Oh, What a Lovely Pair!

Another drop of sweat dropped down my forehead and off the end of my nose as my eyes moved vigorously behind my dark shades. â€Å"Oh what a lovely pair!† I thought to myself, however I seemed to have thought out loud rather than to myself. My curious wife, who was lying on her sun bed next to me queried: â€Å"A lovely pair of what?† â€Å"A lovely pair of sunglasses, they are great at keeping out the glare.† I was getting rather bored on his sunbathing outing to the beach, so I decided to take some money out of the wife's purse and head up towards the main town, where I could have a beverage and possibly a bite to eat. To get up towards the bars and restaurants I had to cross over a main and very busy road, there were always mopeds rushing by, not even giving you the slightest of chances to cross over. Even though there are plenty of zebra crossings throughout the resort's roads, I think that the locals just assume that the black and white stripes across the street are a nice decoration. Finally I managed to get to the other side of the mad obstacle. It would have been a good twenty-minute stroll up past some tacky old souvenir shops until I reached the exciting part of the holiday resort. Another drop of sweat dropped down my forehead and off the end of my nose as my eyes moved vigorously behind my dark shades. â€Å"Oh what a lovely pair†¦I'll have to get hold of them.† I thought to myself while looking in a shoe shop, at the young lady on the till. Unfortunately, I must have thought a little on the loud side. An elderly lady, who was stood behind my asked: â€Å"A lovely pair of what?† So I replied, â€Å"A lovely pair of moccasins, I'm sure they would keep out the rain, and not rub your feet the first time you wear them!† I continued with my trip, from the shops to the main shopping centre of the holiday resort. There were lots of clothes and designer gear in these shops; they were the upper class stores of the Spanish town. I fancied a new pair of trousers as the ones that I was wearing were a little on the small side and were beginning to go a little on the shiny side, a bit like the tradition of schoolboy's trousers, short and shiny. I started to browse each designer store, on my search for a new pair of nice looking trousers, within my tight price range of course. I certainly could not afford any of the clothes in these upper class shops; I come from a lower class household back home in England. I thought to myself, â€Å"I can't be dreaming about these clothes, I've got to look for a respectful charity shop such as Oxfam or even Scope.† But then I realised that we are in Spain here, not England. I was sure that in this foreign country they wouldn't know what I was on about if I asked directions for a charity shop! I decided that it would be a good idea to give the local bookshop a small visit to purchase a Spanish phrase book. So I headed towards the book shop, that wasn't too far away from where I was, just a couple of hundred yards away from the designer shops in this shopping mall. I arrived at the shop and noticed that it was closed for lunch, but it reopened within five minutes. So I went to buy a sandwich from across the way. I sat down on a relatively new bench that was situated right outside of the bookshop, munching away at the sandwich. I came across quite a few grizzly and rather chewy bits of ham, they were spat straight out. By the time I had finished eating what could have been eaten of the sandwich, the bookshop was open. I entered the shop and asked the sales assistant whether he sold phrase books. He spoke perfect English, so this task was not too much trouble for me at all. I followed the man to what seemed like an educational section of the shop. He picked up a phrase book off the shelf and gave it to me to have a look. I decided to buy the book I paid in cash. I exited the posh shopping mall and headed up towards the small, tacky old souvenir shops. I took the same route as earlier on. I came across a young man, who looked well educated; he was in a business suit with a lovely pair of trousers on. I was going to ask him where he bought his trousers, but then noticed what a silly thing that would be. I could have asked him where the nearest charity shop was, but he would have thought that I was a scruff or something, in the end I decided to just ask the man for the time. I was trying to pick someone out of the passing crowd who was normal looking, and not an over-paid businessman. After a good five minutes of searching I decided to approach an old lady, she was wearing some old and tatty clothes, to be honest, they looked as though they were bought from some kind of charity shop or car boot sale. So I caught eye contact with the lady and asked, â€Å"Hay una tienda caridad por aqui?† Which in English means, â€Å"is there a charity shop around here?† The lady replied, â€Å"Si, esta a la derecha† which means, â€Å"Yes, it's on the right.† So I looked to my right and there it was, a small charity shop, not up to as good as a standard as the ones home in England, but it still sold the same type of goods and proceedings went to a charity in the local area. As it was very hot outside, I dedicated myself to purchasing a pair of Hawaiian shorts rather than a nice pair of trousers. I tried them on in the fitting room, they were slightly loose and baggy, but this didn't bother me as I had heard my nephew talking about how good it is to have baggy shorts, I thought that these would pull the girls and would be a cool fashion accessory. I walked over, in a cool way to the counter; I looked in the mirror and said to myself â€Å"Wow baby, you look sexy in those!† I pointed to the phrase in my phrase book that translated to â€Å"How much?† and I was pretty much surprised at the cheapness of the garment, 250 pesetas, that is around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1 in English money. I handed over the money and the lady gave me a used plastic bag to put my old trousers in. I exited the shop. As I started to walk up towards the bars and restaurants, in my cool stroll, I got the impression that people were pointing and laughing at me. I soon realised that there was one huge draft coming in from the rear end of my new shorts, there was a great big hole in the back of them. No wonder they were so cheap! I started to go excessively red in the cheeks, I felt like curling up into a small ball and going into none-existence. Looking for a public toilet, the draft was becoming increasingly gusty. I found a nice little local cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, so I thought that I would give the toilet a bit of custom, while I made a quick change of pants. The bar was full of locals; they greeted me in a warm fashion, until I walked past them, towards the toilet. The whole place just burst out with laughter. Not pleased with the fact that people could humiliate me in such a way, I locked the door behind me and got changed as soon as possible. Another drop of sweat dripped down my forehead and off the end of my nose as my eyes moved vigorously behind my dark shades. â€Å"Oh what a lovely pair!† I celebrated at the top of my voice. I had learnt my lesson the hard way, â€Å"Don't buy items from foreign charity shops ever, ever again, at least if you don't want to be ripped off. I ran out of the local cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and headed towards some English bars. I ordered a large Scotch. After my session in the bar, I flagged down a taxi from the main road and took a ride back to the beach. There was my angry wife, she had the properties of a raging bull, and some Germans had stolen our sun beds by draping their towels over them while she was bathing. â€Å"Where have you been? I've been worried out of my mind.† My curious, hag of a wife asked. So I looked at her with a frustrated expression on my face. I produced the dodgy pair of shorts from the used plastic bag that the lady in the shop had given to me. My wife asked, â€Å"What is wrong with those? They look fine to me.† â€Å"What? I asked furiously. â€Å"These shorts have me more bother in the last couple of hours than you have since our marriage, it is unbelievable.† My wife still couldn't see the ‘slight' imperfection in the garment, so I decided to point it out to her. â€Å"Now do you see what is wrong with them?† The look on her face was outstanding, I wish I had my two for the price of one disposable camera with me; it would have made a great picture for her fiftieth birthday in the local newspaper. We both laughed together, she still brings that point up now, twenty years on. I should never have stayed with this woman; I should have approached the babe on the beach earlier on, or even the stunner in the shoe shop for that matter! Another drop of sweat dripped down my forehead and off the end of my nose as my eyes moved vigorously behind my dark shades†¦

Cemex Case Study

Mexico’s largest cement manufacturer, Cemex, has become a global powerhouse in the cement and construction industry. It currently controls 60 percent of the cement industry in Mexico (Hill 2009). Cemex’s success is a result of a combination of efficient technology such as radio transmitters, satellites, and computer hardware that allow the company to anticipate changes in supply and demand and reduce waste.Cemex’s success is also a result of an attempt to dominate the industry by acquiring and buying out competitors worldwide in order to expand. a.Which theoretical explanation, or explanations, of FDI best explains Cemex’s FDI? I believe that internalization theory best explains Cemex’s FDI because Cemex has taken the initiative to enter into many countries and instead of licensing; they bought domestic cement businesses and have grown into a worldwide powerhouse.According to the textbook, internalization theory explains why firms often prefer forei gn direct investment over licensing as a strategy for entering foreign markets (Hill 2009). With the advanced technology that Cemex uses, so licensing would not be the greatest avenue for the company to take in order to protect it’s â€Å"technological know-how† (Hill 2009). b.What is the value that Cemex brings to the host economy? Can you see any potential drawbacks of inward investment by Cemex in an economy? Cemex is the third largest cement company in the world, and a powerhouse in Mexico where it controls 60 percent of the market.Cemex is highly focused on efficient manufacturing and customer service. Distributors are rewarded for their sales, as are users. The primary benefit Cemex brings to host countries involves these competitive advantages. Cemex acquires companies and then transfers technological, management, and marketing know-how to the new units, improving their performance. The company has brought several acquired companies back to full production, incr easing employment opportunities in the host country as well. c. Cemex has a strong preference for acquisitions over greenfield ventures as an entry mode. Why? Cemex has successfully acquired established cement makers in many countries.By acquiring companies rather than establishing them from the ground up, Cemex can avoid some of the delays that could occur in the start-up phase, while at the same time, capitalize on the benefits of an established market presence. Acquiring other businesses is effective because the host economy  already knows the demographics and the market. Cemex would be able to make the business better with their technology and research. A Greenfield venture would be risky and not cost effective. d. Why is majority control so important to Cemex?Majority control is important to Cemex because of the ability to implement its policy of transferring resources. When it does not have majority control it may not be able to transfer its own managing resources to newly a cquired companies. Also, Cemex might want to take advantage of differences in factor costs across countries, so it will be allowed to import parts from other places to reduce costs.

