Animal Farm Essay

I believe that the animals’ lives have not changed significantly from the beginning Animal Farm to the end of it. Life for the farm animals in the novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, started out dreary, short, and somewhat hopeless. By the end of the book, the humans have been chased out of their farm, but the animals are now led by the pigs. However, the pigs have slowly progressed to become just like the humans, so the living conditions of the animals have not changed. Their leaders remain the same kind of creatures through the book, whether pig or human, because their behavior is so similar. The lives of the animals are harsh and unforgiving from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. The farm animals were oppressed by the parasitical humans, who beat and starved them, but also profited from them. The humans (Mr. Owens specifically) have superintendence over the animals and force them to work long hours with little sustenance, despite the fact that the animals are far from indefatigable. Mr. Owens is an inebriate, and sometimes to forgets to feed them at all. After they are too old to work (such as in the case of horses), or reach a certain age (in the case of the pigs), the animals are sent to be slaughtered. Through all his cruelty, Mr. Owens benefits from the animals’ hard work. The animals rebel against the humans after the pigs (led by Snowball) canvas support for the revolution, and the animals’ living conditions improve for a short while. After Snowball is chased out, Napoleon takes over and slowly increases their working hours and decreases their food. He maintains the illusion that the animals will be offered retirement after they have reached a certain age. However, Boxer is sent to be made into glue after he is hurt and unable to work anymore, rather than being sent to a hospital like Napoleon claims. The pigs also have whips which they carry around. In this way, the animals are still being beaten, starved, and slaughtered in a contemptible way. Their daily lives have not changed significantly. The similarities between the pigs and humans also support my opinion that the animals’ lives do not change much from the beginning of the book to the end. The pigs and humans both are important to the animals, since they control every aspect of their lives. Mr. Owens, the owner of the farm at the beginning of the book, was a greedy, cruel farmer. He beat and starved the animals and worked them extremely hard. Compared to their work, he did almost nothing, drinking in his home instead. After Mr. and Mrs. Owens and all the other humans are chased off the farm, the animals take over the farm, with the pigs in charge. Although Snowball is a fair leader at first, he is chased off by Napoleon. Napoleon was already planning his machinations quite early on, and his plan to get complete power works. He works the animals harder than ever, and their rations are quite low. While the animals are toiling, the pigs are free to gambol about and do as they please. By the end of the book, the pigs have begun walking on two legs, sleeping in beds, wearing clothes, carrying whips, and drinking alcohol. These are all human characteristics. Therefore, the beings with control over the animals’ lives have changed little. Both Napoleon and Mr. Owens are selfish, ruthless beings who care only for their own profit. From the beginning to the end of Animal Farm, the farm animals are (excluding the pigs) treated badly. Their lives are work-filled, tough, and short. Although the farm changes hands from the humans to their fellow farm animals (pigs), their lives do not improve significantly for the better. In the end, they are actually worse off. The pigs and humans are similar in their behavior, attire, and selfish wishes. I do not think their lives overall have changed significantly over the course of the novel, because their treatment and leaders are roughly the same. Their lives stay mostly the same, because those two things almost completely control their lives.

Higher Education and the American Dream: Success and Its Discontents Essay

Is   College necessary? Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is true that a college may favor or not favor some victims. This means that it is not an assurance if you complete your college level you get a white collar job. This is not the case. However, it will depend on how one takes his/her time to associate with working class person and also to give voluntary service to the companies and government corporation. According to Baker it is very important for the child to attend basic education in the age of six years, he says that the child during this age is being prepared psychologically on how to move on to the next academic level. Additionally, Baker brings out another crucial sense why it is important to go to the college after graduating the high school. Baker says that colleges are preparing a student not only to get well-paying job but also, on how as a student one can business oriented person. Very important issue here is that a college graduate student can be compared with primary or hig h school student in terms of thinking capacity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   College is not worth some time for some people. Meaning that in a society some people tend to have very little education but, their way of living is luxurious. However, this will depend on one’s fortune. Another factor that might make people look down to the college is family background(Charles chpt8). Some families are very rich such that they do not push their kids to go for further studies but, rather after completing their high school education they are given capital to start their own business or even they inherit some of their family business. So, college may not be very important to such people because the aim of going for higher education is only to have good living standards. Therefore, if one gets a good amount of dollars that can sustain him/her then there is no need to go to college.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the past century, education was not highly valued in many countries. This was because many people had inherited big wealth from their forefathers. Therefore, they tend to depend on those properties for their upkeep, unlike this 21st century where is only depends on how one struggles to be able to sustain himself. In the past century, technology had not improved like the this century thus people had limited resource in education, for instance, less developed countries(Lazerson chpt12). Hence, the aim of going to colleges was not there. However, going to college to further studies is a great idea in order to increase knowledge and be conversant with the current trend on technology that is not taught in primary and high school level. In conclusion, college education is very important to the graduates. It is observed that graduates are not enrolled to colleges in order to secure themselves or to go for well-paying job, but they do so in order to be civilized. They are also equipped with knowledge that helps them to run their own business. In fact, college education has a lot of benefits. Finally, it is wise to be a college graduate rather than having basic education (primary and high school). References Lazerson, Marvin. Higher Education and the American Dream: Success and Its Discontents. Budapest: Central European University Press, edited 2014.print. McGuire, Charles, Diana Abitz, and Patrick Dobson. The Best Advice Ever for Teachers. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Pub, edited 2014. Internet resource. Source document

Enron: What Caused the Ethical Collapse

It is not easy to find one single person, who can be blamed for the collapse of Enron, because there was so many players in so many levels. We can’t find one responsible person, but there are many person who shared the blame for the scandal that turned Enron into the ultimate poster child for fraudulent accounting practices, and caused one of the largest bankruptcies in the us history. The key people involved internally at Enron were the executives, Kenneth Lay (Chairman and CEO), Jeffrey Skilling (President and CEO), and Andrew Fastow (CFO). They built up a highly successful company, but soon they began to divert funds into phony investments, and cashed their own stocks, while the price was still high. From October 1999 to November 2001, Lay sold a total 1. 8 million shares for $101 million. Altogether, 29 Enron officers pocketed $1. 2billion from selling Enron shares, while unsuspecting employees went broke. Simultaneously, while this was going on, more than half of employees’ 401(k) savings, or about $1. 2 billion, were invested in Enron stock, which were rendered worthless. The chairman sent an email to the workers: the company had â€Å"never been stronger† and its future growth â€Å"has never been more certain†, so most of the workers held their stocks, because nobody could foresee what was about to happen. In Texas, the Teachers Retirement system lost $35. 7 million in Enron stock, In Florida; the pension fund for teachers, state employees, and county workers bought 7 million shares of Enron stock (the fund that covers 650,000 workers and 150,000 retirees estimate they lost $306 million). In the end millions in 401(k) savings were lost. Enron was hiding massive losses by using their strategy of â€Å"mark to market† accounting. Fastow was also found by an internal Enron investigation to have secretly made $30 million from managing one of these partnerships. Outside of the company, Arthur Andersen, the gigantic accounting firm responsible for Enron’s accounting and outside auditing, also shares some blame for the scandal. In theory, companies can't get away with cooking their books because honest, independent accounting firms are looking over their shoulders, protecting the public. In the case of Enron, however, Arthur Andersen failed at their duties. Four days before Enron reported a staggering loss of $618 million for the third quarter of 2001, one of Andersen's top lawyers sent out a memo ordering his staff to shred all Enron-related audit documents. Dvid Duncan got the maximum sentence for his crimes is ten years. redit rating agencys: Credit rating agencies like Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch failed to inform investors how risky buying a company’s bonds might be, failed to spot any problems with Enron until the company was nearly bankrupt, only downgrading its bonds on 28 November 2001. t S&P and Fitch told a Fortune reporter they had no idea how Enron made its money. The lack of regulations, and the good relations with the White House, allowed Enron to have major influ ence over policy in America. On economic policy, Enron wanted complete deregulation with no government interference. They got it. On energy policy, Enron wanted no caps on electricity prices in California. They got it. On tax policy, Enron wanted elimination of the corporate alternative minimum tax. They got it. In the end these policies created the perfect environment for their unethical games. The ultimate example occurred throughout the year 2000 during the California Electricity Crisis. The Enron traders exported the cheap electricity from California to another state and later they take it back and sold it for a higher price. This causes 42 billion losses in California in three years.

Pros and Cons of European currency union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Pros and Cons of European currency union - Essay Example One of the biggest advantages of Euro is that it saves a lot of time and effort of the travelers who choose to travel with Europe. For instance if there is a Soccer game in Spain which a Greek citizen wants to witness, he/she can just straight away catch a flight and reach the Soccer stadium in Spain and watch the game. There is no need to covert the currency into some other currency. The same has resulted in saving a lot of time and effort of the European Citizens. This was not the case prior to the introduction of Euro. The people had to exchange money every now and then to meet their demands but after the introduction things have changed for better. The introduction of Euro has brought in many significant changes in the European Economy. The most noticeable of them all is the economic integrity brought by the introduction of the Euro. The positive effects are not restricted to economy but they also positively influence the political climate in the European countries. This paper will throw light upon the benefits and the problems of the European single currency, which is Euro. In addition to this the paper will also focus upon the affect on other currencies by the present rise in the value of the Euro. "Having a single currency and an economic and monetary union strengthens Europe's role in international fora and organizations like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development." (The Euro & You). Euro strengthens the position of all the European countries, having a single currency helps a lot in the growth of the country and in this particular case Europe on the whole. Euro is very frequently used in international trade; it has very quickly become a part and parcel of the lives of many businessmen who carry out trade at large scales. Countries also have started using Euro as the currency for International trade. "A single currency makes Europe a strong partner to trade with and facilitates access to a genuine single market for foreign companies, who will benefit from lower costs of doing business in Europe." (The Euro & You). Another major advantage is the clarity in prices whenever an European citizen travels to another European country it becomes very easy to compare and buy the products of his/her choice; this facility was not available to the citizens prior to the launch of the Euro. Earlier even if a Tourist wanted to buy a product desperately, he/she was made to think thrice about it because of the different currencies within Europe but these days there is transparency in prices with regard to the currencies and this has only happened because of the introduction of the Euro. Euro has brought in a lot of Economic and financial stability, a Businessman is much less prone to risk when using Euro as his/her currency. Single currency keeps the inflation rate under a good check, which is extremely important for an economy and the Euro does exactly that. It keeps interest rates and the rate of inflation under check hence it can be said that the Euro plays a pivotal role in maintaining the economic growth of the European nations. Problems of the European Single Currency The biggest disadvantage is that it increases the financial cost of an institution in getting adjusted to the new currency. The

