America’s Failing War on Drugs and the Culture of Incarceration

For over a century, America has waged a failing war on drugs even as it feeds a cultural apathetic and underground acceptance of drug and alcohol use. The views of the dominate group have placed blame on society’s ills on the evils of rampant drug use throughout the past few hundred years, which have given way to a practice of outlawing , persecution, and imprisonment. Such a view has led to the overflow of our state’s prisons, the race to build even more, and need to fund a culture of imprisonment that has a difficult time in trying to figure out if it wants to help the addicted person, or continue to try and fund a gluttonous prison machine. We will look at some of the causes for the failed war on drugs, and some of the consequences if our society continues to ignore the need to help the addict, or simply lock them away. America’s failing War on Drugs and the Culture of Incarceration America has always had an underlying culture of drug use with even many of the harder drugs, like cocaine and heroin, being legal up into the early 1900’s, and drugs like methamphetamine and MDMA, or ecstasy, being legal well into the 20th century. Even one of the most invasive drugs of our culture, alcohol, is widely advertised and taken to be a norm of American culture, and prescription drugs like Vicodin and Oxycontin are used by millions legally every day (Brecher, E. M. , n. d. ). However, while alcohol as been able to enjoy its place as an accepted part of the American lifestyle, drug use of the illicit kind has been steadily demonized, criminalized, and used as a means to incarcerate an ever growing number of people, most often minorities and the poor who are unable to afford outside representation. (Steiker, C. S. 2011) It has created an industry and culture of incarceration dependant on keeping certain drugs illegal, and drug use a felonious criminal act, as those in the industry of building prisons and providing prison services, along with many in law enforcement, continue to lobby state and federal government to keep up overzealous laws on drug use, even laws on drugs proven to be less dangerous than alcohol, such as marijuana, which have come to be quite profitable to all involved. The extent of the problem with this unsuccessful war on drugs includes millions of non violent offenders losing parts of their lives, many sentenced to terms in the tens of years under mandatory sentencing, some simply for no more a heinous crime as first time possession of a small amount of marijuana or crack cocaine. The ability to get federal help for school as well as other federal help programs, to engage in certain basic liberties and rights afforded to all Americans by the Bill of Rights, such as the right to vote, or the right to bear arms, are taken away and either incredibly hard to get back, or all but impossible. Furthermore, even when they have finished paying society for their crime, they are still haunted by the deed whenever they look for work, unable to get jobs because of felony convictions, relegating them to jobs of much lower pay and status, even though they themselves may have the education and experience to fulfill jobs of a much higher caliber. (McVay, D. , Schiraldi, V. , & Zeidenburg, J. 2004) This process of ‘tough on drugs’ prevention and incarceration keeps the chemically dependent in a vicious cycle where, unable to get help for their addictions and help for success after paying their ‘dues’, their only outcome lies in a repetitive sequence of drug use, bigger crimes to support themselves, and longer imprisonment, in a culture of poverty and incarceration. The outcome is broken hopes, broken dreams, broken families – broken individuals with broken lives. (McVay, D. Schiraldi, V. , & Zeidenburg, J. , 2004) If you are not one of these individuals, the problem extends to you – in that it is your tax dollars going to pay for the unsuccessful but profitable war on drugs. Prisoners do not pay for their incarceration – the state and federal government does. The American tax payers pay for housing, food, clothing in both state and federal as well as private prisons, and supervision of these mostly non-violent drug offenders, both inside and outside prison. The tax payer provides the funds for local, state, and federal law enforcement to run their stings, and train their drug dogs and sting operatives, except in the off chance that they intercept a large amount of drug money, or take possession of larger drug dealers properties and vehicles bought with drug money, but rarely are these items sold at value. The burden to pay falls on the state and you, the tax payer, and the state is running out of money to spend on incarcerating an ever growing number of non-violent, drug related prisoners. McVay, D. , Schiraldi, V. , & Zeidenburg, J. , 2004) THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES Causes While many drugs enjoyed a period of legalization, eventually most drugs have come to find a place as a scapegoat for many of society’s ills, from poverty, unemployment and homelessness, to rape, murder, and reasons to discriminate certain races based on a stereotypical link to a certain drug. (Steiker, C. S. 2011) At one time even alcohol was a major scapegoat for societal problems, but its strong history and presence in Euro-ethnic culture made it difficult to abstain from for many, and when it was shown that prohibition did nothing to stop many of the problems attributed to it and had actually caused an increase in criminal activity and dangerous binge drinking, it was repealed after 13 years, with much celebration. (Brecher, E. M. , n. d. Accordingly in this day and age, some people are coming to the realization that simply outlawing drugs, making harsh laws to imprison or remove people who are caught in possession of illicit drugs, is doing nothing to contribute to lessening any of the problems attributed to them. In fact, even while we see a decrease in overall crime, we can still see an increase in certain criminal drug activities meant to supply a non-declining need for narcotics, and an ever increasing bill that makes many law makers choose between other programs to help society, or to pay for the rising cost to lock up more and more drug offenders. However, it is still much easier to demonize a drug and the user for problems in society, and we can see that today for instance, as we deal with the problem of unemployment, and the desire of some to legalize marijuana, even for medical purposes. Legalization happens to be a position many of the 99% Occupier groups stand for, but many opponents counter that it’s the drug use of many of those protesters that contribute to their unemployment, and that making medical marijuana legal is just a way for them to continue to get high, but legally. (Bickman, J. , n. d. ) Consequently, many opponents also see drug use as proof f the moral decline of America, and that along with moral ills like gay marriage and abortion, contribute to the fall of our society from its once lofty heights back in the early and mid 1900’s, where homosexuality and drug use were more hidden, but no less prevalent. To this we add the common practice of giving drug possession and distribution large manda tory sentences, some of which show the disparity in the dominant class’s belief in certain drug use being characteristic of certain class or racial groups, or that some drugs are much more dangerous than others, even though science and common sense has told us otherwise. One can only need to take a look at the number of people in jail and prison for marijuana, which is almost benign in its danger when compared to a legal drug such as alcohol, or the disparity in sentencing between crack cocaine and powdered cocaine that was once 100 to 1, or the same penalty for 1 gram of crack cocaine as for 100 grams of powdered cocaine, now down to a mere 18 to 1, with the relation that crack is mostly use by the inner city African American minority, and powdered cocaine used more by the affluent, white dominant suburban group. Amar, V. D. , n. d. ) One area that is sorely underfunded, and has become a pathway to a ‘college of criminality’, is the juvenile justice system. In a 2005, five year study by the National Center on Substance Abuse at Columbia University, the report found that 1. 9 million of the 2. 4 million juveniles arrested over a 5 year period had substance abuse and addiction problems, but that only 68,600 of them received any substance abuse help. Many of those arrested were for violent crimes, however drug use played a huge part in their behavior, and it isn’t hard to take these results into the adult arena, with the finding among adults arrested who were 18 years or older, 64 percent had used drugs or alcohol when they were 17 or younger. One may correctly assume that juveniles who initiate drug and alcohol use and become arrested, and are given incarceration instead of treatment, have a greater chance of growing up to become adults who engage in criminal and drug using behavior. Brown University, 2005) Consequences The consequences of continuing the past policies of the war on drug can be seen today, there is no need to wait on verification or speculation. We can see the ever increasing number of adult and juvenile offenders incarcerated for minor drug offences, as well as those receiving large sentences for other crimes where drugs were involved. We can see the cost and the burden this increasing prison population has to the state and its tax payers, and the struggle lawmakers have to either increase taxes, lower penalties for possession for drug use, or release large numbers of un-treated, chemically dependent, prison taught and economically disadvantaged prisoners because they simply cannot afford to hold them any longer. Without changing the laws, addicts and other chemically dependent users are first convicted and then given treatment. As we already discussed in the beginning, the conviction staying on their arrest record for years, or even permanently, meaning that even after possible successful treatment, the recovering addict is still treated like a pariah when looking for work and an in-depth background check becomes part of the job seeking process. (McVay, D. , Schiraldi, V. , & Zeidenburg, J. , 2004)Without any help or hope, the convicted and untreated addict’s only outlook is a continuing life of drug use, and criminal activity to support them. In states like Kentucky, that have seen an increase in its prison population quadruple over the past two decades, looking into new programs that would have offenders volunteer to enter a six to nine month treatment program in jail, rather than a one to two year program in prison that usually carries a five to ten year sentence along with it, would save the state tax payers millions of dollars a year. In Kentucky alone, it costs $500 million dollars a year to house some 22,000 prisoners, 80 percent of them being non-violent drug offenders. The state, like most others, has seen a steady rise in incarcerations with one in 31 Americans behind bars, when Twenty-five years ago, the number was 1 in 77. (Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, 2009) Still, even with such approaches meant to curb the costs of incarcerating convicted addicts, the fact remains that little is being done to reduce the number of people being convicted in the first place, although the offering of more resources to people who are in their first phases of being caught up by law enforcement due to their addictions is a more effective way to start. Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, 2010) Every year it becomes more and more evident, that our countries failing war on drugs and its policy to want to simply incarcerate those to mandatory sentences for even non-lethal drug such as marijuana, the rising cost to investigate, arrest, persecute and house a population of people who show no signs of serious drug use decline, can only mean that newer policies to treat the ad dicted, rather than lock them away, are the right way to go if our country wants to fix the problem of our ever increasing culture of incarceration. (McVay, D. , Schiraldi, V. , & Zeidenburg, J. , 2004)

