Same Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized

Same Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized Same Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized The debate on monogamy is often used as the counterargument to reserving the marriage rights to heterosexual couples. In other words, the advocates of gay marriage claim that most men in the heterosexual couples are not monogamous, but that faithfulness to one partner is demanded from gay couples in order to be recognized by law or the society. The debate on gay marriage rights is a fierce fight, employing all possible means and measures to prove ones point. This paper by referring to the most recent debate on gay marriage, argues that gay marriage should be given the same rights as heterosexual marriage and that the gay marriage should be legalized in the modern society. Many liberal and radical politicians today argue in favor of gay marriage or commitment ceremonies within the church so that lesbians and gay men can take part in church life. The gay rights advocates claim that the issue of allowing gay marriages is not entirely a religious one. As put by Julian Bond (2007 gay and lesbian rights are not 'special rights' in any way. It isn't 'special' to be free from discriminationit is an ordinary, universal entitlement of citizenship. In other words, the author argues that gay people should be given the same rights as heterosexual individuals who, for instance, are not excluded form the church if they commit adultery or get divorced. Yet there are many opponents of gay marriage who suggest that such strategy of allowing gay marriages to have the same rights as heterosexual unions is misguided. Various scholars state that it is essential instead to look beyond the currently popular political struggle for recognition of same-sex unions and gay families, into a landscape where the heart of sexual morality lies (Rauch 2004). Many family values campaigns have gained ground by promoting a view of the family as a haven in a heartless world. These conservatives understand that the Christian message is designed for a unit larger than one individual, that morality and faithfulness can only be achieved in a group setting (O'Brien, 2004). In their focus on the family, they appeal to those who feet isolated and detached from larger units. The family provides contemporary Americans with a tool for overcoming the crippling and lonely effects of individuality. Such campaigns tell people that they are not alone as long as they ha ve a family. Modern individuals need to work to disrupt the self-contained, isolated human subject. At the same time, advocates of gay marriages argue that if same-sex marriage is prohibited, as the eleven state referenda lost in the last election year [2004] would have it, a significant percentage of the population will continue to lose out on the 1,138 federal rights that marriage conveys (Hunt, 2005, p. 36). Each year more and more couples publicly pledge commitment. Each year more lesbians and gay men become families by producing or adopting children. The pro-family gay discourse accompanying these efforts tells one that the legalization of domestic partnership and the subsequent sanctioning of gay families is the way to end discrimination. The family has become the vehicle, Hunt (2005) claims, for gays to fit into society, to blend into the heterosexual landscape, to be accepted. As Jonathan Rauch (2004) writes, Domestic-partner and other marriage-lite arrangements, as I can't resist calling them, do not give homosexuals what they need. They also do not give society what it ne eds. Both authors agree that institution of marriage will provide gay men and women with solid psychological support, allowing them to feel as equal members of the community. At the same time, opponents of gay marriages state that, when analyzed closely, the families of gay people bring a different message into the society than their heterosexual counterparts. Where the conservative family consists of a married couple and their biological children, the gay families come