Directors are legally responsible to the shareholders and must Essay

Directors are legally responsible to the shareholders and must prioritise their interests - Essay Example what a court may consider is in the interests of the company but also introduces the new concept of enlightened shareholder value (Re Smith & Fawcett). It has been argued that the English company law inched closer to, but has not firmly adopted the stakeholder theory. Thus, the test in s.172 remains subjective because what mainly constitutes the success of the company depends on the director’s good faith judgment which may not be objective. It appears that there are no objective criteria in s.172 against which the actions of directors can be assessed. Therefore, it becomes very difficult to prove a breach of this duty. At common law, the objective considerations were introduced by the courts to supplement the subjective test. For instance, in Charterbridge Corp Ltd v Lloyds Bank Ltd, the courts considered whether an intelligent and honest director could in the whole of the circumstances reasonably believe the transaction to be for the benefit of the company as a whole. However, Section 172 makes no reference to this objective consideration in view of the significant role of common law rules in the interpretation and application of the codified duties (s.170(3) and (4). Keay (2007) argues that it is most likely that the courts would conside r the objective test in assessing directors’ actions in any given scenario. There are quite a number of theories the questions the main interests that are supposed to guide the operations of the company. For instance, the traditional approach in the UK is the shareholder value principle (or shareholder primacy), which stipulates that a company should be run for the wealth maximization of its shareholders above those of other parties such as customers and suppliers. For instance, the directors have a duty to act in the interests of the company (Percival v Wright), which are interpreted as the best interests of present and future shareholders (Hutton v West Cork Railway Company). The shareholder value theory states that

Outsourcing and off-shoring Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Outsourcing and off-shoring - Research Paper Example Jones (2005) has put forward the finding that outsourcing along with immigration can serve the purpose of raising the domestic wage rate of the home nation. However, there are ambiguous and contradictory implications of the impacts of outsourcing activities on the labor market of the home country. This was suggested by Eggar and Eggar (2005) (Yabuuchi, 2011, p.706). In this context outsourcing has been considered to be detrimental to domestic labor in terms of wages and jobs even though it can have beneficial impacts on the economy on the whole. Kohler (2001) has come up with an alternative perspective of the international fragmentation which is based on the specific factors model. He has shown that outsourcing can have a welfare loss on the economy. Recently research conducted by Batra and Beladi (2010), tried to explore the impactions of outsourcing on factor prices with the help of the two sector specific factor model along with intermediate outsourced inputs. Their finding was th at outsourcing can have negative implication on the domestic market; however, it benefits the capital of the country. However it can have positive impacts of the domestic labor in case there is completely no production of the outsourced work or activity in the home country. However, the studies assume that there is full employment in the economy (Yabuuchi, 2011, p.706). Problems of OutsourcingDespite the numerous advantages associated with outsourcing in developed countries, certain problems have also been noted.... Kohler (2001) has come up with an alternative perspective of the international fragmentation which is based on the specific factors model. He has shown that outsourcing can have a welfare loss on the economy. Recently research conducted by Batra and Beladi (2010), tried to explore the impactions of outsourcing on factor prices with the help of the two sector specific factor model along with intermediate outsourced inputs. Their finding was that outsourcing can have negative implication on the domestic market; however, it benefits the capital of the country. However it can have positive impacts of the domestic labor in case there is completely no production of the outsourced work or activity in the home country. However, the studies assume that there is full employment in the economy (Yabuuchi, 2011, p.706). Problems of Outsourcing Despite the numerous advantages associated with outsourcing in developed countries, certain problems have also been noted. For example, researchers have id entified problems related with outsourcing India which is considered to be one of the most preferred countries across the world for outsourcing. Companies making great investments in India have now been pulling back their investments. This is because of the dramatic escalating wage structure in the country. The attrition rates in the software firms in India averages around 50% per year. The larger American firms which had established their presence in India had been immune to this attrition for quite some time which now has changed. The smaller firms have been experiencing attrition rates of 100% in a year. Thus the focus has now been shifting towards Eastern and Central Europe

Human Resource Management Practices Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Resource Management Practices - Assignment Example Internally, the employer faces the challenge of understaffing and lack of people with expertise in the major fields of practice. Externally, the employer is faced with stiff competition from other employers offering competitive employee benefits. Many employees with specialized skills have been poached from the company.SWOT Analysis:Strengths- good working relationships with the employees. Ability to understand the needs of and challenges facing the workforce. Weaknesses- Poor compensation for workers, understaffed organization. Opportunities- Availability of qualified personnel that are willing to learn including graduates that can be taped and trained to improve organizational performance.Threats- A highly competitive environment with organizations that offer better salaries for trained workers resulting in the problem of poaching. The challenges that the employer is facing can be addressed through human resources management practices to improve the employer’s competitivenes s. There is required a strong human resources department that is well equipped for the organization. To ensure the attraction and retention of people with quality skills and competence, human resources management practices of work-life balance, training and development and compensation must be affected. There should be instituted flexible working schedules for the employees and training and development to ensure that employees have the necessary skills, and there exist proper promotional procedures. Â  

Library Information studies- Research evaluation-Evaluation of sample Assignment

Library Information studies- Research evaluation-Evaluation of sample library questionnaire - Assignment Example re can not only effectively be used to gauge how to improve services and keep customers happy but it may also be used to provide powerful insights for the Library on how to keep their client base growing. Although there is no theoretical base for developing a good questionnaire, the success of any user survey can not be achieved without a properly well designed questionnaire. In this regard, the effectiveness of the survey questionnaires largely depends on how well they are designed, whether they have met the goals of the research, their appropriateness as well as their effectiveness in meeting the demands of the particular organization. This paper evaluates a user survey questionnaire that was designed used by Example Library during their user survey. The primary research goal of the user satisfaction survey used by the Example library is to collect data which will enable the library to evaluate how they would improve the quality of their Library services. With regard to the methods used, the researchers primarily used a set of customer satisfaction survey questionnaire that sought to determine the demographics, needs, interests as well as the expectations of their Library users. On the other hand, the expected outcome was that the user survey will be able to effectively measure the perceived customer satisfaction as well as their experience with the services and offerings of Example library. The appropriateness of questionnaire wording is critically important because it helps minimize bias in the results obtained from the respondents during the user survey. According to Grunlund (1993), poorly structured questions may lead respondents to answer the questions in a specific way. The questionnaire used by Example Library is appropriately worded and the authors have avoided the use of technical terms and jargons that may confuse the respondents. Similarly the researchers have effectively begun with a brief statement that was intended to explain the purpose of the

Not everyone needs a College Education to be Financially Successful in Essay

Not everyone needs a College Education to be Financially Successful in Life - Essay Example Through an analysis of people who have attained success without a degree, careers where a college education is not necessary, and alternative methods of achieving financial success, this essay demonstrates that it a college education is not necessary for financial success. Although there are many people that have found success through their college education, there are also a number of individuals that have found success without a college degree. One of the most prominent examples is that of Bill Gates. Throughout his childhood Gates had cultivated an interest in computer technology. While he attended Harvard for a semester he quickly recognized that he would find more success if he concentrated on his personal business. Gates would become to richest man in the world. While Gates’ example is extreme, such instances readily occur in smaller situations on a frequent basis. While a college education is necessary for success in careers such as medicine, there are a number of careers where a college education is not necessary. In large part college contains courses within specific academic disciplines, such as science, sociology, or mathematics. Although a number of career implement this higher-level thinking, for other careers such knowledge is extraneous. For example, the career of a construction worker, a plumber, or many times grocery and restaurant managers are learned not through formal education, but real world experience. With dedication and hard work it is possible for an individual without a college degree to gradually gain promotions or increased clients and in time find more financial success than individuals with a college education. Although a high paying job is very helpful for achieving financial success, there are many things that contribute to financial success that don’t involve a college education. Benjamin Franklin famously noted that a penny saved is penny earned. Indeed, one of the primary things that contribute to financial success

Critical Summary of Oprah Winfrey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Summary of Oprah Winfrey - Essay Example As the discussion stresses Oprah Winfrey has amassed immense wealth where she stands out as the highest-paid performer on television and the richest self-made woman in America. Oprah is equally the richest African-American of the 20th century subject to her influence and entrepreneurial skills. Most people in the world identify with Oprah Winfrey through her television show that influences their way of living, reading, eating, exercising, thinking, feeling, doing politics, and associating. Oprah stands out as "the most powerful woman in the world† where she is one of the world’s opinion leaders. I seek to attain such influence after leaving the university through mass media and entrepreneurship. However, it is worth noting that it took a lot of sacrifice, time, professionalism, and persistence for her to overcome the challenges in her growth path and attain immense success and global influence.As the paper discusses  Oprah faced numerous challenges that included primit ive life and sexual molestation in her childhood, which caused emotional devastation.  She received the honor of the Most Popular Girl at the time and joined her high school speech team, which continued to shape her career.  Indeed, she premiered her life in journalism by working at a local radio station during her studies at the university. This manifests how Oprah maximized the great opportunities in her life since her career path would have been very challenging without the scholarship.

