Smooth Otter Report

INTRODUCTION Otters belonging to the order Carnivora of class Mammalia, are semi-aquatic members of the family Mustelidae which also includes weasels, martens, polecats, badgers, skunks, grisons and minks. Otters are placed in the sub-family Lutrinae (Khan W. A. et al. ,2010). Genus Lutrogale ;Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) (Ogamba E. N. & Abowei J. F. N. ,2012) ( Figure 1) . The smooth otter is the largest otter in Southeast Asia that comment otter. It was named for its shorter, smoother coat than that of other otters with appears velvety and shiny.This otter is monogamous and usually seen – round in small family groups of 4-6 members comprising a pair and their offspring from breeding seasons. It has a more rounded heads and a hairless nose compared to other otters. It also has a tail that is more flattened, in contrast to the more rounded tails of other species and measures 60% of its body length. Otters dependent on the monsoon rains breed between August and December. Gestation period is 61-65 days. They give birth to 2 to 5 cuns per litter.The young are born and raised in burrow near the water. Smooth Otters may hunt as a team either at night or in the daytime. They capture their prey with mouth, but their strong, webbed feet with sharp claws are dexterous enough to retrieve and manipulate objects. Their food likes fish, frog, prawn and crab. Besides, smooth-coated otter are excellent aquatic adaptation. It is possible to introduce to each other at all age; it is infinitely more successful when the otters are young (IUCN/SSC, 2008). Hartley R. 2011 had mentioned that as a social animal, the smooth-coated otter lives in family groups consisting of a male, dominant female and cubs. They are a proficient and ready swimmer. Besides, they also have the usual humped otter gait on the land, and can move quite rapidly . It is possible that there are no smooth otters currently in captivity in zoos likes in Zoo Taiping or wildlife parks. Since they are noisy, extrovert and tolerant of humans, adapting well to zoo life, this is surprising (Wright L. C, 2010). [pic] Scientific classification | |Kingdom: |Animalia | |Phylum: |Chordata | |Class: |Mammalia | |Order: |Carnivora | |Family: |Mustelidae | |Subfamily: |Lutrinae | |Genus: |Lutrogale | |Species: |L. perspicillata | LITERATURE REVIEWS Characteristics Smooth coated otter is nocturnal mammal otter and adapted to a semi-aquatic mode of life with flattened head, thick muscular tail, smooth and dense pelage and comparatively large paws that are webbed between digits (Roberts, 1997 ; Khan W. A. et al. ,2010). Webbing between all digits but, more extensive on the hind feet. The claws are sharp and probably aid in gripping.The hind feet are generally larger than the fore and the hind legs are longer leading to the typical hump-backed gait when traveling across land supported by Smith J. R. , 2008. The hair structure of the Lutrinae has been analysed to see if the different s pecies could be identified using hair characteristics and also to determine if the hair characteristics have an adaptive value or are influenced by the phylogeny of the group (Kuhn, Rachel A. & Wilfried M. ,2010). Habitat Otter sites varied significantly from non-otter sites, and comprised of loosely packed sand and rock, and lacked hard-packed sand, stone, gravel, vegetation and canopy cover (Shenoy K. , Varma S. & Devi Prasad K. V. , 2006).The more natural the surroundings the better so a substrate of grass, soil, pebbles, non abrasive sand (not sharp sand), and mulch as opposed to concrete will be beneficial to the otter group. If the pond is artificial and not filtrated it must be cleaned weekly. Fresh drinking water must be supplied for each day in a clean, non- spillable, disinfected container. The warmer the water the more these tropical otters swim. An ideal temperature is about 80 to 85 ° F (26. 6 – 29. 4 ° C). Pools can be constructed of many different materials such as plastic liners, concrete, gunnite or a natural pool dug out to the appropriate depth (IUCN/SSC, 2008). Behavior Smooth-coated otters are strong swimmers (Lariviere S. & Hwang Y. T. ,2005).In short, it is likely that otters undoubtedly store enough oxygen in the lungs, blood and muscles for a typical dive but experience bradycardia when pushed as a result of fear or necessity (Smith J. R. , 2008). Although otters enjoy and spend a lot of time in water they also require plenty of dry land for resting, grooming, digging and foraging (IUCN/SSC, 2008). Food and feeding habits The selection of prey by the smooth-coated otter in response to the variations in abundance of fish (Asghar Nawab & Syed Ainul Hussain, 2012 ). Smooth-coated otter is a top carnivore of wetlands and feeds mainly (up to 96%) upon fish (Khan W. A. et al. ,2010). Surprising, Goldthorpe et al. 2010, reported that a smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) was observed and photographed attacking and killing a water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) in a small pond at the Forestry Research Institute, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Smooth-coated otter attacking and killing such a large animal became the targets of repeated â€Å"tail-nipping† by the otters. The river otter has few natural predators because of its strength, sharp teeth, aggressiveness when attacked, and aquatic habits (Saunders, D. A. 1988). Communication According to Duplaix,1980 and Maxwell,1960;Wright L. C. , 2010;are two good sources for information about this species vocalizations, particularly the latter. Duplaix speaks of harsh nasal snorts and whines, and says they are a noisy species, with a varied repertoire of discrete social sounds.This is backed up by Maxwell, 1960, account of Mijbil, his pet smooth-coated otter of the Iraqi subspecies. Maxwell describes the call note as a short, anxious, penetrating but not loud chirp. The query is Ha! in a loud, harsh whisper. Furthermore, Maxwell, 1960, also describes a c ontinuum through from the chirp to a musical bubbling interspersed with chirps to a high, snarling caterwaul or scream/wail preceding attack. The main form of non-vocal communication in this species is spraint, which is produced frequently. The animals create large, very smelly communal latrines at prominent sites, such as large flat rocks, comparatively high up river banks compared to sympatric Eurasian Otters.In communication with other otters in the family group, otters seem to use their mouths as the main means of non-vocal communication, mouthing, nipping and gripping each other (Wright L. C. , 2010). Breeding Khan W. A. et al. ,2010, stated that this animal form strong monogamous pairs; males are larger but still females dominate the pair. Breeding may occur throughout the year, gestation period varies from 61-63 days and young ones at their birth are covered with fur and their eyes do not open until up to 10 days. The weaning takes almost 130 days and the young ones start tak ing fish at the age of three months. Liter size of 2-4 cubs is normal and rarely five but recently six cubs have been observed in Sindh. TreatThe smooth-coated otters considered to be â€Å"Vulnerable† due to an inferred future population decline caused by habitat loss and exploitation (Hussain et al. , 2008). Facing extremely high risk of extinction due to multitude of detrimental factors (Muhammad Rais et al. ,2009). Khan W. A. et al. , 2010, reported that habitat fragmentation, otter-human conflicts, hunting for skins and lack of awareness among general public are main threats to the species. METHODOLOGY Post monitoring and data collection. (General activity) I studied 3 smooth-coated otter ( Lutrogale perspicillata) at Zoo Taiping. I did not collect data on pre behavior because it was a one day field trip only.I recorded the smooth-coated otter`s activity every 5 min via scan sampling with instantaneous recording. I adapted behavioral categories and de? nitions from http: //www. seaworld. org/animal-info/info-books/otters/adaptations. htm. The de? nitions of behaviors that I recorded are in Table I. I recorded observations from 12. 40 p. m to 1. 30p. m.. |Table I : Behavior classi? cations and description | |Category label |De? nition of activities included within category | |Groom |All otters must continually groom their fur to maintain its insulating qualities.Otters spend a | | |substantial amount of time grooming, and many species of river otters have designated areas on land for | | |drying and grooming their fur. Most vigorously dry themselves by rolling on the ground or rubbing | | |against logs or vegetation. | |Swim |Otters are excellent swimmers. They swim with movements of the hind legs and tail. Freshwater otters | | |†dog paddle† with all four feet when swimming slowly or floating. When swimming at a high speed, the | | |entire body, including the tail, undulates up and down and the hind feet steer. | |Play |Some researcher s believe that sliding is a form of play in river otters.For some species, otters of all| | |age classes have been observed sliding. Others believe otters only use these slides for low-energy | | |travel, maintaining that otters generally do not climb to the top of a slope for another slide. These | | |latter researchers have observed very little behavior they interpret as play. | |Rest |Freshwater otters generally rest and sleep on land, either above ground or in dens. They are not | | |particular about where they sleep and often do so even in areas of moderate disturbance.Individual | | |animals often have several resting places. | |Feed |The Smooth-coated otter is a carnivore and in the wild its diet is more than 90% fish over 15cm long, | | |mainly slow-moving fish such as catfish; the balance is frogs, birds, turtles, water snakes, crabs and | | |water rats. The metabolic rate is high, and these active otters will consume 20% of their bodyweight a | | |day. In the wild, they wi ll have several hunting sessions throughout the 24-hour period, interspersed | | |with rest periods. |Diving |Otters can remain under water for 6 to 8 minutes. | |All other behavior |Communication | | |Drinking | | |Defecating | | |Urinating | |Adapt from http://www. seaworld. org/animal-info/info-books/otters/adaptations. htm | RESULT No | | | | |[pic] |[pic] | |12. 40 p. m : Play |12. 45 p. m : Rest | |[pic] |[pic] | |12. 50 p. m : Swim |12. 55 p. m : Rest | |[pic] |[pic] | |1. 00 p. m : Groom |1. 00 p. : Rest | | | | |[pic] |[pic] | |1. 05 p. m : Swim |1. 10 p. m : Rest | |[pic] |[pic] | |1. 15 p. m : Play |1. 20 p. : Swim | |[pic] |[pic] | |1. 25 p. m : Groom |1. 30 p. m : Rest | DISCUSSION From monitoring, I can see the smooth-coated otter have recycles similar activities. Much activity occurs in the water. The webbed feet, strong legs, and long, muscular body and tail adapt the otter to a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Smooth-coated otters are swim with movements of the hin d legs and tail.They use all four feet when swimming slowly or floating. The fur is thick and water proof with two types of hair; a dense under fur which traps an insulating layer of air and remains dry while the otter is swimming and the longer, overlying guard hairs that are water proof (Foster-Turley et al. , 1990; Khan W. A. et al. ,2010 ). Once in the water, an otter is a tireless and superb swimmer, propelling itself with the tail, which also serves as a rudder, and powerful thrusts of the hind limbs. Although otters enjoy and spend a lot of time in water they also require plenty of dry land for resting, grooming, digging and foraging (IUCN/SSC, 2008). On land, they lope or bound.Grooming is a frequent activity and entails rolling in the snow, mud or vegetation, often at the same location known as a landing or a hauling-out site. River otters engage in activities collectively designated as play, for example, repeated touching, shoving, tossing, and manipulating of prey, stones or other objects, or tobogganing down mud or snow slides (Saunders D. A. ,1988). Like other carnivores, smooth-coated otters use scent for inter and intra specific communication. They have a pair of scent glands at the base of the tail, which they use to mark vegetation, flat rocks, or shorelines near feeding areas. This marking behavior in otters is called sprainting.Most of the spraint sites consisted largely of loosely packed sand, and a small amount of rock, but lacked canopy cover, dense vegetation and stony or gravely substrates. Sites with these features are suited for grooming activities, which may explain why the substrate seemed to be the major factor in site selection by otters (Shenoy K. , Varma S. & Devi Prasad K. V. , 2006). Otters are intelligent, active, curious creatures and an ideal day would be to be fed 3 or 4 times a day, have plenty of stimulation and activities which include playing and foraging and also have time to rest out of the public view if so desired (IUCN/SSC, 2008). Vocal, tactile, and chemical signals are the chief means of regulating otter social behavior. Besides, the otters use chirping and humming sounds as contact calls.They hiss, purr, and whistle in other contexts (Saunders D. A. ,1988). CONCLUSION Smooth-coated otter called as Lutrogale perscipillata is known to Zoo Taiping. Besides, they are highly charismatic and popular animals of high concern to fishermen, naturalists, scientists and wild life conservationists the world over. Otters have an intrinsic beauty and they are exciting. Smooth-coated otters, one of the most intriguing semi aquatic mammals, habitual of living amphibious lifestyle, both in water and nearby lands are celebrated for living a life of mystery, disguise and concealment (Singh A. K. , 2011). Smooth-coated otters are well adapted to swimming and foraging in the water supported by Ferti D. Jackson M. & Yin S. , 1994. They have aqua dynamic, webbed feet, fine rudder, fur-tive and high metabolic rat e. It was amazing facts by Khan W. A et al. , 2010, the smooth coated otter (Lutragale perspicillata) considered to be a suitable indicator of pollution level in a wetland. Unfortunately, the smooth-coated otter life is on the brink of extinction. All small carnivore sightings were in or adjacent to protected areas. While this may suggest that their status outside such places could be of concern, it may simply reflect unequal search effort, in that night drives were not conducted at the same rate outside protected areas (Pillay R. ,2009).Otters need to be noticed to undertake stiff protection, taking practical steps for preventing decimation of endemic populace going from â€Å"Vulnerable† under â€Å"Red List† of IUCN to endanger with each passing day. The smooth-coated otter is an important ecological indicator of a healthy wetland and associated biodiversity, especially the fish fauna (Khan W. A. at el. ,2009). Feeroz M. M. , Aziz M. A & Thanchanga P. K, 2011, suppo rted that good habitats with enough food and little human interference can enhance and ensure breeding potentiality and success as well as survival. REFLECTION Firstly, praise to Allah and special thanks to Dr. Syakirah, my fellow course-mates and my family in helping me doing this assignment.My second animal observation at Zoo Taiping is smooth-coated otter. There are a group of three active smooth-coated otters in a spacious and natural like enclosure supported by Shenoy K. , Varma S. & Devi Prasad K. V. , 2006. I watched them for about an hour and it’s really fun and entertaining to watch them with their recycle behavior activities. Most of the time, the otters enjoyed swim in the â€Å"swamp† area and resting on the rocks while grooming. Sometimes, they also play around with each other on the sand area and return to water to swim. IUCN/SSC, 2008, mentioned that those otters are very great swimmer and diver. I was really exciting to see them doing that.There was a t ime when they just stand beside the glass window looking at all the people outside like they are really proud when people watch them supported by Wright L. C, 2010. By looking at the otter’s activity for around an hour, it taught me a lot on their behavioral adaptation. It makes me realize how important and valuable are our nature. Hussain et al. , 2008, reported that smooth-coated otter is also one of the â€Å"Vulnerable† species and human is one of the factors and greatest threat to them, both directly and indirectly. Habitat destruction, water pollution, fishing activity and disease can lead to fragmentation of their populations and extinction.It is our responsibility to protect our wildlife and make sure this little and full of fun creature to continue swimming for years to come. Stop pollution and live harmony with nature so that our next generation can experience and appreciate what we have today. Overall, by writing this report I gained some researching benefit s. One is that I am more aware of what is happening to endangered species. Another is that I know now that humans have a responsibility to protect our wildlife. I also gained confidence in myself. By writing this report, I have some experience in writing reports, and as a biology teacher, I will share this great information to my students, family and friends. REFERENCESAsghar Nawab & Syed Ainul Hussain, (2012), Prey selection by smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in response to the variation in fish abundance in Upper Gangetic Plains, India Feeroz M. M. , Aziz M. A & Thanchanga P. K, (2011). BREEDING ACTIVITIES OF Lutra perspicillata IN BANGLADES. IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 28(A) 2011. http://www. otterspecialistgroup. org/Bulletin/Volume28A/Feeroz_et_al_2011a. pdf Ferti D. , Jackson M. & Yin S. , (1994). Otters In Galveston Bay Waters. Galveston Bay Foundation. Vol. 6, Number 3. Goldthorpe, G. , Shepherd, C. , Hogg, S. and Leupen B. , (2010). Predation of water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) by smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in Peninsular Malaysia. IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 27  (2): 78 – 84 Hartley R. , (2011). Animal facts: Smooth-coated otter. http://www. helium. om/items/2226524-smooth-coated-otter-lutrogale-perspicillata-vulnerable-otter-species-icun-red-list-fishing-otter Hussain, S. A. , de Silva, P. K. , Mostafa Feeroz, M. (2008). Lutrogale perspicillata. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009. 1. . IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Otters in Captivity Task Force. (2008). Minimum Husbandry Guidelines for Smooth-Coated Otters in Captivity. http://www. otterspecialistgroup. org/Library/TaskForces/OCT/Husbandry_Guidelines_for_Keeping_Smooth-Coated_Otters_in_Captivity_1st_Edition. pdf Khan W. A. et al. ,(2010). Status of Smooth Coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata sindica) in Pakistan. Pakistan J. Zool. , vol. 42(6), pp. 817-824, 2010. Khan W. A. et al. 2009). A SURVEY OF SMOOTH COATED OTT ERS (Lutrogale perspicillata sindica) IN THE SINDH PROVINCE OF PAKISTAN. IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 26(1) 2009 Kuhn, Rachel A. & Wilfried M. ,(2010). Comparative hair structure in the Lutrinae (Carnivora: Mustelidae) mammalia. Volume 74, Issue 3, Pages 291–303, ISSN (Online) 1864-1547, ISSN (Print) 0025-1461, DOI: 10. 1515/mamm. 2010. 039,August 2010 Lariviere S. & Hwang Y. T. ,(2005). Mammalian Species : Lutrogale perspicillata. American Society of Mammalogists Muhammad Rais et al. ,(2009). Recent Records of Smooth-Coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) from Sindh, Pakistan* Pakistan J. Zool. , vol. 41(5), pp. 13-414, 2009 http://zsp. com. pk/pdf1/413-428%20(11). pdf Ogamba E. N. & Abowei J. F. N. ,(2012). Some Predatory Fishes, Birds, Mammals and Some Other Animals in Culture Fisheries Management. International Journal of Fishes and Aquatic Sciences 1(1): 16-34, 2012 ISSN: 2049-8411; e-ISSN: 2049-842X  © Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2012 Otters. (2005). A SeaWorld E ducation Department Publication Pillay R. ,(2009). Observations of small carnivores in the southern Western Ghats, India. Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 40: 36–40, April Saunders D. A. ,(1988). Adirondack Mammals. State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. 16pp. http://www. esf. edu/aec/adks/mammals/otter. htm Shenoy K. ,( 2003). `Against the Current` :Otters in the River Cauvery, Karnataka, Occasional Report No. 11. Otter Research Group Japan. Wildlife Trust of India, New Delhi. Pp Shenoy K. , Varma S. & Devi Prasad K. V. ,(2006), Factors determining habitat choice of the smooth-coated otter, Lutra perspicillata in a South Indian river system. CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 91, NO. 5, 10 SEPTEMBER 2006 Singh A. K. , (2011), Smooth Coated Otters of Cauvery River : â€Å" Ambassadors of wetlands Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation†. http://mmhillswildlife. blogspot. com/p/cauvery-otter. html Smith J. R. ,(2008).

