Concept and Role of E-Commerce

Commerce may be defined as the transaction between the business enterprises. Business, on the other hand, is defined as ‘a commercial enterprise as a going concern'. In doing the business certainly one has to have contact with other. Previously for doing business one has to travel through a long distance and carry money in this pocket all the time ready which always be a risk for the carrier. It took a long time to mature even a single transaction for example if a manufacturer want to sell his produce, he need to sell it to whole seller first this is also with the help of middle man then the whole seller will sell the same product the different retails and the consumer will buy the product this chain will add some more middle man if the distance between producer and consumer is more. This process is very time consuming and also add some margin in cost at every stage which ultimately increase the price of the product and will put and extra burden on the pocket of the consumer or buyer. To fasten the above process and to reduce add in value in the cost of product or to reduce the burden on the pocket of consumer producer only need to use one miracle word that is â€Å"e†. Here e stands for electronic where ever we prefix this word the speeds will automatically increases with many fold then the traditional methods adopted and on the other hand the cost of supply or the price of product will decrease many fold as compare to before. For last few years many business that experiences the Placing â€Å"e† in front of any process or function of their business seemed to be the magic prescription for never ending story of success and rapid returns for enterprises. Internet, for example is becoming one of the most popular medium in transmitting various data. Users can find any kind of information within a shorter time compared with conventional method that consumes more time. Here again we assume a situation where for booking any ticketing for all kind of travel, bill payment, hotel bookings etc. one need to stand in a long queue to get his work done for himself but now this can be done at home and within few minutes only. E-commerce is also known as click business where one uses all the technology of click operation to do a business. Click business as sounds very easy is not only include click operation it also include all those technologies with allow the click workable on internet which include, domin address,server, Web Site, HTML,Electronic Data Interchange,XML,Protocols etc. It is a profitable way to conduct business which goes beyond the simple brick business. Click business can result in fast transactions, wide market coverage along with the bundle of benefits such as speed, convenience, cost effective, timeliness, high profit margins, instant customer relations, no loss of customers and many more. A concern can do everything it can to run its business efficiently and profitably.Therefore E-commerce is buying and selling goods and services over the Internet. E- Commerce in part if e-business. E-business is a structure that includes not only those transactions that centre on buying and selling goods and services to generate revenue, but also those transactions that support revenue generation. These activities include generating demand for goods and services, offering sales support and customer service, or facilitating communications between business partners. By the help of the flexibility offered by computer networks and the availability of the Internet, E- commerce develops on traditional commerce. E-commerce creates new opportunities for performing profitable activities online. It promotes easier cooperation between different groups: businesses sharing information to improve customer relations; companies working together to design and build new products/services; or multinational company sharing information for a major marketing campaign.The followings are the business uses of the Internet. These services and capabilities are a core part of a successful e-commerce program. They are either part of a value chain or are included as supporting activities:? Buying and selling products and services? Providing customer service ? Communicating within organizations? Collaborating with others? Gathering information (on competitors and so forth)? Providing seller support? Publishing and distributing information ? Providing software update and patches Airline and travel tickets, banking services, books, clothing, computer hardware, software, and other electronics, flowers and gifts are some popular products and services that can be purchased online. Several successful e-businesses have established their business models around selling these products and services. E-commerce has the potential to generate revenue and reduce costs for businesses and entities. Marketing, retailers, banks, insurance, government, training, online publishing, travel industries are some of the main recipients of e-commerce. For instance, banks use the Web for diverse business practices and customer service.MAJOR TRENDS IN E-COMMERCE BUSINESSRetail consumer E-commerce continues to grow up at double-digit rates. The online demographics of shoppers continue to broaden. Online website continues to reinforce profitability by refining their business models and leveraging the capabilities of the Internet. The first wave of E-Commerce transformed the business world of books, music, and air travel. In the second wave, eight new industries are facing a similar transformation: telephones, movies, television, jewelry, real estate, hotels, bill payments, and software. The breadth of E-Commerce offerings grow ups, especially each and every one in travel, information clearinghouses, entertainment, retail apparel, appliances, and home furnishings. Each and every one business and entrepreneurs continue to flood into the E-Commerce marketplace, often riding on the infrastructure craft by industry giants such as Amazon, eBay, and Overture. Brand extension each and every one the way through the Internet grow ups as large firms such as Sears, J.C. Penney, L.L. Bean, and Wal-Mart pursue integrated, multi –channel bricks-and-clicks strategies. B2Bsupply chain transactions and collaborative commerce continue to reinforce and grow up beyond the $1.5trillion mark. TECHNOLOGY: Wireless Internet connections (Wi-Fi, Max, and 3Gtelephone) grew up rapidly. Podcasting takes off as a new media format for distribution of radio and user-generated commentary. The Internet broadband foundation becomes stronger in households and businesses. Bandwidth prices of telecommunications companies re-capitalize their debts. RSS (Real Simple Syndication) grow ups to become a mayor new form of user- controlled information distribution that rivals e-mail in some applications. Computing and networking component prices continue to fall dramatically. New Internet-based models of computing such as.NET and Web services expand B2B opportunities.SECIETYSelf-publishing (user-generated content) and syndication in the form of blogs, wikis and social network grow up to form an entirely new self-publishing forum. Newspapers and other conventional, customary & traditional media adopt online, interactive models. Conflicts over copyright management and control grow up in significance. Over half the Internet user population (about 80 million adults) joins a social group on the Internet. Taxation of Internet sales becomes more widespread and accepted by large online merchants. Controversy over content regulation and controls amplify and rises. Surveillance of Internet communications grows ups in s significance. Concerns over commercial and governmental privacy invasion grow up. Internet fraud and abuse occurrences amplify and rise. First Amendment rights of free speech and association on the Internet are challenged. Spam grows ups despite new laws and promised technology fixes. Invasion of personal privacy on the Web expands as marketers discover and locate new ways to track users.

Merck Pharma Case Analysis

Jim Mesplie MBA 519 – Competitive Strategy Case Analysis #4 FACTS Beginning as a small scale manufacturer of chemical in the United States, Merck Research Labs (MRL) became the top notch research institution in the pharmaceutical industry by World War II. By attracting the top talent in chemistry, biology, and pharmacology, MRL emerged as the leader in human pharmaceuticals with the release of highly necessary drugs to treat infections, and tuberculosis. MRL focused their strengths on three key areas: vitamins, antibiotics, and hormones.With the best scientists in their industries, MRL developed a reputation of being the best and their profitability put them at the top of their own industry. By the 1970’s, pharmaceutical research had advanced dramatically and MRL expanded their leadership in the market by providing â€Å"breakthrough drugs to the market. † In doing so, MRL tripled their bottom line by the 1980’s and were continually one of the most valuabl e companies on an annual basis. MRL’s profitability was hard to match by their competitors along with their innovations in the human therapeutic drug market while maintaining a science-based business model.MRL biggest core strengths was not only maximizing their top-talent to produce profits and cutting-edge drugs to be sold on the open market, but being very disciplined in their drug development process. Every one of MRL’s competitors put their newly designed drugs thru the same development process as they do, but the difference is post-marketing clinical studies (Phase V) makes sure their products are positioned correctly and they are utmost effective to whoever consumes their products for medical reasons. ISSUESIn 1984, the pharmaceutical business world was shook up with the passing of the Hatch-Waxman Act which tore down a barrier that MRL had created with their innovations for other competitors to enter the market. This new law enacted allowed generic drugs to be manufactured which made a big hit to market share for MRL and other competitors in the pharmaceutical industry. Collaboration could be used with smaller companies to replicate drug patents that recently expired which meant smaller R&D was needed to make generic drugs and the timeline for MRL to have exclusivity was depleted.Another hit was a few years later when pricing restrictions were put in place hurting MRL and the industry even further. With the regulations and the FDA allowing businesses to advertise to potential consumers directly thru the mail, television, or print ads in the local newspaper, MRL had to re-think their own strategy and begin what the new CEO Ray Gilmartin called a â€Å"New Reality. † In his view, what made MRL the powerhouse in the past is not going to carry the company forward with the new business battlefield for market share.The belief that the product quality and effectiveness would be enough to justify a premium price in the open market would no t be a long-term solution for MRL since doctors and patients could get something very similar for a much cheaper price by using generic drugs. The biggest struggle for MRL currently is whether they could adapt to the new changes while maintaining their core values as being a â€Å"science-led† or based company. Mr.Gilmartin felt the biggest obstacle for the company was bringing drugs to the new market while still using their larger research department while other competitors are focusing more on a larger sales force to bring their drugs to market. CONCLUSION/ANALYSIS MRL and Mr. Gilmartin still struggle with adapting to the new market and it is obvious that Mr. Gilmartin isn’t quite sold on what the organization has done to be effective with selling their drugs in the market.While not adapting to the drug industry changes, MRL is not leveraging external opportunities with other organizations like their competitors have along with not capitalizing on direct to consumer marketing with a minimal sales force. Now MRL should not forget what made them great by maintaining a top-tiered research staff, but it would be ideal for them start putting more money into other critical stages of the drug development process. As you can see in Exhibit 2, MRL’s puts 60% of their R&D expenditures in the target & clinical phases of the drug development process.Now this helped them become a market leader in product differentiation and quality but today’s competitors are focusing more on phases III and IV to help drugs hit the market with a bigger impact. I feel MRL is on the path to change while adapting new strategies in response to the new market. However the bureaucracy that was created in doing so has inhibited this response to a minimal roar. All these extra teams that Mr. Gilmartin and MRL have created to figure out how to re-gain their market share have slowed down the progress that was intended. I suggest that Mr.Gilmartin keep with his somewhat flat leadership organization but invest more time in working with marketing department to create drugs that are needed in the market place. I feel utilizing the marketing department’s expertise and forecast of what the market will demand will help MRL develop drugs that can be sold in the market from the beginning will alleviate any wasted efforts for the company in those first few critical and expensive stages of drug development. In doing so, costs will be reduced and profits will be reflective of those efforts which would put them back down the same path that made MRL great in the first place.

