REVISION OF PROBLEM GAMBLING

REVISION OF PROBLEM GAMBLING Introduction Gambling involves three things the stakes, the prizes and the result. The stakes include things of value that are placed by the parties involved. The prize is the valuable thing that participants opt to win after betting. The result is the outcome of the event that determines who wins and who loses (Fabiansson, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Revision of Problem Gambling specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Any activity involving the three aspects is gambling. Some examples of gambling events betting such as horse races or sporting events; playing casino games for money; buying lottery tickets; participation in prize-draws and newspaper competitions (Collins, 2003, p. 15). How gambling has evolved Over the past century and a half, gambling has evolved from being a furtive back-street activity to a multimillion-pound gambling industry (Parsons Webster, 2000). Governments of many nations are using legalized gambling as a source of revenue, and the citizens have accepted it as a source of entertainment (Stitt, 2001). Unlike in the olden days where a gambling event was organized once in a while, and people had to wait for the next events, today, the activity has been on for 24 hours with instant results and people do not have to wait for too long (Bourie Curtis, 2006). Gambling is prominent in today’s society. It entertains, but can also have a disastrous effect on a person’s life (Thompson, 2001, p. 437). Relevance of the topic According to the BBC (2011, para 1), the amount of betting has increased to levels last seen in the late 1990s. Nowadays, there are many problem gamblers, and the British society is in danger of being de-sensitised to the problems that gambling can bring (BBC, 2011, para 16). Experts at the National Centre drew a research by the British Gambling Prevalence Survey in 2007 for Social Research (NCSR). It was found that there was an incremen t in the number of people gambling within the UK. The number of people betting for the last report increased from 63% to 73% between 2006 and 2007 respectively. In their comments to the survey authors, the majority claimed that they were gambling for fun. Others said that they were doing it to try out their chances of winning big money (Spapens, Littler Fijnaut, 2008, p. 37).Advertising Looking for case study on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It was noted that people in the UK were gambling in different ways. However, few of them engaged in online gaming. The majority, almost 60% of adults within the UK participated in the National lottery. Nevertheless, it was noted that football gambling reduced considerably. It reduced from 9 to 4 percent in the first decade of the second millennium (Fabiansson, 2010). The reasoning behind the researchers’ decision to focus on the social and financial factors of gambling within the UK is because of the significant increase in gambling-related problems within Britain. In order to know whether gamblers had a problem, the statisticians used two different and complex measures to measure them. They surveyed for several behaviours of gamblers wanting to recover their stakes back (chasing losses). In many cases, the gamblers found themselves being exploited (Berleur, 2010, p. 19). The casinos fall into the leisure activities and most casino venues are business oriented. The venues tend to provide restaurant services, great music, and classy bars. In contrast to being an entertaining game for many people, gambling has negative impacts to people especially on their finances. Some individuals suffer from a gambling addiction, which can ruin their financial and personal lives (Wardle, 2007, p. 17). Negative impacts on today’s society (both psychological and financial) Gambling is conducted in various places such as casinos, Internet and elec tronic machines among many other places. Since the time of its innovation, gambling has never had chances of being easily accessed and ever available (Rule Sibanyoni, 2000, p. 21). As has been noted, gambling can lead to a serious addiction problem. It can lead to financial instability of an individual. Once the problem gambling strikes into a person’s life, it takes control over his or her life. It affects their home life, work environment, performance and their parenthood (in this case, being good parents). People affected with problem gambling find themselves under pressure that may force them into sourcing money through illegal means (Volberg, 2001, p. 121). Aims of the dissertation The aim of the dissertation is to examine the premise of this theory on the youth generation using Leeds and its gambling market (casinos) as its focus. ObjectivesAdvertising We will write a custom case study sample on Revision of Problem Gambling specifically for you for only $16.0 5 $11/page Learn More To describe and analyse the negative effects gambling has on individuals in Leeds. To evaluate the importance of problem gambling and its different forms. To analyse its impact on a sufferer’s social and personal life. To establish the relationship between a gambler and his preferred casino, to determine what motivates them to go, what drives them to stay and gamble continuously? Literature review Notably, gambling may be described as â€Å"a conscious, deliberate effort to stake valuables, usually but not always currency, on how some event happens to turn out (Jazaeri and Bin-Habil, 2012, para 4). Many people view gambling as a way of risking money in order to make money. However, people who have won the valuable stakes do not stop playing, and those who have lost do not stop gambling. The youths in the society are also victims of gambling as they engage in gambling activities more than any other addictive activity such as smoking or alcohol drinking. This is a cause for concern keeping in mind that the youths are the future of the society (Allen, 2011and Wildman, 1997). According to the research done by Derevensky in 2012, it was noted that there are various reasons as to why the youths engage themselves in gambling. The majority of them did it for enjoyment and others engaged in gambling to make money. Others indulged in gambling for excitement, relations and to hide from daily problems. Still, others engaged in gambling as a social activity and to have a feeling of being mature (Derevensky, 2012, p. 76). Notably, many people do not want to be associated with gambling because they feel that it is associated with the loss of the trust, lying, and loss of money among other bad behaviours (Thompson, 2001). However, there are circumstances that force them into gambling. For example, gambling can occur on a continuum with many individuals not engaging in the act at all. In additions, there are those individuals, wh o gamble once in a while, or those engaging in the activity many times and experiencing minimum negative financial or social consequences (Meyer, 2008). Impact of problem gambling on social personal life Gamblers who gamble frequently with valuable stakes and cannot even stick to their pre-set limits of time and the stakes may find themselves with severe problems (Derevensky, 2012 p. 31-32).Advertising Looking for case study on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The gambling related problems impact on individuals in different ways. Some of them may lose control once. This may spell their fate because of their episodic and short-lived control loss. To others, losing control may be a progressive disorder. In this case, it becomes habitual or addictive in a way that no matter how hard the victims try to get themselves out of gambling activities. This becomes problematic, and the victims always go back to gamble. The gambling disorder has been given many names such as pathological gambling, problem gambling, compulsive gambling, or disordered gambling (Doweiko, 2009). When individuals get addicted to gambling, they cause many problems to themselves including emotional, familial, psychological, interpersonal, financial and legal problems (Grant Potenza, 2004, p. 4). Since many people are exposed to gambling, knowing that it is about taking risks and controls, they get attracted into trying their luck. The losers tend to keep on trying while app reciating that the activity is a game (Cunningham, 2011). In the process, both winners and losers blindly find themselves so much into the game that it gets hard for them to quit. They become addicts of gambling (Bledsoe, 2004, p. 86). In most cases, the youths are the most affected by the gambling activity (Fabiansson, 2010). According to research by Derevensky in 2012, it is evident that the adolescents get exposure to gambling early before they start experimenting with cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, drug use, or engaging in sexual activities. A research by Griffiths and Sutherland in 1998 discovered that many youths between the age of 11 years and 16 years engaged themselves in gambling at least once a week; they often smoked cigarettes; got drunk with alcohol regularly and took illegal drugs. Through the psychological perspective, one can handle matters that are related to emotions (Orford, Sproston, Erens, White and Michtell, 2003). For example, in that situation, emotion al control could be more important than financial gains in understanding gamblers (Beilstein, 1979, p. 305). Gambling can be correlated with other addictive activities such as the use of tobacco, drug abuse, and taking alcohol (Sirgy, 2012, p. 38). People often assume the addictive behaviours and take them as prototypical moments of behaviours that are not truly self controlled and lacking self governance (Wengler, 2006, p. 127). Pathological gamblers invest a lot into the gambling activity. In this case, they put their personal relationships, occupational status and financial stability at risk. Such people are difficult to handle. Regardless of the increase of family and financial distress, they continue to gamble. Here, gambling controls them since it is difficult for them to control their urges to gamble (Fortune Goodie, 2009). The pathological gamblers tend to gamble with valuable stakes or high amounts of money in order to satisfy their urges for entertainment and pleasure. Th eir tendency or behaviour of putting gambling in the forefront other than thinking of their personal, occupational, and financial well-being is what makes them great risk takers (Galski, 1987, p. 39). Problem gambling affects or rather impacts the social life of people in a negative manner. The social impacts of problem gambling include the mental health problems, suicide, family or relationship problems, cases of divorce, and vulnerability of generations to come into excessive gambling (Ciarrocchi, 2001). Research studies indicate that problem gambling is on the increase. This is due to the increasing number of people presenting themselves for treatment for problem gambling. It can also be attributed to many divorces that are associated with problem gambling. In addition, the youths are getting involved in gambling at an early age