Social Work Theory & Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Social Work Theory & Practice - Essay Example The concern of the State to utilize medical facilities to control bad behaviour (in the absence of formal evidence of psychosis) continued in the twentieth century (Rogers and Pilgrim, 2005). In Scotland this is a major undertaking by government. Mental health law is about securing benefits for, and protecting the rights of, people with a mental disorder. Its primary objective is to make sure people with a mental disorder can receive effective care and treatment (Scottish Executive, 2003). This highlights the fact that the government and its policies are geared towards the care for the mentally aberrant. The new legislation dealing with mental health lays the foundation for government to act in dealing with those who are mentally troubled. In fact, the new legislation is Scotland establishes principles upon which government measures are to be based on. What are unique in the current law is the new mechanisms it puts into place. These new measures better empower the state in dealing with this social concern. An example of this is when the law sets out principles relating to the way in which the function must be discharged. These require the person discharging the function to do so in a way, which involves the minimum restriction on the freedom of the patient (Scottish Executive, 2003). The current policies also clarify and refine the role and duty of government with regards to mental health. The new Mental Health law in Scotland allows for the removal to a place of safety of a person who is exposed to ill-treatment or neglect or who is unable to look after himself or his property/financial affairs. It further allows for a person to be removed from a public place to a place of safety where it is in the interests of that person or where it is necessary to protect other people (Scottish Executive, 2003). This descriptively lays down the scenario when the state should act and for what

The Pyramids at Giza Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The Pyramids at Giza - Research Paper Example Despite the closer locale of the building materials, the construction of the Great Pyramid and the other pyramids located in and around the Giza plain indicate a level of mechanical knowledge unequaled in their time and suggest a level of creativity not typically associated with the ancients.   Some of the other materials used in the pyramids were pre-existing on the site as the base of the Great Pyramid is a natural rock outcropping and several chambers are filled with sand.   However, there is also some truth to the concept that rock was brought in from elsewhere.   â€Å"The fine white limestone came from Tura, about 8 miles away on the other side of the Nile.   The granite came from quarries at Aswan, around 600 miles upstream. In some of these sites, there are clear marks left in the rock.† One of the amazing aspects of the pyramids is the precision with which they’re built and the crude tools with which the Bronze Age Egyptians had to work.   â€Å"The most plausible answer is that the Egyptians, who lacked tackle and pulley for lifting heavy weights, employed a sloping embankment of brick, earth, and sand, which was increased in height and in length as the pyramid rose and up which the stone blocks were hauled by means of sleds, rollers, and levers.† While it has been widely believed that the construction of the pyramid was carried out by slaves, Andrew Millmore indicates that this is not true.   â€Å"One hundred thousand people worked on it for three months of each year.   This was the time of the Nile’s annual flood which made it impossible to farm the land and most of the population was unemployed.† A great deal of information about the workers themselves has been provided through excavation and study of the worker’s village found near the pyramid site in 1999.   â€Å"We do know much more about the work activities, particularly at Giza, than ever before.   Archaeologists have carefully studied the worker’s villages, the craft shops, the bakeries, and other related structures.

Importance Of International Financial Management Finance Essay

Importance Of International Financial Management Finance Essay The rapid globalization, economic crises and continuously changing business environment together to make present financial management challenges more critical than ever. And the same forces make successful financial controls very important because international financial management (IFM) operates, with the decisions financial in nature taken, in the era of international business. The development in international business is apparent in the mode of extremely inflated volume of international trade. The history of international trade can be traced back to World War II. When after the war years immediately, the common type of contracts on the Trade and Tariffs were established in order to increase trade. This arrangement eliminates the trade restrictions extensively over the years and as a consequence multinational trade grew largely. Moreover, the traders financial contribution in respect of exports and imports surged widely across the countries. Since then this situation persist and in crease over the years that compel companies of all types and sizes to think how to utilize resources when dealing in international markets. This expansion gives rise to significant variation in the position of market stability. As a result, today major financial decisions entail cross-border complications. Preferences in respect of raising capital, management of risk, investment decisions, mergers, restructuring, and all other features of financial strategy generally involve international complexities and these complications increase the need of international financial management. When financial managers take these decisions they must examine currency exchange rates, risk factors of specific country, tax rules differences and deviation in legal systems. In short, the finance managers of multinational corporations need appropriate management of international flow of funds for which the international financial management came to be very important and this has been discussed in detail below. Objectives The purpose of this research paper is to discuss the importance of international financial management to know that the role that financial management is playing in a modern international business environment. Importance of International Financial Management International financial management (IMF) significance cannot be exaggerated. It is, however, the core factor to successful business operations. In the absence of finance in local even in international market, no entity can achieve its full strengths for success and growth. We all know that money is a worldwide lubricant that keeps the local and multinational enterprise dynamic in developing product, keeping machines and men in working, motivating management to create values and progress. As I have discussed above that globalization open the market for major corporations to business into international markets, but it also brings corporations to a variety of risks that they can face while operating in international era and in this regard international financial management is the only solution to mitigate these risks and expose corporations to the whole world to operate in. Below is the details of risk that multinational companies face and the role international financial management pla y to control these risk that increase the importance of international financial management. Currency Exchange Risk and International Financial Management Operating business in international markets may result in a foreign currency exchange risk that is known as exposure of transaction. Currency exchange risk arises when an entity has receivables or payables major portion in foreign currency (FC). The risk persists in the variation of the foreign currency exchange rate. For instance, if the foreign currency increases in value before paying liability, the business has to pay extra amount to purchase the foreign currency required to clear this liability. As a consequence, the business will face a loss of foreign exchange. And when the currency value decreases the business will have foreign currency gain. On the other hand net assets will have the reverse relationships that are denominated in a foreign currency. In managing the risk of currency exchange, IFM approaches have gained prominence in recent years. IFM provides a variety of hedging techniques to control foreign currency transaction risks. Pricing. The basic technique offers by international financial management to manage risk or to control billing currency, is called pricing. Exchange risk currency can be controlled if the businesses invoice their clients in the companys reporting currency or functional currency. For instance, a business can settle a price of receivable in the currency in which they are reporting and thus transfer the risk of exchange to their customer. Settlement. This technique is used where the business cannot price their customer in reporting currency, it can exercise the settlement technique to eliminate FC exchange risk. This technique needs that management continuously offer early settlement discounts for receivables or payables dealt in a foreign currency. In short, this technique of IFM pushes a business to renounce the advantage of the money time value with the intention to evade the risks of foreign currency exchange variations. Forward Contracts. The business should use the other techniques to control the cash flows if it doesnt want to make early settlement or cannot price in reporting currency. Almost certainly in this situation the renowned hedging methods is selling and buying forward contracts in foreign currency. These are agreements between parties to sell or buy foreign currency in future time at pre-decided fixed exchange rate. It reduces the companys exposures to variation in exchange rates, whatever the rate in future is, the transactions occur at fixed rate. This transaction involves the cost of currency exchange and the cost of purchasing a forward contract. Leading and logging. IFM also provides additional technique to mitigate the risks for centralized and large business, called leading and logging. This technique requires leading (prepaying) due amount when the currency of payer is decreasing against the payment currency and lagging (covering) those payments if the currency of payer is increasing. From business perspectives, the international financial manager can ask for leading and lagging technique so as to take benefit of the constructive consequences of exchange rate variation. Moreover, leading and lagging strategies may be exercised to move funds to cash-poor from cash-rich partners, thus enhancing liquidity in short-term. Working Capital Management and International Financial Management International financial management plays very important role in working capital management. Working capital management means taking decisions relating to short-term liquidity, and capital financing. These decisions comprises on managing the rapport between short-term asset and short liabilities of the firm. In this regard international financial management plays very important role in maximizing the worth of the firm by spending in such projects which produce a positive net present value (NPV) by discounting with appropriate discount rate. These investments, as a result, have complexities in relation to cost of capital pf cash flow. The purpose of IFM is to make sure that the business is capable of operating, and that it has positive flow of cash to support debt in long-term, and to assure both upcoming operational expenses and short-term debt. In this way the firm value is appreciated in case the return on capital investment surpass the capital cost. Financing Decision International Financial Management also guides companies in taking financing decions. And accomplishing the business financial objectives IFM need that any corporate investment be financed properly. As discussed above since both un-stable rate and cash flows will be influenced, the mix of the financing can influence the valuation. In this way financial manager must highlight the capital structures and optimal mix of financing that should result in maximum value. The sources to generate finance generally involve the combination of debt and equity financing. If a business decides to finance through debt, it will increase the liability that must be paid, therefore involving cash flow complications independent of the project target of success. The second option is equity financing. Equity financing is, however, less risky in relation to cash flow payment promises, but results in a reduction of control, ownership and earnings. The equity financing cost is also more than the cost incurred in debt financing, and in this way equity financing method may result in an appreciated hurdle rate that may compensate any reduction in risk of cash flow. International financial management helps management to keep balance between both options to avoid the risk of cost burden. IFM Co-ordinates Various Functional Activities International financial management offers comprehensive harmonization between varieties of functional areas such as production, marketing, etc. to accomplish the goals of organizations. If financial management is imperfect in multinational companies, the effectiveness of other business units can be maintained. For instance, it is very essential for the finance department to make available required finance for the raw material procurement and for other expense for the successful running of business. If financial department does not work properly and fails to meet obligations, the sale and production units will suffer and as a result profit and income will undergo. In short, proper financial management occupies a significant place in any business concern. Determinant of Business Success International financial management is necessary for the business success. It has been identified that the financial manger plays a very imperative role in the business success by suggesting the higher level management the effective solutions of a range of financial problems as professional. They provide considerable figures and facts in relation to financial position and company various functions performance in specific period before the higher management in such means that make it easier for the higher management to assess the companys progress to adjust policies and the principles of the company properly. The international financial managers help the higher management in the process of decision making by recommending the best possible solutions out of the number of alternatives options available. Hence, international financial management assists the management at various stages in taking national and international financial decisions. IFM as Measure of Performance International financial management helps to measure the performance of business through its financial results by applying the techniques of ratio analysis. These analyses provide the position that where the firm is going over the years. Such financial decisions that appreciate risks become cause to decrease the worth of the firm and on the other the hand, such international financial decisions that boost the profitability enhance the firm value. Profitability and risk are two necessary part of any business that can be managed effectively through financial management. Conclusion The challenges that management is facing today is the effective and efficient working such that is internationally oriented. The major difficulties that a business faces in international markets are, fluctuation in currency exchange rate, investing decisions, financing decision, coordination of different business unit in different geographic places, etc. These problems can be managed through proper adaptation of international financial management methodologies. The effectiveness of these methodologies based on managements understanding to the foreign markets and the requirements of its subsidiaries. In short, managing business accounts and finance is crucial to the success of every multinational business because the increase in complication and importance of financial management in international business environment poses challenges for management in international corporations.

