Interracial Friendships Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interracial Friendships - Coursework Example Several, if not most of the dilemmas and challenges confronted by partners in an intercultural romantic relationship are indefinable, such as communication dilemmas with each other and with both parties’ loved ones, the approval or blessings of their immediate families, gender stereotypes, individual aspirations and values, rearing children, and the notion of the nuclear family vis-à  -vis the extended family. Hence, the concern is where to initiate in deciphering the intricacies of intercultural romantic relationships and build up harmony within two very different cultures. The response to this concern is difficult to figure out and will most definitely differ from one intercultural relationship to the next; nevertheless, the fundamental notions are both plain and simple, namely, education, wisdom, communication, respect, and tolerance. Computer-mediated communication can facilitate intercultural relationships mainly through the Internet which provides another perspective and means for people to communicate and meet with unfamiliar people for the first time, set off meaningful and pleasurable discussions or conversations, and construct secure, long-term intercultural relationships, comparable to face-to-face interactions. Through regular and far-reaching verbal communication of social information, couples interacting on the Internet could vigorously commit in self-disclosure and strengthen intimacy and ties. However, CMC could also hinder a good intercultural relationship because of the inherent ambiguities that come from communication technologies such as the Internet. There are things, such as emotional and facial expression, that are important in building a strong intercultural relationship that only a face-to-face interaction can facilitate. Popular culture is the assemblage of concepts, ideas, notions that are popular, trendy or widespread and create the dominant culture. These ideas are profoundly manipulated by mass media.  

Stock Market Vs. Gambling Essay Example for Free

Stock Market Vs. Gambling Essay The difference between gambling and buying stocks of companies is that you are betting on the future of the company and you have records you can research. If something terrible happens to the country, like a natural disaster, stocks will go down. If the country does well, the stock market will most likely go up. The key to doing well in the stock market is to research the companies you are trying to buy stock in. If you just pick a couple random companies to invest your well-earned money in, it would be more like gambling. It is possible to lose a large sum of money buying stocks if a company that was once flourishing has something bad happen. For example, those who owned stock in BP were probably doing all right until they had a vessel drop hundreds of thousands of oil into the gulf. Gambling in a casino, on the other hand is completely different. The house always a edge, and even though the edge is slim it still makes it so that the house will always win in the long run. If you are gambling in Vegas you better be using money you are willing to lose. In conclusion, if you do your homework and research and choose your stock right, more likely than not you will be making money. One thing is for sure I would feel safer tying my money up in the stock market than at the blackjack table.

A Reflective Account On The Decision Making Process

A Reflective Account On The Decision Making Process For this assignment, I have used Gibbs reflective cycle to reflect on the impact of psychosocial and cultural issues on decision making in dietetic practice. In this reflective piece, I have focused on how these factors contribute to malnutrition in the elderly. My patient was a 79 year old Caucasian lady, referred for nutrition support. She had experienced an unintentional weight loss of 10 kilograms (kg) over two years, since losing her husband. Her weight loss had become a serious concern for her, which led to her referral by her general practitioner (GP). During the consultation, she explained that she had lost 3kg in one month, which is when she started worrying as she noticed her clothes were loose. I examined her food diary and asked further questions to get an overall picture of how she was managing and if other factors were affecting her. She seemed to have an adequate diet, although at her last visit to her GP eight months prior, she was informed that she had impaired fasting glucose (IFG). She therefore decreased her intake of sugary foods for fear of becoming diabetic. When she mentioned she had lost her husband of 55 years, I immediately thought this was the reason for her weight loss. She admitted having battled with loneliness and depression for a while and that support from her son and family was helping her through this difficult time. However, although they visited at weekends, she had no other social support. She spent her time at home except for when she was out doing her weekly shopping. Several psychosocial factors emerged from this part of the consultation including bereavement and the state of depression, which she endured following this traumatic event . A significant attribute of bereavement and depression is appetite loss. She no longer had anyone to appreciate her cooking efforts and the deprivation of companionship at mealtimes became a reminder of her loss. A time of communication, joy and bonding had become a painful experience, leading to lack of interest in any activity related to food or eating, making it more of a chore . Eating is a social variable and part of our self and social identity, which also makes it a cultural variable. It is a structured part of ones everyday life and a valued social activity for most married people. Food habits developed throughout life are an important component of culture and strongly influence food decisions. The stress of bereavement can alter the social, psychological and cultural significance of food during this time . Other psychosocial determinants include access to food, and ability to cook and share meals with others . The patient was shopping for herself and consuming ready meals as she still struggled cooking just for one. It is common for elderly people to consume ready meals as it is convenient since they can buy and freeze them, and they are single portions . She only cooked when her son came to visit. I suggested joining a social club in the area, which could help improve her morale . Meal ambiance has been shown to improve levels of ingestion and is an important stimulus modulated to help increase appetite in places such as nursing homes . Unfortunately, she suffered from urinary incontinence (UI) and found it embarrassing to urinate so frequently when around people, so she declined. I decided it was best to encourage her in relation to her diet so that she felt she was already doing something to help herself and that her coming to see the dietitian would add to her efforts in trying to gain weight . Relocation and change of environment can also yield negative outcomes in terms of psychosocial disturbances such as, anxiety, depression and loneliness, associated with transferring from one place to another . She had recently moved to a smaller house, which was a stressful time for her. She had settled in but had had a hard time adjusting. This is an area I should have explored further. For example, had she made friends in the area; had she changed her eating habits due to limited access to foods she was used to having and so forth. These issues would have impacted on her intake and weight if they were causing her anxiety or depression . Financial constraint is another psychosocial factor to consider when giving dietary advice, as unaffordability affects intake . Cognitive decline is also associated with reduced intake in the elderly as they may not have the desire to eat or may forget to do so . According to her food diary and where she mentioned she was shopping from, she was not restricting herself. She was consuming three meals a day with snacks. However, as research suggests, misreporting of food diaries is common where patients try to present themselves more favourably . Alternatively, keeping the food diary may have acted as a reminder for her to eat. However, this issue was not explored on this occasion. Another psychosocial issue I considered was the food anxiety which had been created following the IFG test. Her GP had told her she was in the pre-diabetic stage and so she had eliminated most fruit and all high sugar foods from her diet as she was worried about becoming diabetic. Food habits are a set of culturally standardised set of behaviours which have been reared in individuals from childhood. Therefore, every person has a culture which dictates their eating behaviour . The burden of disease caused her to change her eating habits . She was anxious about eating foods with sugar, which formerly was a safe component of her diet. I explained that she did not have to exclude sugar from her diet completely. This created confusion as my advice was conflicting with that of her GPs. I clarified that she could still have small amounts of sugar in her but that she was wise to reduce on pure forms of sugar e.g. sweets. She was relieved to discover this and seemed happier that she could relax her diet. When negotiating her goals, I explored the cultural aspect of her diet as her compliance would be affected if I did not consider her current dietary habits. I looked at her meal pattern and food items. When discussing the food fortification process, I was able to relate this directly to specific foods in her diet. Using the appropriate wording is also important as for some, dinner may be evening meal, and tea may be a tea break mid-afternoon . By the end of the consultation, the patient said she felt better following our conversation as she had a clear idea of what she had to do. I wrote down her plan and she said she would buy herself some nice treats on her way home. I hoped that giving her tips on food fortification would give her more of an incentive to eat . Having explored this case in depth, I feel I could have been more thorough about her social life. I could have found out if she had close friends whom she could catch up with over cake and tea. Also, I could have suggested she see her GP about the UI as research shows that behavioural treatment, drugs, exercise or a combination of these can help better control UI. In turn, solving or reducing this problem could restore her confidence in leaving the house more often and lead to her increasing her social network . I could also have asked about her hobbies as this may have helped generate ideas to help improve her morale aswell . If I were to deal with such a situation again, in addition to what I did in this consultation, I would explore more of her cognitive function to see if this was having an impact on her intake. Decline in sensory function can also cause reduced intake as foods no longer taste or smell the same. Forgetting to eat is also common and may require distinct measures such as using an alarm clock as a reminder. I assumed that she was eating well from what she showed me in her food diary but I could have been more flexible in my questioning which may have helped to determine whether she was forgetting to have her meals .

Nietzsches Critique of Religion Essay -- Nietzsches Critique of Chri

Nietzsche's critique of religion is largely based on his critique of Christianity. Nietzsche says that in modern Europe, people are atheistic, even though they don't realise it. People who say they are religious aren't really and those who say they have moved on haven't actually moved on. Certain people in society retain features of Christianity. For example, socialists still believe in equality in all people. Others still have pity for the poor and needy etc. Nietzsche dislikes religion especially Christianity because it encourages and promotes slave morality. Nietzsche says that we should be striving towards master morality, but Christianity has the completely opposite values to those of the master morality. For example, religion wants us to be like slaves and give things up instead of trying to be great. He talks about a slave revolt in morality, which leads to the dominance of slave values over master values. Christianity is that slave revolt. The problem for Nietzsche is the New Testament - the introduction of Jesus. He thinks that linking the Old Testament with the New Testament is very cheeky. They are two different books with complete different ideas and so should not be linked together. The Old Testament is full of power - Nietzsche likes that. But he objects to the values of the New Testament that shouldn't be linked to the Old Testament. They demote power. He sees religion as intensely nihilistic - it's all about denying life and being negative. Nietzsche feels that the New Testament is also like that. We have to go beyond this. If Christianity and Schopenhaur are based on denying life ... ...itique is that he views religion from the outside, so doesn't this make it a one-sided story? But obviously Nietzsche will think that his critique is one-sided. He is a perspectivist. Why is a view from outside any less valid than a view from inside? Is the ladder of religious cruelty a complete account of religious development. What about a sacrificing himself for humanity? This doesn't get mentioned. However we could say that Nietzsche rejects that because he obviously doesn't believe in God and insofar as God is 'one of the suffering'. This confirms Nietzsche's negative view of religion / Christianism. Nietzsche said that religion shouldn't How can religion not be an 'end-in-itself' for religious believers? A counter-argument to this would be to say that religion as an instrument is not a religion.

