Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Criminal Justice - Essay Example Recent studies have revealed however, that the law did not only fail to meet its purposes but it has, at times, became a tool of injustice. The idea of a Three Strikes Law became compelling in the early 1990s because of the proliferation of serious crimes and several widely publicized cases. The cases of Polly Klass, a 23-year old girl, who was abducted and murdered in California and Diane Ballasiotes, a Washington resident who was raped and murdered served as catalysts to the adoption of the law. In both cases, the culprits were parolees. Thus, in 1993, Washington adopted the Three-Strikes Law and a year later California passed and ratified theirs. The fundamental feature of this law is that it increases the penalty of convicted offenders on their third conviction (Samaha 2005 p. 376). To date, thirty-six states, in addition to the earlier two, have three-strike laws (Other States 2002). In 2002, the Justice Policy Institute conducted a research on the impact of the law. The study which covers the period from 1993-2002 shows that California had imposed the law four times the number of those of the other striking states, combined. Yet, as shown on Table 1, there is not much significance in the change of crime rates between striking and non-striking states (Schiraldi et al pp 9, 13-16). The study also compared the crime rate decline in California and the state of New York, a non-striking state, in the same given period. Surprisingly, New York outperformed California both in Index Crime Rate and Violent Crime Rate decline, as shown in Table 2 (Schiraldi p 10). The Criminal Defense Clinic of the Stanford Law School recently reviewed cases of incarcerated offenders under California’s Three Strikes Law (Three Strikes Sanity 2009). To date, four offenders have been freed after judges were persuaded to take a second look at their cases. Most of these convicts had prior convictions in drug and theft, as well

Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Movement - Essay Example In my opinion, the human brain is quite a powerful organ for it normally plays a major role when it comes to the issue of sight because whereas it is capable of making the visible become invisible, it can also do the vice versa. In this study besides addressing the aspect of visual illusions, it also analyses the issue of movement, this is by relaying information on whether movement is actual or is it just an illusion. Illusions normally come when one tends to perceive something is in a form different from the actual form (Conway et al.). Illusions are of different types, in the case of movement, optical illusion is an illusion related to sight. During the occurrence of an optical illusion, a number of brain regions are involved in accordance with aspects like shape and color. Studies contend the most common form of optical illusion is that of movement especially when objects appear to be in motion but it is the contrary in reality. For instance, when in a film theatre, one normally has the perception that he or she is watching a motion picture though studies prove this is not the case. Films are not motion pictures but rather comprise of thousands of still pictures shown in series and in so doing make the viewer have the perception that they are moving (Carrol & Choi 287). I think this perception is true, whereby a motion comes because of static repeated patterns. Mainly, this comes due to the in voluntary eye movements such as blinking, normally triggered by the brain intentionally in a move to create a shortcut, hence not showing some of the information. Studies show that eyeballs of humans are normally in constant vibration, which is imperceptible. However, when one sees an object, neurons end up emitting negative signals stronger compared to the positive ones (Llg & Guillaume 19). This is due to the optical illusions that take place. Optical illusion, also known as illusionary motion is a situation whereby static

MIM and the Rise of Muslim Identity Politics

MIM and the Rise of Muslim Identity Politics Akshay Shetty The 2014 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections were perhaps one of the most interesting electoral experiments in recent history. The 15 year old Congress-NCP alliance and the 25 year old Shiv Sena-BJP alliance came to an end and the four parties contested elections on their own. While the results of the elections didnt come as a surprise to any of the four parties, the success of one party has attracted massive media attention, albeit alarmist. Making its debut in Maharashtra, the Hyderabad based All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) won 2 seats in the 288-member assembly, grabbing a 0.9% share of votes. Waris Pathan won the Byculla assembly seat by a narrow margin of 1,357 votes, beating rivals Madhu Chavan of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Geeta Gawli of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena (ABS). However, MIM sprung a major surprise in the Aurangabad Central seat, where its candidate, former NDTV journalist Imtiaz Jaleel defeated sitting Shiv Sena MLA Pradeep Jaiswal by 19,982 votes. It also lost three seats by a narrow margin and finished third in nine constituencies. Overall, MIM polled over 5.13 lakh votes, even though it fielded, in many cases, political novices. The party also cut into the traditional vote banks of the Congress, the NCP and managed to wrest control of some areas where the BJP was believed to be strong. Buoyed by the victory, MIM president Asaduddin Owasi is planning to expand the party base in the state. The MIM has decided to contest all municipal elections in the state, including the BMC election in 2017 and the Aurangabad municipal election in 2015. It already has 13 corporators in the Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation. Plans are also afoot to expand in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka. The MIM’s victory can be attributed to two main factors, the division of votes in other parties and the polarization of the Muslim votes. With the BJP led by Narendra Modi sweeping to victory after winning elections across India, the delicate balance between the country’s religious and ethnic minorities, and especially its Muslims, and the majority Hindu population is shifting. MIM fed off the growing feeling of political disempowerment among Muslims and the disenchantment with the Congress, a party which traditionally received the bulk of the Muslim vote. The vitriolic speeches of the Owaisi brothers, with fervent appeals to Allah and claims of Muslim victimhood contributed to the polarization. Clips of Akbaruddin Owaisi were widely circulated on WhatsApp, and the Muslim youth who are wary of the hysteria surrounding Narendra Modi were attracted to them (Lokhande, 2014). Thus the MIM’s victory is a combined result of Muslims being fed up of the token secularism of the Congress and the indifference and alienation by the BJP. India’s Muslims are at crossroads today. Before delving into the politics of the MIM, it is important to understand the state of India’s largest minority community. India’s Muslims Muslims make up about 14.4 percent of India’s total population. However, according to a 2013 report by the Pew Research Center, the country maintains â€Å"the world’s second-largest Muslim population in raw numbers (roughly 176 million).†Often referred to as â€Å"the lost children of India’s partition† (Gayer Jaffrelot, 2012), Muslims who chose to stay in India have struggled to keep pace with the majority community. The Sachar Commission report (2006), ordered by the then prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh showed Muslims to be stuck at the bottom of almost every economic or social indicator. They were poorly represented in public sector jobs, school and university places politics. Low literacy levels and low fertility were other major findings. India’s Muslims tend to be excluded from 3 sites of power within the state machinery: the judiciary, the administration and the police. In 2002, they represented only 6.26% of the 479 High Court judges in India, 2.95% of the 5,018 Indian Administrative Service officers and 4.02% of the 3,236 IPS officers. By contrast, according to a report in the Times of India, nearly 20% of India’s prisoners were Muslims. Experts believe that this trend is not because Muslims commit more crimes. Rather, it’s a product of economic and social deprivation. With no money for litigation and for getting bail, they end up languishing in jails for years. There have been several instances of false cases slapped against Muslims, especially after terror attacks and riots. Closer home, the Mahmoodur Rahman Committee appointed in 2008 by the Maharashtra government revealed the shocking social, economic and educational condition of Muslims in the state. Maharashtra has witnessed the highest number of Hindu-Muslim riots post-Independence. This has led to ghettoisation which has further contributed to their neglect. About 45% of Muslim households have a per capita income of less than Rs. 500 a month. About 58 % of urban Muslims live in slums. Muslims constitute only 8.1% of the state’s farmers, 44.4% of rural Muslims work as agricultural labourers, compared to 36.1% of Hindus. Only 4.4 % of Maharashtra’s Muslims work in the government services. In 2012, there was not a single Muslim in the entire cadre of the Indian Administrative Services. The committee also found that in the urban areas, bus stops are located at a 1.3 km distance from Muslim areas. Fearing a backlash from the state’s Muslims and the media, the government never tabled the report in the Assembly, though it was submitted in 2013. The above statistics paint a grim picture. However, this doesn’t suggest that Muslims haven’t progressed in independent India. In addition to being appointed to a number of top positions, Muslims in India â€Å"enjoy complete political and religious liberty, a free legislative environment to undertake economic and educational initiatives, a vibrant television media and cinema that teach liberal coexistence, and access to a vast number of universities and institutes of modern education† (Ahmad, 2014). However, the benefits of a democratic, secular and pluralistic polity haven’t trickled to the vast majority of the country’s Muslims. One of the main reasons for this has been their poor representation in our elective bodies. Muslim representation With every election, the position of Muslims has deteriorated. Muslims representation in the 16th Lok Sabha hit an all-time low of 22. For the first time in the history of Lok Sabha, not a single Muslim got elected from Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populated and electorally decisive state. Maharashtra’s Muslims too have been affected by the growing communal schism generated during the 1990’s. The number of Muslim MLAs in the recently elected Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has dropped to an abysmal nine. The state’s five main political parties put up only 45 Muslim candidates in the election. Out of the nine MLAs, eight have been elected from Muslim-dominated constituencies. Votes polled by Muslim candidates have been steadily falling since 1990. In 2009, while a non-Muslim candidate polled an average of 13,766 votes, a Muslim candidate attracted only 4,453 votes. This is the reason why most parties refuse tickets to Muslim candidates. No political party dares to put up a Muslim candidate unless the constituency has a substantial Muslim population. Even the avowed secular parties continue to succumb to communal consideration in the selection of their candidates. While it is not necessary that Muslims should be represented only by their co-religionists, electorally ignoring an important group is not good for the health of a nation. Representation gives a community a sense of belonging. Further, representation of multiple identities is the essence of modern democracy. During the first five decades after independence, the vast majority of Indian Muslims saw in the Congress their natural protector, for its commitment to secularism. However after the demise of Jawaharlal Nehru, the pluralism of the Congress soon started changing. Muslims’ faith in the Congress started eroding with the escalation of anti-Muslim violence and the political, social and economic marginalization of the community, sometimes at the hands of the Congress itself (such as during the Emergency). The party started milking the community for electoral gains, by conceding religious and cultural space to the Deobandi Ulemas. Banning Salman Rushdie’s novel Satanic Verses, overturning the Shah Bano judgment were among several of the party’s tropes which contributed to the disenchantment of moderate Muslims from the Congress. Muslim Identity Politics Despite the love lost with the Congress and other ‘secular’ parties, Indian Muslims have generally been reluctant to form their own political parties. However, in the last decade or so, a number of Muslim dominated political parties have emerged in India. The Peace Party was founded in Uttar Pradesh in 2008 by Mohamed Ayub. It won four seats in the 2012 Assembly elections and expanded its base in a number of states. The Kerala-based Indian Union Muslim League enjoys considerable popularity in the state. Maulana Badruddin Ajmal formed the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam after falling out with Congress leader Tarun Gogoi in Assam. It is now the main opposition party in the state. Other Muslim identity based parties include the Parcham Party, Rashtriya Ulama Council and Welfare Party. However, none of these parties could achieve any substantial success. The MIM and its history It is in this context that the rise of MIM in Maharashtra should be seen. The MIM was formally founded in 1927 â€Å"for educational and social uplift of Muslims†, however it first arose as a proto-Islamist movement to defend the Nizam’s autocracy through an armed militia called the Razakars. They unleashed brutal violence against Hindus, the communists and all those wished to merge Hyderabad with independent India. In 1948, the Indian government sent in the army to overpower the Razakars, an operation that left several thousands dead. Hyderabad was annexed to India and Kasim Rizvi, the Majlis leader was imprisoned and the organization banned. Rizvi was released about a decade later only on the condition that he would leave for Pakistan in 48 hours. Before leaving, Rizvi handed over the reins to Abdul Wahed Owaisi, the grandfather of Asaduduin Owaisi. Owaisi re-drafted the Majlis constitution in keeping with the provisions of the Indian Constitution and heralded a new age in the party’s history. Though MIM remained on the margins of Hyderabad’s politics for about fifteen years, the situation soon started changing in the 1970s. Under the new president Salahuddin Owaisi, the party made great inroads in the city. Votes polled by Majlis in the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat rose from 58,000 in 1962 to over four lakhs in 1989. It also set up a number of educational institutions for Muslims in the city. Thus, a party that was a part of the Razakars has found acceptance in the very city that had celebrated its ouster. The mainstream media has reacted to MIM’s victory in Maharashtra with a sense of paranoia. There are fears that the party could accentuate communal differences in the state. Moderate Muslims accuse the MIM of milking the sufferings of Muslims, while not doing anything for the community’s development. Party MP Akbaruddin Owaisi is known for his vitriolic hate speeches instigating Muslims to stand up against Hindu violence. MIM’s politics represent a reactionary agenda that seeks to counter the violent communal politics of the right-wing Hindu parties. On the other hand, Muslims are also hopeful about the MIM as they feel it can better represent the community’s interests. MIM’s rise represents the failure of all ‘secular’ parties in checking atrocities against India’s minorities and preventing majoritarianism. Muslim youth who fail to see themselves as a part of the youth Narendra Modi keeps gloating about are attracted to the MIM and its aspirational politics which largely involves invoking a false pride of the â€Å"glorious history of Muslim rulers†. However, the same youth need to realize that the MIM has done nothing to defend the human rights of young Muslims who are falsely accused of being terrorists and who end up spending years in jails. MIM has never spoken out against radicals within the community; neither has it done anything to empower Muslim women. It wouldn’t be long before India’s Muslims see through the farce that the MIM represents and the process of disillusionment sets in. Problems with identity politics The deeply problematic nature of MIM’s politics still doesn’t justify the media’s sustained and critical coverage of its victory in Maharashtra. Identity politics is not a new phenomenon. India’s ruling party BJP has its roots in Hindu nationalism, the Akali Dal was formed to give a political voice to Sikh issues, the RPI and its more than 50 factions claim to represent Dalits. The UP-based Apna Dal enjoys a following among the Kurmi caste. The Shiv Sena and now the MNS have, from time to time, raised the bogie of the Marathi manoos for electoral gains. The media’s hypocrisy while reporting about these parties needs to be called out. Muslim identity politics is as dangerous as the identity politics of any other community. According to Irfan Engineer, director of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, â€Å"Identity politics can be oppressive, hegemonic and exclusionary to strengthen hierarchies and hierarchical structures, to defend the privileges of the social, political and economic elite.† It is part of a larger trend of a greater assertiveness of identity in India. To counter this, it is important to strengthen the county’s secular and pluralistic ideals. Conclusion So what does that leave India’s Muslims with? They don’t need parties which essentialize their identity. Voting en bloc for hegemonic identity based parties isn’t going to yield any dividends. All they need is democratic representation of their interests. They need parties and candidates that stand for the values of equality, liberty and justice. MS Sathyu’s iconic film Garm Hava is perhaps the best film made on India’s partition. It shows Balraj Sahni’s family members leave for Pakistan, one after another, because of the increasing discrimination faced by them. In the end, Sahni and his son, Farooq Sheikh too decide to leave the country. On their way to the railway station, they come across a protest march by angry youth demanding jobs. Sheikh and, eventually, Sahni too join the march, thereby deciding to survive and succeed in his own homeland. An Urdu poem by Kaifi Azmi is heard in a voice-over as we see Sahni joining the protesters: â€Å"Jo door se toofan ka karte hain nazaara, unke liye toofan vahaan bhi hai yahan bhi, Dhaare mein jo mil jaaoge, ban jaaoge dhara, Ye vaqt ka elaan vahan bhi hai yahan bhi.† The scene is a poignant reminder for India’s Muslims that their future depends on engaging with politics of social justice and security rather than falling prey to leaders stoking their insecurities. Bibliography: Ahmad, T. (2014). Democracy and Indian Muslims. Daily Times. Retrieved 29 November 2014, from http://archives.dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/16-Mar-2013/comment-democracy-and-indian-muslims-tufail-ahmad Ananth, V., Gadgil, M. (2014). Religious polarization helps AIMIM debut in Maharashtra. Mint. Retrieved 27 November 2014, from http://www.livemint.com/Politics/FxsUExgM2i03mSOH6w3RmO/Religious-polarization-helps-AIMIM-debut-in-Maharashtra.html?utm_source=ref_article Ashraf, A. (2014). Hidden history of the Owaisis. Firstpost. Retrieved 28 November 2014, from http://www.firstpost.com/politics/hidden-history-owaisis-aimim-doesnt-want-know-1817267.html Bagri, N. (2014). Indian Muslims Lose Hope in National Secular Party. The New York Times. Retrieved 27 November 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/09/world/asia/indian-muslims-lose-hope-in-national-secular-party.html?_r=1 Engineer, I. (2014). Political Mobilisation of Muslims in India Changing Pattern. Secular Perspective, XVII (21). Gayer, L., Jaffrelot, C. (2012). Muslims in Indian cities. New Delhi: HarperCollins India. Ghosh, S. (1987). Muslim politics in India. New Delhi: Ashish Pub. House. Lokhande, D. (2014). Why we should be concerned about MIM victories in Maharashtra. DNA. Retrieved 27 November 2014, from http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-why-we-should-be-concerned-about-mim-victories-in-maharashtra-2027543 Noorani, A. (2003). The Muslims of India. Delhi: Oxford University Press. Rahman, M. (2013). The Condition of Muslims in Maharashtra. Mumbai. Sachar, R. (2006). Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India. New Delhi. Shaikh, Z. (2014). Force behind MIM. The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 November 2014, from http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/force-behind-mim/99/ Sharma, S. (2014). Behind the victory of a Muslim party in Maharashtra, the gamble of a journalist. Scroll. Retrieved 27 November 2014, from http://scroll.in/article/685327/Behind-the-victory-of-a-Muslim-party-in-Maharashtra,-the-gamble-of-a-journalist Shukla, A. (2014). Maharashtra polls: Opinions among Muslims on AIMIM pitch vary. DNA. Retrieved 27 November 2014, from http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-maharashtra-polls-opinions-among-muslims-on-aimim-pitch-vary-2018458 The Hindu : Holding them captive?. Retrieved 27 November 2014, from http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2003/04/27/stories/2003042700081500.htm Zakaria, R. (1995). The widening divide. New Delhi: New York, N.Y.