Essay --

It was a regular Saturday afternoon. The sun was out, the birds were singing and the flowers were blossoming. Everything was perfect in my little neighborhood. I was just getting ready to go to my cousin’s house. My cousin and I were like best friends, we always hung out together, and played together, we practically did everything together. Sometimes she’d come to my house and sometimes I’d go to hers, it was very convenient living in the same neighborhood. I grabbed my back pack, including a phone – for emergencies only, my wallet – just in case, and my diary – a small book that I took everywhere with me. I was all set, I hugged my parents and kissed them goodbye and was on my way. I had always gone walking to her house, since she didn’t live very far. At my cousin’s house we played board games and laughed as we watched some cartoons, when her mother had decided to take us shopping for some sweets. As we approached our destina tion I saw a blind man sitting on the ground in front of the store with a cardboard sign that read â€Å"It’s a beautiful day and I can’t even see it†. He was all alone with a cup in his hands with probably only a few quarters in there. I was confused as to why this man was all alone, where was his wife, his children? I was only 13 and believed that everyone had a family and a perfect life, imagine my disappointment seeing the man alone on the ground. We entered the store and grabbed a few Kitkat’s and some chips and headed back outside, walking towards the car. I see the man, just staring, people passing by, not even looking at him, and just ignoring him as they go on with their daily lives. I went back to my cousin’s house, not thinking much of it. Days later, my mother and I come back to the same store to ge... ...ned the Global Humanitarian Action Award for her work around the world. â€Å"She continues to travel the world to draw attention to global issues† (bio. True History). Closing: Angelina Jolie’s work around the world has saved many lives; she has helped more people than I can count. She has worked hard to earn her title as ambassador of UN, and she disserves it. Angelina has done some strange things in the past, but she makes up for it by taking time out of her busy schedule and helping others. That feeling I had as a kid seeing that blind man on the ground is what I imagine she feels seeing people is Syria, Cambodia, Jordan and much more. Angelina Jolie does have flaws, and may not always make the best decisions and that’s because she’s human, but her work in all those countries, and all the money she’s donated to charity is what makes her 2013’s person of the year. Essay -- It was a regular Saturday afternoon. The sun was out, the birds were singing and the flowers were blossoming. Everything was perfect in my little neighborhood. I was just getting ready to go to my cousin’s house. My cousin and I were like best friends, we always hung out together, and played together, we practically did everything together. Sometimes she’d come to my house and sometimes I’d go to hers, it was very convenient living in the same neighborhood. I grabbed my back pack, including a phone – for emergencies only, my wallet – just in case, and my diary – a small book that I took everywhere with me. I was all set, I hugged my parents and kissed them goodbye and was on my way. I had always gone walking to her house, since she didn’t live very far. At my cousin’s house we played board games and laughed as we watched some cartoons, when her mother had decided to take us shopping for some sweets. As we approached our destina tion I saw a blind man sitting on the ground in front of the store with a cardboard sign that read â€Å"It’s a beautiful day and I can’t even see it†. He was all alone with a cup in his hands with probably only a few quarters in there. I was confused as to why this man was all alone, where was his wife, his children? I was only 13 and believed that everyone had a family and a perfect life, imagine my disappointment seeing the man alone on the ground. We entered the store and grabbed a few Kitkat’s and some chips and headed back outside, walking towards the car. I see the man, just staring, people passing by, not even looking at him, and just ignoring him as they go on with their daily lives. I went back to my cousin’s house, not thinking much of it. Days later, my mother and I come back to the same store to ge... ...ned the Global Humanitarian Action Award for her work around the world. â€Å"She continues to travel the world to draw attention to global issues† (bio. True History). Closing: Angelina Jolie’s work around the world has saved many lives; she has helped more people than I can count. She has worked hard to earn her title as ambassador of UN, and she disserves it. Angelina has done some strange things in the past, but she makes up for it by taking time out of her busy schedule and helping others. That feeling I had as a kid seeing that blind man on the ground is what I imagine she feels seeing people is Syria, Cambodia, Jordan and much more. Angelina Jolie does have flaws, and may not always make the best decisions and that’s because she’s human, but her work in all those countries, and all the money she’s donated to charity is what makes her 2013’s person of the year.

Dreams, Views and Teachings of Great People Essay

History is made up of significant events, which shape our future and exceptional leaders who influence our destiny. Leaders such as Martin Luther Kink Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and even various prophets. Their contributions to our history place them in this unique position. Each of them has their own stories, dreams, views, beliefs and goals in life; and yet they are also similar in a vast amount of ways. My objective here is to compare and contrast these leaders as well as discussing the connection to modern day prophets if any. In order for Mahatma Gandhi to reach his ultimate goal, he had to prove worthy of its rewards. All that Gandhi wanted is for people to begin to respect his ideas and see that his belief truly was just. Gandhi spoke of non-violent resistance as a method to help the opposing side see how they were committing sins. Gandhi used inspirational words to encourage his people. He was motivated to begin fighting for Indian rights after being humiliated, and then he had faith that he could help India achieve independence. He knew that if Indians remained nonviolent and forgave the enemies, they would someday be rewarded. To show his responsibility and commitment to the fight Gandhi was subject to fasting, abstinence or the use of non-violence as a political tool. Gandhi led many campaigns, organized strikes, and stayed true to him self just to convey a message to the people. Gandhi claimed to be no more that an average man with less than average ability. He did not want any special advantage for what he did. He believed that any man or women could achieve what he had, if he or she would make the same effort and grow the same hope and faith. Martin Luther King Jr. took the lessons taught by Gandhi to the oppressed of India, and applied them to the oppression of the blacks in America. He also used words of wisdom to encourage his fellow African Americans, to see how deserving they are of equal treatment. King adopted Gandhi’s method of non-violence, realizing this is the path to freedom. His tactics of protest involved non-violent passive resistance to racial injustice. King was merely  a role model whose mission in life was to serve others. His wisdom, words, commitment, deeds, and dreams for a new shine of life made others full of hope. His visions and goals were simple, yet breathtaking. Some major similarities between the two are that they both speak of G-d in a personal way; they speak of Him as the truth. They both teach others by their own examples, and they both take an active part in politics. Most importantly they both taught us to open our eyes to the truth. This just shows you that some of the greatest people started out as nothing and developed/changed into leaders of the world. Although their efforts have brought about tremendous progress, their work is no way complete. My reason for this is that we have still not yet achieved equality among people of all races. Yes, we all ride in the same bus, but equality is still a major issue. I think just to connect this to Tanach and Jewish Law, a great way to do something is to get involved in the community and get people thinking about the issues, because if racism and equality aren’t even on our minds how can we do anything about them? Even by just thinking about this will make their dreams a reality. What is a prophet? Based on Tanach class and the movie, we learn that it’s a person whose message is always relevant; and they addressed modern situations and current issues. Prophets loved their nation; they were fearless of most things; and they were students of history. Also they were men of prayer, and had personal relationship with political and religious leaders of their day. The more specific things they did are pass on the message of G-d, inform people of wrong doings and set them on the right path, etc. Taking a look at Amos, he was bold and fearless when called to deal with evils of the day. He was known for his sense of justice and pride. Today I think his message would be that people should love and treat all as equal status. Now if we compare this general definition of a prophet to MLK Jr. and Gandhi, then yes I do think they fit the role of prophets. Still I don’t know if they would be considered modern day prophets. Simply because I don’t have a true idea of what I believe about modern day prophets. But it is safe to say that they were the heroes of our generation. We just have to hope they know it!

How effective is the ending to The Great Gatsby?

