Rizal as Inspiration (Reflection)

Rizal as Inspiration By J. Arcilla ( Reflection) There is nothing wong to study Rizal’s works and doings. For me, it’s a good thing to know and understand his history. Rizal became a hero bacause of his accomplishments not because he was made to be. In his writings, he mentioned characters and scenarios related in reality. It focuses his ideals and misery in our country. Indeed, he is an inspiration but only some people sees that. Many fiipino knows Rizal is our natonal hero and being a hero is what they knew about him and that is wrong.It is more than that. It is not enough only knowing him as a hero. We should also understand and learn something fron him. Fighting for a freedom of a country is not a simple thing. I know you will needed so much courage, knowledge and a prescence of mind. Like him, he used the power of his mind to fight for good and that’s we should try to imitate from him. The social cancer Rizal mentoned still exist today and we are the one liv ing in present so I think we should at same as him. But not literally same. Being patriotic is also what made me inspire him.His selfless love in our country is remarkable. The values he has is also what we need to have. He inspired readers through his words. His real words. Rizal has become the constant model that inspires man and woman across the land to dream and work for its realization no matter the cost is brings for the sake of nationhood and promoting the liberty for the people. He also proven education is the answer to our struggle nation. So we student should value education because in the future we are the one who will get benefit from it.That’s why I will strive hard to get my diploma beacuse I believe someday I can also do remarkable things for our next generation. Education will helped us broadened our minds, so that we’re not confined to our countries and comfort zones anymore. We aren’t trapped in our small worlds, instead we have come out of our shells and begun to explore and learn new things about the world. It makes us aware of our rights in the society. It also grants us the power to never be enslaved, either by thoughts or actions.

Acc349 Reflection Summary

Weekly Summary Love accounting! Another great week with lots of much needed information to grasp. One advantage of Activity-Based Costing system is it has more accurate overhead cost allocation because there are more cost pools, the costs in each pool are more similar, and allocation is based on activities that cause overhead costs. It is more effective overhead cost control by focusing on processes or activities and focuses on relevant factors by assigning costs to any cost object that is of interest to management.Lastly, it allows better management of activities by helping managers identify the causes of costs and the activities driving them. The disadvantages of Activity-Based Costing are its cost to implement and maintain ABC requires management commitment and financial resources and its uncertainty with decisions remain and management must interpret ABC data with caution in making managerial decisions.Cost drivers are selected based on the casual relation, benefits received and reasonableness or fairness. Most of the cost drivers are related either to the volume of production or to the complexity of the production or marketing process. An overhead rate is calculated for each cost pool using the following formula: Costs in activity cost pool/base. The base is, of course, the cost driver. Overhead costs are then allocated to each product according to how much of each base the product uses.Activity-based costing allocates overhead to multiple activity cost pools and assigns the activity cost pools to products and services by means of cost drivers. In ABC, an activity is any event, action, transaction, or work sequence that causes the incurrence of cost in producing a product or providing a service. A cost driver is any factor or activity that has a direct cause-effect relationship with the resources consumed.

Full internal and external environmental analysis of Morrisons Essay

Full internal and external environmental analysis of Morrisons - Essay Example It also offers British and continental foods and light snacks. It offers a wine bar filled with assorted fine and traditional wines, spirits and ales. It has a fruit and vegetable section. It also has a fresh flower section consisting of different flowers, shrubs and plants. Morrison runs a complete array of pharmacy products and services which provide private consulting. It has a complete set of over-the counter medicines, and a prescription collection system. The company also offers services such as petrol filling stations, dry cleaning and photo processing services. This supermarket chain has branches in Britain, Wales and Scotland. Morrison has its in-store label products which consists of â€Å"The Best† a brand which covers a range of meals made from the finest ingredients. It also has the Eat Smart a brand which refers to specific calorie, fat, sugar and salt controlled meals. It carries the â€Å"Betta Buy†, a brand which pertains to a select group of food and h ome products at low prices. Morrison’s â€Å"Organic† is a brand which caters to organic products. It has â€Å"At Home† brand which refers to quality home and accessory products. The â€Å"First Home† brand pertains to affordable home essentials products. Its brand â€Å"Complexions† covers cosmetics and make-up products and accessories. In Britain, the supermarkets are defined as stores with at least 2,000 square feet having three or more checkout counters. These modern supermarkets stock merchandise comprising of food groups and regular household items. (Curth, et. al., 2002). The Stakeholder’s Analysis is applied to the William Morrison Plc group. This analysis helps organizations focus on important areas of the business. (Learned, et.al., 1969) The project has several stakeholders. The first group of stakeholders is the consumers consisting of the family households such as the parents, children and other family members. Morrison is able to provide high-quality food

International Business. Crises and Exchange rate Essay

International Business. Crises and Exchange rate - Essay Example Even if there is no monetary agency, a government can create an inflation/debt crisis by excessive spending financed by domestic and international borrowing. Mutatis mutandis, the same considerations apply to a central bank that has the same degree of strictness as the currency board. (Betts, C. and Devereux, M, 2000) Second, world securities markets might crash as, for example, in October 1987 or in the October 1989 mini-crash. Many countries' central banks expanded their stocks of high-powered money to provide liquidity to markets as investors fled from equities and corporate bonds and to high-quality assets such as U.S. T-bills and T-bonds. A currency board is ill-equipped to handle this type of crisis. At a time when it need to increase liquidity by expanding the domestic supply of money, a currency board is likely to have domestic currency presented for conversion to the reserve currency, as international investors who fled to U.S. government securities did in the 1987 and 1989 crises. This flight reduces the stock of domestic currency as well as that part of the country's international reserves that the currency board holds. In turn, domestic banks are less willing to provide liquid assets, and depositors are more interested in holding the reserve currency directly (or liabilities of the re serve-currency country). (Jan Winiecki, 2002). A domestic monetary agency parallel to the currency board might expand liquidity, as measured by the domestic money stock, through open market operations. There may well be a flight from domestic assets to reserve currency assets. The monetary agency can preserve the exchange rate by selling reserve currency obtained from selling its own liquid holdings denominated in the reserve currency or by borrowing reserve-currency assets, either commercially from foreign banks or from the reserve-currency central bank. A small country with only a brief track record and low international holdings will likely find it difficult to preserve the exchange rate parity; a monetary agency that has the holdings and power to preserve the parity is likely also to have the power to undercut currency board discipline over monetary and fiscal policy. Disturbances to Equilibrium Real Exchange Rates Third, the currency to which the board pegs may come under pressure from output market disturbances in the reserve-currency country. An example is the pressure on the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) after German reunification to either revalue the German mark or devalue the other ERM currencies relative to the German mark. The interpretation of the September 1992 and July-August 1993 crises in the European Monetary System is that they arose in substantial part from the reunification of Germany. German aggregate demand rose substantially more than German aggregate supply. This increase caused upward pressure on German interest rates (with some observers arguing that the increase in interest rates was exacerbated by German reluctance to use taxes rather than bond issuance to finance the

Microeconomics Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Microeconomics Principles - Essay Example Moreover, this paper will present real events in order to present the ideas in a way that is easy to understand. Gains from trade In a decision to get a haircut, Gains from trade can be understood through determination of the decision made by a consumer depending on the other services available. Therefore, a decision to have a haircut can result to consumers having their lives than they would if there was no trade. In this case, there is need to explore the simple example concerning a situation involving two service that are traded (Broadstock, 3). For instance, considering a situation where there are two service providers such as a barber and a tailor that are located in different location. Gain from trade can be effectively illustrated in a situation when each service provider can only offer one service only. In this case, the barber can only offer haircutting services, while the tailor can only offer dressmaking services. The gains from trade occur in a situation where the barber realizes that he or she needs some clothes and that would call for services from the tailor (Eicher, Mutti and Turnovsky, 1). On the other hand, the tailor can realize he needs a haircut and this would call for services from a barber. In fact, this is in a situation where the barber and tailor are able to gain from trading with each other (Broadstock, 4). On the other hand, there are situation where each of these service providers can offer both services; in this case, the tailor and barber have the skills to of hair cutting and dressmaking. Approaching this matter with another perspective, these service providers can collaborate and work together, thereby consuming similar amount of services without occurrence of trade. Opportunity cost This can be discussed in reflecting on same example used in the previous discussion. In this case, the barber and tailor had absolute advantage in the process of offering haircutting and dressmaking services to customers. However, the absolute advan tage forms a basis of understanding the opportunity cost, whereby this can assist in determining occurrence of the trade. Therefore, opportunity cost is regarded as the cost of forgoing a particular service or good in order to obtain something else (Broadstock, 6). For instance, the when a barber has the ability to offer dressmaking services, he can decide to forgo this making his own dress at a lower opportunity cost he can decide to seek services from a tailor. In fact, the concept of opportunity cost is significant in determination of the amount of benefits derived from trade existing between two service providers. In this case, this is an indication that situation where two service providers are facing similar opportunity cost, there are increased chances of gains from trade occurring. Opportunity costs increases in situations where the services or goods involved increases in terms of production (Merrewijk, 30). This is presented through a PPF (production possibility frontier), where an increase in the opportunity cost leads to bowing out of the PPF, thereby forming a circle shape. In situation where the opportunity cost are constant despite the services or goods produced, the PPF remains constant, thereby taking a straight line that is triangular. Decreasing opportunity cost is presented in a PPF by a subsequent decrease in the production of goods or services; in fact, this is depicted as PPF takes a bowed shape that resembles a crescent moon (Merrewijk, 30). Price elasticity of demand Understanding of price elasticity of demand can assist in evaluating the responsiveness of demand in terms of changes in prices for a given commodity, however, it is indispensable to recognize that in situation where