Elements of Relationship in D.H. Lawrences Works Essay -- D.H. Lawren

After spending a semester experiencing and analyzing the work of D.H. Lawrence, it has become obvious that he had several messages to convey to his audience. Through his characters, Lawrence commented on the condition of England, on social issues, and also on relationships. In his novels Sons and Lovers, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley's Lover, Lawrence reveals three important aspects of relationships, and shows his audience the devastating results when one or more of those aspects are missing. When it comes to intellectual, spiritual and sexual connections, Lawrence makes it clear that all of these elements must be present in order for a relationship to be successful; it's either all or none. Lawrence's first example of relational incompleteness comes through Paul in Sons and Lovers. By the middle of the novel, the reader is well aware of Paul's connection to his mother, Mrs. Morel. Paul's awareness of his mother comes in the notion that ?when she fretted he understood, and could have no peace,? (51) and also in the way they act like excited ?lovers having an adventure together.? (81) Through Paul?s relationships, Lawrence reveals how ?an exaggerated intense spiritual love from the parents,? can make it difficult for the receiver of that love to cultivate healthy relationships outside the familial sphere. (Yudhishtar, 87) Because of his deep spiritual connection with his mother, it is difficult for Paul to give himself to other women, as can be seen through his relationship with Miriam. Although Paul likes Miriam and the two get along very well, his connection to his mother prevents the young man from really giving himself to her. Paul is turned off not only by how spiritual Miriam makes him (165), but also ... ...ming deeply connected spiritually with one?s children, and how that connection can prove disastrous for non-familial relations. Through Birkin, Ursula, Gudrun and Gerald in Women in Love, he shows the crippling effects that result when intellect is emphasized drastically more than spirituality and sexuality. Lawrence arrives at a perfect balance between Connie and Mellors in Lady Chatterley?s Lover, and although Connie suffers through two failed relationships before meeting success, Lawrence shows that intellectual, spiritual and sexual connects can indeed simultaneously exist on the same plane. Through these characters, Lawrence demonstrates the importance of having a balance of all three ingredients. Without a physical connection based on spirituality and a common intellect, Sir Jon would not be able to ?say good night to Lady Jane?with a hopeful heart.? (328)