The conclusion of Nick's account of his experiences ends in chapter 9. The final section, on pages 148-9 is a very effective and evocative ending to the novel. It is rich with metaphorical representations which Fitzgerald deliberately implements in order to create emotion and an intricately intimate aura in order for the reader (back in the time of publication) to identify and understand the ‘big picture' behind the plot. The green light that has been mentioned further emphasises Gatsby's greatest attribute – his ability to dream and hope. It symbolises his obsessive limerence with his beloved Daisy, but Nick points out that Gatsby ‘did not know that it was already behind him†¦ ‘, in that his visions and aspirations (as well as the symbolism of the green light), go far beyond only Daisy. This possibly indicates the fact that Gatsby hasn't realised the extent of his progression to be as close to Daisy as possible (until she takes a tour of his house), which is referred to by Nick (â€Å"He had come a long way to this blue lawn†¦ †). Nick relates the green light, with all its connotations, to the first Dutch sailors who visited America for the first time. He pictured the ‘fresh, green breast of the New World' (and how it must have looked like to the Dutch sailors who stumbled upon it, without any industrial pollution or buildings (as it used to be called New Amsterdam before NYC)) as the green light, and muses that Gatsby – whose wealth and success so closely echoes the American Dream – failed to realise that the dream had already ended; that his goals had become hollow and empty. The Dutch envisioned it as a land of freedom and equality, where no one is judged and everyone can have a fresh new start; a place for dreamers such as Gatsby. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us†¦ ‘ conclude the novel and find Nick returning to the theme of the importance of the past to the dreams of the future (represented as the green light). He focuses on the struggle of humans to achieve their goals by both transcending and re-creating the past (as observed in Gatsby, â€Å"can't repeat the past?†¦ why of course you can! † and it is Gatsby's mindset which makes it one of the reasons Nick calls him The ‘Great' Gatsby). Just as Americans have given American meaning through their dreams for their own lives (i. e. the American Dream), Gatsby instills Daisy with a kind of idealised perfection (i. e. he built her up to be this perfect ‘goddess' over the years†¦ ) that she neither deserves nor possesses (†¦ which crumbles the climax as she isn't all he perceived). Gatsby's dream is ‘already behind him somewhere' as it is ruined by the unworthiness of its object (i. e. Daisy), against contrasted with the American dream and its mythical presence in the 1920s also ruined by the unworthiness of its objects (i. . money, pleasure, etc. ). In the final sentence of the novel, it is metaphorically conveyed that humans are not able to move beyond the past, as the ‘current' draws them backwards, making their efforts of rowing towards the metaphorical representations of the green light futile. The past I describe functions as the source of their ideas fuelling their future (epitomised by Gatsby's affair with Daisy pre-war) and they can't escape it as they continue to struggle to transform their dreams into reality. While they never lose their optimism (â€Å"tomorrow we will run faster†¦ ), their energy is expended in pursuit of a goal that moves ever farther away. This metaphor characterises both Gatsby's struggle and the American dream as well. Nick's words register neither blind approval nor cynical disillusionment but rather the respectful melancholy that he ultimately bring to his study of Gatsby's life. The umpteen frequency of Gatsby's party also relate to the connotations of the green light in some ways. Most of the guests that attended his parties weren't invited, as they came ‘for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission'. The taxi driver that passed Gatsby's domain may have had a story of his own to explain events. This is in fact the procedure that most of the characters in the novel are involved in (including Nick). They're spreading around rumours and stories around the objects and events in their world in order to make a sense of them, as he cultivated mystery, Gatsby provided a singularly rich focus for speculation, scrutiny and invention (he continues to do so after his death, too). His engagement with the past is vividly rendered in this passage through the strength of his imagination summoning up the parties, in both visual and auditory terms. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values, evidenced in its overarching cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. The reckless jubilance that led to decadent parties and wild jazz music—epitomized in the novel by the opulent parties that Gatsby throws every Saturday night—resulted ultimately in the corruption of the American dream, as the unrestrained desire for money and pleasure surpassed more noble goals. Gatsby's motives for throwing the parties is not to be passed unnoticed however. He used to throw the parties in hope of Daisy, people who know Daisy might attend. It is a proven fact because after their ‘affair' ‘Gatsby had dismissed every servant in his house', afraid of news of their meetings spreading (as he is aware how much gossip is spread about him already). This is what makes Gatsby's parties relate to the green light. It conveys Gatsby's constant desire and hope that someday Daisy will visit, and he shall not cease trying until he achieves his paramount ambition. The fact that Nick dubs him the ‘Great' Gatsby is also because he resembles a magician, in that he thinks he can bring back the past (quotation mentioned earlier). The fact that Daisy never shows up to his parties (until after they're familiar with each other) is also a metaphorical representation of how most people are denied the American dream, no matter how hard they push themselves. Gatsby changed his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby (god's boy) and his his domain is built upon the basis of a facade as he wishes to please Daisy and give a good impression. But in the end he dies due to several factors, such as the fact of his failure to realise that ideals differ from reality and that the past is almost impossible to re-enact. The ‘party' is over in a literal and metaphorical sense, and Nick prepares to leave the East for the Midwest. The people visiting his parties are aptly described by Nick as being ‘moths' or parasites, in that they ‘feed off of' or live off of Gatsby and his wealth. An example of this is Klipspringer, the boarder who visited for a party and never left. The word ‘last' recurs in this passage, which has an air of finality throughout. Another example would be the ‘material car' which Nick saw ‘its lights stop at his front steps'. Mention of the ‘material car' picks up on the recurrent thematic distinction between ‘materialism' and ‘idealism' as being two distinct versions of reality. In finality, we notice how and why the conclusions in this passage are justified as being famous in the literary world. The theme of this book, the ‘American Dream', is proven rightly to be a mere government-implemented myth, spread by the mass media, in order for people to not lose hope in a time of corruption and social decay. Characters and intimate objects represent more than their physical bodies throughout the plot, and it is difficult to spot a reference without a vivid or meticulous connotation behind it. Gatsby's death could be blamed on a lot of people for example, and not only the obvious Wilson (e. g. Tom for telling falsely telling him that Gatsby killed his wife, or himself as he failed to realise the fabrication that is the American dream). It is highly effective an intriguing as it basically sums up the messages and meanings behind the references in the novel Fitzgerald wants the reader to apprehend; which he delivers in a tantalisingly ornate format.

Frank Reade essays

Frank Reade essays In this interesting novel well worth the dime, our main character, Frank Reade, chases a gang of characters known as the James boys in a mechanical-horse drawn carriage. In this novel our characters are searching for the supposed hidden treasure of a wealthy family. In this time period novels cost a dime, and were written so they sounded believable. This story seems to me to be pretty believable, certain inventions seemed a little outlandish, but they did didnt seem to be ahead of there time. This was mostly because this was a pioneering period. Throughout the novel we come in contact with four important characters. One of which is Frank Reade, a young inventor and the main character is a character whom we are allowed to connect with on another level from most other main characters. The three other characters in this novel are Brass and Buttons who are two New York Detectives that act as Reades entourage. We also come in contact with the Professor who writes in his journal often. The Professor talks often of his dislike of violence but mysteriously has the best aim and shot out of the group. Two other characters we meet and no less about are Frank and Jesse James, otherwise known as the James Brothers. And they were not fond of the Reade posse, nor vise-versa. Though we never see a resolution, the plot is the suspenseful Reade-James Brothers chase. This novel like others seems to have sub-plot; such as digging for gold and the disbanding horses. Something interesting to me in this story was the interior monologues. This allowed me to feel connected to and with the character. There are many examples of this through out the novel, like when he grads the reigns of the James brothers horses. While hes hanging there we see his interior monologue as he plans ways to recapture the horses, stop the James brothers, and live to do all this. I also enjoyed the future resolutions ...

Medical Advancements and Society essays

Medical Advancements and Society essays From your perspective, what have been the most important developments during the past twenty years that have improved the quality of life for our society and for other societies in the world? In a society dominated by supermodels and teen sensations, looks mean everything. No longer are individuals satisfied with their current and natural physique, they are always striving for perfection. Hollywoods pursuit for the perfect look, shows us one way in which medical advancements have changed the quality of human life. This new 21st century medical technology offers many everyday citizens new alternatives for living. Lasix surgery can instantly restore perfect vision and eliminate the need for glasses or contacts. Cosmetic surgery now offers men and women to fix any facial blemish and obtain that perfect look. New advances in plastic surgery procedures provide the chance for overweight individuals to trim down to that ideal weight. But more important than face-lifts and liposuction techniques, societys recent medical advancements provide individuals treatment and cures for many previously untreatable diseases. Many new medical procedures are now performed with fiber optics technology and can eliminate painful surgery techniques. Untreatable diseases are now becoming treatable and are increase the longevity of lives. Numerous types of cancer are being now treated successfully with the help of chemotherapy. And AIDS and HIV patients are now using the drug, ATZ, to treat and reduce infected T-cells. Recent advancements have even replicated and produced the first synthetic heart. From cosmetic surgery to organ transplants, modern medical advancements have revolutionized the quality and longevity of lives. Doctors are now able to cure many previously incurable diseases and even provide their patients with that perfect, ideal look. Truly, modern medical advancements have created a whole new world....

Calamitatum Of The Individual

Calamitatum Of The Individual Essay In the realm of critical thinking, Abelard undoubtedly ranked highly in his day. He was an expert dialectician, philosopher and theologian, and as a result led a movement towards individual thinking. He traveled a lonely path of individuality, and when his ideas were suppressed, he found different ways to express his individuality. The beginning of his life was marked by extreme personal freedom. As his journey through life continued, he found himself compounded with innumerable restrictions. The role of monk could not change Abelard, and his individuality brought him even greater misfortune. He may forewarn others against the risks of such extreme individualism, but his life clearly shows that Abelard thought his individuality was a natural part of him, a part that was as inseparable as his faith. From the beginning of Abelards Story of my Calamities he portrays himself as an individual. The as oldest child in his family his life was intended for a military career, but as he tells us, he abandoned Mars for Minerva, denouncing the popular and glorious profession of arms for that of learning. In writing this he shows his clever and distinct way of thinking by referring to dialectic, the art of examining options or ideas logically, as a weapon of war. I chose the weapons of dialectic to all the other teachings of philosophy, and armed with these I chose the conflicts of disputation instead of the trophies of war. (p. 58, ll. 7-9). This is remarkable for the son of a soldier to make such a choice even renouncing his inheritance and pursue only intellectual advancement. Leaving home, he traveled off to school in Paris. He was welcomed for a short while, but soon found disfavor with his teacher Champeaux, the grand master of dialectic at the time, by refuting his arguments and proving himself several times to be the superior in debate. This shows Abelards superior intellect at a very early age. This is no doubt a major reason for his individuality. One of his intellectual rank finds it hard to conform to others standards, and naturally becomes a spectacle when showing his skills. This early conflict caused Abelard to leave and start his own school. Unfortunately, he could not maintain it and had to return home. Years later he was teaching in Paris again, he tells us how pupils flocked to him from every country in Europe, a statement which is more than corroborated by the authority of his contemporaries. He was, In fact, the idol of Paris, eloquent, vivacious, handsome, full of confidence in his own power to please. As he tells us, the whole world at his feet. In the Story of My Calamities, he confesses that at that period of his life he was filled with vanity and pride. I began to think myself the only philosopher in the world, with nothing to fear from anyone, and so I yielded to the lusts of the flesh. (p.65, ll.13-15). The first part of this statement is a window into what made Abelard an individual. He felt that he did not have to follow the same rules that other people did because he was superior to them. The result was a man that did things differently, for better or for worse. The second part of that statement lead Abelard down his next path of individuality, the first to cause him physical pain. To these faults he attributes his downfall, which was as swift and tragic as was everything, seemingly, in his dazzling career. He tells us in graphic language the tale of how he fell in love with Heloise, niece of Canon Fulbert. READ: Daedalus Myth And Portrait Of The Artist EssayIn the midst of his exploits he met Heloise, and in the first time writing about her in The Story of My Calamities he describes her individuality. in the extent of her learning she stood supreme. A gift for letters is so rare in women that it added greatly to her charm and had won her renown throughout the realm. (p.66 ll.15-17). This shows that Abelard valued individuality highly in others as well as in himself. He arranged an agreement with Heloises uncle to educate her, and gained access to Heloise. Their relationship encompassed the maximum in personal freedom and experimentation. They had a premarital sexual affair of unparalleled proportion. The whole affair was entirely against the rules of society at the time, and was the culmination of the progressive pattern of freedoms, turned into the abuse of opportunity. Soon after Abelards individuality and superiority caught up to him. Heloise became pregnant, and Abelard could not successfully sidestep the ethics of society again. To appease her uncle, Abelard offered him satisfaction in a form he could never have hoped for: I would marry the girl I had wronged. (p.70, ll.6-7). In this offer, Abelard showed that he was out of touch, because to marry in secret was really just an insult, and he considered it a complement of the highest magnitude. As a result of this final insult, the uncle could not contain his rage any longer, and had Abelard castrated. This very profoundly caused him pain for the rest of his life. Then Abelard embarked down his last path, but still as an individual. He made the decision to become a monk. About this decision he writes, I admit that it was shame and confusion in my remorse and misery that rather than any devout wish for conversion which brought me to seek shelter a monastery cloister. (p.76, ll.15-17). Abelard is distinguishing himself from others by demonstration that while he made a choice that others had also made, he made the choice for special reasons, reasons that are different from anyone elses. Of course, as soon as he was positioned in this monastery, he started making waves with the head of the monastery, and doing things not expected of a monk: I applied myself mainly to the study of the Scriptures as being more suitable to my present calling, but I did not wholly abandon the instruction of the profane arts in which I was better practiced. (P. 77, l.31) This aroused the envy and hatred of the other heads of school against me. (P.78, l.5) It would seem that Abelards extreme individuality led him into trouble no matter where he turned, or what endeavour he undertook. When he did apply himself to religion, he got himself into more trouble than even he expected. In his most unpopular argument he says that even though there is only one God, God did not beget Himself, even though there is the Son, the Father, and the Holy Ghost. This sets off a multitude of enemies against Abelard, and is the beginning of a very bad reputation for him. He refuses to recant anything he has said, and is forced to his own book burned. This attack on his pride was the one to cause him the most pain. Abelard is harassed at every step by enemies, and eventually he moved to the wilderness. Abelard lived there in an oratory of weeds and thatch (p.88, l. 22), while other his peers surely would have thought of him as uncivil. This shows that Abelard really just doesnt even care what anyone thinks. Soon, many eager student appeared at the wilderness spot, and a school was eventually created. Being an irrepressible individual, Abelard titles the school controversial name of Paraclete as a way of reemphasizing his beliefs about God, causing enemies to attack him. He is again forced to leave for fear of injury or death. READ: Art Of Poets EssayHis refusal to conform to the certain norms of society was consistent even when his life was endangered. It comes to the point where he states, But now Satan has put so many obstacles in my path that I can find nowhere to rest, or even to live; a fugitive and wanderer, I carry every where the curse of Cain (p.102, ll.15-17). With standing all adversity Abelard proves himself definitely a true individual Through good times and bad, that is maybe his only constant. Even though in closing Abelard says, This is my experience all the time; a poor monk raised to be an abbot, the more wretched as I have become more wealthy, in order that my example may curb the ambition of those who have deliberately chosen a similar course. (p.104, ll. 18-21), it is painfully clear that the lone path of individuality was the only route for him.