Civil Liability and Self-Defence Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Civil Liability and Self-Defence - Case Study Example On the basis of the attendant facts, it would appear on the surface that Alex committed a criminal act. Incidentally, this is not so in the case at bar. To prove a crime, two elements are required to be present. Firstly, there must be the external or criminal act, called actus reus in Latin. The second element is the malicious intent on the part of the actor, the Latin mens rea. In order to obtain a conviction, these two essential requisites must be established with proof beyond reasonable doubt.1 When Alex returned from her coffee break and found out Bill taking away a computer and trying to get another one, what was on her mind was that Bill, whom she does not know, was stealing the properties of her temporary employer, Pumps and Pipes, whose right or interest she would naturally try to protect. Indeed, Alex attempted to so do by hitting Bill in the stomach. Otherwise stated, there was no malicious intent or criminal design on her part to unjustifiably or unreasonably cause injury to Bill when she executed the assault. There was therefore no mens rea as there was no definite mind-set and clear objective to effect and perform a criminal act on the part of Alex against Bill and this is particularly true in the case at bar when she did not mean any harm more severe than what was only needed to avert what she believed was the illegal taking of the computers. The honest fear and apprehension of Alex were demonstrated by h... However, the question now is whether or not the act of defending and the extent of it were reasonable and justified. In the case of Ashley v Chief Constable of Sussex Police [2008] 2 W.L.R. 975, one issue which was resolved by the House of Lords was the question as to whether or not a defendant can claim self-defence when he had mistakenly albeit honestly perceived that it was necessary to defend himself against a clear danger even if the wrong belief was not reasonable.2 The decision in that suit enunciated that in a civil action for battery, as in the present situation, the burden of proof is on the defendant to convincingly show that not only was his belief honest but that it was reasonable. Under the circumstances, Alex does not qualify to put up self-defence as far as concerning the civil aspect. While she may be justified in assessing that Bill would commit an offence against the property right of her intermittent employer, the force or manner of defending that right did not ap pear reasonable. She could have just instead run away immediately, locked the doors and called out for assistance like what she did without unnecessarily hitting Bill. The events in the instant case find relevance in one not so old development. There had been moves to challenge and or to make clear the law on self defence. A farmer was adjudged to suffer the penalty of a life sentence following his alleged murder of a teen-aged intruder. No less than a police authority head rallied for a demand to put greater clarity in the law on self defence. It was charged that lawmakers must address this concern in order to give householders what real and specific right did they have

Mental Health Issues in long term care Research Paper

Mental Health Issues in long term care - Research Paper Example Census Bureau, 2009). There are two main reasons responsible for this trend: 1. The baby-boomer generation is growing old with most of the people in this group being in their 50s currently. 2. The life expectancy has moved from 47.3 years in 1900s to 77 years in 2000 (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics, 2010). This has been achieved largely due to improved sanitation, nutrition and rapid advancement in medical technologies. These factors have contributed to the dramatic rise in lifespan and proportionate increase in health care issues - especially mental health issues among the older American population. Statistics reveal that over 14 million people live in long term care facilities of which nearly 90% are over 65 years (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics, 2010). These long term care facilities vary in scope from institutions and homes for the mentally challenged to nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2001), 67% of nursing home residents exhibit some form of mental or behavioral problems. ... ncidence of mental health problems in long term care residents is therefore extremely high (American Health Care Association, 2003): Mental Retardation 2.82% Depression 42.79% Psychiatric diagnosis 18.76% Dementia 45.35% Behavioral problems 30.62% Mental Health Issues in Long Term Care Facilities Following are some of the common mental health issues faced by residents in long term care facilities: 1. Depression: Depression is the most common mental health issue among residents in long term care facilities. Older people often experience loneliness, helplessness, hopelessness, frustration and anger towards the later phase of their life. Symptoms of depression include feeling ‘low’ and not enjoying things that once used to be very interesting to them, difficulty falling asleep or sleeping all the time, loss or increase in appetite, crying or acting out emotionally, anger, irritability, suicidal behavior, restlessness or slowed movements. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2000), although older Americans, over the age of 65 years, make up only 13% of the population, they account for 20% of the people who commit suicide. In fact older Americans have the highest suicide rate of any age group (National Institute of Mental Health, 2000). The most important factor that helps address depression in residents of long term care facilities has been found to be human interaction especially with their loved ones. 2. Delirium: Delirium is mostly caused by acute illness or drug toxicity. It may also be caused by fever, acute infection mostly urinary tract infection, medical conditions such as diabetes or as a reaction to leaving familiar people and places. Delirium always involves periods of diminished consciousness. A person suffering from delirium may act

Discuss posthumanism and the fears concerning it that are addressed in Essay

Discuss posthumanism and the fears concerning it that are addressed in pop culture - Essay Example The world of pop culture has had a particular influence on art from the early 1960s on, through Pop Art. John Storey in his book "Cultural Theory and Popular Culture" defines popular culture as a culture that is related to masses and can be defined as an "authentic" culture of the people. It is commonly seen as a commercial culture that is mass produced for mass consumption Items of popular culture most typically appeal to a broad spectrum of the public. So a culture that is related to masses consequently represents the common ideas, practices, theories, customs, traditions and values of the people in all aspects of life, or in other words, it represents all that is truly human. As compared to the theories of Pop culture, Post humanism, as the name of a discourse, suggests an episteme which comes "after" humanism ("post-humanism") or even after the human itself ("post-human-ism").

Sichuan dumplings with soy sauce caramel Essay Example for Free

Sichuan dumplings with soy sauce caramel Essay Rate this recipe: 2,302207,4,1,0 2,302207,4,2,0 2,302207,4,3,0 2,302207,4,4,0 2,302207,4,5,0 17 votes Recipe by: Rishi Desai Contestant Makes: 20 Ingredients 2 cups (200g) moist coconut flakes or shredded coconut 60g palm sugar, coarsely grated  ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon  ½ teaspoon ground cardamom  ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns 125ml ( ½ cup) milk 20 gow gee wrappers Vegetable oil, for frying 110g ( ½ cup) brown sugar 250ml (1 cup) thickened cream 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce Add to Shopping List Method 1. To make the filling, combine coconut, palm sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, peppercorns and milk in a saucepan set over low heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the palm sugar has melted, stirring often. Transfer mixture to a blender and blend to a coarse paste. 2. Place 1 tablespoon of filling into the middle of a wrapper, and lightly brush edges with water. Using your fingers, gently bring the edges of the wrapper together, crimping at intervals to seal, forming dumplings with a flat base. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers. 3. In batches if necessary, place dumplings in a large steamer basket, sitting over a saucepan or wok barely filled with boiling water. Steam for 10 minutes or until wrappers are tender. Remove and set aside on a tray lined with baking paper. 4. Heat oil in a large frying pan set over medium heat. Cook the base of the dumplings for about 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. 5. Meanwhile, to make the soy caramel, place brown sugar, cream and soy sauce in a saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes or until a thick caramel. Transfer caramel to a jug. 6. To serve, place wontons on a plate and serve with soy sauce caramel. Print RecipeRecipe CardCreate PDF.

How Students and Teachers Can Avoid and Prevent Plagiarism Essay Example for Free

How Students and Teachers Can Avoid and Prevent Plagiarism Essay Plagiarism has been any and every writer’s concern, both in the scholarly and non scholarly sense. It is the dreaded term which implies various complications from those who choose to plagiarize, those plagiarized by accident, and those authors who are mere victims of such unfair treatment. From the students’ standpoint, great and keen consideration must be done in the process of how they choose to construct their ideas and write about a required topic. With the lenient accessibility of information within a click’s reach, plagiarism even gets more tempting. The Michigan Library Association (MLA) Forum (2008) adds â€Å"With the Internet offering students such a wealth of information at their fingertips, it is no surprise that one of the main reasons that they commit acts of plagiarism is simply due to how easy and convenient it has become† (n. p. ). Hence, students must understand the definitions and details of what plagiarism is and what to do and what not to do as a plagiaristic situation arises. Students always use plagiarism checker free. Students must maintain their academic responsibility as they fulfill the scholastic obligations. Students should be responsible in understanding and realizing other tools available to them as they fulfill certain literary requirements. The use of methods like proper paraphrasing, formal, and correct citing of references, being consistent to the requirements of a specific referencing style— plagiarism may be avoided given that all must be understood and well executed by the student. From the teachers’ standpoint, there are a series of issues which must be explained to the student. The clear discussion of what plagiarism is and the consequences it brings must be well and thoroughly comprehended by the students. Teachers should emphasis the valuable use and importance of the use of bibliography. As the Plagiarism. org (2008) writes: â€Å"Emphasize that the annotation has to be in their own voice and words, and should specifically discuss the relevance of the source to their research† (n. . ). Teachers should make themselves clear and specific in what they demand of their students. They should help exercise further the skills of their students such as by assigning the students to make a presentation which would enhance their research and idea conceptualization. It is also of beneficial importance for teachers to be creative in building their students’ skills in writing formal academic works.

