Essay on employability Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On employability - Essay Example The recent world economic downturn and the pace countries will adopt towards recovery will translate to changes in statistics regarding employment and related practices e.g. selection and recruitment. This paper will discuss employability in light of my career direction and how this is in alignment with the current labour market. Career plans after graduation Employability is a huge concern to me but the course that I am pursuing i.e. Information Technology and Business Management has a good inclination in the job market. However, it is important to note that the type of organisation, professional level and type of job are important in determining short term success. Higher Education Institutions are meant to offer students better employment prospects (Yorke and Knight 2004). The plans that I have set aside after my graduation relate to becoming an Information Technology Project Manager. This is a position whose role is being redefined the world over due to the volatility of the IT f ield as well as that of managing related projects. Technology is quite dynamic with many changes happening all over the world that aim at enhancing ways of doing business. Managing IT-related projects will therefore require someone who is highly dynamic in regards to their general outlook of things as well as be able to timely capture emerging trends. Furthermore, project management in the IT sector is requiring managers to embrace the globalisation aspect of doing business and current marketing strategies of customers in the highly competitive global arena. Failure to adopt these in IT project management renders a manager irrelevant. It is therefore important to look deeper into my education landscape so far as well as in the near future and assess whether I am employable as an IT project manager. Employability in relation to the Article As the article by Brown et al. suggests, employability is relative depending on whom and where it is being analysed (Brown, Hesketh and Williams 2 002). IT industry in the current working environment requires personnel who have adequate knowledge in business management. The reason for this is that IT connects all departments and personnel within an organisational setup whether small or large. Those people working in the IT department therefore need to have adequate knowledge of all business operations. Having studied business management, I stand to understand how projects need to run till completion and when numerous departments are involved in ensuring success. The labour market especially in the UK has balanced all sectors relatively well and the fortunate occurrence is that all these sectors depend on IT to function internally and to interrelate (Meister 1998). The preference of taking IT project management as a career is based on the labour market limitations towards the range of jobs one can render application. Studying Business Management coupled with Information Management makes me think that project management in IT is an appropriate choice and that I have a chance of acquiring a job as a project manager. This goes ahead to prove the social construction of employability. On the other hand I would rather not take a receptionist job based on the social connotation that such is not appropriate for a person bearing my credentials. Considering the above relationship between labour market, employability and education

The Aesthetical Philosophies of St Thomas Aquinas Essay Example for Free

The Aesthetical Philosophies of St Thomas Aquinas Essay Thomist philosophy as the only true Christian philosophy3 , regarded to the best of its kind. As we delved into the study of the aesthetics of Tomas Aquinas, the interesting thing about it that there seemed to be no singular book written about the topic among his great body of philosophical oeuvre. It also have been said that he seemed to be not written a clear, specific aesthetic theory4 . Yet his appreciation of beauty and aesthetics and his artistic personality are spread throughout and very much evident in his works. Now lays a problem for me, our contemporary era in the 21st century has no relevant comparison to the medieval times. Our contemporary times with the technological advancements and societal developments and upheavals present little resemblance to the conditions of the Middle Ages. To my mind the world we are living in, i. e. my life and my way of thinking, is anything but medieval. Studying the philosophies of St. Thomas, made me think if there is any significance of his aesthetic principles to my artistic future. Now comes the question: do the aesthetic principles of St. Thomas still be applicable to our fickle fast-faced times of â€Å"anything-is-possible† and â€Å"art-isover†5 mentality? In these era of mobile phones, Internet, iPodâ„ ¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s, iPadâ„ ¢s and Digital Cameras, where beauty is a sinuous shape and titanium casings to to die-for, do integritas, proportio, and claritas6 still ring true to the contemporary artists like Vik Muniz7 , designers at Apple ®, or to the recent OSCARâ„ ¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s best picture movie director of â€Å"The King’s Speech†, are they even applicable to other arts such as performance art like dance? What got me interested in this particular topic is stating the obvious: I am curious if St. Thomas aesthetics and appreciation of beauty is still relevant to me? With a 700 years between us, can his teaching still have any impact to me? A newbie artist / graduate student. 3 4 5 Ralph McInerny, Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings (London: Penguin Books, 1998) p. xxvii Umberto Eco, The Aesthetic of Thomas Aquinas (Milan: Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri, 1970) p. 19 Arthur Danto, The End of Art in the Philosophical Disenfranchisement of Art (New York: Columbia Uni- versity Press, 1986) pp 85 6 7 Thomas Aquinas, â€Å"Summa Theologica† Q39, Ar 8. Vik Muniz is a Brazilian Artist who is famous for bringing multi-media artform to the wide acceptance of the public. See his TED video presentation of his life, work and artistic philosophy: http://blog. ted. com/2007/04/20/vik_muniz_on_te/ Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School 4 Tomasso D’Aquino His education and professional life Thomas from the land Aquino was born in the thirteenth century Italy, in 1225, at a time of resurgence in the appreciation of the classical literature, philosophical writings and concepts. He was born to an aristocratic class, and having been well provided for, had been educated at the nearby monastery of Monte Cassino. He was exposed very early in his life to musical education thanks to the resources of his landed family. Having been honed early in rhetoric, grammar, dialectic in his trivium years and later, quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy8 , the appreciation of the finer arts of music, poetry and literature came very natural. Through his education that his aesthetic sense was developed. His early grasp of musical harmony shows in his liturgical musical compositions later in his professional life. His solid background in rhetoric is well evident in his voluminous writings of the Summas, Commentaries, Letters, etc. All these presents us, modern people, a deep artistic appreciation of the many creative talents of Thomas Aquinas. Thomas wrote on his appreciation of beauty of the arts was coming from the breath of his education and experience and not merely coming from detached point of view of an observer or mere intellectual. Before becoming a friar himself he had already a highly-developed sense of artistic talent and aesthetics. Much was said about how Tomas became a Dominican, a mendicant order of friars, much to the consternation of his wealthy family who had designs for him to become a landlord himself or become an Abbot of the nearby Benedictine Abbey, Monte Cassino, much like his uncle the Abbot Sinibald. But Tomas had other plans. He became a Dominican, this ambition was instrumental to his success as the leading thinkers of all history. It was with the Dominicans that 8 Ralph McInerny, editor, Thomas Aquinas Selected Writings, (London: Penguin Books, 1998) pp. x Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School 5 his in-depth intellect was nurtured and encouraged and given credence. It was a match simply planned in heaven! Tomas became a protege of Albertus Magnus, a giant among the intellectuals in the Dominican order. But earlier on, in his education at the University of Naples Tomas was introduced by one of his teachers, Master Lawrence, a Transylvanian, of to the great writings of Aristotle9. It also have to be noted that the classical philosophies at that time had a resurgence by way of Alexandria. The islamic scientists and scholars have been known to have and propagated the ideas championed by Plato, Aristotle 10, Plotinus, Boethius and many more. St. Albert the Great nurtured Tomas’ talent and intelligence to maturity. To cite a few of his compositions, â€Å"The Office and Mass of Corpus Christi† is surely the most admirable liturgical service ever composed, the â€Å"Adoro Te† touches deep emotion and has been considered as a great poetry. Tomas was not only exact in his theology but also a master of prosody11 . Tomas became a bright young teacher himself after being conferred a master at the University of Paris. He was under the tutelage of his great mentor, Albertus Magnus and eventually out-shined his master. A contemporary of Tomas was Giovanni Di Fidanza, who later became Bonaventure, a Franciscan who later became a saint himself. The two had a mutual respect for each other but that relationship was later tested by a religious controversy, which we will not be discussing, as the scope of this paper is limited. The two former classmates went on their separate directions, Thomas became a renowned teacher and philosopher, had two stints as regent master of the Parisian Dominican house and Bonaventure, a noted Theologian, eventually became the Minister General of the order of Franciscans. Both led parallel lives and both died in the same year, 1274, a mere four months of each other. Bonaventure was eventually declared a â€Å"Doctor Seraphicus† and we know Tomas is â€Å"Doctor Angelicus† and the â€Å"Doctor Universalis†. St. Thomas died early without finishing his greatest work, the third part of Summa Theologica, about Christ. Around six months prior to his untimely 9 Peter Strather, Thomas Aquinas in 90 Minutes An Audiobook (Blackstone: London, N. d. ) Ibid. David Knowles, â€Å"The Evolution of the Medieval Thought† 2nd ed. (Longman Group: Essex, England, 10 11 1988), p235 Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School 6 death, he had another vision of God that changed his point-of-view. Apparently he had conversation with God while saying a mass, this vision had shown him the magnificence and grandeur of God. After which, he ‘hanged his writing instruments’, so to speak. His reasoning was that all his writings were mere ‘straw’ compared to the majesty of God. Tomas was canonized a saint some fifty years after his death, but not without controversy within the theological community, largely brought by the Franciscans 12 and other theologian opposed to his theoglogy. But Pope Leo XIII, an ardent Thomist scholar, prevailed in 1879, citing in his encyclical Aeterni Patris that the theology of Thomas is philosophia perenis, whose philosophies are to be taught in all the religious schools from there on after. Thus, the prophesy of Albertus Magnus came true, that the ‘dumb ox’s bellowing will be heard to the ends of the earth’, and it is still being heard as of this day, loud and clear. 12 â€Å"St. Thomas Aquinas†, New Advent website, 7 Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School Medieval Concept of Beauty and Art Gothic Cathedral in Lyon, France (Photo Credit: Majella Salceda-Tresvalles, 2008) Let us start by understanding the concept of beauty and art during the medieval times, the appreciation of beauty is very much different from appreciation of arts. Way back in the classical times in Greece, Arts, or Ars, as it was known then, as techne (‘ ’, meaning craft)13 were related to craftmaking only, unlike what we know of art today. The artist then was a craftsman that churns the requirements of the religious to come up with tall churches, golden vestments and bejeweled chalices. The monarchs and landed too are among the privileged few that can afford to have beautiful things to adorn their palaces and splendid residences. Medieval thought, like the classical thought, did not considered that art necessarily had to do with the production of beautiful things or stimulation of aesthetic pleasure. As â€Å"Ars† (art) signified a technique for constructing objects. If some of these objects appeared to be beautiful, this was a side issue. However this â€Å"side issue† is central to modern philosophy, to which the artistic experience is always somehow connected with aesthetic experience. 14 13 14 Steve Shipps, (Re)Thinking ‘Art’: A Guide for Beginners (USA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2008) pp. 4 Eco, Aesthetic of Thomas Aquinas, pp. 3 Majella Salceda-Tresvalles †¢ [emailprotected] com †¢ UST Graduate School 8 A survey of the history of medieval aesthetics provides ample evidence of the two of the elements in medieval culture: (1) philosophical reflection on beauty; (2) a concrete and conscious awareness of the beauty of things and the aesthetic reality of art. Some historian assert that the two are in fact independent of each other, the metaphysical reflection on beauty was something quite separate from the everyday, concrete aesthetic sensibility at that time. In the medieval times, the appreciation of beauty in the everyday living was grounded on the ordinary taste. It cannot be denied that the medievals had aesthetic sense, yet it must be noted too that during those times, they lack in the proper artistic semantics unlike what we have in our â€Å"advanced† era of the 21st century. But not knowing the terminologies does not mean that they did not admire what beauty was. One only has to survey the designs of medieval cathedrals, musical compositions, commissions to produce various metal functional implements, to agree that truly there was medieval aesthetics. The integration of the temporal pleasures to the theological beauty was very much evident in the Middle Ages, i. e. temporal pleasures admiration of the beauty of a church, theological beauty- church architectural design served to â€Å"give praise† to the divinity of God. If art could simultaneously instruct and delight (prodesse et delectare) this was because the medieval sensibility like the whole medieval culture as a whole, was an â€Å"integrated† sensibility. 16 This integration was used to the fore by the church, choosing the art in churches to simultaneously instruct and enhance worship. The Catholic Church was the biggest benefactor or client for the artisans, art was used for religious, court and political purposes only. Whether one favors that the only appreciation of beauty was limited to theological aspects or only of this earth, or both, the apparent system of aesthetic sensibility, i. e. its limitations in semantics should be taken into account within the cultural framework of the medievals at the time. Lets face it, the wheels of history was moving slowly during that time, and inventing new words and discovering new things took time.

