Suspense in The Turn of the Screw Essay Example

Suspense in The Turn of the Screw Essay Suspense in The Turn of the Screw 1 . Keep the stakes high: Throughout the novel, the governess is shown to be somewhat in love with her employer. She describes him as a gentleman in the prime of life, such a figure had never risen, save in a dream or an old novel, before a fluttered, anxious girl and goes on to say he struck her, in evitably, as gallant and splendid (4). In her perspective, she lives to please her employer by carrying out her duties successfully. Yet the ghosts pose a crisis thats devastating to the rotagonists world, and she is willing to do anything to prevent the corruption of the children from the ghosts. This mindset creates suspense and allows the readers to empathize with the governess to some point. 2. Apply pressure: As the antagonists of the novel are the ghosts that corrupt the children, the protagonist, the governess, can only be against insurmountable odds; she is fighting against supernatural beings. Yet, another element that adds to the pressure is the fact that she has nowhere to escape. Mrs. Grose points out that the master didnt like tale-bearing†he hated omplaints. He was terribly short with anything of that kind (35). This installs in the protagonist a resolution to never let this ghost troubles be known to her employer, as she admires him and wants to please him in all ways; now she has to deal with the ghosts by herself. This creates suspense in that the screw has been turned even more; she has no escape. 3. Create dilemmas. Suspense loves a dilemma: The most prominent dilemmas that first appear in the novel consist of the governess struggle with the childrens telling the truth about the ghosts Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. We will write a custom essay sample on Suspense in The Turn of the Screw specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Suspense in The Turn of the Screw specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Suspense in The Turn of the Screw specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer For example, when the governess sees that Floras little bed was empty, she catches her breath with all the terror that, five minutes before, [she] had been able to resist (55). She continuously believes that Flora and Miles are seeing the ghost but are lying to her. This creates a huge dilemma, as the governess faith towards the children is extinguished and the corruption of the children comes more near. This dilemma creates suspense and doubt at the same time, allowing the readers to ponder about the existence of the ghosts. 4. Complicate matters: The novel poses arious complications to the governess; starting with Miles letter of dismissal, the fact that the ghosts are of her predecessor and her lover, and mostly due to the fact that there are two turning of the screw, two children who are corrupted by the ghosts, heightens the complexity of matters to the governess. Everything crashes to the ground at the end of the novel, as Miles little heart, dispossessed, had stopped (117). 5. Create a really good villain: The villains of this novel are the ghost of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel, the governess predecessor. These villains, despite eing apparitions or ghosts, are highly Msible. The governess describes Peter Quints ghost vividly; He has red hair, very red, close-curling, and a pale face, long in shape, with straight rather queer whiskers that are as red as his hair (30). They seem to be rather clever and strongly motivated, and are powerful in the way that they have the ability to corrupt the children and destroy the governess new life. By creating fear in both the readers and the governess, these villains successfully create suspense throughout the novel. *Page numbers are fit to my book, which has a

Fences Vs A Lesson Before Dying essays

Fences Vs A Lesson Before Dying essays In the novels, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines and Fences by August Wilson, the characters struggle to overcome lifes difficulties and to find the true meaning of their existence by freeing themselves from their troubles. This form of self-redemption helps to renew each characters conscience and bring him or her to a new light, where they can reach the full potential of their lives. Both works of literature contain several characters that overcome lifes hardships with redemption, but the ones who make the biggest sacrifices are the most important. The two that truly redeem themselves are Grant, from A Lesson Before Dying and Rose, from Fences. In August Wilsons novel Fences, it is Rose who experiences the greatest redemption when she agrees to care for Troys daughter, Raynell. Rose experiences one of lifes worst hardships when she discovers that her husband has had an affair with another woman. When Troy admits the truth to Rose about his affair, she is heart broken and deeply hurt. Rose can not believe that after eighteen years of marriage Troy would go and do such a thing. Not only was Troy neglecting his family but he was also jeopardizing the well being of his new daughter, Raynell. It was then that Rose truly begins to see the real Troy. She sees how selfish he is for visiting the woman at his leisure just to make himself feel better. In the following line from page 78, Rose explains to Troy how he is not the only one suffering and that she too feels like she is trapped inside their small, immobile world. You not the only one whos got wants and needs. But I held on to you, Troy. Unlike Troy, Rose has accepted her current situation and has learned to deal with the problems she is faced with everyday. She has also not strayed from Troy, but has stayed in his bed. The next big problem Rose must face is what to do with the baby. On page 78, Troy uses symp ...

A paper on the slavery and discrimination throughout the history of Essay

A paper on the slavery and discrimination throughout the history of Chinese Immigration in Canada - Essay Example As such the history of Chinese immigration to Canada is a story paved with both slavery and discrimination. Discrimination as to race, age and gender are not only discouraged in Canada, it is considered criminal. The push to eradicate discrimination is so strong that even its citizens have the reputation of being exceedingly politically correct. There are even some who mock them for being ‘too friendly’ a country. But its surprising that such a tactful country, overly sensitive against discrimination has a dark past. And this is not merely the case of the citizenship oppressing certain minority group. On the contrary, it is the government who committed these act of prejudice as it actually legislated a series of discriminatory laws. But in June 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized at the Parliament for the discriminating policies imposed on Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century. "On behalf of the people and government of Canada, we offer a full apology to Chinese-Canadians for the head tax and express our deepest sorrow for the subsequent exclusion of Chinese immigrants," said Harper. (Xinhua) "We acknowledge the high cost of the head tax meant that many family members were left behind in China, never to be reunited, or that families lived apart and in some cases in extreme poverty for years," he said. It is believed that an estimate of 81,000 people paid this tax. (Xinhua) And on the day of the apology, there are about 35 survivors, 360 of their widows and fewer than 4,000 of their children. (Xinhua) Some of these survivors were present during the apology. Methodology To better understand the abovementioned apology, a research on the factual basis was necessary. Reference to news articles and news archives where made. As well as those to different sector groups. This report aims to present the discrimination suffered by the Chinese when they immigrated to Canada. Hence, after determining the historical facts, analysis of these data would proceed. And a discussion of the discrimination committed against Chinese immigrants in Canada would follow. Historical Background According to my research the following are the historical background of the immigration of Chinese nationals to Canada: The first Chinese immigrants to set foot in Canada were brought from Macao in 1788 by British explorer John Meares. And it was said that they were also the last for the next 70 years. It was thought that they married into native communities on the island and their cultural traces soon lost. (Chinese Immigration) In 1842, Britain and China entered the Treaty of Nanking where in it said that their respective subjects should enjoy full security and protection within the territory of the other. (Con) This included Canada. In the 1850's, due to the gold rush, there was an influx of Chinese immigrants in North America. But when gold was found in Frasier River in British Columbia in around 1858, these Chinese migrants headed north to Frasier Island in British Columbia. In 1860, others began to arrive in British Columbia directly from China. In 1861, a Victoria newspaper welcomed the immigrants by saying: "We have plenty of room for many thousands of Chinamen. There can be no shadow of a doubt but their industry enables them to add very largely to our own revenues." (Chinese Immigration) But they worked as cooks, launderers or as houseboys for wealthy white families. In the 1870's these immigrants were predominantly male. By 1879, the number of Chinese immigrants in the province was estimated to be 6,000. In 1880's the Canadian Pacific Railway was constructed and Chinese workers were brought to help. Between 1881 and 1884, over 15,000 Chinese came to Canada. But Chinese workers were often called on to do the more dangerous jobs. They worked with explosives, carried heavy rocks and stayed in unsafe tents. And pay was really low as compared with the

