Tuesday, November 26, 2019

ADOLF HITLER Essays (1835 words) - Nazi Germany, Politics

ADOLF HITLER Essays (1835 words) - Nazi Germany, Politics ADOLF HITLER ADOLF HITLER 1. THE BEGINNING At half past six on the evening of April 20th, 1889 a child was born in the small town of Branau, Austria. The name of the child was Adolf Hitler. He was the son a Customs official Alois Hitler, and his third wife Klara. As a young boy Adolf attendated church regulary and sang in the local choir. One day he carved a symbol into the bench which resembled the Swastika he later used as the symbol of the Nazi party. He was a pretty good student. He received good marks in most of his classes. However in his last year of school he failed German and Mathematics, and only succeeded in Gym and Drawing. He drooped out of school at the age of 16, spending a total of 10 years in school. From childhood one it was his dream to become an artist or architect. He was not a bad artist, as his surviving paintings and drawings show but he never showed any originality or creative imagination. To fullfil his dream he had moved to Vienna the capital of Austria where the Academy of arts was located. He failed the first time he tried to get admission and in the next year, 1907 he tried again and was very sure of success. To his surprise he failed again. In fact the Dean of the academy was not very impressed with his performance, and gave him a really hard time and said to him "You will never be painter." The rejection really crushed him as he now reached a dead end. He could not apply to the school of architecture as he had no high-school diploma. During the next 35 years of his live the young man never forgot the rejection he received in the dean's office that day. Many Historians like to speculate what would have happened IF.... perhaps the small town boy would have had a bit more talent....or IF the Dean had been a little less critical, the world might have been spared the nightmare into which this boy was eventually to plunge it. 2. WORLD WAR I While living in Vienna Hitler he made his living by drawing small pictures of famous landmarks which he sold as post cards. But he was always poor. He was also a regular reader of a small paper which claimed that the Araban race was superior to all and was destined to rule the world. The paper blamed Communists and Jews for all their problems and hitler agreed to those views. Hitler agree with most of the points made in the publication. He continued to live a poor live in Vienna and in 1913 decided to move to Munich. Still living in Vienna and being Austrain by birth, Hitler showed more loyalty to the Geramny. He thought that the Aryan race was destined to rule the world. Many believe that he tried to escape the draft but it was never proven. His live in Munich was not much better then before and he continued to be poor. Then in 1914 World War I broke out and Hitler saw this as a great opportunity to show his loyalty to the "fatherland" by volunteering for the Imperial army. He did not want to fight in the Austrian Army. Hitler was a good soldier. Many of political opponents claimed that he was a coward but records clearly show that he was not. He received to awards of bravery but never achieved a high Rank. In 1918 Germany surrendered and Hitler was very upset about the loss. He believed that it was the Jews and the Communists who betrayed the "fatherland" and it was here that his disliking of the Jews most likely began. Germany after the war was in chaos. With no real Government to control the country, many groups tried to take control. One day a big communist group staged a big riot but another group of ex-soldiers including Hitler managed to hold them back. 3. THE NAZI PARTY Since there were not many chances for employment Hitler stayed in the army. Hitler was assigned the job of going go to various meetings of groups which sprang up like mushrooms and to report on them. One day September 12, 1919 - a fateful day in history, Hitler was sent to investigate a small group which called itself the "German Workers Party". Hitler was not to happy about his assignment. He thought it wouldn't be worth it to even go. At the group mainly talked

