Evolution Essays (2510 words) - Molecular Biology,

Evolution Evolution, a process of change through time, is what links together the enormous diversity of the living world. A lot of evidence is present that indicates that the earth has had a very long history and that all living things arose in the course of that history from earlier, more simpler forms. In other words, all species have descended from other species and all living things share common ancestors in the past. Basically, organisms are what they are because of their history. Today there are many theories and possibilities related to evolution which contribute to our understanding of the process. Our planet was born 4.6 billion years ago as a great cloud of dust and gas condensed into a sphere. As gravity pulled this great cloud tightly together, heat from great pressure and radioactivity melted the planet's interior and most of its mass. For millions of years after this, strong volcanic activity all over the planet shook the earth's crust. At the same time, the earth was showered by a very strong meteor shower. From studying volcanoes, it is known that eruptions pour out carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other gases. It is also known that meteorites carry water, in the form of ice, and many carbon containing compounds. That might suggest that the combination of volcanic activity and a constant shower of meteorites released the gases that created the Earth's atmosphere. Geologists believe that the earth's early atmosphere contained water vapor, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen. It also may have contained ammonia and methane. It did not contain oxygen, which is the main reason why the Earth could not have supported life. As for oceans, they couldn't have existed at first because the Earth's surface was extremely hot. But about 3.8 billion years ago, the Earth's surface cooled enough for water to remain a liquid on the ground. Thunderstorms wet the planet for many years and oceans began to fill. This is known because the earliest sedimentary rocks have been dated to that time period. Miller and Urey were two scientists who attempted to explain the origin of life on Earth without referring to any supernatural events. They performed an experiment that suggests how the Earth's atmosphere might have formed. Miller mixed "atmospheric" gases (hydrogen, methane, ammonia, and water vapor) in a sterile glass container and charged them with energy by adding electric sparks to them. The electric sparks resembled lightning at the time of the Earth's formation. After about a week, the mixture turned brown and was found to contain amino acids. This organic compound produced in this experiment was efficient in knowing how the Earth's early atmosphere formed. That is because it was successful in producing some of the building blocks of nucleic acids under geologically relevant conditions. A question that puzzled scientists was how could all this have started in the first place. It is noted that amino acids and nucleic acids stick to the structures of clay crystals. By being held together in a regular pattern on clay crystals, these molecules combine to form proteins and polynucleotides. Other researchers not that some kinds of RNA can join amino acids into protein chains without help from protein enzymes. Some forms of RNA can copy themselves and can actually edit other RNAs by adding and deleting nucleotides. These experiments support another hypothesis that RNA, rather than DNA, functioned as life's first information storage system. According to this hypothesis, life based on RNA have started when RNA fragments began to copy and edit themselves and assemble proteins. As time passed, these RNAs could have evolved to the point where they produced protein enzymes that took over the work of bringing about chemical reactions. Later, storing genetic information could have similarly been passed on to DNA. In this way, over thousands of years, RNA, DNA, and proteins could have evolved into the complex system that characterizes life today. Discovering that RNA can act as a catalyst, makes it easier to imagine how life began. According to Bruce M. Alberts, "One suspects that a crucial early event was the evolution of an RNA molecule that could catalyze its own replication". That makes it very obvious why it is possible that RNA was the first molecule that could replicate. These molecules then diversified into a group of catalysts that could assemble ribonucleotides in RNA synthesis or accumulate lipid-like molecules to form the first cell membranes. This clearly suggest how the first membranes could have formed. Fox and his co-workers attempted to find an answer, to the origin of membranes and prokaryotes,