more than they get involved in other addictive activities (Galski, 1987). There have numerous incidences where the youths have been reported to have comm itted suicide due to gambling. The suicidal cases occur as a result of losing huge amounts that are beyond the loose tolerance. When the loss is too much to bear, some problem gamblers who are most probably the youths, commit suicide since the world becomes useless to them after a great loss. That is why some of the youth problem gamblers developmental problems due to confusions that are instrumented by gambling (Nicholas, 1986). Problem gambling makes people suffer because of the need to gamble and the obsessive behaviour. Firstly, such victims of gambling have difficulties in maintaining their personal health (Gerstein et al 1999). Another problem is related to career responsibility. According to the research, many individuals may become jobless, and those who are fortunate to remain in the workplace perform poorly in production due to reporting to the workplace late than required. In this case, they fail to attend to jobs (absenteeism) and get preoccupied with gambling (Dickerson , 1984, p. 38; Ladouceur et al 1994). Problem gambling is of importance when it comes to gauging reliability of things such as in predicting behaviours or population discrimination behaviours. However, it is in most cases associated with negative impacts. In gambling the terms problem gamblers, pathological, or compulsive gamblers are used interchangeably. They are used to define a condition whose characteristics includes a loss of control over gambling, serious disruptions of families and jobs, theft cases and losses or attempts to win back stakes (money) that have been lost while in the gamble (Oei Gordon 2008). Prof Orford (BBC, 2012) noted that those addicted no longer regarded gambling in its sense of winning. He asserted By the time people get compulsive about their gambling, theyre not enjoying it. Theyre torn in two. Theyre dependent on it and getting something psychological from it, but they know its ruining their life in certain ways (BBC, 2012, para 17). Psychological fa ctors of gambling The examples of the psychological factors of gambling include personality features such as dysfunctional and functional impulsivity; poor mechanisms to cope with stress; impaired processing of rewards and the mechanisms of defence such as  feeling guilty and shameful, which drive the ongoing addiction. Dysfunctional impulsivity is associated with a poor response to treatment and not treatment completion. It is most likely that individuals with dysfunctional impulsive will drop out of treatment and report back to problem gambling more than those individuals with functional impulsive. The factor of poor mechanism to deal with stress also affects or rather leads to gambling (Dickerson, 1984, p. 38). Addiction to gambling is not necessarily caused by addiction of money. Most of them do it to escape from stress, painful pasts, seek arousal among other reasons. They gamble to avoid painful emotions, for example; sadness, depression, guilt, shame, and humiliation among others (Ladouceur et al 1994). Therefore, in such a case, the problem gambler will be stressed. Thus, it is most likely that he or she will end up in gambling activities thinking that it is the best way to deal with the stress. This is due to a poor mechanism of dealing with the stress. The factor of impaired processing of rewards and mechanisms of defence such as the guilt and shame that one feels makes a problem gambler to continue with their addiction (Ciarrocchi, 2001). This factor tries to explain that the problem gambler continues with the addictive thinking that it is the best solution. However, in the real sense, this is like burying himself deep to the extent that turning to normal life becomes impossible (Oei Gordon 2008). The theories of people’s emotions or feeling while gambling includes the sensational or arousal theory, the opponent-process theory, and the reversal theory. The sensational theory explains that the need for excitement is a trait that is biologic al, and this is different from one individual to another. Since gambling is known to be an addictive behaviour, the gamblers will do their best in order to meet their needs (Chapman, 2007). This will be achieved after the reinforcement of their emotional relief. The theory of opponent process explains that arousal from opponent A is automatically counteracted by that of B or C. The theory further explains that, with repetition, the response of A will grow weaker in the process while that of B will be stronger and long-lasting. This shows that high-stake gamblers are motivated by opponents, and that is why the pathological gamblers enjoy this theory. The reversal theory shows that different individuals need either to be stimulated or tranquillised, and these guys behave in ways that direct them to that state (Oei Gordon 2008). Casino gambling can be more fun and profitable as well to people or players’ mental and physical health. They are associated with dangers such as cheat ing among gamblers, machine malfunctions, and criminality among many others (Crowder, 2006). Cases of arrests due to cheating and other criminality are common in casinos. For example, people get arrested because of manipulating EGMs. The cheating gamblers and the gambling operators take advantage of each other. In this case, as the gamblers try to cheat the operators, they in return can also try to scam the gamblers. These people may end up shooting each other. This is exactly what happens in most cases when they conflict with each other. The casino environment is well planned to take people’s money. In this case, the casinos have no windows or clocks to distract the patrons from gambling. This makes the gamblers forget their schedules and continue playing till their pockets are empty. In addition, there are only pictures of winners and not losers, which adorn the atrium walls, there are scantily dressed cocktail waitresses, free alcoholic beverages among other attractions. T hey operate on a 24-hour basis, which adds to the owners’ advantages.The environment is very attractive, and that is why people develop problem gambling at the shortest time possible (Crowder, 2006). There are flashing lights, whistles and bells. Their advertisements and slogans are set in a way that the gambler will not be much concerned about the amount they lose. In this case, they gamblers do not notice when their pockets are running out. The Cognitive model of gambling asserts the activity emanates from illogical beliefs. Those addicted to gambling have illogical beliefs that they stand a high chance of winning. They do not value the amount they spend but instead overestimate the amount they will gain in the gamble (Georgakopoulos, 2005). Reference List Allen, WD 2011, Criminals and victims], Stanford, California, Stanford Economics and Finance, an imprint of Stanford University Press. Andrews, R Haythornthwaite, CA 2007, The Sage handbook of e-learning research. SAGE, London. BBC 2011, Gambling problems on the increase in Britain. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-12465204 BBC 2012, Gambling addict tells of fight to save family life. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-20181353 Beilstein, FK 1979, Beilsteins Handbuch der organischen Chemie. 5. Bd. 3. Tl. 4. Ergänzungswerk, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Berleur, J 2010, What kind of information society governance, virtuality, surveillance, sustainability, resilience; proceedings, Springer, Berlin. Bledsoe, B 2004, the battle of the binge: book and workbook, Bledsoe and Bledsoe Pub. Spartanburg, SC. Bourie, S Curtis, A 2006, American casino guide, Dania, Casino Vacations, Fla. Ciarrocchi, JW 2001, Counseling Problem Gamblers: A Self-Regulation Manual for Individual and Family Therapy, Elsevier, Burlington. Collins, P 2003, Gambling and the public interest, Praeger, Westport, Conn. [u.a.] Crowder, J, E,2006, Casino gambling: For fun and profitOutskirts Press, Inc, Denver, Colo. Crowder, JE 2006, Casino gambling: For fun and profit, Outskirts Press, Inc. Denver, Colo. Cunningham, D 2011, Psychiatric tales: Eleven graphic stories about mental illness. Bloomsbury, New York. Cushman, G 2005, free time and leisure participation. International perspectives, CABI, Wallingford. Derevensky, JL 2012, teen gambling: understanding a growing epidemic, Rowman Littlefield Publishers, Lanham, Md. Dickerson, MG 1984, Compulsive gamblers, Longman, London. Doweiko, HE 2009, Concepts of chemical dependency. Brooks/Cole, Belmont, CA. Fabiansson, C 2010, Pathways to excessive gambling: A societal perspective on youth and adult gambling pursuits, Farnham, Surrey, Ashgate, England. Galski, T 1987, The Handbook of pathological gambling, C.C. Thomas, Springfield, Ill., USA. Georgakopoulos, N, L, 2005, Principles and methods of law and economics: Basic tools for normative reasoning Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Grant, JE Potenza, MN 2004, and Pathological gambling: a clinical guide to treatment. American P sychiatric Pub. Washington, D.C. Great Britain 2012, The Gambling Act 2005; a bet worth taking? : First report of session 2012-13. Vol. 1, Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence, Stationery Office, London. Great Britain Great Britain, 2012, The Gambling Act 2005: A bet worth taking? : First report of session 2012-13, Stationery Office, London. Jazaeri, SA and Bin-Habil, MH 2012, Reviewing Two Types of Addiction – Pathological Gambling and Substance Use, Indian J Psychol Med., vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 5-11. Lee, RM 1993, Doing research on sensitive topics. Sage Publications, London. Meyer, G 2008, Problem gambling in Europe, Springer, Berlin. Nicholas, K, 1986, The social effects of unemployment in Teesside. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Reilly, RF Schweihs, RP 1999, valuing intangible assets, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY [u.a.]. Rule, SP Sibanyoni, C 2000, the social impact of gambling in South Africa: an initial assessment for the National Gamb ling Board, HSRC, [Pretoria]. Saroyan, W 1975, the human comedy, Faber and Faber, London. Sirgy, MJ 2012, the psychology of quality of life hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia, Springer, Dordrecht. Spapens, AC, Littler, A Fijnaut, C 2008, Crime, addiction and the regulation of gambling, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden. Thompson, WN 2001, Gambling in America: An encyclopedia of history, issues, and society, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara Calif, u.a. Volberg, RA 2001, when the chips are down: problem gambling in America, Century Foundation Press, New York. Wardle, H 2007, British gambling prevalence survey 2007, TSO, Norwich. Wengler, S 2006, Key account management in business-to-business markets an assessment of its economic value, Deutscher Universitats-Verlag, Wiesbaden. Wildman, RW 1997, Gambling: An attempt at Integration, Wynne Resources, Inc. Publisher; National Academies Press, Edmonton.

