Crime Story I Made

My Crime Story Draft ‘Hope hurry up! ’ Shouted my family from their mum and dad’s bedroom. ‘Come on we’re starting our dinner now! ’ Screamed Jane, ‘I’m coming, just cutting this last piece of fabric,’ I exclaimed. ‘Hope Nidon if you don’t get here now I will throw your food away with your designs. ’ I dropped all of my equipment and sprinted briskly downstairs towards my parent’s bedroom. ‘Sorry, I was just design the next big thing in fashion. Hey, don’t you dare tut Usher you will see in 15 years time I will be rich and famous. Isn’t that right mum? ’ ‘Yes, dear now hurry up we’re all starving. I perched myself onto the cushion on the hard concrete floor and started to eat. After we’d finish eating our food Jane, Crystal and me rushed upstairs to our squashy bedroom before our brothers try and get our stuff (especially my designs. ) ‘Luke, weà ¢â‚¬â„¢re going to see if we can get some vegetables. ’ Mum said from the doorway, Luke was the eldest so he was always in charge when mum and dad left us. Meanwhile, we all go outside and play 40/40 IT. We had such a great time laughing and playing until†¦ Angie shouted ‘Guy, come quick look mum dad I beat! ’ ‘In English please. Laughed Tyson, We all ran towards our parents getting beaten up, Luke tried to make them stop but they didn’t. When we had finished watching the horrific sight we sprinted to them and there on the ground they laid dead, bruised and bleeding. ‘Right, we are going to stay in the house at all times, look after each other and I will be the leader. ’ Luke said and from then on I had always been a housewife and had never been looked after by a parent. ‘Hello, Miss Nidon you have 2 interviews today, one with Will Smith at 2. 40 and the other with Joe Swash at 6. 00.Also, you have a press conference in 10 min utes. ’ Explains Amanda, ‘Yeah yeah I’m not stupid that’s why I’m the best in the business. ’ I reply marching along to my office. When I open the door my designs are all laid out perfectly around my room in there packages, when I go to sit down I land on a whoopee cushion. Slowly, I rotate around the office looking to see who did this. Then I see a luminous pink Primark plimsoll. Suddenly, I relies it’s my niece McKenzie, ‘OUT Kenzie now Auntie Hope has a busy schedule and on it, it doesn’t say playtime with McKenzie McKenna does it? I ask her ‘No, Auntie Hope sorry. ’ She replies and she walks out with her head hanging down. I am no softy so I carry on with my work. All of a sudden Amanda calls me via phone and says ‘PRESS CONFRENCE! ’ I do my hair quickly again and power walk to the lift, down the stairs and outside of HoN HQ. So many questions are thrown at me, but I only answer one and say. à ¢â‚¬ËœHoN will be introducing a new departments Furniture, accessories and books. Thank-you! ’ I bow and do a few posses and run to Cafe Rouge. Inside Cafe Rouge, it’s quiet, warm and smells of sizzling sausages.Only the sounds of rustling newspapers and knifes and forks being used can be heard. Just what I need right now. I sit down and take of my coat waiting for a waiter or waitress. Finally, a waitress comes I ask for a full English breakfast and orange juice. While, I am waiting a musclly, dark skinned and handsome man wearing a dirty overall keeps gazing at me. I try not to look back but I can’t help it, he smiles at me and I smile back chuckling a little. I stop and fiddle with my hair and text my friends Jenny and Kelly about him. I get my food and drink eating and drinking it and leave.The next few days I see him again sitting closer and closer to where I sit. This is not occasionally, it is occurring again and again until he speaks to me and I get his number. Then we meet again this time it’s a date and I am really excited. Everything is going well until†¦ I get a phone call from Angelina Jolie asking for her bright red Jumpsuit. So I have to leave. We keep meeting each other until he asks that one sentence that could change my life forever even though I have everything anybody could ask for money, wealth, fame, fortune and happiness.But one thing is missing and that is L-O-V-E! After he proposed we made marriage plan right away and decided to get married in Paris. On Sunday afternoon, I took a day of work to sort out wedding plans and introduce Jayden Swift to my family and friends. First, I showed him to Jenny and Kelly. We had a wonderful chat together talking about the future and how we met. ‘I first was attracted to her when I saw her beautiful blue, sapphire eyes, Jet Black hair cut at a even length with a fringe and wearing a sensible suit.Because I grew up in such a rough area like Hope I didn’t k now she was famous. ’ ‘Oh, sorry girls I need the toilet,’ says Jayden and then her runs off. Jenny and Kelly grab my arm and pull me towards Kelly’s room. ‘Mrs. Swift you are so stupid! ’ Says Jenny slapping my head, ‘Why him? Yes, he’s attractive but he only wants you for you fame and money! ’ Whispers Kelly, ‘No, you both don’t know what your talking about he loves me and so do I simple. ’ ‘I have had such a bad life up to this day and I’m not going to let you two ruin it for me.If you don’t like him then don’t come. ’ The faint sound of Here Comes the Bride being played softly on the piano is heard. The doors opened and everybody turned the heads to take a look at the bride (ME! ) I smile a gigantic smile showing that I am extremely happy a warm feeling is buzzing inside me as I get closer to Jay and the Priest. Jay grabs my hand and whispers ‘you look amazing. ’ I whisper back’ you’re not bad yourself. ’ Then the priest begins to ask us the questions and bless us. ‘You may now kiss the bride. Says the priest, but Jayden waits and stares at me so I kiss him. The after party was great aswel; it was in Le Brudge. At times I tended to sit out of the fun just to have a few moments wishing my parents were here to see their happy daughter. But, I had to move on and show that I appreciated what was going on now. When the after party had finished, Jay was drunk and he said many rude things to me that I thought, why did I marry him? A few days after our honeymoon in Dubai, I went to work and jay decided to sort out the house. ‘Good Morning Mrs.Swift, you have 6 interviews and 20 meetings and your first meeting is in 2 minutes. ’ Explains Amanda, ‘thank-you and from my after party I brought you some shoulders and a mini box on personalised Thornton’s chocolates. ’ I say giggling lik e a child and I skipped to my office. Today was going so well until the meetings (not the interviews, I liked talking to Arnold Schwinger, Jessica Alba, Messi, Justin Timberlake, Usain Bolt and another fashion designer. ) The day went pass slowly and on my 5th meeting, I had a mine grain and am sore all over. I had to take 7 pills in total today.Taking into consideration, I had a mine grain I left during my 9th meeting in Tokyo and flew back home. It was around 11:00pm and it was pitch black only chinks of lights were flashing as the bulb was broken. As far as I knew I could have been walking into a wall or off a cliff. I had never left this late before and didn’t like it. Tentatively, I stare until my eyes hurt only making out a dark silloute which wasn’t there. I keep walking and turn around to see if someone else is there because I have a feeling I am being followed, so I keep turning around and hearing footsteps every time I didn’t.I ignore it and am nearly at my house until I heard a voice whisper ‘why aren’t you mine. ’ Its breath smelt of whisky and I was frightened. ‘Jayden, it’s not funny why would you do that? ’ I cry ‘I am as frightened as a child having a nightmare and wetting the bed. ’ ‘What are you talking about? I’ve been here and cafe rouge all day. ’ ‘Don’t lie or you’ll be out on the streets. ’ I sob, ‘Ok, it wasn’t me but I thought we should go to dinner with my friend Benji, he’ll be here any minute now. ’ He said. DING DONG DING DONG, the bell rings I go and answer it. ‘HELLO, my beautiful chee chee. Says the man who is apparently Benji and he bows and kisses me on the lips. ‘Hey, don’t kiss me I am married you know. ’ ‘Sorry, you’re just so gorgeous. ’ He chuckles and I go bright red. Jay walks over to him and they both go of and talk together. Af ter a while, we begin to leave and head for Le Gavroche. Benji and Jay order 4 beers each and Benji orders a peri-peri meal, with a side order of frogs legs and snails and so does Jay. I order a French platter and a cocktail. I feel uncomfortable when Benji asks me about my life up to date, I only tell him about me and Jayden.When they’d finished it all cost up to ? 1005. 67. The next day I stay at home with a broken leg and a headache, I broke it by fighting with Jayden and tripping over a saucepan while running down the stairs. But, I said to the nurse ‘I fell down the stairs. ’ Today I’ve been thinking I don’t need to work anymore if I’m with Jay, I only worked to keep myself occupied and to prove my brothers wrong. Now, that I am the 3rd richest woman in the world I AM SAFE! ‘Hey Jay, I’m going to quit my job,’ I say hopping he will say yes, but it goes the other way. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, DO YOU KNOW THAT WE’ LL HAVE TO LIVE ON THE STREETS! ’ He yells, ‘NO WE DON’T, I WILL STILL MAKE DESIGNS AND GET PAID BUT I WON’T GO BACK TO HoN HQ! ’ I scream, ‘WE NEED MONEY, TO SURVIVE AND BE†¦,’ he goes into a whisper and starts mumbling. ‘Yeah, that’s what I thought you married me and I was always the rich and famous one. ’ ‘No, you weren’t you were poorer than I was before and after your parent’s died. Until, 9 years ago. ’ He laughs, I wobble and feel dizzy, I shut my eyes and open it jay gets blurry and then it goes black.I wake up the next day feeling very numb, I am laid in the spare room and have a blank and my snuggie over me. A glass of water is beside my bed and a homemade cookie which say sorry drawn with chocolate icing. I giggle and giggle until I got hiccups, ‘morning sweetcakesorrychocolatebaker. ’ I say hiccupping between each word, ‘I’m sweetcakesorrychocolate baker? I am sorry about what happened yesterday I Just wanted us to be†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and he fades off again, ‘its ok I forgave you yesterday when I passed out. ’ ‘Your sister Jane has invited us to her come dine with me dinner and asked if we could come. He said excitedly, ‘O-K L-E-T-S G-O! ’ so, I jump out of bed, have a shower and watch TV and make designs until its 6. 00pm. Jay rings the bell vigorously like a little child begging for a toy. ‘ALRIGHT WERE IN, god sake, SUCH A EAGER BEAVER! ’ Shouts a voice which sounds like a male’s voice. The door opens and standing in front of me is Jane’s husband Harry Dotter, ‘good- evening Harry Potter I need to see Dumbledore. ’ I say bowing and Harry laughs sarcastically. Jayden and I walk hand in hand toward Jane and her kids. ‘Ah, so nice to see you Mr. nd Mrs. Swift. ’ We sit down and talk until the rest of my lazy family arrives. Then we all tuck in a nd make remarks and jokes, it reminds me of the old times but not as enjoyable. Especially with the children around, (new generations. ) ‘You are one of the luckiest men around to have little Hope as your wife, she has always been loved by other men and boys. Once John Elderly asked her out and she said I rather go out with a pig than you. ’ Luke remarks and everyone laughs, until the power cut†¦ ‘Oh darn the lights are out again this street is so rubbish. Mumbles Harry, ‘Jay hold my hand. ’ I cry ‘ok. ’ He whispers faintly. We wait 5 minutes eating our food in the dark and hoping that harry will hurry up. When the lights come on, we all jump and cheer. I kiss Jay and then relies we should separate our hands. I ask him questions and he doesn’t answer I turn to look at him and then I see a sliver, gleaming blade plunged into his heart imprinted he wasn’t worthy and a puddle of blood beneath my feet. (www. toptable. co. u k/details. cfm/qs/rid|267/refid|visit/)

