Thomas Hobbes Essays - Philosophy, Calvin And Hobbes, Free Essays

Thomas Hobbes Essays - Philosophy, Calvin And Hobbes, Free Essays Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes was one of the first Western Philosophers that the world had seen. Hobbess philosophies marked a departure in the English philosophy from religious emphasis of Scholasticism. Hobbes was born in 1588 in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. His father was a vicar of the parish during Queen Elizabeth time. He valued not learning and only read the prayers of the church. Hobbes obtained his education from his uncle and moved onto Oxford at the tender age of fifteen. By the time he reached Oxford he was already a scholar in Latin and Greek. He left Oxford in 1608 and began his companionship with the eldest son of Lord Cavendish of Hardwicke, later know as Earl of Devonshire. Hobbes traveled the European continent three times in his lifetime. These trips allowed Hobbes to get most of his work down and he usually traveled with a pupil. His first trip he took was in 1610 were he visited France, Italy and Germany. This trip he took with is pupil, Lord Hardwick. He learned the French and Italian languages along the way. This first tour of the continent did not allow Hobbes to learn his life purpose, but he did gain experience that could help him along his way. His second tour of the European continent took place in 1629 and lasted for two years. In 1628 his pupil and friend Lord Hardwick passed on and Hobbes had no duties to fulfill in the house. The second trip Hobbes took he had a new pupil the young earl, who was eleven when they left for the journey. When Hobbes arrived back he took over the education of his new pupil. Around the time he was educated the young earl, his philoschical views began to take place. It was not until his third trip across the continent that he began to fit in with the other philosophers of the world. The third trip he was accomplice by the young earl, Earl of Devonshire. The trip lasted three years, 1634 to 1637. The trip began a new chapter in Hobbes life, he began to publish books and his theories were starting to be written out into books. During the trip he was an intimate of Meresenne, who at the time was at the center of the scintitific circle. That circle include the like of Descartes and Gassendi. His first publication was when he returned titled, Elements of Law and politic. This book showed the theories that he began to evovle for him during this third and final trip. Hobbes fled to France for eleven years because of the fear of getting arrested from his book. He called himself a man of feminine courage. In France he taught the Prince of Whales, later known as King Charles II, mathematics. While in London he also wrote his most famous book Leviathan. This book should Hobbes views on all the theories and ethical decisions. It was published in 1651, the same year he moved back to England. He moved back because he felt safer now in England then he did in France. In actuality he moved back because his book caused him to fear arrest by the authorties in France. He felt safer in England because of his former pupil took over the throne and Hobbes came into favor with the House of Commons. In 1666 however the house passed a bill to inspect his book Leviathan of charges of atheistic tendencies. This inspection caused Hobbes to burn many of his papers and delayed three publications of future books. His philosical theories were that people could have more then one loyalty and that they could be competing with each other. Mainly he was talking about the loyalty to God. Religion was a big deal back then and he stated that God could have a competing loyalty and that people should decide what is best for them. Loyalty to a person or a king should stop when death could occur to you. He stated that loyalty is a social act and that anything a person does is self-serving. Anything a human being does come full circle and benefits them in a way. A theory that Hobbes had, that I believe was pretty big,

Why I Want A Wife Essays

Why I Want A Wife Essays Why I Want A Wife Paper Why I Want A Wife Paper In our current age we have both sexes going to school and staying at home. A stay at home father is more common than ever. Unfortunately, this is not how society has always worked. In the sasss, women were treated very differently then we do today. We use to be treated like door mats and mutes. In Why I Want a Wife by Judy Brady, she reveals her anger In a different tone. She uses sarcasm and humor to get her point across. As if all of the expectations of a wife is laughable and presumed as a joke. How can anyone possibly do all the work that she has listed and not even complain once. Her message may not have been as powerful and motivating, if she Just simply made a list of her grievances. Also, Brady learned to never complain, thanks to her husband, about her feelings and would be a reason why she did not just say outright all the injustice she felt in her marriage. It could be a way around her moral obligations to her husband, while still getting her message across to married and unmarried women. Brady realizes her husband was sexist, unsupported, and how she was once oblivious of her surroundings, which contributed to her becoming a role model to women everywhere. Brady writes against sexism and warns women of the life of a bride. Based on our past In the demographics of a household, a man would not be caught doing any cleaning or cooking. Brady was classified Into a group called wives. She and other wives are outsiders according to men and are only good for taking care of the well being of them family. The presentment that Just because she is a women does not mean she does not yearn to educate herself or become financial independent. He husband does not allow these things simply because she Is a women Brady explains how just because she is a women, she still has wants and needs just as important as the next men, and not to automatically write her off because she is a women. She shows us how she finally saw that her husband was unsupported and how she hoped her writings would change the future, Throughout the essay, Brady speaks of the want for an education and a life outside her home. Although, at the end of the essay, after the husband completes his school, she is still to stay at home with the children and household work. Even after she was loyal and encouraged his schooling, the husbands view did not change. His wife was to now stay at home and to focus solely on all her previous duties, with the only break is not helping her husband with school. The husband should now take his turn in helping raising the family so that Brady can finally evolve herself out of the classification of a different breed. A women going to get an education around that time was unlikely, but what she was saying Is even If you dont have support, you can soul make a difference In you own life. In conclusion , Brandys past ignorance has motivated her to speak out for women In similar situations. Brady starts filth classifying herself in a whole other species. She comes to the realization of her treatment over a conversation with a male friend who was recently divorced. He states how he is looking for another wife, but not another ND realizes how unfair and unequal her husband is. This is when she finally realizes that to men we are nothing more then Just a an object. After her revelation of her identity, she begins to dissect and define her life by all the chores she is expected to perform and all of a sudden, she realizes she was serving a life sentence. Although, prison might have been a vacation compared to her lifestyle. She now addresses the everyday issues of a common house wife to help prevent similar situations.