History of Media Effects

1. Consider the history of media effects presented in Chapter 3. Choose one historical media event that has occurred in the country of your choice. How has your chosen historical media event opened up a larger discourse about a social issue? Did the issue create conversion or reinforcement of public opinion about the social issue represented in the media event? Support your answer with reference from the text. With reference to the case of Mas Selamat Kastari who was believed to be involved in the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) group in plotting terrorism activities in Singapore such as crashing a plane into Changi Airport .He was Singapore’s most wanted fugitive for more than a year after escaping from detention on 27 February 2008. Since then, it was the  largest manhunt ever carried out in Singapore, furthermore daily local newspapers, TV news report, posters also tried to raise public awareness about Mas Selamat through repeated news coverage. Hence, with the aid of mass media, Ma s Selamat was certainly the hottest topic everywhere and eventually became the historical media event that opened up a larger discourse about terrorism which was a social issue ever since 1963.In the early 80s, the government had implemented a series of measures to counter terrorism in Singapore and after 1991 Singapore has not experience any terrorism therefore resulting in the citizens letting down their guard and eventually the issue on terrorism was taken lightly. With reference to agenda setting theory which explains the powerful influence mass media have in telling us what issues are important, the case of Mas Selamat involving the massive usage of mass media had successfully trigger the fear in the minds of the citizens and the issue on terrorism(security matters) became increasingly important during that period of time.Many citizens wrote in to Straits Times claiming that the government deserved to be blamed for the escape of Mas Selamat and if terrorism will to happen in Si ngapore. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew responded to the Straits Times: â€Å"Mas Selamat Kastari was ‘an escape artist' who had evaded arrest many times, and Singapore's security officers knew this, when you are complacent in handling a wily detainee, then you have been negligent. He also added that,† complacency sets in when people have not suffered any shock or setback for a long time and Singaporeans are being complacent when they believe that the Government will take care of all security matters. † PAP MP Lim Wee Kiak referred complacency as a ‘side-effect' of an overly successful Government and civil service. (â€Å"Straits Times†, 2008). From this historical media event, we can see the impact of media in creating conversion of the public opinion. The public’s attitude towards terrorism (security matters) changed from a dependent on the government to a self-dependent one after the escape of Mas Selamat .Furthermore, according to the public opinions on Singapore forum after the capture of Mas Selamat in 2009, although some were still debating on whether is the Government of Singapore doing enough to protect us from terrorism, but majority strongly believed that Singaporeans should not delude ourselves into thinking that our government is infallible as our government can only do so much-implementing counter terrorism measures, awareness posters and videos in train stations and public transports .Hence, the more relevant questions to ask ourselves – Are we Singaporeans doing enough to protect ourselves from terrorism? Are we coming together as one nation to do our national service in learning and protecting our country, life and property? The citizens of Singapore should not just solely rely on the government but also play our part in preventing the threat of terrorism.

A study of Nur’s role in the Thief and the Dogs

A study of Nur’s role in the Thief and the Dogs Essay Women take on various roles in different societies and literature. In conservative societies, a woman’s role is generally restricted because they are only allotted with menial housework. On the other hand, liberal societies allow more freedom for women to engage in society. In The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz, Nur’s role is closely associated with the stereotype of prostitutes and women in Arab society. She abolishes the stereotypical image of prostitutes by arguing that prostitution is simply an occupation, and at the same time represents exploited women in Arabian societies. Mahfouz defeats stereotypes by presenting prostitution simply as an ordinary profession. When Said queries Nur whether she had been drinking, she responds directly and almost flippantly, â€Å"I have to; it’s part of my job. I’m going to take a bath. Here are your newspapers† (96). She is completely at ease discussing her profession, and is not at all troubled that her beloved knows about this part of her life. Through this dialogue, Mahfouz argues that prostitution is simply another way for an underprivileged person to make a living and gain financial freedom. Nur’s actions iterates that drinking and having sex should not be viewed as shameful or dishonorable because â€Å"it is part of life† (96). The action of Nur going to ‘take a bath’ immediately after she returns home symbolizes that the occupation is manageable just like all others (96). All professions in the world has occupational diseases and setbacks. Thus Mahfouz is simply saying that bathing is a part of Nur’s occupation and a way for Nur to deal with its vocational setbacks (96). Other character’s impartial view towards prostitutes allow Nur to gain emotional independence. For instance, when Said finds Nur vomiting after being attacked by her clients, he does not condemn her profession; instead he â€Å"angrily† regards her clients as â€Å"dogs,† and says â€Å"It is not fault at all† (108). Said does not deem Nur as a dirty and contemptible woman who provides pleasure for other men, but condemns the customers who abused her. Mahfouz uses strong words such as â€Å"dogs†,a word often used to describe enemies or the worthless, to address the clients because they practically stole sex from Nur (108). In this case, women alone are not to be criticized, since prostitution also involves clients who use money to debase themselves and wield control over women. Nur’s innocence is emphasized when Said says â€Å"It’s not fault at all† in an â€Å"angry† tone (108). Said is able to comfort Nur and make h er understand that she has done no wrong. Mahfouz creates Nur’s image as an Egyptian prostitute who admits her profession with no shame to encourage the readers to question the common stereotypes on prostitutes. Prostitution in The Thief and the Dogs is neither disparaged nor acclaimed. However, Mahfouz abolishes the stereotypes against prostitutes through Nur, who also represents symbolizes Egyptian women. Nur also represents the inferiority of women in Arab society as she is abused materially. Even when Said first meets Nur, he can only think of taking advantage of her. While Said clearly respects and cares for Tarzan, he seeks to financially benefit from Nur as he tells her that what he â€Å"really needs is a car† (62). Instead of asking Tarzan to provide a car for him, Said asks Nur to help him steal one because he reckons her as inferior, treating her as bait in his crime. Said’s abuse of Nur represents the general attitude of Arabian men towards women. Mahfouz uses the word ‘needs’ to relay the idea to readers that women are subordinate to men and thus can be demanded to provide something for their superiors (62). In an Arabic society, this word, ‘need,’ is supposed to act as a cue for the female character to work to satisfy the man. READ: TV Violence and Children EssayIn addition, Nur is not only materially abused, but also taken advantage of emotionally. Said takes Nur’s love for granted and expresses none back to her. Mahfouz describes Nur’s affection towards Said, that â€Å" had been like a nightingale singing to the rock, a breeze caressing sharp pointed spikes† (60). Mahfouz uses these imageries to give a euphonic effect to the reader and a clear view about the relationship between the two. Nur is depicted as the â€Å"nightingale† and the ‘breeze’ (60). Hence, the author uses these images to evoke a positive impression of Nur: as sweet as a nightingale and as pleasant as a breeze. On the other hand, Said is described as â€Å"rock† and â€Å"sharp pointed spikes† (60). Thus, the author uses these images to set up a negative impression about Said as some cold person who rejects the nightingale, Nur, and inflicts pain on her with his ‘spikes†™ (60). The emotions of Nur is accepted by Said as he wishes to satiate his need for comfort. However, he gives none back as he is like the rock and sees Nur simply as some subordinate being he could leech off emotional comfort from. The â€Å"rock† is an inanimate object, a static thing that does is inelastic to external influences (60). In another instance, Nur’s emotions are also abused when she shows her true feelings towards Said and mentions, â€Å"you are dearer to me than my own life and breath, in my entire life I have never known happiness except in your arms. But you’d rather destroy yourself than love me† (129). Nur is devoted to Said and is willing to do anything for him. She finds being in ‘ arms’ the best thing in her life (129). However, Said betrays her feelings and shatters her dream of living happily ever after in a distant place. He only wishes to satiate his desires and ambitions for revenge, but ends up murdering innocent men, and thus ‘destroys ’ (129). Mahfouz further highlights the amount of love Nur feels towards Said as she mentions ‘you are dearer to me than my own life and breath’ (129). This allows the readers to feel that Nur’s love was not shallow, but truly devoted. By using ‘life’ and ‘breath,â€℠¢ Mahfouz successfully conveys the idea that to Nur, Said is like a primary necessity (129). Through the portrayal of a rejection by Said of a true love, Mahfouz successfully passes on the idea that women were viewed as inferior to men and women’s emotions were leeched off by men. Although through the profession as a prostitute, Nur is able to find financial and emotional autonomy, she is constantly exploited by men and thus represents Arab women. The actions of using Nur indeed reiterates that Nur is a representation of general Arab women of Mahfouz’s days when they were viewed as subordinate to men. Nur certainly holds a very important role in The Thief and the Dogs through reputing the customs on prostitutes and representing women in Arab society. This is evident through her interactions with others as she defines prostitution simply as another job while being exploited by men throughout her career. The stereotypes held on prostitutes and Arab women are still persistent in the modern society. Mahfouz’s depiction of Nur, however, makes the readers curious whether such commonly held views will be eradicated in the future with the influence of novels such as The Thief and the Dogs.