Is Bigger Always Better? Essay

For centuries, a plump figure was considered attractive in both men and women.   Full figures suggested a life of ease and luxury.   Still today, children are taught that an older man in a red suit with a rounded midsection is jolly and approachable.   Some may even feel that a little fat around the belly is not such a bad thing.   Sadly, far too many people have more than a little.   Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic that affects individuals psychologically, socially, economically, and physically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Obesity can strongly affect an individual psychologically and socially.   Just as prejudices against race, sex, and religion are common all across the world, so is prejudice against obese people.   The AORN Journal states that obese individuals â€Å"often are considered lazy overeaters without will power or motivation [†¦] are slothful, have poor personal eating and exercise habits, are of limited intelligence, and lack self-control (Shortt).   Such prejudices have even been seen in physicians who are obesity specialists.   According to a study found in Psychology Today, some physicians â€Å"associated fat people with laziness and stupidity and connected them to words like ‘bad’ or ‘worthless’† (Allen).   The fact that healthcare professionals have such strong biases reinforces how widespread â€Å"the stigma of obesity is in our society† (Allen).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Unfortunately, prejudice and discrimination carries on into everyday life for the obese individual.   Economic hardship may ensue.   Employment opportunities may be affected.   â€Å"Employers often presume that people who are obese are lazy and have poor work habits: (Allen).   This misconception results in job opportunities being denied or limited to the obese.   Employers also â€Å"want their companies to be perceived as ‘young, dynamic, and energetic’ so they avoid putting people who are obese in visible positions, erroneously believing that the obese person will not be quick or alter to the public’s needs† (Allen). Although employment opportunities may decrease, expenses related to obesity are on the rise.   Clothes and shoes cost more because the items may have to be especially made and ordered.   Medical bills for associated health problems begin to pile up.   Finding a seat to fit in becomes an added difficulty.   For example, many airlines are now requiring obese individuals to purchase two seats to accommodate their wider size.   Added expenses pose a serious dilemma, since income rates are lower and poverty rates are higher in families with obese members (Raman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emotional suffering, however, may be one of the most painful effects of obesity.   Society subtly teaches that attraction equals thin.   The pressure from peers does not help either.   Obese individuals, especially children and adolescents, are often subjected to endless teasing and ridicule.   It is of little wonder that not so thin men and women think of themselves as fat and unattractive.   These individuals may start to believe the prejudices about them are true.   Such feelings of low self worth lead to depression in many individuals. Thus, depression is often linked to obesity.   Concerning children, and article in Psychology Today states, â€Å"The longer a child is over weight, the more he or she is at risk for depression and other mental disorders† (Lawson).   Without intervention, these problems can carry on into adulthood.   Obese children and adults are at risk for serious emotional problems.   The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy states, â€Å"Problems include disparagement of body image, a condition in which persons feel that their body is grotesque and loathsome.    They believe that others view them with hostility and contempt, which makes them self-conscious and impairs social functioning† (Beers 60).   Sadly, these emotional problems may affect personal achievements and relationships.   According to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, then umber of years of education and marriage rates were lower among women who were obese in childhood and adolescence (Raman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While the psychological, social, and emotional effects of obesity are significant, the physical effects of obesity are far more profound.   In fact, the physical effects of obesity are life-threatening.   According to the AORN Journal, â€Å"a person who is 40% overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as a person of average weight† (Shortt).   The article continues by stating, â€Å"In 2000, obesity due to poor diet and inactivity cause 16% of all deaths (ie, 400,000), making it the number-two killer after tobacco use (ie, 435,000 deaths)† (Shortt).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Obese individuals are at an increased risk for many chronic medical conditions.   The AORN Journal lists type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and some forms of cancer as conditions related to obesity (Shortt).   Concerning the increased risk of cancer, Brunner and Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing states, â€Å"Obesity is associated with endometrial cancer and possibly postmenopausal breast cancers.   Obesity may also increase the risk for cancers of the colon, kidney, and gall bladder† (Smeltzer 321). The text also correlates obesity and back injuries due to increased stress in the â€Å"relatively weak back muscles† (2051).   Several other physical effects of obesity are noted in the Merck Manual of diagnosis and Therapy including orthopedic disturbances of weight-bearing and non-weight bearing joints.   The text also states, â€Å"Skin disorders are particularly common; increased sweat and skin secretions, trapped in thick folds of skin, produce a culture medium conducive to fungal and bacterial growth and infections† (Beers 60).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Everyday tasks become a burden to the obese.   Climbing a set of stairs, walking to the mailbox, tying shoelaces, and playing with their own children are all considered strenuous activities.   The onset of shortness of breath, increased heart rate and blood pressure, seating, and fatigue quickly bring any type of physical activity to an end.   The increased stress to the heart due to obesity can eventually lead to chronic heart failure and even death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The expression â€Å"bigger is better† is true for many things.   Weight is not one of them.   As waistbands continue to expand, human lives are being endangered.   Obesity is a worldwide crisis that brings long-term psychological, social, emotional, and physical effects.   A closer look at obesity proves that bigger is not always better. Works Cited Allen, Colin. â€Å"Obesity Doctors Are Weight Biased.† Psychology Today.   29 Sept 2003. Beers, Mark and Robert Berkow.   The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy.   17th ed.   West Point: Merck, 1999. Lawson, Willow.   â€Å"The Obesity – Depression Link.†Ã‚   Psychology Today.   27 May 2003. Raman, Rita.   â€Å"Obesity and Heatlh Risks.†Ã‚   Journal of the American College of Nutrition.   21 (2002). Shortt, Janet.   â€Å"Obesity – A Public Dilemma.†Ã‚   AORN Journal. Dec 2004. Smeltzer, Suzanne and Brenda Bare.   Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical – Surgical Nursing.   10th ed.   Philadelphia:   Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004.

Adidas is one of the famous company in sporting items industry Essay Example for Free (#2)

