The Evolution of Same-Sex Marriage - 976 Words

Supporters call it marriage equality, and opponents refer to it as â€Å"redefining† marriage. The issue of legalizing same-sex marriage has evolved over the years. Same-sex marriage and the fight to legalize it publically started in 1972 in the ‘Baker v. Nelson’ Supreme Court case, which involved a Minnesota couple that was denied a marriage license. The couple ended up taking their issue to court but their trial was dismissed because the Supreme Court stated that the clerk was allowed to refuse same-sex couples a marriage license. This case sparked what would be a long debate that would last over 40 years in the United States. What prompts the past and present interest in the issue are same-sex couples and their friends and family who want them to be happy and want them to be able to marry the person they love while receiving the same benefits as a heterosexual couple does. The people that are currently interested in this issue are members of the LGBT community and people who believe that marriage should be equal to all American citizens because they believe it is an American’s right to be able to choose to marry the person they love. Marriage equality is one of the most significant issues in the United States. It is one of the most discussed reforms in the U.S. court systems. If legalized, it would be the most revolutionary policy decisions in America’s history, along with interracial marriage, women’s rights and slavery. The three positions that I will be writing on in thisShow MoreRelatedLegalization of Gay Marriage1319 Words   |  6 PagesSEM I SPEECH PREPARATION OUTLINE PREPARED BY: REGINA KHOR MAY LIN AA09179 Relationship Should we legalize same-sex marriage in our country? To persuade To persuade my audience that we should legalize same-sex marriage in our country. Same-sex marriage should be legalized since it is the natural form of the marriage evolution, part of human rights and able to prevent psychological stress from the LGB community. (LGB- lesbian, gays and bisexuals) Problem and solution Read MoreJonathan Rauch : For Better Or Worse?1296 Words   |  6 PagesBetter or Worse?† discusses the main purpose of marriage and how marriage has changed over time . Jonathan says marriage nowadays is between two individuals and how that couple interprets it. Throughout his article, Rauch debates on the negative views of gay marriage. He states his contempt for these views and states a detailed reason why gay marriage makes sense. He makes it known that he feels that gay marriage should be viewed as normal and gay marriage should be held to a similar standard. He feelsRead MoreEssay on The Bond of Marriage1166 Words   |  5 PagesThe Bond of Marriage The argument to allow gay couples to marry has been a debatable topic for many years. The authors, Andrew Sullivan and William Bennett have conflicting beliefs to whether gay marriages should be permissible. Sullivan expresses his opinion of the right gays have to marry in his article â€Å"Let Gays Marry.† Bennett retaliates with his own article opposing gay marriage. His article â€Å"Leave Marriage Alone,† relates his view that same-sex marriage is wrong and unethical.Read MoreThe Constitutional History II On The United States1544 Words   |  7 Pagesgay marriage in the United States were a minority group for quite some time. (Green, 2015) The topic of homosexuality and same sex marriage is one that probes the primary question of whether or not same sex marriages are ones fundamental right under both the Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. (Lempert, 2015) The case of Obergefell v. Hodges was a case that held that th e Fourteenth Amendment requires all states to recognize and grant same sex marriage licensesRead MoreMarriage Is An Institution That Is Important1455 Words   |  6 Pages Marriage is an institution that is very sacred to many people in the world as well as an old institution. Therefore ideas about marriage have changed throughout the years as well as ideas about sex and gender, for these concepts have been notoriously linked and effect one another’s evolution. The Eighteenth Century marked a period of changing attitudes of marriage and therefore sex and gender. For centuries before this period, the Catholic Church dominated the domain of marriage, controlling theRead MoreThe Issue With Same-Sex Marriages1568 Words   |  6 Pagesdebate about the issue of same-sex marriage. For many, it is one of the fundamental human rights to love and marry whomever one chooses. Others feel that this right should be ruled by certain moral codes and restrictions in order to maintain the basic moral fabric of Western society. Today, many critics who advocate for the legalization of same-sex marriage across the United States do so on the grounds of the fact that it will create a more equal and fair society. Same-sex marriage, or indeed simply theRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized1309 Words   |  6 PagesKaterina Do Dr. Clay ENGL 1302-013 29 September 2015 Issue Proposal I would introduce this issue to an audience explaining that same-sex marriage, also called gay marriage, is a marriage or a civil union between couples of the same sex. I would continue to explain it as a controversial and moral issue discussed worldwide today, due to many gay couples coming out and openly expressing their need for equal rights. I would add onto and explain how supporters of equal rights and those who oppose theRead MoreEssay on Same Sex Marriage and the Church1508 Words   |  7 Pagesof the first questions that was asked during his interview was gay marriage and his views on this topic. When he first became a priest one of the things he began to study was marriage and its purposes. The purpose of marriage through the eyes of church and Hernan is procreation, education of children, and allowing people to get rid of their sex urge. The Church has always considered the homosexual act as evil. A same sex marriage allows two people to come together in a sinful conditi on. His responsibilityRead MoreThe Differences Between The And Quebec And The United States Essay701 Words   |  3 PagesCharlotte Norsworthy Professeur Moyer Afternoon 31 Aoà »t 2015 1. Traditionally, the U.S. family begins with a marriage, cohabitation and finally, children. However, the â€Å"typical† family is beginning to evolve very rapidly, just as in France and Quebec. In Quebec, it is more common to find couples living together that aren’t married than to find married couples living together. Surprisingly, only 3 in 10 families in Quebec are married couples with children under 25 living with them. In France, childrenRead MoreMonsters Are The Stars Of Entertainment For The Horror Industry1553 Words   |  7 Pages Just how â€Å"Buffy the Vampire Slayer† adapted to social themes, a similar form of evolution due to social tolerance can be seen in a later film â€Å"Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles† (1994) In the movie â€Å"Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles† (1994) written by Anne Rice and directed by Neil Jordan, there is a severe homosexual subtext that ultimately introduces the concept of same same-sex family. Not to mention, the characters are extremely attractive. Some of the main

