Respryn and the Cornish Country-side

It would be a normal day in the summer holidays when suddenly the phone would ring. My friends and I were off to Respryn. We'd all grab our bags, put our swimming shorts in along with a towel, and jump onto our bikes and go. We'd all somehow meet up and then ride along the busy Cornish town roads, which was full with cars at this time like an ant's nest in the summer, up and along many steep hills, past our school and then out of Bodmin into the countryside of Lanhydrock. We'd go down a fairly steep hill which as we go down we see fields ahead of us that are laid out like the squares on a patch work quilt. Lots of different shapes and not all connected properly together like they should. At the bottom of the hill we turned right into a dimly lit small forest where the ground in autumn is filled with the vibrant colours of dead leaves. Every time our wheel rotated we herd the crackling of a bonfire as despatched twigs and branches crumbled beneath us. In the background we would hear the faint cry of an owl but the main sound was the rumbling and roaring of the cars passing by on the nearby main road. We left the forest and then mounted onto a newly built bridge that crossed the main road we herd from the forest. Myself and my Friends, Craig and Jamie like to stop here and look down on the passing cars. We like to play a game we call Emmett spotting, which is where we'd try and spot as many tourist or foreigners we can that aren't from Cornwall. I found it amazing how so many cars enter my hometown and how so little leave; they all can't be here to stay! Occasionally a passing lorry or truck would honk its horn at my friends as they try and provoke other drivers to do the same. Once we had a driver make a gesture at us, which included him making the middle finger on his hand stand up, we all stared at each other and laughed as we were out to enjoy ourselves and not let any body spoil our day. On we would go! We all rode along a crop filled fields where the power of the wind made an on going wave where the yield swept side to side. This effect was spoilt though by the sound and look of the nearby motorway, which was built straight through the middle of the farmland and beautiful scenery which makes me proud to call this tiny corner of England, I live in, home. As we exited the field we had the first site of the task ahead of us, a giant hill which took us to Richard's house. On would go our serious faces as we normally treat this hill as a competition to see who can get the furthest up, without putting a foot down and that day wasn't going to be an exception. I rode and rode; firstly Jamie regrettably put his foot to ground as the size of the hill overcame him. I fell back a bit just to keep him company as Craig pushed ahead because he doesn't like to lose. The top was in our sight, one last right turning and we would be treated to the smell of cattle from the farm that was really close. Okay maybe treated isn't the right word to use, but this would be the sent that would great the winner. Craig was the first to the top, but it ended in a draw, he wasn't the only one who managed to get to the top without putting his foot down, I made it as well. I now couldn't wait to get to Richards house to give my legs a rest. At the top of the hill we were able to look across all across Bodmin. From the highest point, where The Beacon stood to the industrial estate where most of the main work in Bodmin took place. The sky didn't look like the sky, but a sea of nothing. It was cloudless with not even a patch of white to be seen. After I had stopped looking across Bodmin I was greeted by the undesirable smell of the farm animals which swept along the cobblestone roads that seemed to act like a funnel directing the scent directly towards us. Once we had overcome the smell we meandered along the mud layered roads. A farmer passed in his tractor as we turned our last corner and glided down the last hill. We did this is a childish manner trying to go as fast as we could and then suddenly turn into the driveway of Richards house. His house is set in a lovely location, a generous garden with a pond in the middle, ducks and geese in his back garden along with sheds where the pony's and horses were kept. We couldn't see much from his house but if we walked out into the road in front of his house, there are hills in all directions with popcorn like bails of hay scattered around like houses on a Monopoly board. Richard was waiting for us and as soon as he saw us came out into his front garden. We talked for a couple minutes, had a drink which was well earned after the hill we managed to climb earlier, and just before we left got showed the motorised three wheeled bike he and his twin brother had been working on for the past couple weeks. This was it, we were on the last leg in till we would arrive at our final destination, Respryn. We'd rumble down a small hill and then took our bikes up a narrow stinging nettle filled hidden lane, which turns into a woodland area. The woodland area was packed full of trees, with man made paths for us to struggle ahead on. We had to be careful because there were brambles spurting out in all direction and Jamie would some times squirm after seeing a spider in it's water droplet filled web. I can remember coming through this woodland area before with Richard after a night full of rain. The paths weren't any more than a stream of muddy water and swamps that would suck you into the ground at any chance possible. It was impossible for us to pass, without getting soaked to the skin. We would exit the forest, cross a main road that was deserted with no cars to be seen and then pass a small cottage that had ivy crawling up all the walls in all directions. â€Å"Straight ahead then!† Richard would yell at the top of his voice, just to make sure every one knew where to go. We would then act in the same childish manner as before and soar down the unstable country lane road as fast as possibly, just that time taking more care because there was more chance of us falling off. Coming down the hill we were able see Respryn in the distance. The river slowly running through the woods and One or two cars on the granite bridge, which had one meter slots in to let horses get out of the way of cars. At the bottom of the hill we'd slam our brakes to there full because of a red gate which stands in our way. I get off my bike and open it for the rest to pass and then struggle through myself. The excitement would start to generate as we got closer to Respryn and as we went through the field at the bottom of the hill, we passed a dog walker who smiled politely. We were there, as I looked around I saw a canopy of leaves above, which protect the ground from the sun like an umbrella protects a small child on a beach on a very hot day. This canopy was only disturbed by small gusts of wind or the occasional sparrow or blackbird flying from branch to tree and tree to branch. Even when it's raining the ground remained dry because of the thick shelter created by the tree canopy. In some of the very rare gaps there is in the roof, I couldn't see anything apart from a large streak of light that missiles to the ground like a laser streaking from a gun. There was no noise to be herd apart from a distant barking dog in the background and the nearby stream that runs straight through the woods. As we kept on riding I noticed some of the graffiti carved into the trees. One I saw had the date 1987 on, this was before I was born and made me realise that many children of our age have enjoyed these woods and the streams for many years before us. We rode beside the cascading river for a bit, which on one side has a sea of blue bells, daffodils and many other plants. On the other is a never ending wood, full of lots of different types of trees and hundreds of passages that had different explorations in each direction. Here we were, we all stood and stared at a huge island in front of surrounded by the river. Ankle deep on one side and on the over two and a half meters deep, but you have to jump one and a half meters first off the island to reach the water. â€Å"Last one in is a wimp,† I shout so we all ran into the forest in different directions and strip naked. We chucked on our swimming shorts and then ran back to the island leaving our belongings in a safe place apart from one person, Craig, who unsurprisingly, accidentally forgot his swimming shorts and towel. We weren't going to let him stop us having fun so we sprinted into the water and got on top of the island. We stopped for a bit and then leaped forward off the island into the crystal clear deep water. The stream has a higher than average current but we still jumped in. As soon as we hit the water, we'd all swear and shout because of the shock about how cold the fast flowing river is. Even though it was the middle of summer the water was still freezing because of the canopy stopping the sun heating it up. We quickly swam out and catch our breath before doing it again. We went a bit higher up the island this time and then jump of again and again, in till we either get too cold or bored. Once we were this we grab our bags and hopped back onto our bikes. We then rode back through the forest we just came and crossed a small wooden bridge. As usual we stopped and played the classic game from the â€Å"Winnie the Poo† novel â€Å"Poo sticks† which I always win. We rode past some walkers who sounded like there tourists and who make a few unwanted comments about what were doing, we also passed some empty fishing platforms that I sometimes jumped of but today we didn't so we exited the woods. I can remember a couple months before coming to these woods with another friend at night during the winter. It was totally silent and as black as the hot chocolate I was thinking of having when I got home. Every time there was a flutter in the trees we would look up immediately. We kept on trying to scare each other because at night the trees look like people and in pitch black in the middle of the woods, another person isn't someone who you really wanted to see. The atmosphere could have been cut with something less than a knife a blunt pencil would have done the trick. I told my friends about this experience but they just laughed because they couldn't imagine how something so beautiful during the day could become so scary at night. After we left the wood we went to another area of Respryn, it was still part of the woods but you had to go in a different direction to get to it. So we picked up our bikes and took them over a fence, rode through a field of cows and went through a gate. Like earlier we were meet with the same woods but something was different about this one. There was less of a canopy but still as elegant and pleasing. After riding on for a bit we came to another area where we going to go swimming. Of came our bags, onto the floor went our bikes and into the river we went. In the corner of my eye I saw a tree, which was drooping over the river so, I got out and climbed it. While I was doing this my friends had realised what I was about to do, I pushed off and plummeted into the water. My friends laughed and I tried to get them to have ago but they weren't as mad as I was. Twenty minutes later we were starting to get cold and fed up of the small flies that came and landed on us, of which we wouldn't notice until they starting biting. They starting arriving in ones and twos, giving us one byte every ten minutes or so but then they came to us like children go to their Grandma's sweet bowl. Once we were all out and dry we slowly started walking back through the woods, which had all the shades of brown and green in one place at once. We came across a few strange bugs and insects that we never new existed. We left Respryn and then headed towards the ancient Lanhydrock house. Up the main driveway we went, which was some five hundred meters long. Its massive gardens where both sides of us, on the left was a giant field of which I crept into once to see a Jazz and Blues concert with Richard and On the right is another field but unlike the other has huge Oak trees and hedgerows in. At the top of the driveway is the actually house, we didn't want to go in but to go to the court yard around the back where we could get a delicious proper Cornish dairy ice-cream. Our bikes were locked up in the designated area for the bikes, we quickly used the toilets and then walked over to the cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ where the ice-cream shop was. We got our ice cream and then sat on a hill that looked over Respryn and into the surrounding countryside. Our minds were more focused on the French teenagers playing in the gardens and of course our ice creams. We played around with the French teenagers for a wile talking to them and trying to get them confused, at one point I think we told them â€Å"My dog gave birth to a herd of donkeys†. We finished our ice creams and then decided it was time to leave so we peddled up to another exit of the house and back onto the main road. Richard headed in one direction and had to master the hill that we had, on the way to his house in the morning wile Jamie, Craig and I travelled straight across the road into the Crop fields that we visited earlier in the day. We then retraced our steps home and said good bye to each other. It was the end! All I need to do now is wait for the phone to suddenly ring on a normal day in the summer holidays. My friends and I would then be off to Respryn.