Adidas is one of the famous company in sporting items industry Essay Program (51) , Adidas (19) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? Adidas manager is requiring me to create and design a training program which will improve and develop their graduate employee existing skills. This report is going to target to non-graduate or college student and giving them chances to join this training program. This program is going to help trainee do their function in sporting industry Adidas Aim They are trying to build the relationship with their employee via passion, diversity. Adidas may find an excellent balance between life and work of the employee and more than that they provide an essential need for their employee such as food, drink, work benefit to encourage them which will increase business productivity Adidas Human Resource Strategy Adidas is one of the famous company in sporting items industry. At the moment Adidas are doing staff recruitment for their store which across all over the world and especially in the UK. In a past few year Adidas Human Resources Department decided to do Functional Training Program (FTP) in short- period time which giving opportunity for graduate student to get foundation and great educational qualification before for they start to become a functional professional career inside Adidas group also co-operate with internship and apprenticeships for non-graduate and student who want to work for Adidas company straight after school. We have developed on National Vocational Qualification that will contribute to the business and individual need. According to Olin and Tucker (1997) state that â€Å"National Vocational Qualification government and organisation figure out NVQ training program will develop specific profile of ability and basic knowledge of employee at any level which associated vocational area† NVQ training program focus on particular business industry or sector, it will help Adidas group to find the right employee for specific role in the sporting industry Demonstrate NVQ contribution to Adidas NVQ will also comfort organization or company decrease company cost, increase the competiveness and company productivity. Adidas group found putting resourcing in staff will change in work environment spirit and staff inspiration, much easier to recruitment staff and enhance communication in workplace. It will also make Adidas group look more professional and stand out compare to another business. In another way, NVQ are enabled to help Adidas proof to the world that business hired staff or employee has reach minimum standard quality. NVQ to individual needs NVQ programme provides the portfolio for learner or employee which help learner or employee able to learn-practical or work- the related task which helps them to develop their skills and knowledge to do a job more effectively. National Vocational training program intended to develop employee existing skills and that will improve business performance, NVQ is going to evaluate the staff able to carry out their job as indicated a set of rule in an organization, which rely on work performance. Adidas can adapt NVQ training program to improve their standard via examination. Main body NVQ training program overall design 164465275336000It has a variety of ways to get NVQ: succeeding a normal training program, blend of casual and informal or starting to have a learning approaches or just based on the past capability. NVQ framework are design to testing learner capacities in the working environment. To achieve a NVQs qualification the employee or learner have to demonstrate that there can do certain task which related to the roles or area that they apply to the company or business. NVQs training program are going to do the evaluation in a blend of courses by portfolios are going to confirm and proof that what you have done in training program and perception, an assessor will check and may give reference to the company that you can do the task that related to the business. Following by Malcom (1996) â€Å"NVQs framework system made as capability are created, course are movement and exchange are distinguished. Framework task is to provide a reasonable sorting for NVQs and facilities delivery and progres sion both external and internal of competence† NVQ are design for adult and young people who want to improve their skills to increase their work performance which will lead to build up business productivity. NVQ are set level for the learner from level 1 to level 5, in lowest level are going to aim at company operation and highest level for manager position. NVQ are suitable for people are working are in college and having a part- time job are at school are fulfilled apprenticeship NVQs training program delivery strategy Focus on employee and trainee ought to acclimate themselves with structure, substance and evaluation requirement of certificate previously planning a training program course NVQs training program is delivery to any trainee or learner in many ways which Meets the learner and trainee need and capabilities Pleased acquired qualification NVQs is going to provide to learner and trainee the other skills that not a part of the qualification but will help them improve the existing skills Literacy / language / numeracy Critical thinking and personal learning Individual and social advancement Employability Where pertinent, this could include empowering the possibility to get to applicable capabilities covering these abilities. 1651004191000 With these detail in overall design and delivery training of NVQs. This program will bring benefit to the Adidas group. This will include manage time to teaching so not spend much time or little time on teaching. If too much teaching due to costly and the material which delivery to training or learner can be confusing. Spend little time on training will not improve and maximise trainee skills. More over this training program is classify trainee or student what their aim in training and link back to business role they apply for. In addition, NVQs training program is measuring the employee and trainee by knowledge, attitude and skills. It’s going to be connect between organisation and employee. Moreover, Jim and Roger (2009) suggested that â€Å"Training program is providing individual chance to perform their task more effectively and it will help an organisation get the current target† Finally, NVQs training program may bring benefit to learner and Adidas group by motiva ting, group or personal to inspect current implementations and working environment. NVQs material and exercise support NVQs objective NVQs are cooperate with many practical organisations to become a leader in development skills. They are doing services to training suppliers, employers and learner over an assortment of sector to satisfy the need in workplaces. NVQs certificate or capabilities are estimated by employers all over the world, helping people to build up their talented and capacities for profession career. NVQ Training plan The NVQs is aiming to the employee of Adidas who contributes to the work performed. As, Mayo (2000) â€Å"training plan may have added by Human Resource Department purpose, weigh into the advantages of an individual group in particular organization†. It is including Personal skills: Knowledge/ skill/experience, ability to do the task and what employee will convey to the work from the other part of their social life Personal motivation: desire, goal, work inspiration. Workplace environment: The background of the business, personal respect, free to renovate. Teamwork efficiency: having a same objective and values, helpfulness, communal respect Essential material need in NVQs Assessment and homework to consider becoming the important material in NVQs. It gives speedy and basic methods for checking employee has the right stuff and abilities to work in an exchange. The specialist gets his or her NVQ Level 2 or 3 by a mix of evaluation and works environment preparing, during which time they give confirm they meet the NVQs requirement. Other material, may aid to the learner or trainee to achieve NVQs qualification such as the computer, pen, folder, tablet, video or textbook Example practical organization NVQs is co-operated with City NVQs Logistic Delivery Adidas is one of the famous company in sporting items industry. (2018, Apr 24).

High performance work systems are effective for the performance of Essay - 1

High performance work systems are effective for the performance of organizations but are not very good for employees Critically discuss - Essay Example entally distinct approach for managing the human resource groups as compared to the traditional hierarchical approach of human resource and performance management which are commonly used in mass production and scientific management (Forth and Millward 2004). The core concept of the high performance work system is based on the development of an employer and employee relationship which is radically different from the Tailorysm management techniques of human resource and performance management in which a controlling and dictating approach is taken up (Armstrong 2006). This work system aims at developing high involvement through the development of an adequate degree of commitment among all levels of human resources working in the organization (Forth and Millward, 2004). The notion of the high performance work system are supported by claims that this system of work practices lead to the creation of superior performance at the individual as well as organizational levels (Wright et. al, 2005). However, it can be argued that the system of high performance work systems often makes an organization shift from the conventional and eclectic selection of the best practices employed in human resource management which ensures the creation of higher organizational performance outcomes but does not necessarily add to the performance outcomes of individual employees in an organization (Armstrong 2006). Developing the work on these lines of analysis, this essay is prepared with the objective of critically discussing the role of high performance work systems in organizational and individual performances (Godard 2004). Various researchers across diverse fields of study like industrial relations labor economics, organizational behavior, and strategic human resource management and operations management who have presented varied views regarding the effectiveness of the high performance work systems in the contemporary business organizations (Evans and Davis 2005). As per the views of

Cruise Sub brand collection spring summer 2014 for victoria beckham Essay

Cruise Sub brand collection spring summer 2014 for victoria beckham brand, using rational mega trends - Essay Example The current hot trends in the market are based on the redefinition of the 1950s. The market trend that is so prevalent is the use of bright colors with fancy new designs. This necessitates the brand in following the trend to mainstream its design to light, trendy, and bright colored summer wear. One of the major spring summer trends is the use of an all-white theme. The main reason for white color is that is ever lasting and does not go out of style. Consumers are the backbone of any new product in the market. In this new spring summer collection of 2014, the views of the consumer form a large portion of the whole line. Consumer research shows that consumers need to be fully included in the designing of the products. Their preferences are light and stylish clothes for spring summer. The top three competitors for Victoria Beckham’s spring summer collection are Moschino, Givenchy, and DKNY. According to the SWOT analysis model the above three competitors have one common strength over the Victoria Beckham collection is that the three companies enjoy market advantages due to their existence for a long time. However, all the leading brands including Victoria Beckham’s brand enjoy equal opportunities in accessing the market. The first marketing objective in the smart model that can be used is that marketing should be measurable. The second objective is that the marketing model ought to be realistic. Lastly, the marketing strategy should be time scaled. Objectives in marketing that follow the smart model are more likely to be successful. Market segmentation entails the division of consumers into different groups according to common identifiable characteristic. The major segments possible in the market include gender- related, geographically related, age-related, and lifestyle related segments (Joyce & Woods, 2008). The segment to be targeted is the gender-related

What adjective best describes and defines me Essay

What adjective best describes and defines me - Essay Example However, before delving into a personal analysis of why this word appropriately defines me, it should be considered that for purposes of this analysis, the term motivation and/or motivated will be defined as follows (per the Merriam Webster Dictionary): â€Å"to be provided with a motive or incentive for action† (Merriam Webster Dictionary 2005). It is of course understood that motivated in and of itself is not an effective solitary definition of who I am and how my personality is exhibited to others. However, as a result of analyzing myself, motivated was the singular term that I kept coming back to in seeking to find an appropriate adjective that most appropriately encapsulated who I am and how I approach life and all of the situations it offers. Though many alternative definitions necessarily exist, the term motivated, as it will be analyzed within this analysis is appropriate to defining my personality not due to the fact that it can be used in explaining behavior with regards to academic studies or relationships alone; rather, it serves as an all encompassing term that helps to define how I integrate with the world and define whether or not a given item is of worth and/or how/if I should pursue it. Whereas it is true that many people are profoundly impacted by the way in which their parents instilled values in them or the environment in which they were raised, it is my belief that the motivation that exists within me is as much a product of my own unique identity as the color of my hair or the shape of my own nose. This belief is due to the fact that I have exhibited signs of motivation from early childhood and continue to exhibit them well into adulthood. Whereas many children are briefly blinded by a particular idea and set out to pursue it for a period of time until losing interest, the same cannot be said for me with regards to reviewing my childhood. Taking my interest in music as an example, I

Rabies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Rabies - Research Paper Example This research paper outlines the rabies disease, its history, signs and symptoms. Rabies was well identified in Europe at some stage in the medieval times, and was in all probability transmitted to the New World, where it became widespread in North America and the West Indies by the eighteenth century and in the early nineteenth century it reached South America as well. Record of the disease in Asia is not well recognized but rabies has been in existence since the early times in China and India. Scientific studies on the disease were started in the year 1803 by Zinke who discovered the transmission of the disease by saliva. Louis Pasteur had developed the view that rabies is a disease of the CNS. Vaccinations were thereby worked on and gradually discovered over time. The time period between the initial infection and the onset of the symptoms usually takes around four to eight weeks or it may be a year at times, depending on the distance between the CNS and the site of infection. The initial symptoms in a rabies disease include fever, headache, fatigue, pain at the place of the wound, and even loss of appetite. Symptoms with respect to the two different forms of rabies have been identified. The symptoms of furious rabies include anxiety and agitation, neck becoming rigid, seizures, tears and saliva overproduced, convulsions, enlarged pupils, unusual understanding of light and temperatures, fear of water, insomnia, partial paralysis, hallucinations, abnormal mental clarity, and confusions.