Contemporary leadership issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Contemporary leadership issues - Assignment Example The third issue is difference between what science knows and what business does, in which he concludes that organizations make decisions that are based on assumptions that are outdate, unexamined, and rooted more in folklore that in science (Pink). A fourth issue is brought out by another speaker, Sir Ken Robinson. The issue is that schools are killing creativity by stigmatizing mistakes, which learners have to make in order to be ultimately accomplished. The fifth issue is schools train people to be what they want them to be, as opposed allowing them to learn to become what they wish to become, which kills they creative capacity (Robinson). Sixthly, modern education systems brought to meet the needs of industrialism, have brought academic inflation – better leadership through education should be focused on the diversity of talent. Seventh is that modern leadership does not appreciate the dynamism of intelligence. The eighth, coming from Simon Sinek, is outside-in organizational communication (guided by â€Å"what†), as opposed to inside-out communication (guided by â€Å"why† or purpose) (Sinek). Pursue the purpose, not the result. The ninth point is about hiring people who believe in the same thing as the organization, not because they need money. Finally, it is the understanding that driving potential is more important financial

Exploration of Healthcare and Immigrants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Exploration of Healthcare and Immigrants - Essay Example However, facts and figures show that, compared to the native-born, expenditures for immigrants’ health services are much less, and their contribution to Medicaid is much larger. Moreover, Immigration Reform could improve the situation with the shortage of the medical personnel. Immigrants are an integral part of the American life, society and economy. Currently, our country is experiencing another increase of immigration. In 2005, the foreign born population made nearly 36 million, where 35% were naturalized citizens, 33% were documented immigrants and 31% were undocumented immigrants. Children consisted 16% of the undocumented immigrants, and nearly two-thirds of them are U.S. citizens by birth. Expectations are that by 2050 about 80 of 120 million of the U.S. population will be the direct or indirect effect of immigration (King 2007, p.4). Though, contributing largely to the prospering of the country, these people experience many hardships in obtaining vital services. Access to health care system became one of the greatest problems they face. Looking back, we may suggest that the trouble started, for the reason that health care system of the US revealed its weak sides. Propaganda played its role. It was easier to misinform the public than to reform the whole health care system. Documented and undocumented immigrants were blamed for the trouble. Misinformation gave birth to numerous myths. These myths led to the restrictions in legislation concerning immigrants’ access to the health care service. In 1996 the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act was past, establishing that recent legal immigrants to the country were to wait five years for the eligibility for Medicaid and other public benefits programs. The same eligibility restrictions were included into the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, put in force in 1997. Further, another law was enacted as part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, requiring that US citizens

Is Increasing Profits the Only Social Responsibility of Business Assignment

Is Increasing Profits the Only Social Responsibility of Business - Assignment Example It will also give my opinion as to whether businesses have more to do socially than make profits. As the author of the critical letter points out, both views are relevant in their own right. However, I disagree with an aspect pointed out by Friedman because he contradicts himself. This is when he says that the only social responsibility of businesses is to increase profits provided they are within the law and also without fraud and deception. He further goes on to say that it is not a business’ responsibility to avoid pollution, abolish discrimination and provide employment (Friedman, 1970). That is a very irresponsible statement from Friedman because committing the three acts he has highlighted is not within the law for a business. Being an artificial person does not absolve a business from its responsibilities to the society in which it operates. Conversely, my opinion is that Porter and Kramer are rational in what they believe businesses should do to society. They provide that it is not prudent for businesses to neglect the welfare of the society which forms their customers and suppliers. Letting the environment degrade by, for example, not avoiding pollution, as suggested by Friedman, depletes natural resources critical to businesses and the society (Porter & Kramer, 2011). I also agree with Porter and Kramer that although businesses need to take the initiative to bring society and themselves back together, they are stuck in thoughts that social responsibility is not at the core of business but at the periphery. I believe it is in the best interest of businesses to be surrounded by a healthy society, and they should consider society as a key resource to their businesses. The idea of shared value may be costly for businesses to initiate and implement, but once in place, it will be mutually profitable to them and society and generations that are yet to come (Porter & Kramer, 2011). In conclusion, businesses, and Friedman, must

Business Plan for the Sorcerer's Accountant Speech or Presentation

Business Plan for the Sorcerer's Accountant - Speech or Presentation Example This business plan systematizes the tactic and procedure for the business extension and set objectives for intensification over the next three years (Business Plan – Roadmap to success, 2008). The business will proffer clients’ bookkeeping services with the supervision of a CPA at a cost they can meet the expense of. This entails taking into service apprentice student bookkeepers and a graduate student administrator, keeping fixed costs as little as possible, and abiding to label the expertise of Sorcerer's Accounting through its website wherewithal. The effect will be sales more than doubling-up over three years as five part-time bookkeepers are deployed to client businesses as required, and salary and dividends to Matt increase considerably. Objectives The Sorcerer's Accountant, established in 2006 by Matt Murray, is a one-person CPA firm which offers tax services, administration and cost seeking advice from services, and QuickBooks deal as well as additional services. Sorcerer's Accounting hands out small businesses in Chicago, for the most part in service industries. The Sorcerer's Accountant plans to adjoin accounting services to its collection of services to serve its existing and potential clients better. The Sorcerer's Accountant inquire about starting up a new line of services - small business accounting - which will be readily available to the same continuing clients as Sorcerer's Accounting at present seeks.... This business plan systematizes the tactic and procedure for the business extension and set objectives for intensification over the next three years (Business Plan – Roadmap to success, 2008). The business will proffer clients’ bookkeeping services with the supervision of a CPA at a cost they can meet the expense of. This entails taking into service apprentice student bookkeepers and a graduate student administrator, keeping fixed costs as little as possible, and abiding to label the expertise of Sorcerer's Accounting through its website wherewithal. The effect will be sales more than doubling-up over three years as five part-time bookkeepers are deployed to client businesses as required, and salary and dividends to Matt increase considerably. Objectives The Sorcerer's Accountant, established in 2006 by Matt Murray, is a one-person CPA firm which offers tax services, administration and cost seeking advice from services, and QuickBooks deal as well as additional services . Sorcerer's Accounting hands out small businesses in Chicago, for the most part in service industries. The Sorcerer's Accountant plans to adjoin accounting services to its collection of services to serve its existing and potential clients better. The Sorcerer's Accountant inquire about starting up a new line of services - small business accounting - which will be readily available to the same continuing clients as Sorcerer's Accounting at present seeks. Sorcerer's Accounting has set the subsequent objectives: To commence the bookkeeping services at a snail's pace, inauguration with two part-time bookkeepers To pull off bookkeeping service twelve-monthly  revenues equivalent or larger to the in progress total revenues within three years. To attain net profit of max $50,000 in three

Engaging Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Engaging - Term Paper Example Every one of us has free time which we could donate to a Children Hospital ward. The kids to whom we read simple stories and/or expectant mothers whom we advised not to take the drugs that the doctors prescribed to them since they would give birth to children suffering from Neonatal abstience Syndrome may have not shown gratitude, but each boon we gave strengthened the pillars of the world. Even if the expectant mothers did not thank us for our gift, the gift we gave them is upholding the foundation of the universe. Whereas our gift and the beneficiaries should be considered, our reward, once decided on, should be without concern, brimful one minute and over and done the next. Hence, our intention was to dispense charity rather than philanthropy (Timothy 1-25) We live in a world in which, in effect, children at the children hospital ward and/or mothers at the children hospital ward need more charity or the moral equivalent of it are ubiquitous, and thank to the existence of system of organizational aid already in place, we are for all time in the position of being better placed to act to save some of the many individuals whose lives are at stake. The rationale that we hold on to that we are supposed to donate our few hours or minutes to a children hospital ward, though through, generalizes and becomes a standard of beneficence that could be called the principle of sacrifice. However, moral limitation of a deontological of variety might restrict the ethical demands of beneficence. For instance, when we donated our time by visiting the children hospital and helping out the expectant mothers by giving them the advice that they should not take the drugs prescribed to them: we had confined ourselves to circumstances in which whatever ethical r estriction there are did not have a bearing on our circumstance. But the concern was how we were going to use resources we legitimately

