Questions On The On Teenage Pregnancy Essay - 3086 Words

EP1: Written Enquiry Plan Complete this template to provide information on your chosen KEC topic and its evolution into your final enquiry question. Do not delete the questions or remove the section headings—use the white boxes in each section to provide your answers. The size of each section indicates the approximate length of the expected answer. Do not double space. 1 LO1 Write a structured paragraph describing the evolution of your topic for the semester (150–250 words). †¢ What was the broad area of interest you initially identified? †¢ How did you narrow the scope of your topic down to a manageable size? †¢ How did you identify the key concepts you intend to focus on when formulating and researching your enquiry question? The broad area of interest initially identified was, â€Å"teenage pregnancy†. While researching for information on teenage pregnancy, findings showed that it was too broad as there were too many sub-topics. For example, cultural differences, impacts on families, society and many more. Therefore further research was conducted so that the area of interest could be narrowed down. The topic was refined to â€Å"How does socio-economic factors of teenage pregnancy affect the mental health of an adolescent mother in New Zealand?† as an appropriate enquiry question with the use of specific wordings and focused audience. According to the research done and information gathered focus was now put on the socio-economic factors that affects theShow MoreRelatedEssay about Sample Research Proposal on Teenage Pregnancy1172 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Sample Research Proposal on Teenage Pregnancy    Introduction This research proposal implies on teenage pregnancy and its effect on academic progression. There will be association between teenage pregnancy and academic progression places evidence that education should put weight on reality adhering to teenage pregnancy. Understanding teenage pregnancy within UK context is adamant to the purpose of study. Thus, the expectation that teenage pregnancy will be reduced by proper academic programsRead MoreReflecting on Sources: An Assignment1879 Words   |  7 PagesDIRECTIONS: Complete each section of the Pre-Interview Worksheet below. Although students are not required to conduct an interview as research for the final project, the process of thinking about potential questions and responses related to the final project topic will help stimulate further ideas and questions related to conducting relevant and reliable research. Of course, you may also decide to interview the person discussed here or another appropriate subject and use the material in your upcoming projectsRead MoreThe Effect Of Teenage Pregnancy On Children1636 Words   |  7 PagesThis study examined the effect of teenage pregnancy on children by exploring the results of an ADHD survey, ASRS-v1.1. The study sampled 100 kindergarten students, 50 had teenage mothers and 50 had mothers who gave birth during adulthood. A quantitative research method was utilized along with the difference-oriented research strategy approach. The independent variable is identified as the age of pregnancy and the two variant levels are: pregnant teens, ages 13-19, and pregnant women in adulthoodRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Teen Pregnancy1546 Words   |  7 PagesTeenage pregnancy is pregnancy in human females under the age of 20 at the time that the pregnancy ends. Low-income communities have the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the United States. Because of the fact that this is a very controversial issue in the United States, it is very important that most questions be addressed. Questions like, why is a teenage girl in Mississippi four times as likely to give birth as a teenage girl in New Hampshire? Or why is the teen birth rate in Massachusetts 19Read MoreArgumentative Essay1417 Words   |  6 Pagesand Pregnant Promote or Discourage Teenage Pregnancy? Teenage pregnancy has become a major issue in today’s society for our adolescents. This is a major problem for all who are involved. It creates hurt and a struggle for on the parents, especially for the mother (Gonchar and Schulten). Also for the parent(s) of the teenager this creates struggles for them because more often than not, they end up with the load of caring and looking after the child while the teenage parents are at school or out doingRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy Essay772 Words   |  4 Pageschildhood experiences create risk factors that can impact teenage pregnancy? The answer is multifaceted and complex, but an important consequence of teenage pregnancy is to the baby itself. Children of teenage mothers have more health issues, are more likely to be abused, be less educated, and more likely to become criminals (Hillis, et al., 2004, p. 2). Moreover, because teenage mothers are poorer and have less emotional support, children of teenage mothers are more likely t o be abused both physicallyRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Parenthood As A Social Problem1466 Words   |  6 PagesTeenage pregnancy and parenthood as a social problem Question – To what extent should we regard the efforts of recent governments to reduce teenage pregnancy and early parenthood as successful? * Source 1 Williams-Wheeler, D. (2004). The unplanned pregnancy book for teens and college students, Virginia Beach, VA: Sparkledoll Productions. The information gathered from this source is definitely devoted to the topic of teenage pregnancy because it is a helpful guide to those handling unplanned pregnanciesRead MoreThe Issue Of Teen Pregnancy1722 Words   |  7 Pagesteen pregnancy which is still an enormous problem that needs to be addressed. The rates are still higher than they were only a decade ago. Becoming a parent permanently and profoundly alters a teenager s life. Most of the girls forget about their dreams of happy marriage, and become mothers at very early age. College is almost always out of the question, graduating High School becomes a goal most teenage moms don t achieve. Young girls having babies isn t new, as a matter of fact, teenage parenthoodRead MoreTeenage Pregnancy And Condom Use1459 Words   |  6 PagesRogerian essay Teenage pregnancy and condom use Teenage pregnancy and condom use are one of the greatest debated and an issue that people cannot seem to agree on. While some parties feel that giving teenagers’ sex education starting from an early age will go a long way in helping curb teenage pregnancies, others feel that this only accelerates the rate at which teenagers are getting pregnant with the constant exposure to information that they use wrongly. The main concern in this topic is how toRead MoreThe Importance of Comprehensive Sex Education to Decrease Teen Pregnancies894 Words   |  4 PagesIn the United States today, many teenage girls are facing lots of problems. New problems are rising such as an increased pregnancy rate among teenagers. Our teenage girls are less developed and unprepared for the problems which come along with their decision to have sex. It is also too early for teenage girls to become pregnant. Many teens think having a baby is some sort of joke. They believe it will never happen to them but the reality is that every time teens have sex, there is a possibility

Compare and Constrast Classical China and Classical India...

Though they had some different qualities, Classical China and India were very similar. The complexities of both India and China’s social hierarchy systems were very different. However their religious views and ideas were similar, and they both began to decline but were able to recover and maintain stability. Both China and India used social hierarchy systems, but they were used differently. India used a very strict system called Varna, or the caste system. People only associated with people in their class. Marriage outside of your class and helping people in lower classes was absolutely forbidden. People couldn’t even eat or drink with people outside of their class. The Chinese rules of social hierarchy were very different. The Chinese†¦show more content†¦Hinduism and Confucianism were very similar. In both religions there was no specific gods to be worshiped, but there was religious shrines. People were obedient to confucianism because it stressed respect to all people. The goal of Hinduism was to free your soul and reach moksha. In order to do so people had to follow the rules and do the right thing. Confucianism and Hinduism worked because all people benefited from them. Another major similarity of India and China was the cause and effects of the declines of their golden ages. Both India and China had strong enough civilizations to withstand the challenges they faced and not completely fall. Because of China’s strong political system and because of India’s uniform religion, both civilizations were able to recover and revive themselves. Nomadic invaders attacked both civilizations and this was a setback but strong emperors helped regain order. The strength of the political systems was also challenged. Arab invaders tried to convert India to Islam but failed because Indian religious leaders worked to strengthen HInduism. In China bureaucrats became corrupt and started fighting for power and assassinating each other. Thankf ully the Sui and Tang dynasties worked to regain power and they restored Confucianism because they knew it worked in the past. India and China lost power but they were able to maintain stability. China and India had some qualities that contrast each other, but the two civilizations were very