Ethics in Public Administration Essay

â€Å"The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust. The elective mode of obtaining rulers is the characteristic policy of republican government. The means relied on in this form of government for preventing their degeneracy are numerous and various. The most effectual one, is such a limitation of the term of appointments as will maintain a proper responsibility to the people.1† How does one maintain proper responsibility to the people? Public Administration is a major contributor to democratic life. Its success advances to the building and maintaining of public trust built in democracy2. One of the greatest obstacles a public administrator is faced with are political and personal responsibilities. Friedrich believes that political and personal responsibilities are acquired through reasoned communication based on scientific knowledge3, while Finer argues that strict obedience to political administration superiors are ones political and personal responsibilities4. Finer also questions if there is such thing as being overly educated, and if those that are highly educated being scared away from governmental positions, thus leaving sub par people to take those roles5. The thought is that if there were better personnel in government positions than there would be a better political system; therefore a more ethically inclined system. Eric Raile agrees with Friedrich’s approach of reasoned communication; being  educated on ethics through training, personal interactions, and perceived knowledge will influence perceptions of ethical climate6. An interesting discovery though was that work tenure actually lessened the perception. This thought process of education is considered to be public ethics. Public ethics is the belief that results are gained from experience from care-oriented tasks7. Experience compared with a person’s age to how long he/she has been in office. The government has two types of approaches to determine ethics through efficiency and performance versus legal and democratic values. These two approaches are the legalistic approach and the managerialistic approach. The legalistic approach is just that, based on law. It relies on law-based priorities and processes to balance discretionary innovation and accountability. The managerialistic approach relies on innovation and efficiency to balance discretionary innovation and accountability. Whistle-blowing is an area of ethics that is often the most intimidating. While an employee is supposed to be protected it is not often guaranteed. There is a huge risk for not only the employee who reports perceived unethical behavior, but also to the company involved. Since there is always a question of whether one should report unethical behavior it is also interesting to examine what makes a person choose whether or not to report those behaviors. One study revolved around auditors, but its conclusion shows how the findings can be applied to public administration: to determine the likelihood of a person to report unethical behavior one must examine that person’s professional commitment and the organizations commitment versus colleague commitment and moral intensity of the unethical behavior9. The findings in the study of the auditors showed that moral intensity relates to both; higher level of professional identity increases as the commitment to the organization provides mo tivation. Another study showed results for where an employee is likely to report these incidences to: executives of larger organizations showed a higher level of employees voicing concerns to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and external  whistle-blowing. Executives with union workers showed a higher level of employees voicing concerns to EEOC, the media, and external whistle-blowing. Executives in the manufacturing industry showed a higher level of employees voicing concerns to OSHA10. While the results are not one hundred percent, and further investigation needs to be done, this study showed that employees are more likely to voice concerns to outside parties, rather than internally. Bibliography: Barnett, Tim. (1992). â€Å"A Preliminary Investigation of the Relationship between Selected Organizational Characteristics and External Whistleblowing by Employees.† Journal of Business Ethics. 11. Brady, F. Neil. (2003). â€Å"’Publics’ Administration and the Ethics of Particularity.† Public Administration Review. 63. Christensen, Robert K., Holly T. Goerdel, and Sean Nicholson-Crotty. (2011). â€Å"Management, Law, and the Pursuit of the Public Good in Public Administration.† Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. 21. Finer, Herman. (1936) â€Å"Better Government Personnel.† Political Science Quarterly. 51. Finer, Herman (1941). â€Å"Administrative Responsibility in Democratic Government.† Public Administration Review 1. Fredericksen, Patricia J. and Daniel Levin. (2004). â€Å"Accountability and the Use of Volunteer Officers in Public Safety Organizations.† Public Performance and Management Review. 27. Gobert , James and Maurice Punch. (2000). â€Å"Whistleblowers, the Pulic Interest, and the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.† The Modern Law Review. 63. Goodsell, Charles T. (2006). â€Å"A New Vision for Public Administration.† Public Administration Review. 66. Grant, Ruth W. and Robert O. Keohane. (2005). â€Å"Accountability and Abuses of Power in World Politics.† The American Political Science Review. 99. Huang, Yi-Hui (2001). â€Å"Should a Public Relations Code of Ethics be Enforced?† Journal of Business Ethics. 31. Huddleston, Mark W. and Joseph C. Sands. (1995). â€Å"Enforcing Administrative Ethics.† Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 537. Jos, Philip H., Mark E. Tompkins, and Steven W. Hays. (1989). â€Å"In Praise of Difficult People: A Portrait of the Committed Whistleblower.† Public Administration Review. 49. Kettl, Donald F. (2009). â€Å"Administrative Accountability and the Rule of Law.† PS: P olitical Science and Politics. 42. Kim, Seok-Eun. (2005). â€Å"Balancing Competing Accountability Requirements: Challenges in Performance Improvement of the Nonprofit Human Services Agency.† Public Performance and Management Review. 29. Luo, Yadong. (2006). â€Å"Political Behavior, Social Responsibility, and Perceived Corruption: A Structuration Perspective.† Journal of International Business Studies. 37. Madison, James. (1788) â€Å"The Alleged Tendency of the New Plan to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many Considered in Connection with Representation.† New York Packet. The Federalist. McNamee, Michael John and Scott Fleming. (2007). â€Å"Ethics Audits and Corporate Governance: The Case of Public Sector Sports Organizations.† Journal of Business Ethics. 73. Plant, Jeremy F. (2011). â€Å"Carl J. Friedrich on Responsibility and Authority.† Public Administration Review. 71 Raile, Eric D. (2013). â€Å"Building Ethical Capital: Perceptions of Ethical Climate in the Public Sector.† Public Administration Review. 73. Rodgers, Robert and Nanette Rodg ers. (2000) â€Å"Defining the Boundaries of Public Administration: Undisciplined Mongrels versus Disciplined Purists.† Public Administration Review. 60. Sayre, Wallace S. (1948). â€Å"The Triumph of Techniques over Purpose.† Public Administration Review. 8. Shanahan, Kevin J. and Michael R. Hyman. (2003). â€Å"The Development of a Virtue Ethics Scale.† Journal of Business Ethics. 42. Smith, Robert W. (2003). â€Å" Enforcement or Ethical Capacity: Considering the Role of State Ethics Commissions at the Millennium.† Public Administration Review. 63. Smith, Rogers M. (2008).â€Å"Religious Rhetoric and the Ethics of Public Discourse: The Case of George W. Bush.† Political Theory. 36. Stensota, Helena Olofsdotter. (2010). â€Å"The Conditions of Care: Reframing the Debate about Public Sector Ethics.† Public Administration Review. 70. Taylor, Eileen Z. and Mary B. Curtis. (2010). â€Å"An Examination of the Layers of Workplace Influences in Ethical Judgments: Whistleblowing Likelihood and Perseverance in Public Accounting.† Journal of Business Ethics. 93. Thompson, Dennis F. (1985). â€Å"The Possibility of Administrative Ethics.† Public Administration Review. 45.