Georger Washington Essay -- Presidents England Farms Papers

George Washington The king of England, George III, was fond of farming. His favorite diversion was to ride about his lands, chatting with the tenants about the crops. "Farmer George," he called himself. His arch-opponent, George Washington, had the same fondness for farming. He too enjoyed riding about his lands and talking about the crops. Indeed there was nothing else he enjoyed quite so much. But there the likeness ceased. And among the many other matters that differentiated George Washington from George III, none was more striking than his greater dignity and reserve. George Washington would never have taken the liberty of calling himself "farmer George," nor would he have allowed anyone else to do so. Even his close friends took care to keep their distance, and those who forgot to were apt to be brought up sharp. A familiar anecdote, through perhaps apocryphal, well illustrates Washington's customary posture toward himself and toward others. During the meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia a group of Washington's friends were remarking on his extraordinarily reserved and remote manner, even among his most intimate acquaintances. Gouverneur Morris, who was always full of boldness and wit, had the nerve to disagree. He could be as familiar with Washington, he said, as with any of his other friends. Alexander Hamilton called his bluff by offering to provide a supper and wine for a dozen of them if Morris would, at the next reception Washington gave, simply walk up to him, gently slap him on the shoulder, and say, "My dear General, how happy I am to see you look so well." On the appointed evening a substantial number were already present when Morris arrived, walked up to Washington, bowed, shook hands, an... ...im in the election that elevated Jefferson to the presidency. But he need not have feared. The republic did survive and long preserved the aloofness from foreign quarrels that he had prescribed for it. His honor survived with it, and posterity has preserved his image in all the aloofness that he prescribed for himself. Although the mass of citizens have learned to look upon most of their other historical heroes with an affectionate familiarity, they have not presumed to do so with Washington. The good judgment that he was sure they possessed has prevented a posthumous repetition of the folly perpetrated by Gouverneur Morris. Americans honor the father of their country from a respectful distance. And that is surely the way Washington would have wanted it. --from Edmund S. Morgan, The Meaning of Independence (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1976) Georger Washington Essay -- Presidents England Farms Papers George Washington The king of England, George III, was fond of farming. His favorite diversion was to ride about his lands, chatting with the tenants about the crops. "Farmer George," he called himself. His arch-opponent, George Washington, had the same fondness for farming. He too enjoyed riding about his lands and talking about the crops. Indeed there was nothing else he enjoyed quite so much. But there the likeness ceased. And among the many other matters that differentiated George Washington from George III, none was more striking than his greater dignity and reserve. George Washington would never have taken the liberty of calling himself "farmer George," nor would he have allowed anyone else to do so. Even his close friends took care to keep their distance, and those who forgot to were apt to be brought up sharp. A familiar anecdote, through perhaps apocryphal, well illustrates Washington's customary posture toward himself and toward others. During the meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia a group of Washington's friends were remarking on his extraordinarily reserved and remote manner, even among his most intimate acquaintances. Gouverneur Morris, who was always full of boldness and wit, had the nerve to disagree. He could be as familiar with Washington, he said, as with any of his other friends. Alexander Hamilton called his bluff by offering to provide a supper and wine for a dozen of them if Morris would, at the next reception Washington gave, simply walk up to him, gently slap him on the shoulder, and say, "My dear General, how happy I am to see you look so well." On the appointed evening a substantial number were already present when Morris arrived, walked up to Washington, bowed, shook hands, an... ...im in the election that elevated Jefferson to the presidency. But he need not have feared. The republic did survive and long preserved the aloofness from foreign quarrels that he had prescribed for it. His honor survived with it, and posterity has preserved his image in all the aloofness that he prescribed for himself. Although the mass of citizens have learned to look upon most of their other historical heroes with an affectionate familiarity, they have not presumed to do so with Washington. The good judgment that he was sure they possessed has prevented a posthumous repetition of the folly perpetrated by Gouverneur Morris. Americans honor the father of their country from a respectful distance. And that is surely the way Washington would have wanted it. --from Edmund S. Morgan, The Meaning of Independence (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1976)

“Of Mice and Men” Prejudice and Alienation Essay

Prejudice of many groups of people was prevalent in America during the Great Depression era. In the 1930s when the book took place, there was an extreme amount of racism and sexism, little to no knowledge of mental disability, and assumedly a great deal of ageism. In _Of Mice and Men,_ John Steinbeck uses prejudice to illustrate the theme of alienation through ageism, racism, sexism, and ableism. Candy was an old man who lived on the farm who lost his hand in an accident while working. The ranch hands constantly tortured Candy by telling him that his dog was too old for his own good, and that he would be better off dead. Candy takes this personally, assuming that they were insinuating that he was also worthless to the ranch, and too old for his own good. The old man realizes that this is the only job he’ll ever have, considering he only has only had one hand and is too old to do hard labor and said, â€Å"‘When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me†¦ I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs'† (60). The other men understand this and exclude Candy for his differences. Slim, another ranch hand, talking about Candy’s dog said, â€Å"‘I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I got old and a cripple'† (45). Candy’s dog is an obvious parallel to Candy and his physical conditions that prevent him from working. To show racism, Steinbeck uses the character Crooks, a black stable buck who lives on the ranch. Although sometimes in the book it seems that Crooks isolates himself, it is clear towards the end of the book that the other men avoid associating with him because of the color of his skin. Many of the  other ranch hands refer to Crooks as â€Å"nigger†, an extremely offensive term, instead of his actual name. Crooks avoids getting into trouble by staying in his room (which is in the barn with the animals) and staying out of the way of the rest of the men. At one point, Crooks aggravates Curley’s wife, and as a response she threatened, â€Å"‘Well you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so fast it ain’t even funny'† (87). When Crooks is talking to Lennie and Candy, he confides in them about his loneliness, admitting, â€Å"A guy sets alone here at night, maybe readin’ books or thinkin’ or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin’, an’ he got nothin’ to tell him what’s so an’ what ain’t so† (73). Sexism is another major part of the novel, and it is shown through the character of Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife, is who she sounds like she is, because she’s married to Curley, the son of the head of the ranch. She is never given a name, which was probably to show the reader that the only relevance she had was that she was Curley’s possession in a way, because she was his wife and was not allowed to talk to anyone but him. Curley’s wife constantly cries for attention because she, like many of the other characters in this novel, feels lonely most of the time. The men do not understand why she does, and take it as thought she is just being â€Å"slutty† in a sense because she didn’t like Curley. George is talking to Candy when he says his first impression of Curley’s wife. George said, â€Å"‘Well, seems Curley’s married†¦ a tart,'† because he didn’t empathize Curley’s wife’s loneliness (28). In turn, Curley’s wife is alienated for her gender, and admits to Crooks, Lennie, and Candy that she wishes she had people to talk to and have conversation with. While talking to the three other â€Å"outcasts† on the farm she admitted, â€Å"‘I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad'† (87). It is more and more apparent throughout the book that the other ranch hands don’t want to make Curley upset by talking to his wife, but in the end she is still alienated because she is a woman. The most recognizable prejudice in this novel was the ablelism toward Lennie. Lennie, the main character of the book, had some type of mental disorder that prevented him from remembering things and also from controlling the motor function and decision making concerning his hands, but of course in  this time period there was no knowledge of such diseases. Lennie was the most kind-hearted, innocent character in this book because he doesn’t understand superficial alienation or prejudice toward someone because of their sex, race, age, etc. He can’t take care of himself, so his best friend George tells him what to do. During one part of the book when George is talking to Slim, George talks about how he used to treat Lennie: â€Å"‘I used to have a hell of a lot of fun with him. Used to play jokes on ‘im ’cause he was too dumb to take care of ‘imself'† (40). Soon after, George told Slim that he stopped messing with Lennie because he told him once to jump into a river, and Lennie almost drowned and died because he didn’t know how to swim, and didn’t know any better than to just listen to what George says. At the end of the book when Curley found out that Lennie had killed his wife, he took it out in anger because he did not understand that Lennie couldn’t control himself, ordering, â€Å"‘When you see ‘um, don’t give ‘im no chance, shoot for his guts'† (97). Lennie is alienated in this novel because of his disability and is isolated (and killed) as a result. In sum, Steinbeck uses ageism, sexism, racism, and ableism to convey the theme of alienation in _Of Mice and Men_. In the scene with all four of the alienated characters in Crooks’s room, Curley’s wife said in frustration with the fact that she has not one to talk to, â€Å"‘Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs- a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep- an’ likin’ it because they ain’t got nobody else.'† (78) This line is very significant because it shows that even though they are all excluded from the majority of the ranch hands, and from society in general, they realize that they can turn to each other when they feel lonely.