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Reflection - Essay Example The accent has to be on what one has learnt measured against the outcomes for that particular course. This forms the basis for the paper and what I have learnt as far as the requirements for the degree are concerned. As I reflect on the learning’s and the way in which the course has been taught, I feel that the course has equipped me with several skills that can be used in any real world setting. Apart from the theoretical foundations of what I have learnt, the practical skills that I have picked up would stand me in good stead. The course outcomes are geared towards preparing us for positions of leadership in educational and non-profit sectors with the expectation that we would be able to fulfill the roles in these sectors to the satisfaction of the stakeholders. As with any program that prepares students for managerial roles, the learning outcomes for this degree are tailored in such a way so as to equip us with analytical and problem solving skills. That is the bottom line requirement for this course and one that I hope I have mastered to a certain extent. This particular outcome relates to the analysis and use of data about the student community in decision making and its subsequent use by the teachers in forming opinions and perceptions of the students that they teach. The outcomes from this course for me have been training in researching data about students and applying them to aid in decision making. I have benefited enormously from this particular outcome as the course taught me to bridge the gap between theory and practical application. The gap between theory and practice has to be bridged and one can aspire to be a leader in any field only when they have successfully mastered the art of applying theory to real world scenarios. I have learnt to use several models of decision making and the inputs that go into each of them along with the necessary tools that aid them. As I have mentioned before, applying research data to real world models

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Midterm Exam - Term Paper Example Where regulations put in place are non-enforceable; feedback from the regulatory cycle ensures that the necessary adjustments to the legal framework take effect. In a regulatory cycle, consultation should be taken in priority at all stages. When consultations are carried out early in the regulatory process it is easy to understand the nature and extent of the range of possible options that can address it together with potential costs involved. When it comes to government policy and consultation, it leads to establishment of best practice on stakeholder consultation in aim of maintaining a better regulatory process. The regulatory process played a major role in the automobile industry. The cycle required the management to re-strategies their future plans according to the set regulations. As part of the regulatory cycle, carbon constrains policy measures were being introduced into the system, which meant a drastic measure for the automobile industry. The policy is designed to moderate the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) together with other greenhouse gases. Regulating the emission of carbon dioxide directly affects the motor industry, which means that management decisions in the automotive industry had to be adjusted. The management of automotive industry was forced to change their plans as the new regulations meant that their products were supposed to meet certain standards for them to gain market. The key idea is that if the industry is facing pressure to minimize carbon emission then the costs for manufacturing will definitely go high as a result the vehicle pricing will have to go high. Another thing that management will have to come up with is the change in competitive advantage. Increased technologies, advanced engines, and designs will no longer be the basis of competition this is something that management needs to understand. Instead, management will have to focus on a rather different strategy that incorporates reducing carbon dioxide emission in order to stay competitive. Question 2 After a careful analysis of Kellman’s critique on cost benefit analysis, I find it logical to agree with his ideas as decision-making should be something taken while focusing on all considerations. It is rather unfair for decisions to be made in terms of benefits alone instead of weighing other factors involved such as moral and ethical consequences (Kellman). It is true that on a moral level cost benefit analysis cannot be suitable for making all life decisions. Just as he explains with critical assessment, the negative and positive consequences that are experienced from an act in most cases go beyond the act’s instantaneous consequence. Perhaps one of the most affected group is the minority, as cost benefit analysis never concentrates on the minority. Furthermore, negative group against moral consideration in making decision is another group that Kellman introduces as utilitarian. This group makes decisions on their acts whether they a re wrong or right it all depends on its consequence of action. If there were satisfaction then they would maximize their satisfaction believing that whatever they are doing and generally believe that it is right. My opinion would be cost benefit analysis only ought to be made after all other needs are met such as whether the decision is morally accepted and are there any groups of minority. Corporate sustainability is an approach that brings in a long-term employee and consumer value

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People Resourcing and Development - Essay Example ve and motivate employee performance and generally contribute to the overall output (performance) of an organization (Pilbeam&Corbridge2010, p.16).In as much as it is intended for the good of employee, manager, and overall organization, performance appraisal has become a controversial aspect of human resource functions. This is because most managers do not have clear guidelines of enacting it, and in most cases, managers have not described their ratings of the process as completely accurate or honest. In the light of this revelation, the following study text will discuss the practice of performance appraisal in an organization as being more of a curse than a blessing in improving and motivating employee performance. Performance appraisals cannot be done collectively like trainings but are conducted per individual. In short, every employee needs to have their own appraisals done by the manager. Today’s organizations on the other hand range from medium sized to large, meaning that there may be tens to hundreds or thousands of employees per organization, all under the same human resources department. This means that the manager doing the performance appraisals has to invest a lot of time into the activity (Aggarwal, Sundar, & Thakur 2013, p.617). In as much as the appraisals are done to boost the organizations, they can mean wasting a lot of precious production time especially on the part of the manager. Apart from writing the appraisals, the managers are required to meet with staff and supervisors to collect information regarding the employees. This fact portrays the curse part of performance appraisals in that managers are critical factors in organizations and if their time for important matters in diverted to lesser-deserving issues, it may result in dismalperformance due to misalignment of management duties. For instance, time for overseeing of organizational functions may reduce, therefore exposing the organization to functional problems. Managers, who are at

Purani Jeans Aur Guitar Essay Example for Free

Purani Jeans Aur Guitar Essay â€Å"Purani Jeans aur guitar†¦Ã¢â‚¬  a jingle which most of the college going students might never forget. Somewhere in the song a stanza comes which states – â€Å"maangne paise udhaar†. This is a very common incidence happening in college life and the best part is that one gets to have as many resources as she/he requires. But the point is do we actually NEED to ask for the â€Å"Udhaar†? Lot many instances have been found wherein because of this â€Å" udhaar† lot many feuds(Big or Small) has happened between best of the friends. So do we actually want to have â€Å"udhaar† or get rid of this and still continue to enjoy the beautiful and happening ‘College Life’? (This may not seem 100% doable but â€Å"try maarne mein kya jaata hai!!†) So what is the Solution? Very simple – Put the right money in the right pocket in the right quantity in the right time, that’s it! This can be achieved by using the world famous – â€Å"Art of Investment† Investment has its own Oxford Dictionary meaning – ‘the action or process of investing money for profit’. The question is how do we practice this art of investment and make the action work for us. In simple terms – how do we invest, where do we invest and when do we invest? Let’s look out for answers to these questions: a) Where do we Invest? Answer Avenues for investments have seen a drastic change from yester years till date. Now we have simple formula – â€Å"zarurat jaisi, salaah waisi†. You name your objective of investment and we have a solution available as per your requirements. One may go ahead and invest in a plethora of avenues as per requirement viz. i) Traditional Debt instruments – Bank FDs, Post Office Schemes etc. ii) Tradable Debt instruments – Bonds Debentures iii) Direct Equities iv) Mutual Funds v) Gold vi) Real estate etc. As per one’s capability, knowledge, resources, risk time may choose one or more avenues of investments among these. Mutual Funds provide a one-stop solution in all categories. b) How to Invest? Answer – Investment mechanism and procedures have also evolved with time. Now one may invest in most of the avenues in not only a physical mode – filling of application, giving cheque etc. but can also invest electronically viz. using Mobile phone, SMS, online, call centre etc. All that is required is to comply certain regulatory requirements and that’s it. You have enough invest lump sum; you do not have enough invest systematically in small chunks. c) When do we Invest? Answer – Most difficult but again very simple too. A great learner has said – â€Å"You have two options – either time the market or spend time in the market. It is always easier and better to spend time in the market rather than timing the market!!† So, it is always advisable that one invests regularly and systematically rather than trying to capture the highs and the lows. Whenever you think of investment don’t wait but invest – lot many avenues are already available for various needs and timing. Also it has proven record that invest early always yield s better results. â€Å"Papa kehte hain bada naam karega, beta hamara aisa kaam karega† Starting investments at the early ages viz. when in college when you start receiving pocket money definitely adds up a bigger amount to your future life and helps to achieve ones goals and aspirations. Your parents would also feel PROUD.