Elective Banking Management Part Free Essays

string(57) " be the incremental growth in business for their branch\." Explain the factors the branch manager has to take into account at the time of preparation of the budget. 4. Write an essay on Globalization in the Banking Industry. We will write a custom essay sample on Elective Banking Management Part or any similar topic only for you Order Now 5. Examine the economic functions of banks. 6. Explain Fractional-reserve banking. 25 x 4=100 marks Answers 2. Explain performance budgeting exercise as a tool for deposit manipulation. Performance budgeting can be defined as budgeting for the performance of an individual or an organization. In the context of an organization what is required is to set some broad objectives for the organization at the top management level and motivate the employees in such a manner that they also feel like setting some individual goals, which are nevertheless complementary to the goals for the organization. Performance budgeting exercise is elucidated in the below steps: 1. Defining the Commanding Area: The concept of command areas is a highly dynamic one, having relevance only to a particular budget year. This means that the command areas of branch need not be the same for all years on the other hand, it should be changed as and when the branch has tapped the full potential of the area. Again there is another wrong concept about the command areas that it should be geographically contiguous areas around the branch. Actually the command areas of a branch should be the possible main areas, which the ranch can effectively serve during the particular years, as felt by the branch manager and the staff. Thus branch can have as its command area, a whole village, as war, as street of a town, a big building housing several offices, etc. Of course this does not mean business from other areas is not welcome but only that our main thrust will in this area. 2. Environmental Scanning and Market Segmentation: Environmental scanning really means scanning the branch environment, both inside and outside. Often we tend to ignore the internal factors as we understand it today, this involves identification of the market and its attention, the evaluation and selection of this market after it is segmented. But let us try to look at it from a different angel. A. The Internal Factors: There are three important factors to be considered under this head they are: Employees of the branch – human resources Non human resource – infrastructure Top management – the controlling offices It is a fact the branch management can realize its goals only through the active co-operation of the staff working in the branch and the administrative offices. There a fair knowledge of the nature of staffs their aspirations and robbers will help branch manager to take them along with his as team to achieve the goals. Naturally, he should interact with them as frequently as possible. The manager should also try to create good rapport with higher authorities. For this is should properly communicate with them regarding this action plan and feed them with sufficient data at the appropriate time. He must work in close liaison with them so that he can strengthen his hand and try to avoid origination conflicts and help himself to take quick and sound decisions consistent with the policies of the bank. Then comes the assessment of the infrastructural facilities available in the branch. The goals set for the branch should be possible to be achieved with the available infrastructure thus we can very well see that non achievement of budgetary goals cannot be ascribes to staff shortage, if the spirit of the performance budget is properly understood. B. The External Factors: Four important factors under this head National plan objectives and government policies Aspirations and expectations in the command area Customer satisfaction Handling competition from rivals The national plan objectives are normally given in the policy guidelines book published by the central office, planning department. These should be through at length. The prime function of bank is to accept deposits from those with surplus money and lend it to those who need it for productive investment. This necessitates the identification of pockets of potential deposit on the one hand and identification of person who need advance for productive purposes, on the other. Collection of these data is very important and it has to be done methodically. These data can be used to: 1. Segment the market according to various parameters. 2. Prepare bankable schemes for various segments and . It is better that these data are collected and kept updated frequently. Regarding customer satisfaction, we have to ensure that the primary motto in formulating any scheme is the satisfaction of the customer. We have to worry about the competition from other financial institution and fellow bankers. For this we have to know the terms, nature and cost of services rendered by our competition and also their marketing strategies. Apart from all these, the branch manager should try to: Develop personal inclination to take safe risks. Create a climate of confidence and trust within the branch Establish personal rapport with the higher authorities and Take quick an sound decisions 3. Studying the past trend in business growth: A study of the past trend in the business growth of the branch helps the manger to take as stock of the inherent strength and weakness of the branch, the staff members and its location, etc. This must be done to mark the budget realistic. There is no point in setting a budget, which IS very ambitious for a branch with limited resources. . Preparation of Tentative Budget: After doing all the above exercise, the branch manager should attempt to rooter the incremental growth in business for the next year. It is at this stage that he should seek the reviews of all his staff members in agreement and frank atmosphere. Preferably a meeting of all the staff members should be called in which he can present all the details. It should then be left to the group to decide how much should be the incrementa l growth in business for their branch. You read "Elective Banking Management Part" in category "Management" In such a meeting, the leadership qualities of the manger should be made use of, so as to elicit the view of each and every staff member. Apart from this the manager should patiently listen to the view so everybody. It all the certain views and suggestions are not acceptable to the group, the members should be convinced of the reason why they are not acceptable. Once sufficient deliberations have been gone through in the meeting a consensus decision in regard to the incremental growth in the business in each sector like deposits, advances, profit etc. Ill be taken. There is important advantage in formulating the budget in this way. Because the goals have been set jointly, every member for the staff will be totally committed to the goals and will be striving hard to achieve them. As a result, he budge of the branch will not be treated as the branch managers budget but will recognized as a branch budget. 5. Participating in the Budget Meeting of the Region: The branch manager present t his draft budget to eh regional manager in the budget meeting convened by the latter for the entire region. In this meeting, the regional manager present the macro level scenario of the region and invites suggestion and views of the individual branch manages regarding their contribution to the achievement of the incremental business growth for the regions for the next year. The draft budgets brought by the individual branch angers are the discussed and the total business for the entire regions is arrived at. The figures furnished by the individual branches are not simply accepted by the regional manager. The branch managers will have to us passionate their projected business figures to the satisfaction of the regional manager. . The Final Budget Meeting at the Branch: After the regional manager has finalize the regional budgets in the above meeting, the branch manager has to convene another staff meeting in his own branch to inform the staff member s about the details of the final budget room the draft budget, the branch manager should explain the position to all the staff members to their satisfaction. In this way all the staff members are very well aware of the task. In this meeting some notion plans can also be chalked out. 7. Review Meeting at Branch Level and Regional Level: Once the budget year starts, the real action begins. Success of any planned project depends on large extent on the periodic review of the progress made. The entire yearly budget can be divided into quarterly or half yearly budgets. In the review meetings half of the regional level, the performance of each ranch will be reviewed visit–visit the targets; For making the regional review meetings more meaningful, it is advisable to attempt such review meetings at the individual branches by conducting staff meetings. This should be preferably done before the regional review meetings so that the branch manager is ready with all the necessary details when comes for the regional meeting specifically in regard to the reasons for variances, if any from the budgetary goals. 3. Explain the factors the branch manager has to take into account at the time of preparation of the budget. At the time of preparation of the budge, the branch manager has to take into account the following four factors: 1. Bank’s corporate goals 2. Rib’s ground rules 3. Government of Indian’s Directives 4. Expectations of the people in the command area 1. Bank’s corporate goals The corporate goal of the bank, as decided by the top management, forms the basis of the performance budget. As such it is necessary that these are clearly spelt out and advised to the branches well in time. In some banks these are given in the booklet, â€Å"Policy Guidelines†, brought Out by the central office every year. This provides the branches the broad guidelines, covering the economic scenario for the country and the bank’s expectations of the incremental growth in the business during the coming year. 2. Rib’s Ground Rules There are certain ground rules prescribed by the RIB, which should govern all the activities of the bank. They are summarized below: a. No bank shall pay interest on current account. B. No bank shall pay countervailing interest on any current accounts maintained with it by its borrowers. C. No bank shall discriminate in the matter of rate of interest paid on deposits, between one deposit and another, accepted on the same date and the same maturity, whether such deposits are accepted at the same office or at the different offices of the bank. D. No bank shall pay brokerage on deposits in any form to any individual, firm, company, association, institution or any other person, except I) Commission paid to agents, employed to collect door to door deposits under special schemes ii) Inexpensive gifts costing not more than the amount prescribed by the RIB in this regard from time to time. Ii) Incentive granted to staff members as approved by RIB from time to time. E. No bank shall violate the other instructions issued by RIB from time to time, on payment of interest and related aspects in accepting of deposits and granting advances. 3. Government of India Directives The government of India issues directives from time to time to banks in the matter Of providing credit to the pr iority sector and other specified groups, and implementation for various poverty alleviation programs. These are kept in mind at the time of drawing the credit plan for the ensuring year. 4. Expectation of People of the Command Area Over all above all these, the branch manager at the time of drawing up the actual budget has to take into account the expectation of the people inhabiting the command area in regard to their credit needs and also other types of services, especially now that we are going to adopt the set-vice areas approach in all our activities. Answer: Fractional-reserve banking is the practice whereby a bank holds reserves (to satisfy demands for withdrawals) that are less than the amount of its customers’ deposits. Reserves are held at the bank as currency, or as deposits in the bank’s accounts at the central bank. Because bank deposits are usually considered money in their own right, fractional-reserve banking permits the none supply to grow beyond the amount of the underlying reserves of base money originally created by the central bank Fractional-reserve banking is the current form of banking practiced in most countries worldwide. Fractional reserve banking has been said to violate Islamic principles of ownership. Working of Fractional Reserve Banking In most legal systems, a bank deposit is not a bailsmen. In other words, the funds deposited are no longer the property of the customer. The funds become the property of the bank, and the customer in turn receives an asset called a deposit account (a checking or savings account). That deposit account is a liability on the balance sheet of the bank. Each bank is legally authorized to issue credit up to a specified multiple of its reserves, so reserves available to satisfy payment of deposit liabilities are less than the total amount which the bank is obligated to pay in satisfaction of demand deposits. Fractional-reserve banking ordinarily functions smoothly. Relatively few depositors demand payment at any given time, and banks maintain a buffer of reserves to cover depositors’ cash withdrawals and other demands for funds. However, during a bank run or a generalized financial crisis, demands or withdrawal can exceed the bank’s funding buffer, and the bank will be forced to raise additional reserves to avoid defaulting on its obligations. A bank can raise funds from additional borrowings (e. G. , by borrowing in the interbrain lending market or from the central bank), by selling assets, or by calling in short-term loans. If creditors are afraid that the bank is running out of reserves or is insolvent, they have an incentive to redeem their deposits as soon as possible before other depositors access the remaining reserves. Thus the fear of a bank run can actually precipitate the crisis. Many of the practices of contemporary bank regulation and central banking, including centralized clearing of payments, central bank lending to member banks, regulatory auditing, and government-administered deposit insurance, are designed to prevent the occurrence of such bank runs. Economic Function of Fractional Reserve Banking: Fractional-reserve banking allows banks to create credit in the form of bank deposits, which represent immediate liquidity to depositors. The banks also provide longer-term loans to borrowers, and act as financial intermediaries for those funds. Less liquid forms of deposit (such as time deposits) or riskier lasses of financial assets (such as equities or long-term bonds) may lock up a depositor’s wealth for a period of time, making it unavailable for use on demand. This â€Å"borrowing short, lending long,† or maturity transformation function of fractional-reserve banking is a role that many economists consider to be an important function of the banking system. Additionally, according to macroeconomic theory, a well-regulated fractional-reserve bank System also benefits the economy by providing regulators with powerful tools for influencing the money supply and interest rates. Many economists believe hat these should be adjusted by the government to promote macroeconomic stability. The process of fractional-reserve banking expands the money supply of the economy but also increases the risk that a bank cannot meet its depositor withdrawals. Modern central banking allows banks to practice fractional-reserve banking with inter-bank business transactions with a reduced risk of bankruptcy. Money Creation Process There are two types of money in a fractional-reserve banking system operating with a central bank: Central Bank Money: money created or adopted by the central bank regardless Of its form -? precious metals, moodily certificates, banknotes, coins, electronic money loaned to banks, or anything else the central bank chooses as its form of money Commercial Bank Money: demand deposits in the banking system; sometimes referred to as â€Å"checkbook money† When a deposit of central bank money is made at a bank, the central bank money is removed from circulation and added to the commercial banks’ reserves (it is no longer counted as part of MI money supply). Simultaneously, an equal amount of new commercial bank money is created in the form of bank deposits. When a loan is made by the commercial ann. (which keeps only a fraction of the central bank money as reserves), using the central bank money from the commercial bank’s reserves, the ml money su pply expands by the size of the loan. This process is called â€Å"deposit multiplication†. Regulatory Requirements: Government controls and bank regulations related to fractional-reserve banking have generally been used to impose restrictive requirements on note issue and deposit taking on the one hand, and to provide relief from bankruptcy and creditor claims, and/or protect creditors with government funds, when banks defaulted on the other hand. Such measures have included for examples such as: Minimum required reserve ratios (Errs) Minimum capital ratios Government bond deposit requirements for note issue 100% Marginal Reserve requirements for note issue and Sanction on bank defaults and protection from creditors for many months or even years The Banking Sector has for centuries now formed one of the pillars of economic prosperity. Indeed history provides us with some starting information regarding how banks provided finance for imperialist ventures in newly acquired colonies. Over time banks have formed an important part in providing an avenue for both savings and investments. Land, Labor, capital and entrepreneurs are the basic economic resources available to business. However, to make the use of these resources, a business requires finance to purchase of the land, hire labor, pay for capital goods and pay for individuals with specialized skills. Detail role of functions of banks in economic development is given below: Trade Development The banks provide capital, technical assistance and other facilities to businessmen according to their need, which leads to development in trade. Agriculture Development Banks finance the most important sector Of the developing economics I. Agriculture, short, medium and long-term loans are provided for the purchase of seeds and fertilizer, installation of tube wells, construction of warehouses, purchase of tractor and thresher etc. Industrial Development The countries, which concentrated on industrial sector made rapid e conomic development. South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Indonesia have recently developed their industrial sector with the help of banks. Capital Formation Banks help in increasing the rate of capital formation in a country. Capital formation means increase in number of production units, technology, plant ND machinery. They finance the projects responsible for increasing the rate of capital formation. Development of Foreign Trade Banks help the traders of two different countries to undertake business. Letter Of credit is issued by the importer’s bank to the exporters to ensure the payment. The banks also arrange foreign exchange. Transfer of Money Banks provide the facility of transferring funds from one place to another which leads to the growth of trade. More Production A good banking system ensures more production in all sectors of the economy. It increases the prod auction capabilities of the economy by threatening capital structure and division of labor Development of Transport The banks financed the transport sector. It has reduced unemployment on one hand and increased the transport facility on the other hand. Remote areas are linked to main markets through developed transport system. Safe Custody The business concerns and individuals can make themselves tension free by depositing their surplus money in banks. The banks also provide them the facility of lockers to keep their precious articles and necessary documents safe. Increase in Saving Banks persuade the people to save more. Different saving schemes with attractive interest rates are introduced for this purpose. Number of bank branches is opened in urban and rural areas. Construction of Houses Banks provide credit facilities to their customers for the purchase or construction of houses. Assistance to Government By providing funds to government for development programs, the banks share the government for economic stability. How to cite Elective Banking Management Part, Essays

