Saturday, December 28, 2019

The Influence Of Little Timmy On Children Essay - 1443 Words

Little Timmy had always had a relatively amazing life, he had good grades, kind parents, and a bright future ahead of him. He had recently been accepted into a great college to study engineering and had his whole life ahead of him. As the celebrations for his eighteenth birthday had died down, he wished his parents good night and returned to his bedroom in his parents’ lovely, two-story home. Timmy could hardly believe that he was already a legal adult, free to do whatever he wanted, within his parent’s limit of course. Being an adult meant that he could do whatever he wanted Timmy thought as he put the finishing touches on his history report due the next day. Being an adult also meant that he could drink like an adult if he wanted as well. With a flash of inspiration, he ran downstairs to beg his parents for the car keys so he could enjoy his first adult beverage. His eighteenth birthday was about to become even more interesting as he began his exploration of alcohol. The kids at school would never believe what an amazing night he was going to have. In multiple countries throughout the world the legal drinking age is eighteen years old, however, in the United States, the legal drinking age is twenty-one. Despite eighteen years old being the age of a legal adult in the United States, citizens are unable to legally drink alcohol until the age of twenty-one. At the age of eighteen a United States citizen can vote, own property, and receive various other benefits of being aShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of The Spectacular Spider-Man and The Fairly Odd Parents1319 Words   |  5 PagesMass media is a microsystem that influence on a person’s values, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior. Mass media is a form of communication that is viewed by large audiences through medium such as TV, newspaper, book, and internet. Television is the most influential form of media and the way it has impacted on children’s lives. The two children television show that I will be discussing is The Spectacular Spider-Man and The Fairly OddParents. We wi ll look at it content and the hidden message that theseRead MoreEssay on Rage Against the Machine1523 Words   |  7 PagesRage Against the Machine Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk, and Timmy Commerford took to a Philadelphia stage in 1993 clad in black electrical tape that covered their mouths and the initials PMRC written in black marker across their chests. They stood in this fashion for fourteen minutes while feedback from their guitars rumbled through the amps. This seemingly simple prank was actually protest against the censorship of music and the Parents Music Resource Center, foundedRead MoreMy Sibling And I Have Very Different Personalities1739 Words   |  7 Pagesgetting into arguments over everything. Arguing over who got to sit shotgun in the car, who got the television remote, or whose friends could sleep over. My little brother Timmy is five years younger than me and is one of my best friends. We have fairly similar personalities and almost never fought. This was not the case for Abbey and Timmy. Both having strong personalities and being very strong willed they were always fighting, a considerably more than Abbey and I did. Like psychologist, SullowayRead MoreDomestic Violence And Its Effects On Children Essay2003 Words   |  9 Pagesthan rural women (Meiksin, et al, 2015). This problem has many different controversial issues that can confuse people about what the actual definition of domestic violence is. Violence in a home can be damaging to someone’s self-esteem, can cause children to be involved in such danger, and it can result in a cause of death depending on how violent the situation is in that family. Domestic violence is something that families should not have to go through, but it does happen. â€Å"Domestic violence canRead MoreEFFECT OF PEER PRESSURE OF STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOL5933 Words   |  24 PagesCHAPTER TWO Introduction Peers become an important influence on behavior during adolescence, and peer pressure has been called a hallmark of an adolescent experience. Peer conformity in young people is most pronounced with respect to style, taste, appearance, ideology, and values. Peer pressure is commonly associated with episodes of adolescent risk taking (such as delinquency, drug abuse, sexual behaviors, and reckless driving) because these activities commonly occur in the company of peers. AffiliationRead MoreDomestic Violence and Its Effect on Children4845 Words   |  20 PagesCONTENTS I. ABSTRACT II. INTRODUCTION III. IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROLEM IV. HISTORY OF PROBLEM V. THEORIES REALTED TO PROBLEM VI. POLICIES ADDRESSING PROBLEM VII. SUMMARY VIII. CONCLUSION IX. REFERENCES Abstract Children who live in domestic violence homes are constantly being exposed to verbal and physical abuse, directly or indirectly, it has to account for some form of damage within them. They generally suffer in silence, but often develop high levels of aggressionRead MoreAdvertising Campaign Example5278 Words   |  22 PagesThe customer-oriented, owner-operated handbag business, It ¡Ã‚ ¦s In The Bag, is looking for a way to reach the female population of Scioto County, and its surrounding area. The business does little advertising and is looking for was to make possible consumers aware of the benefits of shopping at It ¡Ã‚ ¦s In The Bag. The purse boutique carries private-label handbags that are exclusively distributed to small business in hopes of promising sales. It ¡Ã‚ ¦s In The Bag takes pride in making sure every customerRead More The Impact and History of Learning Disorders on Children Essay5477 Words   |  22 PagesThe Impact and History of Learning Disorders on Childr en In his 1954 majority opinion in Brown v. Board, Chief Justice Warren laid out concisely the fundamental role that education would play in postwar America: â€Å"Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments. Compulsory school attendance laws and the great expenditures for education both demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to our democratic society. It is required in the performanceRead MoreSantrock Edpsych Ch0218723 Words   |  75 Pages†¢ Do children develop in distinct stages, or is their development smoother and more continuous? †¢ How do children develop physically, and how does this affect their behaviour and learning? †¢ What is the best way to characterize students’ cognitive development? How might knowledge of students’ cognitive development influence the way you teach? †¢ How does language develop? What is the best way to teach students to communicate verbally? PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Exploring How Children DevelopRead MoreMergers Acquisitions in Pharma Industry21425 Words   |  86 Pages 10,102 2008 10,829 2009 11,609 2010 8,200 Source: Epsicom Further, the Indian Pharma market has shown little over 20% growth for 12 months ended July 2010 , which is 4 times the global growth rate of 5 %. GSK India had a growth of 19 % as on July 2010. 2.2.3 New product launches underlie market growth The market has been growing between 6-8 per cent

Friday, December 20, 2019

The History Of Sexuality By Michel Foucault - 1729 Words

The ‘We â€Å"Other Victorians†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ chapter of the book entitled â€Å"The History of Sexuality† by Michel Foucault seeks to explain the traditional and modern issues regarding sexuality. Michel argues out that during the 17th century, sexuality was not a big deal, and various sexual acts were pursued more or less deliberately. Primarily, there was no taboo concerning sex and people of all age groups including children were well aware of sexual behaviours. Michel then points out that sexuality was now shifted to the homes where it was meant to become a personal matter between two exclusive partners (Foucault, 1980). As such, the society manipulated and controlled the issue of sexuality such that it became a reproductive and productive national power. For this reason, the repression of sexuality resulted in the concentration of supremacy as power became concurrently linked to leisure. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, sexuality was a socially non-existent matter, a taboo, as well as, the dissertation of sexuality fell completely silent as populations continued to grow rapidly. Therefore, this paper entails a critical reflection of Michel Foucault’s main arguments in this chapter. Michel argues that during the seventeenth century, people were frank about themselves more so regarding the issue of sexual practices. That is, words were expressed openly without any concealment and secrecy was something did not exist at all. As such, anybody had the right to know anythingShow MoreRelatedThe History Of Sexuality, By Michel Foucault1346 Words   |  6 PagesIn the History of Sexuality Vol. 1, Michel Foucault writes the body as a constructed and manipulated agent, the locus of sociopolitical discourse and power. To Foucault, the body cannot exist before the law (that which holds and ascribes its meaning). Similarly, sexuality cannot free itself from relations of power (Butler 1989:603). Indeed, the body is culturally contested; it is incapable of independence from any particular structuralized narrative. The ubiquitous yet uncertain subject of sex,Read MoreThe History Of Sexuality, Volume 1, By Michel Foucault1822 Words   |  8 Pages In Part V of The History of Sexuality, Volume 1, Michel Foucault documents the historical shift from a sovereign power concentrated in death to a normalized, institutionalized regulation of life focused in part on the control of sexuality. He argues that this movement marks not only a reconceptualization of the living subject as a valuable source of both labor and production but also a new political interest in sex as a site of surveillance, classification, and management. Individuals in the contemporaryRead MoreAnalysis Of Michel Foucault s The History Of Sexuality Sheds Light On The Victorian Era 1258 Words   |  6 PagesMichel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality sheds light on the Victorian era and how the regulation of discourses on sex reveals that Victorian society is more perverse than contemporary society thinks of it. A similar approach can be applied to contemporary society and political discourse. During the 2016 presidential election, The Washington Post relea sed a video of current President-elect Donald Trump bragging about what many consider to be sexually assaulting women. Recorded saying comments suchRead MoreAnalysis Of Foucault And Queer Theory 1211 Words   |  5 PagesIn Foucault and Queer Theory Spargo defines queer theory as a nebulous group of cultural criticism and analysis of social power structures relating to sexuality . It is these power structures and aspects of culture that are responsible for the discourse that creates and informs ones understanding of gender, race, and sexuality. However these aspects of identity do not exist separately from one another, but are constructed in tandem throughout history. These layers of identity inform each otherRead More Repression and Fear of Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgender Americans1610 Words   |  7 PagesSan Francisco boast attendance in the hundreds of thousands. The legislative act of prohibition has provided strength to the prohibited acts in the case of sexual behavior and identity. Michel Foucault best explains how homosexuality became an identity and a category. In The History of Sexuality, Foucault explores the validity of the repressive hypothesis which claims that sex has been repressed in Europe since the Renaissance. For three centuries, the bourgeoisie, characterized by modernRead MoreBiographical Paper Of Michel Foucault1272 Words   |  6 Pages Biographical Paper of Michel Foucault. Michel Foucault Kenya Coleman Principles of Sociology Professor Preston September 12, 2016 French historian and philosopher Michel Foucault, was born in Poitiers, France October 15, 1926. He was the professor of the History of Systems of Thought and also was the founder of Groupe d’informationRead More Eve Kosofsky Sedgwicks Tendencies: Queerness and Oppression1208 Words   |  5 PagesTendencies: Queerness and Oppression Over the last two decades or so, the idea of queerness is one that has been utilized and considered by individuals and communities of marginalized sexualities and genders. The concept is one that has attempted to broaden and deconstruct traditional notions of gender and sexuality in order to include all of their incarnations as valid experiences and identities. Queerness endeavors to include all of those who feel they are a part of it yet, seemingly, not everyoneRead MoreRelationship Between Sex And Power955 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, historian, social theorist, philologist and literary critic whose work had a tremendous impact on several disciplines. He was not a sociologist by training, but he worked diligently on sociological issues and otherwise had significant influence on the work of other sociologists. One of his most famous works is the The History of Sexuality, in which he examines the emergence of sexuality as a discursive object and separate sphere of lifeRead MoreHistory of Sexuality3607 Words   |  15 Pagesconcepts of Michel Foucault From 1989 to 1999, the time period of the Clinton Administration, a homosexual force entered the American consciousness. Court cases and rhetoric of the 80s incited a discourse in which homosexuality was re-articulated, re-negotiated, and unmistakably re-repressed (Davis 3). Supreme Court judgment and actions taken by Congress with the Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy exemplify theories of sexuality and power expressed in the philosophies of Michel Foucault. FoucaultRead MoreMichel Foucault s Philosophy Of Law1346 Words   |  6 PagesMichel Foucault was an unconventional philosopher in relation to the ideas and reasonings of law and why they are just. He takes a different approach than many of the most prominent philosophers in the study of the philosophy of law. If someone were to compare his ideals with the ideals of some of the most prominent law philosophers an interesting total theory of the philosophy behind law could be created. The intentions of this writing are to relate and compare Michel Foucault with many of his predecessors