Competency Goal II Essay

I try to teach the children to stay healthy by getting the proper exercise that is needed for them. I take the children outside everyday if it’s not too hot, or too cold. I practice forms of yoga in the morning and the evenings with the children. This is to stretch their muscles, and to get their blood flowing. Exercising helps the children in the morning if they are still tired. Also, I’ve learned that the children have a better day when they are not tired and sleepy. Functional Area 5: Cognitive As a head start teacher I try to plan activities to develop strong thinking skills. I try to plan activities for cognitive development that make children think. I ask open-ended questions; play verbal guessing games, memory games, and other sensory motor activities. When I ask questions I use current events and experiences that the children can relate to. For an example, I’ve asked the children what happened to Goldilocks once she ran into the woods. Then, I wait for thinking gestures from the children. Their responses were the following: â€Å"She ran as fast as she can away from the Three Bears, she went home and told her mom, and she went home and called the police.† I also, play verbal guessing games such as, â€Å"Guess Who† â€Å"What is white, looks like a horse, and has black stripes?† The children guessed a zebra. I would do an activity like this after checking for prior knowledge (a story about zoo animals or a field trip to the zoo). In addition to open-ended questions and guessing games, I play the â€Å"Memory game.† First we look at all the pictures (starting with about twenty cards or ten mates). Then we place the cards face down and I model by picking up a card and turning it over. Then I turn over another and then the first child follows what I modeled. The children really enjoy this game. Their memory starts kicking in once I turn over quite a few cards. Lastly, but not limited to, I play a guessing game that uses the sense of touch. I use two paper bags, and each one has different contents. I put play dough in one and sand in another. I blind fold each child, allow them to feel the content  inside the bag, and chart their guesses from what they feel. They also describe it to the best of their knowledge. This game really gets them thinking. As a head start teacher cognitive development is very important as well as the other objectives for preschoolers. I try to plan activities to develop a strong thinking skills foundation for children. I try to plan activities for cognitive development that make children think, wonder, and explore. I believe that sensory motor games and memory games are great choices for developmentally appropriate actives to strengthen cognitive skills. Functional Area 6: Communication In order to know if a child is learning, I often ask questions. I give each child an opportunity to build their communication skills. Children really like when I interact and acknowledge what they have to say. In the morning meetings, I make sure that all the children have a chance to tell the class how they are doing and what they look forward to doing throughout the school day. While interacting with the children I remind each child to use their words in order to express themselves. Not only do I read to my children daily but I also play music with different vocabulary words in order for the children to learn new words daily. Functional Area 7: Creativity As a head start teacher, I once believed that creativity was a challenging task. When I start planning activities around the children’s interest, it became much easier. One day the children and I were discussing woodlands. The children where all excited to know that I planned a camp fire. I ask the children what could be used for a pretend fire. The children decided that a paper towel roll could be used as a log. Then I asked how can a fire be started? One child began to rub his two pointing fingers together. I said â€Å"Good idea!† Then I asked what could be used as sticks to rub together to start our pretend fire. Another child suggested that to use two yellow pencils. So we all took turns rubbing the sticks together. After the material was gathered together, I asked what color construction paper could be used to make our camp fire look like fire. Several of children decided on using the following colors: red, orange, blue, and even purple. The children and I placed the logs crisscross. The children and I  pushed the construction paper strips into a slip in the paper towel rolls. Then we used balls of white paper as marsh mellows, attached it to a pencil, and pretended to roast marsh mellows. One child said, â€Å"We need brown paper for gram crackers.† So the children and I cut squares of brown construction paper to make pretend gram crackers. This is how the camp fire was created. This was a creative activity that I planned around the children’s interest. I found it to be easier to plan activities for creativity by consulting the children first. I listen to their conversations from previous discussions and came up with the pretend camp fire activity. I have planned other creative activities using the same strategy to get the children involved.

Juvenile Crime Statistics Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Crime Statistics Paper - Essay Example This figure was significantly less than the one recorded in previous years. There was an increase in juvenile crimes in 2005, 2006, and 2007, which made the law enforcers fear that the nation would witness a severe crime wave. The crime data collected in 2008 indicated that violent crimes had declined and young adults were being involved in simple assaults and drug offenses. According to Puzzanchera, (2009), most juveniles were being arrested for commission of crimes such as larceny, simple and aggravated assault. Minor crimes that were committed by juveniles during 2008 were property crimes. In relation to this, the FBI assesses trends in property crimes by monitoring offences such as theft of motor vehicle, larceny and burglary. These crimes increased during 2007-2008. According to Puzzanchera (2009), the number of juvenile female who were involved in the commission of crimes increased in 2008. Law enforcers were able to arrest over 600,000 females who were below the age of 18. During this year, females were arrested for robbery, simple assault, larceny and disorderly conduct. Moreover, during 2008, more female juveniles were arrested for commission of larceny whereas there was a decline in the number of males committing larceny. Puzzanchera (2009) indicates that minorities were highly involved in the commission of the aforementioned crimes. In all cases in which juveniles were arrested for the commission of violent crimes, half of the crimes involved black youth, 1% involved youth of Asian origin, 47% involved white juveniles and 1% involved youth of American Indian origin. In the commission of property crimes, two thirds of the arrested juveniles were white, while the rest were blacks with an insignificant number of Asian and Indian youth. In general, youths of black origin where represented in all instances of juvenile arrests. In 2008,

Shows that Your Kids Watch Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shows that Your Kids Watch - Personal Statement Example When Alyssa pushed the bowl and threw away her spoon, April got exasperated, scolded the little girl with her voice raised a notch, and gave her little hand a slight spanking. "That's not good, Alyssa!" she said as she cleaned up the mess that her little girl made. Then, in between sniffs, she heard Alyssa say "I hate you!" very clearly. She was shocked at what her little girl had said. She softened up a bit and asked Alyssa, "Why did you say that baby Where did you learn that" And with her round and innocent eyes looking straight into hers, the little kid answered "From TV." April was alarmed at her daughter's answer, and so was I when she told me this story. "It's impossible for her to pick up such a line from Sesame Street or Playhouse Disney," I told her. "It could be the soap operas that her nanny watches," April concluded, and we proceeded to discuss what kind of behaviors were often shown in soap operas and how the highly receptive minds of three-year-old children retain the information that they get from watching these shows. It is clearly very important that we have to choose the kind of shows that our children watch. Little children mimic what they see around them, such as the behaviors that adults around them display and expressions that they often hear.

Letter Writing Exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Letter Writing Exercise - Assignment Example Additionally, Felicia is the main contributor of the success of E&Y in terms of clients. However, I would like to draw your attention to some of the challenges that happen at the work place and requires your attention. Despite Felicia being a very successive leader, her reaction towards Curt, the client we visited today, was not that promising. The negative perception she had towards Curt made her to take control of all the talks without taking into consideration of Curl’s requests. Her emotions to clients may lead to the loss of potential clients such as Curl. In connection to the above claim, I think it is recommendable for all accountants to regard all clients we interact with very important to our organization. It is also advisable for us employees to ensure that we control our emotions when talking with clients. Additionally, it is recommendable for us employees to keep the differences we have with clients out of our assigned duties. Otherwise, I affirm that everything is in control despite the little challenge. As one of the accountants, I look forward to ensuring E&Y has achieved its

The evolution of women in music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The evolution of women in music - Essay Example The role of women varies in different societies and therefore with implementation of policies to empower women to be respected and given opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills, they have been able to express their feelings and frustrations through art and music (Rosman, 15-16). This essay is going to analytically discuss the evolution of women in music. Hartman noted that during the early 1970s and the late 1960s there were few women in the popular music industry, and there were very few opportunities for the female performers (23). The women were disadvantaged in the music industry due to their variation in gender and were believed to be caregivers at home and to ensure food was prepared for their household members. In 1960-1970s the Major record labels had signed up very few women bands such as Birtha, Goldie, Fanny, The Deadly Nightshade and Gingerbreads (Hartman, 34). Miller noted that the women who were already in the industry were forced to create a separate space to record their own music since they were not included in the men’s mainstream of music (25). Women used their music to support civil rights, labor, peace, and the second-wave feminist movement that had emerged. The second-wave feminist movement in the United States was established by the lesbians such as, Meg Christian, Margie Adam and Cris Williamson, activ ists like Bernice Johnson Reagon and Holly Near, and African American musicians such as Mary Watkins, Linda Tillery and Gwen Avery (Rabaka 50-54). Rabaka observed that the feminist and lesbian separatism was viewed as a tactic that focused on women’s energy to provide a big boost to the development and growth of women in music during that time (56). Women started expressing their feelings and experiences in 1972 in various recordings such as the â€Å"Mountain Moving Day† that was released by feminist women

