Discussion Pay And Benefits For Employees - 879 Words

Assignment 1: Discussion—Pay and Benefits This assignment requires that students research compensation strategies and consider general compensation programs for employees. It is essential for the human resources departments to recruit and retain the most competent workers for positions, but it also important to consider the Does your program include stock options, profit sharing, an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), healthcare, etc.? It is important for the HR department to be proficient in understanding the employee’s education, experiences and skills as the base pay is considered for positions. Base pay compensation is what the employees can expect to receive for the work provided for to the company; which could hourly rate of pay, salary basis, monthly or yearly. However; major incentives are also vital when encouraging employees become necessary. Employee incentives describe a system of rewarding success and effort in the workplace by allowing employees to earn prizes or recognition. The company will also offer additional base incentives for example, after working for the company ninety days healthcare benefits, and five years, stock options, profit sharing, an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) will be implemented., Are your specified options provided for employees of all levels or just for certain positions? They discovered that the role of the boss to motivate, set goals, critique and assess workers actually had a huge impact on the productivity The HRShow MoreRelatedCampaign Threats or Implied Promise of Benefit?827 Words   |  4 Pagesmerely pointing out facts to its employees based on the leaflets that the union had distributed to the employees. 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Article Review Stop Being A Baby - 1962 Words

Tracy and her mother Melanie came to my office on September 12, requesting my services. Tracy started her seventh grade year with straight ‘A’s’ and a best friend named Noel. One day at lunch Tracy was teased for wearing â€Å"Cabbage Patch† clothes. This made Tracy very upset. Melanie and Tracy then went and bought Tracy all new clothes so she could fit in with who Tracy believed to be the most popular kids in school. She then meets who she believes to be the popular girls, Evie and Astrid on MelRose Place. Tracy sees them stealing clothes and becomes uncomfortable with the situation and leaves. Tracy decided to â€Å"stop being a baby† and steals from a wealthy women sitting on a park bench. Tracy, Evie, and Astrid then go on a shopping spree with the women’s money. 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Comparing of Financial Statement for Similar Companies Free Essays