Calculation of Payback Period for Investor Return

Calculation of Payback Period for Investor Return Executive Summary The report exclusively deals with the Accounting and Financial Management. The report has been divided into two broad types. The first part deals with the calculations regarding the payback period, average accounting return and break-even analysis. This part of the report also explains the various aspects of the same. The next half of the report is based on the calculations related with the Horizontal and vertical analysis. Further, it also explains the different patterns and trends present in the Income Statement and Balance Sheet based on the calculations done. Introduction The primary objective of accounting in any business is to help that business make the maximum profit after tax. Unless accounting makes its full contribution to that objective, its cost cannot be justified. In today’s industry, one of the ways accounting pays for itself is to help management to control operations. Another way is to help management utilize its working capital to the greatest possible advantage. Every business has important financial concerns and its success or failure depends in a large part on the quality of its financial decisions. Effective financial decision making requires an understanding of the goal(s) of the firm. The widely accepted objective of the firm is to maximize the value of firm for its owners, i.e. to maximize shareholders wealth (MAYER, R. et al, 2005). Hence, the accounting and financial management has become an integral part of business in the twenty-first century. The concept of payback period, average accounting return, breakeven analysis, trend analysis and vertical analysis are very important for any business, big or small. Discussion 2.1 Problem 1 A company is considering a capital project costing  £ 400,000. The sales forecasts, together with the forecast expenditure are shown below: Table 1: Sales and Expenditure Forecast Year Sales ( £) Cost of Sales ( £) Other variable costs ( £) Fixed costs except depreciation ( £) Depreciation ( £) 1 200,000 60,000 20,000 30,000 100,000 2 300,000 90,000 30,000 30,000 100,000 3 400,000 120,000 40,000 30,000 100,000 4 300,000 90,000 30,000 30,000 100,000 1,200,000 360,000 120,000 120,000 400,000 The above problem can be formulated in the form of Income Statement as below: Table 2: Income Statement of the Company Years 1 2 3 4 Sales 200,000 300,000 400,000 300,000 Cost of Sales (60,000) (90,000) (120,000) (90,000) Gross Profit: 140,000 210,000 280,000 210,000 Variable Cost (20,000) (30,000) (40,000) (30,000) Earnings before Fixed Charges: 120,000 180,000 240,000 180,000 Fixed Cost (30,000) (30,000) (30,000) (30,000) Earnings before tax and depreciation: 90,000 150,000 210,000 150,000 Depreciation (100,000) (100,000) (100,000) (100,000) Net Income: -10,000 50,000 110,000 50,000 2.1.1 Calculation of Payback period for the Project The payback period for the project is the length of time to get your money back (FABOZZI and PETERSON, 2003). In this problem, the company has invested  £ 400,000. The table below shows the expected cash flows in the four years: Table 3: Expected Cash Flows of the Company End of Year Expected Cash Flows Accumulated Cash Flows 1 90,000 90,000 2 150,000 240,000 3 210,000 450,000 4 150,000 600,000 From the table above, it is clear that at the end of Year 2, the full  £400,000 will not be paid back. We need to have some amount from Year 3 as well. The amount needed from Year 4 will be  £400,000 – 240,000 =  £160,000. Hence, the payback period is calculated as: Payback Period: 2 years + 160,000/210,000 = 2.762 years = 2 years and 9 months (Approx.) Thus, the Payback period for the company is 2 years and 9 months. Calculation of the Average Accounting Return The Average Accounting Return (AAR) measures the return on an investment, after taxes and depreciation, over a specified period. Mathematically, the ratio is equivalent to the expected average earnings less taxes and depreciation, divided by the average book value over the duration of the investment. According to table 2 above, we need to find the values of: Average project earning after tax and depreciation Average Net Income = Sum of all Net Incomes / No. Of Years = (-10,000 + 50,000 + 110,000 + 50,000) / 5 =  £ 50,000 Average book value of the investment during its life time The depreciation for each year is  £ 100,000. Thus, the yearly book value of investment is given by: Table 4: Book Values Year Book Value 1 400,000 2 300,000 3 200,000 4 100,000 5 0 Average book value = Sum of all book values / No. Of years = 400,000 + 300,000 + 200,000 + 100,000 + 0 / 5 =  £ 200,000 Average Accounting Return (AAR) = 50,000 / 200,000 = 0.25 Therefore, the Average Accounting Return for the invested  £ 400,000 after taxes and depreciation is 25 %. Break-Even Analysis for the Project One of the most common tools used in evaluating the economic feasibility of a new enterprise or product is the break-even analysis. The break-even point is the point at which revenue is exactly equal to costs (HOLLAND, 1998). At this point, no profit is made and no losses are incurred. The break-even point can be expressed in terms of unit sales or pound sales. That is, the break-even units indicate the level of sales that are required to cover costs. Sales above that number result in profit and sales below that number result in a loss. The break-even sales indicate the pound of gross sales required to break-even. So, a break-even cannot be calculated only once. It should be calculated on a regular basis to reflect changes in costs and prices and in order to maintain profitability or make adjustments in the product line. 1 Break-even (Sales) = Total Fixed Cost / (1- Total Variable Cost / Sales) For Year 1, BEP (Sales) = 130,000 / (1- 80,000 / 200,000) =  £ 216,666.67 For the Year 2, 3 and 4 also same BEP (Sales) value came due to proportionate change in total fixed cost, total variable cost and sales. This figure is the level of sales that the company must reach in order to break even. Again, if the company is reaching more than this, then it should be making a profit and if it is not, the company will not be selling enough to cover the fixed expenses. Thus, no profits are made from the sale of product until more than  £ 216,666.67 in gross sales is generated. ____________________ Source: 1, HODGETTS KURATKO,1986. As sales increases, variable costs are incurred, meaning that total costs (fixed + variable) also increase. At low levels of output, costs are greater than income. At the point of intersection (total sales and total cost intersection), costs are exactly equal to income, and hence neither profit nor loss made. This point of intersection is called the Break-even point which is found to be  £ 216,666.67. In the first year, the total sale made by the company is  £ 200,000. But BEP (Sales) is found to be  £ 216,666.67. That means, the company is still short of  £ 16,666.67 in order to make neither profit nor loss i.e. BEP. In the second year, the total sale made by the company is  £300,000. Compared to the BEP (Sales) which is  £ 216,666.67; the company is now making profit. And it continues to do that for year 3 and 4 as well. Thus, break-even analysis helps a company to maintain profitability when costs and prices changes. 2.2 Problem 2 The Horizontal and vertical analyses on financial statements of the Geneva Palace Hotel are as follows: Table 5: Income Statement (Horizontal Analysis) Income Statement Geneva Palace Hotel For the Years Ending 31 December 2005, 2006 and 2008 2005 % ( 2005-2006) 2006 % (2006-2007) 2007 Food Sales Revenue  £ 1,700,500 5.26  £ 1,790,000 4.00  £ 1,861,600 Cost of Goods Sold 471,128 6.38 501,200 8.00 541,296 Gross Profit 1,229,372 4.83 1,288,800 2.44 1,320,304 Operating Expenses Salaries and Wages 541,654 12.36 608,600 9.00 663,374 Employee Benefits 63,008 13.64 71,600 11.00 79,476 Laundry Expenses 17,005 5.26 17,900 3.50 18,527 Supplies Expenses 52,089 3.09 53,700 3.50 55,580 Advertising 16,826 6.38 17,900 6.00 18,974 Utilities 36,860 3.09 38,000 1.50 38,570 Maintenance 16,910 12.36 19,000 10.00 20,900 Other Expenses 38,800 3.09 40,000 1.50 40,600 Total Operating Expenses 783,152 10.67 866,700 8.00 936,001 Income Before Fixed Charges 446,220 -5.41 422,100 -8.95 384,303 Fixed Charges Rent 19,400 3.09 20,000 4.00 20,800 Property Taxes 9,400 6.38 10,000 5.00 10,500 Insurance 4,250 17.65 5,000 20.00 6,000 Interest 76,000 5.26 80,000 4.00 83,200 Depreciation 19,200 4.17 20,000 4.00 20,800 Total Fixed Charges 128,250 5.26 135,000 4.67 141,300 Inc

Global Warming Essays -- Greenhouse Effect Climate Change

Global Warming The glass windows of a greenhouse lets in sunlight. The sunlight warms up objects inside the greenhouse. These objects then give off heat. The glass of the greenhouse, however, does not let out the heat. If the greenhouse lacks ventilation, all the heat stays locked inside and the temperature rises. This greenhouse effect also causes the inside of an automobile to become hot if its windows remain closed on a sunny day. The Earth and its atmosphere are like a giant greenhouse. Like the glass windows of a greenhouse, the atmosphere is nearly transparent to shortwave and visible solar radiation. Part of the energy absorbed by the Earth is radiated to the atmosphere as long-wave infrared radiation. Because it contains carbon dioxide and water vapor, which absorb much of the long-wave radiation before partially reradiating it back to the surface, the atmosphere is not completely transparent to this long-wave radiation. This causes the Earth and its atmosphere to warm up. Variations in the amounts of carbon dioxide and water vapor in the air can have a significant effect on how much heat is retained by the atmosphere. The total amount of carbon dioxide present in the Earth's atmosphere remained nearly constant until the 20th century, when the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, fuel oil, gasoline, and natural gas began to release large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The combustion of fossil fuels brought about an ever-increasing ri...