Personal statment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal statment - Essay Example It was when I was contemplating about this that I fully realized how much I wanted to assist people develop their personality from an early stage of their life. When I completed my undergraduate studies, I realized that I wanted to pursue my masters in a career related to my passion and that is when I decided that the most appropriate field was in childhood development. To mention something about myself, I am Summah Alsuleman from Capital Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Since I was young I have been taught by numerous teacher but when I think about my learning experience, I appreciate the role that the teachers who taught me when I was below ten years played. They instilled in me a desire to learn and help others learn, which I believe has made me who I am. I have always wanted to understand how the mind of a child works and I believe that spending time with children would be one of the best ways to do so. Additionally, I understand children tend to accumulate a lot of information. It is thus the most appropriate time to impart good learning skills since this would help shape the future of such children. I believe that the childhood stage is very important and it is at this stage that good learning strategies should be cultivated. I tend to be excited by watching children learn and I believe I would be more contented to participate in their learning proces s. I have always valued the role of an educator and often found myself coaching my younger siblings. As I coached them, I recognized how easy it is to instill a positive or a negative attitude towards education on a child at this stage. I often came up with different strategies to make learning easy and fun, which made my siblings develop excellent attitude towards education. I believe that is what early childhood teachers should have, the desire to teach the young children to learn and love doing so. It is so thrilling to watch a child learn a new concept each day and

Molesworth Manor Communication Campaign Coursework

Molesworth Manor Communication Campaign - Coursework Example As a result, it is vital that Molesworth Manor devise a way to avoid this occurrence since the profitability may be ultimately affected. It is for this reason that empty nesters have been targeted as the next market for Molesworth Manor. This is a group of lonely people since they have no school-going children unlike the ones that Molesworth Manor has been targeting. The current situation is that this group is not among the people targeted by Molesworth Manor. Yet, these people need not wait for their children to come on holiday to book for rooms at Molesworth Manor. Therefore, it is highly recommendable that this group be targeted this year. For this sole reason was this reported created to ensure that Molesworth Manor remains profitable irrespective of the period. Molesworth Manor (MM) has been actively engaged in the hospitality industry for several decades now where its brand has been tremendously celebrated. The geographic location of Molesworth manor favours it in various ways including having some of the wealthiest counties around. The towns of Hampshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey are some of the towns named as the wealthiest with every household having at least one car. Further, this hotel’s location prides itself for having a great number of empty nesters. Additionally, the infrastructure is not a problem in the area meaning clients can access the hotel without any inconveniences at all. In light of the above, the objectives Molesworth Manor wishes to achieve in this campaign include finding a solution to the months when there is low occupancy. Normally, Molesworth Manor is mostly booked during the school holidays when the families spend several days there. However, the months of February, March and October are adversely affected since not many families book the hotel during this time.

Chopin Biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chopin Biography - Essay Example It was in Warsaw, the Polish capital where Frederic Chopin spent most of the twenty years of his life. He made his debut in 1818 when he played a concerto by Gyrowetz, which was then followed by the publication of his Rondo in C minor at the Warsaw Conservatory in 1825 (Piano-Paradise.com, 2005). Following his debut, he presented his own compositions, F minor and E minor Concerti in Warsaw in March and October of 1830 (Piano-Paradise.com, 2005). Before Frederic Chopin became a pianist, he was left to develop on his own. Since the Warsaw Conservatory had no great piano teachers, he had to use his own skills (Biography of Frederic†¦). His love for Bach and Mozart served as his inspiration as he kept on mastering the piano (Piano-Paradise.com, 2005). Frederic Chopin eventually became a skilled pianist and a good number of his works were for solo piano (Paterson, 2008). â€Å"Many of these works are fairly short in duration, such as the Preludes, Etudes, Waltzes, Impromptus, Nocturnes and Scherzos, as well as the previously mentioned Polish dance forms of the Mazurka and Polonaise† (Paterson, 2008). More significant was his ballade, which is â€Å"free in style like a stream of consciousness but with an internal logic† (Paterson, 2008). This theme of consciousness was present in all his preludes, most especially Prelude Numbers 15, 4, 6, 7 and 20. Another famous work was the Minute Waltz which was said to be a nickname of his piece (Paterson, 2008). Frederic-Francois Chopin had the novelist George Sand as his companion for ten years, but she left him when Chopin had tuberculosis while in Paris (Piano-Paradise.com, 2005). Soon after that, October 17, 1849, Chopin died at the age of 39 (Polish American Journal, 2007). â€Å"Chopins technique was flawless, and he always caused great excitement with the evenness of his scales and the careful manipulation of his legato (Piano-Paradise.com, 2005). Today he remains as one of the

Professional Journal Article Review 01 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Journal Review 01 - Article Example In addition, there are a number of things to be considered in leadership. Notably, these variables are a must study when it comes to leadership. First and foremost there is a leader, who is the person influencing the other people and hence gives instructions to be followed for a better achievement of goals. Consequently, there is the members, who are the subjects given the instructions by the leader and they are expected to follow. Also, there are goals to be met by the members and the leader. In fact, there are very many lessons that can be drawn from this piece because leadership is something that applies to our daily lives. Therefore, in leadership both the leader and the members must be ready to work hand in hand. This article highlights the actual meaning of planning and the need to plan. Consequently, it gives the types of planning techniques and the merits and demerits of each technique. Also, it gives suggestions on the best planning technique to use in management. Therefore, planning is the act of determining what is to be done first and what is to be done later. Subsequently, the need to plan is to ensure that everything runs smoothly in ascending order of urgency. However there are a number of characteristics of planning which includes planning is a mental activity and goal oriented. The two journals talks of crucial matters to be considered in business studies since one cannot run a business or be a manager without the leadership skills. Nevertheless, one cannot be effective in business without the proper planning. All these must be taught in business

A Study On Cigarette Smoking Among The Teen Population Math Problem

A Study On Cigarette Smoking Among The Teen Population - Math Problem Example Popular movie actors, and actresses, who are often admired by teen’s present smoking as part of the rebellion for teens smoking is being â€Å"cool† or â€Å"popular†. Smoking is a dangerous habit, and teenagers are not aware of what they are getting theirselves into when they first start out smoking. With this in mind, I based my project on making a study on teen and cigarette smoking. I am concerned about what I have read and heared about the deaths , illnesses, and health problems associated with tobacco use. Teen smoking rates have inceased in recent years and many teens start smoking each day. I want to make a study on cigarette smoking among teenagers to assess the incidence of cigarette smoking among the teen population and to provide information that will be beneficial in developing â€Å"awareness programs to reduce cigarette smoking among teenagers.† I will also discover through my surveys if teens decide to continue to smoke or to quit and the n umber of teens who smoke. Research Plan : Teenagers in particular are prone to peer pressure and the image to look â€Å"cool† and try new things and be acceptable in their own crowd or circle of friends. There is a big concern for teens getting addicted with nicotine through cigarette use. I want to increase the awareness for teen smoking and its health problems that may be caused in their future. I plan to ask a group of teenagers if they are smokers and discover the age they started . I will also ask teenagers about the number of their families and friends who smoke and the factors which led them to smoking. Aim of the Study : To create more awareness of teen smoking and its effects and to discourage and prevent teenagers from starting to smoke. Try to encourage teenagers to stop smoking if they have already begun. To identify key behavioral triggers which influence teens to start smoking. To provide solutions for the cause of teenage smoking. To organize the data and info rmation collected and make it into useful graphs. To make recommendations and conclusions based on the survey. Methods of data collection : I used questionnaries to collect data regarding teen smoking to know at what age do teens start smoking and also the correlation of teen smoking with gender and other influences. My study is on Middle School students (ages 12-14 yrs), High School students , (ages 15-18 yrs), and those in Universities (ages 18-19 ) in Bahrain. I chose to use this method because my research is targeting the teen population. My survey gave me an observation on how teenagers think of trying out smoking at an early age. I believe that people are more truthful in filling up their questionnaires regarding controversial issues like teen smoking, due to the fact that their responses are anonymous. The survey will be performed with questions that ask the teenagers about the following independent variables: Gender – the hypothesis is that boys will most likely take up smoking than girls and will continue to smoke later on in life. Family and Friends – the hypothesis is that teens who have more family members or circle of friends that smoke will more likely start smoking and continue the smoking habits. I have also researched through the internet, books , different articles, statistics , and observations about teen smoking. I have made charts and graphs to illustrate the

What and How Human Resources Strategies Can Be Implemented Essay

What and How Human Resources Strategies Can Be Implemented - Essay Example Wal-Mart is one of the largest employers in the world and implements effective human resource practices and strategies to maintain the diverse work culture in the company. The company maintains a detailed database for its human resources and keeps eye to the intricate details of proper recruitment, training and development, compensation and performance management for the employees. The effective management and human resource practices are identified as the key factors for driving the success of Wal-Mart through decades of its operations across the globe. Strategic human resource management plays a critical role in delivering the performance of Wal-Mart. Therefore, the company pays major attention to the human resource practices followed in the organization. 1. Recruitment Wal-Mart over the years of operations has taken various recruitment and staffing policies in order to maximize their outputs with the minimum costs incurred. In 2013 June the company had been hiring only the tempora ry staffs for their U.S. stores. Though the temporary recruitment is one of the popular policies of the retail organizations during the holiday seasons when they would require additional employee strength. However, the company had adopted this policy at a time when there is no such pressure of the holiday season in the US market. According to the managers of the organization that policy was taken to ensure that there is no dearth of employee in Wal-Mart in running their day to day activities. They also claimed that it was not something that the company had taken in order to cut the cost of hiring the employees (Morrison, 2006, pp. 75-91). This is because the cost of hiring a permanent employee is much more than what it takes to hire a temporary worker. But this was denied by the managers of the organization. The Human resources managers has taken this strategy on the ground that the temporary workers would be adequately able to meet up the needs of Wal-Mart on the nights of the week days and on the weekends when the number of footfalls in the stores in the greatest. Thus there would no need for hiring the additional permanent staff that would otherwise be required (Needle, 2010, pp. 112-137). This would however lead to a slackening of the employment in the country of US since the employment in the company is huge and would comprise of the large section of the employed population of the company. This policy may not be considered as a feasible policy considering the long run scenario (Marching ton and Wilkinson, 2012, pp. 45-59). This is because the temporary employees are generally not loyal to the company and therefore if they get better offer they would switch to the other companies from Wal-Mart. There would also be lack of motivation among the employees to do the job because of the lack of loyalty among the employees and the lesser remuneration that they would derive out of the organization. This is also unethical on part of the company to recruit the tempor ary workers in order to dodge the healthcare costs (Kew and Stredwick, 2008, pp. 241-297). This is because the new healthcare laws of the United States demand that the organizations that hire the workers on a permanent basis have to provide them with healthcare benefits. In order to retain the loyalty of the employees and to keep them motivated to the work the company has to provide them with these healthcare benefits as well. They should also be provided with the insurances in order to take care of the ethical aspects of the business. 2. Training and Development In

