The ultimate irony Essay Example

The ultimate irony Paper In the first line of the poem, it can be seen that Duffy portrays Mrs Fraud as being a very assertive and outspoken speaker, through the opening word Ladies. This shows Mrs Freud to be a very authoritative woman who demands respect, as she is able to address all the women at the rally at the same time. When one considers the level of authority and respect that Sigmund Freud himself gained through the popularity of his theories and findings, it can be assumed that Duffy intentionally portrays Mrs Freud in this manner to show that she too has her own respectable identity outside the marriage like her husband. The pause after the word also presents Mrs Freud as a calm and rather mature individual, suggesting that she is far older and more experienced than the audience of women that she is addressing. As one reads the poem further, it can be seen that Duffy through Mrs Freud, mocks and criticizes both male sexuality and Freud himself in a very humorous manner, thus effectively killing two birds with one stone. This is seen through Duffys employment of colloquial words such as the night crawler and pork sword, in reference to the various nicknames men give their penises, throughout the entirety of the poem. This in combination with the poems structure being in the form of a sonnet, and Duffys clever use of alliteration and assonance through other words such as the dick, prick, dipstick and wick, gives the poem the feel of a nursery school rhyme, whilst also emphasizing the comical attitude that Mrs Freud maintains throughout her presentation. We will write a custom essay sample on The ultimate irony specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The ultimate irony specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The ultimate irony specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It can also be said that this contrasts the original suggestion of Mrs Freud as a mature individual, however , some critics argue that her attitude merely reflects her own opinion and view of men, and the way in which they express their sexuality, her husband not being any different. The last few lines of the poem can be said to be very effective in portraying the ferocity at which Mrs Freud has scathingly attacked the subject of male sexuality, leaving very little room for sympathy. The use of the word penis near the end of the poem, and Mrs Freuds description of it as average and not pretty, can be said to show Mrs Fraud as getting to the heart of the issue, whilst at the same time, this clearly illustrates her as having stripped masculinity and her husband of their somewhat tough layers. The later personification of the penis as having an envious solitary eye and the following words ones feeling of pity, is a twist on Freuds penis envy theory, something that according to Mary Greens York Notes Advanced (2007), a feminist would say Duffy does cleverly. This theory states that adolescent girls are envious of men due to them having a penis, and the use of the metaphor envious solitary eye, suggests that it is rather men who are envious of women, and the second quote implies that Mrs Freud herself, pities her husband and all other men who believe otherwise. Bibliography Peter Cash,2002, Carol Ann Duffy: The ultimate irony is that Midas possessed a magic touch all along: namely, the physical touch which had the power to transform her into a loving wife, www. le. ac. uk/engassoc/publications/bookmarks/58. pdf Mary Green, 2007, York Notes Advanced  (www.yorknotes.com).

Free Essays on Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. He was the 15th child, of 17 children in the Josiah Franklin family. Benjamin Franklin’s dad was a soap and candle maker, who lived in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife, Abiah Folger. Benjamin Franklin learned to read at an early age, but he only went to grammar school for two years. When he was 10 years old, Franklin was working for his father. But he did not like candle making, so two years later, he helped his brother James, as a printer. For five years, Franklin tried to get a hang of the printers' trade. During this time, he also tried to make his education better. Franklin read books and worked on his writing style. After a fight with his brother in 1723, Franklin left Boston and went to Philadelphia. There he again worked in the printing industry. He became friends with the governor of Pennsylvania, Sir William Keith, and at Keith's suggestion, Franklin decided to go into business for himself. But he didn’t work. So he went to London and worked at a printing house and saved up enough money to come to America. Franklin went to Philadelphia in 1726 and finished his trade. By 1730, Franklin had his own business. That same year, he married Deborah Read, a woman he met before his trip to England. Together they had a son, who died at four years of age; and a daughter. In 1731, Franklin started the first public library. During the next several years, Franklin also helped start the first fire department, a police force, and the Academy of Philadelphia, which became the University of Pennsylvania. Around 1744, Franklin invented a stove which reduced the chimney smoke. The Franklin stove is still in use today. In the 1740's, Franklin started to experiment with electricity, which led to the invention of the lightning rod. His famous electricity experiment, which included flying a kite during a lightning storm took place in 1752. In addition to his science projects, Franklin was ele... Free Essays on Benjamin Franklin Free Essays on Benjamin Franklin On learning of Benjamin Franklin’s death in the spring of 1790, the French National Assembly, the â€Å"temporary† French government established after the initial stages of the French Revolution, decreed three days of mourning, a fitting tribute for the man who was for most eighteenth-century European intellectuals the quintessential American. At his death Franklin ranked with Voltaire and Rousseau as a philosophe, one of those multifaceted geniuses whose writings helped inspire the wave of intellectual and political freedom which swept Western Europe in the closing years of the eighteenth century. Unlike most philosophers, however, Franklin had the chance to put his ideas into practice in the founding of a new nation: â€Å"He seized the lightening from the sky and the scepter from the hand of tyrants,† proclaimed the philosopher-scientist Turgot. Franklin’s life has become so much the stuff of legend that it is necessary to try to separate fact from myth. The youngest son in a family of eleven living children, Franklin was born in Boston in 1706. After one year of education at the Boston Grammar School and one year at George Brownell’s English school, he was apprenticed at age twelve to his brother James, a printer. The precocious and rebellious Franklin rejected his parents’ pious congregationalism in favor of free-thinking deism before he turned sixteen. He reluctantly settled to a