Personal Narrative- A Non-traditional Love Story :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- A Non-traditional Love Story I first met Tyler at "Above and Beyond", a support group for brain parasites. I don't have brain parasites, and neither does he, but that's where we met. I had seen him before at other support groups, and he never used his real name. He would always glare at me, as if I was intruding on him or something. I've dated a lot of weird guys before, guys that liked to cross-dress, guys that couldn't get enough body piercings, but Tyler takes the cake. We had our first conversation at "Above and Beyond." It wasn't a pleasant one. He couldn't handle having me around at all his support groups. I was invading his space, he told me. He was being such an ass. He threatened to expose me, to tell everyone at the support groups that I didn't really have brain parasites or ascending bowel cancer or whatever else. That wasn't going to work - I could expose him just as easily. We decided to take turns going to support groups. We decided that was the only way we could handle the issue. I played his little game for a while, but then I decided to cheat. I thought I'd show up at one of his support groups, just to piss him off. But he wasn't there. Tyler had stopped going to all of his support groups, the fucker. God, I was angry. Who knows how long I'd been missing out. One night, I just got sick of everything. I grabbed my bottle of Xanax pills and ate the rest of them. I just thought I'd drift off peacefully and never have to worry about my shit job, my crappy apartment, or anything ever again. I didn't really want to commit suicide, I was just bored, I guess. I was just about to fall asleep forever when you-know-who called. Tyler Durden. That crazy, crazy Tyler. I can't even remember what we talked about, but before I knew it - he was knocking on my door. I was really loopy, could hardly stand up. We took the bus back to his place - a rickety old wooden house on Paper Street. He would have to keep me awake all night, I told him, or I would die. So, he did, in that perverted Tyler way. Over and over. He was great though, must've had the Kama Sutra memorized from cover to cover. Personal Narrative- A Non-traditional Love Story :: Personal Narrative Essays Personal Narrative- A Non-traditional Love Story I first met Tyler at "Above and Beyond", a support group for brain parasites. I don't have brain parasites, and neither does he, but that's where we met. I had seen him before at other support groups, and he never used his real name. He would always glare at me, as if I was intruding on him or something. I've dated a lot of weird guys before, guys that liked to cross-dress, guys that couldn't get enough body piercings, but Tyler takes the cake. We had our first conversation at "Above and Beyond." It wasn't a pleasant one. He couldn't handle having me around at all his support groups. I was invading his space, he told me. He was being such an ass. He threatened to expose me, to tell everyone at the support groups that I didn't really have brain parasites or ascending bowel cancer or whatever else. That wasn't going to work - I could expose him just as easily. We decided to take turns going to support groups. We decided that was the only way we could handle the issue. I played his little game for a while, but then I decided to cheat. I thought I'd show up at one of his support groups, just to piss him off. But he wasn't there. Tyler had stopped going to all of his support groups, the fucker. God, I was angry. Who knows how long I'd been missing out. One night, I just got sick of everything. I grabbed my bottle of Xanax pills and ate the rest of them. I just thought I'd drift off peacefully and never have to worry about my shit job, my crappy apartment, or anything ever again. I didn't really want to commit suicide, I was just bored, I guess. I was just about to fall asleep forever when you-know-who called. Tyler Durden. That crazy, crazy Tyler. I can't even remember what we talked about, but before I knew it - he was knocking on my door. I was really loopy, could hardly stand up. We took the bus back to his place - a rickety old wooden house on Paper Street. He would have to keep me awake all night, I told him, or I would die. So, he did, in that perverted Tyler way. Over and over. He was great though, must've had the Kama Sutra memorized from cover to cover.

“The Mission” Film Analysis

?The nature of greed is that it compels us to do dangerous things. It disregards the feelings and positions of others and instead replaces them with what we want out of the situation. Latin America, a beautiful part of the world rich with history and culture, knows exactly what greed can do, especially to hungry imperialists seeking to plunder the resources and vitality within its borders. An aggressive desire for wealth, riches, spices, and other material things have made Latin America an arena for violence against native Latin Americans.In the film The Mission, director Roland Joffe shows us the power of faith in religion and God as well as the dangerous result of passion and greed coming together as one. ?In this film, a Jesuit priest named Father Gabriel goes into the deepest parts of the Latin American jungle and seeks to evangelize the local tribe living there. Although they are initially wary of him, the natives eventually begin to trust him and allow him to convert them.Mendo za, played by Robert De Niro, is a former slave trader who after killing his brother in a fit of rage, decides to join Father Gabriel in his missionary work and spreads the values of the mission and religion. Their hard work and unity as a mission is threatened when the Portuguese attack and attempt to control the land and people the mission is founded on. Father Gabriel, a man full of faith in God and religion, seeks nonviolent means to fight the Portuguese. Mendoza, however, after vowing to also act nonviolently, breaks his promise and teaches the natives how to fight against the Portuguese.The film, unlike most other films, does not have a happy ending. Eventually, almost everyone perishes and only a few are left to spread the values of love, faith, religion, and to rebuild the community that they grew to respect and cherish. ?Religion and the church play a huge role in the film. Despite the obvious fact that the premise of the film is about a priest evangelizing native Latin Ame ricans, the religious aspect of the film emits a sense of love, benevolence, and goodwill. The filmmaker suggests that unlike many other â€Å"invaders† of Latin America, the Christian missionaries wanted to entirely devote themselves to the natives.They devoted themselves faithfully and were willing to preserve the natives’ pure way of life, unlike many invaders who came into Latin America and attempted to halt all that was common and introduced new ways of living. The filmmaker tells us that in order to represent the values of Christianity, people must devote themselves fully and be willing to make sacrifices, just like Father Gabriel and Mendoza did for the natives and the mission. ?Another theme in the film is the union of greed and passion. It is no surprise, especially to Latin America, that the desire for worldly things can cause great destruction and tragedy.The two main reasons the mission was threatened in the film boils down to imperialism and greed, which a re essentially interchangeable. To imperialize a country is to be riddled with greed and hunger. Greed, desiring to possess more than one needs or even deserves to possess, is conveyed endlessly throughout the film. The Portuguese only wanted to gain the mission and land for profit. Even worse, after they would gain the land they so desperately desired, they would enslave the people and make them operate under Portuguese rules to further their profit and power.In this film, greed and power undermine morals and the ethics of human kind. The filmmaker showcases the worst traits in man, in which the desire for mere things cause man to slaughter man and disregard the love and respect humans should have for one another. ?The film, although tragic and essentially very morbid, mirrors the historical realities of the time and illustrates Latin America’s struggle to keep itself a stable, prospering region despite the invading forces of greedy, insatiable imperialists.

Home School vs Public School Essay

Home school and public school is a debated subject. Parents are disputing whether home school education or a public school education is more beneficial for their child. An education that fits the needs of a child is important; that’s why there are things to be considered when choosing an educational path for a child. Certainly in a public school setting a parent should take note that their children is in a better learning environment to have and gain social diversity. Whereas in a homeschool setting they won’t have that face-to face interaction with other children of different cultures and races. Exposing a child to diversity at an early age helps to shape them into more accepting people, and they would be less likely to shy away from new things. Exposure to different cultures and religions is different in a home school setting. The child doesn’t get to shake the other persons hand or speak to them to know that they sound a little different and things like that spark their curiosity to ask questions and find out more about the differences and why. The only socialization the child receives is that pertaining to extracurricular activities after their home school cessation such as karate or soccer. Getting a grip on social diversity at an early age can help a child to create new ideas and change that can be beneficial to society and the world. Assuredly another thing to consider is the horrible truth about negative peer pressure and how it is more present in public school than in home school. This is one of the main reasons parents decide that home school is better for their child and it’s understandable. However, peer pressure won’t just fade into the background. It’s talked about in the newspaper and as well as on television, how children succumb to the peer pressure and in the end takes their own life and sometimes the lives of others. Although parents choose to home school their child, it doesn’t make the threat go away or remove it. If a parent is deciding that a home school education is better for their child because of peer pressure then, they should also be aware that they are sheltering the child from the harsh reality of the world. It won’t benefit the child is he/she is sheltered from it and never explained what it is or what it even sounds like. That child will grow up and get out in the world and doesn’t understand why some people aren’t very nice or single them out of the crowd. A parent should take the time to understand for themselves what peer pressure is, what the cause is, and how to deal with it. The parents should also take the time to teach their child how to avoid it. Once a parent has enough knowledge on peer pressure, they can explain it to the child and give them a understanding so they are not left in the dark no matter what educational path is chosen. Although there are many pros and cons about home school and public school, one of the biggest benefits of home schooling is the student/ teacher ratio. The teacher has more time for each individual student, therefore meaning they have time for increasing their learning. Its easier to create a focused learning environment without distractions and interruptions. In public schools, there are at least 20 to 30 students to one teacher, therefore, those distractions and interruptions are present. This makes it difficult for the child to focus and gain the knowledge needed to have success in the world. Unquestionably within a home school setting, a child can receive a customized education. Some children struggle with math or reading. Some kids have giftedness in science or history. No matter what their struggle or giftedness may be, home schooling permits the child and the parent to customize the education to maximize learning, get past and strengthen and weaknesses, and provide focus for those things that the child has a special interest in. The way that homeschool is placed is beneficial to a child that has needs concerning an education. For example, a child that has trouble focusing because they feel bored. A curriculum centered on a favorite subject would help. In public school, the curriculum is set and there really is no changing that fact. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it could teach a child that sometimes you don’t always get a choice and that’s okay. In conclusion many parents want the best educational path for their child. Whether that be in a homeschool setting where they can choose the child’s curriculum or in a public school setting where the child will have more of a chance to be socially diverse. No matter which option of an education is chosen, the parent will realize that all things must be considered when deciding on a good and healthy education for their child.

Fear in Lord of the Flies Essay

Human are the most civilized species on this planet. However, what makes people act civilly is constantly questioned. This question is explored in William Golding’s novel, The Lord of the Flies. In the novel, the fragile state of civilization created by the boys is constantly pitted against the destructive force of fear which motivates the boys to desert their civilized upbringing and hunt first and finally become murders. When the boys land onto the island, they know there are no adults or parents around so they know they have to create their own civilization. The boys attempt to create a civilization by each one having a job. Additionally, they elect a leader; establish rules and consequences, use the conch one person at a time, hunt, and keep the fire going in a case ship passes by. Their civilization is fragile because of the age of the boys and the lack of parental maturity. Shortly the boy’s civilization isn’t working because they know that they can get away with things that they can’t get away with at home. For example, â€Å"Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins† (Golden 62). ————————————————- Despite the beauty of the Island, fear is all around them. The boys think that the â€Å"beast† is an animal on the island when it really is the beast within all of them. Simon finds out the beast is not an animal. The pig tells Simon that if he tells everyone that the pig is within all of them the pig is going to kill him. For example, â€Å"This is ridiculous. You know perfectly well you’ll only meet me down there-so don’t try to escape!† (Golden 143). ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- Jack quickly takes the most brutal job for himself jis explains â€Å"All, the same you need Army-for hunting† (Golding#32). This civilization is fragile because of the age of these little boys and there is no parental control.