10 Things You Dont Know About Fat

10 Things You Dont Know About Fat Along with proteins and carbohydrates, fat is an essential nutrient that provides energy for the body. Fat not only serves a metabolic function but also plays a structural role in the building of cell membranes. Fat is found primarily beneath the skin and is essential for maintaining healthy skin. Fat also helps to cushion and protect organs, as well as insulate the body against heat loss. While some types of fat are not healthy, others are required for good health. Discover some interesting facts you may not know about fat. 1. Fats Are Lipids but Not All Lipids Are Fats Lipids are a diverse group of biological compounds characterized generally by their insolubility in water. Major lipid groups include fats, phospholipids, steroids, and waxes. Fats, also called triglycerides, are composed of three fatty acids and glycerol. Triglycerides that are solid at room temperature are called fats, while triglycerides that are liquid at room temperature are called oils. 2. There Are Billions of Fat Cells in the Body While our genes determine the number of fat cells we are born with, newborns typically have around 5 billion fat cells. For healthy adults with normal body composition, this number ranges from 25-30 billion. Overweight adults on average can have around 80 billion fat cells and obese adults can have as many as 300 billion fat cells. 3. Whether You Eat a Low-Fat Diet or High-Fat Diet, the Percentage of Calories From Dietary Fat Consumed Is Not Linked to Disease As it relates to developing cardiovascular disease and stroke, it is the type of fat you eat not the percentage of calories from the fat that increases your risk. Saturated fats and trans fats raise LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels in your blood. In addition to raising LDL (bad cholesterol), trans fats also lower HDL (good cholesterol), thus increasing the risk of developing disease. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats lower LDL levels and reduce the risk of  disease. 4. Fat Tissue Is Composed of Adipocytes Fat tissue (adipose tissue) is composed mainly of adipocytes. Adipocytes are fat cells that contain droplets of stored fat. These cells swell or shrink depending on whether fat is being stored or used. Other types of cells that comprise adipose tissue include fibroblasts, macrophages, nerves, and endothelial cells. 5. Fat Tissue Can Be White, Brown, or Beige White adipose tissue stores fat as energy and helps to insulate the body, while brown adipose burns fat and generates heat. Beige adipose is genetically different from both brown and white adipose, but burns calories to release energy like brown adipose. Both brown and beige fat get their color from the abundance of blood vessels and the presence of iron-containing mitochondria throughout the tissue. 6. Fat Tissue Produces Hormones That Protect Against Obesity Adipose tissue acts as an endocrine organ by generating hormones that influence metabolic activity. A major function of adipose cells is to produce the hormone adiponectin, which controls fat metabolism and increases the bodys sensitivity to insulin. Adiponectin helps to increase energy use in muscles without affecting appetite, to reduce body weight, and to protect against obesity. 7. Fat Cell Numbers Remain Constant in Adulthood Studies have revealed that the numbers of fat cells in adults remain constant overall. This is true regardless of whether you are lean or obese, or whether you lose or gain weight. Fat cells swell when you gain fat and shrink when you lose fat. The number of fat cells an individual has in adulthood is set during adolescence. 8. Fat Helps Vitamin Absorption Certain vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and can not be properly digested without fat. Fats help these vitamins to be absorbed in the upper portion of the small intestines. 9. Fat Cells Have a 10 Year Lifespan On average, fat cells live for about 10 years before they die and are replaced. The rate at which fat is stored and removed from adipose tissue is about one and a half years for an adult with normal weight. The fat storage and removal rates balance out so that there is no net increase in fat. For an obese person, the fat removal rate decreases and the storage rate increases. The fat storage and removal rate for an obese person is two years. 10. Women Have a Higher Percentage of Body Fat Than Men Women have a greater percentage of body fat than men. Women need more body fat to maintain menstruation and also to prepare for pregnancy. A pregnant woman must store enough energy for herself and for her developing child. According to the American Council on Exercise, average women have between 25-31% body fat, while average men have between 18-24% body fat. Sources Fat turnover in obese slower than average. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Published 2011 September 25. (https://www.llnl.gov/news/fat-turnover-obese-slower-average)What are the guidelines for percentage of body fat loss? The American Council on Exercise. Published 2009 December 2. (acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/60/112/what-are-the-guidelines-for-percentage-of/)Dynamics of fat cell turnover in humans. Spalding KL, Arner E, Westermark PO, Bernard S, Buchholz BA, Bergmann O, Blomqvist L, Hoffstedt J, Nslund E, Britton T, et al. Nature. 2008 Jun 5; 453(7196):783-7. Epub 2008 May 4.

Leadership, Teambuilding and Communication Assignment

Leadership, Teambuilding and Communication - Assignment Example In this theory, shows that some people have better leadership traits than others. He concludes that there are those people who are born to lead while others were born to be led. Behavioral approach is one other form of traditional leadership style, in this leadership theory, there are three leadership styles that are distinct from each other. Their styles include; authoritarian leadership whereby, the leader maintains strong control over the group at work. In this form of leadership, motivation is by coercion, and there is no free communication between the leader and the staff. Communication comes from the leader only, and the workers are there to follow. In this kind of leadership, there is high productivity but with low self-motivation and autonomy by the workers. Democratic approach is another form of leadership style that is friendlier to the subordinate staff. In the case here, there is free communication from both the staff and the leadership. Decision-making involves everybody in the organization, and the staff seen as a whole and not as a leader. Therefore, it gives room for constructive criticism and autonomy among the employees in the organization. Lastly, there is laissez-faire leadership style, where there is little or no control from the leader (Murphy, 2005). The kind of leadership is so much of the essence in situations with poorly defined problems that need brainstorming to come over the problems. There are a number of leadership theories that include, transformational, cite suggested that leaders have the abilities to groom their followers into better leaders in the future. The grooming is achieved successfully by letting followers have the freedom to control their behaviors.  

Capital budgeting decision is whether to lease or buy an asset Essay

Capital budgeting decision is whether to lease or buy an asset - Essay Example It is very important to study all capital investments options that are available with the firm because of the long-term consequences. The simplest example of a capital budgeting decision is to decide if a firm should buy an asset or lease the same. Buying the asset will result in capital investments while leasing will lead to operational outflow. Capital budgeting methods In order to evaluate the capital budgeting options available with it, a firm can use many of the following ways: Net Present Value: Net present value is the cash the firm will need today as a substitute of making the investment of purchasing the asset (Ross, Westerfield, Jaffe, 2004). If the NPV is positive, this means that the firm will get that cash amount equal to the NPV. The calculation of the net present value takes into account the time value of money along with the cash flow associated with the project throughout the lifetime. A project should be pursued if the net present value is positive. Internal rate of return: This is the discount rate that makes the Net Present Value of a project zero. If the IRR of purchasing the asset is greater than the discount rate, the asset should be brought. Otherwise, the asset should be leased. ... Profitability index: The profitability index ratio is an indication of the cost associated with the project viz-a-viz the initial investment made. The ratio can be calculated as: Accounting rate of return: Accounting rate of return is the rate of return that is generated from the proposed capital investment. Each method has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. While NPV calculation is based on too many assumptions including that of the future cash flows as well as the return on equity. The calculation is also based on the premise that the cash flows generated are invested back at the discounted rate which is not a realistic assumption. The internal rate of return calculation assumes that the returns from the project are re-invested in the project. However, this might not be true in most of the cases. In addition, if the project has multiple positive and negative cash flows, it may have several IRRs. As a result of this, firms shall use modified internal rate of return (MIRR), which is the discount rate that makes the investment equal to the future value of the cash flows from investment (Kierulff, 2008). The actual method used for capital budgeting decisions differ from firm to firm depending upon the size of the firm, the rate of growth of firm and leverage of firm amongst others. Graham and Harvey (2000) in their paper â€Å"The theory and practice of corporate finance: Evidence from the field† indicate that net present value and internal rate of return are the most popular methods used for capital budgeting decision methods. They also concluded that there is no dependence of the method used on the growth rate for firms with smaller debt ratios. Large firms are more frequent user of NPV as compared to smaller firms. Public companies are more likely to

Degree Plan Essay Essay Example for Free

Degree Plan Essay Essay For the last sixteen years I have been working as a professional. In my current professional environment I have found that advancement is limited without some type of degree on your resume. In speaking with my colleagues I have heard many good things about the degree programs offered by ESC CDL. Prior to this application I have participated in two non matriculated classes to both familiarize myself with the online style and to gauge if I was ready to attend college. I have chosen to continue with ESC due to the extreme ease of the online course structure and the willingness of the faculty to assist in any way. I have worked very hard over the last sixteen years to achieve the success that I have obtained. I started my career as a production operator and have excelled at every position I have held. Through my work I have attained the current position of Manager. I am currently in charge of a maintenance department with sixteen direct reports and have also been given the responsibility of a six million dollar budget. With these added responsibilities comes the need to further educate myself to stay relevant and up-to-date. My ambition is to become an Operations Manager which controls all facets of a manufacturing facility. This will not be possible without continued education. This would first require more management skills and a good understanding of how business works. This is the driving force for me to join the college ranks and earn first, an Associates Degree and second, hopefully, a Bachelors Degree. My skill set has been mostly geared toward the technical aspects of my field of choice (maintenance). I have only earned a high school diploma along with many trade certificates and trainings. I have always been one that learns quickly and adapts to change very well. My personal time for the last ten years has been spent developing the minds and nurturing my two wonderful sons whom are now nine and eight. They have become the driving force behind my community involvement which has included coaching their soccer and baseball teams. I have found this to be the most rewarding and special moments in my life. I have found it to be an important step in my development as a man. All of this has brought me to the conclusion that continuing my learning would be most beneficial not only for myself, but will help in showing my sons how important a real education is. Thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to any and all feed back received through this communication.