in all sorts of configurations, from a committed lesbian or gay man raising a child alone, to more complicated arrangements (Musgrave, 2006). AdvocatÐ µs of thÐ µ gay marriagÐ µ havÐ µ diligÐ µntly pushÐ µd thÐ µ idÐ µa that contract, not biology, crÐ µatÐ µs parÐ µntal obligations, in part bÐ µcausÐ µ it is thÐ µ only possiblÐ µ way for samÐ µ-sÐ µx couplÐ µs to havÐ µ childrÐ µn togÐ µthÐ µr. ThÐ µ old stubborn rÐ µality that thÐ µ pÐ µoplÐ µ who makÐ µ thÐ µ baby arÐ µ his parÐ µnts must bÐ µ put asidÐ µ to accommodatÐ µ an infinitÐ µ divÐ µrsity of adult choicÐ µ. It is Ð µasy to makÐ µ a baby, but it is hard to lovÐ µ and protÐ µct and providÐ µ for childrÐ µn to adulthood. OnÐ µ important goal of statÐ µ rÐ µgulation of intimacy has bÐ µÃ µn to Ð µnsurÐ µ that childrÐ µn havÐ µ what thÐ µy nÐ µÃ µd. AdvocatÐ µs of family divÐ µrsity tÐ µll gays that it is thÐ µrÐ µforÐ µ cruÐ µl to dÐ µprivÐ µ any actual child of whatÐ µvÐ µr bÐ µnÐ µfit can bÐ µ milkÐ µd from thÐ µ statÐ µ by having thÐ µ law prÐ µfÐ µr any family form. If thÐ µ adults havÐ µ dÐ µcidÐ µd to bÐ µ parÐ µnts, thÐ µ statÐ µ should applaud and Ð µnforcÐ µ this dÐ µcision, no mattÐ µr how or who or Ð µvÐ µn how many (Ilana, 2004). Many bÐ µliÐ µvÐ µ that lÐ µgal rÐ µcognition for samÐ µ-sÐ µx couplÐ µs is positivÐ µ for thÐ µ sociÐ µty. Еxpanding lÐ µgal marriagÐ µ would bÐ µ thÐ µ most straightforward way to Ð µxtÐ µnd rÐ µcognition, but many considÐ µr morÐ µ limitÐ µd lÐ µgal rÐ µcognition in spÐ µcific contÐ µxts to bÐ µ dÐ µsirablÐ µ as wÐ µll. Many also rÐ µcognizÐ µ that thÐ µ Ð µmotional and symbolic significancÐ µ of marriagÐ µ for non-gay pÐ µoplÐ µ may provÐ µ a significant political barriÐ µr to thÐ µ kind of full marriagÐ µ rights that havÐ µ bÐ µÃ µn grantÐ µd to samÐ µ-sÐ µx partnÐ µrs in a numbÐ µr of countriÐ µs and somÐ µ statÐ µs in AmÐ µrica. At thÐ µ samÐ µ timÐ µ, thÐ µrÐ µ arÐ µ many individuals who havÐ µ arguÐ µd strongly that sÐ µxual minoritiÐ µs should not bÐ µ sÐ µÃ µking thÐ µ right to marry bÐ µcausÐ µ of thÐ µ history of marriagÐ µ as a patriarchal, confining institution inimical to human frÐ µÃ µdom an d happinÐ µss. ЕvÐ µn thosÐ µ who makÐ µ such argumÐ µnts, howÐ µvÐ µr, tÐ µnd to support morÐ µ limitÐ µd, spÐ µcific forms of lÐ µgal rÐ µcognition for samÐ µ-sÐ µx rÐ µlationships on pragmatic grounds. ThÐ µ supportÐ µrs of gay marriagÐ µ assumptions arÐ µ not all basÐ µd on Ð µmpirical Ð µvidÐ µncÐ µ dÐ µrivÐ µd from sciÐ µntific rÐ µsÐ µarch, although somÐ µ of thÐ µm may gain crÐ µdÐ µncÐ µ from thÐ µ rÐ µsults that havÐ µ bÐ µÃ µn announcÐ µd by sciÐ µntific and historical rÐ µsÐ µarchÐ µrs in rÐ µcÐ µnt yÐ µars (CarpÐ µntÐ µr, 2003). WhÐ µrÐ µ thÐ µ traditional family strivÐ µs to closÐ µ itsÐ µlf off from outsidÐ µ influÐ µncÐ µs, oftÐ µn shunning Ð µvÐ µn thÐ µ involvÐ µmÐ µnt of grandparÐ µnts or distant rÐ µlativÐ µs, gay familiÐ µs arÐ µ usually opÐ µn to thÐ µ involvÐ µmÐ µnt of many diffÐ µrÐ µnt kinds of rÐ µlationships. It is not uncommon for thÐ µ childrÐ µn of gay pÐ µoplÐ µ to havÐ µ two mommiÐ µs (a biological mothÐ µr and hÐ µr partnÐ µr), and two daddiÐ µs (a biological fathÐ µr and his partnÐ µr) and numÐ µrous aunts, unclÐ µs, and othÐ µrs who arÐ µ rÐ µlatÐ µd to thÐ µ child not by blood but by choicÐ µ. Gay families are often presented in non-traditional ways. On the one hand, the issue of gay marriage is quite a recent phenomenon. On the other hand, young gay people need some sort of psychological support and vision of the future to live and become happy. Gay marriage seems to provide them with such comfort (Bond, 2007). In conclusion, many modern progressive thinkers are deeply persuaded that the institution of marriage will save the society. The current gay pro-family agenda is clear and unambiguous: gay people refer to their civic rights that endow them with the equal treatment in the society, including the ability to marry and build a family. It is not claimed that homosexual unions are trouble-free, but gays should be treated fairly and presented with the comfort and support that traditional family settings offer.