Friday, November 22, 2019

What is a Federal Perkins Loan How Do You Get One

What is a Federal Perkins Loan How Do You Get One SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips There are a lot of great federal aid options out there, for every type of student. The Perkins loan may just be one of many types of federal loans, but it comes with a lot of perks that make it worth an in-depth look.I'll go through all the information you need about this loan program, before telling you how to get your own Perkins loan. What Is the Perkins Loan? Like the Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized programs, Perkins are government-backed, low-interest loans that are meant to help students pay for school. Certain federal aid programs don't require students to demonstrate financial need as an eligibility requirement, like Direct Unsubsidized loans. The Perkins is meant for students who demonstrate exceptional financial need, however; as such, there are some extra perks built into the loans. Before I talk about some of the benefits of the Perkins loans, I'll talk briefly about how loans usually work. Then, I'll go into more Perkins loans details, and explain how this loan program differs from the norm. What It Means to Take Out a Loan When you take out a loan, by definition, you're borrowing a sum of money (a principle) from a person or institution (a lender), with the promise that you'll pay this money back at a later date. You'll likely also agree to repay extra money in addition to the principle (interest), over a certain time period (the length of the loan). People usually pay back their student loans by making monthly payments after they graduate. A part of the payment covers accrued (accumulated) interest, whereas the rest of it goes towards paying back the principle. Interest accrues on your loan at a certain rate, usually starting when the loan amount is given out to you (disbursed). The higher your interest rate, and the longer it takes you to pay back your loan, the more interest will accrue. Standard repayment terms for federal student loans (unless the loans are quite small) are 120 monthly payments, or 10 years. Finally, interest can also capitalize, or be added to your principle amount. What this ultimately means is that interest is now accruing on a new, larger principle; the bigger the principle, the more interest will accrue. The rate of capitalization depends on your loan, but some student loans capitalize at graduation. As you might have deduced by now, one method of saving money on your loans is to minimize the amount of interest that accrues and/or capitalizes. You'll see in the next section why Perkins loans make this process a little bit easier on student borrowers. Interest may just come to pennies a day, but it can add up to a significant amount over time. What's Unique About Federal Perkins Loans? In the previous section, I noted that interest usually starts accruing when the loan is disbursed. If I take out a loan my freshman fall, interest will accrue through all 4 years of college. When I graduate, I'll owe my principle + 4 years of interest - and depending on the type of loan, this interest may capitalize when I graduate. With Federal Perkins loans, you won't see any interest accrue while you're in school, during grace period, or during a period of deferment. The grace period for a Perkins loan is also a bit longer than the standard: 9 months vs. 6 months, which means another 3 months of no interest post-graduation. Here's an example of how loan repayment might play out. In this example, I have both a Perkins loan and an unsubsidized loan, both disbursed at the beginning of my freshman year. Even though the interest rate is higher for the Perkins loan, you end up paying out a lot more for the unsubsidized loan: Perkins Loan Unsubsidized Loan Interest Rate 5% 4.29% Principle $5,000 $5,000 Balance Due 6 Months Post Graduation $5,000 $5,911 Monthly payment (based on standard 120 month repayment) $53.03 $60.66 Total Amount Paid $6,363.60 $7,279.2 Finally, and perhaps most excitingly, Perkins loans give students the option of loan cancellation or loan forgiveness if they pursue particular job or careerpaths. If you play your cards right, you could walk away without owing any money on your loans. I'll talk more about loan cancellation in the next section. Loan Details The Perkins loan interest rate is currently at 5%, which is only slightly higher than interest rates on Direct Unsubsidized and Direct Subsidized loans. Like I mentioned in the previous section, interest does not accrue during school, grace periods, or deferment periods. There are no other loan fees. Loan money is applied directly to school-related charges (tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board). If there is any money left over after the loan is applied to these charges, you'll receive a refund from your school. You can use this money on any other school-related costs (e.g. transportation, books, personal expenses). Repayment You have 9 months after you leave school, graduate, or drop below half-time status before you have to start making monthly payments on your loan. The standard federal loan repayment option has borrowers making 120 monthly payments (10 years) to pay off the loan in full. Loan Cancellation Cancellation sounds like it would be a bad thing, but when it comes to student loans, cancellation arguably the best thing that can happen. Your Perkins loan debt could be wiped, or canceled, in part or in full if you spend time working in particular fields. There are many different situations that could make you eligible for loan cancellation.Examples of cancellation-eligible positions include law enforcement officer or firefighter, teacher, nurse, medical technician, and even attorney. Factors such as your length of employment, the area you're working in (e.g. if you're serving low-income communities), and the demand for certain services (e.g. if there's a higher demand for teachers in certain subjects) could all affect how much loan cancellation you're eligible for. Working in a cancellation-eligible job would constitute a period of deferment, so no interest would accrue! You can apply for Perkins loan cancellation through your school, or your school's loan servicer.Don't ever assume that your loans will be eligible for cancellation; run everything by your school's financial aid office first, and don't stop making payments until your loan is officially deferred. Loan cancellation won't be right for everybody, but it's a great debt-erasing option for people interested in certain career paths. Perkins Loan Eligibility and Limits As great as the Perkins details sound (especially with the possibility of cancellation), there are unfortunately some eligibility restrictions and limits to keep in mind. In order to be eligible for a Perkins loan, you must: Meet basic federal aid requirements (learn more about these requirements here) Be an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student enrolled in a participating school Demonstrate "exceptional" financial need. Perkins loan borrowers are typically from low-income families; 30% of families with dependent students who took out Perkins loans in 2012 made less than $30,000. The amount of money you can take out in Perkins loans depends on (1) your financial need, and (2) how much money your school can lend. Not everyone who meets basic eligibility requirements will receive Perkins loan options. As such, it's difficult to estimate ahead of time how much money you'll get through the Perkins loan program. Although there's not much you can do to estimate your Perkins loan amount, you can keep loan limits and averages in mind: Maximum undergraduate annual amount: $5,500 Maximum undergraduate lifetime amount: $27,500 Maxiumum graduate annual amount: $8,000 Maximum graduate lifetime amount (includes any undergraduate Perkins loans): $60,000 The average new Perkins loan award is about $2,000, much lower than the annual limits for both undergrads and graduate students. How to Apply Perkins loans sound like pretty good options, right? You can apply for Perkins loans by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The application isn't just for Perkins loans - when you submit a FAFSA, you're also considered for Pell Grants and other federal loans. You can get step-by-step instructions for submitting a FAFSA here. Although Perkins loans are government-backed, your Perkins loan lender would be your school, not the US government. Because schools need to have a certain amount of available funds in order to offer these loans to students,not all schools participate in the Perkins loan program. You can find out if a school offers Perkins loans by contacting its financial aid office. As you might have expected, Perkins loan funds tend to be limited, and often run out before the official FAFSA deadline. In order to optimize your chances of getting a Perkins loan, try to submit your FASFA early in the spring semester for the next academic year. For example, if you'd like aid for the 2016-2017 academic year, plan on submitting your FAFSA in January or February of 2016. What's Next? Perkins loans aren't the only federal loans with competitive interest rates. Check out our guide comparing Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized loans. As great as low interest rates sound, even with the possibility of loan cancellation, there's something even better than money you have to pay back: free money. Learn more about Pell Grants here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Why plagiarism increases in schools and universities around the UK Essay

Why plagiarism increases in schools and universities around the UK - Essay Example Some of the reasons why plagiarism is rising in that manner are explained in this essay. One of the reasons for the increase of plagiarism in universities and schools around UK is the easy access of the internet (Watkins, 2008). There are various tools such as Google that students use to conduct their research and get access to information and ideas that can be used to complete assignments and research projects. However, such research tools have contributed to plagiarism increase across the UK because it enables learners to copy information from the internet. It is difficult to spot this form of plagiarism and cannot be identified manually. Indeed, there is a â€Å"significant, negative influence on the rate of plagiarism due to the internet† (Ison, 2014). The internet is therefore a significant cause of increasing plagiarism in most universities and schools around UK. Online education is also a significant contributor of plagiarism on the internet platform. Ison (2014) argues that online coursework or online education which is common in various institutions in UK causes a great temptation for students to plagiarize than the brick-and-mortar form of education. Online education allows students to stay on the internet for a long time, tempting them to search through various websites for information that can enable them to complete their online assignments easily. Furthermore, there is limited supervision in online studies because the student and the lecturer operate from different places and the lecturer cannot supervise the student directly.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Classics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Classics - Essay Example When the Athenians reached Melos they sent envoys to offer a proposition to the Melians. During the dialogue this proposition becomes clear. The Melians, instead of allowing the Athenian envoys to make their proposition in front of all the people of Melos, brought them before the Magistrate and the Few, giving the reason that if the Athenians come as judges in their own right, then they should be brought before those who themselves hold a judging position of what is right. However, the Athenians state that they believe the Melians to have requested a quiet audience so that they may not influence the inhabitants of Melos, this they do not mind and go about setting out their proposition. Here, we see the subtleties of politics during this era and how important the masses were in determining what happens during the war. The Melians afraid that their people would choose submission has employed a more covertness means of debate; thus, denying the people of Melos to choose their fate. The Melians see only two ways either they submit to Athenian rule and become slaves or they go to war and hope to win. However, the Athenians declare that the Melians are not completely right in their assumptions; for, the most important thing is to preserve the island of Melos. The only way to do this is to submit to Athenian rule, becoming a tributary of the Athenian empire but being left alone to carry on as before, preserving their culture and ways of living. They indicate that this would be an advantage to both parties; for, the Melians retain the safety and preservation of their country and the Athenians need not make war against them. The Melians state that they do not comprehend why they cannot remain neutral, taking neither side but being friends to Athens. The Athenians explain that if they leave Melos to remain neutral the people of the Athenian empire will either believe Melos to be very powerful or the Athenians

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Woolworths Case Study Draft Essay Example for Free