Proposition 8

Do you believe society should have the ability to determine if same sex partners should marry? Determining your soul partners should be a privilege for all, such as homosexuals, lesbians, gays, bisexuals etc. and not society. Homosexuals are not abnormal humans, so there is no reason to treat them any different, after all they are citizens who oblige to the same jurisdictions. In the brief article, 8 Is Not Hate: The Meaning of a proposition by Jennifer Roback Morse, Morse explains how marriage is a gender-based institution that attaches mothers and fathers to each other and to their children, but I disagree with her theory of marriage.I believe marriage is based on the love, trust, and the ability to provide for one another. If you were brought into this world as a homosexual then who are you to deny marriage to same sex partners, because although you deny marriage to same sex couples they’re not going to change their beliefs and values just because society does not accept th em for who they are. Same sex couples should have the ability to choose their own spouses, without having to deal with ignorant bigots such as those who won’t accept others preferences, because of religious beliefs and values morals.If homosexuals have the same responsibility, consequences, and obligations as straight people then there is no reason to keep marriage away from same sex partner. Being homophobic is having fear of or contempt for lesbians and gays. Proposition 8 is seen as a discriminating proposition towards to gays and lesbians, because same sex couples are judged by almost all who don’t accept their sexual desires.Not only are homosexuals judged but they are also verbally assaulted, physically harmed, and even threatened by homophobic bullies who have hate against same sex couples. I experienced this discrimination and bullying three months ago. I have a co-worker whose name is Rene and that is gay and I got to be good friends with him over the summer. He described how he would go to school and he would have students call him names, and at times physically harm him because of his sexual preference.I asked him when he realized he was gay and he told me he always liked girl accessory for some reason. It’s like if he was born gay so what can he do about it? He is a very confident young man and explained how he wants to marry his boyfriend, so why can’t he choose who to marry his soul mate. I don’t believe anyone should have the ability to decide on other people’s ability to marry, only god can decide that and apparently he doesn’t mind because he put homosexuals into this world so why deny the love they share for each other.If gays/lesbians don’t have ability to decide if straight people could get married then I don’t believe straights should decide who homosexuals should marry. Proposition 8 is denying same-sex partners to marry through civil law then there should be no implementation s on the religious side. Morse also describes how, â€Å"The court changed the jurisprudence of sexual orientation discrimination cases, giving same sex-couples the highest level of protection.This means that in contest between religious liberty and sexual orientation discrimination, religious liberty would almost always lose. † (p. 83) Morse is describing how the court ruled over religion because in reality same-sex couples that get married through civil law have nothing to do with religion. If same-sex partners do not get married under religion, then there is no reason for people who believe in religion and marriage as only heterosexual couples to decide if homosexuals have the ability to marry.In the bill of right of the United States the first amendment states how congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting free exercise thereof. If being a homosexual is a free exercise and no law Is made to respect religion, then there shouldnâ€⠄¢t be a proposition banning the same- sex marriage, because it is only in the bill of rights to do as you please as long as it’s in the jurisdiction bounds. . Our society is not as tolerant as it used to be, but that doesn’t mean it should be tolerant towards certain issues such as the one on proposition 8.Homosexuals will not stop fighting this issue because marriage is a part of life and if religion does not have anything to do with this issue because they are getting married through the civil law, then let them live just like they let us live. Voting no on proposition eight is what everyone should do not only because it’s the right thing to do but also because in the end they will not turn straight just because society does not let them marry. Same-sex couples will not stop fighting this issue that has to do with their realties and not ours, so let them be.

Descartes vs. Spinoza Essay

What I will do in this following paper is to discuss two very interesting philosophers, Rene Descartes and Benedictus de Spinoza. I will discuss each philosopher’s perspectives and insights on their most recognized theories and thoughts. I will then evaluate them and then give my opinion on the given topic. By doing this, I will contrast the similarities and differences between the two genius minds. By the end of the paper I will have discarded some ideas and opinions from each of the two and will have my own judgment that consists of thoughts from Spinoza, Descartes and my self put together. Themes On Descartes: Existence of God- Descartes’ View – One of the most famous and debatable theories Descartes had was his proof of the existence of God. He had for steps on the ladder to prove this. 1) Everything including our ideas has a cause. 2) We have an idea of God. 3) Nothing less than God is adequate to be the cause of our idea of God. An lastly 4) Therefore God exists. My View – Considering the fact that Descartes was a rationalist and a very religious man, you can see why he would desperately try to make sense of everything, including God. I believe his proof that he has laid out for us that God exists is false. What Descartes is trying to tell us is that our idea of God comes directly from God himself and that we cannot create something in our minds that we have not already witnessed by our senses. But I believe we can implant the idea of God in our minds without God planting it for us. Since man has been on this planet, we have been evolving. I believe our idea of God is a collection of thoughts and ideas that has evolved. Ideas such as security, peace, direction, order, separating good and evil, questions to our existence, comfort, space, answers to questions no one has. It is all these thoughts, ideas and more put together in our minds overtime that create this all mighty powerful being who knows all and is all that we call God. The U-Turn- Descartes’ View – One of the aspects Descartes strived to find was â€Å"certainty†, searching for absolute foundation. He felt in order to come across certainty; we must first doubt everything we know. To help people comprehend his idea, he created the U-Turn as a visual reference to understand. As we go down the â€Å"U† we first doubt common sense, then we doubt awake/sleep since he believes we can’t distinguish the difference. We continue to go down the â€Å"U† by doubting mathematics because there could be an â€Å"Evil Genius† that tricks us into believing something untrue. At the bottom of this U we reach the point where nothing is certain except one thing according to Descartes, which is our existence. He says â€Å"I think, therefore I am†, which means the only thing we can be certain about is our own existence. He then stops and says if we exist, then there must be a God, and this is where the U takes its turn and moves upwards. He then says if God exists he would not deceive us because he is all loving and caring, therefore we have no reason to doubt mathematics, followed by ourselves (body/mind) and lastly we can then be certain about the physical world, no need to doubt it. My View – I find this to be an interesting concept that Descartes has formulated in his mind, one that is most definitely worth thinking about and taking into consideration. But in my point of view, there is a break in his chain. From the moment he mentions we doubt being awake and asleep is where I think his U-Turn collapses. Descartes says we can not distinguish the difference between the two, but that’s only true to a certain point. As humans we have logic, common sense and we are aware of most of the knowledge we obtain. We know that we live a life every day and that we need rest every night; and we know that sleeping is a form of rest which sometimes includes bizarre, twisted, chaotic scenarios which we call dreams or nightmares. The argument he made on this segment of his U-Turn concept was only half true. He was right on the fact that we can not distinguish the difference when in a dream state but wrong on the idea that same goes for when we are awake. As human begins we may not be able to have any reasoning, logic or understand the fact that we are dreaming but when we are not dreaming we can logically know we are awake and be able to know the difference between awake/sleep which means we don’t have to doubt common sense or mathematics anymore. If this is the case then Descartes U-Turn theory is wrong and the idea that the only thing we can be â€Å"certain† about is our own existence is false. Themes On Spinoza: Conception of God- Spinoza’s’ View – Spinoza went on a whole different direction when it came to God. Up to his point in time most people believed in a transcendent God, this meant that they believed in a personal God that was all loving, caring and would not deceive us human beings. People would prey to this personal God for various things like comfort and security, but Spinoza had his own belief. His conception was quite different from that of anyone else. His conception of God was non-personal (Non- Transcendent) and was the totality of everything that is immanent. He explained that our infinite Universe is one that has no outside and is also one big web where everything in it is connected. What he is basically trying to say is that God=Nature, God is the totality of everything that is. My View – Spinoza’s conception of God is quite absurd. There may or may not be a God but if there is, it is definitely not the totality of everything that is. The meaning of God is a higher supreme being that would have a higher consciousness than humans. There is a difference between nature and God. I feel nature is more on the lines of what he is trying to say but uses the word â€Å"God†. God can not be everything that is because then that would mean we are part of the make up of God and that is absurd. How can everything in the universe that has no conception of God be a part of God? His thoughts and ideas on this subject don’t add up in the end and don’t seem like an acceptable solution to the questions revolving around â€Å"God†. Ethics: On Interconnected Self- Spinoza’s’ View – Spinoza said that freedom of choice is an illusion and that everything that happens is part of a necessary order witch is completely rational. My View – If freedom of choice is an illusion and everything is already set to happen before it occurs†¦then why are we making choices in the first place? I believe we do have freedom of choice and that we set our own destiny. Everything will be set but is not set yet. We must make choices and decisions to get to where we want to or do not want to. This can be compared to a video game, the programmer and the player. The programmer sets al these scenarios, levels, obstacles, directions and gives the gamer various choices to make. The player goes through these obstacles, and makes choices where many possibilities are presented to him/her. Ultimately the game will finish one way or the other with the choices that the player makes. All these various different possibilities were laid out (each which had its own outcome) but the player made the decision to get to where he/she is now. Overall Comparison: After taking in everything these two philosophers have presented and evaluating their ideas, I have come up with my own thoughts. I believe Descartes had a much more reasonable and acceptable point of view than Spinoza. Descartes thoughts and concepts were easier to understand and coupe with. I disagree a lot with both of the two but my mind has a greater understanding of Descartes perspective. Spinoza was so special in his own way because of his unique ideas but his concepts on God and ethics seemed to far fetch. Descartes seemed to be on a perfect track until he took a couple things too far like God, trying to prove his existence. If we are to gain knowledge through sense experience then technically we have no knowledge of God, jus a compound of thoughts and ideas to create such a being. Overall I like Descartes philosophical way of thinking more than any other philosopher and feel we can learn a lot from him including helping ourselves to think in a more abstract philosophical manner. Sources Of Information: 1) A History of Western Philosophy : Hobbes to Hume (Second Edition) 2) individual. utoronto. ca/mtlin/god. pdf 3) www. utm. edu/research/iep/s/spinoza. htm 4) http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/Mind/17th. html 5) www. trincoll. edu/depts/phil/philo/phils/descartes. html 6) www. connect. net/ron/descartes. html.