Strategic Banking Issues Regulations and Profitability Essay

Strategic Banking Issues Regulations and Profitability - Essay Example There is a host of ideas about the probable cause of the financial crisis. The classical explanation is very clear. Financial crisis are the result of monetary excesses. Monetary excesses first create boom and then there is a bust. In the crisis of 2008, we had a housing boom and bust, and these in turn led to financial turmoil in the United States and rest of the world.The monetary policy was strategically loose. The interest rate setting based on macroeconomic variables had shifted significantly from the rates prescribed by the policy makers. The Federal Reserve said that the interest rates would be low for a considerable period and then would rise at a measured pace. These actions were irregular government interventions to reduce the fear of deflation that Japan had faced in the 1990s.There are a few competing explanations for the crisis. One of the arguments is called ‘Global Savings Glut.’ Proponents of this concept argue that the low interest rates in 2002-2004 wer e caused by global factors and thus monetary authorities have nothing to do. This alternative explanation focuses on global saving. It argues that there was an excess of world saving or a ‘global saving glut’ as they say and it pushed interest rates down in the United States and other countries. But the numbers from the International Monetary Fund says a different story. The numbers tells that the global savings rate as a percentage of world’s GDP in 2002-04 was very low compared to the 1970s and 1980s.... The Federal Reserve said that the interest rates would be low for a considerable period and then would rise at a measured pace. These actions were irregular government interventions to reduce the fear of deflation that Japan had faced in the 1990s (Taylor, 2009, pp. 3-4). There are a few competing explanations for the crisis. One of the arguments is called ‘Global Savings Glut.’ Proponents of this concept argue that the low interest rates in 2002-2004 were caused by global factors and thus monetary authorities have nothing to do. This alternative explanation focuses on global saving. It argues that there was an excess of world saving or a ‘global saving glut’ as they say and it pushed interest rates down in the United States and other countries. But the numbers from the International Monetary Fund says a different story. The numbers tells that the global savings rate as a percentage of world’s GDP in 2002-04 was very low compared to the 1970s and 1980 s (Taylor, 2009, pp. 5-6). The crisis started as the fall of subprime lending market. Here the monetary interaction with the subprime mortgage problem needs to be understood. In the summer of 2007, the United States first experienced a striking contraction in wealth. The risk spread increased, and the credit market deteriorated. The 2007 United States sub-prime crisis has its roots in falling housing prices and this led to higher default levels particularly among less credit-worthy borrowers. The impact of these defaults on the financial sector has been largely exaggerated due to the complex bundling of obligations that was thought to spread risk efficiently. Unfortunately, the ensuing tools were extremely

The Future is Personalized Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Future is Personalized Medicine - Essay Example Pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics, which are expected to be at the core of PM, combine to offer several advantages over conventional clinical methods. For example, while pharmacogenomics is limited to identifyng 'inheritable response' to medication across the whole genome, pharmacogenetics studies the effects of medication at the level of individual genes (the chart below outlines how it operates). The former also tries to reveal important links between genomic patterns and clinical responses. Such links are crucial sources of medical knowledge, as they empower clinicians to choose a particular treatment option based on individual patient condition as opposed to adopting a formulaic trial-and-error approach. (Hood, 2003, p.582) The Human Genome Project (HGP), initiated and supported by former American President Bill Clinton was pivotal to subsequent breakthroughs in Personalized Medicine. With the help of advanced computing power, already more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA hav e been successfully mapped. With the completion of the HGP in 2003, new possibilities for PM have been opened up. Working expeditiously to make Personalized Medicine a reality in the near future are such organizations as the International HapMap Project, the NIH Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE), the Roadmap Epigenomics Program, etc. (Cox, et. al., 2007, p.112) In order to understand the scope and effectiveness of Personalized Medicine, let us take a hypothetical case. For instance, in the case of oncology treatment, where presently oral-intake medicines can cost hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars per year for the afflicted patient, understanding the intricate 'genetic pathways' (which is unique to each individual) is important in order to determine the probable efficacy of a particular therapy course. It is a sign of progress that in the United States today â€Å"there are 6 drugs for which FDA requires diagnostic genetic testing before prescription, about 30 for which a d iagnostic test is recommended, and another 200 with pharmacogenomic information on the labels.† (Hesselgrave, 2010, p.16) Moreover, traditional healthcare provision adopts an one-size-fits-all approach. Whereas, under Personalized Medicine, this practice will be dismantled and unique prognostic courses would be designed based on the patient's genetic make up. Powerful technologies that try to understand the working of the human body down to the cellular level will be part of future PM treatments. These technologies include genomics, proteomics (the study of proteins), and metabolomics (the study of metabolites) amongst others. Metabolomics is of special interest to physicians as it has the potential to provide key information about individual patients. While the purpose of proteomics research is to identify abnormal protein patterns in patients, the purpose of metabolomic research is to identify abnormal metabolite patterns. Scientists are of the view that human bodies contain more than 3,000 metabolites that play a crucial role in proper growth and development of various organs. Apart from these primary metabolites there are secondary metabolites which strenghthen the immune system and helps reduce mental and physical stress. Of particular interest to the medical community are low-molecular-weight metabolites