Martial Law in Philippines Analysis

Martial Law in Philippines Angelique M. Musni BSED Physical Science 3-1 Mr. Roel Robles History Analysis October 12, 2012 Martial Law in Philippines I. Introduction Martial Law was proclaimed by Ferdinand Marcos the 6th president of the Philippines on September 21, 1972. Dictatorial in which he will able to control, rule, and manipulate people through his power. He was a topnotch law student. Since he argue at the Supreme Court accusing him as a murderer, because of his ability as a sharp shooter. He quickly gained supporters because of winning against it. Even in his love life he considered it as a political. Related article: Reflection Paper About Martial LawHe married Former First Lady Imelda Marcos for his own intention. He has his own plan that’s why he proclaimed Martial Law. He wanted to stay as a president for longer time. II. Content In a documentary I watched Garcia (1997). He said that 1969, elections came around when Marcos run for his second term, and that was the dirtiest, fraudulent ever. When that election came rise in dollar out bared. That was the most expensive election. On 1971 after the Plaza Bombing, Filipinos don’t have trust, due to disappointment to Marcos. Marcos opponents in that election won that’s Liberal party in which people who became the victim of Plaza Bombing.On 1972 all of the people contradict to Marcos or his enemies were arrested by police and the military. Including Benigno Aquino became his mortal enemy. Many people arrested. Nobody knows what is happening because all of the media controlled by Marcos all you can hear is just mu sic. The government set Plebiscite to produced new constitution but soon he realized that he might lost because all people are in favor for Benigno and Diokno so he changed it to voting through raising hands, even kids were allowed to vote and then they will going to ask, who wants free food, because of poverty many people will raised they’re hands.Marcos did consult to Richard Nixon about his plan. Richard Nixon didn’t stop him because Richard wanted to prevent the spread of communism. New constitution formed under military rule, whose purpose is only for him. All of the people against him were go to jail, and worst is killed there are also Filipina Women who got raped. Media were being controlled by him, only government can control media only favorable news about them were being reported. At first country showing good economy, but as soon the truth revealed, continuous corruption occurred. People don’t have right to express their freedom.The result of this is the decreasing economy, increasing debts. Support of America Government vanished as they realized that Marcos didn’t works towards democracy. Many Filipino people suffer in this authoritarian government. Armed Forces of the Philippines are the one who accompanied the rule of Marcos. Even his friend Primitivo Mijares chief propagandists on the regime of Martial Law of Marcos, but sooner became the enemy of Kokoy Romualdez, brother of Imelda Marcos. He even breaks off unto regime of Martial Law. Primitivo wrote a book named â€Å"The Conjugal Dictatorship†.He exposed the truth behind Marcos regime. Including his love life affair to an American artist do exposed in the book. Later Mijares disappeared many people believed that Marcos agents at U. S. killed him. Until now the body of him has not been found. Incidents about abusing people don’t reveal on regime of Marcos. All of the media were remained working but they wouldn’t allow to revealed bad side about Marcos. He even abused many people and killed many innocent people. It was being proved that Family Marcos did abuse many people on the contrary they should pay ten thousandths people in return.Until now Marcos Family didn’t accept that they all abused many people Marcos stated that he will make the Philippines a Land reform area, he will going to distribute it on peasants. At the end of his term not more than four percent get their land. He even stole and get some of the companies of Lopez Family, Lopez Family were rich, owning lots of company, Marcos wanted it all, Geny Lopez was accuse to assassinate Marcos that’s why he arrested him. For Geny’s freedom Marcos ask to give the companies to him in return. Lopez, gave what he said, But Marcos didn’t give the freedom for Geny.He fooled Lopez instead. He won his freedom when he escaped from prison. Marcos makes a group consisting of his friends and relatives called Cronies. This group aims to have all the w ealth in Philippines. His wife Imelda Marcos did enjoy the luxury of her life, spending money of the government. . Imelda Marcos stated that there were no Filipino’s being executed or murdered at Martial Law times. Imelda Marcos been called as an Iron Butterfly because of her beauty and toughness of steal. She’s been the secret weapon of Marcos. She became the minister of Human Settlements.She signed deals on different country. She even put all up some buildings, many people said that Imelda spent 1 million US dollar, just for her daughter’s wedding. Involve the renovation of the said Church for the wedding after several months due to earthquake the Church collapsed. Another one is the Manila Film Center, this building been rushed for the said occasion. According to the reports the two floors collapse and many construction workers died and even buried on the Film Center, Imelda Marcos denied that there are no people buried at the Film Center she said she never l eft dead people there.Today Manila Film Center is an empty useless building and now, planned to demolish. For sort of reason U. S America under Jimmy Carter, Marcos push to do the National Assembly Elections. With that Benigno Aquino allowed to run but not to campaign, but he had given a chance to appear on Television on March 10, 1978. With the help of Benigno Aquino and others they formed a new alliance that is against Marcos Regime which was named â€Å"Laban†. They believed that many of their votes won’t be counted so they think that they should make a noise barrage. This noise barrage last for one night.Benigno Aquino didn’t wont at the election because of cheating. The rich Filipino exiles in US make a movement which was called â€Å"Light A Fire Movementâ€Å" and â€Å"April 6 Movement† this aim to strengthen many Filipino’s to write and speak for their freedom. 1918 Philippines economy got weak. U. S. president also changed and that is R onald Reagen. Santo Papa will visit Philippines so Marcos removed the Martial Law and do the Presidential Election. Marcos won, against his opponent. Through cheating he won and the rumor was Marcos was the one who funded the opponent so that people would believe that was true.Nothing changed when it comes to his power. Marcos forced to give freedom to Benigno Aquino because of his sickness. He’s afraid Benigno Aquino would die in prison and blame by many people. After that, Benigno continue fighting at U. S. Benigno Aquino planned to go home in Philippines but he didn’t allow by Marcos regime, He faked his passport for him to be able to travel. By the time the airplane landed he was shot by the gun. Former Senator Aquino died. Many Filipino’s attended his burial and gave their Sympathy. This Reason made Filipino people to continue and fight for their freedom.This lead to People Power I. Marcos did surrender because of threat that people will kill him. Corazon A quino wife of Sen. Benigno Aquino, give way for the restoration of Philippine Democracy. III. Analysis In an article I read Bajala (2012). He said that he have fully realized the merciless oppression of the dictator. He has known some of the countless stories to be told by prominent characters and also ordinary individuals of their experiences during one of the dark ages in the Philippine history. He has seen the struggle of the country to regain democracy.Filipinos has fought for it since the past. From the Spaniards, to the Japanese then to the Americans. Filipino had won them all. The Martial Law is never an exception. The people once again showed their love for freedom, both in peaceful and active rebellions. We had shown our unity as we stand for our rights. We will always be fighting of whatever forces that might hinder us from our goal, to live progressively in a democratic nation. Well for me, Marcos is like Hitler who only wants satisfaction with their own self.A very selfi sh man who doesn’t even try to think about others, even said to people that he want only to serve his own country but revealed that he only want power. Filipino people ones proved that we can overcome many struggle. I have seen that lots of Filipino at Martial Law continued fighting just to get their freedom and regain democracy. Filipino proved that not all Filipino’s became afraid on fighting back their freedom. Even they suffered a lot. They still have hopes to continue. Marcos, became too greed that he doesn’t even think others life. I felt angry to Marcos. And felt Pity for people who abused by Marcos.I am proud of what Benigno Aquino and his wife done in our country. Benigno even made sacrifice also his wife for the democracy of Filipino people. They are heroes. Heroes, who don’t hesitate on helping they’re own fellowmen. They don’t show fear, instead they became brave and make Filipino their inspiration. So we Filipino’s we sho uld protect and give importance to the democracy given us by late Benigno and Cory. They were one’s a Filipino who aims to have a peaceful and prosperity life. We should thank them for what they did. Reference: Garcia, H. ., Apostol, E. ., et al (1997) â€Å"Batas Militar†

Are Newspapers Necessary Nowadays

Are newspapers necessary nowadays? Can you imagine world without any newspapers? As far as I am concerned, they are the main source of information in our daily life. They educate readers on current event of our life. For this reason people became aware of global and local issue. So can be no doubt of newspapers necessity. In the first place, newspapers are very important in our society, due to the fact that they supply us the latest news and keeps us informed about the changing events of the world. They give us information not only about our homeland, but also about whole world.For instance, only from the newspapers, early in the mornings, we know what happened when we were sleeping. What is more, newspaper consists of various articles, for this reason every human will find interesting things. In addition, newspapers are the easiest way to find out about what is happening in the world. In my way of thinking if we did not manage to read newspapers early in the morning, we will purchas e one on the way to the job. Moreover newspaper is easier to carry and it could be read at any time during the day.On the other hand, there are those who believe that newspapers are not necessary because of rapidly developing Internet. They think that from the Internet we can search information much faster than from newspapers. Besides some people more often choose cable news, because it is more comfortable way to gain knowledge what is happened. To sum up, I feel that newspapers still are necessary, because they provide us diversity reliable articles about the latest news. Moreover it is the quickest way to gain main knowledge of the day.

Why Tupac is Still Alive essays

Why Tupac is Still Alive essays You are driving back from your chemo treatment at the hospital, exhausted from the physical strain on your body. You are tired and speeding home in order to go to sleep. You pass a cop and he decides to pull you over. As the cop approaches your window and asks for your license and registration you begin to open the glove box. As you open your glove box you forget that you had put your medication in it. Soon thereafter, you are handcuffed in the back of a cop car on your way to jail. The cop doesnt understand that the marijuana in your glove box was for medicinal purposes even though you look withered and you have no hair. Marijuana has an active ingredient of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) that helps to alleviate pain of terminally ill people. Some states, such as California, have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, but the federal government hasnt therefore marijuana is still illegal. This argument is more of a moral debate on the values of Americans, but as of right now the pros outweigh the cons. The American government should legalize the use of marijuana. First, the legalization of marijuana would help terminally ill patients with illnesses such as AIDS. People who suffer form AIDS must take high doses of highly toxic anti-viral drugs such as AZT. AZT can produce severe nausea and vomiting, as well as other gastrointestinal problems. These side effects may cause an AIDS patient to become bulimic and starve to death. Smoking marijuana helps these patients cope with the severe side effects of AZT. Since these patients cant legally obtain marijuana, they go to the streets, forcing them to illegally obtain this drug to help alleviate the pain caused by AZT. By having these patients go to the streets to obtain marijuana, they are not only putting their lives in danger, but they are also supporting drug dealers. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy would also benefit from the ...