The impact of studying abroad on graduate employability

The impact of studying abroad on graduate employability Introduction The United Kingdom’s government policies promote the development of higher education. The government advocates for the increment of the catchment population for higher education and growth of proportions of labour market entrants with degrees.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The impact of studying abroad on graduate employability specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Government policies may lead to the increase in the supply of graduate labour. The media and society in the UK continue to castigate the government over several employment policies. Education analysts underscore a mismatch between higher education graduates and the labour market in the UK (Harvey, 2011). The mismatch leads to scepticism over the reliability of government investment in higher education (Varghese, 2008). Analysis of the graduate labour market Many research studies do not reveal the value of knowledge and skills of university graduates in the labour market. Literature reviews fail to reveal how employers make use of the wide pool of resources available to them. Indicators disregard the effect of the expansion of higher education on the status of employment prospects in the labour market (Parey and Waldinger, 2011). Research reveals a decline in employment opportunities in UK’s leading firms. In 2011, statistics indicated an increment of the employers’ graduate recruitment by about 2.8% and 12.6% in 2010. This aspect happened in the aftermath of the 17.8% falls in 2009 and about 6.7% in 2008. The accounting and professional services’ companies noted the largest decline of vacancies in 2012. Government agencies revealed a decrease of investments and bank employments by about 1200 positions as compared to the average targets. Employment bureaus recorded an improvement in the state of the 2013 hiring season with employers expected to increase graduate recruitment by about 2.7%. This res earch indicates that the biggest recruitment vacancies are likely to be realised in the public sector employers, engineering, industrial companies and retailers. Studies show an increase in the proportion of recent graduates who do jobs that require lower skills than their training. Research data reveals a 26.7 per cent increase in underemployment among UK graduates.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This fact means that one out of every four graduates feels the effects. Statistics indicate an increase of about 41 percent or 438,000 of unemployed graduates. The sum of these graduates currently stands at about 1.5 million people (UK National Statistics, 2013). Britain’s statistics shows one student studying abroad for every 15 British students. However, the British government is starting an initiative to tackle this imbalance of foreign study. Today, few Britis h students, study abroad. Statistics do not assess the number of full-time students outside UK. The Erasmus program of study and the work placements abroad indicate that about 13,622 students study outside the UK. A recent study by the Higher Education Careers Service Unit reveals that about 1 out of 12 graduates is jobless 6 months after graduating from university. In addition, the study revealed that the number of former students in non-graduate jobs was on the rise by about 6% in 2012 (UK National Statistics, 2013). Employability of overseas graduates versus domestic ones About one out of six employers reveals that students who study abroad are more employable than UK graduates. Employers indicate that studying abroad gives students more professional experience than graduating in the UK. About 65% of the employers indicate that having foreign experience increases the employability of graduates. This paper concurs with the view that studying abroad improves a student’s empl oyability. Students who study abroad learn skills and knowledge that employers look for in prospective staff. This aspect leads to the development of international careers (King and Ahrens, 2010). A report by the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) indicates that graduates from foreign universities find it easy to work in diverse cultural environments. They also have the necessary language skills required in diverse work contexts. Employment policies focus on the supply of human resources to the labour market rather than the demand for it. They fail to capture the outlook of employability. In most cases, they overlook the state of graduate demand to competitive job positions where graduates desire to join.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The impact of studying abroad on graduate employability specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The manner in which employers recruit and manage graduate talent remains to be a pertinent issue in the UK. This issue may persist as the number of graduates leaving institutions of higher learning rises. Graduates continue losing their relevance in competitive jobs. The flexible and open nature of the labour market and labour policies are not favourable to the graduates leaving universities in the UK. Certain employers may embrace the idea of students who study abroad because of their unique attitudes and creativity. The employers may discriminate against UK’s graduates in employment opportunities. This inequality in the employability between graduates from the UK and overseas ones may continue until policy formulators enact measures of absorbing the graduates entering the labour market. UK higher learning institutions may face a limitation in their aptitude to develop the employability of students in contrast to foreign institutions of higher learning. Issues concerning the employability of graduates may have minor effects in labour market projections (Teichler and Janson, 2012). Skills and knowledge acquired by overseas students Students who study abroad acquire different skills and knowledge that enhance their value in business organizations and governments. The skills include a comprehensive grasp of global issues and an understanding of diverse cultures. Organizations seek graduates with international knowledge and global cognisance. Employers value students that possess the initiative to explore different settings. Students who study abroad acquire fundamental perspectives of world issues. They can understand issues of globalization, poverty, social inequity, gender issues, development and the environment in a practical manner. Learning abroad may lead to rapid development of language skills. Studying overseas enhances one’s eloquence. Language skills enhance intercultural competency, understanding, research and thematic appreciation. In addition, they promote the development of research skills, observation, cultural analysis and oral histories.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More University graduates in the UK have an appealing position in the economic development of the country. Job analysts disagree over the performance of UK’s graduates when they enter the labour market. Graduates who hold an elite social occupation cluster in society can fulfil their potential through career development. Inequalities within the UK labour market may continue to inhibit the potential of graduates. UK’s graduates do not apply their skills and knowledge in the labour markets. The analysts underscore discrepancies between applicable knowledge in the labour market and that acquired in higher education institutions. This notion makes graduates lose focus of the investment gained from universities and colleges. Graduates who study abroad are likely to secure diverse types of jobs in the labour market. These graduates can work as foreign policy experts, multicultural professionals, tour guides, historians, language experts, heritage professionals and senior managers . Their employability can be linked to the skills they develop while learning abroad. Most employers prefer hiring students with relevant skills to the labour market (Holmes, 2008). The probability that graduates from abroad can work in a foreign country Studying abroad increases graduates’ likelihood of working in a foreign country. International business organizations look for graduates who possess an open perspective to global issues. This aspect gives foreign students an advantage in the job market as compared to local graduates (Saunders et al., 2009). Employers propose that graduates who study abroad possess a better understanding of cultural issues. The students can interact with global customers of diverse cultural backgrounds. This factor makes them adopt an international appeal. It also makes their integration into a multicultural environmental easier than domestic graduates. Job applicants need to exercise a global dimension in their thought patterns. This thinking can only develop when students study or work abroad (McQuaid and Lyndsay, 2012). In addition, students who study overseas find working outside their country easier as compared to those who study in the UK. This idea makes UK’s graduates less competitive in the international labour market than their overseas counterparts (Keep and Mayhew, 2011). Surveys reveal that students who study abroad have high optimism for securing lucrative jobs at senior positions. In addition, they express the opinion that they can spend a short period looking for jobs than students who study in the UK (Elias and Purcell, 2009). Disadvantages of overseas graduates A number of disadvantages can be linked to overseas studies. The UK produces the best home-grown graduates in the world. Students studying abroad may not benefit from the home-grown pool of resources essential in the workplace. They may fail to acquire the British work ethics and soft skills essential for career development in the UK. Empl oyers look for the skills and knowledge of an individual’s professional formation. Therefore, they may measure the qualifications of students who study abroad against those of the UK graduates. The evaluation may gain accreditation and rank among the top standards in the UK. The assessment may provide negative results for UK graduates based on the reasons evaluated in this paper (Hakim, 2010). Conclusion Studying abroad has fundamental implications on employability for graduates. The transformation of students from higher education into the labour market can be a complicated process. Students need to understand the rationale of studying abroad and how to approach the contemporary labour market. Therefore, they need to learn to develop their profiles and credentials through learning at the appropriate institutions. Recommendations Many employers agree that students who study and work abroad possess rich experiences in terms of their skills and knowledge. Students need to embra ce opportunities of studying abroad as means of improving their employability and career prospects. Job applicants must exhibit a wide pool of skills and knowledge to enhance their employability in the job market (Brown Hesketh, 2009). British Universities need to encourage students to study abroad in order to gain valuable experiences from diverse settings. References Brown, P Hesketh, A, 2009, The Mismanagement of Talent: employability and jobs in the knowledge-based economy, Oxford University Press. Oxford. Elias, P. Purcell, K 2009. The Salaries of Graduates in their Early Careers: researching graduate careers seven years on’. Research Paper No. 4, ESRC/IER’, University of West of England Warwick University, Warwick Institute for Employment Research. Hakim, C 2010. Lifestyle and Work Choices in the 21st Century: Preference Theory, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Harvey, L 2011,   â€Å"Defining and Measuring Employability†, Quality in Higher Education , Vol.7. No. 2. pp. 97-109. Holmes, L 2008, â€Å"Reconsidering Graduate Employability: the graduate Identity approach†, Quality in Higher Education, Vol. 7. No. 2. pp. 111-119. Keep, E Mayhew, K 2011, The Economic and Distributional Implications of Current Policies on Higher Education, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 20. No. 2. pp. 298-314. King, R Ahrens, J 2010, International student mobility literature review, final report, Higher Education Funding Council for England, Bristol. McQuaid, R Lyndsay, L 2012, â€Å"The concept of employability†, Urban Studies, Vol. 43. No. 2. pp. 197-219. Teichler, U Janson, K 2012, â€Å"The Professional value of temporary study in another European country: employment and role of Ex ERASMUS learners†, Studies in International Education Journal, Vol. 11. No. 3. Pp.486-495. Parey, M Waldinger, F 2011, â€Å"Studying abroad and the effect of international labour market mobility: evidence from the introduction of Erasm us†, Economic Journal, Vol.121. No.551. Pp. 194-222. Saunders et al 2009, Research methods for business students (6th edition), Pearson education, New Jersey. United Kingdom National Statistics, 2013, Labour Market. Web. Varghese, N 2008, Globalization of higher education and cross-border student mobility, UNESCO/ International Institute of Education Planning, Paris.

Film Analysis of Gandhi Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Film Analysis of Gandhi - Movie Review Example From the film, Gandhi has the vision of taking up Indian independence (Attenborough, 1982). He is seen to abandon all the worldly belongings for the struggle for Indian independence (Attenborough, 1982). Despite the numerous resistances, he is more determined to win the freedom of his people without shedding innocent blood. Gandhi, can in this instance be described as a visionary leader (Attenborough, 1982). Ability entails the leader being conversant with the job at hand, and have up to the minute skills of formulating plans that allow for completion of the task at hand (Curtis &Manning, 2003). In the event that the leader is not able to deal with the employees and the organization at large, then disrespect from the employees is bound to occur, as the followers are always in anticipation of tough decisions from the leaders (Curtis &Manning, 2003). Even in times when Gandhi was jailed and faced a lot of opposition from the South Africans, he did not forget to confirm to his followers, that the Indian population is a frustrated and an oppressed lot, and that they have to strive for their rights. It is this leader with ability that led the Salt March in 1930 (Attenborough, 1982). Curtis &Manning (2003) say that enthusiasm in leaders is vital for attracting the followers to the challenges of the organization, and accepts the same challenges. This enthusiasm triggers goal-directed actions, and ultimately the entire organization is directed towards one goal of attaining results (Curtis &Manning, 2003). Gandhi is no doubt an enthusiastic leader who first faces oppression; jail terms, but later comes up with ashrams, villages where people share resources communally, without fear of intimidation (Attenborough, 1982). Twenty two years into the fight for independence, Gandhi had managed to get a backing for his role in the