Christian life Essay

Father Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) presents a deeply spiritual and insight book with Reach Out. He presents a Christian approach to living with a systematic form of spiritual life, occurring in three defined steps; loneliness to solitude; hostility to hospitality; and illusion to prayer. Through each step Nouwen encourages a person to question themselves, and to seek an â€Å"ascent† to a higher way of being that achieves unity with God. His presentation of his message however is not an attempt to â€Å"bible bash† the reader, rather he uses the Bible as a filter to draw analogies to his interpretation of a meaningful life. Nouwen’s defined categories distinguishes the stages of the journey of Christian life as he sees it, basically reaching out to; the innermost self, to the rest of humankind; and to God. In itself the book is a beautiful rendition of a way of living that focuses on humankind as a community, and as sharing in their experiences of emotional states. It provides the reader with practical methods to apply change to their lifestyle that will cultivate a greater sense of peace and contentment. The phrasing and choice of words in titles and headings has been carefully considered and in themselves transports the reader to a place of reflection and prayer. The strength of Nouwen’s book is his ability to question his own values, decision-making and actions. He has gone to places of hardship in his experiences of loneliness, hostility and illusion and returned with treasures to share. Nouwen uses the movement between emotional states to provide a systematic process for the living the Christian life, which completes modern day values of systems thought, and critical analysis. However, the writer presents his material also in a highly capitalistic manner, in that emotional states are basically divided into two distinct forms: positive (winning) and negative (losing) and ignores the possibility that each state may not actually be so absolute; a milestone on the continuum of what it is to be human. The dichotomy he sets up may in itself be the cause of internal conflict for people, as Western societies value distinct black and white boxes in which to place information; Nouwen maintains this cultural value in his differentiation of distinct categories, and the application of a model of â€Å"ascent† for emotional states. The book is richly spiritual and helpful in learning to cope with loneliness, anger and misperceptions, and Nouwen’s voice tends to be presented as one of experience, that has gone to the depths of each of these states. His approach implies that all people feel loneliness, illusion or hostility and that â€Å"you like to stay away from†. The Bible describes many experiences of Jesus, prophets and other of the Lord’s people being tested, polished like jewels, or smelted like pure gold and other metals. The message is that if we are not prepared to undergo hardship how can we expect to lose ourselves of that which is not important? Nouwen encourages the reader to cultivate their faith and sense of hope by allowing ourselves to experience a forward movement into a more spiritual and subsequently balanced life. 2. Concrete Responses A Suffocating Loneliness is the title of Chapter One and for me came across as quite visceral terminology. It conjured up feelings of confinement that implies that Nouwen has really been there himself. I imagined the soul suffocating, unable to breathe, speak, communicate, or reach out because it was focused solely on survival. The title made me think about what it is to be alone and to have something happening to you beyond your control; a life threatening experience. Another heading, Between Competition and Togetherness, cam across to me as being very Zen, as the juxtaposition of words threw my mind off its track trying to hold an image of both concepts at once. Not unlike those silhouette pictures of the vase which is a face, or is it the other way around! The phrase further implies that there is a point between the two which each of us are at; though this point is unlikely to be static-given the human experience and we are dynamic beings. Nouwen encourages the reader to find a point of balance between these two concepts, and in my minds eye I saw a see-saw and a set of scales, and wondered to myself whereabouts on the continuum I was today (N. B. , near the competitive edge as I have a game of bingo in an hour). I believe I noticed these words because I have chosen the spiritual life for myself, and live my life to cultivate a sense of personal control as well as acceptance for that which I cannot change, as well as harmony and balance. Like Job and Jonah I let myself be smitten or swallowed by the beast when I perceive it to be the time in my life cycle to let go, fall apart, draw away from others, and to suffer hardship. Like these two men I come through stronger and wiser about myself, my place in this world, and with a deeper meaning of what is important – to keep on going, never give up on one, and to be there for others. I am also a writer and sometime poet and delight in the juxtaposition of words and the images that they provide which take me to places within myself that may have ever undiscovered. And the use of words in new ways helps me to see the world from another perspective, which is always a discovery. 2. Concrete responses A Suffocating Loneliness is the title of Chapter One and for me came across as quite visceral terminology. It conjured up feelings of a time for me when I felt confined by my problems and unable to reach out for concrete help from others – no one seemed to understand where I was, what I was trying to communicate to them. I imagined at the time my soul suffocating, unable to breathe, speak, communicate, or reach out because it was focused solely on survival. The title made me think about those times when I have felt absolutely alone and separated from all others, and that life was completely beyond your control; a life threatening experience. The juxtaposition of words in the chapter heading threw my mind off its track trying to hold an image of both concepts at once. I believe I noticed these words because I have chosen the spiritual life for myself and live my life to cultivate a sense of personal control as well as acceptance for that which I cannot change. Like Job and Jonah I let myself be smitten or swallowed by the beast when I perceive it to be the time in my life cycle to let go, fall apart, draw away from others, and to suffer hardship. Like these two men I come through stronger and wiser about myself, my place in this world, and with a deeper meaning of what’s important – to keep on going, never give up on one, and to be there for others. I have in the past drawn on Bible accounts of suffering and grief to understand the experiences of difficulty I have (do) have. The phrasing of many of the Biblical passages, such as those in Proverbs, are easy to â€Å"write upon one’s heart† and Nouwen’s voice has a similar effect in his blending and weaving of words and phrases. 3. Reflection I wonder why the author portrays loneliness as a negative and unwanted state, particularly as he is a Christian. Many verses in the Bible, in fact the whole book of Job, contends that pain such as that felt in loneliness is necessary to â€Å"remove the dross† form a person’s soul. Going into the crucible of fire, such as the suffering of loneliness may cultivate, is a way that many mystics, monks, prophets and medicine women and men claim is the path to become more the person that â€Å"God†/we want us to be. Loneliness is an emotion, and so by virtue of the Christian teachings that emotion is also God, as our emotions are the flux of hormones, neurotransmitters and bioelectric currents, tangible substances which omnipotent God intrinsically exists within; God is everywhere at once. Also, God created all, so all emotions can be sourced from God; humans are made in his image, suggesting that God has knowledge of what loneliness is. It perplexes me that a state of loneliness is seen by Father Nouwen as the â€Å"bottom rung† in his ascent model; John the Baptist lived in the desert and has been often described as experiencing intense loneliness; Jesus spent 40 days and nights alone in the desert; Moses was alone with his â€Å"crazy† dream of the chosen people, and Mary mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene suffered deep loneliness many times during their lives. 4. Action I will facilitate a counselee to find more functional ways to experience loneliness and to keep on going and not give up on themselves or humankind. I will also encourage them to consider the concept of living a more spiritual life and achieving a union with God; for me God is the unity of all things (omega and beta) so that I am never truly alone as all is from God and in God. So that loneliness for me is a temporary state when one forgets that we are all interconnected. Alternatively, Nouwen approaches loneliness, hostility and illusion as purely negative states and provides of all things an â€Å"evolutionary† model to explain â€Å"developing from† each state to another state. Firstly, I do not agree with this form of development as it certainly implies ascent from a lesser (primitive) quality to a higher (civilized) quality. Instead I would encourage the counselee to embrace their diversity and variability in experiencing their emotions. Movement away from a particular emotion is illusory, as our emotions are a continuum like a circle or a ring; we can move to another state but all are parallel, none higher or lower than others. I intend to start a reflective journal of my values, interpretations, decision-making and actions to learn more about myself, and to find the balance across my emotional states.

Working mothers

Instead traditional feminism has always focused on white middle-class needs. Traditional values fall to recognize how women's different identities such as race, class, and sexuality shape our views and beliefs about family and motherhood. Many believe that shared social issues such as women rights bring women together, but what many do not see are the different Identities such as class, race, and sexuality within gender, that can cause conflicting views. The quote above by Joan Williams Is a testament In understanding how these deferent identities within women can become a delving factor In their beliefs.Specifically women's beliefs and roles In the family are Influenced by their Individual Identities. These Intersections of identities play an important role in women's beliefs on motherhood. Through the course readings I will show how the notions of motherhood changes through these different identities. Women's participation in the labor, education, domestic duties as well as views o n marital status and child rearing will show the division within women's notions of motherhood. America underwent a change in 1945 that had never been seen before.Despite representation there was a conflict from WI in the ass'. There was a shift from reduction to consumption, where America was seen as ‘living the good life'. By 1960 America's Income had Increased, and by the end of the decade Americans were moving up In prosperity. What history falls to acknowledge are the women who feel disorientated and discontent. The ass's and ass's was also a time filled with anxiety and alienation. As Betty Friedman puts it there was a vague uneasiness' that is the mark of this period. The sass's was an odd period of time, where many social issues were taking place.Nevertheless women continued to enter the labor force, which suggested the growing antinomy for women after the war. In the 1 ass's as Friedman suggest people were politically and culturally conservative, particularly regardin g gender and family issues, which made exploring new opportunities difficult for women due to restrictive gender norms. Through the lives of middle-class white women Friedman uses labor force participation to show their beliefs of motherhood. The role of a housewife to some may seem simple, as If they have nothing to do but to take care of the children and domestic duties.But what many fall to see are that these women are well educated and hold traditional ideologies of the family in which women sacrifice ones fulfillment ender role expectations. Women's behaviors and beliefs were in relation to men, which created a lack of fulfillment amongst women. Friedman argues these housewives needed competition and should make contributions to society. Friedman's argues that middle-class white women needed to find something fulfilling in society to feel a since of purpose. To get away of what society tells them to do, and start living for what they would want to do.Surprisingly women's action s did not reflect their beliefs. Though these women were educated enough to have careers but, many found it best eatable to become a housewife because it was the gender norm for women to stay at home and be the caregivers while men should become the breadwinners outside the home. These beliefs countered women's fulfillment as a woman but filled their beliefs on motherhood. Friedman titles masculine ideologies of motherhood that creates feelings of emptiness as ‘The Feminine Mystique'. Its overpowering, hegemonic dynamic in the work place and in the homes, where men carry the power enforce gender roles.These women adopt the Feminine Mystique, for the purposes of appeasing to societies expectations, but Friedman clearly shows how the traditional views of others are not holding strong in these women's beliefs. Women were becoming board and tired of being a housewife. This shows the view of motherhood for these women would be to have a more active part in the community, take care of the domestic duties and fulfill the husbands needs but their fear of going against men's ideologies of motherhood keeps them confined.The intersecting identities of class, education status and gender played a role in how these women view their roles in the family. Becoming a stay at home mom may have not always been by choice but by sacrifice. Gender roles have proven to be influential on women's beliefs on others. Despite Friedman pushing for women to become contributing factors in society, Bart Laundry in â€Å"Black Working Wives† offers a counterpoint to the norms of white middle- class families. Black women are usually excluded from white framework of motherhood.He incorporates race unlike Friedman as a contributing identity that shapes black middle-class women's notions of motherhood. Participants were black middle-class two parent families. The black women in these families took care of domestic duties, cared for the children and had an active part in the community, which allowed black women more freedom. Black women in most cases did not have the option of staying home. They pursued careers outside the home because they believed a true woman' could do both. The notion of mother hood was achievement in both public and private spears.The black community held a different standard then their white counterparts. The black community appreciated women's intelligence and their independence. Women's in Friedman's book looked to their husbands for the decision making rather then formatting and expressing their own views. There is a big divide in how women in Friedman's reading and Landers book viewed womanhood partially due to the racial preference and also because of class. For white families you could be middle-class solely on the husband's income.Black families did not share the same experience, to Laundry challenges domesticity as she focuses on African American women. Looking at black families we can see a transition of the traditional family to a more radical modern family. The male ideologies of motherhood were also different as unlike there white counterparts black husbands had the expectation for their wife's to work outside of the home, which allowed black women to become more active in the community. The egalitarian mindset of black families combined the public and irate spear.Working outside of the home gave black women more respect inside of the home. Race has played a significant difference in expectations of working wives. Black women did more because there family needed both incomes to be middle class. They face more criticism in the work place and carry the burden of isolation from the male counterparts coming home from an oppressed workplace. On the other hand white women stayed at home because they had stronger beliefs in ideologies. Catering to the household and their husbands were put over their own needs.Women in both readings lacked fulfillment. Men shared unequal responsibilities in doing housework, which is an issue that has been solved. The power dynamic of who is responsible for the domestic duties, stems from male ideologies. Men in both readings are the primary breadwinners therefore lack the obligating in helping with domestic duties. Friedman and Laundry take on two different perspectives on motherhood. While Friedman is pushing women to become active contributors in their communities Laundry is showing how black women have been working for year to support their families.Here we can see how identities such as class and race can create a division amongst gender and also shape beliefs on motherhood. Women who participate in labor both inside and outside of the home have contradicting beliefs on motherhood. In Mary Blair-Loss book â€Å"Competing Devotions† she looks at how women in both spears view labor and family schemas. Work devoted women in the reading were well education and help high power position Jobs. They worked full time which became time demanding and had to sacrifice their extracurricular time for work. They felt their Job was important and more like dynamic work.Women wanted to become more economically independent from men UT at the same time their high-end Jobs meant working long hours, which left them tired and facing discrimination from male dominance in the work place. Women felt that they were providing a better life for themselves and their children. Their beliefs of motherhood was not to fulfill domestic duties like cleaning and cooking every day but to provide the economic needs for their children so they would always have what they needed. The family devoted women sought marriage and child rearing as their primary devotion.Some women worked part time but still took care of the domestic duties. Families believed their roles to be biologically destined, where men should work full time outside the home. Family devoted mother criticized work devoted mother for not spending more time with their family and work devoted women critic ized stay at home mothers by saying they are lacking fulfillment and depended on men. Like the women in Friedman's reading these women held a more traditional view of womanhood. Like all mothers both schemas came with their sacrifices, which they people for support and shunned the opposite schema.The notions of motherhood aligned with the schema these women adopted. It is interesting to see the role education played in choosing which schema to adopt. Women's views on motherhood relied not only schemas but also their beliefs on marriage. Kathleen Eden and Andrew Cheering search to find the problems as to why low income white and black single mothers are not getting married. The study finds five reasons to why women are reluctant to enter or reenter into a marriage. The same five reasons are also how they define womanhood.Women sought having children before marriage fulfilling, but did not count on being single. Women saw affordability, respectability, control, trust and domestic viol ence as important measures when looking into marriage. These women felt if they were to be in another relationship it would be with a man that would uplift her status. These women wanted a man that they could trust and count on to support them and a child. Class, race and previous experiences shaped these low-income single women notion of motherhood. Due to their low social economic status they wanted a man that could take care of their family.Because they claimed there was a scarcity of black decent men, they looked for affordability and respectability and because of their previous experience they wanted someone they could trust. These women had their own economic stability but anted to gain upward mobility and believed having a decent trustworthy man will fulfill their notion of motherhood. Lastly through Mignon Moor's chapter â€Å"Lesbian Motherhood and Discourses of Respectability' we can see the ways in which lesbian women form motherhood through women's sexual autonomy, and an emphasis in strength and resilience.The reading discusses a lesbian woman named Jackie who has adopted her sister's child. Jackie overcame a massive struggle with social services in finalizing her adoptive rights to Andrew. Her refusal to hide her sexuality supports the notion of black womanhood that communicates a sense of sexual autonomy. Jackass's beliefs of what it meant to be a good mother derived from her childhood past. What she never had as a child she gave to Andrew and she made it her personal responsibility to see that he was safe, and stayed out of trouble.For women like Jackie challenges such as race, family structure and poverty influenced how she defined motherhood. Lesbian mothers have accepted a social responsibility based on family obligations, and have looked into their upbringing and personal experience for defining lesbian One woman named Athena had difficulty with telling her child from a previous heterosexual relationship that she was a lesbian. Athena did not feel comfortable identifying herself as a lesbian because she not only felt stigmatize from the community and family but she felt it was best to keep her sexuality unexposed to protect her child.By Athena not coming into terms with her lesbian identity it ruined her relationship and her chances to gain fulfillment in life. With the ending of her relationship with her partner we can see her understanding of motherhood. She defines motherhood as self-sacrificing for the good of the child. The move toward sexual autonomy is a struggle for women who are reluctant about their identity. Drawing a division between the two identities becomes difficult for women who are heterosexual lens and absorb cultural understandings of good motherhood in ways that make it difficult for them to view their lesbian sexuality in a positive light† (130).There is a constant battle when one is forced to choose between who they are and what is best for their child. Unfortunately the one parallel betw een all women are the sacrifices they endure for their families. We can she a range of mothers living in traditional families to more radical contemporary families, and all define motherhood differently. Women re forced to navigate motherhood through tough circumstances, which can become difficult.As seen in the reading women's roles are stretched so thin it becomes inevitable to find a suitable balance for themselves within the family needs. We can see that motherhood can vary through the different identities such as class, race and sexuality. No women's identities and experiences are the same, which make ‘motherhood' hard to generalize and allows motherhood to also divide gender. It becomes a forced decision rather then a choice that women struggle with in their daily life. Motherhood has become an internal battle between selfish and selfless.