Performance Evaluation Using Accounting Information Free Essays

What is performance evaluation? o Performance evaluations are formal review processes designed to encourage the informal day-to-day practice of performance management, while providing a framework in support of merit pay adjustments, promotion and employment decisions. Evaluating staff performance and helping employees develop their skills are important duties associated with performance management. Performance management begins with supervisors and employees collaboratively setting goals and standards, clearly communicating performance expectations and evaluating the results during the performance evaluation process. We will write a custom essay sample on Performance Evaluation Using Accounting Information or any similar topic only for you Order Now o A performance appraisal is a systematic and periodic process that assesses an individual employee’s job performance and productivity in relation to certain pre-established criteria and organizational objectives. o o Performance evaluation tools are quantitatively and qualitatively based. They utilize a scoring system that assesses numerical data relative to productivity, as well as characteristic data that measures the quality of the employee’s work. The indicators on performance evaluations include items such as business ethics, innovation, motivation, job knowledge, skills and expertise, communication, teamwork, work quality, professionalism, task management and project completion. Benefits of performance evaluation: †¢ Facilitation of communication: communication in organizations is considered an essential function of worker motivation. It has been proposed that feedback from performance evaluation aid in minimizing employees’ perceptions of uncertainty. Fundamentally, feedback and management-employee communication can serve as a guide in job performance. †¢ Enhancement of employee focus through promoting trust: behaviors, thoughts, and/or issues may distract employees from their work, and trust issues may be among these distracting factors. Such factors that consume psychological energy can lower job performance and cause workers to lose sight of organizational goals. Properly constructed and utilized performance evaluation has the ability to lower distracting factors and encourage trust within the organization. Goal setting and desired performance reinforcement: organizations find it efficient to match individual worker’s goals and performance with organizational goals. Performance evaluation provides room for discussion in the collaboration of these individual and organizational goals. Collaboration can also be advantageous by resulting in employee acceptance and satisfaction of appraisal results. †¢ Performance i mprovement: well constructed performance evaluation can be valuable tools for communication with employees as pertaining to how their job performance stands with organizational expectations. At the organizational level, numerous studies have reported positive relationships between human resource management (HRM) practices and performance improvement at both the individual and organizational levels. †¢ Determination of training needs: â€Å"Employee training and development are crucial components in helping an organization achieve strategic initiatives†. It has been argued that for performance to truly be effective, post-appraisal opportunities for training and development in problem areas, as determined by the appraisal, must be offered. Performance can especially be instrumental for identifying training needs of new employees. Finally, performance can help in the establishment and supervision of employees’ career goals. The Role of Accounting Information in Performance evaluation Accounting information consists of all data that a company records from operating activities and reports to the public at the end of a month or quarter. Accounting information is important for investors, analysts and regulators, management, employees, creditor and debtor. This information is also critical for a firm’s management because it provides insight into the company’s financial robustness and profitability in the short and long terms. Accounting data frequently is used in performance evaluations, because it is seen as an objective method to evaluate performance. While there are many advantages to using accounting information for this purpose, small-business owners should be careful to understand that there are drawbacks as well. Knowing the pros and cons of using accounting metrics can help business owners choose the right data to use for evaluating employee performance. Budget to Actual Many businesses expect employees to achieve budget targets as part of their overall performance. While the specifics requirements of each employee differ with the position and nature of the company, it is common for employees to be expected to sell a certain number of items, control costs versus a budgeted amount or reduce waste compared with a benchmark. A potential downfall of using budget information for performance evaluation is that employees may be so concerned with making budget targets that they may do so at the cost of other parts of the business. Sales Growth Sales employees and business management frequently are evaluated on the basis of sales growth. Sales growth usually is calculated as the percentage that sales have increased over the prior year. While this metric is commonly used to gauge performance, it does not come without drawbacks. If the general economy changes from year to year, then sales may naturally be increasing or decreasing. For example, if the economy is in decline, then employees may be modeling the correct behaviors, but sales may still be slow. In contrast, if the economy is growing, employees may be receiving the benefits of increasing sales while developing habits that will keep this sales growth from being sustainable in the future. Net Profit In many small businesses, net profit is used as a performance benchmark for the company’s manager. Condensing the operations of a business into its simplest form, net profit measures the amount of profit left after deducting expenses. While profit is important to businesses, focus on profit can have adverse effects on the company in the long term. For example, cutting advertising expenses will grow net profit in the short-term, but in the long-term, potential customers may not know about the company’s products. Expense Reduction For employees in charge of spending, it is common to evaluate performance based upon cost reduction. This can be a useful metric, as each dollar of expense saved translates into a dollar of profit. However, caution must be exercised, because this performance metric does not account for differences in quality. For example, if a purchasing manager is evaluating on reducing the expense of purchased metal for production, he could be rewarded for buying cheaper substandard material. As such, small-business owners should be cautious when using this metric in isolation. Profitability Analysis: Management analyzes profitability by reviewing the statement of profit and loss, also known as statement of income. This statement indicates a company’s revenue and expense items. Profit Margin Profit margin measures a company’s business performance over a quarter or month and equals net income divided by total revenue. Return on Equity o Return on equity provides an assessment of profit ability on owners’ capital and equals net income divided by shareholders’ equity. Working Capital Working capital is a gauge of a firm’s cash availability in the next 12 months and equals current assets minus current liabilities Budgeting o A budget helps a business know where money comes in and where it goes out. With accurate accounting, a business owner can make decisions to cut back in certain budget areas to improve the profit potential of the business. Without accounting data, the company would be forced to guess how much money should be allotted to each department or line item. A budget that is updated quarterly gives a clear picture of where the business stands financially so that smart money management decisions can be made. Investor Relations A public company has a responsibility to report the company’s financial standing to stockholders. The accounting department of the business creates a public report for investors with the intent of disclosing all financial data. Good accounting practices helps investors trust the management team as they know exactly the points of financial strength and weakness of their investment. A company that does not maintain accounting information would be in dange r of lawsuits, claims of fraud and lose access to relationships that provide capital necessary to running the business. Employee Retention Providing employees with accounting information helps them to make responsible decisions regarding their futures. A business that does not disclose or maintain accurate accounting information would gradually lose credibility with its employees. Employees with retirement accounts managed by their employers rely on the financial stability of companies to ensure their employers follow through Planning o Before most businesses even start operations, some level of planning is done to determine the level of success that can be achieved from operations. Businesses will examine current economic trends like consumer demand, market size, and number of competitors. This analysis helps companies determine which industry best suits their goods and services and then focuses on planning for the necessary plants and equipment needed to create successful business operations. Management Decisions o Once a business starts producing goods and services, executive managers must review each level of the company to ensure that each department is functioning at its peak. Some departments may need to be overhauled to re-create a competitive environment that produces high-quality goods and services. Additionally, management will use accounting information to decide if their company could improve operations by purchasing a competitor or enter a new market with their existing production facilities. Profitability o The biggest need for accounting information is to determine overall profitability. Sales, costs of manufacturing, inventory, and expenses are all recorded and presented to company management so the company’s profit levels can be determined. Financial statements like the balance sheet or statement of cash flows may also be prepared so executive management can assess the value of the company and the cash-generating functions of business operations. Investing o Once companies have a solid understanding of their profitability, they begin to make decisions on investing their cash and retained income from business operations. Executive management will decide what amount of cash should be reinvested into the business and what amount should be invested in interest-bearing securities. Companies will use these securities investments to generate cash outside business operations, giving them higher cash flows. Accountants must track these investments to ensure that the company does not take on too much investment risk. Performance Analysis o After the financial transactions of a company are properly recorded and presented in financial statements, accountants will review the information to determine the strength of business operations. Accountants use financial ratios to break down the financial statements and compare them to the industry or competitors. This analysis will help management find weak areas in the company and help allow them to find solutions for strengthening these operations. Accounting Performance Measurement Tools Budgets o Budgeting initiatives help department heads discuss steps to limit the decision-making authority of specific personnel. These include employees running inefficient operations or segment chiefs unable to whittle away at runaway budget deficits. Top leadership may not strip ineffective segment leaders of their operating prerogatives, but budgeting certainly limits how much they can spend. A budget is a list of planned expenses and revenues, a plan that organizations use to spend and save. 2. Pro Forma Statements o Pro forma or projection-based, accounting reports rely on hypothetical data to illustrate how a firm’s operations may fare under specific scenarios. These include â€Å"best,† â€Å"average† and â€Å"worst†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ with these concepts indicating the state of the economy or conditions in the company’s competitive landscape, among other factors. For example, worst-case-scenario pro forma statements show whether a business could generate enough revenues to sustain itself if economic conditions deteriorate. . Accounting Reports o Management accountants and corporate leaders use accounting reports to measure operating performance. By doing so, they help prevent the dismal financial situation that arises when a firm consistently posts negative numbers. Department heads rely on accounting statements to determine operating weaknes ses and prescribe the right medicine to fix ineffective mechanisms. The most important accounting statements are balance sheets, income statements, cash-flow reports and equity statements. Balance heets are also called statements of financial position or statements of financial condition. 4. Financial Ratios o Corporate executives and business-unit chiefs analyze financial ratios to determine processes to tear up and those to keep or expand. Inefficient processes may drive away profit opportunities and jobs, especially if a company must shed its workforce to maintain solvency. Management accounting metrics include net profit margin and return on equity. ROE equals net profit divided by shareholders’ equity. Net profit margin equals net income divided by total sales. 5. Technological Tools Organizations rely on various tools to tackle the often thorny issues of management accounting, performance monitoring and regulatory compliance. In the modern era, computer systems play a k ey role in the way firms record and analyze accounting data. Tools used to evaluate management accounting performance include financial analysis software, project management applications and enterprise resource planning programs. Other tools include industrial control software, calendar and scheduling programs, mainframe computers and computer-aided manufacturing applications. 6. Gap Analysis A gap analysis is a useful method of measuring performance when there are already fixed performance standards. For example, you may have a goal of producing a certain number of units per month. This could be a performance standard. A gap analysis starts with the established performance measure. After looking at the established performance measure, a manager assesses the current performance level. Finally, the manager will calculate the difference between the performance standard and the actual standard. This provides the gap, which is an indication of how close a company has come to its performance standards. The smaller the gap, the better the company’s performance. An advantage of this performance measure is that it provides an indication of what needs to be overcome in order to achieve the desired level of performance. LIMITATIONS OF ACCOUNTING INFORMATION IN PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (i)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accounting information is in terms of money. Accounting provides information on events and transactions that are of financial nature or can be expressed in terms of monetary unit. It does not give information in quantity or size terms of in qualitative matters like usefulness or efficient. Non-monetary events or transactions are completely ignored however important these may be. (ii)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accounting information is expressed in monetary terms and it is assumed that a monetary unit is stable overtime. This is not true at all with the result that the impact of price level changes is not taken into consideration. The assets remain undervalued in many cases especially land and building. The direct outcome of this practice is that balance sheet figures of assets are not helpful in measuring the true financial positions of the enterprise. iii)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accountancy is as yet a inexact science and depends sometimes on a number of estimates, personal judgment etc. Estimates are inherently inaccurate and personal judgments introduce bias in the accounting information. It is not possible to predict with any degree of accuracy the actual useful life of an asset which is done for calculating the depreciation charge. The same is true about provision for doubtful debts. (iv)   Accounting information cannot be used as only test of managerial performance. The focus of the financial information is on profit or income which is only ne small aspect of the annual story of business. Profits for a period of one year can readily be manipulated by suppressing such costs as advertisements, research and development, depreciation and so on. (v)  Ã‚  Accounting information is not neutral or unbiased. Accountants measure income as conventionally defined: revenues less expenses. But accountants consider only selected revenues and expenses. They fail to give recognition to the benefits received by their efforts to clean up the environment, improve community welfare and introduce safety measures for the workers. vi)  Accounting like other disciplines has to follow certain principles which in some cases are contradictory. Current assets are valued on the basis of cost or market price whichever is less following the principle of conservatism. Accordingly the current assets may be valued on cost basis in some year and at market price in another year. In this manner, the rule of consistency is openly violated. (VII) The historical perspective of financial accounting: In order to obtain a recent estimate of an entity’s financial performance, the corporate managers carefully scrutinize financial accounting information. In retrospect, this information is based on past performance. The information does provide clarity on the monetary issues but does not provide a definite insight into the strategic future; as the future holds various changes in terms of technology, economic situations as well as political scenarios etc. Such factors in relation to accounting are unpredictable. Therefore, a careful balance between historical accounting as well as the future forecasted outlook is required. (VIII). Inability to reflect the true value of strategic management: Various factors such as goodwill and natural circumstances influence the operations of an enterprise; however, these elements are difficult to measure thus, leading to their unavoidable exclusion from financial reports. For example companies depend upon their shareholders, who in turn depend on the performance of the Chief Executive Officers. Although the CEOs may have been hired by the company based upon prior performance, their future performances are not reliably measurable as they may continually vary. In the initial stages, it may be impossible to measure whether the CEO’s presence will deter or appeal to the shareholders, which in turn will influence the profitability of the enterprise. (VIX). Measuring Volatility of external factors: Financial accounting information does not take into consideration volatile and ever increasing changes in the natural and commercial environment. Although scarcely measurable in monetary terms, their unstable nature may have adverse effects if included within the financial reports and have a volatile and cosmetic impact upon the earnings of the firm. For example, tariffs on trade, duties and other environmental issues can have significant short-term volatile effects on the organization Conclusively, In order to obtain a recent estimate of an entity’s financial performance, the corporate managers carefully scrutinize financial accounting information. In retrospect, this information is based on past performance. The information does provide clarity on the monetary issues but does not provide a definite insight into the strategic future; as the future holds various changes in terms of technology, economic situations as well as political scenarios etc. Such factors in relation to accounting are unpredictable. Therefore, a careful balance between historical accounting as well as the future forecasted outlook is required. References: El-Shishimi, H. and Drury C. (2001) : Divisional Performance Measuring in UK companies, paper presented to the annual Congress of the European Accounting Association, Athens Esptein, M and Ray, M. J (1997):Eniromental Management to improve corporate profitability, Journal of cost management , November-December, pp 26-34 Kaplan R. S and Norton D. P (2001) â€Å" Transforming the balance scorecard from performance measurement to strategic management : part 2’, Accounting Horizons March, pp87 Kaplan, S. E. , and J. T. Mackey. 1992. An Examination of the association between organizational design factors and the use of accounting information for managerial performance evaluation. Journal of Management Accounting Research (4): 116-130. BABCOCK UNIVERSITY, ILISAN, OGUN STATE Performance Evaluation uses accounting information, limitation reconsidered Emerging issues Assignment BY ADEYEMI EBENEZER ADESUJI MATRIC NO NS/4270 How to cite Performance Evaluation Using Accounting Information, Papers