Operational Warfare and the Revolutionary Nature of Interwar Period Essay

Operational Warfare and the Revolutionary Nature of Interwar Period - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that operational warfare is the term derived from Russia during 18th and 19th centuries. Operational warfare is a concept based on the military theory, which suggests a norm towards the behavior and trends in the military affairs. It was developed during the period of mechanization of armed forces. It signifies coordination of different level of command from the small level of action to a higher level. The operational level has gradually changed in case of size and objectives of armies. The operational level formation was not powerful in the post-cold war era, but during the cold war and the Second World War, the operational-level formation was highly powerful. In his seminal book, The Framework of Operational Warfare Clayton R. Newell elaborates on the three perspectives of wars- tactical, operational and strategic perspectives. The activities of war change according to how it is viewed. One can understand the war by analyzing these three pe rspectives. Among these three, operational perspective is the newest which is associated with land warfare. As Newell rightly observes, â€Å"even though the origins of the operational perspective can be traced back to the eighteenth century, it remains a new idea in warfare when compared to the hundreds of years of warfare which have been studied from only the two perspectives of strategy and tactics†. It can thus be concluded that the operational warfare was an innovative mode of waging wars and it has immensely contributed to the strategic and operational formation of future wars.

Global Warming and Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global Warming and Energy - Essay Example The global warming issue is divided by 1) spreading process, 2) spreading locations, and 3) principal causes. Global environmental issues include a wide range of environment related issues, such as, global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, acid rain, rain forest phenomenon, desertification, reduction of wildlife species, pollution problems in developing countries, water life pollution, hazardous wastes, etc. Among all of these issues, the global warming issue, which is caused due to the increased consumption of energy derived from the fossil fuels, draws an increasing attention of the whole world. Mechanisms of Global Warming Mechanism of Warming The surface of planets including Earth is heated by solar radiation energy, which is a visible light with short wavelength, whereas it is cooled by releasing energy, which is an infrared ray with long wavelength. The temperature of the planet surface is determined by the balance between the incoming and outgoing energies. A. Cooling Eff ect Not all solar rays that are radiated towards the earth reach the surface of the earth. There are substances around the earth that reflect the solar rays. The reflected radiation energy does not reach the surface of the earth. ... e are certain gases present in the atmosphere, which do not have the tendency to absorb the visible light with short wavelength, such as, solar radiation energy but they can absorb the infrared radiation with long wavelength, such as, the energy that is released from the earth. Once these gases absorb the released energy from the earth's surface, they re-radiate the energy in all directions. Some energy is directed upwards, whereas some energy is directed back towards the earth's surface. As a result, the temperature of the earth's surface starts increasing due to the energy which is directed towards the surface of the earth. Types of Greenhouse Gases The greenhouse gases which occur naturally include methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and ozone, whereas the artificial greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbon. Among these greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide is the type of gas, which contributes most to the issue of global warming. If we analyze the rate of emissions of the last decade, we find that the global warming caused due to carbon dioxide accounts for approximately seventy percent, which is really a great percentage. Before the industrial revolution, the greenhouse gas concentration was relatively stable, but when the world’s population started to increase rapidly along with industrialization and agricultural modernization, the greenhouse gas concentration increased up to a great extent. Japan's Carbon Dioxide Emissions Since the first oil crisis, which occurred in 1973, Japan's carbon dioxide emissions had remained unchanged until the mid 1980s. Then, due to strong economic growth during the bubble period and the low energy cost, it faced an upward trend. Thereafter, the increase rate became slow, but in 2008, 1187 million tons

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

Quality tools - Research Paper Example To begin with, this model is a self-assessment framework (Benjamin, 2006). It is mainly used for evaluating strengths in an organization and it is used for assessing or measuring areas for improvement in an organization. This process cuts across every activity that the organization engages in. Excellence is a term used to emphasize on the focal point of the model. This model mainly targets to analyze the things that an organization does. These activities are the efforts that an organization in question may employ to provide excellent services and products to the market or to its customers. It originated from the private sector, but it is a model that all organizations; public, voluntary and every other organization can apply to improve its performance in terms of products and services. Studies designate that this classical is non-prescriptive; this means there are no strict rules set out to be followed in order to achieve quality results. It employees broad and coherent set of assump tions that reveals what the organization and the management needs to do to make up a good and reputable organization. Because of its simplicity, every organization can use its own methods to manage and create improvements. This calls for internal use of methods in assumptions rather than the use of external evaluators. The excellence model starts with the customer, outcomes, people outcomes, and society outcomes, it is suggested that his important results are achieved through leadership driven policy strategy. It is revealed that people, resource leading and partnership form the key to excellence in terms of performance and results. The figure above shows the various criteria and their interrelation. It also gives the two broad categories: the enabler and the results. The model is used on nine important criteria to achieve results. This are used to cover all actions of the society and the ideas are in two types; enabler and results. Through the enabler standards, this is alarmed wit h how the organization demeanors itself: how it manages its capitals and its employees. This also gives information about how the organization lays out its strategies by reviewing its key process (Hansen, 2010). The key process is people, leadership, procedures, companies, incomes and every model aims to accomplish outcomes. The results are revealed after employing this model are the results of the quality tool use. The results involve the level of gratification among the employees, clients, and the impact on the larger community, while touching on the functioning signs. The organization more often begins by gathering evidence or relevant information about every criterion. For instance, questions may be direct to ask how good the organization is and the variation goes from one organization to another. There many benefits realized when EFQM is employed in an organization to improve quality. Firstly, excellent model provides a clear analysis of an organization`s activities, which beco mes useful for planning through links between the results and what the organization does. Through this model, it is possible to instill an organizational culture of continuous improvement. In addition, the model is a holistic framework addresses a wide range of organizational quality issues in a thorough manner

Critically evaluate the statement that understanding organizational Essay

Critically evaluate the statement that understanding organizational behavior is important to organizational success - Essay Example Indeed, this confirms that there is a link between organizational behavior and the performance and success of an organization, only that its workforce can differentiate the organization. This paper presents a thoughtful discussion to certify the fact that the understanding of organisational behaviour is important to organisational success. Arguably, studying and understanding organizational behavior is very important to be able to analyze the growth and success of any organization. Understanding organizational behavior involves knowing about individuals and human nature. More so, it is necessary to understand organizational behavior since the organizations themselves have members and the factors that affect the organizations have an impact on the people involved also. Actually, the organizational behavior enables individuals to perform tasks assigned to them effectively starting with the management to the employees in order achieve high productivity and success in an organization. Or ganizational behavior is actually one of the approaches of management (Fayyaz et al. 2008, p. 5). Moreover, understanding organizational behavior is valuable to the organization especially if the organization has effectively implemented organizational behaviors (Phillips & Gully, 2012, p. 6). ... 200). The key employees’ behaviours that are given attention in an organization include productivity, turnover and absenteeism. The absence or presence of employees determines their productivity and that of the organization since the management is concerned with quality of work done by the employees. Job satisfaction is a very important factor that has to be considered by the managers since it has been noted that there is a relationship between job satisfaction and productivity. Satisfaction also explains employees’ absenteeism and turnover as well as their motivation to perform their duties effectively. Apart from employees’ attitude and perception, productivity is influenced by job satisfaction, ethical optimism, and the kind of relationship between the employer and employee (Gilliland, Steiner & Skarlicki, 2007, p. 200). Managers are expected to handle their job effectively and efficiently and they can achieve this by having adequate knowledge to deal with a n ew workforce, and complications of the new working environment. Organizational behavior enables the organization perform well in that, paying attention to employees, and recognizing their performance form part of tasks a manager needs to focus on, in order to be successful (Phillips & Gully, 2012, p. 6). Accordingly, understanding organizational behaviour is very important in organizational success as it helps in examining interactions within small groups either formal or informal where individuals merge their efforts towards achieving organizational goals (Fayyaz et al., 2008, p. 4). Arguably, the goals of organizational behaviour include understanding why people behave the way they do, analyse how individuals behave under

Bantam Soft Drinks Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Bantam Soft Drinks - Assignment Example Furthermore, this can lead to disruption in production, loss of job skills and dramatic incur on cost of hiring new staffs. The four factors which states why employees leaves any specific firm like Bantam Soft Drinks are organizational commitment, work climate, employee motivation and communication. It is described as comparative strength of involvement and identification of an individual in a specific firm. Studies concluded that employees with high level of commitment are less likely to leave their organizations. According to Steers, the more level of commitment can lessen desire of termination for organization. Furthermore, it is believed that these exceedingly committed and dedicated employees are supposed to have strong desire at work, high intent to stay with the company and optimistic attitude towards employment. Moreover, Steers determined that employee turnover is inversely and expressively proportional to employee commitment. On the other hand, employees with less commitment level can perceive current job as opportunity to find better prospect in other organizations. In this present scenario on Bantam Soft Drinks, it can be proposed that this traditional soft drinks company is on low staff turnover. The continual rise of prices has increased the sign of lack of motiva tion and anxiety towards the work. This resulted rapid shift of employee turnover from low to high. Some of the employees fear that rapid upsurge of soft drinks prices may lead to employee reduction. Moreover, the indication of less enthusiasm and rise of anxiety has increased staff turnover of the soft drinks company by 5 percentages. The underlying credence of the study is that commitment can have positive impact on workforce retention and job performance. The working condition of an organization is vital for reduction of staff turnover. It appears that organization must introduce supportive working climate and learning environment where employees can work and learn. Research shows