trade, threatening his parents with his desire to run off to sea, and his adolescent satire of Harvard College suggests that he resented those whose wealth enabled them to escape the drudgery of a tradesman’s life despite their inferior intellectual talents. Franklin also joined vigorously in his brother’s attacks on Massachusetts worthies such as Increase and Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall, but after quarrelin g with his brother he broke his indenture at age seventeen and sailed secretly for New York and then Philadelphia. Franklin’s st... Free Essays on Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was born into a modest family, but later became to be one of the greatest statesmen in the country. He shaped this country’s course of events, which forever changed the way we live today. Ben Franklin made many contributions to the revolutionary cause. One could say he was one of the greatest fighters in the Revolutionary War. Although he did not fight physically with weapons, he powerfully fought with words. Among many revolutionary contributions, he helped draft and sign the â€Å"Declaration of Independence,† he secured financial and physical aid from France for the war cause, he lifted many laws that were imposed on the colonies by the King of England, and in 1787, and he signed â€Å"The Constitution of the United States of America.† When he met with the assembly meeting over the â€Å"Declaration of Independence,† he addressed the delegates with the statement, â€Å"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.† During the French and Indian War, he supplied General Braddock and his men with 150 wagons and 259 horses so he could march on Fort Duquesne. Ben Franklin led a small group of soldiers along with his son to Gnadenhuetten to build a fort to protect Pennsylvania from the French and Indian invaders. Within a few weeks, he had three well-fortified forts spaced out over 15 miles and suitable living quarters for the men. If Ben Franklin had not participated in the politics of the American Revolution, the Americans could have easily lost the war. When he went to France to secure financial and physical aid for the war cause, it gave more power to the Americans, which probably led them to win the war. If he had not gone to England to lift the taxes, that could have mean that more British troops most likely would have been sent over to make people pay taxes, which could have lengthened the war. Had he not participated in the war, it mos... Free Essays on Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706. He was the 15th child, of 17 children in the Josiah Franklin family. Benjamin Franklin’s dad was a soap and candle maker, who lived in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife, Abiah Folger. Benjamin Franklin learned to read at an early age, but he only went to grammar school for two years. When he was 10 years old, Franklin was working for his father. But he did not like candle making, so two years later, he helped his brother James, as a printer. For five years, Franklin tried to get a hang of the printers' trade. During this time, he also tried to make his education better. Franklin read books and worked on his writing style. After a fight with his brother in 1723, Franklin left Boston and went to Philadelphia. There he again worked in the printing industry. He became friends with the governor of Pennsylvania, Sir William Keith, and at Keith's suggestion, Franklin decided to go into business for himself. But he didn’t work. So he went to London and worked at a printing house and saved up enough money to come to America. Franklin went to Philadelphia in 1726 and finished his trade. By 1730, Franklin had his own business. That same year, he married Deborah Read, a woman he met before his trip to England. Together they had a son, who died at four years of age; and a daughter. In 1731, Franklin started the first public library. During the next several years, Franklin also helped start the first fire department, a police force, and the Academy of Philadelphia, which became the University of Pennsylvania. Around 1744, Franklin invented a stove which reduced the chimney smoke. The Franklin stove is still in use today. In the 1740's, Franklin started to experiment with electricity, which led to the invention of the lightning rod. His famous electricity experiment, which included flying a kite during a lightning storm took place in 1752. In addition to his science projects, Franklin was ele... Free Essays on Benjamin Franklin Midterm Assignment â€Å"Benjamin Franklin† The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was not an easy book to read. Writing styles have changed tremendously since the 1700’s. Despite the cultural differences I learned a lot about the man and the time. Benjamin Franklin was a remarkable man. He was a printer, author, politician and an inventor. He was one of fifteen children in his family. Because he was from such a large family he was sent out to work at a very early age. He only had a few years of grammar school education when he started working in his fathers business. During his days off he educated himself through books. He was not happy working in his fathers business for very long. Unsure of what he wanted to do; his father took him around town to introduce him to other trades available to him. Not entirely pleased by the choices available, he settled on the printing trade. He worked as an apprentice in his brother’s print shop for several years until tension ended their relationship. By this time he was in his late teens. He moved to Philadelphia to continue in the printing business. He did well in Philadelphia but was always unhappy working in someone else’s print shop. The governor of Philadelphia offered him a letter of credit and introduction in England to help secure materials needed to start his own printing business. He accepted the offer only to find the offer less than reliable. This trip did not turn out as planned and he remained in England for two years trying to raise enough money to return to America. Upon Benjamin Franklin’s return to Philadelphia, he continued to master his printing trade. Within a few years he had established his own business. Several years later he started publishing a newspaper and was granted the honor of printing up the states currency. The main topic of this autobiography is the life of Benjamin Franklin and about all of his accomplishments and the hardships that he faced g... Free Essays on Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin - American Hero Essay written by: Tim Ross Throughout history icons emerge in each era that define that time, men who define the thinking, technology, culture, religion, and every other aspect of that time period. From the time of ancient Greece which possessed such prodigies as Socrates, and Aristotle men who were not only brilliant philosophers but also historians, mathematicians, and astronomers. To the Revolutionary period of America, which held such courageous enlightened