Is Increasing Profits the Only Social Responsibility of Business Assignment

Is Increasing Profits the Only Social Responsibility of Business - Assignment Example It will also give my opinion as to whether businesses have more to do socially than make profits. As the author of the critical letter points out, both views are relevant in their own right. However, I disagree with an aspect pointed out by Friedman because he contradicts himself. This is when he says that the only social responsibility of businesses is to increase profits provided they are within the law and also without fraud and deception. He further goes on to say that it is not a business’ responsibility to avoid pollution, abolish discrimination and provide employment (Friedman, 1970). That is a very irresponsible statement from Friedman because committing the three acts he has highlighted is not within the law for a business. Being an artificial person does not absolve a business from its responsibilities to the society in which it operates. Conversely, my opinion is that Porter and Kramer are rational in what they believe businesses should do to society. They provide that it is not prudent for businesses to neglect the welfare of the society which forms their customers and suppliers. Letting the environment degrade by, for example, not avoiding pollution, as suggested by Friedman, depletes natural resources critical to businesses and the society (Porter & Kramer, 2011). I also agree with Porter and Kramer that although businesses need to take the initiative to bring society and themselves back together, they are stuck in thoughts that social responsibility is not at the core of business but at the periphery. I believe it is in the best interest of businesses to be surrounded by a healthy society, and they should consider society as a key resource to their businesses. The idea of shared value may be costly for businesses to initiate and implement, but once in place, it will be mutually profitable to them and society and generations that are yet to come (Porter & Kramer, 2011). In conclusion, businesses, and Friedman, must

Engaging Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Engaging - Term Paper Example Every one of us has free time which we could donate to a Children Hospital ward. The kids to whom we read simple stories and/or expectant mothers whom we advised not to take the drugs that the doctors prescribed to them since they would give birth to children suffering from Neonatal abstience Syndrome may have not shown gratitude, but each boon we gave strengthened the pillars of the world. Even if the expectant mothers did not thank us for our gift, the gift we gave them is upholding the foundation of the universe. Whereas our gift and the beneficiaries should be considered, our reward, once decided on, should be without concern, brimful one minute and over and done the next. Hence, our intention was to dispense charity rather than philanthropy (Timothy 1-25) We live in a world in which, in effect, children at the children hospital ward and/or mothers at the children hospital ward need more charity or the moral equivalent of it are ubiquitous, and thank to the existence of system of organizational aid already in place, we are for all time in the position of being better placed to act to save some of the many individuals whose lives are at stake. The rationale that we hold on to that we are supposed to donate our few hours or minutes to a children hospital ward, though through, generalizes and becomes a standard of beneficence that could be called the principle of sacrifice. However, moral limitation of a deontological of variety might restrict the ethical demands of beneficence. For instance, when we donated our time by visiting the children hospital and helping out the expectant mothers by giving them the advice that they should not take the drugs prescribed to them: we had confined ourselves to circumstances in which whatever ethical r estriction there are did not have a bearing on our circumstance. But the concern was how we were going to use resources we legitimately

Blake is the enemy of all authority(TM) Essay Example for Free

Blake is the enemy of all authority(TM) Essay Blakes poetry often serves to propagate his anti-authoritarian views and loathing of institutional power. Furthermore, his views often impress upon the reader his belief in the human right for both spiritual and social freedom, unconstrained by established convention. Blakes treatment of the institution of the church and religion is often contemptuous and shows his attitude to what he sees as the hypocrisy of an uncompromising establishment which in his eyes causes misery, rather than nurturing the human sole. In The Garden of Love Blake conveys his anti-clerical message in the stanza the gates of this chapel were shut and reflects his view of the church as exclusionary. Moreover, the shut gates imply that the path to heaven and God does not start at the foot of the alter, but in individual belief and spirituality. The idea is further reinforced in the poem by the image of priests binding with briars my joys and desires and thereby placing the priests in the position of Christs oppressors, making them seem malevolent in robbing people of their natural joyful impulse. The alliteration and assonance within the binding with briars further reinforces the idea of a cruel path to supposed salvation. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell challenges traditional Christian theology and makes the statement that Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion, this conveys his belief that whilst society may restrain immorality, religion can create it. The prisons built with stones of law also symbolise how traditional doctrinal teaching has imprisoned personal individuality. Furthermore Good is the passive which obeys reason. Evil is the active springing from energy epitomises the teaching of the Church of Blakes time and is contrary to the sentiments of most contemporary readers in an age prizing individuality and condemnatory of passive indolence. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell was composed after the 1789 French Revolution and in a period of radical ideological and political conflict, therefore Blakes condemnation of apathy is aimed to promulgate his vision of anarchic energy free from the restrain of authority. Reason is the bound or outward circumference of energy suggests that living purely through ones intellect is what constrains boundless energy, which to him is eternal delight. So in this respect it is evident that the traditional authority given to rationality is seen as preventative to living life to its full as the restrainer or reason governs the unwilling. This indicates Blakes view that the natural human instinct is to oppose reason and that to act according to reason is tantamount to acting under duress, in the mistaken belief that to oppose reason is to go against the Good [which] is the passive that obeys reason. In the poem The school Boy Blake condemns school- an institution which tries to teach reason as restricting the childs vivacity in his natural environment. How can the bird that is born for joy sit in a cage and sing? is a metaphor for human imprisonment to show that the environment of the classroom cannot cultivate the unrestrained and joyful energy which Blake reveres. This is in contrast to the sky-lark [which] sings with the boy when he rise[s] in a summer morn When the birds sing on every tree. This illustrates the bucolic setting, filled with aural imagery and how joy prevails in the boundless confines of nature. The repression of man-created institutions such as school can be contrasted to the freedom provided by nature, where arguably God is the only authority. The nurses song centres on the liberating environment of nature where the voices of children are heard on the green and laughing is heard on the hill. This evokes the abundance of delight created by Gods creation of the natural world and how in Blakes time the idyllic countryside of England was yet largely unspoiled by large, polluting manufacturers seeking profit maximisation. The laughing of the children in The Nurses Song almost becomes as natural as the song of the little birds and shows that in such pastoral surroundings the childrens freedom is boundless just as that of the birds. However, this freedom is circumscribed by the watchful nurse in The Nurses Song in Songs of Experience who reprimands the children saying your spring and your day are wasted in play and in contrast to the well intentioned protection of the children in the first Nurses Song, this poem presages the eventual loss of the childrens natural freedom. However, Blake does not oppose parental authority arising from love, that is in the best interests of the child. Whilst he may rightfully condemn the parents in The Chimney Sweeper (experience) who clothed [their child] in the clothes of death And taught [him] to sing the notes of woe, this is because they are uncaring and hostile to their childs happiness that is anathema to them. Consequently, their authority is destructive and oppressive. But, Blake does not condemn the guiding role of the mother in The Little Black Boy, who taught [him] underneath a tree, as her teaching is not institutionalised and rigidly doctrinal, but done outdoors in the natural environment that Blake so venerates. Moreover, at a time when slavery was still legal in England and the general perception of other races was of a racist sort, Blakes portrayal of the boy and his mother in an affectionate manner, devoid of savagery would have challenged the notions of his day. In another radical step away from the customs of his time the introduction to Songs of Innocence gives authority to the child, to which the piper assents. Pipe a song about a lamb. / So I piped with merry cheer paints the child was the origin of creativity and beautiful, with the piper as his instrument. The reference to the lamb suggests that the child has a moral and spiritual purpose and that his youthful innocence makes him more adept than the piper to whom he shoes how to convey the message through song. However the transience of the childs authority is conveyed in the words so he vanished from my sight which re-establishes the reality of Blakes time when children were powerless to resist the demands of their elders and could not dictate their own wishes or destinies. Blakes focus on authority is intended to make a social and political statement about the customs of his day. Arguably, he does not oppose all authority but merely the kind arising from self-interest and requiring the sacrifice of fellow human beings. His poetry advocates individuality and unrestrained vivacity for life rare for his time and fundamentally preaches unbridled equality.