The Delivery Of Health Care Health And Social Care Essay

The Delivery Of Health Care Health And Social Care Essay I am looking into the delivery of health care in the NHS. I will be looking at the original remits of the NHS, the ideological and political context in which the NHS was formed and also looking into the governments new White Paper Liberating the NHS. Other areas I will be looking into include; the political and ethical issues that are involved in the inequalities in provision and access to health care services as well as looking at how the NHS works with e the private sectors. Looking firstly at the NHS and the original remits, the NHS was formed/established in 1948, It come out of a long held ideal that food healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth or the ability to pay. It was established by Aneurin Bevam who was at the time health secretary. The formation of the NHS marked the start of the health service; it was the first time that doctors. Hospitals, nurses, pharmacists, opticians and dentist were brought together under one umbrella organisation. The main principles were that it was free, and it would be financed entirely from taxation, this meant that people pay into it according to their means. From the cradle to the grave This was one of the original ideas of the NHS; it would give/provide medical assistance all through a person life. The NHS was set up just after the 2nd world war and people badly needed medical help and assistance. 60 years ago medication and treatment was seen a s a source or real worry to many families and something that could not of been afforded. Other remits were that anyone living in the country and visiting could see a GP/Doctor and go the hospital for free. Before this people simply didnt go to the doctors, they couldnt afford it and would rely on home remedies and the charity of doctors giving free advice and help. If we look at the three core principles that the NHS was built on, these were; that it needs to meet the needs of everyone, that its free at the point of delivery and that is be based on clinical need, not ability to pay.(http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/about/Pages/ nhscoreprinciples.aspx).In July 2000, the NHS was modernised and new programmes were brought in, these required that The NHS provide a wider more comprehensive range of services, the NHS will meet the needs of individuals, their families and there carers. There were also other new programmes brought in looking at improving the NHS and how it operated as a whole. The new White Paper Liberating the NHS (2010) is the governments long term vision for the future of the NHS. It sets out that they will put patients at the heart of everything the NHS does, focus on continually improving those things that really matter (i.e. patients and the public) and finally, empower and liberate clinicians to innovate, with the freedom to focus on improving healthcare services. The government also has other key strategies: We will increase health spending in real terms in each year of this Parliament. Our goal is an NHS which achieves results that are amongst the best in the world. Putting patients and public first We will put patients at the heart of the NHS, through an information revolution and greater choice and control Improving healthcare outcomes To achieve our ambition for world-class healthcare outcomes, the service must be focused on outcomes and the quality standards that deliver them. The Governments objectives are to reduce mortality and morbidity, increase safety, and improve patient experience and outcomes for all. Autonomy, accountability and democratic legitimacy The Governments reforms will empower professionals and providers, giving them more autonomy and, in return, making them more accountable for the results they achieve, accountable to patients through choice and accountable to the public at local level. Cutting bureaucracy and improving efficiency The NHS will need to achieve unprecedented efficiency gains, with savings reinvested in front-line services, to meet the current financial challenge and the future costs of demographic and technological change Conclusion: making it happen We will maintain constancy of purpose. This White Paper is the long-term plan for the NHS in this Parliamentary term and beyond. We will give the NHS a coherent, stable, enduring framework for quality and service improvement. The debate on health should no longer be about structures and processes, but about priorities and progress in health improvement for all. (http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_117794.pdf) The proposal of the white paper is that as much as 80% of the NHS budget will be in the hands of family doctors by 2013. Many people feel that these changes are effectively being introduced without any real testing to see if they will work or if they will actually bring around better care for patients. GPs will take over from primary care trusts and purchase large chunks of care such as hospital admissions and out of hour care. The areas they will not be responsible for will fall under the care of local authorities. Englands 35,000 family doctor practices will form themselves into about 500 consortia, based on geographical area. So they could be responsible for patient populations as large as one million and as small as 100,000. They will either manage themselves or, more likely, will take on managers from the PCTs and strategic health authorities, which are also being abolished. Alternatively, they can take on a private company to manage them, and there are several waiting in the wi ngs for his opportunity. Hospitals will all be required to become foundation trusts by 2014, giving them more autonomy and freedom as to how they provide their services. They can also borrow money without asking the Treasury, and Mr Lansley is very keen that many form themselves into mutual trusts a lot like John Lewis, in which staff run the centre. Some people believe that this could all lead to the privatisation of the NHS. The new government is allowing them opportunities to step into the new regime. GPs may now have to take back the responsibilities of out of hour care. The new regime No decision about me, without me is at the heart of the white paper. What is not clear is what happens when a profit is made or, equally, when a deficit is run up. Patients should have more choices and patients will now be asked how their experience was during their care. (http://www.channel4.com/news/nhs-white-paper-liberating-the-health-service) The main benefits that should be seen from this is that GPs will know there patients on a more personal level, they will make logical decisions. It will bring costs down such as pharmaceuticals and prevent the NHS going further into debt. It will also stop them from working towards incentives. However only one in four of Britains doctors thinks the governments controversial NHS shake-up will improve patient care, according to the biggest survey of medical opinion since ministers unveiled their radical reforms. Andrew Lansleys belief that the most far-reaching changes to the service in its 62-year history will lead to higher standards is shared by only 23% of doctors There is some good news for Lansley in the poll. Of the GPs, 62% thought there were family doctors in their locality who could lead the new commissioning consortiums. And 40% of all the doctors believed the reforms would encourage closer working between GPs and their hospital colleagues (though 37% disagreed). (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/24/nhs-white-paper-doctors-survey) Political and ethical issues surrounding the inequalities in providing access to health services, in 1999 labour that were in government set up NICE (National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence). They decide what medicines should be available to the NHS. They work out whether a drug is worth paying for, weighing up its costs against the benefit it is likely to bring. They also consider is drugs or treatments will benefits patients, will help the NHS meet its targets, for example by improving cancer survival rates, Is value for money, or cost effective. The government developed NICE to get rid of the post code lottery where some drugs and treatments were available in some parts of the country, but not in others. Its worth knowing that they fund the majority of drugs they assess. Since they started in 2002, they have funded 7 out of 10 (70%) of the cancer drugs theyve assessed. However a report Exceptional Progress has found there is controversy surrounding NICE. Patients are being denied access to drugs for rarer cancers because the NHS treatment watchdog is acting contrary to the recommendations of a government inquiry, a report claims today. (NICE) is failing to follow the spirit of guidelines designed to improve access to end-of-life cancer treatments. It claims that as many as 16,000 patients have been denied access to drugs because the watchdog had concluded unfairly that they did not meet the criteria for consideration, or they were deemed too expensive without proper negotiation with pharmaceutical companies. It is unacceptable that many thousands of patients are still missing out on the treatment they need, and which their doctors want to give them, because NICE has decided that their treatment does not meet some arbitrary criteria, Mr Wilson said. He added that NICE was failing to assess drugs quickly enough taking 21 months to appraise new canc er drugs, rather than the six months promised by ministers by 2010. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article7061769.ece) This is against the original ethics that the NHS was set up for; some patients are missing out on drugs which could be of immense benefit to them. An example of this is patient inequality in Essex where a doctor treating three people for exactly the same eye disease, treats each differently because they live in three different areas. One of the three is getting Lucentis the drug tailored to treat their condition, the second receives a drug which was not designed to treat the eye condition; but which does the job at a much smaller price, while the third is left with no drug therapy at all. The programme also spoke to best-selling author Terry Pratchett who has been forced to look elsewhere for Aricept, the Alzheimers medicine denied to him by the NHS. NICE ruled that Aricept should be limited through the NHS to people in the later stages of the disease and Pratchett is still in the early stages of PCA, an early-onset form of Alzheimers which he was diagnosed with in 2007. The author n ow pays for the drug himself which he says has been vital in allowing him to cope with the symptoms of his condition, and says that not making it available earlier to other sufferers who cannot afford to pay is an insult which needs to be re-thought. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/7563701.stm) There are big gaps between regions and areas; in some cases the north is better at treating certain conditions than the south and vice versa. A report by the Daily Mail shows how Statistics showed the average waiting time from seeing a GP to having an operation was 180 days in the Trent region, 182 days in the Northern and Yorkshire regions and 193 days in the North West. But patients must wait for 217 days in the South East, 207 days in London and 206 days in the Eastern region. There was a rise of 1.6 days in delays on average in the South East compared with the same time last year. In the same, period delays fell by 8.7 days in Trent and the North West. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-70414/North-south-divide-NHS-waiting-times.html) Finding a dentist is becoming more and more difficult. There is a culture of drill and fill, but because dentists receive a flat salary they no longer have any financial incentive to carry out difficult work such as crowns and bridges. An NHS dentist recently resigned due to stupid system that requires him to complete 49 units of dental activity a day to fulfil his NHS contract and get paid. Under the contract, check-ups count as one unit, minor dental work and fillings no matter how many are three, while more complicated procedures can be worth up to 12. Disillusioned, he has decided to give up his practice in Penzance, Cornwall, and take early retirement, leaving his 4,000 patients without an NHS dentist in an area where 20,000 already cannot find one. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-484066/Dentist-fed-drill-targets-quits-NHS.html) This again goes against the principles both politically and ethically. The NHS was set up to be free and give everyone the same level of treatment and help regardless of wealth. However these few examples show how it is people with money are gaining in healthcare and the NHS is stopping treatments and drugs due to financial funding, meaning that patients are losing out on much needed treatment because the government decided that its not cost effective. This is wrong ethically because you are putting a price on a persons life. Over the years healthcare has become more of a business and we are seeing more privatisation coming in. the post code lottery proves that money is at the heart of decisions on whether a patient is seen to and how they are treated. The NHS works with private sectors and third sectors to deliver better outcomes and services for patients who come first. They play an extremely important role in helping the NHS in providing much needed services. Private sectors not only help in hospital but also with services in the local community. One of there aims is to cut hospital admissions, an example of this is A private sector provider in Sheffield has installed electronic monitors in the homes of people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, allowing them to reduce visits to hospital by 50 per cent. Another is A private sector company in Poole has put under one roof a GP surgery, a pharmacy, an optician and services for physiotherapy, back pain and podiatry. (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/public_sector/article7050344.ece) There is also other instances were GPs have used private sectors not only to provide patients with a better service but to reduce costs. A patient in Bexley Kent needed a scan for his heart condition; this would normally mean he would be sent to his local hospital in Kent. However he picked up from his souse and was sent to a private hospital in London. The bill for this bespoke service is picked up by Peter Aylotts local primary care trust in Bexley. In the past eight months it has sent more than 80 patients to Harley Street for these scans. The alternative was to have an angiogram were 1 in 500 patients suffer a heart attack or a stroke. The scan is also cheaper, says Dr Kostas Manis, a GP in Bexley. The angiogram is  £1,300 in the NHS, and the private clinic scanner is  £900 and were negotiating to bring the figure down to  £600. This shows how the NHS working with private sectors helps not only patients in that they get a quicker appointment but they also get something that is much more beneficial and safer to them. It also allows the patients to see a specialist for longer, rather than the normal 5 10 minutes they get to see the Doctor for up to half an hour. This is truly putting the patient first, it does however, have financial benefits to it, and it reduces costs to the local GPs and makes managing their budgets much easier. Faced with a  £20m deficit in 2007, the primary care trust decided to hand over the bulk of commissioning power to GPs. They now control 70% of the  £150m budget for Bexley. This all looks good, patients get a quicker appointment, its better and more tailored to their needs and it reduces the cost of the local primary care trust, meaning that the community has more money to spend in other areas. There is also consequences however of GPs turning to private sectors. Looking at this same example, the local hospital in Kent Queen Marys hospital in Sidcup, will now lose out on patients going there for this condition, meaning that the hospital has less money coming in and could see them have a long term shortfall in revenue. There are plans by the Government to permit hospitals to compete on price for the first time, raising the prospect of two-for-one deals on surgery and cut-rate consultations for certain specialties. This will come into effect from next April. Prices for operations and other treatments are currently fixed by the Department of Health and hospital trusts are only permitted to compete on quality, offering better outcomes, cleaner wards or sho rter waiting times to win contracts from GPs. The risk is that some hospitals may lower their prices, which will be superficially appealing, but offer a less good operation and GP commissioners may not be able to spot that it is less good.