Respond to 5 classmates Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Respond to 5 classmates - Coursework Example Providing services to the local communities encourages health-promotion, which results in achieving the goal of encouraging primary-care (Nowicki, 2011). â€Å"Nonprofit hospitals are more likely to offer unprofitable services and to locate in areas with a higher proportion of low-income and uninsured residents† (Byrne, 2014). A drawback observed by Byrne (2014) is that hospitalists appear to earn lower wages then their for-profit counterparts, in a sense donating some of their time to the community. The hospital loses it’s ability to divide the profits amongst it’s employees beyond what’s considered â€Å"reasonable† salaries. Not-for-profit hospitals are essentially designated to â€Å"engage in exclusively charitable purposes† (Nowicki, 2011). Healthcare has evolved into one of the most important issues in the contemporary times. The tax-exempt status of not-for profit health organizations become important as they are able to reach wider segment of people who require quality healthcare at accessible prices. Indeed, the tax exemption helps them to buy quality healthcare goods at lower prices which helps the organizations to maintain the high standard of effective healthcare delivery to the poor and the needy, especially the uninsured population. At the same time, Rosenthal (2013) asserts that the tax-exempt status is abused by many non-profit health organizations. This is major drawback that needs to be constantly monitored by the authorities so that the intended purpose of providing tax exemption can be justified for treating the needy and making quality and efficient healthcare delivery accessible to the target population who cannot afford increasing cost of healthcare. A major benefit for a hospital having tax exempt status is being able to issue tax-exempt bonds; the yields are 4-5% below taxable bond yields. Tax exempt hospitals work under the pretense that they are doing something the government would have to be

Personal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Personal - Essay Example   While my undergraduate course had been indispensable in carrying out the duties of my current job, I still felt the need to explore more on the studies of public administration to expand my knowledge and skills in public service which explains why I would like to pursue a post graduate degree in Public Administration with the Emphasis in Disaster Preparedness and Executive Fire Leadership as my first choice of academic program and Emphasis in Government and Policy as my secondary program of interest.   Both programs in Master in Public Administration deal with the advance levels of policy formulation, leadership and administrative preparedness in a public service context which explains why it interests me to explore through a formal study. I prefer to pursue post graduate academic training in Master in Public Administration with an Emphasis in Disaster Preparedness and Executive Fire Leadership University in Troy State University not only because of its excellent program and esteemed academic reputation, but also because of its holistic development program and the special emphasis it put on diversity. As a potential student in Master in Public Administration, I believe that I will tremendously benefit with this unique mix of academic training as well as having cultural and professional exposure because it will complement my academic education with cultural education. I believe that exposure to different nationality and profession is equally important especially in government because we are dealing with all kinds of people with different cultural background. I have a high regard of the academic standard of a post graduate study at Troy State University but I believe that my undergraduate study at University of Southern California had prepared me to undertake such academic rigor to be able to one of its exemplary students. I am a quick study albeit I also suffer the weakness of procrastination which is commonly shared by many

High performance concrete Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

High performance concrete - Research Paper Example The concept has gone thru series of evolutions, since the birth of knowledge about mixing water, cement, and aggregate. Advent of high performance concrete is the result of this evolution. This research in brief demonstrates different aspects of this remarkable building material and how it has so far served people being an integral part of complex structures. Table of Contents Index Page Introduction 4 Why high performance concrete? 5 Literature Review 7 Purpose 8 Development history of high performance concrete 8 High performance concrete: Concept and exploration 8 Methodology 12 Research approach 13 Analyses 14 Finding and discussion 15 Case study 20 Conclusion 24 Conclusion and recommendation 25 Bibliography 26 Introduction Why high performance concrete? Civil engineering construction uses different building materials. Some are naturally occurring substances, and others are manmade. Concrete is a manmade material using naturally occurring substances. Base material of concrete is w ater, and cement, while aggregate materials are sand, gravel, crushed stone, blast furnace slag. Base material produces a paste type material in which aggregate materials are bonded. Cementitious binding process of aggregate materials plays a vital role in achieving the end product – concrete. ... Systematic tests to determine compressive and tensile strength of concrete were performed between 1835 and 1850, along with the first accurate chemical analysis. In 1860 modern composition of Portland cements became available (Inspecting the World n.d.), and since that time concrete has made its rigid step in civil engineering construction as one of the basic building materials. Formation of concrete takes place in two stages; fresh state and hardened state (AboutCivil.com n.d.). Fresh state concrete is plastic, and it flows to produce a given structural form. Hardened concrete attains its full structural strength. As a building construction material concrete’s hardened strength value is used in civil engineering design. Hardened strength value implies concrete's compressive strength. Structural behavior of concrete is to resist compression. Compressive strength of concrete depends on paste strength (water and cement), interfacial bonding (bonding between paste and aggregate), and aggregate strength (aggregate works like bone in the human body). Compressive strength value of concrete made of a specific mixture of cement, water, and aggregate composition is tested at a laboratory. Compressive strength is measured (Concrete in Practice n.d.) by breaking a cylindrical specimen in a compression-testing machine. This test is conducted according to the ASTM C 31 and ASTM C 39 procedure and method. In 1970s, any concrete mix with 28 days age showed compressive strength about 40 MPa was considered to be high strength (berekley.edy n.d.). Residential and light commercial building uses compressive strength in the range of 17 Mpa to 34 Mpa (Portland Cement Association n.d.). Constructions like high-rise building, long

Medical Modal Essay Example for Free

Medical Modal Essay Explain the two models of disability and the impact of each on practice: †¢ Medical Model Disability is seen as the problem; not attempting to overcome challenges presented from disability. Therefore people with disabilities are excluded and miss out on lots of things in life †¢ Social Model The environment and society are seen as the problem, not the disability. All people are included where possible and the environment and resources can be adapted to make things possible. Why is a positive attitude towards disability and specific requirements important? Having a positive attitude helps to ensure that children and people with disabilities and specific requirements achieve positive outcomes in their lives. Positive attitudes promote positive learning and development and gives the person or child high self-esteem, self-reliance and self-confidence. It is about adapting the environment or society to meet the individual’s needs. Explain how inclusive practice promotes equality and supports diversity. Assistive technology (AT) can help disabled people to perform functions that they couldn’t otherwise do, such as electric wheelchairs, voice recognition on their computer for mobility and communicating. Speech therapists can support children with cerebral palsy for example or other conditions that cause difficulty with speech. Health professionals will help children with cystic fibrosis. Additional learning support at school could help a child with autism or dyslexia. Portage workers help support the family and child when they may have developmental or learning difficulties, physical disabilities or other Special Educational Needs. FIRST team can give advice and show strategies for children with behavioural difficulties.