College is not for Everyone Essay

Where is the fault in a person who discovers their dreams prior to their collegiate degree? The reason behind people taking tertiary education is to have a firmer background when undertaking future tasks. Simply saying, college is to help a person retain a focus until and beyond graduation. There are privileges in having a college degree. One of which is to ease the search of finding jobs. Another is that the specialization courses broaden the perspective of a student. There are also emotional and social benefits along with the diploma. The best of these is to have the bragging rights that he or she graduated with a degree, perhaps with honors. Unfortunately, this can only get a person so far. At least, realistically, in this day and age, wherein employment is a task in itself and the economy is not even as helpful. What is required today is practicality in everything one does. One of the biggest issues in mind is when college is a logical solution to the seemingly impoverished country. Education is the key, as the cliche goes. But is education only attained within the four walls and high ceilings of a school? I would like to believe differently. For all those who are taking up their college degrees, and for those who are living the â€Å"bums† life, always reconsider if college is truly the best option for you. For a lot of people, perhaps it is. But the same is not always true for everyone. The reason behind this claim is that there are certain individuals who cannot take in all the class lessons unless practically applied. A person may need guidance in the real world, but the guidance does not always come from a person with a higher educational attainment and a certificate that affirms that. Practicality is the new realistic approach to any person’s lifestyle today. It is about efficiency. This means fewer costs for greater productivity. With this in mind, and the argument at hand, college is not for everyone. To support this point, it is important that one recognizes three important reasons. For certain individuals, college is a waste of time. It is a waste of money. It is a waste of a viable dream. A regular degree will take a person more or less three years, depending on the school, before the diploma is handed over. That is, of course, if the student is deserving to be handed one in the first place. The years a student takes and endures to receive a sheet of paper that tells them that they are worth hiring can be a very tiring task for a lot of people. This is most important to those who are not happy where they are. Some students, who have had dreams to build a small business before progressing it to become big enough to make them rich, are usually those who are persuaded or inwardly forced to go into college by their parents. True, there are high expectations. But there is also the cliche that people love saying: This is my life. This is not to say that students should speak back to their parents, especially if it is unjustifiable. It is standing firm when what you believe in is the real thing for you. After your graduation, the usual jobs you would get is most likely related to your training. But that could very much make you unhappy. For four years, you could have been doing what you like the most and reaping income from it. A little support from your parents would not have been bad either. But after graduating a course you do not have your heart into, after all those years of surpassing the challenges of faculties and family members, you might not find the prize worth the effort. When attending college, they would always say that you are receiving quality education. That is almost the same as saying that you should be as intellectual as the value you pay professors and mentors to stand by your side and guide you through those grueling hours. Unfortunately, the connotation behind quality does not always go through both directions. The teacher might have been a doctorate holder, but could not teach well. There are also instances where in the student simply did not understand. The teaching skills did not match the learning skills. With that, money is wasted. â€Å"Quality Education† no longer comes cheaply. The amount that could have been rendered to more important needs such as food, bills, and rent went to an institution, and not the intellectual capacity of a student. Not that he or she immediately needs one. There are students who are really gifted with their respective needs that they are better off without the formal education. Informal education comes cheaper and more hands-on, which more likely allows a person to learn. Theories will not aid a student unless there is a visible application of all the lessons. Memorization will only bombard many terminologies into a student that he or she may never use again. If you really do not have your heart into what you are doing, then it is a total waste to begin with. The money, as they say, will go down the drain. It is not just about having your heart into what you are doing, but also having what you are doing in your heart. You have to love what you are doing to enjoy it, and to feel a sense of achievement. There will be a sense of pride in exchange of doubts and regrets. When what you want comes from the heart, that dream could not be wrong. The sentimentality could not go wrong. If you are happy about it, and that others are not hurt by it, then it is not wrong. If in your heart, you believe that college is really something that is not for you, then there are other alternatives. You can prove those who think otherwise that you can make a living without the formal education or the diploma at the end of it all. If there is something that you would want to do, and you have the determination to see it through, then stopping you would only suppress you. Simultaneously, it is a call for an inevitable failure, and nobody wants to fail where their heart lies. If you want art, go take short course. You can also learn by self study and participation in art groups. If you want to sing, take lessons. But also have something on the side. It is important to broaden your options, but to remain at a focal point. It can be more difficult to work without a degree. But if you really want to become rich, whichever avenue you choose to get there, you will. It does not have to involve a college degree. College might not be for you. It is not as if you are a lesser person than those who received their diplomas the long extensive way. You can think about it as accelerating through those years that you can work, earn and become rich without all that. It is not as if it is something to be embarrassed about. It is to save time, money and heart. As philosophers say, it simply is. I say immerse yourself.

The Greater Western Sydney region is a culturally diverse population Essay

The Greater Western Sydney region is a culturally diverse population. Meeting the palliative care needs of this population poses - Essay Example 6). According to Taylor and Box (1999, p. 6), â€Å"it is recognized that a range of problems, including physical, emotional, social and spiritual may need attention† in palliative care. A multi-disciplinary team delivers palliative health care where the person wants it to be (Taylor and Box, 1999, p. 6). Thus, palliative care can be delivered in the person’s home, hospice, hospital, and a nursing home (Taylor and Box, 1999, p. 6). However, according to Taylor and Box (1999, p. 6), the primary caregivers in palliative care are actually the family, relatives, and friends of the object of care although a palliative care team provides the professional help. Perhaps, one of the most important concerns in palliative care is to reduce the pain associated with the illness or even the dying. Relief and alleviation of pain can be achieved through a range of â€Å"painkillers and other drugs, massage, meditation, aromatherapy, acupuncture, radiotherapy† as well as morphine tablets and skin patches (Taylor and Box, p. 6) Palliative nursing is practised in the context of significant human suffering in which the nurse is both a witness and a participant (Aranda, 2008, p. 573). This implies that the nurse is subject to stress and anguish just as the patient. Yet, improving the quality of life even in dying is a central goal of health care (Aranda, 2008, p. 574). ... ills, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith and Wollondilly (Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board, 2004, p. 1). The Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board (2004, pp. 1 and 3) considers Greater Western Sydney to have a â€Å"culturally diverse population† of 1.8 million in 2003 that is projected to be at 2.2 million people in 2026, with an estimated population growth rate of +0.9% per annum. Greater Western Sydney’s estimated annual population growth rate of 0.9 % is higher than the population growth rate for Sydney and New South Wales of only 0.8 (Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board, 2004, p. 4). Greater Western Sydney is the traditional home of the following aboriginal peoples: Eora/Dhawal, Dharug, Gandangara, Eora, Tharawal (Two Ways Together Regional Report, 2006, p. 7). The presence of Aboriginal groups in Greater Western Sydney is highlighted further by t he existence of four Aboriginal Land Councils: the Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council, the Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council, the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, and the Tharawal Local Aboriginal Land Council (Two Ways Together Regional Report, 2006, p. 8). According to the Two Ways Together Regional Report (2006, p. 8), aboriginal men compose 20% of the manufacturing male workforce, 13% of the construction male workforce, 10% of the retail male workforce, 9% of the transport and storage male workforce, 7% of property and business services male workforce, and 7% of the wholesale trade male workforce. Further, according to the same report (p. 10), aboriginal women compose 15.6% of the retail female workforce, 12% of the education female workforce, 10% of the property and business

Information security guidelines for ABC Hospital Research Paper - 1

Information security guidelines for ABC Hospital - Research Paper Example However, information security policy is customized by company to company and department to department. Different factor that may influence to tailor the policy includes organization size, dependence on information systems, regulatory compliance and information classification scheme. For addressing all issues related to information security via a single policy is not possible, however, to cover all aspects related to information security, a set of information security policy document focusing on different group of employees within the organization is more suitable. This paper will discuss different factors that must be taken in to account when constructing and maintaining an information security policy. However, there are many methods available for constructing an information security policy, the initial step before adopting any one of the methods is to identify the current maturity level of the policy construction process within the organization. The outputs will be either no informa tion security policy development process in place or there is an extensive policy development process exists. Information security training and awareness is initially evaluated, as the determination of training requirements for the organization is required on the initial basis. Likewise, the training and awareness program is initiated by conducting interviews with key stakeholders and business owners. These training and awareness sessions are focused on identifying security and training requirements. Moreover, type of awareness and trainings are also identified, as requirements for a hospital will differ as compare to a health insurance company. Furthermore, there is a requirement of measuring current maturity among employees of the hospital for making the training and awareness session more precise and focused. If the current awareness and training maturity is measured, considerations for further improvement are