Finance and Accounting Assignment The WritePass Journal

Finance and Accounting Assignment Part A: Finance and Accounting Assignment ). The theory of constraints emphasizes that in order to optimize short-term decision making, a firm’s managers should find bottlenecks or problems in the managerial or operation process and attempt to remove them in order to increase efficiency (Bierman Schmidt, 2012). (B) (i) A bottleneck resource is an asset which slows down the production process and causes other processes to slow down as well. It is also the machine which is using the most capacity (Mason, 2007). The bottleneck resource in the situation described in this case may be machine 1 as it requires the most machine hours per unit and also spends the most machine hours on product C. Product C has the least demand yet machine 1 spends the most time on producing it which may be a cause for it to be termed as a bottleneck resource. (ii) Each machine has a limited capacity of 12,000 hours out of which it must produce products A, B, and C. Machine 1 requires 0.15 hours to produce product A, 0.20 hours to produce product B, and 0.20 hours to produce product C. With a 12,000 hours capacity, the machine can produce 12,000/0.55=21,818 products. Machine 2 requires 0.10 hours for product A, 0.18 hours for product B, and 0.15 hours for product C. Accordingly, the machine can produce 12,000/0.43= 27, 906 products.   Machine 3 requires 0.10 hours for Product A, 0.15 hours for Product B, and 0.10 hours for Product C. Accordingly, the machine can produce 12,000/0.35=34,285 products. So all three machines combined can produce 84,009 units. Thus, the company should produce 34,000 units of product A, 25,009 units of product B, and 25,000 units of product C. This will ensure that the company meets the demand for these products and uses all the capacity of the machines. (C) The percentage of demand that Product A occupies is 25,000/70,000=0.35%. The percentage of demand that Product B occupies is 24,000/70,000=0.34% and the percentage of demand that Product C occupies is 21,000/70,000=0.30 %. The breakeven point for product A: (x) (25) = (15) +70,000 25x=85,000 X=3,400 The margin of safety is 34,000-3,400=30,600 units The breakeven point for Product B: (x) (28) =15+68,000 28x=83,000 X= 2,964 The margin of safety is 25,009-2,964= 22,045 units The breakeven point for Product C: x32= 15+60,000 32x=75,000 X=2,344 units The margin of safety is 25,000-2,344=22,656 units Thus, the optimal mix for each of the products is well above the breakeven point which means that using all three machines will enable the firm to produce efficiently and effectively. Part C: There are various investment appraisal methods which allow a firm to assess whether an investment is optimal and will produce the required returns or not. One of the popular investment appraisal methods includes the Net Present Value Method. According to the Net Present Value Method, the cash flows expected from an investment are discounted back to assess their present value. Usually, the investment with the higher Net Present Value is selected as the most worthy or optimal investment (Isaac, Leary, Daley, 2010). According to the Net Present Value Method, Project B is most appropriate for Blue Plc as it has a higher Net Present Value than Project A which amounts to  £36 million. There are advantages and disadvantages involved in using the Net Present Value Method which include the fact that the Net Present Value method accounts for the time value of money and measures the effects of inflation and other similar factors which may affect the value of the cash flows that the business is likely to generate in the future.   Another advantage is that the cash flow before the beginning of the project and after the end of the project is considered in calculating the value of the Net Present Value. Measures such as the profitability of the projects and the risk involved in the project are both given high priority in the calculation of Net Present Value. Moreover, using this measure helps maximize a firm’s value (Isaac, Leary, Daley, 2010). There are also certain disadvantages of using the Net Present Value method, which include the fact that it is difficult to use and that the net present value cannot give an accurate assessment of which project would be a better investment if the projects are mutually exclusive or if they are not of equal value. Moreover, calculating the appropriate discount rate is rather difficult and may not be accurate. The discount rate is usually estimated which may mean that it may vary in actual terms. The Net Present Value may not give an accurate decision if the projects are of unequal duration and can thus not be used in all situations (Reilly Brown, 2011). However, in the case of Blue Plc, both projects A B are of equal duration measuring four years and both require an initial investment of  £20 million. Thus, in this case using the Net Present Value Method may be appropriate as both projects are of the same duration and require equal investment and the same cost of capital. The other investment appraisal method that can be used to assess the feasibility of investments is the payback period. As Project A and Project B are both of the same duration and both require four years for execution, the payback period for Project A is 4.5 years, which is longer than its execution. Comparatively, the payback period for Project B is 3.6 years, which is less than that required for the execution of the project and is less than that required in Project A.   