Business Informatics Ubers Business Model

Question: Discuss about theBusiness Informaticsfor Ubers Business Model. Answer: Introduction Uber uses affiliated e-commerce model. The company provides information to both cab drivers and the passenger in need of transport services in a given area (Barnes-Vieyra Claycomb, 2001). Uber has a software application that allows users to order for taxi services and pay directly using their linked credit card. The company gets revenues from trip commissions, interests of keeping and listing fee that they charge drivers to start working with them. Customers using the Uber services are able to enjoy several advantages that were not there before it launch. The customers dont have to wait for long times for a cab as it was initially. They have short waiting time enabling convenience. Customers are able to book cab on their Smartphones and be shown where the nearest cab. Customers pay lower prices compared to the ones paid before. They Uber Smartphone application enables calculations of price per kilometer covered. Uber services enable customers track the ride using the Smartphone application. They are able to see the direction the cab is taking and be notified incase the drivers diverts from the map. And lastly, customers enjoy discounts and free rides occasionally. Customers use their smart phones application to see difference prices in changing hours and take advantage of price discounts and free rides when they are available. Using Uber services has disadvantages too. Customers using these services cannot be able to predict price with certainty. Prices keep on changing with changes in traffic. Customers experience surge prices in peak hours. These costs are in most cases higher than the other taxi prices. Customers using Uber services are required to have the Uber application. This limits the flexibility of using the service. It makes it hard for customers to pay for someone else for a ride. Uber uses review and recommendation social shopping model. This enables customers to rate drivers after every ride. Customers give review of the services they have been offered by the company and are seen by other potential customers (Kim, 2013). This helps new customers booking for a ride choose between the drivers based on their rating and reviews. Uber Services are not good to the environment. Uber services increase environmental pollution. Uber drivers dont stay in one point but rather keep on moving around to enhance convenience of customers. These cabs use fuels engines. This leads to release carbon (II) oxide to the environment. Therefore, increasing their movement around the cities means that they will use more fuel hence more emissions to the environment. They increases air pollution in the area they operate leading to degradation of the environment. This is contrary to the other taxi services where the cab stays in one place till it picked by a customer. Competitive Advantage The Uber business is in short distance transport industry. The industry has been dominated by taxi cabs before the launch of Uber in 2009. Uber offers cab services around the cities and its outskirts (Stone, 2015).Users have to choose between the Uber services, taxi and other short distance cheap means like bicycle or public transport. The following are porters five competitive forces facing Uber Company; The first force is Competition in Industry. The short distance industry of travelling around the towns and its outskirts is having a lot of competitors. There are several other forms offering the same transport services in the industry. This means that customer have a wide range to choose from .This indicates that the Uber Company has low power in relation to this force and has to work hard to maintain it service users and providers. The second force is power of suppliers. Suppliers of Uber services are cab drivers who provide services to potential customers. The company uses private drivers who sign in to work with it. There are many private drivers in every city and the company targets them to be recruited and start offering Uber services to customers. In this case, the company has high power because of the many numbers of suppliers who it can use provide Uber services to the customer. Third is the threat for new entrant to the industry. This refers to force as a result of new entrance of companies in the industry. This leads to lowering of the market share. Since the launch of Uber in 2009, there have been several other business launches that operate in the same business model as for Uber service. The cost of entering the industry is not above reach and this makes it possible for new companies to enter becoming effective competitor to Uber INC. Therefore, it can be said that Uber has low power in the industry has new companies can enter the market. Fourth is the power of customers. This refers to potential ability of the Uber service consumers to influence lowering of the prices. It also refers to the cost of a consumer shifting from Uber services to its competitor. It is easy for Uber customers to both drive prices down and shift between service providers. This indicates that Uber holds low power to its customers. Lastly are the threats of substitute products: This refers to other products in the market that can serve the customers the same need. The short distance transport industry has many other means of transports. For instance, customers can opt to use the public transports or ride a bicycle. This shows that Uber faces high treats from substitute products. Uber is executes cost leadership strategy to attain a competitive edge in the industry. Uber started offering the same taxi service to customers at a lower prices to travel the same distance (Porter, 1980) .This has been attractive current and potential customers of Uber services. This strategy helped it enter the market and grow its market share. I dont think Uber created a new market in the industry because the taxi industry has been in existence for years. What Uber did is they came up with a technology that has change the industry. Therefore, Uber can be referred to as disruptive technology and other companies in the industry should adopt the technology in order to remain in business. References Barnes-Vieyra, P. Claycomb, C. (2001). Business-to-business E-commerce: models and managerial decisions. Business Horizons, 44(3), 13-20. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0007-6813(01)80030-6 Kim, D. (2013). Under what conditions will social commerce business models survive?. Electronic Commerce Research And Applications, 12(2), 69-77. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2012.12.002 Kobayashi, I.(2009) Private Contracting and Business Models of Electronic Commerce. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.479902 Porter, M. (1980). Competitive strategy. New York: Free Press. Stone, B. (2015). Heres How Ubers Co-Founder Is Going to Take on Amazon and eBay. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-23/uber-s-co-founder-has-a-new-shopping-app-and-this-is-how-it-works

Raskolnikovs Originality and His Article On Crime Essays

Raskolnikov's Originality and His Article On Crime Raskolnikov's article on crime is vital to the understanding of his beliefs throughout the novel. This article also has such a profound effect on Crime and Punishment as a whole, the subject matter being one of the main themes of the novel. The idea of the "extraordinary man" is referred to very often throughout the book, but also something to note is the subconscious effect that the idea has on Raskolnikov. Sometimes Raskolnikov is not even aware of the influence that this has on him. It is important to note originality, or the ability to "utter a new word," as a defining characteristic of the extraordinary man. In his article on crime, Raskolnikov talks about the importance of uttering a new word, however, the ideas of Pisarev, Nietzsche, and nihilism bring to light the reality that Raskolnikov is not original, does not have a new word to utter, and that lack of originality haunts him throughout the novel. Conflict plays a large role in the novel. "The underlying antithesis of Crime and Punishment, the conflict between the side of reason, selfishness, and pride, and that of acceptance of suffering, closeness to life-sustaining Earth, and love, sounds insipid and platitudinous when stated in such a general fashion as we have done here." (Gibian, 979) The conflict within Raskolnikov is the main source of conflict in the novel. Raskolnikov is torn inside himself: he is a nihilist yet he is not completely a pessimist. The reader must be careful when examining the theme of nihilism in the article and the novel. In many ways Raskolnikov is a nihilist: he doesn't believe in traditional values, he thinks the existence of ordinary people is senseless and only useful in the most simplistic way, and he believes that conditions of the social organization are so bad as to make destruction desirable. Dostoevsky is not preaching nihilism, but warns against the dangers inherent in it, despite seein g the impulses of young radicals, like his Raskolnikov, as self-sacrificing and altruistic. "Pisarev established that identification of radicalism with Nihilism, and hence with the ambition of creating a tabula rasa by total destruction, on which we have seen Dostoevsky drawing in his letter to Katkov." (Frank, 71) In this letter to his friend Katkov, Dostoevsky writes, "you know they are helpless against these stupidities [radical ideology] and take them for perfection." For this reason, Dostoevsky makes Raskolnikov come to the final conclusion that his idea is incompatible with itself - one cannot go about helping humanity through being unkind to everyone, and that he is wrong. "One can draw several important conclusions from this letter to Katkov. Crime and Punishment was originally designed as a shot tale in five or six printed sheets. The author envisioned its theme as something completely independent of The Drunks. It was only later that the story of the Marmeladov family was introduced into Raskolnikov's narrative. From the very moment of its conception this plan to portray a "theoretician-murderer" was divided into two distinct parts: the crime and its causes, and the effects of the crime upon the criminal's soul." (Mochulsky, 273) There is but a small influence of Nietzsche and his theory of superman on the novel. Nietzsche's first published works came in 1865, and they were essays on Aristotle. Nietzsche's first personal theories were seen in 1867, a year after the publication of Crime and Punishment. The theory of the superman is expounded in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, published in 1885. Instead, the inverse is seen, that Dostoevsky had a profound influence on Nietzsche. In separating humanity into the two categories, Nietzsche applauds Caesar, Napoleon, Goethe, Dostoevsky, and the Sophists as healthier and stronger types. To look at the relationship in this new way, it is interesting to see how Raskolnikov might have affected Nietzsche's principles. Nietzsche is a nihilist, like the former Raskolnikov, supposing that we invent "truths" for the purpose of security. Both Raskolnikov and Nietzsche rebel against these truths. Nietzsche's theory of the "will to power" as a cause of one developing his own morals and behavior is seen frequently in Raskolnikov. Although Nietzsche is an atheist, part of his purpose is to draw people