Globalisation And Sustainability Essays - Capitalism, Free Essays

Globalisation And Sustainability Essays - Capitalism, Free Essays Globalisation And Sustainability Globalisation and Sustainability: The Importance of Government Sidney Rua Student #: 990129213 Frasier Valentine POL103Y1 April 10, 2000 The world was once vast and unknown. Communication was once dreaded as messages would take exceeded amounts of time from one point of destination to the next. Countries would not know of each others affairs for months because the world was large beyond anyones imagination. But as soon as technology reared its head the world rapidly became smaller. It modified everything within its grasp. Communication that once took months could now take seconds. Travelling abroad that would have taken years now took hours. Every institution that fell into this form of globalisation changed. It is obvious to see that governments have also been effected by globalisation in such ways that they can either imitate or contrast with each other. Yet a controversy exists about the issue on the effect of globalisation on governmental power. On one side of the argument globalisation is considered as a force that weakens the power of government whereas others debate the contrary, claiming that there is no effect and power remains constant. Still both arguments fail because of the extremity that they impose. A better argument would be that globalisation does effect government power, not to the point of weakening, but ensuring that no abuse of power occurs unknowingly. Globalisation is simply a tool that enables the actions of governments to be monitored by other countries and world organisations. With comparison of Australian and Canadian environmental policy, it will be clear that actions taken by the government have been influenced (not controlled) by globalisation. The idea of the world becoming a small interactive village is what many would consider the effect of globalisation. Boundaries are no longer an issue and can be crossed with an easy click of the mouse. But globalisation is far from being a new concept that came along with technology. It has existed since humans have had curiosity. The exploring of new lands, the discovery of new peoples and nations, to the fascination of natures physical features, people have been in the process of globalisation for centuries. Technology had simply allowed globalisation to progress a little more rapidly than what it had accomplished in the past. Although it seems that globalisation brings promise of a unified Utopian society this is far from becoming the truth. Todays world is based on the market. The selling of goods and services to the consumer to gain profit. Therefore globalisation has become the expansion of the market place with greater opportunities for production and trade in new locations.1 Relations are established between nations, not for the mere satisfaction of peace, but for the insurance that a trading partner exists where profit can be gained. This motivation from profit leads to the element of the manufacturing process. In order to achieve maximum profit corporations need to spend less in producing a product. They go about this through means of cheap energy fuel (usually fossil fuels like coal), low labour wages, and cutting costs in waste disposal. For an exceeded amount of time corporations have been able to escape the clutches of the law because it was seen that damage to the environment was a small price to pay in exchange for high profits. For instance abuse to the Canadian forests in the past two centuries has led to a large proportion of it being cut, 8 000 kilometres long and hundreds of kilometres wide.2 When large damage has been inflicted only then will peoples concerns be aroused. Governments then needed to intervene, to steer corporations from inflicting anymore damage to

The Candy Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Candy Case - Essay Example The case study is all about a developed confectionary business in the Dewey Beach. The store used to sell three different products, such as candy, ice cream and photograph. Recently, the organization is planning to implement online business strategy in order to gain competitive advantage in this business area. Dewey Beach is considered as one of the most popular tourists spots in United States of America. Moreover, the organization is planning to expand its business operations in different popular locations in the United States of America in which the organization can get significant competitive advantages1. It is mentioned in the case study that the confectionary store has to face low competition within the market. There are two more similar types of business organizations. But, importantly this specific confectionary store used to sell differentiated products. According to the views and thoughts of business owners, the online business strategy will help the organization to achieve significant competitive edge over its competitors. It is true that number of competitors for this specific confectionary store is quite low. But, it also needs to be considered that the total population of this area is not more than 350. Therefore, it is highly challenging for the store to become the leading organization within this area. However, the organization achieved significant growth rate from the business practices. In addition to this, several international domestic visitors come to this place to enjoy the beauty of nature of this area. The organization is planning to implement online business process in order to target local, domestic and international customers. Candy, ice cream and photographs are three major product lines. This diversified product portfolio will help the organization to gain significant preference of customers who will wish to visit this area. Now-a-days, the number of users of internet is increasing significantly. In addition to this, popularity of on line consumption activity can help the confectionary store to capitalize on the potential business opportunity. It will be effective if the business owners select online selling and business activities for three existing product line. In this modern era of advanced technology and online marketing, each and every person tries to find the information about places, hotels, restaurants and stores before planning to visit a specific area. These favorable aspects will help the confectionary store to create significant awareness of the products. If the organization tries to maintain effective quality in candies and ice creams, then it would be easy for the organization to develop significant brand value. In terms of photographs, the organization made a contract with an art professor of the Dewey University to source photographs. The store will sell these photographs to the target audiences in different sizes depending upon the preference of the customers. However, each and every product ca n get benefit from the online marketing activities. Putting up the digital photographs on the company website or on several social media websites can attract the tourists from different global areas to visit the place. In addition to this, the business owners are also trying to expand their business operations in other areas. The organization

Property Law&Practice 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Property Law&Practice 2 - Coursework Example The main reason that leads to the formulation of part II of the agreement was to bring protection to the business tenants. A business tenant having protection by the act will not get any eviction simply by the receipt of notification to relinquish the house, or by the lapse of a fixed term of the tenancy evacuate the room or building. It is stipulated that the landlord, in consideration to evacuate the tenant, has to serve the tenant with an evacuation notice. The tenant, on the other hand, has to respond to, before any action including eviction can be carried out. On the same note, part II of the same act is applicable to the tenancy where the property being used obtains the protection. The act talks of an inclusion of the premises which includes those occupied by the tenant for the use of the business carried out by that tenant. The purpose might be for the specified business, or any other businesses carried out by the tenant. The act has some exceptions such as the one seen in S.4 3., for the company to improve that all the tenants take a lease period of more than six months. This is already applicable to all the tenants to ABC. The act does not provide a cover from the leases less than six months and have no scope for renewal. Even though both parties involved can agree on not to be covered, it is important to note that having a cover is very important, both to the business and its tenants, as well. Additionally, the tenancy that is granted by purpose of engagement by the guarantor has to be covered. Additionally, a tenancy that has obtained a grant by reason of occupation by the grantor gets excluded from the Act. This holds as long as there is clear agreement that states the purpose for which the tenancy exists. The condition of leasing of the building hall to the tenant who will then lease individual rooms to other businesses may prove productive in the long run. The tenant should take advantage of the fortification offered through the act. As a letting c ompany, the houses should be left under the control of the management. This will ensure maximum returns on the investment carried out. For ABC Company to make significant progress, it has to get a timely and accurate performance of the assets. It should also ensure that it gets market information relating to other people who deal in the same businesses. Any successful investor has to make sure that it embraces core assets management strategies. This has a pivotal role in ensuring that they make better investment decisions. They can also see to it that critical staff gets freed, and those left to manage the property do it diligent and efficiently. It is a common undertaking nowadays that most businesses experience fluctuating business cycles. This problem gets compounded by credit contractors and limited liquidity. Therefore, the company should seek accounting and finance services relating to the following scales; account receivable, Corporate Accounting/General Ledger, account payab le, portfolio accounting, as well as fund accounting. To avoid the risk incurred by fluctuations in business, ABC Ltd has to make sure that the terms of leases to do not rely on the profits and losses of the tenants. There are several ways that the property investment can be maximized. They include the following 1 Exit strategy: even though the business has already acquired the

Ethnography Assignment Worksheet 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethnography Assignment Worksheet 2 - Essay Example She said, â€Å"Who’d know better than me. Regee’s and my day is incomplete unless we’ve been to this place.† From this interview, my perception of lack of a class system in the Veterans Park strengthened. I found that the Park is truly a place of enjoyment for everyone. The most interesting thing I found while conducting this research was the participation of children. Children as little as under five years of age did not even understand what I was talking with their parents about. Terms like racism were new to some. I found very positive changes in the Veterans Park. The Veterans Park has been decorated to make it look even more beautiful and appealing. The new park has a walkway laid out with brick pavers. A new flag pole has also been placed recently. The Park administration intends to develop the park further with the help of money collected for the walkway. Rules of Conduct have also been introduced lately to take objective control over any possible incidents of racism or discrimination that might happen in the park. The Rules of Conduct require the visitors to keep the park clean. The visitors are forbidden to make use of obscene, racist, lewd, or vulgar language while in the park. The Rules of Conduct forbid the visitors to abuse or threaten anybody in the park. They clearly demonstrate that any attempt of harming any visitor will be dealt strictly and prompt action will be taken against the offender. In addition to that, the Rules of Conduct also encourage the visitors to display ethics in their mannerism by being truthful, nice, and proactive in reporting the administration of the park of any abusive events. The park is visited by both the homeless and the non-homeless people. Generally, the two groups of people do not sit next to each other in the park. One can sense a lack of association between the two groups of people but despite that, the homeless people are always greeting the people walking by regardless of their

Poetry explication paper ( literture ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poetry explication paper ( literture ) - Essay Example Both the mother and the baby are anonymous throughout the poem. Going along with the rest of the poem, the father of the baby is also seldom mentioned, only in passing as the mother points out that he has no part in either of their lives. The mother spends much of the poem dwelling on the fact that her child is a bastard child, as is evident in the line â€Å"I hold you and name you bastard in my arms.† It is also made clear throughout the poem that the responding doctors and nurses do not approve of the fact that no father is being named for the child. Judging by the fact that the mother gets to spend only certain amounts of time with the infant, it can be assumed that there is an underlying medical factor with the mother, whether it be physical or mental. It seems that the mother only gets the child when the child needs feeding, a task the only the mother can perform. After the feeding is over with, the child is taken from its mother and is brought to another room until it n eeds feeding again. There are numerous dramatic situations taking place throughout the poem. The absence of a father for the infant seems to be the situation that the rest of the situations are formed and gathered around. As the tone of the poem is that of anger and sadness, it is clear that the father just decided that he wanted no part in raising a child, therefore abandoning both mother and child. It may be due to this abandonment that the mother does not seem too attached to her newborn child, which may also be the reason that the mother does not get to spend all of her time with the baby. Abandonment is the main theme in this poem, and it seems to be coming from every direction. The father abandoned the mother and his baby, the mother is losing touch with the baby, and the nurses and doctors are not getting too close to the mother in her time of need and confusion. It can even be said that the mother was

Unemployment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Unemployment - Research Paper Example Unemployment If the efficiency of the economy is to be maximized, then the all the individuals in the economy would be employed at a certain wage rate. An unemployed person is simultaneously unproductive as well as a huge drain on the resources of the society leading to a huge drop in the aggregate output production in the economy. Psychological impacts of unemployment are also adverse which leads to long run degradation of an economy. The obnoxious characteristics of unemployment is one of the foremost problems in every countries of the world be it a developed or developing and the government of those countries are facing every day challenges and formulating as well as implementing strategies in order to mitigate the problem of unemployment (Griffiths & Rotheim, 2007, p.2). The paper will seek to analyze the historical evolution of unemployment along with the current status of it with various problems faced by the people from time to time and the unemployment rates in different countries. Follow ing this, focus will be entailed on the endeavor adapted by different governments for neutralizing this grave problem. Finally the paper will inject some self assessed recommendations for solving the problem of unemployment. II. Definition of the problem Unemployment Unemployment is the macroeconomic problem which affects people most directly and in a severe manner. For majority of the people in the world (although there is voluntary unemployment and other forms of unemployment which is discussed later in this segment), a loss in job correlates directly with a reduced living standard and immense psychological distress. (Mankiw, 2005, p.155). It is one of the central themes of discussions for economists and the politicians round the globe in the identification of different causes of unemployment and simultaneously involves in the improvement of several public policies affecting the unemployed. In this respect, a famous statement by Thomas Carlyle can be mentioned which is as follows: â€Å"A man willing to work, and unable to find work, is perhaps the saddest sight that fortune’s inequality exhibits under the sun† (Huebner, 1932, p.49). Now a short insight on different types of unemployment can be provided in order to have a more brief idea of the unemployment arena. Frictional unemployment Within the sphere of unemployment, it has been found that a certain amount of time has been spent within the job tenure of the individuals and finding another employment. The labor market is dynamic market and at a particular point of time there will remain a certain number of unemployed persons and the crux of frictional unemployment leads to acknowledging the fact those adjustments in the employment takes some time which is indeed a harsh reality (Mankiw, 2005, p.603). Structural unemployment This type of unemployment generates when there is wide gap between the skills required by the employers of firms and skills provided by the employees or the labor and th is type of unemployment experiences long spells. It has been found in the industry of rocket science there can generate higher or lower unemployment in the submarket rather than the national market. In this industry if the trade agreements are such that it allows for the outsourcing in the other countries, then the labor market for the rocket scientist will perish in the domestic country (Schmitt, J & Warner, 2011, p.1). Voluntary Unemployment The notion of the voluntary