men such as Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Benjamin Franklin. Men who greatly helped shape America’s independence. A man who stands out among these names is â€Å" The First American†, Benjamin Franklin who goes beyond being simply an icon of America’s conquest for freedom, but is truly an American hero. Benjamin Franklin’s heroism exists in his numerous achievements in politics, his scientific inventions, and his accomplishment of truly being â€Å"The First American†. Franklin’s contributions to the world of inventions, and science prove his ideal heroism. Some of Franklin’s contributions include his improvements on Franklin’s stove, he invented the Pennsylvania fireplace, which retained and dispersed heat evenly in a room. Franklin shaped perhaps the first idea of electricity; he also helped improved city’s pavements, street lighting, sanitations, fire companies, and police. These are a small amount of Franklin’s more material accomplishments, but they are also some of his strongest. Franklin is considered an American hero because although he was a politician, he felt the need to go above and beyond his regular duties. Franklin strived for perfection and had a strong to desire to help his fellow man. Whether it was improving the quality of his community by looking at such common aspects like city pavement, or street lights, or by making a large technological breakthrough and creating something like the musical a rmonica...

History of ELL and Bilingual Trasition Education Essay

History of ELL and Bilingual Trasition Education - Essay Example However, this is not the same case for the students who are â€Å"English Learners† and they need to receive their education via a sheltered English immersion curriculum during the critical transition period. These programs provide all the necessary classroom materials and instructions in English, but also encompass the application of the pupil’s indigenous language when requirement comes. The transition period lasts for approximately a period of one year, but it does not go beyond this threshold. After the child acquires a good and working knowledge in English, the administration moves the student to the regular class to continue with the rest of the gang. This allows guardians or parents to have the ability to apply for waivers from involvement in English immersion classes if their children already have a deep sense of English, or if they have special needs. This adversely affects the way that teaching occurs in the classroom. Teachers are well aware of the challenges they have to put up with and this means that they need to improve on how they deal with their students. The teachers modify their syllabuses to cater for these children as it is important to note that children have different needs and the role of the teacher is to treat each child respectfully and mold the best for them to attain their full potential (Olivia & Bernard, 2012, p. 377). The Flores Consent Decree A consent decree is a stipulated judgment that plays the role of memorializing a charitable agreement between concerned parties to a filed case in revalidation for withdrawal of a criminal charge or in other words to end a public litigation. In the classic consent decree, the defendant agrees to the case or has already ceased the conduct suspected by the plaintiff to be illegal and also consents to a court injunction that bars a repeat conduct in the future. The Flores Consent Decree argued that the programs initiated by the government did not receive sufficient funding to car ry out their roles and the Department of Education failed immensely in ensuring that schools provided necessary and adequate programs. The five main provisions for the decree included the quality of programs, standards for English proficiency, compensatory instruction, IEPs, and monitoring exited students. These were the crucial areas the decree decided to focus much of its attention. The provisions necessary for the implementation of the decree included uniform standards vital to determining English expertise, comparable curriculums for English students, compensatory instructions for students who do not show any signs of progress and regular supervision by the ADE. In a nut shell, the Flores declaration involved mandates that referred to the identification, evaluation, reassessment, instructive services and program observation for English Language Learners educational programs in schools. However is imperative to highlight the fact that once the parties enter the agreement, it is a lmost impossible to review the terms and conditions except in cases where they establish one of the parties obtained the decree by fraud (Ariz, 2005, p.77). Excerpts from Lau v. Nichol Lau v. Nichols (414 U.S. 563 of 1974) was a civil liberties case

Expert Systems Applied to Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Expert Systems Applied to - Essay Example Expert systems consist of a number of components such as the knowledge base, the inference engine and the user interface. The knowledge base contains all the data and information collected from the domain whereas the inference engine manipulates this information in looking to find a recommended course of action. The User interface provides the platform through which the system user can interact with the program. The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine primarily focuses on developing programs that can carry out diagnostic functions and suggest therapeutic recommendations. They are based on representative models of ailment entities in relation to factors such as their clinical manifestation and their ramifications on patient factors. Knowledge based systems are commonly used in clinical situations since they can withhold a vast knowledge base especially with regards to a particularly defined task. For this reason, the use of expert systems in the medical field applies in various functions within a hospital. For instance, expert systems can be used for generating reminders and alerts in real-time scenarios where they are attached to monitors as indicators used in monitoring changes in the condition of patients. In relatively acute cases, they can be used to scan lab test outcomes or medication prescriptions and generate reminders and alerts through e-mail or text message systems. Expert systems can also be used for diagnostic aid where the patient data can be checked against a system’s knowledge base to try and come up with accurate diagnosis in cases where the case of a patient is complex or unique or the diagnostician is relatively inexperienced (Wai et al. par. 63). An example of one such system is DXplain; a clinical decision support mechanism used to aid in diagnosis by looking at a set of symptoms, signs and laboratory results and generating a ranked list of possible diagnoses while at the same