Macbeth Written Response (Act II Polished) Essays - Free Essays

Macbeth Written Response (Act II Polished) Essays - Free Essays Macbeth Written Response (Act II Polished) Dev Brar Throughout William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the literary device of symbolism often occurs. Shakespeare utilizes this literary device , most specifically blood, water, light and darkness to exemplify the inner conflicts of Macbeth's guilt and guilty conscience. Shakespeare uses blood as a trigger for the protagonist, Macbeth. The sight of blood, triggers Macbeth's guilt of committing the treasonous act of killing King Duncan. More specifically, the sight of blood triggers the internal conflict between Macbeth thinking killing Duncan was the right choice or the wrong choice. In scene ii, Macbeth comments on the appearance of his hands after the deed was done, for his hands were covered in the King's blood. "As they had seen me with these hangman's hands" (2 2 35). Macbeth is commenting on how his hands match the hands of an executioner. By Macbeth stating this line it is evident to the audience that Macbeth is in fact feeling guilt. This is the first instance of Macbeth's battle of guilt between thinking that he had made the right choice to kill Duncan and take the crown, or making the wrong choice. After Macbeth refuses to back to the scene to plant the bloodied daggers and smear Duncan's blood on the guards. By macbeth refusing to go back to the scene it means that Macbeth believes that he has made the incorrect option and guilt os now overcoming him, and returning to the scene will only intensify the guilt because of all the blood. This shows that Macbeth is now attempting to escape the sight of blood, but since there is instances of blood used throughout all the other acts this, meaning that Macbeth cannot escape blood, which is a metaphor stating that Macbeth cannot escape guilt either. The usage of water represents purity, and innocence. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to wash off Duncan's blood with some water. "Go get some water and wash this filthy witness away from your hand"(2 2 56). By Lady Macbeth telling Macbeth to wash this filthy witness away from your hand' represents an attempt to cleanse oneself of the guilt that Macbeth is experiencing. Macbeth, however does not believe that the water will do the trick. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnate, making the green one red" (2 2 73-76). Macbeth is stating that all of Neptune's waters could not clean his hands clean of blood, meaning that all the purity and innocence in the world cannot clean Macbeth of his guilt. Macbeth also states that he would turn all the green waters crimson red, this again is due to Macbeth thinking that killing King Duncan has made an internal wound so deep, that is buried with guilt, when a ttempted to be cleansed will turn all the purity that Macbeth sees turn into guilt. Light and darkness is the contrast between good and evil. Light and darkness also represents innocence and guilt. Light and darkness are used to contrast the innocence/good and guilt/evil in Macbeth. The quote "When shall we three meet again That will be the set of the sun" (1 1 4) foreshadows Macbeth's inner conflict of light and darkness, of innocence and guilt. In other instances it is shown that guilt and evil are beating innocence and good. "Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires" (1 4 50-51). Demonstrates Macbeth acknowledging that he will be guilty of Duncan's death in the future, but prays' that the light fades away and that darkness prevails. With the darkness of evil taking over Macbeth, guilt comes with it, so that when Macbeth does an evil deed the darkness inside him grows. However as the darkness grows the hunger for evil greatens, but when satisfied, guilt is a symptom in which one must suffer for all the evil they had done. Shakespeare uses various literary elements to portray themes in his tragic. In act II being guilt through the use of symbolism. Due to the guilt in which Macbeth experiences causes him to act differently. The guilt causes Macbeth to undergo slight character change, creating

Media language accelerates recovery - Emphasis

Media language accelerates recovery Media language accelerates recovery The increasing use of the word recovery in the press during the recent financial crisis may have contributed to the UKs eventual climb out of recession, new research from Emphasis has found. This unique project the second from the Emphasis Research Centre began as a positive alternative to The Economists R-word index, which predicts economic downturns by tracking the use of the word recession. The research charts the use of the term recovery (along with green shoots) in the British broadsheets during the recent recession and the months leading up to it. It reveals what appears to be a significant link between the number of press articles mentioning the word and climbs in both the FTSE 100 and Nationwide Consumer Confidence Index. The sudden increase in the use of recovery actually began long before any real sign of one existed. In fact, the UK was sliding further into recession and the markets were in freefall at the time. But the continued and ever-increasing reference to a tentative recovery may have helped precipitate a slight return to form, as both indexes began to rise slowly in February 2009. Other factors undeniably played a part in renewed faith in the markets. The stimulus package announced in November 2008, the start of quantitative easing the following March, and the G20 summit in April 2009 are all likely to have influenced confidence. And mentions of recovery, though regular, were often far from positive. Yet the apparent link between the rise in newspapers references to recovery and the fluctuations in both the FTSE 100 and Consumer Confidence Index during the most intense periods of the economic crisis seem significant. It could be that merely repeating the word recovery, like a mantra, somehow seeped into the subconscious of both the public and the market, says Rob Ashton, Chief Executive of Emphasis. This may be an example of journalists creating the news as well as reporting it. Download the full Recovery Watch research report here. Download the press release here.

Impact of Technology on Customers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Impact of Technology on Customers - Essay Example Technology has greater influence on each of these phases. The first phase of the NPI process includes resource planning and trade off studies which are essential to identify potential outsource and offshore development opportunities (Benchmark electronics). For this purpose, organizations like Sony Corporation depend on highly developed information technologies including the internet. In the business plan development phase, technology has assisted the Sony to evaluate market opportunity, market risk, and other technical risks; hence the company could deliver effective services to its customers by understanding the main business issues behind product launching. Sony Corporation updates project costs and other project parameters in the project execution phase. Technology plays a significant role in the updation of projects parameters and development of deliverables for the next phase. Conducting gate reviews, the final stage of the NPI project makes sure that predefined conditions have been achieved and hence the project development is on track. In short, Sony Corporation greatly depends on technology in order to carry out its new product implementation programs effectively, and this practice in turn provides larger benefits to ultimate customers. Ways that added value from new technology Global organizations like Sony Corporation get ranges of benefits from the fast growing technology. The Sony has an online network presence in several formats. For instance, one of the company’s websites offers different information on its products and services. This website also provides information on corporate applications for its product and service offerings. Similarly, the company provides a Sony Card and PlayStation Card to its customers with intent to allow them in earning redeemable points while they purchase the company’s products and services. Sony’s Rebate Zone website gives rebates by mail following the purchase of a Sony HVR-V1U HDV Camcorder o r a Sony HVR-DR60 Hard Disk Recorder/Player (Sony marketing mix). The company’s expenditure of over $5 billion in 2009 can be directly attributed to its focus on research and development (R&D) activities. In addition, the focus on R&D has aided the company to launch technologically improved products in the market. For instance, the introduction of BRAVIA, ZX1, VAIO P series of notebook computer, and the Cyber-shot HX1 compact digital camera can be attributed to the company’s increased concentration on R&D activities. This practice also enables the company to revise its product base periodically. It is clear that R&D activities are largely based on wider application of modern technology. As a result of the faster technological development, the company is able to offer improved services to its customers. Support plan for customers Sony Corporation is a global company that daily deals with millions of customers. Customer satisfaction can be completely met only if customer s are provided with effective after sales services. In order to effectively answer various customer queries, the company must apply improved modern technology. Firstly, it is advisable for the company to establish an effective customer care system that offers 7/24 hours’ service. In addition, the company can offer toll free services to its customers for interacting with its customer care.

IMMIGRANTS SHOULD STAY OR LEAVE UNITED STATES Essay

IMMIGRANTS SHOULD STAY OR LEAVE UNITED STATES - Essay Example The United States of America is like that new house to immigrants, legal or illegal. Many have spent all their lives living here. To many second and third generation immigrants, this is all there is. So illegal immigrants, in my opinion, should stay in the United States; they should be given the chance to become legal. Evicting illegal immigrants would require an unimaginable amount of resources. There are estimates of 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States (Saad, 2007). The resources required to first trace and then evict them would be colossal. Some experts say that it is not necessary to evict every single one of them. A hard crackdown and the eviction of a few thousand would send out a clear message to the rest that they were better off leaving. However, others believe that immigrants already braving everything to remain in the United States would employ more diligent measures to remain uncaught (Tamar Jacoby as cited in Jacoby, 2007). They would merely increase revenue for human traffickers and document forgers.