Swot Analysis of IFFCO Opportunities and Threats - Sample

Question: Discuss about theSwot Analysis of IFFCOfor Opportunities and Threats. Answer: SWOT Analysis of IFFCO The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the organization IFFCO can be better illustrated through the following table: Strengths: Weaknesses: Barriers to other companies from entering into the market. The business units of the particular firm are experienced. Increase in the profitability ratio of the firm in future. Strong position of the firm in the domestic market. Huge domestic market Increased diversification Variety of product Strong brand equity Enduring relationship with suppliers, distributors as well as retailers The business units are relatively smaller. The markets - both the domestic and global become highly competitive. Brand portfolio is weak More investment in the department of research and development. Tax structure is complex ("| IFFCO Global Website", 2016) Cost structure The future debt rating is lower The future profitability ratio is also weaker. Dependence on limited organized brands Heavy reliance on advertisements Opportunities: Threats: Facility of venture capital The company has an opportunity of strong presence in the worldwide market. The income level of the specified company increases continuously (Berthon et al., 2012). Strong online presence for marketing and distribution of the products through different e-commerce vehicles such as the Amazon Increased participation of the women that have enhanced the demand for different products of the company, for example the frozen products. The changes in the price. Various taxation policies as per the rules and regulations of the nations across the world. Business risks due to operation of business in external market. Presence of various technical issues. Limitation in the financial capacity Lower amount of inflow of cash The costs of the raw materials continuously increase. Moreover, the overall costs of the firm increase. Increase in the labor charges Increased competition from bid retailers that enjoys economies of scale and penetrates the market by reduced prices of foods Increased competition from the organic food Less demand of the IFFCO products among the consumers with busy schedule who eat fewer at home Strengths: It has been found that the organization IFFCO is mainly dominating the domestic market in the particular field of industry. Thus, the particular firm creates barrier to the entry of other companies in the domestic market that is in the market of the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, the particular company IFFCO is running its business since 1975, thus, the business units of the organization are more experienced than any other companies in the market ("| IFFCO Global Website", 2016). Thus, these experienced business units act as strengths for the firm. From the detailed analysis, it can be said that the experience of the business units have helped and assisted the particular organization to run its business successfully. Moreover, it can also be said that these experience of the business units also help the organization to run its business profitably as the particular organization has the most knowledge regarding the resources, suppliers, raw materials and customers of the business (Arm strong et al., 2012). Furthermore, all these knowledge also helps the management of the organization to operate and regulate the business efficiently. Thus, it can be said that the particular firm IFFCO has a strong position in the domestic market. Moreover, the domestic market that is the United Arab Emirates is huge that helps the organization to enrich its business. The analysis of the functionalities of the corporation IFFCO reveals the fact that the business entity currently operates through 32 offices with 30 manufacturing facilities in different nations. The company IFFCO offers IFFCO is an inventive and assimilated multi food productand enjoys the diversification advantage. The company also operates through different a segment that includes the oil and fats, packaging, agri business, IFFCO chemicals and Impulse Foods among many others. The variety of product range also has certain products with strong brand presence that are regarded as the winning brands. The winning brands of the corporation include the London Dairy, Tiffany, NOOR, iGLOO, Shama, Pristine, Al Baker, Rahma and many others that helps the company to gain competitive edge in the market. In addition to this, the critical analysis of the operations of the firm also reveals the fact that there exist strong as well as enduring associations of the business entity with its retailers , suppliers as well as distributors. In addition to this, the IFFCO also offers startling food recipes on their official websitethat increases the customer engagement of the firm ("| IFFCO Global Website", 2016). Weaknesses: The organization IFFCO has various strengths but similarly it also has several weaknesses. The reason behind this is that the business units of the particular organization are comparatively smaller than any other firms. Moreover, with the passage of time, both the domestic market and the international market have become more competitive as the total numbers of companies that is competitors in the particular sector have increased. In addition to these, it has been found that the particular firm has various products under various brands. However, the portfolio of brand is weak; thus, it acts as one of the weaknesses of the organization. The objective of the particular organization is to produce innovative products, thus, it has been noted that the organization invest most of the funds in the department of research and development (Liao et al., 2014). This has resulted into adverse effect on the cost structure of the firm. Furthermore, the company is regulated in various other countries across the world; thus, the firm has to face various taxation regulations and policies. Thus, it can be said that the organization IFFCO has to face complex tax structure and the future debt rating of the firm is also lower. As the competitiveness in the present global market increases, the profitability ratio in the future might also get affected. Despite having winning brands, the company encounters the weakness of excessive reliance of the brands on limited or else very few organized brands. In addition to this, the companies relies heavily on advertisements that in turn can in due course effect the overall return on investment("| IFFCO Global Website", 2016). Opportunities: The organization IFFCO has relatively lesser opportunities, these include it gets the opportunity of venture capital. Additionally, the organization IFFCO attains the opportunity of selling more products in the worldwide market as well as in the domestic market. This has resulted into the increased revenue of the firm, and the profit percentage of the organization also increases with the passage of time. Therefore, it can also be said that the increased revenue and sales have also provided the firm with an opportunity to increase its level of income constantly (Papadopoulos Heslop, 2014). The multiple channels of the distribution mainly the online presence of the corporation in addition to the existing physical presence proves to be an immense opportunity of growth and development for the organization. Furthermore, the augmented participation of women at the workplace also resulted in positive demands for different products of the company IFFCO especially the frozen products. Threats: The company IFFCO has various strengths and relatively less opportunities, but in comparison to these, the particular firm has several threats. These include the prices of the products are constantly changing as the costs or the expenses of the organization IFFCO also changes frequently with the passage of time. The price of the raw materials varies costly, so the production cost or the manufacturing cost of the organization also increases and thus the prices of the products also vary (Lee Carter, 2012). Therefore, the company either loses its customers with the increment in the prices of the products, or, if the company continues its business at fixed price rates of the products, then it will run under loss if the prices of the raw materials increase (Zeriti et al., 2014). Thus, the frequent changes in the prices are considered as the threat to the company IFFCO. Moreover, as the company runs its business across the world, it has to pay taxes for its business in different nations as per different rules. Thus, the particular firm has to pay more amount of taxation. In addition to this, due to global business, the business risks are also more for the firm as the company has to operate and regulate its business in external market. In addition to these, various technical issues are found to be very common factor for the firm and there are also various limitations in the financial capacity. These involve due to more investment in the research and development, the inflow of cash has been reduced, the cost of the raw materials also increases with the passage of time (Morgan, 2012). Additionally, the labor cost and the overall expenses of the firm also increase. From the above analysis, it can be said that the company IFFCO faces more threats from the present market than it gains opportunity for running its business across the world. The big retailers such as the Wal-Mart affects the overall food industry by reducing the prices of the food and thereby gains greater share of the market by market penetration. In addition to this, the analysis of the food industry also reveals the fact that the company IIFCO also faces severe competition from organic food products. Moreover, the time constraints and the busy schedule of thee people compel consumers in various nations to eat fewer at home and thereby demand less of the IFFCO products. On the other hand, it has been found that the strengths and weaknesses of the firm are almost equal. Therefore, the particular organization IFFCO should put more focus on the threats and weaknesses of the firm in order to convert them into strengths and opportunities of the organization. Part 2 Approximate Cost of Investment Required Budget for Employees Designation Numbers of Employees Required Salary or Wage expenses (Bangladeshi Taka) Chairman 1 4000000 Managing Director 1 3000000 Director 4 4000000 Employees 300 36000000 (120000 each employee per annum) Skilled Labor 100 8400000 (84000 each per annum) Unskilled Labor 150 7200000 (48000 each per annum) Budget for Rent Rent Area Amount (Bangladeshi Taka) Work shed 300000 per annum Budget for Machinery and other Resources Particulars Amount (Bangladeshi Taka) per annum Different Machineries 10000000 Raw material 5000000 Fuel 100000 Water 50000 Transport 800000 Electricity 250000 References Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., Brennan, R. (2012).Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Prentice-Hall, London. Available at: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/34452/ Berthon, P. R., Pitt, L. F., Plangger, K., Shapiro, D. (2012). Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy.Business horizons,55(3), 261-271. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681312000080 IFFCO Global Website. (2016).Iffco.com. Retrieved 10 October 2016, from https://www.iffco.com/iffco_international_uae.aspx Lee, K., Carter, S. (2012).Global marketing management. Oxford University Press. Available at: https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=enlr=id=U4aOtDrlEoACoi=fndpg=PP1dq=Lee,+K.,+%26+Carter,+S.+(2012).+Global+marketing+management.+Oxford+University+Press.ots=We5jPLndrosig=_VstMBk1xn_julRaadMOzA5JArs#v=onepageqf=false Liao, C. N., Hung, J. Y., Kao, H., Wu, C. J. (2014). Marketing strategy model: A conceptual framework for micro-enterprises.Human Systems Management,33(4), 199-206. Available at: https://content.iospress.com/articles/human-systems-management/hsm0816 Morgan, N. A. (2012). Marketing and business performance.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,40(1), 102-119. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11747-011-0279-9 Papadopoulos, N., Heslop, L. A. (2014).Product-country images: Impact and role in international marketing. Routledge. Available at: https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=enlr=id=iJJ9AwAAQBAJoi=fndpg=PP1dq=Papadopoulos,+N.,+%26+Heslop,+L.+A.+(2014).+Product-country+images:+Impact+and+role+in+international+marketing.+Routledge.ots=awomMoJgeUsig=BI2An9ZBdnUM-58UsyRQ7KcM9P0#v=onepageqf=false Zeriti, A., Robson, M. J., Spyropoulou, S., Leonidou, C. N. (2014). Sustainable export marketing strategy fit and performance.Journal of International Marketing,22(4), 44-66. Available at: https://journals.ama.org/doi/abs/10.1509/jim.14.0063