It is not an essay but quistions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

It is not an but quistions - Essay Example AS a result, the number reduced making it inferior to withstand the forces from the north. The other success was in Gettysburg. In the battle, the army under the command of Lee suffered a significant loss. In the battle, there were massive casualties. As a result, Lee side was demoralised on invasion of the north and, therefore, had to retreat to Virginia. The 1890 can be described as a watershed of the 1900’s in different ways. In the period, various changes defined the 1900’s. First, there was consolidation of various railway projects that had begun in the second part of the century. The consolidation helped in emergence of various industries that helped spur economic growth in the 1900’s. Moreover, the emergence of industries led to economic dominance of United States in the following century. Secondly, industrialization led to increased immigration to America. For example, there was increasing number of immigrants. Most came from Europe. They were looking for work and increased freedom. Consequently, there was growth of cities where the immigrants settled leading to increased urbanization. However, the period also saw increased discrimination. The discrimination was directed to African American. The period saw the passage of authoritarian laws such as Jim Crow laws that authorised segregation of African Americans. The law also allowed lynching of African Americans in the southern side. The changes led to rise of civil rights groups in then 1990’s. Moreover, there was a rise of exceptional leaders agitating for equality of different races over the same time such as Dubois and Martin Luther King. Additionally, the period saw the rise of various political parties. The parties were because of activism of farmers. In the period, farmers complained of reduced prices of commodities such as wheat and cotton. One of such parties was the People’s Party (Populist Party). The party was agitating for political

Company Law Legal Organisations Essay Example for Free

Company Law Legal Organisations Essay Introduction Thor plc is a Public Limited registered company as per the provisions of Companies Act 1985, listed in London Stock Exchange.   A public limited company must have at least two directors to manage the business affairs of the company apart from a qualified company secretary.   Further public limited companies are also permitted to offer shares to the public to raise funds by way of public offer of shares to a minimum value of   Ã‚ £50,000. Thor plc is a commercial catering company   which has both shares and debentures to its credit.   A public limited company is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association which details the entire internal and external boundaries of a director beyond which a director cannot act in any manner.   Chapter 2 Section 171-177 of Companies Act 2006   provide about scope and nature of general duties of a director. Some of the important general duties are : Duty to act within powers and in accordance with the company’s constitution (MA) and exercise powers dutifully.(Sec.171) Section 172 states that a director must promote and work to the success of a company in bona fide and in good conduct for any long term decisions, in the interests of company employees, fostering the business relationship with business suppliers, customers and others, consider the company’s operations, its impacts on environment     and community.   A director must have interest to maintain the reputation of the company. Section 173 states that a director has the power to exercise independent judgment which is in accordance with the provisions and compliance of legal provisions enabled by Companies Act 2006 and authorized by Company’s constitution and which is not restricted and in contradiction with the agreement entered into between the director and the company. Section 174 states that a director must exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence. Section 175   provides that a director is in a position to always avoid a conflict of interest. Section 176 provides that a director must not accept any benefits   from third parties. Third parties means a person other than the company, a person acting on behalf of a company, an associate body or a body corporate. Section 177 provides that a director can always declare interest in a proposed transaction or arrangement. The proposed interest must be disclosed or declared either in a meeting with other directors, by a notice to other directors in accordance with Section 184   (notice in writing) or Section 185 (general notice). A director need not disclose interest in case the director is of the opinion that (a) the proposed interest for a transaction may give rise to a conflict of interest. (b) To an extent, if other directors are aware of transaction. ( c) The proposal need to be considered in a meeting of directors or by a committee of directors appointed for this purpose under company’s constitution. Section 178 deals with civil consequences of breach of general duties by   a director. Companies Act 1985 imposes a statutory prohibition that it is a criminal offence if a director without the prior permission of the Board, considers an option to sell or buy shares or debentures.   Insider trading is a criminal offence under Financial Services Act 1986 as per sections 61-62A when a private investor or person suffers a loss from breach of statutory duty which is caused by a director. Under Criminal Justice Act 1993 Part V, if a person knowingly commits insider trading, it will be considered as offence if, buy or sell shares is performed in a regulated market, where there is intermediary professional. Encourages another person to deal with such proposals of insider trading. Disclosure of information to persons who are outside of office, employment or profession. All the above offences are penalized either with fine or imprisonment of up to seven years. Mary in the capacity of a director, is entitled to sell Thor Plc shares which are held by Mary in the position of a director only after the prior intimation to the Board and after a resolution has been passed to that extent that certain number of shares held by Mary, the director of Thor plc can be sold. Mary has committed a serious offence by neither intimating the Board about selling of shares, nor took the consent of the Board in which case,   Mary has invited penalties under Companies Act 2006. Further, Mary has also encouraged another shareholder Graham to sell shares by revealing the confidential business information about the company which is also another serious offence which was not supposed to be performed by a director who is in the Board of a company. Mary as director has violated all the legal rules of Companies Act 2006 and has violated the rules of Thor plc. In view of the above, Mary is either required to pay a penalty or seek assistance from a legal practitioner 2(a) In October 2008, certain of the codified directors’ duties come into force. Explain briefly the relevant fiduciary duties which will be applicable prior to that date Directors have the major decision making power in a company. No other position in a company is greater than the position of a director.   The duties of directors are designed in a way that companies’ interests are protected, shareholders interests are protected in order to make corporate business as transparent and efficient.   There are many rules, statutory duties and fiduciary duties for a director’s position which have to be fulfilled in accordance with Companies Act 1985 and as amended by Companies Act 1989.   The government is of the opinion that codification of directors’ duties which are included in the Companies Act 2006, which was granted permission from Royal Assent on 8th November, 2006, ensures the law to be consistent and also enables directors to not to breach any duty that is written in law. Prior to the codification of directors’ duties, the fiduciary duties were prevalent which are briefly explained as below. Further fiduciary duties are of two categories. (1) Duty to act in good faith in the interest of the company and not for any collateral purpose. (2) Duty to not to permit conflict of personal interest with that of duties to be discharged as director of a company.   Ã‚  Fiduciary duties can never be breached by a director wherein case, the director would be held responsible for any loss suffered thereof.   Any profit or loss that is made from the discharge of duties by   a director, must be disclosed to the company in all respects.   Directors owe duties to the company only and not to individual members.   A director must disclose any interest in a proposed contract or a contract in a meeting of the directors of the company.   Director’s service contract must be kept available for inspection by the members.   Service contracts for more than five years must be approved in a general meeting.   Further a director must notify the company about any personal interest in shares of the company.   Personal liability for a director is more when   a director is participating directly or indirectly in fraudulent trading in the event of a company being liquidated or wrongful trading when a company is being declared as an insolvent and the court holds director as liable. When a company is in insolvent liquidation, the directors of the company are not eligible to incorporate another company in the same name or similar to the existing name for a term of five years. In case if a director is floating another company with the similar name, director becomes personally liable for the debts of such new company. Further an officer or director who signs cheques or orders for goods on behalf of the company is also held personally liable for all the transactions of the company, when the name of company does not appear on cheques or order documents.  Ã‚   Company records have to be kept at the registered office for inspection of company law officials or such other authorized persons as per Companies Act 2006. Fiduciary duties of a director are of equal source of personal liability as that of general duties of a director.   All fiduciary duties are self-explanatory whereas all general duties are specific and task-oriented for each director.   Breach of director’s duties result in either as offence, personal liability or termination of directorship as per the provisions of Companies Act 2006. There are totally four directors in Edu-con Ltd who are managing the business affairs of the company.   The constitution of Edu-con Ltd is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company which details the powers and duties of directors of Edu-con Ltd and further statutory laws and provisions of Companies Act 2006 apply to Edu-con Ltd for both filing the required statutory documents and for detailing the duties of directors of Edu-con Ltd.,   All the four directors of Edu-con Ltd for responsible for execution of general duties as well fiduciary duties of the company. Part 10 Chapter 1 Section 154 – 169 of Companies Act 2006 details about appointment and removal of directors. Chapter 2 of Part 10 Section 170 – 177 of Companies Act 2006 details about general duties of   directors. Section 252 of the Companies Act 2006 details about persons connected with a director. Section 253 of the Companies Act 2006 details about members of director’s family.   Section 254 states about a body corporate with which the director is connected.   Vera Freet lives with her partner, Bertram Boss who owns a business by name â€Å"Bell Agentis†. Vera Freet did not disclose partner Bertram Boss in any Board meeting and neither while selling the land adjacent to â€Å"Bell Agentis† for value  £350,000 to Edu-con Ltd., whereas it is important for a director to disclose about family members and also about any interest in business proposal that is related to the business management of Edu-con Ltd., Wilson Rabbit who is another director of Edu-con Ltd., has earned a commission of  £900 for awarding a printing contract to Bees Books Ltd.,   In this aspect, Companies Act 1985 states that disclosure of transactions that are within a sum of    £1000 in a financial year need not be disclosed by a director as long as it is a secret commission in terms of monetary benefit earned by a director. It is also important that the acts of directors are within the purview of Articles of Edu-con Ltd., and considered not as an offence.   However it is important that the Board must be notified about the paying of commission by Bees Books Ltd., to the director even though it is a small amount,   for all good purposes and to keep the transparency of the transactions. According to the EU Directive when a company is taken over by another company, existing board or change in board effects the value of   the company. In the present case, Edu-con Ltd has been taken over by another company, and subsequently there is also a change in the board members which means the existing four directors of Edu-con Ltd no longer carry the position of director. Any transactions that are still in term period do not hold good when a director ceases as board member which is relevant in the case of   Wilson Rabbit who has been receiving commission from Bees Books Ltd for printing contract. Similarly the land that is acquired from Bell-Agentis can also be reconsidered whether it should be retained by the new board members.   The new board has every right and authorized to write-off all the transactions that were exercised by previous board basing on the interest of the new board and for making the business good. Conclusion Companies Act 2006 is yet to come into force effectively by the end of the year 2008 as there are many changes in Company Reform Bill to bring order to all the existing UK companies and for all the new companies that are being incorporated. However it is important to always refer Companies Act 1985 as well Companies Act 2006 for deriving the maximum benefits in the matters related to directorships and financial related matters. References Companies Act, 2006 Reviewed 14 April 2008 http://194.131.210.216/eappub/includeimages/2007041722C1FAUHD_Companies%20Act%202006.pdf Company Law guide http://www.youngandpearce.co.uk/corporat.htm Companies Act 2006 and duties of directors Reviewed 17 April 2008 http://www.bytestart.co.uk/content/legal/35_2/companies-act-directors-duties.shtml Companies Act, 2006 Reviewed 14 April 2008 http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/pdf/ukpga_20060046_en.pdf Explanatory Notes to Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000 Chapter 12 Reviewed 14 April 2008 http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2000/en/ukpgaen_20000012_en_1 Partnership Act, 1890 Reviewed 14 April 2008 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/BIM72505.htm http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2006/ukpga_20060046_en_1 http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20072194_en_7 http://books.google.co.in/books?id=zb7VqRT4hOgCpg=PA44lpg=PA44dq=selling+of+shares+by+director+of+a+company+is+a+criminal+offencesource=webots=9RfouwoVBzsig=8REfcxgg1RLBiW-dxrG-4ioh6uwhl=en#PPA52,M1 UK Government’s new Company Law Reform Bill Reviewed 14 April 2008 http://www.mallesons.com/publications/2005/Dec/8221850W.htm

