Are Constitutional Conventions Necessary

Are Constitutional Conventions Necessary Are Constitutional Conventions Necessary To Preserve The Legal Structure Of Government? Illustrate By Example Introduction A constitutional convention is an informal and uncodified procedural agreement that is followed by the institutions of a state. The Constitution of a country comprises both written rules enforced by courts, and â€Å"unwritten† rules or principles necessary for constitutional government. Written rules mandate that they be followed in a particular specified situation, and on the other hand unwritten rules come into play when there is no given written rule to cover the situation at hand.Constitutional conventions are said to be rules of political practice, which are regarded as binding by those to whom they apply, but they can't be called exact laws, as they are not enforced by courts or by the Houses of Parliament. Notwithstanding the fact that ours is a detailed Constitution, the Constitution-framers left certain ma tters to be governed by conventions, thereby giving to the holders of constitutional offices some degree of discretion in respect of such matters.The main purpose of the Constitutional conventions is to ensure that the legal framework of the Constitution retains its flexibility to operate in tune with the prevailing constitutional values of the period. Although conventions are not legally enforceable and the sanction behind them is moral and political, yet some conventions of the constitution which set norms of behavior of those in power or which regulate the working of the various parts of the Constitution and their relations to one another, may be as important, if not of greater significance, as the written word of the Constitution itself.This is particularly true of the role of ‘conventions' in a system of Parliamentary democracy having a Constitutional distribution of powers between two or more levels of Government. Often constitutional conventions are more important than written constitutional provisions. For example, the President is empowered by the Constitution to appoint the Prime Minister, but the Constitution provides no guidance as to who should be appointed as Prime Minister. Here conventions regarding the appointment of the Prime Minister play an important role in guiding the President.Following are some of the characteristics of the conventions: Conventions are rules that define non-legal rights, powers and obligations of office-holders in the three branches of Government, or the relations between governments or government organs. Conventions in most cases can be stated only in general terms, their applicability in some circumstances being clear, but in other circumstances uncertain and debatable. They are distinguishable from rules of law, though they may be equally important, or more important. They may modify the application or enforcement of rules of law.Sir Ivor Jennings suggested that in order to establish a convention three question s must be asked: What are the precedents? Secondly, did the actors in the precedents believe that they were bound by a rule? Thirdly, whether there is a good reason for the rule? A single precedent with a good reason may be enough to establish the rule. A whole string of precedents without such a reason will be of no avail, unless the persons concerned regard themselves to be bound by it. Conventions grow out of and are modified by practice.At any given time it may be difficult to say whether or not a practice has become a convention. Conventions do not come from a certain number of sources, their origins are amorphous and nobody has the function of deciding whether conventions exist or not. As the researcher's topic requires proving whether or not the constitutional conventions are necessary to preserve the legal structure of the government (with an example), the researcher would confine his study to the one of the most debated and controversial constitutional conventions – the appointment of the Prime Minister .The conventions are compared with British conventions since most of our constitutional practices are derived from the United Kingdom and through this example, the researcher will try to illustrate the importance of Constitutional Conventions. Appointment Of The Prime Minister British Precedents In England, it is the monarchy whereas in India it is the President who makes this choice. This choice demands independence of status and familiarity with political conditions, but no method of choice can altogether avoid bias. The nature of the monarch's choice necessarily depends upon the status of parties in the House of Commons.If a party has a clear majority, its recognized leader will be the Prime Minister. A completely different situation arises where no party gets a majority in the legislature. Here two possibilities arise—the formation of a coalition government or the formation of a minority government, as another dissolution at that time is not practicable. It is an accepted rule that when a government is defeated, either in Parliament or at the polls, the monarch should send for the leader of the opposition. This rule is based on the assumption of impartiality of the crown.British constitutional history also shows us that the Queen has consulted the outgoing Prime Minister on some occasions, but it is not an invariable rule (but more sought of a convention). Indian Scenario However, these considerations are not suited to a country like India with its diversity and plurality where the regional parties are making an impact on our political scene. Even though our Constitution is bulky, certain aspects are left to conventions. One of them is the appointment of Prime Minister by the President. Most of our constitutional conventions are derived from the United Kingdom.However, the British precedents offer no specific answers to the problems raised by elections in India. Article 75(1) of the Indian Constitution gives the President the right to appoint the Prime Minister. In normal circumstances it is the leader of the majority in the House of the People (Lok Sabha). But, in circumstances where the Prime Minister dies in office or resigns, the President will have to exercise his personal judgment. Also in circumstances when the party may have no recognized leader or either of the two parties may be able to form a government and command the support of the House of the People.In such circumstances the President may chose for a person who could form a coalition with the help of two or more parties and command the support of the Lok Sabha. â€Å" It was such discretion that President Reddy exercised in 1979 after the fall of the Janta Ministry in inviting Charan Singh to form the ministry and also in not inviting Jagjivan Ram to do so after Charan Singh resigned and advised the dissolution of the House. † Options In A Hung Lok Sabha The Prime Minister must command a majority in the House at the t ime of the vote of confidence.However, in an uncertain situation, say in the case of hung Lok Sabha, how is the President to determine which of the party leaders will manage to secure majority support? Being leader of the single largest party does not necessarily mean being the leader of the majority members of the House. A person need not be the leader of the single largest party in the House to command the support of the House. The practice now more or less seems to be settled that the leader of the party who is able to secure the support of the House should be invited to form the Government.This again brings us back to the question, when and how does a practice become a convention? Ivor Jennings's three-stage test mentioned before might be helpful in deciding whether a practice has crystallized into a convention or not but that is not a conclusive test for determining the existence of a convention. There has been demand from several quarters to codify the convention with respect to the appointment of Prime Minister and Chief Ministers. The reason given is that having a written Constitution, we should not leave the appointments to these high offices on conventions.The controversy invariably surrounding every appointment (in cases where no one party has absolute majority) of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers further strengthens the demand for codification of conventions. One of the suggestions that have been put forward is the amendment of Article 75 of the Constitution so as to have the following effect: â€Å"The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the House of the People which recommendation shall be binding on the President†. Thus the onus will be on the legislature to choose the Prime Minister, than on the President.Such a move is welcome since it will help in avoiding confusion and controversies in the appointment of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers. However, at the same time it must also be kept in mind that a Constitution cannot contain all and sundry provisions concerning a matter including that for the appointment of Prime Minister. Moreover, the discretion to appoint the Prime Minister has been vested in none other than the President who is the head of the republic. Hence, the presumption that he will act impartially should always weigh in his favour. Thus The Importance Of ConventionsNotwithstanding the fact that ours is a detailed Constitution, the Constitution-framers left certain matters to be governed by conventions, thereby giving to the holders of constitutional offices some degree of discretion in respect of such matters. Conventions lubricate the room left at the joints in the constitutional structure and protect them against ossification. The main purpose of the Constitutional conventions is to ensure that the legal framework of the Constitution retains its flexibility to operate in tune with the prevailing constitutional values of the period .Although conven tions are not legally enforceable and the sanction behind them is moral and political, yet some conventions of the constitution which set norms of behaviour of those in power or which regulate the working of the various parts of the Constitution and their relations to one another, may be as important, if not of greater significance, as the written word of the Constitution itself. One unfortunate fact of the Indian situation is that enough attention has not been paid to the evolution and observance of the right codes of conduct and conventions.Even the codes and conventions evolved in the earlier years have been broken too lightly in the later years. There is an increasing tendency to resort to extra-Constitutional methods to force settlement of political or economic issues—imagined or real. This would be a cause for concern even in a small homogeneous country. In India, a heterogenous country of huge dimensions, this cannot be a matter of grave anxiety. Hence, natural reactio n would be that the loopholes in the Constitution which have permitted aberrant developments should be plugged.It is urged that, if conventions do not work, appropriate constitutional safeguards should be provided. If appropriate conventions are not followed and the discretion provided under certain circumstances is misused, the entire system may collapse. In order that appropriate conventions and codes of conduct get evolved, it is essential that incumbents of constitutional offices are selected from among persons of admitted competence and integrity and provided with reasonable security of tenure. Conclusion The main purpose of conventions is to guide the use of constitutional discretion.Thus, every time there is a general election or a request for dissolution of the House of People, the questions that start doing rounds are—whom will the President invite to form the next government? What if the President invites someone to form a government who does not have a clear majori ty in the Lok Sabha ? Will the President heed to the advice of the Cabinet to dissolve the House? These are some of the important questions to which the Constitution provides no answer to, and this is where conventions play their part as a catalyst.Some conventions are well-established and may be relied upon absolutely, while some are vague and may lead to manipulation for political purposes. For example, appointment of the Prime Minister is to be done by the President and the prevailing convention is that the person enjoying support of the absolute majority of the House concerned is appointed to the respective office. The snag lies in ascertaining that support. The task of the President becomes difficult and open to criticism, as he has to often follow vague conventions and foreign precedents.The conventions being vague, the President may go on appointing the leader of the largest party in the Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister, despite the fact that the appointed Prime Minister is no t in a position to secure majority in the Lok Sabha . Hence if the conventions are codified and the effect of that codification is to give jurisdiction to the courts to enforce the codified conventions then in such a scenario the flexibility of the conventions will be lost. Moreover, codified laws cannot cover any and every situation that might arise. Hence, it makes more sense to leave the conventions uncodified.Therefore, since the main purpose of the Constitutional Conventions is to ensure that the legal framework of the Constitution retains its flexibility to operate in tune with the prevailing constitutional values of the period, it helps the Constitution to adapt and make amends according to the needs and desire of the changing times, as the Founders of our Constitution couldn't have foreseen and safeguarded the Constitution from future loopholes and hence left certain matters to be governed by conventions as they are as important, if not of greater significance, as the writte n word of the Constitution itself.Sources of Constitutional Law As mentioned, the constitution in the UK is derived from several sources. One of the most important is Acts of Parliament. The Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949, for example, allow the House of Commons, in certain limited circumstances, to pass legislation without the consent of the House of Lords, and consequently to act in a manner which would otherwise be unconstitutional. This is very rare, however, and has happened less than five times in the last sixty years.The threat of using the Parliament Acts may be sufficient to pass legislation which is unpopular in the House of Lords. Case law also forms an important part of the constitution. The decisions of the judiciary have occasionally imposed limits on executive power. Constitutional conventions, although not legally binding, also play an important role in the UK’s legal fabric. By convention, the monarch appoints as prime minister the person who commands a maj ority in the House of Commons after a general election.By law, however, there is nothing to stop the monarch from appointing his or her head gardener as prime minister. This would never happen, of course, but in strict legal theory remains a possibility. Finally, EU law and international treaties may also contribute to the UK’s constitution. In fact, in one case concerning EU law the House of Lords went so far as to grant an injunction to ‘disapply’ a legitimate Act of Parliament.Again, this is an extremely rare occurrence, and decisions affecting the constitution are not taken lightly. Devolution The Labour government which came to power in 1997 has made several significant changes to the UK’s constitution. The most notable of these have been the creation of the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament. The main powers that have been delegated include those regarding health and education. Other more serious powers, such as those on defence, remain the s ole preserve of Westminster.