Medieval Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Medieval Philosophy - Essay Example Aquinas further says that â€Å"for what which can one day cease to exist must at some time have not existed† (Bowie, 59). For all creatures that do exist, there must have been some time when they were not in life, a time when the first butterfly, for instance, came into existence. Aquinas proposes that butterflies weren’t always fluttering about, but rather that a first butterfly was created from which all following butterflies were procreated. Consequently, the bigger question turning to be what caused the creation of the first butterfly? Aquinas said: â€Å"If everything could cease to exist, then at one time there could have been nothing in existence† (Bowie, 59). This indicates that since all things in nature can cease to exist, or to never begin to exist, then at one time there would have been nothing in existence, since that the first thing came into life and procreated all successors. To this, Aquinas states that â€Å"if this were true, even now there would be nothing in existence, because that which does not exist only begins to exist by something already existing† (Bowie, 59). Thus, this indicates that if there was nothing in being, then there would be nothing in existence now, but we know this is not correct due to the immense amount of unique animals and plants on Earth, not to mention the immensity of space and surrounding galaxies. (Gilson, 1956) Anything in motion, according to Aquinas, is moved by something else. He then describes one type of motion as the diminution of something from potentiality to realism, and states that nothing can make this movement apart from a thing that is already in realism in the same esteem as the first object is in potentiality. For instance, something which is in fact hot, like flames, makes something which is potentially hot, like wood, to be really hot. (Weisheipl, 1974) Clearly stated, it is obvious to realize that those beings that can’t owe their existence

Poetry explication paper ( literture ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poetry explication paper ( literture ) - Essay Example Both the mother and the baby are anonymous throughout the poem. Going along with the rest of the poem, the father of the baby is also seldom mentioned, only in passing as the mother points out that he has no part in either of their lives. The mother spends much of the poem dwelling on the fact that her child is a bastard child, as is evident in the line â€Å"I hold you and name you bastard in my arms.† It is also made clear throughout the poem that the responding doctors and nurses do not approve of the fact that no father is being named for the child. Judging by the fact that the mother gets to spend only certain amounts of time with the infant, it can be assumed that there is an underlying medical factor with the mother, whether it be physical or mental. It seems that the mother only gets the child when the child needs feeding, a task the only the mother can perform. After the feeding is over with, the child is taken from its mother and is brought to another room until it n eeds feeding again. There are numerous dramatic situations taking place throughout the poem. The absence of a father for the infant seems to be the situation that the rest of the situations are formed and gathered around. As the tone of the poem is that of anger and sadness, it is clear that the father just decided that he wanted no part in raising a child, therefore abandoning both mother and child. It may be due to this abandonment that the mother does not seem too attached to her newborn child, which may also be the reason that the mother does not get to spend all of her time with the baby. Abandonment is the main theme in this poem, and it seems to be coming from every direction. The father abandoned the mother and his baby, the mother is losing touch with the baby, and the nurses and doctors are not getting too close to the mother in her time of need and confusion. It can even be said that the mother was

Medieval Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Medieval Philosophy - Essay Example Aquinas further says that â€Å"for what which can one day cease to exist must at some time have not existed† (Bowie, 59). For all creatures that do exist, there must have been some time when they were not in life, a time when the first butterfly, for instance, came into existence. Aquinas proposes that butterflies weren’t always fluttering about, but rather that a first butterfly was created from which all following butterflies were procreated. Consequently, the bigger question turning to be what caused the creation of the first butterfly? Aquinas said: â€Å"If everything could cease to exist, then at one time there could have been nothing in existence† (Bowie, 59). This indicates that since all things in nature can cease to exist, or to never begin to exist, then at one time there would have been nothing in existence, since that the first thing came into life and procreated all successors. To this, Aquinas states that â€Å"if this were true, even now there would be nothing in existence, because that which does not exist only begins to exist by something already existing† (Bowie, 59). Thus, this indicates that if there was nothing in being, then there would be nothing in existence now, but we know this is not correct due to the immense amount of unique animals and plants on Earth, not to mention the immensity of space and surrounding galaxies. (Gilson, 1956) Anything in motion, according to Aquinas, is moved by something else. He then describes one type of motion as the diminution of something from potentiality to realism, and states that nothing can make this movement apart from a thing that is already in realism in the same esteem as the first object is in potentiality. For instance, something which is in fact hot, like flames, makes something which is potentially hot, like wood, to be really hot. (Weisheipl, 1974) Clearly stated, it is obvious to realize that those beings that can’t owe their existence

Two Handed Bowling and Sandbagging Essay Example for Free

Two Handed Bowling and Sandbagging Essay Sandbagging is a term used in many sports to define someone that is intentionally playing the sport bad in order to better themselves with handicap. There are people that completely agree with this and use the handicap as an advantage. On the other hand, you have the people that are for all intentional purposes trying to do their best every week and try to keep their average high. There are two sides to every story and finding out the cheating side is always the hardest. Bowling two handed has become a controversy because people technically aren’t switching hands, which is against the rules, instead they are switching styles and this usually causes them to have a lower average. Some people think that a new rule should be added to completely do away with the two handed style all together and others think that if people want to sandbag, then let them sandbag. Two handed bowling has been a controversy since Jason Belmonte started bowling at the age of just two years old. Before that, though, two handed had never been seen and everyone bowled with just one hand. It hasn’t been a problem against the rules, it has been a problem called ‘sandbagging.’ Sandbagging happens in leagues and gives that person an advantage. For example, if a one handed bowler with a 200 average starts out bowling two handed with a 160 average, he can get a higher handicap and finish out bowling one handed. The higher handicap will give his team more points. This goes into the idea of it being ethical. It’s technically cheating and if you are aware you are doing this to win, it isn’t right. If a bowler cheats and sandbags, should they have to finish out the season bowling the way they started? This isn’t just to win their league, it’s to also help them win tournaments that have handicap. â€Å"They seem to flock to handicap leagues and on occasion have a career year in a high money scratch league with team maximums.† (Rodriguez). Bowlers look down on the people that do this because it isn’t fair to the ones that keep their averages high and take the sport seriously. The argument with two handed bowling isn’t that it is against the rules, it’s that people abuse it. They sandbag with two hands, then bowl one handed in tournaments to win. People want a rule made to go along with the rule that says if a person starts out left/right handed, they must finish out the season left/right handed, to say that if a person starts out bowling one/two handed, they should finish one/two handed. â€Å"The emergence and growing popularity of what is known as the two-handed delivery in bowling has caused the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) to consider its impact on the rules and application of the sports specifications.† (Henry). This quote is explaining that USBC is looking into the rules and could possibly add a rule that is against switching between two styles. However, there are some exceptions and some people that think sandbagging is an ‘ok’ thing to do. Not only is this an argument against the rules, most people strongly disagree with the idea of sandbagging because it gives people an advantage in handicap tournaments. â€Å"†¦if I have the ability to be a consistent 200-average bowler, but I spend all season deliberately averaging 170 or so, my handicap will be that of a bowler much worse than me. So, when the important games start, I go back to bowling as I know I can, and I have an additional 20-30 pins of handicap as a cushion.† (Goodger). This is explaining how the handicap works and why people sandbag. Handicap tournaments are for people with averages usually under 220. The reason they have the rule that you can’t switch hands is because people will bowl with their ‘bad’ hand to set a low average, then in tournaments, they bowl with their right hand and dominate the competition. It’s the same thing by switching styles. People bowl two handed, which can be by their same hand, but actually bowl one handed. The only thing that people think should be allowed is picking up spares one handed. A two handed bowler, Osku Palermaa, bowls his first ball two handed but picks up spares one handed. Almost everyone that are against the switching of styles think this should be allowed. This is where stats come into play. If someone can average a 210 one handed and a 170 two handed, they should only bowl one handed on the first ball. On the same page, if a bowler averages 210 two handed, and just 180 one handed, then they should only bowl with two hands on the first ball. The switching of the two styles could be the equivalent of switching hands in golf. Maybe a shot is easier for someone left handed and they can make the shot, even though they golf right handed. That option is not allowed in bowling, and with the many styles that are offered today, there has to be some rule to balance the field. Tournaments in the youth and some adult tournaments are used with handicap. So handicap with bowling would be a good thing. You average 200 and shoot a 210 with a handicap of 100% of 220, and you technically shoot a 230. This is the same in golf, if a golfer has a high handicap, then that means his ‘average’ is higher than some other golfers with a low handicap. It’s almost backwards in golf, but works the same way to ensure that players can play each other and be equal, regardless of skill level. I think of true athletes like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter. â€Å"Can you imagine for one second any of them missing the winning putt, not making the game winning shot or striking out INTENTIONALLY? I didn’t think so.† (Doe) This quote is saying that a bowler averaging 170 is not going to make that game winning strike, and it’s very obvious when someone is sandbagging. In every sport there is always someone trying to bend the rules and take advantage of things such as handicap in order to win tournaments. In golf, someone can shoot horribly and have a high handicap, and then shoot great in a tournament and nobody can beat him at all. This is taking advantage of an idea that is supposed to even out the players based on their personal ability. So if you do better than your average with a 170, and someone else does a little worse than theirs but bowls a 210, then you should win, regardless of the scores. That is how handicap works in bowling, as well as golf. This is a moral thing and I don’t see how someone can win in terms of cheating. You can’t cheat in football or any other sport, so why be able to in bowling? The basic counter argument of this idea is that sandbagging and switching hands to do so is something that is ‘normal.’ Some people think that taking advantage of this idea is why it was put in place and they can abuse it if they want to. If they want to sandbag then there is no rule that is preventing them from it. From their point of view, it’s only cheating if you get caught, and most people report them to their league supervisor or coach. Some even sandbag in the first couple of weeks and then bring their average up gradually in order to stay hidden and ‘under the radar.’ Besides, it isn’t like everyone else can’t throw a few bad balls their first few games of a league. An article about why sandbagging is allowed in bowling alleys explains it. â€Å"The only real handicap we are dealing with in bowling is money. If the bowling alleys have to throw a blind eye to what is going on they will, this is the only way to keep them in business.† (â€Å"Bowling tips for beginners†)Money and keeping their league members is exactly why they don’t report the sandbaggers. They are almost always the ones that know how to bowl bad and make it look like an accident. Another thing they look at is that if people don’t like sandbagging, then they can go join a scratch league, in which there is no handicap so you have to bowl well. You may be able to bend the rules and some people may not care if they cheat, but sandbagging is wrong in all levels of sports. Even in a youth league where you have ages ranging from just 7 years old all the way to 19 or 20 years old. But even in these youth leagues you have the bratty teenager that knows his or her way around the rules. When bowling in these types of leagues, there is handicap, and hundreds of dollars worth of scholarship money is on the line. What a better way to make sure you get the top amount than cheat your way to the top. What a better way to win tournaments than to cheat. While that is going on you have the kids that try hard every single week to keep their average up and usually do a great job at it. So when those kids get in tournaments sometimes they do better than their average and they deserve that trophy or money. But three lanes down you have a guy that really averages 210, bowling with a 180 average and that isn’t fair to the ones that try and work hard to have the average they want. To show some statistics and numbers, I found an article that shows just how hard it would be for someone in golf to shoot two over par with about a fifteen handicap. This would be the equivalent of a bowler averaging 175 and bowling a 680 series (three games put together). â€Å"The guy, a member of the host club, claimed a midteens handicap, but in his practice round shot a couple of strokes over par. The odds against a true midteens handicapper shooting such a score are greater than 37,000 to 1.† (Golf Journal). All this is saying is that if you are going to sandbag to win, don’t make it so obvious. To prove that sandbagging is wrong and to show how handicap does work, I have put together a situation. In a tournament that was last week, two guys, we will call them Bill and John, were bowling against each other and both were doing extremely well. The handicap for this tournament is 100% of 220 pins, which means whatever their average is, for example a 200, their handicap would be 20. These two guys are bowling and they are bowling very well scratch (without handicap), but with handicap one of them was losing tremendously. John has been bowling since he was five and has never changed his style, except this year he decided to throw two handed at the beginning of the season and averaged just 180. His average went way down so he later decided to go back to his normal style in which he averages 210. So he goes into this tournament with a 190 average and actually has a 210 average. But Bill, a newbie that hasn’t even been bowling two years yet, has tried to keep his average at a 200 all year long and has succeeded. This was the championship game and Bill had worked his way up the ladder to bowl John who qualified first. Starting off, John already has a 10 pin advantage over Bill because his average is just 190, which gives him a 30 pin handicap compared to Bill’s 20. But remember, John’s real handicap is only 10 because he sandbagged earlier in the year to make his average lower. The two start bowling and John shoots a 268, But Bill only misses once and gets a bad break, but finishes out for a 275. Now, technically, Bill is the real winner here and he bowled a great game to finish with a 275. But with handicap, Bill’s score is a 295 and John’s is a 298. So John won because of the handicap. How is this fair? If John had actually worked hard to average 190 and managed to bowl a 268, I believe that he should win hands down. But, he didn’t, he cheated and he shouldn’t have won. I have personally bowled in many tournaments and leagues and I witness adults sandbagging on a monthly basis. I see bowlers that can throw a great ball, and throw it straight at the pins like a beginner. I find this extremely unfair and I do see it as cheating. â€Å"All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.† – Scott Alexander. (Brain Quotes). The quote explains itself. Cheating is the easy way to do things and you don’t get any satisfaction from beating someone by cheating. It’s like using steroids in baseball, or taking off a restrictor plate in racing, you will get caught and it’s not as fun. Why would someone ‘try out’ two handed bowling for a few weeks and then go back to their normal style? If they start out two handed then they finish that way and the same goes for a one handed bowler. Personally, my average two handed is 215, but one handed I couldn’t probably even average a 170. The facts are there and it isn’t fair that people sandbag in order to win. It’s wrong and hopefully one day the USBC bylaws will enforce this controversy.