Are Automotive Manufacturers more Socially Responsible?

Are Automotive Manufacturers more Socially Responsible? To what extent are car manufacturing firms operating in a more socially responsible manner when designing environmentally friendly cars? Abstract Social responsibility is one of the key differentiators between modern corporations, and is seen by many analysts as an antidote to the past few years trend towards the demonisation of corporate institutions. The recent economic crisis, in particular, has led many observers to argue that corporations that fail to address issues of social responsibility will struggle to survive. However, other observers question whether this phenomenon is anything more than a superficial consumer trend, and whether the world economy in general can seriously contemplate a corporate system in which the profit motive is subservient to the need for corporate social responsibility. This dissertation examines social responsibility in terms of the car manufacturing industry, and looks in particular at the question of whether or not the move towards environmentally friendly cars is anything more than a passing phase in an industry that is extremely sensitive to public opinion. Ultimately, the aim of the disse rtation is to determine whether or not corporate social responsibility within the car manufacturing industry is a genuine change, or whether it is simply a superficial response to a passing public trend. Introduction The concept of corporate social responsibility has been one of the dominant themes of the past decade, with consumer recognition of a corporations social responsibility being increasingly seen as a lucrative phenomenon. In the west, in particular, increasing levels of affluence have led to a trend that has seen more customers show willingness to pay more for products that are designed according to theories of social responsibility., and this shift has been nowhere more apparent than in the automobile manufacturing industry. This trend has inter-cut with a recognition (in some quarters) of the need to ensure a more environmentally-friendly approach to industrial production and consumption, and a number of corporations have secured dramatically enhanced public images through a focus on affordable but socially responsible products. However, critics argue that since the primary aim of these corporations is to increase their profits, the appearance of social responsibility has been more o f a cosmetic change than a substantial alteration of core business practices; many critics believe that corporations have, in most cases, merely become better at packaging their products as a more socially responsible, environmentally friendly alternative. Despite the recent financial crisis, the automobile manufacturing industry remains a bellwether for the global economy, and any genuine global industrial changes regarding social responsibility will likely be evident in the automobile industry at an early stage. This dissertation will examine the behaviour of car manufacturing firms and will ask whether they have genuinely become more socially responsible when designing environmentally friendly cars, or whether this is merely a superficial smokescreen designed to generate improved public exposure without leading to genuine changes in design and production philosophies. In particular, the difference between the industrys approach before and after the onset of the recent economic crisis will be examined, and these differences will be used to determine whether or not the move towards social responsibility represented a genuine change to production systems or was merely an attempt to capture the early twenty-first century zeitgeist. Furthermore, the dissertation will examine the extent to which social responsibility and environmental awareness have affected not only above-the-line (i.e. visible to the public) areas of the industry, but also below-the-line (i.e. internal corporate) systems; the d issertation will argue that firms can only be said to have adopted a greater level of social responsibility if their attempts to tackle this issue extend to below-the-line activities. The dissertation will use a series of core examples in order to determine both the hyperbole (i.e. the claims made to the public) and the core below-the-line changes that may, or in some cases may not, reflect the car manufacturing industrys more socially responsible, environmentally friendly approach to business and production. Literature Review Corporate Social Responsibility Social responsibility has been one of the key growth areas in recent years. Crane et al. (2007) define social responsibility, in the corporate context, as a companys ability to put aside the profit motive in order to perform tasks that have a beneficial effect not on the company itself in terms of capital but in terms of an entirely separate social group (Crane et al., 2007, p. 6). In this context, social responsibility can be seen as something that companies are expected to do unbidden, in much the same way as many people choose to donate their time and volunteer to help charities. In some ways, therefore, social responsibility can be seen as an attempt to anthropomorphise corporations by rendering them indebted to a cultural belief that they should act in a more ethical and moral manner. This is in some ways a cultural corrective to the idea of corporations as solely capitalistic, profit-orientated organisations. May et al. (2007) suggest that corporate social responsibility is a popular construct that seeks to imbue corporations with humanistic traits regardless of whether those traits are present or not (May et al., 2007, p. 118). In order for public recognition of these traits to be tangible, there must be a relative relationship between different corporations, so some must be seen to be exercising a great deal of social responsibility, while other must be seen to be doing very little. This is, in effect, the classic polar relationship between good and bad, and it allows consumers to associate themselves with positive, socially responsible companies purely by making certain purchasing decisions. Both sides therefore have a vested interest in social responsibility: consumers feel good if they reward socially responsible companies with their custom, and can use such purchases as a form of status symbol; corporations, meanwhile, can try to generate a larger, more loyal customer base. While some critics argue that social responsibility is a trend that will wax and wane according to various social and economic factors (May et al., 2007, p. 119), others believe that the emergence of social responsibility as a major business factor in the past decade is in fact a permanent change. Crane et al. note that growing awareness of environmental issues has led many people to recognise the importance of social responsibility (Crane et al., 2007, p. 10), and although the recent economic crisis may have led many to hold back on the spending that they would otherwise have directed towards socially responsible corporations, there still appears to be a broad consensus that social responsibility is one of the most important factors in modern business. Consequently, many companies have sought to strengthen their social policy credentials. Environmental Policy One of the key elements of social responsibility is the environment. For more than twenty years, there have been warnings about the effects of global warming. Many corporations choose to exhibit their social responsibility through one of a number of environmentally friendly policies: Reducing the environmental cost of production distribution. Reducing the environmental cost of consumption. Reducing the environmental cost of disposal. Using more environmentally-friendly materials. Reducing packaging and other superfluous elements of a product. Instigating specific environmentally-friendly technological elements. Funding research and education programs. Carbon and pollution off-setting. All of these options and more are regularly employed by companies that want to emphasise their environmental credentials. Large companies tend to focus on methods that require little more effort than throwing money at the problem, e.g. by funding research or off-setting their carbon emissions. However, some other companies are far more inventive, and genuinely try to reduce their environmental impact. Social Responsibility Aside from the environmental factors noted above, companies have found a number of ways of demonstrating their corporate social responsibility: Funding education programs. Providing services, e.g. transportation for school and disabled groups. Promoting volunteerism among their own workers. Donating money to charities. Working to eliminate abuse in the chain of production. The globalised corporate environment makes it more difficult than ever for companies to hide practices that might be unpopular in their domestic markets. For example, if a company seeks to use cheap labour in third world countries, it can make a short-term impact but will usually be exposed eventually. In other words, companies find it increasingly difficult to hide any non-socially responsible behaviour. The Car Manufacturing Industry The vast majority of manufacturers are global in terms of production facilities. The leading US and Japanese manufacturers, for example, tend to have dozens of factories, with at the top five companies all having at least one factory in each of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. As such, the industry can be said to be truly global in terms of both customer reach and production. Furthermore, companies often experience great success in non-domestic markets, e.g. Japans Toyota also sells many cars in the US, and Germanys BMW is extremely popular in the UK; the only major exceptions to this rule are two of the three big US companies, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler, both of which have been criticised for their focus on the US market. The Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Car Manufacturing Industry All the worlds car manufacturers have in recent years suffered from the global economic downturn. In the US, the big three manufacturers Ford, Chrysler and General Motors (GM) have all come close to bankruptcy, and GM has been forced to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Around the world, companies have suffered similar problems, although in most cases not to the extent of the major US companies. In Japan, both Honda and Toyota have suffered heavy losses and have been forced to reconsolidate their core business areas. As a result, the automobile industry has been undergoing a period of immense uncertainty, and this has led many consumers to believe that they can no longer rely on the continued presence of the big names. Apart from the well-publicised problems for the big three US companies GM, Ford and Chrysler, almost every other major car manufacturer around the world has suffered a slump in profits in the past two years, and many have incurred legacy debts during this period that will impact upon their performance for decades to come. Toyota reported a massive $1.7bn loss (Fackler, 2008) and, like most other manufacturers, was forced to re-focus activities on core revenue streams. As one of the key figures in the green car revolution, Toyota had been investing heavily in environmentally-friendly cars, and had been happy to make such investments since it believe there would be massive financial benefits in the long run. However, the financial crisis crippled Toyotas ability to consider the long term implications of its current activities, and forced the company to focus on its core business. As Satoshi Hino notes, Toyota has long been one of the more adventurous companies when it comes to placing substantial industrial bets on future changes in the automobile market, but these have always been backed by strong performances in the companys core activities (Hino, 2005, p. 41). The companys move into electric and hybrid cars seen by many as a key element in the push towards greener automobiles has largely been financed by success in core diesel machines, with the pay-off for this front-end investment expected to arrive between 2010 and 2015. However, with the core business model threatened by double-digit year-on-year sales drops, Toyota was forced in 2009 to consolidate its activities and re-focus on the most profitable elements of its production line. This decision by the company served as dramatic proof that while there was clearly a high degree of confidence in terms of the potential for socially responsible cars to provide a significant pay-off in the medium to long term, this confidence was not strong enough to allow the company to rely on such vehicles during a time of economic crisis. Clearly, therefore, market forces are not yet dictating the need for social responsibility in sufficient numbers, or with sufficient support via purchasing decisions . Research Methodology Research Approach