Health Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Policy - Essay Example Among these the social factor can be considered to be the most influential. This is because it is only the awareness of the public that makes to utilize the medical resources. Most of the people lack awareness. This could be possibly due to illiteracy. Hence those sections must be taught regarding various aspects of health and care. Modern public health is often concerned with the addressing determinants of health across a population, rather than advocating for individual behaviour change. There is a recognition that our health is affected by many factors including where we live, genetics, our income, our educational status and our social relationships - these are known as "social determinants of health." A social gradient in health runs through society, with those that are poorest generally suffering the worst health. However even those in the middle classes will generally have worse health outcomes than those of a higher social stratum (WHO, 2003). The new public health seeks to ad dress these health inequalities by advocating for population-based policies that improve the health of the whole population in an equitable fashion. (Wikipedia -the free online encyclopedia) Managed Health Care, a general classification used for a type of health insurance that provides comprehensive medical care based on a prepaid contract as opposed to traditional fee-for-service health insurance. Traditional health insurance pays a health-care provider each time a medical service is performed. Managed health-care plans, however, pay health-care providers a set monthly fee for each member of the plan, regardless of whether the member seeks medical care. Managed health-care plans are so-named because they attempt to manage or control the costs of health care by requiring participants in the plan to seek medical care from designated physicians. These physicians act as "gatekeepers" who determine if patients need to see more costly medical specialists. Most managed care systems encourage preventive medicine, operating with the philosophy that it is better for the patient and more cost-effective to focus on preventing illness or to treat an illness in its early stages than to treat an illness in advanced stages. Accordingly, managed health-care plans provide broad coverage for preventive care, such as immunizations and physical examinations, unlike traditional health insurance plans. Managed care plans are unique to the United States. They are usually offered through employers, although individuals and senior citizens who receive government-funded health insurance through Medicare can enroll directly in managed care plans. Most employer-sponsored plans allow an "open enrollment period" of one month when employees can decide whether they want a managed care plan or a traditional fee-for-service plan, also known as an indemnity plan. (See also Health Insurance.) There are three basic types of managed care plans: health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and point-of-service plans. II HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS HMOs provide comprehensive medical services in exchange for a monthly payment from the plan participant. HMOs developed in the early 1970s with the passage of the federal Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973. The law applied minimum, uniform standards in all 50 states for a health insurance organization to qualify as an

Chainsaw Al Dunlap Essay Example for Free

Chainsaw Al Dunlap Essay l â€Å"Chainsaw Al Dunlap†: A New Breed of Manager? West Point graduate Albert J. Dunlap, former chairman and CEO of Scott Paper Company, claims that the U.S. Military Academy made him â€Å"tenacious and very organized†. Others say his experience gave him an â€Å"inyour-face attitude rare among executives† and made him a valuable hired gun for straightening out troubled companies. Dunlap is known to attack and challenge nearly every premise and person that gets in his sight. Those who interfere with his efforts usually get chewed up by the experience. Scott Paper is a familiar brand name to the American consumer. Founded by Clarence and Irvin Scott in 1879, the company eventually became the worlds largest supplier of toilet tissue, paper napkins, and paper towels. As it matured, however, Scotts profitability suffered and growth stagnated when rival Procter Gamble took an increasing market share. Between 1960 and 1971, Scotts market share of consumer paper products dropped from 45 to 33 percent. In the period 1990 to 1994, Scott continued to lose market share, and in 1993, the company lost $277 million and saw its credit rating deteriorate. By 1994, Scott Paper was a moribund bureaucracy. In hiring Al Dunlap, Scotts board of directors signaled its determination to take decisive action. Dunlap initiated changes that would eliminate 11,000 employees (71 percent of headquarters staff, 50 percent of all managers, and 20 percent of hourly workers). He sold off unrelated business units — including publishing papermaker S.D. Warren Company, for $1.6 b8llion — and slashed spending — the research and development budget alone was cut in half, to $35 million. Not surprisingly, Dunlaps cost cuts and increased prices achieved immediate bottom-line results. The companys profitab8iliyy soared, as did the market value of its stock, which rose 225 percent under Dunlaps leadership. Dunlap claimed that by launching new products and selling unprofitable ventures, he had positioned Scott Paper for long-term positive returns for investors. Critics disagreed, seeing Dunlaps moves as constituting a short-term strategy to groom the company for a merger. In the words of one former marketing executive, Dunlaps strategy â€Å"became a volume-driven plan to pretty up the place for sale†. In fact, on December 12, 1995 , Scott shareholders approved a $9.4 billion merger with Kimberly-Clark Corporation. As for Al Dunlap, he enjoys his â€Å"chainsaw† reputation and believes that his approach is helping to change the norms of corporate behavior. However, according to Peter D. Cappelli, chairman of the management department at the Wharton Business School , â€Å"He is persuading others that shareholder value is the be-all and end-all. But Dunlap didnt create value. He redistributed income from the employees and the community to the shareholders.† Neverthel ess, the cuts continue. Kimberly-Clark plans to remove 8,000 workers from the combined companies 60,000 workforce by 1997 and to close Scotts headquarters in Boca Raton , Florida . One former high-level Scott executive believes that the company is now â€Å"just a hollow core.† Meanwhile Dunlap walked away with $100 million in salary, bonus, stock gains, and other perks. He offers no apologies for his approach: â€Å"Im not going to apologize for success†¦for all this, for hard work. Thats the freemarket system.† Dunlap does not believe that a business should be run for the stakeholders, such as employees or the communities in which they live, but for the shareholders-period. â€Å"Stakeholders are total rubbish,† according to Dunlap. â€Å"Its the shareholders who own the company. Not enough American executives care about the shareholders.† The real question is whether short-term stockholder gains are good for business down the road. Says Sarah Teslik, executive director of the Council of Institutional Investors in Washington, a watchdog group for big shareholders: â€Å"Dunlap holds himself up as a role model, but any company is apt to have significant stock runup if current costs are reduced by a huge amount. Thats no guarantee [Scott] will do well in the future.† On the other hand, some analysts contend that Dunlap has changed corporate America for the better. In a Financial World magazine poll, for example, CEOs voted he is now a high-profile business leader who will be sought out by the boards of other troubled companies to enhance shareholder value. It remains to be seen, however, what impact the short-term and long-term consequences of Al Dunlaps management theory will have on corporate America and the American workforce. Questions: †¢ Describe Al Dunlaps management approach. Does it fit any of the classical or modern approaches? Explain. How does it contradict some points in these approaches? †¢ Delineate the good points and bad points of a massive downsizing effort such as that undertaken at Scott Paper — as if you were a stakeholder, and then, as if you were a shareholder. Are your two lists different? Explain. †¢ What factors were the keys to increased productivity at Scott Paper? How was Dunlap responsible for the companys turnaround? †¢ Describe the kind of company that might hire Dunlap next. What goals might its board of directors have? What problems might the company face? What companies in the news today fit your description?