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Business Project Management Performance of Business

Question: Describe about the Business Project Management for Performance of Business. Answer: Introduction Below is a breakdown of its components; strategic business objective, project objective, key performance indicator, and major derivable/milestones. Strategic Business Objective Strategic objectives of a business or an organization include long haul strategy choices, for instance, starting with another plant, introducing another product in the market, expansion and so forth. Strategic planning is for the most part impacted by: the decision of broadening, i.e., extension or combination of business (Chang, 2016). Market flow, demand, and supply, technological changes, stiff competition from bigger firms in the industry, different threats in markets, difficulties and opportunities among others. Strategic objectives planning sets focuses for the workings and references for taking such long haul strategy decisions and changes the business targets into functional and operational units. With the assistance of innovations in information technology, an organization may even decide on an altogether new plan of action, which will permit it to set up, combine and keep up a strong will of sales in the current market and in addition give a competitive edge in the market and the industry at large (Hill, Charles, Gareth, Jones, Melisa, 2014). This would be achieved by indulging in market strategies including planning on extensive, efficient and effective distribution channel, advertisements through proper channels, evaluating the market participants among others. in relation to good corporate relation with consumers, may it through environmental conservation and awareness, a plant should be conversant with it in order to create a good relation with the surrounding society. At the point when a business truly knows the community they are involved with and serves them well in terms of their welfare, 'the way they need to be served,' the customers, for the most part, react by r eturning and purchasing more from the firm. It raises incomes and profits. Project Objective This project management under its objectives is to endorse a plant that is environmentally friendly, in that it reduces the risks of spillage. A plant that reduce waste streams into the environment therefore saving non renewables resources and allow production of carbon neutral energy from the byproducts. This particular projects aims at recognizing the fundamental difficulties and hindrances for decreasing plastic waste in mixed waste and lingering waste streams, thus fortifying counteractive action and reusing of plastic waste (Atkinson, 2014). Advancing and enhancing reusing of plastic polymers as a substitute for virgin plastic. Redirecting waste plastic from the remaining waste going to cremation- making a carbon unbiased vitality source- and landfill. All in all, the project conveys a commitment to the general maintainability of the plant site. Improvement of general waste management in the range; expanded reusing levels and a decrease of natural waste in landfills; acquiring a quality manure to be utilized as a fundamental revision that adds to enhance soil fertility, for instance, to stop the desertification procedure and to withhold carbon in the ground. Key Performance Indicator (KPIs) KIPs refers to a measurable value that gives the effectiveness of company activities in attainment of its set goals and objectives. This measure is used by organizations in evaluating their development and success or loss at reaching their targets (Parmenter, 2015). This measure will be applied on conservation of environment by the plant, where plants performance and attainment of goals are greatly affected by how this plant will manage its waste products from the production mainstream whatsoever. Performance indicator too will be used to evaluate the organizations performance in respect to relationship and cooperation with various stakeholders of the plant such as unions, local community, suppliers among others. Attainment of goals if affected by the latter key participants. Technological advances are key players in any organizations objectives. It is responsible for high rate of organizations growth or a stunted one depending on its availability and personnel to apply it. Depending on how an organization is performing in terms of efficient production volume, KIP will keep tract and evaluate whether or not to increase production volume taking into consideration of the initially set objectives. Major Deliverables/Milestones In project management, a deliverable is a product or a service that is given to a customer. A deliverable ordinarily has a due date, quantifiable and specific. A deliverable can be given to either an outside or inner client and fulfills a milestone or due date that is made and created in the project laid plan (Rowe, 2015). A deliverable can be a software product, a configuration record, a preparation program or other resource that is required by the project plan. Basically this are regulations set to plants such that after they are met, the provide a safe site for production in terms of variables such as security, reduction of environment contamination, demolition just in case its necessary, building and construction standards, energy source, plant design and layout under required specifications among others. All these measures are regulated and controlled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2. In every project, there exist drawbacks and hindrances that are unavoidable. Generally there are common challenges that project management would faces with respect to its particulars. These include its scope, time, cost, risks, quality and procurement for this particular plant. Therefore below it follows a basic explanation of each challenge as it happens and how it affects achieving set objectives. With respect to scope, a project may have forecasted a perfect market where it could have expected high returns from its maximum sale of its products. This would not be the case if the market would change within a short duration, technology advances that renders this plants machinery outdated and also the site might get contaminated rendering it to be crossed. Time is the most crucial thing in any project. Time would be a challenge in terms of training of workforce, time taken to acquire a business permit, construction and installation of machinery delays and also EPA may take time before checking if standards were met when situating this plant. As all this is happening basically the market would still be running and other organizations would take over the market share that this project is expected to acquire. On the other hand cost is another challenge. Additional costs that arises from restricting and designing plants structures, costs of attaining business permits, soil control measures, hiring and training of new staff among others. Every business decision attracts a risk. Delays in construction and soil treatment that could lead to closure of the plant are among the list of risks that are to be faced by this project. Loss of market share is another. Breakdown of machinery or some them becoming obsolete causing them to be replaces, this would lead to increase in overhead costs. Another challenge of this project is achieving quality required by the EPA in terms of construction requirement and meeting the standards required by the corporate society. Last but not the least, procurement of plant necessities poses a challenge to this project in terms of purchase of new machinery, allocation of available funds efficiently to supplement the whole project, contracting with new suppliers, purchase and storage of raw materials and finished goods respectively (Haimes, 2015). Recommendations Any project work requires adequate diligence and dedication to ensure that the overall output is worthwhile and can be used for further references. Conclusion. The overall project proves that every input in the technological aspect ensures that there is adequate enhancement in any scientific work a researcher is undertaking. References Chang, J. F. (2016).Business process management systems: strategy and implementation. CRC Press. Haimes, Y. Y. (2015).Risk modeling, assessment, and management. John Wiley Sons. Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., Schilling, M. A. (2014).Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Kerzner, H. R. (2013).Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Parmenter, D. (2015).Key performance indicators: developing, implementing, and using winning KPIs. John Wiley Sons. Rowe, S. F. (2015).Project management for small projects. Management Concepts Inc.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Disrupting Investment Management Industry -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Disrupting Investment Management Industry? Answer: Introduction: A.G. Barr Plc is the Scottish soft drink producer that is based in Cumbernauld. The company is the producer of popular Scottish drink. Barr Plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and it is regarded as one of the constituent of FTSE 250 Index (Agbarr.Co.Uk, 2018). The current report is based on the determination of the strategic direction of A.G Barr Plc by outlining the major activities undertaken with vital features of its strategy. The report would analyse the business opportunities and risk that is faced by the company with emphasis would be paid on operating performance. The report to Amicable Pension Fund would include details of financial performance over the last five years with. Reference to stock market pricing efficiency and efficient market hypothesis would be made to assess the market efficiency of A.G. Barr plc. The report will further cover valuation and share price performance to provide brief comment on share performance with appropriate recommendations on investment perspective for Amicable Pension Fund. Outline of its main activities: The main business activities of A.G. Barr Plc are concerned with the production capabilities, producing higher quality products throughout the well invested and effective production sites. The primary business activities of A.G. Barr Plc are associated with the sourcing of raw materials across the world to design its packaging materials to strive for constant improvements. The company has the fleet of more than one hundred vehicles with long standing relationships with its key distribution partners (Scott, 2015). The company strives to render greater service to all of its customers from the biggest food service customers to the smallest local shop. The company operates across the multiple routes in order to market its products. The major activities of the company are concerned with the operating activities and efficient distribution networks with its direct store channel of delivery. Key features of business strategy: Considering the key business features of A.G. Barr Plc, clarity of purpose and constancy of approach results in best outcome. The key business features of A.G. Barr Plc include; Strongly differentiated brands Effective and flexible operations Innovative based understanding of customers Partnerships that derives growth G. Barr Plc leverages the strength and commitment of its teams. Five year trends of performance: Particulars 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Revenue 2375,95,000 2540,85,000 2609,00,000 2586,00,000 2571,00,000 Gross Profit 1080,04,000 1161,56,000 1199,00,000 1211,00,000 1207,00,000 Operating Profit 349,46,000 384,81,000 421,00,000 421,00,000 431,00,000 Basis Earnings per Share 0.25 0.27 0.26 0.30 0.31 Total Dividend paid per Share 0.11 0.17 0.12 0.13 0.14 Gross Profit Margin 45.46% 45.72% 45.96% 46.83% 46.95% Operating Profit Margin 14.71% 15.14% 16.14% 16.28% 16.76% Annual Percentage Growth: Particulars 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Average Annualized % Revenue 6.940% 2.682% -0.882% -0.580% 1.590% Gross Profit 7.548% 3.223% 1.001% -0.330% 2.248% Operating Profit 10.116% 9.405% 0.000% 2.375% 4.284% Basis Earnings per Share 10.061% -3.775% 13.962% 3.881% 4.627% Total Dividend paid per Share 53.358% -28.284% 9.983% 8.027% 5.496% Cash conversion cycle: Particulars 2016 2017 Revenue 2586,00,000 2571,00,000 Cost of Goods Sold 1375,00,000 1364,00,000 Inventory 173,00,000 156,00,000 Accounts Receivables 514,00,000 527,00,000 Accounts Payables 523,00,000 374,00,000 Inventory Turnover Period 24.42 22.15 Receivables Collection Period 72.55 74.82 Payables Deferral Period 138.83 100.08 Cash Conversion Cycle (in day) -41.87 -3.12 Financial Ratios: Particulars 2016 2017 (in million) (in million) Current Assets A 282.7 286.7 Current Liabilities B 104.8 126.7 Total Liabilities C 162.3 174.5 Total Equity D 120.4 112.2 Interest Expenses E 0.7 0.9 Operating Profit F 42.1 43.1 Current Ratio G=A/B 2.70 2.26 Debt-to-Equity Ratio H=C/D 1.35 1.56 Interest Coverage ratio I=F/E 60.14 47.89 Future Business Opportunities and Risk: In spite of the macro environment influences the business has retained its focus on the execution of its strategy and particularly improving its internal actions. With the acquisition of Funkin business the company remains opportunistic regarding the continuous growth momentum of Funkin brand and business. With the changing consumer taste and preference, the demand for great testing, lower sugar products have increased (Williams, 2014). The company has recently announced that 90% of the brand that are owned by A.G. Barr Plc would contain less than 5g of total sugar per 100 ml. Therefore, this could be viewed as the positive illustration of business opportunities as how A.G. Barr Plc is responding with the pace and commitment. On the other hand, the principle risk and uncertainties surrounding A.G. Barr Plc is the changes in the customer preferences, perception or purchasing behaviour (Agbarr.Co.Uk, 2018). The consumer might decide on purchasing and consuming alternative brands or make less spending on soft drinks. Another risk faced by business is changing consumer attitudes towards the sugar (Warren Jones, 2018). With changing government intervention on sugar customer made decide on purchasing and consuming alternative brands or make less spending on sugared soft drinks. Additionally, the adverse publicity in respect to soft drinks industry may have an adverse impact on the reputation of customer and consumer pattern. Operating Performance: A.G. Barr Plc has made considerable amount of progress across the business over the last twelve months and has rendered a strong financial performance under volatile and uneven market conditions. Financially, A.G. Barr Plc has rendered a strong business performance with profit before the exceptional items stood 42.4m representing a rise of 2.7% from the performance of previous year (Henderson et al., 