Introduction Freds, Belk, Big Lots and Dollar Tree are all famous variety store in United State. All of them provide various and qualified goods to customers. This analysis report, discussing different financial data based on the 10-K document of the four companies, wants to give readers a meaningful describe to these companies so investors can have clear opinions to help decide. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing of Financial Statement for Similar Companies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Company Profiles Freds, Inc. Freds) is to meet the general merchandise and pharmacy needs of the small – to medium- sized towns it serves by offering a wider variety of quality merchandise and a more attractive price-to-value relationship than either drug stores or smaller variety/dollar stores and a shopper-friendly format which is more convenient than larger sized dis count merchandise stores. The company’s sales of p harmaceuticals have a percentage of 33. 5% in 2010, 34. 1% in 2011, and 34. 9% in 2012, comparing to the total sales. And its major sales of others include households good and food products, etc. showing that the company tries its best to execute its business strategy. Big Lots, Inc. is a Fortune 500 retail corporation. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio, USA and currently operates over 1,400 stores in 47 states. Its department stores focus mainly on selling closeout and overstock merchandise. There are some items in the stores, such as foodstuffs, that are replenished on a continual basis. What’s more, Big Lots also operates a wholesale division, which provides merchandise in bulk for resale from a variety of categories. Financial Statements iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src="https://phdessay.com/financial-statements-2/embed/#?secret=RXvj6CH26Z" data-secret="RXvj6CH26Z" width="500" height="282" title="#8220;Financial Statements#8221; #8212; Free Essays - PhDessay.com" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"/iframe Big Lots uses an existing building, such as a grocery or department store that had either moved or ceased operations. Dollar Tree, Inc. began its operations in 1953 and was incorporated in Virginia. The company is an American chain of discount variety stores that se lls every item for $1. 00 or less. The company targets low to lower-middle income consumers and sells everyday products from food and personal care products to non-essentials. It sells its product in three business segments:1) Consumable merchandise, which accounted for 48. % of its sales in 2011, 2) Variety merchandise, which accounted for 46. 9% of 2011 sales, and 3)seasonal goods, explained 5% of 2011 sales. Belk, Inc. , together with its subsidiaries, is the largest privately owned mainline department store business in the United States, with 303 stores in 16 states, as of the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012. Generated revenues of $3. 7 billion for the fiscal year 2012, and together with its predecessors, have been successfully operating department stores since 1888. Belk Stores Services, Inc. , a subsidiary of Belk, Inc. rovides a wide range of services t o the Belk division offices and stores, such as merchandising, merchandise planning and allocation, advertising and sales promotion, information systems, human resources, public relations, accounting, real estate and store planning, credit, legal, tax, distribution and purchasing. Accounting Policies (see Exhibit 1) All of the four companies are United State location so that part of their accounting policies are the same, but because the area location and business strategy, they have some different accounting policies. The four companies do not amortized goodwill and tested them for impairment annually, using an income approach and a market approach in determining fair value for purposes of goodwill impairment tests. All four of them report income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740, the asset and liability method is used for computing future income tax consequences of events . The major differences exist in revenue recognition, merchandise inventories and Stock-based compensation. Based on their requirements, Freds records its sales when the merchandise is shipped from the Company’s warehouse; Dollar tree records sales revenue at the time a sale is made to its customer ; Big Lots’ sales Revenue is recognized when the customer makes the final payment and takes possession of the merchandise and sales of Belk is recorded at the time of delivery. Freds values inventories at the lower of cost or market using the retail first -in, first-out method for goods in stores and the cost first -in, first-out method for goods in our distribution centers. And the rest of hree companies values inventories at the lower of cost or market using the average cost retail inventory method. Under the average cost retail inventory method, inventory is segregated into departments of merchandise having similar characteristics at its current retail selling value. Profitability, Liquidity/Solvency (see Exhibit 2) If we analyze the current ratio and quick ratio they are relati vely small. So paying the short term debts might be a problem for the company as well as the liquidity is getting decreased from year 2010 – 2012 as 1. 43 to 1. 23 to 0. 88. So it might be difficult for the company to stay with the current obligations. If we analyze the debt -equity ratio seems to be in high end for the Belk, but it is gradually decreasing 1. 36, 1. 06 to 1. 03. This seems to be a good sign for the company. But still the ratio is high and need quite bit of work to get it down to an acceptable value. Freds’ ROE keeps a increase from 5. 99% in 2010, to 7. 17% in 2011 then to 7. 89% in 2012 because its profit margin increasing from 1. 32% to 1. 61% and 1. 78%, respectively in 2011 and 2012, in the same time, its assets turnover keeps a steadily level from 3. 20 to 3. 06, just a slightly decrease. Additionally, the gross margin just has a higher change from 27. 92% in 2010, to 28. 66% in 2012 than profit margin. The inventory turnover has a decrease from 4. 33 to 4. 15 respectively in 2010 and 2012, due to the cost of goods sold increasing slower than inventory. What’s more, the current ratio and quick ratio keeps falling down, and debt/equity ratio grows up during the 3 years, showing that the debt increases faster than equity. Big Lot’s ROE continues to grow from 20. 01% in 2010 to 25. 15% in 2012. However, it s profit margin and gross margin have been going downwards since 2010, dropping to 3. 98% and 39. 9% respectively in 2012. What’s more, its current ratio and quick ratio have also decreased, the former one has slacked from 2. 069 in 2010 to 1. 721 in 2012, a nd the later one has slummed from 0. 72 to 0. 31, which indicate that the company’s fund are more tighten up in recent years. Through further study, we found that the D-E ratio is increa sing from 1. 208 in 2010 to 1. 704 in 2012, which presented the company’s new financing strategy from borrowing, other than getting capital from the shareholders. The ROE of Dollar Tree increased rapidly from 22. 43% in 2010 to 27. 23% in 2011 and to 36. 32% in 2012. On examining the three omponents of ROE, the profit margin was 6. 3% in 2010 but in 2012 it increased at 7. 36%. In addition, its assets turnover maintains a steady growth. It was 2. 28 in 2010, 2. 47 in 2011 and 2. 85 in 2012. Over the three years, the debt -equity ratio also grows steadily. Besides, the current ratio and quick ratio of Dollar Tree in the past three years obviously declined. That mostly resulted from the increasing debt and surging sales . Return on Equity almost doubled from 2010 to 2011 as 6. 31% to 11. 33% and has a steady growth from 2011 to 2012 as 15. 30%. This implies Net Income increased and it is proportional to good increase in profit margins as from 2% to 3. 63% almost doubled from 20 10 to 2011 and 4. 95% in 2012 which is a steady growth. When we compare the Total asset turnover in last 3 years seems to be decreasing, though it is 13. 1 in 2010 decreased significantly form 2011 and 2012 as 1. 14 and 1. 50 respectively. This might be due to competition from other department and specialty stores and other retailers, including luxury goods retailers, mail o rder retailers and offprice and discount stores. Opportunities/Threats Opportunities: from the above, we get the idea that the variety store industry has a good time during the several years. These four companies are keeping increase in profit and they have lower financial distress so that they could borrow more money from banks and investors, which gives them more chances to execute expansion strategy: more available cash from borrowing, better financial statement which can give more confidence to in vestors and higher return to support the future development. Threats: we should notice that most of the four companies have a higher gross margin increasing than profit margin, and a continuous lower inventory turnover. They show that these companies’ structures include threaten in the future. What’s more, the high debt means that the banks and investors tighten polices and requirements to the companies so their business and expansion will be influenced by investors. Meanwhile, the raising interest rat e of debt gives higher financial distress to the companies. Overall Assessment Retail industry is a highly competitive and dynamic business to work with. So it needs to be change whenever it needs to be. Here we can see that when one company doing well other companies are struggling to stay in the race. If we analyze the overall challenges retail business facing is like high Employee turnovers, also Auditing issues as they regularly engaged in competition with one another, and this competition can creat e price wars, forcing a need to keep tight control over inventory, as the nation prospers and people have more money to spend, the retail industry generally flourishes. As for the companies we can see that Fred’s, Dollar tree and Belk is seems to be doing well in this difficult situations, but the Big Lotus is losing some ground as profit margins getting lower as well as their funds getting tightens up. However when we see the COGS each company has a problem as COGS selling slower than the inventory, this might be hurting all four companies as if their items old they have to write off them and which might eventually losing money. Exhibit 1: Significant Accounting Policies Freds Revenue recognition Merchandise inventories Goodwill Stock-based compensation Income taxes Dollar tree Big Lots Belk Sales are recorded when the merchandise is shipped from the Company’s warehouse sales revenue at the time a sale is made to its customer Revenue is recognized when the customer makes the final payment and takes possession of the merchandise. Sales from retail operations are recorded at the time of delivery. Valued at the lower of cost or market using the retail first-in, first-out method for goods in our stores and the cost first-in, firstout method for goods in our distribution centers. Stated at the lower of cost or market, determined on a weighted-average cost basis. Under the retail inventory method, the valuation of inventories at cost and the resulting gross margins are computed by applying a calculated cost-to-retail ratio to the retail value of inventories. Valued at the lower of cost or market using the average cost retail inventory method. Under the average ost retail inventory method, inventory is segregated into departments of merchandise having similar characteristics at its current retail selling value. Valued using the lower of cost or market value, determined by the retail inventory method. Under the retail inventory method (â€Å"RIM†), the valuation of inventories at cost and the resulting gross margins Goodwill is not amortized and tested for impairmen t annually. Use an income approach and a market approach in determining fair value for purposes of goodwill impairment tests. Goodwill is not amortized and tested for impairment annually. Use an income approach and a market pproach in determining fair value for purposes of goodwill impairment tests. Goodwill is not amortized and tested for impairment annually. Use an income approach and a market approach in determining fair value for purposes of goodwill impairment tests. Goodwill is not amortized and tested for impairment annually. Use an income approach and a market approach in determining fair value for purposes of goodwill impairment tests. Uses the fair value recognition provisions of FASB ASC 718, account for stock based compensation by using the grant date fair value of share awards and the estimated number of shares that will ultimately be ssued in conjunction with each award. Recognizes all share-based payments to e mployees, including grants of employee stock options, in the financial statements based on their fair values. Value and expense stock options with graded vesting as a single award with an average estimated life over the entire term of the award. Uses the fair value recognition provisions of FASB ASC 718, account for stock based compensation by using the grant date fair value of share awards and the estimated number of shares that will ultimately be issued in conjunction with each award. reports income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740,the asset and liability ethod is used for computing future income tax consequences of events reports income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740,the asset and liability method is used for computing future income tax consequences of events reports income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740,the asset and liability method is used for computing future income tax consequences of events reports income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740,the asset an d liability method is used for computing future income tax consequences of events Exhibit 2: Industry Ratio Summary 2012 Freds, Inc. 2011 Profitability Return on equity 7. 89% 7. 17% 5. 99% 25. 15% 23. 50% 20. 01% 6. 32% 27. 23% 22. 43% 15. 30% 11. 33% 6. 31% Profit margin 1. 78% 1. 61% 1. 32% 3. 98% 4. 49% 4. 23% 7. 36% 6. 75% 6. 13% 4. 95% 3. 63% 2. 00% Gross margin 28. 66% 28. 61% 27. 92% 39. 79% 40. 63% 40. 61% 35. 87% 35. 49% 35. 49% 0. 33% 0. 33% 0. 32% Total asset turnover 3. 06 3. 16 3. 20 3. 169 3. 057 2. 831 2. 85 2. 47 2. 28 1. 5 1. 41 13. 1 A/R turnover 62. 61 64. 58 61. 93 42. 45 41. 39 40. 11 76. 42 78. 53 72. 33 104. 9 131. 3 118. 7 Inventory turnover 4. 15 4. 33 4. 33 3. 8 3. 86 4. 02 4. 2 4. 2 4. 1 2. 9 2. 97 2. 83 Short term liquidity Current ratio 2. 47 2. 91 2. 81 1. 721 1. 941 2. 069 2. 08 2. 5 2. 74 2. 51 3. 34 3. 32 0. 33 . 52 0. 57 0. 31 0. 53 0. 72 0. 59 1 1. 31 0. 88 1. 23 1. 43 0. 49 0. 40 0. 43 1. 704 1. 283 1. 208 0. 73 0. 63 0. 6 1. 03 1. 06 1. 36 Quick ratio Long term solvency Debt/Equity ratio 2010 2012 Big Lots 2011 2010 2012 Dollar Tree 2011 2010 Belk. inc 2012 2011 2010 Profit Margin Return on Equity 40. 00% 35. 00% 30. 00% 25. 00% Freds, inc 20. 00% Big Lots 15. 00% Dollar Tree 10. 00% Belk. inc 5. 00% 0. 00% 2012 2011 8. 00% 7. 00% 6. 00% 5. 00% 4. 00% 3. 00% 2. 00% 1. 00% 0. 00% Freds, inc Big Lots Dollar Tree Belk. inc 2012 2010 2011 2010 Debt-to-Equity Ratio Inventory turnover 2. 00 5. 00 4. 00 Freds, inc 3. 00 Big Lots 1. 50 Freds, inc Big Lots 1. 00 Dollar Tree Dollar Tree 2. 00 Belk. inc 1. 00 Belk. inc 0. 50 0. 00 0. 00 2012 2011 2010 2012 2011 2010 Exhibit 3: Income statement Fred,inc Statement of Income January 28, 2012 Net sales Cost of goods sold 1879059 1340519 100% 71. 34% Gross profit 538540 Depreciation and amortization 100% 71. 39% 1788136 1288899 100% 72. 08% 28. 66% 527018 28. 61% 499237 27. 92% 34190 1. 82% 29236 1. 59% 26387 1. 48% Selling, general and administrative expenses 453195 24. 12% 451064 24. 49% 434356 24. 29% Operating income Interest income Interest expense 51155 -156 553 2. 72% -0. 01% 0. 03% 46718 -234 424 2. 54% -0. 01% 0. 02% 38494 -189 82 2. 15% -0. 01% 0. 03% Income before income taxes 50758 2. 70% 46528 2. 53% 38201 2. 14% Provision for income taxes 17330 0. 92% 16941 0. 92% 14586 0. 82% 33428 1. 78% 29587 1. 61% 23615 1. 32% $ $ January 30, 2010 1841755 1314737 Net income $ January 29, 2011 $ $ $ Big Lots, Statement of Income January 27, 2012 Net sales Cost of goods sold Gross pr ofit Selling, general and administrative expenses Other Operating Expense Operating income $ January 28, 2011 5,202,269. 00 3,131,862. 00 2,070,407. 00 100. 00% 60. 20% 39. 80% 1,634,532. 00 January 29, 2012 4,952,244. 00 2,939,793. 00 2,012,451. 00 100. 00% 59. 36% 40. 64% 31. 42% 1,567,500. 0 90,280. 00 1. 74% 345,595. 00 6. 64% $ 4,726,772. 00 2,807,466. 00 1,919,306. 00 100. 00% 59. 39% 40. 61% 31. 65% 1,532,356. 00 32. 42% 78,606. 00 1. 59% 74,904. 00 1. 58% 357,345. 00 7. 22% 325,010. 00 6. 88% $ Earnings Before Interest And Taxes Interest Expense 345,422. 00 6. 64% 357,957. 00 7. 23% 325,185. 00 6. 88% 3,530. 00 0. 07% 2,573. 00 0. 05% 1,840. 00 0. 04% Income Before Tax 341,892. 00 6. 57% 355,384. 00 7. 18% 323,345. 00 6. 84% Income Tax Expense 134,657. 00 2. 59% 132,837. 00 2. 68% 121,975. 00 2. 58% Net income 207,064. 00 3. 98% 222,524. 00 4. 49% 200,369. 00 4. 24% Dollar Tree, Statement of Income January 28,2012 Revenues $ January 29,2011 Selling and admistrtive expense 64. 13% 35. 87% 3,794. 8 2,087. 60 1,596. 2 Gross margin 100% 4252. 2 2378. 3 cost of sales 6630. 5 $ 5882. 40 24. 07% 1,457. 60 100% January 30,2010 $ 5,231. 20 100% 64. 51% 35. 49% 3,374. 40 1,856. 80 64. 51% 35. 49% 24. 78% 1,344. 00 25. 69% Restructing charges Goodwill impairment — — — intangible and other asset impairment — — — operating expense $ 1,596. 2 24. 07% operating income interest expense interest income other income 782. 1 2. 9 –0. 3 11. 80% 0. 04% Income before income taxes Net income $ 1,457. 60 24. 78% 10. 71% 0. 10% 0. 00% 630 5. 6 –5. 5 779. 5 ncome taxes $ 11. 76% 291. 2 488. 3 4. 39% 7. 36% 1344 25. 69% 9. 80% 0. 10% -0. 10% 512. 8 5. 2 — 629. 9 $ $ 10. 71% 507. 6 9. 70% 232. 6 397. 3 3. 95% 6. 75% 187. 1 320. 5 3. 58% 6. 13% $ Belk, Statement of Income 2012 2011 Revenues 3,699,592 100% Cost of goods sold (Including occupancy, distribution an d buying $ expenses) 2,461,515 66% 938008 2012 3513275 100% 2353536 66% 25% 914078 3143 0. 08% 2302 —- Operating income Interest expense Interest income Loss on extinguishment of debt Gain on investments Income before income taxes Income tax expense Net income Gain on sale of property and equipment Asset impairment and exit costs Pension curtailment charge $ 100% 2271925 68% 26% 886263 26% 6416 0. 18% 2011 0. 06% 0. 06% 0. 00% 6096 —– 0. 17% 0. 00% 39915 2719 1. 19% 0. 08% 300190 Selling, general and administrative expenses 3346252 8. 11% 245981 7. 00% 147441 4. 41% -50218 328 -922 —–250098 66950 183148 -1. 35% 0. 01% 0. 02% 0. 00% 0. 0676 1. 80% 0. 0495 -50679 569 ——–195871 68243 127628 -1. 44% 0. 02% 0. 00% 0. 00% 0. 0557 1. 94% 0. 0363 -51321 1027 —43 97190 30054 67136 -1. 53% 0. 03% 0. 00% 0. 00% 0. 029 0. 89% 2 $ $ $ $ Exhibit 4: Balance Sheet Freds,inc Balance Sheets January 28, 2012 January 29, 2011 January 30, 2010 January 31, 2009 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents 27130 4. 29% 49182 8. 26% 54742 9. 58% Account Receivables Inventories 31883 331882 5. 04% 52. 51% 28146 313384 4. 73% 52. 62% 28893 294024 Other non-trade receivables 32090 5. 08% 26378 4. 43% Prepaid expenses and other current assets Total current assets 12321 435306 1. 95% 68. 88% 12723 429813 Property and equipment 161112 25. 49% 139931 Equipment under capital leases 97 0. 02% – Intangible assets, net 32191 5. 09% 22193 3. 73% 16035 2. 81% 9042 1. 66% Other noncurrent assets, net Total assets $ 3276 631982 0. 52% 100% $ 3591 595528 0. 60% 100% $ 4040 571441 0. 71% 100% $ 4442 544775 0. 82% 00% LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 106886 16. 91% $ 81002 13. 60% $ 87393 15. 29% $ 69955 12. 84% 658 0. 10% 201 0. 03% 718 0. 13% 243 0. 04% Current portion of indebtedness $ $ $ $ 35128 6. 45% 5. 06% 51. 45% 28857 301537 5. 30% 55. 35% 25193 4. 41% 15782 2. 90% 2. 14% 72. 17% 10945 413797 1. 92% 72. 41% 11912 393216 2. 19% 72. 18% 23. 50% 137569 24. 07% 138036 25. 34% – 39 Accrued expenses and other 44876 7. 10% 45371 7. 62% 39621 6. 93% 46659 8. 56% Deferred income taxes 23878 3. 78% 21142 3. 55% 19373 3. 39% 13061 2. 40% Total current liabilities 176298 27. 90% 147716 24. 80% 147105 5. 74% 137667 25. 27% Long-term portion of indebtedness 6640 1. 05% 3969 0. 67% 4179 0. 73% 4866 0. 89% Deferred income taxes 5633 0. 89% 2069 0. 35% 2009 0. 35% 1328 0. 24% Other noncurrent liabilities Total liabilities 19799 208370 3. 13% 32. 97% 17886 171640 3. 00% 28. 82% 17209 170502 3. 01% 29. 84% 13833 157694 2. 54% 28. 95% Common stock, Class A voting, no par value 105384 16. 68% 131367 22. 06% 131685 23. 04% 136877 25. 13% Common stock, Class B nonvoting, no par value Retained earnings 317364 50. 22% 291649 48. 97% 268350 46. 96% 249141 45. 73% Accumulated other comprehensive income 864 0. 14% 872 0. 15% 904 0. 16% 1063 How to cite Comparing of Financial Statement for Similar Companies, Papers