Marketing2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing2 - Essay Example Consider, then, a business which creates childrens toys which has suddenly experienced a staggering drop in sales, which is impacting the business future longevity in relation to job creation and profitability. In this situation, identifying potential opportunities to increase these lowered sales, while creating a more stable production environment, would be two sizeable goals for this marketing company. Thus, the first step in creating a competent marketing plan would involve identifying the mission and goals of the organization (Boone & Kurtz, 2007). For example, this hypothetical company might determine that its three year goal is to boost sales by 25%, while also expanding globally. Once these options are identified, the marketing plan highlights the specific steps that will be taken in order to secure these goals, while also identifying various competitor-related risks to the plan of action. A marketing plan does not only identify specific goals, it also performs a situational analysis, identifying various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the business. For instance, this same hypothetical toymaker may realize that its strengths are in its supportive labour force and various legislation which provides tax-related breaks for businesses wishing to go global. At the same time, it may recognize that huge levels of competition exist in a particular market environment, thus the marketing plan creates a plan of action to combat competitor activities or enhance the labour pool. The marketing plan becomes more complicated as it identifies the strategy of distribution, the appropriate target market for its toy products, and further creates a pricing plan which will work for the business needs. For instance, the leadership team at the toymaker might realize that sales have dropped because consumer attitudes toward the current pricing policy are leading to less

Richard Nixion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Richard Nixion - Essay Example It is high time that the American masses must recognize the achievements of Richard M. Nixon as an astute president and a great leader. Presidents like other common people, simply cannot choose the families in which they should be born. Richard Nixon certainly had a troubled childhood lacking in any form of motherly love and affection (Powell, 1999). An ill-tempered father who did not hesitate from exposing his progeny to blatant abuse and intimidation further worsened this situation (Powell, 1999). The battered and gloomy childhood of Nixon was further burdened by his father's panache for endowing his children with grandiose names owing origins to the English kings (Powell, 1999). Hence, Nixon always had to face bitter circumstances on the personal side of his life, giving way to an anxiety driven mindset obsessed by a yearning to win acclaims and honors from the people he intended to serve. Analyzed in such a backdrop, the achievements of Nixon as a man and a leader definitely stand to be tremendous and remarkable. Primarily, Nixon was a polished politician. In fact, there is no denying the reality that Nixon was a politician par excellence, who started exhibiting his tact and ingenuity right from the start of his career (Small, 2003). The politics of Nixon was always a mix of passion and drive. He successfully fructified his very first campaign for a congressional seat by tactfully revealing the left wing affiliations of his opponent. He established himself as a worthy tactician and strategist who was known for his strong anti-communist leanings, a trait that secured his candidature for the vice-presidency in 1952 (Pious, 2002). In the presidential campaign in 1952, he singlehandedly turned the tables against Adlai Stevenson by projecting himself as a champion of integrity and uprightness through a nationwide television address (Pious, 2002). Nixon was a politician who always did his homework. No doubt, the opponents of Nixon always found him a tough and formidable competitor. Even a cursory perusal of Nixon's history as a politician and a campaigner leaves no doubt as to his genius and marksmanship. During the illness of President Eisenhower in 1955-1957, Nixon conducted himself with an exceptional restraint and aptly handled the day- to- day administrative activities. The conduct of Nixon as a vice president and the Eisenhower-Nixon succession agreement meant to handle possible eventualities even today serves as a guiding model for the administrators and politicians (Pious, 2002). As a vice president, Nixon successfully campaigned for many Republican congressional representatives in 1954-1958. The White House always forwarded Nixon as an antidote against the Democratic aspersions regarding being lax on communism (Small, 2003). Nixon stymied the Bricker Amendment intending unprecedented constraints on the presidential powers (Small, 2003). In 1960, Nixon successfully won the Republican presidential nomination. However, he lost to John F. Kennedy primarily owing to the weak economic policies of Eisenhower.