Therefore, according to the payback period method, Project B is the optimal investment as it has a lower payback period. The advantage of using the payback period method is that it is simple to use and understand. This method enables a company to identify the project with the quickest return on investment, especially in the case when the company has limited cash and can only invest in a project which allows it to regain its money back as fast as possible. This is the case with Blue Plc as the company can only invest in one project and would require its money back as fast as possible (Bierman Schmidt, 2012). However, one of the problems with the use of the payback period method is that it completely ignores the time value of money and does not consider or evaluate the fact that cash flows may not be regular and may occur later on in the process of the project. There may also be some projects which have an acceptable rate of return but still do not meet the requirements for the payback period. This method also does not consider any cash flows that a project would generate after the initial investment has been recovered. Thus, it does not accurately give an assessment of the profitability of a project but only evaluates how long it will take to recover the initial investment of a project. Using this method may mean a company overlook many attractive projects only because the company is focusing upon short-term profitability alone (Bierman Schmidt, 2012). According to Blue Plc’s case, the payback period is lower which means that it is a feasible project with a higher rate of return. However, we must ideally combine this analysis with the analysis of other factors such as the Net Present Value to determine whether this project is the most optimum investment or not. Accordingly, the better investment appraisal method is using the Net Present Value method as it accounts for the time value of money and also measures subsequent cash flows that a project generates after the initial amount has been recovered. The payback period is simple but does not provide a fully accurate picture. Moreover, in the case of Blue Plc when the cost of capital, duration of the project, and the initial investment required in the project are the same for both projects, the Net Present Value is the most appropriate investment appraisal method to use in evaluating the feasibility of both projects (Kim, Shim, Reinschmidt, 2013). However, using either method has generated the same result as Project B seems to be the optimal choice regardless of whether the payback period is used as the investment appraisal method or whether the payback period is used as the investment appraisal method.   Part D: (A)There are various sources of finance that can be used by a business in order to finance its operations. However, the use of these sources of finance also involves various advantages and disadvantages. A privately owned business can use the owner’s savings and personal assets to finance business expansion or to finance the start of a business (Beck Demirgue-Kunt,2006). The advantages of using this source of finance are that the owner does not have to pay any interest or share any of the profits with investors or others as he/she is using their own money in the business venture. There are also no acquisition costs and no major hassle in raising or using this source of finance. However, there is also risk involved for the owner in using his/her own personal savings which includes the fact that he/she may lose all of this money if the business goes into a loss (Berger Udell, 1998). Another source of finance for a business is allowing investors to invest in the business. In the case of a sole trader or a private limited company, the owners can allow partners to join in the investment or can turn the company into a public limited company.In the case of a public limited company, the owners can sell shares on the stock exchange in order to gain more finance. However, this will also mean that the owners of the company will lose a substantial amount of control in the company once investors are allowed to invest in the company.   They will also be required to keep their investors happy and this can be a tiresome and pressurizing ordeal also resulting in conflicts. Profits will also have to be divided with the investors, meaning that the owners cannot keep all of the profits to themselves. On the other hand, the owners of the business will also be able to share the risk with other investors and will not be solely liable for all of the business losses (Mason, 2007). Another major source of business finance is bank loans. They can provide a quick and reliable source of funding which also enables businesses to keep their persona operating cash to themselves for emergency situations. A business may also be exempted from paying back their loan in full if they file for bankruptcy and provided that they do not have the required amount. However, in order to obtain a bank loan, a business may have to provide collateral which may be a hassle or it may be difficult for a firm to obtain a loan if they do not have the required collateral. Interest payments will also have to be made on the loan