Escapism in the Sun Also Rises

The characters whose story Hemingway tells in The Sun Also Rises are referred to as â€Å"the lost generation. † These characters, all greatly affected by the tragedies of war, were disillusioned with their own country and attempted to find solace in Paris. In the hustle bustle and excitement of the city, they still seem to long for some sort of escape and this is where Hemingway brings in pastoral language and other forms of escapism. The novel begins with a long epigraph from Ecclesiastes (read).This epigraph is intended to show the reader that nature is a constant, while people are not. This basically means that our lives and hardships are seemingly insignificant and that no matter how bad an experience a person has one day, another day will always come. The sun will always rise and set, the wind will always blow, and the rivers will always flow into the ocean. This idea is essential in order to understand the importance of pastoral language. The Oxford English Dictionary d efines the word pastoral as poetry, music, pictures, etc: portraying rural life or characters, esp. n an idealized or romantic manner. (Read definition&next) While Paris was meant to be an escape from the wartime and the reminders of their lives in America before the war, it is still difficult for them to cope because the city is still very similar to their old lives and is full of corruption. (read) Hemingway creates pastoral interludes in which the men escape from the social, sexual, and monetary competition of the city to a more idyllic setting.For example, Bill and Jake go on a trip to the countryside and are able to enjoy the freedom from the busy schedules of city life as well as a new openness with one another when Bill expresses his deep feelings of friendship for Jake that would’ve been considered inappropriate to express by social standards. Jake desperately wants to escape from his problems, however he carries a constant reminder of what he went through because of his injury.Lady Ashley and his desire for what can never happen between them is another constant reminder of what he has gone through which never allows him to escape his war. So, while the pastoral setting was a good break for him, it doesn’t allow him to completely regain his masculinity. Instead, he uses a forced masculine attitude as a form of escapism. In comparison to the count, Jake is a small and seemingly weak man. The count dates Brett, buys her things such as dinner flowers and champagne. Brett treats Jake lovingly but it is almost in a tantalizing way because she knows nothing will happen etween them. In order to keep up his many image, Jake begins to spend money frivolously as the count does, even though he is by no means wealthy. (Read) Jake isn’t the only one that the pastoral setting doesn’t help when it comes to escaping the memories of the war. After the war, women had a new place in the world because during the war they had to work while the m en were away. Brett is unable to use the country as a place of solace because women were still supposed to be traditional and that type of confinement wouldn’t allow her to forget the things she saw as a nurse.Instead, she turns to a somewhat wild lifestyle consisting of alcohol and men as her own form of escapism. The characters seem to be constantly looking for a way to escape their problems rather than fixing them or simply accepting that there are some things that can’t be changed. They cling to ideas of what could have been, even up to the very last lines of the book. Through their constant efforts to escape, they never seem to grasp Hemingway’s idea that the world is bigger than one person’s suffering.

About School Essay

I believe in school now in days the curriculum kills our crea? vity. Not the teachers. The teachers are only there to help teach the curriculum. Now in days you can’t write whatever you want any more or do whatever you want any more in school. There is no choice. Its either op? on â€Å"A† or op? on â€Å"B†. Kids growing up in this era will have no imagina? on because it’s all straight forward stu$. Teacher get mad at you if you doodle on your paper or step out of line in the hall way. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay Kids won’t want to be crea? ve because they won’t know what crea? ve is. I %nd that the curriculum is to worried on ge&ng the informa? on to the kids other than le&ng them %nd out ways to show the informa? on or talk about it. It’s just all wri? ng and wri? ng, no free choice anymore. In the poem it’s the same thing. The boy gets made fun of and hurt because he was trying to be crea? ve. No one can do their own stu$ anymore.

Invention of computer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Invention of computer - Essay Example Computers have been a major reason for the rapid technological advancement that has taken place in the last few decades. The contemporary world would have been underdeveloped in many ways had computers not been introduced. Negative effects of computers include but are not limited to wastage of time, growth of porn and drug industries, and harmful effects on health. Children waste a lot of time playing games and surfing internet for non-educational purposes. Internet has provided a platform for the growth of pornography and other unwanted industries and mafia. Prolonged use of computers has limited physical activity and is one of the causes of the growth of obesity rate. Concluding, computers are so important in the present age that modern era can be defined as computer age. Use of computers is employed in every field of life. Computers have contributed to the growth of technology, education, and industries but at the same time, have also had harmful effects on the

Why you should be selected to receive this scholarship Essay

Why you should be selected to receive this - Scholarship Essay Example I went on to desire a better standard of living and soon became aware that my occupation was far removed from my intellectual capabilities. It became obvious that the complete realization of my potential demanded an education. Although it takes courage to give up a job and take a new path, I returned to school, confident that success comes to those with the determination to win. This scholarship will enable me to make my college education possible. I am a first-generation college attendee. This makes me deeply aware of the privilege of a college education. My personal and professional experiences have honed my sensibilities and I am able to make the best out of every opportunity in college. I have chosen a Business major, with a concentration in Finance, as I believe that commerce has the greatest potential to contribute to personal satisfaction and to bring about change in the world. I plan to earn a MBA and go on to become an entrepreneur in the field of food service. I believe that my past makes me particularly motivated to make the best of the chances this scholarship will give me. My return to school would not be possible without the support of student loans and financial aid. I am often moved by the generosity of those who are helping me to make my dreams of success a reality. I look forward to a time in the near future when I, as a

Discussion Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18

Discussion Question - Essay Example A conjunction, disjunction, negation or ordering relation is all naturally available in practical examples so that it is basic to make use of this relationship. General approaches from duality can also be applied in order theory to Boolean algebras. The order dual of every Boolean algebra obtained by interchanging AND and OR is also a Boolean algebra. By interchanging 0 with 1, the law that applies to Boolean algebras can be changed into another valid dual law. Each Boolean algebra (A, AND, OR) produces a ring (A,,*) that defines a + b = (a AND b) or (b AND a) and a * b = a AND b. the 0 element of this ring matches the 0 of the Boolean algebra while the multiplicative identity element is the 1 of the Boolean algebra. a *a = a for all the rings in A. such rings are called Boolean rings. On the other hand, given a Boolean ring A, this can be turned into a Boolean algebra by the definition x OR y = x +y + xy and x AND y = xy. We can conclude that every Boolean algebra rises from a Boolean ring and vice versa. Goodstein

The influence of birth order on personality Essay

The influence of birth order on personality - Essay Example The theory of Adler would not be applicable for those families that have more than 3 children as there is nothing stated for middle children (Carducci, 156-60). Independence is the main characteristic of the first-born children. Even if they were given the full attention of both parents upon birth, this will change once the second child is born. The attention that would be given by the parents would be divided between the 2 children. Much burden however can be felt by second born children as they are always in the shadow of the first born. There are signs of inferiority that were observed with second born children (Carducci, 156-60; Adler & Mairet, 96-110). Being the youngest child has its positive and negative influences in its personality. Positive effects would be that the youngest child would feel more pampering as there are more people that surround them. The presence of the parents and the older siblings would create a blanket of comfort for the youngest child. This factor could also have negative effect on the child’s personality. Being the youngest in the family, there are quite a number of fulfillments that they need to overcome and to outshine the older siblings to prove his or her capabilities. Most of the times this creates the sense of discouragement in a child and be carried through once the person steps to adulthood (Carducci, 156-60). There are families however that only has 1 child in the family. The only child theory states that these children do have the tendency to be pampered more and be accustomed of being the center of attention. Once this comfort and attention is not given to the child, there is a tendency of becoming more timid, passive and withdrawn. This is the total opposite of being the first born in a family with more than 1 child. The first born children are independent while the only child, though also a first born, is more withdrawn and dependent type of personality (Carducci, 156-60). These theories may be used in trying