Work, People and Productivity Mgt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Work, People and Productivity Mgt - Essay Example These include; Preoccupation with failure, sensitivity to operations, reluctance to simplify interpretations, deference to expertise and commitment to resilience. People in HRO work in recognition of the high risk environments and occupations. In order to enhance productivity and reliability the HRO must carry out self-assessment and evaluation. These characteristics provide a guide to the thinking and mindfulness in the organization (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). It is important to recognize that policies and manuals in an organization constantly change; the HRO should be mindful and be sensitive to the complexity of the systems and environment of the HRO. The HRO should quickly work to identify and anomalies and problems and quickly eliminate potential problems. As an HRO it is important to always be aware and have updated information on the state of the systems and processes in the organization. This is key to identifying possible problems and preventing them (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). It is important that the HRO offer concrete and detailed explanation and documentation of processes in the organization. Simple explanations to processes and activities are not ideal for proper diagnosis of problems in the organization. This eliminates the problem of not knowing what’s going on in the organization until it’s too late. Concise and clear explanations of processes improve reliability and productivity of the organization (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). Failures and errors are bound to occur in any HRO, it is the roles of the HRO to identify, predict and eliminate possible catastrophes rather react to them. An HRO constantly keeps in mind that they might have omitted something that might put the organization at risk. This should be viewed as opportunities to improve current systems by determining weaknesses, examining

School counseling website review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

School counseling website review - Essay Example In specific, the researcher has carried out critical analysis of different websites related to school counseling, and this paper now includes discussion of related concepts and personal perspective regarding the same.Particularly, school counseling, a vital constituent to students’ accomplishment is a ‘comprehensive program that helps students learn through personal/social development inside the school setting.’ In this regard, analysis of Columbia Public Schools’ website (CPS, 2011) indicated that professional school counselors have a smallest of a master's stage in school counseling. In alignment to help the development of all scholars, they have introduced a broad variety of therapeutic interventions in the form of a ‘comprehensive school improvement plan’ (CPS, 2011) encompassing school guidance on topics, for instance, parent involvement, high qualified staff, and governance that will enable the schools to improve their efficacy on a five- year planning. Besides Columbia, review of website of Massachusetts Department of Education (MDESE, 2011) identified their efforts on different aspects of counseling, such as disquiet administration, assembly and one-by-one counseling, vocation checking and designing, parent and educator discussion, and advocacy for schemes change. Research on this website showed that these services have been playing a critical role in advancing students’ learning success. ... different assessment procedures such as ‘ELPA (English Language Proficiency Assessment), MEAP-Access (alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement), etc’ (MDE, 2011). Another website included during the review was of the Education Trust (2011) that seems to be advocating the significance of school counseling in an efficient and interactive manner by components of Transforming School Counseling, such as â€Å"guidance curriculum, counseling, vocation development, conferring, coordination of assets, authority and advocacy, advancement of a protected and polite weather, responsibility, administration of lawful and ethical matters, and expert development† (Education Trust, 2011). Moreover, scrutiny of the Education Trust’s website pointed that this occupation has amplified and refocused over the 100 years to rendezvous the desires of scholars, they have evolved a kind of interventions. The four prime interventions encompass ‘counseling, lar ge-group guidance, discussion, and coordination’ (Education Trust, 2011). Although counselors enlisted in this website for one-by-one counseling with scholars, it would be inefficient, if not unrealistic, for counselors to supply one-by-one counseling to large figures of students. Consequently, the same website (Education Trust, 2011) indicated that assembly methods have been evolved to rendezvous certain characterized scholar desires, for example, contending with end wedding ceremony, evolving an affirmative body likeness, or advancing communal skills. Moreover, the website has emphasized importance of large-group guidance, which boosts educators to incorporate guidance data into their living curricula, comes to an even larger number of students. In addition, consulting and collaborating with educators,