A Day and the Life of 9-11 Essay Example for Free

A Day and the Life of 9-11 Essay I remember the account like it was yesterday. It seems like any other morning I got up early with a reminder call from mom. (She work overnight) I head back down the hallway to the siblings room I wake up the boys first. They were always the hardest to wake up. â€Å"Time to get up†, I yelled like a screaking alarm clock as I jumped excitedly up and down the bed where they slept. All you can hear is the moan of the boys’ stops and pleading to get more sleep. Next stop back to my bed room where my dear little sister lays sleeping I walk up to the bed and shake hear and say time to get up. I politely give her a wake because never gives me trouble when it is time to get ready for school. I roll my eyes because those troublesome brothers of mine I know are not up out of that bed and I have to repeat the previous process and this time up each one out of the bed. While I spend time doing this my sister is up and at it she in the bathroom washing her face and brushing her teeth not having to be told what to do. In my thought I say I love that little girl. My brothers of course are moving in slow motions like a sloth in a tree. I am aggressively pushing them along and barking orders at them tell them what to do like a drill sergeant in the Army. â€Å"Wash your face†, â€Å"Brush your teeth† and â€Å"Make sure you brush your hair†. Now that I have gotten the boys up and moving I head to the kitchen to get breakfast going. Not long after finish the siblings start rolling in. My sister first so nice and chipper like she is skipping in a garden and picking flowers as she goes, how she can be that happy that early in the morning I will never understand. I finally boys come dragging their feet into the kitchen and flopping in a chair. Still grumbling about being up so early complaining about how I could have let them sleep longer. Now here is where the really trouble begins now that they are all in the same room. So now the brothers start to bother their little sister since the breakfast they are eating seems to miraculously give them a turbo boot of energy. All I can hear is â€Å"Stop leave me alone†, laughing and name calling going at the table behind me. See more:  Manifest Destiny essay My job as a big sister mother like role comes in to play; I turn to them and yell â€Å"Leave her alone before I start on yall!† Breakfast is all done now it is time to round up the troops and get them to the bus stop. Making sure they have their book bags and everything that goes in it. Once we have jackets and book bags on we make our venture up the winding driveway to the bus stop. After the bus arrives I head back down the driveway, and now have to get myself ready for school and head back down to the bus stop to get myself off to school. Now on the bus were take normal route and pickup kids. We head to the middle school to drop them off and now we head to the high school. While heading to the high school the bus driver received a call and was taking alternate route to drop us off at the school. We can see the route we normally take and there are cars backed up down the street. We thought that we had another bomb threat since that was kinda normal at our school. Once inside and we headed to homeroom we were told that planes had crashed into a building in New York. We turned on the news in the classroom because we wanted to know the details of what was going on. As we watched the news started report the approach of a second plane and we watched in real time the second plane crash into the second building. Not really understanding what was going on the new reports that it was a terrorist attack happening. Instantly it made since why we had to take a different route to school that day. Our school is Next to one of the biggest Army training bases. So of course the locked down the base no one in and no one out, which caused the traffic to back up around the school. The students reaction was mixed the students bombards the teacher with questions that at this time she had no answers for. Some student continues like it was nothing, other started crying knowing that they had loved ones that worked in those building. Many were sad because they knew that their mom and dad maybe deployed somewhere and would be gone for a long time. My reaction was why anyone would want to crash planes into these particular set of building, why would they risk their own lives doing so. While all of this was going on the intercom came on and announcing that the teacher turn off the television and try to continue the day as normal. In reality the day would not every be normal. We had so many unanswered questions. How could we continue the day like we had not seen what we seen or heard what we heard. Some teacher complied with the instruction others did not. One of the teacher found that it was important to have some clarification on what was going on. She began to tell us about what was being reported through the day. Since now it is almost time to go home there had been more progress on what had just happened that morning. She said that there had been a terrorist attack and the people they think is responsible were a Muslim group called Al Qaeda. My next thought was what Al Qaeda is and what did being Muslim have to do with it. I later learned that prior to September 11, 2001 the country moved along at its regular daily pace. Conflict and wars have been a component of the United States since the beginning of time. There are three sources conflict: human rights, global terrorism, and environmental problems. Many see terrorism as a way to hide greed, racism, and the conquests of power. Terrorism is defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigations â€Å"as an unlawful use of force or violence against person or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives† (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2002-2005). Terrorism makes the statement that demands attention and affects every person in every country around the world. On that clear Tuesday morning; September 11, 2001, nineteen Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and other Arab nat ions boarded four fully fueled American airliners. These airliners were set to depart to cities in California. Little did the staff for each of the planes or the people boarding them know that plans had changed. Within the space of an hour, al Qaeda wreaked more direct damage on the United States than the Soviet Union had done throughout the entire cold war, a tragedy seen by more people than any other event in history. (Bergen, 2006) Many questions were garnered after September 11, 2001. What caused this horrific attack and who’s to blame for it? Was this attack forecasted, could we have seen it coming and prevented it? What do we do now and how do we prevent it from happening again? People in America were terrified but at the same time came together in the face of tyranny. On September 11, 2001, nineteen militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda boarded and hijacked four American airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. At 8:45 a.m. an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a huge, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, immediately killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, eighteen minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767–United Airlines Flight 175–appeared out of the sky, turned abruptly toward the World Trade Center and sliced into the south tower near the 60th floor. The impact caused a massive explosion that rained down burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. It was at this point everyone knew America was under attack. (9/11 Attacks, 2012) As millions were watching the events unfold in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., and crashed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a overwhelming firestorm that led to the structural collapse of a portion of the enormous concrete building. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner. (9/11 Attacks, 2012) It was initially thought that this plane was bound for the White House or the Capitol Building; however, because of lack of visibility coming from the west as it did objects obscured these targets making the terrorists change their plans and crash into the Pentagon. (Limbacher, 2001) Less than fifteen minutes after the attack on the Pentagon; things became much worse in New York. The south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed bringing a huge cloud of smoke and dust. The building that could withstand 200 miles per hour winds, could not withstand the heat of the burning jet fuel and eventually the structural steel buckled and collapsed. Within minutes the North tower fell to the same fate. Approximately 3,000 people were killed, both inside the buildings as well as people in the vicinity. An extremely large number of firefighters and paramedics (343), police officers (23), and Port Authority police officers (37) were killed while trying to complete an evacuation of the buildings. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. (9/11 Attacks, 2012). During the time that the towers were collapsing, a fourth plane bound for San Francisco, CA was being hijacked. Due to this plane being delayed in taking off, the passengers on board learned of the events transpiring in New York City and Washington D.C. through the use of the Airfones and cell phone calls from relatives on the ground. Since the passengers knew that this plane was not bound for an airport they decided to take matters into their own hands. The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane flipped over and sped toward the ground at a speed of upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All 45 people aboard were killed. Its initial target has never been completely determined; however, it is believed that it was bound for the White House, the U.S. Capitol, or one of several nuclear power plants along the eastern seaboard. (9/11 Attacks, 2012) The people aboard Flight 93 have been deemed heroes, as their actions that day saved possibly hundreds if not thousands of lives. After being transported around the country due to security concerns, President George W. Bush returned to the White House around 7 p.m. At 9 p.m. he addressed the United States from the Oval Office, affirming, â€Å"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response he declared, We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them. (9/11 Attacks, 2012) As a result of the attacks, America led an international operation to expel the Taliban command in Afghanistan and to destroy al Qaeda’s terrorist cells based there. Operation Enduring Freedom began on October 7th 2001, and within two months U.S. forces had successfully overthrown and removed the Taliban from operational power. However, the war had to continue as U.S. and coalition forces attempted to expel a Taliban insurgency in neighboring Pakistan. Many of the al Qaeda’s top lieutenants were captured or killed, to include its bin Laden’s second in charge and the overall mastermind of the attacks Ayman al-Zawahiri. (McCarthy Luke Harding, 2002) Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda and financier of the September 11 attacks was able to escape U.S. forces until he was finally traced to a hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan and killed by U.S. forces on May 2, 2011. (9/11 Attacks, 2012) As Americans, when a tragedy like September 11, 2001 happens to us, our first reaction is obviously to be frightened. We then came together as a country much like we did after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Our next reaction is to ask questions; how did this happen, could we have avoided it happening, why did it happen, and how do we prevent it from happening again. There are many theories as to why 9/11 happened; however, we will never know for sure, we can only speculate based off information provided to us by our government and media. U.S. foreign policy is believed to be one of the most influential reasons for the attacks. Bin Laden opposed the United States support of Israel. The support that the U.S. gives to Israel especially Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon in 1982 triggered Bin Laden’s anti-Americanism. In 1980s his anti-Americanism took the form of boycotting U.S. goods. His hatred only grew by the export of 500,000 U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia after Saddam H ussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. (Bergen, 2006) Other possible reasons or causes for the attacks were a clash within Islam. Michael Scott Doran talked about 9/11 being a result of a conflict within the Muslim world in a Foreign Affairs essay, Somebody Else’s Civil War. Doran contended that Bin Laden’s followers consider themselves an island of true believers surrounded by a sea of immorality and think that the future of religion itself, and therefore the world depends on them and their battle. In particular, Egyptians in al Qaeda, such as Ayman al-Zawahiri, hold this view, inheriting it from Sayyid Qutb, who believed that most of the modern middle east is living in a state of pagan ignorance. The Egyptian jihadists believed that they should overthrow the near enemy-middle east regimes run by apostate rulers. Bin Laden took the next step, urging Zawahiri that the origin of the problem was not the near enemy but the far enemy, the US, which supported the status quo in the middle east. (Doran, 2002) Globalization and a desire to provoke the United States have been inferred by political analysts as possible motives for the attacks. Bernard Lewis wrote a book called The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror. He is the best-known advocate of the idea that the Muslim world is in a crisis largely attributable to centuries of decline, represented by the fate of the once powerful Ottoman Empire and its humiliating carve-up by the British and French after the First World War. Lewis also contends that the problems of the Middle East were later compounded by the introduction of two western ideas; socialism and a worldly Arab nationalism. Neither of them delivered on their assurances of creating wealthy and impartial societies. (Lewis, 2003) Three weeks after 9/11, as the US began launching air strikes against Taliban positions, a video of Bin Laden sitting on a rocky ridge was broadcast on Al-Jazeera. On the tape, Bin Laden stated, What America is tasting now is something insignificant compared to what we have tasted for scores of years. The Islamic world has been tasting this humiliation and this degradation for 80 years Neither America nor the people who live in it will dream of security before we live in it in Palestine, and not before the infidel armies leave the land of Muhammad. Bin Laden accentuated the humiliation of the Muslim world and the negative effect of US policies in the Middle East thus agreeing with Bernard Lewis’ statements in his book. (Bergen, 2006) Obviously one of the most defining negative impacts of 9/11 was the amount of lives lost on September 11, 2001; as well as the number of lives still in jeopardy as a result of the â€Å"War on Terror†. The 9/11 attack killed 2,973 people, including Americans and foreign nationals but excluding the terrorists. (U.S. deaths in Iraq, war on terror surpass 9/11 toll, 2006) Since the beginning of the Afghan War (Operation Enduring Freedom) in 2001 up to the current day, there have been 2,104 U.S. servicemen and women who have lost their lives. That number includes both combat deaths as well as military suicides that occurred in Afghanistan. (Suarez, 2012) Although the War in Iraq was not directly linked to 9/11, the attacks help jump start that war since the initial reasoning for going to war was Iraq harboring terrorists and having a surplus of weapons of mass destruction. The total number of American soldiers that have been killed to date as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom is 4486 lives. (Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, 2012) The â€Å"Patriot Act† could be looked upon as a positive outcome of the 9/11 attacks. The â€Å"Patriot Act† was appropriately blatant. Before 9/11, soldiers were considered the â€Å"patriots†; units like Special Forces were considered to be the tip of freedom. Now the FBI and prosecutors were to have that same privilege, the same authorization to hunt down enemies without much oversight or interference. When it was signed into law six weeks after the attacks, the act made it easier to wiretap American citizens suspected of cooperating with terrorism, to investigate business records without notification, and to execute search warrants without immediately informing the targets. Privileges once set aside for overseas intelligence work were extended to domestic criminal investigations. There was less judicial oversight and very little transparency. The bill’s symbolism mattered also, signaling that the moral deference previously given to the Special Forces would be extended until it incorporated much of the apparatus of the American state. (Wallace-Wells, 2011) There are some that feel that Americans civil rights have been violated since 9/11. The ACLU for instance, they disagree with the principles of the Patriot Act. They summarized that â€Å"The Patriot Act† enormously and unconstitutionally expanded the government’s power to interfere in people’s private lives with little or no evidence of wrongdoing. Years after its enactment, there is little evidence to prove that the Patriot Act has made America more secure from terrorists. But there are many unfortunate examples that the government abused these authorities in ways that both violated the rights of innocent people and misspent precious security resources.† (Dean, 2011) September 11, 2001 will be a day that stays in every Americans memory as one of the most tragic days in American history. It was a day where hijackers boarded planes, flew them into our buildings and murdered thousands of Americans. Even though as a country we prevailed in the War on Terror as well as the War in Iraq, we will continue to feel the negative impacts of this day. One definite positive outcome is that every American citizen remembered what it was to be an American citizen and to treasure the freedom that we have. To all the Americans that lost their lives on that day and all the soldiers that continue to fight for our freedom at home and abroad; We Will Never Forget You. Work Cited U.S. deaths in Iraq, war on terror surpass 9/11 toll. (2006, September 3). Retrieved from CNN.com: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/03/death.toll/ 9/11 Attacks. (2012). Retrieved from The History Channel: http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. (2012). Retrieved from icasualties.org: http://icasualties.org/ Bergen, P. (2006). What Were the Causes of 9/11? New America Foundation. Dean, J. (2011, September 9). Reflections on the 9/11 Atttacks Lasting Impact on America, and American Law. Retrieved from Verdict: http://verdict.justia.com/2011/09/09/reflections-on-the-911-attacks-lasting-impact-on-america-and-american-law Doran, M. S. (2002, February). Somebody Elses Civil War. Retrieved from Foreign Affairs: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/57618/michael-scott-doran/somebody-elses-civil-war Lewis, B. (2003). The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror. New York: Modern Library, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of a division of Random House, Inc. Limbacher, C. (2001, September 16). Cheney: Pentagon Plane was Headed for White House. Retrieved from Newsmax.com: http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/9/16/131111.shtml McCarthy, R., Luke Harding. (2002, February 17). Bin Ladens Number 2 Said Captured In Iran. Retrieved from Rense.com: http://rense.com/general20/cap.htm Suarez, R. (2012, August 24). U.S. Military Death Toll in Afghan War Reaches New Milestone. Retrieved from PBS News Hour: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/july-dec12/afghanistan_08-24.html Wallace-Wells, B. (2011, August 27). Patriot Act. The kitchen-sink approach to national security.