The Demand and Supply of Certain Resources in India Free-Samples

Questions: Discuss about the Demand and Supply of Certain Resources in India. Answer: Essence of the Story Demand and supply are two important concepts in the area of economics. Both these factors are interconnected and have major effects on one another. The demand of a product and service directly influence the supply of that product and service. The supply of a product or service is directly linked to the demand of a particular product or service. Along with this, the increased demand of a product will increase the supply of a product in an automatic manner. The high demand of a product will increase the price of a product or service in a specified time period. Apart from this, the decreased demand of a product will reduce the supply and price of that product usually. These both demand and supply factors are unified and it is very hard to separate them. Moreover, all the nations all around the world depend on each other to fulfill their demand and supply requirements in an effectual manner. The export and import of products or services not only fulfill the demand and supply needs; but b oost the economy of nations as well. Furthermore, this research essay is useful to portray the demand and supply of certain resources in the context of India. Economic Analysis In this world, all the nations depend on each other to fulfill their needs related to products or services. There is no such nation that does not depend on another to meet its requirements effectively. India is the biggest example of such nation. India depends on other nations to fulfill its demand related to energy sources including oil, natural gas, petroleum, electricity, coal, and so on. The main reason of the dependency is that India does not make huge investments in renewable forms of energy sources(Soni, 2014). Along with this, the domestic production of crude oil of India is lower in comparison to its consumption (demand). The consumption of crude oil has increased by 8% in the year 2015. As a consequence, the imports of crude oil have enlarged approximately 510,000 b/d from the year 2010 - 2013. Moreover, it is also predicted that these imports will increase regularly in the upcoming years. The below graph is helpful to show the energy consumption of India in a proper manner : (Source: (Bhattacharya, 2016) On the other hand, according to the report of ESU (Economist Intelligence Unit), India is the fourth biggest importer of crude oil in the world. India mainly depends on Middle East to meet its demand of crude oil effectively. Moreover, there can be seen a big gap between the consumption (demand) and production (supply) of crude oil (Kumar Vimala, 2016). As per the report, the demand of crude oil has been reached almost 3.7 million barrels per day. But, the production of crude oil can be seen 1 million barrels per day. By considering these facts, the EIA (Energy Information Administration) estimates that, the demand of crude oil would be double by the year 2040. The Indian energy companies have diversified their supply sources because of the high dependency of crude oil on other nations (Bhattacharya, 2016). Moreover, the below graph is valuable to portray a wide gap between the demand and supply of petroleum and other liquids effectively. (Source:(MarEx, 2014) In addition to this, coal is considered as the most abundant and key component of the energy matrix of India. In other words, it is also can be said that, the energy mix of the nation relies on coal. Coal is the prime energy source within nation; and it is expected that the demand for coal will increase continuously. Moreover, it should also be noted down that, India is the fourth biggest coal reserves all around the world. It is the cheapest suppliers of coal in the world(Sharma, 2014). Apart from this, India relies on other nations for coal because it requires coal as a major input in the industrial production sectors such as: steel, textiles, cement, transportation equipment, etc. The production sectors of India are growing by 7.9% per annum. As a result, India depends on other nations to meet its requirements of coal in an appropriate manner. On the other hand, India relies on other nations for natural gas resources. It is because of the nation has limited natural gas resources. Moreover, natural gas resources are the second major energy sources after coal. India needs lot of gas resources due to the industrial production sectors. In India, the consumption (demand) of natural gas resources is high than the production (supply). So, India depends mainly on Russia to fulfill its demand of natural gas resources effectively. Moreover, according to EIA, in upcoming years, the production of natural gas will increase by 3.5% per annum in India. But, the consumption of natural gas will increase by 4.8% per annum. These percentage data shows enormous supply shortage that India might face in upcoming year. In consequence, imports can be anticipated to increase in future time period. Along with this, India depends on other notation to fulfill its demand related to petroleum electricity, refined products, and so on. The below graph is helpful to portray the projected demand related to energy sources of India. India is highly dependent on other nations to fulfill its demand related to energy source. The policy makers of the nation should make investment in the renewable forms of energy. Moreover, increased investment in these fields is essential to boost the economy and to reduce the dependency of nation on other countries. Conclusion On the basis of the above analysis, it can be concluded that, India relies on other nations to fulfill its needs related to crude oil, coal, natural gas, petroleum and so on. The demand of energy source is high in India. The production of these resources is lower than the consumption. So, other nations import energy resources to meet the demand of India in an effectual and an adequate manner. Along with this, it is also recommended that the, policy holders of the nation must make appropriate policies and strategies to reduce the dependency of India on other nations. Bibliography Bhattacharya, G. (2016). Natural gas, unconventional resources can assist India in meeting future energy demand. Retrieved from https://www.ogj.com/articles/print/volume-114/issue-11/exploration-development/natural-gas-unconventional-resources-can-assist-india-in-meeting-future-energy-demand.html Kumar, R., Vimala. (2016). ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN INDIA-RECENT TRENDS. Asia Pacific Journal of Research , I (XXXVI), 140-151. MarEx. (2014). India's Oil Supply and Demand Gap Widening. Retrieved from https://maritime-executive.com/article/indias-oil-supply-and-demand-gap-widening-2014-07-01 Sharma, S. V. (2014). Energy Trade Practices in India: Review of Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers in Relation to ASEAN. ERIA Research Project Report FY2013 (29), 27-62. Soni, A. (2014). Global Oil Markets and Indias Vulnerability to Oil Shocks. 1-30.