The research will take two key approaches: a questionnaire will be used to conduct primary research into consumer awareness of the question of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industry, and two case studies will be used to determine how two of the worlds biggest manufacturers GM and Toyota deal with this issue. In order to assess the impact of the social responsibility policies of both GM and Toyota, the questionnaires will be designed to measure the impact of such policies (or the lack of them) and the degree to which they change public opinion and have the effect for which they were designed. These questionnaires will be vital in terms of bridging the gap between the theory and reality, and will expose the limitations inherent in this approach. In order to increase the likely response rate, and to comply with ethical considerations regarding privacy, the questionnaires were left anonymous and respondents were told that they could ignore any individual questions that they would prefer not to answer. The secondary research will focus on two case studies, one looking at the leading US car manufacturer (General Motors) and the other looking at the worlds leading car manufacturer, by sales (Toyota). These companies have been chosen for specific reasons. General Motors (GM) has had a difficult economic history over the past two decades, almost filing for bankruptcy in the 1990s before going on to enjoy considerable success with a series of non-environmentally friendly cars (SUVs) while professing to hold social responsibility as a key philosophical point, and then suffering a massive collapse that resulted in the company filing for the fourth largest bankruptcy in US history (see chapter 4). Toyota, meanwhile, has made a name for itself with a series of advanced hybrid cars, but has also suffered during the recent financial crisis (see chapter 5). In other words, GM is seen by many as one of the worlds least socially responsible manufacturers, and Toyota is seen by many as one of the worlds most socially responsible manufacturers. By comparing and contrasting their approaches and fortunes, it should be possible to develop a clear understanding of the extent to which major car manufacturers have been socially responsible in pursuing an environmentally friendly agenda. Research Questions The research is based on the following key questions: To what extent do car manufacturing companies act with a high degree of social responsibility when designing environmentally friendly cars? How important is consumer behaviour to car manufacturers interest in social responsibility? Do consumers drive companies behaviour, or vice versa? What different approaches to the subject of environmentally friendly, socially responsible cars have been taken by different companies? How has the recent economic crisis affected manufacturers interest in social responsibility? Is social responsibility progressing according to narrative trends? Is this a major change to business, or merely a passing trend? Research Limitations Any research project contains inherent limitations. If these limitations are ignored, they do not go away; rather, they linger and negatively impact the reliability of the overall project. Consequently, the best approach is to recognise these limitations from the start and to work to ensure that they are factored out of the equation as much as possible. As Saunders et al. note, its only by recognising the limitations of any research program that the problems that always affect any research project can be brought into the open, addressed and contextualised and, in some cases, turned into positives (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 51). The research limits of this project are as follows: Social responsibility is an inherently subjective matter. Something that is socially responsible in the view of one person may be socially irresponsible in the view of another. Many of the relevant subjects, such as global warming, are not universally recognised. Its therefore important to reflect the fact that there is ongoing debate. There is insufficient time and space to analyse the entire market. Therefore, key examples must be selected for the case studies. As noted in 3.1, the subjects for these case studies were chosen for very specific reasons. Questionnaires must be brief and simple to understand, yet they must also focus on the key points. Persuading respondents to fill in questionnaires can be difficult. All these limitations can be overcome, to various extents. The subjectivity inherent in the research subject is in fact relevant to the continuing social, cultural and political debates regarding the extent to which car companies should, and can, adopt socially responsible roles; some critics argue that this can only be achieved if consumers adopt socially responsible approaches to their purchasing patterns, which will inevitably force corporations to adapt to face this trend. Similarly, the continuing debate over global warming although settled in many peoples view continues to cause debate in many parts of the world. Finally, the limitations of time and space mean that the case study subjects must be analysed extremely closely, and the choices of company must be made carefully. Results Analysis Response 200 questionnaires were sent out. The expected response rate was 40-50%, as per the suggestion by Saunders et al. that any questionnaire-based research project that prompts between a third and a half of targets to respond can be said to have performed averagely (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 102). In the event, 81 questionnaires were returned, representing 40.5%, which is just within the expected range. This gives a statistically relevant sample group. Demographic Information Demographic details are important in research concerning attitudes to consumer activity and the environment, since both of these factors can impact upon an individuals view of these issues. Question 1 concerned the age of the respondents: How old are you? The majority of respondents were in their teens and twenties, with a total of three quarters being under 40. This makes the questionnaire more relevant in terms of analysing the attitudes of younger people. The second question concerned the occupation of the respondents. It was decided to provide broad categories rather than to request specific details. For one thing, this emphasised the confidentiality and privacy of the research, and for another it allowed for easy and effective categorisation of answers: What is your occupation? Around two thirds of the respondents were employed, self-employed or in part-time work, with the rest being students, retired or unemployed. Awareness of Social Responsibility among Car Manufacturers The next question asked respondents if they believed the car manufacturing industry, as a whole, to be socially responsible. A brief explanation was appended to this question, defining social responsibility as an awareness of their impact on society, including the environment, and their efforts to ensure that this impact has a positive rather than a negative effect: How responsible do you think car manufacturers are? An overwhelming majority (67.9%) considered car manufacturers to be either not very or not at all responsible. Breaking these results down according to age and occupation gave the following results: Appreciation of manufacturers social awareness, broken down by age range Clearly, levels of appreciation appear to be at least partly linked to age, with these levels peaking for individuals in their fifties. There are numerous possible reasons for this, including: Media exposure: different age groups are exposed to very different media forms and sources, each of which will likely carry very different stories concerning manufacturers levels of social awareness. Learned behaviour: older respondents will have spent longer living in a time when many of the relevant issues, particularly environmental impact, were not considered. Environmental awareness: some of the answers may be influenced by a lack of belief in the various arguments concerning the environment and, in particular, the car industrys contribution to global warming. Clearly, therefore, awareness of social responsibility is a dynamic factor that reflects a number of different viewpoints, and this factors is by no means viewed the same by different age groups. The clear correlation between age and awareness indicates that manufacturers must ensure that they operate multiple simultaneous social responsibility programs if they are to reach all these groups. However, the next question sought to determine whether or not it was strictly necessary for the manufacturers to try to appeal to everyone, and asked how important social responsibility is to purchasing decisions. First, in terms of the overall response, the result was as follows: How important is a manufacturers social responsibility for you when choosing what car to buy? Almost half (48.1%) claimed that social responsibility was either very or quite important, with just over half (51.9%) claiming that it was not very or not at all important. Given the relatively small sample group for this research project, the difference is small enough to be statistically irrelevant, and broadly indicates a 50-50 split in terms of opinion on this subject. However, looking at the results in terms of an age-related breakdown results in a very different set of results: Importance of social responsibility of manufacturers, by age The data shows a clear depreciation of the importance of social responsibility for older consumers, although there is evidence of an increase for consumers in their 50s and above. In order to determine a link between awareness of social responsibility in the industry and the importance of social responsibility in purchasing decisions, the results from figures 4 and 6 were then combined: Importance, and awareness, of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industry There is clearly an inverse relationship between awareness of social responsibility as a factor in the industry, and belief in the importance of social responsibility. For example, younger people are most likely to believe that social responsibility is an important factor when making purchasing decisions, but are the least appreciative of any efforts that have so far been made. To an extent, this can be seen to be a matter of perception, but theres also clearly a problem for the industry in terms of persuading parts of the consumer base that its intentions are genuine. In order to measure the degree to which various manufacturers have succeeded in their aim of seeming more socially responsible, respondents were next asked whether they thought the industry had become more socially responsible over the past decade: Do you think the car industry has become more socially responsible over the past decade, less socially responsible, or it has stayed mostly the same? The vast majority of respondents believe there has been no real change, strongly suggesting that either the message from the manufacturers has not got through to the public, or that there is a deep level of cynicism in terms of whether the public believe that the rhetoric has translated into genuine action. Finally, respondents were given a range of options and were asked to indicate which they believed were most important in terms of social responsibility. They were asked to tick two or three options, with the aim being to allow them to indicate the elements of corporate social responsibility that were deemed most important: Most important elements of social responsibility Clearly, the vast majority of consumers overwhelmingly equate social responsibility with environmental issues. The only other factor to come close to this in terms of relevance was making donations to charitable causes, which to an extent also involves the environment. Social responsibility is not purely about the environment, and encompasses a range of other activities that can improve society. However, for the consumers canvassed for this research project, environmental issues were by far the most important, and its therefore possible to argue that the environment has overtaken all other elements of social responsibility and has become the single most important issue. Although manufacturers could fight against this perception and attempt to focus attention on other factors, the best approach might be to accept that when it comes to social responsibility, most consumers overwhelmingly focus on the environment. Case Study 1: General Motors (US) Background General Motors (GM) is the largest US car manufacturer, and the second largest in the world (after Toyota) (Trott, 2009). The company relies heavily on four key brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. Each of these brands has a distinctive presence in the US market, but critics have argued that GM has lacked focus on the non-US markets, leaving it particularly vulnerable to domestic turmoil