Child development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Child development - Essay Example In 1901, England and Wales agreed to enroll the child who become half of three years old (OECD 2000). In the subsequent pages of this document, we will discuss and compare the education systems of two countries a) Australia and b) Italy with the Educational System of England. We will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Italian Early Childhood Education and Care System along with Australian style of early education. Education System of England The prime areas of EFYS of 2012 comprise a) Physical Development b) Personal, Social and Emotional Development c) Communication, Language and Literacy e) Mathematics f) Expressive Art and Design and g) Understanding the World (Department of Education 2012b). In the initial periods, practitioners have to play an important role in working with parents to support their young kids. It includes identifying learning needs for a quick response of the problem. When need arises, practitioners have to work with professionals of other agencies in the areas of community health and social services in order to provide exemplary learning opportunities for children. In special circumstances Partnership working is beneficial. It is important to provide necessary information about the on going activities of children on a regular basis through different modes like wall displays, photographs to the parents or children’s work. ... t b) Communication, language, and literacy c) Mathematical development d) Knowledge and understanding of the world e ) Physical development and f) Creative development (Walker 2005). Further, All educational institutions in England have to abide by the National Curriculum comprising twelve subjects. Out of which English,  Math  and  Science are compulsory subjects for all students. Below mentioned subjects are compulsory at a later stage: a) Physical Education b) Music c) Information and Communication Technology d) Foreign languages e) History and Geography f) Art and Design and g) Citizenship (Walker 2005). With regard to higher education, it requires a three-year  bachelor's degree. Students may have the postgraduate degree in two ways, either by taught or by research. The doctorate degree usually spans up to three years (Kubow and Fossum 2006). Apart from the above, non-statutory programs are also taught which includes Religious, Sex, Career and work related education in d ifferent phases. However, parents may withdraw their kids from the lessons of Religious and Sex education (Moyles 2007). It is agreed by all walks of life that the transitory period of a child in terms of early childhood education and onward schooling are important chapter for self and family. This opens up the door for a child for long term educational and occupational achievement (Alexander 1964). The successful completion of transitory period in a child’s life is heavily dependent on his or her personal / community characteristics, parents’ attitude and maternal education. In the initial period of child’s schooling, it is necessary for a child to understand the routines and practices. (Moyles 2007). For the last three years, government is putting in valuable efforts to improve, enhance and

Immigration and education- Research report Assignment

Immigration and education- Research report - Assignment Example ounding issues of immigration in United States of America One main issue that has been able to raise question across political divide and all other realm is the issue of education. Mostly, the concern that revolves around this issue is whether the immigration process is usually legal or illegal. Study has revealed that the largest numbers of immigrants usually come from Mexico; this group of immigrants always come in United States and lives in States that are close to their borders such as California, Arizona, New Mexico as well as Texas. However, studies have also indicated that other States such as Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Louisiana have also constantly received immigrants. This raises the question of why this trend has constantly increased. A group member has also tried to explain several reasons as to why this trend of immigrant increasingly continues. Some arguments have suggested that United States a big economy and therefore attracts a number of people all over the world. This desire to be part of United State has also resulted into different types of immigrants, where it is now evident that both legal and illegal immigrant get into the country in equal number. The issue of immigrant has resulted into the country having a number of categories of people who would like to make propositions on the matter of immigration and education. One of the categories that have been developed includes the views of the liberals and the conservatives. The liberals and the conservatives have confronted this matter of immigration and education in different ways. The liberals view the issue of immigration to be liberalized so that people can be regulated. The main argument by the liberalist is founded on the fact that United States is already overpopulated and can no longer sustain any additional immigration. As pointed in one of the papers, onservatives however have tried to approach the issue of immigration and education through a different process of the 2010

Business Resources Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business Resources - Assignment Example 1.2 Recommendation of Best Strategy for Expanding and Supplying the Four Target Markets 6 2.1 Current Economic and Market Conditions in the Euro Zone 6 2.2 Strategies to Manage Foreign Exchange Exposure 8 3. Factors to Be Considered While Conducting Investment Appraisal for the Strategies 11 References 14 Overview Elecdyne Wales is a South Wales-based electronic goods producing company that had been instituted as a spinoff from a Japanese electronics company and the Celtic University of Technology. The objective of Elecdyne Wales is to develop patentable electronic goods making use of leading edge telecommunications and multimedia technologies and market them in the European Union region. Elecdyne Wales wants to increase its extent of production as it wants to supply its goods in the United Kingdom and Germany this year, and France and Italy in the following year. Thus, the company has to make certain strategic investment decisions and it has four different strategies to choose from. The first option is to expand the existing production capacity at South Wales and reinforce its export function. The second option available is to form a strategic alliance with a European supplier or distributor. The third option is to shift its production base to a location in the European Union region, while th e fourth option is to shift production to Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC). This paper appraises the strategic investment options available to Elecdyne Wales in context of the latest economic developments in the European region, and recommends the best strategy to cater the markets of UK, Germany, France and Italy. The papers also discusses the existing economic and market circumstance in the Euro zone and proposes both short-term as well as long-term strategies for the company to manage foreign exchange exposure. Additionally the paper also accentuates on the factors to be considered while carrying out the investment appraisal of the last three options available to Elecdyne Wales. 1.1 Evaluation of the four Options in light of recent development in European Economies 1.11 Analysis of Investment Strategy 1 The first strategic option of the company is to expand its existing production capacity at South Wales and strengthen its export function. Implementation of this stra tegy would enable the company to have superior control over its goods manufacturing process and also save the company from economic exposure of an overseas region. Moreover the company would not require additional capital investments to set up a new unit and it would also not lose its technological knowledge and expertise to its foreign associates. Thus, the strategy of reinforcing its existing manufacturing facility would ensure that the company maintains its technological edge in addition to having more operational flexibility. Nevertheless, there are certain drawbacks of this strategy. Since the company is looking forward to export its products to the European markets, carrying out the production in South Wales would rule out the understanding of the European culture and market specifics, in addition to higher costs of manufacture and haulage. Thus, though the strategy gives certain short-term benefits such as no additional production set-up investments, minimal exposure to trans lation and economic exposure and manageable foreign exchange risks; the strategy can be termed as defensive in the long run and it would keep the company away from cost competition (Gillespie et al. 2010). 1.12 Analysis of Investment Strategy 2 The second alternative available is to form a strategic alliance with a European supplier or distributor. If the company opts for this strategy it would gain from the existing network and the market knowledge of the

Macroeconomic Environment of Business Case Study

Macroeconomic Environment of Business - Case Study Example This paper seeks to address whether the expected advantages of the euro as a single currency for Europe was achieved, while in the process, we expect to discover the reasons behind. The euro was introduced in the financial market back in 1999. It is the culmination of the three-stage European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) which aims to coordinate economic policies. There was a three-year transition period and, after, national currencies from participating countries ceased to exist. Today, states seeking membership to the European Union must adopt this currency as a requirement within varying timetables in the span of ten years based on specified economic factors. The United Kingdom and Denmark, however, is exempted to this policy. Ideally, there is a list of economic advantages in using euro in the European Union. Foremost of this is that it is said to be a tool for political solidarity. On the economic front the following are some of the most important output: As mentioned beforehand, problems not previously anticipated emerged with the introduction of the euro. For instance, a minimal rise in inflation was expected only during the transition period, but until now, Europeans are complaining about skyrocketing prices in commodities. On a more general scale, we have also a report by the Centre for European Policy Studies that the euro is responsible for Italy's plunge into a full-blown recession. (Browne, 2005) In Germany the euro is also believed to have failed in invigorating employment statistics or curb rising prices, insolvencies and general stagnation of the economy. Not just economic managers but senior government officials have floated around the idea of a return to national currencies as a way out of their current economic woes. What is worse, unofficial currencies are currently being circulated in some parts of Germany to replace the euro in business transactions. Vissol (1999, p. 75) tells us that "the short term economic benefit s accruing to consumers through the transition to the euro concern only the minority of consumers who travel and/or cross the borders." He argued that the long term benefits are uncertain and difficult to put across unless an explanation could be given on how the euro will guide the future payment community as a sovereign community and a value system shared by the vast majority. At present, the global economy is recovering but the Eurozone is lagging behind, posting a meager 1% growth. The Germans are fearful of losing their jobs; Italy is on recession while inflation is high. So one might say, there is more than a hint of failure here and euro is in the thick of things. While officials are running around Europe trying to dispel the rumor that the euro is going down the drain, economic managers' prediction and finance ministers' slips shows otherwise or at the very least express trouble. Milestones But if there were a question on whether the euro has been successful so far, the answer would still be indefinite especially if we are to use the foregoing in quantifying a