The right brothers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The right brothers - Essay Example One of these was a toy helicopter, which sparked a love for flying in the brothers. When the toy broke down, the brothers made a replacement, a feat that illustrated their future inventive capabilities (The Wright Story, 2010). The brothers’ childhood appears to have been highly enriched by their father’s travel and family relocations to various locations in the Mid West, familial encouragement in intellectual pursuits and natural boyhood curiosity, enterprise and inventiveness (The Wright Story 2010). Milton Wright’s strict discipline, farming background experience and Susan’s mechanical ability to make useful things with her hands were imparted into their children in a warm, loving and encouraging family atmosphere. The Wright brothers were exposed to a wide ranging world of ideas through the literature in the family library, as well as their father’s travel experiences (The Wright Story 2010). Despite not being well schooled, the brothers were brought up in a creative and intellectual environment that suited pursuit of varying challenges (Wright Brothers n. d.). Wilbur was a bright, outgoing, robust and studious child who excelled in his academic pursuits and had plans to attend Yale University after graduating from high school (Wilbur 2015). However, an accident in the 1885-86 fall at the hands of an opponent’s an ice hockey stick disfigured his face resulting in a depression, drop out from high school and cancellation of college attendance plans. He became recluse, spending more time at home reading, helping out his father in his religious work and looking after his sick mother (Wilbur 2015). Susan Wright later died from tuberculosis. Orville was a mischievous and curious child given to playing pranks. Despite the fact that his family encouraged his intellectual development and academic pursuit, Orville was once expelled from school due to hi mischief. He especially loved flying kites and started making his

The Iraq War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Iraq War - Research Paper Example Without a doubt, the Iraq War was one of the more hotly-contested wars—many people arguing that this was the next Vietnam. Some eleven-thousand American lives later, it’s possible that some people would not agree. But the Iraq War, no matter how much precedent the U.S. had to invade, will always remain in the American mindset as a colossal financial drain. Here it will be attempted to: identify and describe the Iraq War; analyze the historical and contemporary causes of the Iraq war; analyze different historical interpretations of the Iraq war; and evaluate the positive and negative outcomes of the Iraq war. II. Identification and Description of the Iraq War The Iraq War was an armed conflict that took place beginning in Iraq in 2003. Although people now state that the Iraq War is technically over, there are still U.S. troops which are occupying Iraq. It was technically supposed to have ended a few years ago, but realistically, there are still American forces there, and there probably will be for some time to come. So, even though the war is technically designated as finished, it is still not finished—if that makes sense. There is no â€Å"over† for this war. The war began when President Bush acted (without Congressional authority) to unilaterally declare war on Iraq. According to Kelly (2001), â€Å"A huge controversy arose when President Bush sent troops into Iraq on March 19, 2003 claiming that the country led by Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction and aiding Al Qaeda operatives†¦[however,] time passed and no evidence of those weapons were found in Iraq†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pgh. 7). It was especially distressing to the American public to find out that there were, indeed, no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq. This angered much of the public and made many Americans feel like they were tricked into going into an armed conflict without all of the available evidence laid before them first. This was a major faux pas that continues to be rehashed in the media whenever people argue about whether or not the U.S. should have invaded Iraq; it will probably be a sore spot for years to come. III. Analysis of the Historical and Contemporary Causes of the Iraq War Historically speaking, the rationale that President Bush used for going to war with Iraq was the advent of 9/11. According to Hanson (2004), â€Å"[T]here is a direct connection between Iraq and our current war on terror†¦Whether or not one believes Iraq was involved at the planning in 9/11, there is proof that it had something to do with the first World Trade Center bombing, had intelligence meetings with†¦Al Qaeda [members], [and] tried to assassinate a former president of the United States†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. 245). Although 9/11 is traditionally associated with the main reasons for why Bush began his â€Å"war on terror,† another reason that many people feel he went to war with Iraq was to settle an old score with Saddam Hussein for having engaged in conflict with his father (Bush 41) in Operation Desert Storm. Many people feel that one of the sole reasons that Bush went to war with Iraq was so that he could feel vindicated on the behalf of his father. One of the contemporary causes of the Iraq War was also the fact that U.S. companies stood to make millions of dollars off of the war. Vice President Dick Cheney’s construction company Halliburton was called into Iraq for most of the reconstruction of the