Issue Paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Issue Paper 2 - Essay Example This will assist children develop a sense of responsibility for their actions as well as decisions. Bringe mentions co regulation as a suitable parenting style for school aged children (196). It is through this parenting style that parents can support their children develop refined social skills, children learn to be cooperative, and children develop better communications skills. Children learn to tackle assignments without supervision from adults and they manage to complete assignments competently and satisfactorily. Parents who utilise supportive care for their school-aged children are in a better position to handle issues related with health and safety concerns (Bringe 197). Utilising a co regulation parenting style provides structure and nurtures school-aged children. Supportive care allows parents to assists their children with peer relations. Parents get to understand the role that friends play in the development of their children (Bringe 199). Middle-aged children are different from preschool children in terms of developmental events and changes. It is during the school age period that children mature and become responsible person (Bringe 193). It is in this stage that children develop social skills, sense of self-concept and other developmental skills. Parents, teachers, and other adults are optimistic of children in this age. Parenting style, interaction style and interaction with people outside the family system does affect a child’s development in the middle school age. Parents need to be familiar with the effective ways that they can use to assist their children develop a sense of responsibility without using assertive force (Bringe 196). Parenting is an important issue facing the society. Issues such as childhood illnesses, mental illnesses, juvenile crime, accidents, drug abuse, school disruption, underachievement, self-esteem issues, and child neglect issues single out parenting as a

PESTEL analysis of the macro-environments

PESTEL analysis of the macro-environments There are many factors in the macro-environment that will effect the decisions of the managers of any organisation. Tax changes, new laws, trade barriers, demographic change and government policy changes are all examples of macro change. To help analyse these factors managers can categorise them using the PESTEL model. This classification distinguishes between: Political factors. These refer to government policy such as the degree of intervention in the economy. What goods and services does a government want to provide? To what extent does it believe in subsidising firms? What are its priorities in terms of business support? Political decisions can impact on many vital areas for business such as the education of the workforce, the health of the nation and the quality of the infrastructure of the economy such as the road and rail system. Economic factors.  These include interest rates, taxation changes, economic growth, inflation and exchange rates. As you will see throughout the Foundations of Economics book economic change can have a major impact on a firms behaviour. For example: higher interest rates may deter investment because it costs more to borrow a strong currency may make exporting more difficult because it may raise the price in terms of foreign currency inflation may provoke higher wage demands from employees and raise costs higher national income growth may boost demand for a firms products Social factors.  Changes in social trends can impact on the demand for a firms products and the availability and willingness of individuals to work. In the UK, for example, the population has been ageing. This has increased the costs for firms who are committed to pension payments for their employees because their staff are living longer. It also means some firms such as Asda have started to recruit older employees to tap into this growing labour pool. The ageing population also has impact on demand: for example, demand for sheltered accommodation and medicines has increased whereas demand for toys is falling. Technological factors:  new technologies create new products and new processes. MP3 players, computer games, online gambling and high definition TVs are all new markets created by technological advances. Online shopping, bar coding and computer aided design are all improvements to the way we do business as a result of better technology. Technology can reduce costs, improve quality and lead to innovation. These developments can benefit consumers as well as the organisations providing the products. Environmental factors:  environmental factors include the weather and climate change. Changes in temperature can impact on many industries including farming, tourism and insurance. With major climate changes occurring due to global warming and with greater environmental awareness this external factor is becoming a significant issue for firms to consider. The growing desire to protect the environment is having an impact on many industries such as the travel and transportation industries (for example, more taxes being placed on air travel and the success of hybrid cars) and the general move towards more environmentally friendly products and processes is affecting demand patterns and creating business opportunities. Legal factors:  these are related to the legal environment in which firms operate. In recent years in the UK there have been many significant legal changes that have affected firms behaviour. The introduction of age discrimination and disability discrimination legislation, an increase in the minimum wage and greater requirements for firms to recycle are examples of relatively recent laws that affect an organisations actions. Legal changes can affect a firms costs (e.g. if new systems and procedures have to be developed) and demand (e.g. if the law affects the likelihood of customers buying the good or using the service). Different categories of law include: consumer laws; these are designed to protect customers against unfair practices such as misleading descriptions of the product competition laws; these are aimed at protecting small firms against bullying by larger firms and ensuring customers are not exploited by firms with monopoly power employment laws; these cover areas such as redundancy, dismissal, working hours and minimum wages. They aim to protect employees against the abuse of power by managers health and safety legislation; these laws are aimed at ensuring the workplace is as safe as is reasonably practical. They cover issues such as training, reporting accidents and the appropriate provision of safety equipment Typical PESTEL factors to consider include: Factor Could include: Political e.g. EU enlargement, the euro, international trade, taxation policy Economic e.g. interest rates, exchange rates, national income, inflation, unemployment, Stock Market Social e.g. ageing population, attitudes to work, income distribution Technological e.g. innovation, new product development, rate of technological obsolescence Environmental e.g. global warming, environmental issues Legal e.g. competition law, health and safety, employment law