Professional Accountant assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Professional Accountant assignment - Essay Example The method is highly structured, punitive and paternal. The intention of the Act is to ascertain that the process of financial reporting is done effectively. It also seeks to reorient accountants back to ethical ways. Furthermore, the approach focuses on maintaining corporate governance at the top. A principles-based approach is the domain of the UK. The Cadbury report defines the UK’s method of corporate governance. It states that corporate governance is a mechanism for directing and controlling companies (Cadbury, 1992). This document was later followed by others like the Combined Code. In essence, all these reports seek to place corporate governance responsibilities in the hands of company boards. An institution must alter corporate governance issues in accordance with their context. Furthermore, individuals are expected to make their choices known to their shareholders. Therefore, in the rules-based approach, as practiced in the United States, parties answer to external bo dies while in the principles-based approach, institutions answer to their shareholders (Tricker, 2008). While the United Kingdom places the responsibility of oversight on individual firms, the United States has an accounting oversight board which acts independently and ensures compliance. The US even has rules governing how the external auditor needs to behave. Conflict of interest is prohibited while appointment of new auditors is done under strict rules. The manner in which those audit reports are reported is also stipulated in law. Financial reporting is strictly enforced in the rules-based approach. Here, almost all parties have responsibilities under the law. Executive members must ensure accuracy and promptness of financial reports. Managers need to create internal controls for reporting while accountants must act honestly when reporting. Cases of alteration, falsification or concealment of information are all severely punished. In certain respects, punishment may be instituti on-wide. Here companies that do not ascribe to rules laid down by the Securities Exchange Commission will be delisted (SEC, 2003). Conversely in the United Kingdom, after a board has settled on a particular principle, it must comply with it or explain to its shareholders why it has not done so. Usually, the principles selected may emanate from the Cadbury Report, the Combined Code or general governance practice. The main reasoning behind this strategy is that corporate governance is not something to be policed. Instead, it should be done proactively by businesses. This demonstrates faith in organisations and their ability to practice these principles. The most glaring difference between these two systems is that in one punishment is clear. It is handled by specific bodies and the process by which oversight authorities come up with those punishments is well documented. These consequences also happen speedily, especially after non compliance in the US. Conversely, the effects of poor corporate governance are ambiguous in the principles-based approach. It is assumed that exposure of these unhealthy practices would damage the credibility of an organisation and hence its long term viability. Therefore, results may manifest after relatively long periods of time, and may not always be predictable. One key failure in the rules-based system is the tendency to establish very low standards of practice (McNamara & Banff, 2012). In order to ensure that members of the corporate community abide by rules in the US governance system, members have to agree on certain standards. In an effort to obtain consensus, these standards may be too low for concerned

Heart foundation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Heart foundation - Essay Example Understanding and analyzing the aspects of this provides the ability to help the corporation to continue to grow while allowing the right focus to continue to be a part of the goals and objectives of the Heart Foundation. The industry and market for the Heart Foundation in Australia is one of the competitive strengths of the industry. Currently, the Heart Foundation is one of the only recognized national associations that works with different individuals for information and positive promotion of preventing heart disease. They have incorporated their strategy not only as an independent venture, but also by associating with farmers and manufacturers who are primarily responsible for heart health. More importantly, there is a strong demand to find answers to better health, specifically with a focus on heart failure. Chronic heart failure is responsible for 25-50% of illness and death in Australia, making it one of the leading causes of disease. However, there are few answers provided by industries to change this (McLennan et al, 443, 2005). For the Heart Foundation, this provides them with a strong demand in the health industry while allowing them to stay ahead because there are no other competitive fac tors in the industry. The company analysis is able to combine with the overall goals and objectives of helping to promote and prevent heart failure among adults. The company’s mission is to assist with information and activities which can promote a healthier Australia. The objectives are to focus on different age groups that are at risk for heart failure and to promote exercise, active living, dietary styles and preventative measures for heart disease. This is followed with information that is used to find ways to reduce and stop the problems with heart failure. The company has created a blue print to assist with health, all which is based on community wide benefits for health, promoting new levels of physical activity and

Geology of Venezuela Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Geology of Venezuela - Research Paper Example On the other hand, Angel Falls is an important geographical landmark of Venezuela since it ranks as the largest waterfall worldwide. Another geographical feature like Lake Maracaibo in South America is found in Venezuela. Archeologists also carried out studies and found that Venezuela has the oldest rocks in the world (Padoan, Rossetti, & Rubatto, 2014). Nonetheless, the rich biodiversity finds its basis from the tropical climate that favors many wildlife habitats like mountains, plains, and islands. Venezuela’s geographical features explain its importance to tourism activities (Padoan, Rossetti, & Rubatto, 2014). Apart from one of the longest rivers in the continent, the countrys coastline is the longest along the Caribbean region. Natural resource wise, Venezuela is rich in oil reserves as well as natural gas. Studies show that Venezuela’s oil reserves are some of the largest in the world. In 2011 for instance, the country’s government confirmed that Venezuela has a lot of petroleum reserves above significant oil reserves of the Middle East Delta (Miller, Vandome, & Mcbrewer, 2009). Oil reserves also exist along the Orinoco River in the form of oil sands as conventional form of oil reserves. In terms of biodiversity, the country is among the top 20 high-diverse countries in the world. An outstanding 40% of the country is protected areas (Silvano, 2008). Therefore, research seeks to discuss some of the natural resources present in Venezuela as well as geogr aphical features that add to the importance of the country to the South American continent. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the West Hemisphere (Silvano, 2008). As at 2011, the country’s oil reserves were valued at 297.6 barrels activities (Padoan, Rossetti, & Rubatto, 2014). Some of the economically important natural resources in Venezuela include natural gas and petroleum. Mining of these natural resources accounts for a good percentage of the countrys GDP. On the other

DEMOCRACY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

DEMOCRACY - Essay Example In this case, it has the interest of the minority, since the minority is free from discrimination due to their views, and the interest of the majority. More clearly, democracy make it very easy for the people to freely participate in the political systems of the modern world, thereby making the principles of democracy very fair to all. According to Tilly (2007 pg45), democratic governments are opened to analysis especially about their socio-economic analysis. The public have the opportunity to assess and evaluate issues related to policy making, issues affecting the societal development and growth. Some of the main questions they are free to assess are about the economic policies that the government in place choose and are implementing, thereby addressing their possible outcomes. The next issue therefore becomes the effects of political issues on the economic outcomes (Barber, 2003 p 67). The study of democratic system of governments helps the public and learners to understand the role of agents that influence and make political decisions. The study also focuses on understanding the effects of institutional and constitutional choices. In addition to that, the study of such systems enables the public and learners to understand why many policy discussions require thinking and how changing any aspect of the constitut ion affects different aspects of policies. Democracy is based on the principle of equality whereby all the members of the public or state are equal before the law. The rights, political, economic, social, and cultural rights are enjoyed equally by the people meaning that the government cannot discriminate among the citizens based on their sex, religion, gender; property classes etc. generally, all have exclusively equal rights to choose their government through election which should be free and fair. This process outlines the issue of social decision making, voting rules and Condorcet winner. Election involves choosing some positive

Network Diagram Essay Example for Free

Network Diagram Essay 2. A medium-sized engineering firm has three separate engineering offices. In each office, a local LAN supports all the engineers in that office. Due to the requirement for collaboration among the offices, all the computers should be able to view and update the data from any of the three offices. In other words, the data storage server within each LAN should be accessible to all computers, no matter where they are located. Draw a network diagram that will support this configuration. 3. A small start-up company has a Web-based customer sales system that is written by using PHP and JavaScript. The company is deciding whether to host the system on its own servers, contract with a hosting company for a virtual server, or go to amazon’s cloud. Volumes are expected to be low at the beginning, and it is hard to predict the growth patterns, although there is a potential for rapid growth. Decide which alternative the company should choose. Defend your decision by giving advantages and disadvantages of each solution based on the characteristics of the start-up company. I would recommend them to get a contract from a hosting company that can suffice all their needs. There are lots of web hosts that support companies for sales system; they even give additional functionalities for a reasonable price. Online threats are emerging nowadays, it is not safe to host a system yourself especially if you’re company is still new and needs more experience. Most hosting companies are almost invulnerable to threats and that should be your priority for your company. 4. Find four separate hosting providers and compare their offerings, including prices. Put your answer in a table showing the results of your research. Add additional row for the sources/references. HostPapa http://www.hostpapa.com/ Price Value At HostPapa, you truly feel like youre getting the family discount, what with so much being offered for less than $4 a month. 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Teaching Strategies to Improve NCLEX Passing Rate