Literary Analysis: Sonny’s Blues

In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† by James Baldwin, the two main characters, Sonny and the narrator, face many conflicts with each other. These conflicts all contribute and lead to the climax of the story, the scene in the narrator’s apartment. The first conflict between these two characters occurs after their mother dies when the narrator discovers Sonny’s dream to become a jazz piano player, which the narrator believes is a waste of his life. Their inability to see eye-to-eye on this matter is what causes so much tension in their relationship throughout the rest of their lives. The narrator feels that it was his job to steer Sonny in the right direction after remembering the promise he made to his mother, a promise he made before she died. To help his brother, the narrator decides Sonny should live with his wife’s family, Sonny reluctantly agrees, which leads to the next conflict. The narrator believes that it is in Sonny’s best interest for him to live with his wife’s family while he is finishing college. Sonny is not thrilled with the idea but reluctantly agrees in order to avoid another argument. While living with his sister-in-law’s family, Sonny spends all of his spare time practicing the piano, which his hosts do not care for. Then, despite Sonny’s efforts to hide it, his sister-in-law’s mother discovers Sonny’s truancy. The two fight and Sonny understands the burden he has put onto the family, causing him to join the navy. When Sonny finally comes back from the war, the two brothers finally see each other weeks after Sonny returned home, leading to the climax of the story. When Sonny returned from the war to New York, the two brothers did not see each other for quite some time. When they finally did see each other they get into a huge fight about Sonny’s decisions in life. The narrator is upset about Sonny’s drug abuse and decision to waste his life and become a jazz pianist. Sonny is angered at his brother for abandoning him when he needed his brother most and for his brother’s inability to see him as a musician. The narrator learns about Sonny’s frustration but still cannot see his brother’s point of view and ends up walking away commenting on how Sonny will need him one day. This brutally honest argument serves as the climax between these brothers in the story. The two conflicts at the beginning of the story pave the way to the major argument towards the end of the story. The reoccurring problem between these two is the narrator’s inability to understand and be there for his brother. Each of the conflict between the two never gets resolved, just brushed off to the side, building up tensions between the two and end up boiling over. The narrator believes that his brother is below him because of his drug abuse and life choices. Most of his life he wants nothing to do with him because he cannot understand him. He ends up pushing Sonny away for most of the story after each conflict, not caring where Sonny is or whether he is alive or not. Unfortunately this is a reoccurring problem with sibling, especially with the older sibling. Like the narrator, many older siblings believe that they know best for their younger sibling, and when their brother/sister goes against what they say the two begin to become distant. Luckily for Sonny and the narrator, they were able to put aside their differences and the narrator was there for Sonny when he performed, and watching him on stage allows the narrator to finally understand Sonny and realize what he is made of. Due to their upbringing and the differences between Sonny and the narrator, they went through many conflicts in the story which all led up to the climax of the story. Their arguments all consisted of the narrator’s misunderstanding of Sonny and who he really is, and trying to change who he wanted to be. Also, each of their arguments never were really solved, just brushed of to the side causing more tension between the two. All these arguments eventually add up to the final big argument between the two. Surprisingly enough, this argument is what brings them together and allows the narrator to get to know Sonny and learn that he never really knew who his brother was.

Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies for Piaget

The four stage theory of Jean Piaget’s demonstrates the way through which children acquire knowledge through playing. This is one of the most critically criticized physiological theories of all decades. The theory on how children build up knowledge faced many challenges. Also many of them are pletely justified. Due to his grand vision the theory is fitting to round off this series on over 10 crucial child psychology studies along with the work of well known Swiss developmental psychologists Jean Piaget (Trevarthen et al., 2016).   His theory implies that, the intellect of a human develops with the help of assimilation, play and a modation. In the current field of technology the growing role of education system efficiently supports the understanding of the children. The nature of the technology encounters the need that helps to support the children to maximize their benefits. ICT in playground may be iPods, cell phones, MP3 players and puter are used to allow access to pictures, Video cameras and moreover games also. There are many ICT games available for the children such as Super Mario, puzzle, sketchpad, angry bird etc which helps them to explore their knowledge level. With the help of these ICT technologies the children can acquire high level knowledge. The stages mentioned in this theory include sensorimotor, pre operational, concrete operation and formal operation. While prising ICT and children play it has been found that,   puter games help them to b e more familiar with technology.   This theory reflects that children play active roles in the cultural and historical theory of human culture. In order to refine and test the basic practices of schooldays the children nature are analyzed by Lev Vygotsky (Hamari & Nousiainen, 2015). This theory implies that even without the help of the adults, the children can reach their desired destination only learning from the society. This means that after playing different games in the childhood, the children can learn new skills and ideas from the society. With the help of new learning skills and ideas without any assistance the children can reach highest peak of success. In current days children are also widely using technology in their daily lives. ICT development in the early childhood provides high quality practices that are helpful to support the children development and learning. In order to make these choices the practitioners need to be much familiar with different tools. With the application of puter games and online games the children can learn a lot from the social context. This is the theory of how the children learn self regulation through playing. The theory developed by Sigmund Freud, states that playing is the way that helps to express all the socially unacceptable behaviors (Moore, 2017). Play also helps a child to expel his or her undesired feelings and all the actions through a much acceptable direction. The sense of control of the children reduces anxiety and also helps to express all their forbidden feelings. Not only traditional games but advanced puter gaming helps children to obtain sense of control over different events. In the early childhood children can gain self regulation power through play. ICT plays effective role in the early childhood days. Early childhood education and play both include many hardware and software as their technology. Play can promote abstract ideas through creating separation between the objectives and actions. Using both the action and objects children can effectively reach even beyond the standard development in cognition and self regulation. Not only this but also from ICT context, children also obtain mental representations on social roles and about the rules of society for self regulation. The theory developed by Gregory Bateson implies the way through which the children learn munication through playing. It is focused on the script that the children follow while playing any game. munication reflects the ability of the child and also their ability to learn something new (Siegler, 2016). The munication approach shared among the children is termed as Meta munication skill. After considering the ICT aspect it can be said that, for any child munication is an important tool that has to be used to share thoughts and ideas. ICT technology offers deep social changes that influence segment of the human life and children. The characteristics of play are related to different practical activities. prising the ways that help the children to learn municate drives the evolution through enabling organisms for rapid adoption of novel environment. Gregory, E., Lytra, V., & Ilankuberan, A. (2015). Divine games and rituals: how Tamil Saiva/Hindu siblings learn faith practices through play.  International Journal of Play,  4(1), 69-83. Hamari, J., & Nousiainen, T. (2015, January). Why do teachers use game-based learning technologies? The role of individual and institutional ICT readiness. In  System Sciences (HICSS), 2015 48th Hawaii International Conference on  (pp. 682-691). IEEE. Moore, R. C. (2017).  Childhood's domain: Play and place in child development  (Vol. 6). Routledge. Roskos, K. A. (Ed.). (2017).  Play and literacy in early childhood: Research from multiple perspectives. Routledge. Siegler, R. S. (2016). Continuity and change in the field of cognitive development and in the perspectives of one cognitive developmentalist.  Child Development Perspectives,  10(2), 128-133. Trevarthen, C., Panksepp, J., Bentzen, M., Lakoseljac-Andreasen, C., Rubin, P. B., Winstead, M., ... & Goldstein, B. (2016).  Inclusion, Play and Empathy: Neuroaffective Development in Children's Groups. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

I have detailed requirements on the photo Essay - 2

I have detailed requirements on the photo - Essay Example GMO’s have been in existence for a long time. GMO technology has been incorporated in both plants and animals. GMO is an organism that the genetic material has been changed by means of genetic engineering (GÃ ¶tz 1961). The technology helps in incorporating new trait to the living organism. Such traits may be resistance to herbicides, droughts, weeds, and some predators. The traits are derived from other organisms mostly bacteria. The technology has been dominant in plant. Plants have been produced that makes their chemicals for fighting insects as well as produce modified starch (GÃ ¶tz 1961). The technology is also in the advanced stage to produce food with high levels of vitamins as well as the antibiotics. The current trend in this technology employs incorporation of several traits to plants genome. GMO has been on the rise in the world. The major GM crop includes soy, maize, cotton, and rapseed. In fact, in 2008, there were over 100 billion hectares of cultivated GM crops (GÃ ¶tz 1961). Moreover, the number of countries practicing this technology has been on the rise. The technology has been prevalent in countries such as America, India, and China. However, it has received little acceptance in parts of Asia, Europe and Africa (GÃ ¶tz 1962). GMOs are considered beneficial in various ways. First, the technology has been shown to help in reducing agricultural costs (Lanton 2). Such costs are related to weeds, pests and crop diseases. This occurs through production of plants that are resistant to weeds, pest, and crop diseases. Moreover, the technology is seen as a way of achieving human needs of more food. This has been due to the burgeoning human population in the world. Consumers have questioned whether technology presents long-term health risks. A recent survey done in United States by New York Times found that three-quarters of the American population raised issues about health by having GMOs in their food