Air Pollution Due To Traffic Environmental Sciences Essay

Air Pollution Due To Traffic Environmental Sciences Essay Development of urban lands with various land use results in creation of different forms of the city, and this physical development cause traffic problems. High traffic volume more than capacity of urban systems, results in environmental problems, especially air and sound pollutions. Air pollution due to traffic is one of the main concerns of urban planners and environmental administrators in developing countries for decades, because air pollution directly affects citizens health. This issue, in developed countries, has been solved through correct planning on land use and transportation, and emphasize on environment protection. We will try, in this research, to examine the correlation between land use, traffic, and its effect on urban environment, especially on air quality. In other words, we will survey the effects of land use in physical movement due to traffic, and its effect on air quality. Land use and transportation are two sides of a coin (†¦). On one hand, transportation is most important requirement of city development and, on the other hand, planned or unplanned development results in transportation needs. Hence, there is a very high correlation between transportation and land use. Many analytical and descriptive models have been developed to show this correlation, each one provides one aspect of researches and explanatory elements in geometrical structure of city (†¦). But correlation between transportation, land use and environmental parameters such as air pollution haven rarely examined. Although environmental problems, nowadays, are one of the most important problems, especially in metropolises, and these problems should be solved. Rural regions, in developing countries, are urbanizing quickly, and cities are changing into metropolises, which cause environmental problems. Most common type of these problems is related to air pollution in cities. Air pollution could be result of industrial activities, transportation and other elements in cities, but according to JICA, more than 80% of Tehrans pollution is result of urban transportation. Because of belonging of significant part of city (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ square meter equal to †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ percent of district space) to highways and linkages in and around district 2, most of air pollution is created by moving vehicles in districts (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.). Urban transportation is affected by three elements: 1- road and street, 2- vehicles and 3- users (citizens), so we should consider there three elements to reduce or eliminate air pollution due to transportation. These elements are shown in diagram number (†¦.). First, we should consider urban infrastructure, especially road and street, to reduce air pollution due to transportation. If our roads have high traffic capacity, vehicle could pass faster and air pollution will be reduced. Although road widening is restricted by land limitations in cities, otherwise the city would changes into a giant parking place (this is what happened in Hemmat Highway in district 2 and its picture is represented in appendixes). Using the good materials for road constructing also could reduce pollutions due to tiny dusts scattered in space. Second, utilizing planning and transportation administration, and using low pollutant vehicles would help better air quality. Today, world is talking about bi-fuel, battery and solar automobiles, which make lesser pollution. Another way of air pollution reducing is also to promote the use of public transportation systems, which make lesser pollution per passenger, in comparison to personal vehicles. Also developing the green lines in cities for bicycles and encourage people to use them is another solution. Third, modifying citizens and vehicle and road users travel pattern is another way. These would be achieved by reducing the need to travel by motor vehicles through development of electronic city and utilizing internet and intranet for routine daily works- nearest way to travel, development of public transportation fleet and encouraging people to replace their personal vehicles with public transpiration services. Planning of permanent land use could reduce air pollutions indirectly. So we can say that there is a linear relation between transportation quality and land use in cities. City air pollution is most important problem, especially in big cities of developing countries. Source of this pollution is vehicles. Main city air pollutants are presented in table below: Table- city air pollutants due to transportation Effects of these pollutants on citizens life- city construction- human health and †¦ have been proved (1234). As mentioned above, main source of city air pollution is urban transportation which is influenced by citizens travel pattern and land use. Relationship between urban travel patterns, specification of origin-destination and land use will be achieved through mathematical analysis. Origin-destination distance will affect citizens travel pattern obviously. Long distance between residential and working areas, between origin and destination indeed, will affect transportation and energy usage. Even citizens economic status and relationship between public transport and personal vehicle usage will affect traffic volume in cities. Transportation is needed because it eliminates distances by modifying relationship ability between various activities. Indeed, this close relationship between land use and transportation makes transportation equipments one of strongest especial geographical tools for planners, so they could utilize it for conduction of urban development. However, land use and transportation relation is complicated and we cant make any cause and effect relationship between them. For example, its obvious that modification of transportation infrastructure has clear affect on land use activities. Population volume and distribution of residential areas or industrial displacements, etc. change the transportation demand pattern. Thus, its necessary to prior goal in transportation planning be the development of effective balance between land use activities and potential capacity of their relationship, to reduce air pollution and enhance environment quality. Land use pattern typically would identify by district selection and district location and relationship between districts and organizing various city zones such as commercial-official- internal and external (1234). ( ) There is multilateral interaction between various elements. These elements include land use intensity- traffic limitation level- vehicles effectiveness- centralizing level- urban form- cost of energy and orientation to various types of public transportation. All of these elements define city air quality and fuel consumption level. According to Newman and Knorty (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..) there are various indexes for evaluation of correlation between transportation and land use, including: land use intensity index orientation to non-automobile transportation traffic limitation level vehicles performance centralizing level of urban form public transportation performance This study has been made according to these indexes. As travel volume and its characteristics are under affect of land use intensity and nature, it seems gathering basic information about land use is first to do. Land use scales for residential areas, typically, do measure by pure residential aggregation. While in working centers and buying areas it does measure by rate of one person to appropriate occupation space. Required data could be provided by official sources and we could synchronize them by recourse to planning applications rules. These basic data have provided by surveying in every internal traffic zone. Peoples interest in public and private transportation, daily urban motor traffic volume, main street width, branches, proper usage of traffic signals and citizens attention to them are points that should be taken into account in land use and urban transportation systems survey. However, most common transportation type is automobiles that occupy more than 20% of streets in many countries. And it shows that land use for transportation purposes is the second one after residential land use. Problem Statements Environmental problems in cities have been changed into complex situation, all elements related to each other. Environmental stresses in cities are result of daily increase in city population and need to more space and changes in land use for better services. Observation in district 2 in Tehran shows that main environmental stress is result of enhance in traffic volume, especially in highways. It brings air and sound pollution problems. Other environmental problems also are challengeable in district 2, but we will emphasize on air pollution in this thesis. Although Tehrans district 2 is a developed one, but mentioned problems, especially traffic burden and air pollution decrease the quality of urban environment. Main reasons of vehicles congestion, which is main source of air pollution in district 2, are as below: fast and unbalanced development of district changes in form of the city and continual changes in land use development of residential areas with high aggregation economic development of city, which resulted in enhancement in citizens afford Insufficient and inappropriate transportation system, which resulted in utilizing personal vehicles by citizens. Rate of city streets length to personal vehicles Vehicle parking beside streets Excessive increase of highways in district, which changed district 2 into passage of other districts. Insufficient administration of traffic and transportation. Above reasons may help in increase of air quality problems and decrease of urban environmental quality. Survey importance It is long time that traffic throng is one of the main problems of Tehran. This throng in district 2 is more because of extent of passages and highways. This throng results in waste of many hours by citizens and millions of liters fuel too. Traffic may result in decrease of people property and dissatisfaction. Traffic also affects air quality and results in various commercial and hygienic detriments. Observations in district 2 show that traffic volume increases as the city develops. We need a strategic prevention method and utilized conventional methods were not effective yet. Threats and opportunities, and weaknesses and strengths have been considered in strategic prevention method. If, as mentioned previously, traffic is most important element in air pollution, there are two methods for reduction of air pollution in cities: First, by control and decrease of automobiles volume, traffic, and air pollution hence, will be reduced. Optimal traffic administration to provide roads capacity- traffic signals- infrastructure improvement and to provide public transportation system could be utilized to control number of automobiles. And urban environmental status will be improved by utilizing clean fuel like bi fuel natural gas or electronic fuel. Second, a strategy related to urban planning and proper distribution of urban land use and decreasing urban travels are essential to solve the problem of urban air quality downfall, and show the importance and necessity of these surveys. Objectives: Most important purposes of this survey are: Description of current land use characteristics in Tehran district 2, regarding zones- development- aggregation and continuity. Description of relationship between citizens physical movement and land use plan and citizens decision making in vehicle selection. Description of characteristics of air pollution in Tehran district 2, regarding sources- type of vehicles exhaust- adjustment and affects on urban environment Description of some characteristics of land use policy tools- transportation and air quality in Tehran district 2, which has direct effect on making seasonal plans perpetual, and proposing related measures which could improve relationship between land use and physical movement and result in better urban air quality. Survey hypothesis: First hypothesis in this study is that there is relationship between air quality and land use plan through physical movement by motor vehicles. It is on the basis of fact that any traffic due to utilizing fossil fuel in automobiles results in emission of pollutants and hence results in air pollution. If automobiles do not emit air pollutant gases, like electric hybrid or solar automobiles, there will be no such relationships. But major urban transportation in district 2 is taking place by personal and motor vehicles now (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..). Second hypothesis is that air pollution in district 2 is mostly result of motor vehicles and probably its true, because there is no other pollutant source like air pollutant factories in this district. We can make a clear relationship between traffic volume and number of air pollutants by this hypothesis. Since wind rate and direction, which makes emitted exhausts uncondensed, is not considered in measuring of air quality in streets, this relationship will not be completely realized. So may be emission volume will not be reported correctly. Yet there is a lack of recorded data about air quality measuring which causes some deployment because it reduces the quality of mentioned relationship. Anyhow its expected that this study provide basic method for more comprehensive study about transportation and environmental relationships in Tehran district 2. Emission of various gases depends on fuel type and automobile age. But it is not possible to determine age of automobiles in motion and thus we will connivance it in traffic calculation. Third hypothesis is that if scale of automobiles motor will be considered, any automobile utilizing fossil fuel, regardless of age, emits exhaust, which has similar effect on environment. This study only considers relationship between land use and physical movement through personal automobiles or public transportation systems. Indeed, variants such as migrants- urban transportations through public transportation systems- personal automobile owners, jobs and purpose of urban transportation that control physical movement. These variants have been considered in this study, but direct relation between some of them has been neglected. Actually, affects caused by transportation are not limited to air pollution, but include sound pollution and tremble, which have been neglected too, and we only emphasize on air pollution in this study. Area Study Tehran, as capital of Iran, is located in natural bed between 3534 degree of north latitude and 51 to 5137 degree of east longitude. This bed is limited to northwest border of Markazi desert in south, to Jajrood valley in east, and valleys of Karaj in west. Regarding high extent and population (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦), Tehran has been divided into 22 urban districts with independent municipality to better administration. Tehran district 2 is placed in 5120 degree east longitude and 3545 degree north latitude. Its placed in south skirt of Alborz Mountains. Its limited to south skirt of Alborz Mountain in north, alluvial desert of Markazi in south, and Farahzad and Evin Darakeh watercourses in east and west. Its total shape is as a rectangular with 12 kilometers in north-south direction and 4 kilometers in east-west direction, including 5000 hectare space. South part of it in Tehran desert has hot and dry climate, while north part in Alborz Mountains skirt has more temperate climate. General slope is in north-south direction varying form 30-40 degrees in north part to gentler slope of 5-10 degrees in south part. Alborz Mountains is in its north. Its most high place is about 1800 meter higher than sea level, with medial slope of 30-50 degrees. There are some small valleys like Darakeh, Farahzad in Mountains skirt (north of Tehran). There are many hills in centric part, results of water erosion. Highest place in these hills is about 1500 meter higher than sea level. Medial slope in top of the hills are 20-30 degrees and in skirt about 30-40 degrees. These hills are differentiated from other topographic zones by their height, multiple valleys and severe slopes in skirts. Pardisan Park hills and north of Kooye Nasr hills are some of them. This district ends in 1200 alignment in south. Tehran district 2 is limited to Alborz Mountains in north, districts 1, 3, 6 in east, districts 9, 10, 11 in south and district 5 in west. District is totally in north of Tehran and Aborz mountain skirt and most of it is at least 1400 meter higher than sea level. Why district 2 has selected for study? Because district 2 had experimented intensive changes in land use in recent years . Most of Tehrans highways are placed in this district and its a good choice because of its extent from center to north of the city. District 2 includes 10% of population and space of Tehran.