Microsoft Office Program: Helfpful to Student’s Studies Essay

I. INTRODUCTION In this fast reaching world, the studies of every individual become more complicated. We have now going beyond the imagination of each human being and applying this through technology. Merely fact, technology is a very big help in the lives of each learners specifically to the highschool students here in Gonzalo Aler National High School. The school adapted technology as one of the most important tools in learning and computer is one of the best examples. Computer is one of the best systematic knowledge that can be used. Using this product of technology, learners challenged to be maximized in their learning by being more creative and become more interested in studying. Today, computer does not just help to the student but it is an essential one to give courage and help improves the skills of individual. With the ever increasing population of computer technology, it is almost impossible to find an educational establishment that does not use it. Computers are becoming a more and more important within education as both a learning tool for students and for keeping records of all individuals at the school. Computers allow students to access more information more easily and the introduction of the internet means that this information is available to hand 24/7. Whether this is a good prospect or not is something that is debated frequently. For every factual and accurate piece of information that can be found on the internet, there are ten false ones. This has lead to a demand for school based websites and computer software that students can use without the risk of being fed false information. Computers allow students to collect this data quickly and efficiently and learn skills such as finding relevant information and producing it in a way that can be read by others. As most students will have computer facilities at home, teachers can set them homework projects that wouldn’t have been possible with just the facilities available in library books. The internet and computer software programmes can also be used by students to carry out tests for revision purposes. Computers in educational establishments are not just important for the student’s learning. The technology can also be used by teachers and administrators at the schools to keep a record of all of the students’ details and progress. Computer databases make searching for an individual student’s information quick and easy and it can be updated in an instant. Having all of these details on file and in depth means that, should there be any queries further down the line, it is easy to track any grades, disciplinary actions or absences all in one place. In most work environments, Microsoft Office can be used. It’s user friendly and not as complicated as some may think. Microsoft Office is the world’s best and famous work program for studying, personal use, and office work. Microsoft Office includes Access, Excel, Outlook, Power Point, Publisher and Word. In the following pages, the three most useful and helpful apps will be discussed. II. DEFINITION A. MICROSOFT WORD It is software which is used for the typing and office work and contains different facilities to the users to save their time and get their work in an efficient manner. The Microsoft word was developed by the Microsoft Corporation in the year 1983. The name which was given to this software was the Multi-tool word which was designed for the specific systems to run on that. But later on there were many systems which were used to developed for the other systems as well. The software was designed for the IBM, personal computer and Macintosh. So the commercial popularity is very high of this software as we compare it from the other computer software which are providing the similar facilities. B. MICROSOFT EXCEL Excel is fundamentally a spreadsheet program, featuring cells, rows and columns for labeling and organizing data. Columns and rows meet to form many individual cells, each one generally representing one data point or piece of information. After developing a spreadsheet, you can perform many manipulations of the data. C. MICROSOFT POWER POINT Microsoft Power Point is a presentation program. It enforces learning and retention by displaying images and text to complement the oral presentation PowerPoint features transitions and animated entrances for pictures and text. Audio and images can be embedded, and slides are able to be advanced with an automatic timer. Power point is a just like the name says a powerful tool for learning. It is basically electronic slides where a person can embed files such as texts, music, pictures, diagram, or whatever else you like. III. USES Microsoft Word is used to: †¢Typing and office work and contains different facilities to the users to save their time and get their work in an efficient manner. †¢Create, view, edit, save and print documents. †¢Spell check more than 50 languages †¢Writing business letters to their clients. From one paragraph or 4 pages, it’s where they will have their letter written up and printed. There are also different tools MS Excel is a powerful Microsoft computer program used for: †¢creating spreadsheets. (Upon entry of the data into a spreadsheet, you can perform many kinds of analysis, from mathematical operations to automated graph creation.) †¢One excellent use of Excel is its ability to carry out formulas (aka functions). For instance, if you’d like to use Excel to track expenses, you can perform a SUM operation to tally expenses in different categories of a budget †¢If more complex operations are required—such as numerical data analysis—you can create a graph and Excel will perform a regression analysis on the data, finding the best equation. For anyone who has struggled to find an equation, MS Excel can help MS Power Point †¢It is used to present words and pictures in a slideshow format, usually viewed on a projector in front of classrooms and auditoriums. †¢It can be used to create great presentations not only for the business world but also in the classroom or for own personal use. IV. IMPORTANCE Microsoft Word Microsoft Word is a word processing software. Using this software you can write letters, applications, documents etc and create tables, make hyper links to the world wide web, insert formatting (bullets, numbering etc), pictures, micros and many more. It is as important to write a document as a pen to a paper. It takes low disk space and can be easily downloaded and uploaded on the world wide web. This was offered for the business and individuals to help them to accomplish their work in a better way and which can save the time of the people and provides them with the great tools so that they can work on that. So this is the reason the system is very popular in the market. It is licensed software any one who wants to use this software he need a Microsoft license in order to use this software. So this is very good software which is released in the market. Microsoft Excel Though such a description makes Excel sound relatively simple, this is not so. It has the ability to perform complex operations, save time and improve efficiency dramatically in the process. Whether being utilized at home or in the workplace, MS Excel can be an invaluable program when it comes to many analytical tasks. Excel is perhaps the most important computer software program used in the workplace today. That’s why so many workers and prospective employees are required to learn Excel in order to enter or remain in the workplace. From the viewpoint of the employer, particularly those in the field of information systems, the use of Excel as an end-user computing tool is essential. Not only are many business professionals using Excel to perform everyday functional tasks in the workplace, an increasing number of employers rely on Excel for decision Widely used by businesses, service agencies, volunteer groups, private sector organizations, scientists, students, educators, trainers, researchers, journalists, accountants and others, Microsoft Excel has become a staple of end users and business professionals. The beauty of Excel is that it can be used as a receiver of workplace or business data, or as a calculator, a decision support tool, a data converter or even a display spreadsheet for information interpretation. Excel can create a chart or graph, operate in conjunction with Mail Merge functions, import data from the Internet, create a concept map and sequentially rank information by importance. MS Power Point PowerPoint allows speakers and teachers to have a visual aid, which can greatly enhance the presentation. PowerPoint presentations enable teachers to increase the quality of written material and visuals they present to the students in the class. The alternative to PowerPoint presentations are using blackboard/whiteboard, and flip charts. Though to completely eliminate the use of blackboard, the PowerPoint offers some distinct advantages. First the PowerPoint presentations can be made in advance, thereby effectively increasing the time available to the teacher to teach. Also the PowerPoint makes it possible to provide a much richer quality of visuals including multicoloured complicated diagrams and pictures. PowerPoint is a wonderful tool for learning in both a student and teacher-directed situation. It can add a new dimension to learning allowing teachers to explain abstract concepts, while accommodating all learning styles. Used properly, PowerPoint can be one of the most powerful tools for disseminating information ever known. Employed inappropriately, PowerPoint could potentially confuse students and make learning a difficult process. V. BENEFITS Microsoft Word is a word processing program that was first released in 1989. It is used to create and save papers, manuscripts and other written works. The program affords a number of important benefits to users. What are the benefits of Microsoft Excel? The advantages of MS Excel are many–especially to users who take some time to get acquainted with Excel’s features.   One benefit is timesavings. Excel saves you time by offering an intuitive GUI (graphical user interface). A key feature of this interface is the Ribbon, which prominently displays icons for the tools you’ll likely use most often. When you think of what Excel excels at, you likely think of data manipulation first: sorting, filtering, tabulating and calculating data. Each of the tools to do these tasks is immediately available on the Home tab of the Ribbon. Timesavings from other tabs Reduced Need for Conversion Tools What Are the Benefits of Using PowerPoint and Slide Presentations in the Classroom? Interaction and Engagement oPowerPoint and slide presentations hold student attention through the use of video, graphics and music. Because students today are so technologically advanced, tools that involve technology such as slide shows increase student involvement and interaction. Ability to Capitalize on Modern Media The Internet provides current events coverage and the latest information on an enormous number of topics. Slide show tools allow you to incorporate text, video, audio and photos from the Internet easily, allowing you to share the most recent information using media that engage students. Integration of Multiple Sources Using PowerPoint and slide shows, you can integrate multiple sources in your classroom presentations. For example, you easily can incorporate photos of student work, video from a field trip, related content from news sources and the latest expert research into a single presentation. Availability of Instruction Rather than handing absentee students written notes of a lesson they missed, you can replay your lesson or presentation using a slide show. Absent students receive the same instruction as those who are present, so they do not fall behind. Cooperation and Collaboration Teachers can share lessons and presentations simply using a file-sharing system or flash drive. Teachers can share the workload of creating presentations. Furthermore, a student seeing more than one teacher’s presentations is exposed to more than one point of view. The benefit is that you are engaging students not just through words, but also through visuals. Some students learn better by hearing, but other students learn better by seeing. So, immediately you can see the benefits of engaging students through the visual means. Also, it provides for some excitement in that it breaks down the daily routine of lectures. VI. DISADVANTAGES Using Microsoft Word Although popular, MS Word has some distinct disadvantages over other word processing alternatives. Learn about the disadvantages of using MS word as your default word processor. Microsoft Word is the number one word processing program in the world. However, being number one in the marketplace doesn’t mean that it is the only choice to consider. MS Word has some distinct disadvantages that make other word processors attractive alternatives. Part of the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software, Word has grown to become an application that can do it all. Being able to do it all also means that Word can be a complicated application when you just want basic word processing capabilities. Using MS Excel As with many tools there is a definite learning curve to using Excel. Because it is so versatile and can do so much it is difficult sometimes to know where to start. If you are using excel to write a paper then the disadvantage would be, excel is not meant to do that, Word would be the Microsoft program to use. The trick is knowing if it is the right tool for the job. It is possible to write a paper with Excel and it is possible to create a database with it. You can even send email using Excel 2007. This is like asking what are the disadvantages of using a hammer. The only disadvantage is that it may not be the right tool for the job. Excel is meant to crunch numbers. Using MS Power Point PowerPoint is not used for delivering video presentations but rather static images and text The disadvantages of Microsoft PowerPoint are that: †¢You will not be able to change any slide during a PowerPoint presentation for any mistake that you have made until you close the presentation down and edit the slide in the normal view. †¢If you are doing the presentation in a dark to a semi dark room, it is difficult for you to get eye contact with your audience while doing the presentation. †¢If you have different parts at the end or beginning, which should be after the third or fourth slide, then you will need to skip through the rest of your slides. When you had to skip through some of the slides in the presentation to get to the correct point and by doing this, it will distract your audience and your audience will not focus on the rest of the presentation that you need to give. †¢When you are doing the presentation, you will lose where you are because as you give the presentation, you will not have anything to see what you next slide is and that means you will need to keep looking at your presentation that you are giving, to remind yourself what slide is before the current one you are on and what slide is the next one after you have finished on the current slide you are on now. †¢When you are giving your presentation, you will need to keep moving, which means if you keep moving quite a look, then you will be distracting the audience, which will make them not concentrate on the rest of the presentation that you need to do. †¢As you are doing your presentation, the speed of the presentation may increase, so it makes it much more difficult for you to explain each of the points that you have put in the presentation and also it makes it more difficult to read out your notes that you have made for the points that you have put in the presentation. †¢When printing out the slides for the presentation, it will lower the concentration of the audience because they know what slide is coming up next, so that means they will not even bother listening which will then lower the effectiveness of the presentation, that you are giving. †¢When creating your presentation, it will be easier to add too many words, so that all the words will not fit on the screen, which will make it much harder for the audience to read the points that you are making. †¢When presenting the presentation, the person who is doing it makes them very dependent on the computer because they need to keep clicking the mouse or pressing a button to advance the slides in the presentation, which means they cannot get into giving their full heart to the presentation. CONCLUSION: A computer is a great thing for a student to have, mainly because of word processing (Microsoft Word). Students can take notes in classes easier without any issues due to handwriting, smudging, or cramping. Students can also make easy to make, easy to present, and easy to view (in other words visually appealing) presentations (Powerpoint), which are a great alternative to posters or speeches. Other programs allow for easy data organization (Excel). As technology is more and more incorporated into education, books will have special activities or quizzes online, or teachers will demand typed work. Some classes (mainly in college, however, some high schools are beginning to integrate online quizzes and materials into classes) take place entirely online. Microsoft Office is very beneficial to everyone and anyone once you get the hang of it. You won’t regret learning and practicing, it has a lot to offer you. Today, a computer does not just help a student†¦ it is essential to one. BIBLIOGRAPHY ï‚ §Books:Encyclopedia American, Volume 26- For the definition of computer ï‚ §http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office ï‚ §www.Dmac-Unibase.com ï‚ §What is MS Excel? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6734885_ms-excel_.html#ixzz2KMqUxfVz ï‚ §What is MS Excel? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6734885_ms-excel_.html#ixzz2KMqquKdU ï‚ § http://EzineArticles.com/724646 ï‚ §http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheri_Graves ï‚ §http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/articles/61181.aspx ï‚ §www.triadsemi.com ï‚ §eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5008796_using-powerpoint-slide-presentations-classroom.html#ixzz2KN1iHhvg ï‚ §http://www.ehow.com/facts_5565422_microsoft-power-point.html#ixzz2KMu4S06q ï‚ §http://www.historyandtheology.com/?p=574