Carnival Cruises Analysis

Carnival Cruises Analysis Carnival Corporation is the largest and most successful cruise lines in the world. Their corporate offices are located in Miami, Florida with over 91,000 employees with offices all over the world. It all started in 1972 by Ted Arison who had a vision to create the greatest cruise line in the world. Carnival slowly started to grow and over time was awarded The Worlds Most Popular Cruise Line.(Carnival, 2006) On 1987 the management team decided to take advantage to its well-known reputation and went public entering in the New York Stock Exchange as CCL. Today Carnival has added over 100 ships and acquired premium cruise lines in almost every sector of the industry. In 1989 Holland America Line was acquired by Carnival adding niche operators including Windstar Cruises and Alaskan/Canadian cruise lines. In 1992 several luxury liner, where acquired such as Seabourn and Europes largest operator Costa Cruises. Carnival was not done expanding and in 1998 they acquired the prestiges luxury operator Cunard who built the world largest ocean liner Queen Mary 2. (Carnival, 2006) Carnival Corporation was beginning to take shape, but on 2003 they successfully merged with Princess Cruises creating a global power house. Carnival also purchased P O cruises, Ibero cruises and AIDA Cruises lines. Carnival had become the largest cruise operator in the world from US to Europe. Although Carnival managed several cruise line operator each line had its own distinction and separate operations. In 1972 Ted Arison owner and operator of all Carnival had a vision. Ted story begins when he took a small ship called the Mardi Gras and converted it into a small ocean liner. The Mardi Gras was an innovative cruise liner like no other for its time that only made a one-way trip from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Carnival, 2006) Although it wasnt easy surviving, Ted Arison was focused to be successful and on 1974 he became full owner of Carnival cruise line. Organization as large as Carnival has management team that is broken up to different divisions. It starts from CEO Chairman Micky Arison, the next tier down is Howard S Frank as the COO who over sees all businesses of company, within that same tier is David Bernstein who is CFO of all Businesses. The Next tier down is Richard Ames SVP of Shared Services, within same tier Arnaldo Perez SVP General Counsel and Secretary. Next tier down is Larry Freedman who is Chief Accounting Officer and Controller. The last tier down are all the divisional Presidents who manage AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Carnival Australia, Carnival UK, Costa Crociere S.p.A, Cunard Line, Holland America Line , Princess Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line. (David, 2013) Carnivals overall goal is to collaborate all its brands to reach every area of the cruising industry. Carnivals main focus is to attract all types of customers who are in different demographic, budgets, geographic and all cultures. The main concepts that Carnival tries to achieve is to be known as Fun Ship, along with all the amenities that go with it such as Luxury, elegance and exotic destination. (David, 2013) Carnival has invested in their own marketing division, were they offer a 10% commission to their travel agents and offer other bonus programs. The marketing division has focused on marketing material, advertisement, website interaction, seminars and videos. These efforts are too assist agent in the field to generate more sales. Their website division has created promotional campaigns that offer discounts, VIP savings, resident discounts, special meals, and holiday deals. (David, 2013) Carnival domestic and international destinations are growing. New routes are being developed and new ships are being built. Travelers most appealing destinations are the Caribbean, Alaska, Bahamas, Hawaii, Mediterranean/Greek Island/Turkey, Bermuda, Europe, Panama Canal and least appealing West coast of Mexico.(David, 2013). Competition is growing among the other cruise lines and more theme based environment is beginning to evolve. For example, onboard amenities are being created such as cell phone access, entertainment, villas, multiple themed restaurant, fitness center and spas are making this industry competitive. (David, 2013)More and more people are cruising and more bigger and better luxury liners are being built around the clock. Carnival is the leader in the industry but it must not lose their edge because competition can knock them down to second place. Executive Summary Carnivals Mission statement is to be the worlds largest cruise operator that offers exceptional customer service to all its clientele. Carnivals number one goal is for its passengers to have an memorable experience and to continue to travel on Carnival. Carnival would like to offer its clients a One-stop shop for traveling. Carnival has eleven different Cruise lines around the world that can make that happen. Despite of economic down turns of the tourism industry; Carnival has continuously grown and expanded their portfolio of cruise line brands. Carnival Corporation has ten cruise lines with one hundred active vessels. In its portfolio of cruise line, Carnival has been able to generate nine percent revenue and delivering new ships each year. Carnival growth strategy has allowed the company to achieve a four percent increase in revenue growth and maintain the largest and most profitable travel company globally. Since its public offering and forty years in business, Carnival has managed to acquire multiple cruise lines that cater to the global travelers. Carnivals global expansion is now reaching out to travelers in North America, Europe and Australia. Carnival cruises continue to offer itineraries products around the world and offer all types of entertainment including excursions. Carnival continues to venture into regions that are untapped markets, such as Asia to increase market share. Cruise industry has many competitors trying to take each others market share. The few players who compete with each are Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebration Cruise line, Star Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Radisson Seven Seas Cruises. Each company has its own niche and advertises in a certain clientele. With an all-inclusive themes cruise liners are beginning to distinguish themselves by the type of services they offer. The industry trend is to create massive ships that allow cruise line to offer more activities that can generate additional revenues to the cruise company. Today the Cruise industry is growing and more ships are currently in production. Cruising is now a major player in the traveling industry and more and more people are cruising today. Market conditions for the cruise industry is growing and for the last five years the cruise industry has been growing at 8% each year. (Cruise tourism, 2010). Internal Assessment (A) After reviewing three years of Carnival 10k data from Financial Statement and Balance sheet, we can see that Carnival is the biggest cruise line operator in the world. The analysis of ratios is broken up into five segments including, liquidity, activity, profitability, asset management and leverage. Within these segments you can see the companys current ratio to total debt to assets. This data indicates the company is strong and sound. Under the current ratios you take the current assets divide by current liabilities which include cash, accounts receivable and short term investments. Carnival shows a down trend of liquidity from 2009 to 2011. When you look at the current ratios, you see that in 2009 the current ratios were 0.31. In 2010 there was a 0.09 drop which left them with a current ratio of .22, and in 2011 you only see a .01 drop which left them with a current ratio of .21. Carnivals receivables turnover shows an increase in the ability to extend credit sales and collect receivables as the years progressed from 2009 to 2011. Carnival has a successful rate on collecting receivable. In 2009, Carnival had an Accounts Receivable Turnover of 37, had increased by 27% for a total of 47 in 2010. During 2011 you see a 30% increase in accounts receivable turnover which left them with a ratio of .61 in 2011. Carnival shows they are able to extend credit and collect in a 30 day timeframe. Looking at Carnivals Return on Asset percentage, you can see in 2009 ROA came in at 4.86 has an increase of 0.46% in 2010 for a total of 5.32% and incurred a slight decrease. In 2011 the total ROA came in at 5.02%. Under the Total Assets Turnover (TAT) you see Carnival shows an increase during 2009 -2011. In 2009, Carnival had a TAT of .37, an increase of .02% in 2010 for a TAT of .39, and in 2011 reflected another .02% increase for a TAT of .41. Based on the ROA and TAT comparisons, Carnival maximizes their assets and the number shows an upward trend. When you look at the Operating Profit Margin (OPM) on Carnival you see margins have been declining through the period of 2009-2011. Carnival had an OPM of 16% in 2009, 16.22% in 2010 and a decrease in 2011 to 14.28%.Net income by percentage of sales declined for Carnival from 2010 to 2011 by 1.56%, while they only saw a gain in sales of .37% from 2009 to 2010. Now, when you look at earning per Share (EPS), as a shareholder these numbers would indicate how profitable the company can be which Carnival had EPS of 2.24 in 2009, and increase in EPS of 0.23to total 2.47 in 2010, and a slight decrease of .05 in 2011 to total 2.42. Stock holder for Carnival would probably want to hold onto their stock as it shows a consistent trend. Overall, Carnival has lower liquidity ratios and has much better management of its assets, relies less on debt to finance its assets. Carnival has higher price per earning percentage for 2011. When you look at stock price history, Carnival has a consistent price in the $30s price range. After looking at all ratios from Liquidity Ratios, Leverage ratios, Activity ratios, Profitability ratios and growth ratios. Carnival has great management of its assets and it is stable for investors. Internal Assessment (B) Organization as large as Carnival has management team that is broken up to different divisions. It starts from CEO Chairman Micky Arison, the next tier down is Howard S Frank as the COO who over sees all businesses of company, within that same tiers is David Bernstein who is CFO of all Businesses. The Next tier down is Richard Ames SVP of Shared Services, within same tier Arnaldo Perez SVP General Counsel and Secretary. Next tier down is Larry Freedman who is Chief Accounting Officer and Controller. The last tier down are all the divisional Presidents who manage AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Carnival Australia, Carnival UK, Costa Crociere S.p.A, Cunard Line, Holland America Line , Princess Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line. (David, 2013) If you look at the organization chart Carnival Management team, you see the hierarchical of the line relationship of the chain of command. Carnival runs an effective organization but I would recommend a different approach. The Chain of command will start with the CEO which looks at the overall executive team. The tier below would be Chief operation officer which will manage all internal departments such as Marketing, Sales, Customer Service and Operations. On this same line of command you have Chief financial officer which will manage the accounting department along with the controllers. Next to the CFO you have president of Cruise lines this position will oversee all the regional directors. The next tier down would be American cruise director which will manages all Domestic cruise lines and a European cruise director which will handle all international cruise lines. The next tier down would be the Presidents of Carnival US, Holland America and Princess Cruises. On the same tier you will find Presidents for Aida, Carnival Australia, Carnival UK, Costa Cruises, Cunard and Seabourn. These Presidents will manage all the lower level management such as the Vice Presidents and Managers. This organizational chart has a chain of command that manages all levels of the company. The power of executive has more upper management to the managers and this way there is a clear communication channel to the top. The current organization chart doesnt have a chain of command that manages the entire company and all its divisions. When comparing Carnival from its competitors such as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Disney you can see where these cruise lines compete with one other. The Profile is broken up by four categories, High Customer Service, Low Customer Service, and Expensive to In-Expensive. Customer Service is large role when it comes to cruising. Prices also play a major role when it comes on choosing a cruise line. I compared all four companies on a 4-7 day cruise to the Caribbean departing from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral. After comparing the reviews and prices of all four cruises, the most expensive trip was Royal Caribbean. Oasis of the Sea is one of the largest ships cruise ship in the world with a rating of 88% in customer satisfaction and pricing ranging from $749 to $1599(not including taxes, port fees, off season). Travelers rated Disney Dream cruise of 84% with pricing ranging $480 to $1900(not including taxes, port fees, off season, 4 night cruise). Critics gave Carnival Dream a 75% rating with pricing ranging