Stride Gum

Is It Ridiculously Long Lasting? In the recent Stride commercial, Shaun White endorses their new Whitemint flavored gum. The advertisement’s main purpose is to promote the gum by creating an ironic situation that grasps the audience’s attention with a humorous tone. Without stressing the product so heavily, they provide a less demanding approach for the audience to buy their product. The advertisement promotes the gum as ridiculously long lasting. Although, throughout the commercial, the marketer’s debate over solutions for the consumers to chew another piece.By the end of the commercial they come up with the solution for consumers to either â€Å"Spit it out. or Yeti will find you. † Stride Gum Inc. uses irony, social appeals, and tropes to lure the audience. The ironic situation in the Stride Gum commercial is how it is an advertisement within an advertisement. Obviously an advertisement’s purpose is to promote a specific product. But in this adve rtisement, it shows the marketing professionals for Stride Gum deciding on ways to promote their product. It is ironic to see a commercial that is about their company making their commercial.Another ironic appeal is Stride Gum’s use of a yeti. At the end of the commercial, Shaun White comes up with an idea to get the consumers to chew another piece and quickly gets on his phone. Suddenly, a giant yeti comes barging in the meeting room and punches the head-marketing executive in the gut, forcing his gum to shoot out of his mouth. The audience clearly knows a yeti would never come force their gum out by punching them in the stomach, let alone even encountering a yeti. This sets a humorous tone for the audience to relate to which increases their interest for the product.Another tool Stride Gum incorporates is their usage of a social appeal. In their commercial, Stride features Olympic gold medalist Shaun White. Just this year Shaun White was named the second most powerful athlet e behind Peyton Manning. Not only is White a tremendous snowboarder and skateboarder, he has become a celebrity and role model for the youth culture. Stride purposely uses Shaun White to target the youth audience because of his friendly face, personality, athletic ability, and popularity.Once the youth audience sees him on TV, they instantly feel a connection that the older generation cannot relate to. Being a popular hit for sports and role modeling for the fans, White makes Stride Gum a sure way to instant marketability. Lastly, Stride Gum uses the appeal through tropes to capture the audience. The first trope used for the Whitemint flavored gum commercial is, â€Å"The ridiculously long lasting gum. † When they first advertise this gum as long lasting, Stride’s main purpose is to suede the audience in believing their gum lasts longer than other competing products.But throughout the commercial the main concern for the marketers changes into getting the consumer to ch ew another piece. The change is ironic to see because at the beginning Stride really wants the audience to believe their gum is ridiculously long lasting. But by the end of the commercial, they act like the viewers have already believed their long lasting flavor proposal. This then puts the stress on the idea that the marketers are trying to find a way to get the consumers to stop chewing it and get another piece.By using these two different tropes, it represents Stride as being confident that their gum is long lasting, and its so long lasting they have to find a way for people to spit it out and chew another piece. By the end of the commercial the slogans change from â€Å"the ridiculously long lasting gum† to â€Å"spit it out, or Yeti will find you. † Stride purposely changes the tropes because they want the audience to believe that the Stride marketers have perfected long lasting gum. They now want the viewers to believe their Whitemint gum is so long lasting that they are facing the issue of getting the consumers to chew another piece.With the use of transforming tropes, social, and ironic appeals, Stride Gum Inc. attracts the audience’s interest and attention. Shaun White and the yeti implement a humorous tone that coincides with the ironic situation that appeals to the youth culture. Also, switching up the tropes sways the viewers to fully believe Stride Gum’s advertisement due to the confidence displayed by Stride in the commercial. By applying multiple appeals into their commercial, Stride Whitemint flavored gum is advertised effectively to sway the younger generation’s interest to consume their product.