Woolworths Case Study Draft Essay Part 1: Goodwill and Discontinued Operations a) Carrying value of goodwill 24 June 2012 The carrying value of goodwill in Woolworth’s consolidated financial statements was $3221.8 Million (M) at 24 June 2012. This figure is included within ‘intangible assets’ on the consolidated balance sheet and exact amount is disclosed in the Note 11 of Notes to consolidated financial statements (Woolworths 2012, p 126). b) Movements in carrying value of goodwill The carrying value of goodwill at the beginning of the period was $3227.7M (Woolworths 2012, p 126). An additional $42.1M was recognised throughout the year due to additional acquisition of businesses, with less . 5M for disposals and $0.7M for other expenses. Woolworths also recognised an impairment loss of $70.6M for the year. There was also an effect of movements in foreign exchange rates of $24.8M, which resulted in a carrying amount of $3221.8million at the end of the period (Woolworths 2012, p 126). c) Impairment loss on goodwill i) Impairment loss on Goodwill at 24 June 2012 was $70.6M. ii) Woolworth’s accounting policy with respect to impairment testing of goodwill is consistent with AASB 139 Intangible Assets. Note 11 (Woolworths 2012, p 126) specifically states that intangible assets (such as goodwill) with indefinite useful lives are tested for impairment annually and when there is indication that the asset may be impaired, the impairment loss is recognised when the carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount. Recoverable amount is further defined to be the higher of fair value less cost to sell and value in use. iii) Impairment loss on goodwill was a result of Woolworth’s announcement to restructure and divest the Consumer Electronics Business. The amount is also disclosed as ‘discontinued operations’ in Note 33 (Woolworths 2012, p 96) for $366.2M. AASB 5.32 defined discontinued operations to be a part of an entity that represents a separate line, or part, of business or geographical area or subsidiary acquired exclusively for resale that had been disposed or classified as held for sale. A separate line item from continuing operations is required as a single figure disclosed in statement of comprehensive income or Notes. iv) The fair value less costs to sell figure of $420M (Woolworths 2012, p 174) includes impairment loss, restructuring provisions relating to goodwill, inventory, plant property and equipment, and lease exit costs. Since the impairment loss attributed to goodwill was $70.6M. Hence (420-70.6M) = $349.4M is attributable to fair value losses related to net  assets. Since held for sale assets disclosed in the Balance sheet (Woolworths 2012, p 99) is $376.7M, the net assets prior recognising the loss would have approximately been (349.4+376.7M) $726.1M, assuming that transaction costs and lease exit costs are negligible. v) The Dick Smith Electronics brand and stores were sold for $20M (Janda 2012). As the held for sale assets was recognised to be $376.7M, the net loss Woolworths would recognise is (376.7-20) $356.7M in the 2012-2013 financial period. Part 2: Investments in controlled entities a) Woolworths Limited group structure b) Non-controlling interest The carrying dollar value of the non-controlling interest (NCI) in Woolworths Limited as at 24 June 2012 was $258.1 million (Woolworths 2012, p 103). This NCI is the dollar amount of the combined equity interests in the parent companys subsidiaries not owned by the parent. When interviewed in 2013 Professor Chris Nobes confirmed that the figure also represented the profits made by NCI’s that have not yet been allocated to them. The respective NCI for the Woolworths Limited group applies to the external equity interests held in Woolworths Limiteds subsidiaries of ALH Group Pty Ltd, Australian Independent Retailers Pty Ltd, Bergam Pty Limited, Hydrox Holdings Pty Ltd and Statewide Independent Wholesalers Limited (Woolworths 2012, p 164-167). Woolworths Limiteds annual report is not useful for non-controlling shareholders. The reason for this is the information regarding NCI is aggregated as it combines all the information from separate subsidiaries with NCIs into combined figures which cannot be separated by a shareholder. It may then be argued that information regarding NCI should be more detailed however when interviewed in 2013 Professor Chris Nobes suggested that non-controlling shareholders should only be interested in the reports of their subsidiary as they are more detailed. Fortunately there are separate financial statements available for the subsidiaries with non-controlling interests. The reason for this is that the class action, ASIC Class Order 98/1418, exempting some subsidiaries from reporting requirements only pertains to wholly-owned subsidiaries (Woolworths 2012, p. 168). Therefore separate financial statements are available for subsidiaries of Woolworths Limited that have non-controlling interests. c) AASB 3.19 The Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) (2010, para 19) gives controlling entities a choice between measuring the non-controlling interest (NCI) using the 100% method or the proportionate method. The proportionate method does not assign goodwill to the NCI as it relates to the subsidiarys net identifiable assets. In comparison the 100% method requires the non-controlling interest to be measured at its fair value which includes goodwill. One reason an entity may prefer to use the proportionate method is that it does not require a calculation of fair value for the NCI. The calculation of fair value for the NCI may be difficult in circumstances where an active market does not exist. Using Woolworths Limiteds annual report we can gather information relating to which method they chose to use. Their significant accounting policies relating to goodwill state that goodwill represents the difference between the cost of the acquisition and the fair  value of the net identifiable assets acquired (Woolworths Limited 2012, p 108). Therefore this policy describes the same process for identifying goodwill as the process used in the proportionate method and it may be concluded that Woolworths is using the proportionate method. The issues regarding the choice between the two methods are interesting. The choice seems to be more beneficial for the parent entity rather than the NCI as a company such as Woolworths Limited may choose to consistently use the proportionate method. This may misrepresent the value of the NCI to be lower as this method does not have a goodwill component for the NCI which the 100% method often has. Therefore the disclosures under the proportionate method made by Woolworths Limited regarding the NCI values could be undervalued. When interviewed in 2013 Professor Chris Nobes suggested that the choice between the two methods may affect comparability of financial statements. This point is reiterated by the International Accounting Standards Board (2012, para BC210). A further issue according to the International Accounting Standards Board (2012, para BC213) is that the 100% method is more expensive to use which is one key reason for the inclusion of the proportionate method. Using all these arguments one can see that there are many perspectives about which method is better and whether a choice should have been included in the standard. Still we should not be too concerned as Professor Chris Nobes confirms in his 2013 interview that not many business acquisitions have NCI components or they have an insignificant NCI component and therefore the issue of choice under AASB 3.19 is small. Part 3: Segment note a) Reportable segments Woolworths (2012) has identified five reportable segments related to continuing operations according to AASB 8.13. Each reporting segment is managed separately due to the varying products and services they offer, as well as the requirement of ‘different technology and marketing strategies’ (Woolworths 2012, p 119) of each business unit. The reportable segments are split into two categories of Retail Operations and Hotels, with the former comprising of Australian Food Liquor, New Zealand Supermarkets, Petrol and Big W. As at 24 June 2012, the Australian Food Liquor segment comprised of 872 Australian supermarkets, totalling approximately 6.52% of total EBIT, and 160 Dan Murphy Liquor stores (Woolworths 2012). The Woolworths convenience liquor businesses; BWS and Woolworths Liquor are also included within the segment. This segment relies heavily on consumer confidence levels as the bulk of the sales stems from general groceries found at the supermarket as an alternative to fast food outlets that offer more affordable meal options. Similarly, the New Zealand Supermarkets segment specialises in the ‘procurement of Food and Liquor and products for resale to customers in New Zealand’ (Woolworths 2012, p 119). The ‘Countdown’ supermarkets operate in the same way as the Woolworths supermarkets in Australia, with a total of 161 supermarkets opened across the country as at June 24 2012. In the Petrol segment, the ‘procurement of Petroleum products for resale to customers in Australia’ (Woolworths 2012, p 119) is categorised through the Woolworths/Caltex alliance sites. This segment, coupled with the Big W segment, ; the ‘procurement of discount general merchandise products for resale to customers in Australia’ (Woolworths 2012, p 119) round off the reportable retail operations segments as the smallest, bearing not as big influence as the supermarket segments in relation to the group. Furthermore, the hotels segment is heavily affiliated with the liquor stores and supermarkets, as they provide leisure and hospitality services including alcohol and food, as well as gaming and accommodation. There are 294 hotel venues in operation as at June 24 2012, with Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores affiliated with over 500 hotels in total. b) Investment analysis When determining the ‘better’ investment between Woolworths Limited and Wesfarmers Limited amidst volatilities in the New Zealand economy and Australian groceries, liquor and petrol sectors, it is important not to make direct comparisons between the two companies encompassing different segment disclosure methods despite the compliance with AASB 8. Woolworths has identified New Zealand Supermarkets as a reportable segment, presenting comprehensive revenue data including other operating revenue and inter-segment revenue. Contrastingly, Wesfarmers does not comply with AASB 8.23 a) and b) by only disclosing the New Zealand revenue by geographical location. Nevertheless, assuming that the sales to customers was used by both companies, the following revenue calculations were calculated since the previous year: Comparability between the competing companies becomes increasingly difficult when analysing the investment in relation to the volatile groceries, liquor and petrol sectors. Whilst Woolworths identified the Australian Food Liquor and Petrol business units as different reportable segments, Wesfarmers grouped this financial information under ‘Coles’. The information regarding the allocation of revenues between operating units for Wesfarmers is not provided, hampering an ethical investing choice for external users. Despite the reporting issues, a revenue analysis was conducted in order to determine the most profitable company. Since the Coles segment was determined by a sum of undisclosed food, liquor, hotels, convenience and petrol data, the following analysis used Woolworths as a sum of its same divisions: Though abiding by AASB 8, Wesfarmers disclosed as little information as possible. It is clear that Wesfarmers possesses a fear of disclosure, and would rather present aggregated data in order to hide potential information  about risk, losses and debt levels for a particular Company 2012 $A revenue (millions) 2011 $A revenue (millions) $A change (millions) % change Woolworths 4301.8 4110.5 191.3 4.654% Wesfarmers 1283 1174 109 9.2845% Company Segment Revenue 2012 (millions) Segment Revenue 2011 (millions) Segment EBIT 2012 (millions) Segment EBIT 2011 (millions) % change in segment Revenue % change in segment EBIT Woolworths 45,815.6 43,478.4 3140 2980.2 5.34% 5.36% Coles 34,117 32,073 1356 1166 6.373% 16.3% segment. However, when removing segment reporting variability between the two companies, it is clear that greater growth opportunities exists for Wesfarmers, and is therefore the recommended investment. c) AASB 8 non-disclosures i) Despite clear disclosure of revenue for its reportable segments, Woolworths did not disclose its segment assets and segment liabilities. Therefore, it is assumed that the company did not comply with AASB 8.21 b), where information about segment assets and liabilities was not disclosed. However, AASB 8.23 states that ‘an entity shall report a measure of liabilities for each reportable segment if such an amount is regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker’ (AASB 2010, p 15). Similarly, this extends to the non-disclosure of segment assets according to AASB 25: ‘only those assets that are included in the measures of the segment’s assets that are used by the chief operating decision maker shall be reported for that segment’. Here it is agreed that the CODM of Woolworths does not believe the risk and opportunities of these items are important, thus the non-disclosure in the segment reports. ii) Whilst Woolworths was able to disaggregate the diverse aspects of their total business, Wesfarmers aggregated the majority of their core business operation within the ‘Coles’ segment. It is clear that Wesfarmers does not comply with AASB 8.20; by not enabling users to ‘evaluate the nature and financial effects of the business activities in which it engages’ (AASB 2010, p 14). However, AASB 8.22 b) states that an entity shall disclose ‘the types of products and services from which each reportable segment derives its revenues’ (AASB 2010, p 15). It is clear that Wesfarmers abide by this standard by disclosing the components of the Coles segment, instead of the revenue figures generated from each segment. d) ACCC investigation i) Acts of ‘unconscionable conduct’ such as high bargaining strength for Woolworths and Wesfarmers resulting in demands for extra payments, penalties and threat to suppliers that products will be removed from shelves (Rolfe 2013) would be highly financially beneficial to the two groups as they are significantly lowering the costs of supplies, and thus allowing opportunity to increase profit margins. This is further evidenced in Coles’ 15% increase in pre-tax earnings in 6 months (Rolfe 2013) and a 24% increase in pretax earnings for Wesfarmers despite the same level of stock. The two groups also demonstrate significant market power through ‘interesting’ competitive methods (Kidd 2013) of purchasing each  other’s profitable stores as the purchases show the ‘significant financial strength’ (ACCC 2013) of the business. ii) Coles and Woolworths can minimise disclosures as to hide ‘unconscionable conduct’ and ‘misuse of market power’ by not disclosing costs of supplies in their segment notes. AASB 8 requires a ‘management approach’ to be adopted where information used by the ‘chief operating decision maker’ internally for segment evaluation is disclosed (AASB 8.5b). This allows great  flexibility for management to aggregate figures into the disclosed segments which Woolworths had divided into geographical and operational segments. The aggregated figures disclosed are summarised and does not disclose any information about cost of supplies (Woolworths 2012, p 119). In fact, only revenues attributable to each segment is reported. Australian Food and Liquor segment reported $37,681.4M revenue, which depicts a substantially larger segment relative to New Zealand Supermarkets, Petrol, Big W and Hotels, which average at $5000M each. iii) Since Woolworths’ business in Australia is significantly larger than other segments, from the perspective of consumer groups, it would be beneficial to further divide the Australian Food and Liquor segment into State segments, for example. Currently, Australia has 872 stores, New Zealand has 161 stores and that NSW, QLD, VIC all have larger number of stores than New Zealand, it would be beneficial to further dissect the segments into regional groups.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Performance Appraisal Essay -- Business, Employee Evaluation, Performa