These 7 Work Stereotypes about Millennials are NOT Necessarily True

These 7 Work Stereotypes about Millennials are NOT Necessarily True Millennials have been told for a decade just how bad they are at life. They’re lazy, live with their parents, are totally entitled, etc. The list goes on. If you’re a millennial, this can do a lot to hamper your self-esteem and even your career goals. But a lot of the hate out there is based on very little fact. Millennials aren’t much different from any other generation that came before. In fact, if naysayers bothered to talk to millennials, they’d find that this young generation has the same career aspirations, life goals, and general motivation as older generations. Plus, they’re indispensable: millennials will make up more than 50% of the workforce in the years to come.Given all of that, we should start debunking a few of those millennial myths.Myth #1: Millennials are all â€Å"me, me, me,† all the time.Reality: Every generation is all â€Å"me, me, me.† It’s just human nature. Every older generation thinks the new one is s elfish and self-obsessed. If you’re feeling picked on, you’re not alone. The Baby Boomers were the original â€Å"me† generation, and there’ll be more after you. Maybe you’ll even be the one doing the nagging when you’re higher up in the career ranks.Myth #2: Millennials want a party and ribbon just for showing up.Reality: Millennials don’t actually crave constant unearned acclaim. In fact, as kids they may have been trained for this by their helicopter parents, but they’re grown-ups now and want to earn their accolades like everyone else. Trust: It’s really the Baby Boomers who think all members should be rewarded when the team is successful. Millennials are pretty cutthroat and competitive about winning fair and square.Myth #3: Millennials are tech-obsessed and can’t live a life offline.Reality: Yes, millennials are strapped to their devices as though their phones are vital limbs. But they are also capable, and even eager, for face-to-face interaction when that makes most sense (i.e. in the workplace). And they’re actually more likely to draw a line between personal and professional on social media than older generations.Myth #4: Millennials are wafflers.Reality: Everyone solicits advice and gets friends, colleagues, and family to weigh in on important decisions. Millennials perhaps look to a larger variety of sources to make more informed decisions than their more independent-minded elders. This is actually a shrewd move, especially in today’s increasingly interconnected and complex business world.Myth #5: Millennials aren’t loyal and will jump ship whenever they lose interest.Reality: While â€Å"passion† is certainly important to this generation, millennials actually stay with their employers longer than their Gen X counterparts. The market is scarier and leaner out there, so they know when to stay put and be more calculating with their career moves. Perhaps they will have held more jobs by a certain age than other generations, but that has more to do with the cutthroat economy and less to do with laziness or wanderlust.Myth #6: Millennials don’t work hard.Reality: The skill set of this century is already markedly different than the skill set of the old one. Workplaces, and workplace culture, look nothing like they used to. As such, making comparisons between them is fruitless. Given the demands of today’s high tech interconnected workforce, millennials are actually working very hard and innovating at an exponential rate. They’re also a little more competitive than Baby Boomers, which goes hand-in-hand with hard work, hustle, and long hours.Myth #7: Millennials need work to babysit them.Reality: Millennials are actually quite capable of taking care of themselves. Corporations don’t have to talk down to them or treat them like children. Also, with the ever-changing structure of the workforce, millennials have a choice to work for corporations or for themselves in today’s economy. Corporations would do well to realize they need millennials more than millennials need them!

Perk Up!

Perk Up! Writers need to be paid. Fact. But sometimes, you don’t have to be paid in cold, hard cash. Working for perks in lieu of monetary compensation has always been an integral part of the industry. Of course, this doesn’t help pay the bills, but these perks are definitely not to be sneezed at, especially if you target products and services you would spend your money on anyway. The first thing you need to understand is that virtually every major company in the world has a PR and marketing department. The reason these departments exist is to spread the word about their business, and this is where you come in. An easy starter is to write to companies asking what new or upcoming products are available, and if they would like anything reviewed in exchange for samples. Don’t go crazy and start demanding a new TV. The more expensive the item, the more likely it will be that the manufacturer will only loan it to you and expect it back. To secure items you may have to ‘pitch’ the manufacturer, saying specifically who you intend writing for, and provide information like circulation figures and market demographics. Most importantly, highlight why it would be in the company’s best interests to be featured in this particular publication. A concept prominent in consumer magazines is the ‘road tested’ feature where new-to-market products are tried out. Look for extra sweeteners you can offer such as a post on your personal blog, a Tweet, or even an Amazon review. The more exposure you can offer, the better. Personally, I review a lot of books, albums and computer games. Therefore, I work with a lot of publishers, publicists, and record labels. The first step is to approach these people (their contact details are freely available online) and ask them to add you to any mailing lists they keep. Then you’ll be among the first to know of any new or upcoming releases, as well as press trips and interview opportunities. In 2012 I fired off a quick email to the developer of my favorite computer game asking for a ‘check disc,’ including a link to my blog and mentioning my reach on social media. The company, eager to generate publicity ahead of a new launch, was more than happy to accommodate. Furthermore, theyve sent me a new and updated version of the game every year since, amounting to over $250 worth of free software. In fact, my expenditure on entertainment has been practically non-existent for years. With a little experience, you can ‘build’ features from the ground up, get paid AND collect masses of free swag. Let’s suppose you wanted to go on a camping trip. Pitch your idea to editors who may be interested, then, when a commission is secured, use it to approach various other entities. Firstly, you are going to need specialist equipment and camping gear, so contact outdoor suppliers and ask them to kit you out. New boots? Track down well-known brands and ask. And how about a camera to document the event? Again, ask. Standard practice is to offer to give their product a subtle ‘in copy’ mention (â€Å"I couldn’t feel a thing in my new Karrimor hiking boots!†) and a ‘thank you’ at the end of the article, along with perhaps a link to their website. You might not be able acquire everything you require, but, taking into account the fee you will receive from the publication, you should at least be able to procure enough to make the trip profitable. To help make the whole process easier, try using a service like PRweb which hooks you up with PR companies and enables you to put out requests for products or services. They exist to make your role as a journalist easier. http://service.prweb.com/about/prweb-for-journalists/