Philosophical View of the Little Prince Essay

Sartre believes that most relationship start out not because they are attracted to one another, but it is because of how one makes the other feel about himself/herself by how the other looks at him/her. They need each other in order to see themselves by basing it on the look of the other. This arrangement is often mistakenly known as love but it is really just both participants being enslaved by the look of the other that they feel the need to prove that they have control over the look. According to Sartre, love is the first attitude that one develops towards the other. But with this so-called â€Å"love†, one tries to understand the other’s freedom while also trying to preserve his freedom, thus creating conflict between the two participants. The paper will focus on love and the self-other relation through the story of the Little Prince. Through this book, the real essence of love is to be explained in line with the self-other relation. The concept of â€Å"The Lookâ €  will be used to explain the conflict of the characters in the story, especially the story of the rose and the Little Prince. â€Å"The Look† is to see yourself how others see you. You are conscious of your existence because you are aware that others see you. The book of The Little Prince tells us the story of a pilot who crashed and was stranded in the desert – which is also a personal experience of the author – where he meets the Little Prince. The Little Prince tells the pilot about his journeys and his experiences. The paper intends to tackle love and the self-other relation through the Little Prince, The Little Prince’s journeys, and the Pilot himself. In relation to love and the self-other relation, the story of the rose and the Little Prince is a good example to explain the real essence of love. The Little Prince’s love for his planet is to be given emphasis in this paper in line with him being the caretaker of it. Also, the paper will talk about the journey of the Little Prince and use this to explain why adults do not see what is deep inside but sees what is on the surface. The Pilot’s low opinion of adults will be explained through the self-other relation based on the experiences of the Little Prince in his journey. Lastly, the conversation between the fox and the Little Prince will be singled out to full answer and explain why we are responsible for the one/s we love. â€Å"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.† Using the quote, the real essence of love is to be explained and reason out the conflicting feelings of the Little Prince towards the rose before and after his conversation with the fox. HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE ROSE TO THE LITTLE PRINCE? WHY DID THE LITTLE PRINCE LEAVE HIS PLANET? The Little Prince sees himself as the caretaker of Asteroid B-612 because that is his home. The asteroid is so tiny that he can watch the sunset forty-four times in a single day. His whole existence, his life has been nothing but a bore, doing the same thing every single day. He watches every seed that sprouts out of the ground making sure that those seeds are not Baobabs and are not a threat to his home. He does nothing but makes sure that the Baobabs are taken out every time they start to sprout so that they would not destroy his home. Until one day, a peculiar seed shot up from the ground and he worried that this might be a new kind of Baobabs but it ended up being a flower he has never seen before; a rose so beautiful that he could not restrain his admiration. For the first time, he felt like he had another purpose in the planet and that is to love and protect the rose from harm. The Little Prince took care of the rose by watering it, protecting it from the wind, and from other p otential harm. Through the rose, the Little Prince saw himself as something much more than he was before the rose came. It was like the rose gave him another reason to exist. He needed the rose to realize his own importance and to seek another meaning for his existence. For example, when Lestat turned Louis into a vampire, he was happy because he found a friend, he knew that Louis needed him and that gave his vampire-existence meaning. Louis needed Lestat as a friend, as a teacher, and a lover. A friend in terms of giving each other company, as a teacher since he is new to this life, and a lover because Lestat makes and tells Louis that he is a beautiful creature – no one is to be compared to Louis beauty. Lestat, knowing that Louis needs him, makes him feel like he is important and suddenly, there is more than just being a vampire. In relation to the story of the Little Prince and the rose, the Little Prince felt his importance because he knew that the rose needed him to survive. Without him, the cold winds of the night would just take the rose away, ending its life. The Little Prince knew this so he took care of the rose very well because he cannot afford to lose the rose. He was attached to it and he knew that he loved the rose. The rose makes him feel very special and he sees himself as the caretaker of it because the rose sees him as its caretaker. He finds the definition of his being through the rose and when he started doubting the rose because he caught it lying, he also doubted his being. He felt like that him, being the caretaker and the lover of the rose, is not the real him because the rose lied to him and the rose could be lying to him the whole time. He could not see himself as the caretaker, the friend, and the lover of the rose because he also started doubting himself when he started doubting the rose. He also questioned his â€Å"love† for the rose and said â€Å"†¦but I was too young to know to love her†. He started doubting his knowledge about love when at the start, it was already evident that he knew about love because of how he took care of his planet and the more when the rose arrived. He saw himself as the rose saw him so when the rose lied to him, he saw himself as nothing. He felt like the rose didn’t see him as someone special because it lied to him and so he saw himself as nothing special. This led him to leave his dear planet but he didn’t leave without putting everything in order. Even before it leaving it, he still showed love for his planet and to the rose even if he himself doubts his own love. He needed to see himself in another way aside from how the rose sees him and he hoped to find this through his journey. WHY DO ADULTS TEND TO SEE WHAT IS ON THE SURFACE INSTEAD OF WHAT LIES BENEATH ACCORDING TO THE PILOT? HOW IS THIS EVIDENT BASED ON THE LITTLE PRINCE’S JOURNEYS? â€Å"I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.† The Pilot’s notion about the adults never changed. He always sees adults as ones who need constant explanations for them to be able to understand things. The adults only see what they think is important to society and they tend to neglect what is deep inside. Take the Turkish astronomer for an example, when he presented his findings in his local attire, the adults made fun of him and did not believe him. But when he changed what he was wearing into something more acceptable and presented the exact same thing, the adults believed him and accepted his findings. The Turkish changed his appearance because he needed the society to accept him and for this to happen, he needed to change. He saw himself as someone worthless and someone to be made fun of just because the others saw his works worthless and made fun of him. He was not a Turkish astronomer without his audience accepting his works. Also, in the Little Prince’s journey where he met the King. The King saw himself as the King of everything because he believes that that is his purpose. His commands are already what the people are expected to do. He sees himself as king because he thinks that he controls the stars, by commanding them to shine, and they do of course because they are stars – but the stars, being the other, is a very important factor in the King’s self because through the stars â€Å"obeying† his command, he believes that he has rule over them, therefore he is king. Same as the other people or things he thinks that he has control over just because he is already commanding them something they are supposed to do. The Little Prince’s visit on the planet of the conceited man was very short for the conceited man does not know anything but to be admired. Without his admirers, he is nothing. To be able to be vain, he needed constant admiration from the visitors of his planet. The Little Prince simply did not understand why the conceited man needed to be admired. The Tippler, on the other hand, cannot live without his bad drinking habits because that is what makes him the â€Å"tippler†. If he chose not to drink ever again, then he would no longer need alcohol and then he would lose sense of what he really is for being a tippler is what he has been his whole life. The businessman, who counted stars because he thinks that by doing this he owns them and could buy more if any are to be discovered, knew nothing but to count stars. Again, without the stars, he is nothing. There is nothing else to count that would require a lifetime. He found his being through the stars and by doing so, he felt like he owned the stars and is responsible for them. By doing so, he took away his own freedom by obsessing over the stars and letting the stars control his life. The Little Prince’s visit to the lamp lighter was different because according to him, the lamp lighter was not absurd like the others. The lamp lighter was faithful to his orders and he knew what he was doing and it served a purpose. To light the lamp at night means to give light in darkness, and to put it out in daylight because there already is light. The lamp lighter’s lamp is the Little Prince’s rose. The lamp lighter is responsible for the lamp the same way the Little Prince is responsible for his rose. The geographer was just like the others whose job is a little bit absurd. He is a geographer but has not explored any planet, even his. He just sat behind his desk and writes whatever his explorers have for him. All of the Little Prince’s visits, the adults spoke of the same thing: â€Å"matters of consequence†. The adults only saw what is important to the eye because through this, they find themselves important too. They think of the material things because this has value – concrete value – and to own something with great value means being one of great value too. This is all evident because they are all concerned with matters of consequence. The adults do not see what is beneath because they worry about how caring about something foolish would make them foolish and they cannot let see others see them foolish because then, being foolish would be their identifier. The adults concern themselves with only important things so that others would see them as important and they only see themselves as important because others see them that way. WHY ARE WE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ONE/S WE LOVE? †The Little Prince asked,â€Å" What is it to tame?† The fox replies, â€Å"It is to establish ties†¦ to me, you are nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys and I have no need of you†¦ But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in the entire world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world.†Ã¢â‚¬  In this dialogue between the fox and the Little Prince, the fox explains to the Little Prince the value of taming one. He explained that through taming, you are able to establish a relationship with each other. Because of this, the Little Prince was enlightened on how the rose is still unique even if he found a garden of rose in the desert. He took care of the rose until it grew and they established a relationship. They needed each other. The Little Prince needed the rose because he was the one who nurtured it and the rose needed the Little Prince because it needs someone to nurtur e itself. He realized that all the other roses are â€Å"beautiful but empty†. He knew that his rose is beautiful and unique because they share something that the other roses do not have. They have love for each other and they have given each other the gift of friendship. His love makes him responsible for the rose because it was his love for it that started the attachment. He encouraged the rose to depend on him and by showing it that he will always be there to protect and nurture it, hence him being responsible for it’s safety and existence. When you start to love someone, by showing your care and affection for him/her, you are somehow taming him/her, therefore making you responsible for him/her. With this realization, the Little Prince was happy because he knew that what the rose told him was not really a lie and so he saw himself again as someone special; special because he is responsible for the rose, which is of great value for him for he has tamed it. Not only did the Little Prince learn about the important of his rose and his own importance, he also learned about love. The thing he thought he was too young to know of, is now something he knows best about. â€Å"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.† The Little Prince’s mind is now clear of his doubts for the rose. He now knows why the rose is very important to him. â€Å"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.† â€Å"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose.† The Little Prince kept repeating this to himself so that he would no longer forget and doubt the rose’s uniqueness, causing him to also forget and doubt his. CONCLUSION Love and the self-other relation was the explained through the story of The Little Prince. Three main arguments were presented: (1) the rose’s importance to the Little Prince and his reason for leaving his planet, (2) the probable reason why adults only see what is on the exterior and not what is inside, and (3) to give explanation on our responsibility towards the people we love. To explain the rose’s importance to the Little Prince, the Little Prince as the caretaker of his planet was used to why the rose’s existence changed his. He was just a simple prince; taking care of his planet until a flower of such beauty arrived and he had another purpose in the planet. This newfound purpose was used to elaborate why the Little Prince felt the need to leave his planet and clear his mind of his doubts. The journey of the Little Prince and his stories about the different habitants of each planet he visited were used to reason out the adults’ way of perceiving things, in line with the self-other relation and through the use of â€Å"The Look†. Finally, the last part of the paper explains one’s responsibility for the things or people he/she loves through the wise words of the fox to the Little Prince. The quote, â€Å"you become responsible for what you have tamed†, was used to explain why exactly are you responsible for it by aligning it with why the rose is that much of important to the Little Prince. In summary, love and the self-other relation are closely related because â€Å"love† is the first attraction that develops towards the other. Some just find conflict with the other because they let the look consume their freedom too much that they often confuse their feelings for it for something else. References: 1. Antoine de Saint-Exupà ©ry, The Little Prince (London: Egmont Books Limited, 2002), 5-89. 2. Noelle L. de la Cruz, Sartre on being-for-others & Interview with a Vampire (1994) (presentation at De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines, November 19, 2012). 3. Foxfoo, The Little Prince-Personal Footnotes, http://foxfoo.blogspot.com/2008/01/little-prince-personal-footnotes.html (January, 2008).