Iconography :: Essays Papers

Iconography Iconography, in art history, the study of subject matter in art. The meaning of works of art is often conveyed by the specific objects or figures that the artist chooses to portray; the purpose of iconography is to identify, classify, and explain these objects. Iconography is particularly important in the study of religious and allegorical painting, where many of the objects that are pictured—crosses, skulls, books, or candles, for example—have special significance, which is often obscure or symbolic. The use of iconographic symbols in art began as early as 3000 BC, when the Neolithic civilizations of the Middle East used nonhuman or animal figures to represent their gods. Thus, the Egyptian mother goddess Hathor was associated with the cow and usually appeared in relief sculpture and wall paintings as a cow-headed woman. The sun god Ra had a hawk's head, and the creator Ptah appeared as a bull. In ancient Greece and Rome, each of the gods was associated with specific objects. Zeus (Jupiter), the father of the gods, was often accompanied by an eagle or a thunderbolt; Apollo, the god of art, by a lyre; Artemis (Diana), the hunter, by a bow and quiver. In addition, the Romans perfected the use of secular allegorical symbols. For example, a woman surrounded by bunches of grapes and sheaves of wheat would be readily understood as a representation of the bounties of the earth. Early Christian art during the period of Roman persecution was highly circumspect, and innocuous objects—the fish and the dove—were used to symbolize Christ and the Holy Spirit. Later Christian art, however, became replete with iconographic symbols. In particular, many of the saints became associated with specific objects—Saint Peter with two keys, for instance, or Saint Catherine with a broken wheel. During the Renaissance and through the 18th century, allegorical paintings were especially popular, as artists constructed elaborate symbolic schemes to illustrate such themes as the vanity of human existence.

Existentialism in Waiting for Godot Essay

Existentialism is a philosophy that repudiates the idea of religion or any ‘supreme’ being bringing meaning to life, and advocates the idea that individuals are instrumental in finding a purpose to life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. Hence in Samuel Becket’s existentialist play Waiting For Godot, he puts forth an idea that all of humanity is wasting their lives in inaction- waiting for the salvation of a deity, when that divine being may or may not even exist. As inferred from the phrase â€Å"existence precedes essence†, there is no pre-existent spirituality or soul; no god, Christian or otherwise; no cosmic compassion for human life; no salvation in heaven and damnation in hell; neither preset destiny nor inevitable fate; and nor is there the transcendence of our worldly existence. Everyone must bear the responsibility for their own existence, since it is not predetermined or shaped by any external force; a subsequent anxiety is one of the aspects of human nature. Nevertheless, the burdens of anxiety and responsibility are often too heavy to bear, and we often seek to shift them on certain individuals, institutions, religions, or even on a ‘Godot’. Existentialism manifests itself in Waiting for Godot through its motifs of despair, absurdity, alienation, and boredom. One of the most prevalent themes is that of loneliness as a consequence of godlessness. In a blank futile universe devoid of purpose, design or care – represented by the featureless Beckettian landscape, human beings are alone, and condemned to be free. Afraid of this isolation Estragon and Vladimir cling together despite their quarrels, and Pozzo and Lucky do not untie themselves. This futility leads to another characteristic of existentialism: despair. Since there is no preset will, Existentialism preaches the individual freedom of choice. Estragon and Vladimir have made the choice of waiting, without any instruction as Vladimir says that Godot â€Å"didn’t say for sure he’d come†. Yet they wait to know exactly how they stand. The boredom of waiting prompts them to ponder over their identity, as inactivity leads the individual to think. Estragon remarks: â€Å"We always find something, eh Didi, to give us the impression that we exist? It is learnt that man needs a rational basis for existence but fails to find one, making his life no better than a wasted passion. The two tramps, Estragon and Vladimir vainly attempt to put order in their lives by waiting for Godot who never arrives, and reiterate that â€Å"Nothing is to be done. † This inaction further questions their very entities, and Estragon anxiously doubts: â€Å"Where do we come in? † Whenever Estragon and Vladimir make a decision, the stage directions dictate that â€Å"They do not move. † and continue to show passivity. Therefore, even their resolution to go is not strong enough to produce action. Many times Estragon says â€Å"Let’s go†, but Vladimir always reminds him that they can’t as they are â€Å"waiting for Godot. †This inability to act renders Vladimir and Estragon unable to determine their own fates. Instead of acting, they can only wait for someone or something to act upon them- referring to the existentialist argument of man’s desperate need to establish his own purpose and meaning to life. Furthermore, Vladimir and Estragon ponder suicide by hanging themselves from the tree, but once again their anxiety stops them, as the latter remarks: â€Å"Don’t let’s do anything. It’s safer. † Kierkegaard’s notion of ‘Dread’ or ‘Angst’ includes ideas of existentialism which talk about a state in which the individual’s freedom of choice places him in a state of anxiety, as he is surrounded by almost infinite possibilities. This could explain the inactivity of both the tramps. They are aware of the different choices they can make but are hesitant, just as they decide to leave at the end of the act but remain motionless. Thus, the end of act 1 firmly asserts the characters’ hopelessness. Beckett infers that people pass time with habits to cope with the existentialist dilemma of the dread or anxiety of their existence. Estragon and Vladimir idly pass their time to escape the pain of waiting and even thinking. Vladimir expresses this idea at the end of the play: â€Å"Habit is a great deadener. † All the events narrated through the course of the play – the Crucifixion story, the suicide plan, playing talk – seem nothing more than silly pastimes. Once during the Pozzo-Lucky encounter, the tramps behave as if they are in a theatre; Vladimir even asks Estragon to keep his seat while going off to the urinal at â€Å"The end of the corridor, on the left. † Pozzo and Lucky’s coming can also well be interpreted as an act to entertain Vladimir and Estragon; a way in which Becket questions whether life itself is just a mere source of entertainment to pass the time while waiting for salvation. However, the distractions end sometime or the other, leaving them again with their futile inaction: â€Å"The essential doesn’t change. † This once again echoes the existentialist theory that life will end in nothingness as it has begun, reducing all of man’s achievements and accomplishments to nothing. Time has little significance in this futile lifecycle. The past often becomes misty to Estragon as he often asks questions like â€Å"What did we do yesterday? † He does not remember Pozzo and Lucky and even the place in Act Two, and shortly, Pozzo fails to recognize the tramps (Estragon and Vladimir) too. The mysterious boy returns with the same message; Godot never comes and tomorrow never seems to arrive. Vladimir, therefore, is right to say that â€Å"time has stopped. † Estragon conveys the horror of this uneventful repetitive existence in â€Å"Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful! â€Å".