Abortion Essays (434 words) - Abortion Debate, Abortion, Fertility

Abortion Essays (434 words) - Abortion Debate, Abortion, Fertility Abortion Abortion It is an undoubted fact of biological science that from the moment of conception, a new human life has been created. Only those who are irrational or ignorant of science doubt that when a human sperm fertilizes a human ovum, a new human being is created. That is why I disagree with aborting infants. If abortion is the taking of a human life and yet people feel that it should be just a personal matter between a woman and a doctor there seems to be two choices open to them. First, that they would believe that other acts of destruction to human beings should be of no concern of society and therefore, eliminate them from the criminal code. Secondly, because a person is not close to the deceased, they shouldnt be concerned with their death. I agree that the fetus has not developed full potential as a human being, but, neither have any of us. Nor will any of us ever reach that level of perfection. Because some of us may be less far along the path than others, does not give them the right t o kill us. Those in favor of abortion assume that they have that right. To say that a ten week fetus has a less value that a baby, means also that one must consider a baby of less value then a child, a young adult of less value than an old man. This idea is completely absurd. Some try to excuse the murder of a person because the mother might have been forced upon pregnancy due to either the tragedy of rape or incest. I am not condemning the crime that the female had to undergo, but I will also not condemn abortion. No sane reasoning can place the slightest blame on the unborn child it might produce. Murder is never justified, even to relieve a great pain, and even if there was a prior injustice, such as the child being forced on the woman against her will. Should we compound the psychic scar already inflicted on the matter by her having the guilt of destroying a living being which was at least half her own? While it is easy to feel that abortion is being performed for the sake of th e fetus, in reality abortions are performed for adults. There is no way to indicate that an infant with a birth defect would rather not be born since he cannot be consulted. If we kill infants with confidential defects before they are born, why not after birth, why not any human, we declare defective? Bibliography created.