Teaching Strategies to Improve NCLEX Passing Rate Yamilka Pichardo Abstract The 5 articles reports different teaching and learning strategies used in nursing students  and their evaluation. The strategies described here are based on Humanistic theory, and the author of the five of them uses Abraham Maslow humanist theorist as a reference. Key Words Nclex, Teaching Strategies, Success. Introduction Humanistic Theory as applied to learning is largely constructivist and emphasizes cognitive and affective process. It address people‘s capabilities and potentialities as they make certain choice and seek control over their lives. (schunk et al.,2008) Maslow’s theory emphasizes motivation to develop one‘s full potential, he also believe that human actions are unified by being directed toward goal attainment. His Hierarchy of needs can help teachers understand students and create an environment to enhance learning. It’s unrealistic to expect students to show interest in classroom activities if they have physiological or safety deficiencies. (Maslow 1968, 1970) Literature Review Title: Teaching around the cycle: strategies for teaching theory to undergraduate nursing students. Author: Nancy A. Flanagan and Linda McCausland The Idea of this article is to incorporate a variety of teaching techniques, with this pedagogy students are encourage to recognize and cope with numerous ways of acquiring information. A teaching technique applied to teaching nursing theory in an undergraduate nursing program is presented. This technique acknowledges a variety of learning styles to facilitate student learning. Activities highlight the importance of acquiring a variety of knowledge acquisition and information-processing skills required in a profession. Students use critical thinking, communication, group process, and research analysis skills to learn and apply information about theory. Method: The methods and activities have been developed over four years and implemented in small classes of eight students and in classes as large as 140 students with equal success. Understanding nursing theory requires critical and complex thought process, the more advanced theory knowledge and cognitive skills of application analysis, synthesis and evaluation are facilitated through active collaborative strategies featuring faculty and student interaction. A nurse theorist outline developed by the instructor serves as study guide and assist student with subsequent class activities. THE THEORY GAME 🙠 Board game/ Case studies) Gaming is a technique that requires active learning and collaborative cooperative learning strategies with a group. The game is design to increase student familiarity with new abstract theoretical content and reinforces student knowledge. Evaluation: The journal article evaluation and case study / care plan activities were added to the curriculum, since then summative evaluation, measured by quiz grades has improve, these finding are consistent with educational theory on active learning strategies that incorporate group collaboration through gaming analysis and case study. (Nancy A. Flanagan and Linda McCausland, Nov/ Dec 2007) Title: Learning Nursing Concepts through Television Programs Author: Raines, Deborah A The Idea: These activities are designed to engage students and to facilitate their developing understanding of nursing concepts and behaviors. The following are just a few examples of how television programs can be used to teach nursing concept and behavior in an Introduction to nursing course early in the curriculum. Engaging students while developing an understanding of nursing concept is a challenge to nurse educators. In nursing education, one of the primary pedagogical goals is to ensure students develop a set of analytical and critical thinking skills to be safe and efficient nurses in the practice setting. Instructors and textbooks try to structure case studies for teaching, but these activities can be sterile and lack the richness and the uniqueness of getting to know others in a nursing situation. Audiovisual images, such as television programs, compress complex stories into rich, visually intense images and bring situations to life in a more powerful way than the traditional lecture approach does. Method: Students are asked to find clips of the four main characters from Seinfeld (Seinfeld, Mehlmanard, Gross, Greenburg, 1989) to demonstrate the principles of Maslows hierarchy of needs. Students assess and analyze each characters behavior in relationship to Maslows levels. Through the years, programs have been based on the concept of family. Segments can be shown as a montage of programs clips to reveal the changing meaning of family, differing family types and structures over time, or to compare and contrast the variety of ways families cope with a particular situation. Soap operas such as General Hospital (Hursley Hursley, 1963) and All My Children (Nixon, 1970) have many scenes involving nurses in hospitals Segments from these programs showing nurses in action can illustrate teachable moments on a variety of topics including professional appearance and comportment, interdisciplinary collaboration and communication, the role of the nurse, and nurse-patient interaction, as well as the concept of professional boundaries. Evaluation: Student response has been overwhelmingly positive. The activity generates significant discussion, and even a little laughter, among class members. The use of familiar television programs situations and characters to introduce beginning nursing students to new concept associated with the study of nursing provides a way for them to begin to build a knowledge base and to see the dynamic nature of nursing concept as applied to a variety of situations (Raines, Deborah A Mar 2010): 173-4. Title: How Can I Fail the NCLEX-RN ® With a 3.5 GPA? Approaches to Help This Unexpected High-Risk Group. Author: Rollant, Paulette Desmaske Idea: This article describes two self-report inventories useful for tracking and predicting risk for failure or success on tests and the NCLEX-RN Most of these studies focus on objective data, such as preadmissions standards, progression examinations, overall grade point average, course grades, and comprehensive examinations. Significant correlations were found between success on the NCLEX-RN and five factors: cumulative nursing program grade point average, English as the primary language spoken at home, lack of family responsibilities or demands, lack of emotional distress, and sense of competency in critical thinking. The journal provides information on predictors and tools to identify students who are at risk for failure on the NCLEX-RN. It also indicates the importance of other factors such as fatigue and anxiety on passing the NCLEX-RN. Method: The Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) a self-report scale, measures individual differences in test anxiety as a situation-specific trait. This one-page test contains 20 items that asks respondents to indicate how frequently they experience specific symptoms of anxiety before, during, and after examinations. The subscales also assess worry and emotionality as major components of test anxiety (Spielberger et al., 1990). The Learning Assessment Study Skills Inventory (LASSI) is an 80item assessment of students awareness about and their use of learning and study strategies. The results are related to the skill, will, and self-regulation components of strategic learning. This valid and reliable assessment inventory contains 10 scales: stress, attitude, motivation, concentration, self testing, time management, test-taking skills, anxiety, information processing, and study aids. Evaluation: All of these methods are taken from the 5 Cs for Test Success model (Rollant, 2006). The final action is to help students identify tools to use when they do not know. Using these strategies, educators can open the pathway to success for students at potential risk for test failure. (Rollant, Paulette Desmaske) Title: Teaching Critical Thinking in an introductory leadership course utilizing active learning strategies: A confirmatory Author: Burbach, Mark E, Matkin, Gina, Susan M Idea: Critical Thinking is often seen as a universal goal of higher education but is seldom confirmed as an outcome. This study was conducted to determine whether an introductory level college leadership course encouraged active learning increased critical thinking skills. (Journal writing, service learning, small groups, scenarios, case study, and questioning). Method: A pre- and post-assessment of critical thinking skills was conducted using the Watson-Glaser Appraisal. An integrative studies course is intended to engage students in actively developing their ability and desire to analyze, evaluate, and communicate complex material and positions. One objective of the studies is to enhance critical thinking through a variety of approaches in which students investigate arguments, engage in research, gather data, perform qualitative and quantitative analysis, and assess conclusions. The underlying philosophy of this article is that improvements in interpersonal skills for leadership are an interactive function of increased self awareness, increased understanding of others, and learning from life experiences. To engage students in critical thinking, active learning methods (e.g. Meyers Jones, 1993) are emphasized in this class. For example, a service-learning project is required. Students are encouraged to work in an area that is outside of their previous range of experiences. An attempt is made to expose them to new perspectives and/or different cultural experiences. The project comprises a large portion of the each students final grade. Instructor-mediated reaction journals to complement classroom activities and the service-learning project are also required. Classroom activities include small group projects involving contextual scenarios, case studies, role-plays, and student presentations. Socratic questioning between instructors and students is strongly encouraged. Reflective journal writing can improve critical thinking as well as growth in self-awareness and self-actualization (Maslow, 1979) and the development of new knowledge (Boyd Fales, 1983), also can increase student learning and promote meaningful personal insights more than lecture and reading assignments (ConnorGreene, 2000; Mayo, 2003a, 2003b; Seshachari, 1994). Journal writing helps students to document observations, question, speculate, develop self-awareness, synthesize ideas, and gain insights for problem-solving (de Acosta, 1995). Evidence derived from case studies suggests that the development of critical thinking is likely to be linked to an emphasis on writing and rewriting (Tsui, 2002). Evaluation: As a result significant increases were found in the Deduction and Interpretation subtests, and total critical thinking. Student engagement in active learning techniques within the context of studying interpersonal skills for leadership appeared to increase critical thinking. Although it was not possible to determine which of the active learning strategies had the greatest impact on improving students critical think skills (journal writing, service learning, small groups, scenarios, case study, and questioning). (Burbach, Mark E; Matkin, Gina S; Fritz, Susan M) Title: Rx for NCLEX-RN Success: Reflections on Development of an Effective Preparation Process for Senior Baccalaureate Students Author: March, Karen S; Ambrose, Janice M Idea: This article highlights the process employed to support and facilitate student preparation for NCLEX-RN success strategies to augment student self-confidence, enhancement of critical thinking skills, self-assessment of test-taking abilities, and development of a feasible study plan utilizing learned effective study techniques and the acknowledgment of barriers and identification of specific methods to overcome them. Method ASSESSMENT: Early assessment of the situation involved a review of the senior-year curriculum, including preparation for the NCLEX-RN examination. For many years, students had been required to take a paper and- pencil end-of-program examination; students reported experiencing unexpected challenges when confronted with the computerized format of the actual examination. PLANNING/ IMPLEMENTATION: Early in 2004, faculty began to investigate options for computerized exit examinations. During the process, consideration of both Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and Hertzbergs Motivational Theory (Benson Dundis, 2003; Jones, 2007) meant that faculty sought an examination that would challenge students intellectually and offer useful feedback, yet could be administered in the nursing computer lab, an environment that provided assurance for students safety and security needs. Helping students manage their levels of anxiety was considered essential to helping them strive toward self-actualization passing the NCLEX-RN on the first attempt. COURSE MODIFICATION: The Nursing Leadership course was adapted to meet the changing needs of senior students. The course had always covered a range of topics, Including ethics, legal issues in nursing, conflict resolution, and change. The new goal was to strengthen the existing topics and include leadership and management theories, Evaluation of Outcomes: The proactive approach described in this article has already yielded measurable outcomes in the form of improved first-time pass rates on the licensure examination. 91% of graduates passed the exam on the first attempt between October 2005 and September 2006; 94 % passed between October 2006 and September 2007; 91 % passed between October 2007 and September 2008; and 94.9 % passed between October 2008 and September 2009. (March, Karen S; Ambrose, Janice M(Jul/Aug 2010 230-2) Conclusions In general all the articles describe different strategies and evaluation to improve learning skills and test passing scores. Research supports the incorporation of evidence-based educational strategies to promote success on the NCLEX-RN Nurse educators are presented with the complex challenge of adapting educational strategies to the needs of the health care industry while preparing graduates to be successful on the licensure exam. For nurse educators, this means that among the many challenges they face, they must begin to use evidence-based teaching strategies and incorporate evidence-based practices into classroom and clinical settings. The health care system must graduate nurses capable of safe practice within the scope of appropriate, evidence-based clinical decision making; this should be the number one reason of implementing teaching strategies in nursing programs to prepare their graduates to pass the NCLEX-RN. (Internet) References How Can I Fail the NCLEX-RN ® With a 3.5 GPA?: Approaches to Help This Unexpected High-Risk Group, Rollant, Paulette Desmaske Annual Review of Nursing Education5 (2007): 259-XIV. Learning Nursing Concepts through Television Programs Raines, Deborah A, PhD, RN,ANEF. Journal of Nursing Education49.3 (Mar 2010): 173-4. Rx for NCLEX-RN Success: Reflections on Development of an Effective Preparation Process for Senior Baccalaureate Students(March, Karen S; Ambrose, Janice M(Jul/Aug 2010 230-2) Strategies to promote success on the NCLEX-RN[R]: an evidence-based approach using The ACE Star Model of Knowledge Transformation Teaching around the cycle: strategies for teaching theory to undergraduate nursing students, Nancy A. Flanagan and Linda McCausland( Nov/Dec 2007):310-4. Teaching Critical Thinking in an introductory leadership course utilizing active learning strategies: A confirmatory Mark E Matkin, Gina S; Fritz, Susan M College Student Journal38.3 (Sep 2004): 482-493 .