Indigenous health as an important issue in Australia

Indigenous health as an important issue in Australia Perspectives on Nursing Health, Culture And Society. This essay will discuss Indigenous health as an important issue to the Australian community and the problems that Indigenous Australian may experience within the current health care system. This will firstly analysis in depth the historical, cultural, social and political factors that have affected the healthcare for the Indigenous Australians. Secondly, some strategies that may improve the health care system. Indigenous Australians culture is complex and diverse. The indigenous culture of Australia is the oldest living cultural history in the world dating back at least 50,000years. The reason why its survived this long is their ability to adapt and change over time. Aboriginals keep their cultural heritage rich and alive by passing their knowledge, arts, rituals and performances the passing from one generation to the next. The fundamental wellbeing of the Aboriginal people is their land, its environment that sustained by the people and culture, full of spiritual wellbeing. Aboriginal people were hunter-gathers who foraged for uncultivated plant and wild animals. The traditional diet was high in carbohydrates, proteins and nutrients and low in fat and sugars. However, modern Aboriginal diet are heavily westernised and tend to be high in fat and sugar but low in carbohydrate, fibre and nutritional value. The World Health Organisation, social determination of health (SODH)are defined as the fundamental structures of social hierarchy and the socially determined conditions these structures create in which people grow, live, work and age. The structural organisation for the Aboriginal people is to settle them with housing, employment, educations and health services so they can live in a well presented environment. Health interventions have a clinical focus on individual behaviours such as diet, condom use, exercise, alcohol, etc despite the fact that when structural issues such as poverty is not addressed. Poverty, as represents most Indigenous people as lower socio economic status shows unhealthy behaviour, smoking, poor diet and physical activity which put a risk for numerous health problems. Indigenous people have been victims of societal and racism since colonial times. The dominant culture promotes exclusion, inclusion, inferior conditions or assimilation (loss of individual, unique culture). Though education is available it is often unmet to the needs of the indigenous children resulting to have low enrolment rate, poor school performance and high dropout rate which increase the vulnerability to child labours. It is important to have tradition Indigenous education to be acknowledged and valued. Literacy for the Indigenous must be proficient in their own languages but also to the nation language. Also education should include the land establishment forms of livelihoods that usual involve the land to understand the tradition competencies. The underinvestment in health care in areas in which Indigenous people live is due to rural/remote nature. There are a number of cultural barriers that prevent access to health care. Indigenous languages are often difficult leading to poor communication between nurse and patient. The may experience discrimination by the staff. The traditional land is vital source of material and spiritual well being serving a crucial resource for their reproduction. The loss of land due to polices of dominant culture creates a social problem. The restored relationship to the land is central to restore sense of identity, social status and political power as well as economic, food security, rehabilitation of land. It is important for health care workers to have a degree of cultural competence and work with traditional healing modalities to make cultural safety. In 1788 European settlers colonised Australia. Upon settlement, the aboriginal people lost their land, their social and economical structure and in general, their way of life. Since colonisation Indigenous Australians have experienced extreme levels of loss, grief, disempowerment, cultural alienation, and loss of identity (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2002, 2003; Hunter, 1993) The trauma suffered by the stolen generations as a result of the assimilation policies of the Australian Government has direct relevance to the psychological adjustment of indigenous Australians when considered within the framework of attachment theory. Attachment theory is the quality of early parent-child bonding, as well as the infants actual experience of the relationship with their parents has important implications for psychological and emotional adjustment later in life. (Strahan, 1995). There is enough evidence to suggest that Aboriginal people do not have the same degree of access to many of the health services as other Australians. This implies negative implications for the outcomes of Indigenous health. The access of primary health care is compromised or obstructed as they are more likely to present care later stage meaning more unhealthy state. I was shocked by the poverty, disadvantage and a medical model of care working downstream patching local people up and sending them home again without any longer term, preventative care. The issues are not only health services offering primary health care but also acute care providing in hospitals and specialists services. Issues such as distance, transport, affordability, availability, language, and cultural stability are all potential hindrances to access health services. Transport, long waiting time, cost to be some of the most commonly cited barriers. Indigenous people also feel disempowered and are less likely to use health services. It is also very important to note that communication difficulties come from those living in remote areas. However the presence of an Aboriginal health worker can be a strong determinant in whether an Indigenous person will access health services. It is important that primary health care services are run by Aboriginal communities to aim to offer health care in a culturally appropriate setting. This causes to a major source of providing education and training for staff. Indigenous health workers and nurses are to provide primary care services based to interlinked with a holistic Indigenous specific definition of health that states: Aboriginal Health is not just the physical well being of an individual but is the social, emotional and cultural well being of the whole community in which each individuals is able to achieve their full potential thereby about the total well being of their community. It is a whole -of- life view and includes the cyclical concept of life- d eath-life (NAHS, 1989) It is also important to build a shared understanding of how community input will inform policy or decision making processes. Numerous attempt to define Indigenous mental health concepts, the common theme has consistently been the holistic nature of health and wellbeing. The word punyu (Ngaringman) encompasses both person and country. In fact caring for the country has been associated with improvements in wellbeing. Suggesting that for Indigenous people our identity as human beings remains tied to our land , to our cultural practices, our systems of authority and social control, our intellectual traditions, our concepts of spirituality, and to our systems of resource ownership and exchange. Destroy this relationship and you damage- sometimes irrevocably-individual human beings and their health'(cited in Burgess et al.,2008,p.2). On February 13 2008, the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Kevin Rudd, offered an apology to members of the stolen generation. The apology attracted words and gestures of gratitude, relief, pride and sorrow. Also for some closure to a painful emotional wound. This let the healing begin it was an act of hope, dignity and respect acknowledging the existence and impacts of past policies and practices of forcibly removing indigenous children from their families. The apology represented that the past of mistreatment and blemished chapter in our country to reconcile indigenous and non indigenous people to a better future. The Prime Minister and opposition leader Brendan Nelson both pledged to close the 17 year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non- Indigenous Aboriginals by 2030. Promising that Indigenous Australians to have access to same quality health services. As Mr Rudd said he is determined to make a difference. Curtins University professor of health economics, Gavin Mooney sa id it is important that Aboriginal people are involved in the process It is important to involve the indigenous and ask what they want. As it is important to ensure that the voice of ordinary Aboriginal people to be heard and what it is that they want. In conclusion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. the services of Aboriginal health à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples health disadvantage needs to be considered in the broader context of social disadvantage, inequality and exclusion, political marginalisation and the historical currents of colonialism. In order to find strategies for health services for the Indigenous Australian need to take account of historical, social, cultural and political factors in order to understand the health disadvantage faced by Aboriginal peoples in contemporary society. This enhances our knowledge of unequal health outcomes between Aboriginal and non Aboriginal people by focusing on the impacts of social structures and cultural appropriateness of health care services.

