers from trading in the market. IT is the sum of the producer and consumer surplus. But in practice the things are a little bit different. There is always need for more petrol (or oil products generally). This means that BP and other firms can produce as much petrol as they want. The boundaries here are if the petroleum firms can produce more petrol. Its clear that the firm that can sell more barrels of oil, they will generate more revenue and gain more market share. BPs performance in the last 10 years has been exceptional well. They improve and increase the production every single year and thats due to increased refining availability. In the next page (figure4) you can see some of the performance factors. performance.JPG Figure BPs performance (picture taken from BPs annual report 2008) As you can see in the photo, the production was high but a bit lower that the year 2006. This is due to the unstable economy and prices in the last 2 years. BP still managed to increase their profits by improving their processes. The highlights of the year are: replacement cost profit of $ 25.594 million (up 39%), capital expenditure and acquisitions of $ 30.700 million and share price increase. The complete table with data will be attached in the appendix. 2.1.3 Government legislation (competition policy and carbon trading) The competition policies are different from country to country. We will talk about the policies in England as the BP is a british firm. In the UK there is the role of Director of fair trading and their job is to supervise the behaviour of companies. If they think that a firm is doing something is not supposed to do then they can refer those firms to the Competition Commission for investigation. The maximum market share that a company can hold is less than 25% of the total market. If it exceeds this limit the Director of fair trading can refer the company to the Competition Commission. Also, firms are not allowed to collude because this way they restrict the competition by setting prices. Also, because many companies operate in Europe or worldwide, there are other organisations that keep an eye on firms strategy. In the oil industry the top 3 competitors are : Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and BP. BP is the second largest refining and fuel retailing firm in the UK and third in the world. In their effort to become the largest petroleum and offer high variety of products, BP merged or acquired other firms over the past few years. The companys key products and services now include the following: Aromatics and acetyls, petrochemical products, oil and gas exploration and production, lubricants downstream derivative products, aluminum coil and other. To produce their products, firms utilise big amounts of energy. This energy usually comes from burning fossil fuels. For example, oil and coal are used to generate electricity. By burning these fuels, greenhouse gas is emitted in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a pollutant and the European governments have set rules to try to reduce the emissions. The reason the firms dont care much about pollution is because they maximise profit by reducing their costs. Nowadays though, they have to pay big amounts of money depending how much they pollute the environment (surplus permits). BP is helping to meet the worlds growing demand for sustainable and affordable energy, building alternative energy businesses with the potential to grow and compete far into the future. gas.JPG It is also impressive how much money BP invests in alternative energy, $ 1.4 billion just in 1 year. The total cost they are willing to invest is $ 8 billion. Alternative sources of energy BP is experimenting with are: Wind (432MW), Solar(162MW) and Biofuels. Moreover, they are running a project called CCS that stands for Carbon Capture and Storage. What CCS does is capturing the CO2 emitted during the burning and processing of fossil fuel. Then, it is transported and stored in deep geological formations such as gas or oil fields. CCS technology is supported by the government and the target is a worldwide implementation that will help reduce the problem of global warning. 2.2 Macroeconomic Analysis 2.2.1 2.2.2 3. CONCLUSION Based on your analysis, state your recommendations describing the possible strategies that the firm can consider.

Life Of A Teenager Essay

WE TEENS are something our life depends on cell phones, television and lot more. We are more bothered about our fashion and outlook. Our friends play the most important role in our life.A teenager, or teen, is a young person whose age falls within the range from thirteen  through nineteen (13–19). They are called teenagers because their age number ends in â€Å"teen†. Someone aged 18 or 19 is also considered a young adult. Timing of puberty On average, girls begin puberty at ages 10–11; boys at ages 11–12. Girls usually complete puberty by ages 15–17,[2][3][4] while boys usually complete puberty by ages 16-17. The major landmark of puberty for females is menarche, the onset of menstruation, which occurs on average between ages 12–13; for males, it is the first ejaculation, which occurs on average at age 13. In the 21st century, the average age at which children, especially girls, reach puberty is lower compared to the 19th century, when it was 15 for girls and 16 for boys.This can be due to improved nutrition resulting in rapid body growth, increased weight and fat deposition, or eating meat from animals which have been dosed up with oestrogen. â€Å"I memorize the phone numbers of friends whom my parents do not approve of so that their names don’t blink on my mobile phone.† Nothing Like a Friend >> I sometimes fight with my friends, but there’s mutual understanding that we won’t let our parents know. And, usually, we sort out the differences ourselves. >> Some of us get stuck with friends from whom we learn to smoke, drink, splurge, and other vices. For a while, I got entangled with a group of boys and became addicted to video games. >> When I want to attend a party or watch a film, I invent a story, like I am  going to study at a friend’s place. >> Last year one of my classmates was moving to another city. On his last day at school, I gave him `100 so that he could buy himself a present. It was the money my mother gave me to buy a sweater.