Life of William Shakespeare Paper Essay Example for Free

Life of William Shakespeare Paper Essay Ever since the death of Shakespeare, his life was only well known about his plays and poems. He had written many famous Plays such as: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and etc and his famous poems were the Sonnets. Many decades have passed since his death and his plays and poems are still famous and read out loud in schools. Sadly, only a few people knew about Shakespeares life and how he became a Bard. â€Å"Details about William Shakespeare’s life are sketchy, mostly mere surmise based upon court or other clerical records.   Ã¢â‚¬  (enotes. com). Shakespeares early life was not very well known to the public at this time but according â€Å"Enotes†, he was born in Stratford upon Avon, England in 1564. According to the website william-shakespeare. org. uk. There were records of William Shakespeare being born in the â€Å"Holy Trinity parish church, in Stratford,† on April 26, 1564. His dad John Shakespeare, was a â€Å"yeoman—a glover and commodities merchant. â€Å"(enotes. com). His mother Mary, was a Land owner or as they called it back then, a landed gentry. Shakespeare was the 3rd child of the family but he was one of the childs that lived for a long time. He had 4 sisters and 4 brothers. According to William went to a grammar school until the age of fourteen but he did not continue his education at a university. In 1582, at the age of eighteen he married Anne Hathaway and had their first child, Susanna six months after their marriage in 1583. After two years, they had twins named Judith and Hamnet. It is estimated that Shakespeare arrived in London around 1588 and began to establish himself as an actor and playwright. † (bardweb. net ). According to â€Å"bardweb. net† the exact date of Shakespeare going to London is unknown but estimated to 1588. They thought Shakespeare moved to London because he was â€Å"pursued by the law for poaching deer on private property. † ( enotes. com ). The same year he was called an â€Å"upstart crow, the theater closed in London because of the Black Death plague. â€Å"By 1594 Shakespeare had joined a theater troupe known as the Lord Chamberlains Men. † During this time period, Shakespeare had expressed many of his plays but sadly, it was not to last Soon, the law had banned plays throughout the reach of London. According to â€Å"william-shakespeare. org. uk â€Å", Shakespeare was very successful in 1596 due to his performance while Queen Elizabeth the first was present. He also got permission to hang his coat of arms and he got very rich because of his career. In 1597 they started to make the Globe Theatre and finished making it in 1598 (which Shakespeare got 10% of the profit from the Globe Theatre). One day, while the Globe Theater was performing the play King Henry VIII, on June 29, 1613, there was a fire due to the cannon that was shot, since the building was made of wood, the fire spread quickly. That day, the globe theater was destroyed. Three years before the fire, Shakespeare retired and went back to Stratford upon Avon, England. Though he lived a wealthy life, according the both websites, the cause of his death was unknown. He died on April 23, 1616 at the age of fifty-two. Just four weeks before his death, on March 25, 1616, he wrote his will. In his will he gave â€Å"his properties to his daughter Susanna† (bardweb. net ). According to that website Shakespeare â€Å"he left ? 300† to his daughter Judith (who was still living at the time) and his wife he left her â€Å"his second best bed†. â€Å"William Shakespeare was buried on April 25th 1616 in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. † (william-shakespeare. org. uk ). After William Shakespeare died, he was buried 3 days after his death and according to that website his tomb was â€Å"beneath the floors of the church in the chancel†. In the end, there was almost no record of Shakespeare’s life but some records. After the death of Shakespeare people found out that he wrote those plays that were performed in the Globe Theatre. They were all written in Shakespeares First Folio. Work Citation N. P, Enotes. com, eNotes Inc. 2011, 16 Nov. 2011 L. K. , Alchin, William Shakespeare info. November 21 2005. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. Pressley, J. M. Bard web the Shakespeare Resource Center 1997-2011 16 November 2011.