By using the PESTEL framework we can analyse the many different factors in a firms macro environment. In some cases particular issues may fit in several categories. For example, the creation of the Monetary Policy Committee by the Labour government in 1997 as a body that was independent of government but had the ability to set interest rates was a political decision but has economic consequences; meanwhile government economic policy can influence investment in technology via taxes and tax credits. If a factor can appear in several categories managers simply make a decision of where they think it best belongs. However, it is important not to just list PESTEL factors because this does not in itself tell managers very much. What managers need to do is to think about which factors are most likely to change and which ones will have the greatest impact on them i.e. each firm must identify the key factors in their own environment. For some such as pharmaceutical companies government regulation may be critical; for others, perhaps firms that have borrowed heavily, interest rate changes may be a huge issue. Managers must decide on the relative importance of various factors and one way of doing this is to rank or score the likelihood of a change occurring and also rate the impact if it did. The higher the likelihood of a change occurring and the greater the impact of any change the more significant this factor will be to the firms planning. It is also important when using PESTEL analysis to consider the level at which it is applied. When analysing companies such as Sony, Chrysler, Coca Cola, BP and Disney it is important to remember that they have many different parts to their overall business they include many different divisions and in some cases many different brands. Whilst it may be useful to consider the whole business when using PESTEL in that it may highlight some important factors, managers may want to narrow it down to a particular part of the business (e.g. a specific division of Sony); this may be more useful because it will focus on the factors relevant to that part of the business. They may also want to differentiate between factors which are very local, other which are national and those which are global. For example, a retailer undertaking PESTEL analysis may consider: Local factors  such as planning permission and local economic growth rates National factors  such as UK laws on retailer opening hours and trade descriptions legislation and UK interest rates Global factors  such as the opening up of new markets making trade easier. The entry of Bulgaria and Rumania into the European Union might make it easier to enter that market in terms of meeting the various regulations and provide new expansion opportunities. It might also change the labour force within the UK and recruitment opportunities. This version of PESTEL analysis is called LoNGPESTEL. This is illustrated below: LOCAL NATIONAL GLOBAL POLITICAL Provision of services by local council UK government policy on subsidies World trade agreements e.g. further expansion of the EU ECONOMIC Local income UK interest rates Overseas economic growth SOCIAL Local population growth Demographic change (e.g. ageing population) Migration flows TECHNOLOGICAL Improvements in local technologies e.g. availability of Digital TV UK wide technology e.g. UK online services International technological breakthroughs e.g. internet ENVIRONMENTAL Local waste issues UK weather Global climate change LEGAL Local licences/planning permission UK law International agreements on human rights or environmental policy In Foundations of Economics we focus on the economic environment. We examine issues such as the effect of interest rate changes, changes in exchange rates, changes in trade policy, government intervention in an economy via spending and taxation and economic growth rates. These can be incredibly important factors in a firms macro-environment. The growth of China and India, for example, have had massive effects on many organisations. Firms can relocate production there to benefit from lower costs; these emerging markets are also providing enormous markets for firms to aim their products at. With a population of over 1 billion, for example, the Chinese market is not one you would want to ignore; at the same time Chinese producers should not be ignored either. However, the relative importance of economic factors compared to other factors will depend on the particular position of a business. Exchange rate fluctuations may be critically important to a multinational but less significant to a local window cleaner. Rapid economic growth or economic decline may be very significant to a construction business that depends heavily on the level of income in the economy but may be slightly less significant to a milk producer whose product is less sensitive to income. So whilst the economy is important to all firms on both the supply side (e.g. unemployment levels affect the ease of recruitment) and demand side (e.g. income tax affects spending power) the relative importance of specific economic factors and the relative importance of the economy compared to, say, regulation or social trends will vary. Whilst we hope this book provides a good insight into the economy and the possible effects of economic change on a business these must be considered in the light of other macro and micro factors that influence a firms decisions and success. macro environment Hide links within definitions Definitions (2) 1. Major external and uncontrollable  factors  that  influencean  organizations  decision making, and affect itsperformance  and  strategies. These factors include theeconomic,  demographics,  legal, political, and socialconditions, technological  changes, and natural  forces. 2. Factors that influence a  companys  or  productsHYPERLINK http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/development.htmldevelopment  but that are outside of the companys  control. For example, the  macro  environment could includecompetitors, changes in  interest rates, changes in cultural tastes, or  government  regulations. How Macro Environment affects Financial Management Decision? Macro environment is a dynamic factor and has changed drastically in last few years, leading to increase in avenues, competition and complexity. Efficient financial management calls for better financial decisions. This is only possible when every factor is reviewed which can affect the decision in any way and macro environment is one of the most important factors. This has made financial management more critical and sensitive for any business. Effective evaluation of alternatives is very critical in financial decisions. The evaluation calls for analysis of various factors belonging to both macro as well as micro environment. Financial management; a specialized field of general management is affected to a large extent by macro situations. We have to make various decisions related to finance; broadly such decisions include capital budgeting, capital