Blackrock Difference Essay Essay

The expectations, standards and treatment an individual receives are affected by their differences. The play ‘Blackrock’ composed by Nick Enright thoroughly explores the impact that difference of gender has on individuals and groups. The composer examines the common social ideas of gender and the differences in expectations, standards and treatment of males and females by creating a focus on the reaction by people to the rape and murder of the young girl. This is similar to the cartoon on homosexuality composed by Ficher. Ficher also examines the common social ideas differences in expectations by creating a focus on the response by people towards homosexuals being open about their sexuality in society. Both texts explore the way society views a person’s difference. The expectations, standard and treatment an individual receives are affected by their differences. The play â€Å"Blackrock† demonstrates how an individual’s gender forms the expectations others have on them. The typical expectation of girls is that they should be subservient and be used as an object. Cherie is an example of the rejection of these expectations. The behaviour Cherie portrays is different from other girls in the play as she interacts regularly with her female friends and portrays no interest in sexual behaviour. Cherie represents dignity and independence. As a result, she is exposed to isolation and abuse by others. This is demonstrated in the scene where Cherie protects Tracy’s reputation by saying to the boys â€Å"She was beautiful, you dickheads†. She is ridiculed by Scott, who in reply utilises slang in saying â€Å"Couple of lezzos are you? . The use of slang in â€Å"lezzos† reveals the aggressive response towards Cherie for protecting the reputation of the girl as well as abuse and isolation towards any person who breaks the conventional gender roles. The use of the word â€Å"lezzos† is a pejorative term used to ridicule females who have an interest in the same gender. In Cherie’s case, she is protecting a female and she is berated and ridiculed by Scott for protecting a female friend. The statement also reveals how Cherie is expected to be submissive to the boys. In Cherie’s circumstance, gender forms the expectations others have of her, and in breaching them she suffers isolation and abuse. In Enright’s â€Å"Blackrock† it is clear that an individual’s gender can form the way an individual is treated. In the play, gender connects the boys together and a mutual trust is formed. This mutual trust creates the belief that mates should protect and treat each other with respect. This however is different for the females. The boys portray a general disrespect towards the females in the play. They sexualise them and expect them to ‘give into’ there sexualisation. Once the female rejects to be submissive to their sexualisation, they are abused and isolated. This is portrayed through Scott who utilises dialogue in saying â€Å"you just pashed me off you slag†. The use of the word â€Å"slag† demonstrates the aggressive response Scott upholds towards females who refuse to be submissive. This statement also reveals the mistreatment females suffer as the word â€Å"slag† is used as an insulting term to describe females who engage in sex and in promiscuous behaviour. The males criticize the ones who reject their sexualisation as well. This is portrayed in the statement by Scott â€Å"I know enough†¦to show you a good time† . The slang in this statement suggests how forceful and berating Scott is towards females who reject to be submissive to his sexualisation. This demonstrates how despite the continuous rejection, Scott will continue to enforce his male dominance and mistreat the females. This mistreatment is continually related to gender and is evident throughout the play. Enright portrays the way difference determines how a person is treated. The cartoon composed by Ficher shows how an individual’s sexual status forms the expectations others have on them. The cartoon composed by Ficher demonstrates the difficulty faced by homosexuals who are trying to be open up about their sexuality. Society’s response to such beliefs and opinions are forceful and violent as they immediately reject and refuse to accept them. The composer utilizes symbolism to demonstrate the expectations formed by difference. The two figures on the left symbolise two major, powerful groups in society – law and religion. These figures represent society as a whole. The two figures on the right symbolise the homosexuals, the different group in society. The two powerful groups are forcefully sending the two homosexuals back to the ‘metaphorical closet’ as the closet is used as a symbol to represent a person being open up about their sexuality. The expectation’s formed by society to the homosexuals is that they should not be open about their sexuality and that they should keep their sexuality hidden from society. Fischer makes it portray the way difference decides how society forms expectations people have on them. The expectations formed on the two homosexuals are similar to the expectations formed on Cherrie in the play. The two homosexuals are expected and forced to keep quiet about their sexuality. They are also expected to be submissive to society. Similarly, Cherrie is expected and forced to be submissive to the boys. Both characters represent society’s mistreatment of people who are different. This portrays how the expectations and treatment an individual receives are affected by their differences. In â€Å"Blackrock†, the view of what is acceptable behaviour for each gender is demonstrated throughout the entire play. A double-standard is strongly reflected through the characters gender difference. In the play, allowing males to have sexual intercourse with females whenever possible is acceptable. Ricko demonstrates this at the party by utilising dialogue in saying â€Å"the mobs hot†¦go for it†. The use of dialogue reveals the peer-pressure encouragement element in the statement. The statement also reveals how they encourage each other and try to pick up different girls in different settings such as the party. This also portrays how openly sexual males are accepted and their behaviour and attitudes are encouraged. In contrast, openly sexual girls are disrespected, abused and labelled as ‘slag’ and ‘slut;.. This is portrayed by Scott, who utilises slang in saying â€Å"She’s been through Ricko already. Now its Gary. Now she’s a fucken band moll†. This reveals how girls who are openly sexual are disrespected and verbally abused. This shows Scott’s aggressive response towards females who are openly sexual. The word â€Å"moll† is an insulting term used to describe woman with openly sexual morals and is used to describe females in the play. This statement also reveals the non-acceptant views on females with openly sexual morals. These statements both portray a clear double-standard as the males in the play are allowed to be openly and freely sexual where the females are berated and abused if they are openly sexual. Enright portrays how gender difference reflects a double standard through showing what acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour for each gender is. In conclusion, expectations, standards and treatment an individual receives are affected by their differences. The play ‘Blackrock’ composed by Nick Enright explores the impact that difference of gender has on individuals and groups. Enright examines this through the common social ideas of gender and the differences in expectations, standards and treatment of males and females by creating a focus on the reaction by people to the rape and murder of the young girl. This is similar to the cartoon on homosexuality composed by Ficher. Ficher also examines the common social ideas differences in expectations by creating a focus on the response by people towards homosexuals being open about their sexuality in society. The expectations, standards and treatment an individual receives are affected by their differences.