Native Americans and Diabetes Essay examples -- Native Americans Healt

Native Americans and Diabetes Since the arrival of Columbus in 1492, American Indians have been in a continuous struggle with diseases. It may not be small pox anymore, but illnesses are still haunting the native population. According to statistics, Native Americans have much higher rates of disease than the overall population. This includes a higher death rate from alcoholism, tuberculosis, and diabetes than any other racial or ethnic group. Recent studies by Indian health experts show that diabetes among Indian youth ages 15-19 has increased 54% since 1996 and 40% of Indian children are overweight. Even though diabetes rates vary considerably among the Native American population, deaths caused from diabetes are 230 percent greater than the United States population as a whole. Diabetes is an increasing crisis among the Native American population. Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (blood sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. Diabetes falls into two main categories: type 1, or juvenile diabetes, which usually occurs during childhood or adolescence, and type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, the most common form of the disease, usually occurring after age 40. Type 1 results from the body’s immune system attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The onset of juvenile diabetes is much higher in the winter than in the summer. This association has been repeatedly confirmed in diabetes research. Type 2 is characterized by â€Å"insulin resistance,† or an inability of the cells to use insulin, sometimes accompanied by a deficiency in insulin production. There is also sometimes a third type of diabetes considered. It is gestational diabetes, which occurs when the body is not able to properly use insulin during pregnancy. Type 2 diabetes encompasses nine out of 10 diabetic cases. Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States, and it has no cure. The total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2002 was estimated to be $132 billion, or one out of every 10 health care dollars spent in the United States. Diabetes risk factors can fall into three major categories: family history, obesity, and impaired glucose tolerance. Minority groups and elderly are at the greatest risk of developing diabetes. Native Americans did not have a p... ....indiancountry.com Ross, Matt. â€Å"Diabetes education with a twist.† Indian Country Today, 22 April 2004; available at http://www.indiancountry.com Reynolds, Jerry. â€Å"Washington in brief.† Indian Country Today, 23 July 2004; available at http://www.indiancountry.com Books and Journals: Jost, Kenneth. â€Å"Diabetes Epidemic: why is this serious disease on the increase?† The CQ Researcher (March 9, 2001): 185-200 IHS National Diabetes Program. Special Diabetes Program for Indians. Available from http://www.ihs.gov/MedicalPrograms/diabetes/resources/congressrprt.pdf, January 200; Internet; accessed 23 November 2004. Sandefur, Gary D., and Ronald R. Rindfuss, and Barney Cohen. Changing Numbers, Changing Needs: American Indian Demography and Public Health. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 1996. Seiffge-Krenke, Inge. Diabetic Adolescents and Their Families: Stress, Coping, and Adaptation. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Internet Sources: American Diabetes Association, â€Å"Native Americans and Diabetes†; available from http://www.diabetes.org/communityprograms-and-localevents/nativeamericans.jsp; Internet; accessed 11 November 2004.