Lone Parenting Social

Lone Parenting Social Definition The issue of lone parenting is quite clearly one that is of significant importance and impact in the modern social context. It is also one that has different viewpoints, which are important to recognise in the context of this report. While the actual term of ‘lone parenting is a given, it is important to understand the various views which are taken in order to address this problem. For example, ‘New Labours social policy towards lone parents is generally governed by the attitudes epitomised in the mantras â€Å"reforming welfare around the work ethic† and funding a system that â€Å"believes in empowerment not dependency† (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p xv). This quite obviously conflicts with the view which was held by previous governments, which is said to maintain the view that poverty is â€Å"relieved by cash handouts† (DSS, 1998, p 19). It is also said that the differences between these two viewpoints epitomises the differing views of ‘old Labour and ‘new Labour (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p xv), and also highlights the shift between the welfare state policy to a more capitalist approach to addressing the lone parenting issue. Main Issues Given the discussion of the United Kingdoms approach to lone parenting, it might be relevant to compare these provisions with those of other jurisdictions. Take, for example, New Zealand which categorises ‘solo parents as: (a) A woman who is the mother of one or more dependent children and who is living apart from, and has lost the support of, or is being inadequately maintained by, her husband: (b) An unmarried woman who is the mother of one or more dependent children: (c) A woman whose marriage has been dissolved by divorce and who is the mother of one or more dependent children: (e) A woman who is the mother of one or more dependent children and who has lost the regular support of her husband because he is subject to a sentence of imprisonment and is- (i) serving the sentence in a penal institution; or (ii) subject to release conditions or detention conditions (as those terms are defined in section 4(1) of the Parole Act 2002) that prevent him undertaking employment: (f) A man who is the father of one or more dependent children whose mother is dead or who for any other reason are not being cared for by their mother (Social Security Act 1964 (NZ), s 27B(1)). Arguably, in consideration of the above, it is clear that the New Zealand social security system is geared more towards caring for a woman who may be a lone parent, as opposed to a father. It might also be noted, however, that social security benefits are only paid to lone parents in New Zealand if the parent is of the minimum age of sixteen (16) years, unless emergency circumstances exist (Social Security Act 1964 (NZ), s 27B(2)). Compare this situation to that across the Tasman Sea in Australia, where the Australian Bureau of Statistics has recorded a three-fold increase in lone parenting families in the last thirty (30) years, from 7.1% in 1969 to 21.4% in 1999 (ABS census). However given this increase, it might also be worthwhile to note that lone parenting in Australia remains at lower levels than other English-speaking countries, but still higher than some countries in continental Europe (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p 61). Further to this, it has generally been the attitude of Australian governments to extend social security benefits to all classes of lone parenting families, irrespective of the cause of the lone parenting situation (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p 65). Around 47% of lone mothers were employed in 1999 and around 63% of lone fathers, and approximately 9% of both lone mothers and lone fathers were unemployed (ABS, June 1999). This perhaps symbolises a non-dependency on the welfare system, a nd that lone parents in Australia generally try to work at least part-time to supplement their welfare incomes and provide for their family. Key Dilemmas The key dilemma that has been the recurring theme throughout this paper is the need to balance income support and welfare with the need for non-dependence on the welfare system. There is a conscientious push by governments in the above countries to not encourage reliance upon welfare handouts and to push these people to seek active employment, but also recognises the various situations of lone parents who may be unable to work full time for any number of reasons. The United Kingdom obviously recognises this problem in a social context, and took steps to address it though social policy reform. Some say that this was a more ‘heavy handed approach to the social problem, and this argument may have some merit given the approaches of other countries. New Zealand prescribes certain circumstances where welfare can be paid, and Australia has a more liberal approach to the welfare system, however all of these approaches seem to function appropriately in their individual contexts. Conclusion In consideration of the above points, it is quite clear that lone parents are a significant social problem. However, the more prominent problem is that of how to address the issue. It is quite clear that the United Kingdom has a more recent history of reforming social policy on this issue and limiting the distribution of welfare benefits. Is this the most appropriate course of action? Some would suggest no, given the experience of other countries. However, regard needs to be had for the statistics: approximately one in four of Britains seven million families are headed by a lone parent, and less than four in ten lone parents in Britain work full time (which is a piecemeal 16 hours a week statistically) (Millar and Rowlingson, 2001, p 11). This only serves to fuel the debate further, and one needs to consider the legislative and policy-based approach of the United Kingdom in context before judgement on this issue can be passed. Bibliography Books Millar, J., and Rowlingson, K. (eds), Lone Parents, Employment and Social Policy (2001), Bristol: The Policy Press Journal Articles Hughes, J., ‘Lone Parents and Social Security (2005) 36 Victoria University Wellington Law Review 1 Soley, C., ‘Lessons of the Lone Parenting Battle (1997) 126 New Statesman. Legislation Social Security Act 1965 (NZ) Social Security Act 1991 (AU, Cth) Other Sources Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 1999 Australian Bureau of Statistics, census 1969 and 1999 DPI, census 1999

Syringe Test Experiment :: Papers

Syringe Test Experiment Formula Word: - Calcium Carbonate + Hydrochloric acid = Calcium Chloride + Water + Carbon Dioxide Symbol: - CaCOà Ã‚ · + 2HC = CaCl + H 0 + CO Equipment: - Flask, Glass gas syringe, Bung, Marble chips (Calcium Carbonate (CaCOà Ã‚ ·)) and tubing. Safety Because of the dangerous chemical that will be handled goggles should be wore during the experiment in case any should get in your eyes while the chemical is being measured and the experiment is happening. Fair test  § The amount of hydrochloric acid is the same (20ml) for every experiment using more or less of it in each one would highly affect it making the results erroneous and useless.  § The same amount of marble chips is used (2gs) for every experiment if the amount was too varied the results would be unusable.  § The test was repeated two times to ensure fair and accurate results from averaging.  § Washing each apparatus that I use so that there is no pass over of acid or other substance. Plan  § Starting with a 0.25 molar.  § Fill a flask with 5cm ³ 1 molar hydrochloric acid and 15cm ³ of distilled water this will reduce the molar to 0.25.  § The Tubing should be attached to the gas syringe and the other end put in a bung which will be eventually be inserted in the lid of the flask (fig 1).  § At the last second before the bung in put on top the marble chips (2gs) should be put in to the 2.5 hydrochloric acid so to catch the full about of gas given off and the.  § The temperature should be checked every 20 seconds over 200 seconds.  § To ensure for accurate results the test should be repeated multiple times the more times it's done the more accurate the results will be.  § Finally you should gradually change the molar from 0.25 to 2 (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 2) [IMAGE]

The Family in Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis :: Metamorphosis essays