from $299 to $749(not including taxes, port fees, off season).The last company evaluated was Norwegian Epic receiving a 72% rating with prices from $429 to $899(not including taxes, port fees, off season). Carnival Strategies is to compete by offering the most affordable all inclusive entertainment travel experience anyone can have. Carnival Cruise Lines has 24 ships in its fleet. Carnival purchase used ships and refurbishes them with new enhancements. By doing this Carnival is saving millions of dollars and is able to keep costs low. Another strategy carnival does is that it purchases large amounts of fuel when price of oil is low. Carnival marketing strategy is to brand their name as the fun ship; people are drawn to affordable traveling that has tons of fun. The advantage that Carnival has is that its the largest cruise operator in the world. This allows Carnival to have negotiating power politically, along with negotiating new ports or to expand smaller ports. This allows Carnival to increase their ship line and increase demographic reach. The disadvantage is that Carnival is known as the cheapest cruise line with refurbished ships that cater to the masses. Royal Caribbean strategy is to focus on purchases newer ships. By doing this they are building on their name brand recognition and promoting value to all of their luxury lines. Royal Caribbean disadvantages are that they have expensive ships that need to generate a high return on investment. Another disadvantage are fuel cost this can really affect the profitability of the company. Royal Caribbean main goal is to dominate the cruise industry with one name brand at a time. Norwegian Cruises line strategy has around 8% market share in industry and growing. The advantage Norwegian has is that they have 13 ships in there fleet. There demographics is growing from North America, Hawaii, Alaska and Europe. Norwegian disadvantages is that there fleet of 13 consist of older to new ships which requires frequent renovations. Having older ships can affect the name brand recognition of Norwegian for having an image of having old ships. Overall Norwegian Cruise Lines has many good attributes that they have introduced, such as casual dining variety of restaurants and Las Vegas shows. These are popular themes that the industry is following. Internal Assessment (D) Carnivals value is to offer world class service at a fraction of the price. The Fun Ship is there motto and that is what they would like to be known for. They spend countless hours trying to create activities that all of the passengers would love and enjoy. Carnivals number one goal is for all its passengers to have a memorable experience and to return back to its lines. SWOT Analysis Strengths The largest cruise operator in the world with eleven cruise brands0 Carnival most profitable company in the industry. Has established name brand recognition as the Fun Ship. Carnival has negotiating powers with vendors, ports and political figures. Able to purchase fuel when prices are low. Weaknesses Revenues are dropping. Carnival generates majority revenues in North America which means economy can affect the company. Currencies devaluation. Long term debt on new ship construction. Opportunity There is still market share in the vacationing market. Bigger ships are being made that carry more people. Asia is an untapped market. Threats US Tax loopholes may be expiring Cap and Trade Accidents on the ships Security of the ships from pirates. Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix Internal Factor PESTLE Analysis Political / Government Ongoing relations with Politicians and cruise line operators are essentials. Politicians are directly involved on expanding and creating ports, taxes, environmental fees, trade restrictions and tariffs. These projects need the backing from the Politicians. Without agreements with governments, cruise operators would not be able to conduct business in their countries. Governments and Political factors work hand and hand in the cruise industry. Each countries government is in communication with the cruise ship operators from port facilitation to emergencies safety rescue occurrences. Depending on the region, Pirates are a continuing problem. Cruise ship companies rely on local governments for protection from these threats. Government plays an important role when it comes to safety protection. There are mutual benefits when working together with cruise ship companies. The cruise industry offers an increase of local employment within the city and its ports. For example restaurants, hotels, taxis, theme parks, museums, shops, taxi drivers and travel guides are all positively affected. In some countries tourism brings large sums of revenues to the local city and governments. This enhances the relationship with cruise companies and Politicians. Economic The cruise line industry is growing at a growth rate of 8% and more people are traveling today than ever before. Many Economic factors are involved, such as clienteles economic positions, growth in markets, currencies rates when working international and inflation plays a role. Cruise operators will be affected under management and operational levels. If the price of fuel starts to increase, then this will affect operating cost of the company. If interest rates increase then this will affect the revenues of the company. Economic factor plays a major role of the survival of the company. Social / Cultural / Demographic Social factors are measured by the Demographics, Population Growth and Age of their clientele. Popularity destinations and customer experiences will identify cruise industry demands. For example if a certain demographic and age, has a positive experience on their vacation. Then a positive trend will occur for that demographic and age segment. Social studies are important to the cruise industry to determine marketing opportunities on certain segments of the cruise industry. Today cultural factors play a role when traveling on a cruise ship. There are several cultural destinations from The Caribbean, Alaska, Western Mexico, Mediterranean, Europe, South America and Asia pacific. The Caribbean is most popular cultural destination in the world and Mediterranean is next in popularity. As the cruise industry grows more cultural destinations will be available. Demographics factors are important when conducting research and development. When conducting research they look at certain segments from Age, Income, Sex, Civil status, Occupancy, Education and Employment status. Conducting market study requires statistical data on each demographics. There are four different segments that are broken down by Luxury, Premium, Contemporary and Special. With all this information gathered, research and development can create a market strategy that will provide valuable information when creating an itineraries or new destinations. Technological Technological factors are important externally and internally within the company. Having good communications from management to operations is a critical factor when operating a company. Cruise companies are also looking for new technological advancement that can help improve safety occurrences. New technologies are being developed to assist the multibillion dollar industry. Due to the increase production of new ships, technologies are advancing each year. Cruise ships are looking for the most advanced Maritime technology, GPS systems and Satellite Weathering systems that the industry offers. Now that cruising has become a large part of the travel industry new and safer systems are in demand. Legal The Legal factors are important to the cruise industry. The cruise industry has been monitored for many types of law violations, such as employment, consumer, health and safety violations. If any cruise company is caught, violating any of these laws, large fines or criminal penalties can result from it. The legal occurrences can damage political and governmental relations. This is why Legal factors play an important role to the cruise industry. Environment The Environment factors have a large impact to the cruise industry. For example climate change and weather can impact the cruise industry as a whole. The cruise ships have advance weathering systems that can detect storm movement. Environmental factors must be addressed when creating newer cruise ship. Cruise operators goals are to decrease the environmental effects to the environment, thus decreasing climate change. For example reverse osmosis systems, shore power systems and wastewater systems all help decrease their environmental footprint. With pressures from Politians, cruise companies are forced to implement new environmental friendly technologies that can have a positive effect to the environment.

Albert the frog :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Albert   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Albert lived in a can. He was a frog that lived in a large coffee can. You may say to yourself, coffee cans are rather minute, but you must know one thing to answer this pondering, Albert is simply a small frog that doesn’t need a large home. One day he stopped sleeping and realized that he was In a puddle of water. Albert doesn’t like water even though he is a frog. He screamed and yelled a lot. He then woke up and realized it was a dream but there was a cat standing above his can that was about to pounce. With a lightning fast thought, Albert grabbed his water jug and hopped as fast as he could into a thicket. Albert did not know what a thicket was or why he jumped into one but he started to walk like a frog, due to him being a frog. On his daily walk towards the little creek were he fills his water jug he saw a curious-looking spotted object and concluded that he should hop over to it so he did. Once he got closer he realized it was a 1 foot tall mushroom. Albert’s favorite kind too! The ones with orange spots and blue stems. Since Albert did not have time to eat some flies for breakfast due to the cat trying to kill him, he decided to treat himself to a mushroom pie. Albert did know how to make wonderful mushroom pies. He sat upon a log and started a small little campfire on which to cook the mushroom. He went and grabbed a huge chunk off of the mushroom and plopped it on the on the pan as he nibbled on a smaller chunk. Albert became upset when his mushroom pie melted instead of turning into bread, which mushrooms tend to do this time of year. Albert drank the soupy slime from the pan and was on his way. Due to Albert being tired from all of the excitement he sat atop of a huge bed he found in the forest. When he woke up it was dark out. Albert was very worried due to his need to fill his water jug so he continued looking for the creek. Even though his luck was down Albert was happy due to the fact that his favorite song was being played by the trees.

huck finn :: essays research papers

Martin Luther King Jr. The achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. For his people and other nationalities that led to his death.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leader of the Civil Rights Movement and non-violent campaign of the 1950’s and 60’s.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 to direct the Civil Rights Movement.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His non-violent movements were successful and ended segregation in the south as well as other parts of the United States.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His march in Washington was the largest protest demonstration and his famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech came from it.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for promoting non-violent tactics.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Led the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wrote ‘Letter from Birmington Jail’ showing his moral philosophy.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Was assassinated on April 4, 1968 by James Earl Ray Jackie Robinson, a great and historical baseball player. Jim, a run-away slave in search of freedom. Both share many of the same qualities. Among them are, they both broke color barriers. One broke the color barrier in the game of baseball, while the other broke it in a book. But both of these heroes are intelligent, courageous, and caring. All these qualities listed equal an ideal hero, whether it might be a real of fictional hero. The first and most important quality a hero needs is intelligence. Both Jackie Robinson and Jim had that. They each carried it out and showed it differently, but they were both intelligent. Even though one was a professional baseball player and the other a runaway slave, they both were intelligent in their own unique way. They both did what their mind told them and accomplished the goal that they wanted to achieve, even though one was real and the other one wasn’t. Jackie Robinson showed his intelligence through his actions. He was not only a great baseball player, but also a good businessman and executive. While he was on the baseball field, he had many fans that loved him and some many who hated him. But he didn’t let them stop him from pursuing his career. Many people who didn’t like him, threw rocks and bottles at him just because he was black, and even sent him death threats to him in the mail. But unlike many people, he did not fight back, instead he ignored them and proved that he was the greatest baseball player at that time: â€Å" Jackie Robinson did not merely play at center stage.