Feminist Theory

Feminism refers to political, cultural, and economic movements aimed at establishing greater rights, legal protection for women, and or women's liberation. It includes some of the sociological theories and philosophies concerned with issues of gender difference. Nancy Cott defines feminism as the belief in the importance of gender equality, invalidating the idea of gender hierarchy as a socially constructed concept. Feminism has earned itself a bad reputation, but it never undermined gender differences that exist between males and females. A man can never be as good a mother as a female can.Similarly, a woman can never be as good a father as a male can. While accepting these anatomical and physiological differences between the two genders, feminism seeks for both genders to be equally respected. They are both human and as a species, humans cannot progress without either one of them. Maggie Humm and Rebecca Walker divide the history of feminism into three waves. The first wave transpi red in the nineteenth and early twentieth century’s, the second occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, and the third extends from the 1990s to the present.In each wave of the movement, though men have taken part in significant responses to feminism, the relationship between men and feminism has been complex. Historically, a number of men have engaged with feminism. Philosopher Jeremy Bentham demanded equal rights for women in the eighteenth century. In 1866, philosopher John Stuart Mill presented a women's petition to the British Parliament and supported an amendment to the 1867 Reform Bill.An extension of feminism into theoretical or philosophical fields such as anthropology, sociology, economics, women's studies, literary criticism, art history, and psychoanalysis is called feminist theory. Feminist theory aims to understand gender inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations, and sexuality. While providing a critique of these social and political relations, much of feminist theory focuses on the promotion of women's rights and interests. Themes explored in feminist theory include discrimination, stereotyping, objectification (especially sexual objectification), oppression, and patriarchy.Today, feminist theory has manifested in a variety of disciplines such as feminist geography, feminist history, feminist theology, and feminist literary criticism and has changed traditional perspectives on a wide range of areas in human life, from culture to law. Feminist activists have campaigned for women's legal rights such as rights of contract, property rights, and voting rights while also promoting women's rights to bodily integrity and autonomy, abortion rights, and reproductive rights.They have struggled to protect women and girls from domestic violence, sexual harassment, and rape. On economic matters, feminists have advocated for workplace rights, including maternity leave and equal pay, and against other forms of gender-specific discrimination aga inst women. During much of its history, feminist movements and theories were led predominantly by middle-class white women from Western Europe and North America. However, at least since Sojourner Truth's 1851 speech to American feminists, women of other races have proposed alternative feminisms.This trend accelerated in the 1960s with the civil rights movement in the United States and the collapse of European colonialism in Africa, the Caribbean, parts of Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Since that time, women in former European colonies and the Third World have proposed postcolonial and Third World feminisms. Postcolonial feminists argue that oppression relating to the colonial experience, particularly racial, class, and ethnic oppression, has marginalized women in postcolonial societies.They challenge the assumption that gender oppression is the primary force of patriarchy. They object to portrayals of women of non-Western societies as passive and voiceless victims and the portr ayal of Western women as modern, educated, and empowered. Today, they struggle to fight gender oppression within their own cultural models of society rather than through those imposed by the Western colonizers. They, thus, react against both universalizing tendencies in Western feminist thought and a lack of attention to gender issues in mainstream postcolonial thought.Some postcolonial feminists, such as Chandra Talpade Mohanty and Black feminists, such as Angela Davis and Alice Walker, are critical of Western feminism for being ethnocentric. Chandra Talpade Mohanty criticizes Western feminism on the ground that it does not take into account the unique experiences of women from third-world countries or the existence of feminisms indigenous to third-world countries. This discourse is strongly related to African feminism and is also associated with concepts such as black feminism, womanism, Africana womanism, motherism, Stiwanism, negofeminism, chicana feminism, and femalism.Pro-femi nism is the support of feminism without implying that the supporter is a member of the feminist movement. The term is most often used in reference to men who are actively supportive of feminism and of their efforts to bring about gender equality. The activities of pro- feminist men's groups include anti-violence work with boys and young men in schools, offering sexual harassment workshops in workplaces, running community education campaigns, and counseling male perpetrators of violence.Pro-feminist men also are involved in men's health, activism against pornography including anti-pornography legislation, men's studies, and the development of gender equity curricula in schools. This work is sometimes in collaboration with feminists and women's services, such as domestic violence and rape crisis centers. Some activists of both genders refer to all pro-feminist men as ‘pro-feminists' and not as ‘feminists'. There have been positive and negative reactions and responses to fe minism, depending on the individual man and the social context of the time.These responses have varied from pro-feminism to masculism to anti-feminism. In the twenty-first century, new reactions to feminist ideologies have emerged, including a generation of male scholars involved in gender studies and men's rights activists who promote male equality including equal treatment in family, divorce, and anti ­discrimination law. Today, academics like Michael Flood, Michael Messner, and Michael Kimmel are involved with men's studies and pro- feminism.The United Nations Human Development Report 2004 estimated that, when both paid employment and unpaid household tasks are accounted for, on average women work more than men. In rural areas of selected developing countries women performed an average of 20 per cent more work than men, or an additional 102 minutes per day. In the OECD countries surveyed, on average women performed 5 per cent more work than men, or 20 minutes per day. On 3 Sept ember 1981. The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), described as an international bill of rights for women, came into force.While Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Qatar, Nauru, Palau, and Tonga have not ratified CEDAW, several countries have ratified the Convention subject to certain declarations, reservations, and objections. A number of feminist writers maintain that identifying as a feminist is the strongest stand men can take in the struggle against sexism. They have argued that men should be allowed, or even be encouraged, to participate in the feminist movement. Other female feminists counter- argue that men cannot be feminists simply because they are not women.They maintain that men are granted inherent privileges that prevent them from identifying with feminist struggles, thus making it impossible for them to identify with feminists. Irrespective of what the feminist writers maintain, the feminist movement has effected change in Wester n society, including women's suffrage, greater access to education, more nearly equitable pay with men, the right to initiate divorce proceedings and ‘no fault' divorce, and the right of women to make individual decisions regarding pregnancy (including access to contraceptives and abortion), as well as the right to own property.