Free Capital Budgeting Economics Essay Example

Free Capital Budgeting Economics Essay Example Capital Budgeting Essay Sample Introduction An organizations success is largely a reflection of the profit earned to its shareholders or its owners. This includes different managerial activities that are involved in the planning and regulating the firms financial resources. Financial management is concerned with the decisions involving the financing, dividend and investment. There are many objectives or goals that a firm strives. Increasing the market value of the firm to its shareholders and the owners is the most widely accepted objective for the owners. This phenomenon is termed as shareholder wealth maximization. The financing management includes the decision concerning the various sources of money, the allocation of fund and last but not the least the distribution of funds to the various sectors of an organization. The future of a company depends on its ability to generate more money that comprises of an enhanced cash flow and attracting more investments from the stakeholders. Each of the above said work is accomplished by the virtue of capital budgeting. In todays world, all the businesses look for any opportunity that will help multiplying the shareholders value. Capital management ensures that the firm takes suitable investment opportunities that will yield positive results and have good potential for return in future. Capital budgeting an overview Capital budgeting is a process that is used to ascertain whether a firms investments or the projects undertaken would be worth more to the business with respect to their cost perspective. The process of allocating budget to any investment opportunity or a project is very crucial, as they cannot be easily reversed once they are implemented (Peterson and Fabozzi, 2002). It is imperative for the managers to adopt the sound capital budgeting technique for future benefits, needless to mention that this method is helpful to safeguard companys funds from any loss as well. Funds are invested in both long term and short-term assets. Capital budgeting primarily concerns the investment in any long-term project or an asset. The asset can be tangible and or intangible item. Tangible items include property, setting up a new factory or plant or any equipment. Non tangible or intangible items includes investment in a new technology, processes through which an advanced software and products are created, patents, trademarks, various researches, designs, developments and testing are also considered as an intangible asset. Capital investments can be differentiated from the recurrent expenditure. The capital investment projects are in general large and their profits or the cash flow spreads over many years (Baker and English, 2011). The projects are much long lived as well. The return on these investments has an effect on the future cash flow to the company. They are thus the decisive factor regarding the future investment by the stakeholders and the risk associated with the cash flow. Firms should take up the project that has a good potential to enhance the cash flow and would have great influence on the business over a period. The capital budgeting processes plays an important and a critical role in shaping up the business and are related to the firms success or failure, to an extent. It measures the performance of the firm and builds the standard and parameter to gauge and analyze any investment opportunities with respect to the market (Baker and English, 2011). Businesses aim to enhance the wealth or aspire to increase the profit of the owners and the stakeholders. In order for this, the firm should take up all possible projects that will add value to the company. This whole process is accomplished by capital budgeting. It decides the financial desirability of the project (Garcia, 2009). It can also be described as the process, which distinguishes a positive project with the negative one. Here the term positive and negative refers to those projects that will be of utmost interest to the stakeholders and its owners. The project, which has the capacity to increase the cash flow to the company, is of tremendous interest to the owners and the stakeholders. In the capital budgeting process, the goal of the shareholder is given the utmost importance. Capital budgeting is the decision taken before allocating funds to any investment project The decision taken holds critical to the company as the project will affect the cash flow and the future investment by the stakeholders. This is vital for the organizations future, longevity and reputation in the market. In the capital budgeting, strategic processing or strategic planning can be considered as the reflection of the whole framework and functioning of the firm (Garcia, 2009). The identification of a sound proposed capital expenditure and an investment project is of utmost importance. The company should make sure that all the potential investment projects and proposals are thoroughly and effectively studied and decided upon. There should be no biasness while choosing the project, does not matter how much lucrative the project appears. The best of the investment project should be selected, tested and implemented. The management should be open to any idea or any suggestion coming from outside or inside the firm. The projects are first studied and analyzed by the analysts based on the managers expertise, experience and assumption. It is then passed over to the management for further consideration. The projects are then rejected or accepted based on the recommendation and suggestions by the analyst. There are several stages in the process of capital budgeting Strategic planning is the first and the foremost step towards the capital budgeting process. The corporate goal is converted into the desired policies, necessary directions that specify the tactical areas of business development towards achieving the goal. In a nutshell, a firms goal and aim is encapsulated in the companys strategic planning. The most important aspect of the capital budgeting process is the generation and choosing the suitable investment project (Graham, Smart and Megginson, 2010). The project should be in tandem with the companys goal, visions and long-term plans. The investment opportunity and the strategic planning of an organization go hand in hand. There are again some investments, which are mandatory in nature like the safety requirements, the health measures. Others are discretionary and are taken up in accordance with the suitable growth opportunities, competition in the market, cost-cutting measures and so on. These type of capital budgeting represents the strategic plan of the firm and can be changed or modulated as per the investment opportunity. In some firms, the research and development unit identifies and creates new and attractive investment opportunities (Peterson and Fabozzi, 2002). The managements job is to choose the investment project well suited for the company by screening and analyzing the facts and figures of the same. The investment opportunities are subjected to extensive financial screenings and appraisal to ascertain if it would be worth taking the project and if it can add value to the firm. This stage is termed as the qualitative analysis, project analysis or financial and economic appraisal phase. This phase predicts the future cash flow; the possible bottleneck associated with the cash flow, suggests an alternate solution in case of any problem and prepares estimates of the projects net present value. It takes in to account the forecasting techniques, the evaluation methods, risk analysis and other programming techniques. The application of a particular type of project requires some experience and knowledge For example- asset expansion projects, international investments require a particular expertise to accomplish and to exercise it. The result from the project analysis phase dictates and guides the project selection or investment decisions. When a project passes the quantitative test, it is further evaluated with respect to the qualitative factors. The qualitative factors cannot be gauged monetarily but will have an influence overall journey of project completion. For example- the attrition rate and the new hires, the effect of the governments rules and policies on the companies, the human resource, the labor union, the consumption and the availability of the raw material, possible legal problems with the brand name, impact of the project or the investment on the society are some of the qualitative factors. The management has to study and predict the negativity of these factors on the project and its future benefits. The management decides a suitable solution for any negative related to the project and suggests a possible solution for the same. In this endeavor a constant monitoring and study is required to ensure that a corrective action is taken, if necessary. Evaluation of the performance of the similar projects from past are also taken into studied. Last step is the post implementation audit which aids in the strategic planning and formation. For example, the positives and the negatives of the past projects result on the cash flow can provide suitable framework and working for the current one (Peterson and Fabozzi, 2002). Capital budgeting is also helpful in making marketing plans. The time of completion, the investment, the reason for undertaking such project (social, economical or financial reason) can be chalked out with the help of the capital budgeting process. The marketers can ascertain if the company needs to invest more in the sales force or in advertising. Capital budgeting is one of the crucial elements in business. One wrong decision can jeopardize the entire project and can result in wasting huge amount of money, if the investment results in an uneconomic act. Processes and techniques application and theory In a firm where there is a possibility of suggesting many potential investments or projects, choosing the right type and time is a challenge. There are two types of projects generally undertaken which are the independent projects and the mutually exclusive projects. In the independent projects, the cash flow bears no impact on the sanction or disqualifying the project. In the mutually exclusive, project the cost effect on another. Therefore, they cannot be taken up together. The factors influencing the acceptance or rejection of the project is the particular strategy of the firm, the time needed for its completion, other internal factors like human resources and investment or the fund allotted (Graham et al., 2010). Independent project can also be described as the one that has no relation with the other project being implemented or under investigation. For example- Buying a new Xerox machine and setting up a new factory. The mutually exclusive projects are those where the firm has the option of choosing among the two, for example- Buying Apple PC or Dell. In a mutually exclusive project, the firm chooses the one that would enhance the money value and thus the cash flow. For example- If the company has to choose between two coffee vending machine with two different installation charges and energy costs. Both the machines might be in a way are contributing to increase the cash flow but the firm has to choose and decide the one which will add more value to the firm. The ranking approach is taken into consideration while deciding the rank from good to bad. The best is then chosen for implementation (Garcia, 2009). Capital rationing is also a decisive factor influencing the decision regarding the project or to ascertain whether to go ahead with a particular investment. Capital rationing refers to the restriction on the amount of investment and funds on any wealth-improving project. Firm may be reluctant to add expense as there may be a conflict among the owners and the partnership may be diluting (Garcia, 2009). Market should support the fund or provide monetary aid to all those projects that will bring prosperity to the company. However, there might be some limitations on the part of the managers in terms of their expertise or using any specialized machinery. In these cases, the projects selection is done on the basis of the desirability and ranking simultaneously (Tajirian, 1997). For example- a transport company aspires to expand its business in five different cities. It either has the option to choose some routes to all the cities or to some cities or it can choose not to expand the route. In the cases similar to this, the company has to decide the project based on capital rationing. The decision as to which city the transport company has to expand its business in is the decisive factor. This is considered as short run constraint. Once the rationing is lifted and the short run constraints are over, company can go ahead and can hire more resources or can invest in a bigger project. The Decision Criteria: Net present value is used as a tool for the accept-reject any investment process. If the value of Net Present Value is greater than $0, the firm accepts the project. If the value of Net Present Value is less than $0, the firm rejects the project. In the first case, the firm will earn more return than the cost of the capital. This will increase the market value of the firm and consequently the wealth of its owners. IRR (Internal rate of Return) This is also a sophisticated capital budgeting technique. It can be described as compound annual rate of return, the company can expect to earn provided it invests in the project at a given cash inflow. The Decision Criteria If the Internal Rate of Return is greater than the cost of capital, the project is accepted. If it is less than the cost of capital, the project is rejected. This ensures that the firm can get at least the expected return. This will add to the market value and consequently the wealth of its owners. Payback period Payback Periods are used to measure proposed investments. This process is considered as an unsophisticated method of capital budgeting. Payback period is the amount of time required by a firm to get back or recover the investment that was done initially in a project. The Decision Criteria If the payback period is less that the maximum acceptable payback period, the project is accepted else it is rejected. The maximum acceptable payback period is a value that is set by the management. The decision is based on the type of project, expansion, renewal and other qualitative factors existing in the market. Current trends The capital budgeting process uses different techniques. Choosing and applying the best method is a challenge. Prior to the year 1980, managers were dependent mainly on the payback and other methods. The Net Present Value (NPV) method was not in practice then. By 1990, the usage of NPV was the maximum. The Internal rate of Return (IRR) method came into practice, but its popularity and usage were not at par with the NPV. Payback was the most popular method 40 years ago. Its use as the primary criteria has fallen drastically by 1980. Companies are still using the payback method as it is easy to calculate and can be modulated according to the managers wish, but it is not used as the primary measuring technique. Other methods are also not widely taken into consideration, as the IRR and NPV are giving results that are more accurate especially the NPV method (Brigham and Houston, 2007). Evaluation and analysis of techniques In any capital budgeting process, a project is accepted if it is assumed to increase the profit of the firm and thus bring more wealth to its owners or the stakeholders. Usually the Net Present value (NPV), the internal rate of return (IRR), profitability Index (PI) is used for calculating the viability of a particular investment project. Each of the technique includes the estimation of the costs incurred, savings and the revenue earned (inflow).The tax effect is also considered. It is though difficult and cumbersome to obtain the relevant dataset, but if used and administered in a relevant way, can fetch more revenue to the company. The net present value method is rather easy to interpret and analyze. This reflects the ways or the measure to transform the project into wealth, if it is accepted. The net present value has some drawbacks as well. It requires specific expertise to use and solve it. A sound knowledge of finance is also required to implement it. Any wrong calculation in the net present value may upset the entire project if there is capital rationing in the firm. Internal Rate of Return is the rate of return that a project generates. The Internal Rate of Return is comparatively easy to generate. The acceptance criteria though remain the same- profit factor of the stakeholders. The drawback lies in its usage. It requires a financial calculator to interpret. There are chances that in a particular project there are no IRR, or there are multiple IRRs. Probability Index (PI) is relatively easy to calculate and interpret the result. It shows the chances of receiving the amount of dollars per dollar invested. In those cases when there is capital rationing in the firm, the Probability Index technique is used and implemented. The drawback with the Probability Index technique is that it cannot be used if initially the money invested is from the savings or the revenue generated. Probability Index cannot be used straightforwardly if there are mutually exclusive projects. The strength of the payback period is its ease of usage, used by large firms to evaluate small projects. It is considered as a measure of risk exposure, many firms adopt this technique to help take other decisions. It also depicts the time value of money. The drawback of this technique is that it cannot be used for wealth maximization purpose. It only tells the maximum acceptable time to get back or recover the initial investment. It does not completely consider the time factor while deciding the value of money (Capital Budgeting Techniques, 2009). The capital budgeting process may provide some acceptance or rejection decisions in the independent projects. The problem arises with the mutually exclusive projects. There are chances of conflict arising while deciding between the mutually exclusive projects. The Net Present Value is always considered while arriving at any conclusion in cases of any conflict. The Net Present Value is more stable, conservative and gives results that are more realistic. The Pay back method is also used but in more complicated situations Net Present value can be used in almost circumstances and is considered superior to even internal rate of return. Inferences The whole theory and the structure of the capital budgeting is based upon two approaches-Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) on a large basis. The NPV is a better method than the IRR in many ways. The NPV yields more realistic and positive result. Some calculations give more than one IRR that makes it more difficult to understand and interpret. Practically, the financial decision makers consider the IRR a better alternative. They are more interested in understanding and measuring the rate of return than the actual dollar return. The business people find the NPV less interesting and lucrative, as it does not measure the profit based on the amount invested. There are many techniques and tools available for correcting the loopholes of the IRR technique. The financial business decision makers find it easier and comfortable to use the IRR technique. The IRR expresses the interest rate, profitability and so on are expressed as annual rate of return. Conclusion Capital budgeting is an important element in business. Capital budgeting can be considered as a tool used to understand and make correct estimate of relevant cash flow associated with proposed capital expenditure. The techniques are used for choosing the right investment plan. Decision on investments that take more time to mature should be based on the returns on that investment. The success of a firm is dependent on the kind of investment projects undertaken by the managers. The investment done can generate more revenue and add value to the firm. It is used in marketing, operations, accounting and so on. For example, the marketers can evaluate if they want to invest more in advertising or in sales force. A firm can lose large amount of money if the investment turns wrong. Decisions regarding which project to invest in, the expected value of return and the time to mature can be calculated and predicted. The need is a thorough understanding and the usage of the techniques involved. The time of completion, the investment, the reason for undertaking a project (social, economical or financial reason) can be chalked out with the help of the capital budgeting process. Capital budgeting is one of the crucial elements in business. One wrong decision can jeopardize the entire project and can result in wasting huge amount of money, if the investment results in an uneconomic act. References Baker, H.K. and English, P. (2011). Capital budgeting valuation: financial analysis fortodays investment projects. John Wiley Sons. Brigham, E.F. and Houston, J.F. (2007). Fundamentals of financial management. Thomson Learning. Capital budgeting techniques. (2009). Independent and mutually exclusive projects.Retrieved on Aug 23 2012 from capitalbudgetingtechniques.com/independent-and-mutually-exclusive-projects/ Garcia, N. (2009). Capital budgeting. Retrieved on Aug 21 2012 fromcsun.edu/~jpd45767/502/7%20-%20Capital%20Budgeting.pdf Graham, J., Smart, S.B., and Megginson, W. (2010). Corporate finance: linking theory towhat companies do. Cengage Learning. Peterson, P.P. and Fabozzi, F.J. (2002). Capital budgeting theory and practice. John Wiley Sons. Tajirian, A. (1997). The capital budgeting process. Retrieved on 22 Aug 2012 frommorevalue.com/i-reader/ftp/Ch9.PDF