Competition in the Construction Industry: Laing O’Rourke

Competition in the Construction Industry: Laing O’Rourke Select one construction firm and explain the nature of competition in its specific market sector and discuss how it may be advised to secure contracts for future work. Laing O’Rourke is the United Kingdom’s largest privately owned construction firm; it operates internationally across a variety of different sectors within the construction industry. Formerly known as R. O’Rourke Son until its takeover of Laing Construction in 2001, Laing O’Rourke is one of the leading construction firms in the UK. The firm has a strong standing in sectors including, building, transport, power, water and utilities, mining, oil and gas. (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). This firm operates heavily in the private sector, with investments from large scale hotel operators, for example the Atlantis hotel, The Palm, Dubai; to football stadium developments, such as the recent expansion of the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. (Prior, 2014). Laing O’Rourke also engages in a substantial amount of work in the public sector, (Laing O’Rourke, 2014) however over recent years the borders between the private sector and public sector have been blurred to a point where often only a specification is given by the public sector client and the financing, design, build and maintenance is taken on by the private sector firm (Myers, 2013). This method’s popularity has soared over the last 20 years mainly due to the dwindling amount of capital readily available to the public sector and also to the public sectors keenness to utilise as much of the firm’s specialist expertise and experience. This method of public sector and private sector partnership (Myers, 2013) is known as a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and is often used for projects such as schools, infrastructure, and hospitals. All types of developments which Laing O’Rourke has recently undertaken. The contracts run for roughly 25 – 30 ye ars (Myers, 2013) and so capitalises on the strengths of both sectors; the specifications and requirements coming from the public sector client, and the development and maintenance aspects being handled by the private sector firm. Because the private sector firm has had to invest its own assets into the PFI project, the public sector client pays an annual charge to the private sector firm or can allow the firm to retain any profits made from the operation (Myers, 2013). This method legally ties the contractor to the project and thus greatly increases the likelihood of the firm delivering a high quality product. As they are responsible for the maintenance and running costs, (Myers, 2013) it is in the firms best interests to create a product which will not require a great deal of additional financial input to maintain. Laing O’Rourke operates across most aspects of what Myers (2013) considers to be the broad definition of the construction industry. This ranges from suppliers of basic materials to the providers of services such as transportation and demolition (Myers, 2013). Laing O’Rourke as a whole are capable of operating across such an expanse of sectors in the construction industry through the use of subsidiary companies. These are firms or departments which Laing O’Rourke has either created within the firm itself or purchased and brought under the Laing O’Rourke umbrella and allows for an entire construction project to be completed using only one large contractor, themselves, instead of having to hire in sub-contractors and other professionals. This has a number of advantages as it means that from day one there can be excellent communication between everyone involved and consistency with aspects such as quality, pricing, budget and time management (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). Most small firms specialise in a certain aspect of construction, such as building or civil engineering (Ive Gruneberg, 2000) but not usually a multitude of aspects. Laing O’Rourke is a major firm which owns different subsidiary companies within s ub-industries which are of particularly good use to the parent company. The firm currently owns a total of 17 subsidiaries (FAME, 2014). An example of this practise would be that if Laing O’Rourke were to purchase or develop a steel fabrication firm and bring it under its control then all the steel work could be sourced from that arm of the company and sent to site at internal reduced costs instead of paying a higher price for an independent firm to provide the resources. This allows for a substantial reduction in overall cost and lead time during the construction process and would no doubt have the potential to have a positive environmental effect. Laing O’Rourke have taken this practise a step further and have delved into the mining industry. They are responsible for some construction materials from their initial removal from the ground all the way up to their installation on site. Laing O’Rourke have been mining materials such as coal, iron ore, zinc, bauxite, alumina, diamond, and copper for over 40 years in Australia (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). Since Laing O’Rourke acquired Crown House Technologies and Barclay Mowlem in 2004 and 2006 respectively (Laing O’Rourke, 2014), they have completed some of the most recognisable and both culturally and economically significant building projects in the world. The firm was responsible for the construction works for the half a billion pound regeneration project known as Liverpool One, in Liverpool in 2008 to mark the city’s celebration as the European capital of culture. The project has been hailed as a great success, improved the local economy and transformed the image of the city almost in its entirety. (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). The size and range of Laing O’Rourke’s operations position the firm in a sector of the market which can be described as an oligopoly. Cooke (1996) wrote that â€Å"Oligopolistic industries are characterised by a small number of firms accounting for a large proportion (or all) of total output.† Laing O’Rourke is one of a relatively small number of firms that is responsible for a very large proportion of all construction work. This raises an interesting point as the industry is in fact dominated by a large number of small firms (Cooke, 1996). This is mainly due to the construction industry being location specific. The resources and materials for a project may all come from static factories, but the actual construction activity itself must always take place on the site itself, such is the nature of construction (Cooke, 1996). This is even the case where an entire building may be produced using prefabricated components, the actual coming together of the parts will happen on site. This is where a firm like Laing O’Rourke will utilise the smaller, more location specific firms to aid in their efforts. These smaller firms operate in an area of the market which could be described more as monopolistic competition, even bordering on perfect competition in places. Cooke (1996) describes monopolistic competition as: â€Å"Monopolistic competition exists when a large number of firms are operating in a particular market but, unlike perfect competition, each producer offers the customer a slightly differentiated product†¦ or when firms offering a similar product are located in different geographical areas† This oligopolistic competition at the top end of the construction industry has meant that the top 50 construction firms in the UK, sometimes even the top 10, are usually the same familiar names, granted they regularly overtake one another year to year as the market can often be volatile and firms can easily lose out financially if a project has not gone well. This was touched on earlier where most of the construction work carried out on a whole is actually by a small amount of large firms. Construction can be a very lucrative business even on a small scale. Therefore the amount of money passing through the accounts of a firm the size of Laing O’Rourke is phenomenal. This section will look into some aspects of the firm’s accounts, which are readily available to the public as the firm is a limited company. Parker (1999) states that all company balance sheets are built up from three main categories; assets, liabilities and shareholders’ funds. â€Å"Assets can be defined as rights or other access to future economic benefits controlled by a company as a result of past transactions or other events.† Current assets are assets which are to not be put back into the firm. This includes mainly cash, debtors and stocks (Parker, 1999). In contrast, fixed assets are assets which are to be used in the continued operations and growth of the firm. The total assets can be found by combining the fixed and current assets. The net assets can be found by subtracting the current liabilities from the total assets. Table 1. below shows the total assets and net assets for the years 2012 and 2013. Table 1. Balance Sheet – Laing O’Rourke 2013 2012 Total Assets  £255,100,000 +  £929,700,000 =  £1,184,800,000  £250,300,000 +  £970,000,000 =  £1,220,300,000 Net Assets  £1,184,800,000  £865,400,000 =  £319,400,000  £1,220,300,000  £914,400,000 =  £305,900,000 Source: FAME, 2014 It can be seen that the total assets have dropped from 2012 to 2013, however the fixed assets actually grew by  £4.7 million and the current assets dropped by  £40.3 million. This shows that more money was allocated to be put back into the company in 2013 than it was in 2012. The net assets show a growth of nearly  £15 million. Below; Table 2 shows similar look into another large construction firm Carillion. Table 2. Balance Sheet – Carillion 2013 2012 Total Assets  £1,952,900,000 +  £1,683,200,000 =  £3,636,100,000  £2,026,500,000 +  £1,834,800,000 =  £3,861,300,000 Net Assets  £3,636,100,000  £1,661,600,000 =  £1,974,500,000  £3,861,300,000  £1,688,400,000 =  £2,172,900,000 Source: FAME, 2014 This data shows a drop in fixed assets of about  £73 million and also a drop of about  £150 million current assets from 2012 to 2013, which shows that fewer assets were allocated in both sectors, so it is possible that the firm did not perform as well in 2013 as 2012. The net assets also show a drop over the time period. This is in contrast to Laing O’Rourke, who actually increased its overall assets. This does not mean though that Carillion have less assets than Laing O’Rourke, on the contrary, Carillion, even though the firm did not increase its assets over the year, do however still have about 6 times the amount of Laing O’Rourke. Gross profit can be found by deducting the turnover from the cost of sales. Profit margin ratio can be found by dividing the net profit before tax by the turnover and multiplying the answer by 100. Return on capital employed can be found by dividing the profit before tax by the capital employed and multiplying the answer by 100, as is shown in the table (3) below. Table 3. Profit and loss account Laing O’Rourke 2013 2012 Turnover  £1,640,100,000  £1,622,400,000 Cost of sales  £1,473,000,000  £1,448,700,000 Gross Profit  £1,640,100,000  £1,473,000,000 =  £167,100,000  £1,622,400,000  £1,448,700,000 =  £173,700,000 Net profit before tax  £21,500,000  £27,400,000 Profit Margin 1.31 1.69 Return on capital employed 6.73 8.96 Source: FAME, 2014 Table 4. Profit and loss account Carillion 2013 2012 Turnover  £3,332,600,000  £3,666,200,000 Cost of sales  £2,984,600,000  £3,279,400,000 Gross Profit  £3,332,600,000  £2,984,600,000 =  £348,000,000  £3,666,200,000  £3,279,400,000 =  £386,800,000 Net profit before tax  £110,600,000  £179,500,000 Profit Margin 3.32 4.90 Return on capital employed 5.60 8.26 Source: FAME, 2014 These figures clearly show us that in both firms the gross profit figures have fallen. Also the profit margin and return on capital gained has fallen in both cases. Both firms did however make a profit over both years and the figures show that Carillion’s profit margins and return on capital gained are significantly higher than those of Laing O’Rourke. Current ratio can be found by dividing the current assets by the current liabilities. Acid test ratio can be found by subtracting stock from the current assets and dividing the answer by the current liabilities. Also the efficiency ratio can be found by dividing turnover by the current assets. Table 5. Solvency efficiency – Laing O’Rourke 2013 2012 Current Assets  £929,700,000  £970,700,000 Current liabilities  £865,400,000  £914,400,000 Current ratio 1.07 1.06 Acid test ratio 0.92 0.87 Efficiency ratio 1.76 1.97 Source: FAME, 2014 Table 6. Solvency efficiency Carillion 2013 2012 Current Assets  £1,683,200,000  £1,834,800,000 Current liabilities  £3,636,100,000  £3,861,300,000 Current ratio 1.01 1.09 Acid test ratio 0.98 1.05 Efficiency ratio 1.98 2.00 Source: FAME, 2014 These figures show that both Laing O’Rourke and Carillion’s current ratio and acid test ratios are hovering around the 1:1 mark, but both firms display a reasonably high efficiency ratio. Laing O’Rourke are at the forefront of the construction industry with new ideas and methods with regards to reducing their impact on the environment. Their current methods include cutting carbon, eliminating waste, sourcing responsibly, and implementing a stringent environment policy that should see their impact on the environment be reduced significantly. Their greatest priority though is to eliminate all accidents through their ‘Mission Zero’ policy. This policy aims to eliminate all accidents resulting in the loss of one or more shifts by 2015 and to eliminate all accidents of any severity by 2020 (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). These efforts should go a long way to improving their performance along with eliminating the bad practices often associated with the industry. To provide success in the future the firm could aim to eliminate waste from their productions entirely and endeavour to not just become carbon neutral, but to become a ‘carbon negative’ firm that will actually help reverse the effects that the industry has on the environment. Also a continued development and implementation of Building Information Management (BIM) into their projects of all sizes up and down their supply line would further increase their effectiveness and efficiency as a firm (www.bim.construction.com, 2014). References BIM Construction (2014) Building Information Management. Available from: http://www.bim.construction.com/ [Accessed 22 April 2014] Cooke, A.J. (1996)Economics and Construction. Basingstoke: Macmillan. FAME Database Ive, G.J. and Gruneberg, S.L. (2000)The Economics of the Modern Construction Sector. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Laing O’Rourke (2014) Environment. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/responsibility/environment.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) Health and Safety. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/responsibility/health-and-safety.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) Our History. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/who-we-are/our-history.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) Our Sectors. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/our-work/our-sectors/mining-and-natural-resources.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) Our Work. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/our-work.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) What We Do. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/what-we-do.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Myers, D. (2013)Construction Economics: A New Approach[online]. 3rd ed. London: Routledge. [Accessed 22 April 2014]. Parker, R.H. (1999)Understanding Company Financial Statements. 5th ed. London: Penguin. Prior, G. (2014) Laing O’Rourke wins Man City stadium expansion. Available from: http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2014/03/31/laing-orourke-wins-man-city-stadium-expansion/ [Accessed 22 April 2014] Word Count 2002 Business Economics Management for Construction (UBIL6Y-20-1) Page 1 of 9 Competitive Advantage: Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair Competitive Advantage: Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair This report analyses how organisations can be strategically guided towards success. The report uses the strategic frameworks; the cultural web, the VRIO framework, the value chain and the the three levels of culture to identify how organisations achieve competitive advantage. Virgin Atlantic and Ryanairs strategies are then subject to scrutiny under these frameworks to identify, in reality, how this is achieved. Competitive Advantage and Distinctive Resources; The purpose of strategy is competitive advantage. Competitive advantage emerges when an organisation enforces a strategy that creates value that is not being achieved by its competitors (Henry, 2008). The advantage becomes sustainable when competitors cannot mirror the value creation of the strategy. A distinctive resource of an organisation can be defined as a resource that cannot be imitated by other organisations (Henry 2008). Strategic Planning; Vision, Values Mission A distinct characteristic of a successful organisation is clarity over what is to be achieved. A clear purpose can enthuse employees, managers and senior managers due to the similar values they may share (Scott Jaff, 1993). A vision is the desired state the organisation aspires to accomplish, values are the core principles of an organisation and the mission gives reason to why an organisation exists (Kaplan et al, 2008). They need to be clear and concise and easily understood by all levels of the firm. Carpenter and Porras (1996) emphasised why clarity of vision and mission hold importance they suggested employees who have a better understanding of the mission and vision are able to have a greater awareness of the organisations strategy and how it is implemented. Secondly an explanation is given to staff of how strategy helps achieve the vision and mission of the organisation. Finally they offer guidance to strategy development as they guide the strategy which guides the organisation. Values create the foundations of an organisation; what the company promotes within their working culture can greatly influence decisions on every level thus a companys strategy for the future will be formed around these core concepts and beliefs. They allow the formation of the organisations purpose; the fundamental reason for existence. Case Example: Ryanair Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair are successful airline companies who achieve competitive advantage in different ways. Ryanair is a concentrated low cost airline who offers a no frills service to customers. The strategy of Ryanair is to be a cost leader. The purpose of Ryanair is therefore to provide a cheap, no frills flight service that is profitable. Vision, Value and mission of Ryanair Vision To offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies. Values Cost efficient = low fares low costs. Mission To firmly establish itself as Europes leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service. Source: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/Strategy.pdf (2013). Ryanair measures its success through profit. Ryanair recorded a jump in profits towards the end of 2012 which indicates that Ryanair is achieving its purpose (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20202579). Virgin Atlantic is a leisure airline who is able to diversify into unusual leisure routes and serve different demographic locations to Ryanair. The overall purpose of Virgin Atlantic is therefore to grow a profitable airline that focusses on business and leisure markets and the quality of service offered whilst empowering staff. Vision, Value and Mission of Virgin Atlantic Vision The success of our three year strategy requires us to build on these foundations by focussing on the business and leisure markets and driving efficiency and effectiveness. Values Caring, honest, value, fun, innovation. Mission To grow a profitable airline where people love to fly and people love to work. Source: Virgin Atlantic (2013) Virgin Atlantic measures it success through feedback from both staff and customers through effective feedback systems including 360 degree feedback. The feedback received is often positive and shows Virgin Atlantic is achieving its purpose of providing an airline where people love to fly and staff love to work (Virgin Atlantic, 2013). The above examples demonstrate how vision, values and mission statement underlie the purpose of an organisation and how combining the three together form the foundation of strategy. Ryanair The first organisation to be looked at is Ryanair and how it achieves its cost leader status by looking at its culture in terms of the three levels of culture framework and by applying the value chain to analyse how they integrate the flow of activities to achieve competitive advantage Culture and its connection to strategy Schein (1988) defined organisational culture as a pattern of basic assumptions a given group has created by learning to handle problems of internal integration and external adaptation. Culture is created through the actions of upper level management in relation to what they take precedence to, what they focus on and what behaviours they punish or reward. Hall (1993) suggested culture can be viewed as an intangible resource that can be classified as an asset or competency contributing to an organisations sustainable competitive advantage as culture can hinder a strategy or make a strategy excel. Scheins (1988): three levels of culture Hatch (1993) described the model as a conceptual framework for intervening with and analysing internal organisational culture. Schein (1988) described culture as three levels categorised into: Artifacts Espoused Values Basic Underlying Assumptions. They show how deeply values and beliefs are embedded into an organisation. The model shows the degree to which culture is visible to an organisation and brings about an understanding of the way business process are carried out and what can be done to assist change in an organisation. It is used to diagnose cultural characteristics of an organisation which can then be used to develop or maintain Strategy and the strategic advantage that ensues. The table below summarises each level of culture; Three Levels of Culture Artifacts The most observable level of culture and can include business process, aesthetics of the organisation or organisational structures for example. All are visible indicators of culture but are difficult to interpret. Espoused Values They underlie behaviour