Stages of Enlightenment in Buddhism

Stages of Enlightenment in Buddhism MODULE 9: The Planes of Realization (stages of enlightenment) Enlightenment is a concept and a word that is commonly used and associated with mediation, the practice of Buddhism and its benefits. Most of the time, it is used in connection with the concept of Nirvana. In most Buddhist texts and literatures, enlightenment can be read to have started with the Buddha himself, thus the term samma-sambodhi is used to apply to the attainment of enlightenment of bodhis or meditators aiming for it. This is the goal of the paths of meditation based on most Buddhist traditions. In the original context, the word bodhi is a Pali and Sanskrit term that is used to refer to a person who has figuratively woken up and understood things. It is also used to point out to a specific level of understanding or knowledge that the Buddha has gained when he experienced his own awakening. This understanding gave him knowledge on to the natural causes of things that contributes to how human and other sentient beings come into their specific existence and also the workings of the mind that contributes to keeping human and other sentient beings trapped into concepts such as suffering, rebirth and cravings. In this sense, the word bodhi can then be connected to gaining a deeper level of understanding on how a person can liberate him or herself from the things that causes him or her to be imprisoned on the three concepts mentioned above. Enlightenment in the Buddhist Traditions The Buddha Siddharta Gautama, is the first recorded being to have attained a level of full enlightenment. This level that he has successfully achieved is written as sammasambuddha in the Pali language (samyaksambuddha in Sanskrit), or what is called as the perfect form off Buddhahood. In the Theravada tradition of Buddhism’s chronicles or the sutta pitaka, there are numerous texts and descriptions about how the Buddha has experienced awakening or enlightenment himself. This can be seen in the seventeeth chapter of the Vanapattha Sutta, the Majjhima. In this specific chapter, it is described how the Buddha has lived his life in the jungle and how from there, he was able to attain a state of awakening or enlightenment. This, the texts show, was done after the Buddha has successfully destroyed the disturbances that occurred in his mind, allowing him to achieve concentration of the mind. This has resulted into him attaining the Vidhyas or the the knowledges. This includes the presence of insight into his past lives, attaining insight into the workings of reincarnation and karma and insight to the presence of the Four Noble Truths. In the texts, the attainment of insight into the Four Noble Truths is what gave enlightenment the other term awakening. This means that any meditator practicing it has already achieved a level of attaining a security from bondage on a supreme nature. Moreover, awakening is also related to having reached the stage of Nirvana, where sufferings are ended and the process of being reborn no longer occurs. In the texts, the Buddha has claimed that the liberation he got from this is certain because the presence of knowledge happening to him has allowed him to develop insight. This have then given him certain freedom, rendering him to be free from rebirths. In teaching this concept to a meditator, the teacher must stress that the presence of awakening means gaining insight into the concepts of rebirth and karma, into the presence of the Four Noble Truths and the elimination of all things which contribute to attaining the state of Nirvana. Only in experiencing this would liberation be certainly experienced by the student. Attaining Awakening or Enlightenment The attainment of enlightenment or awakening at its fullest capacity can be achieved by a meditator by becoming a Buddha and entering into Buddhahood. When faced with this concept, the teacher must first explain to the meditator the various meanings and context of the word Buddha in the Buddhist traditions. Moreover, another term Tathagata should also be explained to the student. This term means â€Å"the thus-gone† and is used as an equivalent to the word Buddha. Reaching full awakening or enlightenment is considered in the Theravada Buddhist tradition to be equated in reaching the stage of Nirvana. This means that when a meditator starts practicing, the teacher should set his or her path to have the ultimate goal of reaching Nirvana. This is also true in other Buddhist traditions as well. This path involves the meditator abandoning the then fetters of his existence and working toward the ceasing of suffering or dukkha. This full awakening or enlightenment is attained by the meditator in four stages. Moreover, Budhaghosa, another authority in the Theravada Buddhist tradition has described another path to attaining enlightenment. In the Visuddhimagga or the Path to Purification, he has described what he calls the Seven Stages to Purification which is based on the Noble Eightfold Path originally described by the Buddha. The difference, however, lies on the fact that Buddhaghosa has emphasized on insight based on the three characteristics of life which are dukkha, anatta and anicca. These concepts are what distinguishes it apart from the four stages of enlightenment where the ten fetters or human existence are abandoned in a gradual manner. The Four Stages of Enlightenment In Buddhism, there are four stages of a progessing nature that is related to the four stages of enlightenment. These stages are important in resulting into the full enlightenment of a meditator as an Arahat. The people who are into either one of the four stages of enlightenment are referred to by the Buddha as the ariya-puggala or the noble people. Conversely, the people within the community of the bikkhu-sangha are called as the ariya-sangha or the noble sanghas. The four stages of enlightenment are the Sotappana, Sakadagami, Anagami and the Arahat. These four stages of enlightenment and their teaching to meditators are central elements in the Buddhist schools such as Theravada tradition. This was chronicled in the sutta pitaka, and how each level are attained were described as well. Apart from the four stages mentioned above, the teacher would have to tell his or her students that there are also other types which describes other stages as well. However, the focus of this module is on the four stages of enlightenment so these four would be the ones that are to be described in detail here. As mentioned in the previous sections, the four stages of enlightenment are the end product or result of the seven purifications that a meditator goes through. This was discussed at great lengths in the Visuddhimagga. The teacher can encourage his or her student meditators to read on excerpts from the Visuddhimagga about the seven purifications, their sequences and how each of these are related to four paths and fruits. Moreover, in the Visuddhimagga, prajna and its importance is also described in detail, as well as gaining insight into anatta and how these are related to liberation and can be attained in the practice of Insight meditation or Vipassana. The four stages of attainment or enlightenment are also associated with occurring in pairs of path and fruit. The following are the path and fruit pairs of the four stages of attainment: The path to stream entry and the fruition of stream entry The path to once returning and the fruition on once returning The path to non returning and the fruition of non returning The path to becoming an arahant and the fruition of becoming an arahant Each of these are described below in their relation to the attaining of enlightenment: The Sotapanna. This is the first stage of enlightenment and is derived from the Pali language (written as Srotapanna in Sanskrit). This term means or is translated to mean the person or the one who enters the streams (apadyate sota). The stream being described here is the super mundane representation of the Noble Eightfold Path and is regarded as the highest form of Dhamma as well. The person who is this stage is also considered to be one who was able to open the eye of the Dhamma (or dhammacakkhu in Pali and dharmacaksus in Sanskrit). The meditator who enters the stream is said to be able reach the state of being an arahant in a span or seven rebirths after he or she has attained opening the eye of the Dhamma. Another aspect that the teacher needs to stress out in teaching this is that the meditator can attain a grasp of the Buddhist doctrines on an intuitive level or what is known as the right view (samyagdrsti in Sanskrit or sammaditthi in Sanskrit). Moreover, the meditator can al so have a complete confidence, or Sadha on what is considered the three jewels of practice namely the sangha, dharma and Buddha. This means that when the meditator passes away, he or she will not undergo rebirth in any plane that is categorically lower than the human plane such as the animal or in hell. The Sakadagami. This is the second stage of enlightenment which is also called the stage of the once returner. The origin of this word is Pali (Sakrdagamin in Sanskrit), which when translates means the once who once comes (sakrt and agacchati, respectively). When explaining what this means, the teacher should tell the student that people who belong in this stage will return once more to the human plane or world one more time in most instances. A person who progresses in this stage after going through the first is said to have abandoned the first three of the ten fetters. Meditators who are in this stage are also seen to display a weaker sense of lust for things, milder feelings of hate, and even weakened delusions. This means that anyone who is considered to be a once-returner would be experiencing rebirths fewer than seven times and that these rebirths usually occur in the higher planes although there would occur a rebirth in the human plane at least one more time. Also, their rebir ths can occur in multiples in the five pure abodes. The Anagami. The third stage, the Anagami (Pali; also Anagamin in Sanskrit), is also known as the stage of the non returner. The word Anagami means one who does not come. These are meditators who have been successful in overcoming sensuality and are deemed not to lower planes such as the human one even after their death. These are those who were rewarded with being reborn in the Suddhavasa worlds or Pure Abodes, which are one of the five special worlds in the Rupadhatu. In these worlds, the meditators are able to attain Nirvana or can even be reborn for another time in a world that is considered to be higher than that of the Pure Abodes. A person who is considered to be a non returner is said to have been able to abandon the five lower fetters of the ten that binds humans to the cycle of rebirth on the human plane. When a meditator has reached the level of the Anagami, they are considered to be well-advanced already. The Arahant. The fourth stage of enlightenment, the Arahant, is related to a person who is fully awakened. This stage is where the individual is seen to have been able to fully abandon all the ten fetters. When this happens, the person would not be experiencing rebirth on any plane or world even after his or her death (Parinibbana in Pali; Parinirvana in Sanskrit) because he or she have escaped samsara wholly. This stage will be attained by a meditator when he or she would follow the path that is given by the Buddha himself. In teaching this, the teacher should tell his or her students that in the Theravada tradition of Buddhism, the word Buddha is reserved for use with Siddharta Gautama Buddha, the first who discovered the path to enlightenment. The Path and the Fruits of Enlightenment Attaining each stage of the path to enlightenment has its subsequent fruit, as mentioned in the previous sections of this module. This is necessary to be included in the teaching of the paths to enlightenment since the fruit of each path and their attainments has to be present and seen in the life of the meditator. This ensures that the attainment of knowledge is set on the right paths as well. In the Theravada tradition, there is a belief that gaining understanding is a sudden process, that it does not come gradually as other disciplines believe it to be. This means that once a meditator enters on a path to enlightenment, its fruits should be realized as well. So when a meditator enters the stages and becomes an Arahat (the liberated one) in the process, it can be said that according to the Vipassana tradition sudden changes should characterize the entire process. The Benefits of Enlightenment An endless cycle of samsara traps an ordinary person who does not have enlightenment (puthujjana in Pali; prthagjanai in Sanskrit). This means that a person is endlessly reborn, live and dies and the cycle is repeated numerous times over. This occurs not only on the human plane but in other various planes as well such as the animal. This can be ended when a person enters the Dhamma and aims for gaining insight and enlightenment. This means that the person would not have to be experiencing this endlessly and be miserable for the rest of his or her existence. As the teacher guides the student into this path he or she would have to set it in their minds that the aim of the entire process, apart from gaining insight is to realize attaining Nirvana. In doing this, the meditator would be transformed from someone who is considered to be an uninstructed being who is oblivious to the truths that practicing the Dhamma brings into an arahant (or the liberated one). This stage of liberation enables the individual to have comprehension of the Four Noble Truths fully and to have experience of Nirvana in the present life. Moreover, in attaining this stage, the concepts that were discussed in detail in this module should be reinforced by the teacher with proper actions and words from someone who has experienced them in a personal level. References: Gomez, Luis O. (1991),Purifying Gold: The Metaphor of Effort and Intuition in Buddhist Thought and Practice. In: Peter N. Gregory (editor)(1991),Sudden and Gradual. Approaches to Enlightenment in Chinese Thought, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited Warder, A.K. (2000),Indian Buddhism, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Mahasi Sayadaw,The Progress of Insight (Visuddhià ±ana-katha) Bhikkhu Nanamoli; Bhikkhu Bodhi (1995),The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. A New Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya Park, Sung-bae (1983),Buddhist Faith and Sudden Enlightenment, SUNY Press Snelling, John (1987),The Buddhist handbook. A Complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice, London: Century Paperbacks Versluis, Arthur (2001),The Esoteric Origins of the American Renaissance, Oxford University Press Warder, A.K. (2000),Indian Buddhism, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers

Misguided Love in The Glass Menagerie Essay -- Glass Menagerie essays

Misguided Love in The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie, written by playwright Tennessee Williams, is the story of a family torn apart by heartbreak from the past and tragedy from the present. Williams' parallels this play to his true life experience with his own family, which makes The Glass Menagerie an even more tragic version of what happens to a family when love is lost and abandonment is reality. Providing for a family can be an overwhelming responsibility, for there are many pitfalls along the way, some families are able to cope, some are not, and The Glass Menagerie gives us insight into what truly happens to a family when faced with abandonment. The story begins in The Wingfield apartment in the rear of a building, which can only be entered by a fire escape. A picture hangs on the living room wall of Mr. Wingfield, who took flight from his family when the children were very small. As Tom, the son recounts, "Father was a telephone man who fell in love with long distances; he gave up his job with the telephone company and skipped the fantastic out of town." There are three main characters throughout this play. Amanda, the mother, is unable to forgive herself for the poor judgement of character she made as a young lady ultimately leaving a lonely, bitter and fearful future for herself and her children. She so dearly loves her children. Tom is a man with dreams of a future but is stifled into a world of disgust and guilt by his overbearing mother. He is a poet at heart, stuck in a job at a shoe factory trying to make ends meet, bearing the responsibility of his younger sister, and all the while dreaming of a life of his own. Although Amanda is quick to let Tom know how much she dearly hates him working at t... ...f this gesture accidentally knocks over the figurine and it too breaks. Laura makes an attempt to recover herself, and for a fleeting moment all seems well, until Jim announces he has another woman in his life, and awkwardly excuses himself; leaving Laura forever silenced before the broken glass. These two moments in time that portray the essence of this story; the darkness and despair, the shattering of human life, and the failure to mend. The Glass Menagerie is a gripping story, one that will leave many who view it with the feeling that Williams' was actually writing about their own lives. The power to overcome the feeling of hopelessness, betrayal, abandonment, and difference is within us all, but not all of us can escape from our past. Works Cited: Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. University of North Carolina at Pembroke. October 31, 1997.