Analysis Of The Financial Report Of Burberry Finance Essay

Analysis Of The Financial Report Of Burberry Finance Essay In this section we are considering the Annual Report 2009-10 of Burberry and will compare Burberrys performance in this year with the previous years. When financial year 2009-10 started i.e. April 2009, Burberrys main issues of concerns were weak and highly uncertain consumer spending environment (because of prevalent recession). Following which groups main goals were established: Expense Reduction Working Capital Management Indeed, they succeeded up to a remarkable level under most strategic, operational and financial measures. Performance of Burberry was among the best relative to its peers either public or private. Highlights of Burberrys important strategic and operational decision in 2009-10:  £50 M cost efficiency program-helped in reduction of Cost of Sales Upgrading wholesale distribution and restructuring the operations in Spain To maximize Gross Margin, continued to reduce assortment size across categories-resulting in increased Gross Margin from 52.1 % to 59.7% Improved inventory management- inventory reduced 36% over year Added 21 stores with 9% space extension These mentioned decisions helped Burberry perform strongly in 2009-10 and resulted in improved financial strength. Key financial strengths during the period are: Total revenue growth 7%- Revenue  £1.3bn Adjusted operating profit increased 22%  £220M increase Diluted adjusted EPS increased 16% to 35.1p Financial Ratios: Financial ratios are widely used be managers, shareholders, creditors and analysts for all kind of purposes. Firth (1975) proclaimed that these can be used for two purposes. These are: To compare companys latest performance with its performance in earlier periods To make comparisons with corresponding ratios of other firms Following is an analysis of the companys financial ratios and a comparison with the preceding year and its peers: Profitability Ratios: Return on Capital Employed (ROCE): Formula: Net profit before tax/ (All shareholders fund + long term debt) Significance: Profits earned from the two major sources of finance for the company viz. investment by shareholders- shareholders fund and financial institutions mostly- long term debt. The effectiveness of the management in utilising the funds is indicated by ROCE. The return for the FY 2009-10 is 26.03%. It shows a significant change when compared to the previous years return of NEGATIVE 2.78%. A quick glance at the operating profit for the last two years reveals the reason behind such a big leap forward. The company has performed tremendously in the last financial year. From an operating LOSS of  £9.9M for the year ended 31 March 2009 to a significant operating PROFIT of  £171.1M for the year ended 31 March 2010, shows the efficient and effective measures the company had adopted over the year. Even if the comparison is made between adjusted operating profits (after considering the exceptional items) for the last two years, we can see a significant difference of  £39.1M (219.9-180.8). All of this shows that the business is effectively earning on shareholders fund and long term debt generated. Ratio Formula Significance Net margin Net profit before tax/ Total revenue The net profit percentage on the entire revenue earned for the financial year Gross margin Gross profit/ Total revenue The gross margin percentage on the revenue earned for the financial year It is the one of the most commonly used profitability ratio. It shows the net margin with respect to the amount of sales. In 2010 it got increased from -1.34% (2009) to almost 13%. In 2009, Burberry reported negative profit i.e. loss. Main reasons behind this were: High Cost of Sales in 2009 (12.5 % higher than 2010) Higher operating cost (6.71%)in 2008-09 which was mainly because of Goodwill impairment in global market(mainly Spain)  £116.2 million Relocation of headquarters Store impairment and onerous lease provisions Increase in NPM shows that Burberry has controlled its costs effectively in 2009-10. It demonstrates effectiveness of Burberry at converting sales into actual profit. Gross Margin: There is an increase from 55.41% (2009) to 62.82%. It shows that Burberry has increased its gross profit by 7.4 p per  £1 of turnover. It is because of higher sales and low cost of sales in 2010. Sales Growth: Formula: (Present sales- Previous sales) / Previous sales Sales increased from  £1200M (2009) to  £1280M (2010) i.e. an increase by almost 7%. Adapted: Burberry Annual Report 2009-10 Sales growth is one of the KPIs. The above graph shows the revenue earned by Burberry in the last five years. The overall growth shows the increasing trend followed by the company in spite of its macro-economic conditions. This proves the companys ability to capture the market being a luxury brand. Liquidity Ratios: They show the companys ability and the ease with which it can lay its hands on liquid cash. In other words, these ratios signify the liquidity position of the company. The main components of these ratios are the current assets and current liabilities which are also the factors that determine the working capital of the company. Current Ratio: Formula: Total Current Assets/ Total Current Liabilities This is the one of the best known measures that indicates the liquidity position of the company. There is an increase in Current Ratio in 2010 as compared to 2009 which indicates that Burberry has improved its ability to meet the payment schedule of its current debts. The change from 1.36:1 in 2009 to 1.53:1 in 2010 shows the efficiency in working capital requirements. Having current assets equivalent to 1.53 times of current liabilities shows a moderate approach from the management not being too aggressive by holding less current assets nor too conservative by holding more current assets leading to high opportunity cost. Quick Ratio/Acid Test: Formula: (Total current assets-stock)/total current liabilities It measures companys ability to meet short-term obligations with its most liquid assets. An acceptable ratio should be at least 1:1. However in 2009 it was .87 which is not sufficient. An increase from .87 to 1.2 over a period of one year demonstrates that Burberry has stronger liquidity position than it had before. Shareholders POV: Collier (2009) state that Dividends are a decision made by directors on the basis of the proportion of profits they want to distribute and capital needed to be retained in the business to fund growth. (p.114) Shareholders invest in a companys stock with the motive of higher returns through dividends or capital gains. The idea of investing in the shares of a company may give higher returns compared to the other secure investments like bank. However, the risk is also more. The investors measure the prospects of a stock under various scales. Few of them are as follows: Dividend per share (DPS): Formula: Dividends paid/ number of shares Often DPS is the measure of a companys performance because it indicates how profitable a company is over a period of time. In Burberrys case, its excellent performance is reflected through the increase in the dividend per share paid to shareholders. As at 31st march 2010, Burberry had 435,024,782 ordinary shares, of which 77,215 were held as treasury shares, shares that have been bought back by the issuing corporation and is available for retirement or resale; it is issued but not outstanding; it cannot vote and pays no dividends. (http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=treasury%20shares) As per annual report, Burberry has proposed dividend of  £45.7M, which is 20% higher than last year ( £37.7M). This increases its dividend per share to 10.5p from 8.65p. It also increased interim dividend, which is declared and distributed before the calculations of companys annual earnings, per share slightly from 3.35p to 3.50p during year. So, the total dividend per share is 14p for the year ending 2010 giving a 17% increase from 12p in 2009. Dividend Yield: Formula: Dividend per share/ market value per share It shows the relationship between dividends and market share by expressing a companys dividend as a percentage of its share price. However, dividend yield fluctuates with share price. Burberrys shares price was 276.25 on 27 March 2009 and 725.00 on 1 April 2010. (http://www.google.co.uk/finance?client=obq=LON:BRBY) Using its share price value at financial year end, dividend yield is 1.93% in 2010 and 4.3% in 2009. This need not represent that Burberry has decreased its value in investors eye. This fall is because of 163% increase in share price of Burberry, which made increase in dividend less significant. Dividend Payout Ratio: Formula: Dividend paid / (profit after tax i.e. net income) or the ratio of dividend per share and earnings per share. It helps in predicting how well earnings support the dividend payments. Investors seeking high current income and limited capital growth prefer companies with high Dividend payout ratio. However investors seeking capital growth may prefer lower payout ratio because capital gains are taxed at a lower rate. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dividend_payout_ratio) For 2010: it is 14/36 = 38.88 % 2009: 12/31= 39.2% It is almost similar in both years, which shows that Burberry is maintaining the balance between interest of shareholders and expansion of business. Earnings per share (EPS): Formula: profit after tax or net earnings/ number of shares Burberry calculates EPS on the basis of both diluted and basic. When all convertible securities such as convertible preference shares, convertible debts, convertible debentures and warrants exercised; number of outstanding shares increases. This is called Diluted weighted average number of shares, the basis of Diluted EPS. As number of outstanding shares increases, Diluted EPS is always lower than Basic EPS. It is more accurate to use a  Diluted EPS over the reporting term; because the  number of shares outstanding can change over time (We can observe this in annual report that Burberry has always mentioned diluted EPS). In 2010, Diluted weighted average number of shares was about 442 million with dilution effect of 9.3 million. In 2009, it was 438.1 million with dilution effect of 6.8 million. Earnings were  £81.4 million in 2010 as compared to loss of 6 million in 2009, because of reasons mentioned before. This leads Basic EPS to 18.8p (-1.4% in 2009) and Diluted EPS to 18.4p (-1.4% in 2009). Using details of exceptional items in note 4 of annual report 2009-10, adjusted earnings are  £155.2million and  £132.1 million for 2010 and 2009 respectively. This leads to Adjusted Basic EPS to 35.9p (30.6p in 2009) and Adjusted Diluted EPS to 35.1 (30.2 in 2009). Increase in Adjusted Diluted EPS by 17 % is mainly because of 17 % increase in adjusted profit as weighted number of shares is almost same. This increase represents better performance of Burberry in 2009-10. Price-Earnings (P/E) Ratio: Formula: Market value per share/ EPS It is the valuation of companys current share price compared to the per share earnings. This ratio reveals the popularity of a stock because it reflects how much people are willing to pay for it (http://library.thinkquest.org/3298/NoFrames/help/glossary.html). The P/E ratio can be interpreted as number of years of earnings to pay back purchase price, ignoring the time value of money (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P/E_ratio). For 2010 P/E ratio is 725/35.9= 20 and for 2009 it is 276/30.1= 9.2 There is almost two times increase in P/E ratio. This is because of increase in share price by 163%. This increase makes Burberrys stock more attractive than previous year. Bottom line: The above analysis from a shareholders POV leaves an overall positive impact on the investors or the potential investors. Considering the shareholders return, profitability, growth rate the company has been maintaining and the increasing trend in the share value, it would be more than likely a wise decision to invest in the Burberrys stock. Gearing effect: Tools used: Gearing ratio: long-term debt/ (shareholders funds + long-term debt) This ratio gives the proportion of funds which is borrowed from outside in the entire capital employed, than from the shareholders (through issue of shares). This is also called the leverage ratio. The method of introducing debts in place of equity is referred to as trading on equity leverage Collier (2009) states that Higher the gearing, higher is the burden on repaying the debts and the associated interest. Also, if profits turn down, there are substantially more risks carried by the highly geared business. (p.108) However, there is a relationship between risk and return which is to be analysed. Higher proportion of long term debt signifies two issues: Higher return for shareholders Less tax burden Burberry in 2009 has a gearing of 52.72%. For the year ending 2010, it is 43.06% i.e. 56.94% of equity. This shows that their almost half of the sources of finance is through long term borrowings. The effect of generating finance through debts than through equity is shown on the return the shareholders are enjoying. It also shows the company has been closely monitoring tax burden. This is because the provision made for the interest obligation/payment is reflected in reducing the profits, thereby a lower tax on lower profits. However, the debts carry with them the interest obligation and repayment commitments. This way the company has been trying to balance between debt and equity. In the financial year 2009-10, the company has reduced its debt content trying to be a little conservative. The capital structure can be considered to be moderate. Interest cover: Profit before interest tax/ interest payable This represents the profit available, to meet the interest obligation, in terms of the interest payable (number of times). Higher interest cover leaves less strain on the profits and giving a cushion with profit AFTER interest and before tax. Profit before interest and tax: Interest payable: For 2010:  £171.1M  £6.2M For 2009:  £ (9.9) M Loss  £13.4M Interest cover for the year 2009-10 is 27.6 times. This is a highly impressive cover leaving a comfortable position. Considering the loss in the previous year and still maintaining this is very efficient. The decrease in interest commitment this year can be related to the reduction in the debt content of the capital structure (gearing ratio). Financial Risk Management Overview: Burberry deals with variety of financial instruments viz. derivatives, short term and long term borrowings, trade receivables/payables etc. It also combines with variety of financial risks. However, the risk management is carried out by a dedicated Group Treasury under the approval of Board of Directors. Guidelines/ Tools: To reduce the financial risk and ensure sufficient (OPTIMAL) liquidity position Work closely with the business requirements Uses derivative instruments to hedge certain risk exposures Market Risk: Foreign Exchange Risk: Risk: Multiple foreign currency transactions because of international operations Tools/Policies: Entering into forward foreign exchange contracts Hedge anticipated cash flows in each major foreign currency Monitor the desirability of hedging the net assets of the overseas subsidiaries when translated into Sterling for reporting purposes. At 31 March 2010, the Group has performed sensitivity analysis to determine the effect of non-Sterling currencies strengthening/weakening. Price Risk: Risk: Fluctuations in employers national insurance liability due to movements in the share price. Tools/Policies: Entering into equity swaps at the time of granting share options. Monitor the fluctuations in the liability on a continuous basis. Cash flow interest rate risk: Risk: Fluctuations in the interest rates. Tools/Policies: Use interest rate swap derivatives to manage fixed and floating rate borrowings within limits. Credit Risk: Risk: Possible bad debts. Tools/Policies: Wholesale sales only with appropriate credit history/check. Retail sales only through cash or major credit cards. Maximum credit risk exposure is classified separately and attended. Liquidity Risk: Risk: Maintaining sufficient cash balance. Tools/Policies: Maturity profile is established All short term creditors, accruals, bank overdrafts and borrowings within one year. Compliance with all the committed banks credit guidelines. Capital Risk: Risk: Returns to shareholders and other stakeholders; Maintain Going concern. Tools/Policies: Maintain strong credit rating. Appropriate capital structure mix debt and equity. Adjustments according to the economic changes and its strategic objectives. Analysis of the above: All of the above represents the measures adopted by Burberry to meet the Financial Risks. The company having a dedicated risk management team in order to face the risks gives a confidence in the minds. However, they should be continuously aware of the fact that a large corporate like Burberry will have to attend to growing/new risks by anticipating well in advance. They may include a deeper analysis in the following areas: Working capital cycle: Inventory management, EOQ/JIT methods, optimum cash model. Financing needs. Other sources of finance can be analyzed like debt factoring. Capital budgeting decisions before expanding or investing on a project. WACC Weighted average cost of capital is to be considered before deciding the capital structure. Comparisons with the market rate and interest rates prevailing. The overall financial risk management shows the companys ability to address almost all the possible risks efficiently and effectively. Conclusion: With comparison to most of the essential parameters, it can be concluded that Burberry plc showed a promising performance in the last completed financial year 2009-10. Not just with regard to the financial performance, but also in satisfying the shareholders with competent returns. A birds eye view shows the company has made a great comeback this year with a significant profit. However, a deeper penetration/analysis into the last year financials reveals that the loss made in 2008-09 is because of high cost of sales with a difference of  £59.8M compared to the recent year, goodwill impairment charge to the extent of  £116.2M, relocation of HQ costing around  £7.9M and other expansion charges. Also, the above report shows the companys transparency in complying with the Corporate Governance and commitment in attending to its Corporate Social Responsibility, employees welfare etc. Burberry showed continuous interest in brand integrity, being a true leader in luxury brands, and market growth through expansion. Indeed, highly motivated. All this leads to only reaffirm the companys continued efforts in excelling beyond horizons among its peers financially, ethically, and morally!