Purpose Of Human Life Essays - Theatre Of The Absurd,

Purpose Of Human Life The purpose of human life is an unanswerable question. It seems impossible to find an answer because we don't know where to begin looking or whom to ask. Existence, to us, seems to be something imposed upon us by an unknown force. There is no apparent meaning to it, and yet we suffer as a result of it. The world seems utterly chaotic. We therefore try to impose meaning on it through pattern and fabricated purposes to distract ourselves from the fact that our situation is hopelessly unfathomable. Waiting for Godot is a play that captures this feeling and view of the world, and characterizes it with archetypes that symbolize humanity and its behaviour when faced with this knowledge. According to the play, a human being's life is totally dependant on chance, and, by extension, time is meaningless; therefore, a human+s life is also meaningless, and the realization of this drives humans to rely on nebulous, outside forces, which may be real or not, for order and direction. The basic premise of the play is that chance is the underlying factor behind existence. Therefore human life is determined by chance. This is established very early on, when Vladimir mentions the parable of the two thieves from the Bible. One of the thieves was saved. It's a reasonable percentage (Beckett, 8). The idea of percentage is important because this represents how the fate of humanity is determined; it is random, and there is a percentage chance that a person will be saved or damned. Vladimir continues by citing the disconcordance of the Gospels on the story of the two thieves. And yet...how is it - this is not boring you I hope - how is it that of the four Evangelists only one speaks of a thief being saved. The four of them were there - or thereabouts - and only one speaks of a thief being saved (Beckett, 9). Beckett makes an important point with this example of how chance is woven into even the most sacred of texts that is supposed to hold ultimate truth for humanity. All four disciples of Chirst are supposed to have been present during his crucifixion and witnessed the two thieves, crucified with Jesus, being saved or damned depending on their treatment of him in these final hours. Of the four, only two report anything peculiar happening with the thieves. Of the two that report it, only one says that a thief was saved while the other says that both were damned. Thus, the percentages go from 100%, to 50%, to a 25% chance for salvation. This whole matter of percentages symbolizes how chance is the determining factor of existence, and Beckett used the Bible to prove this because that is the text that humanity has looked to for meaning for millenia. Even the Bible reduces human life to a matter of chance. On any given day there is a certain percent chance that one will be saved as opposed to damned, and that person is powerless to affect the decision. The fate of the thieves, one of whom was saved and the other damned according to the one of the four accounts that everybody believes, becomes as the play progresses a symbol of the condition of man in an unpredictable and arbitrary universe (Webb, 32). God, if he exists, contributes to the chaos by his silence. The very fact that God allows such an arbitrary system to continue makes him an accomplice. The French philosopher Pascal noted the arbitrariness of life and that the universe worked on the basis of percentages. He advocated using such arbitrariness to one's advantage, including believing in God because, if he doesn't exist, nobody would care in the end, but if he does, one was on the safe side all along, so one can't lose. It is the same reasoning that Vladimir uses in his remark quoted above, It's a reasonable percentage. But it is God's silence throughout all this that causes the real hopelessness, and this is what makes Waiting for Godot a tragedy amidst all the comical actions of its characters: the silent plea to God for meaning, for answers, which symbolizes the plea of all humanity, and God's silence in response. The recourse to bookkeeping by the philosopher [Pascal] no less than the clownish tramp shows how helpless we are with respect to God+s silence (Astro, 121). Either God does not exist, or he does not care. Whichever is the case, chance and arbitrariness determine human life in the absence of

Bail Out vs. Bale Out

Bail Out vs. Bale Out Bail Out vs. Bale Out Bail Out vs. Bale Out By Maeve Maddox Reading A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton, (St. Martin’s Minotaur, New York, 2003), I was distracted by the author’s frequent references to the necessity of a pilot’s having to â€Å"bale out† of his aircraft. How odd, I thought, that such a spelling error would slip by in a book of this quality. Surely the expression should be spelled â€Å"bail out.† According to a UK source (The Phrase Finder), the choice between â€Å"bail out† and â€Å"bale out† depends upon one’s way of viewing the act of leaving the aircraft. The person who says, â€Å"bale out† is thinking of the parachuted person as a bundle being pushed out, like a bale of hay, whereas the person who says â€Å"bail out† is thinking of the act of pouring water from a boat. This explanation might make sense if all English speakers agreed as to the spelling of the water idiom as â€Å"bail out.† Apparently some British speakers prefer to â€Å"bale out† boats. Nearly 90 years ago, H. W. Fowler (Modern English Usage, 1st edition, 1926) took a stand for bail: bail is right, bale wrong, in the sense throw water out; the derivation is from French baille, bucket. Fowler made no pronouncement on how to spell the word for jumping out of an airplane, most probably because he hadn’t heard of it yet. The earliest OED citation of bail in that sense is an American source dated 1925. The first citation for â€Å"bale out† is dated 1939. Fowler’s successor Sir Ernest Gowers (Modern English Usage, 2nd edition, 1965) dismissed the relevance of etymology in favor of â€Å"differentiation†: bail out, bale out. The OED says that [the spelling bail] should be used for emptying a boat of water; bale is ‘erroneous’ because the derivation is from French baille, bucket. But, perhaps owing to an instinct for differentiation, popular usage prefers bale both for this and for making a parachute descent from an aircraft in an emergency. The OED now has an entry for bale in the sense of â€Å"To lade or throw water out of a boat or ship with buckets,† but explains its etymology as an â€Å"erroneous spelling of bail.† The Guardian/Observer Style Guide has adopted the spelling bale for both jumping from an airplane and for pouring water out of a boat: bail out a prisoner, a company or person in financial difficulty; but  bale out  a boat or from an aircraft. Other British news sources, however, seem to prefer bail: Daily Mail Incredible story of the Lancaster pilot who bailed out over Germany whose life was saved when a searchlight helped him find his parachute Mirror Bedfordshire plane crash: Photos of wreckage show pilot may have tried to bail out. BBC NZ skydivers bail out over Lake Taupo as plane crashes. Telegraph Amid the 70th anniversary commemorations this summer it can be disclosed that at least 200 pilots died â€Å"needlessly† in 1940 after bailing out over water. Even The Guardian mixes the two spellings in the obituary of Flight Lieutenant William Walker that appears in its US edition: the bale spelling appears in a photo caption and the bail spelling in the article that follows. The UK edition of The Guardian has â€Å"bale out† in the text as well as in the caption, but Walker’s obituary in both The Telegraph and The Independent has him bailing out. Finally, the Ngram Viewer grid shows â€Å"bail out† far above â€Å"bale out† in printed usage. Bottom line: If you don’t have strong reasons to do otherwise, stick to bail for exiting an airplane and for throwing water out of a boat. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating ConjunctionsThe Difference Between "will" and "shall"The Uses of â€Å"The†