2015). A.G. Barr Plc has enjoyed better performance from the business of Funkin cocktail. The operating margin before the exceptional items stood 16.3% during the year 2016 and positively increased to 16.8% in 2017. The free cash flow of the organization stood 28.3 million in 2016 whereas in 2017 the free cash flow of A.G. Barr Plc significantly increased to 43.2 million. Considering the financial performance of the organization the gross margin of the company stood 46.8% during the year 2016 and marginally rose to 46.9% in the year 2017. The profit before tax and exceptional items of A.G. Barr Plc stood 41.3 million during 2016 which subsequently rose to 43.1 million in 2017 representing a rise of 4.4% over the prior year. It is pleasing to identify that the company have put behind the challenges of supply chain and system application challenges that served as the constrained in 2016 (Mullinova, 2016). Though the reported revenue felled by 0.6% however its underlying revenue from the business improved by 1.5% that resulted in improved revenue by 1.5% driven by innovation across IRN BRU and Rubicon brands. Financial Strength and Weakness: The financial strength and weakness of A.G Barr Plc is based on the diverse and differentiated business portfolio (Davis Lleo, 2015). Considering the strength of A.G. Barr Plc, the company is not only concerned with the production of soft drinks but also have moved towards cocktail mixer segment that has widened and strengthened its portfolio with the unique and market leading brand in a rising market. Another business strength of A.G Barr Plc is the strong balance sheet and cash generated by the company. As a result of this the board has undertaken the decision of returning around 30 million to its shareholders through the on-market share repurchase programme (Agbarr.Co.Uk, 2018). Furthermore, the company has dedicated group of people that have contributed to the success of the business testament. With the increasing amount of growth in the net asset the balance sheet of the company is significantly gaining strength (Barberis et al., 2015). The strong balance sheet enables the business to access the cost effective and flexible debt facilities to offer optionality as this would enable the company in making sure they have the agility of taking advantage of opportunities that is identified. The company has robust risk management structure of assessing risk. The risk management framework sets out the systematic approach of managing risk (Kahn Lemmon, 2014). The strength of the company is vested in re-assessment of risk by mitigating the controls implemented. The strength of the company is the wide variety of products offered by its wide range of brands. A.G Barr Plc provides its customers with products from varied brands through variety of trade channels and customers. There are certain significant amount of failings or weaknesses identified during financial year. A.G. Barr Plc to some extent faces the failure of maintaining the appropriate customer relationships. This may enable the company to faces certain reduction in the base of customer that can have the adverse impact on the sales of A.G. Barr Plc with decline in operating profit (Fernandez, 2015). Additionally, it is identified that there is an inability of protecting the group intellectual property rights. The failure of the company could be considered as the weakness as this could result in lower value intellectual property rights with loss of brand value. Furthermore, the analysis from the computed ratio states that current ratio reported by the firm stood 2.70 while in the subsequent year declined to 2.26. Additionally, the debt to equity ratio of the organization stood 1.35 in the year 2016 which subsequently increased to 1.56 in the year 2017 (Reid Myddelton, 2017). This represents that the company has been undertaking higher amount of debt and could potentially result in increase in increase in operational risk of the organization. Stock Market Pricing Efficiency in A.G. Barr Plc Share Price: The efficient market hypothesis can be regarded as the investment theory that defines that it is not possible to beat the market because stock market efficiency reflects the presence of share price to incorporate and reflect all the necessary information (Zabarankin et al., 2014). As evident recent imposition of sugar tax in UK could be viewed as semi-strong information. Stocks are regularly traded at their fair value on stock exchanges that makes it not possible for the investors to either purchase undervalued stocks or selling the stocks at the inflated price. The government announcement of sugar tax could be viewed as semi strong since the information that is obtained to predict the stock performance may well be reflected in the stock price. The information of increased sugar tax may enable the company to accelerate the long standing sugar soft drinks programme would enable the company to capitalize on the price trends of the tradable security in the market (Agbarr.Co.Uk, 2018). The central engine behind the change in price of A.G Barr plc is the arrival of the new information. As a result of this, the current prices of the securities provide all the necessary information from the external sources and consequently there is no reason behind believing that the prices are very high or too low (Blitz et al., 2015). In respect of A.G. Barr Plc, the new piece of information reflects the existence of efficient market for the investors to profit from the new information. Semi strong market form of market efficiency: Semi strong form of efficiency is considered as the efficiency market hypothesis which implies that all the public information is computed into the stock present share price. This represents that neither the fundamental nor the technical analysis could be used to attain the superior gains (Fernandez, 2017). The semi strong market efficiency provides information on the public available benefit that the investors are looking to earn through the abnormal returns on the investments. Similarly in case of A.G.Barr Plc the information of government implementation of sugar tax suggest only the information for the benefit of investors to generate the abnormal returns on the investors. The information obtained by A. G. Barr Plc is accounted into the stock price and the stock price can be classified as semi strong since the information available is obtained from the external sources (Adam et al., 2016). The stock of A. G. Barr Plc can benefit the investors that are seeking abnormal returns on investments. Valuation: Net asset Value Per Share: Particulars Amount Total Assets 2867,00,000 Total Liabilities 1745,00,000 Net Assets 1122,00,000 Nos. of Shares 115714487 Fa Dividend Discount Model (CAPM): Particulars 2017 Dividend Paid per share 0.14 Dividend Growth Rate 5.50% Cost of Capital 5.36% Fair Value of Shares under Dividend Discount Model -108.00 Net Asset Value DDM Fair Value per Share 0.97 -108.00 Market Value per Share 521.00 521.00 Remarks Overvalued Overvalued Justification and explanation of assumptions: As evident from the computations performed above an assumption can be bought forward by stating that computation under the dividend discount model for A.G. Barr Plc is performed based on the total dividend paid by the company over the last five years. Evidently, the computations performed represents that the market value of shares under the dividend discount model is overvalued (Hatemi El-Khatib, 2018). Furthermore, on considering the value derived under the net asset value it is also found that the fair value of the share prices stood 0.97 whereas the market value per share stood 521.00. Therefore, it can be stated that the both under the net asset value and dividend discount model the market value of share is overvalued. Investing in the shares of A.G. Barr Plc for the potential investors might not seem to be a feasible. However, given the consistency of dividend paid to the shareholders over the period of five years it can be stated the investing in the shares of A.G. Barr Plc could be feasible options as the food and beverage company though the other market players provide higher amount of dividend to shareholders. Usefulness and limitations of valuation methods: The dividend discount model is regarded as the useful method of valuing the stock of the company depending upon the theory that the stock of the company is worth the sum of all the value of the future dividend payments (Lazzati Menichini, 2015). The dividend discount model is useful in determining the intrinsic value of the stock and excludes the present value of the conditions. The model is useful in equating the value of the present value of shares future dividends. The net asset value per share method is the useful form of business valuation which emphases on the organizations net asset value or the fair market value of its total assets after subtracting the total liabilities in order to ascertain the amount of cost to recreate the business. The net asset method is best used in creating the financial picture of the organization through the information on the balance sheet. Considering the limitations of the Dividend discount model it fails to take into the consideration the non-dividend factors namely the brand loyalty and ownership of the intangible assets (Jordan, 2014). As all of this increases the value of the company. Furthermore, the model is reliant on the assumption that growth rate is constant and stable which in actual world is instable. On the other hand, under the net asset value method it is difficult to determine the value of intangible assets namely the property rights. Furthermore, the statement of financial position might prematurely value the assets due to the presence of depreciation. Share pricing performance: Computation of PE Ratio: Particulars Amount Market Value per share 521.00 EPS 0.31 Dividend Paid per share 0.14 P/E Ratio 1692.66 Dividend Yield Rate 0.028% As evident A.G Barr has pleased its shareholders over the period of last ten years and has paid out an average dividend of around 2.35% on the yearly basis. The stock presently yields around 2.3% with the market cap of around $946 million (Agbarr.Co.Uk, 2018). Taking into the considerations the stock price movement of A.G Barr Plc it can be stated that stock price of the company has been in accordance with the FTSE and has reported lower amount of volatility in respect to the FTSE index (Cornell, 2015). As an investment prospect for Amicable Pension Fund investing in the shares of A.G Barr Plc can be viewed as the feasible prospect with the company providing an annualised divided of around 2.35% each year to its investors over the past ten years. The pay-out ratio of the A.G Barr Plc is around 44% which represents that the dividend is sufficiently covered by the earnings of the organization. Taking into the context the three-year analysis it is anticipated that the dividend per share is approximately around 0.169 with the EPS of the company increasing to around 0.35. This is assumed that the company is able to constantly pay-out the dividend with the anticipated future pay-out ratio of around 49%. The Amicable Pension Fund can be relied upon for its dividend stocks (Sabir et al., 2016). In case of A.G. Barr Plc they have the increased dividend per share from 0.06 to 0.14 over the last ten years. The company has been constantly paying out during this time given that the dividend are increasing. Consequently A.G. Barr is regarded as the attractive for investment and with the attractive yield of 2.3% could be considered as higher for the food and beverage stock. Conclusion: On a conclusive note an assertion can be bought forward by stating that making an investment in the stock of A. G. Barr Plc could be viewed as a viable option for Amicable Pension Fund. Furthermore, the company is competing with the market pace and commitment. Furthermore, the stock price of company is within the standard of FTSE with better dividend pay-ratio to the investors over the period of five years. Though, the imposition of sugar tax could be viewed as risk for the company however the wide range branded products and extended market programs would make sure in attaining optimum outcome for the organization. Reference List: "Investors | A.G. BARR Share Information". 2018.Agbarr.Co.Uk. https://www.agbarr.co.uk/investors/. Adam, K., Marcet, A., Nicolini, J. P. (2016). Stock market volatility and learning.The Journal of Finance,71(1), 33-82. Barberis, N., Greenwood, R., Jin, L., Shleifer, A. (2015). X-CAPM: An extrapolative capital asset pricing model.Journal of financial economics,115(1), 1-24. Blitz, D., Falkenstein, E., van Vliet, P. (2015). Practical Applications of Explanations for the Volatility Effect: An Overview Based on the CAPM Assumptions.Practical Applications,2(3), 1-4. Cornell, B. (2015). Using Dividend Discount Models to Estimate Expected Returns.The Journal of Investing,24(1), 48-51. Fernandez, P. (2015). CAPM: an absurd model.Business Valuation Review,34(1), 4-23. Fernandez, P. (2017). The Capital Asset Pricing Model. InEconomic Ideas You Should Forget(pp. 47-49). Springer, Cham. HA Davis, M., Lleo, S. (2015).Risk-Sensitive Investment Management. Hatemi-J, A., El-Khatib, Y. (2018). The Dividend Discount Model with Multiple Growth Rates of Any Order for Stock Evaluation.arXiv preprint arXiv:1802.08987. Henderson, S., Peirson, G., Herbohn, K., Howieson, B. (2015).Issues in financial accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Jordan, B. (2014).Fundamentals of investments. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Kahn, R. N., Lemmon, M. (2014).The Asset Managers Dilemma: How Strategic Beta Is Disrupting the Investment Management Industry. Working paper, BlackRock. Lazzati, N., Menichini, A. A. (2015). A dynamic approach to the dividend discount model.Review of Pacific Basin Financial Markets and Policies,18(03), 1550018. Mullinova, S. (2016). Use of the principles of IFRS (IAS) 39" Financial instruments: recognition and assessment" for bank financial accounting.Modern European Researches, (1), 60-64. Reid, W., Myddelton, D. R. (2017).The meaning of company accounts. Routledge. Sabir, S. A., Sheikh, S. M., Meo, M. S. A. (2016). Investigating Stock Price Volatility: Do Conventional Models Have Some Explanatory Power?.Oman Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review,34(3966), 1-11. Scott, W. R. (2015).Financial accounting theory(Vol. 2, No. 0, p. 0). Prentice Hall. Warren, C. S., Jones, J. (2018).Corporate financial accounting. Cengage Learning. Williams, J. (2014).Financial accounting. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Zabarankin, M., Pavlikov, K., Uryasev, S. (2014). Capital asset pricing model (CAPM) with drawdown measure.European Journal of Operational Research,234(2), 508-517.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Writing Poetry-Assignment One Essays