Study on online gambling market Essay Example for Free

Study on online gambling market Essay For thousands of years, mankind has enjoyed spending money on games of chance. Today this has developed into a multi-billion dollar worldwide phenomenon- the gambling industry. While the total number of gambling enterprises has fallen in recent years the overall number of people employed in the industry has increases, suggesting that enterprises are now larger than they were a decade ago. The way people bet has been revolutionised of recent years with the online gambling industry taking over the traditional high street bookmakers. Betting exchanges on the internet where punters can offer bets to other punters. Meaning the average punter can now act as the bookie and say that a certain event will not happen. To understand the impact of the gambling industry, one has to consider the percentage of people that partake in gambling. Knowing it has been around for two millennia, it is interesting to observe today 80 to 85% of people will gamble in any given year. The gambling industry has evolved greatly in recent years due to the development of online gambling, this is clearly the reason for the rapid growth in the market. Along with new markets such as the online poker industry, that has taken the world in a massive fad with millions playing poker online. The gambling industry tends to be an industry in which people will use their disposable income, but the desire to win more and the increased joy from having a larger bet causes people to spend more money on gambling than they wish. This is a market driver for the industry but also the general increase in people gambling has become the main market driver in recent years. (Party Gaming) For the five year period from 2005 to 2009, it is estimated that revenues generated by the global online gaming market will increase to approximately $22. 7 billion, representing a compound annual growth rate of approximately 22 per cent. From this estimation of expected spending in the online gambling market, it shows a market with great potential. Introduction . The following report analyses the dynamic market within which gambling exists, and the way the online gambling industry beginning to takeover the gambling industry. From the report on the market it will be possible to have a clearer understanding of whether the market will continue to grow or whether the market can not continue to grow at such a rapid rate. The following report analyses the dynamic market within which online gambling exists. The report will focus on areas such as 1. PEST Analysis 2. Boston Matrix 3. Porters Five Forces 4. Competitors Analysis 5. SWOT Analysis 6. Shareholders Such consideration of the market will enable a clearer understanding of whether the market will continue to grow at such a rapid rate. Market Definition Market sectors There are four main gambling sectors that attract the vast majority if online gambling ? Online Poker ?Online Casinos ?Sports Betting ?Betting Exchanges Online poker and betting exchanges are dominating the market and have only been introduced in recent years to the online gambling market. Sports betting and casinos still have large market share of the market but growth has slowed down. The size of the online gambling market for 2004 was $8. 2 billion for the world. In 2004 in the U. K ? 7. 4 billion was spent in gambling. Even though stats are not that easy to compare it shows that online gambling has not yet dominated the gambling market and there is potential for further growth. PEST Analysis PEST Analysis is analysis of macro-environments that affects all firms. PEST stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological factors of the external macro-environment. Such external factors are beyond most firms control and sometimes present themselves as threats. On the other hand changes in the external environment can lead to new opportunities; this is certainly true for the gambling industry. Political Political and legal factors are those controlled by ? governments, local authorities, or other trade or activity orientated regulatory bodies (Brassington and Pettitt, 2000). Gambling legislation is put in place in order to prevent consumers been taken advantage and also help control consumers with gambling problems. The internet is open to great abuse in all areas of the internet and gambling is no exception. Within five minutes it is possible to be gambling on the internet at as high stakes as one desires, this obviously has its dangers. Companies have recently been pushed to be more responsible for caring for their customers. Some of the companies now have a system which its customers can use. The system offers the customer control of how much they can deposit in a designated time period, this helps the customers control their spending. Though this may affect profits for a company, it gives the impression that they care for their customers, which promotes their company. The laws for online gambling are reasonably relaxed and with it been a worldwide market that anyone from any country can access it is hard to control such a market. There have been recent worries about illegal gambling carried out on Betfair with trainers and owners regarding the running of a horse to lose. Many bets would be taken on the specific horse resulting in a major movement in the market and the price . The in the know punters will know the certain horse that is going to lose the race and they then lay the horse to lose on betfair, guaranteeing that they will win. This has caused many investigation and question over betting exchanges. Economic This considers both the ?macro- and micro-economic environment conditions which affect the structure of the market (Brassington and Pettitt, 2000). With the UK expecting an increase in disposable income this is likely that more money is to be spent in gambling. The gambling market may, however, be susceptible to recessionary influences. In times of economic downturn consumers become more reserved in their spending. With the market been worldwide the economic stability of different countries should balance the market out at such times, but large consumers of the market such as the US may have an effect on the market. Interest rates and level of inflation must be considered as threats to the online gambling industry. Social In order to combat the issues surrounding gambling addiction, casino staff undergo training in order to identify problem gamblers. The Gambling Bill is to focus on social responsibility rather than on casinos. The resort casinos which the gambling bill allows are an issue as evidence from New Zealand suggests that the bigger the casino the bigger the risk of problem gambling. This kind of control on the internet is done in a different way and there is no obligation for companies to offer this service. It is only the leading companies who tend to offer protection against gambling addiction. The way it is done on the internet is to let customers set there deposit limit with a desired time period. Obviously this is not as well controlled as at the casino as employees can take control of the problem customers but on the internet that kind of control does not exist, which proves to be a real worry for the online gambling industry. Many online gambling companies cater for only English speaking consumers due to the large domination of the market from the U.S and the U. K. This restricts market growth in other countries but companies are changing towards catering for other countries, with casinos ahead of the game due to its global appeal. As gambling is seen as a use of leisure activity the market considers its success on the amount of leisure time consumers have but from research it is clear to see consumers feel no obligation to carrying out their gambling whilst at work, often a poker game in the lunch break or even whilst working, which creates extra revenue for the online gambling industry. It also emphasis the ease at which it is to gamble online, which is the main reason behind the success of the market. Technological Gambling has been revolutionised in recent years by technological change and this is the reason for the rapid growth in the industry, making it easier than ever to gamble. The internet has seen new systems such as Betfair, and online poker which is know an $8. 6 billion market. The idea of online gambling is the ease of placing a bet. Before people would have to go to the betting shop or the casino to gamble but with such easy access for customers to access there betting accounts it has a bee a revolutionising advancement in the gambling market. New software is constantly been developed to offer an enhanced experienced for the consumers. The betting exchanges offer the chance for consumers to act as the bookies by being able to lay their bets. This obviously offers a new exciting way for consumers to experience gambling and has helped to develop the market. With improved graphics companies are making it more like the real thing. Some of the casinos online are designed to make you actually feel like you are in the casino the same is done with online poker games and even sports betting is going down the same line with offering text and audio commentary for sports events. This encourages consumers to use the internet rather than go to the casino or the betting shops. Porters Five force analysis Mr Porter was a scholar and management consultant. His model is based on the insight that a corporate strategy should meet the opportunities and threats in the organisations external environment. Porter has identified five competitive forces that shape every industry and every market. These forces determine the intensity of competition and hence the profitability and attractiveness of an industry. The objective of corporate strategy should be to modify these competitive forces in a way that can improve the position of an organisation. Barriers to Entry New entrants into to the market are quite regular due to the low costs of setting up an online gambling site. However, in practice, there are significant barriers to building a large, successful online gambling firm, as the business model is dependent to a large extent on, amongst other things, a strong brand underpinned by liquidity and effective payment processing. The exceptions of success by new entries tends to be when a company has an innovative idea such as Betfair. They are offering something different to the customer. The key features of a successful online gambling firm are difficult to achieve due to the following: ? Player liquidity: a large number of players are required for online poker and betting exchanges, to provide customers with opposing players for poker or a price for betting exchanges. In addition, player liquidity means that the larger sites can offer a greater variety for its customers. ?Software control: ownership of software to provide the operator with greater control, improved margins and bespoke functionality, with the ability to develop high quality user interface and scalable systems which are critical for attracting and retaining customers. Payment processing expertise: to attract and maintain customers, sites must be trusted and must provide a wide range of methods to pay-in and withdraw funds. Such payment processing must also be quick and efficient whilst maintaining low levels of fraud. ?Customer support: responding to customer enquiries on a timely and efficient basis enhances the level of customer service and customer retention. To build and sustain a large online gaming business requires significant investment in customer service operations. Marketing and global reach: as competition increases, the leading operators have greater marketing resources with which to attract and retain customers and are increasingly becoming global brands in order to penetrate new geographic markets. Buyer power The buyer power of customers determines how much customers can impose pressure on margins and volumes. The gambling market is driven by consumer trends and companies need to identify these trends and implement their strategies to remain competitive. Promotional strategies