Political Movement in Hong Kong Essay Example for Free

Political Movement in Hong Kong Essay A. Introduction Moral and national education is a school curriculum proposed by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong to replace the original civil and moral education which aimed at developing a positive value and attitude of students, building a well quality of moral and national sense.1 In 3rd October 2010, the Hong Kong Chief Executive, Donald Tsang stated in his policy address, the moral and national education will be introduced to the education syllabus of the primary school and secondary school in 2012 and 2013 respectively with the aim of strengthening the national education of students in Hong Kong. However, this curriculum brought to a large controversy among the society of Hong Kong. Organizations like the scholarism, national education parent concern group and the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union, etc. opposed the need of proposing this curriculum for two main reasons, first, that is unnecessary to introduce this subject independently since the syllabus of Chinese history and Liberal studies have overlapped with moral and national education. Second, this curriculum is compulsorily introducing the sense of national patriot to students, education will come down to be the tool of political brain washing to students. Therefore, various social networks organized an anti-national education movement, which resulted in a great ring of the public and the concession of the government. In this movement, social networks play an important role, they facilitate the mobilization of people, bringing awareness of the people so as to enlarge the scale of the movement. In this paper, I will mainly investigate the role of social networks in strengthening and undermining the movement, and also the effort tin bringing participant with different or similar background together. On the other hand, I wll discuss the importance of internet in strengthening and undermining the movement in various aspects. B. Strength of social networks in unfolding the movement There are a few social networks that remarkably helped the development of the anti-national education movement, not only on their own work, but also in attracting the other social networks to join their work and charm the participation. 1. Scholarism The first social network strengthen the movement is scholarism, this  organization is founded by a group of post-90s in 2011, which aimed at opposing the implementation of national education curriculum in Hong Kong. They are the originator of the anti-national education movement and then raise the attention of the people. Early in the 1st July 2011, they have joined the Hong Kong 1 July protest to speak out their request to government to withdraw the implementation of national education in Hong Kong education curriculum. Their voice and popularity then rose with a chain of participation in different movements organized by other social networks, for instance, they have joined the petition demanding the redress the June fourth incident in China, attend the TV programme City Forum, etc. Scholarism tried their best to get the attention of the government and also the public, many other social network have then discover and aware this organizations, nearly 20 social networks, for instanc e, national education parent concern group and the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union then joined together and formed the alliance of opposing national education. The theory mentioned by Della Porta, D. and Diani, M. can be applied to this, people can often become involved in a specific movement or campaign through their previous links, and their participation will forges new links. The alliance then took a great step to unfold the movement by organizing a demonstration with the slogan of â€Å"no brain washing† on the 29th July 2012. 2. National education parent concern group The second social network that remarkably helped to unfold the movement is the national education parent concern group. This organization is founded by Chen Shik Chi, a lecturer of the Hong Kong Chinese University. The aim of this organization is to request the withdrawal of national education from the education curriculum in Hong Kong. Within a month, the number of members of this organization has risen to near 1500. This organization is relatively not a political one, the participants are not political leaders or activists, rather is the parents of the students in Hong Kong, with a specific target concerned group, it is easier for them to attract the members. The organization has joined several social movements related to their opposition in national education. For instance, they are one of the member organizations of the alliance of opposing national education, and helped in the 729 demonstration, later collect signs of people in different  districts for their support of anti-na tional education. As we can see that the organizations that particularly active in the anti-national education movement are neither some traditional political organizations nor some large scale organization with a wide range of membership. Yet they are only freshly established organizations with relatively small base of membership and short history. Why they were success in bringing the anti-national movement that topic-catching is the nature of the organizations and the close contact with other social networks. Internally, the unity between members will be denser and more integrated since the base of membership is small, it will be easier for the members to contact with each other and get all-round information, the scale can prevent the situation that members in the group will easily get ideological distinctions and rivalries, the internal network will then be more fragmented. Secondly, with the same goal of requesting the government to withdraw national education from the curriculum, there are many organizations from different groups joined their movement which then formed the multiple affiliations. Multiple affiliations is meaning the linkages between different organizations. This helped a lot in boosting the unfold ing of the movement, for instance, this can facilitate the personal contact and the development of informal networks which can encourage the individual participation and the mobilization of resources. Leaders of different organizations can contact each other for the sharing of information and the plan of movement, most importantly, they can get a consensus on the representations of the movement, so that will form a stronger force of opposition to their enemies. Not only for the leaders, the members from different groups can cooperate with others, for instance, the elites of groups can work together and decide a better plan for the movement. Moreover, the wider range of membership will also increase the participation of the social movement. The overlapped members, that is the members that belongs to the different groups in the affiliation, takes an essential role in circulation of information which helps a lot since the more the information the group can get, the more they can control the speed of mobilization. C. Limitation of social networks in unfolding the movement Although the small scale of the organization can bring the higher efficiency of decision making, it also has some setbacks. Since the  membership base of the organizations is quite narrow, it is hard for them to expand their group internally. The people who intended to join an organization due to three main reasons, first, they will look at the number of individuals in the organization, especially some political ones. People seems to be attracted by the political leaders in the organization so as to join it, then both Scholarism and the National education parent concern group cannot fulfill this requirement. Second requirement is the amount of previous experiences of collective action which is meaning the effort of the organizations in joining or organizing collective actions. Both social networks again are freshly established two years ago, the experiences in participating in collective actions must be relatively less than the traditional groups like the political parties. As we c an see from the two requirements, it is really hard for the two social networks to expand their scale in terms of structure and membership which are crucial in the development themselves and participation in the movements they organized.

Hannibal :: essays papers

Hannibal Twenty-two centuries ago there lived a man named Hannibal, the son of Hamilcar Barca a Carthaginian. Hamilcar was a general in the Carthaginian military in the first Punic War. After the defeat of Carthage in the first Punic War, Hamilcar made Hannibal swear "eternal enmity" to Rome. In 228 b.c. Hasdrubal, Hannibal`s brother-in-law, succeeded Hamilcar and became commander. This meant that not only was the leader of the military but also the political leader as well. In 221 b.c. Hasdrubal was assassinated and Hannibal became commander in Spain. Hannibal was only 25 years old when he was put in command of the Carthaginian armies and the Carthaginian government in Spain. Even at a young age he knew his responsibilities, so he kept his father's plan of military conquest and his brother-in-law`s policy of strengthening Carthaginian power by democracy. He married a Spanish princess and took hostages from the surrounding tribes to ensure their loyalty to him. As a result of this he expanded the Carthaginian power toward the Ebro river, which was the written northern boundary of Carthage by the Rome treaty of 226. Rome attacked Saguntum, a city close to but clearly on the Carthaginian side of the border. This provoked Hannibal to take back Saguntum. The romans considered this an act of war. So in 218 b.c. Rome declared war on Carthage. This begins the second Punic War. After hearing the declaration of war Hannibal immediately starts off towards Rome. The problem was he had to go by land because Rome controlled the seas. Hannibal takes an army of thirty-five to forty thousand men, some on foot and others on horse, along with fifty war elephants across the Pyrenees and the Alps in August of 218. Bad luck falls into Hannibal's lap as early snows and landslides kill many of his men and almost all of his war elephants. While traveling through the Alps he fights battles at Arausio and Genua, easily defeating the Roman warriors, although his troops are in horrible shape. He enters Italy with only twenty-six thousand men and five or six war elephants in September 218. Hannibal and his troops spent the winter in Po Valley. In the spring of 217 b.c. Hannibal was joined by the Gauls, northern Italians who were subdued into fighting the Romans. Now Hannibal had a sufficient army of infantry and cavalry. The hardened Carthaginian troops easily crushed the Roman armies in their way, but without siege equipment the Carthaginians could not destroy the Roman cities. So instead of trying to siege the city they simple killed the Roman soldiers and moved on.

How the World Began Essay

There was no world yet and there were gods living in a great brightness in a circular space Magbabaya, Dadanyahan and Makabughaw were the three gods who first lived in order and balance Makabughaw created the first wind. Magbabaya created the earth from the soil coming from Dadanyahan’s mouth but it was dry and colorless. Dadanyahan sprinkled his saliva and blessed by Magbabaya and it was the first rain. When water washed over the earth it created different landforms and water forms. Vegetation also sprouted and grow. Magbabaya and Makabughaw scoped some soil and made a figure with the use of Dadanyahan’s saliva. They put bones, blood vessels and blood to the seven figures they formed. Magbabaya and Dadanyahan fight about the figures. The weapons they used in fighting, sank to the ground and became the sources of metals for transportation. They agreed to end their fights and made the final form of the figures, Dadanyahan got the six figures. Magbabaya had only one figure and it was the first human who become the guardians of the soil, water, and marine life, the plants, forests. How the World Began Bukidnon Folktale I. SETTING The story happened before earth was created where the gods lived up in the sky. It is evident by the words, â€Å"†¦long long time ago in Banting, a circular space of great brightness encircled with a rainbow.† II. CHARACTERS 1. Magbabaya – the one-headed god, who took pity on Makabughaw and decided to build an extension so the poor Makabughaw could rest. Since the beginning of the story he is a round character, he was sometimes helpful but most of the time bossy and making orders. Although in the end he turned mad and engaged in fight, it was only the course of his actions. 2. Dadanyahan – the ten-headed god, who can give whatever the two gods needed in order tto build or to make something. He is a dynamic character for he has changes in his attitudes in the course of story. From understanding and giving, he turned to be mad. 3. Makabughaw – the winged god had to flap his wings continuously to maintain his balance. He sat riskily between Mabgagaya abd Dadanyan. He made his first wind. He is a flat character, because he did not undergo any substantial change or growth in the course of the story. He was always a helper to the two other gods and just follow what they wished for. III. PLOT a. Exposition The three gods where living harmoniously in the circular space of great brightness. At first there was only wind and no more. They agreed to make the earth so Makabughaw could rest. From the saliva of Dadanyahan and the blessings of Magbabaya, they were also able to make the first rain that shaped the different water and landforms on the earth and made the land vegetative. b. Rising Action After making the earth and the different land, water forms and different plants, they thought there would be someone who will take care of their creations. So they agreed to form images look like them. Dadanyahan’s saliva and a blessing of Magbabaya and the labor of Makabughaw. c. Climax After the seventh figure was molded, Magbabaya had to live to do other things and he told to Dadanyahan not to tamper the image, but Dadanyahan did  and used his creative talents. This brought them into huge fight. d. Falling Action To end the fight they agreed to divide the images. Dadanyahan got the six images which became the engkantos and Magbabaya got only one image. e. Denouement The first human being sprung from the only image of Magbabaya and the small bits of clay from the image became the animals. IV. CONFLICT MAN vs. MAN – The conflict happened between the two characters of the story when they did not want to give way to each other. V. THEME Temptation and destruction Dadanyahan was tempted to touch the image and used his creativity on them, but he just made unwanted creatures that is why they had a big fight. It alsodestructed his friendship with Magbabaya.

Tree Plantation

Man has been closely related with the nature since the down of civilization. Nature is helpful for all human beings. Nature abounds with trees. Trees are one of the best gifts of nature. As the civilization proceeds towards development, valuable nature assets are also getting damaged day by day. So it is the ease with trees. Now the ecological balance is distributed and the life becomes difficult. Our life and existence on earth greatly depends on trees. So we should plant trees through an existence expedition and maintain our ecological balance smooth. The first and foremost thing we get from trees is oxygen. We inhale oxygen from air, which are provided by trees. Trees maintain the climate and the weather of a country. They help causing rainfall and save our country from destruction. Trees save our land from erosion and make it fertile. We get our major food production from trees we get our clothing material from trees. We also get some building materials from trees. Rural houses are mainly made by trees indirectly. We get furniture from trees which are provided by trees. Besides we get many kinds of medicines from trees. In real sense trees give us many things that we can not even count. In a matter of great regret the destruction of trees is common in Bangladesh. Our people cut trees at random. We use plants in the time of need but we can not plant more, which is greatly needed for for existence. Trees are the raw material of many industries, so it is widely used. People use trees as fuel in their kitchen, brick fields. They also cut them to make new houses. It is a great threat to our healthy atmosphere and our environment. The ratio of cutting and planting trees is very much different. We cut more but plant less. We have to plant more and more to prevent ourselves from natural disasters. Tress can be planted almost all the year but rainy season is the appropriate time to plant trees. Each and everybody should be conscious about that utility of trees and should take part in tree plantation. Where we get vacant places in our house, office, schools, colleges, hospitals we should plant them. Or we can plant them on the sides of the roads or any available spaces with a view to provide shade. There are so many nurseries where we can get various kinds of trees and seeds at a minimum cost. It is hopeful that our government launches tree plantation expedition and arrange tree plantation week in a year. Our united effort can make their program successful. The middle east countries fulfill their requirement of fruit, food and vegetables importing them from Bangladesh. We also earn a lot of foreign exchange by exporting barks venoms of snakes, some medicinal fruits from our forest. The trees are our lifelong friend and become a part and parcel in our national life. It is our burden duty and responsibility to plant trees not only plantation but also proper care should be ensured. Finally tree plantation is a most for our own betterment.