The Family in Metamorphosis The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, is about a young man, Gregor Samsa, who is transformed overnight into a bug. He soon becomes a disgrace to his family. After his metamorphosis, his family goes through an even bigger metamorphosis than Gregor, himself. Therefore, the real metamorphosis occurs to the family rather than Gregor. One of the family members who goes through significant metamorphosis is Gregor's sister, Grete. She maybe the person that he cared the most about. After he turned into a bug, her love and care gave him a reason to live, but when she stopped caring it killed him. Grete turned from this loving, caring, and warm person into this dark, uncaring, and selfish person. After Gregor turns into a bug, Grete seems like the only one who cares about her brother, even in the body of a giant bug She keeps his room clean and brings him things to eat twice a day. She worries about what he might like to eat "But, he would of never been able to guess what his sister, in the goodness of her heart, actually did. To find out his likes and dislikes, she brought him an assortment of foods"(24). . Her kindness, even when she is afraid of his appearance, touches Gregor deeply. She gives him a reason to live. She is the only human that he has contact with. So, he doesn't feel as much alienated as he already is. This shows that after Gregor turned into a bug, she still cared about him. Her warmth gave him a reason to live. But, this would not last for long much longer. As the time passed, Grete practically stops caring about her brother. She starts to treat him differently. "No longer considering what she can do to give Gregor a special treat, his sister, before running to business every morning and afternoon, hurriedly shoved any old food into Gregor's room with her foot" (43). Grete is not thinking about Gregor like; this makes her uncaring. Shoving things with her foot is an example of her showing him that he is a bug because bugs are usually stomped on with feet. Grete gets a job to help pay for expenses, she no longer wants takes care Gregor makes her selfish.

Chine and Taiwan Crisis :: essays research papers

The People's Republic of China has recently passed an anti-secession law aimed at the Republic of China whom they still claim is a rogue province still under the law and subject to rule by Beijing. Taiwan for years has walked a very fine line between fully breaking from China which it began after the Communist revolution shortly after World War II, and full independence which it has so sought for more than a generation. With the possibility of Taiwan seceding from China increasing the Chinese have been slowly backed into a very unfavorable position which could erupt into a regional conflict and perhaps even another World War. The Chinese have publicly stated that if the government of Taiwan tries to pass a declaration of independence from the mainland, the Chinese government would be forced into a position where they would have to "rein in" the rogue province through military force. This has set the stage for a possible conflict which could intensify at a moments notice. Washington DC has stated that if any attacks are made by the PRC on the ROC then the United States of America will assist in the defense of the Republic of China. I think this situation will stop at only words and not lead to an all-out attack by the PRC on the ROC. When the idea of a war between China and Taiwan is discussed it is inevitable that someone will quickly point out the fact that the PRC has the world’s largest standing army. This fact is not in dispute however what is in dispute is the PRC's ability to effectively hit Taiwan with a military strike. Most of the PLA troops are infantry with armored divisions being the next largest part of the PLA. This in and of itself presents a problem for the PRC when fighting the ROC, that problem: How to get the troops from the PRC to the ROC through the Strait of Taiwan. The PLA's first and quickest option is an airborne assault dropping large amounts of paratroopers on Taiwan to secure key installations and airports so heavier transports with the armored divisions and land and supply the mass of the troops required for a full scale invasion. The problem with this plan is two-fold. First of all the People's Liberation Army Air Force has just two Airborne Corps and roughly five-hundred transport aircraft which is not big enough to land enough troops on the ground to effectively seize every installation needed for a decisive victory immediately. Chine and Taiwan Crisis :: essays research papers The People's Republic of China has recently passed an anti-secession law aimed at the Republic of China whom they still claim is a rogue province still under the law and subject to rule by Beijing. Taiwan for years has walked a very fine line between fully breaking from China which it began after the Communist revolution shortly after World War II, and full independence which it has so sought for more than a generation. With the possibility of Taiwan seceding from China increasing the Chinese have been slowly backed into a very unfavorable position which could erupt into a regional conflict and perhaps even another World War. The Chinese have publicly stated that if the government of Taiwan tries to pass a declaration of independence from the mainland, the Chinese government would be forced into a position where they would have to "rein in" the rogue province through military force. This has set the stage for a possible conflict which could intensify at a moments notice. Washington DC has stated that if any attacks are made by the PRC on the ROC then the United States of America will assist in the defense of the Republic of China. I think this situation will stop at only words and not lead to an all-out attack by the PRC on the ROC. When the idea of a war between China and Taiwan is discussed it is inevitable that someone will quickly point out the fact that the PRC has the world’s largest standing army. This fact is not in dispute however what is in dispute is the PRC's ability to effectively hit Taiwan with a military strike. Most of the PLA troops are infantry with armored divisions being the next largest part of the PLA. This in and of itself presents a problem for the PRC when fighting the ROC, that problem: How to get the troops from the PRC to the ROC through the Strait of Taiwan. The PLA's first and quickest option is an airborne assault dropping large amounts of paratroopers on Taiwan to secure key installations and airports so heavier transports with the armored divisions and land and supply the mass of the troops required for a full scale invasion. The problem with this plan is two-fold. First of all the People's Liberation Army Air Force has just two Airborne Corps and roughly five-hundred transport aircraft which is not big enough to land enough troops on the ground to effectively seize every installation needed for a decisive victory immediately.

And Then God Created Teachers

And Then God Created Teachers â€Å"If a doctor makes a mistake a life is in danger, if an engineer makes a mistake a bridge/building is in danger but if a teacher makes a mistake the whole society is in danger. † Anonymous When a teacher was being created the God had to work overtime. He was amazed at the kind of values and qualities which were required in the making. He sent his special envoys to find a person who has all the ingredients which were required to make a good teacher. He provided a long list of values and qualities to them.The list included Patience, Compassion, Confidence, Mentorship, Vision, Maturity, Selfless service, Discipline, Punctuality, humility, leadership, knowledge, self motivation etc. The envoys went all over the universe and met many people but could hardly find person with all the ingredients. They observed that the qualities required for a good teacher were becoming extinct and had almost vanished from the society. Then they tried to find if som e of them wanted to become a teacher and have some of the qualities so that the other qualities can be perpetuated or inculcated. The envoys were shocked to know that no one wanted to become a teacher.Everyone wanted to pursue a career in Medicine, Engineering and all the other possible avenues in the universe except Teaching. They came back and reported the matter to God Almighty. He was puzzled by the idea of having a society without a teacher. Without teachers it was difficult for him to foresee the existence of mankind on earth. He was worried about the future of mankind without the Doctors, Engineers, Businessmen and politicians as all of them needed a teacher for their existence. Finally He decided to create special people (teachers) with all the ingredients required in the making of a good teacher.It was an uphill task but for the welfare of the society and future of mankind in particular He went on with the project of creating good teachers. It took a long time to create a g ood teacher. He created few of them and sent them to the earth as His special envoys to nurture humans who can take up the profession of their choice. Their reward was not the materialistic things but the satisfaction which they derive when they saw their students growing into Doctors, Engineers, Businessmen and taking up other professions of their choice.Thus good teachers are the special people sent to earth by the God Almighty and are rare to find. As it is rightly said in the following Doha/Shloka: â€Å"Guru Govind dou khade, kaake laagoon paye Balihari guru aapne, Govind diyo milaye. † â€Å"Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Mahesh Varah. Guru Shakshat Para Brahma, Tasmai Shri Guruve Namah. † The Doha/Shloka written above will remain mere words to be chanted on the occasion of Teacher’s Day until and unless we realize the importance of teachers.The fact that today there is shortage of 13 lakh teachers in India reminds us of the lack of willingness and motivation among the youth to take up teaching as a profession. The only reason I see is that teaching is not considered a lucrative job in our country. As long as money is the main motivating factor it is not possible to motivate youth of today to take up a noble profession like teaching. Still we have time to wake up and do something about the situation otherwise all the lucrative jobs would become unachievable without the teachers. -Dedicated to all the teachers involved in the noble profession of Teaching SHALABH NIGAM