are used to initially sign up a customer and once signed up they are likely to stay there if they like the lay up of the site. It is predicted that one in three people that sign up for a free bonus will use that company for their gambling. Threats of Substitutes This is no real concern for the online gambling market, the only substitutes is betting shops and casinos, but these where all put in place before the online gambling market was created, so there is no possibility of threats from this. Supplier Power The supplier in this market is the software developers, where many companies use the same software to run their websites and with a worldwide market suppliers are never short when it involves employees skills to create the products, unlike coffee that may be affected by poor weather conditions. The concern of software developers rising prices for their products may be an issue due to them feeling they are loosing out on profit with which some online gambling companies are creating a large amount of profit. Competitor Analysis Competitor analysis is a ? systematic attempt to identify and understand the key elements of a competitors strategy (Brassington and Pettitt, 2000). An understanding of competitors enables competitive advantages to be formed. Gambling is a highly competitive market which may discourage market entry and stifle innovation, it may similarly stimulate a range of strategies for promoting growth and with constant technological improvements markets may open in the future. The amount of online gambling companies available to consumers are very variant, this has made a very competitive markets with companies offering free bonuses and providing the latest in software technology. The online gambling market can be split up into 4 sub-markets, online poker, betting exchanges, sports betting, and casinos. Betting exchanges market is dominated by betfair. Betfair is the dominant player in the betting exchange market, with an estimated 86% market share by value. Betfair exchange boasts a high level of liquidity across a wide range of betting markets, and a professional customer service operation alongside a fully integrated telephone and internet betting service. These features, have served to act as a significant barrier to entry into the betting exchange marketplace. Several other betting exchanges were set up including Sporting options and Betdaq. Sporting options was no success and was closed with many people losing money in there betting accounts because the company were unable to pay them back, betfair stepped in to offer support for these people which helped betfair grow even more dominant in the market. While there are over 200 online poker sites in operation, the online poker market is dominated by a small number of large operators. For the current year to 5 June 2005, the top eight operators had an estimated combined market share of 95 per cent in terms of ring game rake, 92 per cent in terms of number of ring game players and 88 per cent in terms of number of tournament players, which illustrates the effective barriers to developing an online poker business. Of these operators, PartyPoker. com has been the clear market leader in terms of both revenue and number of players since mid-2003. The sports betting market is much like the poker market, as many companies exist but the market is dominated by several market leaders such as William Hill and Paddy Power. William Hill has had success due to it is reputation of stores in towns and cities all over the U. K. As for paddy Power the success has been from large amounts or promotion and innovative ideas to promote the company. The casino market also works on the same basis that there are few market leaders that dominate the market. The main market leaders are casino on net, Golden Palace and Ladbrokes casino; there are still many major competitors in the market but with less market share but have the potential to take more of the market share. Most traffic is driven to online casinos via marketing on television channels and bonus deals in order to get customers to sign up for the casinos. Boston Matrix The Boston matrix is a chart created by the Boston Consulting Group in 1970. This is a useful marketing tool when analysis of market growth-relative share is required; the growth and share of different online gambling methods can be compared. The markets on the internet consist of poker, sports betting, betting exchanges and casinos. Dogs These are products with a low share of a low growth market. They do not generate cash for the company, they tend to absorb it. There are no online gambling markets that are in this category, this shows a strong healthy market. Cash Cows These are products with a high share of a slow growth market. Cash Cows generate more than is invested in them. Sports betting and casinos markets have slowed down as the stars of the online gambling market have entered the market. Problem Children These are products with a low share of a high growth market. They consume resources and generate little in return. They absorb most money as you attempt to increase market share. These gambling games are fairly new to the market and have yet had a chance to grow. Stars These are products that are in high growth markets with a relatively high share of that market. Stars tend to generate high amounts of income. Betting and exchanges and online pokers have taken the market to the new levels of turnover and have set of a craze worldwide. Shareholders For nearly every industry, sustainability is a key objective. Creating a sustainable online gambling industry benefits all of the industrys stakeholders. In recent months we have seen the flotation of many online poker companies, which developed a great relationship between the stock market and online gambling. But in September this year PartyGaming warned its growth prospects may be not be as great as was suggested when it floated in July 2005. More than ? 2 billion was wiped of the value of its shares; they dropped 30% in value. This obviously had an effect on other online gambling company shares which saw a slide in share price as well. One indicator of the slowdown is that although there are still more people signing up to play poker online, their average spend is falling. This is a concern for the online poker market as it shows the growth is not sustainable and action must be taken to not just let the online poker market just a short fad. Chief Executive Richard Segal said as these trends continued, the group would adapt its marketing strategy and infrastructure to provide greater focus on customer retention and player value. SWOT Analysis ________________________________________ SWOT analysis is useful in auditing information in a systematic manner. It demonstrates how strengths and weaknesses can be understood in context with opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis helps to explain where the online gambling market is today, but also where it is likely to be in the future. ?Strengths 1. New innovations and improvements are a regular feature due to a highly competitive market and high demand from consumers. 2. The growth in new consumers is constant, especially with the current fad of online poker. 3. Consumers have more faith in using the internet which is helping the market to grow: new payment systems such as Paypal are trustful and they prevent, together with insurances and banks, consumers from online fraud. 4. The overheads are very low for new companies to enter the market of online gambling: create a webpage and buy a payment gateway is basically enough to have a gambling website. 5. Online gambling represent entertainment at home that can be accessed at anytime, from anywhere and by anyone. 6. Due to the diversity of gambling available bringing consumers into the market that would not potentially consider gambling (e.g. gambling on games such as Chess) is very easy. ? Weaknesses 1. Online gambling is likely to become quite a saturated market, and will only continue to grow at such a rate if innovations can be added to the existing offer: develop gambling in new areas such as politics, decrease the time between the deadline to place a bet and the event on which the bet is placed 2. Companies with poor marketing strategies will have to struggle to exist due to the amount of competition: new websites are issued quite every day without even proposing new possibilities for consumers. 3. In becoming stronger, more reputable organisations have the capability to over power smaller organisations or websites: this may occur in France in the next few years if La Francaise des Jeux decides to develop a wide-scale platform for online betting it will probably have a very negative impact on smaller competitors. 4. Gambling laws in several countries such as France or Italy constrain success of market with the social issues of gambling addiction. 5. Betting shops and Casinos when they are allowed by national gaming acts still have a high presence in the gambling market and stop people using the online gambling options as much. 6. It appears to be quite difficult for new company to enter the market place due to high competition and dominance of large firms controlling the market, unless with having an innovative idea: some small websites, for example, focus on the European market, they propose adapted hours for online tournaments or develop their pages or hotlines in many languages ?Opportunities 1. Can emphasis on the rapid popularity of online gambling and that anyone can do it. 2. It is highly potential to gain a lead on the market with new technology. 3. Innovative ideas such as celebrities even gamble online, e. g. www. celebritypoker. com offers the chance to play poker against celebrities. 4. Inexpensive start up costs for a new online gambling company. 5. Constant improvement in technology opens up opportunities in the market. 6. Broadband creating much more opportunity. 7. The market is worldwide so anyone who has access to the internet can be targeted. Threats ?Rapid growth of the market may cause gambling laws to be tightened affecting profit for companies. ?Negative publicity highlighting the dangers of gambling. ?Demand depends upon real income therefore downturns in the economy can have an adverse effect of demand. ?Some companies are in a weak position financially. ?Dominance of the market. ?Market dependant on technology, which is not always reliable. Conclusion ________________________________________ The future of online gambling is bright with estimates of $32 billion spent in the year of 2009 compared to $14 billion this year. The market has seen rapid growth in recent years and it is not possible for a market to sustain such rapid growth forever, but it is still likely to grow at such a rapid rate for several years to come but it will slow down gradually. Gambling laws vary in different countries but could prevent the growth of the market, due to worries such as gambling addiction. There will always be a strong market for online gambling but is likely to see more domination by larger companies keeping the barriers of entry difficult to succeed in the market. Online gambling is highly innovative industry with new ideas to draw more people into gambling with the latest idea of offering to be able to gamble on games of chess or snooker or backgammon It is possible to gamble on nearly everything, this just defines the potential of the market. References Textbooks Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. (2000). Principles of Marketing. Websites www. quickmba. com/strategy/porter. shtml Five forces analysis diagram. www. gamblinglicenses. com Provided information on the gambling laws work. www. partygaming. com Provided stats on market size and useful information on the online poker market. www. bettingmarket. com Reviews of the online gambling market with stats of traffic on online sites. www. reports. mintel. com Provided a report on the gambling industry, with helpful information on market size. www. amadeus. bvdep. com Provided information on the market share of companies. www. thismoney. co. uk Provided information on the share situation for the market.