In Construction Final Report

Through this search we are able to identify & analyze the factors through which small construction companies can gain competitive advantage over their close competitors. Also studied various Project Management techniques that can foster growth of small and developing companies in this sector. This report also identifies the upcoming opportunities that the small and budding companies have in the construction industry. Lastly, it also talks about the key hindrances faced by Indian construction companies in running their operations with suggestions to overcome them. Introduction The Construction industry of India is an important indicator of the placement as it creates investment opportune ties across various related sectors. The construction industry contributed an estimated RSI. 7,807 billion to the national GAP in 2013-14 which amounted to around 9%. The industry is fragmented, with a handful of major companies involved in the construction activities across all segments. Besides, the re are medium sized companies specializing in niche activities and small and medium contractors who work on the subcontractor basis and carry out the work in the field.In 2011 there were slightly over 500 construction equipment manufacturing companies in al of India The sector is labor intensive and provides employment, including indirect jobs, to more than 3. 5 core people. The period from 1950 to mid 1 ass's witnessed the government playing an active role in the development of these services and most of construction activities during this period were carried out by State owned enterprises and supported by government departments. In the first five-year plan, construction of civil works was allotted nearly 50 % of the total capital outlay.The first professional consultancy company, National Industrial Development Corporation (MIND), was set up in the public sector in 1954. Subsequently, many architectural, design engineering and construction companies were set up in the public secto r such as Indian Railways Construction Limited (RECON), National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBC), Rail India Transportation and Engineering Services (RITES), Engineers India Limited (ELL) etc. As well as the private sector such as M N ADSTAR and Co. , Hindustan Construction Company (HOC), Nasals etc.In India Construction has accounted for around 40 per cent of the development investment during the past 50 years. Around 16 per cent of the nation's working population depends on construction for its livelihood and rates assets worth over 200 billion per annum. Total capital expenditure of state and central government was approximately RSI. 8,021 billion in 2011-12 which rose from RSI. L ,436 billion in 1999-2000. The share of the Indian construction sector in total gross capital formation (GIF) came down from 60 per cent in 1970-71 to 34 per cent in 1990-91.Thereafter, it increased to 48 per cent in 1993-94 and stood at 44 per cent in 1999-2000. In the 21st century, there has been an increase in the share of the construction sector in GAP and capital formation. The main reason for this is the increasing emphasis on involving the private sector infrastructure development through public private partnerships (Peps) and mechanisms like build-operate-transfer (BOOT). LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction to the Indian Construction Industry The Construction Industry in India is the second largest employer of the country after agriculture, accounting for 1 1 % of Indian's GAP.It employs more than 3. 5 scores people & its total market size is estimated at RSI. scores. The level Of a country's development is reflected by its infrastructure & the desperate need for infrastructure development has increased the demand of the construction industry in India. The Indian Construction industry can be divided into three broad segments: Residential, Industrial, Commercial & other buildings. Sewer, Roads, Highways, Bridges, Tunnels & other projects. Specialized activity such as ca rpentry, painting, plumbing & electrical work.Characteristics of the Indian Construction Industry Construction industry is a major job creator: The construction industry accounts for 1 1 % of Indian's gross domestic product (GAP). The industry also generates huge employment opportunities, due to its constant requirement for skilled and unskilled laborers. Moreover, the overall growth of this industry is also positive for sectors such as steel and cement, which are key raw materials. Low entry barriers keep industry fragmented: The construction industry is highly fragmented as low fixed capital requirements for construction contracts remove entry barriers.Capital expenditure is only required for procuring necessary equipments unlike a manufacturing businesses, which require a setup of plants and machinery for production. Possibility of payment delays heightens working capital intensity: Construction projects are mainly funded and managed by the owner. Apart from the initial advance, contractors receive payments after each project lessons is completed. However, timely payments also depend on the owner's credit profile and the nature of the project.Most projects, especially infrastructure, have a gestation period of more than a year. Any delay in payments can push up receivables. Such a scenario makes the construction industry working capital intensive. Projects awarded to lowest bidders, but execution skills crucial too: All governmental construction projects are awarded through a competitive bidding process as more domestic and international contractors have forayed into various infrastructure segments. The project is finally awarded to the sweets bidder.However, besides bidding qualifications, contractors also need to have strong project execution and technical skills to avoid cost and time overruns. To make these imperative, institutions such as National Highways Authority of India (NOAH) penalizes delayed execution of national highway projects, while awardin g timely completion of the same. Input-related risks: Access to inputs is crucial for ensuring timely and cost- effective execution of projects. The major inputs for a construction include: 1 . Labor: Construction work involves both skilled and unskilled labor.Currently, instruction players are struggling with wage increases, which can be attributed to labor shortages and rising inflation. Local job opportunities from government welfare schemes, growth in the overall rural economy and migration of laborers to Gulf countries for better prospects are some reasons that have led to a shortage of construction laborers. To solve labor issues, improve quality and cut wage costs, construction companies are now increasing the extent of mechanization, particularly in huge infrastructure projects such as highway projects. . Raw material: The construction industry is raw material-intensive. Any change in prices of raw materials like steel, cement, bitumen etc. Impacts players' profitability. Ho wever, the impact is limited to the extent of the proportion of fixed price contracts in a company's order book. Some construction companies also own quarries so as to ensure constant raw material supply. 3. Land acquisition and government clearances: Land and the related government clearances are the other important inputs for construction work.Delays in these may increase the gestation period of projects, which can impact the profitability of the project. Recent developments in the Indian Construction Industry The Indian government has recently initiated some policy changes in some sectors of the industry and order inflows have improved in some others. Though, the strained financial position Of companies will continue to impact the industry's execution pace in 2014-15. It is therefore expected that the industry's revenues will grow at a tepid pace of 6% to 8% during the year.The poor financial position of construction companies is reflected in their poorly profitable and highly le veraged balance sheets. Operating margins of construction companies fell by about in 2012-13, as input costs rose ND lower margin segments such as road projects gained share in the order book. Competitive pressures have also been impacting margins. Slow execution and its impact on fixed cost of companies shaved off 5% to on an average, from the operating margins of companies in 2013-14.In order to protect their margins, players are now exercising more caution in bidding and competition in the industry has moderated. Yet, the hangover of aggressive bidding of the past and the current execution delays continue to weigh on profitability in 2014-15 also. Further, the gearing (Debt-Equity ratio) f construction companies has been rising over the past two years, impacting the financial flexibility of companies. Gearing of major construction companies rose to 3. 3 times in 2012-13, from 2. 1 times in 2008-09.Net margins, which had been sliding since 2010-11, fell further by 7% in 2012-13 ow ing to higher interest outgo. The industry (with the only exception of L&T) reported net losses from April 2013 to October 2013. According to the twelfth five year plan, more than 40% of the total government spends have been allocated to construction per SE explicitly, along with various construction projects that will be undertaken for other areas of expenditure. The table below illustrates the sector wise investments for the twelfth five year plan.Five Forces Analysis of the Indian Construction Industry Us mammary: The construction and engineering industry is characterized by large incumbents operating alongside smaller companies. Rivalry is eased somewhat by companies diversifying operations into other sectors. There are a small numbers of buyers in this industry, and typically large in size. Similarly suppliers have a great deal of power over market players as their raw materials are essential for players' businesses. However suppliers have also offered the effects of the global economic crisis, seeing the prices of many raw materials rise.There are few, if any, substitutes available in this industry. Bargaining power of Buyers: Buyers in this industry tend to be large and few in number. Typically the main buyers are government agencies or large private-sector customers, usually corporate rather than individuals. Generally, in this industry, customers invite market players to tender for contracts which are on the customers' terms. This means the buyer is in a more powerful position as they specifically define the parameters of the project.