and can, to some extent, determine behaviour. They are not directly observable and can include strategies, goals objectives or philosophies for example. Basic Underlying assumptions These assumptions are unconscious and often stem from values until they are taken for granted and transfer to the unconscious. Source: Williams (2012). Ryanair; Three levels of Culture The culture of Ryanair is cost efficiency which is reflected in their values, vision and mission where they create their main competitive advantage of being a low cost, frill free airline. Using the framework a diagnosis can be made of the culture of Ryanair and how this creates competitive advantage. Artifacts No complementary services are offered at Ryanair; this reflects cost efficient culture as instead they sell secondary services on flight. Head office staff supply own pens and are not allowed to charge their phones at work in the office, reflective of low cost culture. Employees pay for their own training and uniforms. Ryanair use subsidiaries to make fares cheaper, they are obtained from using local airports so the savings can be passed onto customers. Espoused Values The policies enforced by Ryanairs senior management, e.g. the policy of having to buy own uniform/ stationary equipment, reflects cost efficient nature. Basic Underlying assumptions Embedded guidelines in Ryanair; staff employees deliver a cost efficient service to passengers and they know that they are getting a frills free flight where the expectation of other airlines is to receive complimentary services. Source: Ryanair (2013). The three levels of culture demonstrate how the strategy of cost leadership is built into the culture of Ryanair culture so it becomes an unconscious process from staff and an expectation of customers. The Value Chain The value chain was first characterised by Porter (1985) and is a chain of activities that group together the main value adding activities of an organisation and can be used as a strategic planning tool. Porter (2007) described an organisation as a compilation of individually distinct, interrelated, economic activities which include both primary and secondary activities. The value chain serves as a guide for identifying the key activities within an organisation which make up the value chain that have the potential to create a sustainable competitive advantage. The competitive advantage emerges from the ability of the organisation to perform identified activities in the value chain in a superior way to competitors. Source: Williams (2013). The value chain is divided into primary activities and secondary activities which need to linked together strategically across the organisation so resources can be optimised and coordinated in a way to sustain competitive advantage. Primary activities are activities classified as products or marketing related activities. Support activities assist the primary activities and include infrastructure, human resource management, procurement and technological development. Value Chain of Ryanair The Value chain of Ryanair is a demonstration of how they integrate both primary and support activities together to create competitive advantage; Support Activities which add value to Ryanair; Support Activity:  Infrastructure Description:  Ryanairs Head Offices are minimal Support Activity:  Human resource Management Description:  Management control, limited training, Low number of staff Support Activity:  Technology development Description:  Internet booking system, Low tech marketing, Internet sales, Integration of systems Support Activity:  Procurement Description:  Outsourcing, low costs alliances The support activities defined show how they can accommodate the primary activities in a way that is cost effective. For example, Ryanairs point of sale is internet based, cutting out the middle person so flight bookings go directly to Ryanair themselves. Primary Activities which add value; Primary Activity:  Inbound logistics Description:  Quality training, Low cost suppliers, Airport agreements Primary Activity:  Operations Description:  No added frills (low cost.) Primary Activity:  Outbound logistics Description:  Fast turnaround times of aircraft, reliable service Primary Activity:  Marketing Sales Description:  Low cost promotions, Free publicity, Internet sales, controversial Primary Activity:  Services Description:  Limited resources and very basic Throughout the value chain, each activity is based around cost efficiency. Money is saved through; Providing a basic service to customers Using the internet as a point of sale which incurs lower costs as less human capital is needed Instilling a cost efficient mind set in staff through managing staff in a cost efficient manner by lowering overheads on training, uniform and fancy offices Ensuring there technology and logistics are built around time efficiency ensuring maximum usage of craft and ensuring services they offer are reliable. Source; Ryanair (2013). Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic has a reputation of quality, whether it is quality in terms of service, treatment of staff or the design of the actual aircraft. The cultural web will be used to identify how culture contributes to competitive advantage of Virgin Atlantic and how its resources are distinctive to those of its competitors. Cultural Web Strategy Corporate culture and reputation are significant, intangible resources of an organisation that can create sustainable competitive advantage. The cultural web is a diagnostic tool that looks at the internal environment of an organisation aligning strategy with culture Johnson (2000). Seel (2000) describes the cultural web as six interrelated elements centred round the paradigm (the organisations core belief) which constitutes as the work environment. The paradigm is structured on collective experiences and informs what people in the organisation do and has influence over how change should be responded to. Stories, symbols, power structures, organisational structures, control system and ritual routines are the six elements that make up the web and are the focus of strategic change. Each of the elements must be examined in order to gain understanding of an organisations culture (Johnson, 1992). Organisational culture needs to inspire innovation meaning that although culture needs to be embedded in an organisation it needs to also be flexible in order to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Cultural web of Virgin Atlantic The paradigm of Virgin Atlantic is reflected in their mission statement; to grow a profitable airline where people love to work and people love to fly. The core belief of Virgin is delivering quality experience. Stories; Most stories involve Richard Branson (the founder of the virgin brand) and often relate to his personality or management style and portray him as an anti-corporate, innovative hero. Rituals; Virgin Atlantics headquarters are spacious, have a relaxed atmosphere and when staff reach training milestones they and their families are invited to an event which is often attended by Branson himself. Power Structures; Most decisions and visions are controlled by a driven, close knit group of senior executives Organisational structures; Small, focussed teams that work to maintain a small company mentality inside a big company. Control; Financial and performance results are displayed for everyone to see encouraging and empowering staff to take responsibility for their performance. Symbols; Branding is smart and slick and conveys the good reputation that the brand Virgin has. Source: Virgin Atlantic (2013) The cultural web shows how the six elements interact with each other creating the core belief of quality and innovation. The VRIO framework Barney (1997) described strategic resources as; valuable, rare, inimitable and organisable. The VRIO framework is a tool an organisation can use to examine its internal environment and views organisations as bundles of resources. If these resources are correctly used then an organisation can gain competitive advantage over competitors depending on the four characteristics identified by Barney (1997) and determines whether the advantage is temporary or sustainable. Oriordian (2006) described four questions that need to be asked when identifying an organisations resources and capabilities; How valuable is the resource? How rare is the resource? Can the resource be imitated? Is the resource organised in an efficient manner? If the answer is yes to the above questions then the resource offers a competitive advantage over competitors. When analysing an organisations resources one of the following answers occur (Barney 1997); If an organisations resource is not valuable then the firm can expect to be at competitive disadvantage If the resource is valuable but not rare competitive parity is reached If the resource is valuable but not rare a competitive advantage is reached but it may only be temporary. If a firms resources are rare, valuable but not costly to imitate then temporary competitive advantage results. If the resources of an organisation are valuable rare and costly then a sustained competitive advantage will result if the resources are organised properly. VRIO framework of Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic has a number of resources that help sustain its competitive advantage over competitors. Its brand and reputation are indisputably its strongest resource whereas its customer service, geographic location (in terms of flight destinations) and human resources are a competitive advantage now, but have the risk of being imitated in the future. The VRIO framework for Virgin Atlantic shows that competitive advantage is gained from there resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable and organised. The brand name Virgin and the ability the name has to raise capital due to Virgins reputation are the resources that ensure sustainable competitive advantage is achieved. Technology, the location of where flights are available to and from and the organisational structure of Virgin are all resources that can create competitive advantage but have the possibility of being imitated by competitors which means the advantage may only be temporary. Conclusion; By exploring the strategies of both Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair it is clear that different strategic routes can be taken to achieve competitive advantage. Both organisations use their resources effectively to achieve their purpose. Competitive advantage is about creating and sustaining superior performance (Porter, 1998). Looking to the future Airline companies will be have to face rising fuel costs and an increasing demographic of consumers who have less disposable income. This could propose challenges to both organisations. Ryanair focus on cost efficiency, however, if fuel prices were to rise substantially they would have to consider ways in which they can continue to deliver there no frills flight service at competitively low price. With regards to Virgin Atlantic they would have to cater to the consumer with less disposable income by considering how they could improve the efficiency of its processes and activities to appeal to this audience. There is no right way of forming a st rategy as not one applies to every organisation. The most effective strategies are those that meet the needs of the organisation at hand.