Writing Poetry-Assignment One Essays Writing Poetry-Assignment One Essay Writing Poetry-Assignment One Essay Name: Course: Lecturer: Date: Writing Poetry-Assignment One List 1 bowl camping on the lakeside 2 tents 2 slices of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches 1 glass of fresh fruit juice 1 cup dried peanuts 2 cups hidden treasure -cup dry firewood 2/3 tsp fishing 1 boat I plate hide and seek I bucket laughter Grill 2 cups wild berries Poem For the appetizer, enjoy the 2 cups of wild berries, Swallow with a gulp of the fresh juice then prepare the main meal Put the tents in a dry bowl and add in the boat Put in the fishing and half a bucket of laughter Light the fire and place the mixture on a grill Turn the mixture over until golden brown Remove from grill and serve in a tray of happiness Enjoy the meal with ? a bucket of laughter Add in the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches For the dessert Sift through hide and seek, and mix together with the dry peanuts Blend in the hidden treasure until they are thoroughly mixed Put in a bowl full of joy and Enjoy the mixture Have a good night sleep as the sounds of nature sing a lullaby There you have it-camping on the lakeside

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Summary of the 2014 OkAND Spring Convention Essay

Summary of the 2014 OkAND Spring Convention - Essay Example risk factors vary from one eating disorder to another with temperament and personality traits playing a crucial role although the interaction between genes and the environment trigger eating disorders. For anorexics, stopping the condition is a challenge since the brain continues with the illness as it becomes dependent on the anorexic state once an individual is malnourished. Conversely, bulimics find it challenging to stop since there is disconnect between the ideal image of their body and the urges of the body. Various therapy challenges abound for both anorexics and bulimics. For anorexics, therapy challenges include a decrease in the drive to consume foods, altered rewards from eating, challenges in maintaining new eating habits, and the lack of scientific guidance to optimal feeding method or the composition of a diet. On the other hand, therapy challenges for bulimics include chaotic nutrient availability and eating habits, the lack of stable energy due to behavior of eating disorders, impulsivity, difficulties perceiving the fuel needs, altered rewards from eating and eating disorders behaviors, and other

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Trace the historical deveopment of payment systems from cash to Research Paper

Trace the historical deveopment of payment systems from cash to negotiable instruments to electonic funds transfer and debit cards - Research Paper Example s related to payment systems for the business transactions (Economy Watch, â€Å"Global Economy†) In this regard, organizations and inhabitants are able to undertake the operations nationally as well as in a global context with better efficiency and effectiveness. The transactions include transfer of goods and/or services, investment and fund among others. Thus, in the modern day context numerous transactions take place on a daily basis. These transactions deal with acquisition of financial assets, goods and other services. In this regards, a well defined payment system significantly aids to recognize as an important function in order to eliminate the fictions in the trading environment (BSP, â€Å"What is a payment system?†). Payment system comprises of various instruments, banking procedures along with the interbank transfer of funds to regulate the transfer of funds both nationally and internationally environment. Banking transaction between the parties is an important medium in the developed economy for making payments. Besides, the payment system is an important part of the economic and financial infrastructure. The effective functioning of the payment system enables the transaction to be completed safely and within the time. Moreover, the payment system is highly affected due to the high exposure of risk to the parties to the contract. Thus, the consideration of the proper security measure in order to control the feature of payment system is also very important to mitigate the risk related to it (CPSS 431-449) Correspondingly, the payment system allows the buyers and sellers to complete the transaction in very safe and timely manner in electronic forms. In this regard, it can also be affirmed that t he payment system is the key determinant of financial markets to settle the trading agreements that include government securities, stocks, foreign exchange, commercial paper and bonds among others. Likewise, there are various risks attached to the payment system