which will mean that the business has to return more than they actually borrowed. Payments on the loan will also be due at specific times regardless of whether the business is doing well or whether it is not doing well (Beck Demirgue-Kunt, 2006). Another source of finance for businesses is government grants and loans. Some governments provide start-up and expansion programs to facilitate their business sector and these can prove to be a highly valuable opportunity for businesses to receive free finance. The interest rates on these loans are also much lower than the rates on other loans and are usually provided without collateral. However, the problem with obtaining government loans and grants is that there is usually a lot of red tape that has to be surpassed before the loan can be granted and thus it is not available to all businesses. The loan or grant is still a loan or grant and eventually has to be repaid (Berger Udell, 1998). (B)   Break-even analysis uses a firm’s selling price of products against a firm’s fixed and variable costs in order to determine the quantity of products that a firm needs to sell in order to recover the costs it has incurred to produce those products. There are certain assumptions that the break-even analysis makes in order to calculate this quantity. First of all, the break-even analysis assumes that all costs can be categorized as either fixed costs or variable costs. However, on a practical basis, it is nearly impossible to accurately classify costs into these categories because some costs have both a variable and fixed proportion. Another assumption is that fixed costs remain constant at any level of activity, even when there is no production. However, this may also not pose a highly accurate picture and may not be able to accurately depict the true nature of fixed costs as some fixed costs may begin to vary with differing levels of output (Al-Habeeb, 2012). The break-even analysis also assumes that the unit selling price will remain constant. However, in the contemporary business environment, this is not practical as the unit selling price may vary with differing consumer tastes and purchasing habits. As competition increases, firms may be constantly changing their unit selling price which then makes the break-even analysis void and inaccurate. The breakeven analysis also keeps inventory levels, the design of the product, efficiency and productivity levels, and variable costs constant (Tsorokidis et al, 2011). The contemporary business environment involves high rates of competition, innovation, and varying productivity and efficiency levels. Moreover, other business problems and issues may also affect the rate of sales and the level of costs at various times in the production and selling process. Thus, in such cases, the break-even analysis is a highly limited model in assessing the number of units needed for sales to break-even (Berger Black, 2011). On the other hand, the break-even analysis is a simplistic model which can at least give a business a rough idea regarding how many units it needs to sell in order to recover its costs. It can be used in cases where selling prices and costs remain constant and perhaps in businesses where it is easy to categorize these costs into the separate categories of fixed and variable costs. Businesses should not completely rely upon the break-even analysis and may have to use other more thorough accounting methods in order to determine the optimum quantity to sell which would enable them to achieve a profit (Berger Black, 2011). Accounting and forecasting models are usually based upon assumptions and none of them exist without disadvantages. Thus, it is essential for a business to use all of these models with caution and only use them as a guideline in order to calculate various results for their business.   References Alhabeeb, M. J. (2012). â€Å"Break†Even Analysis.†Ã‚  Mathematical Finance. pp.247-273. Beck, T., Demirguc-Kunt, A. (2006). â€Å"Small and medium-size enterprises: Access to finance as a growth constraint.†Ã‚  Journal of Banking Finance, Vol.30(11) pp.2931-2943. Berger, A. N., Black, L. K. (2011). â€Å"Bank size, lending technologies, and small business finance.†Ã‚  Journal of Banking Finance. Vol.35(3) pp.724-735. Bierman Jr, H., Smidt, S. (2012).  The capital budgeting decision: economic analysis of investment projects. Routledge. Isaac, D., OLeary, J., Daley, M. (2010).  Property development: appraisal and finance. Palgrave Macmillan. Kim, B. C., Shim, E., Reinschmidt, K. F. (2013). Probability Distribution of the Project Payback Period Using the Equivalent Cash Flow Decomposition. The Engineering Economist. Vol.58(2), 112-136. Liesen, A., Figge, F., Hahn, T. (2013). â€Å"Net Present Sustainable Value: A New Approach to Sustainable Investment Appraisal.†Ã‚  Strategic Change. Vol.22 (3†4) pp.175-189. Mason, C. M. (2007). â€Å"Informal sources of venture finance.†   The life cycle of entrepreneurial ventures  .pp. 259-299. Springer US. Berger, N. Udell, G. (1998). â€Å"The economics of small business finance: The roles of private equity and debt markets in the financial growth cycle.† Journal of Banking Finance. Vol.22 (6), pp.613-673. Reilly, F. K., Brown, K. C. (2011).  Investment analysis and portfolio management. CengageBrain. com. Tsorakidis, N., Papadoulos, S., Zerres, M., Zerres, C. (2011).  Break-Even Analysis. Bookboon.