and economic volatility. In 1994, GM came close to bankruptcy following a $4.5bn loss, but cost-cutting measures and management changes ensured its survival. The company was one of the key instigators of the huge rise in sales for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in the 1990s, a trend that was highly lucrative for GM but which resulted in criticism from environmental campaigners. Between 1998 and 2001, GM and Ford vied for the top spot in the US market, primarily through massively increasing sales in the SUV market. However, the downturn which followed the September 11th 2001 attacks saw GM suff er particularly hard, even compared to Ford, with the latter at least having a strong European heartland on which to rely during difficult trading conditions in the US. Nevertheless, GM bounced back and by 2005 was recording strong sales figures and was eyeing major expansion into overseas markets. However, the recent economic crisis virtually crippled GM, as well as its two key domestic rivals, Ford and Chrysler. GM lost $38.7bn in the 2007 fiscal year (Wearden, 2009), and an almost 50% drop in sales. The following year, GM predicted that it would run out of money in mid-2009 without a substantial re-financing program, and called for government help. In November 2008, the company joined with Ford and Chrysler in formally requesting help from the US government in order to stave off bankruptcy. Even in the context of the financial crisis, this move was massive, since it represented the genuine possibility of the USs three major car companies going bust almost simultaneously. Although the US government, under outgoing president George W. Bush, was initially reluctant to provide money at a time when many other businesses also had legitimate claims for government help, in December 2008 a bridging loan was finally offered. Despite numerous attempts to cut costs and reorganise the co mpany over the next six months, in June 2009 GM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. After Lehman Brothers, Worldcom and Washington Mutual, this was the fourth largest bankruptcy filing in US history. Eventually, on July 10th 2009, the US government helped to finance a new company, NGMCO Inc., that took on the majority of the old GM assets. The old GM changed its name to Motors Liquidation Company, and the new Vehicle Acquisition Holdings company changed its name to General Motors Company, thereby bringing GM back to life. The new version of GM is mostly owned by the US government, while the old GM Motors Liquidation Company continues to go through the process of the bankruptcy filing. Social Responsibility Both the old and the new GM have been involved in programs to emphasise their social responsibility. Since 1996, GM has financed the Safe Kids USA Buckle Up program, designed to encourage children to use seatbelts. The company has also contributed to a consortium that has donated over $1.2bn to fund education for engineering graduates, a scheme that has recently been extended worldwide. GM has also donated more than $200m in the past decade to charitable causes, and has supported both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates often simultaneously. The companys more recent philanthropic activities include a new global aid program (GM, 2009) and a number of smaller, local community projects designed to improve provisions mostly for children in areas surrounding the companys main factories. These projects have, for the most part, been maintained despite the continued financial uncertainty and the chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings that took place in mid-2009. GM has also launched a major program called I Am GM, designed to showcase the companys strong workplace diversity policies. The program involves placing adverts in newspapers and magazines, and on television, in which GM employees from different ethnic backgrounds talk about their pride in the company. As well as reinforcing the idea of GM as an equal opportunities, ethnically diverse employer, the campaign is designed to show how GM works towards engineering a higher degree of diversity in society. Linked to this program is the companys renewed focus on safety, which has seen not only improvements designed to help children in the event of an accident, but also high-profile campaigns to reinforce the companys vehicles in order to make them withstand bigger crashes. The Buckle Up program has been maintained, and GM has expanded this campaign since 2008 by taking the message to schools around the US. The company claims that corporate responsibility is about more than just words its an acknowledgement that our actions shape our reputation (GM, 2009). Environmentally-Friendly Technology During the 1990s, a number of scandals saw the company accused of poor environmental management, including an accusation that sediments have been stored in unsafe conditions. In 2006, GM was one of a number of manufacturers from around the world named in a suit brought by the State of California over the issue of pollution. The case was dismissed a year later, but the damage to GMs reputation had already been done. In 2008, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) ranked GM 18th on its list of the USs worst polluters, giving the company a toxic score of 73,248, set against the no. 1 polluter, E.I. du Pont de Nemours, which scored 285,661 (PERI, 2008). Meanwhile, in the same year, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) ranked GM 7th out of the worlds largest car manufacturers Managing Communications | Research Proposal Managing Communications | Research Proposal Taversha O’Connor Consulting Firm Business Profile Gilzene’s Consulting firm was founded in the year 1996 by Mr Desmond Gilzene who taught that the industry was lacking in a proper consulting firm. It is a Jamaican-based consulting organization specializing in business development, analysing existing and start-up businesses, creating solutions to problems, and helping small businesses to develop effective plans for meeting their goals. Our mission is to help people create innovative solutions and make informed choices to improve their lives. We motivate and encourage others to achieve their own personal and professional fulfilment. Our main aim is to cater to addressing our client’s issues in the most effective and efficient manner, we believe that our clients’ success is our success. Our consultants have proven experience in executing different projects in organization in the small business environment in Jamaica, some of such businesses includes; Denise Catering Services, Yanique’s House of Styles, Sherine’s Stocking depot, Jody’s Beauty Salon and many more. We offer our valued service for fifty four hours per week and operate from two branches in the rural and urban environment. Business profile Ramà ³n Fancy wear opens for business in the line of supplying the latest fashion in clothing and shoes. Our mission is to provide the most current and unique clothing from top designers around the world. Ramà ³n Fancy Wear is open for business from Monday to Saturday 9am-6pm. This store is located at 45 King Street Linstead where a total of twenty employees is employed in which five are cashiers; three are maintenance worker, eight sales representatives, two supervisors and two managers. Ramà ³n Fancy Wear provides the latest fashions in men, women and children clothing and footwear. However, with so many other similar businesses in the area it was noticed that the business sales profits are declining. Objectives This project seeks to: To understand how to assess information and knowledge To be able to create strategies to increase personal networking to widen the involvement in the decision-making process To develop communication processes and improve systems relating to information and knowledge Methodology Up on conducting this research, various methods will be used. These methods include; qualitative, quantitative, primary and secondary research methods. A quantitative research is explaining phenomena by collecting numerical data that are analysed using mathematical based methods (in particular statistics). With quantitative research it gives a degree of accuracy and more specific answer can be provided (Muijs, 2011). This method will be used when conducting the questionnaires for this research. This research will also take a qualitative approach. According to Hennink et al (2011), a qualitative research is an approach that allows you to examine people’s experiences in detail, by using a specific set of research methods such as in-depth interviews, focus groups discussions, observation, content analysis, visual methods, and life histories or biographies. The main distinctive feature of a qualitative research is that the approach allows you to identify issues from the perspective of your study participants, and understand the meaning and interpretations that they give to behaviour, events or objects. The research will also operate from a secondary method as well. Secondary information consists of sources of data and other information collected by others and archived in some form. These sources include government reports, industry studies, archived data sets, and syndicated information services as well as the traditional books and journals found in libraries and the internet as well. Secondary information offers relatively quick and inexpensive answers to many questions and is almost always the point of departure for primary research. Literature Review Communication is the process of transferring information from a sender to a receiver with use of a medium in which the communicated information is understood by both the sender and receiver. It is a process that allows organisms to exchange information by several methods (what is communication, 2004). From a business perspective, effective communication an absolute must, because it commonly accounts for the difference between success and failure or profit or loss. It has become clear that effective business communication is critical to the successful operation to modern enterprise. Every business person needs to understand the fundamentals of effective communication; it is the most critical component of total quality management. It has been proven that poor communication reduces quality, weakens productivity and eventually leads to anger and a lack of trust among individuals within the organization (Sanchez, 2014). Knowledge has a strong effect on the organization. According to Denning 2009, knowledge is the ideas or understandings which an entity possesses that are used to take effective action to achieve the entity’s goals. Knowledge management is the process through which organizations generate value from their intellectual and knowledge-based assets. Most often, generating value from such assets involves codifying what employees, partners and customers know, and sharing that information among employees, departments and even with other companies in an effort to devise best practices (Levinson, 2014). Improving information management practices is a key focus for many organizations, across both the public and private sectors. This is being driven by a range of factors, including a need to improve the efficiency of business processes, the demands of compliance regulations and the desire to deliver new services (Robertson, 2005). Problem solving and decision-making are important skills for business and life. Problem-solving often involves decision-making, and decision-making is essentially important for management and leadership. There are processes and techniques to improve decision making and the quality of decisions. Problem-solving and decision-making are closely linked, and each requires creativity in identifying and developing options, for which the brainstorming technique is particularly useful. Good decision-making requires a mixture of skills: creative development and identification of options, clarity of judgement firmness of decision, and effective implementation (problem –solving and decision-making, 2010). References what is communication. 2004.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.only-effective-communication-skills.com/what-is-communication.html. [Accessed 15 February 14]. nick sanchez. 2014.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.web.njit.edu/~lipuma/352comproc/comproc.htm. [Accessed 15 February 14]. steve denning. 2009.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.stevedenning.com/knowledgemanagement/what-is-knowledge.aspx. [Accessed 15 February 14]. meridith Levinson. 2014.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.m.cio.com/article/40343/knowledge_management_definition__and_solutions. [Accessed 15 February 14]. james robertson. 2005.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_effectiveim/index.html. [Accessed 15 February 14]. prolem-solving and decision-making. 2010.n/a. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.businessballs.com/problemsolving.html. [Accessed 15 February 14].