Heroes at Hogwarts The Journey of the Hero in the Harry Potter Series

Illegal Immigration Problem essays

Illegal Immigration Problem essays Since the New World was first discovered, there has been an enormous influx of people from various parts of the world and differing cultures who have wished to resettle in what is now the United States. Of course, these immigrants have historically arrived in the United States in waves, with different portions of the globe and different ethnicities being represented in each individual wave. Yet, one characteristic that has remained constant over the history of immigration in the United States is the general apprehensiveness with which new immigrants have been welcomed by the established culture and society. Although the issue of immigration amnesty has been debated for centuries, it still remains one of the most hotly contested and influential topics in modern public debate. The current wave of immigrants is largely represented by people from Mexico, along with several other Central American nations. Since, unlike in the past, these immigrants are capable of entering the United States over land, a significant portion of them have entered this country without the legal consent of American authorities. The arrival of these illegal immigrants has generated a number of social and economic problems, along with many cross-cultural and cross-racial tensions. According to some, the only reasonable way to address these problems is to crack-down on illegal immigration and stop it at its source. According to others, allowing illegal immigrants amnesty is the appropriate way to handle the social problems that their illegal status has created. Overall, many of the problems that have been introduced to the fabric of American life and the United States economy are a direct result of the necessarily covert lives illegal immigrants are forced to live. No one disputes that the existence of so many illegal immigrants in the United States creates a large workforce willing to work for wages far below what legal citizens are afforded by law. The qu...

Identify several reasons entrepreneurial organizations seek Essay

Identify several reasons entrepreneurial organizations seek opportunities for innovation - Essay Example izations seek an innovation opportunity is because since they are new and bringing a sense of change within them, finding new pathways is quintessential towards their basis. If they do not change, they might become stagnant within their tasks immediately and hence their work domains would suffer immensely. The need is to pinpoint where anomalies are and how best to get rid of them. The aspect of newness must not appear as a deterrent towards completing tasks in an able and effective way. This is the need of the hour as far as the entrepreneurial organizations are concerned and more so today. The second reason belongs to the employees since they are not well aware and require new avenues for help and assistance as far as their work manifestations is related. As they are a part of an entrepreneurial organization, they might not be at ease with a number of work tasks which other employees from varied organizations are already educated about (Prabhu, 1999). Hence innovation helps their cause to move ahead with full throttle and at breakneck speed. The employees must be trained and if this training does not come about under the aegis of the entrepreneurial organization, they could be sent off to other training institutes or organizations so that when they come back, they are well aware of how entrepreneurial organizations essentially work and what is expected of them in the long run. The third reason why entrepreneurial organizations require innovation is because they have to follow the footsteps of their competitors which could both be huge organizations as well as small companies. The need is sought to compare the domains of this entrepreneurial organization with these other business regimes to solicit success within their own realms. If the competitors are far ahead of these entrepreneurial organizations, then this means that the latter have to make amends, and for that they must go to any limit to make sure that their progress and development is manifested in a

Conclusion for a business proposal for Jamba Juice Essay

Conclusion for a business proposal for Jamba Juice - Essay Example It has carefully considered the target market, the potential customer bases and the ability to grow to capture the largest section of the San Antonio Airport customers. Jamba Juice has the potential of becoming a highly regarded resource both in the local market at Sana Antonio Airport, regional and the international market. Due to its aggressive marketing plan and strategy, carefully developed products, unique identity in the industry, strategic partnerships and its profitable revenue models, it has the capability and potential to give the prospective investors lucrative returns within a short time. For the business to achieve the status of the industry leader and the number one store in the airport, it must secure the initial capital. This will be used for the startup cost, establishing a reputable store front within the airport, business infrastructure, extensive marketing and product development (Maynard & Warren, 2014). Provided that the company gets this funding, Jamba Juice will achieve its operational success for many years to