Identify the most consequential features of 'new media' and assess how Essay

Identify the most consequential features of 'new media' and assess how and why sociological theory and concepts deal with these - Essay Example In line with this, this paper aims at recognizing the various features of new media and analyzing the sociological concepts that can be derived from the affirmed features. The linkage of networks, capitalism, virtual relationships, digitalism, selfishness to geographical distances, and cultural identities are the main features of new media whose influence on sociological concepts will be reviewed. The linkage of networks The term â€Å"networks† within sociology is used to refer to the different connections between diverse actors, where these connections are driven by new media. Networks, according to Gane & Beer (2008, pp. 30), can be referred to as â€Å"dynamic systems that contain infinite creative possibilities, for they bring entities into contact in ways that would previously have been unimaginable.† Platforms are created through interfaces, where various media can be linked and information easily shared by huge numbers of people (Gane & Beer, 2008, pp.7). The sh aring of information is easier due to reduced time and cost, and augmented speed of sharing information since there is no environmental supply chain. Gane & Beer (2008, pp. ... zation and production, to create common new media capable of performing complex tasks that could only be performed using different devices during the analogue period. For example web pages getting merged with T.V channels to come up with a mode of information sharing in which people can get real-life stories in a very short time. Essentially, this means that new media has brought about new ways of representing the world, meaning that even the sociological and cultural meanings ascribed to world phenomenon have changed. Using the social network analysis, according to Gane & Beer (2008, pp. 14) gives an empirical view of the way in which actors operate within networks. Networks are seen as means through which capitalism is advanced in the society, since they allow for the easy flow of capital (Gane & Beer, 2008, pp. 23). Economic role: capitalism In today’s society, a person has to be included on the network in order to be an active participant in social activities. The network society brought about by novel media has stratified the society and brought about new forms of disparities (Webster, 2006, pp. 111). In an ideal world, in information labor, there are classes of people with some termed as â€Å"manual workers† whose stringency to technical change renders them unable of acquiring wealth. Informational capitalism distinguishes against the unskilled and uneducated therefore placing them at the lowest level of social classes. This class of people in the words of Castells (2001, pp. 94), is socially punished for failing to invest in intellectual capital. The digital economy typified by the new media has led to labor exploitation of temporary workers (Fish & Srinivasan, 2011, pp. 138). Digitally distributed labor relies on user-distributed content which comes from

International Finance & Capital Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

International Finance & Capital Markets - Essay Example The company has the desire to acquire China COSCO Holdings Company Limited, which is mainly a logistics and shipping supplier company. The plan for acquisition is evaluated in order to examine whether it will be a success for both the companies. Babcock International had been planning for expansion internationally for the past few years. However, they were targeting the Chinese market in particular. The acquisition plan has been in the negotiation stage and thus there is a need for providing the Board of Directors of Babcock International with recommendations from the financial director regarding the collaboration with COSCO. The cross border acquisition brings a number of issues like the exchange rate risk along with the cross border trade. The plan is evaluated by evaluating the solvency, liquidity and the profitability position of both the companies. The balance sheet of the companies is compared in order to make a decision regarding the collaboration plan. The recent acquisitions of Babcock International are also examined in order to evaluate the strength of the company and get an idea whether it is capable for the acquisition of COSCO. Introduction Babcock International Group PLC is an established company in United Kingdom which is the part of the European Union (EU). The European economy is the world’s largest importer globally in 2011 (16.4%). It is also the largest exporter in the world, exporting 15.4% of all the exports across the globe. Rules and regulations are very strict in EU which possesses restrictions to the companies at different levels of business. Thus it is important for Babcock to obey the rules and regulations of the country and take decision regarding the acquisition China COSCO. The EU also provides investors with a unique market for investment after passing the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) in 2008. Merger and acquisition is viewed as the change agent for any company. The action is taken for expanding or co ntracting the basic operation of the firm which is also known as corporate restructuring. There are different types of acquisition which includes the cross border, local country and home country acquisition. Babcock is panning for cross border acquisition as it is deciding to acquire China COSCO which is leading logistics and shipping Supplier Company in China. The acquisition plan of China COSCO by Babcock will be successful if the following conditions are fulfilled: 1) The creditors and the properties of China COSCO are protected by courts. 2) Babcock has clear knowledge regarding China COSCO. 3) The growth of China COSCO encourages rapid market penetration of China. 4) The entry barriers are considerably high. 5) The cultural difference between UK and China are low. 6) Babcock is relatively larger than size of China COSCO. 7) Babcock has the ability to take the risk of acquisition. 8) Babcock has experience of the local markets of China. 9) Babcock is quite late in entering China market (Clark, 2002) The above conditions are necessary to be fulfilled if the acquisition has to be successful. Babcock has a plan for entering the markets of China for a long time. The proposal of the acquisition is examined by evaluating the financial strengths of both the companies. The benefits of the investors are also concentrated upon. The negotiation