Mauritius PESTLE Analysis: Tourism and Economy

Mauritius PESTLE Analysis: Tourism and Economy Mauritius Republic of Mauritius Republic Moris Rà ©publique de Maurice Country Name   Mauritius Area 2040km2 (179th) Population   12,88,000   Density   631.4/km2 Capital City   Port Louis Currency   Muritiunrupee (Mur) Languages  -Mauritian creole, French, English, Bhojpuri. Mauritian government parliamentary Republic President President Sir Anerood Jugnauth Primeminister NavinRamgoolam Independence from U.K in 12 March 1968 Republic Day 12 March, 1992. Pestle Analysis of Mauritius In PESTLE analysis of Mauritius, I analysis the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental structure of Mauritius Uses of Country Analysis Report: Understanding gained from country profiles can be used to plan business investment or market entry in a particular country. The insights provide idea key business opportunities. The profiles also provide an overview of the legal and regulatory framework to start and operate a business in the country. Typical uses of each PESTLE segment are: Typical uses of each PESTLE SEGMENT:- Political section provides understanding about the political system and key figures relevant to business in the country and governance indicators. Economic section deals with the economic theory of a country that provides a balanced assessment of significant macro-economic issues. Social section enables understanding of customer demographics through income distribution, Rural-urban segmentation and centers of affluence, healthcare and educational scenario. Technological section provides strategic information on technology and telecom, technological laws and policies, technological gaps, patents and opportunity sectors in the country. Legal section provides information about the legal structure, corporate laws, laws to start a new business and tax regime. Environmental section provides information on countrys performance on environmental indicators and polices. (E)conomic condition of Mauritius As far as we consider the country, this is not a very big county, the total area of the country is 2040 square k.m. The present economic condition of the country very good and growing with the good pace in every sector like: If talk about the GDP of the country the it grows by $9.156 billion from 2009 to 2010 and real growth rate is of 2.1% from last year. The per capita income in 2010 is $12,400 which is far more than India i.e. $1007(Rs.44345/year) The avg. inflation rate is 3.4% in 2010 which also less than the India i.e. 8% approx. The agriculture sector has grown by 4.5 % of the GDP: Products in which they have grown: Sugar, Sugar derivatives, Tea, Tobacco, vegetables, fruits, flowers, cattle and and fishing. The manufacturing sector, including export processing zone of the country has grown by 19.4% that shows that it has grown in good pace in comparison to other sectors like agriculture, tourism. The reason for growing in such a pace is: Mauritius was in labor intensive growth for export, including textiles, and clothing, watches, and clocks, jewelry, optical goods, toys and games and cut flowers. Tourism sector in Mauritius has grown by 8.7% of GDP: The tourism of the country is grow due to its good climatic, weather condition, covered by Indian ocean (sea shore)i.e. beach and all tourist come and enjoy the natural environment of the Mauritius. They attract so many countries like India, France, U.S, South Africa, and other European countries. The export is increased by $2.55 billion, in textiles and clothing, watches ,and clocks ,jewelry ,optical goods ,toys and games travel goods and hand bags. The major market for this export: European countries and U.S. The import of the country is $3.552 billion. The country mainly import manufactured goods, capital equipment, food stuffs, petroleum products,chemicals,dairy products,fish,wheat,rice,iron and steel,cenment,fertilizers,and other industrial raw materials. They mainly import from India, France, South Africa, China, Japan, Spain, Italy, Germany, Malaysia, and Thailand. (P)olitical Factors In the present time political environment play a very important role to overcome country from every problem and make the country perfect in every section like economical, social, environmental and and technological and the same thing happened with Mauritius. Since from 2002 economy started to face some serious challenges as result of globalization, involving the erosion of trade preferences for both Textiles and sugar, two pillars of the economy. Economic growth declined by 3%-4%, while unemployment, Budget deficit and public debt increased steadily. So for overcome from these problems government took so many action. These actions are as follows: In July 2005, they concentrated on a bold economic reform so that it handle and easily face all the global competitive challenges of global market. This reform or changes was not only to improve or remedy to fiscal weakness but also increase business, improve the investment condition in the country, and also increased the FDI investment. The government promoting the restructuring and modernization of textile and sugar industry. They are also promoting ICT (information communication technology) sector, made sea food hub, Freeport (free trade zone at the port and airport). Government also focuses on the various issues like: The land based oceanic industry, Hospitality and property development. Healthcare and biomedical industry. Agro-processing and biotechnology. The knowledge industry and renewable energy. (S)ocial factor Social section enables understanding of customer demographics through income distribution, Rural-urban segmentation and centers of affluence, healthcare and educational scenario. In the country, there are governmental as well as non governmental org.work for the social development of the country. The government offers so many projects for the private and other organization. The Amssadors Special self help programme (SSH) is the development programme. The above programme is to promote and assist small scale project and improving the socioeconomic condition of the country at grassroot level. The basic aim of SSH funds projects are as follows: Addressing global issues such as HIV/AIDS prevention and drug use. Women empowerment. Childrens education. Environmental protection. Mauritius Health and Welfare The Mauritius govt. funded for health services for all the public(easily accessible) Government funded health services and facilities are widespread and accessible to most of the population although facilities are concentrated in urban areas. Ministry of Economic Planning and Development provide more facilities to public So for that government allocated 7.7% of the GDP to healthcare (US$57.9 million) The government has given more emphasis on the healthcare and addressed more doctors and more beds in the hospitals for the easy convenience of the public. Now a days govt. give more emphasis to some important issues like: Easy access to drinking water Nutritional value increased by 2680 to 124% per capita caloric intake. In the present time govt. provides family welfare allowances to the poor. Government provides support to the economically weak students: They provide wheelchairs to the physically weak (handicap) for use at the university of Mauritius and university of technology Mauritius. Government refunds the taxi fares who is physically unfit. They provide discount in the examination fee. (T)echnological Mauritius govt. has been increased upto Rs.24billion in which 11 billion has been invested by the Mauritius govt. The govt has been invested on various project like: Road construction: 11 road projects. Many bi directional lanes. Phase 1 of the ring road The Bus rapid transit system Airport: To meeting more vessel and container at the port govt. expand the port and for that it invested Rs.3.5 billion. Agriculture Government opened agricultural research and extension unit to provide information to planters and breeders regarding price and production level. It provide technical assistance for the development of high tech. sheltered level. It provide consultancy charge up to 75% and application fee Rs.150000 for promoting sugar business to gaining the fair trade from the EU. (E)nvironmental Factor Government for protection and enhancement of the country environment they take 3 major steps Energy efficienct Encouraging public, industry, private for using energy efficient light bulbs for that they provide additional subsidy. They also frame a regulatory institution Energy efficiency management office. They encourage by providing economic incentives for not to purchase polluting vehicles and bio fuels. Green buildings: For reducing the green house gas emission they transform and construt more energy efficient building. Create awareness regarding new energy efficient parameters for building. Measures existing buildings energy efficiency. Construct building with such materials which do not affect the environment. Solar Energy For utilizing solar energy ministry of renewable energies grant a new subsidy of 5000 of each of the 50000 household to purchases the solar water heaters. Other improvement in local environment To protect the environment from unforeseen condition they take various measures like The drainage flood prone areas Enhance awareness about waste management and biodiversity. Made a disaster management unit. (Le)gal factors Tax policy -decreased the tax at source on royalties to non residents from 10% to 15%. They provide tax benefits to the big companies till 31 December. The individual liable to national residency property tax has been increases from Rs.385000 to 400000. Government removed the custom duties on rice, milk, oats milk, almond milk, street light lamps. Removed the duties on T.Vs up to 32 inches and up to 15% on T.V sets above 32 inches. They charged higher tax on energy inefficient electrical and electronic appliances. Ministry of renewable energy will decide the tax on car which emits CO2. Country using Porters diamonds model Porters Diamond The Determinants of National Advantage In the there is demand of two main sector: 1. Tourism 2. Sugar industry. The country is surround by the Indian ocean (island),so it takes the advantage tourism. The country was in cane production very well developed before the independence, and still now. There are so many sugar industries has been established in the Mauritius, and they export sugar to his neighboring country at in large amount. With the development of technology country witnessed constant evolution in this sector. The country in the begning produced sugar in the large amount and increases its production by increasing by the mills at every decade. But due to competition in the globalised market so many rivalry are present like Cuba,India,etc.and cost of sugar increases due to increasing the inflation as well as factor of production of sugar. For the making the sugar industry prospers govt. made a future plan from 2005 to 2015. In which they showed various cost which is incurred in producing sugar. By considering all factors (competition, cost of production, inflation) govt. has decide to reduced the production of sugar. Usually country produces 600000 tonnes sugar annually in which they exported 530000 tonnes exported to the Europian union .While domestic consumption of sugar is 40000 tonnes per annum.The success of sugar industry has good agreement between U.K and other europian union. The upliftment of sugar production in country due availability of water and avg. rain fall is 2500mm per year So from the above facts it appears that the demand of the sugar is present in the country and outside the country. But due to the inflation factors of production cost become high. The cost of the skilled labor is very high. Supporting industry for the Mauritius to increase the GDP in 2010 are industrial growth and tourism, which participate 19.4% and 8.7 %. Mauritius is like a heaven for the tourists and for promoting this sector govt. play a very important role For promoting this sector govt. advertise the country in all over the world like: TOURIST ARE DRAWN TO THE UNSPOILED NATURAL BEAUTY OF MAURITIUS WITHOUT ENVIRONMENT WE WONT ANY TOURISM Mauritius take economic advantage from tourism, with this sector so many hotels industry at the peak seasons generate revenue in good amount and from hotels govt. collect the tax in large amount. Every year in Mauritius approx. 9 lakh visitors come to the country. The Mauritius now becomes the investment hub due to tourism. In the present times many rivalry are emerges out of Mauritius in tourism sector like South Africa, U.S.A etc. Mauritius infrastural development Mauritius govt. has been increased up to Rs.24billion in which 11 billion has been invested by the Mauritius govt. The govt. has been invested on various project like: Road construction: 11 road projects. Many bi directional lanes. Phase 1 of the ring road The Bus rapid transit system Airport: To meeting more vessel and container at the port govt. expand the port and for that it invested Rs.3.5 billion. Agriculture Government opened agricultural research and extension unit to provide information to planters and breeders regarding price and production level. It provide technical assistance for the development of high tech. sheltered level. It provide consultancy charge up to 75% and application fee Rs.150000 for promoting sugar business to gaining the fair trade from the EU. Facilities to the economically weak students: They provide wheelchairs to the physically weak (handicap) for use at the university of Mauritius and university of technology Mauritius. Government refunds the taxi fares who is physically unfit. They provide discount in the examination fee. Case Study: Severe Malaria Case Study: Severe Malaria The case A 22 year old male whom had just returned from the malarial endemic region of Nigeria from a visit to friends was admitted to A/E at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Nottingham presenting with symptoms of cerebral malaria (severe malaria) Diagnosis: The five protozoa plasmodium endo-parasite species that result in malaria disease in human hosts are: Falciparum, Vivax, Malariae, Ovale and Knowlesi a particular cause of 70% of malarial cases in Southeast Asia. These species all belong to the Plasmodium genus with Falciparum being the most virulent- accounting for 80% of all cases and 90% of all deaths (Moore, Knight, and Blann, 2010) along with being the only plasmodium species causing severe malaria where cerebral malaria (a multi system disease) is a known complication. Transmission of Falciparum is through bites from female anopheles mosquitoes, of which the anopheles gambiae is best for known, during their blood meals to nourish their eggs (Moore, Knight, and Blann, 2010) Falciparum infection in relation to this case was the likely diagnosis due to observed clinical manifestation of cerebral malaria in the patient. Cerebral malaria is considered a pediatric disease from the endemic region (Nigeria) where patient was returning from, however Falciparum has been shown to have a wide epidemiological reach. The endo parasite is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions (non-arid climate optimal survival conditions for vector) such as aforementioned many parts of sub Saharan Africa with Nigeria having the highest morbidity and mortality in regards to malaria in the world.class=table table-bordered America (central and northern half of south America mainly) and Asia (south east Asia particularly, where main body of information on the clinical features, course and prognosis of infection with Falciparum, leading to cerebral malaria, in particularly young adults such as the patient is derived) are also regions of high transmission. (Idro et al., 2005) Clinical Features/Symptoms: Table 1: Clinical features of Falciparum infection Early clinical features/ symptoms Falciparum infection Later symptoms and Neurological manifestations of infection Other Neurological signs/ Major complications (worsening of symptoms) After a few days infected patients typically present with-any combo of: Profuse fever, chills, sweating (tertian due to synchronized release of each new generation of mature merozoites in exoerythrocytic cycle and Erythrocyte schizogony into the bloodstream) Malaise Headache Joint and body/muscle aches Delirium Vomiting Abdominal cramps Diarrhoea (all due to inflammatory response/immune response Haemolysis (due to intraerythrocytic parasites- occurs when mature hepatic schizont/ merozoites of Falciparum burst out of liver, reenter bloodstream where they invade erythrocytes (initiating Erythrocyte schizogony- grow and divide and destroy the cells within a 48hr period) high parasitemiaclass=table table-bordered (hyperparasitemia) coincides with more severe haemolysis and leads to hemoglobinuria Without treatment of Falciparum infection these early features can manifest into cerebral malaria with common features of: Occasional Psychotic behavior/ confusion (1st manifestation of cerebral involvement) Seizures (Falciparum is epileptogenic; risk of seizures increases with increase with parasitemia) less common in adults (15% of cases southeast Asian) compared with the 50% prevalence in pediatric cases (Idro et al., 2005) Unarousable Coma due to Hypercoagulable state, consequence of cytoadherence of infected RBC and rosetting of both infected and non-infected RBC (erythrocytes) to endothelium of cerebral blood vessels and capillaries restricting blood flow.class=table table-bordered (diffuse encephalopathy- level of consciousness may fluctuate over a period of hours) Hypoxia due to blood flow constriction leading to Tissue necrosis Spontaneous bleeding and severe hemolytic anemia (due to significant haemolysis of both infected and non-infected RBC- contributes to renal failure Coagulation disorders (i.e thrombocytopenia) due to activation of the coagulation cascade (could account for low platelet count in patient in this case study as patient likely suffering from condition) Other symptoms: Severe Jaundice Kussmal breathing (occurring with acute renal failure and severe lactic acidosis) Shock (with possible presence of septicemia) Patients typically have symmetrical upper neuron signs/brainstem signs such as: Disconjugate movement of the eyes (due To CNS involvement) Abnormal posturing/ opisthotonos Retinal abnormalities (less common in adults. i.e retinal hemorrhages associated with increased mortality) Mutli-organ failure (Falciparum is a multisystem disease)- circulatory, hepatic, coagulation, pulmonary failure Pulmonary edema (possibly due to abnormalities of the pulmonary microcirculation caused by RBC restricting blood flow. (Brooks et al.,1968) Severe Hypoglycemia (only present in 8% of cases ref science direct) In a few patients- abnormalities such as cerebral infarcts (stroke)can manifest (due to thrombophilia in cerebral capillaries). Table 2: Outcomes/ Prognosis of cerebral malaria in adults with treatment Recovery of consciousness Slower in Adults occurs within 48 hours Mortality Around 20% (50% of mortality cases occur within 24hrs without treatment) Neurological/ neurocognitive sequelae Very rare in adults range from

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the greatest fourteenth century text. It was written by an unknown author between 1375 and 1400. The story begins at Christmas time, and there are many symbolic elements. The Green Knight is a color which symbolizes Christmas. Also, changing seasons and the coming of winter symbolize the passing of life and reminds us that Death is unavoidable. The author also skillfully illustrates human weaknesses in the descriptions of Gawain's temptations. The story tells about adventures of Sir Gawain, who takes the Green Knight's challenge. One year after cutting Green Knight's head off, which did not kill him, Gawain has to travel to find the Green Knight and take his blow in return. He finds a strange castle, and while he awaits there for the final day, his knight's ethical code is put to a test by the host and his wife. In this part, Green Knight, in an unmannerly way, enters the hall where King Arthur and his Knights feast and cleverly gets them committed to take his game without revealing what it is he wants to play. The story In this passage from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Green Knight enters the hall on his horse. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are having their feast. They are astounded to see a green knight on a green horse. They don't take any action; instead they stare at the stranger. The Green Knight challenges the king and his companions to take his game. He is arrogant, and he uses their pride to get them committed to his game. He is successful, as the king promises to take the game, although he does not know what it is yet. The Green Knight comes into the hall where King Arthur and his knights feast on a horse, and does not greet anyone. He carries a huge axe with "The Spike of green steel" (Norton 207) and with green engravings. He carries no armor and no other weapons. When he enters, not only he does not greet the people present, but he looks down rudely at them and asks: "Where is the captain of this crowd? Keenly I wish to see that sire with sight, and to himself say my say." The knights of the Green Table are so surprised, they fail to protect their king. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the greatest fourteenth century text. It was written by an unknown author between 1375 and 1400. The story begins at Christmas time, and there are many symbolic elements. The Green Knight is a color which symbolizes Christmas. Also, changing seasons and the coming of winter symbolize the passing of life and reminds us that Death is unavoidable. The author also skillfully illustrates human weaknesses in the descriptions of Gawain's temptations. The story tells about adventures of Sir Gawain, who takes the Green Knight's challenge. One year after cutting Green Knight's head off, which did not kill him, Gawain has to travel to find the Green Knight and take his blow in return. He finds a strange castle, and while he awaits there for the final day, his knight's ethical code is put to a test by the host and his wife. In this part, Green Knight, in an unmannerly way, enters the hall where King Arthur and his Knights feast and cleverly gets them committed to take his game without revealing what it is he wants to play. The story In this passage from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Green Knight enters the hall on his horse. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are having their feast. They are astounded to see a green knight on a green horse. They don't take any action; instead they stare at the stranger. The Green Knight challenges the king and his companions to take his game. He is arrogant, and he uses their pride to get them committed to his game. He is successful, as the king promises to take the game, although he does not know what it is yet. The Green Knight comes into the hall where King Arthur and his knights feast on a horse, and does not greet anyone. He carries a huge axe with "The Spike of green steel" (Norton 207) and with green engravings. He carries no armor and no other weapons. When he enters, not only he does not greet the people present, but he looks down rudely at them and asks: "Where is the captain of this crowd? Keenly I wish to see that sire with sight, and to himself say my say." The knights of the Green Table are so surprised, they fail to protect their king.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Encyclopedia Extract :: essays research papers