Sunday, November 17, 2019

TLMT312 WEEK 8 FORUM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TLMT312 WEEK 8 FORUM - Assignment Example However, I still need to learn various techniques in the course to improve my class performance such as undertaking thorough research on supply logistics and inventory management to understand it well. There are certain logistics courses objectives that are still not clear to me such as cost associated with inventory procedures of instituting and monitoring whole inventory resources. It is cumbrous to identify cost related with record process. I would read various scholarly books on the topic and consult my tutor on the areas so that I can fully comply with the objectives of the course. The main ways of measuring prospect effects of what I have learnt on the course is through improvement of my performance on the course in exams and assignments, comparing the level of participation in class and groups and determining the level of creativity in the whole course about the application in real world. Positive steps on the techniques above would depict massive advancement on the

Friday, November 15, 2019

Matigari by Ngũgĩ wa Thiongo | Summary and Analysis

Matigari by NgÃ… ©gÄ © wa Thiongo | Summary and Analysis Matigari is novel written by one of the most famous east African writer NgÃ… ©gÄ © wa Thiongo. The novel Matigari was first written and published in Kikuyu in 1986, which was later translated and published in English in the year 1987. NgÃ… ©gÄ © wa Thiongo, wrote Matigari in Kikuyu so that the messages within the novel can reach the masses of Africa (the poor). According to F.Odun Balogun, Ngugi states that African literature in foreign languages is inaccessible to the vast majority of the African population (Balogun 129). He even renounced his Christian name James and English language and began writing in his native language Kikuyu and Swahili because English to him is a colonial language which undermines the colonized. The novel Matigari takes on the oral form where the narrator can be seen as telling a story to his readers or listeners. For an example the novel starts with a note to readers or listeners Once upon a time, in a country with no name ( Ngugi wa Thiongo ix). However , Matigari oral tradition does not serve, as in the past, but rather is served by the Western novelistic tradition ( Balogun 131). Some of the main issues confronted by Ngugi wa Thiongo in the novel are oppression, colonization, decolonization and neo-colonization. Furthermore it is also about Matigari, the protagonist of the novel in search of truth and justice in his land where the people(masses) are oppressed by their own countrymen who held power( bourgeoisie), a form of neocolonialism. According to Ngugi wa Thiongo, there are only two types of people in the [Kenyan] land-patriots and the oppressors ( Nyame. JR 128). It is clear that this statement is significant because there are patriots and the oppressors in the novel Matigari. Patriots are represented by characters such as Matigari ma Njiruungi, the patriots who survived the bullets( Ngugi wa Thiongo 20), Guthera, Muriuki and Ngaruro wa Kiriro. The patriots love their country and strive for its freedom from the oppressors. They are willing to give up their lives for their beloved land. This is a special announcement. This is a special announcement. The police have shot one of the escaped madmen. He has been identified as Ngaruro wa Kiriro (Ngugi wa Thiongo 135). In the novel Matigari, the patriots firstly fought against the white colonialist (oppressors) who colonized and dominated Africa. The colonizers ill treated the colonized as if they were the other who are looked upon as uncivilized and needed to be con trolled. Much of the narrative of the novel centers on the exploitative relations between the colonizers and the Kenyans, for whom Matigari is a representative( Nyame. JR 129 ).Furthermore these colonizers reaped all the resources of Africa for their own benefits and left the masses to dwell in poverty. For an example, You see I built the house with my own hands. But Settler Williams slept in it and I would sleep outside the veranda. I tended the estates that spread around the house for miles. But it was Settler Williams who took home the harvest.I worked all the machines and in all the industries, but it was settler Williams who would take the profits to the bank and I would end up with the cent that he flung my way I produced everything on the farm with my own labour. But all the gains went to Settler Williams (Ngugi wa Thiongo 21). The protagonist, Matigari ma Njiruungi is a patriot who went to the forest to oppose the colonialists and fight for freedom of his land. He had spend many years in the forests and mountains to hunt down the oppressors so that he could liberate his country and countrymen. Matigaris character represents everyone who toiled under the colonialists and fought in the war of independence (Loflin 90). Armed with his AK47 and other weapons, Matigari spent many years hunting down colonialist Settler Williams and John Boy(Settlers servant). After his victory, he reemerges from the forest to reclaim what was his, especially his house. Matigari felt freedom and liberation was achieved by his country and people from the white settlers. Our main protagonist Matigari even buries his weapons under the mugumo fig tree and girdles himself with a belt of peace believing that full independence was attained from the oppressors. To his utter dismay, though they may have gained independence from the coloni alists, now they are being ruled by African themselves ( bourgeoisie imperialist) who treat their own people badly. Matigari attempts to challenge the new type (neo-colonialism) of oppression peacefully, but failed. He searched for days for truth and justice; but had to succumb to defeat for there is none under the African exploitative regime. For example, He approaches a student, a teacher, and a priest ; all fail abysmally. Their denial of Matigari condemns them as irresolute and complicit with the oppression (Gurnah 171). Finally he resorts to arms and trampled his belt of peace because he realized that justice for the oppressed comes from a sharpened spear (Ngugi wa Thiongo 131). The prototypical revolutionary hero, Matigari, must ultimately abandon his attempts to challenge the current system peacefully(Williams 60). Matigari had to take up arms in order to get back his house again, but now against The Minister of Truth and justice , John Boy JR who are the oppressive elite Af ricans. Guthera and Miuruki are also patriots in the novel Matigari. However they were transitioned from being the oppressed to become patriots with the influence of Matigari ma Njiruungi. Both of them played important roles in helping Matigari to make sure that John Boy JR, will never sleep in my house again (157). Guthera for example, lets go of her eleventh commandment never open my legs for any policemen, these traitors no matter how much they are prepared to pay for the favors( Ngugi wa Thiongo 37) in order to save Matigari from the policemen. This proves that she wants to safe a patriot who is in the path of justice, truth, right and yearns goodness for the country and its people. Furthermore through her narratives we came to know that her father( a Church Elder) was a patriot as well who was arrested and killed for he would not support the oppressors. Guthera was ready to die by going against the traitors and the oppressors with Matigari. She wants to be the vanguard and never wants to get left behind. Guthera states One can die once, and it is better to die in the pursuit of what is right (Ngugi wa Thiongo 139). Thus it is clear in the novel that Guthera too a patriot following the footsteps of Matigari ma Nijuungi. Muriuki is an orphan who lives in the children village(scrapyard) and survived by scavenging rubbish after paying entrance fee. He called an old Mercedes Benz at the scrapyard his house . Muriuki was not the only one,for there were many children parents-less and poor due to the new ruling system after independence which cared less. Muriuki like Guthera joined Matigaris quest in the battle against these oppressing bourgeoisie Africans. It is a world in which the bourgeoisie act criminally within the law (Indangasi 194). Muriuki may have not been under the oppression of the colonizers but he is under the injustices of neocolonialism within Africa. He understands that his land is in absence of justice and Matigari was willing to get it back for them. So Muriuki joins him and becomes a patriot himself. He even called himself and his fellow Children of the village as , Yes. We are the the children of Matigari ma Njiruungi, we are the children of the patriots of the patriots who survived the war (Ngugi wa Thiongo 139). He aided in Matigaris mission by providing him shelter at children village from the policemen and accompanied him alongside with Guthera . At the end of the novel Muriuki was portrayed as picking up Matigaris weapons from the mugumo tree and strapping them to himself . This then establish an understanding that Muriuki will continue Matigaris fight and mission for freedom as a patriot for his beloved country from the heartless oppressors. Hence, even though Matigari and Guthera were never stated as survived or dead in end of the novel,through Muriuki, Matigari ma Njiruungi remains undefeated (Loflin 90). Ngaruro wa Kiriro a factory worker was also classified as a patriot in the novel Matigari. In the first few pages of the novel, we can see that Ngaruro was involved in a strike outside the factory. This is because the workers were not being paid appropriately and were being unjustly treated .Ngaruro, was not afraid to ask for justice. According to the Minister of Truth and Justice, Ngaruro was the first to stood up in public and oppose the presidential decree after the independence. For that he was sent to the mental hospital with Matigari. However before he was taken away, Nagruro shouted bravely ,you may arrest me , but the workers will never stop demanding their rights (Ngugi wa Thiongo 123). Sadly he was killed by the policemen for resisting the power abusing ruling party Kiama Kiria Kirathana(KKK). According to Ngugi wa Thiongo, there are only two types of people in the [Kenyan] land-patriots and the oppressors ( Nyame. JR 128). In the novel Matigari there are two types of oppressors. The first oppressor would be the white colonialist like Settler Williams. The second oppressor in the he novel would be the elite African themselves who misuse power and oppress the poor people. For example, John Boy JR, The Minister for Justice and Truth, His Excellency Ole Excellence and the ruling party KKK who are sell-outs, traitors, parasites, enemies, ogres, and even dogs' (Idangasi 194). The mass of Africa felt that they were out from the frying pan into the fire. Lives and standard of living of the people in the novel after independence did not get better but deteriorated. Children living in old cars, women are prostituting themselves , unjust at working place and corruption within the police enforcements are some of the examples portrayed in the novel. If a person were to question thes e abuses, The Minister for Truth and Justice himself sends the questioner to jail or mental asylum. The establishment of Parratology and newspaper Daily Parratology, were ways to keep the masses under control by the neo-colonial power as well. People who subdue and abide to their unjust laws were called Loyalists (Ngugi wa Thiongo 103). These oppressors having the black skin but white masks behaved like they were the colonialists and ill treated their own people. Sadly after fighting against the colonialists, now Matigari has to continue battling against the neo-colonial power. Having fought against colonial rule, he returns to discover that injustice still exists, albeit in a slightly different form that reflects changed circumstances of neo-colonial society. Settler Williams and his servant John Boy, whom Matigari had fought to death in the forest, have been replaced by their sons, now partners in reaping-what-theydid-not-sow (Gurnah 170). The white colonialist had given a few people(elite) like John By colonial education. Furthermore he was brought up to see his own people through the lenses of the colonialists. Now, this education which instills ideology of the colonizers was given by the oppressors for their own benefits. The elite Africans ,to white colonizers are still collaborating servants , and not much difference from the masses. Through this colonial education, the colonialists retained power over the colonialized land. African leaders is itself a product of a discursive formation and ideological construct specific to the project of mental and psychological colonization of Africans perpetrated by colonialist ideology (Nyame JR 134). Therefore,in the novel Matigari Ngugi states that though liberation was achieved by the Africans from the colonizers , their minds were not decolonized. Ideology of the oppressors still lingers within the leaders and it creates more subordination, poverty, oppression to the Afric an society.According to Ngugi and Maya Jaggi, What is needed is for us in Africa and the Third World to become as conscious of neo-colonial arrangements and their economic, political and cultural implications, and to be horrified by them with the same force, determination and sincerity, as we were vis-al-vis colonialism(Ngugi wa Thiongo and Maya Jaggi 246). For example in the novel, Africans have this strong sense of communal bonds and in the novel Matigari calls almost everyone his child. However, John Boy JR prefers the individual over the term masses because it is primitive. The change of thought within John Boy JR are brought about by colonizers. Our country has remained in the darkness because of the ignorance of our people. They don;t know the importance of the word individual, as opposed to the word masses. White people are advanced because they respect the word and therefore honor the freedom of the individual, which means freedom of everyone to follow his own whims without worrying about others (Ngugi wa Thiongo 48). Thus, the dream of Matigari and others that someday John Boy JR will be the future patriot was dashed. These elite Africans become the neo-colonisers and imperialists , who continue the oppression taught by the settlers. In conclusion, the statement there are only two types of people in the [Kenyan] land-patriots and the oppressors ( Nyame. JR 128) is relevant for the main characters within the novel Matigari are the patriots and the oppressors. However, one must not forget that there are the oppressed Africans depicted in the novel as well represented by the student, teacher and priest who would rather be complacent than fight for truth and justice. They are scared to voice out their opinions for fear of trouble. So they rather ignore and deny Matigari rather than joining him in the battle for freedom and decolonization. Work Cited Indangasi, Henry. Ngugis Ideal Reader and the Postcolonial Reality. The Yearbook of English Studies 27 (1997): 193-200. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. . Loflin, Christine. NgÃ… ©Ã„ ©gÄ © wa Thiongos Visions of Africa. JSTOR 26.4 (1995): 1-19. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. . Ngugi wa Thiongo, . Matigari. Bostwana: Heinemann Kenya Ltd, 1987. N. pag. Print. Ngugi wa, Thiongo, and Maya Jaggi. Matigari as Myth and History: An Interview. Third World Quarterly 11.4 (1989): 241-51. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. . Nyame JR, Kwado Osei. Ngugi wa Thiongos Matigari: and the Politics of Decolonization. A Review of International English Literature 30.3 July (1999): 127-40. Print. Williams, Katherine. Decolonizing the Word: Language, Culture, and Self in the Works of NgÃ… ©Ã„ ©gÄ ©wa Thiongo and Gabriel Okara. Research in African Literatures 22.4 (1991): 53-61. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. .