Examination of Some of the images Essay

Wilfred Owen fought throughout the First World War until the last week when he unfortunately died in combat. He must have seen many people in shock from the horrors and destruction of war and that is why he composed a poem about shell shocked soldiers. He said this about his poems: â€Å"My subject is War and the pity of war† this poem is another example of this. It is apparent that Owen believed that the men are no longer human and that they are in fact called â€Å"these†. Since loosing their sanity he no longer thought that the people he saw were anything he could recognise; â€Å"Who are these?† He was obviously shocked by what he had observed. He used the word â€Å"twilight† to set an atmosphere for the rest of the poem. It shows what condition the soldiers were kept in because it was a dark area; moreover it gives the whole place a spooky and chilling aura. Owen described the physical features of the shell shocked soldiers at the beginning poem in a cruel approach. â€Å"Drooping tongues† shows the reader a visual image of a motionless man who could not control his body which meant that his tongue would fall out his mouth. Owen goes on describing the victims; â€Å"jaws that slob their relish† the reader can imagine men with their mouth’s open drooling non stop, almost as if their souls have left only to leave a body to fester. These soldiers must have looked repulsive for Owen to describe a human in this manner. It is obvious that Owen was confused by what he had seen, â€Å"Baring teeth that leer like skulls’ teeth wicked†. He could not explain in a definite sentence how these soldiers became what they were; instead he used language effects like alliteration to establish how the shell shocked soldiers behaved. â€Å"Stroke on stroke of pain† is a sibilance which slowed down the poem. It also gives a harsh sound to signify the non-stop artillery which happened in battle. The writer is telling the reader that one cannot imagine what these people were feeling. â€Å"lungs loved laughter† causes a sound of calm slurring to illustrate the groans of the mental as someone passed through them. It is a very affective approach in producing an image of motionless corpses groaning with madness. This quotation further emphasises the loss of thinking because they once enjoyed their lives only to be desecrated from war. The alliteration of â€Å"m† is used twice in â€Å"Mental Cases†: â€Å"memory†¦murders† and â€Å"multitudinous murders†. The sound which this affect produced was a murmuring noise, perhaps making the reader think that Owen was contemplating something like the beginning of a finished war. He used murders because their souls had gone and were now insane. With the quotation â€Å"heads wear this hilarious, hideous† the sound which is created from it when read out loud is one of panting and gasping. This might symbolise the noise of the shell shocked men, or even Owen was making a flashback of war on the front line with the image of a gas attack and soldiers trying to get air in their lungs. There is also an oxymoron in the sentence which shows that he was confused about why the men were in that current state of health. The most significant quotation which really makes the reader imagine what Owen would have seen is†Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses†. This image makes the reader think deeply about how much the shell shocked victims were disturbed by the war. There are many words and expressions in this poem which were chosen to make sound and also to put an image into the mind of the reader. Often these words make the flashback of the battlefield in which the men became shell shocked from. The phrase â€Å"batter of guns shatter† is an internal rhyme that gives a machine gun fire sound showing pain to the reader. The whole quotation of â€Å"Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles† gives a sound of war description. It also portrays a very graphic incident of a person that was blown to pieces. It becomes apparent that in the second stanza that Owen is trying to work out why these men had become mentally unstable. In line fifteen he refers back to the thinking of the mental by saying; â€Å"Always they must see things and hear them†. The vital word in this sentence is â€Å"must† it shows that because of their state he thought that they always get shocked by the thought of war. The poet displays his anger in the poem; â€Å"Carnage incomparable, and human squander†. He detested the killing of lives and that included people who were no longer rational. Owen felt that if war never occurred the men â€Å"that had loved laughter† would had been healthy and young. In the last line of the second stanza he came to the conclusion of what happened to the men he had seen; â€Å"Rucked too thick for these men’s extrication†. Owen thought that the problems had gone too far, such as seeing many deaths, for the men to escape from it. The poet knew that these shell shocked men were tortured as every minute went by, â€Å"still their eyeballs shrink tormented†. In â€Å"twilight† the men could cope because there were no flashes of light to distress them, the light might have symbolised the artillery and this would have meant that they did not want to go to war ever again; â€Å"Sunlight seems a blood-smear†¦.Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh.† The light symbolises the revisit of war for the shell shocked soldiers. Throughout the poem there are dashes in the poem such as â€Å"-These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished.† Each one of these sentences was written in a slightly different style to the rest of the poem; as if Owen was being shown round a ward full of victims of war by a doctor. In line twenty seven the poem says â€Å"Snatching after us who smote them brother†. Owen wrote this because he thought that the mad people were blaming the living (sane) for what had happened to them. In the last line it says, â€Å"Pawing us who dealt them war and madness.† This excerpt could have many meanings such as the shell shocked victims wanting revenge for those who made them turn insane. Further more, Owen is emphasising the pompous leaders as if they were the people inspecting the hospital realising what they had done. Of course, they had no idea of what â€Å"hellish† orders they â€Å"dealt† to those who fought in The Great War because they were not at th e front line. The whole idea of seeing mental people meant that Owen could not describe the situation in plain English, everything is described metaphorically. The whole impression of the mental people was that they were in a nightmare (Surreal) which they had not yet awaken from. He included the horror, pity and after effects of war to show the reader how â€Å"helpless† men could no longer cope with â€Å"Carnage incomparable† which meant that, in the end, they just broke down.

Living Alone at an Old Age Essay

Living alone has many advantages as well as disadvantages especially when at the old age. Being 80 years old is no easy task staying alone, according to the Administration on Aging, approximately 11 million aged-adults lived alone in the US in the year 2010 and the numbers are soaring up at a swift pace (Stevenson). However, many argue that age is just but a number and the older one becomes the wiser he or she gets thus can be able to take good care of self. The next paragraph will focus on the various cons and pros of living alone at an old age. Unlike living in a nursing home or with the children, living alone grants one the opportunity to make rules in the house reducing accountability responsibility to others. One is able to decorate the house as he or she pleases without receiving judgments or criticisms from others. In nursing homes one lacks the privacy he or she needs, there are people all over and the noise is too much, when alone one does not need to compromise with such situations. However, there are cons of living alone such as when one has poor eyesight it is risky to live alone. Additionally, when on medication or sick living alone is not an option. One may experience some social isolation when alone and at times forget important appointments as well as keeping up with the daily chores. Though it may sound promising to live alone when in good health at an old age, when ailments start kicking in, it is advisable to live in a Nursing home or with the children in order to live safely(Stratford). References Stevenson, Sarah. ‘Dangers Of Seniors Living Alone’.  Senior Living News and Trends | A Place for Mom. N. p., 2013. Web. 26 May. 2014. Stratford, Kathryn. ‘Many Of The Benefits Of Living Alone’.HubPages. N. p., 2013. Web. 26 May. 2014. Source document

NYSE:KKD, A Case Study of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. Financial Statements