Dunlap v. Tennessee Valley Authority Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dunlap v. Tennessee Valley Authority - Coursework Example This theory requires the plaintiff to prove that the employer is biased against a specific group. A prima facie case is established when: (1) the defendant identifies a specific employment practice to be challenged; and (2) through relevant statistical analysis proves that the challenged practice has an adverse impact on a protected group. Walsh, D. J. (2010, pg 210). Here Dunlap couldn’t present any evidence which connected his interview and the practices used during that interview with that of the other candidates that were part of the interview process. Thus there was no statistical proof to compare and contrast the rest of the interviews with his own in front of the court and show how TVA misused its authority and purposely rejected him. This lack of evidence meant that the court should not accept Dunlap’s appeal for disparate impact thus the claim failed. In the disparate treatment the plaintiff has to prove how the employer is biased against a selected group of in dividuals based on their cast, color, origin or religion. A clear case is established when: (1) The plaintiff must establish a prima facie case of racial discrimination; (2) the employer must articulate some legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for its actions; and (3) the plaintiff must prove that the stated reason was in fact pretextual. (Walsh, D. J., 2010, pg 210). This law is clearly provided in the case and transcribed. The disparate treatment claim was however successful as Dunlap was able to provide a strong case of racial discrimination. The Tennessee Valley Authority needed to provide a valid reason to reject the plaintiff which it did by providing the selection matrix used during Dunlap’s interview. Here Dunlap was able to rebut the selection matrix and showed how the selection committee decided to distribute the marks for the final score. The committee agreed that seventy percent marks be kept for the interview while the other thirty percent be given for the educa tion, training and experience. This distribution did not correspond with the company’s policies which clearly stated that the burden of the final score be based on technical experience, education and training. Thus the selection committee violated the policies without informing any of the candidates and changed the calculation of the final score from an objective measurement (favors education and training) towards a subjective measurement (favors communication skills). Dunlap’s claim was a success as he successfully proved the pretextual nature of TVA’s stated reason. He showed how they manipulated the selection matrix to reduce his score in comparison to the other applicants so that he does not make the top ten. Dunlap narrated examples which showed how the selection committee had a biased approach. He stated that his attendance record was excellent with only a few leaves, quite similar to that of a couple of white applicants but the marks he and the other appl icants received varied significantly. Similarly on another occasion he had a better safety record than most, still he received lesser marks as compared to the white applicants. In addition to this the court was able to find a connection in the â€Å"score balancing† process and how the number of â€Å"outstanding† candidates exactly equaled the job vacancies. The scores were changed after the interviews thus

Wi-fi Wireless Technology

Wi-fi Wireless Technology Business data network and telecommunications Wi-fi has entered in to our lives some years now. It solves some problems that wire networks have but generate new. At the moment there are few advantages and a lot of disadvantages. Wi-fi can be very useful in many cases and I think it deserves a deep look in to it. Also wi-fi has many prospects for further development. Wi-fi needs specified devices in order to work properly. History The term wi-fi (wireless fidelity) is used in order to determine the appliances that are based on specification IEEE 802.11 and faction of ISM band, that is frequencies 2.4Ghz for Europe .Wi-Fi uses single carrier DSSS (direct sequence spread spectrum) radio technology but also multi-carrier OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) radio technology. These regulations that enabled the development of Wi-Fi, are HomeRF, and Bluetooth. Unlicensed spread spectrum was available for first time by the Federal Communications Commission in 1985 and the FCC regulations were copied later with some changes in other countries and made the use of this technology enable in all major countries. Michael Marcus of the FCC staff proposed the FCC action in 1980 and the subsequent regulatory action in 5 more years. It was part of a proposal to allow civil use of spread spectrum technology and was opposed by the mainstream equipment manufacturers and many radio system operators. (Federal Communications Commission. 1985). The Wi-Fi was invented in 1991 by NCR Corporation/ATT. Initially the use was for cashier systems. The first wireless products that were brought on the market was under the name â€Å"WaveLAN† with speeds of 1 Mbit/s up to 2 Mbit/s. Vic Hayes, was involved in designing standards such as IEEE 802.11b, and 802.11a. He has been named as â€Å"the father of Wi-fi†. (Vic Hayes at 1st Home Networking Conference, 2007). Uses A device with Wi-Fi enabled, such as a PC, PDA, cell phone, game console, or MP3 player can connect to the Internet within the range of a wireless network connected to the Internet (Access point). The interconnection between one or more access points in a certain area is called a hotspot. Hotspots can cover a single room up to many squares covered by overlapping access points. The devices can network each other and connect to the Internet, share files and digital cameras can transfer video wirelessly. Wi-Fi also allows devices to connect directly with each other (peer-to-peer mode). This connectivity mode is useful most in gaming applications. When the technology released in the market there were many problems because consumers were not sure if the products from companies would work together. The Wi-Fi Alliance began as a community to solve this and to address the needs of the end user and allow the technology to mature. The Alliance created the branding Wi-Fi CERTIFIED to show to the consumers that products are interoperable with other products displaying the same branding. (Wi-fi alliance, 2000). Routers and Wi-Fi access points are used most in homes to provide Internet access and networking to all devices that are connected wirelessly or by cables into them. Devices can also be connected in ad-hoc mode for client-to-client connections without using a router. In Business and industrial environments, as increasing the number of Wi-Fi access points we get faster roaming and increased network capacity by creating smaller cells or by using more channels. Wi-Fi can enable wireless voice applications such as WVOIP. Wi-Fi installations can provide a secure computer network, firewall, DHCP server and other functions. In addition to home and office use, Wi-Fi is publicly available also at Wi-Fi hotspots provided either free of charge or under a certain price. Sometimes free Wi-Fi is provided by organizations or authorities who wish to promote business in their area. Metropolitan-wide WiFi (Mu-Fi) already has more than 300 projects in process. (Muniwireless, 2007). Standard devices Wireless access points can connect wireless devices to a wired LAN. An access point is something like an Ethernet hub, relaying data between the connected devices. Wireless adapters are connecting in the devices, externally or internally such as usb, pci and allow devices to connect to the wireless network. Wireless routers integrate a firmware application that provides IP Routing, NAT, and DNS forwarding through an interface. Wireless range extenders (repeaters) can extend the range of the wireless network. Ig the repeaters are placed in the area smart then the signal can be excellent. The devices that are connected through repeaters may have an increased latency for each hop. Each device will get signal from the device that gives better signal. With wireless bridges we can connect two or more networks between them. This is different from an access point because an access point works at the data-link layer. We can use two wireless bridges when a wired connection may be unavailable, such as a connection between two separate buildings. Most devices (routers, access points, bridges, repeaters) are designed for home or business environments. Pci cards use antenna connectors and usb only have internal antennas while some have external connections in addition to an internal antenna. In laptops it is commonly used mini pci cards. In a network between two buildings that the distance is a matter it is usually used big antennas in the roof of the buildings, so the signal can be remain strong enough. Advantages of Wi-Fi Wi-Fi allows LANs to be deployed while it reduces the cost of the network deployment. WLANS can be hosted in areas that cannot be run by cables, such as outdoor areas or even historical buildings. The prices for wireless products continue to drop, making it a fair networking option. Wi-Fi has become widespread and more and more devices obtain wi-fi technology. Wi-Fi is a global set of standards. Products designated as Wi-Fi Certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance are backwards inter-operable. Except mobile phones, any device with wi-fi standard will work anywhere in the world. Wi-Fi use WPA encryption and it is not easily cracked if the passwords are strong enough. Nowadays it is used WPA2 also, an encryption that has no known weaknesses. A new protocol for Qos is WMM and makes Wi-Fi better for voice, video applications, and power saving methods. To make enable the WMM feature all devices in the network must support it. Disadvantages of Wi-Fi Wifi in Europe use for the 2.4 GHz band (1-13) channels, in US (1-11) and Japan (1-14). A Wi-fi signal occupies around five channels in the 2.4 GHz resulting in only 3 non-overlapped channels in the US: 1, 6, 11, and four in Europe: 1,5,9,13 Power consumption is too high compared to with other low bandwidth standards, such as Bluetooth, making a concern about devices batteries life of the. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is the most usual wireless encryption standard that is used, but shown that can be easily breakable. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2), solved this problem and its available on most products. Most Wi-Fi Access Points have default the security disabled thought, providing open wireless access to their LAN. You can always turn on the security by configuring the device, usually via the graphical user interface (GUI) of the router/access point. Unencrypted networks can be used to read and copy data that are transmitted over the network, unless we have a security method to secure the data, such as VPN The wireless networks have limited range. A typical Wi-Fi home router using 802.11g with a stock antenna might have a range of 35 m indoors and 95 m outdoors. Range also varies with frequency band. Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz frequency block has slightly better range than Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz frequency block. Outdoor range with improved (directional) antennas can be several kilometres or more with line-of-sight. IEEE 802.11g-(2003) When the range increases the performance of a wireless network is decreased. Ethernet or other cables are more reliable then wi-fi. An Ethernet connection can reach speed up to 1Gbit/s and in the other hand 802.11g networks have a maximum of 54 Mbit/s. Protocol 802.11n try to improve the speeds, but still does not achieve Ethernets reliability. People with adsl2+ can understand an increase in performance using wired connection rather than WiFi. Wi-Fi in many cases has problems with the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). SNR compares the level of the desired signal to the background noise. This can be a huge problem in high-density areas. All the devices must support the same protocol for example 802.11g. And in case there are other access points in the network, the name (SSID) must maintain the same. In Wireless networks there are many times incompatibility problems between brands. Different standards may disrupt connections or low speeds. The new protocol 802.11n use 5 GHz band and have more channels available. Each node (access point, repeater) on the network is able to see the communication between other devices, allowing network traffic to be easily captured. When a WiFi network is not encrypted it is vulnerable to attacks. Wi-fi is a new technology and still under development. Many people may adopt it cause it produce a non wire environment and others not. I think wi-fi will give better quality in the future and maybe it will get pass some main problem that it have at the moment. References Authorization of Spread Spectrum Systems Under Parts 15 and 90 of the FCC Rules and Regulations (TXT). Federal Communications Commission (June 18, 1985). Retrieved on 2007-12-01. Wi-Fi Alliance Certified Products. (2000) certifications.wi-fi.org. Retrieved on 2007-11-01. from http://certifications.wi-fi.org/wbcs_certified_products.php V.Hayes at (November 04 2007). 1st Home Networking Conference Retrived on 2007-12-03 from http://lirne.net/2007/11/vic-hayes-at-1st-home-networking-conference/ Muniwireless (2007). Muniwireless-technology Retrieved on 2007-12-01 from http://www.muniwireless.com/ IEEE 802.11g-(2003) 802.11g Retrieved on 2007-12-03 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11g-2003