Effect of Government Policies on Tesco

Effect of Government Policies on Tesco Introduction This report will identify and explain a range of current government policies which have a significant effect on Tesco. An analysis will also be carried out on the implications of these policies as well as the changes in them and an explanation on how Tesco may react to them. The findings of this report are below. Findings There are a range of different government policies which affect Tesco in many different ways. When the government introduces such policies, Tesco have to react to them to ensure they operate legally. Furthermore, if a policy changes Tesco also have to react. The government introduces such policies to help fulfil many of their aims which include; Economy growthFull employmentControlled inflation/deflation – the rate of inflation being 2%A healthy Balance of PaymentsCare of the environment – reduced CO2 emissions in line with the United Nations CompactA good welfare state so that everyone is provided forA sustainable energy policy Different policies the government has in place will be looked at below. Economic Policy Economic policy which will refer to the actions that the government will be taking in the economic field. This covers the systems in place for setting the levels of taxation, government budgets, the money supply and interest rates. Most factors of economic policy can be divided into fiscal policy which deals with the government actions which will be regarding taxation and spending into monetary policy which will be dealing with central banking action which will be regarding to the money supply and interest rates. The government does many different things to improve the economic environment in which businesses such as Tesco operate. These include policies to control inflation such as changing taxes and interest rates, to increase employment, to encourage new businesses by giving more money to help new businesses to start up such as Invest NI, giving help to businesses to grow their exports and to help improve the exchange rate. Corporation tax An increase in corporate income taxes has a direct effect on a business such as Tesco. A tax increase on company profits can hurt a business’s overall financial performance. Some corporations and small companies argue that some companies should have the ability to pay less in taxes, not more. The businesses that maintain a lower tax base will be able to boost the economy by investing more money to expand, resulting in more jobs as a result. When company tax rates increase, Tesco may respond by raising prices on goods and services. National Living Wage A country’s economic policy could also affect wages. When there are increases to a national minimum wage then this will benefit workers by allowing them to earn more money for the same work as a result. That’s usually good for the workers, but Tesco find this challenging because it increases costs. Labour costs are usually a company’s greatest expense. Some corporations will argue that they cannot compete against businesses which are located in other countries in the world offering a much lower minimum wage as a result. That can result in the business to transfer many job functions to foreign countries such as Germany as Tesco will be responding by sourcing products from countries such as China and sourcing their clothing stock from places such as India. Government spending More spending by the government can be a major help for some companies. For example, a business such as Tesco benefit when the government uses taxpayers money to spend billions on new roads, bridges and airports. This benefits Tesco as they have a wider access to different and possibly cheaper distribution channels to source their products and deliver products to consumers. This is why businesses such as Tesco spend time and effort trying to affect economic policy decisions. Usually, a government cannot increase the money spending in one area without taking money away from something else as a result. A government which has an economic policy which will be dictating more money to be spent on defence may have to reduce support for example such as building more hospitals. This action can result in less work for construction firms, which can force businesses which operate in that industry to reduce staff or freeze open positions as a result. This has implications for Tesco as more people are unemployed and so less people are buying their products so their sales and subsequent profits will decline. The government must ensure they give different policies equal attention as changing one will ultimately change another and this has implications for Tesco such as having to decrease their prices of their products and services so that people can afford to buy them. Health Care Spending Some economists believe that rapidly rising health care spending will then be lowering the GDP and overall employment, while raising the inflation. Tesco is affected by inflation in many ways. Inflation means that the costs for Tesco will increase. For example, they will have higher energy bills, higher transport costs, higher costs for raw materials and higher cost of services such as internet services and insurance. Due to these increases in costs, Tesco must react to them by either passing on these costs to consumers in the form of higher prices for products and services which may lead to a decrease in demand, or by absorbing the increase in costs and not passing them on to the consumer. This means that profits for Tesco will fall so they must find other ways of trying to reduce costs. As costs are rising, Tesco must react by reducing their costs of production or the price they pay for goods and services to suppliers to be able to compete with competitors such as ASDA and Sainsbur y’s and survive. Youth Unemployment Policies In the UK, around 40% of the unemployed are under 25. Tesco’s first response to a period of recession is to stop recruiting new staff rather than to lay off their existing, experienced and knowledge workforce. Only when Tesco is in a state of financial stress does it normally make people redundant. The young trying to move from education into the workforce are then most exposed to the disappearance of new vacancies. The government’s strategy to tackle the high levels of youth unemployment has been coherent but may be poorly delivered and lacking in scale. Noting that most youth unemployment occurs between leaving full-time education and finding work, the government has not only got to extend education and training participation as part of its economic policy, but also try to increase recruitment of the young into jobs through offering some work experience or apprenticeships if they are not making successful transitions quickly. This has implications for Tesco as they ma y have to take on less skilled individuals who the government have put into working schemes alongside Tesco. Tesco’s productivity may decrease as a result of poorly skilled staff and they may react by cutting out apprenticeship schemes within the company and put all prospective-workers through the application process like everyone else. Competition Policy The main aims of competition policy is to promote competition, which will make markets work better and contribute towards improved efficiency in competitiveness of UK businesses which operate in the European Union (EU). Competition policy aims to ensure; Safeguard and promote the interests of consumers through increased choice and lower price levelsEffective price competition between suppliersTechnological innovation which will be promoting dynamic efficiency in different markets Competition will then play a vital role in helping the companies to grow and win new customers. In addition, the Competition law exists in order to make sure companies will be competing on a level playing field. It will then prevent their customers (other businesses or consumers) from losing out. Competition Act 1989 This is government policy towards increasing competition in the market. It includes; Deregulation means opening up the market and allowing new entrants into it for example, airline industry, energy industry and mail industryRelaxing rules and regulations and administration in order to encourage new businesses to set up and compete with existing businesses for example, new airlines, new banks, new private schools, new private health clinics and new energy providers.Policy to eliminate anti-competitive practices and cartel agreements ensure that one or two businesses do not dominate a market and that competition is as fair as possible for example supermarkets such as Tesco, airline industry, energy industry, oil industry. Competition policy will therefore impact on an organisation such as Tesco directly and indirectly. Directly because it will control their ability to merge or take over other businesses without government intervention and their case may even be referred to Europe for approval. It will also impact Tesco indirectly because of this government intervention to encourage and promote competition; there will be more competition in the such industries and this will mean products and services which Tesco offer will be available at cheaper prices. Market Power Policies The government has policies in place to prevent and reduce the abuse of market power. If a particular company has more than 40% of market share then it will be considered to have market power. In addition, the OFT is much more likely to investigate companies which have a dominant market position. Abuse of market power can lead to market failure and this can be against the public interest therefore the government will be concerned to intervene and protect the interests of consumers. Evidence of abusing market power includes charging excessively high prices, using predatory pricing which involves cutting prices and selling below average cost in order to force competitors out of business and there are vertical restraints which involve the monopoly firm imposing prices or restrictions on its suppliers. The government has policies in place such as marketing power policies which promotes competition and prevents excess pricing. These policies impact on Tesco as they will be unable to abuse the market power which they have a lot of as they are the largest grocery supermarket in the UK. Tesco insists they ‘do not raise prices or otherwise worsen our retail offer where there is less local competition’. This shows that Tesco reacts to these policies by staying within their guidelines for example not increasing prices for a particular product or service because it cannot be bought anywhere else in that area. These types of policies are good for Tesco in that they control other businesses abusive power to charge inappropriate prices for goods and services which could drive Tesco out of business. However, it does mean that there are tight rules and regulations which Tesco must face in relation to Tesco so they must be very careful the prices they charge for goods and services and the quality of service they provide. Reductions in Import Controls This will be a reduction in import tariffs which is to encourage cheaper products from overseas. Increasing or eliminating import quotas will have the same effect as a result. Allowing new countries into the European Union single market will be increasing the contestability. This government policy has significant effects on Tesco. It means that Tesco have greater access to importing their goods cheaply from countries such as China and India. This means that their costs are decreased and allows them to make a greater profit. Allowing new countries into the European Union means that Tesco will have more competition so it makes a more competitive-market, however this makes it harder for Tesco to maintain the largest market share if new businesses are being allowed to enter the market from foreign countries. This policy will be good for Tesco as it means they can trade more easily and freely with other countries and can import cheaply. However, it does mean that other countries have a gr eater chance of coming in and taking over some of the markets which Tesco has been operating in. Anti-Competitive Behaviour This is the problem of ‘cheating’ or ‘finding loopholes’ which will include to getting round the regulations by moving into an adjacent market. For example, a large grocery retailer which is moving into the ‘convenience’ store market can be seen as a way of avoiding competition policy. A major criticism is that ‘single’ markets are inadequately defined. For example, in 2004 the Office of Fair Trading allowed Tesco to purchase Admin store (the owners of Cullen’s, Europa and Harts) because has been regarded as a ‘convenience stores’ to be a separate market from the grocery stores. This will give Tesco 6% of the convenience food market which also includes 26% of the grocery market. Tesco argued that the two markets are quite distinct, however critics have argued that the markets will be almost indistinguishable and also that Tesco shouldn’t have been allowed to enter the convenience food market as well. Anti- competitive policies ensure that mergers, takeovers and the exploration of new markets are all done fairly and within the law. This impacts Tesco as it restricts what they can and cannot do in terms of what different markets they explore. This may mean that Tesco’s profits are restricted also what they class a single market to be may be different to what the government class a single market to be. Having anti-competitive policies in place is good for Tesco as it gives them a framework of what they can and cannot do as well as the protection against other companies trying to take over them or put them out of business. These policies definitely protect Tesco, offer the business a sense of security and allow for a healthy competitive environment. Industrial Policy The industrial policy of a country is its official strategic effort to encourage the development and growth of part or all of the manufacturing sector as well as other sectors of the economy. Changes in the international economy will mean an increase in both competition and opportunities from the global markets. The government will want to enable UK companies to compete and grow. The UK government are developing an industrial strategy which will be about setting out a long-term, whole of government approach which is into how they support companies. This will then give confidence for investment and growth. As part of the strategy for industrial policy, the government aim to; support emerging technologiesdevelop strategic partnerships with industrywork with business to help develop skills that businesses will needpublish government contracts to provide confidence to business investmentimprove access to finance for businesses Industrial policy is government policy focusing on helping and developing different industries such as the construction industry, IT industry, film industry and tourism industry. This could give tax breaks to particular industries for example reduced corporation rates, reduced rates and lower VAT rates for tourism products. Industrial policy links very closely with economic policy. Corporation tax This is a government policy which the government could change at any time. A rise in corporation tax (which is taxation on business profits) has the same effect on a company such as Tesco as an increase in costs. If the government increase corporation tax, Tesco’s costs ultimately increase. They can react to this by passing on some of this tax to consumers in the form of higher prices for goods and services but it will also affect the bottom line. Energy and infrastructure Investing in infrastructure provides greater availability and access to skilled labour and intellectual property both in targeted growth industries as well as new and entrepreneurial industries. With labour costs being the highest costs of businesses, progressive improvements in the capability of the workforce and access to skilled workers are critical for innovation, service value, product quality, productivity, efficiency and operating costs. As a result of the government investing in infrastructure, Tesco ultimately can gain access to greater skilled staff which improves their productivity and