Discuss and Analyze The Events of The 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and What Caused Them essays

Discuss and Analyze The Events of The 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and What Caused Them essays The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of American history. Specifically it will discuss the events at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and what caused them. The 1968 Convention in Chicago is remembered for its violent riots and government response to those riots. The problems in Chicago had roots in the Vietnam War, but the many causes went deeper than that. Vietnam helped create a division in the country, but the country was ripe for division and dissension. The postwar consensus in American society was highest in the 1950s when the economy was healthy, and most Americans were content. However, underlying the consensus was unrest in many areas. Teens, born in the war years were tired of following the strict mores of society. They rebelled by wearing jeans, listening to rock and roll, and opposing the morals of their parents. They wanted something different than suburbia, and so they tried to be more liberal and outspoken than their parents. This was the generation that would protest the Vietnam War, dabble in illegal drugs, and eventually rise up against the government and establishment. However, there was much more to the social rebellion that created such a rift in the country. While most white Americans were content in their lives, blacks, who had fought alongside whites in the war, came home to segregation, prejudice, and a lack of basic civil rights. They became increasingly discontent with their situation, and began to loudly protest for their Civil Rights. Their protests actually worked, and the Civil Rights bills of the 1960s ensured equal rights for blacks and other minorities. Seeing this success, others who were discontent with the government and the war in Vietnam used the same tactics to protest, but these protests began to turn violent and ugly. Blacks are killed in many riots, including riots following the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther K...

The Brothers Grimm Brought German Folklore to the World

The Brothers Grimm Brought German Folklore to the World Almost every child knows fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty  and not just because  of the watered-down Disney movie versions. Those fairy tales are  part of Germanys cultural heritage, most of them originating in Germany and recorded  by two brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Jacob and Wilhelm  specialized in publishing  the folklore, myths, and fairytales they  had collected over many years. Although most of their stories take place in a more or less medieval world, they were collected and published by the Brothers Grimm in the 19th century, and have long retained their grip on the imagination of  children and adults all over the world. Early Life of the Grimm Brothers Jacob, born in 1785, and Wilhelm, born in 1786, were sons of a  jurist, Philipp Wilhelm Grimm, and lived in Hanau in Hesse. Like many families at the time, this was a large family, with seven siblings, three of whom died in infancy.   In 1795, Philipp Wilhelm Grimm  died of pneumonia. Without him, the familys income and social status declined rapidly. Jacob and Wilhelm could no longer live with their siblings and their mother, but thanks to their aunt, they  were sent to Kassel for a higher education.   However, because of their social status, they were not treated fairly  by the other students, an unfortunate situation that continued even at  the university they attended in Marburg.  Because of those circumstances, the two brothers became very close to one another and deeply absorbed in their studies. Their law professor awakened their interest in history and especially in German folklore. In the years following their graduation, the brothers had a hard time taking care of their mother and siblings. Simultaneously, both started to collect German sayings, fairy tales, and myths. In order to collect those well-known and widely spread fairy tales and sayings, the brothers Grimm talked to many people in many places and transcribed the many stories they had learned over the years. Sometimes they even translated the stories from Old German into modern German and adapted them slightly. German Folklore as Collective National Identity The Grimm brothers were not only interested in history, but in uniting a disparate Germany into one country. At this time, Germany was more of  a conglomeration of about 200 different kingdoms and principalities. With their collection of German folklore, Jacob and Wilhelm tried to give the German people something like a collective national identity.   In 1812, the first volume of Kinder-  und Hausmrchen was finally  published.  It  contained many of the classic fairytales still known today like Hnsel and Gretel and Cinderella.  In  subsequent years, many other volumes of the well-known book were published, all of them with revised content. In this process of revision, the fairytales became more and more suitable for children, similar to the versions we know today.   Earlier versions of the tales were rather crude and filthy in content and form, containing explicit sexual content or harsh violence. Most of the stories originated in rural areas and had  been shared by farmers and among lower classes. The Grimms revisions made these written versions suitable for a more refined audience. Adding illustrations made the books more appealing to children. Other Well-Known Grimm Works Besides the well-known Kinder-und Hausmrchen, the Grimms continued to publish other books about German mythology, sayings, and language.  With their book Die Deutsche Grammatik (The German Grammar), they were the first two authors who researched the origin and development of the German dialects and their grammatical circumstances. Also, they worked on their most lavish project, the first German dictionary. This Das Deutsche Wà ¶rterbuch was published in the 19th century but was really completed in the year 1961. It is still the largest and most comprehensive dictionary of the German language. While  living in Gà ¶ttingen, at that time part of the Kingdom of Hannover, and fighting for a united Germany, the Grimm brothers published several polemics criticizing the king. They were dismissed from the university along with five other professors and also kicked out of the kingdom. First, both lived again in Kassel but were invited to Berlin by the Prussian king, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, in order to continue their academic work there. They lived there for 20 years. Wilhelm died in 1859, his brother Jacob in 1863. To  this  day, the Grimm brothers literary contributions are known all over the world and  their work is tightly bound to the German cultural heritage.  Until the European currency, the Euro, was introduced in 2002, their visages could be seen on the 1.000 Deutsche Mark bill.   The themes of Mrchen are universal and enduring: good versus evil in which the good (Cinderella, Snow White) are rewarded and the wicked (stepmother) are punished. Our modern versions- Pretty Woman, Black Swan, Edward Scissorhands, Snow White and the Huntsman, and others show just how relevant and powerful these tales remain today.

Gay marriage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Gay marriage - Research Paper Example Nonetheless, it is undeniable that gay marriages have become a part of the modern society and their prohibition, there is still people practicing homosexuality and the definition of marriage seemingly comprises people instead of man and woman (John, et al 2). In a worrying trend, more people are jumping into the bandwagon and acquiescing to same sex marriage mostly due to the misinformed notion that by outlawing gay marriage governments effectively show they can take away people’s rights. However, it is worth noting that continued embracing of these unions both legally and eclectically is in the long term bound to have the effect of undermining the value of marriage. This paper will present and defend the arguments against gay marriage and criticize some of the arguments for it in an attempt to contest the validity of same sex unions. The bible presents the basis of reasoning in the Judaic and Christian respect; consider the story of creation, initially God created Adam a sexually undifferentiated entity then from him produced two differentiated entities man and woman. Considering this was the only resulting different between Eve and Adam, then it goes without saying that to reconstitute the sexual whole, erotic intimacy achieved in the process of heterosexual coitus will be required. In this respect, homosexual intimacy cannot constitute marriage since it will be devoid of the sexual compatibility and complementariness that would characteristic of opposite sex unions; thus, is in contradiction to the original order of nature (Robert). This biblical scripture further condemn the actions in a more overt way both in the new and Old Testament, in Corinthians Paul condemns â€Å"men who lie with males† and classifies them among other diabolic individual unlikely to have a stake in the heavenly empire. Islamic faith also condemns the practice and evidence of this can be seen

Organisational Theory (Business Management) Essay

Organisational Theory (Business Management) - Essay Example The organizations also require their employees to be technological savvy so that they can cope up with rapidly evolving technologically driven environment. The future of organization is thus expected to be very different in terms of its operations form the current due to rapidly changing technological driven environment. Modernism (Ontology: Objectivism) This theory focuses on organization as an independent objective thus taking a positive approach in generating knowledge which is vital in increasing efficiency. This theory focuses on an organization as a community sustained through human relationships and use of subjective ontology in most of the everyday activities. This implies that instead of man treat organizations as webs of meaning that are jointly created and not as objects to be measured and analysed hence exploring meaning to realities made possible by those who participate in them. Post modernism generates health scepticism towards dominant theory hence licensing individua ls to try something different most of the time (Melaney, 2001). The organization culture is the collection of values and norms that people in a company share thus controlling the way in which individuals interact with one another in their day to day activities. The values represent beliefs and ideas especially in the organization goals which workers pursue thus achieving them in a particular pattern and behaviour which often differ from one person to another. These values over time develop norms and guidelines together with expectations that determine the behaviour of employees which in turn affects the behaviour of the management towards them. The organizational culture in most cases spans form the top management downwards thereby acting as a control mechanism which shapes the behaviour of the employees at different levels of management thus establishing organization behaviour. This promotes the employees effectiveness through mutual understanding between individuals and groups wit h the ultimate goal of achieving the best results for the company. This provides a continuous system in which employees work harmoniously thus controlling themselves while adhering to the norms of the company. This theory also focuses on how organization members make meaning and role that determine the direction of workplace. The art of moving cultural symbols is predominantly made by the press and the politicians thus changes the meaning of situations and locations in which they occur. The postmodern cultural studies often go beyond fragmentation assumption by asserting that reality is an illusion that aims to suppress and marginalize those who do not accept and support the dominant view. According to this theory, organization culture is just one more from form those in power to mask their manipulation and control of others thus leading to destructions (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006). Critical theory (Epistemology) This theory is an approach developed by Frankfurt school in Germany and it holds that every society is totality in which each feature is essentially connected with others constituted by forms of beliefs and understanding in the society. The theory argues that atomism and objectivism are false, the epistemology of critical theory combines historical materialism, Freudian