Essay --

Dylan Kippola AMH2010 Feb, 2014 Kinston Hangings In the early hours of February 2, 1864, fifty-three North Carolina men were captured by Confederate forces under the command of Major General Pickett. Within four months of their capture, most would be dead. Most would fall victim to the diseases acquired in Southern P.O.W camps in Richmond, Virginia, and Andersonville, Georgia. However, twenty-two were publicly hanged in Kinston, North Carolina. The wives, neighbors, friends, and former brothers in arms in the Confederate army were forced to watch the executions. From the Confederacies point of view, the executed men were Union soldiers because they deserted. Once captured, they deserved to be treated as prisoners of war. President Abraham Lincoln mentioned this on July 31, 1863. He ordered retaliation on the enemy prisoners in the North’s possession. His response was to kill a Southern P.O.W for every P.O.W the Confederacy killed. The Confederates argued that the men were simply deserters and therefore execution was a legiti mate punishment for them. Desertion was most apparent in North Carolina. North Carolina was contradictory in both providing more soldiers to the Confederate army than any other state and of having more deserters from the army than other states. Although North Carolinian disloyalty to the Confederacy was not any worse than other Southern states, it was more publicly pronounced. North Carolina was the last to secede and did so only after a statewide vote of the people. Because desertion was not a crime in the state, citizens who housed and protected deserters felt safe from arrest for hiding them. It was said that the deserters could band together and defy the officers of the law who came after them because of t... ...e placed over the heads of the condemned and they were hanged. Joining their other deserters. The thirteen remaining condemned men had four days to sit in the jail's dungeon to think about their deaths that would take place on Monday, February 15th. Chaplain Paris described the scene in a letter that appeared shortly afterward in the North Carolina Presbyterian and the Wilmington Journal: "I made my first visit to them as chaplain on Sunday morning. The scene beggars all description. Some of them were comparatively young men. But they made the fatal mistake. They had only twenty-four hours to live.... Here was a wife to say farewell to a husband forever. Here a mother to take the last look at her ruined son, and then a sister who had come to embrace for the last time the brother who had brought disgrace upon the very name she bore by his treason to his country."