Human Rights Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Rights Law - Essay Example United Nations Human Rights refer to the rights that are natural for all human beings irrespective of the individual’s status, race, color, sex, language, origin, or any other status. These rights are entitled to all individuals without any discrimination. These rights are guaranteed and taken care of by the law. By the International Human Rights Law, there are obligations for different Governments such that have to take actions and measure in particular ways or in certain cases they are restricted to act in certain manners, as well as to promote the rights of humans and allow individuals with their fundamental freedom and liberty (What are human rights?). The present study focuses on the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body System, with a critical overview on their achievements for the international protection of human rights and the challenges that still remain. United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body System: The human rights treaty bodies comprise of certain autonomous e xperts who are in charge of monitoring the accomplishment of the core international human rights treaties. It is their responsibility to supervise whether every State is following the rules and policies in regard to the human rights obligated for the individuals. The independent experts constitute ten treaty bodies that are nominated by parties of the States and are in charge for the implementation of the human rights. The treaties that are monitored include the Human Rights Committee; Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; Committee against Torture; Committee on the Rights of the Child; Committee on Migrant Workers; Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Committee on Enforced Disappearances; and The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Monitoring the core international human ri ghts treaties

Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Rights - Essay Example Considering the natural rights, in particular, are rights of a person, and thought to be beyond the authority of a governing body or international organization. This theory was developed by the famous philosopher John Locke (Wikipedia n.pag). Human rights, democratic system and the statute of law are center ethics of the European Union and entrenched in its beginning pact. They have been toughened by the adoption of a Charter of Fundamental Rights. Value for human rights is a precondition for countries looking to join the Union and a requirement for countries that have business pact and other agreements with it. The European Union considers human rights as universal and inseparable. Hence they promote it aggressively and protecting them within its boundaries and in its relationships with outside nations. The European Union’s human rights policy is made applicable to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. It also looks ahead to encourage the rights of women and children in addition to minorities and displaced persons. The terrorist activity is one of a main concern and the fight against it is given most priority. Even though European Union has superior human rights evidence, yet it is not satisfied. It is mainly anxious about human rights in the area of refuge and migration and it is against racial discrimination, and other types of unfairness to minorities. The European Union has a long practice of welcoming people from other countries. The European Union has already given the rights of the five million non-EU refugee personnel lawfully recognized in the European Union, even with the right of family members to join them. Several steps have been taken up for setting up a Common European Asylum System with approved measures for granting and withdrawing refugee status and setting reception environment for asylum seekers. Further, a European Refugee Fund has been built up

Management finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Management finance - Essay Example Thus, to go deeper, cost drivers refers to activities, which cause costs to be incurred (Yahya-Zadeh, 2011). Some of these activities would include; the number of purchase orders, the number of machine set ups, the number of batches, the number of machine hours as demonstrated below among many others. For instance, Offenbacker (2004) argues that, â€Å"the product costs are much more accurate under ABC– although overhead costs will NEVER be accurate because they are INDIRECT costs since the overhead to be absorbed is exactly the same overhead but analysed differently.† Moreover, Sharman (2003) argue that, â€Å"the potential implication of applying ABC system in the company is that there will not be product cost distortion and will provide the more accurate and that resulted in better product pricing and more accurate evaluation of the relative profitability of the products† (Roztocki et al., 1999). Conversely, during the production process different product lines and products use overhead resources at substantially different rates, thus, a slight change in the mix of products can result to dramatic changes in costs, which cannot be accurately predicted using the absorption costing method, hence, leading to making of incorrect buy or make decisions. Therefore , this can demonstrated by the reports below for both ABC and absorption costing method. Therefore, based on the new method, the ABC system the cost per unit of the products produced by the company based on the budgeted number of products for the three products will be as determined above; X= £78.5; Y= £91.9; Z= £66.9. However, based on the old technique of absorption costing the cost per unit of the products will be as shown below. Therefore, based on the cost per unit figures determined from the above, the products have a unit costs of X= £78.5; Y= £91.9; Z= £66.9 under the ABC system while under the current absorption costing system the products have units of X= £79.3; Y= £93.1; Z= £65.4.

Operation Management Essay Example for Free

Operation Management Essay Hard Rock uses these ten critical decisions of operational management; â€Å"Service and product design, Quality management, Process and capacity design, Location, Layout design/Job design, Supply-chain management, Inventory management, Scheduling and Maintenance†. These practices give the Hard Rock Cafe an edge in meeting new and growing needs of the restaurant, and entertainment industry. The service and product design Hard Rock sells is not just food, it’s a statement and a storied culture that has changed with time as we do as people. The â€Å"living on the edge† crowd of the 1980s can still live a little on the edge today in a Hard Rock restaurant, casino or even in a rock concert. The company is selling the feeling of still being a rebel. Hard Rock Cafe has grown into a successful industry that was once limited to a twenty something budget to grow with the wallets of the generation that gave birth to it. The quality management has been a key factor providing an environment that people want to continue to come back to. High quality products such as gourmet food, quality merchandise, and excellent service have kept the Hard Rock from dying. The individual sight managers alongside with the overall operation managers are responsible for maintaining the high quality products and environment that people expect to find there. Hard Rocks process and capacity design along with location selection are chosen based on high population areas with specific geographic requirements to ensure a large volume of customers. The location chosen requires a high capacity facility that is capable of serving its large number of customers. This is accomplished not just by size but by layout design and the efficient flow of  product and delivery of that product. That product flow along with a good human resources and job design are a crucial part of managing a Hard Rock. The management of the supply-chain and inventory/material is another essential part of Hard Rocks success. Managers have to purchase the correct equipment and supplies needed to efficiently produce the high quality products and take into account how much inventory is required and when to restock. This takes good data analysis and continually requires review to ensure proper inventory of supplies at all times. Lastly, managers need to take into account intermediate and short-term scheduling along with when to perform maintenance on equipment and facilities. Planning on high business times of the year managers can schedule preventative maintenance during the slower parts of the year. In the same way they can schedule part time employees to accommodate the influx of customers during busier parts of the year. Works Cited Professor Barry Render, J. H. (2013). Case Analysis on the Hard Rock Cafe. Trident University.

Nordstrom Case Study Essay Example for Free

Nordstrom Case Study Essay Answer 1: In the 1990s, Nordstrom had six co-presidents who were six cousins belonging to the family’s fourth generation. All six cousins took decisions jointly on major issues concerning the business. Thus, it was necessary that all six co-presidents agree on a decision or a plan for it to be acted upon. This was quite a difficult task as all of them often had differing opinions. Due to this many decisions were delayed or met with resistance by one or the other member. These six co-presidents were compared to a multi-headed hydra. Dismantling the hydra would prevent conflicts on future decisions and would also enable decisions to be taken quickly. It will also vest the ownership for the decisions onto one person. It will also enable a family member to be groomed for possibly leading the company one day. The possible disadvantages of dismantling the hydra is that the six co-presidents could have all contributed their knowledge and experience and have arrived at a better more informed decision. If equal power is vested in six people at the top, it enables them to share the workload. Answer 2: Creating departments around products will create independent profit and loss units for each product. The members of each department will have expertise on their products. They will know how to procure those products and effective sales and marketing techniques to sell those products better. This will narrow down their focus and they will concentrate only on the product that they are selling and will gain expertise on how to sell it best. The possible disadvantages of creating departments around products are that the employees will not have a complete picture of the entire business and where they stand. If in future, they are moved to another department, they will have to gain information about that product from scratch. Answer 3: The following changes prompted the move from mechanistic to organic organization. In the 1990s, the company met with stiff competition from its competitors. Its sales began to plateau. Its net income fell 2% and sales edged up only 1.9%. In the stores that had been open for a year, its sales dipped 1.1% after a 2.6% drop the prior year. Nordstroms shares fell from a 1999 high of 44 3/16 to under 20 in February. The customers and outsiders complained that top executives spent more time in seeking consensus of all co-presidents on issues and this was a reason for Nordstrom being slow in presenting new fashions for sales. Answer 4: In designing an organization to manage change, an additional structural change that Mr. Whitacre should consider is to start a competition among the departments. In this quarterly competition, the department that has the best sales and profits should be the winner and its members should be given some incentives. They should be asked to share the best practices with the other departments in order to help them manage change better. Employees should be rotated regularly from one department to another.