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts was formed in 1933 when Vernon Carver Rudolph bought a doughnut shop in Kentucky. By 1937 the business had branched into a wholesale operation, supplying local grocery stores. Today, the business is owned by Krispy Kreme franchises and there are approximately 449 factory stores throughout the world.Krispy Kreme first floated on the NASDAQ in 2000 and, with a share price of $40.64, immediately gained a market capitalization of $500 million.   A year later they switched to the NYSE where they now trade under the ticker symbol KKD.In order to perform a financial analysis of Krispy Kreme we will utilize three main financial statements; the income statement, the statement of cash flow and the balance statement.The Income Statement, or profit and loss statement, will allow us to observe how much profit has been generated by KKD and will allow us to observe how profitable the business is.   Whereas the income statement reports the results from operating the busine ss over a given period of time, the balance sheet provides a picture of the firm’s value at a snapshot period in time by presenting details of its assets, liability and owner equity.Whilst an income statement reports a company’s profits this is not actually the same as their cash flows.   It is therefore important that we also look at this when analyzing the financial health and wellbeing of a company.   By looking at the free cash flows we are able to observe how much cash is available to the company after they have paid for their investments in operating capital and fixed assets.   The free cash will be the amount that is available to redistribute to the owners and creditors.The financial reports for Krispy Kreme between the years 2005 and 2007 can be found in Appendix A.   At first glance it is evident that a has been made over the last three years since their 2005 filing.   This could be potentially attributed to their rapid growth and extension that has necessitated large investments in property, plant, equipment and investments in equity method franchises.   The losses, however, have reduced from $7.2 million in 3rd quarter 2006 to $798 in the 3rd quarter of 2007 that could indicate an improvement.The operating income, excluding the $21.05 million in depreciation, of Krispy Kreme at the end of the 3rd quarter 2007 was $22.11. The company has reported an investment of 12.63 that their annual report (www.krisykreme.com) attributed to the sale of property and the reacquisition of some of the franchises.   In addition to this KKD retired some of their long debt leading to a net loss of $15.48 in financing activities.The statement of cash flows reveal a net credit to impairment and lease termination of $268,000 in the 3rd quarter of 2007, a huge shift from the charge of $5.4million of 3rd quarter 2006.   Clearly in the latter stages of 2006 a number of stores were closed or the franchises were terminated.   The third quarter 20 07 balance sheet shows that KKD had cash of $23 million and a debt of $88 million.In order to fully understand KKD’s position in the market we need to understand the data in relative terms, i.e. how is KKD performing in comparison to their competitors or similar companies. An analysis of KKD’s financial rations provides us with further insight into their operations and can allow us to better highlight their strengths and weaknesses.   The debt ratio indicates how much debt KKD are using to finance their assets.   KKD’s debt ratio discloses that the company has a debt level that matches their level of assets.   This is clearly bad news.Furthermore they have negative earnings per share ratio of -5.45.   This EPS ratio is significantly below the industry average of -2.75 will entail that it will be extremely difficult to attract new investors as they are unable to offer earnings on the investment, at the moment they are offering a loss.   In addition to t his, if the company financials do not pick up and they are forced to default there will be no return for the investors at all.The Return on Sales ratio is currently at .39.   This is also below the industry average.   Such a low ratio indicates that the sales are not equivalent to the company’s current operating expenses.However, on a positive note, the Current Ratio (an indication of the firm’s liquidity as measured by its liquid assets) of 1.71 shows some recovery and demonstrated that KKD have the resources to meet short-term obligations.One potential source of this could be cash generated by financing activities that can help to offset the unrewarded investments in finance acquisitions.   However, this is a short-term option and will not significantly offset investors concerns.KKD currently has a quick inventory turnover and averages 20 days.   This indicates that the company is managing their inventory well and is running an efficient operation with minima l waste.   In addition to this the turnover in receivable is 8 – 11 days which is much lower than one of their major competitors; Starbucks.   Their accounts payable turnover is also high relative to Satrbucks but this is probably a direct outcome of their franchise model.KKD as an investment has received a great deal of negative publicity recently and this will undoubtedly have impacted their share price.   Accusations relating to their accounting practices and the potential over inflation of profit levels will undoubtedly have lowered investor’s confidence in the company and has also triggered a number of lawsuits.Through analyzing their current financial status and taking into consideration their ongoing issues with the SEC, I would not invest in this company.Reference PageKrispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc KKD (NYSE) Full Description. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from Reuters FundamentalsWeb site: http://stocks.us.reuters.com/stocks/fullDescription.asp?symbol=KKDKrispy K reme History. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from Krispy KremeWeb site: http://www.krispykreme.com/history.htmlKrispy Kreme Quarterly Financial Report. (2007). Retrieved March 3, 2008, from Krispy KremeWeb site: http://www.krispykreme.com/investorrelations.html   