Independent critical evaluation of a planning model Essay

Independent critical evaluation of a planning model - Essay Example When we differentiate and assign the derivative to zero. Hence, and , so So profit is maximised when the output (q) is set to 10 Now, let us consider how we can investigate the model as a case study. The profit model is made up of two distinct sections i.e. Revenue and Costs. Revenue is based upon the linear demand equation and linear demand, consists of an intercept term and a slope term. Costs on the other hand, consist of two distinct entities i.e. a Fixed Cost (the cost of maintaining a business irrespective of level of output) and, a Variable Cost (the additional costs associated with changes in output). If we consider Revenue, then we are considering the product of the linear demand equation and output ('q'). We know that the linear demand equation consists of an intercept term and a slope term. Hence by creating changes in the coefficients associated with the linear demand equation, we can create changes in the Revenue equation. So, we can change the value of the Intercept term and/or the Slope term. Changes in either will create changes in the Revenue equation. Creating changes in the revenue equation will ultimately create changes in the Profit equation! Similarly, the cost equation consists of a fixed cost and a variable cost. Changes in either will cause changes in the Profit equation. Hence, the case study analysis is set up as follows: we will consider changes in the Fixed Cost, then changes in the Variable Cost, followed by changes in the intercept term and then in the slope term of the linear demand equation. Speaking about changes in the Fixed Cost look at graphs changes. Simply vertically moves the position of the graph of the equation. In the case of the Profit graph, a decrease in the... ), i.e. the minus sign outside the brackets of the TC effectively changed the sign of every term within the brackets when the brackets were removed! So 000 is our profit equation! Notice how it represents a quadratic equation with a negative sign in front of the 'squared' term. Such an indication tells us that we are looking at a MAXIMUM point. Let us plot a graph of our profit equation! Costs on the other hand, consist of two distinct entities i.e. a Fixed Cost (the cost of maintaining a business irrespective of level of output) and, a Variable Cost (the additional costs associated with changes in output). Hence by creating changes in the coefficients associated with the linear demand equation, we can create changes in the Revenue equation. So, we can change the value of the Intercept term and/or the Slope term. Hence, the case study analysis is set up as follows: we will consider changes in the Fixed Cost, then changes in the Variable Cost, followed by changes in the intercept term and then in the slope term of the linear demand equation. Speaking about changes in the Fixed Cost look at graphs changes. Simply vertically moves the position of the graph of the equation. In the case of the Profit graph, a decrease in the value of the fixed costs moves the profit graph upwards (and vice versa). Hence, the constant values (-2,000 and 150 in this case) are technically

Major league baseball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Major league baseball - Essay Example The pitcher throws a fastball, a curveball, or a knuckleball (and other popular terms for how the ball is thrown) towards the offensive team’s batter at the home plate from the raised pitchers mound, at a distance of 60.5 ft (18.4 m). The batter then tries to hit the ball as far as he could, that is, within the foul lines, in order to run to as many bases as possible, scoring upon hitting the home plate. A home run is when a batter hits over the outfield and the ball goes generally into the area of the audience and the batter and all other offensive players on base are able to run to the home plate and score. Of course, the team with the most scores after the ninth inning wins. But, if there is a tie after the ninth inning, â€Å"play continues into extra innings until one team has scored more runs than the other in an equal number of turns at bat.† As the popularity of baseball heightened, there came a need for a governing body to impose standardized rules and facilitate scheduling (The Columbia Encyclopedia 4428). Thus, the National Association was formed 1871 and is considered to be the first major league (Rubinstein 20). The two major leagues that are recognized today as Major League Baseball (MBL), the National League and the American League, were founded in 1876 and 1901, respectively (Rubinstein 20). The MBL, a collaboration that was agreed upon in 1920, governs the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, and the leagues which are members of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (SportsKnowHow.com and â€Å"Foreword† 2). At present, MBL is composed of â€Å"2 leagues, 30 teams, and over 750 active players† (SportsKnowHow.com). This paper and presentation will discuss only some of the basic and most noteworthy rules and regulatio ns of the MBL as the Major League Agreement, Major League Rules and other league constitutions, which compose the official documents of

Web search (see instruct) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Web search (see instruct) - Essay Example Research has shown a number of curriculum models as effective. Creative curriculum is an approach, which is based on theory and research of understanding how children learn (teachingstrategies.com). It focuses on hands on child-centred approach with creativity being the keyword. In a class when children are told a story about ships in oceans, instead of imagining the scene they are taught and encouraged to set their boats in water. This is an example of creative curriculum in place during the classroom instruction. On the other hand, bank street curriculum focuses on building interaction among students and inculcating a sense of community feeling and social responsibility in them (bankstreet.edu). The activities are designed to turn children into social individuals who care for and work for the well being of others. The attempt is to acquaint the children with the physical world, which is taught through playing with blocks, paint, clay, water etc. The prospect of making children work together for instance by getting them to work with blocks, paves way for social interaction and also builds their association with the outside world. The Montessori method believes in exploring, self-study and focuses more on preparing the environment than the child. (michealolaf.net) It is not the teacher who educates the child but the environment and peers around him. Hence the teacher must prepare and adapt to the environment in order to develop the learning opportunity for the child. Yet another interesting feature is that the class size is relatively larger than other classes thereby increasing the scope for independent learning. According to the approach, when a child is left in a room with other children and educational materials for company, the learning is more than through conscious effort. This curricular model can be applied in class by setting a time for such an activity. This method has been hugely successful, as research shows profound effect on

Improving Corporate Governance in Saudi Arabia Essay

Improving Corporate Governance in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The key theme in cooperate governance is the nature and the extent of accountability of individuals in the banking sector, and the tactics they use to suppress principal-agent problem2. Background Information Saudi Arabia is the 2nd largest state in the western Asia in relation to the area. It is also the second largest Arab world after Algeria3. The state has a large economy in reference to other nations in the region with a GDP of over US$450 billion. It has the capability to maintain its economy, with sustained economy4. Saudi’s banks are among the leading banks in the GCC banking sector. Their average annual return is between 14% and 31%. This is as a result of a favorable banking environment prevailing in the region. In the recent years, banks analysts in the regions propose the use of Basel II as it will impact the growth and development of the industry. However, the banking sector has different challenges regarding to governance and transparency. This calls for amendmen ts of the structure of banking governance of the banking sector as this will impact on the growth, and development of the banking industry5. Research question The proposal gives possible solution in Saudi’s banking system, as it has reluctant corporate banking principles. The sector is deteriorating, as a result of reluctance on the part of the law bodies, leading to neglect of some key principles in banking world. This is evident from the fact that board members are engaging in activities, which compromise their role. Shareholders have not been playing their roles because they have been taken up by the management. This calls for change to enhance growth in the sector. Research Objectives The proposal aims at giving suggestions, which will improve corporate banking in Saudi Arabia. This will impact the growth and development of the sector as it will attract investors both locally and internationally. The changes will motivate shareholder as they will trust the board members a nd the management at large. Methodology Corporate governance is an international issue; it calls for ideas from all areas of study. The proposal recommends the incorporation of both qualitative and qualitative research methodologies to enhance the reliability of the results. Detailed research is also significant. Empirical studies will also enhance in designing the most appropriate model of dealing with banking corporate governance in Saudi. Such research includes debates on the same issues in different nations, changes adopted by other nations, as well as, suggestions from bank analysts. Below are some of the areas targets, in the process of changing corporate banking governance. 1. Principles of banking corporate governance It is advisable for the banking sector to adopt the suggestion put forward in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002-2003 in USA, Cadbury Report of 1992 in UK, and the principles of Corporate Governance of 1998-2004 (OECD). 2. Corporate governance guidance in reference to Asian Policy Brief These are important guidelines put across to ensure that banking in Asia get to another level. It entails different suggestions which will impact on changing corporate governance in Saudi Arabia. 3. Banks’ board and management should perform their duty in relation to their fiduciary duty This entails the duty of care. The board together with the management should ensure that they respect that duty. They should be keen on ensuring

Wynn Resorts Financial Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wynn Resorts Financial Summary - Essay Example alents, cost of sales, total current assets, gross profit, long term debt, net income (loss), total equity, inventory and total assets for the years 2012 and 2011. The output also shows changes and percentage changes in the items over the two peariods. Debt to equity ratio defines the ratio of an entity’s capital that is contributed by third parties to owner’s equity. It is an instrumental tool to potential investors and lenders as it indicates levels of certainty of the entity’s continuity. It is determined by the following formula, Return on investment is a profitability ratio that compares the profit performance to the investment made towards that profit. It is fundamental to investors as users of financial statements. It is obtained from the formula, Liquidity refers to an institution’s ability to have cash or cash equivalents from which it can meet its short-term obligations. A firm that has readily available cash or current assets that can be easily converted to cash, such as inventory that can be sold or debtors that can pay to boost the entity’s cash reserve, is therefore said to be more liquid than one with less cash equivalents. Liquidity is further evaluated with respect to short-term obligations. A firm with higher current assets than current liabilities, hence a high current ratio is for instance more liquid that one with a smaller current ratio (Khan and Jain, p. 6- 40). The company’s liquidity decreased from the year 2010 to the year 2011 with values of 1.76 and 1.09 respectively. This meant, on a short-term basis, that the company’s operations relied more on short-term debts, as compared to its current assets, in the year 2011 than in 2010. It also means a lower probability of acquiring short term debts hence strained short-term performance (Khan and Jain, p. 6- 40). The gross profit margin defines a measure of an organization’s products profitability. The company experienced an improvement in its gross profit margin that

Online college education vs traditional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Online college education vs traditional - Essay Example The internet revolution has also affected the educational sector. There are many sites which offer online courses especially at the college level and higher. It would be rare to find a university in the U.S. that has no internet connection and reasonable technology infrastructure. However, the use of the internet in classroom teaching is not as widespread as the use of the internet for information, entertainment, communication, and research (Scagnoli, 2005). With the internet the barriers of time and space have been ended. Online education is internet enabled technology driven education that allows you to study anytime, anywhere, as per your convenience. Online education is one of the ways of imparting effective education to the aspiring people, residing anywhere in the world. This has helped people to pursue and advance their learning process, without messing up with their professional responsibilities and duties. Online learning helps to increase the educational experiences irrespe ctive of age and geographical diversity. The World Wide Web empowers the University to deliver training and critical information to its wide spread student base no matter where and what time zone the users are in. The students just access their training materials or start studying whenever they want from home or from office. Online education gives the students the flexibility to go through the programme content at the time that is most convenient to them and thereby achieve an appropriate balance of work, family, community and educational commitments.