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Source A GCSE History coursework :: essays research papers

This question is going to investigate how reliable source A is, about peoples attitude towards women’s suffrage. Source A shows waomen holding papers and leaflets banging on the door, but ‘John bull’ is barricading the door. ‘John Bull’ is portrayed as the British Government not letting women into parliament to get the vote, he has fists clenched and is determined to not let women in. The women banging on the door look ugly, fat, un-ladylike and dirty, the cartoonist may be biased towards women getting the vote. This is emphasised by the title ‘An Ugly Rush’. The women protesting may be the suffragists, the leaflets and papers that the women are holding could be petitions and posters. They resemble spinsters. In the background there is a group of elegant, formal posh and ladylike women, one woman has a child. Theses women may be frowning at the rabble of women in disgust. It is possible that the women in the background are the Anti-Suffrage League. The message of this cartoon is that men don’t want women to have the vote. The person who drew this carton could have been a biased male, against women’s suffrage. This carton was out in the late 19th century early 20th century. Punch magazine was published by a group of liberals who campaigned for the poor and working classes. By 1870 the magazine was in big trouble as it could only sell 6,000 copies a week but it needed to sell at least 10’000 copies a week to pay for the venture. So the magazine started to appeal to middle-class men. ‘John Bull’ became a common figure in the magazine, around the 19th century. He was portrayed as a hero of Britain. He often wore a Union Jack waist coat. This source may not be reliable as it could have been drawn by a biased male. But the source shows some women not campaigning for the vote, because not all women wanted to have the vote like upper-class women , they didn’t care because they had a good life. The men liked some of the women for not wanting the vote so the cartoonist in this source has praised them by making them look smart and elegant, and not dirty and ugly. The Source isn’t very useful because the cartoonist was biased towards women’s suffrage, so he could of made the campaigning women look like a huge unorganised rabble.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Literary of Dead Poets Society

Bill Beattie once said, â€Å"The aim of education should be to teach us how to think rather than what to think – rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.† All too often, however, individual thoughts are crushed by the powerful weight of conformity. In the film Dead Poets Society, conformity exercises it†s influence and the results prove disastrous for some. For others, the effect of conformity compels them towards individual strength and the discovery of one†s true self. Modern education is one of the largest â€Å"offenders† when it comes to conformity, and that point is illustrated repeatedly in the film Dead Poets Society. At Wellton, students of all walks of life are expected to learn the same lessons the same ways. They are expected to memorize the important facts and regurgitate the same facts during exams. Latin class involves recitation, while chemistry involves memorization, and as long as the students can deliver what they have been told, they are successful in life. The new English teacher, Mr. Keating, challenges his students to think for themselves and to resist conformity. He most memorably illustrates how easily conformity affects people during his lesson involving a stroll in the courtyard. He instructs three of his pupils to walk around the courtyard. The three boys march in unison, and the remainder of the pupils begin to clap in time with the marching. He asks why the boys are clapping, and they do not know. Perhaps they were clapping because everyone else was clapping, or perhaps they were just having a good time. However, it cannot be disputed that the group conformed without thinking. All too often, the words of the textbook are considered undisputed fact. All chemistry textbooks will list the elements with the same symbols and all Latin textbooks will list approximately the same translations. The poetry textbook, written by a Dr. Pritchett, attempts to lump words that are meant to touch the heart into the same factual categories of math and the sciences. Can Dr. Pritchett†s method of analyzing poetry by graphing its importance and perfection be used to measure what one feels? More importantly, is Dr. Pritchett†s method the only method that one must use when measuring the greatness of poetry and can poetry be looked at using only the mind and not the heart? Mr. Keating did not feel that poetry was meant to be analyzed using measurable techniques but rather through the feelings of one†s heart. He summed up his feelings on Dr. Pritchett†s method of measuring the greatness of poetry in one word, â€Å"Excrement.† He took his class on a journey of self-discovery, a journey where they learned that there is not always a right answer or a wrong one. In order to find one†s true self, one must learn to resist conformity and walk one†s own way, as was illustrated in the lesson out in the courtyard. He taught them that just one perspective is not necessarily the only way of viewing a situation as was revealed in the lesson where he stood on his desk. At Wellton Academy, individuality is strongly discouraged, and the fight for individuality often results in dire consequences. Mr. Keating became a mentor, as well as a teacher for his students, and he helped them discover the strength necessary to be one†s true self. Individuality, unfortunately, does not come without a price. Often the price is fear, especially fear of what others will think, but the cost is often much higher. Neil Perry, one of Mr. Keating†s students, paid with his life. He committed suicide when his father insisted he conform, and go on to Harvard to become a doctor. Charlie Dalton was expelled from Wellton for his unwillingness to conform. Todd Anderson found the courage to stand up for himself and realized he had value in the world. It is not just to say that education is only about textbooks and memorization. The memorization of the Periodic Table of Elements in Chemistry has very little impact on a large part of life; such as that of personal relationships, friendships, love, loyalty and trust. All the characters in the film are human, and therefore have the same physical components in their bodies, but their feelings and point of view are unique unto themselves. The true danger of education is the attempt to call for all people to see the world in the same way.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Writing (EBRW) Score