Observation Report on Pre School Essay

Share details about your family, your relationship and views on your parents, spouse, brothers and sisters. I truly believe that being a member of a family is a priceless membership, that we can pay nothing for, but love, with that note I would like to briefly describe the family I was born in, my mother is a science teacher in Pinnacle school for more than a decade. My father, a mechanical engineer is serving Lloyd’s Insulation for more than 30 years. Almighty has been very kind to let me play a role of a big sister to my very special younger brother. Now about the family I was married into, my husband a wonderful man is a software engineer. In my family I have parents in law, a wonderful sister in law, and a very adorable daughter who is Five years old. 1) What was your most significant experience in childhood? My childhood was an amalgamation of experiences difficult to pinpoint any one. One experience which I can recall was that of building a nest for a baby bird which fell out of its nest. We group of friends nurtured and looked after that bird for as long as we can , gave it a nice cozy handkerchief box which I made in my school in the S.U.P.W class. As we grew and went to college my group of friends one day purchased a tiny puppy from the by lanes of Karol Bagh. Got the puppy back home and happily took turns to look after the puppy. One of the significant experiences of childhood was going to Aurangabad for my graduation. It taught me a lot about life and how to deal with the real world. 2) What were your memories of school days? Did you enjoy them? I have fond memories of the beautiful church our school compound had which I use to visit as a child early in the morning after getting down from the school bus. Our school had a little pond which had lot of Tadpoles in it. As kids I really enjoyed feeding them during recess time. I also enjoyed our dance class which we had in the school, sound of Ghungroo’s is still their in my memories. I enjoyed my music class at school we learnt a lot of beautiful songs their. I also remember standing Fifth in the fifth standard after burning the midnight oil. 3) Which teachers have the most impact and influence on you? Why? As a child till reaching college I came across many special teachers which left a mark on me. One such teacher was Mr.Jairam in my college in Aurangabad; He taught us Revenue management in college. His dedication to teach his subject was very well reflected in his lectures. For a tough question he uses to often say â€Å"This is not rocket science†. Another teacher which is close to my heart was an art teacher whom I use to go to as a child. She bought out so much creativity in me and made paint most difficult of paintings. She use to often treat us with goodies like Cookies and apple juice. 4) Why did you decide to consider teaching as a career? I discovered my love for children and teaching after my daughter was born. Being a hotel management graduate I decided to switch to teaching purely to express my love for children. It gives me great platform to express my creativity and carry back so much home to talk to my dear daughter. 5) As Head of school what are the innovative programs you would introduce? As Head of school I would like to introduce an evening school for the deserving children who want to study but economically can’t afford it. I would like training and workshops for the teachers for self improvement and their growth. 6) What are your personal strengths and which areas do you need to improve? My personal strength is to make people talk. Being a patient person I don’t give up on my students I keep getting back to them till they get the lesson. Areas I need improvement in can be in organizing things in advance.

Accounting System Paper Essay

Kudler Fine Foods has done a wonderful job with its current accounting system by manually tracking data and not having a uniform system for providing information about that data. Data is the raw and unorganized version of information while information is categorized and decipherable data that correlates to the business. Kudler Fine Foods is making a transition from the less efficient and more labor intensive accounting methods to a technology based accounting system which saves money being that it is more efficient and more robust. The core features, benefits, and cost will be discussed as you continue to read this paper. As mentioned earlier, Kudler Fine Foods is making a transition to a computerized accounting system which will have the ability to communicate with all branches of the business. Kudler Fine foods will utilize an accounting system which is integral part of the Enterprise resource planning software that is being deployed in the Kudler Fine Foods environment. The ERP software will be able to capture real time data directly from the point of sale (cash registers) and automatically adjust inventory and profit data. See more:Â  Social Satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay The accounting software will also use a compliance management feature will provide complete transaction audit trails and rules-based controls and advanced reporting capabilities which are compliant with laws and regulations. More benefits are advanced financial forecasting the can accurately predict and estimate potential profits and pending losses, revenue and cash flow. This gives Kudler Fine Foods the ability to analyze past trends to help make better business decisions in the future. In addition, the accounting software will give Kudler Fine Foods the ability to deep dive into the cash management aspect of their business by more accurately assessing current and future cash needs and track all transactions that directly impact available cash levels. In an ERP environment, Kudler Fine Foods will adopt a client/server system. The Client/Server technology model is the model in which today’s softwares are developed. A Client/Server model is one in which the client computer is identified separately from the server computer. This will require servers with Windows serve 2008 and networking equipment which will allow all workstations to communicate to application servers, shared data drives and communicate with the outside world. With the added benefits of an ERP system in the Kudler Fine Food environment, comes an added expense of support of the system. Currently, Kudler Fine Foods can anticipate an expense of twenty-five thousand dollars with a potential ceiling of two hundred fifty thousand dollars. References Top 10 ERP. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.top10erp.org/sap-erp-software-comparison-technology-140 Technology required for Erp. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.vkinfotek.com/erp/erp-technologies.html

Barack Obama - Speech to a Joint Session of Congress on Health Care Reform (9 September 2009)