Admission to the Masters of Accounting Program

I have faced a number of knotty situations in life. On one occasion, I was working with the ADA or the American Diabetes Association. We worked as two groups and our principal task was to count and reconcile the checks, cash and credit card donations, which used to arrive in large quantities. One day an older man joined our team. Then our troubles started. Till that time we had worked without any mutual misgivings or bickering. With the advent of this person, our time schedules and procedures went haywire. I studied the situation and realized that all this was due to his reluctance to follow the established procedure. Every one, in both the groups, was compelled to go home late, due to this person’s obduracy. All felt that he should be suitably reprimanded, but no one was willing to undertake this unpleasant task. The question that was foremost on every one’s mind was ‘who would bell the cat?’ I jumped into the fray and gently but firmly convinced him that what he was doing was unacceptable. He was happy with this way of communication, because I had talked to him in private, so that his pride was not hurt. This had the desired effect and we were able to complete the work in time. In addition, I was also the secretary of the African Cultural Society. I was instrumental in planning and implementing the IREP Africa program at the College of William Mary. This task entailed coordination between and interaction with a number of fellow students, faculty and departments. I emerged much stronger as a coordinator, facilitator and administrator after this novel experience. The professed objective of this program was to unite African student organizations in Virginia and to improve their relations with each other.   I actively participated in several campaigns to raise funds for the underprivileged in Africa and one of them was in respect of poverty stricken women of Uganda. A successful and efficient accountant is one who is reliable, thorough, ingenious, a seeker of solutions, well organized and performance oriented. Of these the most important is trustworthiness, because accountants, in addition to their usual work, have to offer reliable advice regarding the conduct of business in the present day economic and legal context. Moreover, if accounting standards are not adhered to, then the company stands the risk of having to close down. The Sarbanes Oxley Act was enacted in the year 2002, in order to deal with such eventualities. Another important trait of an accountant is attention to detail. I possess this in ample measure. This fact was disclosed in my tenure as the treasurer of the African Cultural Society, between the years 2006 to 2007; and as the Vice President of the Syndicate. In these tasks, I maintained authentic and comprehensive financial records. I reviewed the internal financial controls and ensured that the organization’s moneys were safe. This club has a number of advantages and I took up aggressive marketing to ensure that its membership increased. The lack of ethical and moral accounting practices in business organizations results in financial frauds. This was clearly established in the following cases.In the year 2001, Enron announced a net loss of $ 618 million for its third quarter and that it would reduce the shareholders’ equity by $ 1.2 billion. The SEC immediately stepped in and demanded financial information from Enron. The Enron team of Auditor’s lead by their leader Anderson systematically destroyed a large number of financial documents. Subsequently, the Enron officials and its auditors were charged and convicted of fraud. This company had engaged in malpractices relating to financial accounting, with the result that the company became bankrupt. To conceal its malafide practices, this company indulged in complicated accounting practices. This illustrates the fact that accounting has to be ethical, transparent and morally upright. The consequence of the Enron case was that the law relating to accountancy was made more stringent. However, more than even legislation; personal attitude, morality and ethical behavior should have greater influence. WorldCom was another company, which also attempted to camouflage its fraudulent activities by resorting to fudging of figures and falsification of financial reports. The procedure adopted by its accountants was less sophisticated than that of the Enron team; nevertheless, it committed a much greater fraud than Enron. However, these cases were not isolated incidents and proved to be merely the tip of the iceberg. Several more such fraudulent corporations were investigated by the Federal and state regulators. The principal among these are Adelphia, HealthSouth and Tyco, to name a few. I have a flair for leadership and I often volunteer to lead in various academic projects. Recently, I took over the reins of project, involving the formulation of a business plan to be presented to the board of directors. This project emerged as a huge success, despite the difficulties encountered, due to having to lead a team of peers. The team comprised of persons with different temperaments and it required a lot of innovativeness and ingenuity to extract the best from them. I have tremendous patience, as can be attested to by the students of the second grade, whom I teach as a volunteer teacher in the Waller Mill Elementary school, in Williamsburg. The foregoing incidents from my life reveal that I possess a high level of integrity, reliability, planning and implementing capacity, motivational skills, inspiration, ability to work in a team and patience. 2.   What are you hoping to achieve during your studies in the MAcc Program? I will complete my Bachelor’s degree in accounting by the month of May, 2008. Subsequently, I intend to pursue the Masters of Accounting Program at the College of William and Mary’s School of Business. This course is truly outstanding and the faculty is the third best in the nation. Classes are typically small and informal. The emphasis is on acquiring expertise. The faculty is easily accessible, if one wants to clarify doubts. In conjunction with my considerable management and leadership skills, this knowledge in accountancy will render me highly suitable for obtaining the Certified Public Accountant license. My principal objective is to become a CPA. Admission to the Masters of Accounting Program I have faced a number of knotty situations in life. On one occasion, I was working with the ADA or the American Diabetes Association. We worked as two groups and our principal task was to count and reconcile the checks, cash and credit card donations, which used to arrive in large quantities. One day an older man joined our team. Then our troubles started. Till that time we had worked without any mutual misgivings or bickering. With the advent of this person, our time schedules and procedures went haywire. I studied the situation and realized that all this was due to his reluctance to follow the established procedure. Every one, in both the groups, was compelled to go home late, due to this person’s obduracy. All felt that he should be suitably reprimanded, but no one was willing to undertake this unpleasant task. The question that was foremost on every one’s mind was ‘who would bell the cat?’ I jumped into the fray and gently but firmly convinced him that what he was doing was unacceptable. He was happy with this way of communication, because I had talked to him in private, so that his pride was not hurt. This had the desired effect and we were able to complete the work in time. In addition, I was also the secretary of the African Cultural Society. I was instrumental in planning and implementing the IREP Africa program at the College of William Mary. This task entailed coordination between and interaction with a number of fellow students, faculty and departments. I emerged much stronger as a coordinator, facilitator and administrator after this novel experience. The professed objective of this program was to unite African student organizations in Virginia and to improve their relations with each other.   I actively participated in several campaigns to raise funds for the underprivileged in Africa and one of them was in respect of poverty stricken women of Uganda. A successful and efficient accountant is one who is reliable, thorough, ingenious, a seeker of solutions, well organized and performance oriented. Of these the most important is trustworthiness, because accountants, in addition to their usual work, have to offer reliable advice regarding the conduct of business in the present day economic and legal context. Moreover, if accounting standards are not adhered to, then the company stands the risk of having to close down. The Sarbanes Oxley Act was enacted in the year 2002, in order to deal with such eventualities. Another important trait of an accountant is attention to detail. I possess this in ample measure. This fact was disclosed in my tenure as the treasurer of the African Cultural Society, between the years 2006 to 2007; and as the Vice President of the Syndicate. In these tasks, I maintained authentic and comprehensive financial records. I reviewed the internal financial controls and ensured that the organization’s moneys were safe. This club has a number of advantages and I took up aggressive marketing to ensure that its membership increased. The lack of ethical and moral accounting practices in business organizations results in financial frauds. This was clearly established in the following cases.In the year 2001, Enron announced a net loss of $ 618 million for its third quarter and that it would reduce the shareholders’ equity by $ 1.2 billion. The SEC immediately stepped in and demanded financial information from Enron. The Enron team of Auditor’s lead by their leader Anderson systematically destroyed a large number of financial documents. Subsequently, the Enron officials and its auditors were charged and convicted of fraud. This company had engaged in malpractices relating to financial accounting, with the result that the company became bankrupt. To conceal its malafide practices, this company indulged in complicated accounting practices. This illustrates the fact that accounting has to be ethical, transparent and morally upright. The consequence of the Enron case was that the law relating to accountancy was made more stringent. However, more than even legislation; personal attitude, morality and ethical behavior should have greater influence. WorldCom was another company, which also attempted to camouflage its fraudulent activities by resorting to fudging of figures and falsification of financial reports. The procedure adopted by its accountants was less sophisticated than that of the Enron team; nevertheless, it committed a much greater fraud than Enron. However, these cases were not isolated incidents and proved to be merely the tip of the iceberg. Several more such fraudulent corporations were investigated by the Federal and state regulators. The principal among these are Adelphia, HealthSouth and Tyco, to name a few. I have a flair for leadership and I often volunteer to lead in various academic projects. Recently, I took over the reins of project, involving the formulation of a business plan to be presented to the board of directors. This project emerged as a huge success, despite the difficulties encountered, due to having to lead a team of peers. The team comprised of persons with different temperaments and it required a lot of innovativeness and ingenuity to extract the best from them. I have tremendous patience, as can be attested to by the students of the second grade, whom I teach as a volunteer teacher in the Waller Mill Elementary school, in Williamsburg. The foregoing incidents from my life reveal that I possess a high level of integrity, reliability, planning and implementing capacity, motivational skills, inspiration, ability to work in a team and patience. 2.   What are you hoping to achieve during your studies in the MAcc Program? I will complete my Bachelor’s degree in accounting by the month of May, 2008. Subsequently, I intend to pursue the Masters of Accounting Program at the College of William and Mary’s School of Business. This course is truly outstanding and the faculty is the third best in the nation. Classes are typically small and informal. The emphasis is on acquiring expertise. The faculty is easily accessible, if one wants to clarify doubts. In conjunction with my considerable management and leadership skills, this knowledge in accountancy will render me highly suitable for obtaining the Certified Public Accountant license. My principal objective is to become a CPA.

Marketing Plan for British American Tobacco Company (BAT) Essay

Marketing Plan for British American Tobacco Company (BAT) - Essay Example The report entails the marketing plan of BAT and considers the current marketing environment, situational analysis and marketing objectives that should be implemented in order the changes in consumer attitudes towards consumption of the traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars. The report will also outline the marketing mix strategy that BAT should implement in order to attain the marketing objectives. British American Tobacco (BAT) has market presence in more than 200 countries across the world but has received criticism due to its controversial products that have adverse health effects on the consumers. Some of the leading global brands include Lucky Strike, Benson & Hedges, Pall Mall, Dunhill, and Rothmans. BAT has a strong market presence in Britain and entire European market and its traditional products such as cigars, pipe tobacco and cigarettes are experiencing a decline in demand due to high consumer awareness of the adverse impacts of nicotine on their health. In response, BAT has started developing next-generation products that include the heat-not-burn devices and electronic cigarettes. BAT has implemented a new vision strategy that will enable the company to attain leadership of the global tobacco industry and enhance the shareholder value. Marketing is concerned with anticipating and meeting the changing consumer needs and preferences through offering new products, new uses of the product and added benefits to the products.

Funding in singaporean health system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Funding in singaporean health system - Essay Example The funding also enables competition between the different private health care facilities. The funding also encourages individuals to choose between the public and private health care facilities. Singapore uses the 3M health care financing and services provision. The first 'M' is the Medisave introduced in 1984, the second 'M' is the Medishield introduced in 1990 and the third 'M' is the Medifund introduced in 1963. These 3M form the centerpiece of Singapore health care financing. The 3M medical strategy was designed to curb the reliance of the public on fee for service, third party reimbursement. New medical schemes have been added to the 3M, these include the Eldercare and Elderfund. The Singapore government offers subsidies to public health, outpatient services, hospital services and preventive care. Classes B and C are highly subsidized accounting for the higher costs of running private hospitals. This is practiced at the private sector. It is done individually or through an employer. It is popular among professionals and companies. It is practiced in the private sector. With this type of funding, the companies control the health care expenditure. The system is not used at a national level in Singapore. Widely practiced in Singapore's private sector. ... Fee for service Widely practiced in Singapore's private sector. It is practiced at a family medicine and specialist level. This form of financing for the private sector is growing rapidly in Singapore. It is based on free to choose basis. It is personal and very efficient. However it cannot serve the Singapore entire population as it is expensive. The sector progress as the economy grows (Toh, 2008). Cost containment In the Singapore method of health care financing the health care cost do not pose any problem so long as the rising national income is matched with the health care costs. This means that as the GDP increases, the health care costs should also plummet. This however is problematic due to the fact that the health care cost might increase faster than the GDP. As hospitalization cost increase the cost of the premiums are bound to increase. In the 3M system, all the money spent on the health care is directly the money earned by the health facilities. This system makes the health care providers lack any incentive to contain costs. The system thus limits health care providers from practicing entrepreneur skills. The 3M scheme has resulted in the cutting back of the government spending on healthcare but not to the private spending. Government promotion to the private sector Singapore is striving towards becoming a regional medical hub. This initiative is funded by the government and aims at promoting the private health care sector. The government has spent millions of dollars in attracting foreign based biotechnology and pharmacetucal companies. Some multinational drug companies operating in Singapore include Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Schering-plough and Pfizer. (Taylor & Blair,