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Planning Human Resource Essay Human resource planning has a major role to meet the company objectives in professional and efficient comportment. In this case study planning process is to meet the short term, by having the right people and the right skills of workforce to supply demands of the new contract at the same time to adjust staffing change for long term objectives. As an HR manager main role is to meet business needs through workforce planning. Part of the planning is to investigate and gather information where the company stands now where we want to take it and how to do that. I can employ the Manpower requirement approach for Human resource planning, to analyse the current situation and estimate future needs and implement the new strategy. The manpower requirement approach enables the HR to investigate the quality and the quantity of the existing workforce and analyse the company situation, forecast an adequate number of skilled manpower to satisfy future needs and achieve targets. 1- Analyse the current workforce: to learn about employees profile, expertise, age education, roles and gather information about staff rotation, this data base permit the company to evaluate the core competences and the power of it is human capital, identify surplus or shortage for short term and long term targets and measure it up with the company objectives and capabilities to appraise the current productivity, Moreover to evaluate the corporate strategy alignment with the vision and mission. 2- Forecast future manpower: identify supply and demand. Expect the quantity and characteristics of the manpower in demand for future needs based on projecting employer past trends. Using previous trends of employment of a specific qualifications and expertise employed earlier in the past years by the company to ensure productivity. â€Å"In this approach an attempt is made to forecast future requirements of educated manpower to fulfil a future target of Gross National Product (GNP) or specified targets of industrial production†. (According to Mahapatro, et al. 2010) Predict directions and development in each size of individual sectors of the economy. Use series of data and historical trends to acquire the ratio between the growth of the skills of the workforce and output growth. This method allow to associate experienced manpower and their productivity influencing the economic growth in a specific sector. According to Mahapatro, et al. 2010, â€Å"the fundamental axioms of manpower requirements approach is that there is a definite link between the education and the economic growth and the lack of skilled manpower in required number impedes growth†. Analyse and estimate the requirements of educated manpower to develop and advance, by assessing different factors engagement level, wastage and recession rate. Estimate the level of labour force participants by comparing the participant’s rates and the number of graduates for a specific occupation. The main strengths of this method are estimating and comparing the demand and supply over a period of time in a specific economy and correlate this with the total population level of employment and production. Moreover this approach helps the company to identify future needs for development and training allowing them to categorise. According to Mahapatro, et al. 2010,† this approach assess the skill requirements to achieve any predetermined economic growth, and to gear the expansion of educational system to provide the needed education and training† However there are some flaws in the Manpower Requirements approaches. The first limitation: The Manpower requirement approach, link skilled manpower to a specific occupation task, however it’s limited to be valid since it is not including the price and the cost of formal training and education to produce such educated level required, and it can only be relevant to developing countries, where high proportion of manpower have obtained these skills through informal learning and job experience. According to Mahapatro, et al. 2010, â€Å"in the Indian context, it has been observed that over 30 percent of the manpower do not have the basic minimum qualification. They have reached these levels through on-the-job training and such other informal training in the requisite skills.† The second limitation: This method confirms that there are no replacements for the required skilled manpower; however we cannot expect to find in one country all jobs requiring a specific skill to be executed by manpower having the same category of education. According to Mahapatro, et al. 2010, â€Å"the educated manpower of different types are used in fixed proportions and that there no substitutions possibilities among the various categories of educated manpower†. The future is uncertain, technological and economical factors constantly changing affect the patterns of demands predicted in an earlier stage, since estimated skilled or unskilled labour force is derived from the patterns of services or goods in demand, this approach is relatively unreliable for future for long turn estimates and can produce large errors. According to Mahapatro, et al. 2010, â€Å"Any error in judgment, in this regard, will seriously affect manpower balances at a later date resulting in either excess supply or excess demand†. Flexibility For example the Audit Commission, they have developed different type of employment to meet their business needs. â€Å"†These different contracts help the Audit Commission to cope with all of its changing needs. They also help it to be flexible.† (The Times 100, 2013) The Audit Commission is constantly faced with peaks and troughs in the workload that cannot be met simply by having its employees on full-time contracts. There are situations where they need either more staff or fewer staff. By increasing or reducing staff in these situations the Audit Commission has developed numerical flexibility. (The Times 100, 2013) As we know the organisation had some success stories and some unstable situation, HR planning at this phase after winning a new contract is extremely crucial. We can learn from the Audit Commission and apply flexibility to be able to meet future business needs without raising employment cost and by avoiding downsizing. I can suggest developing and applying flexible working patterns by introducing different type of employment contracts. The internal labour market 350 employees 95% of them have permanent contract consisting the core group of the organization having the skills and knowledge to work in many roles, the abovementioned manpower enable the organisation to run the daily operation having the expertise the knowhow of the company production standards and quality, and they can meet the enquiries in an efficient ways. However the company has recently won a new contract that might implicate needs for recruitment. The existing 95% will remain on permanent contracts and will consist the 75% of the company new structure, as for the new workforce joining the company we can introduce different type of contract to hire them in order to maintain the flexibility of the organisation. They consists the first peripheral and the second peripheral. In the company situation we are examining to hire the first peripheral group that is numerically flexible and the second peripheral group that include employees on short-terms or contractors from agencies, where the organisation needs more staff, that will not by necessary after the production demands of the new contracts are met. As for a construction company that have just signed a new hotel construction project that will end in 5 years, they cannot afford to hire employees on permanent contracts for the new project, as they will have surplus after the hotel is build. In this situation by applying the new working patterns the manufacturing company can meet the new contract needs and ensure that we will not have a manpower surplus after the project is done, it is always easy to increases the number of the workforce but not simple to reduce it. Since the company have liabilities toward their workforce. The cost is extremely high to offer all its employees benefits, health insurance, schooling, bonuses and end of service indemnities. Question 2: As we have discussed before temporary workers play a significant role in current fast pace evolving industries, no matter how skilled or unskilled they are, a certain amount of training is required to make sure they can perform well the assigned tasks. We have to plan the training process and identify the gaps. According to Gomez-Mejia et al, 2012 â€Å"The trainng process consists of three phases: (1) needs assessment, (2) development and conduct of training, and (3) evaluation.† 2.1 Assessment Needs: The type of training should be linked to the organisation goals, in our organisation situation the company needs to meet the new project production needs on time efficiently without compromising the quality. By hiring the new temporary workforce, the company is not looking to develop them or invest in them, as they are only hired to assure the production for a certain period. However we need their contribution to achieve company goals and meet business demand, the required training should enable them to acquire the skills and the knowledge, by identifying a certain type of training that will ensure they are prepared to do the assigned tasks and have the complete knowledge of the company procedures and safety related issue. 2.2 Development and conduct of training We can refer to Aldi’s company case study that was experiencing a rapid expansion and needed to recruit more than 4,000 employees. It is not so easy to involve a large number of employees and engage them to the company objectives, we can examine below how Aldi’s planned to train the new workforce and make them committed to their new roles. They have chosen to provide the on-the-job-training. â€Å"On-the-job training is training that takes place while employees are actually working. It means that skills can be gained while trainees are carrying out their jobs. This benefits both employees and the business. Employees learn in the real work environment and gain experience dealing with the tasks and challenges that they will meet during a normal working day. The business benefits by ensuring that the training is specific to the job. It also does not have to meet the additional costs of providing off-the-job training or losing working time†. (The Times 100, 2013) we can use the same training approach to apply it to our organisation, as we have to be careful about the cost. At the beginning we have to introduce them to the work place they are joining, an induction training should be provided to familiarize the new group joining to the company and colleagues, this orientation ensure their understanding to the company structure and the corporate culture and we can gain their involvement from day one to the organisation objectives and goals. We are examining here the instrumental learning type. On job training approach is applicable in this case study as it is considered cost effective and does not require an expert trainer to be hired from outside the company to teach them specific skills or to provide a certain knowledge. â€Å"OJT also spares the organisation the expense of taking employees out of the work environment for training and usually the cost of hiring outside trainer, because employees generally are capable of doing the training† †. (Gomez-Mejia et al, 2012) At the same it can deliver a clear message about the company expectation while saving time, as senior skilled staff can train new employees divided in groups depending on job requirement and the group can actually learn the required skill while conducting day-to-day activities, it allow them to observe and try. One of benefits for the company will be having skilled employees that will need less supervision to perform tasks in the future, furthermore that will increase the loyalty to the employer and employees relationships, since they will be interacting closely with the senior staff for the training period. In addition they can get guidance and learn new technologies practically rather than theorist, where most of the times theories are not so clear to be applicable. â€Å"The guided on the-job training approach helps build relationships†. (Gomez-Mejia et al, 2012). The informal training or the OJT can enhance relationships between the workforce interacting together to acquire skills and learn better about our organisation, it can be also considered as socializing activity since they can be more open and communicate easily with no barrier, this process will make effective the on-boarding new employees. â€Å"Socialization is not a single event. Rather, socialisation is the iterative process between the new employee and the organisation as the individual develop skills, knowledge, role behaviour, and adjustment to norms and values in response to needs and expectations of organisation. (Jolton et al, 2010). For the employees it helps them to be more motivated and self confident about the job, where they can gain more skills in a practical way. They can get guidance and learn new technologies practically rather than theorist, where most of the times theories are not so clear to be applicable. We have to plan carefully the On-the-Job-Training, to allow immediate benefits and reduce the unproductive breaking-in period of the new joiners. If we leave them to learn through unplanned methods employees may feel anxious unmotivated as they are not confident about their job roles and performance. Since we are aiming for temporary manpower and flexible working patterns this method is considered efficient to make them productive as quickly as possible. In addition the OJT permit to examine at early stage employees basic skills problems, for this scenario we can plan for further training for a certain group, simply it can eliminate skills deficiency. Question 3: 3.1 Benefits of Diversity at the workplace. a. Internal advantages. Emerging economy, constantly changes in lifestyle and social demands stimulate people to move from their native countries to a better place, society are becoming more diverse. One car type cannot fit to one population; diversity in choice can make a difference and appeal to everyone. By recruiting a diverse workforce we won’t be only addressing legislation or avoiding discrimination lawsuits, but we ensure engaging our stakeholders’ demands. Avoiding the stereotype in recruitment is the key success for the company to become an employer of choice. Diversity at the workplace can bring a pool of creativity and new ideas; contribution from people coming from different background can advance work and give the ability to the company to comprehend better our stakeholders’ needs and demands. People having different cultural perspectives and lifestyle can give different ideas about the same subject and convey wider exposure for the company. According to Gomez-Mejia et al, 2012, â€Å"to survive and prosper in an increasingly heterogeneous society, organisations must capitalize on employee diversity as a source of competitive advantage†. Regardless that managing employee diversity is politically correct, diverse workforce enhance better problem solving, in our manufacturing company people tend to work in groups, interacting together can solve occurring problems easier as their life experience is dissimilar and they will approach the arising problems differently. Demographic and Cultural diversity can draw more flexibility to the company culture; sharing different experiences can make the work smoother and enjoyable, since learning is wider and more open. b. External advantages A team of different people sharing life experiences and values can improve our corporate culture to become a multicultural organisation having the experience to understand better international market, this advantage can aid the company to generate more profits and widen our market. Talented people are not limited to one culture, certain age or religion, our aim is to match the right people to the right job, so why to slim our choices since we can recruit from a pool of talents. By offering equal opportunity and overlooking differences we can focus better on having the right skills, Cultural diversity at the workplace can promote competitive advantage over rivals, Moreover respecting individual diversities in recruitment can increase productivity and promote the business image. Diversity at the workplace is the key to stay competitive and to be able to cope to the fast changing economy. â€Å"Given the global nature of business today, organisations have to create very specific and effective recruitment efforts to build a deep reservoir of global as well local talent to staff all their organisational levels. (Jolton et al, 2010) As example we can spot the light to Tesco operating in UK where people from different culture and background lives. â€Å"Tesco recognises that every person is different and will bring unique talents and experiences to a role†. (The Times 100, 2013). According to Tesco; â€Å"Difference can be our strength because talent and diversity are two sides of the same coin. To focus on one while ignoring the other is like trying to run a store with no customers – it just won’t work’†. (The Times 100, 2013). 3.2 Employee Diversity Challenges. However some challenges can draw, if diversity is not correctly managed in our organisation, as we can face negative outcomes in communication and productivity Resistance to change from majority and cultural clashes may occur, people tend not to accept each other easily especially if they consider minority inferior, or not as qualified to compete for a promotion or a career development. Cultural diversity may create a barrier between majority and minorities what can affect teamwork and participation. Communication flow might be distracted; people tend to be more involved in relationships with colleagues having the same culture and background, as they share same point of view and lifestyle, minorities can be left out of the company mainstream. Minorities will start to be unmotivated and not satisfied in the work environment and significant turnover and absenteeism can face the company. Diversity can enhance creativity, however minorities being ignored and less valued, will affect their enthusiasm and involvement in the company goals and achievement, and they won’t be able to perform efficiently and effectively due to the low morale. â€Å"Conversely, the proponents of relativity argue that failure to adapt HR practices to the needs of a diverse population may alienate much of the workforce and reduce their potential contributions†. (Gomez-Mejia et al, 2012) References: 1- Mahapatro,. Bhussan,B., 2010. Human Resource Management. New Delhi: New Age International Limited. Available from: http://web.ebscohost.com [Accessed 30 June 2013]. 2- The Times 100 Business Case Studies, 2013. Flexible working patterns An Audit Commission Case Study. The Times 100. Available from: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/audit-commission/flexible-working-patterns/conclusion.html#axzz2Z2peExn1 [Accessed 3 July 2013]. 3- Gomez-Mejia,L., Balkin,D., and Cardy,R,. 2012. Managing Human Resources. Seventh Edition. United States of America. Pearson Education, Inc. 4- Jolton,J,. Lundby, K,. 2010. Going Global: Practical Applications and Recommendations for HR and OD Professionals in the Global Workplace. United States of America: Jossey-Bass. Available from: http://web.ebscohost.com [Accessed 16 June 2013].