Admission Essays Writing

Admission Essays Writing Admission Essays Writing Admission Essays Writing: The Introduction Admission essay writing is obviously included in the list of admission and exams to the MBA. Some MBA schools even require several essays, the quantity of which depends on the school. The essence of the MBA essay topics is usually the same every year. They do not usually change much: The Most Widespread Questions We offer you several of the admission essay questions. There are questions about your contribution to education and about your versatility. What reasons influenced your professional choice? Please, tell us about your plans for the professional future. Where do you want to get your MBA degree to achieve the desired objective? Tell us about your career. Why do you need the MBA degree? How will develop your career after receiving MBA degree? Tell us more about, what is your plan to do in the near future and in the future after receiving your MBA degree. How will education at MBA School contribute to the achievement of your goals? Briefly tell us about your professional achievements. Tell us details about your plans for the future and what caused you to get MBA degree at the university? What are your plans after receiving MBA degree? These are the most typical essay topics of every business school. You must clearly and precisely explain, why you need an MBA degree, and be able to prove it, writing an essay. Essay questions are usually divided into several parts. Most of them concern your past. Did you succeed in business today? Tell us, what influences your future. How will develop your career after receiving your MBA degree? What are your future plans? Admission Essay Help: Responsibility And Trust Why should you order custom essay writingat our company? We have well-organized and well-structured staff. Each employer is responsible for his own work. For example, the essay writer writes, professional editor edits, manager controls the process of performance of the custom essay order. Unlike other companies, where one person performs admission essay service, all our employees are divided into groups of specialization: economics, law, science, humanitarian, technical etc, and thus the organizational structure of the company is created. Secondly, in order to take a systemic approach to take and control essay orders a service administration was established. And thirdly, most important, is that an organized group of editors are responsible for the quality of the custom essay order. We are a reliable, experienced company! Contact us to convince of the best results and 100% guaranteed success! Read also: Much Ado About Nothing Coursework Marketing Coursework Self Critique Essay MLA Format Bibliography Critical Essay Essays on Patriotism