Foreign Exchange Risk Management In Multinational Corporations Finance Essay

Foreign Exchange Risk Management In Multinational Corporations Finance Essay Corporations (MNCs) Introduction: Globalisation has had economic, cultural, technological and political effects. Over the last few decades the increase in globalisation has led to rapid growth in several industries around the world and it has also had a strong influence on the flexibility of firms. Hundreds of new MNCs have emerged globally due to the liberalisation of trade and capital markets. MNCs are not limited to the big firms with huge investments like Coca Cola, Nike and Shell, due to advances in technology and liberal markets many small firms operate internationally to maximise their profits. This growth has highlighted the various risks faced by MNCs operating in different countries. One such risk is the financial risk involved with the foreign currency exchange markets. Most of the time MNCs deal in more than one national currency and hence the changes in the foreign exchange rates can have an adverse effect on the firms profits. This paper discusses the various foreign exchange risks faced by multinationa ls around the globe and the necessary steps taken to manage these risks. A study on the Malaysian MNCs has also been covered in the paper. Foreign Exchange Risks: Foreign Exchange risks also known as exposures can be termed as an agreed, projected or contingent cash flow whose scale is not certain at the moment. The magnitude depends on the value of the changes in the foreign exchange rates which in turn depends on various variables such as the interest rate parity, purchasing power parity, speculations and government policies on exchange rates. According to G.Shoup (1998), a company has exposure if there is a currency mismatch in some aspect of the business such that a shift in foreign exchange rates, nominal or real, affect its performance either positively or negatively. These exposures may be classified into three different categories: Translation exposure Transaction exposure Economic exposure Translation Exposure; this is the net asset/liability exposure in the home currency of the MNC. In other words, it is the profit gained or loss incurred in translating foreign currency financial statements of foreign subsidiaries of the MNC into a single currency which it uses in its final reports (Yazid Muda, 2006). In essence, translation risk can be defined as the effect of exchange rates on the figures shown on the parent companys consolidated balance sheet. Although this exposure does not affect the shareholders equity, it does influence the investors due to the changing values of the assets or liabilities. (Shoup, 1998) Transaction Exposure; it is a risk associated with a transaction that has already been contracted. It is as a result of unexpected changes in foreign exchange rates affecting future cash flows which the MNC has already committed itself to. Usually MNCs enter an international contractual obligation, the payment or receipt of which is expected on a future date, hence any change in the foreign exchange rate during that period will expose the MNC to transaction risks. Transaction risks can be easily identified and thus get more attention from the financial managers. (Eiteman, Stonehill, Moffett, 2007) Economic Exposure; this is the most complex risk as it not only involves the known cash flows but also future unknown cash flows, hence also termed as a hidden risk. It is a comprehensive measure of a companys foreign exchange exposure and therefore sometimes termed as a combination of translation and transaction exposure. Identifying economic risks involves measuring the change in the present value of the company resulting from any changes in the future operating cash flows of the firm caused either by adverse or desirable change in the exchange rate. (Eiteman, Stonehill, Moffett, 2007). As Dhanani (2000) noted, economic risk can be viewed as the consequence of long-term exchange rate fluctuations on a firms predicted cash flows and as the cash flows linked to the risk are not certain to materialize, the risk is hard to identify. Economic exposure to a MNC may last for a long duration making it difficult to be quantified and hence limiting the use of possible management techniques. (Shoup, 1998) Foreign Exchange Risk Management Foreign exchange risk management is a process which involves identifying areas in the operations of the MNC which may be subject to foreign exchange exposure, studying and analysing the exposure and finally selecting the most appropriate technique to eliminate the affects of these exposures to the final performance of the company. (Shoup, 1998) Risks involving short term transactions can be dealt with using financial instruments but long term risks often require changes in the operations of the company. As in the case of translation exposure the MNC can have an equal amount of exposed foreign currency assets and liabilities. By doing so the company will be able to offset any gain or loss it may have due to changes in the exchange rates of that currency, also known as balance sheet hedging. (Eiteman, Stonehill, Moffett, 2007) In dealing with economic exposures efficiently, a MNC may have to diversify either its finance or its operations. It can diversify its operations by either moving to locations where the cost of production is low, or having a flexible supplier policy, or changing the target market for its products and the types of products it deals in. As it can be illustrated from the 1994 example of Toyota, when a strong Yen made Japanese exports to US more expensive, it decided to shift its production from Japan to US, where it achieved comparatively lower costs of production, enabling it to compete in the US car market. (Eun Resnick, 2007) The management of transaction exposures may either involve hedging using special techniques or applying pro-active policies. The pro-active policies commonly used include (Eiteman, Stonehill, Moffett, 2007): Matching currency cash flow Risk sharing agreements Back to back loans Currency swaps Lead and Lag payments Use of re-invoicing centres Hedging is the act of protecting a pre-existing position in the spot market by trading in derivative securities; that is guarding of existing assets from future losses. According to Eiteman et al (2007), hedging is the taking of a position, acquiring a cash flow, an asset or a contract that will rise or fall in value and hence offset a fall or rise in value of an existing position. Several studies on this issue have emphasized that MNCs have a higher probability of facing exchange rate volatility in their operations as they expand their involvement throughout the world. Therefore, the extensive use of various hedging techniques by most companies has been widely recognized to ensure the companys overall interests, cash flows and equity are safeguarded. Some of the most commonly used hedging techniques include: Forward market hedge Money market hedge Options market hedge Forward market hedge; this is the case where the MNC in the forward contract has a legal obligation to buy or sell a given amount of foreign currency at a specific future date which is known as the contract maturity date at a price agreed upon at present. (Nitzche Cuthbertson, 2001) Money market hedge; under this hedging technique, the transaction exposure can be hedged by lending and borrowing in the local and foreign markets. For instance a MNC may borrow in a foreign currency to hedge the amount it expects to receive in that currency at a later date and similarly it could lend to hedge payables in a foreign currency. By doing so, the MNC will be matching its assets and liabilities in the same currency. (Eun Resnick, 2007) Options market hedge; this is a technique used by a MNC which gives it the right but not the obligation to buy or sell a specific amount of foreign currency at a specific price, by or on a specific date. Although not a widely used tool, it can be useful when a MNC is uncertain about the future receipt or payments of foreign currency. (Nitzche Cuthbertson, 2001) Hedging helps in reducing the risks involved in international transactions and also improves planning capability. By hedging a MNC can ensure its cash flow does not fall below a necessary minimum, particularly in cases where there is a tendency of a company to run out of cash for necessary investments (Eiteman, Stonehill, Moffett, 2007). A very good example would be that of Merck, a pharmaceutical company. Kearney and Lewent (1993) identified that Merck was one of the pioneers to have used hedging to ensure that its key investment plans could always be financed, which in their case was the research and development aspect of their business. Mathur (1982) came to the conclusion that, to decrease the negative outcomes caused by fluctuations of foreign exchange rate on earnings and cash flows, most companies employ a hedging program. He also noted that a formal foreign exchange management policy is more common among larger firms. According to Bartov et al (1996), if MNCs do not institut e a hedging program, they are more likely to be exposed to risks which may result in substantial losses. Despite its advantages, hedging does not increase the companys expected cash flows, on the other hand it uses up the company resources in the process (Eiteman, Stonehill, Moffett, 2007). According to G.Shoup (1998), unless there are clear defined objectives, safeguards in place and clear communication at every level of management, a hedging program may turn into a disaster. As the chairman of Zenith Electronic Corporations, Jerry K Pearlman once said, It is a, damned if you do and damned if you dont situation. (Shoup, 1998, p15.) In 1984, Lufthansa a German airline company placed a major purchase order for airlines from an American firm. The financial managers at Lufthansa had forecasted a stronger dollar in the days to come and therefore locked up the German Duetsche mark against the American dollar. Due to an unfavourable effect, a weak dollar, in one year Lufthansa lost around US$150 million and half of the financial managers team lost their jobs (Shoup, 1998). In another instance, two years later in 1986, the chairman of Porche found himself unemployed as he had engineered the company into a dependence on the US market for 61% of its revenue without hedging against a downturn in US$, as a result forcing Porche to suffer major financial losses. (Shoup, 1998) According to a study by Marshall (2000), the trend in the objectives of managing foreign exchange risks was quite similar between the UK and US multinationals who gave significant importance to certainty of cash flow as well as minimising fluctuations in earnings. On the other hand, a higher number of Asian multinationals managed these risks to minimise fluctuations in their earnings. The trend observed is summarised in Figure 1 below. Figure 1: Foreign exchange risk management in UK, USA and Asia Pacific multinational companies by Andrew P Marshall, Journal of Multinational Financial Management, 2000. Belk and Glaum (1990) undertook a study which involved investigating several UK MNCs. The study revealed that although majority of the companies considered translation exposure to be important, not all were prepared to hedge this risk actively. On the other hand transaction exposure was given most importance in the management of foreign exchange risks. The level of hedging the transaction exposure varied between the companies investigated, some hedged totally while others did so partially. The study also seemed to show that the size if the MNC influenced its involvement in foreign exchange risk management, the larger the company the higher the propensity. In another study carried out by Makar and Huffmann (1997), it was found that there is a linear relationship between the amount of foreign exchange derivatives employed and the degree of foreign currency exposure in US MNCs. Foreign Exchange Risk Management in Malaysian Multinational Corporations (MNCs) During the financial crisis of 1997, most Malaysian MNCs suffered foreign exchange losses due to currency fluctuations, thus leading to the increased involvement of Malaysian MNCs in foreign exchange risk management (Yazid Muda, 2006). It can be seen that before the financial crisis fewer MNCs considered hedging their foreign exchange risks to be vital, as the General Manager of the Malaysian Monetary Exchange Bhd indicated that local MNCs were very passive and reactive in managing their financial risks (New Strait Times, 30 May 1998: 11). A similar statement was given by the then Minister for International Trade and Industry, Rafidah Aziz, which implied that MNCs should manage their foreign exchange risks well (New Strait Times, 3 July 1998). A very good example of the losses suffered would be that by Malaysian Airline System (MAS), MAS lost around M$400 million in the first half of 1998 because of its foreign debt of about M$3.16 billion. Yazid and Muda (2006) studied 90 out of th e then 113 MNCs listed under the Bursa Malaysia. The main objectives cited by MNCs in this study relating to the foreign exchange risk management were to minimise the following; Losses on operational cash flow Cash flow fluctuations Losses on consolidated balance sheet Losses on shareholders equity Business uncertainty Foreign exchange risk to a comfortable level According to Yazid and Muda (2006), Malaysian MNCs became very proactive in managing their foreign exchange risks during the financial crisis and once the crisis was over, the priority attributed to foreign exchange risk management decreased slightly but not to the point it was before the crisis. This has been illustrated as a summarised result of the survey shown in table 1. Objectives Before During Current Minimise Losses on operational cash flow 3.59 4.62 4.09 Minimise Cash flow fluctuations 3.29 4.41 3.88 Minimise Losses on consolidated balance sheet 3.26 3.91 3.82 Minimise Losses on shareholders equity 3.24 3.56 3.50 Minimise Business uncertainty 3.21 3.50 3.41 Minimise Foreign exchange risk to a comfortable level 2.91 3.53 3.29 Table 1 (Yazid and Muda, 2006) Note: The results are based on five-point progressive Likert scale (1 is the least important; 5 is the most important) Large MNCs in Malaysia are more likely to get involved in foreign exchange risk management compared to smaller firms or firms with relatively lesser operations outside Malaysia. This trend seems to be consistent with other MNCs around the globe (Yazid et al, 2008). Majority of the Malaysian MNCs centralise their foreign exchange risk management and it can be said that foreign exchange risk management in Malaysia is still at its infant stage in comparison to other MNCs in the west. Their management practices are very informal and no proper documented policies can be found in regard to foreign exchange risks. Although the use of hedging tools is on a steady rise amongst the Malaysian MNCs, the objectives behind their involvement remain uncertain (Yazid and Muda, 2006). The past decade has seen rapid growth of a new segment in the global finance industry, the Islamic finance sector. To qualify for Islamic foreign exchange hedging, transactions must involve tangible assets. Malaysia, which is pre-dominantly an islamic country has highlighted the need of hedging tools which are compliant with Islam. Hence CIMB, a leading Malaysian bank among others, have introduced an Islamic foreign exchange hedging instrument, which would assist their clients to manage their risks. (Reuters, 2008) Astro, which is a leading services provider in the Asian entertainment indutry is based in Malaysia. Being a MNC, foreign transactions are dealt in different foreign currencies other than the Malaysian Ringgit. Consequently, there is an exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. Astro uses foreign currency derivatives such as forward contracts and interest rate swap contracts to hedge currency exchange risks. Forward contracts are commonly used to limit exposure to currency fluctuations on foreign currency receivables and payables as well as on cash flows generated from anticipated transactions denominated in foreign currencies. In 2007 Astro made a loss of RM 137,000 due to foreign exchange fluctuations and henceforth decided to emphasize the use of hedging techniques. This can be proven by Astros estimated principal amounts of outstanding forward contracts which as at 31st January 2009 was RM188,083,636, whereas at the same time a year before it was at RM 5,109,000. The emphasis o n risk management resulted in a substantial gain of RM 7,680,000 for Astro in the year ended 2008. In addition, as Ringgit Malaysia is Astros functional currency; all the financial statements have to be consolidated into this currency. Hence Astro is exposed to translation risk due to the fluctuating exchange rates. According to Table 2.0, the significance of the foreign currency risk management is noticeable as Astro experienced a huge gain in 2008 relative to the loss they suffered in 2007. Table 2.0: ASTRO; Result of Foreign Exchange Risk Management Cash Flow due to Operating Activities 2008 RM000 2007 RM 000 Net Effect of Currency Translation on Cash and Cash Equivalents 4854 (1529) Gain on Realisation of Foreign Forward Contracts 7680 (137) However, hedging of foreign exchange does not always yield a positive result, as illustrated in the case of AirAsia, one of the leading budget airlines in Asia. AirAsia like many international airlines used a technique refered to as fuel hedging, this allows the airline to purchase fuel at a price fixed at an earlier date despite an increase in the fuel price. During the fuel crisis of 2007-2008 when prices rose to over US$150/barrel, AirAsia made a significant loss as it had hedged for fuel prices not to exceed US$90/barrel and as a result AirAsia recorded its first ever full year loss of RM471.7 million for the year ended 31st December 2008, despite achieving a growth of 36.6% in revenue. This led to the removal of all hedges on fuel prices and AirAisa declared itself as completely unghedged. Although AirAsia intends to re-introduce fuel hedging in 2011, for now it deals in spot prices for its fuel. (Leong, 2009) (Ooi, 2008) Conclusion Multinationals are exposed to various kinds of risks, which includes the foreign exchange risk. This risk which is as a result of exchange rate volatility is said to have a pervasive impact on the profitability and certainty of a MNC. Globally, multinationals face translation, transaction and economic risks due to the frenzied system of floating exchange rates. To avoid the adverse effects of these risks, multinationals often take measures which although do not entirely eliminate the losses; they do enable the firms to minimize the losses. Hedging is very common risk management tool used by multinationals and has often resulted in positive results when used after a correct analysis of the exposure is made. Despite its advantages, not all multinationals around the globe decide to manage their risks in this way. The objectives behind foreign exchange risk management and the techniques used to manage are seen to differ across regions. In the case of Malaysian multinationals, foreign exchange risk management is deemed to be at a lower level relative to their counterparts globally. Until recently, majority of the Malaysian multinationals were not actively managing these risks. The Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s had a significant effect on their stance and the level of foreign exchange risk management amongst Malaysian multinationals has since increased considerably.