Shilstone, F.W.(1996). Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. In World Book Encyclopedia (Volume 2, pp. 655-656). Chicago: World Book, Inc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the best-known poets of her time. The oldest of twelve children in an upper middle-class family, she received no formal education, but a desire for knowledge enabled her to learn eight languages on her own. She began writing poetry as a child, and by the time she reached adulthood she had published four immensely popular volumes of verse. Though a longtime illness made her something of a recluse, Barrett was able to meet many of the leading writers of the day. In 1845, she began to receive letters from the poet Robert Browning, who, after five months of correspondence, paid her a visit. They fell in love, and when Elizabeth’s stern father refused to allow her to spend the winter of 1846 in Italy as her doctors had advised, she and Browning “married secretly'; there (Shilstone, 1996, p.656). In 1849, their son was born, whom they nicknamed Pen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Elizabeth Barrett Browning used many different emotions when writing her poetry. In the collection, Sonnets from the Portuguese (1849), Elizabeth let the love for her husband speak. The whole collection is forty-four poems written to Robert Browning. Aurora Leigh (1857) is yet another example of love being prominent in Elizabeth’s writings. Another element in Elizabeth’s writings is statements about faith and her illness/death. In the closing line of her “most famous sonnet'; (p.656) Sonnet 43 Elizabeth says, “and if God choose,/ I shall but love thee better after death.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the 19th century, Elizabeth Barrett Browning helped to revive the sonnet cycle, which is a series of sonnets loosely connected by a common subject or theme.

The History of the Computer :: Computers Technology Technological Essays

The History of the Computer "This reminds me of a revelation I had a few years ago, after getting my first CD-ROM drive. I'd manage to misplace a CD containing a multimedia encyclopedia and eventually found it sitting on the floor under my desk. I realised then that never before in human history had it been possible to lose an entire 28 volume encyclopedia by dropping it behind a piece of furniture. Now that's what I call progress!" (Computer Quotes) The information age is marked by the widespread use of the personal computer. Beginning with Ed Roberts’ first computer through to the development of the world’s fastest computer in Japan, the use of the personal computer has revolutionized our country, and in fact, our world. Although Roberts created the first computer, there were many stepping stones that led up to its conception. For instance, he negotiated with Intel to use their silicon chips. These chips were an uprising in their own creation. Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore created them. This in turn was modified to become a single-chip microprocessor. This was very important because it could be programmed, and memory could be added onto it. Thus, using Intel’s chip as a foundation, Roberts created the first computer, the Altair 8800. His company, Model Instrumentation Telemetry Systems (MITS), marketed these machines as a last hope strategy to decrease debt within the company. Little did they know that the demand for the Altair 8800 would never die down, nor that it was a great rise in modern technology. Because of the rise in interest in computers, there formed a group, Homebrew Computer Club, which discussed how to build computers. One of its members, Steve Wozniak, soon created another version of a computer, the Apple I. Other computers also built around 1977 were the IMSAI 8080, built by IMSAI, Radio Shack’s TRS-80, and the most advanced thus far that year, the Commodore PET. This machine, contrived by Commodore, had a monitor, keyboard, and cassette player, as opposed to antecedent devices, which had switchboards and lights to indicate signals. Apple soon was influenced by this computer, and decided to make their next computer, the Apple II, a more consumer-friendly machine, in 1979. Thus, it was enclosed in a plastic casing and came with a video monitor, keyboard, cassette interface (which stored data), and game paddles. It was also capable of having stored programs, or installing programs onto it.

Freedom vs Happiness in Brave New World Essay

There are many things that people pursue, such as wealth, prestige, or the latest technology. Of our many pursuits, the most essential are happiness and freedom. However, a question arises: can we possess both happiness and freedom? Most people may not have a clear answer for that. Brave New World, through the actions of its characters, reveals that there exists a conflict between the possession of the two ideas. Lenina, having been conditioned to be happy, has unconsciously given up the ability to have freedoms. From birth, she was assigned the role of beta plus, trained to not seek art, science or relationships. All of her material needs and wants are met. Nothing can make her feel sadness or desire. Thus, her motive to pursue freedom is non existent. If something against her conditioning comes up, she will feel confused and uncomfortable. While on vacation at the Savage Reservation, she witnesses the savage society, where people have families, religion, and natural aging. She feels disgusted by it, â€Å"Too awful† (pg 116), so she goes on Soma holiday to forget about what she has seen. While over the roaring waves of the English Channel, Lenina cannot come to admire the beauty of nature, â€Å"She was appalled by the rushing emptiness†¦ among the hastening clouds† (pg. 90). When John professes his love to her, Lenina is unable to understand his feelings, she’s on ly familiar with physical/sexual relationships, â€Å"For Ford’s sake John, talk sense†¦ you’re driving me crazy† (pg. 191). Although her body is free, she lacks spiritual freedom, whether it be in terms of relationships, natural, or cultural beauty. Opposite to Lenina, John grew up sharing the values of the Indians and William Shakespeare, which are in opposition to those of the World State. Once he comes in contact with â€Å"civilization†, he realises that his values are rejected by the â€Å"civilized† people. For example, he loves Lenina very much, but gets angry and insulted when she doesn’t understand his motives and tries to initiate sex, â€Å"get out of my sight or I’ll kill you† (pg. 194). When his mother dies, he becomes upset with the death conditioning of the children and interferes with it, â€Å"The savage looked down at him†¦ did not even look round† (pg 207). Finally, frustrated with the â€Å"civilized† world, he tries to lead a group of Deltas by warning them on the negative effects

How does Hobbes’ views on our senses influence his overall theory Essay

It is no coincidence that the first part of Thomas Hobbes’ The Leviathan begins with a discussion of the senses—his views on how the human faculties of sight, smell, taste, hearing and feeling form the basis of his theories on humanity and society. Hobbes presents a departure from most of the prevalent beliefs on perception during his time. Thomas Hobbes lived during the 16th to 17th Century, where most of Europe has already undergone the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a rebirth of the culture in Europe, primarily through the re-discovery of the Classical Greek and Roman traditions. Hence, most of the philosophical scholarship during that time centered on the works of the great Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato. Hobbes departs from both philosphers in his view on the senses. Plato believed that the world we can perceive through our senses is a fallacy. Our senses cannot be trusted and being â€Å"base† or low faculties–they should be discarded in favor of the faculty of the mind, which would lead to the â€Å"world of ideas. † The world of ideas is the truth and everything else is irrelevant. Notice the schism between the idea and the senses according to Plato. Aristotle, like most students, countered his teacher Plato in his work, Poetics. He believes that the sensory world is the means by which one can achieve the truth. The world of ideas is not some far off place in the mind, but intertwined with the senses. Thomas Hobbes presents something quite revolutionary. He departs from the ideas of Aristotle that truth or knowledge is achieved through the senses. Hobbes has a more scientific approach—the faculties of the sense are merely absorbers of input from an external â€Å"object (10, I. 1). To sense is basically to manufacture a â€Å"fancy (10, I. 1)† or knowledge from the stimulus presented by the object. Thus, the act of sensing is not true at all. Hobbes also deviates from Plato’s idea that the senses are completely detached from the truth or knowledge. Hobbes believes that while the act of sensing or perception creates a manufactured thought, the production of thought is still impossible without the senses. That said, this creates a problem: it seems that the world as perceived by humans is inherently relative and false. The universal truth of Plato and Socrates do not exist in Hobbes world view; even the production of knowledge through the sense yields results subject to the whims or desires of an individual. Hobbes’ theories in The Leviathan basically present structures that serve to create some semblance of order and a notion of truth from the artificial and shifting world that humans perceive. The Commonwealth and the concept of the social contract serve as anchors keeping humanity afloat in the chaotic sea of the sensory world and the passionate self being in constant flux. Hobbes creates the image of a whale—a leviathan—swimming in a chaotic sea as a metaphor for the Commonwealth amidst the turmoil of human desire and perception (7, I). How does the theory of recollection relate to two other concepts in Plato’s dialogues? The theory of recollection in Menos is a very important concept as a basis for Plato’s (and Socrates’) other concepts. This is primarily due to the nature of recollection according to Plato—recollection is equated to gaining knowledge. In fact, to Plato and his teacher, there is no such thing as gaining knowledge. An individual already knows everything he needs to know, coming from a divine source that has given that knowledge to an individual even before birth: â€Å"Socrates: But if he did not acquire the knowledge in this life, then he must have had and learned it at some other time? Menos: Clearly he must. Socrates: Which must have been the time when he was not a man? (22)† The concept of recollection then becomes the basis for one of the most important ideas that Plato presents—that knowledge comes from an outside source that is divine in nature (14). Since all knowledge has been with us prior to our birth, then it stands to reason that it comes from the divine, because it has existed before us. Knowledge being divine also implicates the existence of an immortal soul, which serves as the container of knowledge before it takes a mortal form. Recollection also relates to the concept of self-examination as the purpose of man. Self-examination is the only means of an individual to achieve the divine gift of knowledge and virtue. Again, this is based on Plato’s assumption that one does not learn, but rather remembers. Self-examination is therefore the highest form of gaining knowledge, since it is an attempt to reach the divine gift within. The main tool to be used in this case is rationality or reason. One must always question one’s self to achieve the divine. This concept is a very important one because it places a primacy on reason. While the presence of the divine is still very dominant in Plato’s ideas, the use of reasoning to reach the ultimate good within would make reason an important aspect of later ideas in Western philosophy. Thinkers like Immanuel Kant and even Thomas Hobbes would take the primacy of reason and further place it at the center of Western thought. So much so that at some point, the concept of the divine will be dealt away with and only reason remains. Whose philosphy is better justified: Plato’s or Hobbes’? With both philosphers being part of the Western tradition, is comes as no surprise that the primacy of reason is apparent with both Plato and Hobbes. While Plato’s ideas have influenced almost all his contemporaries in the Western world, Hobbes presents more justified arguments regarding political and social theory than Plato. Plato’s arguments have two major weaknesses. First, Plato makes a big mistake by creating a so-called â€Å"world of ideas,† and immediately labelling it as the ultimate good. While the call for self-examination to achieve a sense of enlightenment prides reason and the intellect, the implied mysticism of an almost unreachable other world of truth detached from reality lacks proofs. How can one prove that ther is indeed a world of ideas, if man cannot perceive it? Worse, how does one know that it is truly good? Plato presents no basis for an axis of morality, but resorts to the simple dichotomy of intellect good, body (sensory faculties) bad. Hobbes starts his premise on more solid argumentative grounds because he takes the divine aside and argues on objective grounds. He would not do away with the divine completely, but reserves concepts related to God for the discussion on the Commonwealth itself. The entire introduction—where important concepts are introduced—remains free of mysticism and theology. Only rationality is employed here. The foundations of Hobbes’ premises begin with an immediate examination of presupposed notions the senses, then the imagination, then speech, etc. Everytime Hobbes introduces a new concept, that new concept is well grounded based on arguments prior. The dialectic mode of arumentation by Plato through Socrates and various individuals often easily fall into assumptions and generalizations. For example, in Plato’s Menos, Socrates uses a dialogue with a boy regarding geometry to prove one of the foundations of his arguments—the illlusion of learning masks recollection (15-20). As stated previously in the second question, recollection would lead to more complex arguments regarding man’s purpose and the nature of knowledge and truth. But is the use of the boy â€Å"recollecting† knowledge well-proven? Socrates offers no other examples of an individual knowing something immediately just through queries to help that individual recollect knowledge that is already there. Also, there is no examination of the role that questions play in the remembering of knowledge. How sure is Socrates that his questions indirectly â€Å"teach† an individual knowledge, rather than just guiding an individual to remember knowledge? Hobbes, in his exploration of memory in â€Å"Of Imagination,† posits that memory â€Å"is decayed sense (11, I. 2). He argues this position well because he not only leaves the mystical divine aside, but also because his arguments for the imagination is based on his objective examination of the senses (from which imagination is derived). The logical inferences are more straightforward in Hobbes The Leviathan. Explain Hobbes’ thinking on the Commonwealth The Commonwealth is a stabilizing structure based on natural laws, and more importantly, on contracts. Based on the chapter â€Å"Of Man† in The Leviathan, there is a fluidity that exists within an individual. An individual is inherently chaotic. The generation of knowledge and the ability of human beings to perceive the world cause this inherent chaos. Individuals are driven by varied desires, and their perception of the world is influenced by the said desires. Therefore, conflicts would erupt between individuals with conflicting desires. Thomas Hobbes accepts the inevitable nature of desires. The Commonwealth is a means to establish order among individuals despite them having many and often conflicting desires. While Hobbes draws influence from the Classical thinkers like Plato and Aristotle, particularly with his concepts on natural law (111, II. 7) which are very similar (but still divergent) to Plato’s view on virtues, Hobbes introduction of the contract is his important contribution to Western social thought. Hobbes establishes a view on morality based on desires, which, as mentioned earlier, is fluid and chaotic. Desires are subject to the whims of every individual. Anything an individual desires is good; anythi ng he does not desire is bad: â€Å"For every man is desirous of what is good for him, and shuns what is evil (7, I. 1)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This duality is the cause of conflicts, even war. But because of several desires common to all individuals and instituted by the divine, which Hobbes names as Natural Laws (86, I. 14), some desires are quelled so that common desires like Peace, Liberty and Justice can be achieved. Furthermore, other desires that conflict among individuals can be curbed by one individual giving up part of his rights for another individual. If both parties agree to this, again stability is achieved. When many individuals agree to create such contracts so that these same individuals can enjoy their common desires by giving up some of their other desires, the Commonwealth is achieved.