List of Naturally Occurring Elements

List of Naturally Occurring Elements Some elements have been made by man, but do not exist naturally. Have you ever wondered how many elements are found in nature? Of the 118 elements that have been discovered, there are 90 elements that occur in nature in appreciable amounts. Depending who you ask, there are another 4 or 8 elements that occur in nature as a result of radioactive decay of heavier elements. So, the grand total of natural elements is 94 or 98. As new decay schemes are discovered, its likely the number of natural elements will grow. However, these elements will likely be present in trace amounts. There are 80 elements that have at least one stable isotope. The other 38 elements exist only as radioactive isotopes. Several of the radioisotopes instantly decay into a different element. It used to be believed that of the first 92 elements on the periodic table  (1 is hydrogen and 92 is uranium) that 90 elements occur naturally. Technetium (atomic number 43) and promethium (atomic number 61) were synthesized by man before they were identified in nature. List of the Natural Elements Assuming 98 elements can be found, however briefly, in nature, there are 10 found in extremely minute amounts:  technetium, atomic number 43; promethium, number 61; astatine, number 85; francium, number 87; neptunium, number 93; plutonium, number 94; americium, number 95; curium, number 96; berkelium, number 97; and californium, number 98. Here is an alphabetical list of the natural elements: Element Name Symbol Actinium Ac Aluminum Al Antimony Sb Argon Ar Arsenic As Astatine At Barium Ba Beryllium Be Bismuth Bi Boron B Bromine Br Cadmium Cd Calcium Ca Carbon C Cerium Ce Cesium Cs Chlorine Cl Chromium Cr Cobalt Co Copper Cu Dysprosium Dy Erbium Er Europium Eu Fluorine F Francium Fr Gadolinium Gd Gallium Ga Germanium Ge Gold Au Hafnium Hf Helium He Hydrogen H Indium In Iodine I Iridium Ir Iron Fe Krypton Kr Lanthanum La Lead Pb Lithium Li Lutetium Lu Magnesium Mg Manganese Mn Mercury Hg Molybdenum Mo Neodymium Nd Neon Ne Nickel Ni Niobium Nb Nitrogen N Osmium Os Oxygen O Palladium Pd Phosphorus P Platinum Pt Polonium Po Potassium K Promethium Pm Protactinium Pa Radium Ra Radon Rn Rhenium Re Rhodium Rh Rubidium Rb Ruthenium Ru Samarium Sm Scandium Sc Selenium Se Silicon Si Silver Ag Sodium Na Strontium Sr Sulfur S Tantalum Ta Tellurium Te Terbium Tb Thorium Th Thallium Tl Tin Sn Titanium Ti Tungsten W Uranium U Vanadium V Xenon Xe Ytterbium Yb Yttrium Y Zinc Zn Zirconium Zr The elements are detected in stars, nebulas, and supernovae from their spectra. While pretty much the same elements are found on Earth compared to the rest of the universe, the ratios of the elements and their isotopes are different.