Environment Analysis Essay

Organizations analyze the environment in order to understand the external forces so that it could help to develop effective responses to secure or improve their positions in the future. There existed a positive relation between environmental analysis and profits of an organization. Top management looked at information in two ways: viewing and searching information. This information needed to be evaluated and disseminated to strategists within the organization and to help top management to make decisions that could create strategic advantage for the organization to succeed in a changing environment 1. There were research evidences that showed that environmental analysis was linked with improved organizational performance. Hence, it remained insufficient to assure performance, without aligning information with strategy. The main debate in strategy and environment was concerned with the primary importance of the environmental analysis in strategy formulation and implementation. 84 Reserve Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India is fully owned by the Government of India. Initially it was viewed to bring the greater coordination of the monetary, economic, and financial policies. During fifties objectives of Reserve Bank of India underwent changes. It was recognized that Reserve Bank of India needs to take on direct and much more active role, in developing machinery for financial development in order to ensure flow of finance in the country. Reserve Bank emerged as a regulatory and a growth promoting institution. In the beginning limited to the agricultural sector, the Bank later covered small-scale industries as well. The affairs of Reserve Bank of India are governed by the central board of directors. The board is appointed by the Government of India according to the Reserve Bank of India Act. The preface of the Reserve Bank of India describes the basic functions of the Reserve Bank as: â€Å"to regulate the issue of Bank Notes and keeping of reserves with a view to securing monetary stability in India and generally to operate the currency and credit system of the country to its advantage† 2. The Reserve Bank? s freedom may be viewed broadly to the areas like management including personnel matters, financial aspects, and to conduct polices. Managerial freedom refers to the procedures for appointment, term of office and dismissal procedures of top central bank officials and the governing board. It also includes the extent and nature of representation of the Government in the governing body of the central bank. 85 Financial freedom relates to the freedom to decide the extent of Government expenditures directly or indirectly financed by the central bank? s credits. Finally, policy freedom is related to the flexibility given in the formulation and execution of monetary policy, under a given authorization. Reserve Bank of India has over the years been responding to changing economic circumstances. The Reserve Bank of India performs the function of financial supervisor under the guidance of Board for Financial Supervision. This board undertake consolidated supervision of the financial sector comprising of Commercial Banks, Financial Institutions, and Non-Banking Finance Companies. The key functions played by this board were restructuring of the system of Bank, introduction of off-site scrutiny, strengthening the role of legislative auditors, and strengthening the internal defences of supervised institutions. Currently this board focus on supervision of financial institutions and legal issues in Banks. Reserve Bank of India acts as a guard for Commercial Banks. Commercial Banks are required to keep a certain proportion of cash reserves with the Reserve Bank and Bank provide them various facilities like advancing loans, underwriting securities etc. Reserve Bank of India controls the volume of reserves of Commercial Banks and thereby determines the deposits and credit creating ability of the Banks. Whenever Commercial Banks need funds they get it from the Reserve Bank of India. Apart from playing the role of Banker to the Banks, Reserve Bank of India also play promotional role. The aim is to establish and assist the establishments of a number of financial intuitions for filling up of various financial institutional gaps in the rural and semi-urban areas. 86 Other roles played by Reserve Bank of India are: Reserve Bank stabilizes the external value of the national currency. The Reserve Bank keeps gold and foreign currencies and manages foreign currency in accordance with the controls imposed by the government. Reserve Bank of India facilitate external trade and payment and promote orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India. Reserve Bank has taken the responsibility of meeting directly or indirectly all legitimate demands of Commercial Banks under emergency conditions and to a certain extent Reserve Bank influence the credit policy of Scheduled Banks. The Reserve Bank has instrument of control in the form of the bank rate, which it publishes from time to time 3. A list of the Reserve Bank of India Committees from 1990- 2008 was prepared to get an impression about developments with respect to Banking Industry (Appendix- III). The recommendations resulted into remarkable changes in products and policies of Banking Organizations. Indian Bank’s Association (IBA) Indian Bank? s Association is a leading service organization of Banking Industry in India. It aims to integrate Banking and finance system catering to all financial requirements of customer? s. It was formed in 1946 with 22 members. Today Indian Bank? s Association has more than 159 members comprising of Public Sector Banks, Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks (having offices in India), and Urban Co-operative Banks. 87 The main objectives of Indian Bank? Association are: promoting and developing sound and progressive Banking principles and practices in order to assist Banks to develop and implement new ideas and innovative Banking services, operations and procedures; organizing co-ordination and co-operation on procedural, legal, technical, administrative or professional problems and practices of Banks ; circulating statistical data, informati on, views and opinions on the Banking System; conducting Management Development Programs for Banks; promoting education and knowledge of the law and practices of Banking Industry; to help in projecting good public image of Banking Industry ; and to promote harmonious relationships by devising ways and means for involving Banking personnel? in the growth and development of Banking Industry. Indian Bank? s Association tries to achieve excellent service quality and customer care through its focused efforts to make each customers experience a pleasant one. Towards this end Indian Bank? s Association stressed on to build staff potential by each Bank to address customer challenges and asked Banks to design a performance management system, which focuses on rewarding the staff for delivering flawless customer service. In 2000, Indian Bank? s Association reviewed the charters of different Banks and brought out a „Model Citizen Charter? explaining to the customer? s what they could expe ct from the Bank? s as a matter of right. Apart from this Indian Bank? s Association brought „bankers fair practices? in 2004 which was adopted by all Banks voluntarily. It also came out with „fair practice code for credit card operation? and „model code for collection of dues and repossession of security? with special concern to customer? s voice about Banking practices 4. 88 Ministry of Finance Ministry of Finance in India governs the entire fiscal system of the Government of India. The three departments headed by the Ministry of Finance in India include: economic affairs, expenditure, and revenue. Thus, it mainly centralizes around the economic and financial issues pertaining in India. Ministry of Finance Government of India, Banking Division is managing Government policies related to the working of Banks and the term lending to financial institutions. This Division is headed by Secretary (Banking and Insurance) and operates through three subdivisions: Industrial Finance; Banking Operations; and Banking and Insurance. Each subdivision is headed by a Joint Secretary. The Banking Operations sub-division deals with legislative proposals described to Banks, non-banking financial companies, and other related matters like appointments of Chief Executives and Government nominee Directors and non-official directors on the boards of Public Sector Banks. In addition policy matters relating to Private Banks, Foreign Banks, and improvement of customer? service in Banks and redressal of customers grievances are also dealt with this Banking Operations sub-division of Ministry of Finance. This sub-division also deals with vigilance matters and appoints Chief Vigilance Officers (C VO? s) in the Public Sector Banks to enable the Public Sector Banks to meet the credit requirements for the productive sectors of the economy in proportion to the economic growth of the country. The Government is committed to infuse capital funds in Public Sector Banks as well 5. 89 Nature of Banking Industry Bank? s safeguard money and valuables and provide loans, credit, and payment services, such as checking accounts, money-orders, and cashier? s checks. Banks also offer investment and insurance products which they were once prohibited. There exists variety of models for cooperation and integration among finance industries some of these traditional distinctions between Banks, Insurance Companies, and Securities Firms has diminished. In spite of these changes, Banks continued to maintain and perform their primary role of accepting deposits and lending funds from these deposits. Banks securely save the money of depositors, provide checking services, and lend the funds raised from depositors to consumers. Bank? s today are in a wide range of sizes, from large Global Banks to Regional and Community Banks. These Global Banks are involved in international lending and foreign currency trading, in addition to the more typical Banking services. Working Environment Employee? in a typical branch work weekdays, whereas in few Banks sometimes Banks were opened until late evenings or were open on Saturday morning? s and in few even on Sundays. Supervisory and managerial employee? s, usually work substantially longer hours. Some B anks are expanding the working hours in their branches which are located at non- 90 traditional locations, such as shopping malls, which remain open on most evenings and weekends. Branch office jobs, particularly front-end positions, required continuous communication with customers. Some employees needed to work for longer hours in a confined space. Loan officers might need to travel to meet clients, or work evenings for their clients. Loan officers also check loan applications, and solicit new business for Banks. Financial Service Sales Representatives might also have to visit clients in the evenings and on weekends to go through the client? s financial needs. To improve customer service and provide greater access to Bank personnel? s, Banks have staffed Customer Service Representatives. The remaining Bank employees, working at the headquarters or other administrative offices usually worked in comfortable surroundings and worked for a standard workweek. In general, Banks are considered relatively safer place to work with respect to injuries and illness. Banks also encourage higher education and training for their employee? as Banks require creative and talented people to compete in the market place so as to reach to more number of customers. The basic premise here is to Study the relevant data and derive some information related to the Strategic Environment pertaining to Indian Banking Industry, which may be used in due course in a broader context if not in specific context. Environmental factors influencing Banking Industry are: 91 Economic Factors Indian economy has registered impressive growth of over 9 percent for successive three financial years and experienced restraint in 2008-09. This restraint was caused due to the downturn in the global economy. The year 2008-09 was the most deficient year after 1972. To fight against this slowdown Government of India and Reserve Bank of India took many fiscal as well as monetary actions. It was expected that Indian economy could again register a robust growth rate in the year 2009-10. As per the revised estimates released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), Indian economy grew by 7. 6 percent in 2008-09 and 9. 3 percent growth in the 2007-08 6. Banks lending to industries, personal loans and service sectors witnessed a slow down while, Banks lending to agriculture and allied activities moved upward during 2008-09. The income as well as the expenditures of Scheduled Commercial Banks viewed a slow down leading to decrease in the net profit. The Return on Assets (ROA) as an indicator of efficiency with which Banks deployed their assets remained to 1 percent in 2009. The Return on Equity (ROE) as an indicator of efficiency with which the Banks used capital increased to 13. 2 percent in 2009 from 12. 5 percent in 2008, indicating increased efficiency with which Banks used capital 7. 92 Growth of income of Scheduled Commercial Banks during 2008-09 decelerated to 25. 7 percent from 34. 3 in 2007-08, but was higher than the growth rate of 24. 4 percent in 200607. Expenditure of Scheduled Commercial Banks was 24. 1 percent in 2006-07, which increased to 33. 9 percent in 2007-08 and again decelerated to 26 percent in 2008-09. The operating profit of Scheduled Commercial Banks increased sharply by 33. percent during 2008-09 from 26. 