Performance appraisals are a major component of human resource management systems used by organisations to measure and manage what is considered to be the most valuable resource available to them; human capital. This report aims to evaluate the effectiveness of performance appraisals and its application to both the employer and its employees, taking into consideration various rationales for its implementation. This will be achieved through an in depth review of the concept of performance appraisals, its evolution in corporate organisations and existing literature on the topic, and the effects (both positive and negative) to the organisation as a whole and to its employees. It will be argued that despite being of relative importance to performance management systems in organisations, performance appraisals fail to achieve the lofty ideals and objectives which characterize its implementation. Performance appraisals are a key component of the performance management process in organisations and are used to obtain feedback on performance levels of employees for a given period of time. Performance appraisals have been defined as the process which allows firms to measure and consequently evaluate an employee's achievements and behaviour over a certain period of time (Devries et al, 1981). It is the process of identifying, observing, measuring and developing human resources in organisations (Cardy and Dobbins, 1994). Various organisations use varying performance appraisal systems and have differing opinions on performance goals which cause some sort of confusion on the purpose of performance appraisal systems (Buckley and Wiese, 1998). Performance is thus the critical factor which is being addressed in the understanding and developmen... ...ughout the organisation. This way, management is able to consistently harmonize its operational goals with employee developmental efforts and job expectations. Performance appraisals also give organisations the opportunity to address performance issues without conflict by providing evidence of actual on the job performance and productivity. This way, high achievers and bottom performance are easily singled out with relative recommendations effected. Despite performance appraisals satisfying numerous organisational objectives, the focus of its activities is in providing direction and information to employees to boost performance and job productivity (Latham et al., 1993). This should remain the primary objective performance appraisal systems should seek to address which leads to this article addressing issues which affects the effectiveness of its implementation.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Information Technology Outsourcing Management