Virtual Hard Drives (VHD) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Virtual Hard Drives (VHD) - Research Paper Example Yet another type is the differencing one, which can be attached to any of the two other types, for increasing the performance of the system. The fixed sized disks do not have to specify for the minimum space required on the computer file system of the host, as it can automatically acquire the required space. On the other hand, dynamically expanding VHDs will take up the required space, according to their need. (Rouse) Virtual Hard Disk drives are the best alternative, when conducting cost-effective operations on computer systems. Using VHD, diverse operating systems can be loaded on the same PC, which allows the host to run different software programs on the same computer, while allowing the software developers to test their programs in a cost-effective manner. During February, 2013 Microsoft purchased the Virtual Hard Disk software from Connectix Virtual PC Software, which was originally responsible for creation of this software. Thereafter, Microsoft renamed this product as Microso ft Virtual PC. (VHD) Virtual Hard disk Formats Apart from the fixed and dynamic formats, as mentioned above, there is another format of VHD called ‘Differencing’ type. Each format can perform different tasks, as they vary in performance. Fixed size VHD The space required by this type of VHD is allocated on the physical Hard disk storage, while creating the VHD. While the fixed size can be increased, in an offline operation, the software does not support reducing the size. The fixed size characteristic of this type ensures optimum efficiency in operation of the system. However, due to the commitment of space allocated, it cannot be used by the physical drive, incase the VHD does not utilize any portion of the given space. Dynamically expanding VHD This file format counters the disadvantage of the fixed type VHD, as the space utilized by dynamically expanding VHD will depend on the actual requirement for the data size that is being written to it. However, ‘on-disk m eta-data’ size will add to this requirement. The file size can vary from as small as 43 KB in a VHD of this type to 20GB. The choices of optimization of performance are available with this type of VHD. However, the performance can be slower, for read or write functions, than the fixed size type VHDs. Differencing VHD This type of VHD can be associated with either of the above two types. While they can implement many additional features to their parent VHD, they also are responsible for prevention of any changes to the parent hard drive. The advantage of using this type is that space taken from physical hard drive can be reclaimed by compacting a differencing VHD.(Ranjana1) Native VHD boot Native boot VHD configuration is available in Windows 7 and Windows server 2008 R2. This allows the user to use the VHD as the computer running operating system without requirement of any parent system or hypervisor. In addition, Native boot provides full access to all the files in the PC sy stem, as the virtual volumes are visible, after the VHD portions are automatically attached to the system. Native VHD boot supports all the tree types of VHDs. However, the system will fail in case the expanding VHD requires more than the space available with the physical host drive. Only BIOS-based and UEFI-based firmware supports Native VHD boot. (Frequently Asked Questions) VHD vs. VHDX Windows Server 2012 has made available another VHD format, called VHDX. It has many advantages. The main

Business in Focus & Research Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business in Focus & Research Skills - Essay Example Globalisation of businesses on the one hand, and the extensive spread of the Internet on the other, facilitated the phenomenon of global manpower outsourcing. The growth of usage of computers in all walks of life created enormous demand for English speaking and trained manpower for working as programmers. The economic rationale for using foreign nationals in low-end application programmes was the significantly lower wage costs and sheer manpower resource availability. This trend has rapidly spread to many other areas such as call centre operations, legal, accounting and auditing, engineering, manufacturing processes etc. generally termed as business process outsourcing (BPO), and gave rise to two types of employment of foreign nationals - onshore or off-shore services and in each case there have been corresponding loss of job opportunities for locals. In the onshore format, the foreign national is In the US, which is the major promoter of outsourcing as a model for competitive global business operations, there is a growing public resentment on the jobs lost to foreign nationals. The volume of jobs lost can be gauged by the fact that in each of the cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore in India, there are hundreds of companies employing thousands of men and women, providing back office services on 24x7 basis, to the US and European companies (BPO India, 2009). In the past most of these jobs in areas such as customer services, credit card operations, medical transcription, data entry, telemarketing etc. were being performed locally in the US itself by US nationals. The high hourly wage costs and the opening up of the world markets for services led to the outsourcing trends. In addition, the major Indian IT firms place thousands of their employees at the clients' premises for operations such as programming, installation, maintenance and training. Further, major US firms like Microsoft, IBM, Dell, Accenture, and Deloitte have established subsidiary companies in India i.e., they have effectively shipped jobs abroad. While economising on manpower costs is one reason for outsourcing, avoiding payment of taxes in the US is another aspect. Some business houses establish overseas operations in tax haven countries because the corporate income tax in the US is relatively higher, thus encouraging firms to establish operations abroad where either there is no tax or the tax rates are much lesser. Under the double taxation agreements, which the US has with a host of countries, if US firms pay taxes abroad on the income generated fromBusiness in focus 3 their foreign operations, then there is no need to pay taxes again on such income in the US, meaning consolidation of global income for tax purposes is not required. There is a growing criticism of such tax breaks for firms, which ship jobs abroad. The current economic down turn has only accentuated the demands for discouraging firms from outsourcing. During the 2004 presidential elections, Mr. John Kerry