Juergen Habermas

Juergen Habermas Best Known For:    A philosopher in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism.His theory on the concepts of â€Å"communicative rationality† and the â€Å"public sphere.†His work on the concept of modernity.    Birth: Jà ¼rgen Habermas was born June 18, 1929. He is still living. Early Life: Habermas was born in Dusseldorf, Germany and grew up in the postwar era. He was in his early teens during World War II and was profoundly affected by the war. He had served in the Hitler Youth and had been sent to defend the western front during the final months of the war. Following the Nuremberg Trials, Habermas had a political awakening in which he realized the depth of Germany’s moral and political failure. This realization had a lasting impact on his philosophy in which he was strongly against such politically criminal behavior. Education: Habermas studied at the University of Gottingen and the University of Bonn. He earned a doctorate degree in philosophy from the University of Bonn in 1954 with a dissertation written on the conflict between the absolute and history in Schelling’s thought. He then went on to study philosophy and sociology at the Institute for Social Research under critical theorists Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno and is consider a member of the Frankfurt School. Early Career: In 1961, Habermas became a private lecturer in Marburg. The following year he accepted the position of â€Å"extraordinary professor† of philosophy at the University of Heidelberg. That same year, Habermas gained serious public attention in Germany for his first book Structural Transformation and the Public Sphere in which he detailed the social history of the development of the bourgeois public sphere. His political interests subsequently led him to conduct a series of philosophical studies and critical-social analyses that eventually appeared in his books Toward a Rational Society (1970) and Theory and Practice (1973). Career and Retirement: In 1964, Habermas became the chair of philosophy and sociology at the University of Frankfurt am Main. He remained there until 1971 in which he accepted a directorship at the Max Planck Institute in Starnberg. In 1983, Habermas returned to the University of Frankfurt and remained there until he retired in 1994. Throughout his career, Habermas embraced the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, which views contemporary Western society as maintaining a problematic conception of rationality that is destructive in its impulse toward domination. His primary contribution to philosophy, however, is the development of a theory of rationality, a common element seen throughout his work. Habermas believes that the ability to use logic and analysis, or rationality, goes beyond the strategic calculation of how to achieve a certain goal. He stresses the importance of having an â€Å"ideal speech situation† in which people are able to raise moral and political concerns and defend them by rationality alone. This concept of the ideal speech situation was discussed and elaborated on in his 1981 book The Theory of Communicative Action. Habermas has gained a great deal of respect as a teacher and mentor for many theorists in political sociology, social theory, and social philosophy. Since his retirement from teaching he has continued to be an active thinker and writer. He is currently ranked as one of the most influential philosophers in the world and is a prominent figure in Germany as a public intellectual, often commenting on controversial issue of the day in German newspapers. In 2007, Habermas was listed as the 7th most-cited author in the humanities by . Major Publications: Structural Transformation and the Public Sphere (1962)Theory and Practice (1963)Knowledge and Human Interests (1968)Towards a Rational Society (1970)Legitimation Crisis (1973)Communication and the Evolution of Society (1979) References Jurgen Habermas - Biography. (2010). The European Graduate School. egs.edu/library/juergen-habermas/biography/ Johnson, A. (1995). The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers.

Bib 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bib 8 - Essay Example We have to seek the historical truth in the middle and to take into consideration the historical moment as well as who documented it. War is a tragedy. And the losers in a war having been destroyed and devastated are left at the will and mercy of the winners. We are led to believe that winners are those who direct the course of history and they are to decide what will be written in the textbooks. In this essay I will investigate and show that indeed winners respectively those in power write the history, providing substantial examples. The history is as true as the victors say it is. Beresford (2003) claims that there is much evidence to justify that indeed, winner write the history. He narrates about a recent discovery that he made about submarine warfare during the World War II. Bereford (2003) never doubted it that German submarines were torpedoed. However when the archives were opened few decades later, the myth clashed, as apparently it was only one such recorded submarine attack. Is this fair This rhetorical question pervades generations of historians and scholars. My opinion is that it is not fair for history to be written by the winners, but the facts show something else. Bereford (2003) cited Jean-Luc Picard who famously said that the victors invariably write the history to their own advantage. In his article Wollman (2003) asks why we are flooded with terrible cases of war crimes committed by the Iraqis, however none such occasions are shown for the U.S violations. He quotes that according to the A.U.N. resolution it is forbidden to use uranium shells because it is declared as a weapon for mass destruction. Nevertheless, U.S. military has regularly used it, which will cause deadly diseases in the civilians and which doctors started to document recently. The mistakes of the victors have to be hidden. New, displaying revelations are not allowed, because they are painfully reminding of the past mistakes. It is a common trait for the winners to want to forget their faults. That is why the history is written only with the version that today's winners provide. The version of the losers will be heard and revised at least half a century later. When studying history, people have to be careful with the sources they use. They have to consider that we never hear the losers and if we did, we have to weigh their story as well. The most dangerous pitfall that we can fall into is to believe that every source of misleading just because we are slaves to the clich - history written by the winners. This might lead us to suspect the authenticity of every document, since surely if it is written, the winners did it. We can never to able to solve this historical dilemma, and the likelihood to trust the winners is greater than vice versa. I believe that the majority of historical evidence is based on true facts, which are not constantly manipulated by those who take power. (2) How does this fact shape the portrayal of societies unlucky enough to lose a pivotal confrontation Not only do the winners write the history, but for the sake of history at least what is left for the losers is the chance to revise it. I know that the Vatican, for example, is absolutely strict about the historical facts and does not allow for the archives to be opened if a century has not passed since the event. The

Does money motivate people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Does money motivate people - Essay Example The question if money matters has been posed by many people. Many reputable scientists have argued that it actually depends on which society one is referring to. In other words, which historical period one is talking about. They refer to how people used to live some time ago. During the Stone Age period, there was no money. People used to exchange goods as a means of trade. This means that workers were paid by being given goods, such as food, jewelry and pieces of cloth to wear. They, thus, argue that there was no money and yet workers were motivated. Money is, thus, not considered a motivator by scientists, because even presently such agreements do exist. In some cases, they have referred to the African traditional way of paying bride price. Dowry is paid in form of domestic animals and not money (Blass, 2009). Wealth can be measured in many ways and the amount of money one has is one them. Every person does his best to gain wealth, but people perceive wealth differently. Some peopl e regard material wealth more highly than money. These are the people who might not consider money as a motivator. Just like the traditional African society, some people in the modern would still prefer material wealth as a motivator rather than money. There are cases where employers have bought houses and vehicles for their employees as a means of appreciating their good work. The employees have ended up working even harder, because they have been motivated by goods. In other different cases motivation can be something much different from money. When a student is praised for doing well, that’s enough motivation and can make him to perform even better. Thus, money can be a motivator to some people , but not everyone. Does Money Motivate? Employers pay their employees money as a major means of motivation. This is the most common means compared to others and reminds one about Shaw and Gruptas article. It stated with the idea that everybody wanted money was just propaganda. It w ent on to say that it was circulated by wealth addicts who wanted to feel better about themselves. Other means used in organization to motivate employees include praises, promotions and giving employee’s gifts and presents. In the present world, people need money to carry their day to day activities (Collins and Moore, 1970). It is for this reason that Trade Unions are fighting tirelessly for workers to be paid a good salary. They fight for pay rise and good working conditions. Few organizations provide their employees with food at their work places. It is for this reason that employees must be paid well, so that they could buy food, because they cannot work on an empty stomach. The employees may also have other dependants, like families and friends. This implies that even if they are given enough food at work, it is not convincing for them not to be paid. Money is also used by employees to meet other basic needs that they may have. They need clothing to wear. Studies show th at employees spend a large amount of their income to buy clothing in order to look smart. Other firms provide uniforms to their employees which they wear during working hours. Generally, they are supposed to be presentable in their places of work, thus, they need money to buy clothing. Shelter is another basic need that employees should have. They should, therefore, be paid money that will enable them