8 percent in 2007-08 and 21. 3 percent in 2006-07 (Table II. 1). The net profit of Scheduled Commercial Banks also showed a significant increase of 36. 9 percent during 2007-08 as compared to 26. 9 p ercent in 2006-07, but it decelerated to 23. 5 percent during 2008-09(Table II. 1) TABLE II. 1 VARIATION IN INCOME-EXPENDITURE OF SCHEDULED COMMERCIAL BANKS 2006-07 Income Expenses Operating Profit Net Profit 24. 4 24. 1 21. 3 26. 9 2007-08 34. 3 33. 9 26. 8 36. 9 2008-09 25. 7 26. 0 33. 2 23. 5 Source: Reports on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 8, 9 The Bank Group-wise analysis is presented in Table II. 2. Even though the achievements of technological changes in Banking Industry in India were impressive but there is a need to take greater advantages from new technologies and information based system to maximize the coverage. Pricewaterhouse Coopers report 18 suggested that Banks should take up automation that would be a combination of centralized networks, operations and a Core Banking applications that included Business Intelligence (BI), Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) that catered to operational and analytical business needs. The multi-channel Banking has acquired further dimensions to include third party payments such as utility bills through different channels including Automated Teller Machines and mobile banking. Bank? internal groups examined the issues, relating to rural credit and micro-finance opportunities in the sector with several possible options like smart card-based kisan credit cards, smart card solutions for self-help groups, Automated Teller Machines with local language and voice facility and call-center amenities with added services given by various Banks. Introduction of Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) for providing credit to farmers had increased in the number a multi-fold since its inception in the late 1990? s and the total percentage share of these cards reached above forty percent 19. 97 Banks had transformed themselves into Universal Banks by adding new channels with lucrative pricing. Recent innovations in the form of total quality management, reengineering work processes, flexible systems have only one thing in common serving the customers well through improved operational efficiency. Consolidation in the Banking Industry followed by technological up-gradation acted as a key factor to boost the international competitiveness of the Indian Bank? s. Adapting technology had brought down the cost of transactions visibly and at the same time aided in business continuity. A Study mentioned that the cost per transaction through a branch was Rs. 66, cost per transaction ; through Automated Teller Machines was Rs. 22, and cost per transaction through internet was Rs. 0, ignoring the extreme variations owing to the investment cost and nature of transactions 20. This low cost benefit was opted by Commercial Banks as it helped them to reach to poor people, particularly those working in the rural areas and those who earn and spend cash. In order to handle their cash transactio ns Banks formulated two types of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). People could either use Automated Teller Machines that could accept, store or dispense cash or they could use a biometric device, which were mobile in nature. Infrastructure in India, has improved resulting into widespread use of Automated Teller Machines facility in villages as well. These machines consisted of additional features that included fingerprint use as a mean of authentication with a view that rural people were more comfortable with fingerprints than plastic cards. 98 The wide geographical coverage to access Banking related products and services with the help of mobile phone technology and the use of internet for banking transactions has gained superior usage. These modes of transactions required a safe and secure environment and provide a variety of options available for customers with different requirements. The numbers of mobile phone subscribers in India were about 261 million (March 2008). Towards this end, Reserve Bank of India issued guidelines for mobile banking transactions. Initially Banks offered the facility to their customers subject to a daily cap of Rs. 5,000 per customer for fund transfer and Rs. 10,000 per customer for transactions involving purchase of goods or services 21. Usage of internet banking in India is mainly dominated, by Private and Foreign Banks. Still, the number of individuals utilizing internet services has increased considerably. In 2006, about 12 percent of the 38. 5 million internet users in India used online banking and the figure for online banking increased to 16 million in 2007-08 22 . The average cost of servicing a customer through internet banking is the tenth of the services extended through a branch. Thus, there is a direct contribution to the profitability for a Bank and therefore, internet banking became a potential low cost alternative 23 . From customer? s viewpoint, internet banking is highly convenient as it help to avoid branch queues and makes customer free from depending on the inconsistent quality of services at the branch, which varied from person to person at the service desk. Internet Banking allowed customers to operate their accounts at their convenient hours instead of being dependent on the Banks working hours. Moreover, internet banking permitted customers to transact on a 24Ãâ€"7 basis from any part of the world. 99 Therefore, internet banking delivery channel has the potential to contribute directly towards the nation? prosperity as it allowed more people to join the Banking stream without adding cost and it is tremendously convenient to customers. Reserve Bank of India started measures to create multi-lingual links on its website for thirteen Indian language s on all matters concerning Banking in June 2007 24. In the recent years, the use of electronic payments has witnessed manifold increase reflecting increased adoption of technology. The electronic payment systems comprised of the large value payment systems like Real Time Gross Settlements (RTGS), National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) and card based payment systems. The growth of volume of transactions directed through electronic payment has decelerated from 41. 4 percent in 2007-08 to 24. 8 percent in 2008-0925. The numbers and usage of Automated Teller Machines had gone up substantially during the last few years. Automated Teller Machines were primarily used for cash withdrawal and balance enquiry. In 2008-09, the total number of Automated Teller Machines installed by the Banks grew by 25. 4 percent. Automated Teller Machines of State Bank of India group registered a sharp growth of 34. 5 percent. While the Automated Teller Machines installed by new Private Sector Banks and Foreign Banks was 3 times of their respective branches 26, 27 . In March 2008, the population per automated teller machines in India was more than 29,500 as against the range of 1,000-9,500 in some of the other emerging market economies 28, 29 . In June 2009, Reserve Bank of India permitted Scheduled Commercial Banks to install off-site Automated Teller Machines at places identified by them, without any need to take permission from the Reserve Bank of India. Cash withdrawal from Automated Teller Machines of the Bank? s was made free of charges, April 2009 onwards. This made Automated Teller Machines more popular among customers. 100 Banks had deployed Information Technology solutions to facilitate automation in transaction management, reporting and risk management. Most of the Banks across the segments had already implemented Core Banking Systems. In the 2007, 85. 6 percent and in the 2008, 93. 7 percent Public Sector Banks were fully computerised 30, 31 . Other rograms such as internet based transactions, self-service kiosks, mobile banking were either underway or planned in near future by Public Sector Banks. Foreign Sector Banks and old and new Private Sector Banks in India, had progressed well in the areas of technology up-gradation i n operations. Technology up-gradation helped to introduce new products and services to enable Banks to improve the quality of service and value added services. Overall, Indian Banks score well with respect to technological adaption and the three key characteristic contributing towards the effective use of information technology in Banking Industry were: ? Factor Cost Advantage- information technology related labour costs in India remained cheaper as compared to other countries; ? Distribution Strategy- Indian Banks adopted a unique business model, acquiring customers rapidly with minimal technological investments; and ? Information Technology Governance- Indian Banks emphasized on information technology governance with the strong in-house Information Technology Division and a Chief Information Officer (CIO) directly reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in most cases. 101 It is information that made the Banking Industry stable. The pressure of competition and the need to improve productivity has generated a need for better information. In order to manage Banking operations to meet the needs of managers operating at tactical and strategic level and to improve their quality of decisions and policymaking processes within the Banks. Banks needed to set up an efficient and comprehensive Management Information System (MIS) without which asset and liability management and risk management were not possible. However, adoption of technology by Banks provided them competitive advantage in their operations but at the same time Banks became dependent on outsourcing for most of their technological applications. Therefore, Banks needed to employ caution to put in place mechanisms for vendor management. As an insecure system, could expose Banks towards serious operational regulatory and reputational risks. Banks have taken measures to safeguard the risk factors, emerging due to the use of technology. Towards this end, the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) helped Banks to bring in technology and enabled them to work in secured environment while operating Real Time Gross Settlements System, Centralised Fund Management System (CFMS), corporate e-mail, and internet banking. It also acted as a „certifying authority? for the Banking Sector in India by issuing Digital Certificates 32 . Still there exists need to ensure much more accountable systems with regard to online payments with uniform standards all over the world. 102 Social Factors Before nationalization of the Banks, their control was in the hands of the private parties and only big business houses and the effluent sections of the society gained benefits from the Banking in India. Thus, adoption of the social development model in the Banking Sector was necessary for speedy economic progress consistent with social justice in democratic political system. Bankers were directed to help economically weaker sections of the society and to provide needed finance to all the sectors of the economy with flexible and liberal attitude. India? s demography had undergone transition and the demographic trends 1950 – 2050 studied, illustrates that India? s fertility rate is consistently falling from the peak 5. 91 percent in the first decade after independence to 2. 76 percent today and expected to fall further to 1. 85 percent. Even the death rate also likewise showing consistent decline from its peak 25. 5 in 1950-55 to 8. 5 today and to the lowest of 7. 9 in 2020-2025 33 . This ignifies towards steady number of customers for Banking Sector with longer income in the coming years. Indeed, India would be one of the youngest nations with its median age lying between 25 a nd 30 years over the next 15 years (2010 to 2025) 34. This signified that India would enjoy its prevalence of young age population for almost four decades. Thus, India? s demographic transition needed to be exploited by Banking Sectors viewing it as an opportunity. 103 Increase in the per capita income of the working class population of India, enabled individuals to purchase goods, which were far out of their reach earlier. It also encouraged people to buy goods for their personal use and for their family. Today societies have shifted towards nuclear family, resulting into the growing needs for home consumer durables like washing machine, television, bike, car etc. This showed how we as a society have moved from a socialist society to a consumerist society. Understanding these changes and to use them as an opportunity Banks provided various types of loans to farmers, working women, professionals, education loan to the students, housing loans, and consumer loans. Even customers life style, their behaviour, and consumption patterns have changed which acted as an opportunity as well as a threat for Banking Industry. Deposits showed a subdued growth during this decade. In 2008- 09 personal loans by Commercial Banks was 12. percent with respect to 10. 8 in 2007-08 of which housing loan was 11. 6 percent in 2007-08 and 7. 4 percent in 2008-09 35 . This deceleration was observed in housing loans especially due to economy slow down. Literacy rate in India is low as compared to other developed countries. Illiterate people hesitate to transact with Banks. Therefore, this influenced negatively on Banking Industry. Nevertheless, there exists positive side of this as well that illiterate people trust more on Banks to deposit their money as they do not have market information they do not put money in stocks or mutual funds so they look Bank as their sole and safe alternative. For a common man Banks have emerged as the key players to provide variety of products and services like saving accounts, insurance, remittance and other facilities to the under privileged and the poor in rural, semi-urban and urban areas or socially disadvantage as well as the small and medium enterprise sector . 