Costa Rica Essay -- essays research papers

Costa Rica   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Known for it’s natural beauty and gracious people is a small country located in Central America. Located between the countries of Nicaragua and Panama, bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea is a true gem, the Republic of Costa Rica. Located ten degrees north of the equator Costa Rica is in the tropics and even though it is a small country it has a very diverse landscape and a variety of weather as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One unusual aspect of Costa Rica is that the country has no army and instead of a national hero being a general it is a young barefoot campesino (farmer). Costa Rica prides on the idea that they have gained through evolution what other countries have tried to attain through revolution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first Spanish settlers arrived around the 1560’s and upon their arrival they were shocked that the indigenous people were resistant to forced labor and there was no wealth of minerals. in 1522 there were an estimated 300,000 natives and by 1801 there were only 8,000 due to intertribal conflicts, wars with the Spanish, illness from the Old World, intermarriage, and the sale of natives as slaves to other countries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because Costa Rica was such a poor, neglected piece of the Spanish Empire the poverty gave rise to a simple life, with strong individualism, and an equality among social classes that contributed to the beginnings of democracy in Costa Rica.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Costa Rica’s government is divided into three branches with a Supreme Election Tribunal in charge of elections which are held every four years. Costa Rica does have a large beauracy, the government produces electricity, runs the telephone service, the national banking system, builds houses, and distills liquor. About 14% of the population is employed by the government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today the population of Costa Rica is 3,710,558. The main agricultural resources are bananas, coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes, and timber. The main industries of Costa Rica are food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, and plastic products. The average Costa Rican’s annual income is only $2,719 compared to the U.S.’s $25,000. Minimum wage is just under $1 an hour. Spanish is the language of the country and 95% ... ...and monkeys just to name a few.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The country relies heavily on tourism and a type of tourism that is rapidly growing in conjunction with eco-tourism is the adventure tourism industry. Hiking, camping adventures, waterfall repelling, mulit-day horseback riding trips, wilderness skills courses, and whitewater rafting are some of the more popular adventures. Outward Bound even runs a school in Costa Rica.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All in all from what I can gather Costa Rica is best experienced by traveling through a variety of places around the country. Do what the locals do to experience the culture. Visit both villages and the capital city of San Jose, go to the beach and take a trip to the cloud forest, visit the National Parks and join in the local celebrations. One’s experience in Costa Rica is what you make of it but the opportunity is there to get a taste and feel of the traditional local culture. References 1. Sheck, Ree Strange, Adventures in Nature, Costa Rica, Avalon Travel Publishing, 2001 2. Kussalanant, Chakris, The Tico Times, Culture and Arts, VolumeVII No. 14 April 6, 2001 3. Yahoo, www.infocostarica.com, accessed o