catcher in the rye glass menagerie Essay -- essays research papers

The Catcher in the Rye and The Glass Menagerie The person someone becomes is influenced by the losses they have experienced in their life. In Catcher in the Rye the main character Holden Caulfield is devastated by the loss of his younger brother Allie to leukemia. The loss of Allie never leaves Holden’s mind. It changes his perception of the world. In The Glass Menagerie Amanda Wingfield’s husband abandons her and their two children Tom and Laura. For Amanda the only way to deal with the loss is to escape into a dream world. She forces this delusion onto Tom and Laura Loss of anything a loved one, a friend or a cherished possession can affect the way a person feels. Loss can change a person’s reactions or attitude toward something. This may cause the person to change the way they live their life or the decisions they make. Loss leaves an impression on a person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Holden Caulfield is tormented by Allie’s death. The night Allie died Holden slept in the garage and broke all the windows with his fists. This was the only way Holden could deal with the loss of Allie. Allie becomes the model of the ideal person for Holden. Throughout Catcher in the Rye whenever Holden talks about Allie it’s what a great person he was. He describes Allie as extremely intelligent, someone you would have liked and as someone that never got angry. Everyone Holden meets or sees he compares them to this image of Allie but almost no one meets the standards. As Holden is eating breakfast in a diner he sees two nuns come in and helps them with their suitcases. He thinks nothing of them until he notices that their suitcases seem inexpensive. Holden talks about how he hates it when someone has cheap suitcases and how he can just get to hate someone for having them. Holden never gets over Allie’s death. It causes him to become restless. He is searching for something to replace the gap in his life that Allie left. He looked up to Allie. Whenever Holden finds something that can replace Allie he discovers flaws about it. Holden feels that if he finds something he is betraying Allie. He never truly finds something to fill the void. When Phoebe asks Holden to name something he likes a lot he can’t think of anything besides Allie. Phoebe says Allie doesn't really count because he’s dead. Holden argues â€Å"I can still like him, though, can’t I? Just because somebody’s dea... ...inessman. She blames her husband for her children’s bad qualities. When Tom stays out late or smokes Amanda says â€Å"you got it from you father†. Holden and Amanda were both traumatized by the loss they experienced. Holden’s view of the world changes because of Allie’s death. In Holden’s mind no one will ever live up to Allie. Holden can’t see good in the world anymore. There is something wrong with everything when matched up against Allie. Even though this is true Holden is on an endless quest to find something that can replace Allie. The loss of Allie causes Holden to feel only something negative can result from change. The loss of her husband throws Amanda into a fantasy world. She will not accept that she should be anything other than the southern lady she was brought up to be, that Laura is peculiar or that Tom is not a budding businessman, and that she herself might be in some ways responsible for the sorrows and flaws of her children. Loss affects people in different ways. It can tear them apart or make them stronger. For both Holden and Amanda loss forces them to struggle with their emotions in an attempt to find ways of dealing with the loss.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development: The First Stage Essay

The first stage is called the Sensorimotor stage. It occupies the first two years of a child's life, from birth to 2 years old. It is called the Sensorimotor stage because in it children are occupied with sensing things and moving them. From these activities they learn what makes things happen, what the connections are between actions and their consequences. They learn to grasp and hold and what happens when they let go.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This happens later on in the stage. When they are new-born they have no concept of there being anything else apart from themselves in the world. In fact they think that they are the world. Piaget called this Egocentism; he said that children with this attitude were totally Egocentric. This does not mean that they are just plain selfish; it means that they do...