An Assessment of the Impact of Mortgage and Non-Mortgage Loans

Toby Clark a senior financial analyst in MINTEL comments â€Å"There is a major need for financial education and for a drive to prompt borrowers to take a fresh look at their debts. Without a detailed understanding of exactly how much they owe and what rates they are paying, it is easy to see how the situation could spiral out of control†. This statement clearly highlights the position of the average British consumers as far as their mortgage and non-mortgage debts are concerned.It is observed by the report from MINTEL that the British consumers who have outstanding mortgage debts have a better control on the amount of their outstanding than the non-mortgage debt consumers. When the mortgage holders were asked to estimate the amount of the outstanding loan they could estimate the figure at ? 92,200 which matched with the estimation of ? 95,000 made by Bank of England and mortgage lenders. There are different purposes for which the consumers obtain mortgage and non-mortgage loa ns.The purposes also differ between different income earners. The high income earners borrow for paying a house, buying a second home or for paying the university or school fees of their children. Whereas the low income earners have totally different purposes of taking the loans like bringing up their children; paying their tax bills or meeting their regular commitments. Irrespective of the purpose for which the loans are taken the loans do have an impact on the financial soundness of the borrowers.On few occasions and for few consumers the loans become handy to take care of their financial struggle but in most of the cases the loans have had adverse impact only on the lives and finances of the consumers. Especially when the average consumer does not even know the extent of their debts the impact would be still worse. â€Å"Many debt problems are caused by poor decision making, with taking on more debt to pay back what debt you already have not always a wise move, according to the free and impartial debt advice organisation Debt Free Direct.† (Linkroll) In most of the cases the consumers get in to debt traps either due to poor decision making or not being accurately able to assess the impact the debts have on their financial capabilities and standing. This includes the decisions of debt consolidation. Quite often consumers think that debt consolidation is the best solution for solving their debt problems which will only aggravate the burden to the already debt trapped consumers. The loan burden on the borrowers is made to increase by the actions of the lenders also.Luring the customers in tot taking additional loans with the intention of just increasing their lending activities and without assessing the capabilities of the borrowers to pay back the loans often take the borrowers to a point of no return. â€Å"A number of Britons report that their debt problems are causing them difficulties in other areas of their life, according to a new study. In rese arch carried out by R3 – the Association of Business Recovery Professionals – one out of six consumers are said to be unable to manage with repayments on secured loans and credit cards†. (Loan Arrangers)With this background I intend to make an analytical study of the British Loan Market and its impact on the average British consumers. In the process I also intend to study the kinds of mortgage and non-mortgage loans available to the consumers in the UK. 1. 1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES This study has among other things the following central objectives: 1. Studying the psychological and economical reasons for the British consumers getting in to the debt trap. 2. Analytical study of the impact of the various loans on the lives and financial wellbeing of the average consumers – including mortgage and non-mortgage loans.3. Studying the role of the banks and other lending institutions on extending the debt burden of the average British consumer 1. 2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS This study by undertaking a detailed research in the subject tries to find plausible answers for the following research questions: 1. What are the prime reasons that make the British consumers to get into the debt trap? 2. What are the major impacts that the mortgage and non-mortgage loans have on the lives of the average British consumers? 3. What are the different ways that an average British consumer can manage the debts effectively? 1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE DISSERTATION In order to present a comprehensive paper I intend to divide the paper into the different chapters. While chapter 1 introduces the subject matter of the study to the readers along with stating the research objectives and questions, chapter 2 makes a detailed review of the available literature on the subject of the impact of debts on the British consumer. Chapter 3 makes a detailed presentation of the research methodology adopted by this study for conducting the research. In chapter 4 I have included the findings of t he research and a detailed discussion on the analysis of the findings.Concluding remarks recapitulating the issues discussed in the paper and few suggestions which will enable the British consumer to manage his debts are included in the chapter 5. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW CAPM, Bonds, Securities, Economics, Finance This chapter presents a detailed review of the available literature on the debt creation by the British consumers and the impact of such debt creation on the bond and securities market, on the finance and monetary policy and economic situation of the country apart from the life styles and financial status of the individual consumers. 2.1 IMPACT OF DEBT CREATION ON BOND AND SECURITIES MARKET: A latest report from Bloomberg. com says â€Å"European 10-year bond yields held near a three-month low as an Australian hedge fund filed for bankruptcy protection on losses related to a slump in U. S. home loans, prompting speculation global economic expansion will slow. † (Lukanyo Mnyanda, 2007) There has been a widespread skepticism about the future of the bond market because of the higher levels of failure in the sub prime mortgage repayments. This phenomenon has also been felt in the UK which is evident from the statement of the credit rating firm Standard & Poor.â€Å"Standard & Poor's said business conditions for securities firms are worse than in the second half of 1998 when trading revenue slumped 31 percent after Russia's debt default. Revenue from investment banking and trading could fall 47 percent in the final six months of this year, the ratings company said. † (Lukanyo Mnyanda, 2007) 2. 1. 1USE OF OPTIMIZING MODELS IN THE CONTEXT OF CONSUMER DEBT: On the basis of micro economic foundations there are certain models that analyse the likely economic consequences of structural changes in the economy.Though in general these models help the analysts to comment upon microeconomic foundations, sometimes these models are found inappropriat e for analyzing such consequences. â€Å"This is because their parameters are generally complicated functions of an economy’s technology, institutions and government policy, and the preferences of economic agents. Subsequent changes in any of these structural characteristics would mean that those parameters, and hence the relationships between key economic variables, would be expected to change. † (Bank of England)However the optimizing models enable the analysis of the deep structural relationship which is dependent upon the individual variables in relation to the economic shocks and their identification. The optimizing models â€Å"describe the intertemporal optimisation problems facing economic agents. They often try to capture the interactions between the different types of agent in the economy (consumers, firms, government, foreign sector), each of which is assumed to solve well-defined dynamic optimisation problems, subject to certain informational and technolog ical constraints.These models can be used to analyse how economic agents might optimally respond to various demand and supply shocks that have or might hit the economy, or to changes in the structure of the economy. Equally, they can be used to examine likely explanations for observed patterns of behaviour in the data. † (Bank of England) These models are useful in †¢ Modeling consumer behaviour including consumer spending †¢ Applications to financial markets †¢ Analysis of the labour market †¢ Analysis of the role of money One of such models being widely used is the CAPM which can provide useful insights into the reasons behind the financial market changes.However there is a serious limitation of this model is that it does not perform well in the empirical tests. 2. 2 IMPLICATION OF THE RISE ON THE HOUSEHOLD DEBT ON THE MONETARY POLICY: It is observed that the increase in the household debt in the UK over the last three decades was the result of the contin ued increase in the owner-occupied buildings and the number of mortgages created as a proportion of the total households. The rise in the prices till the time of the sub prime mortgage issue was also because of this increased private ownership of the houses.However it is interesting to note that the increase in the household debt didn’t have much impact on the consumption growth. This was due to the fact that the households were focused on the accumulation of financial assets during the recent past. â€Å"Finally, while it is possible that higher levels of debt may make household consumption more sensitive to interest rate changes, this may easily be offset simply by moderating these same changes. † (Stephen Nickell) While there was some contraction in the economies of US and Germany, the UK economy remained strong during the year 2001.There was a significant relaxation in the monetary policies of the country during this period and hence the UK economy witnessed an inc rease in the domestic demand though the situation was different with the world economy which was weak and was suffering a fall in investments. The increase in the domestic demand made the overall growth rate of the economy positive. However some of the economists were of the view that such a growth in the UK GDP as against the widespread recession in other developed countries was possible only at certain implied costs.For Example in an article in ‘The Observer’ dated 27th March 2005 Fred Harrison noted that â€Å"Encouraged by low interest rates, people went on a spending spree. They reduced savings and extracted equity from their homes to fuel a consumption boom† A similar view was expressed by Hamish McRae in his article in the ‘The Independent’ stated â€Å"What is, however, clear is that the credit-fuelled spending boom is, one way or another, coming to an end†. (The Independent dated 16th March 2005). Hence it was observed that booming co nsumption resulted in a rapid expansion of debt.Thus there has been a significant increase in the debt to income ratio which was a matter of serious concern to the analysts and the financial economists. In this context Philip Thornton made the following remark in the ‘The Independent’ issue dated 30th July 2003 â€Å"Britons piled on an all-time record amount of debt last month, triggering fears that consumers have embarked on an unsustainable borrowing binge that will end in a crash reminiscent of the early 1990s† 2. 2. 1 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME, CONSUMPTION AND HOUSEHOLD DEBTS:Generally it is assumed that the macroeconomic policies of the UK government had resulted in a house price bubble coupled with a boom of the consumer spending. Thus the economy got missed out from the impact of the global recessionary trends. However Stephen Nickell argues that over the period 2000 to 2003 which was supposed to be the consumption boom the average quarterly consumption growth was only 0. 77 percent very similar to the average consumption rate of 0. 72 percent that was existed over the last twenty five years.The consumption rate was also below the average consumption rate in the previous period 0f 1996 to 1999. â€Å"From 1998 to the end of 2003, the proportion of post-tax income that was consumed was relatively flat, hardly evidence of a debt fuelled consumption boom. Nevertheless, mortgage equity withdrawal (MEW) plus unsecured credit growth rose from around 2% of post-tax household income in 1998 to over 10% in 2003. So there was indeed a significant rise in the rate of household debt accumulation from 1998 to 2003 despite the fact that the ratio of consumption to post-tax income remained stable throughout.† (Stephen Nickell) With this argument the author proceeds to state the majority of mortgage equity withdrawal leads to increased financial assets accumulation and not to increased consumption. Further it is also argued that there is a strong relationship between the aggregate secured debt accumulation and aggregate financial asset accumulation especially in a period of rapidly spiraling house prices. Similarly there is no strong relationship between the factors of aggregate consumption growth and debt accumulation. In that case the following will be the effect of the household debt on the monetary policy.2. 2. 2 HIGHER LEVELS OF DEBT AND MONETARY POLICY: May et al (2004) observed â€Å"In 1975, household debt was around 38% of household post-tax income. By 2004, this had risen to around 125%. Currently, over four-fifths of household debt is secured on property, ie. consists of mortgages, and around 95% of all household debt is held by mortgagors. † As already stated the important factor causing the rise in the household debt was the increase in the number of owner-occupied buildings and the proportion of the houses carrying a mortgage.Another factor that contributed the increase in secured debts is the ch ange in the mode of financing by leaving the front end loading of the repayment of mortgages. Such a method of financing has lead to higher loan to income ratios. It also resulted in higher mortgages relative to income. Based on these basic premise there are three arguments that can be support the view that the household debt is a predominant factor in the determination of the monetary policies. 