financial aid drug law :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The millions of college students heading to campus next year will not include an estimated 28,000 who will be denied federal financial aid because they have admitted to a recent drug conviction. Along with those, another 12,000 more may also be denied federal assistance because they have failed to answer a question that has been placed on the new financial aid forms among the income and background inquiries. The roughly ten million students who fill out financial aid forms will face a crucial question from the government; have you ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs. As a part of the 1998 amendment to the Higher Education Act any person applying for college aid is required to answer a question about previous drug convictions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Clinton administration basically ignored the law due to the delay in processing that it created when nearly one million applicants skipped the question, but the Bush administration has decided to fully enforce the law. This will be the second school year that the federal student aid has been contingent on a clean drug record, but it is the first time that aid is being denied to applicants who leave the question blank. It has been said that the reason for the vast amount of students leaving the question blank is because of the confusing fashion in which the question was asked. Last year applicants had to respond by checking off numbers about convictions and when they took place. In an attempt to avoid this from happening again, department officials brought together groups of aid administrators last summer to help them make the question more comprehensible. The new form also indicates to the applicant that they are not allowed to leave the question blank.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The law will suspend and maybe even revoke grants, loans or work assistance from people convicted of possession or sale of controlled substances.

Life at a Medieval University Essay

Life at a medieval university for clerics was in many regards similar to our present day college experience. When college was in session, life was basically split into two categories; life in the books, and life outside the books if you will. Scholars needed to focus their attention to the tasks at hand during learning hours. As we know today, the more time you spend studying, the better grades you’ll achieve. On the other hand, scholars needed a release from the daily grind of constant academic involvement. This may have included some popular pastimes such as drinking, gambling, and wreaking havoc downtown (nothing a modern student would do). The scholars experienced many of the problems that modern day collegians deal with as well. Some of these issues included finding the college that fits you best, shortages of funds, arguments with local residents, feuds with fellow clerics, and finding the path that would be fulfilling to them in their lives. There were only a few major differences being a life centered on religion and discussions based on theology, the fact that only males were accepted to study and the clothing that scholars wore. All in all, being at a university was for the betterment of the individual. Students back then had a similar motivation to go to school. By completing university study, you would achieve a higher status in society and live a better life. Another was to get out of a home town to see what else the world had to offer. College is the best time to explore because you’re housing and food are all accounted for. Wandering scholars took best advantage of this by traveling to different universities and getting a diverse education. One reason not many people went to school was because most were not privileged at this time (the literacy rate was very poor). Academic life was structured fairly well. Rules and rights were clearly laid out by the institution itself. Students were protected from harm by any member of the faculty, as they should be. In the â€Å"Royal Privileges Granted to the University of Paris by the King of France,† it is stated that â€Å"†¦neither our provost nor our judges shall lay hands on a student for any offence whatever; nor shall they place him in our prison, unless such a crime is committed by the student that he ought be arrested. † The article goes on to talk about how under the circumstances that the scholar is found to have committed a crime, he be handed over to an actual judge for further investigation. This shows that the university has governing powers within itself to a certain extent. If an encroachment can be resolved without going to the local or state government authorities, the scholar’s image can be protected. Even today we have University Police on campus who held regulate behavior on campuses, but do not have jurisdiction outside of the college campus. Clothing was another major aspect of scholarly life. Clerics wore long cloaks with nothing fancy that would make them stand out. Master teachers wore cloaks with the addition of a white stole. The stole was used to show status and authority over the rest of the student body. This seems to hint to the fact that all the scholars were on a level field of play, and it distinguished them from the rest of society. Typically our graduates of today’s colleges and universities adorn the traditional gowns when they receive their diploma. On a side note, I attended a private religious elementary school which enforced a policy of uniforms (shirt and tie for the guys, skirts for the girls). I believe that by wearing the same clothing as fellow students, people aren’t so concerned with what each other is wearing, and focus on learning. Religion played a major factor in medieval universities. As in my elementary experience of mass being part of the weekly routine, medieval universities had a major emphasis on religion. Robert de Sorbon tells us in his regulations that religious holidays will be followed strictly in the academic life. No meat would be allowed to be consumed on Advent and other days designated by the church. If you were at a university at this time, you would follow the religious standards, just as I could never get out of going to Friday mass at HGA. Nowadays, religion is a touchy topic. It is left to the discretion of the individual whether or not he or she wants to follow the practices and how closely. Church and state are now separated as to avoid major conflicts. Peter Abelard questions the theological teachings of medieval universities and is criticized for it. He says â€Å"Is God one, or no? † At this time scriptures were not to be questioned and were considered to be true. As we know now, science has become a major source of answers in society. Anyway, Abelard brings a whole new dimension to the table when he questions god’s existence and some of the things that the church stands for. The whole basis is to use logic and reason to ponder things in a philosophical fashion. This faith vs. reason debate involved Abelard and others who felt that god was in a persons being, or heart. Academia took up most of the students daily and weekly lives. Scholars took full advantage of down time to relax and enjoy themselves. Social life was the second major aspect of a cleric’s university experience. As we know, the student body greatly impacts the surrounding town’s economy; however social issues arise as well. When students and townspeople are in the same atmosphere, and drinking, fights are bound to break lose. These battles came to be known as â€Å"town and gown† ordeals. These were actually small wars where people would be killed! As many as three thousand students armed with weapons would flood the streets and begin fighting with townspeople, also armed with weapons. Students were also held fairly high in terms of their rights. This is what fueled most of the battles. The fact that a scholar was in progress of obtaining a degree made many seem untouchable, after all, they were going to make the world a better place with their elevated knowledge. Students were warned ahead of time by their proctors that there was a tension between the people of the town and the student body. Heavy drinking and gambling occurred frequently and poems were written as evidence. This served as a social release where students could let lose for awhile. Even today student go to the bars downtown and mix with the locals. There are rarely any incidents of deaths or injuries because of it though. The money generated by pizza shops, bars, taxi services and businesses due to the student influx is what keeps them afloat. On a lighter note, clerics needed some of the same things that modern students need. Money was a big necessity among students as it is today. In a letter home one student tells his sponsor that he is working very hard in school, and studying often, but he needs some money to pay for food, rent and other â€Å"unspecified† things (possibly beer money?). The way he words his letter makes it sound like he will not be able to go on learning without the timely delivery of some funds. The sponsor’s response shows that he knows the truth behind what the student has said. It humors me how students today do the same thing through emails and phone calls home. â€Å"I’m working so very hard in school, but the weekend is coming†¦ † Its all part of growing up and learning responsibility. In the end, life at a medieval university was not that much different from today’s experience. The focus on religion was very important, but reason came into play as well. Scholars were taught to question everything in order to get to the roots of a topic. Over time, there was a major shift from the theological answers to the scientific explanations of today. We test things in science with facts to find if they are true instead of looking toward God and scripture. As in life, there is a time for work and a time for play. We go to college because we know it is good for us, plus it gives us a little extra time in our lives to figure out what we want to be.

Free Essays on The Truth About Abortion

The Truth about Abortion Abortion, the termination of a pregnancy, is a highly controversial issue in today’s society. The 1973 court case of Roe verses Wade ruled that women have the right to terminate a pregnancy by abortion within the first six months. What the Supreme Court considered in this case was the 14th amendment and a woman’s right to privacy. However, they did not consider the moral side of the issue or the damaging affects abortion has on a woman. Do women really need the freedom to kill a baby inside of them because of their own selfishness and do the risk factors out weigh the goal? Terminating a pregnancy is not only morally wrong; it causes physical and psychological problems for women as well. The fifth commandment that God has given us is â€Å"thou shall not kill.† There are women that will argue that life doesn’t begin until birth. Obviously these are the women that have never felt the joy of a baby kick inside them or the wonderful sound of the heartbeat of an unborn child. An embryo’s heart begins to beat at only 22 days past conception, before most women even know they are expecting (Willke, 1998). The fact that life begins at the moment of conception is not an opinion; it’s the truth. For this reason, unborn children, like all citizens of the United States, should be protected by the â€Å"Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness† amendment in our constitution. Pope John Paul II once stated "To destroy these innocent unborn children is an unspeakable crime. Their right to life must be recognized and fully protected by law." Unborn babies have just as much potential as anyone walking the earth. To deprive them of that chance by murdering them is not only a crime against them, but against our entire world. To kill someone who could have been as great of a leader as Pope John Paul II or Martin Luther King, Jr. is an outrageous act that must be stopped. The second reason abortion... Free Essays on The Truth About Abortion Free Essays on The Truth About Abortion The Truth about Abortion Abortion, the termination of a pregnancy, is a highly controversial issue in today’s society. The 1973 court case of Roe verses Wade ruled that women have the right to terminate a pregnancy by abortion within the first six months. What the Supreme Court considered in this case was the 14th amendment and a woman’s right to privacy. However, they did not consider the moral side of the issue or the damaging affects abortion has on a woman. Do women really need the freedom to kill a baby inside of them because of their own selfishness and do the risk factors out weigh the goal? Terminating a pregnancy is not only morally wrong; it causes physical and psychological problems for women as well. The fifth commandment that God has given us is â€Å"thou shall not kill.† There are women that will argue that life doesn’t begin until birth. Obviously these are the women that have never felt the joy of a baby kick inside them or the wonderful sound of the heartbeat of an unborn child. An embryo’s heart begins to beat at only 22 days past conception, before most women even know they are expecting (Willke, 1998). The fact that life begins at the moment of conception is not an opinion; it’s the truth. For this reason, unborn children, like all citizens of the United States, should be protected by the â€Å"Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness† amendment in our constitution. Pope John Paul II once stated "To destroy these innocent unborn children is an unspeakable crime. Their right to life must be recognized and fully protected by law." Unborn babies have just as much potential as anyone walking the earth. To deprive them of that chance by murdering them is not only a crime against them, but against our entire world. To kill someone who could have been as great of a leader as Pope John Paul II or Martin Luther King, Jr. is an outrageous act that must be stopped. The second reason abortion...