LIFE FROM THE INSIDE OUT Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LIFE FROM THE INSIDE OUT - Article Example Stevens is also director of the Golden Apple Art Residency located in Harrington, Maine. The following paper seeks to describe one painting from these paintings, in addition to what the painting means. The painting chosen for this paper is Slipping into the Velvet Past. This painting is shown in the picture below. Slipping into the Velvet Past is a painting created in 2011 whose medium is an oil painting on canvas. The painting is a large-scale painting from the series of paintings Journey: Life from the Inside out, measuring a height of 48 inches and a width of 60 inches width. The painting is a visual metaphor that describes various psychological stages that happen in a journey that persons embark on. It is a unique narrative that is also figurative. A woman referred to as Annara, a female figure who depicts the hope experienced during a journey, is telling the story narrated in this painting. She is seen resting with a white mask on her face and wearing a white dress. She rests curled up in the middle of dried velvety fallen leaves in a jungle. She depicts a sweet, innocent girl. Annara is seen in this painting with her eyes closed, as she peacefully awaits the unfolding of her life (www.ferris.edu, 2012). The young girl describes youth and the anticipation of life as it unfolds, waiting to experience the endless possibilities that await her. As a young person, Annara has little personal history of her life or any past failures that could stand in her way or discourage her. She is also a young person with no sense of danger to warn her of her wonderful future. All she has is her imaginations to impel and propel her to her future ahead. She is, therefore, in a pure and clean state and surrounded by hope and promise. This is demonstrated by her surrounding, an environment of natural coexistence that is not polluted by modern technology. As she lies down curled up like a baby, Annara describes fragility and delicateness in