A Story About My Mother

Vu Lan celebration is coming, on websites there are many written works about mother. They are simple but meaningful and reminded me of my mother. Accordingly, I want to share with everyone my story-a long one to tell†¦ When I was a child, I always imagined my mother as a serious and frightening woman. She was constantly forcing me to stay at home whereas my friend can freely go out and enjoy their childhood. That’s not fair!!! There was a question that kept haunting my mind â€Å"Is she exactly my mother? † . I think that I found the answer after that story.One time, being too passionate about games with my friends, I forgot to come back home, making my parents extremely worry and find me everywhere. Finding out me in the yard with my friends, she furiously shouted at me and hit me in front of all my friends including the boy that I liked. It is too ashamed! I did not have dinner and kept myself in my room on that day. During that night, instead of sleeping, I plan ned to revenge my mother in the next days. In the following day,as usual she went to work and left me alone at home .However, this time I decided not to stay alone in that boring house. Fortunately, I came across a tiny hole in the window, which was small enough for my little friends to creep into. Being too happy, we play many games one by one. Suddenly, I had an accident while I was playing skipping with my mother’s scraft, leading to my chin’s blooding. I was very afraid no matter how much my friends encouraged me. I cried so much my friends had to find the help of my neighbor. He immediately informed my mother. â€Å" This time surely my mother will hit me seriously† I thought that.Especially when I heard the sound of her motorbike, my heart beat faster to wait my mother’s punishment. Nevertheless, everything was totally unexpected. Right after the door had been opened, the scene I saw was not her furious eyes but her eyes with continuously dropping t ears. My mother hurriedly ran to me and embraced me tightly. I could not forget those eye. I feel that my mother was also painful like me. That was the moment I realized her invaluable love for me. Until now I learned that mother’s love is not just pampering but the strict as well and that mother is the one love us the most.

Analysis N.Sparks “True Believer”

Dariya Glazova, group 402 Nicholas Sparks  «True Believer » The text under stylistic analysis presents the excerpt from the novel  «True believer » written by Nicholas Sparks. In this passage the author touches upon the issue of generation gap. He contrasts the grandmother, Doris McClellan, with her grandchild, Lexie. It is known that the adults like to teach their children how they should live their life and Doris isn’t exception. From the very beginning the reader can guess that the granny and her granddaughter are polarities.The author employs the parallel construction  «For Doris, the reason was †¦ For Lexie, the reason was†¦Ã‚ » to enhance this idea. Also we can see that the relationship between these two women are very close because even Lexie is angry with her granny’s interference in her life she loves her with her whole heart. To show that the grandmother’s existence is full of taking care of her lovely treasure the author uses the fo llowing choice of word: she meant no harm, frequently wondered aloud, all of her hemming and hawing and such like things.Among the other problems of society Nicholas Sparks raises the question of crisis of women of thirty years in this extract. He draws the reader’s attention to the fact that at her thirties Lexie  «hadn’t settled yet » and she is still in the search of her knight in shining armour. This special kind of her happiness, on the other hand she wants to meet the right guy as every normal girl or woman, is described by the author in the only one masterfully collected word  «her man » and this idea is also strengthened by the graphical expressive mean- the italics of the possessive pronoun her.The powerful effect produced by these stylistic devices is quite unquestionable. But she wants not only to be with the right guy but she wants the only one man who possible never has existed in the real world because he is a figment of her imagination which is c reated by herself according to the glamorous magazines overstuffed her library. This idea manifests itself through such demands to her chosen one as  «both sensitive and kind, at the same time sweet her off her feet, offer to rub her feet after a long day, challenge her intellectually, buy her flowers for no reason ».Furthermore Sparks draws the parallel between the past and the present which are embodied by main characters. Here we can see that the writer depicts the moral principles of women of the past and the representatives of the gentle sex of modern world. With having a keen eye for details the author claims that in the past women married men who were  «decent, with some principles and had a good job » but modern daughters of Eve want to feel passion for somebody as well and it is not easy for them to get married and find someone special in the whole world.The author’s object in employing the antithesis is quite evident because he enhances the desired effect wi th the help of this stylistic device. To the conclusion I’d like to wish all the women to find their partner in life but don’t have allusion about your eligible bachelor because everybody architects of his own fortune and also I completely agree with Nicholas Sparks that the excitement alive in the relationship is mostly up to the woman. if I’m wrong, correct me.

Bad Habits: Attitudes of Filipinos That Need to Change Essay

1. Thoughtless When someone celebrates birthday, graduation or winning the lotto in the neighborhood, the party lasts through deep in the night, keeping neighbors awake by the noise of an out of tune videoke singer. 2. Inconsiderate Even after agreeing to meet at a certain time, some Filipinos manage to fail this initial agreement, using alibis as traffic, got caught up with something or lost in the way, disregarding the feeling of someone who just complied with agreed time. If these folks can’t fulfill simple tasks, can we trust them when it comes to, say lending them our prized books or CDs, loaning them money or anything they promise? 3. Racist Many Filipinos complain of being racially profiled (Filipinas in Middle East are easy to get or gullible) but some of us look down on other people such as Indians as fellows with strange body odor who live off through usury. Or on Chinese neighbors who own bigger stores in the market as penny-pinchers. But we can’t look at ourselves and fix our flaws. Worse, see #6. 4. Too self-conscious Wants to know who are his or her stalkers at social media. Installs ‘who are my top viewers’ application which turns out as a link to a malicious website. Wants to get everybody’s attention to the point that they post celebrity, semi-naked or suggestive profile photos 5. Religious fanaticism While admittedly deeply religious people, many of us Filipinos are also living a life of hypocricy/inconsistency. Outside of the Quiapo church are shops that sell abortion formula and the island of Siquijor becomes a haven of faith healers who practice black magic. 6. Onion skinned We easily go ballistic whenever the word Filipino is used as dark humor in a script of an American sitcom or acelebrity mocking our â€Å"presumed† perfect accent. We are quick to call for apology even if they’re all meant as a joke. That may be a reason we become a topic of humor. 7. Short-sighted Some Filipinos prefer to receive a few hundred pesos in exchange of favors to a politician running for office rather than resist temptation and bond together for a better society and governance. Poor tricycle drivers are allowed to ply on dangerous streets — risking the lives and limbs of passengers — just to earn a living. 8. Laziness When going to the market, some Filipinos prefer to take the motorized bike and pay a premium instead of a 20-minute walk — to ensure a favorite TV show will not be missed. At the end of the day they lament how a hundred peso bill could no longer be stretched. Or they spend the whole day staring at the television, sending SMS on shows that offer prizes to ‘home text partners’. 9. Gossipmonger Many Filipinos live off talking about affairs of other people. Maybe that’s because it’s a major function of the Filipino culture. Who impregnated a neighbor’s teenage daughter? A barrio councilor has bad breathe. The baby of a close friend has a striking resemblance of the family driver. No wonder many families are broken, trust lost and friendships gone awry because of people trying to get in the way. 10. Undisciplined Pass laws that are easily broken: no smoking on jeepneys, no jaywalking on streets, picking flowers in the park or peeing on fences, trees or truck tires. Even wearing prescribed attire (‘please wear semi-formal wear’) when attending wedding ceremonies becomes a task difficult to. When we’re overseas we find it necessary to follow rules, but we seem to take our country and its simple laws for granted. 11. Crab Mentality Once a fledgling banana cue business becomes the talk of the barrio, everyone is riding the bandwagon and put up the same business. Eventually, every single banana cue business in the neighborhood fails and shuts down operation. If someone gets promoted at work, some Filipinos are good at making up stories; did he date the supervisor? Did she sleep with the manager? It also exists in the form of protectionism. Insecurity or lack of creativity drives this attitude. 12. Nepotism A bright yet not well-connected job applicant never gets the job position because it was reserved for a family member of an incumbent official or a reward for supporters of a candidate who just won in the elections. A well-connected passenger gets the airport’s special lane while hard-working OFWs sweat it out on a long line. 13. Freebie hunters Some Filipinos have got the nerve to crash into wedding parties uninvited or show up at a birthday party because they were brought along by a friend of an invited friend. They enjoy free electricity supply through illegal connections or enjoying a bonanza of free water from busted pipes instead of reporting the apparent waste or scarce resources. Often visits the house of a balikbayan/OFW who just arrived and ask — they don’t wait — for presents. 14. Allegiance by convenience. Filipino politicians often change parties not because they found a better principled group, but to gain something — power, money or fame. When momentum shifts, be prepared to jump ship and switch loyalty. Read their biographies and be not surprised they’ve been into various alliances with no real accomplishment to show. 15. Rarely punctual Appointments are never meant to be on time as many Filipinos make it a habit of not making it on time. Meetings, parties, and so on. Teachers didn’t lack the motivation to make us punctual as tardy ones were meted with appropriate punishment. Shall we blame others for this? Traffic congestion, slow jeepney driver, hard to find location, ‘I was robbed’, and others in an endless list of alibis and excuses. 16. Propensity for ‘good time’ Gathering of friends isn’t bad. But if it always meant 20 bottles of hard liquor meant to be consumed overnight, that’s something. Just got the job? Let’s celebrate and have a drink. Just got the paycheck, let’s have a drink. When someone starts reminding them to be frugal and slow down on alcohol spending, they reason out, â€Å"it’s my money, you have no business interfering†, â€Å"this is just once in a while† or â€Å"I need to drink to forget my problems†. Yeah, right. 17. Treat OFWs as ATMs Some Filipinos are overly dependent on relatives working overseas that they don’t look for jobs or don’t attend classes because they are in â€Å"abundant supply of financial aid†. Worse, money remittance from OFWs are often spent only on luxuries like mobile phones and jewelry they can brag to friends. In many cases, nothing was allocated for savings or investment. When OFWs come home, families find it hard to explain where money was spent.