Major Challenges Facing Youth In Developing Economies Economics Essay

Major Challenges Facing Youth In Developing Economies Economics Essay ABSTRACT The challenge of keeping youths engaged meaningfully has been a major concern of governments in the developing nations. This paper x-rays the major challenges facing youths apart from unemployment. These include but not limited to inequality, corruption, poverty, cultism, human trafficking, emigration, drug addiction and trafficking as well as (HIV/AIDS) endemic. The authors stressed the need to encourage youths to engage in entrepreneurship undertakings and further highlighted the benefits of youth self reliant such as development of entrepreneurial and managerial skills, evenly distribution of national wealth, exploitation of untapped industrial opportunities, moderation of rural-urban migration, high value added to the economy, promotion of indigenous technology, and improvement in balance of trade. Hence, the authors recommended institutional support for youth self reliance; inclusion of entrepreneurship studies in high school and undergraduate curricula; tax incentives to young entrepreneurs; and financing of sporting activities to check social vices among youth. Key words: Youth;; Self Reliance Programmes; Unemployment ; Developing Economy 1.0 Introduction According to the projection of the United Nations Population Division (UNDP, 1993), currently young people between ages 15-24 constitute 18 percent of worlds population at 1.1 billion and the world is very close to reach the peak of historically highest youth population (Lam, 2007). These young people, across the globe, especially in developing countries, where the population density and growth is also highest, face unprecedented challenges in their capacity to access public resources and family resources, stemmed from waves of cultural and economic globalization. Most critical issues for youth development are poverty, health practices, gender biases, education, employment, social responsibilities and good citizenship, juvenile delinquency etc (World Youth Report, 2003). Demand of skilled workers in the knowledge economy has created hindrance for a large portion of world youth, especially in developing countries, where higher education system has not been able to realize sufficient value addition in terms of enhancing the employability in the new age labor market. A staggering 400 million young people around the world are unable to find decent work. Worthy of note is that, todays youth find themselves in an era, where for the first time in the modern civilization, purely economic value of higher education has reached an unprecedented low proportion. Shariff (1998) observed that adults engaged in self employment more than the youth, especially in developed countries. This is notable in countries whose economic growth rate is slow or stagnant. He observed further that self employment is much more appreciated among Sub-Sahara African than in other countries of the world. The youth are a major source of human capital and key agents for socio cultural, economic, and political development as well as technological innovation worldwide. Their imaginations, ideas, energies and visions are essential for the continuing development of societies. Their training, development, intellectual perspectives and productive abilities are key determinants of the progress and future of societies. To capture the significance of youth in the economic development process, Central Bank of Nigerias governor notes in 2011 that the current economic development efforts will not amount to anything if the youth who are the real economic agent are not part of the economic transformation. He notes further that robust economic growth will only be achieved if the youth are adequately empowered, which is the only path to sustainable economic development. 2.0 Conceptual clarification 2.1 Youth. There is hardly any universally acceptable definition of youth. Youthfulness need not be exclusively determined by age. Other factors, like economic, cultural and environmental conditions may be equally important in defining youth. The continuing debate on who is a youth has not resolved the confusion surrounding the concept. In many African countries, laws define adulthood as commencing from age of 21, although recently, there have been attempts to lower the age to 18 years (Curtain, 2000). Sociologically, youth denotes an interface between childhood and adulthood. Youth, as a social group are defined in terms of age. Hence, the majority of youth has been variously defined as ranging from the ages of 10-11 years to 35 years. The United Nations Organisation (UNO) has come up with a specification of age bracket 15-24 years as youth, while the Commonwealth uses the age category of 15-29 years. For the purpose of this paper, youth is defined as young women and men who fall wi thin the age bracket of 15 35 years. Furthermore, anyone who is acknowledged by deed as identifying with and committed to youth development may be recognised as youth. It has been recognised the world over that youth constitute the most important human resource potential that can contribute significantly to the overall development of a nation. The youth constitute the driving force of society, the spirit of today and the hope for the future. In addition, youth constitute the largest segment, they are also the most socially active and productive sector. The educational system has not adequately equipped young people with the relevant skills, knowledge and cultural values needed to face the challenges of after school life. As a result, young people cannot find placement in the white-collar job market; neither are they able to create economic opportunities for themselves in the informal sector. There is therefore the need to relate the educational system to the job market. United Nations Organisation (1995: 11) therefore notes in that: Young people in all countries are both a major human resource for development and key agents for social change, economic development and technological innovation. Their imaginations, ideas, considerable energies and visions are essential for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. The problems that young people face as well as their visions and aspirations are essential components of the challenges and prospects of todays societies and future generations Mobilizing the creativity and passion of young men and women, and recognizing the unique perspective of youth on their current and future needs are quickly becoming national and international priorities. Globally, youth are eager to contribute their quota through investment of their energies in the socio-economic development of the societies. In addition, they desire to be absorbed into socio-economic system in order to change the old order. In terms of sheer numbers, youth represent a significant portion of the global community. Today, approximately 20 per cent of the worlds population is in the 15 to 24 age group, and in many developing countries this group will soon constitute 50 per cent of the population. In addition, 60 per cent of the worlds youth population, or over 600 million young people, reside in the Asia-Pacific region (Kenyon, 1998). Linked directly to these figures is the growing recognition of the importance of youth development at both the national, regional and international levels. Youth constitute a unique group within society. While they are often considered one of the most vulnerable groups within the social fabric, they are also regarded as the greatest source of hope for the nations future. Youth represent a significant portion of the worlds population: it is estimated that the global youth population in 1995 was over 1 billion and comprised 18 per cent of the worlds population, of whom 84 per cent lived in developing countries. Those under the age of 30 could form as much as 55 per cent of the worlds population by the year 2005. In the least-developed countries of the world, the figure is closer to 70 per cent. (Kenyon, 1998) 2.2 Self Reliance. The concept of self reliance is located centrally within the discourse of community development and is connected to related concepts like self-help, independence, mutual-help, indigenous participation and rural development. It advocates the need for people to improve their condition using local initiatives and resources in their own hands. The concept is fast being accepted as a new formula for community development because of its widespread acceptance in the development planning of most African countries. The concept of self-reliance has the tendency to give greater stimulus and cohesiveness to community development in these countries (Anyanwu, 1992). According Fonchingong Fonjong (2003), self-reliance is situated within the discourse of community development and is connected to related concepts like self-help, mutual help, indigenous participation and rural development. It champions the need for people to better their lots using local strategies and resources at their disposal. The definition assumes that youth use the resources at their disposal to proffer solutions to the challenges peculiar to their group and confronting them persistently. They also want to realize their dreams and be at the fore front of developing the communities. Anyanwu (1992) contends that in most African countries, community development has depended significantly on voluntary cooperative efforts. This follows a traditional trait that clearly underscores the virtue of self-reliance. This explains the emerging trend in community development, which sees it as an important point of take-off for better living. The emphasis is to involve groups of people in planned programmes from which they may gain skills that will enable them to cope more successfully with the problems of their everyday lives. Self-reliance is thus development on the basis of a countrys (regions) own resources, involving its populations based on the potentials of its cultural values and traditions (Galtung, 1980). Communities and individual people define their own development according to their own needs, values and aspirations (Preiswerk, 1980). Local-level development provides a major force in activating the utilization of local resources (land, water, labour) and therefore constitutes one of the most effective methods of promoting peoples participation in determining their own development. The needs for local alternatives and self-reliance have been voiced in more explicit terms by other scholars. For example, Brett (1988) has called for cooperative and voluntary alternatives, while Sandbrook (1985) has emphasized the need for small-scale community solutions. In its fundamental sense, self-reliance is defined as a state of mind that regards ones own mental and material resources as the primary stock to draw on in the pursuit of ones objectives, and finds emotional fulfillment not only in achieving the objectives but of having achieved them primarily by using ones own resources. 2.3 Unemployment. Unemployment is a social issue that every nation deals with regularly. Even the most advanced economies still battle with the issue of unemployment. In fact the classical economists averred that there can never be a situation of total employment in any economy. However, responsible governments must strive at all times to keep unemployment rate as low as possible. According to Fajana (2000), unemployment is a state of worklessness/idleness experienced by persons who as members of the labour force perceive themselves are perceived by others as capable of work. Unemployment is a situation where those who are willing and able to work cannot find full employment or even if it is partial employment. The unemployment situation in Nigeria is unsettling. Statistic shows that almost 75% of those who are able and willing to work cannot find gainful employment, especially among young graduate/school leavers. Fajana (2000) categorizes unemployment into six namely structural, frictional, seasonal, cyclical, residual, and technological. Types of Unemployment S/N Name Cause 1. Structural This occurs when there is a change in the structure of an industry or economic activities of the country. Change in taste, change in technology, change in demand are some of the types of changes that may occur. It is mostly found in Asia and Africa. In other words, it occurs due to mismatch between the demand for labour and the ability of the workers. 2. Frictional The unemployed may remain so on account of shortage of raw materials, or mechanical defects in working plants. Therefore, the better the economy is doing, the lower the chances of this type of unemployment occurring. 3. Seasonal This is due to seasonal variations in the activities of particular industries caused by climatic changes, changes in fashions or by the inherent nature of such industries. In the tropical region, ice factories are less active in rainy season because of low demand for ice. 4. Cyclical This is otherwise known as Keynesian unemployment or demand deficient unemployment which is due to the operation of the business cycle. This arises at a time when the aggregate effective commodity demand falls below the full employment level of output. 5. Residual This is caused by personal factors such as old age, physical or mental disability, poor work attitudes and inadequate training. 6. Technological This is caused by changes in techniques of production. Source: Fajana, S. (2000) Functioning of Nigerian Labour Market, Lagos: Labofin and company 3.0 Major Challenges facing Youth in developing economies The declining growth and economic restructuring has worsened the employment situation among the youth in most of the developing countries and most especially in Africa. Youth unemployment has increasingly come to be as one of the most serious socio-economic problems currently confronting many developing countries. It is difficult to provide accurate statistics of youth unemployment in developing countries in general and Africa in particular, as available estimates of world unemployment face the conceptual limitation. Nonetheless, existing estimates indicate that in Sub-Saharan Africa, urban unemployment affects between 15 to 20 percent of the workforce (ILO, 2005). According to this estimates, young people comprise 40 to 75 percent of the total number of unemployed. Source: National Bureau of Statistics (2010) According to Awogbenle and Iwuamadi (2010), the statistics from the Manpower Board and the Federal Bureau of Statistics showed that Nigeria has a youth population of 80 million, representing 60% of the total population of the country. Also, 64 million of them are unemployed, while 1.6 million are under-employed. The 1990-2000 data on youth unemployment indicated that secondary school graduates constituted the largest group of the unemployed. There is also 40% of the unemployment rate is among urban youth aged 20 24 and 31% of the rate is among those aged 15-19. Furthermore, two-thirds of the urban unemployed are ranged from 15-24 years old. Curiously, the educated unemployed tended to be young males with few dependents. Awogbenle and Iwuandi also observed that that there is no consistent trend of  unemployment rates in Nigeria. An increase in one or two years is sometimes followed by a decline in the subsequent years. Table 1: Nigeria Unemployment Rates by Age Group and Sex S/N Age Group Unemployment Rate 1. 15-24 41.6 2. 25-44 17 3. 45-49 11.5 4. 60-64 16.7 Gender Analysis 1. Male 17 2. Female 23.3 Source: Ruhl, O. (2009) Nigerias Youth: Turning Challenge into Opportunity. World Bank Statistics on Youth Unemployment, March, 2009. Table 2: Table Youth Unemployment Rate in Nigeria 2000-2011 S/N Year Rate 1. 2000 31.1 2. 2001 13.6 3. 2002 12.6 4. 2003 14.8 5. 2004 13.4 6. 2005 11.9 7. 2006 13.7 8. 2007 14.6 9. 2008 14.9 10. 2009 19.7 11. 2010 41.6 12. 2011 23.9 Source: National Bureau of Statistics (2011) According to Abdullahi (2012), the Nigerian Minister of Sports, out of Nigerias 150 million population, 40 million are unemployed. As 45% of the population is between the ages of 15 to 40 years, this means unemployment mainly affects the youth. He revealed that the alarming situation has socio-economic implications considering the fact that Nigeria has 45% of the jobless population are between the ages of 15-40 years and due to the extremely low life expectancy of 45 years, only 3% of Nigerians manage to reach the ages of 60 and above. Nigerian youth are therefore the hardest hit by the menace of unemployment. Hence, the increase rate of kidnapping, youth unrest and most significantly, an extremely unstable social economic structure that has hitherto been bedeviling Nigeria. The percentage of unemployed labour force is disheartening not to mention rate of unemployment among youth. Apart from the figures released early this year by the National Bureau of Statistics, which puts unemployment rate in 2011 at 29.3 per cent, the situation has over the years grown from bad to worse. From 2000 until 2011, the unemployment rate averaged 18.82 per cent, reaching an all time high of 23.90 per cent in December of 2011 representing about 20.3 million Nigerian youth who are currently unemployed. The situation is compounded daily as institutions of higher learning churn out fresh graduates to add to the already saturated labour market. The percentage would have been higher save for the governments efforts to reduce the unemployment rate among graduates from the nations universities through various programmes such as National Directorate of Employment (NDE), National Poverty Alleviation Programme (NAPEP), Youth Enterprise With New   Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN) to m ention but a few. Some identifiable factors causing youth unemployment in Nigeria these include but not limited to: Ineffective mechanisms for overcoming the challenges of cyclical and structural youth (18 to 24 years) unemployment in Nigeria and to alleviate poverty at all levels of governance. Going by the 2006 census in Nigeria, the nations population was put at140,431,790 and projections for the future indicate that the population could be over 180 million by the year 2020,given the annual growth rate of 3.2 percent (National Population Commission and ICF Macro, 2009:3). Rapid population growth is another major factor causing youth unemployment. Dysfunctional educational system in curricula-structure does not promote youth entrepreneurship, innovative skills and virile apprenticeship schemes. Instead, most graduates of Nigerian education system lack basic skills with which to enter into labour market. Most graduates leave university with the thinking that they must seek employment in large organisations. Most functionaries in public and private sectors are largely bereft of ideas of blending education, training and learning for resolving youth unemployment menace. This is why most government programmes are yet to achieve the desired results of reducing youth unemployment. Corruption has been the bane of development in Nigeria and it has impacted negatively in the industrialisation process initiated by successive governments. It has attained an endemic level with public office holders paying lip service to its eradication because they are part of the beneficiaries. Poverty of political commitment towards youth empowerment and innovative approaches at local, state and federal levels is another cause of youth unemployment. There are no verifiable statistics of actual labour shortages, employment, under-employment and vacancies analyses that can guide national planning. In addition, in Nigeria loanable funds that youth can draw from to invest are not accessible. Although, government, banks and other financial institutions would tell you that funds are available for entrepreneurship adventure. Accessing the funds has not been easy. Figure 2: Spiraling General  Unemployment  Rate Growing at 16% per year  »Ã‚ ¿http://www.doreopartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/spiraling_general_unemployment_rate.gif Source: National Bureau of Statistics (2010) Figure 3 : Youth Unemployment 3X General Unemployment http://www.doreopartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/youth_unemployment.gif Source: National Bureau of Statistics (2010) Apart from the major challenges of unemployment, inequality, corruption, poverty, cultism, human trafficking and emigration are other challenges facing developing economies, Nigeria inclusive. Despite Nigerias decades of development efforts, both the gap between the poor and the rich countries and the inequalities within states and nations have widened. Poverty simply means inadequacy of income to meet such basic needs as food, shelter, clothing, education, healthcare etc. Poverty leads to malnutrition, sickness, illiteracy, unemployment, low status of men and women, immorality, crime, and exposure to environmental risks, limited access to assets, social services, and political power. Unemployment and poverty lead to psychological disorders, depression, despondency, suicides and divorces. While relative poverty causes envy, jealousy and self-depreciation, mass unemployment and persistent poverty which could lead to socio-political unrest and revolution. Thus, unemployment, inequality and poverty have economic, social and political implications. 4.0 Significance of Youth Self Reliance There is an increased concern, nationally and internationally, for youth issues, responsibilities and rights and also widespread consensus on the invaluable role of youth in the development process. Yet youth are invariably victims of exclusion from governance, decision-making and development process, which impact negatively on their desires for self reliance and self realization. The Human Development Report (UNDP, 1993) echoes the need for people to participate in their own development, stressing that peoples participation is becoming the central issue in the face of current challenges facing the world for development. It is now widely accepted that there are many good reasons to promote self reliance among young people. Entrepreneurship undertakings are probably one the most effective means of making youth self reliant. While caution should be exercised so that entrepreneurship is not seen as a panacea for curing all societys social ills, many experts such as Curtain (2000) warn, it has a number of potential benefits. An obvious, and perhaps the most significant one, is that it creates employment for the young person who owns the business. Figure 4: Young working poor in selected countries (Estimates for youth and adult cohorts), in percentage Source: ILO, Global Employment Trends for Youth. Geneva, August, 2010. In addition to the above, youth self reliance (YSR) will achieve the under listed among developing economies. The indigenous entrepreneur and managerial skills needed to transform the economy are developed. Labour intensive industry is boosted by YSR, which helps government to achieve the employment and income distribution objective. Encouragement of youth to be self reliant enhances the exploitation of untapped industrial opportunities. The evenly distribution of wealth and regional economic balance objective of government is enhanced as the menace of rural/urban migration, which exacerbates urban congestion is checked. There is higher value added to the domestic economies thereby checking the dumping of products from developed in developing economies. Indigenous technology is promoted through youth self reliant programmes. The above will definitely improve the balance of trade and payment of the developing economies as well as strengthening the local currency coupled with the benefit of promoting exportation and preventing over reliance on a single commodity to earn foreign exchange. Over dependency on oil revenue has been the bane of industrialization in Nigeria. 5.0 Recommendations Conclusion In line with the above observations, it is recommended that youth entrepreneurship programmes should be made compulsory right from the secondary school. More so, curricula in the higher institutions should be redesigned to capture the current reality of producing job creators and not job seekers. There should also be institutional support for youth entrepreneurship programmes at all tiers of government; local, state, and federal. Cheap funds made available and accessible to interested young entrepreneurs is a necessity for the development of self reliant programmes among youth. Data on youth unemployment are not accessible, if they are available. Many of the policy makers are not equipped with facts and figures. Many a times, they rely on sources that are not reliable in formulating policies and taking decisions relating to youth empowerment. Government institutions should equip to collate data frequently and make them accessible at any point in time. If there are authentic data, planning and paying social security of not less than fifty thousand naira ((#50) should not be difficult considering the amount of financial resources being wasted public office holders. The prevailing harsh economic environment in Nigeria is a disincentive to any interested young entrepreneurs and so should be made conducive as much as possible. For example multiple taxation should be eliminated through the harmonization of tax system in the country. Infrastructure facilities are abysmal failure, especially the electricity around which modern industrialization and developmental strategy revolve. More than enough megawatts of electricity should be generated in the country. The appalling situation of electricity generation has turned many youth to criminals in Nigeria. Motivating youth to acquire technical skills should top the priority of any government, Nigeria not exempted. Apart from free tuition, graduates of technical colleges should be absolved into the government service and or private organisations. Able and willing youth should be encouraged to contribute their quota to national economic development efforts. Security of lives and properties must be guaranteed in Nigeria. Governments efforts to woo foreign investors that will help to ignite the fire of economic revival will not yield any fruits if the issue of security is not addressed. There should be an increased youth and orphans self-reliance, self-discipline, social responsibility and spirit of adventure. Youth should be helped start income generating activities for their livelihoods to reduce dependency syndrome. Involvement of religious organisations in youth self reliance programmes should be encouraged. This is imperative in view of the fact that many of them have excess funds they can use since they do not pay tax. This will be counted as part of their social responsibility efforts to the society. Opportunities to acquire overseas training in form of exchange programmes among regional governments e.g. Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS) should be provided for youth after completing skill acquisition course. Suffice it to note that regional integration will be a great impetus for youth in countries which fall the same region. There is no doubt that Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and natural resources. The challenges facing the youth and related issues are very critical because of the emerging trend of youth unemployment, political and religious unrest. Hence, youth self reliant programmes should occupy the front burner of the federal, state, and local governments. Nigeria, arguably the most populous black nation in the world, needs sincere analysis of the current unemployment situation in the country as well as other challenges confronting the youth. The scientific analysis of this menace will lead to honest policy formulation, implementation, and monitoring of youth self reliant programmes which will eventually stem the tide of youth crimes and guarantee the future of the country.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, And John :: essays research papers fc