overall sales. Improved infrastructure for industries such as the retail industry which Tesco lies within can also lead to improved energy efficiency for stores and this decreases costs for Tesco allowing them to increase profits too. Wages A country’s industrial policy could also affect wages. When there are increases to the national minimum wage then this will benefit workers by allowing them to earn more money for the same work. That’s usually good for the workers, but it can be challenging for companies for example like Tesco and impacts them because it increases costs. Labour costs are usually a company’s greatest expense. In addition, some corporations argue that they cannot compete against companies which are located in other countries around the world offering a much lower minimum wage. This can result in a business to transfer many job functions to foreign countries as a result. For example, Tesco reaction to changes in national living wages include sourcing products and services from other countries at cheaper prices so that they can reduce their costs to make up for the increased wages. Transport Policy Transport policy deals with government policy in relation to road, rail, air and sea transport and deals with issues such as access, congestion, the effect on the environment, vehicle tax and crime. This will include; Development of roads, rail links, sea ports and airportsPolicies to ensure safety and security on transportPolicies to reduce congestion on major arterial routes. For example, congestion tax, road tolls and tolls for parking your car on the streets Transport policy links closely with economic policy, environmental policy and regional policy and different areas within this policy have different impacts on Tesco. Transportation policies and projects often affect the employment, productivity and profits of specific industries and businesses, and communities in which they are located. For example, policies that improve transport options and discourage motor vehicle travel may reduce employment and profits in vehicle and fuel production industries, and therefore economic activity in areas where those industries are concentrated. Similarly, improving airport transit service may reduce taxi service demand. Advocates for the affected industries often lobby against such policies on grounds that jobs and economic activity will decline, but such impacts are generally economic transfers (one industry, business or area benefits at others expense). Transportation policies can also affect the competitiveness of local industries. Low transportation costs make locally produced goods less competitive compared with imports, harming local industries. This could mean that products which Tesco source locally are done away with as the company is impacted by these cheaper importation costs and source their products from further afield. For example, some vegetables are cheaper to grow in California and Florida than in Northern Ireland, so low shipping costs leads to more imported vegetables and less local farm production. Belfast Rapid Transport System BRT Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT) is an innovative and ambitious project that will create a new and dynamic public transport system for Belfast. BRT will offer a high quality service providing people with better access to jobs, hospitals, shops, schools, colleges, and entertainment. With a more efficient and effective transport system in Belfast, Tesco are impacted. This government project will allow customers and employees of Tesco easier access to stores to carry out their shopping. Deliveries will also be delivered more quickly to Tesco stores from warehouses. This impacts Tesco as they are able to extend the breadth of their customer base as customers can get to and from their stores much more quickly and effectively. If customers find it easy to get to Tesco stores they are much more likely to shop in those stores than one which is difficult to get to and the BRT allows customers to benefit from this. With changes to this transport system, Tesco are then able to maximise their sales m uch further and subsequently increase their profits too. The BRT project will impact Tesco as infrastructure is improved and so relationships with new suppliers who can avail of this new infrastructure can be established. This could mean that Tesco could source some of their products more cheaply and this will also impact company costs as they are reduced. Belfast Transport Hub The Belfast Hub will be a world class multi-modal transport interchange acting as a high quality gateway for Belfast and beyond. The new Hub creates an excellent first impression of Belfast as a confident and progressive capital city and will facilitate the areas regeneration as an attractive place to live, work and visit. The Hub will ensure the people of Northern Ireland have the right infrastructure in place in order to attract more people to use public transport and active travel modes as a result. Along with other key projects, this will then be enabling a transformation into the public transport where they are making a positive impact for everyone in Northern Ireland. Due to the result of the government investing  £150m in this new transport hub, businesses such as Tesco are impacted. Around eight million passengers a year will currently pass through the Europa bus centre and Victoria Street railway station, but this figure is expected to rise to thirteen million over the nex t fourteen years. This could significantly increase the number of customers who visit Tesco stores in the Belfast area and could drive their sales and subsequent profits, allowing them to increase their market share and grow the company as a whole. The Dublin Enterprise train is hoped to be a part of the hub which would even help Tesco to increase their customer base from the south of Ireland as well as the north. Congestion charges The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) will provide an additional  £1.1 billion by 2021 in new funding to relieve congestion and will then be delivering much needed upgrades on local roads and public transport networks. Congestion charges could be introduced for motorists which are travelling into Belfast in the future, this is according to a document which was prepared by the city council. Its submission to the assemblys finance department was pointed to the success of the recent congestion charging which is in London and the road pricing in Durham. The council has said to the public that the local authorities should benefit from any revenue. However, Larne and Lisburn councils told the department that they believe this idea is unacceptable to the public as a result. The Department of Finance is reviewing possible changes to rates. In the city of London, all revenue raised by congestion charging will be re-invested back into the citys transport system as a result. A Transp ort for London report has just found out that congestion levels in the zone are to be on an average 26% lower than in 2002 before the scheme had been implemented. It will now be costing  £10 to bring your car into central London on the day, or  £8 if you pay ahead. If these congestion charges were implemented into the Belfast area, it may turn people off going to Belfast and shopping in Belfast. This impacts on Tesco as many of their customers like to travel to stores via their own cars for their own convenience. This may deter their customers from visiting Tesco stores in Belfast and this will have a significantly negative impact on the company’s sales and overall revenue that it gathers each day. Tesco may react to this government policy by using incentives for customers to visit such stores. For example, offers or money-off coupons in stores where customers would have paid congestion charges to get to. Social Policy Social policy means the policies that are introduced for welfare and social protection. It relates to the provision of social services and welfare state. This includes issues such as; EmploymentCommunity careHealthCrimeHousingSocial disadvantage. Within these issues lie topics such as minimum wage, social security payments, pensions, fuel costs and redundancy payments. In general terms, it looks at the idea of social welfare, and its relationship to politics and society as a result. There are many different government policies within social policy which have an impact on businesses such as Tesco. Housing benefit The government may offer the people of the UK help with all or part of their rent. There is no set amount of housing benefit and what a person gets will depend on whether they rent privately or from a council. There may also be increased housing benefits for older and vulnerable people. Help to buy policy – The government also have a policy in place which helps support peoples aspirations to own their own home. The Help to buy scheme enables people to buy a home priced up to  £600,000 with a deposit of as little as 5%. Through this help via social policy, even businesses such as Tesco are impacted. If the government are financially assisting people to pay for their accommodation and housing, those people have a higher disposable income to spend in places such as Tesco. If there were no social policies in place with regards to housing, people of the UK would struggle a lot more with regards to making payments and would have a lot less money to spend around them. Tesco are imp acted here as people simply don’t have the money to spend with them and so they lose a lot of customers. Due to this, they may have to lower prices for goods and services which will ultimately damage the company’s overall profits. Reducing/Increasing welfare benefits In the UK, unemployment benefits are also known as welfare benefits. This is where the government give a proportion of money to those who are unemployed and not working. Reducing and increasing welfare benefits have very different impacts on Tesco. Higher welfare benefits help to reduce inequality and reduce relative poverty in the UK. Higher benefits will give those on low income a better living standard and help contribute to a more cohesive society. This impacts Tesco as people who are unemployed and receive a higher benefit will have a higher disposable income to spend with them. For example, a person who receives  £60 per week may not have as much money to spend in Tesco as a person who receives a welfare benefit of  £150 per week. Tesco may be happy that people receive a higher welfare benefit as they will increase their sales. However, it also has drawbacks for Tesco too. Increasing welfare benefits creates a disincentive to work. If welfare benefits are too generous, people may have a strong incentive to avoid work or work fewer hours. This may impact Tesco’s employees who feel that if they do not work, they may actually receive more money from welfare benefits than they do from their wages with Tesco. This could ultimately lead to employees within Tesco becoming a lot less productive as they have a smaller incentive to work for money and may actually leave the company completely. This impacts Tesco as if this occurs; they have to spend time and money on recruiting and training new staff to the same level as previous staff. Furthermore, higher welfare payments increase the burden on the government requiring higher taxes and / or higher borrowing. Both taxes and borrowing place economic costs on society and this can affect Tesco’s taxes as well as their customer’s ability to afford their products if they are being taxed more heavily! Youth unemployment policies such as the Youth Contract The government have introduced policies to tackle an aspect of social policy which is youth unemployment. The Youth Contract will be aiming to expand the opportunities for young unemployed people for them to find relevant work experience which can be, hands-on training and they will be able to start the process of building a positive employment record after they have left school or college. It will need to be seen in the wider context of other government policies for example increasing the school leaving age to 17 and also requiring that all school leavers will have a suitable qualification in Maths and English so that they will have a prosperous career. The main aim of the Youth Contract is to assist as many young people as possible into sustained employment where they will have a meaningful career. This policy has a number of features; Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16-24 year olds. This government subsidy will pay  £1,500 to employers who have less than 50 employees that take on young apprentices.Support for 16 and 17 year olds: Payments of  £2,200 are made to providers who take on 16 and 17 year olds who are not in employment, education or training and who have low or no qualifications, and also those from other disadvantaged backgrounds.Work experience: These are placements which are available for 16-24 year olds, through Jobcentre Plus who have been claiming Job Seekers Allowance for at least 13 weeks. The Youth Contract policy has impacts on Tesco too. Tesco have the opportunity to recruit and be paid for it. Although it will cost to train staff, they may retain some of the governments money which they are given and use it for other operations of the business such as improving customer car parking, customer service or facilities in-store. Tesco will also be impacted as they can be seen as having a better corporate image if they are supporting 16 and 17 year old people who are not in education, employment or training or who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Education and Training Policy This is the government policy in relation to education and training such as STEM subjects, apprenticeship schemes, internship, university fees and the school leaving age. The overall aims of education and training policy are to improve education and training and in turn society and increase economic growth. There are different government policies within this policy which have an impact on businesses such as Tesco. Skills focused training The investment by the government in skills focused training, for example through education and training in schools to prepare people for future aspects of the work place are essential in future innovation. Tesco require an adequate knowledge pool of skilled employees to develop a wide range of innovations. Through the government having such a policy in place, people become more educated and this has implications for Tesco. It will result in a more skilled-workforce being available for recruitment and once recruited, allows for more skilled workers within the company. This can improve the profitability of Tesco and impacts them by increasing their profits and market share. Increasing university fees There was a 17% fall in the number of first year undergraduates at UK universities in the first year due to the higher tuition fees that has been imposed. This doesn’t look good for the economy as it would seem that fewer people would graduate in specialised industries. However, it may have benefitted Tesco as more people looked for full time employment instead of going to university. This impacted Tesco as they had a greater number of people to choose from when recruiting. They also had the option of more skilled people when recruiting as they may have had a 17% increase in people to choose from. However, the increase in university fees may have negative implications for Tesco. If people graduate with greater debt with their education fees, they may spend less so that they are able to pay off their debt. These cuts in their spending may be with Tesco as they attempt to save money and this ultimately damages Tesco sales which they will have to look for ways to improve again. Pathways to success Pathways to Success is the Northern Ireland Government’s over- arching strategy is in order to prevent exclusion and promote participation amongst young people who are not in education, employment or training, or at risk of becoming so. As the government do this, Tesco are impacted. There are implications such as Tesco introducing schemes to include young people in their workforce such as a scheme for 16-18 year olds who are not in work and take them on and train them up with necessary skills