Joyces treatment of Epiphanies Essay Example for Free

Joyces treatment of Epiphanies Essay Explore Joyces treatment of Epiphanies in some of the stories you have studied. In literally every of story of Joyce studied so far we could discover one or more epiphanies. This term is generally used as a description of any sudden moments of understanding or sense of revelation. Joyce himself once described them as sudden spiritual manifestations, whether in the vulgarity of speech or gesture or in a memorable phase of the mind itself. I will try to fathom these epiphanies and Joyces use of them in the following. The story I am going to start with is An Encounter, which happens to be at an early stage of Joyces chronological order in Dubliners childhood. It mainly deals with a bunch of younger school boys, who live a rather sheltered childhood in catholic Dublin, reading stories about the Wild West, playing Indian fights, and having parents who go to eight-oclock mass every morning. Inspired by the stories read in their Wild West booklets, Leo Dillon, Mahony and the narrator decide to have their own little adventure and plan a day out of school, playing truant and going to see the so called Pigeon House at the other end of Dublin. However, in the next morning they are starting their journey without Leo Dillon. Mahony freely comments: Come along. I knew Fattyd funk it. When the two boys, after a long voyage, still havent arrived at their destination, they agree to give up their initial plan and just to rest some time on a bench in a field. After a few calm minutes Mahony and the Narrator discover an older man approaching at the far end of the field, shabbily dressed and walking with one hand upon his hip and a stick in the other hand. Having arrived at the bench with the two young boys on it, he wishes a good-day and starts to talk about the weather. Suggesting the boys that the happiest time of ones life was undoubtedly ones schoolboy days, the bores Mahony and the narrator, who nevertheless keep silent. In the following, the old man talks, mainly to the narrator, about literature and, from there, changes the subject to totties. He expresses a very liberal point of view about young peoples lives Every boy, he said, has a little sweetheart. Silence follows a long monologue of the old man about young girls and other things the speaker admits not actually to understands, which implies us that it could be about sexual allusions as the two boys are still quite young. The man stands up and walks to the near end of the field. Arrived there, he does something that wakes Mahonys interest: I say! Look what he is doing and a bit later I say Hes a queer old josser which suggests us that the man might be, excited by two little boys, masturbating just a few meters away from them. Some minutes later, he comes back and again starts a monologue, but it seems he has forgotten his recent liberalism: In language influenced by sadism he states that school boys should be whipped and whipped again, especially if they told lies about their sweethearts, he would give them such a whipping as no boy ever got in this world. Calmly, the narrator departs, obviously worried by behaviour and stories of the old man, and joins Mahony who has gone away, into the field, earlier. Together they leave the place. Back to the epiphanies: the first one we can find is apparently the moment when Mahony finds the old man masturbating only a few meters off. No matter if the boys actually know what he is doing, it is definitely a so called sudden spiritual manifestation: they know that what the man is doing there is strange for them, and it abruptly changes the way they look at him. Although there is no physical threat for them at that moment, Mahony and the speaker feel worried and confused, and one of them even runs away after having seen this. Although directly related to the old mans behaviour linked to the first epiphany, we can find another one when he is back and talking again: the way he speaks and his opinions have changed so drastically that there must be another strange awakening in the speakers mind. We feel reminded of a definition of an epiphany mentioned earlier: It is a sudden spiritual manifestation in the vulgarity of speech and gesture. The third and last epiphany, I suggest, might be found at the very end of the story, when the boys are just about to leave, to finish their day off and start the journey back home: they now realize that they have really find out what their adventure was like: they have met a sexually sick bloke instead of having an exciting day in Dublin, visiting a sight and enjoying themselves. A second example for Joyces treatment of epiphanies could be the short story After the Race. Unlike An Encounter it deals with adolescence, and tells about what happens on a particular evening in paralysed Dublin. Four young people return to Dublin. They have just taken part in a car race, and have won the second place. The group is made up of a French man, a French-Canadian, a Hungarian and Doyle, a Dubliner. Through Doyle, Joyce shows the ambitions and aspirations of middle class Dublin. His father was a butcher, but had been fortunate enough to secure some police contracts and had become rich enough to be referred to as the merchant prince. The father has plans for his son Doyle is first sent to Cambridge, to study, where he first encounters international upper class lifestyle, not the one he knows from Dublin. Studies do not particularly interest him, and he returns to Dublin. Doyle could be called a typical rich son, and he is highly interested in music and motoring. He got to know a member of the racing team, and is now elated to be entering Dublin in the teams company. That evenings Dinner is a matter that causes great excitement in Doyles family, as it shows father and mother that the ir son has arrived arrived in the world of jet-set and international playboys, as they think. However, Joyce doesnt reject to admit that Dublin wasnt actually a metropolis as it seemed to be then: That night the city wore the mask of a capital. The company of the young men is heady. They talk loudly and gaily. And when they stroll along Stephens Green, people on the road make way for them. I think Joyce wants to imply here how much the odour of wealth and internationality are worshipped in Dublin another allusion on the paralysis he finds in Dublin in those times. They team makes its way to a yacht, where the go on celebrating themselves happily. The party continues with game where money is staked Doyle loses heavily, but who cares on such a night? The party ends up with the Hungarian, who unlike Doyle realized that this isnt his world, retired from the game, announcing Daybreak, gentlemen! In this story, we find another way of use of epiphanies: Joyce keeps it until the very end until he uses the epiphany with the Hungarian reminding the team that it is time to wake up and face the realities of a normal day. This shows Doyle that the last twelve hours were just an illusion and that he cant actually cope with the standard of these international jet-setters. He has lost far more money than he can afford and has to realize that he is just a Dubliner and that Dublin hasnt got its place in a line-up of the international capitals. Joyces use of the epiphany is remarkable, as it wasnt to the very end of the story that he effectively used it. For the whole time, Joyce left Jimmy Doyle and us in the imagination that the Dubliner could actually cope with his colleagues until he abruptly drops him out of his dream world. So far we could discover quite a different use of epiphanies in two of Joyces stories: used three times in An Encounter, opening different point of views for the boys of the day and of the old man, Joyce uses, in contrast, only one epiphany in After the Race, which in itself, however, is much sharper and more abrupt. While in After the race the epiphany is used at the very end only, they are spread wider in An Encounter. Both stories epiphanies have in common that they actually always are memorable phases of the persons minds themselves, or in Joyces words, these sudden spiritual manifestations I mentioned before.