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Theocentric Studies-Part I February 2, 1996 The four Gospels are neither histories of the life of Christ nor biographies. They are portraits of the person and work of the long promised Messiah, Israel's King and the world's Savior. As portraits they present four different poses of one unique personality. Matthew by the Holy Spirit presents Christ as King, Mark as Servant, Luke as Man, and John as God. Although featuring Christ as King, Matthew sketches His role as a King in closest connection with His character as Servant, as Man, and as God (Matthew 13:53-19:30). Likewise, although featuring Him as Servant, Mark depicts Christ's servant role in closest connection with His character as King, Man and God (Mark 11:1-16:1-8). Similarly Luke focuses the spotlight on Christ as Man and John as God, but like other evangelists they do not separate Him from His full- orbed character (Luke 4:14-9:50, John 1:19- 2:50). The four Gospels narrate, largely, the same things, but with some differences. Only Matthew and Luke tell of the Birth and childhood of Jesus (Matthew 1:14-9:1, Luke 1:5-4:13). Matthew and Mark dwell on the Galilean Ministry; Luke, the Perean; John, the Judean. John omits most of the Galilean Ministry, and records visits to Jerusalem that the others omit (Luke 9:51-19:27). The others omit the Judean Ministry, except the Last Week, which all four cover rather extensively. The Last Week occupies one-third of Matthew, approximately one-third of Mark, one-quarter of Luke, and one-half of John. John devotes seven chapters, about one-third of his book, to Crucifixion Day, sunset to sunset. Thus all four writers present the one and same Person: the God-Man, Servant of the Lord, King of Israel, humanity's Redeemer. The special emphasis of Matthew is that Jesus is the Messiah foretold by Old Testament Prophets. As he quotes from the Old Testament repeatedly, he seems to have had Jewish readers in mind. Mark's special emphasis is the Superhuman power of Jesus, by demonstrating His Deity by His Miracles (Mark 1:14-9:1). Omits most of Jesus' lectures. Narrates things Jesus did rather than things Jesus said. Seems to have had Gentile readers in mind. Luke's special emphasis is the humanity of Jesus. Representing Jesus as the Son of God. Luke features His kindness toward the weak, the suffering and the outcast (Luke 9:51-18:27). He seems to have had the Greeks, who represented culture, philosophy and wisdom, in mind. John places special emphasis on the Deity of Jesus. Consists mostly of Jesus' lectures and conversations. Discusses things Jesus said rather than things He did (John 1:1-18). By describing the eternal pre-existence, human birth, death,