Analysis of the Film, A Beautiful Mind Essay -- Film Movie Essays

Analysis of the film "A Beautiful Mind" In the movie, "A Beautiful Mind", the main character, John Nash, is a mathematician who suffers from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is actually the most chronic and disabling of the major mental illnesses and it distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, interprets reality and relates to others. The movie, "A Beautiful Mind", John Nash, who is played by Russell Crowe, is a true story about a mathematician whose life is horrific because of his disease, schizophrenia. He was an egocentric man who studied Mathematics in Princeton University. During the whole time that he studied in Princeton, he was trying to come up with his own original idea. He felt that by only finding an original idea he will be important, because he thought that attending class was just a waste of time. He begins teaching when he eventually finds his original idea and wins a Nobel Prize in 1994. Then, he is recognized for being one of the best mathematicians in the world. John Nash attains his goal to find an original idea which was about competition. He went to a bar with his friends and in that bar, there is a blonde girl who all of his friends, including himself are attracted to and then he realizes a theory of competition and he explains it in mathematics. He realizes that none of the guys will get to be with the blonde girl and then after this happens, all the guys will go after her friends, and them too will turn all of them down, and so he realizes that none of the guys will get what they want. Statistics show that 1%, or about 2.2 millions Americans ages 18 or older will develop schizophrenia. The most common symptoms of Schizophrenia can be grouped into thre... ...ke care and be with her husband, but that was it. Also, the movie did not show anything about his family. There was not information about his parents and how they felt about him and/or his disease; his brothers and/or sisters' feelings towards him and/or his illness. In conclusion, John Nash was a very intelligent man not only because he was an excellent mathematician, but because he learned to cope with his disease and live a regular life. It was great that he won the Nobel Prize in 1994 because he deserved it for a lot of reasons. It was also nice that his wife did not give up on him and that she got to teach him what love is and that love is very important to one's life as he said in his acceptance speech when he received the Nobel Prize. Work Cited Page www.Webmd.com. "Schizophrenia." www.about.com. Encarta Encyclopedia. "Schizophrenia." Analysis of the Film, A Beautiful Mind Essay -- Film Movie Essays Analysis of the film "A Beautiful Mind" In the movie, "A Beautiful Mind", the main character, John Nash, is a mathematician who suffers from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is actually the most chronic and disabling of the major mental illnesses and it distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, interprets reality and relates to others. The movie, "A Beautiful Mind", John Nash, who is played by Russell Crowe, is a true story about a mathematician whose life is horrific because of his disease, schizophrenia. He was an egocentric man who studied Mathematics in Princeton University. During the whole time that he studied in Princeton, he was trying to come up with his own original idea. He felt that by only finding an original idea he will be important, because he thought that attending class was just a waste of time. He begins teaching when he eventually finds his original idea and wins a Nobel Prize in 1994. Then, he is recognized for being one of the best mathematicians in the world. John Nash attains his goal to find an original idea which was about competition. He went to a bar with his friends and in that bar, there is a blonde girl who all of his friends, including himself are attracted to and then he realizes a theory of competition and he explains it in mathematics. He realizes that none of the guys will get to be with the blonde girl and then after this happens, all the guys will go after her friends, and them too will turn all of them down, and so he realizes that none of the guys will get what they want. Statistics show that 1%, or about 2.2 millions Americans ages 18 or older will develop schizophrenia. The most common symptoms of Schizophrenia can be grouped into thre... ...ke care and be with her husband, but that was it. Also, the movie did not show anything about his family. There was not information about his parents and how they felt about him and/or his disease; his brothers and/or sisters' feelings towards him and/or his illness. In conclusion, John Nash was a very intelligent man not only because he was an excellent mathematician, but because he learned to cope with his disease and live a regular life. It was great that he won the Nobel Prize in 1994 because he deserved it for a lot of reasons. It was also nice that his wife did not give up on him and that she got to teach him what love is and that love is very important to one's life as he said in his acceptance speech when he received the Nobel Prize. Work Cited Page www.Webmd.com. "Schizophrenia." www.about.com. Encarta Encyclopedia. "Schizophrenia."

Part Five Chapter IV

IV A misty blue sky stretched like a dome over Pagford and the Fields. Dawn light shone upon the old stone war memorial in the Square, on the cracked concrete faà §ades of Foley Road, and turned the white walls of Hilltop House pale gold. As Ruth Price climbed into her car ready for another long shift at the hospital, she looked down at the River Orr, shining like a silver ribbon in the distance, and felt how completely unjust it was that somebody else would soon have her house and her view. A mile below, in Church Row, Samantha Mollison was still sound asleep in the spare bedroom. There was no lock on the door, but she had barricaded it with an armchair before collapsing, semi-dressed, onto the bed. The beginnings of a vicious headache disturbed her slumber, and the sliver of sunshine that had penetrated the gap in the curtains fell like a laser beam across the corner of one eye. She twitched a little, in the depths of her dry-mouthed, anxious half-sleep, and her dreams were guilty and strange. Downstairs, among the clean, bright surfaces of the kitchen, Miles sat bolt upright and alone with an untouched mug of tea in front of him, staring at the fridge, and stumbling again, in his mind's eye, upon his drunken wife locked in the embrace of a sixteen-year-old schoolboy. Howard Mollison was sleeping soundly and happily in his double bed. The patterned curtains dappled him with pink petals and protected him from a rude awakening, but his rattling wheezing snores had roused his wife. Shirley was eating toast and drinking coffee in the kitchen, wearing her glasses and her candlewick dressing gown. She visualized Maureen swaying arm in arm with her husband in the village hall and experienced a concentrated loathing that took the taste from every mouthful. In the Smithy, a few miles outside Pagford, Gavin Hughes soaped himself under a hot shower and wondered why he had never had the courage of other men, and how they managed to make the right choices among almost infinite alternatives. There was a yearning inside him for a life he had glimpsed but never tasted, yet he was afraid. Choice was dangerous: you had to forgo all other possibilities when you chose. Kay Bawden was lying awake and exhausted in bed in Hope Street, listening to the early morning quiet of Pagford and watching Gaia, who was asleep beside her in the double bed, pale and drained in the early daylight. There was a bucket next to Gaia on the floor, placed there by Kay, who had half carried her daughter from bathroom to bedroom in the early hours, after holding her hair out of the toilet for an hour. ‘Why did you make us come here?' Gaia had wailed, as she choked and retched over the bowl. ‘Get off me. Get off. I fuck – I hate you.' Kay watched the sleeping face and recalled the beautiful little baby who had slept beside her, sixteen years ago. She remembered the tears that Gaia had shed when Kay had split up with Steve, her live-in partner of eight years. Steve had attended Gaia's parents' evenings and taught her to ride a bicycle. Kay remembered the fantasy she had nurtured (with hindsight, as silly as four-year-old Gaia's wish for a unicorn) that she would settle down with Gavin and give Gaia, at last, a permanent stepfather, and a beautiful house in the country. How desperate she had been for a storybook ending, and a life to which Gaia would always want to return; because her daughter's departure was hurtling towards Kay like a meteorite, and she foresaw the loss of Gaia as a calamity that would shatter her world. Kay reached out a hand beneath the duvet and held Gaia's. The feel of the warm flesh that she had accidentally brought into the world made Kay start to weep, quietly, but so violently that the mattress shook. And at the bottom of Church Row, Parminder Jawanda slipped a coat on over her nightdress and took her coffee into the back garden. Sitting in the chilly sunlight on a wooden bench, she saw that it was promising to be a beautiful day, but there seemed to be a blockage between her eyes and her heart. The heavy weight on her chest deadened everything. The news that Miles Mollison had won Barry's seat on the Parish Council had not been a surprise, but on seeing Shirley's neat little announcement on the website, she had known another flicker of that madness that had overtaken her at the last meeting: a desire to attack, superseded almost at once by stifling hopelessness. ‘I'm going to resign from the council,' she told Vikram. ‘What's the point?' ‘But you like it,' he had said. She had liked it when Barry had been there too. It was easy to conjure him up this morning, when everything was quiet and still. A little, ginger-bearded man; she had been taller than him by half a head. She had never felt the slightest physical attraction towards him. What was love, after all? thought Parminder, as a gentle breeze ruffled the tall hedge of leyland cypresses that enclosed the Jawandas' big back lawn. Was it love when somebody filled a space in your life that yawned inside you, once they had gone? I did love laughing, thought Parminder. I really miss laughing. And it was the memory of laughter that, at last, made the tears flow from her eyes. They trickled down her nose and into her coffee, where they made little bullet holes, swiftly erased. She was crying because she never seemed to laugh any more, and also because the previous evening, while they had been listening to the jubilant distant thump of the disco in the church hall, Vikram had said, ‘Why don't we visit Amritsar this summer?' The Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the religion to which he was indifferent. She had known at once what Vikram was doing. Time lay slack and empty on her hands as never before in her life. Neither of them knew what the GMC would decide to do with her, once it had considered her ethical breach towards Howard Mollison. ‘Mandeep says it's a big tourist trap,' she had replied, dismissing Amritsar at a stroke. Sukhvinder had crossed the lawn without Parminder noticing. She was dressed in jeans and a baggy sweatshirt. Parminder hastily wiped her face and squinted at Sukhvinder, who had her back to the sun. ‘I don't want to go to work today.' Parminder responded at once, in the same spirit of automatic contradiction that had made her turn down Amritsar. ‘You've made a commitment, Sukhvinder.' ‘I don't feel well.' ‘You mean you're tired. You're the one who wanted this job. Now you fulfil your obligations.' ‘But – ‘ ‘You're going to work,' snapped Parminder, and she might have been pronouncing sentence. ‘You're not giving the Mollisons another reason to complain.' After Sukhvinder walked back to the house Parminder felt guilty. She almost called her daughter back, but instead she made a mental note that she must try and find time to sit down with her and talk to her without arguing.