What Political Issues are Important to the Elderly?

What Political Issues are Important to the Elderly? Because Americans are living and staying healthy much longer than they were just 50 years ago, reaching the age of 65 and becoming a Senior Citizen is no longer the major milestone it has been in the past. As a result, many people stay active and productive by working to the age of 65 and beyond. Even so, and although everyone ages differently, at some point the aging process catches up with all of us. For some it occurs well before the age of 65, but many can and do remain healthy and active well into their 80s and even 90s. The end result is that the median age of the general population is increasing causing a phenomenon often referred to as the Greying of America. With people living longer, accompanying a reduction in fertility rates, there is a higher percentage of elderly people in the general population than there has been in the past. Because this country is a democracy where each citizen has the right to vote, an increase in the number of older people means there will be mo re focus on laws, social programs and legislation involving the concerns of that segment of the population. Although the current hot political topic involving healthcare is The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly nicknamed Obamacare, the number one issue with most seniors at this time however is not Obamacare it is Social Security. After becoming law on August 14, 1935, Social Security has proven to be the number one anti-poverty program in the United States serving roughly 43,317,000 individuals as of January 2017. Being so, many seniors receiving Social Security benefits rely on this program for most if not all their daily living expenses. Due to the Federal Governments own admission that the Social Security Trust Fund in nearing insolvency, it stands to reason then that the viability of the Social Security program is our seniors major concern. Following closely behind social security in importance to seniors is Medicare another entitlement program that, like Social Security, automatically becomes effective when a qualifying citizen of the United States reaches the age of 65. Medicare is the vehicle through which a majority of seniors receive healthcare benefits. This program is also facing a financial crisis. According to information from the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) the total number of Medicare beneficiaries in the U.S. during the year 2016 is roughly 55.5 million. With the increasing number of individuals qualifying for these two entitlement programs accompanied by a constant increase in the cost of medical services and prescription medications, the price tag for both these programs will continue to increase. When you color in that fact that the Federal Government spent a total of 916 Billion Dollars on Social Security payments and 595 Billion Dollars on Medicare bills for a grand total of $1,511,000,000,000 USD or roughly 50% of the total amount of money collected in taxes by the Federal government last year (2016), it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out where this is headed. Regardless of the cost or the reasons the simple fact remains a substantial number of retired folks depend on these two programs for a majority of their day-to-day living expenses which is why they regard Social Security and Medicare to be of more importance to them than the fate of Obamacare. It is important to note here that many of the people who depended on personal savings, retirement plans, pensions and other savings plans to replace their paycheck as a means of support during retirement found that this means of income is less than reliable. The reason this is true is beyond the scope of this paper for there are almost too many to count. Even so, the fact remains most people have little or no additional retirement savings to rely on other than Social Security. In truth, most private retirement plans are a thing of the past except for Government Pension Plans. If you had worked for any governmental body from Municipal, State or Federal you were awarded a retirement pension to go along with your paycheck. Pension payments cost lots of money. A case in point: the Federal Government paid out 983.7 Billion Dollars to retired Federal employees in 2016 alone. That is 67.7 billion dollars more than the total amount of taxpayer money the Federal Government paid out in Socia l Security payments that same year (983.7 916 = 67.7 Billion). Granted, since 1984, some Federal employees were required to pay Social Security Taxes so they qualify to receive Social Security benefits when they reach the age of 65 however, their Social Security payments are in addition to their retirement pension which is taxed at the much lower rate during retirement rather than the much higher rate it would have demanded when the money was paid in. What does this mean? It means that whoever was in charge of the Federal Retirement Pension Plan should have been in charge of Social Security. Can this issue be fixed? Yes, but NOT without hurting some feelings. The facts are: According to the Social Security Administration, 48% of married couples and 71% of unmarried persons rely on Social Security for 50% of their day-to-day living expenses. Another 20% rely on Social Security for a significant percentage of their living expenses. This means that a large percentage of those receiving Social Security payments that do not need these monthly payments in order to live comfortably in retirement but because they paid into the system are qualified to get them. What happens when the Social Security system crashes and burns? After years and years of contribution nobody gets paid the political fallout alone would be enormous? So enormous in fact that todays politicians are avoiding the issue like the plague even as the people in charge of Social Security and Medicare beg them to do something (Social Security and Medicare, 2016). Is there an alternative to crash and burn? Yes but it isnt pretty. What needs to happen is for Social Security to become a means tested benefit program instead of an entitlement program which would initially free up enough money to carry Social Security into the future and make it available as the stop gap program for future generations as the program was originally intended to be. The next thing to do is to put the money collected into the bank and not let politicians write IOUs and take the money and spend it on something else like war or anything else for that matter. Would you take your kids allowance and give them and IOU and blow the money of something you wanted to buy and tell them you will pay them back when they really needed the money? No teenager I know would go for that line so should we? The alternative is not only ugly it could very well tear this country apart. Whats really scary is that like the sunrise its coming. References Affordable Healthcare ObamaCare Facts http://obamacarefacts.com/affordable-healthcare/ FDR signs Social Security Act Aug 14, 1935 HISTORY.com www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fdr-signs-social-security-act Fear mongering Oxford Dictionaries https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fearmongering Home Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services https://www.cms.gov/ Monthly Statistical Snapshot, January 2017 Social Security https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/ Alliance for Retired Americans https://retiredamericans.org/ A SUMMARY OF THE 2016 ANNUAL REPORTS, Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees, Status Of The Social Security And Medicare Programs. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/ Medicare Spending Analysis Charts Tables History www.usgovernmentspending.com/medicare_spending_by_year Social Security Spending Analysis Charts Tables History www.usgovernmentspending.com/social_security_spending_by_year US Federal Budget Analyst, Actual 2016 http://www.usfederalbudget.us/federal_budget_estimate_vs_actual_2016 United States Department of Labor / Bureau of Labor Statistics https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet

Essay examples --

Ceramics are used extensively in dental restorations because of their superior aesthetics and biocompatibility compared to metals (1). However, the brittleness of ceramics can initiate crack propagation causing failure of the restoration (2). Resin cements are used for cementing ceramic restorations because of their excellent aesthetics and mechanical properties. The cement penetrates any defects or irregularities on the ceramic surface thereby preventing propagation of cracks (3, 4, 5). Optimal clinical performance depends on sufficient resin cement polymerisation. Degree of conversion (DC) is affected by the amount of light reaching the cement which in turn, is affected by the opacity and the thickness of the ceramic as well as the thickness of the resin cement layer. Insufficient polymerisation influences both mechanical properties and clinical performance of the restoration (2, 5). Aims of this study are to see how light transmission (LT) is affected by thickness or opacity of a ceramic and how resin cements thickness affects DC. Hypotheses are: (1) LT decreases with increasing thickness or opacity (2) DC would decrease with thicker cement samples. Method Shade A1, A2, A3 and A3.5 of Base Dentine VN7 powder (Vita, Bad SÃ ¤ckingen, Germany) were used. Ceramic disc thicknesses tested (measured using digital calliper) were 1.40, 1.00 and 0.60mm. Specimen preparation Twenty ceramics discs, five of each shade, were prepared by mixing 0.73g of powder with 0.29mL of Modelling Liquid (Vita, Bad SÃ ¤ckingen, Germany). The mixture was placed in a 1.60mm thick metal ring on a mould assembly and vibrated for 40 seconds. The surface was levelled using a razor blade before firing the discs in a furnace (Vita Vacumat 40, Bad SÃ ¤ckingen, Germ... ... the disc. LT through a ceramic disc would ultimately affect the polymerisation of resin cements. The second hypothesis that DC should decrease with increasing resin cement thickness layer is rejected as the graph showed that 1.00mm resin cement thickness had the greatest DC. A higher DC was seen with thinner resin cement specimens because there would be more LT and the photoinitiator in resin cements needs light to initiate the polymerisation reaction. A thicker resin cement layer would allow less light to reach the bottom so there would be less monomer to polymer conversion and resultantly, lower DC. However, very thin specimens may experience light reflectance which may affect the DC results. Conclusion LT through ceramics was measured and LT decreased with increasing thickness or opacity. DC appeared to increase when thicker resin cement samples were tested.

Excavating an African Burial Ground: Lack of Funding Could Mean Loss o

Excavating an African Burial Ground: Lack of Funding Could Mean Loss of Information Forever As children growing up in the United States, educated through our public schools, we learned about the institution of slavery, which was an integral part of life in our country for nearly 300 years. We do not usually question the historical facts we learned about slavery or ask how we know so much about the history of these people (the enslaved Africans in America) who left behind so little written record. In the classroom, archeologists do not receive much credit, but it is largely through their work and research that we have been able to learn about â€Å"America’s diverse ethnic heritage† (Singleton 155). In the 1960’s, excavations of slave cabins inspired a new area of research. Today’s field of African-American Archaeology was born from these first digs, only three decades ago. Archaeologists carefully and skillfully collect artifacts, which are â€Å"tangible material remains and by-products of behavior† (Singleton 156). Through historical and ethnographic analysis and interpretation, archeologists are able to put together pieces of the daily lives and living conditions of the first African-Americans. One such African-American archaeological dig, called the African Burial Ground Project, is currently taking place in New York City. In 1991, the construction crew for a new, $276 million federal office building stumbled across the skeletons of what are now known to be early African slaves. The United States General Services Administration (GSA), the government agency that handles the funding and administration of all federal property, began further exploration of the site. Today we know that this â€Å"plot of land is just a sliver of the 18th ... ...es 21 Mar. 1999: Sec. 14, pg. 6. Gaines, Patrice. â€Å"Bones of Forebears; Howard U. Study Stirs Ghanaian Chiefs to Honor Ages-Old Link to U.S. Blacks.† The Washington Post 3 Aug. 1995: B01. LaFee, Scott. â€Å"Grave Injustice; Archaeologists are Beginning to Unearth the Buried, Tragic Secrets of America’s First Slaves.† The San Diego Union-Tribune 15 Sep. 1999: E-1. â€Å"New Chief of African Burial Ground Project.† The New York Beacon 16 June 1999: 12. Satchell, Michael. â€Å"Only Remember Us.† U.S. News & World Report 28 July 1997: 51-52. Singleton, Theresa A. â€Å"The Archaeology of Slave Life.† Before Freedom Came: African-American Life I the Antebellum South. Ed. Edward D.C. Campbell, Jr. and Kym S. Rice. Charlottesville: The University Press of Virginia, 1991. 155-175. Staples, Brent. â€Å"Manhattan’s African Dead.† Editorial. The New York Times 22 May 1995: A14.