Management Report Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Management Report - Dissertation Example Unlike other resources which an organization deploys people or its staff are live resources that think, have feelings, aspirations, motives and emotions which get nurtured, developed ,frustrated or stunted every now and then. No human would be willing to work with frustrated aspirations or stunted and suppressed feelings. Thus it becomes incumbent on an organization to nurture and develop the feelings, aspirations, emotions of its employees. Recruitment and selection is only the starting point in labeling the potential employee as successful; it is the proper organizational induction process that ensures that the employee catches his breath, looks around the organization, understands its basic and core activities, evaluates the various opportunities and facilities for growth, looks at the responsibilities maps and evaluates the sources available in the organization to carry out the tasks given to him/her in the job card. Thus a proper induction process is the start of the strategic H R function for any organization. A short cut or improper induction process may result in cutting short the employee's overall experience in the organization and may critically affect his overall morale and motivation .A proper induction is also an important step in setting up the employee on a potential path of employee empowerment. A proper orientation can also result in developing leaders among employees. This paper examines the overall strategic HR function in reference to the role of the process of induction and orientation. 9 Building on this focus this paper maintains the following research and Project Learning Objectives 10 Research Objectives 10 The main objectives of the proposed research scheme primarily concerning the impact of induction procedures...A change model built by Ghoshal and Bartlett can be considered for application in the case of MILKO and the suggested induction and onboarding program would set in motion such a change model. This envisages a change from the traditional corporate structure to an organization characterized as an "individualized corporation". This model is built in a manner to provide managers and leaders a perspective from which to deliberate the changes required their organizations. In a traditional corporate structure where compliance, control and contractual employer/employee relationships dominate, the organizations turn bureaucratic and become less hospitable for innovations and quality consciousness. Such organizations present work performance and quality standards which rarely improve from such preset standards. The model radically intends to relocate responsibility and the sense of ow nership to the employee encouraging greater discipline in getting to targets- a process ably supported by requisite systems and visibility of information. In conclusion, this paper took up the study of MILKOS and found through a survey that employee induction efforts had left much to be desired. This paper is an attempt to devise and propose a new induction process that is based upon well-researched theoretical models and concepts that threw out the important dimensions that may be essential to cover in the employee induction program. The paper finally suggests such an ideal induction program and bases it on the realities of MILKOS.

Alien and Sedition Acts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Alien and Sedition Acts - Research Paper Example The paper highlights that the term federalist is used to refer â€Å"to those individuals who favored the ratification of the US Constitution† (Vile 268). The newly formed Federalist party was led by Alexander Hamilton and was formed around the idea of supporting a strong national government such as would be competent to exercise its powers under the necessary and proper clauses established a national bank. The Democratic - Republican Party was largely founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. This party was founded by the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions, which were against the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Democratic-Republicans had worries about the attempts to stifle the dissenting voices in the United States. Jefferson responded to these concerns by allowing the Alien and Sedition Acts to expire without renewal and issued the pardon to those who had been arrested during the time (Sabato and Ernst 301). This move not only solidified the ability for an opposition political party to be established in the United States without fear of prosecution, but Jefferson refused to grant the newly formed Federalist interest to the national charter of the Bank of the United State and opened another branch in New Orleans. He also cut the spending of the national debt and eliminated the internal revenue taxes; this move strengthened his standing among his opponents. This made the newly formed Federalist have a disorganized party. In conclusion, there have been philosophical differences between the newly formed Federalist and the Democratic - Republican Party.

Should Taxpayer's Continue To Fund Welfare and Do Illegal Immigrants Research Paper

Should Taxpayer's Continue To Fund Welfare and Do Illegal Immigrants Contribute To The Welfare State - Research Paper Example The bottom line of all of this is that every group has strong points and arguments that are valid to differing degrees. But discounting a massive revolution that restructures the government completely and re-imagines a new set of core American values, the welfare system should be at very least left intact, and at best vastly restructured and better funded. It is better for American society overall, and more in line with fundamental American values, to continue to fund the welfare state. To understand the welfare state in America one must first understand a little bit about its history. Unlike Europe, patronizing liberal-democracy thinking and Christian fundamentals played little role in developing the welfare system in the United States (Trattner 5). Instead, the welfare system in the United States has always been developed, cut or expanded depending on economic circumstances. It was born out of the Great Depression as part of the New Deal Program (Trattner 7). The basic premise at t his time was that there were massive numbers of people who were willing to work, but far too few jobs available even after the expansion of federal work programs. President Roosevelt essentially either had the choice of instituting a welfare system or letting people starve (Tratter 102). The Great Society period of the 1960s saw welfare expand so that someone who was neither infirm, young nor elderly could get enough to live on through welfare payments from the US government (Lawrence and Strakey 19). The last major change in welfare occurred during the booming economy of the 1990s under Bill Clinton. In this first massive cut of the welfare state, which saw welfare return to the states rather than the federal government, and become a smaller and more temporary program than it had been in the past. At the time of record-low unemployment, booming compensation and a robust economy under Clinton, it seemed inconceivable that anyone who wanted to work would be unable to in the long term , so it seemed that the only people on welfare were people unwilling to work, so the cuts seemed justified. This change has been lauded as one of the best in the history of welfare in the United States, because poverty levels dropped substantially and welfare rolls decreased along with this change (78). The problem, however, is that the decrease in poverty was largely a function of a robust and booming economy, not the changes in welfare law. Though the economic affairs of the US have shifted drastically in the last decade, the welfare system instituted by the Clinton administration in 1996 is essentially the same one in operation now. Welfare obviously has a long history in the United States, but this does not explain the arguments for keeping or further funding welfare. There are two main sets of arguments, ideological and some practical. The first ideological argument comes from some of the founding documents of the United States. The Declaration of Independence argues that †Å"all men are created equal.† The problem, however, is that this is self-evidently not true. Some people are born with a brain that is incapable of accomplishing many tasks whereas others are born geniuses who can unlock the mysteries of science and technology. This fundamental problem has been explained away by saying that this passage means that everyone should have equality of opportunity

Effects of Domestic Violence on Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Effects of Domestic Violence on Children - Essay Example In Australia, 75,000 to 640,000 children get exposure to domestic violence. An Australian study showed that up to 40% of chronically violent teenagers have exposure to extreme domestic violence. These statistics become of great concern when viewed globally. Under these circumstances, children grow up in a very violent environment where they witness the physical abuse that their parents inflict on each other. Furthermore, they hear the fighting noises and threats from their parents. They observe the results of the violent acts such as bloodshed, torn clothing, bruises, tears as well as broken items. This paper seeks to show the effects of domestic violence on children. Psychological effects of domestic violence Children who get exposed to such acts of violence normally develop unnecessary fear and anxiety. They are always waiting for the next violence. They fear that any slight argument may lead to violence. As such, they do not feel safe in the home since they do not know what will t rigger the next violence. They also feel powerless and worthless since they wish they could help, but they are not able to do so. It is this feeling of worthlessness that works against their self esteem. These children feel obliged to safeguard the family secrets. They, therefore, restrain themselves from exposing such secrets to outsiders (Zeck, 1993). For this reason, they look cool and composed from outside even when they are going through the toughest psychological torment. They do not seek help from out of fear of revealing the family secrets. Moreover, such children feel vulnerable and isolated. In some instances, they take the blame for the violence since they think that they are the cause. They grow up without the primary needs of a child such as attention, approval and affection. In such cases, mothers are normally busy trying to keep themselves safe and survive in a violent environment. They, therefore, forget their maternal role to the children. Fathers, on the other hand , struggle to seek control of everyone and forget their paternal role in the upbringing of their children. The children feel psychologically and physically abandoned. Emotional response to domestic violence in children Children may exhibit varied emotional responses to the domestic violence that they continually witness. Such response may include shame, fear, sleep disturbance, guilt, anger, depression among others. Moreover, such a child may also be affected physically by headache, stomachache, loss of concentration and bedwetting. Physical injuries may also come as a result of the struggle in an attempt to intervene during the violence (Gioia & Sims, 1983). Children who experience domestic violence also exhibit a number of behavioral changes in response to the violence. Such change in behavior includes anxiety to pleasing, throwing tantrums as well as withdrawal. This, in effect, affects their school attendance and performance. The children may also exhibit delay in growth and dev elopment. This includes developmental delays such as speech and cognitive skills. The children may also assume violence as a means of self expression and defense. They display increased force and aggression towards their peers. This makes their social lives harder since they are not able to socialize with people. Another adverse effect of domestic violence on children is compensation. In many cases, the children take care of their parents injured in domestic violence as well as their younger siblings. This way, they take up adult roles that are far above their ability. Consequently, there is a delay in the child’s emotional and physical development (Daly, Speedy &Jackson, 2004). Long term Effects of Domestic

Should Taxpayer's Continue To Fund Welfare and Do Illegal Immigrants Research Paper

Should Taxpayer's Continue To Fund Welfare and Do Illegal Immigrants Contribute To The Welfare State - Research Paper Example The bottom line of all of this is that every group has strong points and arguments that are valid to differing degrees. But discounting a massive revolution that restructures the government completely and re-imagines a new set of core American values, the welfare system should be at very least left intact, and at best vastly restructured and better funded. It is better for American society overall, and more in line with fundamental American values, to continue to fund the welfare state. To understand the welfare state in America one must first understand a little bit about its history. Unlike Europe, patronizing liberal-democracy thinking and Christian fundamentals played little role in developing the welfare system in the United States (Trattner 5). Instead, the welfare system in the United States has always been developed, cut or expanded depending on economic circumstances. It was born out of the Great Depression as part of the New Deal Program (Trattner 7). The basic premise at t his time was that there were massive numbers of people who were willing to work, but far too few jobs available even after the expansion of federal work programs. President Roosevelt essentially either had the choice of instituting a welfare system or letting people starve (Tratter 102). The Great Society period of the 1960s saw welfare expand so that someone who was neither infirm, young nor elderly could get enough to live on through welfare payments from the US government (Lawrence and Strakey 19). The last major change in welfare occurred during the booming economy of the 1990s under Bill Clinton. In this first massive cut of the welfare state, which saw welfare return to the states rather than the federal government, and become a smaller and more temporary program than it had been in the past. At the time of record-low unemployment, booming compensation and a robust economy under Clinton, it seemed inconceivable that anyone who wanted to work would be unable to in the long term , so it seemed that the only people on welfare were people unwilling to work, so the cuts seemed justified. This change has been lauded as one of the best in the history of welfare in the United States, because poverty levels dropped substantially and welfare rolls decreased along with this change (78). The problem, however, is that the decrease in poverty was largely a function of a robust and booming economy, not the changes in welfare law. Though the economic affairs of the US have shifted drastically in the last decade, the welfare system instituted by the Clinton administration in 1996 is essentially the same one in operation now. Welfare obviously has a long history in the United States, but this does not explain the arguments for keeping or further funding welfare. There are two main sets of arguments, ideological and some practical. The first ideological argument comes from some of the founding documents of the United States. The Declaration of Independence argues that †Å"all men are created equal.† The problem, however, is that this is self-evidently not true. Some people are born with a brain that is incapable of accomplishing many tasks whereas others are born geniuses who can unlock the mysteries of science and technology. This fundamental problem has been explained away by saying that this passage means that everyone should have equality of opportunity