Weekly progress report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Weekly progress report - Coursework Example I also spent another 2 days in reading the research paper written by Ibrahim Kushchu, International University of Japan (p. 2- 12). The research paper offers a brief insight over the e-government and m-government along with stating the overall significance and applications of m-government in different countries. This reading will help me in the literature review especially in stating the shift from e-government to m-government and highlighting the importance and relevance of m-government in the social environment. I have not read the entire paper as I just wanted to have an overview of m-government that will be further strengthened as I proceed further with the literature review part I spent 2 more days in searching more articles over the internet on m-government and went through the article published on the website of Mobile Government Consortium International offering an understanding over the m-government In the coming week, I will write the research aim and objectives along with stating the research questions. This will take 2-3 hours of time based on the understanding of the research topic. At the same time, I will go through the research paper based on the adoption of m-government services in developing countries published by International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Research. This will take 2 days of time and will help me in strengthening my knowledge over the importance and relevance of m-government. This will also help me in the literature review chapter I will also search few articles on importance and introduction of m-government in Oman. This will take maximum 2 days of time including searching and a bit of reading. This will help me in forming a perspective over the pros and cons and acceptance and resistance for m-government in the context of Oman. If time permits, I will also form an understanding over the actual applications and advantages of m-government over the e-government in the context of

To what extent do markets pose a threat to democracy Essay

To what extent do markets pose a threat to democracy - Essay Example While accepting that both the state and market perform indispensable functions in a dynamic society, social market strategies seek to expand and create new social sectors that belong to neither the competitive market nor the regulative state systems. Producer cooperatives take labor out f the market by removing corporate shares from the stock market and maintaining local worker ownership; community land trusts take land out f the market and place it under local democratic controls to serve the economic or cultural needs f communities; community finance corporations take democratic control over capital to finance cooperative firms, make investments in areas f social need, and fight the redlining policies f conventional banks. (Bruyn 1-7) To struggle for economic democracy is not to presume that social market strategies would work on a large scale if they were imposed next year on a political culture unprepared for them. The social vision f economic democracy can only take shape over t he course f several decades, as hard-won social gains and the cultivation f cooperative habits and knowledge build the groundwork for a better society. Such a project does not call for large-scale investments in any particular economic model; it does not rest upon illusions about human nature; it does not envision a transformed humanity. Niebuhr's epigrammatic justification f democracy will suffice for economic democracy: The human capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but the human inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary. Niebuhr did not deny that the human capacity for fairness is often moved by genuine feelings f compassion and solidarity, but to him it was evident that all such feelings are mixed in human nature with more selfish motives. The crucial point was that democracy is necessary precisely because virtually everyone is selfish. Because human beings are so easily corrupted by the attainment f power, Niebuhr argued, democracy is necessary as a restraint on greed and the human proclivity to dominate others. By the time he wrote the book that elaborated this argument, Niebuhr was no longer inclined to press the argument as a case for economic democracy. The Children f Light and the Children f Darkness was written in 1944, several years after Niebuhr gave up on Marxism and only a few years before he formally rejected Christian socialism. During these few years, when he tentatively held out for a socialism stripped f its Marxist illusions, he did not explore the possibilities f a politics that democratized and decentralized economic power. For Niebuhr, socialism meant economic nationalization, state economic planning, and production for use. To him, there were only three serious possibilities: free market capitalism, state socialism, and New Deal liberalism. Throughout the 1930s, while America's welfare state was being constructed, Niebuhr ridiculed and denounced it with unqualified contempt. A decade later, having renounced his Marxism, he made his peace with Roosevelt's liberal reformism and

Critical Thinking Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical Thinking - Term Paper Example This culminates a lifetime series of gift exchanges between the father’s clan and the child. The newborn’s first three months are spent on a cradleboard in a supine position (as cited in Honigmann, 1961). Afterwards, the cradleboard is used only as a sleeping place. Finally, the cradle is discarded between six months and one year. Around two years of age, the child finds weaning with ease. Gradually, cleanliness or hygiene is taught to the child. The matrilocal household acts as the â€Å"agent of socialization† for boys up to age six and for girls virtually throughout their youth. Five-year-old Hopi children are more relaxed and carefree compared to the older Hopi children. Boys attain freedom by breaking away from the matrilocal-household family around five years of age (as cited in Honigmann, 1961). In this period, they spend more time in the fields, on the range, and in a religious structure known as kiva. The character of the early Hopi life is generally permissive (as cited in Honigmann, 1961). However, the limitation of their freedom lies in the interest of their bodily safety. Contrary to girls, the adjustment of boys to such restriction or limitation is quite difficult. This can be revealed through their reaction or behavior: to name two, thumb-sucking and temper tantrum (as cited in Honigmann, 1961). The underlying reason here is the difference of freedom given to boys and girls. Hopi boys are socially permitted to break away from their family while Hopi girls are confined within the walled house. The role of girls is restricted to staying close to home in performing their household tasks. Eventually, young men will marry and assume a â€Å"marginal position† (as cited in Honigmann, 1961). Women, on the other hand, will remain in their mother’s house even after marriage. Transition from childhood to youth is marked by the initiation of â€Å"Kachina cult† (a s

To what extent do markets pose a threat to democracy Essay

To what extent do markets pose a threat to democracy - Essay Example While accepting that both the state and market perform indispensable functions in a dynamic society, social market strategies seek to expand and create new social sectors that belong to neither the competitive market nor the regulative state systems. Producer cooperatives take labor out f the market by removing corporate shares from the stock market and maintaining local worker ownership; community land trusts take land out f the market and place it under local democratic controls to serve the economic or cultural needs f communities; community finance corporations take democratic control over capital to finance cooperative firms, make investments in areas f social need, and fight the redlining policies f conventional banks. (Bruyn 1-7) To struggle for economic democracy is not to presume that social market strategies would work on a large scale if they were imposed next year on a political culture unprepared for them. The social vision f economic democracy can only take shape over t he course f several decades, as hard-won social gains and the cultivation f cooperative habits and knowledge build the groundwork for a better society. Such a project does not call for large-scale investments in any particular economic model; it does not rest upon illusions about human nature; it does not envision a transformed humanity. Niebuhr's epigrammatic justification f democracy will suffice for economic democracy: The human capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but the human inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary. Niebuhr did not deny that the human capacity for fairness is often moved by genuine feelings f compassion and solidarity, but to him it was evident that all such feelings are mixed in human nature with more selfish motives. The crucial point was that democracy is necessary precisely because virtually everyone is selfish. Because human beings are so easily corrupted by the attainment f power, Niebuhr argued, democracy is necessary as a restraint on greed and the human proclivity to dominate others. By the time he wrote the book that elaborated this argument, Niebuhr was no longer inclined to press the argument as a case for economic democracy. The Children f Light and the Children f Darkness was written in 1944, several years after Niebuhr gave up on Marxism and only a few years before he formally rejected Christian socialism. During these few years, when he tentatively held out for a socialism stripped f its Marxist illusions, he did not explore the possibilities f a politics that democratized and decentralized economic power. For Niebuhr, socialism meant economic nationalization, state economic planning, and production for use. To him, there were only three serious possibilities: free market capitalism, state socialism, and New Deal liberalism. Throughout the 1930s, while America's welfare state was being constructed, Niebuhr ridiculed and denounced it with unqualified contempt. A decade later, having renounced his Marxism, he made his peace with Roosevelt's liberal reformism and

Water Chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Water Chemistry - Essay Example Solutions Polysaccharide- these are polymers that are made of several chains of either monosaccharide units or disaccharide units Glucose- this is an example of a monosaccharide. It is a simple sugar consisting of a hydroxyl group (OH) in the structure. Glucose structure Amino acids- organic compounds with an amino group (NH2) and a carboxyl group (COOH). Fats- organic compounds with carbon, hydrogen and oxygen present in their structure. Fats contain glycerol which houses hydroxyl (OH) group and fatty acids which houses carboxyl (COOH) group. Proteins- Contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in their structure. Proteins consist of both amine (NH2) and carboxyl (COOH) groups. #2 Solutions (a) Entropy- this is a measure of how much a system is disordered. Denoted by S. (b) Enthalpy- this is the product of pressure of a system and volume of a system added to the internal energy of a system. (c) Gibbs Free Energy- this is the product of entropy and absolute temperature subtracted from the e nthalpy of a system. (d) Exothermic reaction- this is a chemical reaction in which energy is released in the form of either light or heat. Endothermic reaction- this is a chemical reaction where energy is absorbed from the surrounding. The energy can be in form of heat but not in all cases.