Collaborative Learning in E-learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Collaborative Learning in E-learning - Essay Example Nam June Paik was born on July 20, 1932. His birth place was the city of Seoul, in South Korea. He had five siblings and was the youngest of them all. He showed interest in the arts from a very tender age. While growing up, he trained on how to play the piano especially classical music. During the Korean war of 1950, their family was forced to flee from Korea to Hong Kong but finally settled in Japan. He went to the University of Tokyo from where he graduated with a degree in music (www.paikstudios.com1). After his studies, this open minded individual relocated to Germany where he studied the history of music under the tutelage of Thrasybulos Georgiades. While taking his studies at the Munich University, Nam June got to meet other music composers such as John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He also met conceptual artists Joseph Beuys and Wolf Vostell from whom he derived his inspiration to work in the electronic art field. He met the experimental composer Cage during an International Summer Course for New Music in 1958. Paik started showing great interest in avant-garde music while he was trying to find his niche. During his stay in Germany, he started work as a musician and doing performance all over the place. The composers such as Karlheinz had profound contribution to Paik’s choice of a career. Under the tutelage of John Cage, Paik found the confidence to incorporate different styles into his music. He began including aspects of silence and chance into some of his works. It was not long before Paik started getting invites to perform at various avant-garde concerts. Some of his more famous works was the piece Stockhausen’s Originale and Hommage à   John Cage which were his own personal creations. The latter was a tribute to his mentor John Cage. Besides being credited his achievements in the video art world, he also envisioned the internet generation we see

Role of the Father in a Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Role of the Father in a Family - Essay Example He was happier than ever when Paul born. He used to say me that it was his dream to see his grandchildren. As he is on the deathbed, all I wanted to say him is that "Father I love you, and thank you for all that what you did for us". And this was what I did. I went to him and I said "Father I love you, and thanks for all that what you did for me". At this time we have different types of families in the society. Single career, dual career, married, unmarried and homosexuals. But all these families comprises of children, mother and father. although single mothers are also considered to be a family but actual definition of family isn't completed without father. This shows the importance of father. As father is the root of the family. Or we can say a nuclear of the family. As few years back, father's role in family was confined to the one who go out and earn money and mother had to stay at home to take care of children. Fathers usually were not concerned about children's bringing up. Religiously it's appreciated that fathers should pay proper attention to their families and they should never abandoned them just to their mothers. As it's said in Bible: "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." (Mal 4:5-6) One frequently finds thoughts like the following, which are those of Stephen Pasquier: "We should consider our fathers like gods on earth, who were given to us not only to transmit life to us and conserve it, but also to sanctify us by a wise instruction."But now we can see that this traditional father's role is changed. Mother's are in the work force same as fathers, so both of them divided the tasks equally. Fathers are becoming more involved in child care and family as compare to their own fathers. Different schools are offering home classes to boys as well. So that they should face less difficulty in future while dealing with their own kids. Mothers today are giving space to their husband's so that they can give some proper time to their families. They are sacrificing their time with friends to their families. But father's own upbringing also matters in it. If he got a caring father who understands that mother alone cannot take care of family as well as her career. Then of course he can bring up a good family. But if he thinks that his masculinity is affected becau se of spending time with his children then it can be the other way. Dr. Lawson says what you might guess: "The father's role in the drama between the borderline mother and her child is crucial in determining the outcome for the child." p.178 In regards to a father's duty, President Benson also taught us that: Those in the Book of Mormon who were taught nothing concerning the Lord but only concerning worldly knowledge became a cunning and wicked people (see Mosiah 24:5, 7). All truths are not of the same value. The saving truths of salvation are of greatest worth. These truths the

Crimes Against the Public Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Crimes Against the Public - Essay Example On most occasions when dialogue does not bear fruit, agitators opt to go rioting thus distracting public peace. In that regard, the following case briefs will shed some light on how various previous cases involving the same were handled. This will guide on how to look at the two happenings that involved offences against the public. Crimes Against the Public Introduction Crimes against the public are those intentional acts and behaviors that tend to disrupt the order in which the members of the public run their daily operations (public order). The Law checks to ensure that minimum standards of decency and civility must be upheld by all individuals as long as they are in public. For that reason, there are set rules and guidelines which must be observed by all members of the public which attract respective penalties upon breach. The following are some case briefs. Case briefs Edward v. South Carolina, 372 U.S. 229 (1963) Facts of the case: A peaceful demonstration was organized by 187 A frican-Americans to South Carolina State House grounds. The protestors divided themselves into small groups as they pushed to convey their grievances against policies of segregation in their state. This process did not disrupt the normal activities of the public and everything ran normally and no property was destroyed. This demonstration was however disrupted by thirty police officers who ordered the protesters to stop or be arrested. The students defied the order and instead chanted songs of freedom and patriotism. This led to their arrest and conviction for disruption of peace. Issues present in the case: Was the arrest of the protestors in violation of their rights and freedoms to express themselves, to gather to push for their grievances as provided for in the First and Fourteenth Amendments? Decision: The court’s ruling was that the arrest violated the marcher’s right of speech, press and assembly. Reasoning: It was held that the arrest and conviction of the marc hers was against their rights. The Court could not clearly identify the crime alleged against the protestors. The evidence provided was insufficient and did not portray acts of violence. Therefore the judge for the case ruled that there was a violation of constitutional rights by arresting the peaceful protestors. Justice Stewart said that the protestors were only exercising the First Amendment rights and that the state was not allowed to criminalize protests against controversial rules. Dissenting opinions: there were no dissenting opinions regarding this case and the court went by the judge’s ruling. Looking at the above cited case, (Edwards v. South Carolina 372 U.S. 229 (1963), 1963) we find that these marchers pushed for their grievances peacefully and did not destroy public property nor blocked traffic. It was because of that that the court regarded their acts as an exercise of constitutional rights. However, it was a different case altogether where two angry students s ent e-mails to Texas government agencies with threats to blow up a building in protest over U.S. involvement in several controversial international issues. The students were arrested and charged with threats to use weapons of mass destruction. In this case, the government did not succeed in convicting the students because the threat to blow up a building was just an expression of their thoughts (U.S. v Wise, 221 F.3d 140 (5th Cir.200), 2000). They would not be convicted because there wasn’