Financing Transport Projects Essay -- essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites The role of government in facilitating transport projects is inevitable. But governments are monopolists and largely cannot be trusted with the efficient allocation of resources, not to mention the problem of corruption. So, the less the state is involved the better off everyone is. Transport has gone a full circle. Until the beginning of the 17th century it was largely privately financed. The state took over until the last two decades of the twentieth century. And now there is a revival of the involvement of the private sector in financing infrastructure. Additionally, transport has become a commodity and is securitized, as we shall see. All social (or public) goods carry social costs and bring on negative externalities (such as environmental damage). Embedded in every public good there is a moral hazard - others bear a disproportionate part of the costs while the perpetrators go "free". This is why accurate statistics, forecasting and cost benefit analysis systems are a must. I am not talking only about cost coverage calculations but also about finding ways to impose on the users of transport infrastructure the real costs of their actions. This is known today as "user pays" charging schemes. But to do so, the state needs to know what ARE these costs. This is one way of forcing the private sector to participate in t...

Shakespeare’s Richard II Essay: Search for Identity in Richard II

Search for Identity in Richard II Â   Shakespeare's Richard II tells the story of Richard's fall from power. Being dethroned by Bolingbroke forces Richard to confront the limitations and nature of his power as king. As audience members, we follow Richard on his journey of self-discovery, which enlightens him even as his life is shattered by Bolingbroke's revolt. Paradoxically, it is in utter defeat that Richard comes closest to understanding what it is to be human. Unfortunately he is unable to accept life as an ordinary subject after having tasted what it means to rule. For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground, And tell sad stories of the death of kings- How some have been deposed, some slain in war, Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed, Some poisoned by their wives, some sleeping killed, All murdered. For within the hollow crown That rounds the mortal temples of a king Keeps Death his court; and there the antic sits, Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp, Allowing him a little breath, a little scene, To monarchize, be feared, and kill with looks, Infusing him with self and vain conceit, As if this flesh which walls about our life Were brass impregnable; and humored thus, Comes at the last, and with a little pin Bores through his castle wall; and farewell, king. Cover your heads, and mock not flesh and blood With solemn reverence. Through away respect, Tradition, form, and ceremonious duty, For you have but mistook me all this while. I live with bread, like you; feel want, Taste grief, need friends. Subjected thus, How can you say to me I am a king? (III.ii. 151-1173) Â   The above speech expresses nicely Rich... ...n is, With nothing shall be pleased till he be eased With being nothing. (V.v.38-41) Richard can never bring himself to be "eased" with being ordinary, with being what he sees as "nothing" and so he can never live as a subject instead of a ruler. It is perhaps significant that when he dies he seeks to return to the only identity he really knew, that of a ruler, and warns that "Exeter, thy fierce hand / Hath with the King's blood stained the King's own land" (V.v. 109-10). He has accepted intellectually the transient nature of kings' power and understands he can no longer possess even that, yet in death he reaches for the only identity he ever really held, that of absolute monarch. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of King Richard The Second. William Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Ed. Alfred Harbage. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1969.

Macbeth Character Profile Essay

Macbeth is a famous Shakespearean character. His flaw is shown throughout the play. Macbeth starts off as a trustworthy character that saves the king’s life. Macbeth is then labelled as noble Macbeth by Duncan. At the start of the play his is as noble and loyal as he could be. After killing the Thane of Candor, Duncan who trusts Macbeth gives the title to Macbeth. More is the due than more than all can pay. King Duncan gives Macbeth the best present he could have received. Macbeth gives the reader an impression of being a capable and brave warrior for saving the king’s life. Macbeth is loved highly by everyone. Macbeth also brought â€Å"golden opinions from all sorts of people†. The witches however show Macbeth prophecies. These prophecies however make Macbeth release an inner ambition. This ambition brings out his flaw. Macbeth learns that he might be able to become king, he urgently writes to his wife. His wife who hears about this news urges him to become king and calling him a ‘coward† if he doesn’t take up the offer. Macbeth ends up getting persuade by his wife and starts a plan. They decide to kill King Duncan so that Macbeth can become king. Once their plan succeeds however Macbeth is so shaken by what he did he can’t even contain himself and stay calm. He brings the two daggers he used back to his wife instead of leaving it on the knights that â€Å"killed king Duncan.† Macbeth shall sleep no more. We as the readers feel sympathy for Macbeth at this stage since Macbeth feels remorse and guilty for what he did. However that sympathy does not last very long. Banquo fears that some foul play has been involved with the death of King Duncan. If King Duncan was really killed by the guards, Macbeth should have questioned them instead of killing them. Full of scorpions is in my mind, dear wife! Macbeth has restless guilt over the death of King Duncan however his wife now having a â€Å"manly† strong side to her she takes control. Macbeth ends up doing a lot of killing. The sympathy we had earlier for Macbeth is all gone. Macbeth ends up killing everyone that gets in his way and tries to take the crown away from him. He gets worried that that prophecies might not be true anymore and he goes back to the witches to ask. The witches sense that something wicked is coming. He gets the witches to tell him prophecies once again, the witches this time shows him apparitions instead. Macbeth doesn’t take these apparitions seriously at all. Macbeth doesn’t think outside the box about the apparitions especially the one where it says Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill/ Shall come against him and The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth. Macbeth believes that no forest can come and kill. He also believes that every women gives birth he doesn’t think about caesarean birth. Macbeth’s famous soliloquy shows the ending of things and reveals Macbeth final impression on the whole incident. Macbeth’s ambition has leaded him to the death of his wife. If he took out time and talked to his wife her death wouldn’t have occurred. Macbeth at the ends regrets his actions. It is a tale/ told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ signifying nothing. His life up to this point now signifies nothing after the death of his wife.