The poor relation Essay Example for Free

The poor relation Essay The stories that I have read both have dreams. Both of the stories have dreams that are virtually impossible to achieve. Although the dreams in the book are set in very different times and are very different to each other, they are suitable for that period of time. Both the authors show that dreams are always present everywhere no matter where they are and when they take place. Both of the authors write from there own past experience, one way or another. George and Lenniei s dream is to liv of the fata the lani. This means that they dream to buy their own land and be there own boss and work there every day. They also want to be fed from there and Lennie wants to tendi his rabbits. As soon as candy finds out that George and Lennie have a dream, Candy buysi in to it by offering all his savings. Lennie and George are outcasts and exiles, the reason for this is for the fact that they are itinerant workers and they always work together and go everywhere with each other. This makes them outcasts because they always go everywhere together where as compare to other people at that moment in time every one went on their own. Michaeli s reality is common and typical. There is nothing fascinating in his life apart from his nephew little Frank. Michael is unemployed and searches for work virtually everyday and he lives on his own. His family sees him as a failure in life. Michael doesni t see himself in that way. In Michaeli s dream he see himself as a rich and a wealthy person whose son like friend little frank is the most important thing to him. Michaeli s dream also comprises a castle in the air, which he possesses and is very proud to have. His dream is about caring for little Frank and being cherished in the society. George and Lenniei s dream farmi is a version of the American dream. All American people dreamt this dream. The dream farmi represents ambition and the possibility of escape from the itinerant workeri s loneliness and poverty. Georgei s vision is an example of the second kind of unhappy vision, when he sees his future as unending, aimless drifting: Ii ll take my fifty bucks ani Ii ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or Ii ll set in some pool-room till everi body goes homei i. In the sub-text of The Poor Relationi , Dickens is commenting on the Victorian society. Dickens is trying to say that in Victorian times it was hard to get respected. The most imperative quality at that time was being rich and being a businessman. Dickens is also saying that even if you are respected and are gracious you wont have as much associates as a person who is rich and a businessman. Money was the source to everything at that time, together with friendship. What the America people didni t understand was the fact that the American dream was the American nightmarei. Thati s because only a limited number of Americans could achieve this dream and the rest would just have it as a wish. Everyone could not achieve this dream because all and sundry cannot be there own bossi s as this would lead to an economic collapse. This is why iti s described as the American nightmarei Both authors set their stories in there own times so they can comment upon it. They didni t write stories that were either in the future or the past. They established their stories on reality. Writing in the present increased the number of audiences for the book at that time. The reason for that is because the audience can see themselves fit in to those circumstances. Consequently they would prefer this rather then something that doesni t match their circumstances. The narrative structure used by each writer is very different. Stienbeck has made a play-type of structure. Thati s because at the start of every chapter he describes the setting first and then starts the story. This is completely different to the way that Charles Dickens writes. Charles Dickens uses a frame story containing two inner stories, which are told by Michael. In my opinion this is an arduous way of writing compare to that of Stienbecki s method. The kind of language that the writeri s use is completely different to each other but are both appropriate to the time they wrote in. Stienbeck uses a colloquial style with swear words and slang to add realism to his characters and situation. Like when George says If that crazy bastards foolini around i this style of language was everyday language in that time. The language that Dickens uses is very sophisticated and ornate style; this was appropriate to his literate age. The reason for that is because in that time people tried to gain respect and loyalty so therefore they had to use posh style language. Stienbeck and Dickens both use imagery but Stienbeck uses a lot of imagery compare to Dickens. The only important imagery that Dickens uses is that of the Castle of the Airi imagery, whereas Stienbeck uses a lot of imageries like in the first section of the book he says i On the sand-banks the rabbits sat quietly as little grey, sculptured stonei. Another imagery that he uses is i A big carp rose to the surface of the pool, gulped air, and then sank mysteriously in to the dark water againi i Stienbeck uses a lot of different types of imagery where as Dickens uses a limited amount. Both of the authors are trying to state the fact that dreams doni t always come true. The society denies it one way or another. Michaeli s dream is impossible to achieve simply because a castle in the air is impossible to construct, but the atmosphere that he wishes to have is possible to have which is that he wants people to care and have admiration for him. George and Lenniei s dream is destroyed by the society, people who were in the bunkhouse. Their dream is destroyed by the society because Lenniei s mistake which led to his own death. This was very misfortunate for George and Lenniei s dream. Although the storyline of both of the books are different, the point that they are trying to make is very analogous to each other which is that dreams can be denied be society. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Elie and Marion Wiesel Night | Book

Elie and Marion Wiesel Night | Book Night The title suggests a clear setting of the nighttime and in a symbolic way the setting is during a time as dark and long as the night. Elie Wiesel lived through a time in world history that is so sinister many people refuse to believe it could have even happened. The Holocaust, World War II, Nazi Germany invasion of Eastern Europe countries, all are the setting and background story for Elie Wiesel firsthand account of surviving it all written in his book Night. Starting in Sighet, Transylvania â€Å"a small village that didn’t even make the maps† (Birthplace) Elie, his family, and many other Jews felt safe. They were far from the action in 1941 living their normal lives. The years passed and the Nazi threat grew closer their daily routines were changed, they were forced to move, to wear a star, and finally to be transported in 1944 to Auschwitz a German concentration camp, the largest of the death camps. (Auschwitz-Birkenau) Arriving at Birkenau men and women were separated as soon as they exited the train. In the moment so many families and loved ones were looking at each other for the last time, and none had the foresight to even know it. The same was true for Elie, â€Å"I didn’t know that this was the moment or the place where I was leaving my mother and Tzipora forever.† (Wiesel p.29) In the night (around midnight) Elie and his family were in Birkenau in the year 1944 and for two family members this was also their final resting place. It stands out to me how human nature is portrayed in the experience in this book. Even as they were separated from families, beaten, yelled at, seemingly marched to their death in the crematoria, told to strip, shaved, marched around camp, made to stand in the elements, and all the while smelling the stink of burning human flesh, they were still able to share joy when finding friends in the same place as you, in holding a family members hand because at least you weren’t alone, and having a moral boost after some sleep. (Wiesel 33-42) This holds true for the rest of the book, people always keeping the faith, holding on to some dream, and living for the family they know are still alive. All these things gave them the will to go on and the will to survive because it had to get better, didn’t it? But for the ones who did survive to the liberation by the allied troops I don’t think life will ever be a continuous sunny day, because the night always comes and with it th e memories and nightmares that will never be forgotten. But thankfully it will never be forgotten because the people who perished under these circumstances of the Holocaust should never be forgotten. In Birkenau Elie and his father were made to work in the warehouse and there the author begins to note has life in a concentration camp had changed him. After his father was beaten his anger was directed not at the Kapo who beat him but at his father who should not have provoked the Kapo. (Wiesel p. 54) This is where I began to see the separation of Elie and his father and imaged how it must have been for many others during this time in concentration and work camps. The human body can separate from the heart and emotion and learn to only survive and sometimes survival means only taking care of you. Take the story told on page 63 where a pipel was beating his own father because he did not make his bed properly and then demanded he stop crying or he would stop bringing his food. (Wiesel) In the winter of 1945 as the allied troops drew closer, the camp was told of evacuation and the decision had to be made to go as told or stay behind in the infirmaries where there was a possibility of being finished in the furnaces. At this point Elie was more worried about not being separated from his father and they chose to be evacuated with the others. Foresight would have saved them his father’s death had they have know those in the infirmary were liberated by the Russians two days later. (Wiesel p 82) â€Å"SS units evacuate Auschwitz in January. Elie and his father are transferred to  Buchenwald  concentration camp, near Weimar Germany. Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz on January 27.† (Elie Wiesel Timeline and World Events: 1928–1951) The evacuation proves to be the wrong choice for Elie’s father but it struck me how during the march it was his father’s existence that kept him going and in the snowy night his father was the one encouragin g his son who wanted to quit. This was also the time that Elie prayed the prayer to never do what Rabbi Eliahu’s son had done. â€Å"He had thought by this separation† from his father he could â€Å"free himself of a burden that could diminish his own chance for survival.† (Wiesel p. 86-91) This goes back to the idea of survival being a journey that one feels like they have to do alone, so others won’t bring them down or get in their way. It is so heart breaking that the encouragement the group needed to continue came from the very people that were making them march in the cold in the first place. So strange that they were wishing and praying for the barbed wire of Gleiwitz to appear, to be hoping and pining for another concentration camp where death seemed imminent. (Wiesel p. 92) On the move again from Geliwitz they were put in train cars again this time different people entirely entered the cars. They had different views on life and what it meant to live. They also had different appearances, now so skinny more could fit into the cars. (Wiesel p. 97) â€Å"Our brains a whirlwind of decaying memories. Our minds numb with indifference†¦The night was growing longer, never ending.† (Wiesel p. 98) The author could be speaking of the literal night as they road to their new location but I feel that he was talking about the night that they will all live in for the rest of their lives. They will never be able to remove those memories from their minds and after experience something so horrific the night must seem never ending. The story of the workers throwing bread on to the train car shows another parallel in the story of the fight the human body has for survival above anything else and it takes over the heart and emotions numbing them. When the old man g ets bread for he and his son and his son is the very one that is beating him to death to take the bread from his father, the son is beyond human in that moment and does not even recognize his own father calling out for him to stop. (Wiesel p. 101) When they finally reach their destination, Buchenwald, Elie’s father has given up. The will to live is the key to survive in any aspect of life. When a person is diagnosed with cancer, when you are lost in the wilderness, when any struggle arises you must keep the will to live. This was proven in the book when people lost their will to live after learning of loved ones who did not make it; they gave up and died soon after. â€Å"I knew that I was no longer arguing with him but with Death itself, with Death that he had already chosen.† (Wiesel p. 105) As his father’s health worsens Elie starts to realize that he is too is acting the way he prayed he would not. He tried to help his father but was given the advice â€Å"In this place, there is no such thing as a father, brother, friend. Each of us lives and dies alone.† (Wiesel p. 110) When his father did pass in the night no one was aware of it happening and Elie was changed forever. He felt freedom and hung er. Nothing else mattered after his father died but food. This was his body taking over his mind and emotions and driving everything in his being toward survival and to survive you just need food. (Wiesel p. 112-113) When the Front came closer and closer to Buchenwald Elie thought only of food. When the American tanks arrived and liberated the remaining men they only thought of provisions. â€Å"No thought of revenge, or of parents. Only of bread. And even when we were no longer hungry, not one of us thought of revenge.† (Wiesel p. 115) I hope that the survivor’s still do not think of revenge but instead of preserving and continuing the memory of all those that were lost during the Holocaust and World War II. The families not only lost people they cared for but the world suffered a great loss in losing so many lives and stories and possibilities. I am glad that Elie Wiesel had the strength to write this book and I hope that there is truth in the saying that time heals all pain. Maybe with time he and others have healed enough to see the light at dawn and not focus completely on the night. Works Cited Auschwitz-Birkenau.Auschwitz-Birkenau. PaÅ„stwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau W OņºwiÄâ„ ¢cimiu, 1999. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Birthplace.Birthplace. G. Seila M. Acree, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. http://enloehs.wcpss.net/projects/west42002/wiesel3/birthplace.html> . â€Å"Elie Wiesel Timeline and World Events: 1928–1951.United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 20 June 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007200>. Wiesel, Elie, and Marion Wiesel.Night. New York, NY: Hill and Wang, a Division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006. Print.