Media Essays News Citizen Journalist

Media Essays News Citizen Journalist News Citizen Journalist Introduction We live in an era of information overload: it requires no groundbreaking analysis to establish this. Society is bombarded from every angle with news: Newspapers; television; streaming news services on the Internet and independent blogs written by ‘citizen’ journalist. This worldwide change has occurred over the course of a minute timescale. Since the dawn of journalism until very recently, there were always a finite number of news sources. In the 80’s there were ten UK dailies, and three channels which contained news bulletins. By 1998, at the dawn of online news coverage, articles were a day old and suffered the disadvantage of not being specifically written as an online medium. Sites were updated once a day, and breaking news would sometimes be covered by a small news ticker at the most. If we are to use September 11th as a comparative vantage point, set close to the present and catastrophic at a worldwide level, the scale of the change within the news becomes visible. The 7/11 bombings in America were viewed in Britain on five terrestrial television channels, three dedicated news channels (BBC News 24, Sky News and ITV News), and news services such as Reuters, CNBC and Bloomberg provided continuous information updates. This does not even attempt to cover the countless other news sources around the world whose focus was to cover this tragic event around the clock. The Internet was saturated with theories, creditable news stories and speculation. The Guardian and The New York Times at the time provided online coverage, and since then nearly every news channel has developed online news services. For the first time everyone was capable of getting their opinion out there: The Internet allowed people to post their views, share their sadness and grow theories of conspiracy as could never have been done before. On the 7th July bombings in London BBC 1 and ITV1 had coverage completely uninterrupted until 7pm. Material included large amounts of footage sent in by the public, including videos and pictures taken on camera phones. News now travels at light speed. The gaps between major news stories, which steal the public’s attention, are hardly long enough to allow absorption of the story, let alone understanding any greater sense of context within which it may lie. The Internet itself is growing at a massive and uncontrollable rate. According to Eric Schmidt, chief executive of Google, the search engine would need another three hundred years to successfully index the five million terabytes of data it is approximated the internet now holds. Google has been indexing information for the last seven years, and has managed to index somewhere in the region of one hundred and seventy million terabytes. Statement of subject Because it has never been easier for individuals to broadcast their opinion, the divide between what is and isn’t considered to be ‘journalism’ is being narrowed. The power to be published has been extended to anyone who may wish to take it: Words no longer need to be passed through an editorial filter; instead the public can broadcast their opinions through blogs, feedback and their own webpages. There are countless online forums and e-zines where the public can submit their own work, and as such there are no official standards because we are no longer tied to words entwined in the ethos of a large corporation. For the individual, when it comes to getting their word out, things have never been better, and the same applies to music, filmmaking and photography. To be published no longer certifies a vocational integrity. In my dissertation I am going to assess the increasingly important role of citizen journalist, and the effect of new media on independent reporting. In an article in the Guardian on the 12th November 2007, David Leigh points out that our principles are being degraded through the lack of discrimination we exert over sources. â€Å"Some voices are more creditable than others†¦a named source is better than an anonymous pamphleteer†. Essentially I want to assess whether the reporter is a dying species, overrun by ‘citizen journalist’, and in what areas a sense of vocationally based journalistic integrity will prevail and withstand the peripeteia taking place in the media. Reporting staffs are being cut globally, with more and more reporters going freelance. Investigative journalism is on the decline, and citizens are contributing to more stories than ever before. Leigh quotes a BBC Radio 4 interview where John Simpson, the BBC’s veteran international news correspondent was asked if all news corporations were cutting back. He confirmed that in his opinion reporters were under real threat, and were not needed anymore, â€Å"We just want people’s opinions about what’s happened, not the facts†. In the article Leigh quotes Max Hastings, the ex-editor of the Daily Telegraph, who states that â€Å"all sorts of areas of the world are now thought to be too boring to keep a correspondent there. The commentariat has taken over.† Explanation of research Restrictions of study The topic I am researching is very broad, and varies very much form place to place. The role of citizen journalist is still developing and maturing. The public are only now fully realising the effects of independent reporting. There is also a psychological dimension that is constantly changing: People are only now beginning to trust articles that do not come from the larger news corporations. Research questions and hypothesis I need to inspect public broadcasting standards, and see what mechanisms are in place to stop the news of larger corporations turning completely into infotainment. I need to find out how much larger news corporations rely on spin departments and press offices for their information, and how much investigation is carried out independently. At the moment people rely on news corporations for objective news, and tend to read the work of citizen journalist for a second opinion. My hypothesis is that all of this will eventually invert, and the only form of sincere and detailed reporting will actually be that of citizen journalist. Definition of key terms In order to understand this essay, the definition of the term ‘citizen journalist’ must be clarified. There has been much debate over this topic, and much confusion has ensued. The Internet is the most effective medium through which the public can dynamically post comments, leave opinions after news stories and feel a direct level of interactivity with their news. While it would seem that this would lead to ‘vandalism’, sites such as Wikipedia have demonstrated that there are systems effective at minimising this sort of input, and I will examine this in greater detail later. But the ability to simply broadcast opinion isn’t, nor has it ever been ‘journalism’. Audiences have always been harnessed into the process of news making, whether the input may be in the form of letters to the editor or a clip of video phone footage. Despite the fact that during the 7/7 London bombings contributed video footage was used, public contributions have always been vital to journalists. It is easy to forget that when Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, Abraham Zapruder, a member of the public who got the best shot of the assassination, shot the video footage seen across the globe. It was his film that was used by analysts to try and determine from where the president was assassinated. But recently the public have been recruited into the news making process at a much greater level. People are intrigued by people, and want to witness the experiences of others, to humanize their news stories. Editors and producers embed stories and experience from members of the public into news stories to give them a more personal dimension. This is the citizen as an addition to a news story. At a greater level of interaction, citizens can help report in a ‘participatory’ manner, whereby they contribute to a story in the field of their expertise. Their knowledge or guidance is framed within the journalist’s context. The ability to publish a soft draft of a story on the Internet has made it easier for journalists to gain help from the public to aid a story. Citizen Journalists are too often mistaken for eyewitnesses armoured with new technology. In wake of the 7/7 bombings, people are quick to label the footage and pictures submitted by members of the public as the work of ‘citizen journalist’. But I believe ‘citizen journalism’ entails the bypassing of the commercial news system completely. This is the only way for reporting to not contain the agenda of a large corporation. It can be argued that reporting can never be truly devoid of a personal agenda, but a corporation will inevitably be entwined in a political agenda. Citizen Journalist is a term used to describe the actions of amateurs taking it upon themselves to report on subjects in an accurate, and independent manner. It is not to be confused with ‘participatory journalism’, where the public are used as sources. Another relevant term is â€Å"Infotainment†, which is essentially a slang term used to describe information given the slant of entertainment. A summary of what is to follow I am going to assess the liberation technological advance has made for ‘citizen journalist’, including beneficial and detrimental effects on news production as a whole. I want to see whether there is room for both professional and citizen journalists and whether traditional reporters are a dying species. Using case studies I am going to analyse where stories written by citizen journalist may not have been possible in a larger, corporate journalistic context, and similarly, where reporting would not be possible without the resources available to a larger news corporation. As well as this I am going to analyse the trends of corporate news, and asses whether the very roles of citizen journalist and news by larger corporations will invert: with serious stories being written by the citizen journalist while corporate news is almost entirely reduced to infotainment. Literature review This topic is relevant because it affects all of the information we receive. The forces of supply and demand work heavily on the corporate news system, and as such are debasing the level of our news. Citizen journalist on the other hand, is relatively free from such forces, and more able to write for niche audiences. There is a new freedom to write passionately about non-mainstream topics, with the possibility of a worldwide audience. When newspapers first came into circulation, in 15th century German and Flemish states, they lacked the same institutionalized nature that they do today. It was the dawn of the industrial revolution and the creation of large cities, the cheapening costs involved in mass printing and the growth of literacy rates provided the market for newspapers in the nineteenth century. Then advertisers realized the true potential for marketing to an ever growing population of newspaper readers, and the costs of newspapers went down even further. The corporate model first took over the Hollywood film industry in 1914, and then the movie distribution system. By 1920 radio had become corporate, and by 1950’s television had followed suit. All forms of media were organized in â€Å"accordance with corporate industrial logic†. Government controlled media started to arise in many parts of less developed countries. In Africa and Asia, where power had been handed over to those whom the departing colonial powers were most comfortable with dealing with. These people were ‘clones’ of the ruling elite who had once colonised them. Hence the newly emerging media were staffed by the most Westernised natives. The New World Information Order (NWIO) was created to justify ‘development journalism’. The ethos of the organization encouraged state control of the media in order to ‘educate’ and develop the respective local populations, and in within this line of thinking the education system in developing countries was also shifted into the state run sphere. As Louw points out, Communist control of the media was justified through the same line of argument. â€Å"In Afro-Asia ‘education’ and ‘development’ were managerial tools by which ruling elites (forcibly?) Westernised their populations, thereby increasing the numbers of their own Western ‘tribe’†. (p.43) One of the most relevant aspects of the Internet, is the creation of an accessible worldwide community that endangers such political mechanisms of control. While once people’s perceptions of life itself were very much narrowed by the culture in which they lived, now people from all over the world have an interface with which they can communicate. The internet has evolved: third world countries, with their antiquated and even non existent phone lines missed out on the first generation of the internet. But as technology developed, fibre optic lines and broadband replaced the traditional ways of plugging in, and third-world countries, with no existing infrastructure to replace and facilitated with cheap labour costs, have quickly connected themselves in. The mobile phone revolution was similar: Five years ago in India if you wanted to make an International call you had to call an operator and book it in. You would then wait by the phone for an hour or two, and at some point the operator would call you back and connect you. Now every Indian with a roof over their head also has a mobile. This is an unbelievable phenomenon in a country which frequently still has power cuts, is home to immense poverty and still has a massively unreliable wired phone network. Despite this the prevalence of a mass mobile phone culture took place there even before America had abandoned their two-way. Having come from an Indian background, and with all of my family currently residing there including my fifteen-year-old sister, I have visited the country at least once a year for the last twenty years. I am persistently surprised by the massive changes that occur there from one year to the next, but these are factors relating to matters of economy and fiscal development. The most prominent changes have occurred, in my opinion, since the Internet and the mass availability of American cable channels. The standardization of social values simply through watching American cable television is enormous, and the impact on the younger generation is massive when in contrast to their parents. An issue, which is widely ignored in more developed western countries, is the dominance of their media throughout the world, and the lack of correspondence between them and local cultures. The birth of citizen journalist has empowered countless people in less developed countries. But spatial boundaries have been eroded by technology, distance has been tamed and while news once took months or even years to travel, today it travels in the blink of an eye. Because of this the relevance of political borders, and the concept of culture and country has become more peripheral. The importance of the citizen as a reporter, the value of hyper-local news and the democratic nature of the internet as tool for expression is quickly becoming invaluable. In part due to these matters authoritarian states such as China, Cuba and Iran have been forced into moving away from their isolation, both ideologically and culturally, and individuals are privy to the writing of journalists not within the borders of their own, controlled domains. Monroe Price asked the question â€Å"Can a nation state survive in a world in which the boundaries of culture, faith and imagination do not (1995: 236). Nation states have survived and, McNair argues in ‘Cultural Chaos’, they will continue to do so. He argues that they will bring into conflict nation states with conflicting ideologies. A brief account of the issues relevant to the topic The creation of a press department in any company or political organization is a key factor. Journalists rely more and more n the information fed to them by the very people they are trying to write about.*EXPAND â€Å"What is clear is that there will always be some individuals or groups trying to control meaning. Underpinning this is a competition over resources (material, cultural and status). Our life chances are set by the social parameters facilitating or hindering our access to such resources† (p25 The Media and Cultural Production – Eric Louw, 2001) Technological advances have resulted in a massive, global, spatial dissolution, and are becoming more and more relevant to our lives. This enablement of social realization through geographical space is a concept being dissolved through the advancement of technology. Technology affects the way we write, the footage we can capture to accompany our stories, and our ability to access the news itself. It is the advancement of technology which has enable the creation of a citizen journalist in the first place. The world is getting smaller, and the amelioration of communicative potential is bringing human beings closer together. Since the 1980’s, and more specifically with the onslaught of ‘live’ news coverage that CNN brought to the Gulf War in 1991, a new sense of immediacy has been brought to the news. There is a new sense of participation, and interactivity that has been brought to broadcasting and the news in general, with broadcasts becoming more dynamic. We can be transported from the isolation of our domestic environments to the parochialism of the news environment we are watching. Through news exposure, which includes the horror of human catastrophe, society is becoming more and more disengaged with the context of what it witnesses. People don’t have enough time between major world events to become fully acquainted with the context of any particular situation. Broadcasters would rather keep viewers engaged with sensational footage, than risk loosing audiences with a contextual background which could be deemed more ‘boring’. As a result people feel that there are too many events to care about any at all, and more importantly there is a widespread concern that we are essentially powerless to do anything about it. Our press has the freedom to fully articulate the injustices of today, but tomorrow there will be new injustices. When the format of the news we are subject to is too consistent and perpetual to never expect not to be shocked by a front page or a top story on a daily basis, we have no choice other than to be emotionally indifferent. McNair describes us as having ‘become fatigued by the proximity of human suffering’ (pg 7, Cultural Chaos). The News corporations, governed by the same principles of supply and demand as any other capitalist institutions, have advertency converted our round the clock news coverage into a form of entertainment†¦of ‘infotainment’. One of the primary book I am going to look at is â€Å"We the Media: Grassroots journalism, by the people, for the people†, by Dan Gillmore. â€Å"We the Media† inspects the blogging phenomenon, and more specifically analyses the relationship between the readers and creators of news. Gillmor acknowledges that blogging is still in an early stage of development, and that in many respects professional journalists are not only behind the developments occurring in news production, but struggling to keep up. He goes on to argue that institutionalized journalism needs a new model of conduct in order to be in a position to â€Å"fight the good fights†. I have also been looking at Cultural Chaos: Journalism, news and power in a globalised world by Brian McNair. He draws on examples from the War on Terror, the invasion of Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and the London Underground bombings to examine the relationship between journalism and power in the digital age. McNair explores the geographic and cultural breakdown-taking place as provoked by the digital age. He examines the impact of the digital age on journalism the effects it has in creating a global culture. There is a fear among news media professionals that the rise of ‘citizen journalist’ will eclipse the role of the professional journalist. The biggest, and most universal fear is a public reliance on the information provided by citizen journalist will lack the accuracy and â€Å"objectivity† of the larger corporation. Citizen journalists on the other hand feel that the professional media lack the passion or the flexibility to report as accurately or incisively as them. One of the advantages of citizen journalism is that the massive number of amateur writers overshadows the comparatively small number of professional journalists. When people can choose what to write about, it is guaranteed that they will do so with passion. Their articles will be researched; it can be argued, with greater dedication. Citizen journalist are ruled by no sense of hierarchy; as a group citizen journalist can use a skill set appropriate to a project. However, a journalist is merely meant to be a vehicle through which to convey a message. Will this influx of citizen journalism actually diminish objectivity? At least with the mainstream media the public can have an understanding of the context of the paper in which thy read their article. When a different writer, writes every article with no editor to moderate output, can we ever have an understanding of the standpoint of the writer, with no prior knowledge of him or her. On top of this, we can’t even count on a set of defining, professional journalistic principles, nor will amateur writer sever have access to the resources of a professional department. Case Study On Sunday, April 6th there was an article in the New York Times Observer about an undercover vegan, who set out to expose the horrific conditions of a South California slaughterhouse. â€Å"To fit in he bought sandwiches made from soy riblets and ate them in a dusty car parking lot with the other workers†. Despite his vegan beliefs, this citizen journalist spent long days escorting cows to the kill. Armed with a buttonhole camera, he â€Å"made sure he was successful in recording images of workers flipping sick dairy cows with forklifts, prodding them with electrical charges and dragging them by their legs with chains so that they could be processed into ground meat†. The investigation resulted in the United States authorities taking action at a national level. The film the citizen made was picked up by the mainstream media, and was effective because it was edited in a sensationistically limited manner. Citizen journalism is useful because it allows smaller groups of people to be heard, and the more empowered we become by technological advances, the easier it becomes for us to challenge the images we are exposed to by the mainstream media.