to succeed in a job role with Tesco. Pathways to success may also have implications on Tesco such as the company being able to recruit more specialised people for more specialised roles. For example, if a person has been in education and training through Pathways to Success which improve their marketing techniques, then Tesco may take on this person to help them with their marketing team. This impacts Tesco as they have a better work force who can market their products and services to an even greater level and subsequently, sales and profits could be increased further. Tesco may react to this policy by taking on employees via schemes for people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and offering them a job within the company. This would also contribute to decreasing unemployment figures. Environmental Policy Environmental policy is to do with caring for the environment. Every government now has to achieve CO2 targets after the agreement. This means that every government has to introduce policies to achieve these targets. Environmental issues will affect companies which include industrial waste, sustainable development of raw materials and water and air emissions. These are issues which affect companies due to laws which require companies to change equipment and procedures to meet imposed standards, which as a result cost businesses a lot of money. Many companies will undertake stricter changes in an effort to preserve the environment and do what is right†. These companies will then pay for the protective and proactive environmental measures and will then also attempt to recoup the expenses through consumer good will or the added consumer base which is gained from an environmentally friendly policy. This policy links closely with transport and industrial policy. The Kyoto Protocol 1997 was the first international treaty to set legally binding emissions – reduction targets for developed countries that ratified it. This would lead to a greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 5.2% below 997 levels between the years 2008 and 2012. Government environmental policy is led by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DEEC). In 2008, the UK government greatly enhanced its environmental policy by changing the law through the Climate Change Act. This act includes the following targets; A UK wide climate change risk assessment must be completed every five yearsPublic authorities and some companies must report on what they are doing to reduce climate riskA climate strategy has to be publishedA programme must be put in place to reduce climate change risks Some policies the government have introduced under environmental policy will be looked at below. Renewable energy Through the government introducing policy in relation to renewable energy, they pay energy users who will be investing in a small-scale, low-carbon electricity generation systems for the electricity they generate and use and provide incentives for businesses to install renewable heating instead of fossil fuels. This has implications for Tesco and Tesco respond to changes in this policy. Tesco have a long term goal to become a zero carbon retailer by 2050 and they have zero-carbon stores to meet this goal. Their special stores use a mix of environmentally-friendly design, materials and technologies to ensure that all energy-consuming equipment, no matter how big or small, is as efficient as possible – whether that be the refrigeration system or the hand drier in the toilets. This shows how Tesco have responded to changes in the government’s renewable energy policy and the impact of such a policy on Tesco. Energy wise schemes The government has introduced many different energy wise schemes over the past number of years. The government once funded the Green Deal Finance Company, which was set up to lend money to Green Deal providers. This – although not directly linked to Tesco – did actually have implications for the company and they reacted in different ways. The heating and cooling system in Tesco’s Ramsey zero-carbon store uses 66% less energy than a typical store of a similar size. They are designed to help Tesco reduce their carbon footprint. Introducing air conditioning to all stores reduces the need for extra heating or cooling and this also helps Tesco save energy by preventing heated air escaping outside their stores. Other reactions by Tesco to energy wise schemes introduced by the government are the introduction of sophisticated lighting control systems. These can automatically dim individual lights when the natural daylight increases and can be linked to timers and motion sensors to ensure that lights are not left on when they are not needed. This shows the lengths Tesco are going to in ensuring they stay ahead of the energy schemes which the government introduce and as they attempt to be the first zero-carbon retailer. Waste legislation and regulations The EU Waste Framework Directive will be now providing the legislative framework for the collection, transport, recovery and disposal of waste, and will also be including   a common definition of waste. The directive will now be requiring all member states to take the necessary measures in order to ensure that the waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health or to be even causing harm to the environment and this will also include permitting, registration and inspection requirements. With such legislation in place, implications are in place for Tesco. Tesco have responded to this legislation by agreeing a deal to donate all the unsold food from its stores to charity. The supermarket giant has also announced plans for them to work with 5,000 local charities across the UK in an initiative with the aim to eradicate all its food waste by the end of 2017. Tesco have also reacted to this policy by drawing up a plan that by 2018, the store will have a 0% food waste fi gure and this shows how Tesco quickly and effectively react to implications placed on them by government policy. Fiscal Policy Fiscal policy deals with taxation and government spending. This will cover things such as; cutbacks in government spending and changes in the way government spending is administeredchanges in taxation or example changes in income tax rates, VAT rates, Corporation Tax rates, airport duty and customs duties on goods coming into the countrythe introduction of new taxes such as sugar tax, fat tax and tax on bigger supermarkets Under fiscal policy, the government has many different measures in place and proposed measures to ensure it is followed effectively. Government spending cutbacks Government spending in a range of different areas is extremely important for things such as the economy and for business. Some government spending for example, on roads, infrastructure and transport will have an important effect on the long run productivity of the economy. If these areas of spending are cut, then the UK’s productive capacity may suffer in the long term. Cutting spending in roads and transport may mean these areas become insufficient for use and can restrict people travelling to and from places. Tesco customers may not be able to use roads which they deem too dangerous due to insufficient repair and this impact Tesco as they lose customers and subsequent sales. It may also mean that Tesco cannot import products from other countries if transport isn’t appropriate to do so which may mean they have to source their goods and services more locally and at a higher cost. However, capital spending is often the easiest place in order to make spending cuts; this i s because people don’t lose out in the short term. If you reduce pensions, then people will notice straight away. If you reduce capital investment, then this action will affect people 10 or 20 years in the future. If the government make spending cuts to pensions for example, people may immediately try to save money for themselves in the future. This attempt as saving money for people may be reducing their spending on their weekly groceries and so ultimately Tesco suffer with a decrease in their sales. The government must ensure they give different policies equal attention as changing one will ultimately change another and this has implications for Tesco such as having to decrease their prices of their products and services so that people can afford to buy them. Increase in taxation The largest source of revenue for the government is the income tax and this will then be levied against interest, dividends, capital gains and income. Therefore, the highest earners will then be paying high taxes. However, if there is an increase in tax then this will affect consumer spending in different ways including which will then be affecting the aggregate demand. Increase in tax reduces consumer spending. When the taxes have been placed on specific products, then the consumers will tend to look for substitutes that are available at cheap prices. This has implications for Tesco as they may have to reduce the prices of their products to compete with other competitors such as ASDA and LIDL. This also impacts Tesco as a smaller price being charged means profits aren’t as high as the firm would wish for them to be. It is imperative to note that consumer spending is often two thirds of GDP. Therefore, the increasing taxes will then be reducing the disposable income. This will then mean that the consumers will only spend the money they have on essentials and no additional amounts. With the tax increases, the consumer spending reduces and this will then cause fluctuations in the economy because of the attitudes of clients or consumers towards the state of economy. This also has implications for Tesco who may have to compete in an economy which is struggling and so they will struggle too with imports and daily running of their stores. Increased rates for bigger supermarkets The UKs largest supermarkets are being hit with increasingly disproportionate hikes in business rates that will spell more pain for them in times of recovering from an economic recession. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA and Morrison’s face an additional bill of more than  £110,000 per superstore in 2015-16 compared with 2010-11. This occurs at a time when small businesses have seen their bills reduced. This increase of rates for only the bigger supermarkets is seen as unfair and has many implications for Tesco. Changes in this policy impact Tesco as increasing their rates is an increase to their expenses and takes away capital which can be used to expand and which eats up the company’s profits. It may also impact Tesco as they have to increase their price of goods and services to cope with these increased business rates and so consumers stop shopping with them and go to other smaller stores who don’t have to increase their prices to cope with an increase in bus iness rates. Regional Policy Regional Policy targets all regions and cities in the European Union in order to support job creation, business competitiveness, economic growth, sustainable development, and improve citizens’ quality of life. Regional policies are policies in relation to a particular region of the UK for example, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. In 1994 the government divided the UK into a number of different regions and developed policies according to the needs of those particular regions. Regional policy could include: Delegating powers to different regions. For example, Northern Ireland and England having different law and policingGiving more support to regions affected by floodingDesignating regions as Enterprise Zones Enterprise Zones are areas regarded as being a disadvantaged area and are targeted by the government for growth and development. The government provides such areas with advantages in order to attract business to the area. Some advantages provided could include a speedier planning system, superfast broadband, business rates relief and enhanced capital allowances. This would then help inward investment into the disadvantaged area. Stormont would like all of Northern Ireland to be designated as an enterprise zone with mini enterprise zones in struggling towns. This would help NI to reduce its dependence on government funding and develop more private sector jobs. Corporation tax Since 2010, the government has eased the regulatory burden onto companies and has also reduced the corporation tax rate from 28% to 20% with onshore tax receipts increasing by over 20% over the same period. To continue providing the certainty those businesses will need to make their long-term investments, then the government will be recommitting to the business tax road map which includes the principles that it sets out. This includes cutting the rate of corporation tax to 17% by 2020 which also includes reducing the burden of business rates by  £6.7 billion over the next 5 years. This has positive implications for Tesco as their tax is reduced and so they have the opportunity to use such capital on daily operations or even to expand, which otherwise would have been paid in tax. This also impacts Tesco as they are able to maximise their profits even further as an expense has been significantly reduced. This may enable the company to invest in other areas as seen in the past such as insurance and clothing. Another implication of this reduction in corporation tax is a better opportunity for Tesco to import goods from abroad as they are paying less tax on the money they are making and so can afford to import in greater volumes for cheaper prices! Introduction of National Living Wage Increases to a national minimum wage will benefit workers by allowing them to earn more money for the same work as a result. This is usually great for the workers, though Tesco may find this challenging due to increased costs. Labour costs are usually a company’s greatest expense. There are some corporations who argue that they can’t compete against other companies who are located in foreign countries which are offering a much lower minimum wage to their workers. This can result in a business to transfer many job functions to foreign countries such as Tesco responding by sourcing products from countries such as China and sourcing their clothing stock from places such as India. Increased and more in-depth training Introducing and increasing more in-depth training to different job areas has helped shape a better economy and allows for better business practice. Thanks to EU funding – around  £21 million was made available under the PEACE II Programme – farmers in Northern Ireland are being trained up to make todays technology work for them in their day-to-day administrative tasks. The overwhelming majority now acknowledge that the training they received has helped them to adopt better business practices. 80% of the participants stated that the training contributed to the use of better business practices. This training was given to 4,213 farmers and their family members. As the government introduce more in-depth training, businesses such as Tesco can benefit. Tesco may be impacted from this case for example. Farmers (suppliers of Tesco) can now log communicate effectively through the use of ICT with Tesco and this can make ordering products much more simpler for Tesco. It also has implications for Tesco such as being cheaper to communicate with farmers via email instead of having to go to farms and go through huge orders. Changes to this government policy would impact on Tesco as the farmers wouldn’t be as heavily equipped with the skills necessary to carry out quick and simple business practice with Tesco and so more expensive methods may have to be explored by both Tesco and the farmer. Conclusion This report successfully identifies a range of current government policies and their impacts on Tesco as an organisation. The implications of these policies and changes in them have also been analysed and ways in which Tesco may react to them has been looked at. It’s clear that Tesco must always be aware of current government policies and any changes in them so that they can make necessary changes such as to their documentation and protocol to the way in which they carry out business which will ensure that it is positive for them and for the UK economy too. 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