What is IT outsourcing? IT outsourcing is an arrangement in which a company subcontracts its information technology related activities to be executed by a different company. In the past several decades, as the role of information technology grew in the performance of a company, the fixed cost of maintaining up and running IT facilities and staffs was increasing as well.Therefore outsourcing solution was derived from companies’ need to achieve superior performance of IT functions with minimum amount of cost. Major classifications of IT functions that companies outsource are infrastructure and applications. Infrastructure outsourcing refers to a company resolving its entire IT activities handled by a contracted vendor company on the company’s behalf.Application outsourcing stands for a company subcontracting only its core IT applications such as ERP systems, document management systems or Business intelligence applications with service provider. Benefits and Risks Althoug h it is obvious that primary cause of increasing trend of outsourcing is a cost factor, many other benefits come along with outsourcing. Outsourcing allows companies to shift their whole attention on the quality of their core activities without facing the vulnerability of poor level of IT performance.Because no matter what industry a company is in, cost and pressure of having in-house IT solutions require the company to be an expert in IT industry which is difficult to achieve for any size organizations especially for entrepreneurs and small businesses, slowing down their productivity as well as slowing down the economy. Subcontracting IT activities to a specialized vendor company is indeed a win-win situation for the both end, enabling the organization to upgrade its IT performance and providing business to the vendor company.Moreover, with outsourcing, organizations can get access to variable IT skills and knowledge which potentially can improve their efficiency, and outsourcing m akes accommodating any new IT innovations or changes in any industry easier to handle for organizations. Needless to mention the benefits of savings on investments in IT related infrastructure which can be spent towards organizations’ business expansion or something equally important. The benefits mentioned above can be substantial only if outsourcing is practiced arefully with good management. Otherwise, oversights of important issues can bring significant complications to the organizations. Based on the stories of unsuccessful outsourcing practices, the most considerable problems the organizations encounter are the lack of integration between vendor and client, hidden costs of training, miscalculation of proficiency of the vendor company, and sometimes differentiation of the client company can be compromised since the vendor company could be serving the competitor company as well.In terms of a company outsourcing its entire IT department from a service provider company, imp lementation of good collaboration and communication with each other often requires some time and patience from both sides due to the differences of cultural, geographical and preferred business practices. The fact that knowledge transfer is the most important term in IT outsourcing implies the integration process of vendor and client companies is more virtual than physical.That is why the people problems such as different interpretations of the contract, conflicts of two cultures and lack of preparation for integrated operation occur very often and if ignored, they could result negative impacts on both companies. Legal, economic, geographical and political environments of the country in which the client company outsources its IT activities are the most important but often ignored factors. When the host countries face civil war or natural disaster happens, the recovery costs the companies encounter are usually incalculable. IT outsourcing best practicesThrough weighting the positive and negative impacts of outsourcing carefully and planning the shifting process step by step, companies can successfully implement outsourcing to its daily business practices and convert it to one of its competitive advantages easily. Recommended best practices of IT outsourcing usually focus on good management and good assessment of choosing the partner. Maintaining good communication with your service provider before and after signing on the contract is also an essential part of setting up a sustainable IT solution for any company.Every company and every project has its own uniqueness therefore the service provider understands the detailed requirement is necessary. And the difficulties both side face due to the cultural and geographical differences can be resolved by committing to good communication. For example leaders of both sides should agree on set, clear objectives and stay committed to them when circumstances change. Although the cost reduction is the primary motive of outs ourcing, overdoing it can compromise the organizations’ core activities.In today’s globalizing world, importance of maintaining good IT performance is greater than ever to the organizations’ wellbeing so that pursuing the lowest cost can have its own price. The reason why is that the vendor companies are also business institutions depending on their profits therefore in order to meet the client’s cost requirement they sometimes cut corners such as hiring under qualified staffs which consequently affect the quality of the client companies’ operation.In order to make the integration process easier, the outsourcers should put effort into finding compatible service providers. It is important to make sure that your service provider has organization cultures and preferred business practices similar to yours since they will become a part of the organization. Another essential outsourcing practice is to consider the service providers’ experience and capacities to assess whether they are skilled enough to maintain your company’s operation at all times.In terms of choosing their partner, organizations also should consider any expected future changes in the market and their future expansion plans as well as their competitors’ IT performance level. Political and social environments of the countries in which the vendor companies operate, should not be out of concern. Outsourcers should always be aware of the political situation of their host countries as well as social factors that could influence the quality of employees’ job performance.It is recommended to outsourcers to keep presence of representative on-site as a middle man so that they can have some kind of coordination over the execution of the IT activities. Representatives also work as a communication bridge between partners making sure each side understand their roles and responsibilities. Legal aspects Legal aspects of IT outsourcing might be the mos t complicated issues the enterprises encounter since it involves various types of laws such as international and domestic.International common laws such as Intellectual Property, Copyrights, Patent, Trade Secret, Privacy and Information security all need to be considered when a company makes an outsourcing related decision. Any outsourcing contract addresses the tangible and intangible issues and their legal implications as well as procedures in order to avoid lack of clarity. For example pricing is very important aspect of IT outsourcing contract and any possible uncertainty related to the pricing of service should be stated on the contract.Inflation, delays, manpower and material shortages and insolvency all must be concerned and put on the contract to regulate when situations mentioned above happens. Also outsourcing contract should be flexible to adjust any changes in performance, quality, and suitable to host country’s tax law, pension laws to solve staff related matters . Intangible issues on the other hand should be carefully thought through because they pose the highest risks on the organizations’ domestic and international operation.When companies outsource their entire or partial IT function, the risk of their customers’ valuable information such as social security numbers, medical history, credit card information to be exposed gets higher as well as their own internal secret information. A company must do risk assessment of the host country’s security environment by measuring how effective the laws referred to intellectual property, copyright, digital hacking and violation of privacy are. Unfortunately laws pertaining to privacy protection are not so effective in today’s most popular IT service provider countries such as China, India and Philippine.Therefore offshore IT centers and outsourcing companies must establish strong system together to protect themselves as well as their customers. Intellectual Property and Patent laws have strong presence in USA and European countries but they differ in host countries. Illegal use of one’s IT innovation such as software, source and know-how are not the front line concerns of governments of foreign countries right now, so outsourcers usually face tremendous risk of their intellectual property stolen and used against their products in the market.US companies’ trade secrets are also totally dependent on mutual trust and written agreements between two parts. There is no law enforcement system in the host countries to back up such written agreements. Basically, US companies pursuing offshore outsourcing as an IT strategy must consider domestic and international laws extremely and craft their outsourcing contracts focused on to minimize any risks they may encounter in unfamiliar legal environment. Sources: http://www. infoworld. com/d/adventures-in-it/13-best-practices-it-outsourcing-034? age=0,0 http://blog. everythingcu. com/2006/02/12/the-m any-downsides-of-outsourcing/ http://www. cio. com/article/40380/Outsourcing_Definition_and_Solutions A Legal Perspective on Outsourcing and Offshoring, Sam Ramanujan; Sandhya Jane Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge; Mar 2006; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global Outsourcing best practices Outsourcing and Offshoring: The New IS Paradigm? , William R King Journal of Global Information Technology Management; 2005; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global www. wikipedia. com Information Technology