Family And Kinship In India

India offers astounding variety in virtually every aspect of social life. Diversities of ethnic, linguistic, regional, economic, religious, class, and caste groups crosscut Indian society, which is also permeated with immense urban-rural differences and gender distinctions. Differences between north India and south India are particularly significant, especially in systems of kinship and marriage. Indian society is multifaceted to an extent perhaps unknown in any other of the world’s great civilizations—it is more like an area as varied as Europe than any other single nation-state.Adding further variety to contemporary Indian culture are rapidly occurring changes affecting various regions and socioeconomic groups in disparate ways. Yet, amid the complexities of Indian life, widely accepted cultural themes enhance social harmony and order. Many Indian societies were organized around principles of kinship. Kinship ties based on bloodlines or marriage formed the basis of th e political, economic, and religious system. Succession to political office and religious positions, ownership and inheritance of property, and even whom one could or could not marry were determined on the basis of membership in a kin group.Social bonds with relatives must be reinforced at family events or at rites crucial to the religious community. Indian Society Hierarchy India is a hierarchical society. Whether in north India or south India, Hindu or Muslim, urban or village, virtually all things, people, and social groups are ranked according to various essential qualities. Although India is a political democracy, notions of complete equality are seldom evident in daily life. Societal hierarchy is evident in caste groups, amongst individuals, and in family and kinship groups.Castes are primarily associated with Hinduism, but caste-like groups also exist among Muslims, Indian, Christians, and other religious communities. Within most villages or towns, everyone knows the relative rankings of each locally represented caste, and behavior is constantly shaped by this knowledge. Individuals are also ranked according to their wealth and power. For example, some powerful people, or â€Å"big men,† sit confidently on chairs, while â€Å"little men† come before them to make requests, either standing or squatting not presuming to sit beside a man of high status as an equal.Hierarchy plays an important role within families and kinship groupings also, where men outrank women of similar age, and senior relatives outrank junior relatives. Formal respect is accorded family members—for example, in northern India, a daughter-in-law shows deference to her husband, to all senior in-laws, and to all daughters of the household. Siblings, too, recognize age differences, with younger siblings addressing older siblings by respectful terms rather than by name. Social Interdependence One of the great themes pervading Indian life is social interdependence.People are born into groups–families, clans, sub castes, castes, and religious communities–and live with a constant sense of being part of and inseparable from these groups. A corollary is the notion that everything a person does properly involves interaction with other people. A person's greatest dread, perhaps, is the possibility of being left alone, without social support, to face the necessary challenges of life. This sense of interdependence is extended into the theological realm: the very shape of a person's life is seen as being greatly influenced by divine beings with whom an ongoing relationship must be maintained.Psychologically, family members typically experience intense emotional interdependence. Economic activities, too, are deeply imbedded in a social nexus. Through a multitude of kinship ties, each person is linked with kin in villages and towns near and far. Almost everywhere a person goes; he can find a relative from whom he can expect moral and practical s upport. In every activity, social ties can help a person and the absence of them can bring failure. Seldom do people carry out even the simplest tasks on their own. When a small child eats, his mother puts the food into his mouth with her own hand.When a girl brings water home from the well in pots on her head, someone helps her unload the pots. A student hopes that an influential relative or friend can facilitate his college admission. A young person anticipates that parents will arrange his or her marriage. Finally, a person facing death expects that relatives will conduct the proper funeral rites ensuring his own smooth passage to the next stage of existence and reaffirming social ties among mourners. This sense of interdependence extends into the theological realm.From birth onward, a child learns that his â€Å"fate† has been â€Å"written† by divine forces and that his life is shaped by powerful deities with whom an ongoing relationship must be maintained. Social interaction is regarded as being of the highest priority, and social bonds are expected to be long lasting. Even economic activities that might in Western culture involve impersonal interactions are in India deeply imbedded in a social nexus. All social interaction involves constant attention to hierarchy, respect, honor, the feelings of others, rights and obligations, hospitality, and gifts of food, clothing, and other desirable items.Finely tuned rules of etiquette help facilitate each individual's many social relationships. . Indian Family structure . Indian family structure is believed to be the unit that teaches the values and worth of an honest living that have been carried down across generations. Since the puranic ages, Indian family structure was that of a joint family indicating every person of the same clan living together. However, this idea of elaborate living had been disintintegrated in smaller family units. The essential themes of Indian cultural life are learned wi thin the bosom of a family.The joint family is highly valued, ideally  consisting of several generations residing, working, eating, and worshiping together. Such families include men related through the male line, along with their wives, children, and unmarried daughters. A wife usually lives with her husband’s relatives, although she retains important bonds with her natal family. Even in rapidly modernizing India, the traditional joint household remains for most Indians the primary social force, in both ideal and practice. Large families tend to be flexible and well suited to modern Indian life, especially for the more than two-thirds of Indians who are involved in agriculture.As in most primarily agricultural societies, cooperating kin help provide mutual economic security. The joint family is also common in cities, where kinship ties are often crucial to obtaining employment or financial assistance. Many prominent families, such as the Tatas, Birlas, and Sarabhais, retai n joint family arrangements as they cooperate in controlling major financial empires The ancient ideal of the joint family retains its power, but today actual living arrangements vary widely. Many Indians live in nuclear families—-a couple with their unmarried children—-but belong to strong networks of beneficial kinship ties.Often, clusters of relatives live as neighbors, responding readily to their kinship obligations. As they expand, joint families typically divide into smaller units, which gradually grow into new joint families, continuing a perpetual cycle. Today, some family members may move about to take advantage of job opportunities, typically sending money home to the larger family. FAMILY TRANSFORMATION An Analytical look on various studies: by different sociologist point of views The Study of family in India centers on the debate of joint family versus nuclear family.The first authentic study on family comes from the writings of Sir Henry Maine, who was law adviser to the colonial government of India. He developed intellectual interest in family studies. He indicated that joint family is characterized by: †¢ Common property holding. †¢ Absolute authority of ‘Karta’. He considered that joint family is corporate unit where people make contribution differently but share rewards on the basis of their needs. He said that joint family sustains in India because it is considered as moral institution with the members are obliged to perform rituals for common dead ancestorsGS Ghurye considered that ‘joint family is a product of Indian culture that glorified classical values. There is universal presence of joint family cutting across caste, religion which promoted unity among people in Indian society. PN Prabhu in his analysis of family and kinship in India considers that individual association with joint family is driven by moralist, therefore when morals is replaced by individualism (when tradition is replaced by m odernity) then joint family is transformed into nuclear family.Irawati Karve offered an exhaustive definition of joint family. She writes that joint family refers to a social group where people belonging to 3 – 4 generations organically related to each other, hold property in common, share common residence, eat food prepared in common kitchen, participate in common rituals and ceremonies and they have, obligations towards the head of the family known as ‘Karta’. She considers that joint family is a product of culture and therefore despite economic transformation joint family system persists in India.It sustains itself as it is driven by cultural ideology rather than driven by economic interest. During 1960s two group of sociologist took considerable interest in the field of family study. One group conforming to modern theory looked into complete integration of joint family system whereas the other group went for empirical studies to examine regional variations in family transformation under the various process of modernity. These two theories cannot be considered as qualitatively different because there position stand vary only on the question of the degree of changes in family.MN Srinivas, SC Dubay find out that there is a strong linkage between caste and joint family. Empirical study indicates that higher castes go for joint family system and lower castes go for nuclear family. Therefore joint family is driven by economic logic rather than cultural moralist. It is also noticed that joint family is not breaking down completely under the influence of urban living. Alan Rose in a study of Bangalore finds out that around 70% of families manifest either structural joint ness of functional joint ness or a mixture of both.MS Gore in his study of Agarwals of Delhi finds out that how mother – son relationship precedes over husband – wife relationship and family operates as a strong support base to its members in matters related to se lection of occupation, financial assistance and selection of mates. TN Madan indicates how residential separation has not given way to break down of joint family. In his theory of â€Å"money order economy† he indicates that family joint ness has always been enduring in case of India. Thus these scholars concluded by saying that family transformation in India is not a replica of family transformation in the West.Therefore social change in India is Indian in character and so Western theories and models cannot explain family transformation in Indian society Household dimensions of the Family Family transformation in India has puts a fundamental question that, whether in India joint household is disintegrating or joint family is disintegrating. He finds out that proportion of joint household is more today in comparison to past. He points out the reasons for the same i. e. due to rising population; construction of house has become costly, migration in search of employment etc. Bi gger joint households are now splitting into smaller households.People living in different households have strong emotional ties therefore joint household is disintegrating but not joint family and so family should be studied from household perspective and changes in household and family patterns must be investigated to examine actual nature of family transformation in India. Classical sociologists were greatly committed to family study either by considering family as cornerstone of human society or by looking into changing nature of society. With the advent of modernity it was perceived that household is a residential space but family is a social institution.However, with the rise of feminism both as an ideology and as social movement, women's approach towards marriage has gone through a series of transformation. AM Shah in his book â€Å"household dimension of the family in India† indicate that even in traditional context, household and family do not mean similar things. Ci ting the case of India he considers that family and household were absolutely different but family studies in India immensely focused attention on the transformation of joint family into nuclear family. Household refers to residential space where people living together may or may not constitute family.Looking at household pattern one could effectively study nature and form of transformation taking place in Indian society. In recent analysis of global migration and family pattern, it has been found out that in countries like Philippines and India a large chunk of women in search of employment go out to advanced countries of the world. Though most of them are married they don't stay with their family. As a result they constitute independent household. These households may constitute many friends living together or a person living with working partner to whom he/she is not married or a person living all alone.It is generally perceived in case of India that household is less durable an alternative to family system, which gives more importance to friendship than kinship. Household offer immense individual liberty, sexual freedom, limited or no liability towards the other members of the household. Thus it can be concluded that household is evolving into a replacement for family in many developing countries including India. Therefore sociology of kinship is shifting its focus from the study of marriage and family to the study of friendship and household.Sexual Division of Labour Feminist sociologists are of the opinion that whether it’s joint family or nuclear family, in no way family transformation is affecting to the status of women in India. Therefore reproduction, sexuality, division of labour are all determined by the values of patriarchy than by principles of equality. Talcott Parson indicates that industrialisation, urbanization, migration have contributed for occupational mobility, empowerment of women and gender gap within and outside family has suffi ciently been reduced.The modernist theory also indicates that in case of India relationship between husband and wife is now proceeding over parent-child relationship. Conjugal relationship is considered as more important than obligation towards kinship. Irrespective of gender every child inherits the property from parents, selection of mates is no longer family’s responsibility and childbirth is greatly a matter of economics and mutual agreement between spouse. Therefore modernity has broken down traditional form of marriage, hierarchical form of relationship.Traditionally, males have controlled key family resources, such as land or businesses, especially in high-status groups. Following traditional Hindu law, women did not inherit real estate and were thus beholden to their male kin who controlled land and buildings. Under Muslim customary law, women can—and do—inherit real estate, but their shares have typically been smaller than those of males. Modern legisla tion allows all Indian women to inherit real estate. Traditionally, for those families who could afford it, women have controlled some wealth in the form of precious jewelry.In the Indian household, lines of hierarchy and authority are clearly drawn, and ideals of conduct help maintain family harmony. [i] All family members are socialized to accept the authority of those above them in the hierarchy. The eldest male acts as family head, and his wife supervises her daughters-in-law, among whom the youngest has the least authority. Reciprocally, those in authority accept responsibility for meeting the needs of other family members. Systems of Kinship in India Kinship is considered as the heart and soul of Indian social life. DespiteIndia's exposure to technological and industrial modernity, descent plays a significant role in the life of people. GS Ghurye writes in detail about various descent groups living together in different regions of the country carrying different names and ident ities. These different lineage groups bringing together a multi-civilization thereby making India a land of pluralism. However, all these descent groups imbibe common rules of marriage, common food behavior, common cultural, religious ideology radiating from Hinduism and that made Indian society a land of diversity.Indologists look into the role of descent in defining marriage, family and kinship in India. The people belonging to similar descent group are located in a given region where they worship to their common ancestors, follow common way of life and when the size of descent group expands, they migrate to different areas but still carry their identity. Therefore caste is nothing but an expanded descent system that maintains its boundary, distinguishing itself from the other caste.Andre Beteille indicates association of man and kinship is so strong in India that voting behavior is driven by kinship rather than on the basis of merit. In all the political parties of India kinship is the primary source of political recruitment. Thus democratic polity in India is engaged in social and cultural reproduction. In case of India family/kinship offers ideological, economic, infrastructural support to individual to determine the nature of occupation.In conclusion it can be said that the role of descent and kinship not only determines the private sphere of an individual’s life like marriage, family, household, gender role, rituals but also has great influence over his public life like occupational selection, political participation and identity formation. Therefore the role of descent and kinship has changed very little under the influence of modernity in India and so while studying social transformation one cannot afford to ignore the same.Lineage system can be divided into two parts in India i.e. †¢ Unilineal systems: a system of determining descent groups in which one belongs to one's father's or mother's lineage. Both patrilineality and matrilineality are types of unilineal descent. †¢ Non-Unilineal systems: a system where there exists multiple forms of relationship. Classical anthropologists divide descent groups into two fundamental types such as: †¢ Patrilineal : inheriting or determining descent through the male line. †¢ Matrilineal : inheriting or determining descent through the female line. Types of kinship systemsKinship is a relationship between any entity that share a genealogical origin (related to family, lineage, history), through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. The first sociologist to study kinship systems in India is Irawati Karve, she divided India into four different kinship zones such as: †¢ North Indian kinship systems. †¢ South Indian kinship systems. †¢ Central Indian kinship systems. †¢ Eastern Indian kinship systems. North Indian kinship systems This kinship system is present in Hindi speaking belt and also in areas where Aryan culture influence is subs tantive.It includes West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. In North India kinship systems, the rules of marriage is highly exhaustive because a large body of people are excluded from alliance relationship. One cannot receive women from his mother’s group or mother's mother group, father’s mother group and from within his own village. Hence exogamy is quite exhaustive and marriage involves not intra-family ties but inter-village ties. Residential system is very Virilocal (bride lives with husband's father’s group) type . In North Indian kinship father – son relationship precedes over husband – wife relationship.South Indian kinship systems This type of relationship system is largely present in all southern states and some of its influence is also largely noticed in pockets of Maharashtra and Orissa. In southern India kinship systems, no distinction is made between patrilineal or matrilineal. In case of South India cross cousins marriage take place and so ex ogamy is not exhaustive like in North India. The relationship between husband and wife is not subdued to father – son relationship as in case of North India. Hostility of relationship between the in laws driven by suspicion is also weak in South India.Central Indian kinship systems This system is practised in case of Gujarat, Maharashtra, MP which is a mixture of elements of North and South India. In case of Rajputs marriage is greatly determined on the basis of family status of girl. Rajputs are permitted to marry any girl on the basis of their choice rather than simply follow the rules of caste. Marathas are divided into 32 clans which are put into primary, secondary and tertiary divisions and so the rules of marriage are determined accordingly between various divisions.In case of â€Å"Kumbi† of Gujarat one is not supposed to marry women belonging to first-generation from father's side and three generations from mother's side. In case of Rajasthan on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiyamassive marriages take place involving people belonging to different age groups and their rules of marriage is sufficiently relaxed. Eastern India kinship systems It largely includes kinship patterns followed by different tribal groups like Munda of Orissa, Manipuri of Manipur, Nagas, Kukis and Khasi. These kinship systems don't follow specific patterns .A daughter carries the name of patrilineal grandmother and son carries the name of patrilineal grandfather, divorce is common among them In conclusion these regional variations in kinship largely speaks about differential residential patterns, entitlement on the basis of gender, social status of men, women and children bringing the point back home that Indian culture is largely pluralistic in character. Therefore unity in India should not be seen as destruction of the process of diversity but rather it should respect the process of diversity.CONCLUSIONGradual changes have been ushered in by religious, social, a nd cultural reforms. Industrialization, urbanization, and technological advances have been instrumental in changing family structures, values, and lifestyles. Ganeswar Misra (1995) emphasized that middle- and upper-class families in urban areas were undergoing a dramatic transformation because the younger generation is questioning power issues, traditional roles, hierarchical relationships, obligations, loyalty, and deference for kinsmen and elderly.With changing times, Indian family structure, functions, traditional division of labor, and authority patterns have altered, favoring more egalitarian relations between the husband and the wife and also a move toward more shared decision-making patterns between parents and children. Despite these changes, the fact remains that most individuals continue to value and give top priority to the family, and families continue to maintain strong kinship bonds and ties.