Properties of Hydrates Essay

Purpose: The purpose of the â€Å"Properties of Hydrates† lab is to study hydrates, and be able to identify them. This lab also focuses on observing the reversibility of hydration reactions by hydrolysis, and also testing substances for efflorescence of deliquescence. Procedure: A.Identification 1. Place 0.5 grams of each compound (Nickel Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Tetraborate, Sucrose, Calcium Carbonate, and Barium Chloride) in a small dry test tube. 2. Heat gently with a burner flame and observe carefully. If droplets of water appear on the test tube it may be a hydrate. Note the nature and color of the residue. 3. Let the tube cool, and try to dissolve the residue in a few cm3 of water, warming if necessary. A true hydrate will dissolve in water, producing a color similar to that of the original hydrate. A carbohydrate will give off water, but tends to char. The residue will also often be a caramel color. B.Reversibility 1. Gently heat a few crystals of about 0.3 grams of hydrated Cobalt(II) Chloride, CoCl2 x 6H2O in an evaporating dish until the color change appears to be complete 2. Dissolve the residue in the evaporating dish in a few cm3 of water from the wash bottle 3. Heat the residue to a boiling and carefully boil it to dryness. Note any color changes. 4. Put the evaporating dish on the lab bench and let it cool. C.Deliquescence and Efflorescence 1. Place a few crystals of Na2CO3 x 10H2O, CaCl2, KAl(SO4)2 x 12 H20, and CuSO4 in an a separate evaporating dish next to the CoCl2 prepared in part B. 2. To see weather the samples gained or lost mass, weigh each of them on a top-loading balance and record to the nearest hundredth. 3. Weight them again after an hour to detect ANY changes in mass. 4. Observe the samples occasionally. Note any structures in color and structure  and degree of wetness. D. Percent of Water in Hydrate 1. Clean crucible and its cover, and also make sure that crucible tongs are clean. Put over fire, and let cool. 2. Weight the crucible to the nearest thousandth. Handel with tongs 3. Obtain a sample of an unknown hydrate, and place about 1 gram in the crucible. 4. Weight the crucible, cover and sample on the balance. 5. Put the crucible on the clay triangle, with the cover off center to allow water vapor to escape. 6. Heat again, gently at first, and then with the bottom red for about 10 minutes. 7. Center the crucible cover, and let it cool to room temperature. 8. Weight the cooled crucible and with its cover and contents. 9. Examine the solid residue. 10. Add water until the crucible it two thirds full. Warm gently if the residue doesn’t readily dissolve. 11. Does the residue appear to be soluble? Waste Disposal: Dispose of the Copper mixture, and the Aluminum mixture in the correct bowl under the waste hood. All of the acids and bases can be disposed of down the sink. If the compound isn’t water soluble put in the organic container. Chemical Principles in the Laboratory: Experiment 6 Conclusion: The purpose of the Properties of Hydrates lab was to be able to identify if a substance was a hydrate or not. In lab, experiments where conducted to see if a compound was a hydrate or not. In order for the compound to be deemed as a hydrate it had to: 1. Release water upon heating 2. The anhydrous residue had to be water soluble 3. Exhibit reversibility If, and only if the compound showed that it could exhibit all three of these  properties, could it be distinguished a hydrate. In part â€Å"A† of the experiment, Nickel Chloride and Sodium Tetraborate were the only two compounds that were true hydrates. Both of these showed water residue when heating, where soluble in water after heating, and converted back to it original color after performing the first two experiments. Some of the other compounds had positive results for one or two test but not all three. For example, Sucrose, when heated, water residue appeared on the test tube, and was soluble in water, but the compound didn’t show reversibility. In part â€Å"B† of the experiment, CoCl2*6H2O was heated, dissolved, and then heated again to show that it was a true hydrate. When the Cobalt Chloride was heated, it turned from the color of fuchsia pink, to a light blue. And then after being dissolved into water, the compound turned back to its original color of fuchsia pink, demonstrating reversibility. The color change in this compound shows that by adding water to the anhydrous residue, that the same bonds that were broken my dehydrating the compound where reformed when adding water. In part â€Å"C†, four compound, plus the Cobalt Chloride mentioned above were tested for deliquescence, and efflorescence. Only one compound turned about to be efflorescent, which means that it lost water, which was Sodium Carbonate. The compounds mass before sitting out was 50.645g, after being exposed to the conditions of the laboratory for an hour, the sample weight 50.603g losing approximately 0.042g over the period of an hour. The Calcium Chloride (gained 0.258g), Copper Sulfate (gained 0.007g) and Cobalt Chloride (gained 0.068g) where all deliquescent, meaning that again mass while sitting in the laboratory. The Potassium Aluminum sulfate, exhibited stability while sitting out for an hour, neither gaining nor losing mass. For part â€Å"D† of the experiment, the percent of water in the unknown hydrate was %12.290. The closet percent of the given facts of the unknown was Barium chloride (BaCl2*2H2O), which has %14.8 water in it. This percent was found by using the formula below: % water in hydrate=(mass of water in hydrate/mass of the entire hydrate) The wide range of difference between the percent of the given and the unknown could have been due to the fact that there was wood debris in the unknown sample . This could have thrown off the amount of water present in the sample, and messed up the amount of water able to evaporate.

Misuse of Mobile Phones Essay

Mobile or cell phones have revolutionized our lives since many years. In past people had to wait for days or even weeks to get reply to their letters. Then with time and technological advancements things started getting easier with the invention of telephone and then finally it got a lot easier with the introduction of cell phones. Cell phones provide us the opportunity to converse, figure out and access content. Mobile phones have redefined connectivity and communication. But high-end mobile phones have also turned out to be handy devices for criminals, anti-social elements and even activists. Mobile phones have their uses and misuses. Uses: The ability to talk wirelessly and all across the world is one of the major uses of cell phones. Cell phones have surfaced as the main communication gadgets for millions of countryside, distant and undersized areas in many developing countries where it is quite hard to build widespread fixed-line as well as other landline phone infrastructures. One can use cell phones in many disaster circumstances and emergencies to get helpful and apt help. Some of the mobile phones have special features like maps etc. If you are new somewhere and have lost your way you can get help using your cell phone. There are number of applications like calculator, torch, calendar etc in almost every cell phone. One can get help from these applications whenever needed. You can call or chat with your friends or family members for hours with the introduction of a number of worthy packages for you to avail. Thus by spending less money you can talk for longer time period. These packages are worthy enough as compared to wired or landline phone charges. Misuses: On one side if cell phones are the best sources to get instant help in the hour of need there are some drawbacks of this gadget. It is a fact that parents allow their kids use mobile phones at an early age. But it is only to make sure about their safety and security which is needed since we live in an unsecured society. However, unfortunately many times it has been observed that these children do not make use of it in a proper manner. They spend hours talking to their friends, not for good purposes but to gossip and thus waste their time. They prefer indoor games like those in the mobiles rather than the outdoor games. This can impact negatively on their  minds physical fitness. The law made by the governments of many countries was much appreciated by a large number of people according to which it is restricted to the children to buy a SIM card until they reach the age of eighteen. Majority of parents are thankful to their government for taking this effective step. Some of the common misuses of mobile phones are cameras loaded on majority of mobile phones can be used to take pictures of women and innocent children; these pictures are then usually morphed, maneuvered and circulated on the Internet and can be used for any negative purpose. Texting can also be used to misuse or track people. Cell phones have been known to be used by corrupt elements, burglars and criminals can plan out a number of criminal schemes, scamming plans and other illegal activities. Thus cell phones if on one side a blessing then on the other side they can create disasters in our lives and society. It is advisable to make use of mobile phones for positive and useful purposes and not for negative activities.

Plato and Baudrillard Essay

The central argument of Plato’s Republic is that the just life is preferable to the unjust one. Socrates argues this point against his friends, who put up various objections to the thesis. The principal objection concerns appearances; because it is apparent to all that the unjust dissimulator reaps the fruits of the world, while the just and virtuous person, who refuses to compromise with the world, suffers poverty, rejection and general hardship. The argument of Socrates proceeds along the lines that appearances are liable to deceive. In Book 7 the argument has strayed into epistemology. Here again the argument of Socrates is that material knowledge is deceptive. In order to make this point he gives us a vivid and extended analogy of the cave-dwellers. The dwellers of this cave are sitting facing the wall of the cave, and their heads are constricted so that they must always be gazing at the wall, not being able to turn their heads at all. Behind them there is a fire, and between the fire and the dwellers a road. There are bearers who carry objects and walk along the road. The shadows of the objects, as well as those of the bearers, fall on the cave wall, and this is what the dwellers see, and is the sum of their visual knowledge. Plato is arguing that in the phenomenal world our knowledge is constrained. That we cannot reach the essence of things, and that our knowledge must be content with the hazy shadows of things. Because such knowledge is so incomplete, it is liable to produce error in our judgment of things. But Plato is not promoting skepticism. He extends the analogy to suggest that we may come to know the essence of things, but this is only after we have been released from the bondage of material existence. He goes on to consider the condition of the cave-dwellers once they have been released from their constraints. They see the objects with their profusion of detail, and the clarity overwhelms them, so that they refuse to accept the objects themselves as real, and instead insist that the shadows on the wall were more real. In the next stage of their enlightenment they are guided to outside the cave, and then they see things with the greatest clarity of all, and this by the light of the sun. Eventually they come to the understanding that all light originates in the sun. The suggestion that Plato makes is that there is indeed clarity of knowledge, and that it lies beyond the realm of the material and of appearance. The possibility itself is the saving grace of man. The preserve of wisdom is the shelter that man seeks as he stumbles through the morass of error. The Allegory of the Cave is highly pertinent to how Jean Baudrillard pictures modern society. In his essay â€Å"Simulations and Simulacra† he contends that modern society has lost all referential links to reality, and has supplanted reality with an artificial construct, which he terms â€Å"hyperreality†.   In terms of Plato’s allegory, the shadows on the wall become the starting points on which to construct a comprehensive reality. In Baudrillard’s general epistemology, all knowledge necessarily deals with the signification of things, and never with the essence of the things themselves. These units of knowledge are â€Å"signs†. A sign has no meaning in itself, but derives all meaning through its reference to all other signs. Therefore it has â€Å"self-referential† meaning only. True and total meaning can only emerge when the references have been taken to all other possible signs. But the finite capacity of man precludes this possibility, even though he always strives for total meaning, in order to overcome his limitation. He constructs simulacra, i.e. models that combine the signs in logical formulations, and meant to represent reality by similitude. But this is a doomed endeavor. The message of Baudrillard is no different from that of Plato. The shadows on the cave walls are merely signs of the real presences. Yet the cave dwellers are forced to build all reality from these shadows, and commit error if they try to limit reality to the shadows. The stress of Baudrillard is not on the possibility of true understanding, which nevertheless is tacit in his philosophy. He is more intent on pointing out that modern society has fallen into grave error by â€Å"the cartographer’s mad project of an ideal coextensivity between the map and the territory† (Baudrillard 170). The result in Western societies has been a â€Å"precession of simulacra† (Ibid 169). The original project, as taking place in the Age of Enlightenment, is the construction of simulacra, which he likens to maps which are meant to be co-extensive with reality, because atomic level detail is strived for.    The next stage is second-order simulacra, where the original simulacra tend to be copied, instead of taking reality as the first reference point. But the plight of modern society is even more serious than this, for here we have arrived at third order simulacra. This is when the signs are employed in order to simulate reality, so that all reference to the original is severed, and now it is â€Å"the map that precedes the territory† (Ibid). Because it is so Baudrillard claims that reality has been effaced for the dwellers of modern society, and has been replaced by â€Å"hyperreality†. In this completely simulated existence there is no room for advance any more, but only a meaningless spinning around of fads and fashions, or â€Å"the orbital recurrence of models and the simulated generation of difference† (Ibid 170). It is natural that Baudrillard emphasizes the plight of modern society. In Plato we find the seduction of material knowledge, and the consequences are to be imagined. Baudrillard is confronting the consequence face to face, because material knowledge has transpired as a social norm. This is why Plato is more concerned with telling us the possibility of true knowledge, whereas Baudrillard gives us a physiology of the false, because he sees it extant before him. Works Cited Baudrillard, Jean. Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings. Translated by Jacques Mourrain. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 2001.