Chuck E Cheeses

Chuck E. Cheese’s â€Å"Where A Kid Can Be A Kid† Yvonne Bell-White The Catholic University of America This paper was prepared for Financial Decision Making, MBU 652, Summer 2011, taught by Professor Howard S. Steed, PhD Abstract In this analysis paper I choose to learn about Chuck E. Cheeses. I demonstrate my understanding of the categories of Financial Statement Analysis, which includes – profitability, liquidity, activity and debt (leverage). Our class was assigned a company for financial scrutiny and to obtain financial statements (Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement), from the company’s most recent Annual Report. We are to prepare a written analysis of the organization with the following requirements: 1) describing the product or service marketed by the company; 2) evaluate the company in terms of the financial ratios we believe are most helpful in understanding the company’s performance; and 3) include a financial forecast for the said company for the next 2-3 years. We were asked to include an estimate of the company’s prospects for the company industry for the years ahead. Finally, the students were asked to give an oral presentation to the class using this information. I choose to do my analysis of a company called Chuck E. Cheese’s. This paper will explain what I’ve learned about the financial statement analysis categories. Chuck E. Cheese’s â€Å"Where A Kid Can Be A Kid† This class was assigned a company for financial scrutiny and to obtain financial statements (Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement), from the company’s most recent Annual Report. We are to prepare a written analysis of the organization with the following requirements: 1) describing the product or service marketed by the company; 2) evaluate the company in terms of the financial ratios we believe are most helpful in nderstanding the company’s performance; and 3) include a financial forecast for the said company for the next 2-3 years. We were asked to include an estimate of the company’s prospects for the company industry for the years ahead. Finally, the students were asked to give an oral presentation to the class using this information. I choose to do my analysis o f a company called Chuck E. Cheese’s. In 1977, Nolan Bushnell, also known as the father of the video arcade industry, for his formation of Atari, Inc. , founded Chuck E. Cheese Pizza-Time Theaters. It’s a nationally recognized leader in family dining and entertainment. Chuck E Cheese’s is located in 48 states and seven foreign countries or territories. Each store feature musical and comic entertainment by robotic and animated characters, arcade-style and skill-oriented games, rides and many other activities to appeal to families and children between the ages of two to twelve. Chuck E. Cheese stores offers a variety dinning selection consisting of pizza, sandwiches, salad bar and desserts. There business development strategy is focused on maintaining and evolving their existing stores, by developing high sales volume company-owned stores in primarily densely populated areas and selling franchises in domestic and international markets. Chuck E Cheeses are typically opened in shopping centers or free standing buildings near shopping centers As of January 2, 2011, they employ approximate 17,300 employees – 17,000 field based and 300 located at the headquarters. Before investing into a company you should follow expert’s advice. Experts insist on the importance of research and doing your homework before you decide to invest in a company. In other words, dig deep into the company’s financial statement and examine everything from the auditor’s report to the company’s references. Begin your homework by doing a Financial Statement Analysis. The financial statement analysis is how you will identify the company’s financial strengths and weaknesses from understanding the items of the balance sheet. The categories of the financial statement analysis are: Profitability, Liquidity, Activity and Debt (Leverage). Profitability can be expressed as a group of financial metrics used to measure a company’s ability to make a profit as compared to its expenses, including costs acquired during a particular period of time. In doing my homework on my company, Chuck E. Cheese’s, I began with Profitability from the categories on the financial statement analysis, and continued to move through the other categories – Liquidity, Activity and Debt (Leverage). PROFITABILITY Profitability: return on assets (ROA); return on equity (ROE), price/earnings ration (P/E ration), dividend yield and dividend pay-out ration. Return On Assets (ROA) determines the effectiveness with which a company distributes and manages its resources. ROA is expressed as net income divided by the average total assets. The return on assets for Chuck E. Cheese’s is 7%. The amount of net income returned as a percentage of shareholders equity. Return On Equity (ROE) determines a company’ profitability by showing how much profit a company makes with the money shareholders have invested. Therefore the Return on Equity (ROE) is expressed as a percentage and calculated as the net income/average owners’ equity. The return on equity for Chuck E Cheese’s is 33% Assessing the ration of a company’s current share price compared to its per-share earnings is called the Price/Earnings Ratio (P/E Ratio) and is calculated as the market price of common stock divided by the earnings per share and he P/E Ratio for Chuck E. Cheese’s is . 15%. The Dividend Yield is a way to compare the attractiveness various dividend paying stocks. The dividend yield advises an investor the yield he/she can look forward to if he/she purchases stock from the company. To calculate the dividend yield, divide the annual dividend per share by the market price per share. Chuck E Cheese’s did not have the figures written in its annual report to perform calculations. The Dividend Pay-Out Ratio tell how well a company’s earnings supports the dividend payments. It is calculated by dividing the annual dividend per share by the earnings per share. Chuck E Cheese did not have the figures written in its annual report to perform calculations LIQUIDITY One determinant of a company’s debt capacity is the liquidity of its assets. An asset is liquid if it can be readily converted to cash, while a liability is liquid if it must be repaid in the near future. Liquidity is the company’s working capital, current ration and acid-test ration. The components of Liquidity are Working Capital, Current Ratio and Acid Test Ratio. The Working Capital measures both the company’s effectiveness and it’s immediate financial health. The working capital ration is calculated by subtracting the current assets from the current liabilities. The Working Capital for my company is $-17,210. A positive working capital means that the company will be able to pay its short-term liabilities. A negative working capital means a company can not pay its short-term liabilities. The Current Ration is used to provide an idea of the company’s ability to pay back its short-term liabilities. To calculate the current ration you would divide the current assets by the current liabilities. Chuck E. Cheese’s current ration is . 98. A high ration indicates a copy can pay its obligations. But on the other hand, if the current ration is under 1, the company would not be able to pay its obligations. The Acid-Test Ratio serves as a sign that help determine whether a company has enough short-term assets to cover the company’s immediate liabilities with out selling its inventory. The acid-test ration is calculated by cash, plus accounts receivable divided by current liabilities. The acid-test ratio for Chuck E. Cheese’s is 58%. If the ratio is less than 1 a company cannot pay their current liabilities and should be looked at with extreme caution. ACTIVITY MEASURES The Activity Measure measures the volume of activity and is used as a basis for allocating costs. To activity measure includes Accounts Receivable Turnover and Inventory Turnover. The Accounts Receivable Turnover (A/R) ratio is the number of times that accounts receivable amounts are collected within the year. If the A/R Turnover is high the company has a tight credit policy. If the A/R Turnover is low it says the company has a collection problem. To calculate the A/R Turnover – divide the sales by the average A/R. The A/R Turnover for Chuck E Cheese is 27. 57 The Inventory Turnover the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) divided by the Average Inventory. This show how many times a company’s inventory is sold and replaced of a period of time. The Inventory Turnover for my company Chuck E. Cheese’s is 53. 44 (number of days for turnover) DEBT (Leverage) The Debt (Leverage) includes the categories of Debt Ratio and Debt/Equity Ratio. The Debt Ratio explains what part of a company’s debt has relative to its assets. It gives an idea of leverage and the potential risks the company could face. To calculate the Debt Ratio divide the total liabilities by the total liabilities plus owners’ equity. The Debt Ratio for Chuck E. Cheese’s is 79. The Debt/Equity Ratio can be calculated by dividing the total liabilities by the total owners’ equity. The Debt/Equity Ratio for Chuck E. Cheeses’ is . 39. The Debt/Equity Ratio measures a company’s financial leverage and says what proportion of equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets. Chuck E. Cheeses have an opportunity to further expand globally. They have formalized a strategic plan for international growth and are actively seeking franchise partners in key Latin American countries including Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama. As with any company, doing your research and homework before investing is very important. I enjoyed learning about Chuck E Cheese finance and look forward to maybe one day owning my own franchise. After my research I have new idea for expansion and one day hope to invest.