Varieties of Market Segmentation

Varieties of Market Segmentation MARKET SEGMENTATION Market segmentation is the process of categorizing the market into several groups on the basis of various factors such as demographic, geographic, psychological, and behavioral factors. This is to ensure that the marketers can understand their target audience better so as to make the marketing more effective and get more satisfied customers. Thus, the marketers can gain a great advantage over the competitors. There are different ways by which market segments can be categorized. It can be done by categorizing the preferences of the consumer. Based on this, market can be categorized as homogeneous preferences, diffused preferences and clustered preferences. In homogeneous preferences the customers roughly have the same preferences whereas it varies in case of diffused preferences. When a group of consumers have shared preferences it leads to the formation of natural market segment which refers to clustered preference. While marketing a product three areas of marketing must be taken into consideration, i.e, mass marketing, product differentiated marketing and target marketing. Mass marketing takes into account mass producing, mass distributes and mass promotes on product to all buyers. It is important to realize the great variety in individual customers and therefore the marketers use this type of segmentation to customize their marketing programmes for each customer. In product differentiated marketing more than one product with different features, style, size, and quality is introduced. In target marketing, on the basis of the market segments the products are developed and customized. Market segments can be differentiated in various ways. Some of them are demographics, geographics, psychographics and behavioural segmentation. Demographic segmentation Demographic factors are age, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, generation, nationality, family size, family cycle, social class etc. Based on these demographic values, the customers are divided into various segments. This type of segmentation is suitable because the variables are easy to measure and as they provide description of the target customers therefore media buyers and others can target a desired target market. Some of the important variables while segmenting markets are: Age and Life cycle segmentation As the desire and need of customer change with their age therefore age and life cycle is a good factor in order to determine marketing approach. One of the examples is of a 70 year old person using landlines instead of mobile phones due to lack of technological knowledge. Therefore marketers need to take this into consideration and guard against stereotypes. This can also be associated with buying pattern and behavioural characterstic. For example, as married people have various economical obligation therefore they tend to spend less on luxury items whereas on the contrary, single people tend to purchase new fashionable items as they don’t have such economic obligations. Gender Segmentation As the needs and wants of men and women are different therefore gender segmentation is being applied from a long time in terms of clothing, hairstyle, magazines, cosmetics. But the marketers must not define a product as being masculine or feminine as metro sexuality has become a common gender-factor. Income Segmentation This type of segmentation can be seen in automobiles, financial services, travel, clothing, and cosmetics. Usually the high income customers are the target but it should be considered by the companies that just the income cannot be suitable criteria to determine the customer as they might have different preferences and priorities while selecting a product. Even the lower income groups are targeted as the competitive pressure reduces and the consumer loyalty is gained. Generation Segmentation Various significant events, many a times characterize a particular period. These influential factors can be music, politics, movies etc. Therefore the marketers must make use of the images and icons of a particular generation in order to market their product. Social class Segmentation Most of the companies design their product for a specific social class. It divides the customers on the basis of their preferences towards cars, clothing, leisure activities, home furnishing, retailers, reading habits etc. Demographic segmentation thus assumes that people with different backgrounds and other differences are likely to share same values and behaviour. Geographic Segmentation In this method of segmentation, customers can be categorized on the basis of countries, nation, state, region, city, and neighborhood. But a company must consider the fact that the data might vary due to population shift. Various sales and purchases are based on the geographical variables as the purchasing behaviour of the customers are influenced on where they live or work. Sometimes there are also differences in the location where the product is marketted due to cultural factors, tradition, politics. These differences can be significant in one segment whereas in other segments there might just be minor differences. Globalization plays a major role in linking socio economic and demographic characteristics. This type of segmentation is referred to as geodemographics. It therefore combines the target customers with where they live. Instead of comparing the consumers by their occupation, the consumers are compared on the basis of where they live, hence the companies are more capable of predicting consumer behaviour. Psychographic Segmentation There are two types of customers, personality profiles and lifestyle profiles. The psychological variables provide the marketer opportunity to get additional information about traditional, geographical, demographic bases like sex, age, income. Psychological profiles are often used as a supplement to geographics and demographics. Therefore on the basis of their attitude, values, lifestyles, interests and opinions people are divided in psychographic segmentaton. Behavioural Segmentation There are various behavioural variables such as occasions, benefits, status, usage rates, loyalty, attitude, buyer readiness (which will be discussed in detail) which determine behavioural segmentation .These variables are considered the best starting points in constructing market segments which are mainly based on the customers attitude towards the use and response to a product. Occasions Customers are divided into segments according to the time on which they get the idea to buy a product. The time can be a day , a week, a month or an year. An example for this situation is the variation in market strategy for Christmas and Valentines day. Benefits As different kind of people look for different benefits in the same product, this segmentation divides the customers based on this. People tend to look for the benefits provided by different brands and accordingly they make their choice. Here casual factors play a major role rather than descriptive factor like demographics. User status This type segmentation is done on the basis of the category of users , i.e potential users, non users, ex-users, first time users, regular users etc. The marketing approach varies according to the type of users. Usage rate Based on the usage of the product, the customers are divided into various segments like non users, heavy, medium, light product users. The basic strategy followed by the company is to target one heavy user instead of several light product users because the heavy users account for a high percentage of total buying although they constitute a small percentage of the market. But the other users must not be neglected as even they may provide better future prospects. Usage rate further divides the customer according to time which means that the product to be sold may vary according to time. Buyer readiness stage It depends on the factors such as people’s awareness and interest in the product. A person might be aware of the product and he also may not be. The difference lies in whether they are just informed about the product or interested in buying the product or they desire to buy the product or just intend to buy the product. In all the cases, a customer must be lead along so that he finally gets convinced to buy the product. For example, a person belonging to a different place might not be aware of the products particularly sold at one place hence the marketing strategy should be different at that place and the product should be promoted more. Loyalty status Based on the loyalty of the customers, they can be categorized as hard core loyals, split loyals, shifting loyals and switchers. Hard core loyals tend to stick to a particular brand for a long period of time without even considering other brands. Split loyals have preference towards two to three brands and they keep switching in these. Shifting loyals stay with a particular brand for some time and then change it. Switchers do not have any specific choice and they keep changing the brands from time to time. Attitude People can have an enthusiastic, indifferent, positive, negative, or hostile approach towards a product. Based on these factors people can be divided into various segments and hence the company can get a good idea of the market and the strtegy to be followed. To improve the targetting strategies and get a clear picture of the market, it is important for the marketers to combine different behavioural variables. A marketer must reach all buyers in all segments by defining its target audience. By taking into account various concepts such as demographic segmentation, geographic segmentation, the psychographic segmentation and the behavioural segmentation, a company must decide which is the most appropriate concept while designing the market strategy. For example , demographic and behavioural segmentation are the most appropriate one’s while designing market strategies of a telephone as the ages of the customers is an important factor. Apart from age, attitude is also an important factor. Once the target customers have been defined, the next step is to evaluate the market segments and decide in which segments the marketing strategy should be directed. Market targeting is the second stage of the segmentation process.

Rene Descartes Second Meditation Evaluation

Rene Descartes Second Meditation Evaluation My Paper is on Rene Descartes Second Meditation. I chose to analyze and critique the concepts and ideas that were presented in Rene Descartes second meditation because it is in the second meditation were Rene Descartes famous adage was produced Cogito, Ergo Sum or I Think Therefore I am and also I find his second meditation the most controversial and most interesting of all his meditations. The second meditation is the most controversial of Rene Descartes meditations because it is here that his first rule of methodic doubt process is clearly introduced which is Accept nothing as true unless you can be sure that it is certain and it is also here that his idea becomes Radicalized because it suggest that one must critique all types of knowledge, that one has to doubt everything including himself and this is what the second meditation is all about because the second meditation is about ones existence. Descartes says that one must never accept anything or any knowledge unless one is certain of this knowledge and for Descartes being certain of knowledge means that there must be no place for doubt, it must be self verifying and it must be indubitable or in other words unquestionable and not open to doubt. The second meditation starts with Descartes doubting existence itself because of the radicalism of his philosophy that assumes everything is false, so in the second meditations Descartes doubts even existence, he says that even our very own existence needs to be doubted so as to arrive at the truth in the end of course of the second meditation Descartes does prove that without a shadow of a doubt that one does exist because one thinks hence the famous saying I think therefore I am. When one reads the second meditation Descartes does sound like someone who is a bit crazy and perhaps someone who had too much time in his hands because to doubt even existence is for me at first just down right absurd and many of us would have the same feeling on this matter maybe because of how we were brought up but it is exactly this kind of thinking that Descartes was trying to destroy he wants everybody to think for themselves and not just accept opinions as truths because if we just accept the texts of the ancient and the opinions of everybody as truths then how can we arrive at certain knowledge if those texts and opinions happen to be false he wants us to discover the truths for ourselves and perhaps he wanted people not to be lazy. When reading the second meditation the philosophy that is included there is definitely a radical one because he doubts existence and that what we perceive as truth may in fact be false, perception for Descartes is deceitful and our mind errs all the time so there is no way for us to be certain of things. We can be certain of our existence however but not this kind of existence were there is the body and the limbs but our existence as a thinking being since for Descartes the body and the things around is maybe just be an illusion created by an evil deceiver who does all he can to deceive us with all this false perception or we can just be dreaming that what we see and feel is all but a dream and therefore not real because how can we be sure that we are not just dreaming right at this very moment and that we are just dreaming everything and everyone around us this concept was a very intriguing concept what if we were just dreaming all this time, this was a concept that is so intriguing that even Hollywood adopted it in their film Inception which delves into dream and reality. The only certainty that we know we exist is that we know we are thinking and no great deceiver or dreams can doubt the fact that we think and therefore because we think we exist but for Descartes it is a thinking existence because it is the only thing that one can be certain of and that everything else we perceive may be false or just an illusion, one cannot trust our senses because are senses may just be an illusion or the senses may just be perceiving an illusion therefore not certain so for Descartes perception cannot arrive at the certitude of truth. Sensation as well is not a good determinant for certitude because one could again just be dreaming. Thinking for Descartes is very important since thinking for him determines ones existence. The act of thinking is the self guarantee of thinking. The act of thinking provides the ground for realizing that one exist. Human beings have a natural propensity to think therefore he or she can prove his or her existence. Thinking can never be false, because it is a process, thinking itself is beyond judgment, the thoughts that come from thinking are always real we only make mistakes in our judgment. Descartes explains in the second meditation using the honeycomb wax as an example of what kind of existence we can perceive and have since the wax changes its form but yet we know it is still the same wax Descartes thought that perhaps this is the true existence we are not just body and limbs but we are beyond that because we can still change and still be the same and this is how our minds works it has something innate that enables us to know it distinctively. The Second Meditation deals with reality and existence, like I mentioned before I thought that Descartes perhaps just too much time on his hands for thinking something so crazy as that everything around us is just an illusion and that we cannot trust out perception. I thought to myself that here is another philosopher saying something controversial just top be noticed but now that I was a little aware of a science called quantum physics and now I wonder if Descartes was actually someone who was way ahead of his time in thinking that everything is just an illusion and that what we perceive is actually false because quantum physics itself says that perhaps what we perceive as real, what our senses perceive as true my actually be false because it may just be an illusion created by our sense perception. With this in mind Rene Descartes is not crazy and his theory was not absurd this despite him being a member of the Rosicrucian group which believed in an invisible church that they built. Rene Descartes Philosophical theory on Existence and Reality was in fact a science which was way ahead of its time. His philosophy on doubting everything so as to arrive at certain knowledge can be seen as something radical and impractical and if we do take him literally then it is no doubt that this philosophy is indeed a radical form of Philosophy and an impractical one at that because one will just waste his time doubting and questioning everything one sees and this is just an impossible task. I think Rene Descartes is someone who was obsessed in knowing the truth and this led him to create this philosophy that before we can have certain knowledge we must first doubt. To have knowledge one must first doubt, this philosophy of Descartes becomes practical if we do not take to the extreme by really questioning everything, I think Descartes main point is that for man to use his reason rather than just accepting opinions, Descartes believes that reason is higher that any kind of opinio n, Descartes wants us to use our reason and there is nothing radical about using our reason. Sources: Rene Descartes Second Meditation