Women Online :: Internet Feminist Technology Essays

Women Online Is it better to be a woman online or a man online? Which sex is more respected? Do women have better conversations then men or is it the other way around? Can women participate in a debate with men and still be heard? Are women being treated equally online in comparison to their male counterparts? These are some of the questions that are asked in the articles of Dale Spender and Laura Miller. Dale Spenders article entitled Gender-Bending, and Laura Millers article entitled Women and Children First: Gender and the Settling of the Electronic Frontier. In which the two female authors give their opinions about the good side and bad side of being a woman online. In Dale Spenders article she describes how womens behaviors alter depending on if they are talking to a man or a woman. Their behaviors alter by the terms and tones they use to their posture/demeanor and weather or not eye contact is made. Spender observed such behavior in a study she preformed. When a man entered a conversation uninvited women would automatically give him the floor, as was to be expected. But what wasnt expected was that women would change the way they were sitting and they would look up to him rather then down. In another experiment a baby was handed to a group of women with its sex unidentified. When the sex was identified as a female the baby was held closely and tightly. The females heads were bent down and they spoke quietly and soothingly to the baby. When the women where told that a mistake was made that the baby was in fact a boy the behavior altered. At some points the baby was almost dropped when the women changed the way the baby was being held. The baby was held further away and was bounced up and down. The womens tone changed from soothing to loud and robust. The child was also raised to eye-level when talked to. Even in the case of babies Spender believes that all of our words, actions, and body language are gender-loaded(71). She believes that only when we know the sex of who we are talking to can we actually conduct a conversation. Due to these studies and experiments Spender came to the conclusion that the only way to gain respect is to be a man. Not only when we are young but in writing and conversation.