structure working capital decisions. Capital budgeting facilitates investment decisions, capital structure takes care of decisions relating to mix of sources of funds and, working capital assesses the day to day needs of business. While taking these decisions, one needs to understand the criticality of environmental forces. Since, there is no single factor that makes our macro environment but group of various forces like political, legal, economical, social, technological etc, together build it. An effective financial decision needs assessment of these factors. To evaluate various macro forces, it is necessary to be aware of the system and processes of the country constituting the economy. For e.g. financial system of a country which plays a major role while making financial decision. Awareness about financial environment helps us understand how it constraints or facilitate implementation of decisions. Financial environment comprises of various intermediaries as well as regulatory bodies. A simple example will help us understand the criticality of macro factors thoroughly. A change in credit policy like tightening of prudential norms for banks (for e.g. Increase in Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio by central bank of a country) will reduce the money supply in the economy. Decreased money supply will push up the interest rates and make credit costlier for people who want to borrow. Costly credit will directly affect the capital structure decision. It will also affect capital budgeting decision while assessing the feasibility of the investment alternative. Since, a higher cost of capital will increase the percentage of discounting factor (opportunity cost) with which the future cash flows are discounted. This may cause deferring or canceling the capital expenditure (CAPEX) plans. Also, one should be updated with various changes taking place around the world. We are living in an era of globalization where, nothing is stable and information technology has made the access to news and information of the world just a click away. World is becoming a level playing field where, not only national but international factor can also cause a threat. Like, Sub-prime Crisis brought a challenging time for almost entire world. To summarize, financial management and its decisions are greatly based on some major assumptions. These assumptions are greatly based on the macro factors such as country or worldwide interest rates, gross domestic product (GDP) of a country, growth rate of economy, production and sales figures, population census etc. It clarifies to a great extent that financial decisions may go wrong if proper study of macro factors is not done. If the foundation go wrong, dreaming about a strong building would be equivalent to day dreaming. The new Thinking The role of the Ministry ought to be facilitating industrialists to achieve their vision and being a catalyst in that process I was curious when invited to deliver the keynote address at a seminar which is on Investment Opportunities in the New Economy because the last person you would want to speak on investment opportunities is a bureaucrat.   I think investment opportunities come from the market. And if by the New Economy you are referring to the post-peace era, what we would want to see is not bureaucrats deciding on new investment opportunities, but letting the private sector decide what new opportunities are available for investment.   I have been in the Ministry for the last three months. And during the three months I have encouraged a soul-searching exercise within the Ministry as to what the role of the Ministry ought to be. We have asked ourselves the questions: What is the vision of the Ministry? Together with the Minister and with the senior staff of the Ministry, we have been trying to define the vision we hold for industry in Sri Lanka. And in order to achieve that vision, what is the mission of the Industries Ministry? I would like to share with you some of our conclusions.   We believe that the vision of the industrial sector, as well as that of the Ministry should be to create an internationally competitive, robust, modern industrial sector in Sri Lanka. If we are looking at five years or ten years from now, we would like to see our industrial sector being internationally competitive, self dependent, robust and modern. The age when government subsidized industry, when industry existed with handouts from government is over. If that is the vision that we hold out for industry, what is the mission of the Ministry? We intend sharing with the chambers our views on this matter because we want the chambers to either endorse or suggest what the Ministry ought to do. And in that context we will be unfolding before them the work programme of the Ministry. We will be accountable to industry and the chambers. Every six months we will tell them what we have achieved.   If making the industrial sector modern and internationally competitive is our vision, what is the role or the mission of the Ministry? We believe that the role of the Ministry ought to be facilitating industrialists to achieve their vision and being the catalyst in that process. And we have tried to ask ourselves the question, if we are a facilitator, if we want to be a catalyst in helping industry to achieve their vision, what should we be doing. The new organizational structure of the Ministry will reflect that mission.   Let me share some thoughts with you on what we feel are the areas that we should be involved in and we intend to get involved in. Firstly, all of you as business men and industrialists would agree that more than all the incentives and the tax breaks that you would desire, the fundamental question for industrialists is the macro environment. If you do not have a conducive macro environment in which to operate, I do not think we can talk of business or industry.   What do we mean by the macro environment? Macro environment comprises several factors like interest rates, labour policy, tariff regime, the regulatory framework, investment policy, entry policy and exit policy. There is a whole heap of factors including the legislative framework that creates the macro environment. If that macro environment is not right, I do not think any industry can flourish in a country. So we would have a Director in the Ministry in charge of these macro environmental issues. The last budget included a proposal to set up a permanent Tariff Commission to decide on tariff issues. The market is dynamic and tariff issues keep changing. The government will very soon appoint a Tariff Commission.   Similarly we intend to be represented on bodies that decide on other areas pertaining to industry, in creating that macro environment for industry, labour policy and interest rates.   