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. Class study looking at what the teacher directs the students learning towards

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. Class study looking at what the teacher directs the students learning towards INTRODUCTION:'The Outsiders' by S. E Hinton is an early novel based on two waring juvenile gangs, divided by economical and socialbackground, the lower East side Greasers and the upper West side Socs. The novel is set in 1966 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is anovel written in first person by a 14 year old Greaser, Ponyboy Curtis who allows us an insight into the lifestyles of thesedistinct worlds.I chose the novel 'The Outsiders' as a text for year 10 for the following reasons:It is a novel which draws the reader in and allows the reader to understand a lifestyle alien to them. Even though the novel is setin 1966, it is a novel that's theme can be found in any society and time period. The student can relate to this novel as thenarrator of the story is of their own age group and reflects many issues that they themselves may face.English: Francis Ford Coppola at the Cannes film f...The language of the text is easily understood as are the themes in the story. It contains themes that would inte rest a young mind,showing many students the seedier side of life. What it would be like to live under such circumstances in constant fear of theirlives. It deals with gang warfare, alcohol, drugs, child abuse, murder, survival and growing up. These are areas that a pubescentteenager can easily lose themselves in. It forces the reader to realise that in many cases teenagers have no choice in whatlifestyles that are born into in this case either becoming the rich kid or the kid from the wrong side of the tracks.The novel has been incorporated into a Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 movie adaptation, starring many popular young actors ofour time. The use of both...