Outsourcing Management What is IT outsourcing? IT outsourcing is an arrangement in which a company subcontracts its information technology related activities to be executed by a different company. In the past several decades, as the role of information technology grew in the performance of a company, the fixed cost of maintaining up and running IT facilities and staffs was increasing as well.Therefore outsourcing solution was derived from companies’ need to achieve superior performance of IT functions with minimum amount of cost. Major classifications of IT functions that companies outsource are infrastructure and applications. Infrastructure outsourcing refers to a company resolving its entire IT activities handled by a contracted vendor company on the company’s behalf.Application outsourcing stands for a company subcontracting only its core IT applications such as ERP systems, document management systems or Business intelligence applications with service provider. Benefits and Risks Althoug h it is obvious that primary cause of increasing trend of outsourcing is a cost factor, many other benefits come along with outsourcing. Outsourcing allows companies to shift their whole attention on the quality of their core activities without facing the vulnerability of poor level of IT performance.Because no matter what industry a company is in, cost and pressure of having in-house IT solutions require the company to be an expert in IT industry which is difficult to achieve for any size organizations especially for entrepreneurs and small businesses, slowing down their productivity as well as slowing down the economy. Subcontracting IT activities to a specialized vendor company is indeed a win-win situation for the both end, enabling the organization to upgrade its IT performance and providing business to the vendor company.Moreover, with outsourcing, organizations can get access to variable IT skills and knowledge which potentially can improve their efficiency, and outsourcing m akes accommodating any new IT innovations or changes in any industry easier to handle for organizations. Needless to mention the benefits of savings on investments in IT related infrastructure which can be spent towards organizations’ business expansion or something equally important. The benefits mentioned above can be substantial only if outsourcing is practiced arefully with good management. Otherwise, oversights of important issues can bring significant complications to the organizations. Based on the stories of unsuccessful outsourcing practices, the most considerable problems the organizations encounter are the lack of integration between vendor and client, hidden costs of training, miscalculation of proficiency of the vendor company, and sometimes differentiation of the client company can be compromised since the vendor company could be serving the competitor company as well.In terms of a company outsourcing its entire IT department from a service provider company, imp lementation of good collaboration and communication with each other often requires some time and patience from both sides due to the differences of cultural, geographical and preferred business practices. The fact that knowledge transfer is the most important term in IT outsourcing implies the integration process of vendor and client companies is more virtual than physical.That is why the people problems such as different interpretations of the contract, conflicts of two cultures and lack of preparation for integrated operation occur very often and if ignored, they could result negative impacts on both companies. Legal, economic, geographical and political environments of the country in which the client company outsources its IT activities are the most important but often ignored factors. When the host countries face civil war or natural disaster happens, the recovery costs the companies encounter are usually incalculable. IT outsourcing best practicesThrough weighting the positive and negative impacts of outsourcing carefully and planning the shifting process step by step, companies can successfully implement outsourcing to its daily business practices and convert it to one of its competitive advantages easily. Recommended best practices of IT outsourcing usually focus on good management and good assessment of choosing the partner. Maintaining good communication with your service provider before and after signing on the contract is also an essential part of setting up a sustainable IT solution for any company.Every company and every project has its own uniqueness therefore the service provider understands the detailed requirement is necessary. And the difficulties both side face due to the cultural and geographical differences can be resolved by committing to good communication. For example leaders of both sides should agree on set, clear objectives and stay committed to them when circumstances change. Although the cost reduction is the primary motive of outs ourcing, overdoing it can compromise the organizations’ core activities.In today’s globalizing world, importance of maintaining good IT performance is greater than ever to the organizations’ wellbeing so that pursuing the lowest cost can have its own price. The reason why is that the vendor companies are also business institutions depending on their profits therefore in order to meet the client’s cost requirement they sometimes cut corners such as hiring under qualified staffs which consequently affect the quality of the client companies’ operation.In order to make the integration process easier, the outsourcers should put effort into finding compatible service providers. It is important to make sure that your service provider has organization cultures and preferred business practices similar to yours since they will become a part of the organization. Another essential outsourcing practice is to consider the service providers’ experience and capacities to assess whether they are skilled enough to maintain your company’s operation at all times.In terms of choosing their partner, organizations also should consider any expected future changes in the market and their future expansion plans as well as their competitors’ IT performance level. Political and social environments of the countries in which the vendor companies operate, should not be out of concern. Outsourcers should always be aware of the political situation of their host countries as well as social factors that could influence the quality of employees’ job performance.It is recommended to outsourcers to keep presence of representative on-site as a middle man so that they can have some kind of coordination over the execution of the IT activities. Representatives also work as a communication bridge between partners making sure each side understand their roles and responsibilities. Legal aspects Legal aspects of IT outsourcing might be the mos t complicated issues the enterprises encounter since it involves various types of laws such as international and domestic.International common laws such as Intellectual Property, Copyrights, Patent, Trade Secret, Privacy and Information security all need to be considered when a company makes an outsourcing related decision. Any outsourcing contract addresses the tangible and intangible issues and their legal implications as well as procedures in order to avoid lack of clarity. For example pricing is very important aspect of IT outsourcing contract and any possible uncertainty related to the pricing of service should be stated on the contract.Inflation, delays, manpower and material shortages and insolvency all must be concerned and put on the contract to regulate when situations mentioned above happens. Also outsourcing contract should be flexible to adjust any changes in performance, quality, and suitable to host country’s tax law, pension laws to solve staff related matters . Intangible issues on the other hand should be carefully thought through because they pose the highest risks on the organizations’ domestic and international operation.When companies outsource their entire or partial IT function, the risk of their customers’ valuable information such as social security numbers, medical history, credit card information to be exposed gets higher as well as their own internal secret information. A company must do risk assessment of the host country’s security environment by measuring how effective the laws referred to intellectual property, copyright, digital hacking and violation of privacy are. Unfortunately laws pertaining to privacy protection are not so effective in today’s most popular IT service provider countries such as China, India and Philippine.Therefore offshore IT centers and outsourcing companies must establish strong system together to protect themselves as well as their customers. Intellectual Property and Patent laws have strong presence in USA and European countries but they differ in host countries. Illegal use of one’s IT innovation such as software, source and know-how are not the front line concerns of governments of foreign countries right now, so outsourcers usually face tremendous risk of their intellectual property stolen and used against their products in the market.US companies’ trade secrets are also totally dependent on mutual trust and written agreements between two parts. There is no law enforcement system in the host countries to back up such written agreements. Basically, US companies pursuing offshore outsourcing as an IT strategy must consider domestic and international laws extremely and craft their outsourcing contracts focused on to minimize any risks they may encounter in unfamiliar legal environment. Sources: http://www. infoworld. com/d/adventures-in-it/13-best-practices-it-outsourcing-034? age=0,0 http://blog. everythingcu. com/2006/02/12/the-m any-downsides-of-outsourcing/ http://www. cio. com/article/40380/Outsourcing_Definition_and_Solutions A Legal Perspective on Outsourcing and Offshoring, Sam Ramanujan; Sandhya Jane Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge; Mar 2006; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global Outsourcing best practices Outsourcing and Offshoring: The New IS Paradigm? , William R King Journal of Global Information Technology Management; 2005; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global www. wikipedia. com