Comparative Analysis - Elie Wiesel and Hilary Rodham Clinton Essay Example for Free

Comparative Analysis Elie Wiesel and Hilary Rodham Clinton Essay The two speeches orated by Elie Wiesel and Hilary Rodham Clinton were delivered in 1995 to influence change. Wiesel’s, ‘Listen to the silent screams’ was delivered at Auschwitz. World leaders and survivors listened as he influenced the audience to act upon racial hatred and religious extremism. Clinton delivered her speech at the United Nations 4th conference on Women’s Rights Plenary Session in Beijing. This is ironic given China’s poor record for human rights violations, particularly against females. Delegates and women from all over the world came to hear her rebuttal, ‘Women’s rights are human rights’. Both Wiesel’s and Clinton’s speeches are relevant today as both their aspirations of human rights for all have not yet been fully realised. Both speakers broadcast their message by addressing the audience through exhibiting their authority and rhetorical devices. Both speakers establish authority and credibility for themselves as speakers and for their cause in different ways. Wiesel is authoritative as he has lived through the Holocaust, whereas Clinton is authoritative as she is an active feminist. Wiesel addresses his audience by using personal pronouns to create equality, â€Å"I speak to you as a man, who 50 years and nine days ago had no name, no hope, no future and was known only by his number, A7713†. This statistical information shows the formality of the occasion and establishes that being in Auschwitz has influenced his view on humanity. He â€Å"has seen what humanity has done to itself by trying to exterminate an entire people and inflict suffering and humiliation and death on so many others. Wiesel does not specifically identify one group of people for doing this; he influences the audience to understand whole of humanity was responsible for Auschwitz. Contrastingly, Clinton establishes her authority by being female, by being indefatigable, and by speaking to and for women from all over the world. She states, â€Å"Over the past 25 years I have worked persistently on issues relating to women, children and families. † This shows she is serious about women’s right, it is something she strongly believes in, and her commitment to the cause is absolute. Clinton has worked on women’s rights for â€Å"the past 25 years†. Not only is she committed, in addition she brings experience. By listing countries in which she has talked to mothers about their issues, â€Å"I have met new mothers in Indonesia Denmark South Africa India Bangladesh Belarus Ukraine Chernobyl †, she highlights her credibility to appear influential and qualified to act as a voice on their behalf. She has met mothers who are voiceless, now she has the responsibility to speak out, to be the one voice that is heard. Both speakers establish their authority by validating their cause and using rhetorical devices . Wiesel uses emotive language and imagery, whereas Clinton appeals to fact. Imagery is used in Wiesel’s speech to capture the surreality of the Holocaust. Clinton uses fact to update the audience with reality of the world, and influences the audience with statistical information. Wiesel uses representative figures of mothers and old men and women, â€Å"Listen to the silent screams of terrified mothers, the prayers of anguished old men and women. † The use of the emotively loaded adjectives ‘terrified’ and ‘anguished’ shows the reader their vulnerability. Prayers’, shows helplessness and desperation as there was nothing they could do but hope. Their prayers went unanswered, as did the silent screams. Wiesel uses anaphora and imperative to influence the reader the dead have never been laid to rest, â€Å"Listen to the tears of children, Jewish children, a beautiful little girl among them, with golden hair, whose vulnerable tenderness has never left me. † Wiesel influences the audience to pity the children, the most innocent of mankind. He achieves this by describing a representative figure who stands for all Jewish children. Through the description of, ‘vulnerable tenderness’ he emphasises the frailty and innocence of children, while showing that this was brutally crushed. There was no mercy. The weak were tormented, the most innocent were sentenced to a death both unimaginable and undignified, â€Å"Look and listen as they quietly walk towards dark flames so gigantic that the planet itself seemed in danger. † The metaphor shows the quantity and mass of the deaths, that people were being murdered on such a large scale that it seemed as if the whole world would be consumed. In contrast to Wiesel, Clinton used statistics throughout her speech to underline the importance of women’s rights. Statistics were used to give the reader an idea of scale, â€Å"Women comprise more than half the world’s population, 70% of the world’s poor, and two-thirds of those who are not taught to read and write. † Incorporating researched data gives realism and urgency. When statistics are used the audience is able to comprehend what is happening and who is involved. By using examples Clinton is telling the audience it should not be a problem as it involves at least half of the world’s population. Clinton gives examples from all over the world of what is happening, one of them being, â€Å"It is a violation of human rights when babies are denied food, or drowned, or suffocated, or their spines broken, simply because they are born girls†. Notice in this it is not only stated as a violation of women’s rights, but a violation of human rights. We are human, and we have rights. The violence needs to stop; in the name of humanity as a whole. Both Wiesel and Clinton are telling the world through the power of rhetoric, that change is needed. These speeches are relevant and persistent today. The issue of effectively opposing religious fanaticism, racial hate, and building gender equality have enduring relevance in all countries. With, â€Å" let us stop the bloodshed in Bosnia, Rwanda and Chechnia; the vicious and ruthless terror attacks against Jews in the Holy Land†, Wiesel is saying humanity has turned on itself before, and suffered before, yet we have not learned. He commands we must â€Å"reject and oppose more effectively religious fanaticism and racial hate†. Allow the Holocaust to be the past, Wiesel urges we must focus on a safer future for our children so that the millions who died in the Holocaust did not do so in vain. Clinton speaks to the world, urging the importance of gender equality, â€Å"Even now, in the late 20th century, the rape of women continues to be used as an instrument of armed conflict†. In this she gives an example of why gender equality needs to occur by giving an example of what is happening today. Both speakers influence the audience through exhibiting their authority and use of power, they show that these issues are pressing and cannot be ignored.