Against racism Essay

Racism dates back thousands and thousands of years back to the caveman times. In the short story â€Å"Desiree’s Baby†, Kate Chopin shows how discrimination by skin color can affect people. Desiree was abandoned and raised by Madame Valmonde. Armand, the father of the baby, was a member of the most notable families in Louisiana. He falls in love with Desiree and marries her. After they have a baby, their relationship quickly corrodes. A few months later, Armand realizes the baby’s skin has a darker tint than usual. He accuses Desiree of being black. Armand tells Desiree he wants her to leave so Desiree takes the baby and â€Å"disappears among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou† (Chopin 91) and never returns. Armand finds out that Desiree is black when he reads a letter that her mother sent her that read â€Å"she belongs to the race which is cursed with the brand of slavery† (Chopin 92). The story†™s ironic ending has a connection with the story’s setting, imagery, and Chopin’s use of similies. The setting has a major role to the ironic ending because it takes place in antembellum South where blacks are not treated equally to whites. There are several hints at where and when the story takes place. First, Armand’s last name, Aubigny, was â€Å"one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana† (Chopin 89) which tells us it takes place in Louisiana. Also, Chopin says that Armand owns a plantation and many slaves which wouldn’t have been possible after the Civil War times showing that the story takes place during the antebellum period. The name of Armand’s plantation, L’Abri, is also ironic because it means â€Å"the shelter† in French which is ironic for Desiree because it is a bad place for her not a good place. Chopin explains how â€Å"there was something in the air menacing her peace†. The story wouldn’t take place in any other time period or location because if it did, Desiree wouldn’t be discriminated for being black, therefore wouldn’t of run of into the bayou along with the baby. Chopin’s use of imagery leads up to the irony at the end of the story the greatest because Chopin contrasts black and white skin colors. First, Chopin explains how Armand’s plantation is all full of dark colors. â€Å"The roof came down steep and black†¦branches shadowed it like a pall† (Chopin 89). This initial imagery shows Armand’s control. When Armand’s father ran the plantation, he was very nice to the slaves and treated them humanly, but when Armand took the plantation over he was very harsh and cruel, â€Å"under it, his negroes had forgotten how to be gay† (Chopin 89). Armand has a â€Å"dark, handsome face† (Chopin 90). This symbolizes Armand’s hatred and is a foreshadow to the end when it turns out Armand is black. Desiree, on the other hand, is always surrounded by light colors. For example, when she is leaving the plantation towards her death, she was still wearing a thin, white garment, and, â€Å"her hair was uncovered and the sun’s rays brought a golden glean from its brown meshes† (Chopin 91). The colors they are surrounded by also illustrate their personalities. While Desiree, who is â€Å"beautiful and gentle, af fectionate and sincere† (Chopin 88) is surrounded by light, Armand, is â€Å"imperious and exacting† (Chopin 90) is surrounded by dark. The similes that Chopin uses also leads up to support the ironic ending by showing Armand’s emotional changes and Desiree’s feelings of rejection. Most of the similes to describe Armand’s actions happen when he falls in love with Desiree. Even though they knew each other since he was eight years old, he didn’t fall in love with her until they were in their twenties. Chopin explains that sudden love, â€Å"as if struck by a pistol shot† (Chopin 88) was the way everyone in Armand’s family fell in love. Two similes that explain Desiree’s shock add to the ironic twist at the end of the story. First, Desiree realizes her baby is not white and her blood, â€Å"turned like ice in her veins† (Chopin 90). Later, Armand tells Desiree he wants her to leave and Desiree turns away â€Å"like o ne stunned by a blow† (Chopin 91). This is how Chopin’s use of similes connect to the ironic ending. The main conflict in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is ultimately race. This story’s use of similes and imagery, along with the setitng, make for a good ironic ending in which Armand is really black not Desiree. Therefore, racism kills. Racism dates back thousands and thousands of years back to the caveman times. In the short story â€Å"Desiree’s Baby†, Kate Chopin shows how discrimination by skin color can affect people. Desiree was abandoned and raised by Madame Valmonde. Armand, the father of the baby, was a member of the most notable families in Louisiana. He falls in love with Desiree and marries her. After they have a baby, their relationship quickly corrodes. A few months later, Armand realizes the baby’s skin has a darker tint than usual. He accuses Desiree of being black. Armand tells Desiree he wants her to leave so Desiree takes the baby and â€Å"disappears among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou† (Chopin 91) and never returns. Armand finds out that Desiree is black when he reads a letter that her mother sent her that read â€Å"she belongs to the race which is cursed with the brand of slavery† (Chopin 92). The story’s ironic ending has a connection with the story’s setting, imagery, and Chopin’s use of similies. The setting has a major role to the ironic ending because it takes place in antembellum South where blacks are not treated equally to whites. There are several hints at where and when the story takes place. First, Armand’s last name, Aubigny, was â€Å"one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana† (Chopin 89) which tells us it takes place in Louisiana. Also, Chopin says that Armand owns a plantation and many sl aves which wouldn’t have been possible after the Civil War times showing that the story takes place during the antebellum period. The name of Armand’s plantation, L’Abri, is also ironic because it means â€Å"the shelter† in French which is ironic for Desiree because it is a bad place for her not a good place. Chopin explains how â€Å"there was something in the air menacing her peace†. The story wouldn’t take place in any other time period or location because if it did, Desiree wouldn’t be discriminated for being black, therefore wouldn’t of run of into the bayou along with the baby. Chopin’s use of imagery leads up to the irony at the end of the story the greatest because Chopin contrasts black and white skin colors. First, Chopin explains how Armand’s plantation is all full of dark colors. â€Å"The roof came down steep and black†¦branches shadowed it like a pall† (Chopin 89). This initial imagery s hows Armand’s control. When Armand’s father ran the plantation, he was very nice to the slaves and treated them humanly, but when Armand took the plantation over he was very harsh and cruel, â€Å"under it, his negroes had forgotten how to be gay† (Chopin 89). Armand has a â€Å"dark, handsome face† (Chopin 90). This symbolizes Armand’s hatred and is a foreshadow to the end when it turns out Armand is black. Desiree, on the other hand, is always surrounded by light colors. For example, when she is leaving the plantation towards her death, she was still wearing a thin, white garment, and, â€Å"her hair was uncovered and the sun’s rays brought a golden glean from its brown meshes† (Chopin 91). The colors they are surrounded by also illustrate their personalities. While Desiree, who is â€Å"beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere† (Chopin 88) is surrounded by light, Armand, is â€Å"imperious and exacting† (Chopin 90) is surrounded by dark. The similes that Chopin uses also leads up to support the ironic ending by showing Armand’s emotional changes and Desiree’s feelings of rejection. Most of the similes to describe Armand’s actions happen when he falls in love with Desir ee. Even though they knew each other since he was eight years old, he didn’t fall in love with her until they were in their twenties. Chopin explains that sudden love, â€Å"as if struck by a pistol shot† (Chopin 88) was the way everyone in Armand’s family fell in love. Two similes that explain Desiree’s shock add to the ironic twist at the end of the story. First, Desiree realizes her baby is not white and her blood, â€Å"turned like ice in her veins† (Chopin 90). Later, Armand tells Desiree he wants her to leave and Desiree turns away â€Å"like one stunned by a blow† (Chopin 91). This is how Chopin’s use of similes connect to the ironic ending. The main conflict in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is ultimately race. This story’s use of similes and imagery, along with the setitng, make for a good ironic ending in which Armand is really black not Desiree. Therefore, racism kills.