What's a Good SAT Math or Reading/Writing (EBRW) Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In this article, we’ll go over how to calculate target SAT Math, Reading, and Writing scores, as well as why you might want to do this. Why Calculate Target Scores? Target scores are useful to calculate because they help you set realistic goals that are based on schools you’ll be applying to, rather than on some arbitrary standard that has no real justification behind it. By creating concrete, results-oriented scores to aim for, you’ll not only increase your chances of a successful outcome (getting into the schools you want), but, since the relationship between the scores and acceptance at colleges you wish to attend is so linear, you might even be more motivated to study to reach these goals. The steps you'll follow for finding your target SAT Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores are similar to what you'd do to find your overall SAT target score. If you haven't done this already, stop now and read our article on what makes a good, bad, or excellent SAT score, then come back; it's far more important to calculate your overall target SAT score than it is to calculate individual section scores. Step 1: Download These Worksheets To mathematically determine the target Math and EBRW scores you should be aiming for, we'll be filling out two worksheets for all the schools you're interested in. Click here to download the Math and EBRW score target worksheets, or click the images below: Step 2: Fill In the Schools You Want to Get Into In the leftmost column of the sheet, write down the names of colleges you want to attend. These might be schools that you already know you want to apply to, including your dream or "reach" schools; however, don't include safety schools (schools that you're 90% sure that you're going to get accepted to). If you're not sure yet what schools you want to apply to, go ahead and put down any schools you've heard of, or schools that your friends are interested in. We do recommend, however, that you research the schools before calculating your target score, though, so you'll get a sense of what scores you'll need to get into the schools you're interested in and if they're realistic for you given other factors like your high school GPA. Step 3: For Each School, Google "[Name of School] PrepScholar" For example, if I'm interested in University of Michigan, I'll do the following search: Most schools will have a PrepScholar.com link, as shown above. If you don't find one, try using the National Center for Education Statistic's IPEDS Data Center to look up the school's Admissions and Test Scores information; the data will be older but will still be official. Alternatively, try searching "[name of school] average sat scores" to see if the scores are listed on the official school website (although many schools do not report individual section scores on their websites). Use either of these methods to double-check your numbers. Our PrepScholar.com page lists the 25th/75th percentile scores for current University of Michigan students. We currently have hard data only for the old, out-of-2400 SAT (although we use these numbers to then estimate the equivalent out-of-1600 SAT) - when colleges release their student data for the new 1600 SAT, we'll update these pages. A refresher on what we mean when we talk about percentile scores: 25th percentile scores mean that 25% of students attending that school have at or below that score (this score is below average). The 75th percentile score means that 75% of students have a score at or below that number (making this score above average). In effect, the middle 50% of all students admitted to a school will have SAT scores between the 25th and 75th percentiles. If you score at the 75th percentile for a school, you have a great chance of getting in. If you're at the 25th percentile, you'll have to rely on some other part of your application to impress them (or retake the SAT to get your score more in line with the middle 50 percent of students admitted). For the University of Michigan, the old SAT 25th percentile scores were 660 for Math, 620 for Reading, and 630 for Writing, while the 75th percentile scores were 760 for Math, 720 for Reading, and 730 for Writing. Step 3a: Calculate the New SAT Score out of 800 for Math and EBRW Because you'll be taking the new 1600 SAT, you'll need to convert any old scores from the out-of-2400 SAT into new SAT scores in the rightmost column of the worksheets. This is particularly important for converting old Reading and Writing scores (which, when combined, were on a scale of 400-1600) to the new SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (on a scale of 200-800). Use our updated converter tool, which is based on official concordance tables from the College Board, to determine 75th percentile scores for the new SAT. For the University of Michigan, this tool gives a new SAT Math score of 690 and EBRW score of 680. Step 4: Calculate Your Final Target SAT Section Scores Finally, take the average of all the percentile columns. In general, we recommend using the 75th percentile score as your target, because it’ll give you the greatest chance of acceptance (as compared shooting for the 25th percentile or even the "average" score). However, just because you score at the 75th percentile doesn’t mean that you have a 75% chance of acceptance at any given school. The baseline acceptance rate for the school also affects the target score you choose. If a school's acceptance rate is low (20%), then you’ll want to aim for a score even higher than the 75th percentile score for a fixed likelihood of getting in. If the acceptance rate is higher, then you can aim for a lower percentile score (since increasing your SAT score is likely to only have a marginal effect on your acceptance rate). 150531-D-DB155-001/used under CC BY 2.0. Find your target score and aim for it with all your might. Bonus: Looking for the very best guides to every SAT section? Check out our top guides for every single section of the SAT. Choose the score level you're aiming for: 800 Score Guides: SAT Reading | SAT Writing | SAT Math | SAT Essay Choose these guides if you're scoring a 600 or above on a section, and you want to get the highest SAT score possible. 600 Score Guides: SAT Reading | SAT Writing | SAT Math | SAT Essay Choose these guides if you're scoring below a 600 on a section, and you want to boost your score to at least a 600 level. These are the very best guides available on boosting your SAT score, section by section. They're written by Harvard grads and perfect SAT scorers. Don't disappoint yourself - read these guides and improve your score today. When Do Section Scores Matter? Most of the time, hitting specific section score targets isn’t as important as making sure your overall SAT score is good; whether that high total score comes from a 680 on Math and a 780 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing or a 780 on Math and a 680 on EBRW is usually a moot point. There are two types of schools, however, for which individual section scores become more important: engineering programs and liberal arts colleges. For engineering schools and programs, a high SAT Math score (above a 700) is imperative; for the most competitive engineering programs, you’ll be at a severe disadvantage if you don’t get 770 or above on SAT Math. Even a perfect 800 won’t guarantee you admission, but getting a SAT Math score below a 750 lowers your odds dramatically at schools like MIT. On the other hand, you can get away with a (relatively) low Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (a 720 EBRW score still puts you in the middle 50 percent of students at MIT). Liberal arts schools, by contrast, prefer to see relatively equal section scores. That doesn't mean that you have to get exactly the same score on Math and EBRW, but it does mean that you'd have a better chance of getting into most liberal arts schools with two medium-high section scores (e.g. 700 Math, 690 EBRW) than with one high and one low score (e.g. 590 Math, 800 EBRW). Some of these schools may even go down to the Reading and Writing subscore level when it comes to evenness, although with the new combined Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score the odds of this happening are lower than with the old SAT (where students received out-of-800 scores for both Critical Reading and Writing). A good strategy if you’re applying to a mixed set of schools (some engineering, some liberal arts, and some that fit into neither category) is to create multiple different target scores sheets; if you take the SAT multiple times and get mixed results, the different sheets will help you determine which scores to send to schools that don't superscore. For instance, if you take the SAT twice and get 730 Math/780 EBRW and 790 Math/610 EBRW, you'd want to send the first score to liberal arts schools (who don't superscore) and the second score to engineering schools (who don't superscore); if the schools do superscore, you'd want to send both the scores to get the 790 Math/780 EBRW combo. Optimal/used under CC BY 2.0. Optimize your SAT score through superscoring like a superhero! What’s Next? What does it mean to score in the top percentiles on the SAT? Get an in-depth look at SAT score percentiles here, or read about the difference between the SAT User Percentile and the Nationally Representative Sample Percentile on ExpertHub. A high SAT Math score is a good start, but what else is required for engineering programs? Find out what it takes to get into a great engineering school here. Want to figure out what your overall SAT score should look like? Learn to distinguish between excellent, good, and bad SAT scores here. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today!

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Henry Longfellow essays

Henry Longfellow essays Henry Longfellow is an American poet who writes about life and brings meaning to it in his poems. In several of his poems, the reader will find examples of life, love, death, contemplation, and inspiration. This paper depicts Henry Longfellows poems through summaries and illustrations. In the poem A Psalm of Life, Found in United States Literature by Robert Hayden, Longfellow discusses life and inspires one that life is worth living. This poem is a poem mainly of inspiration. In this poem, Longfellow takes what could be a bad situation and uses the right words to make that Longfellow discusses life in line two, Life is but an empty dream(98). In this line Longfellow is bringing out a bad situation, it is saying that life is empty, that it has no point. Also in lines five and six. Life is real! Life is earnest! and the grave is not its goal(98), Longfellow is bringing out the good in that bad situation. He is saying life is their, one has to live is, a humans goal is not death, but life! Finally in lines seventeen through twenty In the worlds broad field of battle, in the bivouac of life, be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be hero in the strife!(98). In these lines Longefellow is saying to get out their and live, do not run away from life! Throughout Longfellows entire poem A Psalm of life their are words of inspiration. In lines nine thorough twelve Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, is our destined end or way; but to act, that each tomorrow find us further then today(98). These lines inspire one to move on, that one...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Depression - Essay Example Depression among the old people is a growing global health concern due to the increasing number of old people within the world populace. Despite the disorder being a major mental health problem, little has been done in terms of research studies to uncover the underlying causes, effects, and mental health requirements of the old. Depression among other people especially the young has been extensively studied and documented due its effects that cause major problems to the health wellbeing of people. Little literature from various research studies targeting depression among the old people is a source of valuable knowledge of the nature, causes, and the mental health effects it has on the old people. Systemic review of research articles on depression among the old provides a synthesis of information collected to give an in-depth view of the disorder. Depression is a state characterized by low moods and hate of activity, which interferes with an individual’s behaviors, feelings, sense of well-being, and general thought process. Depression is one of the major psychiatric disorders that have residual effects on the mental health wellbeing of individuals (Park & Jun, 2013). Depression is characterized by feelings of hate towards activities, loss of memory, cognitive abilities, and general concentration. These lingering symptoms have lasting adverse effects on the mental functionality of an individual. A major problem with the disorder remains the inability of the individuals suffering from the disorder and the people surrounding them to diagnose the disorder. The disorder is more pronounced among the elderly due to the isolation, dependency on others, and failure to diagnose and treat it. Coupled with this is the increased push by governments to cut healthcare costs in the midst of already constrained medical budgets. The eld erly therefore face a problem in that healthcare is already unavailable due to financial