Tackling Health Inequalities A Challenge Health And Social Care Essay

Tackling Health Inequalities A Challenge Health And Social Care Essay Tackling health inequalities is a challenge faced by policy makers and health practitioners This assignment will critically discuss how Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) may be tackled, drawing on the current evidence based thinking and social policies on tackling health inequalities. Over the past 30 years, there have been a number of strategies proposed to tackle health inequalities. They have all largely focused on improving the health of the most disadvantaged groups, reducing the gap between the best and worst off and improving health across the whole gradient. (Graham, 2004) The above will also be discussed below. The World health Organisation (WHO) 1999 global strategy of achieving health for all is fundamentally directed towards achieving greater equity in health between and within populations. This implies that all people have an equal opportunity to develop and maintain their health, through fair and equal access to resources for health. Targets in England also aim to improve the health of the disadvantaged groups and that of the population as a whole and also closing the health gap (Secretary of State for Health, 1999). Similar targets have been set up in Wales, Scotland and Ireland with the aim of tackling health inequalities (Graham, 2004). A health gradient approach in tackling health inequalities directs attention to the systematic differences in life expectancy and living standard associated with peoples position in the socio economic hierarchy (Graham, 2004). Tackling health inequalities needs to focus on the causes of health inequality and health damaging behaviours associated with peoples unequal position in the socio- economic hierarchy (Graham, 2004). Improving the health of the poor groups and improving their position relative to other groups is an important strategy in reducing the socio-economic gradient. However, the Department of Health (DOH) (2002a) emphasises that to meet national targets and make progress on tackling health inequalities interventions must reach more than the most disadvantaged. Marmot (2010) also points out focusing solely on the most disadvantaged will not reduce health inequalities Graham (2004) adds that, to improve the social gradient, policies need to be associated with absolute imp rovements in health for all socio-economic groups with a rate of improvement which increases at each step down the socio-economic ladder. The White Paper: Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, published in July 1999, aimed to improve the health of the population as a whole, improve the health of the worst off in society and narrow the health gap (DOH, 1999a). Narrowing the gap between the worse and better off, requires absolute improvement, raising the health of lower socio- economic groups faster than the higher socio economic groups (Graham, 2004). However, Graham (2004) points out that in a society where overall rates of health are improving absolute improvement in their health may be insufficient to narrow the gap between the worse and better off. Wagstaff ,Paci and Van Doorslaer,(1991) also add that focusing on the worst off can obscure what is happening to intermediate groups, experiencing poor health consequently compromising health across the socio-economic hierarchy. The White Paper set targets to be achieved by 2010, of which included reducing the death rate in people aged 75 years from CHD by at least two fir ths (DOH, 1999). A budget of  £96m was allocated to these programmes, however the White Paper aimed at the population as a whole and didnt set any specific national targets for reducing health inequalities (Shaw et al, 1999).Consequently there was no significant improvement in health inequalities. Public health policy has been redefined to give more emphasis to tackling systematic health differences of advantaged and disadvantaged groups (Graham, 2004). Improving the health of the worst off and reducing poverty is the governments main target in tackling health inequalities. However, targeted policies may have negative effects on the health of other groups, either in absolute or relative terms (Graham, 2004). The Black Report (1980) and the Acheson Report (1999) recommended prioritising the health of families with children, reducing income inequalities and improving standards of poor households (Acheson, 1998). Reducing child poverty and improving circumstances of children would have long term effects on reducing health inequalities (Acheson, 1999). The government set targets to reduce Child poverty by half, by 2010 and eradicate child poverty by 2020 (DOH, 1999). The elderly people are more likely to be diagnosed with CHD, and if in poverty this can worsen the condition. The S tate Retirement Pension needs to high enough to provide a financial security in old age, however the current government have increased the retirement age to 67 years, which may increase income inequalities in the elderly people. The older one gets the less hours they work earning less income. Furthermore, getting the unemployed into jobs across the gradient is another way of tackling poverty. Marmot (2010) argues that jobs need to offer a minimum level of quality; a decent wage and flexible hours to enable people balance work and family life. Good working conditions can reduce the risk of developing CHD. However, getting people into low paid, insecure and health damaging work will increase the exposure to poor health therefore increasing health inequalities. For individuals such as the permanently sick or house bound, employment may not be the solution out of poverty. Furthermore, it would be impossible to reduce unemployment if there are no jobs available (WHO, 2008). In April 1999, the government also introduced the National minimal wage, this policy was aiming at reducing in work poverty and decrease the number of individuals dependant on social security (DOH, 1999). Deprivation during utero and childhood has lifelong consequences in adulthood life. It is important that all pregnant women are able to afford an adequate diet and have a continuum of care from pre- pregnancy and through pregnancy (WHO, 2005b). Shaw et al (1999) suggested that maternity allowances should be increased, especially for women dependent on income support or low paid jobs. Also to increase benefits to support families with children. However with the current government and its initiatives to cut cost, this may not be achievable. Furthermore, physical, social and emotional health is important in child development and these have an influence on education, occupational opportunities and life chances (Marmot, 2010). Marmot (2010) suggests that giving every child the best start in life is crucial in tackling health inequalities across the gradient. He recommended increasing the proportion of overall expenditure to the early years and ensuring that the expenditure is focused progressively across the social gradient. This includes providing good quality in early years education and childcare proportionately across the gradient. However, educational and other individual-based approaches tend to be taken up disproportionately by the more affluent, which tend to widen health gap (Bambra et al, 2010) Quality housing free of cold and damp is a basic need for healthy living. Shaw et al (1999) point out that poverty can be reduced by raising the incomes and standard of living of poor families with children, disabled and elderly people. The Central and Local government should increase the value of welfare benefits and pensions and improve social infrastructures including social housing and public services (Shaw et al, 1999). Marmot (2010) also recommended creating and developing healthy and sustainable places, which will improve social capital thus removing barriers to community participation and action across the social gradient. Authorities should ensure urban planning such as increasing street lights and safe pedestrian walkways in order to improve physical activity. This promotes good physical and psychological well-being and safe behaviours, which are essential for health equality. Furthermore, access to big supermarkets through investment in active transport can improve access to healthier food choices among low income groups. However, improving access to supermarkets and advising people on healthy food will not be effective solutions if the price of fresh fruit and vegetables is high. Having a balanced healthy diet that has low and fat will reduce the risk of CHD (Lindsay and Gaw, 2004). Central government could restrict the food industry on the amount of fat and salt levels put in foods (Shaw et al 1999). Maintaining physical activity for at least 30mins at a time can reduce risks to CHD. Investing in public services for example leisure centres, play areas for children, physical activity can be promoted. However some of these public services come with a cost. Worrral et al, (1997) points out that there is unequal distribution of health resources as the more health resources go out to the richer households than to the poorer households. To improve access to health resources authorities need to conduct regular audits to enable the redirection of resources to the disadvantaged communities. The government published the New White Paper, Choosing health: Making healthier choices in 2004, which aims to support individuals and promote informed healthier choices especially those in disadvantaged groups (DOH, 2004). However, making choice is difficult to exercise if lacking the resources necessary, particularly the disadvantaged. Tackling smoking is a key intervention that can rapidly reduce the number of early deaths among CHD incidences. There have been a lot of campaigns and educational programmes encouraging individuals to make healthier choices. These have included preventing people from starting to smoke; smoking cessation especially disadvantaged adults and pregnant smoking women, and protecting non-smokers from tobacco smoke through introducing Smoke free zones (DOH, 2010). And a regulatory control of alcohol consumption such public houses and bars closing early and minimal age limit on alcohol consumption. However, enforcing smoke bans and alcohol regulations are viewed to be effective methods but asking poor people to change risky behaviour when they cannot afford a proper meal or warm clothing and yet use smoking as a means of escape from their plight might not be sufficient enough to reduce health inequalities. Individuals from worse social circumstances have considerably high level of cardiovascular risk than those ones from better off circumstances (Bambra et al, 2010).Marmot (2010) recommended the need for early detection and prioritising prevention of chronic diseases related to health inequalities across the social gradient. Harkin et al (2010) estimated that an equal uptake of effective primary prevention across all socio economically disadvantage groups can reduce inequalities. However equality in health care services may not be sufficient enough to end health inequalities. The DOH (2000) proposed a national screening programme for all people aged 40-74 to assess their risk of developing heart diseases. The use of statins is another key intervention that can rapidly reduce the number of early deaths among CHD incidences The use of cholesterol lowering drugs is based on an individuals level of risk for future cardio vascular events. If everyone in the UK aged 45- 74 with clinical evid ence of CHD were treated with statins for five years, about 22,000 deaths and major clinical events would be avoided(Davey smith and Ebrahim, 1999;1097). Recently attention has been given to the role of the National Health Service (NHS) in promoting public health and reducing inequalities in health. The NHS aims to develop a systematic approach to treating people at risk from chronic diseases and encouraging more people to adopt a healthy life style (Macintyre, 2000). Part of NHS funding is spent on prevention; however most of the major influences on population health such as poor housing, unemployment and poverty lie outside the NHS. More so, health promotion strategies focusing on individual behaviours such as smoking, diet and exercise are more commonly taken up by those in the affluent societies (Macintyre, 2000). Therefore these intervention need to engage fully the deprived populations otherwise this may widen the health inequalities. While the health of the population may be improving, policy makers have a considerable duty to inform and develop strategies which can contribute to greater equality in health. Allocation of resources in tackling Coronary heart disease should consider cultural and behavioural lifestyles, material circumstances and, psychosocial pathways within social class and across the gradient. Focusing on the most disadvantaged will not reduce health inequalities dramatically. More so, to reduce the stepwise social gradient in health targets should aim at bringing levels of the lowest socio economic groups closer to the national average standard.