What young India wants Essays

What young India wants Essays What young India wants Essay What young India wants Essay Essay Topic: Clueless Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. Distinguished Judges of deference, esteemed dignitaries, teachers and all my friends, warm greetings to you all. Here I am to share what I think What young India wants? The India is going through an upheaval and there are great uncertainties ahead. But it is a moot point whether Indian is affected Indias structural and political problems or mismanagement. Is this the young India? No and we must be strong enough to tell it bold and brave because we are the young India. The young, according to Pearl S. Buck, do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible, and achieve it, generation after generation. What is it that mfoung India actually wants? Before telling that let me tell you what are all the problems she currently faces. Anybody would simple tell illiteracy, poverty, income inequality, corruption and so on. But its time we stop talking about this material problem and really find out what is the mess. A clueless society, none to follow, none to lead, no political knowledge, politics deriding youth and a lot more. Arent these enough for a catastrophe of problems? k enough of problems. Come on lets think and then get on to it. At present if no role models then lets create role models. Nothing ever changes in seconds. Rome was not built in a day. It takes time. We are tomorrows officers, teachers, army, council and cabinet. Why we are the tomorrow. We are the young India. We know what we want and let us not wait for it. Let us create it. Why hate politics and leave it behind? Somebody has got to change the system and let it be us. Why not follow ourselves or why not lead? Or better why dont we move together? Just like Humpty Dumptys un-birthdays in Alice and Wonderland, which re celebrated throughout the year except on the day of the birthday, we want young people to participate in democracy all year around, not Just on the day of the elections and create a participative democracy rather than a representative one. A year or a two then we are a part of it. This is the ancient land where wisdom made its home before it went into any other country. It is the same India which has withstood the shocks of centuries, of hundreds of foreign invasions of hundreds of upheavals of manners and customs. It is the same land which stands firmer than any rock in the world, with its undying vigour, indestructible life. We are the children of such a country. I am here to speak to you today about some practical things. The problems in India are more complicated, more momentous, than the problems in any other country. Race, religion, language, government † all these together make a nation. The elements which compose the nations of the world are indeed very few, taking race after race, compared to this country. Here have been the Aryan, the Dravidian, the Tartar, the Turk, the Mogul, the European † all the nations of the world, as it were, pouring their blood into this land. Of languages the most wonderful onglomeration is here; of manners and customs there is more difference between two Indian races than between the European and the Eastern races. We are taught to service, to be brave and to work for victory. Well we know what young India wants, we know why and we know what to do. Then why wait? Today itself my dear friends swear in and work for a prosperous young India. Lets not forget our pledge we take power or better or even the best. Older people believe, for reasons I cant fathom, that youth equals stupidity, when youth is really an attribute to intellect, not a detriment and let us make believe in a greater young India.

Happiness can be achieved by anyone through improvement of character, Essay

Happiness can be achieved by anyone through improvement of character, meditation, and increasing generosity and kindness - Essay Example True happiness is beyond meaning and description. In his article â€Å"Happy Like God,† Critchley emphasizes the idea of happiness as something that even the French philosopher Rousseau could hardly define. This is because the beauty of the moment of happiness is something that is only likened to â€Å"a state where the soul can find a resting-place secure enough to establish itself and concentrate its entire being there† (Critchley 449). This is actually a time where â€Å"the present runs on indefinitely† and where the past and the future do not matter yet it is something that no one can define as just the present (449). It is therefore true that â€Å"happiness is not quantitative or measurable and it is not the object of any science, old or new† (450). This means that, for Critchley, happiness is something that can never be gauged for not only does happiness depend on the person who is feeling it but also it depends on the value of the present moment a nd how each person defines that moment for him. The experience and the feeling one has naturally cannot be quantified and cannot even be expressed in words. Nevertheless, it is closest to the term â€Å"feeling of existence,† or the time when someone feels the moment that he exists and he experiences such happiness (450). Moreover, although unquantifiable, this moment of happiness is very much sufficient. In fact, Rousseau defines such a state of happiness as a God-like state: â€Å"as long as this state lasts we are self sufficient like God† (450). This is therefore the highest state of things, or the state where one does not want anything else but to be in such a feeling or such a state. Nevertheless, happiness in any form defies measurement. Happiness is also an experience of appreciation and reflection of things and people in one’s life. While Critchley and Rousseau would equate this appreciation and reflection with being alone in the experience of stillness , there were once people like the Greek philosopher Epictetus, who thought that happiness is also one’s experience of stillness but this stillness is wisdom, and such wisdom is not about being alone but being aware of how to deal with others. For Epictetus, the lack of wisdom and reason makes one either a sheep or a wild beast, which is what most people are. A sheep will naturally simply â€Å"act gluttonously†¦lewdly†¦rashly, filthily [and] inconsiderately,† while a wild beast would normally act â€Å"harmfully, passionately [and] violently† (Epictetus). The wisdom that Epictetus means must be similar to the wisdom that Rousseau realized when he thought of a God-like state of existence, only that Epictetus’ wisdom is directed towards one’s fellowman. Moreover, according to Epictetus, if people lack wisdom, they tend to worry about and change things that are beyond their control, such as â€Å"What would others think?† or â€Å"Wh at would others say if I did this?† and they then cease being happy. They do not anymore experience that blissful God-like state that Rousseau described earlier. The point of Epictetus is that no matter how intelligent or good someone is, if he does not possess wisdom, he will always be swayed by other people’s influence as well as by his opinions of the things over which he has no control. Therefore, if one lacks wisdom, one lacks contentment and happiness, and

Formal analysis of one artwork Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Formal analysis of one artwork - Essay Example Kress, He collected one of the most significant artworks of Europe and Italian renaissance and always had a vision of preserving historic artworks. This foundation supports the work of art in order to sustain history and artwork all around the world. They collect historic artworks from different places and preserve them in different museums in America. The presence of this artistic piece of artwork in this museum is also because of the foundation. The sculpture is of a virgin lady, holding a child in her hand. It is called the virgin lady with surety because she is wearing a long gown with a long belt and her head is covered with the long piece of cloth. It is said that it was compulsory for unmarried women at that period of time to wear long gowns and belts as compared to married women so that they could be judged that they are virgin and unmarried. It is the ‘cult’ of virgin –a figure of a religious personality. The sculpture comes from Troyes, a town in the province of Champagne where the examples of finest Gothic sculptures are found. The display plate also says that it is one of the finest examples of French sculptural traditions. The material used in the sculpture is limestone, the material which was famously and traditionally used in the construction of sculptures and churches all over France. Many landmarks today are made up of limestone. Usage of limestone in making of this sculpture at that point of time makes it more valuable and precious. The sculpture is an attached sculpture of two bodies. One is sculpture of a virgin girl and the other is her son which she is holding in her hand. In her other hand she is holding a flower. The child is lending his one hand towards the flower which the virgin girl is holding and the child’s other hand is broken. On the head of the virgin lady also seems that she is wearing a crown which suggests that she comes from a royal background of a religious cult. The child is also wearing a royal piece of