Operations Management Discussion Questions Assignment

Operations Management Discussion Questions - Assignment Example Furthermore, the place where a new facility is located illustrates the possibilities of your facility succeeding or not succeeding. My organization puts into considerations various criteria on deciding the location of a new facility. Customer criterion is one of the principles to reflect. The nature of your business determines the nature of your customers, for example, if a facility is a restaurant where many people gather, and busy high streets are the best location to place the restaurant (Bognanno, Keane, and Yang, 171). Employees’ criterion is considered, since for them, the best location is where there is accessibility of public transport and reliable local facilities. Suppliers’ criterion is considered since our facility depends heavily on supplies from other facilities. However, when locating the suitable place, for our facility, we consider expedient infrastructure links to ensure deliveries are quick and easy. Business competitors’ criterion is another f actor we consider when placing a facility. Our organization ensures we deal with different products from our competitors, and we are not particularly near to them. However, sometimes if we have a competitor with a business rivaling our products we prefer being close to more customers. The criteria my organization considers are appropriate because our facilities have been appreciably successful. Our organization has been effective in choosing appropriate facility location by fully debating on each criterion, depending on the products we are intending to offer and the people we are intending to reach to come with the best locations. DQ1 Responses Strategically selecting a facility is exceptionally vital, as it is one of the major factors to consider when setting up a new facility. Advantages of strategically selecting a location of a facility are easy accessibly to the organization, customer influx in to the organization, easy and quick delivery of supplies and accessibility of good a nd decent local amenities and communal transport by employees. Advantages of strategically selecting a location for a facility are well demonstrated by the location of ideal Inland Ports. Spee and Wim demonstrate advantages of the location of the Ideal Island Ports as competent access to logistics services, infrastructure systems and consumer markets (34). Furthermore, its location has supported easy access to advanced transportations infrastructures. The previous ports that are in close vicinity with Inland Port were unsuccessful due to poor selection of a potential site (Spee and Wim, 38). The ports were unable to access convenient transportation, delayed supplies of goods, had poor logistics, the consumer market was undesirable, the employees could not access communal transport and decent facilities. These caused the Ports a lot of money to hire transport for the delivery of their supplies. In addition, due to poor communal transport and local amenities the company incurred extra cost in proving its employees with transport and facilities. The cost incurred by the company is decidedly vital, since if it is not incurred by the company it will lose its employees and its customers due to lack of accessibility to transportation. In addition, the delivery of supplies will become slow, difficult, poor, undesirable services would be offered, and poor

Examining Yourself as a Writer Essay Example for Free

Examining Yourself as a Writer Essay The art of writing is a unique skill that requires the writer to have great flexibility and be open to improvement. Some may consider themselves a â€Å"perfect writer†, when in reality, no one is, and will ever be. Writing is a process that requires one to continuously build on skills learned in previous situations, applying new techniques and strategies to future writing projects. Different settings require different writing styles, and with that being said, one must be willing to change their writing skills to suit the requirements of their current setting. In the following essay I will reflect on past writing assignments, identifying my best and worst writing courses, strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and my opinion on why writing may or may not be beneficial to me throughout my career. Although I consider English/Composition one of my strong points, writing wouldn’t fall into the category of things I like to do. As bad as it sounds, I’m the type of person who only writes when it’s required of me to do so. As I look back on my writing career I’d have to say my best writing course was a course entitled Health Disparities. I took this course my junior year at Spelman College and was required to write quite a few papers. I would name this course my best in terms of writing because we were able to choose between a number of topics to write our papers on, versus just one, and each topic focused on something I personally am very interested in, which is health. Most of the papers required 5-10 pages, but because I was interested in the topics 5-10 pages felt like 3-5. The professor provided detailed feedback on our papers, giving us the opportunity to revise the paper before turning in the final copy. I would have to say that my worst writing co urse was Intro to Eastern Religious Traditions. I disliked this course because the