British Airways Financial Analysis :: Case Study Analysis, solution

British Airways Financial Analysis The following pages comprise of a financial analysis of British Airways for the financial year ending March 31, 1999. British Airways is a well-established company and has enjoyed high profits for the majority of its existence. However, the most recent accounts that have been published tell a different story of how the year has been. British Airways produced a pre-tax profit of  £225 million. This is  £355 million less than in 1998 which illustrates the decline in demand for British Airways services. Although this decline in profits of 61% seems unacceptable it was caused by a variety of abnormal expenses. For example the company spent  £35 million on computer systems to ensure that they are â€Å"year 2000 compliant†. British Airways also entered the low cost air travel market during the year with the launch of â€Å"Go†, which is running at a loss as it tries to establish itself in a highly competitive business environment. Lower fuel prices and the strength of the Pound benefited British Airways, and as a result the company stocked up on 45% of its fuel requirement for the next financial year. This also contributed to the fall in profits for the year. Operating Profit Fell from  £504 million in 1998 to  £442 million in 1999. The return on capital employed or primary ratio was just 17.06%. This is a great deal smaller than the 1998 figure of 61.2%. These figures both show that the business is achieving a return higher than that which could be achieved in a non-risk investment such as a high interest no access bank account which would only give a return of 7 to 9%. British Airways has a working capital of 5.1, which shows that it has high solvency. Overall, although the firm has incurred a loss of  £355 million in the financial year it is still a healthy business that shows promise of high profits in future years.

Enclosure Act :: essays research papers

Enclosure Act The Enclosure Act was passed to create more commerce for farmers and use the lands more rationally. The enclosure was good because it increased food production. The enclosure also began a capitalistic attitude in Europe. The Enclosure Act damaged the pheasant population. Before the enclosure of the land, there were strips of land poor farmers would farm. There was also common land farmers would use to allow their animals to graze. This system discouraged improvement and favored the small time farmers. When the enclosure happened the landlords consolidated their lands, they transformed the strips of land into block fields, and fenced up the common land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The enclosure increased the amount of food produced and the food supply. The enclosure allowed the continuation of innovations and inventions to help increase food production. The land was used more efficiently. The decisions on what crops to plant were not made communally as like in the village method. The farmers would use crop rotation and had more manure to use as fertilizer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The farmers wanted to make more money after the enclosure. There was an entrepreneurial attitude. The farmers wanted to own land. These attitudes, however, hurt the poor farmers. The landlords, who were concerned about profits, did not care like they did during the village method about waving rents and look out for the farmers. Now all they wanted was their money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the bad things that happened during the enclosure of land was what happened to the small farmers. In some cases the population of the poor cottagers, common pasturagers, and small farmers dropped. The landlords were not taking care of them like they us to during depressed times.

Hypertext Games or Stories: Patchwork Girl Essay

Information or messages may be communicated in so many ways depending on the conditions inherent within the various situations or environments wherein the process of communication shall take place. Determining the various ways or means by which information or messages, particularly facts and realities, are communicated is extremely significant not only because important information embedded within truths or realities are instrumental in learning or gaining knowledge, but also because the information which represents facts and realities are valuable in making well-informed decisions, positive and constructive responses, behavior, and actions, and most importantly interaction. (Preston, 2001) Under these pretexts, the value of developing and identifying various tools of communication is vital for the purpose of facilitating the transfer of information timely and efficiently. The structure and content of information ranges from simple to complex, brief to extensive, specific to general, and so on. Due to this inherent feature of information which is compound and diverse, the rationale for developing varied communication tools is justified. (Albers, 2005) Therefore, the extreme importance attributed to the transfer of information and messages, particularly truths and realities, and the considerations regarding the complexity of the form or structure and content of information sets the stage for the development of various communication tools configured for various types of information and different venues or situations. Hypertexts A hypertext is one example of a virtual communication tool which was designed to facilitate the transfer of complex and comprehensive information. The hypertext was a form of technological innovation borne out of the emergence of the digital age – signaled by the development of computers and the engineering of the World Wide Web. The hypertext may be described as nonlinear, that which information is not presented flatly, like how one might obtain information by reading a book from one page to the other. A hypertext facilitates the access or transfer of information dynamically. (Reksten, 2000) The hypertext was structured in order to allow its users to access specific information directly without digesting the entire body of information. It organizes small lumps of information that go together based on the content and theme of information and places them on a separate node or link. This process of organizing information makes possible the retrieval of needed information directly and adequately. (Reksten, 2000) In light of the unique structure of hypertexts, as well as their purpose in communicating valuable information, its configuration or process of organization shall be analyzed in order to respond to the inquiry whether it is instrumental in relaying truths or realities through a game or a story. In order to explicitly resolve this inquiry, a type of hypertext shall be reviewed under the benchmarks aforementioned – that is, the Patchwork Girl. Patchwork Girl â€Å"Patchwork Girl,† an electronic piece of interactive literature, was created by Shelley Jackson. Through the digital software called the Storyspace, Jackson was able to put together the structure of â€Å"Patchwork Girl. † The realization of Jackson’s work was facilitated by Eastgate System’s publication of her digital creation. According to Jackson, the presupposition of â€Å"Patchwork Girl† was based on the novel by Mary Shelley, â€Å"Frankenstein,† and L. Frank Baum’s â€Å"Patchwork Girl of Oz. † In addition, other texts included in the â€Å"Patchwork Girl† were taken from the works or contributions of Donna Haraway, Jacques Derrida, and other icons of art and literature. (Schor, 2004) Jackson’s story runs like a puzzle wherein the 323 pages which constitute the story are put together by linking 462 links or nodes. Unlike books, the â€Å"Patchwork Girl† was not created chronologically although the pages which constitute a body of information with singular ideas form a unifying theme, such as characterization, the plot and the setting, the transition from one background to another, the development of the characters, and so on. Since the stories in the â€Å"Patchwork Girl† are divided into parts, the order of how these bodies of information are read depends upon the preference of the user. (Schor, 2004) Patchwork Girl: A Hypertext Story or Game? As previously discussed within the specification of this particular task, the primary difference between a story and a game is the process by which information or messages are conveyed and how they are perceived or developed through the reader or user’s involvement. Stories are well-organized from the beginning until the end. In addition, they are meant to be simply digested, thus interaction is muted. Since stories are determinedly structured, they are presented in detail but it does not support the formulation of new information because the contents of the story are already defined. On the other hand, games are not arranged chronologically. It facilitates the deep involvement of the user because the outcomes of the game depend upon the decisions and responses of the user. Therefore, the details are limited based on the input of the user. (Crawford, N. D. ) Based on the comparative information previously discussed about stories and games and the structure of â€Å"Patchwork Girl,† Jackson’s electronic literature may be considered both a story and a game. â€Å"Patchwork Girl† is a story because the sections or chapters were descriptive enough detailing the relationships between the characters, the conflicts, the setting, and so on. Moreover, the narratives are not determined by the user but were instead written undoubtedly through Jackson’s artistic perspectives and inputs. In addition, the â€Å"Patchwork Girl† followed a development of the characters and their interaction with each other as well as movement from one scene or setting to another if the parts or sections are to be taken collectively. On the other hand, â€Å"Patchwork Girl† is also a game because it allows the user to explore the structure of the story from different perspectives or viewpoints. For instance, â€Å"Seagoing† and â€Å"Seastance† talks about the feelings and emotions of the creature, while â€Å"Crazy Quilt† is from the various perspectives of the characters. Furthermore, â€Å"Patchwork Girl,† unlike the linear structure of the story, was not arranged chronologically although information or messages were organized based on the theme. This creates the interaction between the user and the hypertext because the user is provided with new information every time a link or a node is visited, although the outcomes of joining the links or nodes together are not determined by the preferences of the user. By and large, â€Å"Patchwork Girl† is a story because it is patterned as a narrative wherein the flow of the story is fixed and the relationship between the characters are established, as well as the cause and effect aspect of the relationships. It is also a game because the story was not arranged chronologically as a linear piece of literature would ideally be and the fragmented parts of the story sets the pace allowing the user to experience excitement and to explore the relationships between the characters dynamically. In addition, if the user accesses a link or a node, new information or message or revealed in order to complete the puzzle, that is the entirety of Jackson’s â€Å"Patchwork Girl. † Conclusion As exhibited by the technology used to create the â€Å"Patchwork Girl,† the development of varied tools for communication is significant in order to create means by which truths or realities are to be communicated effectively. In addition, the complexity or diversity of types of information makes it difficult to transfer information as it is, thus, the development of communication strategies. Due to the emergence of technology, communication strategies were expanded to include digital or electronic softwares or applications for various reasons. For some, technology facilitates the fast or timely transfer of information, while other individuals consider technology as a means to easily organize and create information, and so on. In the case of the â€Å"Patchwork Girl,† technology was used in order to create a hypertext that organizes information, while at the same time diversifies it in order to facilitate the conventional (story type) yet dynamic and interactive (game type) transfer of information or messages. Overall, innovation was used through the technology of hypertext in order to create a piece of literature which distances itself from linearity and tediousness but integrates the significant aspects of the story type, such as the distinct presentation of information, and the game type, such as the interactive means of relaying information, in order for the author to convey his artistic and creative beliefs and ideas, but at the same time allow the readers to become active receivers of information to facilitate interaction, which constitutes the true essence of communication. Furthermore, diversifying the structure of communication tools facilitates the resolution of problems attributed to poor strategies or techniques of information which hinders the receipt of the whole text or information. In â€Å"Patchwork Girl,† the story was redefined by making it interactive in order to draw the attention of the readers and place them within a situation which allows them to be highly involved and committed. Under these pretexts, we realize how the study of various types of information and tools of communication, including the hypertext, is necessary in order to determine how information is best delivered or communicated to readers. The structure of the â€Å"Patchwork Girl† endorses the importance of dynamic and interactive communication. References Albers, M. J. (2005). Communication of Complex Information: User Goals and Information Needs for Dynamic Web Information. New York, NY: Routledge. Crawford, C. (N. D. ) The Art of Computer Game Design. Retrieved 09 Apr 2009, from Washington State University. Website: http://www. vancouver. wsu. edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Chapter1. html Preston, P. (2001). Reshaping Communications: Technology, Information, and Social Change. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Reksten, L. E. (2000). Using Technology to Increasing Student Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Schor, E. H. (2004). The Cambridge Companion to Mary Shelley. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.