Essay on Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care

Essay on Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care Essay on Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care Essay on Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social CareMy personal values and principles influence consistently my contribution to work in the health and social care setting.As for my personal contribution to the support of people experiencing significant life events, I would place emphasis on the fact that I still expect to make a possibly greater contribution because I have a limited experience so far. Nevertheless, I have always been concerned with the adequate fulfilment of my professional duties and the effective help and support being provided for people experiencing difficult and significant life events.My experience of contribution to the development of my professional skills and abilities but also it was a valuable personal experience. In this regard, I believe my efforts to provide patients counselling services were particularly useful and important. Often clients just needed to have someone to talk to and my listening skills have proved to be very helpful since clients could talk to me and share their problems with me that brought them relief.At the same time, my culture and experience have had a considerable impact on my support of people experiencing significant life events. For instance, I have the experience of difficult life events in my childhood, when my parents divorced, and that experience has proved to be very helpful for me since I could understand sufferings and psychological conditions of individuals experiencing similar life events.My cultural values and norms imply that we should provide the support for people in troubles and these cultural norms also contributed to my support of people experiencing significant life events.On the other hand, I found out that I was still vulnerable to certain biases, when I have just started working with clients. For instance, at first, I believed that people are responsible for their position and success in the life, but, in the course of my work with people experiencing significant li fe events has changed my attitude and views. To put it more precisely, I have eventually found out that people are not always capable to control what is going on to their life. In this respect, my experience of work with a veteran of the War in Iraq, who has suffered severe injuries and remained disabled, was particularly important for me and change of my values and views. After his return home, he slept to alcoholism, which I still believe was his personal problem to a significant extent, but what occurred to me is the fact that we are also responsible for his degradation because, upon his return back home, he has not got proper health and social care. Moreover, even when I started to work with him, I found out that he is not really confident in me and I understood why. The reason was my very formal approach to the client was my conversation with him. Once, I found him disappointed because of the loss of his favourite football team and that was my favourite team too. Then we starte d talking in a friendly manner discussing the team and talking about football at large and I immediately noticed the change in the client. He became friendly and more confident in me.In the course of my work, I found out that my cultural values and norms basically coincide with those of the health and social care environment, where I worked. First of all, I strongly believe that the client’s health and well-being should be the primary concern and the culture of the organisation, where I worked, stands on the ground of the client-centred approach.Furthermore, I believe that professionals working in the health and social care should take the full responsibility for their actions and the cultural environment, where I worked, made this belief even stronger because I found out how significant actions and decisions of professionals working in the health and social care are.At the same time, I still keep progressing and focus on my personal and professional development. I expand my knowledge and develop new skills and abilities. In such a situation, I believe new experience and my professional as well as personal development can contribute to the improvement of my professional performance and make my contribution to the support of people experiencing significant life events even larger. For instance, the development of my communication skills has increased the effectiveness of my performance and facilitated my interaction with clients. Now, I am fully aware of the cultural diversity of the organisational environment, where I work, and it helps me to stand on the tolerant ground to avoid offenses or inappropriate behaviour in relation to my clients.In this regard, I would just suggest several recommendations for improving the support available in health and social care organisations for individuals and their social networks experiencing significant life events. First, I would recommend focusing on the development of the closer interpersonal interaction and rela tions between health and social care professionals and patients. In this regard, health and social care professionals should know the cultural background of their clients, what their health problem is and what social environment they live in. Second, I would recommend enhancement of the communication and interaction between health care and social care professionals because often communication gaps between them emerge that has a negative impact on the quality of health and social care services.Task 2My work in the health and social care environment was a valuable experience for e because it contributed to my professional as well as personal development. In this regard, my role comprised elements of both health and social care, although I performed functions of a health care professional mainly. However, in the course of my work, I found out that I should not only provide my clients with basic health care services but also with their social support. For instance, some clients needed t o talk to me, even if the issues they talked about were irrelevant to their health. Therefore, they rather looked for the social support than for the immediate resolution of their health problems.My experience of working in the health and social care setting has revealed the fact that some of my skills still need consistent improvements, while those skills I have at the moment have proved to be very helpful for my professional performance and further development.On analyzing my strengths, I would single out several key strengths that have proved to be particularly helpful in the course of my work in the health and social care setting. First, I have well-developed communication skills, which have proved to be very helpful in the course of my work in the health and social care environment. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that communication skills helped me to establish positive relations with clients and provide them not only with health care but also with counselling s ervice. Second, my theoretical knowledge in health and social care were also important strengths that helped me to perform successfully. My theoretical knowledge laid the ground for the development of practical skills and experience. The enhancement of my professional skills in the course of my work was facilitated by my theoretical knowledge in the field of health and social care.Essay on Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care part 2