Age assessments for unaccompanied asylum seeking

Age assessments for unaccompanied asylum seeking DISSERTATION Age assessments for unaccompanied asylum seeking children: Policy, law and implications for social work. Abstract Methodology Literature Review Chapter One – Introduction Chapter Two – Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers Chapter Three – Age Assessment Policy, Legislation and Practice Chapter Four – Conclusion and Recommendations. Unaccompanied asylum seeking children arrive in the UK seeking refuge from often-horrific events in their home countries. The response of both national government and local authorities to this influx has been largely unsatisfactory with campaigners arguing that the focus has been on cutting costs and removing young asylum seekers rather than providing them with the care that they are entitled to. This study suggests that policy and practice around age assessment is central to this argument. There is significant evidence that local authorities are pressurising social workers to age assess children as older than they are in order to save them money. The haphazard way in which age assessments have usually been carried out only serves to encourage this behaviour. Even without financial pressure, the lack of a standard approach to age assessment is also leading to inconsistencies when age assessments are put into practice The focus of this dissertation has been to analyse how, why and when age assessments are used in processing unaccompanied asylum seekers and examine whether the process is fair and consistent. The methodology has primarily to adopt secondary sources and evaluate evidence from as wide a range of viewpoints as possible. The dissertation has been aimed towards a conclusion that the current process is unsatisfactory and has attempted to deliver recommendations that could improve the process. Literature for this dissertation has been gathered from a combination of academic books and journals, government publications, reports produced by independent agencies and articles from newspapers and magazines including The Guardian and Community Care. One of the most detailed reports on the subject of assessment is the 2007, When is a child not a child? Asylum, age disputes and the process of age assessment by Crawley. Much of the factual detail about the actual mechanics of age assessment has been gathered from this source. Of academic journals, the articles written by Kohli have been most useful as they delivering the results and analysis from a wide range of studies around unaccompanied asylum seekers. Each year, approximately 3000 unaccompanied children and young people arrive in the UK to seek asylum.[1] Many of these are subject to age assessment to clarify that they are entitled to services available to vulnerable children in the UK. The age of people claiming to be children can be disputed by a range of professionals, from immigration officers to police and social workers. It is important to define what an age assessment actually is at the beginning of this study. An age assessment is he method used by either the UK border and Immigration Agency or local authority social services departments to assess the age of an asylum seeker.[2]There is currently no method that is capable of defining the exact age of a child and the accuracy of the assessment will often be produced within a range of two years over or below the assessment age.[3] Some commentators have argued that many local authorities have proactively looked to avoid the cost of looking after young asylum seekers in need and have set up control measures to keep children aged 16-18 out of the territory.[4] One of the mechanisms for doing this has been attempts by social workers to stop classifying unaccompanied minors as children. There have been suggestions that many social workers became preoccupied with attempting to assess the age of applicants rather than providing services and that such an assessment was crude exercise based on the individual opinion of a single social worker. As Kohli writes â€Å"studies reported a growing disbelief in respect of those claiming to be under 18 and the treatment of anyone over 16 years as a de facto adult allowed access to food and shelter but little else.†[5] Professionals working in the highest echelons of childcare have expressed similar concerns, for example the Children’s Commissioner Sir Al Aynsley Green has stated: â€Å"Although Home Office Policy is for the immigration officer to apply the ‘benefit of the doubt’ in favour of the applicant in borderline cases, the evidence suggests that in practice this is frequently not adhered to. The result is that a substantial number of asylum seekers who are in fact unaccompanied children are excluded from the protection of domestic care regimes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [6] Government policy from the early part of the decade has been to work in partnership with local authorities and disperse asylum seekers of all ages around the country. The Home Office negotiated contracts with a number of authorities to receive and accommodate asylum seekers.[7] There also is evidence to support this. Central government has since 2005 looked to change the role of social work teams at ports of entry to work practically as adjuncts to the Border and Immigration Agency, deliberately narrowing the gap between immigration and social services functions. There is clearly a financial motivation for this – in 2005 the 6000 unaccompanied asylum seeking children offered services by local authorities comprised less than 10% of cases yet used up approximately 25% of the Home Office budget.[8]Social work teams have been set targets in terms of turning away age disputed asylum seekers and assessing clients claiming to be 15 as older.[9] This study looks at how the UK deals with unaccompanied asylum seekers and in particular examines policy and practice around age assessment. Chapter two focuses on the legislation in place and policy around it whilst chapter three looks more specifically at the age assessment processes and the general failings of the system in the UK. Chapter four concludes with recommendations on improving the system Unaccompanied asylum seeking children arrive in the UK for a number of reasons. A recent study of 218 arrivals found that half came from countries undergoing armed conflict or serious disturbances and over two fifths were victims of direct or indirect persecution. Deprivation, poverty or trafficking for exploitation were other primary reasons for seeking asylum.[10] Dealing with asylum seeking children, either with or without their families is a growing area of social work practice yet one in which there is relatively little understanding of the needs or circumstances of such children.[11] In legislative terms, legislation such as The Children’s Act 1989 and The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families remain central to issues around assessment and care for asylum-seeking children and they should also be included under the remit of the Every Child Matters agenda. The Children and Young People’s Plan 2005 for example makes reference to joint working between housing and social care bodies to meet the housing needs of unaccompanied asylum seekers. [12] For local authorities, there is a duty to provide services necessary to safeguard and promote the well-being of any children deemed to be in need under the Children Act 1989. Due to the absence of their parents, unaccompanied children are classed as vulnerable and therefore in need. The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 also reinforces the local authority duty to support unaccompanied minors. It is helpful to have a clear definition of what an unaccompanied asylum seeker actually is. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate definition is a young person under the age of 18(or who appears to be if there is no proof); who is applying for asylum in his or her own right; and who has no adult relative or guardian to turn to within the UK.[13] The age of an unaccompanied asylum seeker has historically been an important factor in respect of the Special Grant that the Home Office made available to unaccompanied minors. Prior to 2004 there were two levels of support available, with those supported under the age of 16 receiving a higher level and those first supported at age 16 or 17 receiving half that amount.[14] However, a judicial review – the Hillingdon Judgement – carried out in 2004 has significantly increased the impact on local authorities. The judgement ruled that, except in exceptional cases, all asylum-seeking children must be treated under section 20 of the Children’s Act 1989 which classes them as looked after children. [15] There is clearly an impact on service provision for both national and local government. Watters writes that â€Å"the arrival of significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children through the port of Dover thus presented very significant challenges to social care, health and education providers in the south east.† [16] Asylum seekers who after the assessment process became looked after children would be entitled to foster or residential placements, an allocated social worker and financial support. They may also have qualified for the benefits of leaving care status up to the age of 21, a further financial burden on local authorities. The question of age then is a crucial issue for local authorities. Many young people seeking asylum do not have official papers or documentation confirming their age so practitioners in both social services and immigration have difficult decisions to make. It can be difficult to draw information from asylum seeking children – research shows that when they are asked about reasons for their asylum request, they try and fit their stories into the narrow format that they believe are acceptable in their given country.[17]This in turn can lead to scepticism amongst officials and social workers, the same research reported instances of social services personnel being cynical about young Kosovan and African males claiming to be younger than they looked and thus worrying that their services were being exploited and their resources drained.[18] Ultimately, age assessment is a crucial tool for immigration officials and social workers. There are asylum seekers who try to abuse the system, so a method of asserting age is required. When the current practices serve this purpose will be discussed in chapter three. When and Why Most age disputes in asylum cases occur when an asylum seeker first applies for asylum, normally at their port of entry.[19]There is little in the way of formal assessment at this point, age disputes will be lodged primarily based on the basis of appearance, demeanour and documentation. Another issue of contention is the range of individuals or professionals that might dispute the age of an asylum seeker – this can include immigrations officials, social workers or police officers. Social workers may even dispute the age of a child who had not been queried by immigration officials. Age disputes may happen several months or even years after a child has entered the country. Crawley quotes a case study of a young girl who had been brought into the country at a young age to be used as a domestic slave. When immigration officials became aware of her five years later – still under the age of 16 – she was age disputed before eventually taken into the care of a social services department.[20] In contrast, many young people, perhaps some who are over 18, slip through the net and are classed as minors. Many social services departments simply do not have the resources to undertake formal age assessments and have concerns about the impact of multiple interviews and assessment on young asylum seekers. As such, decisions are made not to query age. Policy and Legislative framework Home Office policy in terms of unaccompanied minors is set out in policy documents including Policy bulletin 33, Guidance from processing applications from children and Guidance on age disputed cases 3rd ed which lays out specific procedures for professionals who dispute a claimant’s age and believe that it is an adult claiming to be a child. One of the most interesting aspects of policy and perhaps the most controversial in the light of what appears to be happening is that the INDs guidance on age disputed cases states clearly that when there is an age dispute â€Å"a claimant must be given the benefit of the doubt with regards to their age unless their physical appearance strongly suggests that they are aged 18 or over†.[21]It seems that this is not the case currently in practice – local authorities certainly are encouraging social work team to dispute age more regularly. Other aspects of the IND guidance can be confusing and it is not surprising that there are inconsistencies in practice. For example there is no actual duty for immigration officers to refer age disputed cases to the appropriate local authority, rather this is something that should be done in principle, a situation that can only complicate things for social workers further down the line. Overall, the current system seems disjointed and variable. As Crawley writes: â€Å"There is evidence of a significant gap between what is supposed to happen and to what happens in practice†[22] and some of the issues involves at age assessment units around the country highlight this: A general lack of care, including a lack of food and water, for young people waiting to be screened A failure to use the privacy of separate interview rooms Difficulties with microphones meaning conversations held through the glass screen in the public area are either overheard or not heard at all No responsible adult being present to support young person[23] Clearly age assessment is not a simple matter. All children vary in development, maturity and natural growth and there can be a wide range of supposed ‘normal findings’ at various ages. It is extremely difficult to accurately gather a young persons age and things such as race, ethnicity and local conditions such as disease and malnutrition have to be considered in any assessment. Whether children’s social workers are qualified to do this is questionable The organisation Youth Support which assists young refuges reports that in its own age assessment process it includes as many factors as possible including â€Å"height, weight, body mass, shoe size, developmental factors such as skin care and teeth, sexual development; mental and emotional age estimates including thought processes and general concepts. Also of great importance is the history and social milestones which the young person might have experienced – again talking culture and religion into consideration.†[24] There is clearly inconsistency in the process nationwide. Michie argues that one of the problems in the UK has been that a diversity of systems and guidelines has developed in assessing the age of unaccompanied minors, involving a combination of history collection, physical anthropometry and radiographs. He writes: â€Å"Their lack of uniformity identifies an underlying difficulty: there is no method by which chronological age can be precisely estimated in this age group. Paediatricians in the United Kingdom care for small numbers of individuals in late adolescence and early adulthood in graduate outpatient services, but often have little experience in this area.†[25] There are some success stories. At Heathrow Airport for example, Hillingdon Social Services have used a number of strategies to deal with large volumes of unaccompanied asylum seekers. These have included use of a dedicated police officer for child protection, a specific questionnaire for staff working at terminal 3 and the development of a specifics age assessment tool combined with specific training,.[26] Guidance for Social Work Practice Age assessment is clearly a difficult area for social work practitioners. There is little experience in this type of work and relatively little in the way of practice guidelines. The guidance drawn up by the Children’s Legal Centre is perhaps the most useful document for social workers to refer to when carrying out age assessments. Some of the points included are: Taking account of ethnicity, culture and customs of the person being assessed and well as the level of trauma, tiredness, anxiety and bewilderment present The asylum seeker may have had coaching prior to arrival. It is important for the social work to engage with the person in a process sometimes known as ‘joining’. The assessment framework should be led by open, non-leading questions The practitioner should note the verbal and non-verbal (body language) behaviour of the person A useful indicator is if the person seems uncomfortable talking to an adult A detailed family tree with ages of parents and siblings can help assessing likely age Questions about the activities and roles a person was involved in prior to entering the UK can be a good indicator Social workers may consider arranging for the person to be put in a social situation with people of the age stated and observing interaction Gaining detailed accounts of educational history can be a valuable source of information in making an accurate age assessment Assessment of life skills is useful – does the person have any experience of living independently, managing money etc[27] All of the above can be done in conjunction with opinion and input from other sources including foster carers, teachers, doctors, interpreters and residential workers. It is useful also to have input from paediatricians, dentists or optician although a social worker should take into account advice from paediatricians that there can be a five year error in age assessments.[28] Just as important is information and best practice sharing between professional involved in this type of work. A uniform approach to age assessment across the UK should be a shared objective. There are clearly huge improvements necessary in the way that social service departments across the country deal with unaccompanied asylum seekers. This includes both the process for age assessment and the subsequent services provided. Evidence shows that staff in the various agencies dealing with these children lack knowledge about the services available and how to deal with the emotional trauma that many of these children will have experienced.[29]Social workers dealing with age assessments are clearly lacking in the skills to do so accurately. One reported when surveyed: â€Å"We do them (age assessments) but we can be wrong five years either side – it matters a lot doesn’t it? They can end up with many dates of birth – social services, Home Office, their own..†[30] Practitioners need such understand the vulnerability of the young people they are dealing with and avoid taking a cynical approach. As Michie concludes: â€Å"The fairness, legality and ethical base of any national framework for age assessment has to take into account legal history, jurisprudence as well as the paediatric wisdom, â€Å"What if this were my child?†, Although it may be difficult to quantify the inadequacies of the current system, it clearly compounds abuse to a vulnerable group of children. We must do better.†[31] The are some positives in examining the UK response to unaccompanied asylum seekers . The more holistic approach developed in recent years seems to be more efficient are more aware of the sensitivities of the issues than for example the US and Australian governments. Bhaba et al write of the UK: â€Å"It has made extensive efforts to identify children in genuine need at the earliest possible stage and to institute programmes to target trafficking in children through training of in country border officials and the instigation of research. [32]This is a pleasing sign, yet problems still occur when age is disputed. Recommendations: There are a number of steps that can be taken to improve the way in which young asylum seekers are treated to ensure consistency. Protection of vulnerable children is crucial, yet it is also important that age assessments can be used to identify asylum seekers over the age of 18 who seek to abuse the system. The EU’s reception directive states that unaccompanied children seeking asylum should be appointed a legal guardian[33] and this should be adopted by the UK Helping vulnerable children through the process would be a welcome improvement. Trained, skilled age assessors should be employed at ports of entry. These may well be social workers, experienced in dealing with this age group, accountable to a child protection team with paediatric expertise open to them in some form. Another option would be to establish fully trained multi agency teams based in regional assessment centres, something that would produce holistic and better-informed outcomes. Ideally age assessors should be financially independent of local authority social services – this would limit the chance of pressure being put upon assessors to reach targets for the number of age assessments found to be 18+. The lack of statutory guidance on the process of age assessment should also be addressed – this would help alleviate some of the inconsistencies in the process. A final recommendation, supported by Crawley, would be for the age assessment process to be overlooked by an independent age assessment panel which could provide support and guidance, help with the auditing process and make it less likely that decisions could be challenged or influence by those holding the local authority purse strings. The most important thing is that age assessment is done fairly and consistently, and that young asylum seekers are treated in the same way, regardless of port of entry or the local authority overseeing them. At present this is not the case and there is work for legislators, policy makers and practitioners to do if this is to be rectified. Bibliography Bhaba J, Finch N, Crock M Schmidt S, Seeking Asylum Alone, Themis Press 2006 Chase e, Emotional Well-being of asylum seeking children, http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2008/07/29/108994/well-being-of-asylum-seeking-children.html accessed 15 October Children’s Legal Centre, Practice Guidelines for age assessment of young unaccompanied asylum seekers, http://www.childrenslegalcentre.com/NR/rdonlyres/BAA6E134-7810-42C1-9634-2AC500D326DE/0/PracticeNotesKarenGoodman.pdf accessed 15 October Crawley, H, When is a child not a child? Asylum, age disputes and the process of age assessment, Immigration Law Practitioners Association, May 2007 DFES 2005, Guidance on the Children and Young People’s Plan, Hayes D, Humphries B, Cohen S, Social Work, Immigration and Asylum, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2004 Kelly A, Minors Conflict, The Guardian Jan 31 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/jan/31/asylum.guardiansocietysupplement1 accessed 16 October Kohli R, The Comfort of Strangers: social work practice with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people in the UK, child and Family Social Work ,vol 11 2006 Kohli R, The Sound of Silence: Listening to What Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children Say and Do Not Say, British Journal of Social Work vol 36 2006 Michie CA, Age Assessment: time for progress? Archives of Disease in Childhood, 90(6) June 2005 Mitchell F, The social services response to unaccompanied children in England, Children and Family Social Work, vol 8 August 2003 Watters C, Refugee Children, Routlege 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jan/05/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices accessed 15 October Asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jan/05/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices accessed 16 October http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/asylumprocessguidance/specialcases/guidance/disputedagecases.pdf?view=Binary accessed 15 October www.everychildmatters.com accessed 14 October http://www.ilpa.org.uk/infoservice/Info%20sheet%20Age%20Disputes%20%20Age%20Assessment.pdf accessed 16 October 1 [1] Chase e, Emotional Well-being of asylum seeking children, http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2008/07/29/108994/well-being-of-asylum-seeking-children.html [2] http://www.ilpa.org.uk/infoservice/Info sheet Age Disputes Age Assessment.pdf [3] http://www.ilpa.org.uk/infoservice/Info sheet Age Disputes Age Assessment.pdf [4] P2 Kohli R, The Comfort of Strangers: social work practice with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people in the UK, child and Family Social Work ,vol 11 2006 [5] p2 Kohli 2006 [6] p4 Crawley 2007 [7] p85 Watters 2008 [8] p84 Watters C, Refugee Children, Routlege 2008 [9] p84 Watters C, Refugee Children, Routlege 2008 [10] p179 Mitchell F, The social services response to unaccompanied children in England, Children and Family Social Work, vol 8 August 2003 [11] p132 Hayes D, Humphries B, Cohen S, Social Work, Immigration and Asylum, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2004 [12] p22 Guidance on the Children and Young People’s Plan, DFES 2005 [13] P179 Mitchell 2003 [14] p179 Mitchell 2003 [15] Kelly A, Minors Conflict, The Guardian Jan 31 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/jan/31/asylum.guardiansocietysupplement1 [16] p85 Watters 2008 [17] p711 Kohli R, The Sound of Silence: Listening to What Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children Say and Do Not Say, British Journal of Social Work vol 36 2006 [18] p718 Kohli 2006 [19] p14 Crawley 2007 [20] p16 Crawley 2007 [21] p43 Crawley 2007 [22] p44 Crawley 2007 [23] p47 Crawley 2007 [24] Asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jan/05/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices [25] p612 Michie CA, Age Assessment: time for progress?Archives of Disease in Childhood, 90(6) June 2005 [26] p613 Michie 2005 [27] Childrens Legal Centre, Practice Guidelines for age assessment of young unaccompanied asylum seekers, http://www.childrenslegalcentre.com/NR/rdonlyres/BAA6E134-7810-42C1-9634-2AC500D326DE/0/PracticeNotesKarenGoodman.pdf [28]