Sending Children by Parcel Post

Sending Children by Parcel Post Its never easy traveling with children and often it can be expensive. In the early 1900s, some people decided cut costs by mailing their children via parcel post. Sending packages via the U.S. Parcel Post Service began on January 1, 1913. Regulations stated that packages could not weigh more than 50 pounds but did not necessarily preclude the sending of children. On February 19, 1914, the parents of four-year-old May Pierstorff mailed her from Grangeville, Idaho to her grandparents in Lewiston, Idaho. Mailing May apparently was cheaper than buying her a train ticket. The little girl wore her 53-cents worth of postal stamps on her jacket as she traveled in the trains mail compartment. After hearing of examples such as May, the Postmaster General issued a regulation against sending children by mail. This picture was meant as a humorous image to the end of such practice. (Picture courtesy of the Smithsonian Institute.)

BUDD EXAM QUESTION 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BUDD EXAM QUESTION 3 - Essay Example Collective bargaining agreement denotes a legal contract that is enforceable for a particular period between the management of a specified entity and its employees and represented by a trade union, which is independent. Union connotes a group of workers in a given organization with the intention of promoting their common interest, as well as improving their working conditions. Probationary period is a trial moment, which gives the manager the chance to assess the conduct and performance of the employee. Dismissal of Jim Norbuck was legitimate, and all due procedures were followed. It is in the policy of our company not to hire college educated. During the job application process, Norbuck provided falsifying details about him. He actively took part in the union’s strike and wrote several pamphlets, which he distributed to the striking workers and urged them to maintain solidarity. It was during this period that I noticed these pamphlets and heard rumors that Norbuck was college educated. I did a thorough investigation into Norbucks background, his previous education, and his employment. After the strike had ended on March 8th, Norbuck was called back to his job position as labor pool person in the foundry department. On April 17th, I together with the local 55’s grievance committee and Norbuck, sat down and discussed all the issues concerning Norbuck. This then led to the dismissal of Norbuck due his misrepresentation of his personal information during his application process. The dismissal of Norbuck clearly violated the collective bargaining agreement. Leech industries clearly breached The Potentially Relevant Contracts Provisions. Article VIII explicitly states "Procedures, Suspensions, Discharges and disciplinary actions shall first be discussed with the shop steward before being put in effect. Failure to address will

Marketing case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing case study - Essay Example The report will also touch upon the company’s use of digital marketing and will discuss in detail the marketing mix of the company. 2.0 Environmental Factors: One of the most effective manners of discovering the environmental factors that impact a business is to run a PEST analysis for the company. The PEST analysis details four important external factors that impact a business (Jobber, 2009). These include the political, economical, social and technological factors (Kotler, Kotler on Marketing: How to Create, Win, and Dominate Markets , 1999). Analysing these factors provide a chance to gain a clear idea of the various external factors impacting the strategies and marketing of the business. 2.1 Burberry’s PEST In terms of the political factors, it is seen that Burberry is faced with issues in terms of the overall competition and also in terms of the various industry specific rules and regulations as well as the inter country attitudes and relationships. The competitive regulations that the company faces is also high. Considering the economical factors, it is clear that the company is a luxury brand for people across the world. With the high levels of recession being faced by economies across the world, it is clear that the company’s marketing attempts are also impacted. Firstly, the company’s products like a Burberry Prorsum cropped leather aviator jacket costs anywhere between GBP 800 to GBP 2000. It is evident that the company is more of luxury fashion. With the recession being faced in the current times, the company has clearly recorded a number of losses in various countries. This clearly has a major impact on the amount that the company can invest into the marketing efforts in the markets (Kotler P. , Keller, Koshy, & Jha, 2009). In terms of the social factors, it is evident that the prices have had a major impact on the overall spending of the customers on the designer clothing. It is clear that the company has made a major im pact on several people and the customer loyalty leads people to save money and sacrifice on holidays to buy the designer clothing. This clearly provides the company with a strong chance to spend on their marketing efforts to target these customers in particular (Jobber, 2009). Finally, the technological factors have had a major role in the overall success of the company’s marketing efforts. With the newer technology and better tools for marketing the company has been able to effectively utilise these tools and to target the markets more effectively. On the whole the company’s marketing is affected greatly by the economical, social and technological factors to a great extent. It is clear that the company clearly has a strong marketing strategy currently which takes into account all of these factors. 3.0 Market Segmentation: Market segmentation is a crucial part of all marketing strategies and to a great extent impacts the overall business to a great extent (Evans, Foxal l, & Jamal, 2009). Market segmentation allows the company to group customers into different groups with similar needs and also groups to determine how to serve each group (Jobber, 2009). Here the main aim is to identify the needs of the customers and to effectively