The second area is industrial policy itself. I am sure many of you have either listened to or participated in debates which discussed what industries ought to be protected in Sri Lanka, if any. We find criticism at many fora where people say we opened up our economy too soon and too sudden. We did not give a chance to local industry to face competition from imported products. Even today there are people who believe that we should not allow some foreign products which have captured the markets to come into this country.   What is Government policy on this issue? We would like to develop that policy in the Ministry after discussions with industry and the chambers.   If you take a simple example, today the shoe industry is facing competition from imports from China. Huge amounts of shoes are on the pavements and in shops that have been imported at very low prices. The shoe industry in Sri Lanka employs more than 5,000 workers. And that is in the organised sector. I am ignoring the informal sector. That industry is crying for protection. Should we protect the shoe industry? There are some who argue that if our industry is to survive, they should be able to compete with any imported product.   In all the sectors of industry that we have dealt with, there are major issues of this kind. So, I think it is necessary for the Government to announce, after a dialogue with the industry and chambers, the policy of the government on protection. I am sure as consumers we would all like to pay a cheap price. We would not like to pay even more, even for the cause of protecting industry. I dont think our national consciousness goes to such an extent that we would agree to the government levying a duty of say, Rs. 900 in order to protect a local industry which manufactures the same products at a cost of Rs. 1,000 while the imported price is only Rs. 100.   If on the other hand, the imported product is Rs. 100 and the cost of the local product is Rs. 110, and there is also a likelihood that given the requisite support, given the assistance needed to upgrade technology and be more productive, the local product can also be sold at Rs 100 within a reasonable period of time, then you and I may not mind a duty of Rs. 10 being levied on the imported product in order to give that local industry a chance to improve and be competitive. In fact, if you look at examples in other countries, if you look at the Indian example, there was a time when milk produced in India was far more costly than imported milk. At that time, they imposed a duty on imported milk and used the money that was recovered to help the local milk industry. Today India is in a position to export milk. We should think carefully what our policy ought to be on tariff issues. So the Ministry would like to get into that exercise and help government make a declaration of its policy on tariffs. Similarly, there are other issues of industrial policy like the BOI and the non BOI regime. I am sure most of you are aware that the same industry within the BOI enjoys certain privileges which are not available to a similar non BOI industry operating in Sri Lanka. The budget has tried to take those differences away and unify the system. Similar issues are there on industrial policy with regard to environment, location of industries and the zones. All those areas are matters on which the Ministry wants to focus its attention. A third area is entrepreneurship development. Sri Lanka has a history of being a protected economy. We have few entrepreneurs in the country. Much less than the desired number we would need in a market economy. We have over the years got our people used to a static, comfortable state of affairs where risk taking is no more in our genes. We need to take some steps in the universities and in the schools to inculcate the spirit of entrepreneurship in our future generations.   There is an excellent programme in schools, executed with the collaboration of an American organisation for creating entrepreneurship in the schools. There are 300 schools that have formed companies with the students. They produce and market products. We need similar exercises like the incubation programmes, the Vasanthaya Programme, and so on to create enterpreneurs in the country. Thus, the third area that we would like to get into is to invest in entrepreneur development. A fourth area that the Ministry would like to get into is small and medium industry.   With the assistance of the Asian Development Bank, we are now engaged in the process of finishing a white paper which will outline the strategy for development of SME industry in the county for the next five years. There is a short term plan and a medium and long term plan. That paper will be out for public scrutiny. There will be public hearings held about the white paper throughout the country. And we intend publishing and implementing the proposals embodied in that white paper.   These four areas are not sector specific. They cut across all sectors. In fact, without having a conducive macro environment, a rational industrial policy and entrepreneurs, I do not think we can develop industry. And the Ministry would devote much attention to those areas in the forthcoming years.   But, that alone will not do. There are sector specific problems and we need to get involved with such issues. For that purpose, we have selected 15 sectors based on two studies done for Sri Lanka. One, the JICA sponsored, Japanese assisted study, and the other, the USAID Competitiveness study. Based on those two studies we have selected 15 sectors and formed task forces in each of these sectors. 14 have already been formed. These task forces are led by the private sector and the Ministry only has a director who acts as the secretary to each task force.   The task force in each group will prepare a five year plan for the sector. The five year plan will have four elements. One, the state of the sector today in the country how many units are there, how many are employed, how much exports, what is the degree of technology, competitiveness in that particular sector. In other words, they will prepare a profile of the sector as it is today.   Secondly, they will do a SWOT analysis for that industry. They would look at the strengths and weaknesses of that industry in Sri Lanka and analyse the opportunities and threats faced by that industry. Thirdly, they would decide what would be reasonable targets for that sector to achieve in five years. They will create a vision for the sector in terms of increased number of units, increased exports and increased employment. And lastly, they will specify what they want the government to do in order to help them realize their vision. A simple five year plan is to be prepared by all 15 sectors. Two sectors have already completed their assignment and handed over the documents to the Ministry. The Ministry will monitor them and help them reach those targets. There could be policy changes that are required. Areas in which the industry needs the support of the Government as identified in these sector studies will receive the attention of the Ministry.   