Friday, November 1, 2019

Behaviorism vs. Cognitivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Behaviorism vs. Cognitivism - Essay Example The primary aim of this paper is to outline the differences between two schools of academic psychology--behaviorism and cognitivism. I will first outline and explain two experiments purporting to explain human cognition by Jean Piaget. I will then explain how behaviorist B.F. Skinner might object to this methodology. Finally, I will address some possible responses to Skinner that Piaget could use to defend the scientific integrity of his experiments. Jean Piaget is often referred to in academic psychology as a â€Å"developmental cognitivist†. A developmental psychologist is one who scientifically studies changes in human personality, thinking and perceptions over the cross of a lifetime. Piaget’s research tends to focus on the development of human children--specifically the intelligence and cognitive capacities of children. Thus he can be said to be a cognitivist, in that he seeks to discover underlying thought processes by observing behavior. In two of his main works, The Construction of Reality in the Child, and The Child’s Conception of Number, Jean Piaget sets up a series of experiments, which purport to demonstrate the differences in cognitive and intellectual processes between adults and children. In the first experiment I am going to examine, Piaget attempts to explain the ability of children to discriminate between quantities of objects. He does this by placing two lines of candy next to each other--one with the candy arranged in a line spread further apart, and one with the same amount of candy in a line placed more closely together. The children are asked to determine which line contains a greater amount of candy. The results were that â€Å"Children between 2 years, 6 months old and 3 years, 2 months old correctly discriminate the relative number of objects in two rows; between 3 years, 2 months and 4 years, 6 months they indicate a longer row with fewer objects to have "more"; after 4 years, 6 months they again discriminate co rrectly† (Piaget). Piaget concluded that children gain the capacity to discriminate between quantities of objects at 2 years, 6 months, but for whatever reason, are unable to use this ability effectively for this task between ages 3 and 4. The second example of an experiment by Piaget I would like to discuss, seeks to demonstrate how children view the relationship between space and object: The child is presented with a model, about one square meter in size, representing three mountains in relief; he is to reconstruct the different perspectives in which a little doll views them in varying positions that follow a given order...when he is asked what the doll sees from a particular position the child describes what he himself sees from his own position without taking into account the obstacles which prevent the doll from seeing the same view. When he is shown several pictures from among which he is to choose the one which corresponds to the doll’s perspective, he chooses th e one which represents his own (Piaget). This experiment shows that young children lack the capacity to understand spatial relationships, relative to an observer other than their own. The child does not attempt to envisage how a particular object might look from the perspective of the doll, but defaults back to a description from their first-person point of view. Piaget concludes that the behavior observed here could best be explained by the developmental stage the child has reached. He points out that â€Å"the egocentrism and objective relativity in question here concern only the relationships between the child and things, and nothing in sensorimotor action forces him to leave this narrow realm† (Piaget). In other words since the child has only reached the point in life where she always encounters objects in relation to herself, even if you ask questions about the relation between an object and another observer, the child will not understand. Behaviorism is a school of thou ght in psychology that can be thought of in contrast to cognitivism. Rather than observing behavior

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Implementation of a Communication Tool Kit To Enhance Communication Research Paper

Implementation of a Communication Tool Kit To Enhance Communication Between Healthcare Providers and Patients - Research Paper Example For the purpose it is important to improve or reduce the communication gap between healthcare providers such as physicians and patients. This will be beneficial for both physicians as well patient in improving the medical practice. Physician learns how to deliver bad news such as suffering from cancer to a patient, understanding the emotions of patient, helping them regarding decision-making such as signing an informed consent for a clinical trail. On the other hand the patient feels comfortable and understands the treatment strategies with confidence. The protocol as discussed by Stephanie, Anthony, Susan, and Susan (2002) is depicted in the Table 1. As reported in a publication Elliot et al (2006) a study was conducted by the American College of Physicians Foundation (ACPF) and the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) from 2002-2005 regarding implementation of Information Prescription (or "Information Rx") Program. According this study internet with proper health websites can be a useful tool for improving communication between physician and patient. In this the ACPF and NLM recommended the physicians to encourage patients to visit the evidence based and health informative website MedlinePlus.gov. The physicians were provided with Information Prescription (or "Information Rx") pads. These pads were used to provide the information regarding the website the patient should visit in order to get clarity about the treatment apart from the regular prescription. In the protocol the promotional materials kit that was mailed to physicians of the American College of Physicians (ACP) as per the two project pilot states of Iowa and Geor gia. The contained the Information Prescription (or "Information Rx") pads along with supplementation of room posters and bookmarks for the waiting room. Two comprehensive evaluations were done the first one included the survey of pre and post-intervention Information Rx mail, performing telephonic interviews and using web log analyses. The second comprehensive evaluation included non-random selection of ninety-two physicians by ACP foundation to encourage the practices for the use and visit of website MedlinePlus.gov. It was concluded from the study that physician and patient communication gap was improved with use of Information Rx pads. The physicians found that MedlinePlus is a useful website in promoting the patients self efficacy, understanding the treatment procedures, believing on the physician more and reduced the time needed to spend to patients by a physician. On the other hand the patients were able make better health decisions, able to communicate and understand the tre atments and concept regarding the disease.In other study as suggested by Bauer (2010) Probability-Utility Model was studied as a model for improving communication between healthcare providers and patients. The model

Monday, October 28, 2019

Analysis of Proverbs Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Proverbs Essay These two selections illustrate the paternal relationship God has to humankind and focuses on the role discipline plays in affirming that relationship. The excerpt from Proverbs is direct in its message to the children of God. We are supposed to receive discipline with a sense of gratitude because it gives meaning to the act through its divine motive. Though the initial response to discipline may be to resent or even rebel from it, this passage tells us that the act of discipline should not be perceived as an oppressive force. Instead, His love is proven by His willingness to exact punishment for our deviance. The Hebrews passage delivers a more subtle message through its significantly more complex approach to the subject. Here discipline is understood through the conduit of punishment, and the more general concept of punishment is compared to the pain and suffering Jesus suffered as a blood sacrifice for human sin. When making the comparison between blood sacrifice and human punishment the point is clearly made what is considered â€Å"pain† by humans is relatively trivial. However, the point of this passage is not to demean the children of God. Instead, it addresses the love inherent in such punishment. Like the passage from Proverbs, the Hebrews excerpt is intended to point out the caring nature that is part of the discipline God exercises. Punishment is intended to elicit self-discipline in the minds of Gods children so that the future crucibles in the road of an individuals spiritual life can be faced with assurance and equanimity. Discipline is often misunderstood in the formation of the spiritual life. Too often it is perceived as negative. This is understandable of course when we realize the development of self-discipline normally begins with an external assertion of discipline. As such, an external force working against our inherent nature, we are liable to put up a fair amount of spiritual resistance. This resistance is most often manifested in our individual sense of pride. This pride is the first stumbling block we must overcome on our path to true resignation to the mind of God. The pride we feel is intimately linked with our love of living life according to our own pleasures. Discipline, both in its external and internal manifestation, is a regulatory force that moderates this propensity for individual pride and indulgence. Discipline is a theory as much as it is a practice. The message of discipline is moral. Without the moral guidance provided by discipline and individual is free to follow a pleasure principle exclusive. Such a pursuit leads inevitably to an immersion in sinfulness and weak moral principle. However, discipline is not merely a restrictive force. It is also a transcendent one. By maintaining discipline we step closer to the spiritual goal of resignation to Gods will. The man or woman of true discipline is capable of walking in the path God sets before them because they have attained an intuitive understanding of spiritual faith. Paradoxically, the attainment of true discipline can ultimately become liberating, allowing the individual to feel comfortable amidst a wilderness of worldly temptations. The inner security of a dependable moral compass allows a person to exercise a pious life without having to be continually reminded of prescribed morality. The true inner sense of what is sinful and righteous becomes so intuitive in a spiritually disciplined person that walking the path of goodness is a matter of character, not a matter of choice. The world of goodness will triumph in the mind of someone who understands the way to discipline is through seeking and embracing the rigors of a live lived well. The greatest model for discipline we have as Christians is in the life of Jesus. His resignation to the plan for him conceived in the mind of God is a metaphor for the acceptance we must all eventually come to in order to find spiritual peace. Like Jesus, we are placed into a narrative leading to some ultimate fulfillment. While we are not asked to assume a burden as dramatic as His, we are supposed to find a way to accept the challenges placed before us. His goal was to save all His children from the inherent stain of being human. Our goal is merely to deal with our own confusion of how to be who we are with a sense of loving what is right. The spirit is a thin and airy thing, but it is not fragile. It waits to receive the nourishment only discipline can provide. The mindful attention to doing what is moral is that elusive quality that binds the soul to the body. This bond, once it is secured, is unbreakable. The body and spirit in accord is one of the strongest elements in the world, and one that remains attainable for anyone willing to invest the hard work it requires. Many people believe that discipline then is merely a means to achieving some ethereal reward. However, this is an unethical motive for infusing discipline into ones spiritual life. The only ethical reason for pursuing discipline is for its own rewards. Discipline must ultimately be its own single and self-satisfying goal. By expecting some final reward out of it, we are essentially undermining the self-denying principle of discipline itself. Discipline is the end in and of itself. To expect more than that is to falsify its attainment.