Brief historical background of the book of Romans Essay

The book Romans was written probably during the mid to late fifties. Pauline authorship has been the dominating view as to the authorship of the book especially that the book of Romans reflects an exceptional theological understanding that fits to Paul’s credential as writer. First, he was highly educated receiving education no less than Israel’s greatest teacher Gamaliel during his time. Second, His understanding of the divine plan of salvation as also depicted in other Pauline epistles notably Ephesians and Galatians where he discussed about salvation and the divine action towards accomplishing that plan, appropriately fit with the mature theological thought and thorough presentation of the gospel. While there was no specific intended recipient except that it was addressed to the Romans, the letter was addressed to several congregations in Rome with the purpose of promoting Jewish and Gentile unity in the church. The main theme of the epistle was that the gospel proclaims that God acquits both Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus on the basis of Jesus Sacrificial death. Brief summary of the context of Romans chapter 5 Romans chapter 5 according to Henry (1985) is the climax of the first major section of the epistle. Henry puts it, â€Å"Chapter 5 of the epistle describes the actual, objective manifestation of the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ† (p. 64). Henry noted that Romans 5:12 to 21 places God’s action of reconciliation in Christ in its ultimate context, the cosmic context. It is in this context that this exegesis of Romans 5: 12 to 17 is anchored. To exegete this passage fully, it is hereby deemed necessary to write in full Romans 5: 12-17. Paul states: 12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation. 17For if, by the trespass of the man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ (NIV). The passage was full of important and meaningful terminologies that comprise its entire interpretation. Terminologies such as sin, death, law, gift, grace, judgment, condemnation, abundant provisions, and gift of righteousness are words that have important implications not only in the book of Romans, but the entire doctrine of salvation. For instance, the theological notion of sin which the apostle Paul has raised encompassed the entire interpretation of the scripture. This is also the idea that Paul was giving emphasis especially in such terms such as gift, grace, and righteousness. Exegesis of chapter 5:12-17 Paul begins verse 12 with the conclusive word â€Å"therefore† which means that the passage was connected with earlier theological discussion beginning from chapter 1:18 in which Paul cited that God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against wicked people whose godlessness entails them to suppress the truth. Paul emphasized that despite they know all about God yet they neither recognized him nor glorify him (v. 19). Because of this utter neglect and deliberate violation of God’s will, Paul says, â€Å"they have no excuse† (2:1). Here, Paul refers to both Jews and Gentiles. In chapter 3, Paul declares that no one is righteous and categorically stated that everyone has sinned and have fallen short to the glory of God (3:23). But chapter 4 deviates from the gloom discussion of sin and its consequence. He now focused on the hope of being able to regain spiritual relations with God through faith, citing Abraham as example. Paul used the word â€Å"therefore† to connect the passage with the above context. But as mentioned earlier, this passage is full of important words and phrases that enable this connection. First of all, Paul mentioned about the entry of sin and death. Obviously referring to Adam, he said that sin and death entered the world through the trespass of the one man. It means that the whole human race was contaminated by the sin committed by Adam through which death becomes the consequence. In order to shed more light on this highly theological discussion, it is important to define sin and death from their original usage in this passage. The law of sin and death The original word used for sin in Romans chapter 5:12 was the noun Hamartia, which occurred 174 time in the New testament and Hamartias while Thanatos for death. According to James Montgomery Boice, the Greek Hamartia and Hamartias means short coming or missing the mark. But Hamartia and Hamartias are just two of several Greek words for sin. The Greek Pesha, for transgression, chata to miss the mark, shagah to go astray, and paraptoma offense, all depicts a deviation from a higher standard or from a state enjoyed originally. The context therefore which Paul has in mind about sin and death goes back to the Garden of Eden in which Adam and Eve were placed by God. Obviously, this place depicts God’s presence which suggests that Adam and Eve enjoyed a higher state of life. But they deviated from this state by deliberately ignoring God’s command and therefore breach their fellowship with God. While Genesis 1:8 describes this place as a place of sufficiency as all that Adam needs to live were there, yet they departed from the mark which God has set for them. Thus, while everything that God has created adds beauty to this place especially the four rivers and all the animals that were subject to the dominion of Adam depicts God’s concern, provision, and love for his creation, they were were supposedly strictly oblige to obey what God has commanded them. Along with these beautiful creations, was God’s solemn warning for Adam not to eat the fruit of the tree in the center of the Garden as the very time they would eat of it, they will surely die. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve have chosen to disobey God. Thus, right after Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command, they were sentenced to live a difficult life as the ground by which they could get their food was cursed by God. God also pronounced the entry of death into the world when God said to Adam â€Å"by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return† (Genesis 3:19). Along with God’s judgment, they were driven out of the garden. That means, they were cast out from the very presence of God. The issue here is that Adam and Eve lost a higher state of life they enjoyed at Eden. They enjoyed God’s abundant provisions, they enjoyed God’s presence, and they enjoyed their being a perfect creation of God. They were innocent and they must have also been a divine creation. With Adam’s fall, all these were lost. Although God still care for human being even after Adam’s fall, the state of life which they had enjoyed in the Garden was never restored. Besides, the impact of God’s pronouncement that Adam would go back to dust speaks of the physical corruption. That is, of decaying and dying to which the writer of Genesis clearly indicates the hopelessness of man’s condition. While the Bible was silent about how long did Adam and Eve were living in Eden when they committed that regretful decision, after they were driven out, the days of their lives started to be in counting. Humans offended God and justice must be served against them. It is this condition that Paul was talking. Sin corrupted the human being and because of this we are subjected to decay. Thus, sin is defined as â€Å"coming short of the glory of God† (3:23). The consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin therefore was that every human being became sinners subject to all the woes both physical and spiritual with reference to Adam as the fountain of all the woes that sin has introduced into the world. Referring to Adam, Barnes noted, â€Å"Sin entered into the world. He was the first sinner of the race. The word sin here evidently means the violation of the law of God. He was the first sinner among men, and in consequence all others became sinners. † We are subject to the consequence of sin both in the physical and the spiritual world. Earlier, genesis 3 speaks of the consequence of sin in the physical world as the difficulty of life. That is, all the miseries that the world suffers including hunger and poverty, chaos because of unrelenting wars in various part of the world, calamities such as earthquakes, typhoons’, and other manmade disasters, worries caused by economic uncertainties, and all other social problems affecting our society that are in turn affecting us individually. Sin has corrupted the hearts and mind of many people resulting to more crimes, and moral decay contributing more problems that makes life even more difficult. On top of this, death played the worst role in the lives of the human being. The Greek word for death in this passage is thanatos which means a physical death. The Greek thanato implies both the physical and spiritual death. However, the bible did not give any formal definition of the word death. Thus according to Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman, we must infer our understanding of death from a whole range of Biblical statements pertaining to the subject. In doing so, we must be careful to distinguish idiomatic or euphemistic expressions for death, which may not be intended anything more than a person has died, from comments intending to some understanding of what that death involved . Boa and Bowman noted that the Bible often used the words â€Å"expire† â€Å"to breathe one’s last† to â€Å"depart† â€Å"to be no more† â€Å"to be gathered to one’s people or fathers† â€Å"to sleep† â€Å"to lie down with one’s fathers† â€Å"to be cut off from the land† and â€Å"to perish. † While the use of these terms for death may vary in the interpretation, yet death generally means the termination of the physical life. According to the Standard International Bible Encyclopedia, death is a consequence of sin. It stated that in contrast with a long life which has been viewed in the Old Testament as a blessing, death is seen as a disaster. This condition depicts the worse condition of the human being as aside from making life more miserable, life is now uncertain. This clearly illustrated in the following lines, Death, though come into the world through sin, is nevertheless at the same time a consequence of man’s physical and frail existence now; it could therefore be threatened as a punishment to man, because he was taken out of the ground and was made a living soul, of the earth earthy (Genesis 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47). If he remained obedient, he would have returned to dust but have pressed forward on the spiritual development (The International Standard Biblical Encyclopedia. Against this hopeless condition, Paul states that despite the entrance of sin into the world through one man and death through sin which rendered man hopeless as he was incapable of restoring his previous relations with God, Paul now asserts in verse 15 that the God himself has taken the initiative to reach out with men. Pau states, â€Å"But the gift is not like the trespass. † The gift of grace (which shall also be discussed later) of God according to Paul was far greater than all the effects of sin. The Revised English Bible translation clearly made this striking difference between the effect of sin and the gift of grace of God. REB puts it, â€Å"God’s act of grace is out of all proportion to Adam’s wrong doing. For if the wrong doing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. † Here the effect of sin and death in the human being is clearly outweighed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. The Law and Grace There were various kinds of law that the ancient Jews held sacred during the Old Testament times. Among them and the most important were the Torah or the ceremonial laws, and the Decalogue which given by God to Moses in Exodus 20: 1-17. While the Torah of the Old Testament presents a more complicated moral admonition that were difficult for state enforcement however, Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of theology asserts that the state is silent â€Å"about state enforcement or specifies God rather than the state as the enforcer. † Under this law enforcement, the book of Deuteronomy has various laws and regulations which require strict obedience. While the Decalogue (Greek word for the Ten Commandments) â€Å"represents minimum moral and religious requirements for those covenant relationship with God† it nevertheless demand absolute obedience. Because of this strict demand for obedience, the law has become the stumbling black for the Israelites because these laws were too much for them to obey literally and word for word. Paul say’s the law served as a mirror for sin by which the Israelite can reflect on the holiness of God. The Israelites particularly found it to heavy to obey the law, perhaps not only because the law was intended to be all encompassing, but because of their adjustment from practically secular Egyptian values or laws, they could hardly follow the divine laws. They were miserable with regards to obedience to the law. This lead Paul to conclude in Roman chapter 8, that the law was powerless because it weakened by the sinful nature of the human being. Thus, the law was unable to address the divine requirements instead; it served as the vehicle for sin to dominate mankind. It is in this context that God’s grace through Jesus Christ came into the scene to rescue every human being from the serious consequences of sin which death.