History of Cigarettes essays

History of Cigarettes essays Tobacco was first introduced to Western Society in the 16th Century. There is evidence that the herb was being used in Asia and Northern America for centuries before its introduction to European explorers. Christopher Columbus said that he witnessed the great use of tobacco among the Native Americans when he discovered America in the late 15th Century but there is evidence of earlier explorers having seen that before Columbus. French explorer Jacques Cartier wrote the first report of early experimentation by Europeans, describing how he had smoked tobacco with Native Americans while in the Americas. The Europeans were amazed by the American Indian culture that told of tobacco being used as a medicine to cure mental and physical problems (i.e. sexually transmitted diseases) when it was first introduced in Europe. In England and France, tobacco was seen as a privilege because of the tales of Sir Walter Raleigh, which convinced even the queen to start smoking. In the US, tobacco farming grew greatly, because it was the preferred way to trade with Europe for their manufactured goods. Because of this, methods had to be developed to make tobacco survive days by ship across the seas, so the early settlers developed fire-curing and later charcoal curing which made it keep its taste and be able to last longer. Tobacco was introduced into Europe in the mid-16th Century, France in 1556, then Portugal in 1558, Spain 1559 and England in 1565 then it just spread to all In many Indian cultures, tobacco was used in religious practices. The smell of the smoke from burning tobacco leaves was an incense for offerings to the gods. Augurs and sooth-sayers observed the motions of tobacco sparks and smoke to try to foretell the future. In many tribes of North America, ...

Case Study on Profitability Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Study on Profitability - Assignment Example Thus the decrease in operating profit margin indicates that operating expenses of Deutsche Brauerei rise faster than its sales, which can be clearly seen from exhibit 1: 48.4% increase in sales against 49.5% increase in operating expenses. In turn this means Deutsche Brauerei now has less flexibility in determining prices, and therefore less safety in tough economic times. The ratio of income taxes to earnings before taxes has also increased to 39.5% in 1999 and 39% in 2000 from 33.8% in 1997 and 34.5% in 1998. From exhibit 1 we can see that taxable income increase steadily over years (which can be explained by unstable economic situation in Ukraine), while earnings before taxes grow slower. Consequently return on sales, which shows the operational efficiency of the company dividing earnings before tax by total sales, has decreased from 4% in 1998 (before default) to 2.8% in 1999 leveling the breakdown to 3.2% in 2000. Still shareholders' equity continues to increase shifting the return on equity ratio up to 10.3% in 2000 - the highest measure for four years; the business looks good from this perspective. Return on net assets which is equal to net income divided by fixed assets and net working capital also shows signs of healthy performance increasing to 8.4% in 2000 6.9% in previous year. The return on assets ratio have returned to its value in 1998 - 4.7% - indicating that a company puts its assets to good use when restoring profitability after economic breakdown in former USSR region. As can be seen from the exhibit 1, sales in Germany have been increasing slowly over the last four years, while the main stake was made on the Ukrainian market. Therefore changes in profitability of DB are greatly affected by local economic climate, which was very unstable these years. Although experiencing difficulties in generating profit, DB has made a successful recover from economic difficulties of the year 1998. Leverage Leverage ratios determine the company's long-term solvency. "Financial leverage is the name given to the impact on returns of a change in the extent to which the firm's assets are financed with borrowed money." (Scott, 1998) For instance debt/equity ratio shows how much money the company can safely borrow over long-terms and it is measured with dividing the total debt with total equity. The debt/equity ratio for DB has fallen from 72.3% in 1997 to 66% in 2000. The company has borrowed funds in 1997 making investments into Ukrainian market, which is the reason of such high debt/equity ratio in 1997. It is decreasing along with debt/total capital ratio (long-term debt/ long term-debt + shareholder's equity), which was 39.8% in 2000 comparing to 41.9% in 1997. This is a good sign of increasing long-term solvency. EBIT/interest ratio, which shows how many times the company can cover its obligations was rather stable during the last three years (4.7 in 1999, 2000, 4.8 in 1998) increasing significantly from 3.8 in 1997. The company has significantly decreased its debt in 1998, which was reflected in the increased solvency in the last three years. Asset Utilization The efficiency of the business is measured by asset usage ratios. Asset utilization ratios are especially important for internal monitoring concerning performance over multiple periods, serving as warning signals or benchmarks from which meaningful conclusions may be reached on operational issues (Blok and Hirt, 2005). Asset turnover is one of the most important

The History of Sugar and Its Influence Assignment - 1

The History of Sugar and Its Influence - Assignment Example In seeking to integrate with such an understanding and leverage a further realization for how current society ingests larger and larger amounts of sugar, as well as the ways in which societal stakeholders can seek to lessen the impacts of sugar consumption, the August 2013 issue of National Geographic features a cover story that is entitled â€Å"Sugar (A Not so Sweet Love Story)†. The following analysis will seek to derail the discussion and summary of the analysis which the author performs. It is the hope of this student that such a summary will be useful in helping not only to understand the key points of the authors argument but also with regards to utilizing these understandings and prescriptions for a better life and an overall decrease in the level of obesity and health impacts that the consumption of too much sugar has been tied to. Firstly, the author traces the history of how sugar came to be introduced to the West and subsequently the remainder of the world. As with so many inventions and development in human history, the spread of Empire was ultimately the vehicles through which most of the world came to integrate with the consumption of sugar. The author indicates that era conquerors were the first to spread an awareness and appreciation for sugar and the lands that they conquered. In comparing to the spread of sugar throwing paint at a fan, the author discusses the way through which an appreciation of refined sugar and the means through which it can be added to see dishes and ingredients as a means of making things tastier, the author points to how the spread of sugar into the West was first evidenced around 500 B.C.E. him from this point, sugar production spread into much of the Western world and was incorporated into the diet of individuals; albeit to a much lesser degree that it is within the current ti me.