104 On the other hand Banks deal with big clients or big companies which required personalized banking as these customers do not believe in running and waiting in queues for getting their work done . To these customers bankers provided special provisions and at times benefits like individualised hosting to these types of customers. It was brought to the notice of the Reserve Bank of India that visually challenged persons were facing problem in availing Banking facilities. Reserve Bank of India in June 2008 advised all Banks to ensure that all facilities such as cheque book including third party cheques, Automated Teller Machine facilities (at least one third of new Automated Teller Machine installed with Braille key pads and located strategically), net banking, locker, and credit cards to be provided to visually challenged persons without any discrimination 36. Banks related crimes are rising. These crimes included the typical ones such as Bank robbery, false statement to a Bank in order to obtain loan, false entry in a Banks book, Bank bribery, and Bank fraud. The other new types of crimes have also emerged like accessing to the whole or any part of information technology system without rights. These also included manipulation of Banking system, data alteration, or data destruction to make unauthorized identity theft with reference to Automate Teller Machines. Indian police has initiated by opening of special cyber cells across the country and started educating the personal against these crimes. 105 Political Factors Before 1990, the lack of accountability and lack of profit motive in Nationalized Banks was credited to political interference. After the economic reforms of 1991, the Indian Banking Industry entered into the new horizon of competiveness, efficiency, and productivity. Reserve Bank of India? s control system and its monetary policies acted as a major weapon in India? financial market. However, sometimes looking into the political advantage of a particular party, Government declares some measures for their benefits like short-term agricultural loans to attract farmer? s votes affecting the profits of the Banks. Even according to Banking Banana Skins, survey 2010 political interference was considered as the greatest risk for Banking Industry 37. In the Budget provisions, Finance Minister increased the farm credit target for 2009-10 at Rs. 3, 25,000 crore compared to Rs. 2, 87,000 crore in 2008-09. The Union Budget 200910 extended the debt waiver scheme by six more months for farmers owing more than 2 hectare of land. The Union Budget 2008-09 allowed farmers 25 percent rebate on 75 percent of their overdue repayment within the stipulated period 38 . Government also announced setting up of a task force to examine the issues of debt taken by a large number of farmers in some regions of Maharashtra from private moneylenders who were not covered under the loan waiver scheme 39 . With Government bearing this burden, Banks would not be affected much. As Government assured to help, Banks to clear their most stubborn non-performing assets accounts on Banks Book. In addition, the emphasis on expanding network with Automated Teller Machines, opening of Banking centre in unbanked blocks were some of the positive moves taken by Government. 106 Political interference by the leftist political parties claimed that various regulations with respect to Foreign Banks would benefit only those Banks, which intend to make a quick jump by providing high-profile corporate services, instead of those who wish to intensify their rural operations. Left political parties also cautioned that foreign players could increase their holding size in a particular Bank that would lead to an imbalance of power. Banks under the conventional system of recovery of loans had a considerable amount of money blocked in form of unproductive assets. Hence, to beat this difficulty parliament enacted Recovery of Debts to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 also refereed as Debt Recovery Act. This Act created a separate apparatus in the order of Debt Recovery Tribunals, which were handed over the responsibility of administering disputes pertaining to non-payment of debts. As this legislation was general in nature, another legislature by Parliament was enacted , referred as Securitization Act with an objective to give the Banks, more power over defaulting borrowers 40,41. Unions The post nationalization era in the Banking Industry in India, particularly in the Public Sector, witnessed consolidation of trade unions. All the nine unions had all-India presence in the Banking Industry. Five workers unions and four officers unions represented almost 100 percent of the workforce in the industry and joined hands to form a United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). United Forum of Bank Unions comprised of All India Bank Employees Association, (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC), 107 National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), Indian National Bank Employees Congress (INBEC), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organization of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organization of Bank Officers (NOBO) 42. Representatives of unions were encouraged to give suggestions. However, in many cases undue interference of unions in decision-making has adversely affected, leading to the deterioration in discipline, efficiency, and performance effectiveness. With the growing strength of these organizations, the issues relating to employees interests were no longer determined by Bank? s managements alone. The massive introduction of technology into the industry made union policies defensive. Unions focused almost entirely on the immediate consequences of technological change on the workforce, especially the aspect of possible job losses. Employees in Public Sector Banks were repulsive to move from one table to another of the same branch. Now the trade unions seem to be willing to allow mobility for employees within a district as mergers enforced them to move from one state to another. Other issues taken up by unions were like introduction of New Pension scheme and variable pay which were resolved with the help United Forum of Bank Unions. Banks unions are also involved in demanding salary hikes, job losses, disinvestments in Public Sector, and issues related to violation of labour laws, and allocation of funds for schemes for unorganised workers. 108 After attempting, the macro level environmental analysis of Indian Banking Industry a micro functional level Human Resource Environmental Analysis has been attempted with the help of SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), it would help to further develop strategic viewpoint about the industry (Table II. 4). TABLE II. 4 HR SWOT ANALYSIS WITH RESPECT TO INDIAN BANKING INDUSTRY STRENGTHS ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Educated Manpower Higher Compliance Amongst Employees Experienced Employees Training Infrastructure Availability Safe Working Environment Responsiveness to Needful Change Strong Regulatory Institutional Framework ? ? ? ? ? OPPORTUNITIES Liberalization of Banking Sector Preferred Industry for Employment Availability of Multi-specialist staff Technology for Improved Interpersonal and Communication Skills Workforce Diversity WEAKNESSES ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Limited Technology Skills Repetitive Tasks Structure Inadequate Remuneration for Attracting Talent Lacking Career Growth Path Rigid Recruitment Policies Hierarchal Structure Rigid Wage Negotiation Process Leadership Deficit at Senior Level ? ? ? ? ? ? ? THREATS Movement of Skilled and Quality Staff Difficulty in Hiring Highly Qualified Youngsters Trend Towards Downsizing Changing Workforce Demographics High Staff Cost Overheads Changing Employees Expectations Entrenched Trade Unionism 109 Key Concerns for Indian Banking Industry The macro level analysis of Banking Industry and micro level analysis with respect to Human Resource functions helped to identify the key concerns related to the Banking Industry. Competition in Banking Industry is very high as Banks are fighting for same share of customers. There are many Banks and non-financial institutions which gave rise to intensified competition. Amongst these, there existed relatively no differentiation in services and every Bank tried to copy each other? s services and technology which increased the level of competition. Competition from the non-Banking financial sector is increasing rapidly as there are substitutes like mutual funds, stocks (shares), government securities, debentures, gold, and real estate acting as a high threat of substitutes. The continuous deregulation has made the Banking Market extremely competitive with greater autonomy, operational flexibility, decontrolled interest rate, and liberalized norms for foreign exchange. The deregulation of the industry coupled with decontrol in interest rates had led to the entry of a number of players in the Banking Industry 43. Alliances and takeovers had occurred on a transatlantic basis. The market share for financial services that Banks hold had declined, while securities firms, mutual funds, and finance companies has grown 44 . Banking Sector needs to build up a strong and efficient financial system by emphasizing on risk based management. 110 In Banking Sector, customers have high bargaining power due to the presence of very large number of alternatives. Banks together with the specialized financial companies that provide finance to customers are available. Recently it was observed that depositors had withdrawn funds from Private and Foreign Banks and invested their money with Public Sector Banks as the cost of switching from one Bank to another was low and almost all Banks provided undifferentiated services. Today customer? s have more information and better understanding about the market, Banks have to be more competitive and customer friendly to serve them. To retain customer? s and market share, Banks started contemplating on building strong relationship with customers. United Bank of India created a revolution in Banking Industry by opening up a boutique branch in Pune in November 2007, as its priority was to provide services to the high net worth customers. Thus, United Bank also recognized the needs of high net worth individuals different from the other customers. United Bank organized corporate golf tournament for customers, music concerts, and screening of Mani Ratnam directed film „Guru? 45 . Bank? s top management has started carefully evaluating the impacts for their actions. Recently, before cutting jobs in Private and Foreign Banks, Human Resource managers tried to assess reactions beforehand and they came out with certain proactive steps. Banks persistently worked in the interest of the Society. This chapter focussed on the environment analysis which is, undoubtedly, required for strategy formulation, and at the same is relevant as a backdrop for strategy implementation. For instance, the needful Human Resource Practices have to be continuously evolved and implemented against the ever-changing macro and micro environment of the Banking Organizations. 111 REFERENCES 1. Wei, C. C. (2001) Environmental Scanning as Information Seeking and Organizational Learning, Information Research, 7(1). 2. About us retrieved on 26 December 2010. 3. Goyal, O. P. (1979) Financial Institutions and Economic Growth of India, New Delhi: Light and Life Publishers. 4. About Us retrieved on 26 December 2010. 5. retrieved on 28 December 2010. . Reserve Bank of India (2008) Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2007-08, < www. rbi. org> retrieved on 25 December 2009. 7. Reserve Bank of India (2008) Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2007-08, p. 115. 8. Reserve Bank of Ind ia (2008) ibid (7), p. 114. 9. Reserve Bank of India (2009) Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2008-09, p. 125. 10. Reserve Bank of India (2008) ibid (7). 11. Reserve Bank of India (2009) ibid (9). 12. Reserve Bank of India, (2008) ibid. (7), p. 115. 13. Reserve Bank of India, (2009) ibid. (9), p. 125. 14. Chandrasekhar, C. P. (2005) What is Happening to Indian Banking? Frontline, 22(4): 12 – 25. 15. Reserve Bank of India (2008) ibid. (7), p. 116. 16. Reserve Bank of India (2009) ibid. (9), p. 127. 112 17. Reserve Bank of India (2009) ibid. (9), p. 142. 18. PricewaterhouseCoopers Report (2006) retrieved on 25 December 2009. 19. Raju, S. (2010) Financial Inclusion: Enabling Inclusive Growth. The India Economy Review, 7:42-49. 20. Sekar, G. V. Emerging Trends in Technology Adoption by Indian Banks and IT Governance – A Practical Guide, < http://www. cab. org. in/Lists/ Knowledge% 20Bank/ Attachments/43/Emerging%20Trends. pdf> retrieved on 3 June 2008. 21. Reserve Bank of India (2008) ibid. (7), p. 81. 22. Chandrashekaran, N. (2009) CII Banking Tech Summit, < http://www. financial express. com/news/indian-banks-behind-global-peers-in-technologypwc/438064> retrieved on 24 March 2009. 23. Jayawardhena, C. and Foley, P. (2000) Changes in Banking Sector – The Case of Internet Banking in UK. Journal of Internet Research: Networking and Policy, 10(1):19-30. 24. Rao, R. (2000) Banking @ The Speed of Thought, Business India, October 30November 12: 71-108 25. Reserve Bank of India (2009), ibid. (17). 26. Reserve Bank of India (2009) ibid. (9), p. 141. 27. Reserve Bank of India (2009) ibid. (9), p. 261. 28. Reserve Bank of India (2008) ibid. (7), p. 130. 29.