Margaret Atwood use of Language and Narrative Technique in The Handmaid

From the outset of 'The Handmaids Tale' the reader is placed in an unknown world, where the rights and freedom of women have been taken away. We follow the narrative journey of a handmaid, named Offred. Throughout the first 15 Chapters we are provided with information, as narrated by Offred, with glimpses of her past life and her journey to the life she is now facing. These glimpses are not logical in their sequencing or chronological in the narration, therefore creating a feeling of disorientation among readers, a feeling matching that experienced by those living in this society. This also provokes many questions in the reader’s mind along with creating tension and expectation as to the nature of the procreation which we have come to understand is the function of the handmaids. Although the reader is made aware of the structure and methods of control within Gilead, none of the information provided can begin to prepare the reader for the way in which 'The Ceremony' is undertaken. We are first provided with hints as to what is required of the handmaids at the beginning of the dystopia, with the mention of the Red Centre. A place where shockingly a process of conditioning is undertaken with armed guards around the fences and the women in charge carrying electric pods, suggesting it is a controlled place, but also raises the question as to why such methods of control are required. The shocking fact that the women have to lip read, again reveals to the reader how strict and controlled this society is along with providing the feeling of fear the handmaids must be experiencing. There is also a monthly visit to the gynecologist, but on the occasion described, this routine check is made rather sinister with the doctor offerin... ...o watch is shocking whilst â€Å"as an effigy† makes the reader wonder whether Serena maybe feeling like the person on top of a tomb, dead. Offred once again reveals her fair handedness, â€Å"Which of us is it worse for, her or me?† This represents Offred to be a strong person, as following such a scenario, she isn’t thinking of herself alone, she is thinking about the feelings of the wife. It isn’t until the next section the reader comes to realise Ofred's true feelings towards the Ceremony, 'I want to steal something.' This reveals to the reader, Ofred needs to feel as though she does have some kind of power over her life, and with the scene with Nick shows how she longs to be appreciated for who she is instead of just being a sex object, this again results in sympathy for Offred and what the other handmaids must feel like in a situation such as this.

Large Pizza, Extra Cheese, Extra Norovirus

You can’t stand it. You open the door and generously greet the beauty you’ve been waiting a whole hour for. Your taste buds are teasing you. Craving the molten melted cheese topped with every one of your favorite meats and vegetables. It shines like it’s just been on a treadmill for 3 hours before landing right in your hands, in a perfectly folded box. The ten dollar and fifty cent beauty is all yours, and it’s calling your name. Nothing can go wrong, until it hits you.The mixture of vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and a fever, all because you thought you could trust what was hand delivered to your doorstep. Instead of getting what was paid for, you’ve gotten a big pizza pie full of Noroviruses. On March 3rd, 2008, A locally owned pizza place in Overland Park, Kansas named â€Å"Pizza Shoppe† was in the middle of a huge controversy. While business hours on this day, 10 cases of a foodborne illness was reported. In response, an outbreak investigat ion was initiated by the Johnson County Health Department and the Kansas Department of Health.One of those 10 cases was one of their own employees. 10 customers reported symptoms of nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting about 2 to 3 hours after eating lunch at the restaurant. The employees of the day were sent to answer a thorough questionnaire about the information on individual illness history, food consumption history and hours worked during the 7-day time period. The results came back positive. All of the specimens that were taken from the sick people came back positive with a food borne illness called Norovirus Gastroenteritis.So where did it come from? What caused it to be such a violent outbreak? An inspection was carried out by the Kansas Department of Health on March 4th, 2008. After an initial walkthrough of the business, the biggest culprits were two dented cans of pizza sauce that are used to make the pizzas every day, no â€Å"use by† dates on any food items, and employ ee bare hand contact with ready to eat foods and toppings. The biggest culprit of all would have had to be bare hand contact with the foods and the employees.Since one of the employees reported symptoms of Norovirus Gastroenteritis as well, this might of single handedly caused the ten others to get sick as well. A sure sign of a physical contamination, at its finest. A norovirus is a type of virus that can be caused by tainted water, or human fecal matter. The symptoms to this virus include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pains. Although, this virus cannot multiply in food, it can be carried into the food by bad food handling habits.It can be easily prevented through sanitary food safety precautions that can be used when training employees, to reduce an outbreak from happening. There is no specific medicine to treat people with a norovirus illness. Norovirus infection cannot be treated with antibiotics because it is a viral infection instead of a bacterial one. If you hav e norovirus illness, you should drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost from throwing up and diarrhea symptoms. This will help prevent dehydration.Consequentially, the restaurant obtained 3 health violations and was forced to change their vendor. This also caused the media to report on the restaurant negatively, and in turn, caused the restaurant business for many months following the outbreak. Thankfully nobody died but necessary sanitation precautions for employees were put into effect to ease the possibility of a future outbreak. So next time your order a pizza, take a good look into the cheese glimmering back at you. Every deliciously cheesy piece could be your last.

Nordstrom Employee Issues

Does the company have an ethics policy? Conflicts of Interest Nordstrom values fair and honest dealings with their customers, coworkers, suppliers, competitors and other business partners. Directors are expected to uphold these values by avoiding conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest also may arise when a Director, or a member of his or her family, receives personal benefits such as gifts as a result of his or her position as a Director with Nordstrom.Directors should use good judgment at all times to avoid relationships that could create a real or perceived conflict of interest. If a Director believes he or she has an actual or potential conflict of interest with Nordstrom, the Director shall notify the Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee as promptly as practicable and shall not participate in any deliberations and decisions by the Board of Directors that in any way relates to the matter that gives rise to the conflict of interest.Corporate Opportunitie s Directors owe a duty to Nordstrom to advance its legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises. Directors may not take for themselves a business opportunity (or direct a business opportunity to a third party) that is discovered through the use of Nordstrom property, information or position, unless Nordstrom has already been offered the opportunity and determined that it will not pursue that opportunity ConfidentialityEach Director, during his or her term of office, and after leaving the Board, must maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to him or her by Nordstrom and any other confidential information about Nordstrom that comes to him or her, from whatever source, in his or her capacity as a Director, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated or when the information becomes generally available to the public. . How are employee and labor issues addressed? Nordstrom has an open door policy.Each employee has the responsibility to speak up to create a safer work environment that supports an environment where each can realize their potential, and contributes to the company’s goal of providing excellent customer service. If you have any questions about the Code of Conduct or have a concern about any employee or customer conduct, we want to hear from you. The expectation is that any concerns will be brought up immediately. Also, in the event any employees observe illegal or unethical behavior, they have a responsibility to speak up.An anonymous or confidential option is also available. Call 1. 888. 832. 8358 or visit ethicspoint. com. Retaliation is Not Permitted Nordstrom will not permit any retaliation against employees who report possible misconduct, raise a concern regarding a violation of this Code, participate in an investigation or otherwise engage in legally protected activity. Anyone who retaliates will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. http://shop. nordstrom. com/c/nordstrom-cares-environment? origin=topnav