1. The first argument is based on the concept that the there will be significant impact on the bahaviour of the economy due to shocks if there is a high level of household debts.As observed by Griffiths commission â€Å"Debt is a time-bomb which could be triggered by any number of shocks to the economy at any time† (The Griffiths’ Commission, 2005, Executive Summary). Though any adverse economic shock will have the impact on the employment and the consumption levels, higher levels of debts will make the conditions worse. â€Å"The excessive debt may still induce greater precau tionary saving and a larger drop in consumption. Overall, it is hard to tell whether higher debt levels will generate a significant additional cut back in consumption which cannot be modified by easier monetary policy†2. The second argument is based on the possibility that the there may be a cut in the consumption due to the sudden realization of the debtors about the real interest on the debts and their extent of exposure to the debts in spite of their efforts to reduce the level of debts. This will create severe macro economic problems leading to large scale adjustments in the monetary policies. However this argument is countered by indicating that the inexperience of the secured debt holders being young and there may be occasions that these people may behave in an irrational way to reduce the consumption.But such phenomenon can not be identified with a majority of debts. 3. The third argument was based on the fear that with more number of people the more will be the trouble when there is a collapse in the housing market. This fear has become true presently with housing boom bubble exploding. â€Å"If house prices fall by 30 or 40 per cent, more people with mortgages means more people in negative equity. Of course, the consequences of this depend to some extent on the behaviour of lenders.If the mortgage debt continues to be treated as secured, even though some is not, then debt service costs remain unchanged. So a lot will then depend on the collateral damage associated with the collapse in the housing market and what caused it in the first place. The issue is, if some disaster happens in the housing market, does the fact that more people have mortgages make the consequences very much worse? So much worse, indeed, that monetary policy should be used to discourage individuals from taking out mortgages. † 2. 3 DIFFICULTIES OF CONSUMERS BECAUSE OF DEBT CREATION – AN OVERVIEWAccording to a research conducted by R3 – the Association of Business Recovery Professionals one out of six consumers find it difficult to manage the repayment of their secured loans and credit card payments. â€Å"Of those struggling the most with their day-to-day finances, 21 per cent of respondents were reported to have encountered debt problems as a result of becoming ill, with a third (33 per cent) highlighting redundancy as the source of their monetary difficulties. † (Secured Loan News) Educational loans taken for higher studies form a major proportion of debts to be repaid by the 50 percent people in the age group of 18 – 24 years.The same is the case with one third of the people in the age group of 25 – 34 years still struggling to settle the loans taken for their educational purposes. A study carried out by Abbey in early 2007 showed that the British consumers had to pay ? 48. 7 billion by way of unexpected bills and charges over the previous year. On an average 79 percent of the British people have spent money on unbudgeted things and the average cost of such spending is estimated at ? 1375. Some of the issues identified with the debt creation in the UK are:? The personal lending figures stood at ? 1,318 billion as of July 2007 signifying that the British consumers are indebted on an average twice as the citizens of other European Countries. The people with serious debt management problem are estimated at 7 to 9 million Britons. ? A majority of the people have no savings or definite plans for savings to meet any unexpected future expenditure. A proportion of less than 50 percent of the people only have made adequate provisions for meeting the exigencies of a drop in their income level or other serious financial difficulties.? Some important statistics indicate that a substantial proportion of the population suffer from serious financial worries and resultant stress due to the increase of their debt burden. These statistics show that â€Å"74% of British couples find money the most diffi cult subject to talk about; 32% lie to their partners about how much they spend on credit cards; 35% are kept awake at night worrying about their finances†. ? According to the estimate from Bank of England around 50 percent of the people who have identified their debts as a serious burden on them belong to the lower income groups.It is the case with those people who live in the housing provided by the loca authorities are likely to live in debt burden at two times the average person has. ? Debts being burdensome on their own are also responsible for several other social problems and debt and these problems are interdependent on each other in terms of their cause and effect. Groups of people like those out of work, school dropouts, people from single parent families or unemployed parents are more likely to have serious debt management problems. 2. 4 REASONS FOR DEBT CREATION Consumers obtain loans for different purposes.Similarly people in different income groups and different strata of life opt for secured and unsecured loans for various purposes depending on their life styles and needs for different purposes. The main reasons cited for increase in the debts of the consumers is the increased availability of the loans, overspending and the desire to ‘buy instantly’ doing major purchases like purchase of cars or spending on a foreign vacation. The debt management problems of majority of the British consumers have arisen due to these and other reasons most of which are emotional spending.However why people get into serious debt problem is a very complicated question to find the answers there for. Though there are several factors responsible for leading the consumers to severe debt problems the following are some of the major causes that create a ‘debt trap’ for the British consumers: 2. 4. 1EASY AVAILABILITY OF DEBT: In recent years the economy of the country was doing extremely well resulting in lower rates of inflation, low inter est rates and low levels of unemployment.This economic buoyancy there had been an increased demand for the credit and the cost of such credit was low. The highly competitive financial services industry had been innovative to find many a number of products to suit the needs of various strata of people. â€Å"Today over 400 mainstream financial institutions compete fiercely to satisfy consumer demand. † (Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach) In this background it can be said that the easy availability of credit was the main reason for the creation of more debts by the average consumer.2. 4. 2 DIFFERENT TACTICS OF THE LENDERS TO ATTRACT THE PEOPLE Although the banks do not explicitly solicit or lure the vulnerable people to sell their financial services products, the products themselves have been so designed in addition to the lending practices of the banks to target the vulnerable people. Such practices include â€Å"aggressive marketing; a lack of transparency in calculating the cos t of borrowing; undue care in lending and a lack of data-sharing. † (Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach)Though it cannot be said that the banks and other lending institutions purposely target the vulnerable people â€Å"customers are often enticed into over-borrowing with disastrous consequences; research evidence suggests there is a strong correlation between serious indebtedness, drug and alcohol addictions and family breakdown. † (Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach) This often leads to a situation where the vulnerable people stand the chances of more likely to get into serious debt problems. 2. 2. 3 LOW FINANCIAL CAPABILITIESIt is observed out of a poll conducted in the year 2004 that 33 percent of the people in the UK are not confident enough to handle money issues and only 30 percent of them even knew the basic interest calculations which forms the basis financial intelligence. If this is kind of financial knowledge that an average British consumer has then there is no doubt that such people may not be in a position to make sound financial decisions concerning their personal finances including availing of secured and unsecured loans.Such lack of financial knowledge will make them drown in serious financial struggle as a result of unmanageable debts they have contracted. 2. 4. 4 LACK OF SAVING CULTURE: The trend of today’s Britain is ‘buy now and pay later’ as against the traditional way of living of saving money to buy assets. This has seriously disturbed the saving habit of the people over the period of time. In the current scenario more than 50 percent of the British pensioners make a cut on their other needs to settle their annual fuel bills.The decline in the habit of saving is one of the main reasons for the increased debt problems. Unless the saving habit of the people change drastically the situation of debt problems is likely to grow into greater magnitude. 2. 4. 5 MATERIALISTIC ATTITUDE OF THE MODERN SOCIETY The attitude of the society towards borrowing and its effects on life has considerably changed over the last few decades. Credit is no more considered as dangerous as it was perceived once upon a time. Now it is considered as more neutral and beneficial to the society.With this change in the attitude people have become more materialistic to obtain loans to buy the things irrespective of the need for such things in their lives. This is evident from the buying habits of British consumers exhibited in the following section. In one of the surveys conducted by Abbey, the financial service provider, it is learnt that â€Å"Britons have spent more than ? 169 billion on items that they rarely, if at all, use. Overall the average consumer has paid out some ? 3,685 through unnecessary objects, which could consequently impact upon their ability to handle their day-to-day finances.† (Secured Loan News) The survey also revealed that half of all consumers own an expensive clothing item which they wear on ly occasionally and over 35 percent of them have unworn shoes. â€Å"However, women were reported to be driving pointless fashion spending. Some 58 per cent of females were said to have unused garments, with this figure falling to 45 per cent for footwear. Meanwhile, spending on such products accounted for 45 and 23 per cent respectively among men. † (Secured Loan News)Electronic items, computer game console or video cameras and cooking equipments, repeated purchase of fine china items, exercise equipments, beauty gadgets that are not frequently used are some of the other items on which the British consumers spend their money and create debts for themselves. â€Å"However, financial problems could be particularly increased for those 288,000 people who have bought a second home in Britain which they claim to make little use of, which as a result may see them to struggle to make secured loan repayments. † (Secured Loan News) 2. 5 LEVEL OF CONSUMER CREDITThere has been a steady growth in the consumer lending in the period during the 1990s to early 2000s. But the growth has been sluggish after the climb in the last decade. According to the statistics released by Datamonitor â€Å"unsecured Loans and borrowing via other forms of consumer credit fell by 4. 5 per cent over the course of last year (2006) to ? 207. 8 billion†. (Secured Loan News) Maya Imberg the financial service analyst from Datamonitor says â€Å"A weaker labour market, combined with high consumer debts and weakened consumer confidence, meant that consumers cut down considerably on spending and aimed to repay more of their debts over 2006.† The study also indicated that the debt outstanding for an average customer stood at ? 4,522 in Consumer credit debt for the year 2006, which is against the ? 4,510 recorded for the year 2005. This outstanding debt figure was corroborated by the statistics released by the financial charity Credit Action which estimated the debt due by an average Briton at ? 4,550 by way of debts obtained on unsecured personal loans, credit cards, overdrafts and other forms of borrowing. This amount was estimated as at the end of March 2007.Credit Action has compiled the following statistics on the UK personal debt as on 1st of September 2007 which is alarming: ? â€Å"Total UK personal debt at the end of July 2007 stood at ? 1,355bn. The growth rate increased to 10. 1% for the previous 12 months which equates to an increase of ? 117bn. ? Total secured lending on homes at the end of July 2007 stood at ? 1,140bn. This has increased 11. 0% in the last 12 months. ? Total consumer credit lending to individuals in July 2007 was ? 214bn. This has increased 5. 3% in the last 12 months.? Total lending in July 2007 grew by ? 10. 3bn. Secured lending grew by ? 9. 2bn in the month. Consumer credit lending grew by ? 1. 1bn. ? Average household debt in the UK is ? 8,856 (excluding mortgages). This figure increases to ? 20,600 if the average is based on the number of households who actually have some form of unsecured loan. ? Average household debt in the UK is ? 56,000 (including mortgages). ? Average owed by every UK adult is ? 28,550 (including mortgages). This grew by ? 210 last month. ? Average outstanding mortgage for the 11.8m households who currently have mortgages is ? 96,560 ? Average interest paid by each household on their total debt is approximately ? 3,700 each year (this equates to 9% of take home pay). ? Average consumer borrowing via credit cards, motor and retail finance deals, overdrafts and unsecured personal loans has risen to ? 4,515 per average UK adult at the end of July 2007. ? Britain's personal debt is increasing by ? 1 million every 4 minutes. † (Credit Action) A pictorial representation of the growth in the UK personal debt is depicted below