Movie Review Commando by Mark L. Lester

Movie Review Commando by Mark L. Lester Chances are, you’ve heard about a movie called Commando, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Mark L. Lester, because it is, in my view, the greatest classical movie of all time.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Movie Review: â€Å"Commando† by Mark L. Lester specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Released in 1985, the film to a large extent exemplifies the stereotypical 1980’s action movie, which packaged top-of-the-range violence, sharp and humorous one liners, and a simple and easy to follow plot concerning some sort of mercenary activity, kidnapping or military affair (Stevens para. 1). Commando’s cheesy plot, sharp one liner dialogue, and wild action, in my view, makes the film a timeless classic that is bound to continue making inroads in the entertainment industry as we progress deeper into the 21st century. Apart from Schwarzenegger, who acts as John Matrix, the other members of the main cast include Alyssa Milano (Jenny Matrix), Dan Hedaya (Arius), Vernon Wells (Benett), Rae Dawn Chong (Cindy), Bill Duke (Cooke), David Patrick Kelly (Sully), and James Olson (Major General Franklin Kirby). The movie’s protagonists include John matrix, Jenny Matrix, Cindy and General Kirby, while the antagonists’ include Arius, Bennett, Cooke and Sully (Lester para. 5-12). Overall, it is these characters that will continue to reverberate across major movie screens and theaters across the world as they showcase their well-groomed talents in this mouth-watering action film directed by Lester and produced by another movie great – Joel Silver. Written by Steven E. de Souza, Commando’s story develops along a continuum that is well understood by avid television or movie watchers who take time to watch other classical action movies, that is, one man killing machine against a bunch of bad guys who will stop at nothing to perpetuate their own selfish inte rests.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In Summary, the story is as follows: Retired Special Forces Operative Colonel John Matrix and his daughter Jenny live happily in a secluded mountainous region, but one day General Franklin Kirby come calling to warn Matrix of a group of mercenaries that have been killing retired military personnel who used to work with Matrix. What Kirby doesn’t know is that the mercenaries have been trailing them, and even faked the death of retired military man, Benett, so that they could lay their hands on Matrix, who is wanted by the head of the mercenary group, Arius, to overthrow a seating president (Lester para. 12). The mercenaries kill Kirby’s men and then hijack Matrix’ daughter, Jenny, to force him to play along, but what follows is a specter of violence and intelligent one-liners that provides an unforgettable exper ience to movie viewers. Matrix is tranquilized before being taken to Arius, who instructs him that he must travel to Val Verde and unseat the serving president if he wants to be reunited with his daughter. Matrix lazily agrees though he uses his popular and decisive one-liners to warn Bennett, his fellow military compatriot, that ‘he will be back’ (Stevens para. 2). It is imperative to note that these one-liners add a unique glow to the movie, while elevating the viewer’s suspense to heart-throbbing levels. What follows is a form of violence and raw firepower that few films of contemporary times have been able to match. Matrix engages in a murderous exercise, wiping all the bad guys as he forces his way to find his loving daughter. It is at this juncture when he runs into an off-duty air hostess, Cindy, who reluctantly promises to assist Matrix find his daughter upon the use of yet another one-liner – â€Å"trust me.† Matrix engages in a one-man sho w, kills all the bad guys serving in Arius’ private army before killing Arius in a gun fight.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Movie Review: â€Å"Commando† by Mark L. Lester specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The climax pits two ex-military men who were friends turned enemies – Matrix and Benett. After a prolonged and enticing fight, Matrix savagely kills Benett and rescues his daughter Jenny. Some critics, as noted in various quarters, may find such a plot simplistic and overly repulsive, thus shun this masterpiece and move on (Stevens para. 2). But upon critical analysis of the movie, viewers will notice that its theme, along with its cheesiness, soundtrack and predictability, are important attributes that have made it withstand the test of time. The theme is plain simple in that it exemplifies a parent’s love for his own child, and the length he is willing to go to rescue her from a bunc h of South American mercenaries guided by self-seeking interests (Lester para. 1). Although such a theme finds more appeal among parents with children of their own, it could be a good starting point for college students to understand how it feels for one to be denied the love of his or her children. The rocking saxophone-driven soundtrack not only prepares viewers for explosive confrontations in the movie involving Matrix and the mercenaries but also gets the viewers moving in their seats (Lester para. 1). The action-filled and funny one-liners are hard to ignore, not mentioning that they make viewers want to listen more to the varied conversations involving Matrix and the other characters. The success of this movie is capped off by outstanding special effects and a vivid acting setting, which adds color, splendor and opulence to the scenes. Indeed, many of the scenes are captured in broad daylight in multiple locations in California and the Pacific Coast.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Of course critics will ultimately dwell on the plot’s simplicity and the level of violence witnessed in the movie to discount it as unfit for many undeserving reasons. However, movie goers should take time to understand the film’s theme, then digress what they could have done if they were to be faced with a situation similar to what befell Matrix: many, if not all, would have gone into a killing spree to save their loved ones from the bad guys. Consequently, it is understandable to say that this film is a classical masterpiece of cinematography, deserving the highest acknowledgment and attention from viewers of all walks of life – college students included. Lester, Mark L. Commando is the Best Film Ever, PT. 1. n.d. Web. Stevens, Matt. Why Commando is a Great Movie. 2011. Web.

15 Reduplicative Doublets

15 Reduplicative Doublets 15 Reduplicative Doublets 15 Reduplicative Doublets By Mark Nichol Reduplicative doublets are a small class of idioms in which a word is repeated after the conjunction and; such repetition is intended to provide an emphatic boost to a statement. Here are fifteen such constructions with definitions and sample sentences. 1. Again and again: repeatedly (â€Å"I practiced the maneuver again and again so that I didn’t have to think about what I was doing†) 2. By and by (or by-and-by): later, or eventually (â€Å"I think he’ll come around to our way of thinking by and by†) 3. Done and done: done thoroughly and satisfactorily (â€Å"The team avenged its loss with a decisive victory done and done†) 4. Ever and ever: always, or seemingly so (â€Å"I had to wait for ever and ever for my car to get fixed†) 5. Half and half: in equal parts; also, a food or drink made of two often equal ingredients, or a mixture of cream and milk, or a person of dual nationality or mixed ethnicity (â€Å"She likes half and half in her coffee†) 6. Hot-and-hot: multiple courses of food served individually as soon as cooked (â€Å"The catered meal was served hot-and-hot†) 7. Less and less: increasingly less, progressively decreasing, or decreasingly true or prevalent (â€Å"I’m less and less confident of success as the days pass†) 8. More and more: increasingly more, progressively increasing, or increasingly true or prevalent (â€Å"It’s getting more and more difficult to find in stores†) 9. Neck and neck: very close in a contest or race, suggesting two horses whose necks are side by side (â€Å"The candidates are polling neck and neck lately†) 10. On and on: continuously (â€Å"The speaker droned on and on beyond her allotted time†) 11. Out-and-out: complete or utter (â€Å"That’s an out-and-out lie!†) 12. Over and over: repeatedly (â€Å"He said it over and over, to make sure I understood†) 13. So-and-so (or so and so): a placeholder name for a person (often initial-capped), a placeholder word for one or more things, or a euphemism for an offensive epithet (â€Å"I talked to So-and-so that guy over there†) 14. Such-and-such: a placeholder for a thing or action (â€Å"If you were to go to such-and-such a place, you’d find the building†) 15. Through and through: see out-and-out (â€Å"He’s a loser through and through†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?"Certified" and "Certificated"Sentence Adverbs

The Uranium Problem On Navajo Reservation Research Paper - 3

The Uranium Problem On Navajo Reservation - Research Paper Example The legal problems associated with the mines concern the state-corporate crimes, which motivated the need to engage in the mines for government and corporate profits at the expense of the local community. The uranium problem on the reservation has persisted for several decades without any solutions while the native inhabitants on the reserve are increasingly affected environmentally, economically, in terms of health, and legally by the crimes the government had engaged in. The uranium mines have made life unbearable for the natives and social ills within the reservation have been on the rise. It is, therefore, important that the problems on the reservation be addressed to ensure that the native community lives a meaningful life like any other individuals across the country. The uranium problem on the Navajo reservation affects the environment on the reserve immensely. At the end of the World War I, mining of vanadium began around Navajo nation, and later uranium. The uranium extracted from the local mines on the reservation were heaped in containers and shoved to the side. After a while, the significance of uranium increased and its extraction increased. The stacked uranium materials on the reserve were removed by affluent ventures, which had the ability to invest in the resources therein. Uranium mined on the reservation increased and so did the negative environmental effects it posted on the reserve. Unfortunately, neither were the native community on the reserve sensitized on the environmental consequences of the mines nor did the government take any measures to preserve the local environment from pollution. During the 1950s, the environmental problems of uranium mining in the Navajo Nation were brought to the attention of the government and the bure aucrats, but they ignored the warnings (Robinson, n.d.).