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Quick Summary Essay

Maru is definitely not likeable but then again most real life leaders are not. Leaders portrayed in literature, movies tend to be likeable because the writer wants to champion some idea using that character. In this case, I don’t think Bessie head necessarily wanted us to like Maru or feel warm fuzzies about Margaret finally ending up with Maru( and not Moleka). She was driving the point home that the reality of overcoming prejudice takes more than inviting one’s servants to the dinner table and eating from the same fork. Maru has to literally create a new society and he hand-picks those that he deems to be worthy of being citizens of such a society and also those who have characters that would make a good foundation for such a society. Those that thrive in the existing society – such as Moleka, Dikeledi – are left in the old society. He even connives to get Moleka and Dikeledi together because they are some of the best at what they do in that society. All the unsavoury characters such as all the women who were after Maru’s position, all the bigots who looked down upon Margaret, the nurses who refused to wash the body of the dead â€Å"Masarwa† women – all of them are left behind in the old society.  the missionary Margaret Cadmore eventually leaves; the goat and her kid leave the village of abuse and go and live with Margaret; the bus driver that transports Margaret into the prejudiced society places Margaret in the â€Å"good hands† of mistress Dikeledi and then he leaves with the bus; Maru is the next in line to be king but he can’t rule such a society – his dreams are bigger than their prejudices so he also leaves and he takes with him the few candidates that would be good seed for cultivating a new just society. That is also why he is constantly plagued by the fact that he can never know if his decision to take Margaret away from Moleka was the right decision. He can only let time tell which seeds will grow and which ones will not. He loves Margaret but he is never sure if his love was the greater one – the better one – the one that does not lead to the destruction of the one character that is untainted by the warped society. as sure as he is of himself and his vision, he still cannot see the picture from the point of view of universe†¦..  i. e. why are there men like Moleka, why are there men like Maru, why do even the purest of women still get attracted to men like Moleka. Remember Margaret’s first encounter with Moleka is not exactly a rosy walk in the park†¦why is there women who scheme for social position, why is it that men such as Maru have to trick women into marrying them. why are people like Dikeledi quite happy to accept the way things are even tho ugh they see the prejudices as clearly as Maru, et cetera – hence his recurring nightmare. When we are introduced to moleka, it is clear that he thrives in that society. When we are introduced to Dikeledi, it is also clear that she embraces her positions in that society – and the only men that is good enough for her is Moleka. when we are introduced to Maru, he is not liked by his servants. Margaret has troubled introduction to the world. Moleka and Dikeledi belong and thrive in the current system. Maru and Margaret do not thrive in that system. So do Maru and Margaret stick around and accept the death plots and prejudice? So, I like Maru as a character because in the end, he actually makes a stand against the whole village, he challenges Moleka to come after him if his love is really superior – alas, Moleka chooses the here and now. So, Maru is not by any means perfect but then again Moleka is not exactly a saint either. Maru chooses the future without prejudice in a new society. Moleka chooses the current society with all its flaws. i think it is a misconception to think that Bessie head meant this to be a fairy tale. This story is very close to reality. There are no happy solutions to fighting injustice, prejudice and other such vices. The overcoming of such only is attained by those who are strong enough to make tough decisions even when those decisions are unpopular. Would Moleka really have left his womanizing ways and settled for a woman who didn’t care about social status? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦if Bessie head had ended the story with Moleka and Margaret together then it would have been a fairy tale

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Blue Shadow

Blue Shadow In a land of magic, there is a castle on the top of the mountain. There lives a family with a new born child. The brother of the new born is watching the baby, and the mother tells her husband give each child a ring. The brother asks mother what is the meaning of that ring. The mother smiles to the boy and says it is family tradition to pass on the ring to their children. In that moment, a dark witch comes in to the castle. Everyone is being spelled by the dark power. The dark witch comes in and kills the man and the woman with a strong fight. The parents known the dark witch will come, so they send both the boy and the baby sister to the real world from being killed.Once the boy and the baby sister to the reality world, the brother left the sister in a secret alleyway.Elizabeth Martin many times the ring's is color just like the skin, only a short time it will appear blue. It was...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Definition and Examples of Platitudes in English