Plot Analysis Of Conspiracy Th :: essays research papers

The Conspiracy Theory is a movie that can wake you up to a very likely and harsh reality. Main character Jerry, author and sole producer of a monthly tabloid about theories on conspiracies soon begins to remember a hidden and forgotten past. The most captivating part of Conspiracy Theory is how the character’s past and present interact to contribute to the plot, and their futures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tragic pasts of the 3 main characters help define the plot. Jerry was once a test subject for governmental experiments. Jodas, head of these experiments, tried to learn how to turn an everyday person into a brutal killer. Jerry soon became Jodas’ personal tool of destruction, and Jerry was told to kill a judge who was sure to put Jodas in jail. Jerry was given a chance to kill him, but his human conscience proved to still live on, the judge soon took Jerry under his wing. That judge was later killed by another one of Jodas’ men. With the judge’s final words, he begged Jerry to protect his one and only daughter, Alice. Our three main characters are now destine for a major confrontation years later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main plot is laid out by the events of the present. Several years later, Jerry drives his cab as he’s done every day since the shooting, until he zones out and has a flashback of his past. One soon finds out that Jerry is very paranoid about the government and he questions everything about it. Jodas catches up to Jerry and tries to imprison him. Alice then finds that Jodas is one of Jerry’s newsletter subscribers and has a meeting with him. Jodas then convinces Alice that Jerry killed her father; now Jerry is about to be set up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot is concluded with a promise to the character’s futures. Jerry then asks Alice to meet him, and they return to the place where her father died. Jerry then confesses to Alice that he did not kill her father. After much deliberation, Alice believes Jerry; and just on time for Jodas’ return. Jodas captures Jerry and Alice barely gets away with the mere stroke of luck. Jerry is then imprisoned and injected with fluid that will convince his mind that he did everything. Plot Analysis Of Conspiracy Th :: essays research papers The Conspiracy Theory is a movie that can wake you up to a very likely and harsh reality. Main character Jerry, author and sole producer of a monthly tabloid about theories on conspiracies soon begins to remember a hidden and forgotten past. The most captivating part of Conspiracy Theory is how the character’s past and present interact to contribute to the plot, and their futures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tragic pasts of the 3 main characters help define the plot. Jerry was once a test subject for governmental experiments. Jodas, head of these experiments, tried to learn how to turn an everyday person into a brutal killer. Jerry soon became Jodas’ personal tool of destruction, and Jerry was told to kill a judge who was sure to put Jodas in jail. Jerry was given a chance to kill him, but his human conscience proved to still live on, the judge soon took Jerry under his wing. That judge was later killed by another one of Jodas’ men. With the judge’s final words, he begged Jerry to protect his one and only daughter, Alice. Our three main characters are now destine for a major confrontation years later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main plot is laid out by the events of the present. Several years later, Jerry drives his cab as he’s done every day since the shooting, until he zones out and has a flashback of his past. One soon finds out that Jerry is very paranoid about the government and he questions everything about it. Jodas catches up to Jerry and tries to imprison him. Alice then finds that Jodas is one of Jerry’s newsletter subscribers and has a meeting with him. Jodas then convinces Alice that Jerry killed her father; now Jerry is about to be set up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot is concluded with a promise to the character’s futures. Jerry then asks Alice to meet him, and they return to the place where her father died. Jerry then confesses to Alice that he did not kill her father. After much deliberation, Alice believes Jerry; and just on time for Jodas’ return. Jodas captures Jerry and Alice barely gets away with the mere stroke of luck. Jerry is then imprisoned and injected with fluid that will convince his mind that he did everything.

Gloria Steinem’s Effect on Modern-Day History Essay

Gloria Steinem has had the greatest impact on modern day women in American society because, as an activist, she fought to achieve rights of equality. As a woman whose life was affected by society’s opinions and views of women, she was determined to change these standards. She set a goal to regulate women’s rights and have women’s role in society matter just as much as men’s. To accomplish said goals, â€Å"Gloria Steinem systemized organizations that would fight against discrimination towards any alienated group, organized speeches that covered strong topics such as women’s role in politics, women’s side of rape and pornography, and funded a company that would allow women at home to share their stories and speak for themselves† (Bauer, Garlena A, B2). Gloria Steinem has had the greatest impact of modern day society because without her assistance and provision women’s culture would diverse from what it was like in the 50s. Gloria Steinem accomplished the goals she set out to attain; she was able to change the outlook on women’s roles in America. In the 50s, American women were responsible to execute family traditions and follow the â€Å"rules† of motherhood – they didn’t really have much say in life decisions; but â€Å"Gloria Steinem changed that by getting politically active and being determined as an advocate for women’s rights of equality† (Foner, Eric and John A. Garraty, D1). â€Å"She was also nominated as a spokesperson for feminism and the leader of the enlargement of women’s rights of equality; she organized groups to fight discrimination against women such as NWPC and WAA† (Yanak, Ted and Pam, Cornelison, I1). All these actions led to an effective move towards the Women’s Liberation Movement. Steinem’s assistance towards women’s rights involved creating and editing Ms. Magazine, â€Å"the 1st feminist mass circulation magazine in the U.S. Influencing the Women’s Liberation Movement was one of her greater achievements† (Bauer, Garlena A, B2). â€Å"Others would include covering certain topics at protest that no other would discuss; such as pornography, rape, incest, abortion, poverty, lesbianism, politics, women’s health care and care for battered women† (Bauer, Garlena A, B2). All these add up to object to inequality for women in America. Overall, the battle to obtain equal rights alone is great success, but Gloria Steinem also attempted solving world problems as an activist. Not only did Gloria Steinem challenge critics and politicians by having her own say in topics about women’s rights, but â€Å"she also confronted them about resolving other complications in America and worldwide such as animal rights, the fight against genital mutilation, child abuse, and human trafficking† (Hepola, Sarah A, F3). Steinem had a lot on her plate, but she was determined to resolve as many problems and to help as many people as possible. In order to do so, she started ordering initial organizations to gain perspective and to prevent each cause from getting worse. â€Å"National Women’s Political Caucus, Equal Rights Amendment, Women’s Action Alliance, and National Black Feminist Organization†: were just some of the actions and initial organizations taken and funded my Gloria Steinem (Yanak, Ted and Pam, Cornelison, I1). With these organizations present, she was able to gain supporters; which would help her get make a point for women’s rights – the point being that she is not the only one who believed that women should be given choices like men, and that they should all have the same equivalence and impartiality. Her points were brought forth in every issue of ‘Ms. Magazine,’ where she would discuss all topics related to women’s rights and include reader’s opinions. â€Å"In every edition of ‘Ms. Magazine,’ Gloria Steinem would be sure to include readers’ personal stories† (Matthews, Glenna, E2). This was an important contribution on behalf of the readers’ part because their stories proved that women should have been entitled to their own opinion to those who weren’t activist or feminist and altered their opinions on women’s rights. Gloria Steinem also made sure to promote feminist cause – an example being reproduction rights – the articles would vary in focus but one thing that stayed the same was the fact that the articles spoke for all women who were expected more of. Gloria had different believes of what a household women should ensure. â€Å"As a feminist, Gloria Steinem criticized certain aspects of the traditional role of motherhood† (Charles Moritz, G2). She believed women should have been able to work if they would like to or marry who they loved, not who they were forced to marry because of economic or beneficial reasons. â€Å"Steinem wanted to assure that all women were able to fairly make their own choices† (Charles Moritz, G2); she knew that wasn’t an option because women were degraded only for the fact that they were women. â€Å"During years of working for a living, I have experienced much of the legal and social discrimination reserved for women in the country [†¦] all for the clearly sated sole reason that I am a woman.† (Hepola, Sarah A, F1). Within the supportive fight to gain equality for women, Gloria Steinem accomplished significant impressions on U.S. history. â€Å"She became a social activist, humanist and feminist† (Bauer, Garlena A, B1). Gloria Steinem was the target of much criticism, nevertheless, â€Å"she spent her life time committed to women’s liberation and remained committed to all political causes of the news and left a natural path into her career as a feminist to let other feminist peruse with what she started† ((Bauer, Garlena A, B1). Gloria Steinem has had the greatest impact on modern day women in American society because, as an activist, she fought to achieve rights of equality. As a woman whose life was affected by society’s opinions and views of women, she was determined to change these standards. She spoke for other women in the U.S. that were not able to do so because their opinions would not be valid since they were women. Since the understandings of women’s suffrage and the stance on women’s liberation and rights has changed from the 1950s to modern day believes, an assumption can be made that Gloria Steinem is the one who can be acknowledged for completing such task since she spent a life time committed to making a difference and making an effort to resolve the problem of discrimination.