subject matter itself confused me. The writing assignments were outlandish and required a great deal of critical thinking and research on a topic that I found to be very complex and confusing. I am not a big fan of research papers, especially when I have no interest in the topic of discussion. Another thing that made it so bad was the fact that the professor was very strict and it seemed like nothing was good enough. It was from this course that I learned the importance of being an open writer, in  terms of adjusting my writing style to accept new forms and topics of writing. All writers have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to their ability to formulate a piece of literature. One of my main strengths in writing is the ability to formulate sentences that are grammatically correct. I have always been particular about using correct punctuation, spelling words correctly, and making sure my sentences flow. I would also consider my vocabulary to be quite extensive, allowing for the use of more sophisticated words throughout my writing. My weaknesses include issues with starting my introduction, expressing my ideas and thoughts in a concise and coherent manner, and formulating the body of my paper, as far as weeding out what is and isn’t important in relation to my thesis statement. When given a prompt, so many thoughts start flowing through my head that I sometimes get overwhelmed and can’t decide what information I should and shouldn’t use. One thing Ive never been too keen on is outlining my thoughts before beginning a piece of writing. I’m the type of person who thinks and writes at the same time, which may not allow me to adequately brainstorm on the information that should be provided in my writing. With that being said, I will work on first, placing my ideas on paper, then placing those ideas into an outline, and lastly formulating my paper into a smoot h and concise piece of writing In my opinion, writing is a fundamental aspect of all facets of life, especially in most, if not all careers. If one is unable to write, it can be very hard for them to carry out even the smallest tasks. You don’t have to be an expert writer, but basic writing skills are a must. In my future career as a Nurse, writing will be very relevant. Nurses have to complete patient charts, provide detailed explanations of the patients care regimes for those who will be providing care to the patients after them, etc. Communication between nurses and doctors is crucial and if not documented with precision a patient’s life could be in jeopardy. A nurse without writing capabilities would not be able to perform their job with the proficiency that they should. As previously mentioned, writing is a process that welcomes proficiency, but not perfection. One must understand the importance of being flexible and open to change when it comes to writing. Practicing good writing skills can be a little difficult but, it’s a long-term commitment which facilitates the ability to develop better writing habits. With great effort, weaknesses can be turned into strengths,  and current strengths can always be improved. I look forward to improving my ability to articulate my ideas in a clear and intelligent manner, as well as practicing my new skills in and outside of this course, as well as in my future career as a Nurse.

Gun Control - We Should Give a Gun to Every Citizen Essay -- Constitut

Gun Control – We Should Give a Gun to Every Citizen If the second amendment to the United States Constitution clearly states that, â€Å"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,† why do our lawmakers constantly debate the topic of weapons? Radical Democrats wish to make all guns illegal, meaning only policemen and servicemen would be equipped with guns (â€Å"Mission†). Radical Republicans (i.e. Charlton Heston), on the other hand, wish to place no restrictions whatsoever on guns, making semi-automatic and fully-automatic guns available to everybody living in or visiting the United States, without a background check or profile of the gun buyer (Heston). It seems that every time a terrible crime is committed in the United States involving a gun, the debate about gun control flares up again. The Columbine massacre and other school shootings, shootings at churches and in the workplace, the serial sniper near Washington D.C., and rises in gang activity are all examples of such events that have sp arked debates in Washington. Both sides, Democrat and Republican, have good points, but they are far from a solution. Radical Democrats have reason to want to eliminate guns from America because every year in America thousands of people are injured or killed by a firearm. It is also true that in the early 1990s there were an estimated 200 million privately-owned guns in the United States, and to try and confiscate all of those guns would be ridiculous (â€Å"Gun Control†). Radical Republicans have the 2nd amendment on their side in their quest to make all guns legal and unrestricted. They don’t have practicality or the safety of the country on their side, however. The release of fully-automatic guns into the public wou... ...he possibilities are endless. Giving a gun to every citizen of the United States is the only way to make our streets safe. It is also a very good way to stimulate the economy and prevent against foreign invasion. It may even save your life. WORKS CITED â€Å"The Assault Weapons Ban: Questions & Answers.† Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. August 2002. Brady Campaign. Org. 3 Dec 2002 http://www.bradycampaign.org/facts/gunlaws/awb.asp>. â€Å"Gun Control.† 30 Mar 2002. Just Facts: A Resource for Independent Thinkers. 2 Dec 2002 http://www.justfacts.com/gun_control.htm>. Heston, Charles. â€Å"NRA President Charlton Heston’s Opening Comments.† 20 May 2000. NRA Annual Meeting. 2 Dec 2002 http://nrahq.org/transcripts/hestonam.asp>. â€Å"Mission.† GCN Introduction. July 1996. Gun Control Network. 2 Dec 2002 http://www.gun-control-network.org/genintro.htm>.