Definition and Examples of Platitudes in English Definition A platitude is a trite and obvious observation, in particular, one thats expressed as if it were fresh and significant. Adjectives: platitudinous and platitudinal. Verb: platitudinize. A person who habitually uses platitudes- or clichà ©s- is (among other things) a platitudinarian. Platitudes can be instruments of gentle criticism, says Karen Tracy. Platitudes are  especially useful in the context of public argument, for they promote the sense that a speaker is addressing a policy concern rather than actually criticizing or attacking a person (Challenges of Ordinary Democracy, 2010). Etymology: From Old French, flat, dull Pronunciation: PLAT-i-tood Related Concepts Platitudes are similar to some other terms, but can also be mixed up with some of these terms. Some of the related concepts and language terms are: CatchphraseChunkClichà ©CollocationDead MetaphorIdiomPet PhraseProverb Examples of Platitudes Youre as young as you feel.Crime does pay.It doesnt matter what youre doing, as long as youre having fun.Love will always get you through.Crime doesnt pay.He/she who laughs last, laughs best.Everybody needs somebody.Alls well that ends well.Honesty is the best policy.Life begins at 50 (or 60).Its okay to be silly.You have to act your age.Acting your age is for old people.Love what you do.Do what you love.The secret to a long life is doing what you love.Who cares what other people say? Observations About Platitudes There are already some four-star platitudes on the list, some old sayings, some repeats, and a few opposing ideas. (Jay Douglas, Stalking the Story. Alpha Books, 2011)His subjects are intriguing, but Coles is embarrassingly conventional and unreflective. He writes in platitudes (about lifes ironies, the dilemmas of our time, the richest nation in the world, peoples darker side, Freuds superior cast of mind, etc.). (William White, The Library Journal Book Review, 1975)He was fond of thinking in platitudes- but to him, all platitudes were profound and had the freshness and vigor of original thought.Like bubbles, he said to himself, human life is as momentary as a bubble.(Khushwant Singh, Posthumous. Not A Nice Man To Know: The Best of Khushwant Singh. Penguin, 2000)Everybody can repeat the platitude that the mob can be the greatest of all tyrants. But few realize or remember the corresponding truth which goes along with it- that the mob is the only permanent and unassailable high pries t. (G.K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens: A Critical Study, 1906) Anti-Intellectualism in Politics: Inspirational Platitudes and Partisan Punch Lines Instead of bringing arguments to the public deliberative sphere, [American] presidents are increasingly inclined to declare and assert, offering us a predictable inventory of inspirational platitudes and partisan punch lines. I turn first to George W. Bush and his use of inspirational platitudes as an instance of argument by declaration, then to Bill Clinton and his use of partisan punch lines as an instance of argument by assertion. It may appear at first glance that these two anti-intellectual strategies are polar opposites of each other. Platitudes articulate the obvious and are therefore assumed to be universal, while partisan punch lines are strategically one-sided and therefore particular. Both, however, are united by their rejection of the weighing and judging of reasons. Both are proffered as foundational beliefs that cannot be argued for or against. Self-evident truths can be declared without justification, just like partisan punch lines are asserted strategically to preempt consideration of the other side. Both paradoxically transmit ambiguous meaning in categorical language. Indeed, that is why partisan punch lines are often dressed up in the ambiguous language of platitudes. Phrases such as liberty, support our troops, and freedom in Iraq are often deployed as coded conservative punch lines delivered as creedal platitudes that cannot be denied, while fairness, universal health care, equal employment opportunity are the liberal analogs of projects that are self-evidently unobjectionable. (Elvin T. Lim, The Anti-Intellectual Presidency: The Decline of Presidential Rhetoric from George Washington to George W. Bush. Oxford University Press, 2008) The New Rhetoric of Civility The new rhetoric of civility misunderstands the role of argument as a social and socializing process. In so doing, it dissuades the public from embracing and refining argument as a means to achieve civility. In seeking a cure to incivility, todays discussions have characterized argument as a disease, when its cultivation might actually offer the most efficacious cure...If we fail to redeem ourselves through rhetoric, we condemn ourselves to recycling platitudes about civility. And through those platitudes, the new rhetoric of civility will continue to perpetuate the very stereotype about argument that, ironically, have led to todays calls for civility.(Rolf Norgaard, The Rhetoric of Civility and the Fate of Argument. Rhetoric, the Polis, and the Global Village: Selected Papers From the 1998 Thirtieth Anniversary Rhetoric Society of America Conference, ed. by C. Jan Swearingen and Dave Pruett. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1999) Platitudes in Drama That an idea is not available dramatically until it has become a platitude is itself one of the most platitudinous of dramatic platitudes. But there is a considerable difference in the mere availability of a platitude and the conversion of the platitude into lively and engaging drama. Good drama, in point of fact, consists in so veiling a basic platitude with the vari-colored gauzes of imaginative beauty that it shall be but vaguely perceptible to those who give it eye and ear. The greater the dramatist, the more successful he is in deceiving his audiences as to the existence in his work of the platitude. He is, in a way of speaking, a prestidigitator of platitudes: one whose infinite legerdemain of metaphor, fancy, wit, and surface originality is successful constantly in making the ever-present platitude seem to disappear. (George Jean Nathan, Materia Critica. Alfred A. Knopf, 1924)

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Further Education in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Further Education in UK - Essay Example Some FECs are funded directly; others receive money indirectly through a franchise agreement with a higher education institution, or as part of a consortium. Contact details and links to further information on FECs providing HE courses are available through the HERO web-site. The following list gives the 135 FECs that we are funding directly I am proud that my first White Paper as Secretary of State should be on the issue of education for our 14 to 19 year old.(http://195.194.167.100/unicoll/FE/). The reforms set out for further education are very much important. They are vital to UK economy equipping young people with the skills employers' need and the ability to go on learning throughout their lives. Reforms are vital for social justice giving us the chance to give break through the historic link between social back ground, educational achievement and life chances that have determined UK citizens as a nation. And most of all these are vital to each and every individual young person, whatever the needs of the young people or whatever they want to be. Young teenagers are tomorrow's leaders, entrepreneurs, parent and community servants, so we should take a special care for the children in the age group of 14 to 19; it is the age period when one needs guidance and help for selecting one's career. Build a system of 14 to 19 education that will do just that. A system that we can be proud of. And one that gives every young person the opportunities they need and deserve. Every child and every teenager has equal worth. We owe it to them to give them the chance to show what they can do, to make the most of their talents, to reach their potential. And the key to doing that is to design a system around them based on high standards, on choice and on meeting individuals' needs and aspirations. To deliver that system will take determination. It will take commitment. It will take the hard work of teachers, lecturers, other education professionals, employers, parents and all who work in or with our schools and colleges. It will require breaking down the artificial barriers between academic and vocational education. It will mean building on all that is good in our system and reforming what is not working. Building from the excellent work of Sir Mike Tomlinson and his Working Group on 14-19 Reform and from the work of the successful school and college partnerships we are already seeing in local communities. It charts a 10-year reform programme and the milestone s needed to achieve it. But more than those details and those milestones, it sets out a vision of what we want for children and teenagers what we want them to learn, the skills we want them to acquire, but above all the values we want them to have. The purpose of the education system is to help each and every individual reach their potential. (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/14-19educationandskills /pdfs/14-19WhitePaper.pdf) School pupils in this age group and (probably) sixth form