Supply Chain Management Of Nescafe Marketing Essay

Supply Chain Management Of Nescafe Marketing Essay This report comprehensively discusses the distribution channel network which is used by Nestle to sell its Nescafe coffee brand in the market. The report discusses upon various channel partners involved in this process and the roles played by each channel partner in the whole distribution process. The report also discusses about how the smooth functioning of the distribution channel is ensured and who are designated with this task. Report also discusses about marketing and promotional techniques used by Nescafe, their pricing strategy. The report further discusses about physical distribution management, inventory management, storing and warehousing, transportation. Distribution costs involved, payment terms and debtor control, flow of information related to inventory, sales and payments have also been discussed. We have also focused on how communication flow takes place in between channel partners, how conflict management takes place in between the channel members. We have also focused on various aspects of demand and supply management strategies which are adopted within Nescafe. INTRODUCTION About Nestle India: Nestle is one the leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness company. It was founded in 1866 by Henri Nestle in Vevey, Switzerland, where its headquarters are still located. The company employs 2,80,000 employees and have factories and operations in almost every country in the world. Nestle sales for 2009 were CHF 108 bn. Nestle India was set up in 1961 at Moga (Punjab) was followed soon after by its second plant, set up at Choladi (Tamil Nadu), in 1967. Consequently, Nestlà © India set up factories in Nanjangud (Karnataka), in 1989, and Samalkha (Haryana), in 1993. This was succeeded by the commissioning of two more factories at Ponda and Bicholim, Goa, in 1995 and 1997 respectively. The seventh factory was set up at Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, in 2006. The 8th Factory was set up at Tahliwal, Himachal Pradesh, in 2012. The 4 branch offices in the country help facilitate the sales and marketing of its products. They are in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The Nestlà © India head office is located in Gurgaon, Haryana. About Nescafe: Nescafe is a brand of instant coffee made by Nestle. Nescafe coffee comes in many different forms, flavors and sizes. After eight years into development, the coffee powder was first introduced on April 1st, 1938 in Switzerland. In the  United States, the Nescafe name was used on its products until the 1960s. Later, Nestlà © introduced a new brand in the US called Tasters Choice, which supplanted Nescafe for many years. Tasters Choice was also introduced into Canada at the same time, and continues to be sold as a separate product, branded as superior to Nescafe, and is higher priced. CHANNEL PARTICIPANTS AND CHANNEL STRUCTURE OF NESCAFE Channel Partners There are various channel partners involved in the distribution of Nescafe. Nestle has 8 factories in India. From these factories, Nescafe coffee passes on through several channel partners: DC (Distribution Centers): Nestlà ©s distribution centers are specialized buildings, with refrigeration and air conditioning where many Nestle products along with Nescafe are stored for distribution other channel members. It is one of the most basic parts of the order processing and fulfillment process. It can be said that these distribution centers are company owned warehouse. It is important to note that distribution centers can be of many types such: Retail Distribution Center- distributes goods to retail store Order Fulfillment Center distributes goods directly to consumers Cross-Dock facility doesnt not stock the products but distributes to other destinations Super Stockiest The Company keeps their stock with super stockiest to pass it on next channel members like wholesalers, retailers and consumers. Usually there is a separate super stockiest for every district. Wholesalers: They buy in bulk. The company usually provides them discounts on the bulk purchases. Wholesalers help the company break the bulk quantities by further selling the product to retailers in small quantities. Retailers: Retailers sell the coffee directly to consumers through retail shops. These retail shops can be traditional Kirana stores (also known as General Trade) or Supermarkets and Hypermarkets ( known as Modern Trade). E.g. Spar Hypermarket. Here it is important to note that because of the bulk purchases done by hypermarkets, the company may sell its product directly to such channel member engaged in modern trade, thereby reducing number of level of channel distribution and costs. NESTLE primarily uses two types of product channel distribution structures in order to deliver the NESCAFE COFFEE products from manufacturer to consumers. The channel structures are as follows: A B Consumers Retailer (Modern Trade) DC (Distribution Center) Consumers Retailer (General Trade) Wholesaler Cash Distributor (Super Stockiest) Manufacturer DC (Distribution Center) Manufacturer In the above diagram above, we can see that Nestle uses two kinds of channel structure to distribute Nescafe coffee to the consumers, depending on the area of operations and available resources in that area. In the structure A, we can see that from the factories, the product does to the distribution center (DC) where it is stocked for further distribution. From DC to product moves to super stockiest, who further supply it to wholesalers? From wholesalers the product moves to retailers. In structure A, these are traditional retailers having Kirana or traditional stores. Such structure is more successful in unorganized market. Nescafe coffee is then sold to end consumers through such stores, where it is put to display. In structure B, the coffee moves directly to retailers from distribution centers. From retailers the product is then sold to consumers. This structure is more successful in modern trade where retailers sell the products through supermarkets and hypermarkets in an organized retail market. Eg. Big Bazaar, Spar Hypermarket, Reliance Fresh etc. Packaging Nestles Nescafe Coffee is packaged in sealed airtight containers made out of glass/plastic and even in sealed bags of varying size and quantities which are further enclosed in cardboard boxes. However glass is the preferred choice of packaging material as according to Nestle, it is a natural material composed mainly of sand. To make their packages aesthetically appealing, the company prefers glass as any shape and size can be give to it. Further, glass packaging is tamper resistant, inert, non-porous and impermeable to chemical interactions. It also protects from degradation of the coffee by moisture and oxygen. The coffee is sold in varying quantities varying from small sachets of a few grams to pack sizes of 1Kg. http://www.designbridge.com/media/23501/nescafe_original_copycat_Carousel.jpghttp://mams.rmit.edu.au/eprcok6x99ck.jpghttp://www.yowazzup.com/coffee/images/nescafe-canned-drinks-special-edition.jpg Logistics For the logistics and transportation purposes, the companys distribution centers maintain their own fleet of commercial vehicles. Due to nature and scale of its operations, Nestlà ©s own fleet of transport vehicles helps it reduce third party costs, delays and conflicts arising out of it. However, super stockiest use third party logistics support in order to further pass on the product to the next channel partner. A third party logistics provider helps much part of the operations such as transportation, distribution and warehousing. Marketing/Promotion For marketing its Nescafe coffee brand, Nestle uses 360 degree promotional activities like heavy advertisements on Television, newspapers, internet and social media, public relation activities, vending machines in colleges, offices, departmental stores and many places such places which have high foot fall. Nestle is known to spend almost 40% of the marketing budget allotted to promote Nescafe brand on Television advertisement by roping in well known Celebrities to promote their coffee. Regular advertisements are carried out in leading national and local newspapers, magazines, to promote the existing Nescafe products, or whenever a new flavor of Nescafe coffee is launched. These advertisement focuses on the supposed superiority and uniqueness of Nescafe coffee over other brands. CHANNEL CONFLICT MANAGMENT Sales officer, Brand manager and Nutritional officers are involved in managing the channel structure. They visit the market and channel distribution partners from time to time to weed out any conflicts, and at large, to make sure the smooth functioning of the channel. Sales officer ensure that the projected sales figures are being met through various partners. He assigns territories, quotas and monitors the members of his sales team. Sales manager directly acts upon the sales figures and quotas set my executive level. Any conflicts in channel structure will generally cause disruption in sales. Sales manager will therefore interact with various channel partners on a regular basis to diagnose and resolve any conflicts as quickly as possible. Nescafes brand managers are engaged to ensure successful implementation of the promotional and marketing activities as per the objectives of the management. They analyze the sales figures, prices and guide advertising campaigns. Nescafes brand managers even contact retailers directly to promote their coffee brand. Nutritional officers meet the doctors and inform them about the products of Nestle. The conduct seminars for doctors and arrange symposiums. They ensure recommendation of Nutrition Range by Health Care Professionals through Ethical Detailing, Scientific meetings and conferences in accordance with Head Office guidelines. Nutrition officers also monitor and track any recent development in the field of Nutrition and serve as a reliable source of information. Nutritional officers are also act as a reliable source of market intelligence in their respective territories. They are usually aware of stock levels, its freshness, prices of own and competitor products. Thus using their knowledge of the market dynamics, they also help in the functioning of the distribution channel structure for Nescafe. PRICING STRATEGY Pricing is one of the four elements of the marketing mix, along with product, place and promotion. Pricing strategy is important for companies who wish to achieve success by finding the price point where they can maximize sales and profits. Companies may use a variety of pricing strategies, depending on their own unique marketing goals and objectives. Nescafe basically uses three types of pricing strategy. They are as follows Comparative pricing General way of pricing Economic pricing Comparative pricing: For formulating pricing strategy the company uses comparative pricing which is dependent on return on investments put in by the company, future growth opportunities in the market and potential expansion options. Various types of costs are also taken into consideration when formulating a pricing strategy, like distribution costs, advertisement expenses and margin on the product. General Method: what they actually used to do is they already fixes the rate of discount on a certain amount of good, like if u will purchase 10 packets of Nescafe we will give you five percent discount on the overall cost associated in buying that 10 packets Nescafe, however these rules are flexible, and actually varies from product to product, because at last the main motto is to sell the product as well as customer satisfaction. Economy Pricing: Economy pricing is a familiar pricing strategy for organizations Companies like nestle which takes a very basic, low-cost approach to marketingnothing fancy, just the bare minimum to keep prices low and attract a specific segment of the market that is very price sensitive. Physical Distribution Management Who is responsible for designing and setting up channel? There are various authorities who are responsible for designing and setting up channel. The authorities are sales head, head of field operation, marketing head, area head and sales officer. How the ware housing is managed? Is there a CF agent? The warehouse varies from product to product in Nescafe. Any distributer who wants to take the authority of warehousing the product has to satisfy certain protocols which are assigned by Nestle. Like if anyone want to take warehousing they should have own their own building. That building is called as product zone which consists of wooden racks as well as refrigerated section for storage of products. Yes, there is a CF agent in the whole process of delivering the product from manufacturer to consumer in Nescafe. Like they have RD (Regional distributor) who used to distribute the products on the small scale over a certain region of a particular city. Logistics and its cost? Logistics means having the right thing at right place at right time in a right cost also. Logistics covers three sections. Inventory management Storage and ware housing Transportation 1. Inventory Management Nescafe uses the SAP (system application and products) software, inventory management software (highly confidential) the distributer, the branch manager, the area manager, the branch head, sales officer, CEO, BOD are connected with the link .Everybody have a separate user name and password, so that anybody at any instance of time can get all the information like the total number of sales within a particular region, total inventory within the particular region, the total number of goods that are under process. This software also helps in order to keep track of current status of the products, condition of product, shortage, excess, total number of specific product etc. in Nescafe basically what they used to do is they first see the total number of sales for a particular item in last 4-5 month, and on the basis of that data they predict the future sales for the upcoming 5month and then they on an average used to stock the product in advance so that it can suffice the requirement of cons umer at any instance of time. And due to this reason the product shortage chances becomes so less approximately zero. 2. Storage and Warehousing: The warehouse varies from product to product in Nescafe. Any distributer who wants to take the authority of warehousing the product has to satisfy certain protocols which are assigned by Nestle. Like if anyone want to take warehousing they should have own their own building. That building is called as product zone which consists of wooden racks as well as refrigerated section for storage of products. http://www.pioneervending.co.uk/userimages/013-2.jpghttp://hyperspaceportfolio.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/nescafe-led-animated-poster-2.jpg 3. Transportation For transportation in Nescafe the distributer basically has their own vehicles while the super stockiest generally hire the third party logistics which taking care of transfer of goods. As an example the Nescafe in UK had hired Aceme 3p logistics services for 5 years in order to serve their product. http://www.ermewa.de/catalogue/img_bandeau/12-ermewa-nescafe.jpg Distribution cost The distribution cost of Nescafe varies with respect to the intermediaries. The company itself has to bear the distribution cost in transferring the product from manufacturer to distribution centre as well as to cash distributer. From cash distributer to wholesaler, the cash distributer has to pay the distribution cost. When product moves from wholesaler to retailer the wholesaler has to bear the distribution cost similarly in next lever the retailer has to bear the distribution cost. Payment terms and Debater control In Nescafe there is no hard and fast rule but basically they adopt three strategies for payment terms and debater control. In the first strategy when the company is giving their product to distributer/customer they have to sign a cheque that agrees to pay the money within certain days (max 10 days). While in second strategy one has to make the payments within 6 to 15 days, if its needed then they can extend the policy. In third strategy the customer can take the product by paying 5% on the spot by agreeing that they will pay the balance after selling the products. But company used this strategy very rarely. The payment term basically depends on certain factors like regularity of the customers, also the amount of quantity they are taking, past record of the customer. Communication/Information flow Inventory Data Nescafe uses the SAP(system application and products) software, inventory management software(highly confidential) the distributer, the branch manager, the area manager, the branch head, sales officer, CEO, BOD are connected with the link . Everybody have a separate user name and password, so that anybody at any instance of time can get all the informations like the total number of sales within a particular region, total inventory within the particular region, the total number of goods that are under process. This software also helps in order to keep track of current status of the products, condition of product, shortage, excess, total number of specific product etc. in Nescafe basically what they used to do is they first see the total number of sales for a particular item in last 4-5 month, and on the basis of that data they predict the future sales for the upcoming 5month and then they on an average used to stock the product in advance so that it can suffice the requirement of cons umer at any instance of time. And due to this reason the product shortage chances becomes so less approximately zero. Sales Data Sales data basically comprises of order placement, total number of sales for a particular product in particular region, what are the quantities that sold in particular region in previous times, billing order, profit for particular product or overall profit. Since we have discussed that Nescafe uses the inventory control software, in that software one block is there with the name reports. In that block one sub block is there with the name sales. By visiting that sub block we can gather all the information about sales. Payment Data It basically comprise of mode of payments like credit, cash, invoice. Same as like we gathered the sales data there is a sub block named payment options in which we will get all the information regarding the total payment for a particular region, total due, total canceled payment for particular region or overall. Critical Analysis Supply Chain Management: Supply chain management  (SCM) is the management of a network of interconnected  businesses  involved in the provision of  product and  Service packages required by the end customers in a  supply chain. Supply chain management spans all movement and storage of  raw materials work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption. Order Fulfilling Time The most important feature of Nescafe is that they have a very fast order fulfilling time. The average day for a particular product to be delivered from the day of order is 1-2 day. Nescafe can deliver the product on the same day in which they had got the order or on the very next day, and this variation basically depends on the transportation. Minimum Order Quantity There is no specific limitation for the minimum order quantity at Nescafe, but like others they love to take the bulk quantity order and serve them up to its best. Payment/Outstanding At Nescafe the period of payment basically depends on various factors. some of the factors like from what time you are associated with the company, you are a regular customer or a visiting type of customer, what is your total requirement, if you are an old customer then they might check your previous record in order to check that whether you are paying the payments on time or not. Generally the average payment time ranges from 6-15 days. DEMAND MANAGEMENT Nescafe uses the SAP(system application and products) software in order to keep track of current status of the products, condition of product, shortage, excess, total number of specific product etc. in Nescafe basically what they used to do is they first see the total number of sales for a particular item in last 4-5 month, and on the basis of that data they predict the future sales for the upcoming 5month and then they on an average used to stock the product in advance so that it can suffice the requirement of consumer at any instance of time. And due to this reason the product shortage chances becomes so less approximately zero. Speed of processing for complaint regarding supplies Nescafe trying to keep their trust trough all aspect of their services. Even in the case of sale if they are getting any complaint they will try to resolve it on the very same day they got that particular complaint or they will solve it within coming 24 hrs. CONCLUSION After scrapping up and intense analysis of data we reach out with important informations regarding the supply chain management of Nescafe. Our information clearly reveals that Nescafes supply chain management has both positive and negative faces. The positive aspects are like it has a very strong brand name backup of Nestle. Nescafes products are diversified in various flavors. They are making their products by keeping in mind that the products should be of nutritious values. Nescafe has a very great research and development team. In FMCG sector Nescafe is the only one company using software (highly confidential) for inventory management. They have a very strong strategy for conflict management. They are very fast in delivering products as well as taking suitable action on complaints regarding supplies. The customer can opt best payment option from companies payment terms and conditions. If we are pointing out the negatives then we can say Nescafe has no that much grip in rural areas. They are following price point portfolio system. Company always tries to emphasis the products science side than food side. RECOMANDATION It will be better for company if they reduce the price of products according to the areas they are serving. Also if they can extend the business for rural areas it will increase their profit.