Barack Obama Speech to a Joint Session of Congress on Health Care Reform delivered 9 September 2009 Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, and the American people:When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month. Credit was frozen. And our financial system was on the verge of collapse.As any American who is still looking for work or a way to pay their bills will tell you, we are by no means out of the woods. A full and vibrant recovery is still many months away. And I will not let up until those Americans who seek jobs can find them until those businesses that seek capital and credit can thrive; until all responsible homeowners can stay in their homes. That is our ultimate goal. But thanks to the bold and decisive action weve taken since January, I can stand here with confidence and say that we have pulled this economy back from the brink. I want to thank the members of this body for your efforts and your support in these last several months, and especially those whove taken the difficult votes that have put us on a path to recovery. I also want to thank the American people for their patience and resolve during this trying time for our nation. But we did not come here just to clean up crises. We came here to build a future. So tonight, I return to speak to all of you about an issue that is central to that future and that is the issue of health care. I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last. It has now been nearly a century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for health care reform. And ever since, nearly every President and Congress, whether Democrat or Republican, has attempted to meet this challenge in some way. A bill for comprehensive health reform was first introduced by John Dingell Sr. in 1943. Sixty-five years later, his son continues to introduce that same bill at the beginning of each session. Our collective failure to meet this challenge year after year, decade after decade has led us to the breaking point. Everyone understands the extraordinary hardships that are placed on the uninsured, who live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare. These are middle-class Americans. Some cant get insurance on the job. Others are self-employed, and cant afford it, since buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer. Many other Americans who are willing and able to pay are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or too expensive to cover. We are the only democracy the only advanced democracy on Earth the only wealthy nation that allows such hardship for millions of its people. There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage. In just a two-year period, one in every three Americans goes without health care coverage at some point. And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage. In other words, it can happen to anyone. But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just a problem for the uninsured. Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today. More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, youll lose your health insurance too. More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or wont pay the full cost of care. It happens every day. One man from Illinois lost his coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because his insurer found that he hadnt reported gallstones that he didnt even know about. They delayed his treatment, and he died because of it. Another woman from Texas was about to get a double mastectomy when her insurance company canceled her policy because she forgot to declare a case of acne. By the time she had her insurance reinstated, her breast cancer had more than doubled in size. That is heart-breaking, it is wrong, and no one should be treated that way in the United States of America. Then theres the problem of rising cost. We spend one and a half times more per person on health care than any other country, but we arent any healthier for it. This is one of the reasons that insurance premiums have gone up three times faster than wages. Its why so many employers especially small businesses are forcing their employees to pay more for insurance, or are dropping their coverage entirely. Its why so many aspiring entrepreneurs cannot afford to open a business in the first place, and why American businesses that compete internationally like our automakers are at a huge disadvantage. And its why those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it about $1,000 per year that pays for somebody elses emergency room and charitable care. Finally, our health care system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers. When health care costs grow at the rate they have, it puts greater pressure on programs like Medicare and Medicaid. If we do nothing to slow these skyrocketing costs, we will eventually be spending more on Medicare and Medicaid than every other government program combined. Put simply, our health care problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close. Nothing else. Now, these are the facts. Nobody disputes them. We know we must reform this system. The question is how. There are those on the left who believe that the only way to fix the system is through a single-payer system like Canadas where we would severely restrict the private insurance market and have the government provide coverage for everybody. On the right, there are those who argue that we should end employer-based systems and leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own. Ive said I have to say that there are arguments to be made for both these approaches. But either one would represent a radical shift that would disrupt the health care most people currently have. Since health care represents one-sixth of our economy, I believe it makes more sense to build on what works and fix what doesnt, rather than try to build an entirely new system from scratch. And that is precisely what those of you in Congress have tried to do over the past several months. During that time, weve seen Washington at its best and at its worst. Weve seen many in this chamber work tirelessly for the better part of this year to offer thoughtful ideas about how to achieve reform. Of the five committees asked to develop bills, four have completed their work, and the Senate Finance Committee announced today that it will move forward next week. That has never happened before. Our overall efforts have been supported by an unprecedented coalition of doctors and nurses; hospitals, seniors groups, and even drug companies many of whom opposed reform in the past. And there is agreement in this chamber on about 80 percent of what needs to be done, putting us closer to the goal of reform than we have ever been. But what weve also seen in these last months is the same partisan spectacle that only hardens the disdain many Americans have towards their own government. Instead of honest debate, weve seen scare tactics. Some have dug into unyielding ideological camps that offer no hope of compromise. Too many have used this as an opportunity to score short-term political points, even if it robs the country of our opportunity to solve a long-term challenge. And out of this blizzard of charges and counter-charges, confusion has reigned. Well, the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care. Now is the time to deliver on health care. The plan Im announcing tonight would meet three basic goals. It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance for those who dont. And it will slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government. Its a plan that asks everyone to take responsibility for meeting this challenge not just government, not just insurance companies, but everybody including employers and individuals. And its a plan that incorporates ideas from senators and congressmen, from Democrats and Republicans and yes, from some of my opponents in both the primary and general election. Here are the details that every American needs to know about this plan. First, if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have. What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you. Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a preexisting condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it the most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick. And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies because theres no reason we shouldnt be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives. Now, thats what Americans who have health insurance can expect from this plan more security and more stability. Now, if youre one of the tens of millions of Americans who dont currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices. If you lose your job or you change your job, youll be able to get coverage. If you strike out on your own and start a small business, youll be able to get coverage. Well do this by creating a new insurance exchange a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices. Insurance companies will have an incentive to participate in this exchange because it lets them compete for millions of new customers. As one big group, these customers will have greater leverage to bargain with the insurance companies for better prices and quality coverage. This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. Its how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And its time to give every American the same opportunity that we give ourselves. Now, for those individuals and small businesses who still cant afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, well provide tax credits, the size of which will be based on your need. And all insurance companies that want access to this new marketplace will have to abide by the consumer protections I already mentioned. This exchange will take effect in four years, which will give us time to do it right. In the meantime, for those Americans who cant get insurance today because they have preexisting medical conditions, we will immediately offer low-cost coverage that will protect you against financial ruin if you become seriously ill. This was a good idea when Senator John McCain proposed it in the campaign, its a good idea now, and we should all embrace it. Now, even if we provide these affordable options, there may be those especially the young and the healthy who still want to take the risk and go without coverage. There may still be companies that refuse to do right by their workers by giving them coverage. The problem is, such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money. If there are affordable options and people still dont sign up for health insurance, it means we pay for these peoples expensive emergency room visits. If some businesses dont provide workers health care, it forces the rest of us to pick up the tab when their workers get sick, and gives those businesses an unfair advantage over their competitors. And unless everybody does their part, many of the insurance reforms we seek especially requiring insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions just cant be achieved. And thats why under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance just as most states require you to carry auto insurance. Likewise likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers. There will be a hardship waiver for those individuals who still cant afford coverage, and 95 percent of all small businesses, because of their size and narrow profit margin, would be exempt from these requirements. But we cant have large businesses and individuals who can afford coverage game the system by avoiding responsibility to themselves or their employees. Improving our health care system only works if everybody does their part. And while there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan I just outlined: consumer protections for those with insurance, an exchange that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase affordable coverage, and a requirement that people who can afford insurance get insurance. And I have no doubt that these reforms would greatly benefit Americans from all walks of life, as well as the economy as a whole. Still, given all the misinformation thats been spread over the past few months, I realize I realize that many Americans have grown nervous about reform. So tonight I want to address some of the key controversies that are still out there. Some of peoples concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but by prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Now, such a charge would be laughable if it werent so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple. There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms the reforms Im proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-South Carolina: You lie! President Obama: Its not true. And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place. Now, my health care proposal has also been attacked by some who oppose reform as a government takeover of the entire health care system. As proof, critics point to a provision in our plan that allows the uninsured and small businesses to choose a publicly sponsored insurance option, administered by the government just like Medicaid or Medicare. So let me set the record straight here. My guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition. Thats how the market works. Unfortunately, in 34 states, 75 percent of the insurance market is controlled by five or fewer companies. In Alabama, almost 90 percent is controlled by just one company. And without competition, the price of insurance goes up and quality goes down. And it makes it easier for insurance companies to treat their customers badly by cherry-picking the healthiest individuals and trying to drop the sickest, by overcharging small businesses who have no leverage, and by jacking up rates. Insurance executives dont do this because theyre bad people; they do it because its profitable. As one former insurance executive testified before Congress, insurance companies are not only encouraged to find reasons to drop the seriously ill, they are rewarded for it. All of this is in service of meeting what this former executive called Wall Streets relentless profit expectations. Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable. And the insurance reforms that Ive already mentioned would do just that. But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange. Now, let me be clear. Let me be clear. It would only be an option for those who dont have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance. In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5 percent of Americans would sign up. Despite all this, the insurance companies and their allies dont like this idea. They argue that these private companies cant fairly compete with the government. And theyd be right if taxpayers were subsidizing this public insurance option. But they wont be. Ive insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects. But by avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits and excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers, and would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities. Now, it is its worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort Ive proposed tonight. But its impact shouldnt be exaggerated by the left or the right or the media. It is only one part of my plan, and shouldnt be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles. To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage available for those without it. The public option the public option is only a means to that end and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal. And to my Republican friends, I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have. For example For example, some have suggested that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies. Others have proposed a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive ideas worth exploring. But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans cant find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice. And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need. Finally, let me discuss an issue that is a great concern to me, to members of this chamber, and to the public and thats how we pay for this plan. And heres what you need to know. First, I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits either now or in the future. I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period. And to prove that Im serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised dont materialize. Now, part of the reason I faced a trillion-dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for from the Iraq war to tax breaks for the wealthy. I will not make that same mistake with health care. Second, weve estimated that most of this plan can be paid for by finding savings within the existing health care system, a system that is currently full of waste and abuse. Right now, too much of the hard-earned savings and tax dollars we spend on health care dont make us any healthier. Thats not my judgment its the judgment of medical professionals across this country. And this is also true when it comes to Medicare and Medicaid. In fact, I want to speak directly to seniors for a moment, because Medicare is another issue thats been subjected to demagoguery and distortion during the course of this debate. More than four decades ago, this nation stood up for the principle that after a lifetime of hard work, our seniors should not be left to struggle with a pile of medical bills in their later years. Thats how Medicare was born. And it remains a sacred trust that must be passed down from one generation to the next. And that is why not a dollar of the Medicare trust fund will be used to pay for this plan. The only thing this plan would eliminate is the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud, as well as unwarranted subsidies in Medicare that go to insurance companies subsidies that do everything to pad their profits but dont improve the care of seniors. And we will also create an independent commission of doctors and medical experts charged with identifying more waste in the years ahead. Now, these steps will ensure that you Americas seniors get the benefits youve been promised. They will ensure that Medicare is there for future generations. And we can use some of the savings to fill the gap in coverage that forces too many seniors to pay thousands of dollars a year out of their own pockets for prescription drugs. Thats what this plan will do for you. So dont pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut, especially since some of the same folks who are spreading these tall tales have fought against Medicare in the past and just this year supported a budget that would essentially have turned Medicare into a privatized voucher program. That will not happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare. Now, because Medicare is such a big part of the health care system, making the program more efficient can help usher in changes in the way we deliver health care that can reduce costs for everybody. We have long known that some places like the Intermountain Healthcare in Utah or the Geisinger Health System in rural Pennsylvania offer high-quality care at costs below average. So the commission can help encourage the adoption of these common-sense best practices by doctors and medical professionals throughout the system everything from reducing hospital infection rates to encouraging better coordination between teams of doctors. Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan. Now, much of the rest would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers. And this reform will charge insurance companies a fee for their most expensive policies, which will encourage them to provide greater value for the money an idea which has the support of Democratic and Republican experts. And according to these same experts, this modest change could help hold down the cost of health care for all of us in the long run. Now, finally, many in this chamber particularly on the Republican side of the aisle have long insisted that reforming our medical malpractice laws can help bring down the cost of health care. Now there you go. There you go. Now, I dont believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but Ive talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs.So Im proposing that we move forward on a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first and let doctors focus on practicing medicine. I know that the Bush administration considered authorizing demonstration projects in individual states to test these ideas. I think its a good idea, and Im directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to move forward on this initiative today. Now, add it all up, and the plan Im proposing will cost around $900 billion over 10 years less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration. Now, most of these costs will be paid for with money already being spent but spent badly in the existing health care system. The plan will not add to our deficit. The middle class will realize greater security, not higher taxes. And if we are able to slow the growth of health care costs by just one-tenth of 1 percent each year one-tenth of 1 percent it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term. Now, this is the plan Im proposing. Its a plan that incorporates ideas from many of the people in this room tonight Democrats and Republicans. And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead. If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open. But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that its better politics to kill this plan than to improve it. I wont stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent whats in this plan, we will call you out. And I will not and I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now. Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing. Our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it the most. And more will die as a result. We know these things to be true. That is why we cannot fail. Because there are too many Americans counting on us to succeed the ones who suffer silently, and the ones who shared their stories with us at town halls, in e-mails, and in letters. I received one of those letters a few days ago. It was from our beloved friend and colleague, Ted Kennedy. He had written it back in May, shortly after he was told that his illness was terminal. He asked that it be delivered upon his death. In it, he spoke about what a happy time his last months were, thanks to the love and support of family and friends, his wife, Vicki, his amazing children, who are all here tonight. And he expressed confidence that this would be the year that health care reform that great unfinished business of our society, he called it would finally pass. He repeated the truth that health care is decisive for our future prosperity, but he also reminded me that it concerns more than material things. What we face, he wrote, is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country. Ive thought about that phrase quite a bit in recent days the character of our country. One of the unique and wonderful things about America has always been our self-reliance, our rugged individualism, our fierce defense of freedom and our healthy skepticism of government. And figuring out the appropriate size and role of government has always been a source of rigorous and, yes, sometimes angry debate. Thats our history. For some of Ted Kennedys critics, his brand of liberalism represented an affront to American liberty. In their minds, his passion for universal health care was nothing more than a passion for big government. But those of us who knew Teddy and worked with him here people of both parties know that what drove him was something more. His friend Orrin Hatch he knows that. They worked together to provide children with health insurance. His friend John McCain knows that. They worked together on a Patients Bill of Rights. His friend Chuck Grassley knows that. They worked together to provide health care to children with disabilities. On issues like these, Ted Kennedys passion was born not of some rigid ideology, but of his own experience. It was the experience of having two children stricken with cancer. He never forgot the sheer terror and helplessness that any parent feels when a child is badly sick. And he was able to imagine what it must be like for those without insurance, what it would be like to have to say to a wife or a child or an aging parent, there is something that could make you better, but I just cant afford it. That large-heartedness that concern and regard for the plight of others is not a partisan feeling. Its not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character our ability to stand in other peoples shoes; a recognition that we are all in this together, and when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand; a belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an acknowledgment that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise. This has always been the history of our progress. In 1935, when over half of our seniors could not support themselves and millions had seen their savings wiped away, there were those who argued that Social Security would lead to socialism, but the men and women of Congress stood fast, and we are all the better for it. In 1965, when some argued that Medicare represented a government takeover of health care, members of Congress Democrats and Republicans did not back down. They joined together so that all of us could enter our golden years with some basic peace of mind. You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter that at that point we dont merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves. That was true then. It remains true today. I understand how difficult this health care debate has been. I know that many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them. I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term. But that is not what the moment calls for. Thats not what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when its hard. I still believe I still believe that we can act when its hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet historys test. Because thats who we are. That is our calling. That is our character. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America. Source: WhiteHouse.gov