In reinventing the Ministry to playing that role of facilitator and catalyst, there is a tremendous contribution that the Ministry could make for industry. It is a challenge that I and my colleagues in the Ministry are eager to take on. PEST analysis From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  (Redirected from  PESTLE) PEST analysis  stands for Political,  Economic,  Social, and  Technological analysis and describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used in the  environmental scanning  component of  strategic management. Some analysts added  Legal and rearranged the mnemonic to SLEPT;1  inserting  Environmental factors expanded it to PESTEL or PESTLE, which is popular in the UK.2  The model has recently been further extended to STEEPLE and STEEPLED, adding education and  demographicfactors. It is a part of the external analysis when conducting a strategic analysis or doing  market research, and gives an overview of the different macroenvironmental factors that the company has to take into consideration. It is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. The growing importance of environmental or ecological factors in the first decade of the 21st century have given rise to  green business  and encouraged widespread use of an updated version of the PEST framework. STEER analysis systematically considers Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors. Contents   [hide] 1HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#The_Model.27s_Factors  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#The_Model.27s_FactorsThe Models Factors 2HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#Applicability_of_the_Factors  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#Applicability_of_the_FactorsApplicability of the Factors 3HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#Use_of_PEST_analysis_with_other_models  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#Use_of_PEST_analysis_with_other_modelsUse of PEST analysis with other models 4HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#See_also  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#See_alsoSee also 5HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#References  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#ReferencesReferences 6HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#External_links  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#External_linksExternal links The Models Factors Political  factors, are how and to what degree a  government  intervenes in the economy. Specifically, political factors include areas such as  tax policy,  labour law,  environmental law,  trade restrictions,  tariffs, and political stability. Political factors may also include goods and services which the government wants to provide or be provided (merit goods) and those that the government does not want to be provided (demerit goods  or merit bads). Furthermore, governments have great influence on the  health,  education, and  infrastructure  of a nation. Economic  factors include  economic growth,  interest rates,  exchange rates  and the  inflation rate. These factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions. For example, interest rates affect a firms  cost of HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-Cost_of_capitalcapital  and therefore to what extent a business grows and expands. Exchange rates affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported goods in an economy Social  factors include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a companys products and how that company operates. For example, an aging population may imply a smaller and less-willing workforce (thus increasing the cost of labor). Furthermore, companies may change various management strategies to adapt to these social trends (such as recruiting older workers). Technological  factors include ecological and environmental aspects, such as  RHYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-RDHYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-RDD  activity,  automation, technology incentives and the rate of  technological change. They can determine  barriers to entry, minimum efficient production level and influence  outsourcing  decisions. Furthermore, technological shifts can affect costs, quality, and lead to  innovation. Environmental  factors include weather, climate, and  climate change, which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance.Furthermore, growing awareness to climate change is affecting how companies operate and the products they offerit is both creating new markets and diminishing or destroying existing ones. Legal  factors include  discrimination law,  consumer law,  antitrust law,  employment law, and  health and s

Franklin :: Essays Papers

Franklin â€Å"The life that Franklin depicts is more than a success story. It is a story of nothing but success. What makes Franklin’s success great is that he does nothing compulsively, irrationally, or out of weakness, but appears to be governed by reason, moderation, and virtue. With his strong sense of identity he seems singularly immune to the workings of the conflict-torn inner self that Yeats called the â€Å"Foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart,† his existence untroubled by stretches of ennui and waste. The absence of a sense of the harshness and inexplicability of life, together with his emphasis on material success is what seemed to allow Franklin to succeed.† (These quotes were taken out of the introduction to Franklin’s autobiography). With all this in mind, I chose to read â€Å"The Autobiography and Other Writings of Benjamin Franklin.† This book as you could tell was written by Benjamin Franklin and it’s publisher is Penguin Classics. The main topic of this biography was the life of Benjamin Franklin and about all of his accomplishments and the hardships that he faced growing up. This autobiography was written in the first person point of view, as a letter that Franklin wrote to his son William. Because of the fact that this book was written by Benjamin Franklin and about Benjamin Franklin, I believed everything that was said but what I disliked was how Franklin wasn’t able to complete this book and how he didn’t spend more time on discussing his major philosophies. The main thesis of this book was the hardship that Franklin was faced with and how he grew up to become the man that he did. I believe that the one sentence that deals with the theme of this autobiography is a quote which Franklin once said; â€Å"I cannot boast of much Success in acquiring the Reality of this Virtue; but I had a good deal with regard to the Appearance of it.† So with the belief that working hard will help achieve goals, Franklin also states, â€Å"If you work hard you will lead a fulfilling life.† A third quote from Franklin's autobiograp hy that states the importance he placed on hard work to achieve success is; â€Å"Industry, Lose no time.-Be always employ'd in something useful.-Cut off all unnecessary Actions.† This shows about how Franklin wasn’t the type of person who waits for something to happened but works hard to achieve his goals.