Racial Politics

The push for racial equality in the United States got a boast from the demands placed on all facets of society during the Second World War. The mobilization effort relied on the black race to win the war and once it was over, there was no turning back. Furthermore, the ideals of freedom and equality, which were the backbone of the Allied war cry and the foundation for the anti-communist Western movement, did not sit well alongside Jim Crow laws and public acts of racial discrimination.The Jim Crow System of segregation was a process in which white Southerners legitimized their racial supremacy over their black counterparts. It was a system based on ethnic and racial differentiation. It is important to note that such a system enabled the â€Å"definition of racism as an institutional fact† (Singh, 2004, p. 22). This is evident if one considers that such a system enabled â€Å"the construction of black people as subjects proscribed from participating in the social state in whic h they live† thereby positing them as entities â€Å"whose relation to the public is always in racial doubt† (Singh, 2004, p.22). The possibility of such is better understood if one considers that differentiation entails the recognition that races are different and as such, it creates a political setting that separates races [e. g. distinction and hence separation of the whites from the blacks]. In addition to this, it also separates and ultimately, limits or confines races to a social sphere with corresponding social functions that are imposed on them. In lieu of this, the importance of the Civil Rights movement lies in its attempt to breakdown and free society of this idea of racial differentiation.Contrary to popular belief, the Civil Rights movement did not begin in the 1950’s and end in the 1960’s; instead, it has been an ongoing process since the Compromise of 1877, through to the present day. The movement has encompassed not only political equality but also housing, education, and economics, to name a few. Moreover, Jeanne Theoharis (2003) argues against the dominant notion that the civil rights movement was a nonviolent movement born in the South during the 1950’s that emerged triumphant in the early 1960’s only to be derailed by Black Power and the white backlash when it moved North after 1965.Theoharis (2003) argues that an understanding of the movement necessitates â€Å"a fuller inclusion of Northern activism within the postwar freedom narrative challenges the notion that the movement went from civil rights to Black Power (p. 12). She notes, â€Å"that Black Power caused the decline of the movement, that self-defense was new to the movement in the 1960s, and that well-organized nonviolent movements were not as prevalent or successful across the North as they were in the South from 1940 to 1980† (p. 12).The Northern movement successfully used similar tactics as compared to the Southern movement such a s boycotts, sit-ins, rallies and grassroots. The difference however, was the internal concepts of race in the North. An example of the historical and political tensions that existed in the North can be seen in Alexis de Tocqueville commentary in 1831 when he stated, â€Å"the prejudice of race appears to be stronger in the states that have abolished slavery than in those where it still exists; and nowhere is it so intolerant as in those states where servitude has never been known† (Jacobson, 1998, p.22). On the surface, it seemed as if the North was anything but racist since the North had fought against slavery and never implemented Jim Crow Laws. Underneath this however, racism and discrimination were institutionalized within the economic and political system; and in both instances, the system was controlled by whites. This was noted by Sugrue (1996) in The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit. Within the aforementioned work, Sugrue outlined th e pre-existing presence of economic discrimination in postwar Detroit, which led to the 1967 riots.At the end of World War II, blacks were leaving for the North, just as northern cities began to lose money and jobs. The â€Å"Second Great Migration† led to an influx of unemployed blacks into northern cites with limited resources and jobs. Deindustrialization, combined with the Great Migration, exacerbated the persistent racial discrimination in labor markets and intensified the racial division within the metropolitan area. Though Sugrue focuses on the economic aspect of the issue, he does note that the origins of the urban crisis are much earlier than social scientists have recognized.In lieu of this, he stated, â€Å"there is no simple explanation for the inequality and marginality that beset the urban poor† (Sugrue, 1996, p. 5). In lieu of this, this paper opts to present an evaluation of the effect of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Such an analysis will consider the historical, philosophical and ideological underpinnings of the Civil Rights Movement. I will argue that American society was unprepared for such huge and radical changes [brought by Civil Rights Movement] because the issues involved were too complex.In relation to this, I will also argue that it is not only the case that society was not ready to handle such changes but also the legislated and enacted laws were directly attempting to change a social conception of race that had dominated United States [political, social, economic, and religious] culture since its inception. In proving my argument, I will focus on the aspect of â€Å"educational equality† as implemented in the process of Mississippi’s initial experiences in its implementation of school desegregation programs.In 1954, the United States of America’s Supreme Court decided a landmark case concerning educational and racial equality. In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U. S. 4 83 (1954), the Court’s ruling is grounded on the principle that the doctrine of â€Å"separate but equal† [this doctrine is referring to the segregation policy, more specifically, the segregation policy in the schools in the United States] will not and cannot provide Black Americans with the same standards and quality of education available for White Americans.The court thus, outlawed the â€Å"racial segregation of public education facilities† for the aforementioned reason. In relation to this, on May 17, 1954, the Warren Court handed down a 9-0 decision, which stated, in clear and certain terms that â€Å"separate educational facilities are inherently unequal†. Chief Justice Warren writes: â€Å"Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. Compulsory school attendance laws and the great expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to our democratic society.It is re quired in the performance of our most basic public responsibilities, even service in the armed forces. It is the very foundation of good citizenship. Today it is a principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms† (Imber & Geel, 2004, p.212). The aforementioned decisions may be best understood if one considers that racial segregation [as the court sees it] is against the pronouncements of the Constitution. The segregation of students on the basis of race or ethnicity and the legalization of a segregated public school education through the enactment of certain statutes serving to legitimize th e creation and operation of schools that are exclusively for Whites or for Blacks, is clearly, not justified. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka remains and is still considered as a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Within Mississippi, the attempt to account for the implementation of the aforementioned decisions occurred during the later part of the 20th century [1970’s]. The reason for such lies in the high amount of white resistance to school desegregation. In lieu of this, the result of the elimination of the desegregation system was set on white terms. This is evident if one considers that during the process, race was considered as a high factor in the consideration of a school’s teachers and administrators.Black teachers and administrators thereby lost their jobs and the black community saw an erosion of the control they had exercised over their children's education (Bolton, 2000, p. 782). In th e years that followed, as federal support waned, efforts in Mississippi and across the nation to create unitary school systems usually floundered, in many cases leading to a resegregation of schools (Burger, 1982). In the decade before the Brown decision, upgrading black schools within segregation was considered a viable alternative to school integration by both blacks and whites.This strategy of educational equalization sought to ensure a balanced distribution of resources between separate black and white schools. From 1925 until 1950, black southerners, focused their efforts on trying to equalize educational spending rather than directly assaulting the doctrine of separate but equal. In addition to this, after the organizations shifted its tactics to challenge the Jim Crow system, many black southerners continued to embrace the equalization policy as the best method for improving black education.The necessity of such was posited by Burger (1982) during his oral account of history during the 1930’s to the 1960’s. Burger (1982) noted that the importance of the aforementioned segregation system lies in its ability to provide good education for the black people. He noted, â€Å"There was interest to help the black high school to be established and survive [however] it didn't get much support locally†. According to Burger, the difficulty of the situations within the black schools is evident if one considered that â€Å"there was no money there [black schools]†.In addition to this, he noted that during the 1930’s to the 1960’s, the black schools got â€Å"little aid†¦ from the county†¦ [It] was just a little bit of sixteenth section money and maybe one or two other funds†. Southern state governments in the decade after World War, faced with both a federal government increasingly sympathetic to the cause of black civil rights and changes in the region's demographics and economy that threatened to undermine the racial status quo, also recognized that a little more emphasis on the â€Å"equal† part of the separate but equal equation might be prudent if segregation were to be preserved.After the war, these states all began or enhanced programs to improve black education. As opposed to this some southern states, such as Mississippi, continued to advocate educational equalization even after the Brown decision had declared segregated schools inherently unequal, in the vain hope that the federal government might somehow still accept an improved version of separate but equal over desegregation.During the aforementioned period, within the Mississippi area although implementing the Brown mandate ultimately proved difficult, educational equalization was never a viable alternative. Such is evident not merely in the efforts to enable student desegregation but also in providing education for the black professionals within the field of education. An example of such was evident in Dr. Burgerâ €™s situation during the period.As a black principal in Hattiesburg during the period that he sought to obtain a master's degree in the early 1950s, he had to take a leave of absence without pay. In order to fully understand such a situation, one must thus be careful of the nuances involved in his or her understanding and analysis of the Civil Rights Movement, what the movement sought to achieve and the means in and through which its prominent leaders and advocates believe to be both proper and effective.As may be noted in the development of the civil rights movement, from the historical, philosophical and ideological perspectives, the proper and effective means in which the recognition of civil rights be regarded as fundamental rights that ought to be granted to every citizen of the state and not only to a selected few, is through the tedious process of â€Å"legislation† and â€Å"affirmative action†.By these two concepts we mean a legal mechanism (1) â€Å"for the institutionalization of certain laws and statutes† and (2) â€Å"for the correction of certain laws and statutes to address and correct the mistakes committed in the past† so that the law may be said to fulfill its function, that is, to administer social justice. The above discussion gives us an idea of the complexity of the problem that needs to be resolved.At this point, it is not difficult to see that all of these things involve the very notion of â€Å"power relation† at the very core and as such, it may be said that the whole historical, philosophical and ideological developments of the push for racial equality in the United States was held fast by this very notion. Power relation then, both as a notion and a political phenomenon, is constitutive of the problem that was explored by the paper.As I see it, the problem with the civil rights movement was that it was not universal; instead, there were those who defended and supported the movement and there we re those who opposed. It was not able to gain an inter-subjective consensus, so to speak. In the face of such a complex problem, legislators in the past should not have merely taken into consideration that the problem would appropriately and effectively be addressed by mere acts of rapid legislation. Rapid legislation, as what the legislators in the past did, and as will be argued in this thesis is not the solution to the problem.In fact, it made the problem worse by failing to consider the interweaving and interconnected issues that were involved. In the case of Mississippi, the formulation of legislations that opted to eradicate the aforementioned cases of segregation merely led to the further specification of the events that enable segregation. It is important to note that the downside of such lies in the fact that such cases of segregation or racism were enabled by the existing laws of Mississippi during the period in discussion.The oral history narrated by Dr. Burger serves as an example of such. True, the expedited implementation of civil rights on all facets and areas of society created considerable â€Å"changes† on the realms of the social, political and economic but the question whether such huge and radical changes were appropriate and effective remained without a satisfactory answer since the phenomenon is in itself deeply embedded in the culture of the American society. References Bolton, C.â€Å"Mississippi’s School Equalization Program, 1945-1954: ‘A Last Gasp to Try to Maintain a Segregated Educational System’†. The Journal of Southern History 66. 4: 781-814. Burger, N. (1982). â€Å"Oral History with Professor N. R. Burger. † Interview by W. Pyle. University of Southern Mississippi. Retrieved February 27, 2008 from http://anna. lib. usm. edu/~spcol/crda/oh/ohburgernp. html Imber, M. & T. Van Geel (2004). Education Law. London: Routledge. Jacobson, M. (1998).Whiteness of a Different Color: European Immig rants and the Alchemy of Race. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Singh, N. (2004). Black is A Country, Race and the Unfinished Struggle for Democracy. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Sugrue, T. (1996). The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Theoharis, J. & Woodard K. (2003). Freedom North: Black Freedom Struggles outside the South, 1940–1980. New York: Pal-grave.