Analysis of Wallace Stevens’ “On Modern Poetry” Essay

There is something to be said for a man who can look deeply into his profession and define exactly what is that he does. The deaths of many men have passed without a definition of their lives, or a true understanding of what they do. In his poem â€Å"On Modern Poetry,† Wallace Stevens attempts to define his life’s work and his passion. To a poet â€Å"On Modern Poetry† serves as both a guidebook and a wonderful example of what makes poetics an amazing art. Stevens uses his talent to explain his talent, taking the reader on a wonderful journey through the process of poem creation, and through the human mind. The aforementioned guidelines that Wallace details in â€Å"On Modern Poetry† are dead on and may have shaped the way that poems are created to this day. He captured the true essence of poetics while allowing the reader to continue doing their job, using their mind and their imagination. Stevens weaves a visual path through the job description of a poe m and leaves the reader wondering what is said, and how to take it. Read more: Good country people shmoop  essay The journey of poem writing is a perplexing one, especially in the area of method. When Wallace Stevens opens â€Å"On Modern Poetry† with the line: â€Å"The poem of the mind in the act of finding/What will suffice† (ll. 1-2). He is detailing the struggle to find the right word, the right scheme, or the right time for change. He then follows with: â€Å"It has not always had/To find: the scene was set; it repeated what/Was in the script† (ll. 2-4). This is in reference to change and the modernist/imagist view of poetry in the past. This could be taken as a derogatory comment to the simplicity and complacency of past poetry. Regardless, I tend to take it as a comment on the overall state of poetry, a look at the past, but a welcoming of the state of current poetry. The first stanza of the poem simply details the struggles of a changing genre, and uses descriptive diction to do that. One great thing about a poem is that it leaves room for thought, for personal development, and for individual interpretation. Not only does â€Å"On Modern Poetry† do those things, but it also tells the reader to do them. â€Å"A metaphysician in the dark, twanging/An instrument, twanging a wiry string that gives/Sounds passing through a sudden rightnesses, wholly/Containing the mind†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (ll. 20-23). The lines in themselves are perplexing and leave plenty of room for interpretation. But what a reader comes to conclude is  that Stevens is suggesting that a poem buries itself within the human mind and plants a seed. The poem acts as a seed to thought, and it exercises the mind on a regular basis. A good poem is one that makes the reader think, and not just about the words, but about themselves and about their mind. The idea of a poem as a performer, be it an actor in a play, or a musician playing an instrument, or a metaphysician playing an instrument is one of particular interest. Stevens uses the metaphor throughout the poem and does so quite well. The duality of the performer as the poet allows for a wide range of comparison and gives way to a multitude of metaphors. In the following lines Stevens uses the idea of a actor on stage to present the depth of a poems words: â€Å"†¦speak words that in the ear, In the delicatest ear of the mind, repeat, Exactly, that which it wants to hear, at the sound Of which, and invisible audience listens, Not to the play, but to itself, expressed In an emotion as of two people, as of two Emotions becoming one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (ll. 13-19). The lines represent the idea that a poem must cross over from reality to a level that talks to the reader and allows them to listen to their thoughts and not just the poem. The poem becomes simply a vehicle for the human mind; it opens doors and allows the reader to read about themselves. When Stevens enters the second stanza he begins to give his guidelines for modern poetry: â€Å"It has to be living, to learn the speech of the place. It has to face the men of the time and to meet The women of the time. It has to think about war And it has to find what will suffice† (ll. 7-10). The lines in themselves are quite simple, in their original form. They provide simple rules, but rules that were fairly modern during this time. The idea of including the meeting of women provides a fairly modern concept in concern to women’s rights and public recognition. Poems have always been concerned with war, or with human suffering, but the modern idea of thinking of war provides an example of being both positive and tragic. The past hundred years had been fairly rose-colored, but beginning in the 1930’s America took a turn for the worse and thus provided a reason to consider human tragedy. For a poem to be living and to learn the speech of the place simply means it must me modern, or current. The final four lines are more intriguing and seem more complex than all of the previous lines. They seem to be putting into action the ideas of the poem so far. He gives examples of what things would work as â€Å"modern poetry†. Modern poetry must find satisfaction, and some ways in which that may be achieved is through the discussion of a man skating or of a woman dancing or combing her hair. These things must exercise the mind though. Modern poems cannot simply describe the action, but must look beyond the action, from the subject, to the writer, to the reader. While I cannot claim to fully understand Stevens’ view of modern poetry, I feel that through his poem I can form some conclusions about his beliefs. Wallace Stevens was not a highly renowned scholar, but he did have an understanding of what he was writing. He could describe his work, and he could put it on paper for others to see. As a student now finally gaining a respect for poetry it is nice to see what a poem writer thinks about his job. It is amazing to see that a poem can be made of any topic, and maybe  that provides another point in the description of poetry. In a 28-line poem Wallace succeeds in providing a guidebook in the writing of good poetry, and gives the reader a lot to think about. But, as Wallace says himself, â€Å"The poem of the act of the mind† (l. 28).

Family vs. Law Essay

Family, an important theme of life, gets expressed throughout many ways in society. Family may take precedence over many things, including authority and the law. Within the tragic play, Antigone, the author Sophocles presents situations where the characters have to choose between their family and the law. The characters must choose what is more important to them, their family or obeying the laws of Thebes. Throughout the play, Sophocles presents a strong theme of family values and the importance of it through the actions of Antigone, Creon and Haimon. Antigone, placed in many situations throughout the play, has to choose between her family and the law. Antigone chooses to honor her brother, Polyneces, by burying him even though she will break the law by doing so. Antigone asks her sister Ismene to help bury their beloved brother, but when Ismene says no, Antigone responds by saying, â€Å"But as for/ me/ I will bury the brother I love† (Prolouge. 192). Antigone chooses to honor her brother and risk breaking the law because family means more to her. Antigone puts her family first, presenting her as a selfless person. Along with the risk of breaking the law, Antigone also risks her death. Once Creon tells Antigone of her punishment after finding out she buries Polyneces, she has to decide whether or not burying her brother is worth it. After Creon tells Antigone of his plan for her, she says, â€Å"This death of mine/ is of no importance; but if I had left my brother/ lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. / Now I do not† (SceneII. 208). Antigone shows Creon that he cannot stop her from saving her family by trying to punish her with death. Antigone chooses to help her family and stand up for them, even when faced with death. Sophocles shows Antigone as a brave person by denouncing Creon’s rules and saving her brother. Through Antigone’s actions, Sophocles shows how he favors family over authority and the law. Sophocles expresses his devotion to family throughout Creon’s actions in the tragic play. Prior to Creon’s initial decision to let Antigone die, the Choragos convinces him to let her go free. Creon, reluctant at first, listens to the Choragos and says to them, â€Å"It is hard to deny the heart! † (SceneV. 235). Creon knows deep down inside that he will be doing the right thing by letting Antigone go free. Although Creon wants Antigone to pay for breaking the law, his family ties with her prove to out shine his devotion to the law. As Creon orders the Choragos on what weapons to bring, he says, â€Å"I buried her, I/ Will set her free† (SceneV. 236). Creon realizes that his family ties with Antigone mean more to him than justice and he wants her to know that by freeing her himself. Creon wants to prove to Antigone that he does care about her safety and her future so he will set her free so she can go on living her life with Haimon. Although Creon decides to free Antigone partly out of guilt, he mostly does it because of her love for her. Sophocles shows throughout the tragic play that he prefers family over the law through the actions of Creon. Sophocles shows his devotion to family over the law by the actions of Haimon. Haimon has to decide whether to fight for his wife’s life or obey his father. Haimon, driven mad by the situation he has at hand, decides to kill himself after he finds out Antigone has done the same. The messenger delivers the horrible news to the Choragos and says, â€Å"Haimon is dead; and the hand that killed him/ Is his own hand† (Exodos. 239). If he cannot live with Antigone, then Haimon does not want to live at all. Haimon’s devotion and love for Antigone is stronger than his will to obey the law. Even as Haimon â€Å"died/ He gathered Antigone close in his arms again,† (Exodos. 241). By having Haimon’s last moves before his death be hugging his wife one last time, Sophocles shows that family takes precedence over the law through Haimon’s selfless acts. Haimon wants to show to everyone, especially his father, that his love for Antigone overrules everything else, particularly the laws that Creon creates. Throughout Haimon’s actions in the play, Sophocles shows that family means more to him than the law. Throughout Antigone, Sophocles shows that his strong devotion to family overrides authority and the law. Sophocles proves this to the reader through the actions of Antigone, Creon and Haimon and the choices that they make throughout the play. Even at the face of death, Antigone chooses to honor her brother over obeying the law as a way of showing Sophocles’ devotion to family. Prior to Creon’s original decision to kill Antigone, he changes his mind and decides to spare her life to exemplify Sophocles’ loyalty to family life. Haimon chooses to spare his own life to support his wife and rebel against the laws his father creates to prove Sophocles’ commitment to family. Sophocles shows that his devotion to family overrides the law by the situations and decisions Antigone, Creon and Haimon make. Not just in the play Antigone, but even in the world today, family values have high precedence over the laws and rules created to follow.

Summary junk food

Why Do Americans Eat a Lot of Fast Food? Alaa A1-Marhoon American Language and Culture Program University of Idaho Mark Bittman, in his 2011 article, â€Å"Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? † says that American people think fast food is cheaper than real food and they use this point to explain why so many of them are overweight. However, he believes that's not true because junk food is actually more expensive than real food. The average cost of a fast food meal is around $12 per person. On the other hand, home cooked meals might cost round $10 per four people.Some people say the fast food could be cheaper if it is weighted by the calorie, but that also isn't a way to price the food according to Bittman because the home cooked meal could have more calories by adding natural sources (paras. 1-3). Money isn't a guide for what people eat, either. As Bittman states even poor people could have real food with a small amount of money. The author mentions, the time isn't either because the people who drive to fast food restaurants ould drive to any supermarket to buy their stuff to cook, but the fact is some people are lazy and they don't want to cook.Also, some people don't accept others' advice to cook at home (paras. 5-7). The author believes that eating fast food isn't Just related to money and time, but it gets people addicted to eating it, which make it harder to stop because the fast food industry mix chemicals with it. Bittman explains those chemicals make the taste of fast food and people addicted to having them. A study in 009 showed that eating a lot of fast food affects the brain.Also, the fast food industry leads people to eat fast food more and more because that makes people feel pleasure when they eat it (paras. 8-10). Bittman confirms there are five fast food restaurants tor each supermarket in the United S t s All those supermarkets increase the fresh food price by 40% and decrease soda and manufactured food by 30% to increase their restaurant benefit s. On the other hand, those supermarkets have done that to force people to eat fast food projects (Para. ).To have better lives, Bittman advises people to change their eating habits. Making this change will require to work both culture and political. People have already done this before to change the tobacco settlement limited in 1998. Certainly, this change will not be something hard to make. People will alone have to work together.